JP4407320B2 - Electronic file transmission apparatus, electronic file transmission method, and electronic file transmission program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic file transmission apparatus, an electronic file transmission method, and an electronic file transmission program used when sending an electronic file that can be handled on a computer.

  In recent years, with the development of computer technology and network technology, electronic files that can be handled on a computer are routinely sent to other computers via a communication line. Here, the “computer” means an electronic computer that executes a program. In addition to a personal computer, a file server device, and the like, an office device such as a printer device, a scanner device, a fax device, and a multifunction device thereof, In addition, all devices having a function as a computer, such as a moving image or audio capturing device or a reproducing device, are included. “Electronic files” include document files created by word processors, spreadsheet software, etc., computer program files, image data files generated by scanners, fax receivers, etc. It is assumed that a moving image / audio data stream generated by the device or the like is also included. Further, the “communication line” includes not only one that constructs a wide area network such as the Internet but also one that constructs a local area network. On a network constructed with such a communication line, it is possible to perform communication according to, for example, TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) protocol. Specifically, hypertext (HTTP (Hyper Text Markup Language) document transfer by HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) protocol, file transfer by FTP (File Transfer Protocol), mail transmission by SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) protocol, IPP It is possible to specify a print resource from a client by (Internet Printing Protocol), an information search service by a WWW (World Wide Web) system, and the like.

  However, when electronic files are transmitted on such a network, it is very important to ensure safety. Therefore, conventionally, as a technique related to transmission of an electronic file, for example, encryption is performed for a destination whose safety is not guaranteed when performing file transfer (for example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2), and safety is guaranteed. It has been proposed to prohibit file transfer for destinations that are not performed (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

JP 2001-203761 A JP 2002-026906 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-051857

  By the way, in general, a computer can hold a plurality of electronic files, and can send electronic files to a plurality of destinations. Therefore, when an electronic file is sent from one computer to another computer via a communication line, the operator of the certain computer specifies the electronic file to be sent and the destination of the electronic file. It is necessary to do. That is, the computer sends the electronic file designated by the operation of the operator to the destination designated by the operator.

  For this reason, when sending an electronic file, the operator must not make an error in the designation of the electronic file or the destination. This is because if there is an error, an electronic file that has nothing to do with a certain destination may be sent, or an electronic file destined for a destination may be sent to another destination. However, it is common that the designation of an electronic file or a destination can be easily performed by an operation such as moving an icon on the display of a sending computer, and human error is very likely to occur. .

  Such an artificial electronic file or destination designation error cannot be prevented even if the electronic file is encrypted. Even if file transfer to a destination whose safety is not guaranteed is prohibited, a specification error may occur between the destinations whose safety is guaranteed, which is not necessarily effective. That is, the above-described conventional technology cannot effectively prevent an electronic file from being erroneously transmitted.

  On the other hand, for example, it may be possible to prevent an electronic file from being erroneously transmitted by installing a separate computer for each destination, but in that case, a separate computer is required for each destination. It is not realistic. In addition, for example, it may be possible to alert the operator of the computer to incorrect transmission by setting access rights to electronic files or entering a personal identification number. Such a specification error can occur.

  Therefore, the present invention provides an electronic file transmission apparatus, an electronic file, and an electronic file transmission device that can effectively prevent erroneous transmission of the electronic file even if there is an artificial electronic file or destination designation error when the electronic file is transmitted. It is an object to apply a transmission method and an electronic file transmission program.

The present invention is an electronic file transmission apparatus devised to achieve the above object. That is, an electronic file transmission apparatus that sends a designated electronic file to a designated destination, wherein the folder holds the sendable range information that is information about the range in which the designated electronic file can be sent. An information acquisition unit that acquires based on the name of the file, and compares the specified destination with the sendable range information acquired by the information acquisition unit to determine whether or not the specified electronic file can be sent. And a sending control means for sending the designated electronic file to the designated destination when the sending availability judgment means judges that the sending is possible.

The present invention is also an electronic file transmission method devised to achieve the above object. That is, an electronic file transmission method for sending a designated electronic file to a designated destination, wherein the file is held with sendable range information that is information about a range in which the designated electronic file can be sent. The information acquisition step acquired based on the name of the folder to be sent, and the sending that determines whether the designated electronic file can be sent by comparing the designated destination with the sendable range information obtained in the information obtaining step And a delivery control step of sending the designated electronic file to the designated destination when it is judged that the delivery is possible in the sending availability judging step.

The present invention is also an electronic file transmission program devised to achieve the above object. That is, an electronic file transmission program for sending to the specified designated electronic file destination, the computer, the sending range information that is information about the delivery possible range the designated electronic file file The information acquisition means for acquiring based on the name of the folder in which the information is stored is compared with the specified destination and the sendable range information acquired by the information acquisition means to determine whether the specified electronic file can be sent. A delivery permission / inhibition judging means for determining, and a delivery control means for sending the designated electronic file to the designated destination when the sending availability judgment means judges that delivery is possible. It is.

  According to the electronic file transmission apparatus having the above configuration, the electronic file transmission method according to the above procedure, and the electronic file transmission program having the above configuration, first, when sending the designated electronic file to the designated destination, Get sendable range information. “Sendable range information” is information about a range in which an electronic file can be sent, and includes, for example, information for specifying a destination that can be sent, information for limiting the destination, and the like. When the sendable range information is obtained, it is compared with the designated destination to determine whether or not the designated electronic file can be sent. Only when it is judged that sending is possible, the designated electronic file is designated. To the destination. In other words, if the designated destination does not match the destination that can be sent specified by the sendable range information, the sending of the electronic file is prohibited.

  Since the present invention determines whether or not to send using the sendable range information for each electronic file to be sent, even if the electronic file or the destination is specified by mistake, it is judged that sending is not possible in that case. The electronic file is not sent. Therefore, even if there is an artificial electronic file or destination specification error, it is possible to effectively prevent erroneous transmission of the electronic file, and to ensure sufficient safety and reliability when transmitting the electronic file. To get.

  Hereinafter, an electronic file transmission apparatus, an electronic file transmission method, and an electronic file transmission program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, first, a schematic configuration of the electronic file transmission apparatus will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of an electronic file transmission device according to the first embodiment.

  The electronic file transmission device described here is constructed in a computer that is a transmission source of an electronic file. For example, the electronic file transmission device is connected from the computer to another computer via a communication line or from the computer to the computer. This is for sending electronic files to other areas. Here, as described above, “electronic file” refers to a document file, a program file, an image data file, a data stream, etc., but the sending unit is an individual electronic file unit or a plurality of electronic files. Either a management unit on a file system called a folder or directory that is a group of files, or a file generation source unit such as a scanner device may be used. Further, it may be a pointer to an electronic file.

  In order to send such an electronic file, in the electronic file transmission apparatus, in addition to user interface means (not shown), sendable range setting means 1, sendable range information holding means 2, and sendability determination means 3 , And a sending control means 4. Hereinafter, each of these means 1 to 4 will be described in order.

  The user interface means is for the computer operator to input various information and to output various information to the operator. The information input by the user interface means includes, for example, information for designating an electronic file to be sent, more specifically information for specifying the location of the electronic file to be sent (hereinafter, this information is referred to as “designating sender”). Information ”) and information for specifying the destination (send destination) of the electronic file (hereinafter, this information is referred to as“ send destination designation information ”). Note that the user interface means does not necessarily have to be provided in a computer that is a transmission source of the electronic file, and may be provided in another computer connected to the computer via a communication line. That is, the location of the electronic file to be sent and the user interface means do not necessarily have to exist on the same computer.

  Examples of the sender designation information include the following. One of them is information for specifying the location in units of individual electronic files and their file generation sources. Specifically, a file name or file path name in the file system, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) in the WWW, or the like is applicable. The other is information specifying the location in units of a collection of electronic files and their file generation sources. Specifically, it corresponds to a folder name (or directory name) or URL of a file in the file system. The other is information for specifying the location of the computer in which the electronic file is stored and the computer having the file generation source. Specifically, the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the computer, the host name in DNS (Domain Name System), the host name in Network Bios (Network Basic Input Output System), a communication interface developed by IBM Corporation Is applicable. Another example is information for specifying the location in units of a network to which a computer in which an electronic file is stored and a computer having the file generation source are connected. Specifically, it corresponds to the IP subnetwork address of the network, the domain name in DNS, the domain name in NetBios, the work group name, and the like. The sender designation information may be any of these, and may be appropriately determined in consideration of a system including a computer in which the electronic file transmission apparatus is constructed.

  Further, as the destination designation information, for example, the following can be cited. One of them is information for specifying the destination in units of file names at the destination. Specifically, a file name or a file path name in the file system, a URL in WWW, or the like is applicable. The other is information for specifying a destination in units of destinations. Specifically, it corresponds to a folder name (or directory name) or URL of an electronic file in the file system. The other is information for specifying a destination in units of destination computers. Specifically, it corresponds to a computer IP address, a host name in DNS, a host name in NetBios, and the like. Furthermore, an email address, a FAX number, and a telephone number assigned to the computer also correspond to this. The other is information for specifying the location in units of networks to which the destination computer is connected. Specifically, it corresponds to the IP subnetwork address of the network, the domain name in DNS, the domain name in NetBios, the work group name, and the like. Another example is information for identifying a person or organization as a destination. Specifically, an e-mail address assigned to an individual or an organization (company or department) is applicable. In this case, the person or organization of the destination may be designated by its name. At this time, when sending the electronic file, it is necessary to convert it to a destination suitable for the method (transfer protocol, FAX, etc.) used for the sending. Since it can be easily realized using existing technologies such as services, the description thereof is omitted here. The destination designation information may be any of these, and may be determined as appropriate in consideration of a system including a computer in which the electronic file transmission apparatus is constructed, similarly to the sender designation information.

  The sendable range setting means 1 is for setting sendable range information. “Sendable range information” is attribute information given to each electronic file to be sent for each sending unit, and is information about a range in which the electronic file can be sent. One example of such sendable range information is information for specifying a sendable destination. More specifically, for example, when sending to destinations A, B, and C is possible, a destination that can be sent is expressed as a logical sum, such that the sendable range is expressed as “A OR B OR C”. Information is considered. Another example of sendable range information is information for restricting destinations. Specifically, for example, when sending to destinations D, E, and F is not permitted, the sendable range is “(NOT D) AND (NOT E) AND (NOT F)” or “NOT (D OR E OR F) ”, and the like can be considered as information that expresses a destination that cannot be sent by a negative logical product. The sendable range information may be any of these, and may be appropriately determined in consideration of a system including a computer in which the electronic file transmission apparatus is constructed. In addition, the information about the destination that constitutes the sendable range information may be in the same expression format as the above-mentioned destination designation information, but the format used when a person expresses the destination in the real world, For example, expression formats such as “Company A”, “Mr. XX”, “In-house”, “Intra-department” may be used. Moreover, a name such as a group name may be given to these sendable range information, and the name may be indirectly expressed. It should be noted that such sendable range information is input by a computer operator while using the sendable range setting means 1.

