Method, device systems and computer programs for producing and tracing printed documents with a determinate identifier

• US 20050178843A1
• Filed: 03/13/2003
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oce Printing Systems GmbH & Co KG (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Oce Printing Systems GmbH (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Frohlich, Georg, Diesler, Wilfried, Ubert, Ralf
• Granted Patent: US 7,347,378 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/487
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/10 at least one kind of marking being used for authentication, e.g. of credit or identity cards verification of coded identity or credit cards in mechanisms actuated by them G07F7/12

Abstract

In a method and system for production of a printed document with a unique identifier, the data medium for the unique identifier is applied on a recording medium, the data medium being capable of being electronically written without contact so that data are written without contact onto the data medium in the course of a document production event. Data of at least one of a user program, of the printed document, and of the data medium are linked in a file.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A method for production of a printed document with a unique identifier, comprising the steps of:

applying a data medium for the unique identifier on a recording medium, said data medium being capable of being electronically written without contact so that data are written without contact onto the data medium in the course of a document production event; and

wherein data of at least one of a user program, of the printed document, and of the data medium are linked in a file.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein the file is used to check validity of the document in a document processing event downstream from the document production event, such that its content is compared with read data from the printed document.

20. A method according to claim 18 wherein the data medium comprises a transponder that comprises an unchangeable identifier number in an electronic storage region.

21. A method according to claim 20 wherein the transponder is already applied on the recording medium before a printing event.

22. A method according to claim 20 wherein an identifier number printed in plain text additionally applied on the recording medium.

23. A method according to claim 22 wherein the identifier number printed in plain text is identical to at least one of the identifier number stored in the transponder, to an identifier number stored in an optical barcode, to an identifier number stored in a magnetic layer, and another identifier number associated with the identifier number of the transponder.

24. A method according to claim 18 wherein unique identifiers of a person are stored on the document and this data is likewise stored in the file in the course of the document production process.

25. A method according to claim 18 wherein the data on the document are compared with the data of the file created in the course of the document production process using the printed document for identification of at least one of a person and goods.

26. A method according to claim 18 wherein the data are stored encrypted on the data medium.

27. A method according to claim 18 wherein at least one of a print result, the identifier of the data medium and an electronic write result are checked and, in case of at least one of a faulty printing, a faulty identification, and an erroneous write result, the erroneous document is separated out and a repeated generation of the document is initiated.

28. A method according to claim 18 wherein a print event occurs with at least one electrophotographic print device and the electronic writing in the data medium occurs after the recording medium has left the print device.

29. A method according to claim 18 wherein information from which it can be detected that the document was at a monitoring point is stored in the data medium at the monitoring point, the monitoring point comprising at least one write station and at which the document was detected.

30. A method according to claim 29 wherein at the monitoring point additional data is detected from the document, and it is stored in a central tracking databank that the document was at the monitoring point.

31. A system for production of a printed document with a unique identifier, comprising:

a data medium applied on a recording medium, said data medium being provided for the unique identifier, said data medium being capable of being electronically written without contact so that data are written without contact onto the data medium in the course of a document production event; and

a file in which data of at least one of a user program, of the printed document, and of the data medium are linked.

32. A system according to claim 31 further comprising a computer.

33. A system according to claim 31 further comprising a print device.

34. A computer program for use in production of a printed document with a unique identifier, and wherein a data medium is applied for the unique identifier on a recording medium, said data medium being capable of being electronically written without contact, comprising:

said computer program writing data without contact onto the data medium in the course of a document production event; and

said program linking in a file data of at least one of a user program, of the printed document, and of the data medium.

35. A method for production of a printed document with a unique identifier, comprising the steps of:

applying a data medium for the unique identifier on a recording medium, said data medium being capable of being electronically written without contact so that data are written without contact onto the data medium in the course of a document production event; and

linking in a file data of the data medium with other data related to production of the printed document.