Push technology for network scanner

An apparatus for scanning a document and sending a corresponding image file to a recipient using an autosend utility that accesses predefined profiles of potential recipients, the predefined profiles including image scanning characteristics for such recipients, the apparatus comprising:

• an interface to a scanning device;
• a memory including a region for storing executable process steps;
• and
• a processor for executing the executable process steps, wherein the executable process steps include steps of:
• (a) launching the autosend utility, (b) receiving user input to the autosend utility, the user input identifying the recipient, (c) determining, based on the profile corresponding to the identity of the recipient, image scanning characteristics, (d) sending an instruction through the interface to the scanning device to scan the document in accordance with the determined image scanning characteristics, (e) receiving image data from the scanning device for the scanned document, (f) storing a temporary image file containing the image data, and (g) sending the temporary image file to the recipient using a predetermined transport protocol that corresponds with the recipient identified by the user input,
• wherein, upon launching the autosend utility, the profile is predefined such that essential user input is limited to identifying the recipient.

A utility program, the utility program for instructing a scanning device to scan a document and for sending a corresponding image file to a recipient by accessing predefined profiles of potential recipients, the predefined profiles including image scanning characteristics for such recipients, the program comprising:

• code to receive user input, the user input identifying the recipient;
• code to determine, based on the profile corresponding to the identity of the recipient, image scanning characteristics;
• code to instruct the scanning device to scan the document in accordance with the determined image scanning characteristics;
• code to store a temporary image file containing image data for the scanned document;
• and
• code to send the temporary image file to the recipient using a predetermined transport protocol that corresponds with the recipient identified by the user input,
• wherein, upon launching the autosend utility, the profile is predefined such that essential user input is limited to identifying the recipient.

A computer-readable medium which stores a utility program, the utility program comprising computer-executable process steps to instruct a scanning device to scan a document and to sending a corresponding image file to a recipient by accessing predefined profiles of potential recipients, the predefined profiles including image scanning characteristics for such recipients, the computer-executable process steps comprising:

• a receiving step to receive user input, the user input identifying the recipient;
• a determining step to determine, based on the profile corresponding to the identity of the recipient, image scanning characteristics;
• a scanning step to instruct the scanning device to scan the document in accordance with the determined image scanning characteristics;
• a storing step to store a temporary image file containing image data for the scanned document;
• and
• a sending step to send the temporary image file to the recipient using the predetermined transport protocol that corresponds with the recipient identified by the user input,
• wherein, upon launching the autosend utility, the profile is predefined such that essential user input is limited to identifying the recipient.