  The sendable range information holding unit 2 is for holding the sendable range information set by the sendable range setting unit 1 in association with the electronic file for each sending unit to which the sendable range information is assigned. . The “delivery unit” may be an individual electronic file unit, a management unit on a file system called a folder or a directory, or a file generation source unit that generates a data stream. The association between the sendable range information and the electronic file is performed by (1) holding the sendable range information in the electronic file, or (2) holding the sendable range information outside the electronic file. However, it may be performed in either (1) or (2). In addition, when the file is stored outside the electronic file, the following two methods are conceivable as the association method, and either of them may be performed. One of the two methods is (2-1) a method of holding sendable range information in the same location as the electronic file to be associated. For example, this is the case where an electronic file describing the sendable range information is also held in a folder in which the electronic file is stored. The other one is (2-2) the location of the electronic file to be associated, or information that uniquely identifies the contents regardless of the location of the electronic file (hereinafter referred to as “sender identification information”), This is a technique of holding possible range information in combination as a table, database, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as “sendable range information management table”). Among these, the sender identification information includes, for example, an electronic file with a file name “A” and an electronic file with a file name “B”, and when both contents are “X”, they are the same. It is information for identifying.

  By providing the sendable range setting unit 1 and the sendable range information holding unit 2, the electronic file transmission apparatus takes out the sendable range information from the sendable range information holding unit 2 and stores the sendable range information. Acquisition can be performed. That is, the sendable range setting means 1 and the sendable range information holding means 2 function as information acquisition means in the present invention for acquiring sendable range information for an electronic file designated by the sender designation information. It is.

  The sending permission / inhibition judging means 3 includes the destination of the electronic file designated by the sending destination designation information and the sendable range information for the electronic file designated by the sending source designation information extracted from the sendable range information holding means 2. The comparison is for determining whether or not the designated electronic file can be sent. More specifically, if the destination of the electronic file matches the sendable range specified by the sendable range information, the “sendability information” indicating that the electronic file is sent is “possible”, If the destination of the electronic file does not match the sendable range specified by the sendable range information, “sendability information” indicating that the electronic file is sent “not (impossible)” is output. For example, when the sendable range information is the logical sum of the destinations, if the electronic file destination is not included in the sendable range information, the sendability determination unit 3 determines that the sending is not possible. Further, when the sendable range information is a negative logical product of the destinations, if the destination of the electronic file is included in the sendable range information, the sendability determination unit 3 determines that the sending is not possible. Note that, when it is not possible to obtain sendable range information for an electronic file in determining whether or not sending is possible, for example, the user of the computer may be inquired of whether or not sending is possible through user interface means. Further, even when it is determined that the electronic file is not sent, the computer operator may be inquired of whether or not the electronic file can be sent prior to the output of the sendability information.

  By the way, if the destination designation information and the sendable range information are in the same expression format, the sendability determination unit 3 can compare each other for determining whether or not to send without any problem. However, for the sendable range information, as described above, a format used when a person expresses a delivery destination in the real world may be used. For this reason, the sendability determination unit 3 has a function as an expression format conversion unit for matching the expression format of the destination designation information and the sendable range information. It is possible to convert the expression format.

  The conversion of the expression format is, for example, a “destination destination conversion table” in which the destination of the destination is previously expressed in both the expression format used in the “sendable range information” and each expression format used in the “destination designation information”. It may be possible to prepare and refer to the destination conversion table. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the delivery destination conversion table. The sending destination conversion table shown in the figure is a format in which the expression format in the real world is format 1, the expression format in the case of sending by e-mail is format 2, the expression format in the case of sending by FAX is format 3, and the case of sending by FTP The expression format is set to format 4, and mutual conversion between destinations expressed in the respective formats can be performed.

  Further, in FIG. 1, the sending control means 4 receives sending permission information as a result of sending permission judgment by the sending permission judgment means 3, and when the contents of the sending permission information is sendable, the sender designation information This is for sending a group of electronic files such as a location-originating electronic file or a folder designated by (1) to a destination designated by the destination designation information. The “sending” by the sending control means 4 includes the following items. Specifically, (a) the electronic file (contents of the sender) is sent using a transfer protocol such as HTTP, FTP, or SMTP, by copying the electronic file of the sender to another file or folder. (C) forming a still image from the data held in the electronic file of the sender, and transmitting the fax to the destination via a telephone line; (d) in the electronic file of the sender And the like, a moving image / audio data stream is formed from the data held in the file and transferred to a destination using a transfer protocol such as RTP (Realtime Transport Protocol). In addition, it is assumed that there are two types of “sending” procedures, “PUSH type sending” and “PULL type sending”. In the PUSH type delivery, an electronic file (data held in an electronic file) is sent directly from the delivery control means 4 to the delivery destination. This is the same as the normal sending procedure. On the other hand, in the PULL type delivery, information required when the delivery destination acquires the electronic file of the sender, for example, the URL indicating the location of the electronic file of the sender, the user name that has the authority to obtain the electronic file, Information such as a password (hereinafter referred to as “source file reference information”) is transmitted from the transmission control means 4 to the destination. As a result, the sending destination can receive the sending source file reference information and acquire the sending source electronic file while following the contents.

  Each of the means 1 to 4 can be realized by a computer in which the electronic file transmission device is constructed executing a predetermined program stored in the computer. However, the predetermined program for realizing each means 1 to 4 may be provided by being stored in a computer-readable storage medium without being installed in the computer in advance, or by wired or wireless communication It may be delivered via means. That is, the electronic file transmission apparatus having the above-described configuration can also be realized by an electronic file transmission program that causes a computer to function as the electronic file transmission apparatus.

  Next, in the electronic file transmission apparatus configured as described above (including the case realized by the electronic file transmission program), an example of processing operation when sending an electronic file, that is, the first embodiment of the present invention An electronic file transmission method in the embodiment will be described.

