1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic mail communication apparatus and an electronic mail communication method that convert scanned image data into an attachment file, attach the attachment file to an electronic mail and send out the electronic mail with the attachment file.
2.Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there is a so-called internet facsimile apparatus, which is a facsimile apparatus having a function as an electronic mail communication apparatus that attaches image data scanned from an original by a scanning device to an electronic mail and sends out the electronic mail with the image data to a PC through an internet. Such an internet facsimile apparatus can also send an electronic mail to another internet facsimile apparatus through an internet.
The internet facsimile apparatus is configured to send an electronic mail via a mail server, when an electronic mail is sent through the internet. However, when the internet facsimile apparatus tries to send image data having a large data amount, and the transmission data amount of the electronic mail also becomes large. Thus, the mail server has a big burden. Accordingly, the mail server has a limit of a transmission data amount of an electronic mail that can be transmitted. When the internet facsimile apparatus sends an electronic mail exceeding the limit (limit capacity) to the mail server, the mail server returns a signal indicating that the electronic mail cannot be transmitted to an internet facsimile apparatus and stops the transmission of the electronic mail.
However, the conventional internet facsimile apparatus does not know the capacity of the mail server. Accordingly, in the conventional internet facsimile apparatus, whether a transmission data amount of an electronic mail exceeds the limit capacity of the mail server cannot be predicted until the electronic mail is sent to the mail server. Thus, in the conventional internet facsimile apparatus, after the user once sends out an electronic mail including image data, the user may repeatedly send out the electronic mail after reducing the image data so that the transmission data amount of the electronic mail becomes lower than the limit capacity of the mail server.
This invention is provided in view of the above-described problems. The object of the present invention is to provide an electronic mail communication apparatus and an electronic mail communication method that can determine whether the transmission data amount of an electronic mail including image data is larger than a limit capacity of the mail server, before the electronic mail including the image data is transmitted to the mail server.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds