JP6812814B2 - Communication equipment and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to communication devices and programs.

In recent years, a communication device having a facsimile transmission / reception function and an e-mail transmission / reception function has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The communication device described in Patent Document 1 includes a recipient user information storage unit that stores predetermined information for each recipient user, a header processing unit that extracts destination information from e-mail header information, and header processing. A transmission method determination unit that determines whether to send an e-mail or a fax by comparing the destination information extracted by the unit with the predetermined information of the corresponding user stored in the user information storage unit, and a fax transmission by this transmission method determination unit. If it is determined, a message processing unit that converts an e-mail into a facsimile file and a facsimile transmission unit that facsimile-transmits the processing result based on the destination information received from the processing unit by the header are provided.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-217869

One of the problems of the present invention is to provide a communication device and a program capable of shortening the waiting time when the use of the same transmission means conflicts with each other as compared with the case where the transmission instruction is executed as instructed. It is in.

[1] When the use of the same transmission means conflicts , among a plurality of transmission instructions using the transmission means, the transmission instruction given earlier can be replaced with another transmission means different from the transmission means. , When the transmission instruction given later cannot be replaced by another transmission means different from the transmission means, the transmission instruction is used in the transmission instruction given later, and the transmission instruction given earlier uses the transmission means. A communication device provided with a switching means for switching the transmission means to be used to the other transmission means.
[2] The communication device according to the above [1], wherein the switching means displays an instruction screen for executing transmission by the other transmission means when the transmission means is switched to the other transmission means.
[3] When the switching means switches the transmission means to the other transmission means, when the instruction screen for executing the transmission by the transmission means is already displayed, the instruction screen is displayed on the other transmission means. The communication device according to the above [2], which is changed to an instruction screen for executing transmission by.
[4] When switching the transmission means to the other transmission means, the switching means displays an instruction screen for executing the transmission by the other transmission means when the transmission by the transmission means has already started. The communication device according to the above [2].
[5] The switching means stops switching to the other transmission means without displaying the instruction screen when a predetermined time has elapsed since the transmission by the transmission means has already started. The communication device according to any one of [2] to [4].
[6] When the switching means switches the transmitting means to the other transmitting means, when the instruction screen for executing the transmitting means is already displayed, the switching means transmits the instruction screen by the other transmitting means. The communication device according to the above [2], which does not change to the instruction screen for executing the above.
[7] When the source or the destination transmits a transmission target having predetermined confidentiality, it can be replaced with the other transmission means depending on whether or not a specific transmission means should be used. The communication device according to the above [1], further provided with a determination means for determining whether or not.
[8] The determination means determines whether or not the information specifying the transmission means for each destination can be registered as the information regarding the destination by referring to the registration information that can be registered. , The communication device according to the above [7].
[9] The communication device according to the above [8], wherein the determination means determines whether or not the other transmission means can be substituted based on the address registered as the transmission destination in the registration information.
[10] The communication device according to the above [1], further comprising a determination means for determining whether or not the transmission target can be replaced by the other transmission means depending on whether or not the transmission target has a predetermined confidentiality.
[11] The communication device according to the above [10], wherein the determination means determines that the transmission target cannot be replaced with the other transmission means when the transmission target includes predetermined information.
[12] When the facsimile means competes as the transmission means, the switching means fails to perform facsimile transmission in the first call by the facsimile means because the competing facsimile means can be replaced with another transmission means. The communication device according to the above [1], wherein the facsimile transmission is stopped and the facsimile means is switched to another transmission means.
[13] When the use of the same transmission means conflicts, the computer is replaced with another transmission means in which the transmission instruction given earlier is different from the transmission means among the plurality of transmission instructions using the transmission means. When it is possible and the later transmission instruction cannot be replaced by another transmission means different from the transmission means, the subsequent transmission instruction uses the transmission means and is performed earlier. A program for functioning as a switching means for switching a transmission means used in a transmission instruction to the other transmission means.

According to the inventions of claims 1 and 13, it is possible to shorten the waiting time when the use of the same transmission means conflicts with each other as compared with the case where the transmission instruction is executed as instructed.
According to the inventions of claims 2 and 3, by displaying an instruction screen for executing the other transmission means, the user can be notified that the transmission means has been switched to the other transmission means.
According to the inventions of claims 4 and 6, it is possible to switch to another transmission means even after the transmission by the transmission means is started.
According to the invention of claim 5, it is possible to suppress wasteful transmission by the transmission means.
According to the inventions of claims 7, 8 and 9, when the source or the destination transmits a transmission target having a predetermined confidentiality, a specific transmission means should be used. , Transmission by other transmission means can be avoided.
According to the inventions of claims 10 and 11, when the transmission target has a predetermined confidentiality, transmission by other transmission means can be avoided.
According to the invention of claim 12, if the first call fails, the second call may also fail. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a long waiting time in such a case. Can be done.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system of the communication device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an address book stored in the address book storage unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a fax transmission screen. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an email transmission screen. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication device. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication device. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the determination process of whether or not the steps S4 and S6 of FIG. 6 can be replaced.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, components having substantially the same function are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

[Summary of Embodiment]
The communication device according to the present embodiment includes a switching means for switching the transmitting means to another transmitting means when the conflicting transmission means can be replaced with another transmitting means when the use of the same transmitting means conflicts. ..

"When the use of the same transmission means conflicts" means that there are multiple transmission instructions using the same transmission means at the same time (for example, from the first transmission instruction to the end of the transmission). This is the case. In the case of "when the use of the same transmission means conflicts", for example, when a plurality of users request to display the transmission screen for the transmission means in order to use the same transmission means, the transmission means is used. This includes the case where transmission is being performed to the destination specified on the transmission screen.

When the source or destination transmits a transmission target with predetermined confidentiality, whether or not it can be replaced with another transmission means depending on whether or not a specific transmission means should be used. Further, a judgment means for making a judgment may be provided. Further, a determination means for determining whether or not the transmission target can be replaced with another transmission means may be further provided depending on whether or not the transmission target has a predetermined confidentiality.

When the transmission target has confidentiality, for example, there are cases where the confidentiality is high and cases where the confidentiality is low. If it is highly confidential, faxes (hereinafter also referred to as "FAX") can be used, but e-mail cannot be used. If the confidentiality is low, both fax and e-mail can be used. That is, "having a predetermined confidentiality" means a case where FAX can be used but e-mail cannot be used. If the confidentiality is high, an e-mail with an electronic signature may be used as the transmission means.

The "transmission target" includes, for example, the following.
(A) In the case of only the transmission sheet (b) In the case of the transmission sheet and files such as documents and images attached to the transmission sheet (c) In the case of a file without the transmission sheet

[Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The communication system 200 includes a communication device 1, a plurality of terminal devices 3 connected to the communication device 1 via an internal network 2, and an external fax device 5 connected to the communication device 1 via a public network 4. The internal network 2 is provided with a firewall (FW) 6 and an external terminal device 8 connected via the external network 7.

The communication device 1 and the terminal device 3 are provided in, for example, the area E1 belonging to a certain company (head office, branch office, business office, etc.). The external fax device 5 and the external terminal device 8 are provided in, for example, the area E2 belonging to the transmission destination of a court, a patent office, a company, or the like. Although one transmission destination is shown in FIG. 1, in reality, an external fax device 5 and an external terminal device 8 of a plurality of destinations are connected to the communication device 1. The external fax device 5 and the external terminal device 8 may be a single device.

The communication device 1 is a multifunction device having a plurality of functions such as a scan, a printer, a copy, a fax transmission / reception function, and an e-mail transmission / reception function. When the user performs fax transmission using the communication device 1, the operation display unit 12 is operated to display the fax transmission screen, and necessary information such as the fax number of the transmission destination is input to the fax transmission screen. When the user transmits an e-mail using the communication device 1, the operation display unit 12 is operated to display the e-mail transmission screen, and necessary information such as an e-mail address is input to the e-mail transmission screen. Details of operations on the fax transmission screen and the mail transmission screen will be described later. FAX is an example of competing transmission means. Email is an example of other means of transmission.

The internal network 2 is, for example, a local area network (LAN), an intranet, or the like, and may be wired or wireless.

The terminal device 3 is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, a control unit that controls each part of the terminal device 3, an input unit realized by a keyboard, a mouse, or the like, and a display unit realized by a liquid crystal display or the like. , A communication unit connected to the internal network 2 is provided. The terminal device 3 is, for example, a personal computer, but may be a portable information processing device such as a multifunctional mobile phone (smartphone). The terminal device 3 itself does not have a fax transmission / reception function, but has a function of giving a fax transmission instruction to the communication device 1. Further, the terminal device 3 has a mail transmission / reception function.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system of the communication device 1 according to the present embodiment.

