 |
Claims  |
|
|
I claim:
1. A method for enhancing communication of sender facsimile data between a
sender at a transmitting facsimile machine and an intended recipient at a
receiving facsimile machine, said method comprising the steps of:
receiving sender facsimile data transmitted by a sender from a transmitting
facsimile machine;
storing the sender facsimile data;
analyzing at least a portion of the sender facsimile data to identify a
notification facsimile telephone number and a confirmation facsimile
telephone number;
transmitting generated notification facsimile data to a facsimile machine
at the notification facsimile telephone number, including steps of
randomly generating a confidential retrieval code and including the
confidential retrieval code in tile notification facsimile data to appear
on output of the facsimile machine at the notification facsimile telephone
number;
transmitting at least a portion of the sender facsimile data to a receiving
facsimile machine during a telephone call from an intended recipient at
the receiving facsimile machine upon receiving the confidential retrieval
code from the intended recipient during the telephone call; and
transmitting generated confirmation facsimile data to a facsimile machine
at the confirmation facsimile telephone number after transmitting the
sender facsimile data to the receiving facsimile machine.
2. A method for enhancing communication of sender facsimile data between a
sender at a transmitting facsimile machine and an intended recipient at a
receiving facsimile machine, said method comprising the steps of:
receiving sender facsimile data transmitted by a sender from a transmitting
facsimile machine, wherein the sender facsimile data includes data
representing a confidential retrieval code;
storing the sender facsimile data;
analyzing at least a portion of the sender facsimile data to identify a
notification facsimile telephone number, a confirmation facsimile
telephone number and the confidential retrieval code;
transmitting generated notification facsimile data to a facsimile machine
at the notification facsimile telephone number;
transmitting at least a portion of the sender facsimile data to a receiving
facsimile machine during a telephone call from an intended recipient at
the receiving facsimile machine upon receiving the confidential retrieval
code from the intended recipient during the telephone call; and
transmitting generated confirmation facsimile data to a facsimile machine
at the confirmation facsimile telephone number after transmitting the
sender facsimile data to the receiving facsimile machine.
3. A method for enhancing communication of sender facsimile data between a
sender at a transmitting facsimile machine and an intended recipient at a
receiving facsimile machine, said method comprising the steps of:
receiving sender facsimile data transmitted by a sender from a transmitting
facsimile machine;
storing the sender facsimile data;
analyzing at least a portion of the sender facsimile data to identify a
notification facsimile telephone number and a confirmation facsimile
telephone number, including analyzing at least a portion of the sender
facsimile data in an attempt to identify a confidential retrieval code;
transmitting generated notification facsimile data to a facsimile machine
at the notification facsimile telephone number, including, contingent upon
not identifying a confidential retrieval code from the sender facsimile
data, the steps of randomly generating a confidential retrieval code and
including the randomly generated confidential retrieval code in the
notification facsimile data to appear on the output of the facsimile
machine at the notification facsimile telephone number;
transmitting at least a portion of the sender facsimile data to a receiving
facsimile machine during a telephone call from an intended recipient at
the receiving facsimile machine upon receiving a confidential retrieval
code from the intended recipient during the telephone call; and
transmitting generated confirmation facsimile data to a facsimile machine
at the confirmation facsimile telephone number after transmitting the
sender facsimile data to the receiving facsimile machine.
