Method and apparatus for enabling a facsimile machine to be an e-mail client

• US 6,157,706 A
• Filed: 05/19/1997
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Demeter Technology LLC (IPNav)
• Original Assignee: E-Centric II Corporation
• Inventors: Rachelson, Tevya A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US08/858,779
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 379/100.08, 379/93.24, 379/93.15, 379/93.26, 379/90.01, 379/92.04, 379/93.05, 379/93.18, 379/93.27, 379/142, 379/100.09, 358/400, 358/407, 358/440, 358/464
• US Class Current: 379/100.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00212 Attaching image data to computer messages, e.g. to e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32411 Handling instructions for routing or relaying
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0015 Control of image communication with the connected apparatus, e.g. signalling capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0067 Converting to still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0098 User intervention not otherwise provided for, e.g. placing documents, responding to an alarm

Abstract

A method and apparatus that allow users having access to a facsimile (fax) machine to send, receive, and manage e-mail easily. If the user selects a "Direct Receipt" receive mode, e-mail is automatically sent to his fax machine, where it is automatically printed out and can be read. If the user selects "Receipt on Demand" mode, the user calls a predetermined telephone number and answers voice prompts to instruct the system where to fax his (held) unread e-mail. The user can also be notified of unread e-mail being held, via pager or telephone. In either case, the fax received by the user contains the contents of the e-mail message intended for the user. To send e-mail from his fax machine, the user uses an "address book" of e-mail addresses, each of which is associated with a fax telephone number (also called an "internet fax number"). If the user sends a fax message to an internet fax number associated with a particular recipient in the user'"'"'s address book, the system sends an e-mail message containing the contents of the fax message to the recipient associated with the internet fax number.

Claims

1. A system that enables a facsimile machine to behave like an e-mail client, comprising:

a portion that accepts input from a first user specifying an e-mail address of a second user;

a portion that automatically stores the e-mail address of the second user in an address book data structure assigned to only the first user in a memory;

a portion that associates an internet fax number with the stored e-mail address of the second user in memory; and

a receiving portion that receives a fax from the facsimile machine of the first user that has been sent to the internet fax number associated with the e-mail address of the second user;

a selection portion for selecting from a set of at least one address book data structure the address book data structure assigned to only the first user that includes the internet fax number associated with the stored e-mail address of the second user; and

a sending portion for sending the contents of the fax to the e-mail address of the second user stored in the selected address book data structure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the selecting portion further includes a portion that converts the fax message to TIF format.

3. The system of claim 1, where the selection portion includes a portion that determines that the received facsimile message is from the first user by checking one of a CSID and a caller ID number of the facsimile machine sending the message.

4. The system of claim 1, where the selection portion includes a portion that determines that the received facsimile message is from the first user because the first user sent the message via a remote send command.

5. A method for enabling a facsimile machine to act as an e-mail client, comprising the steps, performed by a data processing system, of:

receiving, from one of a computer system over the internet and a facsimile machine over telephone lines, an e-mail message addressed to a first user from a second user, and including an e-mail address of the first user and the second user, the first user being a user of the fax machine;

determining a telephone number of a facsimile machine assigned to the first user, in accordance with the e-mail address of the first user;

sending a facsimile message that contains the contents of the e-mail message to the determined telephone number; and

selecting an address book data structure of the first user from a set of at least one address book data structure;

automatically adding the e-mail address of the second user to the selected address book data structure of the first user, along with a unique internet fax number of the first user, the selected address book data structure being stored in a memory.

6. A method for enabling a facsimile machine to act as an e-mail client, comprising the steps, performed by a data processing system, of:

receiving, from one of a computer system and a facsimile machine, an e-mail message addressed to a first user from a second user, and including an e-mail address of the second user, the first user being a user of the fax machine;

requesting from the first user, once the first user has issued a request to receive e-mail, a telephone number of a facsimile machine for receiving e-mails that are faxed to the first user;

receiving input from the first user specifying a telephone number of a facsimile machine;

sending, to the specified telephone number, a facsimile message that contains the contents of the e-mail message;

selecting an address book data structure assigned to only the second user from a set of at least one address book data structure;

automatically adding the e-mail address of the first user to the selected address book data structure of the second user, along with a unique internet fax number of the first user, the selected address book data structure being stored in a memory.

7. The method of claim 6, further including the step of notifying the user, using one of a pager or a telephone, when the e-mail message addressed to a first user from a second user is received.

8. A method for enabling a facsimile machine to act as an e-mail client, comprising the steps, performed by a data processing system, of:

receiving a facsimile message, sent from a facsimile machine by a first user, where the facsimile machine dialed an internet fax number associated with a second user;

determining the identity of the first user in accordance with a one of a CSID and a caller ID number of the facsimile machine;

selecting an address book data structure assigned to only the first user from a set of at least one address book data structure;

determining, from the selected address book data structure, an e-mail address of the second user, in accordance with the internet fax number dialed by the facsimile machine; and

sending an e-mail message, containing the received facsimile message, to the second user at the determined e-mail address.

9. A system that enables a facsimile machine to behave like an e-mail client, comprising:

a portion that sends a first fax message to the facsimile machine, the first fax message including the contents of a first e-mail message sent by a second user to a first fax machine user, the first e-mail message including the e-mail address of the second user;

a portion that sends a second e-mail message to the second user in accordance with a second fax message received from the facsimile machine, the second fax message sent by the first user, the portion that sends the second e-mail message sending the second e-mail message in accordance with the identity of the first user, as determined by a one of a CSID and a caller ID number of the facsimile machine used to send the second fax message, and in accordance with a unique internet fax number assigned to the second user;

a portion that extracts, from the first e-mail message, the e-mail address of the second user;

a portion that selects an address book data structure assigned to only the first user from a set of at least one address book data structure; and

a portion that adds the e-mail address of the second user to the selected address book data structure of the first user, along with an internet fax number assigned to the second user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the portion that sends the first fax message to the facsimile machine includes:

a portion requesting from the first user, once the first user has requested that his e-mail be sent to him, a telephone number of a facsimile machine to which the first user wishes his e-mail to be faxed;

a portion receiving input from the first user specifying a telephone number of a facsimile machine; and

a portion sending, to the specified telephone number, the first facsimile message.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the facsimile machine is a designated facsimile machine of the first user and wherein the portion that sends the first facsimile message includes:

a portion determining a telephone number of the facsimile machine, in accordance with an e-mail address of the first user; and

a portion sending the first facsimile message to the determined telephone number.

12. A method of inputting an alphanumeric character, comprising the steps performed by a data processing system receiving input via a keypad, of:

receiving an indication that a user has touched a key on the keypad at least one time to enter the alphanumeric character;

verbally echoing the alphanumeric character corresponding to the touched key, using a first inflection when the user has touched a key on the keypad at least one time;

after the first echoing step, receiving an indication that the user has touched an "end" key on the keypad; and

verbally echoing the character using a second inflection when the end key is pressed.

13. The method of claim of claim 12, where the first inflection is a questioning inflection and the second inflection is one of a steady inflection and a falling inflection.