Patent ID: 6856431

Claim:
A gateway apparatus connected to a telephone network and the Internet, comprising: a facsimile communications mechanism configured to receive facsimile communications protocols and facsimile information from a calling facsimile apparatus coupled to said telephone network through said telephone network; an Internet communications mechanism configured to transmit said facsimile information in a packet format to a called facsimile apparatus coupled to said telephone network via a different gateway apparatus through the Internet and the telephone network; a memory storing data representing a calling facsimile number of said calling facsimile apparatus in association with a called facsimile number of said called facsimile apparatus; and a communications controller configured to determine before establishing a line connection with said calling facsimile apparatus whether said facsimile number of said calling facsimile apparatus is registered in said memory as the calling facsimile number, to cause said different gateway apparatus to initiate a call to said called facsimile apparatus using said called facsimile number when said facsimile number of said calling facsimile apparatus is determined as registered in said memory as the calling facsimile number, and to establish a line connection upon a receipt of an acknowledgement indicating the line is connectable from said called facsimile apparatus.