Document job key to tailor multifunctional user interfaces

• US 5,630,079 A
• Filed: 05/18/1995
• Issued: 05/13/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: McLaughlin, Denise C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US08/444,806
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 345/2, 345/146, 345/149, 345/902, 395/156, 395/157, 395/159, 395/200, 358/442
• US Class Current: 715/734
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A user interface mechanism called a document key for determining the selections needed to support a given combination of services without the user having to explicitly select a given service. By simply changing document source and document destination characteristics, the user can create new combinations of functionality. In particular by selecting a given source and displaying a set of attributes related to the given source, selecting a given destination and displaying a set of attributes related to the given destination, and identifying a desired subset of the set of attributes related to the given source and to the given destination, the user can automatically construct a screen dialog for implementing the subsets of attributes related to the given source and destination.

Claims

1. A method of distributing a document on a user interface screen, the user interface having access to a plurality of electronic devices over a network, the plurality of electronic devices being represented by identifiers on the interface screen comprising the steps of:

selecting at the user interface identifiers representing a first combination of electronic devices from the plurality of electronic devices including a source device and a destination device,

automatically responding to the selecting of the first combination of electronic devices to provide a first set of feature options for display on the interface screen, the first set of displayed feature options being dependent upon the first combination of electronic devices and avoiding non-pertinent feature options,

selecting at the user interface identifiers representing a second combination of electronic devices from the plurality of electronic devices including a source device and a destination device, and

automatically responding to the selecting of the second combination of electronic devices to provide a second set of feature options for display on the interface screen, the second set of feature options being dependent upon the second combination of electronic devices and avoiding non pertinent features, whereby the operator is presented with feature options associated with a particular combination of electronic devices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of electronic devices includes copier, printer, and workstation devices.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of electronic devices includes facsimile devices.

4. In a user interface interconnected to predetermined devices, the user interface having a display screen providing access to a data transmission option providing a configured scheme for transmitting data to said predetermined devices, the user interface comprising:

a screen display adapted for displaying icons and menu options, predetermined icons identifying data files,

a graphic pointer electrically connected to the screen display for selecting icons and menu options,

means to identify a given data file on the screen display by the graphic pointer,

means to specify a destination for said given data file, and

means to automatically access said data transmission option upon specifying said destination for selecting transmission properties for automatically transmitting said given data file to a given device with said transmission properties wherein the data transmission option varies depending upon the identity of a given data file and the destination for said given data file.

5. The user interface of claim 4 wherein the data transmission option includes a specific menu of selections on the display screen for preselected data files and data destinations.

6. The user interface of claim 4 wherein the data transmission option includes a hierarchy of selections progressively provided at the user interface.

7. A user interface for facilitating the operation of transmitting data from a source to a destination comprising:

a screen display adapted for displaying icons and menu options, predetermined icons identifying data files,

means to identify a data file on the screen display by selecting the data file icon,

means to access a list of remote destinations by selecting a remote destination indicator,

means to specify a remote destination from said list of remote destinations,

means to automatically display a plurality of transmitting options on the screen, the transmitting options being a function of an identified data file and a specified remote destination,

means to select transmitting options,

and means to transmit said identified data file to said remote destination in accordance with the selected transmitting options.

8. A method of distribution of documents to selected devices interconnected on a network comprising the steps of:

entering a document distribution mode at an interface connected to the network,

providing a plurality of source selections at the interface including a hard copy source, a remote electronic source, and a local electronic source,

providing a plurality of destination selections at the interface including a network printer, a network facsimile machine, and a remote electronic file,

selecting one of the plurality of source selections and one of the plurality of destination selections, and

responsive to the selection of said one of the plurality of source selections and one of the plurality of destination selections, automatically presenting a predetermined set of feature options for distributing a document to the selected destination, the predetermined feature options being relevant to the selected source and destination, the predetermined feature options excluding features not pertinent to the selected source and destination.

9. The method of claim 8 including the step of presenting a second predetermined set of feature options in response to the selection of either a different source option or a different destination option.

10. A method of configuring a user interface in response to selected sources and destinations of documents to provide operator options exclusive to the selected source and destination for conveyance of documents from a source to a destination, the sources providing hard documents and electronic documents, the destination providing hard documents and electronic documents, the exclusive operator options being a function of both the selected source and destination, comprising the steps of:

displaying document source options and selecting a given document source,

displaying document destination options and selecting a given document destination,

automatically responding to the selection of said given document source and said given document destination, displaying feature options dependent upon both the given document source and given document destination, and

selecting feature options and initiating the conveyance of documents from the selected source to the selected destination.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of selecting a given document source includes the step of reverting to a default source.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of selecting a given document destination includes the step of reverting to a default destination.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein document sources include remote electronic files.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein document sources include selected machine document trays.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of selecting a given document source includes the step of selecting multiple document sources.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein document destinations include fax machines.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of selecting a given document destination includes the step of selecting multiple document destinations.

18. A method of configuring a user interface in response to selected sources and destinations of documents to provide operator options related to the selected source and destination for conveyance of documents from a source to a destination, the operator options being a function of both the selected source and destination, comprising the steps of:

selecting a given document source,

automatically displaying document destination options and selecting a given document destination,

in response to the selection of said given document source and said given document destination, displaying feature options dependent upon both the given document source and given document destination, and

selecting feature options and initiating the conveyance of documents from the selected source to the selected destination.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of selecting a given document source includes the step of selecting multiple document sources.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein document destinations include printers.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of selecting a given document destination includes the step of selecting multiple document destinations.