JP2003283782A - Communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication terminal capable of properly managing information disabling of transmission due to the case of redial-over or the like. <P>SOLUTION: A main control section 11 stores an image read by a read section 13 to an image memory 18 and a communication section 15 transmits the image to a destination. However, in the case of abnormity of transmission such as redial-over wherein normal transmission cannot be made to the destination regardless of redialing e.g. several times, the main control section 11 keeps storage of the image to the image memory 18 for the storage period. It is possible to set the storage period for each transmission job. Manual transmission is available by a user from an operation section 12 within the prescribed period. When the storage period is terminated, after transmission is tried the prescribed number of times, the image is deleted to release the image memory. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a communication terminal device for communicating with a partner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a communication terminal device such as a facsimile device, when transmitting information to a destination, for example, when the destination cannot communicate due to busyness, the communication terminal device has a certain level of communication. It has a redial function that resends after a certain period of time. With this redial function, if information cannot be transmitted to the other party even after retransmitting a predetermined number of times (hereinafter referred to as redial over), the memory is stored so that other information is not hindered. The information to be sent is deleted to make it available.

However, the fact that the redial-over has occurred does not mean that the information is unnecessary, and it is often the case that the information to be transmitted is re-read and generated and transmitted. Therefore, it is considered that the information to be transmitted is retained as it is after redial-over.

When information is retained after redial-over as described above, the user needs to perform an operation for transmission when transmitting again. However, there are cases in which the user is left without noticing that redial-over has occurred, or forgets the existence of information that has been redial-over. As a result, such neglected or forgotten information may remain in the device forever, which may be a factor to reduce the storage capacity of the device.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is possible to appropriately manage information that could not be transmitted in the case of redial over. It is intended to provide.

[0006]

According to the present invention, in a communication terminal device, communication means for communicating with a partner, storage means for holding information to be transmitted, and the information to the partner via the communication means. And a control means for holding the information in the storage means for a predetermined holding period when the information cannot be sent. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a period for holding information in the case of failure in transmission, such as in the case of redial-over in which transmission is not possible even after a predetermined number of retransmissions. For example, information that has been left abandoned or forgotten can be deleted after the retention period has elapsed to free up the capacity of the storage unit, reducing the effect on other transmission jobs, etc. Can be managed.

Such a holding period of information that could not be transmitted can be set by, for example, the setting means, and the information that could not be transmitted can be held in the storage means for the holding period set by the setting means. You can In particular, the holding period can be set for each transmission job. This makes it possible to manage the retention period for each transmission job. For example, the retention period is set long for the information that you absolutely want to transmit, and shortened if you have other information transmission means. It is possible to set the retention period according to each transmission job, such as setting.

Further, the holding period of the information that could not be transmitted can be set for each transmission job according to the other party. For example, it is possible to automatically set the length of the holding period, including whether or not to hold the information that could not be transmitted, depending on the locality (line condition) or the importance of the other party. This makes it possible to appropriately manage the holding period for each transmission job according to the other party.

Further, when the information cannot be transmitted to the other party, the information is retained for the retaining period, and when the retaining period of the information has passed, the information is deleted from the storage means after the transmission to the other party is attempted. Can be configured to. The end of the holding period is longer than the time point at which the communication failed before. Therefore, it is considered that the probability of successful communication with the other party is high. Therefore, when the holding period has passed, by automatically attempting communication,
The probability of completing the transmission of information can be increased.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a communication terminal device of the present invention. In the figure, 11 is a main control unit, 12 is an operation unit, 13 is a reading unit, 14 is a recording unit,
Reference numeral 15 is a communication unit, 16 is an NCU, 17 is a modem, 18 is an image memory, 19 is RAM, 20 is a redial-over job table, 21 is ROM, and 22 is a bus.

The main control unit 11 controls the entire communication terminal device and realizes copy operation, transmission operation such as image transmission / reception, and reception operation. In the image transmitting operation, the communication unit 15 makes a call to the other party and transmits the image after the line connection. At this time, if the communication cannot be normally completed, the redial operation is performed a predetermined number of times. Further, if the communication cannot be normally completed even after the redialing is performed a predetermined number of times, the image memory 18 is held for another holding period. As a result, even after redial-over, it is not necessary to read the document again by the reading unit 13, and the document can be transmitted. That is, the image stored in the image memory 18 can be transmitted by the user's instruction of transmission from the operation unit 12. It should be noted that the same control can be performed in the case where the transmission cannot be normally terminated other than the redial-over, but in the following description, the redial-over will be described as an example.

The image holding period when the communication cannot be normally terminated can be determined in advance or can be set by the user through the operation unit 12. The setting can be configured to accept the setting of the holding time for each transmission job in addition to the holding time for the whole. Of course, it is possible to set not to hold (or hold time is 0). Alternatively, the holding period can be set in accordance with the other party, for example, by increasing the holding period for an area with a lot of errors or a highly important party. Also in this case,
It is possible to set not to hold (or hold time is 0). Note that a transmission job that could not be transmitted normally, such as redial-over, is performed in the RAM 1 for example.
It can be managed by using the redial over job table 20 in FIG.

When it is detected that the holding period has expired, transmission of the image is tried a predetermined number of times (for example, once). Since more time has passed since the earlier transmission such as redial, the probability of successful communication with the other party is high at this point. If the communication is still not completed normally, the image is deleted from the image memory 18. As a result, the image stored for a long period of time is erased, and the area of the image memory 18 is freed up for other transmission jobs or received images. Whether or not to attempt transmission at the end of this holding period can be configured to follow the setting. When deleting an image, a message may be displayed on the display unit of the operation unit 12, or the message may be recorded and output from the recording unit 14.

The operation unit 12 is composed of a display unit and an input unit, and the display unit can display various information such as a message to the user, the state of the device, and operation guidance. Further, the input means allows the user to make various settings and instructions. For example, the user can set, as the settings of the entire transmission job, whether or not to save the image at the time of redialing over, and the setting of the retention period used by default when saving. At this time, for example, it is possible to set the condition of the other party and set the holding period for each condition. It is also possible to set whether to attempt communication at the end of the storage period.

Further, the user can set the telephone number (FAX number) of the other party at the time of image transmission and various functions at the time of image transmission, and give an instruction to start transmission. In this, for example, it is possible to set a holding period in the case of redial over in the transmission job. of course,
It is also possible to use a preset holding period. It is also possible to set whether or not to retain the image of the transmission job at the time of redial-over, and whether to attempt communication at the end of the retention period for the transmission job. Further, it is also possible to instruct to start transmission for a transmission job that has been redialed and is being saved.
Of course, the operation unit 12 allows the user to make various settings and instructions in addition to these.

Under the control of the main control unit 11, the reading unit 13 reads an image on a document in a transmission operation, a copy operation, or the like. The reading method is arbitrary, and various methods such as an ADF type for reading an original while conveying the original, a book type for placing the original on a platen glass and reading the original in a stationary state can be adopted. Further, the recording unit 14 records the image received by the communication unit 15 in the receiving operation, the image read by the reading unit 13 in the copying operation, various management information, a message to the user, etc. under the control of the main control unit 11. Record on paper. The recording method is arbitrary, and various methods such as an electrophotographic method, a heat-sensitive method, a thermal transfer method, and an inkjet method can be adopted.

The communication unit 15 communicates with the other party's device via, for example, a public line or a private line. NCU16
Controls the line, etc. The NCU 16 has an auto-dial function and makes a call to the other party according to an instruction from the main control unit 11. The modem 17 also performs modulation / demodulation of data such as images to be transmitted / received.

The image memory 18 stores an image to be transmitted, an image received, an image read by the reading unit 13, an image being processed, and the like. The image at the time of redial or after redial over is also stored and saved in the image memory 18. When storing an image, it may be stored as it is, or may be encoded and stored in order to store more images.

The RAM 19 is used when data needs to be stored in the processing of the main control unit 11 and other units.
Further, the ROM 21 stores a program that defines the operation of the main control unit 11 and fixed data.

The RAM 19 stores a redial-over job table 20 for managing a redial-over transmission job. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the redial over job table. In the example shown in FIG. 2, it is configured by a job number (No.) for identifying each transmission job, information regarding the transmission destination of the transmission job, and the expiration date and time of the holding period. Of course, various other information such as a pointer to an image in the image memory 18 or a pointer to information about a transmission job is also stored. Further, various information such as a setting function at the time of transmission may be included in the redial over job table 20.

