WO1992011615A1

WO1992011615A1 - Facsimile paging system

Info

Publication number: WO1992011615A1
Application number: PCT/US1991/006791
Authority: WO
Inventors: Walter Lee Davis; James A. Wright
Original assignee: Motorola, Inc.
Priority date: 1990-12-21
Filing date: 1991-09-20
Publication date: 1992-07-09
Also published as: KR930703659A; JPH06500218A; CA2096122C; CA2096122A1; EP0563088A4; EP0563088A1

Abstract

A selective call receiver (100) comprising a receiver (103), a controller (105), and means for presenting a recovered source document (113). The receiver (100) provides a received paging message that was generated from the facsimile message of the original source document, then the received paging message comprising at least one portion of the original source document and an address is interpreted and decoded by the controller. Using the means for presenting (113), the recovered source document can be exhibited in a format that substantially resembles the facsimile message of the original source document.

Description

FACSIMILE PAGING SYSTEM

Field of the Invention

This invention relates in general to paging systems and more particularly to a paging system for the transmission and reception of facsimile data.

Background of the Invention

Selective call communication (paging) systems typically comprise a radio frequency transmitter/encoder (base station) that is accessed via a link to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and a radio receiver

(e.g., a selective call receiver or the like) that has at least one unique call address associated therewith. Operationally, the selective call receiver receives and decodes information transmitted from the base station, the information having an address and possibly a data or voice message. When the selective call receiver detects its address, it typically alerts the user and presents any received information.

Contemporary paging systems employ messaging schemes that can deliver a voice, numeric, or alphanumeric messages to a user. The majority of paging systems transmit address and message information using a protocol such as GSC (Motorola's Golay Sequential Code) or POCSAG (Great Britain's Post Office Code Standardisation Advisory Group) . These protocol formats are well known to one of ordinary skill in the art of Paging systems. To originate a message or page, the base station or paging terminal is typically accessed via the PSTN from a rotary or dual- tone-multi-frequency (DTMF) telephone. As a voice message entry device, the telephone is acceptable but when data needs to be entered, an alternative means of entry is desirable. Alternative entry devices such as computer terminals or custom entry devices work well if the originator can convey their information to the user in a textual format. Presently, customer acceptance of these alternative entry devices has been lacking for reasons of expense and complexity. Regrettably, if the originator must convey a large amount of information to the user, existing paging systems and data transport protocols do not allow the transmission of either long textual messages or messages containing graphical data. Thus, for reasons associated with the data entry problem, most paging service providers do not provide alphanumeric paging message services.

In summary, there is a need for an information transmission system capable of delivering large amounts of data to a selected user and having a convenient means for entry of the data. In addition, there is a further need for a system that will allow information contained on a printed page to be transmitted to a paging device.

Summary of the Invention

Briefly, according to the invention, there is provided a selective call receiver comprising a receiver, a controller, and means for presenting a recovered source document. The receiver provides a received paging message that was generated from the facsimile message of the original source document, then the received paging message comprising at least one portion of the original source document and an address is interpreted and decoded by the controller. Using the means for presenting, the recovered source document can be exhibited in a format that substantially resembles the facsimile message of the original source document. Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a selective call receiver in accordance with the preferred embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a selective call information signalling system in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a typical message that may be sent in accordance with the present invention via the selective call communication system of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating the encoding of a typical message by a facsimile message input processor in accordance with the preferred embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a protocol diagram of a first embodiment of a selective call signalling format.

FIG. 5B is a protocol diagram of a selective call signalling format in accordance with the preferred embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the selective call receiver of FIG. 1 when receiving a paging message.

