JP2000155724A - Electronic mail device and electronic mail communicating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To e-mail image data to a destination address through easy operation. SOLUTION: At a step S31, a document is placed on a scanner and a start button is pressed. At a step S32, an image is inputted from the scanner. At a step S33, a prescribed position of the inputted image is analyzed and a character recognition part recognizes the characters of a destination. For deciding prescribed positions, a cover sheet dedicated to the device is generated and the position where the destination is written is predetermined. At a step S34, the image data are e-mailed to the recognized destination. Consequently, the destination address is inputted without operating alphabet keys on a panel.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic mail apparatus and an electronic mail communication method capable of transmitting and receiving image data by a simple operation similar to a facsimile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, facsimile devices have been widely used by almost all companies as devices capable of transmitting and receiving images by simple operations. However, it is not known whether the transmitted image has reached the intended person, anyone can read the received manuscript, and when sending to foreign countries with poor line conditions, it is necessary to resend each time it fails Such problems have not been solved, and some people who use facsimile tend to give up.

[0003] On the other hand, the Internet, which is a worldwide network, is rapidly growing at present, and the number of people who use e-mail using the Internet is also increasing rapidly, mainly at companies. The electronic mail is transmitted and received using a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a PC) or a workstation (hereinafter, referred to as a WS) belonging to an individual, and does not have the facsimile problem described above. Regarding errors, data errors are basically eliminated by the reliable protocol TCP / IP.

[0004] However, data transmitted and received by e-mail is mainly character codes input from a keyboard, and image data is not yet general. The reason may be that it takes time and effort to convert the image data into a format that can be transmitted as an e-mail. That is, the operability for transmitting image data as e-mail is poor.

In order to improve operability, a facsimile apparatus using electronic mail is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-1.
No. 72348, for example.

FIG. 28 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional facsimile apparatus using electronic mail. Reference numeral 101 denotes a CPU, which controls the apparatus. A ROM 102 stores a program. 103 is a RAM,
Used for program data. Reference numeral 104 denotes a modem unit connected to a telephone line. A printer unit 105 prints image data. A scanner unit 106 reads an image. Reference numeral 107 denotes a panel unit for instructing image reading, inputting identification information of a sender,
Enter the recipient identification information. A compression / decompression unit 108 compresses or decompresses image data. 109
Is a computer I / F unit, which is connected to a host computer and sends and receives e-mails.

[0007] The operation for facsimile transmission will be described below. A document is placed on the scanner unit 106, a destination telephone number and a sender identification code are input from the panel unit 107, and a start button is pressed. The scanner unit 106
The image is read, the image data is compressed by the compression / decompression unit 108, and the image data is transmitted to the destination from the telephone line through the modem unit 104 in a facsimile procedure.
The transmission result is transmitted from the computer I / F unit 109 to the sender's terminal via the host computer as a character-code electronic mail.

Next, the operation when a facsimile original is received will be described. First, the receiver inputs user identification information from the panel unit 107 in advance,
To memorize it. When the facsimile original is received via the modem unit 104 and the destination information is sent in the facsimile procedure, it is checked whether the destination information matches the user identification information stored in the RAM 103, If they match, the user's terminal is notified by e-mail via the computer I / F unit 109 that the facsimile document has been received. The received facsimile image data is printed by the printer unit 105.

[0009]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, although it is notified that the facsimile document has been received by the partner terminal, it is not known whether the transmitted facsimile data actually reaches the intended person. If there is no facsimile with the above configuration on both the sending side and the receiving side, the destination cannot be confirmed in the facsimile procedure, the intended recipient is not notified that the facsimile data has been received, and the facsimile data itself Since communication is performed using the facsimile procedure, there has been a problem that communication with foreign countries having poor line conditions may not be reliable.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to provide an e-mail apparatus and an e-mail communication method which can transmit image data by e-mail via a computer network and have excellent operability. And

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a means for reading an original and converting it into image data; a means for compressing the read image data; To an e-mail format, a means for recognizing a destination address of the e-mail written in a predetermined position of the image data, and the format-converted image data for the recognized destination e-mail address. Means for transmitting to an e-mail capable network.

