Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FACSIMILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND METHOD
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of this invention is telecommunications sys-
tems used in connection with facsimile transmissions. More
specifically, this invention relates to a system and method
for enhancing ease of facsimile transmissions and providing
features relative to facsimile transmissions not heretofore
available.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The electronic transmission of documents by way of fac-
simile (fax) systems employing public and private switched
telephone networks has become both commonplace and, often,
an essential component in many business activities. In such
a setting, it is very common for the fax terminals (fax
machines) to be kept quite busy during a major fraction of
the business day. Moreover, where sender and recipient are
in different time zones, the "business day" can approach 2~
hours, particularly in international activities. It is com-
mon for fax users to "broadcast" documents to a number of
different recipients, that is, send the same message to sev-
eral different fax machines. It is also true that the con-
tents of some faxed documents are of such a sensitive nature
that the originator or addressee would like to have a mea-
sure of control over who might see those documents as they
move from the receiving machine to the hands of the actual
addressee.
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These circumstances present a number of practical prob-
lems for a fax user. In order to make a successful fax
transmission it is necessary that the receiving machine be
available at the time that the transmitting machine attempts
to contact it. If the receiving machine is already in use
handling another message, the transmitter will receive a
"busy" signal. The originator's only recourse is to con-
tinue initiating telephone calls until contact can be estab-
lished. This is a "hit or miss" process at best and can be
very wasteful of the originating operator's time.
Some, rather expensive, fax machines have digital memo-
ries which will allow them to memorize the document to be
transmitted and to be programmed to make multiple redials in
an effort to establish contact in an automatic way. How-
ever, this is limited to only one or two documents and, more
importantly, it ties up the transmitting machine until the
effort is successful or abandoned. This is hardly an
acceptable solution if that machine has other documents to
send or receive.
There are other conditions which can result in a fail-
ure to transmit even though a telephone connection has been
established. Perhaps the most common of these is the
absence of paper in the receiving machine. In such situa-
tions, repeated attempts to "redial" will lead to repeated
toll charges with each attempt, with no actual success until
the receiving machine is serviced (which may be some time if
the machine is operating unattended because it is nighttime
half-way around the world).
Husy machines which are destined to receive messages
are affected by the converse problem. Since they and the
prospective transmitting machines must engage in (perhaps,
automated) "telephone tag", they are used very ineffi-
ciently. When a transmitting machine gets a busy signal,
even if it automatically redials, it can only guess at when
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the receiving machine will be available. Thus, the receiv-
ing machine will likely remain idle for some fraction of the
time until such an attempt is made.
The practice of broadcasting documents to a number of
addressees obviously compounds these problems and adds still
others of its own. Even if one does not encounter busy sig-
nals or impaired machines, convenient broadcasting demands
an expensive memory-type fax machine on the transmitting
end. Such machines read in the document once and then pro-
ceed to automatically dial the various recipient machines.
This process ties up the sending machine and its telephone
line and makes them unavailable for incoming calls. This,
of course, exacerbates the busy signal problem for those
units trying to contact the sending machine.
The security of sensitive documents is still another
problem. Once contact is established between two fax
machines, the transmission of the document proceeds automat-
ically, irrespective of who may be standing by the receiving
machine at the time. In a busy office, the contents of
these documents are accessible to the fax operator and any-
one else who happens to be in the vicinity.
It is also common for individuals to wish to deliver
fax documents to a recipient who is not currently available
through a known machine (e.9. a person on a business trip>.
This is a very inconvenient situation in that it requires
that the paper documents be held until the traveler phones
in from a remote machine. It further requires that there be
someone available at that time who has knowledge of and
access to the documents intended for the recipient.
Another concern is related to so-called paperless fax
terminals. In recent years, paperless fax techniques allow
a computer or a micro-processor equipped with specific soft-
ware and modem to directly transmit and receive facsimile
messages. However, it is also very common that the
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recipient is not in his or her office (the paperless fax
terminal may also be located at home) at the time when fax
message is coming. For example, the recipient is out to
lunch or otherwise absent from his or her office or home.
This requires the sender to retry the communication message
delivery again and again if there is no other fax machine
available in the office.
Still another concern is adequate accounting control
over the billing of calls. Typically, many businesses wish
to be able to track the costs of both fax machine use and
the associated telephone charges. While telephone charges
can be ascertained from telephone company records, in the
present environment these must be related to records of the
number of pages transmitted per call and so forth, sepa-
rately maintained by the fax machine or its attendants.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects of this invention are to address these many
shortcomings of present fax systems and to provide an inte-
grated system for their solution. Furthermore, the inten-
tion is to achieve this in a way which is fundamentally com-
patible with existing fax terminal machines. The basic
approach is to provide special computer-based fax Store And
Forward Facilities (SAFF's) as an integral part of a
switched telephone network system. All fax transmissions
entered into the network are routed to such a facility, typ-
ically geographically near the originating machine, where
they are temporarily stored or "spooled" by the computer in
a mass storage buffer, such as a magnetic disk.
The fax message from the originating machine is
intended for a destination machine, which may or may not be
in a position to immediately answer the call. If the desti-
nation machine is within the service region of that SAFF,
the system then proceeds to attempt to call the destination
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fax machine. If the destination machine is within the serv-
ice area of a different SAFE, the system forwards the fax
document data to that facility by long-distance lines, in
which case this second facility attempts to call the desti-
nation machine. In either case, if contact is established
and the message is delivered immediately, the system directs
a printed report back to the originating fax machine con-
firming delivery to the destination machine, and other per-
tinent data.
If, on the other hand, the delivery cannot be completed
immediately due to a busy signal, a machine fault (eg,
receiving machine out of paper) or any other reason, the
spooled document is saved and the system makes periodic
attempts to contact the destination machine and complete the
transmission.
In the meantime, the system sends a printed report back
to the originating machine acknowledging that the.message
has been entered into the system, indicating the reason the
delivery is being delayed, stating the protocol the system
will take to deliver the message, and providing a reference
number or "Message Code" which identifies the message and
may be used at a later time to trace the status of the docu-
meet.
Placing the delivering spooling system geographically
near the destination machine has the advantage of more eco-
nomical use of any long-distance lines that may be involved.
These lines are used only to move the message from the orig-
inator to the spooling system in the vicinity of the desti-
nation, which is virtually certain to be successful on the
first try. Subsequent attempts to contact the destination
machine can be handled more or less locally and need not tie
up the bulk of the long-distance facilities.
If the delayed delivery is ultimately successful, the
system will send a printed delivery report to the
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originating machine. On the other hand, if the delivery
atternpt protocol has gone through its whole cycle without
success, a report will be sent to the originator indicating
that the delivery procedure has failed and requesting
instructions as to how to proceed (e9. try again, redirect
the message to an alternate number, or delete the message).
An important feature of the system is that it recog-
nizes all of the documents that are spooled in the system at
a given time for a given destination machine. These are
identified and linked together to form a message queue for
that machine. In this way, once.contact is established, all
of the waiting messages can be "dumped" to that machine in a
continuous batch. Furthermore, if new messages arrive while
that dump is occurring, they are simply appended to the end
of the active queue and are transmitted when their turn
comes. This has the advantage of greatly enhancing the uti-
lization efficiency of a busy destination machine.
