JP2011119858A - Facsimile driver program, and information processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a facsimile driver program, along with an information processing apparatus, capable of reducing faults of other specific application programs except a facsimile application program by reception of facsimile data. <P>SOLUTION: The information processing apparatus is functioned as: a receiver for receiving at least incoming call notification, and the facsimile data from facsimile equipment; a determinator for determining whether other specific application programs are executed when the incoming call notification is received by the receiver; and a restriction means for restricting the reception of the facsimile data by the information processing apparatus in comparison with the case when it is determined that other specific application program are not executed when it is determined that other specific application programs are executed by the determinator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a facsimile driver program and an information processing apparatus.

Conventionally, a document file created by a personal computer (PC) is transmitted to a facsimile (FAX) apparatus and transmitted from the FAX apparatus to an external FAX apparatus, or FAX data received by the FAX apparatus from an external FAX apparatus is transmitted to a PC. A PC-FAX function for receiving data on the Internet is known.
In a FAX apparatus having such a PC-FAX function, when it is recognized that the power of the PC is OFF when a call is received from an outside line, the PC-FAX mode is changed to a normal operation mode in which the FAX apparatus operates alone. It is known to perform automatic FAX reception and return to PC-FAX mode after reception is complete (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-254956

  However, according to the conventional FAX apparatus, the PC receives FAX data whenever the power of the PC is ON. Since PC computer resources (CPU, RAM, etc.) are often used to receive FAX data, if the PC receives FAX data at any time, other application programs other than the FAX application program are executed on the PC. In some cases, the operation of other application programs may be defective.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile driver program and an information processing apparatus that can reduce the malfunction of a specific application program other than a facsimile application program due to reception of facsimile data. And

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a facsimile driver program, an information processing apparatus that is communicably connected to a facsimile apparatus and executes a facsimile application program and other application programs. , Receiving means for receiving an incoming notification by the receiving means, determining means for determining whether or not the specific other application program is being executed, and determining the specific other application program by the determining means When it is determined that it is being executed, it is made to function as a restricting means for restricting reception of facsimile data by the information processing apparatus as compared with a case where it is determined that it is not being executed.
According to the present invention, the reception of facsimile data by the information processing apparatus is restricted when a specific other application program is being executed. Therefore, the operation of a specific other application program other than the facsimile application program by the reception of the facsimile data is restricted. Defects can be reduced.
Note that the reception of facsimile data by the limiting unit may be limited by limiting the operation of the receiving unit or by limiting the operation of the facsimile driver program. Alternatively, the operation of the facsimile application program may be restricted.
In addition, when a specific other application program is not executed and another application program other than the specific other application program is executed, information is also compared to a case where no other application is executed at all. Reception of facsimile data by the processing device may be restricted.

A second invention is the facsimile driver program of the first invention, wherein the restricting means determines that the specific other application program is not executed by the judging means, and the information processing apparatus The reception of facsimile data by is not restricted.
According to the present invention, when a specific other application program is not executed, reception of facsimile data by the information processing apparatus is not restricted, so that the information processing apparatus can receive facsimile data as usual.

A third invention is the facsimile driver program according to the first or second invention, wherein the determination means determines that the priority set in another currently executed application program is higher than the reference priority. , It is determined that the specific other application program is being executed.
According to the present invention, a priority higher than the reference priority is set for another application program for which the reception of facsimile data by the information processing apparatus is restricted during execution. Can be limited.

A fourth invention is a facsimile driver program according to the third invention, wherein the information processing apparatus executes an operating system and an application program under the operating system, and the operating system is an application program. The priority is set to the application program according to the priority, and the determination means includes the priority set by the operating system for the other application program and the reference priority. Judgment is made by comparing.
In general, an operating system tends to set a higher priority for an application program that may cause malfunction if the information processing apparatus receives facsimile data during execution. Therefore, if the priority order set by the operating system is compared with the reference priority order, it becomes unnecessary for the user to set the priority order of the application program, and the malfunction of specific other application programs due to reception of facsimile data. Can be reduced.

A fifth invention is a facsimile driver program according to any one of the third to fourth inventions, wherein the information processing device sets a priority set for each transmission source of facsimile data received by the facsimile device. The reference priority order is a priority order set as a transmission source of facsimile data received by the facsimile apparatus.
According to the present invention, even if a specific other application program being executed is the same, whether or not to restrict the reception of facsimile data can be varied depending on the transmission source of the facsimile data.

A sixth invention is the facsimile driver program according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the limiting means determines that the specific other application program is being executed by the determining means Does not allow the information processing apparatus to receive facsimile data.
According to the present invention, when the specific other application program is being executed, the information processing apparatus does not receive the facsimile data, so that the malfunction of the specific other application program due to the reception of the facsimile data can be more reliably reduced. .

