Method and apparatus for using a personal digital assistant to interface with a communication station

• US 7,487,270 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2006
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Phillips, Daja, Wolff, Gregory J., Hull, Jonathan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tanh Q
• Application Number:
  US11/334,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20060117045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/38
• 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 1/00204 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 2201/002 Selecting or switching between an image communication channel and a non-image communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0034 Details of the connection, e.g. connector, interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0053 Optical, e.g. using an infrared link

Abstract

A method and apparatus for interfacing a personal digital assistant (PDA) with a communications appliance is provided. The method comprising a communication station receiving semi-structured data from a personal digital assistant (PDA) in a format native to the PDA, and parsing the semi-structured data to identify a type of the semi-structured data. If the semi-structured data is destination data, sending a job to a destination indicated by the semi-structured data.

Claims

1. A method of interfacing with a first information device, the method comprising:

receiving semi-structured data from a second information device in a format native to the second information device;

parsing the semi-structured data to identify a type of the semi-structured data;

reformatting the semi-structured data into a format that is understandable by the first information device;

selecting a type of action to be performed based on the reformatted semi-structured data and the identified type of the semi-structured data, wherein said selecting comprises;

if the identified type of the semi-structured data is destination type data, performing a first action that sends the reformatted semi-structured data in a job to a destination indicated by the destination type data;

if the identified type of the semi-structured data is not destination type data, performing a second action that displays the reformatted semi-structured data as a text document on either a display of the first information device or a display of the second information device, and performing a third action that prompts a user indicate whether to send or print the text document as a fourth action; and

if the identified type of the semi-structured data is source-location data, fetching information from a source indicated by a source-location data and prompting a user to select a destination for the fetched information;

or

if the identified type of the semi-structured data is a search request, fetching information from a search location and prompting a user to select a destination for the search request based on the fetched information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second information device wirelessly transmits the semi-structured data to the first information device, and wherein the first information device is a communication station.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information device is physically coupled to the second information device when receiving the semi-structured data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting the user to select a destination, if the destination type data indicates a plurality of destinations.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the selected destination from the plurality of destinations dictates how the reformatted semi-structured data is to be sent by the first information device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said performing comprises e-mailing the reformatted semi-structured data if the selected destination from the plurality of destinations is an e-mail address, and faxing the reformatted semi-structured data if the selected destination from the plurality of destinations is a fax number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected destination may be one or more of the followings:

a destination location associated with a copy feature of the first information device, an e-mail address, and a fax number indicative of a fax location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein fetching information from the source indicated by the source-location data comprises:

connecting to a network;

connecting to the source; and

downloading the information from the source.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the search request comprises an incomplete data set.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein fetching information from the search location comprises:

connecting to a network;

connecting to a source; and

downloading the information from the source.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a confirmation to the second information device in the format native to the second information device to indicate completion of one of the first or fourth actions.

11. An apparatus for sending data from a first information device, the apparatus comprising:

a communication interface to receive semi-structured data from a second information device in a format native to the second information device;

a parser to parse the semi-structured data to identify a type of the semi-structured data;

a data structuring logic to reformat the semi-structured data into a format that is understandable by the first information device, to select a type of action to be performed based on the reformatted semi-structured data and the identified type of the semi-structured data;

a sending logic to send an action request based on the type of action selected by the data structuring logic, wherein;

if the identified type of the semi-structured data is destination type data, the action request includes a first action that sends the reformatted semi-structured data in a job to a destination indicated by the destination type data; and

if the identified type of the semi-structured data is not destination type data, the action request includes a second action that displays the reformatted semi-structured data as a text document on either a display of the first information device or a display of the second information device, and a third action that prompts a user indicate whether to send or print the text document as a fourth action;

a retrieving logic to fetch information from a source indicated by a source-location data if the identified type of the semi-structured data is source-location data;

or to fetch information from a search location if the identified type of the semi-structured data is a search request; and

a user interface to prompt a user to select a destination for the fetched information if the identified type of the semi-structured data is source-location data;

or to prompt the user to select a destination for the search request based on the fetched information if the identified type of the semi-structured data is a search request.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 11, wherein the communication interface receives the semi-structured data wirelessly from the second information device.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 11, wherein the first information device is physically coupled to the second information device when receiving the semi-structured data.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the user interface prompts a user to select a destination, if the destination type data indicates a plurality of destinations.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the selected destination from the plurality of destinations dictates how the reformatted semi-structured data is to be sent by the sending logic.

16. The apparatus of claim of claim 15, wherein the sending logic sends an e-mail including the reformatted semi-structured data if the selected destination from the plurality of destinations is an e-mail address, and faxes the reformatted semi-structured data if the selected destination from the plurality of destinations is a fax number.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the destination may be one or more of the followings:

a destination location associated with a copy feature of the first information device, an e-mail address, and a fax number indicative of a fax location.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the search request comprises an incomplete data set.

30. The apparatus defined in claim 11, further comprising a feedback logic to send a confirmation to the second information device in the format native to the second information device to indicate completion of one of the first or fourth actions.

19. An article of manufacture having one or more readable storage media storing executable instructions thereof which, when executed by a system, cause the system to perform a method comprising:

receiving semi-structured data from an information device in a format native to the information device;

parsing the semi-structured data to identify a type of the semi-structured data;

reformatting the semi-structured data into a format that is understandable by the system;

selecting a type of action to be performed based on the reformatted semi-structured data and the identified type of the semi-structured data, wherein said selecting comprises;

if the identified type of the semi-structured data is destination type data, performing a first action that sends the reformatted semi-structured data in a job to a destination indicated by the destination type data;

if the identified type of the semi-structured data is not destination type data, performing a second action that displays the reformatted semi-structured data as a text document on either a display of the system or a display of the information device, and performing a third action that prompts a user indicate whether to send or print the text document as a fourth action; and

if the identified type of the semi-structured data is source-location data, fetching information from a source indicated by a source-location data and prompting a user to select a destination for the fetched information;

or

if the identified type of the semi-structured data is a search request, fetching information from a search location and prompting a user to select a destination for the search request based on the fetched information.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the information device wirelessly transmits the semi-structured data to the system, and wherein the system is a communication station.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the system is physically coupled to the information device when receiving the semi-structured data.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 19, further comprising prompting the user to select a destination, if the destination type data indicates a plurality of destinations.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein the selected destination from the plurality of destinations dictates how the reformatted semi-structured data is to be sent by the system.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 23, wherein said performing comprises e-mailing the reformatted semi-structured data if the selected destination from the plurality of destinations is an e-mail address, and faxing the reformatted semi-structured data if the selected destination from the plurality of destinations is a fax number indicative of a fax location.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the selected destination may be one or more of the following:

a destination location associated with a copy feature of the system, an e-mail address, and a fax number indicative of a fax location.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein fetching information from the source indicated by the source-location data comprises:

connecting to a network;

connecting to the source; and

downloading the information from the source.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the search request comprises an incomplete data set.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein fetching information from the search location comprises:

connecting to a network;

connecting to a source; and

downloading the information from the source.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 19, further comprising sending a confirmation to the second information device in the format native to the second information device to indicate completion of one of the first or fourth actions.