Document processing apparatus

• US 20030115547A1
• Filed: 11/20/2002
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kanasaki, Katsumi, Ohwada, Toshikazu
• Granted Patent: US 7,134,071 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/511
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71

Abstract

When there are the same contents (content data) of a document among versions, the contents of the document are shared so as to reduce the storage area. Accordingly, instead of accumulating content data separately for each version, each version is related to the content data accumulated in the storage area shared among the versions. When a document α has versions 1 through 3 and each of versions 1 through 3 has sections 1 and 2, three sections 1 of the versions 1 through 3 share content data 1 and the section 2 of each of the versions 1 through 3 has different content data 2, 3, or 4. The content data 1, 2, 3, or 4 indicated by version information are searched for from a content data DB, to be edited. Only when the content data 1, 2, 3, or 4 are changed, new content data are registered.

Claims

1. A document processing apparatus for managing a document having a plurality of versions, comprising:

a version managing part managing the plurality of versions so as to share actual data showing contents of the document among the plurality of versions for each document; and

a working version creating part obtaining the actual data from said version managing part by document identification information identifying the document and version identification information identifying the version, and reproducing the contents of the document as a working version,

wherein said version managing part manages the document so as to share the actual data as a new version based on a change state of the document that is enabled to be changed by said working version creating part.

2. The document processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said version managing part comprises:

a bibliography information managing part managing bibliography information showing a bibliography for each document;

a version information managing part, which is related to said bibliography information managing part by the document identification information, managing actual data identification information identifying the actual data specified by the document identification information and a version number; and

an actual data managing part, which is related to said version information by the actual data identification information, managing the actual data.

3. The document processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said version managing part manages the plurality of versions so as to share the actual data of the document among the plurality of versions for each of a plurality of sections configuring the document.

4. The document processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said version managing part comprises:

a bibliography information managing part managing bibliography information showing a bibliography for each document;

a version information managing part, which is related to said bibliography information managing part by the document identification information, managing the document identification information and a version number by document version specification information specifying a combination of the document identification information and the version number;

a section information managing part managing a correspondence between each of the sections and the actual data so as to indicate actual data identification information identifying the actual data by each section number of the plurality of sections configuring the document and the document version specification information; and

an actual data managing part, which is related to said section information managing part by the actual data identification information, managing the actual data.

5. The document processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said version managing part manages the plurality of versions so as to share the actual data of the document among the plurality of versions for each of a plurality of objects configuring the document.

6. The document processing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said version managing part comprises:

a bibliography information managing part managing bibliography information showing bibliography for each document;

a version information managing part, which is related to said bibliography information managing part by the document identification information, managing the document identification information and a version number by document version specification information specifying a combination of the document identification information and the version number;

an object information managing part corresponding and managing each type of the plurality of objects configuring the document, said document specification information, and actual data identification information identifying the actual data; and

an actual data managing part, which is related to said object information managing part by the actual data identification information, managing the actual data.

7. The document processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a working version registering part registering document identification information identifying the document and version identification information identifying the version as a working version of the document,

wherein said working version creating part reproduces and registers the contents of the document in response to an edit request specifying the document and the version.

8. The document processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a change determining part determining whether or not the contents of the document reproduced by said working version creating part are changed; and

a new version registering part registering a new version to said version managing part,

wherein when said change determining part determines that the contents of the document are not changed, said new version registering part registers said new version to said version managing part so as to relate the new version to the actual data used when the working version creating part reproduces the document.

9. The document processing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein when the said change determining part determines that the contents of the document are changed, said new version registering part registers the new version to the said version managing part so as to relate the new version to new actual data after the actual data are changed.

10. Program code for causing a computer to manage a document having a plurality of versions, comprising:

first code for managing the plurality of versions so as to share actual data showing contents of the document among the plurality of versions for each document;

second code for obtaining the actual data from said version managing part by document identification information identifying the document and version identification information identifying the version; and

third code for reproducing the contents of the document as a working version,

wherein said first code manages the document so as to share the actual data as a new version based on a change state of the document that is enabled to be changed by said third code.

11. A computer-readable recording medium recorded with program code for causing a computer to manage a document having a plurality of versions, comprising:

first code for managing the plurality of versions so as to share actual data showing contents of the document among the plurality of versions for each document;

second code for obtaining the actual data from said version managing part by document identification information identifying the document and version identification information identifying the version; and

third code for reproducing the contents of the document as a working version,

wherein said first code manages the document so as to share the actual data as a new version based on a change state of the document that is enabled to be changed by said third code.