SYSTEM, APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ENHANCING METADATA REGISTRATION WORKFLOW

• US 20150215491A1
• Filed: 01/24/2014
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: FAUST, Dennis
• Granted Patent: US 10,432,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00408 Display of information to the user, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00514 for individual users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00517 involving favourite or frequently used settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses and methods are provided to enhance metadata registration workflow, such as in a multi-functional apparatus. User selection of metadata items and entry of metadata are captured to form a customized workflow to minimize performance by the user of redundant tasks.

Claims

1. A multi-function apparatus comprising an operational display, a document scanner to scan a document, a processor and a non-transitory medium embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to configure said multi-function apparatus to additionally comprise:

a metadata interface configured to provide one or more metadata entry screens on the operational display, in a default workflow, for user entry of metadata to be associated with a scanned document;

a metadata capture part that captures the metadata entered through the metadata entry screens;

a metadata workflow control part that, upon user confirmation of the metadata entered through the metadata entry screens by a particular user, causes the metadata entry screens to be customized based on the captured metadata, and registered as a customized workflow of the particular user,

wherein upon sign-on by the particular user to the multi-function apparatus after the customized workflow has been registered, the customized workflow is provided through the metadata interface for user selection in connection with another document scanned or to be scanned by the document scanner.

2. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metadata workflow control part controls the metadata interface to display a summary of the entered metadata on the operational display, for user confirmation, prior to registration of the entered metadata in association with the scanned document.

3. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metadata interface provides one or more pre-scan metadata entry screens on the operational display of the multi-function apparatus, prior to scanning of the document, and the metadata interface displays a pre-scan summary of metadata entered via the one or more pre-scan metadata entry screens.

4. The multi-function apparatus of claim 3, wherein metadata items individually displayed in the pre-scan summary are selected by default, and the metadata interface permits the particular user to de-select a metadata item, on an item-by-item basis.

5. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metadata interface provides one or more post-scan metadata entry screens on the operational display of the multi-function apparatus, and the metadata interface displays a post-scan summary of metadata entered via the one or more post-scan metadata entry screens, for user confirmation, prior to registration of the entered metadata in association with the scanned document.

6. The multi-function apparatus of claim 5, wherein metadata items individually displayed in the post-scan summary are selected by default, and the metadata interface permits the particular user to de-select a metadata item, on an item-by-item basis.

7. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an application user interface,

wherein upon sign-on by the particular user to the multi-function apparatus after the customized workflow has been registered, the application user interface causes a workflow trigger part to be added to an application screen, for the particular user to trigger the customized workflow.

8. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the metadata entry screens in the customized workflow of the particular user includes a control part that is not present in the default workflow.

9. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the default workflow includes a default candidate data list, the metadata interface providing the default candidate data list for user selection of metadata to be associated with the scanned document, and the customized workflow includes a customized candidate data list corresponding to the default candidate data list, the customized candidate data list includes one or more data that was entered by the particular user and that is not on the default candidate data list.

10. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metadata interface employs the captured metadata to populate the metadata entry screens for another document scanned by the particular user, and requests the particular user to confirm or replace the metadata automatically inserted in the metadata entry screens for said another document.

11. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a workflow edit interface to edit the customized workflow after the customized workflow has been registered,

wherein the workflow edit interface provides each of the captured metadata registered with the customized metadata entry screens, and selected by default, for unselection by the user, and unselected metadata is not retained in the customized workflow, and

wherein when the customized workflow is invoked for another document, the particular user is prompted to enter another metadata at a portion of the customized that was associated with the unselected metadata.

12. The multi-function apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metadata interface provides a data selection interface part for user selection of data from a database accessible from the multi-function apparatus, to be associated as metadata to the scanned document.

13. The multi-function apparatus of claim 12, wherein the metadata interface causes the data selected from the database to be displayed on the operational display of the multi-function apparatus, for user confirmation, prior to registration of the data as metadata in association with the scanned document.

14. A document metadata application including one or more programs of instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by a processor of a multi-function apparatus that further comprises an operational display and a document scanner to scan a document, wherein the document metadata application executable by the processor of the multi-function apparatus comprises:

a metadata interface configured to provide one or more metadata entry screens on the operational display, in a default workflow, for user entry of metadata to be associated with a scanned document;

a metadata capture part that captures the metadata entered through the metadata entry screens;

a metadata workflow control part that, upon user confirmation of the metadata entered through the metadata entry screens by a particular user, causes the metadata entry screens to be customized based on the captured metadata, and registered as a customized workflow of the particular user,

wherein upon sign-on by the particular user to the multi-function apparatus after the customized workflow has been registered, the customized workflow is provided through the metadata interface for user selection in connection with another document scanned or to be scanned by the document scanner.

15. A method for controlling metadata registration workflow in a multi-function apparatus comprising an operational display and a document scanner to scan a document, the method comprising:

providing one or more metadata entry screens on the operational display, in a default workflow, for user entry of metadata to be associated with a scanned document;

capturing the metadata entered through the metadata entry screens;

causing, upon user confirmation of the metadata entered through the metadata entry screens by a particular user, the metadata entry screens to be customized based on the captured metadata, and to be registered as a customized workflow of the particular user,

wherein upon sign-on by the particular user to the multi-function apparatus after the customized workflow has been registered, the customized workflow is provided through the operational display, for user selection in connection with another document scanned or to be scanned by the document scanner.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying a summary of the entered metadata on the operational display, for user confirmation, prior to registration of the entered metadata in association with the scanned document.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing one or more pre-scan metadata entry screens on the operational display of the multi-function apparatus, prior to scanning of the document;

displaying a pre-scan summary of metadata entered via the one or more pre-scan metadata entry screens, wherein metadata items individually displayed in the pre-scan summary are selected by default; and

permitting the particular user to de-select a metadata item, on an item-by-item basis.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing one or more post-scan metadata entry screens on the operational display of the multi-function apparatus; and

displaying a post-scan summary of metadata entered via the one or more post-scan metadata entry screens, for user confirmation, prior to registration of the entered metadata in association with the scanned document, wherein metadata items individually displayed in the post-scan summary are selected by default; and

permitting the particular user to de-select a metadata item, on an item-by-item basis.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

employing the captured metadata to populate the metadata entry screens for another document scanned by the particular user; and

requesting the user to confirm or replace the metadata automatically inserted in the metadata entry screens for said another document.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing a workflow edit interface to edit the customized workflow after the customized workflow has been registered, wherein the workflow edit interface provides each of the captured metadata registered with the customized metadata entry screens, and selected by default, for unselection by the user, and unselected metadata is not retained in the customized workflow; and

invoking the customized workflow for another document, and prompting the user to enter another metadata at a portion of the customized that was associated with the unselected metadata.