Communication apparatus, control method, and storage medium that can identify communication errors

• US 8,676,898 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tonegawa, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): SERRAO, RANODHI N
• Application Number:
  US11/152,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20050235040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,198 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-207, 379/93.01
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• 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 1/00912 Arrangements for controlling a still picture apparatus or components thereof not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32406 in connection with routing or relaying, e.g. using a fax-server or a store-and-forward facility stored and forward data switching systems H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32609 Fault detection or counter-measures, e.g. original mis-positioned, shortage of paper
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32635 of reproducing apparatus or receiver, e.g. out of paper
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32683 Preventive counter-measures, e.g. using redundant hardware, or anticipating a fault arrangements for keeping a communication line open H04N1/32795
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0027 Adapting to communicate with plural different types of apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3219 of a job status, e.g. successful execution

Abstract

A communication apparatus capable of notifying a receiver of a reception mail error or transmission mail error by printing or the like and preventing incorrect data or error notification mail from being transferred or stored without notifying the user of the error, and a control method and storage medium therefor. To accomplish this, when analysis of electronic mail data reveals a MIME analysis error, BASE64 decoding error, TIFF analysis error, or image decoding error, i.e., when data which cannot be handled by the communication apparatus is contained, a global variable FORWARD is set to “1”. Also, when the received electronic mail is an error notification mail, the variable FORWARD is set to “1”. When the variable FORWARD is set to “1”, transfer and BOX storage of the received mail are inhibited, and the mail is printed by a printer section (2). When the variable FORWARD is not set to “1”, the received mail is transferred to the designated transfer destination or stored by BOX storage.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive first electronic mail data transmitted by an external apparatus, to which image data is attached;

a transfer unit configured to transfer, as attached image data of second electronic mail data, the image data attached to the first electronic mail data to another external apparatus different from the external apparatus, wherein the attached image data of the second electronic mail data is in a same format as a format of the image data attached to the first electronic mail data;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded by the communication apparatus;

a control unit configured to control the transfer unit so as to transfer the image data attached to the first electronic mail data as the attached image data of the second electronic mail data, if the determination unit determines that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded by the communication apparatus, and not to transfer the image data attached to the first electronic mail data as the attached image data of the second electronic mail data, if the determination unit determines that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is not able to be decoded by the communication apparatus;

a non-transitory computer-readable memory configured to store computer-executable code; and

a processor configured to function as at least one of the units by executing the computer-executable code stored in the non-transitory computer-readable memory.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit configured to print an image based on the image data attached to the first electronic mail data,

wherein the control unit causes the printing unit to print predetermined information, if the determination unit determines that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is not able to be decoded.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines based on whether Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) information in the first electronic mail data includes an error.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines based on whether a BASE 64 decode error has occurred.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific format is Tagged Image File Format (TIFF).

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines based on whether a header of the image data attached to the first electronic mail data includes an error.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines based on whether an Image File Directory (IFD) of the image data attached to the first electronic mail data includes an error.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines based on whether a decode error of the image data attached to the first electronic mail data has occurred.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer unit transfers the image data attached to the first electronic mail data to the second external apparatus in accordance with a header of the received electronic mail data.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit configured to set a transfer condition,

wherein the control unit transfers the image data if the determination unit determines that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded by the communication apparatus and if the received first electronic mail satisfies the transfer condition set by the setting unit.

11. A communication method comprising steps of:

receiving first electronic mail data transmitted by an external apparatus, to which image data is attached;

transferring, as attached image data of second electronic mail data, the image data attached to the first electronic mail data received in the receiving step to another external apparatus different from the external apparatus, wherein the attached image data of the second electronic mail data is in a same format as a format of the image data attached to the first electronic mail data;

determining whether the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded; and

controlling the transferring step so as to transfer the image data attached to the first electronic mail data as the attached image data of the second electronic mail data, if a determination is made in the determining step that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded, and not to transfer to the image data attached to the first electronic mail data as the attached image data of the second electronic mail data, if a determination is made in the determining step that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is not able to be decoded.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a communication method, the method comprising steps of:

receiving first electronic mail data transmitted by an external apparatus, to which image data in a specific format is attached;

transferring, as attached image data of second electronic mail data, the image data attached to the first electronic mail data to another external apparatus different from the first external apparatus, wherein the attached image data of the second electronic mail data is in a same format as the specific format of the image data attached to the first electronic mail data;

determining whether the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded; and

controlling the transferring step so as to transfer the image data attached to the first electronic mail data as the attached image data of the second electronic mail data, if a determination is made in the determining step that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded, and not to transfer the image data attached to the first electronic mail data as the attached image data of the second electronic mail data, if a determination is made in the determining step that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is not able to be decoded.

13. A communication apparatus comprising:

a processing unit coupled to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium,

wherein the processing unit is configured to receive first electronic mail data transmitted by an external apparatus, to which image data is attached;

wherein the processing unit is configured to transfer, as attached image data of second electronic mail data, the image data attached to the first electronic mail data to another external apparatus different from the external apparatus, wherein the attached image data of the second electronic mail data is in a same format as a format of the image data attached to the first electronic mail data;

wherein the processing unit is configured to determine whether the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded by the communication apparatus; and

wherein the processing unit is configured to transfer the image data attached to the first electronic mail data as the attached image data of the second electronic mail data, if the processing unit determines that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded by the communication apparatus, and not to transfer the image data attached to the first electronic mail data as the attached image data of the second electronic mail data, if the processing unit determines that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is not able to be decoded by the communication apparatus.

14. A communication apparatus comprising:

one or more processing units cooperating with one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media,

wherein at least one of the one or more processing units is configured to receive first electronic mail data transmitted by an first external apparatus, to which image data is attached;

wherein at least one of the one or more processing units is configured to transfer, as attached image data of second electronic mail data, the image data attached to the first electronic mail data to another external apparatus different from the external apparatus, wherein the attached image data of the second electronic mail data is in a same format as a format of the image data attached to the first electronic mail data;

wherein at least one of the one or more processing units is configured to determine whether the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded by the communication apparatus; and

wherein at least one of the one or more processing units is configured to transfer the image data attached to the first electronic mail data as the attached image data of the second electronic mail data, if at least one of the one or more processing units determines that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded by the communication apparatus, and not to transfer the image data attached to the first electronic mail data as the attached image data of the second electronic mail data, if at least one of the one or more processing units determines that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is not able to be decoded by the communication apparatus.

15. A communication apparatus comprising:

a receiver that receives first electronic mail data transmitted by an external apparatus, to which image data is attached;

a transferor that transfers, as attached image data of second electronic mail data, the image data attached to the first electronic mail data to another external apparatus different from the external apparatus, wherein the attached image data of the second electronic mail data is in a same format as a format of the image data attached to the first electronic mail data;

a determiner that determines whether the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded by the communication apparatus; and

a controller that controls the transferor so as to transfer the image data attached to the first electronic mail data as the attached image data of the second electronic mail data, if the determiner determines that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is able to be decoded by the communication apparatus, and not to transfer the image data attached to the first electronic mail data as the attached image data of the second electronic mail data, if the determiner determines that the image data attached to the first electronic mail data is not able to be decoded by the communication apparatus.