Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and computer program product

• US 20070076249A1
• Filed: 09/19/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Asai, Takahiro, Emori, Mototsugu
• Granted Patent: US 7,986,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1273 Print job history, e.g. logging, accounting, tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

An information processing apparatus that calculates importance of data based on a print log. A print-log database stores therein a print log of data printed. A calculating unit refers to the print log to check the number of times of printing the data, and calculates importance of the data based on the number of times of printing. A storing unit stores the importance of the data in an importance database.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a print-log database that stores therein a print log of data printed;

a calculating unit that refers to the print log to check number of times of printing the data, and calculates importance of the data based on calculation criteria including the number of times of printing; and

a storing unit that stores the importance of the data in an importance database.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculating unit refers to the print log to check a total number of prints, and determines the total number of prints as the number of times of printing.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the print log includes an item of setting a print condition specified for printing,

the item is assigned with a degree of relation with the importance of the data, and

the calculating unit calculates the importance of the data based on the degree of relation.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation criteria further includes at least one of number of times of viewing the data, number of references to the data, number of links to the data, an elapsed time from generation of the data, and an elapsed time from update of the data.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a view-log database that stores therein a view log of data viewed, wherein

the calculating unit refers to the view log to check the number of times of viewing the data.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculating unit changes the calculation criteria for the importance of the data based on any one of authorization to view the data and authorization to print the data or both.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculating unit calculates importance with respect to each print page of the data.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data includes document data, image data, and document data containing an image.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a searching unit that searches for data satisfying a search condition, wherein

the searching unit sorts search-result data obtained by search based on the importance of the data in the importance database.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the search-result data is assigned with a sort value indicating an order of the search-result data to be sorted, and

the searching unit corrects the sort value based on the importance of the data in the importance database, and sorts the search-result data based on corrected sort value.

11. An information processing method comprising:

referring to a print log of data printed to check number of times of printing the data;

calculating importance of the data based on the number of times of printing the data; and

storing the importance of the data.

12. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program codes embodied in the medium that when executed causes a computer to:

refer to a print log of data printed to check number of times of printing the data;

calculate importance of the data based on the number of times of printing the data; and

store the importance of the data.