Claims
- 1. A communications device comprising:
- a modem which transmits data in accordance with a facsimile transmission protocol and in accordance with an electronic mail protocol;
- a scanner which generates digital data indicative of information on a printed medium which contains information for transmission to a remote communications device;
- an information entry device for entry of information designating a destination for transmission of said information contained on said printed medium; and
- a controller programmed to recognize said designating destination as identifying a telephone number for causing transmission of said digital data in accordance with a facsimile transmission protocol to a facsimile device identified by said telephone number and programmed to recognize said designating destination as identifying an electronic mail address for causing transmission of said digital data in accordance with an electronic mail transmission protocol to an electronic mailbox identified by said electronic mail address.
- 2. A communications device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the modem receives data in accordance with a facsimile receive protocol and in accordance with a electronic mail protocol.
- 3. A communications device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said controller further responds to a command requesting retrieval of electronic mail from a specified electronic mail address by initiating communication with a remote communications device corresponding to said specified electronic mail address to cause transmission of information corresponding to said requested electronic mail from an electronic mailbox corresponding to said specified electronic mail address.
- 4. A communications device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said controller further responds to a command requesting retrieval of selected electronic mail from a specified electronic mail address by initiating communication with a remote communications device corresponding to said specified electronic mail address to cause transmission of information corresponding to said selected electronic mail from an electronic mailbox corresponding to said specified electronic mail address.
- 5. A communications device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said controller further responds to a command requesting retrieval of all electronic mail from a specified electronic mail address by initiating communication with a remote communications device corresponding to said specified electronic mail address to cause transmission of information corresponding to said electronic mail from an electronic mailbox corresponding to said specified electronic mail address.
- 6. A communications device as set forth in claim 3 further comprising a printer which prints information received by said communications device from a remote communications device.
- 7. A communications device as set forth in claim 4 further comprising a printer which prints information received by said communications device from a remote communications device.
- 8. A communications device as set forth in claim 5 further comprising a printer which prints information received by said communications device from a remote communications device.
- 9. A communications device as set forth in claim 7 wherein said controller responds to said designation of said destination by parsing said destination to determine if said destination is a telephone number or an electronic mail address.
- 10. A communications device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said controller causes transmission of said digital data in accordance with an electronic mail transmission protocol by determining from said electronic mail address a post office name and a user name, locating an Internet protocol address corresponding to said post office name in accordance with a domain name system protocol and encoding said digital data in accordance with an electronic mail encoding protocol and causing transmission of said digital data to said identified electronic mail address in accordance with a simple mail transfer protocol.
- 11. A communications device as set forth in claim 10 further comprising a display for displaying information entered via said information entry device and status information generated by said communications device.
- 12. A communications device as set forth in claim 10 wherein said information entry device is a keypad.
- 13. A communications device as set forth in claim 12 further comprising a display for displaying information entered via said information entry device and status information generated by said communications device.
- 14. A communications device as set forth in claim 2 further comprising a display for displaying information entered via said information entry device and status information generated by said communications device.
- 15. A communications device comprising:
- first means for entry of communication commands including destination information which identifies a remote communications device;
- data transmission means for transmitting data in accordance with a facsimile transmission protocol and an electronic mail protocol;
- transmission information input means for receiving information to be transmitted to said remote communications device; and
- means for identifying said destination information as corresponding to a telephone number or an electronic mail address and for transmitting said information to be transmitted to said remote communications device in accordance with a facsimile transmission protocol if said destination information corresponds to a telephone number and for transmitting said information to be transmitted to said remote communications device in accordance with an electronic mail protocol if said destination information corresponds to an electronic mail address.
- 16. A communications device as set forth in claim 15 wherein the data communications means receives data in accordance with a facsimile receive protocol and an electronic mail protocol.
- 17. A communications device as set forth in claim 16 wherein the transmission information input means is a scanner which generates said information to be transmitted in response to a printed medium containing information indicative of said information to be transmitted.
- 18. A communications device as set forth in claim 17 further comprising a printer for printing information which is received by said communications device in accordance with said facsimile receive protocol.
- 19. A communications device as set forth in claim 18 wherein said printer prints information which is received by said communications device in accordance with said electronic mail protocol.
- 20. A communications device as set forth in claim 15 further comprising means, responsive to said destination information, for determining if said destination information identifies a telephone number or an electronic mail address.
- 21. A communications device as set forth in claim 19 further comprising retrieval means, responsive to a retrieval command, for retrieving electronic mail messages stored in a remote mailbox which is identified by an identifier entered via said first means.
- 22. A communications device as set forth in claim 21 wherein the retrieval means further comprises:
- means for causing retrieval of all messages stored in said remote mailbox;
- means for causing retrieval of selected messages stored in said remote mailbox; and
- means for causing retrieval of a listing which identifies messages stored in said remote mailbox.
