Information processing device, file management device, file management system, and computer-readable medium

Abstract

An information processing device, a file management device, a file management system, and a computer-readable medium. The information processing device includes: a query unit that, in response to a restoration instruction from a terminal device to restore a file, requests a device at a destination or source of transmission to inquire about the existence of a file based on the transmission or reception history of the file, the restoration instruction being issued after the terminal device has issued a deletion instruction to delete the file; and a file restoration unit that, if the file is found to exist in the device at the destination or source of transmission as a result of the query, restores the file by acquiring the file from the device storing the file.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a file management device, a file management system, and a computer-readable medium storing a program. Background Art

[0002] JP-A-2005-173724 discloses a document management system configured with at least one file server and at least one client terminal, wherein the at least one file server assigns attributes to files shared on a network, and the at least one client terminal is able to access the files through the network, in which the file server includes: an original copy determination unit, which determines whether a file is newly registered or copied based on the attributes of the file uploaded from the client terminal; an original registration unit, which assigns attributes including an identifier of the file server to the uploaded original file when it is determined in the original copy determination unit that the file is a copy; a copy document retention notification unit, which notifies the file server corresponding to the server identifier that retains the original obtained from the attribute information about the copy file of identification information about the server in which the copy document is registered when it is determined in the original copy determination unit that the file is a copy; and a copy document retention server management unit, which stores and manages the server identifier notified by the copy document retention notification unit. Summary of the Invention

[0003] A non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure provides an information processing device, a file management device, a file management system, and a computer-readable medium storing a program that, when a file is deleted, can more easily restore a file than searching for a file's destination and sending the file back from the found destination. In this case, a file refers to a piece of data or a program, and examples thereof include a document, data such as a moving image, or a program for executing a computer program.

[0004] [1] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an information processing device comprising: a query unit which, in response to a recovery instruction for recovering a file from a terminal device, requests a device in a sending destination or a sending source to query the file based on the sending or receiving history of the file, the recovery instruction being made after the terminal device makes a deletion instruction to delete the file; and a file recovery unit which, when it is found as a result of the query that the file exists in the device in the sending destination or the sending source, recovers the file by obtaining the file from the device storing the file.

[0005] [2] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a file management device comprising: a history storage unit storing at least a history of sending or receiving a uniquely identified file; a query unit requesting a device in a sending destination or a sending source to query whether the file exists based on the history stored in the history storage unit in response to a recovery instruction for recovering the file from a terminal device, the recovery instruction being made after the terminal device makes a deletion instruction to delete the file; and a file recovery unit performing control to recover the file by obtaining the file from the device storing the file when the file is found to exist in the device in the sending destination or the sending source as a result of the query.

[0006] [3] In the file management device according to [2], in response to receiving a notification that the file does not exist in the device in the sending destination, the file recovery unit can perform control to obtain the file from another sending destination to which the sending destination sent the file.

[0007] [4] In the file management apparatus according to [2], the history storage unit may store information about a creator who created the file, and the inquiry unit may request an inquiry about the file from the creator.

[0008] [5] In the file management apparatus according to [2], the history storage unit may store a time when the file was transmitted, and the inquiry unit may request the inquiry to a latest transmission destination of the file.

[0009] [6] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a file management system comprising: a file storage unit storing a uniquely identified file; a history storage unit storing at least a history of sending or receiving the file; a query unit requesting a device in a sending destination or a sending source to query whether the file exists based on the history stored in the history storage unit in response to a recovery instruction to recover the file from a terminal device, the recovery instruction being made after the terminal device makes a deletion instruction to delete the file; and a file recovery unit performing control to recover the file by obtaining the file from the device storing the file when the file is found to exist in the device in the sending destination or the sending source as a result of the query.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided that stores a program that causes a computer to execute processing, the processing including: in response to a recovery instruction for recovering a file from a terminal device, requesting an inquiry from a device in a sending destination or a sending source as to whether the file exists based on a sending or receiving history of the file, the recovery instruction being made after the terminal device makes a deletion instruction to delete the file; and in a case where the file is found to exist in the device in the sending destination or the sending source as a result of the inquiry, recovering the file by obtaining the file from the device storing the file.

[0011] According to the information processing device of [1], the file management device of [2], the file management system of [6] or the computer-readable medium of [7] of the present invention, in the case where a file is deleted, the file can be easily restored compared to the case where the sending destination of the file is searched and the file is sent back.

[0012] According to the file management device of [3], in addition to the effect of the file management device of [2], it is possible to restore a file when the file does not exist in the transmission destination to which the query is first requested.

[0013] According to the file management device of [4], in addition to the effect of the file management device of [2], the possibility of file restoration can be increased compared to the case where an inquiry is not requested to the creator.

[0014] According to the file management device of [5], in addition to the effect of the file management device of [2], the possibility of file restoration can be increased compared to the case where an inquiry is not requested to the latest transmission destination. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the following drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 is a configuration diagram showing a file management system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a home server according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating reception of a file according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 is a diagram showing historical information about files recorded in the host server;

[0020] Figure 5is an explanatory diagram for describing a case 1 of restoring a file in an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of information in Case 1 of restoring a file according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow of a home server in case 1 of restoring a file according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram for describing the flow of information in Case 2 of restoring a file according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of information in Case 2 of restoring a file according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram for describing a flow in Case 3 of restoring a file according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 11 is a sequence diagram showing a flow in case 3 of restoring a file according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating an information flow for restoring a file according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

[0028] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow in the case of deleting a file according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Next, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 Detailed Description of the Invention A file management system 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.

[0030] The file management system 10 includes multiple networks. For example, there are two networks. Terminal devices 12a and 12b are connected to servers 14a and 14b via network 16a, and terminal devices 12c and 12d are connected to servers 14c and 14d via network 16b. For example, terminal devices 12a to 12d are personal computers or mobile terminals. Networks 16a and 16b can be local area networks, or they can be the Internet. A pair of servers (server 14a and server 14c) are shared between terminal devices 12a and 12b and between terminal devices 12c and 12d, respectively. Another pair of servers (servers 14b and 14d) manages the access rights of users of terminal devices 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d, can specify users who use access rights, and are hereinafter referred to as device management servers. In addition, networks 16a and 16b are connected to the Internet via routers 18a and 18b, respectively, and are also connected to servers 20a and 20b, respectively. The servers 20a and 20b manage the home servers 14a and 14c, and are hereinafter referred to as upper servers.

[0031] Figure 2 1 is a block diagram showing various pieces of hardware of the home servers 14a and 14c. Each of the home servers 14a and 14c has a CPU 22, a memory 24, a storage device 26, and a communication interface 28. The CPU 22, the memory 24, the storage device 26, and the communication interface 28 are connected to each other via a bus 30.

[0032] The CPU 22 executes processing determined in advance based on a control program stored in the memory 24. For example, the storage device 26 is configured with a hard disk. Software or data is stored in the storage device 26. Data is input to and output from the communication interface 28 via the aforementioned networks 16a and 16b.

[0033] Figure 3 This is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the case of sending and receiving files. In this case, when Mr. A's terminal device and Mr. B's terminal device are defined as terminal device 12a and terminal device 12c, respectively, Mr. A's home server and Mr. B's home server are defined as home server 14a and home server 14c, and Mr. A's upper-level server and Mr. B's upper-level server are defined as upper-level server 20a and upper-level server 20b, respectively.

[0034] First, in step S10, Mr. A instructs his terminal device 12a to send a file with "File ID: 1" to Mr. B. In the next step (i.e., step S12), the file with "File ID: 1" stored in the storage device 26 of Mr. A's home server 14a is sent to Mr. B's home server 14c. In step S14, home server 14a notifies the upper server 20a of the transmission of "File ID: 1" and retains a record of the transmission of the file with "File ID: 1" to Mr. B. Meanwhile, in step S16, home server 14c notifies the upper server 20b of the receipt of "File ID: 1" and retains a record of the receipt of the file with "File ID: 1" from Mr. A. Furthermore, in step S18, the file with "File ID: 1" arrives at Mr. B's terminal device 12c. In this case, the file with "File ID: 1" is stored in a distributed manner on Mr. A's terminal device 12a or Mr. A's home server 14a, and Mr. B's terminal device 12c or Mr. B's home server 14c.

[0035] Note that each file is assigned a unique file ID. When a file is created, for example, an ID obtained using a hash function is assigned as the file ID. Not only when a file is created, but also when a file is updated, the updated file is assigned an ID as another file.

[0036] In addition, for example, the upper servers 20a and 20b record Figure 4 That is, for each file ID, in addition to the sender (recorded as the sender's user ID), the date and time of sending, the receiver (recorded as the receiver's user ID), the date and time of receiving, the operation history (delete, read, copy, etc.), and the date and time of operation, the creator, creation date and time, etc. are recorded as meta-information (recorded as bibliographic information).

[0037] Next, processing in the case of deleting a file will be described.

