JP2004118270A - Parts ordering support system - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide a system that eliminates the necessity of printing out all the drawings in a part drawing related to an ordering request on the part ordering side, and further reduces the burden of printing cost and paper handling work on the part ordering side. To do.
A processing unit (12) specifies a paper size threshold value of a part drawing related to a print request, and if the paper size threshold value is larger than a predetermined paper size threshold value, a print request interface. Is transmitted to the terminal 3 for component manufacturers.
[Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a parts ordering support system, and more particularly, to a parts drawing ordering support system that receives a parts drawing printing request from a terminal for a parts manufacturer and prints a parts drawing according to the request.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, when a parts orderer makes a part order request or a part design change request, the parts orderer prints out the parts drawings related to the order request on a paper medium, and copies the printed part drawings. They were sent to the parts manufacturer by mail or fax. There is no prior art document information to be described in the present invention.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above conventional example, it is necessary for the parts ordering company to print out all the part drawings. For this reason, the printing cost is greatly increased, and the work load related to paper handling, such as the work for printing out and the work for sending out parts drawings, has increased.
[0004]
However, it is trivial to entrust the printing of all component drawings to the component manufacturer. This is because, in the printing of component drawings, large paper sizes such as A1 and A2, which are not often used in normal work, are often used, and these paper sizes cannot be printed by a printing machine usually used in offices. For this reason, it is necessary to take some care such as printing on a large paper size such as A1 on the part orderer side.
[0005]
[Object of the invention]
The present invention improves the inconvenience of the conventional example, and in particular, eliminates the necessity of printing out all the drawings on the part ordering side in the part drawing related to the order request, and further, the printing on the part ordering side. It is an object of the present invention to provide a system that can reduce the burden of the fee and paper handling business. It is another object of the present invention to provide a system in which printing is performed by a part orderer only on a part drawing that satisfies a specific printing condition, in consideration of a printing operation to a part manufacturer.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises information storage means, communication means with a terminal for a component manufacturer, and information processing means for controlling the operation of each of these means. The user can input a part drawing printing request from a part size terminal, a predetermined paper size threshold, and a part manufacturer terminal, in which the identification information of the part drawing and the paper size on which the part drawing is to be printed are stored in association with each other. And a print request interface.
[0007]
The processing means includes: a1) a step of acquiring the identification information of the part drawing from the terminal of the part manufacturer via the communication means; and b1) a sheet size associated with the acquired identification information of the part drawing. Specifying from a size database; c1) determining whether the specified paper size is larger than a predetermined paper size threshold; and d1) if the result of the determination is large, the storage unit prints a print request interface. And transmitting the read print request interface to the parts manufacturer terminal via the communication means.
[0008]
Here, the "paper size threshold value" is a paper size standard, and there are those shown in column A such as A1 and A2 and those shown in column B such as B1 and B2. The “print request interface” indicates an icon displayed on the screen display device.
[0009]
According to the present invention, the processing means specifies the paper size threshold value of the part drawing related to the print request, and if the paper size threshold value is larger than the predetermined paper size threshold value, Is transmitted to the parts manufacturer terminal. As a result, the part orderer can specify the part drawing to be printed, and receive a print request for the specified part drawing from the terminal for the part manufacturer.
[0010]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the parts ordering support system according to the first aspect, the processing unit executes the d1 step, and then performs printing via the print request interface transmitted from the terminal for the parts manufacturer and the communication unit. Perform the steps to get the request.
[0011]
According to the present invention, by transmitting the print request interface, it is possible to easily obtain a print request related to a part drawing from the terminal for the part manufacturer.
[0012]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information storage unit, a communication unit with a part manufacturer terminal, and an information processing unit for controlling the operation of each of these units. A sheet size on which the part drawing is to be printed, part manufacturing request related information that is information on the part manufacturing request, a part drawing related to the manufacturing request, and address information for browsing the part drawing via a communication network. Are stored in association with each other, a part-related information database storing a predetermined paper size threshold value, and a print request interface capable of inputting a part drawing print request from a terminal for a part manufacturer.