- 23. A communications device as set forth in claim 22 wherein the retrieval means further comprises means, responsive to a request by said remote mailbox for entry of a password, for causing transmission of a password entered via said first means.
- 24. A communications device as set forth in claim 23 wherein information transmitted in accordance with said electronic mail protocol is transmitted in accordance with a simple mail transfer protocol.
- 25. A communications device as set forth in claim 23 wherein said information transmitted in accordance with said electronic mail protocol is encoded in accordance with a UUENCODE protocol.
- 26. A communications device as set forth in claim 24 wherein said information transmitted in accordance with said electronic mail protocol is encoded in accordance with a MIME protocol.
- 27. A communications device as set forth in claim 20 wherein the device is contained within a single housing.
- 28. A communications device as set forth in claim 15 wherein said first means comprises a QWERTY style keyboard and a plurality of additional keys for entry of operational commands to initiate operation of said communications device.
- 29. A communications device as set forth in claim 15 wherein said first means comprises a telephone style keypad, a plurality of additional keys for entry of operational commands to initiate operation of said communications device, a microphone, and a voice recognition module which recognizes spoken characters to generate said destination information from recognized spoken characters.
- 30. A communications device operable to transmit and receive data in accordance with a facsimile protocol and an electronic mail protocol, comprising, in a single housing:
- remote device identification means for accepting a destination identifier which identifies a remote communications device;
- means responsive to said destination identifier being in the form of a telephone number for causing transmission of information contained on a paper input medium in accordance with a facsimile protocol;
- means, responsive to said destination identifier being in the form of an electronic mail address for causing transmission of said information contained on said paper input medium in accordance with an electronic mail protocol; and
- retrieval means, responsive to a retrieve command for initiating communication with a remote electronic mailbox, identified by a destination identifier entered via said remote device identification means, for causing transmission of electronic mail stored in said remote electronic mailbox to said communications device.
- 31. A communications device as set forth in claim 30 further comprising printing means for printing said electronic mail retrieved from said remote electronic mailbox.
- 32. A communications device as set forth in claim 31 wherein said retrieval means further comprises means for providing a plurality of selectable options which include specification of particular electronic mail messages to be retrieved, retrieval of a listing of electronic mail messages stored in said remote electronic mailbox, and retrieval of all electronic mail messages stored in said remote electronic mailbox and for responding to selection of said specification of particular electronic mail messages to be retrieved by causing transmission of said specified electronic mail messages, responding to selection of said retrieval of a listing of electronic mail messages option by causing transmission of a listing which identifies the electronic mail messages stored in said remote electronic mailbox and responding to retrieval of all electronic mail messages option by causing transmission of all electronic mail messages stored in said remote electronic mailbox.
- 33. A communications device as set forth in claim 32 further comprising means for identifying each retrieved electronic mail message with a unique identifier and means, responsive to entry of one of said unique identifiers, for causing transmission, by said remote electronic mailbox, of an electronic mail message corresponding to said unique identifier.
- 34. A communications device as set forth in claim 33 wherein the means for printing prints said listing of electronic mail messages stored in said remote electronic mailbox together with said unique identifiers.
- 35. A communications device as set forth in claim 30 wherein said retrieval means further comprises means, responsive to a request for a password from said remote electronic mailbox, for displaying a request for said password on a display and transmitting a password entered into said first means to said remote electronic mailbox.
- 36. A communications device as set forth in claim 30 wherein said information which is transmitted in accordance with said electronic mail protocol is encoded into a UUENCODE format.
- 37. A communications device as set forth in claim 30 wherein said information which is transmitted in accordance with said electronic mail protocol is encoded into a MIME format.
- 38. A communications device as set forth in claim 31 wherein said retrieval means further comprises:
- means for providing a first and second selectable option,
- said first selectable option comprising means responsive to selection of a specified electronic mail message for causing retrieval of said specified electronic mail message,
- said second selectable option comprising means responsive to selection of all messages stored in said remote electronic mailbox for causing retrieval of all of said messages, and
- means, responsive to selection of a specified electronic mail message in response to said first selectable option for allowing selection of additional electronic mail messages for retrieval.
- 39. A communications device as set forth in claim 38 wherein said first means comprises a QWERTY style keyboard and a plurality of additional keys for entry of operational commands to initiate operation of said communications device.
- 40. A communications device as set forth in claim 38 wherein said first means comprises a telephone style keypad, a plurality of additional keys for entry of operational commands to initiate operation of said communications device, a microphone, and a voice recognition module which recognizes spoken characters to generate said destination information from recognized spoken characters.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser No. 08/595,911, filed on Feb. 6, 1996, entitled "Message Processing Machine" and assigned to the assignee of the present application.
US Referenced Citations (15)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
595911 |
Feb 1996 |
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