JPH11338658A - Data management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve availability of a data management system which stores and manages processing data by outputting processing data to be stored and managed to a data processor with a high usability. SOLUTION: An image data managing device 20 connected to a LAN 10 together with facsimile machines 11a and 11b, printers 12a and 12b, copy machines 13a and 13b, a scanner 14 and data processors of PCs 15a and 15b acquires the same processing data that is processed by data processors 11 to 14 and stores it in a storage 21, and on the other hand, it acquires ID information of the processors 11 to 14, manages it with an address in a database managing part and returns it to the data processors 11 to 13 whose addresses are specified by the ID information at the time of outputting processing data.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data management system and, more particularly, to a system for storing and managing the same processed data as data processed by a data processing device on a network so that the data management device can search and read the data. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, OA equipment such as a copier, a facsimile machine, a scanner, and a printer are connected to a network together with a PC (personal computer).
Input / output from the PC is realized.
The document created above can be output to a printer device, and data can be transmitted / received via a facsimile device on a PC.

On the other hand, the sophistication and speeding up of data processing technology,
An electronic filing system has emerged due to a reduction in the price of storage means, and an electronic filing system has been constructed by OA equipment and a document management device such as a scanner device and a printer device, and has been accessed from a PC on a network.
For example, when necessary, image data captured by a scanner device and stored in a document management device can be searched and processed, re-outputted, and the like.

[0004] From the above, the present applicant has filed Japanese Patent Application No. 9-3980.
No. 01364, the data processing apparatus automatically acquires the same processing data as the print data, copy data, facsimile data, and the like at the time of the processing, and stores and accumulates the additional data such as the user ID in the storage means together with the additional data. It proposes a data management system that can back up processed data without being aware of it, and that can easily retrieve and use the processed data when needed.

[0005]

However, in such a conventional data management system, there are various types of OA devices connected to a network. For this reason,
There is no problem in processing the accumulated processing data by the data management device itself.However, for example, since the format adopted by the printer device for outputting the print data differs for each model, the processing data can be transmitted from an arbitrary printer device. Even if the data is output, it may not be possible to print out the data simply by sending it from the data management device to the printer via a network due to an inconsistency in the format. Also, a facsimile machine must be a facsimile machine having a transmission port connected to a line capable of transmitting a transmission document, and must perform a transmission operation by going to the installation location of the facsimile machine.

As a useful measure to cope with such a problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-218759 proposes managing information of a printer driver held by a printer device on a network.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-321929 proposes to convert image data suitable for the output form of various OA devices.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 9-107, it is proposed to acquire respective attribute information from all facsimile apparatuses on a network and select a suitable one for transmission.

However, the apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-218759 can be applied not only to a printer but also to a copier and a facsimile apparatus. For example, in the case of a printer device, when a driver is duplicated or there are a plurality of the same models, the output destination is always one, although the output can be performed at a plurality of locations. Processing performance may be reduced, or the output of the same user may be output to a printer device different from the desired one. Further, if the network is constructed on a different floor or is extended to a place far apart, there is no guarantee that the data will be output by a printer device near the user. Further, even in the device described in JP-A-9-321929, transmission cannot be performed unless a facsimile machine capable of transmission is found.

For this reason, the stored processing data is processed by the data management apparatus itself. For example, the data management apparatus waits until it is output from a connected printer apparatus, or goes to the installation location of the facsimile apparatus to perform the transmission operation. Will be done. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to improve the usability of a system for storing and managing processing data by enabling processing data to be stored and managed to be output to a data processing device having high usability.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of types of data processing devices are connected to a data management device on a network, and the same data processing device processes the same. A data management system for transferring the processed data to a data management device, wherein the data management device stores and manages the processed data in a storage device in a searchable and readable manner, wherein the data processing device or the data management device includes a data processing device. Is acquired together with the processing data, the processing data is converted into an arbitrary format and the ID information is set in the format, and the data management device retrieves / reads from the storage device. When processing data is output, the processing data is preferentially output to the data processing device corresponding to the ID information set in the format. It is characterized in.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the processing data is format-converted in the data processing device or the data management device so that the data can be stored in the storage device, and is stored and managed in the data management device so that the data can be searched and read. The ID information of the data processing apparatus that has processed the processing data is acquired by manual input or automatic setting, and is set in the format. Then, the processed data is preferentially output by the data management device to the data processing device specified by the ID information in the format. Therefore, the processed data is returned to the data processing device that has processed the processed data.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a format conversion of the processing data is performed by a data processing device, and the processing data is converted into a PDL format. Is what you do. According to the second aspect of the invention, the processing data is converted into a PDL (Page Description Language) format by the data processing device, transferred to the data management device, and stored and managed. Therefore, the metadata of the processing data itself can be eliminated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a data management device is connected together with a plurality of types of data processing devices on a network, and the same processing data processed by the data processing device is transferred to the data management device. A data management system in which a data management device stores and manages processing data in a storage device in a searchable and readable manner, wherein the data processing device or the data management device acquires ID information uniquely determined by the data processing device together with the processing data. The ID information is set in the metadata of the processed data without converting the format of the processed data, and the data management apparatus stores the ID information in the metadata when outputting the processed data retrieved and read from the storage device. The processing data is preferentially output to a data processing device corresponding to the set ID information.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the processing data is stored and managed in the data management device without being subjected to format conversion, for example, in such a manner that image data as image data can be searched and read out. The ID information of the data processing apparatus that has processed the processing data is acquired by manual input or automatic setting, and is set in the metadata of the processing data. Then, the processed data is preferentially output by the data management device to the data processing device specified by the ID information in the metadata. Therefore, the processed data is efficiently transferred to the data management device, stored and managed, and returned to the processed data processing device as it is.

[0014] The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claims 1 to 3.
In addition to the configuration of the invention described in any one of the above, the ID information of the data processing device set in the processing data is automatically set when the processing data is acquired.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the ID information assigned to the data processing apparatus itself or the ID information of the data processing apparatus previously associated with the address information acquired by the data management apparatus is the format or meta data of the processing data. Automatically set in the data. Therefore, there is no need to request the input operation of the ID information of the data processing device.

[0015] The invention according to claim 5 provides the invention according to claims 1 to 4.
In addition to the configuration of the invention described in any one of the above, the ID information of the data processing device set in the processing data is configured to be arbitrarily changeable. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the ID information set in the processing data format or the metadata can be changed even after being stored and managed in the data management device, for example, at the time of a re-output request. Therefore, any data processing device can be set as the output destination.

[0016] The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claims 1 to 5.
In addition to the configuration of the invention according to any one of the above, when acquiring the ID information of the data processing device that does not have the function of outputting the processed data, the ID information of the data processing device that can output the prepared processing data is processed. It is characterized in that it is set in data. In the invention according to claim 6, when the acquired ID information is a data processing device such as a scanner device without an output function, the processing data prepared in advance can be output in the format or metadata of the processing data. ID information of the data processing device is automatically set. Therefore, even data processed by a data processing device having no output function is output by another data processing device.

[0017] The invention described in claim 7 is the invention according to claims 1 to 5.
In addition to the configuration of the invention described in any one of the above, when the ID information of the data processing device that does not have the function of outputting the processing data is acquired, the ID information of the data processing device that can output the arbitrarily selected processing data is obtained. It is characterized in that it is set in processing data. According to the seventh aspect of the invention, when the acquired ID information is a data processing device such as a scanner device having no output function, the format or metadata of the processed data can output the arbitrarily selected processed data. ID information of the data processing device is automatically set. Therefore, even data processed by a data processing device having no output function is output by another data processing device that has been selected in advance.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the sixth or seventh aspect, the format of the processing data is converted so that a data processing device to which the processing data is output can output the data. It is characterized by having a conversion filter. According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the data processed by a data processing device such as a scanner device having no output function for the acquired ID information can be output by a data processing device which is automatically set to its format or metadata as an output destination. The format is converted by the conversion filter. Therefore, there is no possibility that output becomes impossible because the format of the processing data does not match.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the eighth aspect, each of the data processing devices to which the processing data is output can output the data in accordance with the type of the processing data. A conversion filter table for converting a data format is provided. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, even when the acquired ID information is various kinds of processing data by a data processing device such as a PC having no output function, the data processing device automatically set to the format or metadata as an output destination is output. The format is converted by a conversion filter corresponding to the type prepared in the table as possible. Therefore, even if the data is processed by a data processing device that handles various types of processed data, the format does not match and the output cannot be disabled.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the ID information of the data processing device is used when the network is started or the data processing device is connected. It is characterized in that it is determined automatically. According to the tenth aspect, the ID information for specifying the data processing device is automatically determined when the network is started or when the data processing device is connected. Therefore, when the data processing device is added, the data processing device does not leak from the data management target.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a data management system according to the present invention.
It corresponds to the inventions described in 2, 4 to 10. First, the basic configuration of the data management system according to the present embodiment will be described.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a facsimile machine 11
a, 11b, printer devices 12a, 12b, copy machines 13a, 13
b, a LAN (local area network) constructed by connecting data processing devices such as the scanner device 14 and the PCs 15a and 15b by a communication cable.
The AN 10 has a large-capacity HDD device (storage 2 described later).
The image data management device 20 constituted by a PC connected to 1) is connected, and the image data management device 20 backs up the same processing data as the data processed by each of the data processing devices 11a to 15b, and It is built on a data management file system so that it can be reused as needed. In the drawing, facsimile machines, printers, copiers and PCs are designated by No.
Although two devices, No. 1 and No. 2, are shown, it is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that one device may be used or three or more devices may be used. In the following description, the facsimile machine 11, the printer 12, the copier 1
3. Sometimes referred to as PC15.

The facsimile device 11, the printer device
12, a copier 13, a scanner device 14, and a PC 15 are data processing devices each having a known function.The facsimile device 11 has a reading function of reading image data from a document, an output function of recording and outputting image data, and an image function. The printer 12 has an output function for recording and outputting print data received from the PC 15, and the copier 13 has a reading function for reading image data from a document and records and outputs image data. The scanner device 14 has a reading function of reading image data from a document, and the PC 15 has a data processing function of performing various processes such as creation of documents and images by performing arithmetic processing according to an application program. And can be used independently and input / output from PC15 For example, a document (document, image, etc.) created on the PC 15 is output to the printer device 12, image data read by the scanner device 14 is loaded on the PC 15, and image data transmitted through the facsimile device 11 You can also send and receive.
In the present embodiment, the copier 12 is described as being used alone, but may be a high-performance digital copier that can also be used as a facsimile machine, a printer, and a scanner.

The facsimile machine 11, the printer 1
2.The copy machine 13 and the scanner device 14
The same processing data as the read data is transferred to the image data management device 20, and the image data management device 20 can search and read the received processing data so that date information and processing conditions of the processing data can be retrieved. Metadata is registered in a database, stored and stored in a storage (large-capacity storage unit) 21 described later shown in FIG. 2, and a backup of processed data is taken. The printer 12a,
12b supports different formats, and includes a conversion filter for converting various print data such as document data and image data requested to be printed from the PC 15 and image data read by the scanner device 14 so as to be recordable and output. Have. Also, copy machine 13
“a” and “13b” have different resolutions and the like, and are set in the metadata of each processing data.

The data management file system constructed in this manner is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-301 proposed by the present applicant.
It has the same basic configuration as that described in Japanese Patent No. 364, and can be constructed so as to operate the backup function and perform data management in a reusable manner. Let's just give a brief explanation. next,
The features of the present embodiment will be described.

