JPH11191823A - Facsimile server, data acquisition method and format paper - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a facsimile server that is accessible to a home page on the internet or an intra-net and uses a facsimile equipment to realize the facsimile processing, transmission/reception of an electronic mail and use of the internet and to provide its utilizing method and format paper. SOLUTION: A facsimile equipment sends an image of format paper on which a home page address is described to the facsimile server. The facsimile server receiving the image of the format paper uses a text data extract section 203 to extract an address, accesses a home page of the extracted address, stores home page data (HTML form data) to an HTML form data storage section 205. The stored home page data are converted into binary data by a 2nd data conversion section 223 and into facsimile data possible for facsimile transmission by a 3rd data conversion section 225. The converted facsimile data are sent to the facsimile equipment of a transmission source as a facsimile document.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fax server and a method of using the same, and more particularly, to a fax server connected to the Internet or an intranet.
The present invention relates to a fax server capable of acquiring data including L-format data, a data acquisition method, and a format sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Today, in addition to telephone, fax, and e-mail, information described on homepages on the Internet has become an effective information source. Network users use a telephone, fax or e-mail to communicate with each other, and use a homepage to browse information.

[0003] By the way, for network users,
The advent of fax was very breakthrough in that documents could be sent over public telephone networks faster than letters. However, the facsimile has a drawback that the amount of information is large because the paper is read as image data. In order to solve this, improvement measures such as compression and encoding have been taken.

When faxes first appeared, it took about 6 minutes to transmit one A4 sheet. However,
At present, one communication sheet of A4 size can be transmitted in about one minute in Group 3 (G3) of the communication protocol which the ITU-T has set the standard, and in Group 4 (G4), transmission is in about 3 to 4 seconds. Is now available. What has made this possible is encoding.

[0005] Encoding of fax information leads to compression of the amount of information and the resulting reduction in transmission time. The coding system is an international standard, and MH (Modified Huffm
an) system and an MR (Modified READ) system, and the G4 machine uses an MMR (Modified MR) system. For example, according to MH coding, a so-called run length indicating the number of consecutive pixels of the same color is set, and binary numbers of white and black corresponding to the number are assigned. When the run length is 0 to 63, a terminating code is used. When the run length is 64 or more, a makeup code and a terminating code are used.

The character part is text data,
A function called a mixed mode in which images are transmitted as MH, MR or MMR encoded data has also been developed. Class 2 has a mixed mode reception function, and class 3 has a mixed mode transmission / reception function. I have. However, class 1 does not have a mixed mode function.

[0007] As a communication system (protocol),
Today, G3 compatible with analog public networks and Integrated Services Digital Network (I)
G4 corresponding to SDN) is used together. However, G3 of the former is generally used.

As described above, fax is now established as an important means for transmitting information, and is widely used mainly in business. As the number of fax users has increased, various services have been required.

Many fax machines are either public switched telephone networks or public switched telephone networks (Public Switched Telephone Network:
PSTN) line. However, PS
Since TN is originally designed optimally for voice transmission, there is a limitation in transmission speed, and there is a restriction that a service for temporarily storing information in a network cannot be provided. To solve these problems, a fax server capable of storing and processing fax information has been installed in a network such as the Internet.

[0010] Conventional fax servers have handled only fax information. However, nowadays, in addition to telephone and fax, e-mail has become an important means of communication, so in addition to fax information, e-mail information can be handled, and fax and
Servers have become increasingly multifunctional. Moreover, fax
By connecting the servers with ISDN, the transmission speed is higher than that of the public telephone network.

Generally, a fax server is provided for managing and processing data transmitted and received by a plurality of fax machines. The fax server that can handle e-mail contains fax data and mail
A file box capable of storing data is provided. This is for binary data and text
This is a file box that can store data.

However, even if a conventional fax server is provided with a mail box for handling electronic mail, it has a function of storing home page data (mainly HTML data) on the Internet and a home page on the Internet.・ The function to access the page is not installed. For this reason, a fax machine cannot acquire information posted on a home page on the Internet from a conventional fax server.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and in addition to fax and e-mail, a function of accessing a home page on the Internet, By providing a data storage unit for acquiring and storing home page data, if a fax machine is available, fax, e-mail, and Internet-enabled fax
It is to provide a server device, a data acquisition method, and a format sheet.

[0014]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A fax server connected to a network for communicating with a fax machine, a modem group (115) comprising a plurality of modems connected to the network;
A first data conversion unit (217) for decoding encoded image data transmitted by the fax machine and converting the decoded image data into binary data, and text format data from the binary data converted by the first data conversion unit Text data extraction unit (203) that extracts characters as characters
A data acquisition signal transmission unit (229) for transmitting a data acquisition signal to a server having a universal resource locator indicated by the character extracted by the text data extraction unit; and the data acquisition signal is transmitted to a network. Gateway (117) that passes when
First data obtained from the server having the universal resource locator in the network and passing through the gateway and storing data on the universal resource locator including hypertext markup language format data Storage unit (205)
A second data conversion unit (2) that converts the data stored in the first data storage unit into binary data.
23) and a third data conversion unit (225) for converting the binary data converted by the second data conversion unit into encoded image data.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the first data converter (217), the second data converter (223), the third data converter (225), a fax number and a fax A fax server control section (201) for controlling a fax server, comprising: a number corresponding to a server address; an address correspondence section (227); the data acquisition signal transmission section (229); and a memory (231). A second data storage unit (207) for storing image data and text format data, and a third data storage unit (209) for storing text format data
And a search data storage unit (211) for storing data including hypertext markup language format data searched by the information search application.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the facsimile machine transmits encoded image data of a format sheet on which characters are written, and transmits the encoded image data to the first format. The text data extraction unit can extract characters by character recognition from a specific area of the binary data obtained by decoding by the data conversion unit (217).

