Electronic-document management system and method

• US 20070198913A1
• Filed: 08/17/2006
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Shi, Meng, Terao, Taro
• Granted Patent: US 7,765,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

An electronic-document management system includes an acquisition unit, an edit unit, first and second storage units, a generation unit and an output unit. The acquisition unit acquires a target electronic document. The edit unit edits the acquired target electronic document. The first storage unit stores the target electronic document edited by the edit unit and a feature value of the edited target electronic document in association with each other. The generation unit generates meta-information of the edited target electronic document, which comprises a feature value of the edited target electronic document. The second storage unit stores the meta-information of the edited target electronic document and a feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document in association with each other. The output unit outputs the feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document as reference information of the edited target electronic document.

Claims

1. An electronic-document management system comprising:

an acquisition unit that acquires a target electronic document;

an edit unit that edits the acquired target electronic document;

a first storage unit that stores the target electronic document edited by the edit unit and a feature value of the edited target electronic document in association with each other;

a generation unit that generates meta-information of the edited target electronic document, which comprises reference information of the target electronic document and a feature value of the edited target electronic document;

a second storage unit that stores the meta-information of the edited target electronic document and a feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document in association with each other; and

an output unit that outputs the feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document as reference information of the edited target electronic document.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third storage unit that stores the reference information of the target electronic document and the reference information of the edited target electronic document in association with each other.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth storage unit that stores reference information of an electronic document, which is newly created or edited by a user identified by a user identifier, in association with the user identifier.

7. The system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a fourth storage unit that stores reference information of an electronic document, which is newly created or edited by a user identified by a user identifier, in association with the user identifier.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein meta-information of each electronic document comprises attribute information of the corresponding electronic document.

11. The system according to claim 3, wherein meta-information of each electronic document comprises attribute information of the corresponding electronic document.

13. The system according to claim 5, wherein meta-information of each electronic document comprises attribute information of the corresponding electronic document.

15. The system according to claim 7, wherein meta-information of each electronic document comprises attribute information of the corresponding electronic document.

2. An electronic-document management system comprising:

an acquisition unit that acquires a target electronic document;

an edit unit that edits the acquired target electronic document;

a first storage unit that stores the target electronic document edited by the edit unit and a feature value of the edited target electronic document in association with each other;

a generation unit that generates meta-information of the edited target electronic document, which comprises reference information of the target electronic document and a feature value of the edited target electronic document;

a second storage unit that stores the meta-information of the edited target electronic document and a feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document in association with each other;

an output unit that outputs the feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document as reference information of the edited target electronic document; and

a creation unit that newly creates an electronic document, wherein;

the first storage unit stores the electronic document newly created by the creation unit and a feature value of the newly created electronic document in association with each other,

the generation unit generates meta-information of the newly created electronic document, which comprises the feature value of the newly created electronic document, and

the output unit outputs the feature value of the meta-information of the newly created electronic document, which comprises the feature value of the newly created electronic document, as reference information of the newly created electronic document.

4. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a third storage unit that stores the reference information of the target electronic document and the reference information of the edited target electronic document in association with each other.

6. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a fourth storage unit that stores reference information of an electronic document, which is newly created or edited by a user identified by a user identifier, in association with the user identifier.

8. The system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a fourth storage unit that stores reference information of an electronic document, which is newly created or edited by a user identified by a user identifier, in association with the user identifier.

10. The system according to claim 2, wherein meta-information of each electronic document comprises attribute information of the corresponding electronic document.

12. The system according to claim 4, wherein meta-information of each electronic document comprises attribute information of the corresponding electronic document.

14. The system according to claim 6, wherein meta-information of each electronic document comprises attribute information of the corresponding electronic document.

16. The system according to claim 8, wherein meta-information of each electronic document comprises attribute information of the corresponding electronic document.

17. An electronic-document management method comprising:

acquiring a target electronic document;

editing the acquired target electronic document;

storing the edited target electronic document and a feature value of the edited target electronic document in association with each other;

generating meta-information of the edited target electronic document, which comprises a feature value of the edited target electronic document;

storing the meta-information of the edited target electronic document and a feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document in association with each other; and

outputting the feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document as reference information of the edited target electronic document.

18. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for managing electronic documents, the process comprising:

acquiring a target electronic document;

editing the acquired target electronic document;

storing the edited target electronic document and a feature value of the edited target electronic document in association with each other;

generating meta-information of the edited target electronic document, which comprises a feature value of the edited target electronic document;

storing the meta-information of the edited target electronic document and a feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document in association with each other; and

outputting the feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document as reference information of the edited target electronic document.

19. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for enabling a computer to perform a process for managing electronic documents, the process comprising:

acquiring a target electronic document;

editing the acquired target electronic document;

storing the edited target electronic document and a feature value of the edited target electronic document in association with each other;

generating meta-information of the edited target electronic document, which comprises a feature value of the edited target electronic document;

storing the meta-information of the edited target electronic document and a feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document in association with each other; and

outputting the feature value of the meta-information of the edited target electronic document as reference information of the edited target electronic document.