JPH1069476A - Document management system, document sharing method and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To share the respective kinds of documents (word processor documents and table calculation data or the like) prepared by various application softwares and to easily perform content confirmation and re-utilization. SOLUTION: In a client terminal 13, an image file 23 corresponding to the output image of the document and a text file 22 for indicating only the part of the character information of the document are generated from the original file 24 of the document 20% to be shared and the original file 24, the image file 23 and the text file 22 are stored in a server 11 for the respective shared documents. The file form of the image file 23 and the file form of the text file 22 are respectively unified, the respective client terminals 13 are provided with a browser software for images and the browser software for texts and the desired document is displayed without activating the application software used for document preparation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to documents (documents, spreadsheet worksheets, graphic files, etc.) created by application software.
The present invention relates to a document management system and a document sharing method for managing documents and sharing these documents among a plurality of users.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the spread of personal computers and local area networks (LANs) in companies, various documents have been accumulated in each personal computer connected to the network. One of the goals of introducing a network is to share information and make the stored information available to anyone. However, it is difficult to share and reuse information simply by storing information separately in each computer connected to the network.

Therefore, a system has been developed which can know where a desired document is located by giving a search keyword or other information using an information search system. The documents handled here are
In many cases, documents and worksheets are generated and accumulated in irregular jobs, and a full-text search may be performed to access a desired document.

[0004] Even if the location of a desired document and its file name are revealed by information retrieval, it is not possible to confirm and reuse the content of the document by itself.

At present, there are various types of application software for creating documents and worksheets on a personal computer, and the format of a file to be generated differs for each application software. In particular, in recent years, application software capable of inserting spreadsheet data and image data into word processor documents has increased, and accordingly, file formats have also become diverse. Therefore, for example, when there are two types of application software for document creation,
Generally, the contents of a document file created by one application software cannot be displayed / printed or edited using the other application software. Therefore, even if the desired document is found by the information search, unless the corresponding application software is started, the content of the document cannot be confirmed or edited for reuse. Modern application software is sophisticated and takes time to boot. Therefore, for example, when narrowing down the contents by checking the obtained search results, it takes time and effort to start the corresponding application software, although it is merely to check the contents. Work.

In some cases, a desired document is stored on a personal computer different from the user's personal computer, and the application software that created the document is not installed on the user's personal computer. In such a case, although the location of the desired document is known, the user cannot confirm or reuse the content of the document. Even if a server is provided on the network and the documents to be shared are collectively stored in the server, the above-mentioned restriction due to the difference in the created application software is not solved.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a document management system and a document management system in which a user can easily confirm and reuse contents by sharing various documents created by various application software. An object of the present invention is to provide a sharing method and its recording medium.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A document management system according to the present invention is a document management system in a network system in which a client terminal and a server are connected via a network. An image file corresponding to the output image is generated, the original file of the document and the generated image file are transferred to the server, and when the image file is transferred from the server, display based on the image file is performed. Store the image file and the original file, send the image file and the original file as requested, and confirm that the file format of the image file is unified between client terminals. And butterflies.

In the present invention, a server has a storage area commonly reserved for users who participate in a network. Generally, a server holds an index file and stores a document desired by the user. This is a so-called server device that executes a search process.

[0010] In the document management system of the present invention,
When the document to be shared is selected, the original file of the document (the document file based on the file format supported by the application software that created the document) is registered with the server, and an image file representing the output image of the document is registered. Also register with the server. The output image refers to an image that is output by printing or display. It is also possible to generate one image file for each page of the document. In this case, a plurality of image files correspond to one document. Since the file format of the image file is unified, each client terminal can display the contents of the image file using browser (browsing) software for the image file. For example, the content of a document that has been hit as a search result can be easily confirmed without activating the application software used to create the document. Since the browser software only needs to have a display function and, if necessary, a print function or a copy function to a clipboard, the startup time is short.
By using the copy from the image file to the clipboard, the image file can be reused as image information, and the reuse of figures and tables in a document is simplified. If the client terminal has application software corresponding to the document, the software may be automatically activated to process the transferred original file.

Further, in the document management system, a text file including only character information may be generated from the selected document, and the text file may be stored in the server. Then, each client terminal may display a text file using text browser software to check the contents of the document. If the document is a word processor document, the text file is a data file from which format information and character modification information are removed, and if it is a spreadsheet, it is a data file listing the contents of each cell. Since the file is a text file, even if there is no application software that created the document, it is possible to reuse the document by using a clipboard or the like, although it is only character information of the document. Further, it is possible to extract index information (keywords and the like) used for information search in the server from this text file, and it is also possible to make this text file a target of full-text search.

A document sharing method according to the present invention relates to a document to be shared in a document sharing method in a network system in which a client terminal and a server are connected via a network, and the client terminal corresponds to an output image of the document. Generate an image file and a text file consisting only of character information included in the document, accumulate the generated image file and text file and the original file of the document to be shared in the server, and index information from the text file in the server. , The index file is updated, and a document search is performed based on the index file.

[0013]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a document management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This document management system has a configuration in which a server 11 to which a mass storage unit 12 is connected and a client terminal 13 for each user are connected via a network 14. Each client terminal 13
Generally, it is configured by a personal computer or the like, and a workstation is used as the server 11. However, this is only an example, and the client terminal 1
3. The computer other than these can also be used for the server 11.

Each user creates a document at each client terminal 13 using the application software installed in the client terminal 13 and stores the document in, for example, a hard disk in the client terminal 13. . Examples of the document include a document by a word processor software, a worksheet of a spreadsheet, image data read by an image scanner and subjected to image processing, and data obtained by integrating these various data.

Each client terminal 13 is provided with software for generating, from a document selected by a user, an image file corresponding to a print image of the document and a text file including only character information contained in the document. I have. In addition, browser software for displaying an image file and browser software for displaying a text file are installed in each client terminal 13. In general, software for generating an image file or a text file needs to be prepared for each client terminal 13 in accordance with the type of application software for document creation provided in the client terminal 13. However,
By using functions such as an operating system (OS) used in the client terminal 13, common software may be sufficient.

The file formats of the image file and the text file are unified in the document management system. For this reason, if the browser software for the image file and the text file has the same client terminal 13 model, etc. For example, the same thing may be installed in each client terminal 13.
As a file format of the image file, a TIFF (Tag Image File Format) format is used as an example here. TIFF
Is a standard file format commonly used for scanning, storing, and exchanging grayscale graphic images.

When the document has a plurality of pages, the software for generating the image file generates one image file for each page.
This is for the following reason. For example, if a document covers several hundred pages and the entire output image is a single file, the size of the image file increases, and when the image file is displayed on the client terminal 13, the server 11 transmits the image file via the network 14. It takes a long time to get an image file sent. On the other hand, when checking the contents of the document file,
Ordinarily, the first page can be used to determine whether or not the desired document is found. Even if it is not possible to determine the desired document, it is often the case that the desired document can be determined by looking at the next several pages. In such a case, it is not necessary to confirm the content of the remaining most of the image file. In the case of an image file for one page, the time required for file transfer is shortened, and the user does not have to uselessly wait. Therefore, in the present embodiment, one image file is generated for each page. As a result, for example, if the content of the document has 100 pages, 100 image files are generated. It should be noted that this is merely an example, and that the generation of one image file for one document or one image file for an appropriate amount is also included in the scope of the present invention. Not even.

On the other hand, the server 11 stores the original file, image file, and text file sent from each client terminal 13 in the large-capacity storage unit 12. The server 11 has an index file 21 in which bibliographic items and keywords of documents to be shared are stored collectively.
Is configured to be able to execute a document search process based on the. When a document is searched by full-text search, a text file is to be searched.
Then, in response to a request from the client terminal 13, the original file,
Send out the requested image file and text file. This full-text search uses a search method based on the invention described in US Pat. No. 5,450,580 assigned to the present applicant. A full-text search can be performed. Incidentally, even when performing a full-text search, the search may be performed after referring to the index file in order to perform a high-speed search.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between each file in the server 11. A text file 22, an image file 23, and an original file 24 are held for each document shared between users, and these are linked to each other. Further, an index file 21 common to each document is provided, and the index file 21 and the text file 22 are used as search files in the server 11. Of course, if the full-text search is not performed, the search can be performed based only on the index file 21.

Next, the operation of the document management system will be described. First, registration of a file in the server 11 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining file registration.

First, at the client terminal 13, a user (creator of a document) selects a document to be shared from the documents 20 in the client terminal 13. Then, the software for generating the image file and the text file is started. As a result, a corresponding image file 23 and text file 22 are generated from the original file 24 of the selected document. Next, the original file 24, image file 23, and text file 22 of the selected document are transferred to the server 11 by file transfer. The server 11 stores the transferred files in the mass storage unit 12. Note that the software for generating the image file and the text file may be activated by using a function in the specific application software, for example, an instruction to generate the image file and the text file while the specific application software is being activated. In this way, an image file and a text file can be generated as needed while using the application software, and at that time, the trouble of terminating the application software one by one can be omitted.

In the server 11, the original file 24
Then, the index information is extracted from the text file 22 and the extracted index information is added to the index file 21 so that the index file 21 is updated in association with the document.
Here, the index information includes, for example, the category and the creation date of the document, the name of the application software used for the creation, the title, the keyword, and the like. The name of the application software used for the creation can be determined, for example, by looking at the extension of the file name of the original file, or what the creator and file type fields in the original file are. it can. As described above, the document selected by the user is registered in the server 11 as a shared document. The original file 24 of the shared document may be deleted from the client terminal 13 or may be left.

