JPH09238158A - Facsimile server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a server distributing a facsimile document received from a public line to a desired information processing unit on a LAN to send a cross reference list between a sub address and a network address to a transmission source in polling as required. SOLUTION: A facsimile(FAX) server 1 distributes a FAX document received via a public line 2 such an ISDN to a designated destination terminal equipment (PC) 4 among a plurality of PCs 4 connected to a LAN 3 as image information. The FAX server 1 has a cross reference list between a network address composed of domain names of each PC4 and a sub address sent from a sender and specifies the distribution destination by referencing the list. When the FAX server 1 cannot recognize the sub address at reception, the FAX server 1 recognizes a telephone number of the transmitter FAX and sends automatically a cross reference list between each client PC4 in the LAN 3 and the sub address to the sender FAX in polling after the end of FAX reception.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile server which provides a plurality of information processing devices connected to a local area network (LAN) with a facsimile transmission / reception service to / from a facsimile device connected to a public line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, public telephone networks (PSTN) and integrated digital communication networks (ISD) to which facsimile machines are connected
N) or the like and a local area network (LAN) to which information processing devices such as a plurality of personal computers are connected, and the facsimile device to the LAN
A facsimile service that receives a fax document (FAX document) sent by facsimile to any of the above information processing devices and automatically distributes the received fax document to the corresponding information processing device on the LAN. The server is heavily used.

Conventionally, there have been the following facsimile servers. (1) A facsimile in which a telephone number for each of a plurality of information processing devices on a LAN is determined in advance by using a dial-in service, and a fax document received by facsimile is distributed to an information processing device having a telephone number called by a facsimile device. A server (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-276197).

(2) A facsimile server that uses the subaddress of the ISDN to identify the information processing apparatus of the facsimile communication destination and distributes the FAX document received by facsimile to the information processing apparatus (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-38604).
Reference). (3) A facsimile server that embeds a sub-address in the TSI of the G3 standard protocol, identifies the information processing apparatus of the facsimile communication destination using the TSI, and distributes the FAX document received by facsimile to the information processing apparatus.

(4) The transmitted DTMF tone is detected, the information processing apparatus of the facsimile communication destination is specified by using the number based on the DTMF tone, and the FAX document received by facsimile is distributed to the information processing apparatus. Facsimile server. (5) The confidential ID in confidential communication using the G3 non-standard protocol is used as a sub-address, the information processing apparatus of the facsimile communication destination is specified based on the sub-address, and the FAX received by the information processing apparatus by facsimile.
A fax server that delivers documents.

[0006]

The above-mentioned conventional facsimile servers are all fax machines that receive facsimiles.
Reception F that delivers the document to the information processing device of the corresponding destination
It has an automatic distribution function for AX documents.

However, on the facsimile machine side,
Since the information processing apparatus to which the FAX document is to be transmitted is designated based on the sub-address determined in advance for each information processing apparatus, and the facsimile transmission is performed to the facsimile server, the information processing apparatus designated to not previously know the sub-address is designated. There was a problem that facsimile transmission could not be performed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to easily obtain a sub address of an information processing apparatus as a facsimile transmission destination on the side of a facsimile apparatus.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is connected to a public line to which a plurality of facsimile devices are connected and also to a LAN to which a plurality of information processing devices are connected. And a sub-address management means for managing a correspondence list of the network addresses of the information processing devices and the sub-addresses associated therewith, and the sub-address sent when the image information is received from the facsimile device by facsimile. And a distribution means for distributing the received image information to an information processing device having a network address corresponding to the sub-address recognized by the means, based on a transmission request from the facsimile device, To the fax machine, It is provided with a means for polling transmission corresponding list of the network address and sub-address managed by.

When the sub-address recognizing means cannot recognize the sub-address at the time of receiving the facsimile, the telephone number recognizing means for recognizing the telephone number of the facsimile apparatus on the transmitting side, and after completion of the facsimile reception,
It is more preferable to provide means for automatically transmitting a correspondence list of network addresses and sub-addresses managed by the sub-address management means to the facsimile apparatus on the transmission side based on the telephone number recognized by the telephone number recognition means.

Further, the telephone number managing means for registering and managing the telephone number of each destination facsimile machine in advance and the telephone number of the transmitting facsimile machine when the subaddress cannot be recognized by the subaddress recognizing means at the time of facsimile reception. Telephone number recognition means for recognizing numbers,
Only when the telephone number recognized by the means and the telephone number managed by the telephone number management means match, the telephone number matching means and the matching result by the means match, It is preferable to provide means for transmitting a correspondence list of network addresses and subaddresses managed by the subaddress management means to the facsimile apparatus of the telephone number after the reception.

