Communication equipment, communication route selection method, and computer program product in memory for selecting a communication route

• US 6,438,605 B1
• Filed: 11/10/1998
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Idehara, Takenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/189,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20020032736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200-203, 709/205-207, 709/220-224, 709/238-244, 370/235-238, 370/254, 370/351, 370/354, 370/400-401, 455/412-419, 455/445, 455/461-469, 358/402-403, 358/440-442
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing

Abstract

A communication equipment having multiple communication functions, a method of selecting a communication route among multiple communication routes that are available between the sending equipment and receiving equipment, and a computer program product in memory for implementing the communication route selecting process. In route selection mode, a list of communication routes that are available between the sending equipment and receiving equipment is produced and displayed. The user selects a route and associated communication function on the displayed list, and proceeds to communication.

Claims

1. A communication equipment capable of sending information to a destination equipment via a plurality of communication means, said communication equipment comprising:

a finding controller which finds one or more communication means available for both said communication equipment and said destination equipment among said plurality of communication means, said one or more communication means defining a plurality of communication routes between said communication equipment and said destination equipment;

a display device which displays the communication means found by said finding controller;

an input device used to specify a communication means out of the one or more communication means displayed on said display device such that a communication route is formed between the communication equipment and the designation equipment; and

a transmission controller which transmits information to said destination equipment via the communication means specified with said input device.

2. A communication equipment according to claim 1, wherein said finding controller lists one or more communication means available for said communication equipment and one or more communication means available for said destination equipment, and extracts one or more communication means available commonly for said communication equipment and said destination equipment.

3. A communication equipment according to claim 2, wherein said finding controller sends to said destination equipment a status request for inquiring the one or more communication means available for said destination equipment, and lists the one or more communication means available for said destination equipment upon receiving a reply from said destination equipment in response to the status request.

4. A communication equipment according to claim 1, wherein said finding controller lists one or more communication means available for a network, to which said communication equipment connects, and one or more communication means available for a network, to which said destination equipment connects, and extracts one or more communication means available commonly for said communication equipment and said destination equipment.

5. A communication equipment according to claim 4, wherein said finding controller sends to said destination equipment a status request for inquiring the one or more communication means available for said network to which said destination equipment connects, and lists one or more communication means available for said destination equipment upon receiving a reply from said destination equipment in response to the status request.

6. A communication equipment according to claim 1, wherein said communication means includes facsimile and electronic mail.

7. A method for selecting a communication means to be used for communication between a communication equipment and a destination equipment, said method comprising:

finding one or more communication means available for both said communication equipment and said destination equipment, said one or more communication means defining a plurality of communication routes between said communication equipment and said destination equipment;

displaying the communication means found in said finding;

detecting the selection of a communication means out of the one or more communication means displayed in said displaying, said selection being such that a communication route is formed between the communication equipment and the designation equipment; and

sending information from said communication equipment to said destination equipment via the communication means detected in said detecting.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said finding step includes:

a first listing of one or more communication means available for said communication equipment;

a second listing of one or more communication means available for said destination equipment; and

an extraction of one or more communication means that have been listed commonly in said first and second listing.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said second listing includes:

a sending of a status request, from said communication equipment to said destination equipment, for inquiring the one or more communication means available for said destination equipment; and

a sending back of reply information indicative of the one or more communication means available for said receiving equipment. from said destination equipment to said communication equipment in response to the status request.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein said finding step includes:

a first listing of one or more communication means available for a network to which said communication equipment connects;

a second listing of one or more communication means available for a network to which said destination equipment connects; and

an extraction of one or more communication means that have been listed commonly in said first and second listing.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said first listing includes:

a sending of a status request, from said communication equipment to other equipments connected to said network to which said communication equipment, for inquiring one or more communication means available for said other equipments; and

a sending back of reply information indicative of the one or more communication means available for said other equipments, from said other equipments to said communication equipment in response to the status request.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein said second listing includes:

a first inquiry which includes sending of a first status request, from said communication equipment to said destination equipment, for inquiring the one or more communication means available for said network to which said destination equipment connects;

a second inquiry which includes sending of a second status request, from said communication equipment to other equipments connected to said network to which said destination equipment in response to the first status request, for inquiring one or more communication means available for said other equipments;

a first reply which includes sending back of reply information indicative of the one or more communication means available for said other equipments, from said other equipments to said destination equipment in response to the second inquiry; and

a second reply which includes transferring of the reply information, which has been received in said first reply by said receiving equipment, to said communication equipment.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein said displaying step displays the one or more communication means on a display device provided with said communication equipment.

