Document Imaging and Management System for Paperless Workflow

• US 20060218188A1
• Filed: 03/22/2006
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl W. Williams, John Duncan, Ramon Caudet
• Original Assignee: Executive Data Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Caudet, Ramon, Duncan, John, Williams, Carl W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0097 Storage of instructions or parameters, e.g. customised instructions or different parameters for different user IDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2166 for mass storage, e.g. in document filing systems information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs

Abstract

A document imaging and management system, including a device for imaging at least one document having at least one computer-readable identifier, a database including a plurality of rules for managing documents and tasks, a processor, software executing on the processor for reading the computer-readable identifier, software executing on the processor for routing the imaged document based on the identifier, and software executing on the processor for determining a task associated with the document based on the identifier and at least one of the plurality of rules.

Claims

1. A document imaging and management system, comprising:

a device for imaging at least one document having at least one computer-readable identifier;

a database including a plurality of rules for managing documents and tasks;

a processor;

software executing on said processor for reading the computer-readable identifier;

software executing on said processor for routing the imaged document based on the identifier; and

software executing on said processor for determining at least one task associated with the document based on the identifier and at least one of the plurality of rules.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said software for routing stores at least a portion of the imaged document in a location corresponding to the identifier.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said software for reading the computer-readable identifier determines a profile associated with the at least one document.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

software executing on said processor for reporting the at least one task.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

software executing on the processor for initiating the at least one task.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said software for initiating the task generates at least one task document.

7. The system according to claim 6, further comprising:

software executing on said processor for storing the at least one task document in a location based on the identifier.

8. The system according to claim 6, further comprising:

software executing on said processor for transmitting the at least one task document to an electronic filing system.

9. The system according to claim 6, further comprising:

software executing on said processor for transmitting the at least one task document to at least one client.

10. The system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a forms database comprising a plurality of forms,

wherein said software for initiating the task generates a task document based on one of the plurality of forms which corresponds to the at least one task.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the identifier includes a task identifier and a matter identifier.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the identifier includes a document key.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the rules include intellectual property rules.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the rules include rules of civil procedure.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computer-readable identifier is on a coversheet of the document.

16. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one document includes two or more substantially identical computer-readable identifiers,

wherein said software for reading the computer-readable identifier reads each of the two or more substantially identical identifiers and compares each of the two or more substantially identical identifiers.

17. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

error detection software executing on said processor for determining whether the at least one document has been routed and generating a notification.

18. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

software executing on said processor for determining a physical location of the at least one document based on the computer-readable identifier.

19. A method for imaging and managing documents, comprising the steps of:

imaging a document, the document including at least one computer-readable identifier;

interpreting the identifier;

routing the document to one or more clients based on the identifier; and

determining at least one task associated with the document based on the identifier and at least one rule.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of:

storing the document in a location corresponding to the identifier.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of:

reporting the at least one task to the one or more clients.

22. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of:

reporting the at least one task as complete.

23. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

storing the at least one task in a calendar corresponding to the identifier.

24. The method according to claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

generating a task document to initiate the at least one task; and

storing the task document in a location corresponding to the identifier.

25. The method according to claim 19,

wherein said step of imaging the document includes generating a document profile, the document profile including a document key,

wherein the at least one computer-readable identifier includes the document key.

26. A method for imaging and managing documents, comprising the steps of:

generating a matter profile;

generating one or more tasks for the matter profile based on at least one rule;

receiving and imaging at least one document having a computer-readable identifier;

identifying at least one of the one or more tasks associated with the at least one document based on the identifier; and

routing the at least one document based on the identifier.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein said step of receiving and imaging at least one document includes generating a coversheet of the at least one document, the coversheet including the computer-readable identifier.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein said step of generating one or more tasks includes generating a document key for at least one of the one or more tasks, wherein the computer-readable identifier includes the document key.