This disclosure relates generally to the distribution of documents from a scanning device and more particularly to a graphical user interface system and method for creating, storing, recalling, and editing groups of electronic mail addresses to assist a user with document distribution from the scanning device.
Optical scanning devices connected to a computer network provide the capability for images to be scanned into a computer system for modification and use by users whose computing devices are connected to the network. Distribution of the scanned images is accomplished through the use of electronic mail systems residing on the network and the presence of scan to electronic mail capability residing on the scanning device. Generally, scanning devices equipped with scan to electronic mail capability permit the user to either select recipients' electronic mail addresses from a local address book or type in the external electronic mail address through a graphical user interface. The document is then scanned and distributed through the network to the specified recipients.
However, there is no existing method for saving electronic mail addresses as a distribution list, for use when distributing documents to the same addresses on a repeated basis. Currently the user must select or type in the electronic mail addresses for each distribution session, which is time consuming and labor intensive. Therefore, what is needed is a method that allows a user of a scanning device to create, save, and use distribution lists to transmit scanned images from the device to multiple recipients. For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for a method of allowing a user of a scanning device equipped with scan to electronic mail capability to create and apply distribution lists from the graphical user interface of the scanning device.
All U.S. patents and published U.S. patent applications cited herein are fully incorporated by reference. The following patents or publications are noted:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,436 to Cunningham (“Use of a Header Page to Provide Scan Control Information for a Scan”) describes a header page for an optically scanned document. The header page is scanned and scan control information is extracted. The remaining pages of the document are then scanned into an image file. Upon completion of the scan, the image file is sent to a destination specified by the scan control information.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,459,499 to Tomat (“Push Technology for Network Scanner”) describes a system for scanning a document and sending a corresponding image file to a remote recipient using a software autosend utility that accesses predefined profiles of potential recipients. The predefined profiles include transport protocols and image scanning characteristics for the recipients. Based on the profile corresponding to the identity of the remote recipient, image scanning characteristics and a transport protocol for the resulting image data are both determined. The document is scanned in accordance with the determined image scanning characteristics, and a temporary image file containing image data for the scanned document is stored. The temporary image file is then sent to the remote recipient using the determined transport protocol.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,368 to Hull et al. (“Method for Specifying Delivery Information for Electronic Documents”) teaches a graphical user interface that presents document destinations in terms of recipient objects familiar to the user. The graphical user interface displays a plurality of potential recipients to a user. Responsive to input from the user, the method can select at least one potential recipient from the plurality of potential recipients to form a plurality of selected recipients. A scanning operation is then performed on a document to form an electronic copy of the document, which is transmitted to the selected recipients.
The disclosed embodiments provide examples of improved solutions to the problems noted in the above Background discussion and the art cited therein.
There is shown in these examples an improved method for utilizing a graphical user interface for storing and recalling groups of electronic mail addresses to assist a user with document distribution from a scanning device. The method provides functionality options on the user interface for scan to electronic mail capability. An electronic mail options menu displays electronic mail operation options, including electronic mail groups management, which enable a user to select an existing electronic mail group, view or edit an electronic mail group, and create a new electronic mail group.
In another embodiment there is provided a scanning device utilizing a graphical user interface to assist a user with document distribution from the scanning device. The graphical user interface causes the scanning device to perform method steps for storing and recalling groups of electronic mail addresses. The method provides functionality options on the user interface for scan to electronic mail capability. An electronic mail options menu displays electronic mail operation options, including electronic mail groups management, which enable a user to select an existing electronic mail group, view or edit an electronic mail group, and create a new electronic mail group.
In yet another embodiment, there is disclosed a graphical user interface for storing and recalling groups of electronic mail addresses to assist a user with document distribution from a scanning device. The graphical user interface includes functionality options on the user interface of the scanning device, with the functionality options including scan to electronic mail capability. An electronic mail options menu displays electronic mail operation options, including electronic mail groups management, which enable a user to select an existing electronic mail group, view or edit an electronic mail group, and create a new electronic mail group.
The foregoing and other features of the embodiments described herein will be apparent and easily understood from a further reading of the specification, claims and by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific illustrative embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
The method and system described herein provides the capability for creating, storing, and selecting a group of electronic mail addresses as a distribution list through the user interface of a scanning device. While some scanning devices offer a scan to electronic mail service, the user is limited to selecting electronic mail addresses from a local address book or keying in an external electronic mail address for each scanning session. The scanned image is then sent to the specified electronic mail addresses. Utilizing the method and system described herein, electronic mail addresses may be created, saved as a distribution list or alias, given a title, accessed for the transmission of scanned images, and password protected to prevent unauthorized use or spamming. The feature is accessible via a local user interface.
Various computing environments may incorporate capabilities for supporting an electronic mail network on which scanning devices reside. The following discussion is intended to provide a brief, general description of suitable computing environments in which the method and system may be implemented. Although not required, the method and system will be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a single computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the method and system may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, networked PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like.
The method and system may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communication network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Referring to
The computers 110 typically have a processor, random-access memory, read-only memory, and one or more storage devices, such as a hard drive, CD-ROM, DVD, diskette, etc., as well as electronic mail capability. The processor is coupled to an output device, such as a display device, input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, or pointer, and communication circuitry. The output device, for example a monitor, displays information for viewing by a user of computer 110 and the input device is used to control a screen pointer provided by the graphical user interface of the operating system.
As shown in
The system and method herein are not limited to a particular type of network system to which the computers 110 are connected. Typical network interfaces include general-purpose systems such as POTS (plain-old telephone systems) and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network), as well as special-purpose systems such as a LAN (local-area network) or a WAN (wide-area network). Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the principles of the system and method described herein can be applied to virtually any network system without departing from the scope of the claims and specification.
Multifunction device 150 may be any device capable of scanning image material and is equipped with a scan to electronic mail capability, which permits users of the device to select electronic mail addresses from a local address book or key in electronic mail addresses and transmit scanned images to the designated recipients. The scanned image may be in various formats, for example, PDF (portable document format), TIFF (tag image file format), JPEG (joint photographics experts group format), GIF (graphics interchange format), or BMP (BitMaP). In addition to scanning and transmitting the scanned image via electronic mail, multifunction device 150 may also include functionality for printing, copying, or transmitting facsimile images. Operation of multifunction device 150 is controlled from a user interface, which enables a user to select the function to be performed as well as enter information required by the device to perform an operation. Typically buttons or a keypad are utilized to enter information and select functionality, but a touch screen or any other means known in the art may be utilized. Multifunction device 150 communicates with LDAP server 140 as well as electronic mail server 120 and computers 110. The scan to email capability of the user interface also permits the user to amend the title of an electronic message and to compose a message to be transmitted with the scanned image.
Electronic mail server 120 receives the scanned image with electronic mail transmission instructions from multifunction device 150 and forwards the messages to internet gateway 130, which forwards it to the specified recipients.
The particular methods performed by the system for storing and recalling groups of addresses on a user interface comprise steps which are described below with reference to a series of flow charts. The flow charts illustrate an embodiment in which the methods constitute computer programs made up of computer-executable instructions. Describing the methods by reference to a flowchart enables one skilled in the art to develop software programs including such instructions to carry out the methods on computing systems. The language used to write such programs can be procedural, such as Fortran, or object based, such as C++. One skilled in the art will realize that variations or combinations of these steps can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure herein.
Turning now to
If a user decides to add a new group of electronic mail addresses at 230, the user enters the details associated with the new group, for example a group title, and the method returns to the email groups screen. If a user elects to edit or view an existing group at 240, the group is selected and edited at 245, after which the method returns to the email groups screen. When the user desires to send a scanned image to an existing group at 250, the group is selected from the email groups screen at 260, the image material is loaded on the multifunction device and scanning is initiated at 270. At the completion of scanning, the scanned image material is transmitted and the multifunction device pauses for confirmation of transmission from the electronic mail server. If a user decides not to transmit a scanned image to an existing group, add a new group, or view or edit an existing group, the method is exited at 280. While the method has been described with reference to a user interface having buttons, a touch screen, or icons to make selections and perform operations, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the method may be practiced by a series of screen prompts through the user interface, which is fully contemplated by the specification and scope of the claims herein.
Turning now to
If a user desires to create a new electronic mail address group at 330, the user may select an empty group at 332 (illustrated in
Alternatively, a user may desire to edit an existing email group or distribution list at 342. In this case the user may select an existing group, such as 410 in
The user interface also provides for changing “To, Cc, and Bcc” settings at 366 (
Electronic mail groups may be passcode protected to prevent other users from viewing or editing their details. To activate the passcode protect function, the user presses passcode protect button 510 in
While the present discussion has been illustrated and described with reference to specific embodiments, further modification and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art. Additionally, “code” as used herein, or “program” as used herein, is any plurality of binary values or any executable, interpreted or compiled code which can be used by a computer or execution device to perform a task. This code or program can be written in any one of several known computer languages. A “computer”, as used herein, can mean any device which stores, processes, routes, manipulates, or performs like operation on data. It is to be understood, therefore, that this disclosure is not limited to the particular forms illustrated and that it is intended in the appended claims to embrace all alternatives, modifications, and variations which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the embodiments described herein.
The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.