The communication device 1 includes a control unit 10 that controls each unit of the present device 1, a storage unit 11 that stores various types of information, an operation display unit 12 that receives operations from users and displays information, and image data from a document. Via a scanner unit 13 that reads data, a printer unit 14 that prints print data on paper, a fax communication unit 15 that transmits and receives faxes to and from an external fax device 5 via a public network 4, a terminal device 3, and an internal network 2. It is configured to include an external terminal device 8 and a network communication unit 16 that performs communication including e-mail via an internal network 2, a FW 6, and an external network 7. The communication device does not have to be a multifunction device as long as it has a fax and e-mail transmission / reception function.

The control unit 10 of the communication device 1 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an interface, and the like. By operating according to the program stored in the program storage unit 110, the control unit 10 functions as a reception means 100, a determination means 101, a switching means 10 FAX communication means 103, a mail communication means 104, and the like. Details of each means 100 to 104 will be described later.

The storage unit 11 is composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk, and the like, and is a program storage unit 110 for storing a program and an address book storage unit for storing an address book 111a (see FIG. 3). It includes 111, a destination attribute information storage unit 112 that stores destination attribute information, and a confidential document identification information storage unit 113 that stores confidential document identification information. The address book 111a, the destination attribute information, and the confidential document identification information are examples of registered information.

The operation display unit 12 has, for example, a configuration in which a touch panel is superposed on the display. The scanner unit 13 includes a platen on which the originals are placed, an automatic paper feed device that feeds the originals to the scanning position, a document placed on the platen, or a document fed to the scanning position by the automatic paper feed device. It is provided with a reading unit that optically reads image data from the paper. The printer unit 14 has, for example, an image holder made of a photoconductor, and forms an image on a recording medium such as paper and outputs the image.

The FAX transmission / reception unit 15 has a modem function for altering and demodulating image data according to a facsimile protocol such as G3 and G4 and an NCU function for controlling connection with the public network 4, and fax transmission / reception via the public network 4. I do.

The network communication unit 16 transmits / receives data via the internal network 4 according to a communication protocol such as TCP / IP, and controls the network and e-mail transmission / reception.

For example, "patent office", "law office", "court", "legal department" and the like are registered in the destination attribute information stored in the destination attribute information storage unit 112. That is, in the destination attribute information, a character string indicating the place (including the department) where the fax should be used when the destination transmits a transmission target having a predetermined confidentiality is registered. There is. When the name of the destination includes the character string registered in the destination attribute information, the determination means 101 determines that FAX should be used as the transmission means.

The confidential document identification information stored in the confidential document identification information storage unit 113 includes, for example, a specific character string indicating confidentiality such as "Confidential", a mark indicating confidentiality such as a water mark or the wording of "confidentiality", and confidentiality. Specific forms containing specific paper quality information used in documents (if the source or destination specifies that confidential documents use specific paper), specific borders used in confidential documents, etc. Confidential documents (if the source or destination stipulates that a particular form be used) are included. When the document to be transmitted contains (or corresponds to) the confidential document identification information, it is determined by the determination means 101 that FAX should be used as the transmission means. If the document to be transmitted contains a code such as a barcode, QR code (registered trademark), or Mist code, the determination means 101 uses FAX as the transmission means when it detects information meaning confidentiality from the code. You may decide that it should be used.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the address book 111a stored in the address book storage unit 111. The address book 111a is stored in the address book storage unit 111 for each user. The figure shows an example of the address book 111a of "Ichiro Tanaka" as a user. In the address book 111a, the "ID" field in which the destination ID for identifying the destination is registered, the "name" field in which the name (address) of the destination is registered, and the "email address of the destination" are registered. There is a "e-mail" column, a "FAX" column in which the fax number of the destination is registered, and a "use transmission means" column in which the transmission means to be used is registered. The address book 111a is an example of registration information. The "Use transmission means" column is an example of information for designating the transmission means for each destination.

Not only when the fax number and e-mail address are registered as the destination in the address book 111a, but also when the fax number is not registered and only the e-mail address is registered, the fax is replaced with e-mail by the determination means 101. Judged as possible. Based on the content registered in the "Use transmission means" column, the determination means 101 determines whether or not FAX can be replaced with e-mail with priority over the sender, the destination, and the transmission target. For example, if it is registered as "FAX only", it is determined that FAX cannot be replaced with e-mail. If it is registered as "e-mail only", it is judged that FAX can be replaced with e-mail. When "user selection priority" is registered, the transmission means selected by the user has priority over the transmission source, the transmission destination, and the transmission target. In this case, the transmission means registered as the default for the communication device 1 may be selected, and if the default is not registered, the transmission means selected by the sender may be used.

