Patent ID: 8184613

Claim:
A routing apparatus, comprising: a processor; a scanning module that captures images of receipts; a first storage medium that stores local copies of the captured images of receipts; a second storage medium that stores software instructions that are performed by the processor, a third storage medium that stores configuration records, a configuration record include at least one configuration parameter defining a value for accessing a remote storage device that stores accounting data and an action script defining a process for causing an image of a receipt to be stored on a remote storage device that stores accounting data; a display; a plurality of user input buttons, wherein the display displays input options to a user; wherein the software instructions enable predetermined operations comprising: detecting an availability of a network proximate to the routing apparatus; performing character recognition on the image of a receipt to be backed up on a remote storage device that stores accounting data and determining information regarding a classification of the receipt; receiving user input via the user input buttons, wherein the user input defines a classification of the receipt to be backed up which is used for storing the image of the receipt to be backed up at the remote storage device; utilizing a configuration record from the third storage medium based on the classification of the receipt to be backed up; automatically establishing a connection with the remote storage device that stores accounting data using a retrieved configuration record; associating routing information with the image of the receipt to be backed up based on the classification of the receipt to be backed up, wherein routing information indicates a network address of the remote storage device; and automatically uploading the image of the receipt from the routing apparatus to the remote storage device based on the routing information, thereby causing the image of the receipt to be backed up to be stored in a particular location on the remote storage device based on the classification of the receipt.