JPH04253247A - Document circulating system for integrated office system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the various kinds of document processings even without installing any document processing tool, to eliminate necessity for a user to be conscious of the document processing tool installed at a terminal and to eliminate necessity to install the tools at all the terminals under control. CONSTITUTION:At a work station 1, a means work station command control part 1-2 is provided to receive a document operating instruction and to retrieve the relevant document processing tool, a means (document processing tool control) 1-5 is provided to activate the detected document processing tool as the result of retrieval, the means 1-2 is provided to fetch the suitable document processing tool by collation to a host computer 2 when the document processing tool is not detected (unprocessed), and the means 1-5 is provided to newly register the fetched document processing tool and to activate this. At the host computer 2, a means (document processing tool management part) 2-3 is provided to manage all the document processing tools operated on the work stations under the control, and a means (OP command control part) 2-1 is provided to transmit the relevant document processing tool to the work station 1 corresponding to a request from the work station 1.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a document distribution system for an integrated office system consisting of a host computer and a plurality of workstations under the host computer, and particularly relates to various document processing methods for terminals managed on the host computer. This relates to the tool's document distribution method.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in an integrated office system, document editing processing is performed by installing various document processing tools depending on the purpose on each terminal in advance, and document distribution within the integrated office system is , referring to the exchange of document-related management information or document body data (body text). Therefore, the types of documents that can be edited on each terminal (table creation, data creation, electronic slips, etc.) are limited to the types of document processing tools installed on each terminal, and new and different When performing various types of document editing processing, it was necessary to install a document processing tool for that purpose on the terminal.

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] The problem to be solved is that in the document distribution method in the conventional integrated office system described above, when a document retrieved from a host computer is to be processed (referenced, etc.), the terminal The problem is that it cannot be processed unless a document processing tool for documents is installed. Further, since a document can be retrieved regardless of whether a document processing tool is installed on the terminal, the document processing depends on the presence or absence of the document processing tool. Therefore, there is a problem in that the user must be aware of the type of document processing tools installed on the terminal in order to know whether document processing is possible or not. Furthermore, when installing a new document processing tool or installing a document processing tool due to version upgrade, as the integrated office system becomes large-scale (several hundred or more terminals), There is a problem that the required work time becomes longer.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides an integrated office system consisting of a host computer and a plurality of workstations under the host computer, in which the workstations can access documents such as reference, registration, update, deletion, etc. a search means for searching for a corresponding document processing tool in response to an operation instruction; a starting means for starting a document processing tool detected as a result of a search by this search means; an import means for inquiring with the host computer and importing an appropriate document processing tool in case of a problem, and a starting means for registering a new document processing tool imported from the host computer in a workstation and starting the same; The system is equipped with a management means for managing all the document processing tools operating on subordinate workstations, and a sending means for sending out the corresponding document processing tools to the workstations in response to requests from the workstations. .

[0005]

[Operation] In the present invention, all document processing tools operating on subordinate terminals are managed by a host computer, and designated document processing tools are sent out in response to requests from terminals.
In response to this, the document processing tool is automatically registered on the terminal side.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 2 is a host computer;
1 is a workstation that is one of a plurality of workstations under this host computer 2 . The present invention is broadly divided into the workstation 1 side and the host computer 2 side.The workstation 1 side inputs document operation commands such as inputting, registering, changing, and deleting documents, and the input information is processed. A command input section 1-1 transfers it to the WS command control section 1-2, and receives input command information from this command input section 1-1, checks the command format, and sends it to the document processing tool control section 1-5 according to the command. Transfer of commands to the OP command control unit 2-1 on the host computer 2 side based on startup/search requests for document processing tools and their results, or processing of data received from the OP command control unit 2-1 (in the case of the document itself, processing of data on the terminal side) Document body storage file 1-4
WS command control unit 1 that performs document processing (in the case of a document processing tool, registers the document processing tool in various document processing tools 1-6 and requests to start the document processing tool), and transfers the processing results to the display unit 1-3. -2 and a display unit 1 that displays information passed from this WS command control unit 1-2 on the screen.
-3, and for temporarily holding the document body requested by the WS command control unit 1-2 to the host computer 2 side for the purpose of document manipulation (until the user finishes the service of the integrated office system). A function for managing the terminal side document main body storage file 1-4, which is a file, and a function for managing various document processing tools, and a WS command control unit that receives a start/search request for a document processing tool from the WS command control unit 1-2 and uses the results to control the WS command. A document processing tool control unit 1-5 has a function of returning data to the document processing unit 1-2, and a group of general-purpose document processing application tools (table creation tools, table creation tools, The document processing tool 1-6 includes various document processing tools 1-6 (data creation tools, electronic slip creation tools, etc.).