The reception means 100 receives a display request for a fax transmission screen or an email transmission screen from the operation display unit 12 or the terminal device 3. Further, the receiving means 100 displays the requested fax transmission screen or mail transmission screen on the operation display unit 12 or the display unit of the terminal device 3. Further, the receiving means 100 accepts an operation on the FAX transmission screen or the mail transmission screen.

When the transmission source or the transmission destination transmits a transmission target having a predetermined confidentiality, the determination means 101 uses a specific transmission means, for example, a fax, depending on whether or not it is a place where another transmission is to be performed. Determine if a means, eg, email, can be substituted. That is, the determination means 101 refers to the address book 111a and determines whether or not the fax can be replaced with an e-mail.

It may be determined whether or not FAX can be replaced with e-mail depending on the storage location of the source of the document to be transmitted. For example, if you try to send a document in a folder stored in a server dedicated to confidential documents, it is determined that it cannot be replaced.

In addition, it may be determined whether or not FAX can be replaced with e-mail in the following cases. For example, it may be determined whether or not the substitution is possible depending on the attributes of the destination user and the sender.

It may be determined whether or not the substitution is possible depending on the state and installation location of the communication device 1. When transmitting from the communication device 1 installed in the living room of the Intellectual Property Department, it may be judged that it cannot be replaced. It may be determined whether or not the substitution is possible depending on the attribute of the user who instructs the transmission. For example, if the user is pointed out, such as a person in charge of legal affairs, or if the user belongs to a designated department, such as the IP Department or the Legal Department, it is judged that substitution is not possible. In addition, if it is determined from public telephone directory data or the like that the fax number of the destination is a court or government office premised on the acceptance of a document by fax transmission, it may be determined that substitution is not possible. If the destination is a department that handles law, such as the Legal Department, it may be judged that it cannot be replaced.

The determination means 101 may determine whether or not the fax can be replaced with an e-mail depending on whether or not the transmission target has a predetermined confidentiality. The determination means 101 determines that the fax cannot be replaced with an e-mail when the transmission target includes predetermined information. That is, when the determination means 101 can extract the confidential document identification information stored in the confidential document identification information storage unit 113 from the document, the determination means 101 determines that the document is a confidential document. Further, when the determination means 101 converts code information such as a barcode, QR code, and Mist code into character information in a document and can extract confidential document identification information from the converted character information, the document is a confidential document. Judge that there is. Then, the determination means 101 determines that the fax transmission for the confidential document cannot be replaced with the mail transmission.

The switching means 102 switches the fax to the e-mail when the competing fax can be replaced with the e-mail when the fax conflicts. That is, when the determination means 101 determines that the fax transmission can be replaced with the mail transmission, the switching means 102 switches the fax to the e-mail.

Further, the switching means 102 displays the mail transmission screen 160 when switching the FAX to the e-mail. At this time, when the FAX transmission screen 150 is already displayed, the FAX transmission screen 150 is changed to the mail transmission screen 160. If the fax transmission has already started, the mail transmission screen 160 is displayed. Further, the switching means 102 may stop switching to the e-mail without displaying the mail transmission screen 160 when a predetermined time has already elapsed since the fax transmission was started.

When switching the fax to e-mail, the switching means 102 does not have to change the fax transmission screen 150 to the mail transmission screen 160 when the fax transmission screen 150 is already displayed. This allows the fax to be switched to e-mail without notifying the user.

Further, when the fax conflicts, the switching means 102 can replace the fax transmission with the mail transmission, and when the fax transmission fails in the first call by the fax, the fax transmission is stopped and the fax is sent. You may switch to email.

The FAX communication means 103 performs FAX transmission / reception via the FAX communication unit 15.

The mail communication means 104 transmits / receives e-mail via the network communication unit 16.

(Composition of FAX transmission screen)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a fax transmission screen. The FAX transmission screen 150 shown in the figure is displayed on the operation display unit 12 and the terminal device 3. On the FAX transmission screen 150, the destination input field 151 for inputting the fax number of the destination, the subject input field 152 for inputting the subject, the attached display field 153 for displaying the attached documents, and the text for inputting the text. An input field 154, a "select from address book" button 155 for selecting and inputting a destination FAX number or e-mail address in the destination input field 151, a "send" button 156 instructing the start of fax transmission, and FAX. A "cancel" button 157 for canceling transmission is provided. The fax transmission screen displayed on the terminal device 3 may have different display items and the like from the fax transmission screen displayed on the operation display unit 12.

When the "select from address book" button 155 is operated, the address book 111a shown in FIG. 2 is popped up on the fax transmission screen 150 so that the fax number can be selected from the address book 111a and input to the destination input field 151. Has been done.

