JPH1051485A - Electronic mail delivery device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable facsimile equipment to receive an electronic mail and improve the operation efficiency by sending an electronic mail message from an external network to a LAN in a company, delivering it as it is when the delivery destination is a personal computer, and converting it into a facsimile signal when the destination is the facsimile equipment and sending it. SOLUTION: An electronic mail which is sent and receive to a network in a company through an Internet provider is stored in the mail server of the local network. An Internet electronic mail delivery device 9 takes out an electronic mail addressed to a specific address, actuates an electronic mail viewer part to translate a description language by using a protocol analyzing process part 906 and convert it into code data that facsimile as a destination terminal can receive, and transfers and stores it in a facsimile control part 913. Then the facsimile telephone number of the transmission destination is reported to a transmission part 914 by referring to a number conversion management table 910 to perform origination and transmission. Consequently, a receiver can receive its electronic mail through facsimile.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a function of transmitting an e-mail transmitted / received via a provider providing an e-mail service and an e-mail transmitted / received between devices connected to a network to a facsimile apparatus. The present invention relates to an electronic mail distribution device having the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this kind of technology has been used as one of the functions of a facsimile storage and broadcasting device. In recent years, the spread of personal computers has been remarkable. In corporations, not only mail distribution by facsimile storage and broadcasting device using telephone lines, but also individual employees' individual e-mail addresses The transmission and reception of e-mails have been started.

On the other hand, in a company network,
Facsimile machines have become widespread as early as telephones, and such facsimile machines are connected to a telephone exchange in the premises, are assigned extension telephone numbers, external telephone numbers, etc., and are managed and operated by telephone numbers. The e-mail message and the destination information transmitted from such a facsimile apparatus are received and stored by the facsimile storage / broadcasting apparatus once, and the facsimile apparatus of the telephone number designated according to the destination information is individually and simultaneously called. It is common that a mail message is sent by facsimile.

[0004]

If a personal computer can transmit a message to a facsimile machine connected to such a company network, the network operation efficiency will be further improved. But,
In such a network form, it is difficult to transmit an electronic mail message used in a personal computer to a facsimile machine. This is because there is a great difference between the communication procedure of the facsimile machine and the communication procedure / e-mail description language used in the personal computer, and furthermore, there is no relation between the telephone number and the e-mail address which are the destination information. is there. The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and provides an e-mail delivery device that delivers an e-mail message acquired from an external network to a facsimile device connected to a company network. With the goal.

[0005]

An electronic mail delivery device of the present invention selects an electronic mail of a specified electronic mail address from electronic mails connected to a company network and transmitted / received via an Internet provider. Receiving the message, translating the description language of the e-mail, and transmitting a call to the e-mail address specified by using the e-mail address and the telephone number conversion management table of the destination facsimile machine It is. According to the present invention, it is possible to receive an electronic mail message addressed to the user via an Internet provider using a standard facsimile apparatus connected to a company via a telephone line without using a personal computer. And the operation efficiency of the network can be improved.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic mail receiving means for receiving, from an external network, an electronic mail addressed to a terminal connected to a local area network, and a terminal to which the received electronic mail is distributed is a computer. And a delivery processing means for storing the received telegram in a predetermined area accessible from the terminal, and converting the received telegram to a facsimile signal for transmission in the case of a facsimile apparatus. The invention according to claim 3 is an electronic mail acquiring means for acquiring an electronic mail received from an external network by an electronic mail server in a local area network, and a delivery destination terminal of the obtained electronic mail is a facsimile machine. And a distribution processing means for converting a received telegram into a facsimile signal and transmitting the facsimile signal. The invention according to claim 1 is a configuration in which the e-mail server itself has the function of an e-mail distribution device, and the invention according to claim 3 is an e-mail distribution device separately from the existing e-mail server in the local area network. It is a structure provided with. As a result, electronic mail from an external network is imported to the local area network installed in the company, and if the electronic mail is delivered to a personal computer, the electronic mail is delivered as it is, and the delivery destination is sent to a facsimile machine. In some cases, an existing facsimile apparatus can receive an e-mail because it is converted into a facsimile signal and transmitted.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail distribution device according to the first aspect, the distribution processing means has an address table for associating the electronic mail address with the destination number of the facsimile device. The distribution of the e-mail to the server is executed according to the address table. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail distribution device according to the first aspect, the electronic mail acquisition means has an address table for associating the electronic mail address with the destination number of the facsimile apparatus. Is obtained according to the address table. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the electronic mail server itself has a function of an electronic mail distribution device.
The described invention has a configuration in which an e-mail delivery device is provided separately from an existing e-mail server in a local area network. As a result, if the sender assigns an e-mail address and transmits the e-mail, the e-mail distribution device refers to the address table and distributes the e-mail to a predetermined facsimile device.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail distribution device according to the first to fourth aspects, the distribution processing means inserts page break information in a predetermined unit into the received electronic mail while converting the received electronic mail into a facsimile signal. The data is converted, temporarily stored in a memory, and then transmitted to a facsimile apparatus serving as a distribution destination terminal. Thus, the received e-mail message without page breaks in the form of e-mail is converted into information having page information prior to the transmission, so that the facsimile device as the distribution destination receives the e-mail message just like normal reception. Can be received.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail distribution device according to the first to fifth aspects, the address table is configured such that a plurality of electronic mail addresses are assigned to one facsimile device. Things. As a result, a plurality of e-mail addresses are assigned to one facsimile machine, and a plurality of persons can receive an e-mail addressed to themselves with the same facsimile machine.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail distribution device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the distribution processing means includes a plurality of electronic mail addresses other than the first address described in the received electronic mail. Is analyzed and recognized to execute broadcast distribution within the local area network. This makes it possible to recognize the subaddress of the mail address portion described in addition to the commonly used mail header, and to easily perform the broadcast distribution on the local area network. The invention according to claim 8 is the electronic mail distribution device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of e-mail addresses other than the first address are:
It is a telephone number of a facsimile in a local network. Thus, for example, since it is only necessary to specify a telephone number such as an extension number of an actual distribution destination except for the first address at the time of broadcast distribution, it is not always necessary to specify an e-mail address for all destinations. Can be broadcasted.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail distribution device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the information which can be received by the facsimile device out of the electronic mail received is converted. The transmission to the facsimile machine is executed without any processing. Accordingly, if the description of the electronic mail message document is described in the facsimile format, the conversion processing becomes unnecessary, and the distribution processing efficiency of the electronic mail distribution device is improved.

The invention according to claim 10 is the first invention.
In the electronic mail distribution apparatus according to the present invention, the distribution processing means converts the electronic mail address into image information, adds the electronic mail address to the electronic mail to be transmitted, and distributes the electronic mail to the facsimile machine. In particular, when an e-mail is transmitted to an e-mail receiving facsimile apparatus shared by a plurality of persons, e-mail address information addressed to an individual is printed and recorded as a header. Can be easily determined. This can be easily realized by providing the electronic mail distribution device with a table including the electronic mail address, the telephone number of the facsimile device, and the name of the individual recipient.

[0013] The invention according to claim 11 is the invention according to claim 1.
10. The electronic mail distribution apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the distribution processing means converts the text data of the received e-mail, the data of the attached file, and the e-mail address into bitmap data, temporarily stores the converted data in a memory, and then sequentially stores the data. It is read out and synthesized, then compressed into an MH code and distributed to a facsimile machine. As a result, the data is expanded and bitmap converted by an application suitable for each data, so that even a plurality of types of data handled by e-mail can be easily converted into a form that can be received by a facsimile machine. Become.