In the example of the redial-over job table 20 shown in FIG. 2, the job number may be any number as long as the transmission job in the redial-over job table 20 can be identified. The destination stores, for example, a telephone number (FAX number) or a destination name, or a group name in the case of broadcast communication. The date and time when the retention period ends is stored in the retention period expiration date and time. This retention period expiration date and time can be obtained by adding the retention period to the transmission start date and time or the redial end date and time. Of course, it is only necessary to store the information necessary for managing the holding period, for example, by storing the holding period and managing the period.

This redial over job table 2
0 can be used to detect the end of the retention period based on the expiration date and time of the retention period as described above, but in addition to this, for example, when the user instructs retransmission within the retention period after redial-over, Can be used. For example, when the retransmission is instructed, the information in the redial over job table 20 may be displayed in a list on the display device of the operation unit 12, and the user may select from the list.

The bus 22 includes a main control unit 11, an operation unit 12,
Reading unit 13, recording unit 14, communication unit 15 (NCU 16, modem 17), image memory 18, RAM 19, ROM 21
Etc. are mutually connected to enable data transfer between them. In addition to these, various devices such as an external storage device and various interfaces may be connected to the bus 22. For example, by providing an external interface for connecting to an external computer, etc., directly or
It can be configured to exchange information such as images via the AN.

Next, the operation at the time of transmission in the embodiment of the communication terminal device of the present invention will be described. Before sending, the settings such as whether to save the image at the time of redial over, the setting of the saving period used by default when saving, and whether to try sending at the end of the saving period are made in advance. Done. In the following description, it is assumed that whether or not to save the image at the time of redial-over is inquired to the user and designated for each transmission job. Further, it is assumed that the internal setting is a setting for not saving the image, and when the image is saved, the setting is changed to the setting for saving. Of course, in addition to the setting for inquiring the user, it is also possible to set not to save in all transmission jobs and to save in all transmission jobs.

3 and 4 are flowcharts showing an example of the operation at the time of transmission in the embodiment of the communication terminal apparatus of the present invention. When transmitting an image, the user sets the original on the reading unit 13 and inputs the telephone number (FAX number) of the other party from the operation unit 12 and then S
At 21, the transmission start is instructed. When the transmission start is instructed, the user is inquired in S22 whether or not to save the image at the time of redialing. On the other hand, in S23, the user instructs from the operation unit 12 whether or not to save the image at the time of redialing. S24
At, it is determined whether or not an instruction from the user is a setting for saving an image when redialing over. If it is instructed not to save, the process proceeds to S31 of FIG. 4 and moves to the transmission operation.

When the user gives an instruction to save the image at the time of redial-over, the user is inquired about the saving period in S25. On the other hand, in S26, the user inputs the retention period or instructs to use the default retention period. In S27, it is determined which instruction has been made, and when the use of the default storage period is instructed, the image storage function at the time of redial over is turned on and the default storage period is set as the storage period in S28. To do. In addition, S26
When the storage period is input in step S29, the image storage function at the time of redial over is turned on and the input storage period is set as the storage period in step S29.

By such an operation, the user can set, for each transmission job, whether or not the image is saved at the time of redial-over, and the saving period when the image is saved. For example, if you want to send the image you want to send, set a long save period as a setting to save it, and if you do not hurry, do not save it and read it again later,
For example, it is possible to use them properly by sending them by other means such as mailing.

As described above, it is possible to set not to save in all transmission jobs and to save in all transmission jobs. In this case, the processing of S22 to S29 is unnecessary, and in the case of setting to save for all transmission jobs, the image saving function at the time of redial over may be turned on in advance.

After these processes are completed, the image on the original is read by the reading unit 13 in S31, and the image memory 1 is read.
Store in 8. After reading, in S32, S3
The image read in 1 is transmitted. That is, the communication unit 15
To call the other party and send the image after the line is connected. In S33, it is determined whether the transmission is successful,
If the transmission is normally completed, the image memory 1 is sent in S41.
The image in 8 is deleted, and the transmission process ends.

