FACSIMILE INTERFACING DEVICE

Abstract: An interfacing device (12) for a facsimile device (10) is disclosed. The facsimile device is coupled by the interfacing device as a node to a local-area network (18). A facsimile sent by the facsimile device is received by the interfacing device, which routes the facsimile to a recipient electronic mail addressee over a communications network (26) as an attachment to an electronic mail, instead of only to a recipient phone number over a phone line. The attachment is preferably viewable at the recipient node using a viewing program installed on the recipient node.

Description: FACSIMILE INTERFACING DEVICE FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to facsimile devices, and more particularly to interfacing devices that permit such facsimile devices to transmit a digital facsimile representation of a document to a recipient via electronic mail through a communications network such as an intranet or the Internet. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Facsimile devices, such as fax machines as they are commonly known, have attained widespread popularity. Facsimile devices generally enable an individual to send a facsimile of a document to a recipient, typically over standards POTS phone lines. Such devices usually have a scanner with which a document is scanned into a digital format, which is then compressed according to a common standard by a facsimile data pump. The facsimile device dials the phone number of a recipient facsimile device, and transfers the facsimile over the phone lines. The recipient facsimile device decompresses and prints the facsimile on an included or attached printer. With the advent of the Internet and other similar manners of commumcation, however, weaknesses in facsimile commumcation have become increasingly apparent. Facsimile communication is typically a point-to-point communication. The originating facsimile device dials the phone number of the recipient facsimile device, establishing a temporary point-to-point connection over which the facsimile is transmitted. Such commumcation is not well suited for integration with Internet-type communication. That is, an individual who otherwise can receive electronic mail from literally all over the world via the Internet cannot receive a simple facsimile if the individual does not have access to a phone line. The facsimile typically cannot "patch in" to the Internet. Other disadvantages of facsimile commumcation also abound. Because of the point-to-point nature of facsimile communication, if a recipient facsimile device is currently receiving a facsimile from a first originating facsimile device, it cannot concurrently receive a facsimile from a second originating facsimile device. The second originating device typically receives a busy signal when attempting to reach the recipient device. It may take several attempts at redialing before the recipient device is finally reached. Furthermore, the facsimile device is generally a stationary device tied to a specific location, and therefore not well suited to the mobility which is now routine in the business world. For example, an executive based in Chicago may have his or her facsimile device located there, even though the executive may spend a majority of time in New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles. Incoming calls to the facsimile device are not easily directed. Typically, the executive will instead have a staff assistant retransmit facsimiles to the facsimile device at the hotel where he or she is staying. Finally, facsimile communication can become very expensive. For example, an individual in Minneapolis may need to send facsimiles of the same or different documents to different locations throughout Asia, typically during business hours. The international calling charges incurred by the individual may be immense. The individual also risks a facsimile not being sent properly, due to poor phone line conditions that exist in some countries. Therefore, although facsimile communication is still a useful business tool, it has serious shortcomings. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above-identified as well as other shortcomings to facsimile devices are addressed by the present invention. The invention describes an interfacing device for a facsimile device. The interfacing device couples the facsimile device as a node to a local-area network. The interfacing device receives a facsimile sent by the facsimile device, and is able to route it to a recipient electronic mail addressee over a communications network as an attachment to an electronic mail, instead of only to a recipient phone number over a phone line. The recipient then views the attachment (viz., the facsimile) using a viewing program installed on his or her computer. In a preferred embodiment, the communications network is the Internet. The sender of a facsimile enters the recipient's electronic mail address into the interfacing device, but otherwise operates the facsimile device to which the interface device is attached in a nearly normal manner. The interfacing device operates invisibly to the facsimile device, and is thus believed to be compatible with nearly all facsimile devices. Furthermore, the facsimile device may still be used to send facsimiles over a phone line. The invention therefore preferably makes otherwise stand-alone facsimile devices compatible with the Internet. Insofar as an individual has electronic mail access wherever he or she travels, that individual is also able to receive facsimiles wherever he or she travels. Because sending an electronic mail does not usually involve incurring long distance phone call charges, the facsimile sender is also able to send facsimiles much more cost effectively. Because electronic mail is not a point-to-point communication, a sender also does not have to worry about receiving a busy signal when sending a facsimile. In different embodiments of the invention, facsimile transmission systems, interfacing devices, and computerized methods of varying scope are described. Still other and further embodiments, aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the drawings and by reading the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1(a) is a diagram of a facsimile device and interfacing device operating in a first mode in which the facsimile device is transmitting a facsimile over the Internet to a recipient addressee via an electronic mail; FIG. 1(b) is a diagram of a facsimile device and interfacing device operating in a second mode in which the facsimile device is transmitting a facsimile in a normal manner over a telecommunications system to a recipient facsimile device; FIG. 2(a) is a functional block diagram of a facsimile transmission system, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2(b) is a diagram of a keypad of an interfacing device, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for transmitting a facsimile from a facsimile device over the Internet via an electronic mail, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for viewing a facsimile transmitted over the Internet via an electronic mail, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; and, FIG. 5 is a diagram of an exemplary recipient node (a computer system), according to an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferred embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims. Overview of the Invention Preferably, an inventive interfacing device couples a facsimile device such as a fax machine, and the resulting two devices are operable in two modes. In a first mode, the facsimile device transmits a facsimile over the Internet to a recipient address via an electronic mail. In a second mode, the facsimile device transmits a facsimile over a telecommunications system to a recipient facsimile device, as a facsimile device normally operates. This section of the detailed description provides an overview of each of these two modes of operation. Referring to FIG. 1(a), a diagram of a facsimile device and interfacing device operating in the first mode is shown. As shown, facsimile device 10 is a fax machine, with which a user scans in a paper document into a digital form, which is then compressed according to a common standard to generate a digital facsimile representation of the document. The invention is not particularly limited to any given facsimile device 10; other contemplated facsimile devices include a fax modem, which permits a computer to send and typically also receive facsimiles. Facsimile device 10 is coupled to interfacing device 12. As shown, interfacing device 12 is external to facsimile device 10; however, alternatively interfacing device 12 may be integrated into facsimile device 10. Preferably, coupling between the two devices is accomplished via a cord having an RJ-11 plug at each end, the plugs plugging into corresponding RJ-11 jacks at each of facsimile device 10 and interfacing device 12. Interfacing device 12 also plugs into wall jack 14, also preferably via a cord having an RJ-11 plug at each end, the plugs plugging into corresponding RJ-11 jacks at each of interfacing device 12 and wall jack 14. Wall jack 14 is coupled to a communications line of telephone network 16. Although the invention is not so limited, preferably telephone network 16 is a commonly utilized analog POTS telephone system. Other telephone systems include ISDN, which is a common digital telephone system. Interfacing device 12 thus provides a pass-through from facsimile device 10 to wall jack 14, and ultimately to telephone network 16. That is, interfacing device 12 is inserted in the direct path between facsimile device 10 and wall jack 14, as facsimile devices such as device 10 are otherwise normally configured. This location for interfacing device 12 permits the device to operate seamlessly with and invisibly to facsimile device 10. That is, by properly mimicking a standard phone jack (such as wall jack 14), interfacing device 12 is able to receive a digital facsimile representation of a document from facsimile device 10. Facsimile device 10 is unaware that it is transmitting a digital facsimile representation to interfacing device 12, as opposed to transmitting the facsimile through telephone network 16 via wall jack 14. In other words, facsimile device 10 is unaware that it is faxing a document to interfacing device 12. Interfacing device 12 receives the digital facsimile representation transmitted by facsimile device 10. Interfacing device 12 also preferably has a keypad onto which the intended recipient's electronic mail address is entered by the individual sending the facsimile. Because the invention preferably operates in the context of the Internet, this electronic mail address is of the form "<user_name>@<domain_name>.<identifιer>," where <user_name> is the unique name or identification of the recipient, <domain_name> is the unique name of the domain or mail server with which the recipient maintains an electronic mail box, and <identifier> is a three or four letter abbreviation identifying the type of the domain (such as "com" for commercial). The user selects the first mode in which the digital facsimile representation is sent to a recipient via electronic mail in the following manner. The user enters the recipient's electronic mail address, as has been described, on the keypad of interfacing device 12. This in and of itself selects the first mode. The user then inserts the document to be transmitted into facsimile device 10, and enters "**" (two asterisks) to be dialed by the facsimile device (viz., as opposed to a phone number of a recipient facsimile device). This "* *" is received by interfacing device 12. The user then presses a start button on facsimile device 10. The "**" sequence is entered to fool facsimile device 10 into sending a facsimile, since typically facsimile device 10 will not initiate the transmission of a facsimile without the entering of some numeric or other sequence (such as the "**" sequence). That is, pressing the start button on facsimile device 10 without first entering some sequence on device 10 is not sufficient to initiate the transmission of a facsimile. The "**" sequence does not itself select the first mode; the entering of an electronic mail address on interfacing device 12 itself selects the first mode. In an altemative embodiment, interfacing device 12 stores a list of sender user's names (i.e., sender user's electronic mail addresses), so that the electronic mail is also able to identify the sender of the digital facsimile representation. Interfacing device 12 generates an electronic mail addressed to the intended recipient's electronic mail address, attaching as an attachment to the electronic mail the digital facsimile representation transmitted by facsimile device 10. The preferred manner in which interfacing device 12 so generates an electronic mail is described in a following section of the detailed description. The body of the electronic mail preferably includes the Internet World- Wide- Web site from which a viewer program can be downloaded to view the attached digital facsimile representation. If the recipient does not have this program installed on his or her computer, the recipient is then able to download the view program from the web site disclosed in the electronic mail. Interfacing device 12 is operatively coupled as a node to local-area network (LAN) 18 via path 17. LAN 18 connects together a plurality of other nodes, such as computers 20 as indicated. The invention is not particularly limited to any given type of nodes, however. LAN 18 preferably includes mail server 22, which manages electronic mail sent among the nodes of LAN 18, as well as between the nodes of LAN 18 and other nodes to which they are communicatively coupled. The configuration and maintenance of LANs are well known within the art. The invention is not particularly limited to any given type of LAN; Ethernet and Token Ring, as well as other types of LANs, are amenable to the invention. Interfacing device 12 sends the electronic mail including the digital facsimile representation received from facsimile device 10 through LAN 18 via mail server 22. Mail server 22 then directs the electronic mail through router 24. Router 24 is a device that enables LAN 18 to communicatively connect to a communications network, as represented by element 26 of FIG. 1(a). This enables each of the nodes of LAN 18 to communicatively couple with many other nodes that are not a part of LAN 18, but which are also operatively coupled in some manner to communications network 26. The invention is not particularly limited to a given type of router. Furthermore, preferably communications network 26 is the Internet or an intranet, which is a private or semi-private communications network operating in accordance with the same protocols as does the Internet, and which is amenable to connection to the Internet for greater networking range. The invention is not particularly limited to a given type of communications network. Therefore, the electronic mail originating from interfacing device 12 is sent through LAN 18 via mail server 22, to and through communications network 26, and ultimately to its destination, which is the addressee of the electronic mail. The addressee of the electronic mail at least temporarily corresponds to a particular physical node. (The addressee of the electronic mail may be able to log on at any of a number of different physical nodes, hence making the addressee-physical node correspondence a dynamic relationship.) The invention is not limited to any given type of physical node that is at least a temporary recipient node of the electronic mail sent by interfacing device 12. However, in one embodiment of the invention, the recipient node is a computer 28, which is a node of another LAN 30 having a mail server 32, and communicatively coupled to communications network 26 by router 34. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1(a), a computer 28 that is the recipient node of the electronic mail sent by interfacing device 12, receives the electronic mail through LAN 30 via mail server 32. The electronic mail arrives from communications network 26 through LAN 30 via router 34, the electronic mail arriving to communications network 26 through LAN 18 via router 24, and the electronic mail initially being sent by interfacing device 12 through LAN 18 via mail server 22. Therefore, a digital facsimile representation generated by facsimile device 10 is ultimately sent via electronic mail to a computer 28 that may be located a great distance from facsimile device 10. The user of the recipient computer 28 (presumably, the addressee of the electronic mail) is able to view the facsimile by running an appropriate viewer program installed on the computer 28. Should the viewer program not be installed, the user may access the Intemet world-wide-web site disclosed in the body of the electronic mail and download a copy of the viewer program. In this manner, the user of the recipient computer is able to receive a facsimile without the need for a facsimile device such as a fax machine, and without having to have a dedicated phone line for such a facsimile device. Interfacing device 12 preferably is able to send in one electronic mail facsimiles received from facsimile device 10 having a number of pages up to and including a predetermined limit, such as twenty pages. When facsimiles are transmitted from facsimile device 10 having more than twenty pages, interfacing device 12 upon receiving the first twenty pages sends them as an attachment to an electronic mail having "part 1" or similar identification in the subject line of the electronic mail. The next twenty pages are then sent as an attachment to another electronic mail having "part 2" in the subject line, etc. Referring now to FIG. 1(b), a diagram of a facsimile device and interfacing device operating in the second mode, in which the facsimile device is transmitting a facsimile in a normal manner over a telecommunications system to a recipient facsimile device, is shown. The configuration shown in FIG. 1(b) is identical to that shown in FIG. 1(a), except that facsimile device 10 sends a digital facsimile representation to recipient facsimile device 36 through telecommunications network 16, instead of a node on LAN 30. The operation in this second mode is identical to that which is considered the normal operation of facsimile device 10 within the art, except that interfacing device 12 is inserted between facsimile device 10 and wall jack 14. Like-numbered elements in FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 1(b) are identical, and therefore reference should be made to the description in conjunction with the elements in FIG. 1(a) for further understanding thereto of like-numbered elements in FIG. 1(b). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1(b), recipient facsimile device 38 is a fax machine, which includes or is attached to a printer to print a received digital facsimile representation received from facsimile device 10. The digital facsimile representation is in accordance with a common standard. The invention is not particularly limited to any given facsimile device 36; other contemplated facsimile devices include a fax modem, as has also been described. Facsimile device 36 plugs into wall jack 38, preferably via a cord having an RJ-11 plug at each end, the plugs plugging into corresponding RJ-11 jacks at each of facsimile device 36 and wall jack 38. Wall jack 38 is coupled to a communications line of telephone network 16, which as has been described is preferably an analog POTS telephone system. The second mode, in which the digital facsimile representation is sent to a recipient facsimile device over a telecommunications system, is the default operation mode of interfacing device 12. The user operates interfacing device 12 and facsimile device 10 in the second mode in the following manner. First, the user inserts the document to be transmitted into facsimile device 10, and enters the phone number of recipient facsimile device 38. Second, the user presses a start button on facsimile device 10. Interfacing device 12 begins to receive the digital facsimile representation from facsimile device 10. Because an electronic mail address was not entered on the keypad of interfacing device 12, interfacing device 12 directs transmission of the digital facsimile representation to wall jack 14. In other words, in the second mode, interfacing device 14 passes through facsimile device 10 to wall jack 14, and facsimile device 10 operates as it otherwise normally would if interfacing device 14 had not been inserted between it and wall jack 14. This permits a direct connection between facsimile device 10 and wall jack 14, such that the digital facsimile representation is transmitted over telephone network 16 through wall jack 38 and ultimately to recipient facsimile device 36. Recipient facsimile device 36 receives the digital facsimile representation, and preferably prints the facsimile onto paper for viewing by the intended recipient. As has been described in conjunction with FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 1(b), interfacing device 12 is operable in two modes. In both modes, the interfacing device operates invisibly to facsimile device 10; that is, facsimile device 10 is not aware that it is or is not communicating with interfacing device 12 as opposed to telephone network 16 through wall jack 14. In the first mode, interfacing device 12 receives the digital facsimile representation transmitted by facsimile device 10 and sends it as an attachment to an electronic mail to an inputted electronic mail address. In the second mode, interfacing device 12 becomes transparent and passes through facsimile device 10 so that it is able to connect as it otherwise normally would with network 16 via wall jack 14. As has also been described, the preferred default mode of operation of the interfacing device is in the second mode. Therefore, by default the interfacing device passes through the connection of the facsimile device to the wall jack of the telephone network. This permits the facsimile device to receive facsimiles at all times as such facsimile devices normally operate, and also permits the facsimile device to send facsimiles in the normal manner without requiring any special procedures. The first mode is selected by the entry of an electronic mail address on the interfacing device. The interfacing device is therefore transparent until needed. Preferred Hardware Implementation An overview of the invention has been described in the preceding section. In this section, the preferred hardware implementation of a facsimile transmission system is described. Specifically, the components of an interfacing device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention are described in more detail than that provided in conjunction with FIG. 1(a) and FIG 1(b). Sufficient detail is provided to enable one of ordinary skill within the art to make and use the invention. Referring now to FIG. 2(a), a functional block diagram of a facsimile transmission system, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, is shown. Like-numbered elements in FIG. 2(a), FIG. 1(a) and FIG. 1(b) are identical, and therefore reference should be made to the description in conjunction with the elements in FIG. 1(a) for further understanding thereof of like-numbered elements in FIG. 1(b). Facsimile device 10 is coupled to switch 40 of interfacing device 12. Switch 40 provides two paths for facsimile device 10, to the LAN in path 42, or to the telephone network in path 44. Switch 40 is controlled via software as represented in switch control functionality block 44. That is, switch 40 directs the digital facsimile representation from facsimile device 10 to either path 42 or path 44 as commanded by functionality block 46. Switch control functionality block 44 in turn is controlled via software as represented in detection functionality block 48. Detection functionality block 48 determines whether a valid electronic mail address has been entered on keypad 50. Keypad 50 is a keyboard upon which a user is able to enter an electronic mail address. Therefore, it includes keys or their equivalent for each of the alphanumeric characters, as well as typographical symbols that may be included within an electronic mail address. Once an enter key on keypad 50 has been pressed, detection functionality block 48 determines whether the electronic mail address entered is valid. Validity of the electronic mail address is preferably verification that the address is within the proper format of an Internet-type electronic mail address. Detection functionality block 48 determines whether there is at least one at symbol (e.g., "@") that separates a user name from a domain name, and at least one period or dot (e.g., ".") that separates a domain name from a domain identifier. The invention is not so limited, however, and the determination of the validity of the electronic mail address may be accomplished in other manners under the invention. If detection functionality block 48 determines that a proper electronic mail address has been entered on keypad 50, it stores the electronic mail address in memory at electronic mail address storage 52. It then directs switch control functionality block 46 to direct switch 40 to connect facsimile device 10 to LAN path 42. If a proper electronic mail address has not been entered on keypad 50, detection functionality block 48 directs switch control functionality block 46 to direct switch 40 to connect facsimile device 10 to telephone network path 44. Telephone network path 44 is the default path for facsimile device 10 as coupled to interfacing device 12. Liquid crystal display (LCD) 54 displays the electronic mail address entered on keypad 50, and as stored in electronic mail address storage 52 if the address is determined valid by functionality block 48. Note that LCD 54 preferably displays the electronic mail address as it is entered by the user on keypad 50. LCD 54 also displays messages regarding the electronic mail address entered. For example, preferably if functionality block 48 detects an invalid address entered at keypad 50, it will display an error message on LCD 54. When switch 40 couples facsimile device 10 to telephone network path 44, facsimile device 10 is coupled to telephone network 16 no different than if it had not been plugged into interfacing device 12. That is, transmission of a digital facsimile representation from facsimile device 10 is passed directly through switch 40 without interference from other components of interfacing device 12. Conversely, when switch 40 couples facsimile device 10 to LAN path 42, interfacing device 12 mimics a phone line so that facsimile device 10 believes that it is communicating with a telephone network, while in actuality device 12 is receiving the digital facsimile representation transmitted by facsimile device 10 so that device 12 can send it to an electronic mail recipient. Interfacing device 12 accomplishes this first with line interface 56 coupling to LAN path 42. Line interface 56 preferably provides for data access arrangement(DAA) functionality, as known within the art, that enables interfacing device 12 to communicate with analog POTS telephone system- compatible devices and networks, such as facsimile device 10. Line interface 56 is coupled to fax data pump 58. Fax data pump 58 is one or more integrated circuits that permit interfacing device 12 to receive a digital facsimile representation transmitted by facsimile device 10, as received by line interface 56. While line interface 56 permits device 12 to communicate with analog POTS telephone system-compatible devices and networks in general, fax data pump 58 in particular permits device 12 to communicate with such devices that are facsimile devices operating in accordance with a common standard. The invention is not limited to any particular facsimile device standard. Preferably, fax data pump 58 conforms to the Group III standard, as promulgated by the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) of the United Nations. Because nearly all facsimile devices are compatible with the Group III standard, there is nearly one- hundred percent compatibility among facsimile devices. The Group III standard is known within the art, and is equivalent to the ITU-T T.30 recommendation. The T.30 recommendation covers the protocol used to manage a facsimile transmission session, and negotiate the capabilities supported by each of the sending and receiving facsimile devices. Particularly, the T.30 recommendation describes each of five phases of a facsimile call: call-setup, pre- message procedure for identification and selecting facilities, message transmission, post-message procedure including end-of-message, confirmation, and multi-page procedures, and call release (or hang up). Both line interface 56 and facsimile data pump 58 are controlled by facsimile firmware code 60. Firmware code 60 provides for the given facsimile standard by which a digital facsimile representation is created and transmitted, such as the Group III standard as has been described. Firmware code 60 is software typically stored in a erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), so that it is upgradable to a new standard. Line interface 56, fax data pump 58, and fax firmware code 60 are available as plug-in "chip sets" from a number of manufacturers. Preferably, the invention utilizes a R96DFXL integrated circuit available from the Multimedia Communications Division of Rockwell Semiconductor Systems, Rockwell International, headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif. The R96DFXL is a facsimile modem chip set providing Group III capability on a single semiconductor device. That is, the R96DFXL integrates the functionality of line interface 56, fax data pump 58, and fax firmware code 60 as has been described on a single integrated circuit. Fax data pump 58 is operatively coupled to processor 62. Processor 62 executes all the software of interfacing device 12, such as the software within detection functionality block 48 and switch control functionality block 46, as have been described. Processor 62 also controls the operation of the facsimile modem chip set, particularly the operation of facsimile firmware code 60 as firmware code 60 controls line interface 56 and facsimile data pump 58. Preferably, processor 62 is a reduced-instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor such as the R3041 and R3051/52 RISC processors available from Integrated Device Technology, Inc., of Santa Clara, Calif. Processor 62 is operatively coupled to memory 64, which includes program space 66 and data space 68, as well as necessary stacks and operating system space as known within the art. Program space 66 holds all the software executed by processor 62. Specifically, program space 66 stores the software for receiving a digital facsimile representation from facsimile device 10 via facsimile data pump 58 (through line interface 56 and as controlled by facsimile firmware code 60), and send the digital facsimile representation as an attachment to an electronic mail through communications network 26, via router 24 and LAN 18. A flowchart of the method in which a digital facsimile representation is converted to an electronic mail attachment is described in a following section. Data space 68 is an operational data space to store data as needed and used by software within program space 66. For example, electronic mail address storage 52 is a part of data space 68; the digital facsimile representation received from facsimile device 10 is also stored in data space 68. Memory 64 is preferably a combination of a programmable read-only memory (PROM) and a static or dynamic random-access memory (SRAM or DRAM). The PROM holds program space 66 so that power down does not result in loss of the software stored in the program space 66; the PROM may be erasable as well (i.e., it may be an EPROM). The SRAM or DRAM holds data space 68. The invention is not limited to a particular configuration of memory 64, however. Data space 68 is sufficiently large to store a predetermined number of pages of the facsimile received from facsimile device 10. Preferably, data space 68 is sufficient large to store up to and including twenty pages at one time. As has been described, insofar as the facsimile includes more than twenty pages, the facsimile is divided into separate electronic mail attachments over a plurality of electronic mails labeled "part 1," "part 2," etc. This process is possible because the speed of receiving the facsimile from facsimile device 10 is slow compared to the electronic mail sending operation. When interfacing device 12 is so switched by switch 40 such that LAN path 42 is chosen, a digital facsimile representation from facsimile device 10 is received by facsimile data pump 58 at line interface 56. RISC processor 62 executes software stored in memory 64 so that the digital facsimile representation is properly received into data space 68, and so that the digital facsimile representation is converted to an attachment of an electronic mail. This electronic mail is then sent over LAN 18 through router 24 and through communications network 26 to ultimately be received by recipient 70, which is the addressee of the electronic mail. Interfacing device 12 couples to LAN 18 as is now described. RISC processor 62 is operatively coupled to hardware card connector 72. Hardware card connector 72 is receptive to a hardware card 74 that permits connection to LAN 18. Each hardware card 74 includes an analog front end 76 and a media access controller (MAC) 78. The invention is not particularly limited to a given type of hardware card 74, and such hardware cards are commonly found and are well known within the art. Such hardware cards include an Ethernet lObaseT card, a Token Ring 16/4 Mpbs card, and an Ethernet lOOfx card, as known within the art. The protocols in accordance with which processor 62 sends the electronic mail to LAN 18 over a hardware card 74 plugged into connector 72 are described in the following section. Referring now to FIG. 2(b), a diagram of a keypad of an interfacing device, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, is shown. Keypad 50 of FIG. 2(b) is a preferred embodiment of keypad 50 as has been described in conjunction with FIG. 2(a). Keypad 50 of FIG. 2(b) includes LCD 54, which is a preferred embodiment of LCD 54 as has been described in conjunction with FIG. 2(a). Keypad 50 permits a user of the interfacing device to enter an electronic mail address to which the facsimile received from the facsimile device will be sent as an attachment to an electronic mail. Keypad 50 includes alphanumeric keys 51 to permit entry of the electronic mail address. Keypad 50 also includes "@" (at) key 53 to permit entry of an "@" symbol. The "@" symbol is used in Internet-type electronic mail addresses to separate the <user_name> part of an electronic mail address from the <domain_name>.<identifier> part, where the electronic mail address is in the form "<user_name>@<domain_name>.<identifier>." Furthermore, keypad 50 includes "." (dot) key 55 to permit entry of a "." symbol. The "." symbol is used primarily in Internet-type electronic mail addresses to separate the <domain_name> part of an electronic mail address from the <identifier> part. The "." symbol may also be used within a <domain_name>, for example. Keypad 50 also includes identifier keys 57, which permit entry of common three-letter or four-letter domain-type identifiers such as "com", "net", "edu", and "org", with a single key press. Enter key 59 is used to enter the electronic mail address once it has been entered on keypad 50 (as displayed on LCD 54). Cancel key 61 permits the cancellation of an already entered electronic mail address, clearing LCD 54, and permitting entry of a new electronic mail address. Keypad 50 also includes shift key 63 to select between two characters on each of alphanumeric keys 51. In one embodiment of the invention, users are able to store frequent recipient electronic mail addresses within the interfacing device. Therefore, rather than entering in a recipient electronic mail address using alphanumeric keys 51 , the user instead presses user list key 65 to bring up a list of stored electronic mail addresses on LCD 54, and is able to scroll through the list using cursor keys 67. This permits faster and more convenient entry of a recipient electronic mail address for the electronic mail including an attachment of the facsimile received from the facsimile device. Furthermore, in another embodiment of the invention, users are also able to enter their own electronic mail address on keypad 50, as well as store them in the interfacing device, so that if the electronic mail sent by the interfacing device is undeliverable, the sender can be notified. In addition, this permits the sender of the facsimile to be identified in the sender line of the electronic mail; if a sender is not identified, the electronic mail address of interfacing device 12 itself is included in the sender line. Finally, keypad 50 includes two-color light- emitting diode (LED) 69, which blinks green twice to indicate that a valid electronic mail address has been entered, and blinks red to indicate that an invalid electronic mail address has been entered. A preferred embodiment of a facsimile transmission system has been described. In particular, the components of an interfacing device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention have been described. The components of the interfacing device permit the device to receive a digital facsimile representation from a facsimile device, and send the representation as an attachment to an electronic mail through a LAN over a communications network such as the Internet, and to a recipient electronic mail addressee. Preferred Software and Protocol Implementation A preferred hardware implementation, including a preferred facsimile Group III standard, has been described in the preceding section. In this section, the preferred software implementation, including the preferred electronic mail- related protocols, is described. The preferred software implementation is described in reference to the hardware implementation shown in FIG. 2(a); however, the invention is not so limited. The preferred software implementation thus describes software stored in program space 66 of memory 64 of interfacing device 12 of FIG. 2(a). Sufficient detail is provided to enable one of ordinary skill within the art to make and use the invention. Referring now to FIG. 3, a flowchart of a method for transmitting a facsimile from a facsimile device over the Internet via an electronic mail, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, is shown. From starting step 82, the method checks whether a valid electronic mail address has been entered in step 84 (i.e., whether a valid electronic mail address has been entered on keyboard 50 as shown in FIG. 2(a), as detected by detection functionality block 48 as shown in FIG. 2(a)). If a valid electronic mail address has not been entered, control proceeds to step 86. In step 86, the facsimile device (such as device 10 of FIG. 2(a)) is coupled to a phone line of a phone network (such as phone network 16 of FIG. 2(a)), so that it is able to send a digital facsimile representation as the facsimile device normally would were it not connected to an interfacing device (such as device 12 of FIG. 2(a)). That is, step 86 corresponds to the connection of facsimile device 10 through switch 40 to path 44, as shown in FIG. 2(a). The method then ends at step 88. However, if the electronic mail address is valid in step 84, then control proceeds to step 90. In step 90, the digital facsimile representation is received from the facsimile device (such as device 10 of FIG. 2(a)). This involves switch 40 switching to LAN path 42 as shown in FIG. 2(a). Once the user has pressed the "**" sequence on the facsimile device, and then has pressed the start button, the digital facsimile representation is received at the line interface (such as line interface 56 of FIG. 2(a)) by the facsimile data pump (such as facsimile data pump 58 of FIG. 2(a)), and stored within the data space (such as data space 68 of FIG. 2(a)). As has been described, the facsimile device is unaware that it is communicating with the interfacing device, as opposed to another facsimile device through the phone network. The digital facsimile representation received from the facsimile device is typically compressed. The facsimile data pump is configured so that it maintains this compression, or if the data is not so compressed, so that it compresses the data. The data is compressed by the facsimile device or the data pump in one of three formats according to the Group III facsimile standard already described: Modified Huffman (MH), Modified Read (MR), and Modified Modified Read (MMR), all of which are known within the art. The Modified Huffman format is most common and is preferred. MH compression is a one-dimensional coding scheme, in which each scan line of pixels of the facsimile is compressed by converting the raster in a sequence of run lengths, and encoding each run length into a unique variable-length bit string. In step 92, the digital facsimile representation (as received compressed or as compressed by the facsimile data pump) is then wrapped with headers and tags in accordance with the Tagged Image File Format, Class F (TIFF/F), which is known within the art. The TIFF/F specification defines the tags that are required to be written by TIFF/F-compatible writers, and defines those tags and tag values that all TIFF/F-compatible readers must be able to handle. The TIFF/F specification is believed to be currently maintained by Faximum Software, Inc., of West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The wrapping of the digital facsimile representation is performed by the processor (such as processor 62 of FIG. 2(a)) as controlled by software stored in the program space (such as program space 66 of FIG. 2(a)), and the resulting file stored in the data space (such as data space 68 of FIG. 2(a)). In step 94, the file resulting from the digital facsimile representation wrapped in TIFF/F tags is attached as an attachment to a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME)-compliant electromc mail, which is known within the art. The MIME specification offers a way to interchange text in languages with different character sets, and multimedia electronic mail among many different computer systems that use Internet mail standards. The MIME specification is maintained by InterNIC, an organization that assists in the maintenance of Internet standards, and which maintains an Internet World- Wide- Web site at the URL address http://www.internic.net. The attachment of the file as an attachment to a MIME-compliant electronic mail is performed by the processor (such as processor 62 of FIG. 2(a)) as controlled by software stored in the program space (such as program space 66 of FIG. 2(a)), and the resulting electronic mail (with attachment) stored in the data space (such as data space 68 of FIG. 2(a)). The electronic mail is addressed to the electronic mail address of the recipient node. In step 96, the resulting electronic mail with attachment is encrypted using the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption protocol, which is known within the art. The SSL encryption protocol provides privacy over the Internet. The protocol allows client server applications to communicate in a way that cannot be eavesdropped upon. Servers are always authenticated and clients are optionally authenticated. SSL encryption is a standard developed by Netscape Communications Corp., of Mountain View, Calif. The encryption of the electronic mail using the SSL protocol is performed by the processor (such as processor 62 of FIG. 2(a)) as controlled by software stored in the program space (such as program space 66 of FIG. 2(a)), and the resulting encrypted electronic mail (with attachment) stored in the data space (such as data space 68 of FIG. 2(a)). In step 98, a networking protocol is added to the resulting encrypted electronic mail, so that the electronic mail may be sent over a LAN (such as LAN 18 of FIG. 2(a)) compatible with the networking protocol. Preferably, the networking protocol is Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), which is a commonly used Intemet networking protocol known within the art. The TCP/IP networking protocol is also maintained by InterNIC. The addition of the networking