Patent Publication Number: US-7594173-B2

Title: Document control apparatus, document control system, document control method and storage medium

Description:
This application is a division of application Ser. No. 09/725,034, filed Nov. 29, 2000 (pending). 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a document control apparatus, a document control system, a document control method and a storage medium, more particularly to a document control apparatus, a document control system, a document control method and a storage medium that are preferable for providing accumulation control service by keeping various users&#39; electronic documents. 
   2. Related Background Art 
   Conventionally, companies have been providing document control systems for controlling electronic documents in an office. However, a conventional system generally is a sort of a document control system exclusively used by a user that is established in the user side in order to control documents owned by the user. In addition, since such a system is relatively expensive, although its introduction effects are expected and installation is proceeded to some extent according to necessity in large companies, it has not been introduced in small and medium-sized companies yet. On the other hand, it is an important subject for clarifying responsibilities of a company to store and control documents for a fixed period of time in the company. Thus, a service for storing and controlling documents of companies is now being started as a business. 
   However, the above-mentioned conventional art has the following problems. When a service for storing and controlling documents of companies is being started as a business as described above, a document control system for keeping documents of other companies with responsibility needs to be established unlike a conventional system that is exclusively operated within an own company. For this purpose, measures from various points of view are required, and here, a mechanism of a basic charge system in implementing a service and subjects particularly concerning storing duration of user documents and charge control are dealt with by the present invention. 
   The present invention is devised in view of the above-mentioned points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a document control apparatus, a document control system, a document control method and a storage medium that are capable of providing more certain access control by the unit of document and a system (service) for allowing access in the form of charging additional charge with a fixed grace period, and are made possible to support more flexible and certain than before. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In one embodiment of the present invention, a document control apparatus for accumulating and controlling electronic documents while keeping them accessible from outside is provided which comprises: duration controlling means for storing document control duration information by the unit of an electronic document when registering a document; access prohibiting means for prohibiting an access from outside to an electronic document whose document control duration has expired; and duration updating means for updating the document control duration by the unit of an electronic document. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing a configuration of a document control server of a document control system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a conceptual illustration showing a configuration of the document control system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is an explanatory illustration of a configuration of a document format in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart showing basic processing of the document control server in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a flow chart showing document registration/update/deletion processing in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 6  is a flow chart showing document registration/update/deletion processing in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 7  is a flow chart showing document access processing in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 8  is a flow chart showing document access processing in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 9  is an explanatory illustration showing an configuration example of stored contents of a storage medium storing a program and related data of the present invention; 
       FIG. 10  is an explanatory illustration showing a conceptual example of the program and the related data of the present invention being supplied from the storage medium to an apparatus; 
       FIG. 11  shows an example of a charge unit value table in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 12  shows an example of charge control information in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   An embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafter described in detail with reference to the drawings. 
     FIG. 2  is a conceptual illustration showing a configuration of a document control (document distribution system) in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. The document control system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention has a configuration in which a plurality of clients  21  and  22 , and a document control server  23  are connected via the Internet  24 . Further, the configuration shown in  FIG. 2  is an example only, and the number of clients and the like are not limited by the illustrated configuration. 
   Describing the above-mentioned configuration, in the document control system, the plurality of clients (in this example, the clients  21  and  22 ) are made to be capable of accessing the document control server  23  via the Internet  24 . Each of the clients  21  and  22  is made to be capable of performing registration, search, draw-out and so forth of documents and these operations can be performed from a Web browser. A configuration of the document control server  23  will be described later with reference to  FIG. 1 . 
     FIG. 3  is an explanatory illustration showing a configuration of a document format in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 3 , the document format is shown as controlling various kinds of information and data that are important in controlling documents as one set of documents and is composed of control information of document  31 , attached information of document  32  and a body of document data  33 . 
   First, in the area of the control information of document  31 , information such as an owner of each document, a storing duration under contract, an access authority holder of a document, a control number, a document name (title) is set. Second, in the area of the attached information of document  32 , summary information of a document, index (keyword) information and the like are set. In some cases, processed body of document data  33 , Optical character Reader (OCR) analyzed original image data, for example, imaged code data (data prepared by various kinds of document preparation applications) are combined to be set. Third, the body of document data  33  is requested to be registered by a user. In addition, it is also possible, by accumulating and storing an entity of each data in physically different storing places, to alternatively set link information indicating the place where the entity of the data exists in this information area. 
