Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Yi Ding

Jiang Hong

Yuwen Wu

Lifen Tian

Tetsuro Motoyama

Yue Liu

Kurt Knodt

Hitoshi Sekine

Yao-Tian Wang

Pingping Pan

Soiba Mohammad

Candice Lin

An approach is provided for managing processing rules used to process electronic data in computer networks. An application provides the capability for users to define and manage classifications for electronic data. The application also provides the capability for users to define and manage processing rules for each classification. This may include specifying, for each processing rule, a classification to which the processing rule corresponds, one or more conditions under which the processing rule is to be applied and optionally, not applied, a priority for the processing rule, and one or more actions to be performed. The priority may be used to determine which rule is to be applied when more than one rule corresponds to a classification. The application supports the definition and management of classifications and rules on a logical group-by-logical group basis.

Processing electronic data in computer networks with rules management

An approach is provided for managing locked printing requests in cloud printing environments. In a cloud printing environment, a cloud printing service provider provides a platform that enables client devices to send print requests for processing by any printing device that is configured to communicate with the cloud printing service provider over a network, such as the Internet. A printing device comprises a cloud print agent that is configured to manage locked printing requests received from client devices via a cloud printing platform. The cloud print agent may be further configured to notify a user when print job data for a print job submitted by the user is approaching expiration.

Locked print in cloud printing environments

A method and apparatus is provided for acquiring document data from additional input sources to a DSM system. In an embodiment, a DSM computing device includes a remote image receiver service configured to connect to a remote image source via a network connection, receive configuration information and image data from the remote image source, and determine post scan processing instructions based, at least in part, on the configuration information. In another embodiment, a DSM computing device includes an input selection service configured to identify one or more input sources available at the computing device, receive input source information identifying a particular input source of the one or more input sources, receive image information identifying the particular image data residing on the particular input source, retrieve the particular image data from the particular input source, and make the particular image data available to a distributed scan management service.

Additional input sources for data acquisition at distributed scan management systems

A method and apparatus is provided for processing acquired document data, using distributed scan management protocols, according to a quota limiting amounts of data that may be stored at DSM system destinations. A scanning device includes a distributed scan management service that implements a distributed scan device protocol and a distributed scan processing protocol. The distributed scan management service is configured, responsive to a quota handler service (included at the scanning device) designating a verification success for scan data, to send the scan data and information for post scan processing instructions to a scan server. The quota handler service is configured to determine whether a size of the scan data exceeds a limit on an amount of data that may be sent to a particular destination, and, responsive to determining that the size of the scan data does not exceed the limit, designate a verification success for the scan data.

Quotas in distributed scan management systems

The systems and method herein provide a design logic that extends Distributed Scan Management (DSM) by integrating the scan setting features of a network scanner with DSM and enhances DSM by providing a means for quickly locating Post Scan Processes (PSP) based on specified search criteria. In this regard, a network scanner is controllable via the PSPs of a DSM protocol. A user interface of the network scanner is operable to receive login information associated with a user that is used to grant access to one or more of the PSPs. The network scanner also includes a storage module operable to store scanner software instructions that direct a processor to determine whether the one or more accessed PSPs have settings that are overrideable and present the one or more accessed PSPs to the user for selection. The user may then override settings of a selected PSP via the user interface.

Network scanner override options in a DSM environment

Systems and methods are disclosed for enabling legacy devices to consistently and reliably operate within a distributed scan environment using proxy scan services. A proxy scan service is communicatively coupled between a scan management service and a scanner. Information transmitted between the scan management service and the scanner is intercepted at the proxy scan service, where the scan management service recognizes a first format message for the information and the scanner recognizes a second format message for the information. The information is converted at the proxy scan service between the first format message and the second format message. The transmission between the scan management service and the scanner is completed using the converted information.

