JP2019086863A - Information processing apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a mechanism that maintains documents in a specific folder and can sequentially make repeated use of the specific folder.SOLUTION: When a workspace being used for the current work needs to be used for another work, a user instructs a document management system to clean up the workspace. In response thereto, the document management system causes the user to designate the name of a clean-up folder (S20), and creates the clean-up folder of that name immediately below the workspace in a hierarchical structure of folders (S24). The document management system moves document groups in the workspace to the clean-up folder to empty the workspace (S26), and thereby makes the workspace available for another work.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 19

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and program.

  Document management devices and software exist that manage image data read by a scanner and document data created by an application on a personal computer (PC). For example, document handling software such as DocuWorks (trademark) provided by the applicant or Adobe Acrobat (trademark) of Adobe Systems, Inc. is an example. This type of document management apparatus uses image data files (for example, bitmap format, TIFF format, JPEG format) obtained by scanning paper documents, and application files created by various applications such as word processors and spreadsheets. Can be captured and managed.

  A hierarchical structure of folders can be formed in the document management apparatus using the file system of the OS, and the user saves a document to be used in an appropriate folder in the hierarchical structure, thereby forming a large number of document groups. Organize.

  In the case of moving a folder or file to a different storage area, the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the same storage area recognized as a different storage area, and the result of moving the folder or file with respect to that position There is disclosed a method for preventing the loss of moved folders and files. In this method, when moving a folder or file to a different storage area, a search item is created in the movement destination folder, and it is confirmed whether the movement source and the movement destination are the same storage area, and if they are the same storage area. Inhibit the move.

JP, 2011-253368, A

  Consider a situation in which a specific folder is used as a special folder in distinction from other general folders. For example, a specific folder is used as a “place” for proceeding with work by collecting a document group used for the current work therein and editing the document group. In such a case, when a document group is stored in a specific folder for a certain purpose and the specific folder is used, it may be necessary to use the specific folder for another purpose. In this case, adding a document group for the latter purpose to a specific folder mixes with the existing document group, resulting in confusion. However, if the existing document group in the specific folder is deleted as a unit, the document group for the first purpose is lost, and the purpose can not be achieved.

  The present invention provides a mechanism capable of sequentially using the specific folder while preserving the document in the specific folder.

  The invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that the specific folder capable of storing one or more documents, the editing accepting means for accepting the editing of the documents in the specific folder, and the grouping of the documents in the specific folder in accordance with the disposition instruction And an arranging unit for executing an arranging process of moving to and emptying the specific folder.

  The invention according to claim 2 is a means for displaying a hierarchical structure of folders in the information processing apparatus, further comprising means for displaying the specific folder and the tiling folder in association with each other. Information processing apparatus.

  In the invention according to claim 3, when an instruction to restore the tidying folder is received, the document in the specific folder is moved to a second tidying folder newly created to empty the specific folder, and is emptied. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: return means for moving a document group in the tiling folder with respect to the specific folder.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the returning means moves the document group in the putting-up folder with respect to the specific folder and deletes the putting-up folder which has become empty. It is.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the sorting means generates a new tiling folder when the tidying instruction is received, and moves a document group in the specific folder to the generated tithing folder. It is an information processor given in any 1 paragraph of 1-4.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising means for prohibiting an operation of changing the content of the putting-up folder.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the work space according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the specific folder is a work space used when a user works using the one or more stored documents. Information processing apparatus.

  The invention according to claim 8 is a work space which is a folder for storing one or more documents, and one or more work spaces used when a user performs work using the one or more stored documents. And one of the one or more work spaces is an active state work space that receives an operation to change the contents of the work space, and the other work spaces are inactive that does not receive an operation to change the contents of the work space In addition to controlling the working space as a state, when instructed to start a new work, a new working space is created, the new working space is made active, and the working space that has been active until then is made An information processing apparatus including control means for changing to an inactive state.

  The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that the computer includes a specific folder capable of storing one or more documents, an edit accepting means for accepting editing of the documents in the specific folder, and tidying up the document group in the specific folder according to the tidying up instruction. It is a program for functioning as an arrangement means for executing an arrangement process of moving to a folder and emptying the specific folder.

  The invention according to claim 10 is a working space which is a folder for storing one or more documents, and the computer is one or more used when a user works using the one or more stored documents. A work space or one of the one or more work spaces is set as an active work space that receives an operation to change the contents of the work space, and the other work spaces are not received the operation to change the contents of the work space In addition to performing control to make the work space inactive, when instructed to start a new work, create a new work space, activate the new work space, and work that has been active until then It is a program for functioning as control means to change a space to an inactive state.

  According to the first, seventh or ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to sequentially use the specific folder while preserving the document in the specific folder.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to present to the user the relation that the putting-up folder is the putting-up destination of the document in the specific folder.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to return the document placed in the putting-up folder back to the specific folder so that the purpose of the put-away document can be achieved using the specific folder.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the number of folders from increasing due to the useless arrangement folder.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the tidying-up folder can be generated separately for each unit (purpose or operation) using the specific folder.

  According to the invention of claim 6, the distinction between the specific folder and the tidying-up folder can be made clear.

  According to the invention of claim 8 or 10, when it is necessary to use the work space by another work which interrupts work in progress using the document in the work space, the document in the current work space is selected. While maintaining, the user can use the work space to proceed with work for that other work.

It is a figure which illustrates schematic structure of the document management system to which the character recognition process control of embodiment is applied. It is a figure which shows the example of the document management screen which a document management system provides. It is a figure which illustrates the document management screen which displayed the context menu which contains a menu item "copy to workspace" with respect to the icon of a document. It is a figure which illustrates the document management screen which showed the work space after the new document was copied. It is a figure which illustrates the document management screen which displayed the context menu (The menu item "Copy to workspace" is not included) with respect to the icon of a folder. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an error notification screen displayed when an operation of copying a folder to a work space is performed. It is a figure which shows the example of the inquiry screen displayed when operation which copies a folder to a work space is performed. It is a figure which shows the example of the inquiry screen displayed when operation which copies a folder to a workspace is performed in another example. It is a figure which shows the example of the setting screen of the folder opened at the time of starting of a document management system. It is a figure which shows the example of the procedure of display control at the time of starting of a document management system. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a document management screen displayed when the document management system is activated after a document is registered in the work space during termination of the document management system. It is a figure which shows the example of the document management screen which displayed the information view about a document. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a document management screen in which information on a copy source location of each document is reflected on the display of the icon of each document in the work space opened on the document pane. It is a figure which shows the example of the document management screen which displayed URL on the internet as a copy origin place on the information view about a document. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a document management screen in which icons of documents are grouped and displayed according to a copy source location. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a document management screen on which a context menu of a document including a menu item for opening a copy source location (folder) is displayed. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a document management screen in which a document in a work space and a document of a folder of a copy source of the document in the work space are listed and displayed. It is a figure which illustrates the document management screen which displays what contained the menu item "clear" as a context menu of workspace. It is a figure which illustrates the procedure of the tiling process of the work space by the tithing processing part. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a tidying-up dialog. It is a figure which illustrates the document management screen displayed after a tiling process. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a document management screen displaying a context menu including a document “return to work space” including menu items for the arrangement folder. It is a figure which illustrates the procedure of the return process of the arrangement | positioning folder by the arrangement | positioning process part. It is a figure which illustrates the dialog displayed at the time of the return process of the putting-up folder. It is a figure which illustrates the document management screen containing the button which instruct | indicates the synchronization of a work space and a cloud. In the state where the putting-up folder is opened on the document management screen, it is a diagram showing that a synchronization button with the cloud side is not displayed. It is a figure which illustrates the inquiry screen which a synchronous process part displays. It is a figure which illustrates the setting screen about the work space including the setting of automatic synchronization. It is a figure which illustrates the procedure of a synchronous process. It is a figure which illustrates a package synchronous screen. It is a figure which illustrates the determination table of the action for every state of inconsistency. It is a figure which shows another example of a package synchronous screen.

<Overview of system>
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic configuration of a document management system 10 according to the present invention. The document management system 10, for example, browses, edits, and annotates document files registered (such as colored markers, sticky notes, stamps, etc.), such as DocuWorks (trademark) provided by the applicant or Adobe Acrobat (trademark) of AdobeSystems. Software that provides processing functions such as The software implements the functions of the document management system 10 by being executed by a computer such as a PC (personal computer) or a server. The document management system 10 may be a personal system installed on a PC, or may be configured as a server that provides a document handling service to remote users.

  The document management system 10 includes, as functional modules, a document loading unit 12, a document processing unit 14, a UI processing unit 16, a setting management unit 18, an arrangement processing unit 20, and a synchronization processing unit 22.

