User Specific Focus Parameters

• US 20110225505A1
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: KATO, Kazuhiko, TANAKA, Shun, UCHIDA, Yuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,477 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/741
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems and methods are provided for accessing a document management application through a network, wherein one or more key terms and focus terms (selected from user-specific focus parameters) for selected search parameters are transmitted to the document management application for limiting a search to be performed by a search function of the document management application.

Claims

1. A system for providing document management services to a terminal, said system comprising:

(a) a document management application that includes;

a plurality of application functions, the plurality of application functions including a document registration function to register a specified document in a document database, and a search function to search the document database based on specified terms; and

an application program interface configured to specify, for each specific one of the plurality of application functions, candidate focus parameters for the specific application function; and

(b) an application user interface apparatus configured to communicate through a network with the document management application, the application user interface apparatus including;

a user authentication part configured to maintain, for each particular one of a plurality of users, user access information corresponding to the particular user, and configured to retrieve the user access information maintained for an application user, upon login by the application user;

an application interface part configured to communicate through the network with the application program interface of the document management application, to obtain focus parameter information indicating the candidate focus parameters for the application functions of the document management application;

an operations user interface part configured to provide to the application user an operations user interface to show user-specific focus parameters, determined according to the user access information of the application user, for a selected application function, and for the application user to select one or more of the user-specific focus parameters of the selected application function and specify parameters values for the selected focus parameters of the selected application function,

wherein the operations user interface includes a search interface configured for the application user to specify one or more key terms and focus terms for selected search parameters for limiting a search to be performed by the search function of the document management application,

the application interface part communicates the focus terms and one or more key terms to the document management application for the search, without communicating with the operations user interface part, until a set of search results to be returned has been compiled, and

the application interface part communicates the search results to the operations user interface part only after the search results have been received and compiled.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application interface part of the application user interface apparatus obtains the focus parameter information indicating the candidate focus parameters for the application functions of the document management application, from the application program interface of the document management application, upon the login by the application user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the application interface part of the application user interface apparatus registers the focus parameter information obtained from the application program interface of the document management application upon the login by the application user in a specific session, and the registered focus parameter information is utilized to determine the user-specific focus parameters of a particular application function, upon selection of the particular application function by the application user in the specific session.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the application interface part of the application user interface apparatus communicates the user access information to the application program interface of the document management application, upon the login by the application user, and the application program interface of the document management application determines and returns the user-specific focus parameters of a particular application function, based on the user access information of the application user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations user interface part determines based on the user access information of the application user, the user-specific focus parameters of a particular application function, upon selection of the particular application function by the application user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the application interface part of the application user interface apparatus obtains the focus parameter information indicating the candidate focus parameters for a particular application function of the document management application, from the application program interface of the document management application, upon selection of the particular application function by the application user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the application interface part of the application user interface apparatus communicates the user access information to the application program interface of the document management application, upon the login by the application user, and the application program interface of the document management application determines and returns the user-specific focus parameters of a particular application function, based on the user access information of the application user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations user interface part determines based on the user access information of the application user, the user-specific focus parameters of the selected application function, after the application interface part of the application user interface apparatus obtains the focus parameter information indicating the candidate focus parameters for the selected application function of the document management application, from the application program interface of the document management application.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein

the user access information maintained by the user authentication part includes business relevancy information indicating a specific business relevancy field pertinent to the specific user,

the application interface part of the application user interface apparatus communicates the user access information including the business relevancy information to the application program interface of the document management application, upon the login by the application user, and

the application program interface of the document management application determines and returns the user-specific focus parameters of a particular application function, based on the business relevancy information of the application user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein

the user access information maintained by the user authentication part includes business relevancy information indicating a specific business relevancy field pertinent to the specific user, and

the application interface part of the application user interface apparatus communicates the business relevancy information to the application program interface of the document management application, upon the login by the application user, and

the application program interface of the document management application determines and returns the user-specific focus parameters of a particular application function, based on the business relevancy information of the application user.

