Document storage system

• US 20070101065A1
• Filed: 05/23/2003
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BRS Ltd. (Volvo AB)
• Original Assignee: BRS Ltd. (Volvo AB)
• Inventors: Walker, James
• Application Number:
  US10/515,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20070101065A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/133
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A document storage system comprising at least one server (200) holding at least one electronic document. The system also comprises a document reception means arranged to receive an electronic document (300,302), a quality control means to facilitate quality control checks (304) of the electronic document, access means (106,108) to provide access to the server (200). Further, the system comprises a search means allowing an electronic document to be located and a terminal means (100) allowing users to connect to a server (200), locate an electronic document with the search means, and to receive that document. The system may be used to store electronic documents relating to hire vehicles.

Claims

1. A document storage system arranged to store at least one electronic document comprising:

at least one server comprising a database means capable of storing documents and on which at least one electronic document is held within at least one database means;

document reception means capable of receiving documents and storing documents on the server, the document reception means being arranged to receive said electronic document and store said electronic document on said server within the at least one database means;

quality control means capable of allow quality control checks of said electronic document to be carried out;

access means capable of providing remote access to the server and arranged to provide such access;

search means capable of searching the database means and arranged to allow said electronic document to be located within the database means on said server;

terminal means arranged to allow users to connect to said server using said access means, locate said electronic document using said search means, and receive said electronic document; and

a diary means capable of maintaining data and receiving inputs from the database means the diary means being arranged to maintain a record of when at least one predetermined event occurs, which diary means is interfaced with the database means such that an input indicative that completion of the predetermined event is made to the diary means when a predetermined document is added to the database means.

2. The system according to claim 1 which is arranged to store electronics documents relating to vehicles and most preferably in relation to vehicles that are intended to be hired.

3. The system according to claim 1 in which the access means provides access to a network.

4. The system according to claim 1 in which document reception means is capable of receiving documents by fax.

5. The system according to claim 1 in which the document reception means is capable of sending documents is arranged to send documents received thereby to the server without generating a paper, or other hard copy.

6. The system according to claim 1 in which the document reception means comprises any one or more of the following:

a facsimile machine, a scanner, a photocopier.

7. The system according to claim 1 in which the server is arranged such that the electronic document stored on the or each server is write-protected so that it requires a password to alter.

8. The system according to claim 1 in which the quality control means comprises a display means capable of displaying data which is arranged to display electronic documents received by the document reception means.

9. The system according to claim 1 in which the search means is capable of generating data and is arranged to generate a list of electronic documents that are available for a given search input thereto.

10. The system according to claim 9 in which the search means is arranged to group the electronic documents within the list into sub-categories.

11. The system according to claim 1 in which the search means is arranged to have input thereto an identifier for a vehicle.

12. The system according to claim 1 in which the diary means is arranged to monitor when vehicles must be serviced, tested, and the like.

13. The system according to claim 1 in which the database means is capable of generating data and is arranged to generate and/or maintain a link to an electronic document stored on the or each server.

14. The system according to claim 1 which comprises an archiving means capable of moving/deleting data and arranged to delete and/or archive electronic documents that have reached a predetermined age.

15. The system according to claim 1 which is arranged to generate pages viewable on a network as the page is required.

18. A machine readable medium providing instructions such that when loaded onto a computer system, the computer system functions according to claim 1.

16. A method of storing an electronic document, said method comprising creating at least one electronic document, receiving said electronic document using a document reception means;

checking the quality of the received electronic document using a quality control means;

noting the arrival of the document using a diary means;

storing said electronic document in a database means on at least one server;

interfacing the diary means with the database means such that completion of a predetermined event is noted when a predetermined document is added to the database;

allowing said electronic document to be located on said server by users of terminal means connected to said server via an access means and using a search means provided to facilitate the location of said electronic document.

17. A method according to claim 17 which stores documents that relate to one or more vehicles and most preferably in relation to vehicles that are intended for hire.

19. A machine readable medium providing instructions such that when loaded onto a computer system, the computer system provides the method of claim 17.

20. A server arranged to track the status of one or more vehicles that is intended for hire;

said server comprising a database means capable of storing documents and being provided with a means capable of receiving documents and arranged to receive an electronic document relating to one or more of said vehicles for storage thereon;

said server further comprising access means capable of providing access to the server arranged provide access to said electronic document thereon from a remote source;

said server further comprising a search means, or providing access to a search means, which facilitates the location of said electronic document, said server further comprising a quality control means capable of facilitating quality control checks of said electronic document and a diary means capable of receiving and maintaining data, and arranged to maintain a record of when at least one predetermined event occurs, which diary means is interfaced with the database means such that completion of the predetermined event is noted when a predetermined document is added to the database means.

