WO2005121832A1

WO2005121832A1 - Method, system and apparatus for document management

Info

Publication number: WO2005121832A1
Application number: PCT/AU2005/000764
Authority: WO
Inventors: Raymond Timothy Frost; Graham Alexander Munro Murdoch
Original assignee: Magellan Technology Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2004-06-09
Filing date: 2005-05-30
Publication date: 2005-12-22

Abstract

The present invention has application in all environments where documents or articles may be found or stored, such as offices, warehouses, as well as where documents or articles are placed such as desks, cabinets, store rooms, etc. The present invention relates to a method of, device and/or systems for cataloguing, searching, authenticating and retrieving of closely stacked documents and/or articles, as well as a system and apparatus therefore. The invention uses closely stackable RFID tags, in association with various interrogator apparatus. and tracking software and/or office management and accounting software and systems. The tags use technology, which has been found to reduce interference effects.

Description

METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT FIELDOF INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of document management and it also has application to the management of other small closely stacked articles. In one form, the invention relates to a system and method of finding paper documents relatively rapidly. In another form, the present invention relates to a method of, device and/or systems for cataloguing, searching, authenticating and retrieving of documents and/or articles, as well as a system and apparatus therefore. The present invention has application in all environments where documents may be found or stored, such as offices, warehouses, as well as where documents are placed such as desks, cabinets, safes, security vaults and other storage rooms circumstances and situations. It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention in relation to an office environment and office equipment, however it should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to only that use.

BACKGROUND ART The inventors have found that document management has several different applications. It may comprise cataloguing of information into a database for easy retrieval of information, or it may be digitization of all data so that everything can be placed into searchable form and made available electronically. The inventors realise that in some environments, the identification and/or location of the actual document itself is important. In some environments, there is a need to not only identify and locate documents, but also to be able to readily access some knowledge of the identity of the document and what the document pertains to. The inventors have discovered that the tracking of documents in and around offices, as well as the tracking of the time any document is held in any one location is considered of major concern to business. With this in mind, the inventors have identified several present and existing document management systems that have been adopted to manage the flow of documents in an office. For example, colour coding can be used in association with the document. When a number of documents are placed in a filing cabinet, the colours of each document will form an easily recognisable pattern. Thus, if one document is placed out of its correct place, an interruption to that pattern can be readily observed. However, this colour coding does not provide other information about the document itself and the coding needs to be visible at all times. Another example is the use of barcodes attached to the documents. This system also relies on the barcode being visible, and thus if a file is hidden from view by other files, it will not be readily located. Barcodes, by themselves, are also not readily discernable by humans. Also new information cannot be added to a bar code label once that label is printed and issued. The inventors also have discovered that there are some present and existing instances of the application to and the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags in relation to document management. An electronic identifier, such as an (RFID) tag, can be associated with an individual document or with a file or folder and when the tag is interrogated by an interrogating electromagnetic field, information stored in the tag can be readily imparted to the interrogator. However, the present state of the art limits severely the number of tagged documents that can be read rapidly at the one time. Present systems also cannot read, in a useful way, stacks of many tagged documents such as 20 or more documents at the same time. Present RFID document tags also use tuned coils, where when two or more tags are placed in close proximity to each other, the tags antennae interfere with each other so that they fail to work correctly and /or cannot work in a stack of closely stacked tags. For this reason, tags have previously and predominantly been used in association with relatively larger items such as shipping pallets, airline baggage, storage boxes or crates, where separation between tagged articles is maintained by the need for singulation and sortation and hence coupling between tags does not occur due to physical separation of the tags often by as much as 5cm. Furthermore, the inventors have realised that in an office environment, such separation of documents is not practicable, that documents must be closely stacked and the invention addresses clearly this specific need. Still furthermore, the inventors have realised that in an office environment the tracking of various parameters, including the monitoring and recording of staff work and efficiency (such as hours billed) is important. Various systems exist that record time and costs associated with photocopying and other clerical duties. Other systems act somewhat as a diary, promoting 'tasks' for a person to do. However, these various systems are in effect stand alone systems. Although the data may be recorded onto a single or central database, there is little if any synergy or linkages between the various systems. For example, time recording alone does not take into account turn around time, the location of a file at a particular point in time, the person in possession of the file, nor the status of the file. Any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention. It should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms a part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia or elsewhere on or before the priority date of the disclosure and claims herein. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved document management system, method and/or apparatus. A further object of the present invention is to alleviate at least one disadvantage associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention provides, in one aspect, in a document management system, a method, device and/or system of enabling at least two tags to be read within relatively close proximity of each other, the method including the step of configuring each tag in accordance with any one or a combination of the following criteria:

• Periodically controlling tag antenna current to substantially reduce or eliminate current in the tag antenna, and/or

• Switching the tag between active and in-active states. Preferably, if two tags are interrogated simultaneously and/or have interfered with each other, that interrogation event is ignored. Preferably, the antenna current is reduced by at least 50%. The invention has been found useful in un-tuned antennas, but may also be applied to tuned antennas. Preferably, the proximity is less than 20 cm, preferably less than 1 cm, and more preferably less than 1mm. Preferably, the tags are tags as disclosed in PCT/AU03/01072. Other aspects and preferred aspects are disclosed in the specification and/or defined in the appended claims, forming a part of the description of the invention. In essence, the present invention is based on the realisation that the use of closely stackable RFID tags, in association with various interrogator apparatus and tracking software and/or office management and accounting software and systems, can provide not only a document management system which has many advantages over the prior art but a substantially complete solution in terms of knowledge management in an office, including especially document management tracking and reporting. The inventors have realised that there is a manageable relationship between tag separation (distance), the number of turns of an antenna on a tag, and current drawn. By controlling the current drawn, the impugning field created by the current of a first tag's antenna on a second tag's (adjacent or closely associated) antenna can be controlled in a manageable way, and thus, the 'normal' prior art inference which would otherwise be exhibited between two or more proximate tags can be reduced. This enables two or more tags to be associated in proximity to each other. In a preferred embodiment, the RFID tags and related devices include those as disclosed in PCT/AU03/01072, Australian Provisional patent application number 2002950973, filed 22nd August 2002, Australian Provisional patent application number 2004901683, filed 29 March 2004, Australian Provisional patent application number 2004903107, filed 9 June 2004, and Australian Provisional patent application number 2004903694, filed 7 July 2004 the disclosure of each of which is incorporated herein by reference. The tags use 'stackable technology', such as an un-tuned antenna design ( in one embodiment only) with antenna current management which has been found to reduce interference effects, and thus has been found to be suitable in a document management system where documents are likely to be relatively closely stacked or held. The present invention has been found to result in a number of advantages, such as: • Enabling the labelling or tagging and the remote identification of closely stacked documents and or articles in many discrete and separate places by the use of tags within a complete electronic document management and tracking and tracing system,

• Information such as the actual present location of the document, date and time when the document was last issued, returned, transferred, loaned/borrowed/taken possession of can be stored in the RFID tag,

• The tag acts as a distributed data base thus avoiding the need for constant access to look up tables and the consequent communication cost and time penalties, • Closely stacked documents can be read from and written to,

• Documents can be made individually accountable and/or be controlled as such,

• No line of sight is required as communication and detection is via Radio Frequency which can communicate through a stack of documents, • Document information, such as who is the last person to have held the document, can be stored in RFID labels associated with the document,

• Electronic files associated with the document may also be stored in the RFID tag,

• Key reference phrases pertaining to the document may be stored on the tag to facilitate searching through the tags electronically to locate key words in documents rather than having to read every word in every document,

• The document and tag information may be linked, joined and/or interfaced with a knowledge management system, accounting system, office management system, and/or be available at various locations via Internet, Intranet and/or server, • The document can be tracked and traced by a series of in and out trays, all linked together on a LAN such that the present location of any document is made available or is visible to all persons connected to the LAN,

• The ability to read and write, track and trace, authenticate and control one or even many hundreds of relatively closely stacked documents or small articles such as criminal evidence, in a building stretching over many floors,

• The invention uses 'stackable tag' technology, and as part of a complete system of tags, readers and the associated local and wide area networks, it can provide 'visibility' over any or all documents in the system at the various reading points in the system,

