Network that converts data from a first format into a second format for communication, data communication apparatus capable of communication of data in a first format, communication system incorporating all the above, and control method for all the above

• US 20050219639A1
• Filed: 11/09/2004
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Miura, Shigeo, Takeda, Tomoyuki, Yoshida, Takehiro, Fujise, Shunichi, Nishii, Teruyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,543,035 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/402
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 1/00212 Attaching image data to computer messages, e.g. to e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32117 in a separate transmission or protocol signal prior to or subsequent to the image data transmission, e.g. in digital identification signal [DIS], in non standard setup [NSS] or in non standard field [NSF] for mode signalling H04N1/333
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3222 of processing required or performed, e.g. forwarding, urgent or confidential handling

Abstract

In a communication system having a network capable of converting data in a first format into data in a second format to perform communication, and a data communication apparatus capable of performing communication of the data in the first format, the data communication apparatus transmits information indicating a priority level of an image such that the network can recognize the information, when transmitting the image to the network in the first format. The network converts the data in the first format transmitted by the data communication apparatus into data in the second format, and attaches priority level data, based on the information indicating the priority level of the received image, to the data converted into the second format when performing communication.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A communication system comprising:

receiving means for receiving image data in a first format transmitted by a data communication apparatus;

recognition means for recognizing a priority level of the image data received by said receiving means,

wherein the priority level is information to be used to notify a user who receives the image data in a second format, of the priority level of the image data;

converting means for converting the image data in the first format received by said receiving means into the image data in the second format; and

communication means for attaching priority level information corresponding to the priority level recognized by said recognition means to the image data in the second format converted by said converting means, and transmitting the image data in the second format that the priority level information is attached to.

28. A communication system according to claim 27, wherein said recognition means recognizes the priority level based on a part of the image data.

29. A communication system according to claim 27, wherein said recognition means recognizes the priority level of the image data based on a part of the image data.

30. A communication system according to claim 27, wherein said recognition means recognizes the information transmitted from the data communication apparatus based on an operation by an operator.

31. A communication system according to claim 27, wherein said recognition means recognizes the priority level as attribute information of the image data in the first format.

32. A communication system according to claim 27, wherein said recognition means recognizes the priority level information received before the image data is received.

33. A communication system according to claim 27, wherein the image data in the first format is received based on communication of the predetermined procedure signal, and

wherein said recognition means recognizes the priority level based on the predetermined procedure signal.

34. A communication system according to claim 27, wherein the first format is a facsimile format.

35. A communication system according to claim 27, wherein the second format is an electronic mail format.

36. A data communication apparatus, which is connectable to a network that is adapted to convert image data in a first format to image data in a second format to perform a communication, and which is adapted to perform a communication of image data in the first format, comprising:

converting means for converting an image to be transmitted to the network into image data in the first format; and

transmitting means for transmitting information indicating a priority level of the image to the network, such that the network may recognize the priority level of the image, when transmitting to the network the image data in the first format,

wherein the priority level is information to be used to notify a user who receives the image data through the network, of the priority level of the image data.

37. A data communication apparatus according to claim 36, wherein said transmitting means transmits the information indicating the priority level as a part of the image.

38. A data communication apparatus according to claim 36, further comprising recognition means for recognizing the information indicating the priority level, which is attached to the image,

wherein said transmitting means transmits the information indicating the priority level of the image, which has been recognized by said recognition means.

39. A data communication apparatus according to claim 38, wherein said recognition means performs a recognition based on a predetermined mark of the image.

40. A data communication apparatus according to claim 38, wherein said recognition means performs a recognition based on an operation by an operator.

41. A data communication apparatus according to claim 36, wherein said transmitting means transmits the information indicating the priority level as attribute information of the image data in the first format.

42. A data communication apparatus according to claim 36, wherein said transmitting means transmits the information indicating the priority level before transmitting the image data in the first format.

43. A data communication apparatus according to claim 36, wherein image data in the first format is transmitted based on communication of a predetermined procedure signal, and wherein said transmitting means transmits the information indicating the priority level by the predetermined procedure signal.

44. A data communication apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the first format is a facsimile format.

45. A data communication apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the second format is an electronic mail format.

46. A network that is adapted to convert image data in a first format to image data in a second format to perform a communication, comprising:

receiving means for receiving image data in the first format transmitted from a data communication apparatus;

recognition means for recognizing the priority level of the image data received by said receiving means,

wherein the priority level is information to be used to notify a user who received the image data in the second format, of the priority level of the image data;

converting means for converting image data in the first format received by said receiving means into image data in the second format; and

communication means for transmitting the image data in the second format converted by said converting means,

wherein said converting means attaches the priority level to the image data in the second format, based on the priority level recognized by said recognition means.

47. A control method for a communication system comprising:

a reception step, of receiving image data in a first format from a data communication apparatus;

a recognition step, of recognizing a priority level of image data received in said reception step,

wherein the priority level is information to be used to notify a user who receives image data in a second format, of the priority level of the image data;

a conversion step, of converting the image data in the first format received in said reception step into the image data in the second format;

a communication step, of attaching priority level information corresponding to the priority level information recognized in said recognition step to the image data in the second format converted in said conversion step; and

a transmission step, of transmitting the image data in the second format that the priority level information is attached to.

48. A control method for a data communication apparatus, which is connectable to a network that is adapted to convert image data in a first format into image data in a second format to perform a communication, and that is adapted to perform a communication of image data in the first format, comprising:

a conversion step, of converting image data to be transmitted to the network into image data in the first format; and

a transmission step, of transmitting information indicating a priority level of the image to the network, such that the network may recognize the priority level of the image, when transmitting to the network the image data in the first format,

wherein the priority level is information to be used to notify a user who receives the image data through the network, of the priority level of the image.

49. A control method for a network that is adapted to convert image data in a first format into image data in a second format to perform a communication, comprising:

a reception step, of receiving information indicating a priority level of an image for image data in the first format transmitted from an image communication apparatus;

a recognition step, of recognizing the priority level of image data received in said reception step,

wherein the priority level is information to be used to notify a user who receives image data in a second format, of the priority level of the image data;

a conversion step, of converting the image data in the first format received in said reception step into the image data in the second format; and

a communication step, of transmitting the image data in the second format converted in said conversion step,

wherein the priority level is attached to the image data in the second format in said conversion step based on the priority level recognized in said recognition step.