US 4,283,621 A · Apparatus and method of storing and retrieving information

Abstract

Unique identifying symbols, such as bar codes, are preprinted on, or affixed to, each of a plurality of source documents. A scanning and recording device simultaneously reads the identifying symbol appearing on a given source document and records the image thereof on an image storage medium, such as photographic film. Also stored on the image storage medium, adjacent to each image stored thereon, is an address symbol to indicate the relative location at which a desired image is stored. Synchronization means coupled to the scanning and recording device generate an electrical data address word corresponding to this address symbol. This data address word is then combined with a similar data identifying word, generated as the scanning device reads the identifying symbol appearing on each source document, to form a data index word. The data index word is stored in a suitable data storage medium, such as magnetic tape, flexible diskettes, or the like, and is thus available for subsequent retrieval by a data processing system. Retrieval of the information thus stored is accomplished by programming a data processing system to search through the stored data index words to locate and display the address symbol of a desired source document. Once identified, the image of the desired source document is viewed by placing the image storage media, since processed and preserved, on a suitable viewing device that permits selective viewing of the image corresponding to the identified address symbol.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A system for storing and retrieving information contained in a plurality of source documents, said system comprising in combination

identifying means of uniquely identify each of said plurality of source documents;
scanning means for randomly reading each of said identifying means and producing a unique identifying signal as a function thereof;
capturing means for sequentially preserving an image of each of said plurality of source documents immediately subsequent to the random reading of each of said identifying means by said scanning means;
addressing means for annotating each of said images preserved by said capturing means with an address symbol to indicate the relative sequential position where said image is preserved within said capturing means;
indexing means for aligning each of said unique identifying signals generated by said scanning means, which identifying signals correspond to a unique source document, with a corresponding address signal generated by said indexing means, which address signal corresponds to the address symbol annotated on the preserved image of said unique source document by said addressing means, said indexing means thus producing a unique index signal that indicates where the image of any one of said plurality of source documents is preserved within said capturing means;
synchronization means to synchronize said indexing means with said addressing means, thereby permitting said address signal generated by said indexing means to correspond to said address symbol annotated on said preserved images by said addressing means;
storage means for storing each of said unique index signals, thereby producing index data that can be retrieved for subsequent reference thereto;
data viewing and sorting means for selectively retrieving and viewing said index from said storage means and sorting therethrough to locate the address of an image preserved in said capturing means corresponding to a desired source document;
and
image display means for selectively displaying one of said images preserved in said capturing means.

7 more elements

A method for storing and retrieving information contained in a plurality of source documents comprising the steps of

identifying each of said plurality of source documents with a unique identification symbol;
scanning said unique identification symbol with a reading device designed to generate a combination of unique electrical signals corresponding to said unique identification symbol;
recording an image of each of said plurality of source documents on image storage media used in connection with a capturing device, such as a camera, at the same time, or close thereto, that said reading device scans said unique identification signal;
marking said image storage media next to each of said images recorded thereon with an address symbol to indicate the relative sequential position where said image is recorded on said image storage media;
processing and preserving said image storage media so that said images stored thereon may be subsequently retrieved and viewed in a manner such that said address symbols serve as a guide to the location of any particular image whose address symbol is known;
synchronizing an external counting device with said marking of address symbols on said image storage media so that said counting device tracks the information contained in said address symbol;
generating a unique index word by combining the information contained in said counting device with the information contained in said combination of unique electrical signals generated by said reading device, said unique index data word corresponding to the image of a particular source document;
storing said index data words on data storage media that is compatible with data processing systems, such as diskettes, cassette tapes, and the like;
searching through said index data words stored on said data storage media by using a data processing system and technique to locate the address of the image of a desired source document which is stored on said image storage media;
and
viewing the image whose address was identified by said data processing system and technique on a viewing device, the location of said image being found by said address symbol marked on said image storage media.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method of storing and retrieving information

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method of storing and retrieving information

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24