Patent ID: 7644119

Claim:
A computer network scanning system for fulfilling a scan order over a computer network, said system comprising: at least one computer terminal adapted to invoke a scan order entry form, from an order entry server, for inputting a scanner node, a scan setting for causing the inputted scanner node to scan an image, and a destination for sending the scanned image, wherein said one computer terminal is further adapted to accept input of the scanner node, the scan setting, and the destination via the invoked scan order entry form by a user; at least one order entry server computer configured to reconcile the inputted scan setting with a capability profile of the inputted scanner node to perform scanning, and to create and distribute a scan order in accordance with the reconciliation result, each order entry server computer being coupled to said at least one computer terminal through the computer network; and at least one scanner node, each scanner node being coupled to said at least one computer terminal and each order entry server computer through the computer network, each scanner node being configured to select a scan order from a plurality of scan orders received from at least one of the order entry servers through the computer network by a user operation at the scanner node to select a scan order, and each scanner node being configured to generate a scanned image based on the selected scan order and to send the scanned image to the destination included in the selected scan order, wherein each scanner node comprises: a user interface module; a script interpreter module for parsing the scan order in order to obtain scanner settings and parameters contained therein, the script interpreter module coupled to the user interface module; a scan order queue updater and sorter module coupled to the user interface module and to the script interpreter module, the scan order queue updater and sorter module configured to update and sort a queue of a scanner node; a scanner driver module adapted to receive an output of the script interpreter module and to set settings and parameters of the scanner node based on the output; a scanner module coupled to the scanner driver module and adapted to receive scanner settings and parameters from the scanner driver module and configured to produce a scanned image; and an email server module coupled to the computer network, to the script interpreter module, and to the scanner module, the email server module configured to receive the scan order sent over the computer network, to send an electronic mail message containing the scanned image to any recipients indicated in the scan order, and to send an electronic mail message without the scanned image to any parties indicated in the scan order notifying such parties of the completion of the scan order.