With this configuration, the image data can be transmitted by e-mail via the computer network, and the destination address of the e-mail written at a predetermined position of the image data can be recognized. The destination address can be input without key input.

[0013] The electronic mail apparatus of the present invention includes a means for receiving image data transmitted to the electronic mail, a means for converting the image data from an electronic mail format to a facsimile format, and the format-converted image. The apparatus may further include means for expanding data, and means for printing the expanded image data.

[0014] The apparatus may further comprise means for inputting an arbitrary e-mail address of the sender as a source address of the e-mail, and notifying the source address when the transmission fails.

[0015] In the case where a means for receiving an e-mail is provided, a means for transmitting a confirmation e-mail indicating that the e-mail of the sender has arrived may be further provided when the e-mail is received.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a step of reading an original and converting it into image data, a step of compressing the read image data, and a step of converting the compressed image data into an electronic mail format. And recognizing the destination address of the e-mail written at a predetermined position in the image data. Transmitting the electronic mail.

According to this method, the image data can be transmitted by e-mail via the computer network, and the destination address of the e-mail written at a predetermined position of the image data can be recognized. The destination address can be input without key input.

In the e-mail communication method according to the present invention, image data transmitted by e-mail is received, the image data is converted from an e-mail format to a facsimile format, and the format-converted image data is decompressed. Then, the decompressed image data may be printed.

Further, an arbitrary e-mail address of the sender may be input as a source address of the e-mail, and when the transmission fails, the source address may be notified to that effect.

When receiving an e-mail, a confirmation e-mail indicating that the e-mail of the sender has arrived may be transmitted when the e-mail is received.

[0021]

(First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic mail device capable of transmitting image data by a simple operation similar to a facsimile. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a CPU, which controls the apparatus. Reference numeral 2 denotes a ROM in which a program is stored.
Reference numeral 3 denotes a RAM which is used for program data. An external storage unit 4 such as a hard disk stores compressed image data. A format conversion unit 5 converts the compressed image data into an e-mail format. A scanner unit 6 reads an image. Reference numeral 7 denotes a panel unit for instructing reading of an image and inputting an e-mail address. 8 is compression
The decompression unit compresses the read image data or decompresses the transmitted image data. 9 is L
The AN control unit is connected to a LAN (local area network) and transmits and receives e-mail data of the Internet.

FIG. 2 shows a flow when transmitting image data in the present embodiment. First, in step S1,
The original is set on the scanner unit 6, the destination (alphanumeric) of the e-mail is input from the panel unit 7, and the start button is pressed. Next, in step S2, the original set in the scanner unit 6 is input as image data, and in step S3,
The data is compressed by the compression / decompression unit 8 and stored in the external storage unit 4. At this time, if the document includes a plurality of pages, the plurality of pages are stored in the external storage unit 4 as one file.
Next, in step S4, the stored image data is converted into an e-mail format by the format conversion unit 5 and stored in the external storage unit 4. Then, in step S5, the format-converted image data is L
It is transmitted to the destination as an electronic mail by the AN control unit 9.

FIG. 3 shows a method of converting image data into an electronic mail format. The image data read from the scanner unit 6 and compressed by the compression / decompression unit 8 is binary image data 21 and cannot be transmitted as e-mail on the Internet as it is.
Internet e-mail only allows 7-bit character codes in the transmission procedure. Therefore, the binary image data is converted into a 7-bit character code to create text-coded image data 22. Thereafter, a header 23 containing at least a destination, a transmission source, a data format, and a character code conversion method is added to the data.

The conversion method to character codes and the format of the header are MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension).
sions) follow Internet email standards called sions. Therefore, if the terminal has an electronic mail program that supports MIME, the image data can be transmitted as electronic mail from this apparatus.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, image data can be transmitted as e-mail by a simple operation similar to facsimile. Therefore, the image data can be transmitted to an individual and cannot be seen by anyone other than the person who intended the transmitted data, and the reliability of data communication with foreign countries can be improved.

(Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a format reverse conversion unit 10 for converting image data of an e-mail into a printable form, and printing of the format reverse converted image data are added to the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Printer unit 11 is added.

FIG. 5 shows a flow when receiving image data in the present embodiment. First, step S11
Then, the image data of the electronic mail is received from the LAN control unit 9 and is temporarily stored in the external storage unit 4. Next, step S
In step 12, the image data of the e-mail is converted into a facsimile format by the format reverse conversion unit 10, and in step S13, the data is decompressed by the compression / decompression unit 8 and stored in the external storage unit 4. Then, in step S14, the stored image data is printed by the printer unit 11.

The reverse format conversion follows a procedure reverse to the method of converting the image data shown in FIG. 3 into the electronic mail format. First, it is confirmed from the header 23 that the e-mail is image data. If it is not image data, an error notification e-mail is sent to the sender. Next, the text-coded image data 22 is converted into binary image data 21.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, even a person who does not have a personal address of an electronic mail,
Image data can be received.

(Embodiment 3) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a font unit 12 for converting character code data into image data is added to the configuration of the second embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 shows a flow when printing character code data in the present embodiment. First, step S21
Then, the LAN control unit 9 determines whether the received electronic mail is character code data or image data by analyzing the data format of the data header. MIM
In E, the format of the data is described after Content-Type :, image / tiff is described for image data, and text / plain is described for character code data. Next, in step S22, the received character code data is decompressed by the compression / decompression unit 8 and stored in the external storage unit 4, and then expanded into image data by the font unit 12. In step S23, the expanded image data is printed. I do. When character code data is transmitted, it is performed in the same manner as a normal electronic mail.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the present apparatus can be used as the original apparatus of the electronic mail, and no error occurs even if the electronic mail of the character code data is transmitted to the present apparatus.

(Embodiment 4) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a character recognition unit 13 is added to the configuration of the third embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 shows a flow when characters are recognized in the destination according to the present embodiment. First, in step S31, the document is placed on the scanner section 6 and the start button is pressed. Next, in step S32, an image is input from the scanner unit 6.
Next, in step S32, a predetermined position of the input image is analyzed, and the destination is character-recognized by the character recognition unit 13. To determine the predetermined position, a cover sheet dedicated to the apparatus is created, and the position where the destination is to be written is determined in advance. Then, in step S34, the image data is transmitted as an e-mail to the recognized destination.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to input a destination address without inputting alphabetical keys from the panel unit 7.

(Embodiment 5) Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The configuration of the e-mail device is the same as that of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 shows a flow when the source address is input in the present embodiment. First, step S4
In step 1, a destination address is input as in the first or fourth embodiment. Next, in step S42, the source button is pressed,
Enter the source address. Next, in step S43, the start button is pressed, and the subsequent flow transmits the image data in the same manner as in FIG. 1 (steps S44 to S4).
6). As the source address, the e-mail address of the PC or WS usually located at the sender's seat is input. Therefore, if the transmission of the e-mail fails, the failure notification e-mail can be received by the PC or WS at the user's seat, similarly to the conventional e-mail apparatus.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, when transmission fails, a non-delivery notice can be sent to the sender based on the source address.

(Embodiment 6) Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is obtained by adding an audio input / output unit 14 having a microphone and a receiver and an audio compression / expansion unit 15 for compressing or expanding digital audio to the configuration of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. It is.

FIG. 12 shows a flow when voice is input and transmitted together with an image in the present embodiment. First, in step S51, a destination is input as in the first or fourth embodiment, and in step S51, a message button on the panel unit 7 is pressed. The message is recorded through the microphone of the voice input / output unit 14 while pressing the message button. The voice is compressed by the voice compression / decompression unit 15 and stored in the external storage unit 4. Next, in step S53, the start button is pressed. In step S54, image data is input from the scanner unit 6. In step S55, the input image data is format-converted and stored in the external storage unit 4. Next, in step S56, the stored image data and audio data are integrated into one mail, and in step S57, the mail is transmitted to the destination. When receiving, the received image data and audio data are decompressed by the compression / decompression units 8 and 15, respectively, and output from the printer unit 11 and the audio input / output unit 14. Note that a method of integrating two different data format files is defined in the above-mentioned MIME.

