JP2000295403A - Network facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide network facsimile equipment, with which even a user being out can know the reception of facsimile data with a portable terminal or the like. SOLUTION: A box table 12 correspondingly holds information on the destination to distribute and mail addresses. When information on the destination to distribute and facsimile data are received from other facsimile equipment 2 through a public line 3, a communication control part 11 acquires the mail address corresponding to the destination to distribute from the box table 12 and transmits the mail of reception information, showing the reception of the facsimile data to the mail address. By receiving the mail of the reception notice by connecting a LAN 7 from a portable terminal 8 via the public line 3 even at the destination to visit, for example, the reception of facsimile data can be known.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network facsimile apparatus capable of performing facsimile communication with another facsimile apparatus using a public line and connecting to another network such as a LAN.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, network facsimile apparatuses have been developed which can be connected to a public line as well as to other networks such as a LAN as in the past. By using this network facsimile apparatus, image information can be transmitted from a device such as a computer connected to a network such as a LAN to another facsimile apparatus. A device connected to another network such as a LAN (hereinafter, referred to as a client device) can share and use the network facsimile device.

A facsimile apparatus used in such a shared environment receives facsimile data addressed to many users via a public line. In order to classify facsimile data addressed to a large number of users in this way, and to separately handle, for example, facsimile data having confidentiality, a reception box is provided for each predetermined unit, such as a certain user or a group of users, and a reception box is provided. A function has been developed to classify the received facsimile data into an inbox according to the designation. These receiving boxes are specified by, for example, an ITU-T subaddress (SID / SUB signal) sent from the transmitting side to the receiving side during a handshake at the start of communication. When the receiving box is designated, the received facsimile data is not printed out but stored in the designated receiving box. The facsimile data stored in the reception box can be printed out or transmitted to a client device on the LAN by inputting a specific passcode or the like. Such a function has become widespread, for example, as an F-code confidential reception function.

As described above, when the received facsimile data is stored in the reception box, a reception notification indicating that the data has been received is printed out. However, users who are away from the network facsimile machine or who are out of the office receive the facsimile data,
There was a problem that it was not possible to know what was stored in the inbox.

On the other hand, in a network facsimile apparatus which can be connected to another network such as a LAN as described above, facsimile data received from a public line is transmitted to a LAN.
It can be delivered to other communication devices inside and outside, for example, as an attached file of e-mail. By using this function, for example, a user who is away from the network facsimile apparatus can receive facsimile data received by the network facsimile apparatus at a client apparatus operated by the user. However, since facsimile data has a large data amount, it is difficult for portable terminals and the like to receive facsimile data. Therefore, it is impossible for a user who is out of the office using a portable terminal or the like to know the reception of facsimile data.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides a network facsimile apparatus which enables a user who is out of the office to know reception of facsimile data with a portable terminal, for example. It is intended to provide.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a network facsimile apparatus, comprising: a notification destination table for storing distribution destination information receivable at the time of facsimile reception from a public line and a mail address on another network in association with each other; When receiving facsimile data and distribution destination information from the public line, the control unit transmits a reception notification to the mail address associated with the distribution destination information in the notification destination table by mail. With such a configuration, when facsimile data specifying a distribution destination is received, a reception notification is transmitted by e-mail to the distribution destination, so that only a user who is away from this network facsimile apparatus or a portable terminal has Even a user who is out of the office can know that facsimile data has been received.

[0008] The contents of the reception notification can include at least information on the transmission source received from the public line. This makes it possible to know where the received facsimile data was sent from.

The notification destination table can further include notification function information including whether or not to perform reception notification. This makes it possible to set whether or not to send a reception notification by mail.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a system including an embodiment of a network facsimile apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a network facsimile device, 2 is a facsimile device, 3 is a public line, 4 is a client device, 5 is a mail server, 6 is a dial-up router, 7 is a LAN, 8 is a portable terminal, 11 is a communication control unit, Reference numeral 12 denotes a box table, and reference numeral 13 denotes a reception box. The network facsimile apparatus 1 can perform facsimile communication with another facsimile apparatus 2 through the public line 3. In addition, it is also connected to the LAN 7 and can perform data communication with each device connected to the LAN 7. In particular, an e-mail can be exchanged via the LAN 7. In this example, LA
The client device 4, the mail server 5, the dial-up router 6, and the network facsimile device 1 are connected to the N 7, but not limited thereto, and various devices may be connected to the LAN 7.

