Document management systems, apparatuses and methods configured to provide document notification

• US 8,458,122 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• 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): Boccio, Vincent F
• Application Number:
  US12/722,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20110225501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/217, 715/751, 707/608, 707/999.002, 707/999.009
• US Class Current: 707/608
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems and methods are provided for providing document management services to a terminal, wherein a document notification is provided to one or more notification destinations.

Claims

1. A system for providing document management services to a terminal, said system comprising:

(a) a document management application embodied in a non-transitory medium and including instructions executable by a computer to provide a plurality of application functions, the plurality of application functions including a document registration function to register documents in a document database, and an access function to retrieve a specified document, or document data for the specified document, from the document database; and

(b) an application user interface apparatus configured to communicate through a network with the document management application, the application user interface apparatus including a non-transitory storage medium embodying instructions which, when executed, configure the application user interface apparatus to include;

an application interface part configured to communicate through the network with the document management application, to obtain document data for the specified document;

an operations user interface part configured to provide to the application user a notification user interface configured for specification, by the application user, of a notification destination of another user that is different from the application user; and

a notification transmitting part configured to transmit a notification, indicating that the specified document has been accessed by the application user, from the application user interface apparatus through the network to the specified notification destination of said another user, the notification including at least a portion of the document data for the specified document,

wherein the notification transmitted by the notification transmitting part includes a document viewer displaying at least a viewable portion of the specified document accessed by the application user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification transmitted from the application user interface apparatus through the network to the specified notification destination of said another user includes an address for retrieving the specified document from the document database.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification transmitted from the application user interface apparatus through the network to the specified notification destination of said another user includes a URL for retrieving the specified document from the document database, and the URL includes an embedded access code that is required for accessing the specified document.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the specified notification destination is an email address of said another user, and the notification is transmitted by electronic mail from the application user interface apparatus through the network to the specified email address of said another user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the specified notification destination is an electronic messaging address of said another user, and the notification is transmitted by electronic messaging from the application user interface apparatus through the network to the specified electronic messaging address of said another user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the document management application includes:

a document change monitoring part configured to monitor the documents in the document database, and when the document data for a specific document in the document database has changed, pushes a change notification through the network to the application user interface apparatus, indicating that the specific document in the document database has changed.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the change notification transmitted from the document management application through the network to the application user interface apparatus includes at least a portion of the changed document data for the specific document.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the change notification transmitted from the document management application through the network to the application user interface apparatus includes an address for retrieving the specific document including the changed document data from the document database.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the change notification transmitted from the document management application through the network to the application user interface apparatus includes a URL for retrieving the specific document including the changed document data from the document database, and the URL includes an embedded access code that is required for accessing the specific document including the changed document data.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the document management application includes:

a document change monitoring part configured to monitor the documents in the document database, maintain user notification information and group notification information, and when the document data for a specific document in the document database has changed, transmit a change notification through the network to one or more notification destinations determined based on at least one of the user notification information and the group notification information, the notification indicating that the specific document in the document database has changed.

11. A document access apparatus configured to access a document management application, including a plurality of application functions, through a network, the plurality of application functions including a document registration function to register documents in a document database, and an access function to retrieve a specified document, or document data for the specified document, said document access apparatus comprising a non-transitory storage medium embodying instructions executable to configure the document access apparatus to include:

an application interface part configured to communicate through the network with the document management application, to obtain document data for the specified document;

an operations user interface part configured to provide to an application user a notification user interface configured for specification, by the application user, of a notification destination of another user that is different from the application user, in connection with the specified document; and

a notification transmitting part configured to transmit a notification, indicating that the specified document has been accessed by the application user, through the network to the specified notification destination of said another user, the notification including at least a portion of the document data for the specified document,

wherein the notification transmitted by the notification transmitting part includes a document viewer displaying at least a viewable portion of the specified document accessed by the application user.

12. The document access apparatus of claim 11, wherein the notification of the specified document is transmitted when the notification destination of said another user is specified by the application user through the notification user interface.

13. The document access apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a document change monitoring part configured to maintain a list of accessed documents that the application user has accessed in one or more previous sessions, communicate with the document management application to determine whether the document data of specific documents in the list has changed, and if the document data of a specific document has changed, transmit a change notification to one or more notification destinations, the change notification indicating that the specific document in the document database has changed.

14. The document access apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a notification destination registration part configured to register the notification destination of said another user when the notification destination of said another user is specified,

wherein the notification transmitting part transmits a data change notification to the registered notification destination of said another user when the document data for the specified document has changed.

15. The document access apparatus of claim 11, wherein the notification user interface is further configured for specification, by the application user, of user notification information and group notification information, register the user notification information and group notification information, and when the document data for the specified document has changed, transmit a data change notification to one or more notification destinations determined based on at least one of the user notification information and the group notification information, the notification indicating that the specified document in the document database has changed.

16. The document access apparatus of claim 11, wherein the notification transmitted by the notification transmitting part to the specified notification destination includes an address for retrieving the specified document from the document database.

17. The document access apparatus of claim 11, wherein the notification transmitted by the notification transmitting part to the specified notification destination includes a URL for retrieving, the specified document from the document database, and the URL includes an embedded access code that is required for accessing the specified document.

18. A method for providing document management services via a document management application, including a plurality of application functions, to a terminal, the plurality of application functions including a document registration function to register documents in a document database, and an access function to retrieve a specified document, or document data for the specified document, said method comprising the steps of:

communicating by an application user interface apparatus through the network with the document management application, to obtain document data for the specified document;

providing by the application user interface apparatus to an application user a notification user interface, and receiving through the notification user interface, specification of a notification destination of another user that is different from the application user, in connection with the specified document; and

transmitting, by a notification transmitting part of the application user interface apparatus, a notification, indicating that the specified document has been accessed by the application user, from the application user interface apparatus through the network to the specified notification destination of said another user,

wherein the notification transmitted by the notification transmitting part includes a document viewer displaying at least a viewable portion of the specified document accessed by the application user.