Since all outgoing fax documents are temporarily stored
at the facility near the originating machine, it is also
practical to provide for automatic broadcasting of documents
to multiple destinations. Lists of "broadcast groups" of
phone numbers can be programmed into the facility by users,
or a list of destination phone numbers entered "by hand" at
the time of a call. The SAFF can then broadcast the message
to every machine of the selected list. This is a great
advantage to broadcast users in that they need only tie up
their machines for one outgoing transmission, the one to the
SAFE The SAFE copies the message to all of the destination
machines as outlined above. In the meantime, the originat-
ing machine is available for receiving or transmitting other
documents.
Similarly, since the documents are stored near the
originator, the system can permit messages which have
already been sent to be copied to other destinations after
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the fact, without the necessity of resending the message to
the SAFF. Likewise, since the messages are also spooled in
a facility near the destination, the system also provides
the recipient with the option of forwarding or redirecting
documents to still other destinations, as if the recipient
were the originator. The system can also accept and store
messages destined for a fictitious destination or "Mail
Box". Thus, individuals who are traveling can, at their
convenience, dial into the system and pick up any waiting
documents.
Other services are provided that are particularly use-
ful to individuals who are not at the "home" machines. For
example, so-called ~paperless" fax terminals, small portable
computers equipped with modems and software programs which
enable them to emulate fax terminals, are being employed at
an increasing rate. The Mail Box system recognizes a vari-
ety of these devices and provides interactive features to
facilitate their use. In this case, the SAFF can either
periodically retry to communicate with the intended
paperless fax terminal or transmit the fax message to
another paperless fax terminal or fax machine as instructed
by the recipient or sender. In addition, the system recog-
nizes a small, highly portable Mail Box Reader that consists
of an adapter that can be connected between the user's tele-
phone and a normal television set (for example, in a hotel
room), allowing the user to display fax messages received
from the Mail eox on the TV screen.
The system is also programmed to provide a fax-to-voice
message conversion service which can convert an inbound fax
message into a voice mail message and send the message to
the intended recipient's voice mail box, such as an answer
machine.
Another useful feature is the ability of a fax recipi-
ent to send automated-voice replies to fax messages back to
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the originators (typically directed to a voice mail box).
This permits the recipient to select a, generally terse,
response from a menu of possible replies. These replies may
be selected from a menu of standardized responses provided
by the system or from a menu of customized responses, in the
user's own voice, that is maintained by the system.
Closely akin to these features is the ability to have
the originator of a transmission include the requirement
that the recipient provide a security code, such as a PIN
number, in order to release the document from the spool to
the destination machine. In this case, the SAFF sends a
written report to the destination machine advising that a
secure message is waiting for a particular recipient and the
fax identification of the originating machine. The recipi-
ent must then call in to the SAFF and key in the security
code to initiate the delivery of the document. Since the
document is spooled, the delivery easily may be delayed
until the recipient is available to supply the code.
Finally, since the documents and their delivery are
both under the control of the telephone system, as a special
service the telephone call accounting system can provide
both time and charges for the telephone services rendered
and fax information, such as pages transmitted; sorted
according to the originator's clients. This can greatly
facilitate the fax user who wishes to do cost accounting or
to bill clients for costs incurred.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other objects and advantages of the present invention . ,
will be apparent from the following Detailed Description of
the preferred embodiments thereof and from the attached .
Drawings of which:
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Fig. 1 illustrates the inter-relationships of the prin-
cipal elements of a connection between two SAFFs.
Fig. 2 shows a more detailed view of the various sys-
tems within a single SAFF, such as those shown in Figure 1.
Fig. 3 illustrates the major components of the Origi-
nate Function in the SAFFs shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Fig. 4 illustrates the major components of the Answer
Function in the SAFFs shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Figs. 5a and b show a flow chart describing the general
processing steps required to handle a fax or voice message
incoming to the Originate Function of a SAFE, as described
particularly in Figures 2 and 3.
Figs. 6a and b show a flow chart describing the general
processing steps required to handle the delivery of a fax
message incoming to the Answer Function of a SAFE, as
described particularly in Figures 2 and 4.
Fig. 7 shows a flow chart of the general processing
steps required to handle a service request in the General
Service unit of a SAFE, as described particularly in Figure
2.
Fig. 8 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of the
paperless facsimile terminal.
Fig. 9 shows a block diagram of another embodiment of
the paperless facsimile terminal which can utilize an ordi-
nary television set for display of facsimile messages.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Introduction
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'Phe preferred embodiment of this invention is a
multi~-function, interactive facsimile transmission system
which is integrated into a switched telephone distribution
network, where "network" is taken broadly to mean the entire
system required to complete a communication from an origina-
for to an answerer. This embodiment provides a comprehen-
sive computerized fax message management system based on
automated fax Store And Forward Facilities (SAFE) embedded
in the network. This system requires no modifications to
existing facsimile machines, but rather, relies on the net-
work to provide the enhanced services.
The system contains several components which actually
transmit the fax messages and related information, provide
written fax reports to users about the status of messages
within the system, allow user intervention in the sequence
of automatic actions of the system, provide an accounting of
services rendered for both the customer and the telephone
company, and control and supervise all of these activities.
In the preferred embodiment, it is presumed that the
SAFF's are placed at the interface between the local tele-
phone delivery system and the long-distance delivery system,
as indicated in Figures 1 and 2. In this setting, the SAFE
system can be controlled and its services offered by either
one. However, it is obvious that useful systems can be con-
structed where the SAFF exists as close to the user as a
component of his or her own in-house telephone system (such
as a pBX or Centrex) or as remotely as a single, indepen-
dent, stand-alone SAFE serving a wide geographical area. It
is also obvious that commercially viable systems can be con-
structed which provide subsets of the features of the pre- . ,
ferred embodiment. The choice of site/control setting and
service features might be driven by any number of economic,
market, or legal considerations, which would militate toward
offering the system at an alternate location in the network,
or in a "stripped down" form.
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To more clearly understand the present invention, it is
useful to consider the manner in which a fax transmission
occurs in the traditional setting. Here the communication
between two machines is initiated when the destination
machine answers a telephone call directly from the originat-
ing machine. Typically, there is an exchange of digital
data identifying the sending and receiving machines to each
other and establishing the fax mode or format to be used.
If this exchange is satisfactory, then the actual image
transmission takes place: Otherwise, the call is termi-
nated, usually with some form of written diagnostic to the
respective users.
Message Interception
In the present invention, all fax transmissions initi-
ated by a subscriber to the fax management system are first
intercepted by an "originator" SAFE; that is, the SAFF which
directly services the originating fax machine. Figure 1
shows two exemplary SAFFs 8 and 18, with interconnections
between the SAFFs and with subscriber fax machines being
diagrammatically indicated. Thus in Figure 1, the SAFF 8
includes an originate function 9 coupled over telephone
lines 4 to originating fax machines 1. Likewise, the
SAFF 18 includes an originate function 22 coupled over tele-
phone lines 26 to originating fax machines 30. Each of the
SAFFs 8 and 18 also includes respective answer function
blocks 12 and 19 respectively connected over telephone
lines 6, 24 to fax machines 3, 28. Each of the SAFFs 8, 18
also includes service interfaces 10, 21 coupled via tele-
phone lines 5, 25 to telephones 2, 29. The function and
purpose of the service interfaces is more fully explained
hereafter, and they are under control of status and control
blocks 11 and 21.
