AUTONOMOUS SHEET-FED SCANNER

• US 20110249306A1
• Filed: 02/09/2011
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: I.R.I.S. (Fidelity National Information Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: I.R.I.S. (Fidelity National Information Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dupont, Olivier, DE MUELENAERE, Pierre, Dauw, Michel, Verleysen, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,699,100 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/498
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0044 Connecting to a plurality of different apparatus; Using a plurality of different connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0096 Portable devices

Abstract

Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner, comprising: a scanning unit (21-23) for scanning documents and forming digital representations thereof; a sheet feeder (28) for feeding a document past the scanning unit; a processor (20), communicatively connected to the scanning unit and provided for controlling the scanning operation; a plurality of embedded storage capabilities, each of which is communicatively connected to the processor and each of which comprises either an internal memory (26) for internally storing the digital representations or a communication link (24; 25) to an external storage medium for externally storing the digital representations. The processor is provided with an embedded routing application which is provided for routing the digital representations to a predetermined selection among the embedded storage capabilities.

Claims

1. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner, comprising:

a scanning unit (21-23) for scanning documents and forming digital representations thereof;

a sheet feeder (28) for feeding a document past the scanning unit;

a processor (20), communicatively connected to the scanning unit and provided for controlling the scanning operation; and

a plurality of embedded storage capabilities, each of which is communicatively connected to the processor and each of which comprises either an internal memory (26) for internally storing the digital representations or a communication link (24;

25) to an external storage medium for externally storing the digital representations;

wherein the processor is provided with an embedded routing application which is provided for routing the digital representations to a predetermined selection among the embedded storage capabilities.

2. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of embedded storage capabilities comprise two or more of the following:

an internal flash memory, one or more interfaces for connecting a peripheral storage medium, one or more wireless communication links for wirelessly communicating the digital representations towards a remote storage medium.

3. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 2, wherein one of the interfaces is a USB port (6) for receiving a USB memory device.

4. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 2, wherein one of the interfaces is a slot for receiving an SD card (7).

5. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 2, wherein one of the wireless communication links comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.

6. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 2, wherein one of the wireless communication links comprises a wi-fi transceiver.

7. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 2, wherein one of the wireless communication links comprises a cellular network transceiver.

8. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined selection of the embedded routing application is made on the basis of a user identity.

9. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined selection of the embedded routing application is made on the basis of a document type and/or size.

10. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined selection of the embedded routing application is made on the basis of a hierarchy among the available storage capabilities.

11. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 1, wherein the processor is provided with an OCR application for detecting content in the digital representations and for storing the detected content together with the digital representation.

12. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined selection of the embedded routing application is made on the basis of the detected content.

13. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 1, wherein the embedded routing application is adapted for routing the digital representations in a retraceable manner, such that afterwards the selection of where to store the digital representations is retrievable.

14. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 13, wherein the embedded routing application is adapted for tagging the digital representations.

15. Battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner according to claim 1, wherein the processor is provided for storing preferences relating to the scanning operation.

16. Use of a battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner, comprising:

a scanning unit (21-23) for scanning documents and forming digital representations thereof;

a sheet feeder (28) for feeding a document past the scanning unit;

a plurality of embedded storage capabilities, each of which is communicatively connected to the processor and each of which comprises either an internal memory (26) for internally storing the digital representations or a communication link (24;

25) to an external storage medium for externally storing the digital representations; and

a processor (20), communicatively connected to the scanning unit and provided for controlling the scanning operation, wherein the processor is provided with an embedded routing application which is provided for routing the digital representations to a predetermined selection among the embedded storage capabilities;

wherein the use comprises the steps of;

a. selecting a removable storage medium among different types of storage media which are connectable to the scanner, the selection being made on the basis of a target host device to which the digital representations are to be transferred;

b. connecting the selected removable storage medium to the scanner;

c. scanning documents with the scanner and storing the formed digital representations on the removable storage medium connected in step b;

d. transferring the digital representations stored in step c to the target host device by disconnecting the removable storage medium from the scanner and connecting the removable storage medium to the target host device.

17. Computer system comprising a battery-powered portable sheet-fed scanner, comprising:

a scanning unit (21-23) for scanning documents and forming digital representations thereof;

a sheet feeder (28) for feeding a document past the scanning unit;

a plurality of embedded storage capabilities, each of which is communicatively connected to the processor and each of which comprises either an internal memory (26) for internally storing the digital representations or a communication link (24;

25) to an external storage medium for externally storing the digital representations, wherein at least one of the embedded storage capabilities comprises an interface for connecting a removable storage medium (6;

7); and

a processor (20), communicatively connected to the scanning unit and provided for controlling the scanning operation, wherein the processor is provided with an embedded routing application which is provided for routing the digital representations to a predetermined selection among the embedded storage capabilities;

and a computer device having a document scanning application, the document scanning application having wake up capabilities for detecting connection of the removable storage medium, containing digital representations scanned by means of the scanner, to the computer device.