Information processing methodology

• US 7,184,162 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2005
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eon-Net LP (Mitchell A. Medina)
• Original Assignee: Eon-Net LP (Mitchell A. Medina)
• Inventors: Elias, Catherine B., Lech, Robert, Medina, Mitchell A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Thomas D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRINICH, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US11/108,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20050185218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 382/175, 382/177, 382/180, 382/282, 382/287, 382/306, 382/317
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1444 Selective acquisition, locating or processing of specific regions, e.g. highlighted text, fiducial marks or predetermined fields
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1452 based on positionally close symbols, e.g. amount sign or URL-specific characters
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/40 Document-oriented image-based pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00241 using an image reading device as a local input to a computer input via network, e.g. network scanners H04N1/00225

Abstract

An information processing methodology gives rise to an application program interface which includes an automated digitizing unit, such as a scanner, which inputs information from a diversity of hard copy documents and stores information from the hard copy documents into a memory as stored document information. Portions of the stored document information are selected in accordance with content instructions which designate portions of the stored document information required by a particular application program. The selected stored document information is then placed into the transmission format required by a particular application program in accordance with transmission format instructions. After the information has been transmission formatted, the information is transmitted to the application program. In one operational mode, the interface interactively prompts the user to identify, on a display, portions of the hard copy documents containing information used in application programs or for storage.

Claims

1. A method of doing business utilizing a computer system configurable to automatically extract information according to content instructions from an electronic document template file displayed on a first computer to a plurality of application programs running on at least one other computer and transmit said information according to customizable transmission format instructions to at least one field requiring said transmitted information in at least one application program running on said at least one other computer to enable a commercial transaction between a buyer and a seller.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the transaction involves a physical good.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the transaction involves a service.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the transaction involves copyrighted material.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 in which said first computer and at least on other computer are part of a distributed computing system.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said automatic extracting step automatically parses said information to said at least one field in said application program.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein content instructions are automatically generated during said automatically extracting step.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using a mouse function.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using speech recognition.

10. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated based on interaction by the user with at least one of said first and at least one other computer.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said extracted information comprises billing information.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said extracted information comprises financial information.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said extracted information comprises personal information.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said extracted information comprises customer information.

15. A method of doing business utilizing a computer system configurable to automatically extract information according to content instructions from an electronic document template file displayed on a first computer to a plurality of application programs running on at least one other computer and to transmit said information according to format instructions to at least one field requiring said trasmitted information in at least one application program running on at least one other computer to enable a commercial transaction between a buyer and a seller.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the transaction involves a physical good.

17. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the transaction involves a service.

18. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the transaction involves copyrighted material.

19. The method as recited in claim 15 in which said first computer and at least one other computer are part of a distributed computing system.

20. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein said automatic extracting step automatically parses said information to said at least one field in said application program.

21. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein content instructions are automatically generated during said automatically extracting step.

22. The method as recited in claim 21 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using a mouse function.

23. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using speech recognition.

24. The method as recited in claim 21 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated based on interaction by the user with at least one of said first and at least one other computer.

25. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein said extracted information comprises billing information.

26. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein said extracted information comprises financial information.

27. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein said extracted information comprises personal information.

28. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein said extracted information comprises customer information.

29. A method of doing business by automatically extracting information from an electronic document template file displayed on a first computer and transmitting said information to at least one of a plurality of application programs running on at least one other second computer according to customizable transmission format instructions, said at least one other application program requiring said transmitted information to enable a commercial transaction between a buyer and a seller.

30. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein the transaction involves a physical good.

31. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein the transaction involves a service.

32. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein the transaction involves copyrighted material.

33. The method as recited in claim 29 in which said first computer and at least one other computer are part of a distributed computing system.

34. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein said automatic extracting step automatically parses said information to said at least one field in said application program.

35. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein content instructions are automatically generated during said automatically extracting step.

36. The method as recited in claim 35 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using a mouse function.

37. The method as recited in claim 35, wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using speech recognition.

38. The method as recited in claim 35 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated based on interaction by the user with at least one of said first and at least one other computer.

39. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein said extracted information comprises billing information.

40. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein said extracted information comprises financial information.

41. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein said extracted information comprises personal information.

42. The method as recited in claim 29 wherein said extracted information comprises customer information.

43. A method of doing business by extracting information from a file displayed on a first computer, said file configurable to transmit information to a plurality of application programs running on at least one other computer and transmitting said information according to format instructions to at least one application program on said at least one other computer to enable a commercial transaction between a buyer and a seller.

44. The method as recited in claim 43 wherein the transaction involves a physical good.

45. The method as recited in claim 43 wherein the transaction involves a service.

46. The method as recited in claim 43 wherein the transaction involves copyrighted material.

47. The method as recited in claim 43 in which said first computer and at least one other computer are part of a distributed computing system.

48. The method as recited in claim 43 wherein said automatic extracting step automatically parses said information to said at least one field in said application program.

49. The method as recited in claim 43 wherein content instructions are automatically generated during said automatically extracting step.

50. The method as recited in claim 49 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using a mouse function.

51. The method as recited in claim 49, wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using speech recognition.

52. The method as recited in claim 49 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated based on interaction by the user with at least one of said first and at least one other computer.

53. The method as recited in claim 43 wherein said extracted information comprises billing information.

54. The method as recited in claim 43 wherein said extracted information comprises financial information.

55. The method as recited in claim 43 wherein said extracted information comprises personal information.

56. The method as recited in claim 43 wherein said extracted information comprises customer information.