DOCUMENT PROCESSING APPARATUS AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM

A document processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires an electronic document from an external storage apparatus, an addition unit that adds attribute information to the electronic document acquired by the acquisition unit, and a storage unit that stores the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto by the addition unit in a storage destination in the external storage apparatus.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-222149 filed Nov. 17, 2017.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a document processing apparatus and a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a document processing apparatus including an acquisition unit that acquires an electronic document from an external storage apparatus, an addition unit that adds attribute information to the electronic document acquired by the acquisition unit, and a storage unit that stores the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto by the addition unit in a storage destination in the external storage apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

First Exemplary Embodiment

FIG. 1illustrates the system configuration of a document management system of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated inFIG. 1, the document management system of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is configured by document processing apparatuses11to13such as personal computers and document management servers20A to20D that are connected to each other via a network30.

There are various types of document management software for editing or creating an electronic document file (hereinafter referred to simply as an electronic document). For example, the following description is made under the assumption that there are four types of document management software that are AAA software, BBB software, CCC software, and DDD software.

The document management servers20A to20D store electronic documents generated by the different types of document management software that are the AAA software, the BBB software, the CCC software, and the DDD software, respectively.

Those types of document management software call a function at a determined timing by using a dynamic link library (DLL) file having a defined interface. Therefore, the plural and different types of document management software are associable with each other.

A certain type of document management software such as the AAA software is installed in each of the document processing apparatuses11to13. With the document management software that is the AAA software, an electronic document file may be edited or created.

The same document management software that is the AAA software is installed in each of the document processing apparatuses11to13. Thus, generated electronic documents may be transmitted, received, viewed, or revised.

The document management server20A is connected to the document processing apparatuses11to13via the network30and stores electronic documents generated by the document processing apparatuses11to13. Users who use the document processing apparatuses11to13view the electronic documents stored in the document management server20A or store generated electronic documents in the document management server20A. Thus, the electronic documents may be exchanged or used among the document processing apparatuses11to13.

The document management software described above includes attribute adding software for adding attribute information to an electronic document. The attribute adding software has a function of adding various types of attribute information such as a document type to an electronic document and storing the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto while categorizing the electronic document based on the added attribute information. The attribute adding software and the document management software for viewing electronic documents are also associated with each other by using the DLL file described above.

FIG. 2illustrates the hardware configuration of the document processing apparatus11in the document management system of this exemplary embodiment. The configurations of the document processing apparatuses12and13are identical to the configuration of the document processing apparatus11and description thereof is therefore omitted.

As illustrated inFIG. 2, the document processing apparatus11includes a CPU21, a memory22, a communication interface (IF)23that transmits and receives data to and from external apparatuses and the like via the network30, a storage device24such as a hard disk drive (HDD), and a user interface (UI) device25including a touch panel or a liquid crystal display and a keyboard. Those components are connected to each other via a control bus26.

The CPU21controls an operation of the document processing apparatus11by executing predetermined processing based on a control program stored in the memory22or the storage device24. This exemplary embodiment is described under the assumption that the CPU21reads and executes the control program stored in the memory22or the storage device24. The program may be provided to the CPU21by being stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM.

FIG. 3is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the document processing apparatus11that is implemented by executing the control program described above.

As illustrated inFIG. 3, the document processing apparatus11includes an operation receiving part31, a control part32, a display part33, a data storage part34, a communication part35, and an optical character reader (OCR) processing part36.

The operation receiving part31receives an input of character information to be added to an electronic document as attribute information. When the character information to be added to the electronic document as the attribute information is input, the operation receiving part31receives specification of a storage destination of the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto.

When any area is specified in the displayed electronic document, the OCR processing part36performs the OCR processing (character recognition processing) on the specified area, thereby acquiring, from the electronic document, character information located in the specified area.

The control part32acquires electronic documents from the document management servers20A to20D that are external storage apparatuses by accessing the document management servers20A to20D via the communication part35.