  The document loading unit 12 takes charge of processing (that is, registering) a document (file) generated outside the document management system 10 into the document management system 10. Documents to be imported include files in a data format specific to the application generated by application software such as a word processor or spreadsheet (called an application file), bitmaps generated by a scanner or digital camera, etc., TIFF, JPEG, etc. There are image files in the image data format of. Also, the document taken in by the document management system 10 may include a moving image file, a multimedia file, and the like. The document file fetched by the document fetching unit 12 is stored in one of the folders under the management of the document management system 10 (for example, one designated or preset by the user). The document loading unit 12 loads the application file as it is as a document file or converts it into a document file described in a specific data description language used by the document management system 10. The data description language used for conversion is PDL (page description language), or another type of language that can describe the appearance of a document (image) like page description language (PDF data format is one example thereof). . A document file described in this data description language includes a plurality of types such as text, vector graphics (graphics described in vector representation), continuous tone images (in data format such as bitmap, TIFF, JPEG, etc.) May contain objects of

  For example, the user can drag and drop an icon of a document in a folder outside the document management system 10 displayed on a GUI (graphical user interface) screen of a file system (for example, Microsoft Explorer) into the document management system When the document is dropped into the folder icon or the document pane 120 of the GUI screen 10 (see FIG. 2), the document loading unit 12 converts the document into a document file such as PDL and stores it in the drop destination folder. Also, the user can call a virtual printer (document capture unit 12 or another program having the same function as that for document management system 10) for the document management system 10 from the application, and output the document handled by the application to the virtual printer. Good. The virtual printer converts the document into a document file such as PDL handled in the document management system 10, and stores the document file in a designated folder in the document management system 10.

  A folder under the management of the document management system 10 (a work space described later is one of them) is accessed from the document management system 10, and access from the file system of the OS is not assumed. In order to perform operations such as addition and deletion of documents to these folders, basically, the document management system 10 is started. However, the document storage to the work space etc. via the “Copy to work space” application 24 described later is an exception, and the function of storing the document in the work space etc. when the document management system 10 is not activated. have.

  The document processing unit 14 executes a process instructed by the user for a folder under the management of the document management system 10 and for a document file in the folder. For example, when the user instructs to read a document file, the document processing unit 14 opens the document file and displays the image of the page of the document file on the screen. Further, the document processing unit 14 performs addition, deletion, etc. of the annotation on the opened document file in accordance with the instruction from the user. Further, the document processing unit 14 has functions of “discarding” and “bunching” of a document. The separation process is a process of dividing one document file into a first document file consisting of pages before the designated page and a second document file consisting of pages subsequent to the page following the designated page. is there. The bundling process is a process of bundling a plurality of document files designated by the user into one document file. The document file after bundling is a file including the page group of the first document file before bundling and the page group of the second document file. Further, the document processing unit 14 receives from the user an instruction to create a descendant folder of the user folder 116 or its descendant folder from the user.

  The UI processing unit 16 provides a UI (user interface) screen for operating a document file, and accepts a user's operation on the screen. The UI processing unit 16 generates, for example, the document management screen 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 and displays the document management screen 100 on a display device of a computer in which the document management system 10 is installed (the document management screen 100 will be described in detail later).

  The illustrated document management screen 100 includes a folder pane 110, a document pane 120, and an operation button area 130.

  The folder pane 110 is an area for displaying a tree structure of folders under the management of the document management system 10. The root (root) of the tree to be displayed is the document management system 10 itself (shown as an icon 112 in FIG. 2). In the illustrated example, immediately below the root, there are two folders, a work space 114, a user folder 116, and a link folder. The work space 114 is a folder for holding a document group for work currently being performed by the user. The work space 114 will be described in more detail later. The user folder 116 is a folder used to organize and save a document group used by the user of the document management system 10. In the user folder 116, subordinate folders such as child folders and grandchild folders can be hierarchically created. The user creates necessary descendent folders according to the organization system decided by himself, and stores the document in an appropriate folder. The link folder is a link to a folder outside the management of the document management system 10. When this link folder is "opened", a descendant folder in the folder of the link destination is displayed in the folder pane 110.

  In the document pane 120, a group of icons 122 of document files in a folder selected by the user in the folder pane 110 is listed and displayed. In this example, the document file icons 122 are respectively thumbnail images of the first page of the document file. By performing an "open" operation such as a click operation on the icon 122, the document corresponding to the icon 122 is opened, the content is displayed on the screen, or editing of the content (for example, addition, deletion, Change etc.). Further, for example, the user can instruct bundling processing of two document files by overlapping an icon of a document file with an icon of another document file by a drag and drop operation. Further, the process to be performed on the document file can also be selected from a menu on the document management screen 100 (not shown) or a context menu called by an operation such as a right click on the icon. Note that the context menu is a screen in which processing options for an object (in this case, a document) corresponding to the menu are listed and displayed as menu items.

  The operation button area 130 is an area for displaying buttons 134 to 138 indicating various operations on a folder displayed in the document pane 120 and a document (icon 122) in the folder. In the illustrated example, the operation button area 130 includes a print button for printing the selected document in the document pane 120, a button 134 for instructing copying of the document to the work space (described later), temporary clearing of the work space ( There are displayed a tidy-up button 136 for instructing (described later), an “original place” button 138 for opening a copy source folder of the document in the work space, and the like.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the setting management unit 18 receives input of various setting items of the document management system 10, and holds values of the input setting items. As an example of setting items managed by the setting management unit 18, a folder displayed on the document pane 120 of the document management screen 100 at startup of the document management system 10, setting for synchronization between a work space and a corresponding folder on the cloud system, etc. is there.

  The clearing processing unit 20 performs processing to temporarily clear the document group in the work space. The function of the putting-up processing unit 20 will be described in detail later.

  The synchronization processing unit 22 executes processing for synchronization between the work space and the corresponding folder on the cloud system. This process will be described in detail later.

  The outline of the document management system 10 has been described above. The various features of this system will now be described.

<Work space>
As described above, the document management system 10 prepares a work space 114 which is a folder for a document group used for the work currently being worked on by the user. The work space is a metaphor of the user's work place (for example, on a desk), and is intended to show at a glance the entire work currently being worked on, that is, to provide a list of work. This is in contrast to the hierarchical structure made up of the user folder 116 and its descendant folders, for the purpose of organizing documents.

  Only a document (file) is stored in the work space 114 in order to ensure a list of work. That is, the work space 114 does not contain a hierarchical structure consisting of folders of descendants. If the work space 114 has a folder hierarchical structure inside, all the documents used for the current work can not be arranged and listed on one document pane 120. In this case, in order to grasp the entire contents of the work space 114, it is necessary to move between layers. On the other hand, since the work space 114 has a flat structure consisting only of documents, it is possible to list a group of icons (thumbnails etc.) of all the documents on the document pane 120 without needing to move between hierarchies.

  The work space 114 is used as a temporary work place, and documents are stored in a hierarchical folder group in the user folder 116.

<Registration of document to work space>
Registration (storage) of the document in the work space 114 is realized by performing the operation of “Copy to the work space 114” on the document in the existing folder.

  In the document management screen 100 illustrated in FIG. 3, icons 122 of documents in a folder (folder name “ABC project”) in the user folder 116 of the document management system 10 are listed on the document pane 120. Then, the context menu 124 for the document is called by a specific operation such as a right click of the mouse on a certain document (name “△ proposal”) in the document. In this context menu 124, general operations such as "Open" (opens the document and displays the contents), "Cut", "Copy" 128, "Delete", "Rename", "Print", etc. In addition to the items, an operation item "Copy to work space" 126 is included. When the user instructs execution of “copy to work space” 126 by clicking operation or the like, the document processing unit 14 creates a copy of the document (file) and saves the copy in the work space 114. After this operation, when the work space 114 is opened, the icons of the documents in the work space 114 are listed and displayed in the document pane 120, as shown in FIG.

  If the conventional general "Copy" 128 operation item is selected, the document is only stored in the clipboard (a temporary storage area of copied (or cut) data prepared by the OS). It is. Therefore, to copy the document to the work space 114, after the execution of the “copy” 128, the operation of “pasting” the copy of the document on the clipboard to the work space 114 is further performed. Is required. As described above, when the conventional operation item “copy” 128 is used, the user has to perform at least two operations in total for the copy operation and the paste operation.

  On the other hand, in the case of the operation item “copy to work space” 126, the target document can be copied into the work space 114 with one touch, that is, only one operation of selecting the operation item.

  The same operation as “Copy to work space” 126 can also be executed by pressing the “Copy to work space” button 134 in the operation button area 130 after selecting the document in the document pane 120.

