Document management system using an access-limited character train and password, and a method and computer-readable medium therefor

• US 6,678,683 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2000
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shiiyama, Hirotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid Al
• Application Number:
  US09/541,617
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 707/5, 707/6, 707/9, 707/10, 707/501, 707/513, 713/200-202, 709/217-219, 715/501.1, 715/513
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A document management system which can flexibly cope with an access right range of a secret document while efficiently sharing document data is provided. The document management system has a data server, a full-text search service server connected to the LAN, and a fire wall arranged between the full-text search service server and the data server. When the user wants to refer to document/document image data accumulated in the data server, a client terminal designates a character train included in the document/document image data to be referred to, thereby performing the searching process. When the user wants to designate an access-limited character train as a search word, a password for the access-limited character train is simultaneously designated. When the access-limited character train and the password are not designated, the document including the access-limited character train is not displayed as a search result but is seen as if the document including the access-limited character train does not exist.

Claims

1. A document management apparatus comprising:

setting means for setting an access-limited character train to a document and its password;

discriminating means for discriminating whether a search character train of a document includes the access-limited character train;

password-discriminating means for discriminating whether the password of the access-limited character train is proper, when said discriminating means discriminates that the search character train includes the access-limited character train; and

inhibiting means for inhibiting an access to the document including the access-limited character train, when said password-discriminating means discriminates that the password of the access-limited character train is not proper.

2. A document management apparatus according to claim 1, further including a table of the access-limited character train and its password.

3. A document management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein IP addresses of persons who requested a registration of the access-limited character train have been stored in said table.

4. A document management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising output means for outputting the document as a search result, when said password-discriminating means discriminates that the password of the access-limited character train is proper.

5. A document management apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising password requesting means for requesting an input of the password to the access-limited character train, when a document among documents outputted by said output means is requested to be displayed as a document image and the document includes the access-limited character train.

6. A document management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when there is a deletion request from the person who requested said registration or when there are deletion requests of a predetermined number of more from persons who have different IP addresses, said access-limited character train is deleted from said table.

7. A document management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising indicating means for indicating the document including the search character train as a search result of performing a full-text search about the search character train, when said discriminating means discriminates that the search character train does not include the access-limited character train.

8. A document management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said access-limited character train is a character train included in the document.

9. A document management method comprising:

a setting step for setting an access-limited character train to a document and its password;

a discriminating step for discriminating whether a search character train of a document includes the access-limited character train;

a password-discriminating step for discriminating whether the password of the access-limited character train is proper, when said discriminating step discriminates that the search character train includes the access-limited character train; and

an inhibiting step for inhibiting an access to the document including the access-limited character train, when said password-discriminating step discriminates that the password of the access-limited character train is not proper.

10. A document management method according to claim 9, further including a step of forming a table of the access-limited character train and its password.

11. A document management method according to claim 10, wherein IP addresses of persons who requested a registration of the access-limited character train have been stored in said table.

12. A document management step according to claim 9, further comprising an output step for outputting the document as a search result, when said password-discriminating step discriminates that the password of the access-limited character train is proper.

13. A document management method according to claim 12, further comprising a password requesting step for requesting an input of the password to the access-limited character train, when a document among documents outputted by said output step is requested to be displayed as a document image and the document includes the access-limited character train.

14. A document management method according to claim 12, wherein when there is a deletion request from the person who requested said registration or when there are deletion requests of a predetermined number of more from persons who have different IP addresses, said access-limited character train is deleted from said table.

15. A document management method according to claim 9, further comprising an indicating step for indicating the document including the search character train as a search result of performing a full-text search about the search character train, when said discriminating step discriminates that the search character train does not include the access-limited character train.

16. A document management method according to claim 9, wherein said access-limited character train is a character train included in the document.

17. A computer-readable medium for storing program codes to perform a document management method comprising the steps of:

a setting step for setting an access-limited character train to a document and its password;

a discriminating step for discriminating whether a search character train of a document includes the access-limited character train;

a password-discriminating step for discriminating whether the password of the access-limited character train is proper, when said discriminating step discriminates that the search character train includes the access-limited character train; and

an inhibiting step for inhibiting an access to the document including the access-limited character train, when said password-discriminating step discriminates that the password of the access-limited character train is not proper.

18. A medium according to claim 17, wherein the codes further include a step of forming a table of the access-limited character train and its password.

19. A medium according to claim 18, wherein IP addresses of persons who requested a registration of the access-limited character train have been stored in said table.

20. A medium according to claim 17, further comprising codes for an output step for outputting the document as a search result, when said password-discriminating step discriminates that the password of the access-limited character train is proper.

21. A medium according to claim 20, further comprising codes for a password requesting step for requesting an input of the password to the access-limited character train, when a document among documents outputted by said output step is requested to be displayed as a document image and the document includes the access-limited character train.

22. A medium according to claim 20, wherein when there is a deletion request from the person who requested said registration or when there are deletion requests of a predetermined number of more from persons who have different IP addresses, said access-limited character train is deleted from said table.

23. A medium according to claim 17, further comprising codes for an indicating step for indicating the document including the search character train as a search result of performing a full-text search about the search character train, when said discriminating step discriminates that the search character train does not include the access-limited character train.

24. A medium according to claim 17, wherein said access-limited character train is a character train included in the document.