Method and system for document version management

A document management system comprising:

• a data communications network;
• a document management server functionally coupled to the data communications network;
• a document management database functionally coupled to the document management server;
• the document management server comprising a document management processor and database management software functional to store digital document files representing documents to be managed in the document management database;
• the document management processor and database management software are further functional to
• store document version information for each of the digital document files,
• generate document version images for each of the digital document files, each of the document version images comprising a bar code, and
• encode the document version images with at least some of the document version information;
• a document printer functionally coupled to the document management server and effective to
• print paper documents represented by the digital document files, and
• print the encoded document version images on the printed paper documents;
• a user communications device configured to receive data from the data communications network;
• an electronic image capture device functional to
• capture the document version images printed on the paper documents, and
• transmit the captured document version images to the document management server via the data communications network;
• the document management server is further functional to
• receive at least some of the document version information from the document version images transmitted by the image capture device,
• compare at least some of the document version information decoded from the received document version images to the respective stored document version information associated with the document;
• and
• the document management server is further functional to automatically generate and transmit a mismatch signal via the communications network to the user communications device if at least some of the decoded document version information for a respective one of the documents does not match the stored document version information for that document.

A method of managing construction documents used on different on construction project sites comprising:

• storing digital copies of current and historical versions of construction documents in a central document management server;
• storing in the central document server a unique document version identifier for each historical and current version of each document;
• storing in the central document server a regulatory jurisdiction identifier for each document;
• storing in the central document server contact information for a notification person for each document;
• connecting the central document server to a data network so that the document management server can be accessed at a server access address;
• printing one or more of the documents as a paper document for use at a construction project site, wherein the step of printing the paper document further comprises
• generating a matrix barcode for the document being printed,
• encoding the matrix barcode with the document version identifier, and
• printing the encoded matrix barcode on the paper document;
• receiving via the data network at the central document server a document version identifier decoded from a matrix barcode printed on a paper document at one of the project sites;
• in a version comparison step performed by the central document server, comparing the received document version identifier decoded from the matrix barcode to the document version identifier stored in the central document server that corresponds to the current version of the document;
• and
• automatically communicating via an alert network a result of the version comparison step to a user of the printed document.