JP2003309693A - Facsimile system and facsimile server and client unit for use therein - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a facsimile system in which the format information and the buried information of a cover page is created in an XML document and transmitted, together with a transmission command and image data, from the personal computer of a client to a facsimile server where the format information and the buried information are synthesized and imaged to create a cover page being transmitted to a designated destination together with the image data. <P>SOLUTION: Since the personal computer of the client makes an XML document of the format information and the buried information of the cover page and then designates transmission thereof, the volume of data is reduced as compared with a case where the image data of the cover page is transmitted directly to the facsimile server and conversion of resolution is not required because it is not the image data. In case of broadcast communication, the data can be processed efficiently because the volume thereof is small even if a different cover page is used for each destination. <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 facsimile system, from a client device to a facsimile server,
It relates to an instruction to send image data with a cover page attached.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A facsimile server is connected to a network such as a LAN and is shared by clients such as personal computers. When sending image data of a facsimile or Internet fax via the facsimile server according to an instruction from the client, attach a cover page. At this time, the cover page image is generated by the client's personal computer and transmitted to the facsimile server together with the image data, or the embedded information to be embedded in the standard format cover page image stored in the facsimile server is transmitted to the facsimile server. Create a cover page on the side.

[0003]

[Problems of the prior art] When sending image data, it is troublesome to create a cover page with image data each time using a client's personal computer, etc., it takes time to send a communication instruction, and the created cover page is sent with image data. Then, the amount of data to be transmitted to the facsimile server increases, and even if a cover page is created with high resolution on the client's personal computer or the like, if the resolution conversion is performed on the facsimile server side during communication, image deterioration may occur. There's a problem. Therefore, a facsimile server can create a cover page image in advance and the client can send the character information and position information to be embedded therein, but in this case, only the cover page of a fixed form can be used. No, clients cannot use form cover pages as needed. Especially in broadcast communication, if you want to create cover pages with different contents for multiple destinations, the cover page image is created on the client side for each, so it is difficult to create cover pages, and it is difficult to send to the facsimile server. Since the embedding information for each cover page image is transmitted, the amount of data to be communicated also increases.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to enable a client side to easily generate cover page information, reduce the amount of data transmitted from a client to a facsimile server, and eliminate the need for resolution conversion in the facsimile server. In order to prevent image deterioration due to resolution conversion (claims 1 to 4).

An additional problem in the invention of claim 3 is that
Even when different cover pages are generated for a plurality of destinations, the amount of data to be transmitted is reduced and a plurality of cover pages can be easily generated (claim 3).

[0006]

The facsimile system of the present invention comprises a facsimile server and a client, and the client device has a structuring means for generating cover page format information and cover page embedding information as a structured document. The structured document, the image data of the facsimile data body, and a transmission unit for transmitting a transmission instruction command for instructing a destination of the structured document and the image data are provided, and the facsimile server includes A receiving unit for receiving the transmission instruction command, the structured document, and the image data, and the received structured document are used to embed the cover page embedding information in the cover page format information to generate a cover page. Generation means for
A transmission means for transmitting the cover page and the image data according to the transmission instruction command is provided (claim 1). In order to generate a cover page, cover page format information and cover page embedding information are required, and the cover page embedding information includes, for example, character information to be embedded and position information thereof.
Then, the cover page format information and the cover page embedding information are transmitted to the facsimile server as a structured document.

The facsimile server of the present invention is a receiving means for receiving a transmission instruction command for instructing a destination, a structured document in which cover page format information and cover page embedding information are structured, and image data. And a generation unit for generating a cover page by embedding the cover page embedding information in the cover page format information using the received structured document, the cover page and the received image data, And a transmitting means for transmitting in accordance with the transmission instruction command. Preferably, a plurality of destinations of the transmission instruction command can be freely designated (claim 3).

The client device of the present invention further comprises a structuring means for generating the cover page format information and the cover page embedding information as a structured document, the structured document, and image data of the facsimile data body. And a transmission means for transmitting a transmission instruction command for instructing a transmission destination (claim 4).

