Electronic mail system

• US 6,493,107 B1
• Filed: 10/26/1999
• Issued: 12/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Toyoda, Kiyoshi, Bando, Tatsuo, Sawada, Toshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Madeleine
• Application Number:
  US09/426,747
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/402, 358/442, 358/440, 358/400, 358/468, 358/434, 707/500, 707/516, 707/510, 707/522, 707/524, 707/529, 707/538, 712/208, 712/209, 712/210, 712/215
• 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 1/32128 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 1/32358 using picture signal storage, e.g. at transmitter H04N1/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32411 Handling instructions for routing or relaying
• 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 1/32641 of transmission or transmitted data, e.g. interruption or wrong number of pages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32662 remotely, e.g. to the transmitter from the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0018 via a non-image communication channel, e.g. via a computer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/002 Selecting or switching between an image communication channel and a non-image communication channel
• 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 2201/0086 Image transceiver H04N2201/0093 and H04N2201/0094 take 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 2201/3264 of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3267 of motion picture signals, e.g. video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3283 Compression

Abstract

An electronic mail system connected to a network includes a section for converting an image of a document surface into corresponding document image data, and a section for compressing the document image data into compression-resultant image data. The electronic mail system also includes a section for converting the compression-resultant image data into corresponding image data of a given electronic-mail format, a section for receiving information of an electronic-mail destination address, and a section for transmitting the image data of the electronic-mail format toward the electronic-mail destination address via the network. The electronic mail system may further include a section for receiving image data in an electronic mail, a section for converting the received image data into corresponding received image data of a given facsimile format, a section for expanding the received image data of the facsimile format into expansion-resultant image data, and a section for printing the expansion-resultant image data.

Claims

1. An electronic mail apparatus comprising:

an operation panel configured to designate an electronic mail destination;

an acceptor that accepts image data;

a converter that converts the image data into an electronic mail format;

an electronic mail transmitter that transmits the image data converted into electronic mail format to a designated electronic mail destination via a network;

an electronic mail receiver that is configured to receive the electronic mail comprising at least one of text data and image data from a sender via the network;

a detector that detects a specific character code sequence from the received electronic mail;

an analyzer that analyzes whether or not the specific character code sequence designates image data or text data and that further analyzes, when the electronic mail is determined to be text data, whether or not the text data of the electronic mail includes a command code and information for executing the command code associated with the command code; and

a command executer that executes the command code associated with the specific character code sequence when the detector detects the specific character code sequence and when the text data is determined, by the analyzer, to include the command code.

2. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a facsimile transmitter that negotiates with a facsimile destination before transmitting image data, and transmits the compressed image data to a designated facsimile destination address via a telephone network.

3. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said command executer further extracts at least a destination address from the text data, and stores the destination address in a memory when the command code indicates storing of the destination address.

4. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said command executer extracts a sender ID from the text data, and stores the sender ID in the memory in association with the destination address.

5. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said command executer extracts a source address from the text data, and stores the source address in a memory.

6. The electronic mail apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said command executer extracts a sender ID from the text data, and stores the sender ID in the memory, in association with the source address.

7. An electronic mail communication method using an electronic mail apparatus, the electronic mail apparatus having an operation panel configured to designate an electronic mail destination, the electronic mail communication method comprising:

accepting image data;

converting the image data into an electronic-mail format;

transmitting electronic-mail to a designated electronic mail destination address via a network;

receiving electronic-mail from a sender via the network;

detecting a specific character code sequence from the received electronic-mail;

analyzing whether or not the specific character code sequence designates image data or text data, and, when the electronic mail is determined to be text data, further analyzing the text data to determine whether or not the text data includes a command code and information for executing the command code associated with the command code; and

executing the command code when the detector detects the specific character code sequence and when the text data is determined to include the command code.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising negotiating with a facsimile destination before transmitting image data, and transmitting the compressed image data to a facsimile destination address via a telephone network.

9. An electronic mail apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores destination mail addresses;

an electronic mail receiver that receives electronic-mail via a network, the electronic-mail including destination mail addresses and a specific character code sequence that designates a request to store the destination mail addresses into said memory;

a detector that detects the specific character code sequence in the received electronic-mail;

an analyzer that analyzes whether the specific character code sequence designates the electronic mail as comprising image data or text data and, when the electronic mail is determined to be text data, further analyzes the text data to determine whether or not the text data includes a command code and information for executing the command code associated with the command code; and

a command executer that stores the destination mail addresses in said memory, based on the detection of the specific character code sequence and based upon the text data being determined, by the analyzer, to include the command code.

10. The electronic-mail apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the electronic mail further includes a sender ID, said command executer extracts the sender ID and stores the sender ID in said memory in association with the destination mail address.

11. An electronic mail communication method using an electronic mail apparatus, the method comprising:

storing at least one destination mail address in a memory;

receiving electronic mail via a network, the electronic mail including destination mail addresses and a specific character code sequence that represents a request to store the destination mail address into the memory;

detecting the presence of the specific character code sequence in the received electronic mail;

analyzing whether the specific character code sequence designates the electronic mail as comprising image data or text data and, when the electronic mail is determined to be text data, further analyzing the text data to determine whether or not the text data includes a command code and information for executing the command code associated with the command code; and

storing the destination mail addresses based upon the detection of the specific character code sequence and based upon the text data being determined to include the command code.