Patent ID: 7715059

Claim:
A method of handling a facsimile image received by a facsimile system, the method comprising the steps of: comparing a junk fax image stored in a junk fax database to an incoming facsimile image, wherein the junk fax image includes at least a portion of an analyzed facsimile image distinct from the incoming facsimile image and likely to appear in another incoming facsimile image, and wherein the comparing includes using at least one of optical character recognition or magnetic character recognition to determine whether the junk fax image matches at least a portion of the incoming facsimile image; disposing of the incoming facsimile image in the case that the junk fax image matches at least a portion of the incoming facsimile image; wherein if a match does not exist, the method further comprises: determining whether the incoming facsimile is of a junk fax by displaying at least a portion of the incoming facsimile image before outputting the image, wherein the outputting includes printing the incoming facsimile image through the facsimile system; allowing a recipient to view the at least a portion of the displayed image to determine whether the incoming facsimile image is of a junk fax; saving at least a portion of the incoming facsimile image as a junk fax image in the junk fax database in the case that the incoming facsimile image is of a junk fax; calculating a toner count of at least a portion of the incoming facsimile image; and processing the incoming facsimile image in the case that the toner count is below a threshold.