Patent Publication Number: US-2004042032-A1

Title: Copy document production

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention generally relates to producing electronic documents, and, more specifically, to automatically distinguishing one produced document from another.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002] Document production in a typical computer system is controlled by the operating system. When using a GUI (Graphical User Interface) operating system, such as Windows® from Microsoft Corporation or Macintosh® from Apple Computer, Inc., a user issues a production command either through a menu option or by using a mouse to select a designated icon on a button bar. Document production can take a number of forms. The use of a production service such as a laser printer to print the document is common. Document production, however, can require a finishing service such as a binder, sorter, and/or folder. Document production may also be completed through the use of a programming service such as an e-mail client, facsimile software, or programming capable of electronically archiving the document.  
       [0003] Drivers are typically supplied to computer users either by the vendor of the production service or by the vendor of the operating system. A driver is responsible for providing an interface enabling a user to select production options for a particular production service. Since the sophistication of a user interface can help sell production services, vendors continue to produce evermore sophisticated drivers. For example, some of the production options currently available for printers include: printing multiple copies of a document; printing the pages in a document in reverse order; printing multiple pages of a document on a single page of paper; landscape and portrait printing; printing on different page sizes; printing labels; duplex printing where both sides of a page are printed; and printing with watermarks. Similar production options are available when faxing, e-mailing, or archiving a document.  
       [0004] Once a production command is issued, a driver specific to a selected production service formats the electronic document for the selected service. The driver then directs the formatted document to that service for production. It is often advantageous to create a copy of a produced document to maintain business or personal records. This can be accomplished, for example, by incrementing the “copy” count by one before printing. In such a case, the copy of a document is identical to the original. It is often useful to distinguish copies from originals. Existing document production software and related programming such as drivers, however, do not allow the user to automatically distinguish one produced document from another.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0005] Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention produce, at a user&#39;s request, document copies that can be distinguished from the original. In one embodiment a command is received to produce a document, production options are set for a copy production service that differ from production options set for a primary production service, the primary production service is directed to produce the document according to the production options set for the primary production service, and the copy production service is directed to produce the document according to the production options set for the copy production service. It is expected that the production options set for the copy production service will cause the copy production service to produce the document such that the document produced by the copy production service differs visually from the same document produced by the primary production service. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0006]FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a computer network in which various embodiments of the present invention may be incorporated.  
     [0007]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the network of FIG. 1 illustrating the logical program components according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0008]FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the logical components of the drivers and of the production coordinator according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0009]FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating primary and copy document production according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0010] FIGS.  5 - 10  are exemplary screen views of a series of interfaces enabling a user to select a primary production service, a copy production service, and production options for each. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     [0011] Introduction: Electronic documents can be produced in a variety of ways. For example, a document can be printed and bound. It can be faxed or e-mailed to a specified location. The document can even be electronically archived. When producing a document, it is often desirable to create a copy. It is expected that various embodiments of the present invention will enable the production of a copy that can be distinguished from the original.  
     [0012] Although the various embodiments of the invention disclosed herein will be described with reference to the computer network  10  shown schematically in FIG. 1, the invention is not limited to use with network  10 . The invention may be implemented in or used with any computer system in which it is necessary or desirable to produce electronic documents. The following description and the drawings illustrate only a few exemplary embodiments of the invention. Other embodiments, forms, and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is expressed in the claims that follow this description.  
     [0013] Referring to FIG. 1, network  10  represents generally any local or wide area network in which a variety of different devices are linked. Network  10  includes computer  12 , printer  14 , printing/finishing device  16 , and servers  18 - 22 , interconnected by link  24 . Printer  14 , finisher  16 , and servers  18 - 22  represent various production services. Each server  18 - 22  includes a production service in the form of programming capable of faxing, e-mailing, or archiving an electronic document. Computer  12  represents generally any computing device capable of enabling a user to issue a production command for a selected document, formatting the selected document for a specified production service, and directing the formatted document to that service for production.  
     [0014] Link  24  represents generally a cable, wireless, or remote connection via a telecommunication link, an infrared link, a radio frequency link, or any other connector or system that provides electronic communication between components  12 - 22 . Link  24  may represent an intranet, the Internet, or a combination of both. The path followed by link  24  between components  12 - 22  represents the logical communication path between the components, not necessarily the physical path. Components  12 - 22  can be connected to network  10  at any point and the appropriate communication path established logically between the components.  
     [0015] Components: FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the various programming and hardware elements of a document production system implemented in network  10  of FIG. 1. In this example, server  18  functions as an e-mail client operable to deliver a electronic document to a selected e-mail address. Server  20  functions as a facsimile service operable to transmit an electronic document over telecommunication lines to a selected recipient. Server  22  functions as an archive service operable to electronically store a copy of an electronic document in a selected location. It is important to note that these functions provided by servers  18 - 22  could also be provided by programming operating on computer  12 .  
