Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Other

Stephen R Savitzky

Kurt W Piersol

John W Barrus

Bradley J Rhodes

Gregory J Wolff

Sergey Chemishkian

Rithy K Roth

Edward L Schwartz

Peter E Hart

Richard Andrew Golding

Tina L Jeng

Michael J Gormish

Ame Elliott

Max E McFarland

Haixia Yu

Kenneth F Gudan

Andrea Mariotti

Daja Phillips

Kim McCall

Michael G E Griffin

Patty Case

Richard D Kosoglow

David Geoffrey Stork

Martin P Boliek

Mark Peairs

Hidenobu Kishi

Xu Liu

Geoffrey Nudd

Timothee Bailloeul

Kevin Ridout

Robert Jan Van Glabbeek

Bradly Rhodes

Rahul Nair

A distributed workflow-enabled system includes: a workflow-enabled provider and a workflow-enabled client communicatively coupled by a network. The workflow-enabled provider and the workflow-enabled client include a workflow unit. The workflow unit allows the workflow-enabled provider and the workflow-enabled client to communicate, distribute processes and present a user interfaces by providing a communication manager, a process control module and a user interface module. The present invention also includes a number of novel methods including a method for communication, a method for processing by a process control module, a method for creating and presenting the user interface and a method for retrieving processes executable by the process control module.

Distributed workflow-enabled system

The present invention provides systems and methods for self-labeling access points with their geographic location from received beacon frames. In particular, the present invention transmits beacon frames including temporary location information from mobile devices. The beacon frames are received by an access point, filtered by the access point and then used to determine a location. Once the location has been determined, the access point uses the determined location to self-label itself by converting the location information to a geographic code and inserting it as part of the SSID of the access point's beacon signal. The present invention also includes a number of methods using geographic codes including a method for generating and transmitting geographic codes for mobile devices, a method for determining a location of an access point, a method for self-labeling an access point, and a method for filtering beacon frames.

Applications for geographically coded access points

A system for paper-like forms processing includes a plurality of portable computing devices coupled by a network to a paper-like forms server. The portable computing devices are adapted to receive images (e.g., compound documents/forms), add stroke annotations to the received images, and send the annotated received images or the stoke annotations themselves to the paper-like forms server. The paper-like forms server comprises a central scheduler and a logging module. The paper-like forms server processes compound documents as paper like forms and sends input to and receives results from service providers to perform various types of paper like processing on the compound document. The paper-like forms server performs the scheduling, routing, logging, verification and billing for the paper-like processing of compound documents. The central scheduler also stores results from service providers for later retrieval.

Paper-like forms processing system and method

Method and apparatus for recording associations with logs are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises obtaining a first media identifier corresponding to a first media; accessing a log that contains one or more entries that associate two or more media identifiers with each other; and determining that the first media is related to a second media based on the log indicating that a second media identifier is associated with, but different from, the first media identifier.

Method and apparatus for recording associations with logs

A distributed peer-to-peer document archive system provides version-control, security, access control, linking among stored documents and remote access to documents usually associated with centralized storage systems while still providing the simplicity, personalization and robustness to network outages associated with personal and peer-to-peer storage systems. A 'keyring' is an encrypted repository that allows a user to recover and access a user's entire digital archive with a single master key. After the key is created, it does not need to be updated, and can be stored in a safe, safety-deposit box or other secure location. In the event the user's computer is stolen or destroyed, the user need only install the system on a new machine and import the master key. The system will then use that key to browse nearby servers to find and decrypt all files necessary to recreate the full digital archive in its most recent state.

Secure peer-to-peer distribution of an updatable keyring

A workflow-enabled provider includes a service provider and a workflow manager interface unit. The workflow manager interface unit couples the service provider to a workflow manager to provide the automatic discovering, distributed processing and dynamic user interface generating functionality. An advertisement monitor listens for broadcasts from the workflow manager regarding new clients. A request module and a response module handle the transfer of data and control signals between the workflow manager and the service provider. A process control module performs a plurality of processing functions including aggregating requests from clients, selecting requests it can service, presenting user interfaces, processing input via the service provider and controlling the service provider. The user interface module is coupled to the process control module and dynamically generates user interfaces for display by the service provider.

Workflow-enabled provider

Geographically self-labeling access points

A workflow-enabled client comprises a client and a workflow manager interface unit. The workflow manager interface unit couples the client to a workflow manager to provide the automatic discovering, distributed processing and dynamic user interface generating functionality of the present invention. A communication manager of the workflow-enabled client has a registration unit that registers, and unregisters, the client with the workflow manager such as by providing a name, a data and other commands. A polling module uses a received location from the workflow manager to retrieve data. The process control module performs a plurality of processing functions such a processing polled data, storing it or providing it to other clients. The process control module can also initiate other clients. The present invention also includes a number of novel methods including a method for registering a client, a method for polling data, and a method for initiating other clients.

