DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT METHOD

• US 20070226174A1
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Saito, Shigemi
• Granted Patent: US 8,046,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries

Abstract

An apparatus stores one or more document information of which access right is managed by an access right management apparatus, and generates an index of stored document information. The apparatus receives user identification information, and sends the user identification information, and information for identifying document information of which index has not been generated to the access right management apparatus. The apparatus receives access right information associated with the user from the access right management apparatus, and generates index of the identified document information based on the received access right information.

Claims

1. A document management apparatus comprising:

a document information storage unit configured to store one or more document information of which access right is managed by an access right management apparatus;

an index generating unit configured to perform processing for generating an index of document information stored in the document information storing unit;

a sending unit configured to accept user identification information for identifying a user, and send to the access right management apparatus the user identification information, and information for identifying document information of which index generating processing has not been performed by the index generating unit, of the document information stored in the document information storing unit;

a receiving unit configured to receive the access right information of the user regarding the document information to be sent from the access right management apparatus which responds to the user identification information and the information for identifying the document information sent by the sending unit; and

a control unit configured to control the index generating processing of the document information by the index generating unit based on the access right information received by the receiving unit.

2. The document management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit determines index generating processing by the index generating unit to be executable based on the access right information if the user has a reference right regarding the document information.

3. The document management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines index generating processing by the index generating unit to be inexecutable based on the access right information if the user has no right necessary for index generation regarding the document information.

4. The document management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an index storing unit configured to store an index generated by the index generating unit; and

an index storing status storing unit configured to store an index storing status indicating a state whether or not the index of each of one or more document information stored in the document information storing unit is stored in the index storing unit;

wherein the sending unit refers to the index storing status storing unit, and sends information determining document information of which index generation by the index generating unit has not been performed to the access right management apparatus;

and wherein the index storing status storing unit stores the index storing status relating to the document information of which index has been generated by the index generating unit as index stored.

5. The document management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the document information storing unit is capable of further storing document information that the document management apparatus itself manages accesses right;

and wherein the sending unit refers to the index storing status storing unit, and in the event that the document information of which index generation by the index generating unit has not been performed has an access right managed by the access right management apparatus, sends the information determining the document information to the access right management apparatus, and in the event that the access right is managed by the document management apparatus, sends no information determining the document information to the access right management apparatus.

6. The document management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the document information storing unit stores the document information of which access right is managed by the access right management apparatus is stored in an encrypted state;

and wherein the receiving unit further receives the decrypting key regarding the document information sent from the access right management apparatus;

and wherein the index generating unit decodes the document information stored in the document information storing unit using the decrypting key, and performs index generation regarding the decrypted document information.

7. The document management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a document information processing unit configured to process the document information stored by the document information storing unit; and

a document specification accepting unit configured to accept specification of the document to be processed by the document information processing unit, of one or more document information stored by the document information storing unit;

wherein the index generating unit perform index generation regarding the document information stored in the document information storing unit other than the document information to be processed by the document processing unit that is accepted by the document specification accepting unit.

8. A document management apparatus comprising:

a document information storing unit configured to encrypt and store each of one or more document information of which access right is managed by an access right management apparatus;

an index generating unit configured to perform processing for generating an index of document information;

a sending unit configured to accept user identification information for identifying a user, and send to the access right management apparatus the user identification information, and information for identifying document information of which index generating processing has not been performed by the index generating unit, of the document information stored in the document information storing unit;

a receiving unit configured to receive a decrypting key as to the document information to be sent from the access right management apparatus which responds to the user identification information and the information identifying the document information sent by the sending unit;

a decrypting unit configured to decrypt the encrypted document information based on the decrypting key received at the receiving unit; and

a control unit configured to, in the event that the access right management apparatus did not send the decrypting key as to the document information in response to sending of information determining the user identification information and the document information sent by the sending unit, control the index generating unit so as to not execute index generating processing as to the document.

9. A document management apparatus comprising:

a document information storing unit configured to store one or more document information;

a user identification information accepting unit configured to accept user identification information for identifying a user;

a search request accepting unit configured to accept a search request of document information stored in the document information storing unit;

a search unit configured to search document information stored in the document information storing unit based on the search request accepted by the search request accepting unit;

a determining unit configured to determine whether or not the user identified with user identification information accepted by the user identification information accepting unit can access each of at least one document information searched by the searching unit;

an extracting unit configured to extract document information that the user can access based on the determination result of the determining unit; and

an output unit configured to output an information concerning to the document information extracted by the extracting unit.