  In addition, for each data format that can be imported into the document management system 10, a menu item "Copy to work space" may be added to the context menu corresponding to the data format managed by the OS. The menu item is associated with a “Copy to workspace” application 24 installed on the same computer as the document management system 10. The application 24 can be read even when the document management system 10 is not activated. When the user invokes the context menu from the document icon displayed on the GUI screen of the OS file system, and selects and executes the item "Copy to workspace" in the menu, the OS executes the "Copy to workspace" application. Start 24 and pass the pathname of the document. The activated "Copy to work space" application 24 makes a copy of the document indicated by the path name and stores it in the work space. If the data format of the document is different from the data format (PDL format etc.) inside the document management system 10, the data format of the copy may be changed to the data format inside the document, and then stored in the work space. . By doing this, the document which is not under the management of the document management system 10 (that is, the document in the folder which does not belong to the folder tree having the document management system 10 as the root) can be processed by one operation as described above. It will be possible to copy to the work space.

  In addition, a document displayed by an application that generates or edits a document such as a word processor may be registered in the work space from the UI of the application. For this, for example, "work space of the document management system" is registered as a print destination option in the print instruction UI of the application, and for that option, similar to the "Copy to workspace" application 24 A virtual printer that performs the processing of When the user wants to register the document displayed in the application such as the word processor in the work space, the user calls up the print instruction screen of this application, selects "work space of the document management system" as the print destination, and instructs print execution. do it.

  Also, in the above example, UIs such as a context menu and a copy button used when registering a document in the work space have been exemplified. However, for folders other than the work space in the document management system 10 May be registered. In this case, the setting management unit 18 sets or changes the copy destination folder associated with the operation item "Copy to work space" 126 in the context menu or the "Copy to work space" button 134 in the operation button area 130. It may be possible to In this case, the character string "work space" in the operation item "copy to work space" 126 of the context menu may be changed to the name of the set copy destination folder.

  Although the example in the case of copying the document of the folder out of the work space into the work space has been described above, according to the registration method other than copying, for example, moving (in this case, the document is deleted from the original folder) , You may register the document in the work space.

<Mechanism for not having hierarchical folder structure in work space>
As mentioned above, the work space has no hierarchical structure. The mechanism for maintaining the work space having no hierarchical structure is described below.

  For example, when a folder created in a file system used by the operating system (OS) is used as the work space 114, the document processing unit 14 uses the work space 114 to prevent the work space 114 from having a hierarchical structure. On the other hand, the generation instruction of the descendant folder is not accepted from the user. For example, the menu item for instructing creation of a new folder is not displayed on the context menu invoked by a specific operation (for example, right click of the mouse) on the icon of the work space 114 in the folder pane 110. In addition, when a work space is opened in the document pane 120, a newly created item of the folder is not displayed in the context menu called on the work space (a part other than the document icon).

  Further, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the item “Copy to work space” is not included in the context menu 140 which is called from the folder in the folder pane 110 by an operation such as a right click of the mouse. As a result, the folder is not copied to the work space by one touch operation. Although the context menu 140 includes the item "copy" 142, what is executed when the item is selected by the user is to copy the folder (which may include the document and the descendant folder inside) to the clipboard Processing. Even if an operation of pasting to a working space is performed on a folder copied to the clipboard, the document processing unit 14 detects that an object to be pasted to the working space is a folder, an example So, I prohibit that paste. At this time, the document processing unit 14 displays the error notification screen 200 illustrated in FIG. 6 via the UI processing unit 16. On this error notification screen 200, an error message 202 indicating that the folder can not be copied to the work space is displayed.

  Similarly, for a folder not under the management of the document management system 10, the context menu does not include a menu item for calling the "Copy to workspace" application 24. Also, even if such a folder is to be copied to the work space via the clipboard, the document processing unit 14 detects that the folder is to be copied and prohibits the copying.

  Also, even if an attempt is made to copy or move a folder outside the work space by drag and drop operation into the work space opened in the document pane 120, the document processing unit 14 which manages the work space Ban. That is, when the document processing unit 14 detects that the object to be stored in the work space is a folder by its operation, the document processing unit 14 prohibits the storage and displays, for example, the above-mentioned error notification screen 200 (FIG. 6). .

  In the above, by prohibiting the copy of the folder to the work space, the hierarchical structure is prevented from being brought into the work space. As another example, when the user performs an operation of copying a folder to the work space, the document processing unit 14 may take out the document inside the folder and copy it to the work space. Here, the documents to be copied to the work space may be limited to only those directly included in the folder, or all the documents included in the folder and its descendant folders may be used. In any case, the folder itself selected as the target of copying or the descendant folder of the folder is not copied to the work space, and only the document is in the work space.

  When the document processing unit 14 receives an operation of copying a folder to the work space from the user, as illustrated in FIG. 7, an inquiry screen displaying a message 212 asking whether to copy only the document (file) in the folder 210 may be displayed via the UI processing unit 16. When the user presses the OK button in the inquiry screen 210, the document processing unit 14 creates a copy of each document in the folder, converts the copy into the data format of the document management system 10, and stores it in the work space. (Paste) If the user presses the cancel button, the document processing unit 14 cancels the process of copying the folder to the work space.

  Also, when the user performs an operation to copy a folder to the work space, whether to display the error notification screen 200 without executing copying (“prohibit folder copy”) or to copy only the document in the folder The user may set (“Copy the document in the folder”) to the setting management unit 18. In addition, in the case of copying only the document in the folder, the setting management unit 18 determines whether to copy only the document directly included in the folder or copy all the documents included in the folder and its descendant folders. It may be set to Further, when the above-mentioned "Copy documents in folder" is set in the setting management unit 18, the item "Copy to work space" is displayed in the context menu opened for the folder, and the above-mentioned "copy folder" If the "prohibit" is set, the display of the context menu may be controlled so as not to display the item "copy to work space" in the context menu.

  In addition, the document processing unit 14 displays the document group 120 in the folder in the document pane 120 of the document management screen 100 when the document group in the folder is taken out and copied to the workspace according to the instruction of the user copying the folder to the workspace. A space may be displayed to indicate that the copied document groups originate from the same folder. An example of this display is shown in FIG. The example of FIG. 8 is an example of the case where the purchase order folder 118 is copied to the work space in which the document A was originally stored. In the document pane 120, the icons of the documents B, C, and D newly added to the work space are emphasized (that is, in a more conspicuous display mode in the illustrated example, an outline in the illustrated example) than the icon of the document A originally existing. Is highlighted). In addition, the icons of the documents B, C, and D have a common display mode (for example, the same outline is the same color), and it is expressed that these three documents are copied from the same folder. There is. In addition, the icon of these three documents is accompanied by a file name representing the path name of the document from the order sheet folder. In the illustrated example, for example, the document B is a file directly included in the order sheet folder, whereas the document D is a file included in a folder named “201710” immediately below the order sheet folder. Further, in the display of FIG. 8, the icon of the document D is displayed below the icons of the documents B and C, thereby expressing that the document D belongs to a folder lower than the documents B and C. .

<Display at startup>
Next, the display of the document management screen 100 displayed when the document management system 10 is activated will be described.

  The setting managing unit 18 can set a folder opened in the document pane 120 of the document management screen 100 immediately after the start. A setting screen 300 for receiving the setting of the folder opened at the time of activation is illustrated in FIG. In this example, in the option column 302, it is possible to select a folder to be opened at startup from the user folder, the folder opened when the document management system 10 was terminated last time, and the work area. In the normal case except for the exceptional case described below, the document management system 10 determines a folder to be opened in the document pane 120 at startup according to the setting.

  On the other hand, the above-mentioned exceptional case is a case where a document is registered in the work space while the document management system 10 is ending (that is, while the document management system 10 is in a non-operating state). As described above, in the present embodiment, even when the document management system 10 is ending, the “Copy to workspace” application 24 is called from the context menu of the document on the UI of the file system, or a document such as a word processor is A document can be registered in the work space by giving a print instruction to the virtual printer whose work space is the print destination from an application to be generated or edited. As described above, when a document is registered in the work space while the document management system 10 is finished, the user is likely to have an intention of performing work using the document on the work space. However, if the setting of the folder to be opened at startup is a folder other than the work space, the folder opened immediately after the start of the document management system 10 is not the work space. Therefore, in order to confirm a new registered document in the work space, it is necessary to perform an operation of opening the work space.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, when a document is registered in the work space while the document management system 10 is ending (that is, a period in which the document management system 10 is not executed, that is, not operated), the document is opened at startup. A work space is opened in the document pane 120 when the document management system 10 is started, regardless of folder settings. An example of the procedure of display control at the time of activation is shown in FIG.

