System and method for interfacing with a production scanner
View Patent ↗A system and method for interfacing with production scanners is disclosed. A driver is provided which enables real-time communications between a scanning application and scanner devices. The driver includes an application program interface which is coupled with one or more personality modules, one for each scanner device. The personality module facilitates the command and control of a particular scanner device. The application program interface can communicate with more than one personality module at any given time to enable parallel simultaneous operation of multiple scanner devices. The driver delivers resultant image data from the scans to a commonly accessible buffer where the scanning application can asynchronously retrieve it.
1. A driver for interfacing a first application program to a first scanner, said first application program operative to transmit commands to said first scanner and said first scanner operative to scan a document and transmit image data and status data from said scan to said first application program, said driver comprising:
an application program interface (“API”) coupled with said first application program and operative to receive said commands from said first application program;
a first scanner personality module (“SPM”) coupled with said API and said first scanner and operative to receive said image data and said status data from said first scanner and provide said image data and said status data to said first application program and transmit said commands to said first scanner; and
wherein said API and said first SPM facilitate real time communication between said first application program and said first scanner.
2. The driver of claim 1 , wherein said first scanner is of a first type, said SPM being associated with said first type, said driver further comprising a second SPM coupled with said first API and associated with a scanner of a second type.
3. The driver of claim 1 , wherein said first SPM is further operative to simultaneously receive said image data and said status data from said first scanner while transmitting said commands to said first scanner.
4. The driver of claim 1 , wherein said first API is further operative to provide said image data to a buffer asynchronously accessible by said first application program.
5. The driver of claim 4 , wherein said buffer comprises a hard disk.
6. The driver of claim 1 , wherein said first SPM is further operative to substantially simultaneously transmit said commands to said first scanner while said scan is in progress.
7. The driver of claim 6 , wherein said commands comprise commands to adjust scan quality.
8. A system implemented in a computer workstation for interfacing one or more application programs executing on said workstation to one or more scanners coupled with said workstation, each of said one or more scanners comprising a scanner interface, said system comprising:
a first module operative to receive commands from said one or more application programs;
a second module coupled with said first module and associated with a first of said one or more scanners, said second module being coupled with said scanner interface of said first of said one or more scanners and operative to receive said commands from said first module and translate said commands to said scanner interface, said second module further operative to receive image data and status data from said first of said one or more scanners via said scanner interface and provide said image data and said status data to said one or more application programs; and
wherein said second module is capable of translating said commands to said scanner interface and receiving said image data and said status data while a scan is in progress on said first of said one or more scanners; and
wherein said second module is capable of translating said commands to said scanner and providing said image data and said status data to said one or more application programs while a scan is in progress on said first of said one or more scanners.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein said first module is further operative to provide a uniform interface to all of said one or more applications.
10. The system of claim 8 , wherein said scanner interface further comprises a hardware interface and a software interface.
11. The system of claim 8 , wherein said commands comprise commands to readjust a scan in progress.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein said commands comprise commands to readjust scan quality of said scan in progress.
13. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a buffer, said buffer capable of being asynchronously accessed by said one or more application programs and wherein said first module is further operative to store said image data in said buffer.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein said buffer comprises a hard disk.
15. A method of interfacing a first application program to a first scanner, said first application program executing on a first computer coupled with said first scanner, said method comprising:
(a) initiating a first scan of a first document on said first scanner as directed by said first application program;
(b) receiving first image data generated by said first scan as said first scan progresses;
(c) receiving first status data from said first scanner as said first scan progresses;
(d) providing said first image data and said first status data to said first application program as said first scan progresses; and
(e) adjusting said first scan as said first scan progresses.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein (e) further comprises adjusting said first scan based on said received first image data and said received first status data.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein (e) further comprises adjusting said first scan as directed by said first application program.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said adjusting is automatic.
19. The method of claim 15 , wherein (e) further comprises adjusting an imaging algorithm of said first scanner.
20. The method of claim 15 , wherein (e) further comprises adjusting the imaging resolution of said first scanner.
21. The method of claim 15 , wherein (e) further comprises adjusting the bit depth of said first scanner.
22. The method of claim 15 , wherein (d) further comprises providing said first image data to a buffer area accessible by said first application program.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein said storage area comprises a hard drive.
24. The method of claim 22 , wherein said buffer area is asynchronously accessible by said first application program.
25. The method of claim 15 , wherein said first scan progresses at a rate of approximately 65 pages per minute.
26. The method of claim 15 , wherein:
(a) further comprises receiving in a first module one or more generic commands generated by said first application program to initiate said first scan, transmitting said one or more generic commands to a second module coupled with said first module, translating said one or more generic commands into one or more specific commands in said second module and transmitting said one or more specific commands from said second module to said first scanner;
(b) further comprises receiving said first image data by said second module;
(c) further comprises receiving said first status data by said second module; and
(d) further comprises transmitting said first image data and said first status data to said first application program from said second module.
27. The method of claim 26 , wherein said first scanner is of a first type and said second module is associated with said first type, said method further comprising providing a third module coupled with said first module and associated with a second scanner of a second type.
28. The method of claim 27 , wherein said third module is coupled with said first module in place of said second module.
29. The method of claim 27 , wherein said third module is coupled with said first module simultaneously with said second module.