JP2003244382A - Communication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication apparatus by which waste of recording paper is reduced by printing character information such as text information on the same space as that for image information, the character information is easily associated with the image information and convenience of a receiver is enhanced. <P>SOLUTION: The communication apparatus is arranged so that the character information is easily associated with the image information on the same space, the convenience of the receiver is enhanced and the waste of the recording paper in such a case that the character information and the image information are separately printed can also be reduced by adding the acquired text information to the image information, editing it so that it becomes printing information to be set in one page of recording paper with the selected size for the text information in which no printing system is stipulated (a step S14) and printing the edited printing information for one page on the recording paper with the selected size by the plotter (S15). <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 a communication device such as an internet facsimile device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the spread of Internet mail (hereinafter, simply referred to as "mail"), a so-called Internet facsimile machine in which a facsimile machine is connected to the Internet has come to be used. The Internet facsimile machine is easier to operate than the traditional method "using mail transmission / reception software (hereinafter simply referred to as" mailer "" on a computer connected to the Internet) ", and is the same as the facsimile transmission / reception. It is possible to send and receive emails with the same feeling. That is, by inputting the mail address instead of the fax number as the transmission destination, the transmission original read by the scanner is attached as an image file to the mail and transmitted. The received mail is automatically printed on the recording paper. The compression format and recording paper size of image files that can be transmitted and received are specified in ITU-T Recommendation T-37.

A mail is composed of a mail body which is a message part, and a mail header which indicates related information such as a destination. Usually, text information is stored in the mail body, but when an image file is attached, the mail body is divided into a text part and a binary part (called multipart), and the text information is in the text part and the image is in the binary part. Image information, which is a file, is stored.

[0004]

Now, considering the case where such a multipart mail is received by the Internet facsimile machine, an image file (image information) is considered.
With respect to, the recording paper size is included as an internal parameter, so that the recording paper of that size is selected and set and the image information is printed. However, there is no chart paper concept like this for text information (text is written and sent in a free style, there is no concept of chart paper size or page in terms of size, and chart paper size is not specified. Therefore, it is necessary to judge how to print on the recording paper.

In this respect, in a general internet facsimile apparatus, such text information is printed on a suitable recording paper on a page (recording paper) different from the image information. However, in the case of an e-mail with a small amount of text information, this is not only a waste of recording paper, but the recipient also has a page on which image information is printed (record paper) and a page on which text information is printed (record paper). They have to be managed in pairs, which is inconvenient.

The mail header included in the mail stores the sender's mail address, mail subject, etc., which is very useful information for the recipient.
That is, the sender can be judged from the sender mail address, and the importance of the mail can be judged from the mail subject.

However, such a mail header information is not printed by a general internet facsimile apparatus, or even if it is printed, it is printed on a page (recording paper) different from the image information. Therefore, not only in the former case but also in the latter case, the receiver pairs the page (recording paper) on which the image information is printed with the page (recording paper) on which the mail header information is printed. Since it is necessary to judge the sender, etc., it is inconvenient.

According to the present invention, the character information such as the text information and the mail header information is printed on the same paper surface as the image information, so that the waste of the recording paper is reduced and the text information and the mail header information are easily processed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication device that can make correspondence between various character information and image information and improve the convenience of the recipient.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication device capable of printing image information of any size with appropriate character information added on the same paper surface.

[0010]

The invention according to claim 1 is
In a communication device capable of receiving a mail including image information via the Internet, size selection means for selecting a size of recording paper to be printed based on the image information included in the received mail, and character information from the received mail. A character information acquisition unit for acquiring; a print information editing unit for adding the acquired character information to the image information and editing the print information so that the print information fits within one page of the recording paper of a selected size; A printing unit that prints the printed information for one page on the recording paper of a selected size by a plotter.

Therefore, with respect to the character information for which the printing method is not specified, the character information is added to the image information, and the image information is edited and printed so as to fit within one page.
Correspondence between character information and image information can be easily obtained on the same paper,
In addition to improving the convenience for the recipient, it is possible to reduce the waste of recording paper when printing separately.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the communication device according to the first aspect, the character information acquired by the character information acquiring means is text information included in the mail.

Therefore, with regard to character information which is text information for which a printing method is not defined, text information is added to image information and edited so as to fit within one page and printed out so that it can be easily printed on the same paper surface. In addition, the correspondence between the text information and the image information can be obtained, the convenience of the receiver can be improved, and the waste of the recording paper when printing separately can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the communication device according to the first aspect, the character information acquired by the character information acquisition means is mail header information included in the mail.

Therefore, with regard to the character information that is the mail header information for which the printing method is not specified, the mail header information is added to the image information, and the text information is edited so that it fits within one page and is printed out. The mail header information (sender, mail subject, etc.) can be easily associated with the image information, improving the convenience of the recipient and reducing the waste of recording paper when printing separately. it can.

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claims 1 to 3.
In the communication device according to any one of 1, the area prediction means for predicting the size of the character information area required for printing the character information included in the received mail, and the size of the selected recording paper and included in the received mail. And a free area calculating means for calculating the size of the free area by comparing with the size of the image information area required for printing the image information to be printed, the print information editing means calculates the predicted size of the character information area. Print information is 1 if it is smaller than the size of the empty area
Edit the print information by changing the print style of character information or image information so that it fits within the page.

Therefore, the image information attached to the mail has various sizes, and when the image information occupies most of the recording paper, it may be difficult to add the character information to the empty area. The print style of image information and character information is changed and adjusted according to the size of the area (for example, line spacing and character spacing of character information is reduced), and the content of the mail is not damaged for image information of any size. By putting it on the same page, the convenience of the recipient can be improved.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claims 1 to 3.
In the communication device according to any one of the items, a font storage unit that saves printing fonts of different sizes, an area prediction unit that predicts a size of a character information area required for printing the character information included in the received mail, The print information edit means further comprises: a free area calculation means for calculating the size of the free area by comparing the size of the selected recording paper with the size of the image information area required for printing the image information included in the received mail. The means edits the print information by changing the size of the printing font to a smaller font size when the predicted size of the character information area is smaller than the calculated free area size.

Therefore, the image information attached to the mail has various sizes, and when the image information occupies most of the recording paper, it may be difficult to add the character information to the empty area. The information can flexibly change the area required for printing by adjusting the font size, so by reducing the font size of the character information according to the size of the empty area, it is possible to However, the convenience of the recipient can be improved by putting the character information properly on the same page.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention as defined in claims 1, 2, and 3.
Alternatively, in the communication device according to 5, the area prediction unit that predicts the size of the character information area required to print the character information included in the received mail, the size of the selected recording paper, and the image included in the received mail. Empty area calculation means for calculating the size of the empty area by comparing with the size of the image information area required for printing the information, wherein the print information editing means is the empty area where the predicted size of the character information area is calculated. When the size is smaller than the size of the area, the image information is reduced and the print information is edited.

Therefore, the image information attached to the mail has various sizes, and when the image information occupies most of the recording paper, it is difficult to add the character information to the empty area.
Although it may not be possible to reduce the font size of the text information (if the font size is too small, the visibility of the text information will be impaired, etc.), the size of the image information can be reduced by expanding the free space. Also, by storing the information on the same sheet with the character information properly added, the convenience of the recipient can be improved.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the communication device according to the third aspect, an area prediction means for predicting a size of a character information area required for printing the character information included in the received mail, and the selected record. The print information editing means includes a free area calculating means for calculating the size of the free area by comparing the size of the paper and the size of the image information area required for printing the image information included in the received mail. If the size of the created character information area is smaller than the calculated size of the empty area, the print information is edited such that a part of the character information area overlaps a part of the peripheral portion of the image information area.

