JP4927611B2 - Facsimile equipment and telephone equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device capable of communicating a message. In particular, the present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus capable of communicating a facsimile message and a telephone apparatus capable of communicating a voice message.

  The facsimile apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 described below can store an e-mail address. For example, the user can store the e-mail address of his mobile terminal in the facsimile apparatus. Each time a facsimile machine receives a facsimile message, it sends a thumbnail image of the front page of the facsimile message to an e-mail address. A user can cause a facsimile message to be transferred to another facsimile machine near the user by sending an instruction from the portable terminal to the facsimile machine. According to this technique, even when the user is away from the facsimile machine, the user can know that the facsimile message has been received and can view the facsimile message.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-84945 (see paragraphs [0049] to [0057], FIG. 7)

  A facsimile machine installed in a company or the like may receive a huge number of facsimile messages every day. A facsimile machine installed in a company or the like may be shared by a plurality of users.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a communication device (facsimile device or telephone device) that can be comfortably used by a user.

  The present specification discloses a novel facsimile machine and telephone apparatus. The facsimile apparatus and the telephone apparatus disclosed in this specification can be expressed by substantially the same configuration except that the types of messages handled are different. That is, these devices have corresponding technical features and are in a relationship forming a single inventive concept.

The facsimile apparatus disclosed in this specification is communicably connected to the information processing apparatus. This information processing apparatus may be any kind of apparatus. For example, it may be a personal computer, a portable terminal, a facsimile machine, a multi-function machine, or the like. The facsimile apparatus includes a telephone line interface, a network interface different from the telephone line interface, a received facsimile message storage device, a summary information list creation device, a summary information list output device, and a received facsimile message output device.
The received facsimile message storage device can store a plurality of received facsimile messages received using the telephone line interface. The summary information list creation device creates summary information list files that include summary information of received facsimile messages for a plurality of times and are expressed in XML format. The summary information includes information relating to communication identification information of a transmission source of the received facsimile message, information relating to a date and time when the received facsimile message is received , a URL indicating a location in the facsimile apparatus where the received facsimile message is stored, including. Each time the summary information list creation device receives a single received facsimile message, it creates a new summary information list file including summary information of the received facsimile message. The above summary information means that the entire received facsimile message (full text) is not included. For example, the summary information may be created based on information present in the received facsimile message. In this case, for example, the summary information may include a thumbnail image of the front page of the received facsimile message. For example, the summary information may be created based on information that does not exist in the received facsimile message. In this case, for example, the summary information may include the date and time of reception, the communication identification information (such as a telephone number) of the transmission source, the name of the transmission source, and the like. In response to a request received from the information processing device using the network interface, the summary information list output device outputs the latest summary information list file that has been created and expressed in XML format created by the summary information list creation device. And output to the information processing apparatus using the network interface. When a received facsimile message output device receives a request signal including a URL included in the summary information selected by the information processing device, the received facsimile message is stored in a location corresponding to the URL using the network interface. Output to the information processing apparatus.

When there is a request from the information processing apparatus, the facsimile apparatus outputs a summary information list of received facsimile messages for a plurality of times to the information processing apparatus. The user accesses the facsimile apparatus from the information processing apparatus even when the user is away from the facsimile apparatus (the configuration in which the facsimile apparatus and the information processing apparatus are arranged close to each other is not excluded). Thus, the summary information list can be acquired. The user can determine whether or not there is a received facsimile message addressed to himself / herself by looking at the summary information list. The user can select summary information of a received facsimile message addressed to the user. As a result, the facsimile apparatus outputs a received facsimile message corresponding to the summary information selected by the user to the information processing apparatus. The user can view the full text of the received facsimile message addressed to him / her by selecting from the summary information list.
The facsimile apparatus provides a summary information list to an information processing apparatus (user) in response to a user request. For this reason, a huge number of notifications are not made to a specific user, and it seems that the user does not feel bothered. Further, for example, when the facsimile apparatus outputs the entire text of the received facsimile message for a plurality of times to the information processing apparatus, the user needs to find out the received facsimile message addressed to himself from a huge amount of data, This work takes time. On the other hand, the above facsimile apparatus provides a summary information list to the user. For this reason, the user can easily find out a received facsimile message addressed to the user. A facsimile apparatus that can be used comfortably by a user has been realized.

Note that the facsimile apparatus may further include a first authentication information storage device that stores first authentication information (for example, a password). In this case, the summary information list output device outputs the summary information list file when the first authentication information stored in the first authentication information storage device matches the first transmission information (for example, password) from the information processing device. May be output to the information processing apparatus.
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide the summary information list only to users who are permitted to obtain the summary information list. The confidentiality of information can be ensured.

The facsimile apparatus may further include a communication identification information-text storage device capable of storing communication identification information and text in association with each other. In this case, the summary information list creation device may create summary information including text associated with the communication identification information of the transmission source of the received facsimile message.
The communication identification information is, for example, a communication number (telephone number or facsimile number). For example, the facsimile apparatus may acquire the communication identification information of the transmission source by a notification from the transmission source (for example, a sender number notification). Further, for example, the facsimile apparatus may specify the communication identification information of the transmission source of the received facsimile message by performing OCR analysis on the received facsimile message. This configuration is effective when there is no notification from the transmission source.
The user can store data in which the communication identification information is associated with the text (name) indicating the personal name or company name having the communication identification information in the communication identification information-text storage device. For example, the user can store data in which the communication identification information “xxx-xxx-1111” is associated with the text “AAA Corporation” in the communication identification information-text storage device. In this case, the facsimile apparatus includes the text “AAA Corporation” in the summary information of the received FAX message from “xxx-xxx-1111”. In this case, the name of the transmission source is included in the summary information. When the name of the transmission source is included in the summary information, it can be expected that the user can easily determine whether or not the received FAX message is addressed to himself / herself.

