COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, COMMUNICATION METHOD, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20070146802A1
• Filed: 03/01/2007
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: USHIDA, Katsutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,690 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/402
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00214 details of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0022 involving facsimile protocols or a combination of facsimile protocols and computer data transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32106 separate from the image data, e.g. in a different computer file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3208 of an e-mail or network address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3209 of a telephone number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3218 of a confirmation, acknowledgement or receipt
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3219 of a job status, e.g. successful execution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3223 of type information, e.g. reception or copy job
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 Display

Abstract

Image data communication equivalent to facsimile communication using a public network is realized on e-mail communication. When a communication apparatus for transmitting/receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet is to communicate e-mail data having facsimile-format image data attached, communication concerning functional information is performed in addition to the communication of the e-mail data. The functional information can be exchanged by an optimum method matching the form of connection to the Internet. This allows maximum utilization of the capability of each apparatus function in facsimile image communication using e-mail.

Claims

1-52. -52. (canceled)

53. A communication apparatus comprising:

first connecting means for connecting to a local area network and/or second connecting means for connecting to a wide area network;

first communicating means for transmitting/receiving electronic mail data by connecting to the Internet by one of said first and second connecting means; and

means for receiving information on delivery confirmation by said first communicating means,

wherein when said first communicating means communicates electronic mail data having image data attached, a communication result report is output which indicates one of information representing that communication of image information is successful, information representing that communication of image information has failed, information representing that a communication result of image information is unverified, and information representing that the electronic mail data has been communicated by attaching image data corresponding to the most common one of image data standards.

54. The apparatus according to claim 53, further comprising second communicating means for performing facsimile communication by connecting to the wide area network by said second connecting means.

55. The apparatus according to claim 54, wherein when said second communicating means performs communication, two types of communication result reports indicating information representing that communication of image information is successful and information representing that communication of image information has failed are output.

57. The apparatus according to claim 53, wherein said wide area network is one of PSTN and ISDN.

97. The apparatus according to claim 54, wherein said wide area network is one of PSTN and ISDN.

98. The apparatus according to claim 55, wherein said wide area network is one of PSTN and ISDN.

56. A communication apparatus comprising:

first communicating means for transmitting/receiving electronic mail data by connecting to the Internet; and

second communicating means for performing facsimile communication by connecting to a wide area network,

wherein when said first communicating means communicates electronic mail data having image data attached, a communication result report is output which indicates one of information representing that communication of image information is successful, information representing that communication of image information has failed, information representing that a communication result of image information is unverified, and information representing that the electronic mail data has been communicated by attaching image data corresponding to the most common one of image data standards, and, when said second communicating-means performs communication, a communication result report indicating one of information representing that communication of image information is successful and information representing that communication of image information has failed is output.

99. The apparatus according to claim 56, wherein said wide area network is one of PSTN and ISDN.

58. A communication method comprising the steps of:

transmitting/receiving electronic mail data by connecting to the Internet; and

outputting, when electronic mail data having image data attached is communicated, a communication result report which indicates one of information representing that communication of image information is successful, information representing that communication of image information has failed, information representing that a communication result of image information is unverified, and information representing that the electronic mail data has been communicated by attaching image data corresponding to the most common one of image data standards.

60. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a procedure of the communication method according to claim 58.

59. A communication system comprising:

means for transmitting/receiving electronic mail data by a plurality of communication apparatuses connected to the Internet; and

means for outputting, from said communication apparatuses, when electronic mail data having image data attached is communicated, a communication result report indicating one of information representing that communication of image information is successful, information representing that communication of image information has failed, information representing that a communication result of image information is unverified, and information representing that the electronic mail data has been communicated by attaching image data corresponding to the most common one of image data standards.

61-96. -96. (canceled)

100. (canceled)