Facsimile system for preventing prolonged facsimile calls, method and computer readable medium thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses a fax system and method for preventing long fax calls. Applied to an IP Multimedia Subsystem Network (IPSN), when a fax call is made and the fax operation is delayed for an extended period without being actively interrupted, this invention estimates the maximum fax time required to fax the document from relevant information. When the call duration reaches the maximum number of seconds, the application server actively interrupts the call, thereby preventing prolonged circuit occupancy and unnecessary call charges. This invention also provides a computer-readable medium for performing the method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to fax technology, and more particularly to a fax system, method and computer-readable medium for preventing long fax calls. Prior Technology

[0002] Faxing, a technology combining image scanners, modems, and computer printers, matured around 1970, first becoming popular in Japan and then ubiquitous worldwide in the 1980s. From the perspective of today's network transmission technology, faxing seems outdated and slow, but it still possesses irreplaceable characteristics. For example, received faxes become paper documents, suitable for immediate circulation and exchange of opinions among office workers. Government departments prefer to issue official documents or press releases via fax; banks and companies require paper statements as accounting vouchers; and company orders require paper signatures. These facts demonstrate that faxing remains important, and statistics show that it still handles tens of thousands of faxes daily.

[0003] When making a fax call through a fax system, if the fax operation is not completed for a long time and the call is not actively interrupted, it can lead to many problems. For example, a fax can remain uninterrupted for up to 4 hours, but prolonged fax calls increase call costs. If this happens during an international fax, the call may take even longer to be interrupted, resulting in substantial international call charges. Furthermore, examining the packets of these incomplete fax calls reveals that no faxing action is usually performed. Therefore, prolonged fax operations without timely interruption not only lead to poor fax performance but also increase considerable call costs.

[0004] Therefore, finding a fax technology, especially one that can interrupt fax operations in a timely manner when they are not completed for a long time to avoid unnecessary waiting, has become a goal that people in this field are eager to pursue. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To achieve the aforementioned objective, this invention proposes a fax system for preventing long fax calls, comprising: a file storage server for storing fax files to be sent that have undergone pre-processing; an application server connected to the file storage server for establishing or terminating fax calls with a user terminal fax machine, wherein the application server generates the maximum fax transmission time for the fax file to be sent based on information about the fax file to be sent from the file storage server; and a media server connected to the file storage server and the application server for receiving data from the application server. The control command executes a fax sending operation to convert the fax document to be sent into fax data for transmission to the user terminal fax machine; and the fax record database is connected to the application server to store the historical records of the fax sending operation between the application server, the media server, and the user terminal fax machine. During the execution of the fax sending operation, the application server counts down the longest fax time using a countdown timer. When the countdown time reaches zero and the fax call between the application server and the user terminal fax machine is still in progress, a control signal is sent to interrupt the call.

[0006] In one embodiment, the information of the fax document to be sent includes the fax document file size, number of fax pages, customer identification code, and / or fax receiver telephone number.

[0007] In one embodiment, the application server, under execution environment constraints, calculates the maximum fax time required to send the fax file based on the fax file size, the number of fax pages, and / or an estimated time taken per fax page.

[0008] In one embodiment, the application server includes a longest fax time estimation module for estimating the longest fax time based on the fax sending date and time, the fax file size, the number of fax pages, the customer identification code, and / or the fax receiver's telephone number.

[0009] In one embodiment, the application server writes the start date and time, end date and time, customer identification code, fax receiver telephone number, fax file size, number of fax pages, fax rate, and / or fax result of the fax sending job into the fax record database as a training dataset for future retraining of the longest fax time evaluation module.

[0010] In one embodiment, the media server sends the fax data to the user terminal fax machine by receiving telephone control signals sent by the application server and the fax data sent by the media server through a media gateway controller, so as to send the fax data to the telephone exchange and the user terminal fax machine via the telecommunications network.

[0011] This invention further discloses a fax method for preventing long fax calls, executed on a computer or server. The method includes the following steps: a file storage server stores a pre-processed fax file to be sent; an application server establishes or terminates a fax call with a user terminal fax machine, wherein the application server generates a maximum fax time for transmitting the fax file based on information from the file storage server; a media server receives control commands from the application server to execute a fax transmission operation, converting the fax file into fax data for transmission to the user terminal fax machine; and while the fax transmission operation is being executed, the application server counts down the maximum fax time using a countdown timer, and when the countdown reaches zero and the fax call between the application server and the user terminal fax machine is still in progress, sends a control signal to terminate the call.

[0012] In the above method, the step of the application server generating the longest fax time to transmit the fax file to be sent based on the information of the fax file to be sent from the file storage server includes: under the constraints of the execution environment, the application server calculates the longest fax time required to transmit the fax file to be sent based on the fax file size, the number of fax pages and / or the estimated time spent per fax page.

[0013] In the above method, the step of generating the longest fax time for transmitting the fax file to be sent based on the information of the fax file to be sent from the file storage server includes: having the application server estimate the longest fax time based on the fax sending date and time, fax file size, number of fax pages, customer identification code and / or fax receiver telephone number through its longest fax time evaluation module.

[0014] The above method further includes: having a fax record database store the historical records of fax sending operations performed between the application server, the media server, and the user terminal fax machine.

[0015] In the above method, the application server further writes the start date and time, end date and time, customer identification code, fax receiver telephone number, fax file size, number of fax pages, fax rate and / or fax result of the fax sending job into the fax record database, so as to be used for future retraining of the longest fax time evaluation module for estimating the longest fax time.

[0016] In the above method, the step of the media server sending the fax data to the user terminal fax machine further includes: receiving the telephone control signaling sent by the application server and the fax data sent by the media server through the media gateway controller, so as to send the fax data to the telephone exchange and the user terminal fax machine via the telecommunications network.

[0017] The present invention further discloses a computer-readable medium, which is used in a computing device or computer, and stores instructions to execute the aforementioned fax method for preventing long fax calls.

[0018] In summary, the fax system, method, and computer-readable medium of the present invention for preventing long fax calls are used when a fax call is made through a fax system. If the fax operation is not completed for a long time and the call is not actively interrupted, the artificial intelligence (AI) technology of the present invention estimates the maximum call time in seconds required to fax the fax document from the relevant information of the fax document to be sent, and actively interrupts the call through the application server when the call time reaches the maximum number of seconds, so as to avoid the circuit being occupied for a long time and the incurring unnecessary call charges. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0019] Figure 1 is a system architecture diagram of the fax system of the present invention for preventing long fax calls.

[0020] Figure 2 is an operational architecture diagram of a specific embodiment of the fax system for preventing long fax calls according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 is a flowchart of the fax method for preventing long fax calls according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the fax method for preventing long fax calls according to the present invention. Implementation

[0023] The technical content of this invention is described below through specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand the advantages and effects of this invention from the content disclosed in this specification. However, this invention can also be implemented or applied through other different embodiments.

[0024] Figure 1 is a system architecture diagram of the fax system for preventing long fax calls according to the present invention. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a mechanism to save call costs by early interruption when the fax system is in a long-term call state but the fax job cannot be completed. As shown in the figure, the fax system 1 for preventing long fax calls includes a file storage server 11, an application server 12, a media server 13, and a fax record database 14.

[0025] The file storage server 11 is used to store fax files that have undergone preprocessing and are ready to be sent. In one embodiment, the file storage server 11 is a storage space used to store fax files that are ready to be sent, wherein the fax files are preprocessed to facilitate storage and subsequent use.

[0026] In one embodiment, the preprocessing of the file involves converting common file formats, such as PDF, Word documents, or common image formats, into a format that the media server 13 can read, in order to facilitate subsequent fax transmission. During the format conversion process, specified headers / footers can be added to each page of the fax document, or content enhancement operations can be performed, such as increasing the black-and-white contrast of the document content or increasing the thickness of text lines, so that the fax receiver can easily read the content after receiving the document.

[0027] Application server 12 is connected to file storage server 11. Application server 12 is used to establish or terminate fax calls with user terminal fax machines. Application server 12 generates the maximum fax transmission time for the fax file to be sent based on information from file storage server 11 related to the fax file to be sent. In one embodiment, application server 12 primarily handles telephone control signaling, enabling it to establish or terminate telephone calls between the fax system and the user terminal fax machine, and to control media server 13 to perform fax transmission operations.

[0028] Media server 13 connects to file storage server 11 and application server 12. Media server 13 can receive control commands from application server 12 to perform fax sending operations, converting the fax file to be sent into fax data for transmission to the user terminal fax machine. In one embodiment, media server 13 can accept control commands from application server 12 to perform fax sending operations, and simultaneously converts the user's fax file to be sent into fax data and transmits the fax data to the user terminal fax machine as the final destination.

[0029] The fax record database 14 is connected to the application server 12 and is used to store the historical records of fax sending operations performed between the application server 12, the media server 13, and the user terminal fax machine. In one embodiment, the fax record database 14 is used to store records of previous fax sending operations, mainly recording fax sending operations performed between the application server 12, the media server 13, and the user terminal fax machine. In addition to being stored, these records can also provide the application server 12 with a basis for determining the time required for subsequent improvements.

