Facsimile apparatus and method for sending and receiving private information

A FAX machine for sending and receiving secret information comprising:

• a network control interface for connecting said FAX machine and a telephone line;
• a reception-selection module to set said FAX machine in a transmitting or reception state via said network control interface said telephone line in accordance with instructions from another FAX machine that has been connected to said FAX machine;
• a micro-processor and a video-processing unit;
• a first information transmission channel unit for transmitting/receiving non-secret information to or from said reception-selection module, and for transmitting said non-secret information to said micro-processor, said micro-processor being connected to said video-processing unit o said FAX machine for sending information thereto;
• a second information transmission channel unit for receiving secret information from said reception-selection module, and for transmitting said secret information into said micro-processor;
• a first memory for storing said secret information from said second information transmission channel unit;
• a second memory for storing a cross-reference list between identifying codes and passwords, and for storing the identifying code and memory address in said first memory of said secret information received through said second information transmission channel unit;
• an identifying module connected to said first and second information transmission channel units for detecting whether information transmitted to said FAX machine contains an identifying code or not and for identifying said information as secret information or non-secret information according to whether said identifying code is present;
• said identifying module being adapted to control on/off of said first and second information transmission channel units to thereby direct non-secret information to pass through said first information transmission channel unit, and secret information to pass through said second information channel unit;
• and
• an i/o operation module and a secret information i/o module in said i/o operation module, said i/o operation module being connected to said micro-processor and said secret information i/o module including a keyboard unit and a card scanner, which allows a receiver to use said keyboard unit or said card scanner to enter said identifying code and its matching password to thus retrieve said secret information from said first memory.