Embodiments of the present invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. The figures listed above are expressly incorporated as part of this detailed description.
It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the methods and systems of the present invention is not intended to limit the scope of the invention but it is merely representative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention.
Elements of embodiments of the present invention may be embodied in hardware, firmware and/or software. While exemplary embodiments revealed herein may only describe one of these forms, it is to be understood that one skilled in the art would be able to effectuate these elements in any of these forms while resting within the scope of the present invention.
Embodiments of the present invention comprise interfaces and architecture that integrate imaging devices with remote computing device applications and environments to provide solutions that may not be possible solely with an imaging device alone. Some embodiments comprise an infrastructure and set of interfaces that allow applications on a network to programmatically control imaging device functions and interact with a user through an imaging device input panel. Software functions that are not practical within the imaging device can be performed on the server but are accessible from the imaging device.
For the purposes of this specification and claims, an imaging device (IDev) may be described as a device that performs an imaging function. Imaging functions comprise scanning, printing, copying, image transmission (sending and receiving), image conversion and other functions. Exemplary imaging devices comprise printers, copiers, facsimile machines, scanners, computing devices that transmit, convert or process images and other devices. An IDev may also perform multiple imaging functions. For example, and not by way of limitation, a multi-function peripheral device (MFP), which typically has the capability to perform a plurality of functions comprising a printer, scanner, copier and/or a facsimile machine or image transmitter/receiver, is a type of imaging device. Other MFP imaging devices may comprise other combinations of functions and still qualify as an IDev.
For the purposes of this specification and claims, a remote computing device (RCD) is a device capable of processing data and communicating with other devices through a communications link. An RCD is a remote device because it requires a communications link, such as a network connection, a telephone line, a serial cable or some other wired or wireless link to communicate with other devices such as an imaging device. Some exemplary RCDs are network servers, networked computers and other processing and storage devices that have communications links.
Some embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to
These embodiments further comprise a remote computing device (RCD) 6 that is linked to the imaging device 4 via a communications link 10, such as a network connection. This network connection may be a typical wired connection or a wireless link.
Embodiments of the present invention may provide menu data from the RCD 6 to the imaging device UI panel 2 or remote panel 8 via the network connection 10. Once this menu data is fed to the imaging device 4, an UI panel 2, 8 on the imaging device 4 may be used to interact with applications that run on the remote computing device 6. User input received from UI panels 2, 8 may be returned directly to the remote computing device 6.
A Web Service is a software application identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), whose interfaces and binding are capable of being defined, described and discovered by Extensible Markup Language (XML) artifacts and supports direct interactions with other software applications using XML based messages via Internet-based protocols.
An application on the remote computing device 6 may use one or more Web Services to control various features in the imaging device 4, such as enabling, disabling or setting device values or controlling device functions.
Embodiments of the present invention allow network applications running on remote computing devices to interact with the user of the imaging device through the imaging device I/O panel. These embodiments allow imaging device user interface (UI) control (i.e., touch panel, button/display) by applications. Some embodiments may also integrate custom display screens or menus with the native imaging device UI. Embodiments may hand off control of imaging device functions between standard operation modes performed on the imaging device in response to user input to an imaging device UI and open systems modes that utilize network resources, such as applications on RCDs, through user input at the imaging device UI.
Embodiments of the present invention comprise network-based applications that have full control over the imaging device UI to display text and graphics in any format. In these embodiments, the application can programmatically display buttons, textboxes, graphics, etc. in any layout desired.
In some embodiments, the UI layout is easy to program using a standard language, such as a markup language. These languages comprise Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), Wireless Markup Language (WML), Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML) and other languages.
In some embodiments of the present invention a remote computing device application or server application is able to request a keyboard UI to be displayed on the imaging device display 12, 8. In some embodiments, this functionality is available on the imaging device and does not need to be recreated by remote computing device applications. In some embodiments, the remote computing device may define the keyboard prompt and default values. These embodiments may comprise a remote computing device that is able to rename imaging device UI buttons, such as the OK and Cancel buttons as well as define additional buttons.
In some embodiments, menu templates may be served to the imaging device UI by the imaging device itself 4 or from a remote computing device 6.
