Fax message system

• US 5,291,546 A
• Filed: 06/20/1991
• Issued: 03/01/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dialogic, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brooktrout Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Duehren, David W., Giler, Eric R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woo, Stella L.
• Application Number:
  US07/721,915
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 379/100, 379/93, 379/94, 379/233, 379/214, 379/210, 358/402, 358/403, 358/407
• US Class Current: 379/93.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32005 Automation of particular receiver jobs, e.g. rejecting unwanted calls requesting a communication from a transmitter H04N1/32771; with picture signal storage for forwarding messages H04N1/32358
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32363 at the transmitter or at the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3239 Forwarding image data, e.g. to an absent recipient

Abstract

A method for causing information including at least FAX messages sent via a telephone system to be subjected to prespecified actions at a FAX receiving station. A telephone call is initiated via the telephone system to the FAX receiving station by dialing a telephone number sufficient to route the telephone call to the FAX receiving station, the telephone number also being sufficient to determine the prespecified actions to which the FAX message is to be subjected at the receiving end. The telephone number is carried through the telephone system in the form of a telephone address signal as part of the call initiation process. The telephone call being initiated is directed to the FAX receiving station, based on the telephone address signal. The telephone call is answered at the FAX receiving station, and the telephone address signal is received at the FAX receiving station. Action information is stored which associates with each possible telephone address signal, a prespecified action to be taken with respect to each received FAX message corresponding to the telephone address signal. When the call has been established, the FAX message is sent via the telephone system to the FAX receiving station. The sent FAX message is received at the FAX receiving station. Then the received FAX message is handled in accordance with the prespecified action.

Claims

1. A method for causing information including at least a FAX message sent via a telephone system to be routed from a receiving station through a multinode computer network to a prespecified network location, the method comprising

initiating a telephone call via the telephone system to the receiving station by dialing a telephone number enabling the telephone call to be routed to the receiving station, said telephone number also being sufficient to indicate the network location to which the FAX message is to be routed from the receiving station,

passing said telephone number through the telephone system in the form of a telephone address signal as part of the call initiation process by which a telephone connection to the receiving station is established,

directing the telephone call being initiated to the receiving station, based on the telephone address signal,

answering the telephone call at the receiving station, and receiving at the receiving station at least part of the telephone address signal,

storing network location information which associates network locations with telephone address signals,

when the connection has been established, sending the FAX message via the telephone system to the receiving station,

receiving the sent message at the receiving station and forwarding the received FAX message to a network location based on the telephone address signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network location is a mailbox associated with an intended recipient.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the telephone address signal is a direct inward dialing (DID) telephone address signal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving station handles received information in a FAX, voice or data mode specified by stored information associated with the telephone address signal.

5. A receiving station for causing at least a FAX message received via a telephone system to be routed from a receiving station through a multinode computer network to a prespecified network location, each said FAX message being received as a result of a telephone call initiated via the telephone system by a sender dialing a telephone number which enables the telephone call to be routed to the receiving station, said telephone number also being sufficient to indicate a network location to which the FAX message is to be routed from the receiving station, said telephone number being carried through the telephone system in the form of a telephone address signal as part of the call initiation process by which a telephone connection to the receiving station is established, said telephone call being directed to the receiving station, based on the telephone address signal, said receiving station comprising

a message receiver for answering the telephone call, receiving the telephone address signal, and, when the call has been established, receiving the FAX message via the telephone system,

storage for storing network location information which associates network locations with telephone address signals,

said receiving station being arranged to route the received FAX message in accordance with the stored network location based on the telephone address signal.

6. The receiving station of claim 5 wherein said receiver has a telephone port for connection to a DID trunk line.

7. The receiving station of claim 5 wherein said receiver comprises a circuit board for insertion in a backplane of a personal computer.

8. The receiving station of claim 5 wherein mode of receipt and the receiving station handles a received message in a FAX, voice or data mode specified by the stored action information.

9. A stand alone FAX receiving station comprising a telephone jack for connection to a DID telephone trunk, a line for connection to a port of a digital processor, a telephone interface connected to the telephone jack, and a DID facility and a FAX facility both connected between the telephone jack and the line.

