JP2001014234A - Equipment, method and system for communications, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide image data communications on electronic mail communications and to enable speedy communication according to the ability of an opposite party to be performed by providing the data base of information on the communicating party and function information with an optimal means corresponding to the connection style of internet and the device state of electronic mail server in respective transmission and reception side devices. SOLUTION: An electronic mail/facsimile exchange device has the connection style of dedicated line connection, dial-up connection and connection to plural internets and performs the communications of electronic mail with the post office of electronic mail/facsimile exchange device or electronic mail server through the optimal method corresponding to respective styles. Personal computers(PC) 200-1 and 200-2 are connected to a LAN 200-16 and exchange information with the other each of PC, an electronic mail server 200-5, an electronic mail/facsimile exchange device 200-7 and an IP router 200-9 through the LAN 200-16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication method, a communication system, and a storage medium capable of communicating electronic mail data and G3 / G4 facsimile data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art ITU-T Recommendation T. In the G3 facsimile apparatus of the G.30, when sending a document,
Exchange of function information related to the capabilities of the device such as recording resolution, printable main scanning length, sub-scanning length, encoding method, modulation method, transmission speed, sub address, password, and selective polling by C / DTC / DCS. In the case where the functions of the transmitting and receiving apparatuses are different, facsimile document communication can be performed using an image format and a communication method that are optimal among the functions of both apparatuses. And further sub address,
By using the password and selective polling functions, facsimile services such as relaying, broadcasting, and polling have become possible.

[0003]

However, in a communication device for communicating electronic mail data, there is no provision for exchanging information relating to such facsimile function information. In the communication of e-mail data,
Means for confirming delivery (means for judging the transmission result) indicating that the transmission has been performed reliably has not been defined.

For this reason, when an electronic mail is transmitted with facsimile format image data attached, a G3 facsimile baseline (a facsimile compliant with ITU-T recommendations must be provided as an essential capability) An image of a format that becomes the minimum function that can be used is MIME or SMIME (e-mail data format recommended by IETF) or the like as image data of TIFF format (a file format for raster image data developed by Aldus). It was common to communicate by attaching to e-mail. Here, the image format used as the baseline is such that the encoding method is M
2. H code, resolution is main scanning, 8 pel / mm, sub scanning.
85 lines / mm, and the document width is 208 mm, which is A4.

[0005] For this reason, if the transmitting side has a main scan of 16 pels
/ Mm, sub-scanning 15.4 line / mm, when sending e-mail with image data of higher resolution than the baseline or image data of large paper size such as A3 attached, It is not known whether or not the device can process the received data, so it was not sure whether the communication partner received the document.

Further, similarly, since a communication means of function information regarding the G3 / G4 facsimile service is not specified, there is a problem that a facsimile service such as relay, broadcast, polling, etc. cannot be used via e-mail communication. Was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a first object of the present invention is to provide an electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus capable of communicating in an electronic mail format. By providing a database of information related to communication partners and function information by optimal means according to the Internet connection mode of the device and the installation state of the e-mail server, it is equivalent to facsimile communication using a public line network. An object of the present invention is to realize a certain image data communication on an e-mail communication, to eliminate the trouble of exchanging function information every time of communication, and to enable a quick communication according to the partner's ability.

Further, a second object of the present invention is to provide a user with a common function such as a one-touch button, a shortcut button, an e-mail address book function for storing a destination name and a destination electronic mail address in association with each other, and the like. When the registration / update operation of the e-mail address to be used is performed, communication regarding the function information with the registered partner device is performed and stored in association with the registered e-mail address, so that the communication of the body of the e-mail can be performed. The object is to eliminate the trouble of exchanging the function information each time, and to enable quick communication of the text according to the partner ability.

Further, a third object of the present application is to set whether or not to perform communication relating to function information with a partner machine in accordance with whether the connection to the Internet is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection. The aim is to reduce the billing for dial-up connection.

A fourth object of the present application is to register the function information of the base line when the other party is considered to be a system which does not have a function of exchanging function information, and to register the electronic mail. The object of the present invention is to eliminate the trouble of exchanging the function information every time the communication of the main text is performed, and to enable the quick transmission of the main text according to the partner ability.

A fifth object of the present invention is to share the contents of a database of function information with another device, thereby eliminating the trouble of exchanging function information, and providing a quick text according to the partner's ability. To enable communication.

A sixth object of the present invention is to transfer the contents of a database of function information every time the database is updated or at an arbitrary timing so that the latest contents of the database can be shared with another device at any time. , Eliminates the hassle of exchanging function information for each communication,
An object of the present invention is to enable quick communication of a text according to a partner's ability.

Further, a seventh object of the present invention is to enable efficient acquisition of function information by collectively acquiring function information from an e-mail server which performs distribution processing, and to exchange function information. The trouble of doing
The purpose of the present invention is to enable quick communication of the text according to the partner's ability.

An eighth object of the present invention is to transmit an e-mail by requesting an e-mail server to deliver an e-mail, and return a delivery confirmation when the e-mail data reaches the distribution server. In this way, it is possible to notify the user of the transmission result promptly, and in the case of important information, it is possible to select the reply of the delivery confirmation at the time when it is delivered to the delivery destination. The purpose is to be able to add a combination of convenient functions.

[0015]

According to the present invention, there is provided a communication apparatus comprising: first connection means for connecting to a local area network and / or second connection means for connecting to a wide area network; A first communication unit for transmitting / receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet by the connection unit or the second connection unit; and a database holding information on function information, The means communicates e-mail data with the image data attached.

In one embodiment of the communication apparatus according to the present invention,
There is further provided second communication means for performing facsimile communication by connecting to a wide area network by the second connection means.

In one embodiment of the communication apparatus according to the present invention,
An e-mail address registration function for registering an address of a communication partner; and an e-mail address registration function for registering an e-mail address using the first communication means in the e-mail address registration function. The communication with the partner device registered in the database is performed with respect to the function information, and the function information is registered or updated in the database item corresponding to the registered e-mail address.

In one embodiment of the communication apparatus according to the present invention,
When registering the e-mail address registration function according to whether the connection mode with the first communication means is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection via the wide area network, It is possible to individually set whether or not to perform communication regarding the function information with the communication partner device.

In one embodiment of the communication apparatus according to the present invention,
Depending on whether the connection mode with the first communication means is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection via the wide area network, when registering the e-mail address registration function, it is registered in the e-mail address registration function. Communication with the communication partner device regarding the function information is performed, and if the function information of the communication partner device cannot be acquired, the function information corresponding to the most standard of the image data standards is registered.

In one embodiment of the communication apparatus of the present invention,
It has means for transferring the contents of the database to the other communication partner, and notifies the other communication partner of information registered in the database each time the database is updated or at an arbitrary timing.

In one embodiment of the communication apparatus according to the present invention,
A means for transferring the contents of the database to an e-mail server that performs distribution processing of e-mail data addressed to the connected communication partner device, wherein the database is updated at the communication partner device or at an arbitrary timing. The information registered in the database is notified to the e-mail server.

The communication system according to the present invention comprises a first connecting means for connecting to a local area network and / or a second connecting means for connecting to a wide area network, and the first connecting means or the first connecting means. A first communication unit for transmitting and receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet by the second connection unit; and a database holding information relating to function information, wherein the first communication unit attaches image data. A communication system comprising a plurality of communication devices for performing communication of the e-mail data, wherein the communication from the e-mail server performs distribution processing of e-mail data addressed to the plurality of communication devices connected to the plurality of communication devices. By updating the database of the communication device based on the information of the broadcast of the database related to the function information, Sharing database contents between communication devices.

In one embodiment of the communication system of the present invention, the communication system further includes a second communication unit for performing facsimile communication by connecting to a wide area network by the second connection unit.

In one embodiment of the communication system of the present invention, when the electronic mail server distributes electronic mail data with facsimile image data attached to the connected communication device, the electronic mail server uses the electronic mail server. After completion of data reception, a delivery confirmation reply is sent without delivering the e-mail data with the facsimile information attached to the connected communication device, or a delivery confirmation is returned after delivery processing to the communication device. It is possible to switch between.

The communication apparatus of the present invention comprises: a first communication means for transmitting / receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet; a means for designating an image format such as a resolution of image data; Means for requesting function information of the communication partner regarding the format,
When the function information of the communication partner is grasped, the request of the function information of the communication partner is not performed.

The communication device according to the present invention comprises a first communication means for transmitting and receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet, and a second communication means for performing facsimile communication by connecting to a wide area network. And a database for storing information related to the function information, and the first communication means performs communication of e-mail data with image data attached.

The storage medium of the present invention has a first communication procedure for transmitting and receiving electronic mail data by connecting to the Internet, and a second communication procedure for performing facsimile communication by connecting to a wide area network. Is stored in a database that stores information related to function information, and a program that causes the computer to execute communication of e-mail data attached to image data in the first communication procedure is stored. Computer-readable storage medium.

In one embodiment of the storage medium of the present invention,
A program for causing a computer to execute an e-mail address registration function for registering an address is stored, and when an e-mail address is registered in the e-mail address registration function, a communication partner registered in the e-mail address registration function is stored. It stores a program for performing communication related to function information with a device and causing a computer to execute registration or update of the function information with respect to an item of the database corresponding to a registered e-mail address.

In one embodiment of the storage medium of the present invention,
Depending on whether the connection form with the Internet is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection via a wide area network, when registering the e-mail address registration function, the communication partner machine registered with the e-mail address registration function It stores a program to be executed by a computer so that whether or not to perform communication regarding function information can be individually set.

In one embodiment of the storage medium of the present invention,
Depending on whether the connection form with the Internet is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection via a wide area network, when registering the e-mail address registration function, the other party registered with the e-mail address registration function and the function information A program to be executed by the computer to register the function information corresponding to the most standard of the image data standards when the function information of the communication partner device cannot be obtained by performing the communication regarding the communication partner device. ing.

In one embodiment of the storage medium of the present invention,
A program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for transferring the contents of the database to a communication partner is stored, and every time the database is updated, or at any timing, information registered in the database is notified to another communication partner. A program to be executed by a computer is stored.

In one embodiment of the storage medium of the present invention,
A program for causing a computer to execute a procedure capable of transferring the contents of the database to an e-mail server that performs distribution processing of e-mail data addressed to the connected communication partner device is stored, and a database update of the communication partner device is stored. A program for causing a computer to execute the information registered in the database at each time or at an arbitrary timing is notified to the e-mail server.

The communication system of the present invention is a first communication system for transmitting and receiving electronic mail data by connecting to the Internet.
Communication means, a second communication means for performing facsimile communication by connecting to a wide area network, and a database holding information on function information, wherein the first communication means has attached image data. What is claimed is: 1. A communication system comprising a communication device that performs communication of electronic mail data, a database relating to function information from an electronic mail server that performs a distribution process of electronic mail data addressed to a plurality of communication devices connected to the communication devices. By updating the database of the communication device based on the information of the broadcast communication, the database contents are shared among the plurality of communication devices.

In one embodiment of the communication system of the present invention, when the electronic mail server distributes electronic mail data with facsimile image data attached to the connected communication device, the electronic mail server uses the electronic mail server. After completion of data reception, whether to return a delivery confirmation without delivering the e-mail data with the facsimile information attached to the connected communication device, or to return a delivery confirmation after delivery processing to the communication device It is possible to switch.

[0035] The storage medium of the present invention includes a first communication procedure for transmitting and receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet, a procedure for specifying an image format such as the resolution of image data, Stores a program that causes the computer to execute the procedure for requesting the other party's function information related to the format, and executes it so that it does not request the other party's function information if it knows the other party's function information. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program to be executed.

In one embodiment of the communication apparatus according to the present invention,
The wide area network is PSTN or ISDN.

In one embodiment of the communication system according to the present invention, the wide area network is PSTN or ISDN.

The communication method according to the present invention is a communication method for transmitting and receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet. The communication method specifies an image format such as the resolution of image data, and communicates with the communication partner on the specified image format. When the function information of the communication partner is grasped, the request of the function information of the communication partner is not performed.

The communication method according to the present invention is a communication method for transmitting and receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet. When a mail address is registered in the e-mail address registration function, the e-mail address registration is performed. The communication about the function information is performed with the communication partner device registered in the function, and the function information is registered or updated in the database item corresponding to the registered e-mail address.

In one embodiment of the communication method according to the present invention,
Depending on whether the connection form with the Internet is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection via a wide area network,
When registering the e-mail address registration function, it is possible to individually set whether or not to perform communication relating to function information with a communication partner registered in the e-mail address registration function.

In one embodiment of the communication method according to the present invention,
Depending on whether the connection form with the Internet is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection via a wide area network,
At the time of registration of the e-mail address registration function, communication regarding the function information with the communication partner device registered in the e-mail address registration function is performed, and when the function information of the communication partner device cannot be obtained, the image data Register the function information corresponding to the standard that is the most standard among the standards.

The electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. A first connection unit for connecting to a local area network, a second connection unit for connecting to a PSTN or an ISDN, and an electronic device connected to the Internet via the first connection unit and the second connection unit; The first for sending and receiving mail data
Communication means, and a second means for performing facsimile communication by connecting to PSTN or ISDN by the second connection means.
When the first communication means communicates the electronic mail data to which the image data is attached, communication relating to the function information of the communication device is performed.

[0043]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of the present embodiment.

In FIG. 1, a bus 100-1 is an address and data bus to which each block described later is connected, and transfers information between the blocks. The CPU 100-2
By executing a computer program (software for controlling the entire apparatus) stored in the ROM 100-3, the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of the present embodiment is controlled.

The ROM 100-3 is a read-only memory storing computer programs executed by the CPU 100-2 and data such as fonts. R
The AM 100-4 is a random memory for storing various data necessary for control, the state of soft switches, and management data. The storage memory 100-5 is a file memory for storing encoded image data and e-mail data.

The line I / F section 100-7 is provided with an ISDN or P
It has a CCU (communication control unit), modem, NCU (network control unit), etc., for performing communication by connecting to the STN line, and performs a call operation and a communication operation to the line under the control of the CPU 100-2. The reading unit 100-8 is an image reading unit that scans a document to capture document information as image data. Printer unit 100
-9 is a reading unit 100-8, a LAN I / F unit 10
CPU 10 such as 0-6, image data captured via the line I / F unit 100-7, or a report of management information, etc.
The recording operation of the image data created by 0-2 is performed.

The operation unit 100-10 is a block that controls the man-machine I / F of the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of the present embodiment. It has a display and various keys (not shown), and takes in input information input by the keys and transfers various display information to be displayed on the display under the control of the CPU 100-2. The compression / decompression unit 100-11 converts the image data read by the reading unit 100-8 into M
H, MR, MMR, JBIG, or other encoding schemes are used to compress or encode encoded image data received from the line I / F unit 100-7 or LAN I / F unit 100-6. Decryption and storage memory 100-
5 performs an encoding / decoding process for transcoding the code of the image file on 5 into a code required for communication.

The LAN I / F unit 100-6 is a LAN
(Local area network), which has an interface such as Ethernet or FDDI, and connects the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus to the local area network via this interface.

When converting the text portion of the e-mail data and the text portion of the communication management report into image data, the bitmap data of the font for converting the character code into bitmap image data is stored in a ROM.
100-3.

Here, a system configuration based on an existing facsimile machine has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is configured by a scanner, a printer, a display, a keyboard, a modem, etc. based on a personal computer having an interface such as a LAN or a modem. May be. In that case, the program that governs the communication function of the present application is supplied from an external storage medium such as a floppy disk.

Next, an example of connection of the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of the present embodiment to the Internet will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. The e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus according to the present embodiment has a dedicated line connection, a dial-up connection, and a plurality of Internet connections as described later, and the e-mail / facsimile exchange is performed in the most optimal manner according to each form. Performs e-mail communication with the device or e-mail server post office. In accordance with the instruction, the received image data is relayed by the e-mail / facsimile exchange device and transmitted to other G3 or G4 facsimile devices.

As a form of connecting the LAN and the Internet, as shown in FIG. 2, a dedicated line connection in which the LAN and the Internet always perform two-way communication via a dedicated line by using an IP router as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, there is a dial-up connection for connecting a LAN and the Internet by dial-up via a PSTN or ISDN as a public (wide area) network (note that in FIGS. 3 and 4, an electronic mail / facsimile switching apparatus is used). It has the function of an ISDN router and connects the LAN and the Internet by dial-up.)

Therefore, as a combination of the connection form between the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of the present embodiment and the Internet, as shown in FIG. 2, the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus includes both the transmission side and the reception side via the LAN. As shown in FIG. 3, one is connected to a dedicated line via a LAN, and the other is connected to a dedicated line.
When a dial-up connection is made via the DN / PSTN, as shown in FIG.
It is divided into a case where a dial-up connection is made via the N / PSTN.

In the dial-up connection, a POP3 (Post Office Protocol Ver.3) server for e-mail connected to each e-mail / facsimile exchange device and e-mail software of a PC (personal computer) is connected to the Internet 200-15,300. -13,400-1
1 is provided by an Internet provider (not shown). For this reason, in dial-up connection, it is necessary to pay special attention to the fact that the electronic mail server and the electronic mail / facsimile exchange device do not always exchange information.

In FIG. 2, PCs 200-1 and 200-
Reference numeral 2 denotes a personal computer connected to the LAN 200-16.
C, exchange information with the electronic mail server 200-5, the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus 200-7, and the IP router 200-9. PCs 200-3 and 200-4 are personal computers similarly connected to the LAN 200-17, and each of the other PCs, the e-mail server 200-6, and the e-mail / facsimile exchange device 200-8 via the LAN 200-17. , And exchange information with the IP router 200-10.

The e-mail server 200-5 uses the SMTP
(Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) / An e-mail server having the function of POP3 stores e-mail addressed to each client in the LAN at each post address set in the e-mail server 200-5.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, the e-mail server and the e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus are described separately, but of course, the function of the e-mail server may be provided in the e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus. Good.

Similarly, the e-mail server 200-6 stores
E-mail server with MTP / POP3 function.
The e-mail addressed to each client in the LAN is stored in each post address set in the e-mail server 200-6.

The IP router 200-9 is connected to the LAN 200-
16 and the Internet 200-15, LAN2
Internet 200-15 from domain 00-16
Packets sent to the Internet and Internet 2
IP from 00-15 to the domain of LAN200-16
Performs packet routing. Similarly, the IP router 20
0-10 are the LAN 200-17 and the Internet 20
0-15, the IP packet transmitted from the domain of the LAN 200-17 to the Internet 200-15, and the IP packet transmitted from the Internet 200-15 to the LAN 20.
Routing of the IP packet addressed to the domain 0-17 is performed.

E-mail / facsimile switching device 200
Reference numeral -7 denotes a communication device which is a feature of the present embodiment, which is another facsimile device 200-11 or 200 connected to the ISDN / PSTN line by the line I / F unit 100-7.
-12 and G3 / G4 protocol for facsimile communication, and the LAN I / F unit 100-6 performs LA communication.
E-mail communication with the Internet 200-15 is performed via the N200-16 and the IP router 200-9.
Similarly, an e-mail / facsimile exchange device 200-8
Is a communication device that is a feature of this embodiment,
Facsimile machines 200-11 and 200-1 connected to the ISDN / PSTN line by the I / F unit 100-7
2 and G3 / G4 protocol to perform facsimile communication, and a LAN I / F unit for LAN 200-17.
Then, e-mail communication is performed with the Internet 200-15 via the IP router 200-10.

ISDN / PSTN 200-13,200
Reference numeral -14 denotes a public line network (ISDN or PSTN) for performing facsimile communication, telephone communication, and the like. In addition,
Here, ISDN / PSTN200-13 and ISDN /
The PSTN 200-14 is described separately, but may of course be the same public line network. Facsimile 200-1
1,200-12 is a public line network (ISDN or P
STN) and is a facsimile apparatus that communicates image data according to the G3 or G4 protocol.

FIG. 3 has almost the same configuration as FIG. 2, except that the LAN 300-14 and the Internet 300-13
Connections are different. In FIG. 3, the LAN 300-14
The connection between the Internet and the Internet 300-13 is connected via the IP router as described in the example of FIG. 2, and instead, dialing by the line I / F unit 100-7 by the electronic mail / facsimile switching apparatus 300-6. By an up connection, the terminal is connected to an Internet provider (not shown) in the Internet 300-13 via the ISDN / PSTN 300-11.

Therefore, when the e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus 300-6 performs e-mail communication, the e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus 300-6 is connected by dial-up to an e-mail server (not shown) provided by an Internet provider in the Internet 300-13. Communication is performed via an e-mail server (not shown).

The line I / F section 100-7 of the electronic mail / facsimile switching apparatus 300-6 is connected to the facsimile apparatus 300-9 via the ISDN / PSTN 300-11 in addition to the Internet connection. Also do.

In FIG. 4, the LANs 400-12 and 400-
13 are connected to the Internet via a public network (ISDN / PSTN).

Therefore, when the electronic mail facsimile switching apparatus 400-5 performs electronic mail communication, the ISDN / PSTN 400-9 is transmitted from the line I / F unit 100-7.
An e-mail communication is performed by connecting via dial-up to an e-mail server provided by an Internet provider (not shown) in the Internet 400-11 via the Internet. Similarly, the electronic mail facsimile exchange device 400-
6, when performing e-mail communication, dials with an e-mail server provided by another Internet provider (not shown) in the Internet 400-11 via the ISDN / PSTN 400-10 from the line I / F unit 100-7. E-mail communication is performed by connecting by up.

Next, a detailed description will be given of a flow of communication between the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus and the electronic mail with the attached image data. First, the function information will be described. G3 facsimile function information is available from ITU-
T.T. 30 are defined by DIS / DTC / DCS bits, and include those related to image data format, those related to facsimile service, and those related to communication. In addition, subaddress, password, selective polling used in part of facsimile service,
FIF (Facsimile Info) which is a 20-digit digit specified by another FCF (Facsimile Control Field)
rmation Field) information is used.

Table 1 shows T.T. of ITU-T. D at 30
In addition to those related to IS / DTC / DCS function information,
Further, some function information is newly added in consideration of a case where image data other than a facsimile image is attached by e-mail communication. In Table 1, ITU-TT. Three
Further, the functional information relating to “0” is further classified into those relating to “images”, those relating to “services”, and those relating to “communication”.

[0069]

[Table 1]

In the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of this embodiment, 1) G3 / G4
Distinguishing between communication and 2) handling of images and services. 2) Since the function information of the image and the service is generally switched by a change by a soft switch set in the RAM 100-4 in the apparatus, the function information is almost fixed to the apparatus (partial e-mail / facsimile exchange). In the apparatus, the recording width and the like frequently change depending on the paper to be mounted, but this is not limited to the case where a paper size conversion function is provided.

Accordingly, the function information is registered in the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus or electronic mail server (including the dial-up connection destination) on the transmission side as a database, and the image data communication is performed based on the database. In the communication with the device having the database, the exchange of the function information for each communication becomes unnecessary. This is particularly the case when the e-mail / facsimile exchange device is dial-up connected as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and communication of function information is performed every time, which increases communication costs. This is particularly effective when a facsimile network is formed in a company or the like.
The item 1) relating to the G3 / G4 communication is not particularly required in the electronic mail communication, so that the exchange of the function information in the electronic mail communication can be omitted.

When the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus transfers the image data received to another G3 / G4 facsimile by relay, the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus must be connected between the relay e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus and the communication partner G3 or G4 machine. Since the exchange of the function information related to the communication is performed, the exchange of the function information related to the G3 / G4 communication is not particularly necessary in the electronic mail communication.

Next, means for exchanging function information and delivery confirmation information will be described. There are a plurality of means for realizing the exchange of the function information as follows. The first means is to define an information field relating to the function information and the delivery confirmation as an MIME type in the e-mail, and to set the information relating to the function information and the information relating to the delivery confirmation shown in Table 1 in the field, and to send the e-mail. Is the method of communicating. Second
Means defines a function information field and a delivery confirmation field in the image data attached as a TIFF file, and sets information relating to the function information and information relating to the delivery confirmation shown in Table 1 in the fields, TIFF
There is a method of transmitting electronic mail by attaching function information as a file.

In these methods, electronic mail relating to exchange of function information, electronic mail relating to information of image data,
Since the e-mail related to the delivery confirmation and the e-mail related to the same process may be divided into multiple e-mails and communicated, a specific ID is used to indicate that these e-mails are the e-mail of the same process. The e-mail is given, and the ID is used to distinguish the e-mail from the same process.

As another means, SMTP (Simple)
E, an extension of the Mail Transfer Protocol
There is a means for performing communication and delivery confirmation regarding exchange of function information using the SMTP protocol. The delivery confirmation in this case is determined by the DSN (Delivery S
tatus Notification). In the electronic mail facsimile exchange apparatus of the present embodiment, any of the above means may be used for the means for exchanging the function information and confirming the delivery.

Next, the flow of e-mail communication with a facsimile image attached will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The flow here can be applied to the case where the connection form is either a dedicated line connection or a dial-up connection.

First, in step S100-1, the operation unit 1
E-mail communication with attached image data is instructed by a key operation from 00-1 or a timer start from CPU 100-2. In step S100-2, a search is performed to determine whether function information corresponding to the designated e-mail address is registered in the database. Note that the database search here may be performed on a database set in the RAM 100-4 in the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of the present embodiment, or an electronic mail server separately set as shown in FIG. It may be performed for the above database.

If the function information corresponding to the destination address has already been registered in the database, the process proceeds to step S100-3. If not, the process proceeds to step S100-6. In step S100-3, a change is made based on the database referring to the display contents of the operation unit 100-10. If the image data has already been stored, the display change of the operation unit 100-10 in step S100-3 is skipped. In step S100-4,
If the function information specified by the user or the format of the already stored image data is different from the information of the referenced database, the process proceeds to step S100-5, and the format of the image data is registered in any of the databases. To the image format.

In the collation processing with the database in step S100-4, it is possible to specify whether or not to collate each function item. The collation designation for each function item is for giving flexibility to the database by skipping function information collation that is not used in some modes in the function information.

In step S100-6, if there is an instruction to skip the function information communication, the process related to the function information communication is skipped, and the process branches to step S100-25.

The specification of the skipping of the function information is performed when the function information to be used for the communication is used even if the database related to the function information already exists or the database does not have the database, particularly when the communication by the relay or the broadcast is performed. This is set when there is no need to exchange function information again, such as in the case of a standard (standard resolution, A4 size, etc.) which is the most standard among the standards of image data as a baseline.

When the function information communication is not skipped,
In step S100-7, communication of function information is started. In step S100-8, a communication error relating to the function information is monitored, and if a communication error occurs, the flow branches to step S100-14. Step S100-
In step 9, the response of the function information communication is monitored by a timer (not shown).
Branch to 0-14.

The setting of the timeout time can be individually set by the transmission destination address or the domain. This means that, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, when the transmission destination is connected to the e-mail server via a dial-up connection, when it is connected via a dedicated line, and when the transmission source is an e-mail It is provided to support a plurality of connection forms, such as connecting to a server or connecting via a dedicated line. In particular, in the case of a dial-up connection, a response related to function information may be extremely delayed.

If the communication of the function information has been normally performed, the process proceeds to step S100-10, and if necessary, a new registration or update of the database relating to the function information of the other party is performed. When the e-mail / facsimile machine does not have the e-mail server function as shown in FIG.
The updated contents of the function information database are communicated to an e-mail server installed separately.

In the case where the Internet is connected by a dial-up connection as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the communication of data relating to the update of the database in the e-mail server is performed without transmitting the data again from the e-mail / facsimile apparatus. Alternatively, the e-mail server may acquire the data of the function information communication addressed to the e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus and automatically update the database of the e-mail server.

First, error processing after step S100-14 will be described. If a communication error occurs in step S100-8 or a time-out error occurs in step S100-9, in any case, step S1 is executed.
Go to 00-14. In step S100-14, if there is a transfer communication designation by G3 / G4 transmission of image data when an error occurs according to the setting of the soft switch in the RAM 100-4, step S100
The process proceeds to -15, where the image data stored in the storage memory 100-5 is transferred to the G3 / G using the line I / F 100-7.
Communicate by 4 communications.

In this case, the telephone number of the G3 / G4 communication is
In the e-mail / facsimile exchange device of the present embodiment,
Either a G3 / G4 dedicated machine in the same office may be used. This telephone number is set separately from the e-mail address. The G3 / G4 transfer communication can be specified by: 1) registering a telephone number and a transfer specification in addition to an e-mail address in one-touch dialing or abbreviated dialing; When a communication start instruction is performed by inputting a telephone number and then inputting a telephone number, a method of setting G3 / G4 transfer communication designation can be used.

Further, in the key operation, when the user inputs a telephone number, then inputs an e-mail address and gives an instruction to start communication, conversely, G
Attempt to transmit image data by 3 / G4 communication, G3 / G4
If the communication in the step (1) fails, the communication by e-mail may be performed in the error processing.

In step S100-16, if there is a baseline specification at the time of error due to the baseline conversion specification, the flow advances to step S100-17 to convert the accumulated image data into image data in the baseline format. I do. This is the case when the communication partner is not an e-mail and facsimile exchange device that necessarily has function information exchange means, but is an e-mail user using a personal computer and an e-mail and facsimile exchange device that does not have function information exchange means. This is to respond.

If it is known in advance that the transmission destination is a device having no function information, the function information of the baseline is set in the database so that the image data is limited to the baseline. Step S10
In step 0-6, communication of function information and step S100-
The transmission of the acknowledgment of the delivery confirmation of 39 is performed, and the transmission of the image data can be performed without exchanging the function information and the communication for the exchange of the acknowledgment for the device without the function of exchanging the function information and the acknowledgment. Communication becomes possible.

The database for the baseline can be specified by a key operation of a baseline key or the like, or can be specified to be automatically generated according to the contents of the communication error and the timeout error in the function information exchange so far. .

In step S100-18, it is determined whether or not a setting for transmitting information relating to the error as text information to a specific e-mail address has been made. If the setting has been made, the flow advances to step S100-19 to proceed to step S100-19. Send e-mail. The e-mail address set here is the e-mail address of the user who has performed the communication operation, the e-mail address of the administrator, or the e-mail address of the transmission destination.
The contents of the error information include the presence / absence of the communication by the base line, the presence / absence of the G3 / G4 communication, and the like.

The designation of the error information communication can be individually set for each error item, the presence / absence of the base line communication, the presence / absence of the G3 / G4 communication, and the like. If necessary, the error image data may be attached to the e-mail relating to the error information and transmitted.

In step S100-20, it is determined whether or not the output of the error report is designated. If the output of the error report is designated, the process proceeds to step S100-21.
To print out the error report. Note that the output specification of the error report can be individually set for each error item, the presence / absence of the baseline communication, the presence / absence of the G3 / G4 communication, and the like, similarly to the transmission of the e-mail regarding the error information.

In step S100-22, it is determined whether or not to delete the image file stored in the storage memory 100-5. If there is an instruction to delete the image file, the image file stored in the storage memory 100-5 is deleted in step S100-23. Note that, similarly to the report output designation, the deletion of the image file can be individually set for each error item, the presence / absence of the baseline communication, the presence / absence of the G3 / G4 communication, and the like.

In step S100-24, the error processing ends.

Next, the flow of the re-calling shown in FIG. 5 will be described. Steps S100-11, S100-12,
The flow of recalling in S100-13 and the like corresponds to the case where the e-mail / facsimile switching apparatus of the present embodiment is connected to the Internet or a local area network by dial-up connection as shown in FIGS. It is.

If the dial-up connection has been established in step S100-11, the process proceeds to step S100-12. In step S100-12, it is determined whether or not a plurality of calls specified by the soft switch are to be made. Perform If the issuance is specified a plurality of times, in step S100-13, the line is disconnected once when the function information communication is completed, and the image data is communicated by re-calling.

Thus, it is possible to save billing when time is required between the function information and the main body image communication. In the case of a dial-up connection also in the timeout error waiting process in step S100-9,
It is also possible to disconnect the line once, wait for a specified time, and then connect again to detect the presence or absence of a timeout.

If no dial-up connection is established in step S100-11, step S10 shown in FIG.
Go to 0-25. In step S100-25, an electronic mail with image data attached is transmitted, that is, main body image communication is performed. Here, if necessary, image conversion is performed based on the newly acquired function information.

Next, steps S100-26 and S100
At -27, a communication error and a timeout error are determined, and if an error has occurred, the process proceeds to step S100-28.
Branch to In step S100-28, first, the retransmission designation and the number of retransmission designations are searched from the error content. In step S100-29, if retransmission is specified and the number of retransmissions so far is equal to or less than the specified number of retransmissions, the process returns to step S100-25 again to retransmit the main image. If there is no retransmission specification corresponding to the error item, or if a retransmission error has already occurred the specified number of times, the process proceeds to step S100-14. Step S100-14
The following flow is the same as the flow at the time of the error at the time of the communication of the function information, which has already been described.

Steps S100-26 and S100-27
If an error has not occurred in step S, step S shown in FIG.
Go to 100-30. In step S100-30, it is determined whether or not the delivery confirmation is skipped. If the delivery confirmation is not required, the process proceeds to step S100-39 to perform the normal end processing. In step S100-39, according to the designation of whether or not to delete the image file data, if necessary, in step S100-40, delete the already transmitted image file data remaining in the storage memory 100-5. Then, the process proceeds to step S100-41 to end the communication.

If delivery confirmation is required, step S1
In step S100-31, the process proceeds to step S100-31. When the e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of the present embodiment is connected to the Internet or a local area network by dial-up connection, as in the case of the function information communication, In step S100-32, when communication of the main body image data is completed by specifying whether or not to issue a plurality of times specified by another soft switch, the line is disconnected once in step S100-33, and further reoccurrence. A call is made to communicate image data. Similarly, although not described in the flowchart, in the case of a dial-up connection, the line is disconnected once when waiting for a timeout error in step S100-27, and after waiting for a specified time, reconnecting to detect the presence or absence of a timeout. It is possible to do.

In step S100-34, communication relating to delivery confirmation is performed. Next, steps S100-35, S1
At 00-36, a communication error and a timeout error are detected. Here, in the case of the dial-up connection as well, the line is disconnected once in the waiting for the timeout error in step S100-36, and after waiting for the specified time, the connection is made again to detect the presence or absence of the timeout.

If an error or timeout has occurred regarding communication in the delivery confirmation, the flow advances to step S100-37. In step S100-37, first, a retransmission designation and the number of designated retransmissions are searched from the error content. Step S
In 100-38, if retransmission is specified and the number of retransmissions so far is equal to or less than the specified number of retransmissions, the process returns to step S100-25 again to retransmit the main image.
If no retransmission is specified for the error item, or if a retransmission error has already occurred the specified number of times, step S1 is executed.
Go to 00-14. After step S100-14, the above-described error processing is performed, and the process ends.

Next, with reference to FIG. 9, a flow of creating a database of function information in one-touch button registration of the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of the present embodiment will be described in detail.

First, in step S200-2, if the e-mail address of the other party is set to the one-touch button or the abbreviated button, the database corresponding to the e-mail address registered in the one-touch button is newly created or updated. The process proceeds to step S200-3.

In step S200-3, the operation unit 100
If the registration operation is to be performed according to an instruction as to whether or not to perform the registration operation relating to the function information from -10, step S
The process proceeds to 200-6, where database information is acquired by a registration operation using the operation unit 100-10. Next, step S2
The process proceeds to 00-9, and the database corresponding to the e-mail address registered in the one-touch dial is registered and updated.

Here, the one-touch button and the abbreviated button have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Operations such as registering / updating registered e-mail addresses and storing the destination name and the destination e-mail address in association with each other The same applies to. In addition, here, the creation of the database of the function information in the one-touch button registration of the e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus has been described. The same applies to. Further, the same applies to the deletion operation.

If no registration operation is performed in step S200-3, the flow advances to step S200-4, and step S2 is performed.
In the case of 00-4, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the soft switch determines whether or not the connection to the Internet is established by the dial-up connection. Skip communication and database update, and end. This is a function for reducing billing at the time of dial-up connection. In the case of a dial-up connection, each of the e-mail and facsimile apparatuses according to the present embodiment performs function information communication each time to register and update a database, instead of function information corresponding to a user address of a one-touch registration destination. Is instructed in advance to the connection destination e-mail server to create a database relating to.

The e-mail server exchanges function information with newly registered e-mail addresses collectively, and registers and updates a database corresponding to the e-mail addresses. In the e-mail / facsimile apparatus, a database corresponding to the e-mail address registered in the one-touch or shortcut button is created by extracting database information created in the e-mail server.

If the connection is not a dial-up connection, the flow advances to step S200-5, and communication for function information is performed in step S200-5. Next, step S20
0-7, proceed to S200-8, monitor for communication error and timeout during function information communication, and if there is a communication error or timeout, proceed to step S200-13 to display a communication error on the operation unit 100-10. Or
Error processing is performed to send an e-mail notifying that an error has occurred to a preset e-mail address, and the process ends. Alternatively, in the case of a timeout, it is conceivable that the system does not have a function of exchanging function information on the other side, and in that case, the function of the baseline may be registered as the function information.

If normal function information has been obtained, the flow advances to step S200-9 to newly register or update the database corresponding to the e-mail address. In step S200-10, LA is set by a soft switch.
If there is a designation to communicate the contents of this database to another e-mail server in N, step S200-11
To send the database corresponding to the e-mail address to the e-mail server. The e-mail server registers or updates a database corresponding to the e-mail address based on the communication contents.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart in the case where function information is obtained by operating a function information key provided on the operation unit 100-11 separately from the one-touch or speed dial. When the function information key is depressed in step S300-2, function information communication is performed with respect to the e-mail address specified in step S300-3, and registration and registration of a database corresponding to the specified e-mail address in the same manner as one-touch dialing are performed. Update and notify the server. Step S300-4 and subsequent steps correspond to step S300 in FIG.
Same as 200-7 and below. This function information key is used to operate one-touch registration, etc. collectively, and the e-mail address of the one-touch registered e-mail address is used when performing communication related to function information later or when newly installing a terminal. It is mainly used when registering or updating a database at once.

Next, referring to FIG. 11, when the function information of the own device is changed by changing the soft switch of the electronic mail / facsimile exchange device, the communication partner registered in the one-touch button or the abbreviated button is changed. The procedure for communicating the change of the function information with respect to will be described.

It should be noted that the notification of the change of the own apparatus function information may be made not to all the e-mail addresses registered in the one-touch button or the like but to an individually specified e-mail address. In the flow of FIG. 11, at the time of the broadcast by the change of the soft switch, the function information of the own apparatus is notified to the other party, and at the same time, the function information on the communication partner apparatus is acquired to obtain the other party information in the own apparatus and the e-mail server. The database of function information about the machine has been updated.

First, in step S400-2, when the soft switch related to the function information of the apparatus is changed, the process proceeds to step S400-3. Step S400-
If it is determined in step 3 that the communication of the function information due to the change of the soft switch is specified by a separately set soft switch, the process proceeds to step S400-4 to perform the communication of the function information. If not specified, step S400-1
Go to 1 and end. The communication flow of the function information after step S400-4 has been described with reference to FIG. In the case of a soft switch change, it is necessary to notify multiple destinations that the function information has changed.
In step S400-10, it is monitored whether the communication of the function information has been completed for all destinations. If the communication of the function information has not been completed for all destinations, step S4
Returning to 00-4, the communication of the function information is performed to the designated address until the communication of the function information to all the destinations is completed.

Particularly when a network is formed in a company or the like, it is possible to sufficiently exchange function information by creating a database as shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11. . Therefore, it is possible to always communicate with the partner device with the optimum function without exchanging the function information in each communication. Although not shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, by maintaining the update date and time of the database for each registered e-mail address, maintenance of this database can be easily performed.

As described above, the normally transmitted e-mail is stored in the post office once set in the e-mail server. Thereafter, each user or the e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus extracts the e-mail data from the e-mail server. Therefore, when the e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus does not have the e-mail step SMTP / POP3 server function, an e-mail server which is separately set performs delivery confirmation and exchange of function information in place of the e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus. You need to do it. Therefore, when the e-mail server is set separately from the e-mail / facsimile exchange device, it is necessary that the database of the function information of the connection source e-mail / facsimile exchange device and the function information on the communication partner be set in the e-mail server. is there.

In the e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of the present embodiment, as shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, when one-touch registration is performed, when a function information key is pressed, software related to function information is used. When the database of the function information of the own machine and the registered e-mail / facsimile exchange device changes, such as when the switch is changed, the function to transmit the function information related to the contents to the e-mail server with the corresponding post office have. As a result, the e-mail server updates the corresponding database based on the transmitted function information, so that it is possible to always hold information on the latest function information. In the case of a dedicated line connection as shown in FIG. 2, the communication of the function information and the delivery confirmation may be performed not by the electronic mail server but by the electronic mail / facsimile exchange device.

The electronic mail server is connected to a plurality of electronic mail users and electronic mail / facsimile exchange devices. Therefore, the database of the function information relating to the communication partner is transmitted from a plurality of electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatuses and updated. In such a case, by updating and changing the database of the own device based on the communication related to the database broadcasted at a specific cycle from the connected e-mail server, all the devices in the network can function. It becomes possible to share the information database.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show examples of the communication management report. FIG. 12 shows an example of a communication management report of the G3 device so far.
There are two types of display of G. FIG. 13 is an example of a communication management report of the electronic mail / facsimile apparatus of the present embodiment,
OK, NG, Baseline (Baseline)
Line), confirmation town, and G3 / G4.

In the case of communication by e-mail attached with image data, unlike image transmission by G3 / G4, it may take time to respond to delivery confirmation communication. This often occurs when each device is connected by dial-up connection. Therefore, in the electronic mail / facsimile apparatus of the present embodiment, although the communication of the body image data has been completed, a confirmation wait is added to the communication result report in order to indicate to the user the situation of waiting for the delivery confirmation.

Further, as described above, when communication is performed by e-mail with image data attached to a partner device having no function information, the e-mail is forcibly converted into a baseline image format and transmitted. There is a need. In order to notify the user of this, an e-mail
In a facsimile switching apparatus, a baseline is added to the result of communication management.

