Patent ID: 7106473

Claim:
A communications apparatus comprising: means for connecting to a computer network; means for connecting to a public telephone network; facsimile reception means for receiving facsimile image data from the public telephone network; means for receiving transfer destination information of e-mail data from the public telephone network; conversion means for converting the received facsimile image data into an e-mail data format; transmission means for designating an e-mail destination of the computer network on the basis of the received transfer destination information, and transmitting the e-mail data converted by said conversion means to a destination designated by the transfer destination information; means for selecting whether to release the public telephone network and whether facsimile reception via the public telephone network is started after the transfer destination information is not received within a prescribed time for monitoring signal reception from the public telephone network after call reception from the public telephone network; and means for selecting whether to release the public telephone network and whether facsimile reception via the public telephone network is started after a signal related to a facsimile communication is not received within a prescribed time for monitoring signal reception from the public telephone network after call reception from the public telephone network.