JPH06214850A - File retrieving device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a file retrieving device for retrieving a keyword concerning file contents or file attributes at any time required by a client without loading any burden on the client or a network while eliminating the deceleration of file access speed. CONSTITUTION:The keyword for file retrieval desired by the client is previously registered and held in a keyword table 11. A processing condition holding part 12 holds conditions to execute processing such as '3:00AM everyday', for example. When this condition is established, a keyword managing part 13 retrieves the relevant file and when the keyword held in the keyword table 11 is existent in the file, the address of the file is stored in the keyword table 11. Thus, the address of the file containing the keyword is stored and by retrieving this address, the target file can be easily read.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a file search device, and more particularly to a file stored in a file storage device (file server) connected to a network,
The present invention relates to a file search device suitable for searching the contents of a file or its attributes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In business processing by a computer, file retrieval is performed in various situations. Conventionally, the following methods have been used for searching for this file. 1) One is generally widely used. First, a hierarchy such as a file drawer and a folder by an icon instruction, menu selection, key input, etc., or a root directory,
Select subdirectories in order (of course, this operation is unnecessary if there is no hierarchy). When you reach the desired location, you can list the file names there, or use wildcards to narrow down the number and then select the desired file (for example, Akihiro Uetani "Jstar
Workstation "Sho 61.25 Maruzen p.
189-193, P.I. 233-239). According to this conventional technique, it is possible to search for a file by using the file name as a clue. However, this technique cannot search the text part of the file by keywords. 2) There is a search technique for a file of document image information as a file that can be searched by this keyword (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-3871). In this method, first, for the document image information, content description information composed of a character string describing the content is separately created, and this is added to the document image information and then stored in the file storage device. At this time, the content description information added to the document image information is checked, and if the same keyword as that registered in the table in advance is included, the file name of the document image information is registered in the database. . According to this conventional technique 2), the keyword search can be performed on the document image data file by registering the keyword used for the search in advance.

[0003]

However, the inspection of the presence of a keyword in a file, which is performed in the above-mentioned conventional technique 2), is originally a heavy-load (time-consuming) process. For this reason, even if the technique is applied to a relatively infrequently accessed device such as a file storage device arranged on a stand-alone computer or a client computer side of a network, such a file storage device may not be able to store such a file The inspection increases the time taken for the processing, resulting in a decrease in access speed of the file storage device. Even if this technology is applied to a file storage device connected to a network, the file storage device stores and sends out files for a large number of clients, and such processing cannot be performed every time the file is stored. It is practically impossible.

Even if this point is cleared,
Another challenge remains. That is, the keywords whose existence should be inspected are originally different for each client, and the total number thereof is large. Therefore, it is practically impossible for a file storage device which handles files of each client so to speak so as to satisfy all the requests of each client every time each file is stored. The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, to slow down file access,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a file search device that does not impose a burden on the client or the network and can search the file contents and file attributes according to the keyword whenever the client wants. The term "client" is generally used to mean a computer connected to a network or a person who uses it. Since it is troublesome to use them separately, the stand-alone computer and the person using it are also referred to as clients in this specification.

[0005]

To achieve this object, first, in a file search device according to claim 1, a file search keyword and a keyword holding means for holding the address of a file in which the keyword exists, and a file The file stored in the storage device is inspected as to whether or not the keyword is present, and the keyword management means for storing the address of the file in which it is present in the keyword holding means, and the inspection and storage processing are executed. The keyword management unit executes the process for the corresponding file when the condition for executing the process is satisfied.
Further, in the file search device according to claim 2, with respect to the file stored in the file storage device, the attribute value holding means for holding the attribute and the address of each file is acquired, and the attribute value and the address of the file are acquired. The attribute value management unit has an attribute value management unit for storing the attribute value holding unit and a processing condition holding unit for holding a condition for executing the acquisition / storing process, and the attribute value management unit has a condition for executing the processing. When is satisfied, the above process is executed for the corresponding file.

According to a third aspect of the file search apparatus, in the file search apparatus according to the second aspect, the alias holding means further holds another attribute name corresponding to the attribute name held in the attribute value holding means. The attribute value management unit acquires and stores the value of the attribute as the value of the attribute held by the attribute value holding unit when the value of the different attribute name exists for the file to be processed. To process. The file search device according to claim 4 is the file search device according to claim 1, further comprising history holding means for holding a history of processing by the keyword managing means, and the keyword managing means performs the processing. When the condition to be executed is satisfied, the history of the process held in the process history holding unit and the information held by the file storage device are referred to acquire information about the change after the previous process execution, and the information is acquired. The above-mentioned processing is executed for the range in which there is the change based on
The information held in the keyword holding means is updated. The file search device according to claim 5 is the file search device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising history holding means for holding a history of processing by the attribute value management means. The means refers to the history of the processing held in the processing history holding means and the information held by the file storage device when the condition for executing the processing is satisfied, Information is acquired, the above-mentioned processing is executed on the range having the change based on the information, and the information held in the attribute value holding means is updated.

[0007]

In the file search device according to the first aspect, the file search keyword desired by each client, such as "patent" and "utility model", is registered and held in advance in the keyword holding means. The processing condition holding means is, for example, “time = 3: 00 am every day”, “target file storage device = A”.
The keyword management means, such as “target drawer = patent drawer”, holds the conditions for executing the inspection and storage processing.
When this condition is satisfied, for example, at 3:00 am every day, the keyword management means uses the keyword holding means in each of the corresponding files, for example, the files stored in the “patent drawer” of the “file storage device A”. Performs a check if the retained keyword exists, its address for the file it was in,
For example, “file storage device = A”, “drawer = patent drawer”, “folder = application for 1993”, “file name = file search device specification”, etc. are stored in the keyword holding means. By adopting such a configuration, when necessary, for example, by searching the keyword holding means with the keyword "patent", the file in which this keyword exists can be easily read.

Further, in the file search device according to the second aspect, the attributes of the file desired by each client, such as "creator" and "creation date and time", and the address of the file are registered in advance in the attribute value holding means and held. To be done. The processing condition holding means holds the conditions under which the attribute value management means should execute the processing, as in the file search device of the first aspect. When this condition is met, the attribute value management means acquires the value of the attribute of the file stored in the file storage device and stores it in the attribute value holding means together with the address of the file. With such a configuration, when it is necessary to search the attribute value holding means with the keyword "creator attribute = patent taro", for example,
A file having an attribute value corresponding to the keyword can be easily read.

In addition, in the file search device of claim 3,
The alias holding means further added to the configuration of the file search device according to claim 2 is an attribute name held in the attribute value holding means, such as “attribute name“ creator ”= attribute name“ createdBy ””. Holds another corresponding attribute name. When the processing condition is satisfied, the attribute value management means inspects the attribute of the file to be processed, and if another attribute name value exists, the attribute value management means stores the attribute as the value of the attribute held by the attribute value holding means. Value is stored in the attribute value holding means. As a result, even if a certain file storage device has a different attribute name, the value of the attribute name and the file address corresponding to the attribute name desired by the client can be obtained without omission. Further, in the file search device according to claim 4, the history holding means further added to the configuration of the file search device according to claim 1 is a history of processing by the keyword management means, for example, a previous processing execution date and time, an inspection. It holds the hierarchy and the file name that was inspected. The keyword managing means, when the condition for executing the processing is satisfied, the history of the processing held in the processing history holding means, and the information held by the file storage device, for example, the creation date of the file,
Refer to information such as update date, change after the previous process execution,
For example, the layer name or file name newly created, changed, or deleted is acquired. Then, based on this information, the presence or absence of a keyword is checked and stored for the layer or file that has changed, and the information held in the keyword holding means is updated.

In the file search device according to claim 5, the history holding means added to the file search device according to claim 2 or 3 holds the history of processing by the attribute value management means. When the condition for executing the process is satisfied, the attribute value management unit refers to the history of the process stored in the process history storage unit and the information stored in the file storage device to determine the variation after the previous process execution. Information is acquired, the above process is executed for the range in which there is a change based on the information, and the information held in the attribute value holding means is updated. As a result, it is possible to always carry out an attribute search suitable for the file storage state at that time, and the processing can be completed in a short time.

[0011]

The details of the present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. 1 to 3 show the first embodiment. This embodiment is for explaining the file search device according to the fourth aspect. It is also used for the description of the file search device according to claim 1 (described later). FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration. 1a, 1 in the figure
, b, 1c, ... Are file storage / retrieval devices with the same contents,
.. are file storage devices having the same content, and a plurality of these are connected to the network 10, respectively. In FIG. 1, these devices 1 and 2 (subscripts “a, b, ...,
"..." will be omitted in principle hereinafter). It should be noted that the parts already described are given the same reference numerals and will not be described again. The same applies to each of the following explanations. 1 in the figure
Reference numeral 1 denotes a keyword table, as shown in FIG. 3, file search keywords that are registered in advance as desired by each client, such as "software", "sales", and "database", and files containing those keywords. , Its address and file name are stored in correspondence with the keyword. The "/" symbol in the address column is a symbol for classifying hierarchical names, and each category represents a file storage device name, a drawer name, and a folder name from the left. When the leftmost column is blank, it indicates the file storage unit 14 on the client side.

