JP4881258B2 - Image communication apparatus, image communication apparatus control method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image communication apparatus capable of transmitting and receiving an electronic mail via a network such as the Internet, and more particularly to an already-read confirmation of an image transmitted by an electronic mail.

  In recent years, an Internet facsimile apparatus has been proposed as an image communication apparatus capable of transmitting and receiving electronic mail via a network such as the Internet. This Internet facsimile apparatus transmits an image to a receiver by attaching the read image data as a file to an electronic mail.

  Here, the transmitted electronic mail is transmitted to the destination receiver in a store-and-forward manner via one or more mail servers on the network. Therefore, the transmission result of the image data in the Internet facsimile apparatus is merely the transmission result to the mail server, and the image data is correctly processed by the receiver from the description in the communication management report or the transmission result report. It was not possible to confirm whether or not.

  On the other hand, a technique for performing a read confirmation in electronic mail communication has been proposed.

  According to Non-Patent Document 1 (RFC2298), the transmission-side UA (mail user agent) and the reception-side UA operate as follows, thereby realizing the read confirmation (Message Disposition Notification, hereinafter simply referred to as MDN). Is done.

  (1) When performing the read confirmation, the transmission side UA adds “Disposition-Notification-To: <Reply mail address>” to the mail header and transmits the mail.

  (2) Upon receiving this mail, the UA on the receiving side displays that the sender has requested read confirmation, asks the sender whether to send a reply confirmation mail, and sends a reply mail. When sending a reply mail with a read confirmation header added, this header is ignored if no reply mail is sent.

  (3) When the UA on the transmission side receives the read confirmation reply mail, it displays the read confirmation mail.

  However, in the case of an Internet facsimile machine, there is not always a user in front of the machine, so the user does not notice or notices that an e-mail with a header containing information requesting read confirmation has been received. May be delayed, and the read confirmation may not be replied or may be delayed.

In addition, in the case of Internet facsimile, it should be handled that the transmission has been correctly completed only after it is confirmed that the attached image file of the received e-mail can be correctly output visually. As a result, the reliability of the read confirmation may be lowered.
RFC 2298 (An Extensible Message Format for Message Disposition Notifications, URL: http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2298.txt)

  In addition, the Internet facsimile machine on the receiver side should be treated as having completed the transmission for the first time by executing the process for visually outputting the attached image file of the received e-mail. Returning the confirmation may reduce the reliability of the read confirmation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to improve the reliability of already-read confirmation.

In order to achieve the above object, an image communication apparatus of the present invention is an image communication apparatus connected to an e-mail server via a network, and is an e-mail with an image file attached to the image communication apparatus as a destination. E-mail receiving means for receiving e-mail from the e-mail server, management means for managing communication management information of the e-mail received by the e-mail receiving means, and how the image communication apparatus handled the e-mail Detecting means for detecting that control information for requesting a response e-mail including information indicating that the e-mail receiving means has been added to the e-mail received, and an image attached to the e-mail received by the receiving means Visible output means for executing processing for visually outputting a file, and based on the detection means detecting the control information, A transmission unit that transmits a response email to a transmission source of the received email, and when the detection unit detects that the control information is added to the email, the management unit receives the received email Information indicating that the control information is added to the e-mail is set in the communication management information of the e-mail, and the transmission means is attached to the received e-mail in which the visual output means has detected the control information. After performing processing for visually outputting the received image file, a response e-mail is transmitted to the transmission source of the received e-mail.

  According to the image communication apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the reliability of the read confirmation from being lowered.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of the Internet facsimile machine of this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an Internet facsimile machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1-1 denotes a CPU for controlling a facsimile.
A facsimile operation unit 1-2 includes an LCD and a key panel for input, and enables input operations such as facsimile communication and recording. Sound source means such as a speaker for sounding an alarm is also arranged.
Reference numeral 1-3 denotes a reading unit that reads an image of a facsimile document to be transmitted.
1-4 is a recording unit for outputting received image data, the body of an e-mail, various reports, and the like.
Reference numeral 1-5 denotes a ROM as a storage medium storing a facsimile control program and data according to an embodiment of the present invention. Facsimile transmission / reception, e-mail transmission / reception, report generation, recording / reading, A program for controlling the user I / F and the like is stored.
Reference numeral 1-6 denotes a RAM for storing various types of facsimile information, which stores communication management information, image data, and the like generated at the time of transmission / reception.
Reference numeral 1-7 denotes a modulation / demodulation circuit for performing facsimile transmission / reception with respect to the public line (PSTN or ISDN) 1-9 by MODEM.
1-8 is a network control circuit (NCU) for PSTN 1-9.
Reference numeral 1-9 denotes an I / F unit for connecting to a local area network (LAN) 1-10.
Reference numeral 1-11 denotes a LAN or the Internet capable of exchanging electronic mail data. In the case of a LAN, it is connected to the Internet via a firewall, service provider, or the like.
1-1 2 is a mail server connected via a LAN or the Internet.

  In the e-mail transmission using the Internet facsimile apparatus in the claims of the present application, the destination is specified by the FAX operation unit 1-2, the image of the transmission original is read by the reading apparatus 1-3, and the e-mail is read by the E-mail transmission control program. Attached image is sent. For details such as the format of the e-mail and the compression method of the attached image, ITU-T T.30. 37 (recommendation for facsimile transmission via the Internet).

  Hereinafter, the operation on the transmitter side that transmits Internet facsimile data with read confirmation will be described as the first embodiment, and the operation on the receiver side that receives Internet facsimile data with read confirmation as the second embodiment. Will be explained.

<First Embodiment>
As the first embodiment, the operation on the side of a transmitter (hereinafter referred to as the Internet facsimile apparatus of the first embodiment) that transmits Internet facsimile data with read confirmation will be described.

  First, a method for managing communication result information in the Internet facsimile machine according to the first embodiment will be described.

  In the Internet facsimile apparatus of this embodiment, the results of facsimile transmission / reception and electronic mail transmission / reception are stored and managed as communication management information.

FIG. 2 shows a data structure of facsimile communication management information in the first embodiment.
2-1 is a communication management information table for storing communication management information created every time transmission / reception of a facsimile or transmission / reception by e-mail is executed. Information shown in 2-2 to 2-12 is stored in each piece of communication management information in the communication management information table 2-1. 2-2 is assigned a communication management number from 1 to 4999 at the time of transmission and from 5001 to 9999 at the time of reception.

  2-3 stores user abbreviations at the time of facsimile transmission with the user ID, names of senders, and information described in the From: field column at the time of transmission of electronic mail.

  In 2-4, a communication mode such as transmission / reception, facsimile transmission / reception mode such as G3 or ECM, and I-FAX (facsimile transmission by electronic mail) is confirmed.

  2-5 stores the communication time. In the case of transmission and reception via the LAN, it is the connection time with the server.

In 2-6, the number of transmitted / received originals for storing the communication start time is stored. When an e-mail without an image is received, it is stored as no number information.
2-8 stores the destination telephone number or the destination mail address.
2-9 stores the message ID described in “Message-ID:” of the mail header at the time of e-mail transmission and the message ID described in “Message-ID:” of the mail header at the time of reception.

  The ID described in “Message-ID” is created by combining an IP address on the transmission side, a domain name, a transmission time, a communication management number, etc. in order to uniquely identify an electronic mail on the Internet.

  In 2-10, information indicating the communication result is stored. The result is stored for G3 communication via PSTN, and the communication result up to the default mail server is stored for Internet facsimile transmission.

  2-11 stores the MDN status of the transmitted electronic mail. Examples of the MDN status include the following.

  “No MDN” indicates that the read confirmation is not requested. “MDN requesting” indicates that a read confirmation is requested and is being confirmed. “MDN confirmed” indicates that an e-mail corresponding to the requested read confirmation has been received.

  2-12 shows the MDN communication result information, that is, the response result of the receiving side to the MDN when the already-read confirmation is requested.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, communication in different communication modes such as transmission / reception and G3 facsimile communication / Internet facsimile communication is managed by one table, but is managed by a different table for each communication mode. It may be.

  Next, an e-mail transmission process in the Internet facsimile apparatus of this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an e-mail transmission process in the Internet facsimile apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  First, in step S3-1, one area for storing communication management information is secured from the communication management table at the start of transmission. If the area is not free, the oldest communication management information is overwritten and secured. A communication management number 2-2 is assigned to the communication management information in the secured area.

