Abstract:
A workflow management system capable of directly capturing image information transmitted by a facsimile machine is disclosed. The workflow management system includes an object identifying unit identifying an object to be associated with image information received by a facsimile machine, the object being defined in the workflow management system; and a related document registering unit associating the image information with the identified object, and registering the image information associated with the identified object.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a workflow management system capable of dynamically configuring a workflow model upon executing the workflow by reusing workflow parts. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    A workflow management system using a personal computer connected to a network is described in, for example, Patent Document 1. The workflow management system is a client/server system connected to a computer network where a workflow is generally completed in processes in the computer network. In such a system, a paper document can hardly be used as a part of the workflow. This is disadvantageous because so many paper documents are usually used in common offices. 
         [0005]    A technique to attempt to include a paper document in a workflow management system is described in, for example, Patent Document 2. The technique allows a process to put a seal on a document. By focusing on the difference between a digital document and a paper document, the technique overcomes the different characteristics of the different media by processing those media in parallel so as to include the paper document in a workflow. A similar technique is also described in, for example, Patent Document 3. However, those techniques are dedicated to handling large amounts of routine work and cannot dynamically change the workflow. 
         [0006]    A technique capable of dynamically changing a workflow is described in, for example, Patent Document 4. The technique in Patent Document 4, however, focuses on a case where an actual operator involved in a workflow is changed. According to the technique, the definition of a workflow is divided into two levels, a role and an actual operator, thereby enabling a workflow to be dynamically changed. Unfortunately, when a role is not previously determined, this technique cannot be used. 
         [0007]    Similar to Patent Document 4, a technique in Patent Document 5 can dynamically define a workflow especially when plural operators involved in the same workflow update the workflow at the same time. The simultaneous updates of a workflow can be achieved by adding means for collectively controlling the timings of updating the workflow and an order of priority in time domain is added to each task. However, the technique does not provide any determination whether a task should be performed or any verification of the validity of the task, but provides determination in time domain only. As a result, the technique may not be used for a workflow in a network including plural kinds of apparatuses. 
         [0008]    In office operations so far, facsimile machines have been widely used for providing information printed on paper. As an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral, an apparatus having functions including a printer, a scanner, and a facsimile machine) and a facsimile transmission function using a personal computer have become popular, a function of storing received facsimile data as digital image data without printing out the data has been put into practice. This function is described in, for example, the Internet Fax standard. 
         [0009]    Unfortunately, according to such functions, facsimile information is handled as image information and cannot be sufficiently involved in a digitized workflow. For example, association of received facsimile information with a workflow as image information is required to be performed manually using a screen on, for example, a personal computer. This is because, essentially it is not possible to identify a workflow and a task that should be associated with information obtained from a facsimile machine based on the techniques. 
         [0010]    On the other hand, the inventors of the present invention have invented a workflow management system (see Patent Document 6) based on characteristics of the individual apparatus. More specifically, an imaging apparatus can be integrated into a workflow by allowing for dynamically changing the task configuration by, for example, adjusting and displaying the abstractiveness of a workflow based on the input/output characteristics of plural imaging apparatuses connected to the network. 
         [0011]    In a further developed system (see Patent Document 7) using an imaging device, a workflow technology is described in which Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and water marking are used. However, the technology is for updating the status of a task of a workflow, and a facsimile document cannot be associated with a task and managed. 
         [0012]    A task is created dynamically and executed by a user. As a result, both digital and paper documents are created. Since those documents are created from the task, it is rational to associate the documents with the task. This technique is has been applied separately as an invention as a “Scan2Task” or “Scan To Task” function. However, this technology is based on a scanning function of, for example, a multi-functional copier, and facsimile information transmitted as digital information is not directly used. In some types of facsimile machines currently available, the Internet Facsimile machine and the like, it is possible to verify information on a screen without printing out a paper. Therefore, the above “Scan To Task” function does not work because printing information on a paper is not always necessary as described. 
         [0013]    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-245214 
         [0014]    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-3402 
         [0015]    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H11-143980 
         [0016]    Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-259736 
         [0017]    Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H8-221486 
         [0018]    Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-243830 
         [0019]    Patent Document 7: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-215853 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    The present invention is made in light of the above problems, and may provide a workflow management system capable of directly capturing facsimile-transmitted image information in a workflow. 
         [0021]    To solve the above problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a workflow management system capable of being dynamically configured by re-using a part of a workflow during the workflow execution. The workflow management system includes an object identifying unit identifying an object to be associated with image information received by a facsimile machine, the object being defined in the workflow management system; and a related document registering unit associating the image information with the identified object, and registering the image information associated with the identified object. 
         [0022]    According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the workflow management system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the object identifying unit identifies the object based on a sender&#39;s information of the received image information. 
