System, computer program product and method for managing documents

• US 7,877,458 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Americas Corporation (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Americas Corporation (Ricoh Company Limited), Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hyakutake, Shogo, Kitada, Hiroshi, Kizawa, Akio, Aoshima, Minoru, Ishizuka, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore; Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): TOWFIGHI, AFSHAWN M
• Application Number:
  US11/359,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20060168148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,797 Days
• Field of Search: 710 1- 74, 709238-244, 709201-203, 709/250
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• 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 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00238 using an image reproducing device as a local output from a computer output via network, e.g. network printing H04N1/00233
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00241 using an image reading device as a local input to a computer input via network, e.g. network scanners H04N1/00225
• 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 1/00413 using menus, i.e. presenting the user with a plurality of selectable options H04N1/00464 takes precedence
• 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 1/00503 Customising to a particular machine or model, machine function or application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00509 Personalising for a particular user or group of users, e.g. a workgroup or company
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00511 for a group of users, e.g. a workgroup, company, or a service provider
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/001 Sharing resources, e.g. processing power or memory, with a connected apparatus or enhancing the capability of the still picture apparatus

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product for managing documents. The system includes an image forming apparatus configured to display interactive menus so as to allow an operator of the image forming apparatus to interact with a document manager. The display interactive menus are downloaded from the document manager to the image forming apparatus based on a request by the operator. The document manager is configured to search for application services providers (ASPs) over a network and based on operator inputs. The document manager can search documents within the ASPs, retrieve documents and URLs, store documents and data. The system can provide basic and/or customized interactive menus displayed on the screen of the image forming apparatus.

Claims

1. A method of storing a scanned document, comprising the steps of:

transmitting user identification information from a image processing device to a computer remote from the image processing device;

retrieving, by the computer, menu information indicating at least one available network storage apparatus based on the received user identification information;

displaying said menu information on a display of said image processing device;

generating, at the image processing device, image data corresponding to an image scanned at the image processing device;

receiving, at the image processing device, a request to store the image data and a document type corresponding to the image data;

transmitting the image data, the document type and the request from the image processing device to the computer remote from the image processing device, the computer connected to the image processing device via a first network;

automatically selecting, at the computer, a storage location to store the image data based on the document type by consulting a table identifying a document type corresponding to each of a plurality of storage locations;

transferring the image data from the computer to the selected storage location via a second network; and

storing the image data at the selected storage location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first network and the second network are the same network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the image processing device includes at least one of a digital copier, a modem unit, and a printer unit.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

transmitting at least one of a user ID, a password, a user'"'"'s name, a date, a time, a document version, a serial number of the image processing device and a location of the image processing device from the image processing device to the computer remote from the image processing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the selected storage location is an application service provider (ASP) connected to the computer via the second network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

displaying a message to a user, at the display of the image processing device, indicating that the image data has been transferred from the computer to the selected storage location.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program code which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method for storing a scanned document, comprising:

receiving, at the computer, user identification information from an image processing device;

retrieving, at the computer, menu information indicating at least one available network storage apparatus based on the received user identification information;

transmitting, from the computer to the image processing device, said menu information for display on a display of said image processing device;

receiving, at the computer, image data corresponding to an image scanned at an image processing device, the computer and the image processing device connected via a first network;

receiving, at the computer, a request from the image processing device to store the image data and a document type corresponding to the image data;

automatically selecting, at the computer, a storage location to store the image data based on the document type by consulting a table identifying a document type corresponding to each of a plurality of storage locations; and

transferring the image data from the computer to the selected storage location via a second network.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein:

the first network and the second network are the same network.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein:

the image processing device includes at least one of a digital copier, a modem unit, and a printer unit.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, at the computer, at least one of a user ID, a password, a user'"'"'s name, a date, a time, a document version, a serial number of the image processing device and a location of the image processing device from the image processing device.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein:

the selected storage location is an application service provider (ASP) connected to the computer via the second network.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting, from the computer, a message to the image processing device indicating that the image data has been transferred from the first computer to the selected storage location.

13. A system for storing a scanned document, comprising:

a first network interface, at an image processing device, configured to transmit user identification information from the image processing device to a computer remote from the image processing device;

a first module, at the computer, configured to retrieve menu information indicating at least one available network storage apparatus based on the received user identification information;

a display, at the image processing device, configured to display said menu information;

the image processing device configured to generate image data corresponding to an image scanned at the image processing device;

a user interface, at the image processing device, configured to receive a request to store the image data and a document type corresponding to the image data;

the first network interface, at the image processing device, configured to transmit the image data, the document type and the request from the image processing device to the computer remote from the image processing device via a first network;

a second module, at the computer, configured to select a storage location to store the image data based on the document type by consulting a table identifying a document type corresponding to each of a plurality of storage locations;

a second network interface, at the computer, configured to transfer the image data from the computer to the selected storage location via a second network; and

a memory, at the storage location, configured to store the image data.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the first network and the second network are the same network.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the image processing device includes at least one of a digital copier, a modem unit, and a printer unit.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the image processing device is configured to transmit at least one of a user ID, a password, a user'"'"'s name, a date, a time, a document version, a serial number of the image processing device and a location of the image processing device to the computer remote from the image processing device.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the display, at the image processing apparatus, is configured to display the menu information using a browser.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the computer remote from the image processing device is configured to store data corresponding to an access level corresponding to received user identification information.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the display, at the image processing device, is configured to display a message to a user indicating that the image data has been transferred from the computer to the selected storage location.

20. A system for storing a scanned document, comprising:

means for transmitting, at an image processing apparatus, user identification information to a computer remote from the image processing device;

means for retrieving, at the computer, menu information indicating at least one available network storage apparatus based on the received user identification information;

means for displaying, at the image processing apparatus, said menu information on a display screen of said image processing device;

means for generating, at the image processing device, image data corresponding to an image scanned at the image processing device;

means for receiving, at the image processing device, a request to store the image data and a document type corresponding to the image data;

means for transmitting the image data, the document type and the request from the image processing device to the computer remote from the image processing device, the computer connected to the image processing device via a first network;

means for automatically selecting, at the computer, a storage location to store the image data based on the document type by consulting a table identifying a document type corresponding to each of a plurality of storage locations;

means for transferring the image data from the computer to the via a second network; and

means for storing the image data at the selected storage location.