Abstract: Described is a speech-to-text conversion system and method that provides secure, real-time and high-accuracy conversion of general-quality speech into text. The system is designed to interface with external devices and services, providing a simple and convenient manner to transcribe audio that may be stored elsewhere such as a wireless phone's voice mail, or occurring between two or more parties such as a conference call. The first step in the system's process ensures secure and private transcription by separating an audio stream into many audio shreds, each of which has duration of only a few seconds and cannot reveal the context of the conversation. A workforce of geographically distributed transcription agents who transcribe the audio shreds is able to generate transcription in real time, with many agents working in parallel on a single conversation. No one agent (or group of agents) receives a sufficient number of audio shreds to reconstruct the context of any conversation.

Abstract: Send and receive services are operated that send and receive fax messages, respectively, via fax protocols. Each new customer is offered a predetermined amount of the receive service, and a more limited amount of the send service, both free of charge to the customer, as part of a group of services that includes Internet access, Web services, or Internet telephony. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A system for providing an internet fax service has an engine to process a raw fax document, received for a user of the internet fax service, using digital character recognition to produce recognized text or an associated formatted text document. A conversion engine may convert the raw fax to native file format being one of a) word processor format, b) spreadsheet format, c) slide presentation format, or d) another format that can be read on a user interface. An internet server is to make the native file format document available to the user over an internet. A fax content processing unit is to perform keyword scanning of the recognized text, and then allows the user to search for stored faxes by keyword. Other embodiments are also described.

Abstract: A system controlling use of a communication channel in a communication network. The system comprising a network including service nodes. The service nodes comprising one or snore sets having one or snore nodes adapted to provide service functions in response to messages in the network. At least one of the sets comprising a member node having ace for communication with a remote to final, and a user interface process coupled with the interface to include a user of the remote terminal in the network. At least one of the sets comprising a member node having an interface to the communication network, and a process coupled to the interface to control establishment of the communication channel for the user.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a translation gateway is for use between a network of a messaging service provider and a hostile data network. The gateway is to forward messages using a secure connection through the hostile network, to a customer's network. Different types of inbound messages (e.g., voice; fax) can be delivered to a single client process running on a customer machine on the customer network. In addition, the translation gateway may be used to securely forward different types of outbound messages originating from the client process to the service provider's network (where the messages are retransmitted as voice calls or facsimiles into a telephone network). Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: Methods of receiving audio transmissions over a telecommunication connection, extracting information about the transmissions, and publishing the information to an RSS feed are described and claimed. Systems and software using the methods are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A method or system for synchronizing e-mail messages for a user, particularly for POP3 protocols. E-mail messages addressed to the user are received at an e-mail control at a local server, from an external e-mail server. The e-mail control stores each e-mail message in a consolidated e-mail storage at the local server. The e-mail control stores a message identifier for each e-mail message, in a message identifier storage at the local server. It is determined whether an e-mail message in the consolidated e-mail storage has been deleted from the external e-mail server, and if so, then the e-mail message is deleted from the consolidated e-mail storage.

Abstract: A fax processing system handles faxes that are originally destined for a recipient's phone number. The fax processing system communicates with the fax recipient via a data communications network (for example, the Internet) and can provide more sophisticated fax handling capabilities than conventional fax machines.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is performed during a single communication session between a customer service representative (CSR) of a merchant, and the merchant's customer. The conversation between the CSR and the customer is analyzed to determine an issue. Previously collected information about the customer is accessed, from a database that stores information about customers of the merchant. A tip is determined and sent to be displayed to the CSR. The tip is determined based on the mood and the accessed previously collected information. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A system controlling use of a communication channel in a communication network. The system comprising a network including service nodes. The service nodes comprising one or more sets having one or more nodes adapted to provide service functions in response to messages in the network. At least one of the sets comprising a member node having an interface for communication with a remote terminal, and a user interface process coupled with the interface to include a user of the remote terminal in the network.

Abstract: A number of sets of recipients of an electronic messaging protocol message distribution campaign are identified. Each set can be one or more recipients. Scripting language is added to each message directed to a recipient. The added scripting language refers to a number of image objects/files that have been selected to form a compound image (when juxtaposed). The compound image is unique to one of the sets. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: The present invention is related to methods and systems for reducing or canceling echoes during fax communications. In an embodiment, during a fax call, a first fax signal from a first fax device intended for a second fax device is detected. Based at least in part on detecting the first fax signal from the first fax device or on the termination of the first fax signal, an echo audio packet is muted, wherein the echo audio packet is at least partly the result of the first fax signal being transmitted over a network, the network including at least a data network.

Abstract: A method to promote use of one communication service by associating it with another service and offering incentives to use the first service in return for use of the second service. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a translation gateway is for use between a network of a messaging service provider and a hostile data network. The gateway is to forward messages using a secure connection through the hostile network, to a customer's network. Different types of inbound messages (e.g., voice; fax) can be delivered to a single client process running on a customer machine on the customer network. In addition, the translation gateway may be used to securely forward different types of outbound messages originating from the client process to the service provider's network (where the messages are retransmitted as voice calls or facsimiles into a telephone network). Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for delivering messages that utilizes a message queue and a router/filter within a private data network. The private network is connected to an external data network such as the Internet, and has separate outbound resource servers to provide a high degree of scalability for handling a variety of message types.

Abstract: A system controlling use of a communication channel in a communication network. The system comprising a network including service nodes. The service nodes comprising one or more sets having one or more nodes adapted to provide service functions in response to messages in the network. At least one of the sets comprising a member node having an interface for communication with a remote terminal, and a user interface process coupled with the interface to include a user of the remote terminal in the network. At least one of the sets comprising a member node having an interface to the communication network, and a process coupled to the interface to control establishment of the communication channel for the user.

Abstract: Systems and processes for communication of messages between one or more networked objects on circuit and packet data networks are described. Specifically, means for representation of various communication types, including content description and disposition rules, delivery and routing descriptions and rules, conversion and translation descriptions and rules, and methods for interactions and for administration over one or more network types, through one or more communication protocol types, to one or more destination types are described. The delivery of messages and other communication over various communication protocols in addition to email is described. Methods for administering and managing rules for directing and transforming said messages and communications for purposes of routing or delivery to one or more specific destinations are also presented.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a translation gateway is for use between a network of a messaging service provider and a hostile data network. The gateway is to forward messages using a secure connection through the hostile network, to a customer's network. Different types of inbound messages (e.g., voice; fax) can be delivered to a single client process running on a customer machine on the customer network. In addition, the translation gateway may be used to securely forward different types of outbound messages originating from the client process to the service provider's network (where the messages are retransmitted as voice calls or facsimiles into a telephone network). Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A fax processing system handles faxes that are originally destined for a recipient's phone number. The fax processing system communicates with the fax recipient via a data communications network (for example, the Internet) and can provide more sophisticated fax handling capabilities than conventional fax machines.

Abstract: A method or system for synchronizing e-mail messages for a user, particularly for POP3 protocols. E-mail messages addressed to the user are received at an e-mail control at a local server, from an external e-mail server. The e-mail control stores each e-mail message in a consolidated e-mail storage at the local server. The e-mail control stores a message identifier for each e-mail message, in a message identifier storage at the local server. It is determined whether an e-mail message in the consolidated e-mail storage has been deleted from the external e-mail server, and if so, then the e-mail message is deleted from the consolidated e-mail storage.