DATA MANAGEMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20100198874A1
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Futatsugi, Hajime
• Granted Patent: US 8,301,606 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1787 Details of non-transparently synchronising file systems

Abstract

In a data management method using a hierarchical folder structure where an item such as data or a folder can be registered in multiple folders, attribute information is appended to each relational data piece that represents a pair of a child item that is either data or a folder registered in a folder and a parent folder in which the child item has been registered. This attribute information is referred to when a single child item has been registered in multiple parent folders, in order to select one of the multiple parent folders. By selecting a relational data piece based on the attribute information so that each child item can be registered in a single parent folder, at least part of the hierarchical folder structure is converted into a tree structure where a single child item belongs to a single folder.

Claims

1. A data management method for converting an item in a first hierarchical folder structure into an item in a second hierarchical folder structure, the first hierarchical folder structure being such that a single item that is either data or a folder is registered in either a single or plural folders, the second hierarchical folder structure being such that a single item is registered in a single folder,

the method comprising:

a relational data acquiring step of acquiring, in the first hierarchical folder structure, a plurality of relational data pieces between a plurality of items and parent folders in which the items have been registered;

an attribute appending step of appending attribute information to each of the acquired relational data pieces;

a selection step of, when one of the items is included in plural ones of the relational data pieces, selecting one of the plural ones of the relational data pieces based on the attribute information; and

a conversion step of converting an item included in the selected relational data piece into an item in the second hierarchical folder structure so that the converted item is registered in a single parent folder included in the selected relational data piece.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein,

the attribute information includes an access history;

in the attribute appending step, the access history included in the attribute information is updated, the attribute information having been appended to a relational data piece between an item on an access path to the items and a parent folder in which the item has been registered;

in the selection step, one of the relational data pieces is selected based on the access history.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the access history includes an access frequency, and

in the selection step, a relational data piece that has been appended with the attribute information including the access history that has a highest value for the access frequency is selected.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the access history includes an access date and time, and

in the selection step, a relational data piece that has been appended with the attribute information including the access history that has a latest value for the access date and time is selected.

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

a setting step of, when one of the items is included in a plurality of relational data pieces acquired in the relational data acquiring step, causing a user to set up master-slave information in which one of the plurality of relational data pieces is registered as a master and any relational data piece other than the master is registered as a slave, wherein

in the attribute appending step, attribute information including the master-slave information is appended to a relational data piece that has been registered as the master according to the master-slave information, and

in the selection step, a relational data piece that has been appended with the attribute information including the master-slave information according to which the relational data piece has been registered as the master is selected.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein,

the parent folders are appended with information that indicates access rights to the parent folders, and

in the selection step, one of the plurality of relational data pieces that includes a parent folder that permits a specific user to have access rights is selected.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a registration step of, in the conversion step, registering either a shortcut or a link to the converted item in a folder obtained by converting a parent folder that is included in an unselected one of the relational data pieces that include a pre-conversion item from which the converted item has been obtained.

8. A computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program that causes a computer to perform the data management method according to claim 1.

9. A data management apparatus using a first hierarchical folder structure and a second hierarchical folder structure, the first hierarchical folder structure being such that a single item that is either data or a folder is registered in either a single or a plurality of folders, the second hierarchical folder structure being such that a single item is registered in a single folder, the apparatus comprising, in the first hierarchical folder structure:

a relational data acquiring unit configured to acquire a plurality of relational data pieces between a plurality of items and parent folders in which the items have been registered;

an attribute appending unit configured to append attribute information to each of the acquired relational data pieces;

a selection unit configured to select one of plural ones of the relational data pieces based on the attribute information when one of the items is included in the plurality of relational data pieces; and

a conversion unit configured to convert an item that is included in the selected relational data piece into an item in the second folder hierarchy structure so that the item is registered in a single parent folder that is included in the selected relational data piece.