Document management server, document management system, computer readable recording medium, document management method, client of document management system, and node

• US 20060294152A1
• Filed: 11/17/2005
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Shi, Meng, Terao, Taro, Nukaga, Masao, Ueda, Yoshihiro, Kunitake, Setsu, Kawabe, Shigehisa, Suzuki, Akira, Numata, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

The document management server includes an identification information providing unit that receives a request to obtain identification information required for accessing a document from a client, generates the identification information for the received request, and sends the generated identification information to the client; a relation information management unit that manages relation information of the requested document and the identification information generated for the request; and a history information management unit that manages information on the client who has sent the request, associating with the identification information.

Claims

1. A document management server comprising:

an identification information providing unit that receives a request to obtain identification information required for accessing a document from a client, generates the identification information for the received request, and sends the generated identification information to the client;

a relation information management unit that manages relation information of the requested document, and the identification information generated for the request; and

a history information management unit that manages information on the client who has sent the request, associating with the identification information.

2. The document management server according to claim 1, further comprising:

a document-providing unit that receives an access request for a document, identifies the document corresponding to the access request by referencing identification information designated by the access request and the relation information, and sends the identified document as a response to the access request.

3. The document management server according to claim 2, wherein

the document-providing unit generates new identification information different from the identification information designated by the access request and sends the new identification information, as well as the identified document, as an updating information for the identification information designated by the access request, and

the relation information management unit stores relation information of the identification information designated by the access request and the new identification information.

4. The document management server according to claim 2, wherein

the history information management unit manages information of the client who has sent the access request and the identification information designated by the access request.

5. The document management server according to claim 1, wherein;

the identification information providing unit sends access site information as well as the identification information as the response to the obtaining request, the access site information indicating an access site where the document corresponding to the obtaining request is stored.

6. The document management server according to claim 2, wherein

the document-providing unit references access condition information indicating an access condition for each identification information, checks if the identification information designated by the access request satisfies the access condition and, if the access condition is satisfied, provides the document as the response to the access request.

7. The document management server according to claim 6, wherein

the access condition information includes access request sources, which are permitted to access the document, for each identification information, and

the document-providing unit references the access condition information and, if an access request source of the access request is included in the access condition information, provides the document as the response to the access request.

8. The document management server according to claim 7, wherein

for identification information which is included in the access condition information and whose associated access request sources have all already received the document, the document-providing unit does not provide the document thereafter as the response to an access request designating the identification information.

9. The document management server according to claim 6, wherein

the access condition information includes a document accessible period for identification information, and

the document-providing unit references the access condition information and, if the access request is received during the accessible period for the identification information designated by the access request, provides the document as the response to the access request.

10. The document management server according to claim 6, wherein

the access condition information includes a maximum number of accesses for a document for identification information, and

if a number of accesses to a document by the identification information designated by the access request is smaller than the maximum number of accesses, the document-providing unit provides the document as the response to the access request.

11. The document management server according to claim 1, further comprising a document registration unit that receives a document registration request, generates identification information associated with the document, registers the document in a storage unit associated with the document, and sends the generated identification information as a response to the registration request.

12. A document management system comprising:

an identification information providing unit that receives a request to obtain identification information required for accessing a document from a client, generates the identification information for the received request, and sends the generated identification information to the client;

a relation information management unit that manages relation information of the requested document and the identification information generated for the request; and

a history information management unit that manages information of the client who has sent the request, associating with the identification information.

13. The document management system according to claim 12, further comprising:

identification information obtaining unit that sends the request to obtain identification information and receives identification information as a response;

a document-obtaining unit that sends a document access request, which designates the obtained identification information, to obtain a document associated with the identification information; and

a document-providing unit that receives an access request for a document, identifies the document corresponding to the access request by referencing identification information designated by the access request and the relation information, and sends the identified document as a response to the access request.

14. The document management system according to claim 13, wherein

the document-providing unit generates new identification information different from the identification information designated by the access request and sends the new identification information, as well as the identified document, as an updating information for the identification information designated by the access request, and

the relation information management unit stores relation information of the identification information designated by the access request and the new identification information, the document management system further comprising:

an identification information changing unit that changes the identification information designated by the access request according to the updating information received as the response to the access request.

15. The document management system according to claim 12, further comprising:

a document registration unit that receives a document registration request, generates identification information associated with the document, registers the document associated with the identification information, and sends the generated identification information as a response to the registration request;

an identification information management unit that manages identification information instead of documents; and

an obtaining request response unit that receives an obtaining request for a document and sends identification information of the requested document as a response to the obtaining request.

16. A storage medium readable by a computer, the storage medium storing a program of instructions executable by the computer to function as a document management server, the function comprising:

receiving a request to obtain identification information required for accessing a document from a client;

generating the identification information for the received request;

sending the generated identification information to the client;

managing relation information of the requested document and the identification information generated for the request; and

managing information of the client who has sent the request associating with the identification information.

17. A storage medium readable by a computer, the storage medium storing a program of instructions executable by the computer to function as a client that obtains a document via a network, the function comprising:

an identification information obtaining unit that sends an obtaining request designating a document to be obtained and obtains the identification information, as a response to the obtaining request;

a document obtaining unit that sends a document access request, which designates the obtained identification information, and obtains a document associated with the identification information and an updating information as a response to the access request; and

an identification information changing unit that changes the identification information designated by the access request, according to the updating information.

18. A node connected to a Peer-to-Peer network using a distributed hash table and sharing documents with other nodes, the node comprising:

a document registration unit that generates first meta information including a hash value of a document to be registered and sends the document to be registered and the first meta information to a node where the document and the first meta information are to be stored;

a shortcut issuance unit that, in response to a request for browsing a document, obtains the first meta information corresponding to the document and generates second meta information including a hash value of the first meta information, issues the shortcut including a hash value of the second meta information, and provides the shortcut to a user who has requested;

a relation information management unit that manages relation information of the first meta information and the second meta information; and

a history information management unit that manages information of a user to which the shortcut has been provided and a hash value of the second meta information included in the shortcut.

19. The node according to claim 18, further comprising

a document-obtaining unit that obtains a requested document based on the meta information corresponding to a hash value included in the shortcut and the relation information, generates new meta information including the hash value included in the shortcut, and changes the identification information in the shortcut to a hash value of the new meta information, wherein

the relation information management unit adds relation information of the meta information included in the shortcut and the new meta information.

20. A document management server that manages history information on access to documents, the document management server comprising:

an identification information providing unit that receives a request to access a document from a client, and generates identification information for the received request; and

a history information management unit that manages information of the requested document, the generated identification information, and a client who has sent a request to access the document based on the identification information.

21. A document management method comprising:

receiving a request to obtain identification information required for accessing a document from a client;

generating the identification information for the received request;

sending the generated identification information to the client;

managing relation information of the requested document and the identification information generated for the request; and

managing information of the client who has sent the request associating with the identification information.

22. A client of a document management system, the client comprising:

an identification information obtaining unit that sends the obtaining request to the document management server and receives identification information as a response;

a document obtaining unit that sends a document access request, which designates the obtained identification information, and obtains a document associated with the identification information and an updating information as a response to the access request; and

an identification information changing unit that changes the identification information designated by the access request, according to the updating information.