JP2010074770A - Facsimile apparatus, method of facsimile transmission, and system for facsimile transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a facsimile apparatus capable of preferentially performing a FAX transmission through internet with no burden on a user. <P>SOLUTION: The FAX apparatus 70 includes: a connection determination means 71 for determining whether or not equipment specified by a telephone number has an electronic mail address based on data representing the entered telephone number in a public telephone network; an internet facsimile transmission means 72 for transmitting facsimile data through internet 74 when the connection determination means 71 determines that the equipment has an electronic mail address; and a public-telephone-network facsimile transmission means 73 for transmitting facsimile data through the public telephone network 75 when the connection determination means 71 determines that the equipment has no electronic mail address. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting facsimile data via the Internet and a function of transmitting facsimile data via a public telephone network, a facsimile transmission method and facsimile transmission used in such a facsimile apparatus. About the system.

  There is a facsimile (hereinafter referred to as “FAX”) apparatus having a function of transmitting facsimile data using electronic mail via the Internet and a function of transmitting facsimile data via a public telephone network (PSTN).

  Patent Document 1 has a function of transmitting e-mail and a function of transmitting facsimile data via PSTN, and performs an LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) search based on a keyword registered in a one-touch key. An image communication apparatus that performs facsimile transmission or facsimile transmission that transmits facsimile data depending on whether or not the destination information as a search result is a telephone number (hereinafter also referred to as a FAX number) is described.

  In Patent Document 2, the image forming apparatus as the transmission source is identified by the other party telephone number from among a plurality of image forming apparatuses installed at points separated from each other based on the other party telephone number. An image forming apparatus that selects the image forming apparatus with the lowest communication charge for FAX communication with the partner FAX, transfers the image data of the read image to the selected image forming apparatus, and receives the image data transfer However, a FAX transmission system is described in which the transferred image is transmitted by proxy to the partner FAX specified by the destination telephone number.

JP 2006-203642 A (paragraph 0031) JP 2007-116231 A (paragraph 0005, paragraphs 0013-0015, paragraphs 0027-0028)

  The image communication apparatus described in Patent Document 1 performs FAX transmission via PSTN or FAX transmission (specifically, mail transmission) via the PSTN based on the database search keyword registered in the one-touch key. . When the keyword is registered in the one-touch key, the user can cause the image communication apparatus to perform FAX transmission with a simple operation. However, when the keyword is not registered in the one-touch key, the user can It is required to input keywords for database search. Since the keyword for database search is a code that is generally difficult to store, the user cannot cause the image communication apparatus to perform FAX transmission with a simple operation. In general, since the communication fee for communication via the Internet is lower than the communication fee for communication via the PSTN, it is preferable that the FAX transmission via the Internet is selected in preference to the FAX transmission via the PSTN. In the image communication apparatus described in Patent Document 1, priority is not given to FAX transmission via the Internet.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a FAX apparatus, a FAX transmission method, and a FAX transmission system that can preferentially execute FAX transmission via the Internet without burdening a user.

  A facsimile apparatus according to the present invention is a facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting facsimile data via the Internet and a function of transmitting facsimile data via a public telephone network, and a telephone number in the input public telephone network. Connection determination means for determining whether or not the device specified by the telephone number has an e-mail address based on the data indicating, and when it is determined that the connection determination means has an e-mail address, via the Internet Internet facsimile transmission means for transmitting facsimile data, and public telephone network facsimile transmission means for transmitting facsimile data via the public telephone network when the connection determination means determines that it does not have an e-mail address. It is characterized by having.

  A facsimile transmission method according to the present invention is a facsimile transmission method used in a facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting facsimile data via the Internet and a function of transmitting facsimile data via a public telephone network. Based on the data indicating the telephone number in the public telephone network, it is determined whether or not the device specified by the telephone number has an e-mail address. Facsimile data is transmitted, and when it is determined that it does not have an e-mail address, the facsimile data is transmitted via a public telephone network.

