JP2003198790A - Internet facsimile machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an Internet facsimile machine in which a user can properly cope with the occurrence of a reception error depending on the mode of reception while receiving an electronic mail through a communication network. <P>SOLUTION: The Internet facsimile machine 1 provided with a function for receiving the e-mail by manual operation or automatically through the communication network N1 performs error processing according to whether the e-mail is received by manual operation or automatically when the reception error occurs while receiving the e-mail. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of an Internet facsimile machine having a function of receiving an electronic mail manually or automatically through a communication network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an Internet facsimile apparatus can receive an electronic mail through a communication network by a manual operation or automatically at a predetermined time interval depending on its setting.

[0003]

By the way, when an electronic mail is received, a reception error may occur due to failure of access authentication to the mail server or congestion of the communication network. In such a case, the user may receive an error. Is inconvenient because it is not possible to confirm that fact, and at the time of automatic reception, it tries to receive mail at a predetermined time interval.
If the cause of the reception error is not recovered, repeated reception errors may occur, that is, a so-called reception error loop may occur.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and even when a reception error occurs at the time of receiving an electronic mail through a communication network, the user can take an appropriate response depending on the reception mode. The purpose is to provide an Internet facsimile machine.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, in the Internet facsimile machine according to claim 1 of the present invention, when a reception error occurs when receiving an electronic mail, the electronic mail is received. The feature of the present invention is that the error handling is performed according to either the manual operation or the automatic operation.

In the internet facsimile apparatus according to the second aspect, when a reception error occurs when the electronic mail is received by a manual operation, a predetermined error message is notified as an error process. .

In the internet facsimile apparatus according to the third aspect, when a reception error occurs when an electronic mail is automatically received, error processing is performed.
It is characterized by notifying a predetermined error message and canceling the function of automatically receiving an electronic mail.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the main configuration of an Internet facsimile machine 1 of the present invention. Figure 2
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of use of the Internet facsimile machine 1.

The Internet facsimile machine 1 includes
A LAN (N2) to which the communication terminal 2 is connected is connected, and the LAN (N2) is connected to the Internet N1. Further, another Internet facsimile machine 1'is connected to the Internet N1.

The Internet facsimile machine 1'has the same structure as the Internet facsimile machine 1.

Here, a combination of the Internet N1 and LAN (N2) is shown as the communication network, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and WAN, LAN,
Other types of networks such as leased lines or a combination thereof may be used.

This Internet facsimile machine 1
Can send and receive electronic mail manually or automatically through the LAN (N2) and the Internet N1 based on a predetermined protocol.

Whether the electronic mail is manually sent or received or automatically sent and received is determined by the operation panel 17
It is set in advance by a predetermined setting operation in. If it is set to send and receive by manual operation, the operation panel 1
By a predetermined operation of 7, the e-mail is transmitted and received by accessing the mail server on the Internet N1. On the other hand, if the automatic transmission and reception is set, the mail server on the Internet N1 is accessed at a predetermined time interval. Send and receive email.

As shown in FIG. 1, the Internet facsimile machine 1 includes a CPU 10 for controlling the following parts,
A RAM 11 that stores various setting information such as speed dials and received data, a ROM 12 that stores a control program and the like in advance, a scanner 13 that reads image data from a document, and a printer 14 that records the data on a predetermined recording paper.
And the NCU 15 that controls the connection to the telephone line L,
A modem 16 that modulates and demodulates various signals required for facsimile communication, an operation panel 17 including a liquid crystal screen and various operation keys, and data for facsimile communication M
CO that encodes and decodes in H, MR, MMR, etc.
It includes a DEC 18 and a LAN interface 19 for connecting a LAN (N2) according to a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark).

Regarding the characteristic operation of such a configuration,
This will be described with reference to FIG. When receiving an e-mail via the Internet N1 and LAN (N2) (100), the Internet facsimile machine 1 prints the received e-mail or LAN (N2) if the e-mail is received normally.
It is transferred to the upper communication terminal 2 (102).

However, when the e-mail cannot be normally received and a reception error occurs (101), it is determined whether the reception mode of the e-mail is manual reception or automatic reception (10).
3) If it is manual reception, a predetermined error message is notified, for example, the message is displayed or printed (104).

On the other hand, when the reception mode of the electronic mail is automatic reception (103), reception is attempted a predetermined number of times, and when the reception error is not resolved even after a certain number of attempts (10).
5) Notifying a predetermined error message, for example, displaying or printing the message (106), canceling the automatic reception setting (107), and enabling electronic mail reception only by manual operation.

[0019]

As can be understood from the above description, in the internet facsimile apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, when a reception error occurs when receiving an electronic mail, the reception of the electronic mail is manually operated. Error processing depending on whether it is performed by the user or automatically, even if a reception error occurs when receiving an email through the communication network, the user takes an appropriate response depending on the reception mode. be able to.

In the internet facsimile apparatus according to the second aspect, when a reception error occurs when the electronic mail is received by the manual operation, a predetermined error message is notified as an error process, so that the user receives the message. It is convenient because you can easily check the error occurrence.

In the internet facsimile apparatus according to the third aspect, when a reception error occurs when the electronic mail is automatically received, error processing is performed.
The function to automatically receive the e-mail is canceled while notifying the predetermined error message, so that the user can easily confirm the occurrence of the reception error and the reception error that may occur as a result of trying to receive the e-mail at the predetermined time interval It is possible to prevent repeated occurrence of a so-called reception error loop.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the main configuration of an Internet facsimile apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of use of the Internet facsimile machine of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the Internet facsimile machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

1-Internet facsimile machine N1 ... Internet N2 ... LAN

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An Internet facsimile apparatus having a function of receiving an electronic mail manually or automatically through a communication network, and when a reception error occurs during the reception of the electronic mail, the reception of the electronic mail is manually operated. An internet facsimile machine characterized by performing error processing according to whether the error is performed by the computer or automatically. 2. The Internet facsimile according to claim 1, wherein when a reception error occurs when the electronic mail is received by a manual operation, a predetermined error message is notified as the error processing. apparatus. 3. The electronic mail according to claim 1, wherein when a reception error occurs when the electronic mail is automatically received, a predetermined error message is notified and the electronic mail is automatically transmitted as the error processing. An Internet facsimile machine characterized by canceling the function of receiving a message.