Information Processing Apparatus, Notification Management Method, and Program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus and the like that can simplify change processing when a person in charge is changed at a notification destination which is notified of reception of facsimile.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus manages a notification destination which is notified of reception of facsimile data, and the information processing apparatus comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires a first table representing the correspondence relationship between first customer information indicating a customer corresponding to a transmission source of the facsimile data and first person-in-charge information indicating a person in charge being the notification destination which is notified of reception of the facsimile data, and a second table representing the correspondence relationship between second person-in-charge information indicating a person in charge and second customer information indicating a customer taken charge of by the person in charge; and a processing unit that, when the second person-in-charge information is changed, reflects the change in the second person-in-charge information on the first person-in-charge information corresponding to the changed second person-in-charge information, and when the first person-in-charge information is changed, reflects the change in the first person-in-charge information on the second person-in-charge information corresponding to the changed first person-in-charge information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a notification management method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] When receiving a facsimile, a technique of notifying a message to a notification destination address of a pre-registered user is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Further, a technique of identifying a customer from a transmission source number of a fax-received document and transmitting a notification email to a user corresponding to the identified customer is disclosed in Patent Document 2.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technologies of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 manage by associating a user with the transmission source of a customer's facsimile, and when receiving a facsimile, notify the corresponding user (for example, a person in charge of the customer) of the reception of the facsimile. When changing the person in charge of the notification destination, it is necessary to perform a process of changing the user of the notification destination for each transmission source of the facsimile. For example, when the frequency of changing the person in charge of the notification destination increases, the change process becomes complicated.

[0005] As one aspect, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing apparatus or the like that can simplify the change process when the person in charge of the notification destination notified when receiving a facsimile is changed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus that manages notification destinations for notifying receipt of facsimile data, and includes first customer information indicating a customer corresponding to a transmission source of the facsimile data, and a first person in charge information indicating a person in charge who is a notification destination for notifying receipt of the facsimile data. An acquisition unit that acquires a first table representing a correspondence relationship therebetween and a second table representing a correspondence relationship between second person in charge information indicating a person in charge and second customer information indicating a customer in charge of the person in charge; and when the second person in charge information is changed, reflecting the change of the second person in charge information to the first person in charge information corresponding to the changed second person in charge information, and when the first person in charge information is changed, reflecting the change of the first person in charge information to the second person in charge information corresponding to the changed first person in charge information. A processing unit.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0007]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described. The following embodiments can be appropriately modified. Also, the configurations of the embodiments can be replaced with substantially similar configurations, configurations having similar operational effects, or configurations capable of achieving similar purposes. Furthermore, the order of processing in the flowchart described in this embodiment can be interchanged as much as possible.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the system 10 of this embodiment. The system 10 includes an information processing apparatus 20, a facsimile apparatus 30, a file server 40, and a plurality of terminals 50 (50A, 50B,...).

[0010] The system 10 of this embodiment is applied to a system that, for example, notifies a person in charge of a customer when the facsimile apparatus 30 receives FAX data (facsimile data) from the customer's facsimile apparatus. For example, the notification of the reception of FAX data is sent to the email address assigned to the person in charge. The person in charge can recognize the reception of FAX data by using the terminal 50 to check the notification sent to the email address.

[0011] The information processing apparatus 20 is a computer that performs various processes related to this embodiment. The information processing apparatus 20 may be, for example, a computer on the cloud or a computer built into the facsimile apparatus 30.

[0012] The facsimile apparatus 30 receives FAX data from a transmitting apparatus (a customer's facsimile apparatus) via, for example, a telephone network. The facsimile apparatus 30 is connected to the information processing apparatus 20 and the file server 40 via the network NW. The facsimile apparatus 30 may have not only a function of receiving FAX data but also a function of transmitting the same. Further, the facsimile apparatus 30 may be an image forming apparatus such as a multi-function peripheral (MFP) capable of transmitting and receiving FAX data.

[0013] When the facsimile apparatus 30 receives FAX data, it converts the received FAX data into image data via the network NW and transfers the image data to the file server 40. The file server 40 as the transfer destination stores the received image data (FAX data) at a predetermined address. In the present embodiment, the facsimile apparatus 30 recognizes the address of the FAX data stored in the file server 40.

[0014] The terminal 50 is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a mobile phone, for example. The terminal 50 performs wireless communication with the information processing apparatus 20, the facsimile apparatus 30, and the file server 40 via, for example, a mobile communication network. The mobile communication network may be a part of the network NW or a separate communication network capable of communicating with the network NW. When the facsimile apparatus 30 receives FAX data, it transmits a notification of the reception of the FAX data to the target terminal 50.

[0015] The information processing apparatus 20 includes a control unit 21, a communication unit 22, an address book database 23, and a contact database 24. The control unit 21 includes a processing unit 25 and a database access unit 26. In FIG. 1, the database is denoted as "DB".

[0016] The control unit 21 includes, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. By the CPU executing a plurality of instruction sets stored in the memory, the control performed by the control unit 21 of the embodiment is realized. The processor may be, for example, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0017] The communication unit 22 communicates with the facsimile apparatus 30, the file server 40, and each terminal 50 via a network NW, a mobile communication network, or the like.

[0018] The address book database 23 stores an address book table. The address book table is a first table indicating the facsimile apparatus of a customer who is the transmission source of FAX data, and includes first person-in-charge information indicating the person in charge for each transmission source information. The contact database 24 stores a contact table. The contact table is a second table indicating the information of customers for each second person-in-charge information indicating the person in charge.

[0019] The address book database 23 and the contact database 24 may be realized by, for example, separate database servers. The address book database 23 and the contact database 24 may be realized by the same database server.

[0020] The processing unit 25 performs the main processing of this embodiment. The database access unit 26 accesses the address book database 23 and the contact database 24, and acquires the address book table and the contact table. The database access unit 26 corresponds to the acquisition unit.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an address book table. The address book table in the example of FIG. 2 includes items of ID, destination name, telephone number, FAX number, address, forwarding destination address, and contact information. The address book table may be stored, for example, in the facsimile apparatus 30, but in this embodiment, it is assumed to be stored in the address book database 23 on the cloud. Note that the address book table may be stored in the facsimile apparatus 30.

[0022] The ID is a number for identifying a customer. The destination name is information representing the customer. The telephone number is a telephone number by which the customer can be specified. The FAX number is a FAX number (the FAX number of the customer's facsimile apparatus) by which the customer can be specified. The address is customer-side information for communicating with the customer on the network, such as an email address or a URL. The ID or the destination name in the address book table corresponds to the first customer information. The telephone number, the FAX number, or the address may correspond to the first customer information. The ID and the destination name may be grouped into one piece of data in the same way as the contact information.

[0023] The forwarding destination address is the email address or URL of the forwarding destination to which the facsimile apparatus 30 transfers FAX data when the facsimile apparatus 30 receives the FAX data. In the address book table, SAMBA represents the file server 40, not an actual customer. When there is no forwarding destination address, the facsimile apparatus 30 may form an image of the received FAX data on a paper medium or the like and discharge the paper medium on which the image is formed. Also, depending on the settings, even when there is a forwarding destination address, the paper medium on which the image is formed may be discharged.

