JP2008102568A - Documentation management system, output setting management apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently reuse print setting set in the past even in an environment where a plurality of image formation apparatuses are selectively used. <P>SOLUTION: For each document, machine type information of the image formation apparatus used for printing, a comment written by a user related to print setting, and at least one of driver setting, application setting and print data are associated with each other to build a database, and stored (S10-S29). In using the registered print setting, the corresponding information as this time processing object is retrieved from the registered information, and the corresponding information is listed in associated with the machine type information of the image formation apparatus to receive user's selection (S30-S38). The user selects a desired one from the presented information (S40). If alteration of setting is needed, alteration is accepted (S42-YES, S44). A driver or the like is set according to the determined print setting information to perform printing (S46, S48). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a document management system, an output setting management device, and a program.

  For example, a document such as a drawing, a photograph, or a pamphlet is output by operating an image forming apparatus such as a printer device, a facsimile device, a copying device, or a multi-function device having a combination of these functions. In some cases, the conditions (parameters) to be set may be many and complicated, and it may be difficult to perform output processing under desired conditions.

  Therefore, as an example of this solution, print settings that have been successfully printed once are stored in a predetermined storage medium, past print settings corresponding to the current output process are searched, and prints that have been set in the past are searched. Various mechanisms have been proposed that make it easy to set print settings this time by using settings (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 8).

JP 2001-243031 A JP 2001-350606 A JP 2002-032200 A JP 2002-366322 A JP 2003-228463 A JP 2004-038604 A JP 2004-094955 A JP 2004-362487 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism capable of efficiently reusing output settings set in the past even in an environment in which any one of a plurality of output devices can be selected and used. .

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, registration for registering output setting information of output processing of a document using a predetermined output device in a predetermined storage medium in association with information specifying the output device used at the time of output processing And a setting unit that searches the registered output setting information for a document corresponding to the current output processing target and sets the corresponding one as a condition for the output processing of the document. This is a document management system characterized by that.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, registration for registering output setting information of output processing of a document using a predetermined output device in a predetermined storage medium in association with information specifying the output device used at the time of output processing And a setting unit for instructing a search for a document corresponding to the current output processing target from among the registered output setting information, and setting the corresponding one based on the search result as a condition for the output processing of the document. An output setting management apparatus comprising at least one of the above.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, registration for registering output setting information of output processing of a document using a predetermined output device in a predetermined storage medium in association with information specifying the output device used at the time of output processing And at least one of a search unit that searches the registered output setting information for a document corresponding to the current output processing target and presents the search result. It is a setting management device.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the setting unit presents the output setting information corresponding to the document that is the target of the current output process in association with the output device, and presented the output setting information. It is characterized in that a selection by a user is accepted from among those, and the selected one is set as a condition for output processing of the document.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the setting unit further selects a document to be used for the current output process from the output setting information registered in the output setting information registration unit, and uses thereof The corresponding output setting information is searched for, and the corresponding output setting information is presented in association with the output device. The user selects from the presented items, and the selected items are output to the document. It is set to conditions.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the setting unit further selects a document to be used for the current output process from the output setting information registered in the output setting information registration unit, and uses thereof One of the devices corresponding to the output device to be searched is searched, and this is set as a condition for the output processing of the document.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the present invention, the registration unit further includes additional information regarding the output setting information input by the user as information specifying the output setting information and the output device. It is characterized by registering in association.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, registration for registering output setting information of output processing of a document using a predetermined output device in a predetermined storage medium in association with information specifying the output device used at the time of output processing. And a setting unit for instructing a search for a document corresponding to the current output processing target from the registered output setting information, and setting the corresponding one based on the search result as a condition for the output processing of the document. A program that causes an electronic computer to function as at least one of the programs.

  According to the ninth aspect of the invention, registration for registering output setting information of output processing of a document using a predetermined output device in a predetermined storage medium in association with information specifying the output device used at the time of output processing A computer that functions as at least one of a search unit that searches a registered output setting information corresponding to a document to be output this time and presents a search result It is a program to do.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a document that can specify the current document and the output device corresponding to the output device from the registered output settings for each output device, and execute the output processing of the current document. A management system can be realized.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to specify the current document and the output device corresponding to the output device from the registered output settings for each output device, and execute the output processing of the current document. An output setting management device on the user side can be realized.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, it is possible to specify the current document and the output device corresponding to the output device from the registered output settings for each output device, and execute the output processing of the current document. An output setting management device on the administrator side can be realized.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to refer to the information of the output device presented corresponding to the output setting, and the information is used in the current output process from the output settings corresponding to the current document. A device corresponding to the output device can be easily selected.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to present to the user only the output setting corresponding to the current document from the output setting corresponding to the current document. As a result, the device corresponding to the output device used in the current output process can be selected more easily than the invention described in claim 4.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the document corresponding to the output device used in the current output process is automatically specified, the selection operation by the user becomes unnecessary.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the registered output setting corresponding to the current document and the output device can be selected with reference to the additional information associated with the output setting information.

  In addition, according to the inventions of claims 4 to 7, since the selection target can be narrowed down, or the selection itself becomes unnecessary, or additional information can be referred to at the time of selection, as an additional effect, When the amount of registered output setting information has become very large, or when it is used by a user with low IT literacy, it is easier to identify what corresponds to the output device used in the current output process be able to.

  According to the invention described in claim 8, it is possible to specify the current document and the output device corresponding to the output device from the registered output settings for each output device, and execute the output processing of the current document. The mechanism of the output setting management device on the user side can be realized using a computer.

  According to the invention of claim 9, it is possible to specify the current document and the output device corresponding to the output device from the registered output settings for each output device, and execute the output processing of the current document. The mechanism of the output setting management device on the administrator side can be realized using a computer.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an electronic document is taken as an example of a file used by a computer system, and the electronic document (hereinafter simply referred to as a document) is centrally managed by a document management server which is an example of a file attribute information management apparatus. An example will be described.

<< System configuration >>
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams showing an overview of a document management system that also functions as a print setting management system. Here, FIG. 1 shows a typical example of the system configuration, and FIG. 2 shows a modification thereof.