Description of a Preferred Embodiment

Referring to FIG. 1, a battery 101 powered selective call receiver 100 operates to receive a signal via an antenna 102. A receiver 103 couples a received signal to a demodulator 104, which recovers any information present using conventional techniques. The recovered information is coupled to a controller 105 that interprets and decodes the recovered information. In the preferred embodiment, the controller 105 may comprise a processor 106, address 107 and data 108 decoders implemented in both hardware and software, and a display driver 109. The recovered information is checked by the address decoder 107, which comprises a signal processor that correlates a recovered address with a predetermined address or addresses stored in the selective call receiver's 100 non-volatile memory 110. The non-volatile memory 110 typically has a plurality of registers for storing a plurality of configuration words that characterize the operation of the selective call receiver. In determining the selection of the selective call receiver, a correlation is performed between a predetermined address associated with the selective call receiver and a received address. When the addresses correlate, the controller 105 couples message information to the message memory 111. In accordance with the recovered information, and settings associated with the user controls 112, the selective call receiver presents at least a portion of the message information, such as by a display 113, and signals the user via an audible, visual, or tactile alert 114 that a message has been received.

The user may view the information presented on the display 113 by activating the appropriate controls 112.

The support circuit 115 preferably comprises a conventional signal multiplexing integrated circuit, a voltage regulator and control mechanism, a current regulator and control mechanism, environmental sensing circuitry such as for light or temperature conditions, audio power amplifier circuitry, control interface circuitry, and display illumination circuitry. These elements are arranged in a known manner to provide the information display receiver as requested by the customer.

Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a selective call information signalling system shows a facsimile message input processor 201 comprising: a conventional facsimile (FAX) machine 202, an image memory 203, an symbol recognition processor 204, a text memory 205, a message controller 206, and a network interface 207. A source document 208 as shown in FIG. 3 is read (scanned) by the FAX machine 202 that quantizes the image. The FAX machine 202 need not be located at the same physical site as the facsimile message input processor 201, and in fact can be replaced by a number of devices such as a computer, a conventional document scanner, or possibly a dedicated message entry device, each communicating with the facsimile message input processor 201 via the network interface 207.

In a first embodiment, a user wanting to send a FAX to a subscriber (a person or device having a selective call FAX receiver) would call the subscriber's paging service provider using a conventional telephone and enter the user's cap-code (a unique number assigned by the paging service provider that corresponds to the actual coded address of the pager) . The paging service provider maintains a list of FAX capable cap-codes and upon receiving the entered cap-code will initiate a procedure to receive a conventional facsimile message. The user would then put the conventional facsimile machine 202 on- line, load, and transmit their document to the facsimile message input processor 201 at the paging service provider. After receipt of the FAX message, the facsimile message input processor 201 will encode and transmit a paging message to the targeted subscriber. The method, protocol, and apparatus required for the transmission of the paging message will be discussed in detail later.

In a second embodiment, a user wanting to send a FAX to a subscriber uses a conventional facsimile machine that has a feature allowing the storage of a list of predetermined phone numbers. In this embodiment, a FAX message can be originated either manually by keying in a phone number or by recalling the phone number from a memory in the originating FAX machine. The user's cap- code may be represented by an alias or nickname that points to a predetermined memory location containing the cap-code and the phone number of the paging service provider. When originating a FAX message, the person sending the message would recall (or dial) the paging service's number and enter (or the machine would automatically, upon establishing a connection with the service) the user's cap-code. After successfully connecting with the paging service provider, the facsimile machine would transmit the document to the facsimile message input processor 201.

In a third embodiment, the conventional facsimile machine would include a feature allowing the scanning of an area of the FAX message for a "key" that selects at least one paging service and at least one paging user. The selection of the paging service and target subscriber may be accomplished by recognizing typewritten or handwritten characters, a selected "check box," or possibly a bar-code. In any case, the recognized object may represent either directly (absolute data) or indirectly (as a pointer to information stored in a memory location in the facsimile machine) the targeted system and user. Another alternative might be to affix a pre-printed label to the FAX document in an area, the label containing coded (e.g., bars, symbols, etc.) information representing the user's paging service and cap-code. Another option would be to use pre-printed forms which define the input area, or by requiring the sender to define the relevant area by drawing a box around the text to be transmitted. As in the other embodiments, once contact is established with the paging service, the FAX document is transmitted.

In a fourth embodiment, the FAX machine 202 is closely coupled to the facsimile message input processor 201 as shown in FIG. 2. This preferred embodiment includes all the capabilities discussed in reference to the first three embodiments and further improves on their performance by not requiring a PSTN connection to originate a paging request. In this embodiment, the facsimile message input processor 201 can be directly connected to a paging terminal 208 via a high speed network (e.g., RS-232, IEEE 802.3), thus resulting in extremely high message throughput.

When the document has been entered (scanned) into the FAX machine 202, the message controller 206 directs the quantized data to at least one of the image memory 203, the symbol recognition processor 204, and the text memory 205. After storing at least a portion of the document in the image memory 203, the message controller 206 begins processing the document. At this point, the symbol (e.g., alphanumeric characters, conventional graphics) recognition processor 204 is working with at least a portion of the quantized image that is scanned to determine which areas comprise recognizable symbols (e.g., ASCII text, Kanji, etc.) or graphical data. Using conventional techniques, the symbol recognition processor 204 then maps (or classifies) the areas in image memory 203 into either symbol or graphical sections. In the process of mapping the quantized data, each section is marked for relative (or absolute) page position and its boundaries on the original document. This process allows the document to be broken up into its component parts that may be re-assembled after transmission in response to the markers corresponding to each section.

After mapping the quantized image, the message controller 206 directs the symbol recognition processor 204 to identify the symbols in each mapped symbol section. The resulting codes for the identified symbols are then stored in the text memory 205. The identification of each symbol results in a data word that has a one to one correspondence with the quantized graphical symbol in image memory 203 from which it was derived. By identifying the symbols with a data word, the amount of information that must be encoded, transmitted, received, and decoded by the selective call information signalling system is substantially reduced. Using a resolution of 200 by 200 dots per inch (dpi) and assuming a message containing 35 lines having an average of 50 characters per line on an A4 page size (approximately 21.0 by 29.7 cm) and containing strictly text, the binary quantization of that message contains approximately four million bits of data. To transmit this message, assuming a byte oriented serial protocol with no error correction, would take 403 seconds at 1200 baud (1 baud is defined as 1 symbol having 8 information bits per second) . This transmission time of almost seven minutes per page is impractical in terms of the economics of using a radio frequency paging channel. If the message is sent using a Group III facsimile (FAX) machine as defined under the CCITT (Consultative Committee on International Telegraph and Telephone)

Facsimile Standard for Group III facsimile, it is first encoded using a coding scheme known as the modified Huffman code. The modified Huffman code uses the standard Huffman code in conjunction with the modified READ (Relative Element Addressing Designate) code.

Standard Huffman coding performs a search of n bit data words and typically uses a predetermined look-up table to encode "commonly" repeated sequences with words having less bits than the original data word. Variations of the standard Huffman code may improve coding efficiency by forming a dynamic encoding table on the basis of the statistical occurrence of a pattern within the data stream being analyzed for encoding.

The Modified READ code is a line-by-line scheme in which the position of each changing element on the coding line is coded with respect to either the position of a corresponding changing element on the reference line, which lies immediately above the coding line, or with respect to the preceding changing element on the coding line. The two modes in the modified READ code are vertical and horizontal or passing modes. Vertical mode coding uses only one bit to indicate the situation when a black pel (picture element) runs of the coding line start directly under a black pel run of the reference line. If the changing pel pairs are not within three (3) pels, then either horizontal or passing mode coding is used. After the line has been coded, it becomes the reference line for the next line. Since each coded line becomes the reference line for the next line, the fact that a single error can propagate over several lines means that this method of two-dimensional coding is vulnerable to repetitive transmission errors. Therefore, Group III facsimile uses the modified Huffman coding periodically to prevent an error pattern from developing. At a resolution of 200 by 200 dpi, every fourth line is coded with the modified Huffman coding and the rest with the modified READ code to prevent errors and decrease transmission time.

Modified Huffman coding takes into account only the horizontal dependencies between pels on the same scan line. Operationally, modified Huffman coding works as described in the following text. Consider an A4 document that has 1728 pels/line and 3.85 lines/mm. Each scan line is regarded as sequence of alternating black and white runs. All scan lines are assumed to start with a white run length of zero or more bits. The white and black run lengths of 0 to 63 bits are represented by terminating code words and white and black run lengths of 64 to 1728 bits are represented by make-up code words followed by terminating code words. Each code line is then followed by the end-of-line code word that is a twelve bit code which cannot be duplicated by any type or combination of code words. The modified Huffman code described is the easiest coding scheme to implement and yields an average compression ratio of about 20:1.

Applying the modified Huffman code discussed above, the sample message transmission (after scanning) would take 92 seconds at 1200 baud (assuming 100 transitions per text information line and 33% of the document's area containing text information, yielding approximately 110 Kbytes of data) . Applying symbol recognition as discussed in reference to the preferred embodiment of the facsimile message input processor 201, this message takes only 1.5 seconds to transmit (approximately 1800 bytes of data) . As can be seen from the previous discussion, transmission of the message using the facsimile message input processor 201 yields an improvement of 269 times over binary data and 61 times over Group III facsimile machines. When these examples are presented using a typical over-the-air coding scheme such as GSC (Motorola's Golay Sequential Code) or POCSAG (Great Britain's Post Office Code Standardisation Advisory Group) , the overhead increases by the amount of parity bits associated with the code selected and thus increases the total transmission time by the ratio of the coded data to the un-coded data. In the case of GSC which is a (23,12) code (23 total bits of which 11 are parity bits and 12 are data bits) , one would expect to see an increase in time of approximately 109% (i.e., 842 seconds for binary, 192 seconds for Group III FAX, and 3.1 seconds for the facsimile message input processor 201) as compared to the un-coded data.

Graphical sections can be handled in much the same way as text by identifying simple graphic shapes (e.g., circles, squares, lines, filled areas, etc.) and coding each with a corresponding unique data word. This technique can also be applied to complex graphical regions (e.g., grayscale, color, logos) that cannot be practically reduced beyond a bitmap. These bitmapped graphical sections can be coded using conventional one, two, and three dimensional compression algorithms similar to the modified Huffman coding scheme to further reduce the amount of data that must be transmitted. The graphical sections can also be adaptively scaled and quantized by the facsimile message input processor 201 to meet the requirements of the display 113 of the selective call receiver 100.

The mapping discussed enables the preferred embodiment of the selective call information signalling system to be fully compliant with the 1984 CCITT recommendations for Group IV facsimile as well as the existing Group III standard. Group IV facsimile utilizes mixed mode operation where both facsimile coded information and character coded information can be treated within a page by the same apparatus. Group IV facsimile further offers options like grayscaling and color that are not available in Group III FAX. Group TV facsimile includes error checking capabilities and offers five resolution modes from the lowest of 200 by 200 dpi to the highest of 480 by 480 dpi. The facsimile message input processor 201 is also capable of receiving and sending Group III and Group IV facsimile transmissions via the network interface 207. At least one input is included to accept Group III transmissions at 4,800 or 9,600 baud via the public switched telephone network (PSTN) , as well as Group IV transmissions at 48,000 baud via a high speed data network such as the emerging Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) . The network interface 207 can be expanded to include hardware that accommodates high speed coaxial or optical communication to local or wide area networked computer systems as well as ISDN devices. This gives an added dimension of flexibility for the user by allowing the origination of a FAX directly from any compatible device on the network.