When the communication is not completed normally, such as when the other party is busy, the line cannot be connected for some reason such as a failure, or the line is disconnected due to an error during communication. In S34, it is determined whether or not the number of redials has been exceeded, and if it is within the number of redials, after waiting for a predetermined time at the time of redialing in S35, the process returns to S32 and the transmission is executed again. In this way, the redial transmission is executed up to the preset number of redials. If the transmission is normally completed during this time, the image in the image memory 18 is deleted in S41, and the transmission process is ended.

If the transmission cannot be performed normally even after the transmission has been performed a predetermined number of times, S3
In 6, it is determined whether or not the image saving function at the time of redial over is ON, and if it is OFF, the image in the image memory 18 is deleted in S41 without sending, and the sending process ends. . At this time, for example, a communication error may be displayed on the operation unit 12 or may be recorded and output from the recording unit 14.

If it is determined in S36 that the image saving function upon redial-over is ON, the image is saved in the image memory 18 as it is. in this case,
The transmission job is registered in the redial-over job table 20, and the end of the retention period is monitored in S37.

During the storage period, transmission can be performed according to a user's instruction. In S38, it is determined whether or not the user has instructed manual transmission, and if instructed, the process returns to S32 to execute transmission. In the case of this example, transmission is attempted again for the number of redials. Of course, it may be performed only once during the storage period. If the manual transmission is successful, the record of the transmission job in the redial-over job table 20 is deleted. If the manual transmission is not successful and the redial-over occurs again, the record in the redial-over job table 20 is updated at that point to set the retention period again, or It can be used for the storage period.

If the user does not instruct manual transmission, the process returns to S37 and waits until the end of the storage period. When the set retention period of the transmission job ends, in S39, it is determined whether or not the transmission job is finally set to be tried. If the transmission is set to be transmitted last, the transmission is tried a predetermined number of times in S40. Here, as an example, transmission is attempted only once. Since the storage period has elapsed, there is a high probability that the other party will be able to communicate.
The transmission at 40 is likely to succeed. It is assumed that the end of the storage period comes when the user has not instructed the manual transmission although the image has been stored in most cases. Since the image was stored until the end of the storage period, it is effective to try the transmission last. If the transmission succeeds by the communication at the end of the storage period, it may be possible that the user has forgotten that the transmission was instructed. For example, the transmission is completed on the operation unit 12, or the recording unit 14
May be recorded and output from.

When transmission is attempted before the end of the storage period in S40, whether the result is normally transmitted or not, in S41, the image in the image memory 18 is deleted and the process ends. . In addition, when the transmission is not normally performed in S40, for example, a communication error may be displayed on the operation unit 12 or may be recorded and output from the recording unit 14. When the storage period ends and the image in the image memory 18 is deleted, the record of the transmission job in the redial-over job table 20 is also deleted.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing another example of the operation at the time of transmission in the embodiment of the communication terminal device of the present invention. Note that the continuation of the operation shown in FIG. 5 is the same as that in FIG. 4, so illustration and description thereof will be omitted here. In the above operation example, the user gives an instruction for each transmission job as to whether or not to save an image at the time of redial over.
In this example, an example is shown in which it is automatically set according to the other party to be transmitted. It should be noted that it is assumed that the conditions for determining whether or not to save the image at the time of redial-over have been set in advance. This condition setting can be performed by the user from the operation unit 12. For example, an important destination (or an area code indicating the location of the destination) can be set to save the image. Also,
For the other party (or the area code indicating the other party's location, etc.) with a poor line condition, set the condition to save the image when it is assumed that the transmission will not end normally only with the redial. You should keep it. In addition to such settings by the user, conditions such as automatically setting the image save by automatically determining the area (area code) with many communication errors based on the communication history up to that point, etc. It is also possible to make settings.

When performing transmission, the user sets the original on the reading unit 13 as in the above-described operation example, and
After inputting the telephone number (FAX number) of the other party from the operation unit 12, the start of transmission is instructed in S51. When the transmission start is instructed, in S52, the preset condition is determined from the telephone number (FAX number) of the other party input by the user. If it is determined in S53 that the condition is met, in S54, the image saving function at redial-over is turned on. In other cases, the image saving function at the time of redial over is kept OFF. Subsequent processing is as shown and described in FIG.

