Message communication processing apparatus for selectively converting storing and transmitting messages of different lengths

• US 5,548,789 A
• Filed: 03/13/1995
• Issued: 08/20/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakanura, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, KENNETH S
• Application Number:
  US08/403,117
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200, 395/250, 395/325, 395/200.08, 395/853, 395/888, 379/89, 358/402
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

Control is executed in such a manner that storage and forward exchange can be performed even when a communication message comprising media information sent from a communication terminal exceeds a predetermined message length, thus improving the utilization efficiency of the system as a whole. Specifically, when a mailbox registration request message addressed to one terminal is received by a mail processing apparatus through a communication controller upon having been sent from another terminal via a network, a main controller determines whether the received message exceeds a predetermined maximum message length. If it does, then it is determined if a media classification is indicative of image information. In case of image information, it is determined by a media table whether the terminal for which the message is destined is capable of receiving the image information. If this terminal is one capable of processing the image information, the message is sent to the terminal automatically by executing mail allotting processing. If the maximum message length is exceeded, the media information of the communication message is compressed and converted into a media information type capable of being processed by the terminal for which the message is destined. This makes it possible to store the communication message.

Claims

1. In a message communication processing system which includes a plurality of communication terminals for processing media information and a center apparatus having a storage and forward exchange function for communication messages sent from the communication terminals, the messages comprising media information, said center apparatus comprising:

discriminating means for determining whether a message length of a message sent from a first terminal is greater than a predetermined length;

memory means for storing the message if said discriminating means determines that the message length of the message is not greater than the predetermined length;

first transmitting means for transmitting the message stored in said memory means to a second terminal in response to an instruction from said second terminal; and

second transmitting means for transmitting the message sent from said first terminal directly to the second terminal without storing the message into said memory means if said discriminating means determines that the message length of the message is greater than the predetermined length.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the message has a media classification in dependence on the media information it comprises, and wherein said second transmitting means transmits the message directly to the second terminal only if the media classification of the message is equal to a receivable media classification of the second terminal.

3. In a message communication processing system which includes a plurality of communication terminals for processing media information and a center apparatus having a storage and forward exchange function for communication messages sent from the communication terminals, the messages comprising media information and each formulated in a respective original medium, said center apparatus comprising:

discriminating means for determining whether a message length of the communication message sent from a first terminal is greater than a predetermined length;

memory means for storing the message if said discriminating means determines that the message length of the message is not greater than the predetermined length;

transmitting means for transmitting the message stored in said memory means to a second terminal in response to an instruction from said second terminal; and

converting means for converting an original medium of the message sent from said first terminal to produce a converted message in a converted medium having a higher compression ratio than the original medium if said discriminating means determines that the message length of the message in the original medium is greater than the predetermined length,

wherein said memory means stores the converted message if said discriminating means determines that a message length of the converted message is not greater than the predetermined length, and wherein the converted message is not stored if said discriminating means determines that the message length of the converted message is greater than the predetermined length.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said converting means compresses and converts the original medium of the message into a medium capable of being processed by the second terminal.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the converted message is discarded without being transmitted if the discriminating means determines that the message length of the converted message is greater than the predetermined length.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said converting means converts the original medium of the message into the converted medium by compression.

6. In a message communication processing system which includes a plurality of communication terminals for processing media information and a center apparatus having a storage and forward exchange function for communication messages sent from the communication terminals, the messages comprising media information and each formulated in a respective original medium, said center apparatus comprising:

discriminating means for determining whether a message length of a message sent from a first terminal is greater than a predetermined length;

memory means for storing the message sent from said first terminal if said discriminating means determines that the message length of the message is not greater than the predetermined length;

first transmitting means for transmitting the message stored in said memory means to a second terminal in response to an instruction from said second terminal;

converting means for converting an original medium of the message sent from said first terminal to produce a converted message in a converted medium capable of being processed by the second terminal if said discriminating means determines that the message length of the message in the original medium is greater than the predetermined length; and

second transmitting means for transmitting the converted message directly to the second terminal without storing the converted message into said memory means.

8. A message communication method of a message communication processing system which includes a plurality of communication terminals for processing media information and a center apparatus having a storage and forward exchange function for communication messages sent from the communication terminals, the messages comprising media information, said method comprising:

a discriminating step of determining whether a message length of the communication message sent from a first terminal is greater than a predetermined length;

a memory step of storing the message sent from the first terminal if said discriminating step determines that the message length of the message is not greater than the predetermined length;

a first transmitting step of transmitting the message stored in said memory step to a second terminal in response to an instruction from the second terminal; and

a second transmitting step of transmitting the message sent from the first terminal directly to the second terminal without storing the message if said discriminating step determines that the message length of the message is greater than the predetermined length.

9. A message communication method of a message communication processing system which includes a plurality of communication terminals for processing media information and a center apparatus having a storage and forward exchange function for communication messages sent from the communication terminals, the messages comprising media information and each formulated in a respective medium, said method comprising:

a first discriminating step of determining whether a message length of the message sent from a first terminal is greater than a predetermined length;

a memory step of storing a message, wherein said memory step stores the message sent from the first terminal if said first discriminating step determines that the message length of the message sent from the first terminal is not greater than the predetermined length,

if said first discriminating step determines that the message length of the message sent from the first terminal is greater than the predetermined length, a converting step of converting an original medium of the message sent from said first terminal to produce a converted message in a converted medium having a higher compression ratio than the original medium and a second discriminating step for determining whether a message length of the converted message is not greater than the predetermined length, wherein said memory step stores the converted message if said second discriminating step determines that the message length of the converted message is not greater than predetermined length, and

a transmitting step of transmitting the message stored in said memory step to a second terminal in response to an instruction from the second terminal.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the message sent from the first terminal is discarded without being transmitted if the first discriminating step determines that the message length of the converted message is greater than the predetermined length.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the converted message is discarded without being transmitted if the second discriminating step determines that the message length of the converted message is greater than the predetermined length.

12. A message communication method of a message communication processing system which includes a plurality of communication terminals for processing media information and a center apparatus having a storage and forward exchange function for communication messages sent from the communication terminals, the message comprising media information, said method comprising:

a discriminating step of determining whether a message length of the message sent from a first terminal is greater than a predetermined length;

a memory step of storing the message sent from the first terminal if said discriminating step determines that the message length of the message is not greater than the predetermined length;

a first transmitting step of transmitting the message stored in said memory step to a second terminal in accordance with an instruction from the second terminal;

a converting step of converting an original medium of the message sent from the first terminal to produce a converted message having a converted medium capable of being processed by the second terminal if said discriminating step determines that the message length of the message in the original medium is greater than the predetermined length; and

a second transmitting step of transmitting the converted message directly to the second terminal without storing the message.