Action stickers for nested collections

• US 20060294450A1
• Filed: 07/19/2004
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Barrus, John, Piersol, Kurt Wesley
• Granted Patent: US 7,509,569 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/34 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A user affixes one or more action stickers to a collection coversheet to identify, by location on the coversheet, target documents within a previously stored collection of documents. The action stickers also specify actions to be performed on the target documents. The coversheet is scanned and the affixed stickers are located and read. The specified actions are then performed on the target documents. If the specified actions change the organization or architecture of the document collection, an updated version of the collection may be generated and stored, and a new coversheet may be printed. If a collection contains one or more subcollections, the user can apply an action sticker to the collection coversheet so as to cause an action to be performed on a document or item within one of the subcollections. The action stickers may be removable, self-adhesive labels.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for processing a stored document, comprising:

receiving an image of a document index;

locating, on the document index image, an image of a sticker specifying an action;

identifying a first target based on the location of the action sticker on the document index page;

responsive to the identified first target being a subcollection;

identifying a target document within the subcollection based on the location of the action sticker; and

performing the specified action on the identified target document within the subcollection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to the identified first target being a document, performing the specified action on the identified first target.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the action sticker comprises a removable self-adhesive sticker.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the document index comprises a plurality of representations of items;

the first action sticker comprises an action point; and

identifying a first target based on the location of the action sticker comprises;

determining a coordinate location for the action point;

determining a coordinate location for at least one of the item representations; and

identifying a first target by comparing the coordinate location for the action point with the coordinate location for the at least one item representation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein identifying a target document within the subcollection comprises:

determining a coordinate location for the action point with respect to a coordinate system associated with the subcollection;

determining a coordinate location for at least one document within the subcollection; and

identifying a target document by comparing the coordinate location for the action point with the coordinate location for the at least one document within the subcollection.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining a coordinate location for the action point with respect to a coordinate system associated with the subcollection comprises:

mapping the action point to a coordinate system associated with the subcollection.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the document index page comprises a representation of the subcollection, and wherein determining a coordinate location for the action point with respect to a coordinate system associated with the subcollection comprises:

determining the relative location of the action point with respect to the representation of the subcollection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the document index page comprises a representation of the subcollection, and wherein identifying a target document within the subcollection comprises:

determining the relative location of the action point with respect to the representation of the subcollection.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the representation of the subcollection comprises a thumbnail representation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the document index comprises a plurality of thumbnail depictions.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the document index comprises a plurality of icons.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified first action comprises one selected from the group consisting of:

printing;

e-mailing;

faxing;

grouping;

reordering;

playing;

ungrouping; and

deleting.

13. A computer-implemented method for processing a stored document, comprising:

receiving an image of a document index;

locating, on the document index image, an image of a sticker specifying an action, the sticker comprising an action point;

normalizing the action point location with respect to the document index image;

retrieving a map describing target locations within the document index;

responsive to the action point being within one of the target locations;

responsive to the action point being within a target location for a document, identifying the document as the target;

responsive to the action point being within a target location for a subcollection;

retrieving a map describing target locations within the subcollection;

mapping the action point to a coordinate system corresponding to the subcollection;

responsive to the action point being within one of the target locations for the subcollection, and responsive to the target location corresponding to a document, identifying the document as the target;

responsive to the action point not being within one of the target locations for the subcollection, identifying the subcollection as the target; and

responsive to a target being identified, performing the specified action on the identified target.

14. A computer-implemented method for processing a stored document, comprising:

receiving an image of a document index;

locating, on the document index image, an image of a sticker specifying an action;

identifying a first target based on the location of the action sticker on the document index page;

responsive to the identified first target being a subcollection;

responsive to the location of the action sticker indicating a target document within the subcollection, identifying the document as a target;

responsive to the location of the action sticker not indicating a target document within the subcollection, identifying the subcollection as a target; and

performing the specified action on the identified target.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the specified first action comprises adding an item to the subcollection.

16. A computer-implemented method for processing a stored document, comprising:

receiving an image of a document index;

locating, on the document index image, an image of an action specifier;

identifying a first target based on the location of the action specifier on the document index page;

responsive to the identified first target being a subcollection;

identifying a target document within the subcollection based on the location of the action specifier; and

performing the specified action on the identified target document within the subcollection.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the action specifier comprises an indication area having a mark therein.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the indication area comprises a check box.

