METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT UTILIZING A MESSAGING SYSTEM

• US 20020120858A1
• Filed: 11/30/1998
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Frontoffice Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: BRIMHALL, GEOFFREY LEROY, CRANE, WILLIAM MONTGOMERY, PORTER, JACK EDWARD, OʼGORMAN, LIAM PATRICK
• Granted Patent: US 6,675,299 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/12 Use of codes for handling textual entities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/123 Storage facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

The content of a document is stored in a file system, while the profile of the document is stored in a messaging system. The profile of the document is accessed upon request, and the document content is accessed based upon the content of the profile.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing documents, comprising the steps of:

storing content of a document on a file system;

storing a profile of said document in a messaging system;

obtaining said profile upon request for access to said document; and

accessing said content of said document based upon information obtained from said profile.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 wherein said profile includes information about attributes of said document.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2 wherein said information about said attributes includes indicating location of said document content on said file system.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 wherein said document content comprises one or more of text, data, figures, binary large object (BLOB), audio, or video.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

utilizing an operating system security system to determine access rights to said document stored on said file system.

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 5 further comprising the step of:

displaying said document only if a user is qualified based on said access rights.

7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 5 wherein said step of utilizing said operating system security system comprises the steps of:

retaining a user identification upon user log-in;

requesting said document from said file system using said user identification; and

displaying said document if said user is qualified based on said access rights.

8. The computer-implemented method according to claim 5 wherein said step of utilizing said operating system security system comprises the steps of:

getting a security descriptor from said document profile;

getting a user token;

passing said security descriptor and said user token to said operating system security system; and

receiving authorization from said operating system security system to display said document.

9. The computer-implemented method according to claim 8 wherein creating said security descriptor for said document comprises the steps of:

determining a list of permissions of access granted to said document;

providing said list of permissions and said user token to said operating system security system;

receiving a binary block of data comprising said security descriptor; and

attaching said security descriptor to said document profile.

10. The computer-implemented method according to claim 8 wherein getting said user token comprises the steps of:

retaining a user identification upon user log-in;

retaining log information of said user; and

creating said user token from said log information and said user identification.

11. The computer-implemented method according to claim 10 wherein said log information comprises information about a current system being used by said user and privileges of said user on said current system.

12. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

indexing said document; and

adding said index to an additive index of documents.

13. The computer-implemented method according to claim 12, wherein said indexing comprises the steps of:

indexing said document content; and

indexing said document profile.

14. The computer-implemented method according to claim 13 wherein adding said index to said additive index of documents comprises the steps of:

adding said document content index to a document content additive index; and

adding said document profile index to a document profile additive index.

15. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a user search request;

executing said user search request; and

displaying a result of said user search request.

16. The computer-implemented method according to claim 15 wherein said step of executing said user search request further comprises the step of:

searching said document content additive index; and

searching said document profile additive index.

17. The computer-implemented method according to claim 15 wherein said step of displaying said result comprises:

accessing said file system and attempting to retrieve a first document in said result using a user identification; and

displaying said document if said user identification is qualified to receive said document based on access rights.

18. The computer-implemented method according to claim 17 wherein said step of displaying said document further comprise the steps of:

utilizing said profile to retrieve displayable information about said document; and

displaying said displayable information.

19. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 wherein said method is a document management system integrated into an operating system.

20. The computer-implemented method according to claim 19 wherein said operating system is a Windows operating system.

21. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

maintaining a list of favorite documents.

22. The computer-implemented method according to claim 21 wherein said list of favorite documents comprises pointers to a location of documents in said list.

23. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

maintaining a list of regularly updated documents; and

updating documents in said list of regularly updated documents automatically.

24. The computer-implemented method according to claim 23 wherein said updating comprises the steps:

saving a search for each of said documents in said list of regularly updated documents; and

executing said search on a predetermined schedule.

25. A computer-implemented method for managing documents, comprising the steps of:

storing content of a document on a file system wherein said content is one or more of text, data, figures, binary large object (BLOB), audio, or video; and

storing a profile of said document in a messaging system, wherein said profile includes information about attributes of said document, including indicating location of said document content on said file system.