Next, the search for the shared document registered in the server 11 in this way, and the display and reuse of the searched document on the client terminal 13 will be described.
explain. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining processing in the server 11, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining processing in the client terminal 13. In the figure, arrows indicated by broken lines indicate data exchanged between the server 11 and the client terminal 13.

The program for executing the operation described below is recorded or stored in whole or in part on a portable medium such as a floppy disk, a CD-ROM, or a recording device such as a hard disk. I have. And the program is read by the computer,
All or part of the operation is executed.

When the server 11 receives the search condition from the client terminal 13 (step 101), it searches the index file 21 based on the search condition (step 102). If a full-text search is required, the text file 22 of each shared document is also searched. Then, it is determined whether there is a hit document as a result of the search (step 103). If there is no hit, the process ends. If there is a hit, the search result including information such as which document was hit, how many hits, and the name of the application software that created each document are sent to the client terminal 13 that requested the search. It is sent back (step 104). Then, it is determined whether a display request has been received from the client terminal 13 to which the search result has been sent (step 105). If not received, the process ends. If received, the file specified by the display request among the original file, image file, and text file of the corresponding document is sent to the client terminal 13.
(Step 106), and the process ends. still,
Even if the display request is not received in step 105, the application software that created the document can be known from the extension or the like when the desired file is found. Therefore,
The client terminal 13 may start the application software and perform an operation of directly reading the original file from the application software to the server 11 via the network 14.

On the other hand, in the client terminal 13, first,
A search condition is input by the user (document search / reuse user) (step 111), and a search request is issued to the server 11 based on the search condition (step 112). The search result based on the search condition is stored in the server 11
, The search result is displayed to the user (step 113). The user views the search result and inputs a document display request (step 114).
It is determined what kind of file is targeted by the display request (step 115). If it is an image, the image data request is transmitted to the server 11 as a display request (step 116). Also, the browser software for the image is started (step 117), and the server 1
1 is received and displayed by the browser software (step 118), and the process ends. If a text is requested in step 115, the text data request is transmitted to the server 11 as a display request (step 119). Also, the browser software for text is started (step 12).
0), the text file sent from the server 11 is received and displayed by the browser software (step 121), and the process ends. In contrast, step 11
If the type of request in 5 is original data, that is, if transfer of an original file is requested for the purpose of reuse or the like, the original data request is transmitted to the server 11 as a display request (step 122). In addition, the application software corresponding to the original file is started (step 123), the original file is received, the process by the started application software is executed (step 124), and the process ends.

As described above, the search for the shared document registered in the server 11 and the display and reuse of the searched document on the client terminal 13 are executed.

FIG. 6 shows the GU on the client terminal 13 side.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a search condition input screen by I (graphical user interface), wherein (A) shows a bibliographic information search screen 31 and (B) shows a full-text search screen 32.
Is shown. On the bibliographic information search screen 31, a search can be performed based on the drawer name to which the document belongs, the range of the document number, the version number, the range of the creation / modification date, the category, and the like, and the duplicate search is also possible. Similarly, on the full-text search screen 32, full-text search by fuzzy search is enabled, and a search word, a matching degree, and the like can be input.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a search mode in the server 11. (A) shows a case where the full-text search is not performed. The index file 21 is searched based on the search condition from the client terminal 13, the search result is output, and the text file 2 corresponding to the search result is output.
2. Image file 23 and original file 24
Is found. Similarly, (B) shows a case where a full-text search is performed, and the client terminal 13
Index file 21 based on the search condition from
, A full-text search is performed on all text files 22 within the search range, a search result is output, and the text file 22, image file 23, and original file 24 corresponding to the search result are found. .

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the above-described document management system of the present embodiment in detail.
As shown in FIG.
The communication unit 402 and the management unit 403 are included. The search means 401 searches the index file 21 and the text file 22 of each document described above in accordance with the search conditions input by the user from the client terminal 13.
Perform a full-text search of. The communication unit 402 receives the text file 22, the image file 23, and the original file 24 from the client terminal 13, sends these files to the client terminal 13 in response to a request from the user, and searches the client terminal 13. Receiving conditions and sending search results to client terminal 1
Or to 3. The management unit 403 performs a main part of document management in the server 11, including creation of the index file 21 and management of various files stored in the large-capacity storage unit 12.