[0030] To address the problem of long-running fax calls (i.e., incomplete calls) that are not promptly interrupted, this invention proposes incorporating the longest fax time for judgment. Specifically, during fax transmission, the application server 12 uses a countdown timer to count down the calculated longest fax time. When the countdown reaches zero and the fax call between the application server 12 and the user terminal fax machine is still ongoing, a control signal is sent to interrupt the call. In other words, the application server 12 calculates the estimated time for sending the fax document based on relevant information, using the longest fax time as the judgment criterion—the maximum time required to send the fax document. Typically, the output value will be close to but greater than the actual fax transmission time at the lowest fax rate. If the fax is not completed within this time, it indicates a possible abnormality in the fax transmission process, and the application server 12 sends a control signal to interrupt the call, avoiding unnecessary waiting, busy lines, and call charges.

[0031] In one embodiment, if the fax is not completed within this timeframe, indicating a possible anomaly preventing the fax operation from being completed, an external server is notified, and the possible cause of the anomaly is confirmed. This information can then be used as input or for training to improve future anomaly detection and / or adjust the maximum fax time, thus providing better accuracy. In other words, in potentially non-abnormal situations, this embodiment can prevent misjudgments and interruptions.

[0032] In summary, the fax system 1 for preventing long fax calls is used to send fax documents to the user terminal fax machine via application server 12 and media server 13 using fax technology. In particular, the present invention proposes to calculate the maximum fax time based on factors such as the relevant information of the fax document to be sent, the execution environment, and the date and time. That is, the maximum time required for the fax document to be sent to be faxed. Accordingly, if the fax takes the maximum fax time but is not completed (that is, the connection is not interrupted), the fax operation can be considered to have a problem, and the fax connection can be interrupted, thereby avoiding the lack of a timely resolution mechanism for long fax calls.

[0033] Figure 2 is an operational architecture diagram of a specific embodiment of the fax system for preventing long fax calls according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the file storage server 11, application server 12, media server 13 and fax record database 14 in the fax system 1 for preventing long fax calls are the same as those shown in Figure 1. In this embodiment, the entire fax operation is described in conjunction with the internal and external architecture.

[0034] The fax system 1, used to prevent long fax calls, is located in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network and consists of a file storage server 11, an application server 12, a media server 13, and a fax record database 14. The application server 12 contains a longest fax time evaluation module 121 and is connected to the file storage server 11, the media server 13, and the fax record database 14. The media server 13 is also connected to the file storage server 11. The application server 12 and the media server 13 are connected to the media gateway controller 2, which is connected to the user terminal fax machine 4 through the telephone exchange 3.

[0035] The file storage server 11 is a storage space that stores fax files that have completed pre-processing and are ready to be sent. The application server 12 and the media server 13 can obtain relevant information about the fax files to be sent from the file storage server 11, including the fax file size, number of fax pages, fax file content, customer identification code and fax receiver telephone number. The application server 12 is used to process telephone control signaling, and has the ability to establish or terminate fax calls with the user terminal fax machine 4. It can also control the media server 13 to perform fax sending operations. The application server 12 also has the ability to read and write fax record database 14 to write new fax records or read historical fax records.

[0036] Furthermore, the longest fax time evaluation module 121 in the application server 12 can be an artificial intelligence module or contain an artificial intelligence model. It can be pre-trained with past fax records in the fax record database 14 (e.g., using the above information as input and training to output a trained longest fax time). After inputting parameters such as fax file size, number of fax pages, fax date and time, customer identification code, and fax receiver telephone number, it outputs the estimated longest fax time. In one embodiment, training information from an external server can be combined to adjust the trained longest fax time and / or the judgment of future anomalies.

[0037] The media server 13 can receive control commands from the application server 12 to perform fax sending operations. The media server 13 is capable of converting fax files to be sent into fax data and sending the fax data to the media gateway controller 2. The fax record database 14 is a database system used to store the historical records of fax sending operations between the application server 12, the media server 13 and the user terminal fax machine 4.

[0038] The media gateway controller 2, as an intermediate node for transmitting data in the telephone communication network, is used to receive telephone control signals sent by the application server 12 and fax data sent by the media server 13, and to send the fax data to the telephone exchange 3 and the user terminal fax machine 4 via the telecommunications network. The telephone exchange 3 is used to connect the telephone communication network and the user terminal fax machine 4, and to transmit telephone voice and fax data received from the media gateway controller 2 to the user terminal fax machine 4. The user terminal fax machine 4 is a device used to answer fax calls and receive fax data, and can print the received fax data out as paper or convert it into other readable formats for the user to view.

