JP2003283743A - Document distribution system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a document distribution system for automatically transmitting facsimile (FAX) transmission information on request so as to relieve the burden of an operator and an inquiry job and enhance the utilizing efficiency of a communication line. <P>SOLUTION: A document generation terminal 11 accepts a transmission request of document information as a document file in the document management system 10. The system converts the received document file into a document format (BMP or TIFF) with respect to a FAX server 12 and stores the converted format in the inside of the system. Upon the receipt of a FAX transmission start request, the system searches the FAX transmission request in the unit of FAX transmission destinations (service points 30a, 30b), designates a time to a FAX apparatus installed at the service point, faxes the file by selecting a transmission amount to be one communication and monitors the result of FAX transmission via a network. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document distribution system, and more particularly to a document distribution system for automatically transmitting requested facsimile transmission information to the document distribution system and monitoring the facsimile transmission result via a network. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a prior art related to the document distribution system of the present invention, there is known an invention of "a form distribution system by automatic facsimile transmission" described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-156970. According to the present invention, a form is output by a facsimile server, and a facsimile server closest to the destination is selected at the time of output, thereby performing efficient facsimile transmission.

[0003]

According to the conventional form output management system, when a plurality of image information is transmitted by facsimile, even if they are the same destination, they are transmitted by facsimile by separate communication, and the cover sheet is one. It was added in communication units. Also, if the facsimile transmission fails and the image information to be facsimile-transmitted is printed out, it is printed out as separate documents.
I had to put them together manually. These increase the load on the facsimile operator as the number of facsimile transmission documents increases, and increase the number of public lines and the cost. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve these problems and provide a document distribution system capable of efficiently and economically managing form output.
Another object is to perform efficient facsimile transmission by setting the amount of transmission to the facsimile destination to one communication.

[0004]

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the invention of claim 1 is a facsimile output control means which is connected to a LAN and comprises one to a plurality of computers. In a document distribution system comprising a public communication line and facsimile output means, wherein the facsimile output control means manages the facsimile output means, the facsimile output control means stores means for storing image information of a facsimile transmission object as a document file. , Means for converting the stored document file into a facsimile document format, means for adding a cover page to a document to be transmitted, means for facsimile transmitting the document file via the public communication line, and facsimile transmission results. It is characterized by having means for storing it as history information.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the document delivery system according to the first aspect, the facsimile output control means has means for controlling the start of facsimile transmission.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the document distribution system according to the first or second aspect, there are provided means for combining documents of the same destination as one file and means for transmitting the combined files by facsimile in one communication. It is characterized by having.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the document delivery system according to the third aspect, there is provided means for adding a cover page to the document to be transmitted by facsimile in the one communication.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the document delivery system according to the third or fourth aspect, a means for setting the maximum number of pages of a document to be transmitted and a page of a document obtained by combining documents of the same destination as one file. Means for detecting numbers,
When the number of pages of the combined document exceeds the maximum number of pages, the method further comprises means for dividing the file so that the number of pages of the combined document is within the maximum number of pages. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the document distribution system according to the fifth aspect, there is provided means for adding a cover page to the divided document.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the document delivery system according to the fifth or sixth aspect, there is provided means for designating a plurality of facsimile transmission destinations in the divided document, and means for facsimile transmission to the designated transmission destinations. It is characterized by

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the document distribution system according to the first to seventh aspects, a printer connected to a LAN to which facsimile output control means is connected, and a facsimile transmission document is output to the printer when the facsimile transmission fails. And a unit for designating a unit for print output.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the document delivery system according to the eighth aspect, there is provided means for extracting an untransmitted page from the facsimile transmission document, and means for printing the extracted document information of the untransmitted page. Is characterized by.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to system configuration diagrams and flowcharts of the embodiments shown in FIGS. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a document distribution system according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment different from FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a document management system 10 which constitutes the document delivery system of this embodiment transmits a form by a fax (FAX) to a form creation terminal 11 which is a computer that provides a form creation function and a form management function. It is composed of a facsimile server 12 that provides a function and a printer 13 that prints out, and a LAN (Local Area Network) 1
4 are connected to each other. Further, the document management system 10 is connected to a public communication line network 20, and the public communication line network 20 is connected to facsimile devices 31, 32, 33, .... Here, generally, a plurality of form creation terminals 11, a facsimile server 12, and a printer 13 are connected on a LAN 14, and a plurality of facsimile devices 31, 32, 33 ... Are connected to the public communication line network 20. The user creates a document file using a word processor or the like in the form creation terminal 11, and designates the document file via the public communication line network 20.
A facsimile (FAX) can be transmitted to 32, 33, ....

Another configuration example to which the document delivery system 10 of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the system configuration diagram of FIG. The document management system 10 sends a form such as a service result report sent to a customer in the service area 30 to service bases 30a, 30b, ... To which the customer belongs.
Fax to. Service base 30a,
At 30b, ..., it is necessary for the service person at the service bases 30a, 30b ,.

The operation of the document delivery system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 for delivering a form to a facsimile machine installed at a service base in a service area will be described below. (Explanation of Claim 1) FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the document distribution system of Claim 1. The document management system 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is configured to set service bases 30a, 30b, ... Present in a service area 30, which is a facsimile transmission destination, for facsimile data conversion and transmission of a form. Carry out the request. In the document delivery system of this embodiment, the form information is a document file such as Word, and the request is accepted together with the information of the facsimile transmission destination (step 1). The received document file to be transmitted by facsimile is transmitted to the facsimile server 12 in the document format (BMP or T
IFF) (step 2), and by issuing a facsimile transmission request (step 3), the service bases 30a, 3
Facsimile transmission is carried out by the facsimile server 12 to the facsimile machines 0b, ... (Step 4), and the facsimile transmission result is stored as history information (Step 5). After that, at the service base where the document file is received, the service work such as visit to the customer is carried out according to the facsimile result. As described above, the document delivery system according to the present embodiment makes it possible to process the request to the facsimile server and grasp the result of the facsimile transmission, thereby improving the work efficiency.

(Explanation of Claim 2) FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the document distribution system of Claim 2. The document delivery system of claim 2 is based on the document delivery system of claim 1, and
In the document delivery system shown in (1), the service location as the destination of the facsimile is set to the system, and the facsimile data conversion and the transmission request of the form are performed. In the document delivery system of this embodiment, the form information is W
The request is accepted as a document file such as an ord file (step 11), and the accepted document file is sent to the facsimile server 12 in a document format (BMP or TIF).
F) is converted (step 12), a facsimile transmission request is issued (step 13), and the facsimile transmission result is stored inside the system (step 14).

After that, 1 accumulated in the system
Alternatively, by receiving a transmission start request for a plurality of facsimile transmission requests (step 15), all the stored facsimile transmission requests are acquired (step 1).
6) The facsimile transmission start request is searched for in units of facsimile transmission destinations at the service base, and all facsimile transmission requests are transmitted to the facsimile server in units of facsimile transmission destinations (step 17). The facsimile server performs facsimile transmission based on the facsimile transmission request (step 18) and stores the facsimile transmission result (step 19). At the service base, service operations such as visits to customers are carried out according to the result of facsimile transmission. In this way, by making a transmission start request for one or more facsimile transmission requests stored in the system, the time when the facsimile transmission is started can be flexibly designated by the system, and thus the communication line for transmission such as transmission at midnight can be set. Use efficiency can be improved.

(Explanation of Claim 3) FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the document delivery system of Claim 3. The document distribution system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 executes facsimile data conversion and transmission request of a form for which a facsimile transmission destination (service base) is set for the system. Since the operation is the same as that of steps 11 to 14 of the document distribution system shown in FIG. 4, description thereof will be omitted, and operation of step 25 and thereafter will be described. Upon receipt of the facsimile transmission start request for the facsimile transmission requests stored in the system (step 25), all the facsimile transmission requests are acquired for each stored facsimile transmission destination (service base), and the facsimile transmission to the same transmission destination is performed. Requests are grouped by facsimile destination (step 2
6), 1 for each grouped facsimile destination
Edit into one fax document (step 27),
Request all facsimile transmission requests to the facsimile server 12 for each facsimile destination (step 2
8) The facsimile transmission is carried out by the facsimile server 12 (step 29), and the facsimile transmission result is stored (step 30). At the service base, service operations such as visits to customers are carried out according to the result of facsimile transmission. Thus, since the facsimile transmission is performed from one facsimile communication, it is possible to improve the utilization efficiency of the communication line.

