Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
  • H04L51/00—User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
  • H04L51/06—Message adaptation to terminal or network requirements
  • H04L51/066—Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
  • G06Q10/10—Office automation; Time management
  • G06Q10/107—Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof

Definitions

• This invention relates to a system for quickly and largely automatically creating and transmitting any of a large number of electronic mail, facsimiles, data compilations or documents to widely distributed recipient locations, for increasing the transmission speed by a learning system, for providing a document control system and ehminating the need for using OCR for documents transmitted.
• Fax involves significant cost if one is transmitting outside of a local calling area.
• E- mail is cheap and quick, if one uses it at a low-traffic time of day, but it does not automatically produce a "hard” (printed) copy unless the recipient chooses to make one and, under some circumstances, it can be altered by the recipient, either purposefully or accidentally, and the format is not fully controllable by the sender.
• a particularly wasteful and almost universal occurrence is the retransmission of the same information. For example, if one sends an ordinary business letter by fax, it is customary for the sender to use a heading of some kind, either a professional letterhead, a business letterhead, or some kind of special heading which contains an identification of the sender. While it is important for the recipient to have this information, a very large amount of data transmission traffic over long distances is consumed by sending, long-distance, this same information over and over again.
• an object of the present invention is to provide a system for repetitively, quickly and inexpensively preparing and sending to selected recipients by various possible transmission means any of a plurality of documents of largely predetermined varying or unique content.
• a further object is to provide a system for drastically reducing the repeated transmission of standard logos or text, and/or standard graphics.
• Yet another object is to increase transmission speed by a learning system. Yet another object is to provide a document control system which can be used as a standalone system or can be used in combination with a data transmission system.
• a further object is to provide for access and control of remote graphic creations and storage of graphics.
• the invention comprises a method for generating and disserninating information comprising the steps of establishing a plurality of service centers at geographically separated locations and providing at each service center a control computer, a functionally divisible computer client memory, and means for producing a document output of the desired data from the memory.
• a portion of the client memory is assigned to each of a plurality of chents and in each client memory portion is stored data comprising parts of documents to be generated.
• a selected document is transmitted to a designated recipient.
• the document output can be in the form of a printed copy, an electronic transmission such as e-mail or fax, or a data compilation in some other form.
• Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system in accordance with the invention in a simple form
• Fig. 2 is diagram illustrating the components of a document which can be handled by a system in accordance with the invention
• Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the composition of a storage access and compilation code in accordance with the invention.
• Fig. 4 is a diagram of a further document which can be handled by a system in accordance with the invention.
• Fig. 5 is a partial block diagram of a portion of a service center showing alternative transmission techniques
• Figs. 6 and 7 are simplified illustrations of geographical distributions of service centers in accordance with the invention. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• implementation of the present invention involves the establishment of a plurality of facilities which will be called service centers 10.
• the number, size and geographic locations of these can vary, but as will be recognized from the following description, it is believed advantageous to locate such centers near or in major concentrations of population.
• the service centers are interconnected with each other by a network of communications lines 12 which can be ordinary telephone lines, whether they are organized into a formal network or are used on an "as needed" basis.
• service center a corporation having geographically separated subsidiaries or divisions may find it economically useful to establish its own service centers for communication within the company as well as for communication outside the company, and the term "service center" will be understood to include such intra-company faculties or any client-to- client use.
• each service center 10 At each service center 10 are located several key pieces of equipment, illustrated in block form in one of the service centers in Fig. 1. It is contemplated that the service centers may beequipped, but this is by no means necessary and there is a strong possibility that centers having larger volumes of activity will require multiple computers as well as larger memory facilities as well as additional transmission and receiving devices to suit special needs.
• This equipment includes one or more control computers 14 which constitutes a communications interface with other service centers and with clients, illustrated as telephone instrument symbols 16.
• clients illustrated as telephone instrument symbols 16.
• Connected to the computer Connected to the computer is a large computer memory 18 which is functionally, and perhaps physically, divisible into separate sections each of which can be dedicated to an individual client. One part of the storage can be made accessible to all chents, carrying data required by all of them.
• Each center also includes one or more printers 20 which operate under computer control to print information received from memory 18.
• Printed material symbolized by a sheet of paper 22, is conveyed to mailing equipment 24 which can take numerous forms but which includes apparatus for handling the printer output and preparing it for physical delivery to the recipients.
