GUEST MAIL: COMMUNICATING ELECTRONIC MESSAGES BETWEEN DISPARATE MESSAGING SYSTEMS

摘要

Messages between the telephone network (30) and the Internet network (20) are exchanged through a guest-mail server (40). The server receives a telephone call from a data terminal (31) in the telephone network and via the call receives a fax message containing a destination address in the Internet network. The server identifies, validates, and bills the fax message sender, converts the fax message into an e-mail message addressed to the destination in the Internet network, and transmits the e-mail message to the Internet network. Conversely, the server receives from a data terminal (21) on the Internet network an e-mail message addressed to the server and including a telephone number of a destination in the telephone network. The server validates and bills the destination telephone number, converts the e-mail message into a fax message, makes a telephone call in the telephone network to the destination telephone number, and sends the fax message via the call.