(Explanation of Claim 4) FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the document delivery system of Claim 4. The document distribution system shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 performs facsimile data conversion and transmission request of a form for which a facsimile transmission destination (service base) is set for the system, but the operations of steps 31 to 34 are Since the operation is the same as that of steps 11 to 14 of the document distribution system shown in FIG. 4, description thereof will be omitted, and operation of steps after step 35 will be described. FA to document distribution system
Upon reception of the X transmission start request (step 35), the transmission requests are searched for in units of facsimile transmission destinations (service bases), and facsimile requests of the same transmission destination are grouped in units of facsimile transmission destinations (step 36), and the grouped facsimile transmissions are performed. One facsimile transmission document is edited for each destination (step 37), and one facsimile cover page transmission request is searched for for each grouped facsimile transmission destination.
After adding the cover sheet as the facsimile transmission information of the facsimile transmission request (step 38), all facsimile transmission requests are requested to the facsimile server by the facsimile destination (step 39), and the facsimile server transmits the facsimile. Do (Step 4
0), store the facsimile transmission result (step 4)
1). At the service base, service operations such as visits to customers are carried out according to the result of facsimile transmission. As described above, since the facsimile transmission is performed from one facsimile communication, it is possible to improve the utilization efficiency of the communication line and to grasp the outline of the facsimile transmission (the number of pages to be transmitted, etc.) because the facsimile cover sheet is added.

(Explanation of Claim 5) FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the document distribution system of Claim 5. The document distribution system shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 executes facsimile data conversion and transmission request of a form for which a facsimile transmission destination (service base) is set to the system, but the operations of steps 51 to 54 are Since the operation is the same as that of steps 11 to 14 of the document distribution system shown in FIG. 4, description thereof will be omitted, and steps after step 55 will be described. The document delivery system of this embodiment is
With the maximum number of pages to send set in the system,
Upon receipt of the facsimile transmission start request to the document distribution system (step 55), the facsimile transmission request is searched for in units of facsimile transmission destinations (service bases) (step 56), and the facsimile transmission request of the same transmission destination is a facsimile transmission of one facsimile transmission request. Send information (Step 5)
7) After adding the cover sheet, the facsimile is transmitted to the service site facsimile.

At this time, the number of pages to be transmitted to one destination is acquired, grouped in units of facsimile destinations (step 56), and then edited into one facsimile transmission document in units of grouped facsimile destinations (step 5).
7) It is checked whether or not the number of pages of the edited facsimile transmission document exceeds the maximum number of pages set in the system (step 58). If the number of pages of the facsimile transmission document exceeds the set maximum number of pages, it is divided into a plurality of facsimile transmission documents having the number of pages within the maximum number of pages (step 59), and all facsimile transmission requests are made for each facsimile transmission destination. After making a facsimile transmission request to the facsimile server (step 60), the facsimile is transmitted by the facsimile server (step 6).
1) Store the facsimile transmission result (step 6)
2). The facsimile machine at the service base receives the facsimile transmission document and carries out a service operation such as visiting a customer based on the facsimile transmission result. As described above, since the facsimile transmission is performed by one facsimile communication within a certain number of pages, the utilization efficiency of the communication line is improved by reducing the continuous occupancy time of the line at the service base side, and the facsimile cover page is added. It is possible to grasp the outline of facsimile transmission such as the number of pages.

(Explanation of Claim 6) FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the document distribution system of Claim 6. The document distribution system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 executes facsimile data conversion and transmission request of a form for which a facsimile transmission destination (service base) is set for the system. Since the operation is the same as that of steps 11 to 14 of the document distribution system shown in FIG. 4, description thereof will be omitted, and steps after step 75 will be described. The document delivery system of this embodiment is
Upon receiving the FAX transmission start request to the document distribution system, the FAX transmission request is searched for in units of FAX destinations (service bases), and the FAX request of the same destination is used as the FAX transmission information of 1 FAX transmission request, and after adding the cover sheet, FAX transmission to the service base FAX.

