JP2007047916A - Document management device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a document management device improved in the convenience for retrieval or classification of a document and operation to a plurality of documents. <P>SOLUTION: This device comprises a means classifying documents using a hierarchical structure and a means classifying documents to a group having no layers, and displays each classification interlockingly. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a document management apparatus that manages digitized documents, and more particularly, to a technology that supports document classification, search for a target document, and operations on a plurality of documents.

  Conventional document management systems generally manage documents by classifying them into hierarchies such as folders and directories. In order to find a target document, it is necessary to follow the hierarchies. For this reason, if a desired document is found in a shallow hierarchy or a hierarchy that is in the same series as the currently referenced hierarchy, it can be found relatively easily, but a document placed in a deep hierarchy in a different hierarchy is searched. In order to do this, the hierarchical structure must be traced from the beginning, which requires a lot of work. Even if the name of the hierarchy in which the target document is arranged is known, it takes a similar effort if it does not know which sequence in the hierarchical structure it should follow. This also occurs when selecting a location for storing and classifying a document.

  As a method for improving this, there is a method of using a document search function which is a basic function in a document management system. The document search function is generally performed by procedures such as designation of the type of attribute to be searched, input of a search key, and pressing of a search button. At this time, if an appropriate attribute is selected and an appropriate search key is not entered, the target document cannot be found, or a huge number of documents are presented as candidates. There is a fear that it takes. For this reason, in order to make full use of the document search function, the user is required to have some skill.

  Furthermore, when entering a search key, in most cases, the user must release the mouse that had been operated and hit the keyboard, and this is often complicated by some users. In addition, the search results are only temporarily displayed, and if the document management system is used again later, the search must be performed again.

  In addition, in such a system that manages documents in a hierarchical structure, since there is only one hierarchical structure system for classifying documents, it cannot support a plurality of classification systems. For example, it may be desirable to classify a plurality of documents according to the creation date in some cases, or in some cases to classify them according to the purpose of the document. In such a case, one of the classification methods will give up, and as a result, it will be difficult to find documents scattered in various classifications when necessary.

  In order to improve such problems, for example, methods described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are considered.

  The method described in Patent Document 1 can easily extract a desired document without following a hierarchical structure by using a shortcut having a link to one or a plurality of documents.

In addition, the method described in Patent Document 2 treats a plurality of documents as a logical set called a classification in the same unit as a single document, thereby enabling high-speed processing of a plurality of documents and a list of documents belonging to a certain category. It is possible to get to.
JP 2002-116934 A JP-A-7-110809

  However, since the method described in Patent Document 1 has only a one-way link from a shortcut to a document, another document registered in the same shortcut cannot be traced from a certain document. Therefore, there is a possibility that the shortcuts are not sufficient for handling as one classification group.

  Further, the method described in Patent Document 2 basically regards a folder as a document, and the complexity of following a hierarchy in order to search for a target document / category is not eliminated.

  Furthermore, regarding the reuse of search results, there are a method of saving search results and a method of using shortcuts in Patent Document 1, all of which only refer to a list of search results in one direction and have been performed previously from a document. It is not possible to refer to the direction of calling the search result.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a document management apparatus that improves the convenience of searching and classifying documents and operating a plurality of documents.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a document management apparatus capable of storing at least a document and retrieving the stored document.
Hierarchical classification means for classifying documents using classification by hierarchical structure;
Group classification means for classifying documents into groups having no hierarchy in addition to classification by the hierarchical structure;
A hierarchical structure display means for displaying the classification of the hierarchical structure in a tree;
Group list display means for displaying a list of the groups;
Means for displaying a list of documents in the same hierarchical classification;
Means for listing documents in the same group;
It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, documents can be classified not only at one place on the hierarchical structure, but also at a plurality of places on the hierarchical structure and a plurality of groups different from the hierarchical structure. Can be greatly improved. In addition, by performing batch operations on documents in a group, it is possible to easily perform batch processing for a plurality of documents scattered in a hierarchical structure, thereby improving user convenience. Can do.

  Furthermore, since the hierarchy, group, and document information related to a certain document can be easily obtained, the convenience for the user can be improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of a digital computer that implements the document management system used in the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, the CPU 101 executes programs such as an OS stored in the program ROM of the ROM 103 or loaded from the hard disk (HD) 113 to the RAM 102 and an accompanying process priority determination unit described later. The RAM 102 functions as a main memory, work area, etc. for the CPU 101. A keyboard controller (KBC) 105 controls key input from the keyboard (KB) 111 and input from the mouse 110 as a pointing device. A CRT controller (CRTC) 106 controls display on the display unit 112. The display unit 112 is not limited to a CRT, and may be a liquid crystal display, for example.

  A disk controller (DKC) 107 controls access to an external storage device such as a hard disk (HD) 113 that stores a boot program, various applications, user data, and a flexible disk (not shown). The PRTC 108 controls the exchange of signals with the printer when the printer is connected. The NC 109 is connected to the network and executes communication control processing with other devices connected to the network.

  FIG. 2 is a software configuration diagram of the document management system in this embodiment.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 201 denotes a user interface unit that receives input information such as operation requests from the user, displays information such as documents and classifications managed in the system, and operation results. This is realized from the group browser 203. A database 204 stores documents managed by the system, attribute information thereof, search indexes, and the like. Reference numeral 205 denotes a processing control unit that performs processing of operation requests from users and creation of search indexes at the time of document registration.

  The user interface unit 201 and the process control unit 205 in FIG. 2 are each stored in the ROM 103 and executed by the CPU 101 or stored in the hard disk (HD) 113, loaded into the RAM 102, and executed by the CPU 101. The database 204 is stored in the hard disk (HD) 113. In addition, the user interface unit 201 receives input from the mouse 110 and the keyboard 111 via the keyboard controller (KBC) 105, and displays processing results and the like on the CRT 112 via the CRT controller (CRTC) 106.

  FIG. 3 is an example of a screen displayed on the CRT 112 by the user interface unit 201.

  A window 300 displays a user interface of the present system. A menu bar 301 displays a menu for performing operations such as copying and deleting documents. Reference numeral 302 denotes a toolbar that displays shortcut icons for performing operations such as copying and deleting documents. Reference numeral 303 denotes a group browser. Reference numeral 304 denotes a hierarchical browser. Reference numeral 305 denotes a tree view. Reference numeral 306 denotes a document list view.

  Next, information held in the document, folder, and group stored in the system will be described.

  FIG. 4 is an example of a document table that holds document information.

  The document table has one record per document, and each record has information such as a document ID, a document name, a belonging folder, a belonging group, and a document body address. The document ID is an ID that uniquely identifies each document. The belonging folder is an array of IDs of folders to which the document belongs. If it does not belong to a folder, it is null. The belonging group is an array of IDs of groups to which the document belongs. If it does not belong to a group, it is null. The document body address is an address in the database in which the document body is stored.

  FIG. 5 is an example of a folder table that holds folder information.

  The folder table has one record per folder, and each record has a folder ID, a folder name, a parent folder ID, and a retained document. The folder ID is an ID that uniquely identifies each folder. The parent folder ID is an ID of a folder to which the folder belongs. The folder at the top level is called a root folder, and the parent folder ID is null. The retained document is an array of IDs of documents belonging to the folder. The retained document is retained for speeding up each process, but may be omitted.

  FIG. 6 is an example of a group table that holds group information.

  The group table has one record per group, and each record has a group ID, a group name, and a retained document. The group ID is an ID that uniquely identifies each folder. The retained document is an array of IDs of documents belonging to the folder. The retained document is retained for speeding up each process, but may be omitted.

  Each table and document body of FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 is stored in the database 204. By having the data structure as described above, each document can belong to a plurality of folders and a plurality of groups, and can be classified from various viewpoints.

  Next, operations of the hierarchical browser and the group browser will be described.

  The hierarchy browser 304 includes a tree view 305 and a document list view 306. The tree view 305 displays the hierarchical structure as a tree using the values of the folder ID and parent folder ID of the folder table. When a folder is selected in the tree view 305, a list of documents belonging to the selected folder is displayed in the document list view 306. When searching for a desired folder or document, in the tree view 305, the hierarchical structure is traced while repeating selection and opening / closing of the folder. To select a folder, click the folder icon or folder name.

  To open a folder and display a lower folder of the folder in the tree view 305, double-click the icon or folder name of the folder that has been closed, or select the folder and select “ Select Open. On the other hand, to close the folder and not display the lower folder of the folder in the tree view 305, double-click the icon or folder name of the opened folder or select the folder. In the state, select "Close" from the menu.

  In the hierarchical browser, information on a desired document or folder is obtained by tracing the hierarchy by the above operation.

  The group browser 303 displays a list of documents belonging to the group for each group by using the information of the group table and the information of each document in the document table referred to by the value of the retained document held by each group of the group table. In the default state, all groups and all documents belonging to each group are arranged for each group. By double-clicking the group name or selecting “Open” or “Close” from the menu with the group selected, it is possible to switch between displaying / hiding documents belonging to the group. The group order can be selected from any of ascending order or descending order such as dictionary order (default), character code order, creation date order, last update date order, document number order, and the like.

  In the group browser, documents can be referenced flatly in groups, separately from the classification by the hierarchical structure expressed in folders as described above, so that the trouble of tracing the hierarchy can be reduced and the drawbacks of the hierarchy browser can be compensated. Can do.

  Next, a group creation method and a group classification method will be described.

  To create a group, select "Create new group" from the menu or ask whether to create a group that is displayed when some operation is performed with multiple files selected (Group creation confirmation dialog ( It can be created in the group creation window (see FIG. 8) displayed by selecting “Yes” in FIG. In addition, when a document search is performed, a group creation confirmation dialog as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. By selecting “Yes” there, a group can be created with the search result document in the group creation window. Is possible.