  When sending an electronic file, the sendable range information is first set by the sendable range setting means 1 prior to the sending, and the sendable range information is set by the sendable range information holding means 2. For each sending unit. At this time, as described above, there are three possible methods for associating the sendable range information with the electronic file: (1), (2-1), and (2-2). Hereinafter, the procedure will be described for each case.

[In the case of association method (1)]
For example, when the electronic file to be sent is stored on the computer, the sendable range setting means 1 sets sendable range information in the electronic file. This can be done by using an electronic file attribute management function provided in a file system implemented in an operating system (OS) of a computer in which the electronic file is stored. This is because a file system implemented in an OS generally has a table for managing attribute information for each electronic file, and sendable range information can be set as one of the attribute information. In this case, the sendable range setting means 1 can be realized by using an attribute setting user interface function provided by an OS that implements the file system.

  In addition, it is also conceivable to set sendable range information in the data of the electronic file. In this case, the sendable range setting means 1 can be realized on document creation software for creating / editing / inputting an electronic file to be sent. The sendable range can also be set by inputting destination designation information in the electronic file to be sent using the document creation software.

  Furthermore, in order to manage electronic files stored on a computer, if a folder for storing electronic files is provided on the computer, storing the electronic file in that folder will also cause the electronic file to have a folder. It is also conceivable that the sendable range information is inherited. In other words, sendable range information is set in a folder on the computer, and when the electronic file is stored in the folder, the sendable range information set in the folder is copied to the electronic file in the folder. It is made to do so. In this way, if the operator simply drags and drops the electronic file to a folder on the computer, the sendable range information is set to the electronic file, and the operator can input information setting information. The load will be greatly reduced. It should be noted that copying of the sendable range information from the folder to the electronic file may be realized by using an attribute setting management function provided by the file system implemented in the OS.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of an electronic file including sendable range information when sendable range information is set in the electronic file. In the example shown in the figure, a tag “<destination company name>” is defined using XML (eXtensible Markup Language), and the sendable range information is clearly shown.

  On the other hand, it is conceivable that the electronic file to be sent is not stored on the computer but generated from the file generation source. In that case, the sendable range setting means 1 may set sendable range information for the file generation source, and the file generation source may set the sendable range information for the electronic file. . FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the file generation source. As shown in the figure, the operator sets the sendable range information using the operation panel unit 21 of the file generation source, and holds the sendable range information in the sendable range setting holding unit 22. Then, after the original is read by the image input unit 23 and the image data file holding unit 24 generates the read result as an electronic file, the sendable range information setting unit 25 reads the file header or the like in the electronic file, for example. Thus, the set sendable range information may be reprinted. That is, in this case, the sendable range setting means 1 is realized by a file generation source.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the generated file. In the example shown in the figure, a tag “<sendable range>” is defined using XML to clearly indicate sendable range information.

  After setting the sendable range information in this way, the sendable range information holding unit 2 associates the set sendable range information with the electronic file for each sending unit to which the sendable range information is assigned. Hold. This sendable range information holding means 2 is realized by the electronic file itself to be sent as described above.

  Thereafter, when the sender designation information and the recipient designation information are input by the user interface means, the sending possibility determination means 3 displays the sendable range information for the electronic file designated by the sender designation information as the sendable range information. While extracting from the holding means 2 (in the electronic file), the sendable range information is compared with the destination of the electronic file specified by the destination designation information to determine whether or not the designated electronic file can be sent.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the sending permission / inhibition judging means. As shown in the figure, in determining whether or not an electronic file can be sent, in the sending and receiving determination unit 3, the sending source file input unit 31 inputs the electronic file specified by the sending source designation information. Alternatively, after the electronic file is generated from the file generation source specified by the sender designation information, the generated electronic file is input. Then, the sendable range information extraction unit 32 extracts sendable range information from the input electronic file (hereinafter referred to as “sender source file”). As shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5, this processing can be easily realized by specifying information corresponding to the sendable range information in the sending source file using an XML tag or the like. After extracting the sendable range information, the sendability determination unit 33 determines whether or not to send from the sendability range information and the given destination designation information, and outputs the sendability information as a result. . In this way, the sending permission determination unit 3 determines whether the sending source file can be sent and outputs the result as sending permission information.

  Then, the delivery control means 4 receives the delivery permission information from the delivery permission judgment means 3 and, if the contents are sendable, sends the sender file information to the destination specified by the destination designation information. . FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the sending control unit. FIG. 7A shows a configuration example in the case of sending the sender file itself (file contents) as the sender file information, and FIG. 7B shows the sender file as the sender file information. A configuration example is shown in which reference information (information necessary for acquiring an electronic file from a destination) is sent and a source file is sent in response to a request from the destination.

  When sending the sending source file itself, as shown in FIG. 7A, in the sending control means 4, the sending source file input unit 41 is designated as the sending source file by the sending source designation information. Enter the file. Alternatively, after the electronic file is generated from the file generation source specified by the sender specification information, the generated electronic file is input. Then, the sending unit 42 selects the sending method based on the sending destination designation information when the sending permission information is acceptable, and sends the sending source file input by the sending source file input unit 41 to the designated destination. Is sent as source file information.

  When sending source file reference information, as shown in FIG. 7B, in the sending control means 4, the sending source file input unit 41 is designated as the sending source file by the sending source designation information. Enter an electronic file. Alternatively, after the electronic file is generated from the file generation source specified by the sender specification information, the generated electronic file is input. The sending source file holding unit 43 holds the sending source file input by the sending source file input unit 41, generates the sending source file reference information, and outputs it to the sending unit 42. The sending unit 42 selects the sending method based on the sending destination designation information and sends the sending source file reference information as the sending source file information to the designated destination when the sending availability information is possible. Thereafter, in response to this information transmission, the transmission destination computer requests the transmission source file based on the transmission source file reference information. This is done by, for example, sending the URL of the electronic file in the sending source file holding means ☆ and the user name and password necessary for authentication / authorization at the time of transfer as sending source file reference information. It is possible to realize this using a web browser software that is currently generally used. Then, the sending source file holding unit 43 sends the corresponding sending source file in accordance with a request from the sending destination.

