Method for adding metadata to scanned documents

1. A method for customizing a scanning device user interface, comprising:

selecting a scanner user interface template to which to add a metadata field;

creating a new metadata field;

adding the metadata field to the user interface template;

selecting attributes of the metadata field for which a user may later enter one or more values; and

storing the metadata field such that the metadata field may be accessed from a user interface of a scanning device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting a template to which to add a metadata field includes creating a template.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting a default value associated with the metadata field.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting attributes of the metadata field includes selecting whether the metadata field will be editable by a user.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting attributes of the metadata field includes selecting a name for the metadata field.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein accessing the metadata field from a user interface of a scanning device includes selecting an update template feature from the user interface of the scanning device.

7. A method for adding a metadata field to a scanner user interface template, comprising:

receiving a scanner user interface template selection;

receiving a selection of a newly created metadata field to be added to the scanner user interface template selection;

receiving properties of the newly created metadata field to be added to the template; and

storing the properties of the newly created metadata field to be retrieved when the scanner user interface template is used such that the newly created metadata field may be downloaded to a scanning device in response to a signal from the scanning device.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising displaying the metadata fields associated with a template in response to receiving a template selection.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the selected template is a newly created template.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising receiving a default value associated with the metadata field.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the metadata field may be selected to be editable by the user.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising displaying an update template feature to the user before downloading the metadata field to a scanning device in response to a signal from the scanning device.

13. The method of claim 7 , further comprising displaying at least one template to the user.

14. The method of claim 7 , further comprising displaying to the user a field in which to identify the metadata field.

15. A scanning device user interface method for scanning a document, comprising at a scanning device:

selecting a template for scanning a document;

selecting a metadata field associated with the template;

entering information to be associated with the scanned document into the metadata field; and

scanning the document.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising updating the list of templates before selecting a template.

17. The user interface method of claim 15 , wherein the entering information is performed by using a graphical keyboard.

18. A scanning device user interface method, comprising:

receiving a template selection for scanning a document;

receiving a metadata field selection;

displaying a graphical interface;

receiving a value for the metadata field;

receiving a document to be scanned; and

scanning the document.

19. The user interface method of claim 18 , wherein the graphical interface includes a graphical keyboard.

20. A method for scanning a document, comprising:

scanning a document;

through a user interface, entering metadata to be stored with that document; and

electronically storing the document and metadata.

21. A method for adding a metadata field to a scanner user interface template, comprising:

receiving a scanner user interface template selection;

receiving instructions to modify a metadata field of the scanner user interface template selection;

receiving properties of the metadata field to be modified; and

storing the properties of the modified metadata field to be retrieved when the scanner user interface template is used such that the metadata field may be downloaded to a scanning device in response to a signal from the scanning device.