  The document management system 1 according to this embodiment includes a provider terminal 3 used by a user (document provider) who creates a document managed by the system, and a document created by the document provider, such as referring to and printing. A user terminal 5 which is an example of a local terminal used by a user (document user) used for the purpose, and a document management server which is an example of a remote terminal which manages a document managed by the system and its attribute information 7 are interconnected by a communication network 9 such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

  The provider terminal 3 and the user terminal 5 are both examples of client devices, that is, user-side document management devices. On the other hand, the document management server 7 is an example of a document management apparatus on the administrator side. Each document management apparatus has the function of the output setting management apparatus 2.

  In the illustrated example, for convenience, one provider terminal 3 and one user terminal 5 are provided, but this is an example, and the number of installed terminals is arbitrary. It is. Further, the document management server 7 is not limited to one, and a plurality of documents can be installed.

  In this embodiment, for convenience, the client device is illustrated and described separately for the provider terminal 3 used by the document provider and the user terminal 5 used by the document user. Since a user can be a user of a document created by himself / herself and a user of a document created by another user, one client device can serve as both the provider terminal 3 and the user terminal 5. Can also be.

  In the present embodiment, in order to be able to use a document managed in a file format shared by a plurality of users, a document management server 7 for document management is installed, and the document is stored in the document management server 7. The system is constructed so that it can be managed centrally. If the document creator registers the newly created document in the document management server 7, the document can be used efficiently by a plurality of users.

  In the present embodiment, the provider terminal 3, the user terminal 5, and the document management server 7 are all examples of a document management apparatus having a function for executing processing related to document context management.

  Here, the context is information indicating the document status (particularly the latest status). For example, a document may be associated with additional information that is separate from the document entity and attribute information and is maintained and managed in association with each document. For example, additional information includes information about the status of the document, information that is dynamically added or changed, such as comments and messages about the document by the document creator, information that indicates the status of the document version, etc. Is applicable.

  Further, as information specific to the present embodiment, information indicating print settings such as print setting parameters corresponding to a document, information dynamically added or changed such as a comment related to print settings by a document user, and the like are shown. Print setting information is also added. That is, the context of this embodiment includes attribute information, additional information, and print setting information indicating the status of these documents.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, information indicating the document status is referred to as “context”. Information indicating the latest related situation of a plurality of documents is referred to as “group context”. The latter is also information indicating the latest status of the document and is an example of “context”. Therefore, when there is no need to distinguish between them, “group context” is also simply referred to as “context”. In other words, the “context” is information indicating the status of a document group including an arbitrary number (one or a plurality of documents) of documents.

  Information set for each context is set as dynamic attribute information of the document by associating it with the document. That is, in the document handled in the present embodiment, the static attribute information unique to the self and the dynamic attribute information corresponding to the document group to which the self belongs are set as the attribute information of the document. Details of the attribute information set in the document will be described later.

  In the document management system 1 of the present embodiment, the latest status (context) of a document is configured to be sharable among users of the document, and attribute information is set in the document, thereby efficiently using the document. A mechanism for managing document attributes that can be processed. In addition, as described above, since the print setting information is included in the context, the print setting information can be shared.

  Further, in order to be able to use a document managed in a file format shared by a plurality of users, a document management server 7 for document management is installed in the system, and documents are centrally managed by the document management server 7. A server-client system is constructed so that

  The document creator registers the newly created document in the provider terminal 3 in the document management server 7 so that the document can be used efficiently by a plurality of users. To do. At this time, the document ID for managing the document by the document management server 7 is also stored in the file of the document to be managed, and the document context corresponding to the corresponding document is stored in the document based on the document ID. It is assumed that the management is performed on the management server 7.

  Further, by using the user terminal 5, the user terminal 5 operates in cooperation with an application that performs processing on the document such as display, printing, and editing of the document, and based on the document ID stored in the document file, Is configured to update or acquire the context of the corresponding document.

  Also, as a mechanism unique to the present embodiment, print setting information included in the context is reused during document print processing. At this time, the print processing may be executed using the print setting information included in the context as it is, or the print processing may be executed after changing the parameters as necessary.

  In the present embodiment, a description will be given on the assumption that a document created by the user is stored in the created document storage unit 36 having a function of storing a document installed in the provider terminal 3 used by the user. A storage medium mounted on the provider terminal 3 or the user terminal 5 or a storage medium mounted on the document management server 7 functioning as a database server may be used and stored as a shared disk device.

<Typical system examples>
First, each of the provider terminal 3, the user terminal 5, and the document management server 7 will be described using a typical example of the system configuration shown in FIG.

<Provider terminal>
The provider terminal 3 creates a document to be managed by this system and registers it in a predetermined storage medium, and a creation for storing electronic data of the document created by the document creation / registration processing unit 32 And a document storage unit 36.

  The document creation / registration processing unit 32 includes a new registration processing unit 33 that newly creates a document to be managed by the system, and a revision registration processing unit 34 that updates the created document to update the document. Yes.

  The document creation / registration processing unit 32 creates a new document to be managed by this system by the new registration processing unit 33 and registers it in the document management server 7. Alternatively, an existing document may be registered as a new document. The revision registration processing unit 34 registers the revised document in the document management server 7 as the latest version. Alternatively, a newly created document may be registered as a new version of an already registered document. For creating and editing a new document, general-purpose document creation software is used. In addition, the new registration processing unit 33 and the revision registration processing unit 34 add document identification information to the created document, and also register the version management information of the document when registering the document in the document management server 7. sign up.

  The document creation / registration processing unit 32 creates a new document to be managed by this system by the new registration processing unit 33 and registers the document and its attribute information in the created document storage unit 36 and the document management server 7. To do. The document creation / registration processing unit 32 sets information about the group context when the information about the group context to which the created document should belong is not set.

  In addition, the provider terminal 3 includes a document state setting processing unit 42 that sets a version state such as a use state such as whether or not the created or revised document can be used (that is, whether the document is valid or invalid), and document provision A usage status monitoring unit 44 that monitors the usage status of the document provided by the user. Note that the version status set by the document status setting processing unit 42 is included in the version management information. The usage status monitoring unit 44 causes the document management server 7 to record the usage status of the document provided by the document provider, and acquires the recorded contents.

<User terminal>
The user terminal 5 includes a document acquisition processing unit 52 that acquires a document, a use document storage unit 54 that stores electronic data (electronic data as a duplicate document) of the document acquired by the document acquisition processing unit 52, In response to an information acquisition request for a document input and designated by the user from among documents stored in the used document storage unit 54, the context related to the document, that is, attribute information of the document and the version of the document are indicated. An information acquisition processing unit 56 that acquires additional information related to the document including version management information, and attribute information, additional information, and print data related to the document related to the document from the document management server 7. .