         [0023]    According to a third aspect of the present invention, the workflow management system according to the second aspect of the present invention further includes a unit omitting a subsequent process when the sender&#39;s information is registered to be blocked. 
         [0024]    According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the workflow management system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the object identifying unit extracts text information included in the received image information, and identifies the object based on the extracted text information. 
         [0025]    According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the workflow management system according to the fourth aspect of the present invention further includes a unit changing a task configuration of the workflow when a prescribed term is included in the extracted text information. 
         [0026]    According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the workflow management system according to the first aspect of the present invention further includes a unit informing a user relevant to the object that the received image information is registered when the related information registering unit associates the image information received by the facsimile machine with the identified object, and registers the image information associated with the identified object. 
         [0027]    According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the workflow management system according to the first aspect of the present invention further includes a unit providing related information associated with the object to a user relevant to the object when the related information registering unit associates the image information received by the facsimile machine with the identified object, and registers the image information associated with the identified object. 
         [0028]    According to a eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of managing workflow management systems capable of being dynamically configured by re-using a part of a workflow during the workflow execution. The method includes a step of identifying an object to be associated with image information received by a facsimile machine, the object being defined in the workflow management system, and a step of associating the image information with the identified object, and registering the image information associated with the identified object. 
         [0029]    According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for controlling a workflow management system capable of being dynamically configured by re-using a part of a workflow during the workflow execution. The program causes a computer as a unit identifying an object to be associated with image information received by a facsimile machine, the object being defined in the workflow management system, and a unit associating the image information with the identified object and registering the image information associated with the identified object. 
         [0030]    In a workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention, facsimile-transmitted image information can be captured directly in a workflow, and a digital workflow and information managed by a facsimile machine can be linked seamlessly. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0031]    Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following descriptions when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0032]      FIG. 1  is a drawing showing an exemplary configuration of a workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0033]      FIG. 2  is a drawing showing an exemplary allocation of the elements of workflow management system; 
           [0034]      FIG. 3  is a drawing showing an example of task configuration a workflow; 
           [0035]      FIG. 4  is a table showing an exemplary configuration of task instance data; 
           [0036]      FIG. 5  is a sequence diagram showing an exemplary process of the workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0037]      FIG. 6  is a sequence diagram showing another exemplary process of the workflow management system; 
           [0038]      FIG. 7  is a sequence diagram showing still another exemplary process of the workflow management system; 
           [0039]      FIG. 8  is a sequence diagram showing still another exemplary process of the workflow management system; 
           [0040]      FIGS. 9A and 9B  are a sequence diagram showing still another exemplary process of the workflow management system; 
           [0041]      FIG. 10  is a drawing showing an exemplary task related information list; and 
           [0042]      FIG. 11  is a flowchart of an exemplary process showing what information is provided depending on cases to a user in an interactive mode. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0043]    In the following, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       &lt;System Configuration&gt; 
       [0044]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary configuration of a workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0045]    In  FIG. 1 , the workflow management system  2  includes a GUI control section  21  providing a Graphical User Interface (GUI) viewed in a browser  11  on a client  1  such as a personal computer (PC) operated by a user U 1 , a workflow engine  22  dynamically creating and executing a workflow model by reusing any one of an existing task model and an existing task instance or both, a database  23  storing information necessary for processing, a collaborative document creation section  24  made of a Contents Management System (CMS) such as Wiki, an electronic mail subsystem  25  having a function of sending and receiving electronic mail, a facsimile subsystem  26  having a function of sending and receiving facsimiles and managing facsimile information, and an image processing engine  27  analyzing a received facsimile image using, for example, OCR and extracting text information from the image. The facsimile subsystem  26  is connected to a facsimile machine  3  used by a user U 2 . It should be noted that the user U 2  using the facsimile machine  3  may be the same as the user U 1  using the workflow management system  2 . 
         [0046]    The database  23  includes a related information DB (DataBase)  231  storing related information referred to when a workflow is executed, a task model DB  232  storing a task model previously abstracted by, for example, an administrator of the system, a task instance DB  233  storing a task instance, an operation record DB  234  storing an operation record of a workflow, and an organization information DB  235  storing information of a user and a user group to which the user belongs. The information in the task model DB  232  and task instance DB  233  is linked to the information registered in the related information DB  231 . 
         [0047]    The GUI control section  21  includes a rendering engine  211  for drawing a display image and an input/output control section  212  for exchanging information with the user U 1 . 
         [0048]    The workflow engine  22  includes a search engine  221  executing various searches with respect to the database  23 , a task control section  222  controlling tasks constituting a workflow, and a workflow record section  227  referring to the database  23 , monitoring the operations of the user U 1  and the workflow management system  2 , and storing the operation records of a workflow in the operation record DB  234 . 
         [0049]    The task control section  222  includes a task creation section  223  creating a task, a task execution section  224  executing the created task, an inference engine  225  inferring a current task of the user U 1  from the information of the operation record DB  234  and searching for related information from the database  23 , and a facsimile respond section  226  performing a prescribed process of, for example, attaching a received image to a task in accordance with sender&#39;s information or contents of the facsimile received by the facsimile subsystem  26 . 
         [0050]    As an outline of a basic operation of a workflow control, the user U 1  operates the workflow engine  22  via the input/output control section  212  of the GUI control section  21  to create and execute a workflow, create a workflow model, register related information and a document, and link those data to a workflow instance and a workflow mode. 
         [0051]    When a workflow is created, the search engine  221  in the workflow engine  22  performs various searches with respect to the database  23 . 
         [0052]    The task control section  222  in the workflow engine  22  controls a task by using the task model DB  232  and task instance DB  233  in accordance with, for example, an instruction of the user U 1 . The task creation section  223  in the task control section  222  creates a task and links information and the like based on the information in the database  23  in accordance with an instruction of the user U 1 . The task execution section  224  updates task information (task execution refers to the update of task information when viewed from the system) by using the information in the task instance DB  233  in accordance with an instruction of the user U 1 . The inference engine  225  infers a current task of the user U 1  from the information of the operation record DB  234 , and searching for related information in the database  23 . 
         [0053]    The workflow record section  227  monitors the operations of the user U 1  and the workflow management system  2 , and stores the operation records of a workflow in the operation record DB  234 . 
         [0054]    Main functions relevant to the present invention are as follows: 
         [0000]    (1) A function to identify an object (task, workflow, project) relevant to received facsimile information by using the information obtained from the facsimile subsystem  26 , and associate the received facsimile information with the identified object; and
 
(2) A function to create facsimile information from the task information in the system, and send the created information as facsimile information or electronic mail (e-mail) information.
 
         [0055]      FIG. 2  shows an exemplary allocation of the workflow management system  2 . In  FIG. 2 , the combination of the “Web Server” and the “J2EE Web Application” corresponds to the GUI control section  21 . The “HTML-based Collaborative Documenting System” corresponds to the collaborative document creation section  24 . The “Facsimile” corresponds to the facsimile subsystem  26 . Those elements constitute a Frontend of the system. Namely, the Web server and the HTML-based collaborative document creation system are provided so that the user U 1  can access the system using the Web browser (browser  11 ). In this exemplary allocation, since the user U 1  accesses the system using a Web browser, it is necessary to manage access to a file on the network. It is assumed that a file management system such as “NetDrive” capable of operating on the network is used to realize the functions of the system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0056]    Further, the combination of the “Workflow Management System” and the “Search Engine” corresponds to the workflow engine  22 . The “Image processing Engine” corresponds to the image processing engine  27 . Those elements constitute a Backend of the system. Since fundamental functions of the workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention are substantially the same as those of a conventional system, an engine typically used in a conventional workflow management system may also be used in a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Further, as for a search engine for searching for a task and related information, a general query-based search engine may also be used in the system. 
         [0057]    Further, the combination of the “MySQL”, the “RDF Repositories”, the “Doc. Index”, and the “WebDAVrepos” corresponds to the database  23 , constituting a data layer. The task information and the related information is managed as an RDF repository, and related information and the like is managed by a document depository and an index server. The former corresponds to the task model DB  232  and a task instance DB  233  in  FIG. 1 . The latter corresponds to the related information DB  231 . The user information and the organization information are managed as an RDF repository as well. The information corresponds to the organization information DB  235  in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0058]      FIG. 3  shows a drawing of an exemplary structure of a workflow. In  FIG. 3 , a root task: workflow (project) includes an arbitrary number of tasks. Each task may include a layered arbitrary number of subtasks. Namely, a workflow may include plural tasks, and each task may include plural subtasks. For example, the order relationship between them (see arrow lines in  FIG. 3 ) is the same as that in a general workflow management system. Further, each task and each subtask may include related information and a related document. 
         [0059]    The term “task instance” refers to an entity of a task managed separately. On the other hand, the term “task model” or “process type” refers to an entity as a model having such higher abstractness that represents the task instance. 
         [0060]      FIG. 4  is a table showing an exemplary configuration of task instance data, including the items of “task name”, “task ID”, “operator ID”, “operator&#39;s e-mail address”, “operator&#39;s facsimile number”, “project ID”, “operator and time”, “operation date and time”, “end date and time”, “due date”, “status”, “operating time”, “related information”, “information created by operation”, “information of subtask”, “limiting condition”, and “detailed information of task”. It should be noted that the information of the operator&#39;s e-mail address and the operator&#39;s facsimile number may be managed in, for example, a database in another data layer, and data may be entered for the operator&#39;s e-mail address and the operator&#39;s facsimile number. 
