JP5294002B2 - Document management system, document management program, and document management method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To collect operation histories of a document independently from an application which uses the document. <P>SOLUTION: The system includes at least one document use part which uses the document; a document use history management part which manages history information of the document; a document use history storage part which stores the history information of the document. The document use history management part stores a history information collection rule for determining whether an operation of the document by the document use part is recorded as history information, detects an event which occurs in a process generated by the document use part, interrupts the process, obtains event information including information identifying the detected event, generates history information based on the obtained event information and the history information collection rule, stores the generated history information in the document use history storage part, and restarts the interrupted process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a document management system, and more particularly to a technique for collecting and managing a history of operations on a document.

  In the document management system, the usefulness of a document can be achieved by collecting usage histories such as browsing and printing of the document. However, it is not easy to collect operation histories for documents. For example, when a part of a document is copied and another document is newly created, it is difficult to automatically set the relationship between the copy source document and the newly created document. Furthermore, in order to record and associate a document with an email, it is necessary to perform operations such as separately storing the sent / received email and registering it in the document management system.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for recording a document operation history in a document editing unit such as a word processor. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses a technique for recording an operation history of a document acquired from a document management system on the client side and transmitting an operation history recorded for each document to the document management system.

Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for storing an operation history for a document and extracting a document that is highly likely to be related to the operation target document. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3, when a document is stored in a Web server, the URL of the document is used as information for specifying a storage location.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-342451 JP 2005-267479 A JP 2002-207726 A

  The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is realized by adding a function to an application that uses a document. However, in recent years, since the types of documents to be handled and applications for operating the documents are diversified, it is not desirable to create functions for each application. In addition, technology that adds a function to record operation history by adding a module called a plug-in for each application is also disclosed, but it is necessary to develop a plug-in for each application. It is difficult to respond quickly.

  In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, communication between a client OS and a file system is monitored, and access to a file is recorded. However, it cannot be applied unless the file and the document have a one-to-one correspondence. For example, when multiple documents are stored in one file, specifically when all received emails are stored in a single file, it is possible to detect that the file has been accessed. However, it is not possible to specify the mail that was actually accessed.

  Furthermore, in the case of a Web application that refers to mail using a browser, a file in which the contents of the mail are recorded is not always stored in the client. In addition, since the URL for displaying an email is not always different for each email, there are cases where a document (email) cannot be managed by the URL as in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for managing an operation history of a document that can be applied to various types of documents and applications.

According to a representative aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document management system for managing document history information, wherein the document use history management unit manages at least one document use unit that uses the document and the document history information. And a document usage history storage unit for storing the history information of the document, wherein the document usage history management unit determines whether or not to record a document operation by the document usage unit as the history information. In the process generated by the document using unit, including a history information collection rule , which associates event specifying information indicating a condition of the event and location specifying information indicating a storage location of information necessary for generating the history information detecting the generated event to interrupt the process, it acquires the event information includes information identifying the detected event, the acquired event information If it matches any event designation information in the history information collection rule, the location designation information associated with the relevant event designation information is acquired from the history information collection rule, and the obtained location designation information is The information necessary for generating the history information is acquired from the storage location shown, the history information is generated from the acquired information, the generated history information is stored in the document usage history storage unit, Resume an interrupted process.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to collect the operation history of a document without limiting the application that uses the document by detecting an event that occurs when the document is operated and acquiring history information. .

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a document management apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  A document management apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of this invention includes a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, an output device 104, an input device 105, a communication device 106, and an external storage device 110. The CPU 101, ROM 102, RAM 103, output device 104, input device 105, communication device 106, and external storage device 110 are connected to each other via a bus. The document management apparatus 100 is a general-purpose computer, for example.

  The CPU 101 executes various business processes by processing programs stored in the ROM 102 or the RAM 103. The ROM 102 stores a program processed by the CPU 101 or data used by the program. Since the ROM 102 is a read-only memory, the stored data or program cannot be basically changed.

  The RAM 103 stores a program processed by the CPU 101 or data used by the program. Data or programs stored in the RAM 103 can be updated. The RAM 103 stores a program and data read from the external storage device 110. Further, the RAM 103 includes a history information buffer 107 for temporarily storing data collected to generate history information.

  The output device 104 displays the document itself managed by the document management device 100 or displays history information of the document. The output device 104 is a display device such as a display, for example. The input device 105 uses characters to edit the document and inputs search conditions for searching the document. Also, an operation such as copying or deleting a document is performed via the input device 105. The input device 105 is, for example, a keyboard and a mouse.

  The communication device 106 is connected to an external computer or the like and communicates with the connected device. For example, when the document is stored in an external server, the document management apparatus 100 acquires the document via the communication apparatus 106. The communication device 106 is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) for connecting to a network.

  The external storage device 110 stores a program and data for realizing the document management function of the present invention. The program stored in the external storage device 110 is read into the RAM 103 at the time of execution and executed by the CPU 101.

