JP2009218817A - Facsimile network system, facsimile transmission method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a facsimile network system for transmitting image data to a facsimile machine for public line, via a relaying facsimile machine from an exclusive IP facsimile machine, and where for surely selecting a relay destination for the exclusive IP facsimile machine. <P>SOLUTION: At transmission of the image data to the facsimile machine 3 for public line using the relay facsimile machine 4 as the relay destination, the exclusive IP facsimile machine 5 executes Ping to the relaying facsimile machine 4 and transmits data to the relaying facsimile machine 4 for which network connection is confirmed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a facsimile network system for transmitting image data from an IP dedicated facsimile apparatus on an IP network such as a LAN (local area network) to a public line facsimile apparatus on a public line network via a relay facsimile apparatus, and facsimile transmission. The present invention relates to a method and a program.

  In a facsimile apparatus having a function of reading an original document and transmitting it as image data and a function of receiving and printing image data, a public line facsimile apparatus conforming to a standard such as G3 (Group 3) or G4 (Group 4) is used. Widely popular. On the other hand, in an environment in an IP network such as a LAN (local area network), data with characters and images is transmitted / received via the IP network, such as an Internet FAX or an IP address FAX, and printed out on the receiving side. An IP-dedicated facsimile machine that outputs the data is widely used in offices and the like.

  Compared with a public line facsimile apparatus using a public line, the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus has advantages such as no communication cost and easy installation in a LAN environment.

  However, in order to enable the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus to communicate with the public line facsimile apparatus, it is necessary to equip the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus with a G3 or G4 facsimile communication function. Since it is necessary to prepare a communication line (subscription telephone line), the increase in cost and the influence on the layout of the office have been problems.

  In view of this, Patent Document 1 discloses a related technique. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of the facsimile network system disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG.

  In the facsimile network system disclosed in Patent Document 1, facsimile communication is possible between two communication networks such as an IP network 101 such as a LAN and a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 102. The PSTN 102 is connected to a public line type facsimile apparatus 103. This public line type facsimile apparatus 103 is a facsimile apparatus using PSTN, and generally a facsimile apparatus of G3 or G4 standard is used. An IP communication type facsimile apparatus 105 connected to the IP network 101 relays a facsimile apparatus 104 (hereinafter referred to as a relay type facsimile apparatus 104) that can be connected to both the IP network 101 and the PSTN 102, and uses a public line. This is a facsimile apparatus that performs image transmission to the type facsimile 103.

  In this related technology, several relay facsimile machines 104 are installed, and the IP dedicated facsimile machine 105 converts the original document into an image file and attaches it to an e-mail together with the telephone number of the public line facsimile machine as the final destination. It transmits to the relay type facsimile apparatus 104. The relay facsimile apparatus 104 converts the image file received from the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus 105 into public line data, and then transmits the data to the public line facsimile apparatus 103 having the attached telephone number.

  By adopting such a communication form, if some facsimile devices on the IP network are equipped with functions necessary for relay such as a data format conversion function and a public line connection function, different communication lines such as an IP network and a public line are provided. Facsimile communication between the facsimile apparatuses connected to each other becomes possible, so that communication costs can be reduced and the apparatus configuration can be simplified.

  Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses another related technique. The IP facsimile apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a function of specifying an installation area from a telephone number of a public line facsimile apparatus, which is a facsimile transmission destination, and determining a relay destination facsimile apparatus close to the area. As a result, usage fees for public lines are reduced.

JP 2005-286630 A JP 2000-232552 A

  However, in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1, the IP address of the relay type facsimile apparatus stored in the memory pre-installed in the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus is read and image data is transmitted to the IP address. There has been a problem that data transmission is unsuccessful when the relay type facsimile apparatus of the transmission destination is not in operation or the IP network is disconnected. When the data transmission fails, the user needs to execute the facsimile transmission procedure again, which is troublesome.

  Further, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, the transmission facsimile apparatus reads the selected telephone number of the relay destination, makes a telephone call, and transmits data after receiving a response. However, in order to apply this to facsimile communication from an IP-dedicated facsimile machine in the LAN, a new IP telephone system has been established such as a call control server for managing telephone numbers in the LAN. It is necessary to build in, and it will cost.

  Therefore, the present invention improves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, relays the relay facsimile machine from the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus and transmits the image data to the public line facsimile apparatus, and transmits the image data from the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus to the relay facsimile. It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile network system that prevents data transmission to a device from being undelivered.

  In order to achieve the above object, a facsimile network system of the present invention comprises an IP-dedicated facsimile machine connected to an IP network and a plurality of relay facsimile machines connected to both a public network and an IP network. When the telephone number of the public line type facsimile apparatus connected to the public line network is added to the image data received from the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus, the facsimile apparatus converts the image data into a signal for the public line. A relay communication means for designating the telephone number and transmitting it to a corresponding public line type facsimile apparatus is provided. The IP dedicated facsimile apparatus stores each address information of a plurality of relay type facsimile apparatuses interconnected via an IP network. Relay destination information storage means stored in advance as a relay destination address; A transmission instruction input means for inputting a transmission instruction for a document image together with the destination information based on the operation of the document, a document reading means for reading the document as image data in response to the transmission instruction, and a transmission instruction input means for the public line type facsimile apparatus. Relay destination address reading means for reading one relay destination address from the relay destination information storage means when a transmission instruction having a telephone number as destination information is input, and connection diagnosis data specifying the read relay destination address When the response is confirmed by the connection diagnostic means for instructing the relay destination address reading means to read another relay destination address when there is no response. Specify the relay destination address, and add the phone number of the destination information to the image data read in response to the transmission instruction. Characterized by comprising an image transmitting means for transmitting to the Tsugigata facsimile apparatus.

  The IP dedicated facsimile apparatus of the present invention is an IP dedicated facsimile apparatus connected to an IP network, and the address information of a plurality of relay type facsimile apparatuses connected to both the IP network and the public line network is used as a relay destination address. Relay destination information storage means stored in advance, transmission instruction input means for inputting a transmission instruction of a document image together with destination information based on a user operation, and document reading means for reading the document as image data in accordance with the transmission instruction When the transmission instruction input means inputs a transmission instruction with the telephone number of the public line type facsimile apparatus connected to the public line network as destination information, the relay destination address reading that reads one relay destination address from the relay destination information storage means Specify the means and the relay destination address that was read out, and send connection diagnosis data. A connection diagnosis unit for monitoring the presence or absence of a response to be sent and instructing the relay destination address reading unit to read another relay destination address when there is no response, and when the response is confirmed by the connection diagnosis unit, the relay destination Image transmitting means for specifying an address, adding a telephone number of destination information to the image data read in response to the transmission instruction, and transmitting the image data to the relay type facsimile apparatus is provided.

  The facsimile transmission method of the present invention is a facsimile network system comprising an IP dedicated facsimile apparatus connected to an IP network and a plurality of relay facsimile apparatuses connected to both the IP network and the public line network. A transmission instruction input step in which an IP-dedicated facsimile apparatus inputs an instruction to transmit a document image to a public line type facsimile apparatus connected to a public line network based on an operation by a user together with a telephone number as a destination thereof; A document reading process for reading a document as image data in response to an instruction, and a relay for reading one of address information of a plurality of relay-type facsimile apparatuses previously stored as relay destination addresses in an information memory unit in response to a transmission instruction Specify the destination address reading process and the read relay destination address. In the connection diagnosis process, the connection diagnosis process transmits the data for subsequent diagnosis, monitors the presence or absence of a response to the data, and reads another relay destination address from the information memory unit and transmits the data for connection diagnosis again when there is no response. When the response is confirmed, an image transmission step of specifying the relay destination address, adding a telephone number to the image data read in response to the transmission instruction and transmitting the image data, and adding the telephone number from the IP facsimile machine A relay facsimile machine that has received the received image data has a relay communication step of converting the image data into a public line signal, specifying the telephone number, and transmitting it to the corresponding public line facsimile machine It is characterized by.

  The facsimile transmission program of the present invention is an IP dedicated facsimile apparatus connected to an IP network, and includes a transmission instruction input function for inputting a transmission instruction of a document image together with destination information based on an operation by a user. When the image data acquisition function for acquiring the image data of the read original and the image transmission instruction with the telephone number of the public line type facsimile apparatus connected to the public line network as destination information is input by the transmission instruction function A relay destination address read function for reading from the memory one of address information of a plurality of relay type facsimile apparatuses connected to both the IP network and the public line network as a relay destination address, and the read relay destination Connection diagnostics that send data for connection diagnosis by specifying an address and monitor whether there is a response to it And an image transmission function for specifying the relay destination address when the response is confirmed by the connection diagnosis function and adding a telephone number to the image data acquired according to the transmission instruction and transmitting the image to the computer. It is made to perform.

