JP2012252542A - Network distribution type document storage technology using document storage place object for efficiently performing document retrieval work on windows(r) - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a document storage system with a low cost and a low maintenance, which can be used by anyone and serves as a new alternative for a centralized document storage technology which requires an expensive introduction and management cost and a special technique.SOLUTION: A folder hierarchy on Windows(R) is defined as a document storage place object, and storage characteristics of documents stored in all lower folders contained in the document storage place object are managed in an integrated fashion. An access to the document storage place object is permitted via a mere determined method.

Description

The present invention is a technical field in which, when a document is stored on Windows (registered trademark), a document name is set, a storage location is specified, and search information is added in a sequential manner in accordance with storage characteristics set in advance.

Recently, technological innovation has advanced and it has become easier to digitize paper documents. Also, image files are flooded on PCs due to the explosive spread of digital cameras. Since these image files cannot be searched as they are, search information must be added by a systematic document name, storage location designation, and some mechanism for efficient document management. The present invention focuses on this field, and introduces a new concept of a document storage location object as a distributed document storage technique for a portion that is limited in the conventional centralized document storage system.

In order to efficiently perform a document search operation on Windows (registered trademark), a centralized document storage technique is widely used. This is a mechanism for placing database software for document storage on a server on the network and storing the target document there. There can also be found a method of connecting a full-text search function for stored documents, etc., performing a certain amount of document content analysis, and adding necessary search information to each document. However, such a centralized document storage method has a high introduction / maintenance cost and a technical level required at the time of introduction, and cannot be used immediately by any user. Also, since it is a centralized management type, if the server cannot be accessed on the network for some reason, all users will not be able to use this centralized document storage function. As a centralized characteristic, the detailed document storage characteristics of all users correspond to the detailed document storage characteristics, or the implementation of document storage becomes uniform, or complicated storage settings are required to meet this. Usually, a specific administrator who manages the settings is required. In the centralized document storage technique, it is general that a certain procedure (via the SQL language, etc.) must be taken when confirming the contents of a plurality of documents.

The program of the present invention is a network distribution using a document storage location object that complements the limitations of this centralized document storage technology (high cost of introduction and management, necessity of specialized managers, high dependence on the network, etc.) Type document storage technology. This distributed document storage technology can be used immediately without changing the personal computer operation technology that users have so far, and its purpose is to respond precisely to each user's document storage request regardless of the network status. And it keeps in mind that search information can be efficiently added to image files that were complicated in the past.

In this distributed document storage technology, a plurality of document storage locations on distributed Windows (registered trademark) are recognized as objects. Since these document storage location objects individually hold document storage characteristics, the user selects a specific document storage location object according to the document storage purpose so as to specify a database in the centralized document management method. The selected document storage location object requests a necessary input item from the user who stores the document according to the set document storage characteristic, and stores the document based on the obtained storage characteristic information. The document storage characteristics at this time are a document name, a folder designation in the document storage location object, and search information added to the document. This document storage location object can recognize not only a folder hierarchy newly created on Windows (registered trademark) but also an existing folder hierarchy as a document storage location object, so that existing assets can be used as they are. As a result, consumption of extra space on Windows (registered trademark) can be suppressed. The present invention includes a method for recognizing an existing folder hierarchy as a document storage location and defining it as an object.

The distributed document storage location object contains the storage characteristics of the document to be stored there. Since these document storage characteristics are set and edited at individual document storage locations, unlike the centralized management type, the document storage characteristics are determined only by business knowledge in accordance with the purpose of use. Since the setting method is executed by a wizard method (sequential method), it does not require special computer database knowledge and can be completed by a general user only with knowledge of the target business. There is no need for specialized managers as in the centralized one.

In addition to the function of defining distributed document storage location objects, the program of the present invention includes a plurality of methods for putting documents into and out of the document storage location objects. These methods receive the document storage characteristics from the specified document storage location object and modify the user interface accordingly in time. And since the method completes the function in a sequential manner, the learning time required in advance can be minimized. That is, the user can complete the document storage operation only with knowledge of the target document.

The program of the present invention includes a tool capable of browsing the search additional information of the document stored in each document storage location object. When the mouse is moved over the document list, additional information attached to the document is displayed in a pop-up. The additional information popup is automatically closed when the mouse leaves the document. Using this search information browsing tool, it is possible to check additional information for search without opening an actual document with a creation application, which is effective in reviewing a plurality of documents. This function can be turned on and off as needed.

Search information added to each document varies widely. In this invention program, a list of search information (keywords) added to a document can be managed as a table in a plurality of storage locations, and each document storage location object designates an appropriate search information list table. A method for editing and managing these search information list tables and connecting them to each document storage location is also included in the program of the present invention.

The user can attach three types of additional information to the stored document. The first is a plurality of keyword sets defined by the document storage location object. Each keyword set is divided into four purpose-specific keyword groups, each group containing 20 actual keywords. These keyword set groups are set in advance according to the actual purpose of the document storage location object. The user selects an optimum keyword from the keyword selection frame set in advance. With this method, the range of keywords that can be added by the user can be limited according to the business purpose. The second additional information is a free tag. This is a tag that the user can freely add without worrying about the business purpose of the document storage object. Once used, tags are automatically added to the tag list and can be shared by other users accessing the document storage object. In the program of the present invention, every time a tag is used, its usage frequency is stored in the tag list. When the user attaches tags to the document, the usable tags are displayed in order according to the frequency of use so far. In this way, the user can quickly determine a more appropriate tag. The third is an explanatory note. In principle, an actual sentence can be added to an explanatory text, unlike a keyword or tag centered on a word. Using copy / paste in the Windows (registered trademark) environment, it becomes possible to add fairly long sentences as needed. The program of the present invention can store up to about 30,000 words. By using the above three types of additional information according to the business purpose, the efficiency of document search is dramatically increased.

The document storage location object used in the present invention recognizes not only a folder hierarchy newly created on Windows (registered trademark) but also an existing folder hierarchy as a document storage location object, so that existing assets can be used as they are. Can do.

Since the document characteristics are set using a wizard-type selection method when saving a document, the user does not need special computer or database knowledge, and can complete the document storage characteristics setting operation only with knowledge of the target business. Therefore, it does not require specialized managers as in the centralized type.

The method that can access the document storage location object receives the necessary document storage characteristics from the object, and dynamically displays the optimal choice for document storage to the user based on it. This enables efficient document storage.

When searching for a document, the document characteristics can be confirmed without opening the target document with a specific application, so that the target document can be searched efficiently.

Since the search information list added to the document can be shared and reused as a template, it is possible to easily create a new storage rule and change an existing rule.

By adding three different types of information (preset keywords, tags that can be set arbitrarily, and long texts) to saved documents, flexible document search is realized.

User interface that defines document storage location objects in a selection method. A user interface that sets and updates the document storage characteristics of a document storage location object in a sequential / selection manner. A user interface that saves multiple documents according to the document storage characteristics of the document storage location object. A user interface that displays search information of a document stored in a document storage location object by a “balloon method”. User interface to edit / update search information (keyword set) table. A user interface that attaches three types of additional information (keywords, tags, descriptions) to a document stored in a document storage location object.

"Define distributed document storage as an object"

The program of the present invention regards a designated folder on Windows (registered trademark) as the top layer of the document storage location, and creates a hidden folder in which information relating to the document storage characteristics is stored. The hidden folder name is .dfconf. This folder is not displayed from the list of Windows Explorer that is normally set. The document storage characteristics stored in the top hierarchy (.dfconf) are all applied to the document storage for the lower-level folders included in the document storage location. Through this process, the specified folder and all lower folders below it can be recognized as a collective object. In addition, the program of the present invention keeps a list of the top level of the document storage location specified in this way in the / Documents and Setting / users / Application Data / Document Fusion folder (DFConf.ini) of each user's Windows (registered trademark). Used as a starting point for all document preservation processes. That is, the first step in all document storage processes is to select a document storage location object. The program of the present invention determines whether or not the specified folder is included in the document storage location object based on whether or not the hidden folder (.dfconf) for storing the document characteristics exists. In the actual execution process, go back to the top level of Windows (registered trademark) from the specified folder, verify the existence of the hidden folder, and if there is a hidden folder with document storage characteristics in the middle, It is determined that it is included in the document storage location object.

The document storage characteristics included here are a document name determination rule added to the document, a storage location designation rule in the document storage location object, and what kind of search information should be included. These document storage characteristics are stored in the Windows (registered trademark) Ini file format (FileStore.ini). Each rule is represented in general form, and when the user performs a document save, the document save method inserts the user selection into those general form rules, and the actual document name, storage location, and required Determine additional information. The program of the present invention includes a function for recognizing an existing folder hierarchy as a document storage location object as well as a newly created one.

The program of the present invention has two options as storage locations for documents that are actually saved. The first option is to store the saved document itself and a CSV file (saved document name-DFKeyword-csv) storing additional information as a pair in a subfolder constructed in the document storage location object. At this time, if the saved document is an image (photograph), a thumbnail in bitmap format (saved document name-DFThumbnail.bmp) is automatically generated and saved at the same time. In the program of the present invention, the saved document and the two attribute files are saved at the same time, and are used for the subsequent file search and photo search. The second option is to save the full path and additional information of the document name stored in the storage location object in the distributed relational DB (DF-FileInfo.db). The actual database (DB) table is placed in a hidden folder (.dfconf) of the document storage location object. In this DB, all document names and additional information stored in the storage location object are inserted in SQL format. Even if the number of documents to be stored increases, only the distributed database is accessed during an actual search to search for a document that matches the search condition, so that the search time is greatly improved. The above two options are selected by the user when the program of the present invention is actually set.

In the program of the present invention, five document storage location objects can be simultaneously registered as active and utilized as document storage locations. Once created and deactivated, the document storage object can be returned to the active state whenever necessary. Which document storage location object is active is stored in the / Documents and Setting / users / Application Data / Document Fusion folder (DFConf.ini) of each user's Windows (registered trademark) mentioned above, and all document storage processes Refer to this list first. The program of the present invention provides a method of which document storage location object is made active and which is made inactive, and uses the SHGetFolderPath (), GetPrivateProfileString (), WritePrivateProfileString () functions provided by Windows (registered trademark). Implemented.

"Setting and changing the characteristics of the document storage location object"

Editing and updating the property settings of the document storage location object can be executed only by a method permitted to access it. The editing / updating operator can use the sequential method provided by the program of the present invention without considering the actual computer storage format, and can complete it while assuming the actual job of document storage. In this sequential method, in order to minimize input mistakes, the selection method is used as a basis and necessary key inputs are minimized. System information such as date and time, user information, file hierarchy information, and usable search information is automatically acquired by the program of the present invention. Since the program of the present invention supports a plurality of search information list tables specialized for document storage / business distributed over a network, the optimum search information list table can be linked to a necessary document storage location object. The storage characteristics of the document storage location object can be set and changed in a way that combines building blocks. The program of the present invention provides the following methods for setting and changing these document storage characteristic elements:

A setting for which keyword sets that exist on the network to use when storing documents in the document storage location object. In the program of the present invention, a keyword set table specialized for an arbitrary number of various tasks can be set. Each document storage destination object can be selected from among the plurality of keyword set tables according to the characteristics of document storage. The selected keyword set table name is stored in a hidden folder at the top layer of the object (DF-KWFolder.csv). <Setting and editing tools> <Select rules> <Select keyword set>

Implement consistent subfolder hierarchies within document storage location objects. An object of the program of the present invention is to allow a user to save a document in an appropriate subfolder in the document storage location object without being aware of the actual Windows (registered trademark) folder hierarchy. For this reason, the subfolders in the object are created and organized according to the actual business contents. For example, the first level is “customer name”, the second level below is “project name”, and the third level below is “year”. By doing so, it becomes possible to file and retrieve documents in the same manner as a paper document storage method in an old office. The program of the present invention includes a method capable of creating an actual folder hierarchy as if creating a folder for saving a paper document without being aware of the actual Windows (registered trademark) folder hierarchy. Yes. <Setting / Editing Tool> <Rule Selection> <Folder Management> The “hierarchy name” that matches the business content set in “Folder Management” is used as an element when actually saving a document. Instead of <C: \ My Documents \ ..... \ ...>, which specifies the conventional Windows (registered trademark) storage location, <customer name, project, year> is the document storage location in the program of the present invention. Used as a specified element.