[0039] The main purpose of the longest fax time assessment module 121 is to estimate the longest fax time. Specifically, it can be assessed based on the relevant information of the fax file to be sent that has completed preprocessing, obtained from the file storage server 11. The relevant information of the fax file to be sent may include the fax sending date and time, fax file size, fax number of pages, customer identification code and fax receiver telephone number, but is not limited to these, so as to estimate the longest fax time.

[0040] In other embodiments, the application server 12 may not use the longest fax time evaluation module 121 to evaluate the longest fax time due to limitations in the execution environment (e.g., poor system computing power). In this case, the application server 12 can calculate the longest fax time required to send the fax file based on the fax file size, number of fax pages, and estimated time spent per page of the fax file.

[0041] Regardless of which method is used to evaluate the longest fax time, the present invention mainly aims to prevent fax calls from continuing indefinitely by using the longest fax time. The longest fax time will provide the application server 12 with information on when to interrupt the call connection, avoiding excessively long waiting times and considerable call charges.

[0042] In addition, the application server 12 will write relevant data of the fax sending job into the fax record database 14 as a training dataset for the future longest fax time evaluation module 121 to be retrained. The relevant data may include the start date and time of the fax sending job, the end date and time, the customer identification code, the fax receiver's telephone number, the fax file size, the number of fax pages, the fax rate, and the fax result, but is not limited to these.

[0043] Each module of the present invention can be software, hardware or firmware; if it is hardware, it can be a processing unit, processor, computer or server with data processing and computing capabilities; if it is software or firmware, it can include instructions executable by the processing unit, processor, computer or server, and can be installed on the same hardware device or distributed on different multiple hardware devices.

[0044] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of the fax method for preventing long fax calls according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the purpose of the fax method for preventing long fax calls is to provide a method for timely interruption of the telephone call when the fax system is in a long-term call state but the fax operation cannot be completed.

[0045] In step S301, the file storage server stores the fax files that have completed pre-processing and are ready to be sent. This step explains that the fax files to be sent are pre-processed and then stored on the file storage server for subsequent use by the application server.

[0046] In step S302, the application server establishes or terminates a fax connection with the user terminal fax machine. The application server generates the maximum fax transmission time for the fax file based on information about the fax file to be sent from the file storage server. This step explains that the application server can establish or terminate a fax connection with the user terminal fax machine. Establishing a fax connection is the same as a normal fax operation. However, this invention proposes an estimate of the maximum fax transmission time for the fax file to be sent. The purpose is to allow the application server to disconnect the connection between the two ends if the fax transmission time exceeds the expected time without interruption, thus preventing the line from being occupied for an extended period.

[0047] Furthermore, the application server provides two methods for generating the longest fax time. The first method uses the longest fax time estimation module within the application server to estimate the longest fax time required to send the fax document based on the fax sending date and time, fax file size, number of fax pages, customer identification code, and fax receiver telephone number. The second method, under execution environment constraints, uses the application server to calculate the longest fax time required to send the fax document based on the fax file size, number of fax pages, and estimated time spent per page.

[0048] In step S303, the media server receives control instructions from the application server to execute a fax sending operation, thereby converting the fax file to be sent into fax data for transmission to the user terminal fax machine. This step explains that after receiving the control instructions from the application server, the media server executes the fax sending operation. At this time, the media server retrieves the fax file to be sent from the file storage server and converts it into fax data before sending the fax data to the user terminal fax machine.

[0049] In one embodiment, the fax data transmission system includes a media gateway controller receiving telephone control signaling from an application server and fax data from a media server, and the media gateway controller sending the fax data via a telecommunications network to a telephone exchange and a user terminal fax machine.

[0050] At step S304, at the time the fax sending job is running, the application server counts down the maximum fax time by means of a countdown timer to send a control signaling to interrupt the call when the countdown time is zero and the fax phone between the application server and the user terminal fax machine is still on the call. This step states that when the fax sending job is executed, the application server will count down the maximum fax time through a countdown timer, with the purpose of determining whether the fax sending time is to achieve the estimated maximum fax time.

[0051] In one embodiment, the historical record that performs the fax sending job between the application server, the media server, and the user terminal fax machine, will be sent to a fax log database for storage.

[0052] Further, the information such as the start date time, end date time, customer identifier, phone number at the fax receiving end, fax document file size, fax page number, fax rate and fax result of the execution of the fax sending job will be written into the fax log database, subsequently, the application server can use the above information as a training dataset for the future use of the maximum fax time evaluation module used to estimate the maximum fax time for retraining.

[0053] 4 is a flowchart of the operation of the fax method used to prevent prolonged fax calls of the present invention. As shown, this specific embodiment will illustrate the operational flow of the entire fax in conjunction with the system architecture of FIG.

