Document information management system

• US 7,512,874 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2004
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Ishijima, Hisashi, Yano, Takashi, Tabata, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US11/011,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20050114351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,567 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500, 715/530, 715/808, 715/810, 715/200, 715/255, 707/3
• US Class Current: 715/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

The document information management system according to the present invention comprises data base with a plurality of document files previously stored therein, a medium form having a document information section with document information recorded thereon and a bar code information section with electronic information corresponding to contents of the document information converted to bar code information and stored therein, a marking unit for giving a selection mark by selecting a desired word from a medium form, a reading unit for reading a selection mark and bar code information from a medium form with the selection mark given thereto, a retrieving unit for retrieving a corresponding document file from a data base using a word with a selection mark given thereto as a key word according to the selection mark and bar code information, and an output unit for outputting the retrieved document file as related information.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus which receives a search key for inputting an unspecified number of documents on the Internet into a specific search engine which targets the documents for a search, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a storage unit that stores a plurality of pieces of specific information in which information concerning the documents is stored;

a selecting unit that selects any word in the documents as a desired word, wherein information in the desired word is the search key;

an area receiving unit that receives a selecting of the desired word in the documents;

a displaying unit that displays a list of databases relating to the plurality of pieces of specific information stored in the storage unit upon receiving the desired word selection;

a database election receiving unit that receives an election of a desired database from the list of databases displayed; and

a searching unit that makes the specific search engine search using the search key by sending the information concerning the desired word received by the area receiving unit as the search key to the search engine for outputting a search result.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pieces of specific information stored in the storage unit is specified in accordance with a category of the databases.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a category displaying unit that displays a list of the category of the desired database from the specific information stored in the storage unit when the database election receiving unit receives the election of the desired database; and

a category election receiving unit that receives an election of a desired category from the list of the category of the desired database displayed by the category displaying unit,

wherein the searching unit makes the search engine search by sending the search key to the search engine relating to the category which has received the election for outputting a search result.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a search result displaying unit that displays search results obtained by the searching unit in proximity to the selected desired word.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the search result displaying unit displays the search results as a pop-up screen.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the displaying unit displays the list of databases displayed in the proximity to the selected desired word.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information in the desired word includes a word circled by a user.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a linking unit that links the search by the specific search engine to the desired word.

9. A computer readable medium, wherein the computer readable medium stores a computer readable program that when executed causes a computer to execute a processing of receiving a search key for inputting an unspecified number of documents on the Internet into a specific search engine which targets the documents for a search,

the computer includes a storage unit which stores a plurality of pieces of specific information, wherein the storage unit specifies each of a plurality of databases in which information concerning the documents is stored, the computer readable medium causes the computer to execute:

a selecting unit that selects any word in the documents as a desired word, wherein information in the desired word is the search key;

an area receiving step that receives a selecting of the desired word in the documents;

a displaying step that displays a list of databases relating to the plurality of pieces of specific information stored in the storage unit upon receiving the desired word selection;

a database election receiving step that receives an election of a desired database from the list of databases displayed; and

a searching step that makes the specific search engine search using the search key by sending the information concerning the desired word received by the area receiving step as the search key to the search engine for outputting a search result.

10. The computer readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of pieces of specific information stored in the storage unit is specified in accordance with a category of the databases, the computer readable medium causes the computer to execute:

a category displaying step that displays a list of the category of the desired database from the specific information stored in the storage unit when the database election receiving step receives the election of the desired database by the database election receiving step; and

a category election receiving step that receives an election of a desired category from the list of the category of the desired database displayed by the category displaying step,

wherein the searching step makes the search engine search by sending the search key to the search engine relating to the category which has received the election for outputting a search result.

11. The computer readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the computer readable medium causes the computer to further execute:

a search result displaying step that displays search results obtained by the searching step in proximity to the selected desired word.

12. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the search result displaying step displays the search results as a pop-up screen.

13. The computer readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the displaying step displays the list of databases displayed in the proximity to the selected desired word.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the selecting step includes circling a word as the information in the desired word.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 9, further comprising:

a linking step that links the search by the specific search engine to the desired word.