  In the procedure of FIG. 10, when the document management system 10 is activated, the UI processing unit 16 first checks the presence or absence of a document registered in the work space after the previous termination of the document management system 10 (S10). The investigation in S10 is performed, for example, on a program (for example, “Copy to workspace” application 24 and virtual printer) having a function of registering the document in the workspace while the UI processing unit 16 terminates the document management system 10. This is done by inquiring whether the document has been registered during the end period. The program (that is, a virtual processing device realized by causing the computer to execute the program) records a log including information of the time when the document is registered in the work space, and the UI processing unit 16 Returns the last time the document was registered in the work space, in response to a query from. If the time returned from the program is between the previous end time of the document management system 10 (which is recorded by the document management system 10) and the current time, the UI processing unit 16 operates the document management system It is determined that there is a document registered in the work space while 10 is finished. Alternatively, the UI processing unit 16 may send an inquiry including the previous end time of the document management system 10 to the program, and may reply whether the program has registered a document after the end time. Alternatively, instead of making a query to the application, the UI processing unit 16 may make the determination by referring to the log recorded by the program. Alternatively, when the program stores the document in the work space (such as copying), the flag is set to a value indicating “stored”, and the UI processing unit 16 refers to the flag when the document management system 10 is started. The document management system 10 may determine whether the document is stored in the non-operating workspace and reset the flag. As yet another example, the document management system 10 stores a list of documents in the work space at the time of the previous termination, and collates this list with the documents in the work space at the time of activation this time. It may be determined whether there is a document newly added to the work space during the termination.

  If it is determined in S10 that there is a document added to the work space during termination of the document management system 10 (S12), the UI processing unit 16 displays the document group in the work space on the document pane 120 The management screen 100 is displayed (S14). On the other hand, if it is determined in S12 that there is no document added to the work space during termination of the document management system 10, the UI processing unit 16 determines that the folder corresponding to the setting of “folder to open at startup” in the setting management unit 18 The document management screen 100 opened in the document pane 120 is displayed (S16).

  FIG. 11 illustrates the document management screen 100 in which the document group in the work space is displayed in the document pane 120, which is displayed by the process of S14 when the document management system 10 is started. In this example, for a work space in which only a document named "提案 proposal" existed at the previous end of the document management system 10, "と い う additional material" is newly added during the end of the period. The document management screen 100 is displayed when the document management system 10 is started after the document of the name is registered. In this example, the icon of the newly registered document “ΔΔ additional material” in the document pane 120 is displayed in a display mode different from the icon of the existing document “Δ 既存 proposal”. In particular, the icon of the newly registered document is displayed in a display manner more prominent than the icon of the existing document.

  Further, as in the document management screen 100 of FIG. 8 described above, the information of the copy source folder of each document registered in the work space during the termination of the document management system 10 is reflected on the document management screen 100 opened at startup. May be That is, in the example of FIG. 8, the file name including the information of the path of the document of the copy source of the document is displayed together with the icon of each document newly registered in the work space. In addition, the hierarchy of the folder to which the newly registered document belongs is expressed in the order of arrangement from the top of the icon of each document.

  In the procedure of FIG. 10, when a document is registered in the work space during termination of the document management system 10, the work space is always opened on the document management screen 100 when the document management system 10 is started thereafter. But this is an example. Instead, the user sets the folder to be opened in the document management screen 100 at startup of the document management system 10 after the document is registered in the workspace during termination as the workspace, or the user follows the setting of the folder to be opened at startup. It may be set in the setting management unit 18.

  In the above example, the operation at startup of the document management system 10 in the case where there is a document registered in the work space while the document management system 10 is finished has been described, but the same operation is performed for folders other than the work space May be performed. In this case, the user sets the folder to be the target of this operation in the setting management unit 18. The document management system 10 opens the folder in the document pane 120 of the document management screen 100 to be displayed when it is found that the document is added to the folder during the termination of the document management system 10 when the document management system 10 is started.

<Display the original location of the document in the work space>
The work space is a virtual work place where it is assumed that, for example, a document stored in folders in a hierarchical structure for organizing is copied and work is performed using the copied document. In order to do this, the user may need information on the copy source location (folder) of the document in the workspace. For example, in an operation of correcting a document to be corrected while comparing it with a model document, from the folder containing the group of model documents, the present model document from the folder containing the document to be corrected Consider copying to the work space. In this case, when the user determines whether each document on the work space is a model document or a document to be corrected, it is useful to know the information of the copy source location of each document. Also, it may be necessary to refer to other documents in the folder from which the documents in the workspace are copied.

  Therefore, the document management system 10 adds, as an attribute, information on the storage location of the copy source document to the document copied to the work space. That is, a processing unit having a function of copying a document to the work space (for example, the document processing unit 14 that registers the document in the work space while the document management system 10 is in operation, or When copying to a workspace, the "Copy to workspace" application 24) that can be registered in the workspace copies the document's attribute in the folder to the workspace, for example, the name "original location" Add the path name of the copy source document as the attribute item of. This makes it possible to process the document on the workspace using the "original place" attribute.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12, when the UI processing unit 16 receives an instruction to display attribute information of a document selected by the user in the work space opened on the document pane 120, the UI processing unit 16 displays the attribute information. The information view 150 is displayed. In the information view 150, in addition to the "place" 152 (for example, the path name of the document) in which the document is stored, the value of the "original location" 154 of the document is displayed.

  In addition, the UI processing unit 16 may perform display in which the “original place” is reflected for each document in the work space opened on the document pane 120. An example of such a display is shown in FIG. In this example, the display modes of the icons 162A to 162F of each document in the work space opened on the document pane 120 are distinguished for each “original place”. For example, since documents B, C, and D have the same folder of “original place”, display modes (for example, color of icon and its outline, thickness of line, brightness) of icons 162B, 162C, and 162D of those three documents Etc., and the display mode is different from the display modes of the icon 162A of the document A and the icons 162E and 162F of the documents E and F in which the folder of the “original place” is different.

  Further, in the example of FIG. 13, a file name reflecting the “original place” of the document is displayed together with the icon of each document. For example, although the document A is copied from one of the monthly subfolders of the order sheet folder in the user folder under the management of the document management system 10, the file name display of the icon 162A of the document A is the document management system 10 It is a character string representing a path from ("document management") to the document A (copy source) in the monthly subfolder. Also, although an illustration is omitted, for a document copied to the work space from another local folder that is not under the control of the document management system 10, in the file name display, a character string representing the full path of the copy source of the document Is displayed.

  Also, files on a remote server outside the computer on which the document management system 10 is installed can be copied to the work space. The document management screen 100 illustrated in FIG. 13 shows a state where the cloud service 119 having a document storage function on the Internet is mounted on the document management system 10 and used. The icons 162 E and 162 F represent copies of the documents E and F in the folder in the cloud service 119. Here, although the entities of the documents E and F exist as temporary files in the computer, the URLs of the copy sources of the documents E and F (Uniform Resource) are displayed in the icons 162E and 162F so as not to make the user aware of them. The file name display showing Locator is attached. When the information view 150 similar to FIG. 12 is displayed for the documents E and F, as shown in FIG. 14, the URL is displayed in the column of the original place 154a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the UI processing unit 16 may display the icons of the documents in the work space expanded on the document pane 120 by grouping the same folder as the copy source folder. In the illustrated example, icons 162 of documents of the same copy source folder are arranged in an area surrounded by a frame 164 for grouping. In the illustrated example, the nested structure of the frame 164 expresses the hierarchy of the folder to which each document belongs. For example, the display of FIG. 15 is stored in a folder a in which the document B is represented by a frame 164a, and the documents C and D are stored in another folder b (represented by a frame 164b) under the folder a. It expresses that it is saved.

  The UI processing unit 16 also has a function of opening a folder of "original place" of the document in the work space and displaying a document group in the folder. For example, in FIG. 16, in the work space expanded on the document pane 120, the user places the cursor on an icon 162 of a certain document (that is, selects the document) and the context Indicates a state in which is displayed. The context menu 170 includes a menu item 172 "Open Original Location". When the user selects this menu item, the UI processing unit 16 displays an icon of a document group in the “original place” of the document (a folder in which the copy source of the document is stored) as illustrated in FIG. Is displayed. In the example of FIG. 17, the document pane 120 is divided into upper and lower parts, a work space is displayed in the lower pane 120b, and the "original place" is displayed in the upper pane 120a. In the illustrated example, the pane 120 a displays icons of three documents stored in the “original place”. The user can open and browse the document in the pane 120a, and copy the document in the pane 120a to the lower pane 120b (work space) by a drag and drop operation. In addition, while the "original place" is opened, among the documents in the work space of the lower pane 120b, the document icon corresponding to the "original place" (ie, the "original place" is to be opened. The selected document) may be displayed in a display mode (e.g., highlighting by changing color, brightness, etc.) that can be distinguished from the icons of other documents in the work space. This informs the user as to which document in the workspace corresponds to the open "original place".

