U.S. patent application number 10/365674 was filed with the patent office on 2004-08-12 for method and system for secure facsimile delivery and registration.
Invention is credited to Bouchard, Thaddeus.
Application Number | 20040158733 10/365674 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32824646 |
Filed Date | 2004-08-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040158733 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bouchard, Thaddeus |
August 12, 2004 |
Method and system for secure facsimile delivery and
registration
Abstract
A secure fax transmission system can be used to assure the
intended recipient of a confidential document being sent via
facsimile is the only person that will have access to the document
once it is sent. An application module communicates with a client
user interface over a first network and communicates with a
recipient fax machine over a second network. The application module
receives information associated with a confidential document being
sent via facsimile. Prior to sending the document, the application
module determines if the recipient fax number has been previously
registered as a secure fax number. The application module then
sends the document to the recipient if the recipient fax number is
registered a secure. If the recipient fax number is not registered
as secure, the application module sends a request for registration
to the recipient fax number.
Inventors: |
Bouchard, Thaddeus;
(Andover, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
TESTA, HURWITZ & THIBEAULT, LLP
HIGH STREET TOWER
125 HIGH STREET
BOSTON
MA
02110
US
|
Family ID: |
32824646 |
Appl. No.: |
10/365674 |
Filed: |
February 11, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
726/28 ;
713/189 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 1/32416 20130101;
H04N 1/324 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
713/200 |
International
Class: |
H04L 009/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of delivering a document via facsimile, comprising: (a)
identifying a recipient and a corresponding recipient facsimile
number for a document to be sent via facsimile; (b) determining if
the recipient facsimile number has been registered as a secure
facsimile number; and (c) delivering the document via facsimile
when the recipient facsimile number is registered as a secure
facsimile.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning a unique
identifier to the document being sent via facsimile.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the unique identifier is at least
one of a bar code, an alpha-numeric code, and a unique printed
image.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, subsequent to the
delivery step (c), delivering previously unsent documents to the
recipient facsimile number.
5. A method of registering a facsimile number as a secure facsimile
number; comprising: (a) sending a request to register a recipient
facsimile number as a secure facsimile number; (b) receiving a
confirmation that the facsimile is a secure facsimile number; and
(c) storing the recipient facsimile number as a Secure facsimile
number.
6. The method of claim 5 further comprising sending a request to
register a recipient facsimile number for each document being sent
to one recipient of a facsimile.
7. The method of claim 5 further comprising sending a request to
register a recipient facsimile number when the recipient facsimile
number has not previously been registered.
8. The method of claim 5 further comprising assigning a unique
identifier to the recipient facsimile number.
9. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of receiving a
confirmation further comprises processing the confirmation.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the processing step comprises the
confirmation being reviewed by a human operator.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the processing step comprises the
confirmation being automatically reviewed by electronic means.
12. The method of claim 11 where the electronic means comprises
optical character recognition.
13. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of storing the recipient
facsimile number further comprises storing an expiration date of
the registration.
14. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of storing the recipient
facsimile number further comprises storing a validity period for
the registration.
15. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of storing the recipient
facsimile number further includes identifying the received
registration as a record of accepting the registration.
16. A system for delivering documents to a recipient via facsimile
in a secure method, comprising: a database for storing facsimile
numbers; a communications module for sending a document to a
facsimile number; and an application for determining if a recipient
facsimile number stored in the database is identified as a secure
facsimile number.
17. The system of claim 16 further comprising an character
recognition module for automatically reading printed symbols.
18. The system of claim 16 wherein the printed symbols comprise at
least one of a bar code, an alpha-numeric code, and a unique
printed image.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates generally to the field of facsimile
transmissions and more particularly to secure methods of delivering
documents via facsimile.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Facsimile (referred to herein as "fax") technology has
become a common and inexpensive means for transmitting documents
using publicly available telephone lines. The ability to deliver
important documents directly to a recipient is an essential
capability of many businesses. However, documents often contain
sensitive or private information, and it remains difficult for the
sender of a confidential document to be assured that only the
indented recipient has access to the document once it is delivered
via fax.
