Document management systems, apparatuses and methods configured to provide user interface customized for specific user

• US 9,047,282 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Uchida, Yuki, Tanaka, Shun, Kato, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): LU, KUEN S
• Application Number:
  US12/722,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20110225504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 707/767
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3338 Query expansion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems and methods are provided for accessing a document management application through a network, wherein user interface information comprising one or more of a plurality of user interfaces customized for a specific user is maintained, and upon successful login of the specific user, said one or more of the plurality of user interfaces are provided for display to the specific user.

Claims

1. A document access apparatus for streamlining access to a document management application in a document management system, said document access apparatus comprising:

a user information maintenance part configured to maintain user access information for a plurality of registered users, access to the document management application being customized for each particular user of the plurality of registered users, the user access information for the particular user including user interface information registering plural application functionalities that are presented to the particular user via a user interface, presentation of the plural application functionalities via the user interface being customized for the particular user; and

a user interface part configured to receive user information from login of a specific user of a client terminal, utilize the user information to retrieve the user interface information registered for the specific user, and provide the user interface including the plural application functionalities registered for the specific user, for display on the client terminal,

wherein the plural application functionalities for the specific user to access the document management application are different from functionalities provided through user interfaces customized for other respective users amongst the plurality of registered users.

2. The document access apparatus of claim 1, wherein said user interface provided for display on the client terminal includes an application interface part configured to communicate, when user input is received through the user interface, with an application program interface of the document management application, and send a command, corresponding to the user input and acceptable to the document management application, to the document management application to access one or more corresponding application functionalities of the document management application, corresponding to the user input.

3. The document access apparatus of claim 2, wherein said application interface part receives, in response to the command transmitted from the application interface part to the document management application, at least one of document and other information from the application program interface of the document management application, and said user interface provides said at least one of document and other information for access by the specific user.

4. The document access apparatus of claim 2, wherein said application interface part communicates at least some of the user information from the login of the specific user to the document management application, and the document management application determines, based on the user information and access control information maintained by the document management application, documents and other information which the user is permitted to access.

5. The document access apparatus of claim 1, wherein said user interface is provided as a web service through the network to the client terminal.

6. The document access apparatus of claim 1, wherein said document access apparatus is distinct from the document management application, and the document access apparatus is configured for modification without taking the document management application offline.

7. The document access apparatus of claim 1, wherein said user interface provided for display on the client terminal includes one or more user interface activators configured to transmit, when the activator is selected or activated by the user, a corresponding command to the document management application to access one or more corresponding application functionalities of the document management application.

8. The document access apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user access information maintained by said user information maintenance part for said each one of the plurality of registered users further includes business relevancy information indicating a specific business relevancy field pertinent to the registered user, and said user interface provided for display on the client terminal displays information corresponding to the specific business relevancy field pertinent to the specific user.

9. The document access apparatus of claim 8, wherein said user interface provided for display on the client terminal includes one or more user interface activators to access application functionalities corresponding to the specific business relevancy field pertinent to the specific user.

10. A system for providing document management services on a client terminal, said system comprising:

a document management apparatus configured to execute a document management application that includes

a plurality of application functionalities, including a document registration function to register a specified document in a document database, and a search function to search the document database based on specified terms, and

an application program interface configured to specify a format of communication with the document management application; and

an application user interface apparatus configured to communicate through a network with the document management application, the application user interface apparatus including a user interface part configured to maintain user access information for a plurality of registered users, access to specified documents registered in the document database being customized for each particular user of the plurality of registered users, the user access information for said particular user including user interface information registering plural application functionalities that are presented to the particular user via a user interface, presentation of the plural application functionalities via the user interface being customized for the particular user, and configured to provide a login interface through the network to the client terminal, receive user information from login of a specific user of the client terminal, utilize the user information to retrieve the user interface information registered for the specific user, and provide the user interface including the plural application functionalities registered for the specific user, for display on the client terminal,

wherein the plural application functionalities for the specific user to access the document management application are different from functionalities provided through user interfaces customized for other respective users amongst the plurality of registered users.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said user interface part is further configured to communicate, when user input is received through the user interface, with the application program interface of the document management application, receive information from the application program interface specifying the format of communication with the document management application, and send a command, corresponding to the user input and in the format specified by the application program interface, to the document management application to access one or more corresponding application functionalities of the document management application, corresponding to the user input.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said user interface part receives, in response to the command transmitted to the document management application, at least one of document and other information from the document management application, and provides said at least one of document and other information for access by the specific user on the client terminal.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein said user interface part communicates at least some of the user information from the login of the specific user to the document management application, and the document management application determines, based on the user information and access control information maintained by the document management application, documents and other information which the user is permitted to access.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said application user interface apparatus is distinct from the document management application, and the application user interface apparatus is configured for reconfiguration without taking the document management application offline.

15. A method for providing document management services to a client terminal over a network, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) registering, by a document management apparatus, a plurality of documents in a document database;

(b) maintaining, by an application user interface apparatus configured for access to a document management application, user access information for a plurality of registered users, access to the plurality of documents in the document database being customized for each particular user of the plurality of registered users, the user access information for the particular user including user interface information registering plural application functionalities that are presented to the particular user via a user interface, presentation of the plural application functionalities via the user interface being customized for the registered user;

(c) providing, by the application user interface apparatus, a login interface through the network to the client terminal, receiving user information during login of a specific user, and utilizing the user information to retrieve the user interface information registered for the specific user; and

(d) providing the user interface including the plural application functionalities registered for the specific user, for display on the client terminal,

wherein the plural application functionalities for the specific user to access the document management application are different from functionalities provided through user interfaces customized for other respective users amongst the plurality of registered users.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said user interface is provided in step (d) as a web service through the network to the client terminal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein when user input is received through the user interface, the corresponding web service communicates with an application program interface of the document management application, receives information from the application program interface specifying the format of communication with the document management application, and sends a command, corresponding to the user input and in the format specified by the application program interface, to the document management application to access one or more corresponding application functionalities of the document management application, corresponding to the user input.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising maintaining said plurality of user interfaces in a manner separate and distinct from the document management application, and allowing the plurality of user interfaces to be modified or reconfigured without taking the document management application offline.

19. A system for providing document management services to a terminal over a network, said system comprising:

a first server configured to execute a document management application having an application program interface and a plurality of application functions, the plurality of application functions including a document registration function to register a specified document in a document database, and a search function to search the document database based on specified terms;

a second server separated from the first server by a network, the second server including

a user interface part configured to communicate through the network with the application program interface of said document management application, and

a user information maintenance part configured to maintain user access information for a plurality of registered users, access to specified documents registered in the document database being customized for each particular user of the plurality of registered users, the user access information for the particular user including user interface information registering plural application functionalities that are presented to the particular user via a user interface, presentation of the plural application functionalities via the user interface being customized for the particular user,

wherein the plural application functionalities for the specific user to access the document management application are different from functionalities provided through user interfaces customized for other respective users amongst the plurality of registered users.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said first server is physically distinct from said second server.