[0013]
The processing means includes: a3) a step of acquiring the identification information of the part drawing from the terminal of the part manufacturer via the communication means; and b3) a sheet size associated with the identification information of the acquired part drawing, A step of specifying from the related information database; c3) a step of determining whether the specified paper size is larger than a predetermined paper size threshold; d3) a print request interface if the result of the determination is large; reading out the part manufacturing request related information and the address information associated with the part drawing identification information acquired in the step a3 from the storage unit; e3) reading the read print request interface, the part manufacturing request related information, and the address. Transmitting the information to the component manufacturer terminal via the communication means;
Execute
[0014]
According to the present invention, the processing means specifies the paper size threshold value of the part drawing related to the print request, and if the paper size threshold value is larger than the predetermined paper size threshold value, And the related information of the part manufacturing request and the address information of the part drawing are transmitted to the part manufacturer terminal. As a result, the part orderer can specify the part drawing to be printed, and receive a print request for the specified part drawing from the terminal for the part manufacturer. Further, information on the specified part drawing can be provided to the part manufacturer.
[0015]
This aims to achieve the above-mentioned object.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, the following detailed description shows an example of the embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art will be able to employ commonly used alternatives.
[0017]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the entire system according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the parts ordering support system 1 is connected to a parts manufacturer terminal 3 via a communication network 4. The parts ordering support system 1 is connected to the parts manufacturer terminal 2 via a communication network 5. In FIG. 1, only one terminal for the part orderer and one terminal for the part manufacturer are shown, but this is for easy understanding of the invention, and it is assumed that there are actually a plurality of terminals. I have.
[0018]
Hereinafter, each of the above configurations will be described in more detail. Reference numeral 1 is a parts ordering support system. The parts ordering support system 1 functions as a server that mediates between a part orderer terminal and a part manufacturer terminal. This parts ordering support system 1 includes a communication unit 11 for communicating between a parts orderer terminal 2 and a parts manufacturer terminal 3, an information processing unit 12 for controlling the operation of each unit, an information storage unit 13, and information printing. Means 14, information input means 15, and information display means 16.
[0019]
Here, the communication means 11 is means for exchanging information with the outside, and corresponds to, for example, a router. The processing unit 12 is a unit that controls the operations of the communication unit 11, the storage unit 13, the printing unit 14, the information input unit 15, and the information display unit 16, and corresponds to, for example, a central processing unit (CPU).
[0020]
The storage unit 13 is a unit that stores information in a predetermined area, and corresponds to, for example, a RAM, a ROM, and an HDD. Here, the storage unit 13 includes a parts-related information database 131, a shared parts drawing database 132, a parts manufacturer-related information database 133, and a print price database 134 (hereinafter, the database is referred to as “DB” as appropriate). .
[0021]
Hereinafter, the structures of the various databases will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of the component-related information DB 131. In the part-related information DB 131, a part number, which is identification information of a part, and a part name, part information, an image file of a part drawing, and a paper size are stored in association with each other. Here, the "part information" is a description related to the part. The image file of the part drawing is a GIF or BMP. The “paper size” is a paper size (A1, A2, etc.) on which the part drawing is to be printed.
[0022]
FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of the shared part drawing DB 132. In the shared part drawing DB 132, a part number, a shared part drawing file, shared part drawing file address information, and drawing information are stored in association with each other.
[0023]
Here, the “part number” is a number corresponding to the part number in the part-related information DB 131. The “shared part drawing file” is a PDF file. “Shared drawing file address information” is an identifier indicating where the shared part drawing file exists on the network, and the character sequence of the identifier is obtained by adding “.pdf” to the part number.
[0024]
The “drawing information” is information relating to a part drawing file, and includes a number and a part name composed of a combination of a part number and a suffix of the part drawing file, a paper size of the part drawing, a PDF file conversion date and time, and a file name (this file The name is composed of a combination of a part number, a suffix, an identifier of “.pdf”), and a file size (〜KB). Here, the “suffix” indicates the attribute of the part number, and is expressed by an alphabetic character at the end of the part number. This suffix is given in the order of blank, A, B, C,... In conjunction with the number of times the part is redesigned. For example, if the part number before the design change is “A1234567”, the part number after the design change is made once is “A1234567A”.
[0025]
Here, the shared part drawing database 132 is a database created when the processing unit 12 executes an EDI process described later.
[0026]
FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of the component manufacturer related information DB 133. In the component manufacturer related information DB 133, the identification number (ID) of the component manufacturer, the password, the component manufacturer name, and the address, telephone number, and mail address of the component manufacturer are stored in association with each other. Here, the identification number and password of the component manufacturer are given by the component ordering company.
[0027]
FIG. 5 is a structural diagram of the printing price database 134. In the printing fee DB 134, the printing fee for one sheet is associated with each sheet size. The above is the description of various types of databases stored in the storage unit 13. Further, the storage unit 13 stores, in a predetermined area, a print request interface capable of inputting a print request of a component drawing from a terminal for a component manufacturer, and display control information for generating a drawing print form (described later). Here, the display control information refers to information capable of displaying information on a display screen by the processing of the processing unit, and corresponds to, for example, information described in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language).
[0028]
The information printing unit 14 is a unit that prints information on a paper medium, and corresponds to, for example, a printer. The information input unit 15 is a unit for receiving information, and corresponds to, for example, a keyboard and a mouse. The information display means 16 is a means for displaying information, and corresponds to, for example, an image display device such as a TFT or an LCD. The above is the description of the configuration of the parts ordering support system 1.
[0029]
Next, the part orderer terminal 2 will be described. For example, a personal computer or a mobile computer corresponds to the device corresponding to the parts orderer terminal 2. The part orderer terminal 2 includes a communication unit 21, a processing unit 22, a storage unit 23, an input unit 24, and a display unit 25.
[0030]
Each of the above means will be described in more detail. The communication means 21 is a means for exchanging information with the outside, and corresponds to, for example, a router.
[0031]
The processing unit 22 is a unit that controls the operations of the communication unit 21, the storage unit 23, the input unit 24, and the display unit 25, and corresponds to, for example, a central processing unit (CPU).
[0032]
The storage unit 23 is a unit that stores information in a predetermined area, and corresponds to, for example, a RAM, a ROM, and an HDD. Here, the storage unit 23 includes the component related information database 131 and the component manufacturer related information database 133 described above. That is, the databases 131 and 133 are databases that are shared between the parts ordering support system 1 and the parts orderer terminal 2 via the small-scale communication network 5. The description of the database structure of the parts related information DB 131 and the parts manufacturer related information DB 133 is the same as the description of the parts ordering support system 1 described above, and thus will be omitted.
[0033]
The input unit 24 is a unit that receives information from a parts ordering company, and corresponds to, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and a pen tablet.
[0034]
The display unit 25 is a unit for displaying information to a parts ordering company, and corresponds to a screen display device such as a TFT, a CRT, and an LCD. The above is the description of the configuration of the component ordering terminal 2.
[0035]
Next, the component manufacturer terminal 3 will be described. The configuration of the component manufacturer terminal 3 is substantially the same as the component orderer terminal 2 described above. For example, a personal computer or a mobile computer corresponds to the device corresponding to the component manufacturer terminal 3. The component manufacturer terminal 3 includes a communication unit 31, a processing unit 32, a storage unit 33, an input unit 34, and a display unit 35.
[0036]
Each of the above means will be described in more detail. The communication unit 31 is a unit for exchanging information with the outside, and corresponds to, for example, a router.
[0037]
The processing means 32 is means for controlling the operations of the communication means 31, the storage means 33, the input means 34, and the display means 35, and corresponds to, for example, a central processing unit (CPU).
[0038]
The storage unit 33 is a unit that stores information in a predetermined area, and corresponds to, for example, a RAM, a ROM, and an HDD.
[0039]
The input unit 34 is a unit for receiving information from a component manufacturer, and corresponds to, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and a pen tablet.
[0040]
The display unit 35 is a unit for displaying information to a component manufacturer, and corresponds to, for example, a screen display device such as a TFT, a CRT, and an LCD. The above is the description of the configuration of the component manufacturer terminal 3.