  To classify into an existing group, select a document on each browser and drag and drop the document to the group to be grouped in the group browser, or select a document and select “Add to Group” from the menu. In the group selection dialog displayed (see FIG. 9), or in the state where the group to be classified is selected, “Add Document” is selected from the menu and the document selection dialog is displayed (FIG. 10). , See FIG. The document selection dialog can be switched between group display (see FIG. 10) and hierarchy display (see FIG. 11) by radio buttons.

  Next, an operation for saving a document will be described.

  The document is saved in the document save dialog (see FIG. 12). You can select a group or folder as the save destination. FIG. 12 shows a group selected as a storage destination. Similar to the document selection dialog, folders can be selected by hierarchical display.

  Next, an example of an operation that can be executed when a group is selected will be described.

  When the user selects a group on the group browser, the selected group name and a document belonging to the group are selected. The operations that can be performed at this time and examples of the operations are as follows.

"Delete"
Delete all documents in the group and delete the group. Even if a document to be deleted belongs to another group or folder, only the documents in the deletion group are deleted.

"Complete deletion"
Delete all documents in the group and delete the group. If the deleted document belongs to another group or folder, those documents are also deleted, and the document entity is completely deleted from the document management system.

"Move group"
All documents in the source group are moved to the destination group, and the source group disappears. If there are documents with the same document ID in the destination group, they are grouped together.

"Move folder"
All the documents in the source group belong to the destination folder. At this time, each document does not belong to a folder other than the destination. Also, no change occurs in the source group. That is, documents in a group scattered in a plurality of folders are concentrated in the destination folder. When documents having the same document ID match the destination folder, they are grouped together.

  FIG. 13 shows a state in which group 1 is selected.

  Here, the selected group can be dragged and dropped to the destination folder 3 or “folder movement” is selected from the menu, and the folder 3 is selected in the folder selection dialog (see FIG. 14). All the belonging documents can be concentrated in the folder 3 as shown in FIG. Although not shown, “Document E.xls” belonged to the folder 4 and the folder 5 in the stage of FIG. 13, but the folder to which the document belongs in the stage of FIG.

"copy"
All the documents in the group are copied to the copy destination folder or group. The copy destination is designated in the folder or group selection dialog (see FIG. 16). If there are identical (document ID) documents at the destination, they will be one.

  By enabling the operations as described above, it is possible to easily operate a plurality of documents scattered in a plurality of folders of various levels in a lump.

  Next, a cooperative operation between the hierarchical browser and the group browser will be described.

  When a document is selected in the document list view of the hierarchical browser, the group browser opens and displays the group to which the document belongs, and does not display other groups. On the other hand, when a document is selected in the group browser, the hierarchical browser displays the folder to which the document belongs in an opened state and displays other folders in a closed state. At this time, the document list view 306 displays a list of documents belonging to the folder displayed at the top in the current display order of the tree view among the folders to which the document belongs. As described above, the hierarchical browser and the group browser operate in cooperation, so that a document belonging to the same group as the selected document and a document belonging to the same hierarchy can be easily obtained.

It is a block diagram of hardware. It is a block diagram of software. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen. It is a figure which shows the example of a document table. It is a figure which shows the example of a folder table. It is a figure which shows the example of a group table. It is a figure which shows a group creation confirmation dialog. It is a figure which shows a group creation dialog. It is a figure which shows a group selection dialog. It is a figure which shows the document selection dialog of a group display state. It is a figure which shows the document selection dialog of a hierarchy display state. It is a figure which shows a document preservation | save dialog. It is a figure which shows the example (before a movement) of a movement. It is a figure which shows a folder selection dialog. It is a figure which shows the example (after movement) of a movement. It is a figure which shows the selection dialog of a folder or a group.

Explanation of symbols

300 Window 301 Displaying User Interface Menu Bar 302 Toolbar 303 Group Browser 304 Hierarchy Browser 305 Tree View 306 Document List View

Claims (7)

In a document management apparatus capable of storing at least a document and retrieving the stored document,
Hierarchical classification means for classifying documents using classification by hierarchical structure;
Group classification means for classifying documents into groups having no hierarchy in addition to classification by the hierarchical structure;
A hierarchical structure display means for displaying the classification of the hierarchical structure in a tree;
Group list display means for displaying a list of the groups;
Means for displaying a list of documents in the same hierarchical classification;
Means for listing documents in the same group;
A document management apparatus comprising: The document management apparatus according to claim 1,
A document management apparatus, wherein documents belong to at least one group or one folder. The document management apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A document management apparatus, wherein a document can belong to a plurality of groups and a plurality of folders. The document management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Means that when a group is selected, all documents in the group are selected;
Means capable of operating multiple documents simultaneously;
A document management apparatus comprising: The document management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein
Means for prompting the user to create a group into which the selected documents are classified when selecting and operating multiple documents;
A document management apparatus comprising: The document management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Means for searching for a document by specifying at least a keyword;
Means to prompt users to create groups into which the retrieved documents are classified,
A document management apparatus comprising: The document management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
When the document is selected in the hierarchical structure display means, based on the information of the selected document, the group list display means operates in conjunction,
When selecting a document in the group list display means, based on the information of the selected document, the hierarchical structure display means operates in conjunction,
Document management device characterized by the above.