US 10,652,425 B2 · System and method for selectively sending, delivery and receiving of faxes

Abstract

Embodiment of systems and methods for the sending, delivery or receiving of faxes are disclosed herein. In particular, certain embodiments include a fax connector that may be deployed at users' sites, and a fax registration system that may be deployed remotely from these users' site. The fax connector can be accessed at a user's site over a computer based network in order to perform functions associated with faxing, including sending, receiving and obtaining status on faxes. The fax connector deployed at a sending user's site communicates with the fax registration system to obtain destination data associated with a recipient user's fax connector and transmits the fax to the destination fax connector over the computer based network based on the destination data obtained from the registration system. The fax can then be presented to the recipient at the recipient user's site.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims12

Dependent claims

A system for faxing, comprising:

a fax registration system coupled to a plurality of remote fax systems over a computer network, the fax registration system including:
a registration system table comprising destination data including a registered destination associated with a remote fax system, the registered destination data associated with a destination on a publicly switched telephone network (PSTN);
and
a registration interface for obtaining destination data stored in the registration system table and for synchronizing destination data in the registration system table with a connector table at each of the plurality of the remote fax systems,
wherein each remote fax system is deployed at a location remote from the fax registration system and is adapted to:
send a synchronization request to the registration interface of the fax registration system,
receive destination data from the fax registration system,
store destination data in the connector table at the remote fax system,
receive a request to send a fax from a client device at the remote location, wherein the fax is associated with a first destination on the publicly switched telephone network (PSTN),
access the connector table at the remote fax system to determine if the first destination associated with the fax is registered in the connector table,
transmit the fax to the first destination over the PSTN when the first destination associated with the fax is not registered in the connector table at the remote fax system, and
when the first destination associated with the fax is registered in the connector table:
request a second destination associated with the first destination from the fax registration system through the registration interface of the fax registration system,
receive the second destination from the fax registration system, and
transmit the fax over the computer network to the second destination, wherein the second destination is associated with a proxy receiver system adapted to determine a third destination on the computer network associated with the first destination and the fax is transmitted from the proxy receiver system to the third destination over the computer network.

12 more elements

A method for faxing, comprising:

providing a fax registration system coupled to a plurality of remote fax systems over a computer network, the fax registration system:
providing a registration system table comprising destination data including a registered destination associated with a remote fax system, the registered destination data associated with a destination on a publicly switched telephone network (PSTN);
and
providing a registration interface for obtaining destination data stored in the registration system table and for synchronizing destination data in the registration system table with a connector table at each of the plurality of the remote fax systems,
wherein each remote fax system is deployed at a location remote from the fax registration system and is adapted to:
send a synchronization request to the registration interface of the fax registration system,
receive destination data from the fax registration system,
store destination data in the connector table at the remote fax system,
receive a request to send a fax from a client device at the remote location, wherein the fax is associated with a first destination on the publicly switched telephone network (PSTN),
access the connector table at the remote fax system to determine if the first destination associated with the fax is registered in the connector table,
transmit the fax to the first destination over the PSTN when the first destination associated with the fax is not registered in the connector table at the remote fax system, and
when the first destination associated with the fax is registered in the connector table:
request a second destination associated with the first destination from the fax registration system through the registration interface of the fax registration system,
receive the second destination from the fax registration system, and
transmit the fax over the computer network to the second destination wherein the second destination is associated with a proxy receiver system adapted to determine a third destination on the computer network associated with the first destination and the fax is transmitted from the proxy receiver system to the third destination over the computer network.

12 more elements

A non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising instructions for:

at a fax registration system coupled to a plurality of remote fax systems over a computer network, the fax registration system, the fax registration system:
providing a registration system table comprising destination data including a registered destination associated with a remote fax system, the registered destination data associated with a destination on a publicly switched telephone network (PSTN);
and
providing a registration interface for obtaining destination data stored in the registration system table and for synchronizing destination data in the registration system table with a connector table at each of the plurality of the remote fax systems,
wherein each remote fax system is deployed at a location remote from the fax registration system and is adapted to:
send a synchronization request to the registration interface of the fax registration system,
receive destination data from the fax registration system,
store destination data in the connector table at the remote local fax system,
receive a request to send a fax from a client device at the remote location, wherein the fax is associated with a first destination on the publicly switched telephone network (PSTN),
access the connector table at the remote fax system to determine if the first destination associated with the fax is registered in the connector table,
transmit the fax to the first destination over the PSTN when the first destination associated with the fax is not registered in the connector table at the remote fax system, and
when the first destination associated with the fax is registered in the connector table:
request a second destination associated with the first destination from the fax registration system through the registration interface of the fax registration system,
receive the second destination from the fax registration system, and
transmit the fax over the computer network to the second destination, wherein the second destination is associated with a proxy receiver system adapted to determine a third destination on the computer network associated with the first destination and the fax is transmitted from the proxy receiver system to the third destination over the computer network.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description9,658 words

Summary1,141 words

#This disclosure relates generally to digital content delivery in a network environment. More particularly, this disclosure relates to the transmission, delivery or reception of data through computer based networks or telephone networks. Even more specifically, this disclosure relates to the transmission, delivery or reception of faxes through computer based networks or telephone networks.

