WO1997023990A1

WO1997023990A1 - Network facsimile communication method and apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1997023990A1
Application number: PCT/US1996/020294
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cheyenne Ehrlich
Original assignee: Cheyenne Ehrlich
Priority date: 1995-12-22
Filing date: 1996-12-20
Publication date: 1997-07-03
Also published as: AU1465097A

Abstract

In a facsimile transmission method, a facsimile transmission is sent to an encoding unit (9). The encoding unit encodes the facsimile transmission as an electronic message such as an electronic mail message and selects a destination network address to which the message is to be sent. The encoding unit transfers the message to a transmitting server which is part of a digital network such as the internet. The transmitting server sends the message over the network to an access server on the network, where the message is subsequently retrieved by a decoding unit. The decoding unit decodes the facsimile transmission from the electronic message and transmits the facsimile to a facsimile printer, for example over a telephone line. The facsimile transmission may be encrypted by the encoding unit and decrypted by the decoding unit. A destination telephone number may be sent to the encoding unit as a series of DTMF tones. The facsimile is then forwarded by the decoding unit to a facsimile machine at the destination telephone number.

Description

NETWORK FACSIMILE COMMUNICAΗON METHOD AND APPARATUS Background ofthe Invention

This mvention relates to a facsimile communication system. In particular, this invention relates to a system for transmitting fascimile communications at least partially over a digital data network

The facsimile, or fax machine, has become a prractically indispensible business communications tool With the use of a fax, documents can be sent in electromc form almost anywhere in the world in much less time and at often at less cost than is required to send an original One of the greatest advantages of the fax is that it is designed to be transmitted over the telephone network, to which all economic centers have immediate access This is also one of its greatest disadvantages, however, since the cost of establishing a direct telephone connection between distant fax machines can be high, particularly when a faxed document is large and requires a long peπod of time to transmit Costs are further escalated when a long distance fax transmission fails. Repeated long distance telephone calls, each of which adds to phone charges, may be required to complete the fax, and one or more voice calls may be necessary to ensure that a fax has been successfully received. An attempted fax transmission which receives a busy signal, while not increasing the cost of fax transmission, does require the inconvenience of continued attention from the sender to repeat the transmission attempt

In one system devised to mitigate the costs of long-distance facsimile transmissions, disclosed by Noel M Herbst m U S Patent 4,941,170, facsimile transmissions are sent over telephone lines to a first fax controller, which then transmits the fax as a package over a digital data network to a second fax controller The second fax controller then sends the fax over telephone lines to a destination fax machine When long distance transmission of the fax data is performed through the digital data network, and only local telephone calls are used for transmission to an from the communicating fax machines, the basic system of Herbst succeeds in reducing the cost of long distance fax commumcaπoa

The Herbst system, however, has several problems One is that, while the actual commumcation costs are low, that is, the cost of two local phone calls plus the cost of transmission over the network, the expense of setting up such a system is quite high. Maintaining a permanent network link is expensive and can only be justified where a large number of faxes are sent over the network link Enterprises which do not generate a sufficient number of fax transmissions find the cost of setting up such a network link prohibitive, and they are forced to continue paymg high long-distance telephone rates for fax communications

Another problem with the system of Herbst is that information encoding the destination ofthe fax is included on a special "mark sense" cover sheet as a part ofthe fax sent by the fax machine to the fax controller Thus, the user ofthe Herbst system is required to have in his posession a copy ofthe mark sense cover sheet before initiating a fax transmission and to fill in the data identifying the destination so that the information can be read by the fax controller Furthermore, since the fax controller must be able to read the fax in order to forward it to the proper destination, it is not possible to send an encrypted fax which is readable only by the sending and receiving fax machines and not by the intermediate fax controller

Obiects ofthe Invention

An object of the present mvention is to provide a method of sending a facsimile transmission which is less expensive than standard facsimile transmission techmques

An additional object ofthe present mvention is to provide a method of sending a facsimile transmission which is more convenient than standard facsimile transmission techmques A further object ofthe present mvention s to provide a method of sending a facsimile transmission which enables encryption ofthe transmitted facsimile

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of sending a facsimile transmission which can be performed without the use of an encoded cover sheet

Yet another object ofthe present mvention is to provide a facsimile apparatus achieving one or more ofthe above objects

These and other objects ofthe present invention will be apparent from the drawings and detailed descriptions herein

Summary ofthe Invention

In a method of forwarding a facsimile transmission according to the present mvention, an electromc message is provided to a transmission server The electromc message encodes facsimile transmission data and a destination identification The transmission server is connected to a digital network, such as the mtemet The electromc message is sent over the digital network to an access server, which is connected to a telephone ime Upon detection of an incoming telephone call over the telephone Ime, the access server establishes a data connection and receives logm identification over the telephone Ime The access server determines whether the logm identification data corresponds to the destination identification. Upon a extermination by the access server that the logm identification data corresponds to the destination identification, the electromc message is sent over the telephone line

When the digital network is the internet, the access server and the transmission server are mtemet servers The login identification data may include a user ID and a user password. The electromc message is preferably electromc mail In that case, the destination identification corresponds to the user ID The electromc message may be sent to the access server as an encrypted message which is decryptable only with decryption key data. The decryption key data may be withheld from the access server

The electromc message may be provided to the transmission server by providing an encoding unit which is connected to an additional telephone Ime The encoding unit includes a memory storing a plurality of network addresses, with each network address correspondmg to at least one telephone number The encoding unit is operated to detect a destination telephone number sent over the additional telephone line From the network addresses stored in the memory, a destination network address is selected which corresponds to the destination telephone number The encoding unit receives a facsimile u-ansmission sent over the addiuonal telephone Ime and converts the facsimile transmission to an electromc message including Ihe destination network address. A data connection is established between the encoding unit and the transmission server, and the electromc message is transmitted over the data connection to the transmission server Where the electromc message is an electromc mail message, the network address is an electromc mail address, and the electromc message includes ASCII data encoding the facsimile transmission data.

In another method of forwarding a facsimile transmission accordmg to the present mvention, an encoding unit is provided which is connected to a telephone Ime The encoding umt includes a memory which stores a plurahty of network addresses Each network address corresponds to at least one telephone number The encoding umt is operated to detect a destination telephone number sent over the telephone Line A destination network address is selected which corresponds to the destination telephone number The encoding umt receives a facsimile transmission sent over the first telephone Ime and converts the facsimile transmission to an electromc message which includes the destination network address A data connection is established between the encoding umt and a transmission server The transmission server is connected to a digital network. The electromc message is transmitted over the data connection to the transmission server, and the electromc message is sent over the digital network to an access server Where the digital network is the internet, the transmission server and the access server are mtemet servers

The facsimile av be received by the encoding umt only after the encoding umt is operated to detect a destination telephone number Preferably, the destination telephone number is sent over the telephone ime as a series of DTMF tones In order to detecting the destmation telephone number, the DTMF tones are decoded A data connection is subsequently established between the access server and a decoding umt, which is attached to an additional telephone Line The electromc message is sent to the decoding umt. which is operated to convert the electromc message to facsimile format data The facsimile format data is transmitted over the additional telephone line to a receiving facsimile apparatus

Where the electromc message is an electromc mail message, m order to convert the facsimile to an electromc message, the facsimile is stored m the encoding umt as a binary facsimile data file in a directory The destmation telephone number is stored m an additional file in the directory The directory is compressed to generate a compressed binary file The compressed binary file is converted to an ASCII file, and an electromc mail message is generated which mcludes the ASCII file

The operation of the decoding umt involves converting the ASCII file in the electromc mail message to a compressed binary file The compressed binary file is decompressed to generate a decompressed directory which mcludes the binary facsimile data file and the additional file To transmit the facsimile format data, the decoding umt dials on the additional telephone Ime the destination telephone number stored in the additional file The binary facsimile data file is then sent as the facsimile format data over the telephone ime

Where the electromc message is an electromc mad message, the network address is an electromc mail address, and the electromc message mcludes ASCII data encoding the facsimile transmission data

Where the access server is connected to a telephone Ime, upon detection of an incoming telephone call over the additional telephone Line, the access server establishes a data connection and receives logm identification data over the additional telephone Ime If the logm identmcation data corresponds to the destmation identification, the digital file is sent over the telephone Ime The electromc message may be an electromc mail message In that case, the network address is an electromc mail address, and the electromc message mcludes ASCII data encoding the facsimile transmission data.

The message sent to the access server may be an encrypted message which is decryptable only with decryption key data which is withheld from the access server

A facsimile apparatus accordmg to the present mvention mcludes a modem, connectable to a telephone Ime, for sending and ιeceιvτng αιgιta] αaU over me telephone Ime The modem mcludes componentry for dialing a telephone number to establish a data connection A memory is provided for storing digital data. The memory stores a list of network addresses, each of which corresponds to at least one telephone number A scanner is provided for generating outgoing facsimile image data for an outgoing facsimile A keypad is provided for receiving a destination telephone number for the outgoing facsimile

A router operatively connected to the modem selects a transmission route for the outgoing facsimile, selecting either a network route or a telephone route Upon selection of the network route, the modem establishes a data connection with a network server such as an internet server at a preselected network telephone number, and upon selection ofthe telephone route, the modem establishes a data connection with a destmation facsimile apparatus at the destination telephone number A first output forcommumcates the outgoing facsimile data to the modem upon establishing a data connection with a destination facsimile apparatus, so that the outgoing facsimile data is transmitted to the destmation facsimile apparatus An encoder is provided to generate an outgoing electromc message A message generated by the encoder mcludes the outgoing facsimile image data and a destmation network address correspondmg to the destmation telephone number second output communicates the outgoing electronic message to the modem after establishmg a data connection with the network server, so that the outgoing message ts sent over the network to the destination network address

The router may mcludes componentry for distinguishing an mtemational phone number and a domestic phone number The router selects the telephone route upon receipt of a domestic phone number from the keypad and the network route upon receipt of an international phone number from the keypad.

Where the outgoing electromc message is an electromc mad message, the encoder mcludes componentry for converting the outgoing facsimile image data fiom binary data to an ASCII file

The facsimile apparatus may include a printer for printing incoming facsimile image data. A first put is responsive to an incoming telephone call to cotrimunicate facsimile image data received by the modem to the printer, so that the facsimile image data is printed. Timing componentry is provided for periodically instructing the modem to establish a data connection with a network server at a preselected network telephone number A second mput is operatively connected to the modem for receiving an mcornmg electromc message from the network server over the telephone Ime and storing the mcommg electromc message m the memory Decoding componentry converts the incoming electromc message in the memory to facsimile image data and communicates the mcommg facsimile image data to the printer, so that the facsimile image data is printed

Update ∞rnpαnenery may is provided for determining whether the electromc message is an address update message Upon a determination that the electromc message is an address update message, the list of addresses is revised accordmg to data encoded in the address update message

In a facsimile commumcation method accordmg to the present mvention, a facsimile machine is provided which mcludes a memory, a scanning apparatus, and a modem The memory stores a list of network addresses, each of which corresponds to at least one telephone number The modem is connectable to a telephone Ime for sending digital data over the telephone Ime An outgoing facsimile document is scanned to generate outgoing facsimile image data A destination telephone number is entered for the outgoing facsimile A transmission route is selected for the outgoing facsimile, the transmission route being either a network route or a telephone route Upon selection ofthe telephone route, the destination telephone number is dialed to establish a data connection with a destmation facsimile apparatus, and the outgoing facsimile data is commumcated to the modem so that the outgoing facsimile data is transmitted to the destmation facsimile apparatus

Upon selection ofthe network route, a destination network address correspondmg to the destmation telephone number is selected from the memory An outgoing electronic message is generated, the message including the outgoing facsimile image data and the destination network address A preselected network telephone number is dialed to establish a data connection with a network server such as an mtemet server, and the outgoing electromc message is commumcated to the modem after establishmg a data connection with the network server, so that the outgoing message is sent by the network server to the destination network address

The selection of a transmission route involves of selecting the telephone route if the destination phone number is a domestic phone number and selecting the network route if the destination phone number is an mternational phone number Where the outgoing electromc message is an electromc mail message, the outgoing message is generated by converting the outgoing facsimile image data from binary data to ASCII data

A printing apparatus may further be provided. Upon detection of an mcommg call on the telephone line, the modem is operated to establish a data connection over the telephone Ime, and facsimile image data received by the modem from the mcommg call is commumcated to the printing apparatus to pπnt the facsimile image data The modem is periodically instructed to establish a data connection with a network server at a preselected network telephone number Upon establishmg a data connection with the network server, an mcommg electromc message is received from the network server over the telephone Ime and stored m the memory The mcommg electromc message m the memory is converted to facsimile image data and commumcated to the printer to pπnt the facsimile image data

The facsimile apparatus determines whether the mcommg electromc message is an address update message Upon a determination that the mcommg electromc message is an address update message, the List of addresses in the memory is revised accordmg to data encoded in the update message

In a method of providing facsimile commumcation m accordance with the present mvention, a first facsimile machine is provided which mcludes a first memory, a scan mg apparatus, and a first modem The first memory stores a list of network addresses, each of which corresponds to at least one telephone number The modem is connectable to a telephone Ime for sending digital data over the telephone ime An outgoing facsimile document to generate facsimile image data. A destmation telephone number for the facsimile is entered A destmation network address is selected from memory correspondmg to the destination telephone number An electromc message is generated including the outgoing facsimile image data and the destination network address A first data connection is established over the telephone line between the first modem and a transmission server, and the modem is operated to send the electromc message over the data connection to the transmission server The electromc message is transmittec over a data network to an access server A second facsimile machine is provided including a second memory, a second modem, and a printing apparatus A data connection is established between the second modem and the access server The electromc message is transmitted from the access server to the second memory The electromc message m the memory is converted to facsimile image data, and the facsimile image data is printed on the printer The digital network is preferably the mtemet, m which case the transmission server and the access server are mtemet servers Where the electromc message is an electromc mail message, the message is generated by converting the outgoing facsimile image data from binary data to ASCII data, and the converting of the message to facsimile image data mcludes converting the mcommg electromc message from ASCII data to binary data

Where encryption key data is stored in the first memory and correspondmg decryption key data is stored m the second memory, the facsimile image data is encrypted usmg the encryption key data pπor to transmitting the electromc message to the transmission server The facsmuie image data is decrypted usmg the decryption key data only after transmittmg the electromc message to the second memory The encryption key may be a public key with the decryption key bemg a corresponding private key

Bπef Description ofthe Drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a facsimile commumcation system.

Figure 2 is a flow chart of the operation of an encoding-forwarding umt

Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating steps m the operation of a decodmg-dehvery umt

Figures 4a and 4b are flow charts lllustrating steps for encrypting and decrypting a facsimile to ensure security of the transmission

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a system for sending a fax usmg DTMF technology Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating steps m the operation of the system of Figure 5 Figures 7a and 7b are flows charts illustrating software-implemented facsimile transmission Figure 8 is a flow chart of an embodiment that analyzes a file to check if it contains a program Figure 9 is a flow chart of an embodiment that analyzes a file to check if it contains a program Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a facsimile system illustrating multiple forwarding servers and encoding- forwarding umts

Figure 11 is a flow chart illustrating the assigning of a code to an mtemet site

Figure 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment employing a combined encoding and decoding umt Figure 13 is a flow chart illustrating processing steps for a combined encoding and decoding umt

Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a facsimile system employing multiple decoding umts Figure 15 is a flow chart illustrating steps in processing a destination telephone number Figure 16 is a flow chart illustrating the use of DTMF technology m the parsing of telephone numbers Figure 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating a network of encoding and decoding umts interacting with a master umt

Figure 18 is a flow chart illustrating steps executed within the master umt

Figure 19 is a flow chart illustrating a process to enable the decoding and encoding umts to commumcate their transmissions to the master umt

Figure 20 is a flow chart illustrating steps m assigning a geographic location to a decoding Umt Figure 21 is a schematic diagram illustrating a facsimile machme employed as a combined encoding-decoding umt

Figure 22 is a flow chart illustrating steps performed by a combined encoding-decoding facsimile umt Figure 23 is a flow chart illustrating steps performed in sending a confirmation upon reception of each fax transmission

Figure 24 is a flow chart further detailing the process of Figure 23 Figures 25a and 25b are flow charts illustrating programs utilized for deletion of files upon successful transmission or reception thereof

Figures 26a and 26b are flow charts illustrating steps for billing facsimile customers Figure 27 is a schematic diagram illustrating an encoding umt with a scanner

Figure 28 is a schematic diagram illustrating processing steps initiated by the encoding umt of Figure 27 upon receiving mput from a scanner

Figure 29 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment ofthe decoding umt which can utilize a printer/monitor for the reception of facsimiles

Figure 30 is a flow chart illustrating steps in utilizing a printer in facsimile transmission Figure 31 is a flow chart illustrating steps for facsimile transmission between incompatible computer architectures

Detailed Descnption of the Invention

This mvention involves a method for delivermg a fax transmission by translating it mto a form capable of being routed over mtemet protocol, routing it over a network of computers commumcatmg under mtemet protocol, converting it back mto a standard fax transmission and delivering it to the intended destination umt A fax transmission is to be taken broadly to include any transmission sent using a fax transmission protocol

Figure 1 contains an overall view ofthe prefared embodiment ofthe mvention Any machme capable of generating a fax Iransmission, such as a fax machme or computer, identified by umts 1, 2, 3 and 4 interfaces with a computer-controlled

Encodmg Forwardmg (EF) Umt 9 via either a switched telephone network or other constructs which would allow the connection to occur 5,6,7 and 8 Usmg a method descπbed below, EF Umt 9 receives a fax fransmission from fax machme 1 and stores it as a file EF Umt 9 then establishes a connection with an mtemet access point, such as mtemet provider or through the portion of the computer directly connected to the temet 1 1 via either a switched telephone network or other means 10 EF Unit 9 then forwards a file representing the tiansmission to mtemet server 11 , which sends it along the mtemet 12 to an mtemet access server 13 which is affiliated with a Decoding/Dehvery (DD) Umt 15

The Decoding/Dehvery Umt 15 is a computer-controlled umt capable of re-creating a fax transmission which has been encoded m a file by EF Umt 9 and forwarding it to its intended destination DD Umt 15, by either a switched telephone network or other means 14, establishes a connection with mtemet server 13 The files are transferred via this connection, and the DD Umt, usmg a switched telephone network or other means 16, 17, 18 or 19 to the destmation fax machme or other umt capable of receiving a fax transmission 20, 21, 22 or 23 The specific operations of the DD and EF Umts are descnbed below, followed by a section detailing relevant advanced embodiments ofthe mvention, and the modifications necessary in developing these embodiments out of the Preferred DD and EF Umt embodiments

Overview of Encodmg/Forwardmg (EF) Umt

In the preferred embodiment, the Encodmg Forwardmg (EF) Umt 9 of Figure 1 utilizes a computer controlled method for receiving, storing, compressing, converting to ASCII and forwarding facsimiles, each fax tiansmission is also accompanied bv a file containing its destmation Each fax transmission is stored, upon receipt, in a separate directory In its initial state, the EF Umt contains an empty directory for receiving a fax, and a file containing the name of this directory A flowchart descnbing the logic ofthe operation of the EF Umt is contained m Figure 2

Operation ofthe Encodmg/Forwardmg Umt In the preferred embodiment, upon activation 24, the Encoding Forwarding (EF) Umt reads the name ofthe empty directory from the file where it is stored 25 The EF Umt establishes this directory as the destination directory for all mcommg faxes 26, and then awaits a fax transmission 27 When an mcommg call amves, a connection 5 (of Figure 1) is established between EF Umt 9 (of Figure 1) and fax machme 1 (also of Figure 1)

The EF Umt then receives the fax 28 usmg the software program ProComm Plus For Windows (version 2 1 ) - available from Datastorm Inc m Columbia, Missoun Any known method for receiving and storing the fax could also be employed The fax, as noted above, is stored m the designated directory 29, and then the EF Umt creates a new directory for the next fax transmission 30, stores its name in a file 31 and designates that directory as the destmation ofthe next incoming fax transmission 32 The EF unit then gets the destmation fax number as mput from the keyboard 33 The destination number is entered m whatever format is required to contact the intended destination from the location ofthe DD Umt This number is then stored in its own file within the directory which contains the fax transmission 34

Packaging the Facsimile for Internet Transmission

In the preferred embodiment, the entire directory — which contains both the destination telephone number and the fax transmission — is compressed mto a smgle file 35 usmg the software program PKZIP After the compression, the file is converted to 7 bit ASCII 36, the standard mtemet e-mail protocol The algoπthm known as Radιx-64 is implemented to perform this conversion In the preferred embodiment, Radιx-64 is implemented usmg the software program Pretty Good

Pπvacy (PGP Version 2.7) avadable from ViaCrypt, 2104 West Peoπa Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85029

After converting the file to ASCII, the Umt checks to see if the file is too large to be simply one electromc mail message 37, because some mail servers limit the size of messages If, at the time that the compressed directory is translated to ASCII, the resulting file is larger than the maximum file size allowed by either the EF Umt or the DD Uruf s mtemet connection, it is subdivided into as many files as necessary to complete the transmission 38 This feature is built m to PGP (version 2 7)

Internet Connection Once the files have been converted to ASCII, an internet connection is established to transmit them to a DD Unit

39 In the preferred embodiment, the EF Unit 9 (of Figure 1) contacts the mtemet host 1 1 (of Figure 1) through a switched telephone network 10 (of Figure 1) and logs on with appropnate user name and password 40. In step 41. the EF Umt 9 (of Figure 1 ) then transfers the file(s) to the internet host 11 (of Figure 1) In the preferred embodiment, the Kermit file transmission protocol is used. After the file(s) have been transmitted to the mtemet host the EF Unit generates a umque subject headmg for each electromc mail message, denoting the directory name the fax is stored , its position in the series of files bemg transmitted for that directory, and the total number of files corresponding to that directory 42.

Each file is forwarded as an electronic mail message to the e-mail address ofthe DD Umt 43, with the appropπate subject headmg attached. The files are then deleted from the internet site 44, and the connection from the EF Umt 9 to the mtemet site is terminated 45. The EF Umt 9 then deletes all files related to the fax transmission which has just been sent 46 In the preferred embodiment, the EF Unit 9 then waits for an mcommg fax transmission 27

Overview of Decoding/Delivery Umt

In the preferred embodiment, Decod g/Delrvery (DD) Umt 15 (of Figure 1) is a computer controlled umt for receiving an .ASCII encoded fax transmission forwarded under mtemet protocol, decoding the fax transmission, and forwarding it to the destination pomt specified by the sender. A flowchart representing the logic of DD Unit 15 is contained in Figure 3 In the preferred embodiment, DD Unit 15 periodically establishes a remote connection to the mtemet The connection is established hourly or, altematively, at other regular intervals. DD Unit 15 loops until it is time to access the mtemet 47

In step 48, DD Unit 15 establishes the remote connection 14 to mtemet site 13, logs on with its assigned user name and password 49, and searches for new mail 50. If there is no new mail, as shown in step 51, the DD Umt 15 terminates remote connection 14 from the mtemet site 13 and checks the progress ofthe send queue in step 68, discussed below If, however, there is new mad, the mail is then downloaded 52 to DD Umt 15. Upon download, each electromc mail message is saved as a distinct file 53. Once all messages have been downloaded, as shown in step 54, each is deleted from mtemet site 13. In step 55, DD Unit 15 termiiiates the -remote connection 14 to mtemet site 13. DD Unit 15 then performs a loop in which mail is sorted and processed The lcop begins with a boolean testto see if mere is any unsorted mail 56 When there is no mail,

DD Umt 15 breaks out ofthe loop and moves on to check the progress ofthe send queue 68, discussed below.

When there is unsorted mail, DD Umt 15 selects an unsorted mail file 57 and analyzes the subject headmg ofthe message to see if there is already a directory for the transmission denoted by the heading 58. If there is no directory, one is created 59. After a directory has been created, or if one exists, the file is placed into the directory 60 and renamed according to the subject heading of the mail message 61. DD Umt 15 then checks to see if all the files necessary to reassemble the fax transmission are present 62 If all files are not present, DD Umt 15 checks to see if there is more unsorted mail 56 and loops or halts as descπbed above If, however, the directory does contain all the files necessary to reassemble the fax transmission, DD Umt 15 concatenates these files mto one file 63, and then translates this file from ASCII to binary 64. These two steps are accomplished simultaneously by the program PGP (version 2.7) The decompression program PKUNZIP is used to decompress the file 65. The result of this decompression is a directory identical to mat which results from Step 34 of Figure 2 (see Operation of the Encodmg/Forwardmg Umt above) DD Umt 15 then reads the intended destmation fax number 66 from a file within this directory and places the fax transmission m a queue 67 to be sent to the destmation fax machme 16 by the program ProComm Plus for Windows (Version 2 1) DD Unit 15 then checks to see if there is any additional unsorted mail, and repeats or halts its loop based in the result of this check 56

When there are is no more unsorted mad. DD Umt 15 assesses whether or not any faxes have been successfully transmitted 68 by accessing the fax transmission log generated by ProComm Plus for Windows (Version 2 1) For each fax that has been successfully transmitted, the DD Umt deletes all the files and directoπes associated with the transmitted fax 69 At this pomt, the DD Umt repeats then repeats its entire operation process beginning at 47 above

Advanced Embodiments

The embodiments descπbed below perform more intricate functions now possible as a result of the mvention Unless otherwise specifically noted, all ofthe embodiments listed below are mutually compatible

Encryption Embodiment

Many facsimile transmissions would subject the sender and the recipient to secuπty risks if transmitted across the mtemet without bemg encrypted Therefore, m the preferred encryption embodiment, the version of Pretty Good Privacy which is located m EF Umt 9 will encrypt the message 70, after the compression ofthe directory 35 (of Figure 2) and before the ASCII conversion 36 (of Figure 2) This process is diagramed tn Figure 4a. In the preferred encryption embodiment, the public key is 1024-bιts

After the transmission has arπved at the DD Umt 15, as displayed in the flowchart of Figure 4b, just after PGP converts the concatenated ASCH file to a bmary file 64. PGP decrypts the message usmg the secret key specified by the sender 71 The decrypted compressed directory is then decompressed as before 65 In other embodiments, other encryption methods - including private key encryption and multiple applications of encryption — may be employed without substantiveh/ altering the invention.