Alternatively, the ID number managing means for registering and managing the ID number of each facsimile apparatus of the transmission destination in advance and the sub-address recognizing means at the time of receiving the facsimile cannot recognize the sub address, and the facsimile apparatus of the transmitting side ID number recognition means for recognizing an ID number, ID number verification means for verifying whether the ID number recognized by the means and any of the ID numbers managed by the ID number management means match, and Only when the matching results by the means match, it is preferable to provide means for transmitting the correspondence list of the network address and the subaddress managed by the subaddress management means to the facsimile apparatus of that ID number after the reception is completed.

It is more preferable to provide means for inputting the network address and sub-address, and means for registering the network address and sub-address input by the means in the correspondence list.

Further, it is more preferable to provide means for receiving the network address and the sub address transmitted from the information processing apparatus, and means for registering the network address and the sub address received by the means in the correspondence list.

Furthermore, when transmitting the correspondence list, it is more preferable to provide means for adding information indicating that the facsimile server is the sender and information describing the contents of the correspondence list to the correspondence list.

According to the facsimile server of the first aspect of the present invention, the L server is set based on the request from the facsimile device.
Since the list of subaddresses corresponding to the network address of each information processing device on the AN is transmitted, the subaddress of each information processing device on the LAN can be easily obtained on the side of the facsimile device, and the subaddress of each information processing device on the LAN can be easily obtained based on the list. Facsimile transmission can be performed to any information processing device on the LAN.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the facsimile server transmits the list of sub-addresses corresponding to the network address of each information processing device on the LAN to the facsimile device during the facsimile communication. Since a facsimile server is installed on the side of the facsimile device, the subaddress list can be automatically acquired and used without knowing the method of acquiring the subaddress corresponding to the network address of each information processing device.

According to the facsimile server of claim 3 of the present invention, the list of subaddresses corresponding to the network addresses of the respective information processing devices on the LAN is transmitted only to the facsimile device of the telephone number registered in advance. It is possible to prevent the above list from being distributed to a large number of specified facsimile machines and improve the confidentiality of the internal information of the facsimile server.

According to the facsimile server of claim 4 of the present invention, the list of subaddresses corresponding to the network address of each information processing device on the LAN is transmitted only to the facsimile device having the ID number registered in advance. The above list can be distributed only to the side of a specific facsimile apparatus that knows the number, and the confidentiality of the internal information of the facsimile server can be improved.

According to the facsimile server of claim 5 of the present invention, since the network address and the sub-address are entered on the facsimile server and registered in the correspondence list, additional registration to the correspondence list can be easily performed on the facsimile server. It

According to the facsimile server of claim 6 of the present invention, the network address and the sub-address transmitted from each of the information processing devices are received and registered in the correspondence list. Additional registration can be done easily.

According to the facsimile server of claim 7 of the present invention, when the correspondence list is transmitted, the correspondence list includes information indicating that the facsimile server is the sender of the telephone number and the like, and the contents of the correspondence list. Since the information to be explained is added, it is clarified that it is a document sent from the facsimile server to the destination facsimile machine, and that the document is a correspondence list of network addresses and sub-addresses of each information processing apparatus connected to the network. Can be informed so that they can be easily identified.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication system using the facsimile server according to the embodiment of the present invention. In this communication system, a facsimile server 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to a public line 2 such as a public telephone network (PSTN) or integrated digital communication network (ISDN). A plurality of facsimile machines are connected to the public line 2 (not shown).

Further, the facsimile server 1 is also connected to a local area network 3 to which client terminal devices (PC) 4 which are a plurality of information processing devices are connected. A file server 5 and a printer server 6 are also connected to the LAN 3. That is, the facsimile server 1 is connected to a public line to which a plurality of facsimile devices are connected and also to a LAN to which a plurality of information processing devices are connected.

In this communication system, a plurality of facsimile machines connected to the public line 2 are each connected to an arbitrary PC 4 on the LAN 3 via the facsimile server 1.
A facsimile document (FAX document), which is image information, can be transmitted by facsimile. That is, the FAX document received by the facsimile server 1 is sent to the corresponding destination PC.
Deliver to 4.

Each of the PCs 4 can directly send the FAX document by facsimile to any of the facsimile devices connected to the public line 2 via the facsimile server 1. Further, the file server 5 includes a storage device such as a hard disk device or an optical disk device,
It functions as a memory shared by each PC 4. Furthermore, the printer server 6 includes a printing device such as a laser printer or an inkjet printer, and functions as a printing device shared by the PCs 4.

