Image communication apparatus, image communication system and image communication method

An image communication system comprising:

• a computer network being able to transmit and receive an image based on a network address;
• a first telephone network being able to transmit and receive said image based on a first telephone number;
• a second telephone network being able to transmit and receive said image based on a second telephone number;
• a first address supplying device connected to said computer network adapted to store correspondence between said first telephone number and said network address corresponding to said first telephone number;
• a second address supplying device connected to said computer network adapted to store correspondence between said second telephone number and said network address corresponding to said second telephone number;
• a plurality of image communication apparatuses to send and receive said image mutually through any one of said computer network, first telephone network and second telephone network;
• and
• wherein each of a plurality of said image communication apparatuses includes an input section to input either of said first telephone number or said second telephone number provided to another image communication apparatus to which said image is to be transmitted, a judging section to judge whether said telephone number input through said input section is able to be used, a number transmitting section to transmit said input telephone number, based on a judgement result by said judging section, to either of said first address supplying device or said second address supplying device, an address receiving section to receive, in response to said telephone number fed from said telephone number transmitting section, a network address corresponding to said telephone number;
• and an image transmitting section to transmit, based on said network address received by said address receiving section, said image to said another image communication apparatus through said computer network.

An image communication method comprising for carrying out image communication with another image communication apparatus, based on a computer address, through a computer network, comprising:

• receiving a telephone number of said another image communication apparatus;
• judging whether said received telephone number is a first telephone number or a second telephone number;
• acquiring a computer address corresponding to said first telephone number, when said telephone number is judged to be said first telephone number, by referring to a first table showing correspondence between said first telephone number and said computer address;
• acquiring a computer address corresponding to said second telephone number, when said telephone number is judged to be said second telephone number, by referring to a second table showing correspondence between said second telephone number and said computer address;
• and
• transmitting said image to said another communication apparatus based on said acquired computer address.