System, computer program product and method for managing documents

• US 20020114013A1
• Filed: 02/20/2001
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited, Ricoh Corporation (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hyakutake, Shogo, Kitada, Hiroshi, Kizawa, Akio, Aoshima, Minoru, Ishizuka, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,142,690 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/3.28
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32 Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device H04N1/38, H04N1/387 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32144 embedded in the image data, i.e. enclosed or integrated in the image, e.g. watermark, super-imposed logo or stamp

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product for managing documents. The system includes a document manager that is configured to search for application services providers (ASPs) over a network and based on a user input. The document manager can search documents within the ASPs, retrieve documents and URLs, store documents and data, format documents, generate and issue unified bills from a plurality of bills from a plurality of ASPs. The document manager can also manage, e.g. create, receive, transmit, store, merge, watermark information for documents managed by the document manager. The document manager can request that a document be merged with a corresponding watermark information so that the document be printed with an embedded watermark. Alternatively, the document manager can merge the watermark information with the document and can transmit the merged document data to a printing entity.

Claims

1. A method for managing documents, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from a remote user;

selecting an application service provider based on said request;

forwarding said request to said application service provider;

receiving information from said application service provider indicating information of a document provided from said application service provider to said user, and

sending a merge command to a printing entity requesting that the document be printed with watermark information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting said watermark information to said printing entity.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of checking whether a watermark request is received, and wherein sending said merge command is based on said watermark request being received.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of checking whether said document is tagged, and wherein sending said merge command is based on said document being tagged.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of checking whether said document is digitally signed, and wherein sending said merge command is based on said document being digitally signed.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of retrieving a document from an application service provider.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of transmitting said document and said watermark information to said printing entity.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of retrieving said watermark information from said application service provider.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of retrieving a document and at least part of said watermark information from said user.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of transmitting said document and at least a portion of said watermark information to an application service provider.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting said request to a document manager performing said steps of receiving said request, selecting said application service provider, forwarding said request, receiving said information from said application service provider, and sending said merge command.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of transmitting at least a portion of said watermark information to said document manager.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

scanning said document; and

transmitting said document to said document manager.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of transmitting at least a portion of said watermark information to said document manager.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of receiving said document from said document manager.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of receiving said watermark information from said document manager.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of merging said document with said watermark information.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of printing said document with said watermark.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of adjusting an image density for said watermark information so that said image density for said watermark information is lower than an image density for said document.

20. A system for managing documents, comprising:

means for receiving a request from a remote user;

means for selecting an application service provider based on said request;

means for forwarding said request to said application service provider;

means for receiving information from said application service provider indicating information of a document provided from said application service provider to said user; and

means for sending a merge command to a printing entity requesting that the document be printed with watermark information.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising means for transmitting said watermark information to said printing entity.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising means for checking whether a watermark request is received, and wherein said means for sending send said merge command based on said watermark request being received.

23. The system of claim 20, further comprising means for checking whether said document is tagged, and wherein said means for sending send said merge command based on said document being tagged.

24. The system of claim 20, further comprising means for checking whether said document is digitally signed, and wherein said means for sending send said merge command based on said document being digitally signed.

25. The system of claim 20, further comprising means for retrieving a document from an application service provider.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising means for transmitting said document and said watermark information to said printing entity.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising means for retrieving said watermark information from said application service provider.

28. The system of claim 20, further comprising means for retrieving a document and at least part of said watermark information from said user.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising means for transmitting said document and at least a portion of said watermark information to an application service provider.

30. The system of claim 20, further comprising means for transmitting said request to a document manager including said means for receiving said request, said means for selecting said application service provider, said means for forwarding said request, said means for receiving said information from said application service provider, and said means for sending said merge command.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising means for transmitting at least a portion of said watermark information to said document manager.

32. The system of claim 30, further comprising:

means for scanning said document; and

means for transmitting said document to said document manager.

33. The system of claim 32, further comprising means for transmitting at least a portion of said watermark information to said document manager.

34. The system of claim 30, further comprising means for receiving said document from said document manager.

35. The system of claim 34, further comprising means for receiving said watermark information from said document manager.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising means for merging said document with said watermark information.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising means for printing said document with said watermark.

38. The system of claim 37, further comprising means for adjusting an image density for said watermark information so that said image density for said watermark information is lower than an image density for said document.

40. The computer program product of claim 39, further comprising a sixth computer code device configured to transmit said watermark information to said printing entity.

41. The computer program product of claim 39, further comprising a sixth computer code device configured to check whether a watermark request is received, and wherein said fifth computer code device is configured to send said merge command based on said watermark request being received.

42. The computer program product of claim 39, further comprising a sixth computer code device configured to check whether said document is tagged, and wherein said fifth computer code device is configured to send said merge command based on said document being tagged.

43. The computer program product of claim 39, further comprising a sixth computer code device configured to check whether said document is digitally signed, and wherein said fifth computer code device is configured to send said merge command based on said document being digitally signed.

44. The computer program product of claim 39, further comprising a sixth computer code device configured to retrieve a document from an application service provider.

