JP7712658B2 - Computer program, server device and method - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applied. From February 7, 2021 to June 2, 2021, the information was disclosed via email, online conference, or interview to solicit opinions from some users who receive the services of LegalForce Co., Ltd.

The technology disclosed in this application relates to a computer program, a server device, and a method for supporting document creation.

A method for supporting document creation is disclosed in JP 2020-13524 A (Patent Document 1). In the method described in this document, a client's terminal device that has logged in to the system and been authenticated uploads the document to be reviewed to a document creation server device, and transmits information regarding the request to a recipient's terminal device via the document creation server device. The client's terminal device and the recipient's terminal device edit the document stored in the document creation server device to create a document that reflects the client's opinion and the recipient's review results.
The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

JP 2020-13524 A

Recently, there has been a demand for improved convenience in services that support document creation.
Therefore, the technology disclosed in the present application provides a computer program, a server device, and a method that support document creation while improving convenience.

A computer program according to one embodiment can cause "at least one processor to function to, when executed by at least one processor, store a first message for a certain case that is received or sent by a specified account and has a first file attached, store a second message for the certain case that is received or sent by the specified account and has a second file attached, store a plurality of messages including the first message and the second message that are related to each other for the certain case in association with case identification information that identifies the certain case, and store a plurality of files including the first file and the second file that belong to the same group and are related to each other for the certain case in association with group identification information that identifies the group related to the case identification information."
A server device according to one embodiment can be configured to "have at least one processor, and to store a first message received or sent by a specified account for a certain case and having a first file attached, store a second message received or sent by the specified account for the certain case and having a second file attached, store a plurality of messages including the first message and the second message that are related to each other for the certain case in association with case identification information that identifies the certain case, and store a plurality of files including the first file and the second file that belong to the same group and are related to each other for the certain case in association with group identification information that identifies the group related to the case identification information."
A method according to one embodiment can include "a method executed by at least one processor, storing a first message received or sent by a specified account for a certain case and having a first file attached; storing a second message received or sent by the specified account for the certain case and having a second file attached; storing a plurality of messages including the first message and the second message that are related to each other for the certain case in association with case identification information that identifies the certain case; and storing a plurality of files including the first file and the second file that belong to the same group and are related to each other for the certain case in association with group identification information that identifies the group related to the case identification information."

This Summary section is provided to introduce in a simplified form selected concepts that are described below in the Detailed Description section. The descriptions in this Summary section are not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed inventions, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the claimed inventions. The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the claimed inventions will become more apparent from the following Detailed Description section taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a document creation system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the terminal device 20 (or the server device 30) shown in FIG. FIG. 3A is a flow diagram showing an example of an operation executed in the document creation system shown in FIG. FIG. 3B is a flow diagram showing an example of an operation executed in the document creation system shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 20 in the document creation system shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 20 in the document creation system shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing yet another example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 20 in the document creation system shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram conceptually showing an example of a method for storing messages and files by the document creation server device 30 in the document creation system shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing yet another example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 20 in the document creation system shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing yet another example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 20 in the document creation system shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing yet another example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 20 in the document creation system shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing yet another example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 20 in the document creation system shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing yet another example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 20 in the document creation system shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing yet another example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 20 in the document creation system shown in FIG.

The various systems, methods, and devices described herein should not be construed as being limited in any manner. Indeed, the present disclosure is directed to all novel features and aspects of each of the various disclosed embodiments, combinations of these various embodiments with each other, and combinations of portions of these various embodiments with each other. The various systems, methods, and devices described herein are not limited to specific aspects, specific features, or combinations of such specific aspects with specific features, nor do the products and methods described herein require that one or more specific advantages be present or problems be solved. Moreover, various features or aspects of the various embodiments described herein, or portions of such features or aspects, may be used in combination with each other.

Although the operations of some of the various methods disclosed herein have been described in a particular order for convenience, it should be understood that description in this manner encompasses rearranging the order of the operations, unless a particular order is required by specific text below. For example, operations described in a sequence may, in some cases, be rearranged or performed simultaneously. Moreover, for purposes of simplicity, the accompanying drawings do not show various ways in which the various items and methods described herein may be used in conjunction with other items and methods.

Any theory of operation, scientific principles, or other theoretical descriptions presented herein relating to the devices or methods of the present disclosure are provided for purposes of better understanding and are not intended to limit the scope of the technology. The devices and methods of the appended claims are not limited to devices and methods that operate in a manner described by such theories of operation.

Any of the various methods disclosed herein may be implemented using computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable media and executed on a computer. The one or more media may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as at least one optical media disk, volatile memory components, or non-volatile memory components, where the volatile memory components include, for example, DRAM or SRAM. Also, the non-volatile memory components include, for example, hard drives and solid-state drives (SSDs). Furthermore, the computer may include any computer available on the market, including, for example, smartphones and other mobile devices having hardware to perform computations.

Any such computer-executable instructions for implementing the techniques disclosed herein, along with any data generated and used during the implementation of the various embodiments disclosed herein, may be stored on one or more computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory computer-readable storage media). Such computer-executable instructions may be, for example, part of a separate software application, or part of a software application accessed or downloaded via a web browser or other software application (such as a remote computing application). Such software may be executed, for example, on a single local computer (e.g., as a process executed on any suitable computer available on the market) or in a network environment (e.g., the Internet, a wide area network, a local area network, a client-server network (such as a cloud computing network), or other such network) using one or more networked computers.

For clarity, only certain selected aspects of various software-based implementations are described. Other details that are well known in the art are omitted. For example, the techniques disclosed herein are not limited to a particular computer language or program. For example, the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented by software written in C, C++, Java, or any other suitable programming language. Similarly, the techniques disclosed herein are not limited to a particular computer or type of hardware. Specific details of suitable computers and hardware are well known and need not be described in detail herein.

Moreover, any of the various software-based embodiments (e.g., including computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform any of the various methods disclosed herein) may be uploaded, downloaded, or accessed in a remote manner by any suitable communication means, including, for example, the Internet, the World Wide Web, an intranet, a software application, cable (including fiber optic cable), magnetic communication, electromagnetic communication (including RF communication, microwave communication, infrared communication), electronic communication, or other such communication means.

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that common components in the drawings are given the same reference numerals. It should also be noted that components depicted in one drawing may be omitted in another drawing for ease of explanation. Furthermore, it should also be noted that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

1. Example of Document Creation System The document creation system according to one embodiment is, simply put, a system that provides a service for supporting document creation (hereinafter referred to as a "document creation service") to a user via at least one information processing device.
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a document creation system according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the document creation system 1 may include one or more terminal devices (information processing devices) 20 that may be connected to a communication network (communication line) 10, one or more document creation server devices (information processing devices) 30 that may be connected to the communication network 10, and one or more mail server devices (information processing devices) 40 that may be connected to the communication network 10.

In FIG. 1, three terminal devices 20A-20C are exemplified as examples of one or more terminal devices 20, two server devices 30A and 30B are exemplified as examples of one or more document creation server devices 30, and two mail server devices 40A and 40B are exemplified as examples of one or more mail server devices 40. However, one or more terminal devices 20 other than the above may be connected to the communication network 10 as one or more terminal devices 20, one or more server devices 30 other than the above may be connected to the communication network 10 as one or more document creation server devices 30, and one or more mail server devices 40 other than the above may be connected to the communication network 10 as one or more mail server devices 40.