  A facsimile transmission system according to the present invention is a facsimile transmission system including a facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting facsimile data via the Internet and a function of transmitting facsimile data via a public telephone network and an external server. When the external server receives a communication charge table in which data indicating a communication charge according to a combination of an area code and an image parameter corresponding to the amount of image information is set, and a telephone number and an image parameter from a facsimile machine A communication fee extracting means for extracting data indicating a communication charge corresponding to an area code and an image parameter in a telephone number from a communication fee table and transmitting the data to a facsimile device; and data indicating a predetermined amount from the facsimile device Corresponding to data indicating communication charges less than or equal to the specified amount. Image parameter selection means for selecting and transmitting an image parameter corresponding to the amount of information of the image from the communication charge table, and the facsimile apparatus is configured to input the telephone number based on the input data indicating the telephone number in the public telephone network A connection determination means for determining whether or not the device specified in the above has an e-mail address, and an Internet facsimile transmission means for transmitting facsimile data via the Internet when the connection determination means determines that the apparatus has an e-mail address Communication information transmitting means for transmitting the telephone number of the destination device and the image parameter input by the user to the external server, and receiving from the external server when the connection determining means determines that it does not have an e-mail address. If it is determined that the communication charge indicated by the data exceeds the specified amount, The facsimile data is transmitted using the image parameter input by the user when the communication fee indicated by the data received from the external server and the communication fee indicated by the data received from the external server is less than the predetermined amount. And public telephone network facsimile transmission means for transmitting facsimile data using image parameters received from the external server when the communication fee indicated by the data received from the external server exceeds a predetermined amount To do.

  According to the present invention, FAX transmission via the Internet can be preferentially executed without imposing a burden on the user.

Embodiment 1. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the first embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the present invention. The FAX apparatus 60 shown in FIG. 1 executes FAX transmission via the PSTN by the G3 system based on the ITU-TS recommendation, and FAX transmission via the Internet uses an attached file of an electronic mail based on the IETF recommendation. And execute.

  In the FAX apparatus 60 shown in FIG. 1, the main control unit 2 controls each piece of hardware connected to the bus 1 according to a program stored in the ROM 3, and data between each piece of hardware via the bus 1. This is realized by a CPU that commands the movement of the data and executes conversion processing of data stored in each storage device (for example, the ROM 3, the RAM 4, and the backup memory 11).

  The ROM 3 stores a program for operating the FAX apparatus 60. The RAM 4 is used as a work area for the main control unit 2 and stores temporary data generated when the program is executed. In addition, the RAM 4 has a FAX number of the partner apparatus when FAX transmission is performed by the G3 method, an e-mail address of the partner apparatus when FAX transmission via the Internet (hereinafter, may be referred to as Internet FAX transmission), and the like. The transmission information of is stored.

  The image reading unit 5 reads a document by controlling a scanner (not shown) built in the FAX apparatus 60 and outputs image data for transmission. The image data for transmission read by the image reading unit 5 is stored in the image memory 6 by the main control unit 2 and transmitted by FAX. The image memory 6 stores image data for transmission read by the image reading unit 5.

  The operation display unit 7 includes various operation keys such as a touch panel, a dial numeric keypad, and a start key, and a display for display. When the user operates the operation keys of the operation display unit 7 to input various commands such as a transmission operation, the display of the operation display unit 7 displays the content of commands input from the operation keys or the FAX device 60. Various information notified to the user is displayed. In addition, the user operates various operation keys on the operation display unit 7 to input a FAX number, set image quality and size when reading a document, execute FAX transmission, and set a communication charge limit for FAX communication. When an operation for instructing the execution of the function is performed, the main control unit 2 exchanges data between the hardware in accordance with the instructed function, thereby realizing FAX transmission.

  The modem 8 is controlled by the main control unit 2 and performs modulation relating to a transmission signal transmitted via the PSTN 20 and demodulation relating to a reception signal. The modem 8 is connected to the network control unit 9. The network control unit 9 is connected to the PTSN 20, and automatically performs an incoming call for a call from the PSTN 20, and performs a process for automatically making a call to the PSTN 20, and executes a FAX communication procedure with the counterpart device.

  The network control unit 10 performs transmission by Internet FAX to the counterpart device. The search request is transmitted to the LDAP server 40 connected by the LAN 30 or the search result is received from the LDAP server 40. A gateway (not shown) is installed between the LAN 30 and the Internet 50. The backup memory 11 stores data that is preferably supplied with power for a battery and is not lost even when the power of the FAX apparatus 60 is turned off.

