Facsimile methods, apparatuses and systems

• US 7,965,423 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tom Glunz
• Original Assignee: Tom Glunz
• Inventors: Glunz, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Worku, Negussie
• Application Number:
  US11/855,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20090073499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 358/400, 358/442, 358/402, 358/1.5, 358/405, 358/436, 358/468, 379/100.1, 379/211.01, 379/100.08, 379/100.09, 379/88.03, 709/246, 709/207, 709/204, 709/208
• US Class Current: 358/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00214 details of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00217 only involving computer data transmission protocols, e.g. SMTP, WAP or HTTP communication protocol aspects and techniques in packet data networks H04L69/00; network-specific arrangements or communication protocols supporting networked applications H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0022 involving facsimile protocols or a combination of facsimile protocols and computer data transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33307 prior to start of transmission, input or output of the picture signal only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33369 Storage of mode or retrieval of prestored mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4426 involving separate means, e.g. a server, a magnetic card

Abstract

A facsimile method, system and apparatus for sending and receiving facsimiles over one or more networks including a fax sender connected to a network and the PSTN for sending facsimiles, an administrator connected to a network having a processor and at least one database for verifying the identity of the one or more fax receivers and fax senders, at least one fax receiver connected to at least one network for receiving facsimiles wherein the fax sender establishes a connection with the administrator, queries the database to determine the capabilities of the one or more fax receivers, and uses the capability information to send one or more facsimile transmissions to the one or more fax receivers.

Claims

1. A facsimile system for sending and receiving facsimiles over one or more networks comprising:

a fax sender and at least one fax receiver connected to at least one network for sending and receiving facsimiles;

an administrator connected to the same at least one network to which the fax sender and fax receiver are connect, the administrator having a processor and a collection of data for verifying the at least identity of the one fax receivers and the fax sender; and

wherein the fax sender establishes a connection with the administrator, queries the collection of data to determine the characteristics of the fax receivers, retrieves the capability information associated with the at least one fax receiver, and the fax sender uses the characteristics to send one or more facsimile transmissions to the at least one fax receiver.

2. The facsimile system of claim 1 wherein the network includes one or more firewalls.

3. The facsimile system of claim 1 wherein the administrator provides a security code to confirm the identity of the fax sender and the fax receiver.

4. The facsimile system of claim 1 wherein the network is selected from the following:

a public switching telephone network (PSTN), a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a global network, a virtual private network (VPN), an intranet, an internet, a wireless network, and a metropolitan area network.

5. The facsimile system of claim 1 wherein the fax sender sends a data stream to the administrator in order to register with the administrator.

6. The facsimile system of claim 1 wherein the fax receiver sends a data stream to the administrator in order to register with the administrator.

7. The facsimile system of claim 1 wherein the fax sender sends a data stream containing a serial number and registering security code to validate the fax sender and facsimile number of the fax receiver to the administrator in order to make a request to transmit facsimiles, and wherein the administrator provides the fax sender with information on how to establish a connection with the fax receiver so that the fax transmission can be initiated.

8. The facsimile system of claim 1 wherein the administrator sends the fax sender and the fax receiver a data stream containing connection information to be used by the fax sender and the fax receiver.

9. The facsimile system of claim 8 wherein the connection information includes one or more selected from the following group:

an authorization or other type of code, information about how the fax sender can connect to the fax receiver, information about how the destination will accept the connection from the fax sender, and information about the characteristics and use of an encryption code.

10. The facsimile system of claim 1 wherein the collection of data is made up of a plurality of databases.

11. The facsimile system of claim 10 wherein said plurality of databases further comprise a fax server service for providing the management of one or more facsimile documents needed for storing and sending facsimiles that are currently undeliverable or for deferred delivery and/or for multi-location destination as deemed in the destinations corresponding registration record(s).

12. The facsimile system of claim 1 wherein the collection of data contains one or more current or past information attributes associated with a fax sender or a fax receiver selected from the following group:

a manufacturer name of the fax device, a manufactures model of the fax device, a phone number associated with the fax device, an IP address, a serial number, a security code, and any other fax device related attributes.

13. The facsimile system of claim 1 wherein the administrator receives and stores one or more of the following characteristics:

a fully qualified international phone number, a MAC address, an I.P. address of the fax sender, an authorization code, a secret code, and a serial number of the fax device sending or receiving.

14. The facsimile system of claim 1 wherein upon failure the fax sender sends the facsimiles to the fax receiver over a public switching telephone network.

15. The facsimile system of claim 1 wherein upon a registration request from a fax machine, the administrator contacts the fax machine via a public switching telephone network to confirm the identity of said requesting fax machine and, once confirmed, to transmit a security code which the fax machine can use to initiate subsequent communication with the administrator.

16. A method of sending and receiving facsimiles over one or more networks using a fax sender connected to a network and a PSTN comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection with an administrator wherein the administrator is connected to a network and wherein the administrator comprises a processor and at least one collection of data for verifying the identity of the one or more fax receivers and fax senders;

querying the collection of data to determine characteristics of the one or more fax receivers with at least one fax receiver being connected to at least one network for receiving facsimiles; and

sending one or more facsimile transmissions to the one or more fax receivers using the characteristics.

17. An apparatus for sending and receiving facsimiles over one or more networks comprising:

at least one fax sender;

at least one fax receiver; and

at least one administrator having a processor and a database for verifying the identity of the one or more fax receivers and fax senders;

wherein a fax sender;

establishes a connection with one or more administrators;

queries the one or more collections of data to determine the capabilities of the one or more fax receivers;

retrieves characteristics of one or more the destination fax receivers from at least one administrator; and

sends one or more facsimile transmissions to the one or more fax receivers using the retrieved capability information.

18. The facsimile system of claim 17 wherein upon a registration request from a fax machine, the administrator contacts the fax machine via a public switching telephone network to confirm the identity of said requesting fax machine and, once confirmed, to transmit a security code which the fax machine can use to initiate subsequent communication with the administrator.