The communication network 10 may include, but is not limited to, a cellular network, a wireless network, a landline network, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and/or an Ethernet network. The wireless network may include, but is not limited to, Bluetooth, WiFi (such as IEEE 802.11a/b/n), WiMax, cellular, satellite, laser, infrared, or RF connections.

The terminal device 20 can receive the "document creation service" by executing at least one specific application and communicating with the document creation server device 30. The specific application can include, but is not limited to, a web browser, an operating system, and/or a dedicated application prepared for the service.

The terminal device 20 may be any terminal device (information processing device) including, but not limited to, a smartphone, a tablet, a mobile phone (feature phone), a personal computer, and/or a workstation.

The document creation server device 30 can provide a document creation service to the terminal device 20 by executing a specific application installed thereon and functioning as a web server or application server. The specific application can include, but is not limited to, an operating system and/or a dedicated application specially prepared for the service.

The document creation server device 30 may be any information processing device, including, but not limited to, a personal computer, a workstation, a mainframe, and/or a supercomputer.

The mail server device 40 executes a specific application installed thereon and functions, for example, as an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server and/or a POP3 (Post Office Protocol Version 3) server, thereby providing the document creation server device 30 with services related to sending and receiving emails. The specific application may include, but is not limited to, an operating system and/or a dedicated application specially prepared for sending and receiving the emails.

In particular, when it comes to receiving emails, the mail server device 40 (by functioning as an SMTP server) can store emails sent to recipient email addresses in a mailbox dedicated to that email address. After that, the mail server device 40 (by functioning as a POP3 server) can send the email to the document creation server device 30 in response to a request for email sent to the recipient email address from the document creation server device 30.
Furthermore, in terms of sending email, the mail server device 40 (by functioning as an SMTP server) can send email sent to the sender's email address by the document creation server device 30 to an SMTP server corresponding to the domain contained in the sender's email address.

The mail server device 40 may be any information processing device, including, but not limited to, a personal computer, a workstation, a mainframe, and/or a supercomputer.

2. Hardware Configuration of Each Device An example of the hardware configuration of each of the terminal device 20, the document creation server device 30, and the mail server device 40 will be described.
(1) Hardware Configuration of Terminal Device 20
An example of the hardware configuration of the terminal device 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic example of the hardware configuration of the terminal device 20 (or the server device 30) shown in Fig. 1 (note that in Fig. 2, the reference numerals in parentheses are given in relation to the server device 30, as will be described later).

As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 20 can include a central processing unit 21, a main memory device 22, an input/output interface device 23, an input device 24, an auxiliary memory device 25, and an output device 26. These devices are connected to each other by a data bus and/or a control bus.

The central processing unit 21, which is a processor, is called a "CPU (Central Processing Unit)" and can perform calculations on instructions and data stored in the main memory 22 and store the results of the calculations in the main memory 22. Furthermore, the central processing unit 21 can control the input device 24, auxiliary memory device 25, output device 26, etc. via the input/output interface device 23. The terminal device 20 can include one or more such central processing units 21.

The main memory 22 is referred to as "memory" and can store instructions and data received from the input device 24, the auxiliary memory 25, and the communication network 10 (such as the server device 30) via the input/output interface device 23, as well as the results of calculations by the central processing unit 21. The main memory 22 can include, but is not limited to, computer-readable media such as volatile memory (e.g., registers, cache, random access memory (RAM)), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), EEPROM, flash memory), and storage (e.g., hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), magnetic tape, optical media). As will be readily understood, the term "computer-readable recording medium" can include media for data storage such as memory and storage, as well as transmission media such as modulated data signals, i.e., temporary signals.

The auxiliary storage device 25 is a storage device with a larger capacity than the main storage device 22. The auxiliary storage device 25 stores the instructions and data (computer programs) that constitute the specific applications, etc., and is controlled by the central processing unit 21 to transmit these instructions and data (computer programs) to the main storage device 22 via the input/output interface device 23. The auxiliary storage device 25 can include, but is not limited to, a magnetic disk device and/or an optical disk device, etc.

The input device 24 is a device that inputs data from the outside, and can include, but is not limited to, a keyboard, a touch panel, a button, a mouse, and/or a sensor (microphone, camera), etc.

The output device 26 may include, but is not limited to, a display device, a touch panel, and/or a printer device.

In such a hardware configuration, the central processing unit 21 can sequentially load the instructions and data (computer program) constituting the specific application stored in the auxiliary storage device 25 into the main storage device 22 and perform operations on the loaded instructions and data. This allows the central processing unit 21 to control the output device 26 via the input/output interface device 23, and also to send and receive various information (data) to and from other devices (such as the server device 30) via the input/output interface device 23 and the communication network 10.

In this way, the terminal device 20 can execute various operations related to the document creation service (including various operations described below with reference to Figures 3A and 3B, etc.) by, for example, executing an installed web browser to receive and display web pages from the server device 30 (and further, execute a computer program embedded in the web page). Alternatively, the terminal device 20 can execute the same operations by executing the installed dedicated application.

In addition, the terminal device 20 may include one or more microprocessors and/or a graphics processing unit (GPU) instead of or in addition to the central processing unit 21.

(2) Hardware Configuration of the Document Creation Server Device 30 An example of the hardware configuration of the document creation server device 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The hardware configuration of the document creation server device 30 may be the same as that of the terminal device 20 described above. Therefore, the reference numerals for the components of the document creation server device 30 are shown in parentheses in Fig. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the document creation server device 30 can include a central processing unit 31, which is a processor, a main memory device 32, an input/output interface device 33, an input device 34, an auxiliary memory device 35, and an output device 36. These devices are connected to each other by a data bus and/or a control bus.

The central processing unit 31, main memory device 32, input/output interface device 33, input device 34, auxiliary memory device 35, and output device 36 may be substantially the same as the central processing unit 21, main memory device 22, input/output interface device 23, input device 24, auxiliary memory device 25, and output device 26 included in the terminal device 20 described above, respectively.

In such a hardware configuration, the central processing unit 31 can sequentially load the instructions and data (computer program) constituting the specific application stored in the auxiliary storage device 35 into the main storage device 32 and perform operations on the loaded instructions and data. This allows the central processing unit 31 to control the output device 36 via the input/output interface device 33, and also to send and receive various information (data) to and from other devices (such as the terminal device 20) via the input/output interface device 33 and the communication network 10.

This allows the document creation server device 30 to function as a web server by executing the specific application installed above. This allows the document creation server device 30 to perform various operations related to the writing service (including operations described below with reference to Figures 3A and 3B, etc.) via web pages sent to each terminal device 20 (and furthermore, computer programs embedded in the web pages and executed by the terminal devices 20). Alternatively, the document creation server device 30 can function as an application server by executing the specific application installed above. This allows the document creation server device 30 to perform similar operations.

In addition, the document creation server device 30 may include one or more microprocessors and/or a graphics processing unit (GPU) instead of or in addition to the central processing unit 31.

(3) Hardware Configuration of Mail Server Device 40 An example of the hardware configuration of mail server device 40 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The hardware configuration of mail server device 40 may be the same as that of terminal device 20 described above. Therefore, the reference characters for the components of mail server device 40 are shown in parentheses in Fig. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mail server device 40 can include a central processing unit 41, which is a processor, a main memory device 42, an input/output interface device 43, an input device 44, an auxiliary memory device 45, and an output device 46. These devices are connected to each other by a data bus and/or a control bus.

