Communication apparatus, communication method, communication system, and storage medium

• US 8,190,690 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2007
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ushida, Katsutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ENGLAND, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US11/681,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20070146802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00214 details of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0022 involving facsimile protocols or a combination of facsimile protocols and computer data transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32106 separate from the image data, e.g. in a different computer file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3208 of an e-mail or network address
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3209 of a telephone number
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3215 of a time or duration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3218 of a confirmation, acknowledgement or receipt
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3219 of a job status, e.g. successful execution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3223 of type information, e.g. reception or copy job
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3273 Display

Abstract

Image data communication equivalent to facsimile communication using a public network is realized on e-mail communication. When a communication apparatus for transmitting/receiving e-mail data by connecting to the Internet is to communicate e-mail data having facsimile-format image data attached, communication concerning functional information is performed in addition to the communication of the e-mail data. The functional information can be exchanged by an optimum method matching the form of connection to the Internet. This allows maximum utilization of the capability of each apparatus function in facsimile image communication using e-mail.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a transmission unit configured to transmit an E-mail having image data attached thereto to an external apparatus;

a confirmation unit configured to confirm a delivery result of the transmitted E-mail; and

an output unit configured to output a communication report for notifying a user of a delivery status of the transmitted E-mail,

wherein, when the confirmation unit performs confirmation of the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail, the delivery status comprises a first status notifying the user that the confirmation unit has confirmed that the transmission of the E-mail succeeded, a second status notifying the user that the confirmation unit has confirmed that the transmission of the E-mail failed, and a third status notifying the user that delivery of the image data has been completed but that confirmation of the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail is being awaited, and

wherein, when the external apparatus does not include a confirmation function capability such that the confirmation unit is not able to not perform the confirmation of the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail, the communication report comprises a fourth status which indicates that image data of base-line format has been attached to the transmitted E-mail.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the external apparatus is an apparatus which is a destination of the transmitted E-mail.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the external apparatus is an E-mail server, the E-mail server being other than an apparatus which is a destination of the transmitted E-mail.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation unit confirms the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail by using the E-mail in which an information field pertaining to delivery confirmation is defined.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation unit confirms the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail by using image data in which an information field pertaining to delivery confirmation is defined.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation unit confirms the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail by using the DSN (Delivery Status Notification) which is defined by the ESMTP (Extended Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs information indicating the delivery status of each of a plurality of transmitted E-mails as a list.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit configured to print the communication report, wherein the output unit outputs the information by the printing unit.

9. A method for a communication apparatus comprising:

transmitting an E-mail having image data attached thereto to an external apparatus;

confirming a delivery result of the transmitted E-mail; and

outputting a communication report for notifying a user of a delivery status of the transmitted E-mail,

wherein, when the confirmation of the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail is performed, the delivery status comprises a first status notifying the user that it has been confirmed that the transmission of the E-mail succeeded, a second status notifying the user that it has been confirmed that the transmission of the E-mail failed, and a third status notifying the user that delivery of the image data has been completed but that confirmation of the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail is being awaited, and

wherein, when the external apparatus does not include a confirmation function capability such that the confirmation of the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail is not able to be performed, the communication report comprises a fourth status which indicates that image data of base-line format has been attached to the transmitted E-mail.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the external apparatus is an apparatus which is a destination of the transmitted E-mail.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the external apparatus is an E-mail server, the E-mail server being other than an apparatus which is a destination of the transmitted E-mail.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the confirmation step confirms the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail by using the E-mail in which an information field pertaining to delivery confirmation is defined.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the confirmation step confirms the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail by using image data in which an information field pertaining to delivery confirmation is defined.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the confirmation step confirms the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail by using the DSN (Delivery Status Notification) which is defined by the ESMTP (Extended Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the output step outputs information indicating the delivery status of each of a plurality of transmitted E-mails as a list.

16. The method according to claim 9, further comprising a printing step of printing the communication report, wherein the output step outputs the communication report by the printing step.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which is stored computer executable code of a computer program that implements a method for a communication apparatus, the method comprising:

transmitting an E-mail having image data attached thereto to an external apparatus;

confirming a delivery result of the transmitted E-mail; and

outputting a communication report for notifying a user of a delivery status of the transmitted E-mail,

wherein, when confirmation of the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail is performed, the delivery status comprises a first status notifying the user that it has been confirmed that the transmission of the E-mail succeeded, a second status notifying the user that it has been confirmed that the transmission of the E-mail failed, and a third status notifying the user that delivery of the image data has been completed but that confirmation of the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail is being awaited, and

wherein, when the external apparatus does not include a confirmation function capability such that the confirmation of the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail is not able to be performed, the communication report comprises a fourth status which indicates that image data of base-line format has been attached to the transmitted E-mail.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the external apparatus is an apparatus which is a destination of the transmitted E-mail.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the external apparatus is an E-mail server, the E-mail server being other than an apparatus which is a destination of the transmitted E-mail.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the confirmation step confirms the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail by using the E-mail in which an information field pertaining to delivery confirmation is defined.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the confirmation step confirms the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail by using image data in which an information field pertaining to delivery confirmation is defined.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the confirmation step confirms the delivery result of the transmitted E-mail by using the DSN (Delivery Status Notification) which is defined by the ESMTP (Extended Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the output step outputs information indicating the delivery status of each of a plurality of transmitted E-mails as a list.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising a printing step of printing the communication report, wherein the output step outputs the communication report by the printing step.