[In the case of the association method (2-1)]
Also in this case, as in the case of (1) described above, the sendable range information is arranged at the location of the electronic file. That is, for example, if the electronic file to be sent is stored on the computer, the sendable range information is arranged in the same folder (or directory) that holds the electronic file. As in the case of (1), this may be performed using the attribute management function of the electronic file provided in the file system implemented in the OS of the computer where the electronic file is stored. Also, place a file that describes the sendable range information in the same folder where the electronic file is stored, and make the file names unique except for the extension part of both file names. It can also be realized by relating them. In this case, the sendable range information holding unit 2 is realized by a file in which sendable range information is described, and the sendable range setting unit 1 is a document creation software for creating / editing / inputting an electronic file. This can be realized by editing a file in which sendable range information is described using. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of a file in which sendable range information for each file is described.

  Further, as described above, for each individual electronic file in the folder, in addition to providing a separate file for holding each sendable range information, each file name can be represented by, for example, “<Company A> XXX list”. The sendable range information may be expressed as described above. In this case, the file name (or the file system that manages the file name) serves as the sendable range information holding unit 2, and the sendable range setting unit 1 uses the user interface function of the OS in which the file is held, This is realized by setting / changing the folder name.

  Furthermore, in addition to providing each sendable range information for each electronic file in the folder as described above, a single sendable range information is given to all the electronic files in the folder. Also good. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example in the case of giving single sendable range information. As shown in the figure, within the folder, sendable range information common to the electronic file may be held in the electronic file format. Further, for example, the sendable range information may be expressed by a folder name as in “<Company A> XXX list” or the like. In this way, if the sendable range information is given in units of electronic files such as folders, especially in units of classification and organization of electronic files, the electronic files are automatically classified and organized, It becomes possible to set a sendable range.

  On the other hand, if the electronic file to be sent is generated at the file generation source, the sendable range setting means 1 sends the file to the file generation source, as in the case of (1) described above. The possible range information may be set, and the file generation source may set the sendable range information for the electronic file. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of sendable range information.

  After the sendable range information is set and held in this way, the sendability determination unit 3 acquires the sendable range information from the location of the electronic file designated by the sender designation information and designates the destination. Whether the electronic file can be sent is determined based on whether the information is included in the sendable range. At this time, acquisition of the sendable range information can be easily realized by providing a rule that clearly indicates the sendable range information of the electronic file, as shown in FIGS.

  Then, while responding to the determination result of the transmission permission / inhibition by the transmission permission / inhibition determining means 3, if the contents can be sent, the sending control means 4 uses the destination designation information as in the case of (1) described above. Send source file information to the specified destination.

[In the case of the association method (2-1)]
In this case, the sendable range information management table becomes the sendable range information holding means 2. That is, the sendable range setting means 1 uniquely identifies the combination of the sender designation information that uniquely gives the location of the electronic file to be sent and the sendable range information of the electronic file, or the contents of the electronic file to be sent. One of the combinations of the sender identification information identified in the above and the sendable range information of the electronic file is set in the sendable range information management table.

  At this time, if the sender designation information and the sendable scope information are combined and registered in the sendable scope information management table, the sender designation information is, for example, “http: // somehost / somedirectory / somefile” It may be information that identifies individual electronic files, or may be information that identifies a folder (or directory) where electronic files are held, such as “http: // somehost / somedirectory /”. It may be information specifying a computer (host device) that holds an electronic file, such as “: // somehost /”. That is, in the sendable range information management table, not only the sendable range information is registered for each individual electronic file, but the sendable range information may be registered in a unit of folder or host.

  If the sender identification information and the sendable range information are combined and registered in the sendable range information management table, the sender identification information calculates, for example, a hash value from the contents of the electronic file to be sent. This is possible. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the sendable range information management table.

  In any of these cases, the sendable range information management table is arranged to be accessible (set or referenced) from the sendable range setting unit 1 and the sendability determination unit 3. Specifically, the operator may be disposed on a computer that performs a sending operation, or may be disposed on another computer that is network-connected to the computer via a communication line. Further, the sendable range information management table may be held on a memory included in the computer, or may be held as a file on a file system in the computer. When the sendable range information management table is held in the memory, the sendable range setting means 1 has a user interface function for inputting sender designation information or sender identification information and sendable range information. This is realized by software that reflects the input results of these information in the sendable range information management table. In addition, when the sendable range information management table is held on the file system, it can also be realized by editing the file holding the sendable range information management table using document creation software or the like.

  In this way, after setting the registration in the sendable range information management table, the sendability determination unit 3 determines whether or not the electronic file can be sent based on the registration contents in the sendable range information management table. . For example, when the sendable range information management table holds a combination of sender designation information and sendable range information, the sendability determination unit 3 sends an entry corresponding to the given sender designation information. Search within the possible range information management table to obtain sendable range information. When the sendable range information management table holds a combination of sender identification information and sendable range information, the sendability determination unit 3 determines from the location specified by the given sender specification information. An electronic file to be sent is acquired, sender identification information is obtained from its contents, and an entry corresponding to the sender identification information is searched in the sendable range information management table to obtain sendable range information. Then, whether or not sending is possible is determined based on whether or not the destination designation information is included in the sendable range.

  Then, while responding to the determination result of the transmission permission / inhibition by the transmission permission / inhibition determining means 3, if the contents can be sent, the sending control means 4 uses the destination designation information as in the case of (1) described above. Send source file information to the specified destination.

