JPH1028179A - Data communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a data communication equipment where data communication or facsimile communication is automatically selected by previously registering a communication means owned by an opposite party and automatically executing selection at the transmission. SOLUTION: An input part 4 previously stores a personal computer and a document preparing application program which are owned by the opposite party in a storage part 3. When a document file generated by the document preparing application program is transmitted, the input part 3 is operated and the name of the opposite party is designated. Then, CPU 1 retrieves a reception side user information file which is stored in the storage part 3 and identifies the communication means owned by the opposite party. When the opposite party is a user without having a data communication function, a transmission document is converted into the one for facsimile data, the facsimile number of the opposite party is dialled with a modem 6 and facsimile transmission is executed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data communication apparatus having a function of automatically selecting and communicating data communication or facsimile communication as communication means in a data communication function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, personal computers (hereinafter referred to as P
The communication function is being enhanced, and a PC modem (hereinafter abbreviated as “modem”) having both functions of data communication and facsimile communication has become widespread, and a user can connect his / her own PC to the modem. And perform facsimile communication and data communication.

As a basic application program of a PC, there is a tool generally called an address book. In other words, it is a tool that registers and manages information such as the name, address, facsimile number and data communication ID of the other party who communicates, and the user can use it to register and manage the facsimile number of the other party every time sending And data communication or facsimile communication can be performed with one touch without inputting a data communication ID.

As a means for creating a document on a PC, for example, in Japan, document creation applications (hereinafter abbreviated as applications) such as Ichitaro (Just Systems) and MS-WORD (Microsoft Corporation, USA) have been widespread.
When documents created using these applications are stored in a storage device, such as a hard disk of a PC, an extension determined for each application is added to a file name or a resource including file information is generated. Is done.

[0005]

The document creation application is a PC OS (operating system: for example, Macintosh of Apple Inc. or Windows of Microsoft Corporation, USA).
Etc.), except for some applications,
There is no data compatibility.

Therefore, when transmitting a document created using these applications, even if the other party has a data communication function, the other party owns an application that is data compatible with the application that created the document. Otherwise, you will not be able to see the contents of the sent document.

[0007] Therefore, when transmitting a document created using its own application, the user on the transmission side can perform data communication if the other party has an application that can handle the document file, or can use the other user having an application that is not file compatible. If this is the case, communication means must be selected every time a document file is transmitted, such as facsimile communication, which is inconvenient.

[0008] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-288634 discloses that an index for determining whether to perform facsimile communication or data communication depending on whether a destination is a facsimile or a personal computer is disclosed in a telephone directory. Have been. However, some personal computers have only a data communication function, and some have a facsimile communication function together with the data communication function. Even if the data in the phone book specifies data communication because the other party has a data communication function, the problem is whether the other party's personal computer has an application that can handle the document file to be sent. Becomes If the other party does not have an application that can handle the document file to be transmitted, even if the data communication is performed in accordance with the data communication index in the telephone directory, the content cannot be viewed by the other party, so that it becomes useless.

The present invention has been made in view of the above prior art, and automatically selects data communication or facsimile communication depending on whether or not an application capable of handling a document file to be transmitted by a destination personal computer is provided. It is an object to provide a data communication device.

[0010]

In order to achieve this object, a data communication apparatus according to the present invention has a function capable of registering a PC and an application owned by a partner in advance in an address book tool of a personal computer. When transmitting a document file by referring to the address book, the PC and application used by the destination are compared with the storage format of the document file to be transmitted, and the PC and application owned by the destination are transmitted to the document file. If the data does not match the data storage format, data communication is performed. If the data does not match, a document file is transmitted by facsimile communication.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention provides a means for registering a personal computer and a document creation application program owned by a destination in advance, and a method of referring to the address book to use the destination. Means for comparing the form of the document file to be transmitted with the personal computer and the document creation application program, and judging whether or not they match, and if so, data communication as communication means. Control means for selecting facsimile communication when there is no such file, and transmitting it to the other party. With this configuration, the user does not need to select a communication method each time a document file is transmitted, and the document transmission work is not required. Efficiency can be increased.

(Embodiment 1) An embodiment of a data communication apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a CPU, which controls execution of an application for operating the data communication apparatus and the entire apparatus. Reference numeral 2 denotes a memory into which an application program and data are loaded, for example, when an application for operating the data communication apparatus is executed. Reference numeral 3 denotes a storage unit that stores a document file, a database, an application program for performing the operation of the present embodiment, and the like.

4 is an input unit such as a keyboard or a mouse;
Reference numeral 5 denotes a display unit having a CRT or the like. Reference numeral 6 denotes a modem for performing data and facsimile communication via the telephone line 7.

FIG. 1 shows the related operation of each component.
Functional block diagram showing the configuration of the data communication device of FIG.
Will be described with reference to a flowchart showing the document file automatic transmission process of the data communication device.

First, the user executes an application program called an address book in advance, and communicates with the name, address, facsimile number and data communication ID of the communication partner.
Etc., and PCs owned by the other party along with these
The type of personal computer and the destination is PC
The user operates the input unit 4 while viewing the display unit 5 to register the type of the document creation application running inside.

These data are stored in the storage unit 3 as a user information file on the receiving side divided for each registered communication partner, and each time the address book is started, the storage unit 3
Loaded from. It is not necessary to reset the data in the reception-side user information file unless the data is set once and destroyed for some reason (S1).

A document file created by a user using a document creation application program is
When sending to a destination registered in the address book, the address book program is started, and the input unit 3 such as a keyboard or a mouse is operated to specify the name of the destination (S
2).

When the name of the other party is specified by the user, the receiving user information file is first searched from the database, and communication means that can be used by the other user is identified based on facsimile number information or data communication ID information. (S3).

If the destination user does not have a data communication function, the transmission document is converted into facsimile data (S4), the facsimile number of the destination is dialed via the modem 6, and facsimile transmission is performed (step S4). S5).

If both the facsimile number and the data communication ID information are registered in the receiving-side user information file, it is first checked whether data communication is possible. In other words, the type of the PC and the type of the document creation application owned by the other party are searched from the database, and the storage form of the document that the transmitting side intends to transmit from now on, and the compatibility between the type of the other party's PC and the document creation application It is identified (S6).

If the storage format of the document to be transmitted is not compatible with the PC and the document creation application owned by the other party, the document is converted into facsimile data (S4), and facsimile transmission is performed (S5).

On the other hand, if the storage format of the document to be transmitted is compatible with the PC and the document creation application owned by the other party, the document to be transmitted via the modem 6 is subjected to data communication as it is (S
7).

As described above, when both the facsimile number of the destination user and the ID information for data communication are registered in the database, it is first checked whether or not data communication is possible, and the data communication is possible. If so, the document is transmitted by data communication. On the other hand, if data communication is not possible, facsimile transmission is performed. Even when only the facsimile number of the destination user is registered in the receiving-side user information file, even if the facsimile number of the destination user is registered, the ITU-T Recommendation T.30 is used. By applying the binary file transfer function of facsimile communication defined in 434, the storage form of the document to be transmitted and the compatibility with the PC and document creation application owned by the other party are identified, and the compatibility is determined. For example, a document to be transmitted can be directly transmitted as document data to the other party.

In the data communication device of the present invention, a modem 6
In addition, if there is a network board and an application with an e-mail function as communication means and the address of the destination e-mail is registered in the address book, the storage format of the document to be sent and the possession of the other party The compatibility of the document with the PC and the document creation application is identified, and if there is such a compatibility, the document to be transmitted can be directly sent as document data to the other party by e-mail.

According to such an embodiment, the user does not need to select a communication means every time a document file is transmitted, and the efficiency of the document transmission operation can be improved.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, a user registers a PC and an application owned by a partner in an address book in advance, and refers to the address book to transmit a document file, thereby enabling the partner to use the file. PC
And the application and the storage format of the document file to be transmitted are compared. If the storage format of the document file transmitted by the PC and the application owned by the other party matches, the data communication is performed. Can be transmitted by facsimile communication, and the user does not need to select a communication method every time a document file is transmitted, and the efficiency of document transmission work can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a data communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a document file automatic transmission process of the data communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 CPU 2 Memory 3 Storage part 4 Input part 5 Display part 6 Modem

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A means for registering a personal computer and a document creation application program owned by a partner in advance, and a document file to be transmitted to a personal computer and a document creation application program used by the partner with reference to the address book. And a data communication device as a communication means if the data is matched, and a facsimile communication if the data is not matched and transmitted to the other party. A data communication device comprising control means. 2. An application program having a network board and an e-mail function as communication means, means for registering a personal computer and a document creation application program owned by the other party in advance, and the address of the other party's e-mail in the address book. Determining means for determining whether or not the storage form of the document to be transmitted when registered is compatible with the personal computer and the document creation application program owned by the other party; A data communication apparatus comprising: a control unit that transmits document data as it is to a partner by e-mail and selects facsimile communication when there is no compatibility.