[0054] Fax System Used to Prevent Long Fax Calls 1 is a fax system located in the IMS network.

[0055] In the scanning procedure, the image on the physical document is converted into a digital signal, this stage scans the document line by line and converts the brightness and darkness of each pixel into a digital signal.

[0056] In compression programs, digital signals are typically compressed to reduce transmission time and required bandwidth. Common compression methods include MH (Modified Huffman), MR (Modified READ), and MMR (Modified Modified READ). In one embodiment, the compressed image is stored in the system as a Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) file, with the file extension .tif or .tiff.

[0057] In the fax call procedure, the fax machine at the fax sending end dials the fax receiving end's telephone number through the connected telephone line to establish a fax call.

[0058] In the modulation process, the compressed digital signal is modulated into the telephone network carrier signal so that it can be transmitted as a voice frequency signal through the fax telephone established in the previous process.

[0059] In the transmission process, the modulated signal is transmitted to the receiving fax machine via the telephone line.

[0060] In the demodulation process, the receiving fax machine decrypts the received telephone voice frequency signal and recovers the original digital signal.

[0061] In the fax call disconnection procedure, after the fax job is completed, the fax machine at the fax sending end or fax receiving end will disconnect (hang up) the call.

[0062] The decompression program decompresses digital signals and recovers the original image information.

[0063] For output file programs, a common practice is to print the recovered original image information onto paper. Another implementation is to store the original image information as a digital image file. In one embodiment, it is stored in TIFF image file format.

[0064] Since the IMS network is a telecommunications network built using the IP (Internet Protocol) protocol and packet switching technology, when a telephone call is established through the IMS network, in one embodiment, the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) can be used for the control signaling of call establishment and termination, and the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) can be used for the transmission protocol of telephone voice or video. When performing fax operations in the IMS network, a common implementation is to use SIP to establish a fax call between the fax sender and receiver, use the RTP protocol for fax data transmission, and use the T.38 protocol for fax operation control to complete the fax operation establishment, document transfer, error correction, and recovery. After the fax operation is completed, the fax call is terminated using SIP. Another implementation is to establish a fax call using the SIP protocol, but instead of using the RTP protocol for data transmission, the T.38 protocol is used to transmit data and control the fax operation. Similarly, the fax call is terminated using SIP after the fax operation is completed.

[0065] Based on the aforementioned fax principle and the technology of this invention, when the fax system 1, used to prevent long fax calls, is operating, the user's original document is scanned and compressed into a TIFF image file. The corresponding customer identification code and fax receiver's phone number are stored in the file storage server 11. When the application server 12 begins executing the fax sending operation, it retrieves the customer identification code and fax receiver's phone number from the file storage server 11. The application server 12 then sends a SIP signal to the media gateway controller 2 to dial the fax call. After the fax call is answered by the calling party, the application server 12 controls the media server 13 to execute the fax sending operation. The media server 13 reads the TIFF image from the file storage server 11 and transmits the TIFF image content through a modulation and transmission process, so that the fax data is sent to the media gateway controller 2 in RTP or T.38 protocol packet format. It is then forwarded to the user terminal fax machine 4 through the telephone communication network and the telephone exchange 3. The user terminal fax machine 4 demodulates the received fax data and stores it in memory. After the fax reception operation is completed, the application server 12 will interrupt the fax call by SIP signaling or by the user terminal fax machine 4. The user terminal fax machine 4 will decompress the received fax data and output the file, restoring the fax data to a readable original file.

[0066] The time required to send a fax is affected by several factors, making it difficult to estimate the time required. The possible influencing factors may be as follows.

[0067] The first type is the initial stage of a fax job setup, where both parties wait for the other's fax machine to respond.

[0068] The second type is when fax operations are in their initial stages or when a large number of transmission errors are encountered, fax signal training will be performed again. This signal training process is used to synchronize the clock signals of both parties in the fax and to correct the transmission parameters.

[0069] The third scenario involves detecting changes in the telephone line transmission quality during the faxing process, which will dynamically adjust the fax rate to decrease or increase.

[0070] The fourth scenario is that if error correction is enabled, the receiving end may find errors in the received content, and the sending end should resend part of the content.

[0071] The fifth factor is the complexity of the fax file. In other words, the amount of content per page of a fax file also affects the total faxing time. For example, in monochrome fax (where the fax receiver outputs only black and white data), the original file is converted into an image consisting solely of black and white dots before transmission. In one implementation, black dots are recorded as 1 and white dots as 0. Fax files with many black dots, when stored as digital images in a computer system, will occupy more storage space after image compression, and will also take longer to transmit data during faxing.