Access to the system of Figure 1 can be obtained much
the same as access to a specific long-distance company's
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network. That is, subscribers such as 1 in Figure 1 can
dial a unique access code at the time a call is initiated,
or a telephone line dedicated to a fax terminal may be per-
manently routed to the SAFF system, in this case the SAFE 8
of Figure 1. Either way, one accesses SAFF Directed Lines 4
and the SAFF 8 itself in the process of dialing the destina-
tion fax machine.
The SAFF 8 then answers the phone in place of the des-
tination machine, such as one of 28 shown in Figure 1 as
serviced by SAFF 18. For the moment, this SAFF 8 near the
originator becomes the proxy for the destination machine 28.
While noting the actual destination telephone number, the
SAFF 8 engages the originating machine in the same digital
dialogue that would have occurred if a direct connection to
the destination machine had actually been made. Thus, it
echoes back the destination telephone number, to identify
the intended destination machine, and agrees to accept the
fax format requested by the originating machine.
This causes the originating machine 1 to respond by
transmitting the fax document image data. The originating
machine's identification, the destination machine's tele-
phone number, the fax format, and the document image data
are all stored on a mass storage device 67 (in Figure 3>,
such as a computer magnetic disk unit. Furthermore, a
unique alphameric Message Code is assigned to the block of
data to identify it while it is resident in the SAFE system.
This Message Code is related to the file name for the stored
data.
Delivery
At this point, the SAFE 8 initiates two actions. The
first is to generate an "Acceptance Record~ of the transac-
tion to this point. This record, in one form or another,
will be returned to the originator as will be described
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below,. The second step is to begin to deliver the fax mes-
sage t:o the destination machine 28.
The details of the delivery process depend to some
degree on the geographic location of the destination within
the network. A single SAFF can, in principle, service a
broad geographical area. However, in the preferred embodi-
ment, communications beyond a certain limiting distance
involve at least two SAFFs, one 8 near the originator 1 and
the other, a "destination SAFE", 18 near the recipient 28 of
the document. The choice of one, two, or more SAFFs is
determined by network economics, or other considerations,
and is not essential to the invention.
For the sake of this discussion, we will define a
"local" message to imply that the originating and the desti-
nation machines are serviced by the same SAFF. (Although,
this does not preclude the possibility that the two machines
are some considerable distance apart and connected by a toll
call.) On the other hand, we will define a "long-distance"
message to mean that the originating and destination fax
machines are serviced by different SAFFs and, thus, one SAFF
must exchange data with the other, perhaps through interme-
diaries. Similarly, the term "near" used in connection with
a SAFE refers to being within the service area of that SAFE
Each SAFF 8, 18 has two clearly defined roles: the
"Originate Function" 9, 22 for handling data with an origi-
nating machine, and the "Answer Function" 19, 12 for han-
dling data with a destination machine. The details of these
two subsystems are illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 respec-
tively. In the local message mode, the connection between
the Originate Function, such as 9, and the Answer Function,
such as 12, is linked within the single SAFF 8 by way of a
Local Call Loop-back connection 13, between the two Func-
tions. In the long-distance mode, the Originate Function 9
of SAFF 8, near the originator, is linked to the Answer
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Function 19 of another SAFF 18, near the destination, by
long-distance lines, such as 14, or 16 for SAFF 18. Thus,
processing a long-distance message involves the same basic
steps as a local message, except that the activity is shared
interactively between at least two different SAFFs.
Ori4inate Function
With this understanding of SAFF functions, the follow-
ing detailed discussion will illustrate the operation.of the
system in the long-distance case, since it is the more com-
plex, and therefore provides a more comprehensive example.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 all show elements of the SAFF system
in varying degrees of detail and all will be referred to in
the following. It will be noted that some critical elements
are shown in more than one of the Figures.
As an example, it is assumed that one of the subscrib-
ers 1 attached to SAFF B wishes to send a fax message to one
of the subscribers 28 attached to SAFF 18. The subscriber 1
places the call to the destination machine 28 which is
routed over SAFF Directed Lines 4 to the Originate
Function 9 of SAFE 8. These signals originate within the
SAFF system and they are picked up by the On-net
Interface 64 which is part of the Originate Function, as
shown in Figure 3. This Interface signals the Originate
Host Computer 70 of the incoming call and the Host responds
by directing the incoming data to a Mass Storage Unit 67
where it is stored in a file 68.
During this storage process, the Host directs two other
activities. It creates a Ball status record file 69
(Figure 3) in mass storage, recording the time and date of
the origination, the telephone number of the calling .
machine, the telephone number of the destination machine,
any security or other special services requested, various
housekeeping information, and it assigns the Message Code
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number which locates not only the status file but also the
fax data file associated with it. The Host also passes the
destination machine's telephone number to the Outbound Con-
trol unit 74 which proceeds to connect the originating SAFE
8 with the nearest available SAFF 18 to the destination
through a long-distance interface 75 aver long-distance
circuits 79 (14 in Figure 1). In the process of establish-
ing this connection, the Outbound Control unit employs an
algorithm which examines the number and kind of available
trunk resources and chooses the most efficient combination
of these lines for the task required.
Answer Function
The originating SAFF 8 then proceeds to transmit the
originator and destination telephone numbers, the stored fax
image, the Message Code, and other housekeeping data to the
destination SAFE 18. These data are sent by the most expe-
dient mechanism offered by the long-distance service. For
example, if this service employs digital communications, the
fax data may well be transmitted at a significantly higher
rate than it was originally received into the system.
The fax data is received by the Long-distance Interface
95 (Figure 4) in the Answer Function 19 of the destination
SAFF. This unit signals the Answer Host Computer 85 of the
incoming data. The Host then routes these data to its Mass
Storage facility 87. (It should be noted for later refer-
ence that the originator SAFF and the destination SAFF now
both have a copy of these data.) The Host notes whether
other messages are pending for the destination machine and
either opens a Delivery Queue file 88, or appends the new
message to the existing Queue File.
The Host also records the arrival time and other perti-
nent information about the fax message in a Call Status
file 90 in Mass Storage unit 87, and sends a status update
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back to the originating SAFE 8 by way of the Status and Con-
trol Interface 84, and the System Status and Control Unit 11
via Long.-,distance Trunks 15.
It then signals the Local Interface 83 to dial the des-
tination machine's (81 in Figure 4) telephone number on
ordinary outgoing local lines 24, 82. If the destination
fax's line is available, the destination SAFF now becomes
the proxy for the originating fax machine and engages the
destination machine in the necessary preliminary digital
dialogue.
If this is successful, the document image, including
the source and destination identification information, the
Message Cnde, and the entry and delivery times, is played
back from storage and delivered to the destination. A
"Delivery Record" is then created by the Answer Host 85
which indicates the date and time of delivery, and any other
pertinent data. The Delivery Record is sent back to the
originating SAFF 8, again by way of the Status and Control
Interface 8~, and the System Status and Control Unit 11, via
Long-distance Trunks 15. The originator SAFF 8 then appends
this information to the Acceptance Record to form a complete
"Transaction File". The originating SAFF 8 then sends this
file, as a delivery receipt or report, back to the originat-
ing machine 1, 60, as a fax document.
If the destination machine's line is busy, or the con-
tact fails for some other reason, the destination SAFF's
Host Computer 85 will enter a sequence whereby it will
attempt to contact the destination machine and transmit the
document on a predetermined schedule for a specific period
of time or number of tries. As this sequence is entered, a
"Retry Record~ is generated documenting the situation and
the system's response to it. This record contains the rea-
son that the delivery was delayed and it indicates which
protocol the system will use to attempt to deliver the
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message. This is transmitted back to the originating SAFF,
8, as described above, and appended to the previously
described Acceptance Record to form a Transaction File which
is then sent as a fax message back to the originator. The
assigned Message Code is a part of every transaction report
and may be used at any time to trace the status of undeliv-
ered documents, as will be described shortly.
