|Publication number||US7357300 B2|
|Application number||US 10/996,805|
|Publication date||Apr 15, 2008|
|Filing date||Nov 23, 2004|
|Priority date||Sep 3, 2002|
|Also published as||US6860422, US20040074961, US20050182757|
|Publication number||10996805, 996805, US 7357300 B2, US 7357300B2, US-B2-7357300, US7357300 B2, US7357300B2|
|Inventors||Jonathan J. Hull, Jamey Graham, Dar-Shyang Lee, Hideki Segawa|
|Original Assignee||Ricoh Company, Ltd.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (88), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (23), Classifications (10), Legal Events (2)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/234,414, filed Sep. 3, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,422 and titled “Method and Apparatus for Tracking Documents in a Workflow,” and is herein incorporated by reference for all purposes.
This application incorporates by reference the entire contents of the following applications for all purposes:
The present application incorporates by reference the entire disclosure of the following patent for all purposes:
The present invention relates generally to workflow systems and more particularly to tracking documents in a workflow system.
During the course of running a business, there are many steps and people involved in each endeavor. Accompanying this activity might be the flow of large numbers of documentation. For example, documents generated by a person or by people in a workgroup often require distribution to other people in the company or among different groups of people. Workflow systems provide a way for managing the flow of numerous documents during the course of a project.
Any substantial project is likely to produce volumes of paperwork. Effective management of a large-scale project requires up to date information. In the case of documents, it is important to know who has what document, how far along a document is in the review process, and so on. This can facilitate identifying critical paths and bottlenecks. It is therefore desirable to be able to enhance a workflow system to improve its utility.
A workflow system and method comprise one or more sensors disposed about an area of the workflow. The sensors detect proximity of a document as it is moved about in the area of the workflow. The information collected is associated with information relating to the document. The workflow system integrates this information with a display of the workflow graph, reflecting the movement of documents in the workflow. The workflow graph can be presented in graphical form, showing a graphical representation of the workflow.
A workflow comprises a plurality of stages (nodes of the graph) 212 a-212 c and 214 a-214 c, for example, at which an action is performed on the document(s). Each stage represents a location in the operation where the document can be routed; e.g. someone's office, or some other appropriate location for a particular given operation. The action may be a simple acknowledgment of having received the document, or the action may be something more interactive such as a review and/or editing or other annotation made to the document. The action may be a copy operation, a fax operation, or the like. There can be different kinds of stages. For example, stages 212 a-212 c are examples of simple store and forward stages where a document is received, an action might be performed on the document, and the document is then passed on. Stages 214 a-214 c, for example, are branching stages where the document flow can proceed along alternate paths. The workflow is further defined by edges 202 a-202 d, for example, which connect the stages together to complete the flow graph.
In the particular example shown in
The workflow system shown in
It can be appreciated that in a large enterprise, the sensors might very well be distributed over a large geographic area. In such a case, the sensor processing component 104 might comprise a network of local computers where each local computer handles sensors local to that computer. For example, a set of sensors in an office in Paris might be linked to a local computer in that office, while a second local computer might be used to link together the sensors in an office in Tokyo. In such cases, it is understood that an element (e.g., sensor 108 c shown in
In accordance with this embodiment of the invention, each sensor 108 i is sensitive to proximity of one or more documents being routed in a workflow. In a particular implementation of this embodiment of the invention, a radio frequency identification (RFID) system constitutes the sensor subsystem. RFID is a versatile wireless solution for identification. It has a wide range of applications, from tracking books in a library to monitoring the movement of cattle on a ranch.
Referring for a moment to
Often, the antenna component 313 is packaged with a transceiver component 312 which typically includes a decoder module. This combination is referred to variously as a reader, an interrogator, and soon. In operation, the reader can emit radio waves 322 (interrogation signal) in ranges of anywhere from one inch to several feet or more, depending upon its power output and the radio frequency used. The transceiver component produces the interrogation signal which is then propagated by the antenna component.
When an RFID tag passes through the electromagnetic zone of the interrogation signal, it responds to that signal and produces a response signal 316 which is picked up by the antenna component 313 and fed to the transceiver component 312. The decoder module in the transceiver decodes the response signal to extract the data encoded in the tag and the data is passed to a host computer for subsequent processing.
RFID tags come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Some tags can only be read, while other tags can be read and written. For example, a product called the MU-chip by Hitachi, Ltd., is a 0.4 mm2 chip that is thin enough (about 60 μm) to be embedded in paper, and contains a read-only memory (ROM) of 128 bits.
RFID tags are categorized as either active or passive. Active RFID tags are powered by an internal battery and are typically read/write, i.e., tag data can be rewritten and/or modified. The battery-supplied power of an active tag generally gives it a longer read range. The trade off of course is greater size, greater cost, and a limited operational life due to the limited life of the battery. Nonetheless, it can be appreciated that active tags can be useful in the present invention under appropriate operational requirements.
Passive RFID tags operate without a separate external power source and obtain operating power generated from the interrogation signal transmitted from the reader. Passive tags are consequently much lighter than active tags, less expensive, and offer a virtually unlimited operational lifetime. The trade off is that they have shorter read ranges than active tags and require a higher-powered reader. Read-only tags are typically passive and are programmed with a unique set of data (usually 32 to 128 bits) that cannot be modified. For example, the Hitachi MU-chip comes preprogrammed with a 128 bit data word.
In accordance with the present invention, physical documents have one or more RFID tags physically associated with them. Such documents can be referred to as “tagged documents.” A plethora of attachment processes are possible. An RFID tag can be attached by the use of adhesives. A clip which gathers together a multi-page document can be provided with an RFID tag. For example, a paper clip may-incorporate a tag, or a staple can be incorporated with a tag.
The attachment can be manual, or by automation. For example, a copying machine can be outfitted with RFID tagged staples or a dispenser of adhesive tags, so that stapled copies can be tagged by way of the staple, or single-page copies can be tagged with an adhesive tag. RFID tags (e.g., Hitachi MU-chip) can be embedded in the paper medium itself (“tagged paper”).
In accordance with this particular implementation of an embodiment of the invention, each RFID tag is associated with a unique identification, referred to herein as a “tag identifier.” Furthermore, when a tag is physically associated with a physical document, there is an association between the tag identifier and “document information” relating to the physical document. The document information might comprise an electronic copy of the physical document, an image of the document, a reference which identifies the physical or an electronic form of document, a reference identifying where an electronic copy of the physical document can be found, references to other documents, and so on. The document information might include information indicative of permissions, for example, whether a document can be copied or not. The document information might include ownership information, document modification history information. In general, one can appreciate that any kind of information may constitute “document information.”
The document information can be collected at the time of creation of the document; e.g., when the document is printed, copied, faxed, or otherwise processed. The document information can be an accumulation of information collected during the lifetime of the document such as when modifications are made, or when copies are made, for example. A database system (not shown) can be provided to store such information, or other suitable information management system. The database or information management system can be used to provide the mapping between tag identifier and document information.
The workflow processing component 102 is in data communication with the sensor processing component 104 via communication channel 112. Communication between the workflow processor and the sensor processor can be provided by any of a number of known communication techniques. In one embodiment of the invention, the two processing components could be subsystems in the same computer system. On the other hand, in a large enterprise where a distributed architecture may be more appropriate, the sensor processing component may comprise a plurality of local computer systems, each receiving tag information from its associated RFID tags.
The sensor processing component 104 transmits to the workflow processor 102 information indicative of the sensed (detected) document(s) and information representative of the location where the document(s) were sensed. Alternatively, the sensor processing component might transmit to the workflow processor the tag identifier along with information indicative of the sensor 108 i that received the information. The workflow processor can then make the necessary mappings to obtain a document identifier and its physical location. In a distributed environment comprising plural sensor processing computers, some of the sensor processors may provide the mapped information to the workflow processor, while other sensor processors might transmit the “raw” data to the workflow processor.
Assuming the workflow processor 102 is in possession of information relating to a document and information indicative of its location, the information can be used to enhance the workflow graph. Referring to
As an example, in
At a step 406, the tag identifier is associated with the document. This can be accomplished using information contained in a database 122, for example containing a mapping between tag identifiers and document identifiers.
