Systems and methods for generating and processing evolutionary documents

• US 20060184522A1
• Filed: 09/08/2005
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Piersol, Kurt, Hull, Jonathan J., McFarland, Max E., Griffin, Michael G.E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,154,769 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00355 Mark-sheet input sensing record carriers G06K7/00; character recognition G06V30/10; document-oriented image-based pattern recognition G06V30/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00363 Bar codes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00374 on the same page as at least a part of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/44 Secrecy systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An evolutionary document system comprises: a multi-function printer, a recognition module, an evolutionary document processing module, a list of document identifiers and corresponding actions, and an evolutionary document creation module. The MFP includes software and control routines for processing and creating evolutionary documents. The recognition module is operable on the MFP and allows the MFP to determine an evolutionary document identification number from an image scanned by the MFP. The evolutionary document processing module is capable of matching an evolutionary document identification number to one or more steps or action stored in the list of document identifiers and corresponding actions. Once the actions have been identified, the evolutionary document processing module executes the actions. The present invention also includes an evolutionary document creation module for creating an evolutionary document including an identification code. The evolutionary document creation module also creates the actions associated with the evolutionary document and an entry in the list of document identifiers and corresponding actions. The present invention also includes a method for creating an evolutionary document, a method for processing an evolutionary document, and a method for printing an evolutionary document.

Claims

1. A method for processing documents comprising the steps of:

scanning an input evolutionary document;

identifying the input document;

determining an action associated with the input document; and

performing the action associated with the input document;

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying includes scanning a code from the input document.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the code is one from the group of a two-dimensional bar code, a one-dimensional bar code and an RF signal from an RFID tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying includes performing form recognition on the input document.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining the action includes decoding the code to determine a field of the input document and a corresponding action for that field.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining an action includes retrieving an action associated with the input document.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the action is retrieved from a database in a multifunction printer.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the action is retrieved from a database coupled to a multifunction printer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining an action includes retrieving an plurality of actions to be performed using the input document.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the action is one from the group of:

storing an image of the input document, redacting a portion of the input document, printing the input document, sending an email, sending an alert, displaying an alert, retrieving a document, extracting data from the input document, printing a modified version of the input document, updating a database, and marking the input document.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the action is outputting a plurality of documents at least one of which includes content from the input document.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of creating an evolutionary document.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of creating an evolutionary document includes defining at least one field and an action associated with that field.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of creating an evolutionary document includes defining a physical layout and content for the document.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of creating an evolutionary document includes generating a file in a format printable by a word processing application.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of displaying a message related to the input document to the user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the message displayed is one from the group of:

a confirmation that the input document has been processed, an instruction to destroy the input document, an instruction of how to handle the document, and a request of input from the user.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

scanning input document a second time;

identifying the input document;

updating a state for the input document in a database; and

destroying the input document.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of scanning includes capturing an image of the input document with the portable communication device.

20. A device for processing paper-based and electronic documents, the device comprising:

a recognition module for identifying an input document and an action, the recognition module having an input and an output, the input of the recognition module coupled to receive an image of the input document; and

a document processing module having an input and an output, for performing the action associated with the input document, the input of the document processing module coupled to the output of the recognition module.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein the recognition module includes a scanner for scanning the image of the input document for a code.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the recognition module translates the output of the scanner into a document identification number.

23. The device of claim 21 wherein the code is one from the group of a two-dimensional bar code, a one-dimensional bar code and an RF signal from an RFID tag.

24. The device of claim 20 wherein the recognition module performs from recognition to determine an identity of the input document.

25. The device of claim 20 further comprising a table having at least one document identifier and a corresponding action for each document identifier, and wherein the recognition module scans the image of the input document to produce a document identifier, and the action listed in the table corresponding the document identifier is the action provided to the document processing module.

26. The device of claim 20 further comprising an image buffer having an input and an output, the image buffer coupled to receive the image of the input document, the output of the image buffer coupled to the recognition module and the document processing module for providing the image of the input document.

27. The device of claim 20 further comprising an evolutionary document creation module, the evolutionary document creation module coupled to the recognition module, the evolutionary document creation module for creating an evolutionary document including at least one field and an action corresponding to the field.

28. The device of claim 27 wherein the evolutionary document creation module is one from the group of a stand-alone application, a plug-in module for a word processor, and a printer driver.

29. The device of claim 20 further comprising a user interface for communicating with the user, the user interface module coupled to the document processing module for sending prompts and requests to the user and receiving input from the user.

30. The device of claim 20 further comprising a document database for storing a plurality of documents, the document database coupled to the document processing module for receiving and sending document for processing by the document processing module in accordance with actions specified for the documents.

31. The device of claim 20 further comprising a network connection for coupling the device to a document database remote to the device, the device coupled to the document database by a network, the document database for storing a plurality of documents, the document database coupled to the document processing module for receiving and sending document for processing by the document processing module in accordance with actions specified for the documents.

32. The device of claim 30 further comprising a network connection for coupling the device to a second document database remote to the device, the device coupled to the second document database by a network, the second document database for storing a plurality of documents, the second document database coupled to the document processing module for receiving and sending document for processing by the document processing module in accordance with actions specified for the documents.

33. The device of claim 20 further comprising:

an image capture device for generating an image of an input document, the image capture device coupled to the recognition module; and

a printer for generating a document, the printer coupled to the document processing module.

34. The device of claim 20 further comprising:

an input device for inputting data to the device, the input device coupled to the document processing module; and

a display device for displaying information to the user the display coupled to the document processing module.

35. The device of claim 20 wherein the document processing module is adapted to perform an action from the group of:

storing an image of the input document, redacting a portion of the input document, printing the input document, sending an email, sending an alert, displaying an alert, retrieving a document, extracting data from the input document, printing a modified version of the input document, updating a database, and marking the input document.

36. The device of claim 20 further comprising storage for transformation information, the storage coupled to the document processing module and the recognition module for transforming the identified input document into an action.

37. The device of claim 20 wherein the recognition module is adapted to identify the input document from the image of the input document, the recognition module decoding a bar code into at least one action to be performed on the input document.

38. The device of claim 20 wherein the recognition module is adapted to decoding a bar code to generate one from the group of document state, new document bar codes, other document, locations for other documents and an action for other documents.

39. The device of claim 20 further comprising a document destruction device having a document identification module, the document destruction device for destroying any document input, the document identification module identifying the document provided to the document destruction device prior to destruction, the document identification module coupled to the document processing module for specifying which documents have been destroyed.

40. The device of claim 20 further comprising a feeder-marking device for marking document as they past through a feeder, the feeder-marking device coupled to the document processing module for receiving instructions on marking for a document being processed.