The central processing unit 41, main memory device 42, input/output interface device 43, input device 44, auxiliary memory device 45, and output device 46 may be substantially the same as the central processing unit 21, main memory device 22, input/output interface device 23, input device 24, auxiliary memory device 25, and output device 26 included in the terminal device 20 described above, respectively.

In such a hardware configuration, the central processing unit 41 can sequentially load the instructions and data (computer program) constituting the specific application stored in the auxiliary storage device 45 into the main storage device 42 and perform operations on the loaded instructions and data. This allows the central processing unit 41 to control the output device 46 via the input/output interface device 43, and also to send and receive various information (data) to and from other devices (such as the document creation device 30) via the input/output interface device 43 and the communication network 10.

This allows the mail server device 40 to execute the specific application installed above and function as a mail server. This allows the mail server device 40 to execute various operations related to sending and receiving mail (including the operations described below with reference to Figures 3A and 3B, etc.).

In addition, the mail server device 40 may include one or more microprocessors and/or a graphics processing unit (GPU) instead of or in addition to the central processing unit 41.

3A and 3B, a specific example of the operation of the document creation system 1 will be described. Figures 3A and 3B are flow diagrams showing an example of the operation executed in the document creation system shown in Figure 1.

First, the document creation server device 30 can execute a function related to sending and receiving mail (messages) between the mail server device 40, that is, a function as a mailer (for example, the functions described below in relation to ST306, ST322, and ST328 with reference to Figures 3A and 3B), by executing a first installed computer program. Furthermore, the document creation server device 30 can execute a function related to file management (for example, the functions described below in relation to Figures 3A and 3B, excluding the function related to sending and receiving mail (messages)) by executing a second installed computer program. In another embodiment, the document creation server device 30 can execute both the function related to sending and receiving mail (messages) and the function related to file management by executing one installed computer program.

Referring to FIG. 3A, first, in step (hereinafter referred to as "ST") 300, a terminal device 20A of a certain user (here, "user A") can start and execute an installed web browser according to an operation of user A. The terminal device 20A can access the document creation server device 30 by specifying a URL unique to the document creation service. Furthermore, the terminal device 20A can be authenticated by inputting a user name and password according to an operation of user A and sending them to the document creation server device 30. Note that the above user name and password can be used not only by user A who belongs to a certain organization (such as a company or a law firm), but also by one or more other users who belong to the same organization, for example. As a result, a plurality of users who belong to the same organization can receive the document creation service by accessing the document creation server device 30 using their own unique terminal devices 20 and being authenticated.
Here, a case where user A and a plurality of users belong to organization I will be described.

In ST302, the authenticated terminal device 20A can display a board screen showing the status of each case, etc., using the web page received from the document creation server device 30. Figure 4 shows an example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 20 in the document creation system shown in Figure 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the terminal device 20A can display, on a board screen 400, information 402A-402G relating to multiple (seven, for example) emails (cases, tasks) that organization I, to which user A belongs, has received from requesters, etc. Each piece of information 402A-402G can include, for the corresponding email, in columns of "status," "subject," "department," and "date and time," the current status of this email (case, task), the name of the case corresponding to this email, the "department" (sender) that sent this email, and the date and time that this email was received. Note that this board screen 400 can also be displayed in a similar manner on the terminal device 20 of another user who belongs to organization I.

Furthermore, the terminal device 20A can display a search field 404 on the board screen 400. As will be described later in relation to ST334, the terminal device 20A can also display one or more emails that match and/or are related to the keyword entered by user A in the field 404 from among multiple emails that organization I has received from the requester.

Returning to FIG. 3A, in ST304, when user A clicks on any of the information related to the multiple cases (emails) displayed on the board screen 400, the terminal device 20A can display more detailed information related to that case (email).

Figure 5 is a diagram showing another example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 20 in the document creation system shown in Figure 1. Figure 5 shows an example of a case screen 500 displayed by the terminal device 20 when user A selects a case (case X) corresponding to information 402A from among the cases (emails) displayed on the board screen 400 (see Figure 4).

5, the case screen 500 can first include information about the case name 502. This information 502 is the same as the information displayed in the "Case Name" column of the information 402A shown in FIG.
Furthermore, the case screen 500 can include, for example, in the left portion, information about emails received or sent so far for this case X. Here, the terminal device 20A can display, for example, information 504 about email 500A received from client B when requesting this case X, information 506 about email 500B sent in response to this email from user A to client B, and information 508 about email 500C sent in response to this email from client B to user A. Note that the body of the email can be displayed in the portion marked "body of email" in FIG. 5.

Focusing on information 504, terminal device 20A can display information about the file attached by requester B to this email 500A (such as an image corresponding to "clip," which indicates the presence of an attached file, and the name of the attached file, "XYZ0001.docx").

Furthermore, the case screen 500 can include information 510 indicating the status of this case X, for example on the right side. This information 510 can include a status selected by a user (e.g., user A, etc.) belonging to organization I from among "Unassigned" (this case has not yet been assigned to anyone), "In Progress" (this case is being processed by one of the users to whom this case has been assigned), "Waiting for Response" (waiting for a response from the requester), and "Completed" (this case has been completed), which are displayed on this case screen 500, for example, by a pull-down menu not shown. In this way, the status selected by user A, etc. is also reflected and displayed in the column corresponding to "Status" on the board screen shown in FIG. 4.

The case screen 500 may also include, for example, on the right side, information 512 indicating the client corresponding to this case X (here, "Client B"), and information 514 indicating the user in organization I to whom this case X has been assigned (here, "User A").

Furthermore, the case screen 500 can include, for example, on the right side, information 516 relating to files (related documents) received or sent in relation to this case X. FIG. 5 shows information relating to a file (file name: XYZ0001.docx) attached to an email received from client B as an example of information relating to related documents. Details of this related document will be described later.

Returning to FIG. 3A, in ST306, requester B can send a further email (message) to organization I regarding the above-mentioned case X. Specifically, requester B can use his/her terminal device 20 or the like to send an email to an email address (e.g., info@inst.co.jp) that is uniquely assigned to organization I. It should be noted that not only requester B, but also other requesters can send emails (messages) to the above-mentioned email address when requesting a task from organization I. The email address uniquely assigned to organization I can also be called an "account" uniquely assigned to organization I.

In this way, the mail sent by the terminal device 20 of the client B is temporarily stored in a mailbox by the mail server device 40 functioning as an SMTP server. Next, the document creation server device 30 executing the first computer program can receive the mail sent by the terminal device 20 of the client B by requesting the mail server device 40 functioning as a POP3 server, for example, for the mail sent to info@inst.co.jp. In this way, the document creation server device 30 executing the first computer program can receive and store the mail sent by the terminal device 20 of the client B to the email address (account) uniquely assigned to the organization I from the mail server device 40. In general terms, the document creation server device 30 executing the first computer program can send and receive mail between the email address (account) uniquely assigned to the organization I and the communication target (here, for example, the client B or the mail server device 40), and store the mail sent and received in this way. The first computer program may be executed by the document creation server device 30 to cause the document creation server device 30 to operate as a robot that uses RPA (Robotic Process Automation) technology to perform functions related to sending and receiving emails between an email address (account) uniquely assigned to organization I and a communication target.

In this document creation system 1, emails related to the same case contain identification information unique to that case (such as information that identifies an email thread, which may be any identification information). Thus, by referencing the identification information contained in each email, the document creation server device 30 can recognize which case the email is related to. Thus, by extracting the identification information contained in the email received from client B, the document creation server device 30 can recognize that this email is related to case X.