Methods and systems to provide proxy scan services to legacy devices

Methods and apparatus for scanning documents when a network is not available are provided. The document scans at least an entire page of a document for a user. If the document scanner identifies that the network is not available, the document scanner stores the scanned document in a repository at the document scanner. The document scanner also identifies when the network is available again. In response, the document scanner retrieves the stored scan document and sends the retrieved scan document to a destination computer over the network.

Methods and apparatus to provide availability for networked scanning

Techniques are provided for servicing client requests to print data. A client sends print requests to a print server. The print server acts as an intermediary between clients and multiple printing devices. The print server includes drivers for the printing devices that are connected to the same network. The print server retrieves and store capabilities of each printing device. A print request from a client includes multiple parameters. If the capabilities of one or more printing devices satisfy the multiple parameters, then the one or more printing devices are identified as candidates to service the print request. The print server determines which of the candidates is the best match. The print server sends the print request to the determined best match.

Print server

Techniques are provided for extending a WS-enabled scanner. A client device sends a request for multiple scan ticket templates that the WS-enabled scanner maintains. A WS scan module, executing on the scanner, receives the request and forwards the request to a scan templates handler (STH). The STH invokes a routine of a scan templates manager (STM). The STM retrieves, in response to the invocation of the routine, a plurality of scan ticket templates. The STM sends the plurality of scan ticket templates to the STH, which forwards the plurality to the WS scan module. The WS scan module composes a response message that includes the plurality of scan ticket templates and sends the response message to the client device.

Scan templates extension to a WS-enabled scanner

Techniques for supporting multiple service discovery protocols (SDPs) on a network-enabled device (NED) are provided. The NED includes a plurality of SDP services, a plurality of SDP adapters, and a device service management system (DSMS). Each SDP service interfaces with one SDP adapter. Each SDP adapter interfaces with the DSMS. Each SDP adapter translates messages from its corresponding SDP service into a format the DSMS understands, and vice versa. The DSMS manages service metadata information about one or more services hosted (or provided) by the NED. In response to a request, from a client, for metadata of one or more services hosted by the NED, a SDP service requests the metadata from its corresponding SDP adapter. The SDP adapter requests the metadata from the DSMS, which responds to the SDP adapter with the metadata. The SDP adapter sends the metadata to the SDP service, which sends the metadata to the client.

Supporting multiple service discovery protocols on a device

A technique is provided for dynamically extending a network device manager when a new device and/or service are added to a network. A technique for extending a rule set associated with the management system is also provided. A service discovery module discovers a new network device on a network. A service operation module (SOM) is generated for the network device. The SOM provides an interface for a management module (MM) to communicate with the network device. The SOM provides data, corresponding to the service provided by the network device, to the MM. When a client sends the MM a request for a service provided by the network device, the MM provides the service request to the SOM which forwards the request to the network device. Users of the network device manager may define rules for a network device after the network device is added to the network, wherein the MM issues a service request of a network device in response to receiving an event notification.

Managing network-enabled devices

A method and apparatus for processing electronic documents is provided. A request, from a first user, to issue an alert to a second user that may have submitted a print request to the printing device is received at the printing device. The printing device may be attempting to process the print request submitted by the second user when the printing device receives the request from the first user. The first user may not know the identity of the second user. The printing device consults contact data that identifies how to contact the second user. The printing device thereafter issues the alert to the second user in accordance with the contact data. Upon receiving the alert, the second user is informed of the current condition of the printing device, e.g., the printing device may be experiencing a problem that prevents the second user's print request from being fully processed.

User initiated alerts in a document processing environment

A method and apparatus for adding support, to a device, for a new protocol which the device did not previously support is provided. Protocol information, which identifies how to add support for the protocol to the device, is stored. A protocol manager may read the protocol information and perform actions necessary for the new protocol to be supported by the device. For example, the protocol manager may create a listener, a message queue, and a protocol handler for the protocol based on the protocol information. The listener may receive a message, associated with the new protocol, that was sent to the device and store the message in a message queue. The message queue stores the message until the message is retrieved from the message queue by the protocol handler. The protocol handler, after retrieving a message from the message queue, may process the message.

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Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Yi Ding