Workflow-enabled client

A system and method for applying a pre-existing physical seal authorization to documents provides for authentication of electronic documents using physical seals and without interrupting the electronic workflow. The system of the present invention includes a seal capture device coupled to a computer, and the computer coupled by a network to a paper-like document server. The seal capture device detects depression of a seal thereon and outputs the image of the seal and other metadata to the computer. The computer stores the metadata in its local log using a logging module. The computer also adds the image of the seal and other metadata to the electronic document being displayed. Finally, the computer sends the metadata for storage in the global log of the paper-like document server, and the authorized document to the next step in the electronic workflow. The paper-like document server stores the metadata in other servers or entangles the global log with the logs of other servers for additional security.

Method for applying a physical seal authorization to documents in electronic workflows

The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art with a system for stroke and image aggregation and analytics. The system is particularly advantageous because it provides a system for distributing page images such as worksheets, examinations or forms to multiple devices. The system allows independent paging and writing on the distributed materials; collection of the strokes added to the distributed pages images; and aggregating and displaying those strokes or summary information in a useful manner. For example, an instructor might receive the current work of the students for a particular examination question and view those strokes in a parallel manner or a combined manner.

Stroke and image aggregation and analytics

A multi-provider forms processing system with retry upon failure comprises: a plurality of portable computing devices, a plurality of service providers and a paper-like forms server coupled by a network. The paper-like forms server performs the scheduling, routing, logging, verification and billing for the paper-like processing of compound documents. The paper-like forms server comprises a central schedule, a retry module and a billing module. The multi-provider forms processing system is advantageous because it monitors for failure of transactions, automatically issues a retry or replacement transactions and adjusts the billing for the failed transaction. In particular, the central scheduler tracks and determines when transaction failures occur, and based on these failures revises the billing to users and credits to service providers. The central scheduler also monitors the logs for completion as well as restarts, attempts, failure, reworked and re-performed transaction steps and modifies the bills accordingly.

Multi-provider forms processing system with retry upon failure

A method and apparatus for creating and/or using trustworthy timestamps and certifiable clocks using logs linked by cryptographic hashes. In one embodiment, the method comprises maintaining a first, chained-hash log; associating a first clock with the chained-hash log, and entangling the first log; with a second by adding a time-stamped synchronization entry to the chained-hash log, where the synchronization entry has a second time indication associated with the second log and a hash of one or more entries in the first log.

Trustworthy timestamps and certifiable clocks using logs linked  by cryptographic hashes

Techniques for facilitating annotation of information. Techniques are provided that enable one or more users to annotate video information being displayed by an output device. Different annotation modes may be provided. For example, in one mode, a device is provided that can capture a video frame from video information being output by an output device. One or more users may then annotate the captured video frame. The annotations may be communicated to the output device such that the output displays the captured video frame along with annotations made to the video frame. Other annotation modes are also provided.

Techniques for facilitating annotations

A system for geographic tagging of network access points comprises a plurality of access points that have been configured to provide location information as part of their beacon. Each access point provides a service set identifier (SSID) that includes an encoded value that represents the location of the access point. The use of an encoded location value in the SSID of the access point is particularly advantageous because it does not require any additional hardware be added to the access point or the portable computing device. Moreover, location can be determined by any portable device without establishing a connection to the access point. The portable computing devices are adapted to receive the beacon, extract the location information from the beacon and decode the beacon. The present invention also includes a variety of methods including: a method for geographic tagging of network access points, a method for encoding a location into a geographic code, a method for decoding a geographic code into a location, a method for encoding height into a geographic code, a method for decoding height from a geographic code and a method for determining the location using a plurality of geographic codes.

Geographic tagging of network access points

A workflow manager handles the communication between a workflow-enabled provider and a workflow-enabled client. The workflow manager maintains a directory of clients, translates a transaction from a provider into multiple transactions suitable for the client, and handles security. In one embodiment, the workflow manager connects with the workflow-enabled client by registration and with the workflow-enabled provider by advertising and activation. Subsequent communications between the workflow manager and the workflow-enabled provider and the workflow-enabled client are with a request/response protocol. The workflow manager also comprises data storage for storing data for transmission to the workflow-enabled client or the workflow-enabled provider, and workflow storage for storing information related to registered clients. The present invention also includes a number of novel methods including a method for a method for registering a client and a method for activating a provider.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Stephen R Savitzky