JPH11284829A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the facsimile equipment that receives a reception result notice and a recording output notice from an opposite party while a caller is resident in its own seat. SOLUTION: In the facsimile equipment provided with a data communication means, a system control section 11 extracts an electronic mail address from a reception signal received by a facsimile communication control section 17 at facsimile reception, the system control section 11 generates a reception result notice mail denoting the reception result of facsimile reception and a mail communication control section 23 receiving the generated mail and the electronic mail address sends the mail to the electronic mail address via a LAN interface section 22.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus capable of sending information to a personal computer or the like via a data communication network such as the Internet. The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus capable of notifying a computer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a general operation of a conventional facsimile apparatus, if transmission is not successful, transmission is attempted several times, and if transmission is not successful, a non-delivery notice indicating that fact is sent to the image transmitting facsimile. Output from the device.
In addition, since notification is not made when the transmission is successful, if the sender wants to know the transmission result, the transmission result information is generally output to the facsimile apparatus after the transmission is completed to check the result. However, even if the transmission result information indicates that transmission has been completed normally, it is not possible to know whether or not the recipient has received it.
In the prior art disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 185158/1990, the facsimile machine on the image receiving side stores the terminal number (telephone number) of the facsimile machine on the transmitting side, and when the receiver confirms reception, the facsimile apparatus on the image receiving side. Some facsimile apparatuses transmit a reception confirmation notification to a facsimile apparatus on the image transmission side. Further, since it is not known from general transmission result information whether or not the output has been made on the recording paper, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
No. 58, the terminal number of the facsimile apparatus on the image transmitting side is stored in the same manner as in the prior art, and a recording output notification is transmitted to the facsimile apparatus having the terminal number when the facsimile apparatus is output on recording paper. Is also provided.

[0003]

However, various notifications used in the conventional facsimile apparatus, that is, non-delivery notification, transmission result information, reception confirmation notification, record output notification, etc., cannot grasp the transmission result. Although it is possible, when the facsimile machine is away from his / her own seat, there is an annoyance that the caller cannot return to his / her seat and go to the place where the facsimile machine is installed to see it. An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile apparatus and the like that can solve the above-described problems of the related art and can receive a reception result notification and a recording output notification from a partner while a caller is at his / her desk. .

