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US5671282A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method and apparatus for document verification and tracking

Assignee: Ricoh Co Ltd
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Filing: 1995-01-23
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Granted: 1997-09-23
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Expires: 2015-01-23
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Abstract

Abstract A document processing system in which a server subsystem stores information corresponding to a document containing human readable and machine readable information and a client subsystem receives the document and interprets the machine readable information. The client subsystem contacts the server to verify validity of information in the document using a communications network that allows information to be exchanged between the server and the client.

Inventors

  • 👤 Gregory J. Wolff
  • 👤 David G. Stork
  • 👤 K. Venkatesh Prasad

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-08 05:29
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07F; G07F7/00; G07F7/08; G07F7/12; G07F7/122; G06; G06K; G06K7/00; G06K7/0004

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 32
Claim 1
Independent Claim 151 words
A document processing system comprising: a server subsystem storing an electronic version of information corresponding to a document containing human readable information and machine readable information that corresponds, at least in part, to the human readable information; a client subsystem that scans both the human readable information and the machine readable information in response to receipt of the document and interprets the machine readable information, wherein the client subsystem uses information in the document to contact the server subsystem to request verification of information in the document; and a communications network coupled to the server subsystem and the client subsystem for exchanging information therebetween, wherein the server subsystem verifies the information on the document based on a comparison between a portion of the information on the document provided by the client subsystem and the electronic version and, thereafter provides an authentication indication to the client subsystem once verification has been concluded.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 151 words
A document processing system comprising: a server subsystem storing an electronic version of information corresponding to a document containing human readable information and machine readable information that corresponds, at least in part, to the human readable information; a client subsystem that scans both the human readable information and the machine readable information in response to receipt of the document and interprets the machine readable information, wherein the client subsystem uses information in the document to contact the server subsystem to request verification of information in the document; and a communications network coupled to the server subsystem and the client subsystem for exchanging information therebetween, wherein the server subsystem verifies the information on the document based on a comparison between a portion of the information on the document provided by the client subsystem and the electronic version and, thereafter provides an authentication indication to the client subsystem once verification has been concluded.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 15 words
The system defined in claim 1 wherein the machine readable information comprises a bar code.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 14 words
The system defined in claim 1 wherein the machine readable information comprises encrypted information.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 12 words
The system defined in claim 1 wherein the document comprises a prescription.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 20 words
The system defined in claim 1 wherein the machine readable information includes an identifier indicating an address of the server.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 18 words
The system defined in claim 1 wherein the server subsystem comprises a print engine to generate the document.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 22 words
The system defined in claim 6 wherein the print engine encodes pixel information corresponding to the document in the machine readable information.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 20 words
The system defined in claim 7 wherein the pixel information indicates the number of pixels in the human readable information.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 26 words
The system defined in claim 7 wherein the pixel information comprises location data indicating the location of pixels on the document to be used in verification.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 60 words
The system defined in claim 1 wherein the server subsystem comprises: a document storage for storing the electronic version of the document; a document coordinator for servicing requests from the client subsystem; and communications facilities coupled to the document coordinator and the network for receiving requests from the client subsystem and providing responses to the client subsystem using the network.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 13 words
The system defined in claim 1 wherein the communications network comprises the Internet.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 29 words
The system defined in claim 10 further comprising a processing unit coupled to the client subsystem for providing an updated version of the document in response to a request.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 28 words
The system defined in claim 10 further comprising a processing unit coupled to the server subsystem for preventing the server subsystem from responding to requests concerning the document.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 23 words
The system defined in claim 10 further comprising a processing unit coupled to the document storage for removing the document from document storage.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 15 words
The system defined in claim 10 further comprising a print engine to create the document.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 23 words
The system defined in claim 15 wherein the print engine creates the document by encoding pixel information for verifying the human readable information.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 50 words
The system defined in claim 1 wherein the client subsystem comprises a document scanner to read the document, interpret the machine readable information, and to contact the server subsystem; and a communication interface for sending queries to the server subsystem and receiving responses to those queries from the client subsystem.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 17 words
The system defined in claim 1 wherein the communications network comprises the World Wide Web (the Web).
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 33 words
The system defined in claim 1 wherein the client subsystem scans at least a portion of the document information and communicates said information to the server subsystem to enable completion of document verification.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 14 words
The system defined in claim 19 wherein the server subsystem performs document change detection.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 22 words
The system defined in claim 20 wherein the amount of change required to indicate that the document has been changed is tunable.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim 16 words
The system defined in claim 21 wherein the change detection is tuned based on user selection.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim 84 words
The system defined in claim 20 wherein the server subsystem performs document change detection by computing a first CheckSum over a plurality of blocks of said at least a portion of the document information and a second CheckSum computed over blocks of said at least a portion in the stored version of the document, and comparing the first and second CheckSums for a difference, wherein the server subsystem detects a change when a difference is determined to exist between the first and second CheckSums.
Claim 25
Independent Claim 112 words
A method for processing a document having both human readable information and machine readable information specific to the document and corresponding, in part, to the human readable information, said method comprising the steps of: scanning the document; a first subsystem interpreting the machine readable information in the document; the first subsystem contacting, using information in the document, a second subsystem over a network to verify information in the document using the human readable information and the machine readable information; the second subsystem verifying information in the document in response to information provided by the first subsystem; and the second subsystem indicating validity of the information in the document to the first subsystem.
Claim 26
Independent Claim 112 words
A method for processing a document having both human readable information and machine readable information specific to the document and corresponding, in part, to the human readable information, said method comprising the steps of: scanning the document; a first subsystem interpreting the machine readable information in the document; the first subsystem contacting, using information in the document, a second subsystem over a network to verify information in the document using the human readable information and the machine readable information; the second subsystem verifying information in the document in response to information provided by the first subsystem; and the second subsystem indicating validity of the information in the document to the first subsystem.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim 25 words
The method defined in claim 24 further comprising the step of generating the document so that the machine readable information tracks the human readable information.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim 19 words
The method defined in claim 24 further comprising the step of preventing re-verification of the document of the document.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim 25 words
The method defined in claim 26 wherein the step of verifying comprises comparing the filled-in information on the document with printed portions of the document.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim 26 words
The method defined in claim 24 further comprising the step of locating human readable information in the document based on other information contained in the document.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim 34 words
The method defined in claim 24 further comprising storing electronic copy of the document, and the second subsystem performing verification using the electronic copy and information received from interpretation of the machine readable information.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim 48 words
The method defined in claim 29 further comprising the step of the second subsystem detecting changes between the electronic copy and information received from interpretation of the machine readable information and human readable information, if any, and indicating that the document is not authentic if change is detected.

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 2000-09-22 2001-03-24 2001-09-23 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2004-09-22 2005-03-24 2005-09-23 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2008-09-22 2009-03-24 2009-09-23 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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