The invention according to claim 12 is the first invention.
12. The electronic mail delivery device according to claim 11, wherein the delivery processing means processes the email message in the same manner as an email addressed to a personal computer when the electronic mail message cannot be transmitted to a facsimile machine as a delivery destination. It is intended to be displayed and output. This allows
Even if the receiving facsimile machine breaks down or the busy state continues for a long time, the e-mail delivery device outputs the e-mail on behalf of the e-mail, thus avoiding the situation where the e-mail message stays in the memory for a long time. it can. Unlike a personal computer, a facsimile machine does not have a function of checking the staying state of mail from the terminal side, so this proxy output is particularly effective in the case of an urgent electronic message. In addition, since a message that should be output to the destination facsimile apparatus by paper can be handled in the same manner as a normal e-mail, the workload of an operator who performs processing such as notification of a message that has not been reached is reduced.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the electronic mail distribution device according to the first to twelfth aspects, the distribution processing means uses an externally downloaded font when converting text information into bitmap information. It is something to do. Thus, when converting the text information of the electronic mail message into bitmap data to be transmitted to the facsimile device, part or all of the reference font is downloaded from the external device to the RAM work area, thereby eliminating the need for the font ROM inside the device. In addition, since the memory area is released when the application ends, the memory can be used effectively.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below more specifically with reference to the drawings. FIG.
It is a state explanatory view showing the connection concept in the Internet of an embodiment of the invention. The Internet 1 has a network constructed by an Internet provider 2. A network between the Internet providers 2 is connected by a dedicated line or a high-speed digital line. A personal computer dial-up connected to the Internet provider 2 is connected to the Internet provider 2 by a communication line 3. Also, Company 4
The dedicated communication line 5 connects to the Internet provider 2.

The Internet provider 2 is an information provider that provides service contractors on the Internet 1. In order to connect the personal computer 7 to the Internet 1, a contract must be made with any Internet provider 2. Of course, the user can freely select which Internet provider to connect / contract. When sending / receiving an e-mail using the Internet 1, first, a unique e-mail address is assigned from an Internet provider, and communication is performed by identifying a destination using the assigned e-mail address. Done.

A local area network (LAN) 6 is laid in the company 4, and a personal computer 7, a mail server 8 and an Internet e-mail delivery device are connected on the LAN, and communication between the devices is performed. Are executed via a LAN. Normal e-mails are collected from the Internet 1 by e-mails of users who have made an e-mail service provision contract with the Internet provider 2. The collected electronic mail is stored in the mail server 8 in the LAN 6 of the company 4 via the dedicated communication line 5 from the Internet provider 2. The stored electronic mail is distributed by the electronic mail address assigned to the personal computer 7. The e-mail addressed to the facsimile machine is sent to the private branch exchange 10 as described later.
And is delivered to the facsimile 12 by the electronic mail delivery device 9 connected to the LAN 6 by the line 11.
The private branch exchange 10 is connected to the NTT exchange 13 by a PSTN line 14 and is connected to a facsimile 15 outside the company.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an e-mail distribution device used for implementing the present invention. The function of the e-mail distribution device 9 is configured as follows. A CPU 901 is a central processing unit that controls the entire apparatus. The memory 902 is a memory controlled by the CPU 901. ROM
Reference numeral 903 denotes a read-only memory in which an execution program of the CPU 901 is written. The network control unit 904 is associated with the LAN board 905 and has an Ethernet LA
N supports communication protocol (TCP / IP). The protocol analysis processing unit 906 analyzes a communication protocol (SMTP) of a mail application on the Internet, which is a higher-level protocol. The address processing unit 907 executes a process of collating an e-mail address managed by the Internet e-mail distribution device 9. DNS
Reference numeral 908 denotes a domain name system unit. The e-mail address management table unit 909 includes an address processing unit 907
Is a management table storing e-mail address information to be collated.

This e-mail address management table section 9
09 is configured as shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the e-mail address management table 909 used for implementing the present invention. The e-mail address management table 909 includes a unique E-mail address assigned by the Internet provider, a facsimile number associated with the E-mail address, a facsimile registration telephone number corresponding to the facsimile number,
Is managed by The proxy reception facsimile is a telephone number of a facsimile that performs proxy reception when transmission of an electronic mail message to the designated facsimile is unsuccessful. For example, facsimile number 1 is associated with three e-mail addresses A, B, and C, so that all three electronic mail messages are output by the same facsimile machine with facsimile number 1. ing. The e-mail distribution device 9 uses the information in the management table as described above.
A call is made with reference to the telephone number of a predetermined facsimile machine from the E-mail address. Therefore, messages of a plurality of e-mail addresses are output from the same facsimile machine. At this time, if the telephone number and extension number of the destination facsimile are directly specified by the sub-address of the e-mail and the e-mail address management table 909 is configured to be able to identify those numbers, the sender can
If you only know the email address of the representative, you can deliver the email to multiple parties in related departments.

