JPH10322538A - Automatic fax distributing method and fax equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To exactly distribute a received FAX without requiring manual intervention. SOLUTION: An incoming call processing part 11 performs on-hook operation, a PB signal detecting part 12 detects a sent PB signal and acquires an identification number, a number collating part 14 determines an electronic mail address corresponding to a recipient number coincident with the identification number as the electronic mail address of recipient, a FAX signal detecting part 15 detects a FAX signal, a FAX data transforming part 16 receives FAX data and transforms them into an electronic mail format, and an electronic mail transmitting part 17 transmits electronic mail to the electronic mail address of recipient.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic fax sorting method and a fax machine, and more particularly, to a method in which, when one fax machine is used by a plurality of users, a received fax is specified without a human being. The present invention relates to an automatic fax sorting method and a fax device that can be distributed to users.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the conventional manual sorting of faxes, received faxes are collected in one place, and a person in charge looks at the address printed on the cover of the fax and sends the fax to the person (hereinafter, referred to as a receiver). To distribute. If the name of the recipient is not on the cover of the received fax, the content of the fax is read, and the fax is distributed to an appropriate person based on the content.

[0003] In the conventional automatic fax sorting, the transmitting side uses a fixed form for the first sheet of the fax,
Write the recipient's name by hand in the address box on the standard form and send the fax. Then, the receiving side recognizes the recipient's name printed on the fax using a character recognition device or the like, and transmits the fax to an e-mail address corresponding to the recognized recipient's name.

[0004]

In the above-described conventional manual sorting of faxes, since a fax is distributed by a human, it may be lost or erroneously distributed. Also, it takes time from receiving a fax to reaching the recipient. In addition, there is a problem that secret information cannot be sent by fax because the contents are leaked to a person who distributes a fax or a person who places a fax at a desk of a recipient.

On the other hand, in the above-mentioned conventional automatic fax sorting, a fixed form sheet is used as the first sheet of a fax, so that there is a problem that a fax cannot be sent without the fixed form sheet. Further, there is a problem that the operation of writing the name of the recipient by hand is troublesome. In addition, since the recipient's name is handwritten, it may not be possible to recognize the name correctly, and there is a problem that the fax is erroneously distributed.

[0006] Further, the above-mentioned manual fax sorting and automatic fax sorting have a problem that it is necessary to confirm whether or not an important fax has reached a recipient, for example, by telephone or electronic mail. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a fax automatic sorting method and a fax apparatus which can distribute received faxes accurately without human intervention.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention detects a PB signal, converts the PB signal into numeric data, accumulates the numeric data, obtains an identification number, and converts the identification number into an identification number. The e-mail address corresponding to the receiver number corresponding to the identification number is determined as the receiver's e-mail address by comparing the receiver number in the correspondence table of the receiver number and the e-mail address created in advance, and the fax data And converting the received e-mail to an e-mail, and transmitting the e-mail to the e-mail address of the recipient.

In the automatic fax sorting method, the PB signal sent from the transmitting side is stored to obtain an identification number, and the fax data is stored in an electronic mail format at an electronic mail address corresponding to the receiver number corresponding to the identification number. To send. Therefore, the fax can be accurately distributed without any human intervention. In addition, since the fax is not distributed by humans and the fax is not placed on the desk of the recipient, it is possible to prevent the contents of the fax from leaking.

In the automatic fax sorting method having the above configuration, it is preferable that the sender of the fax be informed of the recipient number of the recipient in advance. Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a facsimile apparatus for transmitting and receiving facsimile data using a public communication network, comprising: a PB signal detecting means for detecting a PB signal and converting it into numeric data; Identification number acquiring means for accumulating data and acquiring an identification number; recipient information storage means for recording a correspondence table of a recipient number and an e-mail address; and collating the identification number with the recipient number to obtain the identification number. Matching means for determining an e-mail address corresponding to the matching recipient number as the e-mail address of the recipient; facsimile data conversion means for receiving the facsimile data and converting the e-mail into an e-mail; An e-mail transmitting means for transmitting an e-mail to an e-mail address is provided.

The above-mentioned fax machine can suitably execute the above-mentioned automatic fax sorting method. Therefore, the fax can be accurately distributed without any human intervention. In addition, since the fax is not distributed by humans and the fax is not placed on the desk of the recipient, it is possible to prevent the contents of the fax from leaking.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by this. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a fax machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The facsimile apparatus 100 includes an incoming call processing unit 11 for receiving an incoming call when a number is dialed, and an incoming PB (Push Button).
PB signal detection unit 12 for detecting a signal to obtain an identification number, and recipient information storage unit 1 for recording a correspondence table (see FIG. 2) of a recipient number, a recipient, and an e-mail address.
A number collating unit 14 for collating the identification number with the recipient number to determine the recipient and the e-mail address;
A facsimile signal detection unit 15 for detecting a signal, a facsimile data conversion unit 16 for receiving fax data and converting it into an e-mail format, and an e-mail transmission unit 17 for transmitting the e-mail to the e-mail address. It is composed.

