Scanning system and method

• US 6,480,304 B1
• Filed: 12/09/1998
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ScanSoft, Inc. n/k/a Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Os, Ron Van, Hanson, Jay W., Burger, Rudolph E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Cheukfan
• Application Number:
  US09/208,205
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 358/442, 358/468, 358/400, 358/474, 358/505, 358/500, 358/409, 358/434
• US Class Current: 358/474
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0035 User-machine interface; Control console input or output arrangements for computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00384 Key input means, e.g. buttons or keypads electromechanical details of key input means in general H01H13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00416 Multi-level menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00424 using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00427 using a menu list H04N1/00421, H04N1/00424, H04N1/00429 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00432 using tabs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00466 displaying finishing information, e.g. position of punch holes or staple or orientation references
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00469 with enlargement of a selected area of the displayed information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00474 outputting a plurality of functional options, e.g. scan, copy or print
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00482 outputting a plurality of job set-up options, e.g. number of copies, paper size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0075 by a user operated remote control device, e.g. receiving instructions from a user via a computer terminal or mobile telephone handset

Abstract

A method and apparatus for scanning a document which utilizes scanning hardware and associated software to automate the entire scanning process. The software analyzes a host computer and automatically maps user interface buttons of a scanner with application programs installed on the host computer. The software also establishes appropriate pre-defined scan configurations for each application program mapped to the user-interface buttons. When one of the user-interface buttons is pressed, the scanning process is invoked to generate a scanned image of a document. The scanned image is automatically delivered to the application program mapped to the pressed button and is generated with an image type and resolution according to the pre-defined scan configuration established for the application program mapped to the pressed button.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request to generate a digitized representation of a document;

inspecting previously stored configuration information to identify a target application program associated with the request and a scan setting associated with the target application program; and

generating the digitized representation of the document according to the scan setting.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the scan setting includes a parameter that indicates whether to generate a color representation of the document or a black and white representation of the document.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the scan setting includes a parameter that indicates a resolution of the digitized representation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more parameters included in the scan setting include a parameter to indicate whether to generate a text representation or a pixel-based representation of the document.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the inspecting previously stored configuration information comprises inspecting a data structure that identifies the scan setting associated the target application program.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically displaying the digitized representation of the document in a display window generated by the target application program.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the scan setting includes a parameter indicating a file format for storing the digitized representation of the document.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving a request to scan a document comprises receiving a signal indicating that one of a plurality of scan operations has been requested by a user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving a request to generate a digitized representation of a document comprises detecting that one of a plurality of buttons on a scanning device has been pressed.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving a request to generate a digitized representation of a document comprises receiving a signal that the user has selected one of a plurality of scan operations indicated on a display of a computer.

11. A method of configuring operation of a scanner coupled to a host computer, the method comprising:

automatically discovering application programs installed on the host computer;

associating at least a first application program of the application programs with a user-input element that can be activated by a user to initiate a scan operation; and

automatically associating a set of scan parameters with the first application program to indicate the scan parameters to be applied to scan a document when the user activates the user-input.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the user-input element is a button on the scanner.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the user-input element is an element on a display of the host computer.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the automatically discovering application programs installed on the host computer comprises inspecting a mass storage device in the host computer to identify installed application programs that correspond to a previously generated database of application programs.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the previously generated database of application programs comprises a data structure having names of application programs stored therein.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the previously generated database of application programs indicates sets of scan parameters to be associated with the application programs installed on the host computer, and wherein automatically associating a set of scan parameters with the first application program comprises associating a set of scan parameters indicated by the previously generated database of application programs with the first application program.

17. A scanning system comprising:

a scanner; and

a host computer that includes a processing unit and a mass storage device, the host computer being configured to automatically discover application programs stored on the mass storage device,

associate at least a first application program of the application programs with a user-input element that can be activated by a user to initiate a scan operation, and

automatically associate a set of scan parameters with the first application program to indicate the scan parameters to be applied to scan a document on the scanner when the user activates the user-input element.

18. A scanning system comprising:

a scanner; and

a host computer that includes a processing unit and a memory, the host computer being configured to

receive a request to generate a digitized representation of a document using the scanner,

inspect configuration information previously stored in the memory to identify a target application program associated with the request and a scan setting associated with the target application program, and

generate the digitized representation of the document using the scanner according to the scan setting.

19. An article of manufacture including one or more computer-readable media that embody a program of instructions for configuring operation of a scanner, wherein the program of instructions, when executed by a processor of a host computer, causes the processor to:

automatically discover application programs stored on the mass storage device;

associate at least a first application program of the application programs with a user-input element that can be activated by a user to initiate a scan operation; and

automatically associate a set of scan parameters with the first application program to indicate the scan parameters to be applied to scan a document on the scanner when the user activates the user-input element.

20. The article of claim 19 wherein the one or more computer-readable media include one or more non-volatile storage devices.

21. The article of claim 19 wherein the one or more computer-readable media include a propagated data signal.

22. The article of claim 19 wherein the user-input element is a button on the scanner.

23. The article of claim 19 wherein the user-input element is an element on a display of the host computer.

24. An article of manufacture including one or more computer-readable media that embody a program of instructions for scanning a document, wherein the program of instructions, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:

receive a request to scan a document;

inspect previously stored configuration information to identify a target application program associated with the request and a scan setting associated with the target application program; and

scan the document according to the scan setting.