FAX MAIL APPARATUS

• US 20030043403A1
• Filed: 02/16/1996
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: TASHIMA, HIROTAKA
• Granted Patent: US 6,567,178 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/324 intermediate the transmitter and receiver terminals, e.g. at an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32411 Handling instructions for routing or relaying
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3216 of a job size, e.g. a number of images, pages or copies, size of file, length of message
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33321 Image or page size, e.g. A3, A4
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33357 Compression mode

Abstract

A FAX receiving unit is an interface with the call originating FAX. A delivery management table is stored with a service code for designating a kind of a FAX mail service and a condition requested by the call originating FAX and also a telephone number of the destination FAX. A service subscriber table records the telephone number and the FAX-ID for every subscriber. A message accumulation unit stores the FAX message and the FAX-ID of the call originating FAX. A service control unit registers the delivery management table with the service code and the telephone number of the destination FAX received by the FAX receiving unit from a transmitting FAX and accumulates the FAX message and the FAX-ID of the call originating FAX in the message accumulation unit. The service control unit acquires a corresponding FAX-ID by retrieving the service subscriber table on the basis of the destination FAX telephone number of which the call originating FAX notifies and replies it to the call originating FAX. The service control unit, when the condition of the service code is satisfied, originates a call to the destination FAX and transmits the FAX message and the FAX-ID of the call originating FAX which have been stored in the message accumulation unit.

Claims

1. A FAX mail apparatus, connected to a communication network, temporarily receiving a FAX message transmitted from a call originating FAX and transmitting the FAX message to a destination FAX in accordance with a predetermined condition, said apparatus comprising:

a call originating FAX-ID storage unit storing a FAX-ID of said call originating FAX which has been transmitted from said call originating FAX; and

call originating FAX-ID transmitting means for transmitting the FAX-ID of said call originating FAX which has been stored in said call originating FAX-ID storage unit to said destination FAX instead of a FAX-ID of the FAX mail apparatus itself.

2. A FAX mail apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said FAX mail apparatus, if a line is not connected for a call of a FAX communication transmitted from said call originating FAX to said destination FAX, receives the FAX message from said call originating FAX that has been transferred through said communication network and transmits the FAX message to said destination FAX after a predetermined time has elapsed.

3. A FAX mail apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition of transmitting the FAX message to said destination FAX at a time designated by said call originating FAX is reached.

4. A FAX mail apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition of transmitting the FAX message to a plurality of destination FAXes designated by said destination FAX.

5. A FAX mail apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said call originating FAX-ID transmitting means annexes a piece of annex data to the FAX-ID of said call originating FAX and thus transmits it to said destination FAX.

6. A FAX mail apparatus, connected to a communication network, temporarily receiving a FAX message transmitted from a call originating FAX and transmitting the FAX message to a destination FAX in accordance with a predetermined condition, said apparatus comprising:

a table for previously recording a designating code of said destination FAX and a FAX-ID while relating them to each other;

retrieving means for retrieving said table on the basis of the designating code of said destination FAX that has been transmitted from said call originating FAX to acquire the FAX-ID of said destination FAX that corresponds to the designating code; and

destination FAX-ID transmitting means for transmitting the FAX-ID of said destination FAX that has been acquired by said retrieving means to said call originating FAX.

7. A FAX mail apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said designating code is a telephone number of said destination FAX.

8. A FAX mail apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said designating code is a code for designating a plurality of destination FAXes,

said table records a name which is common to said plurality of destination FAXes as the FAX-ID corresponding to the code for designating said plurality of destination FAXes,

said retrieving means retrieves said table on the basis of the code for designating said plurality of destination FAXes to acquire the common name corresponding to the code as the FAX-ID, and

said destination FAX-ID transmitting means transmits the common name acquired by said retrieving means as the FAX-ID to said call originating FAX.

9. A FAX mail apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said destination FAX-ID transmitting means annexes a piece of annex data to the FAX-ID of said destination FAX and transmits it to said call originating FAX.

10. A FAX mail apparatus, connected to a communication network, temporarily receiving, if a line is not connected for a call of a FAX communication to transmit a FAX message from a call originating FAX to a destination FAX, the FAX message from said call originating FAX that has been transferred through said communication network and transmitting the FAX message to said destination FAX after a predetermined time has elapsed, said apparatus comprising:

a call originating FAX-ID storage unit for storing a FAX-ID of said call originating FAX which has been transmitted from said call originating FAX;

call originating means for originating a call to transmit the FAX message to said destination FAX after a given time has elapsed since the FAX message was received and, if the line is not connected to said destination FAX as a result of this call originating process, originating the call to transmit the FAX message to a management FAX;

FAX message transmitting means for transmitting, if the line is connected to said management FAX as a result of the call originating process by said call originating means, the FAX message to said management FAX; and

call originating FAX-ID transmitting means for transmitting, if the line is connected to said management FAX as a result of the call originating process by said call originating means, the FAX-ID of said call originating FAX which has been stored in said call originating FAX-ID storage unit to said management FAX instead of a FAX-ID of the FAX mail apparatus itself.