One example of identification information contained in an email is a parameter called a "message ID" contained in the email. For example, the first email sent by client B to the above email address of organization I regarding a new case has a "message ID" that is unique to this case. The email sent by organization I in response to this email to client B also has the same "message ID." Therefore, the document creation server device 30 can identify which case the email is related to based on such a "message ID" contained in the email.

As a result, by receiving the web page from the document creation server device 30, the terminal device 20A of user A can display information 602 related to a new email 600A received from client B on the case screen 600, as shown in FIG. 6. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the information 602 related to the first email (first message) 600A sent from client B to organization I can indicate that this first email includes an attached first file (file name: XYZ0003.docx).

In ST308, user A can perform a specified operation on this case screen 600 to instruct the document creation server device 30 via terminal device 20A to associate the first file attached to the first email 600A with a group related to case X.

Specifically, for example, when user A right-clicks on the name of the first file (XYZ0003.docx) on this case screen 600, the terminal device 20A can display a pop-up window 604. The pop-up window 604 can include an option 604B of "overlay on existing related document" for registering the first file as a file related to an existing related document, and an option 604A of "register as new related document" for registering the first file as a new related document.
In one embodiment, option 604B is an option for registering the first file as a file that "has" a different version from "XYZ0001.docx" that has already been registered as a new related document.Option 604A is an option for registering the first file as a file that "does not have" a relationship of having different versions from "XYZ0001.docx" that has already been registered as a new related document.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, user A can check "XYZ0001.docx" displayed in association with option 604B and select the "Register" button, which causes the document creation server device 30 to store the first file and file "XYZ0001.docx", which have different versions, in association with group identification information that identifies a group (here, for example, "group G2"). Here, group G2 can be stored as a group related to case X. This allows the document creation server device 30 to recognize that group G2 related to case X contains file "XYZ0001.docx" and the first file ("XYZ0003.docx"), which have different versions.

This point will be further explained with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a method for storing messages and files by the document creation server device 30 in the document creation system shown in FIG. 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the document creation server device 30 can store multiple emails received or sent by organization I (info@inst.co.jp) regarding case X, in association with case identification information unique to case X. Here, for example, the document creation server device 30 can store message 500A (and attachment: XYZ0001.docx), message 500B, message 500C, and message 600A (and attachment: XYZ0003.docx) in association with case identification information unique to case X. The document creation server device 30 can store these messages and attachments, for example, in a first database.

Furthermore, the document creation server device 30 can store multiple files having different versions that were received or sent by organization I in case X, in association with group identification information that identifies a group related to case X. Here, for example, the document creation server device 30 can store an attachment (XYZ0001.docx) and an attachment (XYZ0003.docx), which have different versions, in association with group identification information that identifies group G2. The document creation server device 30 can store these attachments, for example, in a second database different from the first database (in another embodiment, the document creation server device 30 can also store these attachments, for example, in the first database).

Furthermore, the document creation server device 30 can associate each attached file stored in association with the case identification information of the case X with each attached file stored in association with the group identification information of the group G2, and store information regarding the association in the first database and/or the second database. Here, for example, the document creation server device 30 can associate the message 500A and its attached file (XYZ0001.docx) stored in association with the case identification information of the case X with the attached file (XYZ0001.docx) stored in association with the group identification information of the group G2. Similarly, the document creation server device 30 can associate the message 600A and its attached file (XYZ0003.docx) stored in association with the case identification information of the case X with the attached file (XYZ0003.docx) stored in association with the group identification information of the group G2.

This allows the document creation server device 30 to identify, in chronological order, multiple emails received or sent by organization I for case X. The document creation server device 30 can also identify which email an attached file was attached to. Furthermore, the document creation server device 30 can identify, in chronological order, multiple files received or sent by organization I for case X that have different versions.

The document creation server device 30 can store emails and files not only for case X, but also for one or more other cases in a manner similar to that described above with reference to FIG. 7 in relation to case X.

The document creation server device 30 manages (stores) emails and files as described above, and by referring to the information thus managed (stored), can transmit to the terminal device 20A a web page written to display the attached file (XYZ0001.docx) and the attached file (XYZ0003.docx) in chronological order. As a result, the terminal device 20A can display information (such as the file names) related to the attached file (XYZ0001.docx) and the attached file (XYZ0003.docx) in chronological order as information 516 related to the files (related documents) received or transmitted in relation to the present case X, as illustrated in FIG. 8. Therefore, user A (and other users belonging to organization I) can recognize that the attached file (XYZ0003.docx) was generated by modifying the attached file (XYZ0001.docx).

In addition, user A (and other users belonging to organization I) can click on information about the attachment (e.g., the name of the file) among the information 516 shown in FIG. 8, and the terminal device 20A can receive and display the attachment from the document creation server device 30.

3A, next, in ST310, the document creation server device 30 can add a tag to the first email 600A received in ST308. Specifically, the document creation server device 30 can store in advance a plurality of phrases that can be used as tags. These plurality of phrases can be, for example, a plurality of phrases selected from the phrases listed in (i) to (iv) below.
(i) Technical terms or keywords used in the contract (e.g., terms of use, confidentiality obligations, intent and gross negligence, electronic contracts, damages, injunctive relief, and intellectual property rights, etc.)
(ii) The full name or abbreviation of the law used in the contract (for example, the Electronic Bookkeeping Act, the Code of Civil Procedure, the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, etc.)
(iii) The names of each client or each person in charge with whom a user belonging to organization I has communicated through the document creation system 1. (iv) Wording registered by any user belonging to organization I. (v) The title or type of contract (e.g., terms of use, sales contract, service contract, etc.).

The document creation server device 30 can automatically assign one or more of these pre-prepared phrases present in the body of the first email 600A as tags to the first email 600A (store them in association with the first email 600A).

In another embodiment, instead of or in addition to the configuration in which the document creation server device 30 automatically assigns one or more tags to the first email 600A, it is also possible for the document creation server device 30 to assign one or more tags received from the terminal device 20A via the operation of user A to the first email 600A.

Such tagging of the first email 600A by the document creation server device 30 does not necessarily have to be performed at the timing of ST310, but the document creation server device 30 can assign one or more tags to the first email 600A at "any" timing after the document creation server device 30 receives the first email 600A in ST306.

Such tags can be applied in a similar manner not only to the first email 600A, but also to emails received or sent before it (e.g., emails 500A to 500C, etc., as illustrated in FIG. 5).

How to use tags assigned in this way will be explained later in relation to ST322 and ST334.

Next, in ST312, user A can operate the terminal device 20A to upload (send), for example, the first file (a file showing a contract) attached to the first email 600A to the document creation server device 30 as a subject for inspection.

In ST314, the document creation server device 30 can inspect/analyze (review) the first file uploaded in ST312. The method of inspection/analysis performed by the document creation server device 30 can be, for example, a method of inspecting whether each clause included in the contract satisfies predetermined conditions.

First, in the first step, the document creation server device 30 can extract a plurality of articles by dividing the contract document into articles.
Next, in the second step, the document creation server device 30 can check whether each of the multiple clauses satisfies multiple predetermined conditions (rules). Whether a certain clause satisfies a certain condition (rule) can be determined, for example, by the following two methods using multiple words (unit words) obtained by dividing the clause. First, in a first example, if one or more specific words set in association with the condition exist among the multiple words included in the clause (i.e., if multiple unit words included in the clause satisfy a predetermined condition), the clause can be determined as not satisfying the condition. In a second example, a learning model (a model having an input layer, multiple intermediate layers, and an output layer) is trained in advance using teacher data including multiple words included in the clause (question data) and a condition not satisfied by the clause (answer data), and the multiple words included in the target clause are input to the learning model, thereby obtaining the condition not satisfied by the clause.
Finally, in the third step, the document creation server device 30 can read out a search table that associates each condition with warning information corresponding to that condition and at least one piece of presentation information corresponding to that condition. Using such a search table, the document creation server device 30 can obtain, for each condition obtained in the second step, warning information and at least one piece of presentation information corresponding to that condition.