In the client terminal 13, as shown in FIG. 8, application software 411, communication means 412, text file generation means 413, image file generation means 414, registration information creation means 415, search condition creation means 416, image Display means 417 is included. The application software 411 is software for a user to create various types of documents on the client terminal 13, and may be different on each client terminal 13, or may be a plurality of types on a single client terminal. There may be. Communication means 4
12 sends a text file 22, an image file 23 and an original file 24 to the server 11,
These files are received from the server 11, search conditions are sent to the server 11, and search results are received from the server 11. The text file generation unit 413 generates a text file 22 including only character information from the original file 24. The image file generating means 414 generates the original file 2
4 to generate an image file 23. The registration information creation unit 415, as described later with reference to FIG.
This is for inputting additional information for data management and search in the server 11. The search condition creation means 416
As described with reference to FIG.
(Graphical user interface) for inputting search conditions. The image display means 417 includes browser software for displaying an image file and browser software for displaying a text file.

In the above, an image file and a text file are generated from an original file. Thus, the contents of the document can be easily confirmed based on the image file regardless of the type of application software that created the document. Further, since index information can be extracted from the text file or full-text search based on the text file can be performed, document search can be performed efficiently. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, there is an effect that the sharing and reuse of the document becomes very easy.

However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, a text file may not be generated from an original file. That is, an image file is generated on the client terminal from the original file of the document to be shared,
By registering the original file and the image file on the server and unifying the file format of the image file, it is possible to easily check the contents of the document based on the image file without generating a text file. Thus, the effects of the present invention can be achieved.

Further, for example, an inventory file of a shared document may be provided in each client terminal so that each time a new shared document is registered, the inventory file of each client can be updated simultaneously. In this case, it is possible to easily share and reuse documents without providing the server with a search function.

Next, a data management system that stores various data such as document data and spreadsheet data, and that can search for corresponding data based on input search conditions will be described. This data management system makes the user aware of file management in a hierarchical directory structure.

As various types of data, such as document data by word processor software and calculation data by spreadsheet software, are accumulated, it is necessary to efficiently manage these data so that the data can be shared among a plurality of users. Is growing. In order to respond to such a request, data created by a plurality of users is stored in a common data server, and the data is centrally managed and shared in the data server. . In general, the data server and the client terminal of each user are connected via a LAN (local area network), and further, a remote data server and the client terminal of the user are connected via the Internet. Are also increasing.

When storing various data created by a user in a data server, most of recent operating systems use a hierarchical directory structure in which subdirectories are arranged in a tree structure below a root directory. Is going. For this reason, in general,
Each of these data is made into a file, and these files are classified according to divisions, contents, and the like, and are arranged in subdirectories in a hierarchical directory structure.
When the number of files such as document data and spreadsheet data is large, a multi-level sub-directory structure is adopted. By arranging each file in the tree-like hierarchical directory structure, the user can easily access a desired file from among a large number of files.

FIG. 9A is a diagram showing an example in which each of document data and spreadsheet data is set as a file and these files are stored in a file system having a hierarchical directory structure of the data server. Root directory 2
Below 90, for example, a document directory for each user is arranged as a first-level subdirectory 291. Here, the document directory (subdirectory 291) for each user is referred to as the user's home directory or working directory in order to clearly show the directory structure to the user. In addition, the subdirectories of each stage arranged below this subdirectory are called a cabinet 292 and a drawer 293, respectively.

In the illustrated example, a detailed specification cabinet, a basic specification cabinet, an operation manual cabinet, and an internal specification cabinet are provided as the cabinet 292. In the basic specification cabinet, a design-related drawer, a development-related drawer, and a sales-related drawer are provided as drawers 293.
Each file 2 such as document data and spreadsheet data 2
94 are stored. The user can understand which data should be stored in which drawer of which cabinet by referring to the cabinet name and the drawer name. For example, a file corresponding to the development-related document data α in the basic specification is represented as “(home directory) / basic specification / development-related / α” as a path name. In this example, the drawer 293 is the lowest layer. However, a folder may be provided as a subdirectory below the drawer 293, and the file 294 may be stored in the folder.

FIG. 9B is a diagram schematically showing how a file arrangement based on the hierarchical directory structure shown in FIG. The drawing shows what kind of drawers 293 are provided in the basic specification cabinet, and how each drawer 293 stores a file 94 such as document data. At the head of each file 294, a title and a creation date (not shown) of the file 294 are recorded as a header.

By arranging the file 294 of each data in the data server by the hierarchical directory structure as described above, it becomes easy to handle as a file system. By determining the organization of each subdirectory according to the classification intended by the user, the user can easily access a desired file from among a large number of files.

However, when files are arranged in a hierarchical directory structure, if the depth of the subdirectory is deep, the operation for reaching the subdirectory storing the desired file becomes complicated. In particular, it becomes complicated when searching for a file from a viewpoint different from the viewpoint assumed when determining the organization of subdirectories, for example, when performing a keyword search. In such a case, after all, it is necessary to search for a file in all subdirectories, and it is necessary to perform operations such as a change directory (cd) many times, and it takes time to execute the search program.
In addition, the search program itself becomes complicated.