A seventh invention is a facsimile driver program according to the sixth invention, wherein the facsimile device continuously sends incoming notifications to the information processing device and there is no response to a series of incoming notifications continuously sent. Repeats transmission of the series of incoming notifications until a predetermined number of times is reached, and count means for counting the number of times the series of incoming notifications are received from the facsimile apparatus, and the number of times counted by the counting means is When the predetermined number of times is reached, the information processing apparatus is caused to function as selection means for causing the user to select whether the information processing apparatus receives facsimile data or prints the facsimile data on the image forming apparatus.
When the reception of the facsimile data is restricted by not receiving the facsimile data, if the reception of the facsimile data remains restricted even after a series of incoming notifications reaches a predetermined number of times, the facsimile data is damaged.
According to the present invention, when a series of incoming notifications reaches a predetermined number of times, the user selects whether the information processing apparatus receives facsimile data or prints the facsimile data on the image forming apparatus. It can be prevented from being damaged.

An eighth invention is the facsimile driver program of the seventh invention, wherein the determining means determines that the specific other application program is being executed and the restricting means sends facsimile data to the information processing apparatus. If not received, the information processing apparatus is caused to function as notification means for notifying the user of the specific other application program of the remaining time until the next series of incoming notifications is received.
According to the present invention, the remaining time until the next series of incoming notifications is received is notified to the user, so that the user who is executing a specific other application program can execute the application program before the remaining time elapses. By terminating the operation, it is possible to more reliably reduce malfunctions of specific other application programs due to reception of facsimile data.

A ninth invention is the facsimile driver program according to the eighth invention, wherein the notification means monitors the end of the other specific application program being executed, and the next series after the application program ends. The remaining time until receiving the incoming notification is notified.
According to the present invention, since the remaining time is notified when the execution of the specific other application program is finished, the user does not restart the specific other application program until the remaining time elapses, so that the facsimile data It is possible to more reliably reduce malfunctions of specific other application programs due to the reception of.

A tenth invention is the facsimile driver program according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the limiting means determines that the specific other application program is being executed by the determining means. Causes the facsimile data to be received at a lower reception speed than when it is determined that it has not been executed.
According to the present invention, when it is determined that a specific other application program is being executed, the facsimile data is received at a lower reception speed than when it is determined that it is not being executed. It is possible to reduce malfunctions in the operation of specific other application programs.

An eleventh invention is a facsimile driver program according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the information processing apparatus executes an operating system and an application program under the operating system, The operating system sets priorities for application programs and allocates computer resources to the application programs according to the priorities, and the restricting means executes the specific other application program by the determining means. If it is determined, the operating system lowers at least one of the priority set in the facsimile application program and the facsimile driver program.
When the priority set for the application program by the operating system is lowered, the computer resources allocated to the application program are reduced. As a result, the operation of the application program is restricted. Accordingly, when the priority of at least one of the facsimile application program and the facsimile driver program is lowered, reception of facsimile data is restricted.

A twelfth aspect of the invention is an information processing apparatus that is communicably connected to a facsimile machine and executes a facsimile application program and other application programs, and a receiving means for receiving at least an incoming call notification and facsimile data from the facsimile machine And when receiving the incoming notification by the receiving means, a determining means for determining whether or not the specific other application program is being executed, and the specific other application program being executed by the determining means When it is determined, the information processing apparatus includes a restriction unit that restricts reception of facsimile data by the information processing apparatus as compared with a case where it is determined that the information processing apparatus is not executed.
According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce malfunctions of other specific application programs other than the facsimile application program due to reception of facsimile data.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce malfunctions of other specific application programs other than the facsimile application program due to reception of facsimile data.

The schematic diagram which shows the structure of the information processing apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. The block diagram which shows the logical structure of a FAX driver. The sequence chart which simplifies and shows the sequence of FAX reception. The flowchart which shows the flow of a judgment process. The flowchart which shows the flow of the judgment process which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the flow of the judgment process which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the flow of the process which displays the message which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the flow of the process which sets the automatic incoming call which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the flow of a judgment process.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
(1) Configuration of Printing System (1) Facsimile System FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a personal computer 10 (an example of an information processing apparatus, hereinafter referred to as a PC) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The PC 10 is communicably connected to the multifunction device 20 (an example of a facsimile machine) via a USB (Universal Serial Bus). Note that the PC 10 and the multifunction device 20 may be communicably connected via a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). In the following description, facsimile is abbreviated as FAX.

(1-1) PC Electrical Configuration The PC 10 includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a storage unit 14, a display unit 15, an operation unit 16, a USB interface (USB I / F) 17, and the like.
The CPU 11 (an example of a receiving unit, a determining unit, a limiting unit, a counting unit, a notifying unit, and a selecting unit) controls each unit of the PC 10 by executing various programs stored in the ROM 12 and the storage unit 14. The ROM 12 stores various programs and data to be executed by the CPU 11. The RAM 13 is used as a main storage device for the CPU 11 to execute various processes.

  The storage unit 14 is an external storage device that stores various programs and data using a nonvolatile storage medium such as a hard disk or a flash memory. The storage unit 14 stores an operating system (OS), a FAX application (an example of a facsimile application program), a FAX driver (an example of a facsimile driver program), other application programs, and the like.

The display unit 15 includes a display device such as a CRT or a liquid crystal display.
The operation unit 16 includes an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard.
The USB interface 17 is connected to the multifunction device 20 via a USB cable.

(1-2) Electrical Configuration of Multifunction Device The multifunction device 20 has a FAX transmission / reception function, a print function, a scan function, a copy function, and the like. The multifunction machine 20 includes a control unit 21, a facsimile unit 22, a printer unit 23, a scanner unit 24, an operation unit 25, a USB interface (USB I / F) 26, and the like.

  The control unit 21 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The CPU controls each unit of the multi-function device 20 by executing various programs stored in the ROM. The ROM stores various programs and data to be executed by the CPU. The RAM is used as a main storage device for the CPU to execute various processes.

  The facsimile unit 22 includes a FAX modem 22A and a FAX data storage unit 22B, and is connected to a telephone line. The facsimile unit 22 has a function of causing the printer unit 23 to print the received FAX data, and a function of transmitting image data generated by reading a document with the scanner unit 24 by FAX.

  Furthermore, the FAX modem 22A has a PC-FAX function. The PC-FAX function is a function for transmitting document data or the like transmitted from the PC 10 as FAX data to an external FAX apparatus, or transmitting FAX data received from an external FAX apparatus to the PC 10. In the PC-FAX function, FAX transmission / reception is performed when the PC 10 directly accesses the FAX modem 22A via USB. Data exchange between the PC 10 and the FAX modem 22A is performed using an AT command, for example.

  Furthermore, the FAX modem 22A has a pre-reception function. The pre-reception function is a function in which, when a connection request (incoming call) is received from an external FAX apparatus, the FAX modem 22A automatically receives FAX data and stores the received FAX data in the FAX data storage unit 22B. The facsimile unit 22 stores the facsimile data received from the external FAX apparatus in the FAX data storage unit 22B by this pre-reception function, and transmits an incoming call notification to the PC 10 after the telephone line is disconnected to notify the incoming call.

The printer unit 23 forms an image on a recording medium such as paper by a laser method, an LED method, an ink jet method, or the like.
The scanner unit 24 reads an original with a linear image sensor and generates image data.
The operation unit 25 includes various operation buttons for the user to operate the multi-function device 20 and a display for displaying various information.
The USB interface 26 is connected to the PC 10 via a USB cable.

(2) Logical Configuration of FAX Driver FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a logical configuration of a FAX system including a FAX driver. The FAX driver 30 includes a driver program 31 and a FAX transmission / reception daemon program 32.
The driver program 31 is a program that relays data between the FAX application 33 and the FAX transmission / reception daemon program 32. When the driver program 31 receives the incoming call notification from the FAX modem 22A, it determines whether or not “specific other application” is being executed on the PC 10, and if it is determined that “specific other application” is being executed. Reception of FAX data by the PC 10 is restricted, and reception of FAX data is not restricted when it is determined that it is not executed. The determination of whether or not “specific other application” is being executed will be described later.

The FAX transmission / reception daemon program 32 is a program that monitors the USB interface 17 and relays data between the driver program 31 and the FAX modem 22A. The FAX transmission / reception daemon program 32 is provided because the USB standard is not configured to voluntarily transmit data from the USB interface 17 side to the application side, and it is necessary to monitor the USB interface 17 from the FAX driver 30 side. Because there is.
For example, when RS-232C is used for the interface with the multifunction machine 20, a relay program such as the FAX transmission / reception daemon program 32 is unnecessary.

(3) Determination of whether or not a specific other application is being executed Whether or not the other application being executed is a “specific other application” is determined by, for example, “specific other application”. If the program name of the application 34 is stored (registered) in advance in the storage unit 14 by the user and the program name of another application 34 being executed is registered in the storage unit 14, “specific other application” May be determined to be executed.

  In this case, if another application 34 that may cause a malfunction in the operation when the PC 10 receives the FAX data is registered as “specific other application”, the FAX data is not displayed while the application 34 is being executed. By restricting reception, it is possible to reduce malfunctions due to reception of FAX data.

  An example of an application that may cause a malfunction in operation due to reception of FAX data is a time-critical application in which execution of processing is time-managed. Specifically, there are, for example, a moving image reproduction application, a music reproduction application, an application that writes data to an optical disc such as a CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable), an application that performs data communication via RS-232C, and the like. In the case of a moving image reproduction application, if a picture for one frame is not displayed or a sound is not generated at a predetermined time, a problem such as frame skipping or sound skipping occurs. The same applies to the music playback application, and the problem of skipping sound occurs. In the case of an application that writes data on an optical disc, the data does not keep up with the rotation of the optical disc, causing a problem of a write error. In the case of an application that performs data communication via RS-232C, there is a problem in that data is missed.

  Applications that may cause malfunctions due to reception of FAX data are not limited to time-critical applications. For example, GUI applications such as image editing software and word processors use a lot of computer resources due to reception of FAX data. And the user's response to the operation becomes dull, so that some users may feel a problem.

