JP3573275B2 - Internet facsimile machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an Internet facsimile apparatus that transmits and receives image data using electronic mail.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) has been implemented in a facsimile (fax) terminal or the like, and the image data is attached to the image data together with the text of the electronic mail by using an electronic mail to make the image data an attached file. Internet facsimile for sending and receiving is widespread. The data received by the facsimile terminal or the like as an Internet facsimile includes the text and the attached file.
[0003]
When the facsimile terminal receives the Internet facsimile, the image data of the text and the attached file are usually formed on recording paper, that is, printed out. What is printed out with respect to the attached file is a manuscript to be transmitted, and what is printed out with respect to the text is for notifying that a cover letter or reception is Internet facsimile. , Internet facsimile. Please see the attached file. " The contents described in the text vary depending on the user on the transmission side. Some users write important matters in the text, and some users write nothing or the above cover letters.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, the content of the text is described on the transmission side, and therefore, the transmission side should determine whether or not the description should be displayed on the transmission partner side. However, the handling of the text at the receiving FAX terminal depends on the designation of the receiving FAX terminal, and the handling of the text cannot be specified from the transmitting side, and the text of a less important content is printed out. Thus, the recording paper is wasted, or the text is displayed on a display or the like of the operation unit although it is meaningless.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an Internet facsimile apparatus capable of instructing, on a transmitting side, handling of a body of a received electronic mail on a receiving side. is there.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 1 is an Internet facsimile apparatus equipped with a means for transmitting an e-mail, wherein the Internet facsimile apparatus transmits an e-mail composed of a mail header, a body, and image data as an attached file. It is characterized in that the mail header of the e-mail is provided with means for including information instructing the receiving side to handle only the body of the e-mail.
[0007]
3. The Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the Internet facsimile apparatus includes means for receiving an e-mail. The Internet facsimile apparatus includes an e-mail header, a body, and image data of an attached file. Means for handling only the text of the electronic mail based on the information to be received.
An Internet facsimile apparatus according to a third aspect is characterized in that, in the Internet facsimile apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the handling is performed without performing printout, display on a display, or processing.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an Internet facsimile apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a specific configuration example of the Internet facsimile machine 1. The Internet facsimile apparatus 1 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 2, a RAM (random access memory) 3, a ROM (read only memory) 4, a codec 5, a modem 6, an NCU (network control unit) 7, a reading unit 8, It comprises a unit 9, an operation unit 10, and a LAN I / F (local area network interface) 11, and the devices 2 to 11 are communicably connected by a bus 12.
[0009]
The CPU 2 controls each device constituting the Internet facsimile machine 1 according to a predetermined program.
[0010]
The RAM 3 functions as a storage unit for storing image data, FAX numbers, mail addresses, and the like in advance, or as a storage unit for temporarily storing various data.
[0011]
The ROM 4 stores various programs for controlling the operation of each unit of the Internet facsimile machine 1 by the CPU 2.
[0012]
The codec 5 performs encoding / decoding in accordance with a plurality of protocols. That is, the image data and the like read by the reading section 8 are encoded for transmission by the MH, MR, MMR method or the like, and the received image data is decoded. Also, encoding and decoding can be performed in accordance with a TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) format which is a commonly used image format used in computers. The specification of TIFF is published by Adobe Systems, Inc. in the United States. As the name implies, data is represented using tags in data blocks in a file, and the resolution and the number of colors are different by using tags. A plurality of image data can be stored simultaneously.
[0013]
The modem 6 is, for example, an ITU-T Recommendation V.3. Modulation and demodulation of transmission / reception data according to the 34 standard or the like.
[0014]
The NCU 7 is a network controller for controlling a telephone line to make or disconnect a call, and is connected to a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) 13.
[0015]
The reading section 8 reads image data of a document and outputs image data converted into black and white binary.
[0016]
The recording unit 9 is, for example, of an electrophotographic type, forms an image of received image data on recording paper, and discharges (prints out) the recording paper. For example, image data of a document read by the reading unit 8, image data received by facsimile, image data of an attached file received by Internet facsimile, text data of a body, and the like are printed out according to the instruction of the CPU 2.
[0017]
The operation unit 10 includes, for example, a display 10a for displaying information relating to the state of the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 and various operation instruction screens, a numeric keypad 10b for inputting a facsimile number and the like, a shortening key 10c for transmitting from an abbreviated number, The operation unit 10 includes a start key 10d for starting a document reading operation, a cursor key 10e for moving an inverted display in the display 10a, and the like.
[0018]
The LAN I / F 11 has an interface with a LAN (local area network) 14, and connects the LAN 14 and the Internet facsimile machine 1 in a communicable manner.
[0019]
The Internet facsimile apparatus 1 has a facsimile communication function of a general G3 system or the like, and also implements TCP / IP and uses image data such as a manuscript as an attached file of an e-mail so that the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 can send the e-mail together with the e-mail text. It has a function of transmitting and receiving image data and the like, a so-called Internet facsimile function.
[0020]
When communicating image data such as an original using the Internet facsimile function, the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 transmits the G3 format data to the TIFF according to a predetermined conversion program stored in the ROM 4 or the like at the time of transmission. The data is converted into data of a format, further encoded in a format such as Base64 of MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions), and transmitted as an attached file of an e-mail. At the time of reception, the attached file is decoded into data in TIFF format and converted from data in TIFF format to data in G3 format. On the other hand, when printing out the received data, the G3 format data is decoded into black and white binary image data by the codec 5, and an image is formed on a recording sheet by the recording unit 9.
[0021]
Further, the Internet facsimile machine 1 has a function of handling the body of an e-mail based on information of a predetermined item included in a mail header of the received e-mail. The function will be described below.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 2, the mail header 20 includes, for example, “Date:” and “From:” as defined in RFC (Request For Comments) 822 issued by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). , "To:", "Subject:", etc., an item 20b for the text 21, an item 20c for the text-formatted data (attached file) 22 in the MIME format, and these items 20a to 20c. It consists of the specified information. Such a mail header 20 is automatically generated at the time of transmission by a mailer (e-mail sending / receiving client software), and is transmitted together with the text 21 and the attached file 22.
[0023]
“Content-Type:” in the mail header 20 specifies the data format of the text 21 or the attached file 22. The “multipart / mixed” specified here indicates that it is composed of a plurality of data parts provided with a “Content-Type:” header, and the boundary of each data part is defined by “boundary =”. Delimited by the character string 23a. Note that "-" 23b shown after the character string 23a specifies that the character string 23a shown immediately before it is the last one.
[0024]
The item 20b for the text 21 includes "Content-Type:", "Content-Transfer-Encoding:", and "Content-Disposition:". “Content-Type:” specifies the data format of the text 21. “Text / plain; charset =” specified here specifies the type of character code. In this case, “us-ascii”, that is, the alphabet is specified. “Content-Transfer-Encoding:” specifies a text format such as Base64, Uuencode, etc., and here, “7 bits” is specified.
[0025]
“Content-Disposition:” specifies the processing of the text 21. Here, "X-" means an extended parameter, and one of three extended parameters "X-IGNORE", "X-DISPLAY", and "X-PRINT" is designated. . For example, if “X-IGNORE” is designated, the Internet facsimile machine 1 that has received the e-mail does not perform the processing on the text 21 and “X-DISPLAY” is designated. Then, a process of displaying the text 21 on the display 10a is executed. If “X-PRINT” is designated, the recording unit 9 forms the image on the recording paper by the recording unit 9 if “X-PRINT” is specified. That is, processing for performing printout is executed. As described above, the Internet facsimile machine 1 handles the text based on the information such as the above-described extended parameters included in the “Content-Disposition:” of the mail header. Note that the specification of the processing of the text 21 as described above can be performed not only by “Content-Description:”, but also by an extension header starting with “Content-Description:”, “X”, or the like.
[0026]
Note that the item 20c for the attached file 22 also includes “Content-Type:”, “Content-Transfer-Encoding:”, and “Content-Disposition:” as in the item 20b. “Image / tiff, name =” specified in “Content-Type:” indicates that the image data is in the above-described TIFF format, and also indicates the file name “DOC000.TIF”. “Base64” specified in “Content-Transfer-Encoding:” indicates a text encoding method of the text data. “Attachment; filename =” specified in “Content-Disposition:” specifies processing as an attached file.
[0027]
In addition to the functions described above, the Internet facsimile machine 1 also has a function of generating a mail header as described above. That is, the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 selects one of the extended parameters “X-IGNORE”, “X-DISPLAY”, and “X-PRINT” in the “Content-Disposition:” at the time of transmission by the operator. It has a function to specify according to. Therefore, the mail header of the e-mail to be transmitted can include information instructing the receiving side to handle the e-mail text. Note that, in addition to “Content-Disposition:” in the above-described mail header, it is also possible to include “Content-Description:”, an extension header starting with “X”, and the like.
[0028]
The Internet facsimile apparatus 1 having the above-described hardware configuration and various functions is installed and used in a network environment as shown in FIG. 3, for example. That is, the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 is connected to a LAN 14, and connected to the mail server 15, the router 16 and the client PC 17 via the LAN 14 so as to be able to communicate with each other. 1A, it is possible to exchange data with G3 FAX 19 via PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) 13.
[0029]
Hereinafter, an operation when the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 receives an Internet facsimile from the terminal 1A will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. This operation is performed in accordance with a command issued by the CPU 2 based on a control program or the like stored in the ROM 4.
[0030]
First, when the Internet facsimile machine 1 receives an e-mail as shown in FIG. 2 from the mail server 15 (S1), and "Content-Disposition:" is set in the item 20b for the text 21, S2) It is determined whether or not "X-PRINT" is specified in the item (S3). If "X-PRINT" (not shown) is specified, the body 21 of the e-mail is deleted. Print out (S4). If "X-PRINT" is not specified, it is determined whether "X-DISPLAY" is specified in "Content-Disposition:" (S5), and "X-DISPLAY" (shown in FIG. When (S) is designated, the body 21 of the e-mail is displayed on the display 10a (S6). If "X-DISPLAY" is not specified, it is next determined whether "X-IGNORE" is specified in "Content-Disposition:" (S7). No processing is performed on the text 21 such as printing out or displaying the text 21 of the mail (S8). Thereafter, a process different from the instruction included in the mail header 20, such as printing out the attached file, is executed (S9).
[0031]
On the other hand, when "Content-Disposition:" is not set in the item 20b of the main body 21 (S2), and when "X-IGNORE" is not specified in step 7, the above-described setting is performed in accordance with the device specification. The main body is processed (S10), and finally, the above-described processing such as attached file printout is executed (S9).
[0032]
Hereinafter, an operation of the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 when transmitting an Internet facsimile to the terminal 1A will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. This operation is performed in accordance with a command issued by the CPU 2 based on a control program or the like stored in the ROM 4, except for an input operation performed by the operator.
[0033]
First, a document is set on the reading unit 8 by an operator, and designation to be transmitted to the terminal 1A as a destination is made (S21). Next, on the display 10a, for example, "print out the text at the destination", "display the text on the destination display", and "do not process the text (print out and display on the display) at the destination" are performed. Is displayed (S22), one of the three types of processing is selected by the operator, and the handling of the body of the e-mail on the receiving side is specified (S23). Next, an input screen for the text is displayed on the display 10a (S24), and the operator performs an operation of closing the input screen without writing the content of the text or writing it if unnecessary (S25). ). When the input screen is closed, the manuscript is read by the reading unit 8, data in TIFF format is generated, and the data is converted into text in MIME format by a mailer and generated as an e-mail attached file. (S26), and at the same time, "Content-Disposition:" is set in the item of the text, and "X-PRINT", "X-DISPLAY" or "X-IGNORE" is set to the operator in step 23. (S27). That is, in step 23, if “print out the text at the destination” is selected, “X-PRINT” is selected. If “display the text at the destination” is selected, “X-PRINT” is displayed. When "-DISPLAY" is selected to "do not process the text (printout and display on the display) at the other party", "X-IGNORE" is designated. Finally, the mail header, body and attached file are transmitted to the terminal 1A in an electronic mail format (Internet facsimile) (S28).
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
The Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the Internet facsimile apparatus includes means for transmitting an e-mail. In the Internet facsimile apparatus, the e-mail header of the e-mail to be transmitted including a mail header, a body, and image data as an attached file includes: Since the receiving side is provided with means for including information instructing the handling of only the body of the electronic mail, when transmitting an Internet facsimile using the Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 2 as the receiving side, The handling of the text can be specified in the transmission-side apparatus, and the handling of the text is originally desirably determined by the sending side. Therefore, the receiving side can appropriately handle the text.
[0035]
3. The Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the Internet facsimile apparatus includes means for receiving an e-mail. The Internet facsimile apparatus includes an e-mail header, a body, and image data of an attached file. Means for handling only the body of the e-mail based on the information to be received. Therefore, when an Internet facsimile is received from the Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, the body is handled according to the instruction of the transmitting side. Since it is performed, the text can be appropriately handled in the present apparatus.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an Internet facsimile apparatus according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an electronic mail according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a network environment in which an Internet facsimile apparatus according to the present embodiment is installed.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the Internet facsimile apparatus according to the present embodiment when receiving an Internet facsimile.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the Internet facsimile apparatus according to the present embodiment when transmitting an Internet facsimile.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Internet facsimile machine 2 CPU
3 RAM
4 ROM
5 Codec 20 Email header 21 Text

Claims (3)

In an Internet facsimile apparatus provided with means for transmitting an e-mail, the mail header of the e-mail to be transmitted composed of a mail header, a body and image data as an attached file includes only the body of the e-mail on the receiving side. An internet facsimile machine comprising means for including information for instructing handling. In an Internet facsimile apparatus having means for receiving an e-mail, based on information contained in the e-mail header of a received e-mail composed of a mail header, a body and image data as an attached file, An Internet facsimile machine comprising means for handling only the text. 3. The Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the handling is not to perform printout, display on a display, or processing.

Images