Some embodiments of the present invention may comprise a remote computing device application that is registered as the External Authorization server. The External Authorization application may control access to the imaging device and may have top-level control of the UI. UI control may be given to this application in the same manner that control is given to an internal auditor.
In these embodiments, when an imaging device system boots, it checks to see if an External Authorization application is registered. If so, the imaging device is placed in disabled mode and the application is contacted to take control of the UI. If the External Authorization server is not available, an error message may be displayed and the device may remain disabled. The imaging device may periodically try to contact the External Authorization server until it is available. Table 1 below describes what entity has control of the UI, in an exemplary embodiment, when the device is in a disabled state.
In embodiments of the present invention, access to the custom UI panels of imaging devices may vary from application to application. Some solutions, such as Document Management integration, may wish to leverage the native Image Send screens, but display some custom UI's to gather additional information about a scan job. Other solutions, like custom printing applications, may be accessed from a separate mode than the native functions.
In order to accommodate the diversified needs of these solutions applications, embodiments may support multiple integration points for UI control. These integration points are based on a user action (“trigger”) for which applications may register. In some embodiments, applications may be registered with target devices so that the device knows that when “trigger A” occurs on the front panel to contact “remote computing device B” for instructions. In exemplary embodiments, applications may be integrated with an imaging device at any of several “trigger” points.
Remote computing devices may be registered to a specific function and contacted when that function's hardware key is pressed (e.g. Image Send) on the imaging device UI. Any UI information provided by the remote computing device may be displayed instead of the standard function screens native to the imaging device. This trigger may be used for applications that wish to replace the existing functions with completely custom UI's, such as an alternative scan solution or a specialized display, such as a “Section 508” compatible screen or other specialized-need interface that may have large buttons or other accommodations.
In some embodiments, each function on the imaging device may have a menu on the touch screen that remote computing devices, such as servers, can register. This enables solutions applications to provide custom content and still use some of the standard functionality provided by the imaging device. When a button assigned to a custom application is selected, a menu will be displayed with the solutions registered to that function. Users may select the desired solution and the remote computing device will be contacted for instructions.
In some embodiments, a stand-alone RCD mode that provides remote computing device application access can be accessed from the job queue portion of the UI that is displayed on every screen. This trigger point may be used for applications that do not fit within one of the standard device functions, such as custom printing solutions on an imaging device. When the RCD menu is selected, a menu will be displayed with the solutions applications registered to the generic RCD mode. Users will select the desired solution and the remote computing device will be contacted for instructions.
In some embodiments of the present invention, when an imaging device is enabled, additional hardware keys may be used to manage the device. Hardware key assignments for an exemplary embodiment are shown in table 2.
In some embodiments, in addition to the * key for logout, a timeout period may be implemented. Some embodiments also comprise an auto clear setting that can be configured for a given period of time, such as 10 to 240 seconds (or disabled). In these embodiments, when there is no activity for the time configured in auto clear, the device may automatically return to disabled mode and attempt to contact a remote computing device to retake control of the UI.
Depending on a particular solution, a remote computing device application may have full or only partial control of the imaging device UI and a particular imaging job. In some embodiments, partial control may include cases where a remote computing device is monitoring clicks, but native modes are responsible for the UI interaction and controlling the job. Partial control may also include cases where the remote computing device application is integrated with a native mode (UI trigger=function custom menu). In these embodiments, the imaging device may handle all error and jam notifications with only a notification sent to the relevant remote computing device application.
For some embodiments, in cases where the remote computing device application has full control over the UI and the job, error and jam notifications may be handled differently depending on the type of error. For recoverable errors, a notification may be sent to the remote computing device application and the application may be responsible for displaying messages and resolving the error. For non-recoverable errors, the imaging device and RCD mode may interact to gracefully handle the error condition (e.g. provide user with instructions for clearing jam).
In some embodiments, at different points throughout an imaging job, several applications may need control over an imaging device including, but not limited to, an External Authorization application, a standard RCD application, an imaging device native mode and other applications. The following section describes, for an exemplary embodiment, the various steps in an exemplary job, the entities that may have control during each step, and what type of control may be allowed.
Step 1: User provides credentials to access the device at the device UI. This step may be controlled by a remote computing device, such as an External Authorization application or by Internal Accounting (native mode) in the imaging device itself. At the end of this step, the device is enabled. The External Authorization application may also specify default parameters or disable specific job parameters (e.g. default file format is PDF, but user may change; color mode is set to B/W and user may not change).
Step 2: User sets parameters for the job using one of the native imaging device modes or a standard RCD application. At the end of this step the user makes an input to initiate the job. When the input is made, an optional notification may be sent to the standard RCD application, which can then change job parameters if desired. An e-mail application is one example of an application that may request notification when the user input is made. A user may use native Image Send screens or other input to select scan options and choose e-mail recipients. A user may then select a custom application button and choose the scan-to-e-mail option from the menu. The e-mail application may then display custom screens for the user to set permissions for the file. Once a user places the original document(s) on the scanner and initiates the process, the e-mail application may capture the destination parameters set by the user and change the target destination to the e-mail application FTP server. The e-mail application may then receive the file, apply the appropriate permissions, and send to the e-mail recipients selected by the user. A remote computing device application may also want to retake control of the UI at this point, if, as in some embodiments, the application generates thumbnails of the scanned images and displays them to the user for verification.
Step 3: Once the job is initiated, the imaging device is responsible for scanning or RIPing the job and spooling it to the HDD. If the imaging device is configured to authorize jobs with an external authorization application, it may send a click report to the application and wait for instructions. The external authorization application may enable the job for sending/printing, cancel the job, or change job parameters (and then enable). As an example, a rules-based printing application may wish to change job parameters after it receives a click report. Some rules-based printing applications support rules-based printing and scanning that can limit what each user is allowed to do based on the time of day, the destination, or many other parameters. For example, only users in the marketing group may be able to scan high-quality color images. If a user from another group selects color and 600 dpi, a rules-based application may change the parameters to color and 200 dpi. At the end of this step the job should either be authorized or canceled.
Step 4: In some embodiments, this may be an optional step, where the standard RCD application in step 2 may have specified the destination as a HDD for temporary storage. This step may also be used, in some embodiments, by a Java application running on the imaging device. For example, a government office may have a custom encryption application running on the device that takes the scanned document, encrypts it, and then requests the imaging device to send it to the target destination selected by the user in step 2. In some embodiments, it may be beneficial to send a notification to the external authorization application after this step—because the imaging device does not know how long the file will be on the HDD or what the application is going to do with it—and after the send/print step.
Step 5: In the final step, the file is actually output. In typical embodiments, the file is either sent over the network or printed locally. At the end of this step, a notification that the job was successfully completed should be sent to the external authorization application and optionally, to the standard RCD application.
The API's may be used to allow a remote computing device application to control access to an imaging device for vend applications and to manage the device from a remote location.
In some embodiments of the present invention, a Device Control and Vend API allows applications to enable and disable access to the device and track click counts. The Device Control and Vend API may provide an RCD with the following controls:
Enable/disable device of function—this may allow an RCD to enable or disable access to the device as a whole or by function to enforce individual user privileges. In some exemplary embodiments, the functions listed in Table 3 may be selectively enabled or disabled by an application.
Report clicks used—at the end of a successful job, the clicks used may be reported back to an RCD including:
Debit mode—in these embodiments, when an application enables the device it may specify if the current job requires authorization. If so, the job will be spooled to memory and click information (e.g., as defined in Table 4) will be sent to an RCD. An RCD will then notify the device if the job should be deleted or output/sent. At this point, the application also has the option of changing job parameters. If the application does not require authorization, the job will continue as normal and a click report will be sent at the end of the job.
Print job accounting—in these embodiments, an RCD may wish to monitor print jobs along with walk-up functions. For print job accounting, an IDev may monitor all incoming print jobs and send accounting data in the PJL header to an RCD for verification before printing the job. The RCD will evaluate the accounting data (or lack thereof) and inform the IDev to continue with or cancel the job.
Report on unidentified jobs—in these embodiments, an RCD may also wish to monitor print jobs that it cannot associate to a specific user, such as device reports and incoming fax jobs. The RCD can register to receive click counts for all unidentified jobs, so that it may bill them to a general account.
In some embodiments of the present invention, a Device Management API allows a network application to remotely setup and manage the imaging device. In exemplary embodiments, the Device Management API may provide an RCD with the following controls:
The above groupings are provided only as an exemplary embodiment detailing which settings should be included. In some embodiments, actual API's should be grouped by functional areas since there may be overlap between Key Operator settings and web page settings.
In some embodiments, an Internal Accounting API may allow a remote computing device application to configure internal accounting and report click counts. In some exemplary embodiments an Internal Accounting API may include:
Some embodiments of the present invention may comprise a Font and Form Management API, which allows an RCD application to remotely download and manage fonts and forms in mass-storage. In some exemplary embodiments, a Font and Form Management API may provide a remote computing device with the following controls:
In some embodiments of the present invention, a Firmware Management API may allow a remote computing device or network application to remotely download and manage the imaging device firmware. In some exemplary embodiments, a Firmware Management API may provide a remote computing device (e.g., a server) with the following controls:
In some embodiments of the present invention, device function API's allow a remote computing device application to use existing imaging device functionality to provide new custom solutions.
In some embodiments, an Image Send API may provide the remote computing device application with the following controls:
In some embodiments, a remote computing device can change the default values on the imaging device or the values for the current job. For the current job, the remote computing device may also specify if scan parameters may be modified by the user or not. If one remote computing device application (e.g. Access Control) specifies that a parameter cannot be changed and then a second application (e.g. Document Management) tries to set the parameter, a notification may be sent to the second application and the setting will not be changed.
In some embodiments, print jobs may be submitted by remote computing device applications using standard printing channels. In some exemplary embodiments, a Print API may provide a remote computing device with the following additional control:
In some embodiments of the present invention, a Copy API may provide a remote computing device with the following exemplary controls:
In some embodiments, a remote computing device can change the default values on the imaging device or the values for the current job. For the current job, the remote computing device may also specify if copy parameters may be modified by the user or not.
In some embodiments of the present invention, a Document Filing API may provide a remote computing device with the following exemplary controls:
Allowing external applications to control an imaging device opens up the imaging device to new security vulnerabilities. In embodiments of the present invention that provide some security measures, the following exemplary items are security concerns that may be addressed by the remote computing device interface.
Access to remote computing device interfaces may be limited to valid applications. Embodiments provide extensive access and control of the imaging device, which poses a significant security risk. The interface of these embodiments may be protected from access by attackers, while maintaining ease of setup and use for valid solutions.
Confidential data (user credentials and job data) may be protected during network transfer. User credentials and job data may be secured during network transfer to ensure that it cannot be stolen, an intruder cannot monitor device activity, and a man-in-the-middle attack cannot change messages. Imaging devices may support Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and other connections to ensure data is safe while being communicated between the imaging device and remote computing device applications.
Administrators may have the ability to lock-down imaging device access. For users with strict security policies, administrators may have the ability to disable access by remote computing devices or limit access to specific applications. Administrators may have an option to register the limited applications that they wish to access the imaging device interfaces.
Remote computing device applications may ensure the imaging device is not being “spoofed.” The remote computing device may be able to authenticate an imaging device that it is contract with it to ensure an intruder cannot imitate the imaging device to collect network configuration and password information, monitor file/folder structures of a document management system, or spoof security settings and DSK status of the imaging device.
A remote computing device may ensure that the server is not being “spoofed.” The imaging device must be able to authenticate all remote computing devices that it is in contact with to ensure that an intruder is not spoofing the remote computing device's IP address. By pretending to be the remote computing device, an intruder could steal user credentials, redirect scanned documents, change device settings or firmware, or bring down the access control system (either to provide access to unauthorized users or initiate a denial of service attack for valid users).
Access control/vend applications may not be compromised when a remote computing device is unavailable. When the remote computing device is unavailable, it may not be acceptable to provide open access to the device. If the remote computing device is unavailable at startup or becomes unavailable at anytime (e.g. someone disconnects network cable), the imaging device may immediately be disabled and an error message displayed.
An administrator may be able to adjust a security level based on company and application requirements. Security requirements can have a large impact on the time it takes to develop a remote computing device application and the resources required to implement the solution. Users using some embodiments may range from a small business with one imaging device, no IT staff, and a simple scan or print application to a large government office using access control and audit trails to track all device activity. The security measures used to protect imaging device interfaces may be adjustable by the administrator to match the target environment.