[0041]
Next, the communication network 4 will be described. The communication network 4 is an information communication network, and includes an Internet network, a public line network, a wireless communication network, and the like.
[0042]
Reference numeral 5 denotes a small communication network. Here, the small-scale communication network 5 indicates a WAN (Wide Area Network), which is composed of a public line or a dedicated line, and whose scale is smaller than that of the communication network 4 described above. The above is the description of each configuration illustrated in FIG.
[0043]
Next, the EDI processing executed by the processing means 12 of the parts ordering support system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the process of converting the part drawing file into EDI.
[0044]
First, an instruction (instruction data), which is data describing a request for an order for a part or a request for a change in the design of a part, is created in the part orderer terminal 2. In the present embodiment, a description will be given of a case of requesting a design change of a part.
[0045]
This instruction sheet includes not only the part number of the part whose design was changed, but also contact information such as the address, contact name, telephone number, and e-mail address of both the part orderer and the part manufacturer, and information on the part design change request. Information related to a certain part design change request is described. The “part design change request related information” is, for example, detailed instruction information on change of part design from a person in charge, and information on change of part design such as delivery date of parts.
[0046]
The created instruction is transmitted to the parts ordering support system 1 by the processing unit 22 via the communication unit 21.
[0047]
The processing means 12 of the parts ordering support system 1 acquires the instruction sent from the parts orderer terminal 2 via the communication means 11 (S1).
[0048]
The processing unit 12 compares the part number described in the instruction with the part number stored in the part-related information database 131 (S2). Then, the processing means 12 picks up a part number having the same part number, and reads an image file of a part drawing associated with the picked-up part number from the part-related information database 131 (S3).
[0049]
The processing unit 12 converts the format of the read image file of the component drawing into a PDF file format that can be browsed via a network (S4). Here, the PDF file has an excellent characteristic that the character / image data can be compressed to 1/10 or less of the original size and can be opened without being influenced by the user's machine environment. . Therefore, it can be said that the file is very suitable for electronic sharing of documents. The processing unit 12 generates address information for making the part drawing file converted into the PDF file accessible via the network (S4). Here, the “address information” is an identifier indicating where the part drawing file converted into the PDF file exists on the network (hereinafter, this address information is referred to as “part drawing file address information”).
[0050]
The processing unit 12 associates the part drawing file converted into the PDF file (S4) with the generated part drawing file address information and (S5). The processing unit 12 further generates drawing information based on the description content of the instruction, the data of the converted part drawing file, and the part-related information database 133.
[0051]
Specifically, the processing unit 12 executes updating of a suffix, creation of a number combining a suffix and a part number, creation of a file name, recording of a paper size, and recording of a file change date and time.
[0052]
The processing unit 12 associates the drawing information, the part drawing file, the part drawing file address information, and the part number described in the instruction with each other and stores them in the storage unit 13 as the shared part drawing DB 132 (S6). ).
[0053]
The processing unit 12 designates a part number corresponding to the drawing information as link destination information so that the drawing information in the shared part drawing database 132 can be accessed via a network.
[0054]
The processing unit 12 associates the part number designated as the link destination information with the instruction acquired in the process of S1 (here, the information in which the instruction is associated with the link destination information is hereinafter referred to as a “contact report”). ).
[0055]
The processing means 12 further generates address information for the contact form itself, and makes the contact form data accessible via a network (here, the address information of the contact form is referred to as "contact form address information"). ). The processing means 12 stores the correspondence and the correspondence address information in a predetermined area of the storage means 13 in association with each other.
[0056]
The processing means 12 reads the part design request related information of the instruction, attaches the part design request related information and the contact address information to an e-mail, and transmits the mail to the parts manufacturer terminal 3 via the communication means 11. (S7). The above is the description of the EDI processing performed by the processing unit 12 of the parts ordering support system 1.
[0057]
Next, a description will be given of a processing unit related to the exchange of information between the manufacturer terminal that acquires the above mail and the parts ordering support system 1. The processing unit 32 of the manufacturer terminal 3 acquires the mail transmitted from the parts ordering support system 1 via the communication unit 11.
[0058]
The processing unit 32 expands the acquired mail on the display unit 35. FIG. 7 shows an example of the expanded mail display screen. The mail display screen 100 describes part change request related information such as a part number and a part name, an e-mail transmission date and a comment from a person in charge, as well as contact address information. Regarding the location of the contact address information, there is a description at the center of the e-mail that "Please refer to the following URL for detailed design change information." The contact address information is a URL described further below.
[0059]
Here, in the present embodiment, the contact address information is transmitted to the manufacturer terminal in a format of attaching an e-mail to the manufacturer terminal, but the method of notifying the contact address information is particularly in this format. It is not limited. For example, a format may be adopted in which contact address information is prepared on a specific Web page, and the manufacturer terminal accesses the Web page to obtain contact address information.
[0060]
When the processing unit 32 detects an instruction to select contact address information (for example, double-clicking with a mouse cursor) via the input unit 34, the processing unit 32 transmits a contact message to the parts ordering support system 1. Generate a request to send a message. Then, the processing unit 32 transmits the request for transmission of the contact note and the address information of the contact note to the parts ordering support system 1 via the communication unit 31.
[0061]
The processing means 12 of the parts ordering support system 1 acquires the above-mentioned communication request and the communication address information via the communication means 11.
[0062]
The processing unit 12 first performs a manufacturer authentication process before transmitting the contact note, upon the acquisition of the contact note transmission request. Specifically, transmission of an ID and a password is requested from the manufacturer terminal 3, and the acquired ID and password are compared with the ID and password of the manufacturer-related information database 133 to confirm whether they match. .
[0063]
When the transmitted ID and the password match and it is determined that the accessed component manufacturer is authentic, the processing unit 12 checks the contact address information with the contact address information stored in the storage unit 13. Then, the correspondence read out from the storage means 13 is read out from the storage means 13 in association with the correspondence address information that matches both.
[0064]
The processing unit 12 transmits the display control information including the read communication letter (data) to the terminal 3 for the component manufacturer via the communication unit 11.
[0065]
The processing unit 32 of the component manufacturer terminal 3 acquires the display control information via the communication unit 31. Here, an example of the correspondence display screen displayed on the display means 35 by the processing means 32 is shown in FIG. Here, a part number (link destination information) for receiving a drawing information transmission request from the part manufacturer terminal 3 is written below the contact form display screen 200.
[0066]
When the processing means 32 detects a selection instruction (for example, double-clicking with a mouse cursor) of the part number (link destination information) via the input means 34, the drawing information and the part drawing file address information are sent to the part ordering support system 1. Is generated, which is a signal to transmit the drawing information.
[0067]
Then, the processing unit 32 transmits the generated drawing information transmission request and the part number to the parts ordering support system 1 via the communication unit 31.
[0068]
The processing unit 12 of the parts ordering support system 1 acquires a drawing information transmission request and a part number via the communication unit 11.
[0069]
Hereinafter, the processing executed by the processing unit 12 will be schematically described. The processing means includes: a3) a step of acquiring the identification information of the component drawing from the terminal of the component manufacturer via the communication means; and b3) a sheet size associated with the identification information of the acquired component drawing, by using the shared component drawing. A step of specifying from the database; c3) a step of determining whether the specified sheet size is larger than a predetermined sheet size threshold; d3) a print request interface if the result of the determination is large; Reading out the part manufacturing request related information and the address information associated with the identification information of the part drawing acquired in step e3), e3) the read print request interface, the part manufacturing request related information, the address information, Is transmitted to the parts manufacturer terminal via the communication means.
[0070]
Here, the “identification information of the part drawing” indicates a part drawing in the present embodiment. The "predetermined paper size threshold value" is set to "A1" in this embodiment.
[0071]
The processing executed by the processing means 12 will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the sheet size determination processing executed by the processing unit 12.
[0072]
The processing unit 12 acquires a drawing information transmission request and a part number via the communication unit 11 (S11). The processing unit 12 specifies the paper size associated with the part number of the acquired part drawing from the shared part drawing database (S12). Then, it is determined whether the specified paper size is larger than the paper size threshold “A1” (S13). If the result of the determination is larger than A1, the print request interface, the drawing information associated with the acquired part number of the part drawing, and the part drawing file address information are read from the storage unit 13 (S14).