In the facsimile apparatus 100, the function for transmitting a facsimile is the same as that of the conventional facsimile, so that the description and description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram of a correspondence table of a recipient number, recipient identification data, and an e-mail address. The recipient number is an identification number given to each recipient, and the e-mail address is the recipient's e-mail address. Note that the recipient number "99
"9" is, for example, a default recipient number.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the connection of the facsimile apparatus 100. Incoming call processing unit 1 of fax machine 100
1 is connected to the public communication network 90 and the transmitting fax machine 80 via, for example, a telephone line. The e-mail transmission unit 17 is connected to the e-mail server 110 and the e-mail display terminal 120 via, for example, a telephone line.

As shown in FIG. 4, a correspondence table between a receiver and a receiver number is previously informed to the sender. First,
The sender dials a fax number from the sending fax machine 80. Then, the fax device 100
It is connected to the transmission-side facsimile apparatus 80 via the public communication network 90, and performs facsimile reception and distribution processing.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the fax receiving and sorting process, and FIG. 6 is a time chart of the fax receiving and sorting process. In step S1, the incoming call processing unit 11 performs an on-hook operation upon detecting a call signal. In step S2, the incoming call processing unit 11 sets a default recipient number, recipient, and e-mail address as the recipient number, recipient, and e-mail address. For example, in the example of FIG. 2, “999” is set as the recipient number, “Kanekura Patent Office” is set as the recipient, and “fax-manage” is set as the e-mail address.
r@mailhost.xxx.jp ”.

In step S3, the incoming call processing section 11 instructs the sender to input an identification number. The instruction is displayed on, for example, a display panel of the transmission-side fax device 80 or the transmission-side fax device 80 is displayed.
By voice from a speaker or receiver in Here, the sender determines the recipient number of the person who wants to send a fax from the correspondence table between the recipient and the recipient number in FIG. 4 and inputs the number as the identification number. For example, when sending a fax to "Tanaka" of the machine section, "1300" is input as the identification number. Note that the operator inputs the identification number by, for example, sequentially pressing the dial buttons “1”, “3”, “0”, and “0” on the transmission-side fax device 80.

In step S4, the PB signal detector 12
Determines whether a PB signal has been detected. If a PB signal is detected, the process proceeds to step S5, and if no PB signal is detected, the process proceeds to step S8. In step S5, the PB signal detection unit 12 detects the PB signal, converts the PB signal into a number, and stores the number to obtain an identification number. Thus, for example, when the dial buttons “1”, “3”, “0”, and “0” of the transmission-side fax device 80 are sequentially pressed, “1300” is obtained as the identification number.

In step S6, the PB signal detector 12
Determines whether the number of digits of the identification number is equal to or more than the preset minimum number of digits and less than the maximum number of digits. If the number of digits of the identification number is equal to or more than the minimum number of digits and less than the maximum number of digits, the process returns to step S4. On the other hand, if the number of digits of the identification number is not less than the minimum number of digits and less than the maximum number of digits, the process proceeds to step S7. In the example of FIG. 4, if 2 is set as the minimum number of digits and 4 is set as the maximum number of digits, for example, when a 2-digit or 5-digit identification number is input, an error occurs in the input of the identification number. You can judge that there is.

In step S7, the incoming call processing section 11 instructs the sender to re-enter the identification number. In step S8, the FAX signal detector 15 determines whether a fax signal (CNG signal) has been detected. If a fax signal is detected, the process proceeds to step S10, and if no fax signal is detected, the process proceeds to step S9.

In step S9, the incoming call processing section 11 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed. If a certain time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S10, and if the certain time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S4. Step S10
Then, the number collating unit 14 compares the identification number with the recipient number (see FIG. 2) stored in the recipient information storage unit 13 and determines whether there is a recipient number that matches the identification number. Judge. If there is a receiver number that matches the identification number, the process proceeds to step S11. If there is no receiver number that matches the identification number, the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S11, the number collating unit 14
A receiver number that matches the identification number is set as a receiver number. In step S12, the number collating unit 14 sets a default number (for example, “999”) as a recipient number. In step S13, the incoming call processing unit 11 sends the recipient number stored in the recipient information storage unit 13 (see FIG. 2).
(See, for example, Kanekura Patent Office: Machinery Department: Tanaka) to the transmitting fax machine 80.

