JP2796165B2 - Broadcast communication method - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an improvement in a facsimile broadcast communication system using a communication processing device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a communication method capable of distributing image information of a document to all of a plurality of arbitrarily designated other facsimile terminals only by setting a document once on a facsimile terminal and reading the document, so-called equivalent. There is a communication method. In this broadcast communication method, the transmitting terminal itself stores the image information of the original document, and the transmitting terminal sequentially connects to a plurality of other terminals for delivery, A terminal connects to a communication processing device via a telephone network, and stores therein image information of a document and destination information (telephone numbers and the like) of a plurality of other terminals;
There are various schemes, such as one in which the communication processing device connects to a plurality of other terminals independently of the originating terminal and delivers them.

By the way, when communicating using facsimile,
In order to clarify the communication partner, an address is often written at the beginning of the original or another original including the address is written, but the conventional broadcast that delivers the same image information to multiple terminals The communication method cannot take the above-mentioned method.

As a solution to some of these drawbacks, a terminal or a communication processing device registers the address together with destination information of a plurality of other terminals in advance in correspondence with abbreviated dial numbers and the like, and transmits the address by facsimile. There has been a method in which a signal is converted into a signal, transmitted, and written at the head of a document.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above-described method, since registration is performed for each terminal of the broadcast destination, when the terminals of the broadcast destination are jointly used, identification of the joint user is performed. It was difficult to have one person's address listed. Also in the above-mentioned method, a plurality of speed dial numbers are assigned to one terminal, and a different address is registered for each speed dial number, so that the address of a specific one of the co-users of the terminal is described. However, there is a problem that the management of the correspondence between the speed dial number and the terminal and the address becomes complicated, which causes erroneous delivery, and that a message other than the address cannot be added.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and a broadcast communication system capable of delivering individual messages corresponding to each of a plurality of other terminals to each terminal separately from a document to be delivered to all of the plurality of other terminals. The purpose is to provide.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, as claim (1), image information of a document read by one facsimile terminal is temporarily stored in a communication processing device, and thereafter, In the broadcast communication method in which the communication processing device delivers the data to a plurality of other facsimile terminals, one facsimile terminal designates destination information of the plurality of other facsimile terminals to the communication processing device, and then directs the information to a predetermined position. And a plurality of individual messages corresponding to each of the plurality of other facsimile terminals are read in a predetermined format in a designated order (an individual message document). The manuscript (text manuscript) to be delivered is read to all the facsimile terminals, and the communication processing device reads the individual message read by one facsimile terminal. Recognizing the information indicating the orientation in the original, detecting the orientation of the original, and, if the orientation of the original is correct, associating each individual message with a plurality of other facsimile terminals corresponding thereto in the order described in the individual message original, When the direction of the original is reversed, each individual message and a plurality of other facsimile terminals corresponding thereto are associated in the reverse order of description in the individual message original, and an individual message and a text corresponding to each of the plurality of other facsimile terminals We propose a broadcast communication system that delivers image information of originals.

(Operation) According to claim (1), one facsimile terminal designates destination information of a broadcast communication system and, together with information indicating a direction, an individual message corresponding to these communication destinations in a predetermined format. When the individual message original written in the designated order is read and the main body original is read, the image information is temporarily stored in the communication processing device, and thereafter, the designation order and the direction of the destination information are indicated by the communication processing device. According to the relationship between the direction of the individual message original based on the information recognition result and the description order of the individual message, the individual message corresponding to each of a plurality of other facsimile terminals and the image information of the body original are delivered.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment serving as a basis of a broadcast communication system according to the present invention, in which 1-1, 1-2,...
1-N is a facsimile terminal, 2 is a telephone network, and 3 is a communication processing device.

The communication processing device 3 includes a telephone network corresponding unit 4-1, 4-2,...
-M, a facsimile communication protocol termination unit 5, a large-capacity storage unit 6, a central processing unit 7, and a page division unit 8.

The function of this system is realized by the program of the central processing unit 7 of the communication processing device 3 and the page division unit 8.

FIG. 2 shows a facsimile terminal 1-1 in this embodiment.
1 to 1-N, and shows a communication sequence in the case of performing broadcast communication to any one of a plurality of other facsimile terminals via the communication processing device 3; According to this, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. In FIG. 2, the facsimile terminal on the transmitting side of the broadcast communication is the transmitting terminal, and the facsimile terminal on the receiving side is the receiving terminal (destination Ti: i = 1, 2,... K, k + 1,... 2k,. … A
k + 1,... n). In addition, the telephone network 2 is divided into a calling side and a called side for easy viewing of the sequence.