[0038] First, if Figure 5 As shown, in step S20, for example, when the storage capacity of the file becomes low, when Mr. A operates Mr. A's terminal device 12a and thereby provides an instruction to delete the file with "file ID: 1" stored in Mr. A's home server 14a, the file with "file ID: 1" stored in the home server 14a is deleted.

[0039] In this way, although the file with "file ID: 1" is deleted from the server 14a, a record that the file with "file ID: 1" was sent to Mr. B is retained in Mr. A's upper server 20a, and the file with "file ID: 1" continues to exist in Mr. B's home server 14c.

[0040] In the next step S22, Mr. A's home server 14a notifies Mr. A's host server 20a that "File ID: 1" has been deleted. Mr. A's host server 20a records the fact that file "File ID: 1" has been deleted from Mr. A's home server 14a. The information about the deletion from Mr. A's home server 14a is stored in Mr. A's host server 20a, along with the information that "File ID: 1" has been sent to Mr. B.

[0041] (Case 1)

[0042] As case 1, Figure 6 and Figure 7 , an example of a case where Mr. A deletes a file having “file ID: 1” is shown.

[0043] like Figure 6 As shown, when Mr. A restores the file with "File ID: 1," in step S24, Mr. A's terminal device 12a instructs Mr. A's home server 14a to restore the file with "File ID: 1." In step S26, upon being instructed to restore the file with "File ID: 1," Mr. A's home server 14a inquires Mr. A's host server 20a as to whether a file with "File ID: 1" exists. Because host server 20a has a record of the file with "File ID: 1" being sent to Mr. B, in step S28, upon being inquired about the existence of the file with "File ID: 1," Mr. A's host server 20a inquires Mr. B's host server 20b as to whether a file with "File ID: 1" exists. Next, in step S30, Mr. B's host server 20b notifies Mr. A's home server 14a of the existence of the file with "File ID: 1." In step S32, upon being notified of the existence of the file with "File ID: 1," Mr. A's home server 14a requests Mr. B's home server 14c to obtain the file with "File ID: 1." Because the file with "File ID: 1" exists on Mr. B's home server 14c, in step S34, upon receiving the request to obtain the file with "File ID: 1," Mr. B's home server 14c sends the file with "File ID: 1" to Mr. A's home server 14a, and Mr. A's home server 14a obtains the file with "File ID: 1."

[0044] like Figure 7 As shown, in step S36, Mr. A's home server 14a determines whether to instruct to restore the file. When not instructing to restore the file, Mr. A's home server 14a waits until it is instructed to restore the file, and when it is instructed to restore the file, proceeds to the next step, i.e., step S38.

[0045] In step S38, the upper server 20a is queried to determine whether a file with, for example, "File ID: 1" exists. In the next step (i.e., step S40), a determination is made as to whether a notification of the existence of the file has been received. If no notification of the existence of the file has been received, the process continues to wait until a notification of the existence of the file is received. If a notification of the existence of the file has been received, the process ends. In step S40, if it is determined that a notification of the existence of the file has been received, the process proceeds to the next step, i.e., step S42.

[0046] In step S42, a request is made to the home server (in this case, Mr. B's home server 14c) notified of the existence of the file to obtain the file having "file ID: 1". In the next step (i.e., step S44), the file having "file ID: 1" is obtained, and the process ends.

[0047] (Case 2)

[0048] exist Figure 8 and Figure 9 In FIG. 2 , as Case 2 , a case where Mr. B deletes a file having “File ID: 1” is shown.

[0049] First, if Figure 8 As shown, in step S46, when Mr. B operates Mr. B's terminal device 12c to provide an instruction to delete the file with "file ID: 1" stored in Mr. B's home server 14c, the file with "file ID: 1" stored in the home server 14c is deleted.

[0050] In this way, although the file with "file ID: 1" is deleted from the home server 14c, a record of receiving the file with "file ID: 1" from Mr. A is retained in Mr. B's upper server 20b, and furthermore, the file with "file ID: 1" continues to exist in Mr. A's home server 14a.

[0051] In the next step (i.e., step S48), the upper server 20b is notified that "File ID: 1" has been deleted from Mr. B's home server 14c. Mr. B's upper server 20b records the fact that the file with "File ID: 1" has been deleted from Mr. B's home server 14c. The information about the deletion from Mr. B's home server 14c is stored in Mr. B's upper server 20b along with the information about "File ID: 1" received from Mr. A.

