Monitoring apparatus and monitoring/notifying method for receiver and sender terminals and for e-mail transmission system of receiver terminal

• US 20020120699A1
• Filed: 11/29/2001
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Communications Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Graphic Communication Systems, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Wakabayashi, Takefumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,480,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0001 Transmission systems or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00042 Monitoring, i.e. observation H04N1/00029 - H04N1/00039 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00061 using a remote apparatus H04N1/00066 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00079 remotely
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32641 of transmission or transmitted data, e.g. interruption or wrong number of pages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32662 remotely, e.g. to the transmitter from the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0015 Control of image communication with the connected apparatus, e.g. signalling capability

Abstract

A monitoring apparatus and monitoring/notifying method for receiver and sender terminals of an e-mail transmission system having a receiver terminal can confirm a status of a receiver terminal, prior to a transmission. A monitoring server monitors status of receiver terminals, such as IFAX and PC units, which are connected to the same LAN. The IFAX and PC units notify the monitoring server of the current status information according to requests made by the monitoring server. The monitoring server notifies IFAX units of the sending side, if an abnormal condition of the IFAX of the receiving side is detected. Upon receiving the notification from the monitoring server via the internet, the IFAX units of the sending side inform senders of the abnormal condition, by illuminating an LED.

Claims

1. A monitoring apparatus connected to an e-mail transmission system for transmitting e-mail from a sender terminal to a receiver terminal via the internet, said monitoring apparatus comprising:

a monitoring section that monitors the receiver terminal; and

a notification section that notifies the sender terminal via the internet when the monitoring section detects a predetermined status of the receiver terminal.

2. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined status of the receiver terminal comprises the power being turned on or off.

3. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined status of the receiver terminal comprises the receiver terminal being unable to receive e-mail data.

4. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined status of the receiver terminal comprises the receiver terminal being unable to print.

5. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiver terminal comprises an internet facsimile apparatus.

6. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a destination information obtainer that obtains a transmission destination transmitted from the receiver terminal;

a notified storage section that stores the obtained transmission destination as a notification destination; and

a notification section that retrieves the transmission destination from the notified storage section, and notifies the transmission destination when the monitoring section detects the predetermined status of the receiver terminal.

7. A monitoring apparatus connected to an e-mail transmission system for transmitting e-mail from a sender terminal to a receiver terminal via the internet, said monitoring apparatus comprising:

a receiver that receives a TRAP message transmitted from the receiver terminal when the receiver terminal is turned on;

a transmitter that transmits a status information request signal to the receiver terminal, in accordance with the TRAP message;

a controller that enables the transmitter to repeatedly transmit the status information request signal to the receiver until status information of the receiver terminal is received; and

a notification section that transmits an error signal to the sender terminal when the status information indicates an abnormal status of the receiver terminal.

8. A receiver terminal connected to an e-mail transmission system that is provided with a monitoring apparatus, the e-mail being transmitted from a sender terminal to the receiver terminal via the internet, the receiver terminal comprising:

a TRAP signal transmitter that transmits a TRAP signal to the monitoring apparatus when a power supply is turned on;

a receiver that receives a request signal from the monitoring apparatus, after transmitting the TRAP signal; and

a status information transmitter that transmits a mail address of the status information transmitter and status information to the monitoring apparatus, in accordance of the request signal received by the receiver.

9. A receiver terminal connected to an e-mail transmission system that is provided with a monitoring apparatus, the e-mail being transmitted from a sender terminal to the receiver terminal via the internet, the receiver terminal comprising:

a notification section that notifies the monitoring apparatus when a predetermined status occurs,

wherein the predetermined status change comprises the receiver terminal being one of unable to print and unable to receive e-mail data.

10. The receiver terminal of claim 9, the receiver terminal comprising an internet facsimile apparatus.

11. The receiver terminal of claim 9, further comprising:

a transmission section that transmits e-mail via the internet;

a destination information storage section that stores transmission destination; and

a control section that transmits the transmission destination stored in the destination information storage section, to the monitoring apparatus when a predetermined status is detected.

13. The sender terminal according to claim 12, further comprising:

a one-touch button registration table that registers one-touch buttons in relation to destinations of receiver terminals;

an e-mail transmission section that transmits e-mail to a destination corresponding to the one-touch button, when one of the one-touch buttons is pressed; and

an illuminating section, installed in each of the one-touch buttons, that illuminates the one of the one-touch buttons corresponding to the receiver terminal of the notification.

14. The sender terminal of claim 13, wherein, the sender terminal comprises an internet facsimile apparatus.

16. The monitoring and notification method according to claim 15, wherein, upon receiving the notification, the sender terminal provides an indication of a predetermined status at the receiver terminal, one of prior to and upon transmitting the notification to the receiver terminal.

12. A sender terminal connected to an e-mail transmission system that is provided with a monitoring apparatus, e-mail being transmitted from the sender terminal to a receiver terminal via an internet, the sender terminal comprising:

a receiver that receives a notification message from the monitoring apparatus via the internet when the monitoring apparatus detects a predetermined status of the receiver terminal; and

a notification section that informs the sender terminal of the notification message.

15. A monitoring and notification method in an e-mail transmission system for transmitting e-mail from a sender terminal to a receiver terminal via the internet comprising:

monitoring the receiver terminal by a monitoring apparatus; and

notifying the sender terminal via internet if a predetermined status of receiver terminal is detected.