Systems and methods for routing a facsimile confirmation based on content

• US 9,247,100 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kofax Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kofax Incorporated
• Inventors: Couchman, Roy, Borrey, Roland G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cato, Miya J
• Application Number:
  US14/059,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20140043656A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/2247 Characters composed of bars, e.g. CMC-7
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/412 Layout analysis of documents structured with printed lines or input boxes, e.g. business forms or tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00122 of text or character information only
• 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 1/00209 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 1/00326 with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32 Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device H04N1/38, H04N1/387 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32438 Informing the addressee of reception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0017 Notifying a communication result
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3218 of a confirmation, acknowledgement or receipt

Abstract

A method for routing a confirmation of receipt and/or delivery of a facsimile or portion thereof according to one embodiment includes generating text of a facsimile in a computer readable format; ascertaining one or more of a significance and a relevance of at least a portion of the text by locating one or more keywords in the text, wherein at least two of the keywords are not adjacent in the text; analyzing the text for at least one of a meaning and a context of the text; and routing at least one confirmation of receipt and/or delivery of the facsimile to one or more confirmation destinations based on the analysis. Additional disclosed embodiments include systems and computer program products configured to similarly route confirmation of receipt and/or delivery of a facsimile or a portion thereof.

Claims

1. A method for routing confirmation of receipt and/or delivery of a facsimile, the method comprising:

generating text of a facsimile in a computer readable format;

ascertaining one or more of a significance and a relevance of at least a portion of the text by locating one or more keywords in the text, wherein at least two of the keywords are not adjacent in the text;

analyzing the text for at least one of a meaning and a context of the text;

initiating a business process;

generating a notification of a problem with the initiated business process in response to determining the problem exists;

notifying one or more entities of the problem; and

routing at least one confirmation of receipt and/or delivery of the facsimile to one or more confirmation destinations based on the analysis,

wherein the routing utilizes an outgoing communication device, and

wherein the business process is initiated based at least in part on the analysis.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the analysis further includes matching one or more of the located keywords to data stored in memory.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the analysis comprises recognizing at least one of a name, an email address and contact information in the facsimile.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein one or more of the keywords comprises the name, the email address and/or the contact information.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising storing at least some of the text in a memory.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising logging information relating to receipt and/or transmission of the at least one confirmation.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the generating and the notifying comprises logging one or more of facsimile receipts and facsimile transmissions.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the confirmation destinations corresponds to an intended recipient of the facsimile and/or the confirmation.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the confirmation destinations corresponds to a recipient other than an intended recipient of the facsimile and/or the confirmation.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the analysis further includes comparing one or more of the keywords in the text to at least one other element in the text.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the at least one other element comprises one or more of a word, a symbol, and a keyword.

12. A system configured to route confirmation of receipt and/or delivery of a facsimile, the system comprising:

a processor; and

logic in and/or executable by the processor to cause the processor to;

generate text of a facsimile in a computer readable format;

ascertain one or more of a significance and a relevance of at least a portion of the text by locating one or more keywords in the text, wherein at least two of the keywords are not adjacent in the text;

analyze the text for at least one of a meaning and a context of the text;

attempting to initiate a business process;

determining whether a problem exists with the attempted business process;

in response to determining a problem exists with the attempted business process, generating a notification of the determined problem; and

route at least one confirmation of receipt and/or delivery of the facsimile to one or more confirmation destinations based on the analysis,

wherein the business process initiation attempt is based on the analysis, and

wherein the problem comprises failure to initiate the business process.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the logic configured to cause the processor to analyze the text comprises logic configured to cause the processor to match the text one or more of the located keywords to data stored in memory.

14. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the logic configured to cause the processor to analyze the text comprises logic configured to cause the processor to recognize at least one of a name, an email address and contact information in the facsimile.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein one or more of the keywords comprises the name, the email address and/or the contact information.

16. The system as recited in claim 12, further comprising logic configured to cause the processor to store at least some of the text in a memory.

17. The system as recited in claim 12, further comprising logic configured to cause the processor to log information relating to receipt and/or transmission of the at least one confirmation.

18. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the routing utilizes an outgoing communication device.

19. The system as recited in claim 12, further comprising logic configured to cause the processor to:

notify one or more entities of the problem in response to generating the notification of the determined problem.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the notifying comprises logging one or more of facsimile receipts and facsimile transmissions.

21. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one of the confirmation destinations corresponds to an intended recipient of the facsimile and/or the confirmation.

22. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein at least one of the confirmation destinations corresponds to a recipient other than an intended recipient of the facsimile and/or the confirmation.

23. A system as recited in claim 12, wherein the logic configured to cause the processor to analyze further comprises logic configured to cause the processor to compare one or more of the keywords in the text to at least one other element in the text.

24. A system as recited in claim 23, wherein the at least one other element comprises one or more of a word, a symbol, and a keyword.

25. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code readable/executable by a processor to cause the processor to;

generate text of a facsimile in a computer readable format;

ascertain one or more of a significance and a relevance of at least a portion of the text by locating one or more keywords in the text, wherein at least two of the keywords are not adjacent in the text;

analyze the text for at least one of a meaning and a context of the text;

initiate a business process based on the analysis;

detect a problem with the business process;

generate a notification of the problem;

notify one or more entities of the problem; and

route at least one confirmation of receipt and/or delivery of the facsimile to one or more confirmation destinations based on the analysis,

wherein the routing utilizes an outgoing communication device.

26. The computer readable program product as recited in claim 25, wherein at least one of the generating and the notifying comprises logging one or more of facsimile receipts and facsimile transmissions.

27. The computer readable program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the program code readable/executable by the processor to cause the processor to analyze the text comprises program code readable/executable by the processor to cause the processor to match the text one or more of the located keywords to data stored in memory.

28. The computer readable program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the program code readable/executable by the processor to cause the processor to analyze the text comprises program code readable/executable by the processor to cause the processor to recognize at least one of a name, an email address and contact information in the facsimile.

29. The computer readable program product as recited in claim 28, wherein one or more of the keywords comprises the name, the email address and/or the contact information.

30. The computer readable program product as recited in claim 25, further comprising program code readable/executable by the processor to cause the processor to store at least some of the text in a memory.

31. The computer readable program product as recited in claim 25, further comprising program code readable/executable by a processor to cause the processor to log information relating to receipt and/or transmission of the at least one confirmation.

32. The computer readable program product as recited in claim 25, wherein at least one of the confirmation destinations corresponds to an intended recipient of the facsimile and/or the confirmation.

33. The computer readable program product as recited in claim 25, wherein at least one of the confirmation destinations corresponds to a recipient other than an intended recipient of the facsimile and/or the confirmation.

34. The computer readable program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the logic configured to analyze further comprises logic configured to compare one or more of the keywords in the text to at least one other element in the text.

35. The computer readable program product as recited in claim 34, wherein the other element comprises one or more of a word, a symbol, and a keyword.