E-mail communication apparatus, e-mail communication method and program

• US 20060212527A1
• Filed: 03/02/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tonegawa, Nobuyuki, Yamada, Kaori
• Granted Patent: US 7,685,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1268 Job submission, e.g. submitting print job order or request not the print data itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing

Abstract

To provide an e-mail communication apparatus, an e-mail communication method and a program capable of, in the case of receiving e-mail which is split e-mails including request-to-send (RTS) information for transmitting the e-mail to a predetermined destination, suitably performing transmittal confirmation without transmitting to a source the e-mail of the transmittal confirmation as to each of multiple pieces of the split e-mails. First, an MFP 100 having received the e-mail determines whether or not the e-mail is one of multiple divided data pieces generated by dividing image data by a data amount so as to store it. In the case where the received data is the divided data, the MFP 100 determines whether or not all the divided data pieces of the image data are stored, and transmits transmittal confirmation mail based on an MDN request if all are stored.

Claims

1. An e-mail communication apparatus comprising:

receiving unit adapted to receive plurality of split e-mails which are generated by dividing electronic data in specific units; and

transmitting unit adapted to, in the case where the each of said split e-mails includes disposition-notification information, transmit to a destination a disposition-notification e-mail for each of said split e-mails,

wherein said transmitting unit transmits first disposition-notification e-mail which indicates all of said split e-mails generated from said electronic data are received by said receiving unit to the destination in a case where all of said split e-mails generated from said electronic data are received by said receiving unit, and transmits second disposition-notification e-mail which indicates at least one of all of said split e-mails generated from said electronic data are not received by said receiving unit to said destination in a case where at least one of all of said split e-mails generated from said electronic data are not received by said receiving unit.

2. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

combining unit adapted to generate combined data based on said plurality of split e-mails received by said receiving unit, and wherein;

said transmitting unit transmits to the destination said first disposition-notification e-mail or said second disposition-notification e-mail aftersaid combining unit has generated said combined data.

3. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said combining unit combines the multiple split e-mails according to reception by the receiving unit of all said split e-mails relating to said electronic data.

4. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said combining unit combines the multiple split e-mails according to an instruction given from an operator of the e-mail communication apparatus before the reception by the receiving unit of all of the multiple split e-mails relating to said electronic data.

5. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

timing unit adapted to time elapsed time from the reception by said receiving unit of at least one of the multiple split e-mails relating to said electronic data, and wherein;

the combining unit generates said combined data based on the multiple split e-mails according to timing by the timing unit of predetermined elapsed time before the reception by said receiving unit of all of the multiple split e-mails relating to said electronic data.

6. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

requesting unit adapted to request a source of the split e-mails to retransmit the split e-mails yet to be received in the case where, after the reception by said receiving unit of at least one of the split e-mails relating to said electronic data, the reception of all the split e-mails relating to said electronic data is not completed.

7. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

image forming unit adapted to form an image on recording paper based on said combined data.

8. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said transmitting unit transmits said first disposition-notification email or said second disposition-notification e.-mall after completion of image formation by said image forming unit of said combined data.

9. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said destination is the source of the split e-mails received by said receiving unit.

10. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the split e-mail is one of divided data pieces generated by dividing the electronic data by a predetermined data amount.

11. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said electronic data is a piece of the e-mail including header information and the image data.

12. An e-mail communication apparatus comprising:

receiving unit adapted to receive plurality of split e-mails which are generated by dividing electronic data in specific units;

combining unit adapted to generate combined data based on said multiple split e-mails relating to said electronic data; and

transmitting unit adapted to, in a case where said combined data includes disposition-notification information for transmitting a disposition-notification e-mail to a destination, transmitting to the destination said disposition-notification e-mail indicating that at least a part of the electronic data has been transmitted.

13. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

said combining unit combines the multiple split e-mails according to reception by said receiving unit of all said split e-mails relating to said electronic data.

14. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

said combining unit combines the multiple split e-mails according to an instruction given from an operator of the e-mail communication apparatus before the reception by said receiving unit of all of the multiple split e-mails relating to said electronic data.

15. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

timing unit adapted to time elapsed time from the reception by said receiving unit of at least one of the multiple split e-mails relating to said electronic data, and wherein;

the combining unit generates said combined data based on the multiple split e-mails according to timing by the timing unit of predetermined elapsed time before the reception by said receiving unit of all of the multiple split e-mails relating to said electronic data.

16. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

the transmitting unit performs transmission to the destination to the effect that said electronic data has been normally transmitted in the case where combining unit has combined all the split e-mails relating to said electronic data, and performs transmission to the destination to the effect that the electronic data has not been normally transmitted in the case where the combining unit has combined a part of the split e-mails relating to said electronic data.

17. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

requesting unit adapted to request a source of the split e-mails to retransmit the split e-mails yet to be received in the case where, after the reception by said receiving unit of at least one of the split e-mails relating to said electronic data, the reception of all the split e-mails relating to said electronic data is not completed.

18. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

image forming unit adapted to form an image on recording paper based on said combined data.

19. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

the destination is the source of the split e-mails received by said receiving unit.

20. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

the split e-mail is one of divided data pieces generated by dividing the electronic data by a predetermined data amount.

21. The e-mail communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

said electronic data is a piece of the e-mail including header information and the image data.

22. An e-mail communication method comprising:

a receiving step of receiving plurality of split e-mails which are generated by dividing electronic data in specific units; and

a transmitting step of, in the case where the each of said split e-mails includes disposition-notification information, transmit to a destination a disposition-notification e-mail for each of said split e-mails,

wherein said transmitting step transmits first disposition-notification e-mail which indicates all of said split e-mails generated from said electronic data are received by said receiving step to the destination in a case where all of said split e-mails generated from said electronic data are received by said receiving step, and transmits second disposition-notification e-mail which indicates at least one of all of said split e-mails generated from said electronic data are not received by said receiving step to said destination in a case where at least one of all of said split e-mails generated from said electronic data are not received by said receiving step.

23. A program for causing a computer to execute:

a receiving step of receiving plurality of split e-mails which are generated by dividing electronic data in predetermined units; and

a transmitting step of, in the case where the each of said split e-mails includes disposition-notification information, transmitting to a destination a disposition-notification e-mail for each of said split e-mails,

wherein said transmitting step transmits first disposition-notification e-mail which indicates all of said split e-mails generated from said electronic data are received by said receiving step to the destination in a case where all of said split e-mails generated from said electronic data are received by said receiving step, and transmits second disposition-notification e-mail which indicates at least one of all of said split e-mails generated from said electronic data are not received by said receiving step to said destination in a case where at least one of all of said split e-mails generated from said electronic data are not received by said receiving step.

24. A computer-readable storage medium wherein the program according to claim 23 is stored.

25. An e-mail communication method comprising:

a receiving step of receiving plurality of split e-mails which are generated by dividing electronic data in predetermined units;

combining step of generating combined data based on said multiple split e-mails relating to said electronic data; and

a transmitting step of, in a case where said combined data includes disposition-notification information for transmitting a disposition-notification e-mail to a destination, transmitting to the destination said disposition-notification e-mail indicating that at least a part of the electronic data has been transmitted.

26. A program for causing a computer to execute:

a receiving step of receiving plurality of split e-mails which are generated by dividing electronic data in specific units;

combining step of generating combined data based on said multiple split e-mails relating to said electronic data; and

a transmitting step of, in a case where said combined data includes disposition-notification information for transmitting a disposition-notification e-mail to a destination, transmitting to the destination said disposition-notification e-mail indicating that at least a part of the electronic data has been transmitted.

27. A computer-readable storage medium wherein the program according to claim 26 is stored.