#Entities such as consumers, organizations, enterprises, governments, etc. need to exchange data for a variety of reasons, as may be easily imagined. In the modern world, this data exchange is often times accomplished electronically using a variety of methodologies. These methodologies include, for example, local storage (e.g. a thumb driver holding the data which can be physically delivered to a recipient), file transfer using particular protocols (e.g. file transfer protocol (FTP)), sending an email with an attachment, facsimile (fax), etc.

#While all these methods serve the same end, each of these methodologies has differing capabilities with respect to various characteristics such as ease of use, speed, security (e.g. the ability to resist interception or tampering), traceability, cost, etc. For example, using local storage may not feasible if two entities are widely dispersed geographically, while email attachments may not be secure enough to address some entities' concerns.

Brief description of the drawings5 figures

#The drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification are included to depict certain aspects of the invention. A clearer impression of the invention, and of the components and operation of systems provided with the invention, will become more readily apparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore nonlimiting, embodiments illustrated in the drawings, wherein identical reference numerals designate the same components. Note that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

#FIG. 1 depicts one embodiment of an architecture for a faxing system.

#FIG. 2 depicts one embodiment of an architecture for a faxing system.

Detailed description8,381 words

#The invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the nonlimiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well known starting materials, processing techniques, components and equipment are omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the invention in detail. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only and not by way of limitation. Various substitutions, modifications, additions and/or rearrangements within the spirit and/or scope of the underlying inventive concept will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure. Embodiments discussed herein can be implemented in suitable computer-executable instructions that may reside on a computer readable medium (e.g., a hard disk (HD)), hardware circuitry or the like, or any combination.

#As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, product, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, product, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

#Additionally, any examples or illustrations given herein are not to be regarded in any way as restrictions on, limits to, or express definitions of, any term or terms with which they are utilized. Instead, these examples or illustrations are to be regarded as being described with respect to one particular embodiment and as illustrative only. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any term or terms with which these examples or illustrations are utilized will encompass other embodiments which may or may not be given therewith or elsewhere in the specification and all such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of that term or terms. Language designating such nonlimiting examples and illustrations includes, but is not limited to: “for example,” “for instance,” “e.g.,” “in one embodiment.”

Facts

Application

15/860,220Filed 2 Jan 2018 · continuation

Priority

27 Jun 2011

Published

US 2018/0146112 A124 May 2018

Granted

12 May 2020

Term ends

20 Jun 2032

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 20 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification17 codes

H04N 1/32619
Related to a single-mode communication, e.g. at the transmitter or at the receiver: with retransmission
H04N 1/0001
Relating to particular apparatus or devices: transmission systems or arrangements
H04N 1/00037
Methods therefor: detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state
H04N 1/0005
Methods therefor: in service, i.e. during normal operation

Family

Application61/501,549Us provisional application · filed 27 Jun 2011

Application13/485,140Parent of this continuation · filed 31 May 2012

Application14/612,969Parent of this continuation · filed 3 Feb 2015

US 8,995,025 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 31 Mar 2015

US 2018/0146112 A1Pre-grant publication · published 24 May 2018

US 9,912,833 B2Parent of this continuation

Application14/612,969Parent of this continuation

US 2014/0307294 A1Published application

US 2015/0181075 A1Published application

US 10,652,425 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

27 Jun 2011Priority claimedParent application 61/501,549
2 Jan 2018Application filedUS 15/860,220
3 Jan 2018Assigned to Open Text S.A.assignment of assignor's interest
3 Jan 2018Assigned to Ot IP Sub, LLCip business sale agreement
3 Jan 2018Assigned to IP Ot Sub Ulccertificate of continuance
3 Jan 2018Assigned to Open Text SA Ulccertificate of amalgamation
24 May 2018PublishedUS 2018/0146112 A1
12 May 2020GrantedUS 10,652,425 B2
12 Oct 2026TodayWithin its term
20 Jun 2032Term endsEstimated, includes 20 days of adjustment

System and method for selectively sending, delivery and receiving of faxes

Life of this patent

System and method for selectively sending, delivery and receiving of faxes

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims12

Description9,658 words

Drawings

Classification17 codes

Life of this patent

Description9,658 words