Also, a telephone number conversion management table section 910
Is a management table storing telephone number information of the facsimile machine corresponding to the e-mail address. The e-mail viewer unit 911 converts text data of the e-mail into bitmap information. The e-mail viewer unit 911 is a viewer application software 9
15 executes the execution process. The viewer application has font information inside.

If the e-mail data is a MIME (multi-purpose Internet mail extension) description or the like, a translation process is performed and a process according to the file attachment attribute is executed. For example, BASE64 standard binary /
A text conversion method is one example. The signal processing unit conversion unit 912 converts the bitmap data into the MH format and transfers it as transmission data of the facsimile control unit 913. The transfer data is sent to the facsimile control unit 913.
Thus, the signal is converted into a facsimile signal (analog signal) and output to the communication unit 914. Communication unit 914
Indicates the telephone number designated by the telephone number conversion management table section 910, and the line 916 connected using the internal NCU.
A telephone number is called. The font status determination unit 918 determines a font loading method used for bitmap development, and notifies the font control unit 917 of the loading method. Font control unit 9
17 executes a loading process according to the notification result. The flash memory 919 is a memory for storing fonts when not reloading.

Next, regarding the system having the above configuration,
The flow of electronic mail message processing will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is an e-mail processing flowchart showing the e-mail message processing. From the electronic mail message on the Internet 1, an electronic mail that matches the electronic mail address contracted for providing the electronic mail service by the Internet provider 2 is extracted (ST401). The e-mail is stored in the mail server 8 of the local area network 6 installed in the company via the dedicated communication line 5 constantly connected to the Internet provider 2 (ST402). Acquisition of an e-mail by the personal computer 7 is performed by activating a mail application for transmitting / receiving an e-mail and communicating the transmission / reception of the e-mail with the mail server 8. As the mail protocol, protocols such as SMTP and POP are generally implemented. The communication protocol on the communication is TCP /
IP is used. The personal computer 7 activates the mail viewer software to display the acquired electronic mail data on the screen.

Next, a method by which the electronic mail distribution device 9 obtains an electronic mail will be described. The e-mail distribution device 9 acquires the stored e-mail from the mail server 8 using the POP protocol (ST403). The acquired e-mail matches the e-mail address managed by the e-mail distribution device 9. In the present embodiment, A. B. C, three e-mail addresses. First, e-mail distribution device 9 checks the arrival of an e-mail addressed to e-mail address A (ST40).
4). If there is an e-mail, the e-mail message is stored (ST406). Next, the arrival of the e-mail addressed to the e-mail address B is checked (ST405). If there is an e-mail, the e-mail message is stored (ST407).
Subsequently, the arrival of the e-mail addressed to the e-mail address C is checked (ST408). If there is an e-mail, the e-mail message is stored (ST409). Then, the viewer application software 915 executes the stored electronic message processing by the e-mail viewer unit 911.
Is automatically activated (ST410).

Next, reference will be made to FIG. 5 showing a subsequent processing flow of the electronic mail message processing. The e-mail viewer unit 911 obtains description language format information of the e-mail message from the protocol analysis processing unit 906 (ST411). The case where the determination result is in plain text format (ST41
2) The process is divided into the case of the MINE format and (ST413). In the case of the plain text format, in the expansion processing of the telegram, expansion processing from text data to bitmap data is executed (ST414). The expanded data is stored in memory 902 (ST436).