The imaging device and remote computing device applications may be able to hand-off user credentials. Users may be prompted to login at multiple points throughout a job. For example, an access control application or accounting application may control total device access, the imaging device may have user authentication enabled for Image Send, and a document management application may require user login before showing a folder list. In many environments, all of these applications will use a common user database. In some embodiments, it is, therefore, desirable for the applications to pass user credentials to each other, so that each one does not have to repeat the authentication process.
Some embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to
Imaging device 30 will typically be capable of performing one or more imaging functions including, but not limited to, scanning, printing, copying, facsimile transmission (sending and receiving) and others.
These embodiments further comprise a communications link 38, which may be a wired connection (as shown in
The operation of some imaging device embodiments may be explained with reference to
Imaging devices of these embodiments are further configured to accept input from a user in response to a display of remote menu data and communicate 44 that user input to a remote computing device. In some embodiments, this user input data will be processed by a remote computing device. This may comprise running an application on the remote computing device. This processing may also comprise accessing and communicating data that is stored on the remote computing device.
The imaging devices of these embodiments are further configured to receive 46 data resulting from processing the user input data. This may comprise data generated by an application running on the remote computing device in response to the user input. The imaging device may also receive data that was stored on a remote computing device, such as a file server, in response to processing the user input.
Once the imaging device 30 has received 46 the processed data, the imaging device 30 may perform 48 a native function in response to the data or using the data. For example, and not be way of limitation, the imaging device 30 may print a document that was stored on the remote computing device and modified on the remote computing device according to the user input. As another non-limiting example, the imaging device 30 may active or enable functions (i.e., scanning, copying, printing, fax transmission) on the imaging device in response to the receipt 46 of processed data.
Some, more specific, imaging device embodiments may be explained with reference to
Once the menu data is received 50, it may be displayed 52 on the imaging device user interface display 36. As in previously described embodiments, the menu data is typically intended to prompt user input on imaging device user interface 32. Display 52 of the remotely-stored menu data may be accomplished with a browser application that is native to the imaging device 30.
In these embodiments, the imaging device 30 is further configured to route 54 user input received though its user interface 32 to a remote computing device. The remote computing device that receives the user input may then run an application or otherwise process the user input and return the results of the processing to the imaging device 30. Accordingly, the imaging device 30 is further configured to receive 56 processed data from a remote computing device. In some embodiments, the imaging device 30 may perform one or more functions in response to the receipt 56 of processed data.
Some embodiments of the present invention may be explained with reference to
Embodiments of RCD 60 may be further described with reference to
In some embodiments, described with reference to
An RCD 60, of some embodiments, will be further configured to receive 84 user input obtained through the user interface 32 of an imaging device 30 and transferred to the RCD 60 over communications links 38 & 64. Once this input data is received at an RCD 60, the input data may be processed 86. This processing 86 may comprise conversion of the data to a new format, execution of commands contained within the data or some other process. Once the input data has been processed 86, the processed output may be sent 88 back to the imaging device 30 where the processed output may be used in an imaging device process or function.
In some embodiments, as described with reference to
Some embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to
In these embodiments, menu data is stored on RCD 60 and sent 110 to at least one of the imaging devices 30a-30d where the menu data is displayed on a user interface. Any of Imaging devices 30a-30d that receive the menu data are configured to accept 112 and transmit 114 user input to an RCD 60. Once the user input data is received at the RCD, the data may be processed 116 as discussed in previously described embodiments. The result of processing 116 may then be sent 118 back to any combination of the imaging devices 30a-30d.
In these embodiments, a single RCD 60 may be used to provide processing power, resources and functionality to a plurality of imaging devices 30a-30d without reproducing these resources in each imaging device. In some embodiments, data generated by input on one imaging device 30a may be directed to another imaging device 30d for processed data output or final processing.