For example, if the condition that the target provision does not satisfy is "confidential information shall not be disclosed to third parties," the document creation server device 30 can search the search table to obtain warning information that corresponds to that condition, stating, "Exceptions to the disclosure of confidential information to third parties have been established."

The at least one piece of presentation information described above may include, for example, at least one of the following three types of presentation information, but is not limited to these:

(1) First Type The first type may be a "revision policy" type that indicates a revision policy for the clause. As a specific example, the presented information belonging to the first type that is associated with the condition (rule) that "confidential information will not be disclosed to a third party" is as follows:
"Correct to one of the following:
(1) [Advantageous] Delete the relevant part
(2) [Interim] Limiting the scope of third parties to which disclosure may be made

(2) Second Type The second type may be a "modification example" type that shows an example of a modification to the clause. As a specific example, the presented information belonging to the second type that is associated with the condition (rule) that "confidential information will not be disclosed to a third party" is as follows:
"(Disclosure to third parties)
The Recipient may disclose Confidential Information to its parent company, subsidiaries, and officers and employees of itself and its affiliates to the extent necessary for this Purpose, provided, however, that the recipient of the disclosure is bound by confidentiality obligations under law or contract at least similar to those set forth in this Agreement.

(3) Type 3 The type 3 may be a "comment" type that shows a comment on the condition. As a specific example, the presented information belonging to the third type associated with the condition (rule) "confidential information will not be disclosed to a third party" is as follows:
"Under a confidentiality agreement, the recipient of confidential information is basically prohibited from disclosing the confidential information to a 'third party.' A 'third party' is anyone other than the parties to the contract. In the case of transactions between companies, typically, affiliated companies, contractors, lawyers and other advisors fall under the category of 'third parties.' Strictly speaking, however, the 'officers' and 'employees' of the company in question could also be considered 'third parties.'
When the recipient plans to disclose confidential information to such "third parties," it is normal for the recipient to list the names of those third parties individually in the contract and stipulate that the recipient may disclose the confidential information to those third parties without the prior consent of the discloser.
Therefore, as a discloser of confidential information, if obtaining the confidential information would be detrimental to the company, it is necessary to limit the scope of third parties.

The document creation server device 30 can send the file to the terminal device 20A of user A, to which the obtained warning information and at least one piece of presented information has been added in the comment field of the first file. An example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 20A when such a file is opened is shown in FIG. 9.

Referring to the screen 900 illustrated in FIG. 9, the highlighted portion 902 in Article 3, paragraph 2 included in the first file does not satisfy the condition (rule) that "confidential information will not be disclosed to a third party," so warning information 904, first type presented information 906, second type presented information 908, and third type presented information 910 are displayed in the comment field.

Returning to FIG. 3A, in ST316, user A views the first file inspected by the document creation server device 30 and edits the first file using terminal device 20A, which allows terminal device 20A to create a second file.

Next, in ST318, user A, who recognizes that the second file, along with the file (XYZ0001.docx) and the first file (XYZ0003.docx), belong to a group having mutually different versions (this group has been registered as group G2 by the document creation server device 30), can associate the second file with this group by performing a specified operation.

For example, user A can operate the terminal device 20A to drag the icon of the second file and drop it into the field 802 labeled "Add new document by drag and drop" as illustrated in Fig. 8. In response to this operation, the document creation server device 30 can store the second file in association with group G2.
As another example of a method for registering related documents, consider a case where user A generates another file (e.g., a second file) by editing or copying a certain file (e.g., a first file) that is stored in association with a certain group (e.g., group G2) by the document creation server device 30. In this case, it is clear that the other file (second file) belongs to the certain group together with the certain file (e.g., the first file) even without any explicit operation or instruction by user A. Therefore, in such a case, the document creation server device 30 can automatically store the other file (second file) in association with group G2 even without any special operation or instruction by user A.

Specifically, referring back to FIG. 7 used earlier, the document creation server device 30 can store the second file (file name: XYZ0004.docx) in association with the group identification information of group G2. This allows the document creation server device 30 to store the file (XYZ0001.docx), the first file (XYZ0003.docx), and the second file (XYZ0004.docx) in chronological order in association with the group identification information of group G2.

Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the document creation server device 30 can display information (e.g., file names, etc.) about the attached file (XYZ0001.docx), the first file (XYZ0003.docx), and the second file (XYZ0004.docx) in chronological order on the case screen 1000 as information 516 about files (related documents) received or sent in relation to this case X. Therefore, user A (and other users belonging to organization I) can recognize that the second file (XYZ0004.docx) was generated by modifying the first file (XYZ0003.docx).

Next, referring to FIG. 3B, in ST320, in response to user A's operation, terminal device 20A can generate a second email (second message) with a second file attached.

When user A performs a specific operation to create a new email (message), terminal device 20A can display screen 1100 for creating an email, as shown in FIG. 11, using a web page received from document creation server device 30.

To attach the second file to the second email, user A can click object 1102 titled "Attach file" on screen 1100. In response to this, terminal device 20A can display window 1104 for selecting the file to be attached. When user A selects a file related to case X as the attachment, he can check object 1106 titled "Link from related document". On the other hand, when user A selects a file stored in terminal device 20A as the attachment, he can check object 1108 titled "Upload from local". Here, user A can use the former, as illustrated in FIG. 11.

As described above with reference to FIG. 7, the document creation server device 30 stores one or more files having different versions in association with the group identification information of the group related to the case X. The document creation server device 30 uses this information to create a web page and transmits it to the terminal device 20A, so that the terminal device 20A can display, in chronological order, information 1106A about the file (XYZ0001.docx), information 1106B about the first file (XYZ0003.docx), and information 1106C about the second file (XYZ0004.docx), which are stored in association with the group identification information of the group G2 related to the case X, as shown in FIG. 11.

The terminal device 20A can display information 1106A relating to the file having the earliest version among the multiple files stored in association with the group identification information of group G2, distinguishing it from information 1106B and 1106C relating to the remaining files. As an example, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the terminal device 20A can display information 1106A with an indentation different from that applied to information 1106B and 1106C. As another example, the terminal device 20A can display information 1106A with a color, font, and/or size different from that applied to information 1106B and 1106C.

Let us assume that the document creation server device 30 stores one or more files having different versions associated with group identification information of another group (e.g., group G0) related to case X and different from group G2. The one or more files stored in association with the group identification information of group G0 do not have a relationship of having different versions with respect to the above-mentioned multiple files stored in association with group identification information of group G2. In this case, the document creation server device 30 uses this information to create a web page and transmits it to the terminal device 20A, so that the terminal device 20A can display information 1106D about a file (ZZZ0001.docx) and information 1106E about a file (ZZZ0002.docx) having different versions stored in association with the identification information of group G0 in the window 1104, as illustrated in FIG. 11.

In response to a predetermined operation (e.g., a click) performed by user A on information 1106C related to the second file (XYZ0004.docx) displayed in window 1104, terminal device 20A can recognize that the second file has been selected as the file to be attached to the second email.

