Sender-based facsimile store and forward facility

• US 5,404,231 A
• Filed: 05/24/1993
• Issued: 04/04/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Audiofax Incorporated (AudioFAX IP, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Audiofax Incorporated (AudioFAX IP, LLC)
• Inventors: Bloomfield, Mark C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brinich, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grant, II, Jerome
• Application Number:
  US08/065,984
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 358/400, 358/402, 358/403, 358/405, 358/407, 358/435, 358/436, 358/438, 358/439, 358/440
• US Class Current: 358/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0036 Alphanumeric symbols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00374 on the same page as at least a part of the image
• 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 1/324 intermediate the transmitter and receiver terminals, e.g. at an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32406 in connection with routing or relaying, e.g. using a fax-server or a store-and-forward facility stored and forward data switching systems H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3209 of a telephone number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3212 of data relating to a job, e.g. communication, capture or filing of an image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3218 of a confirmation, acknowledgement or receipt
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3242 of processing required or performed, e.g. for reproduction or before recording H04N2201/3256 and subgroups take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

A facility which, in its most preferred method and apparatus embodiments, enhances facsimile communication through a public switched telephone network between a sender at a transmitting facsimile machine and an intended recipient at a receiving facsimile machine by providing sender-based store and forward services which help ensure confidential, timely delivery of facsimile information through, for any particular facsimile transaction, analyzing sender facsimile bitmapped image data to confirm billing availability and recognize a notification facsimile telephone number and a confirmation facsimile telephone number, transmitting generated notification facsimile data to a facsimile machine at the notification facsimile telephone number to produce a notification report providing notification of pending, available confidential facsimile data, transmitting sender facsimile data to a receiving facsimile machine during a telephone call from an intended recipient at the receiving facsimile machine upon receiving a valid confidential retrieval code from the intended recipient, and subsequently transmitting generated confirmation facsimile data to a facsimile machine at the confirmation facsimile telephone number to produce a delivery confirmation report suggesting delivery not only to a facsimile machine, but to the intended recipient, wherein the confidential retrieval code is randomly generated and shown on the notification report unless supplied by the sender with the sender facsimile data, and wherein a monitoring service is provided whereby delivery status information is made available to the sender.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing communication of sender facsimile data between a sender at a transmitting facsimile machine and an intended recipient at a receiving facsimile machine, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving sender facsimile data transmitted by a sender from a transmitting facsimile machine;

storing the sender facsimile data;

analyzing at least a portion of the sender facsimile data to identify a notification facsimile telephone number and a confirmation facsimile telephone number;

transmitting generated notification facsimile data to a facsimile machine at the notification facsimile telephone number, including steps of randomly generating a confidential retrieval code and including the confidential retrieval code in tile notification facsimile data to appear on output of the facsimile machine at the notification facsimile telephone number;

transmitting at least a portion of the sender facsimile data to a receiving facsimile machine during a telephone call from an intended recipient at the receiving facsimile machine upon receiving the confidential retrieval code from the intended recipient during the telephone call; and

transmitting generated confirmation facsimile data to a facsimile machine at the confirmation facsimile telephone number after transmitting the sender facsimile data to the receiving facsimile machine.

2. A method for enhancing communication of sender facsimile data between a sender at a transmitting facsimile machine and an intended recipient at a receiving facsimile machine, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving sender facsimile data transmitted by a sender from a transmitting facsimile machine, wherein the sender facsimile data includes data representing a confidential retrieval code;

storing the sender facsimile data;

analyzing at least a portion of the sender facsimile data to identify a notification facsimile telephone number, a confirmation facsimile telephone number and the confidential retrieval code;

transmitting generated notification facsimile data to a facsimile machine at the notification facsimile telephone number;

transmitting at least a portion of the sender facsimile data to a receiving facsimile machine during a telephone call from an intended recipient at the receiving facsimile machine upon receiving the confidential retrieval code from the intended recipient during the telephone call; and

transmitting generated confirmation facsimile data to a facsimile machine at the confirmation facsimile telephone number after transmitting the sender facsimile data to the receiving facsimile machine.

