Information processing devices, document management systems, recording media, information processing methods, and computer program products

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device, a document management system, a recording medium, an information processing method and a computer program product that can refer to a predetermined part of a document and improve retrieval accuracy compared to a case where index data is generated without considering the document category, wherein the information processing device comprises: a document information acquisition unit that acquires document information that is correspondingly associated with the document category of the document; a document category information acquisition unit that acquires document category information that is set with a reference range of the document to be referenced when generating index data according to the document category of the document; and a generation unit that generates index data of the document with reference to a range of the document equivalent to the reference range, wherein the reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document category of the document.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an information processing device, a document management system, a recording medium, an information processing method, and a computer program product. Background Technology

[0002] To retrieve data from a database, an index is sometimes created beforehand by extracting keywords from documents to represent their characteristics. Crawlers can shorten retrieval time by searching the index while collecting documents.

[0003] If the entire document is used as the reference range for indexing, it can sometimes take a lot of time. Therefore, sometimes a predetermined portion is used as the reference range for indexing instead of the entire document.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-214268

[0005] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-235579

[0006] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-032281 Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to improve retrieval accuracy by referring to a predetermined portion of a document, compared to creating index data without considering document categories.

[0008] The information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a document information acquisition unit for acquiring document information that is associated with a document category; a document category information acquisition unit for acquiring document category information that is configured with a reference range of documents to be referenced when creating index data, according to the document category of the document; and a creation unit for creating index data of the document by referring to a range of the document corresponding to the reference range, wherein the reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document category of the document.

[0009] Furthermore, the document is characterized in that when the state of a document changes, the document information also establishes a corresponding association with the state of the document. The document category information is set according to the document category and the state of the document. The production unit creates the index data of the document with reference to the range of the document, which is equivalent to the reference range. The reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document category and state of the document.

[0010] Furthermore, the feature is that if a change in the state of the document is detected, the production unit recreates the index data of the document by referring to the range of the document equivalent to a reference range, wherein the reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document category and the changed state of the document.

[0011] Furthermore, the feature is that the reference range is set by selecting one or more items that constitute the document.

[0012] Furthermore, the feature is that each item in the reference range is assigned a priority when referencing the index data, and the production unit determines the order of the items referenced when producing the index data based on the priority of each item included in the reference range.

[0013] Furthermore, the feature is that when the state of the document changes, the production unit sets the maximum capacity of the document's index data according to the document's state.

[0014] Furthermore, the document category information is generated according to the document category and document status, and each document category information is set with a weight coefficient for the capacity of the index data. The production unit produces the index data of the document in a manner that displays within the maximum capacity. The maximum capacity is obtained by multiplying the predetermined baseline capacity of the index data by the weight coefficient of the document category information set in relation to the document category and status of the document.

[0015] The document management system according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a document information storage unit for storing document information that establishes a corresponding association between documents using index data and the document categories of those documents; a document category information storage unit for storing document category information that sets a reference range of documents to be referenced when creating index data, according to the document category of the document; and a creation unit for creating index data of a document by referring to a range of the document corresponding to the reference range if the document is registered in the document information storage unit, wherein the reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document category of the document.

[0016] One aspect of the present invention relates to a recording medium that records a program for enabling a computer to function as a unit including: a document information acquisition unit that acquires document information that is associated with a document category; a document category information acquisition unit that acquires document category information that sets a reference range of documents to be referenced when creating index data, according to the document category of the document; and a creation unit that creates index data of the document by referring to a range of the document corresponding to the reference range, wherein the reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document category of the document.

[0017] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present invention includes the following steps: a document information acquisition step, acquiring document information that is associated with a document category; a document category information acquisition step, acquiring document category information that sets a reference range of documents to be referenced when creating index data, according to the document category of the document; and a creation step, creating index data of the document by referring to a range of the document equivalent to the reference range, wherein the reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document category of the document.

