Fax mail apparatus

• US 6,567,178 B2
• Filed: 02/16/1996
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tashima, Hirotaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Madeleine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pokrzywa, Joseph R.
• Application Number:
  US08/602,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20030043403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,650 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.132, 358/402, 358/403, 358/407, 358/440, 358/468, 379/97, 379/98, 379/100, 379/93.24, 379/100.08, 379/100.09, 395/114, 395/200.5, 395/200.6, 395/200.9
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 1/324 intermediate the transmitter and receiver terminals, e.g. at an exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32411 Handling instructions for routing or relaying
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3216 of a job size, e.g. a number of images, pages or copies, size of file, length of message
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33321 Image or page size, e.g. A3, A4
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33357 Compression mode

Abstract

A FAX receiving unit is an interface with the call originating FAX. A delivery management table is stored with a service code for designating a kind of a FAX mail service and a condition requested by the call originating FAX and also a telephone number of the destination FAX. A service subscriber table records the telephone number and the FAX-ID for every subscriber. A message accumulation unit stores the FAX message and the FAX-ID of the call originating FAX. A service control unit registers the delivery management table with the service code and the telephone number of the destination FAX received by the FAX receiving unit from a transmitting FAX and accumulates the FAX message and the FAX-ID of the call originating FAX in the message accumulation unit. The service control unit acquires a corresponding FAX-ID by retrieving the service subscriber table on the basis of the destination FAX telephone number of which the call originating FAX notifies and replies it to the call originating FAX. The service control unit, when the condition of the service code is satisfied, originates a call to the destination FAX and transmits the FAX message and the FAX-ID of the call originating FAX which have been stored in the message accumulation unit.

Claims

1. A FAX mail apparatus, connected to a communication network, temporarily receiving, if a line is not connected within the communication network for a call of a FAX communication to transmit a FAX message from a call originating FAX to a destination FAX, the FAX message from said call originating FAX through a line connected within the communication network between the call originating FAX and the FAX mail apparatus and transmitting the FAX message to said destination FAX after a predetermined time has elapsed through a line connected within the communication network between the FAX mail apparatus and the destination FAX, said apparatus comprising:

a call originating FAX-ID storage unit for storing a FAX-ID of said call originating FAX which has been transmitted as data from said call originating FAX, said FAX-ID being set in said call originating FAX;

call originating means for originating a call to transmit the FAX message to said destination FAX after a given time has elapsed since the FAX message was received and, if the line is not connected to said destination FAX as a result of this call originating process, originating the call to transmit the FAX message to a management FAX being a terminating FAX apparatus;

FAX message transmitting means for transmitting, if the line is connected to said management FAX as a result of the call originating process by said call originating means, the FAX message to said management FAX; and

call originating FAX-ID transmitting means for transmitting with the FAX message, if the line is connected to said management FAX as a result of the call originating process by said call originating means, the FAX-ID of said call originating FAX which has been stored in said call originating FAX-ID storage unit to said management FAX instead of a FAX-ID of the FAX mail apparatus itself.

2. A FAX mail apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said originating FAX-ID is indicated together with the FAX message on said destination FAX.