If the result of the determination is in the MIME format, a BASE64 process for returning to the original format is executed because the data conversion process has been performed on the Internet electronic mail. First, the content-type text description portion is cut out and separated from the message data by the protocol analysis processing unit 906 (ST415). The text data is converted into bitmap data by the email viewer unit 911 (ST416). The converted data is stored in the memory 90
2 (ST417). The conversion process is performed until the end is detected (ST418). Subsequently, the content type multipart / mixed description portion is cut out and separated from the message data by the protocol analysis processing unit 906 (ST419). This multi-part / mixed description indicates that information other than plain text is attached to the message, and the parts other than the text on the Internet e-mail are in accordance with the standard B in MIME.
The coding process is performed by ASE64. This apparatus restores the original transmission binary data by the BASE64 decoding operation of the mailer software installed in the viewer application software 915 (ST4).
20). The restored data is stored in memory 902 (ST421). The conversion process is performed until the end is detected (ST422). The restored binary data is processed by activating a content type description designation application (ST423).

Next, reference will be made to FIG. 6 showing a subsequent processing flow of the electronic mail message processing. Data attribute of message is T
If IFF = MH data (ST424), facsimile data can be used and stored in memory 902 (ST431). In other cases, the starting application performs re-conversion processing from binary data to text (ST425). The conversion process is executed until the end is detected (ST426). The reconversion processing data is reproduced into interpreted data by the activated viewer application software 915 (ST42).
7). The reproduced data is converted into bitmap data by the e-mail viewer unit 911 and stored in the memory 902 (ST428 and ST429). This conversion process is executed until the end is detected (ST430). After the conversion of the reproduced data, a process of converting the E-mail address into bitmap data is executed (ST432), and the bitmap data is stored in the memory 902 (ST432).
433). This E-mail address conversion process is performed by referring to the e-mail address management table unit 909. Next, a data combining process is performed. In other words, the data obtained by converting the data in the plain text format into the bitmap, the data obtained by performing the bitmap conversion on the MIME format, and the data obtained by performing the bitmap conversion on the E-mail address are combined, and the facsimile device 12 serving as the destination terminal is connected. Is converted into receivable MH code data and transferred to the transmission buffer of the facsimile control unit 913.
It is stored (ST435). The format of the data stored in the transmission buffer may be a raw signal format. However, the various types of e-mail data, which have been once bit-mapped and distributed and arranged in a plurality of memory areas, are integrated again to form an MH code. By converting the data into a simple intermediate code format and storing it, it is possible to improve the efficiency of a series of operations from acquisition of an electronic mail message to distribution to a facsimile terminal. The page break information is added when data is stored in the transmission buffer.
When the raw signal is stored in the transmission buffer, the MH encoding process is performed at the time of transmission.

Next, reference will be made to FIG. 7 showing a subsequent processing flow of the electronic mail message processing. Facsimile control unit 9
Before starting the transmission operation, it is checked whether or not the data transferred and stored in the transmission buffer No. 13 is transmission data to the same facsimile (ST437). If transmission data to the same facsimile exists, the data is aligned. Is executed (ST438). By this alignment processing, an effect of reducing the line fee by transmitting the staying message in one connection can be expected. Next, a calling operation is performed. The telephone number conversion management table section 910 is referred to, and the facsimile telephone number of the transmission destination is notified to the communication section 914 (ST43).
9), the communication unit 914 uses the internal NCU to
Then, a dial signal is output to ST16 (ST440), and a line is connected (ST441). If the other party is busy and the line is not connected, communication unit 914 repeats calling until the number of busy times reaches a specified number (ST442). After the line is connected, facsimile control section 913 starts a facsimile communication procedure when the line is established (ST443).
If the busy status of the other party becomes equal to or more than the specified number, transmission to the facsimile is stopped and a call is made to the alternate reception facsimile (ST444). Further, if a failure occurs in the proxy reception or if the proxy reception itself is not performed, the electronic mail message is not lost if the electronic mail delivery device performs the proxy output. At that time, there is also a method of printing out the message as facsimile information, but it is incorporated into the received mail list in the same form as other emails,
If the configuration can be viewed by a LAN administrator, a message that should be output to a destination facsimile device by paper can be handled in the same manner as a normal e-mail. Is reduced.