That is, in the state where the maximum number of pages to be transmitted is set in the system, the number of pages to be transmitted to one destination is acquired by receiving the FAX transmission start request to the document distribution system (step 75), and the facsimile transmission is performed. Grouping by destination (step 76), editing into one facsimile transmission document by grouping facsimile transmission destinations (step 77), and the number of pages of the edited facsimile transmission document exceeds the maximum number of pages set in the system. It is checked whether or not (step 78). If the number of pages of the facsimile transmission document exceeds the set maximum number of pages, it is divided into a plurality of facsimile transmission documents with the number of pages within the maximum number of pages (step 79), and all facsimile transmission requests are made for each facsimile transmission destination. Request a facsimile transmission to the facsimile server (step 8
0), one facsimile cover page is added for each grouped facsimile destination (step 81), and the facsimile is transmitted by the facsimile server (step 8).
2) Store the facsimile transmission result (step 8)
3).

At the service base, service work such as visit to a customer is carried out according to the result of facsimile transmission. In this way, since the facsimile transmission is performed by one facsimile communication within a certain number of pages, the utilization efficiency of the communication line is improved by reducing the continuous occupation time of the line at the service base side.
Since the facsimile cover sheet is added, it is possible to grasp the outline of the facsimile transmission such as the number of transmitted pages.

(Explanation of Claim 7) FIG. 9 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the document distribution system of Claim 7. The document distribution system shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 executes the facsimile data conversion and the transmission request of the form for which the facsimile transmission destination (service base) is set to the system. Since the operation is the same as that of steps 11 to 14 of the document distribution system shown in FIG. 4, description thereof will be omitted, and steps after step 95 will be described. The document delivery system of this embodiment is
Upon reception of the facsimile FAX transmission start request to the document distribution system (step 95), the facsimile transmission request is retrieved for each facsimile transmission destination (service base), and the facsimile transmission request of the same transmission destination is regarded as the facsimile transmission information of one facsimile transmission request. After adding the cover sheet, the facsimile is transmitted to the service site facsimile. At this time, if the number of pages to be sent to one destination is acquired and the maximum number of pages is exceeded, it is divided into facsimile transmission requests with the number of pages within this maximum number of pages, and a cover page is added to each of the divided documents. Then, the facsimile is transmitted to the designated destination.

That is, in the state where the maximum number of pages to be transmitted is set in the system, the number of pages to be transmitted to one destination is acquired by receiving a facsimile transmission start request to the document distribution system (step 95) and transmitting the data by facsimile transmission. Grouping is performed for each destination (step 96), and one facsimile transmission document is edited for each grouped facsimile transmission destination (step 97). The number of pages of the edited facsimile transmission document exceeds the maximum number set in the system. Check whether or not (step 9)
8). If the number of pages of the facsimile transmission document exceeds the set maximum number of pages, it is divided into a plurality of facsimile transmission documents having the number of pages within the maximum number of pages (step 99), and all the facsimile transmissions are performed for each facsimile transmission destination. The request is sent to the facsimile server for facsimile transmission (step 100), one facsimile cover sheet is added for each grouped facsimile destination (step 101), and the facsimile transmission is performed by the facsimile server (step 102). Is stored (step 103).

At the service base, service work such as visit to the customer is carried out according to the result of the facsimile transmission. In this way, since the facsimile transmission is performed by one facsimile communication within a certain number of pages, the utilization efficiency of the communication line is improved by reducing the continuous occupation time of the line at the service base side.
Since the facsimile cover sheet is added, it is possible to grasp the outline of the facsimile transmission such as the number of transmitted pages.

(Explanation of Claim 8) FIG. 10 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the document delivery system of Claim 8. The document distribution system according to the present exemplary embodiment is used when the document distribution system fails to perform facsimile transmission to a facsimile device at a service base, and a printer is connected to a LAN to which a facsimile output control terminal is connected and a facsimile is connected. The facsimile transmission document is output to the printer when the transmission fails. That is, the document distribution system according to the present exemplary embodiment, similarly to the document distribution system according to claims 1 to 7, upon receipt of the facsimile transmission start request to the document distribution system, requests the facsimile transmission for each facsimile transmission destination (service base). The facsimile request of the same transmission destination is searched and used as the facsimile transmission information of one facsimile transmission request, and after the cover sheet is added, the facsimile transmission is performed to the service site facsimile.

