APPARATUS AND METHOD OF SEARCHING HIERARCHICAL DIRECTORY STRUCTURE FOR DESIRED ADDRESS INFORMATION USING USER ENTERED KEYWORD

Abstract

A technique is disclosed of searching a hierarchical directory structure for desired address information. A plurality of directories are arranged in a multi-level hierarchical structure in association with a plurality of sets of address information. This technique includes: searching the hierarchical structure using at least one user-entered keyword as a search term, to thereby retrieve at least one associated directory; searching the hierarchical structure using the at least one associated directory, to thereby retrieve a sub-plurality of the plurality of sets of address information as a plurality of sets of candidate address information, the plurality of sets of candidate address information being associated with at least one subordinate directories being located at one or more lower levels than that of the at least one associated directory in the hierarchical structure; and accessing at least one arbitrary one of the plurality of sets of candidate address information.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating an exemplary data transmission system constructed according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary electrical configuration of a multi-function peripheral depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a control panel of the multi-function peripheral depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary electrical configuration of a directory server depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an exemplary tree structure employed in the directory server depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an exemplary set of entry information in the directory server depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary electrical configuration of a user terminal depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating an exemplary screen page for prompting a user to set conditions for communication connections with the directory server depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart conceptually illustrating an exemplary process for a directory search which is executed by the multi-function peripheral depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating an exemplary screen page on which there is displayed a list of results of the directory search provided by execution of the process illustrated in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11A is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for a communication-connection check which is executed by the multi-function peripheral depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11B is a flow chart that illustrates a continuation of the flow chart of FIG. 11A;

FIG. 12A is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for entry access which is executed by the multi-function peripheral depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12B is a flow chart that illustrates a continuation of the flow chart of FIG. 12A;

FIG. 13 is a view conceptually illustrating a process for accessing a plurality of sets of entry information;

FIG. 14A is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for communication-connection-check-result display which is executed by the multi-function peripheral depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 14B is a flow chart that illustrates a continuation of the flow chart of FIG. 14A;

FIG. 15 is a view illustrating an exemplary screen page on which a result of communication-connection-check is displayed under the control of the multi-function peripheral depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating another exemplary screen page on which a result of communication-connection-check is displayed under the control of the multi-function peripheral depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is a view illustrating still another exemplary screen page on which a result of communication-connection-check is displayed under the control of the multi-function peripheral depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for a data transmission which is executed by the multi-function peripheral depicted in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for an address-book search which is executed by the multi-function peripheral depicted in FIG. 1.

Claims

1. An apparatus for searching a hierarchical directory structure for desired address information, the hierarchical directory structure being stored in and managed by an information management device in a manner that a plurality of directories are arranged in a multi-level hierarchical structure in association with a plurality of sets of address information, the apparatus comprising: a directory retriever searching the information management device using at least one user-entered keyword as a search term, to thereby retrieve at least one of the plurality of directories which at least partially matches the keyword, as at least one associated directory; andan address information retriever searching the information management device using the at lease one associated directory, to thereby retrieve a sub-plurality of the plurality of sets of address information as a plurality of sets of candidate address information, the plurality of sets of candidate address information being associated with at least one subordinate one of the plurality of directories, the at least one subordinate directory being located at one or more lower levels than that of the at least one associated directory in the hierarchical structure, whereinthe address information retriever further accesses at least one arbitrary one of the plurality of sets of candidate address information as at least one set of output address information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an address information retrieving device including the directory retriever and the address information retriever, the address information retrieving device being communicatable with the information management device; anda user-operable controller accepting an user entry and supplying the accepted user entry to the address information retrieving device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the user-operable controller includes a mobile terminal having a screen for display of information, the mobile terminal being communicatable with the address information retrieving device via a wireless communication network.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a storing section storing identification information for identifying the at least one associated directory that was retrieved by the directory retriever, in a storage; andan output device outputting the at least one set of output address information that was accessed by the address information retriever, whereinthe address information retriever retrieves a sub-plurality of the plurality of sets of address information as the plurality of sets of candidate address information, the plurality of sets of candidate address information being associated with at least one subordinate one of the plurality of directories, the at least one subordinate directory being located at one or more lower levels than that of the at least one associated directory in the hierarchical structure, the at least one associated directory being identified by the identification information stored in the storage.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a first display controller performing, in the presence of a plurality of associated directories retrieved by the directory retriever, a process for allowing the plurality of retrieved associated directories to be displayed; anda selector selecting, in accordance with a user instruction, one of the plurality of displayed associated directories as one specific directory, whereinthe address information retriever retrieves a sub-plurality of the plurality of sets of address information as the plurality of sets of candidate address information, the plurality of sets of candidate address information being associated with at least one subordinate one of the plurality of directories, the at least one subordinate directory being located at one or more lower levels than that of the selected one specific directory in the hierarchical structure.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first display controller performs a process for allowing a list of the plurality of retrieved associated directories to be displayed.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second display controller performing a process for allowing at least one associated directory retrieved by the directory retriever to be displayed together and in association with directory information owned by at least one superior directory of the plurality of directories, the at least one superior directory being located at one or more higher levels than that of the at least one associated directory.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a second display controller performing a process for allowing the plurality of associated directories retrieved by the directory retriever to be displayed together and in association with directory information owned by at least one superior directory of the plurality of directories, the at least one superior directory being located at one or more higher levels than that of each of the plurality of retrieved associated directories.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the address information includes destination information for use in identifying a destination to which data is to be transmitted, the apparatus further comprising a data transmission controller performing a process for the data to be transmitted to the destination identified by the destination information within the address information retrieved by the address information retriever.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one associated directory includes a root directory at which a continued process of a search begins, andthe address information retriever includes:a counter counting a number of the plurality of sets of candidate address information; andan access section accessing from the plurality of sets of candidate address information, at least one set of candidate address information having its total number identical to a user-designated number, as the at least one set of output address information.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the access section includes a sequential access unit repeatedly accessing the at least one set of address information from the plurality of sets of candidate address information, one by one, in the same sequence as that in which the plurality of sets of candidate address information are arranged in the hierarchical structure.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the access section includes a random access unit repeatedly accessing the at least one set of address information from the plurality of sets of candidate address information, one by one, in a random sequence.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the access section includes: a sequential access unit repeatedly accessing the at least one set of address information from the plurality of sets of candidate address information, one by one, in the same sequence as that in which the plurality of sets of candidate address information are arranged in the hierarchical structure;a random access unit repeatedly accessing the at least one set of address information from the plurality of sets of candidate address information, one by one, in a random sequence; andan access unit selector selecting, in accordance with a user instruction, one of the sequential access unit and the random access unit.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information management device includes an LDAP server, and the apparatus is communicatable with the LDAP server via a wired or wireless network.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the network is a WAN or a LAN.

16. A method of searching a hierarchical directory structure for desired address information, the hierarchical directory structure being stored in and managed by an information management device in a manner that a plurality of directories are arranged in a multi-level hierarchical structure in association with a plurality of sets of address information, the method comprising the steps of: searching the information management device using at least one user-entered keyword as a search term, to thereby retrieve at least one of the plurality of directories which at least partially matches the keyword, as at least one associated directory;searching the information management device using the at least one associated directory, to thereby retrieve a sub-plurality of the plurality of sets of address information as a plurality of sets of candidate address information, the plurality of sets of candidate address information being associated with at least one subordinate one of the plurality of directories, the at least one subordinate directory being located at one or more lower levels than that of the at least one associated directory in the hierarchical structure; andaccessing at least one arbitrary one of the plurality of sets of candidate address information as at least one set of output address information.

17. A computer readable medium which has stored therein a computer executable program which, when executed, implements the method set forth in claim 16.