JP3599181B2 - Internet facsimile apparatus and internet facsimile system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an Internet facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting and receiving image data using an e-mail, a G3 facsimile function, and the like, and is communicably connected to the Internet facsimile apparatus via a network such as a LAN. The present invention relates to an Internet facsimile system including a client device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
According to an Internet facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting and receiving image data using an e-mail, a G3 facsimile function, and the like, an Internet facsimile, a G3 facsimile, and the like can be transmitted by broadcast. When broadcasting to a plurality of destinations, information about the transmission destination, such as a facsimile (FAX) number and an e-mail address, is input and specified from an operation unit or the like provided in the apparatus body, or a destination registration function is provided. If so, it is possible to specify and transmit information on the transmission destination registered in the apparatus body using the abbreviated number or the like.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, while the information on the transmission destination is specified, the image data cannot normally be transmitted at the same time, and another person has to wait until the specification operation is completed. When abbreviated numbers are registered, the designation operation can be performed in a relatively short time. However, when the transmission destination is not registered with the abbreviated numbers, and when transmission is performed as 100 or 200 broadcasts, It takes a long time for the designation operation. Further, when specifying “To”, “Cc”, “Bcc” as the destination of the e-mail address, specifying the sub-address / password, etc., when performing detailed specification, further time is required for the operation. Is required.
[0004]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and it is not possible for another person to perform transmission while designating information to be designated at the time of transmitting image data, such as information regarding a transmission destination. It is an object of the present invention to provide an Internet facsimile apparatus and an Internet facsimile system which eliminate the inconvenience of having to wait until the operation is completed.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 1 includes means for externally receiving a data file in which information to be designated at the time of transmitting image data is described according to a predetermined format, and A reading unit for reading, and a unit for designating the information based on the received data file and transmitting image data of a document read by the reading unit.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an Internet facsimile apparatus for receiving, from outside, a data file in which information to be designated at the time of transmitting image data is described in accordance with a predetermined format, reading means for reading image data of a document, When a transmission command is issued from the unit, the image data of the document is read by the reading means, and based on the received data file, the information is designated and the image data of the document read by the reading means is transmitted. And means.
The Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: means for receiving, from the client apparatus, a data file in which information to be specified at the time of transmitting image data is described in accordance with a predetermined format, and the information based on the received data file. , A means for transmitting the image data by designating the same, a means for assigning an identification number to each of the received data files, and a means for notifying the client device of the identification number.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the Internet facsimile apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein information to be designated when transmitting the image data described in the data file is one-touch / shortened. It is characterized by being a number.
An Internet facsimile apparatus according to a fifth aspect is the Internet facsimile apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the Internet facsimile apparatus has a facsimile function, and the image data described in the data file. The information to be specified at the time of transmission is characterized by including a TSI, an ID, a transmission time, a subaddress / password, a PIN number, a TTI, or a reading resolution, a compression method, or a reading original size of the original to be transmitted.
[0006]
An Internet facsimile system according to claim 6, wherein the Internet facsimile apparatus is connected to the Internet facsimile apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 via a network, generates the data file, and generates the data file. A facsimile system comprising: a client device for transmitting, to the image facsimile device, an arbitrarily selected information data stored in an address book of the device when transmitting the image data; It is characterized in that it comprises means for writing in the data file as power information.
[0007]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an Internet facsimile apparatus and an Internet facsimile system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the Internet facsimile system A includes an Internet facsimile device 1, a client device 2, and a LAN (local area network) 3 for connecting the Internet facsimile device 1 and the client device 2 so that they can communicate with each other. And other networks. The Internet facsimile apparatus 1 is connected to the router 4 and the mail server 5 via the LAN 3 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The other terminals 6 capable of transmitting and receiving electronic mail from the router 4 and the mail server 5 through the Internet. And image data of a document and the like can be transmitted and received. Further, the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 is connected to a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) 7 through an NCU, which will be described later, and can transmit and receive image data such as originals to and from other G3 FAX terminals 8 and the like through the PSTN 7. It is like that.
[0008]
A specific configuration example of the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 9, a RAM (random access memory) 10, a ROM (read only memory) 11, a codec 12, a modem 13, an NCU (network control unit). 14, a reading unit 15, a recording unit 16, an operation unit 17, a LAN I / F (local area network interface) 18, and a bus 19 for communicably connecting the devices 10 to 18.
