Creating and using documents with machine-readable codes

• US 20050224572A1
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Kelley, Yohko A., Feuerman, Kenneth E., Lester, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,240,841 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer systems and program products, for creating and using documents with machine-readable codes. A computer program displays a list of fields in an electronic document, receives user input selecting one or more of the fields, automatically generates generation instructions for a machine-readable code to be displayed in a final appearance of the electronic document, and stores the generation instructions in the electronic document. The generation instructions specify that the machine-readable code is to be produced using data to be provided for the selected fields. In some embodiments, the program can also evaluate the user input, as well as user modifications made to the electronic document, to determine whether the machine-readable code is validly configured. By guiding users through the process of setting up machine-readable codes, the program can help users create forms with machine-readable codes that have a high probability of being scanned and decoded successfully.

Claims

1. A computer program product, stored on a machine-readable medium, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

display a list of fields, the fields being included in an electronic document;

receive user input comprising a selection of one or more selected fields from the list of fields;

automatically generate generation instructions for a machine-readable code to be displayed in a final appearance of the electronic document, the generation instructions specifying that the machine-readable code is to be produced using data to be provided for the selected fields; and

store the generation instructions in the electronic document.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the generation instructions comprise a script operable to assemble the data to be provided for the selected fields.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the script is further operable to generate metadata that provides a self-contained description of the data to be provided for the selected fields.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the user input further comprises one or more parameters for the machine-readable code, and wherein the generation instructions further specify that the machine-readable code is to be produced according to the parameters for the machine-readable code.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the parameters for the machine-readable code comprise one or more of:

a symbology;

a decode condition; and

an indication of whether the data to be provided for the selected fields is to be compressed before being encoded into the machine-readable code.

6. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

compute a setting for a property of the machine-readable code based on the user input.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the property for the machine-readable code is an element size.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the property for the machine-readable code is an overall size.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

determine whether the user input produces a valid configuration for the machine-readable code.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the instructions to determine whether the user input produces a valid configuration for the machine-readable code comprise instructions to:

calculate a total data amount associated with the selected fields based on metadata describing the selected fields; and

determine whether the total data amount exceeds a maximum data amount associated with the machine-readable code.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the metadata comprises a field length associated with each selected field.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

display a comparison of the total data amount and the maximum data amount.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

display an error indication if the user input does not produce a valid configuration for the machine-readable code.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

display an appearance of the electronic document; and

display a first area within the appearance of the electronic document, the first area indicating a location where the machine-readable code is to be displayed.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein there is a minimum size associated with the first area.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the user input further comprises one or more parameters for the machine-readable code, and wherein the minimum size is based on one or more of the parameters for the machine-readable code.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the minimum size includes a boundary area around the machine-readable code to be produced.

18. A computer-implemented method comprising:

displaying a list of fields, the fields being included in an electronic document;

receiving user input comprising a selection of one or more selected fields from the list of fields;

automatically generating generation instructions for a machine-readable code to be displayed in a final appearance of the electronic document, the generation instructions specifying that the machine-readable code is to be produced using data to be provided for the selected fields; and

storing the generation instructions in the electronic document.

19. A system comprising:

means for displaying a list of fields, the fields being included in an electronic document;

means for receiving user input comprising a selection of one or more selected fields from the list of fields;

means for automatically generating generation instructions for a machine-readable code to be displayed in a final appearance of the electronic document, the generation instructions specifying that the machine-readable code is to be produced using data to be provided for the selected fields; and

means for storing the generation instructions in the electronic document.

20. A computer program product, stored on a machine-readable medium, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive an electronic document, the electronic document comprising;

a set of fields;

generation instructions for a machine-readable code to be displayed in a final appearance of the electronic document, the generation instructions specifying that the machine-readable code is to be produced using data to be provided for one or more selected fields from the set of fields; and

a first area for displaying the machine-readable code to be produced;

receive a specification of a first modification to the electronic document; and

evaluate the first modification to determine whether the first modification produces a valid configuration for the machine-readable code.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

display an alternative modification.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the first modification comprises a new size for the first area, and wherein the alternative modification comprises a preconfigured size that approximates the new size.

23. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

display an additional modification, the additional modification being linked to the first modification in a predetermined relationship.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the first modification comprises a new size for a first edge of the first area, and the additional modification comprises a new size for a second edge of the first area.

25. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the first modification comprises a new size for the first area, and wherein the instructions to evaluate the first modification comprise instructions to determine whether the new size complies with one or more size constraints.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the size constraints comprise one or more of:

a minimum size associated with the first area;

a maximum size associated with the first area;

an aspect ratio associated with the first area;

a dimension that is an integral number of times an element dimension; and

a page size associated with the electronic document.

27. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein:

the electronic document comprises one or more items that are independently positionable of the first area;

the first modification comprises a repositioning of the first area or one or more of the items; and

the instructions to evaluate the first modification comprise instructions to determine whether one or more of the items overlaps a boundary area in the first area.

28. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the first modification comprises a new field length associated with one of the selected fields, and wherein the instructions to evaluate the first modification comprise instructions to:

calculate a total data amount associated with the selected fields based on the new field length; and

determine whether the total data amount exceeds a maximum data amount associated with the machine-readable code.

29. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the first modification comprises an identification of an additional selected field, the additional selected field having an associated field length, and wherein the instructions to evaluate the first modification comprise instructions to:

calculate a total data amount associated with the selected fields based on the field length associated with the additional selected field; and

determine whether the total data amount exceeds a maximum data amount associated with the machine-readable code.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

display a comparison of the total data amount and the maximum data amount.

31. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive input data for one or more of the selected fields;

calculate a total data amount associated with the input data; and

determine whether the total data amount exceeds a maximum data amount associated with the machine-readable code.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

if the total data amount exceeds the maximum data amount, display an indication of by how much the total data amount exceeds the maximum data amount.

33. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving an electronic document, the electronic document comprising;

a set of fields;

generation instructions for a machine-readable code to be displayed in a final appearance of the electronic document, the generation instructions specifying that the machine-readable code is to be produced using data to be provided for one or more selected fields from the set of fields; and

a first area for displaying the machine-readable code to be produced;

receiving a specification of a first modification to the electronic document; and

evaluating the first modification to determine whether the first modification produces a valid configuration for the machine-readable code.

34. A system comprising:

means for receiving an electronic document, the electronic document comprising;

a set of fields;

generation instructions for a machine-readable code to be displayed in a final appearance of the electronic document, the generation instructions specifying that the machine-readable code is to be produced using data to be provided for one or more selected fields from the set of fields; and

a first area for displaying the machine-readable code to be produced;

means for receiving a specification of a first modification to the electronic document; and

means for evaluating the first modification to determine whether the first modification produces a valid configuration for the machine-readable code.