[0018] Effects of the Invention

[0019] According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to refer to predetermined portions of a document and improve retrieval accuracy compared to the case where index data is created without considering document categories.

[0020] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the range of documents referenced when creating index data can be different depending on the state of the documents.

[0021] According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to create index data corresponding to the state of a document.

[0022] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, index data can be created by using items that constitute a document and are highly likely to contain words suitable for full-text retrieval of that document as a reference range.

[0023] According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prioritize the inclusion of words contained in high-priority items in the index data.

[0024] According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the maximum capacity of the index data can be made different according to the state of the document.

[0025] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to create index data of a capacity corresponding to the state of the document.

[0026] According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to refer to predetermined portions of a document and improve retrieval accuracy compared to creating index data without considering document categories.

[0027] According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to refer to predetermined portions of a document and improve retrieval accuracy compared to creating index data without considering document categories.

[0028] According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, a predetermined portion of a document can be referenced, and the retrieval accuracy is improved compared to the case where index data is created without considering document categories. Attached Figure Description

[0029] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the following figures.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of the document management device according to this embodiment;

[0031] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates an example of the data structure for document category information stored in the document category information storage unit of this embodiment;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the document category selection screen in this embodiment;

[0033] Figure 4 This is an example of a document category information setting screen in this embodiment;

[0034] Figure 5 This is an example of a document category information setting screen showing the various states of this embodiment;

[0035] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the document login process in this embodiment;

[0036] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of a document login screen according to this embodiment;

[0037] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of document information registered in the document information storage unit of this embodiment;

[0038] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the indexing process in this embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0039] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of the document management device 10 according to this embodiment. The document management device 10 of this embodiment can be implemented using a general-purpose information processing device such as a server computer. That is, the document management device 10 has storage units such as a CPU, ROM, RAM, and hard disk drive (HDD), and has a network interface when retrieving documents to be processed via a network. When reading a directory from a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or USB memory, an external interface for this reading is required. Furthermore, the document management device 10 needs to exchange information with a user; therefore, as a user interface for exchanging information, it has input units such as a mouse and keyboard, or a display unit such as a monitor. Alternatively, a network interface is provided when exchanging information with a user via a network.

[0041] like Figure 1As shown, the document management device 10 of this embodiment includes a setting processing unit 11, a document registration processing unit 12, an index creation processing unit 13, a status update unit 14, a retrieval processing unit 15, a document category information storage unit 16, a document information storage unit 17, and an index storage unit 18. Furthermore, components not used in the description of this embodiment are omitted from the figures.

[0042] The setting processing unit 11 sets information (hereinafter, "document category information") related to the document category of the document that the document management device 10 manages, based on input from a document-based administrator or the like (hereinafter, "administrator"), and registers it in the document category information storage unit 16. The document registration processing unit 12 generates document information by establishing a corresponding association between the document that the user-specified is the object of indexing and the document category of that document, and registers it in the document information storage unit 17. In addition, in this embodiment, "document" refers to data containing text characters that have been digitized and can be recorded in the document information storage unit 17.

[0043] The index creation processing unit 13 creates an index for the document by referring to a reference range and stores it in the index storage unit 18. The reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document category of the document to be indexed received by the document registration processing unit 12. Furthermore, when a change in the document's status is detected, the index for that document is recreated to update the existing index. Here, "index" refers to index data used for fast retrieval. An index is created corresponding to each document. Full-text search is one method for retrieving documents. In full-text search, when retrieving a target document, strings such as terms contained in all the content of the document are retrieved. However, when a large number of documents are stored in the database that becomes the search destination, retrieving all the content of a document may result in a significant amount of retrieval time. Therefore, terms representing the characteristics of the document are extracted from the document beforehand by indexing and stored separately. The stored terms are the index. Furthermore, in full-text search, the document to be retrieved is found by searching the index.

[0044] Details will be described later, but in the document information storage unit 17, a corresponding association is established with the current state of the document to store it. However, if a change in the state of the document is detected, the state update unit 14 updates the state of the document in the document information storage unit 17 with the changed state of the document.

[0045] However, documents have a lifecycle from their creation until they are no longer used. Furthermore, the lifecycle varies depending on the type of document. For example, when a document is a contract, it is used for negotiation; if the negotiation is successful, it enters the contract period, is then kept for a certain period, and finally is discarded. That is, the contract's lifecycle changes through the stages of negotiation, contract period, storage, and discard. When a document is a notification, it changes through the stages of creation, communication, utilization, storage, and discard. And when a document is an authorization document, it changes through the stages of editing, drafting, pending authorization, authorized, storage, and discard.

[0046] Thus, in this embodiment, "document status" refers to the status of a document throughout its lifecycle, which may change in one direction over time.

[0047] The retrieval processing unit 15 retrieves the index based on the retrieval request containing the user's retrieval statement. If one or more documents matching the retrieval request are found, the unit prompts the user with information related to those documents. Furthermore, when the user specifies a document from the documents included in the prompted information (i.e., the retrieval results), the unit reads the entity data of that document from the document information storage unit 17 and provides it to the user.

[0048] Each component 11 to 15 in the document management device 10 is implemented through the cooperative operation of the computer that forms the document management device 10 and the program that operates via the CPU mounted on the computer. Furthermore, each storage unit 16 to 18 is implemented via an HDD mounted on the document management device 10. Alternatively, RAM or an external storage unit may be used via a network. In this embodiment, the required components are mounted on a single document management device 10, but they can also be distributed across multiple computers to form a document management system comprising multiple computers.

[0049] Furthermore, the program used in this embodiment can be provided not only through the communication unit, but also stored on computer-readable recording media such as CD-ROMs and USB drives. The program provided from the communication unit or recording medium is installed on the computer, and the computer's CPU executes the program sequentially to perform various processes.

[0050] In this embodiment, a portion of the document is referenced instead of the entire document when creating the index. Its key feature is that the portion of the document referenced during index creation is set based on the document category of the document being indexed (hereinafter also referred to as the "reference range of the index"). That is, different parts of the document can be used as the reference range of the index depending on the document's type.

[0051] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the state of a document may change during its lifecycle. However, this embodiment is characterized by the fact that, even for the same document category, it is possible to determine which of the multiple index reference ranges should be prioritized as the index reference range, or to set its priority, based on the document's state.

[0052] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. However, in this embodiment, document category information needs to be set in advance before creating the index. The following will explain the advance setting of document category information.

[0053] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates an example of the data structure for document category information stored in the document category information storage unit 16 of this embodiment. The document category information is set according to document category. Figure 2 The document category information shown includes document structure information, index object range information, and lifecycle information. Regarding documents, the type of document can, to some extent, determine the content and order of the content, the so-called chapter structure. In particular, in accounting firms, it's not uncommon to prepare fixed templates to determine the chapter structure. The document structure information sets this chapter structure as the document structure data. Figure 2 Example 21 shows document structure data with document type "Contract". The index object scope information specifies the document structure selected by the administrator from the document structure data as a reference range for indexing. Figure 2 (See "Select Index Object" in the document). The lifecycle information contains state transition definition data corresponding to the state of documents in the lifecycle of this document category, including index capacity weight coefficients and index priority. Figure 2 Example 23 shows the lifecycle information for a document category called "Contract". For instance, as mentioned earlier, a contract's lifecycle changes through stages: under negotiation, during contract period, in custody, and discarded. Therefore, the document status in the lifecycle information sets the various transition states for that document category. Details regarding index capacity weighting coefficients and index priority will be discussed later. If lifecycle information is considered, document category information can also be set according to document category and document status.

[0054] Document category information is set through the settings process described later. However, the document structure data and document status included in the lifecycle information of each document category need to be logged into the document category information storage unit 16 before implementing the settings process. Regarding the document structure data, it is assumed that the administrator sets it in advance, but it can also be automatically generated by analyzing the structure of documents such as contracts.

[0055] Figure 3This diagram illustrates an example of a document category selection screen according to this embodiment. The administrator displays the document category selection screen by performing a prescribed operation. Alternatively, the administrator can display the document category selection screen on the terminal device by using the user interface of the document management device 10 or by accessing the document management device 10 via a network from a terminal device.

[0056] The setting processing unit 11 reads the document categories set in the document category information storage unit 16 based on the user's operation and displays a document category selection screen. The setting processing unit 11 establishes a corresponding association between each displayed document category and the setting button. The administrator selects the setting button corresponding to the document category to be set from this screen. In addition, it is also possible to select the setting button corresponding to the document category whose document category information has already been set. In this case, the setting button is positioned as a setting change button.

[0057] Figure 4 This is an example of a document category information settings screen that appears after selecting the settings button from the document category selection screen. Figure 4 This is an example of the display when a contract is selected as the document category. The setting processing unit 11 reads the lifecycle 24, i.e., the document state, from the contract's state transition definition data 23 from the document category information storage unit 16, and displays it on the document category information setting screen in a way that allows selection of each document state. Furthermore, the setting processing unit 11 reads the contract's document structure data 21 and displays it in table form. It also establishes corresponding associations between each item constituting the contract and the checkboxes 25 used to select objects for indexing. In this embodiment, "item" refers to the unit of document division and description, such as chapters, sections, and sections that constitute the document.

[0058] In the document category information setting screen displayed as above, the administrator selects the checkbox 25 corresponding to the items that are to be referenced when creating the contract index, i.e., the items that are to be included in the reference scope for indexing. Figure 4 The example shown is when a user selects "Preface" as the reference range for indexing the items that constitute the contract and does not select "Contract Period".

[0059] However, within the components of a document, the number of statements that constitute its defining characteristics is determined to some extent, depending on the document category. For example, past experience shows that contracts tend to contain more characteristic statements in the preface, purpose, and main body, while notification methods and afterword contain relatively fewer. Similarly, books tend to contain more characteristic statements in the table of contents and index, while dedications, prefaces, and postscripts contain relatively fewer. Furthermore, academic papers tend to contain more characteristic statements in the summary and table of contents, while acknowledgments, references, and appendices contain relatively fewer.

[0060] Thus, for example, the administrator may preferably select items containing a large number of statements that become document characteristics as the reference range for indexing, i.e., the index objects. Here, "reference range for indexing" and "index objects" can be considered to have the same meaning. Alternatively, the setting processing unit 11 may automatically select index objects based on past performance.

[0061] As described above, if the administrator selects one or more items from all items constituting the contract as the reference range for the index, the setting processing unit 11 will register the selected item as the selected index object 22 in the contract in the document category information storage unit 16. In this embodiment, the selected items as described above will be used as the reference range for indexing the entire document, and in this example, the contract document, to create an index.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to further set the priority of each item selected as a reference range for indexing according to the document's status.

[0063] Figure 5 This is an example of a document category information setting screen showing the various states of this embodiment. Figure 5 This is an example of the document category information settings screen displayed when the administrator selects "Contract Period" from the document statuses that can be displayed in a selectable manner during the 24-year lifecycle.

[0064] The setting processing unit 11 reads the document structure data 21 of the contract from the document category information storage unit 16 and displays it in table form. Furthermore, for each item in the displayed document structure that has been selected as the reference range for indexing through the above processing, the column for indexing objects is checked. Additionally, a setting column 26 is set to indicate the index priority corresponding to the document structure of the contract. Moreover, the setting processing unit 11 sets a setting column 27 for the weight coefficient of the index capacity based on the document's status (in this example, "contract period").