Further, in the e-mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of the present embodiment, when communication cannot be performed by e-mail due to a communication error in e-mail communication with an attached image, image data is automatically transmitted using the G3 / G4 protocol. It has a transfer communication function to communicate. In order to notify the user of this, G3 / G4 indicating that G3 / G4 communication has been performed is added to the result of the communication management.

In the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus of the present embodiment, the means for acquiring these communication management reports is provided by a user's instruction from the operation unit 100-10 or the LAN I / F unit 100-6 or the line I / F unit. The CPU 100-2 controls the ROM 10 according to an instruction from outside via the / F unit 100-7 or a timer designation.
The communication management information is expanded into image data using the font 0-3 and printed out from the printer unit 100-9, or an electronic mail of the communication management report information is created under the control of the CPU 100-2, and the specified mail is created. For example, there is a method of acquiring the information by communicating it with an e-mail address as an e-mail.

Further, in order to realize various functions so as to realize the functions of the above-described embodiments, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by an apparatus connected to the various devices or a computer in a system. The present invention also includes programs implemented by supplying the program code of the software described above and operating the various devices according to programs stored in a computer (CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus.

In this case, the software program code itself implements the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the program code itself and means for supplying the program code to the computer are provided.
For example, a storage medium storing such a program code constitutes the present invention. As a storage medium for storing such a program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM,
A magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

When the computer executes the supplied program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (operating system) or other operating system running on the computer. Needless to say, even when the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized in cooperation with application software or the like, such program codes are included in the embodiments of the present invention.

Further, after the supplied program code is stored in the memory provided in the function expansion board of the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion board or the function expansion unit is stored based on the instruction of the program code. It is needless to say that the present invention also includes a case where the CPU or the like provided in the first embodiment performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

As described above, according to the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus according to the present embodiment, the function information can be exchanged by an optimal method according to the connection mode with the Internet. In the communication of the facsimile image using, it is possible to make the most of the capability of each device function, and it is possible to exchange information most effective for relaying and broadcasting to devices having G3 and G4 protocols.

According to the present embodiment, in an electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus capable of communicating in the electronic mail format, according to the Internet connection mode and the installation state of the electronic mail server in each of the transmitting and receiving apparatuses. By providing a database of information related to the communication partner and function information by optimal means, image data communication equivalent to facsimile communication using a public line network is realized on e-mail communication, and communication This eliminates the need to exchange function information each time, making it possible to perform quick communication according to the partner's capabilities.

Furthermore, one-touch buttons, shortening buttons,
When a user frequently registers / updates an e-mail address that is frequently used, such as an e-mail address book function that stores a destination name and a destination e-mail address in association with each other, Communicating the function information and storing it in correspondence with the registered e-mail address eliminates the trouble of exchanging the function information every time the e-mail text is communicated, and the quick text matched to the partner's ability Communication became possible.

Further, by setting whether or not to perform communication relating to function information with the partner device depending on whether the connection to the Internet is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection, the user can reduce the charge for the dial-up connection. Is now available.

Further, when it is considered that the system does not have the function of exchanging the function information on the other side, the function information of the baseline is registered, and the function information is transmitted each time the text of the e-mail is transmitted. This eliminates the hassle of exchanging texts, and enables quick communication of text according to the partner's abilities.

Further, by sharing the contents of the function information database with other devices, the trouble of exchanging the function information is eliminated, and quick communication of the text according to the capability of the partner is enabled.

Further, by transferring the contents of the function information database every time the database is updated or at an arbitrary timing, it becomes possible to share the latest contents of the database with other devices at any time, and exchange function information every time communication is performed. This eliminates the hassle of performing, and enables quick communication of the text according to the partner's ability.

Further, by enabling the function information to be collectively obtained from the e-mail server which performs the distribution process, it is possible to obtain the function information efficiently, eliminating the trouble of exchanging the function information, and improving the partner ability. Combined quick communication of text was enabled.

Further, when an electronic mail is requested to be delivered to an electronic mail server and the electronic mail is delivered, a delivery confirmation is returned when the electronic mail data reaches the delivery server, so that the user is promptly returned to the user. The transmission result can be notified, and in the case of important information, it is possible to select the reply of the delivery confirmation when it is delivered to the delivery destination. became.

[0140]

According to the present invention, in an electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus capable of communicating in the form of an electronic mail, the connection form of the Internet and the installation state of the electronic mail server in each of the transmitting and receiving apparatuses are changed. In response, by providing a database of information related to the communication partner and function information by the optimal means, image data communication equivalent to facsimile communication using a public line network is realized on e-mail communication, Each time, the trouble of exchanging the function information is eliminated, and it is possible to perform quick communication according to the partner ability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an electronic mail / facsimile exchange device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of connection of an electronic mail / facsimile exchange device to the Internet.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of connection of an electronic mail / facsimile exchange device to the Internet.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of connection of an electronic mail / facsimile exchange device to the Internet.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of e-mail communication with a facsimile image attached.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of e-mail communication with a facsimile image attached.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of e-mail communication to which a facsimile image is attached.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of e-mail communication with a facsimile image attached.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure for creating a database of function information in one-touch button registration of the electronic mail / facsimile exchange apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure when acquiring function information by operating a function information key provided in an operation unit.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure in a case where communication for changing function information is performed to a communication partner registered as a one-touch button or a shortcut button.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a communication management report by the G3 device.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a communication management report by the electronic mail / facsimile machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

100-1 Bus 100-2 CPU 100-3 ROM 100-4 RAM 100-5 Storage memory 100-6 LAN I / F unit 100-7 Line I / F unit 100-8 Reading unit 100-9 Printer unit 100-10 Operation unit 100-11 compression / expansion unit 200-1, 200-2, 200-3, 200-4 P
C 200-5, 200-6 E-mail server 200-7, 200-8 E-mail / facsimile exchange device 200-9, 200-10 IP router 200-11, 200-12 Facsimile device 200-13, 200-14 ISDN / PSTN 200-15 Internet 200-16,200-17 LAN 300-6 Email / Facsimile Switching Device 300-9 Facsimile Device 300-11 ISDN / PSTN 300-13 Internet 300-14 LAN 400-5,400-6 Electronics Mail facsimile switching device 400-9, 400-10 ISDN / PSTN 400-11 Internet 400-12, 400-13 LAN

Continued on front page F-term (reference) 5B089 GA04 GA21 GB01 GB03 HA01 HA02 HA03 HA06 HA10 JA05 JA31 JB03 JB22 KA09 KC22 LA19 5C062 AA02 AA13 AA29 AA30 AA34 AA35 AB38 AB42 AC24 AC28 AC29 AC43 AC51 AE03 AB00 AF00 AF00 BA08 CA14 CA90 CD07 CD21 CD25 CF01 DD01 5K030 GA17 GA20 HA06 HB04 HC02 HC14 HD03 HD06 JT05 9A001 HZ23 JJ12 JJ14 JJ25 JJ27 LL02 LL09

Claims (28)

[Claims] A first connection means for connecting to a local area network and / or a second connection means for connecting to a wide area network; and the first connection means or the second connection means. A first communication unit for transmitting / receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet; and a database holding information relating to function information, wherein the first communication unit transmits the e-mail data with image data attached thereto. A communication device for performing communication. 2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising second communication means for performing facsimile communication by connecting to a wide area network by said second connection means. 3. An electronic mail address registering function for registering an address of a communication partner, and when an electronic mail address using the first communication means is registered in the electronic mail address registering function, The communication relating to the function information is performed with the partner device registered in the e-mail address registration function, and the registration or update of the function information is performed for the item of the database corresponding to the registered e-mail address. Item 2. The communication device according to item 1. 4. The electronic mail address registering function according to claim 1, wherein the electronic mail address registration function registers the electronic mail address according to whether the connection mode with the first communication means is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection via the wide area network. 4. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein whether to perform communication relating to the function information with the communication partner device registered in the registration function can be individually set. 5. The electronic mail address registering function according to claim 1, wherein the electronic mail address registration function is registered according to a connection mode with the first communication unit, which is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection via the wide area network. Communication with the communication partner machine registered in the registration function is performed with respect to the function information, and if the function information of the communication partner machine cannot be obtained, the function information corresponding to the most standard of the image data standards is The communication device according to claim 3, wherein registration is performed. 6. A device for transferring the contents of a database to another communication partner device, wherein the means is capable of transferring the contents registered in the database to the other communication partner device each time the database is updated or at an arbitrary timing. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the communication is notified. 7. A means for transferring the contents of the database to an e-mail server which performs a process of distributing e-mail data addressed to the connected communication partner, and updates the database of the communication partner. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein information registered in the database is notified to the electronic mail server at an arbitrary timing. 8. A first connection means for connecting to a local area network and / or a second connection means for connecting to a wide area network, and the first connection means or the second connection means. A first communication unit for transmitting / receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet; and a database holding information relating to function information, wherein the first communication unit transmits the e-mail data with image data attached thereto. A communication system comprising a plurality of communication devices for performing communication, wherein the database relating to the function information from the e-mail server performs a distribution process of e-mail data addressed to the plurality of communication devices connected to the plurality of communication devices. By updating the database of the communication device based on the information of the broadcast communication, the data between the plurality of communication devices is updated. Communication system, characterized in that share over scan contents. 9. The communication system according to claim 8, further comprising second communication means for performing facsimile communication by connecting to a wide area network by said second connection means. 10. When the electronic mail server distributes electronic mail data with facsimile image data attached to the connected communication device, the electronic mail server is connected after completion of data reception by the electronic mail server. It is possible to switch between returning a delivery confirmation without distributing the e-mail data with the facsimile information attached to the communication device or returning a delivery confirmation after delivery processing to the communication device. The communication system according to claim 8, characterized in that: 11. A first communication unit for transmitting and receiving electronic mail data by connecting to the Internet, a unit for specifying an image format such as a resolution of image data,
Means for requesting the function information of the communication partner regarding the format of the specified image, and does not request the function information of the communication partner when the function information of the communication partner is grasped. A communication device, characterized in that: 12. A communication means for transmitting and receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet, a second communication means for performing facsimile communication by connecting to a wide area network, and information on function information. A communication device comprising: a database for storing e-mail data to which image data is attached in the first communication means. 13. A computer that executes a first communication procedure for transmitting and receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet and a second communication procedure for performing facsimile communication by connecting to a wide area network. A computer-readable program that stores a program that is stored in a database that stores information related to function information, and that is executed by a computer to perform communication of e-mail data attached to image data in the first communication procedure. Storage medium. 14. A program for causing a computer to execute an e-mail address registration function for registering an address of a communication partner, and when the e-mail address is registered in the e-mail address registration function, the e-mail A program that performs communication related to function information with a communication partner device registered in the address registration function, and causes a computer to execute registration or update of the function information for an item of the database corresponding to the registered e-mail address. 14. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein is stored. 15. When registering the e-mail address registration function, the e-mail address registration function registers the e-mail address registration function according to whether the connection form with the Internet is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection via a wide area network. 15. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein a program to be executed by a computer is stored so that whether or not to perform function information communication with a communication partner device can be individually set. 16. The registration of the e-mail address registration function according to whether the connection mode with the Internet is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection via a wide area network is registered in the e-mail address registration function. Communicates the function information with the partner machine, and if the function information of the partner machine cannot be obtained, executes the computer to register the function information corresponding to the most standard of the image data standards 15. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein a program for causing the computer to execute the program is stored. 17. A program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for transferring the contents of the database to a communication partner machine, and stores information registered in the database at another database update or at an arbitrary timing in another communication partner machine. 14. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein a program for causing a computer to execute the notification is stored. 18. A program for causing a computer to execute a procedure capable of transferring the contents of the database to an e-mail server which performs distribution processing of e-mail data addressed to a connected communication partner machine, 14. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein a program for causing a computer to execute the information registered in the database to the e-mail server every time the database of the partner machine is updated or at an arbitrary timing is stored. Possible storage medium. 19. First communication means for transmitting and receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet, second communication means for performing facsimile communication by connecting to a wide area network, and information on function information. A communication device comprising: a communication device for performing communication of e-mail data with image data attached in the first communication means, wherein the plurality of communication devices are connected by a plurality of the communication devices. By updating the database of the communication device based on the information of the broadcast communication of the database related to the function information from the e-mail server that performs the distribution processing of the e-mail data addressed to the device, the communication between the plurality of communication devices can be performed. A communication system for sharing database contents. 20. When the electronic mail server distributes electronic mail data with facsimile image data attached to the connected communication device, the electronic mail server is connected to the communication device after the completion of the data reception by the electronic mail server. It is possible to switch between returning a delivery confirmation without distributing the e-mail data with the facsimile information attached to the device or returning a delivery confirmation after delivery processing to the communication device. The communication system according to claim 19, wherein: 21. A first communication procedure for transmitting and receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet, a procedure for specifying an image format such as a resolution of image data,
And a program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for requesting the function information of the other party regarding the format of the specified image. If the function information of the other party is grasped, the function information of the other party is requested. A computer-readable storage medium that stores a program to be executed by a computer so that the program is not executed. 22. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the wide area network is PSTN or ISDN. 23. The communication system according to claim 8, wherein said wide area network is PSTN or ISDN. 24. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein the wide area network is PSTN or ISDN. 25. A communication method for transmitting / receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet, wherein an image format such as a resolution of image data is designated, and a request for function information of a communication partner regarding the designated image format is requested. A communication method characterized by not requesting the function information of the communication partner when the function information of the communication partner is grasped. 26. A communication method for transmitting and receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet, wherein when an e-mail address is registered in an e-mail address registration function, the e-mail address is registered in the e-mail address registration function. A communication method comprising: performing communication relating to function information with a communication partner device; and registering or updating the function information in an item of the database corresponding to a registered e-mail address. 27. The connection form with the Internet,
Depending on whether the connection is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection via a wide area network, when registering the e-mail address registration function, whether to perform communication regarding function information with a communication partner registered in the e-mail address registration function 27. The communication method according to claim 26, wherein whether or not the communication can be set individually can be set. 28. The connection form with the Internet,
Depending on whether it is a dial-up connection or a dedicated line connection via a wide area network, when registering the e-mail address registration function, perform communication relating to function information with a communication partner registered in the e-mail address registration function, 27. The communication method according to claim 26, wherein when the function information of the communication partner device cannot be obtained, the function information corresponding to the most standard of the image data standards is registered.