If the retry effort is ultimately successful, a Deliv-
ery Record is appended to the Transaction File which is sent
back to the originating machine. If the effort fails after
reaching the predetermined limit, this is also recorded,
appended, and sent back to the originator. In this case,
the originator is given the option of dialing back into the
system within a certain length of time (typically several
hours) and instructing the destination SAFF as to how to
dispose of the document (eg. repeat retry sequence, forward
to a different telephone number, or delete the message).
This process is handled by using an ordinary touchtone
phone to dial a multipurpose (perhaps, toll free) fax system
"Service Number"; which will be referred to here and in
later sections. This might be a unique number for every
SAFF, or it might be a standardized number common to many
localities, except perhaps for area code, such as is
555-1212 for calling "Information". This Service Number is
answered by the General Service Control units (10 in
Figure 1, 50 in Figure 2) of the SAFE to which the call is
directed. This unit contains an automated voice response
system that presents a menu of the available services and
prompts the user to select the desired choices by pressing
particular numbers on the touchtone keypad. In an advanced
embodiment, a computer-based voice recognition system
replaces the keypad and accepts verbal commands in a conver-
sational way.
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The General Service Control unit 50 can communicate
with its own System Status and Control unit 11, and through
that unit, any other such unit 11, 20 via Long-distance
Trunks 15. Through these connections, both inquiries relat-
ing to messages in the system and instructions as to their
disposition may be addressed to the entire SAFE system.
Having selected the "failed-connection message disposi-
tion" choice, the user is prompted to key in the Message
Code. The system verbally repeats the code and the delivery
discrepancy for verification, and then presents a menu of
disposition options for the user to select with the keypad.
If the user does not take advantage of this "what to do
now" opportunity within the time limit, the message is
retransmitted back to the originator with a report. It is
then erased from both the originator and destination SAFF
files after a suitable delay (typically six hours). If the
originator wishes to resend the message during this "grace"
period, it may be recovered and resent to the original des-
tination or forwarded to another destination(s), as will be
described later.
In each of the various cases where the SAFFs automati-
cally direct fax message status reports (such as, the Accep-
tance, Delivery, or Retry records above), the system can be
programmed to accumulate records from all calls over a
period of time (eg. an hour) at the originator SAFF and
deliver them as a single fax document at the end of the
period or upon request by the originator. This has the
advantage of reducing the number of report calls and the
subsequent burden on the originating fax machine. The orig-
inator SAFF will enter a retry sequence if it finds the
originator's line busy or the machine unavailable when it
attempts to deliver reports. This is a persistent sequence
which it will continue trying for direct contact at inter-
vals of an hour or so for a considerable length of time (eg.
SUBSTITUTE SHcE T
WO 92/14334
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2~.~~32'~
-19-
72 hours). It also places a copy of the report in the
originator's Mail Hox (described below) so that the origina-
tor may recover it in between SAFE delivery attempts.
It should also be noted that the originator has the
option of dialing the Service Number at any time and inquir-
ing about the status of a given message. Here again, the
voice response system prompts, presents menus, and uses the
Message Code to locate and report on the current location
and condition of the message. A written record can be
directed to the originating or destination fax machine, if
desired.
Another feature of the General Service function (and
the Mail Hox function described later) is the ability to
send an immediate reply to a received fax message. There
are many instances where one might wish to provide a per-
sonal acknowledgement of receipt and some indication of the
future course of action. A collection of such responses is
available and may be selected from a menu using the General
Service or Mail Hox systems. Examples might be: "I
received your fax number (Message Code) at (date, time)"; "I
am unable to respond at this time"; "I will respond in the
next 24 (4B, 72) hours"; "I completely agree, proceed as
described", "Take no action until you hear from me", and so
forth.
In a typical transaction, the system asks the user for
the SAFF-assigned Message Code and then presents a menu of
these "canned" responses. It will also permit the concate-
nation of several such responses to form a more complex mes-
sage. Once the user has made the appropriate selections,
the system will replay an automated voice version of the
message and permit editing as required. When the user is
satisfied, thereply is then transmitted either as a fax
message or as an automated voice message to a designated
telephone number. That number may represent an active fax
S~B~T1 T ;ATE ji°~EET
WO 92/14334 c . s ~ ~,
O ~ ~ ~ PCT/US92/O1t72
-20-
or voice number, or it might represent a fax or voice mail
box.
When a voice reply is selected, the user can select the
sex of the automated voice, or the user can actually employ
a personalized menu of custom responses tailored by the user
to his or her own requirements and prepared in the user's
own voice.
Still another feature of the General Service function
is the ability to provide a fax-to-voice message conversion
service. This service allows the SAFF system to receive an
inbound fax message and then electronicaly create a voice
mail message directed to the intended recipient voice mail
box as instructed by the message sender or the intended
recipient. The fax message may be stored in a subscriber's
mail box in the system which will be fully discussed later.
In order to provide this service, the SAFE is equipped with
suitable software and voice print database that will permit
the system to electronically interpret the facsimile message
from printed documents to verbal text. The voice mail mes-
sage transferred to the instructed voice mailbox may be the
whole text of the facsimile message or only a voice message
which will verbally identify the originator of the facsimile
message, the reading time and the number of papers. The
intended recipient can then commence the electronic transla-
tion by touch-tone signal and can control the operation in
fast forward or reverse through the document by touch-tone
command.
Another feature of the system is that the act of
accepting and storing an incoming message at the originator
SAFF, and the act of dialing and forwarding that message to
the destination by the destination SAFF, can overlap in
time. That is, if the originator SAFF has lines available,
once the initial connection dialogue between the originator
and the SAFE is complete, the SAFE may immediately make its
suss~rrur~ s~~~T
WO 92/14334 , , .. . PCT/US92101172
2~.~132'~
-21-
first attempt to contact the destination SAFF and, thus, the
destination machine, while it is beginning to spool the doc-
ument.
If this immediate contact is successful, then the mes-
sage is passed from the originator SAFF 8 to the destination
SAFF 18 to the destination machine 28 directly from the
Originate Host Computer's memory 70 while the two SAFFs are
still in the process of spooling the document to disk. This
is facilitated by a "write-through pipeline" whereby the
Originate Host 70 passes the incoming fax data through
directly to the Outbound Control unit 74 at the same time it
is being written to mass storage. It is held in a temporary
memory buffer in the Outbound unit until it is clear whether
or not an immediate connection to the destination machine is
possible. At that point the temporary buffer fax data is
either sent and then deleted, or merely deleted. The net
effect is that the spooling process only adds a few seconds
delay in the message delivery over the traditional direct
machine-to-machine contact when the destination machine is
readily available.
On the other hand, if lines are limited, the originat-
ing SAFE can choose to delay until suitable lines are avail-
able. This has the advantage of improving communications
resource management and enhancing the efficiency of the tel-
ephone system's line usage over the direct contact scheme.
