Fax Machine

Invented by : Alexander Bain

Invented in year : 1843

Fax is a telecommunications technology used to transfer copies (facsimiles) of documents, especially using affordable devices operating over the telephone network. Fax is short term for Facsimile which has been derived from Latin fac simile meaning 'Make Similar' i.e. 'Make a copy'. Fax is short term for Facsimile which has been derived from Latin fac simile meaning 'Make Similar' i.e. 'Make a copy'. Fax or Faxing therefore means a method of encoding data, transmitting it over a telephone line or radio broadcast, and receiving a hard copy of the text, line drawings, or photographs at a remote location. A Fax Machine usually consists of an image scanner, a modem, and a printer. The word Telefax, short for Telefacsimile means 'To make a copy at a distance' is also used as a synonym. The device is also known as a telecopier in certain industries.

Fax machines were not popular with consumers until the 1980s though the technology for fax machines existed for a long time. Alexander Bain (October 1811 – January 2, 1877), was a Scottish instrument inventor, technician, and clockmaker. He invented the first Fax Machine in 1843 and the same year he also received a British patent for a fax machine. He used a clock to synchronise the movement of two pendulums for line-by-line scanning of a message. For transmission, Bain applied metal pins arranged on a cylinder made of insulating material. An electric probe that transmitted on-off pulses then scanned the pins. The message was reproduced at the receiving station on electrochemically sensitive paper impregnated with a chemical solution similar to that developed for his chemical telegraph. The the fax machine closely evolved from the technology of the telegraph which was invented by Samuel Morse, several years earlier.

Development in the invention of Fax

Many inventors after Alexander Bain, worked hard on inventing and improving fax machine type devices.

1. In 1850, a London inventor named F. C. Blakewell received a patent what he called a "copying telegraph".
2. In 1860, a fax machine called the Pantelegraph sent the first fax between Paris and Lyon. The Pantelegraph was invented Giovanni Caselli.
3. In 1895, Ernest Hummel a watchmaker from St. Paul, Minnesota invented his competing device called the Telediagraph.
4. In 1902, Dr Arthur Korn invented an improved and practical fax, the photoelectric system.
5. In 1914, Edouard Belin established the concept of the remote fax for photo and news reporting.
6. In 1924, the telephotography machine (a type of fax machine) was used to send political convention photos long distance for newspaper publication. It was developed by the American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T) worked to improve telephone fax technology.
7. By 1926, RCA invented the Radiophoto that faxed by using radio broadcasting technology.
8. In 1947, Alexander Muirhead invented a very successful fax machine.
9. On March 4, 1955, the first radio fax transmission was sent across the continent.

Role of the Invention of Fax Machine in the Improvement Of Human Life

• Faxes have a distinct advantage over postal mail in that the delivery is nearly instantaneous

• There are no time limitations as to when a Fax can be sent. It can be sent at any time.

• Business opportunities for Fax Machine sellers and Fax service providers.

• Further improvement in Fax has led to improvement in the quality and efficiency of the machine

• Fax machines are multi purpose devices that fax, scan, copy, and send faxes over the internet to email addresses

• It has boosted E-Commerce as it is an effective source of communication