Automatic and transparent archiving of documents and document information

• US 6,665,086 B2
• Filed: 07/06/1999
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Silicon Valley, Inc. (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Silicon Valley, Inc. (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Inventors: Cullen, John, Hull, Jonathan J., Baxter, Michael, Peairs, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Madeleine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pokrzywa, Joseph R.
• Application Number:
  US09/347,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20010043362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,624 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/402, 358/403, 358/407, 358/442, 358/443, 358/444, 358/468, 709/203, 709/206, 709/207, 709/219, 399/1, 399/8, 399/38, 399/79, 399/82, 399/83, 707/200, 707/204, 707/205
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/21 Intermediate information storage H04N1/387, H04N1/41 take precedence ; for control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32358; indexing, editing G11B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

An automatic archiving system that makes document archiving largely transparent to the user. In one embodiment, documents scanned in or printed during the course of office equipment operation are automatically archived. For example, an office local area network (LAN) may interconnect a copier, a printer, a fax machine, and a document management workstation. Whenever, a document is copied, printed, or faxed, a document image is archived by the document management workstation without further user intervention. A single user command results in the document being copied and archived, printed and archived, or faxed and archived.

Claims

1. A method of providing unconscious archiving of documents in an automated office environment comprising a network coupled to at least one input device configured to perform a first function, the first function exclusive of a storage function, and at least one document management workstation having at least one database disposed to receive electronic copies of the documents for archiving, the method comprising:

receiving a single user input via the at least one input device to perform the first function, the single user input specifying a first function a user wants to perform on a document; and

in response to receiving the single user input, automatically;

scanning a the document using the one input device to generate electronic document image data corresponding to the document;

after scanning the document, performing the first function using the at least one input device, wherein the first function is performed by a first subsystem of the at least one input device;

after performing the first function, communicating the electronic document image data to the at least one database using a second subsystem of the at least one input device, wherein the first subsystem is separate from the second subsystem; and

archiving the document by storing the electronic document image data in the at least one database.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising archiving an icon and at least one of a plurality of keywords descriptive of the document.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing access to the document archived in the at least one database.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the document is provided in HTML format, and the access to the document is provided using a browser.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the network further comprises the Internet.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing information related to lines in the document along with the electronic document image data in the at least one database.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one input device comprises a scanner.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one input device comprises a digital copier and performing the first function comprises generating a copy of the document.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising retrieving the electronic document image data for the document from the database;

and

converting the electronic document image data into a textual format.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user identifier identifying a user providing the single user input; and

in response to receiving the single user input, automatically storing the user identifier along with the electronic document image data in the at least one database.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising controlling access to the network based upon the user identifier.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising indexing the archived documents in the at least one database using the user identifiers stored along with the electronic document image data stored for the documents.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one input device comprises a printer and performing the first function comprises printing the document.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one input device comprises a facsimile machine and performing the first function comprises faxing the document.

15. A system for performing unconscious archiving of documents, the system comprising:

a device configured to perform a first function, wherein the first function is exclusive of a storage function;

a computer having a storage medium; and

a network interconnecting the computer with the device;

wherein the device is configured to receive a single user input, the single user input specifying the first function a user wants to perform on a document to perform the first function, and in response to receiving the single user input the device is configured to automatically;

scan a the document to generate image data for the document;

perform the first function using a first subsystem of the device; and

communicate the image data for the document to the computer using a second subsystem of the device after performance of the first function, wherein the second subsystem is separate from the first subsystem, and

wherein the computer is configured to store the image data received from the device in the storage medium.

16. The system of claim 15:

wherein the device is configured to receive a user identifier, the user identifier identifying a user providing the single input; and

wherein access to the network is controlled based upon the identifier.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the computer is configured to index the stored image data for the document using the user identifier.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the computer is configured to archive an icon and at least one of a plurality of keywords descriptive of the document in the storage medium.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the document archived in the storage medium is accessible for viewing.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the document is provided in HTML format and is accessible using a browser.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein the network further comprises the Internet.