  The external storage device 110 stores an OS 111, a document use application 112, a document use history management unit 113, and a document use history storage unit 114. Further, the document itself may be stored in the external storage device 110.

  The OS 111 is basic software for executing various applications. The document use application 112 is an application for using a document. The document use application 112 is, for example, word processor software or spreadsheet software, and includes a browser. In the first embodiment of the present invention, it is not necessary to be limited to a specific document use application.

  The document use history management unit 113 records an operation history for a document by the document use application 112. The document usage history storage unit 114 stores the document usage history recorded by the document usage history management unit 113. The document usage history management unit 113 has a function of searching the document usage history stored in the document usage history storage unit 114 and acquiring the searched document, in addition to recording the operation history. Further, it has a function of displaying the dependency relationship of the retrieved document. The detailed configuration and function of the document usage history management unit 113 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration and a function of the document use history management unit 113 according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  The document use history management unit 113 includes a history information acquisition function 210, a history information storage function 220, and a history information search function 230. Each function includes a program for realizing the function and necessary information.

  The history information acquisition function 210 includes a function necessary for acquiring a history that a document has been operated by the document use application 112. Specifically, the history information acquisition function 210 includes a history information generation rule storage function 211, a history information generation function 212, and an event interrupt function 213.

  The document operation by the document use application 112 includes many operations that do not need to be recorded as history information. Therefore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, a rule (history information collection rule) for excluding unnecessary operation history and specifying an operation for actually recording history information is created in advance. Furthermore, the history information collection rule includes an acquisition location of related information in order to acquire information related to the operation. Details of the history information collection rule will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The history information generation rule storage function 211 is a function for storing the created history information collection rule. The history information generation rule storage function 211 includes a history information collection rule storage unit 215. The history information collection rule storage unit 215 stores the history information collection rule created by the history information generation rule storage function 211.

  The history information generation function 212 is a function for generating history information based on the history information collection rule. When a document is operated by the document use application 112, event occurrence function 213 detects the occurrence of an event to acquire event information, and generates history information based on the acquired event information and history information collection rule. Determine whether or not. When it is determined that the history information is to be generated, the history information is generated based on the acquired event information and the history information collection rule. An event occurs when the user performs some operation. Specifically, this is a case where some operation is performed on the document use application 112, for example, a case where a character is input by an input device. In addition to the case where the application is directly operated by the user, the event is generated when any processing is executed by the application such as automatic document saving.

  As described above, the event interrupt function 213 detects an event in which a document is operated by the document use application 112 and acquires the content of the event. Specifically, an event that requests processing from the document use application 112 to the OS 111 or an event specific to the document use application 112 is interrupted to acquire the contents of the event. This mechanism is called a hook. By hooking an event, it is possible to detect, for example, that a document has been read, and to acquire the title of the read document.

  The history information storage function 220 records the history information acquired by the history information acquisition function 210 in the document usage history storage unit 114.

  The history information search function 230 searches the history information recorded in the document usage history storage unit 114. Furthermore, it is possible to acquire information related to the searched document, and to display the searched document and the operation history for the related document in chronological order. The display of the search result will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  Here, an outline of a series of procedures for generating history information when reading a document and recording the generated history information in the document usage history storage unit 114 will be described.

  When the document management apparatus 100 detects an event in which a document is read by the event interrupt function 213, the document management apparatus 100 first notifies the history information generation function 212. The history information generation function 212 determines whether to record the history information of the notified event based on the history information collection rule. For example, when recording history information of an event in which a document is read, information specified in the history information collection rule (for example, the title of the read document) is acquired, and history information is generated. The history information is generated by the process information of the document use application 112 that uses the document for which the history information is generated, in addition to the information included in the event. Finally, the generated history information is stored in the document usage history storage unit 114.

  Further, the relationship between the functions will be described with a focus on the history information generation function 212 with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the document management apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  First, before collecting history information, the document management apparatus 100 uses the history information generation rule storage function 211 to determine whether or not to generate history information, and to generate history information. A history information collection rule 303 including information is created. The created history information collection rule 303 is stored in the history information collection rule storage unit 215.

  When the document is operated by the document use application 112, the document management apparatus 100 acquires event information by the event interrupt function 213 (S311). The acquired event information is notified to the history information generation function 212 (S312).

  The document management apparatus 100 refers to the history information collection rule 303 corresponding to the notified event information 304 by the history information generation function 212 (S313), and records the history information based on the event information 304 and the history information collection rule 303. Determine whether to generate. When generating the history information, the information specified by the history information collection rule 303 is acquired (S314). For example, the document information 302 is read from the process 301 of the document use application 112. In addition to the document title, the document information 302 includes information such as the time when the document was opened and the time when the document was closed.

  The document management apparatus 100 generates history information 305 by the history information generation function 212 based on the acquired information. Further, the history information storage function 220 stores the generated history information 305 in the document usage history storage unit 114 (S315).

  The document management apparatus 100 searches the history information stored in the document usage history storage unit 114 by the history information search function 230 (S316), and presents the searched information.