Further, for example, the determination may be made based on the priority order set by the OS to the other application 34. Generally, the OS sets priorities for applications in order to determine the allocation of computer resources to each application. An example of priorities set by the OS to the application is shown below. In this example, the priority is lowered from top to bottom.
REALTIME_PRIORITY_CLASS
HIGH_PRIORITY_CLASS
NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS
IDLE_PRIORITY_CLASS

  In general, the OS tends to set a higher priority (for example, HIGH_PRIORITY_CLASS) for an application that may cause malfunction if the PC 10 receives FAX data during execution. For this reason, a priority order (reference priority order) to be used as a reference is set in advance, and the FAX driver 30 determines that the priority level set for the other application 34 being executed is higher than the reference priority order. It may be determined that “another application” is being executed.

  In general, the OS tends to set a lower priority (for example, NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS) in the FAX driver 30 than an application that may cause malfunction if the PC 10 receives FAX data during execution. The priority set in the driver 30 may be used as the reference priority. The reference priority order may be the priority order set by the OS in the FAX application 33, or the user may arbitrarily set the reference priority order.

(4) Fax Reception Sequence FIG. 3 is a sequence chart showing a simplified FAX reception sequence.
When the FAX modem 22A receives a connection request from an external FAX device via a telephone line, the FAX modem 22A connects the line to receive FAX data, and stores the received FAX data in the FAX data storage unit 22B. The FAX modem 22A disconnects the line when reception is completed. After disconnecting the line, the FAX modem 22A transmits an incoming call notification (RING) to the FAX driver 30.

  Upon receiving the RING from the FAX modem 22A, the FAX driver 30 executes a determination process for determining whether or not “specific other application” is being executed on the PC 10. If the FAX driver 30 determines that “specific other application” is not being executed in the determination process, the FAX driver 30 transmits a RING to the FAX application 33 as illustrated.

  When receiving the RING from the FAX driver 30, the FAX application 33 transmits a forced incoming command (ATA command) to the FAX modem 22A.

When the FAX modem 22A receives an ATA command from the PC 10, the FAX modem 22A transmits the FAX data stored in the FAX data storage unit 22B to the PC 10. As a result, the FAX application 33 receives the FAX data.
On the other hand, if the FAX driver 30 determines that “specific other application” is being executed in the determination process described above, the FAX driver 30 does not transmit a RING to the FAX application 33. If the RING is not transmitted to the FAX application 33, the ATA command is not transmitted from the FAX application 33 to the FAX modem 22A. As a result, the FAX modem 22A does not transmit FAX data to the PC 10. That is, reception of FAX data by the PC 10 is restricted.

(5) Determination Process FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the determination process described above. In the following description, the FAX driver 30 refers to the CPU 11 that executes the FAX driver 30. The same applies to the FAX application 33 and other applications 34.

In S101, the FAX driver 30 determines whether or not the received data is a RING. If the received data is a RING, the process proceeds to S102, in which data other than the RING (for example, FAX data or FAX for an AT command transmitted to the FAX modem 22A). If the result code is a result code from the modem 22A, the process proceeds to S109.
In S102, the FAX driver 30 determines whether or not the FAX modem 22A has the pre-reception function described above. If the FAX modem 22A has the pre-reception function, the process proceeds to S103. If not, the process proceeds to S109. . If the pre-reception function is not provided, the FAX driver 30 transmits RING to the FAX application 33. When the pre-reception function is provided, since data transmission / reception via the telephone line has already been completed, there is no problem even if data transmission to the FAX application 33 is delayed by the processing described later. However, if the pre-reception function is not provided, the data transmission / reception via the telephone line has not been completed. Therefore, if the data transmission to the FAX application is delayed, the data reception itself from the transmission source is rejected. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the present invention is applied only when the pre-reception function is provided by the process of S102.

In S103, the FAX driver 30 determines whether or not the number of skips is less than a predetermined number. Hereinafter, the skip count will be described.
The FAX modem 22A transmits RING to the PC 10 when receiving FAX data from the telephone line. This RING is sent at one-second intervals until an ATA command is sent from the PC 10. If an ATA command is not sent from the PC 10 side even if this RING is transmitted a predetermined number N (for example, 10 times), it is determined that the PC 10 side is not ready for reception, and the transmission of the RING is terminated once. RING transmission is started again later (for example, after 10 minutes). Here, a RING that is transmitted at a maximum of N times at intervals of 1 second is denoted as one set of RINGs. If the PC 10 does not respond further, it transmits a maximum of M sets (for example, 5 sets) (referred to as retry), and then determines that an error has occurred and causes the printer unit 23 to perform printing. The predetermined number N and the maximum number of retries M are set in the FAX modem 22A via the FAX driver 30.

