Abstract:
A system and method of importing a document into a document management system are presented. In an embodiment, the method comprises displaying at a scanning device a list of one or more available profiles, each of the profiles being associated with metadata; receiving input indicative of a selection of one of the profiles; scanning the document to create a scanned document image; associating the metadata of the selected profile to the scanned document image; and importing the scanned document image and the associated metadata into the document management system.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     Embodiments of the invention relate generally to scanning systems and methods. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to a scanning system and method of importing documents into a document management system.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     In recent years, multifunction devices (MFDs) have come into widespread use in business and home settings. Such devices provide a broader range of functionality than that provided by traditional single-function devices, such as dedicated printers, scanners, copiers, and facsimile machines.  
         [0003]     Electronic document management systems (EDMS) are utilized widely in various industries, such as the legal and financial industries. Often, paper documents associated with a particular project or matter are digitally scanned and imported into an EDMS for archival and other purposes. Typically, a scanned document is associated with metadata, some or all of which may be identical to associated metadata of related documents. Barcode coversheets have been employed to facilitate the association of scanned documents with metadata. Such coversheets include or reference applicable metadata for a project or matter. In a typical scenario, a user creates a barcode coversheet at the user&#39;s desktop computer using a third party application and then prints the coversheet. At a scanning device, such as an MFD, the user scans the coversheet, and then scans documents the user wishes to associate with the metadata of the coversheet.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The following summary sets forth certain example embodiments of the invention described in greater detail below. It does not set forth all such embodiments and should in no way be construed as limiting of the invention.  
         [0005]     In an embodiment, a method of using a scanning device to import a document into a document management system comprises displaying at the scanning device a list of one or more available profiles, each of the profiles being associated with metadata; receiving input indicative of a selection of one of the one or more profiles; scanning the document to create a scanned document image; associating the metadata of the selected profile to the scanned document image; and importing the scanned document image and the associated metadata into the document management system.  
         [0006]     In another embodiment, a peripheral comprises a display that shows a list of available profiles, each of the profiles having an identifier and being associated with metadata; an interface that receives input indicative of a selected one of the displayed profiles; a scanner that reads a document and generates a graphics image of the document; and a communications interface that sends the graphics image and the metadata associated with the selected profile to a device separate from the peripheral. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  shows a system for importing documents into a document management system according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  shows a multifunction printer according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  shows a screenshot of a user interface according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  shows a screenshot of a user interface according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  shows a screenshot of a user interface according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 6  shows a screenshot of a user interface according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 7  shows a screenshot of a user interface according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 8  shows a screenshot of a user interface according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 9  shows a screenshot of a user interface according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 10  shows a screenshot of a user interface according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 11  shows a screenshot of a user interface according to an embodiment of the invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 12  shows a process of importing documents into a document management system according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The order of limitations specified in any method claims does not imply that the steps or acts set forth therein must be performed in that order, unless an order is explicitly identified in the specification as essential. In addition, it should be noted that a plurality of hardware and software based devices, as well as a plurality of different structural components, may be utilized to implement the invention.  
         [0020]     Embodiments of the invention relate to a scanning system and method of importing documents into an electronic document management system. In an embodiment, profiles containing metadata can be accessed, modified, and/or created at a multifunction device (MFD). A profile can be selected by a user, and the metadata therein can be associated with scanned documents. It is to be appreciated that embodiments herein do not require desktop application programs (e.g., third party application programs), personal computers, physical barcode coversheets, and other components. Accordingly, embodiments herein achieve significant cost savings to manufacturers and consumers, while expanding the scope of useful functions an MFD can support in a user-friendly manner. Moreover, embodiments herein speed up the process of importing documents into an EDMS, enabling a user to quickly access, create, and/or modify profiles with metadata at an MFD without a need to print and keep track of paper coversheets, and minimizing the time spent by a user profiling documents with applicable metadata.  
         [0021]     Additionally, the term “PC” is used generically herein to denote, for example, desktop computers, laptops, servers, and other computers that can be suitably configured to operate within the contexts broadly set forth herein. Further, embodiments of the invention can be applied to printers, copiers, scanners, facsimile devices, multifunction devices, and combination or multifunction printers that perform some or all these functions.  
         [0022]      FIG. 1  shows a system  100  for importing documents into an EDMS according to an embodiment of the invention. The system  100  includes an MFD  110 , a server  130 , and a profile database  140 . The MFD  110  communicates with the server  130  over a network  120 , such as an intranet. Example industries employing EDMSs include legal, financial, medical, and manufacturing industries.  
         [0023]     The MFD  110  includes an interface, such as a touch screen and/or other suitable input/output device(s), such as a keypad and/or an LCD display.  
         [0024]     In an embodiment, the server  130  runs a routing application, such as Lexmark Document Distributor offered by Lexmark International, Inc. (Lexington, Ky.). The server  130  includes an EDMS or is in communication with an EDMS.  
         [0025]     The profile database  140  may be external or internal to the server  130 . In an embodiment, the profile database  140  is an ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) compatible database that can be accessed directly or indirectly by the server  130  and/or the MFD  110  or other network-communicating MFDs.  
         [0026]      FIG. 2  shows an embodiment of the MFD  110  of  FIG. 1 . The MFD  110  includes a profile access module  210 , a receiver module  220 , a storage module  230 , a scanner  240 , and an association module  250 . The modules of the MFD  110  can be implemented in various combinations of hardware, software, and/or firmware. The scanner  240  optionally includes an automatic document feeder (ADF).  
         [0027]     The profile access module  210  provides a user at the MFD  110  with access to previously stored profiles (if any). Each profile (also referred to herein as “transaction”) has an identifier and contains or references metadata associated with at least one document. In an example implementation, a profile is the combination of the metadata previously given for a scanned document. The profiles can be stored in the profile database  140  of  FIG. 1 , accessed by the server  130 , and provided to the MFD  110  or other MFDs upon request. In an embodiment, the user is authenticated before being provided with access to profiles. For instance, the user is authenticated after the user logs into the MFD  110  using the credentials of a third party application. In some embodiments, a user identifier can be associated with a profile or group of profiles. To illustrate, in a law firm an attorney will often work on a number of matters, each of the matters being identified by a combination of a client identifier and a matter identifier. In one embodiment of the invention, the attorney has a user identifier that is associated with profiles for each of the client-matter combinations that the attorney works on. Thus, when the attorney enters a valid userid into the MFD, the attorney is presented with a list of profiles, each of the profiles associated with a different client-matter combination. Such relationships among user identifiers enable a correct set of profiles to be presented to the user at the MFD  110 . In an embodiment, profiles are not associated with any single MFD. As such, any network-communicating MFD that has been configured with appropriate scripts can access stored profiles.  
         [0028]     The MFD  110  also can include a profile presentation module (not shown) that presents a user at the MFD  110  with a list of previously stored profiles (if any). The user can select a desired profile from among the list of profiles.  
         [0029]     The receiver module  220  receives a user input that indicates a profile to be associated with a document (e.g., a document related to a legal service, financial service, or other service or purpose) that a user would like to scan and import into the EDMS. Such user input can be provided via a touch screen, keypad, or other suitable input mechanism. The profile can be, for instance, an unaltered profile previously stored, a stored profile that has been modified by the user, and/or a new profile.  
         [0030]     The storage module  230  stores the indicated profile in a storage location, such as the profile database  140  and/or a local repository of the MFD  110 , if at least one condition is satisfied. For instance, a satisfied condition is the reception of a user input requesting that the profile be saved.  
         [0031]     The scanner  240  scans a document to create a scanned document image. The association module  250  associates the scanned document image with the indicated profile. The scanned document image optionally may be processed using optical character recognition (OCR) techniques. Recognized characters in the scanned document image may be used and/or stored, for example, by the MFD  110 , the EDMS, or a device in communication with the EDMS.  
         [0032]     In an embodiment, the MFD  110  includes a modification interface (not shown) that allows a user to modify settings of stored profiles, create and/or save new profiles, and/or delete profiles.  
         [0033]     In an embodiment, if the user has no previously saved profiles, the user is presented with screens of prompts necessary to scan a document into a third party EDMS application. The prompts include questions that solicit answers from the user. At the end of the prompts, the user is given the option to save the user&#39;s answers as a profile so that the answers can be used again as metadata for future documents. If the user chooses to save the answers, the user gives the profile a name and then scans the document using the scanner  240 .  
         [0034]     In an embodiment, if the user had previously saved profiles, the user is presented with a list of the user&#39;s profiles in the order of most recently used. If the user selects one of the saved profiles, the user is given a summary display of the metadata (settings) associated with that profile and can choose to change none, one, or multiple of these settings. If the user changes any of these settings, the user can choose to update the current profile with these changes, create a new profile with these changes, or not save these changes. The user can then scan the document using the scanner  240 .  
         [0035]     FIGS.  3  to  11  show screenshots of various example MFD interfaces that provide functionality in accordance with embodiments of the invention. The interfaces of FIGS.  3  to  11  may be sequentially presented depending on selections made by a user. It is to be appreciated that the specific look and feel of the interfaces, as well as the sample textual content depicted therein, are not limiting of the invention.  
         [0036]     Specifically,  FIG. 3  shows a screenshot of a user interface  300  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The interface  300  can be part of a touch screen interface, and includes Fax, Copy, E-mail, and other icons. In particular, the interface  300  includes an EDMS icon  310 . In an example sequence of events, a user loads a document in the ADF of the scanner  240  or places the document on the glass of the scanner  240 . The user then selects the EDMS icon  310  on the interface  300 .  
         [0037]      FIG. 4  shows a screenshot of a user interface  400  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The interface  400  shows a dialog in the form of a graphical keyboard which allows the user to log into a MFD  110  using, for example, third party authentication credentials.  
         [0038]      FIG. 5  shows a screenshot of a user interface  500  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Because the hypothetical user of  FIG. 5  had logged into the system previously and saved at least one profile, the interface  500  presents the user with a list of profiles or transactions from which to choose. If desired, the user can use the down arrow and select Other (not shown) to begin a new transaction from scratch.  
         [0039]      FIG. 6  shows a screenshot of a user interface  600  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The interface  600  presents the user with a summary of the data the user previously entered and saved as a profile/transaction. The user can click Enter, and the current document is then scanned with the metadata shown. If the user wants to change any field or combinations of fields, the user selects that field with a checkmark (as shown) and clicks Enter.  
         [0040]      FIG. 7  shows a screenshot of a user interface  700  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The interface  700  prompts the user to change the requested field (selected with a checkmark in  FIG. 6 ), which is pre-filled with the previous response. The user makes the desired change and clicks Enter to continue.  
         [0041]      FIG. 8  shows a screenshot of a user interface  800  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The interface  800  shows the field changed by a user in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0042]      FIG. 9  shows a screenshot of a user interface  900  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The interface  900  prompts the user to save changes, update current changes, or create a new transaction. As shown, “Create new transaction” has been selected, and a user can click Enter.  
         [0043]      FIG. 10  shows a screenshot of a user interface  1000  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Assuming the user in  FIG. 9  clicked Enter, the interface  1000  shows a dialog in which the user enters the name of the new transaction and can click Enter to scan the document with the newly captured metadata.  
         [0044]      FIG. 11  shows a screenshot of a user interface  1100  in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. When the user next logs into the EDMS system (see  FIG. 3 ) from the MFD  110  or another MFD, the interface  1100  shows the updated profile/transaction list, which includes the newly saved profile/transaction.  
         [0045]      FIG. 12  shows a process  1200  for importing documents into an EDMS according to an embodiment of the invention. The process  1200  can be employed, for instance, in conjunction with various embodiments presented above. Task T 1210  provides a user at an MFD with access to previously stored profiles. Task T 1220  receives user input indicative of a profile to be associated with a document to be scanned. Task T 1230  stores the indicated profile if a condition is satisfied. Task T 1240  scans the document. Task T 1250  associates the scanned document with the indicated profile.  
         [0046]     Alternative embodiments of the invention can be realized. For instance, embodiments herein can coexist with an approach involving barcode coversheets. In addition, it is to be appreciated that embodiments herein can be useful in various contexts, such as any context in which reusable scan metadata is required for scanning documents. Moreover, embodiments are useful in contexts in which scanning can occur over multiple user sessions.  
         [0047]     As should also be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the systems shown in the figures are models of what actual systems can be like. As noted, many of the modules and logical structures described are capable of being implemented in software executed by a microprocessor or a similar device or of being implemented in hardware using a variety of components including, for example, ASICs. Terms like “processor” may include or refer to both hardware and/or software. Furthermore, any capitalized terms in the specification are used to conform to common practices and to help correlate the description with the examples and drawings. However, no specific meaning is implied or should be inferred simply due to the use of capitalization. Thus, the claims should not be limited to the specific examples or terminology or to any specific hardware or software implementation or combination of software or hardware.