First, when the calling terminal requests the telephone network 2 to connect to the communication processing device 3, the telephone network 2 transmits an empty one of the telephone network corresponding units 4-1 to 4-M of the communication processing device 3. call. One telephone network corresponding unit connected to the telephone network 2 by the call notifies the central processing unit 7 of the fact, and further receives an instruction from the central processing unit 7 and returns a response signal to the telephone network 2.

The telephone network 2 receives the response signal from the communication processing device 3,
Further, when the response signal is returned to the calling terminal, the calling terminal notifies the destination information of the broadcast destination. The destination information is directly received by the telephone network corresponding unit of the communication processing device 3 and further transmitted to the central processing unit 7.
Will be notified. The central processing unit 7 stores the destination information in the order of reception or registration, and instructs the telephone network corresponding unit to return a response signal. Regarding notification and response of these destination information,
The telephone network 2 is transparent.

As the destination information notifying means, a user / user part of a PB signal if the telephone network 2 is an analog network or a D channel signal if the telephone network 2 is a digital network. The destination information is transmitted by separating a destination telephone number, a previously registered speed dial number, or a previously registered destination group number with a delimiter.

When returning a response to the notification of the destination information, the communication processing device 3 operates a changeover switch (not shown) in the telephone network corresponding unit according to an instruction of the central processing unit 7 to transmit a signal from the calling terminal to the protocol terminating unit 5. To draw in. Note that the sequence from the connection request from the originating terminal to the notification of the destination information and the response is the same as in the conventional broadcast communication system in which the communication processing device is interposed, and is not unique to the present invention.

When receiving the response signal from the communication processing device 3, the transmitting terminal transmits a plurality of individual messages corresponding to each of the broadcast destination terminals in a predetermined format per page k (where k =
Reads 2,3, ...) a (page 1, where a = 1,2,3, ...) pages of manuscripts (individual message manuscripts) and distributes them to all terminals of the broadcast destination Original manuscript (full manuscript)
Is read, the image information is converted into a facsimile signal and transmitted. It should be noted that the individual message includes address writing corresponding to the communication destination.

The communication processing device 3 converts the facsimile signal into an internal signal at the protocol termination unit 5 and transfers it to the central processing unit 7,
Further, the data is transferred from the central processing unit 7 to the storage unit 6 and stored. At this time, the description order of the individual messages and the transmission order thereof in each individual message document correspond to the notification (designation) order of the destination information or the registration order in the destination group registered in advance, and the central processing unit 7 The receiving order of the individual message original and the description order of the individual message are stored. When the transmitting terminal finishes transmitting all the originals and disconnects the call, the communication processing device 3 starts a delivery operation to the receiving terminal according to the stored destination information.

At the time of delivery, the central processing unit 7 creates call management information corresponding to the broadcast destination. The call management information includes destination information (telephone number, etc.) of a broadcast destination, storage address information of image information of an individual message original, storage address information of image information of a body original, and an individual message number (call serial number). ), The correspondence between the destination information and the individual message number corresponds to the notification (designation) order or registration order of the broadcast destination, the reception order of the individual message original, and the description order of the individual message as described above. Use what you do.

According to the call management information, first, the position of the corresponding individual message in the individual message manuscript in which the individual message of the receiving terminal Ti is described is determined from the individual message number in the form of the q line to the r line of page p. Next, the image information of the corresponding page of the individual message document is read from the storage unit 6 and transferred to the page division unit 8. The page division section 8 checks the line break from the head of the document as described later, counts the number of lines, extracts image information of the line corresponding to the corresponding individual message, and returns it to the central processing section 7.

Next, from the central processing unit 7, the telephone network corresponding units 4-1 to 4-M
Among them, the connection request to the receiving terminal Ti is sent to the telephone network 2 by instructing the empty one. Upon receiving the response from the terminating terminal Ti, it activates the protocol terminating unit 5, transmits the image information of the extracted individual message, and reads out and transmits the image information of the body document from the storage unit 6. When the transmission of all originals is completed, the call is disconnected.

FIG. 2 shows delivery to one receiving terminal Ti,
Actually, the same operation is performed for all broadcast destinations.

The line break detection is performed by EOL (End of Line) if the original image information is encoded by a one-dimensional encoding method such as the MH code.
Only line-separating codes such as codes are detected by pattern matching. If the image information is a one-dimensional code, the individual message is merely sent in order, and the individual message is placed at the head of the first page of the main body document, and the first page of the main body document is recorded in a correspondingly long form. If the correlation range is limited even if the original image information is encoded by the two-dimensional encoding method, if the correlation range is treated as a unit, the same page division and transmission processing as in the one-dimensional case can be performed. is there.