• The invention may also use a read write 'head' incorporated into a photocopier so that the particulars of the document being copied and in whose control the document was held at the time of copying can be recorded openly or covertly as may be desired by the system manager,

• The invention can function with tags that are either closely stacked or spaced some distance apart. Throughout this specification, the term 'document' includes reference to paper, linen, plastic and other such objects, such as magazines, journals, medical files, X Ray films, contract documents, legal files, passports, letters, a number of pages, single pages, folios, complete files, file folders, one or more articles or things such as pharmaceuticals, drugs, blood or tissue samples certificates, books, boxes, office stationery, office supplies, office equipment and various other articles that may require identification and/or location, as well as electronic records associated with such 'document'. Reference to a 'document' also refers to any number of 'documents'. Furthermore, reference to a document may include reference to one 'document' residing in or being associated with another 'document'. Throughout this specification, reference to an 'interrogator' or 'interrogated' includes reference to a read only or read and write device or act that may power a tag, communicate with a tag, receive information from a tag, read a tag, transmit information to a tag and/or signal to and/or from a tag. This includes for example an RFID enabled in and out tray or central registry document repository adapted to communicate with tags stored or moved therein. Throughout this specification, reference to a 'tag' includes reference to one or more RFID tags and/or reference to a tag(s) as disclosed in the incorporated disclosures noted above. In one specific form of the invention, a tag is defined as a label or adhesive note or other method of affixing identity to an article or thing in any form, such as a device comprising an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) "chip" attached to an antenna or having an antenna attached to it, or where an antenna forms past of the chip assembly itself and where the chip and the antenna structure, including optionally a capacitor or capacitors and which device functions as an inductively powered passive transponder or a battery powered electronic transponder or is a transponder powered by some other means. The present invention is adapted to operate with tags that are relatively closely stacked such as 1 mm between tags which overlap exactly and where the tags can also be actually touching. The invention is also adapted to operate with tags that are spaced much wider apart such as 5 cm or more. Furthermore, the invention is adapted to operate with tags and interrogators which can also have varying orientations. That, is the invention in certain interrogator implementations is relatively insensitive to the orientation of the tag or how the tag is presented to the interrogator. Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further disclosure, objects, advantages and aspects of the present application may be better understood by those skilled in the relevant art by reference to the following description of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and in which: Figure 1 illustrates an overall system schematic of the present invention, Figure 2 illustrates a document with a tag according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 illustrates an interrogator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4 illustrates an in-tray and/or out-tray in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present inventors have realised that knowledge and information management is considered very important to any organisation. Knowledge and information learned in a project should carry forward to subsequent projects.

Medical and legal case files are one example. Security documents are another example. Documents, information, records, protocols and practices created earlier can be reused if proper management is in place. Document management and tracking is critical to ensure proper knowledge management in an organisation. Properly tracked documents provide cost savings in terms of reduced effort to locate a document, redo or rewrite a document and also prevent lost documents. Lost documents mean loss of knowledge stored in the document. The present inventors have realised that Radio Frequency Identification

