METHOD AND SYSTEM TO CONFIGURE MOBILE ELECTRONIC DEVICE SETTINGS USING REMOTE DATA STORE ANALYTICS

• US 20160182805A1
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Emmett, Phillip J., Fu, Lina, Bala, Raja
• Granted Patent: US 9,456,123 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/17 using hand-held instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/418 Document matching, e.g. of document images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6047 wherein the test pattern is part of an arbitrary user image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio

Abstract

A mobile electronic device application uses various hardware parameters for operation. The application leverages calibration data from other users to determine what the parameters should be for the particular device model on which the application is installed. The application queries a cloud-based data store by sending the model and a hardware-variable parameter to the data store. If a value for the parameter is available in the data store, the application will receive it from the data store and use it in operation. If the value is not available, the application will prompt the user to calibrate the application. The application will use the calibration results to identify a setting, and it will send the setting to the data store for use by other instances in which the application is installed on the same model device.

Claims

1. A method of configuring an application of a mobile electronic device, comprising:

by a processor of a mobile electronic device, executing programming instructions for a software application installed on the electronic device by;

detecting a model of the electronic device;

identifying a hardware-variable parameter of an image capturing sensor of the electronic device;

querying a data store by sending the model and the parameter to the data store;

receiving a reply from the data store, wherein the reply comprises a value for the parameter;

based on the reply, establishing a setting for the image capturing sensor of the electronic device; and

using the setting in operation of the software application.

2. The method of claim 1:

further comprising receiving, via the image capturing sensor, an image of a document;

wherein using the setting in operation of the software application comprises using the setting as a variable in a document processing application that generates an electronic file representing a scan of the document.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the reply comprises the setting.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises a sensor size for the image capturing sensor, and the setting comprises an aspect ratio adjustment for the image capturing sensor that is based on the sensor size.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reply comprises a value that indicates that the hardware-variable parameter for the model of the electronic device is not known in the data store, and the method further comprises:

prompting a user of the electronic device to provide a calibration input for the application;

when establishing the setting, using the calibration input to establish the setting; and

sending the established setting to the data store for storage in association with the model and the hardware-variable parameter.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein prompting the user of the electronic device to provide the calibration input comprises:

providing the user with one or more characteristics of a calibration document; and

prompting the user to capture an image of the calibration document.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

prompting the user of the electronic device to provide the calibration input also comprises prompting the user to capture one or more additional images of the calibration document, wherein the prompt includes an instruction to capture the one or more additional images with a geometry that is different from that used for one or more previously-captured images of the calibration of document; and

using the calibration input to establish the setting also comprises using one or more of the additional images of the calibration document in conjunction with the characteristics of the calibration document to establish the setting.

8. A method of configuring a mobile electronic device, comprising:

by a processor of a mobile electronic device, executing programming instructions for a software application installed on the electronic device by;

detecting a model of the electronic device;

identifying a hardware-variable parameter of operation of the electronic device;

querying a data store by sending the model and the hardware-variable parameter to the data store;

receiving a reply from the data store, wherein the reply comprises an indication that the parameter for the model is not available in the data store;

prompting a user of the electronic device to provide a calibration input for the application;

receiving the calibration input;

using the calibration input to establish a setting for the hardware-variable parameter; and

sending the established setting to the data store for storage in association with the model and the hardware-variable parameter.

9. The method of claim 8:

further comprising receiving, via an image capturing sensor of the electronic device, an image of a document; and

wherein using the calibration input to establish a setting comprises using the setting as a variable in a document processing application that generates an electronic file representing a scan of the document.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the parameter comprises a sensor size for the image capturing sensor;

the calibration input comprises an image of a calibration document captured by the image capturing sensor of the electronic device and an aspect ratio of the calibration document;

using the calibration input to establish a setting comprises determining, based on the aspect ratio and one or more characteristics of the image of the calibration document, the sensor size or an aspect ratio adjustment for the image capturing sensor; and

sending the established setting to the data store comprises sending the determined sensor size or aspect ratio adjustment to the data store.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising, by an image capturing sensor of the electronic device, receiving the image of the calibration document before using the calibration input to establish the setting.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein prompting the user of the electronic device to provide the calibration input comprises:

providing the user with one or more characteristics of a calibration document; and

prompting the user to capture an image of the calibration document.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

prompting the user of the electronic device to provide the calibration input also comprises prompting the user to capture one or more additional images of the calibration document, wherein the prompt includes an instruction to capture the one or more additional images with a geometry that is different from that used for one or more previously-captured images of the calibration document; and

using the calibration input to establish the setting comprises using the additional one or more images of the calibration document in conjunction with the one or more characteristics of the calibration document to establish the setting.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising, by a processor of a second mobile electronic device, executing programming instructions for a second instance of the software application installed on the second electronic device by:

detecting a model of the second electronic device;

identifying a hardware-variable parameter of the second electronic device;

querying the data store by sending the model of the second electronic device and the parameter of the second electronic to the data store;

receiving a second reply from the data store, wherein the reply comprises a value for the parameter of the second electronic device;

based on the second reply, establishing a setting for the second electronic device; and

using the setting in operation of the second instance of the software application.

15. A method, comprising:

by a processor, executing programming instructions that cause the processor to;

receive, from a first electronic device, a query comprising a model of the first electronic device and a hardware-variable parameter that corresponds to a hardware element;

access a data store to determine whether the data store includes the hardware-variable parameter for the model;

determine that the data store does not include the hardware-variable parameter for the model, and send the first electronic device an indication that data store does not include the hardware-variable parameter;

in response to the indication, receive a setting for the hardware-variable parameter from the first electronic device;

store the setting in the data store in association with the model;

receive, from a second electronic device, a query comprising the model and the hardware-variable parameter;

access the data store to retrieve the setting for the hardware variable parameter; and

transmit the setting to the second electronic device.

16. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the hardware element comprises an image capturing sensor; and

the setting comprises a sensor size determined by the first electronic device for the image capturing sensor or an aspect ratio adjustment determined by the first electronic device for the image capturing sensor.

17. A mobile electronic device configuration system, comprising:

a mobile electronic device comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable memory containing programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

identify a hardware-variable parameter of operation of the mobile electronic device;

query a data store that is remote to the mobile electronic device by transmitting a message that includes the parameter and a model of the mobile electronic device to the data store;

if a value for the parameter is available in the data store;

receive a reply from the data store, wherein the reply comprises the value for the parameter,

based on the reply, establish a setting for a hardware element of the mobile electronic device that corresponds to the parameter, and

use the setting in operation of a software application that interacts with the hardware element during operation; and

if the value of the parameter is not in available in the data store;

receive a reply from the data store, wherein the reply comprises an indication that the parameter for the model is not available in the data store;

prompt a user of the mobile electronic device to provide a calibration input for the application,

receive the calibration input;

use the calibration input to establish a setting for the hardware-variable parameter,

send the established setting to the data store for storage in association with the model and the hardware-variable parameter, and

use the setting in operation of a software application that interacts with the hardware element during operation.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the hardware element comprises an image capturing sensor; and

the setting comprises a determined sensor size determined by the first electronic device or an aspect ratio adjustment determined by the first electronic device.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising additional programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

receive, via the image capturing sensor, an image of a document; and

when using the setting in operation of a software application, using the setting as a variable in a document processing application that generates an electronic file representing a scan of the document.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising additional programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

provide the user with one or more characteristics of a calibration of document; and

prompt the user to capture an image of the calibration document via the image capturing sensor, wherein the prompt includes an instruction to capture the image of the calibration document with a geometry that is different from that used for one or more previously-captured images of the calibration document.

21. The system of claim 17, further comprising a second mobile electronic device comprising

a second processor;

a second instance of the hardware element; and

a second non-transitory computer-readable memory containing programming instructions that, when executed, cause the second processor to;

query the data store by transmitting a message that includes the parameter and a model of second mobile electronic device to the data store;

receive a second reply from the data store, wherein the second reply comprises a second value for the parameter;

use the second value to establish a second setting for the second instance of the hardware element, and

use the second setting in operation of a software application that interacts with the second instance of the hardware element during operation.