Secure system for delivery of a fax to a remote user

• US 20030145212A1
• Filed: 01/31/2002
• Published: 07/31/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Crumly, James D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,268,899 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/186
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/324 intermediate the transmitter and receiver terminals, e.g. at an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32406 in connection with routing or relaying, e.g. using a fax-server or a store-and-forward facility stored and forward data switching systems H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32432 in a particular memory file for retrieval by the user, e.g. in a facsimile mailbox
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4426 involving separate means, e.g. a server, a magnetic card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/444 to a particular document or image or part thereof

Abstract

A system for the remote retrieval of at least one document sent by facsimile transmission using a repository server for storing at least one document for a recipient at a location using a remote system connected to the system. Security apparatus for the system includes apparatus, such as a smartcard, to identify, to validate, and to locate a remote user of a remote system connected to the system when the user is connected to the repository server for retrieving at least one document stored by the repository server. Upon validation of identification of a user, any or all documents may be retrieved by a user.

Claims

1. A system for providing secure delivery of documents sent by facsimile transmission to remote users, comprising:

at least one remote system for documents sent by facsimile transmission including;

security apparatus for identifying and for validating an identify of a user, the security apparatus including identification of a user before accepting a first document sent by facsimile transmission; and

at least one repository server connected to the at least one remote system for storing at least one or more documents sent by facsimile transmission and for transmitting a first document sent by facsimile transmission to the remote system.

2. The system in claim 1, wherein the remote system further comprises:

printer apparatus for printing out a first document sent by facsimile transmission from the repository server.

3. The system in claim 1, wherein:

the remote system further comprises;

scanner apparatus for reading a second document sent by facsimile transmission; and

transmission apparatus for transmitting the second document sent by facsimile transmission to the repository server.

4. The system in claim 1, wherein:

the security apparatus comprises at least one of apparatus for reading a magnetically encoded card, reading a smart card, scanning a finger print of a user, scanning a set of facial characteristics of a user, and scanning an eye of a user.

5. The system in claim 1, wherein:

the repository server and the remote system further comprise;

a security system for providing security between the repository server and the remote system.

6. The system in claim 5, wherein:

the security system includes encryption.

7. A repository server for documents transmitted by facsimile transmission for providing secure delivery of documents sent by facsimile transmission to users at remote locations, comprising:

the repository server including;

non-volatile storage medium apparatus for storing at least one document of a plurality of documents, the repository server for transmitting a set of validation information to a remote system for validating an identity of a user of the remote system and for transmitting a document sent by facsimile transmission to the remote system upon validating the identity of a user.

8. The system in claim 7, wherein:

the set of validation information includes at least one of finger print information of a user, facial characteristic information of a user, and retinal identification information of a user.

9. A remote system for the transmission of documents using facsimile transmission for providing the secure delivery of said documents to at least one remote user, said remote system comprising:

security apparatus for identifying and for validating an identity of a user, the remote system for validating an identity of a user using the security apparatus before accepting a document sent by facsimile transmission for a user.

10. The remote FAX system in claim 9, wherein:

the security apparatus comprises at least one of apparatus for reading magnetically encoded cards, apparatus for reading a smart card, apparatus for scanning a finger print of a user, apparatus for scanning a set of facial characteristics of a user, and apparatus for scanning an eye of a user.

11. A method for providing secure delivery of documents sent by facsimile transmission from a system to a remote user of a remote system, comprising:

providing at least one remote system for sending documents by facsimile transmission including;

security apparatus for identifying and for validating an identify of a user, the security apparatus including identification of a user before accepting a first document sent by facsimile transmission;

providing at least one repository server connected to the at least one remote system for storing at least one or more documents sent by facsimile transmission and for transmitting a first document sent by facsimile transmission to the remote system; and

sending a document by facsimile transmission to said remote system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

printing said document using printer apparatus for printing out a first document sent by facsimile transmission from the repository server.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

scanning a second document using scanner apparatus for reading a second document for sending by facsimile transmission; and

transmitting said second document using transmission apparatus for transmitting the second document for sending by facsimile transmission to the repository server.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

verifying the identify of a user using the security apparatus comprising at least one of reading a magnetically encoded card of a user, reading a smart card of a user, scanning a finger print of a user, scanning a set of facial characteristics of a user, and scanning an eye of a user.

15. The method of claim system in claim 11, further comprising:

providing security between the repository server and the remote system.

16. The system in claim 15 further comprising:

encrypting at least one document; and

transmitting the at least one document using facsimile transmission.