JPH11220599A - Facsimile adaptor and facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a facsimile adaptor and facsimile equipment by which data are surely sent, for which a dial-up function is provided and by which consecutive nonarrival data by conventional facsimile communication or an electronic mail are prevented. SOLUTION: A route decision 51 for a communication management section 5 decides whether image data are to be sent via internet or to be sent directly via a telephone line 100, to a destination terminal based on destination information. When the transmission via the internet is decided, a dial-up section 6 makes dial-up connection to an access point based on set information. Then the data stored in a data storage section 3 are sent together with an electronic mail address. In the case that a non-arrival message reaches, a transmission discrimination section 53 allows a connection control section 8 to dial a destination telephone number. Then the data stored in the data storage section 3 are sent to the destination terminal as facsimile data via a FAX data modem 81.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile adapter having a dial-up function and a function of transmitting data from a facsimile apparatus to the Internet, and a facsimile apparatus including such a function of the facsimile adapter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to transmit facsimile data from an information terminal device such as a personal computer to an analog telephone line, a facsimile / data modem (FA) is generally used.
X data modem). Call processing is performed by facsimile transmission / reception software (FAX software) installed in the information terminal device.
The text data and the image data in the information terminal device are converted into codes for facsimile communication and the facsimile communication procedure is executed, so that facsimile data transmission / reception with the other party's facsimile device or information terminal device is realized.

In such information terminal equipment, FA
It is also possible to connect to the Internet via an X data modem. Connect to the Internet with a dial-up adapter provided by the operating system of the information terminal device, and send text data or image data by e-mail using the e-mail software (e-mail software) installed on the information terminal device. Can be. In that case, the image data is often transmitted as an e-mail attached file.

It is convenient if the functions realized by the information terminal device and the FAX data modem as described above can be realized also in a facsimile machine. In other words, if a modem capable of performing data communication is prepared and image data read by the facsimile apparatus can be transmitted by the normal facsimile communication, and image data can be transmitted via the Internet, the communication means can be selected. Can be expanded.

[0005]

However, if the functions realized by the information terminal device and the FAX data modem as described above are directly applied to the facsimile apparatus, the functions originally provided by the facsimile apparatus are not sufficiently provided. I can't use it. For example, in an information terminal device, an e-mail is realized by e-mail software. Therefore, when an e-mail attached with an image data file is not delivered, the e-mail software displays a non-delivery message on a screen. Then, an attempt is made to send the e-mail to the same destination by the user's re-operation or automatically. However, since the mail transmission route does not generally change, there is a possibility that the e-mail will not be delivered again. Also, facsimile communication of image data is realized by FAX software, but if the facsimile communication is not completed normally,
The FAX software attempts to resend the image data to the same destination. However, when facsimile communication is not completed normally, the partner terminal is often down,
The retransmission of the image data may not be completed normally again. If the function realized by such an information terminal device and a FAX data modem is applied to a facsimile apparatus as it is, there is a possibility that non-delivery of data may be continued by e-mail or ordinary facsimile communication.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile adapter and a facsimile apparatus having a dial-up function capable of reliably transmitting data. .

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A facsimile adapter and a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention include a data storage unit for storing data to be transmitted, a connection control unit for modulating and demodulating data and controlling line connection, and a dial-up connection. Instructs the dial-up unit performing control and dial-up connection to the access point to the dial-up unit, and transmits the data stored in the data storage unit to the access point. And a communication management unit for causing the connection control unit to make a call to the telephone number of the destination terminal and for transmitting the data stored in the data storage unit to the connection control unit by facsimile. In the facsimile adapter and the facsimile device, when facsimile transmission is specified, the communication control unit causes the connection control unit to make a call to the telephone number of the destination terminal and stores the data in the data storage unit in the connection control unit. The data stored in the data storage unit may be transmitted to the access point by transmitting the stored data by facsimile and, when a communication error occurs in the facsimile transmission, activating the dial-up unit. The facsimile adapter is
A dial number storage unit for storing the destination telephone number input from the user interface unit in association with the corresponding e-mail address and information for specifying the access point, wherein the communication management unit transmits data to the access point Is not delivered, the destination telephone number of the corresponding destination is extracted from the dial number storage unit, and the connection control unit performs facsimile transmission based on the destination telephone number. Good.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a facsimile adapter according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the facsimile adapter 1 is a facsimile machine 20 connected to the facsimile adapter 1.
0, a facsimile interface unit (FAX interface unit) 2, which stores the data transmitted by the facsimile apparatus 200, a user interface unit 4, which inputs a user command, and a communication management unit 5, which manages communication. , A dial-up unit 6 for realizing a dial-up function, a data buffer 7, and a connection control unit 8. Note that the facsimile machine 200 and the FA
The connection with the X interface unit 2 may be, for example, a direct connection by a wire drawn from a line connection unit of the facsimile apparatus 200, or a connection via a PBX or a key telephone.