       &lt;Operations&gt; 
       [0061]      FIG. 5  is a sequence diagram showing an exemplary process of the workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0062]    In  FIG. 5 , an outside user U 2  gives an instruction to a facsimile machine  3  to send a message (in step S 101 ). The facsimile machine  3  sends the message to the facsimile subsystem  26  in the workflow management system  2  (in step S 102 ). After receiving the message correctly, the facsimile subsystem  26  informs the facsimile machine  3  of the receipt of the message (in step S 103 ). Then, the facsimile subsystem  26  informs the workflow engine  22  of the sender&#39;s information (facsimile number) and facsimile received information including received image information (in step S 104 ). 
         [0063]    Next, the workflow engine  22  sends the sender&#39;s information and a search task request to the search engine  221  (in step S 105 ). The search engine  221  performs the search task in the task instance DB  233  (in step S 206 ), acquires a task list as a search result (in step S 107 ), and sends the acquired task list back to the workflow engine  22  (in step S 108 ). More specifically, the search is performed in each task (task instance) having the data structure shown in  FIG. 4  and the item “operator&#39;s facsimile number” is searched for using the sender&#39;s information as a search term. As a result, a list of corresponding tasks is obtained (found). 
         [0064]    Next, referring back to  FIG. 5 , the workflow engine  22  sends the acquired task list, the received image information, and a request to register a related document (in step S 109 ). The task instance DB  233  stores the received image information in the related information DB  231  as the related information of the searched for and found tasks (in step S 110 ), receives information that the registration is completed from the related information DB  231  (in step S 111 ), and sends the received information to the workflow engine  22  (in step S 112 ). 
         [0065]    Then, the workflow engine  22  sends a message to the facsimile subsystem  26  to inform the user U 2  by facsimile machine that the registration of the related information is completed (in step S 113 ). The instruction to send a facsimile message includes information to identify the facsimile machine  3  of the user U 2  (received sender&#39;s information, operator&#39;s facsimile number in  FIG. 4 ). 
         [0066]    The facsimile subsystem  26  sends the message by facsimile to the facsimile machine  3  (in step S 114 ), receives information that the facsimile machine  3  has correctly received the message from the facsimile subsystem  26  when the message is correctly received (in step S 115 ), and informs the workflow engine  22  that the message transmission is completed (in step S 116 ). In addition, the user U 2  confirms the received message on the facsimile machine  3  (in step S 117 ). 
         [0067]    In the above description, facsimile transmission is used to inform the user U 2  that the registration of the related information is completed. However, instead of using the facsimile, only e-mail or both facsimile and e-mail may be used. In such a case, a message transmission request along with a mail address (operator&#39;s e-mail address in  FIG. 4 ) is to be transmitted to the electronic mail subsystem  25 . 
         [0068]    Further, in the above description, the message is transmitted to the user U 2  who performs the facsimile transmission. However, the process may be modified so that the message can be sent to other users relevant to the task (a creator or a user relevant to the task or the upper task of the task or uppermost workflow (project)) in addition to the user U 2  by any one of facsimile and e-mail or both. 
         [0069]      FIG. 6  is a sequence diagram showing another exemplary process of the workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the task instance DB  23  includes a block list listing prescribed facsimile numbers so as to block a message irrelevant to the workflow such as an advertising message to the facsimile machine  3 . 
         [0070]    In  FIG. 6 , an outside user U 2  gives an instruction to a facsimile machine  3  to send a message (in step S 201 ). The facsimile machine  3  sends the message to the facsimile subsystem  26  in the workflow management system  2  (in step S 202 ). After receiving the message correctly, the facsimile subsystem  26  informs the facsimile machine  3  of the receipt of the message (in step S 203 ). Then, the facsimile subsystem  26  informs the workflow engine  22  of the sender&#39;s information (facsimile number) and facsimile received information including received image information (in step S 204 ). 
         [0071]    Next, the workflow engine  22  sends a sender&#39;s information and a search task request to the search engine  221  (in step S 205 ). The search engine  221  performs the search task in the task instance DB  233  (in step S 206 ). Then, the task instance DB  233  refers to the block list stored inside (in step S 207 ), and when the sender&#39;s information corresponds to any entry in the block list, informs the search engine  221  so as to block the receipt (in step S 208 ). The search engine  221  informs the workflow engine  22  of the information to block the receipt (in step S 209 ). The workflow engine  22  ends the process of the facsimile received information. 
         [0072]      FIG. 7  is a sequence diagram showing still another exemplary process of the workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 7 , when a task is identified to be associated with a received image, in addition to the sender&#39;s information, text information extracted from the received image is used so as to improve the accuracy of identifying the task. 
