Facsimile to E-mail communication system

• US 8,547,601 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2011
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OpenPrint LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Antopholi Software LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bloomfield, Mark C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Houshang
• Application Number:
  US13/161,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20110242606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 358/407, 358/442, 358/468, 358/440
• US Class Current: 358/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• 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 1/00312 with a digital transmission apparatus, e.g. a switched network of teleprinters for the distribution of text-based information, SMS or ISDN device transmitting or receiving via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network or the internet H04N1/00214; transmission of digital information H04L
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32406 in connection with routing or relaying, e.g. using a fax-server or a store-and-forward facility stored and forward data switching systems H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33392 Details of handshaking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• 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

Abstract

A fax to E-mail system and related method are shown, whereby a hardcopy document is sent via a fax device to its recipient via electronic mail through a data network (such as the Internet), and is delivered in such a manner that it can be retrieved by the recipient at an E-mail device, in the ordinary course of retrieving the E-mail, and displayed on the screen of the E-mail device. The invention provides for and accomplishes the delivery of a document, which begins as a hardcopy, as an electronic file retrieved through E-mail recipient'"'"'s terminal and displayed on the computer screen of the E-mail recipient'"'"'s terminal. The system and method also provides for an interface device which connects to a conventional fax device for communicating E-mail addresses and routing hardcopy documents to the E-mail network. The invention provides a means for embedding the functions of the interface device into conventional fax devices. The system can also be used in cooperation with Internet Web service for reporting, accounting, information services, and user interaction.

Claims

1. An Internet based server system, comprising:

a facsimile-to-e-mail server in communication with at least one communication network, wherein the facsimile-to-e-mail server is configured to—

receive facsimile information from a facsimile device in communication with the server;

receive a destination e-mail address for the facsimile information from the facsimile device, wherein the destination e-mail address is received in and interpreted from an alphanumeric form;

convert the received facsimile information into a computer readable image file;

attach the computer readable image file to an e-mail message to be sent to the destination e-mail address; and

send the facsimile information to the destination e-mail address via the communication network.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the facsimile-to-e-mail server is configured to receive the facsimile information from the facsimile device via a first communications network; and

the facsimile-to-e-mail server is configured to send the facsimile information to the destination e-mail address via a second communications network.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein:

the first communications network comprises at least one of a public switched telephone network, an Internet telephony network, a local area network, or a wide area network; and

the second communications network comprises a packet switched network.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the facsimile-to-e-mail server comprises:

a fax subsystem in communication with the first communications network, wherein the fax subsystem is configured to receive the facsimile information from the facsimile device and convert the facsimile information into a computer readable image file; and

an e-mail subsystem in communication with a remote e-mail network via the second communications network, wherein the e-mail subsystem is configured to send the facsimile information to the destination e-mail address.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the facsimile-to-e-mail server and the facsimile device are discrete, separate components located remotely from each other and in communication with each other via the communications network.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, if executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving facsimile information from a facsimile device;

receiving, in an alphanumeric form from the facsimile device, a destination e-mail address to which the facsimile information is to be sent;

interpreting the destination e-mail address from the alphanumeric form;

converting the received facsimile information into a computer readable image file;

composing an e-mail message with the computer readable image file as an attachment to be sent to the destination e-mail address; and

transmitting the e-mail message to an e-mail server associated with the received destination e-mail address.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein receiving facsimile information comprises receiving facsimile information from a remote facsimile device.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein receiving a destination e-mail address comprises receiving the destination e-mail address from a user interface including an alphanumeric keypad.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein converting the received facsimile information into a computer readable image file comprises converting the facsimile information into a TIFF format image file.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein converting the received facsimile information into a computer readable image file comprises converting the facsimile information into one of the following file formats:

JPEG, GIF, PCX, DCX, BMP, PNG, or AWD.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein:

receiving facsimile information from a facsimile device comprises receiving facsimile information from the facsimile device via a first communications network; and

transmitting the e-mail message to the e-mail server comprises transmitting the e-mail message via a second communications network different than the first communications network.

12. An Internet based server communication system, comprising:

a server in communication with a first communications network and a second communications network different than the first communications network,

wherein the server is configured to receive facsimile information in a first format and receive and interpret a destination e-mail address in an alphanumeric format from a remote facsimile device via the first communications network,

wherein the server is further configured to compose a system generated e-mail message with the computer readable image data as an attachment, and wherein the e-mail message and attachment are transmitted to the destination e-mail address, and

wherein the server is further configured to transmit the facsimile information in a second format different than the first format to the destination e-mail address via the second communications network.

13. The communication system of claim 12 wherein:

the first communications network comprises at least one of a public switched telephone network, an Internet telephony network, a local area network, or a wide area network; and

the second communications network comprises a packet switched network.

14. The communication system of claim 12 wherein the server is further configured to transform the received facsimile information from the first format to the second format, and wherein the first format comprises fax image data, and the second format comprises computer readable image data.

15. The communication system of claim 12 wherein the server is further configured to receive the destination e-mail address from the remote facsimile device.

16. The communication system of claim 12 wherein the server comprises:

a fax subcomponent in communication with the first communications network, wherein the fax subcomponent is configured to receive the facsimile information in the first format from the remote facsimile device and convert the facsimile information into the second format; and

an e-mail subcomponent in communication with a remote e-mail network via the second communications network, wherein the e-mail subcomponent is configured to transmit the facsimile information to the destination e-mail address.

17. An Internet based server communication system for communicating, with a public communication network (“

PN”

) and a global computer communications network, facsimile information, the system comprising;

a facsimile device for generating facsimile information and an e-mail address in an alphanumeric format, wherein the facsimile device is configured to communicate with the PN;

an interface device configured to facilitate communications between the facsimile device and a server, and to facilitate delivery of facsimile information from the facsimile device to the e-mail address associated with the computer communications network, the interface device configured to receive and interpret the e-mail address in an alphanumeric format from the facsimile device; and

a server configured to communicate with the PN and the computer communications network, wherein the server is further configured to—

convert the received facsimile information into a computer readable image file; and

attach the computer readable image file to an e-mail message to be sent to the destination e-mail address.