Job auditing systems and methods for direct imaging of documents

• US 8,319,988 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ferlitsch, Andrew R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cordero, Marivelisse Santiago
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Huo Long
• Application Number:
  US11/565,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20080133560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,189 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0065 Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3202 of communication or activity log or report

Abstract

A document that corresponds to an imaging job to be performed by an imaging device may be received. The document may be in a non-native format that is not native to the imaging device. It may be determined that a translation operation should be performed on the document. The translation operation may include translating the document from the non-native format into a native format that is native to the imaging device. At least one job auditing function may be performed with respect to the document in the non-native format. Audit data may be generated as a result of the at least one job auditing function being performed. The audit data may be provided to a job auditing record manager. The job auditing record manager may store the audit data in a job auditing record.

Claims

1. A job auditing method for direct imaging of documents, comprising:

receiving a document that corresponds to an imaging job to be performed by an imaging device, wherein the document is in a non-native format that is not native to the imaging device;

determining that a translation operation should be performed on the document, wherein the translation operation comprises translating the document from the non-native format into a native format that is native to the imaging device;

performing at least one job auditing function with respect to the document in the non-native format, wherein audit data is generated as a result of the at least one job auditing function being performed, wherein performing the at least one job auditing function comprises creating a thinned, linearized version of the document in the non-native format and extracting metadata associated with the document and including the metadata in the thinned, linearized version of the document in the non-native format, wherein the audit data comprises the thinned, linearized version of the document in the non-native format, and wherein creating the thinned, linearized version of the document comprises;

creating a linearized version of the document by reorganizing the document data such that the physical location of the page data is in sequential page order;

extracting a subset of pages from the linearized document; and

reducing content within the pages that are extracted; and

providing the audit data to a job auditing record manager, wherein the job auditing record manager stores the audit data in a job auditing record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented by a format translation service, and wherein determining that the translation operation should be performed comprises receiving a request from the imaging device to translate the document from the non-native format to the native format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented by an imaging/translation server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the job auditing record manager is located on the imaging device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the job auditing record manager is part of a format translation service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the job auditing record manager is separate from the imaging device and also separate from a format translation service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the job auditing record is located on the imaging device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the job auditing record is located in storage that is separate from but accessible to the imaging device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

translating the document from the non-native format into the native format, thereby obtaining a translated version of the document; and

sending the translated version of the document to the imaging device for further processing.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the imaging job is initiated at a host that is in electronic communication with the imaging device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the imaging job is initiated at the imaging device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the imaging device is a multi-function peripheral device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting a subset of pages from the linearized document comprises selecting a fixed number of non-sparse pages.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the request from the imaging device to translate the document from the non-native to the native format includes information about a user that initiated the imaging job.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the request from the imaging device to translate the document from the non-native to the native format is secured.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting a fixed number of non-sparse pages comprises determining if a page is sparse, wherein a page is sparse if an amount of sheet surface covered is below a threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein creating the thinned, linearized version of the document further comprises constructing the thinned, linearized version of the document from the extracted subset of pages and the extracted metadata.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the extracted metadata associated with the document comprises metadata associated with the document as a whole and metadata associated with the extracted subset of pages.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the audit data further comprises a job owner, a date and a time of the imaging job, a job type and job characteristics of the imaging job, and consumables used.

20. A computer system that is configured to implement a job auditing method for direct imaging of documents, the computer system comprising:

a processor;

memory in electronic communication with the processor;

instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable to;

receive a document that corresponds to an imaging job to be performed by an imaging device, wherein the document is in a non-native format that is not native to the imaging device;

determine that a translation operation should be performed on the document, wherein the translation operation comprises translating the document from the non-native format into a native format that is native to the imaging device;

perform at least one job auditing function with respect to the document in the non-native format, wherein audit data is generated as a result of the at least one job auditing function being performed, wherein performing the at least one job auditing function comprises creating a thinned, linearized version of the document in the non-native format, wherein the audit data comprises the thinned, linearized version of the document in the non-native format, and extracting metadata associated with the document and including the metadata in the thinned, linearized version of the document in the non-native format, and wherein creating the thinned, linearized version of the document comprises;

creating a linearized version of the document by reorganizing the document data such that the physical location of the page data is in sequential page order;

extracting a subset of pages from the linearized document; and

reducing content within the pages that are extracted; and

provide the audit data to a job auditing record manager, wherein the job auditing record manager stores the audit data in a job auditing record.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for:

receiving a document that corresponds to an imaging job to be performed by an imaging device, wherein the document is in a non-native format that is not native to the imaging device;

determining that a translation operation should be performed on the document, wherein the translation operation comprises translating the document from the non-native format into a native format that is native to the imaging device;

performing at least one job auditing function with respect to the document in the non-native format, wherein audit data is generated as a result of the at least one job auditing function being performed, wherein performing the at least one job auditing function comprises creating a thinned, linearized version of the document in the non-native format, wherein the audit data comprises the thinned, linearized version of the document in the non-native format, and extracting metadata associated with the document and including the metadata in the thinned, linearized version of the document in the non-native format, and wherein creating the thinned, linearized version of the document comprises;

creating a linearized version of the document by reorganizing the document data such that the physical location of the page data is in sequential page order;

extracting a subset of pages from the linearized document; and

reducing content within the pages that are extracted; and

providing the audit data to a job auditing record manager, wherein the job auditing record manager stores the audit data in a job auditing record.