JPH05151265A - Method for retrieving page - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to simply retrieve an optional page in an optional document by allocating identification(ID) numbers to a document and its respec tive pages, managing respective ID numbers by a data base and storing corre sponding relation between the 1st and 2nd page setting areas. CONSTITUTION:A title name is allocated (S100) to inputted document data and a document corresponding to the title at the rate of 1 to 1 is registered (S101) in a data base as a format constituted of pages having hierarchical structure of four stages. A user retrieves (S102) document data whose area is to be set up from the data base. The retrieval is executed by successively descending the four hierarchies in order of indexes, titles and pages and retrieved document data are displayed in each page. When an area to be requested to correspond is set up while observing the displayed pages, the corresponding page is retrieved from the document data and displayed (S103 to S105). The specified page, the area-set page and the page of the corresponding area are stored and the retrieved page is displayed (S106 to S109).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a page search method in an electronic filing system, and more particularly to document storage,
The present invention relates to a page search method for easily searching for a desired page in a document in a document search device for searching and displaying.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a page search method for searching a desired page in a document in an electronic filing system for storing / searching and displaying the document, a method of sequentially turning pages like a person turning a paper file, A method of reducing a plurality of pages and displaying a schematic screen at the same time is usually used.

As a method applicable to a page search of a document having a large number of pages, a method of inputting a page number and directly searching the page is used.

On the other hand, a device such as a CD-ROM handles a document having a large number of pages such as an encyclopedia or a dictionary, and by designating an arbitrary area within the page, the page related to the content of the area is searched. For example, it is possible to search for a desired page with ease.

[0005]

However, the method of sequentially turning pages and the method of reducing a plurality of pages and displaying the outlines at the same time are effective when the number of pages of a document is not so large, but various manuals are available. In the case of a document having a large number of pages such as, it takes a long time to reach a desired page, and there is a problem in terms of operation.

Further, the method of directly retrieving a page by the page number has the problem that it takes time and effort to enter the page number, and the page corresponding to the entered page number is not always the desired page. The conventional electronic filing system can store and search arbitrary documents, but it is difficult to perform a page search for a document with a large number of pages by a simple operation.

A device such as a CD-ROM targets only a specific document such as an encyclopedia or a dictionary, and a relationship between documents, pages, and areas is set so that an expert such as a device designer can easily search in advance. It is realized by describing and registering, but general users can not easily set the area and associate the area with the page for any document, and it is easy to use. The problem remains.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a page search method that allows a user to easily search an arbitrary page of an arbitrary document by a simple operation.

[0009]

When a specified page is searched by a document filing apparatus that stores and displays document data, a unique identification number is given to each document and each page in the document, and the document, It has a database mechanism for registering, retrieving, and updating pages
Set one or more arbitrary setting areas in the page, obtain the identification number of the second page to be associated with the setting area from the database mechanism, and identify the identification number of the first page and the setting area. The correspondence with the identification number of the second page is stored, the first page is displayed and a setting area is designated when a page search is performed, and the identification of the second page derived from the correspondence is performed. The page data corresponding to the number is read from the document data and displayed.

[0010]

According to the present invention, in a document filing apparatus for storing and displaying document data, an identification number for uniquely identifying each document and each page in the document is given, and the hierarchical relationship between the document and the page, the document The user can set the area by using the database mechanism that manages the order relation between each page in the page and the storage information of the storage part of the document data by the identification number, and executes the document, page registration, search and update processing. Search for the page to be displayed and display it on the screen. Set the area by looking at the displayed screen. Search and display the page to be associated. The area can be specified and the pages related to the content of the area can be searched by a simple operation.

Specifically, the identification number of the page for which the area is set and the identification number of the page for which the area is set are automatically obtained by the database mechanism, and the identification number of the page for which the area is set, the set area, and the identification number of the associated page are set. The correspondence relationship with is stored, and based on the identification number of the area set page obtained by the user designating the area and the set area, the identification number of the associated page is obtained from the stored correspondence relationship, This is realized by reading the page data corresponding to the identification number from the document storage unit and displaying it.

As described above, the present invention relates to an arbitrary document,
The present invention is designed so that a page associated with the contents of the designated area can be searched for by a simple operation, and a document having a large number of pages can be searched easily. Therefore, the page search method of the present invention allows a general user to easily search a page for an arbitrary document, which is different from the function of a conventional CD-ROM device or the like.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a flowchart of the operation of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the outline of the document filing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The document filing apparatus shown in the figure inputs a first input unit 200 including a tablet, a mouse, etc. for setting an area, a search instruction, etc., a display unit 201 for displaying document data of search results, etc. A second input unit 202 including a scanner, a facsimile, a storage unit 203 for storing document data, a screen processing unit for performing document data encoding / decoding processing, reduction conversion processing, display control on the display unit 201, and the like. 204, a bus 205 for transferring document data, a management table, a control unit 206 for controlling the entire apparatus, and having a database mechanism for registering document data, search processing, and the like.

The operation will be described below in order of the flowchart shown in FIG. (Step 100) The user makes an input request for document data from the first input unit 200, and inputs document data from the second input unit 202. A title name is added to the input document data.

(Step 101) The database in the control unit 206 is activated and the document data with the title name is registered in the database. Registration in the database is performed by forming a document having a one-to-one correspondence with a title by using pages having a four-level hierarchical structure.

(Step 102) The user searches the database for the document data for setting the area. This document data search is performed by lowering the four layers in order of heading 1, heading 2, title, and page. The retrieved document data is displayed on the display unit 201 for each page.

(Step 103) The user uses the display unit 201.
Look at the page displayed in and set the area you want to associate. Therefore, it is effective to set the area for the page of the table of contents which is usually used for a document having a large number of pages. This area setting is set at a plurality of locations.

(Step 104) The process of Step 103 is repeated for the desired number of set areas.

(Step 105) When the area setting is completed, the corresponding page is searched from the document data and displayed on the display unit 201.

(Step 106) The user looks at the displayed page and, if the page is to be associated with a desired one, specifies the page. The control unit 206 stores three pages, that is, a page designated by the user, a page for which an area is set, and a page for the area associated with the page in the management table.

(Step 107) Steps 105 and 106 are performed until the association for the set number of areas is completed.
The process of is repeated.

(Step 108) When the above processing for all areas is completed, the user can retrieve the desired page from the document data in the database. A search is performed by designating an area (page of contents) set by the user, and the searched page is displayed on the display unit 201.

(Step 109) The user looks at the displayed page and designates a desired area.

(Step 110) The page entity is read from the storage unit for the area designated in Step 109,
It is displayed on the display unit 201.

Each step will be described in detail below. [Database Registration Process] << Step 100 >> The user firstly inputs the first input unit 200.
An input request is made by the user, and the document data is input from the second input unit 202. Next, a title name is given to the input document data.

More specifically, when the control unit 206 detects an input request from the user through the first input unit 200, the control unit 206 activates the second input unit 202 and sequentially inputs a document page by page. The control unit 206 transfers the input document data to the screen processing unit 204, performs data compression processing, transfers to the storage unit 203 via the bus 205, and stores the data. The document data input by the user is displayed on the screen processing unit 2
In 04, the document data transferred before the data compression processing is expanded as a dot image, and the display unit 201
To display. As a result, the user confirms the display of the input document data. Since the number of dots that can be displayed on the normal display unit 201 is limited, the screen processing unit 204 performs reduction conversion processing on the developed dot image so as to correspond to the size of the display unit 201 and displays it on the display unit 201. To do. When the input of the document data is completed, the control unit 206 acquires from the input unit 200 the title name given to the input document by the user. There are two methods of assigning a title name, one is by the user from the input unit and the other is by automatically assigning a part of the input document data as a title.

