Techniques and methods for integrating a personal assistant platform with a secured imaging system

• US 10,097,729 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2017
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Brady, Nigel
• Primary Examiner(s): Yip, Kent
• Application Number:
  US15/799,697
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00403 Voice input means, e.g. voice commands
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4426 involving separate means, e.g. a server, a magnetic card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4433 to an apparatus, part of an apparatus or an apparatus function
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

A system and method provides features for accessing an image processing device by an authorized user and assigning a temporary identifier to the image processing device. The image processing device creates mapping information that associates the authorized user, the temporary identifier and a network address of the image processing device, and stores the mapping information on a server. The user provides voice input commands to a personal assistant application, the voice input commands including the temporary identifier of the image processing device and a requested job functions of the image processing device. The server receives and interprets the voice input commands from the personal assistant application and determines, by recalling the mapping information stored, verifying whether the image processing device having the temporary identifier is available to perform the requested job functions. The image processing device receives instructions to perform the requested job functions and executes the requested job functions.

Claims

1. A system for addressing a device and verifying user presence at an image processing device, the system comprising:

a memory that stores a set of instructions;

at least one processor that is in communication with the memory, the processor executes the instructions of;

accessing an image processing device by an authorized user;

assigning a temporary identifier to the image processing device;

creating mapping information that associates the authorized user, the temporary identifier and a network address of the image processing device;

transmitting the mapping information to a server for storage and processing;

providing voice input commands to a personal assistant application, the voice input commands including the temporary identifier of the image processing device and a requested job functions of the image processing device;

receiving the voice input commands from the personal assistant application to the server, the server interpreting the voice input commands and determining, by recalling the mapping information stored on the server, whether the image processing device having the temporary identifier is available to perform the requested job functions;

transmitting the instructions to perform the requested job functions to the address of the image processing device, as specified in the mapping information, and executing the requested job functions on the image processing device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the temporary identifier is chosen based on the user'"'"'s native language and is used to identify the image processing device in subsequent voice input commands.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the temporary identifier may be selected locally by an embedded dictionary or may be requested from an external network server.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the network address of the image processing device associated with the temporary identifier is an IPv4 address or IPv6 address.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the network address of the image processing device is a network host name or alias, the IP address is resolved using a DNS protocol.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the mapping information is stored as a key-value pair, the key being the temporary identifier and the value being the network address of the image processing device.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the authorized user logs out from the image processing device, the temporary identifier expires and can no longer be used to execute the requested job functions on the image processing device.

8. A method for addressing a device and verifying user presence at an image processing device, the method comprising:

accessing an image processing device by an authorized user;

assigning a temporary identifier to the image processing device;

creating mapping information that associates the authorized user, the temporary identifier and a network address of the image processing device;

transmitting the mapping information to a server for storage and processing;

providing voice input commands to a personal assistant application, the voice input commands including the temporary identifier of the image processing device and a requested job functions of the image processing device;

receiving the voice input commands from the personal assistant application to the server, the server interpreting the voice input commands and determining, by recalling the mapping information stored on the server, whether the image processing device having the temporary identifier is available to perform the requested job functions;

transmitting the instructions to perform the requested job functions to the address of the image processing device, as specified in the mapping information, and executing the requested job functions on the image processing device.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the temporary identifier is chosen based on the user'"'"'s native language and is used to identify the image processing device in subsequent voice input commands.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the temporary identifier may be selected locally by an embedded dictionary or may be requested from an external network server.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the network address of the image processing device associated with the temporary identifier is an IPv4 address or IPv6 address.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the network address of the image processing device is a network host name or alias, the IP address is resolved using a DNS protocol.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the mapping information is stored as a key-value pair, the key being the temporary identifier and the value being the network address of the image processing device.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the authorized user logs out from the image processing device, the temporary identifier expires and can no longer be used to execute the requested job functions on the image processing device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

accessing an image processing device by an authorized user;

assigning a temporary identifier to the image processing device;

creating mapping information that associates the authorized user, the temporary identifier and a network address of the image processing device;

transmitting the mapping information to a server for storage and processing;

providing voice input commands to a personal assistant application, the voice input commands including the temporary identifier of the image processing device and a requested job functions of the image processing device;

receiving the voice input commands from the personal assistant application to the server, the server interpreting the voice input commands and determining, by recalling the mapping information stored on the server, whether the image processing device having the temporary identifier is available to perform the requested job functions;

transmitting the instructions to perform the requested job functions to the address of the image processing device, as specified in the mapping information, and executing the requested job functions on the image processing device.