The invention described in claim 4 is the first to third aspects of the present invention.
In either case, if the text data extraction unit fails to extract characters, a fax describing the content of the error can be sent to the fax machine.

The invention described in claim 5 is the first to third aspects of the present invention.
In any case, when the ID and password extracted by the text data extraction unit do not match the registered ID and password, sending a fax describing the content of the error to the fax machine. Can be.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, when transmitting a universal resource locator to a fax server, a step of using a format sheet for writing characters is provided. And the number (step S60).
1) Fetching the format paper as image data by a fax machine (Step S603), encoding the image data (Step S605), and transmitting the encoded image data from the fax machine to the fax server. (Step S60)
7) converting the encoded image data of the format paper received by the fax server (step S609) into binary data by decoding the encoded image data in the first data conversion unit (step S6).
11), extracting the universal resource locator from the binary format data as text format data using a text data extraction unit (step S613), and extracting the universal resource locator of the obtained text format data. Sending to the data acquisition signal transmission unit in the fax server control unit (step S623); accessing the server having the universal resource locator (step S625); Obtaining data on the specified universal resource locator including markup language format data (step S627), and storing the obtained data in the first data storage unit (step S629) , Step (step S631), the converted the binary data in the third to be converted to binary format data said data with a second data converter
Converting the encoded image data into encoded image data by the data conversion unit (step S633), and transmitting the converted encoded image data to the fax machine of the own station fax number written on the format sheet (step S633). Step S635) is provided.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect, the step of extracting characters written on the format sheet as text format data from the binary format data by the text data extraction unit (step S613) comprises: If it is not possible to extract the characters described on the format sheet, a fax describing the content of the error can be transmitted to the fax machine (step S637).

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, when the format sheet in which an ID and a password are written is transmitted from the fax machine to the fax server, the ID is converted from the binary format data of the format sheet. The password and the password are extracted as text format data, and the ID and the password are compared with the registered ID and password (step S619). If they do not match, a fax describing the content of the error is described. Can be transmitted to the fax machine (step S637).

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a format sheet (401) used for transmitting information from a fax machine to a fax server, wherein a mail address entry field (403) for entering a mail address is provided. ,
A universal resource locator entry field (405) for filling in the universal resource locator;
A second data storage unit of the fax server (207)
An information box address entry field (407) for entering an information box address used when registering information in the information and when acquiring information from the second data storage unit (207) of the fax server; 1st fax number entry field (40
9), an information search keyword entry column (411) for entering a keyword used for information retrieval, an ID entry column (417) for entering an ID, and a password entry column (419) for entering a password. It has.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ninth aspect, a check box for an e-mail address for entering a check in the e-mail address entry column and a check in the universal resource locator entry column are entered. A check box for a universal resource locator, a registration information box check box and an acquisition information box check box for checking a check box in the information box address entry column, and A first fax number check box for filling in a check in a fax number entry field, an information search check box for entering a check in the information search keyword entry field, the ID entry field and the password entry ID to fill in the column check And it may further include a password for the check box.

The invention according to claim 11 may further comprise a second fax number entry column (413) for entering a fax number in claim 9 or 10.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, a sheet number column indicating a type of a format sheet can be further provided.

[0026]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a fax server 10 of the present invention.
5 schematically shows an example of a system having a 5;

In FIG. 1, in this system, a fax machine or a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as a personal computer) 101 is connected to a fax server device 105 via a public telephone network 103. At this time, the connection between the public telephone network 103 and the fax server 105 is
A modem group 115 in the fax server 105 is used.

On the other hand, the fax servers are connected via the Internet or the intranet 107. The connection between the fax server 105 and the Internet or the intranet 107 uses a router or a gateway 117.

FIG. 2 shows the fax server 10 of the present invention.
5 shows the structure in FIG. Those having the same functions described in FIG. 1 are given the same numbers.

Referring to FIG. 2, the fax server 105
Is a fax server control unit 201 for controlling each function in the fax server 105, and a text for extracting characters such as alphanumeric characters, symbols, kana, and kanji as text data from image data transmitted from the fax machine. A data extraction unit 203, an HTML format data storage unit 205 that stores home page data (HTML data) essential for achieving the object of the present invention, and an information box unit that stores binary data and text data 207, a mailbox management unit 209 for storing mail data as text data, an information search engine unit 211 for storing HTML data of the searched home page, and a connection point between the fax server and the Internet. A gateway or router 11
7 and a modem group 115 including a plurality of modems.

In particular, the fax server control unit 20
Reference numeral 1 denotes a first data conversion unit 21 that decodes MH or MR encoded image data and converts the image data into binary data.
7 and the second for converting HTML data into binary data
A data conversion unit 223, a third data conversion unit 225 for converting MH or MR coding of binary data to facsimile data, and an access instruction unit 229 for instructing access to the Internet or an intranet.
And an address table section 22 in which area codes of fax numbers correspond to addresses of fax servers.
9 and a memory 231 for storing data.

