Document processor, document processing method and storage medium storing document processing program

• US 7,653,872 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2005
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Kei, Yamashita, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Queler; Adam M
• Application Number:
  US11/073,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20060005117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,785 Days
• Field of Search: 715230-233
• US Class Current: 715/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

A document processor has a function of attaching additional information to an electronic document and a function of associating linked information with the additional information. The document processor includes a display unit that displays the electronic document, the additional information, and the linked information, a judging unit that judges whether or not the linked information has changed since it was last referred to by a user, and a display control unit that controls the display unit so that a display state of the additional information varies according to the judgment result from the judging unit.

Claims

1. A document processor for managing an electronic document, comprising:

an association unit that associates an annotation with a physical position in a document, the annotation having being associated with second information wherein the second information is a message on a messaging system;

a display unit that displays the document and the annotation at the physical position in the document;

a judging unit that judges whether the second information has changed since the document was last viewed by a user;

a control unit that indicates to the user when the second information has changed since the document was last viewed by, the user; and

a linking unit that links the second information to the annotation,

wherein the display unit displays the annotation and the second information when the second annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by the user.

2. The document processor according to claim 1, wherein the control unit indicates to a user when the second information has changed by one of:

changing a color of the annotation, changing a luminance of the annotation, and blinking a display of the annotation.

3. The document processor according to claim 1, wherein the judgment by the judging unit is conducted in every predetermined period of time.

4. The document processor according to claim 1, wherein the second information is part of a tree structure.

5. A document processor for managing an electronic document, comprising:

association means for associating an annotation with a physical position in a document;

display means for displaying the document and the annotation at the physical position in the document;

judging means for judging whether the annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by a user;

control means for indicating to the user when the annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by the user; and

linking means for linking additional information to the annotation, wherein the additional information is a message on a bulletin board system and

updating means for updating the annotation when a new message, responding to the original message linked to the annotation, is added on the bulletin board system, such that the updating means links the annotation to the new message.

6. A document processor for managing an electronic document, comprising:

association means for associating an annotation with a physical position in a document;

display means for displaying the document and the annotation at the physical position in the document;

judging means for judging whether the annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by a user;

control means for indicating to the user when the annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by the user;

linking means for linking additional information to the annotation, wherein the additional information is a message on a bulletin board system; and

updating means for adding a new annotation in proximity to the original annotation, if a new message, having a subject matter related to the original message linked to the original annotation, is added on the bulletin board system,

wherein the linking means links the new annotation to the new message.

7. The document processing method according to claim 6, wherein the new annotation in proximity to the original annotation is adjacent to the original annotation.

8. The document processing method according to claim 6, wherein the new annotation in proximity to the original annotation abuts the original annotation.

9. A document processor for managing an electronic document, comprising:

a controller that associates an annotation with a physical position in a document, the annotation having being associated with second information, wherein the second information is a message on a messaging system;

a display unit that displays the document and the annotation at the physical position in the document;

a judging unit that judges whether the second information has changed since the document was last viewed by a user, wherein the controller links the second information to the annotation,

wherein the controller indicates to a user when the second information has changed since the document was last viewed by the user, and the display unit displays the annotation and the second information when the second information has changed since the document was last viewed by the user.

10. The document processor according to claim 9, wherein the controller indicates to a user when the second information has changed by one of:

changing a color of the annotation, changing a luminance of the annotation, and blinking the display of the annotation.

11. The document processor according to claim 9, wherein the judgment by the judging unit is conducted in every predetermined period of time.

12. The document processor according to claim 9, wherein the second information is part of a tree structure.

13. A document processor for managing an electronic document, comprising:

a controller which associates an annotation with a physical position in a document;

a display which displays the document and the annotation at the physical position in the document; and

a judging unit which judges whether the annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by a user;

wherein the controller indicates to a user when the annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by the user,

wherein the controller links additional information to the annotation, and

wherein the controller updates the annotation when a new message, responding to the original message linked to the annotation, is added on the bulletin board system, such that the controller links the annotation to the new message.

14. A document processor for managing an electronic document, comprising:

a controller which associates an annotation with a physical position in a document;

a display which displays the document and the annotation at the physical position in the document; and

a judging unit which judges whether the annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by a user,

wherein the controller indicates to a user when the annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by the user,

wherein the controller links additional information to the annotation,

wherein the additional information is a message on a bulletin board system, and

wherein the controller adds a new annotation in proximity to the original annotation, if a new message, having a subject matter related to the original message linked to the original annotation, is added on the bulletin board system, and the controller links the new annotation to the new message.

15. A document processing method, comprising:

associating an annotation with a physical position in a document, the annotation being associated with second information, wherein the second information is a message on a messaging system;

displaying the document and the annotation at the physical position in the document;

judging whether the second information has changed since the document was last viewed by a user;

indicating to the user when the second information has changed since the document was last viewed by the user, and linking the second information to the annotation,

wherein the annotation and the second information are displayed when the second information has changed since the document was last viewed by the user.

16. The document processing method according to claim 15, wherein indicating to the user when the second information has changed comprises one of changing a color of the annotation, changing a luminance of the annotation, and blinking a display of the annotation.

17. The document processing method according to claim 15, wherein the judging is conducted in every predetermined period of time.

18. The document processing method according to claim 15, wherein the second information is part of a tree structure.

19. A document processing method, comprising:

associating an annotation with a physical position in a document;

displaying the document and the annotation at the physical position in the document;

judging whether the annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by a user;

indicating to the user when the annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by the user;

linking additional information to the annotation, wherein the additional information is a message on a bulletin board system; and

when a new message, responding to the original message linked to the annotation, is added on the bulletin board system;

linking the annotation to the new message.

20. A document processing method, comprising:

associating an annotation with a physical position in a document;

displaying the document and the annotation at the physical position in the document;

judging whether the annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by a user;

indicating to the user when the annotation has changed since the document was last viewed by the user;

linking additional information to the annotation, wherein the additional information is a message on a bulletin board system; and

if a new message, having a subject matter related to the original message linked to the annotation, is added on the bulletin board system;

adding a new annotation, in proximity to the original annotation, and linking the new annotation to the new message.

21. The document processing method according to claim 20, wherein the new message is not added in reply to the original message linked to the annotation.

22. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising:

associating an annotation with a physical position in a document, the annotation having being associated with second information, wherein the second information is a message on a messaging system,

displaying the document and the annotation at the physical position in the document;

judging whether the second information has changed since the document was last viewed by a user;

indicating to the user when the second information has changed since the document was last viewed by the user, and linking the second information to the annotation,

wherein the annotation and second information are displayed when the second information has changed since the document was last viewed by the user.

23. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the second information is part of a tree structure.