Furthermore, user A can write the body of the email in field 1110. In response to user A operating terminal device 20A to input text into this field 1110, terminal device 20A can transmit the text thus input to document creation server device 30.

In ST322, if any of the multiple words contained in the text received from terminal device 20A matches or is related to one or more tags that have been assigned to any one or more emails previously sent or received by organization I for multiple cases including case X, document creation server device 30 can send a web page to terminal device 20A that includes information about the one or more emails (email body, attachments, etc.).

In response to this, in ST322, terminal device 20A can display information about such email (email body, attachments, etc.) as past examples in a pop-up window (not shown) superimposed on screen 1100 illustrated in Fig. 11. This allows user A to efficiently create the body of the second email (second message) by referring to past cases related to the second email automatically displayed on screen 1100 (without having to search for it himself).
In addition, the method by which the document creation server device 30 assigns a tag to an email "sent" by organization I can be the same as the method used to assign a tag to an email "received" by organization I, as described above in relation to ST310.

When user A clicks on object 1112 labeled "Send" displayed on screen 1100, terminal device 20A can send the email body and information about the second file as an attachment to document creation server device 30.

In response to this, the document creation server device 30 can execute the first computer program to send the second email (second message) with the second file attached to the mail server device 40 functioning as an SMTP server. In this way, the document creation server device 30 executing the first computer program can send the email sent to the client B by the email address (account) uniquely assigned to the organization I to the mail server device 40. In general terms, the document creation server device 30 executing the first computer program can send and receive emails between the email address (account) uniquely assigned to the organization I and the communication target (here, for example, the client B or the mail server device 40), and store the emails sent and received in this way. The mail server device 40 can refer to the email address of the client B, which is the destination of the second email, to identify the corresponding SMTP server, and send the second email to the identified SMTP server.

After the transmission of the second mail is completed in this manner, the document creation server device 30 can store the second mail (second message) 1200A in association with the case identification information of the case X. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the document creation server device 30 can store the mail (message) 500A and its attached file (XYZ0001.docx), the mail (message) 500B, the mail (message) 500C, the mail (message) 600A and its attached file (XYZ0003.docx), and the mail (message) 1200A and its attached file (XYZ0004.docx) in association with the case identification information of the case X. As will be described later in relation to ST330, the document creation server device 30 can also store the message 1300A and its attached file (YYY0001.docx) in association with the case identification information unique to the case X, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

Furthermore, the document creation server device 30 can associate each attached file stored in association with the case identification information of case X with each file stored in association with the group identification information of group G2, and store information relating to the association in the first database and/or the second database. Here, for example, the document creation server device 30 can associate email (message) 1200A and its attached file (XYZ0004.docx), which are stored in association with the case identification information of case X, with a file (XYZ0004.docx) stored in association with the group identification information of group G2.

Returning to FIG. 3B, next, in ST324, the document creation server device 30 can assign one or more tags to the second email (second message) and store it in a manner similar to that described above in ST310 in relation to the first email (first message).

Next, in ST326, the terminal device 20A can display a case screen 1200 as illustrated in FIG. 12 by using the web page received from the document creation server device 30. As shown in FIG. 12, the terminal device 20A can display information 1202 regarding the second email sent by user A to client B. This information 1202 can indicate that the second email has a second file (XYZ0004.docx) as an attachment.

Returning to FIG. 3B, next, in ST328, client C can send a further email (third email/third message) to organization I regarding the above-mentioned case X. In this case, client C can also use his/her terminal device 20 to send an email to an email address (info@inst.co.jp) uniquely assigned to organization I. This third email (third message) is received by the document creation server device 30 executing the above-mentioned first computer program via the mail server device 40 in a manner similar to that described in relation to ST306 above. The document creation server device 30 can recognize that this third email is an email related to case X by extracting the above-mentioned identification information contained in this third email.

In response to this, the document creation server device 30 creates a web page and sends it to the terminal device 20A, so that the terminal device 20A can display a case screen 1300 as illustrated in FIG. 13. The case screen 1300 can include information 1302 related to a third email (third message) 1300A received from the client C.

After that, in ST330, user A performs a predetermined operation on this case screen 1300, thereby instructing the document creation server device 30 via the terminal device 20A to associate the third file attached to the third email 1300A with a group related to case X. Specifically, as described above in relation to ST308, user A can right-click on the name of the third file (YYY0001.docx), etc., which causes the terminal device 20A to display a pop-up window (not shown) (see FIG. 6). In such a pop-up window, user A can select the option "Register as a new related document" (see FIG. 6). This is because the third file is a file indicating a contract different from the first file (XYZ0003.docx) and the second file (XYZ0004.docx), for example, and therefore does not have a relationship of having different versions with these files.

Referring to FIG. 7 used above, this allows the document creation server device 30 to first store message 500A (and attachment: XYZ0001.docx), message 500B, message 500C, message 600A (and attachment: XYZ0003.docx), message 1200A (and attachment: XYZ0004.docx), and message 1300A (and attachment: YYY0001.docx) in association with case identification information unique to case X.

Furthermore, the document creation server device 30 can store the attached file (YYY0001.docx) in association with group identification information that identifies a new group (group G3) different from group G2.

Furthermore, the document creation server device 30 can associate the message 1300A and its attachment (YYY0001.docx), which are stored in association with the case identification information of case X, with the attachment (YYY0001.docx), which is stored in association with the group identification information of group G3.

The document creation server device 30 uses this information to create a web page and transmits it to the terminal device 20A, so that the terminal device 20A can display in the information 516 shown on the case screen 1300 that the third file (YYY0001.docx) is a file belonging to a different group from the group to which the other three files (XYZ0001.docx, XYZ0003.docx, XYZ0004.docx) that have different versions belong (for example, as illustrated in FIG. 13, a boundary line can be displayed between the related documents belonging to group G2 and the related documents belonging to group G3). This allows user A (and other users belonging to organization I) to recognize the fact that, in relation to case X, multiple (here, three) files with different versions of a certain document (here, a contract) have been created in chronological order from top to bottom, and multiple (here, one at the moment) files with different versions of a completely different document (here, a different contract) have been created in chronological order.

Returning to FIG. 3B, next, in ST332, the document creation server device 30 can assign one or more tags to the third email (third message) 1300A and store it in a manner similar to that described above in ST310 in relation to the first email (first message).

Next, as an option, in ST334, user A can operate terminal device 20A to cause terminal device 20A to display board screen 400 as shown in Fig. 4. User A can input an appropriate keyword in field 404 to search for the email that he or she wishes to refer to.
In response to this, in a first example, the document creation server device 30 can extract one or more emails that contain a keyword that matches this keyword or that contain a keyword that is related to this keyword from all emails that have been received or sent so far by organization I. In a second example, the document creation server device 30 can extract one or more emails that contain a tag that matches the keyword entered by user A or that contains a tag that is related to this keyword from all emails that have been received or sent so far by organization I.
The document creation server device 30 sends a web page containing information about the one or more emails extracted in this manner to the terminal device 20A, thereby enabling the terminal device 20A to display information about the one or more extracted emails (e.g., the sender, case name, department, time, email body, and attachments, etc.).
This allows user A to quickly and effectively view the past emails he or she desires.