The foregoing describes the basic fax SAFE message han-
dling system and from this discussion several advantages
should be apparent. The originating machine always func-
tions as if it makes contact and delivers documents on the
first try, thus immediately freeing the machine and the
attendant personnel for sending or receiving other transmis-
sions. Likewise, the telephone system only handles one call
across its local and long-distance lines from the originat-
ing machine to the destination SAFF, since the state of the
~~~~ T cTJTE SF-iEET
WO 92/ 14334 ~ 1 U 1 ~ ~ ~j PCT/US92/01172
-22-
destination machine has no impact on the call. This signif-
icantly improves the efficiency of line usage when messages
are addressed to busy fax terminals.
Although some additional calls are needed to deliver
the various reports, these require very little long-distance
time, as they are transmitted over the circuits as highly
compressed coded messages. It is the nearby originating
SAFE that translates them into "plain language" for fax
delivery as a local message. As pointed out, additional
savings in these local messages can be gained by compiling
multiple reports and delivering them in bulk as a single
call. It should be noted that the delivery of reports to an
originator is a cooperative process between the Originate
Function and the Answer Function of the originate SAFE. The
Originate Function 9 actually generates these reports and
passes them through the Local Call Loop-back 13 (76 in
Figure 3) to the Answer Function 12 for delivery as an ordi-
nary fax message.
In addition to these basic features, the design of the
system also provides for a number of additional services and
advantages which are described below.
Message Queuing
As pointed out, all fax messages directed to a particu-
lar telephone number are spooled by the Answer Function of
the destination SAFF, as detailed in Figure 4. The Host
Computer 85 controlling this function monitors the incoming
messages and links all undelivered messages for a given tel-
ephone number into a message Delivery Queue file 88. The
computer also compiles a constantly updated, ordered catalog
of the file names of the messages waiting for each fax
machine.
SUBSTITUTE SKEET
WO 92/14334
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. >.
-23-
Consequently, when messages arrive at a rate faster
than they can be delivered, for whatever reason, they are
held in this queue for delivery. As soon as the destination
SAFF establishes contact with the destination machine, it
begins sending the entire queue of messages in a single,
essentially uninterrupted transmission. Messages that
arrive while the transmission is in progress are appended to
the end of the queue.
This scheme eliminates the "trial and error" dial and
redial attempts that result from a number of independent
incoming calls competing in an uncoordinated way for the
single destination line. It can significantly enhance the
efficiency of the destination fax machine and the
long-distance and local telephone circuits connected to a
busy machine.
When the queue exceeds a certain limiting size, the
destination SAFF will periodically insert and send a "Queue
Report" (as a fax document) to the destination machine show-
ing a list of the waiting messages. This list shows the
originating machine identification, the time entered into
the originator SAFF, the number of pages in the document,
and the approximate time that the message will be delivered
based on its position in the queue.
The user can advance a particular message to the head
of the queue by calling the fax Service Number and supplying
the desired message number, by using the voice response
menus. The General Service unit 50 directs these instruc-
tion to the System Status and Control Unit 11, which in turn
directs them to the Answer Function Host 85 through its Sta-
tus and Control Interface 84.
Alternately, the originator can designate a priority
level to a given fax message at the time it is dialed in
(eg. by using a different access code). :n this case, the
destination SAFF will insert higher priority messages ahead
SUBSTITUTE SHt~ET
WO 92/14334 PCT/US92/01172
~::~ (~ ~ ~'l
-24-
of lower priority messages in the queue as they are
receivead. The originator would normally pay a premium price
for this service.
Another originator option is the time of delivery. If
desired, the originator can specify the time of day which
the message should be delivered. In this case the message
is forwarded to the destination SAFF directly, but is not
entered into the queue until the specified time. This can
be used in combination with an assigned high priority to
insert the message at the head of the queue at the appointed
time.
When messages are finally delivered to the destination
machine they are not immediately erased from the spool file
88 at the destination SAFE. Rather, they are maintained in
a "Delivered Message" directory 90 for a period of time
(typically six hours). A feature offered by this action is
the opportunity for the subscribing recipient of a message
to make additional copies, redirect, or forward copies of
selected messages to other destinations. This is accom-
plished by calling the Service Mumber and selecting the
appropriate choices from the voice response menus.
Security and Mail Boxes
It is not uncommon for documents of a sensitive nature
to be sent by facsimile from place to place. This is often
a problem, especially in a busy office or where a machine is
nominally unattended during the transmission, in that the
originator has no control over who may be standing by the
machine when the document prints out, or who may leaf
through a stack of faxes piled up in a hopper right after
lunch.
This is a problem which others have attempted to deal
with in a variety of ways. For example, Bond, U.S. Pats.
SUBST1TUT~ Sh~c i~
WO 92/14334 PCT/US92/01172
4,.<;
. ,.
-25-
3,594,495 and 3,641,432, discloses a "radio facsimile postal
system" which features the direct delivery of documents to
specific addressees by facsimile via communications satel-
lites. In this system, intended as a replacement for or
supplement to the ordinary "paper" postal system, fax mes-
sages were directed from special public fax terminals oper-
ated by the post office to a central satellite
earth-station. Here the messages were sorted according to
their geographical destination for concentration and
uplinking to a satellite servicing that area. The satellite
then broadcasts all of the uplinked messages back to Earth.
In principle, anyone with a radio receiver in the
satellite's service area could access any of the messages,
so Bond built in a "privacy code" which operated with the
receiver to allow the message to print out only on the
desired machine. In reality, this privacy code was nothing
more than an addressing signal which enables the selected
fax receiving system. Thus, Hond's system is merely a
restricted version of the services presently provided to fax
users by the telephone networks. His privacy code function
is the same as a telephone number: it selects which of a
plurality of fax machines will actually receive the message.
Unfortunately, his approach leads to exactly the security
dilemma facing telephone fax users.
Chapman, U.S. Pat. 4,106,060, has approached the prob-
lem in a somewhat different way. He too discloses a
facsimile-based mail system. However, in his system, the
messages are directed by whatever means to a "paper" post
office near the addressee, rather than the addressee's home
or place of business. This post office then makes a paper
copy of the the fax message, places it in an envelope, and
delivers it to the addressee as ordinary mail. This is a
reasonably effective solution to the security problem, but
it can only be relied upon to provide "next day" delivery,
SUBSTIT~ITB SHEET
WO 92/14334 ~ 1 U 1 ~ 2 r~
PCI'/US92/Oi 172 f
f
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-26-
and there are a number of other, competing alternatives for
document delivery service on that time scale.
In the present invention, the security problem is
addressed by a control variation of the destination SAFF -
queuing system. Messages which the originator wishes to
designate as secure are temporarily directed to a auxiliary
storage file 54, 89 in the Answer Function of the destina-
tion SAFF called a "Mail Box". Instead of being delivered to
the destination machine, a report is sent to that machine
indicating that a secure message is waiting for a particular
addressee. Optionally, a voice message may be directed to a
designated telephone number, such as a voice mail box, by
the General Service Control 50.
This feature works in the following way. Each individ-
ual SAFF is assigned its own unique telephone exchange code
or codes (typically indicated by the first three digits of a
seven digit local number). Thus, the SAFF appears to the
world as if it were a distinct telephone exchange(s), sepa-
rate from all other exchanges in that area code region. All
subscriber's to a given SAFF are assigned their fax tele-
phone numbers with that exchange prefix. Subscribing indi-
viduals wishing Mail Hoxes (typically associated with a
"default" fax machine) are issued "fictitious" telephone
numbers which actually terminate in fax Mail Boxes, rather
than in an actual telephone line.