  Also, among the "original location" documents in the pane 120a, the icon of the document having the same name as the document in the lower pane 120b (that is, the copy source document) corresponding to the "original location" It may be displayed in a display mode distinguishable from the icons of the other documents in the "place of".

  Also, when "original location" is opened in the upper pane 120a from the context menu 170 etc. for a document in the workspace, the "original location" folder currently opened in the pane 120a is "original location" The icon of the document in the work space (lower pane 120b) having as an attribute may be displayed in a display form distinguishable from the icon group whose "original place" attribute is other than that. As a result, the user can grasp, in the work space (lower pane 120b), a document whose “original place” is the same as the document selected as the focus in the work space. If it is possible to grasp a document that came from the same "original place" as the document the user is focusing on in the work space, it will be helpful for the user's work.

  Also, when displaying an icon of a document that has the same "original place" attribute as the document selected by the user like this, so as to distinguish it from other documents in the work space, first open the "original place" The icon of the document in the workspace in which the operation was performed and the icons of the documents in the other workspaces having the “original place” as an attribute are displayed in a display form that can be mutually identified in the lower pane 120b. May be That is, in this example, the icon of the document in the workspace in which the operation of opening the “original place” is performed first is displayed so that the “original place” can be distinguished from the icons of the same other documents. As a result, the user can distinguish the document (the target of the operation of opening the “original place”) originally focused on from the other documents (in particular, the other documents having the “original place” in common). It is considered that the series of work performed by opening the “original place” is often positioned like a sub-work performed by interrupting the main work. Marking the document that has been opened in the first place so that it can be distinguished from other documents as in this example can provide guidance for the user to smoothly return to the original main work.

  For example, while performing work using a document in the work space, the user needs to refer to other documents in the "original place" of the document or use other documents for work. If it occurs, use the function of opening this "original place". Also, by performing an "open" operation such as clicking on the icon of the document displayed in the upper pane 120a, the document in the "original place" can be opened and its contents can be displayed.

  Also, when the “original place” is a folder not under the management of the document management system 10, the document management system 10 calls the UI of the file system of the OS (for example, Explorer (trademark) of Windows (registered trademark)), You may open the "original location" folder on the screen of that UI. Of course, in this case as well, as in the example of FIG. 17, the “original place” may be opened in the pane or window generated in the document management screen 100.

  Also, even when the “original place” is in a remote computer connected from the document management system 10 via the network, the document management system 10 similarly acquires the information of the “original place” folder. , Display on the screen.

  The button 138 in the operation button area 130 is a button for calling an operation to open the “original place”. By pressing the button 138 and selecting the target document from within the work space, the user can open the "original place" folder of the document on the screen, as described above.

  Also, the UI processing unit 16 receives an instruction to write the document in the work space back to the “original place”. The write back may be an overwrite to the document of the same name in the “original place”, or may be a process of writing a new name and writing it in the “original place” folder. The UI processing unit 16 adds, for example, “Overwrite original location” and “Name,” to the context menu called from the icon of the document in the work space displayed on the document pane 120 or the folder pane 110 of the document management screen 100. Menu item such as “Save to original location” is displayed, and if the former is selected, the document is overwritten on the document of the same name of “original location”, and if the latter is selected, input of the name of the document is accepted. Save the file with its name in the "original place".

  In the above example, the path name of the document that is the copy source of the document is recorded as the "original place" attribute of the document in the work space, but not the entire path name but the end document name is excluded from the path name (That is, the path of the folder to which the copy source document belongs) may be taken as the "original place" attribute. Even in this case, services that do not require identification of the copy source document can be provided.

  In the above example, with respect to the document registered in the work space from another folder, the information of the original place is recorded, and various services according to the information are provided. However, the same handling may be performed for folders other than the work space. In this case, the user sets in the setting management unit 18 a folder to be a target of the “original place” service. When a document is registered from another folder in the folder indicated by the setting, the document management system 10 records information of “original place” in the attribute of the document.

Temporary clearing up of work space
A case is considered where it is necessary to execute another higher priority work on the document management system 10 while the user is working using the work space. In this case, the document group for the current work in the work space can be put away (saved) once to save the work space, and the document group for the new work can be placed in the free work space. And work efficiency is good. It is also useful to be able to re-open the interrupted documents by re-deploying the documents that were cleaned up in the work space after the interrupted work is completed. Below, the function of temporary tidying-up of such work which the document management system 10 has is described.

  As shown in FIG. 18, with the work space 114 open on the document pane 120, the UI processing unit 16 places the right of the mouse on the ground portion of the document pane 120 (the area without the document icon 122). When a specific operation such as a click is performed, a context menu 180 for the work space is displayed. The context menu 180 includes a menu item "set up" 182. The user instructs the temporary cleaning of the document in the current workspace by selecting this menu item "Keep up". The user can also instruct temporary cleaning of the document group currently held in the work space 114 by pressing the button 136 in the operation button area 130.

  When instructed to clean up, the clean-up processing unit 20 (see FIG. 1) is activated. The putting-up processing unit 20 executes, for example, the procedure shown in FIG. In this procedure, the putting-up processing unit 20 first displays the putting-up dialogue 400 (see FIG. 20) on the screen through the UI processing unit 16 (S20). In the clearing dialog 400, a message 402 for requesting to input a name of a folder to be newly created as a clearing destination of a document group in the work space, and an input field 404 for the name are displayed. When initially displayed, the input field 404 displays a default name (for example, a string indicating the current date and time) generated according to a preset naming convention. The user changes the name in the input field 404 to his / her desired one, as needed. If it is determined that the grouping folder with the name displayed in the input field 404 is generated and that the document group is to be sorted out in that folder, the user presses the OK button. On the other hand, when canceling the tidying up, the cancel button is pressed. Note that if there is already a tidying folder with the same name as the name input to the input field 404 of the tidying dialog 400, the tidying-up processing unit 20 does not immediately create the tidying folder with that name, and the tiling field 404 Prompt the user to change the name entered in. Then, when a name different from the existing tidying folder is input, a tidying folder is newly generated with that name.

  The putting-up processing unit 20 determines whether the user has pressed either the OK or cancel button (S22), and ends the processing when the cancel button is pressed.

  When the OK button is pressed, the tidying-up processing unit 20 adds a new folder having a name in the input field 404 directly under the work space 114 in the hierarchical structure of folders under management of the document management system 10 (see FIG. A tidying folder is created (S24). Then, the putting-up processing unit 20 moves all the documents in the work space to the putting-up folder created in S24 (S26). That is, the documents are stored in the tidying folder, and the documents are deleted from the work space.

  In this example, the tidying folder is a subfolder (child folder) of the workspace, which is an exception to the principle that the workspace has no child folder inside. Unlike the folders that make up the hierarchical structure for organizing documents, the tidying folder is a folder having a limited role of a temporary save destination of the work space, and in this example, only such tidying folder Allows placement below work space. Unlike a folder having a hierarchical structure for organizing documents, there is no special meaning that the arrangement folder is "below" the work space. If it is indicated in the attribute information or the like of the arrangement folder that the arrangement folder is the arrangement destination of the document group in the work space, the arrangement folder may not be arranged below the work space.

  As a result of the arrangement process, the document management screen 100 displayed is, for example, as shown in FIG. In the document management screen 100 of FIG. 21, the icon of the putting-up folder 115 is displayed in the hierarchy immediately below the icon of the work space 114 in the folder pane 110. In addition, in the work space displayed in the document pane 120, there is no icon of the document.

  In addition, it is necessary to start the second work using the work space after putting the document group of the first work into the first arrangement folder, and to carry out another work while the second work is being performed. If this happens, the document group for the second operation in the work space will be further cleaned up. In this case, the putting-up processing unit 20 creates a second putting-up folder different from the first putting-up folder in the hierarchy immediately below the working space, and moves (saves) the document group in the current working space to this folder. Do. Thus, multiple tidy-up folders can be created.

  The putting-up folder 115 is a save destination for temporarily saving a document group for work which has been performed using the work space, and it is prohibited to work using the putting-up folder 115. This is to clarify the principle of working with documents in the work space.