         [0073]    In  FIG. 7 , an outside user U 2  gives an instruction to a facsimile machine  3  to send a message (in step S 301 ). The facsimile machine  3  sends the message to the facsimile subsystem  26  in the workflow management system  2  (in step S 302 ). After receiving the message correctly, the facsimile subsystem  26  informs the facsimile machine  3  of the receipt of the message (in step S 303 ). Then, the facsimile subsystem  26  informs the workflow engine  22  of the sender&#39;s information (facsimile number) and facsimile received information including received image information (in step S 304 ). 
         [0074]    Next, the workflow engine  22  sends a sender&#39;s information and a search task request to the image processing engine  27  (in step S 305 ). The image processing engine  27  extracts text information from the received image information using an analysis technique such as OCR (in step S 306 ), and sends the extracted text information back to the workflow engine  22  (in step S 307 ). 
         [0075]    Next, the workflow engine  22  sends the sender&#39;s information, the extracted text information, and a task search request to the search engine  221  (in step S 308 ). The search engine  221  extracts a search term from the received text information (in step S 309 ). There are various methods to extract a search term from text information, including an application software product “BrainFiler” (http://barinabot.com/site3/produkte/brainfiler) of BrainBot technologies. 
         [0076]    Next, the search engine  221  searches for a task in the task instance DB  233  using the search term extracted from the sender&#39;s information and the text information (in step S 310 ), acquires a task list as a search result (in step S 311 ), and sends the acquired task list back to the workflow engine  22  (in step S 312 ). As described above, the task search using the sender&#39;s information is performed by using the item “operator&#39;s facsimile number” of the task instance data shown in  FIG. 4 . On the other hand, when the task search using the search term extracted from the text information is performed, all the items of the task instance data can be used as the target of the search. It should be noted that a search may be performed using only the prescribed items such as the “task name” and the “detailed information of task” so as not to search for irrelevant tasks. 
         [0077]    Next, referring back to  FIG. 7 , the workflow engine  22  sends the task list, the received image information, and a related document registration request to the task instance DB  233  (in step S 313 ). The task instance DB  233  registers the received image information as the related information of the searched for and found task in the related information DB  231  (in step S 314 ), is informed that the registration is completed when the registration is completed (in step S 315 ), and informs the workflow engine  22  that the registration is completed (in step S 316 ). 
         [0078]    Then, the workflow engine  22  sends a message to the facsimile subsystem  26  to inform the user U 2  by facsimile machine that the registration of the related information is completed (in step S 317 ). The instruction to send a facsimile message includes information to identify the facsimile machine  3  of the user U 2  (received sender&#39;s information, operator&#39;s facsimile number in  FIG. 4 ). 
         [0079]    The facsimile subsystem  26  sends the message by facsimile to the facsimile machine  3  (in step S 318 ), receives information that the facsimile machine  3  has correctly received the message from the facsimile subsystem  26  when the message is correctly received (in step S 319 ), and informs the workflow engine  22  that the message transmission is completed (in step S 320 ). In addition, the user U 2  confirms the received message on the facsimile machine  3  (in step S 321 ). 
         [0080]    In the above description, facsimile transmission is used to inform the user U 2  that the registration of the related information is completed. However, instead of using the facsimile, only e-mail or both facsimile and e-mail may be used. In such a case, a message transmission request along with a mail address (operator&#39;s e-mail address in  FIG. 4 ) is to be transmitted to the electronic mail subsystem  25 . 
         [0081]    Further, in the above description, the message is transmitted to the user U 2  who performs the facsimile transmission. However, the process may be modified so that the message can be sent to other users relevant to the task (a creator or a user relevant to the task or the upper task of the task or uppermost workflow (project)) in addition to the user U 2  by any one of facsimile and e-mail or both. 
         [0082]      FIG. 8  is a sequence diagram showing still another exemplary process of the workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 8 , when the text information is extracted from the received image after the received image is registered in the task as the related information, the task configuration of the workflow can be appropriately changed. In a typical workflow, depending on the type or contents of a document input by a user, the following operating flow may be frequently changed. The operating flow can be automatically changed when the configuration as shown in  FIG. 8  is employed. 
         [0083]    In  FIG. 8 , an outside user U 2  gives an instruction to a facsimile machine  3  to send a message (in step S 401 ). The facsimile machine  3  sends the message to the facsimile subsystem  26  in the workflow management system  2  (in step S 402 ). After receiving the message correctly, the facsimile subsystem  26  informs the facsimile machine  3  of the receipt of the message (in step S 403 ). Then, the facsimile subsystem  26  informs the workflow engine  22  of the sender&#39;s information (facsimile number) and facsimile received information including received image information (in step S 404 ). 
         [0084]    Next, the workflow engine  22  sends a sender&#39;s information and a search task request to the image processing engine  27  (in step S 405 ). The image processing engine  27  extracts text information from the received image information using an analysis technique such as OCR (in step S 406 ), and sends the extracted text information back to the workflow engine  22  (in step S 407 ). 
         [0085]    Next, the workflow engine  22  sends the sender&#39;s information, the extracted text information, and a task search request to the search engine  221  (in step S 408 ). The search engine  221  extracts a search term from the received text information (in step S 409 ). There are various methods to extract a search term from text information, including an application software product “BrainFiler” (http://barinabot.com/site3/produkte/brainfiler) of BrainBot technologies. 
         [0086]    Next, the search engine  221  searches for a task in the task instance DB  233  using the search term extracted from the sender&#39;s information and the text information (in step S 410 ), acquires a task list as a search result (in step S 411 ), and sends the acquired task list back to the workflow engine  22  (in step S 412 ). The task search using the sender&#39;s information is performed by using the item “operator&#39;s facsimile number” of the task instance data shown in  FIG. 4 . On the other hand, when the task search using the search term extracted from the text information is performed, all the items of the task instance data can be used as the target of the search. It should be noted that a search may be performed using only the prescribed items such as the “task name” and the “detailed information of task” so as not to search for irrelevant tasks. 
         [0087]    Next, referring back to  FIG. 8 , the workflow engine  22  sends the task list, the received image information, and a related document registration request to the task instance DB  233  (in step S 413 ). The task instance DB  233  registers the received image information as the related information of the searched for and found task in the related information DB  231  (in step S 414 ), is informed that the registration is completed when the registration is completed (in step S 415 ), and informs the workflow engine  22  that the registration is completed (in step S 416 ). 
         [0088]    Next, the workflow engine  22  determines whether the text information extracted from the received image includes a specific term. When the specific term is detected (in step S 417 ), the workflow engine  22  changes the task configuration in the task instance DB  233  (in step S 418 ). When the task configuration is correctly changed, the workflow engine  22  is informed that the task configuration change is completed (in step S 419 ). 
         [0089]    Then, the workflow engine  22  sends a message to the facsimile subsystem  26  to inform the user U 2  by facsimile machine that the registration of the related information is completed (in step S 420 ). The instruction to send a facsimile message includes information to identify the facsimile machine  3  of the user U 2  (received sender&#39;s information, operator&#39;s facsimile number in  FIG. 4 ). 
         [0090]    The facsimile subsystem  26  sends the message by facsimile to the facsimile machine  3  (in step S 421 ), receives information that the facsimile machine  3  has correctly received the message from the facsimile subsystem  26  when the message is correctly received (in step S 422 ), and informs the workflow engine  22  that the message transmission is completed (in step S 423 ). In addition, the user U 2  confirms the received message on the facsimile machine  3  (in step S 424 ). 
         [0091]    In the above description, facsimile transmission is used to inform the user U 2  that the registration of the related information is completed. However, instead of using the facsimile, only e-mail or both facsimile and e-mail may be used. In such a case, a message transmission request along with a mail address (operator&#39;s e-mail address in  FIG. 4 ) is to be transmitted to the electronic mail subsystem  25 . 
         [0092]    Further, in the above description, the message is transmitted to the user U 2  who performs the facsimile transmission. However, the process may be modified so that the message can be sent to other users relevant to the task (a creator or a user relevant to the task or the upper task of the task or uppermost workflow (project)) in addition to the user U 2  by any one of facsimile and e-mail or both. 
         [0093]      FIGS. 9A  and B are sequence diagrams showing still another exemplary process of the workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIGS. 9A and 9B , not only a message advising that the related information is registered is sent to the user U 2  by, for example, a facsimile, but also a task related information (related document) list is sent to the user U 2  so that the user U 2  can send a request and receive further related information based on the request. 
         [0094]    In  FIG. 9A , an outside user U 2  gives an instruction to a facsimile machine  3  to send a message (in step S 501 ). The facsimile machine  3  sends the message to the facsimile subsystem  26  in the workflow management system  2  (in step S 502 ). After receiving the message correctly, the facsimile subsystem  26  informs the facsimile machine  3  of the receipt of the message (in step S 503 ). Then, the facsimile subsystem  26  informs the workflow engine  22  of the sender&#39;s information (facsimile number) and facsimile received information including received image information (in step S 504 ). 
         [0095]    Next, the workflow engine  22  sends the sender&#39;s information and a search task request to the image processing engine  27  (in step S 505 ). The image processing engine  27  extracts text information from the received image information using an analysis technique such as OCR (in step S 506 ), and sends the extracted text information back to the workflow engine  22  (in step S 507 ). 