Setting of what kind of document name is given to the document stored in the document storage location object based on the information selected by the user. In the conventional document storage method, the user must always consider a new stored document name. In a small group, if a basic policy is decided to some extent, it is possible to save with a consistent document name. However, as the number of people increases, storage with a uniform document name becomes difficult as time passes. In the program of the present invention, a new document storage name is determined based on the document storage conditions selected by the user, for example, “customer name, project, year”, storage date / time, user name, keyword, etc. Even in a wide range of document storage processes, it is guaranteed that documents are stored with a uniform document name. The stored document name rule included in the document storage location object is described in a general system. For example, <$ USER $, $ DATE1 $, $ TIME $, $ PC $, $ FOLDER1 $, ...>. The information selected by the user when the document is actually saved is replaced with the elements of the general form, and the final document name is determined. Tools for setting the general form of the stored document name are <setting / editing tool> <rule selection> <file name creation setting>. With this tool, you can visually determine which general form elements are set in which order. You can add / delete elements with <Add> <Delete>, and change the order of elements once inserted with the <UP> <DOWN> buttons.

Setting of additional information to be added to the document stored in the document storage location object based on the information selected by the user. In the program of the present invention, in addition to the document storage location determination element and the document name determination element, a keyword set, a free tag, and an explanatory text can be linked to the document as additional information. Specifically, rules are defined in the same general form as used in the “File name creation settings” above, additional information is determined based on the specific elements selected by the user when saving the actual document, and the CSV file format together with the document Saved with. Tools for setting these additional information storage general forms are <setting / editing tool> <rule selection> <setting additional information>. The mechanism of the tool is the same as the “file name creation setting” described above.

"Save Document to Document Location Object"

In order to actually store a document in a document storage location object distributed on a network, the program of the present invention provides various methods. These document storage methods access the selected document storage location object before starting the actual storage process and receive the required document storage characteristics. The document storage method has a function of dynamically changing the user interface based on the storage characteristic information (general file name rule, storage location rule, additional information rule, keyword set table, etc.). For this reason, the user can complete document storage in a sequential manner while selecting an element specialized for the selected document storage location object. In the sequential method, most user-selected elements are implemented by pull-down menus, and selectable menu contents are constructed from document storage characteristic information acquired from a document storage location object. In the program of the present invention, the following method is prepared for storing a document in the document storage location object.

Access from Windows (registered trademark) environment (single file): The Explorer PlugIn function is used to directly access the document storage location object from the Windows (registered trademark) Explorer. When a save target is selected from the file list of Explorer and a context menu is opened by right-clicking the mouse, a method for the document storage location object of the program of the present invention is already included. The method receives the selected document name from the explorer, and copies the document to the document storage location object together with information necessary for document storage.

Access from Windows (registered trademark) environment (batch migration to multiple file objects): Batch migration of multiple files in the Windows (registered trademark) environment that the user has already built to the document storage location object I can do it. In this case, an existing Windows (registered trademark) folder is selected as a target, and all documents included therein are targeted for migration. There are three new document names: “Use original file name as is”, “Prefix / suffix original file name”, and “Use new file name set by object”. The Regarding the actual movement of the document, the user can select from two options of “delete original file” and “leave original file as it is”.

Access from the Windows (registered trademark) environment (conversion to an existing Windows (registered trademark) field document storage location object): Unlike the above-mentioned "Migration", using this method, the existing Windows (registered trademark) folder is directly documented. Can be converted to a storage location object. The specific conversion process is similar to the method described in “Defining distributed document storage locations as objects”, and creates a hidden folder that stores information about document storage characteristics. The hidden folder name is .dfconf.

Access from Microsoft-Office (registered trademark) environment: Directly access the document storage location object via the AddIn function provided by Microsoft-Office (registered trademark). In this case, Office-AddIn obtains the required document storage characteristics from the document storage location object, and processing required inside Office-AddIn (new document name, storage location specification in the object, pasting of additional information, etc.) And save the document in the object using the Microsoft-Office (registered trademark) file save function.

Access from other document creation applications: If general document applications support the PlugiIn / AddIn function, the document storage location object can be accessed via “Save File” of those applications. The actual file saving process is the same as that via Windows (registered trademark) Explorer.

"Displaying Additional Information for Documents Stored in Document Storage Location Objects"

In order to display the additional information of the document stored in the document storage location object, the program of the present invention uses the ToolTip function of Windows (registered trademark). When displaying the contents of a folder in a specified document storage location object with a ListView control of Windows (registered trademark), an additional information file (CSV file) of each document is accessed, and the additional information contents are linked to ToolTip. Once ToolTip has been linked to a Windows (registered trademark) ListView in this way, the pop-up automatically opens when the mouse is moved over the document list, and the additional information of the document is displayed in an organized form. . The pop-up display is implemented by an event handler function (MouseEnter, () MouseMove (), MouseLeave ()) of Windows (registered trademark). For long explanations, this ToolTip feature adds only the first few lines to the popup. The full description is displayed in a separate dialog via the context menu.

