Docsolid LLC

Imagetag, Inc.

Steven William Irons

David R Guilbault

Eric Richard Lynn

Ian M Miller

Dale Shoup

Simon Okunev

Anthony Argenziano

Mark F Wright

Michael A Herzog

A digital mailroom application is used by a mail clerk to process incoming physical mail. The digital mailroom application receives a list of mail recipients and mail delivery settings, then processes the incoming physical mail using the list of mail recipients and mail delivery settings. A piece of incoming physical mail can be processed by determining one of the mail recipients as the recipient for the piece of physical mail. The piece of physical mail is then scanned to generate a corresponding digital mail piece, which is routed electronically based on the defined mail delivery settings.

Digital mailroom application

A printed document client receives a first print stream for a soft copy document, determines whether one or more conditions for adding a graphical symbol to the printed document are satisfied, and when the one or more conditions for adding the graphical symbol to the printed document are satisfied, adds the graphical symbol to the first print stream to generate a second print stream that includes the graphical symbol, and outputs the second print stream to a printer so the graphical symbol is printed on the printed document corresponding to the soft copy document. The printed document can be a hard copy document or a soft copy document generated from the second print stream.

Adding a graphical symbol to a print stream for a document file

A printed document manager manages printed documents and is separate from Document Management Systems (DMSs) that manage electronic soft copy documents. One or more DMSs are registered with a postmark server. A client computing device executes a postmark client, detects a print event for a specified document, and queries a postmark server to determine whether the print event for the specified document should include a graphical postmark. In response, the postmark server queries one or more of the registered DMSs to determine whether the specified document matches a document in any of the repositories of the registered DMS(s). When the specified document to be printed matches a document in a registered DMS, the postmark server authorizes the postmark client to add the graphical postmark in a print stream corresponding to the print event for the specified document.

Inserting a graphical symbol into a print stream for a document file that does not include the graphical symbol

Managing printed documents in a document processing system

A document processing system uses a label on a document that includes a machine-readable portion that identifies a document, a first defined region corresponding to a system-defined function, and a second defined region corresponding to a user-defined function. When a user hand-writes a mark in the first defined region of the label, when the document is scanned, the mark is detected, and the system-defined function corresponding to the first defined function is performed for the document. When a user hand-writes a mark in the second defined region of the label, when the document is scanned, the mark is detected, and the user-defined function corresponding to the second defined region is performed for the document. The hand-written mark can include a character, with multiple system-defined functions corresponding to different characters in the first defined region, and multiple user-defined functions corresponding to different characters in the second defined region.

Using labels in a document processing system

A printed document manager manages printed documents and is separate from a Document Management System (DMS) that manages electronic soft copy documents also known as source documents. Documents in a DMS repository are registered in a postmark registry by a registration agent. When a document that is registered in the postmark registry is printed, a graphical symbol referred to as a 'postmark' is generated and inserted into the print stream so the postmark is printed on the hard copy of the document. The printed document is logged in a printed document store along with metadata associated with the printed document. The postmark on the printed document can be used for one or more purposes, such as to determine whether the printed document can be shredded after use and to determine whether the printed document is current.

A printed document manager manages printed documents associated with respective electronic documents. When a document is printed, a graphical symbol referred to as a 'postmark' is generated and inserted into the print stream so the postmark is printed on the hard copy of the document. The printed document is logged in a printed document store along with metadata associated with the printed document. The postmark on the printed document can be used for one or more purposes, such as to determine whether the printed document is current, to locate the corresponding print image in the printed document store, to locate the corresponding electronic document in the document management system, to automatically file a hand-notated version of the printed document, and to determine whether the printed document can be shredded after use. The printed document manager thus provides a way to effectively manage printed documents.

A document processing system performs quality assurance processing after scanning to assure all needed processing is performed for the physical document and the corresponding electronic document. The quality assurance processing can include verifying the document being reviewed is the same as the document stored in the document management system, verifying the image quality for each page in the scanned document, and verifying a disposition policy for the physical document. Other processing for both the physical document and electronic document may also be performed during quality assurance processing.

Quality assurance processing for a scanned document

A document processing system allows specifying disposition of a paper document at the time a reservation for the document is created in the document processing system. Quality assurance processing after scanning assures all needed processing is performed for the paper document and the corresponding electronic document. Once the quality assurance processing is complete, the disposition of the paper document is scheduled according to the specified disposition policy for the paper document. When the specified disposition policy for a document indicates the document needs to be destroyed, a user scans the unique identifier on the physical document at a first location, receives verification the document should be destroyed, and places the document in a container for documents to be destroyed. At a second location, a user scans the unique identifier on the document and receives verification the document should be destroyed. The physical document may then be destroyed.

Verifying authorization to destroy a physical document before destroying the physical document

A document processing system allows specifying disposition of a paper document at the time a reservation for the document is created in the document processing system. A default disposition policy for the paper document can be selected, a different defined disposition policy can be selected, or a new disposition policy can be created. Quality assurance processing after scanning assures all needed processing is performed for the paper document and the corresponding electronic document. Once the quality assurance processing is complete, the disposition of the paper document is scheduled according to the specified disposition policy for the paper document.

Specifying disposition of documents in a document processing system

A software tool referred to as a 'mailman' monitors certain folders on a network for new scanned documents. A user places a stamp on a document, then uses a digital copier to store the scanned document to one of the monitored folders on the network. When the mailman sees a new scanned document in one of the folders it is monitoring, the mailman retrieves the document, processes the document to determine the number on the stamp, queries a Post Office application for document processing instructions corresponding to the stamp number, performs any required processing of the document, then delivers the processed document to the Post Office. When the Post Office receives the processed document, the processed document is stored in a document repository in the Post Office, and is processed by the Post Office according to document processing instructions corresponding to the stamp number.

Document processing system and method

According to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus and method for simultaneously managing paper-based documents and digital images of the same are disclosed. When used in conjunction with a digital filing apparatus, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,165, users of the present invention will be able to deploy a comprehensive system to manage both paper-based documents and the corresponding digital images of the paper-based documents in a digital filing operation. In this context, digital filing refers to the efficient management of paper-based information from its receipt at the desktop through an indexing, scanning, image storage and retrieval process, for both the paper-based document and the digital image of the paper-based document. The preferred embodiments of the present invention provide for easy and effective indexing, imaging, storing, retrieving and managing of paper-based documents, transforming them into electronic documents, and then tracking and selectively retrieving either or both the paper-based document and/or a digital image of the paper-based document, based on the information captured prior to the imaging operation. The user may create a single entry in a digital filing system that will provide an electronic link to the digital image of the paper-based document and, simultaneously, information regarding the physical location of the paper-based document in a paper repository allowing for quick and easy retrieval of the paper-based document and/or the digital images of the paper-based documents.

Apparatus and method for simultaneously managing paper-based documents and digital images of the same

According to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus and method for a digital filing system is disclosed. In this context, digital filing refers to the efficient management of paper-based information from its receipt at the desktop through an indexing, scanning, image storage and image retrieval process. The preferred embodiments of the present invention provide for easy and effective indexing, imaging, storing, retrieving and managing of paper-based documents, transforming them into electronic documents using a system which incorporates many existing office resources. The proposed system and method implements a desktop solution for digital filing, which can be made available to each worker. In one embodiment of the present invention, an individual has complete control over the electronic storage and retrieval of their documents from a standard desktop computer, using a standard web browser application. Uniquely, the digital filing system of the present invention also allows users to index and label documents prior to scanning/imaging by using a dedicated desktop labeling mechanism.

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Phoenix, AZ, United States of America

Steven William Irons