System and method for a communication system

A method for efficiently sending a message to users of electronic mail and facsimile transmission, comprising the steps of:

• providing, in a local computer system, a data base for storing information about a plurality of recipients;
• providing in said data base, for each recipient, a recipient record for holding (i) a telephone number at which said recipient receives facsimile transmissions;
• (ii) an electronic mail address in a computer system at which said recipient receives electronic mail messages;
• and (iii) first and second data elements for indicating whether said recipient desires to receive said message in the form of an electronic mail message and whether said recipient desires to receive said message in the form of a facsimile transmission, respectively;
• providing in said data base, independent of said recipient records, a plurality of computer records for holding information about a plurality of computer systems, each computer record associated with one of said computer systems;
• storing in each computer record:
• (i) a telephone number of a modem by which the computer system associated with said computer record, acting as a host computer, connects with other computer systems;
• and (ii) a protocol specification to be used when connecting to said computer system;
• preparing a message for sending to one or more of said recipients;
• sending said message to said one or more of said recipients using a process of said local computer system, said local computer system sending said message to each recipient by electronic mail and by facsimile transmission in accordance with said first and second data elements;
• and, when said message is sent to a recipient by electronic mail, (i) determining, from the electronic mail address of said recipient, the recipient's computer system;
• (ii) obtaining the computer record corresponding to said recipient's computer system;
• and (iii) establishing a connection between said local computer system and said recipient's computer system, using said telephone number and said protocol.

A system for efficiently sending a message to users of electronic mail and facsimile transmission, comprising:

• a control panel-based graphical user interface, said control panel-based graphical user interface capable of interfacing with an application program for creating said message;
• a data base in a local computer system of an originator of said message for storing information aboaut a plurality of recipients;
• a recipient record in said data base, for each recipient, for holding (i) a telephone number at which said recipient receives facsimile transmissions;
• (ii) an electronic mail address in a computer system at which said recipient receives electronic mail messages;
• and (iii) and second data elements for indicating whether said recipient desires to receive said message in the form of electronic mail message and whether said recipient desires to receive said message in the form of a facsimile transmission, respectively;
• and
• means for sending said message to said one or more of said recipients using a process of said local computer system, said local computer system sending said message to each recipient by electronic mail and sending and receiving facsimile transmissions, transferring files, terminal emulation in accordance with said first and second data elements.

A system for efficiently sending a message to users of electronic mail and facsimile transmission, comprising:

• a data base in a local computer system for storing information about a plurality of recipients;
• a recipient record in said data base, for each recipient, for holding (i) a telephone number at which said recipient receives facsimile transmissions;
• (ii) an electronic mail address in a computer system at which said recipient receives electronic mail messages;
• and (iii) first and second data elements for indicating whether said recipient desires to receive said message in the form of an electronic mail message and whether said recipient desires to receive said message in the form of a facsimile transmission, respectively;
• means for preparing a message for sending to one or more of said recipients;
• means for sending said message to said one or more of said recipients using a process of said local computer system, said local computer system sending said message to each recipient by electronic mail and by facsimile transmission in accordance with said first and second data elements;
• a plurality of computer records in said data base, independent of said recipient records, for holding information about a plurality of computer systems, each computer record associated with one of said computer systems;
• means for storing in each computer record:
• (i) a telephone number of a modem by which the computer system associated with said computer record, acting as a host computer, connects with other computer systems;
• and (ii) a protocol specification to be used when connecting to said computer system;
• means for determining the recipient's computer system from the electronic mail address of said recipient, when said message is sent to a recipient by electronic mail;
• means for obtaining the computer record corresponding to said recipient's computer system;
• and
• means for establishing a connection between said local computer system and said recipient's computer system, using said telephone number and said protocol.