Supplementing facsimile image data

• US 20070086061A1
• Filed: 10/18/2005
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dialogic, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dialogic, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Robbins, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 7,796,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3216 of a job size, e.g. a number of images, pages or copies, size of file, length of message
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3233 of authentication information, e.g. digital signature, watermark
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

Among other things, in connection with rendering fax image data representing an image of a document for transmission, supplemental data is also provided, in a manner that will not essentially obscure the image of the document. The supplemental data identifies the document and is not part of the image of the document.

Claims

1. A method comprising

in connection with rendering fax image data representing an image of a document for transmission, also providing, in a manner that will not essentially obscure the image of the document, supplemental data that identifies the document and is not part of the image of the document.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the document is identified uniquely by the supplemental data.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the supplemental data is rendered as part of the fax image data for transmission.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the supplemental data is represented by a graphical element.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the graphical element comprises machine-readable indicia.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises a bar code.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the bar code comprises a 1D bar code.

8. The method of claim 6 in which the bar code comprises a 2D bar code.

9. The method of claim 5 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises one or more glyphs.

10. The method of claim 5 in which the machine readable indicia is outside the image of the document.

11. The method of claim 5 in which the image of the document corresponds to an area that is bordered by areas that are not part of the image.

12. The method of claim 11 in which the border areas comprise a header or footer.

13. The method of claim 11 in which the border areas comprise a left margin or right margin.

14. The method of claim 1 in which the supplemental data is represented by characters rendered as part of the fax image data.

15. The method of claim 1 in which the supplemental data comprises a time when the fax image data is transmitted.

16. The method of claim 1 in which the supplemental data comprises a digital signature of an entity.

17. The method of claim 1 in which the supplemental data includes at least one of the following with respect to a sender of the fax data:

name, fax number, telephone number.

18. The method of claim 1 in which the supplemental data includes at least one of the following with respect to a recipient of the fax data:

name, fax number, telephone number.

19. The method of claim 1 in which the fax image data is transmitted by a fax device, and at least some of the supplemental data is provided by an application program that is not running on the fax device.

20. The method of claim 1 in which at least some of the supplemental data is provided by a fax device when the fax image data is transmitted.

21. The method of claim 1 also including

storing the transmitted fax image data in a repository for use in processing the document after the fax image data has been transmitted.

22. The method of claim 21 in which at least a portion the supplemental data comprises an index key to locate stored information in the repository.

23. The method of claim 1 also including

storing the supplemental data for use in processing the document after the fax image data has been transmitted.

24. The method of claim 23 in which at least a portion the supplemental data comprises an index key to locate the supplemental data in a database.

25. The method of claim 1 also including

storing an electronic version of the document in a repository for use in processing the document after the fax image data has been transmitted.

26. The method of claim 25 in which at least a portion the supplemental data comprises an index key to locate the electronic version in the repository.

27. The method of claim 25 also including

storing structured data associated with content of the document in a repository for use in processing information in the document after the fax image data has been transmitted.

28. The method of claim 27 in which at least a portion the supplemental data comprises an index key to locate the structured data in the repository.

29. The method of claim 25 in which the electronic version comprises an image file.

30. The method of claim 27 in which the structured data includes character information expressed in an editable format.

31. The method of claim 1 also including

making available after the fax image data has been transmitted, at least one of an electronic version of the document, a copy of the transmitted fax image data, structured data associated with content of the document, and the supplemental data in a repository.

32. The method of claim 31 in which making available comprises responding to requests for service.

33. The method of claim 31 in which making available comprises delivering other than in response to a request.

34. A method comprising

using a version of supplemental data, which identifies a document and is received in connection with a receipt of fax image data corresponding to an image of the document, to access information associated with the document that was stored in connection with the transmission of the fax image data.

35. The method of claim 34 in which the document is identified uniquely by the supplemental data.

36. The method of claim 34 in which the information is stored in a location under control of a sender of the fax image data.

37. The method of claim 34 in which the information is stored in a location under control of a recipient of the fax image data.

38. The method of claim 34 in which the information is stored in a location under control of a party other than a sender or a recipient of the fax image data.

39. The method of claim 34 in which the access comprises a local area or wide area network access.

40. The method of claim 34 in which the supplemental data is received as part of the fax image data.

41. The method of claim 34 in which the supplemental data is transmitted as data.

42. The method of claim 34 in which the supplemental data is received as data.

43. The method of claim 34 in which the stored information includes transmitted fax image data.

44. The method of claim 43 in which at least a portion the supplemental data comprises an index key to locate the stored information in the repository.

45. The method of claim 34 in which the stored information includes an electronic version of the document.

46. The method of claim 45 in which at least a portion the supplemental data comprises an index key to locate the electronic version in the repository.

47. The method of claim 34 in which the stored information includes the supplemental information.

48. The method of claim 34 in which the stored information includes additional information related to the document.

49. The method of claim 48 in which at least a portion the supplemental data comprises an index key to locate the additional information in the repository.

50. The method of claim 34 in which the stored information includes structured data associated with content of the document.

51. The method of claim 50 in which at least a portion the supplemental data comprises an index key to locate the structured data in the repository.

52. A method comprising

in connection with transmitting fax image data corresponding to images of two or more pages of a document, also transmitting, in a manner that will not essentially obscure the image, supplemental data that distinctly identifies each of the pages.

53. The method of claim 52 in which the distinct identification comprises a unique value.

54. The method of claim 53 in which the unique value is assigned to the document.

55. The method of claim 53 in which the unique value comprises a document number combined with a unique page number.

56. The method of claim 52 in which the supplemental data is represented by a graphical element.

57. The method of claim 56 in which the graphical element comprises machine-readable indicia.

58. The method of claim 56 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises a bar code.

59. The method of claim 58 in which the bar code comprises a 1D bar code.

60. The method of claim 58 in which the bar code comprises a 2D bar code.

61. The method of claim 56 in which the machine-readable indicia comprises one or more glyphs.

62. The method of claim 56 in which the image of the document corresponds to an area that is bordered by areas that are not part of the image.

63. The method of claim 56 in which the machine-readable indicia is in a header or footer relative to the document image.

64. The method of claim 62 in which the border areas comprise a left margin or right margin.

65. The method of claim 52 in which the supplemental data is represented by characters rendered as part of the fax image data.

66. A method comprising

in connection with rendering fax image data representing an image of a document for transmission, assigning identifying information to the document, incorporating the identifying information in the fax image data, and reporting the identifying information to an application.

67. The method of claim 66 in which the fax image data is transmitted by a fax device and the application is not running on the fax device.

68. A method comprising

deriving information about a received fax document using supplemental data that was incorporated into the fax document, by a fax device from which the fax document was sent, at the time of transmission.

69. The method of claim 68 in which the supplemental data comprises machine readable data incorporated into the fax document.

70. The method of claim 68 in which the machine readable data comprises indicia.

71. The method of claim 70 in which the indicia comprises at least one of a 1D barcode, a 2D barcode, or one or more glyphs.

72. The method of claim 68 in which the derived information comprises either information that is contained in the machine-readable indicia or information that can be obtained from a repository using the derived information.

73. The method of claim 72 in which the information that can be obtained from the repository comprises an image of the document, an electronic version of the document, additional information about the document, or structured information about content of the document.

74. The method of claim 72 also including

using the derived information in processing of the fax document.

75. The method of claim 72 also including

accessing additional information associated with the document using the derived information.

76. The method of claim 72 in which the derived information identifies the document.

77. A medium bearing a fax document having non-character data in a header or footer, the data identifying the fax document.

78. The medium of claim 77 in which the non-character data comprises a machine-readable indicia.

79. The medium of claim 77 in which the medium comprises paper.

80. The medium of claim 77 in which the medium comprises a digital representation.

81. A method comprising

verifying that a fax document was transmitted at a specified date, time, and place by scanning the document to extract non-character data that identifies the document, and using the non-character data to access information stored at the time the fax was transmitted, the stored information indicating the date, time, and place of transmission.

82. A method comprising

encoding a digital signature as part of a fax document.

83. The method of claim 82 in which the digital signature is associated with data items.

84. The method of claim 83 in which the data items comprise at least one of:

date of transmission, time of transmission, number of pages, document ID, certificate authority, and a hash value of all encoded information.

85. The method of claim 82 in which the data items include identifying information about a party.

86. The method of claim 82 also including encrypting a signature envelope containing the digital signature and the associated data items.

87. The method of claim 82 in which the data items include only a unique identifier of the document and a hash value.

88. The method of claim 87 also including using the digital signature to access stored information including at least one of:

a time of transmission, or an identifier of a sender of the document.

89. A method comprising

associating a received fax document with a stored version of the document using identification information transmitted as part of the fax.