  Since the present invention is configured and functions as described above, the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus responds to the connection diagnosis data when the relay facsimile apparatus relays the image data to the public line facsimile apparatus. Since the data transmission is performed by selecting the relay type facsimile apparatus having the error, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the transmission of the image data will not be achieved.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a facsimile network system 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a facsimile network system 10 according to this embodiment includes an IP (Internet Protocol) network 1 such as a LAN (local area network) and a public switched telephone network (PSTN). This is a system capable of facsimile communication between two communication networks with the line network 2. The public line network 2 is connected to a public line type facsimile apparatus 3 that has been generally used conventionally. This public line type facsimile apparatus 3 has a function of transmitting / receiving image data to / from other facsimile apparatuses connected to the public line network 2, and is a G3 (Group 3) or G4 (Group 4) standard facsimile apparatus.

  An IP dedicated facsimile machine 5 is connected to the IP network 1. The IP dedicated facsimile machine 5 has a function of reading and transmitting image data of a document and receiving and recording image data with other facsimile machines connected to the IP network 1. For example, if the IP network 1 is an intranet in the company, the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus 5 can communicate with each other within the intranet at a relatively high speed. In addition, since there is no connection to the public line network 2, there is little risk of leakage of information in the internal document to the outside.

  Further, the facsimile network system 10 of this embodiment is equipped with N (N is a natural number of 2 or more) relay type facsimile apparatuses 4 that can be connected to both the IP network 1 and the public line network 2. The relay type facsimile apparatus 4 has a function of communicating with the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus 5 or another relay type facsimile apparatus 4 via the IP network 1 and the public line type facsimile apparatus 3 or the like via the public line network 2. A function of communicating with the relay type facsimile apparatus 4 is provided.

  The relay type facsimile device 4 relays the image data from the IP dedicated facsimile device 5 and transfers it to the public line type facsimile device 3 when there is a relay request from the IP dedicated facsimile device 5, and vice versa. Relay communication means for relaying image data sent from the facsimile apparatus 3 and transmitting it to the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus 5 is provided.

  When the relay communication means in the relay type facsimile apparatus 4 receives image data to which a telephone number is added from the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus 5, it converts the image data into a signal for the public network 2 and designates the telephone number. Thus, a function of transmitting to the corresponding public line type facsimile apparatus 3 is provided.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus 5 described above. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the main control unit 55 in the IP-only facsimile apparatus 5.

  The IP-dedicated facsimile machine 5 receives a LAN interface unit 51 connected to a LAN cable 11 that constitutes a LAN as the IP network 1, and image data from other facsimile machines on the LAN received by the LAN interface unit 51. A printer unit 52 that prints out, a scanner unit 53 as a document reading unit that reads a document as image data, an operation reception unit 54 that has an operation panel and inputs information according to the operation of the operation panel by a user, printing, and the like A main control unit 55 for performing various controls, an information memory unit 56 for storing information such as a destination of transmission and device settings, and an image data memory for temporarily storing image data of a document read by the scanner unit 53 Part 57.

  A plurality of relay type facsimile machines 4 are connected to the LAN cable 11. The relay type facsimile apparatus 4 is connected to the public line network 2, and the public line type facsimile apparatus 3 is connected to the public line network 2.

  The information memory unit 56 includes a one-touch button information storage unit 56a, a telephone number storage unit 56b, and a relay destination information storage unit 56c. The one-touch button information storage unit 56a uses the telephone number of a specific public line type facsimile apparatus 3 and the transmission image quality at the time of image transmission to the telephone number as information associated with the one-touch button in the operation panel included in the operation accepting unit 54. And setting information such as document reading size. Information associated with the one-touch button is registered in advance based on the operation of the operation reception unit 54 by the user. The user can transmit the image data to the telephone number associated with the one-touch button by simply pressing the one-touch button without specifying each information such as a destination and setting at the time of document transmission.

  The telephone number storage unit 56b temporarily stores the telephone number read from the direct input or the one-touch button information storage unit 56a based on the operation of the operation reception unit 54 by the user. The relay destination information storage unit 56c stores IP addresses of a plurality of relay type facsimile machines 4 and arbitrarily registered function content information of the relay type facsimile machines 4. As the information regarding the relay type facsimile apparatus 4, information input based on the operation of the operation receiving means 54 by the user can be registered. FIG. 4 shows an example of data stored in the relay destination information storage unit 56c. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the IP addresses and installation locations of the three IP relay facsimile machines 4 are recorded.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the main control unit 55 includes a transmission instruction input unit 55 a that inputs a transmission instruction of a document image together with destination information based on an operation of the operation reception unit 54 by a user, and a transmission instruction input unit 55 a Relay destination address reading means 55b for reading one IP address from the relay destination information storage means 56c when a communication instruction with the telephone number of the type facsimile apparatus 3 as destination information is inputted, and connection diagnosis by designating this IP address Connection diagnosis means 55c that transmits data for use and monitors whether or not there is a response to the data, and when the response is confirmed by the connection diagnosis means 55c, the IP address is designated and read by the scanner unit 53 in response to the transmission instruction. Image transmission means 55 for reading out the image data of the original document from the image data memory unit and adding the telephone number of the destination information and outputting it It is equipped with a door.

  In the main control unit 55 of the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus 5 in the present embodiment, when the transmission instruction input means 55a inputs an image transmission instruction with the telephone number of the public line type facsimile apparatus 3 as destination information, the telephone number is inputted. Stored in the telephone number storage unit 56b, the relay destination address reading unit 55b reads one IP address from the relay destination information storage unit 56c, and the connection diagnosis unit 55c performs, for example, a Ping for diagnosing the network connection status. Execute and send an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) packet specifying the read IP address, monitor the response at the IP level of TCP / IP, and if there is no response, to the relay destination address reading means 55b Instruct to read another IP address. When there is a response, the image transmission means 55d reads out the telephone number from the telephone number storage section 56b, reads out the image data from the image data memory section 57, and designates the IP address whose response has been confirmed by the connection diagnosis means 55c. Then, the image data and the telephone number are transmitted to the relay type facsimile apparatus 4.

  As described above, the IP-only facsimile apparatus 5 according to the present embodiment relays the relay facsimile apparatus 4 and transmits image data to the public line facsimile apparatus 3. Is selected as a relay destination and data transmission is performed, so that it is possible to avoid non-delivery of image data.

  Further, in the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus 5 in the present embodiment, the operation reception unit 54 includes an operation panel having a one-touch button, and the telephone number of the public line type facsimile apparatus 3 and the telephone number thereof are associated with the one-touch button. And a one-touch button information storage unit 56a that stores information including various settings for transmitting image data to the main controller 55. The transmission instruction input unit 55a in the main control unit 55 presses the one-touch button by the user. It has a function of reading out information associated with the pressed one-touch button from the information storage means 56a and using it as an image transmission instruction.

  According to the IP-only facsimile apparatus 5 having such a configuration, the user can transmit image data to the telephone number associated with the one-touch button by only pressing the one-touch button without specifying each setting information when transmitting the document.

  Further, in the IP-only facsimile apparatus 5 in the present embodiment, when the main control unit 55 completes the image data transmission by the image transmission unit 55d in response to pressing of the one-touch button, the IP address designated by the data transmission Is added to the one-touch button correspondence information stored in the one-touch button information storage unit 56a and is registered, and the relay destination address reading unit 55b responds to an image transmission instruction by pressing the one-touch button. A function of reading the relay destination address associated with the one-touch button from the information storage unit 56a is provided.

  As a result, the IP-only facsimile apparatus 5 in the present embodiment uses the IP address of the relay type facsimile apparatus 4 that has established the connection as the learning result of the information corresponding to the one-touch button, and the one-touch button information storage unit 56a of the information memory unit 56. When the next one-touch button is pressed and the image data is transmitted, the IP address of the relay facsimile machine 3 that has established the previous connection is designated preferentially, so the connection diagnosis fails. It is possible to select a relay destination quickly.

  Next, the operation of the IP dedicated facsimile machine 5 in this embodiment will be described. Here, since the following description of the operation is an embodiment of the facsimile transmission method of the present invention, each step of the facsimile transmission method is shown together with a description of the corresponding operation.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the IP-only facsimile apparatus 5 in this embodiment. The operation shown in FIG. 5 shows a case where the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus 5 in the present embodiment transmits image data of a document to the public line type facsimile apparatus.

  In the IP-only facsimile apparatus 5, first, a user sets a document on the scanner unit 53, and the operation receiving unit 54 receives an image transmission instruction based on an operation by the user. The transmission instruction input means 55a of the main control unit 55 determines whether the transmission instruction is by pressing a one-touch button or by directly inputting the telephone number of the public line type facsimile apparatus 3 as a transmission destination (FIG. 5). In step S501), if it is neither, it is determined that the instruction is for the other destination IP facsimile 5 or relay facsimile apparatus 4 to be the final destination, and the communication process is executed. When the one-touch button is pressed, the telephone number registered in the one-touch button information storage unit 56a is read in advance and stored in the telephone number storage unit 56b. When the telephone number is directly input, the telephone number is called. The number is stored in the number storage unit 56b (step S502 in FIG. 5).

  Subsequently, the transmission instruction input means 55a inputs a transmission execution instruction in accordance with the user's operation (step S503 in FIG. 5, a transmission instruction input step), or inputs a transmission stop instruction (step S504 in FIG. 5). ). When a transmission execution instruction is input, the document set by the scanner unit 53 is read (step S505 in FIG. 5). The read image data is temporarily stored in the image data memory unit 57.

  Then, the relay destination address reading unit 55b in the main control unit 55 reads one IP address stored in the relay destination information storage unit 56c of the information memory unit 56 (step S506 in FIG. 5, relay destination address reading step). If no IP address is registered in the relay destination information storage unit 56c of the information memory unit 56, the transmission is stopped (NO in step S507 in FIG. 5).

  Subsequently, the connection diagnosis unit 55c confirms whether it is possible to connect to the relay facsimile machine 4 having the IP address read by the relay destination address reading unit 55b (step S508 in FIG. 5, connection diagnosis step). As a connection confirmation method, for example, Ping for diagnosing a network connection state is executed, an ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) packet is transmitted to the relay type facsimile apparatus 4, and a response is made at the IP level of TCP / IP. There is a way to wait. If there is no response as a result of this connection confirmation, it is determined that the relay type facsimile apparatus 4 cannot be connected for some reason, and the relay destination address reading means 55b is separated from the relay destination information storage means 56a of the information memory unit 56. The IP address is read out, the IP address is designated, Ping is executed, and the connection is confirmed again (step S509 in FIG. 5). If connection to all the relay facsimile machines 4 cannot be established, transmission is stopped.

  When there is a response to the connection confirmation, the main control unit 55 reads the image data read by the scanner unit 53 and stored in the image data memory unit 57, and outputs an image file in a format such as TIFF (Tagged Image File Format). It is created (step S510 in FIG. 5). The image transmission means 55d in the main control section 55 attaches this image file to the e-mail and transmits it to the relay type facsimile apparatus 4 whose connection has been confirmed using SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) (step S511 in FIG. 5). , Image transmission process). At this time, the telephone number of the public telephone type facsimile apparatus 3 stored in the telephone number storage unit 56b is attached to the e-mail. Thereafter, the main control unit 55 waits until a facsimile communication result is received from the corresponding relay type facsimile apparatus 4 (step S512 in FIG. 5).

  Here, when a transmission instruction is first given by pressing the one-touch button, and information regarding the function of the public line type facsimile apparatus 3 as the transmission destination is included in the communication result, the connected relay type facsimile apparatus 4 is connected. The IP address is stored as a learning result in the one-touch button information storage unit 56a (step S514 in FIG. 5, learning process). In this way, by registering the IP address of the established relay type facsimile apparatus 4 in the information associated with the one-touch button, when the next one-touch button is used for data transmission, the corresponding one-touch button is supported. It is possible to control to designate the IP address preferentially from the registered IP address in the attached information.

  Next, another example of the operation of the IP dedicated facsimile machine 5 in the present embodiment will be described.

  6 and 7 are flowcharts showing another example of the operation of the IP-only facsimile apparatus 5 in the present embodiment. The operation shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is the relay type facsimile apparatus in which the connection can be established by the previous data transmission when the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus 5 in the present embodiment transmits the image data of the document to the public line type facsimile apparatus 3. In this operation, data transmission is performed with priority given to the IP address 4.

  In the IP dedicated facsimile machine 5, first, a user sets a document on the scanner unit 53, and the operation receiving unit 54 presses the one-touch button by the user or directly inputs the telephone number of the public line type facsimile machine 3 as a transmission destination. An input is accepted (step S601 in FIG. 6). When the one-touch button is pressed, the transmission instruction input means 55a of the main control unit 55 reads the telephone number registered in the one-touch button information storage unit 56a in advance and stores it in the telephone number storage unit 56b. If a direct input is received, the telephone number is stored in the telephone number storage unit 56b (step S602 in FIG. 6).

  Subsequently, the transmission instruction input means 55a inputs a transmission execution instruction according to the user's operation (step S603 in FIG. 6) or inputs a transmission stop instruction (step S604 in FIG. 6). When a transmission execution instruction is input, the document set on the scanner unit 53 is read (step S605 in FIG. 6). The read image data is temporarily stored in the image data memory unit 57.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the transmission instruction input means 55a in the main control unit 55 is a data transmission instruction by pressing the one-touch button (step S606 in FIG. 6). If a transmission instruction is issued by pressing the one-touch button, information associated with the pressed one-touch button is read from the one-touch button information storage unit 56a to determine whether or not learning has been performed (step S607 in FIG. 6). .

  If it has already been learned, the relay destination address reading means 55b acquires the IP address of the relay type facsimile apparatus 4 connected at the previous transmission from the learning result (step 608 in FIG. 6). Then, the connection diagnosis means 55c designates this IP address and confirms the connection (step S609 in FIG. 6).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the one-touch button has not been pressed, when it has not been learned, and when there is no response as a result of the connection confirmation to the IP address obtained from the learning result, the relay destination address reading means 55b One another IP address stored in the IP relay destination information storage unit 56c of the information memory unit 56 is acquired (step S611 in FIG. 6). If another IP address is not registered in the IP relay destination information storage unit 56c, the transmission is stopped (step S612 in FIG. 6).

  Using the acquired IP address, it is confirmed whether connection to the IP relay facsimile machine 4 is possible (step S613 in FIG. 6). If there is no response as a result of the connection confirmation, it is determined that the relay type facsimile apparatus 4 cannot be connected for some reason, another IP address is acquired from the IP relay destination information storage means 56c, and the connection confirmation is performed again. . If connection cannot be established with all IP relay facsimile machines, transmission is stopped (step S614 in FIG. 6).

  When there is a response to the connection confirmation, the main control unit 55 reads the image data read by the scanner unit 53 and stored in the image data memory unit 57 to create an image file in a format such as TIFF (FIG. 7). Step S615). The image transmission means 55d in the main control unit 55 attaches this image file to the e-mail and transmits it to the relay type facsimile apparatus 4 whose connection has been confirmed using SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) (step S616 in FIG. 7). ). At this time, the telephone number of the public telephone type facsimile apparatus 3 stored in the telephone number storage unit 56b is attached to the e-mail. Thereafter, the main control unit 55 stands by until a facsimile communication result is received from the corresponding relay type facsimile apparatus 4 (step S617 in FIG. 7).

  Here, when a transmission instruction is first given by pressing the one-touch button, and information regarding the function of the public line type facsimile apparatus 3 as the transmission destination is included in the communication result, the connected relay type facsimile apparatus 4 is connected. The IP address is stored as a learning result in the one-touch button information storage unit 56a (steps S618 and S619 in FIG. 7). In this way, by registering the IP address of the established relay type facsimile apparatus 4 in the information associated with the one-touch button, when the next one-touch button is used for data transmission, the corresponding one-touch button is supported. It is possible to control to designate the IP address preferentially from the registered IP address in the attached information.

  Since the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus 5 according to the present embodiment operates in this manner, the IP address of the relay type facsimile apparatus 3 with which the previous connection can be established is preferentially specified, so that failure of connection diagnosis is reduced. , You can quickly select a relay destination.

  Here, the main control unit 55 of the IP-only facsimile machine 5 in this embodiment, that is, the transmission instruction input means 55a, the relay destination address reading means 55b, the connection diagnosis means 55c, the image transmission means 55d, and the learning means 55e, The function content may be programmed and executed by a computer.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a facsimile network system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of an IP dedicated facsimile apparatus in the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a main control unit in the IP-only facsimile apparatus disclosed in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing information stored in relay destination information storage means in the IP-only facsimile apparatus disclosed in FIG. 1. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the IP-only facsimile apparatus in the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1. 6 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the IP-only facsimile apparatus in the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1. 6 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the IP-only facsimile apparatus in the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the conventional facsimile network system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 IP network 2 Public network 3 Public line type | mold facsimile apparatus 4 Relay type | mold facsimile apparatus 5 IP dedicated facsimile apparatus 10 Facsimile network system 11 LAN cable 51 LAN interface 52 Printer part 53 Scanner part 54 Transmission instruction input means 55 Main control part 55a Transmission instruction input means 55b Relay destination address reading means 55c Connection diagnosis means 55d Image transmission means 55e Learning means 56 Information memory section 56a One-touch button information storage means 56b Telephone number storage means 56c Relay destination information storage means 57 Image data memory section 58 Bus

Claims (13)

An IP-dedicated facsimile machine connected to the IP network, and a plurality of relay facsimile machines connected to both the public network and the IP network,
When the telephone number of the public line type facsimile apparatus connected to the public line network is added to the image data received from the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus, the relay type facsimile apparatus uses the image data for the public line. Comprising a relay communication means for converting to a signal, specifying the telephone number and transmitting it to a corresponding public line facsimile machine;
The IP dedicated facsimile machine is
Relay destination information storage means for storing in advance each address information of the plurality of relay facsimile machines interconnected via the IP network as a relay destination address;
A transmission instruction input means for inputting a transmission instruction of a document image together with destination information based on an operation by a user;
A document reading means for reading a document as image data in response to the transmission instruction;
Relay destination address reading means for reading one relay destination address from the relay destination information storage means when the transmission instruction input means inputs a transmission instruction with the telephone number of the public line type facsimile apparatus as destination information;
Specify the read relay destination address, send connection diagnosis data, monitor whether there is a response, and instruct the relay destination address reading means to read another relay destination address when there is no response A connection diagnosis means for
When the response is confirmed by the connection diagnosis means, the relay destination address is specified, and the telephone number is added to the image data read in response to the input transmission instruction and transmitted to the relay facsimile apparatus. A facsimile network system comprising: The facsimile network system according to claim 1,
The IP dedicated facsimile machine is
An operation panel having a one-touch button, and one-touch button information storage means for storing information including a telephone number of the public line type facsimile apparatus in association with the one-touch button,
When the transmission instruction input unit inputs a transmission instruction by pressing the one-touch button of the user, the transmission instruction input unit has a function of reading a telephone number corresponding to the one-touch button from the one-touch button information storage unit and using it as destination information. A featured facsimile network system. The facsimile network system according to claim 2, wherein
The IP dedicated facsimile machine is
When image data transmission is completed in response to the user pressing the one-touch button, the relay destination address designated at the time of image data transmission is additionally registered in the information corresponding to the one-touch button stored in the one-touch button information storage unit Learning means to
The facsimile in which the relay destination address reading unit reads out the relay destination address associated with the one-touch button from the one-touch button information storage unit preferentially when there is a transmission instruction by pressing the one-touch button. Network system. In the facsimile network system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The connection diagnosis unit in the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus has a function of designating address information read by the relay destination address reading unit, transmitting an ICMP packet, and monitoring whether there is a reply to the packet. Facsimile network system to do.
In an IP dedicated facsimile machine connected to an IP network,
Relay destination information storage means for storing in advance address information of a plurality of relay-type facsimile apparatuses connected to both the IP network and the public line network as relay destination addresses;
A transmission instruction input means for inputting a transmission instruction of a document image together with destination information based on an operation by a user;
A document reading means for reading a document as image data in response to the transmission instruction;
A relay destination that reads one relay destination address from the relay destination information storage means when the transmission instruction input means inputs a transmission instruction that uses the telephone number of a public line type facsimile apparatus connected to the public line network as destination information Address reading means;
Specify the read relay destination address, send connection diagnosis data, monitor whether there is a response, and instruct the relay destination address reading means to read another relay destination address when there is no response A connection diagnosis means for
When the response is confirmed by the connection diagnosis means, the relay type facsimile apparatus is configured by specifying the relay destination address and adding the telephone number of the destination information to the image data read in accordance with the input transmission instruction. An IP-dedicated facsimile apparatus comprising an image transmission means for transmitting to a network. In a facsimile network system comprising an IP-dedicated facsimile apparatus connected to an IP network and a plurality of relay facsimile apparatuses connected to both the IP network and the public line network,
A transmission instruction input step in which the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus inputs an instruction to transmit a document image to a public line type facsimile apparatus connected to a public line network based on an operation by a user together with a telephone number as a destination;
A document reading step in which the IP-only facsimile apparatus reads a document as image data in response to the transmission instruction;
A relay destination address reading step in which the IP-only facsimile device reads one of the address information of the plurality of relay facsimile devices previously stored as relay destination addresses in the information memory unit in response to the transmission instruction;
The IP dedicated facsimile apparatus designates the read relay destination address, transmits connection diagnosis data, monitors the presence / absence of a response thereto, and if there is no response, assigns another relay destination address to the information memory unit A connection diagnosis step of reading from the connection diagnosis data and transmitting the connection diagnosis data again;
When the response is confirmed in the connection diagnosis step, the IP-only facsimile apparatus designates the relay destination address and adds the telephone number to the image data read corresponding to the input transmission instruction. An image transmission process to transmit;
The relay facsimile apparatus that has received the image data to which the telephone number is added from the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus converts the image data into a public line signal and designates the telephone number to correspond to the public line facsimile A facsimile transmission method comprising: a relay communication step of transmitting to an apparatus. The facsimile transmission method according to claim 6,
In the transmission instruction input step, when the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus receives a transmission instruction by pressing a pre-installed one-touch button, the public line stored in association with the one-touch button in the information memory unit A facsimile transmission method characterized in that a telephone number of a facsimile machine is read out and used as a destination. In the facsimile transmission method according to claim 7,
After the relay communication step, when the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus completes image data transmission in response to the user's pressing of the one-touch button, the relay destination address designated at the time of image data transmission is stored in the information memory unit. In addition, a learning process for additionally registering information corresponding to the one-touch button is provided, and when the instruction input process is provided thereafter, priority is given to the subsequent relay destination address reading process when the one-touch button is pressed. And a relay destination address associated with the one-touch button is read from the information memory unit. In the facsimile transmission method according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
A facsimile transmission method characterized in that, in the connection diagnosis step, an ICMP packet is transmitted by designating an address read by the relay destination address reading means, and the presence or absence of a reply to the ICMP packet is monitored. In an IP-only facsimile machine connected to an IP network,
A transmission instruction input function for inputting a transmission instruction of a document image together with destination information based on a user operation;
An image data acquisition function for acquiring image data of a document read in response to the transmission instruction;
A plurality of connected to both the IP network and the public line network when an image transmission instruction is input with the telephone number of the public line type facsimile apparatus connected to the public line network as the destination information by the transmission instruction function A relay destination address reading function for reading one of the address information of the relay type facsimile apparatus from the memory as a relay destination address;
A connection diagnosis function for specifying the read relay destination address and transmitting connection diagnosis data and monitoring the presence or absence of a response thereto;
When a response is confirmed by the connection diagnosis function, the computer is caused to execute an image transmission function for specifying the relay destination address and adding the telephone number to the image data acquired according to the transmission instruction and transmitting the image data. A facsimile transmission program characterized by the above. In the facsimile transmission program according to claim 10,
In the transmission instruction input function, when the user presses a one-touch button provided in advance in the IP dedicated facsimile apparatus, the telephone number of the public line type facsimile apparatus stored in the memory in association with the one-touch button Is a function for reading a message as destination information and inputting a transmission instruction. In the facsimile transmission program according to claim 11,
Along with a learning function for additionally registering the relay destination address designated at the time of transmitting the image data in the information corresponding to the one-touch button stored in the memory when the image data transmission corresponding to the pressing of the one-touch button by the user is completed , Causing the computer to execute the relay destination address reading function as a function of preferentially reading the relay destination address associated with the one-touch button from the memory when there is an image transmission instruction by pressing the one-touch button. A featured facsimile transmission program. In the facsimile transmission program according to any one of claims 10 to 12,
The facsimile transmission program characterized in that the connection diagnosis function is a function of designating an address read by the relay destination address reading means, transmitting an ICMP packet, and monitoring the presence or absence of a reply to the ICMP packet.

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