System and method for storing and retrieving digital content with physical file systems

• US 20090300025A1
• Filed: 06/02/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SRR Patent Holdings LLC (Leigh M. Rothschild)
• Original Assignee: LMR Inventions, L.L.C. (Leigh M. Rothschild)
• Inventors: Rothschild, Leigh M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

A system and method for retrieving and storing digital documents with physical file storage systems are provided. The disclosed system and methods allow a user to retrieve digital documents from a conventional file storage system and to seamlessly categorize and store the digital documents within the conventional file storage system. The system and method provide for receiving an identifier associated with the physical file folder; and accessing the digital documents of the physical file folder using the received identifier. The system and method further provide for storing digital content in a file folder over a network including uploading and storing the digital content; entering an identification code associated with at least one file folder; and assigning digital content to the at least one selected file folder.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving and storing digital documents in a physical file over a network, the method comprising:

receiving an identifier associated with the physical file folder;

accessing the digital documents of the physical file folder using the received identifier; and

presenting a list of the digital documents to a user.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the identifier is a symbology or alpha-numeric string located on the physical file folder.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the receiving step includes wirelessly receiving the identifier from tag located on the physical file folder.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein the tag is a radio frequency identification tag.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the physical file folder is a placard including the identifier in printed form.

6. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

previewing at least one accessed digital document using the received identifier; and

reviewing, editing, or printing the at least one accessed digital document through a user terminal or the network.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein the at least one accessed digital document is locked out from being accessed by a second sequent user while being accessed by the first user.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the presenting step further comprises indicating to the user which of the digital documents are in use by other users.

9. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

accessing and editing at least one digital document of the presented list; and

saving the at least one accessed digital document to a remote server, wherein the server assigns a document identification code to the digital document.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein the editing is performed by a software application executing on a terminal, wherein the software application includes a plug-in for transmitting the edited at least one digital document to the remote server.

11. A system for retrieving and storing digital documents from a physical file folder over a network comprising:

at least one terminal configured for transmitting an identifier from the physical file folder associated with digital documents;

a server configured for reading the identifier, retrieving the digital documents from the physical file folder and transmitting to the at least one terminal a list of the digital documents; and

a communications network for coupling the at least one terminal and the remote server.

12. The system as in claim 11, wherein the at least one terminal includes a scanning device for reading the identifier from the physical file folder.

13. The system as in claim 11, wherein the at least one terminal includes a reader for wirelessly receiving the identifier from an electronic tag located on the physical file folder.

14. The system as in claim 13, wherein the tag is a radio frequency identification tag.

15. The system as in claim 11, wherein the identifier is a symbology or alpha-numeric string located on the physical file folder.

16. The system as in claim 11, wherein the physical file folder is a placard including the identifier in printed form.

17. The system as in claim 11, wherein the physical file folder includes an electronic paper display for presenting the list of digital documents to a user.

18. The system as in claim 11, wherein the at least one terminal is further configured for accessing and editing at least one digital document of the presented list and saving the at least one accessed digital document to the server, wherein the server assigns a document identification code to the digital document.

19. The system as in claim 18, wherein the at least one terminal includes a software application for editing the at least one digital document, wherein the software application includes a plug-in for transmitting the edited at least one digital document to the server.

20. The system as in claim 11, further comprising a portable reader device for viewing accessed digital documents, wherein the at least one terminal transmits an address for the portable reader device to the server with the identifier and the server transmits the list of digital documents to the portable reader.

21. The system as in clam 20, wherein the portable reader device includes a reader for reading the identifier associated with the physical file folder.

22. The system as in claim 21, wherein the reader for reading the identifier includes a barcode scanner, a imaging device or an electronic tag reader.

23. A method of storing digital content in a physical file folder over a network, the method comprising:

uploading and storing the digital content in a database;

entering an identification code associated with at least one physical file folder; and

assigning the digital content to the at least one physical file folder.

24. The method as in claim 23, further comprising creating the digital document with a software application executing on a terminal, wherein the software application includes a plug-in for transmitting the created digital document to a remote server coupled to the database.

25. The method as in claim 23, further comprising printing the digital content and disposing the printed digital content in the at least one physical file folder.

26. The method as in claim 24, wherein the software application includes a single function for transmitting the created digital document to a remote server and printing the created digital content.