The FAX driver 30 counts the number of skips, and resets the number of skips to 0 (zero) when an ATA command is received from the FAX application 33 and when reception of the last set of RINGs is completed.
The FAX driver 30 proceeds to S104 when the skip count is less than the predetermined count, and proceeds to S112 when the skip count is the predetermined count. In other words, in the present embodiment, the process proceeds to S112 when the first RING out of a predetermined number of one set of RINGs (last one set of RINGs) is received. The FAX driver 30 ignores the second and subsequent RINGs out of a predetermined number of sets of RINGs. This is to prevent the process of S112 from being executed many times in a short time. The predetermined number of times is set to a value that does not exceed the maximum number of retries M, and it is desirable that the two coincide.

In S104, the FAX driver 30 determines whether or not the current time is included in a designated time zone designated in advance. If the user is determined to work intensively on the PC 10 and does not wish to receive FAX data during that time, the user can designate the time as a designated time in advance in the FAX driver 30. . If the current time when the RING is received from the FAX modem 22A is included in the designated time zone, the FAX driver 30 sends a RING to the FAX application 33 regardless of whether or not “specific other application” is being executed. Do not send. As a result, the user can be prevented from receiving FAX data during a specified time period.
The FAX driver 30 proceeds to S110 if the current time is included in the designated time zone, and proceeds to S105 if it is not included.

  In S105, the FAX driver 30 first queries the OS for another application 34 currently being executed. Next, the FAX driver 30 selects one other application 34 currently being executed, and obtains the priority order set for the selected other application 34 and the program name of the application from the OS. In the figure, the program name and priority are indicated as “application information”. The processing from S105 to S108 is a loop processing, and the FAX driver 30 selects another application 34 that has not been selected every time the processing of S105 is executed.

  In S106, the FAX driver 30 determines whether or not the priority order set for the selected other application 34 is higher than the priority order (reference priority order) set for the FAX driver 30, and is higher than the reference priority order. In this case, it is determined that the application is “specific other application”, and the process proceeds to S110.

  In S107, the FAX driver 30 determines whether or not the program name of the selected other application 34 is stored (registered) in the storage unit 14, and if it is registered, it is “specific other application”. Determine and proceed to S110. On the other hand, if it is not registered in the storage unit 14, the FAX driver 30 determines that it is not “specific other application” and proceeds to S108.

In S108, the FAX driver 30 determines whether or not the determination has been completed for all the applications that are being executed. If completed, the process proceeds to S109. If not completed, the process returns to S105 and repeats the process.
In S <b> 109, the FAX driver 30 transmits data to the FAX application 33.

In S110, the FAX driver 30 displays a warning message on the display unit 15 that "transmission of incoming notification will be retried after T minutes later. Do not execute a new application" (an example of notification). This notification may be performed by voice guidance, for example. T is the number of minutes until RING is retried.
When the FAX driver 30 performs this warning display with any one RING of one set of RINGs, this warning display is displayed even if it is determined that RINGs will not be transmitted to the FAX application 33 for the remaining RINGs in the set. Shall not be performed. This is to prevent the same warning display from being repeated many times in a short time.

In S111, the FAX driver 30 adds 1 to the number of skips and ends the process.
In S <b> 112, the FAX driver 30 displays a selection dialog on the display unit 15 for allowing the user to select whether the FAX data is received by the PC 10 or to be printed by the multifunction device 20. The FAX driver 30 proceeds to S <b> 113 when the user selects any one or when a certain time elapses without selection by the user.

  In S113, it is determined whether or not “Receive FAX data” is selected. If “Receive FAX data” is selected, the process proceeds to S109, where the FAX data is received, and on the other hand, the MFP 20 is selected to print. Advances to S114. If a certain time has elapsed without selection by the user, FAX data is received, but it is assumed that it has been selected, and the process proceeds to S109.

  In S114, the FAX driver 30 displays a warning on the display unit 15 to the effect that reception of FAX data has failed. At this time, the multifunction device 20 determines that the PC-FAX reception has failed, and causes the printer unit 23 to print the FAX data stored in the FAX data storage unit 22B.

(6) Effects of the Embodiment According to the FAX driver 30 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention described above, the reception of FAX data by the PC 10 is restricted during execution of “specific other application”. If an application that may cause malfunctions due to reception is set as the above-mentioned “specific other application”, reception of FAX data is restricted during execution of the application, thereby reducing the possibility of malfunctions occurring. it can.

  Further, according to the FAX driver 30, when the priority set for the other application 34 being executed is higher than the reference priority, it is determined that the “specific other application” is being executed. In this case, according to the FAX driver 30, the priority order set by the OS to the other application 34 is used. Therefore, if FAX data is received while setting the priority order by the user is unnecessary, a malfunction may occur. It is possible to reduce malfunctions of the operation of another application 34.

  Further, according to the FAX driver 30, since the priority set by the OS to the FAX driver 30 is used as the reference priority, if the FAX data is received while setting the reference priority by the user is unnecessary, there is a problem in the operation. It is possible to reduce malfunctions of other applications 34 that may occur.

  Further, according to the FAX driver 30, the PC 10 includes the storage unit 14 in which “specific other applications” are registered, and the FAX driver 30 has other applications 34 being executed registered in the storage unit 14. In this case, since it is determined that “a specific other application” is being executed, the user registers the other application 34 whose reception of FAX data is desired to be restricted in the storage unit 14 during the execution, thereby the application. During the execution of 34, the reception of FAX data can be restricted.

  Further, according to the FAX driver 30, when it is determined that the reception of the FAX data is restricted, the PC 10 does not receive the FAX data. Therefore, if the FAX data is received, the operation of another application 34 that may cause a malfunction may be caused. Operational defects can be reduced more reliably.

  Further, according to the FAX driver 30, if the FAX data is not received even when the skip count reaches a predetermined number, the FAX data is received regardless of the presence of “specific other application” being executed, or combined. Since the user selects whether to print the FAX data on the machine 20, it is possible to prevent the FAX data from being damaged.

  Further, according to the FAX driver 30, when it is determined that the RING is not transmitted to the FAX application 33, the user is notified of the remaining time until the next set of RINGs is received. In this case, the malfunction of the operation can be more reliably reduced by terminating other applications 34 that may cause malfunction in the operation before the remaining time elapses.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The FAX driver according to the second embodiment does not limit the reception of FAX data by not receiving the FAX data, but limits the reception of FAX data by reducing the reception speed of the FAX data.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of determination processing according to the second embodiment. When receiving the RING from the FAX modem 22A, the FAX driver according to the second embodiment transmits the RING to the FAX application 33 regardless of whether or not “specific other application” is being executed. This processing is started when the FAX application 33 that has received the RING transmits an ATA command to the FAX modem 22A, and in response to the ATA command, the FAX modem 22A transmits FAX data to the FAX driver.

  Here, a case where the FAX modem 22A divides FAX data into a plurality of pieces and transmits them in order will be described as an example. In addition, here, the processes that are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

In S201, the FAX driver determines whether or not the reception of FAX data has been completed. If not, the process proceeds to S105, and if completed, the process proceeds to S204.
In S202, the FAX driver reduces the capacity of the reception buffer for temporarily storing received FAX data. When the capacity of the reception buffer is reduced, the FAX driver notifies the FAX modem 22A of the fact, and thereafter the FAX modem 22A transmits the FAX data by dividing it into a data amount within the capacity. The process of reducing the capacity of the reception buffer is not performed every time S202 is executed, but is performed only when the first FAX data (first data among a plurality of pieces of FAX data) is received.

  In S203, the FAX driver increases the FAX data reception interval. In this case as well, the FAX driver is notified of the fact to the FAX modem 22A, and thereafter the FAX modem 22A transmits FAX data at an interval corresponding to the changed reception interval. The process of increasing the reception interval is not performed every time S203 is executed, but is performed only when the first FAX data (the first data among the plurality of FAX data divided) is received.

In S204, the FAX driver returns the capacity of the reception buffer to the capacity when the reception of FAX data is not restricted (default capacity).
In step S205, the FAX driver returns the reception interval to the interval when the reception of FAX data is not restricted (default interval).

  According to the FAX driver according to the second embodiment of the present invention described above, the capacity of the reception buffer is smaller when it is determined that “specific other application” is being executed than when it is determined that it is not being executed. Therefore, the reception time per time is shortened, and the computer resources are not occupied continuously for a long time by receiving FAX data. As a result, the average speed of FAX data reception by the PC 10 is limited (reception speed decreases), and it is possible to reduce malfunctions of other applications 34 that may cause malfunctions when the FAX data is received.

  Further, according to this FAX driver, when it is determined that “specific other application” is being executed, the FAX data reception interval is made longer than when it is determined that it is not being executed. The rate at which FAX data reception occupies computer resources decreases. As a result, the average speed of FAX data reception by the PC 10 is limited (reception speed decreases), and it is possible to reduce malfunctions of other applications 34 that may cause malfunctions when the FAX data is received.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The FAX driver according to the third embodiment sets a priority order for each telephone number in advance and stores it in the storage unit 14, and has the highest priority order among the priority orders set for the other running applications 34. Is compared with the priority set for the telephone number of the FAX data transmission source (an example of the standard priority), and when the highest priority is higher than the priority set for the telephone number of the transmission source, It is determined that the “specific other application” is being executed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of determination processing according to the third embodiment. Here, processes substantially the same as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. In addition, the determination of the designated time zone is omitted here.
In S301, the FAX driver obtains the priority order from the OS for all other applications 34 being executed. In the figure, the priority is indicated as “application information”.
In S302, the FAX driver compares the highest priority among the priorities of other applications 34 acquired from the OS with the priority set in the telephone number of the FAX data transmission source, and the highest priority is obtained. If it is higher than the priority set for the telephone number of the transmission source, the process proceeds to S110, and if it is lower than the priority set for the telephone number of the transmission source, the process proceeds to S109.

  According to the FAX driver according to the third embodiment of the present invention described above, whether or not to limit reception of FAX data is set as the FAX data transmission source even if the “specific other application” being executed is the same. Can be different depending on the case.

