Method and apparatus for facsimile capable of communicating with data processing and facsimile machines

• US 6,470,379 B1
• Filed: 04/19/1999
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Mori, Yukikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong, Oanh
• Application Number:
  US09/294,681
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: 709/233, 709/206, 709/238, 709/224, 709/246, 358/1.15, 358/407, 358/402, 379/100.08, 379/100.14
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• 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 1/32128 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 2201/0022 Selecting or switching between an image communication mode and a non-image communication mode H04N2201/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0098 User intervention not otherwise provided for, e.g. placing documents, responding to an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3208 of an e-mail or network address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3212 of data relating to a job, e.g. communication, capture or filing of an image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3221 of a job number or identification, e.g. communication number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3222 of processing required or performed, e.g. forwarding, urgent or confidential handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 Display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

An Internet facsimile apparatus is provided for eliminating inconveniences possibly experienced by the user when receiving a plurality of electronic mail from the same Internet facsimile apparatus. Since the contents of transmitter unique information is placed in a From field or a Subject field of an electronic mail received from an originating Internet facsimile apparatus, the user can estimate the contents of the electronic mail by referring to the contents of a list of electronic mail information to readily find a desired electronic mail.

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus, operatively connected to a local area network, Internet, and a public telephone network and having at least functions of transmitting and receiving electronic mail on the local area network and the Internet and transmitting and receiving image information in accordance with a predetermined facsimile transmission procedure through the public telephone network, said data processing apparatus comprising:

a transmitter unique information input mechanism which allows a user transmitting an electronic mail to input transmitter unique information uniquely associated with said user transmitter;

a transmission controller, operative when specified destination information is a mail address upon transmitting image information, to transmit said image information using electronic mail; and

an information controller, operative when the contents of transmitter unique information input through said transmitter unique information input mechanism is a mail address, to place the contents of the input transmitter unique information in a first specific field of said electronic mail, and operative, when the contents of the transmitter unique information input through said transmitter unique information input mechanism is other than a mail address, to place the contents of the transmitter unique information in a second specific field of said electronic mail.

2. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a mail attribute information input mechanism which inputs an attribute of mail to be transmitted, and wherein said information controller is operative when an attribute of a mail to be transmitted is input through said mail attribute information input mechanism to add the contents of the input attribute to the second specific field of said electronic mail.

3. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said predetermined facsimile transmission procedure is a Group 3 facsimile communications procedure.

4. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second specific fields of said electronic mail are From and Subject fields, respectively.

5. A data processing apparatus, operatively connected to a local area network, Internet, and a public telephone network and having at least functions of transmitting and receiving electronic mail on the local area network and the Internet and transmitting and receiving image information in accordance with a predetermined facsimile transmission procedure through the public telephone network, said data processing apparatus comprising:

transmitter;

transmission control means, operative when specified destination information is a mail address upon transmitting image information, to transmit said image information using electronic mail; and

information control means, operative when the contents of transmitter unique information input through said transmitter unique information input means is a mail address, to place the contents of the input transmitter unique information in a first specific field of said electronic mail, and operatively, when the contents of the transmitter unique information input through said transmitter unique information input means is other than a mail address, to place the contents of the transmitter unique information in a second specific field of said electronic mail.

6. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 5, further comprising a mail attribute information input mechanism which inputs an attribute of a mail to be transmitted, and wherein said information controller is operative when an attribute of a mail to be transmitted is input through said mail attribute information input mechanism to add the contents of the input attribute to said second specific field of said electronic mail.

7. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said predetermined facsimile transmission procedure is a Group 3 facsimile communications procedure.

8. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said first and second specific fields of said electronic mail are From and Subject fields, respectively.

9. A data processing apparatus, operatively connected to a local area network, Internet, and a public telephone network and having at least functions of transmitting and receiving electronic mail on the local area network and the Internet and transmitting and receiving image information in accordance with a predetermined facsimile transmission procedure through the public telephone network, said data processing apparatus comprising:

transmitter unique information input means for inputting transmitter unique information unique to a transmitter;

transmission control means, operative when specified destination information is a mail address upon transmitting image information, to transmit said image information using electronic mail; and

information control means, operative when the contents of transmitter unique information input through said transmitter unique information input means is a mail address, to place the contents of the input transmitter unique information in a first specific field of said electronic mail, and operative, when the contents of the transmitter unique information input through said transmitter unique information input means is other than a mail address, to place the contents of the transmitter unique information in a second specific field of said electronic mail.

10. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising mail attribute information input means for inputting an attribute of a mail to be transmitted, and wherein said information control means is operative when an attribute of a mail to be transmitted is input through said mail attribute information input means to add the contents of the input attribute to the second specific field of said electronic mail.

11. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein said predetermined facsimile transmission procedure is a Group 3 facsimile communications procedure.

12. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein said first and second specific fields of said electronic mail are From and Subject fields, respectively.

13. A data processing apparatus, operatively connected to a local area network, Internet, and a public telephone network and having at least functions of transmitting and receiving electronic mail on the local area network and the Internet and transmitting and receiving image information in accordance with a predetermined facsimile transmission procedure through the public telephone network, said data processing apparatus comprising:

dial shortening means for specifying destination information with less key manipulations, said dial shortening means being additionally registered with transmitter unique information uniquely associated with a user transmitter and associated with destination information when the destination information is a mail address;

transmission control means, operative when destination information specified by said dial shortening means is a mail address upon transmitting image information, to transmit the image information using electronic mail; and

information control means, which reads transmitter unique information associated with destination information registered in said dial shortening means, said information control means being operative when the contents of the read transmitter unique information is a mail address to place the contents of the read transmitter unique information in a first specific field of said electronic mail, and operative when the contents of the read transmitter unique information is other than a mail address to place the contents of the read transmitter unique information in a second specific field of said electronic mail.

14. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 13, further comprising mail attribute information input means for inputting an attribute of a mail to be transmitted, and wherein said information control means is operative when an attribute of a mail to be transmitted is input through said mail attribute information input means to add the contents of the input attribute to said second specific field of said electronic mail.

15. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein said predetermined facsimile transmission procedure is a Group 3 facsimile communications procedure.

16. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein said first and second specific fields of said electronic mail are From and Subject fields, respectively.

17. A method for facsimile, comprising:

operatively connecting a data processing apparatus to a local area network, Internet, and a public telephone network;

providing said data processing apparatus with at least functions of transmitting and receiving electronic mail on the local area network and the Internet and transmitting and receiving image information in accordance with a predetermined facsimile transmission procedure through said public telephone network;

allowing a user transmitting an electronic mail to input transmitter unique information uniquely associated with said user transmitter;

a first step of placing the contents of transmitter unique information in a first specific field of said electronic mail when the contents of transmitter unique information input in said transmitter unique information inputting step is a mail address;

a second step of placing the contents of transmitter unique information in a second specific field of said electronic mail when the contents of transmitter unique information input in said transmitter unique information inputting step is other than a mail address; and

transmitting said image information using electronic mail when specified destination information defines a mail address.

18. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 17, further comprising the steps of inputting an attribute of a mail to be transmitted and adding the contents of the input attribute to the second specific field of said electronic mail when an attribute of a mail to be transmitted is input in said mail attribute inputting step.

19. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein said predetermined facsimile transmission procedure is a Group 3 facsimile communications procedure.

20. The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein said first and second specific fields of said electronic mail are From and Subject fields, respectively.

21. A data processing apparatus, comprising the steps of:

operatively connecting a data processing apparatus to a local area network, Internet, and a public telephone network;

providing said data processing apparatus with at least functions of transmitting and receiving electronic mail on the local area network and the Internet and transmitting and receiving image information in accordance with a predetermined facsimile transmission procedure through the public telephone network;

providing said data processing apparatus with a dial shortening mechanism for specifying destination information with less key manipulations, said dial shortening means being additionally registered with transmitter unique information uniquely associated with a user transmitter and associated with destination information when the destination information is a mail address;

specifying destination information through said dial shortening mechanism;

reading transmitter unique information associated with said destination information and registered in said dial shortening means;

placing the contents of transmitter unique information in a first specific field of said electronic mail when the contents of the transmitter unique information read in said reading step is a mail address;

placing the contents of transmitter unique information in a second specific field of said electronic mail when the contents of the transmitter unique information read in said reading step is other than a mail address; and

transmitting the image information using electronic mail when destination information specified in said specifying step is a mail address.

22. The method as defined in claim 21, further comprising steps of inputting an attribute of a mail to be transmitted, and adding the contents of the input attribute to said second specific field of said electronic mail when an attribute of a mail to be transmitted is input through said mail attribute.

23. The method as defined in claim 21, wherein said predetermined facsimile transmission procedure is a Group 3 facsimile communications procedure.

24. The method as defined in claim 21, wherein said first and second specific fields of said electronic mail are From and Subject fields, respectively.

25. A communications system, comprising:

a plurality of data processing apparatuses, each operatively connected to a local area network, Internet, and a public telephone network and having at least functions of transmitting and receiving electronic mail on the local area network and the Internet and transmitting and receiving image information in accordance with a predetermined facsimile transmission procedure through the public telephone network, wherein each of said data processing apparatuses comprising;

a transmitter unique information input mechanism which allows a user transmitting an electronic mail to input transmitter unique information uniquely associated with said user transmitter;

a transmission controller operative when specified destination information is a mail address upon transmitting image information to transmit said image information using electronic mail; and

an information controller operative when the contents of transmitter unique information the contents of the input transmitter unique information in a first specific field of said electronic mail, and operative, when the contents of the transmitter unique information input through said transmitter unique information input mechanism is other than a mail address, to place the contents of the transmitter unique information in a second specific field of said electronic mail.