14. A method according to claim 7, wherein said communication means includes facsimile and electronic mail.

15. A computer program product in memory for selecting a communication means to be used for communication between a communication equipment and a destination equipment, said computer program product comprising:

a finding control for finding one or more communication means available for both said communication equipment and said destination equipment, said one or more communication means defining a plurality of communication routes between said communication equipment and said destination equipment;

a display control for displaying the one or more communication means found by said finding control;

a detection control for detecting the selection of the communication means to be used for said communication out of the one or more communication means displayed by said display control, said selection being such that a communication route is formed between the communication equipment and the designation equipment; and

a transfer control for sending information from said communication equipment to said destination equipment via the communication means selected by said detection control.

16. A computer program product in memory according to claim 15, wherein said finding control includes:

a first listing control for listing one or more communication means available for said communication equipment;

a second listing control for listing one or more communication means available for said destination equipment; and

an extraction control for extracting one or more communication means that have been listed commonly by said first and second listing controls.

17. A computer program product in memory according to claim 16, wherein said second listing control includes:

inquiry control for sending a status requests from said communication equipment to said destination equipment. for inquiring the one or more communication means available for said destination equipment; and

reply control for sending back, from said destination equipment to said communication equipment in response to the status request, information indicative of the one or more communication means available for said destination equipment.

18. A computer program product in memory according to claim 15, wherein said finding control includes:

a first listing control for listing one or more communication means available for a network to which said communication equipment connects;

a second listing control for listing one or more communication means available for a network to which said destination equipment connects; and

an extraction control for extracting one or more communication means that have been listed commonly by said first and second listing controls.

19. A computer program product in memory according to claim 18, wherein said first listing control includes:

inquiry control for sending a status request, from said communication equipment to other equipments connected to said network to which said communication equipment connects, for inquiring one or more communication means available for said other equipments; and

reply control for sending back, from said other equipments to said communication equipment in response to the status request, reply information indicative of the one or more communication means available for said other equipments.

20. A computer program product in memory according to claim 18, wherein said second listing control includes:

a first inquiry control for sending a first status request, from said communication equipment to said destination equipment, for inquiring one or more communication means available for said network to which said destination equipment;

a second inquiry control for sending a second status request, from said destination equipment to other equipments connected to said network to which said destination equipment in response to the first status request, for inquiring one or more communication means available for said other equipments;

a first reply control for sending back, from said other equipments to said destination equipment in response to the second inquiry control, reply information indicative of the one or more communication means available for said other equipments; and

a second reply control for transferring the reply information, which has been received in said first reply control by said receiving equipment, to said destination equipment.

21. A computer program product in memory according to claim 15, wherein said display control includes displaying of the one or more communication means on a display device provided with said communication equipment.

22. A computer program product according to claim 15, wherein said communication means includes facsimile and electronic mail.

23. A communication apparatus comprising:

means for finding one or more means of communication available for both said communication apparatus and a destination apparatus, said one or more communication means defining a plurality of communication routes between said communication apparatus and said destination apparatus;

means for displaying on a display screen, on the basis of the one or more means of communication found by said finding means, the plurality of communication routes from said communication apparatus to said destination apparatus;

means for receiving an operator'"'"'s selection of a communication route to be used for communication with said destination apparatus out of the plurality of communication routes displayed on said display screen; and

means for communicating with said destination apparatus via one or more means and routes of communication determined based on the operator'"'"'s selection received by said receiving means.

24. A communication apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said means of communication includes facsimile and electronic mail.

25. A method for determining optimum means and route of communication from a communicating apparatus to a destination apparatus, said method comprising:

finding one or more means of communication available for both said communication apparatus and said destination apparatus, said one or more communication means defining a plurality of communication routes between said communication apparatus and said destination apparatus;

displaying on a display screen, on the basis of the one or more means of communication found at said finding step, the plurality of communication routes from said communication apparatus to said destination apparatus;

receiving an operator'"'"'s selection of a communication route to be used for the communication from said communication apparatus to said destination apparatus out of the plurality of communication routes displayed on said display screen; and

determining one or more means and routes of communication on the basis of the operator'"'"'s selection received at said receiving.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein said means of communication includes facsimile and electronic mail.

27. A computer program product for determining optimum means and route of communication from a communicating apparatus to a destination apparatus, said computer program product comprising elements for carrying out the following processing of:

finding one or more means of communication available for both said communication apparatus and said destination apparatus, said one or more communication means defining a plurality of communication routes between said communication apparatus and said destination apparatus;

displaying on the basis of the one or more means of communication found at said finding processing, the plurality of communication routes from said communication apparatus to said destination apparatus on a display screen;

receiving an operator'"'"'selection of a communication route to be used for the communication from said communication apparats to said destination apparatus out of the plurality of communication routes displayed on said display screen; and

determining one or more means and routes of communication on the basis of the operator'"'"'s selection received at said receiving processing.

28. A computer program product according to claim 27, wherein said means of communication includes facsimile and electronic mail.