AUDIT LOGGING FOR A SECURE, SCALABLE AND FLEXIBLE INTERNET FAX ARCHITECTURE

• US 20170230544A1
• Filed: 02/15/2017
• Published: 08/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2014
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: EC Data Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: EC Data Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Watts, Christian M., Shephard, Edward D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,277,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/657 Combination of voice and fax calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/001 specially adapted for transmission via digital wireline networks H04N1/00098 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00212 Attaching image data to computer messages, e.g. to e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0022 involving facsimile protocols or a combination of facsimile protocols and computer data transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32411 Handling instructions for routing or relaying
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32416 Storage of instructions or retrieval of prestored instructions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32422 Reprocessing messages, e.g. in case the intended destination is busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4426 involving separate means, e.g. a server, a magnetic card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3202 of communication or activity log or report
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3209 of a telephone number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3221 of a job number or identification, e.g. communication number

Abstract

Methods and systems for an auditing infrastructure for an Internet fax service architecture are provided. According to one embodiment, information regarding an event, associated with a component of the Internet fax service architecture, that is to be logged, is received by a centralized audit logging module of the Internet fax service architecture. The component may be a web server, an email server, a fax server, a notification server or an imaging system. The information is utilized by the centralized audit logging module to determine specific parameters within the Internet fax service architecture to be logged. Finally, the event, including the information and the specific parameters, is recorded by the centralized audit logging module to an audit log associated with the Internet fax service architecture in a standardized format.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a centralized audit logging module of an Internet fax system, from a component of the Internet fax system, information regarding an event, associated with the component, that is to be logged, wherein the component comprises a web server, an email server, a fax server, a notification server or an imaging system;

utilizing, by the centralized audit logging module, the information to determine specific parameters within the Internet fax system to be logged; and

recording, by the centralized audit logging module, the event to an audit log associated with the Internet fax system in a standardized format and including the information and the specific parameters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises submission of an outbound fax request and is responsive to the web server or the email server receiving a request from a user of the Internet fax system to deliver a fax message to one or more third parties and storing one or more source files associated with the request that represent at least a portion of content to be included as part of the fax message to a shared storage area of the Internet fax system accessible by the imaging system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises creation of a fax job and is responsive to the web server or the email server attempting to store a work request on a work queue associated with the imaging system, wherein the work request directs the imaging system to convert one or more source files, associated with a request by a user of the Internet fax system to deliver a fax message to one or more third parties, into a digital representation suitable for faxing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises a fax conversion and is responsive to the imaging system attempting to create an outbound fax job including converting one or more source files, associated with a request to deliver a fax message to one or more third parties, into a digital representation suitable for faxing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises queuing of a fax message for delivery and is responsive to successful creation of an outbound fax job, including converting one or more source files, associated with a request by a user of the Internet fax system to deliver a fax message to one or more third parties, into a digital representation suitable for faxing, and attempting to queue the outbound fax job for sending by submitting the outbound fax job to the fax server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises notification regarding a sent fax and is responsive to an attempt by the notification server to notify a user of the Internet fax system that a request by the user to deliver a fax message to one or more third parties has been completed by the fax server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises receipt of an incoming fax and is responsive to an inbound fax call being received at a telecommunications system of the Internet fax system, switched, by the telecommunications system, to a call mediation system within the Internet fax system and switched, by the call mediation system, to the fax server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises notification regarding a received fax and is responsive to receipt of an incoming fax by the fax server and making available of a digital representation of the incoming fax to one or more users of the Internet fax system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said notification regarding a received fax is further responsive to an attempt by the email server to notify the one or more users regarding the incoming fax.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises an account change and is responsive to a user of the Internet fax system making an administrative change to an account of a subscribing entity of the Internet fax system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises viewing of the audit log and is responsive to receipt, by the web server, from a user of the Internet fax system a request for one or more audit log entries of the audit log.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific parameters include one or more of an organization identifier (ID) of a subscribing entity of the Internet fax system, a user ID of a user of the subscribing entity associated with the event, an Internet Protocol address associated with the event and a web session ID of a web session associated with the event.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by an Application Programming Interface (API) of the Internet fax system, a request from an application of a subscriber for audit log entries from the audit log, wherein the request specifies one or more criteria according to which the audit log entries are to be evaluated; and

returning, by the API, to the application one or more audit log entries from the audit log satisfying the one or more specified criteria.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more specified criteria are provided in a form of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or HTTP Secure (HTTPS) POST variables.

15. A method comprising:

submitting a fax request within an Internet fax system, including;

receiving, at an initial submission gateway device of the Internet fax system, a request to deliver a fax message to one or more third parties; and

storing, by the initial submission gateway device, one or more source files associated with the request and representing at least a portion of content to be included as part of the fax message to a shared storage area of the Internet fax system accessible by a plurality of imaging systems and a plurality of fax processing resources of the Internet fax system;

causing a first audit log entry to be created and stored within an audit log associated with the Internet fax system, by the initial submission gateway device, by providing a central logging module with information regarding a user of the Internet fax system associated with the request, an interface of the Internet fax system through which the request was received and a result of said submitting a fax request;

creating a work request within the Internet fax system, including;

selecting, by the initial submission gateway device, an imaging system of the plurality of imaging systems to convert the one or more source files into a digital representation suitable for faxing; and

storing, by the initial submission gateway device, a work request on a centralized work queue within a database of the Internet fax system accessible by the plurality of imaging systems, the work request containing information identifying the selected imaging system;

causing a second audit log entry to be created and stored within the audit log, by the initial submission gateway device, by providing the central logging module with a unique job identifier associated with the fax request and a result of said creating a work request;

converting, by the selected imaging system, the one or more source files into the digital representation and associating the digital representation with an outbound fax job;

causing a third audit log entry to be created and stored within the audit log, by the selected imaging system, by providing the central logging module with the unique job identifier and a result of said converting;

queuing, by the selected imaging system, the outbound fax job for sending by submitting the outbound fax job to a fax server of the plurality of fax processing resources;

causing a fourth audit log entry to be created and stored within the audit log, by the fax server, by providing the central logging module with the unique job identifier and a result of said queuing;

delivering, by the fax server, the fax message to the one or more third parties;

notifying, by a notification server of the Internet fax system, the user regarding delivery of the fax message; and

causing a fifth audit log entry to be created and stored within the audit log, by the notification server, by providing the central logging module with the unique job identifier and a result of said notifying;

16. A method comprising:

receiving an inbound fax call by an Internet fax system, including;

receiving, at a telecommunications system of the Internet fax system, the inbound fax call, wherein the inbound fax call has associated therewith a source address, a destination address and a fax signal, wherein the destination address corresponds to a particular subscriber of the Internet fax system;

switching, by the telecommunications system, the inbound fax call to a call mediation system of a plurality of call mediation systems within the Internet fax system;

selecting, by the call mediation system, a fax processing resource of a plurality of fax processing resources associated with the call mediation system to handle the inbound fax call; and

switching, by the call mediation system, the inbound fax call to the selected fax processing resource;

translating, by the selected fax processing resource, the fax signal into a digital representation;

causing a first audit log entry to be created and stored within an audit log associated with the Internet fax system, by the selected fax processing resource, by providing a central logging module with information regarding the source address, the destination address, a number of pages of the digital representation and a result of said receiving an inbound fax call;

causing the digital representation to be delivered or otherwise made available to one or more users associated with the particular subscriber;

notifying, by an email server of the Internet fax system, the one or more users regarding receipt of an inbound fax; and

causing a second audit log entry to be created and stored within the audit log, by the email server, by providing a central logging module with information regarding the one or more users and a result of said notifying.