  Here, referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, an overview of processing from detecting an event and interrupting the process 301 of the document use application to generating and storing history information and restarting the process 301 is described. explain.

  FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating a case where the acquired event information does not conform to the history information collection rule, that is, the history information is not generated according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  When the event interrupt function 213 detects an event that has occurred in the document use application 112, the CPU 101 of the document management apparatus 100 interrupts the process 301 of the document use application 112 (S401).

  Next, when the event information is acquired by the event interrupt function 213, the CPU 101 of the document management apparatus 100 executes the history information generation function 212 (S402). Then, the history information collection rule storage function 211 reads the history information collection rule, and determines whether or not the event information matches the read history information collection rule (S403 to S405).

  If the event information does not conform to all the history information collection rules, the CPU 101 of the document management apparatus 100 resumes the interrupted process 301 of the document use application 112 (S406), and ends this process.

  FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating a case where the acquired event information according to the first embodiment of the present invention meets the history information collection rule, that is, a case where history information is generated.

  The processing from S401 to S403 shown in FIG. 4 is the same as the processing from S501 to S503 in the sequence diagram shown in FIG. In the process shown in FIG. 5, the acquired event information and the history information collection rule (rule # 1) are matched in the process of S503.

  If the acquired event information matches the history information collection rule (rule # 1), the CPU 101 of the document management apparatus 100 reads information specified in the history information collection rule from the document information 302 (S504). Further, history information is generated, and the generated history information is written into the document use history storage unit 114 by the history information storage function 220 (S505). Thereafter, the process 301 of the interrupted document use application 112 is restarted (S506), and this process is terminated.

  Here, the document use application 112 is assumed to be an electronic mail application (Web mail application) using a browser, and the first embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described. In this case, the document information 302 corresponds to the HTML file displayed on the browser.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the Web mail application according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  In the Web mail application, when a predetermined URL is designated, an input screen is displayed on the browser, and an electronic mail can be transmitted and received. For example, a screen for newly creating an e-mail, a screen for displaying a list of received e-mails, a screen for referring to the contents of the received e-mail, and the like are provided, and a URL corresponds to each screen.

  The screen shown in FIG. 6 is a screen for creating a new electronic mail (new mail creation screen 600). In the title bar 601 of the new mail creation screen, “Web mail application new mail creation screen” is displayed. The address 602 stores a URL for displaying a new mail creation screen.

  The new mail creation screen 600 further includes a title 603, TO 604, CC 605, attachment 606, text 607, and send button 608. The title 603 is the title of the e-mail. TO 604 is a destination of the created electronic mail. CC 605 is a destination to which a copy of the created electronic mail is transmitted.

  In the attachment 606, a file name attached to the electronic mail is input. When the e-mail is transmitted, the file designated as the attachment 606 is attached to the e-mail and transmitted. A text 607 is a text of the electronic mail. The send button 608 is operated after the necessary information is input, so that an e-mail created to the destination specified in the TO 604 and the CC 605 is sent.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the contents of an HTML file for displaying the screen of the Web mail application according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  FIG. 7 shows the contents of an HTML file for displaying the new mail creation screen 600 shown in FIG. The HTML file includes a HEAD part and a BODY part.

  In the HEAD part, header information such as a document title is described. Referring to FIG. 7, in the HEAD part, the content displayed in the title bar 601 of the new mail creation screen 600 is described in TITLE.

  In the BODY part, a document that is actually displayed on the browser is described. The BODY part includes a FORM part. The FORM section mainly includes components such as an input field for receiving data input and a button for transmitting the input information.

  In the part corresponding to the input field, the shape or the like is specified by the INPUT tag and the attribute of the INPUT tag. 6 and 7, the title 603, TO 604, CC 605, attachment 606, text 607, and transmission button 608 correspond to the INPUT tag. In the title 603, the TO 604, the CC 605, the attachment 606, and the text 607, “text” is specified in the type attribute of the INPUT tag, and input of characters is accepted. The send button 608 sends the information input in the title 603, TO 604, CC 605, attachment 606, and text 607 to the server provided with the new mail creation screen 600, and sends the program (send_mail.cgi) specified by the action attribute. Run. The server that has received the input information transmits an e-mail based on the input information.

  Here, a method of detecting an event occurring in the document use application 112 and recording history information will be described. The document use application 112 is the Web mail application shown in FIG. 6, and the document information 302 is a newly created mail. The document information 302 includes information input to the HTML file shown in FIG.

  The outline of the procedure for recording the history information will be described. For example, when the browser (document use application 112) is executed, the event interrupt function 213 detects an event in which the send button 608 is operated. If the event for operating the send button 608 matches the history information collection rule 303, the information specified by the history information collection rule 303 is acquired from the HTML file (document information 302). For example, by acquiring the attribute value (value attribute value) of the INPUT tag included in the HTML file, the contents of the transmitted mail can be acquired. Further, when an attached file is designated in the attachment 606, it can be seen that the transmitted mail (document information 302) is associated with the attached file.

Hereinafter, a procedure for recording history information will be described in detail. First, a specific example of the history information collection rule 303 will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the history information collection rule 303 according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  The history information collection rule 303 includes an ID 801, an item 802, event designation information 803, and location designation information 804.

  ID 801 is an identifier of the history information collection rule. The ID 801 only needs to be able to uniquely identify the history information collection rule, and may be assigned a number in the order of registration. An item 802 is an item name registered when history information is recorded.

  The event designation information 803 is a condition that is compared with the event information detected by the event interrupt function 213 to determine whether to record history information. The event designation information 803 includes an event identifier and the like. The event identifier is defined for each event that occurs in the document using application. Therefore, even when the new document use application 112 is used, it is possible to cope with the change in the program included in the document use history management unit 113 by specifying the event identifier.

  The location designation information 804 is a storage location of information acquired when the detected event information matches the event designation information 803.

  By configuring the history information collection rule as described above, it is possible to deal with a new document use application 112 only by newly adding a history information collection rule.

  Further, the history information collection rule will be described in detail. For the acquired event information, if the event identifier is “HTML_ON_CLICK”, the URL is the URL of the new mail creation screen, and the “Send” button is operated, It conforms to the event specification information 803 of the information collection rule 811. In this case, the value of the 0th INPUT tag of the HTML file as document information is acquired and stored in the history information buffer 107 together with the item “document title”.

  Further, when the acquired event information has the event identifier “HTML_OPEN” and the URL is a new mail creation screen, it conforms to the event designation information 803 of the history information collection rule 812. In this case, the event occurrence date / time included in the detected event information is acquired and stored in the history information buffer 107 together with the item “creation date / time”.

  In this way, each time an event is detected by the document use application 112, the detected event information is compared with the event specification information 803 of the history information collection rule, and if it matches, the information specified in the location specification information 804 To collect.

  Here, the collected data stored in the history information buffer 107 as temporary information for creating history information will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of data collected from the document information 302 according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  The collection data shown in FIG. 9 is collected for each event and temporarily stored in the history information buffer 107 as described above. FIG. 9 shows data 911 and 912 collected based on the history information collection rule shown in FIG.

  The collected data stored in the history information buffer 107 includes an ID 901, an item 902, and a value 903. The ID 901 may be any number as long as the collected data can be identified, and may be assigned a number in the order of storage. An item 902 corresponds to the item 802 of the history information collection rule. The value 903 corresponds to the value designated by the location designation information 804 of the history information collection rule.

  More specifically, the collected data 911 corresponds to the history information collection rule 811 shown in FIG. As described above, the history information collection rule 811 corresponds to an event in which the send button 608 is operated on the new mail creation screen. At this time, the location specification information 804 specifies the value (value attribute) of the 0th INPUT tag of the HTML file.

  Therefore, the item 902 of the collected data 911 stores “document title” which is the value of the item 802 of the history information collection rule 811. Also, the value 903 stores the value “Notice of meeting holding” of the title 603 corresponding to the 0th INPUT tag of the HTML file.

  Similarly, the collected data 912 corresponds to the history information collection rule 814. Since the event designation information is the same as the history information collection rule 811, the collected data 912 is also collected at the same timing as the collected data 911. The item 902 of the collected data 912 stores “attached file” that is the value of the item 802 of the history information collection rule 814. Also, the value 903 stores the value “C: ¥ folder1 ¥ subfolder ¥ 123.txt” of the attachment 606 corresponding to the third INPUT tag of the HTML file. As described above, by including the information on the attached file in the history information, the created mail can be associated with the attached file.

  In addition, when a part of the content of an existing document is copied to a newly created document, it is possible to associate the document by associating the operation history with respect to the copy source document and the operation history with respect to the copy destination document. . It is also possible to specify the duplicated part by acquiring the contents stored in the memory.

  Here, an example in which history information is created based on a series of event information regarding operations from creation to transmission of mail will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a series of events occur in chronological order according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  The left side of FIG. 10 shows the time series, and the black squares on the arrows show the events that have occurred. Event information acquired when an event is detected includes an event identifier and an event occurrence date and time. Further, other items are included in the event information according to the event that has occurred.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, the creation of an email is started by displaying a new email creation screen. That is, an event 1001 in which an HTML file corresponding to the new mail creation screen is opened by the browser is detected as an event in which mail creation is started.

  The event information 1011 corresponding to the event 1001 includes an event identifier “HTML_OPEN” indicating that the HTML file is an event opened by the browser. Furthermore, an event occurrence date and time and a URL are included. The event identifier and URL can specify that the HTML file corresponding to the new mail creation screen has been opened by the browser.

  The creation of the mail is completed by actually creating the mail (text) and then transmitting the created mail. That is, an event 1004 in which the send button on the new mail creation screen is operated is detected as an event in which mail creation is completed.

  The event information 1014 corresponding to the event 1004 includes an event identifier “HTML_ON_CLICK” indicating that the HTML file displayed on the browser is an operated event. Furthermore, it is possible to specify that the send button has been operated by the URL, button name, and object included in the event information.

  On the other hand, necessary information is input to each input field on the new mail creation screen during the period from the start to completion of mail creation (events 1002 and 1003). The event information 1012 and 1013 corresponding to the events 1002 and 1003 includes an event identifier “HTML_KEY_PRESS” indicating the event in which the key is input. The input key is stored in the key name, the object corresponds to the input field, and the input field in which the key is input is specified.

  Further, it is not necessary to record all key inputs as history information, and it is only necessary to acquire information input in a predetermined input field at the time of mail transmission. Note that by detecting the input of a specific shortcut key, for example, an operation such as when content is copied from another document can be recorded as history information.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of history information according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  The history information includes an ID 1101, an item 1102, and a value 1103. The ID 1101 only needs to be able to identify each item included in the history information, and may be assigned a number in the order of storage. An item 1102 corresponds to the item 902 of collected data. The value 1103 corresponds to the collected data value 903.

  FIG. 11 shows history information when a new mail is created. The collected data stored in the history information buffer 107 by the history information generation function 212 is recorded for each event as described above. The history information is composed of one or more records in which collected data of one or more events is aggregated.

  In addition, since the collected data constituting the history information may be generated at different timings, the history information may not be generated collectively. Therefore, the history information generated in the document usage history storage unit 114 may be stored by giving an identifier for each history information to each collected data.

  Each record (1111 to 1114) of the history information shown in FIG. 11 corresponds to the history information collection rule (811 to 814) shown in FIG. The history information shown in FIG. 11 is generated by aggregating data collected based on the history information collection rules (811 to 814).

  The procedure for generating history information for operations from creation to transmission of mail will be described in chronological order. First, an event that meets the history information collection rule 812 is detected, and an event for starting creation of mail is specified. Then, the information (creation date / time) designated in the location designation information 804 is acquired and stored in the history information buffer 107.

  Thereafter, when the creation of the mail is completed, the send button 608 is operated, and the event for which the creation of the mail is completed can be specified. At this time, the detected event corresponds to the event designation information 803 of the history information collection rule 813 (may be 811 or 814). When an event in which the send button 608 is operated is detected, the information designated in the location designation information 804 of the history information collection rules 811, 813, and 814 is acquired and stored in the history information buffer 107. Then, history information is generated based on the collected data stored in the history information buffer 107, and the generated history information is stored in the document usage history storage unit 114.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for generating history information according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  This process is executed every time event information is acquired. When this process is executed for the first time, the history information buffer 107 is once emptied.

  The CPU 101 of the document management apparatus 100 first acquires event information by the event interrupt function 213 (S1201), and initializes the counter to 0 (S1202). The counter is an index of the history information collection rule that has been determined whether or not it matches the event designation information, and corresponds to the number of history information collection rules that have been determined.

  The CPU 101 of the document management apparatus 100 adds 1 to the counter (S1203), and determines whether the value of the counter is larger than the total number of history information collection rules stored in the history information collection rule storage unit 215 (S1204). ). If the value of the counter is larger than the number of rules (the result of S1204 is “Yes”), it is determined whether or not all the history information collection rules are suitable for the acquired event information, and thus this processing ends. To do.

  When the counter value is equal to or less than the number of rules (the result of S1204 is “No”), the CPU 101 of the document management apparatus 100 leaves a history information collection rule that has not been determined to be compatible with the acquired event. Yes. Therefore, it is determined whether the acquired event information conforms to the history information collection rule corresponding to the counter (S1205).

  When the acquired event information does not conform to the history information collection rule (the result of S1205 is “No”), the CPU 101 of the document management apparatus 100 determines whether or not it conforms to another history information collection rule. , S1203 and subsequent processes are executed.

  On the other hand, if the acquired event information matches the event information in the history information collection rule (the result of S1205 is “Yes”), the CPU 101 of the document management apparatus 100 adds the location designation information included in the history information collection rule. Based on this, the specified information is read out. Then, the read information is written in the history information buffer 107 in the format shown in FIG. 9 (S1206).

  Further, the CPU 101 of the document management apparatus 100 determines whether or not values have been set for all items of the history information (S1207). When values are set for all items of the history information (the result of S1207 is “Yes”), the contents of the history information buffer 107 are stored in the document usage history storage unit 114 of the external storage device 110, and The history information buffer 107 is emptied (S1208). Note that in order to determine whether values are set for all items of history information, it is necessary to define items for each piece of history information in advance. In addition, items may be defined for each event, and history information for each event may be collected and handled when acquiring history information such as when searching.

  On the other hand, if no value is set for all items of history information (the result of S1207 is “No”), the CPU 101 of the document management apparatus 100 further determines whether or not other history information collection rules are met. In order to determine the above, the processing after S1203 is executed.

