Patent ID: 7884956
Filing Date: 2011-02-08
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A network facsimile system which is configured such that an image transmitted from an origin outside the network facsimile system is received by a relaying server, the relaying server being capable of transmitting the image to one of a plurality of communication terminals, the image being transmitted from the origin outside the network facsimile system to the relaying server in accordance with a facsimile communication protocol, the image being transmitted from the relaying server to the communication terminal in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol, the relaying server including: a facsimile communication system capable of receiving facsimile data representing the image transmitted from the origin outside the network facsimile system; an image data creating system that creates image data which can be processed by the communication terminal based on the facsimile data received by the facsimile communication system; a destination identifying system that identifies a communication terminal which is a destination from among the plurality of communication terminals; and a relaying server side data communication system that transmits the image data created by the image data creating system to the communication terminal identified by the destination identifying system, the communication terminal including: a communication terminal side data communicating system that receives the image data transmitted from the relaying server side data communication system; and an image data processing system that processes the image data received by the communication terminal side data communication system to one of print and store in a storing system, the network facsimile system including a communication terminal data storing system storing a plurality of pieces of communication terminal data corresponding to the plurality of communication terminals, the facsimile communication system having a plurality of telephone numbers which are used as receiving telephone numbers when the facsimile data is received and a telephone number assigning system that automatically assigns selected ones of the plurality of telephone numbers to the plurality of communication terminals, respectively, the communication terminal data including the telephone number assigned to each communication terminal being stored in the communication terminal data storing system, the communication terminal data storing system storing the plurality of telephone numbers, selecting unused telephone numbers for each of the automatically assigned telephone numbers and changing their state from an unused state to a used state when they are assigned, transmitting the assigned telephone numbers to the corresponding communication terminals, and changing the state of the assigned telephone numbers back to an unused state upon receipt of an input indicating that usage of the corresponding communication terminal has ended, the destination identifying system detects the communication terminal data including the reception telephone number when the facsimile communication system receives the facsimile data from among the communication terminal data of the plurality of communication terminals, and identifies a communication terminal serving as the destination based on the communication terminal data.