Creating and using documents with machine-readable codes

• US 7,299,972 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Feuerman, Kenneth E., Kelley, Yohko A.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SEUNG H
• Application Number:
  US10/868,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20050224571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.01, 235/376, 235/462.09, 235/462.15
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer systems and program products, for creating and using documents with machine-readable codes. A computer program receives user data provided for one or more fields in an electronic document, generates input data containing the user data and metadata that provides a self-contained description of the user data, encodes the input data into a machine-readable code, and generates a final representation of the electronic document with a display of the machine-readable code. Upon reading the machine-readable code, the metadata can be used to identify a set of fields in a target system to which to assign the user data. In some embodiments, the metadata and the user data can be transformed and sent to a target system. The use of metadata in this manner enables machine-readable codes to maintain a physical representation of data that facilitates transfer of the data back into an electronic environment.

Claims

1. A computer program product, stored on a machine-readable medium, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive machine-readable code data generated by reading a machine-readable code displayed in a first document, the machine-readable code data comprising a plurality of data entries corresponding to fields in the first document and metadata that provides a self-contained description of the data entries; and

for each data entry in the plurality of data entries;

use the metadata to identify a field in a target system to which to assign the data entry; and

assign the data entry to the field in the target system.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable code data is represented in a markup language.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the markup language is Extensible Markup Language (XML).

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable code data is represented in a key-value format.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the target system comprises an electronic document, a database, or an enterprise system.

6. A computer program product, stored on a machine-readable medium, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive machine-readable code data generated by reading a machine-readable code displayed in a document, the machine-readable code data comprising a plurality of data entries corresponding to fields in the document and first metadata that provides a first self-contained markup language description of the data entries; and

transform the machine-readable code data into transformed data, the transformed data comprising the data entries and second, distinct metadata that provides a second self-contained description of the data entries.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the machine-readable code data and the transformed data are represented in XML.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the instructions to transform the machine-readable code data comprise instructions to execute an Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) processor.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

send the transformed data to a target system.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the target system is an enterprise system.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving machine-readable code data generated by reading a machine-readable code displayed in a document, the machine-readable code data comprising a plurality of data entries corresponding to fields in the document and first metadata that provides a first self-contained markup language description of the data entries; and

transforming the machine-readable code data into transformed data, the transformed data comprising the data entries and second, distinct metadata that provides a second self-contained description of the data entries.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the machine-readable code data and the transformed data are represented in XML.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein transforming the machine-readable code data includes executing an Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) processor.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

send the transformed data to a target system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the target system is an enterprise system.

16. A system comprising:

means for receiving machine-readable code data generated by reading a machine-readable code displayed in a document, the machine-readable code data comprising a plurality of data entries corresponding to fields in the document and first metadata that provides a first self-contained markup language description of the data entries; and

means for transforming the machine-readable code data into transformed data, the transformed data comprising the data entries and second, distinct metadata that provides a second self-contained description of the data entries.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the machine-readable code data and the transformed data are represented in XML.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the means for transforming the machine-readable code data includes an Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) processor.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means to send the transformed data to a target system.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the target system is an enterprise system.