Matsushita Graphic Communication Systems, Inc.

Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd.

Asahiro Onuma

Kazuto Kobayashi

Yuuji Takemoto

Kazuyoshi Koreeda

A network communication control apparatus that converts data from a facsimile apparatus into e-mail to transmit to another communication apparatus, and converts e-mail from another communication apparatus into facsimile data to transmit to the facsimile apparatus, the network communication control apparatus further stores managing data that includes whether transmission to/from facsimile apparatus from/to another communication terminal is complete, determines whether the un-transmitted managing data is stored at a predetermined timing, and notifies the sender regarding the un-transmitted data, when the un-transmitted managing data is stored, according to the content of data. This is to allow the sender to be easily and automatically notified when the data transmission is incomplete, and to improve the reliability of the network communication control apparatus.

Communication control apparatus and method of converting between facsimile and e-mail transmissions

A communication apparatus comprises a destination obtainer that obtains a destination address, a telephone network interface that connects to a public switched telephone network and a LAN interface that connects to an Internet. Further the communication apparatus includes a communication controller, an Internet communication controller and a network communication controller. The communication controller analyzes the destination address obtained by the obtainer to determine whether communication is performed via the telephone network interface or via the LAN interface. The Internet communication controller performs voice transmission over the Internet via the LAN interface when the communication controller determines that the communication is performed via the LAN interface and the network communication controller performs voice transmission over the public switched telephone network via said telephone network interface.

Gateway apparatus

A communication apparatus properly switches connection by means of a transmission protocol determining section or a reception protocol determining section. In accordance with a transmission request from a telephone or a facsimile machine, the transmission protocol determining section activates either an Internet phone controller or an Internet FAX controller and performs data transmission via either a public switched telephone network interface or a LAN interface. The reception protocol determining section activates either the Internet phone controller or the Internet FAX controller and sends data, received via either the public switched telephone network interface or LAN interface, to the telephone or facsimile machine. With various terminals connected to one another over a LAN, therefore, those individual terminals can be used effectively on an Internet by adaptively connecting telephones, facsimile machines, etc. to the LAN, Internet, public switched telephone network or the like.

Communication apparatus

The Internet facsimile apparatus is provided with a format converting section which converts image data to e-mail, and a mail transmission section which transmits the e-mail via a network. The format converting section converts the received facsimile data to an e-mail page by page. A destination address management section issues a management number for each piece of facsimile data, and at the same time issues a page number for each of page. The management number and page number are registered in a management table. The format converting section provides the management number and page number to the subject of an e-mail. Thereby, since the data capacity of the e-mail is reduced when transmitting and receiving the facsimile data via a network, it is possible to prevent receiving errors from occurring and to improve the transmission quality. Simultaneously, the e-mail is managed or supervised by the management number and page number.

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Tokyo, Japan

Asahiro Onuma