JP2007049435A - Facsimile machine and data transmission method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a facsimile machine capable of surely allowing a desired destination to receive retransmitted data in retransmission processing when faxing is not normally carried out. <P>SOLUTION: The facsimile machine informs an original ID notice destination P associated with a destination (FAX number F) of faxing of data about an original ID for identifying the data whose faxing is failed in facsimile communication. The facsimile machine allows the destination of the faxing to poll the data whose faxing is failed on the basis of the notified original ID. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus that retransmits data that failed to be transmitted in facsimile communication, and a method used therefor.

  In facsimile communication, when the line is in use, the destination facsimile machine is out of paper, and troubles such as line disconnection occur, for example, data communication cannot be performed normally, that is, a transmission error occurs. There is.

  In a general facsimile apparatus, when such a transmission error occurs, a retry function that temporarily stores the failed transmission data in the memory of the apparatus and automatically transmits the data again after a predetermined time has elapsed. have. Various techniques have been proposed for this retransmission.

  For example, there is a technique in which data that has failed to be transmitted is stored with an identification number assigned in a fax distribution apparatus. Here, even if a transmission error occurs, the transmission requester can retransmit the data simply by giving an identification number to the fax delivery device, thus reducing the communication cost required for retransmission and the labor of retransmission processing. (See Patent Document 1).

  In addition, there is a technique in which before performing the retransmission process, it is confirmed whether or not the transmission destination terminal is in a state where data can be received, and retransmission is performed after confirming that reception is possible. This reduces the possibility of transmission failure again in retransmission (see Patent Document 2).

  Also, in order to prevent the memory of the facsimile machine from being compressed by the data that failed to be transmitted, a technique was proposed in which the data that failed to be transmitted was sent to the specified administrator's personal computer and the data was stored in the memory of the administrator's personal computer. (See Patent Document 3).

  However, as a matter of course, when the memory of the facsimile apparatus is used, the data capacity that can be stored is limited even if the memory of the external apparatus is used. Therefore, in general, a configuration is adopted in which data that has failed to be transmitted is automatically deleted from the memory if transmission is still impossible even after a predetermined number of retransmission attempts.

JP 2000-358122 A JP 2002-290498 A JP 2004-64245 A

  However, in such a configuration, there is a risk that the data of the document image is deleted from the memory even though the transmission has not yet been successful. In this case, the user has to start sending the document again from the beginning, and further, when the user has discarded the document, the document transmission itself is no longer possible. .

  In order to avoid the occurrence of such a situation, it is necessary to retransmit data to a desired destination without error before the data is deleted from the memory, that is, to increase the certainty of retransmission.

  At the same time, it is necessary to use the memory efficiently. In other words, it is desirable to delete data that has been successfully retransmitted from the memory promptly. For this purpose, it must be possible on the transmitting side to confirm that the data has been received reliably.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile apparatus capable of reliably receiving retransmitted data at a desired destination.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile apparatus that can confirm that the retransmitted data has been received reliably.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a transmission error data storage unit for temporarily storing data for which facsimile transmission has failed as transmission error data, and an identification code for identifying the transmission error data are provided for facsimile transmission of the transmission error data. An identification code notifying means for notifying a predetermined identification code notification destination related to the destination of the communication, and a transmission request receiving means for receiving a transmission request for the transmission error data based on the identification code, in response to the transmission request. A first retransmission mode for transmitting transmission error data corresponding to the identification code;

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the facsimile apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising electronic mail communication means for communicating an electronic mail including the transmission error data as an attached file via a network, wherein the transmission error data is attached to the attached file. A second re-transmission mode for transmitting the e-mail included as the e-mail to a predetermined e-mail address associated with the destination of facsimile transmission of the transmission error data.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the facsimile apparatus according to the second aspect further comprises a delivery confirmation request adding means for adding a delivery confirmation request to the electronic mail, and the electronic mail transmitted in the second retransmission mode is provided. A delivery confirmation request is added.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile apparatus according to the second or third aspect, the transmission error data stored in the transmission error data storage unit is transmitted to the first retransmission mode and the second retransmission. Retransmission mode selection means for selecting which mode is used for transmission.

  The invention of claim 5 is the facsimile apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the identification code notification destination and the e-mail address is stored in association with the destination of the facsimile transmission, The retransmission mode selection unit selects one of the first and second retransmission modes based on the information stored in the address storage unit.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the retransmission mode selection means selects the retransmission mode based on a user selection instruction.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention provides the facsimile apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein when the transmission error data is transmitted in the first retransmission mode, the transmission error data is changed to the transmission error. Delete from the data storage.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the delivery confirmation is obtained, the transmission error data attached to the e-mail from which the delivery confirmation is obtained is changed to the transmission error data. Delete from storage.

  The invention according to claim 9 is a method for retransmitting data that failed to be transmitted in facsimile communication, wherein an identification code for identifying the data that failed to transmit is assigned to a predetermined destination related to the destination of facsimile transmission of the data. An identification code notifying step for notifying, a transmission request receiving step for receiving a transmission request for the failed transmission data based on the identification code, and a retransmission step for transmitting data corresponding to the identification code in response to the transmission request Have.

  According to the first and ninth aspects of the invention, transmission error data in which facsimile transmission has failed is transmitted in response to a transmission request. That is, by performing transmission in response to a transmission request from the receiving side instead of unilateral transmission from the transmitting side, the retransmitted data can be reliably received at a desired destination.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, transmission error data in which facsimile transmission has failed can be transmitted as an attached file of an electronic mail. As a result, even when facsimile communication via the public switched telephone network cannot be performed, the retransmitted data can be reliably received at a desired destination.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, a delivery confirmation request can be added to the electronic mail. That is, it is possible to confirm that the retransmitted data has been reliably received by receiving the transmission confirmation.

  According to the fourth, fifth, and sixth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to select transmission error data for which facsimile transmission has failed in either the first or second retransmission mode. It is possible to further increase the certainty that received data is received at a desired destination without error.

  According to the seventh and eighth aspects of the invention, when the retransmitted transmission error data is received at a desired destination, the transmission error data is deleted from the image memory, so that the image memory is used efficiently. be able to.

<1. Digital MFP>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital multi-function peripheral 1 incorporating a function corresponding to a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following, “I-FAX” means Internet fax.

  Please refer to FIG. The digital multi-function peripheral 1 is configured as a multi-function peripheral (MFP apparatus) having a plurality of functions such as a facsimile function, a copy function, a scan function, and a print function.

  The digital multi-function peripheral 1 includes a control unit 11, a RAM 12, a ROM 13, an operation unit 14, a display unit 15, an image processing unit 16, an image reading unit 17, an image forming unit 18, and an image memory 19. It is equipped with. In addition, a large-capacity storage unit 20, a data conversion unit 21, a transmission error data management unit 22, a document ID notification processing unit 23, and an MDN request addition processing unit 24 are provided. Further, communication-related functional units 25 to 28 are provided. The above functional units are electrically connected via a bus line 29.

  The control unit 11 is composed of a CPU. The control unit 11 controls each of the above hardware units based on a program stored in the ROM 13 and realizes the function of the digital multi-function peripheral 1.

  The RAM 12 is a storage device that can be read and written, and temporarily stores various data that are temporarily stored such as image data, facsimile numbers, and mail addresses, and data that is generated during arithmetic processing by the control unit 11. Remember me. The RAM 12 is configured by SRAM, flash memory, or the like.

  The ROM 13 is a read-only storage device that stores programs and data necessary for controlling the digital multifunction device 1 in advance.

  The operation unit 14 includes various keys such as a character key, a numeric keypad, and a function key, and accepts user operations such as input of commands and data. The user operation received by the operation unit 14 is input to the control unit 11 as a signal. The control unit 11 controls the operation of each unit based on a user operation.

  The display unit 15 is a display device that displays the operation state of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 and image data. The display unit 15 is configured by a display device such as a liquid crystal display.

  The image processing unit 16 performs various processes such as A / D conversion, color system conversion, color adjustment, and image composition on image data received by Internet facsimile communication or image data acquired from the image reading unit 17. A processing unit to be performed

  The image reading unit 17 is a scanner that reads an image on a document with a reading element such as a CCD line sensor. The image reading unit 17 may be a scanner of a type in which a reading element scans the surface of a document placed on a glass table and reads an image. The image reading unit 17 scans the surface of a document conveyed by an ADF (Auto Document Feeder). A scanner of a type that scans with a stationary reading element and reads an image may be used.

  The image forming unit 18 is a printer that performs recording on recording paper based on image data stored in the image memory 19 or text data processed by the text processing unit. For the image forming unit 18, for example, an electrophotographic printer can be employed.

  The image memory 19 receives image data acquired by the image reading unit 17 (for example, image data of a facsimile transmission original acquired by the image reading unit 17) from the external devices 4, 5, and 6 through the LAN I / F 27 and the NCU 28. This is a storage device for temporarily storing image data, image data processed by the image processing unit 16, and the like. The image memory 19 includes a memory such as a DRAM that can be read and written.

  The large capacity storage unit 20 is configured by a hard disk or the like. The large capacity storage unit 20 can store the image data processed by the image processing unit 16. The large-capacity storage unit 20 includes a transmission error data storage unit 201 that stores data of a document image (hereinafter referred to as “transmission error data”) that could not be transmitted by facsimile due to a transmission error, and an address management table A described later. And an address data storage unit 202 for storage. Further, the transmission error data storage unit 201 includes a polling data storage unit 50 and an I-FAX data storage unit 60.

  The data conversion unit 21 is a processing unit that converts transmission error data stored in the I-FAX data storage unit 60 into a predetermined format (specifically, TIFF, PDF, etc.) that can be transmitted as an attached file of an e-mail. is there.

  The transmission error data management unit 22 adds a code for identifying a document (hereinafter referred to as “document ID”) to the transmission error data, and manages transmission error data stored in the transmission error data storage unit 201. A document ID providing unit 221 that assigns a document ID, and a timer 222 that counts an elapsed time since various processing for transmission error data is performed.

  The document ID notification processing unit 23 is a processing unit that creates an email for notifying a predetermined destination of the document ID assigned to the transmission error data.

  The MDN request addition processing unit 24 is a processing unit for adding a delivery confirmation request to an electronic mail. Specifically, a processing unit that gives an MDN request pattern for requesting an MDN (Message Disposition Nortification) for notifying the sender that the email has been opened on the receiver side to the header of the email. is there.

  Further, the digital multifunction device 1 includes a codec (CODEC) 25 that encodes / decodes image data and the like corresponding to a plurality of protocols, and a modem 26 that modulates and demodulates transmission / reception data as communication-related functional units. A LAN I / F 27 corresponding to an interface with a LAN (local area network) 100 and an NCU 28 for controlling opening / closing of a telephone line are electrically connected via a bus line 29.

  Next, the communication environment of the digital multifunction device 1 will be described. The digital multifunction device 1 is connected to the LAN 100. The LAN 100 is connected to the Internet 200 via the router 2 or the like. In addition, a mail server 3 and an external terminal 4 are connected to the LAN 100. With such a configuration, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can perform e-mail communication with the external terminal 4 connected via the LAN 100 and the external terminal 5 connected via the Internet 200. Further, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 is connected to a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) 300 that is a data communication network for analog lines. Thus, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can communicate with the external terminal 6 connected via the PSTN 300. The external terminals 4, 5, and 6 are a personal computer connected with a modem, a device similar to the digital multi-function peripheral 1, a fixed telephone, a mobile phone, and a facsimile machine.

<2. Address management table>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the address management table A stored in the address data storage unit 202. The address management table A is a table configured by facsimile numbers, mail addresses, and the like registered by the user by operating the various keys of the operation unit 14 or the touch panel.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the address management table A includes an I-FAX address X and a document ID notification destination P stored in association with the FAX number F under an arbitrary shortened number. Here, the I-FAX address X is a mail address capable of Internet facsimile communication. The document ID notification destination P is an email address that can notify at least the document ID assigned to the polling image data. The user can register at least one of the I-FAX address X and the document ID notification destination P in association with the FAX number F.

  For example, a FAX number F and an I-FAX address X associated therewith are registered, such as a shortened number “01” shown in FIG. When the terminal device of the transmission destination is a digital multi-function peripheral having a G3 facsimile communication function and an Internet facsimile communication function, the I-FAX address X corresponding to the FAX number F is registered in this way.

  Further, for example, the FAX number F and the document ID notification destination P associated therewith are registered, such as the abbreviated number N “02”. When the destination terminal device is a facsimile machine having a G3 facsimile communication function and a simple mail communication function (for example, a function capable of communicating simple text data but not image data communication). A document ID notification destination P corresponding to the FAX number F is registered. Further, when the destination terminal device is a facsimile machine that does not have a mail communication function, the mail address of another terminal device (for example, a mobile phone) possessed by the destination user is registered as the document ID notification destination P. Good. That is, the I-FAX address X and the document ID notification destination P stored in association with the FAX number F are not necessarily the same device as the terminal device corresponding to the facsimile number.

  For example, only the FAX number F may be registered, such as a shortened number “03”.

<3. Facsimile transmission processing>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing operation when the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention performs facsimile transmission and retransmission of data that has failed in facsimile transmission. Unless otherwise specified, the following operations are automatically performed under the control of the control unit 11.

  First, the FAX number of the facsimile transmission destination is read (step S1). Specifically, first, the user inputs a destination abbreviated number for facsimile transmission from the operation unit 14. The control unit 11 refers to the address management table A of the address data storage unit 202 and reads the FAX number F corresponding to the input abbreviated number. Note that the user may directly input the destination facsimile number from the operation unit 14.

  When the reading of the facsimile number in step S1 is completed, the document image data facsimile transmission process is subsequently performed (step S2). Specifically, a predetermined process for facsimile transmission of the document data read by the image processing unit 16 to the destination read in step S1 via the PSTN (public telephone switching network) is performed. The transmitted document data is temporarily stored in the image memory 19.

  When the transmission process in step S2 is completed, it is subsequently determined whether or not the transmission process is successful (step S3).

  If it is determined in step S3 that the facsimile transmission performed in step S2 is successful, the process proceeds to step S9, and the transmitted image data is deleted from the image memory 19 (step S10).

  In step S3, when it is determined that the facsimile transmission performed in step S2 is not successful, that is, for various reasons (for example, when the line is in use or the destination facsimile apparatus is out of paper) If the transmission error occurs and the fax transmission is not successful, the process proceeds to step S4, where it is determined whether or not the number of times the transmission process has been tried exceeds a predetermined number (for example, three times). (Step S4). Here, the predetermined number of times is a preset value of 1 or more, and is the number of times to retry.

  If it is determined in step S4 that the number of times of facsimile transmission is not greater than the predetermined number, the process returns to step S2 and the facsimile transmission process is performed again.

  That is, in this embodiment, when a transmission error occurs in the transmission process of step S2 by setting a value of 2 or more as the predetermined number of times, the transmission process (retry) of step S2 is performed again, and the retry is performed a plurality of times. If the transmission is not successful even if the transmission is performed, the data that has not been transmitted can be regarded as the transmission error data and the transmission process in the retransmission mode can be performed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, there are two retransmission modes, “polling transmission mode” and “I-FAX transmission mode”. The processing process of each retransmission mode will be described in detail later. “Polling transmission mode” is a method for transmitting transmission error data in response to a transmission request, more specifically, a transmission method for retrieving by polling. The “I-FAX transmission mode” is a method for transmitting transmission error data by I-FAX communication.

  If it is determined in step S4 that the number of times of facsimile transmission is greater than or equal to the predetermined number, then the address management table A is referred to and the I-FAX address X is registered for the transmission destination of the transmission error data. It is determined whether or not there is (step S5).

  If it is determined in step S5 that the I-FAX address X has been registered, a retransmission process in the I-FAX transmission mode is subsequently performed (step S6). For example, the I-FAX transmission mode is selected for the transmission destination having the abbreviated number “01” in the address management file A of FIG.

<A. I-FAX transmission mode>
A retransmission process in the I-FAX transmission mode will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing transmission processing in the I-FAX transmission mode.

  First, the transmission error data management unit 22 assigns a unique document ID to the transmission error data. The transmission error data to which the document ID is assigned is stored in the I-FAX data storage unit 60 in association with the document ID (step S11).

  Subsequently, the transmission error data is converted into a format that can be transmitted as an attached file of the e-mail in the data converter 21 (step S12).

  Subsequently, the I-FAX address X stored in the address management table A corresponding to the facsimile transmission destination of the transmission error data (that is, the transmission destination read in step S1 in FIG. 3) is converted in step S12. It is read as a transmission destination of an electronic mail including transmission error data as an attached file (step S13).

  Subsequently, the MDN request addition processing unit 24 adds an MDN request pattern for requesting an MDN to the e-mail (step S14).

  When the above processes are completed, the electronic mail is transmitted to a predetermined destination, and the retransmission process in the I-FAX transmission mode is completed (step S15).

  As described above, when retransmission is performed in the I-FAX transmission mode, transmission error data is transmitted as an attached file of an e-mail via a network such as the Internet. Transmission error data to the desired destination even when facsimile communication via PSTN is not possible due to problems such as out of paper in the destination facsimile machine) Can be sent. In other words, by performing retransmission in the I-FAX transmission mode, the reliability of retransmission is increased compared with the case of repeating normal facsimile transmission processing, so that data is deleted from the memory before being received at a desired destination. It is difficult to happen.

  Reference is again made to the flowchart of FIG.

  If it is determined in step S5 that the I-FAX address X is not registered, the address management table A is subsequently referred to again, and whether or not the document ID notification destination P is registered for the transmission destination of the transmission error data. Is determined (step S7).

  If it is determined in step S7 that the document ID notification destination P is registered, a retransmission process in the polling transmission mode is subsequently performed (step S8). For example, the polling transmission mode is selected for the transmission destination having the abbreviated number “02” in the address management table A of FIG.

<B. Polling transmission mode>
A retransmission process in the polling transmission mode will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a retransmission process in the polling transmission mode.

  First, the transmission error data management unit 22 assigns a unique document ID to the transmission error data. The transmission error data to which the document ID is assigned is stored in the polling data storage unit 50 as polling image data in association with the document ID (step S21).

  Subsequently, in the document ID notification processing unit 23, an e-mail for notifying the document ID assigned to the transmission error data to a predetermined destination is created (step S22). More specifically, for example, an e-mail is generated that includes a 4-digit number automatically generated in the form of a serial number as a document ID in the body part. Further, a transmission request is made based on the document ID, and a fixed message requesting to retrieve the document by polling is added to the mail body.

  Subsequently, the document ID notification destination P stored in the address management table A corresponding to the facsimile transmission destination of the transmission error data (that is, the transmission destination read in step S1 in FIG. 3) is the transmission destination of the e-mail. (Step S23).

  When the above processes are completed, the electronic mail is transmitted to a predetermined destination (step S24), and a transmission error data polling waiting state is entered.

  Here, the recipient of the e-mail transmitted in step S24 makes a transmission error data transmission request, that is, a polling request, based on the notified document ID. However, this polling request may be automatically made in the document ID receiving apparatus. In other words, transmission error data is extracted, that is, polled, by the e-mail recipient. Here, the document ID functions as a polling ID. To automatically start polling on the receiving device side, for example, determine whether a predetermined polling request code is included in the mail header or whether the above-mentioned standard message is included in the text. It is possible to provide a determination means for performing polling when the code or the fixed message is detected.

  When the e-mail transmission in step S24 is completed, it is determined whether or not a signal requesting extraction of transmission error data based on the notified document ID is obtained (step S25).

  If it is determined in step S25 that a signal requesting transmission has not been obtained, the process loops without performing substantial processing, and again enters a transmission request waiting state.

  If it is determined in step S25 that a signal requesting transmission has been obtained, whether or not the requested data is stored in the polling data storage unit 50 is determined from the document ID included in the signal ( Step S26).

  If it is determined in step S26 that the requested transmission error data is not stored in the polling data storage unit 50, it is determined that the requested transmission error data cannot be transmitted, and a predetermined time when a transmission error occurs is determined. Processing is performed (step S27).

  If it is determined in step S26 that the requested transmission error data is stored in the polling data storage unit 50, the transmission error data is transmitted by facsimile to the source of the signal in response to the request, and retransmitted in the polling transmission mode. The transmission process ends (step S28).

  As described above, when retransmission is performed in the polling transmission mode, transmission error data is extracted from a desired transmission destination by polling, so there is no risk of erroneous transmission, and transmission error data is reliably received by the desired destination. be able to. That is, by performing retransmission in the polling transmission mode, the reliability of retransmission is increased compared to the case of repeating normal facsimile transmission processing, so that data is deleted from the memory before being received at a desired destination. Is less likely to occur.

  Reference is again made to the flowchart of FIG.

  If it is determined in step S5 that the I-FAX address X has not been registered, and if it is determined in step S7 that no polling notification address has been registered, it is determined that no retransmission process can be performed in any retransmission mode. Predetermined processing when an error occurs is performed (step S9). For example, on the display unit 15, a fixed sentence that prompts the user to determine whether or not the transmission error data transmission failure and the transmission error data may be deleted from the transmission error data storage unit 201 is displayed for permission from the user. A configuration of deleting the transmission error data from the transmission error data storage unit 201 when a corresponding operation input is obtained may be performed as a predetermined process when a transmission error occurs.

  The above is the facsimile transmission processing in the present embodiment.

<4. Processing to delete transmission error data>
6 shows transmission error data stored in the transmission error data storage unit 201, more specifically, transmission error data stored in the polling data storage unit 50 and the I-FAX data storage unit 60 (step S21 in FIG. 5). 5 is a flowchart showing an operation related to the deletion process (see step S11 in FIG. 4). Unless otherwise specified, the following operations are automatically performed under the control of the control unit 11.

  First, of the transmission error data stored in the transmission error data storage unit 201, it is determined whether or not there is transmission error data that has been transmitted without error by re-transmission and confirmed to have been received at a desired destination (step). S31).

  That is, of the transmission error data stored in the polling data storage unit 50, whether there is data extracted without error by polling, in other words, is there any data transmitted without error in response to a transmission request? It is determined whether or not. Specifically, it is determined whether or not a document ID that matches the document ID of the transmission error data extracted without error by polling is stored in the polling data storage unit 50. To realize this operation, The document ID of the data extracted without error by polling is stored in the RAM 12 or the like as “document ID for which retransmission has been completed”, and the document ID list in the polling data storage unit 50 can be compared with the document ID list. .

  In addition, it is determined whether there is a transmission error data stored in the I-FAX data storage unit 60 for which an MDN is obtained for an electronic mail attached with the transmission error data. That is, it is determined whether or not the document ID of the transmission error data attached to the e-mail from which the MDN is obtained is stored in the I-FAX data storage unit 60. However, the MDN includes a message ID indicating to which electronic mail the MDN is an opening confirmation, and the document ID of the transmission error data attached to the electronic mail is specified based on the message ID. Is done.

  If it is determined in step S31 that there is transmission error data confirmed to be received at a desired destination, the transmission error data is deleted from the transmission error data storage unit 201 (step S34).

  If it is determined in step S31 that there is no transmission error data that has been confirmed to be received at the desired destination, then, among the transmission error data stored in the transmission error data storage unit 201, the document ID Based on the timer 222, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the transmission process (step S24 in FIG. 5) or the I-FAX transmission process (step S15 in FIG. 4). (Step S32).

  If it is determined in step S32 that there is no transmission error data after a predetermined time, the process returns to step S31 again.

  If it is determined in step S32 that there is transmission error data that has passed a predetermined time, it is determined that the re-transmission process in the re-transmission mode has failed, and a predetermined process when a transmission error occurs is performed (step S33).

  As described above, when it is confirmed that the data is received at the desired destination in the retransmission processing in either the polling transmission mode or the I-FAX transmission mode, the data is deleted from the memory. Transmission error data in memory is deleted. That is, the memory can be used effectively by deleting unnecessary data quickly.

<5. Modification>
In the above embodiment, the two transmission modes of the I-FAX transmission mode and the polling transmission mode are provided as the retransmission mode. However, only one of them may be used as the retransmission mode.

  In the above embodiment, the retransmission mode is selected automatically based on the address management table A. However, this selection may be performed by the user. In this case, when the user selects in advance on the utility setting screen whether to perform the I-FAX transmission mode or the polling transmission mode as the alternative transmission mode, and the facsimile transmission fails, retransmission according to the selected retransmission mode is performed. Processing may be performed. Further, the transmission mode selected in advance may be set as a default setting, and the selection contents may be temporarily changed every time a facsimile transmission error occurs, so that the double selection can be performed. Good.

  In the above embodiment, the address management table A shows a case in which either the I-FAX address X or the document ID notification destination P is registered, but both of them are registered. Also good. For example, when only one of the I-FAX address X and the document ID notification destination P is registered for a facsimile destination in which a transmission error has occurred, the above-described automatic selection process is performed, and only when both are registered, the user is notified. A retransmission mode may be selected.

  In the above embodiment, the document ID notification destination in the polling transmission mode and the e-mail transmission destination in the I-FAX transmission mode are read from the address management table A registered in advance. When performing the above, a process of receiving a destination input from the operation unit 14 may be provided.

  In the above embodiment, the document ID is notified by electronic mail, but may be notified by voice message. In this case, a telephone number can be registered as the document ID notification destination P.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital multi-function peripheral 1 in the present embodiment. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an address management table A. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation at the time of retransmitting the data which failed in facsimile transmission and facsimile transmission. It is a flowchart which shows the transmission process in I-FAX transmission mode. It is a flowchart which shows the resending process in polling transmission mode. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation related to a process of deleting transmission error data stored in a transmission error data storage unit 201.

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital MFP 20 Large Capacity Storage Unit 22 Transmission Error Data Management Unit 50 Polling Data Storage Unit 60 I-FAX Data Storage Unit 201 Transmission Error Data Storage Unit 202 Address Data Storage Unit A Address Management Table

Claims (9)

A transmission error data storage unit for temporarily storing data in which facsimile transmission has failed as transmission error data;
An identification code notifying means for notifying an identification code for identifying the transmission error data to a predetermined identification code notification destination related to a destination of facsimile transmission of the transmission error data;
Transmission request receiving means for receiving a transmission request for the transmission error data based on the identification code;
With
A facsimile apparatus having a first retransmission mode for transmitting transmission error data corresponding to the identification code in response to the transmission request. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1,
An e-mail communication means for communicating an e-mail including the transmission error data as an attached file via a network;
With
2. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second retransmission mode for transmitting an electronic mail including the transmission error data as an attached file to a predetermined electronic mail address associated with a facsimile transmission destination of the transmission error data. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 2,
A delivery confirmation request adding means for adding a delivery confirmation request to the electronic mail;
With
A facsimile apparatus, wherein a delivery confirmation request is added to an electronic mail transmitted in the second retransmission mode. In the facsimile apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
Retransmission mode selection means for selecting whether to transmit the transmission error data stored in the transmission error data storage unit in the first retransmission mode or the second retransmission mode;
A facsimile apparatus comprising: The facsimile apparatus according to claim 4,
An address storage unit for storing at least one of the identification code notification destination and the e-mail address in association with the destination of the facsimile transmission;
With
The facsimile apparatus, wherein the retransmission mode selection means selects one of the first and second retransmission modes based on information stored in the address storage unit. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 4,
The facsimile apparatus, wherein the retransmission mode selection means selects the retransmission mode based on a user's selection instruction. The facsimile apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The facsimile apparatus, wherein transmission error data is deleted from the transmission error data storage unit when transmission of the transmission error data in the first retransmission mode is completed. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3,
A facsimile apparatus, wherein when the delivery confirmation is obtained, the transmission error data attached to the e-mail from which the delivery confirmation is obtained is deleted from the transmission error data storage unit. A method of retransmitting data that failed to be transmitted in facsimile communication,
An identification code notifying step of notifying a predetermined destination related to a facsimile transmission destination of the data with an identification code for identifying the transmission failure data;
A transmission request receiving step of receiving a transmission request for the data that failed to be transmitted based on the identification code;
A retransmission step of transmitting data corresponding to the identification code in response to the transmission request;
A data transmission method characterized by comprising:

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