Patent ID: 8015318

Claim:
An electronic file processor comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires, through a communication network, a first electronic file having a first file format and at least one second electronic file having a second file format which differs from the first file format, by reference to a linkage relationship between the first electronic file and the second electronic file; a conversion unit that converts at least one of the first electronic file and the second electronic file so that the first electronic file and the second electronic file have a same file format; and a generation unit that combines the first electronic file and the second electronic file to generate a combined electronic file, wherein when the acquisition unit acquires a plurality of the second electronic files, the conversion unit converts the first electronic file to generate a converted first electronic file having a same file format as one of the second electronic files, the conversion unit further generates a reference information file indicating a reference destination of another one of the second electronic files in the same file format as said one of the second electronic files, and the generation unit electronically bundles the converted first electronic file, said one of the second electronic files, and the reference information file to generate a combined electronic file.