Accordingly, a data management system is provided which allows a user to perform a search and the like at high speed and easily while providing the user with the intelligibility of the hierarchical directory structure.

That is, in a data management system for storing and managing data in a data server, when storing data, a hierarchical directory represented by a hierarchical structure deeper than a directory structure in which data is actually stored in the data server. According to the configuration, the storage location of the data in the data server is designated.

In the data management system, a file including a record corresponding to the data is stored in the data server, and a relatively higher directory in the hierarchical directory structure used when designating the storage location and the file It is also possible that the record corresponds to and information about a relatively lower directory is included in the record.

Further, in the data management system,
The file corresponding to the data is stored on the data server,
A directory corresponding to a relatively higher directory in the hierarchical directory structure used when specifying the storage location actually exists in the data server, and information on a relatively lower directory is included in the file. Can also.

Further, in the data management system,
A relatively lower directory may be a directory of two or more layers in the directory hierarchy.

Further, in the data management system,
The information on the relatively lower directory may be the name of the relatively lower directory used when specifying the storage location.

Next, the above-described data management system will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG.
It is a block diagram showing the data management system of one embodiment.

This data management system is configured as a client / server system via a network. Specifically, a network in which a network in the head office and a network in other business offices are connected via the Internet 320. belongs to. First, the network configuration of the head office section will be described. The first LAN 310, which is a network dedicated to the company, stores and manages various data such as document data, spreadsheet data, and drawing data created by each user, and manages them according to search conditions given by the user. A data server 311 for searching corresponding data, a plurality of client terminals 313 provided for each user, and a browser 314 as a dedicated terminal for browsing data are connected. Further, the data server 311 is connected to a data stocker 312 which is a huge external recording device for storing actual data. In addition, the head office section is provided with a second LAN 316 for connection to the Internet 320,
LAN 310 and the second LAN 316 are connected via a firewall 315. Second LAN3
16 is connected to a WWW server 318 for providing a WWW (World Wide Web) service and is connected to the Internet 20 via a gateway 317. On the other hand, a LAN 322 is provided at another business office. The LAN 322 is connected to the Internet 320 via a gateway 321 and is connected to a plurality of client terminals 323 provided for each user.

In this client / server system, a user creates document data and spreadsheet data at client terminals 313 and 323. At the time of creation, these data are stored in the client terminal 3 of the user.
13,323 files stored on the local disk. When the user wants to register and accumulate the created data in the data server 311, the data registration process is performed, and the corresponding data is transferred from the client terminals 313 and 323 to the data server 311. As a result, information for search and data management is added, and the data is stored in the data stocker 312. Thereafter, the data is subject to centralized management and search processing in the data server 11.

Here, the registration process by the user will be described.

FIG. 11A is a diagram showing the directory configuration (file system configuration) of the data server 311 as viewed from the user. The user sees the document directory 331 as a top-level directory due to the hierarchical directory structure. Under the directory, the cabinet 332 and the drawer 333 are arranged in the same manner as described with reference to FIG. It appears as a subdirectory of each stage, and it appears as if files 334 such as document data are arranged in the drawer 333. Therefore, when registering data in the data server 311, the user performs a data registration process by specifying a cabinet name and a drawer name for storing data to be registered. In the client / server system of the present embodiment, a cabinet name and a drawer name can be specified by a graphical user interface (GUI). FIG. 11B is a diagram showing a cabinet selection screen (window) 340 that appears on the screens of the client terminals 313 and 323 when specifying a cabinet name and a drawer name.

The cabinet selection screen 340 is roughly divided into a registration candidate input window 341 for inputting a name of a file (on a local disk) to be registered in the data server 311, and a name or host name of the data server 311. Is displayed, and when there are a plurality of data servers, a server display window 342 for inputting which data server is to be selected, and the name of a cabinet in the data server 311 is displayed to select a cabinet for storing data. And a drawer display window 344 for displaying the name of the drawer in the cabinet selected in the cabinet display window 343 and selecting a drawer as a data storage destination. In the cabinet display window 343 and the drawer display window 344, a cabinet name and a drawer name can be respectively selected by selecting a specific one from the displayed items with a pointing device such as a mouse. I have.

The user inputs the file name of the data to be registered in the registration candidate input window 341, selects a cabinet and a drawer respectively using the cabinet display window 343 and the drawer display window 344, and uses a mouse or the like to display “<” Click the "Execute selection" button 345. When the “selection execution” button 345 is clicked, the file to be registered and the storage destination cabinet and drawer are determined. If the "cancel" button 346 at the lower right of the figure is clicked here, the previous input and selection are returned to blank, and the file name to be registered and the cabinet name and drawer name of the storage destination are specified again. It can be performed.

