Remote retrieval of documents
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
- at a first device, receiving from a remote device a first electronic mail message containing a request for a directory;
responsive to the received first message, transmitting, from the first device to the remote device, a second electronic mail message containing a directory describing a plurality of stored documents and their relationship to each other;
at the first device, receiving from the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for at least one of the stored documents;
at the first device, rendering the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format; and
after the at least one stored document has been rendered in a print-ready format, and responsive to the received third message, transmitting, from the first device to the remote device, a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in the print-ready format.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method, system, computer program product, and user interface for enabling secure, remote selection and retrieval of stored electronic documents from a user'"'"'s PC or other device. The user may obtain such access to his or her documents from any network-connected location, regardless of whether a firewall is present. A directory representation of the user'"'"'s PC hard drive is transmitted to the user at his or her remote location. The user can navigate within the directory representation to select a document for retrieval. An e-mail message is transmitted from the user'"'"'s remote location to the PC that causes the selected document to be packaged as an attachment and transmitted to the remote location. In one application of the invention, a user can print a document from his or her PC, while he or she is standing at a printer (or multifunction device) that is not in the same physical location as the PC. The PC responds to a user request received from the printer by e-mailing the document as a print-ready attachment. Upon receipt of the e-mail, the printer prints the document.
173 Citations
62 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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at a first device, receiving from a remote device a first electronic mail message containing a request for a directory; responsive to the received first message, transmitting, from the first device to the remote device, a second electronic mail message containing a directory describing a plurality of stored documents and their relationship to each other; at the first device, receiving from the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for at least one of the stored documents; at the first device, rendering the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format; and after the at least one stored document has been rendered in a print-ready format, and responsive to the received third message, transmitting, from the first device to the remote device, a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in the print-ready format. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer-implemented method for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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at a first device, receiving from a remote device a first electronic mail message containing a search request; responsive to the received first message; at the first device, performing the requested search on a set of stored documents to obtain a list of at least one search result; transmitting, from the first device to the remote device, a second electronic mail message containing the obtained list; at the first device, receiving from the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for at least one of the stored documents; at the first device, rendering the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format; and after the at least one stored document has been rendered in a print-ready format, and responsive to the received third message, transmitting, from the first device to the remote device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in the print-ready format.
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11. A computer-implemented method for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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at a first device, receiving from a remote device a first electronic mail message containing a request for a directory; responsive to the received first message; at the first device, determining whether at least a portion of the requested directory has been designated for remote access; and responsive to at least a portion of the requested directory being designated for remote access, transmitting, from the first device to the remote device, a second electronic mail message containing the at least a portion of the requested directory, describing a plurality of stored documents; at the first device, receiving from the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for at least one of the stored documents; at the first device, rendering the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format; and after the at least one stored document has been rendered in a print-ready format, and responsive to the received third message, and responsive to the requested at least one stored document being designated for remote access, transmitting, from the first device to the remote device, a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in the print-ready format.
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12. A computer-implemented method for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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receiving, from a user, a request for a directory; transmitting to a remote device a first electronic mail message containing the received request; receiving from the remote device a second electronic mail message containing the requested directory describing a plurality of stored documents and their relationship to each other; displaying at least a portion of the received directory; receiving, from a user, a selection of at least one document from the directory, the document being stored in a first format; transmitting to the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; and receiving from the remote device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A computer-implemented method for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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receiving, from a user, a search request; transmitting to a remote device a first electronic mail message containing the received search request; receiving from the remote device a second electronic mail message containing a list of at least one search result; displaying at least a portion of the received list; receiving, from a user, a selection of at least one document from the list, the document being stored in a first format; transmitting to the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; and receiving from the remote device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format.
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22. A computer-implemented method for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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receiving, from a user, a request for a directory; determining whether data describing the requested directory is available in a cache; responsive to data describing the requested directory being available in a cache, retrieving from the cache the requested directory describing a plurality of stored documents; responsive to data describing the requested directory not being available in a cache; transmitting to a remote device a first electronic mail message containing the received request; and receiving from the remote device a second electronic mail message containing the requested directory describing a plurality of stored documents; displaying at least a portion of the received directory; receiving, from a user, a selection of at least one document from the directory, the document being stored in a first format; transmitting to the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; and receiving from the remote device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format.
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23. A computer-implemented method for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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receiving, from a first device, a request for a directory; transmitting to a second device a first electronic mail message containing the received request; receiving from the second device a second electronic mail message containing the requested directory describing a plurality of stored documents; transmitting the received directory to the first device; receiving, from the first device, a selection of at least one document from the directory, the document being stored in a first format; transmitting to the second device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; receiving from the second device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format; and transmitting, to the first device, the requested at least one stored document in the print-ready format. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
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27. A computer-implemented method for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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at a first device, receiving from a user a request for a directory; transmitting to a second device a first electronic mail message containing the directory request; transmitting to the first device a second electronic mail message containing the requested directory describing a plurality of documents stored at the second device; displaying at least a portion of the received directory; at the first device, receiving from the user a selection of at least one of the stored documents; transmitting to the second device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; and at the second device, rendering the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format; and after the at least one stored document has been rendered in a print-ready format, transmitting to the first device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in the print-ready format. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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31. A computer-implemented method for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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at a first device having a cache, receiving from a user a request for a directory; determining whether the cache contains the requested directory; responsive to the cache not containing the requested directory; transmitting to a second device a first electronic mail message containing the directory request; and transmitting to the first device a second electronic mail message containing the requested directory describing a plurality of documents stored at the second device; displaying at least a portion of the requested directory; at the first device, receiving from the user a selection of at least one of the stored documents, the document being stored in a first format; transmitting to the second device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; and transmitting to the first device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format.
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32. A computer-implemented method for remotely selecting and printing an electronic document, comprising:
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receiving, from a user, a request for a directory; transmitting to a remote device a first electronic mail message containing the received request; receiving from the remote device a second electronic mail message containing the requested directory describing a plurality of stored documents and their relationship to each other; displaying at least a portion of the received directory; receiving, from a user, a selection of at least one document from the directory, the document being stored in a first format; transmitting to the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; receiving from the remote device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format; and printing the requested at least one stored document in a second format.
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33. A system for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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a storage device, for storing a plurality of documents organized in at least one directory; an inbound electronic mail processing module, coupled to a first device, for receiving from a remote device a first electronic mail message containing a request for a directory of the storage device including documents and their relationship to each other; an electronic mail transmission module, coupled to the inbound electronic mail processing module and to the storage device, for, responsive to the received first message, transmitting to the remote device a second electronic mail message containing a directory listing at least a subset of the documents stored in the storage device; and a document rendering module, coupled to the electronic mail transmission module; and wherein; the inbound electronic mail processing module further receives from the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for at least one of the stored documents; and responsive to the received third message, the rendering module renders the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format, and the electronic mail transmission module subsequently transmits to the remote device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in the print-ready format. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A system for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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a storage device, for storing a plurality of documents organized in at least one directory; an inbound electronic mail processing module, coupled to a first device, for receiving from a remote device a first electronic mail message containing a search request; a search module, coupled to the storage device and to the inbound electronic mail processing module, for, responsive to the received first message, performing the requested search on a set of stored documents to obtain a list of at least one search result; an electronic mail transmission module, coupled to the search module, for transmitting to the remote device a second electronic mail message containing the obtained list; and a document rendering module, coupled to the electronic mail transmission module; and wherein; the inbound electronic mail processing module further receives from the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for at least one of the stored documents; and responsive to the received third message, the rendering module renders the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format, and the electronic mail transmission module subsequently transmits to the remote device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in the print-ready format.
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43. A system for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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an input device, for receiving, from a user, a request for a directory; an electronic mail transmission module, coupled to the input device, for transmitting to a remote device a first electronic mail message containing the received request; an inbound electronic mail processing module, for receiving from the remote device a second electronic mail message containing the requested directory describing a plurality of stored documents and their relationship to each other; and a display, coupled to the inbound electronic mail processing module, for displaying at least a portion of the received directory; wherein; the input device further receives, from the user, a selection of at least one document from the directory, the document being stored in a first format; the electronic mail transmission module transmits to the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; and the inbound electronic mail processing module receives from the remote device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A system for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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an input device, for receiving, from a user, a search request; an electronic mail transmission module, coupled to the input device, for transmitting to a remote device a first electronic mail message containing the received search request; an inbound electronic mail processing module, for receiving from the remote device a second electronic mail message containing a list of at least one search result; and a display, coupled to the inbound electronic mail processing module, for displaying at least a portion of the received list; wherein; the input device receives, from the user, a selection of at least one document from the list, the document being stored in a first format; the electronic mail transmission module transmits to the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; and the inbound electronic mail processing module receives from the remote device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format.
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53. A system for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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an input device, for receiving, from a user, a request for a directory; a cache, for, storing at least one directory, and for, responsive to data describing the requested directory being available in the cache, providing the requested directory describing a plurality of stored documents; an electronic mail transmission module, coupled to the cache, for responsive to data describing the requested directory not being available in a cache, transmitting to a remote device a first electronic mail message containing the received request; an inbound electronic mail processing module, for, responsive to data describing the requested directory not being available in a cache, receiving from the remote device a second electronic mail message containing the requested directory describing a plurality of stored documents; and a display, coupled to the cache and to the inbound electronic mail processing module, for displaying at least a portion of the directory; wherein; the input device receives, from the user, a selection of at least one document from the directory, the document being stored in a first format; the electronic mail transmission module transmits to the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; and the inbound electronic mail processing module receives from the remote device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format.
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54. A system for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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an inbound electronic mail processing module, for receiving, from a first device, a request for a directory; and an electronic mail transmission module, coupled to the inbound electronic mail processing module, for transmitting to a second device a first electronic mail message containing the received request; wherein; the inbound electronic mail processing module receives from the second device a second electronic mail message containing the requested directory describing a plurality of stored documents; the electronic mail transmission module transmits the received directory to the first device; the inbound electronic mail processing module receives, from the first device, a selection of at least one document from the directory, the document being stored in a first format; the electronic mail transmission module transmits to the second device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; the inbound electronic mail processing module receives, from the second device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format; and the electronic mail transmission module transmits, to the first device, the requested at least one stored document in the print-ready format. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57)
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58. A system for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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a first device, comprising; an input device, for receiving from a user a request for a directory; and an electronic mail transmission module, coupled to the input device, for transmitting a first electronic mail message containing the directory request; and a second device, comprising; a storage device, for storing a plurality of documents; an inbound electronic mail processing module, for receiving, from the first device, the first electronic mail message; an electronic mail transmission module, coupled to the inbound electronic mail processing module and to the storage device, for transmitting to the first device a second electronic mail message containing the requested directory describing a plurality of documents stored at the second device; and a document rendering module, coupled to the electronic mail transmission module; wherein the first device further comprises; an inbound electronic mail processing module, for receiving, from the second device, the second electronic mail message; and a display, coupled to the inbound electronic mail processing module, for displaying at least a portion of the received directory; and wherein; the input device further receives from the user a selection of at least one of the stored documents; the electronic mail transmission module of the first device transmits to the second device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; the document rendering module renders the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format; and after the at least one stored document has been rendered in a print-ready format, the electronic mail transmission module of the second device transmits a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in the print-ready format. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60)
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61. A system for remotely selecting and retrieving an electronic document, comprising:
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a first device, comprising; an input device, for receiving from a user a request for a directory; a cache, for selectively storing directories; an electronic mail transmission module, coupled to the input device and to the cache, for, responsive to the cache not containing the requested directory, transmitting a first electronic mail message containing the directory request; and a second device, comprising; a storage device, for storing a plurality of documents; an inbound electronic mail processing module, for receiving, from the first device, the first electronic mail message; and an electronic mail transmission module, coupled to the inbound electronic mail processing module and to the storage device, for transmitting to the first device a second electronic mail message containing the requested directory describing a plurality of documents stored at the second device; wherein the first device further comprises; an inbound electronic mail processing module, for receiving, from the second device, the second electronic mail message; and a display, coupled to the inbound electronic mail processing module, for displaying at least a portion of the received directory; and wherein; the input device further receives from the user a selection of at least one of the stored documents; the electronic mail transmission module of the first device transmits to the second device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document, the document being stored in a first format; and the electronic mail transmission module of the second device transmits a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format.
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62. A system for remotely selecting and printing an electronic document, comprising:
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an input device, for receiving from a user a request for a directory; and an electronic mail transmission module, coupled to the input device, for transmitting to a remote device a first electronic mail message containing the directory request; and an inbound electronic mail processing module, coupled to the electronic mail transmission module, for receiving from the remote device a second electronic mail message containing the requested directory describing a plurality of stored documents and their relationship to each other; and a display, coupled to the inbound electronic mail processing module, for displaying at least a portion of the received directory; wherein; the input device receives, from the user, a selection of at least one document from the directory, the document being stored in a first format; the electronic mail transmission module transmits to the remote device a third electronic mail message containing a request for the selected at least one document; and the inbound electronic mail processing module receives from the remote device a fourth electronic mail message containing the requested at least one stored document in a print-ready format; and wherein the system further comprises a printer, coupled to the inbound electronic mail processing module, for printing the requested at least one stored document.
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Specification