Document information collection method and document information collection apparatus

• US 5,893,114 A
• Filed: 11/14/1996
• Issued: 04/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Satomi, Mitsunori, Hashimoto, Tetsuya, Matsuda, Yoshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US08/749,944
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.13, 345/329, 707/1, 707/100, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104, 705/7, 705/9, 705/500
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

Method and apparatus for automatically storing a referred electronic document in a database and notifying new information to a user. In response to a request issued from a document display control unit 106, a request relay unit 108 acquires a document from a document information management unit 113 and stores it in a document database 117. When a document which matches an interested item 112 is stored, an information monitor unit 111 notifies it to the user.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a relaying server in a document information collection system having a document management server which collects documents therein, a terminal which allows a user to retrieve a document from said document management server and a relaying server which relays a document transferred between said document management server and said terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

holding (a) delivery information having an item of information set therein which is used to see if the document is one which a user desires the delivery thereof, (b) a notification condition used to decide whether notification to user takes place or not, and (c) said item of interest information set in the delivery information, said (a), (b) and (c) being held in association with each other;

holding necessary information required to receive said transferred document, determine to see if said document corresponds to said item of information set in advance and transfer said document when said document corresponds to said item of information; and

deciding whether said notification condition set is met and delivering said document to the user based on said delivery information when said notification condition is met.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

transferring a document display request to the document management server; and

returning the document and the item of information to said document management server as a reply to the document display request.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said relaying server relays a request to a plurality of document management servers using the same protocol and a document display request to a plurality of document management servers using different protocols.

4. A document information collection apparatus comprising:

document display means connected through a communication network;

a document management server for enabling the acquisition of a document by using a predetermined document acquire process;

request relay means for accepting a document acquire request by the document acquire process from said document display means, transferring the document acquire request to said document management server to acquire the document and sending back the document to said document display means; and

a document database for storing the document in response to the request from said request relay means.

5. A document information collection apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said request relay means accepts requests from a plurality of different users and a plurality of different terminals and requests by a plurality of different document acquire processes, acquires documents from the document management servers corresponding to the respective document acquire processes and stores the documents in the same document database.

6. A document information collection apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said message comprises attribute information of the document, document management server information necessary to acquire a text of the document and document identifier information and is displayed on said document display means, and when the text of each document is to be acquired, it is acquired from said document display means through said request relay means.

7. A document information collection apparatus according to claim 4 wherein a unit of retrieval result by said retrieval means is document management server information in which the document matching a retrieval condition is stored.

8. A document information collection apparatus according to claim 7 further comprising:

correlation evaluation means for evaluating a correlation between the document and the retrieval condition; and

means for calculating the correlation for each document management server.

9. A document information collection apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising:

interested item memory means for storing a set of user name, an interested item and a notification address;

information monitor means for monitoring a document newly stored in said document database to determine whether a document which matches the interested item is registered or not; and

message notify means for sending a message describing the information of the document when the document which matches the interested item is registered, to the notification address to notify the user.

10. A document information collection apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said message notify means is an electronic mail.

11. A document information collection apparatus according to claim 9 wherein a unit of the interested item is document management server information in which a document matching the retrieval condition is stored.

12. In a document information collection system having a document managing apparatus which collects documents therein and a terminal to allow a user to retrieve a document from said document managing apparatus, a relaying apparatus to relay a document which is transferred between said document managing apparatus and said terminal, said relaying apparatus comprising:

memory means for storing;

(a) delivery information having an item of interest information set therein which is used to see if the document is one which a user desires to be delivered and (b) a notification condition used to decide whether notification to user takes place or not, both (a) and (b) being stored in said memory means in association with each other,

said memory means further storing information necessary for receiving said transferred document, determining to see if said document corresponds to said item of interest information set in advance and transferring said document when said document corresponds to said item of interest information; and

delivery means for deciding whether said notification condition is met and delivering said document to the user based on said delivery information when said notification condition is met.

13. A document information collection system according to claim 12, wherein said relaying apparatus accepts requests from a plurality of different users and a plurality of different terminals, and acquires, by a plurality of different document acquire processes, documents from the document management servers corresponding to the respective document acquire processes and stores the documents in the same document database.

14. A document information collection system according to claim 12, further comprising:

retrieval means including at least one of attribute retrieval means for retrieving an attribute of each document and document classification means for classifying the document in accordance with a predetermined rule, wherein a desired document is retrieved from said database using said retrieval means.

15. A document information collection system according to claim 14, wherein said message comprises attribute information of the document, document managing apparatus information necessary to acquire a text of the document and document identifier information and is displayed on said terminal, and when the text of each document is to be acquired, it is acquired from said terminal through said relaying apparatus.

16. A document information collection system according to claim 14, wherein a unit of retrieval result by said retrieval means is document managing apparatus information in which the document matching a retrieval condition is stored.

17. A document information collection system according to claim 16, further comprising:

correlation evaluation means for evaluating a correlation between the document and the retrieval condition; and

means for calculating the correlation for each document managing apparatus.

18. A document information collection system according to claim 12, further comprising:

interested item memory means for storing a set of user name, an interested item and a notification address;

information monitor means for monitoring a document newly stored in said document database to determine whether a document which matches the interested item is registered or not; and

message notify means for sending a message describing the information of the document when the document which matches the interested item is registered, to the notification address to notify the user.

19. A document information collection system according to claim 18, wherein said message notify means is an electronic mail.

20. A document information collection system according to claim 18, wherein a unit of the interested item is document managing apparatus information in which a document matching the retrieval condition is stored.