An image forming apparatus includes an image forming apparatus body and a unit. The unit is installed on the image forming apparatus body and includes a wireless tag. The image forming apparatus body includes a first power supply unit, a setting unit, a second power supply unit, a generating unit, and a communication unit. The second power supply unit generates a second value of voltage set in the setting unit. The generating unit uses the first power supply unit as a power source and generates a first signal for transmission to the wireless tag. The communication unit uses the second power supply unit as a power source, generates a second signal having amplitude in proportion to the second value set in the setting unit based on the first signal, and transmits the second signal to the wireless tag by wireless.

There is provided a communication apparatus to which a telephone is connectable. While the telephone is disconnected from a telephone line, the communication apparatus shifts to a power saving mode. If an incoming call is detected in the power saving mode, the communication apparatus is returned from the power saving mode, and then controls to switch connection between the telephone and the telephone line in accordance with preset setting of an operation at the time of an incoming call.

Embodiments of systems and methods for the sending, delivery and receiving of faxes according to particular protocols are disclosed. Certain embodiments may receive a fax from a sender and determine if the ability exists to send the fax over a computer based network according to a particular protocol. If there is no destination associated with the fax number for the protocol the fax may be sent according to the fax number. If, however, there is a destination for the protocol associated with the fax number an attempt is made to send the fax to the destination according to the protocol.

The present invention provides systems and methods for the virtualization, aggregation, and distributed processing of facsimile communications. The Remote FAX Interconnect known as etherFAX is a system and method that allows for the reception and delivery of information based on cloud computing infrastructure to or from one or more facsimile systems using Internet/web based communication protocols such as HTTP(S) as the transport between a facsimile capable application or hardware and the remotely accessible etherFAX services.

A method and system are provided for forwarding telephone calls, facsimile transmissions and electronic messages to a single forwarding telephone number. The telephone calls, fax transmissions and electronic messages are first forwarded to a central forwarding repository by the forwarding party where the fax transmissions, and messages are converted to audio formats. Forwarded telephone calls and audio formatted versions of the fax transmissions and electronic messages are then forwarded directly to a designated forwarding number. If the forwarding party answers at the forwarding number, she will receive forwarded calls, and the audio formatted versions of fax transmissions and electronic messages will be played to her over her telephone. If the forwarding party does not answer the forwarded call, she subsequently may retrieve saved telephone calls, saved telephone messages and saved audio versions of fax transmissions and electronic messages from the central forwarding repository.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming apparatus body and a unit. The unit is installed on the image forming apparatus body and includes a wireless tag. The image forming apparatus body includes a first power supply unit, a setting unit, a second power supply unit, a generating unit, and a communication unit. The second power supply unit generates a second value of voltage set in the setting unit. The generating unit uses the first power supply unit as a power source and generates a first signal for transmission to the wireless tag. The communication unit uses the second power supply unit as a power source, generates a second signal having amplitude in proportion to the second value set in the setting unit based on the first signal, and transmits the second signal to the wireless tag by wireless.

A facsimile apparatus having a fax communication function of transmitting and receiving facsimile image data via an exchange and a modem, and a telephone call function of switching to an external telephone. The facsimile apparatus includes: a first terminal to which a facsimile line cable should be connected; a second terminal to which the external telephone should be connected; a line voltage detection sensor which is connected to the first terminal and detects a line voltage of the exchange; a selector switch which makes a switch as to whether the second terminal should be further connected to the line voltage detection sensor; and a controller. The controller controls the selector switch and determines, based on a first line voltage detected by the line voltage detection sensor, and a second line voltage detected by the line voltage detection sensor, a connection state of the facsimile line cable.