Facsimile network
First Claim
1. A facsimile transmission system, comprising:
- a first network;
a fax source for generating a fax transmission and transmitting the generated fax transmission over said first network;
a buffer node interfaced with said first network for receiving said fax transmission therefrom, said buffer node including;
a buffer storage area for storing at least a portion of said received fax transmission,a fax transmission device for initiating a fax connection over a second network to a destination fax system,a fax delivery system for delivering said received fax transmission to said destination fax system,a status device for determining the status of the fax delivery by said fax delivery system to said destination fax system, anda status feedback device for forwarding said status information to said fax source through said first network during the delivery operation of said fax transmission to said destination fax by said fax delivery device; and
said fax source having a storage area associated therewith for storing said received status information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A facsimile network includes a plurality of nodes (10)-(14) which are disposed at different locations in the world. An originating fax machine (16) is associated with one of the nodes (10) for transmitting a fax over a local public telephone network (PSTN) (18). When the node (10) receives the fax transmission in the normal transmission mode, it then converts it to a digitized compressed and encrypted image which is transmitted over a primary network (24), such as the Internet, to a destination node (14) by a predetermined route. The node (14) then decompresses and de-encrypts the image and converts it to a facsimile image for transmission to a destination fax (20) in a normal mode over a local PSTN (22). A node (12) operates as a central node which can also receive the transmission for routing directly to the fax or for directing via another network link to the node (14).
31 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A facsimile transmission system, comprising:
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a first network; a fax source for generating a fax transmission and transmitting the generated fax transmission over said first network; a buffer node interfaced with said first network for receiving said fax transmission therefrom, said buffer node including; a buffer storage area for storing at least a portion of said received fax transmission, a fax transmission device for initiating a fax connection over a second network to a destination fax system, a fax delivery system for delivering said received fax transmission to said destination fax system, a status device for determining the status of the fax delivery by said fax delivery system to said destination fax system, and a status feedback device for forwarding said status information to said fax source through said first network during the delivery operation of said fax transmission to said destination fax by said fax delivery device; and said fax source having a storage area associated therewith for storing said received status information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A facsimile network for transmitting a facsimile transmission from an originating fax system to a destination fax system, comprising:
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a central network having multiple paths for transmitting data between remote locations with the transmission path of the data from a first point to a second point being determined by said central network; and a plurality of network nodes disposed at remote locations, and each having; a PSTN interface for interfacing with a public switched telephone network (PSTN) local to each of said nodes and for transmitting and receiving facsimile transmissions thereover, a network interface device for interfacing with said central network and for transmitting and receiving network communications thereover, a fax receive/transmit device for communicating with a fax system that is connected to said PSTN and is interfaced through said PSTN interface to receive facsimile transmissions therefrom and transmit facsimile transmissions thereto, said fax receive/transmit device operable to receive destination information from said originating fax system defining the address of a destination fax system and said fax receive/transmit device operable to effect a transmission of said fax transmission in accordance with a stored destination address of a destination fax system associated with the PSTN to which said receive/transmit device is interfaced, a buffer for storing at least a portion of received facsimile transmissions by said fax receive/transmit device, a conversion device for converting a received fax from the protocol associated with said received fax to a predetermined network format for transmission over said central network as a network communication, said conversion device operable to send destination information with said network communication, a network transmit/receive device for transmitting network information converted by said conversion device over said central network through said network interface device and receiving facsimile transmissions from said central network through said network interface device, and a routing device for determining a route over said central network in one of the multiple paths associated therewith, which routing determines which one of said nodes other than the originating one of said nodes is to receive said network information, said routing device operable to establish a communication link to the other of said nodes for transmission of network formatted information over said established communication link; and a status device for relaying status information over said network as to the status of the fax delivery to the destination fax system during transmission of the fax transmission thereto. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method for facsimile transmission, comprising the steps of:
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providing a first network; generating a fax transmission at a fax source and transmitting the generated fax transmission over the first network; interfacing a buffer node with the first network and receiving the fax transmission at the buffer node from the first network; storing at least a portion of the received fax transmission in a buffer storage area at the buffer node; initiating a fax connection over a second network from the buffer node to a destination fax system; delivering the received fax transmission to the destination fax system over the established fax connection from the buffer node to the destination fax system; determining the status of the fax delivery from the buffer node to the destination fax system; forwarding the status information from the buffer node to the fax source through the first network during the delivery operation of the fax transmission to the destination fax by the step of delivering; and storing the received status information at the fax source. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification