Method and apparatus for controlling document service requests from a mobile device

A method for submitting a document service request from a mobile device to a document processing device coupled to a first network and being adapted to communicate with one or more servers coupled to a second network, comprising:

• establishing, from the mobile device, a first connection and a second connection with the document processing device;
• specifying, at the mobile device, a document scan request that identifies a document service to be applied to a hardcopy document input to the document processing device;
• submitting, from the mobile device over the first connection, the document scan request;
• receiving, at the mobile device over the first connection, a scanned document from the document processing device;
• and
• resending to a file server coupled to the second network, at the mobile device over the second connection, the scanned document received from the document processing device together with a location for storing the scanned document on the file server.

A mobile device for submitting a document service request to a document processing device, comprising:

• a memory for storing control instructions of the mobile device;
• and
• a processor coupled to the memory for executing control instructions of the mobile device;
• the processor in executing the control instructions:
• establishing, from the mobile device, a first connection and a second connection with the document processing device;
• specifying, at the mobile device, a document service request that includes a document identifier identifying a document in a first document format and its location on the second network;
• submitting, from the mobile device over the first connection with the document processing device, the document service request together with a device identifier to an output server coupled to the second network;
• receiving, at the mobile device over the first connection with the document processing device, the document in a second format from the output server;
• the second format of the document being an input format of the document processing device;
• and
• resending, from the mobile device over the second connection with the document processing device, the document received from the output server in the second format to the document processing device for performing a specified document service thereon.

A method for controlling a plurality of document service request at a mobile device to be carried out at a document processing device, comprising:

• defining in a job ticket for an identified document at the mobile device a workflow that specifies two or more document service requests for which at least one of the plurality of document service requests is to be performed at the document processing device;
• and
• transmitting the job ticket from the mobile device to the document processing device upon receipt of input instructing the document service request to be carried out at the document processing device;
• wherein the document processing device is adapted (a) to perform all document service requests specified in the job ticket or (b) to forward processed document result data and the job ticket to another document processing device to perform uncompleted ones of the document service request specified in the job ticket.

A method for redirecting document service requests at a first document processing device using a mobile device, comprising:

• receiving information at the first document processing device identifying a user of the mobile device;
• identifying at the first document processing device those document service requests submitted by the user of the mobile device;
• determining at the first document processing device status information concerning the user submitted document service requests;
• and
• transmitting from the first document processing device to the mobile device the status information concerning the user submitted document service requests to allow the user of the mobile device to assess whether the first document processing device is capable of carrying out the user submitted document service requests;
• and
• wherein in response to receiving from the mobile device at the first document processing device ones of the user submitted document service requests selected for redirection, the first document processing device redirects the ones of the user submitted document service requests selected for redirection to a second document processing device.