JPH1098605A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To preferentially execute transmission control for the transmission request of high priority by providing a priority designation means designating the degree of priority on transmission at the time of giving a transmission start request from an external information processing terminal and a line situation detection means detecting the use situation of a communication line. SOLUTION: When the transmission request from the external information processing terminal is received (S401), whether the line is busy or not is judged (S402). When the line is busy, transmission priority is analyzed and request priority Pr is extracted from the transmission request (S403). Then, it is compared with a threshold Pa by which preferential transmission is to be controlled or not so as to judge preferential reception is possible or not (S404). When preferential reception is judged to be possible, request priority Pr and priority Pt during transmission at present are compared (S405). When Pr>Pt, transmission control during transmission present is compulsorily terminated in a page unit and interruption transmission control is started (S407). Thus, transmission control can preferentially be executed for the transmission request of high priority.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus connectable to an external information processing terminal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a facsimile apparatus connected to an external information processing terminal and capable of transmitting image data transferred from the external information processing terminal, a transmission request from the external information processing terminal has a priority of Irrespective of this, transmission control is performed according to the order of reception.

[0003]

However, in the above conventional example, there is a drawback that a specific transmission request, for example, a transmission request for an urgent document or the like from an external information processing terminal cannot be preferentially received and transmitted. Was.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile apparatus which enables priority transmission and interrupt transmission from an external information processing terminal.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a priority specifying means for specifying a transmission priority when a transmission start request is made from an external information processing terminal, and a line status for detecting a use status of a communication line. By providing the detecting means, it is possible to preferentially perform transmission control on a transmission request having a high priority.

[0006]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control system of an image processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0007] The CPU 101 is a system control unit.
The entire image processing apparatus is controlled via a system bus 117. The ROM 102 stores a control program of the CPU 101, an operating system (OS) program, and the like.

[0008] The RAM 103 is constituted by an SRAM or the like.
This is for storing program control variables and the like. The set values registered by the operator, management data of the apparatus, and various work buffers are also stored in the RAM 103. The image memory 104 is composed of a DRAM or the like, and stores image data.

In this embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 102
It is assumed that software control such as scheduling and task switching is performed under the management of S.

An operation unit 105 includes various keys, LEDs, and LCs.
D, etc., for performing various input operations by the operator and displaying the operation status of the image processing apparatus.

The reading control unit 107 is constituted by a CS image sensor, a document conveying mechanism, and the like. The reading control unit 107 optically reads a document using a CS image sensor, converts the document into electrical image data, and performs various image processing such as binarization processing and halftone processing by the image processing control unit 108. It outputs high-definition image data. The converted image data is coded according to a predetermined coding method via the reading / recording code decoding control unit 112 and is stored in the image memory 104.

The recording control unit 114 includes a page printer, a recording image processing control unit, and the like. The recording control unit 114 decodes the image data to be recorded by the reading / recording encoding / decoding control unit 112, and performs various image processing such as smoothing processing and recording density correction processing by the recording image processing control unit to obtain a high-definition image. It is converted into data and output to a page printer.

The communication control unit 109 is composed of a MODEM (modulator / demodulator) or the like, and controls modulation / demodulation of facsimile transmission / reception signals. NCU (Network Controller)
Reference numeral 110 denotes a line for transmitting a selection signal (dial pulse or tone dialer) to an analog communication line (PSTN) 116, detecting a calling signal, and performing line control such as automatic incoming call control.

The image data stored in the image memory 104 is decoded by a communication code decoding unit 111,
The resolution conversion processing unit 106 performs millimeter-inch resolution conversion, enlargement / reduction processing, and the like. The resolution-converted image is transmitted to the communication codec 11 according to the capability of the transmission destination.
In step 1, decoding processing is performed and transmission control is performed.

The I / F control unit 115 controls an interface with an information processing terminal (FAX server) 118 connected to the outside. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a parallel interface such as a bidirectional Centronics interface is supported. FAX server 1
Reference numeral 18 is connected to the LAN 119, and receives a remote operation request such as transmission and printing from an information processing terminal (client) on the LAN.

Remote operations such as transmission from the facsimile server 118 to the facsimile apparatus, printing, data registration, and the like involve transmitting predetermined command, parameter, data, and the like to the image processing apparatus via the I / F control unit 115. It is performed by. In this embodiment, the FA
It is assumed that application software and driver software for controlling the remote operation and the remote operation request are installed in the X server 118.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a connection form of this embodiment.

The facsimile apparatus 201 can be connected to various external information processing terminals via a facsimile server 202.

The FAX server 202 receives a facsimile transmission request and a print request from the information processing terminal (the terminal device 204 in this example) on the LAN, and controls the connected facsimile device 201 such as remote operation. Is what you do.

