METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MANIPULATING AND PROVIDING FACSIMILE TRANSMISSIONS TO ELECTRONIC STORAGE DESTINATIONS

• US 20070229890A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: j2 Cloud Services, LLC (Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mongonet
• Inventors: Warnock, John, Henry, Matthew, Fortescue, Christopher, Croyo, Derak
• Granted Patent: US 8,035,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• 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 1/00214 details of transmission
• 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 1/0036 Alphanumeric symbols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00363 Bar codes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00366 Marks in boxes or the like, e.g. crosses or blacking out H04N1/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00371 on a separate sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00374 on the same page as at least a part of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00376 : Means for identifying a mark sheet or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 : by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32026 : Changing the receiver mode of operation, e.g. paper reception to memory reception or vice versa H04N1/32673 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32032 : Polling of transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32042 : with reading of job-marks on a page
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32048 : Auto-dialling or Auto-calling H04N1/32053 - H04N1/32074 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32064 : Multi-address calling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32069 : simultaneously to a plurality of destinations, e.g. multi-casting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32112 : in a separate computer file, document page or paper sheet, e.g. a fax cover sheet H04N1/32122 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 : attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32422 : Reprocessing messages, e.g. in case the intended destination is busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32496 : Changing the task performed, e.g. reading and transmitting, receiving and reproducing, copying facsimile mode changing H04N1/333
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 : in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32776 : using an interactive, user-operated device, e.g. a computer terminal, mobile telephone H04N1/32782, H04N1/32784 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0017 : Notifying a communication result
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 : Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0081 : Image reader H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0086 : Image transceiver H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 : Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3208 : of an e-mail or network address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3218 : of a confirmation, acknowledgement or receipt
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3222 : of processing required or performed, e.g. forwarding, urgent or confidential handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3261 : of multimedia information, e.g. a sound signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 : of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 : Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 : Transmission

Abstract

A method for a computer system for transmitting a facsimile to an electronic destination, includes receiving the facsimile comprising an instruction page with an optical representation of the electronic destination address and an optical representation of a user selection of an option, and a document encoded in a fax format, determining the electronic destination address from the optical representation of the electronic destination address, wherein the electronic destination address need not be known to the computer system before receiving the facsimile, determining the one selected option in response to the optical representation of the user selection of the option, determining a modified document in response to the document and in response to the one selected option, encoding the modified document into a second transmission format, and transmitting the modified document and additional service provider data encoded in the second transmission format to the electronic destination address.

Claims

1. A method for a computer system for transmitting a facsimile to an electronic destination address, comprises:

receiving the facsimile comprising an instruction page and a document, wherein the instruction page includes an optical representation of the electronic destination address and an optical representation of a user selection of one or more options, and wherein the document is encoded in a first transmission format;

determining the electronic destination address from the optical representation of the electronic destination address, wherein the electronic destination address need not be known to the computer system before receiving the facsimile;

determining the one or more selected options in response to the optical representation of the user selection of one or more options;

determining a modified document in response to the document and in response to the one or more selected options;

encoding the modified representation of the document into a second transmission format;

determining additional service provider data in response to the facsimile; and

transmitting the additional service provider data and the modified representation of the document encoded in the second transmission format to the electronic destination address.

2. The method of claim 1

wherein the electronic destination address is selected from a group consisting of:

an e-mail address, a storage address; and

wherein the additional service provider data is selected from a group consisting of;

a service provider identifier, a service sponsor identifier.

3. The method of claim 2

wherein one selected option comprises a zoom option;

and

wherein determining the modified document comprises determining a zoomed version of a portion of at least one page in the document in response to the zoom option.

4. The method of claim 3

wherein the zoomed version of at least a portion of the document comprises a zoomed page;

and

wherein determining the modified document further comprises a step selected from a group consisting of;

replacing the at least one page in the document with the zoomed page in the document, appending the zoomed page to the document.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the zoom is selected from a group consisting of:

an enlarging zoom, a reducing zoom.

6. The method of claim 4

wherein the zoomed version of the portion of the document is associated with a zoom factor;

wherein the zoom factor is determined in response to a size of the portion of the document and in response to a page size of the document.

7. The method of claim 4

wherein the portion of the document comprises at a portion of a page of the document;

and

wherein the portion of the page of the document is identified by a user-specified annotation associated with the page of the document.

8. The method of claim 4

wherein the zoom comprises a reducing zoom;

wherein the zoomed version comprises a portion of a plurality of pages in the document; and

wherein determining the modified document comprises a step selected from a group consisting of;

replacing the plurality of pages in the document with the zoomed page in the document, appending the zoomed page to the document.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the zoom option comprises an N-up option.

10. The method of claim 2

wherein one selected option comprises a crop option;

and

wherein determining the modified document comprises determining a cropped version of a portion of at least one page in the document in response to the crop option.

12. The method of claim 2

wherein one selected option comprises a rotate option;

and

wherein determining the modified document comprises determining a rotated version of a portion of at least one page in the document in response to the rotate option.

13. The method of claim 2

wherein one selected option comprises a copier-type function option;

and

wherein determining the modified document comprises determining a version of a portion of at least one page in the document in response to the copier-type function option.

