JP2008109246A - Facsimile apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem wherein each of receiving side facsimile apparatuses cannot output data at a specified printing time and deviation in the printing time occurs even if the printing time is specified at a transmitting side facsimile apparatus equipped with sequential broadcasting function, when there is deviation of a clock time between a clock of a transmitting side facsimile apparatus and a clock of each receiving side facsimile apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The facsimile apparatus according to the present invention adopts a method, by which a standby time is established after an image is received and recording output is performed after the standby time. The time of reception completion at the last one of a plurality of receiving apparatuses is estimated according to the size of data, the number of receiving destinations, the communication speed, and the communication protocol etc. , and the standby time is established based on deviation between the time of communication completion at the last receiving destination and the time of reception at each receiving destination. According to the arrangement, the problem is solved. In addition, the problem is solved using a method for detecting deviation of a clock between a sender and a receiver and compensating only the difference to establish the output time, or a method for compensating an internal clock. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  A facsimile apparatus related to a technique capable of simultaneously outputting facsimile data transmitted and received by a sequential broadcast function in a facsimile apparatus having a sequential broadcast function.

  A facsimile apparatus has a broadcast transmission function for transmitting the same image data to a plurality of facsimile terminals (see Patent Document 1).

  However, in this method, when the same image data is sequentially transmitted to a plurality of facsimile terminals, there is a time difference in image output between the previously received facsimile terminal and the later received facsimile terminal, and information notification is performed. The simultaneity of was not able to be secured.

  Therefore, there is a method of ensuring simultaneity by designating a recording output time from a transmission side terminal for each destination of transmission image data, and simultaneously recording and outputting at the designated recording output time by a plurality of facsimile terminals (Patent Document 2). reference).

  However, this method has a problem that the output time is shifted if the internal clock of the apparatus is shifted between the transmitting facsimile terminal and the receiving facsimile terminal.

JP-A-62-39966 Japanese Patent No. 3298661

  The problem to be solved is that in a facsimile apparatus having a sequential broadcast function, simultaneous output cannot be performed without a time lag if there is a clock difference between the transmitting facsimile apparatus and the receiving facsimile apparatus. Is a point.

  The facsimile apparatus of the present invention is a facsimile apparatus having a sequential broadcast function for sequentially distributing the same data to a plurality of facsimile apparatuses. When the facsimile apparatus is a data transmission side, Output waiting time specifying means for specifying in a transmission signal to perform recording output after waiting for a predetermined time after receiving data, and when the facsimile apparatus becomes a data receiving side, temporarily holding received data, The main feature is that it has designated time output standby means for performing recording output after waiting for the time designated by the output standby time designation means.

  Further, the facsimile apparatus of the present invention is a facsimile apparatus having a sequential broadcast function for sequentially distributing the same data to a plurality of facsimile apparatuses. When the facsimile apparatus becomes a data transmission side, the transmission source facsimile apparatus And a time difference detecting means for detecting the time difference of the internal clock of the receiving facsimile machine, and taking the time difference into account, the recording output time is set so that the recording output at each receiving destination is simultaneous. An output time designating unit for designating and a designated time output unit for temporarily storing received data and performing recording output at a time designated by the output time designating unit when the facsimile apparatus is a data receiving side. It is characterized by.

  The facsimile apparatus of the present invention is a facsimile apparatus having a sequential broadcast function for sequentially distributing the same data to a plurality of facsimile apparatuses, and the time difference between the internal clocks of the transmission source facsimile apparatus and the reception destination facsimile apparatus. The time difference correction means for correcting the data so that the received data is temporarily received when the facsimile apparatus becomes the data receiving side and the output time specifying means for specifying the same recording output time to each receiver. And a designated time output means for performing recording output at the time designated by the output time designation means.

  The facsimile apparatus of the present invention is a facsimile apparatus having a sequential broadcast function for sequentially distributing the same data to a plurality of facsimile apparatuses. When the facsimile apparatus is a data transmission side, Output waiting time specifying means for specifying in a transmission signal to perform recording output after waiting for a predetermined time after receiving data, and when the facsimile apparatus becomes a data receiving side, temporarily holding received data, The main feature is that it has designated time output standby means for performing recording output after waiting for the time designated by the output standby time designation means. Even if there is a discrepancy, simultaneous output is possible.

  Further, the facsimile apparatus of the present invention is a facsimile apparatus having a sequential broadcast function for sequentially distributing the same data to a plurality of facsimile apparatuses. When the facsimile apparatus becomes a data transmission side, the transmission source facsimile apparatus And a time difference detecting means for detecting the time difference of the internal clock of the receiving facsimile machine, and taking the time difference into account, the recording output time is set so that the recording output at each receiving destination is simultaneous. An output time designating unit for designating and a designated time output unit for temporarily storing received data and performing recording output at a time designated by the output time designating unit when the facsimile apparatus is a data receiving side. Because of this feature, it is now possible to perform simultaneous output even if there is a clock difference between the sending facsimile machine and the receiving facsimile machine.

