Facsimile apparatus

• US 6,057,938 A
• Filed: 01/12/1995
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Abe, Shintaro, Saito, Toshiaki, Nobuta, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, TOMMY D
• Application Number:
  US08/371,614
• Time in Patent Office: 1,937 Days
• Field of Search: 358/400, 358/402, 358/403, 358/405, 358/407, 358/434, 358/440, 358/468, 379/100
• US Class Current: 358/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0036 Alphanumeric symbols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00371 on a separate sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32042 with reading of job-marks on a page
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32064 Multi-address calling
• 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 1/32416 Storage of instructions or retrieval of prestored instructions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33338 adapting to particular facsimile group, e.g. G3
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33369 Storage of mode or retrieval of prestored mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3222 of processing required or performed, e.g. forwarding, urgent or confidential handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

The facsimile apparatus of this invention performs recognition processing by storing image data received from a transmitting terminal and by decoding the image data stored. The image data received is relayed and transmitted to multiple destinations on the basis of the result of this recognition.

Claims

1. An image communication apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving image data;

storage means for storing the image data received by said reception means;

decoding means for decoding the image data received by said reception means;

recognition means for recognizing an image pattern corresponding to the image data decoded by said decoding means; and

transmission means for transmitting the image data stored in said storage means in accordance with a recognition result of said recognition means;

wherein said recognition means recognizes the image pattern corresponding to at least a first page of the image data and said transmission means transmits the image data exclusive of the page corresponding to the image pattern recognized by said recognition means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transmission means transmits the image data to a destination corresponding to a recognition result by said recognition means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2,

further comprising a memory for storing the information of transmitting terminal corresponding to image data received in advance,

the information stored in said memory being selected in accordance with a recognition result of said recognition means and the image data received being transmitted to a destination corresponding to the information selected.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said recognition means recognizes and converts the image pattern into appropriate information to match the destination device.

5. An image communication apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving an image data;

storage means for storing the image data received by said reception means;

decoding means for decoding the image data received by said reception means; and

recognition means for performing recognition processing on an image pattern corresponding to the image data decoded by said decoding means;

wherein if a number of pages corresponding to the image data received does not exceed a predetermined number, the recognition processing is not executed on the image data received.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein if the image data received contains more than two pages, said recognition means executes the recognition processing.

7. An image communication apparatus having a relay transmission function for transmitting image data received from a transmitting terminal to multiple destinations, comprising:

memory means for storing information of a transmitting terminal in advance of receiving an instruction for relay transmission;

reception means for receiving image data;

recording means for recording the image data received by said reception means;

storage means for storing the image data received by said reception means;

decoding means for decoding the image data received by said reception means;

transmission means for transmitting the image data stored in said storage means in accordance with a recognition result after recognizing the image pattern corresponding to the image data decoded by said decoding means; and

determining means for determining whether or not information of a transmitting terminal corresponding to the received image data is one of the information stored in said memory means;

wherein, if a determination result of said determining means is negative, the image data is recorded by said recording means without performing transmission of the image data received.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein said transmission means transmits the image data received to a destination recognized by a recognition processing.

9. An image communication method comprising the steps of:

receiving image data;

storing the received image data;

decoding the received image data;

recognizing, in the decoded image data, an image corresponding to at least a first page of the stored image data; and

transmitting the stored image data exclusive of the page corresponding to the recognized image in accordance with a recognition result of said recognizing step.

10. An image communication method comprising the steps of:

receiving image data;

storing the received image data;

decoding the received image data;

recognizing, in the decoded image data, an image corresponding to the stored image data if a number of pages corresponding to the stored image data exceeds a predetermined number; and

suppressing the recognizing step if the number of pages corresponding to the stored image data does not exceed the predetermined number.

11. An image communication method comprising the step of:

receiving image data;

storing the received image data;

recognizing, in the received image data, an image corresponding to at least a first page of the stored image data; and

transmitting the stored image data exclusive of the page corresponding to the recognized image in accordance with a recognition result of said recognizing step.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said transmitting step transmits the image data to a destination obtained from the recognition result.

13. An image communication method comprising the steps of:

receiving image data;

storing the received image data;

recognizing, in the received image data, an image corresponding to the stored image data if a number of pages corresponding to the stored image data exceeds a predetermined number; and

suppressing the recognizing step if the number of pages corresponding to the stored image data does not exceed the predetermined number.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said suppressing step suppresses the recognizing step if the number of pages does not exceed one.

