Systems, processes and products for network storage and retrieval of physical paper documents, electro-optically generated electronic documents, and computer generated electronic documents

A network system comprising:

• (a) a plurality of distributed networks and a master network;
• (b) said distributed networks being at different physical locations;
• (c) each of said distributed networks including a distributed physical system and a distributed electronic system,
• (d) said master network being located at a particular physical location;
• (e) said master system including a master physical system and a master electronic system;
• (f) each of said distributed physical networks including a scanner for processing random sets of paper documents to produce corresponding sets of electronic image documents in real-time sets of date/time instances;
• (g) said master physical network including a master physical depository for storing said random sets of paper documents in a collection of storage locations, each of said storage locations being uniquely marked with indicia that uniquely refer to said date/time instances;
• (h) said master electronic system including a master electronic database for storing said sets of electronic image documents in reference to said sets of date/time instances;
• (i) said paper documents in said storage locations being logically classified in terms of said date/time instances;
• (e) said paper documents in said physical collection being logically classified by other identifiers into restricted virtual groups;
• (f) paper documents of different ones of said restricted virtual groups being intermingled physically throughout said sequences of paper documents;
• (g) said distributed electronic systems presenting said electronic image documents in restricted electronic groups that correspond to said restricted virtual groups.

A document storage and retrieval network comprising a plurality of distributed systems and a master system:

• (a) each distributed system of said plurality of distributed systems including a distributed physical system, a distributed electronic system, and a distributed scanner for converting a distributed sequence of distributed paper sheets to a distributed sequence of distributed electronic images at a distributed sequence of distributed date/time instances, each one of said distributed date/time instances uniquely designating a distributed matched pair of one of said distributed paper sheets and one of said distributed electronic images;
• (b) said distributed physical system including a distributed primary physical repository and a plurality of distributed secondary physical repositories therein, selected ranges of said distributed sequence of distributed paper sheets corresponding to selected ranges of said distributed date/time instances, said selected ranges of said distributed sequences of distributed paper sheets being contained by selected ones of said distributed secondary physical repositories said selected ones of said distributed secondary physical repositories being visually marked with physical indicia corresponding to said selected ranges of said distributed date/time instances:
• (c) said logical groups of said distributed paper sheets including virtual collections of said distributed paper sheets that are intermingled throughout said distributed secondary repositories so as to be unadapted for immediate physical compilation, the location in said distributed secondary repositories of any one distributed paper sheet being indicated by a record that includes the date/time instance by which said one distributed paper sheet is uniquely identified, said logical groups of said electronic images being identified by logical groups of said electronic records so as to be adapted for immediate electronic compilation.

A document storage and retrieval network comprising a plurality of distributed stations and a master station:

• (a) each distributed station of said plurality of distributed stations including a distributed physical system, a distributed electronic system, and a distributed scanner for converting a distributed sequence of distributed paper sheets to a distributed sequence of distributed electronic images at a distributed sequence of distributed date/time instances, each one of said distributed date/time instances uniquely designating a distributed matched pair of one of said distributed paper sheets and one of said distributed electronic images;
• (b) said distributed physical system including a distributed primary physical repository and a plurality of distributed secondary physical repositories therein, selected ranges of said distributed sequence of distributed paper sheets corresponding to selected ranges of said distributed date/time instances said selected ranges of said distributed sequences of distributed paper sheets being contained by selected ones of said distributed secondary physical repositories said selected ones of said distributed secondary physical repositories being visually marked with physical indicia corresponding to said selected ranges of said distributed date/time instances;
• (c) said master electronic system presenting an electronic table representing a grid containing rows of electronic records and columns of electronic fields, said electronic fields including at least a ONE electronic field and at least a plurality of MANY electronic fields, said ONE electronic field including a sequence of date/time entries that designate a corresponding distributed sequence of said distributed paper sheets and said distributed electronic images, said MANY electronic fields including arrangements of other entries that designate corresponding arrangements of logical groups of said distributed paper sheets and logical groups of said distributed electronic images;
• (d) said logical groups of said distributed paper sheets including virtual collections of said distributed paper sheets that are intermingled throughout said distributed secondary repositories so as to be unadapted for immediate physical compilation, the location in said distributed secondary repositories of any one distributed paper sheet being indicated by a record that includes the date/time instance by which said one distributed paper sheet is uniquely identified, said logical groups of said electronic images being identified by logical groups of said electronic records so as to be adapted for immediate electronic compilation.