The fax server 105 is a local area network (LAN).
Can be connected to the LAN network 219. A plurality of computers may be connected to the LAN. Each of the parts 201 to 211 described above may be connected to a single fax server device or to another computer or work station connected to the fax server via a LAN.
Parallel processing is also possible on the station 221.

The modem group 115 can select one from several types of modems. SOHO (Smal
l Commercial fax modems using the Office Home Office version, intelligent modems using the enterprise version, and multi-line intelligent modems using the provider version are 1 line, 1 line, and 3 lines respectively.
More than lines (however, up to 32 lines) can be connected.

In a commercially available fax modem, transmission and reception of fax data is processed by a fax server. In an intelligent modem, transmission and reception of fax data are handled by the modem, and data exchange can be decided immediately. In a multi-line intelligent modem, transmission and reception of fax data are processed by the modem, and data exchange and scheduling can be determined immediately. In particular, since the multi-line intelligent modem can process multiple lines, the multi-line intelligent modem is preferably used in this embodiment. In this multi-line intelligent modem, transmission or reception can be set for each line. In addition, a line on the receiving side is provided with a judging unit, and an empty line is automatically determined to enable efficient reception.

The data transmitted by the fax machine 101 in this way passes through the public telephone network 103,
It is connected to the fax server 105 through a modem in the modem group 115. The data transfer protocol for transmission from the fax machine to the fax server and from the fax server to the fax machine is an international standard G
Three standards are used. When the data received by the fax server needs to be transmitted to another fax machine, the data is transmitted to the Internet or an intranet 10.
7, and transmits the data to a designated fax machine or personal computer after the fax server 105 performs a predetermined process.

The data format when data passes through the public telephone network 103 and the Internet 107 is different from each other. The data read by the fax machine 101 is binary data. Usually fax machine 10
When transmitting from G1 to the public telephone network 103, if G3, the binary data is transmitted as MH or MR encoded data. When the encoded data is received by the fax server 105, the received data is decoded and converted into binary data.

When data subjected to predetermined processing in the fax server 105 flows on the Internet 107, the data format does not matter. Then, when data is transmitted from the fax server 105 to the fax machine 101, MH or MR encoded data is transmitted.

FIG. 4 shows a format sheet 401 used in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a format sheet 401 used when transmitting data from a fax server 105 to a fax server 105.

Referring to FIG. 4, format paper 401
From the fax machine 101 to the fax server 105
By making a request to the fax server 1
05 is obtained by transmitting the format sheet 401 to the fax machine 101 of the billing source. It is also possible to broadcast simultaneously by posting the format sheet 401 on the home page.

The format sheet 401 is provided with a plurality of entry fields. To send an e-mail, enter the other party's e-mail address column 403. To acquire home page data, enter the home page address column 405.
When registering information in the fax server 105,
Alternatively, the information is entered in the information box number column 407 when acquiring information from the fax server 105, in the fax number column 409 when transmitting to a specific fax machine 101, and in the information search entry column 411 when retrieving information on the Internet 107. , Check boxes 423 and 4 on the left, respectively.
After checking the boxes 25, 427, 428, 429, and 431, the necessary addresses or numbers are entered or printed. At this time, entry of the address or the number on the format sheet 401 may be handwritten. It is also possible to specify a plurality of destinations, for example, each address or number can be separated by a comma “,”.

When the image data of the format sheet 401 on which the address or the number is entered is transmitted from the fax machine 101 to the fax server 105, the fax server 105 receives this. Since the received data is MH or MR encoded by the fax machine 101, it is decoded by the first data conversion unit 217 in the fax server 105 and converted into binary data. From the converted binary data,
Text data is extracted by the data extracting unit 203. In this way, the number or address written on the format sheet 401 is extracted, and a universal resource locator (Universal Resource L) which is a fax number, an e-mail address or a home page address is extracted.
ocator: URL) or Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

However, when text data cannot be extracted from the binary data on the format sheet 401 by the text data extraction unit 203, that is, when a character matching the text is not found in the binary data analysis, , The fax machine 101 which has transmitted the error-caused content from the fax server 105
Send to This is commanded by the fax server control 201.

A method for determining that the text data extracting unit 203 cannot extract text data will be described below. When the text data extraction unit 203 extracts the binary data of the format sheet 401 and there is a character that does not match the character of the text data registered in advance, the text data extraction unit 20
3 is determined to be impossible to extract. Also, always use a symbol called an at sign in your email address

[0045]

[Outside 1]

Then, a certain "domain name (com, ed
u, gov, jp, uk, co, ac, or, go, etc.) ". And in the case of URL, in addition to these, "http: //"
Is always included. Therefore, when a character that does not match the registered text data character exists in the characters entered in the mail address entry column 403 or the home page address entry column 405 extracted by the text data extraction unit 203. Is incomplete as an address or a URL.
01 is considered an error because it is determined.

The format sheet 401 is provided with a check box 423 and the like. Various methods can be considered for the check to be entered in the check column 423 and the like. For example, when black pixels occupy a certain area or more in the check box 423 or the like from the binary data of the format sheet 401, the fax server control unit 201 determines that the check box 423 or the like is checked.

When the fax server control unit 201 determines that the check box 423 and the like are checked, the fax server control unit 201 converts the text data from the binary data in the check box and the own office fax number entry box 413 into a text file.
It instructs the text / data extractor 203 to extract data. The text data extracted by the text data extraction unit 203 is stored in the fax server control unit 20.
1 is stored in the memory 231.

