Importance

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Abstract

According to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus and method for a digital filing system is disclosed. In this context, digital filing refers to the efficient management of paper-based information from its receipt at the desktop through an indexing, scanning, image storage, and image retrieval process. The preferred embodiments of the present invention provide for easy and effective indexing, imaging, storing, retrieving and managing of paper-based documents, transforming them into electronic documents using a system which incorporates many existing office resources. The proposed system and method implements a desktop solution for digital filing, which can be made available to each worker. Uniquely, the digital filing system of the present invention also allows users to index and label documents prior to scanning/imaging by using either a dedicated desktop labeling mechanism or pre-printed labels. The most preferred embodiments of the present invention utilize individual pre-printed labels that are dispensed one at a time from a 'pop-up' dispensing mechanism. Each of the pre-printed labels contains a globally unique document identifier which is affixed to the lead page of a paper-based document. The globally unique file name or identifier is synchronized with a computerized database so that the digital image of the paper-based document and index information associated with the digital image can be stored and retrieved when the document is subsequently scanned.

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First Claim