Device for transferring data between an unconscious capture device and another device

• US 7,085,384 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hull, Jonathan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Peeso, Thomas R.
• Application Number:
  US10/874,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20050005115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 380/270, 380/271
• US Class Current: 380/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/85 interconnection devices, e.g. bus-connected or in-line devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/24 Key scheduling, i.e. generating round keys or sub-keys for block encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/14 using a plurality of keys or algorithms
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4486 using digital data encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0087 Image storage device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0091 Digital copier; digital 'photocopier' H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0096 Portable devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods are disclosed for accessing and distributing data that includes a portable first device and a second device wherein both devices have unconscious capture capability. The first device has a first memory wherein at least one document is stored in the first memory of the first device. The first device has a transceiver, an identifier, and a public key to access a second device.

Claims

1. A portable apparatus comprising:

a wireless transceiver to receive, via wireless communication, a document by a first device and to transmit the document to a second device, such that communication of the document occurs between the first and second devices;

a memory coupled to the transceiver to store the document; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver and the memory, the processor controlling the transceiver to cause the transceiver to receive the document from the first device when the transceiver is within a proximity of the first device and to transfer the document to the second device when the transceiver is within a proximity of the second device.

2. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the processor sends a key to the first device and the document is received encrypted with the key.

3. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein capture of the document into the memory occurs without user intervention.

4. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the first device comprises a multifunction machine.

5. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the first device comprises a copier.

6. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the first device comprises a facsimile machine.

7. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the first device comprises a scanner.

8. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the first device comprises a printer.

9. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 when the second device comprises a computer system.

10. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the memory comprises at least one flash memory.

11. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the memory comprises at least one disk memory.

12. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the transceiver comprises a radio frequency (RF) transceiver.

13. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the transceiver comprises a modem.

14. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein the transceiver comprises an infrared (IR) transceiver.

15. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 further comprising a proximity detector to determine when the transceiver is near the second device.

16. The portable apparatus defined in claim 1 further comprising a directional antenna coupled to the transceiver.

17. A cell phone comprising the portable apparatus defined in claim 1.

18. A method comprising:

a portable device sending a first key to a first capture device;

the portable device receiving a first encrypted version of a document without user intervention from the first capture device, the first encrypted version of the document having been encrypted with the key;

the portable device storing of the first encrypted version of the document internally in memory;

the portable device receiving a query requesting an indication as to whether the portable device contains one or more documents to be downloaded; and

the portable device transmitting the document without user intervention.

19. The method defined in claim 18 further comprising the portable device decrypting the first encrypted version of the document using a second key.

20. The method defined in claim 19 further comprising:

sending the first key to a first device prior to receiving the encrypted version of the document;

encrypting the document with a second key; and

sending a second encrypted version of the document to the first device for designing the first key.

21. The method defined in claim 20 wherein the first key comprises a public key and the second key comprises a private key.

22. A method comprising:

a portable device receiving a document without user intervention from the first capture device;

the portable device storing of the first document internally in memory;

the portable device receiving a query requesting an indication as to whether the portable device contains one or more documents to be downloaded; and

the portable device transmitting the document without user intervention.

23. A method of transferring a document stored in a first memory in a portable device to a second device, the portable device having capture capability and being physically separate from the second device, the method comprising:

the second device receiving a public key from the portable device;

the second device receiving a document from the portable device without user intervention;

the second device performing at least one operation on the document the transaction being one from the group consisting of an encrypting operation, a printing operation, an electronic mailing operation, and a faxing operation.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising transferring an identifier to identify a user.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising determining whether the second device is capable of processing the document.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising determining whether the second device has completed an operation on the document.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising the second device encrypting data from the document.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising encrypting a document token.

29. A system comprising:

a memory appliance having a wireless transceiver;

an office appliance with capture functionality, the appliance having a proximity detector and a wireless transceiver with a directional antenna, the office appliance sending a captured electronic document to the memory appliance using the wireless transceiver after the proximity detector determines the memory appliance is within a predetermined distance from the office appliance; and

a computer having a wireless transceiver to receive the electronic document from the memory appliance.