• mailing equipment 24 can take numerous forms but which includes apparatus for handling the printer output and preparing it for physical delivery to the recipients.
• the exact nature of the mailing equipment is, of course, determined by the mode of delivery to be used.
• Automatic equipment for printing a multi-part document with an envelope is conventionally available. Alternatively, human assistance can be employed to fold and put printed material in envelopes.
• the process of using the system in accordance with the invention may begin with a determination of the types of correspondence to be handled in the system for a client. It is possible to handle a large variety of correspondence in this way, but for purposes of illustration, a simple form letter will be used.
• the form letter is created by or for a client and stored in a portion of the service center memory dedicated to that client. Dedication of a memory portion is considered desirable for security and privacy reasons. For that client, a list of recipients is also stored, each recipient being associated in memory with some form of categorizing identification.
• the form letter will have an area into which an address can be inserted and may have other areas to be completed in accordance with instructions given at the time of preparation, e.g., an amount of money.
• the client gives a sequence of instructions, which will be referred to herein as a storage access and compilation code, to a service center by telephone or by a computer link with the service center.
• the storage access and compilation code includes an identification of the client. This directs computer 14 to seek a skeleton form letter of document compilation in the proper portion of the system memory.
• the storage access and compilation code also identifies the type of form letter to be used, chosen from those which have been stored for this specific client such as, for example, a bill; the recipient, from the client's stored fist of recipients; and the amount of money to be charged, along with selections of stored phrases which may be applicable to the specific form letter; and finally, an "end" code telling the control computer that the instruction is finished.
• the instruction can include a large number of recipients and amounts of money for each, but the single recipient case will be adequate for illustration.
• the control computer Upon receipt of the end code, the control computer compiles the form letter and merges it with the address information and other information or selections made in the sequence, and then prints the letter and provides the printed letter to the mailing equipment or personnel.
• the document output of the system can be in an electronic form rather than, or in addition to, a printed document.
• the document produced by the above process may be transmitted electronically by fax, for example, to those recipients who have the capability to receive a fax and for whom a fax telephone number is known or, for instance, by ASCII.
• the service center or centers used by a particular client in a specific situation are those closest to the recipients).
• one client in a single mailing may use several service centers, each center being used for recipients in the geographic region closest to that center, thereby assuring that each letter, fax, e-mail or data compilation sent is sent the shortest distance and in the shortest time.
• the addresses can be distributed to the centers in closest proximity to the addresses and each center stores the form letters appropriate to those addresses.
• the client can always communicate with the service center closest to the client, either for purposes of ordering one or more compiled forms sent or for updating data, and the control computer in that closest service center can then communicate the information to the appropriate other centers through the network between centers.
• the geographic distribution of service centers can be nationwide or it can cross international boundaries. Worldwide distribution of information with the system therefore makes fullest use of the system since transit times in international mailing, for example, are measured in days or even weeks. With the system of the present invention, the transit time can be measured in a single day or less.
• the client need make only a short, low-cost telephone call.
• the string of information forming the storage access and compilation code can be prepared in a simple format in advance of the call, and can easily be prepared on a personal computer or the like. Then, when the string is complete, it can be transmitted all at once, in a very short time.
• the material for each letter, e-mail, fax or data compilation is compiled and printed by the service centers, the letters, etc., are sent to recipients which are local relative to the service centers.
• letters, faxes, or electronic transmissions can be received in Hamburg, Germany and Cleveland, Ohio at essentially the same time without the expense of otherwise required international mail or telephone calls, and without regard to the location of the client.
• Fig. 2 illustrates the customary components of a letter as it might be examined for use in this system, each component occupying a predetermined field of the final document and being represented by a labeled box.
• Most letters have a logo at the top which may vary in size but which will be standard for a specific client, or which may be selected from a few similar logos if the client has multiple divisions or departments which use their own logos.
• the term "logo" includes such things as a company trademark, trade name and/or symbol, a professional letterhead, or simply the name and address of the client.
• the information which customarily appears on a letterhead and which may be included in "logo" for present purposes includes bank connections and a register number under which the company is officially registered.
• a client's memory section will store the logo(s) for use with all designated documents to be generated.
• the next item is the date which can be inserted at the service center automatically, as with conventional word processing programs. If desired, the time and date difference between countries can also be taken into account so that the document bears an appropriate date, or even both the sender's and addressee's dates. This can be especially important if the transmitted document has legal significance.