[0024] The contact information includes information indicating the name and ID of the person in charge of the customer. The contact information corresponds to the first person-in-charge information. In the example of the address book table, a plurality of persons in charge may be assigned to one customer. For example, in the example of FIG. 2, to customer CC Corporation, person in charge AAAA (101) and person in charge BBBB (102) are assigned.

[0025] In the address book table of the example in FIG. 2, ID "005" represents the file server 40 rather than an actual customer. In this case, the address item corresponding to ID "005" stores information indicating the area in the file server 40 where FAX data is stored.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a contact table. The contact table in the example of FIG. 3 includes items of ID, person in charge, main contact address, sub-contact address, and destination. The ID is a number that identifies the person in charge. The person in charge represents the name of the person in charge. The ID or the person in charge corresponds to the second person-in-charge information. The ID and the person in charge may be grouped into one piece of data, similar to the destination.

[0027] The main contact address represents the main address of the person in charge of the notification destination. The main contact address may be, for example, an email address, or a phone number of a mobile phone using a short message service. Also, the main contact address may be an account such as an SNS (Social Networking Service), or other information.

[0028] The sub-contact address represents an auxiliary address of the notification destination of the person in charge. The sub-contact address may be assigned the main contact address of the supervisor or assistant in the hierarchical structure described later, or the name and ID of the supervisor or assistant in charge. For example, in the contact table of the example in FIG. 3, the information indicating CCCC, who is the supervisor of AAAA, is assigned as the sub-contact address of AAAA.

[0029] The destination represents the customer for each person in charge. The destination includes information indicating the name and ID of the customer. The destination corresponds to the second customer information. Multiple customers may be assigned to one person in charge. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, three customers, namely BB Trading Company (002), CC Trading Company (003), and FF Elementary School (008), are assigned to the person in charge BBBB. The value in the parentheses represents the ID of the customer.

[0030] The ID values in the contact table of the example in FIG. 3 correspond to the values within the parentheses of the contact item in the address book table of the example in FIG. 2. The ID values in the address book table of the example in FIG. 2 correspond to the values within the parentheses of the destination item in the contact table of the example in FIG. 3. Therefore, the address book table of the example in FIG. 2 and the contact table of the example in FIG. 3 are synchronized using the above ID as a key. The address book table and the contact table may be associated by the name of the person in charge or the name of the customer.

[0031] FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example of the hierarchical structure of an organization. The organization is, for example, an organization such as a company or a local government, and is the organization that operates the system 10 of the present embodiment. In the hierarchical structure of the example in FIG. 4A, the subordinates of PPPP are CCCC and QQQQ, and subordinates are assigned to CCCC and QQQQ, respectively.

[0032] An assistant is a person in charge who does not belong to the hierarchical structure of the organization and assists the associated person in charge. For example, in the hierarchical structure of the example in FIG. 4A, BBBB is an assistant associated with AAAA.

[0033] FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of an authentication data table. The authentication data table includes items of ID, person in charge name, password, supervisor, and assistant. The supervisor item is information indicating the supervisor according to the hierarchical structure of FIG. 4A. The assistant item is information indicating the assistant associated with the person in charge.

[0034] When the communication unit 22 of the information processing apparatus 20 receives a request (reference request or change request) from the terminal 50, the processing unit 25 of the information processing apparatus 20 authenticates the terminal 50. When the processing unit 25 receives authentication information from the terminal 50, the processing unit 25 determines whether the received authentication information is valid and identifies the person in charge. In the example of FIG. 4B, the authentication information is the person in charge name (user name) and the password.

[0035] For example, when the person in charge, AAAA, inputs authentication information (name of the person in charge and password) into the terminal 50 as the requester and performs an operation related to the above request, the terminal 50 transmits the input authentication information to the information processing apparatus 20. When the processing unit 25 of the information processing apparatus 20 determines that the received authentication information indicates that the person is the legitimate person in charge, AAAA, it allows the reference and modification of each of the address book table and the contact table within the scope of the authority of the person in charge, AAAA.

[0036] Details of the scope of reference and modification allowed for the person in charge in the address book table and the contact table will be described later.

[0037] Also, in the authentication data table of FIG. 4B, there are items for the supervisor and assistant corresponding to the person in charge. Operations on the address book table and the contact table allowed for the person in charge are also allowed for the supervisor and assistant corresponding to the person in charge.

[0038] Next, the scope of reference and modification allowed for the person in charge in the address book table and the contact table will be described. The person in charge has the authority to change the data of himself or his subordinates in the hierarchical structure shown in the example of FIG. 4A. When an assistant is associated with the person in charge, the assistant also has the authority to change the data of the person in charge. In addition, the person in charge has the authority to refer to the data of each person in charge belonging to his direct supervisor and the data of the assistant associated with himself.

[0039] In the example of FIG. 4A, the person in charge, AAAA, has the authority to change the data related to himself. On the other hand, the supervisor of the person in charge, AAAA, is CCCC, and the assistant of the person in charge, AAAA, is BBBB. Therefore, the authority to change the data related to the person in charge, AAAA, is possessed by AAAA, BBBB, and CCCC.

[0040] The direct supervisor of person in charge AAAA is CCCC. Also, the persons in charge BBBB and FFFF also have CCCC as their direct supervisor and belong to CCCC in the hierarchical structure. Therefore, person in charge AAAA has the same reference authority as long as persons in charge BBBB and FFFF can refer to it. That is, each person in charge has the same reference authority as long as the co-workers belonging to their direct supervisor can refer to it. The range of authority that each person in charge can refer to is wider than the range of authority that can be changed.

[0041] Figure 5A is a diagram showing a first example of an address book acquirable list. The address book acquirable list in Figure 5A is a list of items (records) that can be acquired when person in charge AAAA requests from the address book table in Figure 2.

[0042] When the processing unit 25 of the information processing apparatus 20 receives from person in charge AAAA who is the requester, it acquires and lists the items (records) within the range where person in charge AAAA can obtain data from the address book table.

[0043] The processing unit 25 acquires the data within the range of the reference authority described above from the address book table. In this case, the records with IDs indicating person in charge AAAA, person in charge BBBB, and person in charge FFFF are acquired. The acquired records are the respective records shown in Figure 5A. The processing unit 25 lists each acquired record to generate the address book acquirable list in the example of Figure 5A.

[0044] Figure 5B is a diagram showing a first example of a contact acquirable list. The contact book acquirable list in Figure 5B is a list of items that can be acquired by person in charge AAAA from the contact table in Figure 3. The processing unit 25 acquires the records with IDs indicating person in charge AAAA, person in charge BBBB, and person in charge FFFF from the contact table in Figure 3. The acquired records are the respective records shown in Figure 5B. The processing unit 25 lists each acquired record to generate the contact acquirable list in the example of Figure 5B.

[0045] Next, the person in charge DDDD will be described. Among the hierarchical structures shown in the example of FIG. 4A, the person in charge DDDD has no subordinates. Therefore, the scope of authority that the person in charge DDDD can change is only the data regarding the person in charge DDDD.