[0073]
Then, the processing unit 12 transmits the read print request interface, the display control information including the drawing information and the address information to the terminal 3 for the component manufacturer via the communication unit 11 (S15).
[0074]
Here, when the processing unit 12 specifies the paper size, if the specified paper size is smaller than A1, the print request interface does not read from the storage unit 13. That is, the processing unit 12 generates display control information including two pieces of information of the drawing information and the part drawing file address information, and transmits the display control information to the component manufacturer terminal 2. In the present embodiment, the case where the paper size specified by the processing unit 12 is “A1” will be described.
[0075]
The processing unit 32 of the component manufacturer terminal 3 acquires the display control information via the communication unit 31. FIG. 10 shows an example of a drawing information display screen displayed on the display unit 35 by the processing unit 32 that has acquired the display control information. On the drawing information display screen 300, the table described above is the drawing information. Below this drawing information, the part drawing file address information is described as a drawing data attachment column. Further, below the part drawing file address information, a print request interface written as “print request” is described. Further, below the part drawing file address information, a print request command button described as “print request” and a reception confirmation command button described as “reception confirmation” are described.
[0076]
When the processing means 32 of the part manufacturer terminal 3 detects an instruction to select part drawing file address information via the input means 34 (for example, double-clicking the part drawing file address information with a mouse cursor), the processing part 32 supports the part ordering support system. A part drawing file transmission request, which is a signal for transmitting a part drawing file to the device, is generated. Then, the processing unit 32 transmits the part drawing file transmission request and the part part surface file address information to the part ordering support system 1 via the communication unit 31.
[0077]
The processing unit 12 compares the acquired part drawing file address information with the part drawing file address information stored in the shared part drawing database 132 upon the acquisition of the part drawing file, and obtains a part drawing file that matches both. The part drawing file associated with the address information is read from the part drawing file database 132.
[0078]
The processing unit 12 transmits the read component drawing file to the component manufacturer terminal 3 via the communication unit 11.
[0079]
The processing unit 32 of the component manufacturer 3 acquires the component drawing file (PDF file) via the communication unit 31. The processing means 32 displays the part drawing file part drawing on the display means 35.
[0080]
Here, the processing unit 12 of the parts ordering support system 1 executes a step of acquiring a print request from the parts manufacturer terminal 3 via the print request interface and the communication unit 31 transmitted above. Hereinafter, such processing will be described more specifically.
[0081]
On the drawing information display screen 300 of FIG. 10, there is an interface described as “print request” below the part drawing file address information. When the processing unit 32 of the component manufacturer terminal 3 detects an instruction to select the interface of the “print request” using the input unit 34 (for example, pressing of the interface with a mouse cursor), the processing unit 32 sends a message to the component ordering support system 1. A drawing print request form transmission request, which is a signal for transmitting the drawing print request form screen, is generated. Then, the processing means 32 transmits the drawing print request form transmission request and the part number (see FIG. 10) of the drawing information display screen to the parts ordering support system 1 via the communication means 31.
[0082]
The processing means 12 of the parts ordering support system 1 measures and records the date and time when the request was acquired as a request date, and stores it in a predetermined area of the storage means 13 upon the acquisition of the drawing print request form transmission request. The display control information of the drawing print request form is read out.
[0083]
The processing unit 12 further reads the paper size from the shared part drawing database 132 based on the acquired part number. Then, display control information including the read sheet size, the recorded time, and the drawing print request form is transmitted to the component manufacturer terminal 3 via the communication unit 11.
[0084]
The processing unit 32 of the component manufacturer terminal 3 acquires the display control information via the communication unit 31. Here, an example of the drawing print request form screen displayed on the display unit 35 by the processing unit 32 is shown in FIG.
[0085]
In the drawing print request form screen 400, the request date, the part number, and the drawing size have already been entered on the part ordering support system 1 side. Each item of the supplier name (parts manufacturer name), the destination address, and the name of the person in charge is blank. Below these items, there is a command button labeled "Select from history", so that descriptions written in the past can be selected in a pull-down format. Further, the items of the responsible material department and the requested number of copies can be selected in a pull-down format. The processing means 32 accepts entries for these items via the drawing print request form. Hereinafter, the information received in the drawing print request form is referred to as “print-related information”.
[0086]
Below the drawing print request form screen 400 in FIG. 11, there is a command button labeled "Request". When the processing means 32 of the component manufacturer terminal 3 detects an instruction to select the command button of the “request” using the input means 34 (for example, pressing of a command button by a mouse cursor), the processing means 32 sends a message to the component ordering support system 1. To generate a part drawing print request, which is a signal for requesting a part drawing print. Then, the processing unit 32 transmits the part drawing print request and the print-related information acquired on the drawing print request form screen 400 to the part order support system 1 via the communication unit 31.
[0087]
When the processing unit 12 of the parts ordering support system 1 receives the part drawing printing request and the printing-related information, the processing unit 12 accepts a predetermined operation via the input unit 16 to execute printing of the parts drawing, A print notification process for notifying the component manufacturer terminal 3 that the request has been received and received, and a print charge totaling process for calculating a cost for printing component drawings are executed. Hereinafter, the processing executed by these processing units 12 will be described.
[0088]
The processing unit 12 reads a part drawing file from the shared part drawing database 132 based on the part number of the acquired print-related information. Then, the read component drawing file is printed using the printing unit 14.
[0089]
[Print notification processing]
[0090]
The processing unit 12 executes the printing process and generates display control information for notifying the terminal 3 for the component manufacturer that the component drawing request has been transmitted / received, from the printing-related information. Specifically, this notification information includes, in addition to the request date of receiving the print request, the supplier name (parts manufacturer name), the delivery address, the person in charge, the part number associated with the print request, This is display control information including a paper size, a department in charge of a material, and the number of copies. The processing unit 12 transmits the generated display control information to the component manufacturer terminal 3 via the communication unit 11. When the processing means 32 of the component manufacturer terminal 2 acquires the display control information, the processing means 32 displays on the display means 35 a screen indicating that the print request has been received. An example of the screen 500 is shown in FIG. The screen 500 can also be displayed on the display unit of the parts ordering support system 1 when the processing unit 12 receives a predetermined operation by the input unit 15.
[0091]
[Printing cost aggregation process]
[0092]
Further, the processing unit 12 reads the paper size of the part drawing from the shared part drawing database 132 based on the part number of the acquired print-related information. Then, the printing fee of the read sheet size is read from the printing fee DB 134.
[0093]
The processing unit 12 counts and totals the printing charges based on the read printing charges and the number of print copies obtained from the acquired printing-related information. The printing charge is counted by the product of the number of copies and the price for each paper size.
[0094]
The processing means 12 includes a part number for printing the drawing, the number of sheets of the paper size used for printing, the cost for printing, the date and time (send completion date) when the manufacturer was notified of the transfer of the print request, and The print request dates are associated with each other, and these are stored in the storage unit 13 as print price total information. The processing unit 12 displays the print cost total information on the display unit 16 by detecting a predetermined operation by the input unit 15. An example of the display screen 600 is shown in FIG.
[0095]
The printed component drawings are delivered to the component manufacturer by mail or other means. The destination at the time of delivery is obtained from the acquired printing-related information.
[0096]
In addition, below the drawing information display screen of FIG. 10, there is a command button described as "Confirmation of receipt". When the processing means 32 of the component manufacturer terminal 3 detects the instruction of selecting the command button of “reception confirmation” using the input means 34 (pressing the button with the mouse cursor), the processing means 32 indicates that the communication letter and the part drawing have been received. Is generated, and the notification information is transmitted to the parts ordering support system 1.
[0097]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the processing unit 12 of the component order support system 1 specifies the paper size threshold value of the part drawing in the component drawing that has received the print request, and then specifies the paper size threshold value. Is larger than a predetermined paper size threshold value, the print request interface, the related information of the component manufacturing request, and the address information of the component drawing are transmitted to the component manufacturer terminal. As a result, the part orderer can specify the part drawing to be printed, and receive a print request for the specified part drawing from the terminal for the part manufacturer. Further, information on the specified part drawing can be provided to the part manufacturer.
