Universal Scan To Store System And Method Of Using The Same

• US 20080174831A1
• Filed: 03/14/2008
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Patrick J. Dugas
• Original Assignee: Patrick J. Dugas
• Inventors: Dugas, Patrick J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,023,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/473
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture

Abstract

A free-standing universal scanner driving device includes a small, light-weight, portable, slow-speed, low memory processor with no monitor or keyboard, and programmed only to support a scanner; a memory having only enough capacity to hold a scanner driver; a slot for receiving an external storage medium; input and output ports; means for writing data on the external storage medium; a housing case; optionally an external numeric keypad; and one and only one push-button, touch pad, or touch screen for initiating an external optical scanner to scan a document placed in the scanner and then directly write the scanned electronic data into the external storage medium by pushing the button, without requiring any setup input from the user. The push-button, touch pad, or touch screen being integrally formed on the case.

Claims

1. A free-standing, small, light-weight, portable, easy to use universal scanner driving device, comprising:

a slow-speed, low capacity processor with no monitor or keyboard, and programmed only to support a scanner;

a memory having only enough capacity to hold a scanner driver;

a slot for receiving an external storage medium;

input and output ports, such as parallel, RS-232, DIN, and USB ports;

means for writing data on the external storage medium;

a housing case; and

one and only one push-button, touch pad, or touch screen, for initiating an external optical scanner to scan a document placed in the scanner and then directly write the scanned electronic data onto the external storage medium by pushing the push-button, touch pad, or touch screen, without requiring any setup input from the user, said push-button, touch pad or touch screen being integrally formed on the housing case.

2. The device according to claim 1 further comprising a LCD display integrally formed on the case for displaying instructions to a user.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the external storage medium is a Floppy Disk, Hard Disk, an Optical Disk, a tape, a CD, a Worm, an Erasable, a Zip Disk, a DVD, a flash Memory Card, a Super Disk, a network disk, or other storage medium.

4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising input and output ports, such as parallel, RS-232, DIN, and USB ports.

5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a scanner driver software for driving the scanner.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the scanner driver software is pre-stored in the memory prior to the device reaching an end user.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the scanner driver is downloaded from a medium received by the slot or from a computer, or downloaded from the internet via a computer, a PDA, or a cell phone connected to the device.

8. A system for scanning a document and storing scanned electronic data, comprising:

an optical document scanner;

a storage medium; and

a free-standing universal scanner driving device comprising a slow-speed, low capacity processor with no monitor or keyboard, and programmed only to support a scanner;

a memory having only enough capacity to hold a scanner driver;

a slot for receiving an external storage medium;

input and output ports such as parallel, RS-232, DIN and USB ports for inputting data from an optical scanner and outputting the scanned electronic data to a storage medium;

means for writing data on the external storage medium;

a housing case; and

one and only one push-button, touch pad, or touch screen for initiating an external scanner to scan a document placed in the scanner and then directly write the scanned electronic date into the external storage medium by pushing the push-button, touch pad or touch screen without requiring any setup input from the user, said push-button, touch pad, or touch screen being integrally formed on the housing case,

9. A method for scanning a document and storing scanned electronic data, comprising:

providing an optical document scanner, a storage medium, and a free-standing universal scanner driving device comprising a slow-speed, low capacity processor with no monitor or keyboard, and programmed only to support a scanner;

a memory having only enough capacity to hold a scanner driver;

a slot for receiving an external storage medium;

input and output ports such as parallel, RS-232, DIN and USB ports for inputting data from an optical scanner and outputting the scanned electronic data to a storage medium;

means for writing data on the external storage medium;

a housing case; and

one and only one push-button, touch pad, or touch screen for initiating an external scanner to scan a document placed in the scanner and directly write the scanned electronic date into the external storage medium by pushing the push-button without requiring any setup input from the user, said push-button, touch pad, or touch screen being integrally formed on the housing case;

connecting the driving device to the scanner;

inserting the storage medium into the slot;

pushing the push-button, touch pad, or touch screen to initiate the external optical document scanner to scan a document put in the scanner and directly write the scanned electronic data into the external storage medium, without requiring any setup input from the user.

10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of:

a) prestoring the scanner driver software in the memory prior to the device reaching an end user;

or

b) downloading the scanner driver from a computer or other storage medium on which the scanner driver software is stored, or downloading the scanner driver software from the internet via a computer, a PDA, or a cell phone connected to the device.

11. A free-standing, small, light-weight, portable, easy to use universal scanner driving device, comprising:

a, slow-speed, low capacity processor with no monitor or keyboard, and programmed only to support a scanner;

a memory having only enough capacity to hold a scanner driver;

a slot of receiving an external storage medium;

means for writing data on the external storage medium;

input and output ports, such as parallel, RS-232, DIN and USB ports;

an external alpha-numeric keypad connected to the device via one of the ports;

a housing case; and

one and only one push-button, touch pad, or touch screen for initiating an external optical scanner to scan a document placed in the scanner and then directly write the scanned electronic data into the external storage medium by pushing the push-button, touch pad, or touch screen, without requiring any setup input from the user;

said push-button, touch pad or touch screen being integrally formed on the housing case.

12. A method for scanning a document and storing scanned electronic data, comprising:

providing an optical document scanner, a storage medium, and a free-standing universal scanner driving device comprising a slow-speed, low capacity processor with no monitor or keyboard, and programmed only to support a scanner;

a memory having only enough capacity to hold a scanner driver;

a slot for receiving an external storage medium;

input and output ports such as parallel, RS-232, DIN and USB ports for inputting data from an optical scanner and outputting the scanned electronic data to a storage medium;

means for writing data on the external storage medium;

an external alpha-numeric keypad connected to the device via one of the ports;

a housing case; and

one and only one push-button, touch pad, or touch screen for initiating an external scanner to scan a document placed in the scanner and then directly write the scanned electronic date into the external storage medium by pushing the push-button, touch pad, or touch screen without requiring any setup input from the user, said push-button, touch pad, or touch screen being integrally formed on the case;

connecting the driving device to the scanner;

connecting the alpha-numeric keypad to the driving device;

inserting a storage medium into the slot;

placing a document in the scanner;

optionally entering a document name via the alpha-numeric keypad;

pushing the control key on the alpha-numeric keypad to indicate a new document to be scanned; and

pushing the push-button, touch pad, or touch screen to initiate the external optical document scanner to scan a document put in the scanner and directly write the scanned electronic data into the external storage medium in a new folder with a new page number sequence, without requiring any setup input from the user.