Method and system to access address books

• US 7,265,858 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2001
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Truc D., Park, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Kimberly A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burleson; Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/970,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20030065786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,162 Days
• Field of Search: 358/440, 358/403, 358/407, 358/462, 358/1.15, 707/204, 707/8, 707/10, 707/104, 707/200, 709/208
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

There is provided a method and system for initiating an information transmission, such as with faxing, e-mail, data streaming, or the like from a personal computer on a network having at least one networked multifunction machine. The method comprises the steps of invoking a fax command from a software program on a personal computer and then viewing a list of machines residing on the network which contain local address book information. Upon viewing the list, a machine is selected from the list and a search is conducted through the personal computer for a local copy of the selected machine'"'"'s address book information. If no local copy exists, a local copy of the selected machine'"'"'s address book information is created on the personal computer. The local copy of the selected machine'"'"'s address book is then used to retrieve address book information for selecting a recipient of an information transmission.

Claims

1. A method for accessing remote address book information comprising the steps of:

outputting, on a data processing device, data representative of a plurality of available networked document processing devices for a selected document processing operation, each of the document processing devices having address book data in a storage associated therewith;

receiving selection data representative of a selected document processing device;

determining whether address book data of the selected document processing device is available in a storage associated with the data processing device;

selectively copying address book data from the selected document processing device to the data processing device in accordance with the determination; and

commencing operation of the document processing device to perform the selected document processing operation in accordance with at least one entry of address book data stored in the document processing device.

2. The method for accessing remote address book information of claim 1 wherein the address book data selectively copied from the selected document processing device is stored in associated storage of the data processing device.

3. The method for accessing remote address book information of claim 1 wherein the document processing device includes a facsimile device, a copying device, a printing device, and a multifunctional peripheral device.

4. The method for accessing remote address book information of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

comparing the address book data of the selected document processing device available in a storage associated with the data processing device with the address book data in a storage associated with the selected document processing device; and

selectively updating the address book data available in a storage associated with the data processing device based on the comparison.

5. The method for accessing remote address book information of claim 4 wherein the step of selectively updating the address book data includes overwriting the address book data available in a storage associated with the data processing device with the address book data in a storage associated with the selected document processing device.

6. The method for accessing remote address book information of claim 1 wherein the address book data includes user names, user facsimile numbers, user electronic mail addresses, user telephone numbers, and user addresses.

7. The method for accessing remote address book information of claim 1 wherein the data representative of a plurality of available networked document processing devices is outputted via a graphical user interface.

8. A system for accessing remote address book information comprising:

means adapted for outputting, on a data processing device, data representative of a plurality of available networked document processing devices for a selected document processing operation, each of the document processing devices having address book data in a storage associated therewith;

means adapted for receiving selection data representative of a selected document processing device;

means adapted for determining whether address book data of the selected document processing device is available in a storage associated with the data processing device;

means adapted for selectively copying address book data from the selected document processing device to the data processing device in accordance with the determination; and

means adapted for commencing operation of the document processing device to perform the selected document processing operation in accordance with at least one entry of address book data stored in the document processing device.

9. The system for accessing remote address book information of claim 8 wherein the address book data selectively copied from the selected document processing device is stored in associated storage of the data processing device.

10. The system for accessing remote address book information of claim 8 wherein the document processing device includes a facsimile device, a copying device, a printing device, and a multifunctional peripheral device.

11. The system for accessing remote address book information of claim 8 further comprising:

comparison means adapted for comparing the address book data of the selected document processing device available in a storage associated with the data processing device with the address book data in a storage associated with the selected document processing device; and

updating means adapted for selectively updating the address book data available in a storage associated with the data processing device based on the comparison.

12. The system for accessing remote address book information of claim 11 wherein updating means includes means adapted for overwriting the address book data available in a storage associated with the data processing device with the address book data in a storage associated with the selected document processing device.

13. The system for accessing remote address book information of claim 8 wherein the address book data includes user names, user facsimile numbers, user electronic mail addresses, user telephone numbers, and user addresses.

14. The system for accessing remote address book information of claim 8 wherein the data representative of a plurality of available networked document processing devices is outputted via a graphical user interface.