After the input of the file name and the selection of the cabinet and the drawer are completed as described above, the user inputs additional information for data management and search in the data server 311. FIG. 12 shows an example of an input screen (window) 350 displayed on the client terminals 313 and 323 for inputting such information. The input screen 350 is provided with a cabinet name display window 351 and a drawer name display window 352 in which the cabinet name and the drawer name specified previously are respectively provided, and a management code, a registration date, a registration time, a creation time for data to be registered. An input window 353 for inputting items such as a user, a registrant, a data category, a title, and a keyword is provided. Some of these input items (eg, creator, registrant, registration date, etc.)
It is preferable that the information is automatically input based on local management information at 13,323. The user has input window 3
The user inputs necessary items using the button 53, and then clicks a “register execution” button 354. As a result, the registration process is completed, and the specified file is transmitted from the client terminals 313 and 323 to the data server 311 together with the cabinet name and drawer name of the storage destination and additional information.
Is forwarded to If the "cancel" button 355 is clicked here, the input to the input screen 350 up to that point is canceled, and the input can be performed again.

Next, the operation on the data server 311 side when the file to be registered is transmitted from the client terminals 313 and 323 to the data server 311 as described above will be described. By the way, the data management system of the present embodiment is characterized in that the actual directory structure in the data server 311 is not hierarchized so as to be recognized by the user. Hereinafter, the data server 31
The processing in the data server 311 will be described while exemplifying some actual directory configurations in the server 1.

FIG. 13A is a diagram showing a first example of the actual directory structure in the data server 311. In this example, a detailed specification cabinet, a basic specification cabinet, an operation manual cabinet, and an internal specification cabinet are arranged as a cabinet 332 under a document directory 331 (a top-level directory visible to the user). 332 has 1
Files 335 are stored. That is, the drawer seen by the user does not actually exist.
The file 335 included in the cabinet 332 is a set of several records 336, and each record corresponds to each data from the user.

FIG. 13B shows the structure of the record 336. The record 336 includes a title field 361 for recording a title, an identification mark 362, a date field 363 for recording a date, an additional information field 364 for recording additional information other than the title and the date, and a data body 365. Have been. The entity of the data body 365 is the user's client terminal 313, 3
23 is the data (file) itself transferred from. As the identification mark 362, a drawer name designated by the user (“design related” in the illustrated example) is recorded. FIG. 13C shows a data storage situation in, for example, a basic specification cabinet as the cabinet 332.

When the data server 311 receives the data to be registered from the client terminals 313 and 323,
In the file 335 in the designated cabinet 332,
The data is added as a record 336. that time,
Various types of additional information are recorded in the title field 361, date field 363, and additional information field 364, and the drawer name specified by the user is recorded as an identification mark 362. By combining with
The record 336 corresponding to one data (one file in the client terminals 313 and 323) is assembled. Here, it has been described that only the file 335 including the above-described record 336 exists in the cabinet 332, but auxiliary files used for searching, for example, an index file may exist in the same cabinet. .

Next, search processing in the data server 311 having such a directory configuration will be described. Here, the term “search” refers to searching for data corresponding to a search condition from data previously stored by the user. Examples of the search condition include a keyword and a drawer name (the data should be stored when viewed from the user). When a keyword is given as a search condition, the data server 311 opens the file 335 and searches the additional information field 364 of each record 336 to find a record including the corresponding keyword. If there is an index file, the search may be performed using the index file. On the other hand, when a drawer name is given as a search condition, a file in the drawer (subdirectory) of the drawer name has been searched conventionally, whereas in the present embodiment, a file in the subdirectory is There is no drawer, and instead, the drawer name is recorded in each record 336 as an identification mark 362, so that the identification mark 362 of each record 336 in the file 335 is searched in the same manner as in the case of the search by keyword.

As a file operation viewed from the user, for example, copying specific data represented by a path name “/ directory name / drawer name / file name” from the data server 311 to the client terminals 313 and 323. Although this is nothing but a search process in a broad sense, a record may be found by the same procedure as the search process described above, and the data body of the record may be transferred to the client terminals 313 and 323.

In this case, since the drawer as a subdirectory is recognized by the user but does not actually exist, the number of directory changes accompanying the search is reduced while maintaining the clarity of the hierarchical directory structure. Speedup and simplification of the search program can be achieved. In addition, since the data created by the user is used as a record, and a plurality of records are bundled into one file, the number of file open times at the time of the search is reduced, so that the search can be performed at a higher speed. File management becomes easy.

FIG. 14A is a diagram showing a second example of the actual directory structure in the data server 311. In this example, a detailed specification cabinet, a basic specification cabinet, an operation manual cabinet, and an internal specification cabinet are arranged as a cabinet 332 under a document directory 331, and each cabinet 332 has data created by a user. And one or more files 337 respectively corresponding to. Also in this example, the drawer that was visible to the user does not actually exist.

FIG. 14B is a diagram showing the structure of the file 337. The file 337 includes a title field 371 for recording a title, an identification mark 372, a date field 373 for recording a date, an additional information field 374 for recording additional information other than the title and date, and a data body 375. Have been. The entity of the data body 375 is the user's client terminal 313,3.
23 is the data itself transferred. Also,
As the identification mark 372, a drawer name designated by the user (“design related” in the illustrated example) is recorded. FIG. 14C shows a data storage state in, for example, a basic specification cabinet as the cabinet 332.
It is shown that a plurality of files 337 are included in the cabinet 332.

In the second example, since each record in the first example is independent as a file, the number of files cannot be reduced.
Compared with the conventional one, the number of directory changes and the like can be reduced, and the search can be speeded up and the search program can be simplified.

FIG. 15A is a diagram showing a third example of the actual directory structure in the data server 311. This example is similar to the first example in that some records 336a
Has a file 335a which is a set of
Not only the drawer but also a cabinet which is a subdirectory under the document directory 331 does not actually exist. That is, the file 335a is directly stored in the document directory 331. Each record corresponds to each one of the data from the user.

FIG. 15B shows the structure of the record 336a. The record 336a includes a title field 361 for recording a title as in the case of the first example.
, An identification mark 362 for recording a drawer name, a date field 363 for recording a date, an additional information field 364 for recording additional information other than a title and a date, and a data main body 365. An identification mark 366 for recording the cabinet name designated by the user (“basic specification” in the illustrated example) is included in correspondence with the fact that the cabinet is not actually provided. FIG.
(c) shows the data storage status in the document directory 331.

In the third example, since the directory structure is completely flat (that is, not hierarchical) from the viewpoint of data access, directory changes do not occur in principle and the search can be speeded up. And further simplify the search program. Further, since the number of files to be searched is extremely reduced, file management becomes easy.

FIG. 16A is a diagram showing a fourth example of the actual directory structure in the data server 311. In this example, one or a plurality of files 3 corresponding to the data created by the user in the document directory 331, respectively.
37a is stored. Also in this example, the cabinet and the drawer that were visible to the user do not actually exist.

FIG. 16B shows the structure of the file 337a. Each file 337a has a title field 371 for recording a title as in the case of the second example.
, An identification mark 372 for recording a drawer name, a date field 373 for recording a date, an additional information field 374 for recording additional information other than a title and a date, and a data body 375. An identification mark 376 for recording the cabinet name (“basic specification” in the illustrated example) designated by the user is included in correspondence with the fact that the cabinet is not actually provided. FIG.
(c) shows the data storage status in the document directory 331, and indicates that the document directory 331 includes a plurality of files 337a.

In the fourth example, since each record in the third example is independent as a file, the number of files cannot be reduced.
Compared with the conventional example, the search can be speeded up and the search program can be simplified as in the above-described examples.

[0074]

As described above, according to the data management system of the present invention, when storing data, a hierarchical directory structure represented by a hierarchical structure deeper than the directory structure actually implemented in the data server is used. , So that the storage location of the data in the data server is specified, and information on a directory relatively lower in the directory path used when specifying the storage location is recorded in a record or a file corresponding to the data to be stored. By doing so, there is an effect that search and the like can be performed quickly and easily while providing the user with the intelligibility of the hierarchical directory structure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a document management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between files in a server.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating registration of a file in a server.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing in a server at the time of a search.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing in a client terminal at the time of a search.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an example of a search condition input screen on the client terminal side.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating a search mode in a server.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the document management system of the embodiment in detail.

9A is a diagram illustrating an example of a file arrangement based on a hierarchical directory structure, and FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating how a file arrangement based on a hierarchical directory structure is recognized by a user; is there.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a data management system.

11A is a diagram illustrating a directory configuration recognized by a user, and FIG. 11B is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed to specify a registration location when registering data.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed for setting additional information and the like at the time of new registration.

13A is a diagram illustrating a first example of an actual directory configuration in a data server, FIG. 13B is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a record, and FIG. 13C is a diagram illustrating a configuration of data in a cabinet; It is a figure showing a storing situation.

14A is a diagram illustrating a second example of an actual directory configuration in the data server, FIG. 14B is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a file, and FIG. It is a figure showing a storing situation.

15A is a diagram showing a third example of an actual directory configuration in the data server, FIG. 15B is a diagram showing an example of a record configuration, and FIG. 15C is a diagram showing data in the document directory. It is a figure showing the storage situation of.

