Systems and methods for providing rich multimedia messages to remote users using telephones and facsimile machines

A method for remotely accessing and delivering a multimedia message in visual form, the multimedia message including at least one object, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining whether the user has requested the message in visual form;
• in response to user input, generating an image of the message including one or more indices, an index indicating both an object and a command to be performed on that object;
• and
• sending the image of the message to the user.

A method for remotely retrieving an object portion of a multimedia message, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a request from a user for an object portion of a multimedia message;
• receiving an index to the object portion, the index indicating both the object portion and a command to be performed on that object portion;
• determining and retrieving the object portion to which the index corresponds;
• and
• performing an action with the retrieved object portion corresponding to the index received.

A method for remotely inputting an object into a multimedia messaging system, the method comprising the steps of:

• initializing communication with the multimedia messaging system;
• receiving information from a user via a facsimile transmission, the facsimile transmission comprising a handwritten annotation and an index, the index indicating both a first object and a command to be performed on that first object;
• translating the handwritten annotation to a command and storing the command;
• storing the received information in a second object;
• and
• storing the second object in the multimedia messaging system.