• a "subject" line is often next, followed by a greeting which may employ part of the information from the recipient name and address field.
• the content or message of the letter then is generated, possibly with insertions to customize the letter for the individual recipient.
• a form letter of a specific type will have need for a specific number of insertions which may be amounts of money, dates or intervals of time.
• the client constructs and transmits the storage access and compilation code.
• Each client constructs the storage access and compilation code in a standard format, which may be dictated by the operator of the service centers.
• the code format may be selected or customized for use by an individual client.
• FIG. 3 shows the possible sequence of a storage access and compilation code which performs the necessary functions, although the order can be re-arranged and functions can be added or subtracted, or covered by a single code, depending on the needs of the clients, as dictated by experience.
• a speed increase can be achieved by creating a single overall cross-reference compilation code for any letter to be transmitted (text and/or numbers and/or graphics) as well as for any single change from data elements compiled from any of the single stored data elements and graphics (for instance, a logo).
• a letter starting with, for instance, "Dear Sir” would have a different overall single access and compilation code, from an otherwise 100% identical letter starting "Dear Madam", this being the only exception. It should be mentioned that layout can be modified or assembled on screen if desired.
• the data for the letters, etc. may be defined by manually selecting the locations using menu instructions, i.e., locations for logo, date, address, etc., as generally described above.
• menu instructions i.e., locations for logo, date, address, etc.
• each portion of the storage access and compilation code is illustrated by a labeled block.
• One of the first components must be an identification of the client with enough information to facilitate recognition of the memory region to be used and to accommodate the needs of security and the service center's billing processes.
• the next component is an identification of the category of form letter to be used, called the form type.
• the actual form letter has already been created and resides in memory at the service center with codes at appropriate locations to indicate the need for insertion of variable data, or the components for the letter or other document are stored and compiled by program.
• Another portion of the storage access and compilation code may identify the language to be used for the document or part thereof.
• a language code can be associated with each address so that a specific recipient will always receive documents in an appropriate language.
• the recipient group or category can be identified. This can be handled by pre-grouping the recipients and identifying the group or groups; or the addresses can be associated with identifications of certain characteristics of the individuals (income level, interests, etc.) and the set of recipients can be identified by specifying characteristics, leaving the control computer to sort the recipient fists for recipients having the named characteristics.
• the signature block (if there is more than one for this client) can then be named along with any attachments comprising, for example, advertising material or special offers, also any possible distribution.
• this information can be supplied with one or more tables correlated with the recipient names.
• this information can be supplied with one or more tables correlated with the recipient names.
• ancillary information such as message insertions, provided as an attachment to the string.
• a separate string may be needed for each letter. While this makes the storage access and compilation code string longer, the distribution advantages are still attained.
• a storage access and compilation code string as described above can, for instance, consist of a series of alphanumeric symbols accompanied by special symbols with predetermined meanings.
• the string might begin with a client identification Ac8%*, followed by a separator symbol #, followed by a form type G32, another separator, a language code DE, another separator and a recipient group.
• the string might, for instance, therefore begin: Ac8%*#G32#DE#XV4.... Variations and different approaches will be apparent to those familiar with generating commands for other purposes.
• this "library” may actually be a virtual library consisting of a number of phrases or sentences.
• a letter of a certain type may consist of a selection of fifteen stored sentences which are assembled when the letter is needed.
• the client in the storage access and compilation code, identifies to the control computer the final document which is desired and the control computer assembles this document from the component library under the control of a simple program.
• the system can include a separate program which searches through the stored material and counts how frequently various phrases and sentences are used. Those which are used frequently, or which have been used more than a selected number of times, are stored at the service center and are available to the writer's computer system. Then, when the identical phrase or sentence is typed in by the user, the machine recognizes this as one of the frequently used phrases and only transmits to the service center a short code identifying the phrase. This further reduces the material which must be transmitted and , as more is written and stored, less material need be transmitted. This recognizes the fact that most writers in a business context tend to write the same phrases over and over. Ultimately, many entire letters will fall into this category.
• a notable advantage of the system is the ability to store at each service center involved in a specific communication link the text (in code) of a document, thus, if a contract is being negotiated by two parties who are at distant points and are using the service center system, each paragraph or clause of the document being negotiated can be identified in a customary manner by letters and numbers and then only the changed part need be transmitted. This can be provided by automatic means. However, the full document can be provided to each party with the changes incorporated. This provides a very great saving over the conventional process of sending the entire document, typically by e-mail or fax, each time a portion thereof is changed.
• each merged document which has been sent it is also possible to store each merged document which has been sent and to relate each such document with the individual recipient's file. Generally, this need not be done on a real-time basis, so long as the document reaches the recipient's file in a reasonable time.
• the document can be created and sent to the file either electronically, by fax or on paper, depending on how the records for that client are kept.
• the service center can easily provide an automatically generated confirmation of the time when a document, e-mail, fax or data compilation, or sets of them, was sent from the service center and/or notification of delivery.
• the client can also print a record of what is sent and the service center system can provide a monthly summary to reduce transmissions.
• each document sent or received by the system is then given a unique "mark" by which it can be identified. This mark may actually be printed on hard copies of.the document, but the mark is at least stored in conjunction with a stored copy of the document.
• the mark can, for example, include any or all of the following: date sent or received (easily inserted by the system program), the sender and/or recipient (individual as well as company), the subject of the document, and a document category (letter, bill, etc.), or any other characteristics chosen by the customer.
• the amount of information to be included in the identifying mark is, of course, selectable and changeable by the customer. Additional possibilities are the use of all data elements outside the "start-out" unique data such as logo, addressee, date-hour-minute-second, subject, sender name, attachments, if named, distribution, etc.
• the group of linked letters such as, for instance, order-sale-bill and/or senders name (signature).
• date and/or times can be added to a specific date/time file (meetings, target dates) by the sender, while another specific file can be established for names only, by the same method. This is not to be considered a prerequisite but much more an added possibility. Also, it is not restricted to these possibilities.
• the customer is simply offered possibilities of easy access to, and retrieval of, documents. This can all be achieved by adding to specific files selected search words during menu operation.
• control of the unique (variable) data once all of the above control means have been provided can be provided by creating a pool of unwanted words (like, for instance, I, you, when, why, and the like) having no value as search words.
• the pool is used to eliminate these words as search words.
• Another pool of words having to do with the individual operation/organization of the sender (or addressee) can be established for being accessible by operation/organization search words.
• a printed copy may also be provided, if desired, but the important part is providing the document is code because this eliminates the need for scanning the document through any optical character recognition (OCR) system.
• OCR optical character recognition
• a transmission system in accordance with the invention is routinely used for all correspondence of a business, there is no need for OCR, and every document sent or received through the system is automatically marked and stored in a form which permits easy retrieval and searching in a standard manner. On the other hand, this can also be achieved with a stand-alone system.
• OCR optical character recognition
• a menu system can be used. In such a system, the document to be sent is displayed on the screen and a pulldown menu is displayed allowing the user to select those items to be used for storage. Additionally, the user can select key words for use in storage by, e.g., highlighting the words.
• a diskette can for instance be created or the coded data be transmitted by the service center to the addressee.
• a system of this type can also be used for a customer's notes or memoranda.
• the notes need not be transmitted through the system but can simply be entered in the same fashion, stored in coded form and then retrieved or searched for in the same manner as correspondence. Again, both document control as well as eliminating the need for OCR can be used as stand-alone systems.
• a data transmission speed increase for the unique data in a learning mode can be achieved in the following way.
• the sender having stored all transmitted letters, notes, etc. could while creating a document by menu have the system immediately or at times or at set intervals run comparison checks on any of the transmitted unique (variable) sentences transmitted in the past.
• the sender could, for instance, have several sentences which are identical, or nearly so, transferred to the service center with an automatic access code, usable within subsequent compilation processes. This code being identical to the one correlated with the selected sentence of his file.
• the system when searching for identical sentences could also accept similar sentences (with one or several words to be deleted, changed or added) for inclusion in the service center storage for that sender.
• the system could be instructed to run this part fully automatically and/or include human intervention to check, also preventing the storage of unwanted sentences, for whatever reason.
• the system in a learning mode, will permit less and less data to be transmitted, eventually reducing it to an absolute minimum.
• this approach is also usable directly from user to user, as a stand-alone system.
• the foregoing sequence of events is based on the assumption that the computer output being sent will be directed to a rather large number of recipients, i.e., more than just two or three, but it is also quite possible to use the system to advantage with transmissions which are directed to one person, perhaps with information copies to two or three others.
