Data communicating apparatus and data communicating method capable of ...

(54) DATA COMMUNICATING APPARATUS AND DATA COMMUNICATING METHOD CAPABLE OF COMMUNICATING THROUGH A PLURALITY OF KINDS OF NETWORKS

(75) Inventor: Takehiro Yoshida, Tokyo (JP)

(73) Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)

( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term ol this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.

(21) Appl. No.: 08/997,789

(22) Filed: Dec. 24, 1997

(30) Foreign Application Priority Data

Dec. 26, 1996 (JP) 8-357397

(51) Int. CI.7 H04L 12/66

(52) U.S. C I 370/352

(58) Field of Search 370/352, 354,

370/355, 356, 401, 428, 465; 358/434,

440, 402

(56) References Cited

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

5,555,100 A * 9/1996 Bloomfield et al 358/402

5,610,910 A * 3/1997 Focsaneanu et al 370/351

5.872,845 A * 2/1999 Feder 380/18

5.923.659 A * 7/1999 Curry et al 370/401

5,930.250 A * 7/1999 Klok et al 370/352

5,949.861 A * 9/1999 Chan et al 379/100.17

5,953,319 A * 9/1999 Dutta et al 370/238

5,974,043 A * 10/1999 Solomon 370/352

5,991,290 A * 11/1999 Malik 370/352

6,023,345 A * 2/2000 Bloomfield 358/402

6.052,372 A * 4/2000 Gittins et al 370/396

6,064.653 A * 5/2000 Farris 370/237

6,069,890 A * 5/2000 White et al 370/352

* cited by examiner

Primary Examiner—Mark Zimmerman

Assistant Examiner—Enrique L Santiago

(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Fitzpatick, Cella, Harper &

Scinto

According to the invention, in an apparatus which can perform a data communication through a plurality ol networks such as internet, public telephone network, and the like, an optimum network to perform the data communication is automatically selected in accordance with communicating conditions such as a communicating mode and the like, thereby enabling a data communication via the selected optimum network to be executed.

18 Claims, 17 Drawing Sheets

20h

3