Then, the control part32adds attribute information to each of the acquired electronic documents. Specifically, the control part32adds character information acquired by the OCR processing part36or character information input by the user to each of the electronic documents as the attribute information.

Finally, the control part32stores the electronic documents each having the attribute information added thereto in storage destinations in the document management servers20A to20D that are the external storage apparatuses.

At this time, the control part32stores the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto in a document management server that is specified as the storage destination of the electronic document among the document management servers20A to20D. The specification of the document management server is received by the operation receiving part31.

When storage destination information indicating a storage destination corresponding to attribute information is stored in advance in the data storage part34, the control part32stores the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto in a storage destination in an external storage apparatus specified based on the storage destination information corresponding to the attribute information, that is, any one document management server out of the document management servers20A to20D.

The storage destination information stored in the data storage part34may include not only information indicating an external storage apparatus of a storage destination but also information indicating an external storage apparatus of a storage destination and a storage area in the external storage apparatus. In this case, the control part32stores the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto in the specified storage area in the external storage apparatus specified as the storage destination by the storage destination information.

Through the control described above, the external storage apparatus of an acquisition source from which an electronic document is acquired may be different from the external storage apparatus of the storage destination in which the electronic document is stored by the control part32. Further, the external storage apparatus of the acquisition source from which an electronic document is acquired may be identical to the external storage apparatus of the storage destination in which the electronic document is stored by the control part32.

When the external storage apparatus of the acquisition source is identical to the external storage apparatus of the storage destination, the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto may be stored in a storage area identical to a storage area from which the electronic document is acquired or in a storage area different from the storage area from which the electronic document is acquired.

As the case in which the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto is stored in the storage area different from the storage area from which the electronic document is acquired, there is a case in which the control part32generates a new storage area in a lower-level layer of the storage area from which the electronic document is acquired and stores the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto in the generated new storage area.

When a new storage area is generated in the lower-level layer of the storage area from which the electronic document is acquired and the electronic document is stored, the control part32may generate plural new storage areas corresponding to pieces of attribute information in the lower-level layer of the storage area from which the electronic document is acquired and store the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto in any one storage area out of the plural generated new storage areas based on the added attribute information.

The display part33displays an electronic document and various types of information for the user based on control of the control part32. The communication part35transmits and receives data to and from the document processing apparatuses12and13, the document management servers20A to20D, and the like via the network30. The data storage part34stores an electronic document acquired by the control part32and other data.

Next, an operation of the document processing apparatus11in the document management system of this exemplary embodiment is described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4is a flowchart for illustrating processing in which the document processing apparatus11acquires an electronic document file, adds attribute information, and then stores the electronic document file again in a specified storage area.

When the user selects, via the operation receiving part31, a document management server (external storage apparatus) and a folder from which electronic documents are acquired (Step S101), the control part32acquires an electronic document file group from the specified folder of the selected document management server (Step S102).

Then, the control part32causes the display part33to display one electronic document out of the acquired electronic document file group (Step S103).FIG. 5illustrates an example of the electronic document displayed in this manner.

FIG. 5illustrates an example of a display screen when the acquired electronic document is displayed as a preview by the attribute adding software and character information to be added to the electronic document as attribute information is input.

When the user refers to the electronic document displayed in this manner and inputs the character information to be added to the electronic document as the attribute information, the operation receiving part31receives the input character information (Step S104). The exemplary display screen illustrated inFIG. 5indicates a case in which character information “bill” is selected as attribute information on a document type, information “10/10/2017” is input as attribute information whose attribute name is “date”, information “$972.00” is input as attribute information whose attribute name is “amount”, and information “ABC Corporation” is input as attribute information whose attribute name is “customer name”.

When the user completes the input of the attribute information and depresses a “register” button in the example of the display screen illustrated inFIG. 5, screen contents are displayed as illustrated inFIG. 6. In the example of the display screen illustrated inFIG. 6, the document management server of the acquisition source or another document management server that corresponds to other document management software and is different from the acquisition source may be selected as a registration destination of the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto. That is, when the “attribute adding software” is selected in the display screen illustrated inFIG. 6, the document management server of the acquisition source is directly specified as the storage destination. When an “associated folder” is selected, a document management server of other document management software associated with the document management software on which the user is currently viewing the electronic document is specified as the storage destination.

Description is herein made under the assumption that the user selects the “associated folder” and depresses an “OK” button in the display screen illustrated inFIG. 6. Next, screen contents are displayed as illustrated inFIG. 7. In the example of the display screen illustrated inFIG. 7, document management software for storing the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto is selected.

The display screen illustrated inFIG. 7indicates a case in which the user selects the “BBB software” and depresses an “OK” button. Through the selection, the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto is stored in the document management server20B corresponding to the BBB software (Step S105). In this case, the folder of the storage destination is not specified. Therefore, selection is made such that the electronic document is stored in a root folder that is a highest-level layer.

When the user depresses the “OK” button in the display screen illustrated inFIG. 7, a new folder is generated in a lower-level layer of the root folder of the document management server20B that is the selected storage destination (Step S106). The attribute information is added to the electronic document and then the electronic document is stored in the generated new folder (Step S107).

In Step S106, the new folder is generated only when the first electronic document of the electronic document file group is stored. The new folder is not generated when the new folder has already been generated.

Then, the processing of Steps S103to S107is repeated until the processing is executed on all the electronic documents of the specified electronic document file group. When pieces of attribute information have been added to all the electronic documents and the electronic documents have been stored again in specified storage areas, the processing is terminated (Step S108).

FIG. 9illustrates a state in which pieces of attribute information are added to electronic documents (File1, File2, . . . ) stored in a root folder of the document management server20A as illustrated in, for example,FIG. 8, the document management server20B is specified as the storage destination, and the electronic documents are stored in the document management server20B. Through the processing described above, the electronic documents each having the attribute information added thereto are stored in ‘bill’ and ‘receipt’ folders that are newly generated in the lower-level layer of the root folder of the document management server20B.

FIG. 9illustrates a case in which character information “bill” is added to Files1,2, and5as attribute information on the document type and character information “receipt” is added to Files3,4, and6as attribute information on the document type. The plural electronic documents each having the attribute information added thereto in this manner are categorized and stored in the folders corresponding to the pieces of added attribute information. Thus, the user does not need to separately execute two types of processing that are addition of attribute information and categorization of electronic documents each having the attribute information added thereto.

The above description is directed to the case in which the electronic documents stored in the document management server20A are acquired and are stored again in the document management server20B that is set as the storage destination. The document management server of the acquisition source and the document management server of the storage destination may be combined arbitrarily.

For example, as illustrated inFIG. 10A, attribute information may be added to an electronic document acquired from the document management server20A and then the electronic document may be stored again in the document management server20A of the acquisition source that is also set as the storage destination. As the case that is also described above, as illustrated inFIG. 10B, attribute information may be added to an electronic document acquired from the document management server20A and then the electronic document may be stored again in the document management server20B that is different from the document management server20A of the acquisition source and is set as the storage destination. As illustrated inFIG. 10C, attribute information may be added to an electronic document acquired from the document management server20B and then the electronic document may be stored again in the document management server20C that is different from the document management server20B of the acquisition source and is set as the storage destination.

Second Exemplary Embodiment

Next, a document management system of a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described.

In the document management system of the first exemplary embodiment described above, the user specifies a storage destination and a storage area of an electronic document having attribute information added thereto. In the document management system of this exemplary embodiment, storage destination information in which a storage destination is set so as to correspond to attribute information on the document type or the like is registered in advance. Thus, there is no need to perform such an operation that the user specifies a storage destination every time attribute information is added to an electronic document.

The configurations of the document processing apparatuses11to13and the configurations of the document management servers20A to20D in the document management system of this exemplary embodiment are similar to those in the document management system of the first exemplary embodiment. Therefore, description is made with reference to the same reference numerals for the same components.

Examples of the storage destination information stored in the data storage part34of the document processing apparatus11in the document management system of this exemplary embodiment are described with reference toFIG. 11andFIG. 12.

The exemplary storage destination information illustrated inFIG. 11indicates a case in which the document management server20A is set as a storage destination corresponding to a document type “receipt”, the document management server20A is set as a storage destination corresponding to a document type “bill”, and the document management server20C is set as a storage destination corresponding to a document type “acknowledgement”.

The exemplary storage destination information illustrated inFIG. 12indicates a case in which not only external storage apparatuses of the storage destinations but also storage areas in the external storage apparatuses are set. Specifically, the exemplary storage destination information illustrated inFIG. 12indicates a case in which a “root folder” of the document management server20A is set as the storage destination corresponding to the document type “receipt”, a “‘bill’ folder” of the document management server20A is set as the storage destination corresponding to the document type “bill”, and an “‘XXX’ folder” of the document management server20C is set as the storage destination corresponding to the document type “acknowledgement”.

In this exemplary embodiment, the storage destination information is stored in advance in the data storage part34as a configuration file. The control part32refers to the storage destination information in the configuration file and stores an electronic document having attribute information added thereto in a storage destination that is set in advance without waiting for the user's specification.

Next, processing in which the document processing apparatus11in the document management system of this exemplary embodiment acquires an electronic document file, adds attribute information, and then stores the electronic document file again in a specified storage area is described with reference to a flowchart ofFIG. 13.

In the flowchart illustrated inFIG. 13, processing of Steps S201and S202is only added in the flowchart illustrated inFIG. 4according to the first exemplary embodiment. Therefore, the added processing is only described.

When the user inputs attribute information to be added to a displayed electronic document (Step S104), the control part32determines whether storage destination information corresponding to the attribute information (document type in this case) is set in the configuration file stored in the data storage part34(Step S201).

When it is determined in Step S201that the storage destination information corresponding to the attribute information is not set in the configuration file (“no” in Step S201), similarly to the first exemplary embodiment, the control part32causes the display part33to display the display screens illustrated inFIG. 6andFIG. 7for the user and also causes the operation receiving part31to receive selection of a document management server and a folder of the storage destination (Step S105).

When it is determined in Step S201that the storage destination information corresponding to the attribute information is set in the configuration file (“yes” in Step S201), the control part32does not cause the display part33to display the display screens illustrated inFIG. 6andFIG. 7for the user but acquires the storage destination information corresponding to the document type from the configuration file and selects (determines) a document management server and a folder in which the electronic document is stored based on the document type of the attribute information to be added to the electronic document (Step S202).

The processing of Step S106and the subsequent processing are similar to those of the first exemplary embodiment and description thereof is therefore omitted.

As described above, when the storage destination information in which a storage destination is set so as to correspond to attribute information is set in advance, the document processing apparatus11in the document management system of this exemplary embodiment stores the electronic document having the attribute information added thereto again in the storage destination determined based on the set storage destination information without inquiring the storage destination from the user.

The processing to be performed when an electronic document is stored again in this manner is described with reference toFIG. 14.

FIG. 14illustrates a state in which a storage destination is automatically determined based on storage destination information when the user uses the attribute adding software to display an electronic document, input character information as attribute information, and depress a “register” button.

That is, when the user depresses the “register” button of the attribute adding software, the document type of the attribute information to be added to the electronic document is “bill” and therefore the “document management server20A” and the “‘bill’ folder” are automatically determined as the storage destination and the storage folder, respectively, by referring to the storage destination information.

After the attribute information is added to the electronic document, the electronic document is stored in the “‘bill’ folder” of the document management server20A without the need for the user's specification of the storage destination.