The facsimile server 1 also has a function relating to transmission of a correspondence list of network addresses such as domain names of each PC 4 and subaddresses at the time of facsimile reception according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the facsimile server 1. This facsimile server 1
Is a terminal device containing a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and the LAN control unit 1
0, plotter 11, display operation unit 12, image memory 13,
The facsimile (FAX) communication control unit 14, the encoding / decoding unit 15, the control unit 16, the RAM 17, the modem 18, the network control unit 19, the bus 20, and the like.

The LAN control unit 10 controls each PC 4 on the LAN 3.
Controls data communication with. The plotter 11 is a printing device such as a laser printer that prints various data. The display operation unit 12 includes an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse for inputting various operation information, and a display device such as an LCD for displaying various work screens and messages. The image memory 13 is a memory that temporarily stores image data. The facsimile (FAX) communication control unit 14 controls a facsimile transmission / reception control process.

The encoding / decoding unit 15 controls encoding of a FAX document and the like, and decoding processing for reproducing encoded data. The control unit 16 controls the entire facsimile server and controls each P when receiving the facsimile according to the present invention.
It is provided with various functional units for realizing the function related to the transmission of the correspondence list of the C4 network address and the sub address.

The RAM 17 is a memory for storing various data. The modem 18 controls a process of modulating the FAX document data into an analog signal that can be transmitted through a public line and a process of demodulating the received analog signal into a digital signal of the FAX document data. The network controller 19 controls connection with the public line 2. The bus 20 is a data communication line for exchanging various kinds of data between the respective units 10 to 17 described above.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit 16 shown in FIG. 3 according to the present invention. The control unit 16 includes a sub address & network address management unit 2
1, sub-address recognition unit 22, distribution unit 23, telephone number recognition unit 24, telephone number book management unit 25, ID number recognition unit 2
6, the ID number management unit 27, the comparison unit 28, and the polling transmission unit 29 are connected to the RAM 17 and the like via the bus 20 so that data can be exchanged.

In order to realize the facsimile server according to claim 1 of the present invention, the subaddress & network address management unit 21, the subaddress recognition unit 22, the distribution unit 23, and the polling transmission unit 29 are used. The sub-address & network address management unit 21 functions as a sub-address management unit that manages a correspondence list of the network address of each PC 4 and the sub-address associated with it.

The sub-address recognition section 22 functions as a sub-address recognition means for recognizing the sub-address sent when the image information of the FAX document from the facsimile apparatus is received by the facsimile. The distribution unit 23 functions as a distribution unit that distributes the image information received by facsimile to the PC 4 having the network address corresponding to the sub address recognized by the sub address recognition unit 22.

The polling transmitter 29 is means for polling and transmitting a correspondence list of network addresses and subaddresses managed by the subaddress & network address manager 21 to the facsimile device based on a transmission request from the facsimile device. Perform a function.

In order to realize the facsimile server according to claim 2 of the present invention, the sub-address & network address management unit 21, the sub-address recognition unit 22, the distribution unit 23, the telephone number recognition unit 24, and the polling transmission unit 29 are provided.
Is used. The telephone number recognizing unit 24 functions as a telephone number recognizing unit that recognizes the telephone number of the facsimile apparatus on the transmitting side when the sub address recognizing unit 22 cannot recognize the sub address when receiving the facsimile.

Then, the polling transmission unit 29 in this case
After completion of the facsimile reception, the automatic correspondence list of the network address and the sub-address managed by the sub-address & network address management unit 21 is automatically transmitted to the facsimile apparatus on the transmission side based on the telephone number recognized by the telephone number recognition unit 24. Acts as a means of sending.

In order to realize the facsimile server according to claim 3 of the present invention, the subaddress & network address management unit 21, the subaddress recognition unit 22, the distribution unit 23, the telephone number recognition unit 24, the telephone number book management unit 25, The comparison unit 28 and the polling transmission unit 29 are used.

The telephone number book management section 25 functions as a telephone number management means for registering and managing the telephone numbers of the respective facsimile machines of the transmission destination in advance. The comparison unit 28 functions as a telephone number collation unit that collates whether or not the telephone number recognized by the telephone number recognition unit 24 and one of the telephone numbers managed by the telephone number book management unit 25 match.

Then, the polling transmission unit 29 in this case
Is only when the comparison results by the comparison unit 28 match.
After receiving the facsimile, the sub-address & network address management unit 2 is sent to the facsimile device of the telephone number.
It functions as a means for transmitting a correspondence list of network addresses and sub-addresses managed by 1.

In order to realize the facsimile server according to claim 4 of the present invention, the subaddress & network address management unit 21, the subaddress recognition unit 22, the distribution unit 23, the ID number recognition unit 26, the ID number management unit 27, and the comparison are performed. The unit 28 and the polling transmission unit 29 are used.

The ID number management unit 27 performs the function of an ID number management means for registering and managing the ID numbers of the destination facsimile machines in advance. The ID number recognizing section 26 functions as an ID number recognizing means for recognizing the ID number of the facsimile apparatus on the transmission side when the sub address cannot be recognized by the sub address recognizing section 22 during facsimile reception.

Then, in this case, the comparing section 28 compares the ID number recognized by the ID number recognizing section 26 with any one of the ID numbers managed by the ID number managing section 27. Performs the function of matching means. Further, in this case, the polling transmission unit 29 sends the facsimile address of the ID number after the reception to the network address managed by the sub-address & network address management unit 21 only when the comparison result by the comparison unit 28 matches. It functions as a means for transmitting a correspondence list with subaddresses.

In order to realize the facsimile server according to claim 5 of the present invention, the display / operation unit 12 shown in FIG. 3 functions as a unit for inputting the network address and the sub-address, and the control unit 16 performs the display operation. It functions as a means for registering the network address and sub-address input by the unit 12 in the correspondence list.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, a functional unit corresponding to a unit for registering the network address and the sub-address input by the display / operation unit 12 in the correspondence list is newly provided in the control unit 16. And good.

In order to realize the facsimile server according to claim 6 of the present invention, the LAN control unit 10 shown in FIG. 3 also functions as a means for receiving the network address and the sub address transmitted from the PC 4, and the above control is performed. The unit 16 functions as a unit that registers the network address and the subaddress received by the LAN control unit 10 in the correspondence list.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, a functional unit corresponding to a unit for registering the network address and the subaddress received by the LAN control unit 10 in the correspondence list is newly provided in the control unit 16. good.

In order to realize the facsimile server according to claim 7 of the present invention, when the control unit 16 shown in FIG. 3 also transmits the correspondence list, information indicating that the facsimile server is the sender is included in the correspondence list. And a function of adding information for explaining the contents of the correspondence list.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, when the correspondence list is transmitted to the inside of the control unit 16, information indicating that the facsimile server is the transmission source in the correspondence list and the contents of the correspondence list will be described. It is advisable to newly provide a functional unit corresponding to a unit for adding information.

With this configuration, the facsimile server 1 is configured to send the FAX document to the PC which is the destination of the FAX document based on the subaddress sent from the sending facsimile machine.
FAX specified in 4 and received by facsimile to PC 4
The document can be distributed via LAN3.

Although the subaddress is used in a broad sense here, the subaddress of ISDN, a character string embedded in the TSI of the G3 standard protocol, a confidential ID included in the G3 nonstandard protocol, etc. Good. Further, the correspondence list of the network address and the sub address of each PC 4 is stored in the RAM 17. The registration method may be input from the display operation unit 12 or may be downloaded from the PC 4.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the format of a sub-address list which is a correspondence list of network addresses and sub-addresses of each PC 4. This sub-address list is stored in a list format in which network addresses used on the LAN 3 of each PC 4 are associated with sub-addresses for each facsimile machine on the public line 2 to specify each PC 4.

Next, the facsimile transmission / reception of the facsimile server 1 of the communication system will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a facsimile communication procedure of the facsimile server of this communication system.

When the facsimile server (RX) receives the calling tone signal (CNG) from the facsimile machine (TX), it transmits a called station confirmation signal (CED) to the facsimile machine (TX), and further the public line network. Non-standard device signal (NSF) indicating the function of the local station and the function of the local station, the called station identification signal (CSI) for confirming the local station such as the telephone number assigned to the local station, and the function of the local station is the TTC standard. JT-T
A function control signal such as a digital identification signal (DIS) indicating 30 is transmitted.

After that, the facsimile server (RX)
The facsimile information field (F) of the HDLC frame of the control signal from the facsimile machine (TX)
IF) is transmitting station identification information (TSI) indicating that it is the identification information of the facsimile machine (TX), the above-mentioned DI
When a function control signal such as a digital command signal (DCS) for instructing the setting of the function is received in response to the standard function indicated by the S signal, the transmitting station is identified and the function setting is performed by the command.

Further, the facsimile server (RX) is
The training check signal (TCF) from the facsimile machine (TX) confirms the training of the modem, confirms whether or not the channel can be used at the transmission speed, and when it confirms that the channel can be used, it is transmitted from the facsimile machine (TX). Image data (PIX or FIL
E) is received.

Then, the facsimile server (RX) is
A procedure end signal (EOP) indicating the end of image data for a predetermined page is transmitted to the facsimile device (TX), and a message confirmation signal (MCF) indicating that the previous image data has been transmitted is received from the facsimile device (TX). Then,
Line disconnection command signal (DC) to facsimile machine (TX)
N) is sent to disconnect the line. In this way, the facsimile server (RX) receives the facsimile data transmitted from the public line 2 and then delivers it to the destination PC 4.

