GB2385824A

GB2385824A - Document with encoded machine readable information

Info

Publication number: GB2385824A
Application number: GB0204805A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian Charles Sage
Original assignee: Qinetiq Ltd
Current assignee: Qinetiq Ltd
Priority date: 2002-03-01
Filing date: 2002-03-01
Publication date: 2003-09-03
Also published as: GB0204805D0

Abstract

A document recording medium comprises a sheet 1 carrying human readable information 2 such as text, drawings, maps, or symbols, together with a machine readable encoded version of the information 4. The machine readable form may comprise information in the same format as that adopted by the parent software generating the document, or a reduced or customised format intended to preserve the substance of the document while avoiding viruses or for the purpose of providing more efficient storage. The data may be a bar code 4 printed in the margin 3 or on the reverse side of the document. The information may be recorded in a visible medium or a medium such as an ink which is not apparent to the eye but which is readable by machine, such as an ink which is fluorescent under UV light or absorbs in the IR band. Alternatively, the material of the document may be provided with a special layer, area or material for recording machine readable data, such as a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, or a magneto-optic recording layer.

Description

DOCUMENT RECORDING MEDIUM This invention relates to a document recording medium.

Surveys show that a majority of computer users print every document in order to check or read it. Exchange of documents by electronic means is becoming more common but is inhibited by lack of suitable network connections or bandwidth as well as by proliferation of viruses and other security and confidentiality issues. It is common for paper documents to be jointly authored, or written and then proofed by others. Corrections must then be annotated and passed back for correction, or both paper and electronic copies shared.

An alternative to this process is the use of a document scanner (an optical code reader or OCR) and optical recognition software, which can take a paper document and recover text in an electronic form for re-editing. This process has many shortcomings in its inability to cope with unusual fonts, foreign language text (with additional software) embedded graphs, diagrams and pictures etc. The typical accuracy of the OCR process may lead to the introduction of more errors than were present in the original.

The above problem is solved, according to this invention, by recording a machine readable encoded version of the document alongside the human readable version, in the same medium. The word"document"means text drawings and symbols together with formatting information, spacings style etc. and does not include e. g. a simple bar code with an adjacent human readable number.

According to this invention, a document recording medium comprises a sheet or other suitable carrier bearing human readable information such as text, drawings, maps, or symbols, together with a machine readable encoded version of the information.

The document medium may be paper, or a rewritable medium such as an electronic paper based on effects such as rotating ball technology (described in USP 4,126, 854 and USP4,143, 103, or GB/0127001. 6 P7005) electrophoretic technology, or liquid crystal technology. The medium may also be photochromic, magneto-optic or phase change recording media. In the case of a rewritable medium, preferably both the human readable and the machine readable information are rewritable.

The machine readable form may comprise information in the same format as that adopted by the parent software generating the document, or a reduced or customised format intended to preserve the substance of the document while avoiding viruses or for the purpose of providing more efficient storage. The data may be recorded, for example, as a bar code printed in the margin or on the reverse side of the document.

Optionally, the information may be recorded in a medium such as an ink which is not apparent to the eye but which is readable by machine, such as an ink which is fluorescent under UV light or absorbs in the IR band.

Alternatively, the material of the document may be provided with a special layer, area or material for recording machine readable data, such as a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, or a magneto-optic recording layer.

Optionally, the machine readable information may additionally include such items as a digital signature for authentication of its authorship. Optionally the machine readable information may be encrypted to allow reading and/or rewriting only by authorised users to whom the encryption/decryption keys are divulged. Preferably, the machine readable information is written contemporaneously and with the same printer/recorder as the human readable information. Recording with a laser (cf CD-R) while printing may also be used.

Optionally, the machine readable data will include data redundancy to facilitate error checking and recovery. Optionally the machine readable data will be stored in compressed format. Optionally the machine readable data will exclude the specification of some part of the document (e. g. , an included spreadsheet) to prevent editing of that part of the document.

Alternatively, parts of the document may be encrypted or encoded in a different format to allow selective editing/updating of the contents. Optionally the digital signature field of the machine readable data, if present, may be extended to include an audit trail of authorship and alterations.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a page of text with accompanying encoded information.

As shown in the drawing a sheet 1 of paper carries text 2 between adjustable margins 3. Within one or more of these margins 3 is a bar code 4. This bar code 4 contains the basic string of binary information used by e. g. a word processor to print out the text 2; this includes both the text and formatting commands of margins, fonts spacing etc. The basic string of binary information may be passed directly through a program which converts it into a bar code. Alternatively the binary information may be passed through an encoder or encrypter and then a bar code writer. All the programs for the basic text writing and production of bar codes with or without additional coding may be within the word processor computer programs. Suitable code formats include Aztec and code 16k.

The bar code 4 is shown as a one dimensional strip, but could be two dimensional, e. g. dots or variable length lines as in compact disk track information, or holographic type codes. The code 4 is shown as being visible, but could be invisible to the naked eye whilst being machine readable. For example written with magnetic, fluorescent ink etc. Preferably the code is compatible with the capability of standard low cost laser and inkjet printing heads. Preferably the bar code may be read by standard scanners used in document scanners and the scanners within fax machines etc.

The paper sheet may be standard wood or straw based material, or paper carrying an imbedded strip of material with magnetic, magneto-optic properties etc. on which strip machine readable information can be written.

When using standard paper, the code may be formed at the same time as text is printed in a bubble jet or laser based printer.

Claims

Claims.

1.. A document recording medium comprising a sheet (1) or other suitable carrier bearing human readable information such as text (2), drawings or symbols, together with a machine readable encoded version (4) of the information.

2. The medium of claim 1 wherein the sheet is a sheet of paper and the encoded information is a bar coded strip of information.

3. The medium of claim 1 wherein the encoded information is non visible to the human eye.

4. The medium of claim 3 wherein the encoded information is arranged within the visible information.

5. The medium of claim 3 wherein the encoded information is arranged in one or more areas separate from areas containing the visible information.

6. The medium of claim 1 wherein the sheet contains areas of material capable of receiving magnetic or optically encodable information.

7. The medium of claim 1 wherein the sheet is a sheet of a rewritable medium.

8. A printer adapted to print out both the human readable information and machine readable encoded version of claim 1.