Abstract:
A network having a plurality of distributed systems at different geographical locations permits the random scanning of original documents at the different scanning locations and the storage of the original documents at precisely known storage locations. Original documents are identified by the date/time instances at which they have been scanned and are stored in containers that are marked with corresponding ranges of the date/time instances. Resulting images are identified by the date/time instances of scanning and may be organized electronically. The locations of original documents are immediately known to be in the containers that are marked with ranges of corresponding date/time instances.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 08/882,833, filed on Jun. 26, 1997 in the name of Gerald Altman for System and Method for Storing and Retrieving Matched Paper Documents and Electronic Images, which in turn is based upon the disclosure and filing date of provisional Application No. 60/020,902, filed on Jun. 27, 1996 in the name of Gerald Altman for Matched Electronic And Paper Documents In An Integrated Storage And Retrieval System. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to systems, processes and products for the storage and retrieval of documentary information, including: physical paper documents; corresponding electro-optically generated electronic documents, e.g. digital images produced by scanning or photography; and computer generated electronic documents, e.g. digital text produced by word processing and/or digital graphics produced by computer aided design. 
     2. The Prior Art 
     Numerous systems and processes have been proposed for the storage and retrieval of documentary information. Traditional practices over the centuries, of course, have involved storage and retrieval by manually accessing indexed arrangements of original papers and “hard copies” in folders, boxes, shelving and cabinets. Later practices have involved photographically reducing the original papers to produce indexed miniaturizations in microfilm spools or microfiche sheets, storing the spools or sheets in indexed containers, folders or other physical repositories, and retrieving images or hard copies of the miniaturizations by optical projection or photographic reproduction. 
     Now there are a proliferation of proposals for digital computer systems that opto-electronically scan original papers to create electronic representations in computer memory, to store digital records of these representations in magnetic and/or optical media, and to retrieve images or hard copies corresponding to these records electro-magnetically or electro-optically. It is common experience that effective paper filing systems have required unerring care by trustworthy persons who have some understanding of the business or other activity involved. Considerable reliance has been placed on the memory of such persons, who have a tendency to become “indispensable” in mission critical situations. Moreover, even a generally effective system often is not conducive to physical and logical arrangements capable of implementing prompt storage and retrieval without constant inquiries to and guidance by professional level personnel. Finally, of course, a paper file is available to only one person at a time unless hard copies are made, in which case undesired paper proliferation occurs. 
     Although a few, but not all, of these problems are alleviated by the use of microfilm and microfiche, new and different problems arise. It is true that a large number of photographic miniaturizations can be stored in a much smaller space than an equivalent number of original papers. However, problems of storing and retrieving containers and folders of microfilm and microfiche are not unlike problems of storing and retrieving batches of their paper counterparts. More important, producing, imaging and retrieving photographic miniaturizations often are costly procedures requiring unwieldy hardware. As a practical matter, microfilm and microfiche are limited to archival-type documentation that may not be compatible with a dynamic work environment. 
     Recent advances in low cost computer architecture, particularly, faster clock speeds, higher resolution displays, and denser storage media, have generated discussions of whether or not a “paperless office” is possible, and, indeed, what is the meaning of “paperless office.” The difficulties mentioned above in connection with the storage and retrieval of paper documents, in a work environment, make it clear that minimization of the use of paper must be a preeminent commercial and technological objective. A critical advantage of electronic files over paper and microfilm/microfiche files is that electronic files can be readily sorted, retrieved and reorganized. 
     It is apparent that electronic files are capable of obviating tedious manipulation of original paper files when there may be no further need ever to refer to them. Nevertheless, despite the rapid growth of electronic filing, paper documents continue to proliferate. One possible reason for this phenomenon is a natural reluctance on the part of many to discard original paper files even after they have been imaged and stored in electronic media. For many, it simply will be difficult to overcome a habitual predilection to keep paper documents, and to accept the idea that electronic media, in many cases, is a secure and relatively versatile substitute. 
     Furthermore, in many cases, reference to papers or other original physical documents, even if infrequent, may be essential. For example, original physical documents may be required or desired: (1) in litigation where rules of evidence pertain; (2) as backup in the event that lost or faulty images are discovered later; (3) in major commercial, financial and insurance dealings where physical signatures may be important or merely may be perceived to be important; (4) in internet transactions where the parties do not meet legal requirements for dispensing with paper records; (5) as backup for technical graphics, precision photographs, medical diagnostics, and the like, where differences in resolution between images and originals may become significant; (6) as backup in the event of corruption of electronic files; and (7) as complete copies of voluminous treatises in which only the table of contents and/or other selected portions have been imaged. 
