JPH09163060A - Facsimile equipment and using method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a substantial on-line help function without requiring cost by editing the operation history information up to just before, transferring the information to an external computer and requesting the preparation of an operation explanatory, when a help input exists. SOLUTION: When a main control part 8 monitors the input from an operation panel part 3 and performs the display control according to the input from the operation panel part 3, fetching the input, and receives a prescribed help input from the operation panel part 3, the control part 8 edits the operation history information up to just before, transfers the information to a personal computer via a computer interface part 7 and requests the preparation of a proper operation explanatory pamphlet. The CPU of a personal computer analyses the operation history information transferred from a facsimile equipment and transfers the image data of the operation explanatory pamphlet corresponding to the operation history information to a facsimile equipment. The main control part 8 or the facsimile equipment receives the image data of the operation explanatory pamphlet via a computer interface part 7 and performs a printing in an image printing part 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile machine and a method of using the same, and more particularly to a technique for connecting and using a general personal computer (external computer) and a facsimile machine via a wired or wireless data transmission path. .

[0002]

[Prior art]

[General Facsimile Machine] As is well known, a general facsimile machine assembled into an independent apparatus form basically has the following requirements (1) to (7). (1) Image reading unit that reads the image of the original (2) Image printing unit that prints the image on paper (3) Network control unit that controls the connection of the facsimile communication line network (4) Various information operated by the user An operation panel unit for a user interface including an input unit for inputting and a display unit for notifying various kinds of information to the user (5) Inputting the input from the operation panel unit User interface control means for performing display control according to the above (6) Facsimile communication control means for transmitting image data read by the image reading section and printing the received image data by the image printing section (7) The image reading device Copy control means for printing the image data read by the image printing section [improving the performance and complex function of the facsimile device] well known As described above, many recent facsimile machines are equipped with an electrophotographic page printer called a laser printer as the image printing section (2). Since this page printer has extremely high performance and uses cut sheets of plain paper, the copy control means (7) described above can realize high copy quality equivalent to that of a copy-only machine. Therefore, a product called a facsimile / copy compound machine has also become popular by incorporating various copy application functions such as enlarged copy and reduced copy.

By the way, in recent years, in many offices having facsimile machines, various information processing devices (generally referred to as computers) such as personal computers (personal computers), word processors (word processors), workstations and office computers have been installed. It is installed and used. Particularly in recent years, a LAN system is often constructed by interconnecting a large number of computers in an office or the same building, and this tendency has become a major trend of computerization of offices.

Therefore, there has been an idea to use a high performance page printer built in a facsimile machine as a printer for a computer installed in the vicinity. Specifically, the following two requirements (8) and (9) are added to the facsimile apparatus having the above-described requirements (1) to (7) to form an independent apparatus. (8) Computer interface unit for data transmission with an external computer coupled via a wired or wireless data transmission path (9) Image data transferred from the external computer via the computer interface unit Printer function control means for receiving and printing in the image printing unit Here, a general personal computer is targeted as the external computer, and the data transmission path and the computer
A product called a facsimile / copy / printer multi-function peripheral that uses RS-232C or Centronics as an interface unit is also in practical use.

In this way, the idea of utilizing the facsimile device as a peripheral device of a personal computer is further advanced, and the image reading unit (1) built in the facsimile device is used as an image scanner for a personal computer (read image). Data is taken in by the personal computer), part of network control section (3) and facsimile communication control means (6) built in the facsimile device is used from the personal computer side, and image data given from the personal computer is passed through the facsimile device. Then, a system configuration in which the facsimile transmission is performed is also possible.

[0006]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

[Difficulty of using multi-functional device] Even if only basic facsimile communication is performed without considering expansion of the function associated with the above-described multi-functionalization, there are a wide variety of incidental functions such as the following. For example, registration of sender information, registration of fixed time timer, output and confirmation of communication management report, registration and confirmation of speed dial, registration and deletion of one-touch dial and output of list, timer communication, polling communication, relay broadcast, Confidential communication, password communication, remote reception, etc.

As many have realized, the more multifunctional a device is, the more difficult it becomes to use it. In product development, various efforts have been made in the design of the operation panel section (4) and the user interface control means (5) so that the user can effectively utilize the multi-functions as easily as possible. . However, an essential solution has not been found, and developing a more desirable user interface has been a major research theme for the future.