21. A terminal means suitable for accessing a server according to claim 21.

22. A system arranged to track the status of at least one item of apparatus comprising a document storage means arranged to store at least one document, said system further comprising:

one or more servers capable of holding data, on which at least one electronic document is held;

a document reception means, capable of receiving a facsimile transmission and, arranged to receive said electronic document via a facsimile transmission and store said electronic document on said server;

a quality control means facilitating quality control checks of said electronic document;

access means capable of providing remote access to said server;

a search means arranged to facilitate location of said electronic document on said server, said search means being arranged to locate any electronic documents relating to a vehicle specified to said search means stored on the or each server;

a diary means capable of maintaining data and arranged to maintain a record of when at least one predetermined event in a occurs, which diary means is interfaced with the database means such that completion of the predetermined event is noted when a predetermined document is added to the database means;

terminal means capable of sending, receiving and displaying data arranged to connect to said server using said access means, and further arranged to receive a list of electronic documents relating to the vehicle specified to the search means;

selection means allowing a user to select one or more electronic documents from said list, and the system further being arranged for said terminal means to display said electronic document selected by said selection means.

23. A method of tracking the status of at least one item of apparatus intended for hire, the method comprising storing at least one document to facilitate the hiring of a vehicle, said method comprising:

receiving an electronic document using a document reception means capable of receiving a facsimile transmission;

checking the quality of the received electronic document using a quality control means;

noting the arrival of the received electronic document using a diary means;

one terminal means capable of allowing a user to access the memory using said access means, locate an electronic document using the search means and receive the electronic document on the terminal means, said server further comprising a quality control means capable of facilitating quality control checks of said electronic document and a diary means arranged to maintain a record of when at least one predetermined event occurs, which diary means is interfaced with the memory such that completion of the predetermined event is noted when a predetermined document is added to the memory.

25. The system according to claim 25 in which the server is arranged such that the electronic document stored on the or each server is write-protected so that it requires a password to alter.

24. The system according to claim 25 in which document reception means is capable of receiving documents by fax.

26. The system according to claim 25 in which the diary means is arranged to monitor when vehicles must be serviced, tested, and the like.

30. A machine readable medium providing instructions such that when loaded onto a computer system, the computer system functions according to claims 25.

27. A computer program capable of controlling computing apparatus and arranged to maintain a database means of electronic documents, receive further electronic documents from a document reception means and store the received documents in the database means, provide a quality control check of the document using a quality control means, provide remote access to the database means and allow users to search the database means to locate electronic documents therein and forward them to the user, provide a diary means, and interface the diary means with the database means such that the completion of a predetermined event is noted when a predetermined document is added to the database means.

28. A computer program capable of controlling computing apparatus and providing an apparatus status tracking system, comprising a vehicle document storage and retrieval system, arranged to maintain a database means of electronic documents, receive further electronic documents from a document reception means and store the received documents in the database means, provide a quality control check of the document using a quality control means, provide remote access to the database means and allow users to search the database means to locate electronic documents therein and forward them to the user, provide a diary means, interface the diary means with the database means such that the completion of a predetermined event is noted when a predetermined document is added to the database means.

29. A database comprising a plurality of electronic documents relating to a vehicle, each document being password protected in order to prevent alteration thereof, and the database further comprising a diary means capable of maintaining data and arranged to maintain a record of when predetermined events are due to occur to the vehicle to which the electronic document relates and also maintain a record of when the event actually occurs.

31. A machine readable medium holding instructions that provide the program of claim 29.

32. A machine readable medium holding data that provides the database of claim 31.

33. An apparatus tracking system arranged to monitor the status of at least one piece of apparatus, the system being arranged to store document data corresponding to at least one electronic document relating to the at least one piece of apparatus, the system comprising:

a document reception means arranged to receive document data providing the at least one electronic document and store the document data in a memory of the system after a quality control means provided by the apparatus has verified the quality of the document data;

a search means arranged to allow a user to search the document data in order to locate an electronic document;

the system being arranged such that the document data is accessible from a terminal means connected to the memory by an access means, the system being arranged such that a user of a terminal means can use the search means to search the document data and receive document data on the terminal in order to obtain a copy of a document; and

the system being further arranged to process the document data to maintain a diary means provided by the system, the processing of the document data being such that when predetermined document data is not received by the document reception means within a predetermined period of time of the time at which the predetermined event is expected to occur then feedback is generated, on the terminal means, to alert a user to the status of the apparatus to which the document provided by the document data relates.