Document management device and method for managing documents by utilizing additive information

• US 6,014,677 A
• Filed: 06/10/1996
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Koichi, Sekijima, Akifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Amsbury, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): JUNG, DAVID YIUK
• Application Number:
  US08/660,860
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-206, 707/501-513
• US Class Current: 707/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A document management device includes a database for storing and managing document data, a document retrieving device for retrieving the document data from the database, a document display for displaying at least one document data retrieved by the document retrieving device, and a format storage device for storing at least one evaluation format each of which has an identifier and a plurality of definitions of evaluation attributes. The evaluation format specifies the structure of evaluation data representing evaluation for the document data. A document selecting device allows for selection of one document data among the document data displayed, and a format selecting device allows for selection of one of the evaluation formats. An attribute value input device allows for inputting attribute values which are the result of evaluation for the document data selected by the document selecting device from the viewpoint represented by the evaluation attributes defined in the evaluation format. An evaluation data storage device is provided for storing the evaluation data which is a combination of the identifier of the evaluation format and attribute values inputted by the attribute value input device for the evaluation attributes defined by the evaluation format. A binding information creating device creates binding information which binds the document data selected by the document selecting device with the evaluation data stored in the evaluation data storage device. A binding information storage device stores the binding information.

Claims

1. A document management device comprising:

a database for storing and managing document data;

document retrieving means for retrieving the document data from said database;

format storage means for storing at least one evaluation format each of which has an identifier and a plurality of definitions of evaluation attributes, said evaluation format specifying the structure of evaluation data representing evaluation for the document data;

a user interface comprising;

document display means for displaying at least one document data retrieved by said document retrieving means;

document selecting means for selecting one document data among the document data displayed by said document display means;

format selecting means for selecting one of the evaluation formats stored in said format storage means;

at least one comment tag formatted according to the selected evaluation format, the comment tag including attribute value input means for inputting attribute values which are the result of evaluation for the document data selected by said document selecting means from the viewpoint represented by the evaluation attributes defined in the evaluation format selected by said format selecting means;

evaluation data storage means for storing the evaluation data separately from the document data, the evaluation data being a combination of the identifier of the evaluation format selected by said format selecting means and attribute values inputted by said attribute value input means for the evaluation attributes defined by the evaluation format;

binding information creating means for creating binding information which binds the document data selected by said document selecting means with the evaluation data stored in said evaluation data storage means so that the at least one comment tag containing the inputted attribute values is simultaneously displayed with the corresponding selected document data when the selected document data is subsequently displayed on the user interface; and

binding information storage means for storing the binding information created by said binding information creating means.

2. A document management device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

retrieval condition input means for inputting the evaluation attribute and the attribute value for the evaluation attribute in combination as retrieval condition; and

document data retrieval means for retrieving the document data, based on the retrieval condition inputted by said retrieval condition input means, the evaluation data stored in said evaluation data storage means and the binding information stored in said binding information storage means.

3. A document management device as set forth in claim 2, wherein each of said document data has an inherent attribute which said database attached to the document data, and said retrieval condition input means inputs the evaluation attribute, the attribute value for the evaluation attribute and the inherent attribute in combination as retrieval condition.

4. A document management device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising evaluation data display means for displaying the evaluation data bound with the document data as a tag object indicating the evaluation data according to the evaluation format specifying the evaluation data, in close vicinity of the document data displayed by said document display means.

5. A document management device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said database is connected onto the network, and said document retrieving means accesses the document data stored in said database through the network.

6. A document management device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

attribute definition receiving means for receiving a plurality of definitions of evaluation attributes inputted by a user; and

evaluation format creating means for creating an evaluation format in combination of the plurality of definitions of evaluation attributes received by said attribute definition receiving means and an identifier, and for storing the evaluation format in said evaluation format storage means.

7. A document management device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said binding information storage means stores address information for referring to the document data selected by said document selecting means in correspondence to the evaluation data, as the binding information.

