JP3598944B2 - Mail device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mail device that transmits and receives e-mail via a mail server, and more particularly to a mail device that is characterized by broadcast transmission.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a communication network system in which a facsimile apparatus, a mail server, a personal computer, and the like are connected to each other using a communication network has been spreading. When performing Internet FAX in such a communication network system, first, the facsimile machine converts the read image data into an attached file of an e-mail and transmits it as an e-mail. On the other hand, in an Internet FAX, a broadcast transmission can be realized from a facsimile machine by writing a plurality of mail addresses together with an e-mail destination.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the mail server may have an upper limit for the number of destinations that can perform broadcast transmission, so if the number of destinations exceeds the upper limit, the mail server must send the e-mail normally to the destination. May not be possible.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mail apparatus capable of performing broadcast transmission regardless of the capacity of a mail server.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an e-mail including a header, a body, and an attached file is broadcasted to a mail server connected via a communication network. in the mail apparatus, the number of the e-mail address in the case of broadcast transmission, it is determined whether or exceeds a predetermined number, when the number of the destination is determined to exceed the predetermined number, the electronic Control means for dividing the destination of the electronic mail based on the priority determined in the order of "To", "Cc", and "Bcc" described in the header of the mail so that the number of the destinations is within the predetermined number. And transmission means for broadcasting the electronic mail for each of the divided destinations.
[0006]
In the invention according to claim 2, when the destination of the e-mail is divided by the control unit , the transmitting unit includes a header, a body, and an attached file describing all destinations before the division. An e-mail is broadcast to the mail server.
[0007]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment in which the mail apparatus according to the present invention is embodied in a facsimile apparatus will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0008]
As shown in FIG. 1, the communication network system includes a facsimile machine (FAX) 1 having a telephone line L1, a gateway 2 connected to the Internet via a dedicated line L2, a mail server 3, a plurality of personal computers 4, and each device 1 4 are composed of a hub (HUB) 5, a transceiver 6, an Ethernet cable 7, an AUI cable 8, and a twisted pair cable 9, which interconnect each other.
[0009]
The facsimile machine 1, gateway 2, mail server 3, and personal computer 4 are connected to a hub 5 via a twisted pair cable 9. The hub 5 is connected to the transceiver 6 via the AUI cable 8. The transceiver 6 is connected to another transceiver 6 via an Ethernet cable 7. The facsimile machine 1, the gateway 2, the mail server 3, and the personal computer 4 have a built-in interface for connecting to the twisted pair cable 9. The hub 5 is provided for connecting the twisted pair cable 9 and the AUI cable 8, and functions as a concentrator in connection with the communication network T. The transceiver 6 is provided for connecting the AUI cable 8 and the Ethernet cable 7.
[0010]
The facsimile machine 1 has a mail address as a client of the mail server 3.
The gateway 2 has a communication protocol for controlling communication with other devices other than the communication network T. The gateway 2 also has a firewall function for preventing unauthorized entry into the communication network T.
[0011]
The mail server 3 has a communication protocol (SMTP, POP3, etc.) used for e-mail. By sending the electronic mail with the image data attached, Internet FAX can be realized. The mail server 3 has a mailbox for each client.
[0012]
The plurality of personal computers 4 are provided with a control unit for controlling the entire personal computer 4, a display unit such as an LCD for displaying various information, an instruction for various information displayed on the display unit, and a predetermined A keyboard and a mouse for inputting characters and the like, a storage unit including a hard disk and the like are provided. Further, the plurality of personal computers 4 are connected to the facsimile machine 1, the gateway 2, the mail server 3 and another personal computer 4, and between the facsimile machine 1 or the mail server 3 and the external facsimile machine via the gateway 2. It has a communication protocol for transmitting and receiving. The plurality of personal computers 4 have mail addresses as clients of the mail server 3.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 2, the facsimile machine 1 includes a facsimile machine main body 1a and an option board 30.
The facsimile apparatus main body 1a includes an MPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a reading unit 14, a recording unit 15, an operation unit 16, a display unit 17, an image memory 18, a codec 19, a modem 20, an NCU 21, and an option board slot unit 22. At the same time, the units 11 to 22 are respectively connected via a bus 23.
[0014]
The MPU 11 controls each unit constituting the facsimile machine 1. The ROM 12 stores a program for controlling the facsimile machine 1. The RAM 13 temporarily stores various information related to transmission / reception and transfer of the facsimile machine 1.
[0015]
The reading unit 14 reads image data on a document and outputs black and white binary image data. The recording unit 15 is composed of an electrophotographic printer, and records received image data or image data of a document read by the reading unit 14 on recording paper in a recording operation or a copying operation of received image data.
[0016]
The operation unit 16 includes a numeric keypad (including * and # keys) 16a for inputting a telephone number, an abbreviated key 16b for registering an abbreviated number or transmitting from an abbreviated number, and a pre-registered telephone number or FAX number with one touch. Various operation keys such as a one-touch key 16c for designating, a start key 16d for starting a document reading operation, and a communication / copy key 16e for setting a “communication (FAX)” operation or a “copy” operation are provided. ing. A display unit 17 such as an LCD displays various information such as an operation state of the facsimile apparatus main body 1a.
[0017]
The image memory 18 temporarily stores received image data and image data read by the reading unit 14, binarized, and encoded by the codec 19 according to the MMR method. The image memory 18 temporarily stores image data transmitted from the personal computer 4 via the option board slot unit 22.
[0018]
The codec 19 encodes the image data read by the reading unit 14 for transmission according to the MH, MR, MMR method, or the like. The codec 19 decodes the received image data.
[0019]
The modem 20 modulates and demodulates a facsimile transmission control procedure signal and image data. The NCU 21 has a function of closing and opening the telephone line L1, detecting the transmission and reception of a dial signal corresponding to the fax number of the other party, and the like.
[0020]
The option board slot section 22 is equipped with an option board 30 for connecting to the communication network T. That is, when the option board 30 is provided in the option board slot section 22, connection to the communication network T becomes possible.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 3, the option board 30 includes an MPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, an image memory 34, a data conversion unit 35, a PC card interface 36, a PC card type memory 37, a communication protocol control unit 38, and a network interface 39. At the same time, the units 31 to 36, 38 are connected via a bus 40, respectively.
[0022]
The MPU 31 controls each unit constituting the option board 30. The ROM 32 stores a program for controlling the option board 30. The RAM 33 temporarily stores various information related to the option board 30. The image memory 34 stores the image data sent from the personal computer 4.
[0023]
The data conversion unit 35 converts image data such as TIFF, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PCX, DCX, etc., transmitted from the personal computer 4 via the communication network T, into MH, MR, MMR, TIFF-MH, TIFF-MR. , TIFF-MMR format or the like. Conversely, image data of the MH, MR, MMR system, TIFF-MH, TIFF-MR, TIFF-MMR system, etc. received via the telephone line L1 is converted into a format that can be easily handled by a plurality of personal computers 4. For this purpose, the image data is converted into image data such as TIFF, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PCX, and DCX.
[0024]
The PC card interface 36 accesses the PC card type memory 37 via the PC card adapter 36a based on a control signal from the MPU 31. The PC card type memory 37 conforms to “PC Card Standard”, and is configured by a flash memory (EEPROM), for example, and stores data relating to transmission and reception via the option board 30. That is, even if the power of the facsimile machine 1 is stopped or a power failure occurs, data related to transmission and reception is not lost.
[0025]
The communication protocol control unit 38 communicates with another device on the communication network T via the network interface 39, and communicates with another device on the communication network T via the network interface 39 and the public network. It has a communication protocol for controlling communication. Specifically, for example, it includes a communication protocol for salutation defined by the SMTP (mail transmission protocol), POP3 (mail reception protocol), and a salutation consortium.
[0026]
Next, the operation when broadcasting from the facsimile machine 1 or the personal computer 4 via the mail server 3 and the gateway 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This operation is executed under the control of the MPU 11 based on a program stored in the ROM 12.
[0027]
Now, when an e-mail is created by the facsimile machine 1 or the personal computer 4 and a broadcast transmission instruction is given,
In step S1 shown in FIG. 4, it is determined whether or not the number of e-mail destinations of the broadcast transmission exceeds the upper limit (for example, 100) of the mail server 3. If the number of destinations exceeds the upper limit, the process proceeds to step S2. On the other hand, if the number of destinations does not exceed the upper limit, or if the upper limit of the mail server 3 is unknown, that is, if there is no broadcast transmission exceeding the upper limit in the past, the process proceeds to step S3. .
[0028]
In step S2, since the number of destinations exceeds the upper limit of the mail server 3, the destinations are divided (division processing). Specifically, assuming that the number of broadcast transmission destinations is 300 and the upper limit of the mail server 3 is 100, the broadcast transmission destination is divided into 100 addresses. At this time, among “To”, “Cc”, and “Bcc” described in the header of the electronic mail, priority is given to “To”, “Cc”, and “Bcc” in this order. In other words, “To”, which is a legitimate destination and has a possibility of reply, is given top priority, and “Cc”, which is a copy destination, is given second priority. In addition, it is also possible to divide 100 items at a time according to the order in which destinations are described.
[0029]
In step S3, a mail transmission command is transmitted to the mail server 3. That is, the destination mail address is transmitted to the mail server 3.
[0030]
In step S4, a response from the mail server 3 is received. Specifically, [1] a response indicating that the mail transmission command has been normally received, [2] a response indicating that the domain name specified by the mail address is unknown, [3] a value exceeding the upper limit value And so on.
[0031]
In step S5, it is determined whether the response was normal. If the response is normal, the process moves to step S6. On the other hand, if the response is not normal, that is, if the response is abnormal as in [2] or [3] in the reception of the response in step S5, the process proceeds to step S7.
[0032]
In step S6, it is determined whether or not the mail transmission commands of all destinations have been transmitted to the mail server 3. That is, in this case, in step S1, the number of e-mail destinations exceeds the upper limit of the mail server 3. When the destinations are divided in step S2, all of the divided destinations are sent. It is determined whether the mail transmission command has been transmitted to the mail server 3 or not. On the other hand, if the number of e-mail destinations does not exceed the upper limit of the mail server 3 in step S1, whether or not the mail transmission commands of all the destinations for which the broadcast transmission instruction has been issued has been transmitted to the mail server 3. Is determined. If the mail transmission commands of all the destinations have been transmitted to the mail server 3, the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if the mail transmission commands for all the destinations have not been transmitted to the mail server 3, the process returns to step S3. That is, the processes in steps S3 to S6 are repeated by the number of destinations specified in the broadcast transmission.
[0033]
In step S7, based on the response indicating that the value exceeds the [3] upper limit in step S4, the number of times the processing in steps S3 to S6 is repeated is determined by the facsimile machine 1 as the upper limit of the mail server 3. Is set.
[0034]
In step S8, the data of the e-mail (including the header, body, and attached file describing all destinations) is transmitted to the mail server 3 (transmission processing). Then, a response indicating whether the reception of the e-mail data has been normally performed is received from the mail server 3.
[0035]
In step S9, it is determined whether or not the e-mail has been transmitted from the facsimile machine 1 to all the destinations to which the broadcast transmission instruction has been issued. If the e-mail has been sent to all destinations, this process ends. On the other hand, if the e-mail has not been sent to all destinations, the flow returns to step S 3. Specifically, assuming that the number of broadcast transmission destinations is 300 and the upper limit of the mail server 3 is 100, in step S2, the destinations are divided into three for each 100 destinations. Therefore, in order to send e-mail to the rest of the 200 stars fraction destination is return to Step S 3.
[0036]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following operations and effects can be obtained.
(1) In broadcast transmission from the facsimile machine 1 or the personal computer 4, if the number of destinations exceeds the upper limit of the mail server 3, the destination is divided, and the transmission of the e-mail data is performed for each of the divided destinations. Is going. Therefore, there is no possibility that the mail server 3 cannot normally transmit the electronic mail to the destination. Therefore, the broadcast can be transmitted regardless of the capacity of the mail server 3.
[0037]
(2) When a destination is divided, the destination is divided based on attributes related to the destination, that is, “To”, “Cc”, and “Bcc” described in the header of the electronic mail. That is, the priorities are determined in the order of “To”, “Cc”, and “Bcc”. For this reason, the destination described in “To” which is a legitimate destination and has a possibility of reply is given priority. Therefore, efficient broadcast transmission can be performed based on the priority of the destination.
[0038]
(3) Even if the destination is divided, the same e-mail data (including the header, body, and attached file) is transmitted. In other words, dividing the destination does not mean that the destination information in the header information of the e-mail is divided. For this reason, even if the destination is divided, the recipient of the broadcast transmission is received as an electronic mail similar to ordinary broadcast transmission. Therefore, even if the destination is divided, the receiver of the broadcast transmission can know other destinations described in “To” and “Cc”.
[0039]
In addition, the said embodiment can also be changed and embodied as follows.
In the above embodiment, when the destination is divided, priority is given in the order of “To”, “Cc”, and “Bcc”. However, priority is given to each destination regardless of “To”, “Cc”, and “Bcc”. A configuration may be adopted in which priorities are set and destinations are divided based on the priorities.
[0040]
In addition, a priority order may be provided for each destination for each of “To”, “Cc”, and “Bcc”.
In the facsimile machine 1, a mail address is registered in the shortcut key 16b or the one-touch key 16c. Therefore, when an e-mail is transmitted from the facsimile machine 1, if a destination is set from the shortcut key 16b or the one-touch key 16c, the e-mail may be preferentially transmitted to the mail server 3.
[0041]
The above-described embodiment may be applied to a case where electronic mail is transmitted from a plurality of personal computers 4 via the mail server 3 and the gateway 2.
Further, technical ideas other than the claims grasped from the above-described embodiments and the like will be described below together with their effects.
[0042]
[1] control means, based on a response from the mail server, mail device for setting the upper limit of the mail server. With this configuration, when the number of destinations of the broadcast transmission after the second time exceeds the upper limit, the destination in the broadcast transmission is quickly divided based on the upper limit and the electronic mail can be transmitted. it can.
[0043]
The computer, if the destination number in the broadcast transmission exceeds a predetermined number, the division processing for dividing the destination, and a transmission process of transmitting the e-mail data for each of the divided destination, to execute A recording medium that records a program. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a recording medium that can perform broadcast transmission regardless of the capacity of the mail server.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention is configured as described above, and has the following effects.
According to the first or second aspect of the present invention, broadcast transmission can be performed regardless of the capability of the mail server.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication network system.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the facsimile apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an option board.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation at the time of broadcast transmission.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Facsimile machine as a mail apparatus, 3 ... Mail server, 4 ... Personal computer as a mail apparatus, 11 ... MPU which comprises a control means, 12 ... ROM which comprises a control means, 13 ... RAM which comprises a control means, T ... communication network.

Claims (2)

In a mail device that broadcasts an e-mail including a header, a body, and an attached file to a mail server connected via a communication network,
It is determined whether or not the number of e-mail destinations exceeds the predetermined number in the case of performing the broadcast transmission . If it is determined that the number of the destinations exceeds the predetermined number , the e-mail is described in the header of the e-mail. Control means for dividing the destination of the e-mail based on the priority determined in the order of “To”, “Cc” and “Bcc” so that the number of destinations is within the predetermined number ;
A mail device comprising: transmission means for broadcasting the electronic mail for each of the divided destinations. When the destination of the e-mail is divided by the control unit , the transmitting unit broadcasts the e-mail including the header, the body, and the attached file describing all the destinations before the division to the mail server. The mail device according to claim 1 for transmitting .

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