Method and apparatus for sending and receiving facsimile transmissions over a non-telephonic transmission system

• US 7,539,357 B1
• Filed: 08/10/1999
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: e-Watch, Inc. (Cision Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: The Telesis Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Monroe, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, KANJIBHAI B
• Application Number:
  US09/374,136
• Time in Patent Office: 3,577 Days
• Field of Search: 382/305, 358/1.15, 358/400, 358/411, 358/434, 358/440, 358/442, 358/457, 358/476, 358/508, 379/93.26, 379/100.17, 380/18, 455/557
• US Class Current: 382/305
• 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 1/32797 Systems adapted to communicate over more than one channel, e.g. via ISDN changing transmission mode according to type of channel H04N2201/33364; multichannel or multilink communication protocols H04L69/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0034 Details of the connection, e.g. connector, interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence

Abstract

An interface is provided for connecting a standard telephone line and/or a standard facsimile machine with a distributive communication network interface such as a personal computer, whereby facsimile signal present on the telephone line or at the facsimile machine may be transmitted via the Internet to a remote station without the use of long distance or international telephone signal carriers. The facsimile signal may be sent or received via the network using the network, without interfering with the capability to receive and send facsimile signals in the normal manner via a standard telephone line.

Claims

1. A facsimile transmitting/receiving system comprising a standard facsimile machine and a computer based system in communication with said standard facsimile machine, the system comprising:

an interface positioned immediately of and in communication with both said facsimile machine and said computer based system;

a line for receiving and sending facsimile signals in communication with said interface for selectively communicating directly with said facsimile machine and said computer;

means for converting encoded documents to formats compatible with computer supported systems and with said facsimile machine;

wherein said means is further adopted for converting facsimile signals to a format for transmission over distributive communication networks and for converting network transmitted signals in a format for transmission over a facsimile transmission line; and

wherein said interface further comprises one or more switches for selectively controlling electronic communication between (1) said line and said computer based system and (2) said line and said facsimile machine.

2. The facsimile system of claim 1, wherein said interface further comprises a first switch operable between an open position and a closed position, wherein said first switch in said closed position allows direct communication between said line and said computer based system.

3. The facsimile system of claim 2, wherein said first switch in said open position prevents communication between said line and said computer based system.

4. The facsimile system of claim 2, wherein said interface further comprises a second switch operable between an open position and a closed position, wherein said second switch in said closed position allows direct communication between said line and said facsimile machine.

5. The facsimile system of claim 4, wherein said second switch in said open position prevent communication between said line and said computer based system.

6. The facsimile system of claim 4, wherein said line is in direct communication with both (1) said computer based system and (2) said facsimile machine when said first switch and said second switch are simultaneously in their respective closed positions.

7. The facsimile system of claim 1, further comprise a ring generator for initiating said facsimile machine.

8. The facsimile system of claim 7, further comprising a parallel switch for selectively activating said ring generator.

9. A facsimile machine adapted to be connected to an internet protocol communication channel to transmit to the internet protocol communication channel a transmission signal formatted according to internet protocol, the transmission signal formatted according to internet protocol including transmitted data representing a document to be transmitted, the facsimile machine comprising:

a facsimile component, the facsimile component outputting a facsimile signal, the facsimile signal representing the document, the facsimile signal being formatted according to a facsimile protocol;

a digital processing interface in communication with the facsimile component for receiving the facsimile signal, the digital processing interface being adapted to convert the facsimile signal from facsimile format to a processor formatted data signal, the processor formatted data signal being formatted according to a protocol compatible with operation of a digital processor, the processor formatted data signal including processor formatted data representing the document;

a network interface, the network interface being adapted to receive the processor formatted data, the network interface being adapted to convert the processor formatted data to the transmission signal formatted according to internet protocol, the network interface being adapted to transmit to the internet protocol communication channel the transmission signal formatted according to internet protocol.

10. A facsimile machine according to claim 9 and further comprising:

a processor and memory combination, the processor and memory combination being operable to perform at least one processing operation of at least one of the digital processing interface and the network interface.

11. A facsimile machine adapted to be connected to an internet protocol communication channel to receive from the internet protocol communication channel a received signal formatted in internet protocol format, the received signal formatted according to internet protocol format including received data representing a received document to be received from the internet protocol communication channel, the facsimile machine comprising:

a network interface, the network interface being adapted to receive from the internet protocol communication channel the received signal formatted in internet protocol, the network interface being adapted to convert the received signal formatted in internet protocol from internet protocol to a processor format, the processor format being a formatting protocol compatible with operation of a digital processor, the network interface thus being adapted to provide the received data in processor format;

a digital processing interface in communication with the network interface, the digital processing interface being adapted to receive the received data in processor format, the digital processing interface being adapted to convert the received data in processor format from the processor format to facsimile format, the digital processing interface thus being adapted to provide the received data formatted according to a facsimile protocol; and

a facsimile component in communication with the digital processing interface for receiving the received data formatted according to facsimile protocol, the facsimile component being adapted to output a received facsimile signal formatted according to a facsimile protocol, the received facsimile signal including the received data formatted according to a facsimile protocol, the received data formatted according to a facsimile protocol thus representing the received document.

12. A facsimile machine according to claim 11 and further comprising:

a processor and memory combination, the processor and memory combination being operable to perform at least one processing operation of at least one of the digital processing interface and network interface.