Method and system for facilitating paper to electronic communications

A method for a computer system including a processor and a memory for providing fax to e-mail messaging operated by a fax-to-e-mail service provider comprises:

• storing a facsimile transmission comprising a digitized representation of a document from a user using a facsimile transmission device and a billing telephone number associated with the facsimile transmission device in the memory, wherein the digitized representation of the document includes a digitized representation of a user-modified transmission page, wherein the digitized representation of the user-modified transmission page includes a digitized representation of an e-mail address for a recipient, and wherein a receiving telephone number over which the facsimile transmission is configured to be received is associated with a pay-per-use service;
• performing optical character recognition to determine the e-mail address for the recipient under direction of the processor in response to the digitized representation of the e-mail address for the recipient;
• determining an attachment in response to the digitized representation of the document under direction of the processor, wherein the attachment is in a format suitable for attachment to an e-mail message;
• sending an e-mail message comprising an e-mail attachment portion, an e-mail TO portion, and an e-mail body portion under direction of the processor, wherein the e-mail attachment portion comprises the attachment, wherein the e-mail TO portion comprises the e-mail address for the recipient, and wherein the e-mail body portion comprises an indication of a service provider, and
• submitting a service charge associated with the pay-per-use service to the user via a telephone bill provided by a telephone-service service-provider associated with the billing telephone number under direction of the processor, wherein the telephone-service provider is distinct from the fax-to-e-mail service provider.

A method for providing fax to e-mail messaging comprises:

• receiving a pre-user-modified facsimile transmission page from a facsimile server operated by a fax-to-e-mail service provider;
• creating a user-modified facsimile transmission page by a user providing an e-mail address of a recipient on the pre-user-modified facsimile transmission page to form a user-modified facsimile transmission page;
• dialing a receiving telephone number associated with a facsimile server from a facsimile transmission device associated with a billing telephone number, wherein the receiving telephone number is associated with a pay-per-use service;
• sending a facsimile transmission via the facsimile transmission device to the facsimile server, wherein the facsimile transmission includes a digitized representation of a document comprising a digitized representation of the user-modified facsimile transmission page including a digitized representation of the e-mail address of the recipient;
• wherein an e-mail message is sent to the e-mail address of the recipient and includes an e-mail attachment determined in response to the digitized representation of the document;
• wherein characters of the e-mail address for the recipient are recognized optically in response to the digitized representation of the e-mail address for the recipient;
• wherein the e-mail attachment is in a format suitable for attachment to the e-mail message;
• wherein and a body of the e-mail message comprises an indication of the fax-to-e-mail service provider, and
• wherein a service charge associated with the pay-per-use service is charged to the user via a telephone bill provided by a telephone-service service-provider associated with the billing telephone number, wherein the telephone-service provider is distinct from the fax-to-e-mail service provider.