The facsimile device 11, printer device 12, copier 13 and scanner device 14 process the processed data as image data, respectively, convert the image data into a PDL format by a conversion filter, and send the processed data to the image data management device 20. A transmission function is provided, and ID information assigned to the own device is set in the PDL format and transmitted to the image data management device 20 together with the image data. This ID information is assigned together with an address on the LAN 10 automatically generated from the image data management device 20 when the LAN 10 is started up after a new data processing device is connected. The data which are prepared in advance by being ranked for each type of data processing device are registered (determined) in association with the address on the LAN 10 without performing an input operation. Note that this I
The D information may use the address itself instead of special ID information. Facsimile machine
The printer device 12 and the copying machine 13 have a function of recording and outputting the image data converted into the PDL format by itself.

The PC 15 can request the image data management device 20 to refer to the processing data to be stored and managed, and also can request the output of specific processing data. While the management content in the database described later is returned in response to the reference request from the server, the data processing devices 11 to 13 corresponding to the processing data are output in response to the processing data output request specified from the management content.
15 can be sent.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the image data management device 20 converts the PDL format sent from the facsimile device 11, the printer device 12, the copier 13, and the scanner device 14 into the PDL format sent via the LAN 10. A storage 21 for storing and accumulating data, a database management unit 22 for registering and managing the metadata, ID information, and addresses in the database while transferring the processed data in an appropriate data management format to the storage 21; While managing the ID information to be allocated to the processing data 11 and the like, the ID information is extracted from the PDL format of the transmitted processing data, registered in the database management unit 22, and is managed via the LAN 10. PDL
The processing data and the metadata that have been converted into the format are transferred to the database management unit 22, and the processing data specified by the search request from the PC 15 or a user of the own device and read from the storage 21 is managed by the database management unit 22. And a data input / output unit 24 for returning to the data processing device at the address specified by the ID information together with the metadata.

The database management unit 22 can specify the output destination address by directly referring to the ID information of the facsimile apparatus 11, the printer apparatus 12, and the copier 13, but the scanner apparatus 14 has the function of outputting the processing data. Therefore, for example, the ID information and the address of one of the printer devices 12a and 12b are rewritten (or may be added) in the database according to whether a scan request is issued from the PC 15a or the PC 15b. . The ID information (address) in this database may be changeable from the PC 15 or the image data management device 20 to that of another device, and the address itself may be used instead of special ID information. . Further, the ID information of the scanner device 14 is stored in one of the printer devices 12a and 12b.
It goes without saying that the D information may be set (fixed) in advance. Also, the I that is set in the processing data of the scanner
The D information may be registered in the database as it is, check whether the output destination has an output function at the time of output, and send to the printer device 12 of ID information selected and set in advance, or The processing data may be displayed and output by rewriting the ID information and the address of the PC 15.

For example, when the copy machine 13a is used, the copy machine 13a reads and records a document image, converts the image data read at this time into a PDL format, and stores ID information in the format. Is set, and various attribute data are transmitted to the image data management device 20 together with the set metadata. In the image data management device 20, the data input / output unit 24 receives the metadata and the processing data transmitted from the copy machine 13a and passes them to the database management unit 22, and the ID management unit 23 extracts the ID information from the PDL format. To the database management unit 22, and the database management unit
The storage unit 22 stores and accumulates the processed data in the storage 21 and extracts a keyword from the processed data and registers the metadata together with the address specified by the ID information in the database. Then, for example, when the processing data is searched and specified from the database by access from the PC 15 by a Web browser or the like and an output command is issued, the image data management apparatus 20 reads the processing data from the storage 21 and reads the processing data from the copy machine 13a. It returns to the address corresponding to the ID information. Therefore, the processed data is added with ID information without requiring any special operation other than copying, is stored and managed in the image data management device 20, and is thereafter returned to the processed copying machine 15a. It is recorded and output in PDL format. Further, at this time, since the data is transmitted and received while being converted to the PDL format, the data can be transmitted and received efficiently without the metadata of the processing data itself.

