JP3622901B2 - Image communication device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Field of the Invention]
The present invention relates to an image communication apparatus such as an Internet facsimile machine.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A facsimile apparatus having an Internet facsimile function serves as an interface between a normal facsimile machine such as a G3 facsimile machine and a network such as the Internet or a LAN, and also serves as a network scanner in a LAN or the like. The facsimile data such as G3 received from the public telephone network and the image data read by the scanner are converted into an attached file of an e-mail and sent to the network, and are classified for each client and each user by a document management system or the like. However, it is difficult to sort on the receiving side only by transferring the received facsimile data as an attached file or transmitting the read image data as an attached file. For example, it is unknown whether it was originally facsimile data or data read by a scanner. In the case of facsimile data, the original sender is unknown. The e-mail only reveals that image data has arrived from the Internet facsimile machine at a predetermined destination.
[0003]
[Problems of the Invention]
A basic object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily sort e-mails from an image communication apparatus that serves both as an Internet facsimile and a network scanner as image data read by a network scanner on the receiving side. Claims 1 to 3 ).
[0004]
[Structure of the invention]
The present invention relates to additional information for storing a character string as additional information for each destination in an image communication apparatus in which image data read by a scanner is converted into an attached file of an e-mail and transmitted via a network. Storage means, selection means for freely selecting whether or not to add the character string stored in the additional information storage means, input means for inputting a free sentence character string, and storage in the additional information storage means And an adding means for adding the character string indicating the image data read by the scanner and the character string of the free text to the subject of the header of the e-mail. Claim 1). In the character string of the present invention, words such as a transmission source number, reception time, received document type, and the like are used.
[0005]
Preferably, the order of the character strings added by the adding means can be set freely (Claim 2). Preferably, the input free-text string is freely stored in the additional information storage means as additional information for each destination.
[0006]
[Operation and effect of the invention]
In the present invention, the image data read by the scanner is converted into an e-mail attachment and sent to a network such as the Internet or a LAN. Here, since a character string indicating scanner data is added to the subject of the e-mail header , whether the facsimile data received from the public telephone network has been transferred on the receiving side or image data read by the scanner is transmitted It is possible to know what has been done, and sorting becomes easy. Also can add comments or fixed sentence such as additional information for each destination, it is possible to also send more of adding free text facilitates document management in the document management system and the user on the receiving side (claim 1-3 ).
[0007]
【Example】
1 to 3 show an embodiment of an image communication apparatus taking the Internet facsimile apparatus 2 as an example. In each figure, reference numeral 2 denotes an Internet facsimile machine which transmits and receives a conventional facsimile such as a G3 facsimile via a public telephone network (PSTN), and transmits and receives an Internet facsimile via a LAN 4 and a mail server 6. Here, the public telephone line network includes a facsimile network such as an F-net. A document management system 8 may be provided with a dedicated server, or may be provided as document management software on a personal computer of the administrator of the LAN 4. The Internet facsimile machine 2 creates an e-mail with the received facsimile data such as G3 as an attached file, and sends it to the document management system 8 of the LAN 4 or a destination on the Internet via the mail server 6. When the Internet facsimile machine 2 is used as a network scanner, an e-mail is created using image data created by reading a document as an attached file. Similarly, via the mail server 6, the document management system 8 on the LAN 4 or on the Internet. Send to destination.
[0008]
FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the Internet facsimile machine 2. 20 is a main control unit, 22 is a network control unit, 24 is a modem, and the network control unit 22 establishes a connection with the public telephone line network (PSTN). Then, the modem 24 communicates for transmission / reception of a facsimile such as G3. An image memory 26 stores image data compressed for facsimile communication, and a RAM 28 stores uncompressed image data and the like. A ROM 30 stores a control program and the like. Reference numeral 32 denotes a display unit, which includes a display such as an LCD. Reference numeral 34 denotes an operation unit, which includes, for example, a touch panel provided on the LCD display and input keys such as a numeric keypad. Reference numeral 35 denotes an additional information input unit for inputting, storing, and selecting a character string to be added to a subject of an e-mail header or a text. It should be noted that the character string means a character string such as letters, numbers, and “,” “:”. A scanner 36 scans an original image and reads image data. A recording unit 38 prints the received image or the image read by the scanner 36.
[0009]
A LAN interface 42 is connected to the LAN 4. The LAN interface 42 is connected to a mail server, a document management system, a user's personal computer, and the like via the LAN 4. Thus, the Internet facsimile machine 2 also functions as a network scanner or a network printer. Reference numeral 50 denotes an additional information generation unit that generates a character string to be added using the character string from the additional information input unit 35 and the data of the transmission source received via the public telephone line network.
[0010]
FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the additional information generating unit 50. Reference numeral 51 denotes a document type information generation unit which adds a character string [FAX] to facsimile data received from a G3 facsimile or the like, and adds a character string [SCN] to image data read by a scanner. Reference numeral 52 denotes a manuscript additional information generating unit for F-code number for F-code reception and character string NSF for non-standard reception for polling reception of image data received as facsimile data. Adds a character string POL.
