Method and apparatus for the primary and secondary routing of fax mesages using hand printed characters

• US 5,247,591 A
• Filed: 10/10/1990
• Issued: 09/21/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cardiff Software, Inc. (Healthstream Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Interfax Incorporated (Upland Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Baran, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Razavi, Michael T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KLOCINSKI, STEVEN
• Application Number:
  US07/596,058
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 382/61, 382/11, 382/13, 382/46, 283/61, 283/62, 283/117, 209/3.3, 209/3.1, 358/440, 358/434, 358/403, 358/402, 235/494, 385/467
• US Class Current: 382/179
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32112 in a separate computer file, document page or paper sheet, e.g. a fax cover sheet H04N1/32122 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/324 intermediate the transmitter and receiver terminals, e.g. at an exchange
• 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 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3209 of a telephone number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs

Abstract

The present invention includes an open-ended set of cover sheet forms that may be readily interpreted by the fax server system. In this system a first standardized cover sheet is designed to accept hand printed characters. This first cover sheet is then transmitted to a special fax server as part of this invention to create an alternative, fully detached cover sheet for automatic transmission to its specific recipient. Labor is minimized by allowing the sender to hand print a minimal amount of highly constrained telephone numbers, or the initials of the recipient onto a draft cover sheet when a mailing list has been previously stored in the memory associated with the special fax server. The first cover sheet is optionally automatically replaced by a second and final neatly printed cover sheet in which the abbreviated information is expanded using pre-stored information to provide sufficient information to allow the secondary fax message cover sheets to be routed by a human or a machine to be delivered to the intended recipient. The present invention acts as a bridge between today'"'"'s manually prepared cover sheets and those capabilities found in E-mail systems that automatically route and store messages as well as processing other non-obvious features.

Claims

1. A family of N different machine recognizable fax data sheets to be read automatically by a receiving fax server wherein each of said N different fax data sheets individually instructs said fax server as to the layout, format and processing of the data at each data location included in that fax data sheet, each of said fax data sheets comprising:

a web for receiving information to be transmitted to said receiving fax server;

at least one preprinted information receiving area on said web having a preselected location and format that corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets, wherein said at least one preprinted information receiving area includes;

a first data receiving area being a constrained field for receiving hand written characters that designate the source of said fax data sheet; and

a second data receiving area being a constrained field for receiving hand written characters that designate the destination of a message on said each fax data sheet;

a unique preprinted machine readable identification pattern from a family of N such patterns, one such pattern for each of said N different fax data sheets, wherein each of said identification patterns corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets and is keyed to the location, format and definition of the processing of said at least one preprinted information receiving area of the corresponding fax data sheet of said family of fax data sheets; and

a third data receiving area for receiving a message to be automatically secondarily transmitted to the destination identified in the second data area;

wherein N is a positive integer of a least 2.

2. A family of fax data sheets as in claim 1 wherein said third data receiving area is constrained to receive a hand written message.

3. A family of fax data sheets as in claim 1 wherein said third data receiving area is unconstrained to receive a clipped message.

4. A family of N different machine recognizable fax data sheets to be read automatically by a receiving fax server wherein each of said N different fax data sheets individually instructs said fax server as to the layout, format and processing of the data at each data location included in that fax data sheet, each of said fax data sheets comprising:

a web for receiving information to be transmitted to said receiving fax server;

at least one preprinted information receiving area on said web having a preselected location and format that corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets, wherein said at least one preprinted information receiving area includes a first data area for individually naming said each fax data sheet to serve as a pointer to memory locations of the fax server where the information recorded on said each fax data sheet is stored, and a plurality of identical second data areas for user entry of a name, a fax telephone number, and a name abbreviation in corresponding subfields to create a personalized mailing list for storage in the fax server; and

a unique machine readable preprinted identification pattern from a family of N such patterns, one such pattern for each of said N different fax data sheets, wherein each of said identification patterns corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets and is keyed to the location, format and definition of the processing of said at least one preprinted information receiving area of the corresponding fax data sheet of said family of fax data sheets;

wherein N is a positive integer of at least 2.

5. A family of fax data sheets as in claim 4 wherein each of said plurality of second fields further includes a subfield for entry of a fax mail box number.

6. A family of N different machine recognizable fax data sheets to be read automatically by a receiving fax server wherein each of said N different fax data sheets individually instructs said fax server so as to the layout, format and processing of the data at each data location included in that fax data sheet, each of said fax data sheets comprising:

a web for receiving information to be transmitted to said receiving fax server;

at least one preprinted information receiving area on said web having a preselected location and format that corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets, wherein said at least one preprinted information receiving area includes a first data area containing the name, box number and fax telephone number of a fax mail user, and a second data area containing a first plurality of lines each divided into a second plurality of columns to report to the user identified in said first area the arrival and status of fax mail messages on the fax server system for that user; and

a unique preprinted machine readable identification pattern from a family of N such patterns, one such pattern for each of said N different fax data sheets, wherein each of said identification patterns corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets and is keyed to the location, format and definition of the processing of said at least one preprinted information receiving area of the corresponding fax data sheet of said family of fax data sheets;

wherein N is a positive integer of at least 2.

7. A method for the automatic secondary routing of fax messages with a fax server, the method comprising the steps of:

a. storing in said fax server the layout and format of each preprinted fax data sheet of a family of N different machine recognizable fax data sheets, each of said fax data sheets defining thereon at least one preprinted information receiving area having a preselected location and format that corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets and a unique machine readably preprinted identification pattern that corresponds to a particular one of said N different fax data sheets for automatic identification, wherein each of said identification patterns is keyed to the location, format and definition of the processing of the at least one preprinted information receiving area of the corresponding fax data sheet of said family of fax data sheets, wherein N is a positive integer of at least 2, and said at least one preprinted information receiving area is disposed to receive information indicative of the identity of the intended recipient of a fax message for secondary routing which has been entered, wherein said unique identification pattern is selected from a family of N such patterns, with each of said N patterns including a binary pattern of n rows and m columns of bits with a total number of combinations equal to 2^nm wherein n and m are each positive integers of at least 1, and a one bit wide edge of an alternating bit pattern surrounding said interior binary pattern to determine the orientation of the data sheet when received by the fax server;

b. completing a selected preprinted fax data sheet from said family of N different machine recognizable fax data sheets;

c. transmitting said completed fax data sheet of step b. via a fax machine to the fax server;

d. said fax server generating an electrical signal corresponding to said unique machine readable identification pattern on said transmitted fax data sheet;

e. said fax server decoding the location and format of said at least one preprinted information receiving area by means of the electrical signal of step d. with step e. including the steps of f., g. and h. as follows;

f. determining the orientation of the transmitted fax data sheet by identifying the location of the unique identification pattern on the transmitted fax data sheet;

g. reorientating the transmitted fax data sheet using the information of step f.; and

h. generating a serial bit stream representative of the unique identification pattern by reading the reoriented unique identification pattern left to right, top to bottom for identification of the format and layout of said transmitted data sheet by said fax server;

i. said fax server reading the data entered into said at least one preprinted information receiving area;

j. said fax server automatically identifying the fax telephone number of the intended recipient using the information entered in step b. on the transmitted fax data sheet;

k. transmitting the message for secondary routing to said fax server;

l. formatting the message for secondary routing to the identified recipient;

m. delivering the message for secondary routing to the intended recipient; and

n. sizing the transmitted fax data sheet to the size of the stored fax data sheet having the same unique identification pattern as the transmitted fax data sheet by comparing the size relationship between the bits of the binary unique identification pattern on the transmitted fax data sheet and the known size of the bits of the unique identification pattern on the corresponding stored fax data sheet.