Reference numeral 12 is a processing condition holding unit, for example, "time =
Every Monday at 5 am ”,“ target file storage device = file storage unit 14 ”,“ target drawer = contact form ”,“ target folder = August ”, and so on. keeping. This condition is individually set by the client using each of the file storage / retrieval devices 1a, 1b, ... The content of the condition and the way of giving the mutual relation of the conditions (logical product, logical sum, etc.) are arbitrary, and the conditions may be set for different parameters as in the above example. For example, "time = every Monday. Two conditions may be set for the same parameter, such as "5:00 am and 12:00 pm at the end of every month". It should be noted that, as described above, the inspection for the presence of keywords is heavy. Therefore, with regard to the processing execution time, it is usually necessary to set a condition such that each file storage / retrieval device 1a, 1b, 1c, ..., Executes the processing in order at night when the network access is usually low. Most preferred.

Reference numeral 15 is a history holding unit, which is a keyword management unit 1.
The history of the keyword presence inspection and address storage performed by 3 is held, for example, the last processing execution date and time, the target layer, and the file name inspected at that time. When the conditions for executing the process are satisfied, for example, “every Monday at 5 am”, the keyword management unit 13 sends the list creation unit 18 or the data communication units 16 and 21.
The list creation unit 23 is accessed via the, and the target layer or the like, for example, "target file storage device = file storage unit 14""target drawer = contact""target folder = August"
With reference to the information held by them, for example, attribute information such as the creation date and update date of the file, and the information held by the history holding unit 15, the changes after the previous process execution, such as new creation, change, and deletion. Acquires the equalized hierarchy name, file name, etc. Then, based on this information, the presence / absence of the keyword and the storage processing are executed for the layer and the file having the change. For example, a new “file name = plan 112”
If a file is added, a keyword presence check is performed on the file, for example, "database"
If such a keyword exists, the address and file name of this file are added to the position of the keyword “database” in the keyword table 11 (update of information).
(3rd information in FIG. 3). Further, for example, if it is found that “file name = specification 101” has been deleted after the previous processing is executed, all the information columns related to this file are deleted (update of information) (the first information in FIG. 3 is deleted). ).

With this configuration, since only the changed items are processed, the processing time can be shortened and the load on the network 10 and the file storage device 2 can be reduced. It should be noted that, without referring to the information of the history holding unit 15, all the files corresponding to the set conditions are newly inspected for the presence of a keyword, and the addresses of the files thus obtained are newly stored in the keyword table 11. Is also good. Although the processing time becomes longer, the processing itself becomes simpler than when the information in the history holding unit 15 is referred to. When this processing is performed, this first embodiment is an embodiment of the file search device according to claim 1. With the above processing, the keyword table 11 always holds the latest information. Therefore, when necessary, for example, by searching the keyword table 11 with the keyword "database", the "plan 112" and "details 0" in FIG.
It becomes possible to easily read a file such as "01".

A second embodiment is shown in FIGS. This embodiment is for explaining the file search device according to claim 5 which refers to claim 3. It is also used for the description of the file search device according to claims 2 and 3 (described later). Figure 4
Shows the overall configuration. In the figure, 3a, 3b, 3c, ..., ...
The file storage / retrieval devices of the second embodiment are the same and are connected to the network 10 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In FIG. 5, these devices 3, 2 (subscript “a,
", b, ..., ..." will be omitted in principle hereinafter). In the figure, 31 is an attribute value table, and as shown in FIG. 6, each attribute of the file "file name""creator""creation date and time"
What is desired by each client is registered and held in advance, and the value thereof, for example, “file name = item of liaison meeting” is held together with its address. 12
Is a processing condition holding unit, which is the same as in the first embodiment.
3 holds conditions for performing attribute acquisition, storage processing, and the like. Similar to the first embodiment, this condition is individually set by the clients using the respective file storage / retrieval devices 3a, 3b, ... The content of the conditions and the way of giving the mutual relations of the conditions (logical product, logical sum, etc.) are the same as in the first embodiment.

The history holding unit 35 is also the same as in the first embodiment, and the history of attribute acquisition, file address storage, etc. performed by the attribute value management unit 33, for example, the last processing execution date and time,
It holds the target hierarchy, the file name inspected at that time, and so on. The attribute value management unit 33, when the conditions for executing the process are satisfied as in the first embodiment, for example, “every Monday at 5 am”, the list creation unit 18, or the data communication unit 16, List creation unit 23 via 21
Of the target layer, for example, “target file storage device = file storage unit 14”, “target drawer = contact form”, and “target folder = August”. For example, by referring to the attribute information such as the creation date and the update date of the file and the information held by the history holding unit 35, the change after the previous process execution, for example, the layer name and the file name newly created, changed, or deleted Etc. Then, on the basis of this information, attributes are acquired for the layer or file that has changed, and its value and address are stored. If, for example, "file name = liaison meeting" is newly added, the file is The list creation unit 18 is accessed, its attribute information is acquired, and this is stored in the attribute value table 31 (update of information) (FIG. 6).
First information). Further, for example, if it is found that “file name = Daily Reprt” has been deleted after the execution of the previous processing, all the information fields related to this file are deleted (FIG. 6).
Delete the second information of)) (Update information).

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 38 is an alias table, an example of the contents of which is shown in FIG. The alias table 38 shows the attribute names used in the attribute value table 31 and the attribute names used in each of the file storage devices 2a, 2b, ... Value management unit 3
When the attribute name of this alias is used for the file whose attribute is to be acquired, 3 stores the value of the attribute name in the attribute value table 31 at the corresponding attribute name. In addition, the attribute names lined up under "NS" in FIG.
What is used in the software “Viewpoint” related to the shipping of the applicant company and the one under “DFR” are IS
"Document Filing", which is an international standard by O / OSI
used in "and Retrieval" and "MS
The one under "-DOS" is used in the operating system "MS-DOS" developed by Microsoft Corporation in the United States.

Also in the second embodiment, the processing is carried out only for those which have changed. Therefore, the processing time is short and the burden on the network 10 and the file storage device 2 is small. Note that attribute information may be newly acquired for all files that meet the set conditions without referring to the information in the history holding unit 35, and the attribute information may be newly stored in the attribute value table 31 together with the file addresses. . Although the processing time becomes longer, the processing itself is performed by the history holding unit 3.
It is simpler than the case of referring to information in item 5. When this processing is performed, it is an embodiment of the file search device according to claim 2 or claim 3. If the alias is not used, or if it is not necessary to pay attention to the alias, the alias holding table 38 may not be referred to. In this case, this is an embodiment of the file search device of claim 2. Through the above processing, the latest information is always held in the attribute value table 31. Therefore, when necessary, for example, by searching the attribute value table 31 with “creator attribute = Fujii”, a file such as “Matters of Liaison Meeting” in FIG. 6 can be easily read.

In the embodiment, the file storage / retrieval device 1,
3 and the file storage device 2 both have a file storage unit 1
4 and 22 are provided, and the presence check of the keyword and the acquisition of the attribute value are performed for the files stored in both of them, the present invention is applied to the system configuration in which the file storage unit 1 or 3 does not have the file storage unit 14. The present invention can be applied, and the present invention can also be applied to a stand-alone system in which the network 10 or the file storage device 2 itself does not exist. In addition, the file storage unit 14,
The storage structure of the file 22 may be either a hierarchical structure or a non-hierarchical structure. However, since searching a manual for a file stored in a hierarchical structure is the most troublesome, the effect of the present invention becomes more remarkable when applied to a file storage device having such a structure.

Finally, the correspondence relationship will be described with respect to the configuration of the embodiment, which uses a different name from the configuration of the claims. The keyword table 11 corresponds to keyword holding means. The file storage units 14 and 22 correspond to the file storage device (the file storage device 2 also corresponds to this). The keyword management unit 13 corresponds to keyword management means. The processing condition holding unit 12 corresponds to the processing condition holding means. The file storage search device 1 corresponds to the file search device of claim 4. The attribute value table 31 corresponds to the attribute value holding means. The attribute value management unit 33 corresponds to attribute value management means. The file storage / retrieval device 3 corresponds to the file retrieval device of claim 5 which cites claim 3. The alias holding table 38 corresponds to the alias holding means. The history holding unit 15 corresponds to the history holding means of claim 4. The history holding unit 35 corresponds to the history holding means of claim 5.

[0021]

As described above, in the file search device according to the first aspect, the keyword for file search and the address of the file in which the keyword exists are held in the keyword holding means, and the condition for executing the process When the file is ready, regarding the files stored in the file storage device,
It is checked whether or not the keyword is present, and the address of the file in which it is present is stored in the keyword holding means. So, for example, once a day,
By setting a condition such that only a file in a specific field of a specific client is set at night, the keyword existence check is performed according to the condition. As a result, a) When the conditions are satisfied, the inspection is automatically performed and the results are accumulated, so that the client can perform a keyword search for the contents of the file in the latest state whenever it wants, and the client It does not require any operation itself. Therefore, it is convenient and easy to use. b) Unlike the prior art, since the file storage is not inspected every time, the time required for the file access does not become long regardless of whether it is applied to a stand-alone system or a system connected by a network. c) Moreover, for each client, the inspection start condition,
You can set keywords to be checked, so whether you apply it to a stand-alone system used by multiple clients or a system connected to a network,
It is possible to finely respond to different requests for each client. d) Further, since the inspection is performed for each individual client according to the set conditions, the file access is leveled for the system connected to the network, and the network and the file storage device are not burdened. And so on.