For example, a facsimile machine may be shared by multiple users. In such a situation, the received facsimile messages that each user can see may be limited. For example, for a received facsimile message from “xxx-xxx-1111”, user Y may be allowed to see but user Z may be prohibited from seeing. The following configuration functions effectively in such a situation.
That is, the facsimile apparatus may further include a communication identification information-second authentication information storage device that stores communication identification information and second authentication information (for example, a password) in association with each other. In this case, the received facsimile message output device receives the second authentication information associated with the communication identification information of the transmission source of the received facsimile message corresponding to the summary information selected by the information processing device and the second information from the information processing device. If the transmission information (for example, password) matches, the received facsimile message may be output to the information processing apparatus.
For example, in the case of the above example, the communication identification information-second authentication information storage device associates the communication identification information “xxx-xxx-1111” with the second authentication information that the user Y knows but the user Z does not know. Then remember. In this case, the user Y can acquire the received facsimile message from “xxx-xxx-1111” using the information processing apparatus. However, since the user Z does not know the password, the received facsimile message from “xxx-xxx-1111” cannot be acquired using the information processing apparatus.

The telephone device disclosed in the present specification is communicably connected to the information processing device. The telephone device includes a telephone line interface, a network interface different from the telephone line interface, a received voice message storage device, a summary information list creation device, a summary information list output device, and a received voice message output device.
The received voice message storage device can store a plurality of received voice messages received using the telephone line interface. This received voice message may be, for example, a voice message (so-called answering machine) that is recorded (stored) when a telephone call cannot be received for an incoming call. The received voice message may be a voice message recorded when a call can be received for an incoming call. In this case, the received voice message storage device may store both the content spoken by the person who made the call (ie, the received voice message) and the content spoken by the person who received the call, or the person who made the call Only the contents spoken by may be stored. The summary information list creation device creates a summary information list file that includes summary information for each of a plurality of received voice messages and that is expressed in XML format. Each of the summary information includes information related to communication identification information of a transmission source of the received voice message, information about a date and time when the received voice message is received , a URL indicating a location in the telephone device where the received voice message is stored, including. The above summary information means that the entire received voice message (full text) is not included. Each time the summary information list creation device receives a single received voice message, it creates a new summary information list file including summary information of the received voice message. In response to a request received from the information processing device using the network interface, the summary information list output device outputs the latest summary information list file that has been created and expressed in XML format created by the summary information list creation device. And output to the information processing apparatus using the network interface. When the reception voice message output device receives a request signal including a URL included in the summary information selected by the information processing device, the reception voice message is stored in the location corresponding to the URL using the network interface. Output to the information processing apparatus.
According to this configuration, a telephone device that can be comfortably used by the user can be realized.

Here, some of the features of the techniques described in the following examples are listed.
(Mode 1) The technique disclosed in this specification can also be expressed as a system including a facsimile apparatus (or telephone apparatus) and an information processing apparatus. The facsimile apparatus (or telephone apparatus) includes the above-described received facsimile message storage device (or received voice message storage device), summary information list creation device, summary information list output device, and received facsimile message output device (or received voice message output device). With. The information processing apparatus outputs (displays, prints, or another device) a summary information list from the facsimile apparatus (or telephone apparatus) that requests the facsimile apparatus (or telephone apparatus) to output the summary information list. Output device), a device that allows the user to select at least one summary information from the summary information list, and a received facsimile message (or received voice message) from the facsimile device (or telephone device). (Display, print, or output to another device).

(Mode 2) The facsimile apparatus and the telephone apparatus are built in the multi-function device. That is, the multi-function device includes both a facsimile device and a telephone device. The multi-function device can store a plurality of received facsimile messages and a plurality of received voice messages. The multi-function device creates a summary information list including each summary information of a plurality of received facsimile messages and each summary information of a plurality of received voice messages.
(Mode 3) The multi-function device is connected to an information processing apparatus (also a multi-function device) via the Internet.
(Mode 4) When the multi-function device is notified of the telephone number from the transmission source, the multi-function device stores the telephone number. When the telephone number is not notified from the transmission source, the multi-function device attempts to identify the telephone number by executing OCR analysis or voice analysis.

(Mode 5) The summary information list is described in an RSS (Rich Site Summary) format. By using the RSS format, a message can be selected in an information processing apparatus that can use the RSS format.
(Mode 6) The summary information includes the date and time when the message was received. The summary information includes a URL (link information) that specifies the storage location of the message. The summary information includes information (FAX message or voice message) indicating the type of message. The summary information includes the message data size.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a multi-function device system 2 of the present embodiment. The multi-function device system 2 includes a plurality of multi-function devices 10, 40 and the like. The multi-function devices 10 and 40 are connected via the Internet 6 so that they can communicate with each other. The multi-function devices 10 and 40 have a FAX function, a telephone function, a printing function, a scanner function, a copy function, and the like.