Touch-Tone Embodiment

There could be instances wherem a person wished to use this system but was not located in the same room as EF Unit 9 The Touch-Tone Embodiment addresses this circumstance By replacmg the keyboard mput of the destination number with Touch-Tone (DTMF) mput, a user could call the EF Umt, enter a destination number, and transmit a fax Usmg a voice fax data modem and existing technology, this embodiment can be easily implemented The structure laid out in Figure 1 is slightly altered, m this circumstance, and the changes are noted in Figure 5 In Figure 5, telephones 72 and 73 are now able to interact with EF Umt 9 These connections are established through switched telephone connections 74 and 75 The logic diagram of this unit is diagramed in Figure 6 The steps involved in the process replace steps 27-33 (of Figure 2) in the General Preferred Embodiment After designating the directory for the next mcommg fax 26, EF Umt 9 then reads a passcode mto memory from the file 76, and waits for an mccmmg call 77 When an **tκon^*ιιrιgcall is ι^*eceιved, EF Umt 9 answers that call and plays a greeting 78 EF Unit 9 then receives a passcode from the caller 79, which is entered by the caller usmg touch-tones - The entered passcode is then compared with the passcode loaded from the file 80 There are two possibilities at this pomt If the passcode is not correct, EF Umt 9 determmes whether or not this is the third incorrect entry of the passcode 81 If it is the third incorrect entry, EF Unit 9 is disabled 82 until the power to the umt is terminated and reactivated If it is not the third consecutive incorrect passcode entry, the user is prompted for a passcode agam 78

When the caller enters the proper passcode. EF Umt 9 then prompts the caller for the destmation fax number 83, and reads the destination number through touch-tone inputs 84 In the preferred embodiment, the end ofthe destination fax number is signaled by diahng the pound sign after entering the number EF Umt 9 termmates the telephone connection to the caller 85 and stores the destination fax number m a file 86 In autoanswer fax mode, as m the General Preferred Embodiment, EF Umt 9 then awaits a fax transmission 27 (of Figure 2, see Operation of EF Umt, above) The order of operations from Figure 2 is men followed through step 32, designation of the new directory as the destination for the next fax transmission The Unit thenjumps to step 35 ofthe Preferred EF Umt embodiment, compression ofthe directory mto a single file (See Packaging the Facsimile for Internet Transmission, above) and proceeds accordmg to Figure 2 The remaining change m the Touch-tone embodiment is that, after the files have all been sent are deleted 46 (of Figure 2, see Internet Connection, above), the Umt loops by waiting agam for an mcommg DTMF call 77

Software Embodiment The umts may be either dedicated to their tasks, as in the preferred embodiment or implemented as one of many software applications implemented by a computer Thus, a computer could run both EF Umt 9 software and DD Umt 15 software without a problem. Also, the method, of either the EF Umt 9 or DD Umt 15's portion of the method, couid be implemented within a larger application package, such as a web browser, without substantively altering the mvention

In the Preferred Software Embodiment (see Figure 7a), EF Umt 9, after deleting the files associated with a fax transmission 46, prompts the user to determine whether or not the user would like to exit the program 87. and exits on appropnate user mput 88 If the user does not wish to exit, the umt waits for an mcommg call 47 In DD Umt 15's portion ofthe Software Embodiment (Figure 7b), when the software is activated it immediately establishes an mtemet connection 89 which corresponds to step 48 m the General i°referred Embodiment (Figure 3) DD Umt 15 then operates, as m the General Preferred Embodiment, until step 68 is executed, and if necessary, step 69 also Then, DD Umt 15 checks to see if the user wishes to exit 90, and if so the program termmates 91 If the user does not wish to exit, the DD Umt waits until the next predetermined time to establish an mtemet connection 92 (as in step 46), and, at the appropπate time, repeats this operation beginning at step 89 above

Reprogrammable Embodiment After a penod of time, one or both ofthe umts may need to be reprogrammed Suppose, for example, the electromc mail address of DD Unit 15 will change at a particular time If a user at the EF Umt 9's location has access to the code which directs the operation of the EF Umt 9 and has the computer skill to directly alter the code, then the umt could simply be reprogrammed However, this would often not be the case

The Reprogrammable Embodiment of DD Umt 15 (see Figure 8) decompresses the file, as in General Preferred embodiment step 65, and analyzes the file to detemune whether or not the file contains a program 93 If the directory does not contam a program then the directory contains a fax, and the Reprogrammable Embodiment advances to step 66 ofthe General I-referred Embodiment If however, the file does contam a program, the DD Umt coiώrms the identity of the sender ofthe program. To do this, the electromc signature of the file is checked against the encryption key(s) which may be used to send out programs 94 PGP has this function built in If the signature is not valid, the Umt deletes all files associated with the program 96 and returns to sorting mail, Step 56 in the General Preferred Embodiment If, however, the signature is valid, the program is executed 95 After executmg the program, the program and directones associated with it are deleted 96 and then the Umt returns to sorting mail 56

In the General Preferred Embodiment the EF U t never receives mail However, m the Reprogrammable

Embodiment, the EF Umt receives e-mad containing ASCII encoded, encrypted, messages which are executable programs After erasing the files from the internet site, step 44 in Figure 9, the EF Umt checks to see if there is new mail 97 If there is no new mail the internet connection is termmated 45 and EF Umt operation continues as descnbed above If, however, there is new mail, the EF Umt downloads the new mail, saving each piece of mail as a distinct file 98, the internet connection is then termmated 99

The EF Umt then checks the first piece of mail to see if it is an ASCII encoded bmary file 100 If so, the mail is converted from ASCII to bmary 101 and then decrypted 102. and the electromc signature is then verified 103 If the signature is correct then the file is executed 104

After the program is executed or if the electromc signature is not valid or the mail didn't contam a program, all files associated with the program are deleted 105 The EF Umt checks to see rf any additional mail has been downloaded 106, in which case the process is repeated form step 100 When all the mail has been processed, the normal EF Umt functions resume, beginning at step 46

Multiple EF Umts Embodiment

Figure 10 demonstrates how a plurality of EF Umts may mteract with a smgle DD Umt Machines generatmg fax tπuκmιssιons 107, 108, 109, 1 10 and 111 mteract with EF Umts 119, 120 and 121 usmg means capable of coupling the twos such as a switched telephone network 113, 114, 115, 116 and 117 as in the onguiai design As noted a telephone 112 or other means for generatmg touch tone sounds may be coupled to an EF Umt 120 by some sort of means such as a switched telephone Ime 1 18 which allows implementation of touch-tone embodiments within the Multiple EF Umt framework EF Units 119, 120 and 121 have means 122, 123 and 124 coupling them to mtemet access sites 125 and 126 These mtemet sites then transmit the files corresponding to the fax transmissions to the DD Umts usmg mtemet protocol Operations then proceed as normal

The plurality of EF Umts complicates the design only to the extent that the DD Umt might attempt to combine one or more electromc mad messages from one EF Umt to one or more electronic mad messages from another EF Umt By elongatmg the subject headmg to include a umque identifier representing a particular EF umt tins problem would be eradicated Thus, after the files are sent to the mtemet site 41 , filename portion of the subject headmg is preceded by a umque four letter code associated with the EF Umt 129 (see Figure 11) The mad is then forwarded to the DD Umt as before 42

Combo EF-DD Umts

As mentioned in the Software Embodiment, a smgle umt could perform both EF Umt and DD Umt tasks Figure 12 represents one possible implementation, m which a combination DD EF Umt 138 interacts with fax transmissions devices 130, 131, 132 and 133, and mcludes means to both transmit to and receive from those machines, usmg a couphng mechanism such as a switched telephone network 134, 135, 136 and 137 EF-DD Umt 138 also connects with mtemet access pomt 11 via some sort of switched telephone connection or other means 139 In the Preferred Combo EF-DD Umt Embodiment, the Unit, upon activation, performs steps 24-26 (figure 2), as m the General Preferred Embodiment After Step 24, the Umt checks to see if it is time to access the mtemet site for mcommg transmissions 140 (see Figure 13) If it is time to access the mtemet ate, the Combo Umt performs all of the steps of the DD Umt up to and including step 68 and, if necessary, step 69 When the Combo Umt has completed these steps, it repeats to step 140

If however, it is not time to access the intemet site, the Combo Umt checks to see if there is an mcommg call 141 If there is an mcommg call, the Combo Umt proceeds with step 28 as in the General Preferred Embodiment, and executes the steps in normal sequence until completion of Step 46 At that pomt, the Combo Umt repeats the process, not at 27 as in the General Pι^*eferred Embodiment, but mstead at Step 140 If there is no mcommg call, the Combo Umt immediately repeats its operation starting at Step 140 A Reprogrammable Combo DD-EF Embodiment would only clude the DD modifications ofthe Reprogrammable Embodiment

Multiple DD Umts Embodiment

An EF Umt could store a list of several possible destination addresses (and encryption keys, in Encryption Embcdtmentsj, and the DD Unit could then be selected based on the intended destination of the fax transmission This would change Figure 1 to resemble Figure 14 Note that elements 1 through 11 have remamed the same Intemet access pomts 144 and 145 receive transmissions along the mtemet 142 and 143 These transmissions are then passed along to DD Umts 149, 150 and 151 along identical means as discussed m the descπption of Figure 1 ( 146, 147 and 148) These are then delivered to fax machmes 158, 159, 160, 161, 162 and 163, usually via a switched telephone network 152, 153, 154, 155, 156 and 157 The actual operation ofthe EF Umt is descπbed below

After designating the new directory for mcommg faxes 32 (of Figure 2) m the General Preferred Embodiment of the EF Umt, the destination number would be entered in mtemational format 164 (see Figure 15) The EF Umt would then parse the telephone number and obtain the country code of the destmation 165 The EF Umt, in this embodiment, would contam a file consisting of a list of all DD Umt electromc mail addresses, organized by country and possibly city code The EF umt checks to see if there is only one DD umt for the country code 166 If there is only one possible DD Umt e-mad address, that address is selected as the e-mail address of the destination DD Umt 168 If there ts more than one possible destination DD Unit, the destination telephone number is parsed agam to obtain the city/region or area code 167 The EF Umt then compares the regional code to the list and obtains the e-mad address of the destmation DD Umt 168 If this embodiment is combined with the Encryption Embodiment, the encryption key is also selected at this time In the preferred embodiment, there would be no more than one DD Umt for a given area code

Having obtamed the destmation number, the EF Umt converts the number from mtemational format to the format required to complete the transmission from the selected DD Umf s location 169 The algoπthm for performing this conversion is located within the file containing the list of possible DD Umt e-mad addresses The telephone number is then saved m a umque file witmn the fax directory 86, and the EF Unit continues its normal operation at step 35, by compressing the directory containing the transmission mto a smgle file When the Touch-Tone Embodiment is integrated mto the Multiple DD Umts embodiment (see Figure 16), the order of operations descπbed above is altered because the Touch-Tone embodiment reads m the destination fax number prior to receiving the fax transmission. Therefore, step 83 replaces step 32 m this embodiment Step 170 now reads the number m touch-tone format, and step 85 termmates the telephone connection

Expandable Network Embodiment

Usmg the Reprogrammable Embodiment m conjunction with the Multi DD Embodiment and the Multi EF embodiment, a network of umts interacting with one another could be constructed All DD or EF Umts, or both, could be simultaneously reprogrammed when new DD Umts are added This embodiment, called the Expandable Network Embodiment, would require a unit or units to rnamtam a directory of all umts which need to be notified of a change This could be implemented m several ways, but m the preferred embodiment, one umt performs these tasks This umt is referred to as the Master Unit, 171 of Figure 17 Master Unit 171 access mtemet access pomt 173 via a switched telephone network or other means. Intemet transmissions are then made to other mtemet access pomts 178, 179, 180 and 180 via standard mtemet routing 174, 175, 176 and 177 Figure 18 is a flowchart ofthe operation ofthe Master Umt Penodically. a connection to the mtemet is established 182 When it is time to connect to the mtemet, the Master Umt establishes this mtemet connection 183 and checks for new mail 184 If there is no new mail, the Master Umt disconnects from the mtemet 186 and waits for the next scheduled access time 182 In the preferred embodiment, the Master Umt accesses the mtemet every half-hour

If there is new mail, the Master Umt downloads the new mail 185 and disconnects from the mtemet 186 The

Master Unit then looks at the first piece of mail 187 The piece of mail will be an instruction to the master umt to either add or remove an EF or a DD Unit 188, 189, 190 or 191 ffit is not a request for any of these, it deletes the mad 215 and proceeds from there (see below) Based on the instruction m the mcommg mail, the Master Umt adds or removes an EF or a DD Umt from its Master list 192, 193, 194, or 195 The Master Unit then creates a program to be executed by a DD Umt (if the request was to add or remove an EF Umt) or an EF Umt (if the request was to add or remove a DD Umt) The particular function of the program is to add or remove the EF or DD Umt accordmg to the instruction received by the Master Umt 196, 197, 198, or 199 The Master Umt selects the destination address for the program as all EF Umts or all DD Umts in its master list 200, 201, 202, or 203 If the program has been wπtten for DD Umts, the program is stored in a umque directory 204, which is then compressed 205 The compressed directory is sub-drvided mto umts small enough to travel across the mtemet (if necessary 206) 207, and umque subject headings are created for each file (denoting that the files are a program, not a fax)

208 If the program has been written for EF Umts, the program is converted to ASCII 209 In either case, once this has been done, the filet^'s) containing the program are signed with the key ofthe Master Umt (encrypting them is optional, and could be done only for embodiments which encrypt) 210 which then and accesses the mtemet 211 The file(s) are then mailed to the selected mailing list 212 Once the file(s) have been mailed, the connection to the mtemet is termmated 213 and any fιle(s) which have been mailed are deleted 214 Finally, the ongmal mad message itself is deleted 215 If there is more mail 216, the process repeats beginning at 187, otherwise, the process repeats beginning at 182

Clearly, the DD and EF Umts must each be redesigned to send communications to the Master Umt (see Figure 1 ) The first time a new EF Unit is activated, it accesses the mtemet site as the General Preferred Embodiment 217, however, as soon as it is logged m, the new EF Umt sends an add EF Umt iiistruchon to the Master Umt 218 The new EF Umt then logs off the mtemet 219 and waits four hours before accessing the mtemet agam 220 After four hours the mtemet is accessed agam 221 and the new mail is downloaded 222 The EF Umt then logs off the mtemet 223, and the newly downloaded mail is converted from ASCII to bmary 224 The DD Umt then checks the electromc signature associated with this mail for authenticity 225 If the electromc signature is authentic, the EF Umt executes the program 226 The EF Umt deletes all the mail it has just executed 227 and assesses whether or not there is any more new mail 228 If there is more new mail the EF

Umt repeats the process at step 224 If there is no more new mail, the umt begins its function as a standard EF Umt in the General Preferred Embodiment 25

The operation ofthe EF Umt is also altered at step 229, where, when no mcommg call amves, the EF Umt checks to see rf the Escape key has been pressed 230 If the escape key has not been pressed, the Umt repeats step 229 and loops until a call is received or the Escape key is pressed If the Escape key is pressed, the umt establishes an mtemet connection 231, sends a remove EF Umt command to the Master Umt 232, and disconnects from the mtemet 233 The EF Lnit then deactivates 234 and, the next time it is activated, restarts the process at the initialization step 217

When a DD Umt is activated for the first time in the Expandable Network Embodiment, the user enters m the geographic regιon(s) for which the DD Umt will be responsible. 235 of figure 20 The DD Umt then establishes an mtemet connection 236 and sends the Master Umt an Add DD Umt command 237 After loggmg off from the mtemet access pomt

238, the DD Umt alternates between checking to see if the escape key has been pressed 239 and checking for an mcommg call 240 If the escape key is pressed the DD Unit establishes an mtemet connection 241 , sends a Remove DD Umt command to the Master Umt 242 and logs off 243 The DD Umt then deactivates 244, and at the time of its next activation, begins at step 235 When the DD Unit processes mcommg messages, in the General Preferred Embodiment, it returns to step 27 after coitψleting step 46 In the Expandable Network Embodiment, the DD Umt returns to step 239 after completing these steps

Fax Machme Embodiment

It would also be possible to combine the mvention with a fax machme mto one complete umt The preferred method for domg this will be defined m relation to the Combo EF-DD Umt, the Mull DD Umt, the Touch-Tone Embodiment, the DD

Unit, and the EF Umt Other combinations, of course, could exist As shown m Figure 21, a Umt resembling a fax machme 244 could then act as a combo DD-EF Unit and couple with mtemet access pomt 246 via a switched telephone network 245 It could also interface with other machines capable of generating and receiving fax transmissions 251 , 252, 253 and 254 via a switched telephone network 247, 248, 249 and 250 or other means The Umt can receive and send faxes as well as function as a DD/EF Umt

In the Preferred Embodiment, after designating the directory for the next mcommg fax transmission 26 (of figure 2), the Preferred Fax Machme Embodiment loops between checking if it is time to access the mtemet 255, whether there is an mcommg fax 256, and whether there is a fax ready to be sent 257 If it is time to access the mtemet, the Umt completes the standard DD Umt access steps (outlined above) from establishmg a remote connection to the mtemet 48 to terminating the mtemet connection 55 Step 259 is a modified form of step 56, so that if there is no new mad, the Umt proceeds to step

255, which doesn't exist m the oπgmal embodiment

The disconnect step 51 , performed only rf there is no new mail upon accessing the mtemet, is still performed in this embodiment, pπor to retum to Step 255 In this embodiment, step 51 is renumbered as step 258 The order of operations of the DD Umt is maintained after completion of Step 60 up to and including decompression of the directory 65 Once the directory containing a fax transmission has been decompressed, the fax is printed on the fax machme 260 and all files and directones related to it are deleted 261, upon which the umt then returns to Step 2 5

