Operation - Digital Pen & Paper by CubeIQ

irForms - Operations

Form Design
Form design starts with the insertion of Anoto background.
Then the form is designed, fields are inserted and positioned in the most possible ergonomic order, in order to correspond to the data that are required to be collected. In case the form already existed in electronic format, the fields contained usually are recomposed and reordered and in general the shape of the form charges in order to meet the technical specifications defined by the "Anoto background technology".

Database Schema Implementation
The part of the database that corresponds to the form that has been developed or changed is implemented. Each form requires its own data structure (dataset) into the database. Therefore, tables, fields, table's relations, conversion rules and control rules are implemented.

Form Printing and Distribution
For printing the electronic forms we use the standard commercial xerographic paper. Additional information on paper quality required to be used in the irForms system along with the certified printing machines can be found at irForms technical specifications pages. Printed forms can be distributed either in single sheets, or in packaged sheets or bound up in blocks.

Form Filling with Digital Pen
The end users use the digital pen to fill the forms. The digital pen has a capacity of 100 forms or time duration of 8 hours of continuous filling forms writing.

Data Transfer from the Digital Pen
Transfer of data from the digital pen is realized in two steps. First step is from the digital pen to the mobile phone using a Bluetooth connection. The second step is from the mobile phone to the  irForms server through GPRS network. For specific applications, transfer of data stored in the digital pen memory can be realized via USB connection to a PC and then to irForms server.

Forms Reception, Digitization, Conversion, Corrections and Storage
Data send from the digital pen are received by the Web server of the irForms system server and stored temporary in PDF or PNG file format. Following, they are delivered to the internal ICR/IWR server which converts the image file to digital text applying ICR/IWR technologies and special optimization algorithms developed by Skai.
The processed, by the ICR/IWR server, text is presented to the system operators (workflow option) for visual inspection, possible correction (workflow option) and storage to the system database; the Database server of irForms system server. The original form that was send from the digital pen is also stored in pdf or png format (option). The operation has the capability to recall the form (pdf or png file) from the storage area, to re-convert it (ICR/IWR), to re-correct it and to re-storing it until the form (the data of the form) is transferred to another system and/or deleted.

Forwarding Data to the Next System: ERP, CMS, CRM, …, any Custom
Using different types of interfaces, irForms server data can be transferred to any other software application. In cases where multiple external applications have to be updated with irForms server data, then data transfer can be realized in serial fashion, based of one or multiple criteria, or in parallel.
Supported interfaces from irForms server are: ASCII files, XML files, DDA - Direct Database Access (LAN) and RDA - Remote Database Access (WAN/VPN/Internet).
Stored forms' data can be presented to the internet, on the corporate web site, in pdf or png file format, in ASCII file format or as web pages.

Management Procedures  
irForms server though its clients, irForms visual, performs a number of management operations. For each system implementation irForms server manages the forms (field types, conversion rules, control rules, languages, dictionaries), the internal users - irForms visual users and its privileges (LAN and WAN users), the external users, the digital pens and mobile phones used by the external users. irForms server also manages the general system parameters such as primary and secondary IP address, ports etc.

Reception, Conversion, Visual Inspection, Correction and Final Storage.

Form's First Page as is send from the Digital Pen.
Form's First Page, which consist of two pages, as is sent by the digital pen, is temporarily stored and displayed to the operator in PDF or PNG file format.
The form contains different field types such as check boxes, numeric fields, alphanumeric fields, free text fields, combinations of the foregoing field types and one image type field that contains the customer signature.
The forms are stored temporary in iirForms server, in pdf or png format until the system administrator or an operator with adequate privileges decides to transfer them and/or to delete them.

Form's First Page Processed.

The first page of the form, processed with correspondence of the form fields to the database fields.
The screen displayed in the computer monitor although looks like the form's first page is actually the database data entry screen as was developed during form design and database generation phase.

The values of the fields shown have been derived by processing the form through ICR & IWR algorithms and the hierarchical usage of multiple dictionaries on the results. This technology gives us a success ration more than 94% on the Greek language manuscript conversion to digital text.

The values of the fields, before the final storage of the form and the form's fields in the irForms database can be changed (editable) by an operator with the adequate privileges. The customer signature field (image type field) is not shown in the screen because in the specific implementation was decided fields of image type not to be stored since we store the full original form.

Form's Second Page as is Sent from the Digital Pen.

Form's Second Page Processed.

The second page of the form, processed with correspondence of the form fields to the database fields.
Again, the screen displayed in the computer monitor that resembles to form's second page is not the form but is the database data entry screen as was developed during form design and database generation phase.
The values of the fields shown have been derived by processing the form (ICR & IWR and dictionaries) and can be changed before their final storage.
The fixed text which in the specific application is products description and products codes has been printed to the form and is shown identically, also at the database data entry screen.