JP2002247329A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize control cost sharing by surely specifying a cost sharing department for each reception. SOLUTION: This facsimile equipment is provided with a means for preliminarily setting a cost sharing departments for sharing the facsimile reception costs for each other party, means (202-212) for specifying the cost sharing department by collating the other party information with the stored cost sharing department information when facsimile reception is present, a means (222) for outputting information for allowing the specified cost sharing department to share the reception costs, and means (216, 218) for inhibiting the print output when the cost sharing department can not be specified and for allowing the above mentioned means to specify the cost sharing department. Thus, it is possible for a user in charge of charging to surely specify the cost sharing department for each reception, to properly bill the cost sharing department, and to properly control the cost sharing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus, and more particularly, to a facsimile apparatus which is used for charging management of a reception cost required for facsimile reception.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a so-called color facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting and receiving color original data has become widespread, and the cost of consumables such as paper and toner required for facsimile reception has increased. The need to manage has grown.

[0003] As technology relating to cost sharing, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
JP-A-159860 discloses a facsimile apparatus connected to an ISDN network, which detects a destination subaddress or a destination number at the time of reception, records consumption amounts of consumable parts by type corresponding to the destination subaddress or the destination number, and receives the destination. A technique is described in which the expendable parts cost at the time is borne by a receiving destination department corresponding to the destination subaddress or the destination number.

[0004]

However, in the above technique, it is necessary to set the destination subaddress or the destination number on the transmitting side. If the destination subaddress or the destination number is not set, the receiving side of the receiving side, that is, the cost of consumable parts, is not set on the receiving side. There was a risk that the burden department could not be specified.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile apparatus which can surely specify a department which bears a receiving cost for each reception and can realize appropriate cost management.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention comprises a pre-setting means for setting in advance, for each destination in facsimile reception, a department which bears the reception cost. And storage means for storing the burden department information for each destination set by the pre-setting means, and the burden department corresponding to the destination when facsimile reception is performed, in the stored burden department information. Specifying means for specifying based on the receiving means, output means for outputting information for causing the burden section specified by the specifying means to bear the reception cost, and receiving the facsimile reception when the specifying section cannot specify the burden section. Prohibiting means for prohibiting print output of data.

[0007] In the facsimile apparatus according to the present invention, when the user sets, by the pre-setting means, the department responsible for receiving the reception cost for each destination in facsimile reception, the department information for each destination is stored in the storage means. Is done. As the information for specifying the destination (that is, the transmitting side) here, a telephone number, the name of the destination station, the name of the destination from the destination, and the like can be adopted. May be arbitrarily selectable.

After that, when facsimile reception is performed,
The specifying means refers to the stored burden department information,
Identify the burden department corresponding to the other party, and output means
The information for causing the specified burden department to bear the receiving cost is output. As a result, the user in charge can reliably specify the department that bears the receiving cost for each reception, and can appropriately charge the department that bears the cost, thereby achieving appropriate cost burden management.

Further, according to the present invention, the prohibition means is provided, and if the burden section cannot be specified by the specifying means, the prohibition means prohibits the printing output of the received data of the facsimile reception among the output modes by the output means. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the received data is printed out in a state where the burden department cannot be specified and the reception cost of the reception cannot be charged anywhere, and more appropriate cost burden management can be realized. it can.

The output means corresponds to a printer, a display or the like, and the output corresponds to a print output from a printer or a display on a display. In addition, the “information for causing the receiving cost to be paid” includes information including the charge amount in the charging list in FIG. 12, information on a bill to each section, and the like.

In the facsimile apparatus according to the present invention, when the printout of the received data is prohibited by the prohibiting means, the temporary setting means for setting the department which bears the reception cost, and the temporary setting means It is desirable to further provide a permission unit that releases the prohibition of the print output and permits the manual print output when the burden department is set. In this case, when the print setting of the reception data is prohibited by the prohibiting means, and the user sets the burden department to bear the reception cost by the temporary setting means, the permission means releases the prohibition of the print output and manually sets the prohibition. Since the print output is permitted, the user can manually print out the received data. In this way, the print output prohibition is released on the condition that the department that bears the receiving cost is set, and the print output can be performed manually. Usability can be improved.