3. A method for enhancing communication of sender facsimile data between a sender at a transmitting facsimile machine and an intended recipient at a receiving facsimile machine, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving sender facsimile data transmitted by a sender from a transmitting facsimile machine;

storing the sender facsimile data;

analyzing at least a portion of the sender facsimile data to identify a notification facsimile telephone number and a confirmation facsimile telephone number, including analyzing at least a portion of the sender facsimile data in an attempt to identify a confidential retrieval code;

transmitting generated notification facsimile data to a facsimile machine at the notification facsimile telephone number, including, contingent upon not identifying a confidential retrieval code from the sender facsimile data, the steps of randomly generating a confidential retrieval code and including the randomly generated confidential retrieval code in the notification facsimile data to appear on the output of the facsimile machine at the notification facsimile telephone number;

transmitting at least a portion of the sender facsimile data to a receiving facsimile machine during a telephone call from an intended recipient at the receiving facsimile machine upon receiving a confidential retrieval code from the intended recipient during the telephone call; and

transmitting generated confirmation facsimile data to a facsimile machine at the confirmation facsimile telephone number after transmitting the sender facsimile data to the receiving facsimile machine.

4. A facsimile store and forward facility for enhancing communication of sender facsimile data through a public switched telephone network between a sender at a transmitting facsimile machine and an intended recipient at a receiving facsimile machine, said facility comprising:

a telephone connection means for connecting said store and forward facility through a public switched telephone network to a transmitting facsimile machine and a receiving facsimile machine;

a storage means connected to said telephone connection means for storing sender facsimile data received from said transmitting facsimile machine through said public switched telephone network and said telephone connection means;

a recognition means connected to said storage means for recognizing characters in said sender facsimile data including, at least, a means for recognizing a notification facsimile telephone number and a confirmation facsimile telephone number; and

a control means for controlling said facsimile store and forward facility, said control means including, at least,

a notification means for generating notification facsimile data and for transmitting said notification facsimile data to a facsimile machine at said notification facsimile telephone number, wherein said notification means includes, at least, a retrieval code means for randomly generating a confidential retrieval code and for including said confidential retrieval code with said notification facsimile data to appear on output from said facsimile machine at said notification facsimile telephone number,

a delivery means for transmitting at least a portion of said sender facsimile data to a receiving facsimile machine during a telephone call frown an intended recipient at said receiving facsimile machine, said delivery means including, at least, a security means for requiring the intended recipient to supply the confidential retrieval code before any portion of said sender facsimile data is subsequently transmitted to said receiving facsimile machine, and

a confirmation means responsive to said delivery means for generating confirmation facsimile data and for transmitting said confirmation facsimile data to a facsimile machine at said confirmation facsimile telephone number.

5. A facsimile store and forward facility for enhancing communication of sender facsimile data through a public switched telephone network between a sender at a transmitting facsimile machine and an intended recipient at a receiving facsimile machine, said facility comprising:

a telephone connection means for connecting said store and forward facility through a public switched telephone network to a transmitting facsimile machine and a receiving facsimile machine;

a storage means connected to said telephone connection means for storing sender facsimile data received from said transmitting facsimile machine through said public switched telephone network and said telephone connection means;

a recognition means connected to said storage means for recognizing characters in said sender facsimile data including, at least, a means for recognizing a notification facsimile telephone number, a confirmation facsimile telephone number, and a confidential retrieval code; and

a control means for controlling said facsimile store and forward facility, said control means including, at least,

a notification means for generating notification facsimile data and for transmitting said notification facsimile data to a facsimile machine at said notification facsimile telephone number, wherein said notification means includes, at least, a retrieval code means responsive to said recognition means not recognizing said confidential retrieval code in said sender facsimile data for randomly generating said confidential retrieval code and for including said confidential retrieval code with said notification facsimile data to appear on output from said facsimile machine at said notification facsimile telephone number

a delivery means for transmitting at least a portion of said sender facsimile data to a receiving facsimile machine during a telephone call from an intended recipient at said receiving facsimile machine, said delivery means including, at least, a security means for requiring the intended recipient to supply the confidential retrieval code before any portion of said sender facsimile data is subsequently transmitted to said receiving facsimile machine, and

a confirmation means responsive to said delivery means for generating confirmation facsimile data and for transmitting said confirmation facsimile data to a facsimile machine at said confirmation facsimile telephone number.