[0072] When a user wants to send a fax through the fax system 1, which is set up on the IMS network to prevent long-term fax calls, the user's original document is stored on the file storage server 11 in the fax system 1 after format conversion and preprocessing, and then the relevant process of this embodiment is executed.

[0073] In process 401, the application server detects a new pending fax transmission job. This process describes that the file storage server 11 notifies the application server 12 of a new pending job, or the application server 12 actively checks the file storage server 11 and detects a new pending fax.

[0074] In process 402, the application server retrieves the file size, number of pages, customer identification code, and fax receiver telephone number of the fax file to be sent from the file storage server. This process describes how application server 12 accesses the fax file to be sent on file storage server 11 to obtain the fax file size, number of pages, customer identification code, and fax receiver telephone number.

[0075] In process 403, the question is whether to use the longest fax time evaluation module. This process describes whether the application server 12 decides whether to use the longest fax time evaluation module 121 to obtain the estimated fax time for this fax. If the choice is not made, the process proceeds to process 404; otherwise, the process proceeds to process 405.

[0076] In one embodiment, the determination can be made based on the application server 12 startup parameter file, environmental variables, hardware information, or other decision variables. For example, if the longest fax time evaluation module 121 requires a graphics processing unit (GPU) to avoid excessive computation time, then the longest fax time evaluation module 121 can be chosen not to be used when the GPU is not available in the execution environment.

[0077] In process 404, the application server calculates the maximum time required to send the fax file based on the file size, number of pages, and time taken per page. In the previous process, application server 12 decided not to use the maximum fax time evaluation module 121. At this time, application server 12 estimates the maximum fax time based on the file size and number of pages obtained in process 402. From the estimated values ​​of file size, number of pages, and time taken per page, it calculates the maximum time required to send the fax file via media server 13.

[0078] In one embodiment, the fax file estimate mentioned above is calculated as: (fax file file size in bytes x 8 / minimum fax speed in bps) + (time taken per page in seconds) x number of fax pages.

[0079] In one embodiment, a fax file has 2 pages. If the fax file size is 59,144 bytes, and the minimum fax rate of the fax protocol is 2400bps (bits per second) and the "time per page" parameter is set to 220 seconds, the estimated longest call time for this fax is: 59,144 Bytes x 8 / 2400bps + 220 seconds x 2 pages ≈ 637 seconds, which is equivalent to 10 minutes and 37 seconds.

[0080] In another embodiment, the fax file has 14 pages. If the fax file size is 413,780 bytes, and the minimum fax rate is 2400bps with a fax time of 220 seconds per page, the calculation is as follows: 413,780 Bytes x 8 / 2400bps + 220 seconds x 14 pages ≈ 4459 seconds. 4459 seconds is equivalent to 74 minutes and 19 seconds.

[0081] The aforementioned "time per fax page" refers to the time taken to send one page of fax at a speed of 2400bps in a real-world environment using the Test chart No. 4 - Black-white facsimile test chart BW01 example file in the Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) T.22 document.

[0082] It should be noted that the estimated fax time obtained by dividing the fax file size by the fax speed is often shorter than the actual fax operation time. This may be because dividing the fax file size by the fax speed does not take into account factors such as the time for the sender and receiver to wait for each other's response during the fax operation, the time for retraining and adjusting the fax signal parameters, changes in line quality during the faxing process causing changes in the fax speed, or the discovery of transmission errors and retransmission of data. Therefore, the time spent faxing the example document of the T.22 specification is multiplied by the number of fax pages in the formula to make the calculated result greater than the actual fax time, so as to avoid prematurely interrupting the fax call before the fax operation is completed, causing the fax operation to fail.

[0083] In process 405, the application server inputs the fax sending date and time, day of the week, whether it is a holiday, fax file size, number of fax pages, customer identification code, and fax receiver phone number into the longest fax time estimation module to obtain the estimated maximum time for sending this fax. In the previous process, the application server 12 decided to use the longest fax time estimation module 121 to estimate the time for this fax. At this time, the parameters that need to be input into the longest fax time estimation module 121 may include the fax sending date and time, the day of the week in which the fax is sent, whether it is a holiday, fax file size, number of fax pages, customer identification code, and fax receiver phone number.

[0084] In one embodiment, the fax sending date and time can be formatted as "Year / Month / Day Hour:Minute:Second", for example, 2024 / 08 / 01 11:30:05.

[0085] The fax sending date is the day of the week. In one embodiment, the number 0 can represent Sunday, the number 3 can represent Wednesday, and the number 6 can represent Saturday.

[0086] Whether a date is a public holiday can be determined by referring to the Executive Yuan's annual calendar to determine if the date the fax was sent is a public holiday. In one embodiment, the input value of 1 represents a public holiday, and the input value of 0 represents a working day.