The file server 203 performs control such as management of LAN protocols and management of files on the LAN. Terminal devices 204 and 205 are LAN
Is the client machine connected to

In the facsimile transmission control in this embodiment, the terminal 204 logs in to the facsimile server 202, makes a facsimile transmission request to the facsimile server 202, the facsimile server 202 performs scheduling, and the facsimile apparatus 201 The remote operation shall be started automatically.

Next, the operation of controlling a transmission request from the FAX server 202 to the facsimile apparatus 201 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 shows an information processing terminal 1 according to this embodiment.
3 schematically shows data transmission and reception between the I / F controller 18 and the I / F control unit 115.

The remote operation from the facsimile server 202 to the facsimile apparatus 201 is executed by commands,
This is performed by transmitting and receiving data such as image data and response according to a predetermined interface protocol. Commands include command codes for identifying each command and setting values (recording paper size, destination telephone number,
Image data type). The image data is sent or received in response to a command for requesting image data or a command for transferring image data.

In the transmission request control in this embodiment, image data to be transmitted is stored in the image memory 104 in the facsimile apparatus.
Data storage control (image data storage instruction command) for storing data in a storage, a transmission request operation (transmission start instruction command) for starting transmission to a communication partner, and notification of a result of transmission control performed by the facsimile apparatus. This is performed by executing a transmission result acquisition operation (transmission result acquisition command). The transmission priority data is included in the transmission start instruction command.

The image data storage instruction command includes information such as the resolution and image size of the image data to be stored, and the transmission start instruction command includes information necessary for communication such as a communication destination telephone number and a communication mode. included. Also,
The transmission result acquisition command notifies the FAX server of a transmission result (transmission result and detailed error information) obtained by performing communication control by the transmission start instruction command as a response.

Next, control of a transmission request from a FAX server in the facsimile machine will be described with reference to FIG.

First, reception of a command from the FAX server is monitored (S401). When a command is received from the FAX server, the line use status in the facsimile machine is determined (S402). If it is determined that the line is not used, the transmission request is accepted without performing the priority order determination control.

In this case, in step S413, an OK response notifying that the transmission request has been received is transmitted to the information processing terminal, and the flow shifts to step S408 to start transmission control.

Next, the transmission priority included in the transmission start instruction command is analyzed (S403). The priority in the present embodiment is represented by numerical data, and the higher the numerical value, the higher the priority. Note that the transmission priority included in the transmission instruction command is stored as a request priority Pr.

If it is determined in step S403 that the line is being used, the request priority Pr is compared with Pa indicating a threshold value for determining whether or not to perform priority transmission control. Is determined (S404).

If it is determined in S404 that the priority of the transmission request from the information processing terminal is low, a BUSY response notifying that the transmission request has been rejected is sent to the information processing terminal (S410), and control is performed. finish. In this case, it is assumed that the information processing terminal (FAX server) transmits the transmission request command again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

If it is determined in step S404 that a transmission request having a higher priority has been received, the request priority Pr is compared with the transmission priority Pt currently being transmitted to determine whether or not to execute interrupt transmission. Is performed (S405).

In the interrupt transmission control in this embodiment, the transmission control currently being executed is forcibly terminated in page units, and the transmission request from the information processing terminal is executed with priority. Note that the interrupted transmission is transmitted again from the untransmitted page after executing the transmission request from the information processing terminal.

Here, the interrupt transmission control in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Transmission A indicates an interrupted transmission (transmission currently being executed), and transmission B
Indicates interrupt transmission (priority transmission request from the information processing terminal).

First, transmission control of transmission A is started (S50).
1) Transmission control of one page is performed (S502). After the transmission control of one page is completed, it is determined whether or not there is an interrupt transmission request (S503). If there is no interrupt transmission request in S503,
In S506, the presence or absence of the next page is determined, and the transmission control of transmission A is continued.

If it is determined in S503 that there is an interrupt transmission request, the time Ta until the transmission of transmission A is completed is measured (S504). In this embodiment, the calculation is performed based on the data amount of the untransmitted data of the transmission A and the transmission speed of the currently transmitting modem.

Next, the transmission end time Ta is compared with a predetermined specified time b, which is a threshold value for interrupting transmission by temporarily interrupting transmission A, and determining whether to permit interruption acceptance. A determination is made (S505).

If it is determined in step S505 that the end time of the transmission A is short, the process proceeds to step S506 without performing the interrupt transmission control, and the transmission control of the transmission A is continued.

In S505, it takes time until the transmission A is completed, and if it is determined that the interrupt transmission is to be executed, the transmission A
Is completed (S512). In this embodiment, it is assumed that the transmission end is transmitted according to the G3 protocol and the transmission control is terminated, instead of forcibly releasing the communication line.

Next, the communication partner of the transmission B, which is an interruption transmission, is dialed (S507), and transmission control is started (S5).
08). After the transmission control of the transmission B is completed, it is determined whether the transmission control of the transmission A has been completed, that is, whether the interrupt transmission control of the transmission B has been performed (S509).