At this time, it is checked whether or not the facsimile transmission is successful (step 112), and if the facsimile transmission is unsuccessful, it is checked whether or not the facsimile transmission information is printed for each destination (step 114). When printing is performed for each destination, all the stored facsimile transmission requests are acquired, grouped for each facsimile destination (step 115), and edited for each printer request for each grouped facsimile destination (step 116). ), And output by the printer (step 11)
7). In step 114, if the facsimile transmission information is not printed for each destination, all the stored facsimile transmission requests are acquired (step 118),
The acquired facsimile request is edited into a printer request in the order of request (step 119) and output by the printer (step 117).

The document delivery system of this embodiment prints out the facsimile transmission image file to the printer, and the facsimile transmission information to be printed at this time can be outputted in units of facsimile request or destination of facsimile. The output results are manually sent to the service location by mail. As described above, even if the service facsimile cannot be used, the form can be delivered manually, and the output for each facsimile destination makes it possible to improve the work efficiency by reducing the sorting process.

(Explanation of Claim 9) FIG. 11 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the document delivery system of Claim 9. The document distribution system according to the present exemplary embodiment is used when the document distribution system fails in facsimile transmission to a facsimile device at a service base, extracts untransmitted pages from a facsimile transmission document, and prints the extracted document information. However, when printing out, the print unit is designated. That is, the document distribution system according to the present exemplary embodiment, similarly to the document distribution system according to claims 1 to 7, upon receipt of the facsimile transmission start request to the document distribution system, requests the facsimile transmission for each facsimile transmission destination (service base). The facsimile request of the same transmission destination is searched and used as the facsimile transmission information of one facsimile transmission request, and after the cover sheet is added, the facsimile transmission is performed to the service site facsimile.

In the document delivery system of the present embodiment, upon receipt of the request to start facsimile transmission to the document delivery system, the facsimile transmission request is searched in units of facsimile transmission destinations (service bases), and one facsimile transmission request is made to the same transmission destination. After adding the cover sheet as the facsimile transmission information of the transmission request, the facsimile transmission is performed to the service site facsimile. At this time, it is checked whether or not the facsimile transmission is successful (step 12
2) If the facsimile transmission is unsuccessful, it is checked whether or not the facsimile transmission information is printed for each destination (step 124). When printing is performed for each destination, all the stored facsimile transmission requests are acquired. Group by fax destination (step 125),
Only untransmitted pages are extracted (step 126), edited into one printer request for each grouped facsimile destination (step 127), and output by the printer (step 128). If the facsimile transmission information is not printed for each destination in step 124, all the stored facsimile transmission requests are acquired (step 129), only untransmitted pages are extracted (step 130), and the acquired facsimile requests are acquired. Are edited in the order of request into printer requests (step 131) and output by the printer (step 128).

When the facsimile transmission fails, the document distribution system of the present embodiment prints out the facsimile transmission image file to the printer. At this time, after extracting only unsent pages from the facsimile transmission information and setting it as transmission information, the facsimile transmission information to be printed is output in units of facsimile request or destination of facsimile, and the output results are manually mailed, etc. Will be sent to the service base. As described above, even if the service facsimile cannot be used, the form can be delivered manually, and the output can be performed in units of the facsimile transmission destination, so that it is possible to improve the work efficiency by reducing the sorting process.

[0034]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the requested facsimile transmission information can be automatically facsimile-transmitted to the document distribution system and the result of the facsimile transmission can be monitored via the network, the document distribution system is operated. Work such as inquiry of the facsimile transmission result to the operator does not occur, and it is possible to improve the work efficiency by reducing the load on the operator and reducing the inquiry work.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the transmission start of the facsimile transmission image information accumulated in the document distribution system is instructed from an external terminal such as a Web browser or a scheduler, the facsimile transmission to the operator operating the document distribution system is performed. No work is required to start the system, work efficiency is improved by reducing the load on the operator, and flexible system operation such as facsimile transmission at night becomes possible.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, since the facsimile transmission image information to be transmitted according to the first or second aspect of the invention is combined in units of transmission destinations and is transmitted as one facsimile transmission, the document delivery system is used for facsimile retry processing. It is possible to reduce the image information storage area, reduce the system load due to retransmission processing, and efficiently use the public line for performing facsimile transmission.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, since a cover page is added to the facsimile transmission image information combined in the document delivery system in units of destinations in the third aspect of the invention, a facsimile for an operator who operates the document delivery system is provided. The preparation for transmission and the work for transmission do not occur, and the work efficiency can be improved by reducing the load on the operator.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third or fourth aspect of the invention, the number of pages of the facsimile transmission image information combined in the destination unit in the document distribution system is detected, and when the number of pages exceeds the prescribed number of pages, Since the transmission is divided and the facsimile transmission is performed as separate communication, it is possible to reduce the line occupation time due to the facsimile transmission and reduce the load on the document distribution system used for transmission and reception.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the cover page is added to the facsimile transmission image information combined in the document delivery system in units of destinations in the fifth aspect of the invention, a facsimile for an operator who operates the document delivery system is provided. The preparation for transmission and the work for transmission do not occur, and the work efficiency can be improved by reducing the load on the operator.