Once the document 208 has been scanned and processed by the facsimile message input processor 201, the resulting coded data is coupled to the paging terminal 208 where the message data is further encoded using a protocol suitable for the transmission of information via a radio frequency link. Such protocols are GSC (Motorola's Golay Sequential Code) or POCSAG (Great Britain's Post Office Code Standardisation Advisory Group) . These protocols add error detection and correction capabilities to the information link, thus insuring the delivery of error free data to the paging user. The paging terminal 208 also serves to control the transmitter 209 (or transmitters in a multi-cast system) and generate a queue for incoming and outgoing paging messages. Furthermore, as previously discussed in reference to the facsimile message input processor 201, the graphical sections of received facsimile messages for re-transmission can be adaptively scaled and quantized by the paging terminal 208 to meet the requirements of the display 113 of the selective call receiver 100.

When the paging terminal 208 has completed processing the incoming message, the transmitter 209 broadcasts a signal modulated with data representing a selective call address and the message. The selective call receiver 210 detects its address, recovers the message, alerts the user, and makes the received information available for presentation to the user in a variety of formats including but not limited to characters, graphics and audio. Some specialized applications that can be accommodated by the preferred embodiment of the selective call information signalling system are electronic mail, storage, retrieval, and forwarding of facsimile messages, and integration of text with graphics into a compound document architecture compatible with industry standard computer productivity software applications.

Referring to FIG. 3, the illustration shows a typical message 300 that can be quantized, conditioned, and transmitted in accordance with the present invention using the selective call communication system discussed in reference to FIG. 2. This exemplary message comprises three sections that can be recognized using the mapping feature as performed by the facsimile message input processor 201 in FIG. 2. Section one 301 comprises a text area using a proportionally spaced sans serif block style font. Section two 302 comprises a graphics area that includes characters and lines. Section three 303 comprises a text area using a proportionally spaced sans serif block style font. The message may be entered into the facsimile message input processor 201 using at least one of the following methods: scanning via the conventional facsimile (FAX) machine 202 integrated with the facsimile message input processor 201, scanning via a remote conventional facsimile machine and transmitting the resulting Group III or Group IV FAX to the facsimile message input processor 201 via a PSTN connection, transmitting a compound architecture document (or simple document) from a local or remote computer to the facsimile message input processor 201 via a PSTN connection using a conventional modem, or possibly by recalling a predetermined message from a storage device coupled to the facsimile message input processor 201 for transmission to a selected user or group of users.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the document has been entered 402, the facsimile message input processor 201 begins to process the document. The processor has the option to process the document as a standard CCITT Group III or IV facsimile or when a "Smart" mode is enabled, in a more efficient manner as decsribed in the following text. When the Smart mode is disabled, step 403 fails and the facsimile message is characterized in step 404 by creating the message header in response to the standard facsimile data received. The message is then terminated by an optional end of data marker. When the Smart mode is enabled, step 403 is true and the quantized data representing the FAX message is classified by mapping recognizable symbols and graphic bitmaps into N sections where N is an integer greater than or equal to one. Step 407 tests the Mth section (M = 1, 2, 3, ... N) for being a symbol section. If the Mth section is a symbol section, step 408 tests for alphanumeric symbols. If step 408 is true, step 409 encodes the present symbol section as alphanumeric object words. If step 408 fails, step 410 encodes the present symbol section as graphic object words. When a section has completed the encoding process, step 411 tags the section with a flag comprising its virtual page location, data length or extent, and any optional parameters as detailed in reference to FIG. 5B. When the last section has been encoded, step 412 is true and control is passed to step 404. If step 407 would have failed, thus indicating a graphic region with no recognizable objects, the respective region would be encoded by step 413. If step 412 fails, then the processor has not completed encoding all recognized sections. When encoding is complete, the resulting message header and data block are available for further encoding in an over-the-air coding scheme for transmission by the paging terminal. Referring to FIG. 5A, the illustration shows a signalling protocol for addressing and transmitting facsimile data to a selective call receiver using any facsimile standard. A FAX paging message packet comprises a selective call address 501, a facsimile message header 502, a data block 503 having, for example, encoded Group III or Group IV facsimile data, and an end-of-message flag 504. The end-of-message flag 504 may be omitted without compromising the integrity of this signalling format. The address signal 501 comprises a conventional selective call address of a type that is well known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The message header 502 may contain information on the data block length, FAX protocol type, and possibly an encryption type for use in a secure FAX messaging system. Following the message header 502 is the data block 503 containing standard facsimile data. This embodiment can be used in conjunction with a conventional FAX machine to receive FAX messages via a wireless data channel. Furthermore, when used in conjunction with a personal computer or the like (e.g., a laptop computer), the selective call receiver as illustrated in FIG. 1 can couple the received FAX message data to the computer for storage in a file, thus allowing the user to have an archive of the received FAX message. Since the received FAX message data is unaltered from its native transmission format, conventional facsimile data manipulation hardware and software can be used to obtain a hardcopy of the received FAX.

Referring to FIG. 5B, the illustration shows a signalling protocol for addressing and transmitting facsimile data to a selective call receiver in accordance with the preferred embodiment. An exemplary FAX paging message packet comprises a selective call address 505, a facsimile message header 506, a first text data flag 507, a first text data block 508, a graphics data flag 509, a graphics data block 510, a second text data flag 511, a second text data block 512, and an end-of-message flag 513. The end-of-message flag 513 may be omitted without compromising the integrity of this signalling format. The address signal 505 comprises a conventional selective call address of a type that is well known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The message header 506 may contain the number of sections within a data block, information on the data block length, FAX protocol type, the location of subsequent data blocks on a virtual facsimile page and possibly an encryption type for use in a secure FAX messaging system. The data block comprises all information following the facsimile message header 506 and preceding the end-of-message flag 513. The virtual page is a transient, memory based rendition of the final image, whether the final image is a computer file, memory image, or a hardcopy. The first 507 and second 511 text data flags act as message section delimiters and may include information such as the length of the text block and the extent of the area required on the virtual facsimile page. The first 508 and second 512 text data blocks contain data representing textural symbols from a first and second text section as mapped during the recognition process. The graphics data flag 509 acts as a delimiter for the graphics data block 510 and may include the length of the graphics data block 510, the extent of the area required on the virtual facsimile page, and other information relevant to its contents such as the encoding method or the use of color graphics. The graphics data block 510 may contain graphical data in at least one format such as the modified Huffman coding used for Group III facsimile or possibly a three-dimensional chrominance and luninance color compression scheme as defined by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) .

Referring to FIG. 6, the flow diagram illustrates the receiving operation of the selective call receiver of FIG. 1. In step 602, the address decoder searches a received signal for an address signal. Step 603 tests any recovered address signals to determine if they correlate with at least one predetermined address associated with the selective call receiver. If the received address does not correlate, control is returned to step 602 and a new search is performed. When a received address correlates with at least one predetermined address associated with the selective call receiver, step 604 decodes the message header then passes control to step 605. Step 605 tests for the presence of a graphics data flag. If step 605 is false, the following data block will contain symbols and is decoded by step 606. When decoding is complete, step 607 tests for an end of message condition which may be indicated by an end-of-message marker or the lack of another data flag. If step 607 is false (not yet at end of message) and step 605 is true, the following data block will contain graphics and step 608 will decodes the graphics. When step 607 is true, control is returned to step 601 and the address decoder 107 resumes searching for valid addresses.

The decoding of a text, symbol, or graphics data block is accomplished by applying the inverse of the procedures discussed in reference to FIG. 2. To render the received FAX message, each coded section is decoded and their respective position's mapped into the presentation device's display memor . After mapping the starting rectilinear coordinates into the presentation device's display space, a means for re-assembling (the processor and message memory as shown in FIG. 1) re¬ assembles at least one section into a recovered document that substantially resembles the format of the original source document and the recovered document is presented.

Claims

1. A selective call receiver, comprising: a receiver that provides a received paging message that was generated from a facsimile message of an original source document, the received paging message comprising at least one portion of the original source document and an address; a controller that interprets and decodes the received paging message; and means for presenting the recovered source document in a format that substantially resembles the facsimile message of the original source document.

2. The selective call receiver according to claim 1 wherein the controller comprises an address decoder for determining the selection of the selective call receiver; a data decoder that recovers a data block from the paging message; and a processor that decodes the data block to provide a recovered source document that substantially resembles the the original source document.

3. The selective call receiver according to claim 2 wherein the address decoder comprises a signal processor which correlates the address with a predetermined address stored in a non-volatile memory.

4. The selective call receiver according to claim 3 wherein the non-volatile memory comprises a plurality of registers for retaining at least one configuration word that establishes the predetermined address of the selective call receiver.

5. The selective call receiver according to claim 1 wherein the means for presenting comprises: a visual display device capable of producing an image of the recovered source document that substantially resembles the the original source document.

6. The selective call receiver according to claim 5 wherein the visual display device operates to generate an image by controlling at least one picture element in the visual display device in response to at least one data word in a section of the recovered source document.

7. The selective call receiver according to claim 6 wherein the at least one data word is a symbol representing an alphanumeric character.

8. The selective call receiver according to claim 6 wherein the at least one data word is a symbol representing a graphical object.

9. The selective call receiver according to claim 6 wherein the at least one data word is a symbol representing at least one element of a graphic bitmapped image.

10. The selective call receiver according to claim 6 wherein the section contains at least one data word.

11. The selective call receiver according to claim 1 wherein the means for presenting comprises: means for re-assembling at least one section into the recovered document that substantially resembles the format of the original source document.

12. A facsimile transmission system comprising: a facsimile message input processor for: receiving a user identifier and a source document and processing at least a portion of the source document to yield a message representing the source document; and transmitting a paging request comprising the message representing the source document and a unique identification code selected in response to the received user identifier.

13. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 12 wherein the facsimile message input processor comprises: a facsimile machine.

14. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 13 wherein the facsimile message input processor comprises: an image memory; a symbol recognition processor; a text memory; a message controller; and a network interface.

15. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 12 wherein the facsimile message input processor comprises: a facsimile machine, an image memory; a symbol recognition processor; a text memory; a message controller; and a network interface.

16. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 12 comprising: a paging terminal for: receiving the paging request transmitted by the facsimile message input processor; determining at least one selective call address in response to the unique identification code received in the paging request and encoding the message representing the source document and the at least one selective call address into a paging message; and transmitting the paging message to at least one selective call receiver.

17. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 16 wherein the message representing the source document comprises: a selective call address; a message header; and a data block.

18. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 16 comprising wherein the message representing the source document comprises: an end of data marker.

19. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 17 wherein the message header comprises: a length parameter representing a length of a data block.

20. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 17 wherein the message header comprises: a count parameter representing a number of sections within a data block.

21. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 17 wherein the message header comprises: an encoding parameter representing an encoding scheme for a data block.

22. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 17 wherein the message header comprises: an encryption parameter representing an encryption scheme for a data block.

23. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 17 wherein the data block comprises: at least one section of of the source document.

24. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 17 wherein the data block comprises: a data flag representing a delimiter and specifying an extent of data and a position for at least one section of the source document.

25. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 24 wherein the data flag comprises: a length parameter representing a length of the at least one section.

26. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 24 wherein the data flag comprises: an encoding parameter representing an encoding scheme for the at least one section.

27. The facsimile transmission system according to claim 24 wherein the data flag comprises: an encryption parameter representing an encryption scheme for the at least one section.