<< Step 101 >> The control unit 206, when acquiring the title name given by any of the above methods, activates the database mechanism to register the document data in the database. Document data in the database is managed by a hierarchical structure such as a headline and a title, or a keyword (title name itself or separately) added to a title, as is generally done by a person using a paper file.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a document structure when the document data according to the embodiment of the present invention is managed by a hierarchical structure. The numbers in the squares in the figure are identification numbers, which are uniquely assigned by the system. The example shown in the figure shows a case where the document data is managed by a four-level hierarchical structure of a headline 1, a headline 2, a title, and a page forming a document corresponding to the title one-to-one. These heading 1, heading 2, title, and page elements are given names such as the above-described title names. In addition, elements in the same hierarchy are ordered by an order relation. The hierarchical relationship and order relationship between the respective elements in FIG.
Dynamically changes by adding, changing, and deleting titles and pages, but the identification number assigned to each element does not change.

[Area Setting Process] << Step 102: Document / Page Retrieval / Display >> Document data is retrieved by lowering the hierarchy in the order of heading 1, heading 2, title, and page, and proceeding with the search.

FIG. 4 shows an example of each management table when the document structure of FIG. 3 is realized by a relational database. FIG. 4A shows heading 1, heading 2, title,
It is a table which shows the hierarchical relationship between each element of a page. “UP” of field 1 in the figure is the identification number of the element in the upper layer of the “DOWN” field, and “DOWN” is the identification number of the element in the lower layer of the “UP” field.

FIG. 4B is a table showing the order relation between the elements in the same hierarchy. “LE” in field 1 of the figure
“FT” is an identification number of an element whose order is lower than that of the “RIGHT” field, and “RIGHT” is an identification number of elements whose order is older than that of the “LEFT” field.

FIG. 4C is a table showing the relationship between each element and the elements at the head and tail of the element in the layer one lower than the element and the number of elements. In the figure, field 1 "KEY" is the identification number of the element, "HEAD" is the identification number of the element that is one order lower in the hierarchy of the "KEY" field, and the order is the first element, and "TAIL" is "KEY". "NUMBER" is the identification number of the last element in the order one level lower than the element in the field.
Is the total number of elements one level below the element in the "KEY" field.

FIG. 4D is a table showing the storage information in the storage unit of the entity information corresponding to each element. In the figure, "KEY" in the field 1 is the identification number of the element, and the file ID in the field 2 is the storage information in the storage unit of the substantive information corresponding to the element in the "KEY" field.

The document structure shown in FIG. 3 is from (a) to FIG.
It can be realized by each table in (d). The entity information corresponding to each element is the name of each of the heading 1, the heading 2, and the title, and the input document data itself in the case of a page. Note that Fig. 4 (c)
The table of can be generated by repeatedly using the tables of FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). The table (c) is a table provided in this example in order to speed up search processing and update processing.

FIG. 5 shows a simple document structure of one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows a specific setting example of each table for FIG. The numbers in the table in the figure are identification numbers that uniquely identify each element, and "0" indicates that there is no corresponding identification number. FIG. 6A is a table showing the hierarchical relationship among the elements of heading 1, heading 2, title, and page. FIG. 6B is a table showing the order relationship between elements in the same hierarchy. FIG. 6C is a table showing the relationship between each element and the elements at the head and tail of the element in the layer one lower than the element and the number of elements. FIG. 6D is a table showing the stored information in the storage unit 203 of the entity information corresponding to each element.

In the case of the method of managing the document data by assigning a keyword to each title, the management method based on the above-mentioned hierarchical structure means that the hierarchy is two layers of title and page, and the selection of the title is the heading 1 , The heading 2 is not selected in this order, but is specified by a keyword. If you want to realize specifically,
The management table shown in FIG. 4 can be used as it is. FIG. 7 shows an example of implementation by a relational database when managing document data according to an embodiment of the present invention by keywords. The management tables of FIGS. 7A to 7D are the same as those of FIG. 4, except that two types of elements, a title and a page, are targeted. The table of FIG. 7 (e) is a newly added table for associating keywords with titles.

To register the document data in the database, a database mechanism assigns a unique identification number to each title and each page under the title, which correspond to the document one by one. This is performed by obtaining the hierarchical relationship and the order relationship between the pages under the title, and updating the management tables shown in FIGS. 4 and 7. Note that, specifically, the update range differs depending on the management method. In the case of the method of managing by the hierarchical structure, the updating process for the index 1 and index 2 is added to the above process, while in the case of the method of managing by the keyword, the updating process for the keyword is added to the above process.

With respect to the document data that has been registered in the database by the above method, the user searches and displays the page for which the area is set.

(Page Search / Display) Specifically, the user inputs a search request from the first input section 200. When the control unit 206 receives the search request from the first input unit 200, it activates the database mechanism and executes the search operation. As a search procedure, first, a title for a document including a page whose area is set is searched. The title search operation in the database mechanism differs depending on the document data management method. -Method of managing by hierarchical structure Using the management table of Fig. 4, the hierarchy is lowered in the order of heading 1 and heading 2, and the search / display is repeated to display the title list, and the desired title is selected by the user from the list. To be done.・ How to manage by keywords

Referring to FIG. 7, a keyword for a desired title is given to perform a search, and a title list is displayed on the display unit 201.
Displayed in. The user obtains a desired title by selecting it from the displayed title list.

The above search operation is performed under the control of the control unit 206. As a result of the search, page entity information is stored in the storage unit 2.
03, and the screen processing unit 2 via the bus 205.
After being transferred to 04, the decoding processing is performed and the dot image is developed, and then displayed on the display unit 201.

When the title is obtained by the above processing, the page for setting the area is searched. The method for retrieving a page from a title is the same regardless of how the document data is managed. This will be described below with reference to FIG. 4 or 7. The page search method is (i) the desired pages below the title are sequentially searched and displayed page by page according to the order relationship such as turning over the paper file; (ii) Simultaneous search of multiple page summary screens according to the order relationship , A method of displaying and selecting a summary screen for a desired page; In the case of (i), the control unit 20
6 starts the database mechanism, and based on the identification information of the selected title, from FIG. 4 (c) (or FIG. 7 (c)),
Based on the identification information on the first page under the title, FIG. 4 (d)
(Or FIG. 7D), the storage information of the page entity storage unit is obtained. The control unit 206 reads out the page entity from the storage unit 203 based on the stored information, transfers the page entity to the screen processing unit 204 via the bus 205, performs the decoding process in the screen processing unit 204, and develops the page entity into a dot image. , Display unit 2
01 and display.

When the control unit 206 detects a next page search request from the first input unit 200 by the user, the control unit 206 activates the database mechanism and sets the identification information of the second page based on the identification information of the first page as shown in FIG. (B) (or FIG. 7 (b))
Ask more. Like the first page, the control unit 206 reads out from the storage unit 203 based on the stored information obtained from FIG. 4D (or FIG. 7D) and displays it on the display unit 201.

The above operation is repeated every time the user requests the next page or the previous page. When using the method of simultaneously searching and displaying the outline screen of multiple pages in (ii) above and selecting the outline screen for the desired page, the above operation is repeated for multiple pages. Be seen. At this time, the screen processing unit 204
Creates a schematic screen for a plurality of pages and displays it on the display unit 201.

In addition to the above search method, (iii) there is a method of searching and displaying the corresponding page by the user designating the page number in the document.

To explain this method in detail, when the control unit 206 receives the page number input by the user from the first input unit 200, it activates the database. The control unit 206 obtains the page identification number corresponding to the page number from the database mechanism, and stores the page entity storage unit from FIG. 4D (or FIG. 7D) based on the identification information. The page entity is read from the storage unit 203 and displayed on the display unit 201 in the same manner as the method of obtaining the information and selecting the outline screen. As a method of obtaining the page identification number corresponding to the page number, the table of FIG. 4C (or FIG. 7B) is repeated for the number of pages based on the identification number of the title including the page. It is obtained by the method of searching.

However, in this method, the repetitive search processing of the table of FIG. 4B (or FIG. 7B) takes time, which is a practical problem. Therefore, the field 4 of FIG. 4C (or FIG. 7C) is used, and the page number is 1 / th of the content of the field 4 (the number of pages in the title).
If it is smaller than 2, the search is performed by the above method. If it is larger than 1/2, the search is performed as shown in FIG.
The number of searches can be halved by searching the table in FIG. 4B (or FIG. 7B) from the end based on the identification number of the end page of the field 3 in (c)).

