(51) Int Cl.: H04N 1/00 ( ) H04N 1/32 ( ) H04L 29/06 ( )

Transcription

1 (19) (12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION (11) EP B1 (45) Date of publication and mention of the grant of the patent: Bulletin 08/04 (21) Application number: (22) Date of filing: (51) Int Cl.: H04N 1/00 (06.01) H04N 1/32 (06.01) H04L 29/06 (06.01) (86) International application number: PCT/CA03/ (87) International publication number: WO 03/ ( Gazette 03/32) (54) FAX TRANSMISSION OVER THE PACKET NETWORK FAKSIMILE ÜBERTRAGUNG ÜBER EIN PAKETNETZ TRANSMISSION DE TELECOPIE SUR LE RESEAU A COMMUTATION DE PAQUETS (84) Designated Contracting States: AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE SI SK TR (30) Priority: US P (43) Date of publication of application: Bulletin 04/45 (73) Proprietor: Interstar Technologies Inc. Montreal, Quebec H4H 1M1 (CA) (72) Inventors: BOIRE-LAVIGNE, Sebastien Verdun, Quebec H4G 2T5 (CA) COLLETTE, Richard Laval, Quebec H7N 3N5 (CA) BLANCHETTE, Guy Londonderry, NH (US) DIPERNO, Michael Beaconsfield, Quebec H9W 5H4 (CA) (74) Representative: Boyce, Conor et al F. R. Kelly & Co. 27 Clyde Road Ballsbridge Dublin 4 (IE) (56) References cited: EP-A WO-A-00/79780 WO-A-01/48984 US-A EP B1 Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). Printed by Jouve, PARIS (FR)

2 1 EP B1 2 Description FIELD OF THE INVENTION: [0001] The present Invention relates to facsimile (fax) transmission, and more particularly, to the transmission of faxes over the packet network. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION: [0002] Over the last years, facsimile (fax) has been a successful means to transmit documents electronically. With the emergence of Internet and , it appeared as though that fax would be rapidly replaced by the e- mail. However, it is now clear that the two technologies will co-exist for a while. [0003] Figure 1 shows present-day deployment of fax machines in an office environment equipped with Internet messaging. A fax server 2 is connected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) 4 by a plurality of dedicated lines, such as T1/E1. The PSTN 4 is the "outside world" as far as the fax server 2 is concerned and is the source of incoming faxes as well as the sink of outgoing faxes. The fax server 2 is also connected to a packet network 6 which provide connections to a plurality of users (e.g. 16). In this way, the fax server 2 enables corporations to provide desktop faxing capabilities to employees via architectures such as Exchange, Notes, SMTP, and other backend applications. The fax server 2 can also used to provide fax-back transaction confirmation, fax broadcasting or automated form processing. [0004] The fax server 2 requires specialized interface cards 14 for providing the conversion between fax information sent by the users. When the document arrives at the fax server 2, the fax server 2 converts the document into a format that is suitable for transmission over the PSTN 4. Finally, the fax server 2 sends the converted document over the PSTN 4 via its dedicated interface cards 14. Conversely, for a fax arriving at the fax server 2, the fax server 12 identifies the destination user, converts the incoming fax transmission into a format suitable for delivery to the destination user, and sends the converted document to the destination user over the internal IP network. [0005] In a common enterprise of today, the users are not only connected to the fax server 2 via the internal IP network 6, but are also connected to an to internetworking gateway 8, which connects the internal IP network 6 to a global Internet 12. The gateway 8 allows a user 16 to communicate electronically with other parties (e.g.18) connected to the global Internet 12. Such electronic communications may include store-and-forward messages (e.g., ), real-time one-way communications (e.g., live TV), real-time two-way communications (e.g., Internet telephony, etc.). [0006] The gateway 8 is typically connected to an Internet Service Provider (ISP), which is basically a larger gateway or the PSTN. The connection between the gateway 8 and the ISP or the PSTN is typically established via dedicated T1/E1 lines, similarly to the connection between the fax server 2 and the PSTN 4. [0007] It is apparent that a first set of dedicated T1/E1 lines are required to provide fax functionality and a second set of dedicated T1/E1 lines are required to provide Internet access functionality. The use of two sets of dedicated telephone/data lines is expensive to maintain and, moreover, it is possible to experience the situation in which either set of lines is idle while the other set is being used at its maximum capacity. In such a situation, the capacity of the underused set of lines goes to waste. The requirement for dedicated hardware for interfacing with the PSTN translates into a further non-negligible expense for the enterprise. [0008] PCT Publication WO01/48984 by Chung et al. discloses a two fax terminals sitting on the PSTN networks that respectively connect to VoIP gateways. The gateways then uses ITU T.38 protocol to relay the fax transmission over the packet network to bypass the costs of the PSTN networks. [0009] European application by Wakabayashi describes a T.37 Internet fax machine. ITU T.37 is a protocol to transfer fax through , and is also know as "store and forward faxing". Once the fax is sent, there is no confirmation if the fax is received as T.37 protocol does not provide a real time fax session. [00] US application 01/ by Adler et al. discloses a first network service gateway connected to a first PSTN, and a second network service gateway connected to a second PSTN, both first and second network service gateways communicating through the Internet. The first PSTN is connected to a fax management system (FMS) and a fax machine 41, while the second PSTN is connected to a remote machine. Similar to PCT Publication WO01/48984 by Chung et al., Adler et al. teaches a fax network architecture where two gateways flanking a public packet network such as Internet. [0011] It is therefore desirable to provide a new system that can harmoniously integrate a fax based communication tool with other communication tools though IP network. It is further desirable to provide a new system where a server can terminate a fax connection, and deliver the fax in a message to a message transfer agent. [0012] It is an object of the invention to provide a novel method and system that obviates or mitigates at least one of the disadvantages of existing systems. The present invention uses a server which mediates between a gateway connected to the PSTN using a packet based communication protocol for receiving/sending fax message through the gateway and enterprise service infrastructure. [0013] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication system for delivering fax messages comprising a plurality of message transfer agent, MTA, for transferring and receiving messages; a gateway connecting Public Switched Tele- 2

3 3 EP B1 4 phone Network PSTN, the PSTN having a first fax terminal; and a server communicating with the gateway through a packet network and the server communicating with the plurality of MTAs, characterized in that the server simulates a second fax terminal to the gateway, establishes communication with the gateway over the packet network using a standard signaling protocol, and exchanges fax data using ITU T.38 protocol, terminates a fax call originating from the first fax terminal, stores fax data into a media database, determines a destination address of a member of the plurality of MTAs, connects to the member of the plurality of the MTAs and creates a fax message for transfer in a format compatible with the member of the plurality of MTAs. [0014] In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of delivering a fax message in a communication network, the communication network including a message transfer agent MTAs for transferring and receiving messages, a gateway connecting Public Switched Telephone Network, PSTN, the PSTN having a first fax terminal; and a server communicating with the gateway through a packet network and communicating with the MTA, the method comprising the steps of: selecting a server that handles a first fax arrived on the first fax terminal; simulating the selected server as a second fax terminal to the gateway to transact fax message between the MTA and the first fax terminal; establishing a first session between the gateway and the selected server simulating the second fax terminal over the packet network using a standard signaling protocol and exchanges fax data using ITU T.38 protocol, and a second session between the first fax terminal sending the fax on the PSTN and the selected server; transferring the first fax from the first fax terminal to the selected server simulating the second fax terminal; storing information related to the first fax in a media database; determining in the selected server, a destination address of an MTA for the first fax on the selected server; connecting the selected server to the MTA to transfer the first fax message; creating in the server a first message in a format compatible with the selected MTA based on the stored information; connecting the selected server to the MTA to transfer the first message; and transferring the first message to the MTA. [0015] Other aspects and features of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS: [0016] The invention will be further understood from the following description with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing conventional deployment of fax machines; Figure 2 is schematic diagram showing a communication network in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing T.30 fax machines on a PSTN; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing one example of the process for establishing a call over a packet network in Figure 2; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an incoming fax data flow in the communication system of Figure 2; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an outgoing fax data flow in the communication system of Figure 2; Figure 7 is a flow diagram showing one example of the process for receiving an incoming fax from the PSTN 4 at the communication system of Figure 2; Figure 8 Is a flow diagram showing one example of the process for sending faxes from the communication system of Figure 2 to the PSTN; Figure 9 is schematic diagram showing anther example of the communication network of Figure 2; Figure is a flow diagram showing one example of the process for receiving an incoming fax from the PSTN at the communication system of Figure 9; and Figure 11 is a flow diagram showing anther example of the process shown in Figure ; Figure 12 is a flow diagram showing one example of the process for sending an outgoing fax from the communication system of Figure 9 to the PSTN; and Figure 13 is a schematic diagram showing one example of a FoIP server of Figures 2 and 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EM- BODIMENTS: [0017] Figure 2 shows a communication network 0 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The communication network 0 includes a FoIP (Real Time Fax Over IP) server 2, a gateway 4 and a messaging system 6. [0018] The FoIP server 2 communicates with the gateway 4 through the IP network 8. The gateway 4 communicates with a fax machine 1 on the PSTN 4. The FoIP server 2 may mediate fax communication between the gateway(s) 4 and an enterprise backend system(s) (e.g. messaging system 6). [0019] The gateway 4 acts as an entrance between networks. The gateway mediates fax call from the PSTN 4 and fax over IP calls. For example, the computers that control traffic within a company s network or at an Internet service provider (ISP) are gateway nodes. The gateway may be associated with both a router for directing a given packet of data that arrives at the gateway 4, and a switch for providing an actual path in and out of the gateway 4 for a given packet. [00] In the description below, the gateway 4 is a VoIP gateway, which transforms a call from the PSTN 4 3

4 5 EP B into a VoIP call using H.323, SIP or MGCP or other signaling protocol. For example, the VoIP gateway is equipped with a T1/E1 interface to the PSTN 4 and a 0 Mb Ethernet interface to the IP network 8. The VoIP gateway uses "voice encoder and decoder" (vocodec), e.g. G.711, G.729, and G.723, to transport the voices of the caller /callee. The vocodec is a card specialized to transport human voice. In a similar fashion, the gateway uses T.38, a codec specialized to transport T.30 messages (i.e. the language used by fax machine to communicate). The gateway 4 may be Cisco Systems Inc. model 2600 series, 3600 series, MC 38, 70, 7750 and AS5300 (trade-mark). Those gateways use a VOIP card, a PSTN interface card and a network interface. The gateway 4 may be replaced with a T.38 aware terminal (e.g. T.38 fax machine) or another FoIP server 2 anywhere on the company s network or the Internet. [0021] The gateway 4 establishes a T.30 session with the fax. Instead of making any decision regarding the session, the gateway 4 forwards everything to the FoIP server 2 and the FoIP-server 2 terminates the T.30 session. [0022] The FoIP server 2 is a VoIP end point for receiving and sending faxes. The FoIP server 2 mediates FoIP calls and a message transfer agent (MTA), e.g. messaging system 6. The FolP server 2 uses standard signaling protocol such H.323, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), MGCP (Media Gateway Control Protocol) to establish call. The FoIP server 2 is part of the VoIP network. The FoIP server 2 does not limits its signaling protocol to H.323, SIP and MGCP and may use other signaling protocol. The FoIP server 2 exchanges faxes with the gateway 4 using T.38. The FoIP server 2 provides the fax portion of the unified communication ( , fax, voice). [0023] Protocols used by the FoIP server 2 and the gateway 4 are now described in detail. T.30 is a standard protocol approved by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that defines how fax machines communicate together over analog lines. As illustrated in Figure 3, fax machines 1A and 1B on the PSTN 4 communicate with each other using T.30 protocol. [0024] H.323 is a standard protocol approved by the ITU that defines how audiovisual conferencing data is transmitted across networks. H.323 is commonly used for voice calls across networks, a subset of video conferencing. SIP is a standard IETF generic protocol to establish sessions and one of the most common application is to establish VoIP calls. MGCP is a protocol used to convert PSTN calls to calls carried over packet network. [0025] T.38 is a standard protocol "Procedures for realtime Group 3 facsimile communication over IP networks" approved by the ITU that defines how T.30 messages can be transported over packet network. The scope of T.38 is to provide a means of communication for T.30 devices (i.e. fax machines) over packet network. The T. 38 codec is specialized to transport fax machine language (i.e. T.30 messages exchanged between fax terminal). The T.38 specification does not provide any means to establish the communication between packet network endpoint. VoIP protocols, such as H.323, SIP and MGCP, are designed to be used for that purpose. T. 38 mainly specifies the tunneling technologies to transfer the T.30 messages exchanged between fax machines over a packet network. [0026] A fax transmission-over the packet network between the FolP server 2 and the gateway 4 may be illustrated as showed in Figure 4. Referring to Figure 4, in step 31, a VoIP call is established between the FoIP Server 2 and the gateway 4 using H.323, SIP or MGCP. In step 32, a T.30 (fax machine to fax machine) tunnel session is established using T.38. In step 33, a T. 30 data exchange (fax transmission) occurs using T.38. In step 34, the T.30 session is torn down using T.38. In step 35, the VoIP call is torn down using H.323, SIP or MGCP. [0027] Referring to Figure 2, the FoIP server 2 and the gateway 4 establishes a call in a manner similar to that of Figure 4. [0028] The FolP server 2 has one or more main processors for processing standard signaling, e.g. T.38 and T.30. The FolP server 2 has functionality to capture all available transaction information, e.g. caller identification (ID) number, caller ID name, caller number, gateway address, date and time, duration, transmission speed, number of pages, CSID (Call Subscriber ID) and DMTF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency). The FoIP server 2 stores fax media information and transaction and provides remote access to the data through protocol, e.g. HTTP (Hyper Text Transport Protocol). The fax media information is stored into a media database 309 (Figure 13). [0029] The FoIP server 2 handles a plurality of simultaneous fax calls. For each one, a virtual T.30 engine created in the FoIP server 2 simulates a fax terminal. All outgoing faxes are queued until they are routed/delivered and they are archived for later retrieval. [0030] The FoIP server 2 may be embodied as a computing device that operates in accordance with a series of instructions contained in a program element stored on a computer readable storage medium. The series of instructions indicate to the computing device how to react under various conditions, e.g., in the case of receipt of an incoming fax, transmission of an outgoing fax. [0031] The messaging system 6 includes a server 112. The messaging system 6 has functionality for interfacing with end users (e.g. desktop personal computer 114) and allowing them to formulate and retrieve electronic messages (mails) in a user-friendly format. The server 112 may be Exchange (trade-mark) from Microsoft Corp., Lotus Domino (trade-mark) from International Business Machines Inc or an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) based server. The messaging system 6 may use Microsoft Outlook (trade-mark) or Lotus Notes (trade-mark) for distributing the mails. The messaging system 6 can be composed of several Messaging servers 112 that can be spread across multiple networks. 4

