Image communication control method, image communication control program, and image communication apparatus

• US 7,791,748 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Izumi, Michihiro, Yoshino, Motoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon; King Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kwan; Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US10/569,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20070189266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,198 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/400, 358/401, 358/405, 358/425, 358/426.02, 358/426.15, 358/426.16, 358434-436, 358/442, 358/468, 358/500
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 1/0022 involving facsimile protocols or a combination of facsimile protocols and computer data transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33307 prior to start of transmission, input or output of the picture signal only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/33392 Details of handshaking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33321 Image or page size, e.g. A3, A4
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/33378 Type or format of data, e.g. colour or B/W, halftone or binary, computer image file or facsimile data

Abstract

When image communication is conducted by using one of a plurality of different image communication systems via a sending/receiving path including an IP network (101), a transmitter (105) and receivers (108, 108a, 112, 115) or devices (gateway (111, 113) or an IP network interface (109)) for relaying the image communication existing in the sending/receiving path store SDP media stream descriptions, which include different image communication systems usable by the transmitter and receivers, in an SIP message and send the SIP message, and select an image communication system for use in practical image communication in given order of priority and image communication control parameters to be used in the appropriate image communication system, on the basis of the SDP media stream descriptions. Whereby, an appropriate image communication system can be automatically selected from various image communication system that can be used between a calling terminal and a called terminal, without a need for a complicated operating procedure or setup procedure.

Claims

1. An image communication control method for conducting image communication by using one of a plurality of different image communication systems via sending/receiving paths including an IP network,

wherein a transmitter and receivers for conducting the image communication or devices for relaying the image communication existing in the sending/receiving paths include SDP media stream descriptions in an SIP message and send it on the basis of an SIP protocol, the SDP media stream descriptions comprising different image communication systems usable by the transmitter and the receivers for conducting the image communication and image communication control parameters described based on given syntaxes;

wherein the transmitter and the receivers for conducting the image communication select an image communication system for use in practical image communication and image communication control parameters to be used in the appropriate image communication system in given order of priority on the basis of the SDP media stream descriptions in the SIP message received from an apparatus in the opponent party and control the image communication and output processing in the image receiving party by using the selected image communication system and image communication control parameters,

wherein when the image communication control parameters of the SDP media stream descriptions are parameters indicating that image data is sent or received in the considered-speech ITU-T Recommendation T.30 facsimile communication system, they include information specifying a speech encoding method suitable for digital/analog conversion of a speech signal, and

wherein the image communication system for use in the image communication and the image communication control parameters to be used in the appropriate image communication system are selected in order of priority based on order of appearance in the SDP media stream descriptions in the SIP message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image communication system is one of an IP image communication system in a non-facsimile protocol, an ITU-T Recommendation T.38 Internet facsimile communication system, an ITU-T Recommendation T.37 Internet facsimile communication system, and a considered-speech ITU-T Recommendation T.30 facsimile communication system.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image communication control parameters in the SDP media stream descriptions include information for specifying a size density, image compression method, or color space of the image data to be sent or received.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if a destination is selected in a format other than a telephone number, an image is sent or received by using the IP image communication system in the non-facsimile protocol without performing an exchange of the SIP message.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which is stored an image communication control program, comprising the step of controlling communication controls of a transmitter and receivers for conducting image communication or devices for relaying the image communication existing in a sending/receiving path in order to use the image communication control method according to claim 1.

6. An image communication apparatus, comprising a transmitter for conducting image communication by using the image communication control method according to claim 1 or a receiver for conducting image communication by using the image communication control method according to claim 1 or a device for relaying the image communication existing in a sending/receiving path by using the image communication control method according to claim 1 existing in a sending/receiving path.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein said IP image communication system in a non-facsimile protocol is any one of HTTP, SMTP, FTP and IPPFAX.

8. An image communication control method according to claim 1, wherein the information specifying a speech encoding method adequate for digital/analog conversion of a speech signal indicates a PCM encoding method equivalent to the 64 kbps transmission speed.