Furthermore, the number of searches can be further reduced by adding a field for storing the identification number of a page whose page number is half and using this field. As a method to easily obtain the page identification number from the page number, there is a method that has a table that associates the page number with the page identification number for each identification number of the title. If there is, it is necessary to change all the correspondence between the identification number and the page number after the changed page number, and the update process takes time.

As an actual page search method, it is efficient to combine the above methods. For example, in the case of a document with a large number of pages, first, the vicinity of the desired page is searched by the method of specifying the page number, then the pages are sequentially searched and displayed one by one according to the order relation, and the outline of multiple pages is displayed. It is effective to search for a desired page using a method of simultaneously searching and displaying screens according to the order relation.

<< Steps 103 and 104: Area Setting >> When the page in which the area is set is searched and displayed in step 102, the area is set next. The page in which the area is set is arbitrary, but it is effective in use to target the page of the table of contents existing in a document with a large number of pages.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the area setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The area setting method will be described below with reference to FIG. When the user obtains the screen shown in FIG. 8A as the search result,
The area is set from the first input unit 200. Although an arbitrary shape can be set as the area, a rectangular area is effective because of the ease of processing operation. The user sets the rectangular area by designating the upper left corner and the lower right corner as shown in the eighth (b). The user repeats the above operation for all the areas to be set. The page for which the area is set is displayed on the display unit 201 after being reduced or enlarged or scrolled based on the original image data according to a request from the user. With these processes, the position and size of the setting area on the display screen change (FIG. 8C). Also for the area setting screen,
As shown in FIGS. 8 (d) and 8 (e), according to a request from the user, reduction processing, enlargement processing, or scroll processing is performed based on the original image data, and area setting is performed even in the reduction state or the enlargement state. Be seen. Further, even after the area setting, the position and size of the setting area on the display screen are changed by the user's request for enlargement / reduction / scrolling similarly to the above (FIG. 8).
(F)).

As described above, since the position and size of the setting area on the display screen change as the display screen is enlarged, reduced, or scrolled, the position coordinates of the setting area, which is the reference value of the original image data, are changed. Remembered. For example, in the area designation, the position and size in the original image data are stored as reference values,
The desired area is specified by calculating the correspondence between the position and size of the setting area on the display screen and the reference value based on the magnification in the enlargement / reduction operation and the movement amount in the scroll operation. The area designation performed by the above method is possible regardless of which screen shown in FIG. 8 is displayed.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a table for managing the correspondence between the setting areas and pages according to the embodiment of the present invention. When the setting of the area is completed, as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 206 stores the identification number of the page for which the area is set and the reference value of the position coordinate within the page of each set area in the storage unit 203 in association with each other. ..

The respective contents are stored in the fields of the management table for managing the correspondence between the setting areas and the pages shown in FIG.・ Field 1 is the identification number of the page set in the area; ・ Field 2 is the reference X coordinate at the top left corner of the area; ・ Field 3 is the reference Y coordinate at the top left corner of the area; ・ Field 4 is the reference X coordinate at the bottom right corner of the area; 5 is the reference Y coordinate of the lower right corner of the area; -Field 6 is the identification number of the page associated with the area:

<< Step 105: Area Setting / Page Search / Display >> When the area setting in step 104 is completed,
Each area is associated with a page. As a method of associating, the page to be associated is searched and displayed, and the displayed page is designated by the user and associated.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a method of associating a setting area with a page according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method of association will be described below with reference to FIG.

The page in which the area is set in step 104 is displayed on the display unit 201 by a method such as reverse display of the area setting portion or blinking display, as shown in FIG. The control unit 206 causes the display unit 201 to display a message (“search for a page to be associated”) urging the user to retrieve a page to be associated with the area via the screen processing unit 204 (FIG. 10B). First area to be associated with the user
It is specified by the input unit 200 of. The user first searches for the title including the page to be associated by the above-described search method. Next, the user can sequentially search and display the pages under the title one page at a time according to the order relationship such as turning the paper file, or simultaneously search and display the summary screens of multiple pages according to the order relationship, or page numbers. Or a combination of these methods is used to search for a desired page and display it on the display unit 201. The user specifies the page to be associated by pressing the decision key.

