Electronic filing system with file-placeholders

• US 6,868,424 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2002
• Issued: 03/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: O'Brien, Jon, Palfreyman, Kevin, Pycock, James E., Jones, Rachel, MacLean, Allan, Bentley, Richard, Button, Graham
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBINSON, GRETA LEE
• Application Number:
  US10/202,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20040019613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/205, 707/206, 707/102
• US Class Current: 707/822
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

In an electronic document filing system, placeholder objects are used to provide an explicit representation of document files which are not yet present but which are explicitly expected by the system. A placeholder object can be a real filing system object, which may be processed by the filing system in the same manner as any other filing system object, and can include filing system data such as file metadata. The metadata may be associated with an expected source for the document file in, for example, filing systems, messaging systems, workflow systems, and document scanning systems.

Claims

1. An electronic document processing system for processing electronic representations of documents, comprising:

an electronic filing system for managing filing system objects;

the filing system objects managed by the electronic filing system including an electronic document file class of filing system object that is associated with an electronic document file;

a placeholder object generator for generating a placeholder class of filing system objects in the electronic filing system that are distinct from the electronic document file class of filing system objects;

each placeholder object generated by the placeholder generator (a) being stored in the electronic filing system with metadata that identifies an expected document file that is to be created in the electronic filing system and (b) representing the expected document file which is not recognized as being present in the electronic filing system but which is explicitly expected to be stored in the electronic filing system; and

a placeholder controller for performing a redeem operation to redeem a placeholder object when the expected document file is presented;

the expected document file being recognized as being present in the electronic filing system after the placeholder controller redeems the placeholder object.

2. An electronic document processing system according to claim 1, wherein the placeholder controller deletes the placeholder object when the corresponding expected document file is created in the electronic filing system.

3. An electronic document processing system according to claim 1, a version-data generator for generating version-data associated with the placeholder object for permitting a plurality of versions of the expected document file to be associated with the placeholder object;

wherein the placeholder controller redeems the placeholder object with a version of the expected document file when the version of the expected document file is presented.

4. An electronic document processing system according to claim 3, wherein the placeholder controller is operative to change the version-data associated with the placeholder object in the electronic filing system without deleting the placeholder object in response to receiving the version of the expected document.

5. An electronic document processing system according to claim 4, wherein the placeholder controller is operative to delete the placeholder object in the electronic filing system when a final version of the corresponding expected document file is created in the electronic filing system.

6. An electronic document processing system according to claim 3, the placeholder controller is operative to generate a new placeholder object representing a future expected version of the expected document, in response to the version of the expected document being presented.

7. An electronic document processing system according to claim 1, wherein the placeholder object includes metadata associated with the expected document file.

8. An electronic document processing system according to claim 7, wherein the metadata includes information associated with a source of the expected file document.

9. An electronic document processing system according to claim 7, wherein the metadata includes information associated with an input device for receiving the expected file document into the electronic document processing system.

10. An electronic document processing system according to claim 7, wherein the metadata includes information associated with a target location in the electronic filing system for storing the expected document file when it is presented.

11. An electronic document processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a display for displaying a graphical user interface representing objects within the electronic filing system, the graphical user interface distinguishing between document file objects and placeholder objects.

12. An electronic document processing system according to claim 11, further comprising:

an input device for enabling a user to select an object having a menu of available commands associated with the object;

wherein the menu of available commands associated with a placeholder object includes at least one redeem command for redeeming the placeholder object with the expected document file.

13. An electronic document processing system according to claim 11, wherein the placeholder controller is responsive to a drag-and-drop file command received from the graphical user interface for redeeming the placeholder with a drag-and-dropped file.

14. An electronic document processing system according to claim 1, wherein the object generator and placeholder controller form part of a messaging system for sending and receiving electronic messages;

and wherein the filing system objects comprise electronic messages stored in the messaging system, and the placeholder objects comprise electronic messages which are not currently recognized as being present in the messaging system but which are explicitly expected.

15. An electronic document processing system according to claim 14, wherein the messaging system manages the sending and receiving of electronic messages in a workflow system.

16. An electronic document processing system according to claim 1, wherein the placeholder controller monitors whether the expected document file is presented within a predetermined time limit;

and wherein the placeholder controller generates an output message if the expected information is not presented within the predetermined time limit.

17. A method for processing electronic representations of documents, comprising:

managing filing system objects in an electronic filing system;

the filing system objects managed by the electronic filing system including an electronic document file class of filing system object that is associated with an electronic document file;

generating a placeholder class of filing system objects in the electronic filing system that are distinct from the electronic document file class of filing system objects;

each placeholder object generated by the placeholder generator (a) being stored in the electronic filing system with metadata that identifies an expected document file that is to be created in the electronic filing system and (b) representing the expected document file which is not recognized as being present in the electronic filing system but which is explicitly expected to be stored in the electronic filing system; and

performing a redeem operation to redeem a placeholder object when the expected document file is presented;

the expected document file being recognized as being present in the electronic filing system after the placeholder controller redeems the placeholder object.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the placeholder object is deleted in the electronic filing system when the corresponding expected document file is redeemed in the electronic filing system.

19. An electronic document processing system for processing electronic representations of documents, comprising:

means for managing filing system objects in an electronic filing system;

the filing system objects managed by the electronic filing system including an electronic document file class of filing system object that is associated with an electronic document file;

means for generating a placeholder class of filing system objects in the electronic filing system that are distinct from the electronic document file class of filing system objects;

each placeholder object generated by the placeholder generator (a) being stored in the electronic filing system with metadata that identifies an expected document file that is to be created in the electronic filing system and (b) representing the expected document file which is not recognized as being present in the electronic filing system but which is explicitly expected to be stored in the electronic filing system; and

means for performing a redeem operation to redeem a placeholder object when the expected document file is presented;

the expected document file being recognized as being present in the electronic filing system after the placeholder controller redeems the placeholder object.

20. The electronic document processing system according to claim 19, wherein the placeholder object is deleted in the electronic filing system when the corresponding expected document file is redeemed in the electronic filing system.