  By the way, in any of the methods (1), (2-1), and (2-2) described above, if the contents of the sendability information from the sendability determination unit 3 is sendable, the send control is performed. Although the means 4 has sent the sender file information, the following processing operation can be considered when the contents of the sendability information is not sendable. For example, when the contents of the sending / not-permitting information is not sending, not only the sending control means 4 does not send the sending source file information but also the user interface means not sending to the computer operator. The information is output and notified to the operator so that the operator can select whether or not to send the electronic file. Then, the result of selection by the operator regarding whether or not sending is possible is output to the sending control means 4. In this way, it is possible to alert the operator and to realize a flexible response that does not depend only on the sendable range information.

  Further, in determining whether or not an electronic file can be sent as a premise of such processing operation, sendable range information for the electronic file may not necessarily be set in advance. From this, it is conceivable that the sending possibility determination means 3 determines that sending is impossible or possible if the sending possible range information corresponding to the sender designation information is not set. Further, if the sendable range information is not set, the computer operator may be made to select the information via the information output by the user interface means as in the case described above. Furthermore, it is also conceivable that the sending / receiving decision means 3 determines whether or not sending is possible, and outputs the judgment result by the user interface means so that the operator can select whether the judgment result is good or bad.

  In addition, when the sendable range information corresponding to the sender designation information is not set, if there is a selection of sending from the user interface means, the entry corresponding to the sender designation information or the sendable range is selected. If the selection result is newly registered in the information management table, the selection result is reflected in the subsequent processing. The same applies to the case where the determination result of the transmission permission / inhibition by the transmission permission / inhibition determination unit 3 is different from the final selection result of the transmission permission / inhibition by the operator. That is, if the content of the sendable range information is updated according to the selection result from the user interface means, for example, an address that has been sent in the past can be used as the sendable range information. The setting load of is reduced.

  As described above, according to the electronic file transmission apparatus, the electronic file transmission method, and the electronic file transmission program described in the first embodiment of the present invention, when the designated electronic file is sent to the designated destination. First, the sendable range information for the electronic file is acquired, and the sendable range information is acquired. Then, the sendable range information is compared with the specified destination to determine whether the specified electronic file can be sent. Only when it is determined that sending is possible, the designated electronic file is sent to the designated destination. In other words, if the designated destination does not match the destination that can be sent specified by the sendable range information, the sending of the electronic file is prohibited. Therefore, even if there is an artificial electronic file or destination specification error, it is possible to effectively prevent erroneous transmission of the electronic file, and to ensure sufficient safety and reliability when transmitting the electronic file. To get. As a result, not only can electronic files be sent to computers on the network connected to the end of the communication line, but also when moving or copying electronic files within the same computer, a remote computer via the communication line can also be used. Even in the electronic file transfer operation from the user, it is possible to prevent an erroneous delivery, an incorrect transfer / copy, and the like due to carelessness of the operator. In other words, it is possible to prevent loss associated with mishandling of electronic files related to confidentiality and economic activities while maintaining simple operations on the computer.

  In addition, as described in the first embodiment, when the electronic file is stored in the folder, if the electronic file is configured so that the sendable range information about the folder is inherited by the electronic file, the operator can execute the electronic file on the computer. By simply dragging and dropping to the folder, the sendable range information is also set in the electronic file, and the burden of information setting input by the operator is greatly reduced.

  Further, as described in the first embodiment, a function as an expression format conversion means for matching the expression formats of the destination designation information and the sendable range information is provided for determining whether or not to send the electronic file. If so, for the sendable range information, use an expression format when a person expresses a delivery destination in the real world, such as “Company A”, “Mr. XX”, “In-house”, “In-department”, etc. This makes it possible to facilitate and simplify the setting of sendable range information.

  Further, as described in the first embodiment, when it is determined that the electronic file can be sent as a result of the determination of whether or not the electronic file can be sent, not only the electronic file sending is prohibited but also the information output by the user interface means. By doing so, it is possible to alert the operator and to realize a flexible response that does not depend only on the sendable range information.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, only differences from the first embodiment described above will be described here.

  In the first embodiment described above, the case where the operator of the computer explicitly gives the sendable range has been described, but in the second embodiment, the case where the computer automatically extracts the sendable range. explain. The second embodiment is mainly effective when the electronic file to be sent is a document file.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of the electronic file transmission apparatus according to the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, the electronic file transmitting apparatus described here includes a sendable range extracting unit 5 in place of the sendable range setting unit 1 and the sendable range information holding unit 2 described in the first embodiment. I have. The user interface unit, the sending permission determination unit 3 and the sending control unit 4 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  The sendable range extracting means 5 extracts sendable range information attached to the electronic file designated by the sender designation information. “Extract sendable range information attached to an electronic file” means to extract sendable range information from the data that constitutes an electronic file. Specifically, it is one of the following two methods: It can be considered to use one method. One of the two methods is (a) a method of using the data included in the electronic file as data constituting the electronic file and obtaining sendable range information from the data itself. That is, information about the recipient of the electronic file is obtained from the data held in the electronic file, which is the content of the electronic file. For example, this corresponds to the case where the sendable range is obtained from a FAX manuscript document file or an in-house document file. The other is (b) a method of using the classification information of the electronic file as data constituting the electronic file and obtaining sendable range information from the classification information. Normally, when a person classifies and organizes a file, the requirement and the name of the other party are used as the file name. Therefore, information about the recipient of the electronic file is obtained from the file name or the like, that is, the classification information of the electronic file.

  By providing the sendable range extracting means 5 as described above, the electronic file transmission apparatus can acquire sendable range information. That is, the sendable range extracting unit 5 functions as an information acquisition unit in the present invention for acquiring sendable range information for an electronic file designated by the sender designation information.