[0007] Here, the WS command control unit 1-2 constitutes a search means for receiving document operation instructions such as reference, registration, update, deletion, etc., and searches for a corresponding document processing tool. If the document processing tool is not registered, the document processing tool constitutes an importing means for inquiring the host computer 2 and importing an appropriate document processing tool. Further, the document processing tool control section 1-5 constitutes a starting means for starting the document processing tool detected as a result of the search by the above-mentioned search means, and also newly registers the document processing tool imported from the host computer 2 in the workstation. It constitutes a starting means to start this.

On the other hand, the host computer 2 side receives a document manipulation command from the WS command control section 1-2 on the workstation 1 side, and depending on the command, controls the document management section 2-2 or the document processing tool management section 2-3. An OP command control section 2-1 issues a processing request instruction to the WS command control section 2-1 and passes the processing result to the WS command control section 1-2. A document management unit 2-2 that accesses the information in the file 2-6 and accesses the designated document in the host-side document body storage file 2-5, and returns the results to the OP command control unit 2-1; Command control unit 2-
1, a document processing tool management unit 2 accesses the specified document processing tool in the terminal document processing tool storage library 2-4, and returns the result to the OP command control unit 2-1. -3 and various document processing tools that operate on the terminals under it are stored in the terminal document processing tool storage library 2-4, which is a library managed via the document processing tool management table 2-7, and The host-side document body storage file 2-5 is a file in a library format in which the data making up the content is stored for each document, and the information such as the creator name, creation date, update date, number of revisions, etc. of each document is stored. It is held by the document information management file 2-6, which is a database that manages various attributes in association with each document body of the host-side document body storage file 2-5, and the terminal document processing tool storage library 2-4. It is composed of a document processing tool management table 2-7 which is information for managing all document processing tools.

Here, the OP command control section 2-1 constitutes a sending means for sending a corresponding document processing tool to the workstation 1 in response to a request from the workstation 1. Further, the document processing tool management section 2-3 constitutes a management means for managing all the document processing tools operating on the workstations under its control.

Table 1 below shows the document processing tool management section 2-
3 is an index image of a document processing tool management table for identifying document processing tools in 3.

[0011]

[Table 1]

Next, the processing mechanism for retrieving an existing document stored in the host and performing document processing (updating, etc.) in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be explained along the flow. First, when you input a document retrieval command, the command input section 1 on the workstation 1 side
Information inputted by the command from -1 (title, classification, identifier, storage location, etc. of the document to be retrieved) is passed as an instruction to the WS command control unit 1-2. The WS command control unit 1-2 determines that the information input from the command input unit 1-1 is a document retrieval command, checks the format of the command, and then sends the information to the host computer 1-2.
Information is passed to the OP command control unit 2-1 on the side.

Next, this OP command control section 2-1 is connected to the WS command control section 1-2 on the workstation 1 side.
As a result of the distribution processing on the document retrieval command information received from the host computer 2, this information is delivered to the document management section 2-2 on the host computer 2 side. This document management section 2-2
Now, in order to check the information necessary for document processing, the information of the received document retrieval command is compared with the document information of the corresponding document in the document information management file 2-6. . In response to this processing result, document body data is obtained by accessing the document body of the document requested by the document retrieval command to the host side document body storage file 2-5. And document management department 2
The processing results obtained through these procedures in -2 are returned to the OP command control unit 2-1. The OP command control unit 2-1 sends the information obtained as a result of the document retrieval command instruction to the document management unit 2-2 (document information and document body data of the document for which the retrieval request has been requested) to the WS command on the workstation 1 side. It is returned to the control unit 1-2. Then, the WS command control unit 1-2 on the workstation 1 side receives the document information and document body data of the requested document from the OP command control unit 2-1.
This document body data is stored in the terminal side document body storage file 1-
Based on the document information, an instruction is given to the display unit 1-3 and displayed in order to notify the user that the document has been retrieved.

