Interactive facsimile information retrieval system and method

• US 5,068,888 A
• Filed: 08/11/1989
• Issued: 11/26/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AFD Systems Incorporated Richmond British Columbia
• Original Assignee: AFD Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Scherk, Randall P., Steneker, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US07/393,482
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88-98, 379/189, 379/196-198, 379/100, 379/200, 379/95, 358/402, 358/403, 358/405, 358/407, 358/434-436, 358/438, 358/440, 358/442, 358/443, 358/468
• US Class Current: 379/100.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/905 Fax mail

Abstract

An information delivery system automatically delivers documents from a central information storage location to a facsimile machine positioned at a remote location in response to user requests that are automatically answered by the system. The information delivery system includes an extended memory for digitally storing image files of documents. A request processing module is arranged to automatically receive telephone requests for specific stored documents. The request module provides signals to prompt the caller to input the information necessary to deliver the selected documents. The order information includes at least an identification code for the documents selected for delivery and a telephone number designated for the user'"'"'s facsimile machine. At least one facsimile delivery module is provided to automatically deliver the selected documents to the facsimile machine designated by the user.

Claims

1. A document delivery system for delivering recorded documents from an information storage location to specified user facsimile machines positioned at remote locations, the information delivery system comprising:

memory means for storing a multiplicity of documents;

request processing means for receiving requests for specific documents stored within said memory means, said request processing means including prompting means for providing signals to a user to prompt the user to specify order information denoting one or more selected documents and a designated telephone number for the user'"'"'s facsimile machine;

said prompting means including,

a plurality of voice lines each capable of connecting the request processing means to a user on an incoming telephone line, each said voice line having an associated speech generator for generating voice messages prompting a user to provide order information, and

a request controller coupled to said voice generator means and said voice lines for directing the generation and delivery of voice messages to said voice lines to prompt the users to provide order information, to echo back to said users said order information, and to prompt users to correct said order information when said order information is erroneous;

said request processing means including means for assigning each document request a priority value;

facsimile delivery means for automatically delivering selected documents to a facsimile machine at said designated telephone number, said facsimile delivery means including at least one facsimile delivery module having;

a plurality of independent facsimile lines each capable of transmitting selected documents to a remote facsimile machine, said facsimile lines being capable of simultaneously delivering independent documents to different remote facsimile machines; and

facsimile control means for receiving the order information and for directing a particular facsimile line to deliver the selected documents to the designated telephone number, wherein said facsimile control means includes means for receiving order information for a plurality of independent orders and for coordinating the simultaneous delivery of selected documents to different designated numbers; and

control means, coupled to said request processing means and said plurality of facsimile delivery means, for restricting and restraining access by said users to said documents stored in said memory means in accordance with specified criteria, and for scheduling and controlling delivery of requested documents via said facsimile delivery means in accordance with priority values assigned to said document requests.

2. An information delivery system as recited in claim 1 said control means including an abused number file indicating one or more telephone numbers to which information transfers are prohibited, wherein said request processing means includes means for comparing said designated telephone number with said telephone numbers in said abused number file and for preventing the delivery of said selected documents by said facsimile delivery means when said designated telephone number is found in said abused number file.

3. A method of delivering selected documents from a storage location to facsimile machines at remote location, the selected documents being delivered in response to telephone requests, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a multiplicity of documents;

storing a plurality of client information records each corresponding to a group of said stored documents, each said client information record denoting protocols required for a caller to access said group of stored documents, each said stored document having an associated client information record;

receiving an incoming telephone call from a remote caller;

automatically prompting the caller to provide order information denoting selected ones of said stored documents and a designated telephone number of a facsimile machine for receiving the selected documents;

initiating a telephone call to the designated number; and

transmitting the selected documents to a facsimile machine at the designated telephone number;

said method including accessing the client information record corresponding to each said selected document and executing the protocols denoted in said client information record.

4. An information delivery system for delivering recorded information from an information storage location to a user'"'"'s facsimile machine positioned at a remote location, the information delivery system comprising:

memory means for storing a multiplicity of documents;

request processing means for receiving requests for specific documents stored within said memory means, the request processing means including prompting means for providing signals to a user to prompt the user to specify order information denoting one or more selected documents and a designated telephone number for the user'"'"'s facsimile machine;

facsimile delivery means, coupled to said request processing means and said memory means, for automatically delivery selected documents to a facsimile machine at said designated telephone number; and

a plurality of client information records each corresponding to a group of said stored documents, each said client information record denoting protocols required for a user to access said group of stored documents, each said stored document having an associated client information record;

wherein said request processing means includes means for accessing the client information record corresponding to each said selected document and for executing the protocols denoted in said client information record.

5. An information delivery system as recited in claim 4 wherein said request processing means includes means, coupled to said memory means, for receiving documents to be stored in said memory means, and means for replacing a specified document stored in said memory means with a received document;

each said client information record denoting protocols required for replacing documents with said corresponding group of stored documents.

6. An information delivery system as recited in claim 4,

each said client record denoting whether said system should limit deliveries to any one designated phone number from said corresponding group of documents to a specified maximum number of documents.

7. An information delivery system as recited in claim 4 wherein said protocols denoted in said client information records includes requesting the user to enter a password.

8. An information delivery system as recited in claim 7 wherein said protocols denoted in said client information records determine whether delivery of each selected document is permitted.

9. An information delivery system as recited in claim 7 further comprising a multiplicity of information code records, each corresponding to a particular one of the documents, each said information code record denoting protocols required for users to access said corresponding document;

wherein said request processing means includes means for accessing the information code record corresponding to each said selected document and for executing the protocols denoted in said information code records.

10. An information delivery system as recited in claim 4,

said request processing means including one or more dedicated request channels with means for automatically assigning every document request received via a dedicated request channel a corresponding designated telephone number for document delivery;

whereby frequent users of said system can be assigned dedicated request channels, eliminating the need for such frequent users to specify the telephone number for the user'"'"'s facsimile machine.

11. An information delivery system for delivering recorded documents from an information storage location to specified user facsimile machines positioned at remote locations, the information delivery system comprising:

memory means for storing a multiplicity of documents;

request processing means for receiving requests for specific documents stored within said memory means, said request processing means including prompting means for providing signals to a user to prompt the user to specify order information denoting one or more selected documents and a designated telephone number for the user'"'"'s facsimile machine;

said prompting means including,

a plurality of voice liens each capable of connecting the request processing means to a user on an incoming telephone line, each said voice line having an associated speech generator for generating voice messages prompting a user to provide order information, and

a request controller coupled to said voice generator means and said voice liens for directing the generation and delivery of voiced messages to said voice lines to prompt the users to provide order information;

facsimile delivery means for automatically delivering selected documents to a facsimile machine at said designated telephone number, said facsimile delivery means including at least one facsimile delivery module having;

a plurality of independent facsimile liens each capable of transmitting selected documents to a remote facsimile machine, said facsimile lines being capable of simultaneously delivering independent documents to different remote facsimile machines; and

facsimile control means for receiving the order information from said request processing means and for directing a particular facsimile line to deliver the selected documents to the designated telephone number, wherein aid facsimile control means includes means for receiving order information for a plurality of independent orders and for coordinating the simultaneous delivery of selected documents to different designated numbers;

scheduling means for determining the order of delivery of received orders, including means for receiving order information from said request processing means and for creating an order file denoting the order in which selected documents are to be transmitted to facsimile machines at corresponding designated telephone number; and

a plurality of client information records each corresponding to a group of said stored documents, each said client information record denoting protocols required for users to access said group of stored documents, each said stored document having an associated client information record;

wherein said request processing means includes means for accessing the client information record corresponding to each said selected document and for executing the protocols denoted in said client information record.

12. An information delivery system as recited in claim 11 further comprising a multiplicity of information code records, each corresponding to a particular one of the documents, each said information code record denoting protocols required for users to access said corresponding document;

wherein said request processing means includes means for accessing the information code record corresponding to each said selected document and for executing the protocols denoted in said information code records.

13. An information delivery system as recited in claim 12 wherein said protocols denoted in said client information records and information code records include:

requesting the user to enter a password;

requesting the user to enter an identification number; and

determining whether delivery of the selected document to the designated telephone number is permitted.

14. An information delivery system as recited in claim 13 wherein the system includes means for detecting when said facsimile delivery means fails to successfully transmit a document and for automatically retransmitting those documents which were not successfully transmitted.

15. An information delivery system as recited in claim 14 wherein touch tone phone signals are used to specify information to the request module.

16. An information delivery system as recited in claim 11 wherein said request processing means includes means, coupled to said memory means, for receiving documents to be stored in said memory means, and means for replacing a specified document stored in said memory means with a received document;

each said client information record denoting protocols required for replacing documents with said corresponding group of stored documents.

17. A method of delivering selected documents from a storage location to facsimile machines at remote locations, the selected documents being delivered in response to telephone requests, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a multiplicity of documents;

receiving an incoming telephone call from a remote caller;

automatically prompting the caller to provide order information denoting selected ones of said stored documents and a designated telephone number of a facsimile machine for receiving the selected documents;

echoing back to said caller said order information, and prompting said caller to correct said order information when said order information is erroneous;

restricting and restraining access by said callers to said stored documents in accordance with specified criteria;

assigning each selected document a priority value;

scheduling delivery of said selected documents in accordance with priority values assigned to selected documents;

initiating a telephone call to a designated telephone number corresponding to one or more of said selected documents in accordance with said delivery schedule; and

transmitting the selected documents to a facsimile machine at the designated telephone number.

18. A method as recited in claim 17 said restricting step including the steps of storing an abused number file indicating one or more telephone numbers to which information transfers are prohibited, comparing said designated telephone number with said telephone numbers in said abused number file, and preventing the delivery of said selected documents by said facsimile delivery means when said designated telephone number is found in said abused number file.

19. A method as recited in claim 17 further comprising the steps of storing a multiplicity of information code records, each corresponding to a particular one of said stored documents, each said information code record denoting protocols required for callers to access said corresponding document;

and

accessing the information code record corresponding to each said selected document and executing the protocols denoted in said information code records.

20. A method as recited in claim 17 further comprising the step of recording monetary charges associated with the delivery of said selected documents.

21. A method as recited in claim 17 further comprising the steps of detecting when said transmitting step fails, and automatically rescheduling delivery of selected documents for which said transmitting step failed.

22. A method as recited in claim 17 further comprising the steps of storing a multiplicity of information code records, each corresponding to a particular one of said stored documents, each said information code record assigning a default priority value to said corresponding document and denoting whether a user can specify a higher priority value to a request for said corresponding document;

said prompting step including prompting users to specify a priority value for a selected document whenever said corresponding information code record denotes that such a specification is allowed.

23. A method as recited in claim 17,

said receiving step including receiving telephone calls on one or more dedicated request channels;

said prompting step including automatically assigning to order information received via a dedicated request channel a corresponding designated telephone number for document delivery;

whereby frequent users of said system can be assigned dedicated request channels, eliminating the need for such frequent users to specify the telephone number for the user'"'"'s facsimile machine.

24. A method as recited in claim 17 said restricting step including determining whether delivering documents to the designated telephone number is permitted, wherein if delivering information to the designated number is not permitted, the selected documents will not be delivered.