The sending fax machine 80 displays the recipient on a display panel, or conveys it by voice from a speaker or a receiver. The sender determines whether the recipient is the person who wants to send a fax, and if the person wants to send a fax, continues the operation; if not, interrupts the transmission. This eliminates the need to confirm whether an important fax has reached the recipient, for example, by telephone or e-mail.

In step S14, the FAX data converter 16 receives the fax data. Step S15
Then, the FAX data conversion unit 16 converts the received fax data into an electronic mail format. In step S16, the e-mail transmission unit 17 sends the e-mail address (for example, tanaka@mailhost.xxx.jp) corresponding to the recipient number (see FIG. 2) stored in the recipient information storage unit 13 to the e-mail. send mail.

The e-mail transmitted from the e-mail transmission unit 17 is distributed to the e-mail display terminal 120 via the e-mail server 110, and is displayed when the recipient logs on. The recipient prints the e-mail or transmits the e-mail to another person as necessary. In addition, when the sender does not input the identification number after a certain period of time, or when the sender enters the wrong identification number (for example, “130”).
1)), a default recipient (eg, Kanekura Patent Office) is set as the recipient, and the e-mail is sent to the default e-mail address (eg, fax-manage
r@mailhost.xxx.jp). At this time, the person in charge looks at the contents of the e-mail and returns the e-mail to an appropriate person. Therefore, it is possible to cope with a case where the sender does not know who the fax is to be sent to or a case where the recipient number is unknown.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, PB
A signal is detected and converted to numeric data, the numeric data is stored to obtain an identification number, and the identification number is compared with a previously created recipient number and a recipient number in a correspondence table of an email address. Determining the e-mail address corresponding to the recipient number corresponding to the identification number as the e-mail address of the recipient, receiving the fax data and converting it into an e-mail, and converting the e-mail to the e-mail address of the recipient Send. Therefore, the fax can be distributed accurately without any human intervention. Further, since the fax is distributed without human intervention, leakage of the fax content can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a fax machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram of a correspondence table of a recipient number, a recipient, and an e-mail address.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a connection of the fax machine of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram of a correspondence table between recipients and recipient numbers.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a fax receiving and sorting process according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a time chart of the fax receiving and sorting process of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 fax device 11 incoming call processing unit 12 PB signal detection unit 13 recipient information storage unit 14 number collation unit 15 fax signal detection unit 16 fax data conversion unit 17 e-mail transmission unit 80 transmission-side fax device 90 public communication network 110 e-mail server 120 E-mail display

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A PB signal is detected and converted into numeric data, the numeric data is stored to obtain an identification number, and the identification number is stored in a correspondence table of a pre-created recipient number and e-mail address. The e-mail address corresponding to the recipient number matching the identification number is determined as the recipient's e-mail address, the fax data is received and converted into an e-mail, and the e-mail is converted to the e-mail. And transmitting the fax to the e-mail address. 2. The automatic fax sorting method according to claim 1, further comprising, when sending a fax, inputting a previously notified recipient number together with the fax number. 3. A facsimile apparatus for transmitting and receiving facsimile data using a public communication network, comprising: a PB signal detecting means for detecting a PB signal and converting it into numeric data; and accumulating said numeric data to obtain an identification number. Identification number acquiring means, and a recipient information storage means for recording a correspondence table of a recipient number and an e-mail address,
Collation means for collating the identification number with the recipient number and determining an e-mail address corresponding to the recipient number corresponding to the identification number as the recipient's e-mail address; and receiving the fax data and converting it into an e-mail A fax machine, comprising: fax data conversion means; and e-mail transmission means for transmitting the e-mail to the e-mail address of a recipient. 4. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said collating means determines a predetermined electronic mail address as an e-mail address of the receiver when no identification number is obtained or when there is no receiver number matching the identification number. A fax machine, which determines an e-mail address. 5. A facsimile apparatus for transmitting and receiving facsimile data using a public communication network, comprising: a PB signal detecting means for detecting a PB signal and converting it into numeric data; and accumulating said numeric data to obtain an identification number. Identification number acquiring means, a receiver information storage means for recording a correspondence table of a receiver number, identification data, and an e-mail address, and collating the identification number with the receiver number to obtain a receiver number that matches the identification number. Matching means for determining the corresponding identification data and e-mail address as the identification data and e-mail address of the recipient, identification data transmitting means for transmitting the identification data of the recipient to the sender side, and receiving the fax data A fax data converting means for converting the electronic mail into an electronic mail, and an electronic mail for transmitting the electronic mail to the electronic mail address of a recipient. Fax machine, characterized in that it has a transmitting unit. 6. The fax machine according to claim 5, wherein the collating means determines the identification data and the e-mail address of the recipient when the identification number cannot be obtained or when there is no recipient number that matches the identification number. A facsimile apparatus for determining predetermined identification data and an e-mail address.