10. The document management apparatus according to claim 9, wherein at least one document stored in the document information storing unit of which access right is managed by an access right management apparatus, further comprising:

an inquiring unit configured to send the user identification information accepted by the user identification information accepting unit, and the information identifying the document information stored in the document information storing unit to the access right management apparatus, and configured to inquire the access right of the user identified with the user identifying information as to the document information; and

an access right information storing unit configured to receive and store the access right information of the user as to the document information to be sent from the access right management apparatus which responds to the inquiry of the access right of the user as to the document information by the inquiring unit.

11. The document management apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the determining unit, in the event that the access right of the user regarding the document information searched by the search unit has already been stored in the access right information storing unit, determine whether or not the user can access the document information by referring to the access right information storing unit, and in the event that the access right of the user regarding the document information searched by the search unit is not stored in the access right information storing unit, determine whether or not the user can access the document information based on the access right information of the user to be sent from the access right management apparatus which responds to the inquiry of the access right of the user as to the document information by the inquiring unit.

12. The document management apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

an index storing unit configured to store an index employed in the case of searching document information,

wherein the search unit searches the document information stored in the document information storing unit with reference to the index storing unit.

13. A method for a document management apparatus having document information storing unit configured to store one or more document information of which access right is managed by an access right management apparatus, the method comprising:

performing processing for generating an index of document information stored in the document information storing unit;

receiving user identification information for identifying a user, and sending to the access right management apparatus the user identification information, and information for identifying document information of which index generating processing has not been performed, of the document information stored in the document information storing unit;

receiving the access right information of the user regarding the document information to be sent from the access right management apparatus which responds to the user identification information and the information identifying the document information; and

controlling the index generating processing of the document information based on the received access right information.

14. A method for a document management apparatus having document information storing unit configured to encrypt and store one or more document information of which access right is managed by an access right management apparatus, the method comprising:

performing processing for generating an index of document information;

receiving user identification information for identifying a user, and sending to the access right management apparatus the user identification information, and information for identifying document information of which index generating processing has not been performed, of the document information stored in the document information storing unit;

receiving a decrypting key as to the document information to be sent from the access right management apparatus which responds to the user identification information and the information identifying the document information;

decrypting the encrypted document information based on the received decrypting key; and

if the access right management apparatus did not send the decrypting key as to the document information in response to sending of the user identification information and the information identifying the document information, controlling the index generating processing so as to not execute index generating processing as to the document.

15. A method for a document management apparatus having document information storing unit configured to store one or more document information, the method comprising:

receiving user identification information for identifying a user;

receiving a search request of document information stored in the document information storing unit;

searching document information stored in the document information storing unit based on the received search request;

determining whether or not the user identified with the received user identification information is capable of accessing each of at least one document information searched;

extracting document information that the user is capable of accessing; and

outputting an information concerning the extracted document information.

16. A storage medium storing a program for causing a document management apparatus having document information storing unit configured to store one or more document information of which access right is managed by an access right management apparatus to execute a document management method, the document management method comprising:

performing processing for generating an index of document information stored in the document information storing unit;

receiving user identification information for identifying a user, and sending to the access right management apparatus the user identification information, and information for identifying document information of which index generating processing has not been performed, of the document information stored in the document information storing unit;

receiving the access right information of the user as to the document information to be sent from the access right management apparatus which responds to the user identification information and the information identifying the document information; and

controlling the index generating processing of the document information based on the received access right information.

17. A storage medium storing a program for causing a document management apparatus having document information storing unit configured to encrypt and store each of one or more document information of which access right is managed by an access right management apparatus to execute a document management method, the document management method comprising:

performing processing for generating an index of document information;

receiving user identification information for identifying a user, and sending to the access right management apparatus the user identification information, and information for identifying document information of which index generating processing has not been performed, of the document information stored in the document information storing unit;

receiving a decrypting key as to the document information to be sent from the access right management apparatus which responds to the user identification information and the information identifying the document information;

decrypting the encrypted document information based on the received decrypting key; and

if the access right management apparatus did not send the decrypting key as to the document information in response to sending of the user identification information and the information identifying the document information, controlling the index generating processing so as to not execute index generating processing as to the document.

18. A storage medium storing a program for causing a document management apparatus having document information storing unit configured to store one or more document information to execute a document management method, the document management method comprising:

receiving user identification information for identifying a user;

receiving a search request of document information stored in the document information storing unit;

searching document information stored in the document information storing unit based on the received search request;

determining whether or not the user identified with the received user identification information is capable of accessing each of at least one document information searched;

extracting document information that the user is capable of accessing; and

outputting an information concerning the extracted document information.