Mail Box numbers are published so that correspondents
may use them. In addition., each individual is also given a
secret security code or PIN number which will access his or
her box. The host computer managing the SAFF maintains a
list that relates each fictitious number with the
individual's name, the security code, and the real telephone
number of the default destination machine. This default
machine is the one to which messages and reports will nor-
mally be sent, when appropriate. In addition to a defau:~
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
WO 92/14334
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_27_
fax machine, the user may also define a default voice tele-
phone number which may be either a telephone answered by a~
human or a computer-managed voice mail box, as is known in
the art. When such a voice telephone is also defined, a
voice version of the various system messages and reports
will also be sent to this number.
An originator wishing to send a secure message merely
dials the (fictitious) Mail Hox telephone number at the time
the document is sent. The system directs the message to the
Mail Box file 89 in the destination SAFF associated with
that number, and the Answer Host 85 sends a "Message Wait-
ing" report to the default destination fax machine through
the Local Interface 83. If a default voice telephone number
has also been defined in this report, this report is also
sent to that number. The user has the option of programming
or instructing the system, through the General Service Con-
trol 50, to have either or both the default fax and the
default voice reports forwarded to another number. For
example, the person who is traveling could program or
require fax or voice Message Waiting announcements to be
directed to a hotel fax or telephone number. When voice
announcements are made, the system will give the (human)
recipient of the call the option of pressing a touchtone key
to repeat the announcement as often as necessary to tran-
scribe the message. If more than one message is in the Mail
Box queue, then this report lists them all.
In order to get the fax document actually sent to the
destination, the security code must be sent back to the des-
tination SAFF. Typically, this would be done by the
addressee dialing his or her own Mail Hox number. Since
this call originates from a "normal" telephone 34 over Ordi-
nary Local Lines 40, rather than the fax's SAFF Directed
Lines 38, the call is directed to the Off-net Incoming
Screener 48 in the (destination) SAFF which functions in
conjunction with a mailbox service cont:ol 49. This unit
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
WO 92/14334
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-28-
recognizes that the call is not a fax transmission and thus
treats it as a voice service request. A voice response sys-
tem then prompts the caller to key in the security code.
When the correct code is supplied, the SAFF system announces
the number of messages waiting and, if desired, the message
codes of each. Mail Box contents are maintained in a queue
89 just as are "regular" spool files. Thus, the user is
also given the opportunity to reorder the messages within a
Mail Box Delivery queue, through the System Status and Con-
trol units 11, 20 in the same way as other messages.
The system finally permits the addressee to make a
selection of messages for immediate release, and provides an
opportunity to "redirect" them to a fax machine 3 other than
the default machine over ordinary local lines 39. The SAFE
then releases the selected documents and moves them to the
head o~ the appropriate destination Delivery Queue 88 for
immediate delivery. As described earlier, the recipient of
the various messages may then choose to provide automated
fax or voice.replies to selected messages.
When messages are accepted into the SAFF system and
arrive at a mail box, The Answer Function of the destination
SAFF issues a "Posting Report" which is directed back to the
Originator in the manner described for other reports. The
report is similar to a Delivery Report, except that it indi-
cates that the message has been received by the mail box.
When the Mail Box Queue is actually read by the addressee
the Destination SAFF sends an actual Delivery Report to the
originator indicating the date and time of delivery and so
forth.
Another advantage of the Mail Box system is that it can
provide a convenient way for individuals who are away from
their "home" machine to still have access to their docu-
ments. Such individuals may call in to their Mail Hox num-
ber to hear from the voice response unit whether they have
SU~~T1T~T~ ~~_~..~"
WO 92/14334
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. ~ ,
_29_
any messages waiting. By use of the redirection feature,
messages sent tv a fax Mail Box can be accessed by an indi-
vidual with the security code from any telephone with a fax
machine.
For example, a person on a business trip can have all
his or her fax documents directed to their Mail Box. Upon
arriving at a hotel that has a fax machine, the traveler
places a call to the Mail Box number and supplies the infor-
mation outlined above, including the telephone number of the
hotel fax machine. The SAFF then calls the hotel machine
and dumps the queue of waiting documents.
Another aspect of the Mail Box function is support for
paperless fax terminals 33, such as those which provide a
volatile display of the fax image on a computer display.
Typically, this terminal is Shawn in Figure 8 which includes
a small, modem-equipped personal computer 191 and a computer
display 194. The terminal can also include a keyboard 193
for entering necessary access code or other information.
In this circumstance, the paperless terminal initiates
the Mail Box transaction operating as a computer terminal
(rather than a fax terminal), using a computer terminal emu-
lator program such as those well known in the art. The
incoming call from an ordinary line 40 is recognized by the
Off-net Incoming Screener 48 as not being a fax transmission
and is passed to the Mail Box Service Control 49. This unit
recognizes the call as a computer,' rather than voice call
and enables a computer, rather than voice, response system.
The user and the Mail Box Service Control 49 then communi-
cate by way of some computer communications code such as
ASCII.
The system presents the same security code requests as
the voice system and provides the same basic user options
including message queue listings, queue reordering and so
forth. Unlike the voice system, however, it is not
SUBSTITUTE SHcE~
WO 92/14334
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t
-30-
necessary to redirect the fax messages to another telephone.
The paperless terminal software recognizes simple code
sequences sent by the Mail Box Service Control 49 and can be
switched under Mail Box Service control from the ASCII com-
puter terminal mode to the fax terminal mode. Thus, the
user may select messages from the queue in the computer mode
and then the Mail Box Service system will automatically
switch the terminal to fax mode, send the fax messages, and
then return the terminal to computer mode.
In this way, the paperless terminal user can engage in
an ongoing dialogue with the Mail Box Service Control, doing
queue manipulations, reading faxes, sending automated fax or
voice responses and so firth. When a fax message is read by
a paperless terminal on a screen, the user may elect to have
the message left in the queue for later disposal and to have
a cover page added to indicate the date, time and terminal
telephone number from which the fax was originally read.
The user may also redirect the message to be printed on an
ordinary "hardcopy" device, such as a fax device or a
printer. In addition, this mode will also permit the trans-
mission of outgoing fax messages from the paperless terminal
and access to the functions of the General Service Control
50, all without the need to exit the system and dial in
again. This permits a single incoming call over a line 40
to permit the user to access essentially all of the services
available from the SAFF.
In another approach, the paperless fax terminal can act
as an originating machine and a designation machine, in
place of ordinary facsimile machine. In this case, the
paperless fax terminal may be used in cooperation with a
telephone or provided with a sound or flash light generator
192 or 197 as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 for prompting the
addressee to communicate with the SAFF system for receiving
a facsimile message while the SAFF attempts to transmit a
facsimile message. The SAFE also provides the other
SUBSTITUTE SHEET
WO 92/14334 PCT/US92/01172
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-31-
services to the paperless fax terminal as provided to the
ordinary facsimile machine. For example, the SAFE will
temporarily store the fax message and periodically retry to
communicate with the destination paperless fax terminal if
the terminal is busy or otherwise unavailable to receive at
this time.
A companion aspect of this system is a Mail Box Reader
device 33 as shown in Fig. 9 which is an alternative of the
paperless fax terminal described above. This device is a
relatively low-cost adapter which connects the user's tele-
phone to an available ordinary television set to form a sim-
ple paperless fax terminal. The Reader device 33 contains a
modem capable of both computer and fax operations, programs
for these operations, memory 198 to store an incoming docu-
ment or documents, a processor 195 for controlling the
device, a keypad 196 for the input of user commands, a video
display generator 199 and a RF modulator 200 suitable for
supplying a display signal to the ordinary television set
201.