[0011]
Reference numeral 53 denotes a receiver information generating unit. When the Internet facsimile apparatus has multiple lines, the received line number is described following the character string LINE, the reception date / time is described following the character string TIME, and the facsimile communication number is indicated. It is described after the character string NUM. The communication number is, for example, a number indicating the number of received facsimile.
[0012]
The transmitter information generating unit 54 generates, as a character string to be added, a TSI (source number) received from a source such as a G3 facsimile or a source number when a number display service can be received. Reference numeral 55 denotes a destination addition information generation unit for storing, for example, a character string to be added for each destination such as a one-touch key or an abbreviated key. For example, in the case of the one-touch key 01, the character string to be added is [ABC]. The destination additional information generation unit 55 is convenient when transmitting image data read from a document.
[0013]
In addition, from the additional information input unit 35, an arbitrary character string can be input as a free sentence character string within a range that can be input, and the order of the character strings generated by the generating units 51 to 55 and the necessity of addition can be determined. You can set or select each time. Furthermore, it is possible to input / set so as to store and add a character string of a free sentence corresponding to each data item generated by the generating units 51 to 55. For example, when an instruction from a supervisor is sent by facsimile with a specific source number, it is set to add free text such as [Instructions from ...] and [Important] to the source number it can. The additional information input unit 35 receives the order of the character strings to be added, the necessity of addition, and the input and setting of the free text string, and stores the setting result and the input character string.
[0014]
For example, facsimile data is received from a public telephone network, F code is 12345 in F code communication, the second line is received by a multi-line Internet facsimile machine, and the reception date and time is 12:35 on January 1, 2000. Then, it is assumed that the communication number is 0102, and the transmission source number obtained from the number display is 075-672-8242. Then, in the subject and body of the email header,
Subject: [FAX] F-12345 LINE: 02 TIME: 2000/01/01 12:35
NUM: 00012 NO.075-672-8242
A character string such as Here, the order between the elements of the character string such as the reception information such as the reception date and time and the transmitter information such as the transmission source number can be arbitrarily set, and whether or not these are included in the character string can also be arbitrarily set. When image data is read by a scanner, if 00123 is input as a free sentence from the additional information input unit,
Subject: [SCN] 00123
Etc. are added to the subject and the body of the header, and it is understood that the image data is read by the scanner, and a character string such as “00123” serves as a reference for sorting. When data read by a scanner is transmitted to a destination listed on a one-touch key or speed dial, it is possible to select whether to store and add an arbitrary character string for each destination, or whether to add a stored character string.
[0015]
The effect | action of an Example is shown. When a facsimile such as G3 is received from a public telephone network or the like, the Internet facsimile machine converts it into an e-mail attachment, creates an e-mail header and body, and sends it to a document management system via a mail server. Send. Conventionally, the text is blank, the subject is blank or a simple fixed sentence, and it is not known whether the attached file is facsimile data such as G3 or image data read by a scanner. On the other hand, in the embodiment, it is clear from the document type information whether it is facsimile data or data read by a scanner, and in the case of facsimile data, it is clear from the document additional information what procedure it was received, and which line It is clear from the received information that the received facsimile number is from what number. The sender is clear from the transmitter information, and comments, greetings, and other fixed phrases can be added to each destination from the destination additional information.
[0016]
In the case of data read by a scanner, free text can be input from the additional information input unit 35, and comments, greetings, and other fixed text can be added to each destination from the destination additional information. For this reason, the document management system and user document management become easy.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a connection between an Internet facsimile machine according to an embodiment and a mail server or a client. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the Internet facsimile machine according to the embodiment. Block diagram showing the configuration 【Explanation of symbols】
2 Internet facsimile machine 4 LAN
6 Mail Server 8 Document Management System 20 Main Control Unit 22 Network Control Unit 24 Modem 26 Image Memory 28 RAM
30 ROM
32 Display unit 34 Operation unit 35 Additional information input unit 36 Scanner 38 Recording unit 42 LAN interface 43 Main body bus 50 Additional information generation unit 51 Document type information generation unit 52 Document additional information generation unit 53 Receiver information generation unit 54 Transmitter information generation 55 Destination additional information generation unit

Claims (3)

In an image communication apparatus in which image data read by a scanner is converted into an e-mail attachment and transmitted via a network.
Additional information storage means for storing a character string as additional information for each destination;
A selection means for freely selecting whether or not to add the character string stored in the additional information storage means;
An input means for inputting a free text string;
An adding means for adding a character string stored in the additional information storage means, a character string indicating image data read by a scanner, and a character string of the free text to a subject of the header of the e-mail; An image communication apparatus characterized by the above. 2. The image communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the order of the character strings added by the adding means is freely settable. 3. The image communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character string of the inputted free text is freely stored in additional information storage means as additional information for each destination.

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