The own station fax number entry field 413 in the above-mentioned format sheet 401 can be omitted. In this case, the received fax machine can acquire the own station fax number by a method such as a number display. Your fax number entry field 41
3 itself can be provided, and the entry of the own station fax number can be omitted.

The embodiment disclosed in this specification is a method using the format sheet 401, but a method using a voice recognition method can also be executed.

Next, various functions using the fax server 105 will be described.

(The home page data is transferred to the fax machine 1
The case where the home page data is received by the fax machine 101 using the fax server 105 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3, 6, and 7.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram when the home page data is acquired by the fax machine 101, and FIG.
Shows a flowchart on the fax machine side when the home page data is acquired by the fax machine 101,
FIG. 7 shows the home page data stored in the fax machine 101.
4 shows a flowchart on the fax server side when acquiring by the FAX.

In FIG. 3, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the check box 425 for the home page address on the format sheet 401 is checked, and the URL is entered in the home page address entry field 405 using characters as the home page address. Is entered, and the fax number of the own station is entered in the own station fax entry field 413 (step S601). However, by using the number display method as described above, the entry of the own station fax number can be omitted. If necessary, an ID and a password are also entered in an ID entry field 417 and a password entry field 419. The fax machine 101 reads the format sheet 401 on which these are written as binary data (step S603), encodes it into MH or MR (step S605), and transmits it to the fax server (step S607).

The fax server 105 receives the encoded data of the format sheet 401 via the modem group 115 (step S609), and the first data conversion unit 2
17 (FIG. 3). The first data conversion unit 217 decodes this and converts it into binary data (step S6).
11), and send it to text / data extraction section 203 (FIG. 3).
). From the binary data, characters written or printed on the format sheet 401 as text data are extracted using the text data extraction unit 203 (step S613). At this time, if the ID / password check box 438 is checked, the ID and the password are also determined. Next, the extracted text data, that is, the home page address (UR
L) to the access instruction unit 229 in the fax server control unit 201 (step S623, FIG. 3), and the access instruction unit 229 accesses the specified URL on the Internet 107 via the router 117 (step S625, FIG. 3).

As a result of the access, the hyper text
Hyper Text Markup Language: HT
Data is obtained in ML) format. The obtained HTML data is stored in the HTML format data acquisition unit 205 (step S629) and sent to the second data conversion unit 223 (FIG. 3). Then, the second data conversion unit 223 performs HT
After converting the ML data into binary data (step S631), the data is sent to the third data conversion unit 225 (FIG. 3).
), The MH or MR encoding is performed by the third data converter 225 (633), and transmitted to the own station fax number 413 described on the format sheet 401 via the modem group 115 (step S635, FIG. 3). However, as described above, when the own station fax number is obtained by a method such as a number display, the obtained number can be used.

However, when the text data extraction unit 203 cannot extract the text data from the binary data on the format sheet 401, when the ID and the password are used, and when they do not match,
If the ML data cannot be acquired, the fax machine 101 of the transmission source sends a fax stating that an error has occurred.
(Step S637). This is a fax
Commanded by the server control unit 201.

(When Information on Internet 107 is Searched and Data is Acquired) Information on the Internet 107 is searched using the fax server 105 of the present invention, and data is acquired by the fax machine 101. The case will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process of retrieving information on the Internet 107 and acquiring data, and FIG.
The flowchart on the fax server side which shows the case where the above information is searched and data is acquired is shown.

Check the information search check box 431 on the format sheet 401, and enter the word (written in kanji, kana, alphanumeric, and special characters) and the local station fax number 413 to be searched in the information search entry box 411. Fill in (step S701). However, by using the number display method as described above,
Entering your own fax number can be omitted. If there are a plurality of words to be searched, for example, separate them with commas “,” and enter the fax number of the sender. At this time, an ID and a password are also entered if necessary. The facsimile machine reads the format sheet on which these are entered as image data (step S703),
This is MH or MR encoded (step S705),
The data is transmitted to the fax server (step S707).

When the fax server 105 receives the encoded data on the format sheet 401 (step S709), the first data conversion unit 217 decodes the received data and converts it into binary data (step S71).
1). Then, text data is extracted from the binary data using the text data extraction unit 203,
Obtain a search word and a fax number (step S7)
13). Next, the obtained word is sent to the access instruction unit 229 (step S723), and the access instruction unit 229 accesses an Internet search engine page such as Yahoo (step S725), and outputs the HTML data as the search result. obtain. At this time, if the ID / password check box 438 is checked,
The ID and the password are also determined.

The obtained HTML data is stored in the information search engine unit 211 (step S729). This is converted into a binary data from the HTML data by the second data conversion unit 223.
After the conversion into data (step S731), the third data conversion unit 225 encodes the binary data by MH or MR (step S733). Finally, the encoded search data is transmitted to the own station fax number 413 described on the format sheet 401 or obtained by a method such as a number display (step S735).

However, if the text data extraction unit 203 cannot extract the text data from the binary data on the format sheet 401, the ID and the password are used, and if they do not match, the Internet search engine・ If you could not access the page or did not find any information as a result of the search,
A facsimile indicating that an error has occurred is transmitted to the transmitting fax machine (step S737). This is commanded by the fax server control 201.

FIG. 10 shows a case where the data from the fax machine 101 is transmitted as an electronic mail using the fax server 105 of the present invention. In FIG. 10, step S
Steps 801 to S807 indicate processing on the fax machine 101 side, and steps from step S809 to end indicate processing on the fax server 105 side.

In FIG. 10, format paper 401
Check the e-mail address check box 423.
The other party's e-mail address is entered in the e-mail address entry column 403 using characters (step S801). At this time, if an ID and a password are used, the user checks the check box 438 and writes the ID and password in the ID entry field 417 and the password entry field 419, respectively. The format sheet 401 in which the mail address is entered and the text are read as image data (step S803), MH or MR encoded (step S805), and transmitted from the fax machine 101 to the fax server 105 (step S807).

When the fax server 105 receives the encoded data on the format sheet 401 (step S809), the first data conversion unit 223 decodes the received data and converts it into binary data (step S809).
811). Next, the text data extraction unit 203 extracts text data from the converted format paper data (step S813), and
Obtain the address entered in 1. At this time, if the ID / password check box 438 is checked, the ID and the password are also determined.

The determined ID and password are checked to see if they match those registered in the account table in the fax server control unit 201 or a table in another terminal (step S819). I
If D and the password match, or if the ID and password are not used, the other party's mail address is registered in the header of the mail to be transmitted.

Next, when the format sheet 401 is transmitted from the fax machine 101,
Bitmap (BMP) file or JPEG (Join
t Photographic coding Experts Group) and GIF (Gr.
After converting to an aphics Interchange Format file, etc., send the other party's e-mail address and text
29 (step S823), and sends it to the destination fax server 105 or mail server (step S825).

However, if the text data extraction unit 203 cannot extract text data from the binary data on the format sheet 401, if the ID and password do not match, or if transmission is impossible, an error occurs. Fax machine 10 that sends a fax stating that
1 (step S827). This is commanded by the fax server control 201.

In this embodiment, when an electronic mail is transmitted, if the text is a BMP file, it is transmitted as an attached file. However, it is also possible to convert the text into a text file and send it. At this time, the content data is extracted as text data by the text data extraction unit 203.

(When receiving a mail with a fax machine)
Hereinafter, using the fax server 105 of the present invention,
When receiving an e-mail by the fax machine 101, when not using the mailbox,
The case where a mailbox is used is divided into two cases. A case where a mailbox is not used will be described with reference to FIG. 11 and a case where a mailbox is used will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the fax machine when the mail is received by the fax machine.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the process performed by the fax server when the mail is received by the fax machine.

[When not Using Mailbox] In FIGS. 11 and 12, the fax server 105 is used.
Is not used, the electronic mail is automatically received by the fax machine 101 via the fax server 105. An e-mail is transmitted from the source server to the destination fax server via the Internet 107. The destination fax server sends the temporary mail to the fax server control unit 201.
The e-mail is stored in the memory 231 and the destination facsimile number is read from the mail, and then the second data converter 223 converts the e-mail from text data to binary data. Then, the binary data converted by the third data conversion unit 225 is MH or MR encoded, and the mail data is transmitted to the fax machine 101 of the fax number added to the electronic mail.

Since this function does not require a mail box or a personal mail account, it is intended mainly for general users who have a facsimile.

[Using Mailbox] Next, when using the mailbox provided in the fax server 105, the user who is the recipient must actively access the fax server 105. No. The user who wants to receive the e-mail enters his / her own e-mail address and his / her own facsimile number using characters in his / her own facsimile number entry field 413 of the format sheet 401, and enters the ID entry field 417 and password entry field 419 An ID and a password are entered (step S901). However, by using the number display method as described above, the entry of the own station fax number can be omitted. The fax machine 101 reads the format sheet 401 on which these are entered as image data (step S903),
Alternatively, MR encoding is performed (step S905), and transmitted to the fax server 105 (step S907).

Upon receiving the encoded data of the format sheet 401 (step S909), the first data conversion unit 217 decodes the data and converts it into binary data (step S911). After extracting characters as text data from the binary data using the text data extraction unit 203 (step S91)
3) The extracted data is sent to the fax server control unit 2
01 in the memory 231.

On the other hand, the extracted ID and password are stored in the memory 231 in the facsimile server control unit 201 to confirm the coincidence with the registered ID and password.
Is sent to the mail box management unit (step S9).
17). If the corresponding ID has an ID / password table in the terminal connected on the LAN,
From the box to the terminal, if in another provider I
D. If there is a password table, send it from the mail box to the provider. After confirming whether the ID and the password match the registered ID and the password (step S921), an inquiry about whether the mail has arrived at the mail server having the ID is sent to the mail server.
This is performed by the box management unit (step S923). However, when the mail is in the mail box management unit, an inquiry is made internally. As a result of the inquiry, if the mail has arrived, the mail is extracted and stored in the mail box management unit (step S927). However, when the mail is in the mail box management unit, there is no movement of the mail.

Next, after the mail is converted from text data to binary data by the second data converter 223 (step S929), the third data converter 225 encodes the MH or MR data (step S931). Then, the mail data is transmitted to the destination of the own office fax number described on a format sheet or obtained by a method such as a number display (step S933).

However, the binary data of the format sheet 401 is converted to a text data by the text data extraction unit 203.
If it cannot be extracted as data, if the ID and password do not match, or if the mail has not arrived, a fax describing that an error has occurred is transmitted to the fax machine 101 of the transmission source (step S935). This is commanded by the fax server control 201.