[0009]
The CPU 9 controls each device constituting the Internet facsimile machine 1 according to a predetermined program.
[0010]
The RAM 10 functions as a storage unit for storing image data, a FAX number, a mail address, and the like in advance, or as a storage unit for temporarily storing various data.
[0011]
The ROM 11 stores various programs for controlling the operation of each unit of the Internet facsimile machine 1 by the CPU 9.
[0012]
The codec 12 performs encoding / decoding in accordance with a plurality of protocols. That is, the image data and the like read by the reading unit 15 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 13 is, for example, an ITU-T recommendation V.10. Modulation and demodulation of transmission / reception data according to the 34 standard or the like.
[0014]
The NCU 14 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) 7.
[0015]
The reading unit 15 reads image data of a document and outputs image data converted into black and white binary.
[0016]
The recording unit 16 is, for example, of an electrophotographic type, forms an image of the 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 15, image data received by facsimile, image data of an attached file received by Internet facsimile, text data of the body, and the like are printed out based on the instruction of the CPU 9.
[0017]
The operation unit 17 includes, for example, information relating to the state of the Internet facsimile machine 1, a screen for designating a transmission destination and the like, a display 17a for displaying various operation instruction screens and the like, a numeric keypad 17b for inputting a FAX number and the like, There are abbreviated keys 17c for transmitting from the abbreviated number, a start key 17d for starting a document reading operation and the like, a cursor key 17e for moving a reverse display in the display 17a, and the like. The operation is performed by the operation unit 17.
[0018]
The LAN I / F 18 has an interface with a LAN (local area network) 3, and connects the LAN 3 and the Internet facsimile machine 1 so that they can communicate with each other.
[0019]
The Internet facsimile apparatus 1 has a function of transmitting / receiving the image data and the like together with the text of the e-mail by implementing image data such as a manuscript as an attached file of the e-mail by implementing TCP / IP, ie, an Internet facsimile function It has. It also has a general facsimile function according to the G3 system or the like.
[0020]
When communicating image data such as a manuscript using the Internet facsimile function, the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 transmits G3 format data to the above-described TIFF by a predetermined conversion program stored in the ROM 11 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. Further, when printing out the received data, the G3 format data is decoded into black and white binary image data by the codec 12, and an image is formed on a recording sheet by the recording unit 16, for example.
[0021]
Also, the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 has HTTP server software installed so as to function as an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) server, and transmits and receives HTML files to and from the client apparatus 2 on which browser software is installed. Can be done. Note that HTTP is a communication protocol for transmitting and receiving an HTML (Hypertext Makeup Language) file between a WWW (World Wide Web) server and a WWW client on the Internet, and the HTML, for example, creates a homepage. Description language used sometimes.
[0022]
The client device 2 is constituted by, for example, a PC (personal computer), and as shown in FIG. 3, a CPU 20 for controlling each unit constituting the PC based on a predetermined program, and various data such as A RAM 21 functioning as a writing / reading unit as needed, a ROM 22 storing programs required for starting up the PC such as a BIOS (basic input / output system), a display 23 displaying screen information for a user to give various operation instructions, for example, A disk drive 24 for reading a program recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (compact disk read only memory) 27; an input device 25 including a mouse and a keyboard; LAN interface 2 to connect to , And a bus 27 that communicably connects the respective units 21 to 26.
[0023]
Browser software for browsing an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) file is installed in the client device 2, and predetermined data composed of an HTML file is exchanged with the Internet facsimile device 1 functioning as an HTTP server. Means for sending and receiving files have been established. As described above, in the present embodiment, as a means for transmitting and receiving a data file, a method for transmitting and receiving an HTML file using the HTTP protocol is employed, but the file type and the communication protocol are not limited to this. However, for example, a text file, a CSV (Comma Separated Value) file, etc. can be obtained by adopting FTP (File Transfer Protocol) as a communication protocol and installing FTP server software and FTP client software in the devices 1 and 2 respectively. May be transmitted and received as a data file.
[0024]
The data file is described according to a certain format so that the Internet facsimile machine 1 that has transmitted the data file to the Internet facsimile machine 1 and received the data file can specify information to be designated when transmitting image data based on the data file. Things. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the data file 28 has a format in which the information “0774-11-2222” and the like are described in a command “TSI =” and the like assigned to each of various designated items. In the present embodiment, the client device 2 receives a template file 28a composed of an HTML file stored in advance in the RAM 10 or the like of the Internet facsimile machine 1 in the data file 28, and Is generated by writing (overwriting) the above information.
[0025]
When the internet facsimile machine 1 receives the data file 28, it reads the description after the command and specifies the information as information to be specified when transmitting image data. For example, the number “0774-11-2222” described after “TSI =” is designated as a TSI (transmitting terminal identification signal) for notifying the FAX number of the transmission destination, and the character described after “ID =” “ABCDEFG” is specified as the ID (Identification) that notifies the fax number of the transmission destination, and the date “Thu, 7Sep 2000 13:00:00” written after “TIME =” is specified as the transmission time The password “54862” described after “KEY =” is specified as a password when this data file 28 is called later in the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 or the like, and the electronic description described after “To:”. The mail address “mail01@mailaddress.co.jp” is a destination to be transmitted as an e-mail and is specified as a regular destination, and the e-mail address “mailcc @ mailaddres” described after “Cc:” "s.co.jp" is a destination to be transmitted as an e-mail and is designated as a copy destination, and an e-mail address "mailbcc@mailaddress.co.jp" described after "Bcc:" is an e-mail The number “075-234-5678” or the like described after “FAX:” is specified as the destination to be transmitted by facsimile. Although not shown, other information to be specified, for example, a one-touch / abbreviated number registered in the Internet facsimile apparatus 1, a subaddress / password attached to a facsimile number of a transmission destination, a PIN (Personal Identification Number) number, Regarding the source recording information (TTI) to be added to the original to be transmitted, the reading resolution of the original to be transmitted, the compression method, the specification of the original to be read, etc., a command is set and the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 receives the command. You may make it specify.
[0026]
When information is described after the command, the information can be directly input by the operator or the like from the input device 25 in the client device 2. However, the client device 2 includes e-mail software, personal information management software, and the like. Import software for importing the information data stored in the address book, that is, information about the transmission destination such as an e-mail address, a FAX number, a subaddress, and a password after the command is installed, and the execution of the import software is performed. Thus, the information data is arbitrarily selected and arranged after "To:", "Cc:", "Bcc:", etc. in the data file 28.
[0027]
Hereinafter, the operation of the client device 2 from the generation of the data file 28 to the transmission to the Internet facsimile device 1 in the client device 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This operation is performed in accordance with an instruction issued by the CPU 20 based on a program related to the browser software, a program related to the import software, a control program, and the like installed from the CD-ROM 27 or the like.
[0028]
First, the client apparatus 2 and the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 are communicably connected to each other, and a predetermined URL (Uniform) is transmitted from a browser in order to receive the template file 28a of the HTML stored in the Internet facsimile apparatus 1. Resource Locators) are specified (S1). Then, the template file 28a is received from the Internet facsimile machine 1, and the contents are displayed on the display 23 (S2). Next, as described above, the information is described by the input device 25 after each command, or is described by executing the above-described import software (S3). Finally, the HTML is described in which the information is described. The data file 28 is transmitted to the Internet facsimile machine 1 (S4). In addition, by describing the information using the import software as described above, the input operation load on the operator or the like for the description of the information regarding the transmission destination such as the e-mail address is greatly reduced. In addition, an input error that may occur when an operator or the like directly inputs data from the input device 25, for example, a typo in a mail address is prevented.
[0029]
The operation of the Internet facsimile machine 1 after the data file 28 transmitted as described above is received by the Internet facsimile machine 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. This operation is performed according to a command issued by the CPU 9 based on a control program or the like stored in the ROM 11 of the Internet facsimile machine 1.
[0030]
First, when the data file 28 is received from the client device 2 (S11), as shown in FIG. 8, the data file 28 is temporarily stored in a buffer 29 formed in a predetermined area of the RAM 10 (S12). Then, an identification number 29a is assigned to the buffer 29 (S13). Next, the ID number 29a is notified by transmitting an HTML file indicating the identification number 29a to the client device 2 (S14). Here, the notification of the identification number 29a is performed using the transmission of the HTML file. However, the notification unit is not limited to this. For example, the identification number 29a is transmitted to the client device by using an electronic mail. 2 may be notified.
[0031]
As described above, the Internet facsimile machine 1 forms the buffer 29 for each data file received from the client device 2 and assigns the identification number 29a to the buffer 29, and notifies the client device 2 of the identification number 29a. When the Internet facsimile apparatus 1 receives a plurality of data files 28 or receives the data files 28 from a plurality of client apparatuses 2, the buffer 29 and its identification number 29a are also A plurality is formed correspondingly. Therefore, each operator or the like can easily distinguish his / her data file 28 from others by the identification number 29a, and confusion does not occur.
[0032]
Next, when a document or the like to be transmitted is set by the operator or the like in the reading unit 15 and a transmission command is issued from the operation unit 17, the document set in the reading unit 15 is read and the destination of the FAX number is transmitted. On the other hand, G3 format image data is generated, and for the destination of the e-mail address, image data that can be attached to an e-mail, for example, TIFF format, is generated and stored in a predetermined storage area of the RAM 10. (S21). Finally, information to be designated when transmitting image data is read from the data file 28 stored in the buffer 29 and designated (S22), and is sequentially transmitted by e-mail or facsimile (S23).
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
The Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: a means for externally receiving a data file in which information to be designated at the time of transmitting image data is described according to a predetermined format; a reading means for reading image data of a document; Means for transmitting the image data of the original read by the reading means by designating the information based on the data file, so that the information can be shortened from the data file received at the time of transmission or the like. Since it is possible to specify by time, it is possible to solve the problem of waiting for another person who intends to transmit for a long time.
[0034]
An Internet facsimile system according to claim 6, wherein the Internet facsimile apparatus is connected to the Internet facsimile apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 via a network, generates the data file, and generates the data file. A facsimile system comprising: a client device for transmitting, to the image facsimile device, an arbitrarily selected information data stored in an address book of the device when transmitting the image data; Since the data file is provided with means to be described in the data file as power information, it is possible to receive the data file from the client device and specify the information in a short time from the received data file at the time of transmission or the like. Other A problem that for a long time waiting for a person who is trying to send is eliminated. Further, there is an advantage that the information can be easily received by the Internet facsimile apparatus.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network environment in which an Internet facsimile system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the Internet facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a client device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a data file.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the client device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of the Internet facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation of the Internet facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating transmission of a data file, formation of a buffer, and notification of an identification number.
[Explanation of symbols]
A Internet facsimile system 1 Internet facsimile device 2 Client device 3 LAN (network)
9, 20 CPU
10, 21 RAM
11,22 ROM
28 data files

Claims (6)

Means for externally receiving a data file in which information to be specified at the time of transmitting image data is described according to a certain format, reading means for reading image data of a document, and specifying the information based on the received data file. Means for transmitting image data of the document read by the reading means. Means for externally receiving a data file in which information to be specified when transmitting image data is described according to a certain format, reading means for reading image data of a document, and reading means when a transmission command is issued from an operation unit. Means for reading image data of the original by using the data file, and transmitting the image data of the original read by the reading means by designating the information based on the received data file. Facsimile machine. Means for receiving, from the client device, a data file in which information to be specified at the time of transmitting image data is described according to a certain format, and means for transmitting the image data by specifying the information based on the received data file An Internet facsimile apparatus, comprising: means for assigning an identification number to each of the received data files; and means for notifying the client device of the identification number. 4. The Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information to be specified when transmitting the image data described in the data file is a one-touch / abbreviated number. An Internet facsimile apparatus having a facsimile function, wherein information to be designated when transmitting image data described in the data file includes TSI, ID, transmission time, subaddress / password, PIN number, TTI, or transmission information. 4. The Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the Internet facsimile apparatus includes a reading resolution, a compression method, or a reading original size of an original to be read. An Internet facsimile apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and a client apparatus connected to the Internet facsimile apparatus via a network, for generating the data file and transmitting the data file to the Internet facsimile apparatus. An internet facsimile system, wherein the client device writes arbitrarily selected information data stored in an address book of the client device in the data file as information to be designated when transmitting image data. An Internet facsimile system characterized by comprising:

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