摘要 |
A document management method and apparatus implemented in a network environment containing a document management system (DMS), at least one multi-function device (MFD) and a network connecting the document management system to the MFDs. The MFD activities of scan, fax, copy and print are integrated with a DMS using signatures obtained from an intrinsic natural characteristic of hard copies of documents, such as optical speckle from paper, as the hard copies are processed by the MFD. In this way the lifecycle of hard copies within an office can be automatically logged on the DMS, and optionally also the processes can be controlled according to rights over the documents held by different users.
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