On the other hand, in a two-dimensional encoding method with a wide correlation range, such as MMR code, the original image is restored to detect line breaks and individual messages are extracted, and the entire text document is also restored to the original image and connected to the individual message in the original image state However, it is necessary to perform encoding again according to the encoding method of the receiving terminal. Therefore, when handling MMR codes or the like, it is necessary to provide the page division unit with encoding and decoding functions.

In addition, when the receiving terminal uses a cut sheet regardless of the encoding method, there is a problem that the rear part of each page of the text document is carried over to the head of the next page, making it difficult to see. As a countermeasure, the image information of the first page of the text manuscript is also converted to
, And the leading portion may be deleted by the number of lines of the individual message. As another method, the page division unit 8 is provided with an encoding and decoding function,
Send the first page of the body manuscript along with the individual message manuscript,
After extracting the individual message, the individual message and the top of the first page of the body document are superimposed so that if either is black, the image is black, and if both are white, the image is white (the black dot is " If the white point is “0”, an OR operation may be performed, and if the white point is an opposite, an AND operation may be performed. In this method, in the case of the MMR coding method, etc., it is necessary to decode the entire first page of the text document, combine with an individual message, and re-encode, but in the case of the one-dimensional coding method, it corresponds to an individual message. It is sufficient to decode, combine, and re-encode only the number of lines. Alternatively, if waste of the recording paper is allowed, only the extracted individual message may be delivered as one page, and thereafter, the body document may be delivered as it is.

FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) show an example of the relationship between the transmitted original and the incoming original in the present embodiment. Here, the individual message original is one page in all, and the individual message is added to the text. An example is shown in which the head of the first page of a document is replaced.

The transmission manuscript 9 includes an individual message manuscript 10 and a body manuscript 11, and the individual message manuscript 10 has destinations T1, T2,
.., N individual messages 12 corresponding to Tn are described. The text manuscript 11 is the text manuscript 11-1, 11-
.., 11-m, and a margin 13 corresponding to the individual message is provided at the head of the original 11-1 on the first page.

The incoming original 14-1 corresponding to the destination T1 is the body original 11
Original 15- with original message replaced with individual message 15-
1 and a text manuscript 11-2,..., 11-m. The incoming original 14-2 corresponding to the destination T2 is the body original 11-1.
Are replaced with an individual message at the beginning, and a text original 11-2,..., 11-m. Furthermore, the incoming original 14-n corresponding to the destination Tn is the body original 11-1.
Are replaced with an original message 15-n and a text original 11-2,..., 11-m.

By the way, in the above-described embodiment, if the individual message original is transmitted in the direction opposite to the notification (designation) order of the destination information in the transmitting terminal, each individual message will not be correctly delivered to each receiving terminal.

FIG. 4 is a system configuration diagram showing one embodiment of the broadcast communication system of the present invention which can solve the above-mentioned problem.
The same components as those of the basic embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. That is, 1-1, 1-2,... 1-N are facsimile terminals, 2 is a telephone network, and 3a is a communication processing device. .., 4-M, a facsimile communication protocol termination unit 5, a large-capacity storage unit 6,
Central processing unit 7a, page division unit 8, and pattern / code conversion unit
It consists of 16. The function of this system is the communication processing device 3a.
Of the central processing unit 7a, the page division unit 8 and the pattern / code conversion unit 16.

In this embodiment, an individual message original in which information indicating the orientation of the original is described at a predetermined position, for example, an individual message original having a black line at the top line and a white line at the end line is used.

The communication sequence in this embodiment is the same as that of the base embodiment, but prior to the page division, the image information of the individual message original is transferred to the pattern / code conversion unit 16 and its predetermined line, here the top line and The image information of the last line is decoded, and its pattern is examined to determine whether or not the individual message original has been transmitted in the correct direction. At this time, if the data is transmitted in the correct direction, then the page is divided by the page division unit 8 as in the case of the basic embodiment, and is returned to the central processing unit 7a. If it is not correct, the page dividing section 8 divides the page by performing the positioning in the individual message original by counting the number of lines from the last line, and further inverts the image information of each individual message vertically and horizontally. Returned to central processing unit 7a. Subsequent processing is the same as in the base embodiment.

Next, an embodiment that solves the above-described problem and can omit the notification (designation) of the destination information will be described.
The system configuration is the same as in FIG.

In this embodiment, a document in which destination information is described at a predetermined position of each individual message is used as an individual message document.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show an example of an individual message document used in this embodiment. In FIG.
Reference numeral 17 denotes a destination information section provided at the head of each individual message 12 in the individual message manuscript. A destination abbreviated dial number "00", "01",... "99" and a mark column 18 corresponding thereto are provided. Have been. In other words, a pre-registered speed dial number is selected by a mark, and a destination is specified by marking the mark column 18 corresponding to the speed dial number of the corresponding communication destination. The method of marking (including whether or not to provide a mark column) may be any method as long as it is determined as a service specification of the communication processing device 3a.

