JPS62195972A - Repeating multiple address system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten the transmission time of multiple address destination by forming the plural multiple address destinations, simultaneously storing the plural multiple address destinations in respective switching offices, and outputting a switching picture in a local station when multiple address is designated, if one's own station is included in the multiple address destinations. CONSTITUTION:When one facsimile equipment requests the repeating multiple address to other facsimile equipment, an operator selects a repeating multiple address mode from an operation display part 8 with a transmission original set on a scanner 1 and inputs the destination information of the switching office, a broadcasting time and the broadcasting destination. In the switching office called from a transmission station, the broadcasting information corresponding to the multiple address destination and picture information fed from the transmission station is formed and stored. When the transmission of the information from the transmission station is completed and there is a destination table CT in which a destination memory presence and absence flag of is brought into the 'presence' state, a telephone number is compared with a local number. When they coincide, the picture information managed by a file management table FT is stored and outputted to a local plotter.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a relay broadcast system applied to a transmission network composed of many terminal stations.

[Prior Art] With the spread of facsimile machines in recent years, for example, facsimile machines are often installed in each business office or branch office of the same company, and a transmission network is formed connecting these machines.

In such a transmission network, a transmission form is sometimes adopted in which documents with the same content are transmitted from a head office or the like to all offices or branches. Note that a transmission form in which the same image information is transmitted to many terminal stations in this way is called a broadcast transmission system.

Now, when carrying out such broadcast transmission, the central head office (or center office) may call each business office and each branch office and transmit the image information, but normally, such a facsimile machine is used to transmit the image information. Since the transmission network uses public telephone lines as transmission lines, there is a problem in that the transmission cost (line usage fee) for long-distance terminal devices becomes extremely large.

Therefore, multiple terminal stations located in roughly the same area can be connected to one
One terminal station (usually the central terminal station in that area) is set as a relay station in each transmission area, and information is transmitted from the central station to these relay stations. There has been a proposal to reduce transmission costs by relaying the transmitted information from each relay station to each terminal station in the transmission area. Note that this transmission form is called a relay broadcast transmission system.

However, in such conventional relay broadcast transmission, the broadcast destination is transmitted to each relay station each time, resulting in the following inconvenience.

That is, in the facsimile machine, various types of control information are exchanged during the pre-transmission procedure, and the broadcast destinations are also transmitted during the pre-transmission procedure. The transmission speed in this pre-transmission procedure is the transmission speed of image information (for example, 960
0.7200, 4800.2400 bps) (normally 300 bps), the transmission time for transmitting all the broadcast destinations is extremely long.

[Purpose] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a relay broadcast system that can shorten the transmission time to the broadcast destinations.

[Configuration] The present invention creates a plurality of broadcast destinations consisting of a combination of a plurality of destinations, stores these broadcast destinations simultaneously in all relay stations, and shares the broadcast destinations in common among all relay stations. By doing so, you only need to specify the type of broadcast destination.

Furthermore, when the broadcast destination includes the own station, the information to be relayed is output to the own station when relay broadcasting is specified.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a facsimile machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and this facsimile machine can serve as either a relay station or a transmitting station (relay requesting station).

In the figure, a scanner 1 reads a transmitted document at a predetermined resolution, and its output signal is applied to a code compression/expansion circuit 3 via a buffer 2, and is also sent to a plotter 4 that records and outputs the received image. is added from the code compression/expansion circuit 3 via the buffer 2.

The code compression/decompression circuit 3 encodes and compresses the image signal added from the buffer 2 using a predetermined method and outputs it to the modem 5, and also expands the received information added from the modem 5 to the original image signal using a predetermined method. and outputs it to buffer 2 as recording data.

The code compression/expansion circuit 3 also has an interface function between the buffer 2 and the internal bus 6 and an interface function between the modem 5 and the internal bus 6.