A document storage and retrieval network comprising a plurality of distributed stations and a master station:

• (a) each distributed station of said plurality of distributed stations including a distributed physical system, a distributed electronic system, and a distributed scanner for converting a distributed sequence of distributed physical sheets to a distributed sequence of distributed electronic images at a distributed sequence of distributed date/time instances, each one of said distributed date/time instances uniquely designating a distributed matched pair of one of said distributed physical sheets and one of said distributed electronic images;
• (b) said distributed physical system including a distributed primary physical repository and a plurality of distributed secondary physical repositories therein, selected ranges of said distributed sequence of distributed physical sheets corresponding to selected ranges of said distributed date/time instances, said selected ranges of said distributed sequences of distributed paper sheets being contained by selected ones of said distributed secondary physical repositories, said selected ones of said distributed secondary physical repositories being visually marked with physical indicia corresponding to said selected ranges of said distributed date/time instances;
• (c) said master electronic system presenting an electronic table representing a grid containing rows of electronic records and columns of electronic fields, said electronic fields including at least a ONE electronic field and at least a plurality of MANY electronic fields, said ONE electronic field including a sequence of date/time entries that designate a corresponding distributed sequence of said distributed physical sheets and said distributed electronic images, said MANY electronic fields including arrangements of other entries that designate corresponding arrangements of logical groups of said distributed physical sheets and logical groups of said distributed electronic images.
• (d) said logical groups of said distributed physical sheets including virtual collections of said distributed paper sheets that are intermingled throughout said distributed secondary repositories so as to be unadapted for immediate physical compilation, the location in said distributed secondary repositories of any one distributed physical sheet being indicated by a record that includes the date/time instance by which said one distributed physical sheet is uniquely identified, said logical groups of said electronic images being identified by logical groups of said electronic records so as to be adapted for immediate electronic compilation;
• (e) said distributed primary depository being a box and imprinted on said box there being visual indicia specifying a limited date/time range of distributed physical sheets therein, certain of said distributed secondary depositories being folders and imprinted on said folders there being visual indicia specifying limited date/time ranges of distributed physical sheets therein, said master physical system containing physical repositories from said distributed physical systems;
• (f) said distributed electronic systems including distributed servers, distributed hubs, distributed bridges, and distributed pluralities of digital clients, and said master electronic system including a master bridge, said distributed pluralities of digital clients being operatively connected to said servers by said distributed hubs, said distributed servers being operatively connected to said distributed bridges, said distributed bridges being operatively connected to said master bridge.

A document storage and retrieval system comprising a plurality of physical networks for filing sets of physical sheets, scanners for converting said sequences of physical sheets to sequences of electronic images at sequences of date/time instances, and a plurality of electronic systems for filing said sequences of electronic images, each one of said date/time instances uniquely designating a matched pair of one of said physical sheets and one of said electronic images:

• (a) each of said physical systems including a primary physical repository and a plurality of secondary physical repositories therein, selected ranges of said sets of physical sheets corresponding to selected ranges of said date/time instances, said selected ranges of said physical sheets being contained by selected ones of said secondary physical repositories, said selected ones of said secondary physical repositories being visually marked with physical indicia corresponding to said selected ranges of said date/time instances;
• (b) each of said electronic systems presenting an electronic table representing a grid containing rows of electronic records and columns of electronic fields, said electronic fields including at least one primary electronic field and at least a plurality of secondary electronic fields, said primary field including a sequence of date/time entries that designate a corresponding sequence of said physical sheets and said electronic images, said secondary fields including arrangements of other entries that designate corresponding arrangements of other logical groups of said physical sheets and logical groups of said electronic images;
• (c) said logical groups of said physical sheets including virtual sets of said physical sheets that are intermingled throughout said secondary repositories so as to be unadapted for immediate physical compilation, the location in said secondary repositories of any one physical sheet being indicated by a record that includes the date/time instance by which said one physical sheet is uniquely identified, said logical groups of said electronic images being identified by logical groups of said electronic records so as to be adapted for immediate electronic compilation.