     Modern society demands knowledge work that is appropriate for the information age. The requirements are that: relatively low paying manual work, like filing paper documents, must be phased out, and relatively high paying knowledge work, like processing electronic documents, must be phased in. The fact is that total elimination of paper documents may be unachievable or undesirable. Rather, the present invention is based on the insight that there is an essential interaction between minimizing the inherent inefficiency of paper documents, and maximizing the inherent efficiency of electronic documents. 
     Much confusion has been encountered in the implementation of systems that are based on: (1) imaged electronic documents of the type that is created by scanning or photographing paper documents and the like, (2) original paper documents themselves, and (3) computer generated electronic documents of the type that are created by word processors and the like. The following are some of the conflicts involved: whether to store bit maps based on simple scanning, or text resulting from optical character recognition, or both; whether to mix optically generated electronic documents and computer generated electronic documents; whether or not the storage of optically generated electronic image files should mirror the storage of the original paper documents; whether or not an original paper filing system should be retained without change; whether or not a system is so sophisticated that computer literate professional level operators and/or supervisors are required; and whether or not a system is so rudimentary that even entry level operators may be sufficiently trustworthy. 
     The foregoing problems are greatly magnified in networked systems, where difficulties may be encountered particularly in standardizing, at disparate locations, the storage and retrieval of original physical paper documents, and, possibly, hard paper copies of electro-optically generated and computer generated documents. There is a requirement for systems in which the physical filing of paper documents is radically simplified, in which access to infrequently needed paper documents is precisely indicated, and in which optically generated electronic documents and computer generated electronic documents are clearly differentiated. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary object of the present invention is to provide, for the storage and retrieval of original physical paper documents, electro-optically generated electronic documents, and computer generated electronic documents: systems, processes and products, which facilitate the use of electronic documents rather than paper documents whenever feasible or acceptable, and which facilitate the use of paper documents rather than electronic documents whenever necessary or preferred. The result is less physical and emotional frustration, and more creative use of time. 
     Pursuant to the present invention, at each location in an enterprise comprising a network or group of networks: (1) newly received or generated electronic documents are simply entered at random in a sequence of date/time instances by computer generation and/or by electro-optical processing of physical paper documents; (2) the records of electronic documents reference the date/time instances that constitute unique identifiers; (3) each of the paper documents is added to the beginning or end of a cumulative stack in which its location is indicated by its date/time instance; and (4) the electronic documents are processed and organized to provide the electronic equivalent of virtual files that include related paper and electronic documents. 
     In one preferred embodiment, a physical system includes a primary physical repository and a plurality of secondary physical repositories therein, which hold selected sequences of paper documents corresponding to selected ranges of the date/time instances. The selected ranges of the sequences of paper documents are contained by selected ones of the secondary physical repositories. The selected ones of the secondary physical repositories are visually marked with physical indicia corresponding to the selected ranges of the date/time instances. The electronic system presents an electronic table representing a grid containing rows of electronic records and columns of electronic fields, the electronic fields including a plurality of primary electronic fields and a plurality of secondary electronic fields. One of the primary field includes date/time entries that designate corresponding logical groups of paper documents and corresponding logical groups of electronic documents. The secondary fields include other entries that designate corresponding logical groups of the paper documents and electronic groups of the electronic documents. 
