초록 ▼

An image communication apparatus is provided which is capable of transmitting images using network addresses corresponding to telephone numbers derived from a plurality of telephone systems. The image communication apparatus for use in the image communication network system containing a computer net

An image communication apparatus is provided which is capable of transmitting images using network addresses corresponding to telephone numbers derived from a plurality of telephone systems. The image communication apparatus for use in the image communication network system containing a computer network, inside telephone network, outside telephone network, first address supplying device to store correspondence between inside numbers and network addresses and a second address supplying device to store correspondence between outside telephone numbers and network addresses, is provided with a judging section to judge whether an input telephone of another facsimile can be used, an address receiving section receives network addresses corresponding to input telephone numbers from either of both address supplying devices based on judgment of the judging section and an image transmitting section to transmit images through computer networks to the another image communication apparatus based on network addresses.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An image communication system comprising: a plurality of image communications apparatuses, each of which possessing a telephone number belonging to a first category of telephone numbers, a telephone number belonging to a second category of telephone numbers and a correspondin

What is claimed is: 1. An image communication system comprising: a plurality of image communications apparatuses, each of which possessing a telephone number belonging to a first category of telephone numbers, a telephone number belonging to a second category of telephone numbers and a corresponding network address; a first address supplying device storing telephone numbers belonging to the first category of telephone numbers and not the second category of telephone numbers, the corresponding network address of each one of the plurality of image communications apparatuses and a relationship between each one the telephone numbers belonging to the first category of telephone numbers and each one of the corresponding network addresses; a second address supplying device storing telephone numbers belonging to the second category of telephone numbers and not the first category of telephone numbers, the corresponding network address of each one of the plurality of image communications apparatuses and a relationship between each one of the telephone numbers belonging to the second category of telephone numbers and each one of the corresponding network addresses; and a judging section included in each of the plurality image communications apparatuses, said judging section included in one of the plurality of image communications apparatuses: (1) determining whether a telephone number input to the one of the plurality of image communications apparatuses belongs to the first category of telephone numbers or to the second category of telephone numbers, and (2) if the input telephone number belongs to the first category of telephone numbers, directing the input telephone number to the first address supplying device and (3) if the input telephone number belongs to the second category of telephone numbers, directing the input telephone number to the second address supplying device, wherein said first address supplying device provides the corresponding network address of the input telephone number to the one of the plurality of image communication apparatuses if the input telephone number belongs to the first category of telephone numbers, and said second address supplying device providing the corresponding network address of the input telephone number to the one of the plurality of image communication apparatuses if the input telephone number belongs to the second category of telephone numbers, and wherein said first address supplying device and said second address supplying device are separated by a computer network. 2. The image communication system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of image communications apparatuses, the first address supplying device and the second address supplying device are operably connected together by a computer network. 3. The image communications system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of image communications apparatuses are connected to an outside telephone network and possess an outside telephone number for communication therethrough. 4. The image communications system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of image communications apparatuses are connected to an inside telephone network and possess an inside telephone number for communication therethrough. 5. The image communications system of claim 1, wherein the function of at least one of the first address supplying device and the second address supplying device is incorporated in at least one of the plurality of image communications apparatuses. 6. The image communications system of claim 1, wherein the first category of telephone numbers corresponds to outside telephone numbers and the second category of telephone numbers corresponds to inside telephone numbers. 7. A method of transmitting images between a plurality of image communications apparatuses, each of the plurality of image communications apparatuses possessing a telephone number belonging to a first category of telephone numbers, a telephone number belonging to a second category of telephone numbers and a corresponding network address, the method comprising the steps of: receiving in a first one of the plurality communication apparatuses a telephone number of a second one of the plurality of image communication apparatuses; judging within said first one of the communication apparatuses whether said received telephone number corresponds to the first category of telephone numbers or to the second category of telephone numbers; attempting to acquire the network address corresponding to the telephone number of the second one of the image communication apparatuses if said telephone number is determined to belong to the first category of telephone numbers by referring to a first table storing the first category of telephone numbers and not the second category of telephone numbers, the corresponding network address of each one of the plurality of image communications apparatuses and a relationship between each one of the telephone numbers belonging to the first category of telephone numbers and each one of the corresponding network addresses; attempting to acquire the network address corresponding to the telephone number of the second one of the image communication apparatuses if said telephone number is determined to belong to the second category of telephone numbers by referring to a second table storing the second category of telephone numbers and not the first category of telephone numbers, the corresponding network address of each one of the plurality of image communications apparatuses and a relationship between each one of the telephone numbers belonging to the second category of telephone numbers and each one of the corresponding network addresses; and transmitting said image to said second image communication apparatus via the computer network based on the acquired network address if the network address is acquired, wherein the first table and the second table are separated by a computer network. 8. The image communication method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of: transmitting said image from said first image communication apparatus to said second image communication apparatus through one of a first telephone network and a second telephone network if said network address is not acquired. 