  Further, the user terminal 5 displays a print setting processing unit 60 for setting and registering print settings on a predetermined display medium in which illustration of version management information, attribute information, print setting information, and other information of the document is omitted. In accordance with the print settings determined by the document information presentation processing unit 64 and the print setting processing unit 60 presented in the above, the document acquired by the document acquisition processing unit 52 is printed out from an image forming apparatus such as a printer (not shown). And a processing unit 68.

  The information acquisition processing unit 56 includes a print setting information acquisition unit 57 that acquires print setting information included in the context registered in the document management server 7 corresponding to the processing target document.

  The document information presentation processing unit 64 includes a print setting presentation unit 65 that presents various types of print setting information corresponding to the processing target document acquired by the print setting information acquisition unit 57 using a predetermined presentation unit.

  The print setting processing unit 60 determines the print settings and sets the print setting information setting unit 61 for the print processing unit 68, the print settings set for the print processing unit 68, and the print settings by the user. And a print setting registration unit 62 for registering comments as current print setting information.

  The print setting information setting unit 61 can newly set a print setting in the print processing unit 68 or the like. When using a past print setting, the print setting information setting unit 61 displays the print setting information presented by the print setting presenting unit 65. It is also possible to select any one from among them. In the latter case, the print setting information setting unit 61 instructs the document management server 7 to search for the document corresponding to the current output processing target from the print setting information registered in the document database 80, and performs the search. The corresponding one based on the result is set as a condition for the output processing of this document.

  The document acquisition processing unit 52 acquires a document by downloading a document to be used from the document management server 7 by a user operation or by receiving a document transmitted from the provider terminal 3, and acquires the acquired document. It is stored in the used document storage unit 54. The acquired document is a copy of the latest version of the document. That is, the used document storage unit 54 functions as a duplicate document storage unit.

  The document user basically uses the used document (duplicated document) copied and stored in the used document storage unit 54. For this reason, for example, although not shown, the user terminal 5 is provided with a document processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the document stored in the used document storage unit 54 in accordance with an instruction from the user. The predetermined process is a process using a document, such as displaying or printing a document. In practice, the document can be used by various applications, but in the present embodiment, since details such as the purpose of use of the document are not mentioned, the processing realized by these applications is collectively referred to as document processing.

  The document information presentation processing unit 64 receives the document attribute information held and managed by the document management server 7 and the context including the print data acquired by the information acquisition processing unit 56, and receives the received document attribute information and print setting information. Or other information as a context, it is presented to the user according to a predetermined condition. These presentations may be presented on a screen on a display device, or may be printed on output paper using the print processing unit 68.

  For example, when a plurality of print setting information is acquired by the print setting information acquisition unit 57 corresponding to the processing target document, the print setting information acquisition unit 57 receives all of the plurality of print setting information from the print setting presentation unit 65. The print setting presentation unit 65 displays a list of all the print setting information. In this case, the print setting information setting unit 61 selects one of all the print setting information corresponding to the processing target document displayed in the list, and prints the print setting based on the selected print setting information. This is set in the section 68 or the like.

  Alternatively, the print setting information acquisition unit 57 extracts only print setting information of the same model or manufacturer as the image forming apparatus such as a printer connected to the user terminal 5, that is, the image forming apparatus usable on the user side. May be. By notifying only the extracted print setting information to the print setting presenting unit 65, the print setting presenting unit 65 displays a list of only the print setting information of the same model or manufacturer as the image forming apparatus available on the user side. .

  In this case, the print setting information setting unit 61 corresponds to the processing target document displayed in a list and is selected by the user from print setting information of the same model or manufacturer as the image forming apparatus that can be used on the user side. The print setting is set in the print processing unit 68 or the like based on any one of the print setting information.

  Alternatively, the print setting information acquisition unit 57 may automatically extract only the print setting information suitable for the model of the image forming apparatus that can be used on the user side. By notifying only the extracted print setting information to the print setting presenting unit 65 and the print setting information setting unit 61, the print setting presenting unit 65 can only print information that matches the image forming apparatus that can be used on the user side. Is displayed, and the print setting information setting unit 61 sets the print setting in the print processing unit 68 or the like based only on this.

  In the configuration of the present embodiment, the print setting information acquisition unit 57 of the user terminal 5 extracts print setting information that matches a predetermined condition. However, the information acquisition processing unit 56 is used as the user terminal. 5 is not essential, and it is sufficient that a similar function unit is provided at any location of the document management system 1. For example, by performing a modification of the system to be described later, the document management server 7 extracts (searches) print setting information that matches a predetermined condition and prints the print setting presenting unit 65 of the user terminal 5 or the print. The search result may be returned to the setting information setting unit 61.

<Document management server>
The document management server 7 includes a document management unit 71 that performs general management of documents handled by the system, and a database management unit that performs document version management, document registration and deletion, or usage management of registered documents. 72, a related document information setting unit 73 that manages information such as registration, update, and deletion of related document information, an additional information management unit 74 that generally manages additional information of documents including version management information, and print setting information A print setting information management unit 75 for managing print settings such as registration, update, deletion, and search.

  Further, the document management server 7 is a notification processing unit that transmits to the user terminal 5 contexts such as attribute information, additional information, and print setting information of the corresponding document in response to a request sent from the user terminal 5. The information providing unit 76, which is an example, a management log file storage unit 78 that stores the usage status of the document, and a document database 80 that stores the document and information related to the document in a database (DB).

  The document database 80 associates electronic document data created by the document creation / registration processing unit 32 of the provider terminal 3 with the document as a shared document, and associates the attribute information of the document with the document. And a document attribute information database 84 stored in a database.

  The document database 80 is an example of an additional information storage unit that stores additional information of a document created by the document creation / registration processing unit 32 of the provider terminal 3 and a document used by the user terminal 5 as a database. A certain additional information database 86, a related document information database 88 that is an example of a related document information storage unit that stores and stores document information (referred to as related document information) related to these documents, and settings for these documents A print file database 89 that is an example of a print file storage unit that stores a print data file of a predetermined print format in which information indicating print settings such as print setting parameters in the registered print setting information is stored as a database; Have.

  The print data may be, for example, data in a PDL (Page Description Language) format that is widely used as print data. Alternatively, an intermediate format capable of reproducing the printing state on the image forming apparatus, such as using intermediate printing intermediate data for printing or an application file equivalent to the intermediate printing data, may be used. In any case, print settings (print processing parameters) are added to these print data.

  Although details will be described later, the document attribute information database 84 includes information other than the print data portion of the print setting information as part of the document attribute information, for example, information such as comments by the document user related to the print settings. And information regarding the storage destination for retrieving the print data file stored in the print file database 89 and identification information (so-called ID) for specifying the print data file are included. In this configuration example, a print setting storage unit that stores print setting information is configured by an area for storing information related to print setting information in the document attribute information database 84 and the print file database 89.

  In this example, the print file database 89 for storing the print data file is provided separately from the document attribute information database 84. However, without providing the print file database 89, the document attribute information database 84 has a predetermined format. The print data may be stored as part of the document attribute information.

  In the configuration of the document database 80 according to the present embodiment, each database is arranged in the same document management server 7. However, these databases are not necessarily provided in the same server computer. As long as it is configured to be able to manage information under the management of the above, it may be arranged on different server computers.

  The document management unit 71 downloads a document in response to a request from a document user.

  The database management unit 72 manages versions by associating version management information with a document created or revised by a document provider. Further, the database management unit 72 registers and deletes documents in the document database 80 and records management information such as the usage status of the registered documents in the management log file storage unit 78.

  For example, the database management unit 72 registers a newly created document sent from the provider terminal 3 in the shared document database 82 by cooperating with the document creation / registration processing unit 32 at the time of document registration. The attribute information is registered in the document attribute information database 84.

  Further, the database management unit 72 operates in cooperation with the document acquisition processing unit 52 when using the document, thereby reading out the corresponding document from the shared document database 82 in response to a request sent from the user terminal 5, and Download to the user terminal 5.

  The database management unit 72 manages versions by associating version management information with a document created or revised by a document provider. The database management unit 72 also records in the management log file storage unit 78 the registration and deletion of documents in the document database 80 and the usage status of registered documents.

  The related document information setting unit 73 performs information management such as registration, update, and deletion of related document information in the related document information database 88 according to a predetermined input operation by an administrator or the like.

  The additional information management unit 74 collects additional information sent from the user terminal 5 used by the document creator and registers it in the additional information database 86 including the version management information obtained by the database management unit 72. The general management of additional information is performed.

  The print setting information management unit 75 associates the print setting information with information (model information) for specifying the image forming apparatus used at the time of the printing process, the registration unit 75a in the document attribute information database 84 or the print file database 89, The registered print setting information is searched for a document corresponding to the document to be output this time on the user terminal 5, and the search result is presented to the print setting information setting unit 61 of the user terminal 5. Both function units of the search unit 75b are provided. The registration unit 75a has not only a registration function but also a function for updating and a function for deleting.

<About system modifications>
In addition, the arrangement | positioning aspect of each functional element with which the provider terminal 3 shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 5, and the document management server 7 is shown is a typical example, and depending on the operation form of the system, the provider The usage status monitoring unit 44 provided in the terminal 3 can be arranged on the user terminal 5 side. Also, some of the functional units provided in the provider terminal 3 and the user terminal 5 can be arranged on the document management server 7 side.

  However, even when the modification mode is adopted, from the viewpoint that the user uses the user terminal 5 at the time of document operation, as shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 5 includes a print setting presentation unit 65 at a minimum. It is necessary to provide the document information presentation processing unit 64 to be used.

  Further, as described above, generally, a document stored in the shared document database 82 of the document management server 7 is not used as it is, but is copied to a storage medium provided in itself. Since it is used, it is preferable that the user terminal 5 also includes a use document storage unit 54 as a document storage unit for copying and storing a document managed by the document management server 7 as shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, it may be considered that the context collection process and the necessary extraction (search) process are performed on the user terminal 5 side or the document management server 7 side. Therefore, the information acquisition processing unit 56 (specifically, the print setting information acquisition unit 57) and the print setting processing unit 60 (specifically, the print setting information setting unit 61 and the print setting registration unit 62) are connected to the user terminal 5 and the document management. It can be arranged in any of the servers 7.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, all of these may be provided in the document management server 7. When the print setting processing unit 60 is provided in the document management server 7, the print setting information is presented to the user, the print setting is set by the communication process with the print setting presenting unit 65 of the document information presentation processing unit 64. A registration instruction may be received and the confirmed print settings may be set in the print processing unit 68.

<Collecting document information>
In the document management system 1 of this embodiment, first, attribute information such as a document ID, a document name, and a creation date is added to the document. In addition to document attribute information, additional information effective for document use, such as comments and messages that the document creator or the like wants to inform the document user, is set corresponding to each document. The document ID is also inherited when a document stored in the document database 80 of the document management server 7 is copied and stored in the used document storage unit 54 of the user terminal 5.

  Further, when registering the related document information in the related document information database 88, the related document information setting unit 73 assigns a group ID as identification information for each related document group and performs group management. In each group information, the document ID of each document belonging to the group is set and registered in association with the group ID.

  The additional information management unit 74 on the document management server 7 side registers additional information in the additional information database 86 in response to a request from a document creator or the like. For example, information indicating the validity (valid or invalid) of each document, comment information, or message information is set for each document as additional information.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the print setting information management unit 75 further dynamically adds or changes a print setting such as a print setting parameter corresponding to the document and a comment related to the print setting by the document creator. Is acquired from the user terminal 5, the print setting information is registered in the print file database 89 using the document ID as a key.

  In the document management server 7, when an information acquisition request is sent from the user terminal 5, the information providing unit 76 uses the document ID of the target document included therein as a key for the document attribute information database. 84, the additional information database 86, and the print file database 89 are searched for attributes, additional information, and print setting information associated with the target document, and the search results are returned to the user terminal 5 that is the request source. To do.

  In addition, the information providing unit 76 searches the related document information database 88 to extract the document ID of the related document of the target document. Then, at least information indicating validity is extracted from the shared document database 82, the document attribute information database 84, and the additional information database 86 among the attribute information and context of the related document, and is returned to the user terminal 5 that is the request source.

  In response to the result, the document information presentation processing unit 64 presents various contexts to the user according to predetermined conditions.

<Configuration example using an electronic computer>
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the output setting management apparatus 2 that executes processing relating to management of print setting information such as the provider terminal 3, the user terminal 5, and the document management server 7. The provider terminal 3 and the user terminal 5 can be realized by a general-purpose personal computer (referred to as a personal computer) in terms of hardware. The document management server 7 can be realized by a general-purpose server computer in terms of hardware.