19. A computer program product for processing a stored document, comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

receiving an image of a document index;

locating, on the document index image, an image of a sticker specifying an action;

identifying a first target based on the location of the action sticker on the document index page;

responsive to the identified first target being a subcollection;

identifying a target document within the subcollection based on the location of the action sticker; and

performing the specified action on the identified target document within the subcollection.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising computer program code for:

responsive to the identified first target being a document, performing the specified action on the identified first target.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the action sticker comprises a removable self-adhesive sticker.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein:

the document index comprises a plurality of representations of items;

the first action sticker comprises an action point; and

the computer program code for identifying a first target based on the location of the action sticker comprises computer program code for;

determining a coordinate location for the action point;

determining a coordinate location for at least one of the item representations; and

identifying a first target by comparing the coordinate location for the action point with the coordinate location for the at least one item representation.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the computer program code for identifying a target document within the subcollection comprises computer program code for:

determining a coordinate location for the action point with respect to a coordinate system associated with the subcollection;

determining a coordinate location for at least one document within the subcollection; and

identifying a target document by comparing the coordinate location for the action point with the coordinate location for the at least one document within the subcollection.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the computer program code for determining a coordinate location for the action point with respect to a coordinate system associated with the subcollection comprises computer program code for:

mapping the action point to a coordinate system associated with the subcollection.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the document index page comprises a representation of the subcollection, and wherein the computer program code for determining a coordinate location for the action point with respect to a coordinate system associated with the subcollection comprises computer program code for:

determining the relative location of the action point with respect to the representation of the subcollection.

26. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the document index page comprises a representation of the subcollection, and wherein the computer program code for identifying a target document within the subcollection comprises computer program code for:

determining the relative location of the action point with respect to the representation of the subcollection.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the representation of the subcollection comprises a thumbnail representation.

28. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the document index comprises a plurality of thumbnail depictions.

29. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the document index comprises a plurality of icons.

30. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the specified first action comprises one selected from the group consisting of:

printing;

e-mailing;

faxing;

grouping;

reordering;

playing;

ungrouping; and

deleting.

31. A computer program product for processing a stored document, comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

receiving an image of a document index;

locating, on the document index image, an image of a sticker specifying an action, the sticker comprising an action point;

normalizing the action point location with respect to the document index image;

retrieving a map describing target locations within the document index;

responsive to the action point being within one of the target locations;

responsive to the action point being within a target location for a document, identifying the document as the target;

responsive to the action point being within a target location for a subcollection;

retrieving a map describing target locations within the subcollection;

mapping the action point to a coordinate system corresponding to the subcollection;

responsive to the action point being within one of the target locations for the subcollection, and responsive to the target location corresponding to a document, identifying the document as the target;

responsive to the action point not being within one of the target locations for the subcollection, identifying the subcollection as the target; and

responsive to a target being identified, performing the specified action on the identified target.

32. A computer program product for processing a stored document, comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

receiving an image of a document index;

locating, on the document index image, an image of a sticker specifying an action;

identifying a first target based on the location of the action sticker on the document index page;

responsive to the identified first target being a subcollection;

responsive to the location of the action sticker indicating a target document within the subcollection, identifying the document as a target;

responsive to the location of the action sticker not indicating a target document within the subcollection, identifying the subcollection as a target; and

performing the specified action on the identified target.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein the specified first action comprises adding an item to the subcollection.

34. A computer program product for processing a stored document, comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

receiving an image of a document index;

locating, on the document index image, an image of an action specifier;

identifying a first target based on the location of the action specifier on the document index page;

responsive to the identified first target being a subcollection;

identifying a target document within the subcollection based on the location of the action specifier; and

performing the specified action on the identified target document within the subcollection.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the action specifier comprises an indication area having a mark therein.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the indication area comprises a check box.