The same applies to the case where the facsimile apparatus 11a is used. Image data to be transmitted / received by facsimile is sent to the image data management apparatus 20 after ID information is set in the PDL format at the same time, and is transmitted to the database management apparatus. Storage and management in the storage unit 22 and the storage 21;
When there is an output command from the device 15, the image data is returned from the image data management device 20 to the facsimile device 11a and recorded and output in the PDL format.

The same applies to the case where the printer device 12a is used from, for example, the PC 15a. The print data from the PC 15a is printed out by the printer device 12a and, at the same time, the image data is set after the ID information is set in the PDL format. The data is sent to the management device 20, stored and managed in the database management unit 22 and the storage 21, and is stored in the PC 15a.
When there is an output command from the printer, it is returned from the image data management device 20 to the printer device 12a, and is recorded and output in its PDL format.

When the scanner 14 is used, it is basically handled in the same manner, and the read data is returned to the PC 15a in accordance with the scan request, and at the same time, the ID information of the scanner 14 is set in the PDL format. The ID information (address) is rewritten by the printer device 12a and stored and managed in the database management unit 22 and the storage 21. When an output command is issued from the PC 15a, Printer device 12
a is returned from the image data management device 20 and recorded and output in its PDL format. Therefore, similarly to the case of having the output function, the data processed by the scanner device 14 can be recorded and output by the printer device 12a without requiring any special operation.

The data processed by any one of the data processing devices 11 to 14 is managed by the image data management device 20.
The D information can be changed from the PC 15 or the image data management device 20 at the time of an output request or the like, so that it can be output by a device different from that at the time of the accumulation process, and the output destination of the processing data by the scanner device 14 is also the printer device 12a. , 12b or PC15
a and 15b can be arbitrarily selected and set.

Further, the data processed by the data processing devices 11 to 14 are all converted into the PDL format and are processed as they are (transfer / accumulation / return / record output), so that output is not disabled at the output destination. . As described above, in the present embodiment, the data processed by the data processing devices 11 to 14 can be stored and managed by automatically setting ID information without any trouble, and the output destination can be selected without being conscious (selection). Rather, the data can be output again by the data processing devices 11 to 13 which the user normally uses at the time of processing. At this time, the processing data by the scanner device 14 can be output by the printer device 12 set in advance, and the processing data can be obtained in the same manner without regard to the presence or absence of the output function. Further, the processed data can be efficiently transferred and output by converting the data into the PDL format, and there is no possibility that the output becomes impossible due to the format mismatch. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the facsimile machine 11a, the printer 12a, the copier 13a, the scanner 14 and the PC 15a are installed on the floor 1, and the facsimile machine 11b, the printer 12b, the copier 13b and the PC 15b are installed on the floor 2. Even in the case of a layout that is separated from being installed, processing data can be easily obtained near the workplace.

As another aspect of the present embodiment, although not shown, the processing data processed by the facsimile machine 11, the printer apparatus 12, the copying machine 13, and the scanner apparatus 14 are directly processed (transferred / transferred). (Accumulation / return / recording output), and the ID information may be set in the metadata for setting the attribute data and the like. In this case, the processing can be performed as it is in the format processed by itself. (Claim 3) In the case where the output can be performed by another device, the tables of various conversion filters may be provided in the data processing devices 11 to 13 or the image data management device 20 and converted into a format that can be processed. I just need.

[0037]

According to the present invention, the processing data is stored and managed together with the ID information of the data processing device, and at the time of output, the I
Since the priority is output to the data processing device specified by the D information, the output destination of the processing data to be stored and managed can be the processed data processing device, and can be output again by the data processing device normally used by the user. . Therefore, the processing data to be stored and managed can be re-acquired by a data processing device having high usability, and the usability of the data management system can be improved.