  In step S3-2, communication management information for the outgoing mail is generated. Specifically, a message ID is generated as a unique ID for identifying a transmission mail, the communication mode is set to I-FAX transmission indicating Internet facsimile transmission, communication start time, number of pages, destination mail address, error code ( Set Communication result: TBD.

  In step S3-3, it is determined whether or not a read confirmation (MDN) is performed, that is, whether or not a read confirmation request header is attached. Proceed to step 5.

  Here, the setting as to whether or not to perform the read confirmation is made by the user through the FAX operation unit 1-2 before the determination in step S3-3.

  In step S3-4, a mail header with a read confirmation request header (“Disposition-Notification-To: <source address>”) is created.

  In step S3-5, the “MDN requesting” status is written in the MDM status 2-11 of the communication management information.

  In step S3-6, a header of the outgoing mail is created without an MDN request header.

  In step S3-7, “no MDN request” information is written in the MDN status 2-11 of the communication management information.

  In step S3-8, e-mail transmission processing with an image file attached for transmission is executed for the mail server.

  In step S3-9, when the transmission of the mail to the mail server is completed, the value of the MDN status of the communication management information is read. If “MDN is being requested”, the process proceeds to step S3-9 and is not “MDN being requested”. If so, the process proceeds to step S3-10.

  In step S3-10, the MDN reception wait is written in the transmission result, and the communication management information is updated.

  In step S3-11, the normal end is written in the transmission result, and the communication management information is updated.

  Through the above processing, the communication management information for e-mail transmission is set in the communication management information table 2-1.

  Next, an e-mail reception process in the Internet facsimile apparatus of this embodiment will be described.

  The e-mail receiving process in this embodiment is performed by confirming the received mail to the mail server at regular intervals according to the setting on the apparatus side.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing received email processing in the Internet facsimile apparatus of the first embodiment. The processing based on the flowchart of FIG. 4 is executed for each electronic mail received from the mail server.

  In step S4-1, an area for storing communication management information for received mail is secured, and a communication management number is acquired.

  In step S4-2, a message ID is acquired from the header portion of the received mail, and communication management information is generated in the same manner as in step S3-2.

  In step S4-3, the communication management information table 2-1 is searched to determine whether there is communication management information waiting for MDN reception. If there is, the process proceeds to step S4-4, and if not, the process proceeds to step S4-8. .

  In step S4-4, it is determined whether the received e-mail is an MDN that responds to the read confirmation request. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S4-5. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S4-6. Transition.

  In step S4-5, the received MDN is analyzed, and the communication management information of the transmission e-mail corresponding to the received MDN is updated. Details of the processing in step S405 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Step S4-6 is a case where the received mail is not MDN even though there is mail waiting for MDN reception. In this step, it is determined whether or not the waiting time of the communication management information waiting for MDN reception has exceeded. To do. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S4-7. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S4-8.

  In step S4-7, “MDN not received” is written as the communication result of the communication management information regarding the outgoing mail for which the MDN request has been made.

  In step S4-8, since it is not an MDN mail, a predetermined process is executed. As this predetermined process, for example, there is a process of printing image data attached to a received electronic mail or transferring it to another apparatus.

  In step S4-9, the communication management information of the received mail is updated based on the result processed in step S4-8.

  Through the above processing, the update processing of the communication management information of the received electronic mail is executed.

  Next, details of the received MDN analysis processing in step S4-5 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step S5-1, one line of data is acquired from the received electronic mail.

  In step S5-2, it is determined whether or not the first character string is “Original-Message-ID:” which is a header for indicating the message ID of the transmission e-mail corresponding to the MDN. If the determination is negative, step S5 is performed. Returning to -1, the next data line is acquired, and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S5-3.

  In step S5-3, it is searched whether there is a message ID shown in (S5-2) from the message ID of the communication management information of the outgoing mail.

  In step S5-4, when the corresponding message ID is searched, the area of the communication management information is specified by a pointer or the like, and the process proceeds to step S5-5. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S5-10.

  In step S5-5, one line is further acquired from the received mail, and it is determined whether or not the first character string of the line acquired in step S5-6 is "Disposition:". If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S5-7. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step S5-5 to acquire the next line.

  In step S5-7, the content of the communication result 2-12 of the communication management information identified in step S5-4 is updated based on the content of the Disposition: header.

