With reference to the drawings, the following embodiments are described.
Meanwhile, number of each apparatus 10, 20, 30 and 40 connected to network 2 is not limited to the number shown in the figure. A plurality of apparatuses can be connected.
In practice, SIP server 10 is configured with a plurality of servers such as a proxy server, a register server, a location server, and a redirect server. Transmitting side facsimile apparatus 20, receiving side facsimile apparatus 30, redirect destination 40 are configured as network facsimile apparatuses which respectively conduct session control based on session initiation protocol. Each of the above apparatuses is provided with a control section having CPU (Central Processing Unit) as a main part, a scanning section to obtain image data by optically reading a document, a printer section to print an image on a recording sheet, an operation display section to display an operation screen and to receive operation of an user, and a hard disc to memorize the image data. The above sections are all unillustrated.
In network facsimile system 5, receiving side facsimile apparatus 30 in advance registers destination information in which identification data (here a telephone number (fax number) of the fax in a public line) to identify own machine in respect to SIP server 10 and address information (here, its own IP address) are related each other (
When SIP server 10 receives a connection request from transmitting side facsimile apparatus 20 with a fax number of receiving side facsimile apparatus 30 (P2), SIP server 10 retrieves an IP address registered in relation to its fax number and conducts a calling connection between transmitting side facsimile apparatus 20 and receiving side facsimile apparatus 30 using the aforesaid IP address. The transmission method of image data after calling connection is discretionary. For example, protocols in conformity with T3.8 or T.37 advised by ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication sector) are used.
Also, receiving side facsimile apparatus 30 can temporally register destination information including the IP address of other machine (redirect destination), which is different from that of own machine, in SIP server 10 in relation to the fax number of own machine (This registration is called redirect setting) (P1 in
Receiving side facsimile apparatus 30 includes functions as communication device 31, destination setting and registration device 32, and performance memorizing device of own machine 33. Communication device 31 performs a function to communicate with SIP server 10 and other facsimile apparatuses through network 2. Destination setting and registration device 32 performs a function to receive setting operation of the redirect destination from the user and to conduct redirect setting by transmitting the destination information of the redirect destination set to SIP server 10. Performance memorizing device of own machine 33 memorizes communication performance information indicating communication performance of own machine and communication device 31 exchanges the communication performance information memorized in performance memorizing device of own machine 33 with that of a destination machine when communicating. The communication performance information includes, for example, receivable sheet size, receivable resolution and color capability in receiving.
SIP server 10 has functions of communication device 11 and destination information accumulating device 12. Communication device 11 carries out functions of communication with facsimile apparatuses 20, 30 and 40 through network 2. Destination information accumulating device 12 carries out functions to memorize and to relate the fax number, information indicating whether or not the fax number is being redirected and the IP address (redirect address) set for the fax number.
Transmitting side facsimile apparatus 20 is provided with functions as communication device 21, communication information capturing/setting device 22, transmission destination setting device 24 and destination machine performance memorizing device 25.
Communication device 21 carries out a function to communicate with SIP server 10 and facsimile apparatuses 30 and 40 through network 2. Transmission destination setting device 24 carries out a function to receive a setting of the destination (destination machine) from the user when a facsimile transmission is executed. The transmission destination is memorized in an unillustrated nonvolatile memory as an abbreviated destination. In the abbreviated destination data, the fax number of the abbreviated destination and the communication performance information are registered in relation to the abbreviated destination number. The details are shown in
Communicating with other apparatuses 10, 30 and 40, communication information capturing/setting device 22 carries out functions to create, manage and accumulate information to be sent to other devices and to manage and accumulate information received from other devices. Also, communication information capturing/setting device 22 carries out functions as a transmission performance information exchanging device to exchange transmission performance information with the destination machine and as a transmission method determination device to determine a transmission method for a transmission. Destination machine performance memorizing device 25 carries out a function as a memory device to memorize the communication performance information of a destination machine captured in a previous communication.
In case a response received from SIP server 10 in response to the inquiry in step S102 is not the redirect response (step S1023: N), whether or not the communication performance information of the destination machine is already memorized in relation to a selected abbreviated destination number is searched (step S104). If it is not memorized, (step S104: N), communication performance information is exchanged with the destination machine of transmission destination (step S105) and the transmission is executed based on the communication performance information captured in the exchange (step S106).
The communication performance information can be captured by a response “180 ringing” or a response “200 OK” in a session establishing process by SIP shown in
In case the response received from SIP server 10 is not a redirect response (step S103: N) and the communication performance information of the destination is recorded corresponding to the selected abbreviated destination number (step S104: Y), the transmission is executed using the communication performance information of the destination (first transmission destination) (step S108).
In case the response received from SIP server 10 (redirect server) is a redirect response (step S103: Y), the communication performance information is exchanged with the destination machine (second transmission destination) informed by the redirect response (step S109) and the transmission is executed based on the communication performance information captured in the exchange (step S110). The communication performance information can be captured by the response “180 Ring” or the response “200 OK” in the session establishing process by SIP shown by
In case redirect response is received, because the destination machine (second transmission destination) is a proxy destination temporally set, the communication performance information captured from the aforesaid redirect destination is not registered corresponding to the abbreviated destination number of relevant destination (first transmission destination). Thereby, the communication performance information originally registered corresponding to the relevant abbreviated destination number is prevented from distracting by overwriting the communication performance information of the redirect destination, and after the redirect setting is released, the communication performance information of the destination machine (first transmission opponent) captured and memorized in a previous communication is used again to execute a transmission.
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention is described.
In the second embodiment, in case the redirect response is received from SIP server 10, transmission is executed using a communication performance (or a communication method) of a default setting memorized in transmitting side facsimile apparatus 20 in advance.
Default setting memorizing device 26 memorizes communication performance information indicating a default communication performance set by own machine. In default setting memorizing device 26, a minimum performance (standard performance) which is prescribed to any facsimile apparatuses when communicating through network facsimile system 5 is registered as default communication performance information. In case transmission is carried out with the default setting by receiving the redirect response from SIP server 10, confirmation device 27 carries out a function to receive a confirmation that transmission is executed with the default setting from the user.
In case a response received from SIP server 10 (redirect server) is the redirect response (step S103: Y), the user is informed that the transmission is carried out with default (standard) setting memorized in default setting memorizing device 26 through confirmation device 27 (such as an unillustrated operation display section) (step S121) then a confirmation (endorsement) operation is received from the user (step S122)
When the user confirms (endorses) that the transmission is carried out (step S123: Y) with the default setting, the transmission is carried out with the default setting (standard setting) memorized in default setting memory device 26 without exchanging the communication performance information (step S124). Since the default setting allows a transmission with a minimum communication performance, even if the transmission destination has the different communication performance from the original destination, an error cannot be caused by the difference of the communication performance.
In case the user refuses the transmission with the default setting (step S123: N), the communication performance information is exchanged with the destination machine (step S125) and the transmission is carried out based on the communication performance information obtained in the exchange (step S126). Meanwhile, the communication performance information obtained is not memorized corresponding to the abbreviated destination number.
As above, the embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the drawings without practical structures being restricted by the embodiments thereto, and it is to be understood that changes and variations without departing from the spirit or scope are included in the present invention.
For example, in the second embodiment, in case the redirect response is received, a confirmation for transmitting with default setting is received from user. However, the transmission with the default setting may be executed without receiving the confirmation from the user.
Also, in
Further, contents of the default setting memorized in default setting memorizing device 26 can be altered arbitrarily by the user, other than the minimum performance.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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JP2006-153061 | Jun 2006 | JP | national |