System, method and apparatus for an interactive virtual fax machine

• US 9,143,631 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Open Text Holdings, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Xpedite Systems LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Toscano, Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Guillermety, Fred
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIFERAW, HENOK ASRES
• Application Number:
  US14/663,745
• Publication Number:
  US 20150195418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 186 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1296 Printer job scheduling or printer resource handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00206 Transmitting or receiving computer data via an image communication device, e.g. a facsimile transceiver H04N1/00236 takes precedence
• 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 1/00212 Attaching image data to computer messages, e.g. to e-mails
• 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 1/00392 Other manual input means, e.g. digitisers or writing tablets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00464 using browsers, i.e. interfaces based on mark-up languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00482 outputting a plurality of job set-up options, e.g. number of copies, paper size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/001 Sharing resources, e.g. processing power or memory, with a connected apparatus or enhancing the capability of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0067 Converting to still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

A system, method, and apparatus for a virtual fax machine are provided. In one embodiment, a system for a virtual fax machine is provided including a computer configured to display a virtual fax machine based on a script, a server configured to receive at least one electronic document associated with a fax to be sent using the virtual fax machine, and a traditional facsimile machine configured to receive the fax to be sent. In another embodiment, an apparatus for a virtual fax machine is provided including a computer configured to locate and execute a script associated with a virtual fax machine, display the virtual fax machine, associate at least one electronic document with a fax to be sent, encode the at least one electronic document to a form suitable for communication over a network, and transmit the encoded electronic document over the network as the fax to be sent.

Claims

1. A method of sending faxes, comprising:

a computer receiving one or more scripts associated with a virtual fax machine from a server;

the computer interpreting the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine;

the computer displaying the virtual fax machine on a display of the computer in accordance with the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine, the virtual fax machine including a send paper tray representation;

responsive to a user selection of one or more documents related to the send paper tray representation, the computer associating the one or more documents with a fax in accordance with the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine;

responsive to the user commencing transmission of the fax, the computer processing the one or more documents into encoded one or more electronic documents in accordance with the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine; and

the computer transmitting the encoded one or more electronic documents to the server over a packet-switched data network, wherein the server receives the encoded one or more electronic documents and routes the encoded one or more electronic documents to a facsimile service and wherein the facsimile service transcodes the encoded one or more electronic documents into transcoded one or more electronic documents and transmits the transcoded one or more electronic documents to one or more fax machines over a public switched telephone network.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user selection comprises the user dragging and dropping the one or more documents to the send paper tray representation.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a user selection related to a fax cover page, the computer associating the fax cover page with a fax in accordance with the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

the computer requesting individual files associated with the virtual fax machine at respective points in time, wherein the server sends the individual files to the computer at respectively different points in time.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more scripts are embedded, at least in part, within one or more web pages associated with the virtual fax machine.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the encoded one or more electronic documents represent web-enabled documents.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

the computer transmitting, in addition to the encoded one or more electronic documents, information specific to one or more recipients of the fax to the server over the packet-switched data network.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the encoded one or more electronic documents transmitted to the server over the packet-switched data network are already in a form suitable for transmission over the public switched telephone network, wherein transcoding of the encoded one or more electronic documents is skipped and the facsimile service directly transmits the encoded one or more electronic documents to the one or more fax machines over the public switched telephone network.

9. A fax system, comprising:

a computer having at least one processor and non-transitory computer memory, the computer configured for;

receiving one or more scripts associated with a virtual fax machine from a server;

interpreting the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine;

displaying the virtual fax machine on a display of the computer in accordance with the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine, the virtual fax machine including a send paper tray representation;

responsive to a user selection of one or more documents related to the send paper tray representation, associating the one or more documents with a fax in accordance with the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine;

responsive to the user commencing transmission of the fax, processing the one or more documents into encoded one or more electronic documents in accordance with the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine; and

transmitting the encoded one or more electronic documents to the server over a packet-switched data network, wherein the server receives the encoded one or more electronic documents and routes the encoded one or more electronic documents to a facsimile service and wherein the facsimile service transcodes the encoded one or more electronic documents into transcoded one or more electronic documents and transmits the transcoded one or more electronic documents to one or more fax machines over a public switched telephone network.

10. The fax system of claim 9, wherein the user selection comprises the user dragging and dropping the one or more documents to the send paper tray representation.

11. The fax system of claim 9, wherein the computer is further configured for, responsive to a user selection related to a fax cover page, associating the fax cover page with a fax in accordance with the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine.

12. The fax system of claim 9, wherein the computer is further configured for requesting individual files associated with the virtual fax machine at respective points in time and wherein the server sends the individual files to the computer at respectively different points in time.

13. The fax system of claim 9, wherein the one or more scripts are embedded, at least in part, within one or more web pages associated with the virtual fax machine.

14. The fax system of claim 9, wherein the encoded one or more electronic documents represent web-enabled documents.

15. The fax system of claim 9, wherein the computer is further configured for transmitting, in addition to the encoded one or more electronic documents, information specific to one or more recipients of the fax to the server over the packet-switched data network.

16. The fax system of claim 9, wherein the encoded one or more electronic documents transmitted to the server over the packet-switched data network are already in a form suitable for transmission over the public switched telephone network, wherein transcoding of the encoded one or more electronic documents is skipped and the facsimile service directly transmits the encoded one or more electronic documents to the one or more fax machines over the public switched telephone network.

17. The fax system of claim 9, wherein the virtual fax machine is a client-side scripted virtual fax machine embodied on the computer and wherein the one or more fax machines are physical fax machines connected to the public switched telephone network.

18. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions translatable by at least one processor of a computer to perform:

requesting one or more scripts associated with a virtual fax machine from a server;

interpreting the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine;

displaying the virtual fax machine on a display of the computer in accordance with the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine, the virtual fax machine including a send paper tray representation;

responsive to a user selection of one or more documents related to the send paper tray representation, associating the one or more documents with a fax in accordance with the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine;

responsive to the user commencing transmission of the fax, processing the one or more documents into encoded one or more electronic documents in accordance with the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine; and

transmitting the encoded one or more electronic documents to the server over a packet-switched data network, wherein the server receives the encoded one or more electronic documents and routes the encoded one or more electronic documents to a facsimile service and wherein the facsimile service transcodes the encoded one or more electronic documents into transcoded one or more electronic documents and transmits the transcoded one or more electronic documents to one or more fax machines over a public switched telephone network.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the user selection comprises the user dragging and dropping the one or more documents to the send paper tray representation.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the at least one processor to perform:

responsive to a user selection related to a fax cover page, associating the fax cover page with a fax in accordance with the one or more scripts associated with the virtual fax machine.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the at least one processor to perform:

requesting individual files associated with the virtual fax machine at respective points in time, wherein the server sends the individual files to the computer at respectively different points in time.

22. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the one or more scripts are embedded, at least in part, within one or more web pages associated with the virtual fax machine.

23. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the encoded one or more electronic documents represent web-enabled documents.

24. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the at least one processor to perform:

transmitting, in addition to the encoded one or more electronic documents, information specific to one or more recipients of the fax to the server over the packet-switched data network.

25. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the encoded one or more electronic documents transmitted to the server over the packet-switched data network are already in a form suitable for transmission over the public switched telephone network, wherein transcoding of the encoded one or more electronic documents is skipped and the facsimile service directly transmits the encoded one or more electronic documents to the one or more fax machines over the public switched telephone network.