  Here, the parameters set in the header of “Disposition:” are defined in RFC2298.

  The action mode (action-mode) indicates whether the processing related to MDN is performed automatically or manually (“manual-action” / “automatic-action”).

  The transmission mode (sending-mode) indicates whether the MDN transmission is performed manually or automatically (“MDN-sent-manually” / “MDN-sent-automatically”).

  The treatment type (disposition-type) indicates how the sent email was treated at the receiving UA. Specifically, “displayed (“ displayed ”)”, “some processing such as printing or transfer was performed (“ dispatched ”)”, “determined processing was executed (“ processed ”)”, “ There are deleted (“deleted”), “rejected (“ denied ”)”, and “failed (“ failed ”)”.

  In this manner, RFC 2298 sets a parameter according to the processing of the e-mail on the receiving side in the Disposition header, so it is determined whether or not the read of the e-mail transmitted based on a predetermined rule has been confirmed. Then, the result is reflected in the MDN communication result 2-12.

  In step S5-8, it is determined whether or not it is the last line. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S5-9. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step S5-5 to determine whether or not the next line is the final line. Do.

  In step S5-9, if there is no “Disposition:” field in the MDN, it indicates that the received MDN mail is not normal, and information indicating a reception error is displayed in the MDN communication result 2-12 of the MDN received mail. set. This process is executed when an e-mail notifying an error is returned from the mail server because the address of the transmission e-mail is incorrect.

  In step S5-10, since there is no corresponding message ID, information indicating a reception error is set in the MDN communication result 2-12 of the MDN received mail.

  Here, the processing in step S4-9 in FIG. 4, the processing in step S5-9 in FIG. 5, and the processing in step S5-10 cannot receive the MDN reply mail due to different factors and cause an error in the communication management information. In this process, an error code for identifying each error cause is set and visually output by a report or the like. As a result, the sender of the e-mail can verify the error in detail.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an output example of a communication management report in the Internet facsimile apparatus according to the first embodiment. The communication management report is output based on the contents stored in the communication management information 2-1. . In the example of the figure, when facsimile transmission is performed by e-mail (that is, when Internet facsimile transmission is performed), “transmission I-FAX” is described in the communication mode column, and in this example, three “transmission I-FAX” are described. "FAX" is described.

  The first No. The case of 0002 indicates that the read confirmation has not yet been received by displaying “MDN not yet” in the communication mode, and that the result is unknown by displaying “-” in the communication result column. Show.

  The following No. The case of 0003 indicates that the reading has already been confirmed by displaying “MDN completed” in the communication mode, and OK is described in the communication result column.

  The last No. No. 0004 indicates that the MDN is not requested by not displaying the MDN in the communication mode column, and only OK is described in the communication result column.

  When the communication management report is output in this way, the presence / absence of a read confirmation request and the read confirmation status at the time of output are displayed for each communication, so the user can check the status of the read confirmation for each communication. Will be able to grasp.

  In the example of FIG. 6, OK / NG set in the communication result column of Internet facsimile transmission is printed as one communication result by combining the transmission result up to the mail server and the MDN communication result. That is, only when both the transmission result up to the mail server and the MDN communication result are normally completed, it is OK.

  Therefore, as a modification, the transmission result up to the mail server and the MDN communication result may be printed in separate fields.

  7 and 8 are output examples of a transmission result report when Internet facsimile transmission with a read confirmation request is performed. FIG. 7 shows an example in the case where the communication result is OK and the read has been confirmed, and FIG. 8 shows an example in the case where the communication result has been confirmed as NG.

  In the example of FIG. 7, the communication management information is updated with the transmission result OK from the contents of the “Disposition:” header in the MDN analysis processing of FIG. 5 (step S5-7), and output as a transmission result report.

  As for the output timing of the transmission result, it is assumed that the transmission result report is not output until the read confirmation mail is received. After the elapse of a time determined by waiting to receive the read confirmation mail (step S4-6), it is determined that the read confirmation is not received, and a transmission result report is output as a transmission error.

  In the example of FIG. 8, the communication management information is updated from the contents of the “Disposition:” header as NG in the MDN analysis processing of FIG. 5 (step S5-7), and output as a transmission result report.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, when Internet facsimile transmission with a read confirmation is performed, the response status to the read confirmation can be reflected or printed in detail in the communication management information. It became.

