DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT METHOD

• US 20090132497A1
• Filed: 11/11/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nagai, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,026,508 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

A document management apparatus, which converts management of documents managed using a folder tree to management using search folders, newly defines attributes of documents included in respective hierarchies of the folder tree as a conversion source. To each document which belongs to the folder tree, a name of a folder in an upper hierarchy, which stores that document, is assigned as an attribute value of the defined attribute. Each folder which configures the folder tree is converted into a search folder which can search for documents assigned with the attribute values using the name of that folder as a search condition.

Claims

1. A document management apparatus, which converts management of documents managed using a folder tree to management using search folders, comprising:

a document attribute definition unit adapted to newly define attributes of documents included in respective hierarchies of the folder tree as a conversion source;

a document attribute value assignment unit adapted to assign, to each document which belongs to the folder tree, a name of a folder in an upper hierarchy, which stores that document, as an attribute value of the attribute defined by said document attribute definition unit; and

a folder conversion unit adapted to convert each folder which configures the folder tree into a search folder which can search for documents assigned with the attribute values using the name of that folder as a search condition.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a conversion folder group designation unit adapted to designate a partial configuration of the folder tree as a conversion target.

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

an attribute value input request unit adapted to request to input an attribute value of the attribute defined by said document attribute definition unit upon registering a new document.

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

a document attribute confirmation unit adapted to confirm whether or not an attribute of existing attributes set for documents included in respective hierarchies of the folder tree can be set as an attribute of documents to be stored in the search folder;

a document attribute selection unit adapted to select the existing attribute based on a confirmation result of said document attribute confirmation unit; and

a document attribute processing branch unit adapted to accept a selection as to whether a new attribute is defined by said document attribute definition unit or the existing attribute is used by said document attribute selection unit,

wherein said document attribute value assignment unit assigns an attribute value to each document which belongs to the folder tree, based on the selection accepted by said document attribute processing branch unit.

5. A document management method, which converts management of documents managed using a folder tree to management using search folders, comprising:

a document attribute definition step of controlling a document attribute definition unit to newly define attributes of documents included in respective hierarchies of the folder tree as a conversion source;

a document attribute value assignment step of controlling a document attribute value assignment unit to assign, to each document which belongs to the folder tree, a name of a folder in an upper hierarchy, which stores that document, as an attribute value of the attribute defined in the document attribute definition step; and

a folder conversion step of controlling a folder conversion unit to convert each folder which configures the folder tree into a search folder which can search for documents assigned with the attribute values using the name of that folder as a search condition.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

a conversion folder group designation step of designating a partial configuration of the folder tree as a conversion target.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

an attribute value input request step of requesting to input an attribute value of the attribute defined in the document attribute definition step upon registering a new document.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

a document attribute confirmation step of confirming whether or not an attribute of existing attributes set for documents included in respective hierarchies of the folder tree can be set as an attribute of documents to be stored in the search folder;

a document attribute selection step of selecting the existing attribute based on a confirmation result in the document attribute confirmation step; and

a document attribute processing branch step of accepting a selection as to whether a new attribute is defined in the document attribute definition step or the existing attribute is used in document attribute selection step,

wherein an attribute value is assigned to each document which belongs to the folder tree, based on the selection accepted in the document attribute processing branch step.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for making a computer execute a document processing method according to claim 5.