Handling digital documents in a networked system using an e-mail server

• US 7,788,218 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2006
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Océ-Technologies B.V. (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Océ-Technologies B.V. (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Gerritsen, Jeroen P. E., Janssen, Timotheus J. W. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEUNG, HUBERT G
• Application Number:
  US11/413,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20060248579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,586 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/608
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Digital documents are handled in networked document processing system that includes user workstations, document processing devices and a control system. A document storage is used for storing and managing digital documents associated with a user of a workstation. The control system includes a document email server where each email item in the server is linked with a digital document in the control system document storage. A processor manages the digital documents and keeps the owner of a digital document informed on the status thereof by synchronizing with the document email server so as to dynamically reflect status changes in the digital document files in corresponding email items for the owner. The workstations include a respective email client provided with at least one email folder linked to a user account in the document email server.

Claims

1. A method for handling digital documents in a digital document processing system, wherein the digital document processing system includes a control system having a document storage for the digital documents, a dedicated document email server that stores email items, wherein each email item is linked to a corresponding digital document in the document storage and where each email item stores the corresponding digital document'"'"'s processing status, at least one document processing device connected to the control system, and a plurality of user workstations that each include a respective email client, wherein the plurality of user workstations and the control system include respective devices that enable bi-directional communication through a network, the method comprising the steps of:

storing and managing the digital documents in the document storage, wherein each of the digital documents are owned by one of the users of the plurality of user workstations;

operating the dedicated document email server to generate and maintain therein a respective email item for each digital document in the document storage;

accessing the generated email items using the respective email client on the plurality of user workstations, wherein the respective email client includes a dedicated email folder coupled to a particular user account in the dedicated document email server;

using the at least one document processing device to perform a document processing operation on one of the digital documents in the document storage that changes the digital document'"'"'s processing status; and

updating the stored corresponding digital document'"'"'s processing status in the generated email item in the dedicated document email server and the document storage, wherein the updating dynamically reflects the one of the digital document'"'"'s actual changed processing status.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including a step of synchronizing the document storage and the dedicated document email server, wherein the synchronizing dynamically reflects manipulation of an email item in the dedicated email folder of an email client in the document processing operation on the corresponding digital document.

3. The method for handling digital documents of claim 1, wherein the updating step is accomplished without a need to create a new email item when the digital document'"'"'s processing status changes.

4. A digital document processing system, comprising:

a plurality of workstations, each of the workstations including a respective email client;

a control system; and

at least one document processing device connected to the control system, wherein the plurality of user workstations and the control system include respective devices that enable bi-directional communication through a network, wherein the control system includes;

a document storage that stores and manages digital documents related to a document processing operation in the at least one document processing device, where each of the digital documents are associated with a user of the plurality of workstations;

a dedicated document email server that stores email items, wherein each email item is linked to a corresponding digital document in the document storage and where each email item stores the corresponding digital document'"'"'s processing status; and

a processor that executes instructions stored on a tangible computer readable storage medium to perform the steps of;

storing and managing the digital documents in the document storage and informing the user on a digital document processing status of at least one of each of digital file documents associated with the user;

operating the dedicated document email server to generate and maintain therein a respective email item for each digital document in the document storage;

accessing the generated email items using the respective email client on the plurality of user workstations, wherein the respective email client includes a dedicated email folder coupled to a particular user account in the dedicated document email server;

using the at least one document processing device-to perform a document processing operation on one of the digital documents in the document storage that changes the digital document'"'"'s processing status; and

updating the stored corresponding digital document'"'"'s processing status in the generated email item in the dedicated document email server and the document storage, wherein the updating dynamically reflects the one of the digital document'"'"'s actual changed processing status.

5. The digital document processing system according to claim 4, wherein an email item and a digital document are linked by way of a copy of the digital document being attached to the email item.

6. The digital document processing system according to claim 4, wherein the processor also synchronizes the document storage and the dedicated document email server, wherein the synchronizing dynamically reflects manipulation of an email item in the dedicated email folder of a respective email client in the document processing operation on the corresponding digital document.

7. The digital document processing system according to claim 6, wherein an email item and a digital document are linked by way of a copy of the digital document being attached to the email item.

8. The digital document processing system according to claim 6, wherein the processor synchronizes with the dedicated document email server to detect the manipulation of the email item in the dedicated document email server and in response changing the digital document processing status of the corresponding digital document associated with the email item in dependence on the manipulation.

9. The digital document processing system according to claim 8, wherein the processor deletes the corresponding digital document in the document storage in response to determining that the email item associated with the corresponding digital document has been removed from the dedicated email folder associated with the user of the plurality of workstations.

10. The digital document processing system according to claim 8, wherein the processor creates a digital document in the document storage in response to determining that an email item has been inserted in the dedicated email folder associated with a the user of the plurality of workstations.

11. The digital document processing system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one document processing device includes a digital document scan system and the processor creates an email item in the dedicated document email server in response to a the user of the plurality of workstations creating a scan job, where an attachment to the created email item includes a digital document generated by the digital document scan system.

12. The digital document processing system according to claim 4, wherein the at least one document processing device includes a digital document print system provided with a local user interface and wherein the processor updates the stored corresponding digital document'"'"'s processing status in the document storage in response to the user of the plurality of workstations creating a print job relating to the one of the digital documents at the local user interface.

13. The digital document processing system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one document processing device includes a digital document copy system including a scanner and a printer and the processor creates an email item in the dedicated document email server in response to the user of the plurality of workstations creating a copy job, where an attachment to the created email item includes a digital document generated by the scanner.

14. The digital document processing system according to claim 4, wherein the at least one document processing device has a local user interface for commanding operations involving digital documents, the local user interface is connected to the control system for manipulating digital documents stored in the document storage.

15. The digital document processing system according to claim 4, wherein the processor indicates a type of digital document in a field of the linked email item.

16. The digital document processing system according to claim 4, wherein the processor extracts title of the stored digital document and stores it in a field of the linked email item.

17. The digital document processing system according to claim 4, wherein the processor extracts content of the stored digital document and to stores it in a field of the linked email item.

18. The digital document processing system according to claim 4, wherein the processor stores a time of submission of the stored digital document in a field of the linked email item.

19. The digital document processing system of claim 4, wherein the processor updates the dedicated document email server and the document storage without a need to create a new email item when the digital document'"'"'s processing status changes.

20. A tangible computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions, executed by a computer processor to perform a method for handling digital documents in a digital document processing system, wherein the digital document processing system includes a control system having a document storage for the digital documents, a dedicated document email server that stores email items, wherein each email item is linked to a corresponding digital document in the document storage and where each email item stores the corresponding digital document'"'"'s processing status, at least one document processing device connected to the control system, and a plurality of user workstations that each include a respective email client, wherein the plurality of user workstations and the control system include respective devices that enable bi-directional communication through a network, the method comprising the steps of:

storing and managing the digital documents in the document storage, wherein each of the digital documents are owned by one of the users of the plurality of user workstations;

operating the dedicated document email server to generate and maintain therein a respective email item for each digital document in the document storage;

accessing the generated email items using the respective email client on the plurality of user workstations, wherein each email client includes a dedicated email folder coupled to a particular user account in the dedicated document email server;

using the at least one document processing device to perform a document processing operation on one of the digital documents in the document storage that changes the digital document'"'"'s processing status; and

updating the stored corresponding digital document'"'"'s processing status in the generated email item in the dedicated document email server and the document storage, wherein the updating dynamically reflects the one of the digital document'"'"'s actual changed processing status.

21. The tangible computer readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform a further step of synchronizing the document storage and the dedicated document email server, wherein the synchronizing dynamically reflects manipulation of an email item linked with a digital document in the dedicated email folder of an email client in the document processing operation of the digital document processing system on the corresponding digital document.

22. The tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the updating step is achieved without a need to create a new email item when the digital document'"'"'s processing status changes.