     FIG. 1  is a block diagram showing a configuration of a document control (document distribution) server of the document control system in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention. The document control (document distribution) server of the document control system in accordance with this embodiment of the present invention has a configuration in which a Web (HTTP: Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) server  1001 , a session control part  1010 , a job control part  1020 , a document registration processing part  1021 , a document search processing part  1022 , a document transfer processing part  1023 , a user control part  1024 , a database control part  1025 , a document database  1090 , a user control database  1091 , a charge database  1092  and log database  1093  are provided. 
   Describing the above-mentioned configuration in detail, the Web server  1001  has a Web browser and an interface. The session control part  1010  through the database control part  1025  execute processing shown in flowcharts of  FIGS. 4 through 8  that will be described later. The session control part  1010  has the Web server  1001  and an interface, and controls an access (session) from each user. The job control part  1020  controls execution of a user job. The document registration processing part  1021  performs processing such as registration, update, deletion of a document. The document search processing part  1022  performs search processing of documents accumulated and controlled in the Web server  1001 . 
   The document transfer processing part  1023  performs processing of transmission and reception document data with the user side. The user control part  1024  controls user information to be registered for service. The database control part  1025  controls various kinds of data to be described below by the document database  1090  through the log database  1093 . The document database  1090  controls document data. The user control database  1091  controls registered users. The charge database  1092  controls charge information. The log database  1093  controls document access histories. 
   A control method of charge information in the present invention will now be described with reference to  FIGS. 11 and 12 . 
     FIG. 11  is a table defining charge units to be used for calculating a charge. Unit prices by the unit of a document and a month are defined in accordance with basic contract terms. In addition, as will be described later, since a mechanism is provided to store a document with high access performance for a fixed time of period after the expiration of an contract, a special charge unit price for accessing such a document is also defined. 
     FIG. 12  shows examples of charge control data prepared for control charges. The examples are as follows. 
   User ID 
   Basically, an ID is given to each user so that charge for each user can be controlled. 
   Document Control Number 
   Here, an ID is added by the unit of a registered document so that charge is controlled per the unit of a document. 
   Registration Month 
   Here, date and time when a document first registered are controlled by the unit of a month. 
   Update Month 
   The latest contract update month is controlled. 
   Fundamental Contract 
   The latest contract period is controlled. 
   Access Frequency 
   Find access frequency from an access log with respect to each document to be separately controlled, and select and control (mark) a document with high access frequency. The document marked here is kept for a fixed time of period (a special range) even after the contract period has expired, and made accessible with an addition of additional charge for the special range defined in  FIG. 11 . In addition, the document marked here can be utilized for presenting it as a document for which contract update is recommended. 
   Special Range 
   As described above, this is a field for controlling that a document is an object of control falling into the special range even if its basic contract period has expired. 
   Additional Charge 
   Total of unsettled access charge with respect to the document controlled in the special range. 
   By controlling such data, charges that should be settled are calculated. 
   Here, it is assumed that a form of settlement, a month of settlement are controlled by the user control DB separately. 
     FIG. 10  is an explanatory illustration showing a conceptual example of the program and the related data of the present invention being supplied from a storage medium to an apparatus. The program and the related data of the present invention are supplied by inserting a storage medium  101  such as a floppy disc and a CD-ROM in a storage medium drive inserting opening  103  provided in an apparatus  102 . Thereafter, the program and the related data of the present invention can be executed by loading them from a hard disc to an RAM after installing them in the hard disc once from the storage medium  101 , or loading them directly to the RAM without installing them in the hard disc. 
   In this case, if the program of the present invention is executed in the document control system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, the program can be executed by supplying the program and the related data of the present invention in the document control server of the document control system in the procedures, for example, shown in the above-mentioned  FIG. 10 , or by storing the program and the related data of the present invention in the document control server in advance. 
     FIG. 9  is an explanatory illustration showing a configuration example of stored contents of the storage medium storing the program and the related data of the present invention. The storage medium of the present invention is composed of the stored contents, for example, volume information  91 , directory information  92 , a program execution file  93 , a program related data file  94  and the like. The program of the present invention is a program coded based on flowcharts of  FIGS. 4 through 8  to be described later. 
   Further, association between each element in claims of the present invention and each part of the document control system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention is as described below. A document control apparatus corresponds to the document control server and an external apparatus corresponds to the client. In addition, period controlling means, period updating means and document registering means correspond to the document registration processing part  1021 , access prohibiting means corresponds to the user control part  1024 , document searching means corresponds to the document search processing part  1022 , document transferring means correspond to the document transfer processing part  1023 , charging means corresponds to the database control part  1025  and the charge database  1029 , document accumulating means corresponds to the document database  1090 , user accumulating means corresponds to the user control database  1091 , charge accumulating means corresponds to the charge database  1092 , and history accumulating means corresponds to the log database  1093 . 
   Basic processing, document registration/update/deletion processing and document access processing of the document control server of the document control system with reference to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will now be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of  FIGS. 4 through 8 . 
   &lt;Basic Processing of the Document Control Server&gt; 
     FIG. 4  is a flowchart showing the basic processing of the document control server in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. In step S 1100 , the user control part  1024  determines whether Login/Logout processing is requested, and if the Login/Logout processing is requested, effects the Login/Logout processing in step S 1101 . Particularly, at the time of the Login processing, the user control part  1024  refers to the user control database  1091  via the database control part  1025 , and also determines whether a registered user of the service makes the request. In step S 1110 , the user control part  1024  determines whether service registration is requested, and if the service registration is requested, effects service registration in step S 1111 . Here, a new user is registered after collecting predetermined information and, at the same time, contents of the user registration are updated or deleted, and contents of the user control database  1091  are updated via the database control part  1025 . 
   In step S 1120 , the document registration processing part  1021  determines whether document registration is requested, and if the document registration is requested, the document registration processing is performed in step S 1121 . Here, the document data is transferred, a new document is registered, update of the control information of registered document and deletion of a document are simultaneously performed, and contents of the document database  1090  are updated via the database control part  1025 . In step S 1130 , the document search processing part  1022  determines whether document search is requested, and if the document search is requested, document search processing is performed in step S 1131 . As means for searching a document, various methods such as keyword search, full text search and the like can be contemplated, but no specific reference is made to the means here. Further, search with the document control information set in the document itself can be easily realized and, for example, search limited to remaining duration of the storage control duration for an owner is also possible. 
   In step S 1140 , the document transfer processing part  1023  determines whether a document is requested and, if the document is requested, document transfer processing is performed in step S 1141 . Here, transferring an entity of document data requested by a user to be transferred is a basis, but data that is additionally processed (OCR analysis results, etc.) may be transferred. In step S 1150 , the user control part  1024  determines whether service information is requested and, if the service information is requested, a service information notification is provided in step S 1151 . For example, the number of registered documents for each user, charge information, access information of a registered document can be notified. 
   &lt;Document Registration/Update/Deletion Processing&gt; 
     FIGS. 5 and 6  are flowcharts showing the document registration/update/deletion processing in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. In step S 1200 , the user control part  1024  performs user authentication first. In the case of an unregistered user, the user control part  1024  notifies to this effect and ends the processing by error. In step S 1210 , the user control part  1024  determines whether new document registration is requested or not and, if the new document registration is requested, goes to registration processing, and if the new document registration is not requested, goes to update/deletion processing. If the document registration is requested in the above-mentioned step S 1210 , document data that should be registered is received by the document transfer processing part  1023  in step S 1211 . At this time, data that is required for registration control is also obtained. 
   In step S 1212 , the document registration processing part  1021  prepares a document for registration in the format shown in the above-mentioned  FIG. 3 . The document control information required for control which is obtained in the above-mentioned step S 1211  is set in this step S 1212 . In addition, if a request for a job such as OCR analysis processing is made, data may be set by performing processing at this stage, or the request may be received at the time of update request and processed. In step S 1213 , the document prepared by the document registration processing part  1021  is registered in the document database  1090 . In step S 1214 , the user control part  1024  notifies the user of the registered information (a registration number, etc.), and ends the registration request processing. 
   If it is determined in step S 1210  that the document registration request is not made, in step S 1220 , the user control part  1024  confirms whether an update request/an deletion request is made. In step S 1221 , the user control part  1024  confirms the difference of an update registration/a deletion request as well as a document number to be an object, and in step S 1222 , the document search processing part  1022  searches the document. In step S 1223 , the user control part  1024  confirms whether the request is from a user who is allowed to make an update or deletion request based on the access information set in the document and, if the request is from a user who is not allowed to make a request, notifies that the user has no access authority and ends the processing. 
   The access authority information described here is a user name, but it may be something like an access password. In addition, for the system control, although it is possible to control the access authority only by generally used document registration table and the like, the access authority is more certainly controlled by using both information of the control table and information set in document information in this embodiment. Further, information recorded on the control tale is information that is prepared supplementary for the increase of access efficiency, and information that is original is information that is set in a document. 
   If it is determined in the above-mentioned step S 1223  that the user has an access authority, in step S 1224 , the document registration processing section  1021  actually performs update processing or deletion processing of document information. In the update processing, not only update of control information such as update of storing duration but also additional processing and the like of additional information prepared from the original document is accepted. In step S 1225 , the user control part  1024  notifies results of the processing performed in the above-mentioned step S 1224 , and ends the update/deletion processing. 
   &lt;Document Access Processing&gt; 
     FIGS. 7 and 8  are flowcharts showing document access processing in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention. In step S 1300 , the document search processing part  1022  searches a document first. An object scope of the search is preliminary limited to accessible documents in a group to which a user belongs (for example, an entire document controlled in a specific department of a company). In addition, an access authority is not specifically set in information such as a summary and the like, and all users in a group are set to be allowed to inspect. Thus, a user can confirm an outline of a document that is limited by keyword search and so forth by summary information and the like. Here, storing period information of the document is notified to the user together with the summary information for the user&#39;s reference. In addition, concerning this notification of storing period information, there is selecting means for limiting the notification to be made only in a case in which remaining duration becomes shorter than a fixed duration. 
   Step S 1310  is confirmation processing of document request after ending a search. If a document is not requested, ending of the processing is confirmed in step S 1311 , and the processing is returned to the search processing or ends the document request processing based on confirmation results. A document request in this context means a request of data of a body of a document made by a user if only a summary is insufficient information. If a document is requested, the user control part  1024  first confirms a setting state of an access authority that can be set in a document itself and confirms whether the user has an access authority or not in step S 1320 . If the user does not have an access authority, the processing returns to the search processing. If the user has an access authority, the user control part  1024  confirms setting contents of a storing control duration set in the document in step S 1330 . If there is no problem, the document transfer processing part  1023  performs transfer processing of predetermined data in step S 1370 , and the processing returns to the document search processing. 
   Step S 1340  is a step for deletion confirmation, and if a regular storing period has expired, the document registration processing part  1021  confirms if the document may be deleted. If the document may be deleted, the document registration processing part  1021  deletes the document in step S 1341 , and the processing returns to the document search processing. Step S 1350  is a step for update confirmation, and if a regular storing period has expired, the document registration processing part  1021  confirms if the storing duration of the document may be extended. If the storing period of the document may be extended, the document registration processing part  1021  updates the document in step S 1351 , and the processing goes to the document transfer processing. Step S 1360  is a step for confirming charge access, and the user control part  1024  confirms if a user accesses a document that is temporarily stored although its regular storing duration has been expired with an additional charge, and if there is no access request, the process returns to the document search processing. If there is an access request, the database control part  1025  and the charge database  1092  perform charge control processing in step S 1361 , and the processing goes to the document transfer processing. 
   Charge processing in this context means adding a predetermined charge amount to the field of additional charge described above and shown in  FIG. 12 . 
   Here, an explanation is supplemented for a case in which a document is controlled even if a regular storing duration has expired. This assumes a case in which, for example, most frequently accessed document is provided with storing service with a special charge system that is different from a regular charge for a fixed time of period and for a fixed volume as an option of the service supplier side. 
   The charge system is as described above and shown in  FIG. 11 . 