8. A document management device comprising:

a database for storing and managing document data;

format storage means for storing at least one evaluation format each of which has an identifier and a plurality of definitions of evaluation attributes, said evaluation format specifying the structure of the evaluation data representing evaluation for the document data;

a user interface comprising;

format selecting means for selecting one of the evaluation formats stored in said format storage means;

at least one comment tag formatted according to the selected evaluation format, the comment tag including attribute value input means for inputting attribute values which are the result of evaluation from the viewpoint represented by the evaluation attributes defined in the evaluation format selected by said format selecting means;

retrieval condition input means for inputting the evaluation attribute and the attribute value for the evaluation attribute as a retrieval condition;

evaluation data storage means for storing the evaluation data separately from the document data, the evaluation data being a combination of the identifier of the evaluation format stored in said format storage means and attribute values for the evaluation attributes defined by the evaluation format;

binding information storage means for storing binding information which binds the document data stored in said database with the evaluation data stored in said evaluation data storage means so that the at least one comment tag containing the inputted attribute values is simultaneously displayed with the corresponding document data when the corresponding document data is subsequently displayed on the user interface;

document data retrieval means for retrieving the evaluation data fitted to the retrieval condition from said evaluation data storage means and for retrieving the document data bound to the retrieved evaluation data based on the binding information stored in said binding information storage means.

9. A document management device as set forth in claim 8, wherein said binding information storage means stores address information for referring to the document data stored in said database in correspondence to the evaluation data as the binding information.

10. A document management method of managing document data stored in a storage device, said method comprising:

registering at least one evaluation format each of which has an identifier and a plurality of definitions of evaluation attributes, said evaluation format specifying the structure of evaluation data representing evaluation for the document data;

obtaining at least one document data from said storage device;

displaying the obtained document data on a user interface;

selecting, from the user interface, one document data from the displayed document data;

selecting, from the user interface, one evaluation format from said at least one registered evaluation format;

formatting at least one comment tag according to the selected evaluation format;

displaying the at least one comment tag on the user interface with the selected document data;

inputting, into the at least one comment tag, attribute values which are the result viewpoint represented by the evaluation attributes defined by the selected evaluation format;

storing the evaluation data separately from the document data, the evaluation data being a combination of the identifier of the selected evaluation format and the inputted attribute values for the evaluation attributes defined by the evaluation format;

creating binding information which binds the selected document data which the stored evaluation data so that the at least one comment tag containing the inputted attribute values is simultaneously displayed with the corresponding selected document data when the selected document data is subsequently displayed on a user interface; and

storing the created binding information.

11. A document management method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising:

in putting the evaluation attribute and the attribute value for the evaluation attribute in combination as retrieval condition; and

retrieving the document data, based on the inputted retrieval condition, the stored evaluation data and the stored binding information.

12. A document management method as set forth in claim 10, wherein each of said document data has an inherent attribute which said database attached to the document data, said method further comprising:

inputting the evaluation attribute, the attribute value for the evaluation attribute and the inherent attribute in combination as retrieval condition; and

retrieving the document data, based on the inputted retrieval condition, the stored evaluation data, the stored binding information and the inherent data attached to the document data.

13. A document management method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising displaying the evaluation data bound with the document data as a tag object indicating the evaluation data according to the evaluation format specifying the evaluation data, in close vicinity of the displayed document data.

14. A document management method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said storage device for storing the document data is connected onto the network,

said method further comprising obtaining the document data through the network.

15. A document management method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a plurality of definitions of evaluation attributes inputted by a user;

creating the evaluation format in combination of the plurality of received definitions of evaluation attributes and an identifier; and

storing the created evaluation format.

16. A document management method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising storing address information for referring to the selected document data in correspondence to the evaluation data as the binding information.

17. A document management method of managing document data stored in a storage device, said method comprising:

registering at least one evaluation format each of which has an identifier and a plurality of definitions of evaluation attributes, said evaluation format specifying the structure of the evaluation data representing evaluation for the document data;

formatting at least one comment tag according to each registered evaluation format;

storing the evaluation data separately from the document data, the evaluation data being a combination of the identifier of the evaluation format and attribute values for the evaluation attributes defined by the evaluation format;

creating binding information which binds the document data with the evaluation data so that the at least one comment tag containing the inputted attribute values is simultaneously displayed with the corresponding selected document data when the selected document data is subsequently displayed on a user interface;

inputting, into a user interface, the evaluation attribute and the attribute value for the evaluation attribute as a retrieval condition;

retrieving the evaluation data fitted to the retrieval condition from said registered evaluation data;

retrieving the document data bound to the retrieved evaluation data based on the registered binding information; and

displaying, on the user interface, the at least one comment tag that includes the retrieved evaluation data simultaneously with the retrieved document data.

18. A document method as set forth in claim 17, further comprising registering address information for referring to the document data stored in said storage device in correspondence to the evaluation data, as the binding information.