[0065] The administrator sets the index priority for each item in the index object from the document category information setting screen for each status. In this embodiment, smaller numbers increase priority, so priorities are set sequentially starting from 1. Furthermore, setting priorities for items outside the index object is meaningless; therefore, it is preferable, for example, to prevent setting priorities for items outside the index object. The user also enters a weighting coefficient for the index capacity for the document's status (in this example, "Contract Period") in setting field 27. The index priority and index capacity weighting coefficients set from the document category information setting screen for each status will be explained in detail during use.

[0066] If the settings are as described above and the user inputs the values ​​into columns 26 and 27, then the setting processing unit 11 will set the weight coefficient of the input index capacity to the specified value. Figure 2 The index capacity weight coefficient of the contract shown corresponds to the selected document status "Contract Period". Furthermore, the priority of the input index is used as a priority list, and the login is set to the index priority corresponding to the selected document status "Contract Period".

[0067] In addition, the "Contract Period" of the contract is used as an example for explanation, but the same login index capacity weight coefficient and index priority are set for other document statuses such as "Under Negotiation", "In Storage" and "Discarded".

[0068] As explained above, in this embodiment, the login document category information is preset before the index is created.

[0069] Next, using Figure 6 The flowchart shown illustrates the document registration process of registering documents that are to be indexed into the document management device 10. This document registration process is performed by the document registration processing unit 12.

[0070] If a user performs a specified operation, the document login processing unit 12 displays a document login screen based on that user operation. Alternatively, the user can access the document management device 10 via a network from a terminal device to display the document login screen on the terminal device.

[0071] Figure 7This diagram illustrates an example of a document login screen according to this embodiment. After the user inputs the filename and document category of the file to be logged in from the document login screen, they select the login button. Based on the login button selection, the document login processing unit 12 retrieves the document from the storage location specified in the filename (step 101) and obtains the document category of the selected document (step 102). Furthermore, the document login processing unit 12 generates document information by combining the filename of the document to be logged in, the entity data of the document, and the attribute information of the document, and logs it in the document information storage unit 17 (step 103).

[0072] Figure 8 This diagram illustrates an example of the data structure for document information registered in the document information storage unit 17 of this embodiment. The document information has the aforementioned data structure, but the document category specified by the administrator is registered as one of the attribute information items. Furthermore, the document status included in the attribute information indicates the status of the document within that document category, but the document registration processing unit 12 reads the initial document status set in the lifecycle of that document category in the document category information storage unit 16 and sets it as the initial value. Alternatively, for example, if a document category is selected on the document registration screen, the lifecycle of that document category is displayed, allowing the user to specify the document status at the time of registration, so that it can respond when the status of the document registered in the document information storage unit 17 changes to the next status. Alternatively, the document registration processing unit 12 may have the status update unit 14 obtain the document status to set the document registration in the document information storage unit 17. Additionally, the document's attribute information may include information such as the document's creator or access permissions, but this is not used in this embodiment and is therefore omitted.

[0073] If documents are logged in as described above, an index will be created for the logged-in documents. The following will utilize... Figure 9 The flowchart shown illustrates the indexing process performed by the index creation processing unit 13.

[0074] The indexing processing unit 13 retrieves the document to be processed and its attribute information, including the document category and document status, from the document information storage unit 17 (step 111). Next, the indexing processing unit 13 retrieves document category information that matches the retrieved document status from the document category information corresponding to the retrieved document category (step 112). For example, when the document is a contract, besides... Figure 2 In addition to the document structure data 21 and the selected index object 22 shown, if the current document status is "under negotiation", the index capacity weight coefficient and priority list corresponding to "under negotiation" are obtained from the status transition definition data 23.

[0075] However, a base capacity has already been determined for the index registered in the index storage unit 18. The index creation processing unit 13 calculates the maximum capacity of the created index by multiplying the base capacity by the acquired index capacity weighting coefficient (step 113). That is, the index creation processing unit 13 sets the maximum capacity of the index according to the document category. Furthermore, the index creation processing unit 13 repeatedly performs the following process until the calculated maximum capacity is reached, thereby gradually creating the index.

