Fax message system

• US 5,488,651 A
• Filed: 02/28/1994
• Issued: 01/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dialogic, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brooktrout Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Giler, Eric R., Duehren, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woo, Stella L.
• Application Number:
  US08/203,658
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 379/100, 379/98, 379/97, 379/93, 379/96, 379/94, 379/233, 379/214, 379/210, 379/102, 379/104, 379/105, 358/402, 358/403, 358/407
• US Class Current: 379/100.14
• 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

At least a fax message is sent via a telephone system to a telephone receiving station. From that receiving station, the fax message is routed through a multinode computer network to a prespecified network location. A telephone call by which the fax message is transmitted is initiated by dialing a telephone number such as a DID number. Part of the telephone address signal is received at the receiving station and used to establish a connection to a network location such that a fax message may be sent to or from the network location. The network location may be a mailbox associated with an intended recipient. The DID receiver may initiate a call to a second receiver using a ringing signal with routing information communicated through a separate data link.

Claims

1. A method for causing information including at least a fax message sent via a telephone system to be routed through a multinode computer network between a telephone receiving station and 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 through a telephone network to the receiving station which is coupled to the telephone system and the computer network, said telephone number also being sufficient to indicate a computer network location;

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 computer network location information which associates computer network locations with telephone address signals; and

when the connection has been established, sending a fax message between the receiving station and the computer 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 3 wherein the receiving station comprises a DID receiver and a second receiver responsive to ringing signals and associated with a computer on the computer network, the DID receiver answering the DID call from the telephone system and initiating a telephone call with a ringing signal to the second receiver

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the DID receiver communicates the routing information to the computer through a data link.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein a fax message is retrieved from the network location.