"Edit and manage multiple search information list tables and link to document storage location objects"

In the search information (keyword) list table referred to in the program of the present invention, information used in actual work is stored in an organized and hierarchical manner. For example, “document type”, “accounting document”, “tax-related document”, and the like. They can be used at the same level or grouped together in a “parent-child” relationship. When the required information is wide-ranging, it can be divided into a plurality of search information list tables, and the necessary information can be dynamically switched during execution of the invention program as needed. Since the sequential method is used for setting / changing the search information list table, no special computer knowledge is required, and only the information related to the actual business can be executed. These search information (keywords) are organized in three levels: “group”, “set”, and “item”. One set can handle 800 search information, and one group can support up to 40,000 search information. However, since the invention program supports a plurality of search information lists (keyword set) tables, search information can be set without any upper limit if necessary.

“Linking three types of additional information to stored documents”

Three types of additional information are associated with the document stored in the document storage location object. They are stored in a CSV file with <DF-Keyword, csv> in the document name.

Keywords: A single document is associated with a keyword set name and four actual keywords. These are sequentially displayed to the user by the sequential document storage method according to the storage characteristics of the target document storage location object, and the user selects four keywords most suitable for the actual business.

Free tag: Depending on the business or document, it may be more effective to add a tag that does not meet the guidelines for the storage characteristics of the document storage location object. And these tags can be shared among other members to enable more detailed document search. In this way, the tag adds a free search term that is not bound by a unique business condition to the document. As the number of members to be shared increases, the tag list may become longer, and searching for the target tag may take time. The program of the present invention provides a mechanism in which the frequency of use of tags once used is automatically increased. The actual tag usage frequency number is stored in pairs with actual words in the tag list of the document storage location object. <.Dfconf \ DF-Tag.csv> is the tag list file. When displaying the tag list in the “Save Document to Document Storage Location Object” method, the tags are sorted according to their frequency of use and are displayed starting from the most frequently used ones.

Explanation: The explanation sentence function of the program of the present invention can add a long sentence to a document, unlike a keyword / tag which is basically word-based. The Windows (registered trademark) copy / paste function enables users to import necessary documents without key input. Implementation of importing external document via TextBox control function in "Save document to document storage location object" method. The current invention program supports up to about 30,000 words.

Claims (6)

The specified folder on Windows (registered trademark) is regarded as the top level of the document storage location, and a hidden folder is created in which information on the document storage characteristics is stored, and all the lower folders included in it are stored in a single document storage location. A data management program that recognizes an object and stores document storage characteristics applied to all objects in a hidden folder at the top layer of the object. This includes a method for migrating / converting an existing Windows (registered trademark) folder into a document storage location object. (See Figure 1) Editing and updating of the characteristic setting of the document storage location object according to claim 1 can be executed only by a method permitted to access it. A data management program that allows the editing / updating operator to use the sequential method and minimize the necessary key input without considering the actual storage format. (See Figure 2) In order to save a document in the document storage location object of claim 1, various methods permitted to access the document storage object are used. Data that is executed from the Windows (registered trademark) environment via the PlugIn function, data that is executed from the Microsoft-Office (registered trademark) via the AddIn function, and data that includes a method that is executed from an external document creation application that provides the PlugIn function Management program. (See Figure 3) The search information of the document stored in the document storage location object of claim 1 is displayed in those document list methods. The search information added to the documents is displayed by the “speech method” simply by moving the mouse over the document list instead of the conventional storage location designation and document name list. A data management program that can grasp the contents without opening an actual document with a creation application. (See Figure 4) When a document is stored in the document storage location object of claim 1, it is necessary to add a keyword suitable for business. A data management program that hierarchically divides keywords common to various businesses and projects, stores them in multiple tables on the network, and flexibly links keyword sets to document storage location objects. (See Figure 5) Three types of additional information can be attached to the document stored in the document storage location object of claim 1. The first is a keyword set organized in three levels: “group”, “set”, and “item”. The second is a tag that the user can add freely. When an actual document is stored, the tag display order changes depending on the frequency of use, and tags that are more practical can be selected. The third is an explanatory text that links long sentences to saved documents using a copy / paste method. The data management program which can add the above search information to the text preserve | saved at the document storage location object of Claim 1. (See Figure 6)

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