In other words, the image signal read by scanner 1 is stored in image memo 1.
When storing the image information in month 0, the image signal applied from the buffer 2 is compressed and converted into a parallel signal and sent to the internal bus 6. When the image information stored in the image memory 10 is output to the plotter 4, the internal bus 6 After converting the parallel signal from , into a serial signal, it is expanded into an image signal and output to the buffer 2. Furthermore, when storing the received image information in the image memory 10, it is simply serial/parallel converted and output to the internal bus 6, and when transmitting the image information stored in the image memory 10 to the destination, a parallel signal applied from the internal bus 6 is used. It is converted into a serial signal and output to the modem 5.

The network control device 7 connects this facsimile device to the public telephone line network, and has an automatic call originating and receiving function.

The operation display unit 8 includes various operation keys for the operator to operate the facsimile machine, and a display that displays the internal status of the facsimile machine, guidance information for the operator on operating procedures, etc. This realizes a man-machine interface between the facsimile machine and the operator.

In the image memo IJIO, image information encoded and compressed as described above is stored, and its storage capacity is utilized to the maximum. Normally, it is possible to store about 10 manuscripts such as marks.

The CPU (central processing unit) 11 performs predetermined transmission control and appropriately controls each of the above-mentioned elements according to a predetermined control program, and the execution program is stored in the ROM.
(read-only memory) +2,
In addition, RAM backed up by battery 13
(Random Access Memo IJ) 14 is used as a work area. Further, the clock circuit 15 is for generating the current time.

As shown in FIG. 2(a), the RAM 14 stores a plurality of group destination tables GT for storing group destinations (broadcast destinations) consisting of n destinations for each group destination. ing. Furthermore, the telephone number of the own station is stored in a storage area labeled with the own number as shown in FIG. 2(b). Group destinations are set in a facsimile transmission network, and are created for each transmission area, for example, when a transmission area consisting of a plurality of facsimile machines is set. This facsimile machine is then set up as a center station in each transmission area, and all group destinations formed in each transmission area are stored.

In addition, the RAM 14 also stores an individual destination table that stores assignments of individual destinations to abbreviated keys, and this individual destination table is the same as the group destination table GT that stores one individual destination. For example, the upper two digits of the three-digit group number are set to "00" in order to distinguish between the individual destination table and the group destination table GT. That is, in this case, group destinations (broadcast destinations) are assigned to ten group numbers OOO to 009.

This facsimile machine has a function that calls only three times when a line cannot be established with the destination (recall function), and if the transmission of image information is interrupted for some reason, it will be retransmitted from the page where it was interrupted. It has a page resend function.

When this facsimile device accumulates transmission image information and transmits it, that is, when it operates in any of the transmission modes of time-specified transmission, broadcast transmission, or relay broadcast transmission, C.
PUII stores the destination table CT in the RAM 14.

A file management table FT and a mode management table 1IIT are formed (see FIGS. 3(a) to 3(c)).

The destination table CT includes a destination table number for identifying this destination table CT, a destination memory flag indicating whether or not this destination table CT stores valid destination information, and a destination memory flag indicating whether or not this destination table CT stores valid destination information. Hail relay broadcast flag, group number corresponding to group destination, telephone number of individual destination, time of call (re-call), hail page counter, number of pages of transmitted manuscript, call origination The number of hail calls, and
It consists of a file management table number that designates the file management table FT that manages the image information to be transmitted.

One destination table CT is formed for each individual destination included in the group destination.

The file management table FT includes a file management table number for identifying this file management table FT, a file existence flag indicating whether this file management table FT manages valid image information, and a file presence/absence flag for indicating whether or not this file management table FT manages valid image information. It consists of the number of originals to be sent and a mode management table number that indicates the mode management table MT that manages the image information of the first page of the transmitted original.

The mode management table revision is this mode management table MT
The storage image presence/absence flag, the line density of the image information, the paper size, and the beginning of the storage area occupied in the image memory 10 of the image information managed by this mode management table are displayed. Mode management table M that manages the start address and image information of the next page
It consists of the next mode management table number that corresponds to T. Note that this next mode management table number contains the end data (
For example, FF) is stored in hexadecimal.

This mode management table MT is formed by the number of documents to be transmitted.