26. A computer-implemented method for managing documents, comprising the steps of:

storing a document content on a file system;

storing a document profile in a messaging system;

determining access rights to said document content stored on said file system using an operating system security system, said step of determining comprising the steps of;

getting a user token, comprised of information about a current system being used by a user and a user identification of said user;

getting a security descriptor from said document profile, wherein said security descriptor is a binary block of data attached to said document profile and created by said operating system security system from a list of permissions of access to a document and said user token;

passing said security descriptor and said user token to said operating system security system; and

receiving authorization from said operating system security system to display said document.

27. A computer-implemented method for managing documents, comprising the steps of:

storing content of a document on a file system;

storing a profile of said document in a messaging system;

indexing said document content;

adding said index of said document content to an additive index of document contents, wherein said additive index of said document contents is stored in said file system;

indexing said document profile;

adding said index of said document profile to an additive index of document profiles;

wherein said additive index of said document profiles is stored in said file system;

receiving a user search request;

performing said user search request by accessing said file system and searching said additive indexes;

collecting a result comprised of a list of document keys;

verifying a user'"'"'s access rights to said result using an operating system security system, comprising the steps of;

retrieving a security descriptor from profiles of documents in said list of document keys;

getting a user token identifying said user;

passing said security descriptor and said user token to said operating system security system;

receiving authorization from said operating system security system to display said results;

utilizing said profile to retrieve displayable information about said document if said user identification is qualified to receive said document based on said access rights; and

displaying said displayable information about documents which said user identification is qualified to receive.

28. A computer-implemented method for managing documents, comprising the steps of:

storing content of a document on a file system;

storing a profile of said document in a messaging system;

wherein said method is a document management system integrated into a Windows®

operating system.

29. A computer-implemented method for managing documents, comprising the steps of:

storing content of a document on a file system;

storing a profile of said document in a messaging system; and

maintaining a list of favorite documents, wherein said list of favorite documents comprises pointers to a location of documents in said list.

30. A computer-implemented method for managing documents, comprising the steps of:

storing content of a document on a file system;

storing a profile of said document in a messaging system;

maintaining a list of regularly updated documents;

saving a search for each document in said list of regularly updated documents;

executing said search on a predetermined schedule; and

using a result of said search to update each of said documents in said list of said regularly updated documents.

31. A computer system comprising:

a document management system;

a file system coupled to said document management system, wherein said file system is configured to store a document content; and

a messaging system coupled to said document management system, wherein said messaging system is configured to store a document profile.

32. A computer system, having a processor, comprising:

a document management system;

a file system coupled to said document management system, wherein said file system is configured to store a document content;

a messaging system coupled to said document management system, wherein said messaging system is configured to store a document profile;

an operating system security system; and

said operating system security system being configured to determine access rights to a document stored on said file system.

33. A computer system, having a processor, comprising:

a document management system;

a file system coupled to said document management system, wherein said file system is configured to store a document content;

a messaging system coupled to said document management system, wherein said messaging system is configured to store a document profile; and

an additive index of a plurality of documents;

wherein said additive index is searched in response to a search request and a result of said search request is displayed.

34. A computer system comprising:

a file system configured to store a document content;

a messaging system configured to store a document profile;

a document management system coupled to said file system and said messaging system; and

an operating system;

wherein said document management system is integrated with said operating system.

35. A machine readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions, which when executed by a computer system, cause said computer system to perform the steps of:

storing content of a document on a file system wherein said content is one or more of text, data, figures, BLOB, audio, or video; and

storing a profile of said document in a messaging system, wherein said profile includes information about attributes of said document, including indicating location of said document content on said file system.

36. A machine readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions, which when executed by a computer system, cause said computer system to perform the steps of:

storing a document content on a file system;

storing a document profile on a messaging system; and

utilizing an operating system security system to determine access rights to said document content and said document profile.

37. A machine readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions, which when executed by a computer system, cause said computer system to perform the steps of:

storing a content of a document on a file system;

storing a profile of said document on a messaging system;

creating a first index of said content of said document;

creating a second index of said profile of said document;

receiving a search request;

executing said search request on said first index and said second index; and

displaying a result of said search request.