Method of assigning retention and deletion criteria to electronic documents stored in an interactive information handling system

• US 5,107,419 A
• Filed: 12/23/1987
• Issued: 04/21/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: MacPhail, Margaret G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaw, Gareth D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Von Buhr, Maria N.
• Application Number:
  US07/138,535
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File
• US Class Current: 707/694
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/09 Obsolescence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A method for automatically completing the entry of the retention and deletion criteria employed by an interactive information handling system to manage the automatic retention and deletion of a relatively large number of electronic documents that are stored in the system by a plurality of end users. The method provides a screen image on a display device in response to the end user advising the system that he wants to assign retention and deletion information to an electronic document. The screen image prompts the end user for a set of required criteria and allows the interactive entry of one or more criteria by the end user directly. The remaining criteria that are not entered directly by the end user are entered automatically based on a logical analysis by said system involving the identity of the criteria that was entered directly and pre-established information stored in said system. The criteria include a document label, an ownership label, a document expiration date and an ownership expiration data. Information involved in the automatic entry process includes allowable document and ownership labels personalized for each end user and allowable expiration dates or ranges for each label. Also stored are rules that allow a logical analysis to select a default criteria and to verify and information that was entered directly by the end user.

Claims

1. A method to select criteria for each of a plurality of electronic documents stored in an interactive information handling system by a plurality of end users, said criteria being assigned to a document to permit said system to manage the automatic retention and deletion of said electronic document, said document being stored in said system with said criteria in response to a command by an end user, each of said end users having an interactive terminal connected to said system that includes a keyboard and a display device for the interactive entry of information into said system, said method comprising the following combination of steps,

A) displaying on said device, a screen image to permit said end user to selectively enter a pair of input labels and a pair of expiration dates which are individually related to a different one of said input labels for use by said system in selecting said criteria,

B) storing a profile in said system for said end user which includes a pair of sections each having a plurality of approved input entries, each said input entry having,

(1) a related output label that is assigned to said document as one of said criteria if said corresponding input label is entered, and

(2) a default output label that is assigned to said document as one of said criteria if the other input label of said pair of input labels is not interactively entered by said user,

(C) storing rule data in said system for use in determining if said pair of expiration dates are valid criteria for said document, said rule data including for each said output label,

(1) minimum and maximum retention periods and a default retention period for use by said system in assigning a default expiration date to said document if an expiration date for said related output label is not entered interactively by said user, and

(2) a logic equation involving a time comparison between said pair of expiration dates that are related respectively to said pair of output labels corresponding to said input labels,

D) entering interactively at least one said input label and one said expiration date,

E) converting said one entered input label to a related output label by referencing said profile of said user,

F) automatically entering with said system by referencing said profile of said user,

(1) the default output label for said other label that is associated in said profile with said one entered input label, and

(2) the default expiration date associated with said automatically entered default output label, said step of automatically entering including the further step of,

G) confirming that said time comparison between said expiration dates entered in steps D and F satisfies said logic equation associated with each said output label by referencing said rule data that is stored for each said output label, and

H) assigning said expiration dates as said criteria for said document if said equation is satisfied.

2. The method recited in claim 1 including a further step of,

A) verifying with said system that said one label entered into said system in step d) is valid and identifiable by said system prior to said step of converting.

3. The method recited in claim 2 in which step B) includes the further steps of,

A) storing in said system said pre-established information including for each said end user a profile comprising,

a first set of allowable input ownership labels, and

a second set of allowable input document labels, and

B) said step of verifying includes referencing said one of said sets of allowable input labels.

4. The method recited in claim 3 in which said step of storing said first set includes the step of,

A) storing in one said section of said profile a plurality of input ownership labels the a designation of which is under the control of said end user and a corresponding plurality of output ownership labels each of which is associated with one of said input ownership labels and the a designation of which is not under the control of said end user.

5. The method recited in claim 4 in which said step of storing in said profile includes a further step of,

A) storing in said one section of said profile a default output document label for each of said output ownership labels and in which said step of automatically entering includes a further step of,

B) entering one said default output document label when no input document label is entered during said step of entering interactively.