• An example is a legal document of a type which is routinely sent in a particular type of litigation.
• Standard paragraphs and sentences are stored in the client's storage area along with a framework document, such as the basic form for a complaint, into which appropriate paragraphs can be inserted.
• a framework document such as the basic form for a complaint
• the stored material can also be stored in the client's computer system for review and identification of the components to be used, permitting the client to then construct the code string for transmission to the service center.
• a signature block is desirable and can be included using digital signatures such as those developed for use in other forms of electronic document transmission.
• a facsimile signature can also be printed on the document.
• the client's order for generation and transmission of a document has been sent by some electronic technique to the service center. While this is believed to be the most expeditious technique, an order can also be sent to the service center by a technique such as fax.
• the service center will need to have a fax receiving and composing device as well as a fax bridge and an electronic reader or scanner so that the storage access and compilation code discussed above can be converted into the electronic form which the computer will need. Otherwise, the system can remain the same. If the received fax is in a form which can be recognized directly by the computer, some of the above apparatus may be unnecessary. Particularly to eliminate the repeated information transmission mentioned above, the system can efficiently receive, supplement and retransmit fax messages.
• a service center close to the intended recipient, the message content is combined with the identified form layout, addressed appropriately and re-transmitted.
• the recipient receives the entire message, including whatever header information is prescribed, but the only part which is sent over a long distance, e.g., by e-mail, is the message content and the relatively brief storage access and compilation code. The cost is thus drastically reduced and the time is also reduced.
• faxes are generally transmitted with a cover letter, or the cover letter carries the message. This is illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein a typical fax 35 is shown. Those portions 36 of the fax which are unique to this message are outlined in dot-dash lines. All of the rest is standard, repeated material which can be stored at the service center, including the address and fax number of the addressee, combined with the unique portions received from the client and then forwarded to the recipient.
• the elapsed time for combining the unique message portions with the stored portions is very small, so the total time required for transmission of the message is substantially the same as it would be without the present system, yet only the message portion and a short code phrase need be transmitted long-distance.
• the cost is therefore drastically reduced and the transmission line is freed for use by other communication customers. It will be recognized that, when this process is multiplied by the thousands of times this saving is made over the course of a year, the net savings are very significant.
• the service centers can also be used for information dissemination. Assume, for example, that a manufacturer wishes to make available to interested members of the public lengthy, detailed information about its products. It would be quite expensive and wasteful of resources to publish large numbers of a document describing the products, knowing that many and perhaps most of them will be discarded by those who are not seriously interested. However, it is a simple matter to store the information electronically at a service center, or at all service centers, and to then publish in a relatively short magazine advertisement that the information is available "at your nearest service center", whereupon the interested customer contacts the service center, requests the information using identification codes provided in the magazine, and the service center either prints the information or writes it to a CD-ROM and delivers it in the same manner as any other document to the customer.
• This service can be paid for by the company or by the customer, depending on the nature of the information.
• the system can be used for public services.
• a government agency such as the Internal Revenue Service or the Patent and Trademark Office which have forms and information publications for distribution to interested members of the public. Storing such forms at service centers would make them available to the public with little or no human involvement and would permit a person to seek and obtain the forms at a larger number of convenient locations than is presently economically feasible.
• Fig. 5 illustrates more fully a service center which is equipped with data transmission apparatus such as one or more modems 25a-n for receiving and sending e-mail and data files by direct transmission as well as fax machines 26 for sending and receiving fax transmissions, electronically as well as using hard copy.
• the modems are connected to control computers 14a- 14n, all of which are preferably in bidirectional communication with each other and also with memory 18.
• a writeable CD-ROM 28 is also provided for creating and disseminating relatively large volume documents, as well for storage of some materials.
• the service centers can also be used as a form of substitute publishing facility. Since it is an easy matter to store large quantities of data in such a facility, one can store entire books therein and make the books available to purchasers, either on a print basis or on limited reproduction CD-ROM disks. Upon payment of a designated fee, a customer can request a specific book which the service center then prints on request. This eliminates the need for maintaining a stock of printed texts which may or may not sell. Parts of the stored books may also be made available for advance viewing so that the potential customer may "thumb through" a book to see if he or she is interested.
• the storage for this purpose can be on CD-ROM or other storage, preferably high-density.
