User interfaces and methods to provision electronic facsimiles

• US 8,792,118 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Inventors: Vendrow, Vlad, Young, Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Kau, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): McLean, Neil R
• Application Number:
  US12/234,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20090080029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,139 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/402, 358/403, 358/407, 358/434, 358/439, 358/440, 358/442, 358/450, 358/468, 382/305, 382/306, 379/100.09, 379/142.05, 379/88.19, 370/352, 370/400
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00212 Attaching image data to computer messages, e.g. to e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00214 details of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0022 involving facsimile protocols or a combination of facsimile protocols and computer data transmission protocols
• 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 2201/0065 Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to computing devices and systems, as well as software, computer programs, applications, and user interfaces, and more particularly, to provisioning electronic fax messages in a communication network including packetized and/or synchronous communications. According to one embodiment, a messaging can receive data representing an electronic document in a file format into a messaging system, convert fax components to a fax compatible format including the electronic document in the file format to form converted fax components, determine whether to generate an electronic facsimile to include the fax components as a pre-rendered electronic facsimile, and transmit the electronic facsimile as the pre-rendered electronic facsimile.

Claims

1. A method of generating electronic facsimiles using a processor, the method comprising:

receiving data representing an electronic document in a file format into a messaging system;

converting a first subset of fax components to a fax compatible format including the electronic document in the file format to form a first subset of converted fax components;

storing at least one converted fax component of the first subset of converted fax components as a pre-rendered fax component;

receiving a request to generate an electronic facsimile corresponding to the electronic document to include the pre-rendered fax component;

converting a second subset of fax components to the fax compatible format at a different time than the conversion of the first subset of fax components to form a second subset of converted fax components;

associating a converted fax component from the second subset of converted fax components with the pre-rendered fax component;

generating the electronic facsimile to include both the pre-rendered fax component and the converted fax component from the second subset of converted fax components based on the association of the converted fax component from the second subset of converted fax components with the pre-rendered fax component;

transmitting the electronic facsimile;

converting a third subset of fax components to the fax compatible format to form a third subset of converted fax components at a different time than the first subset of converted fax components and the second subset of converted fax components;

associating a converted fax component from the third subset of fax components with the pre-rendered fax component;

generating a second electronic facsimile to include both the pre-rendered fax component and the converted fax component from the third subset of converted fax components based on the association of the converted fax component from the third subset of fax components with the pre-rendered fax component; and

transmitting the second electronic facsimile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the second subset of fax components to form the converted fax component further comprises:

rendering dynamically the second subset of fax components responsive to the request to form the converted fax component as a dynamically-rendered fax component.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

generating the electronic facsimile to include the pre-rendered fax component and the dynamically-rendered fax component.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first subset of the fax components comprise:

data representing at least a portion of a cover sheet.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the first subset of converted fax components and the second subset of converted fax components as pre-rendered fax components prior to generating the electronic facsimile; and

generating the electronic facsimile including the pre-rendered fax components as a pre-rendered electronic facsimile.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the second subset of converted fax components comprise:

the data representing the electronic document.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the second subset of fax components form the second subset of converted fax components further comprises:

rendering dynamically the second subset of fax components responsive to the request to form dynamically-rendered fax components; and

affixing a time and date stamp as the dynamically-rendered fax components prior to transmitting the electronic facsimile.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing either the first subset of the fax components or the second subset of the fax components, or both, prior to converting either the first subset of the fax components or the second subset of the fax components, or both, to the first subset of converted fax components and the second subset of converted fax components.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

storing the first subset of the fax components or the second subset of the fax components constituting a pre-rendered electronic facsimile,

wherein the first subset of the fax components or the second subset of the fax components, or both, are stored as separable fax components.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting data to present an interface configured to accept a first user input; and

receiving the electronic document as the first user input.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting data to accept at least one of dual-tone multi-frequency input and audio selections as audio input;

receiving the audio input into the messaging system; and

converting the audio input into alpha-numeric text to form at least a subset of the fax components.

