LINKING DIGITAL AND PAPER DOCUMENTS

• US 20090271691A1
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Brush, A. J., Everitt, Katherine, Wilson, Andrew, Morris, Meredith
• Granted Patent: US 8,286,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

Various embodiments facilitate linking physical documents to digital documents. Links link physical documents to digital documents. Using a sensor, the physical documents are automatically detected and identified on a digital workspace. A computer is capable of displaying graphics, and user interaction with displayed graphics can be detected. The digital workspace displays a GUI component having one or more controls, and the GUI component is displayed at a location relative to a physical document on the digital workspace. User interaction with the control is detected and either a link between the physical document and one of the digital documents is edited, or an existing link between the physical document and a digital document is used to perform an operation on the digital document. Alternatively or additionally, links may be automatically generated digital documents determined to be implicitly related to the physical document.

Claims

1. A method of linking digital content with paper documents, the method comprising:

automatically detecting the presence of a paper document laying directly or indirectly on a digital work area either capable of displaying, or arranged to have displayed thereon, an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) component generated by a computing device;

in response to detecting the presence of the paper document on the digital work area, displaying the interactive graphical user interface on the work area; and

generating and storing on the computing device a link that links the paper document to a digital document stored or accessible by the computing device.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the generating and storing of the link is in response to detecting user interaction with the graphical user interface, the user interaction identifying the digital document.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

responding to the automatic detection of the presence of the paper document by automatically finding or generating on the computing device a record that corresponds to the paper document, the record identifying a digital document, or version thereof, from which the paper document was printed.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to detecting the paper document, automatically determining that the digital document is implicitly related to the paper document, and in response generating the link to the physical document.

5. A method according to claim 4, further comprising tracking movement of the paper document on the digital work area and moving the displayed graphical user interface according to the movement of the paper document.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the GUI component comprises indicia of the digital document, and wherein the user interaction is with or directed to the indicia of the digital document.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a graphic control that a user can interact with to direct an operation to be performed on the digital content.

8. One or more computer readable media storing information for enabling a computer to perform a process, the process comprising:

maintaining and storing a set of links between physical documents and digital documents, where the links link multiple physical documents to multiple digital documents, and where the links link multiple digital documents to multiple physical documents;

automatically identifying various physical documents as they are placed or uncovered on a digital workspace, the digital workspace comprising an area;

where one or more sensors automatically detect physical documents, where a computing device is capable of displaying graphics generated thereby, and where user interaction with the displayed graphics can be detected;

displaying with the digital workspace a GUI component comprising one or more user interface controls generated by the computing device, the GUI component being displayed at a location relative to one of the physical documents lying on the digital workspace; and

automatically detecting user interaction with the control of the GUI component and in response either editing a link between the physical document and one of the digital documents, or using a maintained link between the physical document and a digital document to perform an operation on the digital document.

9. One or more computer readable media according to claim 8, wherein the editing comprises creating a new link between the paper document and one of the digital documents.

10. One or more computer readable media according to claim 8, further comprising determining that a digital document from which a physical document was printed has been revised since the physical document was printed and displaying a graphic on the digital workspace indicating the paper document is out of date.

11. One or more computer readable media according to claim 8, wherein the editing comprises creating a new link between the physical document and one of the digital documents.

12. One or more computer readable media according to claim 8, wherein the GUI component corresponds to a particular physical document and the GUI component comprises a control that when activated by a user displays indicia of digital documents that are linked to the particular physical document.

13. One or more computer readable media according to claim 8, the process further comprising detecting that the user has activated a pin control of the GUI component and in response pinning, on the digital workspace and under the physical document, an image of the physical document to the digital workspace.

14. One or more computer readable media according to claim 8, the process further comprising determining whether a particular physical document has links to any other physical documents on the digital workspace and in response displaying graphics to indicate the presence of such related physical documents.

15. A method of managing relations between paper and digital documents using a digital work area, the digital work area comprising an area where graphics can be displayed in proximity to the paper documents, where images of the work area are captured, and where user input can be detected, the method comprising:

repeatedly capturing images of the digital work area to detect any paper documents on the digital work area, and from the images detecting when one of the paper documents is on the digital work area;

using an image containing the paper document to identify the paper document and a digital document from which the detected paper document was printed; and

as the paper document remains on the digital work area after being identified, displaying on the digital work area a user interface with which a user can interact to invoke operations directed to the digital document from which the paper document was printed, the operations including managing links between the paper document and one or more digital documents.

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising generating and storing links between the paper documents and the digital documents, and when the paper document is identified using links between the paper document and one or more of the digital documents to display indicia of the digital documents.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the links are generated responsive to user interaction with the user interface, the user interaction indicating a digital document to be linked to the corresponding paper document.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein a first paper document on the digital work area has a first instance of the user interface and a second paper document on the digital work area has a second instance of the user interface, and the first and second user interfaces are displayed and undisplayed responsive to determining, using the images, the presence or absence of the first and second paper documents on the digital work area.

19. A method according to claim 15, further comprising using the links between the paper document and one or more of the digital documents to allow a user to interact with the digital work area to select one of the one or more digital documents.

20. A method according to claim 15, further comprising automatically determining that a plurality of digital documents are related to the paper document and in response generating and storing links between the paper document and the digital documents.