  The sendable range extraction means 5 is similar to the sendability determination means 3 and the send control means 4 when the computer in which the electronic file transmission device is constructed executes a predetermined program stored in the computer. It can be realized. However, the predetermined program for realizing the sendable range extracting means 5 may be provided by being stored in a computer-readable storage medium without being installed in the computer in advance, or by wired or wireless It may be distributed via communication means. That is, the electronic file transmission apparatus having the above-described configuration can also be realized by an electronic file transmission program that causes a computer to function as the electronic file transmission apparatus.

  Subsequently, in the electronic file transmission apparatus (including the case realized by the electronic file transmission program) configured as described above, an example of processing operation when sending an electronic file, that is, the second embodiment of the present invention An electronic file transmission method in the embodiment will be described.

  When sending an electronic file, after the sender designation information and the recipient designation information are input by the user interface means, the sendable range extracting means 5 can send the electronic file designated by the sender designation information. Extract range information.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the sendable range extracting unit. As shown in the figure, when extracting the sendable range information, in the sendable range extracting means 5, the sending source file input unit 51 is an electronic file designated by the sending source designation information (hereinafter referred to as "sending source file"). To get. Then, the document type determination unit 52 refers to the contents of the sender file, and “fax manuscript”, “in-house newsletter”, “estimate”, “internal extension number book”, “weekly report”, “contact”, Document file types such as “contract” and “proposal” are determined. This type determination is performed by, for example, keywords such as “fax sending slip”, “to employees”, “XXX notification”, “employee name, employee number, extension number” specific to each document type, This can be realized by storing in the determination keyword dictionary 53 in advance and calculating the appearance frequency of each keyword in the transmission source file.

  After determining the type of the sending source file, subsequently, the sendable range for the sending source file is specified. However, for document file types, such as “in-house newsletter”, “internal extension number book”, “weekly report”, etc., the range that can be sent is specified only by that type, “fax manuscript”, “contact” Use keywords such as “destination”, “destination”, “circulation destination”, “XXX-like”, “confidential”, etc. that are unique to each document, such as “Document”, “Contract”, “Proposal”, etc. In some cases, the distribution range is specified. Therefore, when the document file type determination result is the former, the sendable range extracting unit 5 specifies the sendable range as follows. That is, information related to the sending range for each document file type is held in advance in the sending range information holding unit 54 for each document type, and information corresponding to the type determination result for the sending source file is output as sendable range information. To do. On the other hand, when the determination result of the document file type is the latter, the sendable range extracting unit 5 specifies the sendable range as follows. That is, the sending range information detection unit 55 detects a sendable range from the sending source file by keyword search, and outputs the detection result as sendable range information. In the keyword search at this time, a keyword specifying a unique sending range for each document file type is registered in advance in the sending range detection keyword dictionary 56, and the document file type determined by the document type determination unit 52 is determined from the keyword. This can be realized by specifying an area indicating a transmission range in the document file with reference to the keyword.

  The extraction of the sendable range information by the sendable range extracting unit 5 is not limited to the above-described example, and the document file name can be determined from the name of the sending source file and the name of the folder in which the file is held. The type may be determined and the sendable range may be specified. That is, instead of deriving the sendable range information from the data in the electronic file, it may be derived from the file name or the folder name in which the file is held.

  Thereafter, on the basis of the sendable range information extracted by the sendable range extracting means 5, as in the case of the first embodiment, the sendability judging means 3 judges whether sending is possible, and the sending control means 4 The file may be sent according to the determination result. Also, the output of information from the user interface means on the result of the determination as to whether or not it can be sent is exactly the same as in the case of the first embodiment.

  As described above, in the electronic file transmission device, the electronic file transmission method, and the electronic file transmission program described in the second embodiment of the present invention, when sending the designated electronic file to the designated destination, First, the sendable range information for the electronic file is acquired, and the sendable range information is acquired. Then, the sendable range information is compared with the specified destination to determine whether or not the specified electronic file can be sent. Only when it is determined that sending is possible, the designated electronic file is sent to the designated destination. In other words, if the designated destination does not match the destination that can be sent specified by the sendable range information, the sending of the electronic file is prohibited. Therefore, even if there is an artificial electronic file or destination specification error, it is possible to effectively prevent erroneous transmission of the electronic file, and to ensure sufficient safety and reliability when transmitting the electronic file. To get. As a result, it is possible to prevent erroneous sending due to carelessness of the operator, and to prevent loss of electronic files related to confidentiality and economic activities while maintaining simple operations on the computer.

  In addition, as described in the second embodiment, when obtaining the sendable range information, if it is extracted from the data constituting the electronic file, the advanceable sendable range information is not necessary and can be dealt with. The versatility (flexibility of correspondence) for electronic files can be sufficiently secured.

It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structural example of the electronic file transmission apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows a specific example of the transmission destination conversion table in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of an electronic file including sendable range information when sendable range information is set in the electronic file in the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the file generation source in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows a specific example of the file produced | generated by the file production | generation source of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the delivery permission judgment means in the electronic file transmission apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the delivery control means in the electronic file transmission apparatus of FIG. In the 1st Embodiment of this invention, it is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of the file by which the sendable range information for every file is described. In the 1st Embodiment of this invention, it is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example in the case of giving single sendable range information. It is explanatory drawing which shows a specific example of the sendable range information in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows a specific example of the sendable range information management table in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the example of schematic structure of the electronic file transmission apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the sendable range extraction means in the electronic file transmission apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sendable range setting means, 2 ... Sendable range information holding means, 3 ... Sendability determination unit, 4 ... Sending control means, 5 ... Sendable range information extracting means

Claims (20)