     The result is an interactive combination of electronic records, which specify the precise physical locations of selected paper documents in terms of their date/time instances. Selected date/time instances designate selected logical groups of the paper documents and selected logical groups of electronic images. The selected logical groups of the paper documents are virtual collections that are intermingled throughout the secondary repositories so as to be unadapted for immediate physical compilation. The selected logical groups of electronic images are immediately available for presentation. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference is made to the following specification, which is to be taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 illustrates an enterprise system embodying the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a graphical user interface having date/time indexing features and an imaging window that displays thumbnail views of documents, the entries of which fall within a specific time interval; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a graphical user interface having date/time indexing features and an imaging window that displays a blow-up view corresponding to one of the thumbnail views of FIG. 2, the entries of which fall within a specific time interval; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a file folder having visual indicia specifying a date/time interval that bounds a sequence of physical paper documents of the type corresponding to the thumbnail images of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a box having visual indicia specifying a date/time interval that bounds a sequence of file folders of the type corresponding to the file folder of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a plurality of stacks of boxes of the type shown in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a table of a relational database that supports the enterprise system of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 8 illustrates another table of the relational database referred to in FIG. 7; 
     FIG. 9 illustrates another table of the relational database referred to in FIGS. 7 and 8; and 
     FIG. 10 illustrates a query of the relational database referred to in FIGS. 7,  8  and  9 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the illustrated embodiment of the present invention is an enterprise system that comprises: a plurality of distributed networks  21 ,  23 ,  25 , and a master network  27 . Networks  21 ,  23  and  25  are physical accounts that are at different geographical locations A, B . . . N. Each of the distributed networks includes a physical system  29  and an electronic system  31 . The master network, which physically is at a central location X, includes a physical system  33  and an electronic system  35 . 
     Physical system  29  includes a scanner  37  for processing random sequences of paper documents  39  to produce sequences of electronic image documents in sequences of date/time instances. Sequences of paper or plastic folders  41  in turn store the sequences of paper documents. As is shown in FIG. 4, each of folders  41  is marked with indicia  43 ,  45 , which indicate the beginning and ending of the range of date/time instances of the paper documents therewithin, and additionally the physical location  47  of the relevant physical account. Sequences of cardboard boxes  49  store the sequences of folders  41 . As is shown in FIG. 5, each of boxes  49  is marked with indicia  71 ,  73 , which indicate the beginning and ending of the range of date/time instances of the folders therewithin, and additionally the physical location  75  of the relevant physical account. 
     Electronic system  31  includes a file server  53  that is operatively connected to scanner  37  for transmission to the scanner of control signals, and receipt from the scanner of data signals representing image documents and their unique date/time instance identifiers. A plurality of workstations  55  are operatively connected to server  53  via a hub  57 . Workstations  55  can call up electronic documents, including image documents, from server  53  and/or can generate electronic documents, including text, vector and bitmap documents for transmission to server  53  and recording in terms of the date/time instances of their creation. Server  53  in turn is operatively connected to a bridge  59  for further processing of its electronic image and computer generated documents. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, workstations  55  can present the image documents generated by scanner  37  as thumbnail views  61  or blow-up views  63 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 1,  5  and  6 , physical system  33  of master network  27  includes a plurality of off-site depositories  65 ,  67 , each of which includes a plurality of shelves  69 . Stored on the shelves are boxes  49  and/or other bundles, which contain folders  41  and/or other physical objects. As stated previously in connection with FIG. 5, each of boxes  49  is marked with indicia  71 ,  73 , which indicate the beginning and ending of the range of date/time instances of the folders therewithin, and indicium  75  which indicates the location of the account from which the box was physically shipped. 
     Preferably, indicia  43 ,  45 ,  47 ,  71 ,  73  and  75  are presented in both date/time alphanumeric characters and date/time bar code. In an alternative embodiment, these indicia are presented in other alphanumeric characters and/or other bar codes that indirectly refer to date/time instances. The arrangement is such that any of the boxes themselves, or any of the folders they contain are available for convenient retrieval. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, electronic system  35  includes a database server  77 , which is operatively connected to a bridge  79 . Bridge  79  in turn is operatively connected to the bridges  59  of distributed networks A, B . . . N. Server  77  also is operatively connected to a master electronic storage  81 , which is the central electronic repository of all relevant image generated electronic documents and all relevant computer generated electronic documents in the illustrated enterprise system. 
     Electronic system  35  provides and controls a relational database, which includes tables that are shown in FIGS. 7,  8  and  9 , and a query that is shown in FIG.  10 . These tables and query are described in the following schedules. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 SCHEDULE 1 (See Table 1, FIG. 7) 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Field Name 
                 Data Type 
                 Field Type - Description 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Entry Date/Time 
                 Date/Time 
                 Primary - unique entry date/time - in 
               
