Providing Updated Versions of Printed Documents From Two-dimensional Barcodes Associated With The Updated Versions

• US 20100097661A1
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hoblit, Robert S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,164,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/34 for coin-freed systems ; Pay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0091 Digital copier; digital 'photocopier' H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0098 User intervention not otherwise provided for, e.g. placing documents, responding to an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 Printing or stamping

Abstract

Providing an updated version of a printed document comprising storing data for generating an original version of a printed document, including a two-dimensional barcode that contains: data identifying the original version of the document, as well as at least a portion of the data for generating the original version of the document. The invention also enables the updating of the stored data so that a later version of the printed document may be generated including a new barcode for identifying and generating the later version. The barcode of a version of the document is scanned to determine if the scanned barcode identifies the later version of the document. If the barcode does not identify the later version, then the later version of the document is generated and printed. If the barcode does identify that the scanned document is the later version, the document is not printed and the user may be notified that the scanned version is the latest version.

Claims

1. In a computer controlled scanning and printing system, a method of providing an updated version of a printed document comprising:

storing data for generating an original version of a printed document including;

a two-dimensional barcode having;

data identifying said original version of said document; and

a portion of said data for generating said original version of said document;

enabling the updating of said stored data wherein a later version of said printed document may be generated including a new barcode for identifying and generating said later version;

scanning the barcode of a version of said document to determine if the scanned barcode identifies the later version of the document; and

generating and printing the later version of said document if the scanned barcode does not identify the later version.

2. The method of claim 1 further including notifying a user when the scanned barcode does identify the later version of the document.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein:

said printed document is a route map showing the optimum route between at least two selected geographical points.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein at least a portion of the stored data for generating said printed later version of said document is stored in the two-dimensional barcode identifying said later version.

5. The method of claim 4 further including:

storing data related to a plurality of geographical attributes defining travel conditions between two selected points;

determining the optimum travel route between said two selected points based upon said plurality of geographical attributes;

associating said optimum travel route with said barcode identifying said original version of said route map; and

storing the data representing said optimum travel route as the data for generating said original version of said route map.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said enabling said updating enables the updating of said stored data related to said geographical attributes, wherein said determined optimum travel route is updated;

and further including;

associating said updated optimum travel route with said barcode identifying said later version of said route map; and

storing the data for representing said updated optimum travel route as the data for generating said later version of the route map.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein all of the data needed to generate said later version of the travel route is stored in the two-dimensional barcode identifying said later version.

8. The method of claim 8 further including user interactive selection of said two geographical points by entering the geographical addresses of said two points.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said optimum travel route is long and requires several days of travel and further including:

dividing the optimum travel route into a sequence of route portions, each having a portion of a barcode identifying the original version of the portion;

scanning the barcode of a version of a route portion to determine if the scanned barcode identifies the later version of the route portion; and

printing the later version of the route portion if the scanned barcode does riot identify the later version wherein the later version is provided.

10. A computer controlled user interactive scanning and printing system for providing an updated version of a printed document comprising:

a database for storing data for generating an original version of a printed document including;

a two-dimensional barcode having;

data identifying said original version of said document; and

a portion of said data for generating said original version of said document;

apparatus enabling the updating of said stored data wherein a later version of said printed document may be generated including a new barcode for identifying and generating said later version;

apparatus for scanning the barcode of a version of said document to determine if the scanned barcode identifies the later version of the document; and

apparatus for generating and printing the later version of said document if the scanned barcode does not identify the later version.

11. The scanning and printing system of claim 10 further including apparatus for notifying a user when the scanned barcode does identify the later version of the document.

12. A computer usable medium having stored thereon, a computer program for providing an updated version of a printed document in a computer controlled scanning and printing system, wherein the computer program, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to:

store data for generating an original version of a printed document including;

a two-dimensional barcode having;

data identifying said original version of said document; and

a portion of said data for generating said original version of said document;

enable the updating of said stored data wherein a later version of said printed document may be generated including a new barcode for identifying and generating said later version;

scan the barcode of a version of said document to determine if the scanned barcode identifies the later version of the document; and

generate and print the later version of said document if the scanned barcode does not identify the later version.

13. The computer usable medium of claim 12 wherein said computer program, when executed, further causes the computer to notify a user when the scanned barcode indicates that the scanned version of the document is the later version.

14. The computer usable medium of claim 13 wherein:

said printed document is a route map showing the optimum route between at least two selected geographical points.

15. The computer usable medium of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the stored data for generating said printed later version of said document is stored in the two-dimensional barcode identifying said later version.

16. The computer usable medium of claim 15, wherein said computer program, when executed, further causes the computer to:

store data related to a plurality of geographical attributes defining travel conditions between two selected points;

determine the optimum travel route between said two selected points based upon said plurality of geographical attributes;

associate said optimum travel route with said barcode identifying said original version of said route map; and

store the data representing said optimum travel route as the data for generating said original version of said route map.

17. The computer usable medium of claim 16, wherein said computer program, when executed on a computer, enables said updating by enabling the updating of said stored data related to said geographical attributes, wherein said determined optimum travel route is updated;

and further causes the computer to;

associate said updated optimum travel route with said barcode identifying said later version of said route map; and

store the data representing said updated optimum travel route as the data for generating said later version of said route map.

18. The computer usable medium of claim 17, wherein all of the data needed to generate said later version of the travel route is stored in the two-dimensional barcode identifying said later version.

19. The computer usable medium of claim 18, wherein said computer program, when executed, further enables user interactive selection of said two geographical points by entering the geographical addresses of said two points.

20. The computer usable medium of claim 19, wherein said optimum travel route is long and requires several days of travel and the computer program, when executed on a computer, further causes the computer to:

divide the optimum travel route into a sequence of route portions each having a portion of a barcode identifying the original version of the portion;

scan the barcode of a version of a route portion to determine if the scanned barcode identifies the later version of the route portion, and

print the later version of the route portion if the scanned barcode does not identify the later version wherein the later version is provided.