Next, the normal processing of the facsimile server 1 when receiving a facsimile will be described. When the sub-address recognition unit 22 of the control unit 16 recognizes the sub-address sent at the time of facsimile reception from the facsimile apparatus, the distribution unit 23 stores each PC in the RAM 17 managed by the sub-address & network address management unit 21. Based on the correspondence list of the network address of and the subaddress associated therewith, the PC of the network address corresponding to the subaddress recognized by the subaddress recognition unit 22 is specified,
The image information of the FAX document received by facsimile is delivered to the PC.

Next, the processing when the facsimile server 1 receives the call from the facsimile machine when the facsimile server 1 fulfills the function of the facsimile server according to claim 1 of the present invention will be described. Based on the sub-address list transmission request received from the facsimile apparatus in the polling standby state, the polling transmission section 29 of the control section 16 sends the facsimile address to the network address and sub-address managed by the sub-address & network address management section 21. Poll the sub-address list that is the correspondence list.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the processing when a call is received from the facsimile machine when the facsimile server 1 fulfills the function of the facsimile server according to claim 1 of the present invention.

First, the facsimile server 1 is always in a polling standby state. Then, when an incoming call is received from the facsimile machine, as shown in FIG. 6, it is judged in step (indicated by "S" in the figure) 1 whether or not a facsimile reception command signal is received. Normal facsimile (FAX) reception processing is performed, the received FAX document is distributed to the client (information processing apparatus) in step 5, and this processing ends.

If the facsimile reception command signal is not received in the judgment of step 1, the process proceeds to step 2 to judge whether or not the transmission command signal which is the polling transmission request of the sub-address list is received, and the reception must be the reception. If this processing is completed, if it is received, the process proceeds to step 3, where the encoding / decoding unit 15 converts the information in the sub-address list into facsimile image information and polls it to the called destination facsimile machine, and terminates this processing. To do. The polling transmission request is a transmission command signal (for example, DTC / CIG
/ NSC).

In this way, the correspondence list of the sub-address and the client information terminal device can be polled and transmitted by the transmission request from the facsimile device.
The subaddress of the client information terminal device of the other party to be transmitted can be easily known, and the fax document can be transmitted via the facsimile server by the subaddress.

Next, description will be made of the process when the facsimile server 1 functions as the facsimile server according to the second aspect of the present invention when the facsimile is received from the facsimile device.

When the sub-address recognizing unit 22 of the control unit 16 cannot recognize the sub-address during facsimile reception, the telephone number recognizing unit 24 recognizes the telephone number of the facsimile apparatus on the transmitting side, and the polling transmitting unit 2
After the facsimile reception of the FAX document 9 is completed, the subaddress & network address management unit 21 stores the network address stored in the RAM 17 and managed by the subaddress & network address management unit 21 based on the telephone number recognized by the telephone number recognition unit 24. And a sub-address list, which is a correspondence list between the sub-address and the sub-address, are automatically transmitted.

That is, when the facsimile is received and cannot be recognized because the sub address is not added, the telephone number of the facsimile machine on the transmitting side is recognized next from, for example, TSI of the G3 standard protocol. And
After the facsimile reception is completed, the facsimile device having the recognized telephone number is called, and the encoding / decoding unit 15 converts the sub-address list information into facsimile image information and transmits it.

In this way, when there is no sub-address designation at the time of facsimile reception, the telephone number of the facsimile machine on the transmission side is recognized, and after the facsimile reception is completed, the facsimile machine of that telephone number is associated with the sub-address and the client information terminal device. Since the list is automatically transmitted, the facsimile device on the facsimile document transmitting side can easily know the sub-address of the client information terminal device on the LAN without performing a complicated operation.

Next, the processing at the time of facsimile reception from the facsimile apparatus when the facsimile server 1 fulfills the function of the facsimile server according to claim 3 of the present invention will be described.

First, the telephone number book management unit 25 preliminarily RA-stores the telephone number book of the telephone number of each facsimile apparatus of the destination.
Register and manage in M17. When receiving a facsimile, if the subaddress cannot be recognized by the subaddress recognition unit 22, the telephone number recognition unit 24 recognizes the telephone number of the facsimile device on the transmission side, and the comparison unit 28 recognizes the telephone number and the telephone number book management unit. It is checked whether or not any of the telephone numbers managed by 25 matches.

Then, only when the comparison result by the comparison unit 28 matches, the polling transmission unit 29 sends the R address to the facsimile device of the telephone number by the sub address & network address management unit 21 after the facsimile reception is completed.
A subaddress list, which is a correspondence list of network addresses and subaddresses stored and managed in the AM 17, is automatically transmitted.

Next, the processing at the time of facsimile reception from the facsimile device when the facsimile server 1 fulfills the functions of the facsimile server according to claims 2 and 3 of the present invention will be described. First, the telephone number book in which the telephone numbers of facsimile machines for facsimile transmission are registered is stored in the RAM 17. The registration may be input from the display operation unit 12 or may be downloaded from the PC 4.

Then, by using this telephone number book, the telephone number is set to 1 when the facsimile is transmitted to the facsimile device.
Instead of inputting one by one, it is possible to select and input by one-touch keys from the display operation unit 12 or select a corresponding telephone number from the PC 4 to make a call.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a process at the time of facsimile reception when the facsimile server 1 functions as the facsimile server according to claims 2 and 3 of the present invention. In this process, when a facsimile is received, a sub-address recognition process is performed in step (indicated by "S" in the figure) 11, and it is determined in step 12 whether or not there is a sub-address. The reception process is performed, and in step 21, it is distributed to the client information processing device corresponding to the transmission destination, and this process ends.

If there is no sub-address in the determination in step 12, the process proceeds to step 13 to recognize the telephone number of the facsimile machine on the transmitting side, and in step 14, the telephone number and the telephone number in the telephone number book are compared and compared. , Step 15
In step 23, it is determined whether or not there is a recognized telephone number in the telephone number book, and if there is not, the process proceeds to step 22 to perform normal fax reception, and in step 23, the received fax document is recorded and output, and this processing is performed. To finish.

If there is a recognized telephone number in the telephone number book in the determination in step 15, the process proceeds to step 16 and the normal FA
X reception is performed, the received FAX document is recorded and output in step 17, the call is made to the facsimile apparatus of the telephone number recognized in step 18, the subaddress list information is transmitted in step 19, and this processing ends. To do.

That is, when there is no sub-address at the time of facsimile reception, the telephone number of the facsimile apparatus on the transmitting side is recognized, and the telephone number is compared with the telephone number registered in the telephone number book stored in advance. Only when there is a matching telephone number, the sub-address list is automatically transmitted to the facsimile device of that telephone number after the facsimile reception is completed. On the other hand, when it is not registered in the telephone number book, the sub address list is not transmitted.

In this way, when the telephone number book of the telephone numbers for transmission is registered and the sub address is not designated at the time of receiving the facsimile, the telephone number of the facsimile apparatus on the transmitting side is recognized and the telephone number is Only when registered in the telephone number book, the sub-address list is automatically sent to the facsimile device of that telephone number.
The sub-address list can be transmitted only to the destination facsimile machine registered in advance.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the unspecified number of users from being informed of the sub-address list, and it is possible to improve the security of the internal data.

Next, the processing at the time of facsimile reception from the facsimile apparatus when the facsimile server 1 fulfills the function of the facsimile server of claim 4 of the present invention will be described.

First, the ID number management unit 27 registers and manages the ID numbers of the respective facsimile machines of the transmission destinations in the RAM 17 in advance. When receiving the facsimile, if the sub-address recognizing unit 22 cannot recognize the sub-address, the ID number recognizing unit 26 recognizes the ID number of the facsimile apparatus on the transmitting side, and the comparing unit 28 recognizes the recognized ID number and the ID number managing unit 27. It is checked whether or not any of the ID numbers managed by is matched.

Only when the comparison result by the comparison unit 28 matches, the polling transmission unit 29 sends the R address to the facsimile apparatus of the ID number after completion of the facsimile reception by the sub address & network address management unit 21.
A subaddress list, which is a correspondence list of network addresses and subaddresses stored and managed in the AM 17, is automatically transmitted.

Next, the processing at the time of facsimile reception from the facsimile apparatus when the facsimile server 1 fulfills the functions of the facsimile server according to claims 2 and 4 of the present invention will be described. First, the ID number of the facsimile device for facsimile transmission is registered and stored in the RAM 17. The registration may be input from the display operation unit 12 or may be downloaded from the PC 4.

Using this ID number, it is possible to select and input by one-touch key from the display / operation unit 12 or the corresponding one from the PC 4 without inputting each ID number one by one during facsimile transmission to the facsimile apparatus. It is also possible to select an ID number to be called and make a call.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process at the time of facsimile reception when the facsimile server 1 fulfills the functions of the facsimile server according to claims 2 and 4 of the present invention. In this process, when a facsimile is received, a sub-address recognition process is performed in step (indicated by "S" in the figure) 31, and it is determined in step 32 whether or not a sub-address is present. The reception process is performed, and in step 41, the process is delivered to the client information processing device corresponding to the transmission destination, and this process ends.

