Remote document retrieval and storage system

• US 10,262,009 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2018
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mirror Imaging L.L.C.
• Original Assignee: Mirror Imaging L.L.C.
• Inventors: Schulze, Michael D., Gagnon, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vital, Pierre M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lodhi, Andalib F
• Application Number:
  US15/990,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20180276243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2308 Concurrency control transaction processing G06F9/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2322 using timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2453 Query optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24562 Pointer or reference processing operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/447 Temporal browsing, e.g. timeline
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

An electronically stored financial document is either maintained in a first storage system when a parameter associated with the document is greater than a pre-selected parameter or in a second storage system when the parameter associated with the document is less than or equal to the pre-selected parameter. A request for a stored financial document is received and the requested financial document parameter is compared to the pre-selected financial document parameter to determine if the electronically stored financial document'"'"'s parameter is more than, less than, or equal to the pre-selected parameter. By using an interlinked interface, at least one electronic processor compares and electronically accesses one of the storage systems in response to the comparison of the pre-selected parameter to the electronically stored financial document'"'"'s parameters. After accessing the appropriate storage system, the requested electronically stored financial document can be reproduced, and/or distributed.

Claims

1. A system for selectively storing and retrieving electronic images of a plurality of financial documents, each electronic image being associated with a document parameter that includes a numerical sequence that is representative of a record date of the corresponding financial document, the system comprising:

a first storage system including a first fixed medium, the first storage system being associated with a first entity and configured to;

store at least some of the electronic images for the plurality of financial documents, wherein the document parameter for each of the electronic images that are configured to be stored in the first storage system is greater than a predetermined parameter, wherein the predetermined parameter is a date or time period;

a second storage system including a second fixed medium, wherein the second storage system is located remotely from the first storage system, the second storage system being associated with a second entity and configured to;

store at least some of the electronic images for the plurality of financial documents, wherein the document parameter for each of the electronic images configured to be stored in the second storage system is less than or equal to the predetermined parameter;

at least one electronic processor which has electronic access to the first and second storage systems and is also interlinked to the first storage system and the second storage system, wherein the at least one electronic processor is interlinked to the first storage system and the second storage system through an interlinked interface, wherein the at least one electronic processor is configured to;

electronically receive a request for at least one of the stored electronic images of the plurality of financial documents;

automatically, without human intervention, compare the numerical sequence of the document parameter associated with the requested stored electronic image to the predetermined parameter after the request is received;

automatically access the first storage system when the numerical sequence of the document parameter associated with the requested stored electronic image is greater than the predetermined parameter;

automatically access the second storage system when the numerical sequence of the document parameter associated with the requested stored electronic image is less than or equal to the predetermined parameter; and

automatically retrieve the requested stored electronic image from the first storage system or the second storage system once the first storage system or the second storage system has been accessed.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first fixed medium and the second fixed medium are different from each other.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first fixed medium or the second fixed medium is a physical media.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first fixed medium or the second fixed medium is a fixed electronic medium.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first fixed medium and the second fixed medium are the same.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic processor is further configured to automatically reproduce the requested stored electronic image after the stored electronic image has been retrieved from the accessed storage system.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein accessing the first storage system or the second storage system is further defined as accessing only one of the first storage system or the second storage system at any one time to locate the requested stored electronic image.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic processor which has electronic access to the first storage system and the second storage system is also interlinked to the first fixed medium and the second fixed medium.

9. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first entity and the second entity are associated with each other.

10. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second storage system is also associated with the first entity.

11. A system for selectively storing and retrieving electronic images of a plurality of financial documents, each electronic image being associated with a document parameter that includes a numerical sequence that includes a representation of a record date of the corresponding financial document, the system comprising:

a first electronic storage means configured to;

store at least some of the electronic images for the plurality of financial documents, wherein the document parameter for each of the electronic images that are configured to be stored in the first storage system is greater than a predetermined parameter, wherein the predetermined parameter is a date or time period;

a second electronic storage means, wherein the first electronic storage means and the second electronic storage means are associated with a first entity and a second entity, respectively, wherein the first entity and the second entity are distinct or related, and wherein the second electronic storage means is configured to;

store at least some of the electronic images for the plurality of financial documents, wherein the document parameter for each of the electronic images configured to be stored in the second storage system is less than or equal to the predetermined parameter;

a retrieving means which has access to the first and second electronic storage means and is also interlinked to the first electronic storage means and the second electronic storage means, wherein the retrieving means is configured to;

electronically receive a request for at least one of the stored electronic images of the plurality of financial documents;

automatically compare the numerical sequence of the document parameter associated with the requested stored electronic image to the predetermined parameter after the request is received;

automatically access the first electronic storage means when the numerical sequence of the document parameter associated with the requested stored electronic image is greater than the predetermined parameter;

automatically access the second storage system when the numerical sequence of the document parameter associated with the requested stored electronic image is less than or equal to the predetermined parameter; and

automatically retrieve the requested stored electronic image from the first electronic storage means or the second electronic storage means depending on the document parameter associated with the requested stored electronic image.

12. The system as set forth in claim 11, wherein the retrieving means includes one or more electronic processors.

13. The system as set forth in claim 11, wherein the first electronic storage means or the second electronic storage means is configured to digitally store the electronic images.

14. A method of accessing an electronically-stored financial document from one of a first storage system associated with a first entity or a second storage system associated with a second entity, wherein the second storage system is located remotely from the first storage system, wherein the first and second storage systems each include a plurality of electronic images stored therein, each of the plurality of electronic images corresponding to a plurality of financial documents, and wherein each electronic image is associated with at least one specific document parameter, wherein the specific document parameter includes a numerical sequence that contains information relating to a record date of the corresponding financial document, wherein the first storage system is associated with a primary interface and the second storage system is associated with a secondary interface, said method comprising the steps of:

electronically storing at least some of the plurality of electronic images of the financial documents in a first fixed medium at the first storage system when the specific document parameter is greater than a predetermined parameter, wherein the predetermined parameter is a numerical record date or time period;

electronically storing at least some of the plurality of electronic images of the financial documents in a second fixed medium at the second storage system when the specific document parameter is less than or equal to the predetermined parameter;

utilizing at least one electronic processor that has access to the first and second storage systems by electronically interlinking the primary interface of the first storage system with the secondary interface of the second storage system;

electronically receiving a request relating to one of the financial documents at the at least one electronic processor;

automatically comparing the specific document parameter relating to the request to the predetermined parameter to determine whether the specific document parameter is greater than, less than, or equal to the predetermined parameter after the request has been received;

automatically accessing the first storage system when the specific document parameter relating to the request is greater than the predetermined parameter and automatically accessing the second storage system when the specific document parameter relating to the request is less than or equal to the predetermined parameter; and

automatically retrieving the image of the requested financial document from the accessed storage system as defined by the received request.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the first and second fixed mediums are different from each other.

16. The method as set forth in claim 14, further including the step of automatically reproducing the requested financial document after the requested financial document has been retrieved from the accessed storage system.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the step of automatically reproducing the requested financial document after the requested financial document has been retrieved from the accessed storage system includes automatically reproducing the requested financial document onto paper.

18. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the step of automatically reproducing the requested financial document after the requested financial document has been retrieved from the accessed storage system includes electronically reproducing the requested financial document automatically.

19. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the first and second storage systems are associated with the same entity.

20. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the first and second fixed mediums are the same.

21. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the step of automatically accessing the first storage system when the specific document parameter is greater than the predetermined parameter and automatically accessing the second storage system when the specific document parameter is less than or equal to the predetermined parameter utilizes the at least one electronic processor interlinked to the first storage system and the second storage system.

22. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the second storage system is also associated with the first entity.