Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/00127—Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
  • H04N1/00204—Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server
  • H04N1/00236—Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer
  • H04N1/00241—Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer using an image reading device as a local input to a computer
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/00127—Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
  • H04N1/00204—Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server
  • H04N1/00206—Transmitting or receiving computer data via an image communication device, e.g. a facsimile transceiver
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/00127—Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
  • H04N1/00204—Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server
  • H04N1/00236—Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server using an image reading or reproducing device, e.g. a facsimile reader or printer, as a local input to or local output from a computer
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/32—Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device
  • H04N1/32496—Changing the task performed, e.g. reading and transmitting, receiving and reproducing, copying
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/32—Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device
  • H04N1/327—Initiating, continuing or ending a single-mode communication; Handshaking therefor
  • H04N1/32704—Establishing a communication with one of a facsimile and another telecommunication apparatus sharing a single line
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/32—Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device
  • H04N1/327—Initiating, continuing or ending a single-mode communication; Handshaking therefor
  • H04N1/32704—Establishing a communication with one of a facsimile and another telecommunication apparatus sharing a single line
  • H04N1/32706—Type of the other apparatus
  • H04N1/32713—Data transmission device, e.g. switched network of teleprinters for the distribution of text-based information transceiver
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, and to details thereof
  • H04N2201/0008—Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus
  • H04N2201/0065—Converting image data to a format usable by the connected apparatus or vice versa
  • H04N2201/0067—Converting to still picture data

Definitions

• This invention is called an Information Router and holds a microprocessor- based control unit that is connected to one or more computers, a telephone, one or more telephone lines and one or more printers.
• the control unit has a built-in, or an afterwards added, or the ability to attach an external scanner and it can also be equipped with an internal modem and fax-modem.
• the Information Router is a machine that, without support from externally attached computers of any kind, will supervise and control the usage of the units attached to the Information Router so that those are used in an efficie way.
• a purpose of the invention is to be able to make use of the built-in, built-on or externally attached scanner for reading of documents that are selectively used for sending telefaxes, for copying through an attached printer or for da input to an attached computer.
• Another purpose of the invention is to be abl to use an attached printer selectively for receiving and printout of telefax from the telephone line, for printouts from a computer or for copying from t scanner.
• the drawing shows one version of the Information Router according to the invention. It consists of a microprocessor-based control unit that is connected to one or more computers, a telephone, one or more telephone lines and one or more printers.
• the control unit has a built-in, or an afterwards added, or the ability to attach an external scanner, and an intern data- and fax-modem.
• the Information Router can also be equipped with a control panel B with a number of control keys and a display 13, including th necessary control logic.
• the control panel B is, however, not necessary sinc its functions also can be controlled from software in a computer attached to the control unit A.
• the control unit A is built around a microprocessor with CPU 1 , a data- and address bus 8, RAM 5 and RAM card expansion capabilities 51, a program in ROM 2 and an ability to add extra programs in ROM 21.
• Attached to the data- and address bus 8 is a parallel logic circuit 6 with inputs 61, 62 for computer 1 and 2, respectively, and with outputs 63 and 64 for printers 1 and 2, respectively. Attached to the bus is also serial logic circuits 7 for connection to and communication with printer 71 , printer port on computer 72, computer port for modem and fax 73 and control panel 74.
• a 9600 baud faxmodem/datamodem 3 with an amplifier 31 and a loudspeaker 32 is also attached to the bus.
• the modem 3 is connected to one of two telephone lines 42, 43 through a switch 41.
• the telephone logic 4 is also connected to the data bus to control the switch 41 , that connects the telephone line 42, 43 that is not attached to the modem 3, to a telephone connector 44.
• a document scanner 14 can also be attached to the bus.
• the control panel B contains, besides the keyboard- and display unit 13, an input 101 for serial attachment 9 (for example V24) connected to serial logic circuitry 10, that also is connected to the keyboard- and display unit 13 through the display logic circuitry 11 and the keyboard logic circuitry 12.
• serial logic circuitry 10 for example V24
• the software in the control unit A makes the following functionality possible:
• Ail data that is read from the scanner (for copying or faxing) without directl being routed to the computer, is always converted to a standard format and temporary stored in RAM for printing or faxing.
• All data that is read from the fax modem (a received fax, due for immediate printout) without directly being routed to the computer, is always converted a standard format and temporary stored in RAM for printing.
• Some fax forma that are converted to the standard format are: Group 2, Group 3 and Group
• All data in the units RAM memory that will be printed (in the case of a received fax, due for immediate printout or in the case of document copying is converted from the standard format to the data format that is necessary f the printer to be able to print the image correctly.
• Some of the printer forma that are extracted from the standard format are: HP Laserjet II + , HP Laserje III, Postscript, HP Deskjet, IBM Graphics Printer and IBM Proprinter.
• the microprocessor processes and routes all information that passes through the unit (except for voice telephony) virtually simultaneously and allows all processes that do not use the same hardware to work concurrently and independent of each other. It is therefore possible to copy a document and (if two telephone lines are connected) make a voice telephone call at the same time as a datamodem- or fax communication is in process. It is also possible to make a printout at the same time as a fax is sent through the scanner, or keep a modem communication active while copying, etc.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Computing Systems (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Facsimiles In General (AREA)
• Facsimile Transmission Control (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20386040

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (7)

• 1992
  • 1992-04-23 SE SE9201284A patent/SE9201284L/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1993
  • 1993-04-20 JP JP5519166A patent/JPH08501417A/ja active Pending
  • 1993-04-20 AU AU42741/93A patent/AU4274193A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1993-04-20 EP EP93912034A patent/EP0638217A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1993-04-20 WO PCT/SE1993/000341 patent/WO1993022870A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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