Facsimile communication method and facsimile machine

• US 6,208,426 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1997
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1996
• 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, Bando, Tatsuo, Saito, Kyoji
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ANH-VINH THI
• Application Number:
  US08/930,609
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 358/402, 358/403, 358/404, 358/405, 358/434, 358/440, 358/442, 358/444, 358/468, 358/1.15, 379/100.01, 379/100.06, 379/100.08, 379/100.13, 379/93.01, 379/93.15, 379/93.24
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• 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 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32101 Display, printing, storage or transmission of additional information, e.g. ID code, date and time or title
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32363 at the transmitter or at the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32368 Functions of a still picture terminal memory associated with transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32771 in response to a request, e.g. for a particular document
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32776 using an interactive, user-operated device, e.g. a computer terminal, mobile telephone H04N1/32782, H04N1/32784 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0015 Control of image communication with the connected apparatus, e.g. signalling capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0018 via a non-image communication channel, e.g. via a computer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3221 of a job number or identification, e.g. communication number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3249 data relating to a linked page or object, e.g. hyperlink

Abstract

In a facsimile communication method for transmitting facsimile data to a reception terminal from a facsimile machine via a communication network, a transmission process in the facsimile machine includes the following steps: (a) a step of saving image data of an original to be transmitted as facsimile data in a storage; (b) a step of generating access information data for access to the image data, saved in the storage, from the reception terminal via the transmission network; (c) a step of sending the access information data to the reception terminal by an e-mail; and (d) a step of transmitting the image data in the storage to the reception terminal from the facsimile machine by a communication protocol of a point-to-point data transfer form upon reception of an access request for the image data from the reception terminal.

Claims

1. An internet facsimile for relaying image data received from an originator via a telephone line to a recipient via a communication network comprising:

a reception section that receives said image data and addresses of a plurality of recipients, each recipient to receive said image data, from the originator via the communication network;

a storage that stores said image data received by said reception section;

a multicast section that multicasts said image data stored in said storage to the addresses of each of the plurality of recipients received by said reception section, via the communication network;

a notification section that transmits a completion notification to a terminal designated before the multicast, after receiving notifications from all the recipients via the communication network, each notification indicative of reception of said image data;

a URL generating section that generates URL used to directly request said image data to a WWW server after said image data is stored in said storage, said URL including a protocol type for designating a communication protocol of a point-to-point data transfer, a host name of said WWW server on the communication network, and a file name associated with said image data stored in said storage; and

a mailing section that mails an e-mail comprising a header including an e-mail address of the recipient as a destination address, and a body including the generated URL and not including said image data;

wherein said multicast section comprises a WWW server with the URL, and when a request for said image data is received from the recipient, said multicast section fetches said image data from said storage, and transmits said image data to the recipient by the communication protocol of the point-to-point data transfer;

wherein said WWW server transits a program along with said image data to the recipient, said program comprising;

displaying an input image on a display of the recipient when the recipient receives said image data; and

transmitting the notification indicative of the reception of said image data to said WWW server when a part of the displayed image is clicked on.

2. The facsimile device according to claim 1, further comprising a deleting system that deletes said image data saved in storage upon confirmation that all recipients to which multicasting of said image data has been made have accessed said image data.

3. The internet facsimile according to claim 1, further comprising:

a system that adds image reception information data to said image data saved in said storage, said image reception information data being sent back, via said communication network to said facsimile from said recipient that receives said image data, and a URL for accessing a WWW server from said recipient via said communication network, when said image reception information data is sent back to said facsimile; and

a system that confirms that said recipient has received said image data by identifying said image reception information data sent back from said recipient based on said URL.

4. The internet facsimile according to claim 1, further comprising a program for handling image data, said program being attached to said image data saved in said storage.

5. The internet facsimile according to claim 1, further comprising a system that acquires an e-mail address of said recipient from address information input by an operator via an operation panel.

6. The internet facsimile according to claim 1, further comprising a system that acquires an e-mail address of said recipient from address information sent together with said image data from a public telecommunications network.

7. An Internet facsimile for relaying image data received from an originator via a telephone line to a recipient via a communication network comprising:

a reception section that receives image data and addresses of a plurality of recipients, each recipient to receive said image data, from the originator via the communication network;

a storage that stores said image data received by said reception section;

a multicast section that, whenever the recipient accesses said image data stored in said storage, sequentially transmits said image data to an address of the recipient via the communication network;

a notification section that transmits a completion notification to a terminal designated before multicast, after confirming that all the recipients have accessed said image data stored in said storage;

a URL generating section that generates URL used to directly request said image data to a WWW server after said image data is stored in said storage, said URL including a protocol type for designating a communication protocol of a point-to-point data transfer, a host name of said WWW server on the communication network, and a file name associated with said image data stored in said storage; and

a mailing section that mails an e-mail comprising a header including an e-mail address of the recipient as a destination address, and a body including the generated URL and not including said image data;

wherein said multicast section comprises a WWW server with the URL, and when a request for said image data is received from the recipient, said multicast section fetches said image data from said storage, and transmits said image data to the recipient by the communication protocol of the point-to-point data transfer;

wherein said WWW server transits a program along with said image data to the recipient, said program comprising;

displaying an input image on a display of the recipient when the recipient receives said image data; and

transmitting the notification indicative of the reception of said image data to said WWW server when a part of the displayed image clicked on.