Further, in the facsimile apparatus according to the present invention, when the remaining capacity of the memory storing the received data becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value in a state where the printout of the received data is prohibited by the prohibiting means, the print output is performed. It is desirable to further provide a forced output means for releasing the prohibition of the above and printing out the received data. In this case, in a state in which the printout of the received data is prohibited by the prohibition unit, for example, a situation occurs in which a large amount of the received data whose printout is prohibited is accumulated in the memory, and the remaining capacity of the memory becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value. Then, the forced output unit releases the prohibition of the print output and prints out the received data. As the predetermined value, it is desirable to set a value about the remaining memory capacity required for normal facsimile reception. As a result, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the remaining capacity of the memory becomes insufficient due to the prohibition of the printout of the received data and the reception becomes impossible.

Further, it is desirable that the facsimile apparatus according to the present invention further includes a post-setting unit for setting a department that bears the reception cost when the received data is printed out by the forced output unit. . In this case, even when the received data is forcibly printed out by the forcible output unit, the post-setting unit can allow the user to set the department responsible for the reception cost. It is possible to reliably identify the department that bears the burden, and maintain appropriate cost burden management.

The present invention as described above can also be applied to the case of receiving confidential data of a facsimile. That is, in the facsimile apparatus, for each confidential data storage unit for receiving the confidential data of the facsimile, a setting unit for setting a burden department that bears the reception cost, and a confidential data storage unit set by the setting unit. Storage means for storing burden department information for each, a specifying means for specifying a burden department corresponding to the confidential data storage unit when confidential data is received, based on the stored burden department information, A configuration in which an output unit that outputs information for causing the specified burden department to bear the receiving cost and a prohibition unit that prohibits the printout of the confidential data of the facsimile when the burden department cannot be specified by the identification unit are provided. It is desirable that

[0015] In this case, when the user sets, by the setting means, a bureau that bears the reception cost for each confidential data storage unit for receiving the confidential data of the facsimile, the user sets the confidential department for each set confidential data storage unit. Burden section information is stored in the storage means.

Thereafter, when confidential data is received,
The specifying means specifies the burden department corresponding to the confidential data storage unit with reference to the burden department information, and the output means outputs information for causing the identified burden department to bear the receiving cost. As a result, the user in charge can reliably identify the department that bears the reception cost each time each confidential data is received, and can appropriately charge the department that bears the cost, thereby realizing appropriate cost burden management. it can.

Further, according to the present invention, when the burden section cannot be specified by the specifying means by providing the prohibiting means, the prohibiting means prohibits the print output of the confidential data of the facsimile in the output mode by the output means. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the confidential data is printed out in a state where the burden department cannot be specified and the reception cost of the reception cannot be charged anywhere, and more appropriate cost burden management can be realized. .

The operation and effect when the temporary setting means and the permission means are further provided, the operation and effect when the forced output means is further provided, and the operation and effect when the post-setting means is further provided are also described. Can be performed in the same manner.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a facsimile apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. The facsimile apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 controls the operation of each unit of the apparatus and executes a facsimile transmission / reception process, a ROM 14 as a read-only memory in which fixed information such as a control program is stored, 16 as an internal memory and an RTC 18 as a built-in clock
And an operation / display unit 20 including an operation unit having a simple keyboard, various operation buttons, and the like, and a display unit on which various operation screens and messages described later are displayed, and a communication line 2
1, a network control unit 22 including a network control unit (NCU) for performing connection / disconnection operations, a communication control unit 24 including a modem (modem) connected to the network control unit 22, and encoding processing of transmission data And an image processing unit 26 for decoding received data, a charging unit 28 for performing a burden department registration process and a charging control process described below according to the present invention, and a scanner for reading a transmitted document and inputting digital image data , An image printing unit 32 comprising a printer for printing out received data, an image memory 34 for storing received data, and a cost burden for each destination set by the user. It includes a billing information memory 36 for storing department information and the like, and these are connected to each other via a system bus 38 except for the network control unit 22.

