JP2007295582A - Communication apparatus and communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control, in accordance with a selected mode, whether to transmit image data on which processing has been performed for conversion into image data of a format according to the Internet FAX standard while attaching the image data to electronic mail. <P>SOLUTION: A communication apparatus comprises: an input means for inputting image data; a transmission means for transmitting the image data while attaching the image data to electronic mail; a processing means for performing processing on the image data for conversion into image data of a format according to the Internet FAX standard; a selection means for selecting either a first transmission mode or a second transmission mode as a transmission mode for transmitting the image data; and a control means which performs control to transmit image data on which processing by the processing means has not been performed, while attaching the image data to the electronic mail in the case that the first transmission mode is selected by the selection means, or to transmit image data on which processing by the processing means has been performed, while attaching the image data to the electronic mail in the case that the second transmission mode is selected by the selection means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication apparatus and a communication method for performing transmission / reception by attaching image data to an e-mail.

  In recent years, with the spread of computers and networking, electronic mail that transmits and receives character information over a network has become widespread. Various types of files can be attached to the e-mail in addition to the e-mail body as character information.

  There has also been proposed an Internet FAX that transmits and receives images by attaching a TIFF (Tag Image File Format) image file as an attached file.

  On the other hand, in FAX via a telephone line, it is widely performed to add an image header describing a date, time, a telephone number of a transmission source, and a destination name to the header of a transmission image.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a conventional connection relationship of devices related to transmission / reception and printing of electronic mail information. An example in which an e-mail is sent from the two computers installed with e-mail software for e-mail transmission / reception, that is, from the e-mail client 11 to the e-mail client 15 using the Internet 13 will be described using FIG.

  First, the e-mail client 11 inputs e-mail text and transmission destination information that is a user name of the e-mail client 15 from a computer keyboard or the like, and sends mail server / POP server 12 in accordance with SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). Send an email.

  Next, the Mail server / POP server 12 that has received the e-mail determines that the transmission destination is the Mail server / POP server 14 from the transmission destination information, and sends it to the Mail server / POP server 14 via the Internet 13. Send an email. The Mail server / POP server 14 that has received the e-mail stores the received e-mail in the e-mail box.

  Next, the e-mail client 15 checks whether a new e-mail has arrived in the e-mail box of the Mail server / POP server 14 according to POP3 (PostOffice Protocol-Version 3) at regular intervals by e-mail software. When a new e-mail arrives in the e-mail box, the e-mail client 15 can read the e-mail sent from the e-mail client 11 by downloading the e-mail and opening the e-mail. .

  If it is desired to print the received mail text or attached file, the printer driver or application installed in the e-mail client 15 is activated and the e-mail and attached file are printed using the printer 16.

Even when image data read by the Internet FAX 18 is transmitted to the Internet FAX 17, the same method as described above is used.
That is, the image data read by the Internet FAX 18 is transmitted to the Mail server / POP server 12, transmitted to the Internet FAX 17 via the Internet 13, Mail server / POP server 14, and printed by the Internet FAX 17. The

Several techniques have been proposed in the past (see Patent Documents 1 to 23).
US Pat. No. 6,480,884 US Pat. No. 6,480,884 US Pat. No. 5,294,998 US Pat. No. 5,465,160 US Pat. No. 5,463,295 U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,542 US Pat. No. 6,750,902 US Pat. No. 6,836,789 US Pat. No. 6,590,673 JP 2000-222307 A Japanese National Patent Publication No. 05-504433 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 04-369170 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-022568 JP 05-207263 A JP 05-219354 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 04-360467 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-061381 JP 2001-111864 A JP 09-051397 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-205513 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 03-229566 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-212892 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-152917

  An object of the present invention is to provide input means for inputting image data, transmission means for attaching image data input by the input means to an e-mail, and transmitting the image data input by the input means. Processing means for performing processing for conversion to image data in a format conforming to the Internet FAX standard, and selection for selecting either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode as the transmission mode for transmitting the image data And when the first transmission mode is selected by the selection means, the image data that has not been processed by the processing means is attached to the e-mail and transmitted. When the second transmission mode is selected, control is performed so that the image data processed by the processing means is attached to the electronic mail and transmitted. And to provide a communication apparatus characterized by comprising: a means.

  A communication apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes an input unit that inputs image data, a transmission unit that transmits the image data input by the input unit attached to an e-mail, and an image input by the input unit A processing means for performing processing for converting data into image data in a format conforming to the Internet FAX standard, and a transmission mode for transmitting the image data, either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode. A selection means for selecting the image data, and when the first transmission mode is selected by the selection means, image data that has not been processed by the processing means is attached to the email and transmitted, When the second transmission mode is selected by the selection unit, the image data processed by the processing unit is attached to the e-mail and transmitted. Characterized in that it comprises a control means for so that control, the.

  The communication method according to another aspect of the present invention includes an input step of inputting image data, a transmission step of transmitting the image data input in the input step by attaching it to an e-mail, and the input of the input step A processing step for converting the image data into image data in a format conforming to the Internet FAX standard, and a transmission mode for transmitting the image data include a first transmission mode or a second transmission mode. A selection step of selecting any one, and when the first transmission mode is selected in the selection step, the image data that has not been processed in the processing step is attached to the email and transmitted, When the second transmission mode is selected in the selection step, the image data processed in the processing step is attached to the e-mail and sent. And a control step of controlling so as to, characterized in that it comprises a.

  According to the present invention, a communication apparatus for controlling whether or not image data subjected to processing for conversion into image data in a format conforming to the Internet FAX standard is attached to an e-mail according to a selected transmission mode. Can be provided.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the relative positions, numerical values, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified.

<Configuration of Internet FAX>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the Internet FAX 20 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the Internet FAX 20 includes a reader unit 1, a printer unit 2, and an image input / output control unit 3.

  The reader unit 1 reads an image of a document and outputs image data corresponding to the document image to the printer unit 2 and the image input / output control unit 3. The printer unit 2 includes the reader unit 1 and the image input / output control unit 3. The image corresponding to the image data transmitted from is recorded on the recording paper.

  The image input / output control unit 3 includes a facsimile unit 4, a file unit 5, a network I / F unit (network interface unit) 7, a formatter unit 8, an image memory unit 9, and a core unit 10. The reader unit 1 And a telephone line 19.

  Here, the facsimile unit 4 is a circuit that is connected to the telephone line 19, decompresses the compressed image data received from the telephone line 19, and transmits the decompressed image data to the core unit 10, and is transmitted from the core unit 10. It is also a circuit that compresses image data and transmits the compressed image data compressed to the telephone line.

  The file unit 5 is connected to the magneto-optical disk drive 6 and the core unit 10, compresses the image data transmitted from the core unit 10, and further compresses the compressed image data together with a keyword for searching the image data. The magneto-optical disk set in the magneto-optical disk drive 6 is to be written. Conversely, based on the keyword transmitted from the core unit 10, the compressed image data stored in the magneto-optical disk is searched, the selected compressed image data is expanded, and the expanded image data is transmitted to the core unit 10. There is also a place to do.

  The network I / F unit 7 is an interface for connecting the image input / output control unit 3 to a network. The network includes an e-mail client 11, a Mail server / POP server 12, and the Internet 13 spread all over the world. It is connected. Further, the network I / F unit 7 is also connected to the hard disk 18 and is configured to transmit various data received in the Mail format via the network to the hard disk 18 for storage.

  The formatter unit 8 is a circuit that develops code data indicating an image transmitted from a computer connected to the Internet 13 or the like via the network I / F unit 7 into printable image data and transmits the image data to the printer unit 2. It is.

  The image memory unit 9 is a circuit that temporarily stores image data. The core unit 10 includes a reader unit 1, a facsimile unit 4, a file unit 5, a network I / F unit 7, a formatter unit 8, and an image memory unit. It plays a role of controlling the flow of data in each of the nine blocks.

  The Internet 13 includes a plurality of various email servers such as a Mail server / POP server 14, an email client 15, a printer 16, and an Internet FAX 17 as shown in the figure. It is possible to send and receive e-mails with people.

<Configuration of image input / output device>
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image input / output device 21 in which the reader unit 1 and the printer unit 2 are integrated. The configuration of the reader unit 1 and the printer unit 2 will be described below with reference to FIG.

  When the document feeder 101 mounted on the reader unit 1 transports documents one by one from the last page onto the platen glass 102 one by one, the lamp 103 is turned on and the scanner unit 104 starts moving. The original stripe is exposed and scanned by the movement of the scanner unit 104. Reflected light from the original during exposure scanning is guided to a CCD image sensor (hereinafter referred to as a CCD) 109 via a mirror 105, a mirror 106, a mirror 107, and a lens 108. Here, the scanned document image is optically read by the CCD 109, converted into image data by photoelectric conversion, and output from the CCD 109. The output image data is subjected to predetermined processing and then transmitted to the printer unit 2 and the core unit 10 of the image input / output control unit 3 via a video bus (not shown). The original is discharged from the platen glass 102 after the reading operation is completed.

  Image data output from the reader unit 1 is input to the laser driver 201 of the printer unit 2. The laser driver 201 drives the laser light emitting unit 221 to emit laser light based on the input image data. Laser light emitted by driving the laser light emitting unit 221 is irradiated while scanning the photosensitive drum 202, and an electrostatic latent image based on the laser light is formed on the photosensitive drum 202. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 202 is developed by the developer supplied from the developing device 203.

  In addition, the recording paper P is supplied from either the cassette 204 or the cassette 205 at a timing synchronized with the start of laser beam irradiation. The recording paper P is conveyed between the photosensitive drum 202 and the transfer unit 206, and the developer image formed on the photosensitive drum 202 is transferred onto the recording paper P fed by the transfer unit 206. Next, the recording paper P is conveyed to the fixing unit 207, and the developer image is fixed on the recording paper P by the heat and pressure processing by the fixing unit 207. Next, the recording paper P is discharged by the discharge roller 208, and the recording paper P discharged by the sorter 220 is stored in each bin.

  When sorting of the sorter 220 is not set, initialization is performed so that the recording paper P is stored in the uppermost bin. When double-sided recording on the recording paper P is set, after the recording paper is conveyed to the position of the discharge roller 208, the rotation direction of the discharge roller 208 is reversed and the refeed conveyance path 210 is rotated by the flapper 209. Is set to lead to.

  When multiple recording is set, the flapper 209 is switched so that the recording paper P is not conveyed to the discharge roller 208 and is guided to the refeed conveyance path 210. The recording paper P guided to the refeed conveyance path 210 is fed again between the photosensitive drum 202 and the transfer unit 206 at the timing described above.

<Configuration of reader unit>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the reader unit 1 of the Internet FAX 20. The configuration of the reader unit 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. The image data output from the CCD 109 is analog / digital converted by the A / D / SH unit 110 and further subjected to shading correction processing, and then transmitted to the image processing unit 111 or the I / F unit (interface unit) 113. Is done.

  Data including image data transmitted to the image processing unit 111 is divided into a case where it is transmitted to the printer unit 2 or the CPU 114 and a case where it is transmitted to the I / F unit 113. Further, in the case of being transmitted to the I / F unit 113, it is further transmitted from the I / F unit 113 to the core unit 10. Conversely, the I / F unit 113 may transmit data including image data transmitted from the core unit 10 to the image processing unit 111.

  Note that image data transmitted to the image processing unit 111 and the I / F unit 113 is controlled by the CPU 114 based on the setting content in the operation unit 115. For example, when the “trimming copy mode” for copying after performing the trimming process on the operation unit 115 is set, the CPU 114 causes the image processing unit 111 to execute the trimming process and then the trimmed image data to be printed on the printer unit. 2 is instructed to transmit.

  When “facsimile transmission mode” is set on the operation unit 115, the CPU 114 sends image data and a control command of “facsimile transmission mode” to the I / F unit 113 in accordance with a control program stored in the memory 116. To transmit to the core unit 10 via. Here, the memory 116 is also used as a work area of the CPU 114.

<Configuration of core part>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the core unit 10 of the image input / output control unit 3. The structure of the core part 10 is demonstrated using FIG. The core unit 10 has an I / F unit 122 with the reader unit 1, and image data of data including image data transmitted from the reader unit 1 is transmitted through the I / F unit 122 as image data. The control command transmitted to the processing unit 121 and further transmitted from the reader unit 1 are transmitted to the CPU 123.

  The image data processing unit 121 performs image processing such as image rotation processing and scaling processing on the received image data as necessary, and the image data subjected to the image processing is transmitted from the reader unit 1. Based on the control command, the data is transmitted to the facsimile unit 4, the file unit 5, or the network I / F unit 7 via the I / F unit 122. The image data processing unit 121 transmits printer data representing an image received via the network I / F unit 7 to the formatter unit 8 and develops the image data into image data. The data is transmitted to the printer unit 2 via the I / F unit 122.

  On the other hand, the image data received by the facsimile unit 4 is transmitted to the image data processing unit 121, and then transmitted from the image data processing unit 121 to the printer unit 2, the file unit 5, or the network I / F unit 7. The image data transmitted from the file unit 5 is transmitted to the image data processing unit 121, and then transmitted to the printer unit 2, the facsimile unit 4, or the network I / F unit 7.

  The CPU 123 controls transmission of data between the blocks in accordance with a control program stored in the memory 124 and a control command transmitted from the reader unit 1 and controls execution of image processing by the image data processing unit 121. The memory 124 is also used as a work area for the CPU 123.

  As described above, the Internet FAX 20 according to the present embodiment is a communication device that performs processing such as reading of a document image, printing of an image, transmission / reception of an image, storage of an image, transmission / reception of data to a computer, and the like, with the core unit 10 as a center.

<Operation of formatter unit>
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the formatter unit 8. Hereinafter, the operation of the formatter unit 8 will be described with reference to FIG. Data created by an application such as a word processor of the e-mail client 11 is converted into a page description language (PDL) that can be printed by a printer such as PS (PostScript) by a printer driver. The converted data is then transmitted to the formatter unit 8 via the network I / F unit 7, the core unit 10, and the core I / F unit 220. In the formatter unit 8, the conversion data received by the CPU 222 is analyzed and converted into image data using the Font ROM 223 and the DRAM 225. When the image processing circuit 226 receives the image data, the image processing circuit 226 performs image processing in synchronization with the synchronization signal generated by the video clock 228 and then transmits the processed image data to the core unit 10 via the video I / F circuit 227. Here, the transmitted image data is printed by the printer unit 2. The program ROM 224 is a ROM that stores a program for controlling the above operation. In this way, PDL such as PS can be printed.

  The formatter unit 7 can be changed for each PDL. The ROM 224 is different for each PDL and its version, and the user can select a PDL and a version according to the purpose.

<Operation of facsimile unit>
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the facsimile unit 4. An NCU (Network Control Unit) 230 is a circuit that connects a FAX to a telephone, and is a circuit that switches between a telephone and a FAX, detects a ringing signal at the time of reception, and holds a DC loop signal from the telephone exchange during a call. A MODEM (Modulator / DEModulator) 231 is a modulation / demodulation circuit for changing an analog signal into a digital signal or conversely converting a digital signal into an analog signal.

<Flow of received image data>
Next, the flow of image data will be described below. First, received data will be described. Image data transmitted from another FAX is received by the NCU 230 and then converted into a digital signal by the MODEM 231. The converted data is data obtained by encoding image data with MH, MR, MMR, JBIG, or the like. The data converted into the digital signal is decoded by the encoding / decoding circuit 236 and then stored in the DRAM 235. Here, the decoded image data is subjected to image processing by the image processing circuit 237 after the resolution is converted by the resolution conversion 234. The image-processed data is transmitted from the video I / F circuit 238 to the core unit 10 in synchronization with the clock generated by the video clock 239 and printed by the printer 2.

<Flow of transmitted image data>
Next, the flow of image data to be transmitted will be described. At the time of transmission, the image data read by the reader unit 1 passes through the core unit 10 and the video I / F circuit 238 and the image processing circuit 237 in synchronization with the clock generated by the video clock 239. And expanded in the DRAM 235. The resolution of the data is converted by the resolution converter 234 and encoded by the encoding / decoding circuit 236 into MH, MR, MMR, or JBIG. The encoded data is converted into an analog signal by MODEM 231 and transmitted by NCU 230.

