· Brief History
o The fax machine is actually a development of the telegraph technology of Samuel Morse in the 1800s. The first primitive fax machine was invented by Alexander Bain, a Scottish mechanic and clockmaker. He was patented for the design in 1843. This model was then further improved and developed by Frederick Bakewell, Giovanni Casseli, Elisha Gray, Arthur Korn, and Edouard Belin.
· What is the device used for?
o Fax machines, or facsimiles, are used to transmit images via standard phone lines. Business organizations are the most common users of the fax machine in order to immediately transmit or deliver business documents. They are frequently used to submit resumes and other important documents.
· How does it work?
o Sending fax transmissions is viable through various means because of today’s technology. The most common medium is through telephone lines.
o The fax system is comprised of transmitting devices that translate the graphic material into electrical impulses according to a set pattern, and a synchronized receiving device that retranslates these impulses and prints that.
o In a typical system, the fax scanner consists of a rotating cylinder, a source projecting a narrow beam of light, and a photoelectric cell. The copy to be transmitted is wrapped around the cylinder and is scanned by the light beam, which moves along the cylinder as it revolves.
o “The output of the photoelectric cell is amplified and transmitted to the receiving end, where a similar cylinder, covered with specially impregnated paper, revolves in synchronism with the transmitting cylinder. A light of varying intensity moves along the rotation cylinder and darkens the paper by chemically reproducing the pattern of the original. When the fax is done, it pops out as a blueprint of what the other person sent.”
o The receiving fax machine then decodes, uncompresses, and reassembles the bits of the scanned document transmitted via the telephone lines. The received document can then be printed out through any of the five common means: thermal paper, thermal film, inkjet, laser printer, and computer printer (via fax modem).
· Who are the leading providers for the said device?
o Brother
o Sharp
o Panasonic
o Hewlett Packard
o Canon
o Ricoh
o Xerox
o Lexmark
· How does it differ from other similar devices?
o The primary function of the fax machine may as well be performed by the scanner and e-mail. However using the fax machine cuts short the process of transmitting documents by just a single push of the button. There is no need to scan first the document, e-mail it, and then finally print it. The delivery process using a fax machine becomes instantaneous and there is need to have a computer or access to the Internet.
References:
http://library.thinkquest.org/27887/gather/history/fax.shtml. Accessed 4 August 2009.
http://communication.howstuffworks.com/fax-machine.htm. Accessed 4 August 2009.
http://www.guide2faxmachines.com/leading-brands/. Accessed 4 August 2009.
Image Source:
https://www.samstores.com/_images/products/KX-FP145.jpg. Accessed 6 August 2009.
Publisher: Rey Mari Antonio M. Angeles CS30-F
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