Next, it is detected whether or not the facsimile communication procedure has been completed normally (ST445). If the procedure cannot be completed normally, the same procedure is repeated until the number of times of communication failure reaches a specified value (ST446). . If the facsimile procedure ends normally, transmission of the data stored in the transmission buffer is started (ST447). When the data transmission is completed, all the transmission processing of the electronic mail message is completed (ST448). If the line cannot be connected due to the busy state, the telephone number is changed to the telephone number for the alternate reception facsimile apparatus specified in advance, and the same processing is executed (ST449).

FIG. 8 shows a font table used to develop text information into bitmap information.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the font download processing of the font table information. The font status control unit 918 monitors the processing of expanding the text information into bitmap information of the facsimile transmission data, and determines the method of loading the reference font (ST801, ST80).
2). First, when downloading all the font information (ST803), the download request is transmitted by FTP.
(ST) (ST)
804). When the download is completed (ST805).
The text data is expanded into a bitmap (ST806), and the expanded data is stored in the memory 902.
(ST807). If the load font already exists, the actual text information is compared with the expanded font (ST808). If all the fonts necessary for development can be collated, bitmap development processing is executed from the text information (ST806). If there is a shortage of fonts to be developed with the load font, the missing font request is executed by FTP (File Transfer Protocol) (ST809, ST810). When the download is completed (ST811), bitmap development processing is executed from the text information (ST806). The expanded data is stored in memory 902 (ST80).
7). In this embodiment, the method of downloading the expanded font has been described.
Alternatively, the downloaded font may be stored in a flash memory or the like.

[0031]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first and third aspects of the present invention, an electronic mail message from an external network is taken into a LAN installed in the company, and the electronic mail If the destination is a personal computer, the e-mail is delivered as it is, and if the destination is a facsimile machine, it is converted to a facsimile signal and transmitted, so that the existing facsimile machine can receive the e-mail. Thus, the operation efficiency of the LAN is improved.

According to the second and fourth aspects of the present invention, if the sender sends an e-mail with an e-mail address attached thereto, the e-mail delivery device refers to the address table to send the e-mail. Can be delivered to a predetermined facsimile machine.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a received facsimile electronic mail in the form of an electronic mail without page breaks is converted into information having page information prior to the transmission, so that a facsimile to be a distribution destination is provided. The device can receive the electronic mail message in exactly the same way as the normal reception.

According to the invention, a plurality of e-mail addresses are assigned to one facsimile machine, and a plurality of persons can receive e-mail addressed to themselves with the same facsimile machine. Become.

According to the invention of claim 7, the subaddress of the mail address portion described in addition to the commonly used mail header can be recognized, and the broadcast can be easily distributed on the local area network.

According to the invention described in claim 8, since it is only necessary to specify a telephone number such as an extension number of an actual distribution destination other than the first address at the time of broadcasting,
Broadcast distribution of e-mail can be performed without specifying e-mail addresses for all destinations.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, if the description of the electronic mail message document is described in the facsimile format, the conversion processing becomes unnecessary, and the distribution processing efficiency of the electronic mail distribution device is improved. .

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, particularly, when an electronic mail is transmitted to an electronic mail receiving facsimile apparatus shared by a plurality of persons, electronic mail address information addressed to an individual. Is printed as a header, so that an e-mail recipient can be easily identified.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since the data is expanded by the application suitable for each data and the bitmap conversion processing is performed, even a plurality of types of data handled by electronic mail can be easily processed. This can be converted into a form that can be received by the facsimile machine.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, even if the receiving-side facsimile apparatus is out of order or the busy state continues for a long time, the e-mail delivery device outputs the e-mail on behalf of the e-mail. It is possible to avoid a situation where a message stays in the memory for a long time. Unlike a personal computer, a facsimile machine does not have a function of checking the staying state of mail from the terminal side, so this proxy output is particularly effective in the case of an urgent electronic message. In addition, since a message that should be output to the destination facsimile apparatus by paper can be handled in the same manner as a normal e-mail, the workload of an operator who performs processing such as notification of a message that has not been reached is reduced.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, when converting text information of an electronic mail message into bitmap data to be transmitted to a facsimile machine, part or all of the reference font is transferred from the external device to the RAM work area. Since the font ROM is downloaded, the font ROM in the apparatus is not required, and the memory area is released when the application is terminated, so that the memory can be used effectively.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a state explanatory diagram showing a concept of connection on the Internet according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an electronic mail distribution device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an e-mail address management table according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an e-mail processing flow chart showing e-mail message processing according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an e-mail processing flowchart showing an e-mail message processing of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an e-mail processing flow chart showing e-mail message processing according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an e-mail processing flow chart showing e-mail message processing according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a font download process according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Internet 2 Internet provider 3 Communication line 4 Company 5 Dedicated communication line 6 Local area network 7 Personal computer 8 Mail server 9 E-mail distribution device 10 Private branch exchange 11 Line 12 Facsimile 13 NTT exchange 14 STN 901 CPU 902 Memory 903 ROM 904 Network control Section 905 LAN board 906 protocol analysis / processing section 907 address processing section 908 DNS section 909 e-mail address management table section 910 telephone number conversion management table section 911 e-mail viewer section 912 signal processing conversion section 913 facsimile control section 914 communication section 915 viewer Application software 916 Line 917 Font control unit 918 Font status determination unit 919 Sshumemori

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Claims (13)

[Claims] An e-mail receiving means for receiving an e-mail addressed to a terminal connected to a local area network from an external network; and, when the destination terminal of the received e-mail is a computer, receiving the e-mail. An e-mail distribution device, comprising: a distribution processing unit that stores the data in a predetermined area accessible from a terminal and converts a received electronic message into a facsimile signal when the device is a facsimile device and transmits the signal. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the delivery processing unit has an address table for associating the e-mail address with the destination number of the facsimile machine, and executes the delivery of the e-mail to the facsimile machine in accordance with the address table. Item 2. The electronic mail delivery device according to Item 1. 3. An e-mail acquiring means for acquiring an e-mail received from an external network by an e-mail server in a local area network, and, when the terminal to which the obtained e-mail is delivered is a facsimile machine, a received e-mail. An e-mail distribution device comprising: a distribution processing unit that converts the data into a facsimile signal and transmits the facsimile signal. 4. An e-mail acquiring means having an address table for associating an e-mail address with a destination number of a facsimile machine, and acquiring an e-mail from an e-mail server in accordance with the address table. The electronic mail distribution device according to claim 3, wherein 5. A delivery processing means for converting a received message into a facsimile signal while inserting page break information in predetermined units into a facsimile signal, temporarily storing the information in a memory, and transmitting the facsimile signal to a facsimile apparatus serving as a destination terminal. The e-mail delivery device according to claim 1, wherein 6. The electronic mail delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the address table is configured by assigning a plurality of electronic mail addresses to one facsimile machine. 7. The distribution processing means analyzes and recognizes a plurality of e-mail addresses other than the first address described in the received e-mail, and executes broadcast distribution in the local area network. 7. The electronic mail distribution device according to claim 1. 8. The electronic mail distribution device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of electronic mail addresses other than the first address are telephone numbers of facsimile machines in a local network. 9. The delivery processing unit according to claim 1, wherein information receivable by the facsimile apparatus in the received electronic mail message is transmitted to the facsimile apparatus without performing conversion processing. 8. The e-mail distribution device according to 8. 10. The electronic mail distribution according to claim 1, wherein the distribution processing means converts the electronic mail address into image information, adds the electronic mail address to the electronic mail to be transmitted, and distributes the electronic mail to the facsimile apparatus. apparatus. 11. The distribution processing means converts the text data of the received e-mail, the data of the attached file, and the e-mail address into bitmap data, temporarily stores them in a memory, sequentially reads out and combines them, and then performs MH
10. The e-mail distribution device according to claim 1, wherein the e-mail distribution device compresses the code into a code and distributes the code to a facsimile device. 12. The distribution processing means, when an electronic mail message cannot be transmitted to a facsimile machine as a distribution destination,
The electronic mail distribution device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic mail message is processed, displayed, and output in the same manner as an electronic mail addressed to a personal computer. 13. The electronic mail distribution device according to claim 1, wherein the distribution processing means uses a font downloaded from the outside when converting the text information into the bitmap information.