[0052] Next, if Figure 9 As shown, if Mr. B wants to restore the file with "File ID: 1," in step S50, Mr. B's terminal device 12c instructs Mr. B's home server 14c to restore the file with "File ID: 1." In step S52, upon receiving the instruction to restore the file with "File ID: 1," Mr. B's home server 14c inquires with Mr. B's upper-level server 20b whether the file with "File ID: 1" exists. Because upper-level server 20a has a record of receiving the file with "File ID: 1" from Mr. A, in step S54, Mr. B's upper-level server 20b, upon receiving the inquiry about the existence of the file with "File ID: 1," inquires with Mr. A's upper-level server 20a whether the file with "File ID: 1" exists. In the following step S56, Mr. A's upper-level server 20a notifies Mr. B's home server 14c of the existence of the file with "File ID: 1." In step S58, upon being notified of the existence of the file with "File ID: 1," Mr. B's home server 14c requests Mr. A's home server 14a to obtain the file with "File ID: 1." Because the file with "File ID: 1" exists on Mr. A's home server 14a, in step S60, upon receiving the request to obtain the file with "File ID: 1," Mr. A's home server 14a sends the file with "File ID: 1" to Mr. B's home server 14c, and Mr. B's home server 14c obtains the file with "File ID: 1."

[0053] (Case 3)

[0054] exist Figure 10 and Figure 11 In FIG. 3 , an example of a case where Mr. A's home server 14 a stops operating is shown as Case 3.

[0055] In the case that Mr. A's home server 14a stops operating, Figure 11 As shown, it is assumed that the out-of-service home server 14a is replaced by a new home server 14e (referred to as the "new" home server 14e).

[0056] In this manner, although the home server 14a ceases operation and is thus replaced by the "new" home server 14e, a record that the file with "file ID: 1" was sent to Mr. B remains in Mr. A's upper server 20a, and the file with "file ID: 1" continues to exist in Mr. B's home server 14c. It should be noted that, in the event that many files other than the file with "file ID: 1" are stored in Mr. A's home server 14a, any other files are handled in the same manner as in the case of "file ID: 1."

[0057] At this time, in the case where Mr. A restores the file, in step S62, Mr. A's upper server 20a is instructed to restore the file. However, the "new" home server 14e can be instructed to restore the file. In step S64, when Mr. A's upper server 20a is instructed to restore the file, it inquires Mr. B's upper server 20b whether there is a file with "File ID: 1". Because there is a record in the upper server 20b that the file with "File ID: 1" has been received from Mr. A, in step S66, when Mr. B's upper server 20b is asked whether there is a file with "File ID: 1", it notifies Mr. A's terminal device 12a that there is a file with "File ID: 1". It is also possible to notify the "new" home server 14e that there is a file with "File ID: 1". In step S68, when Mr. A's terminal device 12a is notified of the existence of the file with "File ID: 1", it requests Mr. B's home server 14c to obtain the file with "File ID: 1". In step S70, upon receiving the request to obtain the file with "file ID: 1", Mr. B's home server 14c sends the file with "file ID: 1" to Mr. A's terminal device 12a, and Mr. A's terminal device 12a obtains the file with "file ID: 1".

[0058] exist Figure 12 , there is shown a process for the following case: although Mr. B's upper server 20b is asked whether a file exists, the file no longer exists in Mr. B's home server 14c.

[0059] In step S70, when Mr. A's upper server 20a inquires Mr. B's upper server 20b about the existence of a file, in some cases, Mr. B's upper server 20b may have a record indicating that the file was sent from Mr. A's home server to Mr. B's home server, but the file has already been deleted. In this case, in step S72, if the file was redistributed to Mr. C before being deleted, Mr. B's upper server 20b inquires Mr. C's upper server 20c about the existence of the file. In step S74, if the file exists on Mr. C's home server, Mr. C's upper server 20c notifies Mr. A's upper server 20a of the existence of the file.

[0060] Note that in the exemplary embodiment described above, the upper server is configured as the destination for inquiries regarding the existence of files, allowing for inquiries to be made even when the home server is not functioning. However, since the home server maintains records of transmissions, receipts, and deletions, inquiries can be made to the home server. If either the upper server or the home server is functioning properly, the destination for the query can be determined based on the server's load or the distance on the network.

[0061] In addition, the destination of the query may be the terminal device of the file creator, or the server to which the creator belongs. Figure 4 As shown in , meta information is included in the file ID, so the creator's user ID can be obtained. Figure 1 As shown, since the terminal device corresponding to the user ID is registered in the device management servers 14b and 14d, the terminal device is specified from the user ID, and an inquiry is requested to the specified terminal device or the home server.