5 7 EP B1 8 [0032] The communication system 0 may communicate with more than one gateway 4 and may include more than one FoIP server 2. [0033] The operation for establishing a call between the FoIP server 2 and the gateway 4 is now described. Figure 5 shows an incoming fax scenario of the communication system 0 of Figure 2. Figure 6 shows an outgoing fax scenario in the communication system 0 of Figure 2. The FoIP Server 2 and the gateway 4 may use gatekeeper (if using H.323) or Proxy/registrar (if using SIP) to determine which gateway/foip server is to be used for a given telephone number. For example, before establishing a VoIP call, the H.323 end point (gateway/foip server) may requests, to a gatekeeper (not shown), the IP address of the end point responsible to handle the call. In response to the request, the gatekeeper provides the IP address. Alternatively the FoIP server or the gateway may have a local dial plan to decide which endpoint handles which number. [0034] Referring to Figure 5, "an incoming fax scenario" using H.323, SIP or MGCP is now described. The gateway 4 receives a fax call on its PSTN interface for the number XXXX. Then, the gateway 4 may requests to a gatekeeper (only for H.323) the IP address of the device handling the number XXXX. Alternatively it may use its local dial plan to determine the IP address of the device handling the number XXXX. The gateway 4 establishes a call to the FolP server with the specified IP address. [0035] Referring to Figure 6, "an outgoing fax scenario" using H.323/SIP/MGCP is now described. The FolP server 2 has a fax that is sent to the number YYYY. The FolP server 2 may requests, to a gatekeeper (only for H.323), the IP address of the device handling the number YYYY. Alternately the FolP server may use its local dial plan to determine the IP addresses if the device handling the number YYYY. Then, the FolP server 2 establishes a call with the gateway with the specified IP address. [0036] The process for receiving an incoming fax from the PSTN 4 at the communication system 0 of Figure 2 is now described in detail. Initially, the gateway establishes a call with the FoIP server 2 which is to receive the fax in accordance with the "an incoming fax scenario (Figure 5)". Referring to Figure 7, in step 130, the FoIP server 2 receives IP packets corresponding to the fax from the gateway 4. In step 132, the FoIP server 2 archives the incoming fax. In step 134, the FoIP server 2 determines, based on the information collected during the call (e.g. called number, calling Number, CSID), the address of the user in the messaging system 6 that is to receive the fax. In step 136, the FoIP server 2 creates a mail message and, in step 138, the FoIP server 2 sends to the messaging system 6. The sender in the messaging system 6, e.g. Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, distributes the mail message to the proper user mailbox. For example, the mail message from the FoIP server 2 to the user may contain the following information: The sender indicates that the message comes from the FoIP system; 2. The subject is composed of information regarding the fax (Called Number, Calling Number, CSID, number pages); 3. The body contains the information about the transaction (time received, duration, number of page, an so on); 4. The mail contains one attachment that contains the receive fax in tiff format. That attachment can be viewed using Tiff viewer such Wang imaging; and 5. Optionally the may contain other information that can be used to display the transaction information using specialized forms and formats. [0037] The process for sending faxes from the communication system 0 of Figure 2 to the PSTN 4 is now described in detail. The end user uses its mail client, e.g. Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes, to create a mail message that will contain all the information to create a fax. For example, the mail message content may be interpreted the following way: 1. The recipients selected represents fax numbers instead of an address and they will be relayed to the FolP Server; 2. The subject will become the fax subject; 3. The body will be inserted as comment on the fax cover page; 4. The attached documents will be converted to fax format and appended to the fax (after the coversheet); 5. Optionally special codes may be used to specify settings particular to a fax transmission; and 6. Optionally specialized forms may be used to specify settings particular to a fax transmission; [0038] Referring to Figure 8, in step 140, the mail message is transmitted from the mail client to the server 112 of the messaging system 6. In step 142, the messaging system 6 examines the recipient addresses to find that they contain fax numbers they will be transferred to the FoIP server. When they contain fax numbers, the messaging system 6 transfers each mail to the proper FoIP server. In step 144, when the FoIP server 2 receives the mail, the FoIP server 2 extracts all the information pertaining to the fax transmission and creates entry in the faxing queue corresponding to each fax. In step 146, the FolP server 2 creates the cover page and converts the attachment documents into tiff format. Once that is completed, the fax transaction is ready to be sent to the first available VoIP gateway able to handle the transmission. The FoIP server 2 then follows the steps described in "An outgoing fax scenario (Figure 6)" to send the fax over IP network. If the transaction is successful, the entry in the fax queue is marked as completed and will be archived. If the transaction is a failure, the FoIP server 2 marks the transaction as "Waiting for retry" 5

