Method and system for secure facsimile delivery and registration

• US 20040158733A1
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Omtool Limited (Upland Software, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Omtool Limited (Upland Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bouchard, Thaddeus
• Application Number:
  US10/365,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158733A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/324 intermediate the transmitter and receiver terminals, e.g. at an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32416 Storage of instructions or retrieval of prestored instructions

Abstract

A secure fax transmission system can be used to assure the intended recipient of a confidential document being sent via facsimile is the only person that will have access to the document once it is sent. An application module communicates with a client user interface over a first network and communicates with a recipient fax machine over a second network. The application module receives information associated with a confidential document being sent via facsimile. Prior to sending the document, the application module determines if the recipient fax number has been previously registered as a secure fax number. The application module then sends the document to the recipient if the recipient fax number is registered a secure. If the recipient fax number is not registered as secure, the application module sends a request for registration to the recipient fax number.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a document via facsimile, comprising:

(a) identifying a recipient and a corresponding recipient facsimile number for a document to be sent via facsimile;

(b) determining if the recipient facsimile number has been registered as a secure facsimile number; and

(c) delivering the document via facsimile when the recipient facsimile number is registered as a secure facsimile.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning a unique identifier to the document being sent via facsimile.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the unique identifier is at least one of

a bar code,

an alpha-numeric code, and

a unique printed image.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, subsequent to the delivery step (c), delivering previously unsent documents to the recipient facsimile number.

5. A method of registering a facsimile number as a secure facsimile number;

comprising;

(a) sending a request to register a recipient facsimile number as a secure facsimile number;

(b) receiving a confirmation that the facsimile is a secure facsimile number; and

(c) storing the recipient facsimile number as a Secure facsimile number.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising sending a request to register a recipient facsimile number for each document being sent to one recipient of a facsimile.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising sending a request to register a recipient facsimile number when the recipient facsimile number has not previously been registered.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising assigning a unique identifier to the recipient facsimile number.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of receiving a confirmation further comprises processing the confirmation.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the processing step comprises the confirmation being reviewed by a human operator.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the processing step comprises the confirmation being automatically reviewed by electronic means.

12. The method of claim 11 where the electronic means comprises optical character recognition.

13. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of storing the recipient facsimile number further comprises storing an expiration date of the registration.

14. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of storing the recipient facsimile number further comprises storing a validity period for the registration.

15. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of storing the recipient facsimile number further includes identifying the received registration as a record of accepting the registration.

16. A system for delivering documents to a recipient via facsimile in a secure method, comprising:

a database for storing facsimile numbers;

a communications module for sending a document to a facsimile number; and

an application for determining if a recipient facsimile number stored in the database is identified as a secure facsimile number.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising an character recognition module for automatically reading printed symbols.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the printed symbols comprise at least one of

a bar code,

an alpha-numeric code, and

a unique printed image.