The network facsimile apparatus 1 has a communication control unit 11, a box table 12, one or a plurality of reception boxes 13, and the like. The communication control unit 11
It has a facsimile communication function with another facsimile machine 2 through the public line 3 and a communication function with the client apparatus 4 through the LAN 7. Using the communication function through the public line 3 and the communication function through the LAN 7, the public line 3
The communication between the facsimile machine 2 connected to the client device 4 and the client device 4 connected to the LAN 7 is enabled.

When facsimile data is received from the facsimile apparatus 2, distribution destination information can be further received. The distribution destination information can be transmitted, for example, by a (SID) SUB signal transmitted from the transmission source to the reception destination during a handshake performed at the beginning of the facsimile communication. Here, the received facsimile data is stored in the reception box 13 corresponding to the received (SID) SUB signal with reference to the box table 12. With it,
An e-mail is transmitted via the LAN 7 to the e-mail address corresponding to the received (SID) SUB signal. Whether or not to send a reception notification by mail follows the setting in the box table 12. In addition, the reception notification includes
By including at least information on the transmission source, the user who has received the reception notification can know from which facsimile data has been received.

Further, the communication control unit 11 can also transmit a mail with the received facsimile data as an attached file to the mail address corresponding to the received (SID) SUB signal through the LAN 7. It should be noted that the facsimile data can be transmitted by mail according to the settings in the box table 12, for example.

The box table 12 stores the receiving box 1
For each of the three, a corresponding (SID) SUB signal is held at least, and when facsimile data is received, the receiving box 13 is specified by the received (SID) SUB signal and the received facsimile data can be stored. I have to. Further, here, the box table 12 holds a mail address in association with each receiving box 13 (that is, in association with the (SID) SUB signal), and also functions as a notification destination table.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the box table. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the box name, the SUB signal value,
It has an SID signal value, a mail address, notification function information, and distribution function information. Here, the notification function information is 'ON'
In the case of, it is instructed to send a reception notification to the mail address. Also, if the distribution function information is' O
When N ', it indicates that the received facsimile data is to be transmitted by mail. Note that the notification function information and the distribution function information are not limited to only ON and OFF information, and may include other information such as information for which ON and OFF are determined according to various conditions. Further, the box table 12 may be configured with only some of the information shown in FIG. 2 or may be configured to hold other information. For example, a passcode for extracting facsimile data received from the receiving box 13 can be included.

Returning to FIG. 1, each of the receiving boxes 13 can hold the received facsimile data in accordance with an instruction from the communication control unit 11. Of course, in addition to facsimile data, various types of information such as, for example, information on a transmission source can also be stored in association with each other.

In the system shown in FIG.
A dial-up router 6 is connected to 7 so as to enable communication with an external terminal device through the public line 3. In this example, a mobile terminal 8 is shown as an external terminal device. The mobile terminal 8 can function as one client device on the LAN 7 by connecting to the dial-up router 6 through the public line 3.

The operation of the network facsimile apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, as an example, assuming a system as shown in FIG.
The operation will be described. FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing an example of the operation at the time of facsimile reception in the embodiment of the network facsimile apparatus of the present invention. In S21, it is determined whether or not there is a call through the public line 3, and if there is no call, the facsimile reception process ends. After the end of the facsimile reception processing, the network facsimile apparatus performs processing for other functions, for example, periodically starts the facsimile reception processing.

When a call is received from another facsimile machine 2 via the public line 3, the call is received and a line is connected. In step S22, a pre-communication procedure is performed to communicate with another facsimile machine 2 as a transmission source. Perform a handshake. During this pre-communication procedure, (SI
D) It is determined in S23 whether a SUB signal has been received.
If no (SID) SUB signal is received, LA
Since the distribution destination on N7 cannot be specified, facsimile data is received in the same manner as a normal facsimile machine in S24, and after the reception is completed, the line is disconnected in S25 and the facsimile reception process is terminated. The received facsimile data can be printed out by a printer provided in the network facsimile machine 1, for example. Alternatively, the data may be stored in a memory or the like, and printout or transfer processing may be performed according to an operation from the operation unit.

When the (SID) SUB signal is received as the distribution destination information, it is determined in step S26 whether or not there is a reception box 13 that matches the received (SID) SUB signal with reference to the box table 12. . If the received inbox 1 matches the received (SID) SUB signal
If No. 3 does not exist, the reception box 13 cannot be specified, so the process proceeds to S24, where normal facsimile reception processing is performed.

If there is a reception box 13 that matches the received (SID) SUB signal, it is further determined in S27 whether a mail address corresponding to the reception box 13 is registered in the box table 12. . If no email address is registered, S2
In step 8, the facsimile data is received, and the received facsimile data is stored in the reception box 13 corresponding to the (SID) SUB signal. After the reception is completed, the line is disconnected in S29, and the facsimile reception process ends. In this case, since the e-mail address is not registered, it is not possible to send a reception notification or distribute the received facsimile data. Therefore, the received facsimile data is stored in the reception box 13 and the reception processing is completed. Note that the fact that the received facsimile data is stored in the receiving box 13 may be notified by, for example, printing out.

When a mail address is associated with the reception box 13 corresponding to the received (SID) SUB signal, the notification function information in the box table 12 corresponding to the reception box 13 is further referred to. In S30, it is determined whether or not the notification function information is set to send a reception notification. If the setting is to send a reception notification, the reception notification is transmitted by mail after facsimile reception. That is, facsimile data is received in S31, and the received facsimile data is
It is stored in the receiving box 13 that matches the B signal. After the reception is completed, the line is disconnected in S32, the facsimile reception process is completed, and the process proceeds to the reception notification process.

In S33, image data of the reception notification is created. The reception notification can include the reception date and time, source information (source telephone number based on TSI, source information of NSS), and the like. Of course, various other information may be added. In S34, S3
For example, the image data created in Step 3
In step S35, the data is converted into a MIME format for transmission by mail. Then, in S36, a reception notification is mailed to the mail address registered in the box table 12 through the LAN 7. Here, the reception notification is transmitted as image data, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the reception notification may be transmitted by mail as code data (character data).

The mail including the reception notice is temporarily stored in the mail server 5 in the system shown in FIG.
In some cases, a mail reception notification is sent to the mail address. For example, for a user who is outside, another LAN is connected from the dial-up router 6 through the public line 3.
And the portable terminal 8. The user who has received the reception notification can, for example, access the mail server 5 from the client device 4 and retrieve the mail by POP or the like. As a result, a mail including a reception notification that the network facsimile apparatus 1 has received the facsimile data reaches the user. Further, for example, a user who is out of the office accesses the mail server 5 via the dial-up router 6 via the public line 3 from the client device 4 or the portable terminal 8 of another LAN, and retrieves mail, thereby using the device while out of the office. Also receives the facsimile data reception notification. In this way, a user who is out of the office can know that facsimile data addressed to him / her has been received by the network facsimile machine 1. The mail including the reception notification may be directly transmitted from the network facsimile machine 1 to the client device 4 or the mobile terminal 8 or a client on another LAN via the dial-up router 6.

If it is determined in step S 30 that the notification function information indicates that the reception notification is not to be sent, the box table 12 corresponding to the reception box 13 is further transmitted.
Refer to the distribution function information inside. In S37, it is determined whether or not the distribution function information is set to distribute the received facsimile data. If the distribution function information is not set to distribute, the process proceeds to S28, where the facsimile data is received, and the received facsimile data is stored in the reception box 13 that matches the (SID) SUB signal. After the reception is completed, the line is disconnected in S29, and the facsimile reception process ends. In this case, since the notification function information is set so as not to send the reception notification, the reception notification is not sent. After storing the received facsimile data in the receiving box 13, for example, the fact that the facsimile data has been received may be printed out.

In S37, if the distribution function information is set to distribute, the distribution process is performed after the facsimile reception. In this case, there is no need to store the facsimile data in the receiving box. In step S38, the facsimile data is received and stored in the memory. After the reception is completed, the line is disconnected in step S39 to distribute the facsimile data stored in the memory. Move on to In step S40, the received facsimile data is compressed in, for example, a TIFF (MH) format, and then, in step S41, an MI for transmitting by mail.
Convert to ME format. Then, in S42, (SI
D) A mail including the received facsimile data is transmitted to the mail address registered in the box table 12 in association with the SUB signal via the LAN 7. The mail including the transmitted facsimile data is temporarily stored in the mail server 5. For example, the user can request the mail server 5 to transfer the mail from the client device 4 to the mail server 5 by, for example, POP, and can retrieve the mail including the facsimile data. In this way, facsimile data can be delivered to the user specified by the (SID) SUB signal. The mail including the received facsimile data may be configured to be directly transmitted from the network facsimile machine 1 to the client device 4 or a client on another LAN via the dial-up router 6.

In the above description, it is possible to arbitrarily set the data format, compression format, and the like of the reception notification mail and the mail including facsimile data.
In the above-described example, the reception notification mail is transmitted via the LAN 7. For example, when a data modem is built in the network facsimile apparatus, the mail address of the external user is dial-up method. May be notified.

Further, in the above-described example, an example has been shown in which the mail address to be notified of the reception notification is specified by the transmission source by the (SID) SUB signal, but a signal other than the (SID) SUB signal, for example, the ISDN subaddress, TIS signal,
A mail address can be specified by a DTMF signal or the like.

Further, in the above-described example of the network facsimile apparatus, the configuration having the receiving box 13 has been described, but the configuration having the receiving box 13 is not necessarily required. For example, if the configuration is such that the received facsimile data can be stored, the reception notification may be transmitted by mail after storing the facsimile data. In this case, if a notification destination table including at least distribution destination information such as a (SID) SUB signal and a mail address in the box table 12 described above is held, the reception notification can be transmitted by mail.

[0030]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, when facsimile data is received, a notification of reception is transmitted by mail. Facsimile reception can be easily known from the terminal. By including at least information on the transmission source in the reception notification, it is possible to know from where the facsimile data has been received. Further, it is possible to set whether or not to perform such a reception notification, and there is an effect that the function of the reception notification can be used according to the situation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a system including an embodiment of a network facsimile apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a box table.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation at the time of facsimile reception in the embodiment of the network facsimile apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart (continued) illustrating an example of an operation at the time of facsimile reception in the embodiment of the network facsimile apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Network facsimile apparatus, 2 ... Facsimile apparatus, 3 ... Public line, 4 ... Client apparatus, 5 ... Mail server, 6 ... Dial-up router, 7 ... LAN, 8
... a portable terminal, 11 ... a communication control unit, 12 ... a box table, 13 ... a reception box.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5C062 AA02 AA30 AA35 AB43 AC22 AC28 AC35 AC43 5C075 AB90 BA08 CA14 CA15 CD22 CF04

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A notification destination table for storing distribution destination information that can be received at the time of facsimile reception from a public line and a mail address on another network, and receiving facsimile data and distribution destination information from the public line. A network facsimile apparatus having a control unit for transmitting a reception notification by mail to a mail address associated with the distribution destination information in the notification destination table. 2. The network facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reception notification includes at least information on a transmission source received from the public line. 3. The notification destination table further includes notification function information including whether or not to perform a reception notification, and the control unit transmits the reception notification by mail when performing the reception notification according to the notification function information. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein
Or a network facsimile apparatus according to claim 2.