SHEET SCANNER WITH SWIPE SCREEN INTERFACE WITH LINKS TO MULTIPLE STORAGE DESTINATIONS FOR SCANNED ITEMS

• US 20150055197A1
• Filed: 08/21/2013
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEAT Company Incorporated Doing Business As Neatreceipts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Neat Company, Inc.
• Inventors: Romanoff, Harris, Dwivedula, Ravi Shankar Vankata
• Granted Patent: US 10,075,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/494
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00225 details of image data generation, e.g. scan-to-email or network scanners using an image reading device as a local input to a computer H04N1/00241
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00228 Image push arrangements, e.g. from an image reading device to a specific network destination push-based network services H04L67/55
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00474 outputting a plurality of functional options, e.g. scan, copy or print
• 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 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio

Abstract

A sheet scanner that scans an input document to generate a scan image that is communicated to a selected scan destination via a wireless communications port of the sheet scanner includes a touch screen display having a swipe screen interface including at least one icon for selecting a scan destination by selecting the icon on the touch screen display, and at least one icon that the user may access by swiping the swipe screen interface and that, when selected, enables the user to select a different scan destination. An outbox icon may also be selected to enter the sheet scanner into a mode for viewing activity status and history of the sheet scanner and for resending the scan image to the same or a new scan destination.

Claims

1. A sheet scanner comprising:

an image scanner that scans an input document to generate a scan image;

a processor;

a wireless communications port that enables wireless communications with remote computing services;

a touch screen display; and

a memory that stores instructions for execution by the processor, the instructions including instructions that, when processed, cause said processor to present a swipe screen interface to said display, said swipe screen interface including a selection ribbon of icons of available scan destinations known to the sheet scanner for selection by the user whereby when an icon is selected on the touch screen display, a scan destination of the available scan destinations is specified for storing the scan image, said swipe screen interface further enabling the user to select a different scan destination by swiping the selection ribbon to present a different icon on the touch screen display that, when selected on the touch screen display, specifies the different scan destination for storing the scan image, wherein the processor communicates the scan image to the selected scan destination via said wireless communications port.

2. The sheet scanner of claim 1, wherein the selection ribbon further includes at least one icon that, when selected, enables the user to add a new scan destination previously unknown to the sheet scanner for selection.

3. The sheet scanner of claim 2, wherein the wireless communication port periodically connects to a remote server to automatically download new scan destinations previously unknown to the sheet scanner.

4. The sheet scanner of claim 1, wherein the selection ribbon further includes at least one scan setting icon for selecting a scan setting to be adjusted by selecting the scan setting icon on the touch screen display.

5. The sheet scanner of claim 4, wherein the at least one scan setting icon includes icons that permit the user to select at least one of color mode, single sided scanning, double sided scanning, separate or combined mode, DPI resolution, and image format.

6. The sheet scanner of claim 5, wherein the selected scan settings are applied to scanned documents across different scan destinations.

7. The sheet scanner of claim 5, wherein the selected scan settings are saved separately in said memory and associated with separate scan destinations.

8. The sheet scanner of claim 1, wherein upon the user inserting paper into the image scanner, the touch screen display provides visual feedback that is associated with the selected destination icon via the swipe screen interface.

9. The sheet scanner of claim 1, wherein said selection ribbon further includes an outbox icon for selection by the user, wherein selection of the outbox icon enters the sheet scanner into a mode for viewing activity status and history of the sheet scanner.

10. The sheet scanner of claim 1, wherein the swipe screen interface enables the user to choose to re-send past scanned images to a same destination as previously sent or to choose to send those images to one or more other scan destinations.

11. The sheet scanner of claim 1, wherein the scan image is displayed on said touch screen display for review by the user.

12. The sheet scanner of claim 11, wherein the swipe screen interface further includes edit functions for selection by the user to edit the displayed scan image before the scan image is communicated to the selected scan destination.

13. The sheet scanner of claim 1, wherein the swipe screen interface displays the status of uploading or saving of the scan image on the touch screen display.

14. The sheet scanner of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that when processed by the processor causes the processor to automatically manage the memory such that oldest saved images in the memory that have successfully been uploaded or saved to their selected scan destination are automatically deleted from the memory.

24. The sheet scanner of claim 1, wherein the swipe screen interface presents only one icon at a time to the touch screen display.

15. A method of scanning a document, comprising the steps of:

selecting a scan destination for a document scanned by a sheet scanner by swiping a selection ribbon of icons of available scan destinations known to the sheet scanner for selection by the user on a swipe screen interface of a touch screen display of the sheet scanner between icons representing respective scan destinations and selecting an icon to select a scan destination;

scanning the document with the sheet scanner to generate a scan image; and

communicating the scan image to the selected scan destination via a wireless communications port of the sheet scanner.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising adding a new scan destination previously unknown to the sheet scanner by selecting a new scan destination and entering data representative of the new scan destination into the sheet scanner via the touch screen interface.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising adding a new scan destination by downloading data representative of the new scan destination into the sheet scanner from a remote server.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising selecting a scan setting to be adjusted by selecting a scan setting icon on the selection ribbon of the swipe screen interface of the touch screen display.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein selecting the scan setting comprises selecting at least one of color mode, single sided scanning, double sided scanning, separate or combined mode, DPI resolution, and image format by selecting a corresponding scan setting icon on the selection ribbon of the swipe screen interface of the touch screen display.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising selecting an outbox icon on said selection ribbon of the swipe screen interface of the touch screen display and, upon selection of the outbox icon, entering a mode that enables viewing activity status and history of the sheet scanner and resending the scan image to the selected scan destination or to a new scan destination.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying the scan image on the touch screen display for review by the user.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising selecting edit functions to edit the displayed scan image before the scan image is communicated to the selected scan destination.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the scan image is communicated to the selected scan destination by email.

25. The method of claim 15, further comprising presenting only one icon at a time to the swipe screen interface of the touch screen display.