A communication management unit 5 includes a route determination unit 51 for determining whether communication is performed via the Internet or facsimile communication directly with a terminal via a telephone line 50, and a communication history unit for storing a communication result of each communication. 52, and a transmission determination unit 53 that determines whether to perform retransmission or the like based on the communication history stored in the communication history unit 52. The connection control unit 8 includes a FAX data modem 81 that modulates and demodulates facsimile data and other data, and a line interface unit 82 that accommodates the telephone line 100.

Next, the operation will be described. When facsimile transmission is performed from the facsimile apparatus 200, the user starts a transmission operation by, for example, pressing a speed dial whose telephone number of the other party has been registered. Here, when the user wants to transmit image data via the Internet,
Press a specific key prepared on the operation panel before pressing the speed dial. Alternatively, a specific symbol may be input together with the other party's telephone number when registering the speed dial. In either case, when the user performs an operation to transmit via the Internet, information specifying the Internet transmission is transferred to the facsimile adapter 1 together with the destination telephone number. It should be noted that the user's dial input operation in the facsimile apparatus 200 may be the same regardless of whether it is via the Internet or not, and a method may be adopted in which the user's dial input operation is determined via the Internet according to the input on the user interface unit 4 of the facsimile adapter 1. Hereinafter, the other party's telephone number and the information indicating whether or not the communication is via the Internet are collectively referred to as the other party's information.

When the transmission operation is performed, the facsimile interface unit 2 obtains destination information from the facsimile apparatus 200 and inputs image data. The FAX interface unit 2 stores the image data in the data storage unit 3 and transfers the destination information to the communication management unit 5. The route determination unit 51 of the communication management unit 5 transmits the image data via the Internet or the telephone line 1 based on the destination information.
It is determined whether to directly transmit to the other party terminal via 00. If it is decided to transmit via the Internet, the dial-up unit 6 is activated.

In the dial-up section 6, the correspondence between the telephone number of the partner and the information such as the electronic mail address of the partner and the access point for dial-up connection is set in advance. Information such as an e-mail address and an access point for dial-up connection is input by the user via the user interface unit 4. The dial-up unit 6 makes a dial-up connection to an access point based on the set information. Then, the data stored in the data storage unit 3 is input via the data buffer 7, and the data is transmitted together with the e-mail address.

When connecting to the Internet via a system having a service function of sending an e-mail delivery completion message to a sender, the delivery completion message is delivered when the e-mail reaches a predetermined mailbox. Then, the communication history section 52 of the communication management section 5 stores that the e-mail transmission was normally performed. When the transmission determination unit 53 detects that the communication history unit 52 has stored the normal end of the e-mail transmission, the transmission determination unit 53 stores the fax data modem 81 with the destination telephone number included in the destination information from the facsimile apparatus 200. Make a call to Then, data indicating that the e-mail has been sent is transmitted to the partner terminal. At this time, a part of the image data stored in the data storage unit 3 may be sent. As described above, by notifying the fact that the data from the facsimile apparatus 200 has been sent by e-mail by facsimile communication, the user of the partner terminal can easily know the fact,
An e-mail retrieval operation can be started.

If the e-mail transmission is not performed normally for some reason, a non-delivery message arrives. In that case, the communication history unit 52 stores that the e-mail has not been delivered. When the transmission determination unit 53 detects that the electronic mail has not been delivered to the communication history unit 52, the transmission determination unit 53 stores the destination telephone number included in the destination information from the facsimile apparatus 200 in the connection control unit 8. Make a call to Then, the data stored in the data storage unit 3 is input via the data buffer 7 and the data is transmitted by facsimile to the partner terminal via the FAX data modem 81.

When the destination information from the facsimile apparatus 200 does not include information to be transmitted via the Internet, the route determination unit 51 determines that data from the facsimile apparatus 200 is directly transmitted to the destination terminal by facsimile. . That is, the connection control unit 8 makes a call to the destination telephone number, inputs the data stored in the data storage unit 3 via the data buffer 7, and inputs the data via the FAX data modem 81 to the destination terminal. Send by facsimile. If a communication error occurs in this communication,
The communication history unit 52 stores that the facsimile communication has a communication error. When the transmission determination unit 53 detects that the communication history unit 52 stores that the facsimile communication has become abnormal, the dial-up unit 6 is activated. The dial-up unit 6 makes a dial-up connection to an access point based on the set information. Then, the data stored in the data storage unit 3 is input via the data buffer 7, and the data is transmitted together with the e-mail address.

As described above, the facsimile adapter according to the present invention is capable of transmitting data via the Internet, and automatically transmitting facsimile data directly to a partner terminal when transmission via the Internet fails. Data can be reliably transmitted to the other party. Conversely, when a communication error occurs in facsimile communication, data can be reliably transmitted to the other party by transmitting the data via the Internet.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the facsimile adapter according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a user interface unit 4 includes a dial number storage unit 41 for storing a dial number registered by a user.
including. When data transmission via the Internet is unsuccessful, the user inputs a destination telephone number for facsimile transmission through the user interface unit 4. Then, the dial number storage unit 41 stores the telephone number. That is, the telephone numbers stored in the dial number storage unit 41 are set in accordance with information such as the e-mail address of each party and the access point for dial-up connection.

