FILE MANAGEMENT APPARATUS, FILE MANAGEMENT METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20090222420A1
• Filed: 12/02/2008
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: HIRATA, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,364,731 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

A file management apparatus that displays a plurality of pieces of first file management information each being a unit for managing files and associated with second file management information on a display unit based on setting content indicated by associated second file management information. When a first symbol image corresponding to one piece of the first file management information is selected, the file management apparatus displays files associated with the piece of the first file management information corresponding to the first symbol image, on the display unit.

Claims

1. A file management apparatus comprising:

a storage unit that stores therein a plurality of pieces of first file management information each being associated with at least one file and serving a unit for managing associated file, and a plurality of pieces of second file management information each being associated with a plurality of pieces of the first file management information and serving a unit for managing associated pieces of the first file management information;

a first display control unit that displays a plurality of first symbol images each corresponding to one piece of the first file management information on a display unit based on setting content indicated by associated one piece of the second file management information; and

a second display control unit that displays, when one of the first symbol images is selected from the display unit, a file associated with a piece of first file management information corresponding to selected first symbol image on the display unit.

2. The file management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the storage unit stores therein pieces of the second file management information in order, and

the first display control unit displays the first symbol images in the order on the display unit.

3. The file management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

each piece of the second file management information is associated with a plurality of pieces of the first file management information in order, and

the first display control unit displays the first symbol images in the order, as setting content indicated by associated one piece of the second file management information, on the display unit.

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

a file registering unit that registers, upon receiving a request for registering a file in specified one of the first symbol images displayed on the display unit, the file in association with first file management information corresponding to specified first symbol image.

5. The file management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first symbol managing unit that registers, upon receiving a request for registering a first symbol name for identifying a first symbol image specified from the first symbol images displayed on the display unit, the first symbol name in association with first file management information corresponding to specified first symbol image, wherein

the first display control unit displays the first symbol name with a first symbol image corresponding to first file management information associated with the first symbol name, on the display unit.

6. The file management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein upon receiving a request for deleting a first symbol name from a first symbol images specified from the first symbol images displayed on the display unit, the first symbol managing unit deletes the first symbol name from first file management information corresponding to specified first symbol image.

7. The file management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein upon receiving a request for changes a position of a first symbol image specified from the first symbol images displayed on the display unit to a destination position in which another first symbol image is displayed, the first symbol managing unit exchanges a storage position of first file management information corresponding to specified first symbol image with a storage position of first file management information corresponding to the first symbol image on the destination position.

8. The file management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the first display control unit displays the first symbol images in a matrix, and

the file management apparatus further comprises a reconfiguring unit that reconfigures the matrix by either adding or deleting file management information depending on a position of a first symbol image in which either one of the file and the first symbol name has been registered among the first symbol images displayed on the display unit.

9. The file management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when the first symbol image in which either one of the file and the first symbol name has been registered is on an edge of the matrix, the reconfiguring unit creates new first file management information corresponding to either one of a row and a column or both to be a new edge of the matrix.

10. The file management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the reconfiguring unit deletes first file management information corresponding to either one of a row and a column or both containing only first symbol images in which no files and no first symbol names are registered from a row and a column containing a first symbol image whose setting has been changed by the first symbol managing unit.

11. The file management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first display control unit displays a second symbol image corresponding to one piece of the second file management information on the display unit, with the first symbol image corresponding to the first file management information associated with that second file management information.

12. The file management apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

a second symbol managing unit that registers, upon receiving a request for registering a second symbol name for identifying a second symbol image specified from the second symbol images displayed on the display unit, the second symbol name in association with second file management information corresponding to specified second symbol image, wherein

the second display control unit displays the second symbol name with a second symbol image corresponding to second file management information associated with the second symbol name, on the display unit.

13. The file management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an attribute registering unit that registers, upon receiving a request for registering character string to be an index in either one of a first symbol image specified from the first symbol images displayed on the display unit and a second symbol image specified from the second symbol images displayed on the display unit, the character string as attribute information in association with either one of first file management information corresponding to specified first symbol image and second file management information corresponding to specified second symbol image.

14. A method of managing a file in a file management apparatus including a storage unit that stores therein a plurality of pieces of first file management information each being associated with at least one file and serving a unit for managing associated file, and a plurality of pieces of second file management information each being associated with a plurality of pieces of the first file management information and serving a unit for managing associated pieces of the first file management information, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of first symbol images each corresponding to one piece of the first file management information on a display unit based on setting content indicated by associated one piece of the second file management information; and

displaying, when one of the first symbol images is selected from the display unit, a file associated with a piece of first file management information corresponding to selected first symbol image on the display unit.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium having computer-readable program codes embodied in the medium for managing a file in a file management apparatus, wherein

the file management apparatus includes a storage unit that stores therein a plurality of pieces of first file management information each being associated with at least one file and serving a unit for managing associated file, and a plurality of pieces of second file management information each being associated with a plurality of pieces of the first file management information and serving a unit for managing associated pieces of the first file management information, and

the program codes when executed cause a computer to execute:

displaying a plurality of first symbol images each corresponding to one piece of the first file management information on a display unit based on setting content indicated by associated one piece of the second file management information; and

displaying, when one of the first symbol images is selected from the display unit, a file associated with a piece of first file management information corresponding to selected first symbol image on the display unit.