[0076] That is, the index creation processing unit 13 refers to the acquired priority list to determine the order of the reference ranges of the indexes to be referenced during indexing. Therefore, the index creation processing unit 13 uses the highest priority item among items that are not included in the reference range as the reference range for indexing, thereby creating the index (step 114). Here, the index creation processing unit 13 compares the capacity of the index when the newly created index is appended to the index created by repeatedly executing step 114 with the maximum capacity calculated in step 113. Furthermore, if the capacity of the index being created has not reached the maximum capacity (as in step 115), the newly created index is appended to the already created index and the process returns to step 114.

[0077] By repeatedly performing the above process, the capacity of the index being created gradually increases. However, when the capacity of the index being created reaches its maximum capacity (not in step 115), if a newly created index is appended to the already created index, it will cause the maximum capacity to be exceeded. Therefore, the index creation processing unit 13 does not append a newly created index and ends the indexing process. Furthermore, the index at the end of the process is saved in the index storage unit 18 as the index of the document (step 116).

[0078] In this embodiment, the index is gradually created by referencing the reference range of the highest priority indexes sequentially, as described above, while keeping the maximum capacity within acceptable limits. Thus, according to this embodiment, even when a maximum capacity is set for the index, statements representing document characteristics can be preferentially included in the index, thereby improving retrieval accuracy.

[0079] However, in this embodiment, even for the same document category, the index content can be changed according to changes in document status. For example, when managing document status in an external process management system (not shown), the status update unit 14 receives notifications from the process management system or performs queries to detect changes in document status. If a status change is detected by a change in document status, the status update unit 14 updates the document status by changing the attribute information set in the document information storage unit 17 to the changed status.

[0080] If the document status set in the document information storage unit 17 is updated, the index creation processing unit 13 begins indexing processing to recreate the index of that document. The indexing processing performed at this time is related to the utilization of... Figure 4 The flowcharts shown illustrate the same content, but in step 112, the index creation processing unit 13 reads and processes the index capacity weight coefficients and priority list corresponding to the transformed document state from the document category information storage unit 16. Thus, the index is created and updated based on the document state.

[0081] However, when document management systems provide full-text search functionality, they sometimes perform so-called full-text indexing, which means using all descriptions of the documents stored in the document management system as the reference scope for the index. Full-text indexing uses the entire document as the reference scope, therefore the resulting index tends to be relatively large. When document management systems are implemented using a pay-as-you-go cloud platform, the cost increases with the increase in index size.

[0082] Therefore, partial indexing is often used to reduce the size of the index; that is, the reference range of the index is set to a part rather than the entire document. Partial indexing is also performed in this implementation.

[0083] However, it is believed that in the case of partial indexing, the retrieval accuracy will vary depending on which part of the document is used as the reference scope for indexing. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is designed so that the reference scope of the index can be set according to the document category. Regarding documents, as mentioned above, the content and order of the description, the so-called chapter structure, can be determined to a certain extent according to the document type. If the chapter structure can be determined, that is, if the items constituting the document can be determined, it is possible to determine to a certain extent whether there are important descriptions in which items, in other words, it is possible to determine to a certain extent which items contain more statements that represent the characteristics of the document. Therefore, in this embodiment, focusing on the document category, it is designed so that the reference scope of the index can be set according to the document category. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is designed so that the reference scope of the index can be extracted in units of items constituting the document.

[0084] Therefore, in this embodiment, the reference range for indexing is set to be dynamically determined based on the document category. This allows for more efficient extraction of portions representing document characteristics compared to using predetermined portions of a document as the index reference range. In other words, the index can include more statements representing document characteristics, making the document easier to retrieve and thus improving retrieval accuracy. Furthermore, the index can exclude statements that do not represent document characteristics, thereby reducing retrieval interference.

[0085] In this embodiment, the reference scope for indexing is set according to document category as described above. However, it is believed that even for the same document type, the statements intended as search targets will change depending on the document's status throughout its lifecycle. For example, in the case of a contract, if it is under negotiation, it is conceivable that the scope of the contract terms and work content will be frequently referenced; therefore, it is preferable to create an index based on search statements related to this. Furthermore, during the contract period, unlike during negotiations, it is conceivable that the scope of the provisions regarding non-performance of obligations or warranty against defects will be frequently referenced; therefore, it is preferable to create an index based on search statements related to this. Moreover, during storage, it is conceivable that the provisions regarding the contract period or amount will be frequently referenced for auditing purposes; therefore, it is preferable to create an index based on search statements related to this.

[0086] Therefore, although there are no particular limitations, it is preferable to set the reference range of the index individually according to the document status even for the same document category. However, in this embodiment, it is set so that the reference range of the index can be set according to the document category and document status as described above.

[0087] On the other hand, as mentioned above, in the case of a single item, it is desirable to set a certain limit on the size of the index being created. In this case, for example, statements recorded in items with higher reference frequency from the selected items that become index objects will be preferentially included in the index. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is set as follows: the allowable size for creating the index (the aforementioned "maximum index size") can be set, and for each item extracted as an index object, a priority is set according to the document state (i.e., from...). Figure 5 The document category information setting screen for each state shows the "index priority" setting. For example, if the priority of items with higher reference frequency in a document state is set to be higher for indexing, then items with higher priority will be prioritized for indexing, and statements that represent characteristics in that document state will be included in the index. This can suppress the associated cost increases and improve retrieval accuracy.

[0088] Furthermore, considering the cost of relying on index capacity, there is a desire to minimize index capacity as described above. However, considering retrieval accuracy, it is impossible to unnecessarily reduce capacity. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is assumed that an index capacity weighting coefficient can be set according to the document's status, and the maximum index capacity is set based on the document's status. For example, when a contract document's status is obsolete, it is considered obsolete, and therefore the likelihood of it being retrieved is relatively low. Therefore, in this case, cost is prioritized, and the maximum index capacity is relatively reduced. As a result, the capacity of the created index is relatively small. On the other hand, when a contract document's status is during the contract period or in storage, the likelihood of it being frequently used is high, so the maximum index capacity is relatively increased to facilitate retrieval. As a result, the capacity of the created index is relatively larger, but retrieval accuracy is improved.

[0089] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example is illustrated where, in order to limit the maximum size of the index for each document, the index size weighting coefficient, which is multiplied by the base size, is set to a value of 1 or higher. If there is an upper limit to the size of the indexes registered in the index storage unit 18, then in order to multiply by the upper limit size of the indexes, the index size weighting coefficient must be set to a positive number less than 1. Alternatively, all indexes could be created uniformly at the upper limit size, but considering immediate needs, when dealing with documents that are not frequently used, it is preferable, for example, to create indexes with smaller sizes as described above.

[0090] The embodiments of the present invention described above are provided for illustrative purposes. Furthermore, these embodiments do not encompass the entirety of the invention, nor do they limit the invention to the disclosed methods. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations will be readily understood. These embodiments were chosen and described to most readily explain the principles and applications of the invention. Thus, those skilled in the art can understand the invention through various modifications that are assumed to be optimized for specific uses of various embodiments. The scope of the invention is defined by the foregoing claims and their equivalents.

[0091] Symbol Explanation

[0092] 10-Document management device, 11-Setting processing unit, 12-Document registration processing unit, 13-Index creation processing unit, 14-Status update unit, 15-Retrieval processing unit, 16-Document category information storage unit, 17-Document information storage unit, 18-Index storage unit.

Claims

1. An information processing device, characterized in that, have: The document information acquisition unit acquires document information that is associated with the document category. The document category information acquisition unit retrieves document category information based on the document category, which specifies the reference range of documents used when creating index data. and The production unit creates index data for the document by referring to a range equivalent to a reference range, wherein the reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document's document category. When the document category is the first category, the production unit refers to the first reference range of the first part of the document content to produce the index data of the document. When the document category is a second category different from the first category, the production unit refers to a second reference range of the second part of the document content to produce the index data of the document, and the second reference range is different from the first reference range.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the document's state changes The document information also includes a corresponding association between the document and its status. The document category information is set according to the document's document category and document status. The production unit creates the document's index data by referring to a range of the document equivalent to a reference range, where the reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document's document category and status.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that, If a change in the document's state is detected, the production unit recreates the document's index data by referring to a range of the document equivalent to a reference range, where the reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document's document category and the changed state.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The reference range is set by selecting one or more items that constitute the document.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, Each item within the reference range is assigned a priority when referencing indexed data. The production unit determines the order of items to be referenced when producing the index data based on the priority of each item included in the reference range.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the state of the document changes, the production unit sets the maximum capacity of the document's index data based on the document's state. The document category information is generated according to the document's document category and document status. Each document category information contains a weighting coefficient for the capacity of the index data. The production unit produces the index data of the document in a manner limited to a maximum capacity, which is obtained by multiplying a predetermined baseline capacity of the index data by a weighting coefficient set for the document category information corresponding to the document category and status.

7. A document management system, characterized in that, have: The document information storage unit stores document information that is associated with the documents using the index data and the document category of those documents. The document category information storage unit stores document category information, which specifies the reference range of documents to be referenced when creating index data, according to the document category of the document. and If a document is registered in the document information storage unit, the creation unit creates index data for the document by referring to a range equivalent to a reference range for the document. The reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document's document category. When the document category is the first category, the production unit refers to the first reference range of the first part of the document content to produce the index data of the document. When the document category is a second category different from the first category, the production unit refers to a second reference range of the second part of the document content to produce the index data of the document, and the second reference range is different from the first reference range.

8. A recording medium having recorded a program for enabling a computer to function as a unit: The document information acquisition unit acquires document information that is associated with the document category. The document category information acquisition unit retrieves document category information based on the document's document category, specifying the reference range of documents to be referenced when creating the index data; and The production unit creates index data for the document by referring to a range equivalent to a reference range, wherein the reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document's document category. When the document category is the first category, the production unit refers to the first reference range of the first part of the document content to produce the index data of the document. When the document category is a second category different from the first category, the production unit refers to a second reference range of the second part of the document content to produce the index data of the document, and the second reference range is different from the first reference range.

9. An information processing method, comprising the following steps: The document information retrieval steps involve obtaining document information that is associated with the document category. The document category information retrieval steps involve obtaining document category information based on the document's document category, specifically the document category range referenced when creating the index data; and The creation process involves generating index data for a document by referencing a range equivalent to a reference range, where the reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document's document category. When the document category is the first category, the creation steps refer to the first reference range of the first part of the document content to create the document's index data. When the document category is a second category different from the first category, the creation step refers to a second reference range of the second part of the document content to create the index data of the document, and the second reference range is different from the first reference range.

10. A computer program product comprising programs for enabling a computer to function as a unit: The document information acquisition unit acquires document information that is associated with the document category. The document category information acquisition unit retrieves document category information based on the document's document category, specifying the reference range of documents to be referenced when creating the index data; and The production unit creates index data for the document by referring to a range equivalent to a reference range, wherein the reference range is set to the document category information corresponding to the document's document category. When the document category is the first category, the production unit refers to the first reference range of the first part of the document content to produce the index data of the document. When the document category is a second category different from the first category, the production unit refers to a second reference range of the second part of the document content to produce the index data of the document, and the second reference range is different from the first reference range.

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