Next, as the operation of the present embodiment, the receiving cost burden department registration processing shown in FIG. 2 and the charging control processing at the time of reception shown in FIG. 9 will be described in order.

First, the burden department registration process of FIG. 2 will be described. When the user touches the “Yes” display unit 40A with his / her finger to perform billing registration on the selection screen of FIG. 3 displayed on the operation / display unit 20, the burden department registration process of FIG. Be started.

In step 102 of FIG. 2, the destination / information selection screen of FIG. 4 is displayed on the operation / display unit 20, and in the next step 104, the user waits for selection. When the user touches any one of the display unit 42A of the "FAX number", the display unit 42B of the "partner's own station name", and the display unit 42C of the "destination name from the other party" by finger, the process proceeds to step 10.
Then, the process proceeds to step 6, where it is determined whether or not the setting of the destination information by the FAX number is selected. "FAX number" by user
If the display section 42A is selected, an affirmative determination is made and the process proceeds to step 108, where the FAX number registration screen shown in FIG. 5A is displayed on the operation / display section 20, and the next step 1 is executed.
At 10, the user waits for an input. User input box 4
When a fax number to be registered is input to 4A, the process proceeds to step 122 described later.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 106, the process proceeds to step 112, where it is determined whether or not the setting of the destination information by the name of the destination station has been selected. If the user has selected the display unit 42B of “other party's own station name”, an affirmative determination is made, and the process proceeds to step 118, where FIG.
Display on the operation / display section 20
In the next step 120, the user waits for an input. When the user inputs the name of the partner station to be registered in the input field 44B, the process proceeds to step 122 described later.

Also, the user may input a "destination name from the other party"
If the display section 42C is selected, step 11
2 is negative, the process proceeds to step 114, and FIG.
A screen for registering the destination name from the other party is displayed on the operation / display unit 20, and the next step 116 waits for an input by the user. When the user inputs a destination name from a partner to be registered in the input field 44C, the process proceeds to step 122.

In step 122, it is checked whether or not the inputted fax number, the name of the destination station, and the destination name from the destination are already duplicated with those already registered. Then, a message instructing resetting shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the operation / display unit 20, and the process returns to step 102. As a result, it is possible to prevent duplicate registration of individual FAX numbers, partner station names, and destination names from partners.

On the other hand, if there is no overlap in step 122,
Proceeding to step 126, a screen for registering the destination name from the other party in FIG. 7A is displayed on the operation / display unit 20, and the next step 128 waits for the user to make a selection. The user sees FIG.
If any of the departments shown in FIG.
Go to 0. Although omitted in FIG. 2, the user
When the "other" display section 46A of (a) is selected, the section input screen of FIG. 7B is displayed, and the user inputs the section name. Then, when the department name is input in the input field 48A, the process proceeds to step 130.

In step 130, the operation / display unit 20 displays a setting content confirmation screen shown in FIG. 8 to allow the user to confirm the setting content. If the user notices a problem with the setting contents, the "No" display section 50B in FIG. 8 is selected, and a negative determination is made in step 132, and
Returning to 2, the resetting is performed.

On the other hand, if the user approves the registration with the set contents, the display section 50A of "Yes" in FIG. 8 is selected, and an affirmative determination is made in step 132, and the process proceeds to step 134.
Registration is performed by storing the display contents of FIG. 8 in the billing information memory 36, and the process ends.

By the burden department registration processing of FIG. 2 described above, the department responsible for the reception cost can be easily registered for each destination at the time of facsimile reception in accordance with the contents displayed on the operation / display unit 20. As destination information in this registration, F
One of the AX number, the name of the other party's own station, and the destination name from the other party can be selected, which is convenient for the user.

Next, the burden section registration processing of FIG. 9 will be described. When the facsimile machine 10 detects an incoming call,
The control routine of FIG. Note that normal facsimile reception processing under the control of the CPU 12 is performed in parallel with the processing in FIG.

In step 202 of FIG. 9, the received information is
It is determined whether or not the information matches the registered information on the already registered FAX number.
The billing information is registered in the billing information memory 36 in such a manner that the department registered in association with the number bears the cost required for the reception (reception cost). After registration, step 222 described later
Jump to

If it is determined in step 202 that the received information does not match, the process proceeds to step 206, where it is determined whether the received information matches the registered information relating to the registered own station name. The billing information is registered in the billing information memory 36 in such a manner that the registered department bears the reception cost in association with the name. After the registration, the process jumps to step 222 described later.

If there is no match in step 206, the process proceeds to step 210, where it is determined whether or not the received information matches the registered information on the destination name of the already registered partner. The billing information is registered in the billing information memory 36 in such a manner that the registered department is borne by the registered department in association with the destination name. After the registration, the process jumps to step 222 described later.

If it is determined in step 210 that there is no match, the process proceeds to step 214, where it is determined whether or not there is a match between the received information and the registered information relating to the registered burden department. Proceed to 216
The subroutine of the unregistered process of FIG. 10 is executed.

That is, first, in step 252, it is determined whether or not the remaining capacity of the image memory 34 at the time (after facsimile reception) is equal to or more than a predetermined amount. Here, the image memory 34
If the remaining capacity is equal to or larger than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to step 254 to wait for a manual discharge instruction. That is, step 2
At 54, it is determined whether or not there is a manual ejection instruction. If there is no ejection instruction, the process returns to step 252.
The determination of steps 252 and 254 is repeated.

When there is a manual ejection instruction in a state where the remaining capacity of the image memory 34 is equal to or more than a predetermined amount, step 254 is executed.
Is determined to be affirmative, the process proceeds to step 256, and the charging list 60 and the burden department shown in FIG. 12 (“charging person” in FIG. 12)
Operating / display unit 20 prompts the user to set
, And waits for setting (step 258). Accordingly, the user who has issued the manual discharge instruction can see the charging list 60 and recognize the location 60A where the burden department is not set, and input an appropriate burden department into the location 60A where the burden department is not set, and set the charge department. By operating the / change button 62, the department in charge can be quickly set.

When the burden department is set in the unset portion 60A, the process proceeds to step 260, where the received data is printed out, and the subroutine returns to step 222 of the main routine, which will be described later.

On the other hand, if the remaining capacity of the image memory 34 becomes less than the predetermined amount before the manual ejection instruction is given, a negative determination is made in step 252 and the received data is printed out immediately without charging in step 262. . As a result, it is possible to prevent inconvenience that facsimile reception becomes impossible due to insufficient remaining capacity of the image memory 34.

After the printout is completed, at step 264, a message requesting the user to set the charging list 60 and the paying department shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on the operation / display unit 20, and the process waits for setting (step 266). This allows
Since the remaining capacity of the image memory 34 is less than the predetermined amount, even if the received data is forcibly printed out, the user can see the charging list 60 and recognize the location 60A where the burden department is not set. , A suitable burden department can be set in the unset location 60A.

When the department in charge is set in the unset portion 60A, an affirmative determination is made in step 266, and the process returns from the subroutine to step 222 described later in the main routine.

By the way, in step 214, if there is a match between the received information and the registered information on the registered burden department, it means that there are a plurality of registered burden departments corresponding to the received information. Therefore, step 21
Then, the process proceeds to step S8, where the subroutine of the process at the time of duplicate registration shown in FIG. 11 is executed.

That is, first, in step 282, it is determined whether or not the remaining capacity of the image memory 34 at the time (after facsimile reception) is equal to or more than a predetermined amount. Here, the image memory 34
If the remaining capacity is equal to or more than the predetermined amount, the process proceeds to step 284, and waits for a manual discharge instruction. That is, step 2
At 84, it is determined whether or not there is a manual ejection instruction. If there is no ejection instruction, the process returns to step 282, and thereafter,
Steps 282 and 284 are repeated.

If there is a manual ejection instruction in a state where the remaining capacity of the image memory 34 is equal to or more than a predetermined amount, step 284 is performed.
In step 286, a charge list similar to that shown in FIG. 12 and a message requesting that one of the burden departments be set from the plurality of burden departments are displayed on the operation / display unit 20, and the setting waits. Step 288). Thus, the user who has issued the manual discharge instruction can see the charging list and recognize that a plurality of burden departments are registered, and can quickly set an appropriate burden department at the corresponding location.

When one burden department is set in the corresponding place,
Proceeding to step 290, the received data is printed out.
Return to 2.

On the other hand, if the remaining capacity of the image memory 34 becomes less than the predetermined amount before a manual ejection instruction is given, a negative determination is made in step 282, and in step 292 the received data is promptly stored in the duplicate registration state. Print out. As a result, it is possible to prevent inconvenience that facsimile reception becomes impossible due to insufficient remaining capacity of the image memory 34.

After the printout is completed, at step 294, a charge list and a message requesting selection of one paying department are displayed on the operation / display section 20, and the process waits for setting (step 286). 29
6). As a result, since the remaining capacity of the image memory 34 is less than the predetermined amount, even when the received data is forcibly printed out, the user sees the charging list and a plurality of burden departments are registered. , And an appropriate burden department can be promptly set at the corresponding location.

When one burden department is set in the corresponding place,
An affirmative determination is made in step 296, and the subroutine returns to step 222 of the main routine, which will be described later.

Then, step 22 of the main routine of FIG.
In FIG. 9, information (for example, like a bill) for billing to the corresponding burden department is printed out, and FIG.
Is completed. The user in charge of the billing can obtain the printed billing information, thereby surely specifying the department responsible for the reception cost for each reception, and appropriately charging the department responsible.

In the charging control process at the time of reception in FIG.
If the responsible department information corresponding to the other party is unregistered or duplicate registered, printout of received data is prohibited until the responsible department is set in principle,
It is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the received data is printed out in a state where the burden department cannot be specified and the reception cost of the reception cannot be charged anywhere.

After that, when the department responsible for the receiving cost is set, the prohibition of the printout is released and manual ejection becomes possible, so that the user's usability is improved while ensuring proper charging to the burden department. Can be done.

However, if the remaining capacity of the image memory 34 becomes less than a predetermined value in a state where the printout of the received data is prohibited, the received data is forcibly printed out. The inconvenience of being disabled can be prevented beforehand.

Even when the received data is forcibly printed out as described above, the user is allowed to set the department that bears the reception cost, so that the user in charge can reliably specify the department that bears the reception cost. In addition, appropriate cost management can be maintained.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, even in the case where the burden department cannot be immediately specified,
For each reception, the department that bears the receiving cost can be reliably specified, the appropriate department can be charged appropriately, and appropriate cost management can be realized.

The present invention can be applied to a case where confidential data of a facsimile is received. That is, for each confidential data storage unit for storing confidential data, a department that bears the confidential reception cost is set in advance, the setting information is stored, and when confidential data is received, the setting information is set. With reference to, an embodiment in which the responsible department corresponding to the confidential data storage unit as the destination is specified, and charge management is performed so that the specified burdened department bears the reception cost, can be considered.

In this case, for example, the charging list 7 in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 0, in the confidential box, the receiving cost for box 1 is set in advance by the department A, the receiving cost for box 2 is set by the department B, and the receiving cost for box 3 is set in advance by the department C. In this case, the charger (payment department) corresponds to each box in the confidential box column 70A serving as the destination.
Each section shown in the column 70B can be specified, and the appropriate department can be charged appropriately.

Here, by performing the same processing as in the above embodiment, even if the burden department cannot be immediately specified, the burden department can be specified before or after printing the confidential data. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the confidential data reception cost cannot be charged anywhere, thereby realizing more appropriate cost burden management.

The present invention is not applied only to a normal facsimile apparatus having only a facsimile transmission / reception function, but may be applied to any apparatus having a facsimile transmission / reception function, for example, a multifunction machine having a facsimile function.
It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to home appliances, other electric appliances, and the like.

[0058]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When facsimile reception or confidential reception is performed, the burden department corresponding to the other party (that is, the transmitting side) is specified from the preset burden department information, and information for causing this burden department to bear the receiving cost is output. You. At this time, if the burden section cannot be specified by the specifying means due to the provision of the prohibiting means, the prohibiting means prohibits the printout of the received data or the confidential data. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the reception cost of the reception cannot be charged anywhere, thereby realizing more appropriate cost burden management.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a department registration process for receiving a receiving cost.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a selection screen for executing a charge registration process.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a selection screen of destination information to be registered.

5A is a diagram showing a screen for inputting a FAX number, FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a screen for inputting the name of a partner station,
(C) is a figure which shows the input screen of the destination name from the other party.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a screen for instructing resetting due to duplication of registration information.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a selection screen of a burden department;
(B) is a figure which shows the input screen of another burden division.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a setting content confirmation screen.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a charging control process at the time of reception.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of a non-registered process.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of processing at the time of duplicate registration.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a display example of a charge list.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a charge list related to confidential reception.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 facsimile machine, 20 operation / display unit, 28
Billing unit, 32 ... Image printing unit, 34 ... Image memory, 3
6. Billing information memory

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kohei Tanaka 3-1-1, Honcho, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture WATS U Building West Building 4F Inside Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kentaro Fukami 3-7 Funai, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture No. 1 Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Iwatsuki Office F-term (reference) 5C075 CD07 GG90 5K025 AA00 5K101 KK01 LL01 PP03 PP05 RR28

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A pre-setting means for preliminarily setting, for each destination in facsimile reception, a department which bears the reception cost; and a division department information for each destination set by the pre-setting means. Storing means for storing, specifying means for specifying a burden department corresponding to the destination in the case of facsimile reception based on the stored burden department information, and receiving cost to the burden department specified by the specifying means. A facsimile apparatus comprising: an output unit that outputs information for causing the facsimile reception unit to output information for causing the facsimile reception unit to not specify a burden department; 2. A confidential data storage unit for setting, for each confidential data storage unit for receiving confidential data of a facsimile, a department that bears the reception cost; and a confidential data storage unit set by the setting unit. Storage means for storing burden department information for each, and identification means for identifying the burden department corresponding to the confidential data storage unit based on the stored burden department information when confidential data is received; An output unit that outputs information for causing the receiving unit to bear the receiving cost specified by the unit; and a prohibiting unit that prohibits print output of the confidential data of the facsimile when the specifying unit does not specify the paying unit. Facsimile machine having 3. Temporary setting means for setting a department to bear the reception cost when printout of received data or confidential data is prohibited by the prohibiting means; If set,
The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a permission unit configured to release prohibition of the print output and permit manual print output. 4. In a state in which printing of received data or confidential data is prohibited by the prohibiting means, and when the remaining capacity of the memory storing the data falls below a predetermined value, the prohibition of the printing output is released. Further comprising a forced output means for printing out the received data or the confidential data.
A facsimile apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a post-setting unit for setting a department that bears the reception cost when reception data or confidential data is printed out by the compulsory output unit.