Patent ID: 7346841

Claim:
A system for permitting collaborative annotation of a hardcopy document, the system comprising: a plurality of workstations each comprising a computer processor, a display, and a capture device for capturing a digital image of a hardcopy document; and a base computer communicating with the plurality of workstations; wherein the system is operative to: (a) identify handwritten annotations in digital images of the hardcopy document captured at each workstation; (b) communicate data representing the identified annotation images to each workstation to permit an annotation entered at a first workstation to the hardcopy document and an annotation entered at a second workstation to the hardcopy document to be distributed to the plurality of workstations; (c) use the data representing the identified annotations for display with the digital images of the hardcopy document at the plurality of workstations according to display criteria for each workstation; and (d) display the digital images of the hardcopy document at the workstations with one or more of the identified annotations entered at the first and second workstations; wherein the one or more of the annotations are selectively displayed in accordance with the display criteria for each workstation.