Patent ID: 6134017
Filing Date: 2000-10-17
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A facsimile manager for permitting a user to operate printing and scanning functionality of a facsimile machine, the facsimile machine having a facsimile memory for storing image data and further having an interface for connecting to separate computing equipment on which the facsimile manager executes, the facsimile manager comprising:a software interface with a communication module which is functionally connected to the facsimile machine via the interface, in which the communication module automatically and repeatedly polls the facsimile machine via the interface to determine whether a scanned-in image is present in facsimile memory, obtains the scanned-in image from the facsimile memory via the interface, and accepts images and send-fax images via the software interface from another application program;a user-activatable in-box which is operable to receive an image from the communication module via the software interface, and which when activated displays a list of images provided by the communication module, such images including scanned-in images and images from the other application program, the in-box further being operable to permit user-selection of images from the list;a user-activatable out-box which when activated displays a list of send-fax images, and which permits user-selection of images from the list;a scanning module which interacts with the software interface so as to cause the communication module to command the facsimile machine via the interface to initiate a scanning operation, which receives a corresponding scanned-in image from the communication module via the software interface, and which stores the scanned-in image for display in the list of images in said in-box;a fax module which interacts with the software interface so as to give send-fax images selected from the list of images in said out-box to the communication module and so as to cause the communication module to transfer the selected send-fax images via the interface to the facsimile machine for subsequent facsimile transmission by the facsimile machine; anda print module which interacts with the software interface so as to give images selected from the list of images in said in-box or said out-box to the communication module and so as to cause the communication module to transfer the selected image via the interface to the facsimile machine for subsequent print out by the facsimile machine.