Particularly in the case of a facsimile machine, the area of the operation panel cannot be so large because of the form of the machine, the number of input buttons (key switches) is small, and the LC
Indicators such as D are very small. Therefore, most devices employ an interactive user interface with a deep hierarchical structure, and the display showing the choices changes one by one with the selection input, and the meaning of the same input button depends on the display. It changes one after another. It is extremely difficult to use multiple functions with such a mechanism, and when using functions that are used only occasionally, it is usually necessary to pull out the operation manual (manual book) attached to the device. The manual book contains a great deal of information, so it's hard to find which page contains the information you need. I often don't have a manual book at hand. [Online help function] An online help function has been developed and put into practical use there. As is well known, when the help button of the operation panel section (4) is pressed when the operation method is unknown, image data of an appropriate operation manual is created by the data processing means inside the apparatus,
The image data is printed by the image printing unit (2) and comes out. The operation manual printed at this time is different from the above-mentioned manual book, which has a huge amount of information explaining the functions of the entire apparatus, and describes partial information which the user may now need. .

In the field of personal computers and word processors, a rich online help function is known (usually an operation manual is displayed on the display, but printing is also possible).
When a help is input, what the user was doing immediately before that (operation history) is analyzed in detail, and an operation manual appropriate to the operation scene is selected or edited and displayed.
Although the amount of information for operating instructions is enormous as a whole, it is important to properly show the small amount of information that may be needed when the help is input.・ Determine the value of the help function. In this respect, Windows 95, which is famous as basic software for personal computers, has a truly substantial online help function.

However, the online help function in the conventional facsimile apparatus cannot be said to be so complete due to the following several reasons. We classified the operation history when there was help input into many types,
It is desirable to have a configuration that can output various kinds of accurate operation instructions tailored to each. For example, a large number of operation manual data are created in advance and stored in the ROM, and when the help is input, appropriate data is selected and output. In this case, a huge capacity of ROM is required, which causes a large cost increase. There is also a method in which after receiving help input, appropriate operation manual data is edited / generated and output. In this case, the program for analyzing the operation history and creating an appropriate operation manual becomes complicated, and it takes a lot of time and cost to develop it.

Therefore, in the conventional facsimile apparatus, at most several kinds of operation manual data created for each function group are stored in the ROM in advance, and when the help button is pressed, the operation history is not analyzed and "what operation explanation is given?" Is the online help function that displays the item name (title) of each operation manual in general, such as "Do you need a manual, please select by number". In this case, the ROM only requires a small capacity, and the help function control program is very simple. However, the degree of fulfillment seen from the user is low. [Object of the Invention] The object of the present invention is to connect to an external computer such as a nearby personal computer such as a facsimile machine having the above-mentioned requirements (1) to (9) and organized into an independent apparatus form. It is to realize a substantial online help function in a usable facsimile machine with the least possible cost.

[0012]

The facsimile apparatus of the present invention includes (1) an image reading section described in detail above.
(2) image printing unit, (3) network control unit, (4) operation panel unit, (5) user interface control unit, (6) facsimile communication control unit, (7) copy control unit,
(8) Computer interface section, (9) printer function control means, and the following requirement (10) is further added to form an independent apparatus form. (10) When a predetermined help is input from the operation panel unit, the operation history information up to immediately before that is edited and transferred to the external computer via the computer interface unit, and an appropriate operation manual is created. An online help requesting means that requests help, that is, the operation history information when a help input is sent to an external computer (personal computer), and the external computer generates image data of an operation manual appropriate for the operation scene, The image data is sent to the facsimile machine and printed. This is the method of using the facsimile apparatus of the present invention.

Further, model information for identifying the model of the facsimile machine is added to the operation history information, and a plurality of facsimile machines of different models are connected to the external computer. , Receives and analyzes the operation history information transferred from the facsimile device, generates image data of an appropriate operation manual for the corresponding model corresponding to the operation history information, and outputs the image data to the corresponding facsimile. By providing the function of transferring to the device and instructing printing, the external computer can act as a server for online help of a plurality of different facsimile devices.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[Configuration of Facsimile Apparatus] FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The facsimile apparatus of this embodiment has an image reading unit 1 for reading an image of a document, an image printing unit 2 including a page printer for printing an image on paper, and an input for a user to input various information. Operation panel section 3 for a user interface, which includes means for displaying various information to the user, a data storage section 4 for temporarily storing image data and other various data, and facsimile communication A network control unit 5 that controls connection of the line network PSTN, a compression / decompression unit 6 that encodes and decodes image data,
A computer interface unit 7 for data transmission with an external computer (the following microcomputer) via an RS-232C or other data transmission path 9, and these units are integrated to perform overall sequence control and various data processing. A main control unit (microprocessor) 8 is provided.

