Patent ID: 7782476

Claim:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a communication unit configured to communicate with a plurality of computers connected via a network; a receiving unit configured to receive facsimile data having at least transmitting terminal identification data added thereto, from the outside; a printing unit configured to print the facsimile data received at the receiving unit; a transfer unit configured to transfer all the facsimile data received at the receiving unit to a predetermined transfer destination; a memory unit configured to store transfer boxes to which numbers denoted by transmitting terminal identification data are assigned as names and onto which transfer settings for transferring facsimile data have been applied, and transfer boxes to make F-code relay; a first determination unit configured to determine whether or not a number for making F-code relay is designated to the facsimile data received at the receiving unit; a second determination unit configured to, when the first determination unit determines that the number is not designated, determine whether or not a transfer function based on a transfer setting set in a transfer box corresponding to a number denoted by the transmitting terminal identification data is made available; a search unit configured to, when the second determination unit determines that the transfer function based on the transfer setting is made available, search the memory unit for a transfer box to which a name corresponding to the transmitting terminal identification data has been assigned; a third determination unit configured to, when the transfer box is searched for by the search unit, determine whether or not F-code information denoting F-code relay is stored so as to be associated with the searched-for transfer box; a fourth determination unit configured to, when the third determination unit determines that F-code information is stored so as to be associated, determine whether or not a setting has been made to transfer the received facsimile data to the predetermined transfer destination uniformly, without transferring based on the transfer setting set in the transfer box corresponding to the number denoted by the transmitting terminal identification data; and a processing unit configured to, when the fourth determination unit determines that the setting has been made to transfer uniformly, transfer the received facsimile data to the predetermined transfer destination, and when the fourth determination unit determines that the setting has not been made to transfer uniformly, print the received facsimile data, wherein the third determination unit determines that the F-code information is stored so as to be associated with the searched-for transfer box if an attribute of the searched-for transfer box is one of Confidential, Message board, and Relay or if a password is set for the searched-for transfer box.