Advanced
Optical Storage
Enabling
Your Application
To enable an application for A.O.S., powerful APIs are used to add functions that
control the movement of files to optical (migrates) and from optical (demigrates). These
APIs also control whether the migration or demigration is synchronous or asynchronous. To
access an optical file, the application simply calls the demigrate API to request the file
to be copied to magnetic cache.
All file migrates and demigrates take place via a magnetic disk cache directory. No
existing I/O operations (file open, read, write) in an application are modified since they
will operate on a file on magnetic disk.
Tight Integration
It's easy to integrate A.O.S. with your Windows-based client-server
application through APIs. This allows for powerful, custom, seamless integration of
optical storage.
Document Capture
Scanning is performed at a designated scan station that is equipped
with a Pentium class computer and a 17" Monitor.
Productivity is the name of the game in an information and image
management system. Instead of reading and handling paper documents all day, users view and
process document images and information directly from the display screen. The system will
not be effective or readily accepted if users have difficulty reading from the display or
wait too long for images to be displayed. This display and controller provide the
exceptional readability and high speed image display required for production environments.
Paper Scanning
The documents will be scanned at a designated scan station equipped with
your choice of scanner(s). Depending on the scanner chosen, or
recommended by your Imagining specialist, many features are available
to enhance the already feature rich capture software. Whether you
are Scanning single sided ,two sided documents or even varying
size documents the images produced will be high-resolution imaging quality.
The, reliable, Panasonic Document Scanner can scan documents ranging up
to 8.5" x 14" at rates as fast as 40 images per minute, using resolutions from
200 to 400 dpi. These performance characteristics along with the automatic document feeder
make this the ideal scanner for high-speed, heavy-duty document imaging applications.
Automatic Indexing
PC’s running windows or a mainframe session
in Windows have the ability to activate Screen Scrape
via a "hot key". Screen Scrape will call up a
PaperlessOffice2000 scan session. This will either retrieve an existing linked folder in
the PaperlessOffice2000 database or create a new one. The staff will then scan and digitize
the paper documents using a scanner of choice interfaced to a Scanning Workstation PC to
quickly and efficiently scan Documents for filing. Scanned images will then be stored to
the folder and filed according to document type.
Screen Scrape may be useful when
indexing some folders. As new record data has been entered to your
organization, index fields will be Scraped from the existing database (residing
on the host network) and automatically linked to electronic file folders, eliminating
the need to key enter this information. This method reduces labor, eliminates
risk of error, and delivers tremendous productivity while providing seamless
integration between the mainframe application and the imaging system.
OCR (Optional)
Predefined documents can be retrieved from batches;
deskewed, despeckled, automatically indexed by OCR (provided the fields needed for
indexing are available and optically recognizable on the document), and stored to optical
disk. Indexing will be Q.A.’d during the OCR process by the operator. Each time a
batch is completely processed the indexer can delete the batch or rename the batch to
identify that it is completed. This will also allow a supervisor to sample
Q.A. the work
and delete the batch.
Storage
It is strongly recommended to store documents with like
retention and usage requirements together, chronologically, on the same pieces of media.
Grouping documents in this way reduces autochanger capacity and cache size requirements
and makes disk management easier over time. One of the critical elements to ensure a
successful information and image management system implementation is to minimize any
interruption of the indexing and storing of documents. The documents will be stored
to optical media. This media has a low per GB cost and a 100-year read-life expectancy
which dramatically reduces media maintenance management, and administration costs. Images
are stored to the Optical Server which will be
using Advanced Information Technologies’ Advanced Optical Storage
(A.O.S.) with a volume dedicated to
caching images.
Retrieval
The users will do a customary look up for the appropriate
record in the current mainframe, users will then have the option via a hot key to view the
related documents in a separate viewing window. This process creates a seamless
integration between the document images and mainframe data. The existence of a separate
imaging system is transparent and the entire process performs as though it were one
system. The requester will then have the choice of printing, faxing, E-mailing (if this
option is enabled), or just viewing the document. The requester may also perform the
functions of rotating, flipping, enlarging the document, or "rubberbanding" a
certain area of the document and enlarging it. When printing, faxing, or E-mailing the
document, the requester will have the choice of doing so for the page on the screen, the
full document (multiple pages), or the complete folder (multiple documents). If any
annotations have been added to the page(s), the operator will have the choice of including or excluding these
annotations in these processes. The database used to control the PaperlessOffice
System will be an industry standard SQL database capable of generating user-defined
reports, rapid text searches, and complete cross references. Access to the folders will be
Company wide, or selectively.
Remaining network users can be allowed, if this option is added, indirect
(dependent) access via an existing E-mail package (given that it is TIFF compatible) which
will rely on an "independent" workstation for image retrieval from
PaperlessOffice.
Once images are retrieved and sent, this will allow image viewing, printing, and faxing
capability by the recipient. Additional "independent" stations can easily be
added at a later date.
Printing
Documents may be printed to any Windows Graphical Device
Interface (GDI) printer. Documents may also be printed to an Advanced Information
Technologies Kofax Enhanced Laser Printer, giving documents extra-sharp clarity using
advanced resolution enhancement and developing technologies, at speeds up to 30 pages per
minute. The Kofax Enhanced Laser Printers use a smart image-printing controller, designed
to greatly accelerate the printing of images. This controller uses built-in, Kofax
technology to print TIFF and JBIG images in the print stream data. This allows printing
images at the printer’s rated speed. Other applications can print to this printer,
using the supplied Windows GDI driver, through Windows.
Mail Functionality
PaperlessOffice2000 has Mail functionality built-in. This function works with
off-the-shelf Windows e-mail packages and uses an efficient performance oriented
methodology while providing enhanced security capability to system users.
Servers
:Application/Database
In the future, additional application servers may be
required to maximize performance, using load-balancing techniques.
A.O.S.
Optical Server
Some A.O.S. servers may be used for caching of retrieved
images only while other A.O.S. servers may be used for storing the images to the optical
media. This prevents other applications from dominating a specific application’s
cache without requiring the purchase of additional optical devices. Additional A.O.S
servers may be required to maximize performance using load-balancing techniques.
Resolution of Problems and
Benefits of the System
The Organization’s records will be stored as
electronics images and relied on in that state rather than as massive paper files that are
prone to misfile and can only be used by one person at a time. Documents may contain other
information beyond scanned paper or microfilm including faxes, word processing,
spreadsheets, full-motion video clips, photos, voice, and other computer generated
documents. All of a document’s contents are retrievable without the need to know the
source of information within the document. Implementation of the proposed system will
result in instantaneous and multiple access to important documents without the necessity
to create copies and maintain duplicate files. The documents will always be available
electronically without ever being out-of-file, misplaced, lost, or damaged. The use of the
system will result in simplified file maintenance, improved document quality, increased
customer satisfaction, and a reduction in the space required for document storage.
Monotonous, clerical activities can be replaced by higher-skill level judgment tasks
resulting in better employee attitude, and promoting job satisfaction. All these benefits
are obtainable, while achieving the added benefit of reducing your exposure to risk of the
loss of information due to Fire, Flood or any other Natural Disaster.
