This Application is related to and incorporates by reference all of the subject matter set forth in commonly owned U.S.
The present invention is directed to a flat bed scanner which incorporates removable digital storage media such as a floppy disk, disk drive or similar portable data storage media a battery power supply a central processing unit a pivotal handle an automatic document feed capability and/or capability to output directly to a printer and/or to a television screen. In a stand-alone scanning apparatus including a single housing having a top surface, a scanning area on said top surface and an interior space defined beneath said top surface, a method of scanning and storing an image comprising the steps of: entering commands to control said apparatus on a control panel mounted on the housing scanning an object placed within said scanning area on said top surface of said apparatus to produce scanned image data via a scanner disposed within said housing interior space processing said entered commands and controlling said scanner in accordance with said entered commands converting said scanned image data to graphic/image file format via a processor disposed within said housing interior space and, storing said converted scanned image, via a data/image storage unit disposed in said housing interior space on a removable storage device inserted within said data/image storage unit.
A method of scanning and storing an image in a stand-alone scanner having a housing with a top surface, an interior space and a scanning surface included on the top surface of the housing, comprising: entering through a control panel commands to a processor disposed in the housing, operative to process said commands, and adapted to convert scanned image data to a graphic/image format file operating the scanner in response to said commands to scan an object placed on said top surface and to produce scanned image data processing the scanned image data with said processor converting the scanned image data to a graphic/image format file with said processor and, storing said graphic/image format file on a removable storage device inserted within a data/image storage unit disposed in said housing.ΔΆ.