In FIG. 2B, reference numeral 19 denotes a destination information section provided at the head of each individual message 12 in the individual message manuscript, and a communication number telephone number entry field 20 is provided.
That is, a telephone number or abbreviated dial number of the communication destination corresponding to the entry column 20 is entered by a numeral, and a destination is designated by the numeral. When information indicating these numbers is transferred to the central processing unit 7a as will be described later, it is only necessary to determine the information as a binary code, a binary-coded decimal code, a character code, or the like as internal specifications of the system. . Further, even if a character string (called a character dial) is used in place of a telephone number in the future, it can be dealt with by the individual message manuscript shown in FIG. Furthermore, as an application of the individual message original in FIG. 6B, the correspondence between the character string and the telephone number is registered in advance, and the character dial can be apparently realized.

In this embodiment, notification of the number of destinations is performed instead of notification of destination information in the base embodiment. The transmitting terminal receives the response from the communication processing device 3a to the notification of the number of destinations, and starts transmitting the individual message document.

On the other hand, the communication processing device 3a switches the telephone network corresponding unit at the same time as responding to the notification of the number of destinations, and transmits the image information of the sent individual message original and the body original to the protocol termination unit 5.
, Converted to an internal signal and sent to the central processing unit 7a,
The central processing unit 7a stores this in the storage unit 6. When all the originals have been received, the central processing unit 7a reads out the individual message originals one by one from the storage unit 6 and transfers them to the pattern / code conversion unit 16. The pattern / code converter 16 converts the pattern information of the destination information section of each individual message in the individual message original into code information and returns it to the central processing unit 7a. Determine the communication destination.

After determining all the communication destinations, the central processing unit 7a creates the same call management information as in the base embodiment, and further according to the call management information, generates the same individual message document as in the base embodiment. Performs division, image composition, and delivery. Note that the relationship between the transmitted original and the incoming original is the same as in the case of the basic embodiment.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, if some kind of symbol for identifying the individual message original and the body original is set so that the individual message original and the body original can be distinguished on the communication processing device 3a side, the notification of the number of destinations is provided. Can also be deleted.

(Effect of the Invention) As described above, according to the broadcast method of the present invention, the destination information of the broadcast destination is specified, and the information indicating the direction is described at a predetermined position. In addition, only by reading the individual message manuscript described in the plurality of individual messages in the specified order, individual messages corresponding to each of a plurality of other terminals can be always correctly delivered to each of the terminals separately from the body manuscript. In addition to being able to assign an appropriate address to each communication destination, it is also possible to flexibly use, for example, assigning and sending individual information corresponding to a customer to the head of a pamphlet.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a basic embodiment of the broadcast communication system of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a communication sequence in the basic embodiment, and FIGS. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the relationship between a transmitted original and an incoming original, FIG. 4 is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a broadcast communication system according to the present invention, and FIGS. It is explanatory drawing which shows another example. 1-1 to 1-N: facsimile terminal, 2: telephone network,
3, 3a: communication processing device, 4-1 to 4-M: telephone network corresponding unit, 5: protocol termination unit, 6: storage unit, 7, 7a ...
Central processing unit, 8... Page division unit, 16... Pattern code conversion unit.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A broadcast communication system in which image information of a document read by one facsimile terminal is temporarily stored in a communication processing device, and then delivered from the communication processing device to a plurality of other facsimile terminals. In the facsimile terminal, the destination information of the plurality of other facsimile terminals is specified to the communication processing device, and thereafter, information indicating the direction is described at a predetermined position, and the plurality of facsimile terminals corresponding to each of the plurality of other facsimile terminals are described. A communication processing device for reading a manuscript (an individual message manuscript) in which the individual messages are described in a predetermined format in the designated order and reading a manuscript (a text manuscript) to be delivered to all of the plurality of other facsimile terminals; Then, the direction of the original is detected by recognizing the information indicating the direction in the individual message original read by one facsimile terminal,
If the orientation of the manuscript is correct, each individual message and a plurality of other facsimile terminals corresponding thereto are associated in the order described in the individual message manuscript, and if the orientation of the manuscript is reversed, each individual message and a plurality of corresponding A broadcast characterized by associating with other facsimile terminals in the reverse order of the description in the individual message manuscript, and delivering the individual message and image information of the body manuscript corresponding to each of the plurality of other facsimile terminals. Communication method.