Further, with a focus on software processing by the main control section 8, user interface control means for performing display control according to the input from the operation panel section 3 and image data read by the image reading section 1. The image data received from the image printing unit 2
Via facsimile communication control means, a copy control means for printing the image data read by the image reading apparatus 1 by the image printing section 2, and the image data transferred from the external computer via the computer interface section 7. When there is a predetermined help input from the printer function control means for receiving and printing in the image printing section 2 and the operation panel section 3, the operation history information up to immediately before that is edited and the external information is output via the computer interface section 7. An online help request means for transferring to a computer and requesting the creation of an appropriate operation manual is realized.

The operation history information is, for example, an input data string for the latest 10 strokes. As another example, the input data string may be appropriately processed and refined. Also, model information for identifying the model of the facsimile machine is added to the operation history information. [Personal Computer as External Computer] FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of a personal computer as an external computer which is connected to the facsimile apparatus through the data transmission line 9. This is the same as a general personal computer, CPU14, RAM1
5, ROM 16, keyboard 17, CRT 18, CRT
A controller 19, a disk device 20, a disk controller 21,
It is equipped with an interface unit 22 connected to the data transmission line 9, a font memory 23, and a rasterizer 24, and is provided with a beautiful and versatile character expression, modification function, and format control function by an outline font similar to a high-performance word processor. Is desirable.

This personal computer is, for example, "Windows 9
It is equipped with an operation system such as 5 ”,
Multitask processing is possible. As the background processing by the multitask, an online help support program for a facsimile machine described below is executed. In other words, even if the user of the personal computer operates the keyboard 17 while watching the display of the CRT 18 and operates, for example, word processing software or spreadsheet software, the online help support for the facsimile machine does not affect the execution operation. Programs can run in parallel. [Processing flow of online help function] The online help-related processing procedure by the main controller 8 of the facsimile machine and the processing procedure of the online help support program by the CPU 14 of the personal computer are combined and arranged in the flowchart of FIG. ing. In the facsimile apparatus, the main control unit 8 monitors the input from the operation panel unit 3,
While the input from the operation panel unit 3 is taken in, display control according to the input is performed, and when there is a predetermined help input from the operation panel unit 3, the operation history information up to immediately before that is edited to edit the computer interface unit. The data is transferred to the personal computer via 7, and a request is made to create an appropriate operation manual (steps 101 → 102 → 103 → 104).

The CPU 14 of the personal computer receives and analyzes the operation history information transferred from the facsimile device, generates image data of an appropriate operation manual corresponding to the operation history information, and outputs the image data to the facsimile. Transfer to the device and instruct to print (step 201 → 2)
02 → 203 → 204 → 205).

The main control unit 8 of the facsimile apparatus receives the image data of the operation manual transferred from the personal computer through the computer interface unit 7 and prints it by the image printing unit 2 (steps 105 → 106 → 10).
7).

The main controller 8 of the facsimile machine
In response to the help input from the operation panel unit 3, a display is displayed on the operation panel unit 3 to inform the user that the operation manual is printed, please wait.
If the facsimile machine is not connected to the personal computer, the above process is not performed even if the help is input, and a message indicating that "the help function cannot be used because the personal computer is not connected" or Print out. Even if the computer is connected, if the computer is turned off or the computer cannot execute the above online help support program for some reason, "Reset the help function cannot be used right now." Is displayed. If reset, withdraw your request for online help support to your computer. [Another Example of Embodiment] As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of facsimile machines A1, A2, A3 of different models are connected to the personal computer B1 via the data transmission line 9 in the facsimile machine to which the present invention is applied. Then, the personal computer B1 receives the operation history information transferred from the facsimile device, analyzes the operation history information, and generates image data of an appropriate operation manual for the corresponding model corresponding to the operation history information. It has a function of transferring image data to the corresponding facsimile device and instructing printing. In the example of FIG.
Connect other personal computers B2 and B3 to the data transmission line 9
It constitutes the AN system.