  The facsimile apparatus of the present invention is a facsimile apparatus having a sequential broadcast function for sequentially distributing the same data to a plurality of facsimile apparatuses. The time difference correction means for correcting the data so that the received data is temporarily received when the facsimile apparatus becomes the data receiving side and the output time specifying means for specifying the same recording output time to each receiver. And a designated time output means for performing recording output at a time designated by the output time designation means. Therefore, there is a clock difference between the transmitting facsimile apparatus and each receiving facsimile apparatus. However, simultaneous output is possible.

  In a facsimile machine equipped with a sequential broadcast function, if there is a clock difference between the sending facsimile machine and the receiving facsimile machine, simultaneous output cannot be performed without time lag. However, it was realized by a method using the output standby time, a method for correcting the output designated time for the deviation of the internal clock, and a method for correcting the internal clock.

[Constitution]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment.

  The facsimile apparatus is controlled by a main control unit 11 composed of a microcomputer or the like. As an input / output device connected to the main control unit 11, the facsimile apparatus performs a dial input operation including a reading unit 13 for reading a document image, a recording unit 15 for recording a received image or the like on a recording sheet, a one-touch dial, and a speed dial. An operation unit 17 for performing, a storage unit 19 for storing various information such as programs, data, and image information, a modem 21 having a programmable tone transmission and detection function, and a network control unit (NCU) 23 for controlling the circuit network It has.

  The main control unit 11 has an internal clock, and when the facsimile apparatus is the transmission source, a time shift detection means for detecting a time shift from the time of the internal clock of the receiving facsimile apparatus, and data Time correction means for correcting so that the time difference between the internal clocks of the transmission source and the reception facsimile machines is matched.

  In the method of detecting the deviation and not correcting the clock of the recipient facsimile machine, the output time designation means corrects the deviation of the clock of the recipient facsimile machine and the designated output time, and records the output at a plurality of recipients. Are corrected to be simultaneous.

  Also, when performing time correction, connect the source facsimile machine to the NTP (Network Time Protocol) server before transmission to correct the internal clock, then connect to the destination facsimile machine, This can be done by a method of correcting the internal clock of the facsimile apparatus.

  Separately from the above method, the main control unit does not specify the output time, but specifies the output at the time of transmission so that the receiving facsimile machine waits for the specified time after receiving the fax and outputs at the specified time. A time specifying unit and a specified waiting time at the time of reception, and a specified time output waiting unit for waiting.

[flowchart]
The operation flow will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  First, the process flow of the facsimile machine on the transmission side will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  S11: A document is set on the reading unit of the facsimile apparatus.

  S13: Input a destination.

  S15: It is set whether or not to simultaneously record and output. When recording and outputting simultaneously, the operation proceeds to S17. If recording is not output simultaneously, the operation proceeds to S19.

  S17: A standby time or printing time is set. When sending to multiple devices sequentially via broadcast, the time it takes to finish sending to all recipients using the data size, number of recipients, transmission speed, and transmission protocol as a guide ( (Estimated end time of the final destination) and set the waiting time, in preparation for an error in the difference between the predicted end time of each destination and the predicted end time of the final destination Set the time after adding the grace time as the standby time.

  When setting the print time, the end predicted time of the final transmission destination is set as a default in the same manner as described above, and the subsequent time can be set by the user's specification.

  S19: Data transmission is started.

  S21: By the method described later in the description of FIG. 4, it is confirmed whether the other party (reception side) apparatus is an apparatus having the function according to the present invention. If the function according to the present invention is provided, the operation proceeds to S23. If not provided, data is continuously transmitted by a normal method, and the operation is terminated.

  S23: It is determined whether the standby time or the printing time is set according to the flow of S15 and S17. If it has been set, the operation proceeds to S25. If not set, data transmission is continued by the normal method, and the operation is terminated.

  S25: Notifying the clock deviation, correcting the clock, setting the standby time, setting the print time by setting the data following the non-standard function setting signal (NSS) described later in the description of FIG. The setting is performed by the method set at that time, data is subsequently transmitted, and the facsimile communication is terminated.

  If there are other broadcast recipients, the operations from S15 are repeated.

  Thus, a series of operations on the transmission side is completed.

  Next, the processing flow of the receiving facsimile apparatus will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  S31: Facsimile communication is received.

  S33: It is determined whether or not the communication being performed is communication between devices having the function according to the present invention. If so, the operation proceeds to S35. If not, the operation proceeds to S61.

  S35: The data following the non-standard function setting signal (NSS) shown in FIG. 4A is decoded, the operation notifies the clock deviation, the clock is corrected, the standby time is set, and the printing time is set. Decipher whether or not to do.

  When notifying the clock deviation, the time of the internal clock on the receiver side is notified.

  When correcting the time difference, the internal clock on the receiver side is set to the time notified by the transmitter side.

  S37: It is determined whether a standby time or a printing time is specified. If so, the operation proceeds to S39. If there is no designation, the operation proceeds to S51.

  S39: Continue to receive facsimile image data.

  S41: The facsimile data is printed (recorded output) after waiting for the designated waiting time or when the designated printing time is reached.

  S51: If no standby time or print time is designated in S37, image data is continuously received in S51.

  S53: Immediately print (record output) facsimile data without waiting.

