Communications systems having a selective facsimile output

A communications system comprising:

• means for receiving input information in a format acceptable to teleprinter means, said input information including message information to be forwarded and destination information defining peripheral means to receive said message information;
• means responsive to destination information contained in said input information for determining if said peripheral means defined includes a peripheral employing facsimile equipment;
• means for establishing communications with defined peripheral means;
• and
• means responsive to a determination that a peripheral employing facsimile equipment is defined for translating message information to be forwarded into a facsimile format and transmitting translated message information to said defined peripheral employing facsimile equipment.

In a switched store and forward communications system including a plurality of input/output peripherals for acting on message information presented in an ASCII code format;

• and a central switching means for selectively accessing deisgnated ones of said plurality of peripherals when the same are acting as input peripherals, for storing message information received therefrom, and for accessing and forwarding message information to designated ones of said plurality of peripherals defined by said message information stored;
• the improvement comprising:
• switching means for determining when a facsimile output peripheral is defined by said message information stored;
• means responsive to a determination that a facsimile output peripheral has been defined for establishing communications with said facsimile output peripheral;
• and
• means responsive to the establishing of communications with said facsimile output peripheral defined for translating message information to the said defined facsimile output peripheral.

A communications system comprising:

• a plurality of input/output peripheral means for transmitting and receiving information in a format acceptable to teleprinter means, said plurality of input/output peripheral means when acting as input peripheral means transmitting information representing message information to be conveyed and destination information defining locations to which said message information is to be conveyed;
• facsimile controller means for communicating with peripherals employing facsimile apparatus and transmitting message information in a facsimile formate thereto;
• central switching means for controlling message translation in said communications system, said central switching means acting to receive information transmitted by selected ones of said plurality of input/output peripherals and to forward message information present in received information to locations defined by said destination information therein;
• and
• facsimile translation means within said central switching means for detecting message information to be forwarded to peripherals employing facsimile apparatus, said facsimile translation means additionally acting upon the detection of message information to be conveyed to peripherals employing facsimile apparatus to encode said message information into a format acceptable to said facsimile controller means and to forward encoded message information to said facsimile controller means.

A method of information translation comprising the steps of:

• receiving input information in a format acceptable to teleprinter means, said input information including message information to be conveyed and destination information defining a peripheral to which said message information is to be conveyed;
• analyzing destination information in received input information to ascertain if a peripheral employing facsimile equipment has been defined;
• and
• selectively synthesizing an analog baseband signal from said message information whenever the destination information associated therewith defines a peripheral employing facsimile equipment.