System for enabling scan-to-email functionality
A scanner has a computer readable memory with programmatic instructions which are adapted to cause physical documents to be scanned, generate image data corresponding to the physical documents, in response to a scanning triggering event, electronically package image data into a unitary compressed file, and attach the unitary compressed file to an electronic message.
1. A scanner for electronically scanning a plurality of physical documents, comprising a computer readable memory having a plurality of programmatic instructions which are adapted to:
generate a display, before a scan job is initiated, for prompting a user to select whether compression should occur during the scan job, wherein the scan job comprises a scan of each of said plurality of physical documents;
cause a first document of said plurality of physical documents to be scanned;
generate a first image data of a plurality of image data corresponding to a scan of the first document of said plurality of physical documents;
format the first image data into a TIFF, JPEG, PDF, XPS, or Multi-Page TIFF image format;
if compression during the scan job is selected, compress said formatted first image data prior to completing all of the scans that comprise the scan job and electronically package said compressed formatted first image data into a unitary compressed file prior to completing all of the scans that comprise the scan job;
subsequently generate remaining image data of the plurality of image data corresponding to a portion of remaining scans of documents of said plurality of physical documents;
format the remaining image data into a TIFF, JPEG, PDF, XPS, or Multi-Page TIFF image format;
if compression during the scan job is selected, compress said formatted remaining image data prior to completing all of the scans that comprise the scan job and electronically package said formatted remaining image data into the unitary compressed file prior to completing all of the scans that comprise the scan job, thereby yielding the unitary compressed file with compressed formatted image data corresponding to all of said plurality of physical documents upon scanning, formatting, and compressing a last of said plurality of physical documents; and
attach said unitary compressed file to an electronic message.
2. The scanner of claim 1 wherein said plurality of programmatic instructions are adapted to evaluate said plurality of image data to determine a file size for said unitary compressed file.
3. The scanner of claim 2 wherein, if said file size exceeds a predetermined threshold, said plurality of programmatic instructions generate a second unitary compressed file.
4. The scanner of claim 1 wherein said plurality of programmatic instructions are adapted to generate a display, before a scan job is initiated, for prompting a user to input a recipient address for said electronic message.
5. The scanner of claim 1 wherein said plurality of programmatic instructions are adapted to generate a display, before a scan job is initiated, for prompting a user to input a maximum file size for said unitary compressed file.
6. A method for electronically scanning a plurality of physical documents, comprising:
receiving said plurality of physical documents to be scanned;
generating a display, before a scan job is initiated, for prompting a user to select whether compression should occur during the scan job, wherein the scan job comprises a scan of each of said plurality of physical documents;
generating a first image data of a plurality of image data corresponding to a scan of a first document of said plurality of physical documents;
formatting the first image data into a TIFF, JPEG, PDF, XPS, or Multi-Page TIFF image format;
electronically packaging said formatted image data into a unitary compressed file prior to completing all of the scans that comprise the scan job;
subsequently generating remaining image data of the plurality of image data corresponding to a portion of remaining scans of documents of said plurality of physical documents;
formatting the remaining image data into a TIFF, JPEG, PDF, XPS, or Multi-Page TIFF image format;
electronically packaging said formatted remaining image data into the unitary compressed file prior to completing all of the scans that comprise the scan job, thereby yielding the unitary compressed file with formatted image data corresponding to all of said plurality of physical documents upon scanning and formatting a last of said plurality of physical documents;
automatically attaching said unitary compressed file to an electronic message.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising determining a file size for said unitary compressed file.
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising generating a second unitary compressed file if said file size exceeds a predetermined threshold.
9. The method of claim 6 further comprising generating a display, before a scan job is initiated, for prompting a user to input a recipient address for said electronic message.
10. The method of claim 6 further comprising generating a display, before a scan job is initiated, for prompting a user to input a maximum file size for said unitary compressed file.