Facsimile and static presentation processing – Facsimile – Auxiliary signal
Reexamination Certificate
1996-12-04
2001-02-27
Lee, Thomas D. (Department: 2722)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Facsimile
Auxiliary signal
C358S402000, C358S407000, C358S440000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06195177
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a telecommunication network comprising at least a facsimile machine.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A facsimile machine to be used in such a telecommunication network is described in French Patent Application 8803861. This facsimile machine comprises a PROM memory whose contents cannot be changed by the user, in which the data of the facsimile machine as well as the number of the telephone line to be used for facsimile transmission are stored. When a facsimile is sent, these data plus day, time and information about the receiving facsimile machine are printed on the original message by the sending facsimile machine. All this information is sent along with the message to the receiving facsimile machine, so that it is also printed on the received facsimile.
As a result, both parties have information that a specific message has been exchanged between a sending facsimile machine and a receiving facsimile machine on a certain day and at a certain moment of time. A drawback of this method is that there is no identification of a user of the facsimile machine such as there is an identification of the receiver and the sender of a parcel in the case of registered post. As a result, no evidential value relating to the identity of the sender, the identity of the receiver and the originality of the contents of the facsimile message can be derived from messages sent by facsimile machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a telecommunication network of the type defined in the opening paragraph, in which there is a possibility to have a user of a facsimile machine identified by an independent body.
A telecommunication network according to the invention is therefore characterized in that the telecommunication network comprises identification means for processing a user identification signal for the purpose of identifying a user of the facsimile machine. Such a user identification signal is personal and can therefore be entered only by the user. The identification means form part of the telecommunication network and are therefore managed by an independent body. The identifying of a user of the facsimile machine by an independent body provides a facsimile service that can be compared with registered post.
A network in which the user of a peripheral device is identified is known per se from Patent Specification EP 0 214 609. However, a user of a first terminal is then identified by a user of a second terminal. The users of such a telecommunication network all receive a secret personal key and a public key for the coding and decoding of messages. However, in such an instance, it is then necessary that each user is to have computer equipment.
An embodiment for a telecommunication network according to the invention is characterized in that the identification means are arranged for sending to a facsimile machine a message in a machine-readable code that an authenticated user identification code has been received. Examples of such a machine-readable code are the dot code, the mark code and the bar code.
A further embodiment for a telecommunication network according to the invention is characterized in that the identification means are arranged for sending to a facsimile machine a message in a machine-readable code that facsimile information has been received. In this manner the user has the disposal of information that proves the existence of a specific facsimile message.
A further embodiment for a telecommunication network according to the invention is characterized in that the identification means are arranged for sending to a facsimile machine a message in a machine-readable code which message comprises at least part of the contents of received facsimile information. As a result, the user has the disposal of a message that contains information about the contents of a specific facsimile message and supplied by an independent body.
A further embodiment for a telecommunication network according to the invention is characterized in that the message contains time information. As a result, the user has the disposal of information that proves that a certain happening took place at a specific moment of time.
A further embodiment for a telecommunication network according to the invention is characterized in that the message contains date information. As a result, the user has the disposal of information that proves that a certain happening took place at a certain date.
A further embodiment for a telecommunication network according to the invention is characterized in that the message contains address information of a user. In the preceding
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embodiments of the invention the user always obtained a certain amount of proof of the sending or receiving of a message or of the happening of a certain event.
A further embodiment for a telecommunication network according to the invention is characterized in that the identification means are arranged for encrypting the message according to a digital signature method. The user receiving a message encrypted in a suchlike manner, can verify the identity of the body that has sent the message and the user can see whether the contents of the encrypted message are equal to the original contents. Since this message has been sent by the identification means managed by an independent body, the message may be used by the user as absolute proof of the sending or receiving of a message or of the happening of an event.
A further embodiment for a telecommunication network according to the invention is characterized in that the telecommunication network is arranged for letting the identification means send a user request signal to a facsimile machine, and for letting a facsimile machine send a user identification signal containing data authenticated by a user in response to the user request signal. By applying algorithms known per se which continue to generate different request signals for a specific user, the user is constantly to enter different user identifications coming from said algorithm. As a result, there is avoided that a third party, by looking over a user's shoulder when he/she enters his/her identification, or by tapping a telephone line, acquires the possibility of acting as the user of the facsimile machine at a later instant.
A further embodiment for a telecommunication network according to the invention is characterized in that the telecommunication network comprises at least a generator for generating the user identification signal in response to the user request signal entered in the generator. Such a generator is supplied to the user by the managing independent body. The generator generates a personal user identification signal belonging to the user.
A further embodiment for a telecommunication network according to the invention is characterized in that the identification means are arranged for coding the user request signal in response to the signal contents of the data signals received from the facsimile machine. These data signals may be, for example, the contents of a message to be sent by a user to another user via the identification means. If the user of the facsimile machine asserts at a later instant that the message had different contents from the real contents, the opposite may be proved by means of the contents of the user request signal. Naturally, this is only feasible if the user request signal has been stored in a specific form and if it is possible to have the identification means re-generate a user request signal intended for that very user, which user request signal is independent of the contents of the message about which the dispute has arisen.
A further embodiment for a telecommunication network according to the invention is characterized in that the identification means are arranged for supplying the user request signal in a machine-readable code and in that the identification means are arranged for processing the user identification signal if this is supplied to the identification means in a machine-readable code. This
Lee Thomas D.
U.S. Philips Corporation
LandOfFree
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