Therefore, since the image information generally has a high importance in the central portion and a lower importance toward the edge, the mail information is overlapped with a part of the peripheral portion of the image information area. When the text information that is the header information is printed, although part of the image information is hidden by the mail header information, by storing the mail header information on the same page without significantly impairing the content of the mail, the recipient's It is possible to improve convenience.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the communication device according to the third aspect, an area prediction unit for predicting a size of a character information area required for printing the character information included in the received mail, and the selected record. The print information editing means includes a free area calculating means for calculating the size of the free area by comparing the size of the paper and the size of the image information area required for printing the image information included in the received mail. If the size of the created character information area is smaller than the calculated size of the empty area, the print information is limited to the character information related to the item selected in the character information.

Therefore, the mail header information, which is the character information, stores various information such as the source mail address (From), the destination mail address (To, Cc), and the mail subject (Subject). By selecting what is necessary for the recipient from these items, limiting the information to the selected items and reducing the printing area, it is possible to fit on the same paper without overlapping the image information, and Since the visibility of the mail header information is enhanced, the convenience of the recipient is improved.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
Or, it demonstrates based on FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a hardware configuration of a facsimile apparatus as a communication apparatus of this embodiment. The system control unit 1
A microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM constitutes a control process of each part of the facsimile machine.
Responsible for various processing controls such as facsimile transmission control procedure processing. The ROM in the system control unit 1 stores a control processing program executed by the CPU and a processing program. That is, in the present embodiment, the ROM stores programs for realizing various functions described below, and the ROM functions as a storage medium that stores the programs. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the ROM is composed of, for example, an EEPROM or a flash memory, and the program stored in the ROM is rewritable. Although not particularly shown, if the program is downloaded via the network, a network interface may be added. The RAM in the system control unit 1 functions as a work area and rewritably stores various information.

The operation / display unit 2 is for displaying the operating state of the apparatus and for the user (operator) to perform various operations. The scanner 3 reads an image of a transmission document for facsimile. The plotter 4 records image information on recording paper, and has, for example, a laser printer configuration using an electrophotographic system. In this embodiment, the plotter 4 also prints the received mail. Here, in this plotter 4,
A plurality of types of recording paper (for example, B5, A4, B4, etc.) having different sizes are prepared so that they can be selectively fed.

The encoding / decoding section 5 compresses the image information to be transmitted (data compression) and restores (decodes) the received image information to the original image information. The communication controller 6 is a part that executes a communication protocol, and the modem 7 realizes a G3 / G4 modem function, for example.
A low-speed modem function for exchanging transmission control procedures,
It mainly has a high-speed modem function for exchanging image information. The network control unit 8 is for connecting the facsimile machine to a public line network (PSTN) and has an automatic call originating / receiving function.

Further, the facsimile apparatus according to the present embodiment is equipped with a mail transmitting / receiving unit 9 which is connected to the Internet network and controls the transmission / reception of mail, and can function as an Internet facsimile apparatus. The communication protocol in this case is ITU-T Recommendation T.264. It is set to comply with the regulations of 37.

Further, the facsimile apparatus of the present embodiment is equipped with a font storage unit 10 which stores printing fonts of different sizes in stages. In this case, the minimum size of the printing font is set so as not to impair the visibility.

These constituent elements are connected to the internal bus 11, and data is exchanged between these constituent elements mainly via the internal bus 11. Data exchange between the network control unit 8 and the modem 7 is performed directly.

Here, the present embodiment is characterized by a method of printing image information and text information contained in a mail when the mail sent from the mailer is received. The general mail structure is explained.

The mail structure includes a single part as shown in FIG. 2 and a multipart as shown in FIG. In any structure, it is composed of a mail body which is a message part and a mail header which indicates related information such as a destination. When a plurality of messages of different types are sent together in one mail, the mail body can be divided into multiple parts (multipart).
For example, when sending an image with text attached, the text part is divided into text parts and the image file is divided into binary parts. Actually, as shown in FIG. 3, the image file is binary-> text converted (MIME encoded) and put in the binary part.

When such an e-mail is received by the Internet facsimile machine as described above, the binary part is converted from text to binary (MIME decoding) and returned to the image file, and then printed on the recording paper by the plotter 4. . Since the recording paper size is specified in the image file, the recording paper of that size is used as the recording paper.