         [0096]    Next, the workflow engine  22  sends the sender&#39;s information, the extracted text information, and a task search request to the search engine  221  (in step S 508 ). The search engine  221  extracts a search term from the received text information (in step S 509 ). There are various methods to extract a search term from text information, including an application software product “BrainFiler” (http://barinabot.com/site3/produkte/brainfiler) of BrainBot technologies. 
         [0097]    Next, the search engine  221  searches for a task in the task instance DB  233  using the search term extracted from the sender&#39;s information and the text information (in step S 510 ), acquires a task list as a search result (in step S 511 ), and sends the acquired task list back to the workflow engine  22  (in step S 512 ). The task search using the sender&#39;s information is performed by using the item “operator&#39;s facsimile number” of the task instance data shown in  FIG. 4 . On the other hand, when the task search using the search term extracted from the text information is performed, all the items of the task instance data can be used as the target of the search. It should be noted that a search may be performed using only the prescribed items such as the “task name” and the “detailed information of task” so as not to search for irrelevant tasks. 
         [0098]    Next, referring back to  FIG. 9A , the workflow engine  22  sends the task list, the received image information, and a related document registration request to the task instance DB  233  (in step S 513 ). The task instance DB  233  registers the received image information as the related information of the searched for and found task in the related information DB  231  (in step S 514 ), is informed that the registration is completed when the registration is completed (in step S 515 ), and informs the workflow engine  22  that the registration is completed (in step S 516 ). 
         [0099]    Then, the workflow engine  22  sends a request to acquire a task related information list to the related information DB  231  (in step S 517 ), and acquires the task related information list (in step S 518 ). 
         [0100]    Then, the workflow engine  22  sends a message to the facsimile subsystem  26  to inform the user U 2  of the task related information list by facsimile machine (in step S 519 ). The facsimile message includes information to identify the facsimile machine  3  of the user U 2  (received sender&#39;s information, operator&#39;s facsimile number in  FIG. 4 ). 
         [0101]    The facsimile subsystem  26  sends the message by facsimile to the facsimile machine  3  (in step S 520 ), receives information that the facsimile machine  3  has correctly received the message from the facsimile subsystem  26  when the message is correctly received (in step S 521 ), and informs the workflow engine  22  that the message transmission is completed (in step S 522 ). In addition, the user U 2  confirms the received message on the facsimile machine  3  (in step S 523 ).  FIG. 10  shows an exemplary task related information list including relevant items of “task name” and “related information”. A user may put a check-mark in the “send” column on the paper on which the task related information list is printed, and send the marked paper by facsimile as a request to acquire the contents of the marked related information. In addition, when the list is not printed, a user may also request to acquire the contents of desired related information by putting a check-mark on the task related information list on a display of, for example, a computer and sending the marked data by facsimile transmission. 
         [0102]    Further, in  FIG. 9B , an outside user U 2  gives an instruction to a facsimile machine  3  to acquire the contents of the desired related information (in step S 524 ). The facsimile machine  3  sends the message to the facsimile subsystem  26  in the workflow management system  2  (in step S 525 ). After receiving the message correctly, the facsimile subsystem  26  informs the facsimile machine  3  of the receipt of the message (in step S 526 ). Then, the facsimile subsystem  26  informs the workflow engine  22  of the sender&#39;s information (facsimile number) and facsimile received information including received image information (in step S 527 ). 
         [0103]    Next, the workflow engine  22  sends the received image information, task related information list rendering information (layout information of the “related information” and “send” columns in the image of the task related information list), and a text information extraction request to the image processing engine  27  (in step S 528 ). The image processing engine  27  extracts text information from the received image information using an analysis technique such as OCR, confirms the positions of, for example, the check-mark using the task related document list rendering information, identifies the relation information that the user requests to acquire (in step S 529 ), and sends the identified task related document list back to the workflow engine  22  (in step S 530 ). 
         [0104]    Then, the workflow engine  22  requests to send the task related information to the related information DB  231  (in step S 531 ), and acquires the task related information (in step S 532 ). 
         [0105]    Then, the workflow engine  22  sends an instruction to the facsimile subsystem  26  to inform the user U 2  by facsimile machine of the task related information (in step S 533 ). The instruction to send a facsimile message includes information to identify the facsimile machine  3  of the user U 2  (received sender&#39;s information, operator&#39;s facsimile number in  FIG. 4 ). 
         [0106]    The facsimile subsystem  26  sends the message by facsimile to the facsimile machine  3  (in step S 534 ), receives information that the facsimile machine  3  has correctly received the message from the facsimile subsystem  26  when the message is correctly received (in step S 535 ), and informs the workflow engine  22  that the message transmission is completed (in step S 536 ). The workflow engine  22  sends a request to the task instance DB  233  to update the status of the transmitted task related information (in step S 537 ), and is informed that the update is completed when the update is correctly completed (in step S 538 ). 