With the above configuration, when one facsimile machine requests another facsimile machine to relay broadcast, the operator of the two-accompany machine (i.e., the transmitting station) that requests the relay broadcast operates with the original to be transmitted set in scanner 1. Select the relay broadcast mode from the display section 8, operate the operation keys in order according to the guidance message displayed on the operation display section 8, and set the destination information of the relay station, the specified transmission time (broadcast time), and the broadcast destination. input.

As a result, the transmitting station makes a call to the relay station, and in the pre-transmission procedure, the transmitting station transmits the group number and specifies the broadcast destination, and at that time, the image of the transmission document set in scanner 1 is sent to the relay station. is transmitted.

A relay station that has received a call from a transmitting station first looks up the group destination table GT corresponding to the group number transmitted in the pre-transmission procedure, and performs the above-mentioned processing for each individual destination stored in the group destination table GT. A destination table CT is then created. At this time, since image information has not yet been received, the file management table number is blank. In addition, the destination memory presence/absence flag is set to "Yes", the relay broadcast flag is set to rYIEsJ state, the page counter and the number of calls are both set to "0", and the 1 transmission time is set to "0" if the transmission time is specified at that time. The specified time is set to .

When the image information is received, first, the file management table FT whose file presence/absence flag is in the "absent" state is
is searched for and its file management table number is stored in the already created destination table FT.

Next, search for the mode management table 1IIT whose stored image presence/absence flag is in the "absent" state, store its mode management table number in the file management table FT, and save the empty space of the image memory 10 at that time. The mode management table M where the first address was found at that time
At the same time, the images of the transmitted original page of the first page are stored in the image memory 10 sequentially from the first address.

If there is a page of the subsequent transmission document, search for the mode management table elbow whose stored image presence/absence flag is "absent" each time, and search for that mode management table number next to the mode management table found just before. Store it in the mode management table number column, search for an empty area in the image memory 10, and store the start address in the image memory start address of the mode management table MT found at that time.
Images of the transmitted original page of the first page are sequentially stored in the image memory 10 from the top address. Also.

Each time a transmission document is sent, the number of documents in the file management table FT is incremented.

In this way, the relay station forms and stores broadcast information corresponding to the broadcast destination (relay broadcast destination) and image information sent from the transmitting station.

When the information transmission from the transmitting station is completed, the relay station searches for a destination table CT in which the destination storage presence/absence flag is in the "present" state. Note that this search order depends on the order of destination table numbers, etc.

When there is a destination table CT whose destination storage presence/absence flag is in the "present" state, and its transmission time exceeds the current time, the state of the relay broadcast flag is checked. If the state is rYEsJ, compare the telephone number with your own number, and if they match, the destination table C
The plotter 4 of the local station records and outputs the image information managed by the file management table FT stored in the file management table number column of T.

If the phone number does not match your own number,
The telephone number is transferred to the network control device 7 to make a call to the destination, and when the line is established, a predetermined transmission control procedure is executed to manage the file stored in the file management table number column of the destination table CT. The image information managed by the table FT is read out sequentially from the page where 1 is added to the page counter value and transmitted to the destination, and the page counter is incremented each time one page of image information is successfully transmitted. do.

At this time, if the destination is busy, the number of calls is incremented, the call time is changed to a time after a predetermined period of time, and the next destination is searched for.

Also, when this number of calls is 3 or more,
Stop transmitting image information to the destination.

In addition, if image information is interrupted for some reason, the number of pages that were successfully transmitted at that time is stored in the page counter, so if you select the destination table CT for the same destination again, the number of pages that could be successfully transmitted at that time will not be able to be transmitted normally. The image information is transmitted from the page following the page that was sent (page retransmission function).

In this way, image information is transmitted to one destination. Further, when all the image information is normally transmitted to one destination, the destination storage flag in the destination table CT corresponding to the destination is set to "absent". When image information transmission to all destinations is completed, the file existence flag of the file management table FT with the file management table number of the destination table CT and the image information managed by that file management table FT are set. The stored image presence/absence flags of all the mode management table revisions that have been updated are set to the "absent" state.

When this facsimile machine performs broadcast transmission, the operator first sets the original to be sent on scanner 1, selects the broadcast transmission mode from operation display section 8, and enters the group number corresponding to the broadcast destination. When you start it with
cputt forms the destination table CT and file management table FT in the same manner as described above. Further, while operating the scanner 1 to read the image of the transmitted document, a mode management table is formed, and the read images are sequentially stored in the empty area of the image memory 10. Note that at this time, the relay broadcast flag in the destination table CT is set to the "NO" state.

When various information such as image information and destinations for broadcast transmission are formed in this way, the destinations stored in the destination table CT are stored in the file management table FT using the same procedure as in the case of relay broadcasting described above. Managed image information is transmitted.

However, at this time, the relay broadcast flag is in the "NO" state, so if the telephone number stored in the destination table CT matches the telephone number stored as the own number, the destination table CT The destination storage presence/absence flag is changed to "absent" state, and the plotter 4 of the own station is not allowed to record and output image information.

This kind of treatment is possible because the entire transmission network forms a common group destination (broadcast destination), so if your station is included in the group destination set in the transmission area where your station is the center. This is necessary because there may be cases where

In the above description, detailed explanation of data exchange between each element is omitted because it is not directly related to the gist of the present invention.

As described above, in this embodiment, if a relay station is included in the broadcast destination at the time of relay broadcast, the relay station is made to record and output image information, and at the time of broadcast transmission, if the broadcast destination includes the own station. Since the own station is not allowed to record and output image information, the same group destination table GT can be used for relay broadcasts and broadcasts, and as a result, the storage capacity for storing group destinations is reduced. can be suppressed.

Furthermore, when specifying a broadcast destination, it is only necessary to specify the group number, so the time required to transmit one broadcast destination can be significantly shortened, and as a result, the transmission cost can be reduced.

By the way, in the embodiment described above, the group numbers that can be set in the group destination table GT are 10 from 000 to 009.
However, the assignment of this number is not limited to this number.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the destination table in which the telephone number of the local station is stored is disabled after the image information is actually transmitted during broadcast transmission. The method of suppressing the local station designation during broadcast transmission is not limited to this. For example, during broadcast transmission, the same effect can be obtained by not creating a destination table CT for the telephone number if the read group destination table GT includes the own telephone number.

Furthermore, the formats of the various tables described above are not limited to those.

[Effects] As explained above, according to the present invention, a plurality of broadcast destinations consisting of a combination of a plurality of destinations are formed, and these broadcast destinations are simultaneously stored in all relay stations to create a broadcast destination. Since it is shared by all relay stations, it is possible to specify a broadcast destination simply by specifying the type of broadcast destination, which has the effect of significantly shortening the transmission time for broadcast destinations. can get. Also, if the broadcast destination includes your own station.

When relay broadcasting is specified, the information to be relayed is output to the own station, so that appropriate relay broadcasting can be realized.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a facsimile machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2(a) is a signal arrangement diagram showing an example of a group destination table, and FIG. 2(b) is a local number table. Figure 3(a) is a signal allocation diagram showing an example of a destination table, Figure 3(b) is a signal allocation diagram showing an example of a file management table, and Figure 3(c) is a signal allocation diagram showing an example of a destination table.
) is a signal arrangement diagram showing an example of a mode management table. 8...Operation display section, 10...Image memory, 11...
・CPIJ (central processing bag @), 12...ROM (
Read-only memory), 13...Work memory. Agent Patent Attorney Crest 1) Makoto Figure 1 Figure 2 (a) (b) Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a relay broadcasting system that requests broadcast transmission between relay stations in a transmission network formed by aggregating multiple relay stations that broadcast information to multiple terminal stations, a broadcast destination that is a combination of multiple destinations is used. , and have each relay station memorize the multiple broadcast destinations at the same time, and if the specified broadcast destination includes its own station, if the broadcast is a relay broadcast, it will display the relay image. This relay broadcasting system is characterized in that it outputs images at its own station, and does not output images when it is not a relay broadcast.