Here, ITU-T Recommendation T. The image file defined in 37, that is, TIFF (Tagged Image)
Fig. 4 shows the structure of ge Fill Format. TIFF is
It is composed of a plurality of pairs of a TIFF header 21, an IFD 22 for each page, and image data 23. The TIFF header 21 is composed of a byte order 21a of data in the TIFF, an ID 21b indicating that this data is the TIFF, and an offset 21c indicating the position of the first IFD. As shown by P1, P2, ..., the IFD 23 is present in page units, and a plurality (1 to n) of attributes (for example, main scanning width, sub scanning width, resolution, etc.) of image data of corresponding pages are stored. A tag field 23a, a total number 23b of these tag fields, and an offset 23c indicating the position of the next IFD.

An example of control relating to print processing when a mail is received in such a configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 shows the CP in the system control unit 1 when the mail sent from the mailer is received.
6 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of an example of received print processing control executed by U.

This process is executed when a mail is received (Y in S1). When the mail is received, the number N of parts is sequentially numbered from the first line for the mail (S2), and it is checked whether the Nth part is text (S3). Whether or not it belongs to the text part can be determined based on the delimiter information such as "967604204-7342599" in the example of FIG.

If it does not belong to the text part (S3
N), which does not belong to the category of the present embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. On the other hand, if it belongs to the text part (S
3), text information that is character information is acquired from the text part (S4), and it is necessary to print the text information according to standard specifications (standard character font size, character spacing, line spacing, etc., which are set in advance). A process of predicting the size of the print area is performed (S5). For example, the size of the printing area is predicted by counting the number of characters in each line in the text information belonging to the text part, predicting the main scanning width required for printing from the maximum number of characters in one line, and then By counting the number of lines of the text information belonging to the text part and predicting the sub-scanning width required for printing from the number of lines, the print area required for printing the text information (= main scanning width × sub-scanning width) Is predicted. The process of step S4 is executed as the function of the character information acquisition means, and the process of step S5 is executed as the function of the region prediction means.

When the size of the print area is predicted, the process proceeds to the determination of the next part (S6), and it is determined whether the (N + 1) th part is a binary part (S7). If it is not the binary part (N of S7), it does not belong to the category of the present embodiment, and therefore its explanation is omitted. On the other hand, if it is the binary part (Y of S7), the image file (TIFF) which is the image information is acquired by performing the text → binary conversion (MINE decoding) (S8). And the acquired T
The structure of the IFF is analyzed, the main scanning width and the sub scanning width of the image information are acquired from the IFD of each page M, and an appropriate recording paper size is selected and set for each page M (S9). This step S
The processing of 9 is executed as a function of the size selection means.

Since this processing is performed for each page, the page M is incremented by one page (S10), and it is determined whether or not the page M is the first page (S11). That is, in the present embodiment, the text information included in the mail is added to the image information so as to be printed out on the same paper surface, and is applied only to the first page of the image information. . If it is the first page (Y in S11), only the image information is printed by comparing the size of the recording paper that is already selected and set with the size of the print area required for printing the image information acquired as described above. The size of the vacant area generated when this is done is calculated (S12).

Subsequently, the size of the calculated free area is compared with the size of the area predicted for printing the text information that has already been predicted (S13). As a result of the comparison, if the empty area is larger (N of S13), the text information is added to the image information of the first page as it is to reconfigure it as the print information of the first page (S14). This step S14
Processing is executed as a function of the print information editing means. Then, by driving the plotter 4, the text information is printed on the recording paper of the selected size so as to fit on one page together with the image information (S15). If this printout example is schematically shown, as shown in FIG. 6A, the image information A and the text information B are printed on the same paper surface (same page) of the recording paper P. The process of step S15 is executed as a function of the printing unit.

After this, until the final page is reached (S1
6) The same processing is repeated, but printing of text information is not performed, so only printing of image information is repeated (S10, S).
15) After setting page M to 0 (S17), the same process is repeated until part N reaches the final part (S18, S19), and a series of processes is ended.

On the other hand, as a result of the comparison, if the free area is smaller (Y in S13), the size of the printing font used for printing the text information stored in the font storage unit 10 is changed to a size smaller than the standard size. (S20),
Similar to the case of step S5, the size of the area required to print the text information when using the font of that size is predicted (S21). Then, the size of the calculated free area is compared again with the size of the area predicted for printing the text information predicted this time (S22). As a result of the comparison, if the empty area is larger (N of S22), the text information of the selected font size is added to the image information and reconstructed as the print information of one page (S23). The processing in step S23 is also executed as a function of the print information editing means. Then, by driving the plotter 4, the text information is printed on the recording paper of the selected size so as to fit on one page together with the image information (S1).
5).

That is, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the size C of the predicted area for printing the text information is larger than the empty area, the font is changed to a smaller size, As shown in 6 (c), the size of the area required for printing the text information is reduced so that the image information A and the text information B (reduced) are printed on the same paper surface (same page) of the recording paper P. To do.

On the other hand, as a result of the comparison in step S22, if the empty area is still smaller, if the size of the font for text printing can be changed (Y of S24), the size is changed to a smaller size and the above-mentioned is performed. The process is repeated (S20-
S23, S15).

When the font size reaches the minimum size and the change is no longer possible (N in S24), it is determined according to the difference between the predicted area required for printing the text information in the minimum size and the empty area. Image information is reduced by the amount (S
25), the text information of the selected font size is added to the reduced image information to reconfigure it as print information for one page (S26). The processing of steps S25 and S26 is also executed as a function of the print information editing means. Then, by driving the plotter 4, the text information is printed on the recording paper of the selected size so as to fit on one page together with the image information (S15).

That is, when the size C'of the area required for printing the predicted text information as shown by the phantom line in FIG. 6B is considerably larger than the empty area, FIG.
As shown in (d), the size of the area required for printing the text information is reduced by using a smaller font, and the image information is reduced, so that the image is printed on the same paper surface (same page) of the recording paper P. Information A and text information B
(Reduction) is to be printed.

In the present embodiment, when the empty area becomes smaller than the print area of the text information, the editing processing is performed so that the page is reduced to one page by the reduction processing. As shown schematically, when the empty area becomes smaller than the print area of the text information (Y of S13), the print style of the image information and the text information is changed according to the size of the empty area. It may be reconfigured as print information for one page (S31). The process of step S31 is also executed as a function of the print information editing unit.

The change of the print style in this case is as follows.
For example, regarding text information, it is necessary to keep line spacing, character spacing, etc. smaller than the standard specifications without changing the font size, or to delete the line feed mark on each line without damaging the content of text information. A mode in which the printing area is reduced can be considered. Further, in the case of image information, a mode in which the position of the print area is appropriately moved in relation to the text information can be considered.

That is, when the size C of the predicted area for printing the text information is larger than the empty area as shown in FIG. 8A, the print style of the text information is changed from the portrait style to the landscape style. By changing to
As shown in FIG. 8B, the shape of the area required for printing the text information is changed so that the image information A and the text information B (reduced) are printed on the same paper surface (same page) of the recording paper P. To do.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 1 show the second embodiment of the present invention.
A description will be given based on 0. The same parts as those shown in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
In the above-described embodiment, the text information is targeted as the character information, but in the present embodiment, the mail header information that is always included in the received mail is targeted.

An example of control relating to the printing process when the mail of this embodiment is received will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an outline of an example of the reception print processing control executed by the CPU in the system control unit 1 when the mail transmitted from the mailer is received.

This process is executed when a mail is received (Y in S41). When the mail is received, the mail header information of the mail header included in the mail is acquired as character information (S42). Then, a process of predicting the size of the print area (mail header print area) required when printing the mail header information according to standard specifications (standard character font size, character spacing, line spacing, etc. set in advance) ( S43). For example, the size of the mail header print area is predicted by counting the number of characters in each line in the mail header information belonging to the mail header and predicting the main scanning width required for printing from the maximum number of characters in one line. Then, by continuously counting the number of lines of the mail header information belonging to the mail header and estimating the sub-scanning width required for printing from the number of lines, the print area (= main scanning width) required for printing the mail header information is calculated. X sub-scanning width) is predicted. The process of step S42 is executed as the function of the character information acquisition unit, and the process of step S43 is executed as the function of the region prediction unit.

