JP2006311125A - Communication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication apparatus capable of starting the transmission of image data in a document by a simple operation after talking with the user of an opposite apparatus in a communication apparatus for transmitting/receiving image data, sound data, etc. through an IP network. <P>SOLUTION: The communication apparatus 1 transmits "INVITE" for voice speech to an opposite party to establish a session for the voice speech, and when a start key 10b is depressed in the established state of the session, "INVITE" for image data communication is transmitted to the same opposite party to establish a session for image data communication and image data are transmitted in the established session. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication apparatus that transmits and receives image data and audio data by SIP (Session Initiation Protocol).

  In recent years, an IP facsimile apparatus that transmits and receives image data after exchanging SIP messages to establish a media session has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). According to the IP facsimile apparatus, since data communication is performed through the IP network, image data can be transmitted at a lower cost than a G3 facsimile apparatus that performs data communication through the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

  In the data communication performed through the IP network, it is possible to make a voice call as well as image data, as is clear from the fact that IP telephones are already widespread. In addition, there is a G3 facsimile apparatus that is provided through a public switched telephone network (for example, Patent Document 4), and according to this type of facsimile apparatus, after dialing and talking with a user of a partner machine, a predetermined number is set. The facsimile transmission can be started by the operation. If this function is used, if the calling user operates the wrong dial number, he / she notices that when he / she talks to the user of the other device, thus preventing the document from being sent to the wrong destination. There is an advantage that you can. Such a function is also effective from the viewpoint of protecting personal information, which has been regarded as important in recent years.

JP 2004-172853 A JP 2004-221945 A JP 2004-260535 A JP-A-6-164888

  Even in the IP facsimile machine, it is possible to prevent the erroneous transmission if the user can start the transmission of the document after making a call with the user of the partner machine and confirming the connected partner. A device has not yet been proposed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in a communication apparatus that transmits and receives image data, audio data, and the like through an IP network, the user can transmit image data of a document with a simple operation after talking with the user of the counterpart device. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication device that can start the communication.

  The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a voice call session start request is transmitted to the other party to establish a voice call session with the other party, and the voice call session is established When a document transmission start command is input, a session start request for image data communication is transmitted to the other party to establish a session for image data communication, and image data is transmitted on the established session. And a transmission means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the communication apparatus according to the first aspect, the input of the document transmission start command is an operation of a predetermined key provided in the own apparatus.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the communication device according to the first or second aspect, the voice call session and the image data communication session can be disconnected individually.

According to the communication apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to start transmission of image data of a document after confirming the voice of the other party user by calling with the user of the other party machine. It is possible to prevent an erroneous transmission of a document due to an input error.
Further, according to the communication device of the present invention, an operation for starting transmission of image data of a document can be performed by a simple key operation.

  Hereinafter, an IP facsimile apparatus 1 with a telephone function will be described as an example of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of an IP facsimile machine. The IP facsimile machine 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 3, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 4, an image memory 5, a codec 6, a document reading unit 7, a recording unit 8, a display unit 9, An operation unit 10, a handset 11, and a LAN interface 12 are provided, and the units 2 to 12 are connected by a bus B.

  The CPU 2 functions as a control unit that controls each part of the IP facsimile machine 1 in accordance with a control program stored in the ROM 3. The RAM 4 functions as a main memory and work area for the CPU 2. The image memory 5 stores received image data and the like compression-coded by the codec 6. The codec 6 compresses and encodes image data to be transmitted according to a predetermined method, and decodes received image data and the like according to a predetermined method.

  The document reading unit 7 reads image data of a document, and includes, for example, a CCD color line sensor, an A / D converter, an image processing circuit, and the like. The recording unit 8 records received image data and the like on a recording sheet. The display unit 9 includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) arranged in parallel with the operation unit 10 and displays various screen information.

  The operation unit 10 includes various operation keys such as a numeric keypad 10a and a start key 10b. The numeric keypad 10a is used for a destination information input operation of a transmission destination by a user. When the start key is pressed, a document transmission start command is input to the IP facsimile machine 1.

  The handset 11 includes a transmitter and a receiver, and performs mutual conversion between voice and electrical signals. In addition, the handset 11 includes an A / D conversion unit and a D / A conversion unit that also perform mutual conversion between audio analog signals and digital signals.

  The LAN interface 12 is an interface for connecting the IP facsimile machine 1 and the LAN 13, and through this, the IP facsimile machine 1 is connected to another IP facsimile machine 20 on the Internet via SIP through a router 15 that is also connected to the LAN 13. A media session can be established to transmit and receive audio data and image data.

  The IP facsimile machine 1 having the above configuration includes a SIP communication function for transmitting and receiving media data such as voice data and image data after establishing a media session by SIP. The voice call session and the image data communication session established by SIP can be established individually, and can also be disconnected individually. That is, a session for voice call or image data communication can be established by transmitting a session start request “INVITE” for voice call or image data communication to be described later. By transmitting a session disconnection request “BYE” for communication, the established session for voice call or image data communication can be disconnected. The IP facsimile machine 1 implements, for example, RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol), SDP (Session Description Protocol), etc. as protocols necessary for establishing a media session by SIP and transmitting and receiving voice data, image data, and the like. ing.

  The processing operation when the IP facsimile machine 1 makes a voice call and image data communication by calling another IP facsimile machine 20 having the same configuration and function as the IP facsimile machine 1 is shown in FIG. A description will be given based on the flowchart and the sequence diagrams of FIGS. 3 and 4. The processing operation of the IP facsimile machine 1 described based on the following flowchart is executed in accordance with a command issued by the CPU 2 based on a control program stored in the ROM 3. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the IP facsimile machine 1 serving as a calling party is referred to as a calling party apparatus 1, and the IP facsimile apparatus 20 serving as a called party is referred to as a called party apparatus 20.

  In the calling side device 1, when the handset 11 is off-hooked by the user and the destination is directly specified by the destination information input operation, such as the IP telephone number is specified by operating the numeric keypad 10a, the calling side device 1 This is accepted (S1), the designated IP phone number (destination information) is temporarily stored in the RAM 4 (S2), and a session start request for voice call is issued and transmitted to the other party (S3). , T1). Here, the session start request for voice call is, for example, an “INVITE” message, and the voice call is specified as the media type for requesting communication in the SDP header in the message.

  The calling side device 1 waits for the return of the code “200 OK” indicating the call response from the other party (called side device) 20 (S4).

  When the called side device 20 receives an “INVITE” message (hereinafter referred to as “INVITE” for voice call), which is a voice call session start request sent from the calling side device 1, the called side If the device 20 (user of the called device 20) is talking with another device (user of another IP facsimile device), the fact that the device 20 is talking to the calling device 1 A predetermined message is transmitted. Upon receiving this predetermined message, the calling side device 1 determines that the called side device 20 is busy (S5: YES), and determines that the called side device 20 is busy. To the user. For example, notification is made by ringing a sound to that effect through the handset of the handset 11 of the calling side device 1 (S6). On the other hand, when the called side device 20 receives the “INVITE” for voice communication sent from the calling side device 1, the called side device 20 is not talking to other devices, and the user of the called side device 20 is still on the phone. If not, a negative determination is made in S5 (S5: NO).

  In the calling side device 1, for example, when it is detected that the calling side device 1 has performed a call canceling operation, such as when the handset 11 is on-hooked by the user (S7: YES), the series of processing operations is terminated. . If the calling side device 1 does not detect that the call cancel operation has been performed, the process returns to S4.

  In S4, when the called side device 20 receives the "INVITE" for voice call sent from the calling side device 1 and responds to this call, an acknowledgment code is sent from the called side device 20 to the calling side device 1. “200 OK” is transmitted (T2), and the calling side device 1 receives this and determines that the called side device 20 has responded to the call (S4: YES). Then, after transmitting “ACK”, which is a confirmation of the final response, from the calling side device 1 to the called side device 20 (T3), a voice call between the calling side device 1 and the called side device 20 is performed. A session (media session) is established (S8, T4). When a voice call session is established, the users of both apparatuses 1 and 20 can talk to each other through the handset 11.

  When a session for voice communication is established between the calling side device 1 and the called side device 20, a predetermined key operation (for example, pressing of the start key 10b by the user) is performed on the calling side device 1. When a document transmission start command is input to the calling side device 1 (S9: YES), the calling side device 1 makes a voice call on the currently established syllable call session. It is determined whether or not to hold (S9). For example, the calling device 1 determines that the voice call is to be held when the document transmission start command is input and the handset 11 is not on-hooked for a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) (S10: YES), and the predetermined When the handset 11 is on-hooked within the time, it is determined to disconnect the voice call (S10: NO). In the present embodiment, as described above, it is determined whether or not to hold the voice call in S10. However, the determination is not limited to this, and can be performed based on various determination criteria. . For example, in the IP facsimile machine 1, it is possible to set in advance whether or not to hold a voice call when a document transmission start command is input, and the IP facsimile machine 1 makes a determination in S10 according to the set information. You may do it.

  In S10, when it is determined that the calling device 1 disconnects the voice call (S10: NO), for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a “BYE” message is issued as a request for disconnecting the voice call session. After transmitting to the called device 20 (T5) and receiving the response code “200” from the called device (T6), the voice call session established between the devices 1 and 20 is disconnected. (S11). On the other hand, if it is determined in S10 that the calling device 1 holds a voice call (S10: YES), the process of S11 is not performed. In other words, since the IP facsimile machine 1 includes means for individually disconnecting the voice call session and the image data communication session, in this case, the voice call session is the image in S18, S19, etc. Disconnected from the data communication session individually.

