JP4826726B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of receiving an electronic mail attached with an image file via a network and printing out the electronic mail, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus suitable for use as an Internet facsimile machine or the like.

  In recent years, apparatuses having an Internet FAX communication function for communicating FAX data via a network such as the Internet have become widespread. In Internet FAX communication, a method of transmitting image data read from a scanner or the like by attaching it to an e-mail is common.

  In such an apparatus, when FAX data is received via the Internet, it has a function of automatically printing out both the text body of the e-mail and the attached image data on a print medium such as paper. There is a case.

  There are the following techniques for automatically printing out attached image data. For example, there is a technique for appropriately performing print processing of attached image data using control data embedded in a text data portion of an e-mail in advance (see Patent Document 1). Further, there is a technique for printing only text and notifying a predetermined destination that the attached file has not been printed when the attached image data cannot be interpreted (see Patent Document 2). There is also a technique for transferring the text body of an e-mail to an external device such as a personal computer without performing print output (see Patent Document 3).

JP 2003-263294 A JP 2004-237491 A JP 2001-119518 A

  However, in the prior art, it is not assumed that the character code of the text body cannot be interpreted by the receiving device. In such a case, the received mail is not interpreted and is not processed at all.

  In other words, since the text body of the mail cannot be interpreted, the attached image data is not printed out (in other words, the image communication, which is the original purpose of Internet FAX communication, is not performed). It was. In recent years when the possibility of receiving e-mails having text bodies with various character codes is increasing due to the spread of the Internet network, such problems are considered to occur frequently.

  Such a problem is not limited to Internet facsimile machines, but is a common problem when printing out an electronic mail attached with an image file.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides an image forming apparatus capable of performing print output of image data even when the text body of a received electronic mail cannot be interpreted. The first purpose.

  It is a second object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that can increase the possibility that the content of the text body of an electronic mail can be transmitted even when the text body of the received electronic mail cannot be interpreted.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in an image forming apparatus capable of receiving and printing out an e-mail in which image data is attached to a body composed of text data, the e-mail is received via a network. A receiving unit; a determining unit that determines whether the text data is an interpretable character code based on header information of the e-mail received by the e-mail receiving unit; and the determining unit interprets the text data A text data conversion means for interpreting the character code of the text data and converting it into text image data that can be printed out when the character code is determined to be possible; and the image data and the text image data on the recording paper with a printout an image forming means, to said image forming means, the determination means before When it is determined that the text data is an interpretable character code, the text image data and the image data are printed out, and when the determination means determines that the text data is not an interpretable character code, Only the image data is printed out.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, when the text data conversion unit determines that the determination unit does not interpret the text data, the character of the text data The code is interpreted as an ASCII code and converted into the text image data.

The invention of claim 3 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the text data converting means when converting interpreted regarded as ASCII code character code of the text data in the text image data, Characters outside the ASCII code range included in the text data are replaced with predetermined characters in the text image data.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second or third aspect , when the determination unit determines that the text data is not an interpretable character code, the character code of the text data is referred to as an ASCII code. Selecting means for selecting whether to interpret the text image data as it is interpreted.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect , whether or not the selection unit interprets the character code of the text data as an ASCII code and converts it into the text image data. To select.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect , whether or not the selection unit interprets the character code of the text data as an ASCII code and converts it into the text image data. The selection is made according to the code system in which the text data is described.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the image data is FAX image data, and the image forming apparatus is configured as an Internet facsimile apparatus.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the image data included in the e-mail is printed out regardless of whether or not the text data included in the received e-mail is an interpretable character code. Even when the text body of the received e-mail cannot be printed because the text body of the e-mail cannot be interpreted, the image data can be printed out.

According to the second and fourth aspects of the present invention, when the character code of the text data cannot be interpreted, the character code of the text data is interpreted as an ASCII code and converted into text image data. Even in the case of a character code that cannot be interpreted by the text body of the mail, it is possible to increase the possibility that the contents of the text body of the electronic mail can be transmitted.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the character code of the text data is interpreted as the ASCII code and converted, the character outside the ASCII code range included in the text data is replaced with a predetermined character. Since it is printed out, the text body of the e-mail can be printed out in an easy-to-read state.

