Information processing methodology

• US 7,075,673 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2003
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• 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., Medina, Mitchell A., Lech, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brinich, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US10/704,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20040070793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 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 system configurable to input information from an electronic document template displayed on a display of a first computer into a plurality of application programs operable on another computer in which said template automatically generates content instructions to extract data and to transmit said data to at least one field in at least one of said plurality of application programs according to customizable transmission format instructions which are dependent upon and compatible with said at least one application program, operating on said other computer, that is receiving said transmitted data.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 in which said system is a distributed computing system.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said content instructions automatically parse said data to said at least one field in said application program.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using a mouse function.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using speech recognition.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated interactively with said user.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said extracted data comprises billing information.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said extracted data comprises financial information.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said extracted data comprises personal information.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said extracted data comprises customer information.

11. A method of doing business utilizing a computer system configurable to input information from an electronic document template displayed on a display of a first computer into a plurality of application programs operable on another computer comprising the steps of:

displaying an image of the electronic document on the first computer;

utilizing the image of the electronic document of said first computer as said template;

utilizing said template to automatically generate content instructions;

extracting data corresponding to said information from the image of the electronic document utilizing said content instructions;

transmitting said extracted data to at least one field in said at least one of said plurality of application programs on said other computer;

said transmitting being done in accordance with customizable transmission format instructions which are transmission format instructions customizable to be dependent upon and compatible with said at least one of said plurality of application programs operating on said other computer that is receiving said transmitted data.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising the step of executing the application program on said other computer.

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

14. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said extracted data comprises financial information.

15. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said extracted data comprises personal information.

16. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said extracted data comprises customer information.

17. An interface of a computer system configurable to input information from an electronic document template displayed on a display of a first computer into a plurality of application programs operable on another computer, said interface for inputting and transmitting information comprising:

means for displaying an image of the electronic document on the first computer;

means for utilizing the image of the electronic document of said first computer as said template;

means, utilizing said template, to automatically generate content instructions;

means for extracting data corresponding to said information from the image of the electronic document utilizing said content instructions;

means for transmitting said extracted data to at least one field in said at least one of said plurality of application programs on an other computer, different from said first computer and in accordance with customizable transmission format instructions which are transmission format instructions customizable to be compatible with said at least one of said plurality of application programs, operating on said other computer, that is receiving said transmitted data.

18. The interface as recited in claim 17 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated interactively with said user.

19. The interface as recited in claim 17 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using speech recognition.

20. The interface as recited in claim 17 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using a mouse function.

21. The interface as recited in claim 17 wherein said extracted data comprises billing information.

22. The interface as recited in claim 17 wherein said extracted data comprises financial information.

23. The interface as recited in claim 17 wherein said extracted data comprises personal information.

24. The interface as recited in claim 17 wherein said extracted data comprises customer information.

25. A method utilizing a computer system configurable to input information from an electronic document template displayed on a display of a first computer into a plurality of application programs operable on another computer, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying an image of the electronic document on the first computer;

utilizing the image of the electronic document of said first computer as the template;

utilizing said, template to automatically generate content instructions;

extracting data corresponding to said information from the image of the electronic document utilizing said content instructions;

transmitting said extracted data to at least one field in said at least one of said plurality of application programs operable on said other computer;

said transmitting being done in accordance with customizable transmission format instructions which are transmission format instructions customizable to be dependent upon and compatible with said at least one of said plurality of application programs, operating on said other computer that is receiving said transmitted data.

26. The method as recited in claim 25 further comprising the step of executing the application program on said other computer.

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

28. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein said extracted data comprises financial information.

29. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein said extracted data comprises personal information.

30. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein said extracted data comprises customer information.

31. An application program interface for use in data processing in a computer system configurable to input information from an electronic document template displayed on a display of a first computer into a plurality of application programs operable on another computer, said interface comprising:

utilities for enabling automatic generation of content instructions using the electronic document template, said content instructions designating data portions of said electronic document template required by at least one of said plurality of application programs;

utilities for enabling formatting of said data portions used by said at least one of said plurality of application programs based on customizable transmission format instructions which are transmission format instructions customizable to be dependent upon and compatible with said at least one of said plurality of application programs; and

utilities for automatically enabling transmission of formatted selected data portions to said at least one of said plurality of application programs, operating on said other computer that is receiving said transmitted data.

32. The application program interface as recited in claim 31, wherein said content instructions automatically parse said data to said at least one field in said application program.

33. The application program interface as recited in claim 31, wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using a mouse function.

34. The application program interface as recited in claim 31, wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using speech recognition.

35. The application program interface as recited in claim 31, wherein said content instructions are automatically generated interactively with said user.

36. The application program interface as recited in claim 31, further comprising utilities for enabling storage of said content instructions.

37. The application program interface as recited in claim 31, wherein said interface operates in a distributed computing system.

38. The application program interface as recited in claim 31, further comprising utilities for enabling definition of said electronic document template for associating portions of said electronic document template with specific variables.

39. The application program as recited in claim 31 wherein said designated data comprises billing information.

40. The application program as recited in claim 31 wherein said designated data comprises financial information.

41. The application program as recited in claim 31 wherein said designated data comprises personal information.

42. The application program as recited in claim 31 wherein said designated data comprises customer information.

43. A method of processing information utilizing a computer system configurable to input information from an electronic document template displayed on a display of a first computer into a plurality of application programs operable on another computer, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying an image of an electronic document on the first computer for inputting information into at least one of said plurality of application programs stored on an other computer according to transmission format instructions;

processing the information by automatically generating content instructions to parse at least a portion of the image to at least one field of information required by said at least one of said plurality of application programs; and

transferring said at least one field of information to said at least one of said plurality of application programs utilizing customizable transmission format instructions which are transmission format instructions customizable to be dependent upon and compatible with said at least one of said application programs, operating on said other computer that is receiving said transmitted data.

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

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

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

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

48. An information processing system configurable to input information from a first computer into a plurality of application programs operable on another computer in which a template document transmitted by said first computer to said other computer includes content instructions to automatically extract data and to transmit said data to at least one field in at least one of said plurality of application programs according to customizable transmission format instructions which are transmission format instructions dependent upon and customizable to be compatible with said at least one of said plurality of applications programs, operating on said other computer that is receiving said transmitted data.

49. The information processing system as recited in claim 48 in which said system is a distributed computing system.

50. The information processing system as recited in claim 48 wherein said content instructions automatically parse said data to said at least one field in said application program.

51. The information processing system as recited in claim 48 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using a mouse function.

52. The information processing system as recited in claim 48 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated using speech recognition.

53. The information processing system as recited in claim 48 wherein said content instructions are automatically generated interactively with said user.

54. The method as recited in claim 48 wherein said extracted data comprises billing information.

55. The information processing system as recited in claim 48 wherein said extracted data comprises financial information.

56. The information processing system as recited in claim 48 wherein said extracted data comprises personal information.

57. The information processing system as recited in claim 48 wherein said extracted data comprises customer information.