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a facsimile apparatus provided with data communication means, which extracts an e-mail address from a received signal at the time of facsimile reception. Means for receiving, by a data communication means, a reception result of the facsimile reception to the extracted e-mail address at the end of facsimile reception. Further, in the invention according to claim 2, in the above, there is provided an incoming call notifying means for transmitting an incoming call notification that the facsimile has been received by the data communication means, and the electronic mail address together with the electronic mail address is a sender address or a receiver address. The address extraction means is configured to extract identification information indicating whether the identification information indicating the sender address is extracted by the address extraction means, and the reception result is transmitted to the mail address by the reception result notification means, When the identification information indicating the recipient address is extracted, an incoming notification is transmitted to the mail address by the incoming notification unit. In the invention according to claim 3,
In a facsimile apparatus provided with data communication means, an address extraction means for extracting an e-mail address from a received signal at the time of facsimile reception, and at the end of facsimile recording output, the e-mail address from which an output notification indicating that a facsimile has been recorded and output is extracted Output notifying means for transmitting the data to the data communication means. Further, in the invention according to claim 4, there is provided an incoming call notifying means for transmitting, by the data communication means, an incoming call output notification indicating that the facsimile has been recorded and output, and the electronic mail address together with the electronic mail address is a sender address or a receiving address. Address extracting means for extracting identification information indicating a sender address, and when identification information indicating a sender address is extracted by the address extracting means, an output notification is transmitted to the mail address by output notifying means. When the identification information indicating the recipient address is extracted, the incoming call notifying means transmits an incoming call output notification to the mail address. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in a facsimile apparatus for transmitting facsimile image information in accordance with a facsimile transmission control procedure, information input means for inputting a mail address and identification information indicating whether the mail address is a sender address or a receiver address. And transmitting means for setting a mail address and identification information input by the information input means at the time of facsimile image information transmission to a predetermined facsimile signal and transmitting the facsimile image information to a destination.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the facsimile reception is completed, the reception result is transmitted to the electronic mail address transmitted at that time via the data communication network. . According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, when identification information indicating a sender address is extracted at the time of an incoming call, a reception result is transmitted to the mail address sent at that time, and the receiver address is changed. When the identification information shown is extracted, an incoming call notification is transmitted to the mail address. According to the third aspect of the present invention, at the end of facsimile recording and output, an output notification that the facsimile has been recorded and output is transmitted to the e-mail address sent at that time via the data communication network. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the invention, when identification information indicating a sender address is extracted at the time of an incoming call, an output notification is transmitted to the mail address sent at that time, and the recipient address is changed. When the identified identification information is extracted, an incoming call output notification indicating that the facsimile has been recorded and output is transmitted to the mail address. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when a mail address and identification information indicating whether the mail address is a sender address or a receiver address are input at the time of facsimile image information transmission, the input mail address and the identification information are set to predetermined values. It is set as a facsimile signal and transmitted to the destination of the facsimile image information.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 12 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of a network system including a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, this network system can execute at least an e-mail protocol which is a higher-level protocol (transmission control procedure) of data communication, and a facsimile apparatus 1 in which the present invention is implemented, as well as a client capable of executing the above protocol. PC2,
A LAN transmission path 3 to which the facsimile apparatus 1 and the client PC 2 are connected, a wide area data communication network (hereinafter abbreviated as a data communication network) 4 to which a frame according to a wide area data communication protocol including a middle layer and a lower layer is transferred. The protocol conversion of the lower layer and the middle layer as required is performed, and the LAN transmission path 3 transmits data to the data communication network 4 and the data communication network 4 transmits LA to the data communication network 4.
It comprises a gateway 5 that relays frames to the N transmission path 4 and relays mails within its own LAN. It should be noted that a configuration in which the facsimile apparatus embodying the present invention is connected to the LAN transmission line 3 via a facsimile server is possible, and the facsimile apparatus 1a (claim 5)
(When only the described invention is implemented), it is not necessary to connect to the LAN. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a facsimile apparatus 1 according to each embodiment of the present invention. As shown,
The facsimile apparatus 1 includes a ROM and a system control unit 11 including a CPU for managing and controlling the entire apparatus in accordance with a program stored in the ROM or the like, a keyboard and a facsimile apparatus for a user to give an instruction to the facsimile apparatus. An operation display unit 12 including display means for giving a message or the like to a user, a RAM 13 for temporarily storing image information, a scanner 14 for reading an image on a document, and a coding / decoding unit (DCR) 18 A plotter 15 for outputting the decoded received image information via the RAM 13; and a network controller (N) for setting up a call with a remote facsimile machine via the public telephone network.
CU) 16, for example, a facsimile communication control unit (hereinafter abbreviated as a communication control unit) 17 for performing facsimile transmission and reception in accordance with a G3 transmission control procedure, a modem 19 composed of a low-speed modem and a high-speed modem, and an image memory 2 for storing image information
0, a parameter memory 21 which stores control information and is backed up by a battery for power-off, LAN
It has a LAN interface unit 22 connected to the transmission path 3 for executing middle and lower protocols of data communication, a mail communication control unit 23 for executing an e-mail protocol which is an upper protocol, and the like. However, the facsimile machine 1a does not need to include the LAN interface unit 22 and the mail communication control unit 23. In addition,
In the facsimile apparatus 1b, an address extracting means for extracting an e-mail address (hereinafter abbreviated as an e-mail address) from the received signal is constituted by, for example, the system control unit 11, and the reception result notifying means, the incoming call notifying means, and the output notifying means are respectively System control unit 11, mail communication control unit 2
3 and the like, and the data communication means includes a system control unit 11, a mail communication control unit 23, a LAN interface unit 22, and the like.

FIG. 2 shows a communication sequence of the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 shows an operation flow of the image receiving facsimile machine 1b of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a facsimile apparatus 1a (see FIG. 12) which is a facsimile image transmission side (see FIG. 2)
), The user sends the transmitted document to the scanner 14.
The terminal number (telephone number) of the facsimile machine 1b of the other party and the client PC (for example, PC2) of the reception result notification are set by the operation display unit 12 as the information input means.
Enter the e-mail address of a). Then, the system control unit 11 in the facsimile machine 1a issues a command to the scanner 14 to read an image from the set document, and stores the read image information in the image memory 20. Subsequently, the NCU 16, the communication control unit 17, the modem 19
The system control unit 11 which constitutes the transmission means together with the NCU
16 and passes the acquired terminal number to the facsimile machine 1b.
And the NCU 16 originates a call accordingly. Thus, the facsimile machine 1b (the receiving side in FIG. 2)
NCU 16 detects an incoming call (S1) and transmits a predetermined signal such as a CED signal in cooperation with communication control unit 17 in facsimile apparatus 1b. Subsequently, the system control unit 11 of the facsimile machine 1a passes the mail address to the communication control unit 17 in the facsimile machine 1a, and the communication control unit 17
Sets an e-mail address in the uniquely provided non-standard control signal NSS (m) signal,
(M) Transmit the signal.

In this way, the communication control section 17 of the facsimile apparatus 1b receives the NSS (m) signal to which the mail address is set (S2), and the system control section 11 of the facsimile apparatus 1b, which is the address extracting means, sets the NSS (m). The mail address is extracted from the signal (S3). And
The extracted mail address is stored in a predetermined area in the RAM 13. When the facsimile machine 1b starts receiving image information (PIX signal) from the facsimile machine 1a (S4), the system controller 11 of the facsimile machine 1b.
Stores the image information in the image memory 13, and when the reception is completed and the line is disconnected (Yes in S5), a reception result notification mail as shown in FIG. 4 is created (S6). FIG. 4 (a)
FIG. 4B is an example of the reception result notification when the reception is normally performed, and FIG. 4B is an example of the reception result notification when the reception is not performed normally. Subsequently, the system control unit 11 passes the mail address and the created mail to the mail communication control unit 23.
The passed mail address and the mail are transferred to the gateway 5 via the N interface unit 22, and the gateway 5 transmits the transferred mail to the mail address via the data communication network 4 (S7). It reaches the client PC 2a. Further, when the received facsimile image information is normally received, the system controller 11 causes the plotter 15 in the facsimile apparatus 1b to output the received facsimile image information to recording paper (S8). Thus, according to this embodiment, if the PC connected to the data communication network is installed on the caller's seat, the reception result notification reaches the user's own seat, so that the user can determine the location of the facsimile machine. To check the reception result.

FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of the facsimile apparatus 1b according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the facsimile apparatus 1b of this embodiment executes steps S1 to S5 (see FIG. 3) in the same manner as the first embodiment, and immediately if the reception is normal (S11, Yes), or When the plotter 15 is ready to output, the plotter 15 in the facsimile machine 1b outputs the received image information to recording paper (S12). Then, the system control unit 11 creates an output notification as shown in FIG. 6 (S13), and sends the output notification to, for example, the client PC 2a as in the first embodiment (S14). On the other hand, when it is not normally received (S11, No),
A reception result notification as shown in FIG. 4B is created (S1).
3) Send a reception result notification to, for example, the client PC 2a in the same manner as in the first embodiment (S14). In this manner, according to this embodiment, the image information sender can know not only the reception result but also the fact that the recording output has been performed while sitting at his / her seat during normal reception.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are communication sequence diagrams of a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is an operation flow diagram of the image receiving facsimile machine 1b. Hereinafter, FIGS. 7 and 8
The operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, in a facsimile apparatus 1a (transmission side in FIG. 7) which is a facsimile image transmission side, a user scans a transmission original with a scanner 1.
4, the terminal number (telephone number) of the facsimile machine 1b and the client PC (for example, PC2)
a) or an incoming notification destination client PC (for example, PC2
b) Enter the mail address and identification information indicating whether the mail address is a sender address (reception result notification destination) or a recipient address (reception notification destination). Then, the system control unit 11 in the facsimile machine 1a issues a command to the scanner 14 to read an image from the set document, and stores the read image information in the image memory 20. Subsequently, the system control unit 11 gives the obtained terminal number to the NCU 16 and instructs connection with the facsimile machine 1b, and the NCU 16 makes a call accordingly. Thus, the NCU of the facsimile machine 1b (the receiving side in FIG. 7)
16 detects an incoming call (S21), and the facsimile machine 1b
A predetermined signal such as a CED signal is transmitted in cooperation with the communication control unit 17 in the inside. Subsequently, the system control unit 11 of the facsimile machine 1a passes the mail address and the identification information to the communication control unit 17 in the facsimile machine 1a, and the communication control unit 17 provides a non-standard control signal NSS (rm) signal (mail) When the dress is the sender address / see FIG. 7 (a)) or the NSS (tm) signal (when the mail address is the recipient address / see FIG. 7 (b)), the above-mentioned mail address and identification information are set, and the NSS The NSS (rm) signal or the NSS (tm) signal is transmitted following the signal.

Thus, the communication controller 17 of the facsimile machine 1b receives the NSS (rm) signal or the NSS (tm) signal in which the mail address and the identification information are set (S22), and the system controller 1 of the facsimile machine 1b.
1 extracts a mail address and identification information from the signal (S23). Then, the extracted mail address and identification information are stored in a predetermined area in the RAM 13. When the facsimile apparatus 1b starts receiving image information (PIX signal) from the facsimile apparatus 1a (S24), the system control unit 11 of the facsimile apparatus 1b stores the image information in its image memory 13, and the reception is completed. Is disconnected (Yes in S25), it is determined whether the mail address is the sender address or the receiver address by referring to the stored identification information (S26). If it is determined that the address is the sender address (S26, Yes), a reception result notification mail as shown in FIG. 4 is created (S27). If it is determined that the address is the recipient address (S26,
No), only during normal reception (S28, Yes) FIG.
An incoming notification mail as shown in (1) is created (S29). Subsequently, the system control unit 11 passes the mail address and the created mail to the mail communication control unit 23, and the mail communication control unit 23 sends the mail address and the mail to the gateway 5 via the LAN interface unit 22. According to the mail address, the gateway 5 sends out the passed mail via the data communication network 4 in the case of the reception result notification (S30), and the reception result notification reaches, for example, the client PC 2a. If it is an incoming call notification, the gateway 5 sends an incoming call notification to, for example, the PC 2b in the same LAN (S30). Further, when the facsimile image information is normally received, the system control section 11 causes the plotter 15 in the facsimile apparatus 1b to output the received facsimile image information to recording paper (S31). Thus, according to this embodiment, if desired, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be realized.
2 may be sent an incoming notification. In the above, in the case of normal reception, as in the second embodiment,
It is also possible to notify after recording and output.
That is, an output notification as shown in FIG. 6 is transmitted to the transmitting client PC 2 instead of the reception result notification, and an output notification as shown in FIG. 10 is transmitted to the receiving client PC 2 instead of the incoming notification. It sends an incoming call notification.

FIG. 11 is a communication sequence diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a sender address and a recipient address are input in the image transmitting facsimile machine 1a, and as shown in FIG. 11, those addresses and their identification information are converted into NSS (rm) signals and NS.
The signal is sent to the facsimile machine 1b according to the S (tm) signal.
Then, the facsimile machine 1b sends the reception result notification as shown in FIG. 4 or the output notification as shown in FIG. 6 to the originating client PC 2, and also the incoming notification as shown in FIG. 9 or as shown in FIG. Of the incoming call output to the receiving client PC2. In addition, the third or fourth
In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the incoming call notification shown in FIG.
In the incoming call output notification shown in, "If you confirm, please send a reply to the sender. The sender address is xxxx."
Such contents can be added. Also,
In the above, the "Receive O
It is also possible to add a fixed phrase such as "K" or "Please send again". Further, when the facsimile machine 1b on the image receiving side detects a recording paper out state, a recording paper jam, a toner out state, and the like at the time of recording output, the receiving side client PC2 receives, for example, "a facsimile addressed to you. , The recording paper has been jammed. "And the above message with the message" If you confirm normal output, please send a reply to the sender. The sender address is xxx. " It is also possible to send a received incoming call notification. Further, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the facsimile transmission control procedure is the G3 transmission control procedure has been described, but the present invention is not limited to the G3 transmission control procedure.