9. An image communication system for performing an image communication via an Internet Protocol (IP) network, comprising: a first image communication apparatus for transmitting an image; a second image communication apparatus which is used for receiving said image, and is assigned an outside telephone number used in an outside telephone line communication system, an inside telephone number used in an inside telephone line communication system and an IP address for said image communication via said IP network; a first address supplying device which stores the outside telephone number and not the inside telephone number and stores a corresponding relation between said outside telephone number and said IP address; and a second address supplying device stores the inside telephone number and not the outside telephone number and stores a corresponding relation between said inside telephone number and said same IP address, wherein said first image communication apparatus includes: an inputting section to input a number for transmitting an image to said second image communication apparatus; a judging section to judge said inputted number is which of said outside telephone number and said inside telephone number of said second image communication apparatus; an IP address obtaining section which, if said inputted number is said outside telephone number, connects to said first address supplying device via said IP network to obtain said IP address based on said outside telephone number; and which, if said inputted number is said inside telephone number, connects to said second address supplying device via said IP network to obtain said IP address based on said inside telephone number; and an image transmitting section which, on the basis of said obtained IP address, transmits said image to said second image communication apparatus via said IP network, wherein said first address supplying device and said second address supplying apparatus are connected by said IP network. 10. An image communication apparatus for an image communication network system which includes a computer network enabled to transmit and receive an image on the basis of a network address; a first category telephone line enabled to transmit and receive said image on the basis of a first category telephone number; a second category telephone line enabled to transmit and receive said image on the basis of a second category telephone number; a first address supplying device which is connected with said computer network, and which stores said first category telephone number and not said second category of telephone number and stores said network address corresponding to said first category telephone number through a first setting a relation and a second address supplying device which is connected separately from said first address supplying device with said computer network, and which stores said second category telephone number and not the said first category of telephone number and stores said network address corresponding to said second category telephone number through a second setting a relation, said apparatus comprising: an inputting section into which a number corresponding to one of said first category telephone number and said second category telephone number that are assigned to another image communication apparatus to receiving said image is input; a judging section to judge whether the input number inputted into said inputting section belongs to said first category telephone number or to said second category telephone number; a number transmitting section which, if said input number is judged being said first category telephone number by said judging section, transmits said input number to said first address supplying device; and if said input number is judged to be said second category telephone number by said judging section, transmits said input number to said second address supplying device; an address receiving section to receive said network address supplied from one of said first address supplying device and said second address supplying device in response to said input number transmitted from said number transmitting section; and an image transmitting section to transmit said image to said another image communication apparatus via said computer network by making said network address received by said address receiving section serve as a transmitting address. 11. The image communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said image communication apparatus is provided with said first address supplying device and said second address supplying device as function sections of said image communication apparatus. 12. The image communication apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a second image transmitting section to transmit images to said another image communication apparatus through one of said first telephone network for use with said first telephone number and through said second telephone network for use with second telephone number. 13. The image communication apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a signal receiving section to receive, when said second image transmitting section transmits a first image, using either of said first telephone number or said second telephone number, to said another image communication apparatus through either of said telephone network for use in said first telephone number or said telephone network for use in second telephone number, a signal containing a computer address provided to said image communication apparatus on a receiver side which is returned, in response to said transmitting of said image, from said another image communication apparatus and wherein said first image transmitting section is adapted to transmit a second image contained in said signal received by said signal receiving section, based on said computer address of said another image communication apparatus, to said another image communication apparatus through said computer network. 14. The image communication apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a storage section to store correspondence between said telephone number used by said image transmitting section when said first image is transmitted and received through either of said telephone network for use in said first telephone number or said telephone network for use in said second telephone number and said network address of said another image communication apparatus received by said signal receiving section when said first image is received. 15. The image communication apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said second image transmitting section, when said first image transmitting section fails to transmit said image based on said computer address through said computer network, transmits said image using either of said first telephone number or said second telephone number through either of said telephone network for use in said first telephone number or said telephone network for use in said second telephone number. 16. The image communication apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an operation section to designate to whether priority is given to transmission by said first image transmitting section through said computer network or to transmission by said second image transmitting section through said telephone network. 17. The image communication apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said operation section, when said first image transmitting section fails to transmit said image through said computer network, designates whether said image is to be transmitted by said second image transmitting section through said telephone network. 18. The image communication apparatus according to 10, wherein said first category telephone line is a telephone line corresponding to a first telephone network; and said second category telephone line is a telephone line corresponding to a second telephone network. 19. The image communication apparatus of claim 18, wherein said first telephone network corresponds to an inside telephone network and said second telephone network corresponds to an outside telephone network. 20. The image communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said first telephone network is an inside telephone network that is able to transmit and receive said image based on said first telephone number being said inside telephone number and said second telephone network is an outside telephone network that is able to transmit and receive said image based on said second telephone number being said outside telephone number and wherein said computer network is either of an intranet or the Internet that is able to transmit and receive said image based on said network address being an IP address. 21. The image communication apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said number transmitting section transmits said input number through said computer network and said address receiving section receives said network address through said computer network.