Document management system and processing apparatus

1. A document management system comprising:

a management server; and

a processor,

the processor being programmed to:

acquire a document file and information on a destination to which the document file is to be transmitted,

request a document identification (DID) issuance privilege from the management server that permits the processor to assign a DID to the document file,

request an issuance quota that permits the processor to issue a predetermined number of DIDs,

assign the DID to the document file after the management server assigns the issuance privilege and the issuance quota to the processor,

protect the document file to create a protected document file,

transmit metadata of the document file to the management server, and transmit the protected document file to the destination, the metadata including the information on the destination,

the management server including a memory that stores metadata of documents received from the processor, and

wherein the management server is programmed to respond to a request for metadata corresponding to a document by returning metadata of the document which is stored in the memory.

2. The document management system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a viewing device, the viewing device including a processor programmed to:

receive the protected document file from the processor, and

receive the metadata corresponding to the protected document file from the management server.

3. The document management system according to claim 2 , wherein

the processor of the viewing device is further programmed to:

authenticate a user who uses the viewing device, and

unprotect the protected document file to obtain an unprotected document and present the unprotected document to the user when a combination of the viewing device and the user authenticated by the processor of the viewing device matches a combination of a destination user and a destination viewing device indicated by the information on the destination in the metadata received by the processor of the viewing device.

4. The document management system according to claim 3 , wherein

the processor is one of a plurality of processors, each of the plurality of processors is located on one of a plurality of local networks, and each of the local networks is associated with one of the plurality of processors,

the management server is located on an external network, the external network being external to the local networks on which the respective processors are located and being connected to the local networks,

the processor of the viewing device receives the protected document file from the processor connected to a local network to which the viewing device is connected among the plurality of processors, and

the processor of the viewing device receives the metadata corresponding to the protected document file from the management server located on the external network.

5. The document management system according to claim 3 , wherein

the protected document file is generated by performing an encryption process on the document acquired by the processor, and

the processor is further programmed to:

perform a control to, when vulnerability is found during the encryption process used to generate the protected document file, generate a second protected document file by performing a second encryption process on the document, the second encryption process being a process during which no vulnerability is found, and transmit the second protected document file to the viewing device at the destination.

6. The document management system according to claim 5 , wherein the processor is further programmed to perform a control to cause the viewing device at the destination to delete the protected document file generated using the encryption process during which vulnerability is found.

7. The document management system according to claim 2 , wherein

the protected document file is generated by performing an encryption process on the document acquired by the processor, and

the processor is further programmed to:

perform a control to, when vulnerability is found during the encryption process used to generate the protected document file, generate a second protected document file by performing a second encryption process on the document, the second encryption process being a process during which no vulnerability is found, and transmit the second protected document file to the viewing device at the destination.

8. The document management system according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is further programmed to perform a control to cause the viewing device at the destination to delete the protected document file generated using the encryption process during which vulnerability is found.

9. The document management system according to claim 2 , wherein

the processor is one of a plurality of processors, each of the plurality of processors is located on one of a plurality of local networks, and each of the local networks is associated with one of the plurality of processors,

the management server is located on an external network, the external network being external to the local networks on which the respective processors are located and being connected to the local networks,

the processor of the viewing device receives the protected document file from a processor connected to a local network to which the viewing device is connected among the plurality of processors, and

the processor of the viewing device receives the metadata corresponding to the protected document file from the management server located on the external network.

10. A processing apparatus comprising:

a processor programmed to:

acquire a document file and information on a destination to which the document file is to be transmitted;

request a document identification (DID) issuance privilege from a management server that permits the processor to assign a DID to the document file,

request an issuance quota that permits the processor to issue a predetermined number of DIDs,

assign the DID to the document file after the management server assigns the issuance privilege and the issuance quota to the processor,

protect the document file to create a protected document file, and

transmit metadata of the document to a management server and transmit the protected document file to the destination, the metadata including the information on the destination,

wherein the management server is configured to manage management information on documents sent from the processor.

11. The processing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein

the protected document file is generated by performing an encryption process on the document acquired by the processor, and

the processor is further programmed to perform a control to, when a vulnerability is found during the encryption process used to generate the protected document file transmitted from the transmitter, generate a second protected document file by performing a second encryption process on the document, the second encryption process being a process during which no vulnerability is found, and transmit the second protected document file to the destination.

12. The processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the processor is further programmed to perform a control to cause the destination to delete the protected document file generated using the encryption process during which vulnerability is found.