Techniques for performing actions based upon physical locations of paper documents

• US 8,493,601 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2010
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hull, Jonathan J., Graham, Jamey, Lee, Dar-Shyang
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDOLPH, VINCENT M
• Application Number:
  US12/980,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20110140857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10079 the collision being resolved in the spatial domain, e.g. temporary shields for blindfolding the interrogator in specific directions
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas

Abstract

According to one set of embodiments, techniques are provided for performing actions based upon physical locations of one or more paper documents. According to another set of embodiments, techniques are provided for tracking the physical locations of paper documents. According to another set of embodiments, techniques are provided for determining electronic document information for paper documents. According to another set of embodiments, techniques are provided for determining and tracking the contents of a container. According to another set of embodiments, a document security system is provided. According to another set of embodiments, techniques are provided for tracking documents in a workflow.

Claims

1. A paper document output device comprising:

a print subsystem configured to produce, based on an electronic representation of a document, a hardcopy of the document on one or more pages of physical media;

a tag subsystem configured to write an identifier to a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag physically associated with the one or more pages of physical media, the identifier uniquely identifying the hardcopy of the document; and

a communications subsystem configured to enable communication between the paper document output device and a host device, wherein the communication subsystem is configured to;

receive the electronic representation of the document from the host device; and

after the identifier has been written to the RFID tag, transmit to the host device the identifier and information about a physical location of the hardcopy of the document, for storage in a paper document tracking database, wherein the paper document tracking database includes correlation information linking the identifier and the physical location of the hardcopy of the document.

2. The paper document output device of claim 1 wherein the physical media is standard office paper.

3. The paper document output device of claim 1 wherein the paper document output device is a laser printer or a laser copier.

4. The paper document output device of claim 1 wherein the paper document output device is configured to generate the identifier.

5. The paper document output device of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag is physically associated with the one or more pages of physical media by being embedded in at least one page.

6. The paper document output device of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag is physically associated with the one or more pages of physical media by being attached to a surface of at least one page.

7. The paper document output device of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag is physically associated with the one or more pages of physical media by being attached to an object that is physically associated with at least one page.

8. The paper document output device of claim 7 wherein the object is a staple or a clip.

9. The paper document output device of claim 1 wherein the paper document output device is configured to generate the RFID tag as a sticker or label.

10. The paper document output device of claim 9 wherein, subsequent to generating the RFID tag, the paper document output device is configured to affix the RFID tag to at least one page of the one or more pages of physical media.

11. The paper document output device of claim 1 wherein the tag subsystem is further configured to write the electronic representation of the document to the RFID tag.

12. The paper document output device of claim 1 wherein the information about the physical location of the hardcopy document is same as a physical location of the paper document output device.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, by a paper document output device from a host device, an electronic representation of a document;

producing, by the paper document output device based on the electronic representation, a hardcopy of the document on one or more pages of physical media;

writing, by the paper document output device, an identifier to a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag physically associated with the one or more pages of physical media, the identifier uniquely identifying the hardcopy of the document; and

after the identifier has been written to the RFID tag, transmitting, by the paper document device to the host device, the identifier and information about a physical location of the hardcopy of the document, for storing in a paper document tracking database, the paper document tracking database including correlation information linking the identifier and the information about the physical location of the hardcopy of the document.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the paper document output device is configured to generate the identifier.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising writing the electronic representation of the document to the RFID tag.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the information about the physical location of the hardcopy document is same as a physical location of the paper document output device.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage memory having stored thereon program code executable by one or more processors of a paper document output device, the program code comprising:

code that causes the one or more processors to receive, from a host device, an electronic representation of a document;

code that causes the one or more processors to produce, based on the electronic representation, a hardcopy of the document on one or more pages of physical media;

code that causes the one or more processors to write an identifier to a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag physically associated with the one or more pages of physical media, the identifier uniquely identifying the hardcopy of the document; and

code that causes the one or more processors to, after writing the identifier to the RFID tag, transmit to the host device, for storing in a paper document tracking database, the identifier and information about a physical location of the hardcopy document, wherein the paper document tracking database includes correlation information linking the identifier to the information about the physical location of the hardcopy of the document.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage memory of claim 14 wherein the program code further comprises code that causes the one or more processors to generate the identifier.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage memory of claim 14 wherein the program code further comprises code that causes the one or more processors to write the electronic representation of the document to the RFID tag.