22. The system of claim 15 wherein information related to lines in the document is stored along with the image data for the document in the storage medium.

23. The system of claim 15 wherein the device comprise a scanner.

24. The system of claim 15 wherein the image data for the document stored in the storage medium is retrieved from the storage medium and converted into a textual format.

25. The system of claim 15 wherein the device comprises a copier and the first function comprises generating a copy of the document.

26. The system of claim 15 wherein the device comprises a printer and the first function comprises printing a copy of the document.

27. The system of claim 15 wherein the device comprises a fax machine and the first function comprises faxing a copy of the document.

28. A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage medium for providing unconscious archiving of documents in a network environment comprising a network coupled to at least one input device configured to perform a first function, the first function exclusive of a storage function, and at least one document management workstation having at least one database disposed to receive electronic copies of the documents for archiving, the computer program product comprising:

code for receiving a single user input via the at least one input device to perform the first function, the single user input specifying a first function a user wants to perform on a document;

in response to receiving the single user input, code for automatically;

scanning a the document using the at least one input device to generate an electronic document image data of the document;

after scanning the document performing the first function using a first subsystem of the at least one input device;

after performing the first function, communicating the electronic document image data to the at least one database using a second subsystem of the at least one input device, wherein the second subsystem is separate from the first subsystem; and

archiving the document by storing the electronic document image data in the at least one database.

29. The computer program product of claim 28 further comprising code for archiving an icon and at least one of a plurality of keywords descriptive of the document.

30. The computer program product of claim 28 further comprising code for providing access to the electronic document image data archived in the at least one database.

31. The computer program product of claim 30 wherein the access to the electronic document image data is provided using a browser.

32. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein the network further comprises the Internet.

33. The computer program product of claim 28 further comprising code for storing information related to lines in the document along with the electronic document image data in the at least one database.

34. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein the at least one input device comprises a scanner.

35. The computer program product of claim 28 further comprising:

code for retrieving the electronic document image data of the document from the database; and

code for converting the electronic document image data into a textual format.

36. The computer program product of claim 28 further comprising:

code for receiving a user identifier identifying a user providing the single user input; and

in response to receiving the single user input, code for automatically storing the user identifier along with the electronic document image data in the at least one database.

37. The computer program product of claim 36 further comprising code for controlling access to the network based upon said the user identifier.

38. The computer program product of claim 36 further comprising code for indexing documents archived in the at least one database based upon the user identifiers stored along with the electronic document image data for the documents.

39. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein the at least one input device comprises a printer and the code for performing the first function comprises code for printing a copy of the document.

40. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein the at least one input device comprises a copier and the code for performing the first function comprises code generating a copy of the document.

41. The computer program product of claim 28 wherein the at least one input device comprises a facsimile machine and the code for performing the first function comprises code for faxing a copy of the document.

42. A method of copying and automatically archiving a document using a copier, the method comprising:

receiving a single user input via the copier instructing the copier to only generate a copy of the document;

in response to receiving the single user input, automatically;

scanning the document, using the copier, to generate image data for the document;

after scanning the document, generating the copy of the document, using a first subsystem of the copier, based upon the image data;

after generating the copy, communicating the image data of the document to a database via a second subsystem of the copier, wherein the second subsystem of the copier is separate from the first subsystem of the copier; and

archiving the document by storing the image data of the document in the database coupled to the copier.

43. A method of archiving a document using an input device configured to perform a first function, the first function exclusive of a storage function, the method comprising:

receiving, via the input device, a single input from a user specifying the first function the user wants to perform the first function on the document;

receiving, via the input device, user information identifying the user; and

responsive to receiving the single input, automatically;

generating image data for the document using a first subsystem of the input device;

performing the first function using the image data, wherein the first function is performed by a second subsystem of the input device; and

after performing the first function, communicating the image data for the document and the user information to a data store using a third subsystem of the input device, wherein the third subsystem is separate from the second subsystem, and

archiving the image data and the user information in the data store.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein the first function is selected from a group of functions consisting of scanning the document, copying the document, printing the document, and faxing the document.