Some embodiments of the present invention may comprise multi-language menu support. Some of these embodiments, illustrated in
Once the language has been selected or otherwise identified, the selection/identification data is sent 102 to an RCD, where the selection is used to identify language-specific menu data that is sent 103 to the imaging device for display 104. A user may then respond to the selected-language menu data with input 105, which may be used to invoke native imaging device functions or may be sent 106 to the RCD for any necessary processing. An RCD may then process 107 the input data and send 108 any process input to a destination, such as the imaging device, an e-mail address, a memory location or some other destination.
Some embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to
The terms “modify” and “modification,” as used in this specification in relation to documents, comprise the actions of document generation, document merging functions, document field assignments, search and replace functions, and any other actions that cause a humanly perceptible or machine perceptible change to a document.
The term “document content” or “content,” as used in this specification, comprises text, graphics, images, symbols and other data that is intended to be communicated by the document.
The term “user input” or “input,” as used in this specification, comprises input of content and instructions for an imaging device, a remote computing device or some other device. Input may be accomplished by keypad entry, touch-screen entry, upload from another device or by other methods.
In some embodiments of the present invention, as illustrated in
Some embodiments of the present invention are tailored for user characteristic data. These embodiments are illustrated in
Further embodiments of the present invention, illustrated in
Some embodiments of the present invention comprise database access. These embodiments, illustrated in
Further embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to
In still more embodiments of the present invention, as illustrated in
Some embodiments of the present invention, illustrated in
Some embodiments of the present invention, as illustrated in
An RCD 128 comprising remote menu data for display on an imaging device 120 may follow a method illustrated in
An imaging device 120 that receives remote menu data may follow a method illustrated in
Further embodiments of the present invention comprising remote menu data may be explained with reference to
An RCD 128 that utilizes remote menu display and data access may follow the steps illustrated in
An imaging device that utilizes remote menu data and remote data access may follow the steps illustrated in
Some embodiments of the present invention may operate without the aid of a remote computing device that processes data and/or instructions. Some embodiments, illustrated in
Further embodiments of the present invention, illustrated in
Still other embodiments of the present invention provide for document modification (including creation) on the imaging device. These embodiments may modify a document on the imaging device, however documents are stored remotely. In these embodiments, a user may select 280 a document using the IDev user interface. The user may also input 282 document content using the IDev user interface. When a document is selected, the document is pulled 284 from remote storage such as a network server, a remote computing device or some other storage device or location. When the document is retrieved by the IDev, the IDev may modify 286 the document using the input document content. Once the document is modified using the new content, the modified document may be output 288 at the imaging device or sent to another destination.
Embodiments of the present invention that provide for document modification on the imaging device may use one or more Java-based applications that run on the imaging device.
Some embodiments of the present invention may be explained with reference to
In some embodiments of the present invention, a user may log onto an IDev 290 by identifying a user name, password and/or other indicia. This user data may be passed to the form fill application and used to relate to other information, such as information stored in a database 293. An application, such as a form fill application, may push display content to an IDev user interface (UI) that may invoke other elements of the application. An application may also be invoked by content that is resident on the IDev and linked to the application. In either case, an application may be invoked by user input at the IDev UI. The application may then respond by sending further content to the IDev UI to enable further functionality. If a user has not yet signed in, a logon page may be sent to the UI in response to an application selection. In some embodiment a series of application selections may be displayed on the IDev UI. If a form fill application is selected, the application may send content to the IDev UI that allows a user to select from a set of forms that are available through the form fill application.
Some forms may be stored on a file system 292. A user may need to navigate through the file system. In this case, the file system organization and structure may be sent to the IDev UI and displayed to a user for selection and navigation. For some embodiments, details of this process may be explained in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/192,615, incorporated herein by reference.
Once a form has been selected and a user has been identified, and, in some embodiments authenticated, the system may access a database 293 and obtain data related to the user that also corresponds to the selected form. This data may be used to populate fields in the form. In an exemplary embodiment, a vacation or time off request form may be accessed. The system may access a database 293 to determine the number of days the user has already used up and the total number of vacation days the user is allotted. The system may then calculate the number of days available to the user and populate the form with this information as well.
Once the form has been populated with field data, it may be sent to a direct print utility (DPU) 294 or some other type of print process for preparation and forwarding 295 to a printer, such as IDev 290.