Although the above description has focused on emails (messages) received or sent by organization I regarding case X, the document creation server device 30 and the terminal device 20 can execute the same processing as described above regarding cases other than case X. As a result, the document creation server device 30 can store each email (each message), files attached to the email, other files, etc., regarding the above-mentioned other cases, by using the method illustrated in FIG.
3A and 3B, the first message (ST306) is a message sent from the requester B to an email address uniquely assigned to the organization I, but the first message may be a message sent from an email address uniquely assigned to the organization I to the requester B. This also applies to the third message (ST328). Furthermore, in the example described with reference to FIG. 3A and 3B, the second message (ST320) is a message sent from an email address uniquely assigned to the organization I to the requester B, but the second message may be a message sent from the requester B to an email address uniquely assigned to the organization I.
In other words, the multiple messages shown in FIG. 7, including messages 500A to 1330A, may be messages "sent" by an email address uniquely assigned to organization I, or may be messages "received" by an email address uniquely assigned to organization I.

4. Modifications In the above-mentioned various embodiments, the description has focused on the case where the plurality of files stored in association with the group identification information identifying the group (for example, group G2) related to the case identification information of a certain case (for example, case X) belong to the same group for the certain case and are "multiple files having different versions from each other". However, in general, it can be said that the plurality of files stored in association with the group identification information identifying the group (group G2) related to the case identification information of the certain case (case X) belong to the same group for the certain case and are "multiple files related to each other". The "multiple files related to each other" belonging to the same group for the certain case can include, in addition to the above-mentioned multiple files having different versions from each other, for example, multiple files related to each other in terms of contract contents, deadlines, periods, and/or personnel in charge (without being limited to these). Such multiple files can be exemplified as follows.
First example of multiple files (a first file showing the original contract and a second file showing a memorandum amending the original contract)
A second example of multiple files (a first file showing a basic agreement for a transaction, and a second file showing individual agreements defining the terms of that individual transaction)
Third example involving multiple files (any number of files that organization I needs to process by a certain deadline)
Fourth Example Concerning Multiple Files (multiple files that organization I processes or has processed during a period of time)
Fifth example of multiple files (multiple arbitrary files managed by a specific person in charge of organization I)
Sixth Example of Multiple Files (Multiple Arbitrary Files Managed by a Specific Person in Charge of a Requester)
In addition, in order to store such multiple files in association with group identification information that identifies the group (storing them as related documents), the operations or processes performed by the document creation server device 30 and the terminal device 20, etc. may be similar to those described above.

In the various embodiments described above, the document creation server device 30 receives an e-mail (message) sent by a client or the like to one e-mail address unique to the organization I from the mail server device 40, and transmits an e-mail (message) sent from the one e-mail address to the client or the like to the mail server device 40. However, in another embodiment, instead of using e-mail, the document creation server device 30 can also use messages sent or received by various groupware (for example, any groupware including Teams and Slack). In this case, the document creation server device 30 executes an application for executing the groupware, and can perform API linkage with this application. As a result, the document creation server device 30 can receive a message posted by a client or the like to a specific channel or a specific team, and transmit a message posted by the organization I to the specific channel or the specific team to the client or the like. In this way, the document creation server device 30 can use a message posted by the groupware to the specific channel or the specific team instead of e-mail. In this case, the specific channel or team corresponds to an "account" that is uniquely assigned to organization I.

In the various embodiments described above, a preferred example has been described in which the terminal device 20 accesses one document creation server device 30 to receive document creation services. However, it is also possible for multiple server devices 30 to share multiple processes to be executed between the terminal device 20 and provide document creation services to the terminal device 20.

In addition, in the various embodiments described above, as a preferred example, a case has been described in which the terminal device 20 executes a web browser and communicates with the server device 30 functioning as a web server, thereby receiving document creation services from the server device 30. However, the terminal device 20 can also receive document creation services from the server device 30 by executing an application dedicated to document creation services and communicating with the server device 30 functioning as an application server.

Furthermore, in the various embodiments described above, as a preferred example, the terminal device 20 receives document creation services from the server device 30 by communicating with the server device 30 via the communication network 10. However, it is also possible to use a stand-alone information processing device in which the terminal device 20 is configured to execute the operations of the server device 30 described above, or in which the server device 30 is configured to execute the operations of the terminal device 20 described above.

As would be readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, the various examples described above may be appropriately combined with one another in various patterns as long as no inconsistency is created.

As described above, according to various embodiments, the document creation server device 30 can send or receive communication regarding a case between the client, etc., and the organization I only via email used in an email application (or messages used in a groupware application). In other words, when the client, etc., contacts organization I, they can send or receive email to or from one email address (or two or more email addresses are possible) unique to organization I (or post a message to a specific channel or team and view messages posted to this channel or team). Therefore, since the client, etc. and organization I, etc. do not need to communicate through multiple channels such as email, telephone, verbally, and physical documents, it is possible to effectively prevent the organization I, etc. from overlooking a case received from the client, etc.

Furthermore, according to various embodiments, the document creation server device can store multiple emails (messages) related to a certain case in association with case identification information that identifies the certain case, and store multiple files that belong to the same group and have different versions for the certain case in association with a group identification that identifies the certain group related to the case identification information.

By referencing the information stored in this manner, the document creation server device (and thus each user belonging to organization I) can first recognize each email (and attachment) sent or received for the above-mentioned certain case (see, for example, Figures 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, etc.). This allows each user to quickly and efficiently reach the desired email and/or the files attached to that email among the multiple emails related to the above-mentioned certain case.

Furthermore, the document creation server device (and thus each user belonging to organization I) can recognize multiple files that belong to the same group and have different versions in chronological order in relation to the certain case. Therefore, each user can quickly and efficiently reach a file having a desired version (e.g., the latest version) from among multiple files transmitted and received in relation to the certain case. Specifically, in the conventional method, each user needs to save the file in a specific folder using Explorer or the like every time they receive a file via email from a requester, load the desired file (e.g., the file having the latest version) from the multiple files saved in such a specific folder, edit it, and then send the edited file to the requester. However, according to various embodiments, each user can easily and quickly open and edit a desired file (e.g., the file having the latest version) by viewing a screen (see, for example, Figures 8, 10, 12, 13, etc.) on which multiple files that belong to the same group and have different versions in relation to the certain case are displayed in chronological order. Furthermore, each user can easily associate the edited file as a new file belonging to the certain group (see, for example, FIG. 10). Furthermore, when creating an email to be sent to a requester, each user can recognize the multiple files belonging to the certain group in chronological order, and can easily and quickly specify the desired file (edited file, etc.) as the file to be attached (see, for example, FIG. 11).

Furthermore, the document creation server device (and thus each user belonging to organization I) can recognize which of the multiple files associated with the group identification information identifying the certain group related to the certain case corresponds to which file (if such a file exists) attached to each of the multiple emails associated with the case identification information identifying the certain case. In other words, it can recognize which of the multiple emails associated with the case identification information identifying the certain case each file associated with the group identification information identifying the certain group related to the certain case is attached to. This allows each user to easily and quickly recognize which email a certain file belonging to the certain group is attached to by simply viewing the case screens illustrated in, for example, Figures 10, 12, and 13 and comparing the file names. Furthermore, each user can easily and quickly determine which version of a file (e.g., the file with the latest version) a file attached to a certain email among multiple emails associated with the certain case belongs to the certain group and has different versions, simply by viewing the case screens shown, for example, in Figures 10, 12, and 13 and comparing the file names.

According to various embodiments, each user belonging to organization I can access the document creation server device 30 using the user name and password assigned to organization I to view a case screen (see, for example, Figures 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, etc.) showing each email sent or received by organization I. This also applies to any user, including a user who is assigned to a case (case X, etc.) midway through, or a user who is hired mid-career and starts working at organization I. Therefore, by preventing emails sent or received for each case from being sent only to a specific individual, it is possible to prevent such emails from being shared with other users and becoming personalized.

