Internet facsimile apparatus and E-mail communication method

• US 6,094,277 A
• Filed: 11/03/1998
• Issued: 07/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Communications Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Graphic Communication Systems, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Toyoda, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Edward L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pokrzywa, Joseph R.
• Application Number:
  US09/184,902
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 358/402, 358/403, 358/407, 358/434, 358/440, 358/468, 358/1.15, 358/405, 395/200.3, 395/200.31, 395/200.35, 395/200.36, 395/200.53, 395/200.58, 395/200.62, 395/200.75, 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/228, 709/230, 397/93.24, 397/93.03, 397/100.08, 397/100.09
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• 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 1/00214 details of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00217 only involving computer data transmission protocols, e.g. SMTP, WAP or HTTP communication protocol aspects and techniques in packet data networks H04L69/00; network-specific arrangements or communication protocols supporting networked applications H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0018 via a non-image communication channel, e.g. via a computer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0086 Image transceiver H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take precedence

Abstract

E-mail transmitting/receiving means for a network are provided. Identification data are created from the received mail and reply mail including the identification data is notified to the sender of the received mail. In the case that a file attached to the received mail cannot be opened, the message ID of the received mail is included in the identification data. This makes it possible to accurately and simply notify the sender of the data that resulted in an error or data that have been received successfully even in the case that a large capacity memory or hard disk is not available.

Claims

1. An Internet facsimile apparatus for receiving image data from an e-mail received over a computer network, comprising:

a facsimile device connected to a telephone network;

a printer for printing data;

an interface connected to the computer network;

a data storage for storing the data; and

a processor controllably connected to the facsimile device, the printer, the interface and the data storage,

wherein, when the e-mail is received through the interface and an image file including a plurality of image data is appended to the e-mail, each image data corresponding to one page of an original document, and when an attribute of the image data included in the image file is unsuitable for the function of the Internet facsimile apparatus, the processor decides whether a volume of image data corresponding to one page of the original document is less than a predetermined value,

wherein when the volume is less than the predetermined value, the processor generates a reply mail including an error message and appended image data corresponding to one page of the original document, and sends the reply mail to a sender,

and wherein when the volume exceeds the predetermined value, the processor generates a reply mail without image data, including e-mail identification information and the error message, and sends the reply mail to the sender.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image file comprises TIFF.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the attribute of the image data comprises either a paper width or a compression method.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor decides that the attribute of the image data is unsuitable for the function of the Internet facsimile apparatus when the processor is incapable of opening the image data.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor decides that the attribute of the image data is unsuitable for the function of the Internet facsimile apparatus when the attribute is unsuitable for a minimum set in the image data.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value comprises a capacity of an area where image data of the data storage is stored.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when no image file is appended to the e-mail, the processor analyzes whether text data is included in a body of the e-mail, and when the text data is included, the processor generates a reply mail including the text data and the error message, and sends the reply mail to the sender of the e-mail, and when no text data is included therein, the processor generates a reply mail, including the identification information of the e-mail and the error message, and sends the reply mail to the sender.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor converts the e-mail to facsimile data transferrable to the facsimile apparatus by the facsimile device, and

wherein the processor analyzes whether a transfer instruction is included in the e-mail, and when the transfer instruction is included and the e-mail is not permitted to be transferred to the facsimile apparatus, the processor generates a reply mail including a message indicating that permission to transfer the e-mail to the sender was denied, and sends the reply mail to the sender;

and when the e-mail is permitted to be transferred to the facsimile apparatus, the processor generates a reply mail including a message indicating that permission to transfer the e-mail to the sender was granted, and sends the reply mail to the sender.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein granting and denying of permission to transfer the e-mail to the facsimile apparatus is decided based upon whether a password received from the sender matches a predetermined password.

10. An Internet facsimile apparatus for receiving image data from an e-mail received over a computer network, comprising:

a facsimile device connected to a telephone network;

a printer for printing data;

an interface connected to the computer network;

a data storage for storing the data; and

a processor connected to the facsimile device, the printer, the interface and the data storage,

wherein when the e-mail is received through the interface and an image file including a plurality of image data is appended to the e-mail, each image data corresponding to one page of an original document, and an attribute of the image data included in the image file is suitable for the function of the Internet facsimile apparatus, the processor decides whether a volume of image data corresponding to one page of the original document is below a predetermined value,

wherein when the volume is less than the predetermined value, the processor generates a reply mail including a message indicating that the e-mail can be normally received and appended image data corresponding to one page of the original document, and sends the reply mail to a sender,

and wherein when the volume exceeds the predetermined value, the processor generates a reply mail without image data including e-mail identification information and an error message, and sends the reply mail to the sender.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image file comprises TIFF.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the attribute of the image data comprises either a paper width or a compression method.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processor decides that the attribute of the image data is suitable for the function of the Internet facsimile apparatus when the processor is capable of opening the image data.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processor decides that the attribute of the image data is suitable for the function of the Internet facsimile apparatus when the image data is suitable for a minimum set.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined value comprises a capacity of an area where image data of the data storage is stored.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when the no image file is appended to the e-mail, the processor analyzes whether text data is included in a body of the e-mail, and when text data is included, the processor generates a reply mail, including the text data and the error message, and sends the reply mail to the sender of the e-mail, and when no text data is included, the processor generates a reply mail, including the identification information of the e-mail and the error message, and sends the reply mail to the sender.

17. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processor converts the e-mail to facsimile data transferable to the facsimile apparatus by the facsimile device, and the processor analyzes whether a transfer instruction is included in the e-mail, and when the transfer instruction is included and the e-mail is not permitted to be transferred to the facsimile apparatus, the processor generates a reply mail, including a message indicating that permission to transferring the e-mail to the sender was denied, and sends the reply mail to the sender;

and when the e-mail is permitted to be transferred to the facsimile apparatus, the processor generates a reply mail, including a message indicating that permission to transfer the e-mail to the sender was granted, and sends the reply mail to the sender.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein denying and granting permission to transfer the e-mail to the facsimile apparatus is decided based upon whether a password received from the sender matches a predetermined password.