Relay Device Fax Transmission via Email Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Communication systems that lack facsimile transmission capabilities within client devices face challenges in transmitting and receiving facsimiles across different networks, as they rely on relay devices with integrated fax functions to bridge private and public networks effectively.
Innovation Solution
A communication system comprising a client device without fax capabilities and a relay device connected via a private network to an external device via a public network, where the relay device processes and transmits facsimile information, including cover sheets and source records, using email communication units and fax communication units to facilitate fax transmission and reception across networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If client devices lack integrated fax functions to simplify device design and reduce cost, then device complexity and cost are reduced, but the ability to transmit and receive facsimiles directly is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a relay device as an intermediary that bridges client devices without fax capabilities and the public fax network. The relay device receives fax transmission requests from client devices via email, converts them to fax protocols, and transmits them through the public network, thereby enabling fax functionality without integrating it directly into client devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The relay device serves multiple functions: it acts as an email server receiving fax requests, as a fax server processing and converting fax protocols, and as a gateway between private and public networks. This multi-functionality allows client devices to use standard email clients for fax transmission without requiring dedicated fax hardware or software.
2Adaptability or versatility
If relay devices are introduced to enable fax transmission from client devices without native fax capabilities, then fax transmission capability is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the email server and fax server functions into a single relay device. The relay device simultaneously handles email communication for receiving fax requests and fax protocol processing for transmission, reducing the number of separate components needed while maintaining full fax functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses email as an intermediary format - fax requests are sent as email messages with image attachments, which are then converted to fax protocols by the relay device. This copying approach allows standard email infrastructure to be leveraged for fax transmission without requiring client devices to understand fax protocols directly.
3Adaptability or versatility
If fax transmission is implemented through relay devices using email communication, then client devices without fax capabilities can transmit faxes, but transmission time and processing steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The relay device pre-configures fax transmission parameters and maintains ready-state connections to the public fax network. When a fax request arrives via email, the relay device can quickly convert and transmit without requiring real-time protocol negotiation or connection establishment, reducing transmission delays.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication system includes a client device that does not include facsimile transmission functions, and a relay device. The relay device is communicably connected to the client device via a private network while also being communicably connected to an external device via a public network, includes facsimile transceiving functions that transmit and receive facsimiles via a public network line associated with the client device, and in response to facsimile transmission instructions for image information received from the client device via the private network, transmits to the external device a facsimile of the image information with added information on the public network line associated with the private network.