Patent ID: 6671063
Filing Date: 2003-12-30
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A network facsimile apparatus connected to a telephone network and to a computer network, a client machine being connected to the network facsimile apparatus via the computer network, the network facsimile apparatus comprising:a data communicator that receives bitmap image data transmitted by the client machine via the computer network, the received bitmap image data including a transmission header that includes instruction data; an analyzer that analyzes the instruction data in the transmission header of the received bitmap image data and determines an indication of at least one of a printing, a facsimile transmission, and an e-mail transmission; a converter that converts the bitmap image data into a TIFF file; a facsimile transmitter that converts the TIFF file into facsimile data, and transmits the converted facsimile data to a facsimile destination terminal when said analyzer determines that the instruction data indicates facsimile transmission, a facsimile number of the facsimile destination terminal being included in the transmission header; said data communicator transmitting the TIFF file to an e-mail destination terminal when said analyzer determines that the instruction data indicates an e-mail transmission, an e-mail address of the e-mail destination terminal being included in the transmission header; and a printer that prints the TIFF file when said analyzer determines that the instruction data indicates printing.