     [0016] Computer  12  includes application  26 , data storage  30 , and operating system  32 . Application  26  represents generally any programming capable of generating and/or retrieving an electronic document and issuing a production command for that document. Data storage  30  represents generally any memory to contain electronic documents. Operating system  32  represents generally any software platform on top of which application  26  can run enabling application  26  to access data storage  30  and communicate with other programming operating on or connected to computer  12 .  
     [0017] Computer  12  also includes printer driver  34 , e-mail driver  36 , fax driver  38 , archive driver  40 , and production coordinator  42 . Drivers are programs that control a device or even other programming. A driver acts like a translator between a particular device or programming and applications that use the device or programming. Each device or programming has its own set of specialized commands that only its driver knows. In contrast, most applications access devices or other programming by using generic commands. The driver, therefore, accepts generic commands from an application and then translates them into specialized commands for the particular device or programming. Printer driver  34 , then, acts as a translator between application  26  and printer  14  as well as printer/finisher  16 . E-mail driver  36  acts as a translator between application  26  and the e-mail client operating on server  18 . Fax driver  38  acts as a translator between application  26  and the facsimile software operating on server  20 , while archive driver  40  acts as a translator between application  26  and the archive service operating on server  22 .  
     [0018] Production coordinator  42  represents generally any programming capable of receiving a production command from application  26  and communicating with drivers  34 - 40  to generate an interface enabling a user to select a primary production service, a copy production service, and production options for each. A primary production service is a production service selected by the user to produce a document for an intended purpose. For example, a primary production service may be printer  14  which is instructed to print a letter to be mailed. A copy production service is a production service responsible for producing a document for record keeping purposes. For example, the archive service provided by server  22  may be selected as a copy production service. The archive service may include programming capable of “electronically” printing a document to a specified electronic file format such as PDF (Portable Document Format) and saving the resulting file in a specified location.  
     [0019]FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the logical program elements of drivers  34 - 40  and production coordinator  42 . Printer driver  34  includes printer interface module  44  and printer production module  46 . E-mail driver  36  includes e-mail interface module  48  and e-mail production module  50 . Similarly, fax driver  38  and archive driver  40  include, respectively, fax interface module  52 , fax production module  54 , archive interface module  56 , and archive production module  58 . Each interface module  44 ,  48 ,  52 , or  56  for a given driver  34 ,  36 ,  38 , or  40  represents generally any programming capable of generating or providing an interface for selecting production options for the particular production service associated with that driver  34 ,  36 ,  38 , or  40 . Production options for a printer might include duplexing or color printing. Production options for an archive service might include specifying a particular file format and/or storage location.  
     [0020] Each production module  46 ,  50 ,  54 , or  58  for a given driver  34 ,  36 ,  38 , or  40  represents generally any programming capable of translating, according to selected or default production options and instructions from application  26  to produce an electronic document into specialized instructions and delivering the translated instructions to the particular production service associated with that driver  34 ,  36 ,  38 , or  40 .  
     [0021] Production coordinator  42  includes production interface module  60 , primary service module  62 , and copy service module  64 . Production interface module  60  represents generally any programming capable of communicating with drivers  34 - 40  to generate an interface enabling a user to select a primary production service, a copy production service, and production options for each. Primary service module  62  represents generally any programming capable of setting default production options for a selected primary production service and directing instructions from application  26  to produce an electronic document along with any user selected production options to the driver  34 ,  36 ,  38 , or  40  for the selected primary production service. Copy service module  64  represents generally any programming capable of setting default production options for a selected copy production service and directing instructions from application  26  to produce an electronic document along with any user selected production options to the driver  34 ,  36 ,  38 , or  40  for the selected copy production service. It is expected that copy service module  64  will be capable of setting default production options for the selected copy production service that differ from production options for the selected primary production service. For example, where the selected primary and copy production services are both printers, copy service module  64  may automatically set production options for the copy production service that will cause the printed document to have a watermark indicating that it is a copy for the user&#39;s records. Consequently, the printed documents produced by the selected printers will differ visually.  
     [0022] The block diagrams of FIGS. 2 and 3 show the architecture, functionality, and operation of one implementation of the present invention. If embodied in software, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that comprises one or more executable instructions to implement the specified logical function(s). If embodied in hardware, each block may represent a circuit or a number of interconnected circuits to implement the specified logical function(s).  
     [0023] Also, the present invention can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system such as a computer/processor based system or other system that can fetch or obtain the logic from the computer-readable medium and execute the instructions contained therein. A “computer-readable medium” can be any medium that contains, stores, or maintains programming for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system. The computer readable medium can comprise any one of many physical media such as, for example, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor media. More specific examples of a suitable computer-readable medium would include, but are not limited to, a portable magnetic computer diskette such as floppy diskettes or hard drives, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory, or a portable compact disc.  