After the "send" button 156 is operated to start the fax transmission, the "cancel" button 157 is operated to stop the fax transmission.

(Structure of mail sending screen)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an email transmission screen. The mail transmission screen 160 shown in the figure is displayed on the operation display unit 12 and the terminal device 3. On the mail transmission screen 160, a destination input field 161 for inputting the destination email address, a subject input field 162 for inputting the subject, an attachment display field 163 for displaying attached documents, and a text for inputting the text. An input field 164, an "add from address book" button 165 for selecting and inputting a fax number or e-mail address of the destination, and a "send" button 166 for instructing e-mail transmission are provided in the destination input field 161. There is. The mail transmission screen displayed on the terminal device 3 may have different display items and the like from the mail transmission screen displayed on the operation display unit 12.

When the "Select from address book" button 155 is operated, the address book 111a shown in FIG. 2 is popped up on the mail transmission screen 160 so that the mail address can be selected from the address book 111a and input to the destination input field 161. Has been done.

(Operation of the present embodiment)
Next, an example of the operation of the communication device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication device 1. Hereinafter, a case where the user A and the user B operate the operation display unit 12 to use the communication device 1 will be described.

(1) When user A first gives a fax transmission instruction, and then user B gives a fax transmission instruction that can be substituted for mail transmission.

When the user B operates the operation display unit 12 of the communication device 1 to request the display of the fax transmission screen 150, the receiving means 100 accepts the request (S1).

The determination means 101 determines whether or not there is a user (user A) who is displaying the fax transmission screen 150 or is transmitting the fax other than the user B (S2).

In the operation of (1), since there is a user A who is displaying the fax transmission screen 150 or is transmitting the fax (S2: Yes), the determination means 101 substitutes the fax transmission of the user B for the mail transmission. Is possible or not (S4). The details of the process of determining whether or not this fax transmission can be replaced with the mail transmission will be described later.

In step S2, when the fax transmission screen 150 is being displayed or there is no user who is transmitting the fax (S2: No), the switching means 102 transmits the fax to the user B as shown in FIG. The screen 150 is displayed on the operation display unit 12 (S3).

User B inputs the fax number of the destination in the destination input field 151 of the FAX transmission screen 150, inputs the subject in the subject input field 152, and inputs the text in the text input field 154. User B sets the document on the platen of the scanner unit 13 or the automatic paper feed device, and operates the "send" button 156 of the fax transmission screen 150. The scanner unit 13 reads image data from the original. The FAX communication means 103 creates a transmission sheet in which the names, FAX numbers, telephone numbers, email addresses, texts, etc. of the sender and the destination are described, attaches image data to the transmission sheet, and transmits the fax communication unit 15. Send by fax first.

In step S4, when the determination means 101 determines that the alternative to the mail transmission is possible (S4: Yes), the switching means 102 displays the mail transmission screen 160 as shown in FIG. 3 for the user B. It is displayed on 12 (S5).

User B inputs the destination e-mail address in the destination input field 161 of the mail transmission screen 160, inputs the subject in the subject input field 162, and inputs the body in the body input field 164. User B sets the document on the platen of the scanner unit 13 or the automatic paper feed device, and operates the "send" button 166 of the mail transmission screen 160. The scanner unit 13 reads image data from the original. The mail communication means 104 creates a transmission sheet in which the names, fax numbers, telephone numbers, email addresses, texts, etc. of the sender and the destination are described, attaches image data to the transmission sheet, and transmits the image data by the network communication unit 16. Send an email first. In the operation (1), since the fax transmission of the user B is switched to the mail transmission, the transmission instruction of the user B is executed without waiting for the end of the fax transmission of the user A. Therefore, the waiting time of the user B is shorter than that in the case where the fax transmission of the user B is not switched to the mail transmission.

(2) When user A first gives a fax transmission instruction that cannot be substituted for mail transmission, and then user B gives a fax transmission instruction that cannot be substituted for mail transmission.

When the user B operates the operation display unit 12 of the communication device 1 to request the display of the fax transmission screen 150, the receiving means 100 accepts the request (S1).

The determination means 101 determines whether or not there is a user (user A) who is displaying the fax transmission screen 150 or is transmitting the fax other than the user B (S2).

In the operation of (2), since there is a user A who is displaying the fax transmission screen 150 or is transmitting the fax (S2: Yes), the determination means 101 determines whether the fax transmission of the user B can be replaced with the mail transmission. Is determined (S4). The details of the process of determining whether or not this fax transmission can be replaced with the mail transmission will be described later.

In step S4, when the determination means 101 determines that the fax transmission of the user B cannot be replaced with the mail transmission (S4: No), whether or not the fax transmission of the user A can be replaced with the mail transmission is possible. Judgment (S6). Since the operation of (2) cannot be substituted (S6: No), the switching means 102 displays to the user B that the fax transmission of the user A is being performed on the operation display unit 12 (S7). ). In the operation (2), the fax transmission of the user B is executed after the fax transmission of the user A is completed.

(3) When user A first gives a fax transmission instruction that can be substituted for mail transmission, and then user B gives a fax transmission instruction that cannot be substituted for mail transmission.

When the user B operates the operation display unit 12 of the communication device 1 to request the display of the fax transmission screen 150, the receiving means 100 accepts the request (S1).

The determination means 101 determines whether or not there is a user (user A) who is displaying the fax transmission screen 150 or is transmitting the fax other than the user B (S2).

In the operation of (3), since there is a user A who is displaying the fax transmission screen 150 or is transmitting the fax (S2: Yes), the determination means 101 can substitute the fax transmission of the user B for the mail transmission. Whether or not it is determined (S4). The details of the process of determining whether or not this fax transmission can be replaced with the mail transmission will be described later.

In step S4, when the determination means 101 determines that the alternative to the mail transmission is impossible (S4: No), the fax transmission of the user A determines whether or not the alternative to the mail transmission is possible (S6). Since the operation of (3) can be substituted (S6: Yes), the switching means 102 determines whether or not the fax transmission of the user A is during the fax transmission (S8).

If the fax is not being transmitted (S8: No), the switching means 102 changes the fax transmission screen 150 to the mail transmission screen 160 (S9). As described above, the user A inputs information necessary for sending an email, such as a destination email address, on the email sending screen 160. In this case, since the fax transmission of the user A is switched to the mail transmission, the transmission instruction of the user B is immediately executed. Therefore, the waiting time of the user B is shorter than that in the case where the fax transmission of the user A is not switched to the mail transmission.

In step S8, when FAX transmission is in progress (S8: Yes), it is determined whether or not the passage of time from the start of FAX transmission is equal to or less than the threshold time Tth (S10). If it is equal to or less than the threshold time Tth (S10: Yes), the switching means 102 displays the mail transmission screen 160 on the operation display unit 12 to the user A (S11). User A inputs information necessary for sending an email, such as a destination email address, on the email sending screen 160. In this case, since the fax transmission of the user A is switched to the mail transmission, the fax transmission of the user B is immediately executed. Therefore, the waiting time of the user B is shorter than that in the case where the fax transmission of the user A is not switched to the mail transmission.

In step S10, when the threshold time Tth has been exceeded (S10: No), the switching means 102 continuously displays to the user A that FAX transmission is being performed on the operation display unit 12 or (S12). ). In this case, the fax transmission of the user B is executed after the fax transmission of the user A is completed.

(4) When the user B requests the mail transmission screen to change to the FAX transmission screen In step S5 above, the operation when the user B requests the mail transmission screen 160 to change to the FAX transmission screen 150. Will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7.

When the user B operates the operation display unit 12 on which the mail transmission screen 160 is displayed and requests a change to the fax transmission screen 150 (S31), the fax transmission screen 150 is displayed on the operation display unit 12 to the user B (S31). S32). The user B inputs information necessary for fax transmission such as the fax number of the transmission destination to the fax transmission screen 150, and operates the "send" button 156 to instruct the fax transmission.

It is determined whether or not the fax transmission by the first call is successful (S33). If the fax transmission is successful (S33: Yes), the operation display unit 12 displays to the user B that the fax transmission has been completed (S34).

If the fax transmission fails (S33: No), the fax transmission is stopped and the mail transmission screen 160 is displayed on the operation display unit 12 for the user B (S35).

(5) Judgment process of whether or not FAX transmission can be substituted for mail transmission Next, the process of determining whether or not the steps S4 and S6 of FIG. 6 can be substituted will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Unless otherwise specified, the following determination process is performed by the determination means 101.

It is determined whether or not the automatic selection of the transmission means is set to ON (S11). If it is set to ON (S11: Yes), the destination determines whether or not FAX transmission is necessary by referring to the address book 111a (S12). Specifically, the name of the destination corresponding to the FAX number input as the destination on the FAX transmission screen is acquired from the address book 111a. Next, it is determined whether or not FAX transmission is required depending on whether or not the acquired destination name includes the character string stored in the destination attribute information storage unit 112.

For example, when the fax number entered as the destination on the fax transmission screen 150 is 555-555-5555, the "ABC International Patent Office" with the name of the destination is acquired from the address book 111a. Since "patent office" is registered in the destination attribute information, "ABC international patent office" includes "patent office", so it is determined that fax transmission is necessary.

In step S12, when it is determined that fax transmission is not necessary (S12: No), it is determined whether or not the document to be transmitted is specified (S13), and when the document to be transmitted is specified. (S13: Yes) determines whether or not the document to be transmitted requires fax transmission (S14). Specifically, it is determined whether or not fax transmission is necessary depending on whether or not the document to be transmitted contains confidential document identification information. When a transmission instruction is given from the operation display unit 12 of the communication device 1, since the document to be transmitted is not specified in step S13 shown in FIG. 8 (S13: No), the document to be transmitted is faxed. Whether or not it is necessary is not determined (S14).

If it is determined in steps S12 and S14 that fax transmission is necessary (S12: Yes, S14: Yes), and if the document to be transmitted is not specified in step S13 (S13: No), the user transmits the fax. It is determined whether or not the user has the transmission right (S15).

When the user has the transmission right for FAX transmission (S15: Yes), the public network 4 determines whether or not the transmission is possible (S16).

When the public network 4 is in a transmittable state (S16: Yes), it is determined that it can be replaced with a fax transmission (S17).

In step S11 above, when the automatic selection of the transmission means is not set to ON (S11: No), it is determined that alternative to mail transmission is impossible (S18). In step S14, when fax transmission is not necessary (S14: No), it is determined that alternative to mail transmission is possible (S19).

In step S15, when the user does not have the authority to transmit a fax (S15: No), and in step S16, the public network 4 is not in a transmittable state (S16: No), fax transmission. It is determined whether or not to allow transmission means other than (S20).

When the transmission means other than the fax transmission is permitted (S20: Yes), it is determined that the alternative to the mail transmission is possible (S21). When a transmission means other than fax transmission is not permitted (S20: No), it is determined that alternative to mail transmission is impossible (S22).

(6) Case of FAX Transmission from Terminal Device Using Communication Device Next, when a display request for the FAX transmission screen 150 is made from the terminal device 3, steps S3, S5, S9, and S11 shown in FIG. 6 are excluded. The operations in steps S1, S2, S4, S6 to S8, and S10 are performed in the same manner as described above. Each step shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is also performed in the same manner as described above.

When the fax transmission screen 150 is displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 3, the user operates the input unit of the terminal device 3 to input the fax number of the destination in the destination input field 151 of the fax transmission screen 150, and the subject is Enter the subject in the input field 152 and enter the text in the text input field 154. The user operates the input unit to input the file name and path (storage location) of the document file to be transmitted, and operates the "send" button 156. The control unit of the terminal device 3 creates a transmission sheet in which the names, fax numbers, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, texts, etc. of the sender and the destination are described, attaches a document file to the transmission sheet, and communicates with the communication unit. Send to device 1. The FAX communication means 103 of the communication device 1 faxes the transmission sheet and the document file transmitted from the terminal device 3 to the transmission destination by the FAX communication unit 15.

When the mail transmission screen 160 is displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 3, the user operates the input unit of the terminal device 3 to input the destination mail address in the destination input field 161 of the mail transmission screen 160, and the subject is Enter the subject in the input field 162 and enter the text in the text input field 164. The user operates the input unit to input the file name and path (storage location) of the document file to be transmitted, and operates the "send" button 166. The control unit of the terminal device 3 creates a transmission sheet in which the names, fax numbers, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, texts, etc. of the sender and the destination are described, attaches a document file to the transmission sheet, and communicates with the communication unit. Send to device 1. The mail communication means 104 of the communication device 1 transmits the transmission sheet and the document file transmitted from the terminal device 3 to the destination by the network communication unit 16.

When the document to be transmitted is specified in step S13 shown in FIG. 8 (S13: Yes), it is determined whether or not the document to be transmitted requires fax transmission (S14).

[Modification example]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and implementations are possible without changing the gist of the present invention. is there. For example, after the user gives a FAX transmission instruction on the operation display unit 12 and the user leaves the communication device 1, the determination means 101 determines that the FAX can be replaced with an e-mail, or the operation display unit displays the mail transmission screen. The user's mobile terminal or terminal device 3 away from the communication device 1 may be notified by e-mail or the like that the display on 12 is displayed, the fax is switched to e-mail by the switching means 102, and the like. Thereby, for example, when the mail transmission screen is displayed on the operation display unit 12, it is possible to prompt the operation for the mail transmission screen.