[0087] The fax file size refers to the file size of the fax file to be sent obtained by application server 12 in process 402. In one embodiment, it may be the number 413,780 bytes.

[0088] The number of fax pages refers to the number of pages of the fax document to be sent obtained by application server 12 in process 402. In one embodiment, the number 2 can represent that the fax document contains a total of 2 pages of fax content.

[0089] A customer identification code refers to a fax document that the same customer may frequently send with similar content complexity. For example, advertisers often send documents containing images, and government agencies often send official documents that are mostly text-based. In one embodiment, the customer's unique identification code in the system can be used as a parameter, such as a user account name.

[0090] The fax receiver's phone number refers to the phone number of the fax document to be sent, obtained by application server 12 in process 402. Domestic phone numbers consist of an area code, a local exchange code, and a subscriber number. In one embodiment, for a Taipei City phone number, the Taipei area code is 02, followed by 4 digits for the local exchange code, and then another 4 digits for the subscriber number. Different phone numbers indicate that the fax data may pass through different telecommunications exchange paths during transmission over the telecommunications network.

[0091] Based on the above, after the application server 12 inputs the above parameters into the longest fax time evaluation module 121, the output value of the longest fax time evaluation module 121 can be used as the estimated longest time to take for this fax.

[0092] It should be noted that since fax documents are sent to the user terminal fax machine 4 via the telephone communication network, and the telephone communication network experiences periodic changes in network traffic, such as peak and off-peak times, the telephone communication network is usually busier during weekday working hours than late at night, and Monday to Friday is usually busier than weekend. Therefore, during the pre-training phase, the longest fax time evaluation module 121 uses information such as the fax sending date and time, the day of the week in which the fax was sent, and whether the fax sending date was a holiday as important training parameters. When the application server 12 uses the longest fax time evaluation module 121, in addition to inputting the fax file size and page number information, it also inputs the fax sending date and time parameter to obtain the output result of the longest fax time evaluation module 121.

[0093] In process 406, the application server sets a fax time countdown timer and begins the countdown. This process describes how the application server 12 sets the longest call time countdown timer based on the estimation result of process 404 or process 405 and begins the countdown.

[0094] In process 407, the application server controls the media server to start sending a fax. This process describes that the application server 12 obtains the fax receiver's phone number from the fax file data, sends a telephone control signal to the media gateway controller 2 to make a call. After the user terminal fax machine 4 answers the fax call, the application server 12 begins to send instructions to control the media server 13 to start sending fax data to the media gateway controller 2. The fax data is delivered to the user terminal fax machine 4 via the media gateway controller 2 and the telephone exchange 3.

[0095] In process 408, when the timer set by the application server reaches zero seconds, the application server checks whether the call is still ongoing. This process explains that when the countdown timer of application server 12 reaches zero, application server 12 checks whether the current call status is still ongoing. Further, if application server 12 checks that the call status is interrupted, application server 12 does not perform any operation and proceeds to process 410; otherwise, if application server 12 checks that the call status is still ongoing, it proceeds to process 409.

[0096] In process 409, the application server sends a call control signaling message to interrupt the call. This process describes how the application server 12 actively sends a call control signaling message to the media gateway controller 2 to interrupt the call between the application server 12 and the user terminal fax machine 4.

[0097] In process 410, the fax record for this transmission is written to the fax record database. This process describes how the application server 12 writes the start date and time, end date and time, customer identification code, fax receiver telephone number, fax file size, number of fax pages, fax rate, and fax result of this fax transmission job into the fax record database 14. In addition to saving this data, it also serves as a training dataset for future retraining of the longest fax time evaluation module 121, thereby improving the accuracy of the longest fax time prediction.

[0098] Furthermore, this invention discloses a computer-readable medium applied in a computing device or computer having a processor (e.g., CPU, GPU, etc.) and / or memory, storing instructions, and capable of being executed by the computing device or computer through the processor and / or memory to perform the aforementioned methods and steps when executing the computer-readable medium. In one embodiment, the computer-readable medium is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

[0099] As can be seen from the above, the fax system, method, and computer-readable medium of the present invention for preventing long fax calls can be used to actively interrupt calls when a fax operation is not completed for a long time, thereby saving call costs. If this occurs during international faxing, without using the mechanism of the present invention, the call may take 4 hours or longer to be interrupted, resulting in significant international call charges. Therefore, using the fax technology of the present invention can effectively save international call costs and reduce the situation of circuits being occupied for extended periods.

[0100] The above detailed description is a specific description of one feasible embodiment of the present invention. However, this embodiment is not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent implementations or modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention should be included in the patent scope of the present invention.

[0101] 1: A fax system used to prevent long fax calls. 11: File storage server 12: Application Server 121: Longest Fax Time Assessment Module 13: Media Server 14: Fax Record Database 2: Media Gateway Controller 3: Telephone exchange central office 4: User terminal fax machine 401-410: Process S301-S304: Steps

Claims

1. A fax system for preventing long fax calls, comprising: The file storage server is used to store fax files that have completed pre-processing and are ready to be sent. An application server, connected to the file storage server, is used to establish or terminate fax calls with the user's terminal fax machine. The application server, based on information about the fax file to be sent from the file storage server, and considering relevant information about the fax file, the execution environment, and the date and time, generates the maximum fax transmission time for the fax file. The application server includes a maximum fax transmission time estimation module, used to estimate the maximum fax transmission time based on the fax transmission date and time, fax file size, number of fax pages, customer identification code, and / or fax receiver telephone number. A media server, connected to the file storage server and the application server, receives control commands from the application server to execute fax transmission operations, converting the fax file to be sent into fax data for transmission to the user's terminal. The application server includes a fax machine and a fax record database, which are connected to the application server to store the historical records of fax sending operations between the application server, the media server, and the user terminal fax machine. The application server writes the start date and time, end date and time, customer identification code, fax receiver telephone number, fax file size, number of fax pages, fax rate, and / or fax result of the fax sending operation into the fax record database as training data for future retraining of the longest fax time evaluation module. During the execution of the fax sending operation, the application server counts down the longest fax time using a countdown timer. When the countdown reaches zero and the fax call between the application server and the user terminal fax machine is still in progress, the application server sends a control signal to interrupt the call.

2. The fax system for preventing long fax calls as described in claim 1, wherein, The information of the fax document to be sent includes the file size of the fax document, the number of pages of the fax, the customer identification code and / or the telephone number of the fax receiver.

3. The fax system for preventing long fax calls as described in claim 2, wherein, Under the constraints of this execution environment, the application server calculates the maximum fax time required to send the fax file based on the fax file size, the number of fax pages, and / or an estimated time per page.

4. The fax system for preventing long fax calls as described in claim 1, wherein, The media server sends the fax data to the user terminal fax machine by receiving the telephone control signaling sent by the application server and the fax data sent by the media server through the media gateway controller, so as to send the fax data to the telephone exchange and the user terminal fax machine via the telecommunications network.

5. A fax method for preventing long fax calls, comprising the following steps: The file storage server stores fax files that have completed pre-processing and are ready to be sent. The application server establishes or terminates a fax call with a user terminal fax machine. The application server, based on information about the fax file to be sent from the file storage server, and considering relevant information about the fax file, the execution environment, and the date and time, generates the maximum fax transmission time for the fax file. This step of generating the maximum fax transmission time based on information about the fax file to be sent from the file storage server includes: having the application server estimate the maximum fax transmission time using its built-in maximum fax transmission time evaluation module, based on the fax transmission date and time, fax file size, number of fax pages, customer identification code, and / or fax receiver telephone number; and having the media server receive data from the application server. The application server executes a fax sending operation by sending control commands to convert the fax document to be sent into fax data and send it to the user terminal fax machine. During the fax sending operation, the application server counts down the longest fax time using a countdown timer. When the countdown reaches zero and the fax call between the application server and the user terminal fax machine is still in progress, the application server sends a control signal to interrupt the call. The application server also writes the start date and time, end date and time, customer identification code, fax receiver phone number, fax file size, number of fax pages, fax rate, and / or fax result of the fax sending operation into a fax record database for future retraining of the longest fax time evaluation module used to estimate the longest fax time.

6. The fax method for preventing long fax calls as described in claim 5, wherein the application server generates a maximum fax time for transmitting the fax file to be sent based on information about the fax file to be sent from a file storage server, includes the following steps: Under the constraints of this execution environment, the application server calculates the maximum fax time required to send the fax file based on the fax file size, the number of fax pages, and / or an estimate of the time taken per page.

7. The fax method for preventing long fax calls as described in claim 5 further includes: The fax log database stores the historical records of fax sending operations performed between the application server, the media server, and / or the user terminal fax machine.

8. The fax method for preventing long fax calls as described in claim 5, wherein, The process of the media server sending the fax data to the user terminal fax machine further includes: receiving the telephone control signaling sent by the application server and the fax data sent by the media server through the media gateway controller, so as to send the fax data to the telephone exchange and the user terminal fax machine via the telecommunications network.

9. A computer-readable medium, applied in a computing device or computer, storing instructions to perform a fax method for preventing long fax calls as described in any one of claims 5 to 8.

Images