Further, in the file search device according to the second aspect, the attribute and address of each file are held in the attribute value holding means, and when the condition for executing the process is satisfied, the attribute of the file stored in the file storage device is held. And the value of the attribute and the address of the file are stored in the attribute value holding means. Therefore, the attribute search has the same effect as that of the file search apparatus according to the first aspect. In the file search device according to claim 3, in the file search device according to claim 2, there is a value of another attribute name corresponding to the attribute name held in the attribute value holding means for the file to be processed. In this case, this is acquired and stored as the value of the attribute held by the attribute value holding means.
Therefore, in addition to the effect of the file search device of claim 2, even in a file storage device connected to a stand-alone system or a network, even if the attribute names are different, the value of the corresponding attribute can be surely acquired. There is an effect. Further, in the file search device according to claim 4, in the file search device according to claim 1, when the condition for executing the process is satisfied, the keyword managing means stores the history of the process held in the process history holding means. And information stored in the file storage device to obtain information about a change after the previous process is executed, and based on the information, the process is executed for the range in which the change occurs, and the keyword holding unit Updated the information stored in.
Therefore, in addition to the effect of the file search device according to the first aspect, there is an effect that the time for the keyword existence check can be shortened and the load on the file storage device and the network can be reduced accordingly. . Further, in the file search device according to claim 5, in the file search device according to claim 2 or 3, when the condition for executing the process is satisfied, the attribute value management means stores the process history and the file storage. The information held by the device is referred to obtain information about the change after the previous process is executed, the process is executed for the range in which the change occurs based on the information, and the information is held in the attribute value holding means. Update the existing information. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the file search device according to claim 2 or 3, there is an effect that the time for acquiring the attribute value can be shortened, and the load on the file storage device and the network is reduced accordingly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing details of each configuration of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a keyword table.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing details of each configuration of the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an attribute value table.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an alias table.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 File search device according to claim 4 File storage device 3 File search device according to claim 5 quoting claim 3 Keyword holding means 12 Processing condition holding means 13 Keyword management means 14 File storage device 15 Claim 4 History holding means 22 File storage device 31 Attribute value holding means 33 Attribute value management means 35 History holding means of claim 5 38 Alternative name holding means

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A keyword for file search and a keyword holding means for holding an address of a file in which the keyword exists, and a file stored in a file storage device are inspected for existence of the keyword. A keyword management means for storing the address of the file in which it exists in the keyword holding means, and a processing condition holding means for holding a condition for executing the inspection and storage processing, wherein the keyword management means comprises: A file search device, wherein when the conditions for executing the process are satisfied, the process is executed for a corresponding file. 2. Attribute value holding means for holding the attribute and address of each file, and for the file stored in the file storage device, the attribute is acquired and the value of the attribute and the address of the file are stored in the attribute value holding means. And attribute value management means for storing the acquired and stored processing conditions, and processing condition holding means for holding the conditions for executing the acquisition and storage processing. The attribute value management means is applicable when the conditions for executing the processing are satisfied. A file search device which executes the above-mentioned processing for a file to be read. 3. The file search device according to claim 2, further comprising an alias holding means for holding another attribute name corresponding to the attribute name held by the attribute value holding means, the attribute value management The means acquires the value of the attribute as the value of the attribute held in the attribute value holding means when the value of the different attribute name exists for the file to be processed,
A file retrieval device characterized by storage processing. 4. The file search device according to claim 1, further comprising history holding means for holding a history of processing by the keyword managing means, wherein the keyword managing means has a condition for executing the processing. When it is ready, the process history held in the process history holding means and the information held by the file storage device are referred to obtain information about the change after the previous process execution, and the change is obtained based on the information. A file search device, characterized in that the above-mentioned processing is executed for a range in which there is such an error, and the information held in the keyword holding means is updated. 5. The file search device according to claim 2, further comprising history holding means for holding a history of processing by said attribute value management means, said attribute value management means performing said processing. When the condition to execute is satisfied, the process history held in the process history holding means and the information stored in the file storage device are referred to obtain information about the fluctuation after the previous process execution, A file search device, characterized in that the above-mentioned processing is executed on the basis of information and the information held in the attribute value holding means is updated.