Facsimile network
US6256115A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 21, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jul 3, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 21, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N2201/0093
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A facsimile network includes a plurality of nodes (10)-(14) which are disposed at different locations in the world. An originating fax machine (16) is associated with one of the nodes (10) for transmitting a fax over a local public telephone network (PSTN) (18). When the node (10) receives the fax transmission in the normal transmission mode, it then converts it to a digitized compressed and encrypted image which is transmitted over a primary network (24), such as the Internet, to a destination node (14) by a predetermined route. The node (14) then decompresses and de-encrypts the image and converts it to a facsimile image for transmission to a destination fax (20) in a normal mode over a local PSTN (22). A node (12) operates as a central node which can also receive the transmission for routing directly to the fax or for directing via another network link to the node (14).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.