Xerox Corporation

Jon O'Brien

Richard M Bentley

Rachel Jones

Allan MacLean

James E Pycock

Kevin A Palfreyman

Graham Button

In an electronic document filing system, placeholder objects are used to provide an explicit representation of document files which are not yet present but which are explicitly expected by the system. A placeholder object can be a real filing system object, which may be processed by the filing system in the same manner as any other filing system object, and can include filing system data such as file metadata. The metadata may be associated with an expected source for the document file (e.g., for automatic capture of a paper document from a scanner).

Electronic filing system with scan-placeholders

In an electronic document filing system, placeholder objects are used to provide an explicit representation of document files which are not yet present but which are explicitly expected by the system. A placeholder object can be a real filing system object, which may be processed by the filing system in the same manner as any other filing system object, and can include filing system data such as file metadata. The metadata may be associated with an expected source for the document file in, for example, filing systems, messaging systems, workflow systems, and document scanning systems.

Electronic filing system with file-placeholders

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Jon O'Brien