JP2006100966A - Facsimile machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a facsimile machine with a call control protocol installed therein for preventing mis-transmission of image data of an original to a destination unintended by a user in advance. <P>SOLUTION: The facsimile machine 1A includes: an entry means for entering destination information of a destination to which image data are to be transmitted; a command transmission means for transmitting a command Z of a text data form for requesting identification information X of an apparatus 1B of the destination by the SIP method to the apparatus 1B indicated by the destination information entered by the entry means; a response reception means for receiving a response with respect to the text data form command Z from the apparatus indicated by the destination information by the SIP method; and a display means for displaying contents of the received response. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus that implements a call control protocol such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), and more particularly to a facsimile apparatus that prevents an original from being erroneously transmitted due to an erroneous input of destination information such as an IP telephone number.

  In recent years, facsimile apparatuses that transmit image data through an IP network are becoming popular. For example, the facsimile apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is an ITU-T recommendation T.30. 38 is provided with an IP facsimile communication function conforming to H.38, and can transmit and receive document image data through the IP network.

  If image data is transmitted through the IP network, the communication cost can be significantly reduced compared to transmitting image data through a telephone line. Therefore, in recent years, companies have been using image data through the IP network for the purpose of reducing communication costs. There is a tendency to introduce a facsimile machine that transmits the message.

JP 2002-101256 A

  Similar to a G3 facsimile apparatus that transmits image data through a telephone line, a facsimile apparatus that transmits image data through an IP network also requires the user to specify destination information such as a telephone number and an e-mail address. If the input is incorrect, there is a problem in that important document image data is transmitted to a party unintended by the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem. In a facsimile apparatus having a function for transmitting and receiving text data by a method of a call control protocol, an original is sent to a destination unintended by a user due to an input error of destination information. It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile apparatus that prevents the image data of this type from being erroneously transmitted.

  In order to achieve the above object, the facsimile apparatus according to claim 1 is inputted by the input means prior to the transmission of the image data and the input means for inputting the destination information of the destination to which the image data is to be transmitted. Command transmission means for transmitting a text data format command for requesting device identification information to the destination information device by a method of a call control protocol, and a response to the text data format command from the destination information device. Response receiving means for receiving a call control protocol method and output means for outputting the content of the received response are provided.

  The facsimile apparatus according to claim 2 is registered in the apparatus when receiving a command in text format for requesting identification information of the apparatus by a method of a call control protocol, and when receiving the command by the means. And a reply means for reading out the identification information in the text data format of the own apparatus and returning the identification information to the transmission source of the command by a method of a call control protocol.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the facsimile apparatus according to the second aspect is characterized in that the identification information of the apparatus includes a user name of the apparatus.

  If the facsimile apparatus according to claim 1 is the transmission side and the facsimile apparatus according to claim 2 is the reception side, the apparatus identification information of the destination information input to the user is output prior to the transmission of the image data. The user can check whether or not the input destination information is correct by looking at the output identification information. Thereby, it is possible to prevent an important document from being erroneously transmitted to a third party.

  If the facsimile apparatus according to claim 1 is the transmission side and the facsimile apparatus according to claim 3 is the reception side, the above-described advantages can be obtained, and the user name of the apparatus is included in the output identification information of the counterpart apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to more easily confirm whether or not the input destination information is correct.

  Hereinafter, as a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, an IP facsimile communication function for transmitting and receiving image data of a document using a call control protocol, a G3 facsimile communication function, and the various facsimile communication in response to a request from a client apparatus. An example of a multi-function machine type facsimile machine having a facsimile server function for performing the above will be described.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of the facsimile machine 1. That is, the facsimile machine 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 3, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 4, an image memory 5, a modem 6, an NCU 7, a codec 8, a reading unit 9, and a recording unit 10. , A display unit 11, an operation unit 12, and a LAN interface 13, and the units 2 to 13 are connected by a bus 14.

  The CPU 2 functions as a control unit that controls each part of the facsimile apparatus 1 according to a control program stored in the ROM 3. The RAM 4 functions as a main memory and work area for the CPU 2. Further, identification information X of the facsimile machine 1 itself is registered in the RAM 4. The identification information includes an address where the facsimile machine 1 is installed, a user name of the facsimile machine 1 (name, company name, department name, etc.), and a PSTN (public switched telephone network) telephone assigned to the facsimile machine 1. Numbers, IP phone numbers, mail addresses, etc. are registered. In addition to the user name of the facsimile machine 1, the company department name and the telephone number of the user of the facsimile machine 1 can be registered. The identification information is not limited to the information described above as long as it is information that can confirm the user of the facsimile apparatus 1.

  The image memory 5 stores image data compressed and encoded by the codec 8. The modem 6 is, for example, an ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union) recommendation V.3. Modulate and demodulate transmitted / received data according to the 34 standard or the like. The NCU 7 is a line network control device that performs operations for closing and opening a line with the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) 15, and connects the modem 6 to the PSTN 15 during G3 facsimile transmission / reception. The codec 8 compresses and encodes image data by JPEG method or MH, MR, MMR method or the like, and decodes received image data or the like, for facsimile transmission or the like.

  The reading unit 9 reads image data of a document, and includes, for example, a CCD color line sensor, an A / D converter, an image processing circuit, and the like. The recording unit 10 records the received image data, the image data read by the reading unit 9 and the like on a recording sheet. The display unit 11 includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) arranged in parallel with the operation unit 12 and displays various screen information. The operation unit 12 includes various operation keys such as a numeric keypad, an abbreviated key, a one-touch key, a start key, a character input key, and a function key. Various operations by the user are performed in the operation unit 12.

  The LAN interface 13 is an interface that connects the facsimile apparatus 1 and a LAN (local area network) 16, and through this, the facsimile apparatus 1 communicates with a client PC 17, a router 18, and the like that are also connected to the LAN 16. Furthermore, image data and the like of the original can be transmitted / received to / from another facsimile apparatus 1 equipped with SIP on the IP network 19 through the router 18.

  The facsimile apparatus 1 having the above configuration is equipped with TCP / IP, SIP, RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol), SDP (Session Description Protocol), SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), etc., and establishes a media session by SIP. Then, for example, the image data of the document is transmitted / received to / from the other party using RTP, or text data is transmitted / received to / from the other party using the SIP method “MESSAGE” or the like. It also has an Internet facsimile function for sending and receiving original image data by e-mail via SMTP.

  Next, in the facsimile apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration and functions, the processing operation of the transmitting-side facsimile apparatus 1 executed when transmitting the original image data, and the receiving-side facsimile apparatus that receives the original image data. The processing operation 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts or sequence diagrams shown in FIGS. The processing operation of the facsimile apparatus 1 described based on these drawings is executed in accordance with a command issued by the CPU 2 as the control means based on the control program stored in the ROM 3. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, the transmitting side facsimile apparatus 1 serving as a calling side will be referred to as a transmitter 1A, and the receiving side facsimile apparatus 1 serving as a called side will be referred to as a receiver 1B. In the following description, it is assumed that various operations and display output are performed in the facsimile apparatus 1. Of course, when the facsimile transmission / reception service of the facsimile apparatus 1 is used in the client PC 17, various operations and displays are performed in the client PC 17. Output is made.

  First, in the operation unit 12 of the transmitter 1A, destination information such as an IP telephone number and an e-mail address is input / designated or transmitted in advance and registered in the apparatus in order to transmit image data of a document. A number or one-touch dial is designated (S1: YES). Then, the facsimile machine 1 outputs, for example, by displaying on the display unit 11 information for inquiring the user as to whether or not to confirm the input destination information before transmitting the image data of the document. (S2). For example, do you want to check whether the entered destination information is correct? Please select yes or no. Is displayed on the display unit 11.

  When the user performs an operation for designating that the destination information confirmation process is to be executed and the facsimile apparatus 1 accepts the designation (S3: YES), the SIP method “ By “MESSAGE”, a text data format command for requesting device identification information, for example, a text data format command Z as shown in FIG. 4 is transmitted (S4). If the input destination information is a mail address, it is presented to a DNS server (not shown) to obtain a destination IP address, and a SIP (call control protocol) port number is sent to the destination IP address. The “MESSAGE” is transmitted by designating. The SIP method for transmitting / receiving a command in the text data format is not limited to “MESSAGE”, but may be any method capable of transmitting text data such as “INFO”, “SUBSCRIBE”, “NOTIFY”. The same applies to transmission / reception of “MESSAGE” to be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the text-format command Z sent from the transmitter 1A by the SIP method “MESSAGE” is received by the receiver 1B via the SIP server 21 (T1). When the receiver 1B receives the text format command Z by the SIP method “MESSAGE” (S51: YES), the receiver 1B reads out the text data format identification information X of its own device 1B registered in the receiver 1B from the RAM 4 (S52). This is returned to the transmitter 1A by the SIP method “MESSAGE” (S53, R1).

  When the transmitter 1A receives a response in text data format to the command transmitted in S4 from the receiver 1B by the SIP method “MESSAGE” (S5: YES), it extracts the identification information X of the receiver 1B from the received data. Then, the contents are output, for example, by displaying them on the display unit 11 (S6). For example, when the identification information X as shown in FIG. 4 is received, the address, user name (company name, department name), facsimile number, IP phone number, and mail address of the counterpart device are output. The user's PSTN telephone number is also output. The user of the transmitter 1 confirms whether or not these pieces of information are information on the destination device to which the document is to be transmitted. If the information is different from the information on the intended destination, the information is registered in the input destination information or the abbreviated number in advance. You can notice that the destination information is wrong.

  On the other hand, when the transmitter 1A does not receive a response to the command sent in S4 from the receiver 1B within a predetermined time (S5: NO), the transmitter 1A displays information to that effect on the display unit 11, for example. (S7). As the output contents of S7, for example, a message such as “There is no response. Check whether the input destination information is correct.” Is output.

  Next, when there is an operation for editing the destination information input in S1 in the transmitter 1A (S8: YES), the transmitter 1A accepts this and edits the destination information input in S1 (S10). The process returns to S2, and information for inquiring the user whether or not to execute the confirmation process of the destination information after editing is displayed on the display unit 11, for example, and output (S2). Then, when an operation for designating that the destination information confirmation processing is to be performed is performed and the facsimile apparatus 1 accepts the designation (S3: YES), the processing operations of S4 to S8 are performed again.

  In S8, an operation to start transmission is performed without the operation for editing the destination information input in S1 (S8: NO), for example, the start key of the operation unit 12 is pressed (S9: YES). ), And an operation for designating that the destination information confirmation process is not executed in S3 (S3: NO), and if an operation to start transmission is further performed (S9: YES), the image data of the document The transmission process is started. On the other hand, if a transmission cancel operation is performed or an operation that should start transmission for a certain period of time is not performed, the process returns to S1.

  In the present embodiment, the transmission processing of document image data is performed using SMTP when an e-mail address is specified as destination information in S1, and an IP telephone number is input and specified as destination information. In some cases, SIP is used, but the present invention is not limited to this as long as it is transmitted to the other party through the IP network. For example, an HTTP communication function may be installed in the facsimile apparatus 1 so that image data can be transmitted by HTTP by inputting a URI as destination information.

  When transmitting image data of a document using SIP, a session as shown in FIG. 5 is formed between the transmitter 1A and the receiver 1B. That is, transmission / reception (T3) of the SIP method “INVITE” which is a session participation request, transmission / reception of a response code (R2), and transmission / reception (T4) of the SIP method “ACK” indicating a final response to “INVITE” are received by the transmitter 1A. The image data of the original is transmitted from the transmitter 1A to the receiver 1B after a media session is established with the machine 1B. After the transmission of the document image data is completed, the SIP method “BYE” for requesting session termination is transmitted from the transmitter 1A to the receiver 1B (T5), and a response response is returned from the receiver 1B to the transmitter 1A. (R3), the session is disconnected.

  In the embodiment described above, SIP has been described as an example of a call control protocol. However, a command in a text data format can be transmitted / received to / from a partner prior to transmitting image data of a document. Of course, other call control protocols may be adopted.

  The present invention can be applied to a facsimile machine capable of transmitting and receiving text data using a call control protocol such as SIP.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing operations executed when the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention inputs destination information. 5 is a flowchart showing processing operations executed when the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention receives a text data format command requesting identification information of the apparatus. It is the sequence diagram which showed the communication procedure by SIP formed between a transmitter and a receiver, when destination information is input in a transmitter. It is the sequence diagram which showed the communication procedure by SIP formed between a transmitter and a receiver, when destination information is input in a transmitter, and also when a transmission process is performed.

Explanation of symbols

X Device Identification Information Z Text Data Format Command Requesting Device Identification Information 1, 1A, 1B Facsimile Device 2 CPU
3 ROM
4 RAM
11 Display Unit 12 Operation Unit 21 SIP Server

Claims (3)

  Input means for inputting destination information of a destination to which image data is to be transmitted, and text for requesting device identification information from the destination information input by the input means prior to transmission of image data A command transmitting means for transmitting a command in a data format by a method of a call control protocol; a response receiving means for receiving a response to the command in a text data format from the device of the destination information by a method of a call control protocol; and the received response Output means for outputting the contents of the facsimile apparatus.   A command receiving means for receiving a command in a text format for requesting identification information of the device by a method of a call control protocol; and when the command is received by the means, the text data format of the own device registered in the own device A facsimile apparatus comprising: reply means for reading identification information and returning the identification information to a transmission source of the command by a method of a call control protocol.   3. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identification information of the apparatus includes a user name of the apparatus.

Images