Subsequently, the number N of parts is sequentially numbered from the first line for the received mail (S44), N
It is checked whether the part is a binary part (S45). If it does not belong to the binary part (S4
No. 5 of 5) does not belong to the category of the present embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

On the other hand, if it is the binary part (Y of S45), the image file (TIFF) which is the image information is obtained by performing the text → binary conversion (MINE decoding) (S46). Then, the structure of the acquired TIFF is analyzed, the main scanning width and the sub scanning width of the image information are acquired from the IFD of each page M, and an appropriate recording paper size is selected and set for each page M (S47). The process of step S47 is executed as a function of the size selection means. Since this process is performed for each page, the page M is incremented by one page (S48).

In the present embodiment, the mail header information included in the mail is added to the image information so as to be printed out on the same paper surface, and subsequently, the size of the recording paper which is already selected and set. And the size of the print area required to print the image information acquired as described above,
The size of the empty area that occurs when only the image information is printed is calculated (S49).

Then, the calculated size of the empty area and
The size of the mail header print area required for printing the mail header information that has already been predicted is compared (S50).
As a result of the comparison, if the free area is larger (N of S50), the mail header information is added to the image information of the first page as it is and reconstructed as the print information of the first page (S5).
1). The process of step S51 is executed as a function of the print information editing unit. Then, by driving the plotter 4, the mail header information is printed on the recording paper of the selected size so as to fit on one page together with the image information (S52). When this printout example is schematically shown, as shown in FIG. 10A, the image information A and the mail header information D are printed on the same paper surface (same page) of the recording paper P. The process of step S52 is executed as a function of the printing unit.

Thereafter, the same processing is repeated until the page M reaches the final page. After the page M is set to 0 (S53, S54), the same processing is repeated until the part N reaches the final part. (S55, S56),
A series of processing ends.

On the other hand, as a result of the comparison, if the empty area is smaller (Y in S51), the mail header information is added to the image information so that the mail header information overlaps a part of the peripheral portion of the image information print area. It is added and reconfigured as print information for one page (S57). The process of step S57 is also executed as a function of the print information editing unit. Then, by driving the plotter 4, the mail header information is printed on the recording paper of the selected size so as to fit on one page together with the image information (S52).

That is, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the size D'of the predicted area for printing the mail header information is larger than the empty area, the area is partially overlapped with the area of the image information A. By editing the print information so that the image information A and the mail header information D are printed on the same paper surface (same page) of the recording paper P as shown in FIG. 10C. It is a thing. Image information is generally
The importance of the central part is high, and the importance becomes lower toward the edge. Therefore, if the mail header information is printed in the vicinity of the periphery of the image information, part of the image information will be hidden by the mail header information, but the mail header information can be printed on the same page without significantly damaging the content of the mail. By containing it, the convenience of the recipient can be improved.

In the present embodiment, when the free area becomes smaller than the print area of the mail header information,
The edit process is performed so that the print process is partially overlapped so that the page fits on one page. However, as shown schematically in FIG. 11, when the empty area becomes smaller than the print area of the mail header information, (Y of S50), the print style of the image information or the mail header information may be changed according to the size of the empty area and reconfigured as print information for one page (S61). The process of step S61 is also executed as a function of the print information editing unit.

The change of the print style in this case is as follows.
For example, regarding the mail header information, it is possible to reduce the required printing area without damaging the content of the mail header information by reducing the line spacing, the number of characters, etc., from the standard specifications. In the case of image information, a mode in which the position of the print area is appropriately moved in relation to the mail header information can be considered.

Further, as schematically shown in FIG. 12, when the empty area becomes smaller than the print area of the mail header information (Y of S50), the entire image information is changed according to the size of the empty area. May be reduced (S62), and mail header information may be added to the reduced image information to reconfigure it as print information for one page (S63). The processing of steps S62 and S63 is also executed as a function of the print information editing means.