[0062] Furthermore, since the person who last distributed the file is likely to have retained the file, a query can be made to the home server that last distributed the file. Since the upper-level server records the date and time each file was sent or received, the date and time can be compared to make a query to the upper-level server of the person who last distributed the file.

[0063] Furthermore, the server to which the creator belongs can be searched before querying any other home servers for the existence of the file. In some cases, a file is assigned to another person belonging to the same home server, so searching the same home server may take less time than searching any other servers. For example, a link to another user may be included in a file assigned to the home server, and files that include a link in this manner can be searched.

[0064] exist Figure 13 , shows the operation flow of file deletion. First, in step S76, a deletion instruction is received.

[0065] In the next step (i.e., step S78), the storage status of the file to be deleted is displayed. For example, the display example is "retained in 10 servers," or, when it is retained in the organization's official retention location, "retained in... server," etc. In addition, to avoid inconvenience, the display can be performed only when the number of remaining files is less than a specified threshold (e.g., equal to or less than 3). The location or number of the remaining files retained in the server can be obtained from the historical information about each upper-level server, but because the home server of the file creator centrally collects records of sending, receiving, or deletion, a query can be requested from the creator's home server.

[0066] In the next step (ie, step S80), it is determined whether an instruction to perform deletion is received. If it is determined in step S80 that an instruction to perform deletion is received, the process proceeds to step S82 to delete the specified file, and if an instruction to perform deletion is not received, the process ends.

[0067] The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present invention has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. These embodiments have been chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to understand the various embodiments and variations of the invention as they may be suited to the specific intended use. The scope of the invention is intended to be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An information processing device, comprising: an inquiry unit configured to, in response to a restoration instruction from a terminal device to restore a file, request an inquiry from a device at a transmission destination or a transmission source as to whether the file exists based on a transmission or reception history of the file, the restoration instruction being issued after the terminal device has issued a deletion instruction to delete the file; as well as a file recovery unit that, when the file is found to exist in a device at the transmission destination or the transmission source as a result of the inquiry, recovers the file by acquiring the file from the device storing the file; Here, in response to receiving a notification that the file does not exist in the device in the transmission destination, the file recovery unit performs control to acquire the file from another transmission destination to which the transmission destination has transmitted the file.

2. A file management device, comprising: a history storage unit that stores at least a history of transmission or reception of a uniquely identified file; an inquiry unit configured to, in response to a restoration instruction from a terminal device to restore the file, request an apparatus at a transmission destination or a transmission source to inquire whether the file exists based on the history stored in the history storage unit, wherein the restoration instruction is issued after the terminal device issues a deletion instruction to delete the file; as well as a file restoring unit that performs control to restore the file by acquiring the file from the device storing the file, if the file is found to exist in the device in the transmission destination or the transmission source as a result of the inquiry, Here, in response to receiving a notification that the file does not exist in the device in the transmission destination, the file recovery unit performs control to acquire the file from another transmission destination to which the transmission destination has transmitted the file.

3. The file management device according to claim 2, in, The history storage unit stores information about a creator who created the file, and The query unit requests the creator to query the file.

4. The file management device according to claim 2, in, The history storage unit stores the time when the file was sent, and The inquiry unit requests the inquiry from a latest transmission destination of the file.

5. A file management system, comprising: A file storage unit, wherein the file storage unit stores a uniquely identified file; a history storage unit, the history storage unit storing at least a history of sending or receiving the file; an inquiry unit configured to, in response to a restoration instruction from a terminal device to restore the file, request an apparatus at a transmission destination or a transmission source to inquire whether the file exists based on the history stored in the history storage unit, wherein the restoration instruction is issued after the terminal device issues a deletion instruction to delete the file; as well as a file restoring unit that performs control to restore the file by acquiring the file from the device storing the file, if the file is found to exist in the device in the transmission destination or the transmission source as a result of the inquiry, Here, in response to receiving a notification that the file does not exist in the device in the transmission destination, the file recovery unit performs control to acquire the file from another transmission destination to which the transmission destination has transmitted the file.

6. A computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a process comprising: In response to a restoration instruction from a terminal device to restore a file, requesting a device at a transmission destination or a transmission source to inquire whether the file exists based on a transmission or reception history of the file, the restoration instruction being issued after the terminal device has issued a deletion instruction to delete the file; as well as in a case where the file is found to exist in a device in the transmission destination or the transmission source as a result of the inquiry, restoring the file by acquiring the file from the device storing the file, Here, restoring the file includes, in response to receiving a notification that the file does not exist in the device in the sending destination, acquiring the file from another sending destination to which the sending destination sent the file.

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