Object-based network scanning

• US 8,848,213 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fenelon, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rogers, Scott A
• Application Number:
  US12/050,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20090240697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,387 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32037 Automation of particular transmitter jobs, e.g. multi-address calling, auto-dialing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 Display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data

Abstract

In accordance with one or more aspects, a user selects one or more capabilities of a repository service and one or more capabilities of a scanner. A scan object including both acquisition parameters based on the selected one or more capabilities of the scanner and post-scan instructions based on the selected one or more capabilities of the repository service is generated and stored for subsequent access by the scanner. At the scanner, multiple scan objects available to a user of the scanner are identified. One or more electronic documents are created by scanning one or more documents using the acquisition parameters in the selected scan object. Both the post-scan instructions in the selected scan object and the one or more electronic documents are sent to a service identified in the scan object, where the post-scan instructions are processed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying multiple scan objects available to a user of the scanner, wherein each of the multiple scan objects includes selected acquisition parameters of the scanner and selected post-scan instructions utilized by a repository service, the selected post-scan instructions based at least in part on capabilities of the repository service and the selected acquisition parameters based at least in part on one or more capabilities of the scanner;

receiving a user selection of a scan object from the multiple scan objects, wherein the selected scan object includes a unique identifier associated with the selected post-scan instructions and the selected acquisition parameters and a provided document to create an electronic document, wherein receiving the user selection of the scan object comprises receiving selected acquisition parameters and selected post-scan instructions for the electronic document;

based on the user selected scan object, creating the electronic document utilizing the selected acquisition parameters and the selected post-scan instructions;

processing the electronic document in accordance with the selected post-scan instructions from the scan object, wherein a scan job comprises the electronic document and the processing of the electronic document in accordance with the selected post-scan instructions, the selected post-scan instructions identify one or more post-scan operations to be performed by a selected repository service, and the selected repository service is selected from a plurality of repository services;

sending both the post-scan instructions in the selected scan object and the electronic document to the selected repository service identified in the scan object;

receiving, from the selected repository service, a status of the scan job; and

presenting the status of the scan job to the user.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving one or more acquisition parameters from the user; and

replacing one or more of the acquisition parameters of the selected scan object with the one or more acquisition parameters received from the user.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein identifying multiple scan objects available to a user of the scanner includes:

receiving user credentials of the user;

accessing a scan object store that maintains the multiple scan objects in order to identify the multiple scan objects that are available to the user; and

receiving, from the scan object store, an identification of the multiple scan objects that are available to the user.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein identifying multiple scan objects available to a user of the scanner includes:

receiving, from a scan object store, objects that are associated with the scanner.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a computing device, a request for acquisition parameters that are associated with the scanner; and

in response to receiving the request, sending a list of the associated acquisition parameters to the computing device.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein sending the post-scan instructions comprises sending the selected scan object to the repository service identified in the scan object.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein sending the post-scan instructions comprises sending an identifier of the selected scan object to a repository processing service identified in the scan object.

8. A computer-readable storage device having stored thereon multiple instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive a selection of a repository service and a scanner;

retrieve an indication of capabilities of the selected repository service, including one or more of (i) a list of active jobs at the selected repository service, and (ii) a list of jobs completed by the selected repository service;

retrieve an indication of capabilities of the selected scanner;

present, to a user, one or more of (i) the retrieved capabilities of the selected repository service and the retrieved capabilities of the selected scanner, and (ii) one or more of the list of active jobs at the selected repository service and the list of jobs completed by the selected repository service;

receive a user selection of one or more of the presented capabilities of the selected repository service and one or more of the presented capabilities of the selected scanner;

generate a scan object including both selected acquisition parameters based on the selected one or more capabilities of the selected scanner and selected post-scan instructions based on the selected one or more of the presented capabilities of the selected repository service;

apply selected post-scan instructions to an electronic document created from a provided document;

process the electronic document in accordance with the selected post-scan instructions from the scan object, wherein a scan job comprises the electronic document and the processing of the electronic document in accordance with the selected post-scan instructions and the selected post-scan instructions identify one or more post-scan operations to be performed by the selected repository service;

and

store the scan object for subsequent access by the selected scanner, wherein the scan object is stored with a unique identifier associated with the selected post-scan instructions and the selected acquisition parameters.

9. A computer-readable storage device as recited in claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to store user access rights associated with the scan object, the user access rights identifying one or more users to whom the scan object is available.

10. A computer-readable storage device as recited in claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

retrieve an indication of capabilities of one or more additional repository services;

present, to the user, the capabilities of the one or more additional repository services; and

wherein receiving the user selection of one or more of the presented capabilities includes receiving a user selection of capabilities of one of the one or more additional repository services.

11. A computer-readable storage device as recited in claim 8, wherein retrieving the indication of capabilities of the repository service includes retrieving the indication of capabilities of the selected repository service from a repository configuration service running on a same server as the selected repository service.

20. A computer-readable storage device as recited in claim 8, wherein storing the scan object for subsequent access comprises storing the scan object in a scan store, wherein the scan store is implemented as a directory service.

12. A computer-readable storage device having stored thereon multiple instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive, from a scanner, one or more electronic documents acquired by the scanner;

receive a selected scan object, wherein the scan object includes a unique identifier, selected image acquisition parameters based at least in part on one or more capabilities of the scanner and selected first post-scan instructions, wherein the selected first post-scan instructions identify one or more post-scan operations to be performed by a selected repository service, the selected repository service being selected from a plurality of repository services and the selected first post-scan instructions based at least in part on capabilities of the selected repository service, wherein the unique identifier is associated with the selected post-scan instructions and the selected image acquisition parameters; and

process the one or more electronic documents based at least in part on the first post-scan instructions.

13. A computer-readable storage device as recited in claim 12, wherein the first post-scan instructions are received from the scanner.

14. A computer-readable storage device as recited in claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to send a status to the scanner regarding the processing of the first post-scan instructions.

15. A computer-readable storage device as recited in claim 12, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to send a status to a scanner management console regarding the processing of the first post-scan instructions, the scan object having been generated at the scanner management console.

16. A computer-readable storage device as recited in claim 12, the instructions further causing the one or more processors to:

receive one or more additional post-scan instructions from the scan object, each of the one or more additional post-scan instructions identifying post-scan operations to be performed by one repository service of the plurality of repository services; and

send a status each time any of the first or one or more additional post-scan instructions are completed.

17. A computer-readable storage device as recited in claim 16, wherein sending a status comprises:

determining at least one reason to send the status, the at least one reason being selected from a group consisting of;

(a) a scan job being submitted by a particular scanner, (b) a scan job being submitted by a particular user of a particular scanner, and (c) a request for the status is received from a scanner management console.

18. A computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the instructions further causing the one or more processors to receive a status of a scan job, the status of the scan job indicating an error with a post-scan instruction such that the scan job cannot be completed.

19. A computer-readable storage device as recited in claim 12, the instructions further causing the one or more processors to:

receive one or more additional post-scan instructions from the scan object, each of the one or more additional post-scan instructions identifying one or more additional post-scan operations to be performed by one repository service of the plurality of repository services;

determine, responsive to a request to cancel the one or more additional post-scan operations, future processing of a scan job; and

cancelling, the future processing.