Bi-directional status and control between image capture device and backend device

• US 7,940,408 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2006
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited, Ricoh Corporation (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited, Ricoh Corporation (Ricoh Company Limited)
• Inventors: Wong, Lana, Kitada, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lett; Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US11/386,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20070223031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,876 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 358/1.13, 358/1.9, 358/1.2, 358/403, 358/405, 379/100.01, 379/100.06
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods are provided for bi-directional status and control between image capture devices and backend devices in a document processing system.

Claims

1. A job distribution apparatus comprising:

a frontend interface for communication with one or more image capture devices through a data communication network;

a backend interface for communication with backend devices; and

a job communication controller configured to control said frontend interface and said backend interface for bi-directional status and control between image capture devices on the one hand and backend devices on the other hand,

wherein said job communication controller controls said frontend interface to receive a document processing job from an image capture device through a first connection between said image capture device and said job distribution apparatus through said data communication network, and controls said backend interface to route said document processing job to a specified backend device, and

wherein said job communication controller controls said frontend interface to terminate the first connection without waiting for acknowledgement or completion of the document processing job by the specified backend device, and transmit status information of said document processing job to said image capture device through a second connection between said image capture device and said job distribution apparatus, after said first connection is terminated.

2. The job distribution apparatus of claim 1, wherein said image capture device initiates the second connection, said job distribution apparatus receives a status request from said image capture device through said frontend interface via the second connection initiated by said image capture device, and said job communication controller controls said frontend interface to transmit said status information of said document processing job to said image capture device in response to the status request from the image capture device.

3. The job distribution apparatus of claim 1, wherein said job communication controller controls said backend interface to receive a status message of said document processing job from the specified backend device, and controls said frontend interface to establish said second connection with said image capture device.

4. The job distribution apparatus of claim 1, wherein said job communication controller controls said frontend interface to send a notice of completion of the document processing job by said specified backend device, to said image capture device through an additional connection between said job distribution apparatus and said image capture device.

5. The job distribution apparatus of claim 4, wherein said notice is provided through one of an e-mail, a facsimile and a message displayed on a display of said image capture device.

6. The job distribution apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said document processing job includes a first set of processing information,

wherein said job communication controller controls said frontend interface to transmit after the first connection has been terminated, a notice that the document processing job has failed to said image capture device through said second connection between said image capture device and said job distribution apparatus,

wherein said job distribution apparatus receives additional processing information from said image capture device through said second connection, after said notice that the document processing job has failed is transmitted to said image capture device, and

wherein said job communication controller controls said backend interface to send the document processing job to said specified backend device an additional time, in accordance with said additional processing information, without receiving the document processing job a second time from said image capture device.

7. The job distribution apparatus of claim 6, wherein the document processing job includes a document to be processed, said first set of processing information includes index information for the document, and said notice transmitted to said image capture device further includes an indication that the document processing job has failed because the index information for the document is invalid.

8. The job distribution apparatus of claim 7, wherein said additional processing information received by said job distribution apparatus from said image capture device includes replacement information for the index information that is invalid.

9. The job distribution apparatus of claim 6, wherein the document processing job includes a document to be processed, and said first set of processing information includes instructions for processing the document.

10. The job distribution apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first set of processing information from said image capture device includes at least one of a username and an identification of said image capture device.

11. The job distribution apparatus of claim 6, wherein said job communication controller controls said frontend interface to transmit to said image capture device, after it is determined that the document processing job has failed, further processing options for processing the document processing job, and said additional processing information received by said job distribution apparatus from said image capture device corresponds to one or more selected options.

12. The job distribution apparatus of claim 11, wherein said further processing options includes as a selectable option an instruction to said job distribution apparatus to retransmit said document processing job as is to the specified backend device again, without said job distribution apparatus receiving the document processing job from said image capture device said second time.

13. The job distribution apparatus of claim 11, wherein said further processing options includes as a selectable option an instruction to override said first set of processing information with said additional processing information, and retransmit said document processing job from said job distribution apparatus to the specified backend device a second time, without retransmitting the document processing job from said image capture device to said job distribution apparatus said second time.

14. The job distribution apparatus of claim 1, wherein the job communication controller controls said frontend interface to terminate the first connection, after the frontend interface receives the document processing job from the image capture device through the first connection, without waiting for acknowledgement or completion of the document processing job by the specified backend device.

15. A computer program stored in a program storage device readable by a computer and tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer, said computer program comprising:

a job receiving part configured to receive a document processing job from an image capture device via a first connection between said image capture device and the computer on which the computer program is executing;

a job routing part configured to route said document processing job to a specified backend device; and

a job monitor part configured to terminate the first connection without waiting for acknowledgement or completion of the document processing job by the specified backend device, monitor a status of processing of the document processing job by the backend device, and transmit status information of said document processing job to said image capture device through a second connection between said image capture device and the computer on which the computer program is executing, after said first connection has terminated.

16. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the computer program executing on the computer proceeds to receive and route an additional job after said first connection terminates and without waiting for acknowledgement or completion of the initial document processing job.

17. The computer program of claim 15, further comprising:

an additional processing part configured to transmit a notice that the document processing job has failed to said image capture device through said second connection between said image capture device and the computer on which said computer program is executing, after the first connection has been terminated,

wherein said document processing job includes a first set of processing information, and

wherein said additional processing part receives additional processing information from said image capture device after said notice has been transmitted, and sends the document processing job to said specified backend device an additional time in accordance with said additional processing information, without receiving the document processing job a second time from said image capture device.

18. The computer program of claim 17, further comprising a job storage part configured to store the document processing job, wherein after it is determined that the document processing job has failed, the stored document processing job is retrieved from said job storage part, and the document processing job is resubmitted by said job routing part to the specified backend device, in accordance with the additional processing information, without the computer on which said computer program is executing receiving the document processing job from said image capture device said second time.

19. A document processing system comprising:

one or more image capture devices;

one or more backend devices;

a job distribution apparatus including a frontend interface for communication with one or more image capture devices through a data communication network, a backend interface for communication with backend devices, and a job communication controller configured to control said frontend interface and said backend interface for bi-directional status and control between the image capture devices on the one hand and the backend devices on the other hand,

wherein said job communication controller controls said frontend interface to receive a document processing job from an image capture device through a first connection between said image capture device and said job distribution apparatus through said data communication network, and controls said backend interface to route said document processing job to a specified backend device, and

wherein said job communication controller controls said frontend interface to terminate the first connection without waiting for acknowledgement or completion of the document processing job by the specified backend device, and transmit status information of said document processing job to said image capture device through a second connection between said image capture device and said job distribution apparatus, after said first connection is terminated.

20. The document processing system of claim 19,

wherein said document processing job includes a first set of processing information,

wherein said job communication controller controls said frontend interface to transmit after the first connection has been terminated, a notice that the document processing job has failed to said image capture device through said second connection between said image capture device and said job distribution apparatus,

wherein said job distribution apparatus receives additional processing information from said image capture device through said second connection, after said notice that the document processing job has failed is transmitted to said image capture device, and

wherein said job communication controller controls said backend interface to send the document processing job to said specified backend device an additional time, in accordance with said additional processing information, without receiving the document processing job a second time from said image capture device.

21. A method for bi-directional status and control between image capture devices on the one hand and backend devices on the other hand, comprising:

routing by a job distribution node to a specified backend device a document processing job received from an image capture device through a first connection between the image capture device and the job distribution node;

terminating the first connection without waiting for acknowledgement or completion of the document processing job by the specified backend device; and

establishing a second connection between the image capture device and the job distribution node, and transmitting from the job distribution node through the second connection to the image capture device status information from the specified backend device of the document processing job.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising waiting a predetermined period of time after the document processing job is received from the image capture device before establishing the second connection and transmitting the status information of the document processing job to the image capture device.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving a status message from the specified backend device, before establishing the second connection and transmitting the status information of the document processing job to the image capture device.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving by the job distribution node a status request from the image capture device through the second connection, wherein the second connection is initiated by the image capture device, and the status information of the document processing job is transmitted from the job distribution node to the image capture device in response to the status request from the image capture device.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising sending from the job distribution node to the image capture device through an additional connection between the job distribution node and the image capture device, a notice of completion of the document processing job by the specified backend device.

26. A method for bi-directional status and control between image capture devices and backend devices, comprising:

routing a document processing job including a first set of processing information received by a job distribution node from an image capture device, to a specified backend device through a first connection between the image capture device and the job distribution node;

allowing the first connection to terminate without waiting for acknowledgement or completion of the document processing job by the specified backend device;

sending a notice from the job distribution node to the image capture device through a second connection between the image capture device and the job distribution node, after the first connection has been terminated, that the document processing job has failed;

receiving through the second connection additional processing information from the image capture device; and

sending from the job distribution node to the specified backend device the document processing job a second time, in accordance with the additional processing information, without receiving the document processing job again from the image capture device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the notice that the document processing job has failed further includes an indication that the document processing job has failed because at least a portion of the first set of processing information is invalid, and wherein the additional processing information from the image capture device replaces the at least a portion of the first set of processing information that is invalid.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising determining by the job distribution node that at least a portion of the first set of processing information is invalid, and inserting in the notice that the document processing job has failed an indication that the document processing job has failed because at least a portion of the first set of processing information is invalid.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising sending from the job distribution node to the image capture device, along with or after sending the notice that the document processing job has failed, further processing options for selection for processing the document processing job, and the additional processing information corresponds to one or more selected options.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the further processing options includes as a selectable option instruction to the job distribution node to retransmit the document processing job as is from the job distribution node to the specified backend device a second time, without the job distribution node receiving the document processing job from the image capture device a second time.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the further processing options includes as a selectable option an instruction to override the first set of processing information with the additional processing information, and retransmit the document processing job from the job distribution node to the specified backend device a second time, without the job distribution node receiving the document processing job from the image capture device a second time.