         [0107]    In addition, the user U 2  confirms the received message on the facsimile machine  3  (in step S 539 ). 
         [0108]    In the above description, facsimile transmission is used to inform the user U 2  that the registration of the related information is completed. However, instead of using the facsimile, only e-mail or both facsimile and e-mail may be used. In such a case, a message transmission request along with a mail address (operator&#39;s e-mail address in  FIG. 4 ) is to be transmitted to the electronic mail subsystem  25 . 
         [0109]    Further, in the above description, the message is transmitted to the user U 2  who performs the facsimile transmission. However, the process may be modified so that the message can be sent to other users relevant to the task (a creator or a user relevant to the task or the upper task of the task or uppermost workflow (project)) in addition to the user U 2  by any one of facsimile and e-mail or both. 
         [0110]      FIG. 11  is a flowchart of an exemplary process showing what information is provided depending on cases to a user in an interactive mode. Namely, when the related information registration request is issued in steps S 109  in  FIG. 5 , S 319  in  FIG. 7 , S 419  in  FIG. 8 , and S 519  in  FIG. 9A , the related information is automatically registered in the tasks of the task list previously obtained in the task search. However, there may be a problem when there is related information that should not be registered in the searched for and found task. To solve the problem, an interactive process depending on the number of searched for and found tasks is provided in the flowchart of  FIG. 11 . The process shown in  FIG. 11  may be interposed between steps S 108  and S 109  in  FIG. 5 , between steps S 318  and S 319  in  FIG. 7 , between steps S 418  and S 419  in  FIG. 8 , and between steps S 518  and S 519  in  FIG. 9A . It should be noted that whether the process is performed automatically or manually (interactive mode) may be previously input by a user or input as facsimile information. 
         [0111]    In  FIG. 11 , after the process starts (in step S 601 ), the task list is acquired, and the number of the tasks “n” (n=0, 1, 2, . . . ) is confirmed (in step S 602 ). 
         [0112]    Next, it is determined whether the number of the tasks “n” is “0” in step S 603 . When it is determined that the number of the tasks “n” is “0” (Yes in step S 603 ), a message that no task is to be searched for is sent to the user U 2  (in step S 604 ) and the process ends (in step S 611 ). In this case, no further related information is registered. 
         [0113]    When it is determined that the number of the tasks “n” is other than “0” (No in step S 603 ), it is further determined whether the number of the tasks “n” is “1” (in step S 605 ). When it is determined that the number of the tasks “n” is “1” (Yes in step S 605 ), the information of the only task in the task list is sent to the user U 2  (in step S 606 ) and the process ends (in step S 611 ). 
         [0114]    When it is determined that the number of the tasks “n” is other than “1” (No in step S 605 ), the task list is sent to the user U 2  (in step S 607 ). Then, it is determined whether the user U 2  designates a task (in step S 608 ). When it is determined that the user U 2  designate a task (Yes in step S 608 ), the information of the designated task is sent to the user U 2  (in step S 609 ) and the process ends (in step S 611 ). 
         [0115]    When it is determined that the user U 2  does not designate a task (No in step S 608 ), a message that no task has been designated is sent to the user U 2  (in step S 610 ) and the process ends (in step S 611 ). In this case, no further related information is registered. 
         [0116]    It should be noted that a process of limiting the tasks where the related information is registered is not limited to the process depending on the number of the searched for and found tasks as described above. The tasks where the related information is registered can be limited by, for example, designating the task by the user U 2  using a prescribed format. 
       &lt;Overview&gt; 
       [0117]    As described above, a workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the following advantages: 
         [0000]    (1) In a network connecting apparatuses such as a personal computer, a workstation, a printer, a facsimile machine, and a scanner, information managed in a facsimile machine can be seamlessly linked with a digital workflow (task information).
 
(2) By acquiring image information, sender&#39;s information, and destination information from a facsimile machine, it becomes possible to capture image information transmitted using a facsimile machine directly into a workflow without printing the image information on a paper.
 
(3) By analyzing the digital information received by a facsimile machine, it becomes possible to avoid missing information that may occur when the digital information is printed on a paper, and to reduce unnecessary paper consumption.
 
(4) A document related to a task can be transmitted via a facsimile machine. Therefore a user where only a facsimile line is available can receive a document related to a task via a facsimile machine.
 
         [0118]    The present invention is not limited to the above exemplary embodiments, and variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Further, the present invention should not be interpreted to be limited by the descriptions and accompanying drawings. 
         [0119]    The present application is based on and claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-071603, filed on Mar. 19, 2007, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.