<< Step 106: Correlating Area and Page >> When the control unit 206 detects the information indicating that the user's enter key is pressed from the first input unit 200, the database unit automatically determines the result of the search operation. Get the identification information of the page that is required for. Based on the identification information obtained in step 1, field 1 (identification number of the page set in the area) of the management table shown in FIG.
And fields 2 to 5 (positional coordinates of the area) are set in field 6 of the record, and the correspondence with the area is stored. When the setting of the management table in FIG. 9 is completed, the control unit 206 transfers the message “Do you want to associate the next region?” To the screen processing unit 204 and displays it on the display unit 201. FIG. 10D. When associating with the next area, the above processing is repeated for the next area.

As described above, the method of associating an area with a page can be performed while displaying and confirming the page to be associated, so that the set area can be reliably associated with the page intended by the user. Since the correspondence is made by using the search operation for the document data, there is an advantage that the correspondence can be made by a simple operation.

In the above description, it is explained that the areas are set for all the areas and the areas that are set next are associated with the pages. However, the areas are set and the association with the pages is performed for each area. May be repeated.

[Page Retrieval Processing] << Steps 108, 109, 110: Retrieving Area-Set Pages >> By the above method, when the association between each area in the page and the page is completed, the area set by the user is searched. By designating, the associated page is searched.

Specifically, (step 108) the user searches for a page for which an area is set, and displays the searched page on the display unit 201. (Step 109) The user designates a desired area of the page displayed on the display unit 201. (Step 110) The control unit 206 controls the first input unit 2
The position coordinates of the area designated by 00 on the display screen are converted into the reference coordinates for the original image data based on the enlargement / reduction of the display screen and the scroll state.
Further, the management table of FIG. 9 is first searched by the identification number of the page in which the area is set, and it is checked whether the reference coordinates converted for each matching record are within the rectangular area shown in the fields 2 to 5. Then, the contents (field identification number of the associated page) of the field 6 of the record in the rectangular area are obtained. Based on the obtained page identification number, the control unit 206 determines whether the page in FIG.
The storage information of the storage unit is obtained from (d), the page entity is read from the storage unit 203, decoded by the screen processing unit 204, and displayed on the display unit 201.

As described above, the present invention relates to any document
It is a method that allows a user to search for a page that is related to the contents of a specified area by a simple operation. Therefore, the search time for a document having a large number of pages is shortened, and a general user can easily perform a search operation.

Although the present embodiment has been described using a page having a four-stage hierarchical structure, this hierarchical structure may have any number of stages.

[0065]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to set an area in an arbitrary page and associate the area with an arbitrary page of an arbitrary document by a simple operation, By specifying the area, pages related to the contents of the area can be searched. Therefore, even an expert such as a device designer or the like can search a page by a simple operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of the operation of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of a document filing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a document structure when managing document data according to an embodiment of the present invention by a hierarchical structure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a case where the document structure of FIG. 3 is realized by a relational database.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a simple document structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific setting example of each table for FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example in which a management table for managing document data according to an embodiment of the present invention using keywords is realized by a relational database.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an area setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a table that manages the correspondence between setting areas and pages according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method of associating a setting area with a page according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 200 first input unit 201 display unit 202 second input unit 203 storage unit 204 screen processing unit 205 bus 206 control unit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kazutoshi Hasegawa 1-1-6 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nihon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. When a designated page is searched by a document filing apparatus that stores and displays document data, an identification number is uniquely assigned to each document and each page in the document, and the document and page are registered. It has a database mechanism for searching and updating, sets one or more arbitrary setting areas in a desired first page, and identifies the identification number of the second page to be associated with the setting area. The correspondence relationship between the identification number and setting area of the first page and the identification number of the second page is stored, which is obtained from the database mechanism, and the first page is displayed to display the setting area when performing page search. Is specified and the page data corresponding to the identification number of the second page derived from the correspondence is read from the document data and displayed.