Patent US6032192A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6032192A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Pro-active message delivery system and method
Assignee: Net2phone Inc
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Filing: 1998-01-26
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Granted: 2000-02-29
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Expires: 2018-01-26
Abstract
Abstract A pro-active message delivery system which routes digitally-encoded messages via public-switched telephone networks and wide area networks to most cost-effectively deliver the messages, subject to security, privacy, and availability considerations. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, digitally encoded messages entered into a wide area network, either directly or via a public-switched telephone network, are sent to their destination using the most cost-effective route, by calculating the cost of sending the message via the available routes, and selecting the lowest cost route. Generally, the lowest cost route might use the node on the wide area network closest to the recipient of the message, or might use or node located in an area which charges off-peak rates at the time of transmission.
Inventors
- 👤 Martin T. Wegner
- 👤 Omprasad S. Nandyal
- 👤 Antonio Dutra
- 👤 Randy Storch
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 21:35
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M15/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
124 words
A system for transmitting a facsimile message using a computer network, comprising: a sender facsimile machine to create the facsimile message; a network node on the computer network which receives the facsimile message; a memory on said network node which stores the facsimile message; a least-cost routing process to determine a destination node to which to send the facsimile message in accordance with a least cost; a delivery process to deliver the facsimile message to the destination node; and a receiver facsimile machine which receives the facsimile message from the destination node; wherein said network node comprises an encryption process to encrypt the facsimile message, and wherein said least-cost routing process comprises a process to determine the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
124 words
A system for transmitting a facsimile message using a computer network, comprising: a sender facsimile machine to create the facsimile message; a network node on the computer network which receives the facsimile message; a memory on said network node which stores the facsimile message; a least-cost routing process to determine a destination node to which to send the facsimile message in accordance with a least cost; a delivery process to deliver the facsimile message to the destination node; and a receiver facsimile machine which receives the facsimile message from the destination node; wherein said network node comprises an encryption process to encrypt the facsimile message, and wherein said least-cost routing process comprises a process to determine the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
73 words
A method for transmitting a facsimile message over a computer network, comprising the steps of: (a) creating the facsimile message; (b) sending the facsimile message to a network node; (c) storing the facsimile message in the network node; (d) least-cost routing the facsimile message to a destination node; (e) receiving the facsimile message from the destination node; (f) encrypting the facsimile message; and (g) determining the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
73 words
A method for transmitting a facsimile message over a computer network, comprising the steps of: (a) creating the facsimile message; (b) sending the facsimile message to a network node; (c) storing the facsimile message in the network node; (d) least-cost routing the facsimile message to a destination node; (e) receiving the facsimile message from the destination node; (f) encrypting the facsimile message; and (g) determining the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
113 words
A system for transmitting a document, comprising: a computer on which a network user creates the document; a network node which receives the document from the computer; a memory on said network node for storing the document; a least-cost routing process to determine a destination node to receive the document according to a least cost; a network delivery process to deliver the document to the destination node; and a receiver facsimile machine to receive the document from the destination node; and wherein said network node comprises an encryption process to encrypt the facsimile message, and wherein said least-cost routing process comprises a process to determine the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
113 words
A system for transmitting a document, comprising: a computer on which a network user creates the document; a network node which receives the document from the computer; a memory on said network node for storing the document; a least-cost routing process to determine a destination node to receive the document according to a least cost; a network delivery process to deliver the document to the destination node; and a receiver facsimile machine to receive the document from the destination node; and wherein said network node comprises an encryption process to encrypt the facsimile message, and wherein said least-cost routing process comprises a process to determine the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
56 words
A method for transmitting a document, comprising the steps of: (a) creating the document on a computer network; (b) receiving the document; (c) least-cost routine the document to a destination node; (d) receiving the facsimile representation from the destination node; (e) encrypting the facsimile message; and (f) determining the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
56 words
A method for transmitting a document, comprising the steps of: (a) creating the document on a computer network; (b) receiving the document; (c) least-cost routine the document to a destination node; (d) receiving the facsimile representation from the destination node; (e) encrypting the facsimile message; and (f) determining the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
112 words
A system for transmitting a facsimile message, comprising: a sender facsimile machine to create the facsimile message; a network node on a computer network to receive the facsimile message and a recipient address; a memory on said network node for storing the facsimile message; a mapping process to map the recipient address to a corresponding network address on the computer network; and a network delivery process to deliver the facsimile message to the network address according to a least-cost route, wherein said network node comprises an encryption process to encrypt the facsimile message, and wherein said least-cost routing process comprises a process to determine the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
112 words
A system for transmitting a facsimile message, comprising: a sender facsimile machine to create the facsimile message; a network node on a computer network to receive the facsimile message and a recipient address; a memory on said network node for storing the facsimile message; a mapping process to map the recipient address to a corresponding network address on the computer network; and a network delivery process to deliver the facsimile message to the network address according to a least-cost route, wherein said network node comprises an encryption process to encrypt the facsimile message, and wherein said least-cost routing process comprises a process to determine the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
80 words
A method for transmitting a facsimile message, comprising: (a) creating the facsimile message; (b) sending the facsimile message and a recipient network address to a network node on a computer network; (c) storing the facsimile message; (d) mapping the recipient address to a corresponding network address on the computer network; (e) delivering the facsimile message to the network address according to a least-cost route; (f) encrypting the facsimile message; and (g) determining the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
80 words
A method for transmitting a facsimile message, comprising: (a) creating the facsimile message; (b) sending the facsimile message and a recipient network address to a network node on a computer network; (c) storing the facsimile message; (d) mapping the recipient address to a corresponding network address on the computer network; (e) delivering the facsimile message to the network address according to a least-cost route; (f) encrypting the facsimile message; and (g) determining the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
137 words
A system for transmitting a document representing facsimile data from a computer to a network user, comprising: a computer on which the document to be sent to a facsimile machine phone number is created; a network node on a computer network for receiving the document and the facsimile machine phone number from said computer; a memory on said network for storing said document; a mapping process to map said facsimile machine phone number to a network address on the computer network; a process to convert the document to a facsimile representation; and a network delivery process to deliver the facsimile message to the network address according to a least-cost route, wherein said network node comprises an encryption process to encrypt the facsimile message, further comprising a process to determine the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
137 words
A system for transmitting a document representing facsimile data from a computer to a network user, comprising: a computer on which the document to be sent to a facsimile machine phone number is created; a network node on a computer network for receiving the document and the facsimile machine phone number from said computer; a memory on said network for storing said document; a mapping process to map said facsimile machine phone number to a network address on the computer network; a process to convert the document to a facsimile representation; and a network delivery process to deliver the facsimile message to the network address according to a least-cost route, wherein said network node comprises an encryption process to encrypt the facsimile message, further comprising a process to determine the destination node in accordance with the encryption.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
93 words
A method for transmitting a document representing facsimile data from a computer to a network user, comprising: creating a document to be sent to a facsimile machine phone number on a computer; sending the document and the facsimile machine phone number to a network node on a computer network; storing said document; mapping said facsimile machine phone number to a network address on the computer network; delivering the facsimile message to the network address according to a least-cost route; encrypting the facsimile message; and determining the destination node in accordance with said encryption.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
93 words
A method for transmitting a document representing facsimile data from a computer to a network user, comprising: creating a document to be sent to a facsimile machine phone number on a computer; sending the document and the facsimile machine phone number to a network node on a computer network; storing said document; mapping said facsimile machine phone number to a network address on the computer network; delivering the facsimile message to the network address according to a least-cost route; encrypting the facsimile message; and determining the destination node in accordance with said encryption.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
201 words
A system for transmitting a facsimile message in a cost-effective manner using a computer network, comprising: (a) a facsimile machine to create the facsimile message; (b) a network node on the computer network to receive the facsimile message; (c) a least-cost routing process to determine a destination node on the computer network to which to send the facsimile message so that it reaches an intended recipient according to a least cost; and (d) a network delivery process to send the facsimile message to the destination node, wherein the least-cost routing process comprises: a first route selection process to select a plurality of routes for transmitting the facsimile message from the first facsimile machine to the second facsimile machine; a rating process to rate each route of said plurality of routes to determine a cost value for each route; a rating table creation process to create a table of said plurality of routes, wherein each route is ranked according to its cost value; and a second route selection process to select the highest ranking route from the table; and wherein said destination node comprises: a transmission process to transmit the facsimile message to a destination node associated with the highest ranking route.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
201 words
A system for transmitting a facsimile message in a cost-effective manner using a computer network, comprising: (a) a facsimile machine to create the facsimile message; (b) a network node on the computer network to receive the facsimile message; (c) a least-cost routing process to determine a destination node on the computer network to which to send the facsimile message so that it reaches an intended recipient according to a least cost; and (d) a network delivery process to send the facsimile message to the destination node, wherein the least-cost routing process comprises: a first route selection process to select a plurality of routes for transmitting the facsimile message from the first facsimile machine to the second facsimile machine; a rating process to rate each route of said plurality of routes to determine a cost value for each route; a rating table creation process to create a table of said plurality of routes, wherein each route is ranked according to its cost value; and a second route selection process to select the highest ranking route from the table; and wherein said destination node comprises: a transmission process to transmit the facsimile message to a destination node associated with the highest ranking route.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-02-28 | 2003-08-30 | 2004-02-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-02-28 | 2007-08-30 | 2008-02-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-02-28 | 2011-08-30 | 2012-02-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |