Patent Publication Number: US-2007115501-A1

Title: Vocal status reporting system

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
      The vocal status reporting system relates to a method and apparatus for issuing status reports and, more particularly, a method and apparatus for issuing vocal status reports over a telephone line.  
     BACKGROUND  
      Print devices such as all-in-one print devices (AIOs) and multi-function peripherals (MFPs) have become commonplace in the business office setting. Such print devices typically provide printing, copying, scanning and/or facsimile capabilities in a single unit. A typical AIO may integrate two basic components: a document scanner and a print engine. Printing and scanning may each be carried out utilizing just one component of the device (i.e., the scanner or the print engine), while copying may be performed utilizing both components (i.e., the scanner and the print engine).  
      Modem print devices are capable of printing high quality images at increased printing speed. As print devices continue to become more advanced, many different users may share a single print device in a business office setting.  
      As more and more users share a single device, workflow handling and job priority becomes a concern. Most print devices are limited to processing a single job (or a limited number of jobs) at a time. Therefore, as various users submit various jobs to a single device, the device must prioritize each job and process the jobs in turn.  
      Accordingly, print devices have been provided with various job handling and prioritizing programs capable of prioritize jobs based on the type of user, the type of job, the size of a job or the like. Thus, a user may submit a print job and, based on the priority of the print job, the print job may be immediately processed or stored within the job queue until the device is ready to process the print job.  
      Prior art print devices typically provided users with various means for monitoring the status of a job. For example, job status may be reported at the operator panel or user interface of the print device. In another example, the print device may send the user an e-mail when the user&#39;s job is complete or an error occurs. However, the prior art methods for monitoring job status have numerous disadvantages.  
      Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus for issuing vocal status reports over a telephone line.  
     SUMMARY  
      In one aspect, the vocal status reporting system provides a method for communicating a status report from a print device having a modem to a user&#39;s telephone device including storing a message in a storage medium associated with the print device and, upon the occurrence of an event, sending the message from the print device to the user&#39;s telephone device using the modem.  
      In another aspect, the vocal status reporting system provides a method for communicating a vocal status report from a print device to a user&#39;s telephone device, wherein the user&#39;s telephone device has a telephone number associated therewith. The method includes storing the vocal status report in a storage medium associated with the print device, dialing the telephone number to establish a communication line between the print device and the user&#39;s telephone device and sending the vocal status report from the print device to the user&#39;s telephone device over the communication line.  
      In another aspect, the vocal status reporting system provides a print device including a storage medium having at least one voice message stored therein and a facsimile subsystem having a facsimile modem associated therewith, wherein the facsimile modem is adapted to communicate the voice message from the print device to a user&#39;s telephone device.  
      Other aspects of the vocal status reporting system will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is block diagram of a first aspect of the vocal status reporting system; and  
       FIG. 2  is a flow diagram according to a second aspect of the vocal status reporting system. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      As shown in  FIG. 1 , a first aspect of the vocal status reporting system, generally designated  10 , may include a print device  12  having a user interface  14 , a network connection  16 , a facsimile subsystem  18 , a storage medium  20  and a processor  21 . The facsimile subsystem  18  may include a facsimile modem  19 .  
      The storage medium  20  may include one or more pre-recorded voice clips stored therein. The pre-recorded voice clips may be in various languages. For example, the storage medium  20  may include the following pre-recorded voice clips: “Your print job is complete,” “A printing error has occurred” or “Device X has begun processing your job.” Alternatively, the storage medium  20  may include one or more pre-recorded voice clips and/or text reading software or text reading capabilities. The text reading software may allow the device  12  to generate customized vocal status reports by reading names, page numbers, page counts, file names, user names and the like. For example, the text reading software may be adapted to generate customized vocal status reports (or voice messages) such as, for example, “Christine, your 19-page print job regarding file number 2004-0599.02 has been printed on device number A-3.” 
      A user workstation  22  may be in communication with the print device  12  over a network  24  via communication lines  26 ,  28  and the network connection  16 . The user workstation  22  may be a computer, a handheld device such as a PDA or other device capable of communicating with the print device  12 . In one aspect, the communication lines  26 ,  28  may be hard-wired communication lines. In another aspect, one or both communication lines  26 ,  28  may be wireless and the network connection  16  may be a wireless communication receiver or port. The network  24  may be the internet, or may be a private network or LAN or WAN. It is within the scope of the system  10  to employ any form of transmission of information between the print device  16  and the workstation  22  by electrical, electro-optical or electronic means.  
      The print device  12  may be any device capable of receiving and processing a print job. In one aspect, the print device  12  may be an AIO or MFP having scanning, copying, printing and/or faxing capabilities.  
      The facsimile modem  19  of the facsimile subsystem  18  may be connected to a telephone line  30  such that the print device  12  may communicate with one or more telephone devices  32  over the telephone line  30 . The telephone device  32  may be any well-known telephone device. In one aspect, the telephone device  32  may be a typical land line telephone, such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN). In another aspect, the telephone device  32  may be a cellular or wireless telephone and the telephone line  30  may be wireless.  
      Accordingly, as shown in the flow chart of  FIG. 2 , in the process of the vocal status reporting system, generally designated  40 , a user may initiate a new job, as shown at box  42 , by entering user information at the workstation  22  ( FIG. 1 ), as indicated at box  44 . The user information entered at the workstation  22  may be communicated to the print device  12  over the network  24  by way of the communication lines  26 ,  28  and the network connection  16 . Alternatively, the user information may be entered directly at the print device  12  using the user interface  14 . At this point it should be understood that a job (i.e., a print job, a scan job, a copy job, a facsimile job or the like) may be initiated from a workstation (e.g., from the user&#39;s computer), directly at the print device  12  using the user interface  14  of the device  12  or by any other method capable of communicating a job request to the print device  12 .  
      The user information may be the name of the user, a user identification number and/or the user&#39;s telephone number. As will be discussed, such user information may also include whether the user wishes to be notified if a process error has occurred, the job in question is complete, or upon the occurrence of some other event. In one aspect, the device  12  and/or the workstation  22  may include a database of user information such that the device  12  and/or workstation  22  may look up various types of information (e.g., telephone numbers) based upon information provided by the user.  
      Once a user has submitted user information, the user may initiate a new job request, as shown at box  46 , and the device  12  may proceed to process the new job, as shown at box  48 . The job may be any type of job capable of being processed by the print device  12 . For example, the job may be a print job, a copy job, a scan job, facsimile job, a photo-printing job or the like.  
      As shown at boxes  50 ,  51  and  52 , the device  12  may continue processing the job unless an error occurs. If an error occurs, the processor  21  may cause the device  12  to notify the user of the error by dialing the user&#39;s telephone number using the device&#39;s facsimile modem, as shown at box  51 , and playing a voice message, as shown at box  52 . The job may end when an error occurs, as shown at box  58 . The voice message may be a pre-recorded voice clip stored in the storage medium  20  and retrieved by the processor  21  (e.g., “An error has occurred”) or a customized voice message delivered using text reading software (e.g., “Christine, an error has occurred while processing your request. Nine out of ten pages have been successfully printed”).  
      If no errors occur, the job is complete and the process proceed from decision diamond  50  to box  54 . If the user did not request status reports (or notification) when entering information at box  44 , then the process may end, as shown at box  58 . However, if the user requested a status report (or multiple status reports) when entering information at box  44 , then as shown in decision diamond  56  the processor  21  may cause the device  12  to notify the user of the status of the job, as shown at boxes  60  and  62 , by dialing the user&#39;s telephone number using the device&#39;s facsimile modem  19 , as shown at box  60 , and playing a voice message, as shown at box  62 . The voice message may be a pre-recorded voice clip selected from voice files stored in storage medium  20  (e.g., “Your print job is complete”) or a customized voice message delivered using text reading software stored in storage medium  20  (e.g., “Christine, your 19-page print job regarding file number  2004-0599.02  has been completed on device number A-3”).  
      In one aspect, the device  12  may always send status reports to the telephone unit  32  by way of modem  19 . In another aspect, the device  12  may only send status reports if the user requested status reports at the time of submitting the user information and/or the new job request, as shown at box  44 .  
      Thus, a user may submit a job to device  12  and request vocal status reports. Once the job is initiated, completed or an error or other event occurs, the device  12  may communicate the event as a vocal status report by contacting the user&#39;s telephone unit  32  and transmitting a message indicative of the event.  
      In another aspect, the telephone device  32  may be a cellular phone having text messaging capabilities and device  12  may be adapted to generate and transmit text messages (rather than voice messages) to the telephone device  32 .  
      Although the vocal status reporting system has been shown and described with respect to certain aspects, it should be understood that modifications may occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification and that the vocal status reporting system includes all such modifications and is limited only by the scope of the claims.