Fax-to-email and email-to-fax communication system and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for sending an e-mail message comprises:
- sending a request by a user for a transmission instruction page to the facsimile sever;
receiving the transmission instruction page via a telecommunications network from the facsimile server in response to the request, wherein a destination e-mail field is blank, and wherein a destination facsimile number field is provided with a destination facsimile number, wherein the facsimile number is determined for a user;
printing-out the transmission instruction page;
thereafterentering a plurality of text entries from the user comprising hand-printing the plurality of text entries on the transmission instruction page to form a filled-in transmission instruction page, wherein the plurality of text entries includes destination e-mail address, and wherein the destination e-mail address is entered in the destination e-mail field;
sending a facsimile to the facsimile server by the user in response to the facsimile number, wherein the facsimile includes the filled-in transmission instruction page;
wherein the facsimile server converts the facsimile into an e-mail attachment;
wherein the facsimile sever determines advertisement data appropriate for the user to append to the e-mail message in response to the facsimile from the user;
wherein the facsimile sever sends the e-mail message including the advertisement data and the e-mail attachment to the destination e-mail address;
wherein the facsimile server optically derives the destination e-mail address from the transmission instruction page of the facsimile; and
wherein the facsimile server maintains statistics regarding number of times the advertisement data is sent to provide to advertisers for payment purposes.
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Accused Products
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.
146 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for sending an e-mail message comprises:
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sending a request by a user for a transmission instruction page to the facsimile sever; receiving the transmission instruction page via a telecommunications network from the facsimile server in response to the request, wherein a destination e-mail field is blank, and wherein a destination facsimile number field is provided with a destination facsimile number, wherein the facsimile number is determined for a user; printing-out the transmission instruction page;
thereafterentering a plurality of text entries from the user comprising hand-printing the plurality of text entries on the transmission instruction page to form a filled-in transmission instruction page, wherein the plurality of text entries includes destination e-mail address, and wherein the destination e-mail address is entered in the destination e-mail field; sending a facsimile to the facsimile server by the user in response to the facsimile number, wherein the facsimile includes the filled-in transmission instruction page; wherein the facsimile server converts the facsimile into an e-mail attachment; wherein the facsimile sever determines advertisement data appropriate for the user to append to the e-mail message in response to the facsimile from the user; wherein the facsimile sever sends the e-mail message including the advertisement data and the e-mail attachment to the destination e-mail address; wherein the facsimile server optically derives the destination e-mail address from the transmission instruction page of the facsimile; and wherein the facsimile server maintains statistics regarding number of times the advertisement data is sent to provide to advertisers for payment purposes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for sending an electronic communication to an electronic destination comprises:
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sending a request by a user for a transmission instruction page to the facsimile server; receiving the transmission instruction page via a telecommunications network from the transmission server, wherein the transmission instruction comprises a plurality of blank data fields including a blank electronic address data field, and a transmission sever address; printing-out the transmission instruction page;
thereaftermanually entering a plurality of text entries from the user comprising hand-printing the plurality of text entries to the plurality of blank data fields on the transmission instruction page to form a filled-in transmission instruction page, wherein the user enters an electronic address associated with the electronic destination in the blank electronic address data field; manually sending a digitized representation of the filled-in transmission instruction page encoded in a first transmission format by the user to the transmission server in response to the transmission server address; wherein the transmission sever converts the digitized representation of the filled-in transmission instruction page to a second transmission format; wherein the transmission sever determines advertisement data appropriate for the user to append to the e-mail message in response to the digitized representation; wherein the transmission server sends the electronic communication including the advertisement data and the filled-in transmission instruction page in the second transmission format to the electronic destination; wherein the transmission server optically derives the electronic address from the filled-in transmission instruction page; and wherein the facsimile server maintains statistics regarding number of times the advertisement data is sent to provide to advertisers for payment purposes. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification