Facsimile user interface and method of use.

摘要

A system and method for controlling facsimile communications is disclosed. A facsimile machine contains a plurality of display screens containing step-by step instructions allowing a user to use complex facsimile functions. The facsimile machine contains a phonebook containing information, including facsimile telephone numbers, for a plurality of remote facsimile machines. The facsimile machine can detect the facsimile telephone number and name of a remote facsimile machine sending an incoming facsimile message and store the information about the remote facsimile machine in the phonebook. The facsimile machine can be configured to ignore incoming facsimile messages from remote facsimile machine not listed in the phonebook. Similarly, the facsimile machine can be configured to permit outgoing facsimile messages to be transmitted only to remote facsimile machines listed in the phonebook. The user can display the phonebook on a display and select information associated with a remote facsimile machine, and the facsimile machine will determine the facsimile telephone number from the selected information using the phonebook. The user can also group a set a remote facsimile machine together so that an outgoing facsimile message can be specified as going to any one of the remote facsimile machines in the group, and the facsimile machine will send the outgoing facsimile message to all members of the group.