4. A facsimile store and forward facility for enhancing communication of
sender facsimile data through a public switched telephone network between
a sender at a transmitting facsimile machine and an intended recipient at
a receiving facsimile machine, said facility comprising:
a telephone connection means for connecting said store and forward facility
through a public switched telephone network to a transmitting facsimile
machine and a receiving facsimile machine;
a storage means connected to said telephone connection means for storing
sender facsimile data received from said transmitting facsimile machine
through said public switched telephone network and said telephone
connection means;
a recognition means connected to said storage means for recognizing
characters in said sender facsimile data including, at least, a means for
recognizing a notification facsimile telephone number and a confirmation
facsimile telephone number; and
a control means for controlling said facsimile store and forward facility,
said control means including, at least,
a notification means for generating notification facsimile data and for
transmitting said notification facsimile data to a facsimile machine at
said notification facsimile telephone number, wherein said notification
means includes, at least, a retrieval code means for randomly generating a
confidential retrieval code and for including said confidential retrieval
code with said notification facsimile data to appear on output from said
facsimile machine at said notification facsimile telephone number,
a delivery means for transmitting at least a portion of said sender
facsimile data to a receiving facsimile machine during a telephone call
frown an intended recipient at said receiving facsimile machine, said
delivery means including, at least, a security means for requiring the
intended recipient to supply the confidential retrieval code before any
portion of said sender facsimile data is subsequently transmitted to said
receiving facsimile machine, and
a confirmation means responsive to said delivery means for generating
confirmation facsimile data and for transmitting said confirmation
facsimile data to a facsimile machine at said confirmation facsimile
telephone number.
5. A facsimile store and forward facility for enhancing communication of
sender facsimile data through a public switched telephone network between
a sender at a transmitting facsimile machine and an intended recipient at
a receiving facsimile machine, said facility comprising:
a telephone connection means for connecting said store and forward facility
through a public switched telephone network to a transmitting facsimile
machine and a receiving facsimile machine;
a storage means connected to said telephone connection means for storing
sender facsimile data received from said transmitting facsimile machine
through said public switched telephone network and said telephone
connection means;
a recognition means connected to said storage means for recognizing
characters in said sender facsimile data including, at least, a means for
recognizing a notification facsimile telephone number, a confirmation
facsimile telephone number, and a confidential retrieval code; and
a control means for controlling said facsimile store and forward facility,
said control means including, at least,
a notification means for generating notification facsimile data and for
transmitting said notification facsimile data to a facsimile machine at
said notification facsimile telephone number, wherein said notification
means includes, at least, a retrieval code means responsive to said
recognition means not recognizing said confidential retrieval code in said
sender facsimile data for randomly generating said confidential retrieval
code and for including said confidential retrieval code with said
notification facsimile data to appear on output from said facsimile
machine at said notification facsimile telephone number
a delivery means for transmitting at least a portion of said sender
facsimile data to a receiving facsimile machine during a telephone call
from an intended recipient at said receiving facsimile machine, said
delivery means including, at least, a security means for requiring the
intended recipient to supply the confidential retrieval code before any
portion of said sender facsimile data is subsequently transmitted to said
receiving facsimile machine, and
a confirmation means responsive to said delivery means for generating
confirmation facsimile data and for transmitting said confirmation
facsimile data to a facsimile machine at said confirmation facsimile
telephone number. |
|
 |
|
 |
Claims |
|
|
|
Description |
|
|
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the field of facsimile
telecommunications, and more specifically, to the field of facsimile store
and forward facilities.
The transfer of information using facsimile technology has become a very
widespread and important mode of communication. A very large number of
facsimile machines are currently in use as essential components of many
businesses. Unfortunately, while facsimile technology has existed for many
years now, the conventional method of facsimile communication has several
rather serious drawbacks. While conventional facsimile communication can
often be faster, less expensive, and more convenient than other forms of
information transfer, such as the postal service or courier document
delivery services, facsimile communication is currently plagued by many
new and old problems which may delay or prevent the transfer of
information.
Many problems related to conventional facsimile communication are well
known. It is very common for destination numbers to be busy or unavailable
due to heavy usage, time zone incompatibilities, etc., often forcing the
sender of facsimile information to inconveniently attempt to complete the
call later. Thus, destination availability is an area of risk for
conventional facsimile communication. Another area of risk surrounds the
phase of actually electronically transferring information to the correct
destination facsimile machine to generate a hard copy. For instance, it is
not uncommon for senders of facsimile information to make mistakes in
dialing destination facsimile telephone numbers, for switching equipment
in public and private networks to fail or misdirect a call, or even for
facsimile information to be overwritten in facsimile machines with limited
amounts of storage memory. Thus, in addition to destination availability,
the electronic transfer phase is another area of risk for conventional
facsimile communication.
Other problems of conventional facsimile communication relate to the
physical phase of transferring a facsimile hard copy output from a
destination facsimile machine to the intended recipient. This area of risk
for conventional facsimile communication arises from the inherent
separation between people and facsimile machines. Put simply, while most
facsimile machines are stationary, people are not. For a variety of
reasons, including the current state of facsimile technology, most people
do not continuously carry portable facsimile machines wherever they go.
Consequently, the actual transfer of facsimile information between people,
rather than simply between facsimile machines, is still at risk to a
variety of circumstances delaying, or even preventing, the transfer.
Unless the intended recipient happens to be standing at the receiving
facsimile machine when a hard copy is generated, the next best scenario is
that the hard copy is immediately noticed by someone else who personally
takes the hard copy to the intended recipient. Unfortunately, it is much
more common that (i) the hard copy is ignored for a long period of time in
a facsimile tray, in an employee mail slot, on an intermediate employee's
desk, or in a variety of other places, (ii) the hard copy is mistakenly
directed to, or obtained by, an employee other than the intended
recipient, or (iii) the hard copy is mistakenly thrown away. These are
only a few of the reasons the physical phase of transferring a facsimile
hard copy to an intended recipient is an area of risk for conventional
facsimile communication.
Despite the many problems related to facsimile communication, senders often
incorrectly assume that successful facsimile communication has taken
place. Senders often mistakenly rely on so-called "confirmation" printouts
from the sending facsimile machines even though such indications do not
confirm communication with the intended recipient person but merely
suggest that information has been transferred to some machine somewhere.
Moreover, many of the previously-identified problems are intensified and
create additional frustration when information to be communicated is
especially important, urgent, or confidential.
Others in the past have offered systems and methods for addressing these
and the above concerns, all of which have thus far failed to obtain
widespread adoption by the majority of facsimile users. One proposed
solution involves facsimile store and forward facilities (F-SAFF's) which
provide various facsimile mailbox services to authorized subscribing users
or owners of such systems. In addition to often being unavailable to
members of the general public without prior, known established
relationships with senders or intended recipients, most previous systems
fail to provide senders with significant control, confirmation, or
monitoring options. A sender is unable to discourage undesirable viewing
of confidential information by those other than the intended recipient or
confirm or monitor communication of urgent or important information with
the actual intended recipient. Consequently, it is very common for senders
and intended recipients to engage in very unproductive and time consuming
processes of personally attempting to verify successful facsimile
communication.
There is, therefore, a need in the industry for a system which addresses
these and other related, and unrelated, problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, the present invention includes a sender-based facsimile
store and forward facility (F-SAFF) which, in its most preferred method
and apparatus embodiments, enhances facsimile communication through a
public switched telephone network (PSTN) between a sender at a
transmitting facsimile machine and an intended recipient at a receiving
facsimile machine. Store and forward services are provided which help
ensure confidential, timely delivery of facsimile information. Sender
facsimile data is directed to the F-SAFF which, for each transmission,
analyzes the sender facsimile bitmapped image data to recognize a
notification facsimile telephone number and a confirmation facsimile
telephone number, transmits generated notification facsimile data to a
facsimile machine at the notification facsimile telephone number to
produce a notification report providing notification of pending, available
confidential facsimile data, transmits sender facsimile data to a
receiving facsimile machine during a telephone call from the intended
recipient at the receiving facsimile machine upon receiving a valid
confidential retrieval code from the intended recipient, and subsequently
transmits generated confirmation facsimile data to a facsimile machine at
the confirmation facsimile telephone number to produce a delivery
confirmation report suggesting delivery not only to a facsimile machine,
but to the intended recipient.
To utilize the sender-based F-SAFF of the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, a sender initiates a facsimile transmission to the
F-SAFF. If the sender is utilizing a conventional facsimile machine, the
sender first obtains and completes a pre-printed, specialized waybill form
for use as a cover sheet for the facsimile transmission. The sender
completes the waybill form by providing various types of information
through marking on the waybill form in defined mark image areas by hand or
with the help of a typewriter or other printing device. The various types
of information include, among many others, the sender's name, the sender's
voice telephone number, the intended recipient's name, a notification
facsimile telephone number (such as the intended recipient's facsimile
telephone number), a confirmation facsimile telephone number (such as the
sender's facsimile telephone number), an indication of a desired billing
method, a billing account number, a sender signature, an optional
sender-generated retrieval code, and an optional notification comment.
Most mark image areas on the waybill form are character image areas
bordered by character boxes and grouped according to information type. For
the billing method indication, the waybill form includes selection box
image areas inside which the sender is to mark a check or other mark
indicating selection, and for the sender signature and the optional
notification comment, the waybill form includes free form image areas
defining large blocks of space within which the sender is able is to
provide free form markings.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the F-SAFF
also accepts sender facsimile data from other sources in addition to
conventional facsimile machines, such as facsimile-equipped computers,
personal digital assistants, and other data computers operating in both
facsimile and non-facsimile communication formats. Thus, in operating
certain of these devices a sender is able to simply respond to device
prompts and pre-define various options so that the device automatically
generates sender data for a routing page equivalent to the data
representing the waybill form routing page used with conventional
facsimile machines. Also, the scope of the present invention includes
receiving sender facsimile data from network facsimile servers and from
conventional facsimile machines connected to the F-SAFF by specialized
facsimile interfaces. Furthermore, the present invention includes,
according to alternate configurations, detecting at least a portion of the
information ordinarily provided on the waybill form by interpreting DTMF
digits or voice signals provided by the sender over an ordinary telephone.
Upon receiving a call from any sender in the general public, the F-SAFF
creates a job profile record which, unlike a mailbox system, is created
without regard to any prior relationships between the F-SAFF and the
sender or the F-SAFF and the intended recipient. Furthermore, the job
profile record is created without any initial link to the identity of the
intended recipient. The F-SAFF then executes a receive routine (based on a
recognition of the number dialed by the sender) to receive the sender
facsimile data through the PSTN. A store routine is then executed to
convert the data into a storage format and store the data in a mass
storage subsystem. Then, according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, the F-SAFF gives the sender the option of leaving a
voice message which is also converted and stored in the mass storage
subsystem. In other embodiments, this option is omitted.
The F-SAFF then begins an analysis routine by first analyzing the sender
facsimile data to identify the sender-completed waybill form portion of
the sender facsimile data. A unique waybill number is pre-assigned to each
waybill form and is represented on the waybill form in both bar code and
conventional numeric formats. The waybill page is identified by locating
the bar code representation of the waybill number and identifying the
waybill number. The sender facsimile data representing the waybill page is
then analyzed to segment the data into data representing standardized form
areas and data representing mark image areas on the waybill page where the
sender is to provide markings. The data representing mark image areas
includes selection box data representing selection box image areas, free
form data representing the free form image areas, and character image data
representing individual character image areas. The address of the stored
free form data, if non-blank, is saved in the job profile record.
A character recognition process then converts the bitmapped image data for
each character image into an ASCII (American Standard Code for Information
Interchange) character. The character recognition methods include first
attempting to recognize each character through electronic optical
character recognition means. Then, for character image data representative
of character image areas for which the intelligent electronic means fails
to attain a minimum likelihood of accuracy, bitmapped image data is
displayed on a display screen to one or more human operators who audibly
identify the characters to voice recognition devices controlled by the
F-SAFF. Also, if a human operator is unable to identify one or more
necessary characters, or if necessary image fields are blank, the human
operator will attempt to call the sender at the sender voice telephone
number to obtain the necessary information. Since the job profile record
includes character fields for each type of character information on the
waybill form, such as the sender's name, a plurality of ASCII characters
are saved in each character field. The selection box data is analyzed to
determine the desired billing method. In addition to the results of the
analysis being saved in the job profile record, depending on the selected
billing method, the billing information is validated. If the confidential
retrieval code field contains blanks, indicating that the sender did not
enter a sender-generated retrieval code, the F-SAFF generates a retrieval
code and stores that code in the job profile record.
Subsequently, dependent on successful completion of the recognition
process, a notification routine is initiated to generate and transmit
notification facsimile data to notify the intended recipient that
facsimile data is stored and available for retrieval by the intended
recipient. The F-SAFF creates a notification image file by merging a
standardized template image file with selected data from the job profile
record. The standardized template image file includes the basic outline
and structure of the notification image file along with instructions for
retrieving the stored facsimile information, including a telephone number
to call. The selected data from the job profile record includes, among
other information, the intended recipient's name, the sender's name, the
confidential retrieval code if generated by the F-SAFF (the word "PRIVATE"
is included in the notification image file if the sender marked a
sender-generated retrieval code on the waybill form), the free-form
comment field, and the name and voice telephone number of an operator
available to provide assistance if all pages are not complete when later
delivered. After being generated, the notification image file is
transmitted to a facsimile machine at the notification facsimile telephone
number to produce a notification report. Subsequently, and at timed
intervals, the notification transmission is repeated until the sender
facsimile data is delivered or until the expiration of a maximum amount of
time. Since the F-SAFF is designed to be continuously available, the
conventional area of risk surrounding destination availability is reduced
by the present invention. Additionally, by providing a unique notification
method, the specialized notification report increases the likelihood that
important, urgent, or confidential information will be delivered in a
timely manner.
A deliver routine is initiated when an intended recipient, or authorized
agent thereof, responds to the notification report and, from any location
with a facsimile machine coupled to the telephone line, calls the F-SAFF
at the number printed on the notification report. Upon receiving the call
and beginning the deliver routine (based upon a recognition of the number
dialed by the intended recipient), the F-SAFF plays an audio prompt asking
the intended recipient to enter the confidential retrieval code. After
receiving the correct code, the F-SAFF, dependent on the selected billing
method, prompts for, and verifies, a recipient billing account number.
Then, the F-SAFF plays any accompanying sender voice message and
subsequently prompts the recipient to prepare to receive the sender
facsimile data. The sender facsimile data (other than the data
representing the waybill form image) is then transferred to the intended
recipient, and the job profile record is updated. Thus, since the sender
facsimile information is not transferred until the intended recipient, or
authorized agent thereof, indicates readiness to accept the information,
the present invention reduces conventional risks in the areas associated
with the electronic transfer phase and the physical phase of transferring
a facsimile hard copy to an intended recipient.
Subsequently, a delivery confirmation routine is initiated. The delivery
confirmation routine generates and transmits confirmation facsimile data
to a facsimile machine at the confirmation facsimile telephone number to
produce a confirmation report. In a manner similar to the notification
routine, the delivery confirmation routine creates a confirmation image
file by merging a standardized template image file with selected data from
the job profile record. After transmission, the F-SAFF closes the job
profile record, deletes the stored sender facsimile image data, and
presents the information for account processing. Thus, unlike the
conventional confirmation report which indicates successful transmission
to a facsimile machine, receipt of the confirmation report of the present
invention better ensures that the intended recipient received the sender
facsimile information since the information would not be transferred
absent action by the intended recipient or agent thereof.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the F-SAFF also
provides a monitoring service whereby delivery status information is made
available to the sender. Upon receiving a call and beginning a deliver
routine (based upon a recognition of the number dialed by the sender), the
F-SAFF plays an audio prompt asking the sender to enter the waybill
number. After receiving the waybill number from the sender, the F-SAFF
determines the status of the job by referring to the job profile record
associated with that waybill number. If the sender facsimile information
has already been delivered, the sender is so advised. If the sender
facsimile information has not been delivered because of a termination of
the process, the sender is advised of the reason for termination. If the
F-SAFF | | |