[0009]

In the facsimile system of the present invention, the cover page is separated into the cover page format information and the cover page embedding information and structured, so that any cover page can be freely and easily generated. You can Moreover, since the image data of the cover page is not transmitted as it is but is transmitted as the format information and embedded information of the structured document, the amount of data to be transmitted can be small. Further, since the cover page is converted into image data by the facsimile server, there is no need for resolution conversion, and there is no risk of image deterioration due to resolution conversion (claims 1 to 4).

If the cover page format information and the cover page embedding information are separately structured documents, the format can be generated and modified independently of the format, and the embedding information can be independently generated and modified. .

On the facsimile server side, since the format information and the embedding information of the received structured document regarding the cover page are used, the embedding information is embedded in the format information to generate the cover page as image data. The amount of data to be received is small. Since the structured document is received with respect to the cover page, the facsimile server does not require resolution conversion and there is no deterioration in image quality. Then, the image data of the facsimile data body is attached to the generated cover page and transmitted to the destination designated by the client.

Further, according to the present invention, a plurality of destinations of the transmission instruction command can be freely designated, and for example, even in the case of broadcast communication, the format information and the embedded information of each cover page can be structured and sent to the facsimile server.
Therefore, even if you use a different cover page for each destination,
Since the data is structured as character data or vector data, the amount of data is small and transmission to a plurality of locations can be efficiently processed (claim 3).

[0013]

1 to 6 show the configuration and operation of a facsimile system 1 according to an embodiment. 1 and 2, 2
Is a facsimile server, which also acts as a network scanner. The facsimile server 2 is connected to a facsimile device such as G3 or G4 via a public line network (not shown), and the mail server 6 or LAN via LAN4.
It is connected to the personal computer 8 or the like of the client inside and functions as an Internet facsimile machine. The personal computer 8 is an example of a client of the facsimile server 2. A LAN 4 router 10 connects the Internet 12 and the LAN 4. 14
Is an Internet facsimile machine connected to the Internet 12, and 16 is a personal computer.

As described above, the facsimile server 2 is itself a facsimile device connected to a public line network, and is also a network scanner or a network printer in the LAN 4, and by passing through the mail server 6, an internet facsimile It will also be a terminal.

Client personal computer 8
Is connected to the facsimile server 2 via a network, and transmits a transmission command, cover page format information of a structured document, cover page embedded information of a structured document, and image data. Anything can be used as long as it can be transmitted to the facsimile server 2, and is not limited to the personal computer 8. The type of network is not limited to LAN4.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the network scanner 2. Reference numeral 20 is a main control unit (CPU), 21 is a RAM for storing image data and data being processed, and 22 is a program and the like. Is a ROM for reading, a reading unit 23 is for inputting an image, and a reference numeral 24 is a printer for hard printing. Reference numeral 26 is a network control device for connecting to a public line network, 27 is a modem, and 28 is an operation / display unit equipped with a display panel such as a keyboard and LCD. Reference numeral 29 is a codec, which performs data compression, encoding, and decoding necessary for communication, and 30 is a LAN interface for connecting to a client via the LAN 4. 32
The receiving unit receives a transmission command, cover page format information (format information), cover page embedding information (embedding information), image data, and the like. The format information and the embedding information make up cover page information, and the embedding information includes information such as character information to be embedded in the cover page and its position. The format information and the embedding information are received as separate structured documents structured by the personal computer 8. However, one structured document is used to separate the attributes of the carver page information and the embedding information. It may be generated. Reference numeral 34 denotes a cover page generation unit that combines structured format information and embedded information to generate a cover page made up of image data. A transmission unit 36 attaches the original image data of the facsimile to the cover page generated in the image data format and transmits the image data to the destination designated by the transmission command from the client.