15. An image communication apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving image data in page units;

storage means for storing the image data received by said reception means;

recognition means for recognizing an image pattern, indicating a destination to which the image data is to be transmitted, included in the image data received by said reception means in a case where the received image data is more than one page;

transmission means for transmitting the image data stored in said storage means to the destination corresponding to a recognition result of said recognition means; and

print means for printing the image data in a case where the received image data is one page.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the image pattern is an OCR sheet image pattern.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said recognition means recognizes a plurality of destinations, and

said transmission means transmits the image data stored in said storage means to the plurality of destinations corresponding to recognition results of said recognition means.

18. An image communication apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving image data in page units;

storage means for storing the image data received by said reception means;

discrimination means for discriminating whether or not the image data includes an image pattern indicating a destination to which the image data is to be transmitted;

recognition means, responsive to a discrimination that an image pattern is included in the image data, for recognizing the image pattern included in the image data received by said reception means;

transmission means for transmitting the image data stored in said storage means to the destination corresponding to a recognition result of said recognition means; and

print means for printing images in accordance with the image data stored in said storage means in a case where it is discriminated that an image pattern is not included in the image data.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the image pattern is an OCR sheet image pattern.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said recognition means recognizes a plurality of destinations, and

said transmission means transmits the received image data stored in said storage means to the plurality of destinations corresponding to recognition results of said recognition means.

21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the image data transmitted by said transmission means excludes the image pattern.

22. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said printing means prints images for all pages represented by the image data stored in said storage means in a case where the image data does not include the image pattern.

23. A communication method operative in an image communication apparatus comprising the steps of:

receiving image data in page units;

storing the received image data into a storage medium;

recognizing an image pattern, indicating a destination to which the image data is to be transmitted, included in the received image data in a case where the received image data is more than one page;

transmitting the image data stored in the storage medium to the destination corresponding to a recognition result in said recognizing step; and

printing the image data in a case where the received image data is one page.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the image pattern is an OCR sheet image pattern.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein a plurality of destinations are recognized in said recognizing step, and

the image data stored in the storage medium is transmitted in said transmitting step to the plurality of destinations corresponding to recognition results of said recognizing step.

26. A communication method operative in an image communication apparatus comprising the steps of:

receiving image data in page units;

storing the received image data into a storage medium;

discriminating whether or not the received image data includes an image pattern indicating a destination to which the image data is to be transmitted;

when it is discriminated that an image pattern is included in the image data, recognizing the image pattern included in the received image data;

transmitting the image data stored in the storage medium to the destination corresponding to a recognition result in said recognizing step; and

printing images in accordance with the image data stored in the storage medium in a case where it is discriminated that an image pattern is not included in the image data.

27. The method according to claim 26 wherein the image pattern is an OCR sheet image pattern.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein a plurality of destinations are recognized in said recognizing step, and

image data stored in the storage medium is transmitted in said transmitting step to the plurality of destinations corresponding to results recognized in said recognizing step.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein said printing step prints images for all pages represented by the image data stored in the storage medium in a case where the image data does not include the image pattern.

30. The method according to claim 26, wherein the transmitted image data excludes the image pattern.

31. An image communication method comprising the steps of:

inputting image data;

storing the input image data;

recognizing an image corresponding to the stored image data in a case where a number of pages corresponding to the stored image data exceeds a predetermined number;

transmitting the input image data in accordance with the recognition result in said recognizing step; and

suppressing the recognizing step in a case where the number of pages corresponding to the stored image data does not exceed the predetermined number.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the predetermined number is one.

33. An image communication apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting image data;

storage means for storing the image data input by said input means;

recognition means for recognizing an image corresponding to the image data stored in said storage means in a case where a number of pages corresponding to the image data stored in said storage means exceeds a predetermined number;

transmission means for transmitting the image data input by said input means in accordance with the recognition result by said recognition means; and

suppression means for suppressing an operation of said recognition means in a case where the number of pages corresponding to the image data stored in said storage means does not exceed the predetermined number.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the predetermined number is one.

35. An image communication method comprising the steps of:

receiving image data;

storing the received image data;

recognizing, in the received image data, a specified image corresponding to at least one page of the stored image data; and

transmitting the stored image data exclusive of the page corresponding to the recognized image in accordance with a recognition result of said recognizing step.

36. An image communication apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving image data;

storage means for storing the image data received by said reception means;

recognition means for recognizing, in the image data received by said reception means, a specified image corresponding to at least one page of the image data stored by said storage means; and

transmission means for transmitting the image data, stored by said storage means, exclusive of the page corresponding to the recognized image in accordance with a recognition result by said recognition means.

37. An image communication apparatus comprising:

reception means for receiving image data;

storage means for storing the image data received by said reception means;

recognition means for recognizing, in the image data received by said reception means, an image corresponding to at least a first page of the image data stored by said storage means; and

transmitting the image data, stored by said storage means, exclusive of the page corresponding to the recognized image in accordance with a recognition result by said recognition means.