JP2007259009A - Image transmitting and receiving system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable the transmitting side having no network connection environment to send an e-mail having any content. <P>SOLUTION: This image transmitting and receiving system is equipped with a transmitting-side device 1A which adds e-mail information to FAX data and then sends the e-mail information together with the FAX data, and a receiving-side device 1B which creates the e-mail from the e-mail information added to the received image information and then sends the e-mail to a PC having an appropriate address. This system enables the transmitting side having no network connection environment to send an e-mail by a method wherein e-mail information is added to FAX data, and then the FAX data added with the e-mail information are sent from the transmitting-side device 1A. Upon reception of the FAX data, the receiving-side device 1B creates the e-mail from the e-mail information added to the FAX data, and then sends the e-mail to a PC having an appropriate address. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image transmission / reception system having an electronic mail function.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when receiving image information, there is a technique for recognizing the recipient identification information in the image information and transmitting that information to the receiver terminal device. It is possible to prevent the received document printed out by such a technique from being left unattended.

In recent years, a network FAX has also been proposed, and the received FAX data is stored in a FAX server, and the fact that it has been received and the address of the FAX data storage destination are transmitted by e-mail. With such a technique, actual paper output can be suppressed.
However, although any technique can notify the recipient that the message has been received, an e-mail having an arbitrary content cannot be transmitted from a transmission side that does not have an environment for connecting to the network.

JP-A-7-288633 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-167827

  A problem to be solved is that an e-mail having an arbitrary content cannot be transmitted from a transmission side that does not have an environment for connecting to a network.

  The present invention enables transmission of an e-mail having an arbitrary content from a transmission side that does not have an environment connected to a network. The main feature is that it includes a receiving side device capable of creating an e-mail from the e-mail information added to the image information and transmitting the e-mail to the terminal device of the corresponding address.

  An image transmission / reception system according to the present invention includes a transmission-side device capable of adding e-mail information to image information and transmitting it, and a terminal having a corresponding address by creating an e-mail from the e-mail information added to the received image information. Since the apparatus is provided with a receiving apparatus capable of transmitting an e-mail, the e-mail information is added to the image information from the transmitting apparatus that is not in the network environment and transmitted, and is added to the image information received by the receiving apparatus. An e-mail can be created from the e-mail information, and the e-mail can be transmitted to the terminal device at the corresponding address. Therefore, an arbitrary e-mail can be sent from the transmitting device not in the network environment to the recipient terminal device.

  The purpose of enabling e-mail with arbitrary contents to be transmitted from a transmission side that does not have an environment connected to a network is realized by adding e-mail information to image information.

[Image transmission / reception system]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a facsimile apparatus used in an image transmission / reception system to which the first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 1, the facsimile apparatus 1 includes a network control unit (NCU “Network Control Unit”) 3, a scanner 5, an engine 7, an operation unit 9, a CPU 11, a ROM 13, and a RAM 15.
The NCU 3 is for connecting to the public line network 17 in order to transmit and receive FAX data as image information.
The scanner 5 is for reading a transmission image of a document.
The engine 7 operates the printing unit to print out the received image or the image requested to be printed on the recording paper.
The operation unit 9 includes a touch panel, a system menu button, a start button and the like in addition to a numeric keypad for inputting a destination number, and can perform various inputs and setting operations. Whether or not to include a cover page can be selected by setting in the operation unit 9. The operation unit 9 also has a function of inputting e-mail information.
The CPU 9, the ROM 11, and the RAM 13 are for controlling the NCU 3, the scanner 5, the engine 7, the operation unit 9, and the like.
The facsimile apparatus 1 becomes a transmission side apparatus 1A when transmitting FAX data as image information, and becomes a reception side apparatus 1B when receiving FAX data. In the image transmission / reception system according to the embodiment of the present invention, FAX data including electronic mail information is transmitted from the transmission side apparatus 1A to the reception side apparatus 1B.
The transmission-side apparatus 1A can transmit by adding electronic mail information to FAX data. At the time of transmission, when a cover sheet is included in the FAX information, the e-mail information is bar-coded and added to the cover sheet.
However, the barcode can be added to a part other than the cover sheet, for example, the first page of the text data of the FAX data. Even when a cover sheet is not included, e-mail information such as a barcode can be included in the FAX data. For example, an e-mail addition mode selection switch can be provided by function selection by the operation unit 9, and e-mail information can be added by selecting this selection switch. In this case, it is preferable to add information that can be determined that the added barcode or the like is electronic mail information. This information can be added to the barcode itself.
The receiving-side apparatus 1B can create an e-mail from e-mail information added to the received FAX data and can send the e-mail to a PC ((Personal Computer)) that is a terminal device of the corresponding address. The e-mail is created by converting the e-mail address and message from the bar code information into a digital signal. The receiving side device 1B used as the receiving side device is connected to the PC by LAN connection, WAN connection, Internet connection, or the like.
[Letter of transmittal]
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a cover sheet with a barcode attached thereto.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, a two-dimensional barcode (QR code) 21 is attached to a suitable place on the cover sheet 19 as a barcode, is transmitted as FAX data from the transmission side apparatus 1A, and is received by the reception side apparatus 1B. Received.
The barcode 21 data includes text data in addition to the transmission destination address as shown in the enlarged right column of FIG.
[Send image]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the transmitting apparatus 1A.
When the flowchart of FIG. 3 is executed by turning on the power, the process of “document setting & transmission information input” is executed in step S1. In this process, a document to be transmitted is set in the transmitting apparatus 1A, and transmission information is input by the operation unit 9. The transmission information includes a destination number, whether or not to include a cover sheet, and the destination mail address, a message, etc. as electronic mail information.
In step S2, “transmission original reading” processing is executed. After the document is set and the destination number is input, when the start button is requested to start transmission, the scanner 5 reads the image information of the document, and the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, a determination process of “whether there is a cover page?” Is executed. In this process, when an operation for including a cover sheet is performed by the operation unit 9 (with a cover sheet specified), the process proceeds to steps S4, S5, S6, and S7, and when an operation for including a cover sheet is not performed ( If no cover sheet is specified), the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S4, the process of “input E-mail information” is executed. In this process, the e-mail information input by operating the operation unit 9 is read, and the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, a “cover page image creation” process is executed. In this process, an image of the cover page is formed, and the process proceeds to step S6. A barcode 21 is added to the image of the cover page as shown in FIG. 2 based on the read e-mail information.

  In step S6, the “insert cover page image” process is executed. In this process, a cover page is inserted at the beginning of the FAX data of the original read as described above, and the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S7, an “image transmission” process is executed, and is transmitted as a normal FAX to the receiving apparatus 1B of the counterpart machine.

[Image reception]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the receiving apparatus 1B.

  When the facsimile apparatus 1 functions as the receiving apparatus 1B, the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 is started when the FAX data transmitted as described above is received.

  In step S11, "incoming call & reception start" processing is executed, the line is opened in response to a call from the partner machine, fax data reception is started, and the process proceeds to step S12.

  In step S12, an “E-mail information search” process is executed. In this process, the cover sheet is included in the FAX data, and the barcode 21 in the cover sheet 19 shown in FIG. 2 is retrieved, and the process proceeds to step S13.

  In step S13, an e-mail address and body data are read from the contents of the bar code found by the search, an e-mail is created by digitalization, and is sent to the corresponding address (E-mail transmission). At the same time, the printing unit is operated by the engine 7 to print out the FAX data (reception image printing).

[Effect of Example 1]
According to the first embodiment of the present invention, an e-mail is created from the transmission-side apparatus 1A capable of adding and transmitting e-mail information to FAX data, and the e-mail information added to the received image information. Since the receiving side apparatus 1B capable of transmitting an e-mail to the PC at the address is provided, the FAX data received by the receiving side apparatus 1B is transmitted by adding e-mail information to the FAX data from the transmitting side apparatus 1A not in the network environment. An e-mail can be created from the e-mail information added to the e-mail and sent to the PC at the corresponding address. Therefore, an arbitrary e-mail can be sent from the sending apparatus 1A not in the network environment to the recipient's PC.

  Since the facsimile apparatus 1 as the transmitting apparatus 1A adds the e-mail information to the cover page when the cover page is included in the image information, it is easy to add the e-mail information. In addition, the receiving side apparatus 1B can determine the presence / absence of the e-mail information by determining the presence / absence of a cover page, which makes the determination easier.

  Since the facsimile apparatus 1 as the transmitting apparatus 1A adds the electronic mail information in the form of a barcode, it can reliably transmit the electronic mail information.

1 is a block diagram of an image transmission / reception system (Example 1). FIG. It is explanatory drawing of a cover sheet (Example 1). 5 is a flowchart of image transmission (Example 1). 5 is a flowchart of image reception (Example 1).

Explanation of symbols

1 Facsimile device 1A Transmission side device 1B Reception side device

Claims (3)

A transmission-side device capable of adding e-mail information to image information and transmitting the image information;
A receiving side device capable of creating an e-mail from the e-mail information added to the received image information and transmitting the e-mail to the terminal device of the corresponding address;
An image transmission / reception system comprising: The image transmission / reception system according to claim 1,
The transmission / reception system adds the e-mail information to the cover sheet when a cover sheet is included in the image information. The image transmission / reception system according to claim 1 or 2,
The image transmission / reception system, wherein the transmission side device adds the e-mail information as a barcode.

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