An electronic file transmission device for sending a specified electronic file to a specified destination,
Information acquisition means for acquiring sendable range information, which is information about a range in which the designated electronic file can be sent , based on the name of the folder in which the file is held ;
Sendability determination means for comparing the specified destination with the sendable range information acquired by the information acquisition means to determine whether the specified electronic file can be sent;
An electronic file transmitting apparatus comprising: a sending control unit configured to send the designated electronic file to the designated destination when the sending permission / non-permission judging unit judges that sending is possible. An electronic file transmission device for sending a specified electronic file to a specified destination,
Sending range information that is information about a range in which the specified electronic file can be sent and information specifying a folder in which the specified electronic file is held or information specifying a computer in which the electronic file is held Sendable range information acquisition means for acquiring information about a range in which the designated electronic file can be sent from a sendable range information management table combining information;
Sendability determination means for determining whether or not the designated electronic file can be sent based on information on a range in which the designated electronic file acquired by the sendable range information acquisition means can be sent;
A sending control means for sending the designated electronic file to the designated destination when the sending availability judgment means judges that the sending is possible;
An electronic file transmission device comprising: The information acquisition means includes
Sendable range information setting means for setting the sendable range information;
Sendable range information holding means for holding the sendable range information set by the sendable range information setting means,
The electronic file transmission device according to claim 1, wherein the sendable range information is acquired by extracting the sendable range information from the sendable range information holding unit.   The information acquisition means includes sendable range information extracting means for extracting the sendable range information from data constituting the designated electronic file, and the sendable range information extracting means can send the sendable range information. 2. The electronic file transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sendable range information is acquired by extracting the range information. A folder for storing the electronic file is provided, and when the electronic file is stored in the folder, the sendable range information about the folder is inherited by the electronic file. The electronic file transmission device according to claim 1 or 3 . According to claim 1, 3 or 5, wherein further comprising a representation format converting means for matching the representation of the delivery range information the information acquisition means and the specified destination representation of the acquired Electronic file transmission device. User interface means for outputting information to that effect and allowing the operator to select whether or not to send the designated electronic file to the designated destination when the sending availability judgment means judges that the delivery is not possible. The electronic file transmission apparatus according to claim 1, 3 , 4 , 5, or 6 . 8. The electronic file transmission apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the content of the sendable range information is updated in accordance with a selection result from the user interface means. An electronic file transmission method for sending a designated electronic file to a designated destination,
An information acquisition step of acquiring sendable range information, which is information about a range in which the designated electronic file can be sent , based on the name of the folder in which the file is held ;
A sendability determination step for determining whether the specified electronic file can be sent by comparing the specified destination with the sendable range information acquired in the information acquisition step;
An electronic file transmission method, comprising: a sending control step of sending the designated electronic file to the designated destination when it is judged that the sending is possible in the sending availability determination step. The information acquisition step includes
Sendable range information setting step for setting the sendable range information;
A sendable range information holding step for holding the sendable range information set in the sendable range information setting step,
The electronic file transmission method according to claim 9 , wherein the sendable range information is acquired by extracting the sendable range information held in the sendable range information holding step. The information acquiring step includes a sendable range information extracting step for extracting the sendable range information from data constituting the designated electronic file, and the sendable range information extracting step allows the sending. 10. The electronic file transmission method according to claim 9 , wherein the sendable range information is acquired by extracting the range information. The electronic file is provided with a folder, and when the electronic file is stored in the folder, the sendable range information about the folder is inherited by the electronic file. The electronic file transmission method according to 9 or 10 . According to claim 9, 10 or 12, wherein further comprising a representation format conversion step for matching the representation of the delivery range information the information acquisition means and the specified destination representation of the acquired Electronic file transmission method. A user interface step of outputting information to that effect and allowing the operator to select whether or not to send the designated electronic file to the designated destination when it is judged that the sending is impossible in the sending / no-delivery determining step; 14. The electronic file transmission method according to claim 9, 10, 11, 12, or 13 . An electronic file transmission program for sending a specified electronic file to a specified destination,
Computer
Information acquisition means for acquiring sendable range information, which is information about a range in which the designated electronic file can be sent , based on the name of the folder in which the file is held ;
Sendability determination means for comparing the specified destination with the sendable range information acquired by the information acquisition means to determine whether the specified electronic file can be sent;
An electronic file transmission program which functions as a delivery control means for delivering the designated electronic file to the designated destination when the delivery availability judgment means judges that delivery is possible. The information acquisition means includes the computer,
Sendable range information setting means for setting the sendable range information;
Function as a sendable range information holding means for holding the sendable range information set by the sendable range information setting means,
The electronic file transmission program according to claim 15 , wherein the sendable range information is acquired by extracting the sendable range information from the sendable range information holding unit. The information acquisition means causes the computer to function as sendable range information extracting means for extracting the sendable range information from data constituting the designated electronic file, and the sendable range information extracting means includes the sendable range information extracting means. 16. The electronic file transmission program according to claim 15 , wherein the sendable range information is acquired by extracting the sendable range information. The computer is provided with a folder for storing the electronic file, and when the electronic file is stored in the folder, the computer is caused to function so that the sendable range information about the folder is inherited by the electronic file. The electronic file transmission program according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that: 16. The computer according to claim 15, wherein the computer is caused to function as an expression format conversion unit for matching the specified destination expression format with the expression format of the sendable range information acquired by the information acquisition unit . The electronic file transmission program according to 16 or 18 . The computer, if the previous SL sending possibility determining means determines that not sending, by performing the information output to that effect, selectively causing the sending permission to the specified destination of the designated electronic file to the operator 20. The electronic file transmission program according to claim 15, 16, 17, 18, or 19 , wherein the electronic file transmission program functions as a user interface means.

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