(Configuration of multi-function device 10)
The multi-function device 10 includes a scanner 12, a printing unit 14, a FAX unit 16, a receiver 18, an operation unit 20, a display unit 22, a control unit 24, a telephone line interface 26, a LAN interface 28, a USB interface 30, and the like. The scanner 12 scans a document and creates image data. The printing unit 14 prints image data on a print medium. This image data may be created by the scanner 12, or may be sent from the outside (for example, PSTN 4 or the Internet 6). The FAX unit 16 causes the printing unit 14 to print a facsimile message sent via the PSTN 4. Further, the FAX unit 16 sends the image data generated by the scanner 12 to another facsimile apparatus. The receiver 18 has a microphone and a speaker. The operation unit 20 is operated by a user. The operation unit 20 has a plurality of keys. The user can input various information and instructions to the multi-function device 10 by operating the operation unit 20. The display unit 22 can display various information. The control unit 24 controls each device 12, 14, 16, etc. built in the multi-function device 10. The detailed configuration of the control unit 24 will be described later.

  The telephone line interface 26 is connected to a PSTN (Public Switched Telephony Networks) 4. The telephone line interface 26 can receive a FAX message sent via the PSTN 4 and can transmit image data (FAX message) generated by the scanner 12 toward the PSTN 4. The LAN interface 28 is connected to the Internet 6. The LAN interface 28 can receive various information transmitted via the Internet 6 and can transmit various information toward the Internet 6. An external device is connected to the USB interface 30. In FIG. 1, the external device is not connected to the multi-function device 10, but the mobile terminal 8 is connected to the multi-function device 40.

  Next, the configuration of the control unit 24 will be described. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the control unit 24. The control unit 24 includes a CPU 70, ROM 72, RAM 74, and NVRAM 86. The CPU 70 can execute various processes in accordance with programs stored in the ROM 72. The contents of the process executed by the CPU 70 will be described in detail later. The ROM 72 stores various programs.

  The RAM 74 has a FAX message storage area 76, a voice message storage area 78, a received message management database 80, an RSS file storage area 82, and other storage areas 84. The FAX message storage area 76 can store a plurality of received FAX messages. The FAX message storage area 76 of this embodiment stores x received FAX messages. The multi-function device 10 has a so-called answering machine function. That is, the multi-function device 10 can store a voice message of a person who makes a call (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “received voice message”) when the call cannot be received in response to an incoming call. it can. The voice message storage area 78 can store a plurality of received voice messages. The voice message storage area 78 of this embodiment stores y received voice messages.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the contents stored in the received message management database 80. The received message management database 80 stores the file name 100 and the total number of messages 102. The file name 100 means a file name given with the received message management database 80 as a unit. The file name 100 of the present embodiment is “reception message list”. The total number of messages 102 is the sum of the number of received FAX messages (x) stored in the FAX message storage area 76 (see FIG. 2) and the number of incoming voice messages (y) stored in the voice message storage area 78. It is. The total number of messages 102 in this embodiment is “n”.

  The received message management database 80 stores a number 110, a date and time 112, a type 114, a transmission source number 116, a name 118, an ID 120, a password attribute 122, and a file name 124 in association with each other. The number 110 means a number for specifying a message (received FAX message or incoming voice message). The date 112 means the date when the message was received. For example, in the case of a fax message, the date and time 112 stores the date and time when the fax message was stored in the fax message storage area 76 (see FIG. 2). In the case of a voice message, the date and time 112 stores the date and time when the voice message was stored in the voice message storage area 78 (see FIG. 2). The type 114 means the type of message (received FAX message or received voice message). The sender number 116 means the telephone number of the message sender (sender). The name 118 means the name of the message transmission source. The ID 120 means an ID stored in a telephone directory database 88 (see FIG. 2) of the NVRAM 86 described later. The password attribute 122 means whether or not a password is necessary. The file name 124 means a file name given in units of messages. In FIG. 3, each file name 124 is represented by symbols F (0) to F (n-1). Note that how the data 110 to 124 of the received message management database 80 is stored will be described later. Also, how each data 110 to 124 is used will be described later.

  The RSS file storage area 82 shown in FIG. 2 stores an RSS (Rich Site Summary) file. FIG. 4 shows an example of the contents stored in the RSS file storage area 82. The RSS file 130 includes header information 132, a plurality of summary information 140, 160, and the like, and footer information 170. How the RSS file 130 is created will be described later.

  The NVRAM 86 shown in FIG. 2 has a telephone directory database 88 and other storage areas 90. FIG. 5 shows an example of the contents stored in the telephone directory database 88. The phone book database 88 can store an administrator password 170, a common password 172, and a registration number 174. The user can set the administrator password 170 and the common password 172 by operating the operation unit 20 (see FIG. 1). In FIG. 5, the administrator password 170 is represented by the symbol P (A). The common password 172 is expressed by the code P (C). How these passwords 170 and 172 are used will be described later. The registration number 174 means the total number of IDs 180 to be described later. The registration number 174 in this embodiment is “m”.

  The telephone directory database 88 stores ID 180, name 182, number 184, and password 186 in association with each other. The user can store the set of the name 182, the number 184, and the password 186 in the telephone directory database 88 by operating the operation unit 20 (see FIG. 1). ID 180 means a number that identifies one set of data. The name 182 means a person name, a company name, or the like. The number 184 means a telephone number (facsimile number). The password 186 is set for each telephone number (for each name). In FIG. 5, each password 186 is represented by symbols P (0) to P (m−1).