6 9 EP B1 and will be resent after a certain delay or "Failed" if no retry are programmed, in that case, the transaction will be archived. [0039] In Figure 2, the FoIP server 2 communicates with the messaging system 6. However, the FoIP server 2 and backend applications, e.g. CRM (Customer Relationship Management), document management, web services, mainframe, or a specialized application may communicate with an API specifically designed to fax enable-the backend applications. [0040] Figure 9 shows another example of the communication system 0 shown in Figure 2. In the communication system 0 of Figure 9, the FoIP server 2 communicates with enterprise backend systems 150, such as the messaging system 6A (e.g. Exchange, Notes, SMTP), CRM applications 152, Web services 154, a mainframe 156, a form processing application, document management or a specialized application. The FolP server 2 accepts faxing request from the backend systems 150 and reports fax transaction to the backend systems 150. The FoIP server 2 mediates between the FoIP calls and the backend systems 150. [0041] Incoming faxes are automatically routed to the messaging system 6A, other backend system or directly to the user. The FoIP server 2 in Figure 9 has functionality of unifying messages. [0042] The process for receiving an incoming fax from the PSTN 4 at the communication system 0 of Figure 9 is now described in detail. Referring to Figure, in step 160, the gateway 4 receives a fax call on the gateway telephony interface connected to the PSTN 4. In step 162, the gateway 4 determines the end point (FoIP server) on the packet network that will handles the fax call, based on the gateway dial plan or a dial plan obtain from a centralize service. The gatekeeper (not shown) acts as the "centralize service" when H.323 is used. The proxy/registrar infrastructure (not shown) acts as the "centralize service" when SIP is used. It is assumed that the FoIP server 2 is the end point. [0043] In step 164, a call session between the gateway 4 and the selected FoIP server 2 is established using standard signaling protocols. If call establishment fails, the gateway 4 uses the dial plan to determine a new alternate FoIP server. In step 166, a media session between the gateway 4 and the selected FoIP 2 server is established using ITU T.38 protocol. If the media session establishment fails, the gateway 4 uses the dial plan to determine a new alternate FoIP server. In step 168, a T.30 fax session between the fax terminal on the PSTN 4 initiating the call and the FoIP server 2 is established. In step 170, the fax is transferred between the fax terminal on the PSTN 4 and the FoIP server 2 according to T.30 protocol. [0044] In step 172, the FoIP server 2 stores the fax media into a media database (not shown) into one or many files. In step 174, the T.30 session, T.38 and call session are terminated. In step 176, the FoIP server 2 stores all transaction information and URL to the files containing the fax media. [0045] In step 178, the FoIP server 2 determines, based on the transaction information, a destination address and a MTA for the incoming fax. In step 180, the FolP server 2 is connected to the MTA to transfer the incoming fax message. In step 182, the FoIP server 2 creates a message in a format compatible with the selected MTA. The message contains the fax media file (in native tiff fax format or any other format through conversion), transaction information in machine readable (code embedded in the message), human readable text (embedded in the title and body of the message and human readable graphic (embedded into the media file attachment). In step 184, the FolP server 2 transfers the created message to the MTA. [0046] When the gateway 4 is replaced with a T.38 aware terminal (e.g.t.38 fax terminal) (not shown), steps 160 and 162 are replaced with steps 190 and 192 as shown in Figure 11. Referring to Figure 11, in step 190, the T.38 aware terminal scans a document and a destination is entered from a terminal input interface, such as a keyboard or touch screen. In step 192, the end point on the packet network that will handle the fax call is determined based on the terminal dial plan or a dial plan obtained from a centralize service and the information entered by the user. [0047] The process for sending an outgoing fax to the PSTN 4 from the communication system 0 of Figure 9 is now described in detail. Referring to Figure 12, in step 0, the FoIP server 2 receives a message containing embedded codes describing the faxing options, sender information and the list of fax recipients, and a list of file documents attached to the message. In step 2, the FoIP server 2 retrieves all embedded and files attached codes from the message. In step 4, the FolP server 2 stores sender, fax options, recipients and documents to fax into the FoIP database (e.g. media database). [0048] In step 6, the FoIP server 2 verifies if the sender is authorized to send faxes either from an external directory or from the FolP server internal directory. If the sender is not authorized to fax, the transaction is refused and the sender is notified. [0049] In step 8, the FoIP server 2 verifies that recipient destinations are valid. If a recipient destination is not valid the transaction for that destination is refused and the sender is notified. In step 2, the FoIP server 2 completes the sender information by retrieving extra information from a centralized directory external to the communication system 0. In step 212, the FolP server 2 converts the file documents from their native format to tiff format by using the native application. A printer driver, command line converters, internal conversion engine or specialized conversion API may be used in conjunction with the application. [0050] In step 214, the FoIP server 2 creates a tiff coversheet for each recipient using sender and the recipient information. In step 216, the session between the 6

