Method and apparatus for an image server
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus is disclosed for an image server capable of acquiring images and transmitting them across a network with header information and formatting specific to the destination selected by the user. Destinations include, other computers on the network, database servers, e-mail servers, fax servers, file servers, etc. Additionally, the image server may be set up via the network whereby logical and physical destinations, protocols for each destination, required header information for each destination, and any archival or alternate destinations may be specified. Each server may handle more than one image acquisition device. Each device may be programmed to acquire and update all or part of its configuration parameters via a configuration file/page available over the network at location(s) pointed to by the administrator during the setup phase of the device. All servers may be configured to perform in a uniform manner and to update their parameters and protocols via the configuration file/page. The server may be used across a wide range of networks including: local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), virtual private networks (VPNs) and the Internet.
20 Citations
30 Claims
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1-14. -14. (canceled)
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15. An image server configured to couple at least one image input device to a network, and the image server comprising:
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at least one table which identifies corresponding meta data for each destination of an image received from the at least one image input device;
a user input/output (I/O) device for user selection of a destination for an image and for prompting the user to enter the corresponding meta data for the selected destination as identified in the at least one table; and
a network access control configured to couple to the network for transmitting the image and the corresponding meta data entered by the user to the destination selected by the user via the user I/O device. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of transmitting images across a network comprising:
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acquiring an image;
accepting a user input of a destination for the acquired image;
identifying meta data requirements for the destination accepted from the user;
prompting the user for the identified meta data;
accepting meta data from the user responsive to the prompting act; and
transmitting the acquired image and the meta data accepted from the user to the user input destination. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A computer program product comprising:
a machine useable medium having computer program code embedded therein, the computer program product having;
computer readable program code to acquire an image;
computer readable program code to accept a user input of a destination for the acquired image;
computer readable program code to identify meta data requirements for the destination accepted from the user;
computer readable program code to prompt the user for the identified meta data;
computer readable program code to accept meta data entered by the user responsive to the prompt; and
computer readable program code to transmit the acquired image and the meta data accepted from the user to the destination accepted from the user. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
Specification