Patent US2540032A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US6356356B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6356356B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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System and method for transmitting a fax to an E-mail address
Assignee: Alcatel Lucent SAS
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Filing: 1998-12-16
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Granted: 2002-03-12
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Expires: 2018-12-16
Abstract
Abstract A system for sending a fax to one or more e-mail addresses is provided which consists of a fax interceptor ( 28 ), a scanner ( 34 ), an e-mail creator ( 36 ) and an e-mail sender ( 38 ). The fax interceptor ( 28 ) receives a fax transmission and, using the scanner ( 34 ), scans the fax searching for destination e-mail addresses. The e-mail creator ( 36 ) creates an e-mail message addressed to each destination e-mail address. The e-mail creator ( 36 ) also attaches the fax image to each e-mail message. The e-mail sender ( 38 ) sends the created e-mail message to the destination e-mail addresses.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald W. Miller, Jr.
- 👤 Kathryn J. Brandt
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 08:58
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/00127; H04N1/00204; H04N1/00206; H04N1/00209; H04N1/32; H04N1/34; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/0008; H04N2201/0015; H04N2201/0017; H04N2201/0018; H04N2201/0034; H04N2201/0065; H04N2201/0067; H04N2201/0068; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3201; H04N2201/3212; H04N2201/3214; H04N2201/3215; H04N2201/3216; H04N2201/3218; H04N2201/3278
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
180 words
A system for sending a fax to an e-mail address, comprising: a fax interceptor operable to receive a digital image from a source fax machine; a scanning module coupled to the fax interceptor, the scanning module operable to locate one or more e-mail addresses in the digital image; an e-mail creator coupled to the fax interceptor and operable to generate an e-mail message for each e-mail address, the e-mail creator attaching the digital image to each generated e-mail message; an e-mail sender coupled to the fax interceptor, the e-mail sender operable to send the e-mail messages to an e-mail destination identified by the e-mail addresses, a source telephone number identifier operable to identify a source telephone number of the source fax machine; a database of subscribers of a fax to e-mail service, the database accessible by the source telephone number; and an authorization module operable to determine whether the source telephone number is authorized to transmit a fax to e-mail addresses, the authorization module operable to authorize the sending of the fax to e-mail destinations identified by the e-mail addresses.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
180 words
A system for sending a fax to an e-mail address, comprising: a fax interceptor operable to receive a digital image from a source fax machine; a scanning module coupled to the fax interceptor, the scanning module operable to locate one or more e-mail addresses in the digital image; an e-mail creator coupled to the fax interceptor and operable to generate an e-mail message for each e-mail address, the e-mail creator attaching the digital image to each generated e-mail message; an e-mail sender coupled to the fax interceptor, the e-mail sender operable to send the e-mail messages to an e-mail destination identified by the e-mail addresses, a source telephone number identifier operable to identify a source telephone number of the source fax machine; a database of subscribers of a fax to e-mail service, the database accessible by the source telephone number; and an authorization module operable to determine whether the source telephone number is authorized to transmit a fax to e-mail addresses, the authorization module operable to authorize the sending of the fax to e-mail destinations identified by the e-mail addresses.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system of claim 1 , wherein the scanning module uses optical character recognition to locate the e-mail address in the digital image.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 1 , wherein the source telephone number is identified using a caller-id system.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
36 words
The system of claim 1 , further comprising an acknowledgment generator coupled to the fax interceptor, the acknowledgment generator operable to generate an acknowledgment fax and to send the acknowledgment fax to the source telephone number.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 4 , wherein the generated acknowledgment includes at least a date, a time, a number of pages received, a number of pages sent, and the e-mail addresses.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a log file to track all uses of the fax to e-mail service; and a billing module operable to bill subscribers in the database of subscribers for use of the fax to e-mail service.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 6 , wherein subscribers are billed for faxes sent to an e-mail address.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 7 , wherein subscribers are billed for every fax sent to an e-mail address.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of claim 7 , wherein subscribers are billed a flat rate on a periodic basis for access to the service.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of sending a document to an e-mail address using a fax machine, comprising: receiving a digital document image; locating one or more e-mail addresses in the digital document image; generating an e-mail message addressed to each e-mail address; attaching the digital document image to the e-mail message; sending the e-mail message according to the e-mail addresses; identifying a source telephone number of the digital document image; and verifying that the source telephone number allows for the digital document image to be sent via the e-mail message.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of sending a document to an e-mail address using a fax machine, comprising: receiving a digital document image; locating one or more e-mail addresses in the digital document image; generating an e-mail message addressed to each e-mail address; attaching the digital document image to the e-mail message; sending the e-mail message according to the e-mail addresses; identifying a source telephone number of the digital document image; and verifying that the source telephone number allows for the digital document image to be sent via the e-mail message.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 10 , wherein the verifying step includes locating the source telephone number in a database of subscribers.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 10 , further comprising: faxing an acknowledgment fax to the source telephone number, the acknowledgment fax including at least a date, a time, a number of pages received, a number of pages sent, and the e-mail addresses.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of sending a document to an e-mail address using a fax machine, comprising: receiving a digital document image; locating one or more e-mail addresses in the digital document image; generating an e-mail message addressed to each e-mail address; attaching the digital document image to the e-mail message; sending the e-mail message according to the e-mail addresses; identifying a source telephone number of the digital document image; and tracking each time a digital document image from the source telephone number is sent via the e-mail message.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
87 words
A method of sending a document to an e-mail address using a fax machine, comprising: receiving a digital document image; locating one or more e-mail addresses in the digital document image; generating an e-mail message addressed to each e-mail address; attaching the digital document image to the e-mail message; sending the e-mail message according to the e-mail addresses; identifying a source telephone number of the digital document image; and tracking each time a digital document image from the source telephone number is sent via the e-mail message.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 13 , wherein the tracking step includes writing usage information to a log file including at least a date, a time, a number of pages received, a number of pages sent, a source telephone number, and the e-mail addresses.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 13 , further comprising: billing subscribers to the fax to e-mail service for use of the fax to e-mail service.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein the billing step includes billing subscribers for every use of the fax to e-mail service.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein the billing step includes billing subscribers a flat fee on a periodic basis for access to the service.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 13 , further comprising: faxing an acknowledgment fax to the source telephone number, the acknowledgment fax including at least a date, a time, a number of pages received, a number of pages sent, and the e-mail addresses.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-03-11 | 2005-09-10 | 2006-03-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-03-11 | 2009-09-10 | 2010-03-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-03-11 | 2013-09-10 | 2014-03-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |