Scalable and flexible Internet fax architecture for processing outbound fax messages

• US 8,588,381 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2012
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: j2 Cloud Services, LLC (Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EC Data Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Watts, Christian M., Shephard, Edward D.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US13/565,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20130223602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 379/100.01, 379/100.08, 379/100.09, 379/100.12, 379/100.13, 379/100.15, 358/400, 358/402, 358/407, 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 379/100.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/001 specially adapted for transmission via digital wireline networks H04N1/00098 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32416 Storage of instructions or retrieval of prestored instructions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32422 Reprocessing messages, e.g. in case the intended destination is busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3209 of a telephone number

Abstract

Methods and systems for processing outbound fax messages in an efficient and scalable manner are provided. According to one embodiment, an Internet fax system receives a request to deliver a fax message. Source files representing content to be included as part of the fax message are stored to a shared storage area accessible by imaging systems and fax processing resources. An imaging system is selected to convert the source files into a digital representation suitable for faxing. A work request identifying the selected imaging system is stored on a centralized work queue within a database. The imaging systems poll the centralized work queue to retrieve pending work requests. Responsive to identifying the work request, the selected imaging system converts the source files, associates the resulting digital representation with an outbound fax job and causes the fax message to be delivered by submitting the outbound fax job to a fax modem.

Claims

1. A method of delivering fax messages, the method comprising:

receiving, at an initial submission gateway device of an Internet fax system, a request to deliver a fax message to one or more third parties;

storing, by the initial submission gateway device, one or more source files associated with the request and representing at least a portion of content to be included as part of the fax message to a shared storage area of the Internet fax system accessible by a plurality of imaging systems and a plurality of fax processing resources of the Internet fax system;

for each imaging system of the plurality of imaging systems;

calculating, by the imaging system, a load score based on one or more of a processor load associated with the imaging system and an amount of memory associated with the imaging system that is currently being used; and

causing, by the imaging system, the load score to be made available to the initial submission gateway device;

selecting, by the initial submission gateway device, an imaging system of the plurality of imaging systems to convert the one or more source files into a digital representation suitable for faxing by selecting a least loaded of the plurality of imaging systems, based on their respective load scores;

storing, by the initial submission gateway device, a work request on a centralized work queue within a database of the Internet fax system accessible by the plurality of imaging systems, the work request containing information identifying the selected imaging system;

polling, by the selected imaging system, the centralized work queue to identify whether any pending work requests exist for the selected imaging system; and

responsive to identifying the work request, converting, by the selected imaging system, the one or more source files into the digital representation, associating the digital representation with an outbound fax job and causing the fax message to be delivered to the one or more third parties by submitting the outbound fax job to a fax modem of the plurality of fax processing resources.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to said storing, by the initial submission gateway device, one or more source files associated with the request, validating that the request has been submitted by a valid and active user account associated with a valid and active subscriber account of the Internet fax server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the fax modem based on subscribed capacity of simultaneous outbound fax jobs associated with the subscriber account.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said selecting the fax modem based on subscribed capacity comprises, if the subscriber account is below the subscribed capacity, then selecting the fax modem as a result of the fax modem having a least number of jobs pending amongst all fax modems of the plurality of fax processing resources.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said selecting the fax modem based on subscribed capacity comprises, if the subscriber account is already at the subscribed capacity, then selecting the fax modem as a result of the fax modem having a least number of jobs pending amongst fax modems of the plurality of fax processing resources that are currently processing a prior outbound fax job associated with the subscriber account.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising ensuring equal access by a plurality of subscribers of the Internet fax system to a plurality of simultaneous job slots provided within each of the plurality of imaging systems, by favoring for assignment to an available job slot of the plurality of simultaneous job slots those of the pending work requests, by a particular imaging system of the plurality of imaging systems, that are associated with a subscriber other than one for which the particular imaging system is currently processing.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by a private branch exchange (PBX), whether a specific caller ID number has been requested for the outbound fax job; and

if said determining so indicates, then presenting the specific caller ID on an outgoing call leg of a fax call conveying the fax message to a third party of the one or more third parties.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing a fax server with which the fax modem is associated to configure one or more fax capabilities based on a destination number associated with the outbound fax job.