7 11 EP B1 12 FoIP server 2 and the gateway is established. In step 218, the tiff format information is sent to the gateway. [0051] Figure 13 shows one example of the FoIP server 2 shown in Figures 2 and 9. The FoIP server 2 of Figure 13 includes a SMTP gateway 300 and an Exchange gateway 302, which provide interfaces to external messaging systems, i.e. SMTP messaging system 326 and Exchange messaging system 352. The external messaging systems may be remotely accessed through the network. The SMTP gateway 300 and the Exchange gateway 302 allow the end-user to send faxes on the PSTN and receive fax transaction mail notifications. [0052] As an example, the FoIP server 2 is composed of the components describe hereafter and in Figure 13. It includes a fax driver 304 and a XML gateway 306. The fax driver 304 communicates with the T.38 gateway 4 to send/receive faxes to/from the PSTN (4). The XML gateway 306 processes XML outbound fax documents. For example, those XML documents maybe transferred to the FoIP Server 2, in a file system directory that is scanned by a backend application the FoIP server 2 or through http. [0053] A fax archive database 308 is provided to the FolP server 2. The fax archive database 308 may be located in the FolP or on the IP network and accessed remotely. For example, it can be accessed through JDBC (Java DataBase Connectivity). The fax archive database 308 is used to store all the completed fax transaction details. For archiving fax information, an archive component 3 is provided. [0054] The fax media from the PSTN (4) is stored in a media store database 309. The media store database 309 may be installed locally on the FoIP file system or on the IP network on remote file system. The media store database 309 contains all the documents used to generate the outgoing faxes (e.g. Microsoft Word (trademark), Microsoft Excel (trade-mark), text, coversheet, etc.), the outgoing fax tiff and incoming fax tiffs. [0055] The FoIP server 2 further includes a configuration manager 314, CoConfig 316 and a fault tolerance 318 which are components for providing internal functionality to other system component. The configuration manager 314 and CoConfig 316 contain respectively the system configurations and company configurations. The fault tolerance 318 monitors all components and possible faults, manages the fail over mechanisms and component election process. The configuration manager 314, the CoConfig 316 and the fault tolerance 318 communicate with a configuration database 3, a CoConfig database 322 and a services state database 324, respectively for obtaining relevant information. [0056] The FoIP server 2 further includes a session manager 326 and a http server 328. The session manager 326 grants/denies system access to remote administrative tools like an MMC Snap-in (trade-mark of Microsoft) 356 and/or API. The http server 328 is used to relay web access requests from web browser 360 or backend applications to the FoIP components [0057] The FoIP server 2 further includes a fax manager 330, a fax queue 332, a fax queue database 334, a fax folder mediation 336, a document rasterizer 338 and a media store 340. The fax manager 330 contains all the intelligence to handle the faxes. The fax queue 332 controls access to the fax queue database 334. The fax folder mediation 336 serves remote client access to the fax lists. The media store 340 read, based on the instructions of the fax manager 330, the fax media from the media storage database 309 and stores them. The document rasterizer 338 converts documents in the media store 340 into faxes. [0058] According to the embodiment of the present invention, the fax server, i.e., FoIP server, communicates with T.38 fax machine without going through the PSTN. Thus, specialized circuit fax cards for interfacing with the PSTN to deliver fax transmissions are no longer required. Moreover, through with a gateway connected to the PSTN, the same Telco T1/E1/analog interfaces is shared to deliver voice service and fax services, enabling a more efficient use of the available bandwidth on the lines, this again without any specialized circuit fax cards. For example, voice services can be IP PBX (Interactive Voice Response), IP IVR (Interactive Voice Response) and IP UM (unified messaging). Also the FolP server can reuse infrastructure (gateway 4) and messaging system 6A already deployed to deliver voice services and vice versa. [0059] According to the embodiment of the present invention, the FolP server used in conjunction with the VolP system offers a single user experience for , voice mail and fax, by making all those messages available in the user mailbox. [0060] While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, changes and modifications may be made to such embodiments without departing from the true scope of the invention. Claims 1. A communication system (0) for delivering fax messages comprising: a plurality of message transfer agent, MTA, (6) for transferring and receiving messages; a gateway (4) connecting Public Switched Telephone Network PSTN, (4), the PSTN having a first fax terminal; and a server (2) communicating with the gateway (4) through a packet network and the server communicating with the plurality of MTAs, characterized in that the server (2) simulates a second fax terminal to the gateway, establishes communication with the gateway over the packet network using a standard signaling protocol, and exchanges fax data using ITU T.38 protocol, terminates a fax call originating from the first fax terminal, stores 7

8 13 EP B1 14 fax data into a media database, determines a destination address of a member of the plurality of MTAs, connects to the member of the plurality of the MTAs and creates a fax message for transfer in a format compatible with the member of the plurality of MTAs. 2. The communication system (0) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the server (2) includes a main processor to process standard signaling which includes ITU T.38 and ITU T.30 protocols. 3. The communication system (0) as claimed in claim 1 or 2 further comprising a gatekeeper for providing an address of the server to the gateway when the gateway establish a connection to the server (2), and for providing an address of the gateway (4) to the server when the server establishes a connection to the gateway. 4. The communication system (0) as claimed in any one of claims 1-3, wherein the server (2) is adapted for capturing transaction information for transmitting the fax message. 5. The communication system (0) as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, wherein the transaction information includes at least one of caller ID Number, caller ID Name, called number, gateway address, date & time, duration, transmission speed, number of pages, Call Subscriber ID, CSID, and Dual Tone Multi- Frequency DMTF. 6. The communication system (0) as claimed in any one of claims 1-5, wherein the MTA (6) is replaced by a backend application; the server mediating between a real time fax over IP, FoIP, call and the backend application, the backend application being selected from a group consisting of a Customer Relationship Management, CRM, application, Web services, a mainframe, a form processing application, document management, a specialized application and a combination thereof. 7. A method of delivering a fax message in a communication network, the communication network (0) including a plurality of message transfer agent MTAs for transferring and receiving messages, a gateway (4) connecting Public Switched Telephone Network, PSTN, (4), the PSTN having a first fax terminal; and a server (2) communicating with the gateway through a packet network and communicating with the MTA, the method comprising the steps of: between the MTA and the first fax terminal. establishing (164, 166, 168) a first session between the gateway and the selected server simulating the second fax terminal over the packet network using a standard signaling protocol and exchanges fax data using ITU T.38 protocol, and a second session between the first fax terminal sending the fax on the PSTN and the selected server; transferring (170) the first fax from the first fax terminal to the selected server simulating the second fax terminal; storing (172) information related to the first fax in a media database; determining (178), in the selected server, a destination address of an MTA for the first fax on the selected server; connecting (180) the selected server to the MTA (6) to transfer the first fax message; creating (182), in the server (2), a first message in a format compatible with the selected MTA based on the stored information; connecting the selected server to the MTA to transfer the first message; and transferring (184) the first message to the MTA. 8. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the establishing step includes the step of establishing a call session between the gateway (4) and the selected server (2) using a standard protocol, the step of establishing a media session between the gateway and the selected server, and the step of establishing a ITU T.30 fax session between the fax terminal and the server. 9. The method as claimed in claim 7 or 8 wherein the establishing step includes the step of determining a new alternate server based on a dial plan obtained from a centralize service when the call establishment fails.. The method as claimed in any one of claims 7-9 wherein the transferring step includes the step of transferring the fax according to the ITU T.30 protocol. 11. The method as claimed in any one of claims 7-, wherein the storing step includes the step of storing the media of the fax into one or more files in the media database, and the step of storing transaction information and URL to the file containing the fax media. selecting a server (2) that handles a first fax arrived on the first fax terminal; simulating the selected server as a second fax terminal to the gateway to transact fax message The method as claimed in any one of claims 7-11, wherein the determining step includes the step of determining the server that handles the fax call based on a gateway dial plan or a dial plan obtained 8

9 15 EP B1 16 from a centralized service. Patentansprüche 13. The method as claimed in any one of claims 7-12, wherein the gateway (4) is an ITU T. 38 aware terminal, the selecting step includes the step of scanning a document and entering a destination from a terminal input interface and the step of selecting the server (2) on the packet network based on a terminal dial plan or a dial plan obtained from a centralize service and the information entered by the user. 14. The method as claimed in any one of claims 7-12 further comprising the steps of: receiving (0) a second message from the MTA (6) in the selected server (2), the second message having a file document attached; retrieving (2) an information of the second message; storing (4) the information into a database; verifying (6, 8) if the sender sending the second message is authorized to send faxes and verifying if the recipient is valid; completing (2) a sender information; converting (212, 214) the file document to a second fax in a predetermined format; establishing (216) a session between the selected server and the gateway; transferring (218) the second fax in the predetermined format from the selected server to the gateway. 15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the receiving step includes the step of receiving the second message containing embedded codes describing faxing options, the sender information and the list of fax recipients, and a list of file documents attached to the message. 16. The method as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein the verifying step includes at least one of the following steps (a)-(b): (a) refusing the fax transaction if the sender is not authorized to send faxes and notifying the sender; (b) refusing the transaction if a destination is invalid and notifying the sender. 17. The method as claimed in any one of claims 7-16, wherein the MTA is replaced by a backend application; the server mediating between a real time fax over IP, FoIP, call and the backend application, the backend application being selected from a group comprising a Customer Relationship Management, CRM application, Web services, a mainframe, a form processing application, document management, a specialized application and a combination thereof Kommunikationssystem (0) zum Liefern von Telefaxnachrichten, das Folgendes umfasst: mehrere Message-Transfer-Agents (MTA) (6) zum Senden und Empfangen von Nachrichten; ein Gateway (4) als Verbindung zum Fernsprechwählnetz PSTN (4), wobei das PSTN ein erstes Faxterminal hat; und einen Server (2), der durch ein Paketnetz mit dem Gateway (4) kommuniziert, wobei der Server mit den mehreren MTAs kommuniziert, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Server (2) ein zweites Faxterminal zu dem Gateway simuliert, Kommunikationen mit dem Gateway über das Paketnetz mit einem standardmäßigen Signalisierungsprotokoll einrichtet und Telefaxdaten über das ITU T.38 Protokoll austauscht, einen von dem ersten Faxterminal ausgehenden Telefaxanruf beendet, Telefaxdaten in einer Mediendatenbank speichert, eine Zieladresse von einem aus der Mehrzahl von MTAs bestimmt, eine Verbindung zu dem einen aus der Mehrzahl der MTAs herstellt und eine Telefaxnachricht zum Senden in einem Format erzeugt, das mit dem einen aus der Mehrzahl von MTAs kompatibel ist. 2. Kommunikationssystem (0) nach Anspruch 1, bei dem der Server (2) einen Hauptprozessor zum Verarbeiten der Standardsignalisierung aufweist, die ITU T.38 und ITU T.30 Protokolle aufweist. 3. Kommunikationssystem (0) nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, das ferner einen Gatekeeper zum Senden einer Adresse des Servers zu dem Gateway, wenn das Gateway eine Verbindung zum Server (2) herstellt, und zum Senden einer Adresse des Gateway (4) zum Server umfasst, wenn der Server eine Verbindung zum Gateway herstellt. 4. Kommunikationssystem (0) nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3, wobei der Server (2) die Aufgabe hat, Transaktionsinformationen zum Senden der Telefaxnachricht zu erfassen. 5. Kommunikationssystem (0) nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4, bei dem die Transaktionsinformationen die ID-Nummer des Anrufers, den ID-Namen des Anrufers, die angerufene Nummer, die Gateway-Adresse, Datum & Uhrzeit, Dauer, Übertragungsgeschwindigkeit, Seitenzahl, Anruf-Subscriber-ID, CSID und/oder Zweiton-Mehrfrequenz DMTF beinhaltet. 6. Kommunikationssystem (0) nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, wobei der MTA (6) durch eine 9

10 17 EP B1 18 Backend-Anwendung ersetzt wird; der Server zwischen einem Echtzeit-Telefax über IP, FoIP, Anruf und der Bakkend-Anwendung vermittelt, wobei die Backend-Anwendung ausgewählt wird aus einer Gruppe bestehend aus Kundenmanagement CRM, Applikation, Webdiensten, einem Großrechner, einer Formularverarbeitungsanwendung, Dokumentenmanagement, einer Spezialanwendung und einer Kombination davon. 7. Verfahren zum Liefern einer Telefaxnachricht in einem Kommunikationsnetz, wobei das Kommunikationsnetz (0) Folgendes umfasst: mehrere Message-Transfer-Agents MTAs zum Senden und Empfangen von Nachrichten, ein Gateway (4) als Verbindung zum Fernsprechwählnetz PSTN (4), wobei das PSTN ein erstes Faxterminal hat; und einen Server (2), der durch ein Paketnetz mit dem Gateway kommuniziert und mit dem MTA kommuniziert, wobei das Verfahren die folgenden Schritte beinhaltet: Auswählen eines Servers (2), der ein am ersten Faxterminal angekommenes erstes Telefax handhabt; Simulieren des ausgewählten Servers als zweites Faxterminal zum Gateway zum Abwickeln von Telefaxnachrichten zwischen dem MTA und dem ersten Faxterminal; Einrichten (164, 166, 168) einer ersten Session zwischen dem Gateway und dem ausgewählten Server zum Simulieren des zweiten Faxterminal über das Paketnetz mit einem standardmäßigen Signalisierungsprotokoll und zum Austauschen von Telefaxdaten mit dem ITU T.38 Protokoll, und einer zweiten Session zwischen dem ersten Faxterminal, das das Telefax auf dem PSTN sendet, und dem ausgewählten Server; Senden (170) des ersten Telefax von dem ersten Faxterminal zu dem das zweite Faxterminal simulierenden ausgewählten Server; Speichern (172) von Informationen in Bezug auf das erste Telefax in einer Mediendatenbank; Ermitteln (178), in dem ausgewählten Server, einer Zieladresse eines MTA für das erste Telefax auf dem ausgewählten Server; Verbinden (180) des ausgewählten Servers mit dem MTA (6) zum Senden der ersten Telefaxnachricht; Erzeugen (182), in dem Server (2), einer ersten Nachricht in einem mit dem ausgewählten MTA kompatiblen Format auf der Basis der gespeicherten Informationen; Verbinden des ausgewählten Servers mit dem MTA zum Senden der ersten Nachricht; und Senden (184) der ersten Nachricht zu dem MTA. 8. Verfahren nach Anspruch 7, bei dem der Einrichtungsschritt den Schritt des Einrichtens einer Call Session zwischen dem Gateway (4) und dem ausgewählten Server (2) mit einem Standardprotokoll, den Schritt des Einrichtens einer Media-Session zwischen dem Gateway und dem ausgewählten Server und den Schritt des Einrichtens einer ITU T.30 Fax-Session zwischen dem Faxterminal und dem Server beinhaltet. 9. Verfahren nach Anspruch 7 oder 8, bei dem der Einrichtungsschritt den Schritt des Bestimmens eines neuen alternativen Servers auf der Basis eines Wählplans beinhaltet, der von einem zentralisierten Dienst erhalten wird, wenn das Einrichten des Anrufs erfolglos verläuft.. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 7 bis 9, wobei der Sendeschritt den Schritt des Sendens des Telefax gemäß dem ITU T.30 Protokoll beinhaltet. 11. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 7 bis, wobei der Speicherschritt den Schritt des Speicherns der Medien des Telefax in einer oder mehreren Dateien in der Mediendatenbank sowie den Schritt des Speicherns von Transaktionsinformationen und URL- Adressen in der die Telefaxmedien enthaltenden Datei beinhaltet. 12. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 7 bis 11, wobei der Bestimmungsschritt den Schritt des Bestimmens des den Telefaxanruf handhabenden Servers auf der Basis eines Gateway-Wählplans oder eines von einem zentralisierten Dienst erhaltenen Wählplans beinhaltet. 13. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 7 bis 12, wobei das Gateway (4) ein ITU-T.38-bewusstes Terminal ist, der Auswahlschritt den Schritt des Scannens eines Dokumentes und des Eingebens eines Zielortes von einer Terminaleingabeschnittstelle und den Schritt des Auswählens des Servers (2) auf dem Paketnetz auf der Basis eines Terminalwählplans oder eines von einem zentralisierten Dienst erhaltenen Wählplans und der von dem Benutzer eingegebenen Informationen beinhaltet. 14. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 7 bis 12, das ferner die folgenden Schritte beinhaltet: Empfangen (0) einer zweiten Nachricht von dem MTA (6) in dem ausgewählten Server (2), wobei an die zweite Nachricht eine Dokumentendatei angehängt ist; Abrufen (2) einer Information der zweiten Nachricht; Speichern (4) der Information in einer Datenbank; Prüfen (6, 8), ob der die zweite Nachricht sendende Sender autorisiert ist, Telefaxe zu

11 19 EP B1 senden, und Prüfen, ob der Empfänger gültig ist; Angeben (2) von Senderinformationen; Konvertieren (212, 214) der Dokumentendatei in ein zweites Telefax in einem vorbestimmten Format; Einrichten (216) einer Session zwischen dem ausgewählten Server und dem Gateway; Senden (218) des zweiten Telefax in dem vorbestimmten Format von dem ausgewählten Server zu dem Gateway. 15. Verfahren nach Anspruch 14, wobei der Empfangsschritt den Schritt des Empfangens der zweiten Nachricht, die Telefaxoptionen beschreibende eingebettete Codes enthält, der Senderinformationen und der Liste von Telefaxempfängern sowie einer Liste von an die Nachricht angehängten Dokumentendateien beinhaltet. 16. Verfahren nach Anspruch 14 oder 15, wobei der Prüfschritt wenigstens einen der folgenden Schritte (a)-(b) beinhaltet: (a) Verweigern der Telefaxtransaktion, wenn der Sender nicht zum Senden von Telefaxen befugt ist, und Benachrichtigen des Senders; (b) Verweigern der Transaktion, wenn ein Zielort ungültig ist, und Benachrichtigen des Senders. 17. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 7-16, wobei der MTA durch eine Backend-Anwendung ersetzt wird; wobei der Server zwischen einem Echtzeit-Telefax über IP, FoIP, Anruf und der Backend-Anwendung vermittelt, wobei die Backend-Anwendung ausgewählt wird aus einer Gruppe bestehend aus Kundenmanagement CRM, Applikation, Webdiensten, einem Großrechner, einer Formularverarbeitungsanwendung, Dokumentenmanagement, einer Spezialanwendung und einer Kombination davon. Revendications 1. Un système de communication (0) destiné à remettre des messages de télécopie, comprenant : une pluralité d agents de transfert de messages (MTA) (6), destinés à transférer et recevoir des messages, une passerelle (4) reliée au réseau téléphonique public commuté (RTPC) (4), le RTPC possédant un premier terminal de télécopie, et un serveur (2) communiquant avec la passerelle (4) par l intermédiaire d un réseau de transmission par paquets et le serveur communiquant avec la pluralité de MTA, caractérisé en ce que le serveur (2) simule un deuxième terminal de télécopie vers la passerelle, établit une communication avec la passerelle par le réseau de transmission par paquets au moyen d un protocole de signalisation standard et échange des données de télécopie au moyen du protocole UIT T.38, met fin à un appel de télécopie provenant du premier terminal de télécopie, met en mémoire des données de télécopie dans une base de données multimédia, détermine une adresse de destination d un membre de la pluralité de MTA, se connecte au membre de la pluralité de MTA et crée un message de télécopie destiné à être transféré dans un format compatible avec le membre de la pluralité de MTA. 2. Le système de communication (0) selon la Revendication 1, où le serveur (2) comprend un processeur principal destiné à traiter un protocole de signalisation standard qui comprend les protocoles UIT T. 38 et UIT T Le système de communication (0) selon la Revendication 1 ou 2 comprenant en outre un portier destiné à fournir une adresse du serveur à la passerelle lorsque la passerelle établit une connexion avec le serveur (2) et destiné à fournir une adresse de la passerelle (4) au serveur lorsque le serveur établit une connexion avec la passerelle. 4. Le système de communication (0) selon l une quelconque des Revendications 1 à 3, où le serveur (2) est adapté de façon à capturer des informations de transaction afin de transmettre le message de télécopie. 5. Le système de communication (0) selon l une quelconque des Revendications 1 à 4, où les informations de transaction comprennent au moins une des informations parmi les suivantes : numéro d identification de l appelant, nom d identification de l appelant, numéro appelé, adresse de la passerelle, date et heure, durée, vitesse de transmission, nombre de pages, identifiant de l abonné appelé (CSID), et multifréquence à deux tonalités (DTMF). 6. Le système de communication (0) selon l une quelconque des Revendications 1 à 5, où le MTA (6) est remplacé par une application d arrièreplan, le serveur assurant la médiation entre un appel FoIP (télécopie par IP) en temps réel et l application d arrière-plan, l application d arrière-plan étant sélectionnée dans un groupe se composant d une application CRM (gestion de la relation client), de services Web, d un ordinateur central, d une application de traitement de formulaires, d une application de gestion de documents, d une application spécialisée et d une combinaison de celles-ci. 7. Un procédé de remise d un message de télécopie 11

