System, method and apparatus for an interactive virtual fax machine

• US 9,641,708 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• 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): SHIFERAW, HENOK ASRES
• Application Number:
  US14/841,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20150373214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• 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 for receiving faxes, comprising:

a browser application running on a client device requesting at least one file associated with a virtual fax machine from a server computer over a network, the at least one file including at least one web page, at least one script, at least one program, or a combination thereof;

the browser application and a script engine running on the client device interpreting or executing the at least one file received from the server computer such that the virtual fax machine is displayed via the browser application on a display of the client device, the virtual fax machine including a receive paper tray representation;

responsive to a user selection related to the receive paper tray representation of the virtual fax machine, the virtual fax machine displaying a received fax dialog box on the display of the client device via the browser application;

responsive to an instruction received via the received fax dialog box of the virtual fax machine, the virtual fax machine searching the client device for received fax entries associated with a specific identifier and displaying, in the received fax dialog box on the display of the client device, any fax entry received by the virtual fax machine that is associated with the specific identifier; and

responsive to a user selection of a received fax entry displayed in the received fax dialog box on the display of the client device, the virtual fax machine requesting from the server computer image data associated with the fax entry selected by the user and providing the image data received over the network from the server computer to the user via the browser application running on the client device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the virtual fax machine provides the image data received from the server computer to the user by:

displaying the image data as part of a web page via the browser application;

specifying a link to the image data on a web site hosted by the server computer;

or

sending an e-mail including an attachment of the image data.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one script is embedded, at least in part, within the at least one web page associated with the virtual fax machine.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the instruction received via the received fax dialog box comprises a search instruction over a specified period of time.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the instruction received via the received fax dialog box comprises a search instruction filtered by a billing code, a customer reference number, a job number, or a telephone number.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific identifier comprises a billing code, a customer reference number, a job number, or a telephone number.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the virtual fax machine is operable to sort received fax entries according to any column heading displayed in the received fax dialog box on the display of the client device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the virtual fax machine further includes a virtual handset and a numerical keypad.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the virtual fax machine is operable to generate, via a speaker connected to the client device, sounds or tones with respect to selection of the virtual handset.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the virtual fax machine is operable to generate, via a speaker connected to the client device, sounds or tones with respect to selection of the numerical keypad.

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

requesting at least one file associated with a virtual fax machine from a server computer over a network, the at least one file including at least one web page, at least one script, at least one program, or a combination thereof;

interpreting or executing the at least one file received from the server computer such that the virtual fax machine is displayed on a display of the client device, the virtual fax machine including a receive paper tray representation;

responsive to a user selection related to the receive paper tray representation of the virtual fax machine, displaying a received fax dialog box on the display of the client device;

responsive to an instruction received via the received fax dialog box of the virtual fax machine, searching the client device for received fax entries associated with a specific identifier and displaying, in the received fax dialog box on the display of the client device, any fax entry that is associated with the specific identifier; and

responsive to a user selection of a received fax entry displayed in the received fax dialog box on the display of the client device, requesting from the server computer image data associated with the fax entry selected by the user and providing the image data received over the network from the server computer to the user via the client device.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein providing the image data received from the server computer to the user comprises:

displaying the image data as part of a web page via the browser application;

specifying a link to the image data on a web site hosted by the server computer;

or

sending an e-mail including an attachment of the image data.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the at least one script is embedded, at least in part, within the at least one web page associated with the virtual fax machine.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instruction received via the received fax dialog box comprises a search instruction over a specified period of time.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instruction received via the received fax dialog box comprises a search instruction filtered by a billing code, a customer reference number, a job number, or a telephone number.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the specific identifier comprises a billing code, a customer reference number, a job number, or a telephone number.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the at least one processor to sort received fax entries according to any column heading displayed in the received fax dialog box on the display of the client device.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the virtual fax machine further includes a virtual handset and a numerical keypad.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the at least one processor to generate, via a speaker connected to the client device, sounds or tones with respect to selection of the virtual handset.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the instructions are further translatable by the at least one processor to generate, via a speaker connected to the client device, sounds or tones with respect to selection of the numerical keypad.