In the reduction processing of such image information,
Similar to the case described with reference to FIG. 5, processing for reducing the size of the print font of the mail header information may be used together.

Furthermore, as schematically shown in FIG.
If the empty area becomes smaller than the print area of the mail header information (Y of S50), the user is required to select the items required for printing in the mail header information, and the items specified by the selection are limited. It is also possible to select necessary information from the mail header information (S64), add only the selected mail header information to the image information, and reconfigure it as print information for one page (S65). In the mail header, various information such as the sender's mail address (From), the recipient's mail address (To, Cc), the mail subject (Subject), etc. is stored. From this information, the user (recipient) can be identified. Only the required items are selected, and the required print area can be reduced by limiting the print items. The processing of steps S64 and S65 is also executed as a function of the print information editing means. In selecting the mail header information in this case, items to be selected may be designated in advance before receiving the mail.

According to the print information editing processing examples shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the mail header information can be stored on the same sheet without overlapping the image information (without damaging the image information).

When the received mail contains text information as in the first embodiment, it is combined with the second embodiment and this text information is treated as character information together with mail header information. , Adding these text information and mail header information to the image information,
It may be edited as the print information of the page and printed out on the recording paper.

In these embodiments, an example of application to an Internet facsimile machine as a communication device has been described, but as another communication device, there is a multi-function peripheral or the like.
In short, any device having a communication function capable of receiving mail and a print output function can be similarly applied.

[0069]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, with respect to the character information for which the printing method is not defined, the character information is added to the image information and the image information is edited and printed so as to fit within one page and is printed out. Therefore, the correspondence between the character information and the image information can be easily obtained on the same sheet, the convenience of the receiver can be improved, and the waste of the recording sheet when printing separately can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, with respect to the character information which is the text information for which the printing method is not defined, the text information is added to the image information, the text information is edited so as to fit within one page, and is printed out. As a result, the text information and the image information can be easily associated with each other on the same sheet, the convenience of the receiver can be improved, and the waste of the recording sheet when printing separately can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, with respect to the character information that is the mail header information for which the printing method is not defined, the mail header information is added to the image information, and the text information is edited and printed so that it fits within one page. By outputting, the correspondence between the mail header information (sender, mail subject, etc.) and the image information can be easily obtained on the same paper, which improves the convenience of the recipient and also when printing separately. Waste of recording paper can be reduced.

According to the invention described in claim 4, in the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the image information attached to the mail has various sizes, and most of the recording paper is image information. , It may be difficult to add character information to the empty area, but you can change or adjust the print style of image information or character information according to the size of the empty area (for example, line spacing of character information・ The space between characters can be shortened) and the image information of any size can be stored on the same page as long as the content of the mail is not impaired, so that the convenience of the recipient can be improved.

According to the invention described in claim 5, in the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the image information attached to the mail has various sizes, and most of the recording paper is image information. When it occupies, it may be difficult to add character information to the empty area, but since the character information can flexibly change the area required for printing by adjusting the font size, By reducing the font size of the text information according to the size and adding the text information to any size image information on the same page, the recipient's convenience can be improved. .

According to the invention of claim 6, claim 1
In the communication device described in 2, 3, or 5, the image information attached to the mail has various sizes, and when the image information occupies most of the recording paper, it is difficult to add the character information to the empty area. Although it may not be possible to reduce the font size of the character information (if the font size is too small, the visibility of the character information is impaired, etc.), you can reduce the size of the image information and increase the free space to reduce the size of the image. Conveniently for the recipient can be improved by appropriately storing the character information in the same form as the information.

According to the invention described in claim 7, in the communication device according to claim 3, the image information generally has a high importance in the central portion, and the importance thereof tends to decrease toward the edge. Therefore, if the text information, which is the mail header information, is printed over a part of the periphery of the image information area, the mail header information may hide some of the image information. By storing the mail header information on the same page without damaging it, the convenience of the recipient can be improved.

According to the invention described in claim 8, in the communication device according to claim 3, the mail header information, which is character information, includes a sender mail address (From), a recipient mail address (To, Cc), Various information such as the email subject (Subject) is stored, but by selecting what is necessary for the recipient from these items, limiting it to information on the selected items, and reducing the print area, The image information can be stored on the same sheet without overlapping, and the visibility of the mail header information is enhanced, so that the convenience of the recipient is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a facsimile apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a single part mail structure.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a multipart mail structure.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a TIFF structure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart showing an example of mail reception print control processing.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a print output example and the like.

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart showing a modified example of a mail reception print control processing example.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the print output.

FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart showing an example of mail reception print control processing according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the print output.

FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart showing a modified example of a mail reception print control processing example.

FIG. 12 is a schematic flowchart showing another modified example of the mail reception print control processing example.

FIG. 13 is a schematic flowchart showing still another modified example of the mail reception print control processing example.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 plotters 10 font storage means P recording paper S4 Character information acquisition means S5 area prediction means S9 size selection means S12 free area calculation means S14 Print information editing means S15 printing means S23 Print information editing means S25, S26 print information editing means S31 Print information editing means S42 Character information acquisition means S43 area prediction means S47 size selection means S49 Free area calculation means S51 Print information editing means S52 printing means S57 Print information editing means S61 Print information editing means S62, S63 Print information editing means S64, S65 Print information editing means

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A communication device capable of receiving a mail including image information via the Internet, and size selecting means for selecting a size of a recording paper to be printed based on the image information included in the received mail, and the received mail. A character information acquisition unit that acquires character information from inside, and print information that adds the acquired character information to the image information and edits it so that the print information fits within one page of the recording paper of the selected size. Editing means; printing means for printing the edited print information for one page on the recording paper of a selected size by a plotter;
A communication device comprising: 2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the character information acquired by the character information acquisition means is text information included in the mail. 3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the character information acquired by the character information acquisition means is mail header information included in the mail. 4. An area predicting means for predicting a size of a character information area required for printing character information included in a received mail, and printing of a selected recording paper size and image information included in the received mail. A free area calculation means for calculating the size of the free area by comparing with the size of the image information area required for
The print information editing means includes a print style of character information or image information so that the print information fits within one page when the predicted size of the character information area is smaller than the calculated size of the empty area. 4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print information is edited by changing the print information. 5. A font storage means for storing printing fonts of different sizes, an area prediction means for predicting a size of a character information area required for printing character information included in a received mail, and a selected recording paper. An empty area calculation means for calculating the size of the empty area by comparing the size of the empty area with the size of the image information area required to print the image information included in the received mail,
The print information editing means edits the print information by changing the size of the print font to a smaller font size when the predicted size of the character information area is smaller than the calculated size of the empty area. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein 6. An area predicting unit for predicting a size of a character information area required for printing character information included in a received mail, and printing of a selected recording paper size and image information included in the received mail. A free area calculation means for calculating the size of the free area by comparing with the size of the image information area required for
The print information editing unit edits the print information by reducing the image information when the predicted size of the character information area is smaller than the calculated size of the empty area. The communication device according to item 1, 2, 3 or 5. 7. An area predicting means for predicting a size of a character information area required for printing character information included in a received mail, and printing of the size of a selected recording paper and image information included in the received mail. A free area calculation means for calculating the size of the free area by comparing with the size of the image information area required for
The print information editing means, when the predicted size of the character information area is smaller than the calculated size of the empty area, a part of the character information area overlaps a part of the peripheral portion of the image information area. 4. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the print information is edited as described above. 8. An area predicting means for predicting a size of a character information area required for printing character information included in a received mail, and printing of image information included in the selected recording paper size and received mail. A free area calculation means for calculating the size of the free area by comparing with the size of the image information area required for
When the size of the predicted character information area is smaller than the size of the calculated free area, the print information editing means limits the print information to only the character information related to the item selected in the character information. The communication device according to claim 3, wherein the communication device is edited.