In some embodiments, illustrated in
Once the Postscript form file 304 with the appended field data has been created, the form fill application 312 may call a direct print utility (DPU) to print the form, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, a form may be automatically filled with field data associated with the currently logged-in user. In other embodiments, the other users may be selected. Field data may be appended to the Postscript file using XML tags. In these embodiments, the field data will appear in the appropriate place in the printed form.
In other embodiments, a form may be selected by a user and the system may respond by prompting the user to input data corresponding to the fields in the form. User input may be appended to the form in a manner similar to that explained above and the form may be printed using a DPU or by other methods. When user input is received, the input may be validated.
Some embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to
IFDF data may be sent to the IDev UI for incorporation into a user input prompt display 323 for prompting a user to input field data. IFDF data may be sent to the IDev using a template system as described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/233,270, which is incorporated herein by reference.
A user may respond to the input prompt 323 by selecting from an enumerated list, typing on a soft keyboard or hard keyboard or by other known methods. Once input has been entered, the entries may be sent to post-processing modules 324A-324C that correspond to the specific forms selected. A post-processing module 324A-324C may process the user input data and generate appropriate tags and tag values. In some embodiments, this data may be formatted into markup language tags. These formatted tags may then be appended to a form file that corresponds to the form selected by the user to create a filled-in form 325A-325C with fields that are populated with user input.
Once a filled-in form 325A-325C has been created, the form 325A-325C may be sent 326 to a DPU for printing or printed in some other manner. The result of the printing process will be a hard-copy filled-in form 327 comprising fields that are populated with the user input received at the IDev UI or data received by other means.
Some embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to
The form fill application 360 may read form file information and format 334 a response 338 in a markup language format, e.g., XHTML, which may comprise a list of available form files. This response may then be sent to the IDev UI 333 as an HTTP response or via another mechanism. This response, when received at the IDev UI 333, may then be displayed as a user prompt 332, which prompts a user to select a form from among the displayed list. When a user makes a form selection, that selection may be formatted as an HTTP request 359 designating the selected form. The form fill application 360 may then retrieve 339 a corresponding field definition file 336. The application 360 may then dynamically create 340 a markup language page, e.g., XHTML, comprising form field information. This form field page may then be sent to the IDev UI 333 as an HTTP Response 345. When received at the IDev UI 333, the form field page may be displayed as a user field data entry prompt 342.
A user may respond to the field data entry prompt 342 by entering field data 346, which may be received at the IDev UI and formatted into an HTTP Request 347 comprising field data entries. The form fill application 360 may then make a copy 348 of the selected form 349 and append 350 the field data thereby creating a completed form 351 comprising the field data 352.
The application 360 may then call 353 a direct print utility (DPU) application to print the completed form. In some embodiments, the form will be a Postscript file with appended XHTML field data, however, other file formats and markup languages may be used in various embodiments. The DPU may send 354 the print job to a printing device 356 for printing. In some embodiments, the printing device 356 may be part of the IDev. In other embodiment, the printing device 356 may be a separate device from the IDev on which the input was received. After printing, a hard copy form 358 comprising printed field data received from the user will be the result.
The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalence of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/256,493, entitled “Methods and Systems for Imaging Device Document Modification,” filed on Oct. 21, 2005 which is a continuation-in-part of: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/192,615, entitled “Methods and Systems for Providing Remote File Structure Access on an Imaging Device,” filed on Jul. 29, 2005; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/233,270, entitled “Methods and Systems for Imaging Device Display Standardization,” filed on Sep. 22, 2005; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/962,248, entitled “Methods and Systems for Imaging Device Remote Application Interaction,” filed on Oct. 8, 2004; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/961,793, entitled “Methods and Systems for Imaging Device Remote Form Management,” filed on Oct. 8, 2004; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/961,911, entitled “Methods and Systems for Imaging Device Remote Location Functions,” filed on Oct. 8, 2004; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/961,594, entitled “Methods and Systems for Imaging Device Remote document Management,” filed on Oct. 8, 2004; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/962,103, entitled “Methods and Systems for Imaging Device Document Translation,” filed on Oct. 8, 2004; and which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/704,066, entitled “Methods and Systems for Imaging Device Applications,” filed Jul. 28, 2005.