At this time, by converting the processing data into the PDL format, it is possible to reduce the metadata and improve the transfer efficiency. On the other hand, by storing and managing the processed data as it is without converting the format, the data processing device that has processed the processed data can efficiently re-output the processed data as it is. In addition, the ID information of the data processing device to be set in the processing data can be changed without any trouble of the user by automatically setting, for example, without impairing the feature of the system for storing and managing the processing data unconsciously. By doing so, the output destination can be obtained by the data processing device at a position suitable for the convenience without fixing the output destination.

Further, in the case of a data processing device having no function of outputting processed data, a data processing device capable of outputting in advance is set as an output destination, so that processed data can be obtained in the same manner without regard to the presence or absence of an output function. This makes it possible to prevent the output of processing data from becoming incompatible due to the format not being matched by the conversion filter, and to obtain the processing data from the data processing apparatus that performs a plurality of types of data processing.

The ID of the added data processing device
By automatically determining the information, the data processing device can be incorporated into the system without requiring a special input operation. As a result, the usability of the data management system can be adapted to the use environment, and the usability can be further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a data management system according to the present invention, and is a block diagram illustrating a schematic overall configuration thereof.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a main part thereof.

FIG. 3 is an arrangement block diagram showing an application example thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Data management file system 11a, 11b Facsimile device (data processing device) 12a, 12b Printer device (data processing device) 13a, 13b Copy machine (data processing device) 14 Scanner device (data processing device) 15a, 15b PC (data processing) 20) Image data management device 21 Storage (storage device) 22 Database management unit 23 ID management unit 24 Data input / output unit

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A data management device is connected to a network together with a plurality of types of data processing devices, and the same processing data processed by the data processing device is transferred to the data management device.
A data management system in which the data management device stores and manages processing data in a storage device in a searchable and readable manner, wherein the data processing device or the data management device acquires ID information uniquely determined by the data processing device together with the processing data. Then, the processing data is converted into an arbitrary format and the ID information is set in the format, and the data management device is set in the format when outputting the processing data retrieved and read from the storage device. A data management system characterized by outputting the processed data preferentially to a data processing device corresponding to the ID information. 2. The data management system according to claim 1, wherein a format conversion of the processing data is performed by a data processing device, and the processing data is converted into a PDL format. 3. A data management device is connected together with a plurality of types of data processing devices on a network, and the same processing data processed by the data processing device is transferred to the data management device.
A data management system in which the data management device stores and manages processing data in a storage device in a searchable and readable manner, wherein the data processing device or the data management device acquires ID information uniquely determined by the data processing device together with the processing data. The ID information is set in the metadata of the processed data without format conversion of the processed data, and the data management device is configured to output the processed data retrieved and read from the storage device. A data management system, wherein the processing data is preferentially output to a data processing device corresponding to the ID information set in the data management system. 4. The data management system according to claim 1, wherein the ID information of the data processing device set in the processing data is automatically set when the processing data is acquired. 5. The data management system according to claim 1, wherein the ID information of the data processing device set in the processing data can be arbitrarily changed. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein when acquiring the ID information of the data processing apparatus having no function of outputting the processing data, the ID information of the data processing apparatus capable of outputting the prepared processing data is set in the processing data. The data management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein 7. When acquiring ID information of a data processing apparatus having no processing data output function, set ID information of a data processing apparatus capable of outputting arbitrarily selected processing data as processing data. The data management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: 8. The data management system according to claim 6, further comprising a conversion filter for converting a format of the processing data so that a data processing device to which the processing data is output is output. 9. A conversion filter table for converting the format of the processed data according to the type of the processed data so that each data processing device to which the processed data is output is provided. 9. The data management system according to 8. 10. The data management system according to claim 1, wherein the ID information of the data processing device is automatically determined when starting up a network or connecting the data processing device. .