8. A method for the automatic secondary routing of fax messages with a fax server, the method comprising the steps of:

a. entering information on a fax mailing list data sheet containing a first data area for individually naming said mailing list data sheet to serve as a pointer to memory locations of the fax server where the information entered on the mailing list data sheet is stored, and a plurality of identical second data areas for user entry of a name, a fax telephone number, and a name abbreviation in corresponding subfields to create a personalized mailing list for storage in the fax server;

b. transmitting the completed mailing list of step a. to the fax server;

c. said fax server decoding the transmitted mailing lists;

d. said fax server storing said decoded mailing list of step c. in the memory of the fax server;

e. completing a selected preprinted fax data sheet from a family of N different machine recognizable fax data sheets, each of said fax data sheets defining thereon at least one preprinted information receiving area having a preselected location and format that corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets and a unique machine readable preprinted identification pattern from a family of N such patterns, one such pattern for each of said N different fax data sheets, wherein each of said identification patterns corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets and is keyed to the location, format and definition of the processing of the at least one preprinted information receiving area of the corresponding fax data sheet of said family of fax data sheets, wherein N is a positive integer of at least 2, and said at least one preprinted information receiving area is disposed to receive information indicative of the identity of the intended recipient of a fax message for secondary routing which has been entered;

f. transmitting said completed fax data sheet of step e. via a fax machine to the fax server;

g. said fax server generating an electrical signal corresponding to said unique machine readable identification pattern on said transmitted fax data sheet;

h. said fax server decoding the location and format of said at least one preprinted information receiving area by means of the electrical signal of step g;

i. said fax server reading the data entered into said at least one preprinted information receiving area;

j. said fax server automatically identifying the fax telephone number of the intended recipient using the information entered in step e. on the transmitted fax data sheet;

k. transmitting the message for secondary routing to said fax server;

l. formatting the message for secondary routing to the identified recipient; and

m. delivering the message for secondary routing to the intended recipient.

9. A family of N different machine recognizable fax data sheets to be read automatically by a receiving fax server wherein each of said N different fax data sheets individually instructs said fax server as to the layout, format and processing of the data at each data location included in that fax data sheet, each of said fax data sheets comprising:

a web for receiving information to be transmitted to said receiving fax server;

at least one preprinted information receiving area on said web having a preselected location and format that corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets;

a unique preprinted machine readable identification pattern from a family of N such patterns, one such pattern for each of said N different fax data sheets, wherein each of said identification patterns corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets and is keyed to the location, format and definition of the processing of said at least one preprinted information receiving area of the corresponding fax data sheet of said family of fax data sheets, wherein each of said unique identification patterns is selected from said family of N patterns, wherein each of said N patterns includes an interior binary pattern of n rows and m columns of bits with a total number of combinations equal to 2^nm where n and m are each positive integers of at least 1; and

a plurality of information receiving areas the location and data type of which are user definable for a countable number of the unique identification patterns that are reserved for said user;

wherein N is a positive integer of at least 2.

10. A family of N different machine recognizable fax data sheets to be read automatically by a receiving fax server wherein each of said N different fax data sheets individually instructs said fax server as to the layout, format and processing of the data at each data location included in that fax data sheet, each of said fax data sheets comprising:

a web for receiving information to be transmitted to said receiving fax server;

at least one preprinted information receiving area on said web having a preselected location and format that corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets, and includes a constrained data entry field for entering handwritten data to be read by the receiving fax server to name a document to be transmitted following the received fax data sheet; and

a unique preprinted machine readable identification pattern from a family of N such patterns, one such pattern for each of said N different fax data sheets, wherein each of said identification patterns corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets and is keyed to the location, format and definition of the processing of said at least one preprinted information receiving area of the corresponding fax data sheet of said family of fax data sheets;

wherein N is a positive integer of a least 2.

11. A family of N different machine recognizable fax data sheets to be read automatically by a receiving fax server wherein each of said N different fax data sheets individually instructs said fax server as to the layout, format and processing of the data at each data location included in that fax data sheet, each of said fax data sheets comprising:

a web for receiving information to be transmitted to said receiving fax server;

at least one preprinted information receiving area on said web having a preselected location and format that corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets including an unconstrained data entry area for responding to inquiries; and

a unique preprinted machine readable identification pattern from a family of N such patterns, one such pattern for each of said N different fax data sheets, wherein each of said identification patterns corresponds with a particular one of said N different fax data sheets and is keyed to the location, format and definition of the processing of said at least one preprinted information receiving area of the corresponding fax data sheet of said family of fax data sheets;

wherein N is a positive integer of at least 2.