Certain actions can be taken on the document at steps 408 and 410. For example, the recipient may simply acknowledge receipt of the document. The user may annotate or otherwise modify the document; e.g., by associating other documents with it, and so on. The user interface 106 i can provide the necessary access and functionality to effect such actions. These actions can then be associated with the tag identifier by the workflow processing component 102.
The user can enter a display command at a step 412 to display all or a portion of the workflow. The user might submit a command to display the current location of a particular document or documents. At a step 414, the association among the information made in the foregoing steps can be used to identify the location(s) of the document(s). The workflow can then be displayed where those stage(s) corresponding to the identified location(s) are highlighted in an appropriate manner to show their current locations. If tracking history is desired, then in a step 416 the workflow graph can be displayed in a manner to highlight the flow of the document in the workflow graph.
Similarly, a printer 504 having a sensor 508 b can detect printing of material. Stock paper, having physically associated with it one or more tags, can be detected by the sensor when processing a print job sent by a PC 510. A communication link 514 from the printer and the PC can provide to the sensor processing component 104 information indicating the tag identifier and the document being printed. This establishes the existence of the printed document, and subsequent tracking of the document in the workflow. In addition, the action of the printing of the document can be associated with the document, and subsequently displayed to a user in the manner discussed above (see, e.g.,
The element 504 can also represent a scanner device having a sensor 508 b. When a tagged document is scanned, the sensor can detect the tag of the scanned document and communicate the tag identifier to the sensor processing component 104. The scanned data is stored in the PC as a document. A document identifier can be communicated to the sensor processing component to be associated with the tag identifier. In this way, a tagged document in the workflow can be converted to electronic form. This action of scanning can be captured and associated with the document.
Users would scan a re-writable RFID chip 602 a contained in the document 602 using a suitable device 612 (more abstractly referred to as a workflow appliance). The workflow appliance can include a CPU (central processing unit) or other similar data processing component 622, a memory component 624, a display 626, and a device 628 for reading and-writing the RFID chip 602 a and to provide user services such as logging in and so on. The workflow description 614 can be downloaded from the RFID chip to the workflow appliance which displays the workflow diagram. The display can indicate where the document is in that diagram and what actions the user could take on that document. After the user takes one of those actions, it is recorded on the chip and the diagram is updated and rewritten on the chip. That data can optionally be encrypted with the next receiver's public key. When that user opens the document, he can decrypt it with his private key.
If the workflow description language is in a standard format, users of an autonomous workflow system can easily process documents produced by different service providers. For example, Blue Cross might use an Oracle Workflow system for their medical claim forms and Cigna might use an IBM system. However, the workflow appliance in a Doctor's office does not need to know that. The information added to the form, such as the name, address, and diagnosis code for the patient, can be recorded on the chip using the standard format.
A further aspect of the various embodiments of the present invention include information recorded on the re-writable RFID tag 602 a to direct the user to take certain actions. This provides a certain level of autonomous behavior in the document, where the document can require the recipient of the document to take actions in a context-directed manner. Information can be written to the RFID tag 602 a along the way in the workflow at its various stops by a backend workflow server. The information in the RFID can be updated at each stop, or only at certain stops, depending on the situation. In an extreme case, the RFID can contain the entire workflow in which case the document is in essence a fully autonomous document, instructing it's recipients (via an appropriately configured workflow appliance) where the next stop is, or what the next action is.
For example, the fragment of a workflow diagram 700 depicted in
An external workflow system can be informed of this updated workflow diagram either online, or asynchronously (e.g., via an email message), or not at all. Since the updated diagram is carried in the chip 602 a, a network connection is not required when the document's information is updated. This can be a significant advantage since the physical location where the update occurs does not need to be equipped with a network connection. In fact, a simple workflow status-updating appliance is sufficient.
The workflow appliance reads the standard workflow description from the chip, determines the actions that are possible, displays those actions to the user, provides a means for the user to enter the result of such an action, and rewrites the memory of the chip to indicate the action that was performed. For example, the workflow appliance 612 shown in
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|U.S. Classification||235/376, 340/572.1, 235/451, 235/385|
|International Classification||G06K17/00, G06F7/00, G06Q10/00, G01S13/74|
|Sep 22, 2011||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|Sep 30, 2015||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 8