Message communication processing apparatus for selectively converting storing and transmitting messages of different lengths

In a message communication processing system which includes a plurality of communication terminals for processing media information and a center apparatus having a storage and forward exchange function for communication messages sent from the communication terminals, the messages comprising media information and each formulated in a respective original medium, said center apparatus comprising:

• discriminating means for determining whether a message length of the communication message sent from a first terminal is greater than a predetermined length;
• memory means for storing the message if said discriminating means determines that the message length of the message is not greater than the predetermined length;
• transmitting means for transmitting the message stored in said memory means to a second terminal in response to an instruction from said second terminal;
• and
• converting means for converting an original medium of the message sent from said first terminal to produce a converted message in a converted medium having a higher compression ratio than the original medium if said discriminating means determines that the message length of the message in the original medium is greater than the predetermined length,
• wherein said memory means stores the converted message if said discriminating means determines that a message length of the converted message is not greater than the predetermined length, and wherein the converted message is not stored if said discriminating means determines that the message length of the converted message is greater than the predetermined length.

In a message communication processing system which includes a plurality of communication terminals for processing media information and a center apparatus having a storage and forward exchange function for communication messages sent from the communication terminals, the messages comprising media information and each formulated in a respective original medium, said center apparatus comprising:

• discriminating means for determining whether a message length of a message sent from a first terminal is greater than a predetermined length;
• memory means for storing the message sent from said first terminal if said discriminating means determines that the message length of the message is not greater than the predetermined length;
• first transmitting means for transmitting the message stored in said memory means to a second terminal in response to an instruction from said second terminal;
• converting means for converting an original medium of the message sent from said first terminal to produce a converted message in a converted medium capable of being processed by the second terminal if said discriminating means determines that the message length of the message in the original medium is greater than the predetermined length;
• and
• second transmitting means for transmitting the converted message directly to the second terminal without storing the converted message into said memory means.

A message communication method of a message communication processing system which includes a plurality of communication terminals for processing media information and a center apparatus having a storage and forward exchange function for communication messages sent from the communication terminals, the messages comprising media information, said method comprising:

• a discriminating step of determining whether a message length of the communication message sent from a first terminal is greater than a predetermined length;
• a memory step of storing the message sent from the first terminal if said discriminating step determines that the message length of the message is not greater than the predetermined length;
• a first transmitting step of transmitting the message stored in said memory step to a second terminal in response to an instruction from the second terminal;
• and
• a second transmitting step of transmitting the message sent from the first terminal directly to the second terminal without storing the message if said discriminating step determines that the message length of the message is greater than the predetermined length.

A message communication method of a message communication processing system which includes a plurality of communication terminals for processing media information and a center apparatus having a storage and forward exchange function for communication messages sent from the communication terminals, the messages comprising media information and each formulated in a respective medium, said method comprising:

• a first discriminating step of determining whether a message length of the message sent from a first terminal is greater than a predetermined length;
• a memory step of storing a message, wherein said memory step stores the message sent from the first terminal if said first discriminating step determines that the message length of the message sent from the first terminal is not greater than the predetermined length,
• if said first discriminating step determines that the message length of the message sent from the first terminal is greater than the predetermined length, a converting step of converting an original medium of the message sent from said first terminal to produce a converted message in a converted medium having a higher compression ratio than the original medium and a second discriminating step for determining whether a message length of the converted message is not greater than the predetermined length, wherein said memory step stores the converted message if said second discriminating step determines that the message length of the converted message is not greater than predetermined length, and
• a transmitting step of transmitting the message stored in said memory step to a second terminal in response to an instruction from the second terminal.

A message communication method of a message communication processing system which includes a plurality of communication terminals for processing media information and a center apparatus having a storage and forward exchange function for communication messages sent from the communication terminals, the message comprising media information, said method comprising:

• a discriminating step of determining whether a message length of the message sent from a first terminal is greater than a predetermined length;
• a memory step of storing the message sent from the first terminal if said discriminating step determines that the message length of the message is not greater than the predetermined length;
• a first transmitting step of transmitting the message stored in said memory step to a second terminal in accordance with an instruction from the second terminal;
• a converting step of converting an original medium of the message sent from the first terminal to produce a converted message having a converted medium capable of being processed by the second terminal if said discriminating step determines that the message length of the message in the original medium is greater than the predetermined length;
• and
• a second transmitting step of transmitting the converted message directly to the second terminal without storing the message.