<Embodiment 4>
Next, Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the first to third embodiments, the time T is displayed in S110 shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment when “Will receive an incoming fax data notification in T minutes later. Do not execute a new application” is displayed. Although the retry time is displayed, in the fourth embodiment, no warning is displayed until the running application is finished, and when the running application is finished, the remaining time from that time until the next set of RINGs is received is displayed. indicate.

In step S110, the FAX driver according to the fourth embodiment activates the following thread instead of performing the warning display described in the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process flow of the thread activated in S110.
In step S <b> 401, the FAX driver waits until execution of all “specific other applications” being executed is completed.

In S <b> 402, the FAX driver calculates the remaining time from the end of the last “specific other application” until reception of the next set of RINGs. The remaining time is calculated by the following formula.
Remaining time = Retry time−Standby time in S401 In S403, the FAX driver displays a warning message on the display section 15 that “transmission of incoming notification will be retried after T minutes later. Do not execute a new application”. In this portion T, the remaining time calculated in S402 is displayed.

  According to the FAX driver according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention described above, the remaining time is notified when the execution of the “specific other application” is completed, so that the user of the “specific other application” has the remaining time. By not restarting the application until the elapse of time, it is possible to more reliably reduce the malfunction of the operation of another application 34 that may cause malfunction when the FAX data is received.

<Modifications for automatic incoming calls>
Next, modified examples of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
When the FAX driver according to the modification receives an automatic incoming call setting command from the FAX application 33, the FAX driver does not transmit the automatic incoming call setting command to the FAX modem 22A, and the FAX driver emulates automatic incoming call. The automatic incoming call means that the FAX modem 22A forcibly transmits FAX data to the PC 10 when the FAX modem 22A does not receive an ATA command from the PC 10 even if the FAX modem 22A transmits a RING to the PC 10.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for setting automatic incoming calls. This process is started when the FAX driver receives data from the FAX application 33.
In S501, the FAX driver determines whether or not the received data is an automatic incoming call setting command (ATS0 = y). If it is not an automatic incoming call setting command, the process proceeds to S502. If it is an automatic incoming call setting command, the process proceeds to S503. move on.

In S502, the FAX driver transmits the received data to the FAX modem 22A.
In S503, the FAX driver determines whether the automatic incoming call setting command is a “command to turn automatic incoming call ON (ATS0 = y, y ≧ 1)” or a “command to turn automatic incoming call OFF (ATS0 = 0)”. If it is “command to turn automatic incoming call ON”, the process proceeds to S504, and if it is “command to turn automatic incoming call OFF”, the process advances to S505. N is stored in an internal register.

In step S504, the FAX driver turns on the automatic incoming flag.
In step S505, the FAX driver turns off the automatic incoming flag.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of determination processing according to the modification. Here, the difference from the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment is shown, and the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 is applied to portions not shown in FIG.
In S601, the FAX driver determines whether or not the received data is RING. If it is RING, the process proceeds to S602, and if it is not RING, the process ends.

In S602, the FAX driver determines whether or not the automatic incoming flag is ON. If it is ON, the process proceeds to S603, and if it is OFF, the process ends.
In S603, in the n-th RING, the FAX driver transmits an ATA command to the FAX modem 22A. Note that the processing of counting n times of RING is not related to the present invention, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  According to the FAX driver according to the modified example of the present invention described above, since the “command for turning ON automatic reception” transmitted from the FAX application 33 is not transmitted to the FAX modem 22A, the automatic reception of the FAX modem 22A is originally turned OFF. In the case where the fax modem 22A is set, the automatic incoming call setting of the FAX modem 22A remains OFF. When the “specific other application” is executed, the FAX driver does not transmit the RING to the FAX application 33 even if the RING is received from the FAX modem 22A. Even though the “command to set to ON” is transmitted, the FAX data is not transmitted. At this time, nothing appears to have occurred from the FAX application 33.

On the other hand, if the “specific other application” is not executed, a RING is transmitted from the FAX driver to the FAX application 33. In this case, even if the FAX application 33 does not respond to the RING, the FAX driver sends it to the FAX modem 22A. Since the FAX data is transmitted by automatically transmitting the ATA command, it seems that the automatic incoming call is operating normally.
As described above, according to the FAX driver, if FAX data is received while the FAX application 33 pretends that the automatic incoming call of the FAX modem 22A is set to ON, a malfunction may occur. It is possible to reduce malfunctions of the operation of another application 34.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the case where the reception of FAX data by the PC 10 is restricted only when it is determined that “specific other application” is being executed has been described as an example, but another application 34 is executed on the PC 10. If this is the case, the reception of FAX data may always be restricted.

(2) In the above embodiment, when “specific other application” is executed, the PC 10 is prevented from receiving FAX data, or the buffer capacity is reduced to limit the reception of FAX data by the PC 10. However, if the FAX driver can change the priority order set for the application by the OS, at least one of the priority order set by the OS for the FAX application 33 and the FAX driver may be lowered.
If the priority set by the OS for an application (including a driver) is lowered, the computer resources allocated to the application are reduced, and as a result, the operation of the application is restricted. Accordingly, when the priority order of at least one of the FAX application 33 and the FAX driver is lowered, reception of FAX data is restricted.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the priority set by the OS to the other applications 34 is used as the priority of the other applications 34, but the user may set the priority to the other applications 34.

  (4) In the above embodiment, when the current time when the RING is received is included in the designated time zone, the reception of FAX data is unconditionally restricted. If the “other application” is not executed, reception of FAX data may not be restricted.

(5) In the above embodiment, reception of FAX data is restricted during execution of another application with a high priority, but the application is a specific one designated by the user even with a high priority. May not restrict the reception of FAX data.
For example, a video playback application is a time-critical process, so the priority is usually high. However, the video playback application is less affected by the problem except that it is temporarily difficult to see the video, rather it receives FAX data. In many cases, it is considered more important. This modification can cope with such a case.

10 ... Personal computer 11 ... CPU
12 ... RAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 ... Display part 17 ... USB interface 20 ... MFP 22 ... Facsimile part 22A ... FAX modem 22B ... Data storage part 23 ... Printer part 26 ... USB interface 30 ... FAX driver 31 ... Driver program 32 ... FAX transmission / reception daemon program 33 ... FAX application 34 ... Other applications

Claims (12)

An information processing apparatus that is communicably connected to a facsimile apparatus and executes a facsimile application program and other application programs,
A receiving means for receiving at least an incoming call notification and facsimile data from the facsimile apparatus;
When receiving the incoming notification by the receiving means, a judging means for judging whether or not the specific other application program is being executed;
When the determination unit determines that the other specific application program is being executed, the limiting unit is configured to limit reception of facsimile data by the information processing apparatus as compared to a case where it is determined that the specific other application program is not being executed. Facsimile driver program to function. The facsimile driver program according to claim 1,
The restricting means is a facsimile driver program that does not restrict reception of facsimile data by the information processing apparatus when the determining means determines that the specific other application program is not being executed. A facsimile driver program according to claim 1 or 2,
The determination unit is a facsimile driver program that determines that the specific other application program is being executed when the priority set for the other application program currently being executed is higher than the reference priority. A facsimile driver program according to claim 3,
The information processing apparatus executes an operating system and an application program under the operating system,
The operating system sets priorities for application programs and allocates computer resources to the application programs according to the priorities.
The determination unit is a facsimile driver program that makes a determination by comparing a priority set by the operating system with respect to the other application program and the reference priority. A facsimile driver program according to claim 3 or 4, wherein:
The information processing apparatus includes a storage unit that stores a priority order set for each transmission source of facsimile data received by the facsimile apparatus.
The facsimile driver program, wherein the reference priority is a priority set for a transmission source of facsimile data received by the facsimile apparatus. A facsimile driver program according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The restricting unit is a facsimile driver program that prevents the information processing apparatus from receiving facsimile data when the determining unit determines that the specific other application program is being executed. A facsimile driver program according to claim 6,
The facsimile device continuously transmits incoming notifications to the information processing device, and when there is no response to the continuously transmitted incoming notifications, the facsimile device repeats transmission of the continuous incoming notifications until a predetermined number of times is reached. Yes,
Counting means for counting the number of times the series of incoming notifications are received from the facsimile apparatus;
When the number of times counted by the counting means reaches the predetermined number, the selecting means for selecting the user to select whether the information processing apparatus receives facsimile data or prints the facsimile data on the image forming apparatus. A facsimile driver program that causes an information processing device to function. A facsimile driver program according to claim 7,
If it is determined by the determining means that the specific other application program is being executed and the restricting means does not cause the information processing apparatus to receive facsimile data, the remaining until the next series of incoming notifications is received A facsimile driver program that causes the information processing apparatus to function as notification means for notifying a user of the specific other application program of time. A facsimile driver program according to claim 8,
The notification means is a facsimile driver program that monitors the end of the specific other application program being executed and notifies the remaining time from the end of the application program until the reception of the next series of incoming notifications. A facsimile driver program according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The limiting unit causes the facsimile data to be received at a lower reception speed when the determination unit determines that the specific other application program is being executed than when it is determined that the specific application program is not being executed. , Facsimile driver program. A facsimile driver program according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The information processing apparatus executes an operating system and an application program under the operating system,
The operating system sets priorities for application programs and allocates computer resources to the application programs according to the priorities.
When the determining unit determines that the specific other application program is being executed by the determining unit, at least one of the priority levels set by the operating system in the facsimile application program and the facsimile driver program Facsimile driver program. An information processing apparatus that is communicably connected to a facsimile machine and executes a facsimile application program and other application programs,
A receiving means for receiving at least an incoming call notification and facsimile data from the facsimile apparatus;
When receiving the incoming notification by the receiving means, a judging means for judging whether or not the specific other application program is being executed;
Limiting means for restricting reception of facsimile data by the information processing apparatus when the determination means determines that the specific other application program is being executed, compared to a case where it is determined that the specific application program is not being executed; ,
An information processing apparatus comprising:

Images