12. A system for supporting message delivery over a communications network, the system comprising:

a messaging system further comprising;

a plurality of processing servers, at least one of which is configured to receive a user input to create an electronic facsimile over a communications network from a sending communications device;

at least one repository, wherein the messaging system is configured to;

format the user input into a pre-rendered electronic document in a fax format,

store the pre-rendered electronic document in the repository, wherein the pre-rendered electronic document is pushed for transmission by a fax resource selected by the repository,

generate dynamically a first dynamically-rendered fax component at a different time than formatting of the pre-rendered electronic document,

associate the first dynamically-rendered fax component with the pre-rendered electronic document,

integrate the first dynamically-rendered fax component to the pre-rendered electronic document based on the association of the first dynamically-rendered fax component with the pre-rendered electronic document,

transmit the pre-rendered electronic document integrated with the first dynamically-rendered fax component,

generate dynamically a second dynamically-rendered fax component at a different time than the formatting of the pre-rendered electronic document and the generating of the first dynamically-rendered fax component,

associate the second dynamically-rendered fax component with the pre-rendered electronic document,

integrate the second dynamically-rendered fax component to the pre-rendered electronic document based on the association of the second dynamically-rendered fax component with the pre-rendered electronic document, and

transmit the pre-rendered electronic document integrated with the second dynamically-rendered fax component,

wherein the messaging system is coupled to the communications network for transmitting the pre-rendered electronic document as an electronic facsimile.

13. The system as in claim 12 wherein the messaging system is further configured to:

transmit the at least one pre-rendered electronic document as a function of either a schedule based on the user input, or upon availability of the fax resource, or both.

14. The systems as in claim 13 wherein the messaging system is configured to accept a schedule from a user of the transmission of the pre-rendered electronic document as an electronic facsimile according to at least one of a least cost route, least cost time, and least cost day.

15. The system as in claim 13 further comprising:

at least one of the plurality of processing servers including;

a rendering server coupled with the at least one repository and configured to pre-render the user input into the at least one pre-rendered electronic document in a common fax format.

16. The system as in claim 13 wherein:

the repository is coupled with a rendering server and with at least one of a web server, a synchronization server, and a fax polling server, each of which can be configured to upload a request for an electronic facsimile to the repository; and

the repository also is coupled with a database server and a fax router so that the database server coupled with the repository can request that the fax router select a preferred delivery route and corresponding delivery resource for transmitting the electronic facsimile.

17. The system as in claim 13 wherein the sending communications device is a computing device configured to accept the user input.

18. The system as in claim 13 wherein the communications network is a switched network or a packet network.

19. The system as in claim 13 wherein the message system is configured to affix a time and date stamp to the at least one pre-rendered electronic document.

20. A system for supporting a message delivery service comprising:

at least one receiving communications device configured to receive an audio input to create electronic messages over a communications network from a sending communications device;

a receiving media server configured to communicate with an interface of the sending communications device;

a prompt-and-collect logic coupled with the receiving media server further configured to provide automated speech recognition technology to generate an electronic document by accepting the audio input;

a rendering server configured to format the electronic document into a pre-rendered electronic document in a common fax format, wherein the pre-rendered document can become an electronic facsimile or a component of an electronic facsimile, wherein the rendering server is further configured to;

generate dynamically a first dynamically-rendered fax component as a portion of a dynamically-rendered message at a different time than the formatting of the pre-rendered electronic document,

associate the first dynamically-rendered fax component with the pre-rendered electronic document,

affix the first dynamically-rendered fax component to the pre-rendered electronic document to create a first electronic message,

generate dynamically a second dynamically-rendered fax component as a portion of a dynamically-rendered message at a different time than the formatting of the pre-rendered electronic document and the generation of the first dynamically-rendered fax component,

associate the second dynamically-rendered fax component with the pre-rendered electronic document,

affix the second dynamically-rendered fax component to the pre-rendered electronic document to create a second electronic message;

at least one repository for storing pre-rendered electronic messages;

at least one fax application server, wherein the at least one fax application server responds to a request from the repository for transmission of the first and second electronic messages as electronic facsimiles.