  In the following, the communication procedure when the calling side device 1 determines to disconnect the voice call at S10 (S10: NO) will be described with reference to FIG. 3, and the calling side device 1 performs the voice at S10. A communication procedure when it is determined to hold a call (S10: YES) will be described with reference to FIG.

  When an affirmative determination is made at S10 or when the voice call session is disconnected at S11, the calling side device 1 uses the IP phone number stored at S2 (the IP phone number of the other party of the voice call at S8). ) Is issued and transmitted as a destination of the other party (S12, T7). Again, the session start request for image data communication is an “INVITE” message, but image data communication is designated as the media type for requesting communication in the SDP header in the message.

  The calling side device 1 replies with a message “200 OK” indicating a call response from the called side device 20 and receives it (S13: YES, T8), the calling side device 1 sends the message to the called side device 20. After “ACK” as confirmation of the final response is transmitted (T9), a session (media session) for image data communication is established between the calling side device 1 and the called side device 20 (S14, T10). Then, on the established image data communication session, the calling-side device 1 executes image data transmission processing to the called-side device 20 (S15). For example, when the original set on the original reading unit 7 of the calling side device 1 is transmitted, the calling side device 1 sets the image data transmission processing executed by the calling side device 1. The original image is read by the original reading unit 7, and the image data obtained thereby is transmitted to the called device 20 on the image data communication session established in S14. If the calling side apparatus 1 already holds the image data to be transmitted, the calling side apparatus 1 establishes the image data in S14 without performing the original reading operation by the original reading unit 7. The image data is transmitted to the called device 20 over the session for image data communication.

  After the image data transmission processing in S15 is completed, the calling side device 1 issues a “BYE” message, which is a session disconnection request message for image data communication, and transmits it to the called side device 20. (T11) After the calling side device 1 receives the response code “200 OK” of the “BYE” message from the called side device 20 (T12), the image data communication session is disconnected (S16).

  Next, the calling side device 1 determines whether or not the voice call session is still established, that is, whether or not the call is still in progress (S17), and if it is determined that the call is in progress (S17). : YES), waiting for a voice call disconnecting operation, for example, on-hook of the handset 11 (S18).

  When the user can disconnect the voice call in the calling side device 1 (S18: YES), for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a “BYE” message is issued as a voice call session disconnection request. After transmitting to the called device 20 (T13) and receiving the response code “200” from the called device (T14), the voice call session established between the devices 1 and 20 is disconnected. (S19). As a result, the session for voice call and the session for image data communication are disconnected individually. Next, the stored IP telephone number stored in S2 is deleted (S20).

  In S17, when the calling side device 1 determines that the voice call session has been disconnected (S17: NO), that is, the calling side device 1 is not in a voice call with the called side device 20. If it is determined, the series of processing operations is terminated.

  In S9, when a voice call disconnecting operation, for example, on-hook of the handset 11 is performed (S21: YES), a document transmission start command is not input to the calling device 1 (S9: NO). Is transferred to S19, and the processing operations of S19 and S20 described above are executed. The processes in S9 and S21 are repeated until either a voice call disconnecting operation or a document transmission start command is input.

  As is clear from the above description, according to the IP facsimile apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, after a call with the user of the called apparatus 20, the manuscript is simply operated by pressing the start key 10b. The transmission of the image data can be started. Therefore, if an unknown party answers the phone because of an incorrect dialing of the IP phone number, the user of the calling side device 1 can recognize that the dialing error has occurred, so that an input of a manuscript transmission start command is entered. By canceling the operation (pressing the start key 10b) and canceling the start of document transmission, it is possible to prevent erroneous transmission of important documents.

  The present invention can be applied to, for example, an IP facsimile machine having both an IP telephone and an IP facsimile machine.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example, a network configuration example, and the like of an IP facsimile apparatus (communication apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing processing operations executed when starting transmission of image data of a document while making a call over an IP network in the IP facsimile apparatus (communication apparatus) according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing a communication procedure when an IP facsimile apparatus (communication apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention starts transmission of image data while making a call to a destination, and is transmitted by a calling side apparatus. An example of a communication procedure formed when a start command is input and a voice call is disconnected is shown. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing a communication procedure when an IP facsimile apparatus (communication apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention starts transmission of image data while making a call to a destination, and is transmitted by a calling side apparatus. It shows an example of a communication procedure formed when a voice call is held even if a start command is input.

Explanation of symbols

1,20 IP facsimile machine (communication device)
2 CPU
3 ROM
4 RAM
10 Operation section 10a Numeric keypad 10b Start key (predetermined key)
11 Handset

Claims (3)

  A means for transmitting a voice call session start request to the other party to establish a voice call session with the other party, and an input of a document transmission start command when the voice call session is established. A transmission means for establishing a session for image data communication by transmitting a session start request for image data communication to the destination, and transmitting the image data on the established session. A communication device.   2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input of the document transmission start command is an operation of a predetermined key provided in the apparatus.   3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voice call session and the image data communication session can be disconnected individually.

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