12 21 EP B1 22 dans un réseau de communication, le réseau de communication (0) comprenant une pluralité d agents de transfert de messages (MTA) destinés à transférer et recevoir des messages, une passerelle (4) reliée au réseau téléphonique public commuté (RTPC) (4), le RTPC possédant un premier terminal de télécopie, et un serveur (2) communiquant avec la passerelle par l intermédiaire d un réseau de transmission par paquets et communiquant avec le MTA, le procédé comprenant les opérations suivantes : la sélection d un serveur (2) qui gère une première télécopie arrivée sur le premier terminal de télécopie, la simulation du serveur sélectionné en tant que deuxième terminal de télécopie vers la passerelle afin d assurer la transaction du message de télécopie entre le MTA et le premier terminal de télécopie, l établissement (164, 166, 168) d une première session entre la passerelle et le serveur sélectionné simulant le deuxième terminal de télécopie par le réseau de transmission par paquets au moyen d un protocole de signalisation standard et échangeant de données de télécopie au moyen du protocole UIT T.38, et une deuxième session entre le premier terminal de télécopie envoyant la télécopie sur le réseau RTPC et le serveur sélectionné, le transfert (170) de la première télécopie du premier terminal de télécopie vers le serveur sélectionné simulant le deuxième terminal de télécopie, la mise en mémoire (172) des informations relatives à la télécopie dans une base de données multimédia, la détermination (178), sur le serveur sélectionné, d une adresse de destination d un MTA pour la première télécopie sur le serveur sélectionné, la connexion (180) du serveur sélectionné avec le MTA (6) de façon à transférer le premier message de télécopie, la création (182), sur le serveur (2), d un premier message dans un format compatible avec le MTA sélectionné en fonction des informations conservées en mémoire, la connexion du serveur sélectionné au MTA afin de transférer le premier message, et le transfert (184) du premier message vers le MTA. 8. Le procédé selon la Revendication 7 où l opération d établissement comprend l opération d établissement d une session d appel entre la passerelle (4) et le serveur sélectionné (2) au moyen d un protocole standard, l opération d établissement d une session multimédia entre la passerelle et le serveur sélectionné, et l opération d établissement d une session de télécopie UIT T.30 entre le terminal de télécopie et le serveur. 9. Le procédé selon la Revendication 7 ou 8, où l opération d établissement comprend l opération de détermination d un nouveau serveur de rechange en fonction d un plan de numérotation obtenu auprès d un service centralisé lorsque l établissement d appel échoue.. Le procédé selon l une quelconque des Revendications 7 à 9, où l opération de transfert comprend l opération de transfert de la télécopie selon le protocole UIT T Le procédé selon l une quelconque des Revendications 7 à, où l opération de mise en mémoire comprend l opération de mise en mémoire du support de la télécopie dans un ou plusieurs fichiers de la base de données multimédia, et l opération de mise en mémoire des informations de transaction et de l URL dans le fichier contenant le support de télécopie. 12. Le procédé selon l une quelconque des Revendications 7 à 11, où l opération de détermination comprend l opération de détermination du serveur qui gère l appel de télécopie en fonction d un plan de numérotation de passerelle ou d un plan de numérotation obtenu auprès d un service centralisé. 13. Le procédé selon l une quelconque des Revendications 7 à 12, où la passerelle (4) est un terminal compatible UIT T.38, l opération de sélection comprend l opération de balayage d un document et la saisie d une destination à partir d une interface d entrée de terminal et l opération de sélection du serveur (2) sur le réseau de transmission par paquets en fonction d un plan de numérotation de terminal ou d un plan de numérotation obtenu auprès d un service centralisé et des informations saisies par l utilisateur. 14. Le procédé selon l une quelconque des Revendications 7 à 12, comprenant en outre les opérations suivantes : la réception (0) d un deuxième message provenant du MTA (6) sur le serveur sélectionné (2), le deuxième message possédant un document fichier attaché, la récupération (2) d informations du deuxième message, la mise en mémoire (4) des informations dans une base de données, la vérification (6, 8) si l expéditeur envoyant le deuxième message est autorisé à envoyer des télécopies et la vérification si le destinataire 12

13 23 EP B1 24 est valide, l insertion (2) d informations relatives à l expéditeur, la conversion (212, 214) du document fichier vers une deuxième télécopie dans un format prédéterminé, l établissement (216) d une session entre le serveur sélectionné et la passerelle, le transfert (218) de la deuxième télécopie dans le format prédéterminé du serveur sélectionné vers la passerelle Le procédé selon la Revendication 14, où l opération de réception comprend l opération de réception du deuxième message contenant des codes imbriqués décrivant des options de télécopie, les informations relatives à l expéditeur et la liste des destinataires de la télécopie, et une liste de documents fichiers attachés au message. 16. Le procédé selon la Revendication 14 ou 15, où l opération de vérification comprend au moins l une des opérations suivantes (a) ou (b) : (a) le refus d effectuer la transaction de télécopie si l expéditeur n est pas autorisé à envoyer des télécopies et la notification de l expéditeur, (b) le refus d effectuer la transaction si une destination n est pas valide et la notification de l expéditeur Le procédé selon l une quelconque des Revendications 7 à 16, où le MTA est remplacé par une application d arrière-plan, le serveur assurant la médiation entre un appel FoIP (télécopie par IP) en temps réel et l application d arrière-plan, l application d arrière-plan étant sélectionnée dans un groupe se composant d une application CRM (gestion de la relation client), de services Web, d un ordinateur central, d une application de traitement de formulaires, d une application de gestion de documents, d une application spécialisée et d une combinaison de celles-ci

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