If it is determined in step S509 that the interrupt transmission control has not been performed, the transmission control ends.

If it is determined in S509 that the interrupt transmission control has been performed, the communication partner of transmission A is dialed again (S510), and the transmission control is resumed (S511). In the present embodiment, transmission A starts transmission control from the next page on which the interrupt control is performed.

If it is determined in S405 that an interrupt can be accepted, an OK response for notifying the information processing terminal that the transmission request has been accepted is transmitted (S406), and the interrupt transmission control is executed (S407). .

Next, the transmission image data transferred from the information processing terminal is sequentially stored in the image memory 104 in the facsimile machine.
Transfer control of the image data to be stored in the memory is started (S40).
8). In the present embodiment, the transmission image data transferred from the information processing terminal is temporarily stored in the image memory 104 in the facsimile apparatus.
It is assumed that the image data is sequentially read from the image data 04, encoded in a predetermined encoding method, and transmitted.

After the start of the transmission control, the end of the transmission control is monitored (S409), and the transmission acceptance control ends. The information processing terminal determines the transmission state (transmitting / waiting for transmission / end of transmission) included in the response data of the transmission result acquisition command.
This makes it possible to detect the end of the transmission control for which transmission has been requested.

If it is determined in step S405 that interrupt reception is not to be performed, priority transmission reservation control is performed. Therefore, an OK response for notifying the information processing terminal that the transmission request has been received is transmitted (S411), and priority transmission reservation control is executed (S412).

The priority transmission reservation control according to the present embodiment starts transmission control with priority over other transmission reservations as soon as the currently executed transmission control ends.

After the priority transmission reservation is started, the flow shifts to S408, where accumulation control of transmission image data is performed.

In the above embodiment, the control for determining the acceptance of an interrupt is controlled according to the priority parameter specified by the information processing terminal, but is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to register in advance in the facsimile apparatus data for associating a transmission destination with a priority and determine the priority according to the transmission destination.

In the above embodiment, when performing the interrupt transmission control, the execution of the interrupt transmission control is determined by comparing the priority with the currently transmitted one. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only for the highest priority transmission request,
It is also possible to perform interrupt transmission control.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the acceptance of the interrupt transmission is determined by predicting the end time of the currently executed transmission control, but is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which interrupt transmission is accepted only when the number of remaining pages for transmission control is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of pages. It is also possible to make a determination according to a transmission mode such as confidential transmission or relay transmission.

[0053]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By providing a priority designation means for designating the degree of transmission priority when making a transmission start request from an external information processing terminal and a line status detection means for detecting the use status of a communication line, a transmission request with a high priority is provided. , Transmission control can be performed with priority.

As a result, even for a transmission request with a high degree of urgency, interrupt control is automatically performed by remote operation (operation from the information processing terminal), so that convenience and operability for the user can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a connection form of the facsimile machine in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a data transmission / reception procedure between an information processing terminal and an I / F control unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing transmission request control of the facsimile apparatus in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing interrupt transmission control of the facsimile machine in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101: CPU, 102: ROM, 103: Work memory, 104: Image memory, 105: Operation unit, 106: Resolution conversion processing unit, 107: Read control unit, 108: Image processing control unit, 109: Communication control unit, 110 ... NCU, 111, 112, 113 ... encoding / decoding processing unit, 114 ... recording control unit, 115 ... interface control unit, 116 ... communication line, 117 ... system bus, 118 ... information processing terminal, 119 ... LAN.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Ken Saruwatari 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Within Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masaki Toyama 3-30-2, Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon (72) Inventor Takeshi Tsukamoto 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Within one Canon stock company

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile apparatus having interface means connectable to an external information processing terminal, a host transmitting means for transmitting image data transferred from the external information processing terminal to a designated destination, and transmitting from the external information processing terminal. When a start request is made, the system has priority designation means for instructing the degree of priority of transmission, and line status detection means for detecting the use status of the communication line. Receiving the transmission start request even when the line status detecting means detects that the line is in use, and giving priority to transmission control when the communication line is released. apparatus. 2. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: transmission interruption control means for temporarily interrupting the transmission control being executed in page units; and retransmission control means for resuming the interrupted transmission control. Received a high priority transmission request to
A facsimile apparatus wherein the transmission interruption control means temporarily suspends the transmission control currently being executed on a page-by-page basis and executes the accepted transmission request. 3. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a remaining transmission time measuring unit for measuring a remaining required time in the currently executed transmission control, wherein a high priority transmission request is received during the transmission control.
By the remaining transmission time measuring means, only when the transmission control being executed is longer than a predetermined time, the transmission interruption control means temporarily suspends the transmission control currently being executed in page units,
A facsimile apparatus for executing the received transmission request.