Collaborative document management system with customizable filing structures that are mutually intelligible

• US 6,430,575 B1
• Filed: 09/10/1999
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Majandro LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Rodden, Thomas, Dourish, J. Paul, Lamping, John O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, HUNG Q
• Application Number:
  US09/393,599
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/514, 707/515, 707/10, 707/1, 707/100, 707/104.1, 707/3, 707/200, 345/733, 345/751
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A collaborative document management system is adapted to provide customizable filing structures that are mutual intelligible. Initially, a common filing structure is defined. Subsequently, changes are made to the common filing structure to define any number of customized filing structures. The changes are recorded by the document management system as sequences of modifications. Using recorded sequences of modifications, documents are retrieved using a filing structure that is different from the filing structure in which the document was filed.

Claims

1. A method for sharing customizations to a filing system in which documents stored in memory are categorized and accessed through an application program interface, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving input for defining a core filing structure having hierarchically organized filing categories;

the core filing structure providing a first mapping for categorizing documents stored in the memory;

(b) receiving input for defining a first customized filing structure having hierarchically organized filing categories;

the first customized filing structure being defined by a first sequence of modifications to the core filing structure to provide a second mapping for categorizing documents stored in the memory;

(c) receiving input for categorizing documents stored in the memory according to one of the core filing structure and the first customized filing structure;

(d) receiving input requesting that a first document stored in the memory and categorized at step (c) according to one of the core filing structure and the first customized filing structure be viewed according the other of the core filing structure and the first customized filing structure; and

(e) translating between the core filing structure and the first customized filing structure with the first sequence of modifications to categorize the first document stored in the memory as requested at step (d) when the first mapping defined by the core filing structure is structurally and semantically incompatible with the second mapping defined by the first customized filing structure.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the core filing structure and the first sequence of modifications defining the first customized filing structure in memory.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of generating at the application program interface the hierarchically organized categories of the first customized filing structure by combining the core filing structure with the first sequence of modifications.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(f) receiving input for defining a second customized filing structure having hierarchically organized filing categories;

the second customized filing being defined by a second sequence of modifications to the core filing structure to provide a third mapping for categorizing documents stored in the memory;

(g) receiving input for categorizing documents stored in the memory according to one of the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure;

(h) receiving input requesting that a second document stored in the memory and categorized at step (g) according to one of the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure be organized according the other of the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure; and

(i) translating between the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure with the first sequence of modifications and the second sequence of modifications to view the second document stored in the memory as requested at step (h) when the second mapping defined by the first customized filing structure is structurally and semantically incompatible with the third mapping defined by the second customized filing structure.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second customized filing structure defined at step (f) is hierarchically independent from the first customized filing structure.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the second customized filing structure defined at step (f) is hierarchically dependent from the first customized filing structure.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of generating at the application program interface the hierarchically organized categories of the second customized filing structure by combining the core filing structure with the first sequence of modifications defining the first customized filing structure and the second sequence of modifications defining the second customized filing structure.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein step (i) determines a greatest common mapping between the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (e) determines a greatest common mapping between the core filing structure and the first customized filing structure.

10. An information management system, comprising:

memory for storing documents;

an application program interface for receiving input;

defining a core filing structure having hierarchically organized filing categories that provide a first mapping for categorizing the documents stored in the memory;

defining a first customized filing structure having hierarchically organized filing categories defined by a first sequence of modifications to the core filing structure to provide a second mapping for categorizing the documents stored in the memory;

categorizing the documents stored in the memory according to one of the core filing structure and the first customized filing structure; and

requesting that a first document stored in the memory and categorized according to one of the core filing structure and the first customized filing structure be viewed according the other of the core filing structure and the first customized filing structure; and

an application program responsive to the input received at the application program interface for translating between the core filing structure and the first customized filing structure with the first sequence of modifications to categorize the first document stored in the memory when the first mapping defined by the core filing structure is structurally and semantically incompatible with the second mapping defined by the first customized filing structure.

11. The document management system according to claim 10, wherein the references to the documents are uniform resource locators.

12. The document management system according to claim 10, wherein the application program interface is accessed using a web browser.

13. The document management system according to claim 10, further comprising means for generating at the application program interface the hierarchically organized categories of the first customized filing structure by combining the core filing structure with the first sequence of modifications.

14. The document management system according to claim 10, wherein:

the application program interface receiving input

defining a second customized filing structure having hierarchically organized filing categories and being defined by a second sequence of modifications to the core filing structure to provide a third mapping for categorizing documents stored in the memory,

categorizing documents stored in the memory according to one of the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure, and

requesting that a second document stored in the memory and categorized according to one of the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure be organized according the other of the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure, and

the application program responsive to the input received at the application program interface translates between the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure with the first sequence of modifications and the second sequence of modifications to view the second document stored in the memory when the second mapping defined by the first customized filing structure is structurally and semantically incompatible with the third mapping defined by the second customized filing structure.

15. The document management system according to claim 14, wherein the second customized filing structure is hierarchically independent from the first customized filing structure.

16. The document management system according to claim 14, wherein the second customized filing structure is hierarchically dependent from the first customized filing structure.

17. The document management system according to claim 16, wherein the application program interface determines the hierarchically organized categories of the second customized filing structure by combining the core filing structure with the first sequence of modifications defining the first customized filing structure and the second sequence of modifications defining the second customized filing structure.

18. The document management system according to claim 14, wherein the application program determines a greatest common mapping between the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure.

19. The document management system according to claim 10, wherein the application program determines a greatest common mapping between the core filing structure and the first customized filing structure.

20. A method for sharing customizations to a filing system in which documents stored in memory are categorized and accessed through an application program interface, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving input for defining a core filing structure having hierarchically organized filing categories;

the core filing structure providing a first mapping for categorizing documents stored in the memory;

(b) receiving input for defining a first customized filing structure having hierarchically organized filing categories;

the first customized filing structure being defined by a first sequence of modifications to the core filing structure to provide a second mapping for categorizing documents stored in the memory;

(c) receiving input for defining a second customized filing structure having hierarchically organized filing categories;

the second customized filing structure being defined by a second sequence of modifications to the core filing structure to provide a third mapping for categorizing documents stored in the memory;

(d) receiving input for categorizing documents stored in the memory according to one of the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure;

(e) receiving input requesting that a document stored in the memory and categorized at step (d) according to one of the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure be organized according the other of the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure; and

(f) translating between the first customized filing structure and the second customized filing structure with the first sequence of modifications and the second sequence of modifications to view-the document stored in the memory as requested at step (e) when the second mapping defined by the first customized filing structure is structurally and semantically incompatible with the third mapping defined by the second customized filing structure.