[0098]
Further, the processing unit 12 acquires the transmitted print request from the component manufacturer terminal via the transmitted print request interface and the communication unit. According to the present invention, by transmitting the print request interface, it is possible to easily obtain a print request related to a part drawing from the terminal for the part manufacturer.
[0099]
Further, the processing unit 12 converts the information related to the parts order request into a format that can be browsed via the network, and stores the information in association with the address information. Then, the associated address information is transmitted to the component manufacturer terminal 3. As a result, it is possible to provide a system capable of sharing information relating to a part order request between the part orderer terminal 2 and the part manufacturer terminal 3.
[0100]
【The invention's effect】
Since the present invention is configured and functions as described above, the part orderer can specify the part drawing to be printed, and the printing part manufacturer can easily request a print request for the part drawing to be printed. It is possible to provide a superior parts ordering support system that has never been provided before.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an entire system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of a component related information database 131.
FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of a shared part drawing database 132;
FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of a component manufacturer related information database 133.
FIG. 5 is a structural diagram of a printing price database 134.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of converting a part drawing file into an EDI.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a mail display screen.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a contact note display screen.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a sheet size determination process.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a drawing information display screen.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drawing print request form screen.
FIG. 12 is an example of a screen displaying that a print request has been sent and received.
FIG. 13 is an example of a screen displaying print cost total information.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Parts ordering support system
11 Communication means
12 Processing means
13 Storage means
131 Parts related information database
132 Shared Parts Drawing Database
133 Parts manufacturer related information database
134 Printing Price Database
14 Printing means
15 Input means
16 Display means
2 Parts orderer terminal
21 Communication means
22 Processing means
23 storage means
3 Terminals for parts manufacturers
31 Communication means
32 Processing means
33 storage means
34 input means
35 Display means
100 Mail display screen
200 Contact display screen
300 Drawing information display screen
400 Drawing print request form screen
500 Print request transfer notification screen
600 Print price total information display screen

Claims (3)

Information storage means, communication means with the terminal for parts manufacturer, and information processing means for controlling the operation of each of these means,
The storage unit stores a sheet size database in which identification information of the part drawing and a sheet size on which the part drawing is to be printed are stored, a predetermined sheet size threshold, and a part drawing terminal. Memorize a print request interface capable of inputting a print request,
The processing means includes:
a1) obtaining identification information of a part drawing from the part manufacturer side terminal via the communication means;
b1) identifying a paper size associated with the acquired identification information of the part drawing from the paper size database;
c1) determining whether the specified paper size is larger than the predetermined paper size threshold value;
d1) when the result of the determination is large, reading the print request interface from the storage unit, and transmitting the read print request interface to the component manufacturer terminal via the communication unit;
A parts ordering support system characterized by executing: 2. The parts ordering support system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit executes the d1 step.
A part order support system, which executes a step of acquiring a print request from the terminal for parts manufacturer via the print request interface transmitted and the communication means. Information storage means, communication means with the terminal for parts manufacturer, and information processing means for controlling the operation of each of these means,
The storage unit communicates the identification information of the part drawing, the paper size on which the part drawing is to be printed, the part manufacturing request related information that is information on the part manufacturing request, the part drawing related to the manufacturing request, and the part drawing. A part-related information database in which address information for browsing via a network is stored in association with each other, a predetermined paper size threshold value, and a print request capable of inputting a part drawing print request from the part manufacturer terminal Remember the interface and
The processing means includes:
a3) obtaining identification information of a part drawing from the terminal of the part manufacturer via the communication means;
b3) specifying a paper size associated with the acquired identification information of the component drawing from the component-related information database;
c3) determining whether the specified paper size is larger than the predetermined paper size threshold value;
d3) if the result of the determination is large, a step of reading out from the storage means the print request interface, component manufacturing request related information associated with the component drawing identification information acquired in the step a3, and address information. ,
e3) transmitting the read print request interface, the component manufacturing request related information, and the address information to the component manufacturer terminal via the communication unit;
A parts ordering support system characterized by executing:

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