  If the clearing folder is opened in the document pane 120 and an operation such as editing, adding or deleting a document is accepted, the distinction between the working space and the clearing folder becomes ambiguous, and a plurality of working spaces substantially exist. . If this is accepted, the user must always be aware of whether the work currently being worked is that of the work space or which tidying-up folder. For example, after the user opens the sort-up folder and executes the work using the documents in the work, the work is temporarily interrupted and the document management system 10 is terminated, and then a new document to be used for the work Suppose you find When using the new document for work, the user needs to, for example, start up the document management system 10, identify and open the tidying folder opened before interruption, and save the document in the tithing folder. In order to specify the tidy-up folder that was open before the interruption, the user must remember that the tidy-up folder has been used for the most recent work. In addition, it is possible to copy a new document used for the interrupted work to the work space using, for example, the “Copy to work space” application 24 without opening the document management system 10, but it is possible to work before the interruption. It is an error to copy the document to the work space (this is for work separate from the tiling folder) if it was the tithing folder. However, if you let the user specify the copy destination work space or tidying folder, the user's memory is tried as in the case of copying the document to the tidying folder before interruption after opening the document management system 10 It becomes.

  On the other hand, if the work is performed in the work space and the tidying folder is controlled so as not to be used as a work place (that is, editing or the like is not recognized), such a problem can be eliminated or reduced.

  The document processing unit 14 may receive an operation of opening the clearing folder 115 on the document pane 120 or an operation of opening a document in the clearing folder 115. This can be used, for example, for the user to confirm the contents of the tidying up folder. However, in order to make the clearing folder unusable for work, an operation (edit, delete, etc.) for changing the contents of the document in the clearing folder 115, adding a new document to the clearing folder 115, or clearing the clearing folder The operation of deleting the document from 115 is not permitted. For example, when the user drops a document into the putting-up folder 115 by a drag and drop operation, the document processing unit 14 does not receive the drop operation, but instead, the document is transferred to the putting-up folder through the UI processing unit 16. Display an error screen (not shown) indicating that addition is prohibited. In addition, when the user performs an operation of opening a document in the clearing folder opened on the document pane 120, the document processing unit 14 opens the document on the screen in a read-only (non-editable) state.

  While the workspace is "active" in the sense that it accepts an operation to change the content, a tidying-up folder in which the operation to modify the content is not permitted may be regarded as an "inactive" workspace.

  Next, the resumption of temporarily cleared work will be described. That is, hereinafter, a case will be described in which, after the interrupted second operation is completed, the document group of the first operation which has been cleaned up before that is expanded into the work space again and the first operation is resumed. In this case, as shown in FIG. 22, the user opens the context menu 190 of the tidying-up folder 115 whose work is to be resumed from the folder pane 110 of the document management screen 100. The context menu 190 includes a menu item 192 "return to work space". When the user selects the menu item “return to work space” by clicking operation or the like, the putting-up processing unit 20 executes processing for returning the document in the putting-up folder to the work space. The procedure of this process is illustrated in FIG.

  In the processing procedure of FIG. 23, when receiving the instruction to return the putting-up folder to the work space, the putting-up processing unit 20 first determines whether the present document exists in the work space (S30). If there is no current document in the work space, the arrangement processing unit 20 moves all the documents in the arrangement folder to the work space (S40), and after the movement is completed, deletes the arrangement folder (S42).

  If it is determined in S30 that the document currently exists in the work space, the documents in the work space need to be maintained. In this case, the putting-up processing unit 20 generates a putting-up folder for saving the documents in the current work space, and moves the document group to the folder. That is, the putting-up processing unit 20 displays the putting-up return dialog 410 illustrated in FIG. 24 on the screen (S32). In this dialog 410, a message indicating that the document in the current workspace needs to be cleaned up to return the document in the cleanup folder to the workspace, and a message prompting the user to input a name of a new cleanup folder for that purpose 412 and an entry field 414 for the name are included. This entry field 414 displays a default name, similar to the entry field 404 of the clearing dialog 400 of FIG. 20, and the user can change it to his / her desired name. If it is determined that the grouping folder with the name displayed in the input field 414 is generated and that the document group in the work space is to be sorted out to that folder, the user presses the OK button. On the other hand, when canceling this tidying up, the cancel button is pressed.

  The putting-up processing unit 20 determines which of the OK and Cancel buttons has been pressed by the user (S34), and ends the process when the Cancel button is pressed. In this case, the tidying-up folder selected by the user as the return target and the work space are maintained as they are.

  When the OK button is pressed, the tidying-up processing unit 20 creates a new tidying-up folder having the name in the input field 414 at the level immediately below the working space 114 (S36), and all the tirings currently in the working space. The document is moved to the clearing folder (S38). This will empty the work space. Thereafter, the putting-up processing unit 20 moves all the documents in the putting-up folder selected to be returned to the work space (S40). As a result, in the work space, a document group that has been in the clearing folder up to that time is held, and the clearing folder becomes empty. The putting-up processing unit 20 deletes the emptying put-up folder (S42).

  A document in the work space has, as an attribute, information on the position of the icon of the document on the work space (that is, the coordinates at which the icon of the document is arranged in the coordinate system of the document pane 120). The attributes are maintained even for documents that have been cleaned up from the workspace into a tidy folder. When the clearing folder is returned to the work space, the icon of each document is placed on the document pane 120 at the position indicated by the attribute.

  In the above example, the arrangement folder is restricted by prohibiting an operation to change its contents, that is, adding or deleting a document in the arrangement folder, editing a document in the arrangement folder, etc. Depending on the condition, part or all of the restriction may be released. For example, the setting management unit 18 is provided with setting information of an operation for the clearing folder, and the user performs each operation (for example, addition of document to the clearing folder, deletion of the document in the clearing folder, editing of the document in the clearing folder). Whether to allow or not may be selected.

  In the above example, when interrupting the current work and starting a new work, the document group in the work space is moved to the newly generated clean-up folder by the clean-up instruction and the work space is made available instead. The work space may be changed to an inactive state, a new work space for new work may be created, and the new work space may be activated. In this case, the document management system 10 activates a selected one of the plurality of work spaces to be held, and manages the other work spaces as an inactive state. The document management system 10 permits operations for changing the contents of the workspace such as addition, deletion, and editing of documents for the active workspace, but the contents of the workspace for the inactive workspace. Do not allow the operation to change. The UI processing unit 16 treats the work space in the active state among the plurality of work spaces as the work space 114 in the folder pane 110 of the document management screen 100, and deletes the inactive work space in the folder pane 110. Treat as.

  Also, the same temporary tidying-up processing as described above may be applied to folders other than the work space.

<Work space synchronization>
A process of synchronizing a work space in the document management system 10 with a folder corresponding to a work space in another computer will be described. Here, the synchronization of two folders (a work space is also a kind of folder) is processing for making sets of documents held by the two folders coincide with each other. That is, in two synchronized folders, the document held in one folder is also held in the other folder, and there is no document held in one folder but not held in the other folder. Further, not only the file name but also the contents and the last update date of the same document held in the two folders coincide with each other.

  Such work space synchronization is used, for example, in the following case. For example, a case where a plurality of users put the same document in the work space in each computer, and each one works with the document in the work space of their own computer to realize a pseudo-collaborative work It is an example. In addition, when working with a computer at a first location when there is an identical user and performing the same task with a computer at a second location at another time, it is possible to synchronize work spaces in the two computers. It will be necessary. Also in the case of joint work, even when the same user changes the time and performs the same work on different computers, the work space in the first computer corresponds to the work space in the server such as the cloud service on the Internet. Once synchronized to the folder, there is also an operation of synchronizing from the folder on the server to the work space of the second computer. In the following, the case where the work space of the document management system 10 in a certain computer is synchronized with the corresponding folder on the cloud service will be described as an example.

  In this example, as illustrated in FIG. 25, the folder structure of the cloud service 119 used by the user is mounted on the folder structure of the document management system 10. In the cloud service 119, a folder 119a for a user (temporarily named "user A") using the document management system 10 is provided, and a work space 119b is provided in the folder 119a. There is. The work space 119b (the entity is in a cloud service on the Internet) is a folder corresponding to the work space of the user A in the document management system 10, and is provided to synchronize with this work space. In the illustrated example, in the hierarchical structure of the folders, the tidying folder 115 exists below the work space 114.

  Further, in the operation button area 130, a synchronization button 139 is provided. The synchronization button 139 is a button for instructing execution of synchronization between the workspace in the document management system 10 and the workspace folder in the cloud service 119.

  In the example of FIG. 25, a work space is opened in the document pane 120 of the document management screen 100. In this state, the arrangement button 136, the "original place" button 138 and the synchronization button 139 in the operation button area 130 are in the active state (that is, the state where the user can select), and the "copy to work space" button 134 can not be selected. State (display with low contrast, the user can not select this operation). In the document pane 120, a tool box 500 for a work space is displayed, and in the tool box 500, an arrangement button 502, an "original place" button 504 and a synchronization button 506 are included. These buttons 502 to 506 have the same role as the button of the same name in the operation button area 130. (Also in the example described with reference to FIG. 4 and the like, a tool box 500 for the same work space may be displayed in the document pane 120 in which the work space is displayed.)

  In this example, with the work space 114 open on the document pane 120, the user presses the sync button 139 or 506 (for example, selects it with a mouse click operation) to select the work space 114 and the cloud service 119. It can be synchronized with the internal work space 119b. That is, when the synchronization button 139 or the like is pressed, the synchronization processing unit 22 (see FIG. 1) is activated, and the synchronization processing unit 22 includes the work space 114 in the document management system 10 and the work space 119b in the cloud service 119. And copy the document between the two, and delete the document, etc. so that the set of documents possessed by and (the details will be exemplified in the subsequent section "Resolving Inconsistencies at Synchronization") ).

  Although not shown, a menu item for synchronizing with the cloud is displayed on the context menu called for the icon of the work space 114 of the folder pane 110, and the synchronization is executed by selecting this menu item. Good.

  The synchronization processor 22 synchronizes only the documents in the work spaces 114 and 119b during the synchronization process of the work space 114 and the work space 119b. Even if there are subfolders (that is, tiling up folders) in the work spaces 114 and 119b, the synchronization processing unit 22 does not, in principle, automatically synchronize the subfolders when synchronizing the work space. This reduces the amount of communication between the document management system 10 and the cloud service at the time of work space synchronization.

  FIG. 26 illustrates the document management screen 100 in a state where the putting-up folder 115 is opened on the document pane 120. In the state where the clearing folder 115 is opened, the "Copy to work space" button 134, the clearing button 136, the "original place" button 138 and the synchronization button 139 in the operation button area 130 are not selectable and are for the work space. The toolbox corresponding to the toolbox 500 is not displayed either. Therefore, the clearing folder 115 can not be synchronized with the cloud service by at least one touch button operation. A menu item for synchronizing with the cloud is displayed on the icon of the putting-away folder 115 or the context menu called from the document pane 120 so that the putting-away folder 115 can be synchronized with the cloud service by selecting this menu item. It is also good.

  As described above, the tidy-up folder 115 is not synchronized with the cloud service when the work space is synchronized with the cloud service in principle. However, when the user instructs the synchronization of the work space, the synchronization processing unit 22 may inquire of the user whether to synchronize the tiling folder simultaneously. An example of the inquiry screen 600 displayed by the synchronization processing unit 22 for this inquiry is shown in FIG. The inquiry screen 600 includes a message 602 prompting the user to select a tidying folder to be synchronized with the work space synchronized with the cloud side, and a display field 604 for a list of tidying folders to be selected. The display field 604 lists the names of the tidying folders included in the work space. A check box is displayed on the left side of the name of the arrangement folder in the list, and the user checks the check box to select the arrangement folder to be synchronized. When the number of sorting folders is large and the entire display can not be displayed in the display field 604, the display range is scrolled by the scroll bar 606 at the end of the display field 604. Here, the arrangement of the arrangement folders in the list displayed in the display field 604 may be, for example, in the order of the newest generation date and time of the arrangement folders. In this way, when the inquiry screen 600 is opened, the tidying-up folder with the latest creation date is displayed at the top of the display field 604, and thereafter, the tidying-down folders are arranged in the descending order of the creation date.

  If there is a tidying-up folder to be synchronized at the same time as the work space, the user puts a check mark in the check box to indicate the intention of selection, and then presses the OK button. Thereby, the synchronization processing unit 22 synchronizes the work space and the selected putting-up folder with the corresponding folder on the cloud service side.

  In the above example, work space synchronization is performed according to a user's instruction, but instead, synchronization may be automatically performed at, for example, periodic timing. For example, when the document management system 10 is started, synchronization may be performed automatically.

  In addition, the setting of the user may be accepted for this automatic synchronization. FIG. 28 exemplifies a setting screen 700 for a work space including setting of automatic synchronization. The setting screen 700 includes a setting field 702 for automatic synchronization of the work space and a setting field 704 for automatic synchronization of the arrangement folder. In the setting column 702 for automatic synchronization of work space, the option of not performing automatic synchronization and the option of performing automatic synchronization can be selected by a radio button, and for the latter option, the timing of performing automatic synchronization is a check box And one or more of these timings can be selected. As an option of automatic synchronization timing of the work space, there is a timing at which a change occurs in the work space such as addition or deletion of a document, and a periodic timing, and for the latter, an interval between periodic timings is It can be set. Further, in the setting field 704 for automatic synchronization of the arrangement folder, two options of not performing automatic synchronization and the option of performing automatic synchronization when the arrangement folder is generated can be selected by radio buttons. Note that the options illustrated in FIG. 28 are merely exemplary, and there may be other options, for example.

  As described above, in this example, the work space can be synchronized with the cloud service by one-touch operation, but synchronization of the tidying up folder with the cloud service is not permitted, or in the case of the work space even if it is permitted. It requires more complicated operations (eg call and select context menu). In addition, the timing of automatic synchronization is also more limited than the work space.

  The same synchronous control can be applied to the above-described method using the active workspace and the inactive workspace, instead of using the workspace and the arrangement folder. In this case, the active work space may be treated as a work space in the above synchronization processing, and the inactive work space may be treated as a tiling folder in the above synchronization processing.

<Resolving inconsistencies during synchronization>
Next, synchronization processing between the work space 114 in the document management system 10 and the corresponding folder (work space 119b) on the cloud service side will be described in more detail.

  For this synchronization process, the synchronization processing unit 22 manages a synchronization management file. In the synchronization management file, update dates and times of the respective documents in the work space 114 and the corresponding folder on the cloud service side at the time of the previous synchronization are recorded. Every time synchronization is executed, the synchronization processing unit 22 checks the update date and time of the work space after completion of the synchronization and each document in the corresponding folder on the cloud service side, and updates the synchronization management file accordingly.

  When executing synchronization processing, the synchronization processing unit 22 detects addition, deletion, and updating of documents in the work space of the document management system 10 and the corresponding folder of the cloud service by referring to the synchronization management file.

  FIG. 29 illustrates the procedure of the synchronization process performed by the synchronization processing unit 22. In this procedure, the synchronization processing unit 22 first acquires a list of documents existing in the work space of the document management system 10 and a list of documents existing in the corresponding folder of the cloud service as the synchronization partner (S50).

  Next, the synchronization processing unit 22 collates the document list of the work space acquired in S50 and the document list of the corresponding folder with the synchronization management file (S52). In this collation, for example, if a document in the document list of the workspace is not recorded in the synchronization management file, it can be determined that the document is a document added to the workspace after the previous synchronization. Also, for example, when the document recorded in the synchronization management file is not in the document list of the work space, it can be determined that the document is deleted from the work space. If the update date and time of the document in the document list of the work space is later than the update date and time of the same document recorded in the synchronous management file, it can be determined that the document in the work space has been updated. The same determination is made for the documents in the cloud service-side compatible folder.

  Next, the synchronization processing unit 22 uploads the document added to the work space found in S52 to the corresponding folder on the cloud service side, and similarly downloads the document found to be added to the corresponding folder on the cloud service side to the work space (S54). When it is determined that the document recorded in the synchronization management file is updated in one of the work space or the cloud service but not in the other, the synchronization processing unit 22 reflects the update in the other. It is also good. For example, if a document in the workspace is updated and the same document on the cloud service side is not updated, the document on the workspace is overwritten on the same document in the corresponding folder on the cloud service side.

  Next, based on the information obtained in S52, the synchronization processing unit 22 lists the inconsistencies of the documents between the work space and the corresponding folder on the cloud side due to deletion or update of the documents and lists the respective inconsistencies. A batch synchronization screen for receiving specification of a solution method from the user is generated (S56).

  The inconsistencies extracted here are limited to those that require the user to make a decision. For example, a document added to one of the workspace and the corresponding folder on the cloud side and a document updated on one side and not updated on the other side, which were processed in S54, are inconsistent in a broad sense, but these are added It is clear that priority should be given to the document that has been updated or updated, and it is not necessary to ask for the user's judgment. Also, if the document recorded in the synchronization management file is deleted from both the workspace and the corresponding folder on the cloud side, it is clear that the document is unnecessary for the user, and the synchronization is performed. It is not necessary to ask the user for judgment.