  In other words, the output setting management device 2 such as the provider terminal 3, the user terminal 5, and the document management server 7 according to the present embodiment is not limited to a part of various functional units configured by a hardware processing circuit. Based on the program code that realizes the function, it can be realized in software using a mechanism similar to that of an electronic computer (computer).

  When the context management function (including the print setting information management function in this embodiment) is executed by software using a mechanism similar to that of an electronic computer, a processing program that constitutes the software stores a CD that stores the processing program. -Installed from a storage medium (recording medium) such as a ROM or a flexible disk into a storage medium (storage medium) inside the apparatus.

  The storage medium that stores the processing program causes a change in the state of energy such as magnetism, light, electricity, etc. according to the description of the program for the reader provided in the hardware resources of the computer. The description contents of the program can be transmitted to the reading device in the form of a signal to be transmitted.

  A program for causing a computer to execute a context management function including a print setting information management function is not limited to being distributed through a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, but may be a network (such as the Internet) from another server such as a download site. The program may be downloaded (transferred to a computer) via a wired or wireless connection) and acquired or updated. The computer receives the program transferred in this way and installs it in a storage medium such as a built-in hard disk.

  In addition, the program is provided as a file describing a program code for realizing a context management function including a print setting information management function. In this case, the program is not limited to being provided as a batch program file, and is configured by a computer. Depending on the hardware configuration of the system, it may be provided as an individual program module.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the output setting management device 2 configured as a computer system includes a system control unit 102 for controlling the operation of the entire device in the device main body 2a. In the present embodiment, the system control unit 102 has a function as a context management control unit (in particular, an output setting information management control unit in the present embodiment) that realizes a context management processing function.

  Specifically, the system control unit 102 includes a controller unit (control unit) 104, a hard disk device (HDD) 118 or an optical / magnetic disk device 119 shown in the figure, a flexible disk (FD) drive, a CD not shown in the figure. A recording / reading control unit 106 for reading and recording data from a predetermined storage medium such as a ROM (Compact Disk ROM) drive and a semiconductor memory controller;

  The hard disk device 118 and the optical / magnetic disk device 119 may be provided outside as the information storage device 2b instead of inside the device main body 2a. This aspect is particularly suitable when the document management server 7 is configured.

  The controller unit 104 includes a CPU 112, a ROM 113 that is a read-only storage unit, a RAM 115 that is an example of a volatile storage unit that can be written and read at any time, and a RAM (NVRAM) that is an example of a nonvolatile storage unit. 116).

  In the above description, the “volatile storage unit” means a storage unit in which the stored contents are lost when the power of the apparatus is turned off. On the other hand, the “nonvolatile storage unit” means a storage unit in a form that keeps stored contents even when the main power supply of the apparatus is turned off. Any memory device can be used as long as it can retain the stored contents. The semiconductor memory device itself is not limited to a nonvolatile memory device, and a backup power supply is provided to make a volatile memory device “nonvolatile”. You may comprise as follows.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to a semiconductor memory element, and may be configured using a medium such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk. For example, the hard disk device 118 and the optical / magnetic disk device 119 can be used as a nonvolatile storage unit. Moreover, it can utilize as a non-volatile storage part also by taking the structure which reads information from storage media, such as CD-ROM.

  Further, the output setting management device 2 configured by the same mechanism as the computer system includes an instruction receiving unit 152 as a functional unit that forms a user interface such as receiving an operation instruction of the device, and an operation guidance screen (operation menu). The apparatus main body 2a includes a display output unit 154 that presents predetermined information such as an operation state of the apparatus and processing results to the user, and an interface unit (IF unit) 190 that performs an interface function with each functional unit. .

  The interface unit 190 includes, for example, a user interface unit 192 having an operation panel unit 192a and an operation key unit 192b, protocol control, in addition to a system bus 191 that is a transfer path of processing data (including image data) and control data. And a communication interface unit 194 that performs an interface function with a network and a device interface unit that performs an interface function with other external devices.

  The communication interface unit 194 exchanges data between computers through a network controller 142 that controls a wired network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network), or a public line network (for example, a telephone line). It has a communication control function such as a modem 144 that is used when performing the above. The network is not limited to a wired type, and may be a wireless type network. In this case, a wireless network controller 146 is provided.

  The device interface unit controls various device devices, as will be described later.

  As the instruction receiving unit 152, for example, the operation key unit 192b of the user interface unit 192 can be used. Alternatively, a keyboard 152a, a mouse 152b, or the like can be used.

  Although not shown, the user interface unit 192, the keyboard 152a, and the mouse 152b are connected to the system bus 191 via a device interface unit that controls key input from the keyboard 152a and input from a pointing device such as the mouse 152b. Connected.

  The display output unit 154 includes a display control unit and a display device. As the display device, for example, the operation panel unit 192a of the user interface unit 192 can be used. Alternatively, another display unit 154a made of CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) may be used.

  The output setting management device 2 is also provided with a specific function unit corresponding to the device function in addition to the above-described function units. As an example, documents stored in various storage media (created document storage unit 36, used document storage unit 54, shared document database 82, etc.), document attribute information stored in the document attribute information database 84, and additional information database 86 are stored. If there is a function for reducing the amount of context information to be processed, a data processing unit 180 is provided for executing processing such as compression / decompression processing and data processing of document data and other data.

  Various devices are related to the document generation, acquisition, storage, and the document by cooperation (cooperation) of the application program corresponding to them and the application program (software for the operating system, etc.) that controls the whole by the controller unit 104. It is constructed so as to provide various services related to context management processing such as attribute information and context acquisition and storage.

  Each application for each of these devices can be added (installed), changed in specifications (small changes within the same version such as version upgrades and bug fixes), or deleted (uninstalled) for each application. It is possible to add, change specifications, or delete each module that constitutes.

  The CPU 112 controls the entire system via the system bus 191. The ROM 113 stores various fixed data including a control program used by the CPU 112. The RAM 115 is configured by an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or the like, stores program control variables, data for various processes, and the like, data obtained by calculation according to a predetermined application program, data obtained from the outside, and the like. Is temporarily stored, and is used for a work memory or the like when the CPU 112 performs data processing or the like.

  The NVRAM 116 stores control parameters and processed data, and is backed up. In particular, the configuration of the present embodiment is configured to save various data related to the context management process.

