Method and system are described for fax transmission distribution by an online fax service provider. In one embodiment, an electronic document is received, over a computer network, to be routed to a fax telephone number. A request is transmitted to an online database to determine whether the fax telephone number is registered to not receive incoming fax transmissions over a circuit-switched network. In response to determining that the fax telephone number is registered, the electronic document is transmitted to a destination address. In response to determining that the fax telephone number is not registered, an outgoing call is placed to the fax telephone number and the electronic document is transmitted in a fax format over the outgoing call.

A method for an information processing apparatus searching for an image-processing device is provided. The method includes receiving a predetermined beacon transmitted from an image processing device, identifying an image processing device satisfying a predetermined condition based on the predetermined beacon among one or more image processing devices corresponding to the received predetermined beacon and issuing a request for a server certificate only to a identified device satisfying a predetermined condition about a position among one or more image processing devices found in a search by Bluetooth®.

Method and system are described for fax transmission distribution by an online fax service provider. In one embodiment, an electronic document is received, over a computer network, to be routed to a fax telephone number. A request is transmitted to an online database to determine whether the fax telephone number is registered to not receive incoming fax transmissions over a circuit-switched network. In response to determining that the fax telephone number is registered, the electronic document is transmitted to a destination address. In response to determining that the fax telephone number is not registered, an outgoing call is placed to the fax telephone number and the electronic document is transmitted in a fax format over the outgoing call.

An image processing apparatus includes: a setting unit that makes authentication print settings such that when authentication information is inputted after image data is received, printing is executed based on the image data; and a transfer unit that, when the image data is received with the authentication print settings, in response to input of the authentication information, transfers the image data to a different apparatus, and when the image data is received without the authentication print settings, transfers the image data to the different apparatus regardless of input of the authentication information.

A management apparatus includes circuitry that stores, in a memory, facsimile data received by an electronic device in association with information on a group to which the received facsimile data belongs, and transmits a list of the received facsimile data based on a browse request of the received facsimile data. In the list, the received facsimile data is classified according to at least the information on the group to which the electronic device belongs.

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.

An information processing system including at least one input-output device and performing a sequence of processes using electronic data that include image data and print data includes a hardware processor that executes a program so as to implement: an input-output service supply unit configured to perform a collaboration process of causing a hardware computer system implementing an external storage service to collaborate with the input-output device, a request data generation unit configured to generate request data bound for the input-output service supply unit based on metadata, and a request unit configured to request the input-output service supply unit to perform the collaboration process using the request data.

An information processing system includes a data output apparatus and an information processing apparatus. The data output apparatus includes processors and memories to store instructions which cause the processors to receive a first authentication information, request authentication based on the first authentication information, and transmit the first authentication information authenticated in response to the authentication request and a transmission request of information indicating storage locations to store data output from the data output apparatus. The information processing apparatus includes processors and memories to store instructions which cause the processors to receive a second authentication information, request authentication based on the second authentication information, determine whether the second authentication information authenticated in response to the authentication request and the first authentication information transmitted from the data output apparatus have a predetermined relationship, and transmit information indicating the storage locations when the first and the second authentication information have the predetermined relationship.

A server controls a status of a document transmitted by facsimile transmission from a sender apparatus to a receiver apparatus. The server includes circuitry that provides, to a request source apparatus, the document in response to receiving an acquisition request specifying the document, transmitted from the request source apparatus being one of the receiver apparatus and a different apparatus from the receiver apparatus. The circuitry controls a status change, between an unread status and a read status, of the document specified by the acquisition request based on information on the request source apparatus and information on the receiver apparatus of the document.

Method and system are described for fax transmission distribution by an online fax service provider. In one embodiment, an electronic document is received, over a computer network, to be routed to a fax telephone number. A request is transmitted to an online database to determine whether the fax telephone number is registered to not receive incoming fax transmissions over a circuit-switched network. In response to determining that the fax telephone number is registered, the electronic document is transmitted to a destination address. In response to determining that the fax telephone number is not registered, an outgoing call is placed to the fax telephone number and the electronic document is transmitted in a fax format over the outgoing call.