As a result, the above-mentioned important destinations, destinations in areas where normal transmission is difficult, and other destinations satisfying the conditions cannot be transmitted normally even if transmission is attempted for the number of redials. In this case, it is saved as it is for the preset storage period. The user may perform manual transmission within this storage period to complete the transmission to the other party. Further, even when the user forgets to manually transmit, the transmission is attempted a predetermined number of times at the end of the storage period depending on the setting, so that the probability of completing the transmission is high. In addition, since the images that cannot be transmitted in the image memory are not accumulated indefinitely, the image memory 1
8 can be effectively used.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, whether or not to save an image at the time of redial-over is switched according to preset conditions. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to configure to perform the stepwise setting including the case of not saving.

It is also possible to appropriately combine the above-mentioned two operation examples and their modified examples. For example, when the user uses the default storage period, control such as setting the storage period according to the other party is possible.

In the above description, the case of redial-over is taken as an example, and the image to be transmitted at the time of redial-over is stored for the storage period, and transmission is attempted a predetermined number of times at the end of the storage period. However, these techniques are applicable not only to the case of redial-over but also to the case of abnormal termination of communication for other reasons. That is, when the transmission including the redial-over does not end normally, it is possible to set the retention period to hold the information and to try the transmission at the end of the retention period.

[0042]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, when the transmission cannot be performed normally, such as when the transmission cannot be performed normally even if the transmission is performed for the number of redials, the transmission is performed. By holding the image to be stored for the storage period and instructing the manual transmission by the user, the image can be transmitted without reading again. Further, if the user forgets such manual transmission and the images are accumulated in the image memory 18 as they are, the free space becomes small, which may affect the operation of image transmission / reception and copying. However, since the storage period is set as described above and the information is deleted when the storage period ends, the storage capacity of the image memory can be effectively utilized. further,
The transmission is attempted a predetermined number of times before the image is deleted after the storage period ends, so the probability that the image transmission will be completed normally over time can be improved, and even if the user forgets, the transmission operation will be performed. It can be performed. Furthermore, since it is possible to set whether or not to save the image and the storage period according to the other party, for example, whether to save the image or the storage period is set according to the importance of the other party or the degree of error occurrence. be able to. The present invention thus has various effects.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a communication terminal device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a redial over job table.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation at the time of transmission in the embodiment of the communication terminal device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart (continuation) showing an example of an operation at the time of transmission in the embodiment of the communication terminal device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation at the time of transmission in the embodiment of the communication terminal device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... Main control unit, 12 ... Operation unit, 13 ... Reading unit, 14 ...
Recording unit, 15 ... Communication unit, 16 ... NCU, 17 ... Modem,
18 ... Image memory, 19 ... RAM, 20 ... Redial over job table, 21 ... ROM, 22 ... Bus.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04N 1/21 H04N 1/21

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A communication unit for communicating with a destination, a storage unit for holding information to be transmitted, and a unit for transmitting the information to the destination via the communication unit and predetermining the information when the information cannot be transmitted. The communication terminal device is provided with a control means for making the storage means continue to hold it for the holding period. 2. The apparatus further comprises setting means for setting a retention period of the information, and the control means retains the information which could not be transmitted in the storage means for the retention period set by the setting means. The communication terminal device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The setting unit can set the holding period for each transmission job, and the control unit manages the holding period for each transmission job. Communication terminal equipment. 4. The control means sets the holding period according to the other party for each transmission job, and manages the holding period for each transmission job.
The communication terminal device according to. 5. A communication means for communicating with a destination, a storage means for holding information to be transmitted, and a case where the information can be transmitted to the destination via the communication means and cannot be transmitted to the destination. The storage device further includes a control unit that retains the information in the storage unit for a predetermined retention period, and the control unit, after the retention period of the information has elapsed, attempts to transmit to the destination, A communication terminal device, characterized in that information is deleted from the storage means. 6. The control unit holds the information only for a holding period when the transmission to the destination is not possible even after a predetermined number of transmissions. The communication terminal device according to item 1.