  S61: If the communication is with a device not equipped with the function of the present invention in S33, the image data is continuously received.

  S63: Facsimile data is printed (recorded output) immediately without waiting.

  Thus, a series of operations on the receiving side is completed.

[Transmission / reception protocol]
FIG. 4 shows two facsimile apparatuses composed of functional blocks as shown in FIG. 1 (in the embodiment of the present invention, the transmitting facsimile apparatus may be referred to as a transmitting station and the receiving facsimile apparatus may be referred to as a receiving station). )) Shows a procedure for exchanging signals.

  First, the case where both the transmission-side and reception-side facsimile apparatuses are apparatuses according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  A calling tone (CNG) is transmitted from the transmitting station to the receiving station.

  When the receiving station detects a calling tone (CNG), it sends a receiving station identification signal (CED), and subsequently sends a non-standard function identification signal (NSF) and a digital identification signal (DIS).

  Upon receiving the non-standard function identification signal (NSF), the transmitting station recognizes that the communication is between devices according to the present invention, and transmits a non-standard function setting signal (NSS). A signal for detecting a clock deviation, a signal for correcting the clock deviation, a signal designating recording and output at a designated time, and a signal designating waiting for a designated time output after reception are transmitted.

  Next, the case where the transmitting side is a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention and the receiving side is a conventional facsimile apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  A calling tone (CNG) is transmitted from the transmitting station to the receiving station.

  When the receiving station detects a calling tone (CNG), it sends a receiving station identification signal (CED) and then sends a digital identification signal (DIS).

  Since the transmitting station could not receive the non-standard function identification signal (NSF), the receiving station recognizes it as a conventional device and transmits a digital command signal (DCS) to the digital identification signal (DIS).

[Effect of Example]
When the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention sequentially performs broadcast transmission, the other receiving facsimile apparatus waits until the final transmission destination facsimile apparatus has received the data, and thereafter the facsimile apparatus at all transmission destinations simultaneously. It became possible to send. In this case, the facsimile on the sending side and the receiving side before transmission is performed by the method of specifying the waiting time, the method of detecting the deviation of the internal clock from the receiving side, or the method of correcting the deviation of the internal clock on the receiving side. Even if the device has an internal clock shift, simultaneous output is possible.

  In addition, in the method of specifying the waiting time or the method of detecting the deviation of the internal clock on the receiving side and shifting the printing time by the deviation, the internal clock set on the receiving side is changed. Because there is no, it is possible to handle even when it is deliberately shifted.

  In addition, the method for correcting the internal clock on the receiving side also provides an effect that the internal clock is corrected correctly every time it is received.

  By using this method, for example, when it is desired to announce company-wide personnel at the same time, information can be obtained all at once by the company-wide facsimile machines, which is very effective in the industry. It can also be applied to transfer IR information of stocks.

1 is a functional block diagram of a facsimile machine (first embodiment). FIG. It is a flowchart at the time of transmission (Example 1). It is a flowchart at the time of reception (Example 1). FIG. 3 is a protocol sequence diagram during transmission / reception (Example 1).

Explanation of symbols

  11 Main control unit (output standby time designation means, designated time output standby means, time lag detection means, time lag correction means, output time designation means, designated time output means)

Claims (5)

In a facsimile apparatus having a sequential broadcast function for sequentially distributing the same data to a plurality of facsimile apparatuses,
An output standby time designation means for designating in a transmission signal to perform recording output after waiting for a predetermined time after the facsimile apparatus on the reception side receives data when the facsimile apparatus is a data transmission side;
A designated time output standby means for holding the received data once and waiting for the time designated by the output standby time designation means when the facsimile apparatus is a data reception side, and performing recording output after waiting. A facsimile machine characterized by the above. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1,
The output standby time designating unit sets a standby time until recording output to each transmission destination so that simultaneous recording output at the plurality of transmission destinations is performed after completion of transmission of the plurality of transmission destinations to the final transmission destination. A facsimile machine characterized by the above. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 2,
A facsimile apparatus characterized in that a waiting time until recording output to each of the transmission destinations is calculated and set based on the amount of data, the number of communication destinations, the communication speed, and the communication protocol. In a facsimile apparatus having a sequential broadcast function for sequentially distributing the same data to a plurality of facsimile apparatuses,
A time lag detector for detecting a time lag between internal clocks of a transmission source facsimile apparatus and a destination facsimile apparatus when the facsimile apparatus is a data transmission side;
Taking this deviation into consideration, output time designating means for designating the recording output time so that the recording output at each recipient is simultaneous, and when the facsimile apparatus becomes the data receiving side, the received data is temporarily held And a designated time output means for performing recording output at the time designated by the output time designation means. In a facsimile apparatus having a sequential broadcast function for sequentially distributing the same data to a plurality of facsimile apparatuses,
A time deviation correction means for correcting the time difference between the internal clocks of the transmission source facsimile apparatus and the reception destination facsimile apparatus to match the time difference;
Output time designating means for designating the same recording output time to each receiving destination and when the facsimile apparatus becomes the data receiving side, the received data is temporarily held at the time designated by the output time designating means. And a designated time output means for performing recording output.

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