  This makes it possible for the sender of the Internet facsimile to accurately grasp the communication status of the Internet facsimile transmission and the content of the communication result, and can provide an easy-to-understand and friendly Internet facsimile machine for the user.

  In the first embodiment, the communication management information reflecting the MDN response status from the receiver is notified to the sender in the form of a report output. However, the communication management information is sent to the FAX operation unit 1- 2 may be displayed.

  Further, the configuration of the Internet facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has a Web server function for publishing various data to Web clients on the LAN 1-11, and the communication management information is converted into XML or HTML format. It may be configured to be disclosed to users on the LAN 1-11 by the Web server function.

<Second Embodiment>
The operation on the receiver side for receiving Internet facsimile data with read confirmation will be described as a second embodiment.

  Here, the Internet facsimile apparatus on the receiver side (hereinafter referred to as the Internet facsimile apparatus of the second embodiment) has the same communication management information 2-1 as the Internet facsimile apparatus of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Each reception shall be managed by

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation when an e-mail is received with a read confirmation request header in the Internet facsimile apparatus of the second embodiment.

  First, an area for the communication management information 2-1 is secured, and information related to the received electronic mail (information 2-2 to 2-12 in FIG. 2) is set in the secured area. At this time, information indicating that there is no MDN request is set in the MDN status 2-11.

  In step S9-1, it is determined whether or not there is a request for read confirmation. This determination is made based on whether there is a mail header with an MDN request header (“Disposition-Notification-To: <source address>”) based on RFC2298. If there is an MDN request header, step S9-2 is performed. If there is no MDN request header, the process proceeds to step S9-3.

  In step S9-2, the MDN request information is set in the MDN status 2-10 in the received mail communication management information 2-1.

  In step S9-3, it is determined whether or not an alarm is sounded based on user registration information indicating “processing when an e-mail with a read confirmation request” is registered in advance in the RAM 1-6. . If the alarm is sounded, the process proceeds to step S9-4. If the alarm is not sounded, the process proceeds to step S9-5.

  In step S9-4, an alarm with a read confirmation request is sounded by a speaker arranged in the operation unit 1-2.

  In step S9-5, whether or not to output a reception result report is registered based on the user registration information indicating “processing when an e-mail with a read confirmation request is received” registered in advance in the RAM 1-6. to decide. If the reception result report is to be output, the process proceeds to step S9-6. If the reception result report is not to be output, the process proceeds to step S9-7.

  In step S9-6, a reception result report with information indicating that there is an MDN request is output. An output example of this reception result report will be described later.

  In step S9-7, it is determined whether or not an MDN is automatically returned based on the user registration information indicating "processing when an e-mail with a read confirmation request is received". If the MDN is automatically returned, the process proceeds to step S9-8. If the MDN is not automatically returned, the process proceeds to step S9-13.

  In step S9-8, a reply mail of MDN is created and transmitted to the MDN notification destination address set in “Disposition-Notification-Header”.

  After the transmission of step S9-9, information indicating that the MDN reply mail has been transmitted to the MDN status 2-11, that is, the e-mail of the read confirmation has been transmitted is set.

  In step S9-13, the presence of an MDN request is displayed on the LED of the operation unit 1-2 or on the LCD display, the LED is turned on as the memory reception image is present, the received mail is accumulated in the memory, and the processing of the received mail is terminated. .

  In step S9-10, a mark indicating that there is an MDN request is added to the header of the image attached to the received e-mail and output. In general, a technique for synthesizing and outputting a predetermined mark on a received facsimile image is well known, and this embodiment is also realized by a similar technique. An example of outputting this image will be described later.

  In step S9-11, an image attached to the received e-mail is added with a header not marked to indicate that there is an MDN request and output.

  The above flowchart is the operation when an e-mail is received with a request header for a read confirmation.

  It should be noted here that the content of the received e-mail and the image attached to the received e-mail are not visually output, that is, step S9-4, step S9-6, step S9-10, or step S9-. 13, the user is informed that an MDN request is attached.

  As a result, the user can determine that the MDN request has been added without confirming the content of the received e-mail, and can quickly return a read confirmation to the sender.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 9 can be variously modified. As a modification, the first modification and the second modification are shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12 (a modification of the flowchart of FIG. 9). ) Will be described.

(First modification)
In the above example, if the determination in step S9-7 in FIG. 9 is negative, a message indicating that there is an MDN request is displayed in step S9-9, and then the received image is output in step S9-10.

  In the first modified example, after displaying S12-9 when the determination in step S12-7 in FIG. 12 is negative, the process is temporarily terminated without outputting the received image. Thereafter, in response to a predetermined operation by the user, the received image is output and an MDN reply mail is transmitted.

(Second modification)
In the above example, when the determination in step S9-7 in FIG. 9 is affirmative, an MDN reply mail is first transmitted in step S9-8, and a received image is output in step S9-10.

  In the second modification, if step S12-7 in FIG. 12 is affirmative, whether or not the received image is normally output in step S12-10 after the received image is output first in step S12-8. to decide. If this determination is affirmative, an MDN reply mail is transmitted in step S12-13 (the fact that the MDN reply mail has been transmitted is set in the MDN status 2-11). On the other hand, in the case of negative determination, the process proceeds to step S12-12, and the transmission of the MDN reply mail corresponding to the received image to be output in S12-10 is switched from automatic to manual. Thereafter, in response to a predetermined operation by the user, the received image is output and an MDN reply mail corresponding to the received image is transmitted.

  According to the first modification, the output operation of the received image and the transmission of the MDN reply mail corresponding to the output image are automatically executed in conjunction with a predetermined manual operation by the user. Reliability is improved.

  Further, according to the second modified example, even when the MDN reply mail is automatically transmitted, the MDN reply mail is prevented from being automatically transmitted even though the received image is not normally output. can do.

  Next, an output example of a reception result report and a received image in the second embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an output example of a reception result report output for each received electronic mail in the Internet facsimile apparatus according to the second embodiment. In the example of the figure, an output example of a reception result report for a received electronic mail to which an MDN request is attached is shown. The MDN request was added in the communication result column together with the “reception number” (1001) corresponding to the communication management number 2-2 and the “address of the other party” (1002) indicating the source e-mail address. “Read confirmation requested” (1003) is printed.

  The display of 1003 enables the receiver to recognize that the MDN request has been attached to the e-mail attached with the received image.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an output example of an image attached to a received electronic mail in the Internet facsimile apparatus according to the second embodiment. In the example of the figure, an output example of an image attached to the received e-mail with the MDN request is shown. In the header portion, information 1102 indicating that the MDN request has been attached is printed together with the e-mail address 1101 of the transmission source.

  The display of 1102 enables the receiver to recognize that the MDN request is attached to the electronic mail to which the received image is attached.

  On the other hand, when outputting an image attached to a received electronic mail to which no MDN request is attached, the area 1102 is blank.

  In the example shown in FIG. 11, information indicating the presence of read confirmation is printed on the header portion. However, this may be printed on the footer portion, and if the presence or absence of the read confirmation can be determined. It may be displayed in other manners.

  Next, an operation of recognizing a read confirmation request from a reception result report or a received image output by the user and responding to the read confirmation will be described.

  A user who has passed by the Internet facsimile machine of the second embodiment recognizes that an e-mail with an MDN request has been received from the state of the LCD or LED displayed in step S9-9.

  Further, the user who has received the reception result report output in step S9-6 or the reception image output in step S9-10 can obtain an MDN request from the information indicating that there is an MDN request. Recognize that there was.

  Then, the user who has recognized that there is an MDN request transmits a MDN reply mail by the process shown in step S9-8 by performing a predetermined operation with the button of the operation unit 1-2.

  At that time, “Sender requests read confirmation. Do you want to send a reply mail? YES / NO” is displayed, and if you select YES to confirm the read, reply mail for read confirmation May be transmitted.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, when an e-mail requesting a read confirmation (MDN) is received, the fact is indicated by an LED / LCD display, an alarm, a report, or an output reception / reception. Thus, it is possible to prompt the user to perform a read confirmation operation.

  The Internet facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has a Web server function for publishing various data to Web clients on the LAN 1-11, and communication management information and received images are in XML or HTML format. You may make it the form which converts and discloses to the user on LAN1-11 by a Web server function.

