Image communication apparatus, server apparatus, and capability exchanging method
View Patent ↗An Internet facsimile apparatus as a sender makes inquiry about capability, which a destination Internet facsimile apparatus possesses, to a local server in a local network. When the local server has no capability information of the destination stored, the sender makes inquiry to a DNS server higher than the local server and obtains capability information of the destination from the DNS server. Then, the sender registers the obtained capability information of the destination to a memory, which the local server or the sender has. This realizes that the sender can surely obtain capability information of the destination. Also, this makes it possible to automatically register capability information of the destination to the memory of the local server or the sender.
1. A transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus connected with a receiving Internet facsimile apparatus via a server apparatus on the Internet, the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus being a same type device as the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus, the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus comprising:
a communicator configured to communicate with a first server apparatus and with a second server apparatus via the Internet; and
a controller configured to access the first server apparatus to obtain capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus can receive, the capabilities including one of a resolution, a paper size, a compression format, and an encryption format that are utilized for a facsimile communication between the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus and the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus,
the controller being further configured, when the first server apparatus is determined not to store the capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus can receive, to obtain, from the second server apparatus, the capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus can receive, to transform image data, based on the obtained capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus can receive, to convert the transformed image data into data for Internet transmission, and to transmit the converted data to the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus, the second server apparatus being a DNS server apparatus that stores the capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus in association with an e-mail address of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus.
2. The transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first server apparatus is a local server apparatus in a local area network containing the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus, and the second server apparatus is a global server apparatus in a global area network connected with the local area network.
3. A server apparatus connected with a transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus and a receiving Internet facsimile apparatus via the Internet, the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus being a same type device as the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus, the server apparatus comprising:
a memory configured to store capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus can receive, the capabilities including one of a resolution, a paper size, a compression format, and an encryption format that are utilized for a facsimile communication between the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus and the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus; and
a controller configured to obtain the capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus from another server apparatus that stores the capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus, when the capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus are not stored in the memory and when the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus inquires regarding the capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus, and to transmit the capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus to the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus, whereby the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus is able to transform image data, based on the obtained capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus, to convert the transformed image data into data for Internet transmission, and to transmit the converted data to the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus, the another server being a DNS server apparatus that stores the capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus in association with an e-mail address of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus.
4. The server apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the controller obtains the capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus from a further server apparatus, when the another server apparatus does not store the capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus.
5. A capability exchanging method for controlling a transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus connected with a receiving Internet facsimile apparatus via the Internet, the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus being a same type device as the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus, the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus being connected with a first server apparatus via a LAN and with a second server apparatus via the Internet, at least one of the first server apparatus and the second server apparatus storing capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is capable of receiving, the capability exchanging method comprising:
accessing the first server apparatus to obtain capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is capable of receiving, the capabilities including one of a resolution, a paper size, a compression format, and an encryption format that are utilized for a facsimile communication between the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus and the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus;
obtaining, from the second server apparatus, capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is capable of receiving, when the first server apparatus is determined not to store the capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is capable of receiving, the second server being a DNS server apparatus that stores the capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus in association with an e-mail address of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus;
transforming image data, based on the obtained capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is capable of receiving;
converting the transformed image data into data for Internet transmission; and
transmitting the converted data to the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus.
6. The transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller stores, in the first server apparatus, the capabilities regarding facsimile data the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus can receive, the capabilities being obtained from the second server apparatus.
7. The transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is determined by the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus.
8. The capability exchanging method according to claim 5 further comprising storing, in the first server apparatus, the capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is capable of receiving, the capabilities being obtained from the second server.
9. A capability exchanging method for controlling a transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus connected to a receiving Internet facsimile apparatus via the Internet, the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus being a same type device as the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus, the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus being connected with a first server apparatus via a LAN and with a second server apparatus via the Internet, at least one of the first server apparatus and the second server apparatus storing capabilities regarding facsimile data that a the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is capable of receiving, the capability exchanging method comprising:
accessing the first server apparatus;
determining whether or not the first server stores the capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is capable of receiving, the capabilities including one of a resolution, a paper size, a compression format, and an encryption format that are utilized for a facsimile communication between the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus and the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus;
obtaining, from the second server apparatus, capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is capable of receiving, when the first server apparatus is determined not to store the capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is capable of receiving, the second server being a DNS server apparatus that stores the capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus in association with an e-mail address of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus;
transforming image data, based on the obtained capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is capable of receiving;
converting the transformed image data into data for Internet transmission;
transmitting the converted data to the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus; and
storing, in the first server apparatus, the capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus is capable of receiving, the capabilities being obtained from the second server.
10. A transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus connected with a receiving Internet facsimile apparatus via a server apparatus on the Internet, the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus being a same type device as the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus, the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus comprising:
a communicator configured to communicate with a first server apparatus and with a second server apparatus via the Internet;
a controller that, when the first server apparatus is determined not to store the capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus can receive, is configured to obtain, from the second server apparatus, the capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus can receive and to store, in the first server apparatus, the obtained capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus can receive, the capabilities including one of a resolution, a paper size, a compression format, and an encryption format that are utilized for a facsimile communication between the transmitting Internet facsimile apparatus and the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus, the second server being a DNS server apparatus that stores the capabilities of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus in association with an e-mail address of the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus,
the controller being further configured to transform image data, based on the obtained capabilities regarding facsimile data that the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus can receive, to convert the transformed image data into data for Internet transmission, and to transmit the converted data to the receiving Internet facsimile apparatus.