Fax broadcast from a single copy of data

• US 6,671,061 B1
• Filed: 01/08/1999
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mercurio, Gregory Scott, Joffe, Neil Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pokrzywa, Joseph R.
• Application Number:
  US09/227,115
• Time in Patent Office: 1,817 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/402, 358/403, 358/407, 358/440, 358/444, 358/468, 709/238, 709/239, 709/240, 379/100.01, 379/100.08, 379/100.09, 379/100.11, 379/93.23, 379/93.24
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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

Abstract

A fax broadcasting system for use in a packet switching network environment for transferring fascimile information in the form of multiple packets which are received from a sending communications device to a plurality of receiving communications devices includes a networking device for receiving, in packet form, an email message from the sending communication device. The email message includes fascimile (fax) infomation, which is also received in packet form (packets of fax information). The networking device is utilized for transmitting the fax information to the receiving communications devices. The networking device includes a processing device having a plurality of storage spaces, each of said plurality of storage spaces for storing one packet of the fax information (a packet storage space), the processing device for receiving the email message, in packet form, having attached thereto fax information in packet form. As each fax information packet is received, the processing device stores one copy thereof in a corresponding one of the packet storage spaces and sends the stored packets of fax information to the receiving communications devices, wherein no more than one copy of the fax information is stored for broadcasting the same to at least two receiving communications devices.

Claims

1. A fax broadcasting system for use in a packet switching network environment for transferring facsimile (fax) information in the form of multiple packets, received from a sending communications device, to a plurality of receiving communications devices, operating at different speeds, comprising:

a router employed in the packet switching network environment to direct the flow of data over the packet switching network and for receiving, in packet form, an email message comprising fax information from said sending communication device, the fax information being received in packet form (packets of fax information), said router for transmitting the fax information to said receiving communications devices and comprising,

a processing device having a plurality of storage spaces, each of said plurality of storage spaces for storing one packet of the fax information (a packet storage space), said processing device for receiving said email message, in packet form, having attached thereto fax information, in packet form, and upon receiving each fax information packet, storing only a single copy thereof in a corresponding one of said packet storage spaces and storing only as many packets of the fax information as can be received by the fastest receiving communications device and sending multiple copies of said stored packets of fax information, as fax messages, continuously and despite speed differences in the receiving communications devices and despite inoperability of any of the receiving communications devices, to said plurality of receiving communications devices,

wherein no more than one copy of said fax information is stored for broadcasting the same to at least two receiving communications devices.

2. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said networking device further includes a modem bank coupled to said processing device for sending said stored packets of fax information to said at least two receiving communications device.

3. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 for use with a host server device coupled between the sending communications device and said networking device for receiving said email message and detecting the same to include fax information.

4. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 for use with a plurality of transmission lines coupled between said networking device and the plurality of receiving communications devices for transferring fax information therebetween.

5. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 further comprising more than two receiving communications devices.

6. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said networking device further includes a central processing unit (CPU) for receiving said email message and processing the stored fax information for use thereof by the plurality of receiving communications devices.

7. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processing device further includes one or more reference counts, each reference count corresponding to a packet of stored fax information and for indicating the number of receiving communication devices that are yet to receive the corresponding packet.

8. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 7 whereupon completion of transmission of a particular packet of stored fax information, having a particular corresponding reference count, to the plurality of receiving communication devices, the particular reference count is decremented by one.

9. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said networking device is a router.

10. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein the sending communications device is coupled to said networking device through a communication interface for transmission of the email message therebetween.

11. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 9 wherein the communication interface is further coupled to a host server device, the host server device for detecting the email message to have attached thereto fax information.

12. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 9 wherein the communication interface transmits the email message pursuant to a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol(TCP/IP) standard protocol.

13. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein the fax information is in the form of a TIFF file.

14. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processing device further includes a fill bit generator block for generating fill bits for being appended to the end of a fax scan line when the stored fax information is being transmitted to the plurality of receiving communication devices.

15. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 14 wherein each of the plurality of the receiving communications devices has associated therewith a corresponding minimum scan line time and prior to transmission of stored fax information to a particular receiving communications device, the number of fill bits being generated corresponds to the minimum scan line time asscociated with the particular receiving communications device.

16. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processsing device operates to generate an end-of-scan line field for indicating the completion of a scan line transmission to the plurality of receiving communications devices.

17. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said processing device is adapted to generate and transmit transparency bytes throughout the transmission of the stored fax information to the plurality of receiving communications devices.

18. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein upon sending one of said packets of fax information being stored in a particular storage space to all of the receiving communications devices, said processing device further for re-using the particular packet storage space for storage of other packets of fax information.

19. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein upon sending one of said packets of fax information being stored in a particular packet storage space, to all of them receiving communications devices that are operational, said processing device further for removing from the particular packet storage space the stored packet of fax information thereby making the particular packet storage space available for further storage.

20. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said packet storage spaces are comprised of RAM.

21. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein said networking device further includes one or more modem devices for converting said stored packets of fax information into the fax message prior to the transmission of the fax message to the receiving communications devices.

22. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 21 wherein the transmission of the fax message to the receiving communications devices is performed through a transmission line.

23. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 22 wherein the transmission line is of a T1 type of transmission line pursuant to an industry standard protocol.

24. A fax broadcasting system as recited in claim 1 wherein the fax messages sent to the at least two receiving communications devices are sent substantially simultaneously.

25. A method for communicating fax information using electronic mail (email) between a sending fax device and a plurality of receiving fax devices operating at different speeds, said sending and receiving devices being remotely located from one another, the sending fax device being coupled to a sending networking device for transmission of an email message having fax information to a receiving networking device being coupled to the plurality of receiving fax devices comprising:

receiving a fax message from the sending fax device for transmission thereof to the plurality of receiving fax devices;

in response to the received fax message, transmitting an email message having an email name for identifying the sending fax device, the email message comprising the received fax message;

receiving the transmitted email message;

extracting the email name and the received fax message from the received email message for transmission thereof to the plurality of receiving fax devices;

storing only a single copy of the received fax message;

storing only as many packets of the fax information as can be received by the fastest receiving communications device;

transmitting the email name and the stored received fax message to the plurality of receiving fax devices continuously and despite speed differences in the receiving fax devices and despite inoperability of any of the receiving fax devices, wherein the received fax message is communicated between the sending and the receiving fax devices in real time; and

using the email name to identify the sending fax device.

26. A method for communicating fax information as recited in claim 25 further comprising upon transmitting the email name and the received fax message to the plurality of receiving fax devices, displaying the contents of the email name.

27. A method for communicating fax information using electronic mail (email) in a fax system between a sending fax device and a remotely-located user'"'"'s electronic mailbox, the sending fax device being coupled to a sending networking device for transmission of an email message having fax information to a receiving networking device being coupled to the user'"'"'s electronic mailbox comprising:

receiving a fax message from the sending fax device for transmission thereof to the user'"'"'s electronic mailbox;

in response to the received fax message, transmitting an email message having an email name for identifying the sending fax device, the email message comprising the received fax message;

receiving the transmitted email message;

extracting the email name and the received fax message from the received email message;

storing only a single copy of the received fax message;

storing only as many packets of the fax information as can be received by the fastest receiving communications device;

transmitting the email name and the stored received fax message to the user'"'"'s electronic mailbox wherein the received fax message is communicated between the sending fax device and the user'"'"'s electronic mailbox in real time; and

using the email name to identify the sending fax device.