  The inconsistencies extracted in S56 include the following cases. One is a case where the document is deleted from one of the workspace and the corresponding folder on the cloud service side, but the document remains in the other. In this case, the user may want to use the remaining document, so the user is asked for a solution to the inconsistency (only one is deleted). In the second case, the same document is updated in both the workspace and the corresponding folder on the cloud side. This case is called a race condition. In the case of a race condition, the user is asked which update to activate (ie, which one to employ in this synchronization). The batch synchronization screen is configured to receive the selection of the solution method from the user for each of the inconsistencies corresponding to these cases. The batch synchronization screen will be described later.

  Next, the synchronization processing unit 22 displays the batch synchronization screen, and receives from the user the selection of the solution method (action) for each mismatch (S58). Then, these inconsistencies are resolved with the solution selected by the user (S59). The solution of this inconsistency (and the process of S54) realizes synchronization between the work space and the corresponding folder on the cloud service side.

  The example of the procedure of the synchronization process has been described above. Next, an example of the batch synchronization screen 800 displayed in S58 will be described with reference to FIG. The batch synchronization screen 800 includes a message asking the user for a treatment, a work space priority button 802, a cloud priority button 804, and an inconsistency list 810.

  Inconsistencies extracted at S56 are listed in the inconsistencies list 810. In the inconsistency list 810, for each inconsistency, the document name (file name) of the document in which the inconsistency is detected, the explanation of the "state" of the inconsistency, and the resolution of the inconsistency. The item of action (solution method) is included. The action item is configured as a pull-down menu, which lists action options for resolving the inconsistent "state". The user can select an action for resolving the inconsistency from the pull-down menu.

  The workspace priority button 802 is a button for selecting an action for prioritizing the document on the workspace side with respect to all the inconsistencies in the inconsistency list 810. The cloud priority button 804 is a button for selecting an action for prioritizing a document in the corresponding folder on the cloud service side with respect to all the inconsistencies in the incompatibility list 810.

  FIG. 31 illustrates a determination table for each inconsistent “state”. This table shows, for each “state”, the action options that can be selected from the pull-down menu and which of those options is selected when the workspace priority button 802 or the cloud priority button 804 is pressed. It is done. For example, for the inconsistent state (the same document remains on the cloud side) that the document has been deleted from the workspace, the action options that can be selected include the action of deleting the document on the cloud, and There is an action of returning the document to the workspace (ie, downloading the document in the cloud to the workspace). Among the options of these actions, a circle is shown in the one selected when the work space priority button 802 and the cloud priority button 804 are respectively pressed. For example, when the work space priority button 802 is pressed, the action of deleting the document on the cloud is selected, and when the cloud priority button 804 is pressed, the document is returned from the cloud to the work space Action is selected.

  When the work space priority button 802 on the batch synchronization screen 800 is pressed, the synchronization processing unit 22 sets the pull-down menu of the action corresponding to each document in the inconsistency list 810 to the work space priority button in the determination table of FIG. It changes to the state which selected the option when 802 is pressed. Also, when the cloud priority button 804 is pressed, the synchronization processing unit 22 presses the cloud priority button 804 in the determination table of FIG. 31 for the pull-down menu of the action corresponding to each document in the inconsistency list 810. Change the time option to the selected state. It is also possible to reselect an action in the pull-down menu for each document after selecting the action option for each inconsistent document collectively using the workspace priority button 802 and the cloud priority button 804. In addition, it is also possible to perform batch selection again by using the work space priority button 802 and the cloud priority button 804 again.

  When the user presses the OK button on the batch synchronization screen 800, the action selected at that time for each document in the inconsistency list 810 becomes the action of synchronization processing (inconsistency resolution) applied to the document. . The synchronization processing unit 22 executes the action for each of the documents.

  In addition, in the collective synchronization screen 800 illustrated in FIG. 30, selection fixing means (for example, GUI button) may be provided in association with the pull-down menu of the action of each mismatched document to receive fixation of selection. The pull-down menu of the inconsistent document whose option is fixed by the selection fixing means according to the user's instruction does not change the selection state even when the work space priority button 802 and the cloud priority button 804 are pressed (ie, fixed Options are maintained).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 32, among the types of inconsistencies shown in the batch synchronization screen 800, regarding the update conflict between the local (document management system 10) side and the cloud service side, each of the local and cloud side updates The time may be displayed. Such display of the update time is reference information when the user determines which of the local and the cloud side to adopt. Although it is conceivable that the synchronization processing unit 22 automatically selects the one with the newer update time, there is also a case where the user wants to choose the one with the older update, so in this example, the user is asked to make a decision. .

  Further, in the examples of FIGS. 30 and 31, there are two options for overwriting the other with the document in either the workspace or the corresponding folder on the cloud side as the action option for the document in which the update conflict occurs. The In addition to this, the option "rename and save both" may be added to the option in the case of competition. This option renames (renames) the document related to the conflict that the workspace has, uploads the renamed document to the cloud side, and the document (not renamed) related to the cloud side conflict Process to download to This is just an example, but as a method of renaming, for example, a method of adding a specific delimiter (for example, a hyphen) and a serial number (a number that does not overlap with the number previously added to the same document name) after the original document name May be used. Also, instead of renaming documents on the work space side, documents on the cloud side may be renamed. In addition, it is also possible to rename one of the documents on the work space side and the cloud side selected according to a specific standard (for example, the one whose update date is older). According to this option synchronization process, both the work space on the conflicting document and the version on the cloud side are saved on both the work space and the cloud side by renaming one of them.

  The document management system 10 and the “copy to work space” application 24 exemplified above are realized, for example, by causing a computer to execute a program representing the functions of the respective devices. Here, the computer is, for example, a hardware such as a microprocessor such as a CPU, a memory (primary storage) such as a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM), an HDD controller for controlling an HDD (hard disk drive), For example, various I / O (input / output) interfaces, a network interface that performs control for connection to a network such as a local area network, and the like have a circuit configuration connected via a bus, for example. In addition, portable nonvolatile recording of various standards such as a disk drive for reading and / or writing to a portable disk recording medium such as a CD or a DVD via the I / O interface to the bus, flash memory, etc. A memory reader / writer for reading and / or writing to a medium may be connected. A program in which the processing content of each functional module illustrated above is described is stored in a fixed storage device such as a hard disk drive or the like via a recording medium such as a CD or DVD or via communication means such as a network. Will be installed. The program stored in the fixed storage device is read out to the RAM and executed by a microprocessor such as a CPU, whereby the functional module group exemplified above is realized.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 document management system, 12 document taking-in part, 14 document processing part, 16 UI processing part, 18 setting management part, 20 tiling processing part, 22 synchronization processing part, 24 "Copy to work space" application, 100 document management screen, 110 Folder pane, 112 icons, 114 workspaces, 116 user folders, 119 cloud services, 120 document panes.

Claims (10)

A specific folder that can store one or more documents,
Editing acceptance means for accepting editing of the document in the specific folder;
Sorting means for moving a group of documents in the specific folder to a tidying folder according to a tidying up instruction to empty the particular folder;
An information processing apparatus including:   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for displaying a hierarchical structure of folders in the information processing apparatus, wherein the specific folder and the tiling folder are displayed in association with each other.   When an instruction to restore the arrangement folder is received, the document in the specific folder is moved to the newly created second arrangement folder, the specific folder is emptied, and the empty specific folder is deleted. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: return means for moving a group of documents in the clearing folder.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the returning unit moves the document group in the putting-up folder with respect to the specific folder and deletes the putting-up folder that has become empty.   5. The arrangement means according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the arrangement instruction is received, a new arrangement folder is generated, and a document group in the specific folder is moved to the generated arrangement folder. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: a unit that prohibits an operation of changing the content of the clearing folder.   The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the specific folder is a work space used when a user works using the one or more stored documents. A work space, which is a folder for storing one or more documents, and one or more work spaces used when a user works using the stored one or more documents;
One of the one or more work spaces is set as an active work space for receiving an operation to change the contents of the work space, and the other work spaces are not active for not receiving the operation to change the contents of the work space When the start of a new work is instructed, a new work space is created, the new work space is made active, and the work space that was active until then is made non-active. Control means for changing to the active state;
An information processing apparatus including: Computer,
Specific folder that can store one or more documents,
Edit receiving means for receiving edits to the document in the specific folder;
Sorting means for moving the document group in the specific folder to the tidying folder according to the tidying up instruction and executing tidying processing for emptying the particular folder;
Program to function as. Computer,
A work space, which is a folder for storing one or more documents, and one or more work spaces used when a user performs work using the stored one or more documents,
One of the one or more work spaces is set as an active work space for receiving an operation to change the contents of the work space, and the other work spaces are not active for not receiving the operation to change the contents of the work space When the start of a new work is instructed, a new work space is created, the new work space is made active, and the work space that was active until then is made non-active. Control means for changing to the active state,
Program to function as.