(Configuration of multi-function device 40)
The multi-function device 40 has the same configuration as the multi-function device 10. That is, the multi-function device 40 also includes a scanner 42, a printing unit 44, a FAX unit 46, a receiver 48, an operation unit 50, a display unit 52, a control unit 54, a telephone line interface 56, a LAN interface 58, a USB interface 60, and the like. A portable terminal 8 is connected to the USB interface 60.

(Processes executed by multi-function devices)
The multi-function device 10 and the multi-function device 40 can execute the same processing. That is, the multi-function device 10 and the multi-function device 40 include an RSS file update process (see FIG. 6), a received message management database update process (see FIGS. 7 and 8), a server side main process (see FIG. 9), and a client side. Processing (see FIGS. 10 and 11) can be executed. However, in the following description, it is assumed that the RSS file update process, the received message management database update process, and the server side main process are executed by the multi-function device 10 so that the contents of this embodiment can be easily understood. Are executed by the multi-function device 40. That is, the multi-function device 10 functions as a server, and the multi-function device 40 functions as a client. As described above, the multi-function device 40 can function as a server, and the multi-function device 10 can function as a client.

(RSS file update processing)
First, the RSS file update process will be described. FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the RSS file update process. The CPU 70 (see FIG. 2) of the multi-function device 10 executes the RSS file update process every time a message is received (each time a FAX message is received and every time a voice message is received). When the message is received, the CPU 70 executes a received message management database update process (S10). The contents of this process will be described with reference to FIGS. Although not shown, each time a message is received, the CPU 70 assigns a file name to the message and stores it in the FAX message storage area 76 or the voice message storage area 78 (see FIG. 2). To do. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, a file name is assigned using the value 110 (see FIG. 3).

  7 and 8 show flowcharts of the received message management database update process. First, the CPU 70 determines whether or not the received message is a FAX message (S30). If the received message is a FAX message, the process proceeds to S32. On the other hand, if the received message is a voice message, the process proceeds to S60 of FIG.

  When sending a FAX or making a call, the sender's telephone number may be notified to the destination. In S32, the CPU 70 determines whether or not the telephone number of the transmission source of the received FAX message has been notified. That is, the CPU 70 determines whether or not data indicating the transmission source telephone number is received together with the FAX message. In the case of YES here, the CPU 70 searches the telephone directory database 88 (see FIG. 5) using the transmission source telephone number as a key (S34), and the name 182 associated with the transmission source telephone number 184 is obtained. It is determined whether or not (S36). For example, in the telephone directory database 88 of FIG. 5, the name “AAA” and the telephone number “xxx-xxx-1111” are associated with each other. When the transmission source telephone number is “xxx-xxx-1111”, the CPU 70 can specify the name “AAA”. In this case, YES is determined in S36, and the process proceeds to S38. On the other hand, if the source telephone number does not exist in the telephone directory database 88, NO is determined in S36, and the process proceeds to S40.

  In S38, the CPU 70 writes information in the received message management database 80 (see FIG. 3). That is, the CPU 70 writes information in which the number 110, the date and time 112, the type 114, the transmission source number 116, the name 118, the ID 120, the password attribute 122, and the file name 124 are associated with each other. In the number 110, a new number (the number next to the number currently stored) is written. Note that the number written here is also used in the FAX message storage area 76. That is, in the FAX message storage area 76, a file name using the value 110 is assigned to each of a plurality of received FAX messages. Taking FIG. 3 as an example, in the FAX message storage area 76, a received FAX message to which a file name using the number “0” is assigned and a received FAX to which a file name using the number “2” is assigned. A message and a received FAX message to which a file name using the number “n−1” is assigned are stored. In this case, the number “1” is a missing number in the FAX message storage area 76.

  In the date and time 112, the date and time when the received FAX message is stored in the FAX message storage area 76 is written. In the type 114, a text “FAX message” is written. In the name 118, the name obtained in S36 is written. In ID 120, ID 180 (see FIG. 5) associated with the name obtained in S36 is written. For example, if the name obtained in S36 is “AAA”, the ID “5” is written. “Required” is written in the password attribute 122. In the file name 124, the file name stored in the FAX message storage area 76 is written.

  In S <b> 40, the CPU 70 writes information in the received message management database 80. This process is the same as the process of S38. However, since the name was not obtained in S36, nothing is written in the name 118 and ID 120. In S <b> 40, “unnecessary” is written in the password attribute 122. These points are different from the process of S38. For example, in the information of the number “2” in FIG. 3, the name 118 and the ID 120 are unknown, and the password attribute 122 is “unnecessary”. This information is written by the process of S40.

  When the telephone number of the transmission source of the received FAX message is not notified, the CPU 70 determines NO in S32. In this case, the CPU 70 performs OCR analysis on the received FAX message (S50). Many received fax messages include the sender's phone number at the top of the page. The CPU 70 attempts to identify the transmission source telephone number by performing OCR analysis on the top of the page of the received FAX message. The CPU 70 determines whether or not the transmission source telephone number has been obtained (S52). If YES here, the process proceeds to S34. On the other hand, if NO in S52, the process proceeds to S54.

  In S <b> 54, the CPU 70 writes information in the received message management database 80. This process is the same as the process of S38. However, since the transmission source telephone number was not obtained in S52, nothing is written in the transmission source number 116, the name 118, and the ID 120. In S54, “unnecessary” is written in the password attribute 122. These points are different from the process of S38. For example, in the information of the number “n−1” in FIG. 3, the transmission source number 116, the name 118, and the ID 120 are unknown, and the password attribute 122 is “unnecessary”. This information is written by the process of S54.

  In S60 of FIG. 8, the CPU 70 determines whether or not the telephone number of the sender of the incoming voice message has been notified. In the case of YES, the CPU 70 searches the telephone directory database 88 (see FIG. 5) using the transmission source telephone number as a key (S62), and the name 182 associated with the transmission source telephone number 184 is obtained. It is determined whether or not (S64). These processes are the same as S34 and S36 of FIG. If YES in S64, the process proceeds to S66. On the other hand, if NO in S64, the process proceeds to S68.

  In S <b> 66, the CPU 70 writes information into the received message management database 80. That is, the CPU 70 writes information in which the number 110, the date and time 112, the type 114, the transmission source number 116, the name 118, the ID 120, the password attribute 122, and the file name 124 are associated with each other. In the number 110, a new number (the number next to the number currently stored) is written. Note that the number written here is also used in the voice message storage area 78 (see FIG. 2) (a file name using the value 110 is assigned to each of a plurality of incoming voice messages). . This is the same as the FAX message storage area 76. In the example of FIG. 3, the voice message storage area 78 stores an incoming voice message to which a file name using the number “1” is assigned.

  The process of S66 is the same as the process of S38 of FIG. However, the point that the text “voice message” is written in the type 114 is different from the process of S38. The file name stored in the voice message storage area 78 is written in the file name 124.

  In S <b> 68, the CPU 70 writes information into the received message management database 80. This process is the same as the process of S66. However, since the name was not obtained in S64, nothing is written in the name 118 and ID 120. In S <b> 68, “unnecessary” is written in the password attribute 122. These points are different from the process of S66.

  When the telephone number of the sender of the incoming voice message is not notified, the CPU 70 determines NO in S60. In this case, the CPU 70 analyzes the incoming voice message (S70), and determines whether any name 182 in the telephone directory database 88 (see FIG. 5) is included in the incoming voice message ( S72). For example, names “AAA”, “BBB”, “CCC”, “GGG”, and the like exist in the telephone directory database 88 of FIG. The CPU 70 determines whether any of these names is included in the incoming voice message. For example, if the voice message “BBB” is included in the incoming voice message, YES is determined in S72. In this case, the process proceeds to S66. On the other hand, if NO in S72, the process proceeds to S74.

  In S <b> 74, the CPU 70 writes information in the received message management database 80. This process is the same as the process of S66. However, since the name was not obtained in S72, nothing is written in the transmission source number 116, the name 118, and the ID 120. In S74, “unnecessary” is written in the password attribute 122. These points are different from the process of S66.

  When the received message management database update process ends, the process proceeds to S12 in FIG. After S12, the stored contents of the RSS file storage area 82 (see FIG. 2) are updated. That is, the RSS file 130 illustrated in FIG. 4 is created. Below, the process after S12 is demonstrated in detail.

  In S <b> 12, the CPU 70 creates header information 132 of the RSS file 130. As shown in FIG. 4, the header information 132 includes various data. For example, the header information 132 includes a description 134 and a link 136. The description 134 includes the file name 100 (see FIG. 3) of the received message management database 80. In the case of the present embodiment, the description 134 includes the text “received message list”. The link 136 includes a URL indicating the storage location (RSS file storage area 82) of the RSS file 130. After creating the header information 132, the CPU 70 proceeds to S14.

  After S14, the CPU 70 executes a process of creating summary information in order from the number “0” in the received message management database 80. First, the CPU 70 identifies the number “0” (S14). As a result, summary information is created for the number “0”. The CPU 70 compares the number “0” specified in S14 with the total message count 102 (see FIG. 3) in the received message management database 80 (S16). If the former is smaller than the latter, the process proceeds to S18.

  In S <b> 18, the CPU 70 reads information in the received message management database 80. First, each data 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124 associated with the number “0” is read. Hereinafter, each piece of data associated with one number is referred to as “one set of data”. The CPU 70 creates summary information according to the one set of data read in S18 (S20). FIG. 4 shows an example of the summary information (see reference numerals 140 and 160). One summary information is created based on one set of data stored in the received message management database 80. Therefore, when n sets of data exist in the received message management database 80, n pieces of summary information are created.

The summary information 140 includes a title 142, a link 144, a category 146, a description 148, and an enclosure 150. Note that although the reference numerals are omitted, the summary information 160 includes the same data as the summary information 140.
The title 142 is created based on the date 112, the type 114, and the name 118. That is, the title 142 includes the text “XX month, XX day, XX hour, XX minute, XX message from XXX message”. For example, in the case of the number “0” in FIG. 3, a title 142 including the text “FAX message from 15:25 on February 26, AAA” is created. When the name 118 is unknown, the title 142 includes information indicating that. For example, in the case of the number “2” in FIG. 3, a title 142 including the text “FAX message from 9:23 on February 27” is created.

The link 144 includes a URL indicating a message storage location (a predetermined address of the FAX message storage area 76 or the voice message storage area 78). The link 144 is generated based on the file name 124 (see FIG. 3) in the received message management database 80.
The category 146 is created based on the type 114. That is, in the case of a FAX message, the category 146 includes text “FAX message”. In the case of a voice message, category 146 includes the text “voice message”.
The description 148 includes the same text as the title 142. That is, the description 148 includes the text “XX message from XX month XX day XX hour XX minutes XXXXX”.
The enclosure 150 includes a URL (url), a message data size (length), and a type (type). This URL is the same as the URL included in the link 144. The data size is created based on the data size in the message storage areas 76 and 78 and the data size in the received message management data database 80. In the example of the summary information 140 in FIG. 4, the data size is “128332 bytes”. The type includes text indicating whether it is an image or a sound. For example, in the case of a FAX message, the type includes a text “image / jpeg”. In the case of a voice message, the type includes a text “audio / mp3”.

  When the summary information is created in S20 of FIG. 6, the CPU 70 specifies the next number (S22). For example, when summary information is created for the number “0”, the CPU 70 identifies the number “1”. In this case, the CPU 70 executes the processes of S18 and S20 for the number “1”. That is, the CPU 70 creates summary information (reference numeral 160 in the example of FIG. 4) based on one set of data associated with the number “1”. When CPU 70 creates summary information for all numbers, it determines NO in S16. In this case, the CPU 70 creates the footer information 170 (S24). Thereby, the RSS file update process is completed.

(Server side main processing)
Next, server side main processing executed by the multi-function device 10 will be described. FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of the server-side main process. As will be described later again, the user can access the multi-function device 10 via the Internet 6 by operating the operation unit 50 (see FIG. 1) of the multi-function device 40. For example, the user can access the multi-function device 10 by inputting the URL of the multi-function device 10 into the multi-function device 40. The user can request the multi-function device 10 to output an RSS file by operating a predetermined key of the operation unit 50 of the multi-function device 40. In this case, an RSS file request signal is output from the multi-function device 40 to the multi-function device 10. The CPU 70 of the multi-function device 10 monitors the input of the RSS file request signal (S90). If YES here, the process proceeds to S92.

  In S92, the CPU 70 executes an authentication process. Specifically, an authentication request signal is output to the multi-function device 40. The user can input a password by operating the operation unit 50 of the multi-function device 40. This password is output from the multi-function device 40 to the multi-function device 10. When this password is input to the multi-function device 10, the process proceeds to S94. In S94, the CPU 70 compares the input password with the common password 172 (see FIG. 5) stored in the telephone directory database 88. When the two passwords match, the CPU 70 outputs the RSS file 130 (see FIG. 4) stored in the RSS file storage area 82 to the multi-function device 40. On the other hand, if the two passwords do not match, the CPU 70 does not output the RSS file 130 but outputs an error signal to the multi-function device 40 (S98).

  When the RSS file 130 is output to the multi-function device 40, the RSS file 130 is displayed on the display unit 52 (see FIG. 1) of the multi-function device 40. Each summary information 140, 160 of the RSS file 130 includes the date and time when the message was received and the name of the transmission source. Based on these pieces of information, the user can determine whether a message addressed to the user exists. The user can select the summary information (for example, 140) of the message addressed to the user by operating the operation unit 50 of the multi-function device 40. In this case, a message request signal is output from the multi-function device 40 to the multi-function device 10. This message request signal includes data indicating which summary information has been selected. For example, when the summary information 140 in FIG. 4 is selected, the message request signal includes the URL included in the link 144 of the summary information 140. For this reason, the multi-function device 10 can recognize which summary information has been selected.

  The CPU 70 of the multi-function device 10 monitors input of a message request signal (S100). In the case of YES here, the CPU 70 determines whether or not it is necessary to execute an authentication process (S102). First, the CPU 70 specifies, from the received message management database 80, the password attribute 122 included in one set of data that is the basis for creating the selected summary information. For example, the summary information 140 of FIG. 4 is created based on a set of data associated with the number “0”. Therefore, when the summary information 140 is selected, the CPU 70 specifies the password attribute “necessary” associated with the number “0”. In this case, YES is determined in S102, and the process proceeds to S104. On the other hand, if the password attribute “unnecessary” is specified, NO is determined in S102, S104 and S106 are skipped, and the process proceeds to S108.

  In S104, the CPU 70 executes an authentication process. Specifically, an authentication request signal is output to the multi-function device 40. The user can input a password by operating the operation unit 50 of the multi-function device 40. This password is output from the multi-function device 40 to the multi-function device 10. When this password is input to the multi-function device 10, the process proceeds to S106. In S <b> 106, the CPU 70 compares the input password with the password 186 (see FIG. 5) stored in the telephone directory database 88. The CPU 70 identifies the ID 120 included in the set of data that is the basis for creating the selected summary information from the received message management database 80. For example, when the summary information 140 is selected, the CPU 70 specifies the ID “5” associated with the number “0”. Next, the CPU 70 specifies a password associated with the specified ID from the telephone directory database 88. For example, when the ID “5” is specified, the CPU 70 specifies the password “P (5)” associated with the ID “5”. The CPU 70 compares the input password with the specified password (P (5) in the above example). When the two passwords match, the CPU 70 outputs a message corresponding to the selected summary information to the multi-function device 40 (S108). For example, when the summary information 140 is selected, the CPU 70 specifies a received FAX message corresponding to the summary information 140 from the FAX message storage area 76 (see FIG. 2), and outputs the specified received FAX message. For example, when the summary information 160 is selected, the CPU 70 specifies a received voice message corresponding to the summary information 160 from the voice message storage area 78 (see FIG. 2), and outputs the specified received voice message. On the other hand, if the two passwords do not match, the CPU 70 outputs an error signal to the multi-function device 40 (S98).