protocol is performed by the processor (such as processor 62 of FIG. 2(a)) as controlled by software stored in the program space (such as program space 66 of FIG. 2(a)), and the resulting TCP/IP encrypted electronic mail (with attachment) stored in the data space (such as data space 68 of FIG. 2(a)). Finally in step 100, the TCP/IP encrypted electronic mail (with attachment) is sent to the mail server of the LAN (such as LAN 18 of FIG. 2(a)), so that the electronic mail can be sent to its recipient over a communications network such as the Intemet (such as network 26 of FIG. 2(a)). Transmission to the mail server of the LAN is accomplished by a packet driver stored in the program space (such as program space 66 of FIG. 2(a)), the packet driver compatible with the hardware card inserted into the interfacing device (such as hardware card 74 of FIG. 2(a)). Therefore, the packet driver may be either an Ethernet or a Token Ring driver. The packet driver typically includes a media-access controller (MAC) driver, as the hardware card inserted into the interfacing device typically includes a media-access controller (MAC), as described in conjunction with hardware card 74 of FIG. 2(a). The packet driver is also compatible with the IEEE802.3 Ethernet specification known within the art. The IEEE802.3 specification is believed to be maintained by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., and which maintains an Intemet World- Wide- Web site at the URL address http://www.ieee.org. Transmission to the mail server is further accomplished pursuant to a mail protocol, preferably the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) known within the art. The SMTP protocol is also maintained by InterNIC. The mail server then sends the electronic mail to a communications network such as the Internet over a router (such as router 24 of FIG. 2(a)). The recipient node that is the addressee of the electronic mail is communicatively coupled to the communications network, such that it ultimately receives the electronic mail. The method of FIG. 3 ends at step 102. As has been described in conjunction with FIG. 3, in a preferred method of the invention, a facsimile is transmitted from a facsimile device as an electronic mail attachment over the Intemet. The digital facsimile representation is wrapped with TIFF/F headers and tags and attached to a MIME-compliant electronic mail. The electronic mail (with attachment) is encrypted using SSL encryption. A TCP/IP connection protocol is added, and the resulting data is transmitted to the LAN mail server via a packet driver in accordance with the SMTP electronic mail protocol. Viewing the Facsimile at the Recipient Node The transmission of a digital facsimile representation as an electronic mail to a recipient node has been described in the preceding sections. This section describes the receipt of the electronic mail by the recipient node, and the viewing of the digital facsimile representation at the recipient node. In addition, an exemplary recipient node is described. Sufficient detail is provided to enable one of ordinary skill within the art to make and use the invention. Referring first to FIG. 4, a flowchart of a method for viewing a facsimile transmitted over the Intemet via an electronic mail, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, is shown. From step 104 the encrypted electronic mail is received at the recipient node in step 106. The electronic mail is decrypted in step 108. The recipient node must have decryption capability conforming to the encryption protocol used to encrypt the electronic mail. For example, preferably the recipient node must have SSL decryption capability. In step 110, the attachment is opened using a viewer program. Note that the recipient node must also have an electronic mail client program capable of receiving MIME-compliant electronic mail, such that it is able to separate the attachment from the body of the electronic mail. The viewer program must be TIFF/F compatible, so that it can properly remove the digital facsimile representation from the TIFF/F headers and tags added by the interfacing device. The viewer program must also have decompression capability compatible with the compression format utilized by the facsimile device or the facsimile data pump. For example, preferably the viewer program has decompression capability compatible with the MH, MR, and/or MMR formats already described. Once the digital facsimile representation has been decompressed, it is viewable in step 112 on a display device of the recipient node. The method ends in step 114. Referring next to FIG. 5, an exemplary recipient node according to an embodiment of the invention is shown. The invention is not limited to the recipient node shown in FIG. 5. The node shown in FIG. 5 is a computer 116 coupled to a monitor 118, a pointing device 120, and a keyboard 122. Computer 116 includes a processor (preferably, an Intel Pentium processor), random-access memory (preferably, at least sixteen megabytes), read-only memory (ROM), and one or more storage devices, such as a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, an optical disk drive, and a tape cartridge drive. The invention is not particularly limited to a given type of computer 116. A given computer 116 is preferably a PC-compatible computer running a version of the Microsoft Windows operating system. The construction and operation of such computers are known within the art. Computer 116 may be either a portable or a desktop computer, as well. Monitor 118 permits the display of information for viewing by a user of the computer, such as the display of the facsimile digital representation as has been described. The invention is not limited to any particular type of monitor 12. Such monitors include cathode ray tube (CRT) displays, as well as flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays (LCD's), and in one embodiment is a super- VGA CRT display. Pointing device 120 permits the control of the screen pointer provided by the graphic user interface of operating systems such as versions of Microsoft Windows. The invention is not limited to any particular type of pointing device 120. Such pointing devices include mouses, touch pads, trackballs, and point sticks. Keyboard 122 permits textual entry into computer 116 as another input device to the computer, and typically includes a plurality of alphanumeric keys, function keys, navigation keys, cursor keys, and numeric keypad keys. However, the invention is not so particularly limited. Computer 116 also includes a connection to a communications network such as the Intemet (not shown in FIG. 5). Such a connection may be through a local-area network (LAN), a dial-up connection using a modem, or a direct connection, such as that afforded by a Tl line. The connection to the communications network allows computer 116 to receive the electronic mail including the digital facsimile representation as an attachment. Once properly processed by the computer as has been described, the digital facsimile representation is displayed on monitor 118 for viewing by the user. Conclusion An interfacing device for a facsimile device has been described. Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the present invention. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that this invention be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims: We claim: 1. A facsimile transmission system comprising: a communications network communicatively coupling together a plurality of nodes, each node able to send electronic mail to and receive electronic mail from the other nodes; a local-area network coupling together a subset of the plurality of nodes, the local-area network operatively coupled to the communications network; an originating facsimile device generating a digital facsimile representation of a document; and, an interfacing device coupling the originating facsimile device as a node to the local-area network and receiving the digital facsimile representation from the originating facsimile device, wherein the interfacing device sends the digital facsimile representation as an attachment to an electronic mail to a recipient node over the communications network through the local-area network. 2. The facsimile transmission system of claim 1 , wherein the communications network is the Intemet. 3. The facsimile transmission system of claim 1 , wherein the communications network comprises an intranet. 4. The facsimile transmission system of claim 1, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes has a unique electronic mail address. 5. The facsimile transmission system of claim 1, wherein the local-area network is operatively coupled to the communications network via a router. 6. The facsimile transmission system of claim 1 , wherein the originating facsimile device comprises a scanner to scan the document and a facsimile data pump to convert the scanned document to the digital facsimile representation. 7. The facsimile transmission system of claim 1 , wherein the attachment to the electronic mail is viewable on the recipient node via a viewer computer program compatible with the attachment. 8. The facsimile transmission system of claim 1 , wherein the recipient node is coupled to a second subset of the plurality of nodes via a second local-area network. 9. The facsimile transmission system of claim 1, wherein the interfacing device sends the digital facsimile representation as an attachment to an electronic mail to a recipient node over the communications network through the local-area network in a first mode. 10. The facsimile transmission system of claim 9, further comprising a telecommunications system, wherein the interfacing device also couples the originating facsimile device to the telecommunications system, and sends the digital facsimile representation over the telecommunications system to a recipient facsimile device in a second mode. 11. The facsimile transmission system of claim 10, wherein the interfacing device defaults to the second mode and switches to the first mode upon verification of a proper recipient electronic mail address entered on a keypad of the interfacing device. 12. The facsimile transmission system of claim 10, wherein the telecommunications system is selected from the group of telecommunications systems consisting of POTS and ISDN. 13. An interfacing device for a facsimile device comprising: a connector receptive to a corresponding connector of the facsimile device; a facsimile data pump compatible with a corresponding facsimile data pump of the facsimile device to decode a digital facsimile representation of a document received from the facsimile device through the connector; an input device to receive an electronic mail address of a recipient node of the digital facsimile representation of the document; a processor operatively coupled to the facsimile data pump and the input device; a memory operatively coupled to the processor; and, a computer program executed by the processor from the memory to generate an electronic mail addressed to the electronic mail address of the recipient node, wherein the electronic mail includes an electronic mail attachment of the digital facsimile representation of the document as decoded by the facsimile data pump. 14. The interfacing device of claim 13, wherein the electronic mail includes an Intemet World- Wide- Web site at which a viewer program can be downloaded to view the digital facsimile representation attached as the electronic mail attachment. 15. The interfacing device of claim 13 , wherein the input device is a keypad. 16. The interfacing device of claim 15, wherein the keypad includes at least one identifier key, each identifier key providing one-key press entry of a corresponding electronic mail address domain type. 17. The interface device of claim 13, wherein the electronic mail attachment comprises a compressed version of the digital facsimile representation of the document as decoded by the facsimile data pump. 18. The interface device of claim 13, further comprising a connection to a communications network communicatively coupling together a plurality of nodes including the recipient node, for transmission of the electronic mail to the recipient node. 19. The interface device of claim 13, further comprising a connector receptive to a card to couple the facsimile device to a local-area network operatively coupled to a communications network communicatively coupling together a plurality of nodes including the recipient node, for transmission of the electronic mail to the recipient node. 20. The interface device of claim 13, further comprising: a second connector to couple the facsimile device to a telecommunications system for transmission of the digital facsimile representation to a recipient facsimile device; and, a switch to switch between a first mode in which the electronic mail is sent to the recipient node over a communications network commumcatively coupling together a plurality of nodes including the recipient node, and a second mode in which the digital facsimile representation is sent to the recipient facsimile device over the telecommunication system. 21. The interface device of claim 20, wherein the second connector is an RJ- 11 plug corresponding to an RJ-11 jack of a communications line of the telecommunications system. 22. The interface device of claim 20, wherein switch defaults to the second mode and switches to the first mode upon verification of a proper recipient electronic mail address entered on a keypad of the interfacing device. 23. The interface device of claim 13, wherein the connector is an RJ-11 jack corresponding to an RJ-11 plug of the facsimile device. 24. A computerized method for transmitting a digital facsimile representation of a document comprising the steps of: generating an electronic mail attachment including the digital facsimile representation of the document; generating an electronic mail addressed to a recipient node and including the electronic mail attachment generated; and, sending the electronic mail addressed to the recipient node and including the electronic mail attachment generated to the recipient node over a communications network, wherein the communications network communicatively couples together a plurality of nodes including the recipient node. 25. A computerized method for viewing a digital facsimile representation of a document comprising the steps of: receiving an electronic mail over a communications network communicatively coupling together a plurality of nodes, the electronic mail including an electronic mail attachment of the digital facsimile representation; and, viewing the digital facsimile representation on a display device.

Inventors: HE LEI, TRIEU AN THUAN, HE, LEI, TRIEU, AN, THUAN
Applicants: ZEBRA COMMUNICATIONS INC, ZEBRA COMMUNICATIONS, INCORPORATED
Application year: 1998
Main classification: H04N1
IPC codes: H04N1