Steven A Blakeman

US Patent:

20090282113, Nov 12, 2009

Filed:

May 6, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/149620

Inventors:

Steven Blakeman - Youngstown OH, US
Bryan A. Blakeman - Youngstown OH, US

International Classification:

G06F 15/16

US Classification:

709206

Abstract:

An apparatus and method provides a photocopier with E-mail capability by integrating a system into the photocopier. The system is made to be compatible with the software programming of a multi-functional product (MFP) to allow the MFP to communicate with XML web pages. In this way, the MFP is permitted to ask an external application running on a server to do desired tasks and to see and interact with the application from the touch screen of the MFP which is typically populated with light emitting diodes (LEDs). When the features of the system are provided in the MFP and when those features are selected from the touch screen, a special screen opens up on the MFP allowing the user to enter one or more e-mail addresses as well as a subject line and a message as would be the case in any e-mail. When a send feature is activated, the MFP's settings are used to create an electronic file which has been scanned and create an e-mail attachment which is then sent through an external server using “File-Max Mail,” the present invention's trademark. The system is provided with an Internet connection so that when using the features of the present invention, an e-mail plus attachment can be sent to one or more third party recipients. A copy of the e-mail as sent is also forwarded to a designated account or a plurality of designated accounts of the user.