US 6,983,417 B2
Method and system for managing documents
Hideko Kagimasa, Yokohama (Japan); and Toru Takahashi, Kamakura (Japan)
Assigned to Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on Aug. 09, 2001, as Appl. No. 9/924,590.
Claims priority of application No. 2000-384902 (JP), filed on Dec. 14, 2000.
Prior Publication US 2002/0078104 A1, Jun. 20, 2002
Int. Cl. G06F 15/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 715—530 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented document information management method for opening document information to a plurality of users, comprising the steps of:
managing each of said document information in an editable form and in a reference-only form;
offering said document information in the editable form to users desiring re-utilizing of said document information; and
tracing and managing the utilization state of said document information when said document information is re-utilized,
wherein, when said document information is re- re-utilized, said step of tracing and managing a subsequent re-utilization state of said document information comprises the steps of:
causing a re-utilizing user who re-utilizes said document information to submit the re-utilizing document information for a review;
presenting a subsequent re-utilization state after re-utilization of said document information to a creator of said document information;
if said creator accepts the contents of said re-utilizing document information, notifying said re-utilizing user of completion of the review; and
if said creator did not accept a content of said re-utilizing document information and pointed out a problem, notifying said re-utilizing user of no-completion of the review of said re-utilizing document information, urging said re-utilizing user to solve said problem.