(RFID) is a suitable technology to use in implementing document tracking, not least of which for the reasons outlined in the advantages noted above. Referring to Figure 1 , an overall schematic of the present invention as applied to an office environment is illustrated. Obviously, the present invention has application to other uses and environments where documents are used, stored, or located and this application equally extends to those uses and environments. Other uses and environments may have more or less of the various features and devices illustrated in Figure 1. The embodiments of the present invention will be described by following the trail of a document through an office. A first embodiment relates to a simpler version of the present invention as illustrated in Figure 1 , and is considered applicable to a relatively small office environment. In this embodiment, document(s) 101 , such as mail, come into an office 102 and one or more tags 103 are physically applied or associated with the document(s). Figure 1A illustrates a document 101 with an associated tag 103. As shown in more detail in Figure 2, the tag 103 has a chip 203 and coil 202. Information, such as data 138 regarding the document, and as described below, may be input into the document tray reader, interrogator or other tracking device 104. This tracker 104 may associate the information with the tag applied to the document. This information must then be imparted to the tag itself via interrogator 105. After applying the tags to the documents, and after uploading information regarding the document, and any other information considered useful, into the tracker system, the document (with its tag) can be passed proximate the interrogator 105. When the tag is sensed proximate the interrogator, the information can transmitted to the tag. Equally, the tag (if it has some information pre-existing stored) can impart that information via the interrogator 105 to the tracker 104 and its associated server 113 and or database 106. The interrogator 105 in this way can transmit and/or receive information and signals to and/or from the tag 103. The document can then be passed onto the intended recipient's desk, in this case, user 107. Each tag may be any RFID tag. In one embodiment, one or more tags are of the kind disclosed in at least one of the specifications incorporated by reference above. Figure 2 illustrates an example of such tag 103. The tag includes a relatively flexible substrate 201 which may be adhesively or otherwise applied or associated with the document. It may be applied to the rear, front and or side of the document. The tag includes an antenna 202 that is formed on the substrate for receiving an interrogation signal. A chip 203 is coupled to the antenna 202 by contacts 204. The chip may include microprocessor technology, memory or other technology as is required by the specific use to which the tag is to be put. The chip 203 may store data associated with the document, such as a form of identification, preferably a unique code or information. However, the identification information may be of any suitable kind, again in accordance with the specific use to which the preset invention is put. The code may identify: • Source of the document author and time/date, Security classification, Who is authorised to see and/or copy the document, Action officer, What action is required, Who is to do what by when, time and date of receipt, deadline or due dates, type of document, whether the document is a fax, letter, photocopy or email copy, invoice, • to whom the document is addressed, what references are noted on the document, other information thought to be of relevance in accordance with management practice in the particular office where the present invention is used. The substrate of the tag may also include some indicia (of any kind) for visual recognition of the tag. Returning to Figure 1, after the document is passed onto its intended recipient 107 with its information via a reader and/or interrogator 105, the tracker 104 can then monitor and alert via an appropriate function, such as communicating with a persons diary, email or tasks list, that the document has been placed on their desk 107. A time record can then be generated, with predetermined time limits if necessary, with respect to turn around time of the document and in accordance with office procedures and practices as may be defined in the tracker 104 and/or any associated office system 108. Once the document is actioned, the user may input information regarding the action into the tracker 104, the document may be interrogated 105 before moving to it's next recipient user 109 or being sent out of the office 102 via mailroom 110. The tag 103 may remain with the document or be removed form the document upon exiting the office. The tag may be re-used if it is removed form the document. The tag may be wiped of relevant data if it is exiting the office 102. There is an important consideration in the use of tags in the working of the present invention. The nature of documents is such that they can be stacked in relatively close proximity to each other. Because of this, the use of conventional tuned tags may not be suitable. This is because, when conventional tuned tags are stacked in relatively close proximity to each other the antenna resonant currents interfere with the tuning of adjacent tags such that the tags will not work in closely stacked applications. In a preferred form of the present invention, the inventors have found that the tags 103 should have a controlled current draw when they are interrogated in close proximity to each other. The current draw may be controlled by configuring the tag 103 with at least one of the following in mind: • Substantially reducing or eliminating resonant currents by not tuning the antenna coil (preferably at manufacture) so that it is not a resonant coil,

• Switching the tag between high and low power states or active and inactive states wherein the current drawn from the antenna is as small as possible in the low power (inactive) state. • Each tag may be switched deliberately and/or randomly, so that there is a relatively low probably of having two tags 'active' and adjacent to each other at any one time,

• where two tags are interrogated simultaneously and/or have interfered with each other, ignoring that tag interrogation, • Minimising functions performed by the tags when inactive,

• Utilising relatively low power circuits,

• Using on-chip capacitive devices which may charge during an 'active' or powered cycle such that the stored energy may also be used during the 'un powered' or in-active cycle, and • Making the impedance 'seen' by the antenna coil as large as possible, particularly in the 'in-active' state of the tag. An embodiment of the interrogator 105 is illustrated in Figure 3. It has a based 301 and coil 302 (of one or more loops as is required according to the particular tags that are used) which is coupled 303 to a communication 304 with the tracker 104 of the present invention. Figure 1 also illustrates more components related to a second embodiment of the present invention and useful in a more sophisticated embodiment applicable to a relatively larger office. As described above, a document 101 can enter an office 102. A tag 103 is associated with the document in the mail room 110, and information is input into the tracker 104 regarding the document and its associated tag 103. The tag 103 can then have that information (and any additional information such as electronic files to be associated with the document) imparted in the mail room via an interrogator 105 in the mail room, or the information and any other information and files may be imparted as the document is moved through a doorway interrogator or other suitably disposed interrogator 111 along path 112 to a recipient's desk 107. Again, if the tag 103 has previously been associated with the document, that is it arrived at the office 102 with a tag 103 attached, then the tag 103 may also or alternatively impart information and or files to the tracker 104. At the user 107, there may be provided an in-tray 114 and an out-tray 115.

The in-tray 114 and out-tray 115 may be of the type illustrated in Figure 4. In effect they are similar to the interrogator 105 and as illustrated in Figure 3. The in-tray 114 has a base 401 in which a coil 402 is disposed. The coil 402 may be attached to the base or may even reside in a portion of the desk 107. When the documents are placed in or proximate the coil 402, the tags 103 associated with each document may be interrogated, updated and/or read. Once the document is in the in-tray 114 the tracker 104 of the present invention can monitor that the document is located there, as well as any time keeping function associated with the document in accordance with office practice. The user may remove the document from the in-tray, work on the document, impart any relevant updating information to the tracker 104 via LAN 116 or other communication means, such as wireless communication means. The document can then be placed in the out-tray 115 of the user 107. The tracker 104 can then sense this new location of the document by interrogating the out-tray 115. Once the tracker 104 knows the document 101 is in the out-tray 115, any new or update information can be passed between the document 101 and the tracker 104 via the out-tray 115 and its coil 402. If the document 101 is then passed onto another person or room, the movement of the document 101 can the sensed by the present invention. Firstly, the present invention can sense the removal of the document 101 from the out- tray 115 at its next polling of the out-tray 115. If the document 101 is moved along path 117, the present invention can then sense that movement as the document 101 passes through interrogator 118. If the document is placed into in- tray 119, this also can be polled or sensed by tracker 104. On the other hand, if the document was misplaced in the out-tray 120 of desk 109, rather than the in-tray 119, the tracker may make an alert via an audio device (not shown) associated with the out-tray 120 or alert someone via email or another suitable way. Again time tracking and other office functions may be activated once the document is sensed in in-tray 119. The communications between the tracker 104 and the in-tray 119 and out-tray 120 may be via Internet or an Intranet 121. Once work on the document has been completed, the document may be moved to a document store room 122. An interrogator, such as interrogator 105 or 111 may be placed at an entrance and/or exit to the store room. The store room 122 may alternatively or additionally be a safe or other document repository alone or within another storage area. Within the store room, and document 101 may be stored in a document storage cabinet 123, which has shelves 124 to house the document 101 and a coil 125 which may be used to interrogate the contents of the cabinet 123 so that a particular document 101 may be located and/or communicated with. Another cabinet 126 may also be used in which has a number of coils 127 associated with a region of the cabinet or store room, or with each shelf of the cabinet 126. Cabinets 123 or 126 may alternatively or in combination be a safe or other document repository. From the store room 122, a document 101 may be obtained and moved via path 128 and interrogator 111 to an in-tray, such as in-tray 114, if further work is required on the document 101. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a portable hand-held interrogator or wand 129 may be provided. The wand 129 may be used to parse documents 101 at any location in the office 102 and transmit information to the tracker 104. The wand may have a transmitter and/or receiver 130 antenna and associated transmitter and receiver circuitry (not shown). The tracker 104 may have a corresponding receiver and transmitter station 131 communicating with tracker 104. A remote desk 132 and it's associated in-tray 133 and out-tray 134 may communicate wirelessly with the tracker via station 131. The tracker 104 of the present invention may also be associated with other office systems such as:

• Ethernet and a local or wide area network to give visibility over all documents on the system to all users of the system as may or may not be required,

• an office database 135 for access and /or recording of any information associated with documents, time tracking, personnel, addresses, etc

• an accounting system 136, for recording or access to billing or other accounting information associated with documents,

• office equipment 137, such as photocopiers and faxes or creating and sending documents 101 , and/or for recording billing information associated with those documents. While this invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification(s). This application is intended to cover any variations uses or adaptations of the invention following in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth. As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit of the essential characteristics of the invention, it should be understood that the above described embodiments are not to limit the present invention unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Various modifications and equivalent arrangements are intended to be included within the spirit and scope of the invention and appended claims. Therefore, the specific embodiments are to be understood to be illustrative of the many ways in which the principles of the present invention may be practiced. In the following claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover structures as performing the defined function and not only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. For example, although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface to secure wooden parts together, in the environment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw are equivalent structures. "Comprises/comprising" when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof."

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A method of configuring a RFID tag to enable the tag to be read in relatively close proximity to another tag, the method including configuring at least one tag in accordance with any one or a combination of the following criteria the steps of: • Periodically controlling tag antenna current to substantially reduce or eliminate current in the tag antenna, and/or • Switching the tag between active and in-active states.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further including the step of, if two tags are interrogated simultaneously and/or have interfered with each other, ignoring that interrogation event.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the current is substantially reduced or eliminated when the tag is in an inactive state.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in the step of switching the tag between active and inactive states, the switching of each tag is conducted randomly or deliberately.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further including the criteria of: • each tag an uses on-chip capacitive device which charges during an 'active' cycle and uses energy stored in the active cycle during an 'in-active' cycle.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further including the criteria of: • making the impedance 'seen' by the antenna coil of the tag as large as possible, particularly in the 'in-active' state of the tag.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the antenna current is reduced by at least 50%.

8. A radio frequency tag including logic means configured to operate the tag in accordance with the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A tag as claimed in claim 8, wherein the tag is a tag as disclosed in PCT/AU03/01072.

10. A tag as claimed in claim 8, wherein the antenna is an untuned antenna.

11. A document management system including tags configured in accordance with the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

12. A document or article management system for tracking documents or articles within a predetermined region, such as an office environment, the system including: at least two documents, at least one tag associated with each document, an interrogator adapted to communicate with each tag, even if a tag is in relatively close proximity to another tag, logic means adapted to associate information with each tag and document, and wherein each tag is configured in accordance with any one or a combination of the following criteria: • Periodically controlling tag antenna current to substantially reduce or eliminate current in the tag antenna, and/or • Switching the tag between active and in-active states.

13. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the criteria further includes any one or a combination of: • If two tags are interrogated simultaneously and/or have interfered with each other, ignoring that interrogation event, • The current in the tag antenna coil is substantially reduced or eliminated when in the inactive state.

14. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein switching the tag between active and inactive states is conducted randomly or deliberately.

15. A system as claimed in claim 12 or 13, further including the criteria of: • charge an on-broad capacitive device during an 'active' cycle and uses energy stored in the active cycle during an 'in-active' cycle.

16. A system as claimed in claim 12 or 13, further including the criteria of: • making the impedance 'seen' by the antenna coil of each tag as large as possible, particularly in the 'in-active' state of the tag.

17. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each tag is read individually.

18. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the proximity is less than 20 cm, preferably less than 1 cm, and more preferably less than 1mm.

19. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the tags are tags as disclosed in PCT/AU03/01072.

20. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the interrogator is adapted to be provided proximate an office doorway.

21. A system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a wand, baton, or hand held interrogator adapted to interrogate tags associated with documents and transmit and/or receive communications with the logic means.

22. A document storage device adapted to store documents, the device including: at least one region for storing or holding documents, and an interrogator associated with the device.

23. A device as claimed in claim 22, wherein an interrogator is associated with at least one region.

24. ^• A device as claimed in claim 22, wherein the device is at least one of an in- tray, an out-tray, a storage cabinet.

25 In combination, a system as claimed in claim 12, and a device as claimed in claim 22.

26. Document management apparatus including: processor means adapted to operate in accordance with a predetermined instruction set, said apparatus, in conjunction with said instruction set, being adapted to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

27. A computer program product including: a computer usable medium having computer readable program code and computer readable system code embodied on said medium for operating a document management system within a data processing system, said computer program product including: computer readable code within said computer usable medium for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

28. A method as herein disclosed.

29. An apparatus and/or device as herein disclosed.