System and method of managing documents using bookmarks

• US 7,664,825 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2002
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Gijare, Ashutosh, Dogra, Vikas, Koppich, George, Yeung, Michael, Wangoo, Sanjay, Verma, Manoj
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz; Asad M
• Application Number:
  US10/098,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20030093531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,896 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-207, 709213-232, 709/238, 709245-248, 707/1, 707/2, 707/100, 707/10, 715/700, 715/249, 715/740, 715/748, 715/751, 715/753, 715/769
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0065 Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa

Abstract

A system and method for managing documents within a shared peripheral includes a network-based document management system. A document management module of defines a bookmark or symbolic link to a document stored inside or outside a document management module repository. The symbolic link is treated analogously to other documents managed by the document management module. Upon linking to a document networked, the system enables users to download a document stored in the repository to devices including a local machine or network hard drive.

Claims

1. A method of managing documents from within a shared peripheral, network-based document management system, comprising the steps of:

selecting an electronic document from a plurality thereof, in accordance with document storage parameters of a document management system inclusive of an integrated electronic document repository and associated with at least one data storage system that is outside of the document management system;

determining if a selected electronic document is stored in the electronic document repository such that operations are performable thereon by the document management system in its current format, or if it is stored in a non-integrated data storage system outside of the electronic document repository such that operations are not performable thereon by the document management system in its current format;

accessing document data representative of a selected electronic document via a thin client interface of a network client;

receiving link data representative of a link that is associated with a location of the document data from within the thin client interface when the selected electronic document is not stored in the electronic document repository;

receiving document import instruction for the selected electronic document when it is not stored in the electronic document repository;

importing the electronic document when it is not stored in the electronic document repository in accordance with a received document import instruction

communicating image data representative of the link data to the thin client interface such that the associated document data is selectively retrieved from the document management system at a later time;

displaying the image data representative of the link data on the thin client interface;

receiving, via the thin client interface, data representative of a selected operation to be performed on link data associated therewith, which operation includes at least one of creation, deletion, renaming, copying and moving the link data;

receiving an instruction from the thin client interface in accordance with a displayed image of link data so as to commence a communication of the associated electronic document to at least one shared peripheral;

receiving, via the thin client interface, at least one document processing instruction associated with the associated electronic document; and

commencing operation of the at least one shared peripheral in accordance with a received document processing instruction;

wherein the at least one shared peripheral is from a set comprising a printer, facsimile, e-mail server, archival storage and copier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the link data in the step of receiving is a bookmark defined within the user interface, which user interface is a browser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the document in the step of accessing is located outside of the document management system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the document in the step of accessing is located in the document management system, which is remote from the network client.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the document is stored in a document repository of the document management system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

directing an associated user via a user interface, to the network location of the document management system, and

presenting to the associated user via an interface sub-window the link data that is associated with the document.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein in response to the step of directing the associated user, the user of the network client is prompted to provide access parameters to gain access to the document management system prior to the document management system presenting the interface sub-window to the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network client in the step of accessing is a thin client.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the document is automatically retrieved from the document management system when an associated user of the network client activates the link associated with the document.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the associated document is automatically retrieved to the network client.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the associated document is automatically retrieved to a network location other than the network client.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein when document is no longer associated with the link, an error message is presented in response to the user activating the link.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the link data associated with the document is searchable from within the document management system.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated document data is an image or non-image document.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected document processing operation is at least one of creating, deleting, renaming, copying, moving, viewing link properties, and changing the link data.

16. A system of managing documents from within a shared peripheral, network-based document management system, comprising:

means for selecting an electronic document from a plurality thereof, in accordance with document storage parameters of a document management system inclusive of an integrated electronic document repository and associated with at least one data storage system that is outside of the document management system;

means for determining if a selected electronic document is stored in the electronic document repository such that operations are performable thereon by the document management system in its current format, or if it is stored in a non-integrated data storage system outside of the electronic document repository such that operations are not performable thereon by the document management system in its current format;

means for accessing document data representative of a selected electronic document via a thin client interface of a network client;

means for receiving link data representative of a link that is associated with a location of the document data from within the thin client interface when the selected electronic document is not stored in the electronic document repository;

means for receiving document import instruction for the selected electronic document when it is not stored in the electronic document repository;

means for importing the electronic document when it is not stored in the electronic document repository in accordance with a received document import instruction

means for communicating image data representative of the link data on the thin client interface such that the associated document data is selectively retrieved from the document management system at a later time;

means for displaying image data representative of the link data on the thin client interface of each of the plurality of workstations;

means for receiving, via a user interface, data representative of a selected operation to be performed on link data associated therewith, which operation includes at least one of creation, deletion, renaming, copying and moving the link data;

means for receiving an instruction from the thin client interface in accordance with the displayed image of link data so as to commence a communication of the associated electronic document to at least one shared peripheral;

means for receiving, via the thin client interface, at least one document processing instruction associated with the associated electronic document; and

means for commencing operation of the at least one shared peripheral in accordance with a received document processing instruction;

wherein the at least one shared peripheral is from a set comprising a printer, facsimile, e-mail server, archival storage and copier.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the link data is a bookmark defined within the user interface, which user interface is a browser.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the document is located outside of the document management system.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the document is located in the document management system, which is remote from the network client.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the document is stored in a document repository of the document management system.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for directing an associated user via a user interface, to the network location of the document management system, and

means for presenting to the associated user an interface sub-window the link that is associated with the document in the step of defining is defined from within the interface sub- window.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising means for prompting an associated user, in response to directing the associated, to provide access parameters to gain access to the document management system prior to the document management system presenting the interface sub-window to the user.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the network client is a thin client.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the document is automatically retrieved from the document management system when a user of the network client activates the link associated with the document.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the associated document is automatically retrieved to the network client.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the associated document is automatically retrieved to a network location other than the network client.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein when the document is no longer associated with the link data, an error message is presented to the user who activated the link.

28. The system of claim 16, wherein the link data associated with the document is searchable from within the document management system.

29. The system of claim 16, wherein the associated document data is an image or non-image document.

30. The system of claim 16, wherein the selected document processing operation is at least one of creating, deleting, renaming, copying, moving, viewing link properties, and changing the link data.