Patent ID: 7200593

Claim:
A document management system for limiting user access to a registered document, comprising: a first storage means for registering a document to be accessed; and a second storage means for registering access controlling information, wherein said access controlling information comprises one or a plurality of access controlling information records, and each access controlling information record contains a specific character string and identification data for specifying the access controlling information record; and wherein, when registering a certain document in said first storage means or when setting the access control to a document which has already been registered in said first storage means, a search is performed to check whether or not the document includes said each specific character string contained in said access controlling information which has already been registered in said second storage means, and if said specific character string is included in the document, said identification data for specifying said access controlling information record containing the specific character string is added to the document; and wherein access to said document registered in said first storage means is limited in accordance with contents of said access controlling information record corresponding to the said identification data, when the access to said document is thereafter requested, if said document contains said added identification data.