[0046] FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a second example of the address book acquirable list. The address book acquirable list in FIG. 6A is a list that lists the items acquirable by the person in charge DDDD among the address book tables in FIG. 2. The processing unit 25 acquires the records with the IDs indicating the contacts as the person in charge DDDD, the person in charge GGGG, and the assistant EEEE from the address book table. The processing unit 25 lists the acquired records to generate the contact acquirable list in the example of FIG. 6A.

[0047] FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a second example of the contact acquirable list. The contact book acquirable list in FIG. 6B is a list that lists the items acquirable by the person in charge DDDD among the contact tables in FIG. 3. The processing unit 25 acquires the records with the IDs indicating the person in charge DDDD, the person in charge GGGG, and the assistant EEEE from the contact table in FIG. 3. The records to be acquired are the respective records shown in FIG. 6B. The processing unit 25 lists the acquired respective records to generate the contact acquirable list in the example of FIG. 6B.

[0048] Next, the person in charge CCCC will be described. Among the hierarchical structures shown in the example of FIG. 4A, the subordinates of the person in charge CCCC are AAAA, BBBB, and FFFF. The person in charge CCCC has the authority to change the data regarding AAAA, BBBB, and FFFF.

[0049] In the example of FIG. 4A, the direct supervisor of the person in charge CCCC is the person in charge PPP. Also, the person in charge QQQ also has the person in charge PPP as the direct supervisor. Therefore, the person in charge CCCC has the same reference authority as long as it is within the range that the person in charge QQQ can reference.

[0050] FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a third example of an address book acquirable list. The address book acquirable list in FIG. 7A is a list of items acquirable by the person in charge CCCC among the address book tables in FIG. 2. The processing unit 25 acquires records of IDs indicating contacts as the person in charge CCCC, the person in charge AAAA, the person in charge BBBB, the person in charge DDDD, the person in charge FFFF, the person in charge GGGG, the person in charge QQQQ, and the assistant EEEE from among the address book tables. The processing unit 25 lists the acquired records to generate the contact acquirable list of the example in FIG. 7A.

[0051] FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a third example of a contact acquirable list. The contact book acquirable list in FIG. 7B is a list of items acquirable by the person in charge CCCC among the contact tables in FIG. 3. The processing unit 25 acquires records of IDs indicating the person in charge CCCC, the person in charge AAAA, the person in charge BBBB, the person in charge DDDD, the person in charge FFFF, the person in charge GGGG, the person in charge QQQQ, and the assistant EEEE from among the contact tables in FIG. 3. The acquired records are the respective records shown in FIG. 7B. The processing unit 25 lists each acquired record to generate the contact acquirable list of the example in FIG. 7B.

[0052] Next, the change process of the contact table will be described. FIG. 8A is a diagram showing an example of a change in the contact acquirable list. The contact acquirable list of the example in FIG. 8A shows an example in which a part of the contact acquirable list is changed.

[0053] Suppose that the person in charge CCCC uses his / her own terminal 50 to perform an operation to change the contact table. The change content is, for example, as shown in FIG. 8A, an operation of deleting the charge destination of the person in charge BBBB who is a subordinate of the person in charge CCCC, adding the CC company that the person in charge BBBB was in charge of to the person in charge CCCC himself / herself, and adding the BB company and the FF elementary school to the person in charge FFFF.

[0054] For example, when a situation occurs such as a change in the workplace of person BBBB, an operation to change each of the destinations in charge of person BBBB is performed. Assume that this operation is performed by person CCCC, who is the supervisor of person BBBB.

[0055] When the terminal 50 operated by person CCCC receives the above operation, it sends a change request for the contact table to the information processing device 20. The processing unit 25 acquires the contact table from the contact database 24. The processing unit 25 generates the above-mentioned contact acquirable list from the acquired contact table. The generated contact acquirable list is the list before the change in the example of FIG. 8A.

[0056] The above-mentioned operation of the change request is an operation to delete each of the destinations in charge of person BBBB and add destinations to person CCCC and person FFFF. The processing unit 25 compares the contact acquirable list (new list) with deletions and additions and the contact acquirable list (old list) before deletions and additions, and detects differences.

[0057] The processing unit 25 detects one or more destinations that existed in the old list but do not exist in the new list among each of the destinations in charge, and generates a deletion location list associating the detected destinations with the names in charge. The information with an ID added to the name in charge represents the contact in the address book table. FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a first example of the deletion location list. In the example of FIG. 8B, the contact BBBB(102) corresponding to BB Trading Company, CC Trading Company, and FF Elementary School is generated as the deletion location list.

[0058] The processing unit 25 detects one or more destinations that exist in the new list but did not exist in the old list among each of the destinations in charge, and generates an addition location list associating the detected destinations with the names in charge. FIG. 8C is a diagram showing a first example of the addition location list. In the example of FIG. 8C, the contact FFFF(106) corresponding to BB Trading Company and FF Elementary School, and the contact CCCC(103) corresponding to CC Trading Company are generated as the addition location list.

[0059] Next, the update process of the address book table will be described. FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a first example of the transition when updating the list of address books that can be acquired. The list of address books that can be acquired in FIG. 9A is the list of address books that can be acquired by the person in charge CCCC shown in the example of FIG. 7A.

[0060] The processing unit 25 uses the deletion location list described above to delete the contacts with the same destination name in the list of address books that can be acquired in FIG. 9A. FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a second example of the transition when updating the list of address books that can be acquired.

[0061] The above-mentioned deletion location list is BB Corporation, CC Corporation, and FF Elementary School, and the contact is BBBB(102). The processing unit 25 deletes the contact BBBB(102) corresponding to BB Corporation, CC Corporation, and FF Elementary School from the list of address books that can be acquired.

[0062] FIG. 10A is a diagram showing a third example of the transition when updating the list of address books that can be acquired. When the contacts are deleted using the above-mentioned deletion location list, the list of address books that can be acquired becomes the state shown in FIG. 10A.

[0063] FIG. 10B is a diagram showing a fourth example of the transition when updating the list of address books that can be acquired. The processing unit 25 uses the addition location list to add the contacts with the same destination name in the list of address books that can be acquired in FIG. 10A.

[0064] In the above-mentioned addition location list, the contact FFFF(106) corresponds to BB Corporation and FF Elementary School, and the contact CCCC(103) corresponds to CC Corporation. Therefore, the processing unit 25 adds FFFF(106) to the contacts of BB Corporation and FF Elementary School in the list of address books that can be acquired in FIG. 10A, and adds CCCC(103) to the contact of CC Corporation.

[0065] Through the above-described processing, the address book acquisition available list in FIG. 9A is updated to the address book acquisition available list shown in FIG. 10B. The processing unit 25 reflects the address book acquisition available list in FIG. 10B in the address book table of the address book database 23.

[0066] As described above, by simply updating the contact table, the updated content is automatically reflected in the address book table. Therefore, even if the person in charge of the facsimile notification destination is frequently changed, the change process can be simplified. In addition, since the address book table is updated within the scope of the authority of the requester who made the change request, it is suppressed that the address book table is updated beyond the scope of the requester's authority.

[0067] Next, the update of the contact table will be described. FIG. 11A is a diagram showing an example of a change in the address book acquisition available list. The contact acquisition available list in the example of FIG. 11A is an address book acquisition available list for the person in charge CCCC, and a part of it has been changed.

[0068] Suppose that the person in charge CCCC uses his / her own terminal 50 to perform an operation to change the address book table. The change content is, for example, as shown in FIG. 11A, an operation of deleting the destination of the person in charge AAAA from the destination name AA Store and adding the person in charge BBBB.

[0069] When the terminal 50 operated by the person in charge CCCC receives the above operation, it sends a change request for the address book table to the information processing apparatus 20. The processing unit 25 acquires the address book table from the contact database 24. The processing unit 25 generates a contact acquisition available list of the person in charge CCCC from the acquired address book table. The generated contact acquisition available list is the list shown in the example of FIG. 11A.

[0070] The above-described operation of the change request is an operation to delete the person in charge AAAA and add the person in charge BBB for AA Store. The processing unit 25 compares the contact acquisition possible list (new list) with deletions and additions and the contact acquisition possible list (old list) before deletions and additions, and detects differences.

[0071] The processing unit 25 detects one or more destinations in the old list that do not exist in the new list for each contact existing in the old list, and generates a deletion location list associating the detected contact (name of person in charge) and the destination (name of destination). The information with an ID added to the name of the person in charge represents the contact in the address book table. FIG. 11B is a diagram showing a second example of the deletion location list. In the example of FIG. 11B, the AA Store (001) of the destination corresponding to the contact AAAA (101) is generated as the deletion location list.

[0072] The processing unit 25 detects one or more destinations in the new list that do not exist in the old list for each destination that did not exist in the old list, and generates an addition location list associating the detected contact and the destination. FIG. 11C is a diagram showing a second example of the addition location list. In the example of FIG. 11C, the AA Store (001) of the destination corresponding to the contact BBBB (102) is generated as the addition location list.

[0073] Next, the update of the contact table will be described. FIG. 12A is a diagram showing a first example of the transition when updating the contact acquisition possible list. The contact acquisition possible list in FIG. 12A is the contact acquisition possible list that the person in charge CCCC shown in the example of FIG. 7B can acquire.

[0074] The processing unit 25 uses the above-described deletion location list to delete the destinations of the contacts with the same name of the person in charge in the contact acquisition possible list in FIG. 12A. FIG. 12B is a diagram showing a second example of the transition when updating the address book acquisition possible list.

[0075] The above deletion location list has a contact of AAAA (101) and an assigned destination of AA Trading Company (001). The processing unit 25 deletes AA Store (001), the assigned destination corresponding to AAAA (101) in the contact acquisition available list.

[0076] FIG. 13A is a diagram showing a third example of the transition when updating the contact acquisition available list. When the deletion of the assigned destination using the above deletion location list is performed, the contact acquisition available list becomes the state shown in FIG. 13A.

[0077] FIG. 13B is a diagram showing a fourth example of the transition when updating the contact acquisition available list. The processing unit 25 uses the addition location list to add the assigned destination with the same contact name in the contact acquisition available list of FIG. 13A. FIG. 13B is a diagram showing a fourth example of the transition when updating the contact acquisition available list.

[0078] The above addition location list has a contact of BBBB (102) and an assigned destination of AA Trading Company (001). The processing unit 25 adds AA Store (001) to the assigned destination with the contact name of BBBB in the address book acquisition available list of FIG. 13A.

[0079] The contact acquisition available list in FIG. 12A is updated to the contact acquisition available list shown in FIG. 13B. The processing unit 25 reflects the contact acquisition available list in FIG. 13B in the contact table of the contact database 24.

[0080] As described above, by simply updating the address book table, the updated content is automatically reflected in the contact table. Therefore, even if the person in charge of the facsimile notification destination is frequently changed, the change process can be simplified. Also, since the contact table is updated within the scope of the authority of the requester who made the change request, it is suppressed that the contact table is updated beyond the scope of the requester's authority.

[0081] Next, the processing flow of this embodiment will be described. FIGS. 14 and 15 are flowcharts showing an example of the processing flow at the time of FAX reception in this embodiment. Hereinafter, it will be described assuming that the facsimile apparatus 30 performs the processing at the time of FAX reception, but the processing at the time of FAX reception may be performed based on the control of the information processing apparatus 20. For example, the facsimile apparatus 30 and the information processing apparatus 20 may cooperate to perform the following processing at the time of FAX reception.

[0082] The facsimile apparatus 30 determines whether it has received FAX data (step S11). If the facsimile apparatus 30 determines No in step S11, the process returns to step S11. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 waits until it receives FAX data.

[0083] If the facsimile apparatus 30 determines Yes in step S11, the process proceeds to step S12. The facsimile apparatus 30 performs reception processing (step S12). The reception processing is, for example, an operation related to the reception of FAX data, and includes an operation of disconnecting the facsimile line after completing the reception of FAX data.

[0084] The facsimile apparatus 30 determines whether a FAX number that matches the FAX number of the transmitting apparatus that transmitted the FAX data exists in the address book table (step S13). The FAX number of the transmitting apparatus may be specified by, for example, a modem signal (caller number, etc.) or a TSI (Transmitting Subscriber Identification) code.

[0085] The facsimile apparatus 30 may hold the same address book table as the address book table stored in the address book database 23. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 may search the held address book table to make the determination in step S13. The facsimile apparatus 30 may access the address book database 23 of the information processing apparatus 20 via the network NW to make the determination in step S13.

[0086] When the FAX number that matches the FAX number of the source device exists in the address book table, the facsimile apparatus 30 determines Yes in step S13. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 acquires the corresponding information (the information of the record corresponding to the matching FAX number) (step S14).

[0087] The record acquired in step S14 may not include information such as the transfer destination address or the contact information. For example, the record with ID "007" in the address book table of FIG. 2 does not include the transfer destination address and the contact information.

[0088] When the FAX number that matches the FAX number of the source device does not exist in the address book table, the facsimile apparatus 30 determines No in step S13. In this case, if there is notification information for unregistered addresses, the facsimile apparatus 30 acquires the notification information (step S15).

[0089] The notification information for unregistered addresses is the information of the notification destination for notifying FAX data when the FAX number that matches the FAX number of the source device does not exist in the address book table. The notification destination indicated by the notification information may be, for example, the transfer destination address or the contact information of the administrator of the system 10 or a person in charge with a specific authority in the hierarchical structure of the organization in FIG. 4A.

[0090] The facsimile apparatus 30 determines whether there is a transfer destination address in the record acquired in step S14 or the notification information acquired in step S15 (step S16).

[0091] As described above, the record obtained in step S14 may not contain the transfer destination address information. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 determines No in step S16. Also, the notification information obtained in step S15 may not contain the transfer destination address. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 determines No in step S16. When the facsimile apparatus 30 determines No in step S16, the process proceeds from "A" to step S26 in FIG. 15. The processing after step S26 will be described later.

[0092] When the record obtained in step S14 contains the transfer destination address information and the notification information obtained in step S15 contains the transfer destination address, the facsimile apparatus 30 determines Yes in step S16. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 performs an image conversion process of converting the received FAX data into an image in a transfer format (step S17). The transfer format is, for example, a format such as TIFF-F or PDF suitable for storage in the file server 40 if the transfer destination address indicates the file server.