45. The computer program product of claim 44, further comprising a seventh computer code device configured to transmit said document and said watermark information to said printing entity.

46. The computer program product of claim 44, further comprising a seventh computer code device configured to retrieve said watermark information from said application service provider.

47. The computer program product of claim 39, further comprising a sixth computer code device configured to retrieve a document and at least part of said watermark information from said user.

48. The computer program product of claim 47, further comprising a seventh computer code device configured to transmit said document and at least a portion of said watermark information to an application service provider.

49. The computer program product of claim 39, further comprising a sixth computer code device configured to transmit said request to a document manager configured to receive said request, to select said application service provider, to forward said request, to receive said information from said application service provider, and to send said merge command.

50. The computer program product of claim 49, further comprising a seventh computer code device configured to transmit at least a portion of said watermark information to said document manager.

51. The computer program product of claim 49, further comprising:

a seventh computer code device configured to scan said document; and

an eighth computer code device configured to transmit said document to said document manager.

52. The computer program product of claim 51, further comprising a ninth computer code device configured to transmit at least a portion of said watermark information to said document manager.

53. The computer program product of claim 49, further comprising a seventh computer code device configured to receive said document from said document manager.

54. The computer program product of claim 53, further comprising an eighth computer code device configured to receive said watermark information from said document manager.

55. The computer program product of claim 54, further comprising a ninth computer code device configured to merge said document with said watermark information.

56. The computer program product of claim 55, further comprising a tenth computer code device configured to print said document with said watermark.

57. The computer program product of claim 56, further comprising an eleventh computer code device configured to adjust an image density for said watermark information so that said image density for said watermark information is lower than an image density for said document.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein retrieving said document is performed by retrieving said document from said remote user.

60. The method of claim 58, wherein retrieving said document is performed by retrieving said document from said application service provider.

61. The method of claim 58, further comprising the step of retrieving said watermark information from said application service provider.

62. The method of claim 58, further comprising the step of retrieving said watermark information from said remote user.

63. The method of claim 58, further comprising the step of checking whether said document is tagged, and wherein said merging step is performed if said document is tagged.

64. The method of claim 58, further comprising the step of checking whether said document is digitally signed, and wherein said merging step is performed if said document is digitally signed.

39. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer storage medium and a computer program code mechanism embedded in the computer storage medium for causing a computer to manage documents over a computer network, the computer program code mechanism comprising;

a first computer code device configured to receive a request from a remote user,

a second computer code device configured to select an application service provider based on said request;

a third computer code device configured to forward said request to said application service provider;

a fourth computer code device configured to receive information from said application service provider indicating information of a document provided from said application service provider to said user; and

and

a fifth computer code device configured to send a merge command to a printing entity requesting that the document be printed with watermark information.

58. A method for managing documents, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from a remote user;

selecting an application service provider based on said request;

retrieving a document;

merging said document with watermark information; and

transmitting said document merged with said watermark information to a printing entity.

65. A system for managing documents, comprising:

means for receiving a request from a remote user;

means for selecting an application service provider based on said request;

means for retrieving a document;

means for merging said document with watermark information; and

means for transmitting said document merged with said watermark information to a printing entity.

66. The system of claim 65, wherein said means for retrieving said document include means for retrieving said document from said remote user.

67. The system of claim 65, wherein said means for retrieving said document include means for retrieving said document from said application service provider.

68. The system of claim 65, further comprising means for retrieving said watermark information from said application service provider.

69. The system of claim 65, further comprising means for retrieving said watermark information from said remote user.

70. The system of claim 65, further comprising means for checking whether said document is tagged, and wherein said means for merging merge said document with said watermark information if said document is tagged.

71. The system of claim 65, further comprising means for checking whether said document is digitally signed, and wherein said means for merging merge said document with said watermark information if said document is digitally signed.

72. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer storage medium and a computer program code mechanism embedded in the computer storage medium for causing a computer to manage documents over a computer network, the computer program code mechanism comprising;

a first computer code device configured to receive a request from a remote user;

a second computer code device configured to select an application service provider based on said request;

a third computer code device configured to retrieve a document;

a fourth computer code device configured to merge said document with watermark information; and

a fifth computer code device configured to transmit said document merged with said watermark information to a printing entity.

73. The computer program product of claim 72, wherein said third computer code device is configured to retrieve said document from said remote user.

74. The computer program product of claim 72, wherein said third computer code device is configured to retrieve said document from said application service provider.

75. The computer program product of claim 72, further comprising a sixth computer code device configured to retrieve said watermark information from said application service provider.

76. The computer program product of claim 72, further comprising a sixth computer code device configured to retrieve said watermark information from said remote user.

77. The computer program product of claim 72, further comprising a sixth computer code device configured to check whether said document is tagged, and wherein said fourth computer code device is configured to merge said document with said watermark information if said document is tagged.

78. The computer program product of claim 72, further comprising a sixth computer code device configured to check whether said document is digitally signed, and wherein said fourth computer code device is configured to merge said document with said watermark information if said document is digitally signed.