Work flow management system, work flow management apparatus and method
AssigneeKonica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
InventorsHironobu Nakata, Masakazu Murakami, Kazumi Sawayanagi, Minako Kobayashi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A work flow management system, a work flow management apparatus and a management method capable of managing the work flow through a plurality of devices are provided. The work flow management system includes a work flow management apparatus, and the desired job history information included in the job history information having the performance information of the job executed by the device in accordance with the work flow information is acquired from the device based on the job ID specifying the job. Even with the work flow through a plurality of devices, therefore, the job history information can be acquired thereby to manage the work flow.
Claims15
A work flow management system comprising:
- a plurality of devices connected to a network;
- and
- a work flow management apparatus connected to the network and configured to manage a work flow which causes the devices to perform at least one job in collaboration with each other in accordance with work flow information which includes a work flow ID specifying the work flow and at least one machine ID specifying each of the devices that performs a job in the workflow, each job including one or more processes;
- the work flow management apparatus including:
- a work flow history information storage section configured to store work flow history information having the work flow ID, the at least one machine ID and at least one job ID specifying a performed job,
- a designation accepting section configured to accept a designation of the work flow ID,
- a job history information requesting section configured to extract the at least one job ID and the at least one machine ID from the work flow history information having the designated work flow ID, and transmit the extracted at least one job ID to the devices specified by the extracted at least one machine ID,
- a receiving section configured to receive job history information having the extracted at least one job ID from the devices specified by the extracted at least one machine ID, and
- a display section configured to display the received job history information;
- and
- each of the devices including
- a job history information storage section configured to store the job history information having the at least one job ID specifying the job performed by the device and performance information which indicates performed job contents,
- a job history information extracting section configured to extract from the job history information storage section the job history information having the at least one job ID sent from the work flow management apparatus, and
- a job history information transmitting unit configured to transmit the extracted job history information to the work flow management apparatus.
The work flow management system comprising:
- a plurality of devices connected to a network;
- and
- a work flow management apparatus connected to the network and configured to manage a work flow which causes the devices to perform at least one job in collaboration with each other in accordance with work flow information having a work flow ID specifying the work flow and at least one machine ID specifying each of the devices that performs a job in the workflow, each job including one or more processes;
- the work flow management apparatus including
- a work flow history information storage section configured to store work flow history information having the work flow ID, the at least one machine ID and at least one job ID specifying the performed job,
- a designation accepting section configured to accept a designation of the work flow ID,
- a job history information requesting section configured to request the devices to transmit job history information when the designation of the work flow ID is accepted,
- a receiving section configured to receive the job history information transmitted by the devices,
- a job history information acquisition section configured to extract the at least one job ID from the work flow history information having the designated work flow ID and extract the job history information having the extracted at least one job ID from the received job history information, and
- a display section configured to display the extracted job history information;
- and
- each of the devices including
- a job history storage section configured to store the job history information having the at least one job ID specifying the job performed by the device and performance information which indicates performed job contents, and
- a job history information transmitting unit configured to transmit all of the job history information stored in the job history storage section to the work flow management apparatus when transmission of the job history information is required by the work flow management apparatus.
A work flow management apparatus connected to a network and configured to manage a work flow in which a plurality of devices connected to the network perform at least one job in collaboration with each other in accordance with work flow information which includes a work flow ID specifying the work flow and at least one machine ID specifying each of the devices that performs a job in the work flow, each job including one or more processes, the work flow management apparatus comprising:
- a work flow history information storage section configured to store work flow history information having the work flow ID, the at least one machine ID and at least one job ID specifying the performed job;
- a designation accepting section configured to accept a designation of the work flow ID;
- a job history information requesting section configured to extract the at least one job ID and the at least one machine ID from the work flow history information having the designated work flow ID, and transmit the extracted at least one job ID to the devices specified by the extracted at least one machine ID;
- a receiving section configured to receive job history information having the extracted at least one job ID from the devices specified by the extracted at least one machine ID;
- and
- a display section configured to display the received job history information.
A management method carried out by a work flow management system, the work flow management system including a plurality of devices connected to a network and a work flow management apparatus connected to the network and configured to manage a work flow which causes the devices to perform at least one job in collaboration with each other in accordance with work flow information having a work flow ID specifying the work flow and at least one machine ID specifying each of the devices that performs a job in the work flow, each lob including one or more processes, each of the devices including a first storage section, and the work flow management apparatus including a second storage section, the management method comprising:
- storing, at the work flow management apparatus, work flow history information having a job the work flow ID, the at least one machine ID and at least one job ID specifying the performed job in the second storage section;
- accepting a designation of the work flow ID at the work flow management apparatus;
- requesting, at the work flow management apparatus, a job history information by extracting the at least one job ID and the at least one machine ID from the work flow history information having the designated work flow ID and transmitting the extracted at least one job ID to the devices specified by the extracted at least one machine ID;
- extracting, at each of the specified devices, the job history information having the at least one job ID sent from the work flow management apparatus from the first storage section;
- transmitting, at each of the specified devices, the extracted job history information to the work flow management apparatus;
- and
- receiving, at the work flow management apparatus, the transmitted job history information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.