Facsimile apparatus that can transfer image data received as an e-mail message to another facsmile apparatus

A facsimile apparatus that receives image information from a transmitter side facsimile terminal and having a given communication function, comprising:

• a data storage unit that stores the received image information;
• a transfer destination registration unit that stores one or more items of identification information of destinations to which the received image information is transferred;
• a setting time storage unit that stores one or more setting times at which transfer of the received image information is started;
• and
• a transfer control unit that transfers the image information stored by said data storage unit to the transfer destination stored by said transfer destination registration unit as the transfer destination of the received image information at said setting time stored by said setting time storage unit for said transfer destination.

A facsimile apparatus that receives image information transmitted by a transmitter side facsimile terminal and transfers the received image information to a plurality of transfer destinations, comprising:

• a transfer destination registration unit that registers one or more items of identification information of transfer destinations to which the received image information is transferred;
• a sender registration unit that registers one or more items of identification information of senders corresponding to identification information of each transfer destination stored in said transfer destination registration unit;
• a setting time storage unit that stores one or more setting times at which transfer of the received image information is started to each transfer destination stored in said transfer destination registration unit;
• a determination unit to determine, when the image information is received, whether the sender of the received image information is registered by said sender registration unit;
• a data storage unit that stores the image information that is determined that the sender of the received image information is registered by said sender registration unit;
• a transfer destination extraction unit that extracts a transfer destination corresponding to the sender of said image information stored by said data storage unit from said transfer destination registration unit;
• and
• a transfer control unit that starts transferring the image information that is received by said setting time and stored by said data storage unit to the transfer destination extracted by said transfer destination extraction unit at the setting time corresponding to said transfer destination.

A facsimile apparatus having communication functions including a function to exchange e-mail messages through a network and a function to communicate facsimile data, comprising:

• a data storage unit that stores an e-mail message received through said network;
• a data conversion unit that converts data contained in the e-mail message stored by said data storage unit into image data for facsimile by a method corresponding to the type of said data;
• a determination unit that determines a transfer destination of said data by checking the contents of said data contained in said e-mail message stored by said data storage unit;
• a transfer destination registration unit that stores a phone number of a facsimile terminal connected through said analog public network as a transfer destination of said image data for facsimile;
• a transfer control unit that transfers said image data for facsimile to a counterpart facsimile terminal registered by said transfer destination registration unit;
• and
• a set time storage unit that stores one or more set times at which a transfer to each transfer destination is started;
• wherein said facsimile apparatus converts data contained in said e-mail message accumulated in said data storage unit by said set time into said image data for facsimile and starts transferring said image data for facsimile to a transfer destination stored in said transfer destination registration unit at the set time corresponding to said transfer destination.

A facsimile apparatus exchanging image data with a plurality of communication terminals through various networks, comprising:

• an interface unit that exchanges said image data with the plurality of communication terminals;
• a memory unit that stores therein said image data received from one of said communication terminals and further stores therein identification information of the plurality of communication terminals;
• and
• a control unit that causes said memory unit to store therein said image data received by said interface unit, converts said image data stored in said memory unit by changing the data format of said image data so that another one of said communication terminals can properly handle said image data, and causes said interface unit to transmit the converted image data to the other one of said communication terminals.

A facsimile apparatus, comprising:

• an interface unit that receives image data from a plurality of sender terminals and transmits image data to a plurality of destination terminals;
• a clock unit that outputs current time information;
• a memory unit that stores therein identification information of the plurality of sender terminals and identification information of the plurality of destination terminals, so that one or more destination terminals correspond to each one of said sender terminals, further stores one or more set times corresponding to each of said destination terminals;
• and
• a control unit, in response to reception of image data from one of terminals, determines whether said one of terminals is included in the plurality of sender terminals of which identification information is stored by said memory unit, and, if said one of terminals is included in the plurality of sender terminals, causes said memory unit to accumulatively store therein said image data received from said one of terminals, identifies identification information of destination terminals, stored in said memory unit, corresponding to said one of terminals, and further causes said interface unit to transmit the accumulated image data to the identified destination terminals corresponding to said one of terminals at the one or more set times based on said current time information output by said clock unit.