Method and system for special processing of fax transmissions

A method performed by a programmed processor of a fax service provider server, the method comprising:

• receiving, over a computer network and from a source device, a first searchable electronic document for fax transmission to a fax telephone number;
• determining whether the first searchable electronic document is to be transmitted as a fax or as an electronic message based on the fax telephone number;
• in response to determining that the first searchable electronic document is to be transmitted as an electronic message,
• generating a second searchable electronic document from the first searchable electronic document, the second searchable electronic document having all searchable text and image data of the first searchable electronic document;
• adding an electronic signature to the second searchable electronic document, wherein the electronic signature i) authenticates said all searchable text and image data that is within the second searchable electronic document and ii) includes at least one of a timestamp of when the first searchable electronic document was received, a number of pages of the second searchable electronic document, and source device information;
• and
• transmitting, over the computer network, the electronic message that includes the second searchable electronic document to a destination address according to the fax telephone number.

A

• non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein which when executed by a fax service provider server causes the fax service provider server to
• receive, over a computer network and from a source device, a first searchable electronic document and a fax telephone number to which the document is to be routed as a fax transmission;
• determine that the first searchable electronic document is to be transmitted as an electronic message over the computer network based on the fax telephone number;
• generate a second searchable electronic document from the first searchable electronic document, the second searchable electronic document having all searchable text and image data of the first searchable electronic document;
• add an electronic signature to the second searchable electronic document, wherein the electronic signature i) authenticates said all searchable text and image data that is within the second searchable electronic document and ii) includes at least one of a timestamp of when the first searchable electronic document was received, a number of pages of the second searchable electronic document, and source device information;
• and
• transmit, over the computer network, an electronic message that includes the second searchable electronic document to a destination address according to the fax telephone number.