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Voice operated facsimile machine network

  • US 5,136,634 A
  • Filed: 02/15/1990
  • Issued: 08/04/1992
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1989
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for transmitting graphic and/or textual data requested by a plurality of users to respective facsimile machines of said users over public telephone lines, comprising:

  • a plurality of nodes interconnected in a node string network configuration, each node includingmeans for receiving an incoming call from a user over said telephone lines,voice generation means for generating voice signals over said telephone lines to said user, said voice signals representing instructions informing said user of individual items of data which can be selected by said user for transmission, and instructions informing said user of specific code signals associated with each of said individual items of data,means for receiving code signals from said user over said telephone lines representing selected items of data,means for decoding said received code signals to identify said selected items of data,means for retrieving said identified items of data,means for transmitting said retrieved data in facsimile form to said user'"'"'s facsimile machine, andmeans for terminating said incoming call after completion of said facsimile transmission;

    node string network server means connected to said node string network for storing voice signal data used by said voice generation means, graphic and textual data retrieved by said means for retrieving, and instruction data for controlling the operation of each of said nodes; and

    console means interconnected with said plurality of nodes for monitoring the status of each of said nodes, and for identifying and disabling malfunctioning nodes.

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