5. Various Aspects The computer program according to the first aspect can cause "the at least one processor to function, when executed by at least one processor, to store a first message for a certain case, the first message being received or sent by a predetermined account and having a first file attached, store a second message for the certain case, the second message being received or sent by the predetermined account and having a second file attached, store a plurality of messages including the first message and the second message that are related to each other for the certain case in association with case identification information that identifies the certain case, and store a plurality of files including the first file and the second file that belong to the same group and are related to each other for the certain case in association with group identification information that identifies the group related to the case identification information."

The computer program according to the second aspect can include, in the above-mentioned first aspect, "a first computer program that causes the at least one processor to function to execute functions related to sending and receiving messages including the first message and the second message, and a second computer program that causes the at least one processor to function to execute functions related to file management, including associating the plurality of messages with the case identification information for the certain case and associating the plurality of files with the group identification information for the certain case."

The computer program according to the third aspect, in the second aspect above, can cause the at least one processor to execute an analysis function in which "each of the plurality of files is a file representing a contract, and the second computer program divides a certain sentence included in the file representing the contract into a plurality of unit words and determines whether the plurality of unit words satisfy a predetermined condition, or inputs the plurality of unit words into a trained model, thereby obtaining warning information indicating a warning for the certain sentence."

The computer program according to the fourth aspect can cause the at least one processor to function in any one of the first to third aspects to "associate the first message, to which the first file is attached and stored in association with the case identification information, with the first file, stored in association with the group identification information."

The computer program according to the fifth aspect can cause the at least one processor to function in any one of the first to third aspects to "store a third message related to the first message and the second message, which was received by the specified account for the certain case and has a third file attached, store the third message in association with the case identification information, and store a plurality of other files including the third file, which belong to a different group different from the group and are related to each other, in association with another group identification information that identifies the different group related to the case identification information."

The computer program according to the sixth aspect can cause the at least one processor to function in the fifth aspect to combine and display on a display unit information relating to the plurality of messages stored in association with the case identification information, information relating to the plurality of files stored in association with the group identification information related to the case identification information, and information relating to the other plurality of files stored in association with the other group identification information related to the case identification information.

The computer program according to the seventh aspect can cause the at least one processor to function in any one of the first to sixth aspects to "store a plurality of phrases, each of which can be used as a tag, and to assign, to each message included in the plurality of messages, at least one phrase of the plurality of phrases that is included in the body of the message, as a tag."

The computer program according to the eighth aspect can cause the at least one processor to function as in the seventh aspect above to "obtain at least one word contained in the body of a new message, and identify, from among the plurality of messages, messages that have been tagged with a tag that matches or is related to the at least one word as past messages that are related to the new message."

The server device according to the ninth aspect may be configured to "include at least one processor, and the at least one processor may be configured to store a first message for a certain case that is received or sent by a specified account and has a first file attached, store a second message for the certain case that is received or sent by the specified account and has a second file attached, store a plurality of messages including the first message and the second message that are related to each other for the certain case in association with case identification information that identifies the certain case, and store a plurality of files including the first file and the second file that belong to the same group and are related to each other for the certain case in association with group identification information that identifies the group related to the case identification information."

The method according to the tenth aspect can include "a method executed by at least one processor, which includes storing a first message for a certain case, which is received or sent by a specified account and has a first file attached; storing a second message for the certain case, which is received or sent by the specified account and has a second file attached; storing a plurality of messages including the first message and the second message that are related to each other for the certain case in association with case identification information that identifies the certain case; and storing a plurality of files including the first file and the second file that belong to the same group and are related to each other for the certain case in association with group identification information that identifies the group related to the case identification information."

As described above, the technology disclosed in this application makes it possible to provide a computer program, a server device, and a method that support the creation of contracts while improving convenience.

In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the invention disclosed herein may be applied, it is to be understood that the illustrated embodiments are merely preferred examples and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the claimed invention to these preferred examples. In practice, the scope of the claimed invention is defined by the appended claims. Accordingly, we claim the grant of a patent to our invention on all that comes within the scope of the claimed invention.

1 Document creation system 10 Communication network 20 Terminal device (information processing device)
30 Document creation server device (information processing device)
40 Mail server device (information processing device)

Claims (9)

When executed by at least one processor,
Associating a plurality of messages, including a first message received or sent by a specific account for a certain case and having a first file attached thereto, and a second message received or sent by the specific account for the certain case and having a second file attached thereto, with case identification information that identifies the certain case;
Associating a plurality of files including the first file and the second file, which belong to the same group and are related to each other for the certain case, with group identification information that identifies the group related to the case identification information ;
Associating a third message related to the first message and the second message, the third message having a third file attached and received by the account for the certain case with the case identification information;
Associating a plurality of other files, including the third file, which belong to a different group different from the group and are related to each other, with different group identification information that identifies the different group related to the case identification information;
A computer program product that causes the at least one processor to function in such a manner. a first computer program causing the at least one processor to perform functions related to sending and receiving messages, including the first message and the second message;
a second computer program causing the at least one processor to perform functions related to file management, including associating the plurality of messages for the given case with the case identification and associating the plurality of files for the given case with the group identification; and
2. The computer program of claim 1 , comprising: each of the plurality of files is a file representing a contract,
The second computer program further comprises:
execute an analysis function, which includes obtaining warning information indicating a warning for a certain sentence included in a file representing the contract by dividing the certain sentence into a plurality of unit words and determining whether the plurality of unit words satisfy a predetermined condition or by inputting the plurality of unit words into a trained model;
3. The computer program product of claim 2, further comprising: Associating the first message, to which the first file is attached, associated with the case identification information, with the first file associated with the group identification information;
4. A computer program product as claimed in claim 1, which causes the at least one processor to function in such a way that displaying, on a display unit, a combination of information regarding the plurality of messages associated with the case identification information, information regarding the plurality of files associated with the group identification information related to the case identification information, and information regarding the other plurality of files associated with the other group identification information related to the case identification information.
2. The computer program product of claim 1 , further comprising: The computer program product according to claim 5 , wherein the information about the plurality of files associated with the group identification information is displayed in chronological order on the display unit. 7. A computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the second file is compiled from the first file. At least one processor;
The at least one processor:
Associating a plurality of messages, including a first message received or sent by a specific account for a certain case and having a first file attached thereto, and a second message received or sent by the specific account for the certain case and having a second file attached thereto, with case identification information that identifies the certain case;
Associating a plurality of files including the first file and the second file, which belong to the same group and are related to each other for the certain case, with group identification information that identifies the group related to the case identification information ;
Associating a third message related to the first message and the second message, the third message having a third file attached and received by the account for the certain case with the case identification information;
Associating a plurality of other files, including the third file, which belong to a different group different from the group and are related to each other, with different group identification information that identifies the different group related to the case identification information;
A server device configured as above. 1. A method executed by at least one processor, comprising:
Associating a plurality of messages, including a first message received or sent by a specified account for a certain case and having a first file attached thereto, and a second message received or sent by the specified account for the certain case and having a second file attached thereto, with case identification information that identifies the certain case ;
Associating a plurality of files including the first file and the second file, which belong to the same group and are related to each other for the certain case , with group identification information that identifies the group related to the case identification information;
Associating a third message related to the first message and the second message, the third message having a third file attached and received by the account for the case, with the case identification information; and
Associating a plurality of other files, including the third file, which belong to a different group different from the group and are related to each other, with different group identification information that identifies the different group related to the case identification information;
The method includes: