Xerox Corporation

Kristinn R Rzepkowski

Rudolph A Rodrigues

Thomas J Perry

Andrew D Simchik

Daniel L Young

Glenn A Emerson

John M Pretino

Joseph G Rouhana

A system and method for converting a page from a network into an image file suitable for assembly of or insertion into a document generated by a document creation algorithm. The system of the invention includes a browser for retrieving a page from the network. The page can be encoded as a page description language (PDL) file representative of the page. A production agent can be provided for translating the PDL file into an image file representative of the page. The image file is of a form and type suitable for assembly or incorporation into the document.

Document production system for capturing web page content

The user enters the desired image capture parameters to be used when capturing an electronic image of an original document into one or more portions of a preview graphical user interface. Then, either automatically, or upon selecting a preview function, a preview pane portion of the preview graphical user interface is generated. The preview pane portion graphically illustrates how the various image capture parameters selected by the user will be applied to the original document to generate the captured electronic image data. Each of the different types of image capture parameters has a different visual cue associated with it. The visual cues visually inform the user of the image capture parameters that the user has selected. Thus, without actually capturing a preview image and without filling the preview pane portion with an actual preview image, the user can accurately determine what the resulting image will look like after the original document is captured. Thus, most preview scans can be eliminated. The user can also easily determine whether a preview scan is required. For example, a preview scan may still be desirable if it is difficult for the user to determine if the selected image capture parameters will result in the desired captured electronic image data. However, even if the user determines that a preview scan is still desirable, the selected image capture parameters will generally be closer to the required image capture parameters before the actual preview scan is generated than without using the preview graphical user interface.

Systems, methods and graphical user interfaces for previewing image capture device output results

A method for interactively acquiring a page in a network by providing a user interface element, such as a window, for collecting the page in the network, interactively acquiring the page from the network, and inserting the page in the window. A content acquisition facility resident on a client machine can be employed to generate the window. Further, a URL list can be interactively created by launching a browser, generating another user interface element with a URL collection facility, acquiring the URL corresponding to a selected page in the network during browsing, and inserting the URL in the user interface element to create the URL list. Subsequently, the URL list can be imported into a document. The content associated with the URL can then be dynamically, automatically retrieved and placed in the document.

Features, such as finely controlling toner response curves and properly orienting documents, provided by imaging capturing devices are accessed through a complicated graphical user interface that includes a number of tabs and large number of dropdown boxes, pop-up boxes, drop-down menus, and the like. Various displayable portions of a scanner control graphical user interface include a task-specific user instruction access button. Selecting the task-specific user instruction access button causes a pop-up menu to be displayed listing tasks that can be accomplished using, at least in part, various ones of the control elements displayed in the currently displayed portion of the scanner control graphical user interface. Upon selecting a selectable task item in the pop-up menu, a task-specific user instruction graphical user interface is displayed. A task instruction portion of the task-specific user instruction graphical user interface, provides the user with detailed instructions for accomplishing the selected task. A related tasks portion provides the user with a list of selectable tasks related to the selected task. The task description in the task instruction portion includes selectable terms used in the task description. Selecting a selectable term allows the user to either access the help entries on the selected term and/or causes a new list of selectable tasks to be displayed in the related tasks portion.

Systems and methods for providing original document orientation, tone reproduction curves and task specific user instructions based on displayed portions of a graphical user interface

Conventionally, text boxes are used to inform an image capture device of the size of an area to which a captured image will need to be scaled, when fitting the captured image into that area of the composite document. In contrast, size selection systems, methods and graphical user interfaces allow the user to select one of a number of predetermined sets of scale dimensions that the captured image is to be scaled to. The size selection systems, methods and graphical user interfaces provide an alternative method for specifying the dimensions that a captured image is to be scaled to. In various exemplary embodiments of the size selection systems, methods and graphical user interfaces, an image size tab of a graphical user interface for an image capture driver includes a scale portion. The scale portion, in addition to having a number of dimension boxes that allow the user to directly input the desired dimensions to which the captured image is to be scaled, also includes a dimension list box. The dimension list box includes predetermined sets of dimensions to which the captured image can be scaled. In various exemplary embodiments, the dimensions list box includes, as the predetermined sets, sets of dimensions for common paper sizes and sets of dimensions for different paper orientations. The predetermined sets of dimensions can also include sets of user-defined dimensions. These user-defined dimensions allow the user to specify the dimensions of an image area of a document that is often used.

Systems and methods scaling a captured image using predetermined scale information

Because an original document is often incorrectly loaded into an image capture device, the resulting captured image is often upside down, rotated 90&deg;, or cut off. This occurs even though image capture devices have markings that indicate how the original documents are to be put into the scanner, markings that are often ignored when the original documents are loaded into the image capture device. Input orientation systems, methods and graphical user interfaces provide graphical document orientation indicators, or &ldquo;input document mimics&rdquo;, that provides visual indications to the user of the orientation of the original document to be captured and of the image on the original document, that will result in the desired orientation of the captured image being obtained. Based on various selected image capture parameters, the input orientation systems, methods and graphical user interfaces display one or more visual cues to the user that indicate the orientation of the original document and of the image that will allow the image capture device to capture an image of the original document that corresponds to the selected image capture parameters. An image orientation portion of an input orientation graphical user interface allows the user to specify the orientation of the original document to be used when capturing an image of the original documents. The input orientation systems, methods and graphical user interfaces aid the user in selecting the proper image capture parameters that should be used with the selected orientation of the original document.

Systems, methods and graphical user interfaces for indicating a desired original document orientation for image capture devices

One image forming/capture device feature is the ability to finely control image quality response curves. To enable fine control, the user defines a number of points to which the response curve is to be fit. The response curve is fit to or through these points. However, users have trouble appreciating the effects of this adjusted response curve in converting input image values to output image values. The response curve control graphical user interface allows the user to finely control a response curve of an image quality for an image forming/capture device in an intuitive manner, by providing a plurality of slider portions that allow the user to more intuitively control the image quality response curve. These slider portions mimic control elements of conventional photocopier control panels. Each slider corresponds to a point, or a range of points, of the response curve. The slider portions are arranged so that the points associated with each slider portion are arranged in an easily understandable order. Each slider portion indicates, for the associated point, or range of points, of the input image, the image value of the output image for that point, or for that range of points. The appearance of a portion of each of the slider portions is altered based on the selected image value of the output image for the point, or the range of points, of the input image. Thus, the user can intuitively appreciate the effects of adjustments made to the response curve.

Systems, methods and graphical user interfaces for controlling tone reproduction curves of image capture and forming devices

A graphical user interface widget includes a vertically-oriented slider portion. The slider portion includes a slider pointer that indicates a current value of the slider and a slider bar that indicates the default value of the slider. The bottom and top edges of the slider portion are labeled with the extreme values of the range for the variable associated with the slider portion. The slider pointer divides the slider portion into two subportions. An appearance of a bottom subportion of the slider portion is altered to reflect the value currently indicated by the slider pointer relative to the extreme values of the range represented by the slider. A numerical portion can be provided along with the slider portion. The numeral portion includes a value display portion and a pair of buttons that are used to increase or decrease the numerical value in the value display portion. When the value display portion is provided, the number in the value display portion is linked to the slider pointer, such that changing the slider pointer causes the number displayed in the value display portion to change accordingly. Similarly, changing the number in the value display portion causes a corresponding change in the position of the slider pointer relative to the slider portion.

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Rochester, NY, United States of America

Kristinn R Rzepkowski