If there is an mcommg call 256, the Umt answers the call and receives the transmission as a fax machme normally receives a transmission m the pnor art 262 This fax transmission is placed in the output tray, the preferred embodiment, but other embodiments could store it m memory and pπnt it later, without substantivery altering the mvention If there is no mcommg call the Umt then checks to see if there is an outgoing fax transmission 257, and if there is not one, the Umt loops back to step 255

In the event that there is an outgoing fax, the destmation number is read usmg DTMF technology 263 The Umt then determines whether the fax is to be sent via mtemet or via standard fax transmission protocol 264 In the preferred embodiment, all mtemational transmissions are routed via the mtemet and all domestic transmissions are routed via switched telephone networks. More advanced algorithms for determining routing, possibly including user overrides, could be developed If the fax is a domestic transmission, it is sent as a fax is normally transmitted over switched telephone lines 265 If the fax is to be routed over mtemet protocol, the destination DD Umt is selected usmg steps 165 through 169 and then Step 86 (as m the multi-DD unit touch tone embodiment, descnbed above and m figure 16), followed by steps 30 through 46 ofthe Preferred EF Umt Embodiment After completion of Step 46, the Umt repeats its operation in a loop, beginning at Step 255 When a Fax Machme Embodiment is added to an Expandable Network, m the preferred embodiment, the umt forwards its actual telephone number to the Master Umt In this way, all tiansmissions destined from any EF Umt to a particular Fax Machme Embodiment of the mvention are now directly routed to the e-mad address of the Fax Machme Similarly, an encryption key may be mcluded, and the umt receives list updates, as is the case for all EF umts When the umt is removed from the network, in the pι^*eferred embodiment, a keystroke equivalent to the escape' key removes it from the Master list (and therefore all lists)

Confirmation Embodiment

Arguably the greatest advantage of fax transmission over switched telephone networks is confirmation of fax arrival at the destination pomt The Confirmation Embodiment therefore provides confirmation of fax receipt at pomt of destination The preferred Confirmation Embodiment is defined between a DD Umt of the General Preferred Embodiment and a

Reprogrammable Combination DD/EF Umt, as outlined above A system for providing confirmations could, however, be developed m relation to any DD and EF Umts

The DD Umt operates as normal up to and including the saving of each e-mail message as a distinct file 53 The computer then sends an ASCII encoded copy of Program A (descπbed below) as a reply to each ASCII fax transmission file received as mail 268 of figure 23 The DD U t then deletes the mail from CompuServe 54 as before, and contmues its normal operation up to the pomt where the DD Unit checks to see if any faxes have been successfully transmitted 68 If a fax has not successfully been transmitted, the Umt returns to 272, as in the previous embodiments If, however, a fax has been successfully transmitted, the DD Umt logs on to the internet 269, sends a copy of F*τogram B to the Ongm EF Umt 270, disconnects from the mtemet 271 , deletes all files associated with the transmission 69, and returns to check if there has been another successful fax transmission 68

There is a flowchart for Program A in Figure 25a The program deletes the file corresponding to the e-mail to which the program is a reply 287 and then ends 288 Thus, when all replies have been received corifirming receipt of transmissions, all ASCII files associated with the transmission are deleted upon execution ofthe Program There is a flowchart for Program B in Figure 25b When this program is executed the Umt sends a confirmation, via fax, to the sender confirming that the transmission was successful 289 The Umt then deletes ail directones and files associated with the transmission 290, 291

Finally, the program ends 292 As mentioned, the EF Umt, where the transmission has come from, is actually a Reprogrammable Combination DD EF Umt This is for two reasons first the reprogramrmng aspect allows us to send programs which perform the confirmations, simplifying the explanation and design of the embodiment, and second, the Combmation DD EF Umt guarantees regular access to the mtemet The advantage of this will become clear after the explanation of the Unit's design

As the preferred embodiment ofthe Combmation DD EF Umt, me Umt checks to see if it is time to access the mtemet 272, and proceeds as normal if it is time (see Figure 24) If it is not time, the Umt checks for an mcommg call 273 If there is an mcommg call, the Umt proceeds as usual, except that Step 69, delete all files and directones associated with the transmission, is omitted After completion of step 285, therefore, the Umt returns to Step 269 The Umt proceeds as before u rough step 69 and then loops back to step 272 If, however, there is no mcommg call, the Umt then checks to see if any of (he directones containing fax transmissions are more than four hours old 274. If there are no such directones. the Umt returns to Step 272 If there are any directones more than four hours old, the Umt then checks to see if there is a directory more than eight hours old 275 If there is no directory more than eight hours old, the Unit checks to see if the directory contains any ASCII files 276 If there are no ASCII files, the Umt returns to step 272. If, on the other hand, there are ASCII files in the directory, the Unit then establishes an mtemet connection 277, sends the ASCII files to die appropπate DD Umt 278, disconnects from the mtemet 279, and returns to step 272.

If there is a directory that is more than 8 hours old, the Unit puts the fax m a queue to the destination over the switched telephone network 280. The Umt then waits to see if the fax is successfully sent 281, and faxes the sender either a confirmation 283 if the transmission is a success or an "inability to complete fax transmission" notice 282 if the fax was not successfully transmitted. All files associated with the fransmission are then deleted 284. The umt then returns to see if there are more directories over eight hours old 275 and proceeds based on the result of that boolean test

Billmg

A billing system can also be implemented as part ofthe invention. In the preferred embodiment ofthe Billmg Umt, the design of the preferred embodiment ofthe Coι^*_αrmatιon Umt is assumed. To develop a billmg umt from this umt is not a difficult task. In the course of confirming the fax delivery, the Confirmation Embodiment employs Program B of figure 25b in the preferred embodiment ofthe billing umt, Program B is altered such that its function is also to generate the bill (see figure 26a) After the step sending a confirmation ofthe fax transmittal 289, the umt then checks to see if a billing file for the sender exists 2 1 If there is no billmg file, one is created 292. Then, after the file is created or if one already exists, the transmission is logged m the "bill file" along with the associated charge for the transmission 293 The Umt then returns to the steps detailed the previous embodiment, beginning with the deletion of all directones and files associated with the tratismission 290.

The Combmation EF/DD Unit designed m the Confirmation Embodiment is then redesigned to include billmg as a new option. The Umt, as before, checks to see if it is time to access the mtemet (272 of Figure 24), and if not checks to see if there is an mcommg call 273. In this embodiment, however, if there is no corrung call, the Umt then checks to see if it is time to send out bills 294 of Figure 26b In the preferred embodiment, bills are sent out weekly. If it is not tune to bill, the Unit proceeds to check if there are any directones over four hours old 274 and follows the procedures outlined m the Confirmation Embodiment

If it is tone to send out a bill however, the Umt checks to see if there is a billing file within the billing directory 295 If there is a file, the Umt then places a copy of the file m the fax queue to be sent to the customer to whom the bill corresponds 296 The Umt then places a copy ofthe file in the fax queue to be sent to the Central Billing Office 297, so the company domg the billing has a copy of all bills sent out Once the faxes have been sent, the Umt deletes the billmg file 298 The Unit then returns to check for billing files within the billmg directory 295, and repeats the process until no files exist In which case, the Unit then checks to see if any fax directones are more than 4 hours old 274 and continues from that point in the previous embodiments description

Cross-Platform Embodiment

It is possible that the mvention could be developed in vaπous embodiments on computers with incompatible operating svstems and architectures. For example, a DD Umt could be designed on the Macintosh and an EF Umt could be designed on an IBM. The embodiments herein have assumed compatible architectures, but this need not be the case To transmit a fax under the multiple DD Umt archaecture, once the DD Umt destination address has ^"Been assigned '168 'iτfiFigι^*|r» 31 , a file contammg the architecmre of each DD Umt could be checked against he destmation Umf s 315 If the architecture is compatible to that ofthe EF Unit, the Umt could then proceed as normal, beginnmg at step 169 If the architectures are not compatible, the fax files could then be converted to the format necessary for the DD Umt 316, and then the normal operation ofthe Multiple DD Umt could continue at step 169 In other embodiments, such as Confirmation Embodiments, where the files are not deleted after transmission, the ASCII files on the DD Umt, which are usable only under the destination EF Umf s architecmre, should still be deleted 69 The implementation of these should not substantivery alter the mvention

Scanner Embodiment It is also possible to alter the EF Umt to receive mput from a scanner as well as a fax transmission Figure 27 demonstrates EF Unit 9 receiving scanner mput from scanner 299 via a se i port interface 300 Other interfaces could exist without substantivery altering the mvention As in the General Preferred Embodiment, the EF Umt could then use a switched telephone network 10 to proceed m accessing the mtemet accordmg to that embodiment In the Preferred Scanner Embodiment (see figure 28), the EF Umt designates the destination directory 26 as m the Preferred General Embodiment, and then waits for mput from the Scanner 301 In the preferred embodiment, we will assume the scanner has a feeder

The images are saved as they are scanned in 302, and then converted to fax format 303, which are then saved in the directory designated for mcorning faxes 304, and the scanned images are deleted 305 The Umt then returns to the normal operation ofthe General Preferred Embodiment ofthe EF Umt by waiting for the destmation number to be mput 30 The Umt operates as a General EF Unit until deletion of all associated files 46, at which pomt the Umt loops to wait for mput from the Scanner 301

Printer/Monitor Destination

If the destmation pomt of a fax transmission is a DD Umt, the umt may display or pπnt the fax transmission Figure 29 demonstrates a DD Unit 206 which interfaces with the mtemet 14, as well as destination fax machines 20, 21, 22 and 23 as m the General preferred embodiment EF Umt 306 also has means for connecting directly to printer 308 via parallel port connection 307 Other means, such as network connection or senal port connection could connect the printer to the DD Umt without substantivery afteπng the mvention In the Preferred Pnnter Momtor Destmation Embodiment (see Figure 30), a DD Umt operates as in the General Preferred Embodiment until decompression of a directory 65, at which pomt the DD Umt checks to see if the destination of the transmission is the DD Umt 309 If not, the DD Umt proceeds to obta the destmation number ofthe fax, as m the preferred embodiment 66 If the destmation ofthe transmission is the DD Umt, the Umt then checks to see if a printer is attached to the Unit 310 If a printer is not attached, the Umt displays the transmission to the screen 31 This is done with the Fax Viewer in ProComm Plus For Windows 2 1 If , however, there is a printer, the fax is printed to the printer 31 1

In either case, the file(s) associated with the fax are then saved to a special User Directory 313, and the subdirectory m the mcommg mail file corresponding to the transmission is deleted 314 The Umt then returns to the General Preferred

Embodiment operation, beginning at Step 56, where a check is performed to see if there is additional mad in the mcommg mad directory

Vaπous modification may be made to the disclosed facsimile transmission system The type of connection between the E/F Unit and the machme generating the fax transmission can be modified so that the connection does not occur through a switched telephone network. A list can be stored of frequently used destmation numbers and selecting a destmation number from it. Telnet protocol may be used instead of e-mad to effect five transfer of files. A DD or EF Unit which maintains a continuous mtemet connection or has a hard IP address may be used. More information may be added to the file storing the destmation number or the destination number may be stored differently. A method other than Radιx-64 may be used to convert files to ASCII format The E/F and/or DD Unit may be mtegrated mto the mtemet access unit The method may be modified to function over an e-mail system or systems allowing file transfer The EF and DD Umts may be modified to function according to the operation of different mtemet access providers Frequency of mtemet access establishment by either E/F or DD Umt can be vaned. Broadcast faxmg can be integrated mto the method.

Although the mvention has been described m terms of particular embodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, m light of this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spurt of or exceeding the scope ofthe claimed mvenbon Accordingly, it is to be understood that the draw gs and descπptions herem are proffered by way of example to facihtate comprehension ofthe invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS

1. A method of forwarding a facsimile transmission, comprising:

providing an electronic message to a transmission server, said electronic message encoding facsimile image data and a destination identification, said transmission server being connected to a digital network;

sending said electronic message over said digital network to an access server, said access server being connected to a telephone line;

upon detection of an incoming telephone call over said telephone line, establishing a data connection over said telephone line;

receiving log-in identification data over said telephone line;

determining whether said log-in identification data corresponds to said destination identification; and upon a determination that said log-in identification data corresponds to said destination identification, sending said electronic message over said telephone line.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said message sent to said access server is an encrypted message, said message being decryptable only with decryption key data, said decryption key data being withheld from said access server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said digital network is the internet, said transmission server and said access server being internet servers .

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of providing includes

providing an encoding unit connected to an additional telephone line, said encoding unit including a memory storing a plurality of network addresses, each network address corresponding to at least one telephone number.

operating said encoding unit to detect a destination telephone number sent over said telephone line; and selecting, from said plurality of network addresses, a destination network address corresponding to said destination telephone number;

receiving at said encoding unit a facsimile transmission sent over said first telephone line;

encoding binary facsimile image data received from said facsimile transmission into encoded facsimile data; generating an electronic message including said encoded facsimile data and said destination network address; establishing a data connection between said encoding unit and said transmission server, and

transmitting said electronic message over said data connection to said transmission server.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said electronic message is an electronic mail message, said network address being an electronic mail address, said step of encoding including the step of converting said binary facsimile image data to ASCII encoded facsimile data.

6. A method of forwarding a facsimile transmission, comprising:

providing an encoding unit connected to a telephone line, said encoding unit including a memory storing a plurality of network addresses, each network address corresponding to at least one telephone number;

operating said encoding unit to detect a destination telephone number sent over said telephone line;

selecting, from said plurality of network addresses, a destination network address corresponding to said destination telephone number,

receiving at said encoding unit a facsimile transmission sent over said first telephone line,

encoding binary facsimile image data received from said facsimile transmission into encoded facsimile data; generating an electronic message including said encoded facsimile data and said destination network address; establishing a data connection between said encoding unit and a transmission server, said transmission server being connected to a digital network;

transmitting said electronic message over said data connection to said transmission server; and

sending said electronic message over said digital network to an access server.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of receiving a facsimile is performed only after said step of operating said encoding unit to detect a destination telephone number.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said digital network is the internet, said transmission server and said access server being internet servers.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

establishing a data connection between said access server and a decoding unit, said decoding unit being attached to an additional telephone line;

sending said electronic message to said decoding unit;

operating said decoding unit to convert said electronic message to binary facsimile image data;

transmitting said binary facsimile image data over said additional telephone line to a receiving facsimile apparatus.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein said electronic message is an electronic mail message, said network address being an electronic mail address, said step of encoding including the step of converting binary facsimile image data to ASCII encoded facsimile data.

1 1. The method of claim 10 wherein said step of converting binary binary facsimile image data to ASCII encoded facsimile data includes the steps of:

storing said binary facsimile image data as a binary file in a directory;

storing said destination telephone number in an additional file in said directory;

compressing said directory to generate a compressed binary file; and

converting said compressed binary file to an ASCII file.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of operating said decoding unit includes the steps of:

converting said ASCII file in said electronic mail message to a compressed binary file,

decompressing said compressed binary file to generate a decompressed directory including said binary facsimile image file and said additional file, said step of transmitting said binary facsimile image data including the steps of dialing on said additional telephone line said destination telephone number stored in said additional file and sending said binary facsimile image data over said telephone line.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein said destination telephone number is sent over said telephone Line as a series of DTMF tones, said step of detecting said destination telephone number including die step of decoding said DTMF tones.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said electronic message is an electronic mail message, said network address being an electronic mail address, said encoded facsimile data including ASCII data encoding said binary facsimile image data

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said access server is connected to an additional telephone Line, further comprising:

upon detection of an incoming telephone call over said additional telephone Line, establishing a data connection over said additional telephone line ;

receiving log-in identification data over said additional telephone line;

determining whether said log-in identification data corresponds to said destination identification, and upon a determination that said log- in identification data corresponds to said destination identification, sending said electronic message over said additional telephone line.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said electronic message is an electronic mail message, said network address being an electronic mail address, said encoded facsimile data in said electronic mail message including ASCII data encoding said binary facsimile image data.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said message sent to said access server is an encrypted message, said message being decryptable only with decryption key data, said decryption key data being withheld from said access server.

18 A facsimile apparatus comprising:

a modem, connectable to a telephone line, for sending and receiving digital data over said telephone line, said modem including means for dialing a telephone number to establish a data connection; scanning means for generating outgoing binary facsimile image data for an outgoing facsimile;

keypad means for receiving a destination telephone number for said outgoing facsimile;

routing means for selecting a transmission route for said outgoing facsimile from the group consisting of a network route and a telephone route, said means for selecting being operatively connected to said modem, such that upon selection of said network route, said modem establishes a data connection with a network server at a preselected network telephone number, and such that upon selection of said telephone route, said modem establishes a data connection with a destination facsimile apparatus at said destination telephone number;

first output means for communicating said outgoing binary facsimile image data to said modem upon establishing a data connection with a destination facsimile apparatus, so that said outgoing binary facsimile image data is transmitted to said destination facsimile apparatus;

encoding means for generating an outgoing electronic message encoding said outgoing binary facsimile image data as encoded facsimile data and including a destination network address corresponding to said destination telephone number; and

second output means for communicating said outgoing electronic message to said modem after establishing a data connection with said network server, so that said outgoing message is sent over said network to said destination network address.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further including a memory for storing digital data, said memory storing a list of network addresses, each of said network addresses corresponding to at least one telephone number, said encoding means including means for selecting said network address from said list of network addresses, said network address corresponding to said destination telephone number.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said routing means includes means for distinguishing an international phone number and a domestic phone number, said routing means selecting said telephone route upon receipt of a domestic phone number from said keypad means and said network route upon receipt of an international phone number from said keypad means.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said outgoing electronic message is an electronic mail message, said encoding means including means for converting binary facsimile image data to ASCII data encoded facsimile data.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said network server is an internet server.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising encryption means for encrypting said outgoing electronic message

24. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising;

printer means for printing incoming binary facsimile image data;

first input means responsive to an incoming telephone call for communicating binary facsimile image data received by said modem to said printing means, so that said facsimile image data is printed;

timing means for periodically instructing said modem to establish a data connection with a network server at a preselected network telephone number;

second input means operatively connected to said modem for receiving an incoming electronic message from said network server over said telephone Line and storing said incoming electronic message in said memory; and

decoding means for converting said incoming electronic message in said memory to binary facsimile image data and communicating said incoming facsimile image data to said printing means, so that said facsimile image data is printed.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said routing means includes means for distinguishing an international phone number and a domestic phone number, said routing means selecting said telephone route upon receipt of a domestic phone number from said keypad means and said network route upon receipt of an international phone number from said keypad means.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said outgoing electronic message is an electronic mail message, said encoding means including means for converting binary facsimile image data to ASCII data encoded facsimile data.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising update means for determining whether said electronic message is an address update message and for revising, upon a determination that said electronic message is an address update message, said list of addresses according to data encoded in said address update message.

28. The apparatus of claim 24, further including a memory for storing digital data, said memory storing a list of network addresses, each of said network addresses corresponding to at least one telephone number, said encoding means including means for selecting said network address from said list of network addresses, said network address corresponding to said destination telephone number

29. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising decryption means for decrypting said incoming electronic message

30. A facsimile communication method comprising:

providing a facsimile machine including, a scanning apparatus, and a modem, said memory storing a list of network addresses, each of said network addresses corresponding to at least one telephone number, said modem being connectable to a telephone line for sending digital data over said telephone line;

scanning an outgoing facsimile document to generate outgoing binary facsimile image data;

entering a destination telephone number for said outgoing facsimile;

selecting a transmission route for said outgoing facsimile from the group consisting of a network route and a telephone route;

upon selection of said telephone route, dialing said destination telephone number to establish a data connection with a destination facsimile apparatus and communicating said outgoing facsimile data to said modem so that said outgoing facsimile data is transmitted to said destination facsimile apparatus; and

upon selection of said network route, selecting a destination network address corresponding to said destination telephone number. encoding said binary facsimile image data into outgoing encoded facsimile data, generating an outgoing electronic message including said outgoing encoded facsimile data and said destination network address, dialing a preselected network telephone number to establish a data connection with a network server, and communicating said outgoing electronic message to said modem after establishing a data connection with said network server, so that said outgoing message is sent by said network server to said destination network address.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said facsimile machine includes a memory for storing digital data, said memory storing a list of network addresses, each of said network addresses corresponding to at least one telephone number, said step of selecting said destination network address including the step of selecting said destination network address from said list of network addresses, said destination network address corresponding to said destination telephone number.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein said step of selecting a transmission route includes the steps of selecting said telephone route if said destination phone number is a domestic phone number and selecting said network route if said destination phone number is an internatoi nal phone number.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein said outgoing electronic message is an electronic mail message, said step of encoding including the step of converting said outgoing binary facsimile image data to ASCII encoded facsimile data.

34. The method of claim 30 wherein said network server is an internet server.

35. The method of claim 30 further comprising the step of encrypting said outgoing electronic message.

36. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

providing a printing apparatus;

upon detection of an incoming call on said telephone line, operating said modem to establish a data connection over said telephone line;

communicating facsimile image data received by said modem from said incoming call to said printing apparatus to print said facsimile image data;

periodically instructing said modem to establish a data connection with a network server at a preselected network telephone number;

upon establishing a data connection with said network server, receiving an incoming electronic message from said network server over said telephone line and storing said incoming electronic message in a memory;

converting said incoming electronic message in said memory to binary facsimile image data; and

communicating said binary facsimile image data to said printing means to print said binary facsimile image data.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein said memory stores a list of network addresses, each of said network addresses corresponding to at least one telephone number, said step of selecting said destination network address including the step of selecting said destination network address from said list of network addresses, said destination network address corresponding to said destination telephone number.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein said step of selecting a transmission route includes the steps of selecting said telephone route if said destination phone number is a domestic phone number and selecting said network route if said destination phone number is an international phone number.

39. The method of claim 36 wherein said outgoing electronic message is an electronic mail message, said step of encoding including the step of converting said outgoing binary facsimile image data to ASCII encoded facsimile data.

40. The method of claim 36, further comprising the steps of determining whether said incoming electronic message is an address update message and, upon a determination that said incoming electronic message is an address update message, revising said list of addresses according to data encoded in said update message.

41. A facsimile apparatus comprising

a modem, connectable to a telephone line, for sending and receiving digital data over said telephone line, said modem including means for dialing a telephone number to establish a data connection;

a memory for storing digital data;

printer means for printing incoming facsimile image data;

first input means responsive to an incoming telephone call for communicating binary facsimile image data received by said modem to said printing means, so that said binary facsimile image data is printed; timing means for periodically instructing said modem to establish a data connection with a network server at a preselected network telephone number,

second input means operatively connected to said modem for receiving an incoming electronic message from said network server over said telephone line and storing said incoming electronic message in said memory.

decoding means for converting said incoming electronic message in said memory to incoming binary facsimile image data and communicating said incoming binary facsimile image data to said printing means, so that said incoming binary facsimile image data is printed.

42. The apparatus of claim 41 wherein said incoming electronic message is an electronic mail message, said decoding means including means for converting ASCII encoded facsimile data in said incoming electronic message to binary facsimile image data.

43. The apparatus of claim 41 wherein said network server is an internet server.

44. The apparatus of claim 41, further comprising decryption means for decrypting said incoming electronic message.

45. A facsimile communication method, comprising:

providing a facsimile machine including a memory, a printing apparatus, and a modem, said modem being connectable to a telephone line for sending and receiving digital data over said telephone line,

upon detection of an incoming call on said telephone line, operating said modem to establish a data connection over said telephone line,

communicating binary facsimile image data received by said modem from said incoming call to said printing apparatus to print said binary facsimile image data,

periodically instructing said modem to establish a data connection with a network server at a preselected network telephone number,

upon establishing a data connection with said network server, receiving an incoming electronic message from said network server over said telephone line and storing said incoming electronic message in said memory,

converting said incoming electronic message in said memory to binary facsimile image data,

communicating said binary facsimile image data to said printing means to print said facsimile image data.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein said incoming electronic message is an electronic mail message, said step of converting said incoming message including the step of converting ASCII encoded facsimile data in said incoming electronic message to binary facsimile image data.

47. The method of claim 45 wherein said network server is an internet server.

48. The method of claim 45, further comprising the step of dencrypting said incoming electronic message

49. A facsimile communication method, comprising: providing a first facsimile machine including a first memory, a scanning apparatus, and a first modem, said first memory storing a list of network addresses, each of said network addresses corresponding to at least one telephone number, said first modem being connected to a first telephone line for sending digital data over said first telephone line;

scanning an outgoing facsimile document to generate outgoing binary facsimile image data.

entering a destination telephone number for said facsimile,

selecting from said memory a destination network address corresponding to said destination telephone number, generating an electronic message including said outgoing binary facsimile image data and said destination network address.

establishing a first data connection between said first modem and a transmission server,

operating said modem to send said electronic message over said data connection to said transmission server, transmitting said electronic message over a data network to an access server,

providing a second facsimile machine including a second memory, a second modem, and a printing apparatus, said second modem being connected to a second telephone line,

establishing a data connection between said second modem and said access server over said second telephone line, transmitting said electronic message from said access server to said second modem.

storing said electronic message in said second memory,

converting said encoded facsimile data from said electronic message in said memory to binary facsimile image data, and

printing said binary facsimile image data on said printing apparatus.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein said electronic message is an electronic mail message, said step of generating said message including the step of converting said outgoing binary facsimile image data to ASCII encoded facsimile data.

51. The method of claim 49 wherein said electronic message is an electronic mail message, said step of converting said encoded facsimile data including the step of converting said encoded facsimile data from ASCII encoded facsimile data to binary facsimile image data.

52. The method of claim 49 wherein said digital network is the internet, said transmitting server and said access server being internet servers

53. The method of claim 49 wherein encryption key data is stored in said first memory and corresponding dectyption key data is stored in said second memory, further comprising the steps of encrypting said encoded facsimile data using said encryption key data prior to transmitting said electronic message to said transmission server, and decrypting said encoded facsimile data using said decryption key data only after transmitting said electronic message to said second memory

54. The method of claim 53 wherein said encryption key is a public key and said decryption key is a corresponding private key.

55. The method of claim 49 wherein encryption key data is stored in said first memory and corresponding decryption key data is stored in said second memory, further comprising the steps of encrypting said binary facsimile image data using said encryption key data prior to transmitting said electronic message to said transmission server, and decrypting said binary facsimile image data using said decryption key data only after transmitting said electronic message to said second memory.

56. The method of claim 55 wherein said encryption key is a public key and said decryption key is a corresponding private key.