Xerox Corporation

Google Inc.

Richard M Bentley

James E Pycock

Rachel Jones

Allan MacLean

Graham Button

Antonietta Grasso

Dave Snowdon

Kevin A Palfreyman

Paul Dourish

Jon O'Brien

William M Newman

Kenton O'Hara

Richard H Harper

Quentin Stafford Fraser

James Pycock

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

An electronic board system includes an electronic board having a screen for displaying information of interest to a work group or community, an input device for receiving information from users in a group or community to be displayed on the electronic board, a memory for storing information received from the input device and a processor for selecting which information stored in the memory to display on the screen, where and how to display the selected information on the screen and displaying the selected information on the screen. The processor selects which information to display in accordance with a predetermined relationship based on a group-based recommendation criteria and user interest. A plurality of sensors disposed behind the screen detect user interest in information displayed on the screen near the sensor. User interest may also be determined by monitoring user requests for copies of information displayed on the screen.

Flexible rule-based recommender system for use with an electronic board system

A display system uses so called rapid sequential visual presentation (RSVP) in which words are presented one after another in time, in a window for reading by a user. To provide context information, a thumbnail view of the document page or the section of text is also generated, and is used to indicate the location in the section of text of the word currently displayed in the RSVP window. In one example, an indicator is generated within the thumbnail view to show the position, and the indicator is moved automatically as the RSVP sequence advances. In another example, the thumbnail view is positioned in a background display pane behind the RSVP window, and the thumbnail view is moved relative to the RSVP window to indicate the current position in the text.

Display for rapid text reading

The present invention provides a method to support the coordination of geographically distributed printing and, in particular, identification of possibilities for distributing print jobs to other shops for production. The technique involves the forwarding of production schedules by a number of print shops to a central location, where they are accessible to other print shops and can be used as a resource for identifying possible collaboration partners for distributed production. The technique builds on the common understanding and similar representation in the print industry of the production schedule, a device which charts the plan assignment of print job to particular machines for some future period. The novelty of the present invention lies in the sharing of production schedules through forwarding them to a central location in order to support the coordination of distributed production printing.

Method to support the coordination of distributed production-printing

Electronic board system

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

Process descriptions are formulated in a process management system to describe the flow of work and organizational responsibility in the performance of organizational processes. The process descriptions, which are formulated, are defined by a plurality of tasks that are interrelated by process dependencies. The tasks are executed and completed in an order specified by the process dependencies. A task is completed when the person responsible for completing the task prepares a task document. To record context to aid others in interpreting the completed task documents resources used to complete the task are recorded either manually or automatically. The recorded resources are identified with links in the metadata of the task document. Using the metadata of the task document, the process description provides an index into the history of the task document. Using process descriptions, the process management system is able to organize task documents created for each completed task in a manner that is convenient for retrieval by others who have yet executed a task in the process description.

Process management system wherein process descriptions provide indices to document histories

A document management system is adapted to operate with a process management system for recording and viewing metadata of a document. The document metadata is used to record resources referenced while the content of the document is developed. The resources are recorded in the document metadata to identify relationships between the resources and the content of the document. The document content includes links that reference the document metadata stored on a remote server. The resources recorded in the document metadata and the content of the document are simultaneously displayed on a user interface of the document management system to provide context for understanding document history. By storing document metadata and document content separately, the metadata of the document remains consistent even when multiple copies of the document are distributed over a network.

Document management system for recording and viewing the history of document use

An interactive desktop system comprising a work surface, a display device such as a projector for displaying images in a first area on the work surface, a camera for capturing images in a second area on the work surface, and an image processor, coupled to the display device and to the camera, said image processor being suitably programmed (a) for causing the display of barcodes on the work surface, (b) for causing the capture of said barcodes and, in dependence on the captured information, (c) for determining the position of said second area relative to said first area. The barcodes are displayed in a horizontal then vertical orientation, with an image capture in each display orientation being performed by the camera. This enables the camera's field of view within the displayed image to be determined. In an alternative embodiment, glyph codes may be used instead of barcodes.

Calibration of an interactive desktop system

An information processing system for an air traffic control environment using portable media to represent information about air flights, which portable media represent information by printing, hand drawn signs and projected signs, The information processing system includes memory, a processor, and a first and a second workstation. The memory stores a database of data items relating to air flights, a number of the data items being represented on a respective portion of a portable medium corresponding to one of the air flights. Each of the workstations includes means for removably mounting the portable media in an array, a camera and a projector focused on the array. Coupled to the memory, the processor responds to a user marking by hand a sign on a first portable medium at the first workstation by causing the projector associated with the second workstation to project just the sign onto a second portable medium at the second workstation. In further response, the processor also updates the database in the memory.

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Sawston, United Kingdom

Richard M Bentley