[0014] When the user, who has recognized that the document has been retrieved, inputs an input for manipulating the contents of the document (main data) to the command input section 1-1, this command input is executed. The input information is notified from the section 1-1 to the WS command control section 1-2. The WS command control unit 1-2 learns a document processing tool that can operate on a specified document based on the input information regarding document operations received from the command input unit 1-1, requests to start this tool, and requests the document to be started. The document processing tool control unit 1-5 is notified of information on the specified document required by the processing tool (such as the file name of the document corresponding to the terminal-side document body storage file 1-4). The document processing tool control section 1-5 searches for various document processing tools 1-6 in order to start the document processing tool designated by the WS command control section 1-2. Here, two types of processing will be considered: one in which a corresponding document processing tool exists and one in which there is no corresponding document processing tool, depending on the search result. In the case of the former, the corresponding document processing tool is activated as usual, and the necessary specified document information is passed to this document processing tool. Thereafter, a startup completion notification is sent to the WS command control unit 1-2, and upon receiving this notification, the WS command control unit 1-2 passes control to the activated document processing tool.

If there is no corresponding document processing tool of the latter type intended by the present invention, the document processing tool control section 1-5 informs the WS command control section 1-2 that the corresponding document processing tool does not exist as a result of the search. to notify. In response to the absence notification from the document processing tool control section 1-5, this WS command control section 1-2 sends a request to take out the document processing tool in question to the OP command control section 2-1 on the host computer 2 side. I will do it. This OP command control section 2-1
Now, the WS command control unit 1 on the workstation 1 side
Upon receiving the document processing tool retrieval request from the document processing tool management section 2-2, the document processing tool management section 2-2 issues a request including this information to the document processing tool management section 2-3. The document processing tool management section 2-3 searches for the corresponding document processing tool on the document processing tool management table 2-7 based on the information of the document processing tool retrieval request. Then, as a result of the search, the terminal document processing tool storage library 2-4 is accessed based on the obtained information from the document processing tool management table 2-7 (see the table above), and the corresponding document processing tool is obtained. The processing results obtained by the document processing tool management section 2-3 (the retrieved document processing tools and information related thereto) are then transferred to the OP command control section 2-3.
-1. The OP command control unit 2-1 that receives this information notifies the WS command control unit 1-2 on the workstation 1 side of this information.

The WS command control unit 1-2 receives the processing result from the OP command control unit 2-1 on the host computer 2 side in response to the document processing tool retrieval request, and controls the document processing tool on the workstation 1 side. A request to register the document processing tool retrieved from the host computer 2 and a request to start the document processing tool (including the transfer of information on the specified document that was previously attempted) are issued to the unit 1-5. In the document processing tool control unit 1-5, first,
In accordance with the document processing tool registration request received from the WS command control unit 1-2, the document processing tool extracted this time is newly stored in the library in which various document processing tools 1-6 are installed. Then, when the storage of the document processing tool is completed, the document processing tool is activated and necessary designated document information is passed to the document processing tool. Thereafter, the WS command control unit 1-2 is notified of the completion of document processing tool registration and activation, and upon receiving this notification, the WS command control unit 1-2 passes control to the activated document processing tool.

[0017]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the document distribution method in the integrated office system of the present invention manages all document processing tools operating on subordinate terminals on a host computer, and distributes designated documents according to requests from terminals. By sending a processing tool and automatically registering the document processing tool on the terminal side in response to the processing tool, there is an effect that various document processing can be performed even if the tool is not installed. Also,
This has the effect that the user does not need to be aware of the document processing tools installed on the terminal. In this way, document processing tools that are not installed are automatically registered on the terminal when they are used, so by registering them on the host computer that manages the document processing tools, you can install them on all subordinate terminals. This has the effect of eliminating the need to do so.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Workstation 1-1 Command input section 1-2 WS command control section 1-3 Display section 1-4 Terminal side document body storage file 1-5 Document processing tool control section 1-6 Various document processing tools 2 Host computer 2- 1 OP command control unit 2-2 Document management unit 2-3 Document processing tool management unit 2-4 Terminal document processing tool storage library 2-5
Host-side document body storage file 2-6 Document information management file

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: In an integrated office system consisting of a host computer and a plurality of workstations subordinate to the host computer, the workstation receives document operation instructions such as reference, registration, update, and deletion, and processes the corresponding document. a search means for searching for a processing tool; a starting means for starting a document processing tool detected as a result of a search by the search means; an importing means for importing an appropriate document processing tool from the host computer, and newly registering the document processing tool imported from the host computer in the workstation;
The host computer includes a management means for managing all document processing tools running on subordinate workstations, and a management means for managing all document processing tools operating on subordinate workstations, and a management means for starting the corresponding document processing tools in response to requests from the workstations. A document distribution method in an integrated office system characterized by comprising a sending means for sending to a station.