Integration of virtual and real document organization

In most work environments people archive both the real and digital versions of their documents. But unlike the digital world, in the physical world locating a document can become a very time consuming task. The reason for this is the lack of a direct connection between the physical and digital versions of documents. The Smart Filing System combines the benefits of the digital and the real world providing an augmented filing cabinet. The system benefits by linking the physical world with the digital desktop world. In our setup, we implemented an add-in for MS OneNote#8482;. Furthermore, real folders and cabinets are extended with devices for direct input and output. This allows us to search and browse through digital documents using MS OneNote#8482;. Simultaneously, our system also allows a feedback in the physical world, by highlighting the corresponding folder in the filing cabinet. In this paper we describe the hardware and software implementation our prototype system, and present the results of a preliminary pilot study of its use.