(Client side processing)
Next, client side processing executed by the multi-function device 40 will be described. 10 and 11 show flowcharts of client-side processing. As described above, the user can request the multi-function device 10 to output the RSS file by operating the operation unit 50 (see FIG. 1) of the multi-function device 40. In this case, the CPU of the multi-function device 40 (not shown; simply described as “CPU” below) outputs an RSS file request signal to the multi-function device 10 (S120). As a result, an authentication request signal is output from the multi-function device 10 to the multi-function device 40 (see S92 in FIG. 9). An authentication request signal is input to the multi-function device 40 (S122). When the authentication request signal is input, the CPU displays a password input screen on the display unit 52 (see FIG. 1) (S124). The user can input a password by operating the operation unit 50. The CPU outputs the input password to the multi-function device 10 (S126).

  Next, the CPU monitors whether an error signal is input (S128). In the case of YES here, the process proceeds to S144 of FIG. On the other hand, when the authentication is successful in the multi-function device 10, the RSS file 130 (see S96 in FIG. 9) output from the multi-function device 10 is input to the multi-function device 40 (S130). In this case, the CPU analyzes the RSS file 130 and displays it as a message list on the display unit 52 (S132). The user can view the RSS file 130 and determine whether or not a message addressed to the user exists. The user can select summary information of messages addressed to the user by operating the operation unit 50. In this case, the CPU outputs a message request signal to the multi-function device 10 (S134 in FIG. 11). The CPU includes data indicating which summary information has been selected (URL included in the link of the selected summary information) in the message request signal.

  Subsequently, the CPU monitors whether an authentication request signal is input (S136). If YES here, the process proceeds to S138. On the other hand, if NO in S136, S138 to S142 are skipped and the process proceeds to S146. In S138, the CPU displays a password input screen on the display unit 52. The user can input a password by operating the operation unit 50. The CPU outputs the input password to the multi-function device 10 (S140).

  Next, the CPU monitors whether an error signal is input (S142). In the case of YES here, an error message is displayed on the display unit 52 (S144). On the other hand, when the authentication is successful in the multi-function device 10, the message (see S108 of FIG. 9) output from the multi-function device 10 is input to the multi-function device 40 (S146). In this case, the CPU determines whether or not the mobile terminal 8 (see FIG. 1) is connected (S148). If YES here, the CPU outputs the message input in S146 to the portable terminal 8 (S150). For example, when the message input in S146 is a received FAX message, the user can view the received FAX message (that is, the full text of the received FAX message) on the mobile terminal 8. For example, when the message input in S146 is a received voice message, the user can listen to the received voice message (that is, all of the received FAX messages) on the mobile terminal 8. On the other hand, in the case of NO in S148, the CPU prints or outputs the message input in S146 (S152). For example, if the message input in S146 is a received FAX message, the CPU causes the printing unit 44 (see FIG. 1) to print the received FAX message. The user can view the printed received FAX message. For example, when the message input in S146 is a received voice message, the CPU outputs the received voice message from the receiver 48 (see FIG. 1) as a voice. The user can listen to the received voice message that has been voiced.

  The multi-function device system 2 of the present embodiment has been described in detail. The multi-function device 10 outputs the RSS file 130 to the multi-function device 40 when there is a request from the multi-function device 40. The user can obtain the RSS file 130 by accessing the multi-function device 10 from another multi-function device 40 even when the user is away from the multi-function device 10. By viewing the RSS file 130, the user can determine whether there is a message (received FAX message or received voice message) addressed to the user. The user can select the summary information of the message addressed to himself / herself in the multi-function device 40. Thereby, the multi-function device 10 outputs a message corresponding to the summary information selected by the user to the multi-function device 40. The user can view (or listen to) the full text of the message addressed to him.

The multi-function device 10 provides the RSS file 130 to the multi-function device 40 in response to a user request. For this reason, a huge number of notifications are not made to a specific user, and it seems that the user does not feel bothered. Further, in this embodiment, the RSS file 130 is provided to the user instead of the full text of a plurality of messages. For this reason, the user can easily find a message addressed to the user from the RSS file 130. The multi-function device 10 (multi-function device 40) that can be used comfortably by the user is realized. In addition, the amount of data sent from the multi-function device 10 to the multi-function device 40 can be reduced as compared to the case where the full text of a plurality of messages is provided to the user. For this reason, communication traffic between the multi-function device 10 and the multi-function device 40 can be reduced.
Since the RSS file does not depend on the multi-function device, a personal computer instead of the multi-function device 40 may be used as a client. By operating the RSS reader program of the personal computer, it is possible to access the server-side multi-function device 10 to obtain an RSS file and display a message list. It is also possible to select a message from the message list and display it.

  Further, the multi-function device 10 executes an authentication process (see S92 in FIG. 9) before outputting the RSS file 130. The RSS file 130 can be provided only to users who are permitted to acquire the RSS file 130. Further, the multi-function device 10 may execute an authentication process (see S104 in FIG. 9) before outputting a message. In this embodiment, confidentiality of information is ensured.

  Specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above. The modifications of the above embodiment are listed below.

(Modification 1) The description 148 (see FIG. 4) of the above embodiment includes the same text as the title 142, but may include text indicating other information. For example, text obtained by OCR analysis of a part of the FAX message may be included. Further, for example, text obtained by voice analysis of a part of the voice message may be included.

(Modification 2) The summary information list may not be provided by the RSS file 130. The summary information list may be created according to other formats. In this case, the summary information may include a thumbnail image of the received FAX message (for example, a thumbnail image of the front page). According to this configuration, the user can easily determine whether or not the received FAX message is addressed to the user.

(Modification 3) In the above embodiment, the client device accessing the multi-function device 10 is the multi-function device 40. However, the client device may be other types of devices. For example, a mobile terminal (mobile phone) or a personal computer may be used.

(Modification 4) The multi-function device 40 may print (or display) the received FAX message input in S146 of FIG. 11 regardless of whether or not the portable terminal 8 is connected. Further, the multi-function device 40 may output the voice message input in S146 of FIG. 11 by voice regardless of whether or not the portable terminal 8 is connected.

(Modification 5) In S40, S54, S68, and S74 of FIGS. 7 and 8, the password attribute 122 (see FIG. 3) may not be set to “unnecessary”. For example, in these steps, the password attribute 122 may be “administrator password required”. In this case, the authentication process may be executed using the administrator password 170 (see FIG. 5) stored in the telephone directory database 88 in S104 of FIG. In the above step, the password attribute 122 may be “common password required”. In this case, in S104 of FIG. 9, the authentication process may be executed using the common password 172 (see FIG. 5) stored in the telephone directory database 88.

  The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology illustrated in the present specification or the drawings achieves a plurality of objects at the same time, and has technical utility by achieving one of the objects.

1 shows a schematic diagram of a multi-function device system. The structure of the control part of a multi-function device is shown. An example of the stored contents of the received message management database is shown. An example of the storage contents of the RSS file storage area is shown. An example of the contents stored in the telephone directory database is shown. The flowchart of a RSS file update process is shown. The flowchart of a received message management database update process is shown. FIG. 8 is a flowchart continued from FIG. 7. FIG. The flowchart of a server side main process is shown. The flowchart of a client side process is shown. FIG. 11 is a flowchart continued from FIG. 10. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

2: Multifunctional system 4: PSTN
6: Internet 8: Mobile terminal 10: Multi-function device 40: Multi-function device 130: RSS file 140, 160: Summary information

Claims (6)

A facsimile machine communicably connected to an information processing device;
A telephone line interface;
A network interface different from the telephone line interface;
A received facsimile message storage device capable of storing a plurality of received facsimile messages received using the telephone line interface;
A summary information list creation device for creating a summary information list file that includes summary information of a plurality of received facsimile messages and that is expressed in XML format, wherein each summary information is a communication of a sender of a received facsimile message every reception information related to identification information, and information about the date and time of receiving the received facsimile message, a URL indicating the location within the facsimile apparatus receives a facsimile message is stored, only contains the one received facsimile message The summary information list creating apparatus for newly creating a summary information list file including summary information of the received facsimile message ;
In response to a request received from the information processing device using the network interface, the latest summary information list file that has been created and expressed in the XML format created by the summary information list creation device is sent using the network interface. A summary information list output device for outputting to the information processing device;
When a request signal including a URL included in summary information selected by the information processing apparatus is input, a received facsimile message stored at a location corresponding to the URL is output to the information processing apparatus using the network interface. A facsimile machine comprising: a received facsimile message output device. A first authentication information storage device for storing the first authentication information;
The summary information list output device outputs a summary information list file to the information processing device when the first authentication information stored in the first authentication information storage device matches the first transmission information from the information processing device. 2. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: A communication identification information-text storage device capable of storing the communication identification information and the text in association with each other;
3. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the summary information list creating apparatus creates summary information including text associated with communication identification information of a transmission source of a received facsimile message.   4. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the summary information list creating apparatus can identify communication identification information of a transmission source of the received facsimile message by performing OCR analysis on the received facsimile message. A communication identification information-second authentication information storage device that stores the communication identification information and the second authentication information in association with each other;
The reception facsimile message output device includes second authentication information associated with communication identification information of a transmission source of the reception facsimile message corresponding to the summary information selected by the information processing device, and second transmission from the information processing device. 5. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the information matches, the received facsimile message is output to the information processing apparatus. A telephone device that is communicably connected to an information processing device,
A telephone line interface;
A network interface different from the telephone line interface;
A received voice message storage device capable of storing a plurality of received voice messages received using the telephone line interface;
A summary information list creation apparatus for creating a summary information list file that includes summary information of a plurality of received voice messages and that is expressed in XML format, wherein each summary information is a communication of a sender of a received voice message every reception information related to identification information, and information about the date and time of receiving the received voice message, a URL indicating the location in the telephone apparatus receiving voice message is stored, only contains the one received audio message The summary information list creating device for newly creating a summary information list file including summary information of the received voice message ;
In response to a request received from the information processing device using the network interface, the latest summary information list file that has been created and expressed in the XML format created by the summary information list creation device is sent using the network interface. A summary information list output device for outputting to the information processing device;
When a request signal including a URL included in summary information selected by the information processing apparatus is input, a received voice message stored in a location corresponding to the URL is output to the information processing apparatus using the network interface. A telephone device comprising: a received voice message output device.

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