Patent ID: 7193739

Claim:
A method for transmitting a facsimile from a computer through a broadband network without using a facsimile modem, comprising: providing a near-end computer connected to a broadband network through a near-end access gateway; providing a facsimile software application in the near-end computer that operates by transmitting a facsimile over a serial communication port, associated with the software application to a facsimile modem; transmitting the facsimile using the software application by sending raw digital facsimile data to the serial communication port; using a serial port redirection command from the near-end computer to direct the raw digital facsimile data from the software application away from the serial communication port and through a TCP socket on an existing network connection between the near-end computer and the near-end gateway connected to the broadband network; providing a virtual facsimile software module in the near-end gateway that receives the raw digital facsimile data from the near-end computer over the network connection, wherein the near-end gateway emulates a facsimile modem interface and transmits the raw digital facsimile data over the broadband network to a far-end gateway that operates an additional virtual facsimile software module.