Outline information generating apparatus and computer-readable recording medium recording thereon outline information generating program

• US 6,671,855 B1
• Filed: 12/07/1999
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Nomura, Takahiko, Hayashi, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US09/454,862
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 715/530, 715/501.1, 345/764, 345/765, 345/766, 345/767
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A document outlining any work done on a workspace is to be automatically generated. A workspace history managing part holds the present and past states of a workspace together with history information on the manipulation performed on the workspace. A synthesis rule holding part holds synthesis rules for synthesizing information. A synthesizing part, working on history information managed by the workspace history managing part, synthesizes information in accordance with the synthesis rules held by the synthesis rule holding part, and thereby generates outline information. This dispenses with the need for a user to prepare documents stating the progress of his or her work, and reduces the user'"'"'s workload correspondingly. Moreover, automatic generation of outline information makes the latest information available all the time.

Claims

1. An outline information generating apparatus for generating information outlining any work that has been done on a workspace, which is an environment for manipulating electronic resources, comprising:

a workspace editing part that alters the latest state of the workspace by manipulating the electronic resources on the workspace;

a workspace history managing part that holds as history information the contents and objects of manipulation performed by the workspace editing part on the workspace;

a synthesis rule holding part that holds synthesis rules prescribing rules on the synthesis of history information; and

a synthesizing part that synthesizes, in accordance with the synthesis rules held by the synthesis rule holding part, the history information managed by the workspace history managing part and generates outline information.

2. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a workspace selecting part that selects workspaces to be searched for history information out of history information held by the workspace managing part,

wherein the synthesizing part synthesizes history information related to the workspaces selected by the workspace selecting part.

3. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the synthesis rule holding part holds synthesis rules prescribing the conditions of the workspaces to be searched, and the workspace selecting part selects, as the workspaces to be searched, workspaces satisfying the conditions prescribed under the synthesis rules held by the synthesis rules holding part.

4. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the synthesis rule holding part holds synthesis rules to the effect that designated workspaces designated by a user and workspaces having a prescribed relationship with the designated workspaces are the workspaces to be searched.

5. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synthesizing part updates history information, triggered by the satisfaction of a prescribed condition.

6. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synthesizing part specifies an electronic resource fitting the synthesis rules on the basis of history information managed by the workspace history managing part, and generates the outline information as a hyperdocument associated with the specified electronic resource by linking.

7. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the synthesis rule holding part holds synthesis rules to the effect that, if attribute information associated with an electronic resource on a workspace satisfies prescribed conditions, the electronic resource is an object of synthesis.

8. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the synthesis rule holding part holds synthesis rules to the effect that, out of selected electronic resources, only those electronic resources that existed in the past within a prescribed length of time from the latest state are objects of synthesis.

9. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synthesizing part selects, out of the current and past states of a workspace, states satisfying the synthesis rules, and generates outline information for displaying contents of the selected state.

10. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the synthesis rule holding part holds synthesis rules to the effect that a state of a workspace at the time a prescribed operation was performed is selected.

11. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synthesis rule holding part selects workspaces having specific relationships with designated workspaces designated by a user and generates outline information for displaying contents of the selected workspaces.

12. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synthesizing part generates outline information including contents regarding changes in information within a prescribed period for a workspace.

13. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synthesizing part synthesizes history information in a manner permitting the underlying synthesis rule to be identified.

14. The outline information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synthesizing part generates outline information in a displaying form wherein history information is arranged in a contracted image of a workspace.

15. A computer-readable recording medium recording thereon an outline information generating program for generating information outlining any activity that has been done on a workspace, which is an environment for manipulating electronic resources, causing a computer to function as:

a workspace editing part that alters the latest state of a workspace by manipulating the electronic resources on the workspace;

a workspace history managing part that holds as history information the contents and objects of manipulation performed by the workspace editing part on the workspace;

a synthesis rule holding part that holds synthesis rules prescribing rules on the synthesis of history information; and

a synthesizing part that synthesizes, in accordance with the synthesis rules held by the synthesis rule holding part, the history information managed by the workspace history managing part and generates outline information.