11. A document access apparatus configured to access a document management application, including a plurality of application functions, through a network, the plurality of application functions including a document registration function to register a specified document in a document database, and a search function to search the document database based on specified terms, said document access apparatus comprising:

a user authentication part configured to maintain, for each particular one of a plurality of users, user access information corresponding to the particular user, and configured to retrieve the user access information maintained for an application user, upon login by the application user;

an application interface part configured to communicate through the network with an application program interface of the document management application, to obtain focus parameter information indicating candidate focus parameters for the application functions of the document management application;

an operations user interface part configured to provide to the application user an operations user interface to show user-specific focus parameters, determined according to the user access information of the application user, for a selected application function, and for the application user to select one or more of the user-specific focus parameters of the selected application function and specify parameters values for the selected focus parameters of the selected application function,

wherein the operations user interface includes a search interface configured for the application user to specify one Or more key terms and focus terms for selected search parameters for limiting a search to be performed by the search function of the document management application,

the application interface part communicates the focus terms and one or more key terms to the document management application for the search, without communicating with the operations user interface part, until a set of search results to be returned has been compiled, and

the application interface part communicates the search results to the operations user interface part only after the search results have been received and compiled.

12. The document access apparatus of claim 11, wherein the application interface part communicates the user access information of the application user through the network to the application program interface of the document management application, and obtains the user-specific focus parameters for the selected application function, through the network from the application program interface of the document management application.

13. The document access apparatus of claim 11, wherein the operations user interface part determines based on the user access information of the application user, the user-specific focus parameters of a particular application function, upon selection of the particular application function by the application user.

14. The document access apparatus of claim 11, wherein

the user access information maintained by the user authentication part includes business relevancy information indicating a specific business relevancy field pertinent to the specific user, and

the operations user interface part provides, upon selection of a selected application function after login by the application user and based on the business relevancy information of the application user, the candidate focus parameters for the selected application function, for selection by the application user, and provides for a selected focus parameter of the selected application function, parameters values for the selected focus parameter of the selected application function, for selection by the application user.

15. The document access apparatus of claim 11, wherein

the user access information maintained by the user authentication part includes business relevancy information indicating a specific business relevancy field pertinent to the specific user,

the application interface part communicates the user access information including the business relevancy information, through the network to the application program interface of the document management application, upon the login by the application user, and

the document access apparatus obtains the user-specific focus parameters for the selected application function, through the network from the application program interface of the document management application.

16. The document access apparatus of claim 11, wherein

the user access information maintained by the user authentication part includes business relevancy information indicating a specific business relevancy field pertinent to the specific user, and

the operations user interface part determines based on the business relevancy information of the application user, the user-specific focus parameters of a particular application function, upon selection of the particular application function by the application user.

17. The document access apparatus of claim 11, wherein

the user access information maintained by the user authentication part includes business relevancy information indicating a specific business relevancy field pertinent to the specific user, and

the operations user interface part determines based on the business relevancy information of the application user, the user-specific focus parameters of the selected application function, after the application interface part obtains the focus parameter information indicating the candidate focus parameters for the selected application function of the document management application, through the network from the application program interface of the document management application.

18. A method for streamlining access to a document management application including a plurality of application functions, from a terminal via an application user interface apparatus through a network, the plurality of application functions including a document registration function to register a specified document in a document database, and a search function to search the document database based on specified terms, said method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, by the application user interface apparatus, for each particular one of a plurality of users, user access information corresponding to the particular user, and retrieving the user access information maintained for an application user, upon login by the application user;

communicating, by the application user interface apparatus through the network with an application program interface of the document management application, to obtain focus parameter information indicating candidate focus parameters for the application functions of the document management application;

providing, by the application user interface apparatus, to the application user an operations user interface to show user-specific focus parameters, determined according to the user access information of the application user, for a selected application function, and for the application user to select one or more of the user-specific focus parameters of the selected application function and specify parameters values for the selected focus parameters of the selected application function,

providing, by the application user interface apparatus, a search interface for the application user to specify one or more key terms and focus terms for selected search parameters for limiting a search to be performed by the search function of the document management application, communicating the focus terms and one or more key terms to the document management application for the search, without communicating with the operations user interface, until a set of search results to be returned has been compiled, and

wherein the search results are displayed by the operations user interface part only after the search results have been received and compiled as a whole.

19. A method for streamlining access to a document management application, including a plurality of application functions, through a network, the plurality of application functions including a document registration function to register a specified document in a document database, and a search function to search the document database based on specified terms, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a single application programming interface, in the document management application, that is configured to receive, from any of a plurality of different user interface apparatuses corresponding to respective business relevancy fields, one or more key terms for a search and focus parameters for limiting the search to an extent of data less than all document data in the document database;

(b) communicating by the application programming interface with the document database to perform the search, without communicating with the user interface from which the key terms and the focus parameters for the search were received, until a set of search results to be returned has been compiled; and

(c) communicating the search results from the application programming interface to the user interface, and presenting the search results on the user interface.