Batching and delayed transmission of facsimiles

• US 5,519,507 A
• Filed: 03/20/1995
• Issued: 05/21/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Octel Communications Corp. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Brandman, Yigal, Leirer, Laszlo, Subramaniam, Jason, Soroosh, Shahryar
• Primary Examiner(s): Rogers, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US08/407,263
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 358/402, 358/407, 358/444, 379/100
• US Class Current: 358/402
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/324 intermediate the transmitter and receiver terminals, e.g. at an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32432 in a particular memory file for retrieval by the user, e.g. in a facsimile mailbox

Abstract

An apparatus and method are described in a voice mail system for selectively storing faxes in a batch mailbox prior to printing at a facsimile machine in order to efficiently utilize the telephone connection between the voice mail system and the facsimile machine. The apparatus comprises a plurality of electronic mailboxes for the storage of facsimiles, a facsimile machine for receiving and printing facsimiles from the plurality of mailboxes, and a batch mailbox connected between the plurality of mailboxes and the facsimile for receiving and buffering the stored facsimiles and for sequentially transmitting the buffered facsimiles to the facsimile machine for printing. Facsimiles can be added to the batch mailbox during the printing of other facsimiles in the batch mailbox.

Claims

1. An apparatus for redirecting facsimile documents from a first facsimile machine to a second facsimile machine comprising:

a first batch mailbox coupled to the first facsimile machine and a batch queue memory, the batch queue memory containing ordered addresses pointing to facsimile documents stored in said first batch mailbox waiting to be printed at the first facsimile machine; and

a processor coupled to the batch queue memory for selectively associating the entire contents of the batch queue memory in order to redirect facsimile documents for printing on the second facsimile machine.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the facsimile documents waiting to be printed on the first facsimile machine are redirected for printing on the second facsimile machine when the first facsimile machine is disabled.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second batch mailbox coupled between the first batch mailbox and the second facsimile machine, the second batch mailbox for receiving facsimile documents which have been redirected for printing on the second facsimile machine.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of electronic mailboxes connected to the first batch mailbox for sending facsimile documents to the first batch mailbox.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the first batch mailbox receives and buffers the facsimile documents from the plurality of electronic mailboxes.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the facsimile documents stored in the first batch mailbox further comprise an appended time stamp.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the time stamp indicates the time at which the stored facsimile documents are to be transmitted to the first facsimile machine.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first batch mailbox periodically checks the time stamps of the stored facsimile documents and determines which of the facsimile documents are scheduled for transmission to the first facsimile machine.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the batch mailbox checks the time stamps of stored facsimile documents every sixty seconds.

10. A method in a telephone system for redirecting facsimile documents from a first facsimile machine to a second facsimile machine, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a facsimile address in a batch queue memory pointing to a stored facsimile document;

queuing the facsimile address in the batch queue memory, thereby scheduling the transmission of the stored facsimile document for printing on the first facsimile machine;

redirecting the entire contents of the batch queue memory in order that the stored facsimile document scheduled for printing on the first facsimile machine is thereafter scheduled for printing on the second facsimile machine; and

transmitting the stored facsimile document to the second facsimile machine for printing.

11. The method according to claim 10 in which the telephone system further comprises a first batch mailbox coupled to the batch queue memory and to the first facsimile machine, and a second batch mailbox coupled to the batch queue memory and to the second facsimile machine;

wherein the stored facsimile document is stored in the first batch mailbox when said stored document is scheduled for printing on the first facsimile machine and said stored facsimile document is stored in the second batch mailbox when the stored facsimile document is scheduled for printing on the second facsimile machine; and

wherein said stored facsimile document is printed on the first facsimile machine by transferring the stored facsimile document from the first batch mailbox to the first facsimile machine when the stored facsimile document is stored in the first batch mailbox, and the stored facsimile document is printed on the second facsimile machine by transferring the stored facsimile document from the second batch mailbox to the second facsimile machine when the stored facsimile document is stored in the second batch mailbox.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein during the transmitting of the stored facsimile document from the second batch mailbox to the second facsimile machine, an additional facsimile document is transferred into the second batch mailbox for transmission to the second facsimile machine.

13. The method according to claim 11 in which following the step of transmitting the stored facsimile document from the second batch mailbox to the second facsimile machine, the batch mailbox instructs the second facsimile machine to print a trailer page.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the stored facsimile document further comprises a time stamp identifying the time at which the stored facsimile document is to be transferred from the second batch mailbox to the second facsimile machine.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the system further comprises a system clock for providing a current time, wherein the second batch mailbox only transfers the stored facsimile document to the second facsimile machine if the current time is not earlier than the time stamp.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the second batch mailbox periodically checks the time stamp of each stored facsimile document in the second batch mailbox to determine whether the current time is earlier than the time stamp.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein following the step of redirecting the queued facsimile address to a second batch mailbox, the method further comprises the step of redirecting future facsimile addresses received in the first batch mailbox to the second mailbox.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein, following the step of transferring the stored facsimile document to the second facsimile machine the facsimile address is automatically deleted from the batch queue memory.

19. A facsimile communication system for the batch delivery of facsimile documents comprising:

a facsimile machine for receiving and printing facsimile documents;

a communication link coupled to the facsimile machine for delivering facsimile documents to the facsimile machine; and

a batch mailbox which selectively connects to the facsimile machine through the communication link when facsimile documents are received by the batch mailbox from subscribers, the batch mailbox further comprising;

storage memory containing stored facsimile documents waiting to be printed at the facsimile machine;

a batch queue containing ordered addresses pointing to facsimile documents contained in the storage memory; and

a queue busy flag having a first state and a second state, the queue busy flag switching to the first state when the batch mailbox is connected to the facsimile machine.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein facsimile documents which are received by the batch mailbox while the queue busy flag is in the first state are placed in the batch queue and transmitted to the facsimile machine while the batch mailbox is connected to the facsimile machine.

21. The system according to claim 19, wherein a facsimile document which is received by the batch mailbox while the queue busy flag is in the second state causes the batch mailbox to selectively connect through the communication link to the facsimile machine.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein no said selective connection occurs while the queue busy flag is in the first state.

23. A method in a facsimile communication system for the batch delivery of facsimile documents, the method comprising the steps:

receiving a facsimile document in a batch mailbox;

queuing the facsimile document in the batch mailbox, thereby scheduling the transmission of the queued facsimile document to a facsimile machine for printing;

establishing a communication link between the batch mailbox and the facsimile machine;

setting a queue busy flag corresponding to the batch mailbox signaling that a communication link has been established;

disabling the batch mailbox from establishing further communication links while the queue busy flag is set;

transmitting the queued facsimile documents to the facsimile machine; and

disconnecting the communication link when all queued facsimile documents have been transmitted.

24. The method according to claim 23 further comprising the step of resetting the queue busy flag once the communication link has been disconnected.

25. The method according to claim 24 further comprising the step of enabling the batch mailbox to establish a communication link upon the receipt of further facsimile documents.

26. The method according to claim 23 further comprising the steps of:

receiving an additional facsimile document in file batch mailbox while the queue busy flag is set;

queuing the additional facsimile document in the batch mailbox; and

transmitting tile additional facsimile document to the facsimile machine prior to disconnecting the communication link.