# US 2017/0255495 A1 · Information processing system, information processing apparatus, and information processing method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0255495 A1 - Document ID: US20170255495A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/439,246 - Filed: 2017-02-22 - Published: 2017-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-04 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Inventors: Ryutaro SAKANASHI; Yuuichiroh HAYASHI; Dongzhe ZHANG - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170255495A1 ## CPC - G06F 9/4843: {by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract An information processing system includes a memory and processors. The memory stores flow information and flow-identification information for each process sequence performed by using electronic data. The flow information defines program-identification information identifying programs for executing the process sequence, and an execution order of the programs. The processors execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to execute a process including accepting a request including information relating to the electronic data and the flow-identification information, from a device coupled to the system; acquiring the flow information associated with the flow-identification information included in the request, from the memory; and executing the process sequence using the electronic data based on the information relating to the electronic data, by executing the programs identified by the program-identification information defined in the acquired flow information, in the execution order. When the process sequence includes branching, the processes are branched according to a branch condition. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An information processing system including one or more information processing apparatuses coupled via a network configured to implement various functions of the information processing system, the information processing system comprising: a memory configured to store flow information and flow identification information identifying the flow information in association with each other for each sequence of processes performed by using electronic data, the flow information defining program identification information identifying one or more programs for respectively executing the processes included in the sequence of processes, the flow information also defining an execution order of executing the one or more programs, and computer-executable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions such that the one or more processors execute a process including: accepting, over a communication channel, a request including information relating to the electronic data used in the sequence of processes and the flow identification information, from one of one or more devices coupled to the information processing system; acquiring the flow information stored in the memory in association with the flow identification information included in the request, when the request is accepted; and executing the sequence of processes using the electronic data based on the information relating to the electronic data, by respectively executing the one or more programs identified by the program identification information defined in the acquired flow information, in the execution order defined in the acquired flow information, wherein when the sequence of processes includes branching, the executing includes branching the processes included in the sequence of processes according to a condition of the branching, to execute the sequence of processes. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein when the sequence of processes includes the branching, the executing includes executing a first program among the one or more programs for respectively executing the branched processes, according to the condition of the branching, and executing one or more following programs for respectively executing one or more following processes following a process executed by the first program, according to the condition of the branching. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein when the sequence of processes includes the branching, the executing includes suppressing execution of another program other than the first program, among the one or more programs for respectively executing the branched processes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein the one or more programs for respectively executing the processes included in the sequence of processes include a branch program for suppressing the execution of the other program, among the one or more programs for respectively executing the branched processes, and when the sequence of processes includes the branching, the executing includes executing the branch program to suppress the execution of the other program, among the one or more programs for respectively executing the branched processes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein the branch program identifies the other program based on a processing result of a program executed before the branch program, among the one or more programs for respectively executing the processes included in the sequence of processes, and the branch program suppresses the execution of the identified other program. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the one or more programs for respectively executing the processes included in the sequence of processes include a merge program for outputting a processing result of the branched processes to a program for executing a following process, and when the sequence of processes includes the branching, the executing includes executing the merge program to output the processing result of the branched processes to the program for executing the following process, to execute the one or more programs for respectively executing the one or more processes including the following process in the sequence of processes. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the executing includes converting a data format of the electronic data into a predetermined data format, and after the data format of the electronic data is converted into a data format that can be processed by the one or more programs, the one or more programs execute the processes included in the sequence of processes, to execute the sequence of processes using the electronic data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more programs for respectively executing the processes included in the sequence of processes include an external service program for executing a process relating to an external service, for each external service, and the external service program includes at least a program for executing a process of uploading the electronic data with respect to the external service. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The information processing system according to claim 8, wherein when the sequence of processes includes the branching, the executing includes branching the processes included in the sequence of processes to a process executed by a first external service program among a plurality of the external service programs according to the condition of the branching, to execute the sequence of processes. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The information processing system according to claim 9, wherein the one or more programs for respectively executing the processes included in the sequence of processes include a code acquiring program for executing a process of acquiring predetermined code information included in the electronic data used in the sequence of processes, and when the sequence of processes includes the branching, the executing includes branching the processes included in the sequence of processes to the process executed by the first external service program corresponding to the external service specified in the predetermined code information acquired by the process executed by the code acquiring program, among the plurality of the external service programs, to execute the sequence of processes. ### Claim 11 An information processing apparatus comprising: a memory configured to store flow information and flow identification information identifying the flow information in association with each other for each sequence of processes performed by using electronic data, the flow information defining program identification information identifying one or more programs for respectively executing the processes included in the sequence of processes, the flow information also defining an execution order of executing the one or more programs, and computer-executable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions such that the one or more processors execute a process including: accepting, over a communication channel, a request including information relating to the electronic data used in the sequence of processes and the flow identification information, from one of one or more devices coupled to the information processing system; acquiring the flow information stored in the memory in association with the flow identification information included in the request, when the request is accepted; and executing the sequence of processes using the electronic data based on the information relating to the electronic data, by respectively executing the one or more programs identified by the program identification information defined in the acquired flow information, in the execution order defined in the acquired flow information, wherein when the sequence of processes includes branching, the executing includes branching the processes included in the sequence of processes according to a condition of the branching, to execute the sequence of processes. ### Claim 12 An information processing method executed by a computer, the information processing method being implemented in an information processing system including one or more information processing apparatuses coupled via a network configured to implement various functions of the information processing system, and a memory configured to store flow information and flow identification information identifying the flow information in association with each other for each sequence of processes performed by using electronic data, the flow information defining program identification information identifying one or more programs for respectively executing the processes included in the sequence of processes, the flow information also defining an execution order of executing the one or more programs, information processing method comprising: accepting, over a communication channel, a request including information relating to the electronic data used in the sequence of processes and the flow identification information, from one of one or more devices coupled to the information processing system; acquiring the flow information stored in the memory in association with the flow identification information included in the request, when the request is accepted; and executing the sequence of processes using the electronic data based on the information relating to the electronic data, by respectively executing the one or more programs identified by the program identification information defined in the acquired flow information, in the execution order defined in the acquired flow information, wherein when the sequence of processes includes branching, the executing includes branching the processes included in the sequence of processes according to a condition of the branching, to execute the sequence of processes.