• the substitute publishing approach may also be used in connection with local book stores, extensively reducing such costs as, for instance, as for transportation and storage.
• Another approach permits the remote access and control of graphic creations and changes to graphics in incremental steps, either via access and compilation codes to stored programs, or by compressed codes for remote graphic manipulation.
• the basis for such an approach would be stored patterns of pixels of various sizes and shades which could be manipulated and controlled by compressed code to be multiplied and moved into any form, direction or structure desired, such as, for example, vectors, circles squares, etc., also creating engineering drawings, or changes, deletions or insertions to such drawings.
• a representation of a valve could be extracted from storage and inserted into a drawing, while the valve could also be remotely drawn.
• the control could also include imploding or exploding the drawing(s) or parts thereof. Storage of such graphics can be in microform. Further control could, for instance, be assigning locations within a given area, also moving graphic elements in desired directions, overlaying and/or creating structural designs. Of immense importance would be a service-center-stored program allowing, for instance, drawing lines or boxes, as is customary for many forms, such programs being accessible by a storage access and compilation code. On the other hand, a remote addition or change to service center stored graphic material could be achieved via compressed codes, 3 bytes, for instance, covering 16 777 216 possibihties of single instructions, a fraction thereof having to be used for various individual manipulations.
• a client can store in a service center memory a variety of phrases, sentences and designs, including logos, transmit by any convenient means to the service center a brief code identifying the format of the desired final document along with unique portions such as a message, and the service center then compiles the desired document/letter and phrases, sentences and the like and sends the resulting document, by any of the transmission techniques available and appropriate, to the intended recipient.
• the system permits an organization using it to delegate a certain amount of work normally performed by members or employees to the service centers, further reducing time and cost. It should also be mentioned that the system should permit selective deletion of information by a client.
• Figs. 6 and 7 give an overall view of the kind of service center distribution which is contemplated.
• the numbers of service centers can be much larger that that depicted for a general purpose system, but can also be smaller for a system dedicated primarily to commumcation within a large corporation, although there is no reason why a corporate system cannot be connected to a larger system.
• service centers can be distributed throughout the United States.
• Fig. 7 shows, in much simplified form, distribution of such centers throughout the world, several locations having been chosen for illustration.
• satellite communication will shortly be providing high-level commumcation even to those countries without a communications infrastructure, and provision of service centers will further facilitate bringing those countries into full communication with the more developed countries of the world.
• certain steps can be taken to assure the customer that the contents of documents sent through the system are secure.
• One such step is to use cryptographic techniques for all electronic transmissions between service centers and customers, including electronic transmissions to recipients.
• a video camera can be provided at the site between printing and enveloping, aimed at the path for the secure document.
• the video image of the document location can then be recorded during this process with the date and time (hour, minute and second) which may, for instance, also be printed on the document at the same time together with the date and rime of the sender in case of different time zones, and the identification mark of the document, showing that there was no person in a position to view the document.
• the camera should be directed so that the document cannot be read via the camera itself.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Human Resources & Organizations (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Strategic Management (AREA)
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation (AREA)
• Economics (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Marketing (AREA)
• Operations Research (AREA)
• Quality & Reliability (AREA)
• Tourism & Hospitality (AREA)
• Data Mining & Analysis (AREA)
• General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Information Transfer Between Computers (AREA)
• Facsimiles In General (AREA)
• Computer And Data Communications (AREA)
• Accessory Devices And Overall Control Thereof (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=22068978

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (12)

Families Citing this family (23)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1998
  • 1998-11-18 JP JP2000522535A patent/JP2001524715A/ja active Pending
  • 1998-11-18 IL IL13615998A patent/IL136159A0/xx not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-11-18 CA CA002310075A patent/CA2310075C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-11-18 WO PCT/EP1998/007408 patent/WO1999027467A2/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-11-18 RU RU2000115946/09A patent/RU2222045C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-11-18 PL PL98341800A patent/PL341800A1/xx unknown
  • 1998-11-18 AU AU14882/99A patent/AU756903B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1998-11-18 CN CN98813245A patent/CN1284185A/zh active Pending
  • 1998-11-18 BR BR9814989-0A patent/BR9814989A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-11-18 EP EP98958905A patent/EP1031099A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1998-11-18 KR KR1020007005550A patent/KR20010032334A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-11-20 ZA ZA9810644A patent/ZA9810644B/xx unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events