WO2006132584A1 - Linking system and method between digital and paper environments - Google Patents

Linking system and method between digital and paper environments Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2006132584A1
WO2006132584A1 PCT/SE2006/000670 SE2006000670W WO2006132584A1 WO 2006132584 A1 WO2006132584 A1 WO 2006132584A1 SE 2006000670 W SE2006000670 W SE 2006000670W WO 2006132584 A1 WO2006132584 A1 WO 2006132584A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
paper
paper document
document
digital file
unique
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/SE2006/000670
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Alex Breton
Original Assignee
Printdreams Ab
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Printdreams Ab filed Critical Printdreams Ab
Publication of WO2006132584A1 publication Critical patent/WO2006132584A1/en

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Classifications

    • 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
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F18/00—Pattern recognition
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06V—IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
    • G06V20/00—Scenes; Scene-specific elements
    • G06V20/80—Recognising image objects characterised by unique random patterns
    • 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
    • H04N1/32—Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device
    • H04N1/32101—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
    • H04N1/32128—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, and to details thereof
    • H04N2201/32—Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device
    • H04N2201/3201—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
    • H04N2201/3225—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title of data relating to an image, a page or a document
    • H04N2201/3226—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title of data relating to an image, a page or a document of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, and to details thereof
    • H04N2201/32—Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device
    • H04N2201/3201—Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
    • H04N2201/3274—Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns a method for associating or linking a physical paper document with a digital file. It also concerns a recorder, a reader and a document storage system making use of said method.
  • the present invention solves the above-mentioned problem by a method capable of fully tracking documents and their events in both the digital and the paper environment simultaneously, without the need for special paper or the usage of printed codes .
  • a system according to the invention comprises the following components : a) A recorder or some other device for recording, scanning and encoding unique information contained in the microstructure of a partial or entire area of the paper used for printout documents contained in digital files.
  • the operation (s) should preferably be carried out during the printout process of a digital file into a paper document or the scanning process of an originally hard copy document into a digital file .
  • such a device may include an optical sensor based upon CMOS or CCD technology in a single or multiple pixel array or matrix, an optical lens system, a light source such as a light emitting diode or the like and a microprocessor unit containing encoding software.
  • an optical sensor based upon CMOS or CCD technology in a single or multiple pixel array or matrix
  • an optical lens system a light source such as a light emitting diode or the like
  • a microprocessor unit containing encoding software By illuminating the paper surface at a certain angle, it is possible to obtain unique patterns with shadows and illuminated areas created by the random disposition of the paper fibres.
  • the inventor Joshua Smith has presented several methods to encode and decode data found in patterns derived from the microstructure of paper.
  • the paper structure information related to a single file should be divided into as many sectors as possible, without jeopardizing the uniqueness of every sector.
  • Any paper has edges. Edges can be used as references to create well-defined sector areas .
  • the purpose of sectorizing a paper document is to minimize the area required to make a positive and reliable identification of a paper document and to read and identify as few sectors as possible .
  • a reader or some other device for retrieving, scanning and decoding the unique information contained in the microstructure of paper documents in order to find its corresponding file as stored in the database.
  • the reading device can be built into different types of apparatus such as scanners, copy machines, fax machines, shredders, multifunction machines or any other apparatus used for processing paper documents in some way.
  • the reader can also be built as a small standalone device that can be placed adjacent to archive shelves or furniture, office entrances, etc. to be used to check-in and check out document from and/or to such domains .
  • the reader should be similar to the recorder a) above so that microstructure features from the same sheet of paper appear quite similar to both the reader and the recorder.
  • the readers, apart from their ability to decode paper structure information, should have the ability to communicate with the database b) .
  • a reader can also be built as another small standalone, user- specific, desktop device with buttons or a display and a navigation button containing choices of the most common document handling activities such as "edit”, "email”, "copy”, etc.
  • the intention is that whenever the reader is applied to a paper document, then the digital counterpart is automatically found and prepared for further processing in the relevant software application according to the choice made. For example, if the "edit” button is pushed, then the document should automatically pop up in a word processing application in the user's computer. Similarly, if the "email” button is pushed, then the document will automatically appear as an attachment of an email message window. If the "copy” button is pressed, then a new hard copy will be automatically generated. All of these events should, of course, be accurately logged into the events database with their respective time and user stamp.
  • Finding the digital counterpart of a paper document, using a reader device according to the present invention is more or less a technical challenge.
  • To do the opposite operation requires the development of .a special document storage archive basically using a check-in-out reader of the kind described previously in order to index documents as they enter or leave the archive via one or two single input and output trays.
  • the archive can be operated directly from the user's personal computer, through a data network or directly at a touch panel display.
  • a specific paper document can be found and retrieved directly from the software application it was created in or upon being required to open the file or from a file browser window where a roll-up menu contains an alternative called "eject from archive". Such operation should cause the paper document to appear in a tray at the archive. When placing back a document into the tray, the reader will automatically identify the document and the archive will proceed to store the document.

Abstract

A method for associating a physical paper document with a digital file constituting an electronic counterpart of the paper document. The method includes: scanning at least a part of a paper of the paper document with a scanning device, while recording unique fibre structures in said paper, encoding these unique structures into a unique electronic information sequence, and associating the unique electronic information sequence with the digital file by storing, in a database, the unique electronic information sequence together with information about the digital file. The invention also concerns a recorder, a reader and a document storage system.

Description

LINKING SYSTEM AND METHOD BETWEEN DIGITAL AND PAPER ENVIRONMENTS
F±eld of the invention The present invention concerns a method for associating or linking a physical paper document with a digital file. It also concerns a recorder, a reader and a document storage system making use of said method.
Background of the invention
Nowadays practically all office environments are built upon digital computer systems, either so called personal computers (PCs), thin clients or other types of digital systems. With the entrance of computers into the office in the 80' s, visionary people began to talk about the upcoming of the
^paperless office' . Many years went and statistics show that - in contact to what was predicted- paper consumption has increased substantially, especially after the arrival of the Internet in the 90' s.
The conclusion today is that the larger the amount of information available in the computer systems and networks, the greater the need to visualize it and output it the way humans have been used to for more than four thousand years: through ordinary paper.
Digital systems have shown a tremendous value for editing and transporting information while they have shown their vulnerability for data crashes, virus and power blackouts. In such situations there is nothing as secure and reliable as a hard copy. Today, any office workplace is a mix of computers, printers, other computer peripherals and paper. The most common office activities today are editing, mailing, copying, scanning, faxing and archiving.
One of the greatest problems today in offices is that there is no natural link between the digital and the paper environment resulting in a highly time consuming task to find the appropriate copies of documents from one environment to the other or in both environments. Even worse, there is no overall system today that allows tracking of events of documents in both the digital and paper environment .
Some efforts have been made in so called document management systems that allow tracking versions of the same document and even the number of printouts. Other systems allow tracking the corresponding digital version of a hardcopy, but require the hardcopy to have a printed barcode, which implies the usage of specific printer driver software, occupies space in the printout, affects its layout and requires a reader device to be approached to the spot in the paper where the code is .
The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem by a method capable of fully tracking documents and their events in both the digital and the paper environment simultaneously, without the need for special paper or the usage of printed codes .
Description of the invention A system according to the invention comprises the following components : a) A recorder or some other device for recording, scanning and encoding unique information contained in the microstructure of a partial or entire area of the paper used for printout documents contained in digital files. The operation (s) should preferably be carried out during the printout process of a digital file into a paper document or the scanning process of an originally hard copy document into a digital file .
In a practical embodiment, such a device may include an optical sensor based upon CMOS or CCD technology in a single or multiple pixel array or matrix, an optical lens system, a light source such as a light emitting diode or the like and a microprocessor unit containing encoding software. By illuminating the paper surface at a certain angle, it is possible to obtain unique patterns with shadows and illuminated areas created by the random disposition of the paper fibres.
The inventor Joshua Smith has presented several methods to encode and decode data found in patterns derived from the microstructure of paper.
For the purpose of this invention, the paper structure information related to a single file should be divided into as many sectors as possible, without jeopardizing the uniqueness of every sector. Any paper has edges. Edges can be used as references to create well-defined sector areas .
The purpose of sectorizing a paper document is to minimize the area required to make a positive and reliable identification of a paper document and to read and identify as few sectors as possible . b) A database for storing the unique information and associating it with the digital file used as a base for the printout process. Every digital file is given a specific identification key number and all the events and history of every file are stored in the database. Whenever a new version of a file is created then a new identification number and a derivate log file for event recording are automatically created. c) A reader or some other device for retrieving, scanning and decoding the unique information contained in the microstructure of paper documents in order to find its corresponding file as stored in the database.
The reading device can be built into different types of apparatus such as scanners, copy machines, fax machines, shredders, multifunction machines or any other apparatus used for processing paper documents in some way. The reader can also be built as a small standalone device that can be placed adjacent to archive shelves or furniture, office entrances, etc. to be used to check-in and check out document from and/or to such domains .
The reader should be similar to the recorder a) above so that microstructure features from the same sheet of paper appear quite similar to both the reader and the recorder. The readers, apart from their ability to decode paper structure information, should have the ability to communicate with the database b) .
A reader can also be built as another small standalone, user- specific, desktop device with buttons or a display and a navigation button containing choices of the most common document handling activities such as "edit", "email", "copy", etc. The intention is that whenever the reader is applied to a paper document, then the digital counterpart is automatically found and prepared for further processing in the relevant software application according to the choice made. For example, if the "edit" button is pushed, then the document should automatically pop up in a word processing application in the user's computer. Similarly, if the "email" button is pushed, then the document will automatically appear as an attachment of an email message window. If the "copy" button is pressed, then a new hard copy will be automatically generated. All of these events should, of course, be accurately logged into the events database with their respective time and user stamp.
Finding the digital counterpart of a paper document, using a reader device according to the present invention, is more or less a technical challenge. To do the opposite operation, requires the development of .a special document storage archive basically using a check-in-out reader of the kind described previously in order to index documents as they enter or leave the archive via one or two single input and output trays.
The way such an archive operates resembles very much a jukebox. The archive can be operated directly from the user's personal computer, through a data network or directly at a touch panel display.
A specific paper document can be found and retrieved directly from the software application it was created in or upon being required to open the file or from a file browser window where a roll-up menu contains an alternative called "eject from archive". Such operation should cause the paper document to appear in a tray at the archive. When placing back a document into the tray, the reader will automatically identify the document and the archive will proceed to store the document.
A requirement for such archive system would be that all documents should also be physically accessible at any time. One of the beauties of paper documents, as explained in the background section of this application, is that they do not get damaged by data crashes, virus or blackouts.