  Further, the hard disk device 118 and the optical / magnetic disk device 119 are a program for context management processing, various application programs, font data and user files, which are taken from the portable storage medium 107 such as the flexible disk 107a and the CD-ROM 107b. It contains areas for storing user data and control management data, and temporarily storing a large amount of data acquired by the device itself and data acquired from the outside. The control unit 106 controls reading and writing of data.

  With such a configuration, the context management program is installed in the RAM 115 by a predetermined command from a readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM in which a program for executing a context management function is stored or via a communication network. In addition, the context management program is activated by automatic processing triggered by an instruction from the operator via the instruction receiving unit 152 or a predetermined condition.

  The CPU 112 executes processing steps associated with the context management processing described later in accordance with this context management program, stores the processing results in a storage device such as the RAM 115 and the hard disk device 118, and displays an operation panel unit or a display such as a CRT or LCD as necessary. Information is presented and output to the device. By using the storage medium recorded with the program for executing the context management process, the output setting management apparatus 2 for executing the context management process can be constructed universally without changing the existing system.

  The output setting management device 2 is not limited to such a configuration using a computer, and can execute a context management function by a combination of dedicated hardware that performs processing of each functional unit, as described above. Can also be configured. In addition, a series of processes for context management is not limited to being executed by only one of hardware and software, but can be executed by a combined configuration of both.

  Further, the context management processing described later is not only executed in time series according to the description described later, but may be executed in parallel or individually as required by the processing capability of the apparatus that executes the processing.

  Next, the context management processing function in this embodiment will be described in detail. In the present embodiment, various functions are provided by the functional elements shown in FIG. 1, but each processing function in the output setting management apparatus 2 such as the provider terminal 3, the user terminal 5, and the management server 7 is as follows. A description will be given assuming that this is realized by operating an application on the output setting management apparatus 2 having a computer configuration as shown in FIG.

<< Print setting sharing function >>
<About attribute information>
4 to 7 are diagrams for explaining a management mode of document information including print setting information. Here, FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of attribute information including print setting information. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of context information. 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating detailed configuration examples of the print setting information.

  For example, when printing a document including a publishing original such as a drawing, a photograph, or a pamphlet, various parameters need to be set depending on the type of the original and the type of the image forming apparatus. For example, in drawing printing, settings such as adjustment for producing thin lines and enlargement / reduction printing according to the application are required. In photo printing, settings such as color balance and paper type are required. In addition, for a publishing manuscript, in addition to photographs and drawings, settings such as fonts for printing characters and margin settings are required.

  Also, in documents created with general word processing software or spreadsheet software, the characters written in the table cells should be printed correctly so that they fit within the planned layout. Fonts and margins may be set to match the output printer so that no extra pages are output. For example, when printing forms that are widely distributed and used on the Internet, such as the tax return form, and accounting forms used in organizations such as companies and forms for the purpose of various applications, It is necessary to pay attention to these settings.

  On the other hand, setting these parameters is difficult, but if you configure the print settings so that they can be shared once using a certain image forming apparatus, the print settings will be set for the same image forming apparatus from the next time onwards. By using it, it is conceivable that it can be printed repeatedly and successfully.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when sharing the print settings, when trying to use the same document on the network environment, there are a plurality of document users (in other words, a plurality of users A system that can cope with a case where the same document is shared) and a plurality of output destination image forming apparatuses exist.

  First, in this embodiment, two types of attribute information, static attribute information and dynamic attribute information, are set for a document. As shown in FIG. 4, the static attribute information is an attribute unique to each document, is unique information depending on each document such as a document name, a document ID, a creator, and the dynamic attribute information is These attributes are set to be effective in the document group for each document belonging to the document group when the documents are handled as a group.

  In the present embodiment, the document attribute is set as document dynamic attribute information by setting each document attribute for each document group. For example, when one document belongs to a plurality of groups, the one static attribute information described above and dynamic attribute information corresponding to the number of groups to which the document belongs are set as attribute information.

  The valid / invalid included in the dynamic attribute information is information indicating whether the document is valid or invalid in the group. The presence / absence of notification sets whether or not to notify a client user who opened a document that belonged before the document belongs to the group that the document newly belongs to the group.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, each document is assigned a unique document ID = D1 to D5 as static attribute information. Further, since the requirement specification and the basic specification belong to “development work”, a context ID (group ID) = C1 is assigned separately from the document ID. Further, since the functional specification first edition and the functional specification second edition belong to the “functional specification”, the context ID = C2 is assigned separately from the document ID. Since the functional specification version 3 belongs to two groups of “development work” and “functional specification”, two context IDs = C1 and C2 are assigned.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the dynamic attribute information set in association with the group includes the context ID and context name for identifying each group, the attribute information, and the document ID of the document belonging to the group. The document ID is a document group belonging to the group. In the illustrated example, it can be seen that the group “development work” includes document IDs = D1, D2, and D5.

  In this embodiment, part or all of print setting information (an example of output setting information) is included in the dynamic attribute information. This print setting information includes print settings (especially when printing is successful) when a document is subjected to print output processing (an example of output processing) using an image forming apparatus (an example of an output device), And additional information related to the output setting information input and set by the document user in relation to the print setting (for example, the name of the setting or a comment with a brief description) and shared among a plurality of users The registration instruction has been received. The print setting reflects the characteristics of the image forming apparatus used as the output destination.

  Here, when registering the print setting information in the document database 80, whether or not the print data is included in the document attribute information database 84 together with a part of the attribute information, in other words, the print file database 89 is stored in the document. Depending on whether or not it is provided separately from the attribute information database 84, two modes can be adopted.

  For example, in the first example shown in FIG. 6, the print file database 89 is not provided. In this case, as an attribute related to the print setting, first, a name for uniquely specifying the print setting is set. When the user inputs a description related to the print setting, a comment indicating the description is set.

  In addition, at least one of the print settings set according to the user's instruction and the information acquired after starting the print application and executing the print processing is set as the attribute information.

  Here, “print settings set in accordance with user instructions” corresponds to, for example, printer driver setting values (for example, paper size, print direction, monochrome / color distinction, print image quality, etc.). “Information acquired after executing print processing” is, for example, a setting value of an application program that handles a document (for example, designation of print range, print target sheet, font, enlargement / reduction, number of characters per line, per page The number of lines), the model information of the image forming apparatus to be output (that is, information for specifying the output apparatus), and the print data such as the PDL format generated by the printer driver for transmission to the image forming apparatus To do. The model information of the image forming apparatus includes, for example, the model number and manufacturer name of the output destination printer.

  In the second example shown in FIG. 7, a print file database 89 is provided. In this case, among the information of the first example shown in FIG. 6, the print data file is stored in the print file database 89. Correspondingly, information relating to the storage location of the print data file stored in the print file database 89 and identification information for specifying the print data file are set in the attribute on the document attribute information database 84 side.

  6 and 7, on the premise of a mechanism for realizing sharing of attribute information, print setting information such as print setting parameters corresponding to a document is included in a part of the attribute information. It is.

<< Processing Procedure >>
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation example of sharing print setting information when a document user prints out using a document managed by the system in the present embodiment. Here, the left side shows print setting information registration processing related to sharing of print setting information, and the right side shows print setting information reuse processing related to sharing of print setting information. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the sharing setting screen G1, and FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the print setting registration screen G2. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the print setting selection screen G3, and FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the print setting sharing information screen G4.

<Print setting information registration process>
First, the user terminal 5 handles document (electronic data), attribute information of the document, context information including print setting information as a result of successful printing, and related document information using the document ID as a key. In addition, it is registered in the document database 80 of the document management server 7.

  Here, when registering the print setting information, for example, the details are as follows. For example, the user terminal 5 presents a sharing setting screen G1 as shown in FIG. 9 in which a menu for storing the print setting information in the attribute can be selected (S10). When the user desires to register the print setting information, the user selects “register print setting” on the sharing setting screen G1.

  When receiving the selection of “register print setting”, the print condition registration unit 62 presents a registration screen for storing the print setting information in the attribute (S12). At this time, it is possible to set a printer name, a comment about print settings, and the like so that the type of printer at the print destination can be understood. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a print setting registration screen G1 that can indicate whether or not to register print setting information as a result of successful printing as attribute information to be shared is presented.

  The user instructs sharing of print setting information on the presented print setting registration screen G2 (S14). At this time, the user sets a name, a brief description, and his / her name in the print setting information, and also the type of data to be shared and the type of image forming apparatus to be output (manufacturer name and model name). Is specified.

  The print condition registration unit 62 displays a document indicating the print layout according to the current print settings in accordance with the user's instruction (S16). This print layout display is the same as the so-called print preview function. The user confirms whether or not there is a defect in the print result with this print preview, and if there is a defect, returns to the print setting. If there is no problem, the process proceeds to the next process.

  Next, necessary information is acquired in accordance with the type of data to be shared specified in step S16. For example, when sharing of printer driver settings is designated (S20-driver), printer driver setting information is acquired from a print application (for example, a printer driver) (S22). If sharing of application settings is specified (S20-application), setting information related to the print output of the application is acquired from the application program that handles the document (S24). When sharing of print data is designated (S20-print data), the print data is acquired from a print application (for example, a printer driver) (S26).

  Thereafter, the printing condition registration unit 62 adds the additional information such as the name and description set in step S16, the model information of the image forming apparatus to be output, and the data (driver setting, application, etc.) acquired in steps S20 to S26. At least one of the settings and print data) is sent to the document management server 7 in association with the document ID (S28).

  The print setting information management unit 75 of the document management server 7 sets these pieces of print setting information as shareable attributes and registers them in the document attribute information database 84 and the print file database 89 (S29; registration process). Context information including print setting information is stored in attributes that can be shared among document users. In particular, the print setting information is registered in association with the model information for specifying the image forming apparatus used during the output process.

  That is, in this embodiment, for each document, model information that identifies the model of the image forming apparatus used for printing, such as the manufacturer name and model number, and comments entered by the user accompanying the print settings are included in the driver settings. , The application setting and the print data are associated with at least one of the print data and stored in a database.

<Print setting information reuse processing>
When executing print processing of a document, the print setting information setting unit 61 asks the user whether to use registered (that is, past) print setting information registered in the document database 80 of the document management server 7. When not inquiring or using, various new settings are accepted.

  On the other hand, when using the registered print setting information, the registered print setting information corresponding to the current document is read from the document management server 7 and set in the print processing unit 68 as it is (that is, reused as it is). Or after making necessary corrections based on the registered print setting information, it is set in the print processing unit 68 (that is, a part is reused). In any case, the current printing is instructed by using the print setting information that has been successfully printed and stored in an attribute that can be shared among document users.

  For example, the user terminal 5 presents a sharing setting screen G1 as shown in FIG. 9 in which a menu for using the registered print setting information can be selected (S30). When the user wishes to reuse the print setting information, the user selects “use print settings” on the sharing setting screen G1. That is, the user instructs the user terminal 5 to reuse the print setting information.

  When receiving the selection of “use print setting”, the print setting information setting unit 61 presents a screen for using the registered print setting information. At this time, printing can be instructed using data obtained as a result of successful printing stored in an attribute that can be shared among document users.

  For example, the print setting information setting unit 61 reads the registered print setting information corresponding to the document to be printed from the document database 80 through a cooperative process with the document management server 7. Specifically, the print setting information setting unit 61 first instructs the print setting information management unit 75 of the document management server 7 to search for registered print setting information corresponding to the document to be printed (S32). Upon receiving this search instruction, the print setting information management unit 75 searches and reads out the corresponding one from the document attribute information database 84 and the print file database 89 of the document database 80, and returns the search result to the print setting information setting unit 61. (S34).

  When a plurality of documents corresponding to the print target document are registered, the print setting information setting unit 61 creates a list of print setting information registered in the shareable attribute (S36). The list may be created on the document management server 7 side, and the created list may be passed to the print setting information setting unit 61.

  The print setting information setting unit 61 displays a list of print setting information on the print setting selection screen G3 as shown in FIG. 11, additional information such as a name and description (comment), and an image forming apparatus that is an output target. The model information is presented to the user (S38). Since the list of shared print setting information is displayed on the print setting selection screen G3, the user selects a desired one from the presented ones (S40).

  When presenting the list, not only all documents that correspond to the print target document are presented, but the list may be further narrowed down according to a predetermined condition. For example, only print setting information of an image forming apparatus of the same model as the image forming apparatus that can be used by the user terminal 5 used by the user may be presented as a list. Further, only the print setting information of the image forming apparatus of the same manufacturer as the image forming apparatus that can be used in the user terminal 5 of the user may be presented as a list. In any case, the user selects a desired one from the presented ones.