[0013]

As described above, according to the present invention,
According to the first aspect of the present invention, at the end of facsimile reception, the reception result is transmitted to the e-mail address sent at that time via the data communication network. Side can know the reception result. According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, when identification information indicating a sender address is extracted at the time of an incoming call, a reception result is transmitted to the mail address sent at that time, and When the identification information indicating the address is extracted, the incoming call notification is transmitted to the above-mentioned mail address. Therefore, depending on the situation, it is possible to send either a reception result notification to the caller or an incoming call notification to the receiver. According to the third aspect of the present invention, at the end of facsimile recording output, an output notification that the facsimile has been recorded and output is transmitted to the e-mail address sent at that time via the data communication network. Can know that the other party has recorded and output while staying at his / her seat. Also, in the invention according to claim 4, in the invention according to claim 3, when identification information indicating a sender address is extracted at the time of an incoming call, an output notification is transmitted to the mail address sent at that time, and When the identification information indicating the address is extracted, an incoming call output notification to the effect that the facsimile has been recorded and output is transmitted to the above-mentioned mail address. Depending on the situation, an output notification to the caller or an incoming call output to the receiver is output. Notifications can be sent. Further, in the invention according to claim 5, when a mail address and identification information indicating whether the mail address is a sender address or a receiver address are input at the time of facsimile image information transmission, the input mail address and the identification information are transmitted. Since the facsimile signal is set to a predetermined facsimile signal and transmitted to the transmission destination of the facsimile image information, the invention described in claim 2 or 4 can be realized on the image receiving side.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a facsimile apparatus according to each embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a communication sequence diagram of the facsimile apparatus showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an operation flowchart of the image receiving facsimile apparatus showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams related to an image receiving facsimile apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of an image receiving facsimile apparatus showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram relating to an image receiving facsimile apparatus showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are communication sequence diagrams of a facsimile apparatus showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an operation flowchart of an image receiving facsimile apparatus showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram relating to an image receiving facsimile apparatus showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is another explanatory diagram related to the image receiving facsimile apparatus showing the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a communication sequence diagram of a facsimile apparatus showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a system configuration diagram of a network system including a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 facsimile machine, 2 client PC, 3L
AN, 4 wide area data communication network, 5 gateway, 11 system control unit, 12 operation display unit,
13 RAM, 15 plotter, 17 facsimile communication control unit, 20 image memory, 22 LAN interface unit, 23 mail communication control unit

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile apparatus provided with data communication means, wherein: an address extracting means for extracting an e-mail address from a received signal at the time of facsimile reception; and, at the end of facsimile reception, the electronic result at which the reception result of the facsimile reception is extracted. A facsimile apparatus comprising: a reception result notifying unit that transmits data to a mail address by a data communication unit. 2. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
Address extraction means for transmitting, by data communication means, an incoming notification indicating that a facsimile has been received, and an address extracting means for extracting identification information indicating whether the electronic mail address is a sender address or a receiver address together with an electronic mail address When the identification information indicating the sender address is extracted by the address extraction means, a reception result is transmitted to the mail address by the reception result notification means,
A facsimile apparatus characterized in that when identification information indicating a recipient address is extracted, an incoming notification is transmitted to the mail address by the incoming notification means. 3. A facsimile apparatus provided with data communication means, comprising: an address extracting means for extracting an e-mail address from a received signal at the time of facsimile reception; and an output notification indicating that a facsimile has been recorded and output at the end of facsimile recording output. A facsimile apparatus comprising: an output notifying unit that transmits the electronic mail address to the e-mail address by a data communication unit. 4. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
An incoming call notifying means for transmitting an incoming call output notification indicating that the facsimile has been recorded and output by the data communication means, and an address for extracting identification information indicating whether the electronic mail address is the sender address or the receiver address together with the electronic mail address. When the identification information indicating the sender address is extracted by the address extraction means, an output notification is transmitted to the mail address by the output notification means, and the identification information indicating the recipient address is extracted. A facsimile apparatus wherein the incoming call notifying means transmits an incoming call output notification to the mail address. 5. A facsimile apparatus for transmitting facsimile image information according to a facsimile transmission control procedure, an information input means for inputting a mail address and identification information indicating whether the mail address is a sender address or a receiver address, and facsimile image information. A facsimile apparatus comprising: a transmission unit configured to set a mail address and identification information input by the information input unit to a predetermined facsimile signal at the time of transmission and to transmit the facsimile image information to a transmission destination.