  The LDAP server 40 is a server provided with a telephone directory. In the present embodiment, the LDAP server 40 holds the telephone number and electronic mail address of each device in association with each other. When a search request is received, an e-mail address corresponding to the telephone number is transmitted to the request source.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a communication fee table. The communication fee table is stored in the backup memory 11. The communication fee increases as the area is farther from the area specified by the area code of the telephone number of the device itself. Further, the communication fee increases as the size of the document increases. Further, the communication charge increases as the dpi value indicating the resolution of image quality for reading a document increases. In the communication fee table, data indicating a communication fee according to an area code other than the area code of the telephone number of the device itself and an image parameter (in this example, a document size and resolution) correlated with the amount of information of the image. Is set. That is, data indicating a communication fee according to a combination of an area code and an image parameter corresponding to the amount of image information is set. The communication fee table shown in FIG. 2 is stored in the backup memory 11 when the FAX apparatus 60 is shipped, for example. Further, information on the limit of the communication charge at the time of FAX transmission set according to the operation of the operation display unit 7 by the user is also stored in the backup memory 11.

  The main control unit 2, ROM 3, RAM 4, image reading unit 5, image memory 6, operation display unit 7, modem 8, network control unit 9, network control unit 10 and backup memory 11 are connected by a bus 1. Yes.

  Next, the operation of the FAX apparatus 60 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an overall processing flow of the FAX apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  The user operates various operation keys of the operation display unit 7 to perform FAX transmission by the G3 method, and inputs the FAX number of the partner apparatus and the setting of image quality and size when reading the document (when reading the document) Setting). When detecting the FAX transmission operation from the user, the main control unit 2 causes the network control unit 10 to request the LDAP search from the LDAP server 40 (step S11). The network control unit 10 transmits the input FAX number to the LDAP server 40, requests the LDAP server 40 to perform a search, and tries to acquire the e-mail address of the counterpart device from the LDAP server 40 (step S12).

  In step S12, if the network control unit 10 can acquire the e-mail address of the partner device, the partner device is determined to be a device that can also use the Internet FAX, and the Internet is sent to the acquired e-mail address. FAX transmission by FAX is performed (step S13).

  In step S12, if the network control unit 10 cannot acquire the e-mail address of the partner device, FAX transmission is performed using the G3 method, but processing for reducing communication charges before performing transmission using the G3 method. Begin. That is, the main control unit 2 stores in advance in the backup memory 11 based on the FAX number of the partner apparatus input by the user via the operation display unit 7 and the setting at the time of document reading before reading the document. The communication fee data required for transmission by the G3 method is extracted from the communication fee table, and the communication fee indicated by the extracted data is compared with the limit of the communication fee stored in the backup memory 11 (step S14).

  If it is determined in step S15 that the communication fee is equal to or less than the limit of the communication fee (step S15), the main control unit 2 changes the setting at the time of document reading performed by the user to the image reading unit 5 without changing it. The original is read (step S16), and the image data of the original read by the image reading unit 5 is transmitted to the destination apparatus using the G3 method as the FAX number of the destination apparatus (step S19).

  If it is determined in step S15 that the communication fee exceeds the limit amount, the main control unit 2 sets an image parameter (setting at the time of document reading) that can perform FAX transmission with the communication fee limit amount or less. The document is detected from the communication charge table, and the original is read by the image reading unit 5 using the detected image parameter (step S17). Further, the main control unit 2 displays on the display of the operation display unit 7 that the setting at the time of reading the document designated by the user has been changed, and notifies the user (step S18). Then, the image data of the original read by the image reading unit 5 is transmitted to the counterpart apparatus by the G3 method (step S19).

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a process in which the FAX apparatus 60 instructed to transmit by the G3 method performs transmission by Internet FAX will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in which a FAX apparatus instructed to perform transmission using the G3 method performs transmission using Internet FAX.

  First, the user operates the various operation keys of the operation display unit 7 to perform FAX transmission by the G3 method, and inputs the FAX number of the partner apparatus and the setting of image quality and size when reading the original (original (Setting at the time of reading) is performed (step S21). When detecting the FAX transmission operation from the user, the main control unit 2 stores the input FAX number and the original reading setting in the RAM 4 (step S22).