<Third Embodiment>
As a third embodiment, an embodiment is further provided in which means for notifying a user of information on whether or not a read confirmation e-mail for a received e-mail has been transmitted to the Internet facsimile apparatus of the second embodiment is provided. explain.

  As described in the second embodiment, information indicating the presence / absence of a read confirmation request and a response email for the read confirmation request are transmitted in the MDN status of the received email of the communication management information 2-1. Information indicating that it has been completed is set for each received e-mail.

  Therefore, by reading the MDN status 2-11 corresponding to the received e-mail, it is possible to determine whether there is a read confirmation request for the received e-mail and whether a response e-mail is transmitted for the read confirmation request. It becomes.

  FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing a method for managing image files attached to received e-mails. The image management information 1601 stores storage location information of the image file 1603, transmission source information (e-mail address, etc.), reception time information, attached message ID of the e-mail, and information on the format of the image file. ing. When outputting an image file, necessary information is read from the image management information, and image output control is performed.

  It is also possible to specify the communication management information 1602 of the received e-mail to which the image file is attached from the message ID of the e-mail stored in the image management information 1601. Therefore, by reading the MDN status 2-12 of the communication management information specified from the image file, the presence / absence of a read confirmation request for the e-mail to which the image file is attached and the response e-mail to the read confirmation request It is possible to determine the presence or absence of transmission.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the output operation of the attached image file of the Internet facsimile apparatus of the third embodiment.

  First, in step S1501, the communication management information corresponding to the received electronic mail to which the output image file is attached is specified, and the MDN status 2-11 of the specified communication management information is read.

  In step S1502 and step S1504, the value of the MDN status 2-11 read in step S1501 is evaluated.

  If the determination in step S1502 is affirmative, that is, if there is no MDN request for the received electronic mail, the process advances to step S1503 to output an image file without adding a mark relating to the read confirmation.

  If the determination in step S1504 is affirmative, that is, if there is an MDN request for the received e-mail and an MDN response e-mail has been transmitted in response to the request, the process advances to step S1505. In step S1502, as shown in FIG. 13, a mark 1301 indicating that the MDN response e-mail has already been transmitted is added, and an image file is output.

  If the determination in step S1504 is negative, that is, if there is an MDN request for the received e-mail and an MDN response e-mail has not yet been transmitted in response to the request, a mark indicating that is added and an image file is output To do.

  The above is the output operation of the attached image file of the Internet facsimile apparatus of the third embodiment.

  As described above, the presence / absence of the MDN request and the presence / absence of the response to the MDN request are added to the output image of the image file, so that the user who sees the output image can grasp whether or not the read confirmation action should be taken. It becomes easy.

  Further, as described in the above embodiment, the MDN status of the received email of the communication management information 2-1 has already transmitted information indicating the presence / absence of a read confirmation request and a response email for the read confirmation request. Information indicating that it exists is set for each received e-mail.

  Therefore, when a communication management report is output, information regarding a read confirmation request may be added to the received electronic mail.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an output example of a communication management report according to the third embodiment. According to the example of FIG. For the received e-mail 5002, “MDN not yet” is displayed in the column of the communication mode, indicating that the read confirmation request has been added but not yet responded. No. For the received e-mail 5003, “MDN completed” is displayed in the column of the communication mode to indicate that a read confirmation request has been added and has already been responded. No. As for the received e-mail 5005, “No MDN” is displayed in the column of the communication mode to indicate that the read confirmation request is not added.

  In this manner, by outputting the presence / absence of a read confirmation request and the presence / absence of a response to a read confirmation request for a plurality of received e-mails as a list, it is possible to check for missing read confirmations.

<Other embodiments>
Needless to say, the functions of the Internet facsimile apparatus of the first embodiment and the functions of the Internet facsimile apparatus of the second embodiment may be realized by one apparatus.

  In the above embodiment, a single device called an Internet facsimile apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is also applied to an image communication system including a plurality of devices such as a computer device, a scanner device, and a printer device.

  A program for realizing the function described in this embodiment is stored in the ROM 1-5. A storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing this function is supplied to the system or apparatus. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by the CPU of the system or apparatus reading and executing the program code stored in the storage medium.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

  Further, by executing the program code read by the CPU, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an operating OS (operating system) or the like that is actually operated based on an instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the above and the processing thereof is included.