According to the invention of claim 7, in the invention of claim 5 or 6, the number of pages of the facsimile transmission image information combined in the destination unit in the document distribution system is detected, and when the number exceeds the specified number of pages, Since the data is divided and sent as separate communications to different destinations by facsimile, the line occupation time is reduced due to facsimile transmission, the out-of-paper state of the facsimile due to large-volume reception is avoided, and the load on the document distribution system used for transmission and reception is reduced. It will be possible.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the document which has failed in the facsimile transmission in the document distribution system is output to the printer. At this time, the output unit can also be output in the destination unit, and the operator outputs to the printer. Since the documents can be transmitted by facsimile without manual work such as rearranging, it is possible to improve the work efficiency by reducing the load on the operator and the inquiry work.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since only the untransmitted page is printed out in the eighth aspect of the invention, it is possible to reduce the line occupation time by facsimile transmission and reduce the load of the document distribution system used for transmission and reception. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a document distribution system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram showing a different embodiment of the document distribution system according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the document distribution system of claim 1.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the document delivery system of claim 2.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the document delivery system of claim 3.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of the document delivery system of claim 4.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation of the document distribution system of claim 5;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation of the document distribution system of claim 6;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation of the document delivery system of claim 7.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation of the document delivery system of claim 8.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation of the document delivery system of claim 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Document management system, 11 ... Form creation terminal, 12 ...
Facsimile server, 13 ... Printer, 14 ... LAN,
20 ... Public communication network, 30 ... Service area, 30a,
30b ... Service bases, 31, 32, 33 ... Facsimile devices.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A document distribution system comprising a facsimile output control means connected to a LAN and comprising one or a plurality of computers, a public communication line, and a facsimile output means, wherein the facsimile output control means manages the facsimile output means. Facsimile output control means stores means for storing image information of a facsimile transmission target as a document file, means for converting the stored document file into a facsimile document format, and means for adding a cover page to a document to be transmitted. A document distribution system comprising: means for transmitting the document file by facsimile via the public communication line; and means for storing the facsimile transmission result as history information. 2. The document distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the facsimile output control means has means for controlling the start of facsimile transmission. 3. The document distribution system according to claim 1, further comprising means for combining documents of the same transmission destination as one file, and means for transmitting the combined files by facsimile in one communication. Document delivery system to do. 4. The document distribution system according to claim 3, further comprising means for adding a cover page to the document to be facsimile-transmitted in the one communication. 5. The document distribution system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the means for setting the maximum number of pages of a document to be transmitted and the means for detecting the number of pages of a document obtained by combining documents of the same destination as one file. And, when the number of pages of the combined document exceeds the maximum number of pages, the method further comprises means for dividing the file so that the number of pages of the combined document is within the maximum number of pages. Document delivery system. 6. The document distribution system according to claim 5, further comprising means for adding a cover page to the divided documents. 7. The document distribution system according to claim 5, further comprising means for designating a plurality of facsimile transmission destinations for the divided document and means for facsimile transmission to the designated transmission destinations. Document delivery system. 8. The document delivery system according to claim 1, further comprising: a printer connected to the LAN to which the facsimile output control means is connected; and means for outputting the facsimile transmission document to the printer when the facsimile transmission fails. A document delivery system having means for designating a unit for printing and outputting. 9. The document delivery system according to claim 8, further comprising a unit for extracting an untransmitted page from the facsimile-transmitted document, and a unit for printing the document information of the extracted untransmitted page. Delivery system.