(In the case of acquiring or registering data from the information box on the Internet server) Hereinafter, data is registered in the information box using the fax server 105 of the present invention, and the fax server is registered using the fax machine 101. The case of acquiring data from the information box 105 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, FIG. 15 and FIG.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart of the facsimile machine 101 showing the case of registering data from the information box on the Internet server. FIG. 14 shows the case of registering data from the information box on the Internet server. 4 shows a flowchart on the fax server 105 side.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart of the fax machine 101 showing the case where data is obtained from the information box on the Internet server. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart on the server 105 side.

The information box is a box provided with a memory for storing personal or public information. The user of the fax server 105 of the present invention can easily provide and share information by using this information box. Data to be registered in the information box may be binary data or text data. Therefore, there are two types of data in the information box.

[When Registering Data in Information Box]
Check the check box 427 for information box registration on the format sheet 401, and enter the information box number, text, and title (written in kanji, kana characters, alphanumeric characters, and special characters) in the information box entry column 407. Then, the user enters the own station fax number in the own station fax number entry column 413 (step S1001). However, by using the number display method as described above, the entry of the own station fax number can be omitted. If necessary, enter an ID and a password. The format sheet 401 on which these are entered is read as image data (step S1003), and this is MH or MR encoded (step S1005) and transmitted to the fax server 105 (step S100).
7).

Upon receiving the encoded data of the format sheet 401 (step S1009), the first data converter 217 decodes the data and converts it into binary data (step S1011). And this binary
Characters written on the format sheet 401 are extracted from the data using the text / data extracting unit 203 (step S1013) and stored in the designated information box (step S1023).

However, if the text data extraction unit 203 cannot extract the text data from the binary data on the format sheet 401, or if the ID and password are used and they do not match, an error will occur. The facsimile describing the occurrence is transmitted to the fax machine 101 of the transmission source (step S1025). This is commanded by the fax server control 201.

[When Information is Acquired from Information Box]
The user checks the information box acquisition check box 428 of the format sheet 401, enters the information box number, data, and title in the information box entry box 407, and enters the own station fax number in the own station fax number field 413 (step S1011). However, by using the number display method as described above, the entry of the own station fax number can be omitted. At this time, it is possible to select whether to retrieve only the title list of the information or to retrieve the data. If necessary, enter an ID and a password. The format sheet on which these are entered is read as image data (step S11).
03), and this is MH or MR encoded (step S1).
105), and transmits it to the fax server 105 (step S1107).

After receiving the encoded data of the format sheet 401 (step S1109), the first data converter 217 decodes the data and converts it into binary data (step S1111). And this binary
Characters written on the format sheet 401 as text data are extracted from the data using the text data extraction unit 203 (step S1113), and the extracted information box number is notified to the information box to obtain information (step S1123). . Since the obtained information is binary data or text data, if it is text data, it is converted into binary data by the second data conversion unit 223 (step S1127). Next, binary
The data is MH or MR encoded by the third data converter 225 (step S1129), and the format paper 401
To the local office fax number entered in or obtained by a method such as a number display (step S
1131).

However, when the text data extraction unit 203 cannot extract the text data from the binary data of the format sheet 401, the ID and the password are used, and the ID and the password are registered.
Fax machine 10 that sent a fax stating that an error occurred when the password did not match D and the password
1 (step S1133). This is commanded by the fax server control 201.

(Case of Transmission from Fax Machine to Destination Fax Machine via Internet) Hereinafter, a case where the fax server 105 of the present invention is used to transmit from the fax machine 101 to the destination fax machine via the Internet 107 will be described. FIG. 17, FIG. 18 and FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart on the side of the fax machine 101 showing transmission from the fax machine 101 to the destination fax machine via the Internet 107. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the destination fax machine from the fax machine 101 via the Internet 107. FIG. 19 is a flowchart on the source fax server 105 side showing transmission to the destination fax server 105 showing transmission from the fax machine 101 to the destination fax machine via the Internet 107. .

17, FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, a fax number entry field 429 of the format sheet 401.
Is checked, and the fax number of the destination is entered in the fax number entry field 409 (step S1201).
If necessary, enter an ID and a password.
The format sheet 401 on which these are entered is read as image data (step S1203), and the
Alternatively, MR encoding is performed (step S1205) and transmitted to the fax server 105 (step S1207).

After receiving the encoded data of the format sheet 401 (step S1209), the first data converter 217 decodes the data and converts it into binary data (step S1211). Then, from the binary data, the other party's fax number written on the format sheet as text data is extracted using the text data extraction unit 203 (step S121).
3). However, the text may be binary data.

Next, the fax server address is converted from the analyzed area code of the other party's fax number (step S1233). This is the fax
Address table unit 227 in server control unit 201
The fax server 10 closest to the destination fax machine 101 from the area code 510 of the fax number.
5 is converted to a mail address 520.
For example, assume that the area code 510 of the transmitted fax number is 011 in Sapporo in Hokkaido. At this time, in the phone book,

[0095]

[Outside 2]

Assuming that the fax server address 520 corresponds, the transmission source fax server adds the body of binary data as an attached file and sends the mail with the fax number information of the other party.

[0097]

[Outside 3]

Internet 1 to fax server
07.

The destination fax server, the destination fax number and the text are sent to the access instruction unit 229 (step S1225), and the data is sent to the destination fax server via the router or gateway 117 as an attached file with the text (step S1227). ).

When the destination fax server receives the data (step S1229), the data is temporarily stored in the information box 207 (step S123).
1). The fax server 105 extracts the other party's fax number from the mail information received by the destination fax server (step S1233), encodes the text transmitted as an attached file with MH or MR (step S1235), and sends the destination fax number. (Step S1237).

However, when the text data extraction unit 203 cannot extract the text data from the binary data on the format sheet 401, the ID and the password are used, and these are registered with the registered ID and the password. If not, a facsimile describing that an error has occurred is transmitted to the fax machine 101 of the transmission source (step S1239). This is commanded by the fax server control 201.

As other functions, a server maintenance function and a remote maintenance function are provided. This is for managing the fax server 105 from a personal computer on hand.

The format sheet 401 used in the present invention has a check box 423 and the like.
Etc., and the corresponding entry fields 40 for the address etc.
The address etc. are entered in 3rd mag. However, such a check column 423 and the like need not always be used.

FIG. 20 shows a format sheet 2000 using a sheet number 2010 (for example, 110112) instead of the check box 423 or the like.

In FIG. 20, portions denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4 have the same functions, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. The format paper 2000 can be customized on the user's side, adding formats and items,
Can be deleted or changed. Format paper 2000
Is the sheet number 20 of the format paper 2000.
It is possible by using 10. Sheet number 201
Although 0 is at the lower right in FIG. 20, the position is not limited to the lower right.

Transmission 2001 indicates transmission of mail, reception 2003 indicates reception of mail, list 2005 indicates a list of mails, and number 2007 indicates transmission / reception of mails or numbers assigned to the list. The broadcast destination 2110 indicates the destination of the broadcast of the mail, the CC 2120 indicates the destination of the copy of the mail (Carbon Copy: CC), the title 2130 indicates the subject of the mail,
The personal address 2140 indicates the mail address of the person sending the mail, the mail ID 2150 indicates the ID (identification symbol) attached to the mail, and the mail password 2
Reference numeral 160 denotes a password attached to the mail.

The contents list 2201 shows the contents list of the home page, the number 2205 shows the number assigned to the contents list of the home page, the search character 2210 shows the character to be searched, and the search expression 2220 shows Shows conditional expressions for searching.

Acquisition 2301 indicates acquisition of data from the information box, offer 2303 indicates provision of data to the information box, list 2305 indicates acquisition of a list of information box guidance, and title 2310 indicates information box guidance. Indicates the title given to access to.

The format of the above-described format sheet 2000 can be easily determined by the text / data extracting unit 203 based on the sheet number 2010, and data such as an address can be extracted.

Further, even when there is no sheet number 2010, the text data extracted by the text data extraction unit 203 is compared with a plurality of format paper patterns prepared in advance to determine which one. It can be determined whether the sheet is a format sheet. Therefore, the sheet number 20 such as the check box 423
Even in the case of 10 or a format sheet having no character frame or the like, the text data extraction unit 203 of the present invention can extract the entered data.

[0111]

As described above, according to the fax server 105 of the present invention, if the fax machine 101 is provided, the text data extraction unit of the fax server 105 can be written simply by entering the home page address on the format sheet 401 or the like. 203 extracts the home page address, the fax server control unit 201 accesses the analyzed home page address, obtains the data, and the second data conversion unit 223 transmits the obtained data by fax. The home page data on the Internet 107 is obtained only by the fax machine 101 and the fax server 105 without a personal computer by converting the data into a format that can be transmitted to the fax machine 101 of the transmission source. You can search for the above information. Normal fax communication and e-mail are also possible.

Therefore, even if there is no personal computer or the personal computer cannot be operated, if the fax machine 101 is provided, the service using the Internet 107 can be received via the fax server 105 of the present invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire system including a fax server of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of a fax server according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a case where home page data is acquired by a fax machine.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a format sheet.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a database format in an address table unit.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a case in which home page data is acquired by a fax machine, on the fax machine side.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart on the fax server side showing a case where home page data is acquired by a fax machine.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a fax machine which shows a case of searching for information on the Internet and acquiring data.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process of retrieving information on the Internet and acquiring data, which is performed by the fax server.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a case where a mail is transmitted by a fax machine.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a fax machine which shows a case where a mail is received by the fax machine.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart on the fax server side showing a case where a mail is received by a fax machine.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart on the fax machine side showing a case where data is registered from the information box on the Internet server.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart on the fax server side showing a case where data is registered from the information box on the Internet server.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart on the fax machine side showing the case of acquiring data from the information box on the Internet server.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart on the fax server side showing a case where data is obtained from the information box on the Internet server.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a case in which a fax machine transmits data to a destination fax machine via the Internet.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart on the source fax server side showing a case where a fax machine transmits a fax to a destination fax machine via the Internet.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart on the destination fax server side showing a case where the fax is transmitted from the fax machine to the destination fax machine via the Internet.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a format sheet.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 Fax machine or personal computer 103 Public telephone network 105 Fax server 107 Internet or intranet 115 Modem group 117 Router or gateway 201 Fax server control unit 203 Text data extraction unit 205 HTML data storage unit 207 Information box unit 209 Mail -Box management unit 211 Information search engine unit 217 First data conversion unit 219 Local area network (LAN) 221 Computer or work station 223 Second data conversion unit 225 Third data conversion unit 227 Address table unit 229 Access instruction Section 231 Memory 401, 2000 Format paper 403 E-mail address entry field 423 Check for e-mail address • Box 405 Home page address entry field 425 Home page address check box 407 Information box number entry field 427 Information box number check box 409 Destination fax number entry field 429 Destination fax number check box 411 Information Search entry field 431 Information search check box 413 Own station fax number 417 ID entry field 438 ID / password check box 419 Password entry field 2010 Sheet number 2110 Broadcast address 2120 CC 2130, 2310 Title 2140 Personal address 2150 Email ID 2160 Email password 2210 Search character 2220 Search formula

