US 5,534,975 A · Document processing system utilizing document service cards to provide document processing services

Abstract

A user extensible document processing system. The extensible document processing system includes a document processing platform such as a digital copier,control forms for specifying requested services and instructions and one or more document service cards. User provided document processing services are contained on document service cards. A set of basic document processing services are provided by the document processing platform. The document processing platform includes one or more ports for coupling to document service cards, a registration device for registering services into a service taxonomy, a deregistration device for deregistering services from the service taxonomy, a service dispatcher for identifying the service to process a control form using the service taxonomy, and a scanner for creating a digital representation of a paper based document. The document processing platform registers document services upon detecting the coupling of a document services card.

Claims23

Dependent claims

An extensible document processing arrangement comprising:

one or more document service cards each indicating one or more document services;
a document processing platform for creating a document output from a document input stream, said document processing platform comprising:
one or more slots, each of said one or more slots for receiving a document service card;
service registration means for marking document services as available in a service taxonomy responsive to detection of a document service card being received by one of said one or more slots;
service deregistration means for marking document services as unavailable in said service taxonomy;
input means for receiving a document input stream representing a document to be processed and control forms;
means for detecting and extracting control forms contained in said input stream;
a service dispatcher for receiving an instance of a control form and selecting a document service in said service taxonomy to process said instance of said control form;
and
output generation means for reproducing said document input stream responsive to said selected document service.

7 more elements

A document processing system comprising:

a document processing platform for creating an output medium from an input medium, said document processing platform having means for performing a set of basic document processing services;
a document service card for providing document processing services to said document processing platform, said document service card comprising one or more document processing services and a connection means for coupling to said document processing platform;
and
a control form for causing a document processing instruction to be performed, said control form comprising a first area for encoding said instruction and a second area for encoding a service class for said instruction;
said document processing platform further comprising:
a scanner for creating a bit-mapped representation of an input medium;
an output generation means for writing to an output medium;
a control form detection means coupled to said scanner, said control form detection means for detecting when an input medium is a control form;
decoding means for decoding said instruction and service class from said control form;
a service storage means for storing a service taxonomy of document processing services;
a service dispatcher coupled to said decoding means and said service storage means, said service dispatcher for determining the most specialized document processing service for controlling said output medium generation means;
coupling means for removably coupling said service card with said document processing platform;
and
service registration means for registering services from said service card into said service taxonomy when said service card is coupled to said coupling means, and for deregistering services from said service card when said service card is decoupled from said coupling means.

11 more elements

A method for controlling the processing of an input document to create an output document on a document processing system, said document processing system having a basic set of document processing services and said input document comprising control form sheets and raw sheets, said method comprising the steps of:

a) placing said document processing system in a default document processing configuration;
for each sheet of said input document
b) scanning said sheet;
c) determining if said scanned sheet is a control form or a raw sheet;
d) if said scanned sheet is a raw sheet, processing said raw sheet according to a current processing configuration of said document processing system;
and
e) if said scanned sheet is a control form, identifying a service class for processing said control form;
f) placing said document processing system in a modified document processing configuration according to instructions in said identified service class;
and
g) processing raw sheets according to said modified document processing configuration.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Document processing system utilizing document service cards to provide document processing services

Life of this patent

Document processing system utilizing document service cards to provide document processing services

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23