               
                   
                   
                 terms of yy/mm/dd/hh/nn/ss 
               
               
                 DocPublishDate 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - actual date of document 
               
               
                 DocImage/Test 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - generated by [1] scanner or 
               
               
                   
                   
                 [2] Computer 
               
               
                 ProjectNo 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - project identification 
               
               
                 EntityCode 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - entity identification 
               
               
                 DocAuthor/Source 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - name of author/source 
               
               
                 AccountLocation 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - ID of location of distri- 
               
               
                   
                   
                 buted server A, B . . . N 
               
               
                 DocWhole/Part 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - MANY field - Unique 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Identifier of associated organization or 
               
               
                   
                   
                 individual 
               
               
                 DocView 
                 OLE 
                 ONE field - object linking/embedding - 
               
               
                   
                   
                 image or text document presentation 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 SCHEDULE 2 (See Table 2, FIG. 8) 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Field Name 
                 Data Type 
                 Field Type - Description 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 EntityCode 
                 Text 
                 Primary - unique identifier of associated 
               
               
                   
                   
                 organization or individual 
               
               
                 EntityName 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - name of organization or 
               
               
                   
                   
                 individual 
               
               
                 EntityAddress 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - address of organization or 
               
               
                   
                   
                 individual 
               
               
                 EntityTelNo 
                 Telephone 
                 Secondary - telephone number of organiza- 
               
               
                   
                   
                 tion or individual 
               
               
                 EntityFaxNo 
                 Telephone 
                 Secondary - fax number of organization or 
               
               
                   
                   
                 individual 
               
               
                 EntityEmail 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - uniform resource locator of 
               
               
                   
                   
                 organization or individual 
               
               
                 EntityInfo 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - noteworthy information 
               
               
                 ReferenceCode 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - entity code of contact or other 
               
               
                   
                   
                 associated individual 
               
               
                 ReferenceInfo 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - noteworthy information 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 SCHEDULE 3 (See Table 3, FIG. 10) 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Field Name 
                 Data Type 
                 Field Type - Description 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 ProjectNo 
                 Text 
                 Primary - unique identifier of associated 
               
               
                   
                   
                 project 
               
               
                 ProjectKind 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - select from categories [1], 
               
               
                   
                   
                 [2] . . . [n] 
               
               
                 ProjectName 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - name of project 
               
               
                 SecurityLevel 
                 Text 
                 Secondary - select from categories [1], 
               
               
                   
                   
                 [2] . . . [n] 
               
               
                 ActionDueDate 
                 Date/Time 
                 Secondary - task performance date 
               
               
                 ActionDoneDate 
                 Date/Time 
                 Secondary - date task performed 
               
               
                 ReviewDueDate 
                 Date/Time 
                 Secondary - final review date 
               
               
                 ReviewDoneDate 
                 Date/Time 
                 Secondary - date review performed 
               
               
                 TransactionNo 
                 AutoNumber 
                 Secondary - all entries noted 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 SCHEDULE 4 (See Query, FIG. 10) 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 EntityCode 
                 ProjectNo. 
                 DocView 
                 DocWhole/Part 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Preferably, a value in the date/time field of TABLE 1 is automatically generated by the system during scanning or computer generation, preferably in terms of year, month, day, hour, minute and second (yy, mm, dd, hh, nn, ss). As a practical matter, a duplicate automatically generated value in the date/time field is precluded in a local area network since any slight automatic delay will cause the generation of a second nonduplicate value. Thus each electro-optically generated document or computer generated document is uniquely identified at the moment of its creation by a date/time entry. 
     The physical sub-system, assuming that hard (paper) copies of computer generated documents are not filed, comprises a simple stack of papers that are in the order of the date/time sequence of images, i.e. their electro-optical creation (scanning). The system also permits hard (paper) copies of computer generated documents to be printed and stored in the same date/time sequence. For convenience, this stack is separated by dividers or containers into date/time intervals. Since the precise location of any original is indicated by its date/time instance, its manual or machine accessibility is immediate and unambiguous. Each of the designated stacks is physically assigned a date/time interval, and each of the corresponding images is electronically assigned a date/time entry within that interval. 
     The integrity of any designated stack is maintained by monitoring the physical storage and retrieval of any processed document to and from that stack. The operation is such that scanning a series of randomly collected documents produces, interactively in real time, physical stacks of the processed documents and electronic groups of corresponding images. Each of the stacks is marked with a visual indicium of a date/time interval. Each of the images is identified by an electronic indicium of a date/time entry within that interval. 
     Operation 
     Pursuant to the present invention, at each geographical location, (1) electro-optically generated electronic documents are produced by scanning newly received paper documents at random, and computer generated electronic documents are produced at the distributed work stations or the distributed servers by newly received fax or e-mail documents, all in date/time sequence, (2) any original paper or other hard documents to be saved are stored in date/time sequence, and (3) the images are processed and organized to provide the electronic equivalent of organized files of paper documents. The result is an interactive combination of electronic and physical sub-systems that operate in the following manner. The hard documents are arranged in batches that are stacked in the secondary depositories, i.e. folders and boxes. Each of the batches of hard documents corresponds to a limited range of successive date/time instances and each of the secondary depositories is marked with visual indicia matching this limited range. Scattered through the various batches of hard documents are selected hard documents that are related logically by selected indicia other than date/time. The master electronic system computes and retrieves requested subsets of the electronic images corresponding to these selected hard documents.