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification symbol FI H04L 12/58 H04N 1/32 Z H04M 11/00 302 H04L 11/20 101B H04N 1/32

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A fax server connected to a network for communicating with a fax machine, comprising: a modem group (115) comprising a plurality of modems connected to the network; and a coded modem transmitted by the fax machine. A first data conversion unit (217) for decoding image data and converting the binary data into binary data; and a text data extraction unit for extracting characters as text data from the binary data converted by the first data conversion unit. (203); a data acquisition signal transmission unit (229) for transmitting a data acquisition signal to a server having a universal resource locator indicated by the character extracted by the text data extraction unit; A gateway (117) that is passed when transmitted to First data obtained from the server having the universal resource locator in the network and passing through the gateway and storing data on the universal resource locator including hypertext markup language format data Storage unit (205)
A second data conversion unit (22) that converts the data stored in the first data storage unit into binary data.
A fax server, comprising: (3) a third data conversion unit (225) for converting the binary data converted by the second data conversion unit into encoded image data. 2. The fax server according to claim 1, wherein the first data converter (217), the second data converter (223), the third data converter (225), a fax number and a fax number. A number / address correspondence unit (227) corresponding to a server address, the data acquisition signal transmission unit (229), and a memory (231);
A fax server control unit (201) for controlling the fax server; a second data storage unit (207) for storing image data and text format data; and a third data storage unit (20) for storing text format data
9) A fax server further comprising: a search data storage unit (211) for storing data including hypertext markup language format data searched by the information search application. 3. The fax server according to claim 1, wherein the fax machine transmits encoded image data of a format sheet on which characters are written, and transmits the encoded image data to the first data. Conversion unit (217)
A fax server, wherein the text data extraction unit extracts characters by character recognition from a specific area of binary format data obtained by decoding. 4. The fax server according to claim 1, wherein when the text data extraction unit fails to extract characters, a fax describing the content of the error is sent to the fax machine. A fax server characterized by transmitting. 5. The fax server according to claim 1, wherein the ID and password extracted by the text data extraction unit are registered.
And a fax server which, if the password does not match, sends a fax describing the content of the error to the fax machine. 6. A method for transmitting a universal resource locator to a fax server using a format sheet for writing characters, wherein the universal resource locator and a local fax number are entered. (S601) The format paper is captured as image data by a fax machine (S60).
3) encoding the image data;
5) transmitting the encoded image data from the fax machine to the fax server (S60).
7) received by the fax server (S609)
The encoded image data on the format paper is stored in the first
(S611) converting the universal resource locator from the binary format data into text format data using a text data extraction unit, and (S613) converting the universal resource locator from the binary format data to text format data. Sending the universal resource locator of the obtained text format data to a data acquisition signal transmission unit in the fax server control unit (S623); and the data acquisition signal transmission unit has the universal resource locator. Accessing a server (S625); obtaining data on the specified universal resource locator including hypertext markup language format data (S627); 1 Storing the data in a data storage unit (S629), converting the data into binary format data in a second data conversion unit (S631), encoding the converted binary format data in a third data conversion unit Converting the converted image data into (S6)
33) transmitting the encoded image data thus converted to a fax machine having a local fax number written on a format sheet; and (S635). 7. The data acquiring method according to claim 6, wherein the text data extracting unit extracts the characters written on the format sheet from the binary format data as text format data (S61).
3) The method of acquiring data, wherein, if the characters described on the format sheet cannot be extracted, a fax describing the content of the error is transmitted to the fax machine (S637). 8. The data acquisition method according to claim 6, wherein when the format sheet in which an ID and a password are entered is transmitted from the fax machine to the fax server, the ID and password are converted from the binary format data of the format sheet. The password is extracted as text format data, and the ID and the password are collated with the registered ID and password (S6).
19) The data acquisition method according to claim 4, wherein, if they do not match, a facsimile describing the content of the error is transmitted to the fax machine (S637). 9. A format sheet (4) used when transmitting information from a fax machine to a fax server.
01), an e-mail address entry column (403) for entering an e-mail address, a universal resource locator entry column (405) for entering a universal resource locator, 2 data storage unit (207)
An information box address entry field (407) for entering an information box address used when registering information in the information server and when acquiring information from the second data storage unit (207) of the fax server; A first fax number entry column (409) for entering a password, an information retrieval keyword entry column (411) for entering a keyword used for information retrieval, an ID entry column (417) for entering an ID, and a password And a password entry field (419) for entering a password. 10. The format sheet according to claim 9, wherein a check box for an e-mail address for entering a check in the e-mail address entry column and a check for the universal resource locator entry column are entered. A universal resource locator check box, a registration information box check box and an acquisition information box check box for checking the information box address entry field, and the first fax number. A check box for a first fax number for filling in a check in an entry column, a check box for information search for filling in a check in the information search keyword entry column, and a check box for an ID entry and the password entry column To fill in the check A format sheet further comprising an ID and a password check box. 11. A format sheet according to claim 9, wherein a second fax number is entered.
A format sheet further comprising a fax number entry field (413). 12. The format sheet according to claim 9, further comprising a sheet number column indicating a type of the format sheet.