Always on and updated operation for document logs

• US 20070156683A1
• Filed: 12/29/2005
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Piersol, Kurt, Wolff, Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 7,970,738 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for handling updated or new entries for a document log are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises receiving a user input of a document identifier for a document and displaying information from metadata entries associated with the identifier.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a user input of a document identifier for a document; and

displaying information from metadata entries associated with the identifier.

2. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising retrieving a set of metadata entries of a set of metadata entries from one or more locations based on the document identifier, the metadata entries associated with the document and having information corresponding to the document.

3. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising automatically retrieving the metadata entries from one or more locations.

4. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising synchronizing entries received from one or more locations.

5. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising displaying a set of one or more most recent entries.

6. The method defined in claim 1 wherein obtaining the document identifier comprises scanning a machine readable code from a paper version of the document.

7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the machine readable code comprises a barcode.

8. The method defined in claim 1 wherein obtaining the document identifier comprises selecting the document identifier from a list of one or more document identifiers.

9. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising periodically polling the one or more servers to receive updated information for the set of metadata entries.

10. The method defined in claim 9 wherein periodically polling the one or more servers occurs only if user is a subscriber.

11. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising

storing additional information to add to the set while not having access to a network from which the information is received;

and

uploading additional information to be added to the set when subsequently having access to the network.

12. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

subscribing to receive a feed of information from the set; and

periodically receiving one or more updates to the set.

13. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the information comprises comments.

14. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one metadata entry comprises a document log entry.

15. The method defined in claim 1 wherein each metadata entry is identified with an identifier based on its content.

16. The method defined in claim 15 wherein the identifier is a hash value.

17. The method defined in claim 15 wherein the identifier is a result of applying a hashing function to an electronic form of the content.

18. The method defined in claim 17 wherein the hashing function is the MD5 hashing algorithm.

19. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the set is stored separately from the digital object.

20. The method defined in claim 19 wherein the set of metadata entries is separate from content of the digital object and attached to the digital object electronically.

21. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the set is in XML format.

22. The method defined in claim 21 wherein each entry in the set is an XML segment.

23. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the set comprises a document log.

24. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the digital object comprises a plurality of bytes.

25. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the digital object comprises a document.

26. An article of manufacture having one ore more recordable media having instructions thereon which, when executed by a system, cause the system to perform a method comprising:

obtaining a document identifier for a document;

retrieving a set of metadata entries of a set of metadata entries from one or more servers based on the document identifier, the metadata entries associated with the document and having information corresponding to the document; and

viewing the information from the metadata entries.

27. A method comprising:

performing a hash on plurality of documents to determine a document identifier for each of the plurality of documents; and

comparing the plurality of documented identifiers for the plurality of documents to a predetermined document identifier to determine which of the plurality of documents corresponds to the predetermined document identifier.