BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention. This invention relates to facsimile systems and, more particularly, to facsimile systems with remotely controlled message forwarding.

2. Prior Art. Forwarding of facsimile messages allows a designated recipient of a facsimile message to have access to that facsimile message even through he or she may be at a remote location, which is away from the facsimile receiving machine to which the facsimile message was directed. Previously, the designated recipient was required to wait until he returned to the facsimile receiving machine to read his facsimile messages. Alternatively, anotherperson couldmanually re-transmit the facsimilemessage to the designateduser at the remote location. One disadvantage of waiting to read facsimile messages is that the information in the message is not received in a timely manner. Where less expensive alternative means of message transmission are available, information is sent through a facsimile system because the information is usually is time- sensitive.

There are several disadvantages to having a facsimile message manually retransmitted.

a. It can be difficult to find someone who has the time to re-send the faxes. b. Since the incoming faxes were probably received on thermal paper, they must be photocopied before being resent for optimum image quality. c. If there is a significant time-zone difference, it can be difficult to reach your "home office" at a time that is convenient for everyone. d. If it is a long-distance call from your office to where you are, your faxes will be re-sent at the most expensive daytime rate unless your office "helper" is willing to stay late and send your faxes to you in the evening. e. It may be impossible to reach someone to re-send your faxes at night, over the weekend, or on a holiday. f. If the faxes are of a confidential or highly- sensitive nature, the person resending them has an opportunity to read them first. g. There are also opportunities for others to read the faxes when (1) they are first received and are waiting to be picked up, and (2) when they are forwarded and waiting to be picked up.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a facsimile message forwarding system which eliminates manual forwarding.

It is another object of the invention to provide a facsimile message forwarding system which does not require any cooperation from, or action on the part of, other office personnel and which is operated completely over the phone by the intended recipient. The invention includes a number of advantages since the faxes were originally received and stored electronically in a computer, there is no need to first copy faxes from thermal paper before re-sending. Since the system

according to the invention automatically receives faxes and handles requests for resending, a user can request faxes at his or her convenience (even when his place business is closed) . Faxes can be scheduled to be re- sent when phone rates are lowest. Forwarding requests are taken 24 hours a day, seven days a week and faxes are re-sent at any time. Since the faxes are received by a computer and re-sent without first being printed, they can remain confidential. Remote access to faxes can be password protected for additional security.

In accordance with these and other objects of the invention, a facsimile message forwarding method and system is provided for forwarding facsimile messages from a central repository to a remote user. Storage means are provided for storing one or more facsimiles at a central repository. Mode-selection means are provided for selecting a facsimile-forwarding mode of operation of said system from a plurality of modes including immediate forwarding or forwarding at a later scheduled time. Time-selection for selecting either a media forwarding or scheduled forwarding of one or more selected facsimile messages is also provided. The scheduled means for forwarding one or more facsimile messages provides for forwarding said messages at a scheduled time. Other aspects of the invention include means for verifying that a particular remote user can have access to this system. Means are provided for announcing to a user how many facsimile messages are stored for that user. Means are also provided for repeatedly seeking access to a communication to remote user at a predetermined scheduled time. Header information isprovided forselected facsimilemessages. Means are provided for selectingvarious portions of the contents of a facsimile message, including information about the date, time and receipt and user-identification

information. A log of facsimile messages being stored can be selectively forwarded.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention:

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a telephone system which incorporates voice-mail and facsimile functions.

Figure 2 is a flow chart of a scheme for remotely accessing a system for forwarding facsimile messages according to the invention.

Figure 3 is a flow chart of a scheme for selecting various options available to a user for forwarding fac- simile messages.

Figure 4 is a flowchart of a scheme for scheduling delivery of facsimile messages according, to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Figure 1 shows a block-diagram representation of the functional elements which are included on an add-in circuit card 10 for use in an IBM personal computer, or compatible computer. This circuit card and corresponding software for the personal computer will be available as a communications-center package from The Complete PC Company, located in San Jose, California, and the assignee of the present invention. This package combines a facsimile subsystem 12, voicemail subsystem 14, and a data modem 16 on a single add-in circuit card, as indicated in the figure. A telephone line-interface and answering subsystem 18 which is connected by a telephone line 20 to a telephone central office 22 or PBX system. Software is provided to operate the personal computer in various modes of operation including voice-messaging, facsimile, and data transfer.

In thevoicemail mode of operation, hardware resources under the control of program software are operated to provide a personal computer system having voice-message handling capabilities. Message are stored on the disk- drive unit of the personal computer. Various voicemail features are provided such as a multiplicity of private mailboxes, message security using passwords, personalized greeting messages, call transfer, and remote access for message retrieval and for configuration management.

In the facsimile mode of operation, the personal computer system under the control of program software is operated to provide facsimile message handling capabilities, as described hereinbelow. Facsimile messages are also stored on the disk drive of the personal computer.

The software includes features such as full background operation; unattended transmit/receive operation; scheduled transmission operation; broadcast to distribution groups; and on-screen viewing of received facsimiles.

Forwarding of facsimile messages is a feature which is available as a voicemail option during access to the system from a remote location by a remote user. A remoteuser specifies forwarding instructions using, for example, a touchtone telephone keypad, as apparatus for generating command signals.

Figure 2 is a flow chart showing how a user at a remote location gains access to the facsimile-message forwarding system according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a flow chart showing how a user at a remote location gains access to the facsimile-message forwarding system, according to the invention. Figure 2 represents the program steps, which are programmed into the personal computer. The program is initiated by the functional interface block 30 when a phone ringing signal is received from the telephone central office 22 or the PBX 20 as shown in Figure 1. A specified number of rings are counted in the decision block 32. This specified number of rings being counted then activates the functional block 34 to playing an audio message to the remote user. The system plays the MAIN GREETING as indicated by the functional block 34. The remote user, as indicated by the functional block 36, then selects the command mode of operation by pressing the sharp (#) key on his touch-tone telephone. The system, as indicated in the functional block 38, prompts the remote user for a password. The decision block 40 is then used to determine whether the remote user has entered a correct password decision. The

decision block 42 gives the remote user three tries to enter a correct password. If a correct password is not entered then the functional interface block 44 indicates that the system will hang up on the remote user. If the correct password is used, the functional block 46 is used to place the remote user in the "command mode" to enable operation of the various features of the system. Prior to this point in the program, the remote user could only leave a voice or a facsimile message.

In the command mode a remote user has four options which are user selectable. The functional block 48 permits the user to listen to voice messages. The functional block 50 permits the remote user to record voice messages. The functional block 52 permits the user from a remote site to change various options available. The decision block 54 tests whether any new facsimile messages have been received. If not the user is redirected back to the selection step of the command mode. If new facsimile messages have been received, the functional block 56 is entered. After the steps provided by the facsimile option of function block 56 are provided the user is returned to the command mode and the decision block 58 is used to determine whether or not the remote user is finished with the system. If not the remote user is returned to the initial step of the command mode. If the user is finished with the system then the functional interface block 60 hangs up the telephone connection to that remote user.

Figure 3 is a flow chart with a scheme for selecting the various options available to the user for forwarding facsimile messages. The functional block 56 places the remote user in the fax forwarding mode of operation. The functional block 58 retrieves the received facsimile messages from their storage locations, for example, the memory of the personal computer. The system tells the

remote user how many facsimiles have been received for that remote user. The decision block 60 indicates that the remote user is questioned as to whether all or selective ones of the received facsimile messages are to be sent to the remote user. If using the touch-tone key pad of his telephone set, the remote user can select to forward all facsimile messages or selected facsimile messages. The functional block 62 indicates that if the remote user wishes to choose individual facsimile messages the system provides voice signals containing the header information for each facsimile message. The header information includes date and time of receipt of the facsimile message, the sender's identification, and the number of pages in the message. The remote user indicates which facsimile messages are to be selected to be sent to that remote user. The functional block 64 is used if all of the facsimile messages are to be marked and sent to the remote user.

The functional blocks 62,64 are provided to select all or some of the facsimile messages. The functional block 66 is used to select the particular information to be forwarded for each preselected facsimile message. The various options to be selected by the user, as indicated by the functional block 66, are:

1. Forward a composite listing of the facsimile message header information for each facsimile;

2. Send the first page of each facsimile message; 3. Send all new facsimile messages in their en¬ tirety;

4. Send all old facsimile messages in their en¬ tirety;

5. Send a log of all received facsimile messages (whether or not they are new messages) ; and

6. Send facsimile messages that meet predetermined requirements regarding date/time or sender identification.

The decision block 68 is used to provide the remote user with a choice as to whether the system should forward the designated facsimile messages either immediately or at a scheduled later time. If the remote user selects sending the facsimile messages immediately as indicated by functional block 70, the facsimile messages are sent. Functional block 72 indicates that these sent facsimile messages are then removed from the "new message queue." The system then proceeds to hang up as indicated by the functional interface block 74 when all of the messages have been immediately forwarded.

If the remote user selects to not send the messages immediately but rather to forward the acsimilemessages at a predetermined time, functional block 76 calls for the remote user to enter the time and date for forwarding those facsimile messages. The functional block 78 also requires the remote user to enter the particular phone number to which the facsimile messages will be forwarded at the future time and date.

Figure 4 is a continuation from the functional block 78. If the remote user has chosen to forward the facsimile messages at a scheduled future time the interface block 80 starts a loop which tests whether the time to forward the facsimile messages has arrived, as indicated by the decision block 82. The decision block 84 tests, after the time to forward the facsimile messages occurs, whether the telephone line is in use. If the line is in use the program control is recycled back to the start block 80. If the telephone line is not in use the functional block 86 indicates that the

number to which the facsimile message will be forwarded is automatically dialed. The functional block 88 tests whether the dialed call is answered before a time out interval has elapsed. If not the functional block 90 indicates that the circuit is hung up and the decision block 92 tests whether more attempts should be made to forward the facsimile message. If the number of attempts is exceeded the facsimile message is deleted from the queue as indicated by the interface block 94. If more attempts are to be made the functional block 96 causes the facsimile message to be rescheduled. If the call is answered prior to time out the functional block 98 causes the facsimile messages to be sent. If the facsimile messages are successfully sent, the decision block 100 causes the line to be hung up as indicated by the functional interface block 102. If the facsimile messages are not successfully sent the line is hung up as indicated by the functional interface block 104 and the decision block 92 is used to test whether more tries to send facsimile messages successfully should be attempted.

Some features of the system for selectively forwarding facsimile messages from a central repository, such as a personal computer memory to a remote user as described hereinabove includes a facility for providing a voice indication that new facsimile messages have been received and are waiting to be forwarded, as described in connection with the functional block 58. The functional block 62 describes the feature of remote voice messages being used to read the contents of facsimile message headers. The decision block 60 provides a feature by which optional selection of the various facsimile messages to be forwarded is made. The functional block 62 provides a feature by which a remote user can optionally forward different parts of a facsimile message or the entire facsimile message to a

remote location. The decision block 68 describes a feature which allows immediate delivery of a facsimile message, that is, delivery of the facsimile message on the same phone call by the remote user.

The decision block 68 also indicates that a feature is available for scheduling delivery of specified facsimile messages to a specified number at a future time is available. That option is also available to initiate forwarding on demand.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use con¬ templated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.