  If this process ends after determining whether or not the event information acquired for all history information collection rules is met (the result of the process in S1204 is “Yes”), the process is stored in the history information buffer 107. The collected data may remain after the processing is completed. In this case, the remaining collected data is stored in the document usage history storage unit 114 by executing the processing of S1208 at another event.

  Therefore, there is a possibility that records constituting one history information may not be stored in the document usage history storage unit 114 at the same time. However, each record may be associated at a later timing, and history information is searched by the history information search function 230. When doing so, the history information may be associated with each other. In this case, as described above, it is necessary to add an identifier indicating that the data belongs to the same history information to the collected data.

  Here, an example in which the relationship between documents is presented using the history information collected by the above processing will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that displays the relationship between documents according to the first embodiment of this invention.

  The document relation display screen 1300 includes a document designation field 1301, a display button 1302, and a document relation display area 1303.

  In the document designation field 1301, the file name of the document for displaying the relationship is input. When the display button 1302 is operated, the relationship between the documents input in the document designation field 1301 is displayed in the document relationship display area 1303.

  FIG. 13 shows a screen on which the relationship between documents is displayed by specifying the file “E3.xls”.

  Referring to the document relation display area 1303, an icon corresponding to the designated file is displayed at the upper center of the area. On the left side of the area, a document used to create the file “E3.xls” is shown. On the right side of the area, a document using the file “E3.xls” is shown.

  First, the document used to create the file “E3.xls” will be described. As to the file “E3.xls”, the file “E1.xls” stored in another location is changed to “C: ¥ Folder1”. It can be seen that the file name is changed to “E3.xls” by moving to “¥ SubFolder1”. It can also be seen that the contents of the file “E2.xls” and the web page “W1.html” have been copied to the file “E3.xls”.

  Next, a document using the file “E3.xls” will be described. First, the file “E4.xls” is a copy of the file “E3.xls”. The contents of the file “E3.xls” are copied to the file “E5.xls” and the file “P1.ppt”. Further, it can be seen that the file “E3.xls” is attached to the mail M1 and transmitted.

  Also, the work time and its breakdown are shown in the lower center of the area of the document relation display area 1303, and the time required to create the document (editing time) and the time using the document (viewing time) can be grasped. Can do.

  As described above, by visualizing the dependency relationship between documents, the relationship between related documents and contents can be clarified.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that displays the relationship between the designated document and other documents according to the first embodiment of this invention in chronological order.

  The time series display screen 1400 includes a date designation field 1401, a display button 1402, and a work document display area 1403.

  In the date designation field 1401, a date for displaying the worked document in time series order is input. When the display button 1402 is operated, documents worked on the date input in the date designation field 1401 are displayed in the work document display area 1403 in chronological order.

  FIG. 14 shows documents processed on December 27, 2007 in chronological order. Further, the work document display area 1403 will be described. First, the mail “R1”, the mail “R2”, and the mail “R3” are sequentially referred to, and the file E1 attached to the mail R3 is displayed. Further, it can be seen that the displayed file E1 is renamed to the file E3 and saved, and the contents of the file are copied to the file P1.

  As described above, by visualizing the daily action of one user in units of documents, it is possible to grasp the work contents of the user and grasp the relationship of the worked documents.

  According to the first embodiment of the present invention, by adding a history information collection rule, an operation history can be acquired without remodeling an application that uses a document or adding a program such as a plug-in. it can. Furthermore, even when an application that uses a document is newly added, it can be easily handled by adding a history information collection rule.

  Further, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, contents copied between documents can be grasped by using collected history information. Therefore, when the description content of the document is corrected, the affected document can be easily searched.

  Furthermore, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since the document operated by the user can be displayed in chronological order in units of one day, it is possible to grasp the work contents of the user. .

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment of the present invention, a method has been described in which history information is collected by a single document management apparatus (computer) and document relationships are presented based on the collected history information. In the second embodiment, history information is collected in the document management server, and the distribution route of the document can be clarified based on the history information of a plurality of users.

  Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that in the second embodiment, description of the contents common to the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, the method for collecting history information is basically the same as that in the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, history information is stored in the document usage history storage unit provided in the document management apparatus 100. In the second embodiment, history information is stored in the document management server as described above. Stored.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of a document management system according to the second embodiment of this invention.

  The document management system according to the second embodiment of this invention includes clients (1501A, 1501B) and a document management server 1502. In FIG. 15, a plurality of clients are included in the system, but since each client (1501A, 1501B) has the same function, description will be made using a common reference numeral 1501.

  In the first embodiment, history information is collected and stored by a single document management apparatus. In the second embodiment, history information is collected by the client 1501 and stored in the document management server 1502. At the time of retrieval, the document management server 1502 executes a retrieval instruction transmitted from the client 1501, and transmits the retrieved history information to the client 1501.

  The hardware configurations of the client 1501 and the document management server 1502 are the same as those of the document management apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The program executed on each computer and the information stored in the external storage device 110 are different.

  The client 1501 has the same configuration as that of the document management apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment except for the function of storing history information. Specifically, as in the first embodiment, when history information is collected, a history information transmission function 1511 is executed instead of the history information storage function 220, and the document management server 1502 is communicated via the communication device 106. Collected history information is transmitted.

  When searching for history information, the client 1501 receives an input of search conditions by the history information search function 1512 and transmits a search request for history information to the document management server 1502. When a search result is received from the document management server 1502, the history information search function 1512 displays the document relationship and the like.

  When the history information collected by the client 1501 is received, the document management server 1502 stores the history information in the document usage history storage unit 114 by the history information storage function 220. In the first embodiment, since the computer that collects history information is the same as the computer that stores history information, it may be stored as it is. In the second embodiment, history collected by a plurality of clients 1501 Since the information is stored, the identification information of the user is given for each history information. Note that the identification information of the client 1501 may be added to the history information instead of the identification information of the user.

  In addition, when receiving a history information search request from the client 1501, the document management server 1502 searches the document usage history storage unit 114 for history information using the history information search function 1521. Further, the retrieved history information is transmitted to the client 1501.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, since a user is assigned to the history information, it is possible to grasp the browsing or editing status of a shared document used by a plurality of users. Furthermore, it is possible to grasp the browsing status of a document circulated by e-mail or the like. FIG. 16 shows a screen for displaying the distribution route of the document.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that displays a usage status for each user of a specified document according to the second embodiment of this invention.

  The document distribution route display screen 1600 includes a document designation field 1601, a display button 1602, and a document distribution route display area 1603.

  In the document designation field 1601, the file name of the document displaying the distribution route is input. When the display button 1602 is operated, the distribution route of the document input in the document designation field 1601 is displayed in the document distribution route display area 1603. The horizontal axis of the document distribution route display area 1603 is time.

  The contents of the document distribution route display screen 1600 will be described. The distribution route shown in the document distribution route display screen 1600 shows a case where a document (E3.xls) created by Mr. A is distributed to Mr. B and Mr. C. . Mr. A attaches the created document to the mail and sends it to Mr. B and Mr. C. Mr. B and Mr. C receive the mail sent by Mr. A and refer to the attached file. Mr. B sees the document carefully and finally prints it. On the other hand, Mr. C can see that he is browsing the document only for a short time. In this way, Mr. A can confirm the state in which the created document is browsed by referring to the document distribution route display screen 1600.

  Here, a procedure for designating the document “E3.xls” and displaying the document distribution path display screen 1600 on the client 1501 will be described.

  Upon receiving the designation of the file name “C: \ Folder1 \ SubFolder1 \ E3.xls”, the client 1501 transmits a search request for the document designated by the document management server 1502.

  When the document management server 1502 receives a search request from the client 1501, the history information search function 1521 acquires the corresponding history information from the document usage history storage unit 114. Further, the search result is transmitted to the client 1501.

  Upon receiving the search result, the client 1501 first extracts the users included in the history information. Next, the document distribution route display area 1603 is divided based on the number of extracted users. In the example of the document distribution route display screen 1600 shown in FIG. Finally, the received history information is sorted in chronological order, and the work for each user is displayed in the document distribution route display area 1603.

  Instead of processing the retrieved history information by the client 1501, the history information may be processed by the history information search function 1521 of the document management server 1502, and the processed information may be transmitted to the client 1501. Further, the image data (graph) displayed in the document distribution route display area 1603 may be generated by the history information search function 1521 of the document management server 1502 and transmitted to the client 1501.

  According to the second embodiment of the present invention, since the history information of the documents collected by each client is stored in the document management server 1502, it is possible to grasp the usage status of the document for each user. . Furthermore, since the distribution status of each document can be grasped, it is possible to grasp the confirmation status of the document when the document is distributed. Furthermore, since it is possible to grasp the case where the distributed document is further redistributed, it is possible to specify a range in which the information described in the distributed document is recognized.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the document management apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the document utilization log | history management part of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the document management apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the case where the acquired event information of the 1st Embodiment of this invention does not match a history information collection rule, ie, the case where history information is not produced | generated. It is a sequence diagram which shows the case where the acquired event information of the 1st Embodiment of this invention suits a history information collection rule, ie, the case where history information is produced | generated. It is a figure which shows an example of the web mail application of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the content of the HTML file for displaying the screen of the Web mail application of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the history information collection rule of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the data collected from the document information of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining a mode that a series of events of the 1st Embodiment of this invention generate | occur | produce in time series order. It is a figure which shows an example of the historical information of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which produces | generates the historical information of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen which displays the relationship between the documents of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen which displays the relationship between the designated document of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and another document in order of a time series. It is a figure which shows the structure of the document management system of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen which displays the utilization condition for every user of the designated document of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

100 document management apparatus 101 CPU
102 ROM
103 RAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 104 Output device 105 Input device 106 Communication apparatus 107 History information buffer 110 External storage device 112 Document utilization application 113 Document utilization history management part 114 Document utilization history storage part 210 History information acquisition function 211 History information generation rule storage function 212 History information generation function 213 Event interrupt function 215 History information collection rule storage unit 220 History information storage function 230 History information search function 1501 Client 1502 Document management server 1511 History information transmission function 1512 History information search function (client)
1521 History information search function (server)

Claims (13)

A document management system for managing document history information,
At least one document usage unit that uses the document, a document usage history management unit that manages history information of the document, and a document usage history storage unit that stores history information of the document,
The document usage history management unit
Event designation information indicating a condition for determining whether or not a document operation by the document utilization unit is recorded as the history information, and location designation information indicating a storage location of information necessary for generating the history information If, associate, including a history information collection rules,
Detecting an event occurring in the process generated by the document using unit;
Interrupt the process,
Obtaining event information including information identifying the detected event;
When the acquired event information matches any event designation information in the history information collection rule, the location designation information associated with the matching event designation information is obtained from the history information collection rule,
From the storage location indicated by the acquired location designation information, obtain information necessary to generate the history information,
Generating the history information from the acquired information ;
Storing the generated history information in the document usage history storage unit;
A document management system which resumes the interrupted process. The document management system further includes a history information search unit that searches history information stored in the document use history storage unit,
The history information search unit
Accepting input of search conditions for searching the history information,
The document management system according to claim 1, wherein the history information is searched based on the input search condition. The history information includes identification information of the document and operation information for the document,
3. The document according to claim 2, wherein the operation information for the document includes related document information that is identification information of the other document when the operation for the document is related to the other document. Management system. The history information search unit
Accept specification of the document,
Extracting related document information included in history information searched based on the specified document;
4. The document management system according to claim 3, wherein a relationship between the designated document and a document identified by the extracted related document information is presented.   The document management system according to claim 3, wherein the operation information for the document includes a time when the document is operated. The history information search unit
Accepts the date and time of operating the document,
Based on the specified date and time, the history information of the document is extracted,
Presenting the history information of the extracted document for each document using unit,
6. The document management system according to claim 5, wherein a relationship between the extracted documents is presented based on related document information included in history information of the extracted documents. The history information includes identification information of a user of the document,
The document management system according to claim 5, wherein the history information search unit presents the extracted history information in time series for each user.   A program that causes a document management apparatus that manages document history information to execute processing,
  Detecting an event that occurred in the process of using the document;
  A procedure to interrupt the process;
  Obtaining event information including information identifying the detected event;
  Event designation information indicating a condition for determining whether or not a document operation by the document utilization unit is recorded as the history information, and location designation information indicating a storage location of information necessary for generating the history information To refer to the history information collection rule,
  A procedure for acquiring, from the history information collection rule, location designation information associated with the applicable event designation information when the acquired event information matches any event designation information in the history information collection rule; ,
  A procedure for acquiring information necessary for generating the history information from the storage location indicated by the acquired location designation information;
  Generating the history information from the acquired information;
  A procedure for storing the generated history information in the document management device;
  And a procedure for resuming the interrupted process.   The process is
  A procedure for receiving an input of a search condition for searching the history information;
  The document management program according to claim 8, further comprising a step of searching the history information based on the input search condition.   The history information includes identification information of the document and operation information for the document,
  When the operation on the document is related to another document, the operation information on the document includes related document information that is identification information of the other document,
  The process is
  A procedure for accepting designation of the document;
  A procedure for retrieving history information of the specified document;
  A procedure for extracting related document information included in the retrieved history information;
  The document management program according to claim 9, further comprising a procedure for presenting a relationship between the designated document and the document identified by the extracted related document information.   The operation information for the document includes the time when the document was operated,
  The process is
  A procedure for accepting designation of the date and time when the document is operated;
  A procedure for extracting history information of the document based on the designated date and time;
  A procedure for presenting history information of the extracted document for each application that operates the document;
  The document management program according to claim 10, further comprising: a procedure for presenting a relationship between the extracted documents based on related document information included in history information of the extracted documents.   The history information includes identification information of a user of the document,
  The operation information for the document includes time information for operating the document,
  The document management program according to claim 11, wherein the processing further includes a procedure of presenting the searched history information in time series for each user.   In a document management system, a method for managing document history information,
  The document management system includes at least one document use unit that uses the document, a document use history management unit that manages history information of the document, and a document use history storage unit that stores history information of the document. Prepared,
  The document use history management unit includes event designation information indicating a condition for determining whether or not to record a document operation by the document use unit as the history information, and information necessary for generating the history information Including a history information collection rule that associates location designation information indicating the storage location of
  The method is
  Detecting an event occurring in the process generated by the document using unit;
Interrupt the process,
  Obtaining event information including information identifying the detected event;
  When the acquired event information matches any event designation information in the history information collection rule, the location designation information associated with the matching event designation information is obtained from the history information collection rule,
  From the storage location indicated by the acquired location designation information, obtain information necessary to generate the history information,
  Generate the history information from the acquired information,
  Storing the generated history information in the document usage history storage unit;
  A document management method comprising resuming the interrupted process.

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