The specific operation is the same as that of the first embodiment, but in this case, if the data transmission by e-mail via the Internet is unsuccessful,
The communication management unit 5 extracts the destination telephone number corresponding to the mail address of the electronic mail from the dial number storage unit 41, and causes the connection control unit 8 to make a call to the telephone number. Then, the data stored in the data storage unit 3 is transmitted by facsimile. In this case, the destination telephone number used for facsimile transmission when the e-mail has not been delivered can be set via the user interface unit 4. Therefore, the facsimile interface unit 2 sends the destination telephone number You don't need to get Therefore, the interface with the facsimile machine 200 can be simplified.

Although the facsimile adapter has been described in each of the above embodiments, the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 or 2 may be incorporated in a facsimile apparatus. In such a facsimile machine, the FAX interface unit 2 is unnecessary. The user interface unit 4 can be realized by the user interface unit of the facsimile machine, and the data storage unit 3 can be realized by the memory of the facsimile machine.

In each of the above embodiments, the telephone line 1
Although the case of communication using 00 has been described, LAN,
The present invention can be applied to infrared data communication, PHS data communication, CDMA (mobile phone) data communication, and the like.
Instead of the mode in which the dial-up unit connects to the access point via a telephone line and performs data communication with the access point, the mode in which the dial-up unit connects to an access point on a dedicated line, OCN, or ATM megalink is applied. You can also.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a facsimile adapter and a facsimile apparatus cannot transmit data to an access point, a call is made to the telephone number of the destination terminal. Since the data was sent by facsimile directly to the destination terminal,
This has the effect that data to be transmitted is reliably delivered to the partner terminal. Further, when the facsimile adapter and the facsimile device are configured to perform facsimile transmission directly to the destination terminal when facsimile transmission is specified, and to transmit data to the access point when a communication error occurs in the facsimile transmission. Can reliably deliver data to the other party even when the other party terminal is down. The facsimile adapter stores the destination telephone number input from the user interface unit in association with the corresponding e-mail address and the information specifying the access point, and when data transmission to the access point is unsuccessful, If the configuration is such that the stored destination telephone number is extracted and facsimile transmission is performed based on the destination telephone number, the configuration of the adapter can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a facsimile adapter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the facsimile adapter according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 facsimile adapter 2 facsimile interface unit 3 data storage unit 4 user interface unit 5 communication management unit 6 dial-up unit 7 data buffer 8 connection control unit 41 dial number storage unit 51 route determination unit 52 communication history unit 53 transmission determination unit 81 facsimile / Data modem (FAX data modem) 82 Line interface

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile interface unit for inputting and outputting data to and from a facsimile apparatus, a data storage unit for storing data from the facsimile apparatus, and a connection control unit for modulating and demodulating data and controlling line connection. A dial-up unit for performing dial-up connection control; and instructing the dial-up unit to perform a dial-up connection to an access point, transmitting data stored in the data storage unit to the access point, and transmitting the data. If not, a communication management unit that causes the connection control unit to make a call to the telephone number of the destination terminal and facsimile-transmits the data stored in the data storage unit to the connection control unit. Facsimile adapter with 2. When the facsimile transmission is designated, the communication management unit causes the connection control unit to make a call to the telephone number of the destination terminal and stores the data in the data storage unit in the connection control unit. 2. The facsimile adapter according to claim 1, wherein the facsimile adapter transmits data stored in the data storage unit to the access point when a communication error occurs in the facsimile transmission. 3. A user interface unit, and a dial number storage unit for storing a destination telephone number input from the user interface unit in association with a corresponding electronic mail address and information for specifying an access point. When the data transmission to the access point is not reached, the communication management unit extracts the destination telephone number of the corresponding destination from the dial number storage unit, and the connection control unit based on the destination telephone number. 3. The facsimile adapter according to claim 1, wherein the facsimile transmission is performed by a facsimile machine. 4. A data storage unit for storing data to be transmitted, a connection control unit for modulating and demodulating data and performing line connection control, a dial-up unit for performing dial-up connection control, And instruct the dial-up connection to the access point, and transmit the data stored in the data storage unit to the access point. A facsimile apparatus comprising: a communication management unit that makes a call to a telephone number and causes the connection control unit to perform facsimile transmission of data stored in the data storage unit. 5. When the facsimile transmission is specified, the communication management unit causes the connection control unit to make a call to the telephone number of the destination terminal, and stores the data in the data storage unit in the connection control unit. 5. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said facsimile apparatus transmits the data stored in said data storage section to said access point by activating a dial-up section when a communication error occurs in said facsimile transmission.