Document imaging and management system for paperless workflow

• US 7,853,629 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2006
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Executive Data Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Executive Data Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Caudet, Ramon, Duncan, John, Williams, Carl W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu; Kuen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Loan T
• Application Number:
  US11/277,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20060218188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/100, 715/530
• US Class Current: 707/821
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0097 Storage of instructions or parameters, e.g. customised instructions or different parameters for different user IDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2166 for mass storage, e.g. in document filing systems information retrieval G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• 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 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs

Abstract

A document imaging and management system, including a device for imaging at least one document having at least one computer-readable identifier, a database including a plurality of rules for managing documents and tasks, a processor, software executing on the processor for reading the computer-readable identifier, software executing on the processor for routing the imaged document based on the identifier, and software executing on the processor for determining a task associated with the document based on the identifier and at least one of the plurality of rules.

Claims

1. A document imaging and management system, comprising:

a device for imaging at least one coversheet and at least one document associated with the coversheet;

a database including a plurality of rules for managing documents and tasks;

at least one processor;

software executing on said at least one processor for creating and storing a document profile unique to a particular document and creating a document key unique to the document before the document is imaged, wherein the document profile includes the document key unique to the document and routing instructions for the document, and wherein a coversheet of the document includes at least one computer readable identifier indicative of the document key;

software executing on said at least one processor for reading the computer-readable identifier from coversheet and matching the imaged document to the stored document profile based on the document key;

software executing on said at least one processor for routing the imaged document based on the stored document profile;

software executing on said at least one processor for determining at least one task associated with the document based on the stored document profile and at least one of the plurality of rules; and

error detection software executing on said processor for monitoring imaged documents received by the system and pending document keys for which document profiles have been created to detect unmatched imaged documents and unmatched pending document keys, wherein said error detection software stores the imaged document in an error storage if the imaged document is received but not matched to the document key.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said software for routing stores the imaged document in a location corresponding to the document profile and sends the imaged document to one or more recipients identified in the routing instructions of the stored document profile.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

software executing on said processor for reporting the at least one task.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

software executing on the processor for initiating the at least one task.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said software for initiating the task generates at least one task document different from the imaged document.

6. The system according to claim 5, further comprising:

software executing on said processor for storing the at least one task document in a location based on the document profile.

7. The system according to claim 5, further comprising:

software executing on said processor for transmitting the at least one task document to an electronic filing system.

8. The system according to claim 5, further comprising:

software executing on said processor for transmitting the at least one task document to at least one client.

9. The system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a forms database comprising a plurality of forms,

wherein said software for initiating the task generates a task document, different from the imaged document, based on one of the plurality of forms which corresponds to the at least one task.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the rules include intellectual property rules.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the rules include rules of civil procedure.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computer-readable identifier is printed on the coversheet of the document and is used to match the document to the stored document profile.

13. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the document or the coversheet includes two or more substantially identical computer-readable identifiers,

wherein said software for reading the computer-readable identifier reads each of the two or more substantially identical identifiers and compares each of the two or more substantially identical identifiers.

14. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

software executing on said at least one processor for determining a saved location of the document based on the previously stored document profile as identified by the computer-readable identifier.

28. The system according to claim 1, wherein said error detection software tracks each of unmatched pending document keys and generates a notification if an unmatched pending document key is not matched to an imaged document within a predetermined amount of time.

15. A method for imaging and managing documents, comprising the steps of:

creating a document profile associated with a document before the document is imaged, the document profile unique to the document and including at least a document key unique to the document;

storing the document profile and the document key unique to the document before the document is imaged;

printing a coversheet including a computer-readable identifier thereon before the document is imaged, wherein the at least one computer readable identifier is indicative of the document key;

imaging the document and the printed coversheet, wherein the coversheet includes the at least one computer-readable identifier thereon;

interpreting the identifier from the coversheet to match the document to the stored document profile based on the document key;

monitoring imaged documents received by the system and pending document keys for which document profiles have been created to detect unmatched imaged documents and unmatched pending document keys, wherein the document is routed to an error storage if the imaged document is received but not matched to the document key.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

storing the document in a location corresponding to the document profile.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

determining at least one task associated with the document based on the stored document profile and at least one rule.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

reporting the at least one task as complete.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

generating a task document, different from the imaged document, according to the at least one task; and

storing the task document in a location defined by a document profile unique to the task document.

25. The method according to claim 15, wherein the step of interpreting the identifier includes comparing the document key to a group of pending document keys.

26. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

routing the document to one or more clients based on the stored document profile.

27. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

reporting the at least one task to one or more clients.

20. A method for imaging and managing documents, comprising the steps of:

generating a matter profile;

generating one or more tasks for the matter profile based on at least one rule;

generating a document profile unique to a particular document and associated with the matter profile, the document profile including a document key unique to the document and routing instructions for the document;

storing the document profile;

generating a coversheet with at least one computer-readable identifier indicative of the document profile on the coversheet;

receiving and imaging the document and the coversheet including the computer-readable identifier;

reading and interpreting the identifier to match the document to the stored document profile unique to the document based on the document key;

identifying at least one of the one or more tasks associated with the document based on the stored document profile; and

routing the document based on the stored document profile; and

monitoring imaged documents received by the system and pending document keys for which document profiles have been created to detect unmatched imaged documents and unmatched pending document keys, wherein the document is routed to an error storage if the imaged document is received but not matched to the document key.

21. A document imaging and management system, comprising:

at least one processor;

a database including a plurality of document profiles, each document profile unique to one document and including a document key unique to the one document and routing instructions for the one document;

software executing on said at least one processor for creating a document profile including a document key for a document before the document is imaged and storing the document profile in the database;

software executing on said at least one processor for generating a coversheet including at least one computer-readable indicia on the coversheet indicative of the document key;

a device for imaging the coversheet together with the document;

software executing on said at least one processor for reading the computer-readable indicia on the coversheet and matching the document to the stored document profile unique to the document based on the document key;

software executing on said at least one processor for routing the imaged document based on the stored document profile; and

error detection software executing on said processor for monitoring imaged documents received by the system and pending document keys for which document profiles have been created to detect unmatched imaged documents and unmatched pending document keys, wherein said error detection software stores the imaged document in an error storage if the imaged document is received but not matched to the document key.

22. The system according to claim 21,

wherein the database further includes a plurality of rules for managing documents and tasks;

and

wherein the system further comprises software executing on said processor for determining at least one task associated with the document based on the document profile and at least one of the plurality of rules.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein the computer-readable indicia includes a barcode.

24. The system according to claim 21,

wherein at least one of the document and the coversheet includes two or more substantially identical computer-readable indicia,

wherein said software for reading the computer-readable indicia reads each of the two or more substantially identical indicia and compares each of the two or more substantially identical indicia.

29. The system according to claim 21, wherein said error detection software tracks each of unmatched pending document keys and generates a notification if an unmatched pending document key is not matched to an imaged document within a predetermined amount of time.