In the personal computer 8 connected to the facsimile server 2 via the LAN 4, a transmission command generating section 40 for generating a transmission command for instructing the facsimile server 2 of the facsimile transmission destination of the cover page and the image data. To provide. In the personal computer 8, a format information generation unit 42 for generating and storing the cover page format information as a structured document, and an embedded information generation for generating the cover page embedding information as a structured document. The section 44 is provided. These structured documents are in XML format, for example, and the format information is represented as vector data in SVG format, for example. The embedded information is basically character data,
Similarly, it is structured in a format such as XML. The personal computer 8 is further provided with a transmission unit 46 and the like for transmitting the transmission command, the generated structured document, and the image data to the facsimile server 2. The format information and the embedded information may be included as separate attributes in one structured document, and the transmission command may be included in the structured document of the embedded information.

FIG. 3 shows transmission data for instructing transmission of image data from the personal computer 8 of the client to the facsimile server 2 and data to be generated by the facsimile server and transmitted to the instructed destination.
It shows typically. In FIG. 3, two types of transmission data 50, 6
An explanation will be given using 0. In the figure, the transmission data 50 includes a transmission command 51, format information 52, embedding information 54, and image data 56 of the facsimile data body,
The transmission command 51 includes, for example, the destination and “SendFa
Commands such as "x" and "Send I-Fax" are described. It should be noted that the format information and the embedded information are separated and separated from each other in advance by the generator 4 of the personal computer 8.
2, 44 (see FIG. 2) respectively. Then, the image data 56 to be transmitted is attached to these structured documents and transmitted from the personal computer 8 to the facsimile server 2. In the facsimile server 2, the receiving unit 32 of FIG. 2 receives the data 50, and the cover page generating unit 34 of FIG. 2 embeds the embedding information in the received cover page format information, converts it into image data and covers it. It is page 72. The transmission unit 36 transmits the transmission data 70 with the image data 56 attached to the cover page 72 converted into the image data to the designated destination, for example, by G3 facsimile or Internet facsimile.

The transmission data 60 is an example in which, following the transmission command 61, three types of cover pages are defined for each destination. Format information 62a-c and embedded information 64a-c
And 3 are defined respectively, and the facsimile server 2 is instructed to perform the broadcast communication to three locations. And the format information 62a of the cover page in all three places
~ C are different, and embedded information 64a-c corresponding to each
To use.

When the facsimile server 2 receives the transmission data 60, the format information 62a-c and the embedded information 6 are received.
3 types of cover pages 82a to 82c are generated from 4a to 4c and are transmitted together with the image data 66. However, if "SendFax" is described with reference to the send command 61, G
3 Based on the capability information such as the resolution of the transmission destination obtained after the start of the facsimile procedure, the cover pages 82a to 82c are generated and transmitted. When "Send I-FAX" is described, if the capability information such as the resolution corresponding to the destination is stored in advance, the cover pages 82a to 82c are generated based on the capability information. ,Send.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the format information and the embedded information are defined separately for each destination.
For example, the cover page format may be common to a plurality of destinations, and the embedded information may be defined separately for each destination.

FIG. 4 shows an example in which the format information is structured in the SVG format, FIG. 5 shows an example in which the embedding information is structured into an XML document, and FIG. 6 shows a combination of the format information and the embedding information. Then, an example in which the cover page is generated as image data (image data) will be described. In the cover page format information shown in FIG. 4, the title display “Facsimile Me
"ssage", "From" column, "To" column, "Title" column, and the line enclosing the data entry column are described as attributes.
In particular, the surrounding line is described in vector format, and the data amount is reduced compared to the case where image data is used. The embedded information shown in FIG. 5 is structured in the XML format, and "FromNumber" 07
In the broadcast communication from 5-123-4567 to two locations, "To Number"
06-6123-4567 and 03-3456-7890, and the titles of the respective data are defined as Order List and FYI: Order List. Note that the cover page in FIG. 6 is an example in which the embedded information is embedded in the format information in FIGS. 4 and 5 to form image data, and the message inside the encircling line is omitted.