  Furthermore, after the program code read from the storage medium is written to the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the device or the function expansion unit connected to the device, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an Internet facsimile machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the data structure of the communication management information of the facsimile in 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the electronic mail transmission process in the Internet facsimile machine of 1st Embodiment Flowchart showing processing of received electronic mail in the Internet facsimile machine of the first embodiment The flowchart which shows the analysis process of the received MDN in the internet facsimile apparatus of 1st Embodiment The figure which shows the output example of the communication management report of the internet facsimile apparatus of 1st Embodiment The figure which shows the example of an output of the transmission result report of the internet facsimile apparatus of 1st Embodiment The figure which shows the example of an output of the transmission result report of the internet facsimile apparatus of 1st Embodiment A flowchart showing an operation when an e-mail is received with a read confirmation request header in the Internet facsimile apparatus of the second embodiment. The figure which shows the example of an output of the reception result report of the internet facsimile apparatus of 2nd Embodiment The figure which shows the example of an output of the received image of the internet facsimile apparatus of 2nd Embodiment A flowchart showing an operation when an e-mail is received with a read confirmation request header in the Internet facsimile apparatus of the second embodiment. The figure which shows the example of an output of the received image of the internet facsimile apparatus of 3rd Embodiment The figure which shows the example of an output of the communication management report of the internet facsimile apparatus of 3rd Embodiment A flowchart showing an output operation of an attached image file of the Internet facsimile machine according to the third embodiment. Schematic diagram showing a method for managing image files attached to received e-mails

Explanation of symbols

1-1 CPU
1-2 Operation unit 1-3 Reading unit 1-4 Recording unit 1-5 ROM
1-6 RAM
1-7 MODEM
1-8 NCU
1-9 LAN
1-11 LAN (Internet)
1-12 Mail server

Claims (4)

An image communication apparatus connected to an e-mail server via a network ,
E-mail receiving means for receiving an e-mail attached with an image file from the e-mail server , destined for the image communication apparatus ;
Management means for managing communication management information of the email received by the email receiving means;
Detection means for detecting that control information for requesting a response e-mail including information indicating how the image communication apparatus has processed the e-mail is added to the e-mail received by the e-mail receiving means When,
A visual output means for executing a process for visually outputting an image file attached to the e-mail received by the receiving means;
A transmission unit that transmits a response email to a transmission source of the received email based on the detection unit detecting the control information;
When the detection means detects that the control information is added to the e-mail, the management means displays information indicating that the control information is added to the received e-mail. Set in management information,
The transmission means performs a process for the visual output means to visually output an image file attached to the received e-mail in which the control information is detected, and then sends a response e-mail to the sender of the received e-mail. An image communication apparatus characterized by transmitting a message. And a switching means for switching whether the transmission means automatically transmits the response e-mail or based on an instruction from a user;
When the switching means selects that the sending means automatically sends the response e-mail, the visible output means is connected to the sending means and the visible image file attached to the received e-mail in which the control information is detected. When the switching means selects to send a response e-mail to the transmission source of the received e-mail after output, and to send the response e-mail based on an instruction from the user, the control information The image file attached to the received e-mail in which the image is detected is stored in the storage means, and a process for visual output is performed on the image file stored in the storage means in accordance with a user instruction, and the received e-mail The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls to send a response e-mail to the transmission source. Communication device. A control method for an image communication apparatus connected to an e-mail server via a network ,
An e-mail receiving step for receiving from the e-mail server an e-mail attached with an image file , the destination being the image communication apparatus ;
A management process for managing communication management information of the email received in the email reception process;
A detecting step for detecting that control information for requesting a response e-mail including information indicating how the image communication apparatus has processed the e-mail is added to the e-mail received in the e-mail receiving step. When,
A visible output step for executing a process for visually outputting the image file attached to the e-mail received in the receiving step;
A transmission step of transmitting a response email to the transmission source of the received email based on the detection of the control information in the detection step,
If it is detected in the detection step that the control information is added to the email, the management step sends information indicating that the control information is added to the received email. Set in the communication management information,
An image communication apparatus characterized in that the transmission step transmits a response e-mail to a transmission source of the received e-mail after the process for visually outputting the image file is performed in the visible output step. Control method.   A storage medium storing a program for causing an image communication apparatus to execute the control method according to claim 3.

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