  Alternatively, one of the print setting information suitable for the model of the image forming apparatus that can be used in the user terminal 5 of the user may be automatically selected. For example, the most recently registered setting information may be automatically selected from the print setting information of an image forming apparatus of the same model as the image forming apparatus that can be used by the user terminal 5 used by the user. In addition, setting information to be printed with the best image quality may be automatically selected. The setting information may be automatically selected based on image quality and paper size information in the setting information in accordance with rules such as print quality priority and economic priority set in advance by the user.

  Next, the print setting information setting unit 61 inquires of the user whether the print setting information selected on the print setting selection screen G3 can be applied as it is or not (S42). When the setting change is desired, the print setting information setting unit 61 accepts the change of the print parameter before executing the printing (S42-YES, S44).

  Thereafter, the print setting information setting unit 61 sets parameters (print conditions) in the document display application and the print application (printer driver) according to the confirmed print setting information (S46). The print processing unit 68 performs printing according to the set print setting information (S48).

  For example, when the “reference shared information” button is clicked on the print setting selection screen G3, the print setting information setting unit 61 presents a print setting shared information screen G4 as shown in FIG. When the “print preview with selected settings” button is clicked, a print preview is displayed according to the function of the application displaying the document.

  When the “execute printing with selected settings” button is clicked, predetermined print settings are made in the print processing unit 6 according to the selected print setting information. As a result, printing is executed with the settings selected by the user. When the “Reflect selected settings to document” button is clicked, the print settings are reflected on the state of the application that is currently opening the document. To confirm the details of printing and setting values, close this dialog and use the application function.

  As described in steps S20 to S28, the data to be shared is at least one of driver settings, application settings, and print data. Therefore, the settings using the registered print settings in step S46 are as follows. Depending on the type of registered data. For example, if the driver settings are not registered, it goes without saying that the user needs to input the driver settings one by one. On the other hand, when “print setting information such as PDL format generated for transmission to the printer” is shared, direct printing is executed by a general method such as using the lpr command (Line PRinter). You may do it.

  Further, when the print parameters have been changed (S42-YES, S44), it is desired to store the data printed as a result of the changed parameters in an attribute that can be shared among document users (S48). -YES), in the same manner as in the print setting information registration process described above, "Register print settings" is selected on the sharing setting screen G1 shown in FIG.

It is the figure which showed the typical example of the whole outline | summary of a document management system. It is the figure which showed the modification of the whole outline | summary of a document management system. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the document management apparatus provided with the print setting information management function. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the attribute information containing print setting information. It is a figure which shows the structural example of context information. FIG. 3 is a diagram (first example) illustrating a detailed configuration example of print setting information. It is a figure (2nd example) which shows the detailed structural example of print setting information. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation related to sharing of print setting information. It is a figure which shows an example of a share setting screen. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print setting registration screen. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print setting selection screen. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print setting sharing information screen. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Document management system, 2 ... Output setting management apparatus, 3 ... Provider terminal, 5 ... User terminal, 7 ... Document management server, 9 ... Communication network, 32 ... Document creation registration process part, 33 ... New registration process part 34 ... Revision registration processing unit 36 ... Created document storage unit 42 ... Document state setting processing unit 44 ... Usage status monitoring unit 52 ... Document acquisition processing unit 54 ... Used document storage unit 56 ... Information acquisition processing unit 57 ... Print condition information acquisition unit, 60 ... Print condition processing unit, 61 ... Print setting information setting unit, 62 ... Print condition registration unit, 64 ... Document information presentation processing unit, 65 ... Print condition presentation unit, 68 ... Print processing , 71 ... Document management part, 72 ... Database management part, 73 ... Related document information setting part, 74 ... Additional information management part, 75 ... Print setting information management part, 76 ... Information provision part, 78 ... Management log file storage part 80 ... Document database, 2 ... shared document database, 84 ... document attribute information database, 86 ... additional information database, 88 ... Related document information database, 89 ... print file database

Claims (9)

A registration unit that registers output setting information of output processing of a document using a predetermined output device in a predetermined storage medium in association with information for specifying the output device used at the time of the output processing;
A setting unit that searches the registered output setting information for a document that is a target of the current output process and sets the corresponding one as a condition for the output process of the document; Document management system characterized by A registration unit that registers output setting information of document output processing using a predetermined output device in a predetermined storage medium in association with information for specifying the output device used during the output processing;
A setting unit for instructing a search for a document corresponding to the document to be output this time from the registered output setting information and setting the corresponding one based on the search result as a condition for the output process of the document. An output setting management apparatus comprising at least one of the above. A registration unit that registers output setting information of document output processing using a predetermined output device in a predetermined storage medium in association with information for specifying the output device used during the output processing;
Output setting characterized by comprising at least one of a search unit that searches the registered output setting information for a document corresponding to the current output processing target and presents a search result Management device. The setting unit presents output setting information corresponding to a document to be subjected to the current output process in association with the output device, accepts a selection made by a user from the presented items, and selects the selected document The output setting management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the output setting management apparatus is set to the output processing condition of The setting unit searches the output setting information registered in the output setting information registration unit for a document corresponding to the current output process and the output device to be used, and outputs the corresponding output setting. 3. The information according to claim 2, wherein information is presented in association with the output device, selection by a user is accepted from the presented information, and the selected information is set as a condition for output processing of the document. Output setting management device. The setting unit searches the output setting information registered in the output setting information registration unit for one of documents corresponding to the output process to be used and the output device to be used this time, The output setting management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein this is set as a condition for output processing of the document. The said registration part registers the additional information regarding the said output setting information input by the user in association with the information which specifies the said output setting information and the said output device, The registration of Claim 2 or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Output setting management device. A registration unit that registers output setting information of document output processing using a predetermined output device in a predetermined storage medium in association with information for specifying the output device used during the output processing;
A setting unit for instructing a search for a document corresponding to the document to be output this time from the registered output setting information and setting the corresponding one based on the search result as a condition for the output process of the document. A program for causing an electronic computer to function as at least one of them. A registration unit that registers output setting information of document output processing using a predetermined output device in a predetermined storage medium in association with information for specifying the output device used during the output processing;
The electronic computer is caused to function as at least one of the search units that search for a document corresponding to the document to be output this time from the registered output setting information and present a search result. Program to do.

Images