14. The method of claim 13

wherein the copier function is selected from a group consisting of:

an enlarge function, a reduce function, a rotate function, a crop function, a shift function, a contrast modification function, a brightness modification function, a multiple copy function.

15. The method of claim 13

wherein the copier function is selected from a group consisting of:

a multiple copy function, a margin adding function, a header or footer adding function, a border removing function, a reverse page output function.

16. A method for a computer system for transmitting a facsimile to an electronic destination address, comprises:

receiving the facsimile comprising a transmission cover page and a document;

entering a plurality of text entries and at least a marked option on the transmission cover page to form a filled-in transmission cover page, wherein the plurality of text entries includes the electronic destination address; and

sending a digitized transmission encoded in a transmission format to a transmission server, wherein the digitized transmission includes the filled-in transmission cover page and a document;

wherein a transmission is sent to the electronic destination address and includes service provider data and a modified document stored in a storage format;

wherein the electronic destination address is optically derived from the plurality of text entries on the transmission cover page;

wherein the modified document stored in the storage format is determined in response to a user-selected option, and in response to the document in the transmission format;

wherein the user-selected option is optically derived from the marked option on the transmission cover page; and

wherein the transmission server need not know the electronic destination address prior to receiving the digitized transmission.

17. The method of claim 16

wherein the electronic destination address is selected from a group consisting of:

an e-mail address, a storage address; and

wherein the service provider data is selected from a group consisting of;

a service provider identifier, a service sponsor identifier.

18. The method of claim 17

wherein the user-selected option comprises a zoom option;

and

wherein the modified document comprises a zoomed version of a portion of the document in response to the zoom option.

19. The method of claim 18

wherein the zoomed version of the portion of the document comprises a zoomed page;

and

wherein the modified document includes the zoomed page.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the zoom option is selected from a group consisting of:

an enlarging zoom, a reducing zoom.

21. The method of claim 18

wherein the zoomed version of the portion of the document is associated with a zoom factor;

wherein the zoom factor is determined in response to a size of the portion of the document and in response to a page size associated with the document.

22. The method of claim 19

wherein the portion of the document comprises a portion of a page of the document;

wherein the portion of the page of the document is identified by a user-specified annotation associated with the page of the document; and

wherein the portion of the document is optically derived from the user-specified annotation.

23. The method of claim 18

wherein the zoom comprises a reducing zoom;

wherein the zoomed version comprises a portion of a plurality of pages in the document.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the zoom option comprises an N-up option.

25. The method of claim 17

wherein the user-selected option comprises a crop option;

and

wherein the modified document comprises a cropped version of a portion of the document in response to the zoom option.

26. The method of claim 17

wherein the user-selected option comprises a rotate option;

and

wherein the modified document comprises a rotated version of a portion of at least one page in the document in response to the rotate option.

27. The method of claim 17

wherein the user-selected option comprises a copier-type function option;

and

wherein the modified document comprises a version of a portion of at least one page in the document in response to the copier-type function option.

28. The method of claim 27

wherein the copier function is selected from a group consisting of:

an enlarge function, a reduce function, a rotate function, a crop function, a shift function, a contrast modification function, a brightness modification function, a multiple copy function.

29. The method of claim 27

wherein the copier function is selected from a group consisting of:

a multiple copy function, a margin adding function, a header or footer adding function, a border removing function, a reverse page output function.

30. A computer system for transmitting a facsimile to an electronic destination address, comprises:

a receiving portion configured to receive the facsimile comprising an instruction page and a document, wherein the instruction page includes an optical representation of the electronic destination address and an optical representation of a user selection of one or more options, and wherein the document is encoded in a first transmission format;

a detecting portion coupled to the receiving portion, wherein the detecting portion is configured to determine the electronic destination address from the optical representation of the electronic destination address, wherein the electronic destination address need not be known to the computer system before receiving the facsimile;

a determining portion coupled to the receiving portion, wherein the determining portion is configured to determine the one or more selected options in response to the optical representation of the user selection of one or more options;

a modification portion coupled to the receiving portion and to the determining portion, wherein the modification portion is configure to determine a modified document in response to the document and in response to the one or more selected options;

an encoding portion coupled to the modification portion, wherein the encoding portion is configured to encode the modified representation of the document into a second transmission format; and

a transmitter portion coupled to the encoding portion and to the detecting portion, wherein the transmitter portion is configured to transmit additional service provider data and the modified document encoded in the second transmission format to the electronic destination address.

31. The computer system of claim 30

wherein the electronic destination address is selected from a group consisting of:

an e-mail address, a storage address; and

wherein the additional service provider data is selected from a group consisting of;

a service provider identifier, a service sponsor identifier.

32. The computer system of claim 31

wherein one selected option comprises a copier-type function option;

and

wherein the modification portion is configured to determine a version of a portion of at least one page in the document in response to the copier-type function option.

33. The computer system of claim 32

wherein the copier function is selected from a group consisting of:

an enlarge function, a reduce function, a rotate function, a crop function, a shift function, a contrast modification function, a brightness modification function, a multiple copy function.

34. The computer system of claim 32

wherein the copier function is selected from a group consisting of:

a multiple copy function, a margin adding function, a header or footer adding function, a border removing function, a reverse page output function.