Computer-based document management system

• US 6,820,094 B1
• Filed: 10/08/1997
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ScanSoft, Inc. n/k/a Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hong, An N., Suleman, Dani, Ferguson, David R., Whittemore, Gregory L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Application Number:
  US08/947,435
• Time in Patent Office: 2,596 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/104, 707/101, 707/200, 707/500, 707/501, 707/513, 707/2, 395/200.76, 345/351, 715/500, 715/501, 715/513, 709/209
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A computer-based electronic document and/or paper-based document management application program. The program provides an efficient way to automatically import, index, categorize, store, search, retrieve, manipulate and archive electronic documents. The program is also capable of managing documents regardless of document type or document format.

Claims

1. A method for managing a document collection in a computer system, said method comprising the steps of:

importing a document having a first format into a collection of documents in the computer system, wherein the collection of documents is organized within the computer system in accordance with a hierarchy of electronic folders;

storing the document in a memory location;

automatically extracting attribute data from the document;

generating a data structure for the document, wherein said data structure contains the attribute data in a second format independent of said first format, and wherein said data structure is stored and maintained in memory separate from the imported document; and

linking the imported document to a first electronic folder if the attribute data contained in said data structure matches a set of predefined criteria corresponding to the first electronic folder.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of importing a document into the computer system comprises the steps of:

optically scanning a paper-based document; and

converting the optically scanned document into an electronic document.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first format is an image format.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first format is a text format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of importing a document into the computer system comprises the step of:

importing an electronic document.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first format is a text format.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the document is a word processing document.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the document is an e-mail message.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the first format is an image format.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the first format is an HTML format.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second format comprises at least one data field.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one data field contains a file name.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one data field contains the memory location.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the data field contains a bit map.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the data field contains raw text.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the data field contains a data attribute.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the data attribute is an author name.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the data attribute is a publication date.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the data attribute is a word count.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the data attribute is an annotation.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the data attribute is a key word.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the data attribute is an image type.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the data attribute is an image dimension.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the data attribute is meta-text with positioning information.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of extracting indexing information from the attribute data in the data structure.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising the steps of:

monitoring modifications to the document;

extracting updated indexing information; and

updating the attribute data contained in the data structure based on the updated indexing information.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the attribute data is derived from a data field comprising raw text data.

28. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of:

identifying the document from amongst other documents in the document collection utilizing the indexing information.

29. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

electronically analyzing the attribute data stored in the data structure corresponding to the document;

determining whether the document is to be automatically linked to the first electronic folder, based on the electronic analysis of the attribute data stored in the data structure; and

identifying the document on an inclusion list if it is determined that the document is not automatically linked to the first electronic folder.

30. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

electronically analyzing the attribute data stored in the data structure corresponding to the document;

determining whether the document is to be automatically excluded from being linked to the first electronic folder; and

identifying the document on an exclusion list if it is determined that the document is not to be automatically excluded from being linked to the first electronic folder.

31. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

monitoring document modifications; and

automatically linking the document to a second electronic folder if a document modification causes the attribute data to match a set of predefined criteria corresponding to the second electronic folder.

32. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

monitoring document modifications; and

automatically deleting the link between the document and the first electronic folder if a document modification causes the attribute information to no longer match the set of predefined criteria corresponding to the first electronic folder.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute data is a document title.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute data is a document author.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute data is a phrase associated with the document.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute data is a key word.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute data is a common concept.

38. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

automatically manipulating the document based on a predefined behavior associated with the first electronic folder.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the predefined behavior is a user-defined behavior.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the predefined behavior involves e-mailing the document to a preprogrammed e-mail address.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein the predefined behavior involves providing controlled access to the document.

42. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

linking the document to a folder, wherein the folder has associated with it a predefined behavior; and

automatically manipulating the document in accordance with the predefined behavior.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the predefined behavior is a user-defined behavior.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the predefined behavior involves e-mailing the document to a preprogrammed e-mail address.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein the predefined behavior involves providing controlled access to the document.

46. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

maintaining a second data structure that includes data defining a document hierarchy for the document collection.

47. The method of claim 46 further comprising the step of:

updating the second data structure to include data that defines a link between the data structure of the imported document and a document hierarchy folder or category.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the second data structure includes data linking all documents in the document collection to at least one folder or category.

49. The method of claim 46 further comprising the step of:

maintaining a third data structure that includes data defining a second document hierarchy for the document collection, or a portion thereof, wherein the third data structure is maintained at a local terminal connected to the computer system.

50. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a program which executes the steps of:

importing a document into a collection of documents in a computer-based system, wherein the collection of documents is organized within the computer-based system in accordance with a hierarchy of electronic folders;

storing the document in memory;

automatically extracting attribute data from the document;

generating a data structure corresponding to the document comprising the extracted attribute data in a standardized format regardless of document type or document format and wherein the data structure is stored and maintained in memory separate from the document;

predefining category criteria for a first electronic folder, wherein the first electronic folder is one of the electronic folders which make up the hierarchy of electronic folders; and

linking the document to the first electronic folder if the attribute data extracted from the document and stored in the data structure matches the category criteria.

51. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein said program further comprises the executable steps of:

electronically analyzing the attribute data stored in the data structure corresponding to the document;

comparing the attribute data to the predefined category criteria for the first electronic folder;

determining whether the document is to be automatically linked to the first electronic folder based on the comparison; and

identifying the document on an inclusion list if it is determined that the document is not to be automatically linked to the first electronic folder.

52. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein said program further comprises the executable steps of:

electronically analyzing the attribute data stored in the data structure corresponding to the document;

comparing the attribute data to the predefined category criteria for the first electronic folder;

determining whether the document is to be automatically excluded from being linked to the first electronic folder; and

identifying the document on an exclusion list if it is determined that the document is not to be automatically excluded from being linked to the first electronic folder.

53. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein said executable step of predefining category criteria for the first electronic folder comprises the steps of:

storing a seed document in the first electronic folder;

analyzing the seed document; and

extracting the category criteria from the seed document.

54. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein the predefined category criteria is based on user-defined criteria.

55. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein said program further comprises the executable steps of:

monitoring document modifications; and

automatically linking the document to a second electronic folder if the attribute data now matches predefined category criteria associated with the second electronic folder.

56. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein said program further comprises the executable steps of:

monitoring document modification; and

automatically deleting the link between the document and the first electronic folder if the attribute data no longer matches the predefined criteria associated with the first electronic folder.

57. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein the attribute data is a document title.

58. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein the attribute data is a document author.

59. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein the attribute data is a phrase associated with the document.

60. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein the attribute data is a common concept.

61. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein the attribute data is a key word.

62. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 51, wherein said program further comprises the executable steps of:

linking the document with an electronic folder; and

manipulating the document automatically based on a predefined behavior associated with the electronic folder.

63. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 62, wherein the predefined behavior is a user-defined behavior.

64. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 62, wherein the predefined behavior involves e-mailing the document to a preprogrammed e-mail address.

65. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 62, wherein the predefined behavior involves providing controlled access to the document.

66. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein said step of importing a document into the computer-based system comprises the executable steps of:

generating program instructions thus causing an optical scanner, connected to the computer system, to optically scan the document, wherein the document is a paper-based document; and

converting the optically scanned document into an electronic document.

67. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 66, wherein the electronic document is an image file.

68. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 66, wherein the electronic document is a text file.

69. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein said step of importing a document into the computer system comprises the executable step of:

importing an electronic document.

70. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 69, wherein the electronic document is a word processing document.

71. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance method of claim 69, wherein the electronic document is a document containing an image.

72. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance method of claim 69, wherein the electronic document is an e-mail message.

73. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance method of claim 69, wherein the electronic document is an HTML document.

74. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein said program further comprises the executable step of:

extracting indexing information from the attribute data in the data structure.

75. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 74, wherein said program further comprises the executable steps of:

monitoring modifications to the document; and

extracting updated indexing information.

76. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 74, wherein the attribute data is derived from a data field in the data structure comprising raw text data.

77. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 74, wherein said program further comprises the executable step of:

identifying the document from amongst other documents stored in the computer system utilizing the indexing information.

78. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 50, wherein said program further comprises the executable step of:

maintaining a second data structure that includes data defining a document hierarchy for the document collection.

79. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 78, wherein said program further comprises the executable step of:

updating the second data structure to include data that defines a link between the data structure of the imported document and a document hierarchy folder or category.

80. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 78, wherein the second data structure includes data linking all documents in the document collection to at least one folder or category.

81. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 78, wherein said program further comprises the executable step of:

maintaining a third data structure that includes data defining a second document hierarchy for the document collection, or a portion thereof, wherein the third data structure is maintained at a local terminal connected to the computer system.