If there is no sub-address in the judgment of step 32, the process proceeds to step 33 to recognize the ID number of the sending facsimile machine, and in step 34 the ID number and R
The ID number registered in the AM is compared and collated, and it is determined in step 35 whether or not the recognized ID number is present in the registered ID number. Upon reception, the received FAX document is recorded / outputted in step 43, and this processing ends.

ID registered in the judgment of step 35
If the number has the recognized ID number, the process proceeds to step 36 to carry out normal FAX reception, the received FAX document is recorded and output in step 37, and the telephone of the facsimile apparatus of the ID number recognized in step 38 is called. Call the number,
In step 39, the sub address list information is transmitted, and this processing ends.

That is, when the subaddress is not given at the time of receiving the facsimile, the I
Recognizing the D number, the ID number and I registered in advance
The sub-address list is automatically transmitted to the facsimile apparatus having the ID number after the facsimile reception is completed only when the ID number is compared with the D number and collated. On the other hand, when the ID number is not registered, the sub address list is not transmitted.

When the subaddress list is automatically transmitted to the facsimile apparatus having the same ID number, the telephone number of the call destination may be the telephone number recognized when the facsimile is received, or the telephone number may be stored in the RAM 17 beforehand. It is also possible to register the subaddress list in association with a specific ID number permitted to be transmitted, and call the telephone number corresponding to the ID number from there to use.

In this way, when the ID number of a specific facsimile apparatus is registered and the sub-address is not designated at the time of facsimile reception, the ID number of the transmitting facsimile apparatus is recognized and the ID number is registered in advance. The sub-address list is automatically sent to the facsimile device of that ID number only when it matches the registered ID number. Therefore, the sub-address list is sent only to the facsimile device of the other party who is authorized in advance and knows the ID number. can do. Therefore, only a specific user can be notified of the sub-address list, and the security of internal data can be further improved.

Next, the process of registering the network address and the sub address of the client terminal device on this facsimile server will be described. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the registration processing of the operator input network address and sub address by this facsimile server.

In this process, it is determined in step 51 whether or not the registration mode is set, and when it is determined that the registration key of the operation display section is input and the registration mode is set, the network addresses key-entered in steps 52 and 53 And the subaddress are registered in the correspondence list in correspondence with each other in step 54, and it is determined in step 55 whether or not the next input is present. If yes, the process returns to the first process and the above process is repeated. finish.

In this way, the operator can directly additionally register the network address and sub-address of the client terminal device 4 in the facsimile server 1. Further, if the control unit 16 searches for the network address input from the operation display unit and deletes the network address and the subaddress corresponding thereto, the network address can be easily deleted from the correspondence list.

Next, the process in which the facsimile server registers each network address and subaddress transmitted from each client terminal device will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the registration processing of the network address and the sub address received from the PC by this facsimile server.

In this processing, the work of registering the network address and the sub-address in the facsimile server 1 is selected on the transmission source PC 4, and the network address and the sub-address of the own station to be registered are transmitted to the facsimile server 1 together with the registration request.

The facsimile server 1 determines in step 61 of FIG. 10 whether or not it is in the registration mode depending on whether or not it has received the registration request from the PC, and if it receives the registration request and determines that it is in the registration mode, In step 62, the network address and the sub-address are received, in step 63 they are associated and registered in the correspondence list, and in step 64 it is judged whether or not there is the next transmission. The process is repeated, and if there is no transmission, this process ends.

In this way, the user of each client terminal device 4 can easily additionally register the network address and sub-address of the own device in the facsimile server 1, and by connecting to the network and performing this registration processing, The delivery service from the facsimile server 1 can be immediately received.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a format when the correspondence list transmitted from the facsimile server is displayed or printed by the facsimile device. When the facsimile device displays or prints the correspondence list received from the facsimile server 1, as shown in FIG. 11, the telephone number of the facsimile server 1 as information indicating that the facsimile server 1 has transmitted, and this list is connected to the network. As information indicating that it is a list in which the network addresses of the respective PCs 4 and their subaddresses are associated with each other, the title “subaddress list” and the message “the network address of each client terminal device connected to the network and (corresponding to that) It is a list of sub-addresses "and displays or prints the data of the correspondence list.

In this way, the user of the facsimile device can determine that the document received by facsimile is from the facsimile server 1 and the network address of each client terminal device 4 to which the received document is network-connected and its subaddress. It is possible to easily recognize that the correspondence list is shown.

[0099]

As described above, according to the facsimile server of the present invention, on the side of the facsimile machine connected to the facsimile server via the public line,
It is possible to easily obtain the sub-address of the information processing apparatus of the facsimile transmission destination connected to the LAN via the facsimile server.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control unit of a facsimile server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication system using a facsimile server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a facsimile server shown in FIG.

4 is a diagram showing an example of a format of a sub-address list stored in a RAM of the facsimile server shown in FIG.

5 is a diagram showing a facsimile communication procedure between a facsimile server and a facsimile device of the communication system shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process when an incoming call is made by the facsimile server according to claim 1 of the present invention in the facsimile server shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a process at the time of facsimile reception by the facsimile server of claims 2 and 3 of the present invention in the facsimile server shown in FIG.

8 is a flow chart showing a process at the time of facsimile reception by the facsimile server according to claims 2 and 4 of the present invention in the facsimile server shown in FIG.

9 is a flowchart showing a registration process of an operator input network address and sub address by the facsimile server of claim 5 of the present invention in the facsimile server shown in FIG.

10 is a flowchart showing a registration process of a network address and a sub address received from a PC by the facsimile server of claim 6 of the present invention in the facsimile server shown in FIG.

11 is a diagram showing an example of a format in which a correspondence list transmitted from the facsimile server shown in FIG. 2 is displayed or printed by a facsimile device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Facsimile server 2: Public line 3: LAN 4: Client terminal device (PC) 5: File server 6: Printer server 10: LAN control unit 11: Plotter 12: Display operation unit 13: Image memory 14: FAX communication control unit 15: Encoding / decoding section 16: Control section 17: RAM 18: Modem 19: Network control section 20: Bus 21: Sub-address & network address management section 22: Sub-address recognition section 23: Distribution section 24: Telephone number recognition section 25: Telephone number book management unit 26: ID number recognition unit 27: ID number management unit 28: Comparison unit 29: Polling transmission unit

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile server connected to a public line to which a plurality of facsimile devices are connected, and also connected to a LAN to which a plurality of information processing devices are connected, wherein the network address of each of the information processing devices. And a sub-address corresponding to the sub-address management means for managing a correspondence list, a sub-address recognition means for recognizing a sub-address sent at the time of facsimile reception of image information from the facsimile device, and a sub-address recognized by the means. A network provided with a distribution unit that distributes the received image information to an information processing device having a corresponding network address, and a network managed by the sub-address management unit to the facsimile device based on a transmission request from the facsimile device. Address and sub-ad Scan and fax servers, wherein a correspondence list is provided means for polling transmission. 2. The facsimile server according to claim 1, wherein a telephone number recognizing means for recognizing a telephone number of a transmitting side facsimile apparatus when the subaddress cannot be recognized by the subaddress recognizing means during facsimile reception, and the facsimile reception. And a means for automatically transmitting a correspondence list of network addresses and sub-addresses managed by the sub-address management means to the facsimile machine on the transmission side based on the telephone number recognized by the telephone number recognition means. A facsimile server characterized by the above. 3. The facsimile server according to claim 1, wherein the telephone number management means for registering and managing the telephone number of each destination facsimile device in advance and the subaddress cannot be recognized by the subaddress recognition means when receiving the facsimile. At this time, the telephone number recognition means for recognizing the telephone number of the facsimile machine on the transmission side and the telephone number recognized by the means and the telephone number managed by the telephone number management means are matched. The correspondence list of network addresses and subaddresses managed by the subaddress management means is transmitted to the facsimile device of the telephone number after the reception only when the matching result of the telephone number matching means and the matching result by the means match. And a facsimile server provided with means. 4. The facsimile server according to claim 1, wherein the sub-address cannot be recognized by the ID number management means for registering and managing the ID number of each destination facsimile device in advance and the sub-address recognition means when receiving the facsimile. At this time, it is checked whether the ID number recognition means for recognizing the ID number of the facsimile apparatus on the transmission side and the ID number recognized by the means match any of the ID numbers managed by the ID number management means. Only when the matching result of the ID number matching means and the matching result by the means match, the correspondence list of the network address and the sub address managed by the sub address managing means is transmitted to the facsimile apparatus of the ID number after the reception. Means for providing a facsimile server 5. The facsimile server according to claim 1, wherein the means for inputting the network address and the subaddress, and the network address and the subaddress input by the means are registered in the correspondence list. And a facsimile server provided with means. 6. The facsimile server according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit that receives a network address and a subaddress transmitted from the information processing device, and a network address and a subaddress received by the unit. A facsimile server provided with means for registering in the correspondence list. 7. The facsimile server according to claim 1, wherein when the correspondence list is transmitted, information indicating that the facsimile server is a transmission source in the correspondence list and the correspondence list A facsimile server provided with means for adding information describing the contents.