Claims

Claims
1. A method for associating a physical paper document with a digital file constituting an electronic counterpart of the paper document, characterised by the steps of:
- scanning at least a part of a paper of the paper document with a scanning device, while recording unique fibre structures in said paper,
- encoding these unique structures into a unique electronic information sequence, and
- associating the electronic information sequence with the digital file by storing, in a database, the electronic information sequence together with information about the digital file.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of scanning involves scanning in multiple sector areas of the paper document using edges of said paper document as references to define said sector areas.
3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, further including a step of storing event information in the database about any event pertaining to the digital file.
4. A method according to claim 3, where the event information is number of paper copies printed.
5. A method according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the method is carried out in connection with a printout process of a digital file into a paper document.
6. A method according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the method is carried out in connection with a scanning process of an original hard copy document into a digital file.
7. A method as defined in claim 1, for retrieving information on a physical paper document, characterised by the steps:
- scanning at least a part of said paper document with a scanner, while recording unique fibre structures in said paper, - encoding these unique structures into a unique electronic information sequence, and
- searching in a database for the unique electronic information sequence and upon finding the unique electronic information sequence, - retrieving, from said database, the information in digital form.
8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the retrieved information is a storage address of the digital file.
9. A method as defined in claim 1, in creating a document storage archive, including the steps of:
- storing, in said database, also information about the location of a physical space, where the paper document is being physically stored.
10. A recorder for associating a physical paper document with a digital file constituting an electronic counterpart of the paper document, wherein the recorder is adapted to carry out the method according to any of claims 1-6.
11. A reader for retrieving information on a physical paper document, wherein the reader is adapted to carry out the method according to any of claims 7-8.
12. A document storage system, characterised in that said system is adapted to carry out the method of claim 9
PCT/SE2006/000670 2005-06-08 2006-06-08 Linking system and method between digital and paper environments WO2006132584A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US68839405P 2005-06-08 2005-06-08
US60/688,394 2005-06-08

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US7812935B2 (en) 2005-12-23 2010-10-12 Ingenia Holdings Limited Optical authentication
US7853792B2 (en) 2004-03-12 2010-12-14 Ingenia Holdings Limited Authenticity verification methods, products and apparatuses
US8078875B2 (en) 2005-07-27 2011-12-13 Ingenia Holdings Limited Verification of authenticity
US8103046B2 (en) 2004-08-13 2012-01-24 Ingenia Holdings Limited Authenticity verification of articles using a database
US8615475B2 (en) 2008-12-19 2013-12-24 Ingenia Holdings Limited Self-calibration
US8682076B2 (en) 2008-12-19 2014-03-25 Ingenia Holdings Limited Signature generation for use in authentication and verification using a non-coherent radiation source
US8699088B2 (en) 2004-03-12 2014-04-15 Ingenia Holdings Limited Methods and apparatuses for creating authenticatable printed articles and subsequently verifying them
US8892556B2 (en) 2009-11-10 2014-11-18 Ingenia Holdings Limited Optimisation
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Cited By (19)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9818249B1 (en) 2002-09-04 2017-11-14 Copilot Ventures Fund Iii Llc Authentication method and system
US8749386B2 (en) 2004-03-12 2014-06-10 Ingenia Holdings Limited System and method for article authentication using signatures
US7853792B2 (en) 2004-03-12 2010-12-14 Ingenia Holdings Limited Authenticity verification methods, products and apparatuses
US9019567B2 (en) 2004-03-12 2015-04-28 Ingenia Holdings Limited Methods and apparatuses for creating authenticatable printed articles and subsequently verifying them
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US8766800B2 (en) 2004-03-12 2014-07-01 Ingenia Holdings Limited Authenticity verification methods, products, and apparatuses
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US8103046B2 (en) 2004-08-13 2012-01-24 Ingenia Holdings Limited Authenticity verification of articles using a database
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US7812935B2 (en) 2005-12-23 2010-10-12 Ingenia Holdings Limited Optical authentication
US8497983B2 (en) 2005-12-23 2013-07-30 Ingenia Holdings Limited Optical authentication
GB2460734A (en) * 2008-05-14 2009-12-16 Ingenia Holdings Two Tier Authentication
GB2460734B (en) * 2008-05-14 2010-07-07 Ingenia Holdings Two tier authentication
US8682076B2 (en) 2008-12-19 2014-03-25 Ingenia Holdings Limited Signature generation for use in authentication and verification using a non-coherent radiation source
US8615475B2 (en) 2008-12-19 2013-12-24 Ingenia Holdings Limited Self-calibration
US8892556B2 (en) 2009-11-10 2014-11-18 Ingenia Holdings Limited Optimisation

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