Patent ID: 8023007

Claim:
A transmission information file generating system comprising: a memory receptor operable to receive a memory which stores data files; a select/send device operable to select and reselect the data files stored on the memory for reproduction and transmission; and a processor operable to generate a transmission information file separately from the data files, the transmission information file containing: a plurality of groups; each of the plurality of groups containing data identifying information of at least one of the data files selected by the select/send device; a plurality of group IDs for identifying the plurality of groups, respectively; each of the plurality of group IDs identifies a particular group, from the plurality of groups, which contains the data identifying information of the at least one data file associated with the particular group identified by the group ID; and destination address information associated with each of the plurality of group IDs for providing a destination of the at least one data file associated with the particular group identified by the group ID; wherein each of the plurality of group IDs contained in the transmission information file is a unique group ID used for identifying a unique group from the plurality of groups contained in the transmission information file and for grouping the data identifying information and destination address information of the at least one data file associated with the unique group as one group for transmission; wherein the transmission information file has a predetermined file name which identifies the transmission information file as a file to be used for transmission; and wherein each of the data identifying information and destination address information associated with at least one of the plurality of groups is provided within an area continuously located between a group ID of the at least one group and a group ID of a next group in the transmission information file such that the plurality of groups are provided in the transmission information file on a group-by-group basis; and wherein the transmission information file generated by said processor has a non-hierarchical structure and is used to transmit the at least one data file identified in each of the plurality of groups on a group-by-group basis by automatically reading the transmission information file, searching for a group ID and extracting, as one group, data identifying information and destination address information existing from a line after the group ID to a line before a next group ID.