JP2000092261A - Facsimile machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To notify to the effect that a white paper page exists by an appropriate method when the white page exists in a transmitted original and a read original. SOLUTION: When an original is set to a scanner and a destination is inputted, transmission procedures are started, the original is read by the scanner in each page and whether or not a white paper page exists is detected. When a read page is white paper, this device temporarily stores what page of a transmitted document the original page is, the white page is transmitted, and when it is not white paper, the image information of the page is transmitted. When image information for one page is completed and the next page exists in the transmitted document, the device processes from the reading of the next page in the same manner, checks if a white original exists in the transmitted document when the next page does not come any more, and the device records and outputs a communication result report to the effect that a white page exists to a recording paper (steps S1 to S11).

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 more particularly, to a facsimile machine which notifies a blank page in a transmitted or read document by an appropriate method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A facsimile apparatus reads an image of a document and transmits it to a destination by facsimile. If this document includes a blank document, the conventional facsimile machine also reads the blank document and performs facsimile transmission, the blank image data is transmitted, and the receiving facsimile device receives The recorded image data is recorded and output on recording paper as it is. Therefore, if a blank page is included in the received image data, the blank page is recorded and output on the recording paper as it is, which gives an unnecessary feeling of anxiety to the operator on the receiving side.

In view of the above, there has been proposed an image processing apparatus in which printout is stopped when there is no black data in image data to reduce resources (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-321987).

Conventionally, there have been proposed apparatuses and systems for determining whether or not a document is blank and stopping various processes. For example, there has been proposed an image information registration system (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-35976) that determines whether or not a scanned document is blank and prohibits registration processing.

[0005]

However, in such a conventional image processing apparatus and the technology relating to blank page processing, the facsimile apparatus has a problem in that a document containing a blank page is transmitted to the receiving side. This has not been an appropriate solution to properly remove the feeling and to prevent transmission of a manuscript including a blank page.

That is, the image processing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
This is a technique for saving resources on the receiving side, and cannot solve the above problem properly.

When the technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-35976 is applied to a facsimile machine, it is possible to prevent image data of a blank page from being transmitted.
Missing pages will occur in the transmitted manuscript, which is not an appropriate solution.

Therefore, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that at the time of transmission,
When a blank page is detected in the transmission document, the blank page is stored, the image information of all pages of the transmission document is transmitted, and a communication report indicating that there is a blank page specifying the blank page is output. As a result, the operator of the facsimile machine confirms the page determined to be a blank page of the transmission original in the communication report, retransmits the blank page, and removes the burden and uneasiness of the operator on the receiving side, thereby improving usability. It is an object of the present invention to provide a good facsimile machine.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when a blank page is detected in the transmission original when the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit is stored in the image information storage unit, the image information of all pages of the transmission original is detected. Is reduced at a predetermined reduction ratio and is output on recording paper, thereby reducing the number of sheets of recording paper consumed, and determining the state of all pages of the transmission original from the image information of all pages reduced and recorded. By making it easier to determine whether or not the data has been stored, properly checking and re-accumulating blank pages, the burden on the receiving-side operator and anxiety can be prevented beforehand, and good usability can be achieved. It is intended to provide a facsimile machine.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when a blank page is detected in the transmission original when the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit is stored in the image information storage unit, the image of the blank page of the transmission original is detected. By recording only information on the recording paper, it is possible to further reduce the number of sheets of recording paper consumed and to more appropriately determine the status of the page determined as blank from the image information of the recorded blank page. In order to provide a facsimile machine with good usability by properly checking and re-accumulating blank pages to prevent the burden and anxiety on the operator on the receiving side. The purpose is.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when a blank page is detected in the transmission original when the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit is stored in the image information storage unit, the image of the blank page of the transmission original is detected. By reducing only the information at a predetermined reduction ratio and recording the information on the recording paper, the number of recording paper consumed is further reduced, and the type of the page determined to be blank from the image information of the recorded blank page is determined. In order to make it easier to understand whether or not the data has been stored in the status, to properly check and re-store blank pages, it is possible to prevent the burden and anxiety on the receiving operator beforehand, It is intended to provide a good facsimile machine.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when a blank page is detected in the transmission original when the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit is stored in the image information storage unit, the transmission is performed according to an operator's selection. The processing of either reducing the size of all pages of the original or recording only the image information of the blank page of the transmitted original at the same size or reducing the size of the original is further reduced. While reducing the output, select the output result according to the purpose so that the status of the stored transmission originals can be understood more appropriately, and the burden and anxiety on the operator on the receiving side can be prevented beforehand. An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile machine with good usability.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a facsimile apparatus, comprising: a reading unit for reading an image of a transmission original; a recording unit for recording image information and a communication report on recording paper; Facsimile communication means for transmitting and receiving image information by executing the procedure, and blank document detection means for detecting whether or not the page is a blank page for each page of the transmission document read by the reading means,
At the time of transmission, when the blank document detection unit detects a blank page in the transmission document, the blank page is stored, and after transmitting the image information of all pages of the transmission document to the facsimile communication unit, The above object is achieved by providing the recording unit with a control unit for outputting a communication report indicating that there is a blank page specifying the blank page.

According to the above arrangement, when a blank page is detected in the transmission original during transmission, the blank page is stored, and after transmitting the image information of all pages of the transmission original, the blank page is specified. Since a communication report indicating that there is a blank page is output, the operator of the facsimile apparatus can confirm the page determined as a blank page of the transmission original in the communication report and retransmit the blank page, and the receiving side can transmit the blank page. It is possible to improve the usability of the facsimile machine by removing the burden and uneasiness of the operator.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a facsimile apparatus, wherein: reading means for reading an image of a transmission document; image information storage means for storing image information of the transmission document read by the reading means; Recording means for recording on paper;
A facsimile communication unit that executes predetermined facsimile control procedures to send and receive image information, and a blank document that detects whether or not the page is a blank page for each page of the transmission document read by the reading unit Detecting means, image information reducing means for reducing image information at a predetermined reduction magnification, and when the image information of the transmission document read by the reading means is stored in the image information storing means, the blank document detecting means is When a blank page is detected in the transmission original, the image information of all pages of the transmission original is reduced by the image information reduction unit, and the reduced image information is recorded on the recording paper by the recording unit. The above object is achieved by providing control means for performing a page recording process.

According to the above construction, when a blank page is detected in the transmission original when the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit is stored in the image information storage unit, the image information of all the pages of the transmission original is determined. Is printed out on the recording paper after reducing it by the reduction ratio of, so how the state of all pages of the transmission original is stored from the image information of all the pages to be reduced and recorded while reducing the number of recording papers consumed The facsimile machine can be used to check the blank pages properly and re-accumulate the data to prevent the burden and anxiety on the receiving operator. Performance can be improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a facsimile apparatus, wherein: reading means for reading an image of a transmission document; image information storage means for storing image information of the transmission document read by the reading means; Recording means for recording on paper;
A facsimile communication unit that executes predetermined facsimile control procedures to send and receive image information, and a blank document that detects whether or not the page is a blank page for each page of the transmission document read by the reading unit Detecting means for storing the image information of the transmission document read by the reading means in the image information storage means, and detecting the blank page of the transmission document when the blank document detection means detects a blank page in the transmission document; The above object is achieved by providing a control unit for performing a blank page recording process for causing the recording unit to record and output only image information of a page on recording paper.

According to the above arrangement, when the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit is stored in the image information storage unit, if a blank page is detected in the transmission original, only the image information of the blank page of the transmission original is detected. Is recorded on recording paper, so that it is possible to more appropriately understand the state of the page determined to be blank from the image information of the recorded blank page while reducing the number of consumed recording paper. By properly confirming and re-accumulating blank pages, it is possible to prevent the burden and anxiety on the receiving-side operator beforehand and improve the usability of the facsimile machine. .

In each of the above cases, for example, as set forth in claim 4, the facsimile apparatus further comprises image information reduction means for reducing image information at a predetermined reduction ratio.
When the blank document detection unit detects that the transmission document has a blank page, the control unit reduces the image information of the blank page of the transmission document to the image information reduction unit as the blank page recording process. Then, the image information of the reduced blank page may be recorded and output on the recording paper by the recording means.

According to the above configuration, when the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit is stored in the image information storage unit, if a blank page is detected in the transmission original, only the image information of the blank page of the transmission original is detected. Is recorded on recording paper at a predetermined reduction ratio, so that the number of pages of recording paper consumed can be further reduced and the page determined as blank from the image information of the recorded blank page is stored in any state. The facsimile machine is capable of properly checking whether a blank page has been received, and appropriately checking and re-accumulating blank pages to prevent a burden or anxiety on the operator on the receiving side. Can be improved.

For example, in the facsimile apparatus, the facsimile apparatus includes an image information reducing unit configured to reduce image information at a predetermined reduction ratio, and an image information reducing unit that converts image information of all pages of a transmission original into the image information. Either all-page recording processing in which the recording means reduces and outputs the recording paper on the recording paper or blank page recording processing in which only the image information of the blank page of the transmission original is recorded and output on the recording paper by the recording means Selecting means for selecting whether to record in the recording process,
The control unit, when the blank document detection unit detects that the transmission document includes a blank page, performs one of the all-page recording process and the blank page recording process according to the selection result of the selection unit. It may be executed.

According to the above arrangement, when a blank page is detected in the transmission original when the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit is stored in the image information storage unit, the transmission original is detected according to the selection of the operator. Record all pages at reduced size,
Since only the image information of the blank page of the transmission original is recorded at the same size or reduced, the output result can be selected according to the purpose while further reducing the number of recording paper consumed. Therefore, it is possible to more appropriately understand the state of the stored transmission original, to prevent the burden on the receiving-side operator and to prevent anxiety, and to further improve the usability of the facsimile apparatus. Can be.

[0023]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the present invention, and therefore, various technically preferable limitations are added. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following description. The embodiments are not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise specified.

FIGS. 1 to 8 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a facsimile apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a facsimile apparatus 1 to which an embodiment of the facsimile apparatus of the present invention is applied. It is.

In FIG. 1, a facsimile apparatus 1 includes a system control unit 2, a system memory 3, an image processing unit 4, a scanner 5, a plotter 6, and an operation panel control unit 7.
And a communication control unit 8 and the like.

The system memory (image information storage means) 3
For example, battery-backed RAM (Random A
and various programs such as a basic processing program of the facsimile machine 1 and a blank document control processing program which will be described later, as well as these basic processing programs and a blank document control processing program. Various data and system data necessary for executing the program are stored. The system memory 3 stores image information of a document read by a scanner 5 described later and image information of a received received document.

The system control unit (control means) 2 includes a CPU
(Central Processing Unit) and RAM (Random Acces
s Memory), and the CPU controls each part of the facsimile machine 1 based on a program in the system memory 3 while using the RAM as a work memory to execute basic processing as the facsimile machine 1 and to be described later. A blank document control process is executed.

The image processing section (blank document detecting means, image information reducing means) 4 performs various kinds of processing of the image information of the transmitted document and the image information of the received document, for example, the decoding processing of the coded image information of the received document. The scanner 5 decodes the image information of the transmission original read by the scanner 5, and operates under the control of the system control unit 2 to extract the image information of each page of the original read by the scanner 5 as described later. A determination process is performed to determine whether the page is blank. In particular, the image processing unit 4 operates under the control of the main control unit 2 in the blank document control process, reduces image information of the document read by the scanner 5 at a predetermined reduction ratio, and outputs the image information to the plotter 6. .

The scanner (reading means) 5 is, for example, a CC
A line image scanner or the like using a D (Charge Coupled Device) is used, and generally includes an ADF (Automatic Document Feeder). A plurality of documents are set on the ADF, and the ADF feeds the set documents one by one to a document reading position of the scanner 5. Scanner 5
Scans a document conveyed from the ADF, reads an image of the document at a predetermined resolution, and outputs the image as image information.

As the plotter (recording means) 6, for example, a thermal recording device using a thermal element or an electrophotographic recording device or the like is used. Reports (communication reports, etc.) are recorded and output on recording paper,
As described later, in the blank document control process, the image information of the document read by the scanner 5 and reduced by the image processing unit 4 is recorded and output on a recording sheet.

An operation panel (not shown) is connected to the operation panel control section 7, and the operation panel is provided with various operation keys such as a ten-key, a start key, a function key and a one-touch key, or an input device such as a touch panel. In addition, a display (for example, a liquid crystal display) is provided. On the operation panel (selection means), various commands such as designation of a destination and other transmission operations are input by the input device. In particular, when a blank page is detected in a blank document control process described later, only a blank page is detected. Either a blank page recording process of recording and outputting image information by the plotter 6 or an all page recording process of reducing and recording image information of all pages of a transmission original, or a blank page recording process and all pages An operation of selecting whether to record and output in both of the recording processes is performed, and various information notified from the facsimile machine 1 to the operator, particularly, the number of pages of the transmission original read by the scanner 5, the image information of the original, etc. Is displayed.

The operation panel control section 7 acquires the contents of the operation on the operation panel, outputs the operation contents to the system control section 2, and causes the display to display the above various information under the control of the system control section 2.

The communication control unit (facsimile communication means) 8 has a line L, for example, a public telephone line or ISDN.
(Integrated Services Digital Network) etc. are connected, and the system control unit 2
Operating under the control of, performs line capture, transmission of a selection signal as a destination telephone number, detection of an incoming call, etc., automatically receives a call from the line L, and automatically receives a call from the line L. In addition to performing call processing, a facsimile control signal is exchanged with the other party facsimile apparatus to execute a facsimile communication procedure.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When transmitting, the facsimile apparatus 1 determines whether a blank page is included in a plurality of pages of the document read by the scanner 5, and if the blank page is included, the blank page is included. Is distinguished by the operator of the facsimile machine 1.

First, a blank document control process in which a document to be transmitted is read by the scanner 5 and is directly transmitted to the other party without being stored in the system memory 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. .

The operator of the facsimile machine 1 sets a document on the scanner 5, inputs a telephone number of a transmission destination from the operation panel, and inputs a start key, thereby causing the facsimile machine 1 to start transmission.

In the facsimile apparatus 1, when a document is set on the scanner 5 (step S1) and a destination is input,
(Step S2), the system control unit 2 controls the communication control unit 8 to start a transmission procedure (Step S3).

Next, the system control section 2 drives the scanner 5 to read a plurality of originals set on the scanner 5 page by page, and transfers image information to the image processing section 4 ( In step S4, the image processing unit 4 is caused to determine whether or not the page is blank (step S5).
The detection of a blank page by the image processing unit 4 can use various known methods.

The system control unit 2 checks whether the page is blank based on the detection result of the image processing unit 4 (step S6). The presence of the blank page is temporarily stored in the system memory 3 (step S7), and the blank page is transmitted (step S8).

If the page to be transmitted is not blank at step S6, the system control section 2 transmits the image information of the page as it is via the communication control section 8 (step S8).

When the transmission of the image information for one page is completed, the system control unit 2 checks whether or not there is a next page in the transmitted document (step S9).
Returning to step S4, the same processing is performed after reading the next page (steps S4 to S9). Then, in step S6, if the page is blank, the system control unit 2 stores the number of the blank page.
(Step S7) and transmit (Step S8). If the page is not blank, the page is transmitted without storing the page number (Step S8).
8).

In step S9, when there is no next page,
The system control unit 2 checks whether there is a blank document in the transmission document by detecting whether a blank page is stored in the area of the system memory 3 for storing a blank page (step S10). Then, the image processing section 4 generates a communication result report indicating that there is a blank page, and causes the plotter 6 to record and output it on recording paper (step S11).

The communication result report includes, for example, a transmission date, a transmission time, a destination name, a communication time, a number of sheets (the number of originals to be transmitted), and a result (normal transmission) as shown as a direct transmission result report in FIG. As a result, the blank page detected from the transmitted document as the blank page and stored in the system memory is recorded and output as “blank page detection”.

If there is no blank page in the transmission original in step S10, the transmission process ends without outputting a communication report indicating that there is a blank page.
In this case, in the direct transmission result report shown in FIG. 3, the direct transmission result report in which the item of "blank page detection" is removed, or the direct transmission result in which "page 0" is described in the item of "blank page detection" A result report may be recorded and output.

As described above, when a facsimile apparatus 1 detects a blank page in a transmission original at the time of transmission, the facsimile apparatus 1 stores the number of the blank page and stores image information of all pages of the transmission original. After the transmission, a communication report indicating that there is a blank page specifying the blank page is output.

Therefore, the operator of the facsimile machine 1 can confirm the page determined to be a blank page of the transmission original in the communication report and retransmit the blank page, thereby reducing the burden and uneasiness of the operator on the receiving side. By removing it, the usability of the facsimile machine 1 can be improved.

Next, a blank document control process for temporarily storing image information of a transmission document read by the scanner 5 in the system memory 3 and then transmitting and storing the image information to the other party will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. It will be described based on.

The operator of the facsimile machine 1 sets an original on the scanner 5, inputs a telephone number of a transmission destination from the operation panel, specifies storage transmission, and
By inputting the start key, the facsimile machine 1 starts the accumulation transmission.

In the facsimile apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 4, an original is set on the scanner 5 (step P).
1) When a destination is input, storage transmission is designated, and a start key is pressed (step P2), the system control unit 2 starts storage (step P3). When storage transmission is specified as the initial setting of the facsimile apparatus 1, the specification of the storage transmission is not performed, but the facsimile apparatus 1 performs the storage transmission.

When the storage is started, the system control unit 2 first drives the scanner 5 to read a plurality of originals set in the scanner 5 one by one for each page. The image information is transferred (step P4), and the image processing unit 4 determines whether the page is blank (step P5). The detection of a blank page by the image processing unit 4 can use various known methods.

The system control unit 2 checks whether or not the page is blank based on the detection result of the image processing unit 4 (step P6). The presence of the blank page is temporarily stored in the system memory 3 (step P7), and the image information of the blank page is stored in the system memory 3 (step P8). If the page to be transmitted is not blank at step P6, the system control unit 2 stores the image information of the page as it is or after encoding it by a predetermined encoding method in the system memory 3 (step P8). That is, the system control unit 2 stores the image information of all pages read by the scanner 5 in the system memory 3 irrespective of the blank page determination of the image processing unit 4, that is, the image information of the page determined to be blank. Information is also stored in the system memory 3.

When the transmission of the image information for one page is completed, the system control unit 2 checks whether or not the transmitted document has the next page (step P9).
Then, the process returns to step S4, and the same processing is performed after reading the next page (steps P4 to P9). If the page is blank in step P6, the system control unit 2 stores the number of the blank page in the system memory 3 (step P7), and stores the image information of the blank page in the system. When the page is not blank, the image information of the page is stored in the system memory 3 without storing the number of the page (step P8).

At step P9, when there is no next page,
As shown in FIG. 5, the system control unit 2 determines whether there is a blank page in the image information of the transmission document stored in the system memory 3 and determines whether the blank page is stored in the area of the system memory 3 where the blank page is stored. This is checked by detection (step P10). If there is no blank page in the transmission original, the image information of all pages of the transmission original is sequentially read from the system memory 3 and transmitted to the destination, and the process is terminated. (Step P11).

In step P10, if there is a blank page,
The system control unit 2 checks whether or not to output information on all transmission originals (step P12). The setting as to whether or not to output the information on all the transmission originals can be appropriately set by the operator by operating the keys on the operation panel. The system control unit 2 checks the key setting, and It is determined whether to output all information.

When all the information is output in step P12, the system control unit 2 acquires a blank page from the area of the system memory 3 for storing the blank page, and stores the image information of the blank page from the image memory 3. The page information is read out (step P13), page information (information indicating what page it is, for example, P2, etc.) is added to the image information of the blank page and transferred to the plotter 6, and the plotter 6 prints the blank page on the recording paper. Is recorded and output (step P14). When the image information of one blank page is recorded and output, the system control unit 2 checks whether there is the next blank page by checking whether the next blank page is stored in the area of the system memory 3 where the blank page is stored. If there is a next blank page (step P15), the process returns to step P13 to read the image information of the blank page from the system memory 3 and add the page information in the same manner as described above. (Steps P13 to P15). In this case, the image information of the blank page may be reduced at a predetermined reduction ratio by the image processing unit 4 and then recorded and output on the recording paper by the plotter 6.

In step P15, when there is no next blank page, the system control unit 2 sequentially reads all the image information including the blank page of the transmission original from the first page from the system memory 3, and reads the image information from the first page. Transfer to 4,
The image processing unit 4 reduces the image to a predetermined reduction ratio, for example, 1/4 (step P16), and checks whether the image information of the next page exists in the system memory 3 (step P17). When there is image information of the next page in step P17, the system control unit 2 reads the image information from the system memory 3 and reduces the image information in the image processing unit 4 (step P16).
The image information of all pages including the blank page of the transmission original is reduced, and if the image information of the next page is not stored in the system memory 3 in step P17, the reduced image information can be recorded on one page of recording paper. The image information for each page is transferred to the plotter 6 and recorded on the recording paper by the plotter 6 (step P18).

When the output processing of the image information is completed, the system control unit 2 sequentially reads out the image information of all pages including the blank page of the transmission original from the system memory 3 from the system memory 3, and the communication control unit 8. And the process is terminated (step P11).

The operator of the facsimile machine 1 can use a normal facsimile machine, but stops the transmission by operating the operation panel after observing the result of the recording output of the image processing unit. After once deleting all the image information of the detected transmission document of the blank page, the scanner 5 is caused to again read the transmission document, accumulated in the system memory 3, and transmitted to the re-accumulated image processing unit. Is also good. At this time, when the facsimile apparatus 1 has a function of designating a page in the image information of the transmission original in the system memory 3 and rewriting only the image processing unit of the page, the original is turned over. Thus, only the original of the blank page may be read by the scanner 5 and the image processing unit of the blank page in the system memory 3 may be rewritten.

Then, in the output processing, step P
Through the blank page recording process of steps 13 to P15 and step S18, image information in which page information is added to image information of a blank page is recorded on the recording sheet as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows an example in which two pages and three pages are blank pages.

In the output processing, step P1
By the recording processing of all the image information from 6 to step P18,
As shown in FIG. 8, the image information of all pages of the transmission document including the blank page is recorded on the recording paper in a reduced state. FIG. 8 shows an example in which two pages and three pages are blank pages.

If all the information is not recorded and output in step P12 (NO in step P12),
As shown in FIG. 6, the system control unit 2 checks whether to output only blank pages out of the image information of the transmission original (step P19). Whether or not to output only this blank page can be appropriately set by the operator by operating the keys on the operation panel. The system control unit 2 checks this key setting to output only the blank page of the transmission original. Is determined.

In step P19, when outputting only blank pages, the system control unit 2
The blank page is acquired from the area for storing the blank page, the image information of the blank page is read from the image memory 3 (step P20), and the page information is added to the image information of the blank page and transferred to the plotter 6. Then, the plotter 6 causes the image information of the blank page to be recorded and output on the recording sheet as shown in FIG. 7 (step P21). When the image information of one blank page is recorded and output, the system control unit 2 determines whether there is a blank page next in the system memory 3.
It is checked whether the next blank page is stored in the area for storing the blank page (step P22). If there is a next blank page, the process returns to step P20, and
Similarly to the above, the image information of the blank page is read from the system memory 3, the page information is added, and the blank page is recorded and output on the recording paper by the plotter 6 (steps P20 to P2).
2). In this case, the image information of the blank page may be recorded by reducing the image processing unit 4. By doing so, it is possible to save recording paper.

In step P22, all the system control units 2 sequentially read out the image information of all pages including the blank page of the transmission original from the system memory 3 from the system memory 3, and read the image information of the other pages through the communication control unit 8 via the communication control unit 8. Send first,
The process ends (Step P11).

In step P19, when recording and outputting all pages of the transmission original, the system control unit 2
All the image information including the blank page of the transmission original is sequentially read from the system memory 3 from the first page, and transferred to the image processing unit 4, where the image processing unit 4 sets a predetermined reduction magnification,
For example, the image is reduced to a quarter (step P23), and it is checked whether the image information of the next page exists in the system memory 3 (step P24). The system control unit 2 executes step P
If there is image information of the next page at 24, the image information is read from the system memory 3 and reduced by the image processing unit 4 (step P23), and the image information of all pages including the blank page of the transmission original is reduced. Then, in step P24,
When the image information of the next page is no longer stored in the system memory 3, the reduced image information is transferred to the plotter 6 for each page of image data that can be recorded on one page of recording paper, and as shown in FIG. The recording is output on the recording paper by step 6 (step P25).

When the output processing of the image information is completed, the system control unit 2 sequentially reads out the image information of all pages including the blank page of the transmission original from the system memory 3 from the system memory 3, and the communication control unit 8 And the process is terminated (step P11).

In this case, the transmission may be temporarily stopped, the image information of the transmission original may be stored again, and then transmitted.

As described above, when the facsimile apparatus 1 detects a blank page in the transmission original when storing the image information of the transmission original read by the scanner 5 in the system memory 3, the facsimile apparatus 1 determines the image information of all pages of the transmission original. Is reduced at a predetermined reduction ratio and is recorded and output on recording paper.

Therefore, it is possible to more appropriately recognize the state in which all the pages of the transmission original have been stored from the image information of all the pages to be reduced and recorded while reducing the number of sheets of the recording paper consumed. By properly confirming and re-accumulating blank pages, it is possible to prevent the burden on the receiving-side operator and anxiety, thereby improving the usability of the facsimile machine 1.

When the image information of the transmission original read by the scanner 5 is stored in the system memory 3 and a blank page is detected in the transmission original, only the image information of the blank page of the transmission original is recorded on the recording paper. are doing.

Therefore, it is possible to more appropriately recognize the state in which the page determined to be blank is stored from the image information of the printed blank page while further reducing the number of consumed sheets. By properly confirming and re-accumulating blank pages, it is possible to prevent the burden on the receiving-side operator and anxiety, thereby improving the usability of the facsimile machine 1.

Further, when a blank page is detected in the transmission original when the image information of the transmission original read by the scanner 5 is stored in the system memory 3, only the image information of the blank page of the transmission original is reduced to a predetermined reduction ratio. When recording on a sheet of paper in a reduced size, it is possible to further reduce the number of sheets of recording paper consumed and to more appropriately determine the state of the page determined to be blank from the image information of the blank page recorded. The facsimile machine 1 can be used in such a way that it is possible to properly confirm and re-accumulate blank pages, thereby reducing the burden and anxiety on the receiving-side operator and improving the usability of the facsimile machine 1. Can be done.

Further, the facsimile machine 1 has a scanner 5
When a blank page is detected in the transmission document when the image information of the transmission document read by the user is stored in the system memory 3, all pages of the transmission document are reduced or recorded according to the selection of the operator, or Either the image information of the blank page is recorded at the same size or reduced.

Therefore, it is possible to select the output result according to the purpose while further reducing the consumption number of the recording paper, so that the state of the stored transmission original can be understood more appropriately. Thus, the burden on the operator and the feeling of anxiety can be prevented beforehand, and the usability of the facsimile machine 1 can be further improved.

As described above, the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. It goes without saying that it is possible.

[0075]

According to the facsimile apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, when a blank page is detected in a transmission original during transmission, the blank page is stored and image information of all pages of the transmission original is stored. After the transmission, a communication report is output to the effect that there is a blank page specifying the blank page, so the operator of the facsimile machine checks the page determined to be a blank page of the transmission original in the communication report, and reprints the blank page. Transmission can be performed, and the burden and anxiety exerted on the receiving-side operator can be eliminated, and the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be improved.

According to the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, when a blank page is detected in the transmission original when the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit is stored in the image information storage unit, the transmission original Since the image information of all pages is reduced at a predetermined reduction ratio and recorded and output on recording paper, the number of sheets of recording paper consumed can be reduced and all pages of the transmission original can be determined from the image information of all pages to be reduced and recorded. In such a state, it is possible to more appropriately determine whether or not the data has been accumulated, and by appropriately checking a blank page and re-accumulating the data, it is possible to prevent the burden and anxiety on the operator on the receiving side. Thus, the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be improved.

According to the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, when a blank page is detected in the transmission document when the image information of the transmission document read by the reading unit is stored in the image information storage unit, the transmission document is transmitted. Because only the blank page image information is recorded on the recording paper, the status of the page determined to be blank from the recorded blank page image information was stored while further reducing the number of recording paper consumed. The facsimile machine can be used to check the blank pages properly and re-accumulate the data to prevent the burden and anxiety on the receiving operator. Performance can be improved.

According to the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, when a blank page is detected in the transmission original when the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit is stored in the image information storage unit, the transmission original is detected. Since only the image information of the blank page is reduced on the recording paper by a predetermined reduction ratio, the number of recording sheets consumed is further reduced, and the page determined as blank from the image information of the recorded blank page is further reduced. Can be used to better understand the state in which the data was stored, and by properly checking and re-accumulating blank pages, the burden and anxiety placed on the operator at the receiving end can be reduced. And the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be improved.

According to the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, when a blank page is detected in the transmission original when the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit is stored in the image information storage unit, the operator's selection is made. Depending on the size of the transmitted document, either the whole page is reduced or recorded, or only the image information of the blank page of the transmitted document is recorded at the same size or reduced. While further reducing the number of sheets, the output result can be selected according to the purpose, and the status of the stored transmission original can be understood more appropriately. By preventing this beforehand, the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating blank document control processing when direct transmission is performed by the facsimile apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a direct transmission result report recorded and output in the blank document control process of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a blank document control process when storing and transmitting by the facsimile apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process subsequent to the blank document control process in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a further subsequent process of the blank document control process of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of recording and output of image information of a blank page that is recorded and output at the same magnification in the blank document control process in FIGS. 4 to 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of reduced recording output of image information of all pages recorded and output in the blank document control process of FIGS. 4 to 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Facsimile machine 2 System control part 3 System memory 4 Image processing part 5 Scanner 6 Plotter 7 Operation panel control part 8 Communication control part 9 Bus

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A reading means for reading an image of a transmission original, a recording means for recording image information and a communication report on a recording paper, and a facsimile communication for transmitting / receiving image information by executing a predetermined facsimile control procedure. Means, for each page of the transmission document read by the reading means, a blank document detection means for detecting whether the page is a blank page, and at the time of transmission, the blank document detection means is a blank page in the transmission document When the page is detected, the blank page is stored, and after the image information of all pages of the transmission original is transmitted to the facsimile communication unit, the recording unit has a blank page specifying the blank page. And a control means for outputting a communication report to the effect A reading means for reading an image of the transmission document; an image information storage means for storing image information of the transmission document read by the reading means; a recording means for recording image information and the like on a recording sheet; Facsimile communication means for executing the facsimile control procedure for transmitting and receiving image information, and blank document detection for detecting whether or not the page is a blank page for each page of the transmission document read by the reading means Means,
Image information reduction means for reducing image information at a predetermined reduction ratio;
When storing the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit in the image information storage unit, if the blank original detection unit detects a blank page in the transmission original, the image of all pages of the transmission original is detected. A facsimile apparatus comprising: control means for reducing information by the image information reducing means, and performing all-page recording processing for causing the recording means to record and output the reduced image information on recording paper. A reading means for reading an image of the transmission document; an image information storage means for storing image information of the transmission document read by the reading means; a recording means for recording image information and the like on a recording sheet; Facsimile communication means for executing the facsimile control procedure for transmitting and receiving image information, and blank document detection for detecting whether or not the page is a blank page for each page of the transmission document read by the reading means Means,
When storing the image information of the transmission original read by the reading unit in the image information storage unit, if the blank original detection unit detects a blank page in the transmission original, the image information of the blank page of the transmission original is detected. A facsimile apparatus comprising: a control unit for performing a blank page recording process for causing the recording unit to record and output only on a recording sheet. 4. The facsimile apparatus further comprises image information reduction means for reducing image information at a predetermined reduction ratio, and the control means determines that the blank document detection means has a blank page in the transmission document. Upon detection, in the blank page recording process, the image information of the blank page of the transmission original is reduced by the image information reducing unit, and the reduced blank page image information is recorded on the recording paper by the recording unit. 4. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the facsimile is output. 5. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image information is reduced by a predetermined reduction ratio, and the image information of all pages of the transmission original is reduced by the image information reducing unit, and the image data is reduced by the recording unit. Selection means for selecting which recording processing to record, that is, all-page recording processing for recording and outputting on recording paper and blank page recording processing for recording and outputting only blank page image information of a transmission original on the recording paper by the recording means. The control means, when the blank document detection means detects that the transmission document has a blank page, according to the selection result of the selection means, the all-page recording process and the blank page 5. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the facsimile apparatus performs one of a recording process.