     [0024] Operation: The operation of one embodiment the present invention will be described with reference to the flow diagram of FIG. 4 and the exemplary screen views of FIGS.  5 - 10 . FIG. 4 illustrates steps taken to produce a document while FIGS.  5 - 10  illustrate a series of interfaces enabling a user to select a primary production service, a copy production service, and production options for each.  
     [0025] Referring first to FIG. 4, application  26  generates or acquires and electronic document (step  70 ). Application  26  issues a production command (step  72 ). Production coordinator  42  receives the request and communicates with drivers  34 - 40  to generate an interface enabling a user to select a primary production service, a copy production service, and production options for each (step  74 ). Through the interface, a user selects a primary production service and a copy production service. The two may be the same or different production services. The user may select production options for the selected primary production service. Otherwise, production coordinator  42  selects default production options for the selected primary production service.  
     [0026] Next, production coordinator  42  sets production options for the selected copy production service that differ from production options for the selected primary production service (step  76 ). For example, the production options for the copy production service may include instructions to add a watermark indicating that the produced document is a copy for the user&#39;s records. Alternatively, where the selected copy production service is a printer with multiple input trays, production options selected or set for that service may include instructions to use paper from a particular tray. The paper in the particular tray may, for example, have a unique color enabling a user to easily identify the printed document as a copy for the user&#39;s records. It is preferable that the production options set for the copy production service cause the copy production service to produce the document such that the document differs visually from the same document produced by the primary production service. Alternatively, the production coordinator  42  selects default production options for the copy production service if the user doesn&#39;t explicitly specify any. The default primary and copy production services as well as default options for each can be specified by the user through the production interface module  60 .  
     [0027] The driver  34 ,  36 ,  38 , or  40 , for the selected primary production service, utilizing the production options set for the primary production service, directs the primary production service to produce the electronic document (step  78 ). The driver  34 ,  36 ,  38 , or  40 , for the selected copy production service, utilizing the production options set for the copy production service, directs the copy production service to produce the electronic document (step  80 ).  
     [0028]FIG. 5 illustrates a screen view of a production interface  82  generated in step  74 . Production interface  82  includes primary service controls  84 , and copy service controls  86 . Primary service controls  84  include pull down menu  88  enabling a user to select a particular production service and properties command button  90 , which, when selected, opens another interface enabling a user to set production options. Copy service controls  86  include enable check box  91 , pull down menu  92  enabling a user to select a particular production service and properties command button  94 , which, when selected, opens another interface enabling a user to set production options. Where the user does not select enable check box  91 , the document will only be produced by the production service identified in pull down menu  88 . Production interface  82  may, for example, include other controls for producing selected pages and setting the number of copies. Selections made using those additional controls will be used by the primary production service and, if enabled, the copy production service.  
     [0029]FIG. 6 illustrates production interface  82  after a user has chosen pull down menu  88  for selecting a primary production device. Referring now to FIG. 7, the user selects “Facsimile software” as the primary production service. FIG. 7 also illustrates production interface  82  after a user has chosen pull down menu  92  for selecting a copy production device. Here, the user selects “Laser Printer” as the copy production device.  
     [0030]FIG. 8 illustrates a screen view of an interface  96  for selecting production options for facsimile software—in this case—the selected primary production service. Interface  96  is displayed after the user selects command button  90  shown in FIG. 6. Interface  96  includes control  98  for selecting or entering a fax number, control  100  for selecting a paper size, control  102  for selecting a resolution, and controls  104  for setting orientation.  
     [0031]FIG. 9 illustrates a screen view of an interface  106  for selecting production options for a laser printer—in this case—the selected copy production service. Interface  106  is displayed after the user selects command button  94  shown in FIG. 7. Interface  106  includes layout tab  108  and paper/quality tab  110 . In this view, layout tab  108  is selected displaying controls  112 - 118  for setting production options relating to orientation, duplexing, page order, and pages per sheet. Also displayed is document preview pane  120 . FIG. 10 illustrates interface  106  with paper/quality tab  110  selected displaying controls  122  and  124  for selecting a paper input tray and selecting advanced production options.  
     [0032] Although the flow chart of FIG. 4 shows a specific order of execution, the order of execution may differ from that which is depicted. For example, the order of execution of two or more blocks may be scrambled relative to the order shown. Also, two or more blocks shown in succession in FIG. 4 may be executed concurrently or with partial concurrence. All such variations are within the scope of the present invention. The screen displays of FIGS.  5 - 10  are exemplary only. There exist many possible layout and control configurations for interfaces that will allow a user to select primary and copy production services and production options for each.  
     [0033] The present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing exemplary embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that other forms, details, and embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is defined in the following claims.