US6694043B2 — Method of monitoring print data for text associat…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 71 words

A method of printing a document using print data output from an application program, comprising: monitoring the print data for text associated with a hyperlink; storing information about said hyperlink in a data structure, in association with a document identifier; and printing the document with an optically-detectable indicia thereon, said indicia being machine-readable, but not generally intelligible to human viewers thereof, said indicia representing a plural-symbol payload including said document identifier.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 71 words

A method of printing a document using print data output from an application program, comprising: monitoring the print data for text associated with a hyperlink; storing information about said hyperlink in a data structure, in association with a document identifier; and printing the document with an optically-detectable indicia thereon, said indicia being machine-readable, but not generally intelligible to human viewers thereof, said indicia representing a plural-symbol payload including said document identifier.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 12 words

A printed document produced according to the method of claim 1 .

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 12 words

The method of claim 1 wherein the indicia comprises a steganographic watermark.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 43 words

The method of claim 1 , further comprising optically scanning the printed document to provide scan data; decoding the scan data to produce binary data corresponding to said indicia, and accessing the stored information using at least a portion of said binary data.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 43 words

A method of obtaining an electronically actuable hyperlink with a printed document produced according to claim 1 comprising: presenting the printed document to an optical input device; and presenting to a user one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks included in said printed document.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 56 words

The method of claim 5 , wherein said optical input device provides scan data, said method further comprising the steps of decoding the scan data to produce binary data corresponding to said indicia, and accessing the stored information using at least a portion of said binary data to obtain the one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks.

Claim 8

Independent Claim 28 words

A method comprising: presenting a printed document to an optical input device; and presenting to a user one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks included in said printed document.

Claim 9

Independent Claim 28 words

A method comprising: presenting a printed document to an optical input device; and presenting to a user one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks included in said printed document.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 56 words

The method of claim 7 , wherein in the optical input device communicates with a computerized processing module, wherein the computerized Processing module analyzes scan data generated by the optical input device for a machine-readable steganographic code carried by the document, and wherein the steganographic code is associated with the one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks.

Claim 11

Independent Claim 68 words

A method of producing a printed document from document data provided by an application program, the method including using a printer to apply ink or toner to a substrate, the method being characterized by adding data corresponding to an optically-detectable indicia in print data corresponding to said document data, said indicia being machine-readable, but not generally intelligible to human viewers thereof, said indicia encoding plural bits of data.

Claim 12

Independent Claim 68 words

A method of producing a printed document from document data provided by an application program, the method including using a printer to apply ink or toner to a substrate, the method being characterized by adding data corresponding to an optically-detectable indicia in print data corresponding to said document data, said indicia being machine-readable, but not generally intelligible to human viewers thereof, said indicia encoding plural bits of data.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 15 words

The method of claim 9 in which said adding is performed by printer driver software.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 35 words

The method of claim 10 in which a print dialog interface associated with said printer driver software gives a user thereof an option to elect formation of said indicia on the printed document, or not.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 19 words

The method of claim 9 in which said adding is performed by hardware or software resident in the printer.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 13 words

The method of claim 9 wherein the indicia comprises a steganographic digital watermark.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 32 words

The method of claim 9 wherein said digital data includes an identifier corresponding to a database record, the method further including storing data relating to the printed document in said database record.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 19 words

The method of claim 14 that includes transmitting said data for storage in the database record in encrypted form.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 15 words

The method of claim 14 wherein said digital data encodes metadata relating to the document.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 12 words

A printed document produced according to the method of claim 12 .

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 20 words

The method of claim 9 , wherein the plural bits of data correspond to one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 35 words

The method of claim 18 , wherein the machine readable indicia comprises an identifier which is used to access the information corresponding to the one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks included in the printed object.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 14 words

The method of claim 19 , wherein the steganographic indicia comprises a digital watermark.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 16 words

The method of claim 20 , wherein the information is provided through a computer system display.

Claim 25

Independent Claim 82 words

A method comprising: receiving optical scan data from an optical input device, wherein the optical scan data corresponds to a printed object including machine-readable steganographic indicia provided thereon and the printed object includes one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks, the machine-readable steganographic indicia conveying information corresponding to the one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks; analyzing the optical scan data to recover the machine-readable steganographic indicia; and providing information corresponding to the one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks included in the printed object.

Claim 26

Independent Claim 82 words

A method comprising: receiving optical scan data from an optical input device, wherein the optical scan data corresponds to a printed object including machine-readable steganographic indicia provided thereon and the printed object includes one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks, the machine-readable steganographic indicia conveying information corresponding to the one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks; analyzing the optical scan data to recover the machine-readable steganographic indicia; and providing information corresponding to the one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks included in the printed object.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 28 words

The method of claim 22 , wherein the machine readable indicia comprises the information corresponding to the one or more electronically actuable hyperlinks included in the printed object.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 93 words

A computer system to produce a printed document from document data provided by a software application program, the software application program cooperating with the computer system, wherein the computer system includes a processor, memory and software stored in the memory for execution by the processor, the software including instructions to present a print dialog box in response to user control, wherein the print dialog box includes a graphical user interface permitting the user to select a steganographic encoding option for the printed output, and wherein the steganographic encoding conveys at least creation information.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 93 words

A computer system to produce a printed document from document data provided by a software application program, the software application program cooperating with the computer system, wherein the computer system includes a processor, memory and software stored in the memory for execution by the processor, the software including instructions to present a print dialog box in response to user control, wherein the print dialog box includes a graphical user interface permitting the user to select a steganographic encoding option for the printed output, and wherein the steganographic encoding conveys at least creation information.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 14 words

The system of claim 24 , wherein the creation information comprises a creation date.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 13 words

The system of claim 24 , wherein the creation information comprises author information.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 25 words

The system of claim 24 , further comprising a communications port to communicate with a printer, wherein the creation information comprises information regarding the printer.

Claim 33

Independent Claim 61 words

A method of accessing a resource comprising: receiving data corresponding to a printed object, the printed object including both text and background, at least the background having information indicative of least one of a network address and a file storage address associated with the resource steganographically embedded therein; decoding the information from the data; and accessing the resource using the information.

Claim 34

Independent Claim 61 words

A method of accessing a resource comprising: receiving data corresponding to a printed object, the printed object including both text and background, at least the background having information indicative of least one of a network address and a file storage address associated with the resource steganographically embedded therein; decoding the information from the data; and accessing the resource using the information.

Claim 35

Independent Claim 78 words

A method of accessing a resource comprising steps of: receiving data from an application program, the data corresponding to an object to be printed, the data including text and background; steganographically embedding into a region of the background having substantially non-uniform pixel values certain information indicative of at least one of a network address and a file storage address associated with the resource; and printing the object using the data into which said information has been steganographically embedded.

Claim 36

Independent Claim 78 words

A method of accessing a resource comprising steps of: receiving data from an application program, the data corresponding to an object to be printed, the data including text and background; steganographically embedding into a region of the background having substantially non-uniform pixel values certain information indicative of at least one of a network address and a file storage address associated with the resource; and printing the object using the data into which said information has been steganographically embedded.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2007-02-16	2007-08-18	2008-02-17	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2011-02-16	2011-08-18	2012-02-17	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2015-02-16	2015-08-18	2016-02-17	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Method of monitoring print data for text associated with a hyperlink

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