28. In a selective call communication system having a base station capable of communicating with at least one selective call receiver, a method comprising the steps of: at a facsimile message input processor: receiving a user identifier and a source document; processing at least a portion of the source document to yield a message representing the source document; and transmitting to a paging terminal a paging request comprising the message representing the source document and a unique identification code selected in response to the received user identifier; at the paging terminal: receiving the paging request; determining at least one selective call address in response to the unique identification code received in the paging request; encoding the message representing the source document and the at least one selective call address into a paging message; and transmitting the paging message to at least one selective call receiver; and at the at least one selective call receiver: receiving the paging message; and presenting the paging message.

29. The method according to claim 28 wherein the step of receiving a user identifier at the facsimile message input processor further comprises the step of: entering a user cap-code.

30. The method according to claim 29 wherein the step of entering comprises the step of: keying in the user cap-code.

31. The method according to claim 29 wherein the step of entering comprises the steps of: keying in an alias; and recalling in response to the alias the user cap- code from a memory.

32. The method according to claim 29 wherein the step of entering comprises the steps of: scanning an area of the received source document; recognizing at least one symbol in the area of the received source document; and determining the user cap-code in response to the at least one symbol recognized from the received source document.

33. The method according to claim 28 wherein the step of processing at least a portion of the source document at the facsimile message input processor comprises the step of: mapping the source document into a data block.

34. The method according to claim 33 wherein the step of mapping comprises the step of: creating a message header that specifies an extent of the data block.

35. The method according to claim 33 wherein the step of mapping comprises the step of: creating a message header that specifies an encoding scheme for the data block.

36. The method according to claim 33 wherein the step of mapping comprises the step of: creating a message header that specifies an encryption scheme for the data block.

37. The method according to claim 28 wherein the step of processing at least a portion of the source document at the facsimile message input processor comprises the step of: mapping the source document into at least one section.

38. The method according to claim 37 wherein the step of mapping comprises the step of: creating a message header.

39. The method according to claim 37 wherein the step of mapping comprises the step of: creating a message header having a count parameter representing a number of sections within a data block.

40. The method according to claim 37 wherein the step of mapping comprises the step of: creating a message header having a length parameter representing the length of a data block.

41. The method according to claim 37 wherein the step of mapping comprises the step of: creating a message header having an encoding parameter representing an encoding scheme for a data block.

42. The method according to claim 37 wherein the step of mapping comprises the step of: creating a message header having an encryption parameter representing an encryption scheme for a data block.

43. The method according to claim 37 wherein the step of mapping comprises the step of: generating a data flag representing a delimiter and specifying an extent of data and a position for the at least one section of the source document.

44. The method according to claim 37 wherein the step of mapping comprises the step of: generating a data flag having a length parameter representing the length of the at least one section.

45. The method according to claim 37 wherein the step of mapping comprises the step of: generating a data flag having an encoding parameter representing an encoding scheme for the at least one section.

46. The method according to claim 37 wherein the step of mapping comprises the step of: generating a data flag having an encryption parameter representing an encryption scheme for the at least one section.

47. A method of processing a facsimile message comprising the steps of: at a facsimile message input processor: receiving a user identifier and a source document; processing at least a portion of the source document to yield a message representing the source document; and transmitting to a paging terminal a paging request comprising the message representing the source document and a unique identification code selected in response to the received user identifier; and at the paging terminal: receiving the paging request; determining at least one selective call address in response to the unique identification code received in the paging request; encoding a message representing the source document and the at least one selective call address into a paging message; and transmitting the paging message to at least one selective call receiver.

48. In a selective call receiver, a method of receiving a facsimile message of an original source document comprising the steps of: receiving a paging message comprising at least one portion of the original source document and an address; recovering a data block from the paging message when the address correlates with a predetermined address associated with the selective call receiver; decoding the data block to provide a recovered source document that substantially resembles the the original source document; and presenting the recovered source document in a format that substantially resembles the facsimile message of the original source document.