[0021]

According to the present invention, in a facsimile apparatus which can be used by being connected to an external computer such as a nearby personal computer, a substantial online help function can be realized at a low cost. It sends the operation history information when there is help input to an external computer (personal computer), has the external computer generate image data of an operation manual appropriate for the operation situation, and sends the image data to the facsimile machine. This is because they will be sent and printed. Further, since most of computer resources (memory etc.) for data processing are borrowed from an external computer, it is extremely advantageous in terms of cost. In addition, you can borrow the outline font and the document creation function that the external computer has, and you can output the operation manual in a graphically readable and easy-to-understand format at low cost.

Of course, it is necessary to develop the above-mentioned online help support program for a facsimile machine which is executed by an external computer. However, the development of this online help support program is to realize the equivalent function by the facsimile machine itself.
Much easier and less expensive than developing a help program. This is because the development environment for application programs for PCs equipped with basic software such as "Windows 95" is extremely well maintained, the development environment can be used at low cost, and the wealth of development know-how is also available. It can be effectively used and there are many development engineers. Further, even if the type of the microprocessor of the facsimile machine is different, the online help support program can be created in the same development language / device without affecting such a situation. It can easily respond to changes in the specifications of facsimile machines.

On the other hand, the microprocessor used as the main control unit in the facsimile machine is a world standard product like the Pentium manufactured by Intel, and is compared with a large number of CPUs for personal computers. , It has a strong personality for specific purposes, and is not manufactured and sold in such a large amount. Therefore, the development environment such as a debugger, a compiler, and a linker is not well prepared, and software development involves great difficulty. In particular, different models of facsimile machines often use different processors, and the online help program developed for one model cannot be reused for another model, and the software must be redone from the beginning. Therefore, the present invention brings many advantages.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a schematic configuration of a personal computer (external computer) connected to the same facsimile device.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the procedure of online help processing performed by the personal computer and the facsimile device.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a LAN system constructed by a personal computer (external computer) or the like connected to the facsimile device of the above.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A1, A2, A3 Facsimile machine B1 Personal computer as external computer of this invention B2, B3 Other personal computer 9 Data transmission path

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Agency reference number FI Technical display location H04N 1/32 H04N 1/32 Z

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An image reading unit for reading an image of an original, an image printing unit for printing an image on a sheet, a network control unit for controlling connection of a facsimile communication line network, and a user operating various information. A user including an input means for inputting and a display means for notifying various kinds of information to the user.
An operation panel section for interface, a user interface control means for performing display control according to the input from the operation panel section, and an image received and transmitted by the image reading section Facsimile communication control means for printing data by the image printing section, copy control means for printing the image data read by the image reading apparatus by the image printing section, are connected via a wired or wireless data transmission path. A computer interface unit for transmitting data to and from an external computer; printer function control means for receiving image data transferred from the external computer via the computer interface unit and printing the image data in the image printing unit; When there is a certain help input from the panel section , A facsimile machine and a online help request means that by editing the operation history information just before via the computer interface unit is transferred to the external computer, and requests the creation of appropriate operating instructions. 2. The claim according to claim 1, wherein the user interface control means responds to the help input from the operation panel unit and says "please wait because operation manual is printed" on the operation panel unit. Facsimile machine characterized by displaying a message to inform the user. 3. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation history information includes an input data string from the operation panel unit. 4. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein model information for identifying the model of the facsimile apparatus is added to the operation history information. 5. The operation history transferred from the facsimile device to the external computer via the data transmission line, the facsimile device according to claim 1 being connected to the external computer. It is characterized in that it has a function of receiving and analyzing information, generating image data of an appropriate operation manual corresponding to the operation history information, transferring the image data to the facsimile device and instructing printing. How to use a facsimile machine. 6. The facsimile machine according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of facsimile machines of different models are connected to the external computer via the data transmission path, and the external computer is transferred from the facsimile machine. The received operation history information is received and analyzed, image data of an appropriate operation manual for the corresponding model corresponding to the operation history information is generated, and the image data is transferred to the corresponding facsimile device to instruct printing. A method of using a facsimile machine, which is characterized by having the function of