Patent ID: 8719083

Claim:
A method for distributing documents, comprising: receiving, by a computer, via a first network, an electronic document to be distributed and a destination identifier; determining, by the computer, whether a destination identified by the destination identifier is associated with a destination account among a known group of customer accounts; routing, by the computer, the electronic document according to whether the destination is associated with the destination account among the known group of customer accounts; and calculating, by the computer, a fee associated with delivery of the electronic document based on whether the destination is associated with the destination account among the known group of customers and a set of billing rules; wherein routing the electronic document comprises, when the destination is associated with the destination account among the known group of customer accounts, routing the electronic document by a gateway connected to the computer and to the first network, the gateway routing the electronic document using a logical crossover connection that bypasses a second network while permitting appearance of transmission using the second network, the gateway appending information to the electronic document regardless of whether the electronic document is transmitted over the first network or the second network.