Patent ID: 7245403

Claim:
An image transfer apparatus which uses an electronic mail to transfer an image to a first type of a terminal conforming to a predetermined Internet system and a second type of a terminal not conforming to said Internet system, said apparatus comprising: a first transfer unit configured to transfer the image in conformity with said Internet system; a second transfer unit configured to transfer the image in a predetermined system not related to said Internet system; a history information storage unit configured to store history information composed by associating a mail address designated as a destination in a previously performed image transfer with type information indicating the type of the terminal of the image transfer destination; a transfer method selection unit configured to allow said first transfer unit to execute the image transfer, when said history information stored in said history information storage unit is designated as the image transfer destination, and said type information included in the designated history information indicates said first type, and to allow said second transfer unit to execute the image transfer, when said type information included in the history information designated as the image transfer destination indicates said second type; a capability information storage unit configured to associate and store predetermined capability information with the mail address to which said image transfer has been performed; and a designation acceptance unit configured to accept a designation of a condition to acquire said capability information, wherein said first transfer unit performs the image transfer in either a first mode in which a terminal of the image transfer destination is requested to notify the predetermined capability information or a second mode in which the terminal of the image transfer destination is not requested to notify said capability information, wherein said transfer method selection unit allows said first transfer unit: to perform the image transfer in a first mode, when said type information indicates the first type and the condition accepted by said designation acceptance unit is established, and to perform the image transfer in a second mode, when said type information indicates the first type and the condition accepted by said designation acceptance unit is not established, and wherein said transfer method selection unit: judges whether or not the condition to acquire said capability information accepted by said designation acceptance unit is a constant acquisition, when said first transfer unit performs the image transfer in said second mode, allows said first transfer unit to perform the image transfer in the first mode, when the condition is judged to be the constant acquisition, and allows said first transfer unit to perform the image transfer in the second mode, when the condition is judged not to be the constant acquisition.