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BISCOM RECEIVES PATENT FOR DEVICE THAT SUPPORTS E-MAIL AND FAX THROUGH A COMMON INTERFACE

Chelmsford, MA (October 1, 1998) - Biscom announced today that it has been awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on a device that enables users to send and receive faxes and e-mail over the Internet from a single interface.

"We have devoted extensive research and development efforts toward our goal of evolving the fax machine beyond its present position as a device that communicates only with other fax machines, to one that integrates with e-mail and the Internet," explains S.K. Ho, Founder and CEO of Biscom. Ho, who is also one of the principal inventors which holds the patent, adds, "We believe that the fax machine must be able to interact with e-mail and the Internet in order for fax to continue to thrive as a major communications medium."

According to Maury Kauffman, Managing Partner of the Kauffman Group, an enhanced fax consulting firm, "This patent addresses one of the most important issues concerning the fax industry: the need for a common interface for fax and e-mail transmissions." Kauffman adds, "I believe the next generation of fax machines will all have two addresses: a phone number and an IP address."

When someone uses a typical fax machine, they insert a paper document, enter a telephone number and hit the "Send" button. The document is then scanned and sent to a remote fax machine over a telephone line. With the new patented technology from Biscom, the device can send that same paper document to an e-mail address anywhere in the world. To the person sending the document there is no difference from sending a fax, except the address can be an e-mail address. The recipient can be a PC or another messaging device. If the image is sent to a PC, it is transmitted as a TIFF file. Accompanying this transmission will be a TIFF viewer, enabling all recipients to view incoming faxes without requiring additional software.

"The shift in the industry over the past year toward finding a way to marry the ubiquity of Internet mail with fax over the telephone network is the future of both industries," claims Eric Arnum, an independent industry analyst and editor of EMMS, a trade newsletter. "The recipient should not need to know how it was sent -- whether it started as a fax or an email -- only that it was received."

Additionally, the patent covers the device’s ability to poll an e-mail mailbox on the Internet for received messages and print them out just like a fax. It also addresses the use of a keyboard and the potential of using voice recognition technology as a user interface to the device.

Fax machines provide the world’s most ubiquitous form of document communications, with over 15 million fax machines installed worldwide, and that number expected to grow 133% by the end of the century. Conversely, with the advent of the Internet, e-mail usage is growing rapidly, with the number of e-mails expected to increase by 124% by the year 2000. This device takes these two, essential communications media, and provides the ability to move from one to the other with a simple, easy-to-use office appliance. In addition the e-mail sent can be a color document. This machine solves the problem of sending color documents and reduces the exorbitant costs of doing so.

Ho adds, "We designed this device for ease of use, to save people money and allow color transmission of documents without additional costs."

Observes Chris MacKenzie, Vice President of Marketing at Biscom, "The most important concept embodied in the practical application of this patent is the ability to enable anyone can who can use a fax machine to send hard copy documents via e-mail or fax. No knowledge of computers, e-mail or the Internet are required."

Adds MacKenzie, "The inspiration for this technology came from our extensive experience in the computer-based fax business and the products we make that integrate fax with e-mail and computer systems in large organizations." Biscom, a pioneer in the field of enterprise fax management, has provided fax management solutions to corporate accounts for over eleven years.

The abstract of the patent reads:

A communications device transmits and receives information in accordance with both facsimile and electronic mail communications protocols. The communications device recognizes a destination identifier, identifying a remote communications device as either a facsimile device or an e-mail device and transmits a document in accordance with the communications protocol utilized by the identified device. The communications device also allows the retrieval of electronic mail messages stored at a remote electronic mailbox. A user enters an electronic mail address, from which messages are desired to be retrieved, and presses a Retrieve button. The communications device initiates communication with an electronic post office corresponding to the entered electronic mail address and causes transmission of electronic mail messages stored in the specified mailbox.

The inventors include Shu Kuang Ho, Carlisle, MA; William Agudelo, Arlington, MA; Yuan-Kong Wang, Andover, MA; and Carlos I. Mainemer, Nashua, NH. All of the inventors occupy senior engineering or management positions with Biscom.

For more information call 1 (800) 477-2472, (+1-978-250-1800 outside of the U.S.) or send e-mail to sales@biscom.com.

About Biscom

Founded in 1986, Biscom is widely recognized for its pioneering advances in the technology of enterprise fax management. FAXCOM Servers operate on heterogeneous networks with a variety of operating systems, messaging applications, and ERP applications to simplify and control the process of sending and receiving faxes throughout the enterprise. Biscom provides end-to-end fax solutions that are reliable, scalable, and flexible. Biscom's complete fax solutions offer on-site installation, T1 and PBX integration, 7x24 support, application consulting, expert imaging, and network and communications support.