Facsimile service
First Claim
1. In a switched communications network connectable to a plurality of facsimile sources and facsimile destinations, the network comprising storage, a method of transmitting facsimile image signals, comprising the steps of:
- in response to receiving, from a facsimile source, an identification of a facsimile destination, establishing a connection from said source to said storage;
responsive to establishing said connection, transmitting the image signals over the connection from the facsimile source to the storage; and
transmitting the image signals over the network from the storage to the identified destination.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Reexamination
Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to an arrangement for efficiently transmitting facsimile signals from a facsimile source to a facsimile destination using a standard facsimile user interface. The connected switched communications network recognizes that the call is from a facsimile source or to a facsimile destination and causes the facsimile signals to be transmitted at the transmission speed of the source to storage in a network. Subsequently, the signals are transmitted from storage to a facsimile destination at the transmission speed of the destination when the destination becomes available. Advantageously, the source need not wait for the destination to become available before transmitting, and the transmission can take place at a bit rate that matches the source and the destination even when these bit rates are different. Retransmission because of errors in one link is only required for that link, i.e., from the source to the storage or from the storage to the destination. Advantageously, this is accomplished without changing the very simple user interface of prior art facsimile transceivers.
72 Citations
25 Claims
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1. In a switched communications network connectable to a plurality of facsimile sources and facsimile destinations, the network comprising storage, a method of transmitting facsimile image signals, comprising the steps of:
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in response to receiving, from a facsimile source, an identification of a facsimile destination, establishing a connection from said source to said storage; responsive to establishing said connection, transmitting the image signals over the connection from the facsimile source to the storage; and transmitting the image signals over the network from the storage to the identified destination. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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2. In a switched communications network connectable to a plurality of facsimile sources and facsimile destinations, the network comprising storage, a method of transmitting facsimile image signals, comprising the steps of:
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in response to receiving from a communication source an identification of a communication destination, determining that the communication source is a source of facsimile image signals; in response to said determining, establishing a connection in the switched communications network from said source to said storage; responsive to establishing said connection, transmitting the image signals over the connection from the facsimile source to the storage; and transmitting the image signals over the network from the storage to the identified destination.
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15. A communications network comprising:
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a first switch, comprising means for storing facsimile signals, for receiving and transmitting facsimile signals; a second switch for connection to a source of facsimile signals; the second switch controlled by a program for transmitting a destination indication and facsimile signals received from said source to said first switch in response to determining that the source is a source of facsimile signals and to receiving signaling information from the source representing said destination indication; the first switch storing the facsimile signals for subsequent transmission to a third switch connected to a destination for the facsimile signals, said destination specified by said destination indication. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. In a public switched communications network connectable to a plurality of facsimile sources and facsimile destinations, the network comprising storage, a method of transmitting facsimile image signals comprising the steps of:
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dialing a number for identifying a facsimile destination, from a facsimile source into the network; determining that the source is a source of facsimile image signals; establishing a connection from the facsimile source to the storage; transmitting the image signals from the facsimile source to the storage; transmitting a number representing the destination to the storage; transmitting a number representing the source of the facsimile image signal to the storage; transmitting a first message to a switch connected to the destination, the message comprising a facsimile message received indication; responsive to reception of a second message from the switch connected to the destination, deferring transmission of the image signals from storage; responsive to reception of a third message from the switch connected to the destination, transmitting the image signals from storage to the facsimile destination; and transmitting a fourth message from the storage to the source, identified by the number representing the source, the fourth message comprising data confirming the transmitting to the destination. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. A method of transmitting a facsimile message over a communication network comprising the step of:
responsive to receipt of an identification of a facsimile destination from a facsimile communication path, establishing a connection over said network from said path to said storage system for storage of said message. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
Specification