Note that XM is used as a standard for structured documents.
There are L, SVG, etc., and the typical one of these standards is X.
ML (Extensible Markup Language), SVG is a standard that extends and changes this into vector data. In the embodiment, the image data is converted from the raster format to the vector format by SVG (standard of structured document for vector graphic description) and structured, and the cover page of FIG. 2 is adjusted according to the resolution at the time of communication from the facsimile server. The generation unit 32 determines the resolution and converts it into image data.

As shown in the embodiment, the personal computer separates the format information and the embedded information, structures each of them, and sends them together with a send command and image data to the facsimile server. The personal computer can freely generate anything other than the cover page stored in the facsimile server, and can easily generate an arbitrary cover page. Moreover, since the image data of the cover page is not transmitted as it is, but is transmitted as the format information and the embedded information of the structured document, the transmission data amount can be small. Since the format information is transmitted as a structured document and converted into image data by the facsimile server, there is no need for resolution conversion, and there is no risk of image deterioration due to resolution conversion. Further, since the structured document of the cover page is separated into the structured documents of the format information and the embedded information, the format can be created and modified by the format uniquely, and the embedded information can be created and modified by the embedded information uniquely. Even if a different cover page is used for each destination at the time of broadcast communication, the data amount is small because it is structured as character data or vector data, and the transmission to the facsimile server can be performed efficiently. In the facsimile server, the embedded information is embedded in the format information to form an image, and the image is transmitted to the designated destination.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a connection between a facsimile server of an embodiment and a personal computer of a client.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a facsimile server according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing transmission data from the personal computer of the client to the facsimile server and transmission data from the facsimile server in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which the format information of the cover page in the embodiment is structured into an XML document.

FIG. 5 shows the embedding information of the cover page in the embodiment as XML.
Diagram showing an example of structured documents

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which a cover page is generated as image data in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Facsimile System 2 Facsimile Server 4 LAN 6 Mail Server 8, 16 Personal Computer 10 Router 12 Internet Network 14 Internet Facsimile Device 20 CPU 21 RAM 22 ROM 23 Reader 24 Printer 26 Network Controller 27 Modem 28 Operation / Display 29 Codec 30 LAN interface 32 Receiver 34 Cover page generator 36 Transmitter 40 Transmission command generator 42 Format information generator 44 Embedded information generator 46 Transmitter 50, 60 Transmission data 51, 61 Transmission command 52, 62a-c Format information 54 , 64a-c Embedded information 56, 66 Image data 70, 80a-c Transmission data 72, 82a-c of facsimile server Cover page generated by facsimile server

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 5B021 AA05 BB04 BB09                 5C062 AA02 AA05 AA14 AA35 AB41                       AB42 AB43 AB44 AC08 AC24                       AC29 AC30 AC35 AC43 AE02                       AE07 AE15 AF01 AF02 AF03                       AF13 BC01                 5C075 AA02 BA04 BA05 CA13 CA14                       CD09 DD05 FF09

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile server and a client, wherein the client device includes structured means for generating cover page format information and cover page embedded information as a structured document, the structured document, and a facsimile. A transmission unit for transmitting image data of the data body and a transmission instruction command for instructing a destination of the structured document and the image data is provided, and the facsimile server includes the transmission instruction command and the structured message. Receiving means for receiving a document and image data; generating means for generating a cover page by embedding the cover page embedding information in the cover page format information using the received structured document; And a transmission means for transmitting the cover page and the image data according to the transmission instruction command. And wherein, facsimile system. 2. A transmission instruction command for instructing a destination,
A structured document in which the cover page format information and the cover page embedding information are structured, a receiving unit for receiving image data, and the received structured document are used for the cover page in the cover page format information. It is characterized in that a generation means for embedding embedded information to generate a cover page and a transmission means for transmitting the cover page and the received image data according to the transmission instruction command are provided. , Facsimile server. 3. The facsimile server according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of destinations of the transmission instruction command can be freely designated. 4. A structuring means for generating cover page format information and cover page embedding information as a structured document, the structured document, image data of a facsimile data body, and a transmission instructing a destination. A client device, comprising: a transmission unit for transmitting an instruction command.