9. A method of delivering fax messages, the method comprising:

for each of a plurality of imaging systems of an Internet fax system;

calculating, by the imaging system, a load score based on one or more of a processor load associated with the imaging system and an amount of memory associated with the imaging system that is currently being used; and

causing, by the imaging system, the load score to be made available to a plurality of initial submission gateway devices of the Internet fax system; and

responsive to receiving, at an initial submission gateway device of the plurality of initial submission gateway devices, a request to deliver a fax message to one or more third parties;

selecting, by the initial submission gateway device, a least loaded of the plurality of imaging systems, based on their respective load scores, to convert one or more source files associated with the request and representing at least a portion of content to be included as part of the fax message into a digital representation suitable for faxing; and

associating, by the selected imaging system, the digital representation with an outbound fax job and causing the fax message to be delivered to the one or more third parties by submitting the outbound fax job to a fax modem of a plurality of fax processing resources of the Internet fax system.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising prior to said selecting, by the initial submission gateway device, a least loaded of the plurality of imaging systems, validating that the request has been submitted by a valid and active user account associated with a valid and active subscriber account of the Internet fax server.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising selecting the fax modem based on subscribed capacity of simultaneous outbound fax jobs associated with the subscriber account.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising ensuring equal access by a plurality of subscribers of the Internet fax system to a plurality of simultaneous job slots provided within each of the plurality of imaging systems, by favoring for assignment to an available job slot of the plurality of simultaneous job slots pending work requests, by a particular imaging system of the plurality of imaging systems, that are associated with a subscriber other than one for which the particular imaging system is currently processing.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, by a private branch exchange (PBX), whether a specific caller ID number has been requested for the outbound fax job; and

if said determining so indicates, then presenting the specific caller ID on an outgoing call leg of a fax call conveying the fax message to a third party of the one or more third parties.

14. A method of delivering fax messages, the method comprising:

for each imaging system of a plurality of imaging systems of an Internet fax system;

calculating, by the imaging system, a load score based on one or more of a processor load associated with the imaging system and an amount of memory associated with the imaging system that is currently being used; and

causing, by the imaging system, the load score to be made available to one or more initial submission gateway devices of the Internet fax system;

responsive to receiving fax requests to deliver fax messages, at the one or more initial submission gateway devices from a plurality of subscribers of the Internet fax system, generating, by the one or more initial submission gateway devices, work requests corresponding to the fax requests, the work requests each containing information identifying a selected imaging system of the plurality of imaging systems to convert one or more source files associated with the fax requests into digital representations suitable for faxing, wherein the selected imaging system comprises a least loaded of the plurality of imaging systems, based on their respective load scores;

ensuring equal access by the plurality of subscribers to a plurality of simultaneous job slots provided within each of the plurality of imaging systems, by favoring for assignment to an available job slot of the plurality of simultaneous job slots those of the work requests, by a particular imaging system of the plurality of imaging systems, that are associated with a subscriber other than one for which the particular imaging system is currently processing; and

after completing processing of work requests by the particular imaging system, associating the digital representations with outbound fax jobs and causing the fax messages to be delivered by submitting the outbound fax jobs to one or more fax modems of a plurality of fax processing resources of the Internet fax system.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising prior to said generating, by the one or more initial submission gateway devices, work requests corresponding to the fax requests, validating that the fax requests have been submitted by valid and active user accounts associated with valid and active subscriber accounts of the Internet fax server.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by a private branch exchange (PBX), whether specific caller ID numbers have been requested for the outbound fax jobs; and

if said determining so indicates, then presenting the specific caller ID numbers on outgoing call legs of fax calls carrying the fax messages.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising configuring one or more fax capabilities of the one or more fax modems based on destination numbers associated with the outbound fax jobs.