  Here, the CPU 232 is a circuit that controls the above control, and the program ROM 233 stores a program for operating the CPU 232. The facsimile unit 4 is detachable and has a structure that can be mounted according to the user's application.

<Program configuration of network I / F unit>
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a program configuration in the network I / F unit 7 of the Internet FAX 20. The program configuration in the network I / F unit 7 will be described below.

  The network I / F unit 7 includes operation programs of an IP (Internet Protocol) 250, a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) / UDP (User Datagram Protocol) 251, and an application layer protocol 252.

  The IP 250 is an Internet protocol layer for providing a service for sending a message from a source host to a destination host in cooperation with a relay node such as a router. The most important information for sending and receiving a message is the address of the transmission and destination, and the address information of the transmission and destination is managed by the IP 250. In addition, the IP 250 also performs routing for determining how a message is delivered to a destination host in the network according to address information.

  The TCP / UDP 251 is a transport layer that provides a service for delivering a message from a transmission application process to a reception application process. As a difference between TCP and UDP, TCP is a connection type service and guarantees a high level of communication reliability. However, UDP is a connectionless type service and does not guarantee reliability. Can be mentioned.

  The application layer protocol 252 defines a plurality of protocols. The defined protocols are FTP (File Transfer Protocol) as a file transmission service, SNMP as a network management protocol, and a server protocol for printer printing. Examples include LPD, HTTPd, which is a WWW (World Wide Web) server protocol, an email transmission / reception protocol SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), and an email download protocol POP3 (PostOffice Protocol-Version 3).

<Receiving and printing e-mails via Internet FAX>
Hereinafter, a method of receiving an electronic mail transmitted from the electronic mail client 15 shown in FIG. 1 by the Internet FAX 20 via the Internet 13 and printing the received electronic mail will be described. It is assumed that e-mail software for transmitting / receiving e-mail is installed in the e-mail client 15 in advance.

  In FIG. 1, an e-mail client 15 first inputs e-mail text and transmission destination information, which is an e-mail address of the Internet FAX 20, from a keyboard or the like in order to send an e-mail to the Internet FAX 20. Next, an email is transmitted to the Mail server / POP server 14 in accordance with SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

  The mail server / POP server 14 that received the e-mail determines that the destination is the mail server / POP server 12 from the destination information, and sends the e-mail to the mail server / POP server 12 via the Internet 13. To do.

  The transmitted e-mail is received by the Mail server / POP server 12. Here, when the e-mail address is directly set in the Internet FAX 20, the received e-mail is transmitted to the Internet FAX 20 using the SMTP protocol. On the other hand, when the e-mail address is set to designate an e-mail box in the Mail server / POP server 12, the received e-mail is stored in the e-mail box.

<Receive and print e-mail>
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for receiving and printing an electronic mail. First, when an electronic mail is received in accordance with SMTP in step S300, the electronic mail is acquired in accordance with the SMTP protocol in step S309. In step S306, the received electronic mail is data-decoded.

  On the other hand, POP3 reception is periodically activated to determine whether an e-mail has arrived in an e-mail box in the Mail server / POP server 12 designated by the e-mail address. Step S301 shows a case where this POP3 reception is activated and an interrupt operation is performed.

  Here, when POP3 reception is activated, the process proceeds to step S302 to log in to the Mail server / POP server 12, and in step S303, e-mail list information stored in an e-mail box in the POP server is acquired. In step S304, POP3 reception is activated last time, and the list information at the time of login is compared with the list information at the time of login, and a newly added e-mail is checked.

  When there is no new e-mail, the series of operations for receiving POP3 is terminated. However, when there is a new e-mail, the process proceeds to step S305 to acquire e-mail data according to the POP3 protocol, and then step The process proceeds to the data decoding subroutine of S306.

  In step S306, as described in detail in FIG. 9, the e-mail data received using the above-described SMTP or POP3 protocol is decoded into the original file format. Next, in step S307, print processing or transmission processing is performed. In the printing process, printing by the printer unit 2 is instructed, and in the transmission process, transmission to a transmitting device such as the fax unit 4 is instructed, and a series of operations is completed.

  In step S307, the process for printing and transmitting the acquired e-mail data is taken up. However, a list of e-mail information can also be displayed on the operation unit 115 as a list. In addition, by selecting an e-mail displayed in a list, the contents can be displayed, printed, and transmitted by the operation unit 115.

<Decode data when receiving e-mail>
Next, the subroutine relating to data decoding in step S306 in FIG. 8 will be described in detail with reference to a flowchart showing data decoding at the time of receiving an electronic mail in FIG. First, in step S320, the MIME header processing of the received e-mail is performed to determine the e-mail language.

  Here, for the electronic mail written in Japanese of the JIS code, the process proceeds to step S321, where the electronic mail is converted into the SJIS code so that it can be read as Japanese when printed. Next, the process proceeds to step S322, and it is checked whether or not an attached file exists from the contents described in the MIME header. If no attached file is attached to the e-mail in step S322, the subroutine relating to data decoding is terminated.

  On the other hand, if an attached file is attached to the e-mail in step S322, the process proceeds to step S323 to notify the user that the attached file exists in the text of the e-mail body, for example, “attached file: The text describing the file name such as “test.tif” is added to the e-mail body text.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S324, and it is checked whether the content of the attached file described in the MIME header is image / tiff. Here, if the attached file is not a TIFF file, the series of operations is terminated. If it is determined in step S324 that the attached file is a TIFF file, the process proceeds to step S325, in which the data encoded in BASE64 in the MIME header, that is, 4 bytes of 6-bit data is converted to 3 bytes of 8-bit data, and BASE64 encoding is performed. Do. Next, it progresses to step S326, a TIFF file is produced, and a series of work is complete | finished.

<E-mail transmission mode>
FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the “E-mail transmission mode” of the Internet FAX 20. In the “E-mail transmission mode”, the Internet FAX 20 transmits the image data captured from the scanner together with the transmission destination and the e-mail body to the e-mail client 15 or the like via the Internet 13 as an attached file of the e-mail. . Hereinafter, a flowchart of the “E-mail transmission mode” will be described.

  First, when “E-mail transmission mode” is selected in step S350, in step S351, setting of a setting value for reading an image by the reader unit 1 is instructed. Here, parameters that can be set as setting values are image reading size (A5, B5, A4, B4, A3), color / monochrome switching, resolution (in increments of 100 dpi to 600 dpi), character / photo / character photo mode switching, duplex / Single-sided document switching.

  Next, proceeding to step S352, the operation unit 115 is instructed to input data of an e-mail transmission destination and an e-mail text. In step S353, the document set on the platen glass 102 is scanned, and an instruction to read the image data is sent to the reader unit 1. In step S354, the read image data is compressed in the MH format, and in step S355, an instruction to create a TIFF file is issued. In step S356, an e-mail header and MIME information are created from the transmission destination, e-mail body data, and attached TIFF file information. Here, when a plurality of destinations are selected, a plurality of destinations are described in the To: field of the email header when creating the email header. In step S357, the attached TIFF file is encoded by BASE64. Next, in step S358, one e-mail in which a plurality of transmission destinations are written is transmitted according to the SMTP protocol for the data created by the above procedure, and the series of operations is completed.

<Internet FAX transmission mode>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the “Internet FAX transmission mode”. In “Internet FAX transmission mode”, image data is read from the scanner together with the transmission destination and the text of the e-mail, a TIFF image file according to the Internet FAX standard is created, and this file is attached to the e-mail to comply with the Internet FAX standard. This is a function for sending electronic mail to the Internet FAX 17.

  Hereinafter, a flowchart of the “Internet FAX transmission mode” will be described. First, when the Internet FAX transmission mode is activated in step S370, the process proceeds to step S351, where setting values for reading an image by the reader unit 1 are set. Here, the parameters that can be set as set values are the same as those in the E-mail transmission mode, but the resolution is fixed to 200 * 200 dpi and color reading is prohibited.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S352, instructing to input the destination to be transmitted and the data of the e-mail text from the operation unit 115 as in the case of E-mail transmission. In step S352, for example, when two locations of “tokyo@tokyo.canon.co.jp (Tokyo head office)” and “oosaka@oosaka.canon.co.jp (Osaka branch)” are selected as destinations, The number is set to 2.