   As described above, according to the document control system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, since the document control sever comprises: the Web server  1001  having the Web browser and the interface; the session control part  1010  having the Web server  1001  and the interface for controlling access from each user; the job control part  1020  for executing and controlling a user job; the document registration processing part  1021  for processing registration, update, deletion and the like of documents; the document search processing part  1022  for searching a document accumulated and controlled in the Web server  1001 ; the document transfer processing part  1023  for processing transmission and reception of document data with the user side; the user control part  1024  for controlling user information to be registered for service; the database control part  1025  for controlling document data, registered users, charge information and document access histories; and databases  1090  through  1093  for accumulating document data, registered users, charge information and document access histories respectively, it has the following operations and effects. 
   In the above-mentioned configuration, if a document registration request is issued, the document registration processing part  1021  performs document data transfer processing, new document registration, update of control information of a registered document, and document deletion processing, and updates contents of the document database  1090 . In this case, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the document registration processing part  1021  controls the control information of document  31 , the attached information of document  32  and the body of document data  33  as a set, and sets information such as storing duration under a contract in the control information document  31 . In addition, the document registration processing part  1021  confirms if a user has an access authority, and if a regular storing duration has expired, performs deletion processing based on the confirmation on deleting or not of the document. In addition, the document registration processing part  1021  confirms if a user accesses a document that is temporarily stored although its regular storing duration has been expired with an additional charge, and if there is an access request, the database control part  1025  and the charge database  1092  perform the charge control processing. 
   Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention has the following effects that is excellent in that it is effective as a document control system for providing a document control service and as a system for supporting a more flexible and certain storing service: 
   (1) More certain access control is possible by embedding information such as document storing duration information in a document itself. 
   (2) Provision of a system (service) is possible for allowing access in the form of charging additional charge with a fixed grace period to a document whose document storing duration has been expired, rather than unconditionally disposing it. 
   Other Embodiment 
   The above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention has been described with a system in which the document control server and the plurality of clients are connected via the Internet as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, but may have an arbitrary communication medium as long as it can keep various electronic documents of users and provide accumulation control service, and may be applied to a system in which, for example, the document control server and the plurality of clients are connected via an network such as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). 
   In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment of the present invention has been described with a system in which the document control server and the plurality of clients are connected via the Internet as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, but may have an arbitrary system configuration as long as it can keep various electronic documents of users and provide accumulation control service, and may be applied to a complex system connecting a plurality of systems in which, for example, the document control server and the plurality of clients are connected via an network such as the Internet or the ISDN. 
   Further, the present invention may be applied to a system comprised of a plurality of instruments or to an apparatus consisting of one machine. It goes without saying that the present invention can be achieved by supplying a storage medium storing a program code of software that realized the functions of the above-mentioned embodiment to a system or an apparatus, and the system or a computer (or a CPU or a MPU) of the apparatus reading out and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. 
   In this case, the program code itself read out from the storage media realizes the functions of the above-mentioned embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. 
   As a storage medium for supplying a program code, for example, a floppy disc, a hard disc, an optical disc, a magneto-optical disc, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card and a ROM can be used. 
   In addition, it goes without saying that not only the above-mentioned functions of the embodiment are realized by executing the program code read out by the computer, but also an OS and the like running on the computer performs a part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and the above-mentioned functions of the embodiment are realized by the processing. 
   Moreover, it goes without saying that, after the program code read out from the storage medium is written in a function extension board inserted in the computer or a memory provided in a function extension unit connected to the computer, a CPU and the like provided in the function extension board or the function extension unit performs a part or all of the actual processing, and the above-mentioned functions of the embodiment are realized by the processing. 
   As described above, since the apparatus, system and method of the embodiment of the present invention controls to store document control duration information by the unit of an electronic document when registering the document, prohibit an access from the outside to an electronic document whose document storing period has expired, update the document control period by the unit of an electronic document, embed the document control duration information in the electronic document and control it together with the body of the electronic document, and allow an access from the outside to the document whose document control duration has expired by imposing a predetermined charge, the embodiment of the present invention has the following effects that is excellent in that it is effective as a document control system for providing a document control service and as a system for supporting more flexible and certain storing service: 
   (1) More certain access control is possible by embedding information such as document storing period information in a document itself. 
   (2) Provision of a system (service) is possible for allowing access in the form of charging additional charge with a fixed grace period to a document whose document storing period has been expired, rather than unconditionally disposing it.