Method and apparatus for enabling a facsimile machine to be an e-mail client

A method for enabling a facsimile machine to act as an e-mail client, comprising the steps, performed by a data processing system, of:

• receiving, from one of a computer system over the internet and a facsimile machine over telephone lines, an e-mail message addressed to a first user from a second user, and including an e-mail address of the first user and the second user, the first user being a user of the fax machine;
• determining a telephone number of a facsimile machine assigned to the first user, in accordance with the e-mail address of the first user;
• sending a facsimile message that contains the contents of the e-mail message to the determined telephone number;
• and
• selecting an address book data structure of the first user from a set of at least one address book data structure;
• automatically adding the e-mail address of the second user to the selected address book data structure of the first user, along with a unique internet fax number of the first user, the selected address book data structure being stored in a memory.

A method for enabling a facsimile machine to act as an e-mail client, comprising the steps, performed by a data processing system, of:

• receiving, from one of a computer system and a facsimile machine, an e-mail message addressed to a first user from a second user, and including an e-mail address of the second user, the first user being a user of the fax machine;
• requesting from the first user, once the first user has issued a request to receive e-mail, a telephone number of a facsimile machine for receiving e-mails that are faxed to the first user;
• receiving input from the first user specifying a telephone number of a facsimile machine;
• sending, to the specified telephone number, a facsimile message that contains the contents of the e-mail message;
• selecting an address book data structure assigned to only the second user from a set of at least one address book data structure;
• automatically adding the e-mail address of the first user to the selected address book data structure of the second user, along with a unique internet fax number of the first user, the selected address book data structure being stored in a memory.

A method for enabling a facsimile machine to act as an e-mail client, comprising the steps, performed by a data processing system, of:

• receiving a facsimile message, sent from a facsimile machine by a first user, where the facsimile machine dialed an internet fax number associated with a second user;
• determining the identity of the first user in accordance with a one of a CSID and a caller ID number of the facsimile machine;
• selecting an address book data structure assigned to only the first user from a set of at least one address book data structure;
• determining, from the selected address book data structure, an e-mail address of the second user, in accordance with the internet fax number dialed by the facsimile machine;
• and
• sending an e-mail message, containing the received facsimile message, to the second user at the determined e-mail address.

A system that enables a facsimile machine to behave like an e-mail client, comprising:

• a portion that sends a first fax message to the facsimile machine, the first fax message including the contents of a first e-mail message sent by a second user to a first fax machine user, the first e-mail message including the e-mail address of the second user;
• a portion that sends a second e-mail message to the second user in accordance with a second fax message received from the facsimile machine, the second fax message sent by the first user, the portion that sends the second e-mail message sending the second e-mail message in accordance with the identity of the first user, as determined by a one of a CSID and a caller ID number of the facsimile machine used to send the second fax message, and in accordance with a unique internet fax number assigned to the second user;
• a portion that extracts, from the first e-mail message, the e-mail address of the second user;
• a portion that selects an address book data structure assigned to only the first user from a set of at least one address book data structure;
• and
• a portion that adds the e-mail address of the second user to the selected address book data structure of the first user, along with an internet fax number assigned to the second user.

A method of inputting an alphanumeric character, comprising the steps performed by a data processing system receiving input via a keypad, of:

• receiving an indication that a user has touched a key on the keypad at least one time to enter the alphanumeric character;
• verbally echoing the alphanumeric character corresponding to the touched key, using a first inflection when the user has touched a key on the keypad at least one time;
• after the first echoing step, receiving an indication that the user has touched an "end" key on the keypad;
• and
• verbally echoing the character using a second inflection when the end key is pressed.