US 4,918,723 AGranted

Keyboard to facsimile machine transmission system

AssigneesJerry R. Iggulden, Donald A. Streck

InventorsJerry R. Iggulden, Donald A. Streck

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Abstract

A keyboard to facsimile transmission device allowing the direct imputting of a sequence of identifying signals representing alpha-numeric characters and delimiters comprising a message to be transmitted to a facsimile machine for printing thereby. The messages are input to a keyboard employing an LCD display panel in a text editing mode. The messages are digitized from stored font definitions and output on a line-by-line basis in the form of a pseudo page including spacing areas of non-characters inserted by the logic according to a pre-established page definition. Stored forms character sequences can be intermeshed with inputs from the keyboard to allow the user to operate in a self-prompting mode. A digitized signature or small hand drawing can be inserted with the text for transmitting orders, checks, credit vouchers, or the like, requiring a verifying signature. The font definitions include pixel replication for reduced memory and time requirements. Both military and commercial applications are described.

Claims41

Dependent claims

A keyboard to facsimile machine transmission device comprising:

(a) a keyboard comprising a plurality of sensible and pressable keys, said keys comprising character keys and delimiter keys;
(b) display means for displaying characters associated with character symbols inputted at an input thereof;
(c) buffer means for storing sequences of symbols associated with said character and delimiter keys;
(d) input logic means connected to said keyboard for determining the ones of said keys that have been pressed, for sequentially storing symbols associated therewith in said buffer means, and for sequentially outputting character symbols associated with said character keys to said input of said display means;
(e) transmit logic means for establishing a telephonic connection to a facsimile machine, for sequentially retrieving said symbols stored in said buffer means, for using said character symbols are retrieved from said buffer means to formulate lines of facsimile compatible data representing said characters associated with said character symbols as retrieved from said buffer means;
and for transmitting said lines of facsimile compatible data to said facsimile machine;
and,
(f) page definition table means for defining the characteristics of a pseudo page to be transmitted by the keyboard to facsimile transmission device;
and wherein,
(g) said transmit logic means includes means connected to said page definition table means for inserting leading and trailing areas without said characters therein in said lines of facsimile compatible data containing said characters and for inserting lines not containing said characters as necessary to create a pseudo page as the output of said facsimile machine as defined by said page definition table means.

7 more elements

A character oriented pseudo facsimile transmission device comprising:

(a) input means for inputting and storing a sequence of identifying signals representing alpha-numeric characters and delimiters comprising a message to be transmitted to a facsimile machine for printing thereby;
(b) modem means for establishing a telephonic connection to a facsimile machine;
(c) transmit means for sequentially retrieving stored signals, for using said stored signals to formulate lines of facsimile compatible data representing the alpha-numeric characters associated with said stored signals;
and for transmitting said lines of facsimile compatible data to said facsimile machine;
(d) a keyboard comprising a plurality of sensible and pressable keys, said keys comprising alpha-numeric character keys and delimiter keys, a sensible output from each said key comprising a unique signal associated with said key;
(e) display means for displaying alpha-numeric characters associated with signals inputted at an input thereof;
(f) buffer means for storing sequences of signals comprising a message;
(g) input logic means connected to said keyboard for determining the ones of said keys that have been pressed, for sequentially storing a signal associated therewith in said buffer means, and for sequentially outputting signals associated with said character keys to said input of said display means;
and
(h) page definition table means for defining the characteristics of a pseudo page to be transmitted by the character oriented pseudo facsimile transmission device;
and wherein additionally,
(i) said input logic means includes means for editing signals as inputted to said display means and stored in said buffer means;
and,
(j) said transmit means includes means connected to said page definition table means for inserting leading and trailing areas without characters therein in said lines of facsimile compatible data containing characters and for inserting lines not containing characters as necessary to create a pseudo page as the output of said facsimile machine as defined by said page definition table means.

11 more elements

The method of inputting alpha-numeric messages to a keyboard and transmitting them directly to a facsimile machine for printing thereby comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a keyboard comprising a plurality of sensible and pressable keys for inputting messages, the keys comprising character keys and delimiter keys;
(b) providing a display for displaying characters associated with character symbols inputted at an input thereof;
(c) providing a buffer for storing sequences of symbols associated with the character and delimiter keys;
(d) inputting an alpha-numeric message into the keyboard and sequentially storing the symbols associated therewith in the buffer, sequentially outputting character symbols associated with the character keys to the input of the display, and editing the symbols as input to the display and stored in the buffer;
(e) establishing a telephonic connection to a facsimile machine;
(f) sequentially retrieving the symbols stored in the buffer;
(g) using the character symbols as retrieved from the buffer to formulate lines of facsimile compatible data representing the characters associated therewith;
(h) transmitting the lines of facsimile compatible data to the facsimile machine
(i) providing a page definition table defining the characteristics of a pseudo page to be transmitted to the facsimile machine;
(j) inserting leading and trailing areas with no characters therein in the lines of facsimile compatible data being transmitted containing characters;
and,
(k) inserting lines containing no characters in the transmission as necessary to create the pseudo page as the output of the facsimile machine.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/254,925Filed 7 Oct 1988
Granted: 17 Apr 1990
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

H04N 1/32133
Attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image:…
G06F 3/0489
Using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of…:…
G07C 9/35
In combination with an identity check: by means of a handwritten signature
H04N 1/00281
Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture…:…