37. A system for processing a stored document, comprising:

a document index input device, for receiving an image of a document index;

a sticker locator, coupled to the document input index device, for locating, on the document index image, an image of a sticker specifying an action;

a document identifier, coupled to the sticker locator, for identifying a first target based on the location of the action sticker on the document index page and for, responsive to the identified first target being a subcollection, identifying a target document within the subcollection based on the location of the action sticker; and

a document processor, coupled to the document identifier, for, responsive to the identified first target being a subcollection, performing the specified action on the identified target document within the subcollection.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the document index input device comprises a scanner.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein, responsive to the identified first target being a document, the document processor performs the specified action on the identified first target.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein the action sticker comprises a removable self-adhesive sticker.

41. The system of claim 37, wherein:

the document index comprises a plurality of representations of items;

the first action sticker comprises an action point; and

the document identifier identifies a first target based on the location of the action sticker by;

determining a coordinate location for the action point;

determining a coordinate location for at least one of the item representations; and

identifying a first target by comparing the coordinate location for the action point with the coordinate location for the at least one item representation.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the document identifier identifies a target document within the subcollection by:

determining a coordinate location for the action point with respect to a coordinate system associated with the subcollection;

determining a coordinate location for at least one document within the subcollection; and

identifying a target document by comparing the coordinate location for the action point with the coordinate location for the at least one document within the subcollection.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the document identifier determines a coordinate location for the action point with respect to a coordinate system associated with the subcollection by:

mapping the action point to a coordinate system associated with the subcollection.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein the document index page comprises a representation of the subcollection, and wherein the document identifier determines a coordinate location for the action point with respect to a coordinate system associated with the subcollection by:

determining the relative location of the action point with respect to the representation of the subcollection.

45. The system of claim 37, wherein the document index page comprises a representation of the subcollection, and wherein the document identifier identifies a target document within the subcollection by:

determining the relative location of the action point with respect to the representation of the subcollection.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the representation of the subcollection comprises a thumbnail representation.

47. The system of claim 37, wherein the document index comprises a plurality of thumbnail depictions.

48. The system of claim 37, wherein the document index comprises a plurality of icons.

49. The system of claim 37, wherein the specified first action comprises one selected from the group consisting of:

printing;

e-mailing;

faxing;

grouping;

reordering;

playing;

ungrouping; and

deleting.

50. A system for processing a stored document, comprising:

an document index input device, for receiving an image of a document index;

a sticker locator, coupled to the document input index device, for locating, on the document index image, an image of a sticker specifying an action, the sticker comprising an action point;

a location normalizer, coupled to the sticker locator, for normalizing the action point location with respect to the document index image;

a document identifier, coupled to the sticker locator, the location normalizer, and the map, for, retrieving a map describing target locations within the document index and for, responsive to the action point being within one of the target locations;

responsive to the action point being within a target location for a document, identifying the document as the target;

responsive to the action point being within a target location for a subcollection;

retrieving a map describing target locations within the subcollection;

mapping the action point to a coordinate system corresponding to the subcollection;

responsive to the action point being within one of the target locations for the subcollection, and responsive to the target location corresponding to a document, identifying the document as the target;

responsive to the action point not being within one of the target locations for the subcollection, identifying the subcollection as the target; and

a document processor, coupled to the document identifier, for, responsive to a target being identified, performing the specified action on the identified target.

51. A system for processing a stored document, comprising:

a document index input device, for receiving an image of a document index;

a sticker locator, coupled to the document input index device, for locating, on the document index image, an image of a sticker specifying an action;

a document identifier, coupled to the sticker locator, for identifying a first target based on the location of the action sticker on the document index page and for, responsive to the identified first target being a subcollection;

responsive to the location of the action sticker indicating a target document within the subcollection, identifying the document as a target; and

responsive to the location of the action sticker not indicating a target document within the subcollection, identifying the subcollection as a target; and

a document processor, coupled to the document identifier, for performing the specified action on the identified target.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein the specified first action comprises adding an item to the subcollection.

53. A system for processing a stored document, comprising:

a document index input device, for receiving an image of a document index;

a sticker locator, coupled to the document input index device, for locating, on the document index image, an image of an action specifier;

a document identifier, coupled to the sticker locator, for identifying a first target based on the location of the action specifier on the document index page and for, responsive to the identified first target being a subcollection, identifying a target document within the subcollection based on the location of the action specifier; and

a document processor, coupled to the document identifier, for performing the specified action on the identified target document within the subcollection.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein the action specifier comprises an indication area having a mark therein.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the indication area comprises a check box.