Each means of the control unit 10 may be composed of hardware circuits such as a reconfigurable circuit (FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which are partially or wholly reconfigurable. Good.

Further, it is possible to omit or change some of the constituent elements of the above-described embodiment without changing the gist of the present invention. Further, steps can be added, deleted, changed, replaced, etc. in the flow of the above-described embodiment without changing the gist of the present invention. Further, the program used in the above embodiment can be recorded and provided on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM. Further, the program used in the above embodiment can be stored in an external server such as a cloud server and used via a network.

1 ... communication device, 2 ... internal network, 3 ... terminal device, 4 ... public network,
5 ... External fax machine, 6 ... Firewall (FW),
7 ... External network, 8 ... External terminal device,
10 ... control unit, 11 ... storage unit, 12 ... operation display unit, 13 ... scanner unit,
14 ... Printer unit, 15 ... FAX communication unit, 16 ... Network communication unit,
100 ... reception means, 101 ... judgment means, 102 ... switching means,
103 ... FAX communication means, 104 ... Mail communication means,
110 ... Program storage unit, 111 ... Address book storage unit, 111a ... Address book,
112 ... Destination attribute information storage unit, 113 ... Confidential document identification information storage unit,
150 ... FAX transmission screen, 151 ... Destination input field, 152 ... Subject input field,
153 ... Attachment display field, 154 ... Text input field, 155 ... "Select from address book" button,
156 ... "Send" button, 157 ... "Cancel" button, 160 ... Email transmission screen,
161 ... Address input field, 162 ... Subject input field, 163 ... Attachment display field,
164 ... Text input field, 165 ... "Select from address book" button, 166 ... "Send" button,
200 ... Communication system, E1, E2 ... Area

Claims (13)

When the use of the same transmission means conflicts , among the plurality of transmission instructions using the transmission means, the transmission instruction given earlier can be replaced with another transmission means different from the transmission means, and the line is followed. When the transmitted transmission instruction is irreplaceable to another transmission means different from the transmission means, the transmission means is used in the subsequent transmission instruction, and the transmission used in the earlier transmission instruction is used. A communication device including a switching means for switching the means to the other transmitting means. When the transmission means is switched to the other transmission means, the switching means displays an instruction screen for executing transmission by the other transmission means.
The communication device according to claim 1. When the switching means switches the transmitting means to the other transmitting means, when the instruction screen for executing the transmission by the transmitting means is already displayed, the switching means transmits the instruction screen by the other transmitting means. Change to the instruction screen to execute,
The communication device according to claim 2. When switching the transmission means to the other transmission means, the switching means displays an instruction screen for executing the transmission by the other transmission means when the transmission by the transmission means has already started.
The communication device according to claim 2. When a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of transmission by the transmission means, the switching means stops switching to the other transmission means without displaying the instruction screen.
The communication device according to any one of claims 3 to 4. When switching the transmission means to the other transmission means, the switching means causes the instruction screen to execute transmission by the other transmission means when the instruction screen for executing the transmission means is already displayed. Do not change to the instruction screen for
The communication device according to claim 2. When the source or destination transmits a transmission target with predetermined confidentiality, whether or not it can be replaced with the other transmission means depending on whether or not a specific transmission means should be used. Judgment means to judge
The communication device according to claim 1, further provided. The determination unit, the information specifying the transmitting means to each destination to determine whether it is possible to substitute the other transmission means with reference to the possible registration information registered regarding that information to the destination,
The communication device according to claim 7. The determination means determines whether or not the other transmission means can be substituted based on the address registered as the transmission destination in the registration information.
The communication device according to claim 8. A determination means for determining whether or not the transmission target can be replaced with the other transmission means depending on whether or not the transmission target has a predetermined confidentiality.
The communication device according to claim 1, further provided. When the transmission target includes predetermined information, the determination means determines that the other transmission means cannot be substituted.
The communication device according to claim 10. When the facsimile means competes as the transmission means, the switching means can replace the competing facsimile means with another transmission means, and when the facsimile transmission fails in the first call by the facsimile means, the switching means fails. Stop the facsimile transmission and switch the facsimile means to another transmission means.
The communication device according to claim 1. Computer,
When the use of the same transmission means conflicts , among the plurality of transmission instructions using the transmission means, the transmission instruction given earlier can be replaced with another transmission means different from the transmission means, and the line is followed. When the transmitted instruction is irreplaceable to another transmission means different from the transmission means, the transmission means is used in the transmission instruction given after that, and the transmission used in the transmission instruction given earlier is used. A program for functioning as a switching means for switching the means to the other transmission means.

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