Facsimile communication system

A facsimile communication system comprising:

• a facsimile device on a sender side;
• a gateway device on the sender side connectable through a telephone line to said facsimile device;
• a gateway device on a receiver side connectable to said gateway device on the sender side through a communication line to which a protocol being different from that applied to said telephone line is applied;
• a facsimile device on the receiver side connectable to said gateway device on the receiver side through the telephone line to which the same protocol as applied to said telephone line is applied and, after receiving all data to be sent from said facsimile device on the sender side for every communication through said gateway device on the sender side and said gateway device on the receiver side, operated to return a receiving confirming signal showing completion of the receipt to said facsimile device on the sender side through said gateway on the receiver side and said gateway device on the sender side, and
• whereby said gateway device on the sender side, after receiving said all data to be sent to said facsimile device on the receiver side from said facsimile device on the sender side and before receiving said receiving confirming signal from said facsimile device on the receiver side, sends a disconnection instructing signal instructing the disconnection of communications between said facsimile device on the sender side and said gateway device on the sender side to said facsimile device on the sender side;
• wherein said receiving confirming signal is a first message confirmation function signal and wherein said gateway device on the sender side is provided with a first notifying section operated to send a second message confirmation function signal to said facsimile device on the sender side when, before said gateway device on the sender side receives said first message confirmation function signal from said facsimile device on the receiver side through said gateway device on the receiver side, said gateway device on the sender side receives an end-of-file signal, which show that the transmission of all the data from said facsimile device on the sender side to said gateway device on the sender side has been completed, by predetermined number of times from said facsimile device on the sender side;
• wherein said facsimile device on the sender side is provided with a notifying section operated to send, when receiving said second message confirmation function signal, a first discontinue communication notification signal being the discontinue communication notification signal used to notify the termination of communications between said gateway device on the sender side and said facsimile device on the sender side containing additional information, to said gateway device on the sender side;
• wherein said facsimile device on the sender side is provided with a valid period setting section operated to set a valid period when said facsimile device on the sender side is able to receive a non-standard function setting signal containing information showing that said gateway device on the sender side has received said first message confirmation function signal and wherein said facsimile device on the sender side, when receiving said second message confirmation function signal, sends said first discontinue communication notification signal with additional information added, to said gateway device on the sender side so that said gateway device on the sender side sends said non-standard function setting signal within said valid period to said facsimile device on the sender side.

A facsimile communication system comprising:

• a first facsimile device on a sender side;
• a first gateway device on the sender side connectable through a first telephone line to the first facsimile device;
• a second gateway device on a receiver side connectable to the first gateway device through a communication line to which a protocol different from that applied to the first telephone line is applied;
• a second facsimile device on the receiver side connectable to the second gateway device on the receiver side through a second telephone line to which the same protocol as is applied to the first telephone line is applied;
• a picture data accumulating memory comprised in the second gateway device;
• and
• circuitry sending picture data from the picture data accumulating memory to the second facsimile device only after a preset interval of time, the preset interval of time being less than a communication failure time interval at which communication among the gateway devices and the facsimile devices is interrupted by at least one of those devices, due to a communication delay in the communication line, wherein the circuitry calculates the communication delays in the communication line for every communication prior to the receipt of data from the first gateway device and, when said second gateway device judges that communication failures may occur due to the calculated communication delays, stores required amounts of data in the accumulating memory based on the calculated communication delays.