JPH1127429A - Communication terminal with electronic mail function and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a charge occurred by a network use to be confirmed on a user side by downloading information on the charge occurred by the network use from a network at the time specified by the user and outputting it by printing, display or the like. SOLUTION: When the output of a charge list is possible, a user is requested to input a user number at the time of selection by a button or the list is fetched from a registration table. A user ID and a password are fetched by referring to a user registration table of a RAM 7 and a log in to a network is performed. A BILL command is outputted to the network and a charge file is received from the network in a format of character data. The received character data of the charge file is converted to image data and stored in the RAM 7. When the list of charge of all the users is finished to be fetched, logout is executed, a line is disconnected and a recording part 3 prints out the image data of the list of charge stored in the RAM 7 as a list of charge.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a communication terminal device having an e-mail function such as a facsimile device having a function of connecting to an e-mail, and a recording medium readable by the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a computer communication network which connects a local computer communication network with a communication line and distributes e-mail via a networked Internet or the like has become widespread. The computer communication network has an excellent error correction function, and only bears the communication cost to the nearest access point of the provider (connection company to the computer communication network) and the usage fee of the provider. Can communicate.

[0003] The communication procedure and communication system of the conventional G3 facsimile apparatus are different from those of the computer communication network.
Cannot directly connect to computer communication network. However, even image data such as a transmission original can be transmitted to a computer communication network by converting the image data into an electronic mail format.

[0004]

However, the conventional facsimile apparatus with an e-mail function does not have a function of allowing a user to confirm charge information generated by using a network.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and it is intended that a user can specify charge information generated by using a network by uploading or downloading mail when the user designates the charge information, or at predetermined time intervals. A communication terminal device with an e-mail function such as a facsimile device which allows a user to confirm the charge generated by using the network by downloading the data from a network, printing and displaying the data, and a record readable by the device. The purpose is to provide media.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication terminal device having an electronic mail function, comprising: a communication terminal device having an electronic mail communication function; Means for transmitting a command for downloading the information to the network when the instruction is received, and means for outputting the downloaded information.

A communication terminal device with an e-mail function according to a second invention is characterized in that, in addition to the first invention, the communication terminal device further comprises means for sending the command to the network at predetermined intervals.

[0008] A recording medium according to a third aspect of the present invention is a recording medium readable by a communication terminal device having an e-mail function, wherein the communication terminal device receives an instruction to output information of a fee generated by using the network. Code means, a code means for transmitting a command for downloading the information to the network when the instruction is received, and a code means for outputting the downloaded information.

In the first invention and the third invention, the charge information generated by using the network is downloaded from the network when specified by the user, and output by printing, display or the like. In the second invention, the fee information generated by using the network is downloaded from the network at predetermined intervals, for example, every month, and is output by printing, display, or the like. As a result, the user can check the fee generated by using the network.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a facsimile apparatus with an e-mail function according to the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as the present invention apparatus). In the embodiment of the present invention, the Internet is used as a computer communication network. The main control unit 1 controls not only the hardware units of the facsimile apparatus through the bus, but also
Based on the software stored in the ROM 6, the image data of the original is encoded or decoded by an encoding method such as MH, MR, MMR or the like.
F) Execute software such as communication procedures including conversion, binary / text conversion, mail editing, modem switching, control of RS232C by AT commands, etc.

The main control unit 1 has a ROM, as will be described later.
Based on the software stored in 6, when the user's instruction is received or at a predetermined period such as every month, character data of a fee generated by using the network by uploading or downloading mail is downloaded from the network. The character data is converted into image data by an encoding method such as MMR, stored in the RAM 7, and software for outputting the image data to the recording unit 3, the display unit 4, and the like is executed. This software can be installed in the device in advance and provided to the user, or stored in a recording medium M such as an IC card using a mask ROM and provided to the user.

In image conversion, at the time of transmission, G3 format image data is converted into TIFF (Tagged Image File Format), which is a general image format used in computers, and at the time of reception, TIFF to G3 format image data is converted. Convert to TIFF is published by Adobe Systems, and defines various classes that handle not only black and white binary but also black and white multi-valued and full color. One of them
CLASS F uses MH, MR, MMR
G3 format image data, which is image data of a document encoded by an encoding method such as this. Therefore, TIFF of CLASS F is added at the beginning of G3 format image data.
It can be converted to TIFF by adding header information.

In the binary text conversion, binary data is converted to text data at the time of transmission, and text data is converted to binary data at the time of reception. There are computers on the Internet that cannot handle binary data e-mail. When transmitting binary data such as TIFF image data, the data is first converted to text data so that the e-mail reaches the destination. Text data handled on the Internet is defined as a 7-bit code in RFC (Request For Comments) 822, which is a document issued by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force).