16A is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of an actual directory structure in the data server, FIG. 16B is a diagram illustrating a file structure example, and FIG. 16C is a diagram illustrating data in a document directory. It is a figure showing the storage situation of.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 11 server 12 large-capacity storage means 13,313 client terminal 14 network 20 document 21 index file 22 text file 23 image file 24 original file 31 bibliographic information search screen 32 full-text search screen 101-106,111-124 step 290 root directory 291, 331 Document directory 292,332 Cabinet 293,333 Drawer 294,334 File 310,316,322 LAN 311 Data server 312 Data stocker 314 Browser 315 Firewall 317,321 Gateway 318 WWW server 320 Internet 401 Search means 402,412 Communication means 403 Management Means 411 Application software 413 Text file Generating means 414 image file generating means 415 registers information creating means 416 the search condition creation unit 417 image display unit

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A document management system in a network system in which a client terminal and a server are connected via a network, wherein the client terminal generates an image file corresponding to an output image of the selected document from a selected document. Transferring the original file of the document and the generated image file to the server,
When the image file is transferred from the server, display based on the image file is performed.The server stores the image file and the original file, and sends out the image file and the original file in response to a request from the client terminal. A document management system characterized in that the file format of the image file is unified between client terminals. 2. The client terminal also generates a text file including only character information from the selected document and transfers the text file to the server. When the text file is transferred from the server, a display based on the text file is performed. The document management system according to claim 1, wherein the server holds the text file and sends the text file in response to a request from the client terminal. 3. The document management system according to claim 1, wherein the server executes processing for searching for a desired document while holding the index file. 4. The document management system according to claim 2, wherein the server performs a full-text search on the held text file in response to a request from the client terminal. 5. The document management system according to claim 1, wherein browser software for displaying the image file is installed in the client terminal. 6. The document management system according to claim 2, wherein browser software for displaying the text file is installed in the client terminal. 7. A plurality of application software having different document file formats are installed in the client terminal, and the client terminal uses a unified file format for a document based on each file format. 2. The document management system according to claim 1, wherein an image file corresponding to an output image of the document is generated. 8. When the document is composed of a plurality of pages, the client terminal generates an image file corresponding to an output image for each page of the document, and the server transmits the image file from the client terminal. 2. The document management system according to claim 1, wherein when a transmission request is made, an image file for each page is transmitted. 9. The file format of the image file is a tag image file format (TIF).
2. The document management system according to claim 1, wherein the document management system is in F (Tag Image File Format) format. 10. A document management system in a network system in which a client terminal and a server are connected via a network, wherein the client terminal exchanges information between application software for creating a document and the server. Communication means; text file generating means for generating a text file from an original file; image file generating means for generating an image file from the original file; registering the original file, text file and image file of the document in the server Registration information creating means for creating registration information necessary for performing the search, search condition creating means for creating a search condition when searching for a document registered in the server, Image display means for displaying a text file and / or an image file in the server, wherein the server is a management means for creating an index file, managing various files recorded in a storage means, and the like, and the client A document management system, comprising: communication means for exchanging information with a terminal; and search means for searching for the index file and / or text file. 11. A document sharing method in a network system in which a client terminal and a server are connected via a network, wherein a document to be shared is associated with an image file corresponding to an output image of the document and the document at the client terminal. A text file consisting only of the character information included in the text file is generated. The generated image file and the text file and the original file of the document to be shared are stored in the server, and the text file is indexed in the server from the text file. A document sharing method, comprising extracting information, updating an index file, and searching for a document based on the index file. 12. A recording medium on which a program for executing a document management system in a network system in which a client terminal and a server are connected via a network is recorded. A corresponding image file is generated, and an original file of the document and the generated image file are transferred to the server. When the image file is transferred from the server, a procedure for displaying based on the image file is executed on the client terminal. A recording medium on which a program to be recorded is recorded. 13. A recording medium storing a program for executing a document management system in a network system in which a client terminal and a server are connected via a network, wherein the recording medium stores an image file and an original file. A recording medium recording a program for causing the server to execute a procedure for transmitting an image file in response to a request from a terminal. 14. A recording medium recording a program for executing a document management system in a network system in which a client terminal and a server are connected via a network, wherein a procedure for creating a document is provided. A procedure for communicating information between the two; a procedure for generating a text file from the original file; a procedure for generating an image file from the original file; and registering the original file, text file, and image file of the document in the server. And a recording medium storing a program for causing the client terminal to execute a procedure for creating registration information necessary for performing the operation. 15. A recording medium on which a program for executing a document management system in a network system in which a client terminal and a server are connected via a network is recorded, wherein the program is recorded in an index file creation and storage means. A program for causing the server to execute a procedure for managing various files, a procedure for exchanging information with the client terminal, and a procedure for searching for the index file and / or text file. Recording medium on which is recorded.