10. A method for causing different messages each of which is expressed in one of possibly any two of the modes--voice, FAX, and modulated data--and each of which is sent via a telephone system, to be handled in accordance with the proper mode at a receiving station, comprising

initiating a telephone call via the telephone system to the receiving station by dialing a telephone number enabling the telephone call to be routed to the receiving station,

passing said telephone number through the telephone system in the form of a telephone address signal as part of the call initiation process, said telephone address signal being indicative of said mode,

directing the telephone call being initiated to the receiving station, based on the telephone address signal,

answering the telephone call at the receiving station, and receiving at the receiving station at least part of the telephone address signal,

storing mode information which associates with each possible telephone address signal, a prespecified mode with respect to each received message corresponding to said telephone address signal,

when the call has been established, sending the message via the telephone system to the receiving station,

receiving the sent message at the receiving station and handling the received message in accordance with the prespecified mode.

11. Apparatus for causing different messages each of which is expressed in one of possibly any two of

the modes--voice, FAX, and modulated data--and each of which is sent via a telephone system, to be handled in accordance with the proper mode at a receiving station, said messages being sent as part of a telephone call initiated via the telephone system to a receiving station by dialing a telephone number enabling the telephone call to be routed to the receiving station, said telephone number being passed through the telephone system in the form of a telephone address signal as part of the call initiation process, said telephone address signal being indicative of the mode, said telephone call being initiated to the receiving station, based on the telephone address signal, when the call has been established, the message being sent via the telephone system to the receiving station, said apparatus comprising

a receiving station for answering the telephone call and receiving the message and at least part of the telephone address signal,

storage for storing mode information which associates with each possible telephone address signal, a prespecified mode with respect to each received message corresponding to said telephone address signal, and

a control device for receiving the sent message at the receiving station and handling the received message in accordance with the prespecified mode.

12. A method for enabling information included in a telephone call that has been received by a computer network to be routed to a selected node of said computer network, comprising

receiving a telephone address signal which was generated and passed through a telephone system as part of a call initiation process by which a telephone connection to the network was established for said telephone call, said telephone address signal both enabling said call to be routed to said network and indicating the identity of said selected node,

converting said telephone address signal to a network address corresponding to the selected node, and

automatically forwarding said information within said network to said selected node based on said network address signal.

13. A method for enabling direct access from a telephone system to a selected FAX compatible receiving station located at a node of a computer network, comprising

answering a telephone call,

receiving a telephone address signal which was generated and passed through said telephone system as part of a call initiation process by which a telephone connection to the network was established for said telephone call, said telephone address signal both enabling said call to be routed to said network and indicating the identity of said selected FAX receiving station on said network,

when the telephone call has been established, receiving at said network a FAX message as part of said telephone call, and

automatically forwarding said FAX message within said network to said selected FAX receiving station based on said telephone address signal.

14. A receiving station for causing a message received via a telephone system to be subjected to a prespecified action, each said message being received as a result of a telephone call initiated via the telephone system by a sender dialing a telephone number which enables the telephone call to be routed to the receiving station, said telephone number also being sufficient to indicate the prescribed action to which the message is to be subjected at the receiving station, said telephone number being carried through the telephone address signal as part of the call initiation process by which a telephone connection to the receiving station is established, said telephone call being directed to the receiving station based on the telephone address signal, said receiving station comprising:

a message receiver, on a circuit board for insertion in the backplane of a personal computer, for receiving the telephone address signal, and, when the call has been established, receiving the message via the telephone system, and

storage for storing action information which associated with telephone address signal, prespecified actions to be taken with respect to received messages corresponding to said telephone address signals,

said message receiver being arranged to handle the received message in accordance with the prespecified action based on the telephone address signal.

15. The receiving station of claim 14 wherein said message receiver has a telephone port for connection to a DID trunk line.

16. The receiving station of claim 14 wherein the receiving station handles a received message in the FAX, voice or data mode specified by the stored action information.