According to the invention described in claim 5 , since the user can select whether or not the character code of the text data is interpreted as an ASCII code and converted into text image data, the text data is converted into text image data. Even if it is not described in a possible code system, if the user desires, the character code can be interpreted as an ASCII code and converted into text image data.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, whether or not the character code of the text data is interpreted as the ASCII code and is converted into the text image data is selected according to the code system of the text data. If it is effective to interpret the character code as an ASCII code even if it is not described in a code system that can be converted into text image data, the character code is interpreted as an ASCII code and the text is interpreted. It can be converted into image data.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, even if the text data cannot be imaged by applying the invention of the first to sixth aspects to the Internet facsimile in which the main information is often included in the image data. Understand most of the content of the received information.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The term “character” in the present invention is used not only as a narrowly-defined character (alphabet, kana, kanji) but also as a term indicating a concept including numbers and symbols.

<1. First Embodiment>
<1-1. Digital MFP>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a digital multi-function peripheral 1 in which a function corresponding to an Internet facsimile machine which is an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is incorporated.

  Please refer to FIG. The digital multi-function peripheral 1 is configured as a multi-function peripheral (MFP apparatus) having a plurality of functions such as a FAX function, a copy function, a scan function, and a print function.

  The digital multifunction peripheral 1 includes a control unit 11, a RAM 12, a ROM 13, an operation unit 14, a display unit 15, an image processing unit 16, a text processing unit 17, an image reading unit 18, and an image forming unit 19. The image memory 20, the large-capacity storage unit 21, and the communication-related functional units 22 to 25 are electrically connected via a bus line 26.

  The control unit 11 is composed of a CPU. The control unit 11 controls each of the above hardware units based on a program stored in the ROM 13 and realizes the function of the digital multi-function peripheral 1.

  The RAM 12 is a storage device that can be read and written, and temporarily stores various data that are temporarily stored such as image data, FAX numbers, and mail addresses, and data that is generated during arithmetic processing by the control unit 11. Remember me. The RAM 12 is configured by SRAM, flash memory, or the like.

  The ROM 13 is a read-only storage device that stores programs and data necessary for controlling the digital multifunction device 1 in advance.

  The operation unit 14 includes various keys such as a character key, a numeric keypad, and a function key, and accepts user operations such as input of commands and data. The user operation received by the operation unit 14 is input to the control unit 11 as a signal. The control unit 11 controls the operation of each unit based on a user operation. The operation unit 14 is provided with a process continuation button 141 and a process stop button (see FIG. 2). As will be described later, by operating these buttons 141 and 142, the user can give a predetermined instruction regarding print output of data received by Internet FAX to the digital multi-function peripheral 1.

  The display unit 15 is a display device that displays the operation state of the digital multi-function peripheral 1 and image data. The display unit 15 is configured by a display device such as a liquid crystal display. The operation button function shown in FIG. 2 may be configured by a dedicated button, but may be realized by a touch panel provided on the display screen of the display unit 15.

  The image processing unit 16 performs various processes such as A / D conversion, color system conversion, color adjustment, and image composition on image data received by Internet FAX communication and image data acquired from the image reading unit 18. It is a processing part to perform.

  The text processing unit 17 interprets text data such as a text body of the received e-mail, and can be printed out as visible information in the image forming unit 19 such as a conversion process to a bitmap font or an outline font (hereinafter, data that can be printed). , Referred to as “text image data”).

  The image reading unit 18 is a scanner that reads an image on a document with a reading element such as a CCD line sensor. The image reading unit 18 may be a scanner of a type in which a reading element scans the surface of a document placed on a glass table and reads an image. The image reading unit 18 scans the surface of a document conveyed by an ADF (Auto Document Feeder). A scanner of a type that scans with a stationary reading element and reads an image may be used.