  The network control unit 10 transmits a search request to the LDAP server 40 based on the FAX number stored in the RAM 4 in accordance with an instruction from the main control unit 2 (step S23). The LDAP server 40 searches for an e-mail address, and when the partner apparatus indicated by the FAX number has an e-mail address necessary for receiving via the Internet FAX, the FAX server 60 stores the destination apparatus. Send an email address. The network control unit 10 confirms whether or not the e-mail address of the counterpart device has been acquired from the LDAP server 40 (step S24). Note that if the LDAP server 40 does not hold a telephone number corresponding to the FAX number of the counterpart device, the e-mail address is not transmitted. Even if a telephone number corresponding to the FAX number of the partner apparatus is held, if the corresponding e-mail address is not held, the e-mail address is not transmitted.

  When the network control unit 10 can acquire the e-mail address of the counterpart device from the LDAP server 40, the main control unit 2 stores the acquired e-mail address information in the RAM 4 (step S25), and the image reading unit 5 causes the original to be read. The image reading unit 5 reads the original using the original reading setting stored in the RAM 4 (step S26), and stores the read image data in the image memory 6 (step S27).

  Then, the main control unit 2 notifies the network control unit 10 of information on the e-mail address of the counterpart device stored in the RAM 4. The network control unit 10 transmits the image data stored in the image memory 6 to the electronic mail address notified from the main control unit 2 by Internet FAX (step S28).

  In this way, even when the user instructs transmission by the G3 method without knowing whether the destination device is capable of receiving by Internet FAX, when the destination device is capable of receiving by Internet FAX, When the e-mail address of the destination apparatus can be acquired from the LDAP server 40, the FAX apparatus 60 performs transmission by Internet FAX. Compared with transmission by the G3 method, when the Internet is contracted by the flat rate system, transmission by the Internet FAX can avoid an extra communication fee by FAX communication.

  In step S24, when the network control unit 10 cannot obtain the e-mail address of the partner device from the LDAP server 40, the partner device is in an environment not connected to the server by the network, or connected to the server. However, it is presumed that the environment does not have an e-mail address, and transmission by Internet FAX cannot be performed. In such a case, transmission by the G3 method is performed by the process shown in FIG.

  With reference to FIG. 5, when the FAX apparatus 60 instructed to transmit by the G3 system cannot acquire the e-mail address of the partner apparatus from the LDAP server 40, the process of performing the transmission by the G3 system will be described in detail. To do. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process in which a FAX apparatus instructed to perform transmission using the G3 system performs transmission using the G3 system without transmission using the Internet FAX.

  Based on the FAX number of the partner device stored in the RAM 4 and the setting at the time of reading the document, the main control unit 2 selects the partner device's area code in the communication fee table and performs communication using the G3 method. Such communication charges are extracted (step S31). The main control unit 2 checks whether or not the extracted communication charge is equal to or less than the limit of the communication charge stored in the backup memory 11 (step S32).

  When it is determined that the extracted communication charge exceeds the communication charge limit, the main control unit 2 determines the communication charge that is equal to or less than the communication charge limit and is closest to the limit in the communication charge table. The setting at the time of reading a document corresponding to the detected communication fee is detected from the communication fee (step S33). The main control unit 2 stores the detected document reading setting in the RAM 4 (step S34). Further, the main control unit 2 displays on the display of the operation display unit 7 that the setting at the time of reading the document designated by the user has been changed to the setting at the time of reading the document detected from the communication charge table, and allows the user to Notification is made (step S35).

  Then, the image reading unit 5 reads the document according to the settings for reading the document stored in the RAM 4, and stores the image data of the read document in the image memory 6 (step S36). If it is determined in step S32 that the communication charge extracted from the communication charge table does not exceed the limit of the communication charge, the setting for reading the document stored in the RAM 4 is set to the user. Is the setting for reading the input document. If the communication charge extracted from the communication charge table exceeds the limit of the communication charge, the setting for reading the original stored in the RAM 4 is the original detected from the communication charge table in the process of step S34. This is the setting when reading. Note that the settings at the time of reading the changed document (the settings at the time of reading the document detected in the process of step S34) are the information amount of the image (read) with respect to the settings at the time of reading the document input by the user. The amount of image data of the original document). In the setting for reading the changed document, if the size is smaller than the setting for reading the document input by the user, the image reading unit 5 reduces the document size.

  The network control unit 9 transmits the image data stored in the image memory 6 to the destination of the FAX number of the partner apparatus stored in the RAM 4 via the PSTN 20 by the G3 method (step S37). Note that the G3-FAX transmission shown in FIG. 5 means a FAX transmission based on the G3 method.

  In this way, in a situation where transmission by the G3 method is performed in an environment where the destination apparatus cannot receive via the Internet FAX, the FAX apparatus 60 does not exceed the communication charge limit set in advance by the user. The original is read by using the setting at the time of reading the original that causes such a communication fee, and is transmitted to the destination apparatus by the G3 method. By using a communication fee that does not exceed the communication fee limit set in advance by the user at the time of transmission using the G3 method, communication with a communication fee less than the price intended by the user can be realized. Further, since the FAX apparatus 60 determines whether or not the partner apparatus has an e-mail address based on data indicating a telephone number in a public telephone network that can be easily stored by the user, it places a burden on the user. Accordingly, FAX transmission via the Internet can be executed with priority.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the second exemplary embodiment (second exemplary embodiment) of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows a facsimile transmission system including a FAX apparatus and an external server. The configuration of the second embodiment corresponds to a configuration in which an external server is added to the first embodiment. The FAX apparatus 61 shown in FIG. 6 has the same configuration as the FAX apparatus 60 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. However, the FAX apparatus 61 does not have a communication fee table as shown in FIG.

  The external server 62 holds a communication fee table and is connected to the network control unit 10 in the FAX apparatus 61 via the LAN 30. The communication fee table held by the external server 62 is, for example, the communication fee table illustrated in FIG. A gateway (not shown) is installed between the LAN 30 and the Internet 50.

  The external server 62 includes a RAM 21, a network control unit 22, and a backup memory 23. The RAM 21 stores the FAX number of the partner apparatus received from the FAX apparatus, settings for reading the original, and the like. The network control unit 22 transmits / receives data to / from the FAX apparatus 61 via the LAN 30. The backup memory 23 stores a communication fee table, data generated by control performed by the network control unit 22, and the like. The external server 62 stores the communication fee table in the backup memory 23 with the data updated to the latest data.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of the FAX transmission system according to the second embodiment. With reference to FIG. 7, the process of the FAX transmission system in the second embodiment will be described.

  First, in order to perform G3 FAX transmission, the user operates the various operation keys of the operation display unit 7 to input the FAX number of the partner apparatus and to set the original reading (step S41). . When the FAX transmission operation from the user is detected, the main control unit 2 of the FAX apparatus 61 stores the input FAX number and the original reading setting in the RAM 4 and further stores the FAX number and original reading in the network control unit 10. Is sent to the external server 62 (step S42).

  The external server 62 stores the FAX number received from the FAX apparatus 61 and the setting at the time of reading a document in the RAM 21. Then, based on the FAX information stored in the RAM 21 and the settings at the time of reading the document, data indicating the communication charge for FAX communication is extracted from the communication charge table stored in the backup memory 23 in advance, and network control is performed. The unit 22 transmits data indicating the extracted communication fee to the FAX apparatus 61 (step S43).

  The main control unit 2 of the FAX apparatus 61 checks whether or not the communication fee indicated by the data received from the external server 62 by the network control unit 10 is equal to or less than the limit of the communication fee stored in the backup memory 11. (Step S44).

  When the communication fee indicated by the data received from the external server 62 is equal to or less than the communication fee limit, the main control unit 2 controls the network control unit 9 to read the document stored in the RAM 4. According to the setting, transmission by the G3 method is performed (step S47).

  In step S34, when it is confirmed that the communication fee indicated by the data received from the external server 62 exceeds the limit of the communication fee set in advance by the user and stored in the backup memory 11, The control unit 2 causes the network control unit 10 to transmit the communication fee limit to the external server 62 (step S45). In the external server 62, the communication charge limit received by the network control unit 22 is stored in the RAM 21. Then, the external server 62 detects the communication charge that is equal to or less than the communication charge limit amount and is closest to the limit amount from the area code column of the destination device in the communication charge table stored in the backup memory 23, and detects the communication charge. The setting at the time of reading a document corresponding to the communication charge is detected from the area code column of the partner apparatus in the communication charge table. The external server 62 transmits the detected document reading setting from the network control unit 22 to the network control unit 10 of the FAX apparatus 61 (step S46).

  The main control unit 2 of the FAX apparatus 61 stores the information received by the network control unit 10 in the RAM 4. Then, the main control unit 2 displays on the display of the operation display unit 7 that the setting at the time of reading of the document designated by the user has been changed to the setting at the time of reading of the document detected from the communication charge table. Notice. In response to an instruction from the main control unit 2, the image reading unit 5 reads the document according to the settings at the time of reading the document stored in the RAM 4, and stores the read image data in the image memory 6. The network control unit 9 transmits the image data stored in the image memory 6 to the destination of the FAX number of the partner apparatus stored in the RAM 4 via the PSTN 20 by the G3 method (step S47).

  Before executing the process of step S42, the search is requested to the LDAP server 40 as in the case of the first embodiment, and when an e-mail address is received from the LDAP server 40, transmission by Internet FAX is performed. If the e-mail address is not received from the LDAP server 40, the processing of steps S42 to S47 may be executed.

  In the second embodiment, the FAX apparatus causes the external server 62 to execute processing for acquiring information related to the communication fee for FAX communication. Therefore, when the fee system for FAX communication is changed, the external server 62 It is only necessary to update the data held by. Therefore, when a plurality of FAX apparatuses are connected to the external server 62, the trouble of updating the communication fee table in each FAX apparatus is saved.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a main part of the FAX apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the FAX apparatus 70 determines whether or not the apparatus specified by the telephone number has an e-mail address based on the input data indicating the telephone number in the public telephone network. 71 and the Internet facsimile transmission means 72 for transmitting facsimile data via the Internet 74 when the connection determination means 71 determines that the connection determination means 71 has an e-mail address, and the connection determination means 71 does not have an e-mail address. A public telephone network facsimile transmission means 73 for transmitting facsimile data via the public telephone network 75. In such a FAX apparatus, even when the user designates transmission by FAX communication (for example, FAX communication by the G3 method) via the public line network, if the destination apparatus 76 can receive by Internet FAX, it is automatically set. In particular, transmission by Internet FAX can be performed, and the call charge can be reduced.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments and examples, FAX apparatuses as shown in the following (1) to (4) are also shown.

(1) The connection determination means includes an inquiry means for inquiring the LDAP server about the presence or absence of an e-mail address corresponding to the telephone number, and a telephone number when the e-mail address is transmitted from the LDAP server in response to an inquiry by the inquiry means. A facsimile apparatus including an e-mail address determining means for determining that the apparatus specified in (1) has an e-mail address. For example, this is realized by the operations in steps S11 to S13 of the first embodiment. In the facsimile apparatus configured as described above, it is possible to determine whether or not transmission by Internet FAX can be performed to the apparatus specified by the telephone number. Even when the user designates transmission by FAX communication (for example, FAX communication by the G3 method) via the public line network, if the transmission by Internet FAX can be automatically performed, the call charge can be reduced.

(2) A communication fee table in which data indicating a communication fee according to a combination of an area code and an image parameter corresponding to the amount of image information is set (for example, stored in the backup memory 11 in advance in the first embodiment). Communication fee table) and whether the communication fee corresponding to the image parameter input by the user exceeds the predetermined amount using the communication fee table when the connection determination means determines that the e-mail address is not included. (For example, step S14 in the first embodiment) When the communication fee determining unit and the communication fee determining unit determine that the communication fee exceeds the predetermined amount, the communication fee table indicates a communication fee equal to or less than the predetermined amount. Image parameter selection means for selecting image parameters corresponding to the amount of image information corresponding to the data, and the public telephone network facsimile transmission means And transmits the facsimile data by using the image parameter parameter selection means has selected (e.g., step S17~S19 embodiments 1) a facsimile machine. In the facsimile apparatus configured as described above, communication with a communication fee less than the price intended by the user can be realized by setting the communication fee not to exceed the limit of the communication fee preset by the user.

