Fax-to-email and email-to-fax communication system and method

• US 7,164,488 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2002
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: j2 Cloud Services, LLC (Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mongonet
• Inventors: Henry, Matthew K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Kimberly
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, ANDREW H
• Application Number:
  US10/155,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20020191227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/407, 358/402, 358/440, 358/448, 358/1.12, 358/1.13, 358/1.14, 379/100.07, 379/100.08, 379/100.09, 379/100.15, 379/100.17
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• 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 1/0036 Alphanumeric symbols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00366 Marks in boxes or the like, e.g. crosses or blacking out H04N1/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00371 on a separate sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00374 on the same page as at least a part of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32026 Changing the receiver mode of operation, e.g. paper reception to memory reception or vice versa H04N1/32673 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32042 with reading of job-marks on a page
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32048 Auto-dialling or Auto-calling H04N1/32053 - H04N1/32074 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32064 Multi-address calling
• 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 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32496 Changing the task performed, e.g. reading and transmitting, receiving and reproducing, copying facsimile mode changing H04N1/333
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0017 Notifying a communication result
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0086 Image transceiver H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3218 : of a confirmation, acknowledgement or receipt
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3261 : of multimedia information, e.g. a sound signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 : Transmission

Abstract

A facsimile/email communication system and method providing a user the ability to send emails from any standalone facsimile machine and providing a user the ability to logon to a centralized web server and send facsimiles to any standalone fax machine.

Claims

1. A system for communicating a facsimile or scanned image to an email destination from a communication device, comprising:

a first server configured to receive, from the communication device, the facsimile or the scanned image, the facsimile or scanned image including an optical representation of an email address that references the email destination;

an optical character recognizer in communication with the first server and configured to optically extract the email address from the facsimile or scanned image;

a first converter configured to receive and convert the facsimile or scanned image to an email attachment for transport over an email system; and

a second server configured to form an e-mail message in response to the email attachment and the email address, and to transmit the email message to the email destination, wherein a body of the email message includes a service provider advertisement.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises a facsimile machine.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the facsimile machine is configured to receive a hard copy of the facsimile, the hard copy having a cover page including the optical representation of the email address positioned at a predetermined location on the cover page.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the cover page also includes a facsimile number to which the facsimile or scanned image is delivered to the first server.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the facsimile number comprises a pay-per-use number.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the facsimile number comprises a toll-free number.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a third server in communication with the second server, wherein the third server is configured to receive a delivery status from the second server.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the third server includes a confirmation page composer configured to generate a confirmation page.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the confirmation page composer is configured to receive the delivery status and generate delivery and non-delivery notifications.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first server is further configured to receive the delivery and non-delivery notifications in facsimile format for transmission to the communication device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the service provider advertisement comprises a company name.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first server is configured to receive the confirmation page in facsimile format for transmission to the communication device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the service provider advertisement is retrieved based on information associated with a sender of the facsimile or scanned image.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the information associated with the sender includes demographic information.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the third server is further configured to store advertising statistics.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the third server is further configured to provide the service provider advertisement to the second server for incorporation into the email.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the third server is further configured to maintain a plurality of advertisements created by an advertiser and select the advertisement to be provided to the second server from the plurality of advertisements using information associated with the email.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical character recognizer extracts the email address by optical character recognition of hand-entered characters.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the email address is handwritten.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the email address is printed in a machine readable format.