The Mail Box Service Control 49 recognizes the Mail Box
Reader as a distinct terminal type and supports abbreviated
command sequences from its more limited keypad. In addi-
tion, it supports paging through sections of a document so
that a user can view documents which may be too large to fit
into the Reader's memory in one place.
The Mail Box Reader itself has a "zoom" mode that mag-
nifies the image on the screen by mapping a smaller segment
of the Reader's memory to the screen. This permits one to
overcome the fact that the resolution of the television set
may be too limited for a readable display of some of the
finer-detailed features of some fax images. The Reader's
keypad 196 permits scrolling through messages, both verti-
cally and horizontally in both the normal and zoom mode.
Vertical scrolling is transparently coordinated with the
v,~J~BJ~~ 1 ~~~ v~"~Fi
WO 92/14334 PCT/US92/01172
r a
-32-
Mail Box Service Control's paging functions so that if one
scrolls off the end of the segment of a long document stored
in memory, the Mail Hox Service Control.will automatically
supply the next segment.
Broadcastin4
The queuing, Mail Hoxes, and security codes are all
derivative benefits of the spooling of messages at the des-
tination SAFF. There is a counterpart advantage to the
originator SAFF' s spooling as well. Since the originator
SAFF maintains a copy of each message, that copy can be used
to broadcast messages to multiple destinations.
This can be initiated in a number of ways. For exam-
ple, the user can dial in a code prefix indicating that a
list of destination numbers is to follow. The numbers are
then entered and finally another code is entered to signal
"end of list". The Originate Host 70 recognizes these
inputs and attaches them to the message which follows. As
an alternative, the user can store different numbered broad-
cast telephone lists in the Originate SAFF mass storage
files 69 (entered much as described above) and invoke them
simply by dialing a two or three digit "short-cut" code. In
either case, from there the fax transmission to the origina-
tor SAFE proceeds normally.
Upon reception of the list and the document, the origi-
nator SAFF proceeds to open as many local loop-back or
long-distance lines as it can to deliver the broadcast mes-
sage to the various destinations, essentially simulta-
neously. Although the originator is billed for making a
number of different calls, in fact the originating machine
is only tied up for the time required to make one call.
Furthermore, the full power of the delivery system is
asserted for each destination machine, including reporting,
radials, queuing, and so forth.
SUBSTITUTE St~FyT
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A feature related to broadcasting is the redirection of
messages by the originator. Since fax messages are spooled
at the originator SAFF and held for a period of time even
after delivery (typically six hours), the originator can
dial the Service Number any time during this period and
direct a copy of the spooled message to be sent to other
destination machines.
Communications With Non-subscribers
Thus far, the discussion has presumed that both the
originator and answerer were subscribers to the SAFF system.
It is quite reasonable to assume that subscribers will wish
to send or receive fax messages with non-subscribers, as
well. While the services provided by the SAFF are more lim-
ited in such cases, nevertheless, the system both antici-
pates and enhances communications with non-subscribers for
the benefit of the subscribers.
When a subscriber originates a call to a non-subscriber
the delivery process is almost identical to
subscriber-to-subscriber calls. The fax data is forwarded
to the Answer Function of the appropriate destination SAFF
and delivery is pursued, all in the usual way. For the ben-
efit of the subscribing originator, the message is stored in
the usual way at the destination SAFF until delivery is com-
pleted. If multiple SAFF-processed messages arrive before
the delivery is complete, a temporary Delivery Queue will be
created and used as required. However, since the
non-subscriber will have no account in the system, attempts
to use the Service Number to manipulate the queue, forward
messages, make multiple copies, and use the other special
services available to a subscribing answerer, will be
unsuccessful.
Calls originated by a non-subscriber directed to a sub-
scribing answerer move by a somewhat different mechanism.
v~,.~Bi.~i~~~t,r~~ J!'°'~~~ i
WO 92/14334 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ry PCT/US92/01172
y
-34-
As noted, each SAFE appears to the world as a distinct tele-
phone exchange and all subscriber's to a given SAFF are
assigned their fax telephone numbers with that exchange pre-
fix. Consequently, all calls directed to a SAFF subscriber ,
eventually end up at the subscriber's SAFF, whether they
originated from within the SAFF system network or not. Mes-
sages originating "off-network" can arrive by any route.
For example, they may be truly local calls, or they may be ,
long-distance calls which arrive over any available
long-distance network.
In any case, messages originating from a non-
subscriber 33 are delivered to the answering fax machine's
SAFF by the local lines 39 provided by the local telephone
company. They are answered by the SAFF's Off-net Incoming
Screener 48,, which, upon noting that they are fax transmis-
sions, directs the calls to the Originate Function 9 of that
SAFE From that point, the call is treated as if it were a
local fax call and it is passed over to the Answer
Function 12 via the Local Call Loop-back 13 for delivery to
the subscriber.
In this situation, an Acceptance Record will be
returned to the originating machine, but no further origina-
tor services are provided. On the other hand, the answering
subscriber has the full range of Answer Function available.
Charges and Detailed Billing
Normally, the Originate Function of the originator SAFE
has ultimate responsibility for the management of outgoing
messages. It initiates all connections to the Answer Func-
tions of the various SAFFs with which it must communicate.
It is the node to which all reports concerning message sta-
tus and disposition must flow. It interrogates Answer SAFFs
when extraordinary updates are required. Consequently, the
Originate Function is also the focus of charging data.
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The telephone company presumably charges for all of the
various services provided by this system. The method, algo-
rithm, and rates are determined by actual costs and applica-
ble regulations. Typically, the user would be billed for
telephone connect time, toll charges, extraordinary serv-
ices, such as those provided by calling the Service Number,
the amount of mass storage space consumed as a function of
time, and so forth.
One of the user services for which a special charge
might be made is a subscriber's customer specific billing
system. In this option the user can "flag" each fax trans-
mission with a keyed-in prefix which contains a user cus-
tomer, client, or project number. This number is stored as
a key field in the Transaction File for that call. Thus,
when the telephone bill is prepared, the billing computer
can sort the subscriber's bill on this field and present the
user with a list of all fax messages, total usage time, num-
ber of pages, and related charges, all grouped by~the
subscriber's own customers, clients, or projects. Further-
more, it can accept the subscriber's particular algorithm
for billing calls to customers or clients and generate a
column showing what the subscriber will bill for the service
(as a separate matter from what the SAFE system and the tel-
ephone company have billed the subscriber). This can be of
great assistance in attributing costs and billing customers
for services rendered.
Software Control
In the preferred embodiment, each of the principal
units of the SAFE such as described in Figures 2,3, and 4 is
controlled by its own computer processing unit or units.
These units are interrupt-driven computers which are con-
nected together by the System Status and Control unit 11.
This unit is an electronic switch yard for control communi-
cations between the Originate, Answer, and other units
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within a given SAFE, as well as the the other SAFFs in the ~
system through the control long-distance trunks 15. while _ I
there are many tasks which the various control processors
must perform to handle fax operations, the primary ones are
intercepting incoming calls, either for fax forwarding or
service requests, and delivering the fax messages to their
destinations. The general software organization of these
principal activities is shown in Fig. 5', 6, and 7. it
should be noted that these figures are simplified and
intended to be generally descriptive. For example, some
procedures illustrated here as sequential (for the sake of
simplicity) can actually be performed concurrently. Like-
wise, not every function of the system is represented in
detail. Generally speaking, similar results also can be
obtained with a number of other obvious arrangements of the
functional blocks.