Therefore, MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mai)
l Extensions) Use base64 etc. for conversion.
According to this, 6-bit binary data is 64 characters (uppercase, lowercase alphabet, numbers, +, /)
And can be converted to text data. MIME is specified in RFC1521.

In the mail editing, at the time of transmission, mail header information is added to the TIFF image data converted to text data to edit the data into an electronic mail format, and at the time of reception, the mail header information is removed from the data in the electronic mail format, Extracts only TIFF image data converted to data. Since it is specified that predetermined header information is added to e-mail on the Internet as e-mail management information, the "From: (user's Internet e-mail address) ) ”,“ To: (Internet e-mail address of the other party) ”,“ Subject: (title) ”, etc.

The reading section 2 reads an original by using a CCD or the like and outputs image data of a black and white binary original. The recording unit 3 includes a printer of an electrophotographic system or the like, and prints out image data of a document received from another G3 facsimile apparatus or the Internet, and network charge information downloaded from the network and converted into image data.

The display unit 4 includes a liquid crystal display and the like, and operates the facsimile apparatus, image data of an original,
Display the charge information extracted from the network. In addition, an icon of a button for designating extraction of network charge information is displayed on the liquid crystal display.

The operation unit 5 has ten keys, speed dial keys, one-touch dial keys, various function keys, and the like necessary for operating the facsimile machine. The ROM 6 stores software necessary for the operation of the facsimile machine. The RAM 7 is composed of an SRAM, a flash memory, or the like, and stores temporary data generated when executing software.

In this example, the RAM 7 stores a user name, a login ID, a login password, a network to be connected (used protocol) in association with the user code of each user, and periodically (weekly, 3 every month
A user registration table is registered for registering whether or not to execute the takeout every month. External recording medium reading unit
13 is a recording medium such as an IC card using a mask ROM.
M is provided with an M insertion slot, and software is read from the recording medium M inserted in this insertion slot and stored in the RAM 7.

The image memory 8 is composed of a DRAM or the like, and stores image data of a document. The modem 9 is a modem for performing facsimile communication of image data of a document read by the reading unit 2 and has no data communication function. The data modem 10 is, for example, a modem for data communication for communicating image data of a document converted into an electronic mail via the Internet, and includes, for example, an external telephone terminal provided on a chip of the NCU 11 and a telephone. And a serial port of an external I / F 12 for connection to a personal computer or the like, and an RS232C connection. NCU
11 closes and opens the analog line.

Next, the procedure for extracting the fee list in the apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2 and an example of the fee list of FIG. It is determined whether or not the extraction of the charge list has been designated (step S1) by determining whether or not the icon of the button on the liquid crystal display has been selected, or by referring to the user registration table of the RAM 7 (step S1). The process ends.

If the retrieval of the charge list is designated, when the button is selected, the user is requested to input a user number or is retrieved from the registration table (step S2). Refer to the user registration table in RAM 7
The ID and password are retrieved (step S3), and the user is logged in to the network using the retrieved user ID and password (step S4).

If the login is successful, a BILL command is output to the network (step S5), and a charge file is received from the network as character data (step S5).
S6). The character data of the received charge file is converted into image data and stored in the RAM 7 (step S
7). It is determined whether or not the retrieval of the fee list of all the users requesting the retrieval of the fee list is completed (step S8), and steps S2 to S7 are repeatedly executed until the retrieval of the fee list of all the users is completed.

When the charge list of all the users has been taken out, the user logs out (step S9) and disconnects the line (step S10). The recording unit 3 prints out the image data of the charge list stored in the RAM 7 as a charge list as shown in FIG. 3 (step S11).

[0025]

The communication terminal device with the e-mail function of the first invention and the recording medium of the third invention download the charge information generated by using the network from the network when the user specifies it, and output it by printing, displaying, etc. Therefore, there is an excellent effect that the user can check the fee generated by using the network.

The communication terminal device with an e-mail function according to the second invention downloads the charge information generated by using the network from the network at predetermined intervals, for example, every month, and outputs the information by printing, displaying, or the like. This has an excellent effect that the user can check the fee generated in the step (1).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a procedure for extracting a fee list in the apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a fee list.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main control part 2 Reading part 3 Recording part 5 Operation part 6 ROM 7 RAM 10 Data modem 12 External I / F 13 External storage reading part M Recording medium

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Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A communication terminal device having an e-mail communication function, a means for receiving an instruction to output information of a fee generated by using a network, and a command to download the information when the instruction is received, to a network. A communication terminal device with an e-mail function, comprising: a transmitting unit; and a unit for outputting the downloaded information. 2. The communication terminal device with an e-mail function according to claim 1, further comprising means for sending the command to the network at predetermined time intervals. 3. A recording medium readable by a communication terminal device with an e-mail function, code means for causing the communication terminal device to receive an instruction to output information of a fee generated by using a network, A recording medium comprising: code means for transmitting a command for downloading the information to a network when the information is received; and code means for outputting the downloaded information.