Electronic document management system and method
A system and method automating the placement of paper documents into an electronic document management system. A document is faxed to a network server. The network server automatically receives the faxed document and converts it to a pre-determined file format, such as PDF. The converted document is placed in a staging directory including a list of faxed documents. The network server provides a graphical user interface that the transmitting user accesses over the Internet to access the staging directory. The user selects the faxed document from the staging directory, and indicates that it be moved to a particular storage area. The particular storage area may be a course page for a course offered by an educational institution.
1. An electronic document management system comprising:
a fax module which is configured for receiving a facsimile transmission of a document;
a data store;
a processor; and
additional modules coupled to the fax module, the processor and the data store, wherein the processor and additional modules are configured to implement a method comprising:
saving the document, which is received by the fax module, within a first storage area comprising a temporary directory of the data store;
automatically converting the faxed document from a first format into a formatted document having a predetermined format;
renaming the formatted document from a first name to a second name;
saving the formatted document into a second storage area of the data store, the second storage area comprising a staging area;
receiving a user selection of the formatted document from a plurality of documents identified within the staging area;
receiving a user selection of a third storage area of the data store, the third storage area comprising a final reserve directory; and
in response to the user selections, moving the formatted document from the second storage area, comprising the staging area, to the third storage area, comprising the final reserve directory.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes associating the formatted document with information on when the facsimile transmission was received.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes assigning a password to the formatted document.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes:
receiving the assigned password; and
retrieving the formatted document from the data store in response to the receipt of the assigned password.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third storage area of the data store, comprising the final reserve directory, is associated with a particular course offered by an educational institution, and the formatted document is a material associated with the course.
6. The system of claim 1 further including a network connection for receiving the document over a computer network.
7. A method for electronic document management comprising:
receiving a facsimile transmission of a document;
saving the document within a first storage area of a data store, the first storage area comprising a temporary directory;
automatically converting the document from a first format into a formatted document having a predetermined format;
renaming the formatted document from a first name to a second name;
saving the formatted document into a second storage area of the data store, the second storage area comprising a staging area;
receiving a user selection of the formatted document from a plurality of documents identified within the staging area;
receiving a user selection of a third storage area of the data store, the third storage area comprising a final reserve directory; and
in response to the user selections, moving the formatted document from the second storage area, comprising the staging area, to the third storage area, comprising the final reserve directory.
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising associating the formatted document with information on when the facsimile transmission was received.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising assigning a password to the formatted document.
10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
receiving the assigned password; and
retrieving the formatted document from the data store in response to the receipt of the assigned password.
11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the third storage area is associated with a course offered by an educational institution, and the document is a material associated with the course.
12. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the user selection of the third storage area further includes a user selection of the course from the staging area, wherein the course comprises one of a plurality of educational courses for which the document can be reserved for authorized access.
13. A method as recited in claim 11 , wherein the final reserve directory comprises a general directory.
14. A method as recited in claim 7 , wherein the method further includes receiving a title for the formatted document prior to moving the formatted document to the final reserve directory, the title being distinguished from the second name, the title being used to identify the formatted document within an interface associated with the final reserve directory and particular education course.
15. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium having computer usable program modules containing executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to perform a method comprising:
receiving a facsimile transmission of a document;
saving the document within a first storage area of a data store, the first storage area comprising a temporary directory;
automatically converting the document from a first format into a formatted document having a predetermined format;
renaming the formatted document from a first name to a second name;
saving the formatted document into a second storage area of the data store, the second storage area comprising a staging area;
receiving a user selection of the formatted document from a plurality of documents identified within the staging area;
receiving a user selection of a third storage area of the data store, the third storage area comprising a final reserve directory; and
in response to the user selections, moving the formatted document from the second storage area, comprising the staging area, to the third storage area, comprising the final reserve directory.
16. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the method further includes associating the formatted document with information on when the facsimile transmission was received.
17. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the method further includes assigning a password to the formatted document.
18. The article of manufacture of claim 17 , wherein the method further includes:
receiving the assigned password; and
retrieving the formatted document from the data store in response to the receipt of the assigned password.
19. The article of manufacture of claim 15 , wherein the third storage area is associated with a course offered by an educational institution, and the document is a material associated with the course.