Patent ID: 7453606

Claim:
An image communication method that utilizes a plurality of Internet facsimile modes and a G3 facsimile mode, said method comprising the steps of: detecting an Internet facsimile mode, which a destination apparatus of image data has, from the plurality of Internet facsimile modes during communication in the G3 facsimile mode, in accordance with a first procedure signal of the G3 facsimile mode from the destination apparatus; selecting an Internet facsimile mode for communicating with the destination apparatus from the plurality of Internet facsimile modes based on the detected Internet facsimile mode; directing the destination apparatus to switch to the selected Internet facsimile mode; and transmitting an image to the destination apparatus based on the directed Internet facsimile mode, wherein, when shifting to the Internet facsimile mode, one of a simple mode, a full mode and a real time mode is selected from among the plurality of the Internet facsimile modes possessed by the destination apparatus according to predetermined priority, and communication in the selected Internet facsimile mode is performed, and wherein selection is performed in order of the real time mode, the full mode, and the simple mode.