In much the same way that almost every voice application
on Blueworx Voice Response is different, it is likely that each new fax
application will have a different set of requirements. Some of the
differences between fax applications and possible ways in which fax
could be used in voice applications are described here.
Some of the differences between fax applications are:
- The type of application, such as fax-on-demand
or fax store-and-forward.
- The source of information for the fax:
from a local database, a networked database, or from a source such
as a CICS® system, for example.
- The formatting of data on the fax: will
the fax have letterheads, image and graphics as well as text?
- The structure of the application: how
processing is split between a state table and custom server(s).
- The interface between the state table
and custom server(s).
Some ways in which fax could be used in voice applications are:
- Fax-on-demand. An application where a caller rings into Blueworx Voice Response and makes
a request for information to be faxed back to a remote fax machine.
It is possible to categorize the information for the fax into three
distinct groups:
- Static. Information such as sales brochures and forms,
which very rarely change and can be held in a static database.
- Dynamic. Information such as weather forecasts, stock prices,
and news, which change regularly during the day.
- Reactive. Information such as bank statements and transport
timetables, which are generated specifically as a result of a customer
request.
- Fax depository. An application which allows a caller to
send faxes into Blueworx Voice Response which
are then stored in a database for later static fax-on-demand requests.
- Fax store-and-forward. An application in which a fax is
temporarily stored if all fax machines are busy. This allows the fax
to be accepted and then printed at a later point when a fax machine
becomes available.
- Fax mail. The equivalent of voice mail and electronic-mail,
but for fax. This can provide user mailboxes for fax documents.
How a typical
fax application might work
Blueworx Voice Response provides
base fax functionality to allow application programmers to build their
own custom fax applications. The fax interface is accessed via two
state tables — one for sending faxes and one for receiving them. This
means that you must create, or modify an application such as a custom
server or another state table, in order to use the Brooktrout fax functions,
via the two state tables. For an example of such an application see The Fax Sample Application (FSA)