As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, it is possible to transmit not only image information but also voice-specific information such as transmitting the emotion of the sender.

(Embodiment 7) Next, a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a video input / output unit 16 having a video camera and a CRT and a moving image compression / decompression unit 17 are added to the configuration of the sixth embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 shows a flow in the present embodiment when a moving image is input and transmitted together with an image. First, in step S61, a destination is input as in the first or fourth embodiment. In step S62, a video button on the panel unit 7 is pressed, and a moving image is recorded by the camera of the video input / output unit 16. The recorded moving image is processed by the moving image
It is compressed by the G method and stored in the external storage unit 4. Next, in step S63, the start button is pressed, and in step S6
In step S4, image data is input from the scanner unit 6. In step S65, the input image data is format-converted and stored in the external storage unit 4. Next, step S66
Then, the stored image data and moving image data are integrated into one mail, and transmitted to the destination in step S67. When receiving, the received image data and moving image data are decompressed by the compression / decompression units 8 and 17, respectively, and output from the printer unit 11 and the video input / output unit 16. In addition,
A method of integrating files of two different data formats is specified in the above-mentioned MIME.

As described above, according to the seventh embodiment, moving image information that cannot be expressed as a still image can be transmitted together with image information.

(Eighth Embodiment) Next, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, using the configuration shown in FIG. 8, the LAN control unit 9 analyzes the received e-mail, and the CPU 1 performs a process according to the analysis result.

FIG. 15 shows an example of a format for registering a destination mail address and a source address by electronic mail in the present embodiment. E-mail is roughly divided into a header and a text, and the data format of the text is understood in the header. Content-type: text of header 31 in FIG.
/ plain indicates that the text 32 is character code data. In the present embodiment, the text needs to be character code data. Subj of header 31
ect: !! $ indicates that the text 32 is an instruction. The subject of the e-mail is usually placed after Subject :, so !! $ is a special character code and can be distinguished from the subject.

In the text 32, a sender ID, a list of destination mail addresses, a sender address, and the like are described, and the head of each is defined as! ID,! LIST,! FROM. In this apparatus, the LAN control unit 9 analyzes these character strings at predetermined positions of the received character code data, identifies a sender ID and the like from the defined character codes, and stores them in the CPU 1 for external storage. This is registered in the section 4.

As described above, according to the eighth embodiment, necessary processing can be performed between the apparatus and a terminal such as a PC or WS without the need for a special protocol.

Embodiment 9 Next, a ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, using the configuration shown in FIG. 8, the LAN control unit 9 analyzes the electronic mail of the received character code data, and the CPU 1 registers the sender ID and the destination mail list in association with each other. It is like that.

FIG. 16 shows the flow of the present embodiment. First, in step S71, when the LAN control unit 9 receives the character code data of the e-mail, in step S72, the subject part of the header is analyzed. Next, in step S73,
It is determined whether or not the analysis result is the instruction of the text. If it is determined that the analysis result is the instruction of the text, the process proceeds to step S7.
In step 4, the text is analyzed. Then, in step S75, the CP
U1 registers the sender ID and the destination mail list in the external storage unit 4 in association with each other. If the body is not an instruction, the character data is converted into image data in step S76.
In step S77, the image data is printed.

FIG. 17 shows a flow for selecting a destination from the destination list in this embodiment. First, step S81
Then, the user presses the destination list button on the panel unit 7 and proceeds to step S
When the sender ID is input at 82, a destination list registered by e-mail is displayed on the panel unit 7. Then, in step S83, a destination is selected from the displayed destination list, and when the start button is pressed in step S84, the image data input from the scanner unit 6 is format-converted and transmitted to the destination (steps S85 to S85). S8
7).

As described above, according to the ninth embodiment, a destination electronic mail address list can be easily input for each individual.

(Embodiment 10) Next, the tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, FIG.
Using the configuration shown in (1), the LAN control unit 9 analyzes the received e-mail of the character code data, and causes the CPU 1 to register the sender ID and the source address in the external storage unit 4 in association with each other. The difference from the ninth embodiment is that in FIG. 16, the sender ID and the address of the transmission source are registered in step S75 in FIG. To select the sender address, press the sender button on the panel 7 and enter the sender ID. The registered sender address is displayed on the panel 7, so enter it while looking at it and press the start button. Push.

As described above, according to the tenth embodiment, the e-mail address of the sender (source) can be easily input for each individual.

Embodiment 11 Next, Embodiment 11 of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. This embodiment is a combination of the ninth embodiment and the tenth embodiment, and further, a source address is determined when a destination is selected from a destination list. It is. That is, in FIG. 17, when the sender ID is input in step S82, the corresponding source address is recognized, and when the image data is transmitted, the source address is automatically entered in the header.

As described above, according to the eleventh embodiment, the sender's e-mail address can be input without being conscious of the sender.

Embodiment 12 Next, a twelfth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a modem unit 18 for sending an image in a facsimile procedure is added to the configuration shown in FIG. It is assumed that the modem unit 18 is provided with a handset.

FIG. 19 shows a flow when any one of electronic mail and facsimile is selected and transmitted according to the present embodiment. First, in step S91, the user presses a button for selecting electronic mail or facsimile from the panel unit 7. Next, if it is determined in step S92 that the destination is a facsimile, the destination number is input in step S93 and the start button is pressed. In step S94, an image is input from the scanner unit 6, and in step S95, the facsimile is transmitted to the destination. To send. If it is determined in step S92 that the received fax is not a facsimile, it is transmitted as an e-mail in the same procedure as in FIG. 2 (steps S96 to S99).

As described above, according to the twelfth embodiment, since facsimile transmission can be performed through a telephone line, image data can be transmitted by facsimile when the other party cannot receive an e-mail.

Embodiment 13 Next, a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, FIG.
The configuration shown in FIG. 8 is used to mail a reception notification to a terminal waiting for reception.
Shown in First, after printing an image in the same procedure as in FIG. 5 (steps S101 to S103), step S104 is performed.
If it is determined that there is a reception waiting flag, step S
At 105, a reception notification is transmitted to a terminal registered in advance.

In order to set the reception notification flag, FIG.
Send an e-mail with! RCV SET written in the body according to the format of. To reset the reception notification flag, send an e-mail with! RCV RESET written in the text.

As described above, according to the thirteenth embodiment, it is possible to know at its own terminal that facsimile data has been received.

(Embodiment 14) Next, a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, FIG.
The configuration shown in FIG. 8 is used to transmit a received e-mail in a facsimile procedure, and the flow is shown in FIG. First, in step S110, after receiving the image data, in step S111, the image data is subjected to reverse format conversion.
Parse the header according to the format of
If there is a character string indicating that the image is to be faxed, the subsequent character string is interpreted as the fax number of the destination. If it is determined in step S113 that fax transmission is to be performed, image data is faxed to the above-described fax number in step S114. If the fax transmission is not performed, printing is performed in step S115.

As described above, according to the fourteenth embodiment, image data can be transmitted from an individual terminal to a facsimile.

(Embodiment 15) Next, a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The present embodiment is obtained by adding a world clock section 19 for sending an image to the local time of the world to the configuration shown in FIG. 18, and this world clock section 19 can obtain the local time from the country name. A watch that can do it.

FIG. 23 shows a flow when a timer is transmitted at the time of the destination country in the present embodiment. The difference from normal transmission is that after inputting the destination in step S121,
In step S122, after setting the transmission time according to the time of the transmission destination and pressing the start button to change the format of the input image data (steps S123 to S123).
S125), the country is determined from the destination in step S126, and the destination and the world clock unit 19 are determined in step S127.
To obtain the local time of the country, and transmit the image data when the time matches the set time. The e-mail destination is, for example, toyodaymgcs.mei.c
It looks like o.jp, and the last jp represents Japan. In this way, the country is identified by the last character string.

As described above, according to the fifteenth embodiment, the sender can perform timer transmission in local time without having to calculate the local time in each country in the world.

(Embodiment 16) Next, a sixteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, FIG.
8 has a plurality of e-mail addresses in its own device using the configuration shown in FIG.
It is shown in FIG. After receiving the image data and performing reverse format conversion (steps S131 and S132), step S131 is performed.
At 133, the image data is stored in the box for each destination created in the external storage unit 4. The box is associated with an ID and a password input by the owner in advance, and the ID and the password of the owner for each destination are required to extract the contents of the box. And step S13
In step 4, the owner's ID and password are entered, and if they are accepted, the contents are printed in step S135. These processes are executed based on a program stored in the ROM 2.

As described above, according to the sixteenth embodiment, even a person who does not have a terminal for receiving electronic mail can manage received data for each individual.

(Embodiment 17) Next, the seventeenth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, FIG.
The configuration shown in FIG. 8 is used to add a cover sheet on the receiving side, and the flow is different from FIG. 24 in that step S134 is eliminated and step S135 is omitted.
Is to add a cover sheet for each owner. The cover sheet is stored in the external storage unit 4 in advance by the owner.
An e-mail including an instruction to read in the box of the owner from the scanner unit 6 or to register the cover sheet is transmitted to the apparatus and registered.

As described above, according to the seventeenth embodiment, it is possible for the sender of this apparatus to know to whom the data is received without attaching a cover sheet.

Embodiment 18 Next, an eighteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, FIG.
The configuration shown in FIG. 25 is used to return a confirmation mail indicating that this apparatus has received the message to the sender.
Shows the flow. After receiving the image data and converting it to the reverse format and printing it (steps S141 to S141)
143) In step S144, an e-mail confirming the reception is transmitted to the e-mail address of the sender of the header. In the confirmation mail, a character string indicating that the mail has been received, the mail address of the apparatus, the company name, and the like are described. These processes are executed based on a program stored in the ROM 2.

As described above, according to the eighteenth embodiment, it can be understood that the sender of the present apparatus has received an e-mail to the present apparatus.

(Nineteenth Embodiment) Next, a nineteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, FIG.
The configuration shown in FIG. 8 is used to transmit a confirmation mail to the sender to the effect that the receiver has received the data, and FIG. 26 shows the flow. After receiving the image data and performing reverse format conversion (steps S151 and S151)
152), in step S153, the reception ID is described in the image data. The reception ID is generated based on a date and time that are unique for one year. Next, step S
At 154, the receiver I receives the reception I described in the image data.
When D is input, in step S155, the address of the sender of the image data corresponding to the reception ID is interpreted from the header, and a confirmation mail is transmitted to the sender.

As described above, according to the nineteenth embodiment, it is understood that the e-mail has arrived at the intended individual of the sender of the apparatus.

(Embodiment 20) Next, the twentieth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
An embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, FIG.
The transmission failure is printed by using the configuration shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. 27 shows the flow. In step S161, character code data is received.
At 162, the From line of the header of the received mail, that is, the address of the sender is analyzed. If it is determined at step S163 that the address is the address of the own device, at step S164, a message indicating that the transmission has failed is printed. For emails other than your own device,
In step S165, the character data is converted into image data, and in step S166, the contents are printed.

When the transmission of the received electronic mail has failed, the fact may be printed and the first page of the image data may be output.

As described above, according to the twentieth embodiment, it can be easily recognized that an error has occurred in the image data transmitted from the apparatus, even by a person who has never handled electronic mail.

In the second to twentieth embodiments, the character code received by e-mail is
The CRT can be used for displaying a moving image. Further, the present apparatus can be configured by variously combining the first to twentieth embodiments.

As is clear from the above embodiments, the e-mail apparatus according to the present invention converts image data obtained by reading a document into an e-mail format, transmits the image data over a network, and receives the image data in reverse. After converting the electronic format to facsimile format,
Since the printer is used for printing, this device is connected to a network that allows e-mail, and image data can be sent to the other party simply by scanning the original, just like a conventional facsimile machine. When receiving the image data, the image data can be received simply by keeping the device in the operating state. In addition, it is possible to solve the problem that it is difficult to determine whether the message has reached the transmission destination as in the conventional facsimile machine, that the message is read by another person, or that a communication error occurs.

The present invention also enables both transmission and reception of image data by e-mail via a network and transmission and reception of image data by facsimile via a telephone line. It can be transmitted by e-mail, or by a facsimile apparatus when the transmission destination is a facsimile apparatus. Further, the received e-mail can be transmitted by a facsimile device, or the received facsimile can be received by e-mail.

[0082]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the scanned image data is sent by e-mail to the destination address, the destination address of the e-mail written in the predetermined position of the image data is recognized, so there is no need to enter the alphabet key from the panel. You can enter the destination address.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic mail device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart when image data is transmitted according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a method for converting image data into an email format according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic mail device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart when image data is received according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic mail device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for printing character code data according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic mail device according to fourth, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for character recognition of a destination according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart when a source address is input according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic mail device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for transmitting a voice and inputting an image together according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic mail device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart when a moving image is input and an image is transmitted together according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a data configuration diagram showing an example of registration of a destination mail address and a source address by an electronic mail address according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart for analyzing an electronic mail of received character code data in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart for selecting a destination from a destination list in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 18 shows a twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, sixteenth,
Schematic block diagram of an e-mail device according to the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth embodiments

FIG. 19 is a flowchart for selecting and transmitting an electronic mail and a facsimile according to the twelfth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart for mailing a reception notification to a terminal waiting for reception according to the thirteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart for transmitting a received mail by facsimile according to the fourteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic mail device according to a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart for timer transmission at the time of the destination country in the fifteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart for receiving image data when the own apparatus has a plurality of e-mail addresses in the sixteenth and seventeenth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart for returning a confirmation mail to the sender to the effect that the reception has been made in the eighteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a flow chart when the receiver returns a confirmation mail indicating that the data has been received to the sender in the eighteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart for printing a message indicating transmission failure in the twentieth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional facsimile apparatus using electronic mail.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 CPU 2 ROM 3 RAM 4 External storage unit 5 Format conversion unit 6 Scanner unit 7 Panel unit 8 Compression / decompression unit 9 LAN control unit 10 Format reverse conversion unit 11 Printer unit 12 Font unit 13 Character recognition unit 14 Voice input / output unit 15 Audio compression / decompression section 16 Video input / output section 17 Video compression / decompression section 18 Modem section 19 World clock section

Claims (8)

[Claims] A means for reading a document and converting the image data into image data; a means for compressing the read image data; a means for converting the compressed image data into an electronic mail format; Means for recognizing the destination address of the e-mail entered in the location, and means for transmitting the format-converted image data to the e-mail-capable network with respect to the recognized destination e-mail address. E-mail device characterized. 2. A means for receiving image data transmitted to an e-mail, a means for converting the image data from an e-mail format to a facsimile format, and a means for expanding the format-converted image data. 2. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for printing the decompressed image data. 3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of inputting an arbitrary e-mail address of the sender as a source address of the e-mail, and notifying the source address when the transmission fails. The electronic mail device according to claim 1. 4. The e-mail apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising means for transmitting a confirmation e-mail indicating that the e-mail of the sender has arrived when the e-mail is received. 5. A step of reading a document and converting it into image data; a step of compressing the read image data; a step of converting the compressed image data into an e-mail format; Recognizing the destination address of the e-mail written in the e-mail, and transmitting the format-converted image data to the recognized e-mail address to a network capable of e-mail. Email communication method. 6. A step of receiving image data transmitted by e-mail, a step of converting the image data from an e-mail format to a facsimile format, and a step of decompressing the format-converted image data. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: printing the decompressed image data. 7. Entering an arbitrary e-mail address of the sender as a source address of the e-mail;
6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of notifying the source address when the transmission has failed. 8. The e-mail communication method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of transmitting an e-mail confirming that the sender's e-mail has arrived when the e-mail is received.