6. The method recited in claim 5 in which said step of storing in said profile includes a further step of,

A) storing in the other said section of said profile of said end user a default ownership label for each of said allowable document labels and in which said step of automatically includes a further step of,

B) entering one said default ownership label when no input ownership label is entered during said step of entering interactively.

7. The method recited in claim 6 in which said step of storing rule data includes the further step of,

A) storing a default ownership expiration period in association with each of said output ownership labels, and in which said step of automatically entering includes a further step of,

B) entering a default ownership expiration date based on said default ownership expiration period when an ownership expiration date is not entered during said step of entering interactively.

8. The method recited in claim 7 in which said step of storing rule data includes the further step of,

A) storing a default document expiration period for each of said output document labels, and in which said step of automatically entering includes the further step of,

B) entering a default document expiration date based on said default document expiration period when no document expiration date for said output document label is entered during said step of entering interactively.

9. A method to assign a set of required retention and deletion criteria, including a document expiration date and an ownership expiration date, to each of a relatively large number of electronic documents stored by users in a multi-user information handling system, prior to each of said documents being stored in said information handling system, said method comprising the following combination of steps,

A) interactively entering into said system in association with an identified one of said electronic documents to be stored, input data to cause a subsequent assignment by said system of a set of said required criteria to said identified one document,

B) storing default criteria in said system which can be automatically entered by said system if said input data does not include a specific criteria,

C) storing rules in said system that define which said default criteria are to be automatically assigned to said one document when less than all said required criteria of said set are entered interactively, said rules including a logical equation for each different set of criteria specifying a logical time relationship between said expiration dates that must be satisfied before said required criteria can be assigned to said identified document,

D) selecting said default criteria to be automatically assigned to said one document based on a logical analysis by said system involving the identity of said criteria entered in Step A) and said rules stored in said system, including the further step of verifying with said system that said time relationship between said expiration dates to be assigned to said document satisfies said equation for said set,

E) automatically assigning with said system, after said time relationship is verified, said default criteria selected in step D) and said at least one entered criteria, to said one identified document including the step of,

(1) storing said one identified document in said system in association with said assigned default criteria and said at least one entered criteria, and

G) managing the retention and deletion of said one identified document with said system in accordance with said expiration dates stored with said document.

10. A method to select document retention and deletion criteria for each of a plurality of electronic documents stored in an interactive information handling system by a plurality of end users to permit said system to manage the automatic retention and deletion of said electronic documents, each of said end users having an interactive terminal connected to said system that includes a keyboard and a display device for the interactive entry of information into said system, said method comprising the following combination of steps,

A) displaying on said device, a screen image to permit one of said users to interactively enter an input ownership label, an input document label, an ownership expiration date and a document expiration date, for use by said system in managing the retention and deletion of a related document to be stored in said system,

B) storing a profile in said system for said one user which includes an ownership label section having a plurality of approved input ownership entries and a document label section having a plurality of approved input document entries, each said input ownership entry having,

(1) a related output ownership label that is assigned to said document as one of said criteria if said corresponding input ownership entry is entered, and

(2) a related default output document label that is assigned to said document as one of said criteria if said corresponding input ownership entry is entered and an input document label is not interactively entered by said user, each said input document entry having,

(3) a related output document label that is assigned to said document as one of said criteria if said corresponding input document entry is entered, and

(4) a related default output ownership label that is assigned to said document as one of said criteria if said corresponding input document entry is entered and an input ownership label is not interactively entered by said user,

(C) storing rule data for use by said system in assigning said ownership and document expiration dates to said document, said data including for each said output label,

(1) minimum and maximum retention periods and a default retention period for use by said system in assigning said expiration dates to said document if an expiration date is not entered interactively by said user, and

(2) valid logical relationship that must exist between said expiration dates when entered interactively by said user,

D) entering interactively at least one said input label and one said expiration date,

E) converting said one entered input label to a related output label by referencing said profile of said user,

F) automatically entering with said system by referencing said profile of said user,

(1) the other default output label that is associated with said one entered input label, and

(2) the other default expiration date associated with said default output label, Said step of automatically entering including the further step of,

(3) confirming that said expiration dates entered in steps D and F have a valid time relationship by referencing said rule data that is stored for each said label, prior to storing said dates as retention and deletion criteria for said document.