(3) A facsimile apparatus comprising input means (for example, the operation display unit 7) for inputting a predetermined amount and predetermined amount storage means (for example, a backup memory 11) for storing the predetermined amount input by the input means. In the facsimile apparatus configured as described above, a predetermined amount set in advance by the user can be stored, and communication at a price intended by the user can be realized together with other processing in the facsimile apparatus.

(4) A facsimile apparatus provided with notifying means (for example, the operation display unit 7) for notifying when an image parameter is selected by the image parameter selecting means. For example, this is realized in step S35 of the first embodiment. In the facsimile apparatus configured as described above, it is notified that communication is performed by changing to a setting different from the setting at the time of reading a document designated by the user, and information can be automatically provided to the user.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a main part of the FAX transmission system according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, the FAX transmission system 80 includes a facsimile apparatus 81 and an external server 82 having a function of transmitting facsimile data via the Internet 91 and a function of transmitting facsimile data via the public telephone network 92. The external server 82 includes a communication fee table 83 in which data indicating a communication fee according to a combination of an area code and an image parameter corresponding to the amount of image information is set, and a facsimile Communication fee extraction means for extracting data indicating a communication code corresponding to the area code and image parameter in the telephone number from the communication fee table 83 and transmitting the data to the facsimile device 81 when the telephone number and the image parameter are received from the device 81 84, and data indicating a predetermined amount were received from the facsimile apparatus 81. In addition, the facsimile apparatus 81 includes an image parameter selection unit 85 that selects and transmits an image parameter corresponding to the amount of information of an image corresponding to data indicating a communication charge equal to or less than a predetermined amount from the communication charge table 83. Based on the data indicating the telephone number in the public telephone network, the connection determining means 86 for determining whether the device specified by the telephone number has an e-mail address, and the connection determining means 86 has an e-mail address. If it is determined that the Internet facsimile transmission means 87 that transmits facsimile data via the Internet 91 and the connection determination means 86 do not have an e-mail address, the external server 82 Communication information transmission for transmitting the telephone number of the device 93 and the image parameter input by the user A predetermined amount information transmitting means 89 for transmitting data indicating the predetermined amount to the external server 82 when it is determined that the communication fee indicated by the stage 88 and the data received from the external server 82 exceeds the predetermined amount; When the communication fee indicated by the data received from the server is less than or equal to the predetermined amount, facsimile data is transmitted using the image parameters entered by the user, and the communication fee indicated by the data received from the external server exceeds the predetermined amount. And public telephone network facsimile transmission means 90 for transmitting facsimile data using image parameters received from the server.

  The present invention can be applied to a facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting facsimile data via the Internet and a function of transmitting facsimile data via a public telephone network, and a facsimile transmission system.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a communication fee table. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an overall processing flow of the FAX apparatus according to the first embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in which a FAX apparatus instructed to perform transmission using the G3 method performs transmission using Internet FAX. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing in which a FAX apparatus instructed to perform transmission using the G3 method performs transmission using the G3 method. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a process of the FAX transmission system of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of the FAX apparatus by this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of the FAX transmission system by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Bus 2 Main control unit 3 ROM
4,21 RAM
5 Image Reading Unit 6 Image Memory 7 Operation Display Unit 8 Modem 9 Network Control Unit 10, 22 Network Control Unit 11, 23 Backup Memory 20 PSTN
30 LAN
40 LDAP server 50 Internet 60, 61, 70 FAX device 62, 82 External server 71, 86 Connection determination means 72, 87 Internet facsimile transmission means 73, 90 Public telephone network facsimile transmission means 74, 91 Internet 75, 92 Public telephone network 76 , 93 Destination device 80 FAX transmission system 81 Facsimile device 83 Communication fee table 84 Communication fee extraction means 85 Image parameter selection means 88 Communication information transmission means 89 Predetermined amount information transmission means

Claims (9)

A facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting facsimile data via the Internet and a function of transmitting facsimile data via a public telephone network,
A connection determination means for determining whether or not the device specified by the telephone number has an e-mail address based on the input data indicating the telephone number in the public telephone network;
Internet facsimile transmission means for transmitting facsimile data via the Internet when it is determined that the connection determination means has an email address;
And a public telephone network facsimile transmission means for transmitting facsimile data via the public telephone network when the connection determination means determines that the electronic mail address is not included. Connection determination means
Inquiry means for inquiring the LDAP server about the presence or absence of an e-mail address corresponding to the telephone number;
The e-mail address determination unit that determines that the device specified by the telephone number has an e-mail address when an e-mail address is transmitted from the LDAP server in response to the inquiry by the inquiry unit. Facsimile device. A communication fee table in which data indicating communication fee according to the combination of the area code and the image parameter according to the amount of information of the image is set;
Communication fee determination for determining whether or not the communication fee corresponding to the image parameter input by the user exceeds a predetermined amount using the communication fee table when the connection determination means determines that it does not have an e-mail address Means,
When the communication fee determining means determines that the communication fee exceeds a predetermined amount, an image for selecting an image parameter corresponding to the information amount of the image corresponding to the data indicating the communication fee below the predetermined amount from the communication fee table Parameter selection means,
The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the public telephone network facsimile transmission means transmits facsimile data using the image parameter selected by the image parameter selection means. An input means for inputting a predetermined amount;
The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a predetermined amount storage unit that stores the predetermined amount input by the input unit. 5. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising notification means for notifying when an image parameter is selected by the image parameter selection means. A facsimile transmission method used in a facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting facsimile data via the Internet and a function of transmitting facsimile data via a public telephone network,
Based on the input data indicating the telephone number in the public telephone network, it is determined whether the device specified by the telephone number has an e-mail address;
If it is determined that it has an e-mail address, the facsimile data is transmitted via the Internet,
A facsimile transmission method characterized in that facsimile data is transmitted via a public telephone network when it is determined that it does not have an e-mail address. When determining whether or not to have an email address, the LDAP server is inquired whether there is an email address corresponding to the telephone number,
The facsimile transmission method according to claim 6, wherein when an e-mail address is transmitted from the LDAP server in response to an inquiry, the apparatus specified by the telephone number is determined to have an e-mail address. A facsimile transmission system including a facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting facsimile data via the Internet and a function of transmitting facsimile data via a public telephone network and an external server,
The external server is
A communication fee table in which data indicating communication fee according to the combination of the area code and the image parameter according to the amount of information of the image is set;
When a telephone number and an image parameter are received from the facsimile apparatus, a communication charge extraction is performed to extract data indicating a communication charge corresponding to the area code and the image parameter in the telephone number from the communication charge table and transmit the data to the facsimile apparatus. Means,
Image parameter selection in which, when data indicating a predetermined amount is received from the facsimile apparatus, an image parameter corresponding to the amount of image information corresponding to data indicating a communication fee equal to or less than the predetermined amount is selected from the communication fee table and transmitted. Means and
The facsimile machine is
A connection determination means for determining whether or not the device specified by the telephone number has an e-mail address based on the input data indicating the telephone number in the public telephone network;
Internet facsimile transmission means for transmitting facsimile data via the Internet when it is determined that the connection determination means has an email address;
Communication information transmitting means for transmitting, to the external server, a telephone number of a counterpart device and an image parameter input by a user when the connection determining means determines that it does not have an e-mail address;
A predetermined amount information transmitting means for transmitting data indicating a predetermined amount to the external server when it is determined that a communication fee indicated by data received from the external server exceeds a predetermined amount;
When the communication fee indicated by the data received from the external server is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, facsimile data is transmitted using the image parameter input by the user, and the communication fee indicated by the data received from the external server is a predetermined amount. And a public telephone network facsimile transmission means for transmitting facsimile data using the image parameter received from the external server when the number exceeds. An LDAP server that stores a telephone number and an email address in association with each other,
Connection determination means in the facsimile machine is
Inquiry means for inquiring the LDAP server whether or not there is an e-mail address corresponding to the telephone number;
The electronic mail address determination means for determining that the device specified by the telephone number has an electronic mail address when an electronic mail address is transmitted from the LDAP server in response to the inquiry by the inquiry means. Facsimile transmission system.

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