[0003] In the past, systems and methods have been introduced in an
attempt to address this concern. One such method comprises the
installation of a software application on both the sending and
receiving fax machines, the utilization of personal computers to
access secure fax servers, or both. One drawback to this method is
that recipients who have never previously received a fax from a
specific sender, or who normally do not receive secure fax
messages, are required to purchase and install hardware and
software prior to receiving a secure fax. Another method includes
the use of so-called "facsimile store-and-forward facilities," or
"F-SAFF's." The users of such systems are required to maintain some
form of "inbox," often located on a computer, from which they can
retrieve incoming faxes. To receive an incoming fax, a user logs in
using, for example, an ID and password, or enters a personal
identification number. Again, this method requires the recipient to
perform some function before the sender initializes the
transmission. Furthermore, a recipient must re-enter the ID,
password, or PIN each time they need to retrieve a confidential
document.
[0004] As a specific example, a medical professional often must
verify a patient's medical history with an insurance company or
another physician. Such information is considered personal and
confidential, and professionals that transmit this information can
be held responsible for its security. However, physicians' offices
often send and receive fax messages that do not require secure
transmission, and the frequency of receiving information from any
one particular sender can be low. Therefore, it is often difficult
to justify the hardware, software, training, and maintenance costs
associated with maintaining a secure fax server.
[0005] Given the need to send and receive confidential documents
via fax without requiring recipients to purchase additional
computers or software, or subscribe to any additional services,
there exists a need for the senders of secure faxes to receive and
store recipient fax information as a secure destination.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention allows an operator of a sending fax
machine to request assurances from the prospective recipient of a
confidential document that the receiving fax machine is secure.
Furthermore, the operator can then store the recipient's fax number
as a secure destination for future transmissions. In addition, a
sender of a confidential document can send a request to an intended
recipient of the confidential document requesting the registration
the recipient fax number as secure. Additionally, the invention
includes the hardware and software means necessary to implement the
claimed methods.
[0007] In one aspect of the invention, the sender of a confidential
document determines if an intended recipient of a confidential fax
has previously registered the receiving facsimile number with the
sender as a secure destination. The method can also include
delaying transmission of the document until the recipient has
registered the receiving facsimile number.
[0008] In another aspect of the invention, the sender of a
confidential document, upon learning that the recipient fax number
is not secure, sends a request to the intended recipient of the
confidential document. The request can include a unique
identification number or other electronically readable printed
symbol, for example, that can be used to register the recipient fax
machine with the sender. In one version of the invention, the
sender can register the recipient fax machine number, while in
another version of the invention the system can automatically
register the recipient fax machine if the registration request
includes a machine readable code. In another version of the system,
the system can use both methods of registration.
[0009] The method described above can further include the sender
storing the recipient's fax number on a local computer for future
reference and retrieval. This approach can enable the sender to
send subsequent confidential documents without the recipient having
to re-register the fax number or login to any application to
retrieve incoming faxes. In another example, the method can include
sending a registration request for each individual document sent to
a recipient fax number. In another variation of the invention, the
method allows the sender to stipulate a validity period for each
recipient fax number, after the expiration of which the recipient
must reregister the recipient fax number.
[0010] In yet another aspect, the invention includes a secure
facsimile transmission system. The secure fax transmission system
includes a sender user interface, a database module, a
communications module, and an application module. The sender user
interface communicates with a sender, the database module and the
application module over a first communications network and the
communications module communicates with a recipient fax machine
over a second communications network. The application module
receives information associated with a confidential document to be
sent via facsimile from the sender user interface. The application
module can also include a storage module to allow it to store
documents that have not been released for transmission.
Additionally, the secure fax transmission system includes a
communications module to allow the transmission of documents to a
recipient fax machine via public telephone lines. The database
module includes a storage facility for storing recipient fax
numbers that have been previously registered as secure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The above and further advantages of this invention may be
better understood by referring to the following description in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not
necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon
illustrating the principles of the invention.
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of the prior art
including a first fax machine transmitting a document to a second
fax machine over a communications network.
[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a secure fax
transmission system according to the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a secure fax
transmission system according to the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates a more detailed embodiment of a secure
fax transmission system according to the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates one exemplary embodiment of the steps
performed by the sender of a confidential document to transmit a
document via fax according to the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the steps performed by
the sender of a confidential document to register a recipient fax
number as secure according to the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a request to register a
recipient fax number as secure according to the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a document transmission
system 100 using fax machines 102, 108 according to the prior art.
The system 100 includes a sending fax machine 102, a document to be
delivered via fax 104, a communications network 106, a recipient
fax machine 108, and a facsimile copy of the document 110. The user
of such a system places the document 104 in the sending fax machine
102 and identifies the recipient fax machine 108 to the sending fax
machine 102 by entering the recipient fax machine number into the
sending fax machine 102. The sending fax machine 102 then transmits
an electronic representation of the document 104 via the
communications network 106. The recipient fax machine 108 sends a
response to the sending fax machine 102 signaling that it is ready
to receive the electronic representation of the document 104. As
the receiving fax machine 108 receives the electronic
representation of the document from the sending machine 102, the
receiving fax machine 108 prints a facsimile copy of the document
110.
[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a secure fax
transmission system 200 that includes a client computer 102, a
first communications network 204, a second communications network
106, and a recipient fax machine 108. The client 202 includes a
sender user interface, and it can communicate with an application
server which can reside on the same computer. The application is in
communication with the communications module, which is communicates
with a second communications network 106, such as the public
telephone lines. The second communications network 106 is in
communications with a recipient fax machine 108. It should be noted
that FIG. 2 is an exemplary embodiment intended only to illustrate
and not limit the invention.
[0021] The first communications network 204 and the second
communications network 106 can be a local-area network (LAN) such
as an Intranet, a medium-area network (MAN), public telephone
lines, or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet or the
World Wide Web (i.e., web). Exemplary embodiments of the
communication paths 204, 106 can include standard telephone lines,
LAN or WAN links (e.g., T1, T3, 56 kb, X.25), broadband connections
(ISDN, Frame Relay, ATM), and wireless connections. The connections
over the communication paths 204, 106 can be established using a
variety of communication protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, IPX, SPX,
NetBIOS, Ethernet, RS232, and direct asynchronous connections).
[0022] The client computer 202 can be any personal computer (e.g.,
286, 386, 486, Pentium, Macintosh computer), Windows-based
terminal, network computer, wireless device, information appliance,
RISC Power PC, X-device, workstation, mini computer, main frame
computer, personal digital assistant, or other computing device
that has a windows-based desktop, can connect to a network, and has
sufficient persistent storage for executing a small, display
presentation program. Windows-oriented platforms supported by the
client computer 202 can include, without limitation, WINDOWS 3.x,
WINDOWS 95, WINDOWS 98, WINDOWS NT 3.51, WINDOWS NT 4.0, WINDOWS
2000, WINDOWS CE, WINDOWS ME, MAC/OS, Java, and UNIX. The client
computer 202 can include a visual display device (e.g., a computer
monitor), a data entry device (e.g., a keyboard), persistent or
volatile storage (e.g., computer memory) for storing downloaded
application programs, a processor, and a mouse.
[0023] The client computer 202 includes a sender user interface
208. The interface 208 can be text driven (e.g., DOS) or
graphically driven (e.g., Windows). In one embodiment, the sender
user interface 208 can use web browser, such as Internet
Explorer.TM. developed by Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA), to
connect to the local network 204. In a further embodiment, the web
browser uses the existing Secure Socket Layer (SSL) support,
developed by Netscape Corporation, (Mountain View, CA) to establish
the connection to the local network 204 as a secure network.
[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the invention. The
sender user interface 208 can reside on one or more client machines
202, 202' and the application module can reside on a server
computer 304. The client machine 202 communicates with the server
machine 304 over a communications network 302. In another
embodiment, the application module can reside on a separate server
from the sender client 202. The client machines 202, 202' and the
application server machine 304 can be any personal computer
described above. Likewise, the communication network 302 can be any
communications network described above. In one embodiment, the
application server 304 hosts one or more applications that the
client 202 can access. In another embodiment, the application
server 304 can be a member of a server farm, which is a logical
group of one or more servers that are administered as a single
entity. In the embodiment shown, the server farm includes the
server 304, a second server 306, and a third server 308.
[0025] FIG. 4 is a more detailed illustration of one embodiment of
the invention. The client machine 202 hosts a communication module
402 which facilitates communication with other computers, fax
machines, and the like. In addition, the client machine 202 hosts
software 404 comprising a client interface module 406, an
application module 408, and a database module 410. The client
interface module 406 receives instructions from the sender user
interface 208 (not shown) and sends the instructions to the
application module 408. The application module 408 then parses the
instructions to isolate the recipient fax number. The applications
module 408 then communicates with the database module 410 to
determine if the recipient fax number has been previously stored in
the database module 410 and identified as secure. If the
application module 408 determines that the recipient fax number is
secure, it releases the document and the document is sent to the
recipient fax machine 108 using the communications module 402, the
first communications network 204, and the second communications
network 106.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the process of the secure fax
transmission system can typically be broken down into two
sub-processes. 1) fax transmission and 2) recipient
registration.
[0027] FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of the fax transmission
sub-process. For example, the sender of a confidential document 104
identifies the intended recipient of the fax, step 502. The sender
then enters, retrieves, or somehow otherwise associates a fax
number to the recipient, step 505. The sender then releases the
document to the application module by selecting the appropriate
function on the sender user interface, step 506. The application
module then queries database module to determine if the fax number
associated with the recipient has previously been registered as
secure, step 508. The application module then determines, based on
the response from the database module, if the fax number is secure,
decision step 510. If the application module determines that the
recipient fax number has previously been registered as secure, the
application module releases the document to the communications
module and the document is faxed to the recipient, step 510.
Conversely, if the application module determines that the recipient
fax number has not been previously registered as a secure fax, or
that the registration has expired, the application module instructs
the communication module to send a registration request to the
recipient fax number, step 512.
[0028] In an alternative example, the user can instruct the
application module to delay the f each individual document until a
unique, document specific registration request has been received
from the intended recipient of the secure document.
[0029] FIG. 6 illustrates the recipient registration sub-process.
Following the step of sending a request for registration, 510, the
sender awaits the receipt of the acknowledged registration from the
intended recipient. In one embodiment, the sender determines if the
registration request has been received, decision step 604. If the
registration request has not been received, the sender instructs
the application module to hold the document by selecting the
appropriate option on the sender client interface, step 606. If the
completed registration request has been received, the sender
instructs the application module to store the recipient fax number
in the database module as a secure fix number by selecting the
appropriate option on the sender client interface, step 608. The
application module then releases the document to the communications
module, which sends the document to the secure fax number, step
610.
[0030] An additional feature allows the sender to identify a
validity period for the registration. In one approach, the sender
identifies the validity period by entering a period of time,
expiration date, or the like into the sender user interface when
the document is released to the application module. In another
approach, when the sender receives the completed registration
request, the sender instructs the application module to store the
recipient fax number in the database module as a secure fax number
and associates the validity period or expiration date with the
recipient fax number. The application module then releases the
document to the communications module, which sends the document to
the secure fax number. In addition, when the application module
receives a request to release future documents to previously
registered recipient fax numbers, the application module queries
the database module to check that the registration exists, and has
not expired.
[0031] In one alternative approach, the request for registration
can include a unique bar code or other electronically readable
symbol. When the recipient of the registration request sends the
request back to the sender, the communications module recognizes
the incoming message as a fax, and sends it to the application
module. The application module can then scan the incoming fax and
recognize the document as a registration request for a particular
recipient by reading the electronically readable symbol. The
application module can then automatically send instructions to the
database module to store the recipient fax number as a secure fax
number. In addition, the application module can instruct the
communications module to send the document to the intended
recipient. In another feature, the application module sends the
registration request to the database module to be stored as a
record of acceptance of registration.
[0032] Further, although some steps illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6
are described as a linear flow of operations, the steps can be
performed at various times before, during, or after the performed
tasks. The steps illustrated can also be performed simultaneously.
Consequently, FIGS. 5 and 6 are intended only to illustrate, and
not limit, the invention.
[0033] FIG. 7 illustrates another feature of the invention is the
use of a request registration message that can be sent to the
intended recipient of a confidential document. The request for
registration document may include, but is not limited to, data
elements such as: a sender name; a sender company; a sender phone
number; a sender fax number; a recipient name; a recipient company;
a recipient phone number; a recipient fax number; an expiration
date of the registration; a unique alpha-numeric identification
number; a bar code; a printed symbolic representation of data, and
the like. Additionally, instructions may be included in the request
for registration to assist the recipient in registering their fax
number as secure.
[0034] By employing the methods and system described above, the
secure fax transmission system increases the confidence of a sender
of confidential documents that the documents will only be seen by
the intended recipient without requiring the recipient to modify
their systems, or continually enter codes to receive subsequent fax
documents.
[0035] While the invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to specific preferred embodiments, it
should be understood by those skilled in the art that various
changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the
appended claims.
* * * * *