8. The internet facsimile according to claim 7, further comprising a system that saves an access confirmation column provided with check fields associated with each of said plurality of recipients to which multicasting of said URL is to be made, the access confirmation column being attached to the received image data;

and

a system that, when said image data is accessed by said recipient, sets data indicative of access into said check field of said recipient that has accessed said image data.

9. The internet facsimile according to claim 7, further comprising a deleting section that deletes said image data saved in storage upon confirmation that all recipients to which multicasting of said image data has been made have accessed said image data.

10. The internet facsimile according to claim 7, further comprising:

a system that adds image reception information data to said image data saved in said storage, said image reception information data being sent back, via said communication network to said facsimile from said recipient that receives said image data, and a URL for accessing a WWW server from said recipient via said communication network, when said image reception information data is sent back to said facsimile; and

a system that confirms that said recipient has received said image data by identifying said image reception information data sent back from said recipient based on said URL.

11. The internet facsimile according to claim 7, further comprising a program for handling image data, said program being fixed to said image data saved in said storage.

12. The internet facsimile according to claim 7, further comprising a system that acquires an e-mail address of said recipient from address information input by an operator via an operation panel.

13. The internet facsimile according to claim 7, further comprising a system that acquires an e-mail address of said recipient from address information sent together with said image data from a public telecommunications network.

14. A method for relaying image data received from an originator via a telephone line to a recipient by an internet facsimile via a communication network, comprising;

(a) receiving image data and addresses of a plurality of recipients, each recipient to receive the image data, from the originator via the communication network;

(b) storing the image data received in a storage;

(c) multicasting the image data stored in the storage to each received address of the plurality of recipients via the communication network;

(d) transmitting a completion notification to a terminal designated before multicasting, after receiving notifications from all the recipients via the communication network, each notification indicative of reception of the image data by the recipient;

(e) adding image reception information data to the image data saved in the storage, the image reception information data being sent back, via the communication network to the facsimile from the recipient that receives the image data, and a URL that access a WWW server from the recipient via the communication network when the image reception information data is sent back to the facsimile;

(f) confirming that the recipient has received the image data by identifying the image reception information data sent back from the recipient based on the URL;

wherein the WWW server transmits a program along with the image data to the recipient, the program comprising;

displaying an image data on a display of the recipient when the recipient receives the image data;

transmitting the notification indicative of the reception of the image data to the WWW server when a part of the displayed input image is clicked on.

15. The method for relaying image data according to claim 14, further comprising acquiring an e-mail address of the recipient from address information input by an operator via an operation panel.

16. The method for relaying image data according to claim 14, further comprising acquiring an e-mail address of the recipient from address information sent together with the image data from a public telecommunications network.

17. A method for relaying image data received from an originator via a telephone line to a recipient by an internet facsimile via a communication network, comprising:

(a) receiving image data and addresses of a plurality of recipients, each recipient to receive the image data, from the originator via the communication network;

(b) storing the image data received in a storage;

(c) sequentially transmitting the image data to an address of the recipient via the communication network whenever the recipient accesses the image data stored in the storage;

(d) transmitting a completion notification to a terminal designated before sequential transmitting, after confirming that all the recipients accessed the image data stored in the storage;

(e) adding image reception information data to the image data saved in the storage, the image reception information data being sent back, via the communication network to the facsimile from the recipient that receives the image data, and a URL for accessing a WWW server from the recipient via the communication network when the image reception information data is sent back to the facsimile;

(f) confirming that the recipient has received the image data by identifying the image reception information data sent back from the recipient based on the URL;

(g) the WWW server transmitting a program along with the image data to the recipient, the program comprising;

displaying an input image data on a display of the recipient when the recipient receives the image data;

transmitting the notification indicative of the reception of the image data to the WWW server when a part of the displayed input image is clicked on.

18. The method for relaying image data according to claim 17, further comprising deleting the image data saved in storage upon confirmation that all recipients to which the image data was sequentially transmitted accessed the image data.

19. The method for relaying image data according to claim 17, further comprising deleting the image data saved in storage upon confirmation that all recipients to which sequential transmitting of the image data has been made have accessed the image data.

20. The method for relaying image data according to claim 17, further comprising acquiring an e-mail address of the recipient from address information input by an operator via an operation panel.

21. The method for relaying image data according to claim 17, further comprising acquiring an e-mail address of the recipient from address information sent together with the image data from a public telecommunications network.