[0093] The facsimile apparatus 30 transfers the image data obtained by performing the image conversion process on the FAX data to the transfer destination address (step S18).

[0094] The facsimile apparatus 30 determines whether the contact operation is valid (step S19). The contact operation is a process related to the FAX notification control of the present embodiment. Whether to enable the contact operation can be set in the facsimile apparatus 30 in advance. Also, when information on whether to enable the contact operation is set in the information processing apparatus 20, the facsimile apparatus 30 inquires of the information processing apparatus 20 about the information on whether to enable the contact operation.

[0095] When the contact operation is not enabled, the process related to the FAX notification control of the present embodiment is not performed. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 determines No in step S19 and returns the process to step S11.

[0096] When the facsimile apparatus 30 determines Yes in step S19, the process proceeds to step S20. The facsimile apparatus 30 determines whether there is a contact destination in the record acquired in step S14 or the notification information acquired in step S15 (step S20).

[0097] When the facsimile apparatus 30 determines No in step S20, since there is no contact destination, the process returns to step S11. When the facsimile apparatus 30 determines Yes in step S20, since there is a contact destination, the process proceeds to step S21.

[0098] The facsimile apparatus 30 generates a contact destination list (step S21). It is a list of contact destinations included in the record acquired in step S14 or the notification information acquired in step S15.

[0099] For example, the record with the ID "003" in the address book table of FIG. 2 contains two contact destinations. In this case, a contact destination list including the items of AAAA (101) and BBBB (102) is generated.

[0100] The facsimile apparatus 30 extracts one item (contact destination) from the generated contact destination list and generates notification information (which may include a link to the transfer destination) to be transmitted to the address corresponding to the contact destination of the item (step S22). If the transfer destination is a file server, the link is the location information of the file server 40 that stores the FAX data (for example, the directory in the file server 40). The notification information includes the link and a message indicating the reception of the FAX data.

[0101] The facsimile apparatus 30 transmits the generated notification information with the contact destination main address in the contact destination table as the transmission destination (step S23). For example, in the case of a notification to the person in charge AAAA, the facsimile apparatus 30 sends the generated notification information by email to the contact destination main address (aaaa@zzz.co.jp) of the person in charge AAAA (101).

[0102] The facsimile apparatus 30 sets to processed the person in charge who transmitted the notification information in the contact list (step S24). For example, when the facsimile apparatus 30 transmits the notification information to the contact of the person in charge AAAA (101), the facsimile apparatus 30 sets the person in charge AAAA (101) in the contact list to processed.

[0103] The facsimile apparatus 30 determines whether there is an unprocessed contact (step S25). For example, among the records with the ID "003" in the address book table described above, the transmission process of the notification information for the person in charge AAAA (101) has been performed, but there may be a case where the transmission process of the notification information for the person in charge BBBB (102) has not been performed. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 determines Yes in step S25. When the facsimile apparatus 30 determines Yes in step S25, the process returns to step S22.

[0104] When there is no unprocessed contact, the facsimile apparatus 30 determines No in step S25. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 returns the process to step S11.

[0105] As described above, when the facsimile apparatus 30 determines No in step S16, the process proceeds from "A" to step S26 in FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is a flowchart following FIG. 14.

[0106] The facsimile apparatus 30 determines whether the contact operation is valid (step S26). When the contact operation is valid, the facsimile apparatus 30 determines Yes in step S26. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 proceeds the process to step S27.

[0107] The facsimile apparatus 30 determines whether there is a contact. When there is a contact, the facsimile apparatus 30 determines Yes in step S27. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 proceeds the process to step S28.

[0108] The facsimile apparatus 30 generates a contact list (step S28). The facsimile apparatus 30 extracts one item (contact) from the generated contact list and generates notification information (including output information) to be transmitted to the address corresponding to the contact of the item (step S29).

[0109] The output information indicates, for example, the output destination of a paper medium such as a sheet on which the facsimile apparatus 30 has formed an image of FAX data. Step S29 is executed when it is determined as No in step S16, that is, when there is no transfer destination address.

[0110] When there is no transfer destination address, the FAX data received by the facsimile apparatus 30 is not transferred to the file server 40 or the like. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 forms an image of the received FAX data on a paper medium and discharges it, for example, to the paper discharge tray of the facsimile apparatus 30. The facsimile apparatus 30 is provided with, for example, a plurality of paper discharge trays. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 may include, in the above notification information, information indicating the discharge destination of the paper medium on which the FAX data has been formed on any of the plurality of paper discharge trays.

[0111] The facsimile apparatus 30 transmits the notification information generated in step S29 to the corresponding address (step S30). As a result, the contact address of the person in charge receives the notification information including the information indicating the discharge destination. The person in charge can recognize, for example, which of the plurality of paper discharge trays the medium has been output to by referring to the received notification information using the terminal 50.

[0112] The notification information transmitted in step S30 and the notification information transmitted in step S23 may include information such as the data size, reception date and time, and number of sheets of the FAX data. Further, the notification information may include an image having a smaller data size than the FAX data, such as a thumbnail, a clipped image of the head portion, or an outline of the FAX data recognized by OCR (Optical Character Recognition).

[0113] The facsimile apparatus 30 sets the corresponding contact as processed (step S31). The facsimile apparatus 30 determines whether there is an unprocessed contact (step S32). If there is an unprocessed contact, the facsimile apparatus 30 determines Yes in step S32. In this case, the facsimile apparatus 30 returns the process to step S29.

[0114] If the facsimile apparatus 30 determines No in step S32, it returns the process from "B" to step S11 in FIG. 14. If the facsimile apparatus 30 determines No in step S26 and determines NO in step S27, it returns the process from "B" to step S11 in FIG. 14. The above is the process at the time of FAX reception in this embodiment.

[0115] Next, the table processing of this embodiment will be described. The table processing is a process in which the processing unit 25 refers to or changes the address book table or the contact table and responds when a reference request or a change request from the terminal 50 is received.

[0116] The table processing is a process performed by the processing unit 25 of the information processing apparatus 20 when a change request or a reference request is received from the terminal 50 of the person in charge. The change request is a request to change the contents of the address book table or the contact table. The reference request is a request to refer to the contents of the address book table or the contact table.

[0117] The requester operating the terminal 50 performs an operation related to the change request or the reference request on the terminal 50. When the terminal 50 receives the operation, it transmits the change request or the reference request to the information processing apparatus 20 via the network NW. When the processing unit 25 receives the change request or the reference request, it performs a process of responding to the terminal 50.

[0118] First, the table processing related to the change request and the reference request of the contact table will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the table processing for the contact table.

[0119] The processing unit 25 determines whether a request to change the contact table has been received (step S40). If a request to change the contact table has been received, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S40 and advances the process to step S44. The processing after step S44 will be described later.

[0120] If a request to change the contact table has not been received, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S40 and advances the process to step S41. The processing unit 25 determines whether a request to change the contact table has been received (step S41). If a request to refer to the contact table has not been received, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S41 and returns the process to step S40. If neither a request to change the contact table nor a request to refer to it has been received, the processing unit 25 waits until a request to change the contact table and a request to refer to it are received.

[0121] If a request to refer to the contact table has been received, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S41 and advances the process to step S42. The processing unit 25 acquires, as a contact acquirable list, the data within the acquirable range of the contact table (step S42).

[0122] The processing unit 25 transmits the contact acquirable list acquired in step S42 to the terminal 50 of the requester (step S43). As a result, the data of the contact table within the referable range is presented to the terminal 50 of the requester as a response to the operated reference request. After executing step S43, the processing unit 25 returns the process to step S40.

[0123] As described above, when it is determined Yes in step S40, the process advances to step S44. The processing unit 25 acquires, as a contact acquirable list, the data within the acquirable range of the contact table (step S44). The range of the contact acquirable list acquired in step S42 is wider than the range of the contact acquirable list acquired in step S44.

[0124] The processing unit 25 detects a location to be changed due to a change request in the contact destination table among the contact destination acquirable lists acquired in step S44 (step S45). For example, in the case of the example in FIG. 8A, it is detected as a location where the responsible destinations of the records with IDs "102", "103", and "106" are changed.

[0125] The processing unit 25 detects whether there is a change in the responsible destination (step S46). The processing unit 25 may receive a change request to change items other than the responsible destination in the contact destination table (for example, the contact main address, contact sub-address, etc.). In this case, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S46 and advances the process to step S53. The process of step S53 will be described later.

[0126] If there is a change in the responsible destination, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S46 and advances the process to step S47. The processing unit 25 compares the above-described old list and new list to generate a deletion location list (step S47). For example, the processing unit 25 generates a deletion location list shown in FIG. 8B.

[0127] The processing unit 25 determines whether there is an unprocessed item among the items in the deletion location list (step S48). If there is an unprocessed item, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S48 and advances the process to step S49.

[0128] The processing unit 25 extracts one item from the deletion location list and deletes the responsible destination in the address book table corresponding to the extracted item (step S49). At this time, the processing unit 25 sets the extracted item in the deletion location list as processed. As a result, the number of unprocessed items among the items in the deletion location list decreases by one.

[0129] The process of step S49 is repeatedly performed until there are no unprocessed items. When there are no unprocessed items, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S48 and advances the process to step S50.

[0130] The processing unit 25 compares the above-described old list and new list, and generates an added location list (step S50). For example, the processing unit 25 generates a deletion location list shown in FIG. 8C.

[0131] The processing unit 25 determines whether there is an unprocessed item among the items in the added location list (step S51). If there is an unprocessed item, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S51, and advances the process to step S52.

[0132] The processing unit 25 extracts one item from the added location list, and adds the extracted item to the contact destination in the address book table (step S52). At this time, the processing unit 25 sets the item of the extracted added location list as processed. As a result, the number of unprocessed items among the items in the added location list decreases by one.

[0133] The process of step S52 is repeatedly performed until there are no unprocessed items. When there are no unprocessed items, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S52, and advances the process to step S53.

[0134] The processing unit 25 reflects the change content of the contact destination table (step S53). As a result, the contact destination table stored in the contact destination database 24 is changed. When a location other than the responsible destination in the contact destination table is changed, the change content of the location is reflected in the contact destination table. When the responsible destination in the contact destination table is changed, the change of the changed responsible destination is reflected in the contact destination table using the deletion location list and the added location list.

[0135] In step S53, it is conceivable that the change of some locations among the above-described change contents cannot be reflected in the contact destination table. For example, when the change of some items in the contact destination table is not permitted, the change of the item for which the change is not permitted is not allowed. In this case, the change of some items among the change contents fails.

[0136] If the change to the contact table fails, the processing unit 25 may notify the requester's terminal 50, for example, of the item for which the change has failed. As a result, the requester can recognize that some of the operations of the change request he or she requested have failed. Also, the processing unit 25 may notify, for example, an administrator or the like of the item for which the change has failed.

[0137] Next, table processing regarding change requests and reference requests for the address book table will be described. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of table processing for the address book table.

[0138] The processing unit 25 determines whether a change request for the address book table has been received (step S60). If a change request for the address book table has been received, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S60 and advances the process to step S64. The processing after step S64 will be described later.

[0139] If a change request for the address book table has not been received, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S60 and advances the process to step S61. The processing unit 25 determines whether a change request for the address book table has been received (step S61). If a reference request for the address book table has not been received, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S61 and returns the process to step S60.

[0140] If a reference request for the address book table has been received, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S61 and advances the process to step S62. The processing unit 25 acquires, as an address book acquirable list, data within the acquirable range of the address book table (step S62).

[0141] The processing unit 25 transmits the address book acquirable list acquired in step S62 to the requester's address (step S63). After executing step S63, the processing unit 25 returns the process to step S60.

[0142] As described above, when it is determined Yes in step S60, the process proceeds to step S64. The processing unit 25 acquires, as an address book acquirable list, data within the acquirable range in the contact table (step S64). The range of the contact acquirable list acquired in step S62 is wider than the range of the contact acquirable list acquired in step S64.

[0143] The processing unit 25 detects a location to be changed in the address book destination table from among the address book acquirable list acquired in step S64 (step S65). For example, in the case of the example in FIG. 11A, it is detected as a location where the contact of each record with ID "001" is changed.

[0144] The processing unit 25 detects whether there is a change in the contact (step S66). The processing unit 25 may receive a change request to change items other than the person in charge in the address book destination table (for example, the transfer destination address, etc.). In this case, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S66 and advances the process to step S73.

[0145] If there is a change in the contact, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S66 and advances the process to step S67. The processing unit 25 compares the old list and the new list described above and generates a deletion location list (step S67). For example, the processing unit 25 generates a deletion location list shown in FIG. 11B.

[0146] The processing unit 25 determines whether there is an unprocessed item among the items in the deletion location list (step S68). If there is an unprocessed item, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S68 and advances the process to step S69.

[0147] The processing unit 25 extracts one item from the deletion location list and deletes the destination in the contact table corresponding to the extracted item (step S69). At this time, the processing unit 25 sets the item in the extracted deletion location list as processed. As a result, the number of unprocessed items among the items in the deletion location list is reduced by one.

[0148] By repeatedly performing the process of step S69, the unprocessed items in the deletion location list disappear. When there are no unprocessed items, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S68 and advances the process to step S70.

[0149] The processing unit 25 compares the above-described old list and new list to generate an addition location list (step S70). For example, the processing unit 25 generates the addition location list shown in FIG. 11C.

[0150] The processing unit 25 determines whether there is an unprocessed item among the items in the addition location list (step S71). If there is an unprocessed item, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S71 and advances the process to step S72.

[0151] The processing unit 25 extracts one item from the addition location list and adds the extracted item to the destination in the contact table (step S72). At this time, the processing unit 25 sets the extracted item in the addition location list as processed. As a result, the number of unprocessed items among the items in the addition location list decreases by one.

[0152] By repeatedly performing the process of step S72, the unprocessed items in the addition location list disappear. When there are no unprocessed items, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S71 and advances the process to step S73.

[0153] The processing unit 25 reflects the change content of the address book table (step S73). As a result, the address book table stored in the address book database 23 is changed. The processing when a part of the address book table cannot be changed is the same as the processing of the contact table described above.

[0154] Next, the data acquisition processes of step S42, step S44, step S62, and step S64 will be described. FIGS. 18 to 21 are flowcharts showing an example of the flow of the data acquisition process.

[0155] When the data acquisition process starts, the processing unit 25 determines whether to acquire the data in the contact table (step S80). When the processing unit 25 executes the data acquisition process in step S62 or step S64, it determines No in step S80. In this case, the processing unit 25 advances the process from "C" to step S100 in FIG. 20.

[0156] When the processing unit 25 executes the data acquisition process in step S42 or step S44, it determines Yes in step S80. In this case, the processing unit 25 advances the process to step S81. The determination process in step S80 is a process of determining whether it is a data acquisition process for the contact table or a data acquisition process for the address book table.

[0157] When the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S80, it generates a contact data list (step S81). The contact data list generated in step S81 includes all the data in the contact table.

[0158] The processing unit 25 determines whether there is an unprocessed item (record) in the contact data list (step S82). When there is no unprocessed item in the contact data list, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S82 and advances the process to step S89. The process in step S89 will be described later.

[0159] When there is an unprocessed item in the contact data list, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S82 and advances the process to step S83. The processing unit 25 acquires one unprocessed item from the contact data list (step S83).

[0160] The processing unit 25 determines whether the request for the contact table received from the terminal 50 operated by the requester is a modification request (step S84). The determination process in step S84 is a process of determining whether it is a reference request or a modification request. When the processing unit 25 executes the process of step S44, it determines Yes in step S84 and advances the process from "D" to step S90 in FIG. 19. The processes after step S90 will be described later.

[0161] When the processing unit 25 executes the process of step S42, it determines No in step S84 and advances the process to step S85. The processing unit 25 determines whether the person in charge corresponding to the name in charge among the items (records) acquired in step S83 corresponds to any of the subordinates of the direct supervisor of the requester (step S85).

[0162] For example, in the case of the example in FIG. 4A, assume a case where the requester is AAAA and the name in charge of the acquired item is FFFF. In this case, the direct supervisor of AAAA, who is the requester, is CCCC, and FFFF indicated by the name in charge of the acquired item is a subordinate of CCCC. In this case, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S85.

[0163] The record for which the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S85 is a record to which the requester has the right to refer and is a record that can be presented to the requester. When the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S85, it advances the process to step S86. The processing unit 25 sets the acquired item as checked (step S86).

[0164] When the processing unit 25 determines No in step S86, it advances the process to step S87. The processing unit 25 determines whether the requester has been registered as an assistant (step S87). Even if the requester does not belong to the organizational hierarchy, if the requester is registered as an assistant to the person in charge corresponding to the name in charge among the items (records) acquired in step S83, the assistant can also refer to the contact table within the range that the person in charge can refer to.

[0165] When the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S87, it advances the process to step S86. On the other hand, when the processing unit 25 determines No in step S87, it advances the process to step S88. The processing unit 25 deletes the acquired item from the contact data list (step S88).

[0166] When step S88 is executed, it is the case where a No determination is made in step S85 and a No determination is made in step S86. In this case, the requester does not have the authority to refer to the corresponding item. Therefore, the processing unit 25 deletes the corresponding item from the contact data list.

[0167] On the other hand, when a Yes determination is made in step S85 or a Yes determination is made in step S86, the requester has the authority to refer to the corresponding item. When step S86 is executed, the processing unit 25 sets the corresponding item as checked without deleting the corresponding item from the contact data list.

[0168] After the processing unit 25 executes the process of step S86 or the process of step S88, it returns the process to step S82. The processing unit 25 repeats the above-described process until there are no unprocessed items in the contact data list.

[0169] As described above, when the processing unit 25 determines No in step S82, it advances the process to step S89. The processing unit 25 generates acquisition data (step S89). The acquisition data is the contact acquirable list acquired in step S42 or step 44, or the address book acquirable list acquired in step S62 or step 64. After the processing unit 25 executes the process of step S89, it ends the data acquisition process of FIGS. 18 to 21.

[0170] In step S84, when the processing unit 25 determines Yes, the process advances from "D" to step S90 in FIG. 19. FIG. 19 is a flowchart following FIG. 18. The processing unit 25 determines whether the person in charge corresponding to the name in charge among the items acquired in step S83 is the requester himself / herself (step S90).

[0171] When the person in charge is the requester himself / herself, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S90 and advances the process to step S91. The processing unit 25 sets the items acquired in step S83 as having been checked (step S91).

[0172] When the person in charge is not the requester himself / herself, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S90 and advances the process to step S92. The processing unit 25 determines whether the person in charge corresponding to the name in charge among the items acquired in step S83 corresponds to any of the subordinates of the requester (step S92).

[0173] When the person in charge corresponds to any of the subordinates of the requester, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S92 and advances the process to step S91. When the person in charge does not correspond to any of the subordinates of the requester, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S92 and advances the process to step S93. The processing unit 25 determines whether the requester has been registered as an assistant (step S93).

[0174] When the requester has not been registered as an assistant, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S93 and advances the process to step S94. The processing unit 25 deletes the items acquired in step S83 from the contact data list (step S94).

[0175] After the processing unit 25 executes the processing of step S91 or the processing of step S94, it returns the process from "E" to step S82. The above is the data acquisition process for the reference request or change request for the contact table.

[0176] Next, the data acquisition process for the reference request or change request for the address book table will be described. As described above, when the processing unit 25 determines No in step S80, it advances the process from "C" to step S100 in FIG. 20.

[0177] The processing unit 25 generates an address book data list (step S100). The address book data list generated in step S100 includes all the data in the address book table.

[0178] The processing unit 25 determines whether there is an unprocessed item (record) in the address book data list (step S101). If there is no unprocessed item in the address book data list, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S101 and proceeds with the processing from "F" to step S89 in FIG. 18.

[0179] If there is an unprocessed item in the address book data list, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S101 and proceeds with the processing to step S102. The processing unit 25 acquires one unprocessed item from the address book data list (step S102).

[0180] The processing unit 25 determines whether the request for the address book table received from the terminal 50 operated by the requester is a change request (step S103). If the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S103, the processing proceeds from "G" to step S108 in FIG. 21.

[0181] The processing unit 25 determines whether the person in charge corresponding to the contact in the item (record) acquired in step S102 corresponds to any of the subordinates of the direct supervisor of the requester (step S104). If the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S104, the processing proceeds to step S105. The processing unit 25 sets the acquired item as checked (step S105).

[0182] If the processing unit 25 determines No in step S104, the processing proceeds to step S106. The processing unit 25 determines whether the requester has already been registered as an assistant (step S106).

[0183] When the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S106, it advances the process to step S105. On the other hand, when the processing unit 25 determines No in step S106, it advances the process to step S107. The processing unit 25 deletes the acquired item from the contact data list (step S107).

[0184] After the processing unit 25 executes the process of step S105 or step S107, it returns the process to step S101. The processing unit 25 repeats the above-described process until there are no unprocessed items in the address book data list.

[0185] In step S103, when the processing unit 25 determines Yes, the process advances from "G" to step S108 in FIG. 21. FIG. 21 is a flowchart that continues from FIG. 20. The processing unit 25 determines whether the person in charge corresponding to the contact in the item acquired in step S102 is the requester himself / herself (step S108).

[0186] When the said person in charge is the requester himself / herself, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S108 and advances the process to step S109. The processing unit 25 sets the item acquired in step S102 as having been checked (step S109).

[0187] When the said person in charge is not the requester himself / herself, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S108 and advances the process to step S110. The processing unit 25 determines whether the person in charge corresponding to the contact in the item acquired in step S102 corresponds to any of the requester's subordinates (step S110).

[0188] When the said person in charge corresponds to any of the requester's subordinates, the processing unit 25 determines Yes in step S110 and advances the process to step S109. When the said person in charge does not correspond to any of the requester's subordinates, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S110 and advances the process to step S111. The processing unit 25 determines whether the requester has already been registered as an assistant (step S111).

[0189] If the requester is not registered as an assistant, the processing unit 25 determines No in step S111 and advances the process to step S112. The processing unit 25 deletes the item acquired in step S102 from the contact data list (step S112).

[0190] After the processing unit 25 executes the processing of step S109 or the processing of step S112, the process returns from "H" to step S101 in FIG. 20. The above is the data acquisition process for the reference request or change request for the address book table.

[0191] As described above, the address book table and the contact table are synchronized, and table processing for responding to a reference request or a change request is performed. By performing the processing of this embodiment, when one of the address book table and the contact table is changed, the changed content is automatically reflected in the other table. Therefore, the change process when the person in charge of the facsimile notification destination is changed can be simplified.

[0192] In the above, it may be possible to perform group registration for the contacts in the address book table in FIG. 2 and the destinations in the contact table in FIG. 3. For example, information on a plurality of destinations (destination names) may be registered in the destination item of the contact table. In this case, it may be possible to register a plurality of destination names in the contact table at once. The same applies to the address book table.

[0193] Further, the information processing apparatus 20 may manage attendance information regarding the attendance status of each person in charge. For example, when the attendance information indicates that the person in charge AAAA is on vacation, the processing unit 25 may change the main contact address of the person in charge AAAA while the person in charge AAAA is on vacation to the information of the sub-contact address. Further, the processing unit 25 may control not to transmit notification information during a specific period such as at night or on holidays.

[0194] As described above, depending on the settings, the FAX data received by the facsimile apparatus 30 is transferred to the file server 40 as image data. When there is no access to the image data transferred to the file server 40 for a certain period, the processing unit 25 may notify the contact information of the corresponding person in charge that there is no access to the transferred FAX data. Also, when no response to the contact to the main contact address is observed for a certain time, it may be possible to send the notification information to the sub-contact address. For example, if there is no response from the person in charge AAAA(101), notification information may be generated and sent to the main contact address (cccc@zzz.co.jp) of the person in charge CCCC(103), which is the sub-contact address.

[0195] For example, the processing unit 25 may monitor whether the link included in the notification information is pressed, and if the period without linking exceeds a certain period, the above information may be notified. Also, after the elapse of the above-mentioned certain period, when a further predetermined period has elapsed, the processing unit 25 may output an instruction to delete the image data transferred to the file server 40 to the file server 40.

[0196] The address book table and the contact table may be filtered so that they can be referred to or modified not for all records but for some identical records. For example, when the address book table and the contact table are managed by the same database, the above filtering may be performed.

[0197] In the example of FIG. 1, the system 10 is shown as an example including one facsimile apparatus 30, but the system 10 may include a plurality of facsimile apparatuses 30. For example, when the number of persons in charge belonging to an organization increases, a plurality of facsimile apparatuses 30 may be used. Even in such a case, by adopting a configuration in which the information processing apparatus 20 can be accessed from a plurality of facsimile apparatuses 30, the effect of simplifying the change process when the person in charge is changed becomes higher.

Explanation of Signs

[0198] 10 System, 20 Information Processing Device, 21 Control Unit, 22 Communication Unit, 23 Address Book Database, 24 Contact Database, 25 Processing Unit, 26 Database Access Unit, 30 Fax Machine, 40 File Server, 50 Terminal, NW Network

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for managing notification destinations that notify receipt of facsimile data, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires a first table representing a correspondence relationship between first destination information indicating a destination of the facsimile data and first person-in-charge information indicating a person in charge of the notification destination, and a second table indicating a correspondence relationship between second person-in-charge information indicating a person in charge and second destination information indicating the destination of the facsimile data; a processing unit that, when the second person-in-charge information is changed, reflects the change in the second person-in-charge information on the first person-in-charge information corresponding to the changed second person-in-charge information, and when the first person-in-charge information is changed, reflects the change in the first person-in-charge information on the second person-in-charge information corresponding to the changed first person-in-charge information; An information processing apparatus comprising the above.

2. The first destination information and the second destination information are associated with each other by either one or both of information indicating an ID and information indicating a name, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first person-in-charge information and the second person-in-charge information are associated with each other by either one or both of information indicating an ID and information indicating a name.

3. The processing unit allows changes to the first person-in-charge information and changes to the second person-in-charge information within the scope of the authority of the requester specified based on the authentication data, and does not allow changes to the first person-in-charge information and changes to the second person-in-charge information that exceed the scope of the authority. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The processing unit allows the change when the person in charge corresponding to the first person-in-charge information or the second person-in-charge information is the requester or a subordinate of the requester in the organizational hierarchy. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The processing unit allows reference to the first person-in-charge information and the second person-in-charge information in a range wider than the range in which the requester is allowed to make changes. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4.

6. When the information on the transfer destination of the facsimile data is included in the first table, the image data obtained by converting the facsimile data into an image is transferred to the transfer destination, and when the information on the transfer destination of the facsimile data is not included in the first table, the facsimile data is printed and discharged. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processing unit notifies the notification destination when there is no access to the image data transferred to the transfer destination for a certain period of time.

8. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is accessible from a plurality of facsimile apparatuses to the information processing apparatus.

9. A notification management method for managing a notification destination for notifying reception of facsimile data, obtaining a first table representing a correspondence relationship between first destination information indicating a destination of the facsimile data and first person-in-charge information indicating a person-in-charge of the notification destination, and a second table indicating a correspondence relationship between second person-in-charge information indicating a person-in-charge and second destination information indicating the destination of the facsimile data, when the second person-in-charge information is changed, reflecting the change of the second person-in-charge information on the first person-in-charge information corresponding to the changed second person-in-charge information, and when the first person-in-charge information is changed, reflecting the change of the first person-in-charge information on the second person-in-charge information corresponding to the changed first person-in-charge information, A notification management method executed by a computer.

10. A program for managing a notification destination for notifying reception of facsimile data, obtaining a first table representing a correspondence relationship between first destination information indicating a destination of the facsimile data and first person-in-charge information indicating a person-in-charge of the notification destination, and a second table indicating a correspondence relationship between second person-in-charge information indicating a person-in-charge and second destination information indicating the destination of the facsimile data, when the second person-in-charge information is changed, reflecting the change of the second person-in-charge information on the first person-in-charge information corresponding to the changed second person-in-charge information, and when the first person-in-charge information is changed, reflecting the change of the first person-in-charge information on the second person-in-charge information corresponding to the changed first person-in-charge information, A program for causing a computer to execute the processing.

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