Broadly speaking, fax messages addressed to the Origi-
nate Function of a SAFF arise either through the special
5AFF Directed Local Lines 4 (Figures 2 and 3) as a result of
direct connection or dialing a special access code, or they
arise from Ordinary Local Lines (off-net lines) 39, 40, 63.
Those which arrive via off-net lines are processed first by
the Off-net Screener 48, which may direct them to either the
Originate Function 9 or to Mail Box Service 49. Figure 5,
therefore combines all three of these related functions.
At the outset, one of the two incoming call interfaces
64 and 65 signals the Host Computer 70 that it is beginning
to process a call at 100 in Figure 5a. These units have
their own buffer capability and can tolerate some delay
before the Host responds. Ultimately the Host must decide
whether it is responding to an on-net or off-net call 101.
If it is an off-net call there are two possibilities
(excluding wrong numbers) 102: it may either be a fax call,
in which case it is from a non-subscribe: to a subscriber,
or it is a mail box service call. If it is a fax call ti:en
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the billing for services must be directed to the subscribing
destination addressee 112. From that point it is handled
like a;n on-net call as will be described shortly.
If it is not a fax call, then it is presumed to be a
mail box service call 103, and the system then determines
whether it is a computer or voice-based request. The caller
a
is presented with a voice response menu or computer menu 104
for such service, as appropriate. The user responds to
these prompts with a touchtone keypad, verbally, or with
computer keystrokes 105 and a decision ladder, shown suc-
cinctly as 107 selects the desired implementation routine
108, 109, 110 (for brevity only three typical choices are
shown, and this element is actually a loop which will permit
multiple commands). The chosen routine passes parameters to
a command parser 121 (Figure Sb) which prepares a command
statement which is then sent 122 to the System Status and
Control unit 11, through the interface 72. This command
will be passed to the Answer Host 85 through its interface
84 for actual action on the Mail Box Queue 89. If the serv-
ice requires a response to the caller the transmission path
is reversed. When the operation is completed 123 the call
is terminated.
If on the other hand, the original call is found at 101
to be an on-net call, billing is generally directed at the
originator 113 and the Host 70 begins the opening digital
dialogue 114 with the calling machine, acting in place of
the destination machine. This dialogue includes gathering
and storing the fax identifications, originating and desti-
nation telephone numbers and so forth 116. The Host opens a
Transaction File and links it to a data file 117 for the
expected data, and then stores all of the call and file
information 118 keyed to the Message Code. The destination
telephone number and other information are passed almost
immediately 119 to the Outbound Controller 74, which then
opens a temporary buffer to hold the fax message in case
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immediate contact can be established, and it attempts to
establish that contact through the destination SAFE.
In pursuing this contact, the Outbound Controller 74
examines the status of available trunks. If trunks are
available, it will immediately attempt to connect with the
destination SAFE, otherwise it will defer the call until a
trunk is available. In the event of a broadcast message,
the Outbound Controller will select the number of trunks to
use simultaneously based on the percentage of the trunks
already in use, in order to avoid tying up all of the SAFF's
outgoing capacity with a single message task. Other consid-
erations can affect these usage choices depending on the
details of the setting of the system.
The Host then enters a loop which gets the incoming fax
data 125 (Figure 5b) from the On-net 64 or Off-net 65
Interface's buffer and stores each byte in the fax data file
126 while sending another copy 127 to the Outbound control-
ler 74 until the incoming data is complete 128. The Host
then checks 129 with the Outbound controller to see if it
was successful in making immediate connection with the des-
tination machine. If it was successful and a satisfactory
transfer occurred, then a Delivery Report is sent back 132
to the originating machine before it leaves the line. Oth-
erwise, an Acceptance Report is sent 131, and in either case
the outcome is reported 133 to the Transaction File and the
call is terminated 134.
A complementary set of activities occurs in the Answer
Function of the destination SAFF as described in Figure 6a
and b. Here an incoming call is detected 136 by the Inbound
Control 92 (Figure 4). The Answer Host Computer 85 then
opens a new fax data and Transaction file for the message if
there is no current queue for .that destination machine, or
it prepares to append the data to an existing queue 137.
The various call and file parameters are linked and stored
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138 and the call parameters are passed through 139 to the
Local Interface 83, which then decides 141 whether the call
is addressed to a "real" fax number, or a fictitious number
terminating in a mail box. If the number is real the Local
Interface attempts to contact the destination machine for
immediate delivery.
The Host then enters a loop where it gets the incoming
data 147, stores it 148 in the fax Delivery Queue, and
passes it through 149 to the Local Interface buffer. When
the Host determines that the fax transfer is complete 150,
it then checks 152 (Figure 6b) to see if the Local Interface
has been able to make immediate delivery. If it has, the
Host initiates the transmission of the Delivery Report 167
back through its Status and Control Interface 84 to the Sys-
tem Control and Status unit 11, which in turn updates the
Transaction File and sends it back to the originator SAFE
over Trunk 15. It is this communication which ultimately
results in the immediate Delivery Report described previ-
ously. The transaction in then terminated 169.
If immediate connect is not established a Retry Report
is sent 153 back through the System Status and Control unit
and the Retry sequence begins. The Retry criteria can be
varied 154, both in place and with the SAFF setting. For
example, if the SAFF is integrated into a local exchange,
the SAFF can actually monitor the desired line and simply
wait for it to become available. In other settings it will
be necessary for the SAFF to actually redial at prescribed
intervals. In any case attempts to connect are made 155 and
if they are not successful 156 a counter or timer is checked
159 to see if the retry limit has been exceeded. if not,
the process is repeated and if so, a Failed Delivery Report
160 is sent back through the system and the effort termi-
nated 170.
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If the retry effort is successful, the Delivery Queue
i.S rE'trieved 158 and message by message 162 the queue is
dumped, with a pause 163 after each message to confirm
receipt, send a Delivery Report 164 and to check for end of
queue 165. If a message fails during the queue dump, the
retry sequence at 154 is resumed at the failure point and
the process repeated to a conclusion. When the last message
has been received satisfactorily, the transaction is termi-
nated 168.
If it is determined at 141 (Figure 6a) that this is a
mail box call, a loop is entered which gets the fax data 142
and stores it 143 in the appropriate Mail Box Queue. when
the end of message is detected 144, a Posting Report 145 is
sent back through the system and a Message Waiting Report
146 is sent forward through the system to the default desti-
nation machine.
General Service calls always arrive on Ordinary Local
Lines 5. Upon detection and answering 172, the voice
response menu is presented 173 to the user. As with the
Mail Box Service, the user keys in responses or gives them
orally 174 and a decision ladder 175 identifies the desired
service routine such as 177, 178, or 179. Here again only a
few of the possible choices have been shown for sake of
illustration and looping for multiple service requests is
provided. The selected service routine generates command
parameters which are parsed 181 as system commands and sent
182 to the System Status and Control unit 11 for execution.
Upon completion of all requests the call is terminated 183.
What has been described are the presently preferred
embodiments of a system and method for providing a compre-
hensive interactive facsimile message management system
embedded in a switched telephone network. It should be
apparent that many modifications to the system and the
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method are possible without departing from the true spirit
and scope of the invention.
Jw1 ~.~P ~~ %y" y
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