  In step S353, the document set on the platen glass 102 of the reader unit 1 is scanned and image data is read in the same manner as in the “E-mail transmission mode”.

  In step S371, an image padding process is instructed. Here, when a document size other than A4 is set, the resolution scaling process is instructed to scale the document to A4 size. In addition, it is instructed to execute padding processing for adding white pixels so that the number of main scanning pixels is 1728 pixels.

  The operation unit 115 has a user mode (not shown), and is set so that “add header” or “do not add header” can be selected as one of the items of the user mode. In addition, in the case of “add header”, it is possible to select “external header (add header outside the original image)” or “internal header (write on the original image)”. Is set.

  As an example of contents written in the header, as shown in FIG. 12A, the date of transmission, the transmission time, the e-mail address of the sender, the abbreviation of the recipient (for example, the first transmission is “Tokyo "Head office" is used), and an image with a page number is given.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S372, and it is checked whether or not the header addition in the user mode is “add header”. If “no header is added”, the process proceeds to step S354 without performing the header attaching process. On the other hand, if “add header” is selected in step S372, the process proceeds to step S373. If header attachment is set to “external header”, the process proceeds to step S374 to perform header image external processing.

  If the user mode header attachment is set to “internal header” in step S 373, the process proceeds to step S 375, the header image attachment process is performed, and then the process proceeds to step S 354 to perform the image encoding process. Do.

  In step S355, a TIFF file is created, and in step S356, an e-mail header and MIME information are created. In step S357, BASE64 encoding processing is performed, and in step S358, SMTP transmission processing is performed, and an e-mail with an image is transmitted to “tokyo@tokyo.canon.co.jp (Tokyo head office)”. .

  Next, the process proceeds to step S376, and after the transmission of the image-attached e-mail, 1 is subtracted from the number of destinations. Then, the process proceeds to step S377. On the other hand, as in the above-described example, when the number of destinations (1) after the first destination number is 2 and 1 is not 0, the process returns to step S372 and the same operation as the first transmission process is repeated. .

  However, at the second time, in addition to the header image of FIG. 12 (a), a header image of “Osaka branch” as an abbreviation of the recipient of FIG. 12 (b) is added, and “oosaka@oosaka.canon.co. e-mail with an image is transmitted to “jp (Osaka branch)”.

  In the present embodiment, the Internet FAX communication mode has been described using Simple Mode, but a communication method involving negotiation such as other real-time mode or full mode may be used. In addition, although the description has been made using TCP / IP as the network communication protocol, the same effect can be obtained by using a communication protocol such as IPX / SPX or AppleTalk.

  Furthermore, although the e-mail decoding method has been described using BASE64, it may be possible to use uencode, BinHex, etc. Further, it has been described that a TIFF file is printed, but an image file such as JPEG, GIF, PICT, BMP, etc. The format and the image compression format are not limited to MH, but may be MR, MMR, JBIG, or RLE. The information recording apparatus has been described using a hard disk, but the same effect can be obtained with a recording apparatus such as a semiconductor memory or an optical disk.

  As described above, the Internet FAX 20 of this embodiment sets an arbitrary resolution from a plurality of reading resolutions when reading an image from a scanner, reads an image according to the set resolution, and reads the read image by e-mail. A first mode for transmitting by attaching to the e-mail, and an image obtained by adding header information such as date, time, and sender address to an image read at a resolution that can be transmitted by FAX. Two modes are provided.

  In the first mode, since header information such as date, time, sender address, etc. is not added to the read image, the header information has a plurality of characters that are unnaturally large / small, while preventing the characters from protruding. The effect that the reading resolution can be selected is obtained.

  In the second mode, there is an effect that header information such as date, time, source address, etc. can be added to the read image while sufficient reading resolution can be selected for daily use. Further, in the second mode, the user can select not to add a header at the time of transmission, so that the options for the user are widened and can be used more conveniently.

  Furthermore, in the second mode, it is possible to switch between adding a header to the outside of the image or adding a header to the top of the image at the time of transmission. In this case, there is a merit that the original image does not change when the header is added to the outside of the image, and there is a merit that the image size does not change when the header is added on the top of the image.

<Other embodiments>
Note that the present invention can be applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, and a printer), and a device (for example, a copying machine and a facsimile device) including a single device. You may apply to.

  Another object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium (or recording medium) in which a program code of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded to a system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or Needless to say, this can also be achieved by the MPU) reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating system (OS) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included.

  Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function is determined based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the expansion card or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure using the communication apparatus of this embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the image input / output device part of a communication apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the reader part of a communication apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the core part in a communication apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the formatter part in a communication apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the facsimile part in a communication apparatus. It is a figure which shows the program structure in a network I / F part. It is a flowchart of the email reception in a communication apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the data decoding at the time of electronic mail reception. It is a flowchart of the E-mail transmission mode in a communication apparatus. It is a flowchart of the Internet FAX transmission mode in a communication apparatus. It is the figure which attached the FAX header to the transmission image in a communication apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the conventional electronic mail system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reader part 2 Printer part 3 Image input / output control part 4 Fax part 5 File part 6 Magneto-optical disk drive 7 Network I / F part 8 Formatter part 9 Image memory part 10 Core part 11 E-mail client 12 Mail server / POP server 13 Internet 14 Mail server / POP server 15 E-mail client 16 Printer 17 Internet FAX
19 Telephone line 20 Internet FAX
21 Image input / output devices

Claims (14)

Input means for inputting image data;
Transmitting means for attaching the image data input by the input means to an e-mail and transmitting the data;
Processing means for performing processing for converting the image data input by the input means into image data in a format conforming to the Internet FAX standard;
Selection means for selecting either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode as a transmission mode for transmitting the image data;
When the first transmission mode is selected by the selection unit, image data that has not been processed by the processing unit is attached to the e-mail and transmitted, and the second transmission is performed by the selection unit. When the mode is selected, control means for controlling the image data processed by the processing means to be transmitted attached to the e-mail; and
A communication apparatus comprising:   The first transmission mode is a transmission mode in which image data other than image data in a format conforming to the Internet FAX standard can be transmitted by attaching to the e-mail, and the second transmission mode is: 2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus is a transmission mode in which image data in a format conforming to the Internet FAX standard is transmitted by being attached to the electronic mail.   The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit performs a process of changing the number of pixels of the image data input by the input unit.   4. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit performs a process of adding white pixels so that the number of main scanning pixels of the image data input by the input unit becomes 1728 pixels.   5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit performs a process of scaling the image data input by the input unit to an A4 size. 6. A reading unit that reads an image on a document and generates image data;
The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the input unit inputs the image data generated by the reading unit. A setting unit for setting a reading size when the reading unit reads an image on the document;
The communication device according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit performs the processing when a size other than an A4 size is set as the read size by the setting unit. An input process for inputting image data;
A transmission step of transmitting the image data input in the input step as an attachment to an e-mail;
A processing step of performing processing for converting the image data input in the input step into image data in a format conforming to the Internet FAX standard;
A selection step of selecting either the first transmission mode or the second transmission mode as a transmission mode for transmitting the image data;
When the first transmission mode is selected in the selection step, image data that has not been processed in the processing step is attached to the e-mail and transmitted, and in the selection step, the second transmission is performed. When the mode is selected, a control step for controlling to send the image data processed in the processing step attached to the e-mail; and
A communication method comprising:   The first transmission mode is a transmission mode in which image data other than image data in a format conforming to the Internet FAX standard can be transmitted by attaching to the e-mail, and the second transmission mode is: 9. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein the communication mode is a transmission mode in which image data in a format conforming to the Internet FAX standard is attached to the electronic mail and transmitted.   The communication method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein in the processing step, a process of changing the number of pixels of the image data input in the input step is performed.   The communication method according to claim 10, wherein in the processing step, a process of adding white pixels is performed so that the number of main scanning pixels of the image data input in the input step is 1728 pixels.   12. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein in the processing step, a process of scaling the image data input in the input step to A4 size is performed. A reading step of reading an image on a document and generating image data;
The communication method according to claim 12, wherein the image data generated in the reading step is input in the input step. A setting step of setting a reading size when reading an image on the document in the reading step;
14. The communication method according to claim 13, wherein in the processing step, the processing is performed when a size other than A4 size is set as the reading size in the setting step.

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