  The image forming unit 19 is a printer that performs recording on recording paper based on image data stored in the image memory 20, text data processed by the text processing unit, and the like. For the image forming unit 19, for example, an electrophotographic printer can be employed.

  The image memory 20 temporarily stores image data received from the external devices 4, 5, 6 through the LAN I / F 24 or the NCU 25, image data acquired by the image reading unit 18, image data processed by the image processing unit 16, and the like. Is a storage device. The image memory 20 is configured by a memory such as a DRAM capable of reading and writing.

  The large capacity storage unit 21 is configured by a hard disk or the like. The large-capacity storage unit 21 can store the image data processed by the image reading unit 18.

  Further, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 includes a codec (CODEC) 22 that encodes / decodes image data and the like corresponding to a plurality of protocols, and a modem 23 that modulates and demodulates transmission / reception data as communication-related functional units. A LAN I / F 24 corresponding to an interface with a LAN (local area network) 50 and an NCU 25 for controlling opening / closing of a telephone line are electrically connected via a bus line 26.

  Next, the communication environment of the digital multifunction device 1 will be described. The digital multifunction device 1 is connected to the LAN 50. A mail server 3 and an external terminal 4 are connected to the LAN 50. The LAN 50 is connected to the Internet 51 via the router 2 and the like. With such a configuration, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can perform e-mail communication with the external terminal 4 connected via the LAN 50 and the external terminal 5 connected via the Internet 51. Further, the digital multifunction peripheral 1 is connected to a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) 52 which is a data communication network for analog lines. Accordingly, the digital multi-function peripheral 1 can communicate with the external terminal 6 connected via the PSTN 52. The external terminals 4, 5, and 6 are a personal computer connected with a modem, a device similar to the digital multi-function peripheral 1, a fixed phone, a mobile phone, and a FAX dedicated machine.

<1-2. Processing operation when receiving Internet FAX>
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation when the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the first embodiment receives an electronic mail corresponding to the Internet FAX. Unless otherwise specified, the following operations are automatically performed under the control of the control unit 11.

  First, it is determined whether or not an electronic mail corresponding to the Internet FAX has been received (step S1). Data received by e-mail corresponding to Internet FAX (hereinafter referred to as “FAX mail data Df”) includes text data (hereinafter referred to as “text data Dt”) that is the body of the e-mail and attached to the e-mail. Fax image data (hereinafter referred to as “attached image data Dg”).

  If it is determined in step S1 that the FAX mail data Df has not been received, the process loops without performing substantial processing, and this question is repeated.

  If it is determined in step S1 that the FAX mail data Df is received, various processes for printing out the FAX mail data Df are performed.

  First, it is determined whether or not the text data Dt included in the FAX mail data Df can be converted into text image data (step S2). For example, whether or not the text data Dt is an interpretable character code is determined from a predetermined portion (for example, a portion below “chrset =”) of the e-mail header of the FAX mail data Df, and the character code cannot be interpreted. If it is, it is determined that the text data Dt cannot be converted. Specifically, code identification information indicating in which code system the text data Dt of the body of the FAX mail data Df is encoded is read from the mail header, and can be decoded that is registered in the digital multifunction peripheral 1 itself. If the code identification information is registered in the list information of the code system, it is determined that conversion is possible, and if it is not registered, it is determined that conversion is impossible.

  If it is determined in step S2 that the text data Dt can be converted, the text data Dt is sent to the text processing unit 17. The text processing unit 17 performs predetermined processing on the text data Dt (step S3). That is, predetermined processing for converting the text data Dt into text image data (interpretation of the character code of the text data Dt, conversion processing to a bitmap font or an outline font, etc.) is performed.

  When the process of step S3 is completed, the attached image data Dg included in the FAX mail data Df is sent to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 performs a predetermined process on the attached image data Dg (step S5). That is, predetermined processing (predetermined image processing such as decoding of the attached image data Dg, RIP processing, edge enhancement and smoothing) for converting the attached image data Dg into data that can be printed out is performed.

  When the predetermined process for the attached image data Dg in step S5 is completed, the attached image data Dg is sent to the image forming unit 19 together with the text data Dt subjected to the predetermined process in step S3. In the image forming unit 19, each of the attached image data Dg and the text data Dt converted into the text image data is printed out on a sheet (step S7). In this case, as shown in FIG. 6A, the paper Pg on which the attached image data Dg is printed out and the paper Pt on which the text data Dt is printed out are discharged.

  If it is determined in step S2 that the text data Dt cannot be converted, it is determined whether or not to process the attached image data Dg without performing the process on the text data Dt (step S4).

  Specifically, this determination is made as follows. First, in order to prompt the user to select whether or not to process the attached image data Dg following the instruction of the control unit 11 when the text data Dt of the received FAX mail data Df cannot be converted into text image data. The predetermined standard message is displayed on the display unit 15 (FIG. 2A). The user who sees this fixed message operates the process continuation button 141 formed on the operation unit 14 when he / she wishes to continue processing of the attached image data Dg, and when he / she does not desire, the process stop button 142 is operated. To operate. The control unit 11 determines that the attached image data Dg is decoded when the process continuation button 141 is operated, and determines that the process is not performed when the process stop button 142 is operated.

  If it is determined in step S4 that the attached image data Dg is to be processed, the attached image data Dg included in the FAX mail data Df is sent to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 performs a predetermined process on the attached image data Dg (step S5).

  When the process of step S5 is completed, the attached image data Dg is sent to the image forming unit 19. The image forming unit 19 prints out the attached image data Dg on a sheet (step S7). In this case, the text data Dt is not printed out, and only the paper Pg on which the attached image data Dg is printed out is discharged as shown in FIG. 6B.

  If it is determined in step S4 that the attached image data Dg is not to be processed, a predetermined process for a mail that cannot be interpreted in advance is performed on the FAX mail data Df (step S6). Specifically, a standard mail notifying that the received FAX mail data Df could not be interpreted is transmitted to the sender of the FAX mail data Df, or the received FAX mail data Df is sent to the sender. Processing such as returning to the administrator or transferring to the administrator.

  According to the above operation, if the text data Dt included in the received FAX mail data Df cannot be converted into text image data, for example, even if it is a character code that cannot be interpreted, at least the attached image data Dg is printed out. be able to. That is, in the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the first embodiment, an image is printed out regardless of whether or not the e-mail text can be printed. The communication of the image, which is the main purpose, is not hindered.

<2. Second Embodiment>
<2-1. Processing operation when receiving Internet FAX>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation when the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the second embodiment receives an e-mail corresponding to the Internet FAX. However, the device configuration and communication environment of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 in the second embodiment are the same as those of the digital multifunction peripheral 1 in the first embodiment. Unless otherwise specified, the following operations are automatically performed under the control of the control unit 11.

  First, it is determined whether or not FAX mail data Df has been received (step S11).

  If it is determined in step S11 that the FAX mail data Df has not been received, the process loops without performing substantial processing, and this question is repeated.

  If it is determined in step S11 that the FAX mail data Df is received, various processes for printing out the FAX mail data Df are performed.

  First, it is determined whether or not the text data Dt included in the FAX mail data Df is an interpretable character code (step S12).

  If it is determined in step S12 that the text data Dt can be interpreted, the text data Dt is sent to the text processing unit 17. The text processing unit 17 performs a predetermined process on the text data Dt (step S13). This process is the same as step S3 (see FIG. 3) of the processing operation in the first embodiment. Subsequently, the attached image data Dg included in the FAX mail data Df is sent to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 performs a predetermined process on the attached image data Dg (step S17). This process is the same as step S5 (see FIG. 3) of the processing operation in the first embodiment. Each of the attached image data Dg for which the predetermined processing has been completed and the text data Dt converted into the text image data are printed out on a sheet by the image forming unit 19 (step S19). In this case, as shown in FIG. 6A, the paper Pg on which the attached image data Dg is printed out and the paper Pt on which the text data Dt is printed out are discharged.

  If it is determined in step S12 that the text data Dt cannot be interpreted, it is determined whether or not processing is performed by regarding the character code of the text data Dt as an ASCII code (step S14).

  Specifically, this determination is made as follows. First, when the control signal from the control unit 11 cannot interpret the text data Dt of the received FAX mail data Df, the user decides whether to perform processing by regarding the character code of the text data Dt as an ASCII code. A predetermined standard message is displayed on the display unit 15 (FIG. 2B). The user who sees this fixed message operates the process continuation button 141 formed on the operation unit 14 when he / she wants to process the text data Dt by assuming that the message is ASCII, and when he / she does not desire the process stop button 142 is operated. The control unit 11 determines that the text data Dt is regarded as ASCII when the process continue button 141 is operated, and determines that the process is not performed when the process stop button 142 is operated. To do.

  If it is determined in step S14 that the processing is performed by regarding the character code of the text data Dt as an ASCII code, the text data Dt included in the FAX mail data Df is sent to the text processing unit 17. The text processing unit 17 performs predetermined processing on the text data Dt (step S15). This process is almost the same as that performed for text data whose character code is an ASCII code in step S13. More specifically, an interpretation that the character code of the text data Dt is an ASCII code (hereinafter referred to as “deemed interpretation”), a conversion process to a bitmap font or an outline font, and the like are performed. Deemed interpretation will be described later.

  When the process of step S15 is completed, the attached image data Dg included in the FAX mail data Df is sent to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 performs a predetermined process (step S17) on the attached image data Dg. Each of the attached image data Dg for which the predetermined processing has been completed and the text data Dt converted into the text image data are printed out on a sheet by the image forming unit 19 (step S19). In this case, as shown in FIG. 6C, the paper Pg on which the attached image data Dg is printed out, and the paper Pt on which the interpreted text data Dt (see text txA shown in FIG. 7) is printed out. Will be discharged.

  If it is determined in step S14 that the character code of the text data Dt is regarded as an ASCII code and the process is not performed, it is determined whether or not the process for the attached image data Dg is performed without performing the process for the text data Dt. (Step S16). This determination is the same as step S4 (see FIG. 3) of the processing operation in the first embodiment.

  If it is determined in step S16 that the attached image data Dg is to be processed, the attached image data Dg included in the FAX mail data Df is sent to the image processing unit 16. The image processing unit 16 performs a predetermined process on the attached image data Dg (step S17). The attached image data Dg for which the predetermined processing has been completed is printed out on a sheet by the image forming unit 19 (step S19). In this case, the text data Dt is not printed out, and only the paper Pg on which the attached image data Dg is printed out is discharged as shown in FIG. 6B.

  If it is determined in step S16 that the attached image data Dg is not processed, predetermined processing for uninterpretable mail is performed on the FAX mail data Df in the same manner as in step S6 in the first embodiment ( Step S18).

<2-3. Deemed Interpretation>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing deemed interpretation. As described above, the deemed interpretation is processing for interpreting that the character code of the text data Dt is an ASCII code when the character code of the text data Dt cannot be interpreted.

  First, text data Dt is read out for one character (one byte) (step S21), and it is determined whether or not the code of the character is within the ASCII code range (step S22). As is well known, ASCII codes are displayed in hexadecimal, "0x00 to 0x1f" is assigned to the control character, "0x20" is assigned to the blank code, "0x21 to 0x7e" is assigned to the character code, and "0x7f" is assigned to the control character. When the code value for 1 byte sequentially cut from the head side of the text data Dt is within these code ranges, it is possible to obtain the result of decoding according to the code value, and when the code value is not within this code range The one byte cannot be interpreted as a specific character.

  If it is determined that the character is within the ASCII code range, the corresponding character in the ASCII code is output (step S23). If it is determined that the character is not within the range, a predetermined character set in advance is output. It reads out as a substitute character (step S24). As an alternative character to be read in step S24, any character expressed in ASCII code can be set, but it is desirable to set a character (particularly a symbol) other than alphabetic characters such as “•” and “*”. A space character may be used as a substitute character, but in that case it is difficult to distinguish whether the original text is a space or a substitute character, so the underscore ("0x5f" in ASCII code) is better than a complete space character. Is preferred.

  When it is determined that the output for all the characters included in the text data Dt has been completed (step S25), the text data Dt-only interpretation process ends.

  Next, the specific application of the deemed interpretation processing and the effect thereof will be described by taking as an example the case where the assumed processing is performed on the text data Dt whose character code is ISO-8859-1.

  FIG. 7 shows a case where the received text data Dt is properly interpreted and printed out with the character code of ISO-8859-1 (txI), and a case where it is interpreted as ASCII and printed out (txA). Show.

  ISO-8859, which is a character code system used in European languages such as ISO-8859-1, is an extension of the 7-bit ASCII code to 8 bits and adds 128 characters. (For example, an alphabet with an accent mark) An additional character other than the English alphabet is inserted. Therefore, the same characters as those of normal English alphabets and numbers are defined in the ISO-8859 character code as the same code as the ASCII code. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, characters within the range of the ASCII code are correctly output even in the deemed interpretation process. On the other hand, characters outside the ASCII code range, such as accented characters, are not output correctly in the assumed interpretation process, and a specific substitute character “*” is printed at the position indicated by the arrow 100. However, as can be seen from FIG. 7, the proportion of such characters in a normal sentence is small, and it is almost always possible to grasp an outline of the sentence even if it is replaced with an alternative character. That is, in the case of a character code having an expression format obtained by extending the ASCII code such as ISO-8859, even if the digital multi-function peripheral 1 cannot interpret the character code, the text data Dt is obtained by performing the assumed interpretation process. It can be said that there is a high possibility that the contents of the information can be transmitted to the user.

  According to the above operation, even if the text data Dt included in the received FAX mail data Df is a character code that cannot be interpreted, at least the attached image data Dg can be printed out and the text data Dt that cannot be interpreted can be printed. In many cases, the contents of the e-mail body can be printed out on paper in a state that can be almost read by humans by processing as an ASCII code. In other words, in the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the second embodiment, an image is printed out regardless of whether the e-mail body can be printed, and the character code of the text data Dt cannot be interpreted. However, it is possible to increase the possibility that the e-mail body can be printed out in a substantially readable state.

<3. Modification>
In each of the above-described embodiments, the attached image data Dg and the text data Dt are printed on different papers Pg and Pt. However, these are printed on the same paper. Also good. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing FAX mail data Df printed out on the same paper Po in such a configuration. 8A shows a case where both the attached image data Dg and the text data Dt are printed out, and FIG. 8B shows a case where only the attached image data Dg is printed out. (C) shows a case where text data Dt interpreted as attached image data Dg is printed out.

  In the first embodiment, when it is determined in step S2 that the text data Dt cannot be converted, it is determined in step S4 whether or not to process the attached image data Dg (see FIG. 3). However, without making such a determination, the process may always proceed to the attached image data Dg in step S5. That is, in this case, if the text data Dt cannot be converted, the processing on the text data Dt is skipped and the processing automatically proceeds to the attached image data Dg, and the paper Pg on which the attached image data Dg is printed out. Only will be discharged. The same applies to step S16 (see FIG. 4) of the second embodiment.

  Even when the attached image data Dg cannot be processed in step S5 (for example, when the attached image data Dg cannot be decoded), the process proceeds to step S6 and predetermined processing as uninterpretable mail may be performed. . The same applies to step S17 (see FIG. 4) of the second embodiment.

  Even when it is determined in step S2 that the text data Dt can be converted, it is determined whether or not the process for the attached image data Dg is performed in step S4 after performing the predetermined process for the text data Dt in step S3. May be. The same applies after the processing of step S13 and step S15 (see FIG. 4) of the second embodiment.

  If it is determined in step S2 that the text data Dt cannot be converted, in step S7, a predetermined standard message (for example, a text “e-mail body could not be printed”) is printed together with the attached image data Dg. It may be output. Further, such a fixed message may be displayed on the display unit 15. The same applies when it is determined in step S14 that interpretation as an ASCII code is not performed in the second embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, when it is determined in step S12 that the text data Dt cannot be interpreted, it is determined in step S14 whether the processing is performed by regarding the character code of the text data Dt as an ASCII code. However, without making such a determination, the process may always proceed to step S15 and the text data Dt may be regarded as an ASCII code to perform a predetermined process. In other words, in this case, if the text data Dt cannot be interpreted, the processing automatically regards the text data Dt as an ASCII code, and the attached image data Dg is regarded as a printed paper Pg. The paper Pt on which the text data Dt is printed out is discharged.

  Further, the determination process in step S14 may be performed automatically. That is, a character code that is considered to function effectively as deemed interpretation, such as a character code system in which ASCII code such as ISO-8859 is expanded, is selected in advance and registered in the digital multi-function peripheral 1, and the text data Dt is In the case of a simple character code, the process may proceed to step S15 and the text data Dt may be regarded as an ASCII code and a predetermined process may be performed.

  The selection request by the user for the print output of only the attached image data Dg or the disregard processing as the ASCII code is not performed every time an e-mail corresponding to the Internet FAX is received, but is selected on the setting screen of the utility. You can also In addition, it is possible to make a double selection possible so that the one selected in advance in this way is the default and the selection content can be changed temporarily for each e-mail.

  The present invention is not limited to an Internet facsimile machine, and can be applied to an image forming apparatus that can receive and print out an electronic mail attached with image data. However, the present invention can be applied to an Internet facsimile machine or a digital image distribution system. This is particularly useful in applications where the main content of received information is in an attached image, such as a terminal device to be used, and the body text is often only an item corresponding to an invoice or an additional item.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to a first embodiment. 3 is a block diagram showing an operation unit 14 and a display unit 15. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the digital multifunction peripheral 1 according to the first embodiment receives an Internet FAX. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation when the digital multi-function peripheral 1 according to the second embodiment receives an Internet FAX. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of a deemed interpretation. It is a figure which illustrates the FAX mail data Df printed out. It is a figure which illustrates the text data Dt printed out. It is a figure which illustrates the FAX mail data Df printed out.

Explanation of symbols

1 Digital MFP 14 Operation Unit 15 Display Unit 16 Image Processing Unit 17 Text Processing Unit

Claims (7)

In an image forming apparatus capable of receiving and printing out an e-mail in which image data is attached to a body composed of text data,
E-mail receiving means for receiving the e-mail via a network;
Determining means for determining whether or not the text data is an interpretable character code based on header information of the email received by the email receiving means;
Text data conversion means for interpreting the character code of the text data and converting the text data into printable text image data when the determination means determines that the text data is an interpretable character code ;
Image forming means capable of printing out the image data and the text image data on a recording paper;
With
The image forming means is
When the determination means determines that the text data is an interpretable character code, the text image data and the image data are printed out,
An image forming apparatus that prints out only the image data when the determination unit determines that the text data is not an interpretable character code.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
  The text data converting means is
  When the determination unit determines that the text data is not an interpretable character code, the character code of the text data is interpreted as an ASCII code and is converted into the text image data. .   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
  The text data converting means is
  When the character code of the text data is interpreted as an ASCII code and converted to the text image data, a character outside the ASCII code range included in the text data is replaced with a predetermined character in the text image data. An image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
  When the determination unit determines that the text data is not an interpretable character code, the selection unit selects whether to interpret the character code of the text data as an ASCII code and convert it to the text image data. ,
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.
  The selecting means is
  An image forming apparatus, wherein a user selects whether to interpret a character code of the text data as an ASCII code and convert it to the text image data.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.
  The selecting means is
  An image forming apparatus that selects whether to interpret the character code of the text data as an ASCII code and convert it to the text image data according to a code system in which the text data is described. .   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
  The image data is FAX image data;
  An image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus is configured as an Internet facsimile machine.

Images