Internet facsimile apparatus and information terminal device

• US 6,351,316 B2
• Filed: 06/25/1998
• Issued: 02/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1997
• 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, Saito, Kyoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pokrzywa, Joseph R.
• Application Number:
  US09/104,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20010040693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 358/434, 358/468, 358/440, 358/402, 358/403, 358/407, 358/1.15, 358/442, 395/200.3, 395/200.31, 395/200.35, 395/200.36, 395/200.53, 395/200.58, 395/200.62, 395/200.75, 707/10, 709/238, 709/239, 709/242, 379/100.01, 379/100.09
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 1/00236 using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer image input to or image output from a computer via a network H04N1/00209
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00238 using an image reproducing device as a local output from a computer output via network, e.g. network printing H04N1/00233
• 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 1/32614 related to a single-mode communication, e.g. at the transmitter or at the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32635 of reproducing apparatus or receiver, e.g. out of paper
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32657 locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32678 Performing substitution, e.g. substitute reception or substituting a corrupted line of data H04N1/32384 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0015 Control of image communication with the connected apparatus, e.g. signalling capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0067 Converting to still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0068 Converting from still picture data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3207 of an address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3223 of type information, e.g. reception or copy job
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3261 of multimedia information, e.g. a sound signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3271 Printing or stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 : Display

Abstract

In the case where received e-mail data can not be printed, e-mail control section 33 transfers the received e-mail data to another information terminal device. And facsimile control section 34 instructs facsimile section 27 to print an error message including sender information and an attached file format. And indication control section 35 starts up indication section 29.

Claims

1. An internet facsimile apparatus comprising:

a printer that prints received data;

an interface that receives and transmits e-mail data, the e-mail data comprising image data and specific information, the specific information comprising at least a type of data; and

a controller that is controllably connected to the printer and to the interface, the controller determining whether or not e-mail data received by the interface can be printed by the printer based on the type of data;

said controller, in response to a determination that the e-mail data cannot be printed by the printer, extracting the specific information from the e-mail data, and transmitting the specific information to a recipient information terminal apparatus through the interface,

said controller, in response to receipt of an instruction from the recipient information terminal apparatus to transfer the e-mail, transmits the e-mail data to the recipient information terminal apparatus.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines that the e-mail data can be printed by the printer when the type of data comprises a file appended to the e-mail that is a TIFF file, and the controller determines that e-mail data cannot be printed by the printer when the appended file is not a TIFF file.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines that the e-mail data cannot be printed by the printer when a volume of image data, corresponding to one page of an original, included in an appended file of the e-mail data, exceeds a predetermined value, and the controller determines that the e-mail can be printed by the printer when the volume of image is equal to or less than the predetermined value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an indicator that indicates that the e-mail data cannot be printed when the controller determines that the received e-mail data cannot be printed.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller instructs the printer to print a message including information indicating that the e-mail data cannot be printed, when the controller determines that received e-mail data cannot be printed.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recipient information terminal apparatus comprises a personal computer.

7. An internet facsimile apparatus comprising:

a facsimile device that scans a document and prints received data;

a modem that modulates and demodulates data;

an interface that receives and transmits e-mail data, the e-mail data comprising image data and specific information, the specific information comprising at least a type of data; and

a controller controllably connected to the facsimile device, the modem, and the interface, the controller controlling the facsimile device and the modem when receiving facsimile data, and controlling the interface when receiving e-mail data, the controller determining whether or not the e-mail data can be printed by the facsimile device, based on the type of data, when receiving the e-mail data;

said controller, in response to a determination that the e-mail data cannot be printed by the facsimile device, extracting the specific information from the e-mail data, and transmitting the specific information to a predetermined information terminal apparatus through the interface,

said controller, in response to receipt of an instruction from the predetermined information terminal apparatus, transmitting the e-mail data to the predetermined information terminal apparatus.

8. An internet facsimile apparatus comprising:

a facsimile device that scans a document and prints received data;

a modem that modulates and demodulates data;

an interface that receives and transmits e-mail data, the e-mail data comprising image data and specific information, the specific information comprising at least a type of data;

a converter that converts the received e-mail data to facsimile data; and

a controller controllably connected to the facsimile device, the modem, the interface and the converter, the controller controlling the facsimile device and the modem when receiving facsimile data, and controlling the interface when receiving e-mail data, the controller determining whether or not the e-mail data can be printed by the facsimile device, based on the type of data, when receiving the e-mail data;

said controller, in response to a determination that the e-mail data cannot be printed by the facsimile device, extracting the specific information from the e-mail data, and transmitting the specific information to a recipient information terminal apparatus through the interface; and

said controller, in response to receipt of an instruction transmitted from the recipient information terminal apparatus to transfer the e-mail, transmitting the e-mail data to the recipient information terminal apparatus, and in response a determination that the e-mail data can be printed by the facsimile device, the controller instructing the converter to convert the e-mail data to facsimile data and instructing the facsimile device to print the facsimile data.

9. A method for receiving e-mail data and printing received e-mail data with a printer, the method comprising:

receiving e-mail data at an interface, the e-mail data comprising image data and specific information, the specific information comprising at least a type of data;

determining whether or not the received data can be printed by the printer based on the type of the e-mail data;

extracting the specific information from the e-mail data;

transmitting the extracted specific information to a recipient information terminal apparatus through the interface in response to a determination that the e-mail data cannot be printed; and

transmitting the e-mail data from the interface to the recipient information terminal apparatus in response to receipt of an instruction from the recipient information terminal apparatus to transfer the e-mail.

10. A method for receiving e-mail data and printing received e-mail data with a printer, the method comprising:

receiving e-mail data at an interface, the e-mail data comprising image data and specific information, the specific information comprising at least a type of data;

determining whether or not the received data can be printed by the printer based on a type of the e-mail data;

extracting the specific information from the e-mail data;

transmitting the extracted specific information to a recipient information terminal apparatus through the interface in response to a determination that the e-mail data cannot be printed;

transmitting the e-mail data from the interface to the recipient information terminal apparatus in response to receipt of an instruction from the recipient information terminal apparatus to transfer the e-mail; and

printing the e-mail data with the printer in response to a determination that the e-mail data can be printed.