JP2996509B2 - Facsimile machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method of operating a facsimile machine.

2. Description of the Related Art Many facsimile apparatuses widely used as simple document communication means have various service functions with office automation.

For example, the service functions at the time of transmission include the following.

(1) Broadcast communication: a function of transmitting one document to a plurality of destinations, which can save the user's labor.

(2) Time-designated transmission: a function of transmitting at a time set by the user. By setting the transmission time at night, the communication fee can be reduced. Further, as an advanced form of this function, there is batch transmission, in which a plurality of documents to be transmitted at a certain time to the same destination can be transmitted collectively by one communication, and furthermore, the communication fee can be reduced. Can be expected.

(3) Confidential transmission: The facsimile machine on the transmission side transmits the document together with the password set by the user. The receiving-side facsimile apparatus stores the received document in a storage medium such as a memory without printing it. Later, the receiving user
When a password matching the password received with the document is input, the document stored in the storage medium is printed. With this function, the received document cannot be viewed by anyone other than the recipient, and the confidentiality of the document can be maintained.

(4) Remote multi-copy: a function for outputting a plurality of copies of a document transmitted to a receiving-side facsimile machine. To achieve this, a method in which a document is transmitted from the facsimile machine on the transmitting side together with the number of transmissions set by the user and the facsimile apparatus on the receiving side outputs the document for the designated number of copies, There is a method of repeating document transmission for the set number of transmission copies. With this function, the user on the receiving side can save the trouble of copying the received document for distribution.

Some of the service functions described above can be used in combination with individual service functions.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a service function setting process in a conventional facsimile machine.

As an example, a case is shown in which broadcast transmission can be used in combination with time-specified transmission and confidential transmission, but confidential transmission and remote multicopy transmission cannot be used in combination with service functions other than time-specified transmission.

In the conventional facsimile machine, first, in step 201,
Display the message "Broadcast transmission" on the operation panel,
Wait for the user to press the YES key or NO key on the operation panel.

If the YES key has been pressed, in step 202, the user is caused to input a plurality of partner numbers using the numeric keys on the operation panel.

Next, in step 203, a message "time designation" is displayed on the operation panel, and if the YES key is pressed, in step 204, the user is caused to input a transmission time using the ten keys on the operation panel.

Finally, in step 205, a message "confidential" is displayed on the operation panel, and if the YES key is pressed,
In step 206, the user is caused to input a password using the numeric keys on the operation panel, and the function setting process ends.

In step 201, if the NO key is pressed,
In step 207, a message "time designation" is displayed on the operation panel, and if the YES key is pressed, in step 208, the user is caused to input the transmission time using the ten keys on the operation panel.

If the NO key is pressed in step 207, a message "confidential" is displayed on the operation panel in step 209, and if the YES key is pressed, the user is prompted on the operation panel in step 210. After the password is entered using the numeric keypad, a message “time designation” is displayed on the operation panel in step 211, and if the YES key is pressed, in step 212, the user is notified of the transmission time using the numeric keypad on the operation panel. Input.

If the NO key is pressed in step 209, a message “remote multi-copy” is displayed on the operation panel in step 213, and if the YES key is pressed, the user After inputting the number of copies using the upper numeric key, step 215
Then, the message "time designation" is displayed on the operation panel, and if the YES key is pressed, in step 216, the user is caused to input the transmission time using the ten keys on the operation panel.

As described above, in the conventional facsimile machine,
The setting operation of the service function was complicated.

Therefore, as a device for storing operation procedures that are frequently set, there is a device as described in JP-A-61-276474.

In this facsimile apparatus, operation procedures that are frequently set are stored as a program, and by pressing a program key provided on an operation panel, a service function can be set according to the stored operation procedures. .

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In each of the above-described prior arts, a function name unique to a facsimile apparatus, such as “broadcast transmission”, is used to allow a user to set a service function. For this reason, it is necessary for the user to understand the name of the service function to be used by using a manual or the like.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the conventional technique needs to include a series of function setting processing for each service function.
When the functions are combined, the processing becomes complicated, and the scale of software to be processed increases.

For this reason, when combining functions, there is a facsimile machine in which setting processing of one service function is not possible by setting processing of the other service function.

For example, in the conventional facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 2, if broadcast transmission is selected first (step 201), time-specified transmission can also be selected (step 203), but if time-specified transmission is selected first (step 201). 207), broadcast transmission cannot be selected.

In other words, the user needs to know which service function must be selected first when using a combination of service functions.

Furthermore, in the above-described conventional technology, only a function that can be combined with the service function selected first by the user is selected in a series of setting processing, so that the user cannot set another function to be combined and the processing ends. The user is not informed whether functions can be combined, and the usability is poor.

As described above, the conventional facsimile apparatus allows the user to select a service function on the premise that the user is reading the manual, and thereafter executes a series of setting processing for each service function, so that the user has time to understand the manual. The user without the service could not use the service function sufficiently.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile apparatus that can use an effective service function without a user reading a manual.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a setting function storage unit for storing a service function to be used and parameters necessary for the service function, and a service function for each service function. An operation message storage unit for storing an instruction as to whether or not to use the function and a message for prompting the user to input parameters necessary for the service function; and sequentially displaying the messages stored in the operation message storage unit. When an instruction is given to use the corresponding service function and parameters required for the service function are input, operation information input for registering the service function and parameters required for the service function in the setting function storage unit A competition condition storage unit for storing information on the possibility of combination of each service function; A conflict message storage unit that stores a message to indicate that the combination of functions is not possible, based on the service function registered in the setting function storage unit and the information stored in the competition condition storage unit, It is determined whether there is a conflicting service function among the service functions instructed to be used, and if there is a conflicting service function,
A facsimile apparatus having a contention stabilizing unit for displaying a message stored in the contention message storage unit.

Further, in addition to the above-described configuration, the facsimile apparatus of the present invention may further include a service function registered in the setting function storage unit and a message indicating a service function instructed to be used based on a parameter required for the service function. It is possible to have a setting function display section for generating and displaying.

It should be noted that among the messages stored in the operation message storage unit, a message for prompting an instruction as to whether or not to use the service function should be a text explaining the operation of the service function. It can be made to be a message expressing whether or not it is in a question format.

The setting function display unit has, for example, a parameter portion as a variable unit, and prepares a fixed message for explaining the operation of the service function. It can be generated by inserting the set parameters.

[Operation] When setting the service function to be used by the user, the operation information input unit first displays the messages stored in the operation message storage unit on the operation panel sequentially.

The message to be displayed is, for example, a sentence explaining the operation of the service function, and is a message expressing whether or not to perform the operation in a question format.
By pressing the YES key or the NO key, the user can instruct whether or not to use the service function corresponding to the displayed message.

Specifically, in the case of broadcast transmission, the message to be displayed is a message "Do you want to send to multiple recipients?", And in the case of time-specified transmission, the message "Do you want to send immediately?" Becomes

If the user presses the YES key and inputs the parameters required for the service function, the operation information input unit registers the service function and the parameters required for the service function in the setting function storage unit.

When the operation information input unit displays all the messages in the operation message storage unit and finishes registering all the service functions specified by the user, the communication using the service function is executed based on the information registered in the setting function storage unit. I do.

Also, the conflict determination unit determines whether a plurality of service functions instructed to be used conflict based on the service function registered in the setting function storage unit and the information stored in the conflict condition storage unit. Is determined, and if a plurality of service functions instructed to be used conflict, a message stored in the conflict message storage unit is displayed on the operation panel to prompt the user to reset.

Further, the setting function display unit generates and displays a message indicating the service function instructed to be used based on the service function registered in the setting function storage unit and the parameters required for the service function, and operates the user. To confirm.

As described above, the facsimile apparatus of the present invention
Since the service information is set by the operation information input section common to each service function instead of the setting process for each service function, the service function to be used automatically can be set by the user instructing only necessary operations. Can be.

Further, the facsimile apparatus of the present invention can notify the user of the conflicting service function and prompt the user to reset the service function.

Further, the facsimile apparatus of the present invention allows the user to reconfirm the set operation.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a facsimile apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a main control unit, 2 is an operation panel, 3
Is a scanner, 4 is a printer, 5 is an image conversion unit, 6 is an image memory, 7 is a communication control unit, 8 is a line, 9 is a function setting unit,
Reference numeral 10 denotes a setting function storage unit.

The main control unit 1 controls the entire facsimile machine of the present embodiment.

The operation panel 2 includes a display unit for displaying a message and a key input unit having ten keys, a YES key, a NO key, and the like.

The scanner 3 reads a document, and the printer 4 prints the document. Further, the image conversion unit 5 encodes the document read by the scanner 3 and decodes the encoded document. The image memory 6 temporarily stores documents as needed.

The communication control unit 7 refers to the setting function storage unit 10 and executes a communication procedure including a service function with the facsimile machine of the communication partner.

The setting function storage unit 10 registers service functions and parameters set by the user.

The function setting unit 9 further includes an operation information input unit 11, an operation message storage unit 12, a conflict determination unit 13, a conflict condition storage unit 14, a conflict message storage unit 15, and a setting function display unit 16.

The operation information input unit 11 automatically selects a valid service function when the user inputs a desired operation from the input unit of the operation panel 2.

The operation message storage unit 12 stores a message for allowing a user to input a desired operation.

The race condition storage unit 14 stores information on the combination possibility of each service function.

The conflict message storage unit 15 stores a conflict message for notifying a user of a conflict between service functions.

The conflict determination unit 13 checks the conflict between the service functions selected by the operation information input unit 11 and displays a conflict message on the display unit of the operation panel 2 if the conflict occurs.

The setting function display section 16 displays the set function.

First, the operation of the function setting unit 9 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When instructed by the main control unit 1 to set a service function, the function setting unit 9 first instructs the operation information input unit 11 to input operation information and select a service function in step 301. . The operation of the operation information input unit 11 will be described later in detail.

When the operation information input unit 11 has completed the processing, step 30
In step 2, the conflict determination unit 13 is instructed to check the conflict of the set functions. Regarding the operation of the conflict determination unit 131,
This will be described in detail later.

Next, in step 303, the result of the conflict check is determined, and if there is a conflicting function, the process returns to step 301,
Prompts the user to reset the operation information. If there is no conflicting function, the process proceeds to step 304, and the setting function display section 16
Is instructed to display the set function on the operation panel 2, and waits until the user confirms the displayed function and presses the YES key. The operation of the setting function display section 16 will be described later in detail.

In step 305, if it is confirmed that the YES key has been pressed, the main control unit 1 is notified of the end of the process. If it is confirmed that the NO key has been pressed, the process returns to step 301 to prompt the user to reset the operation information.

Upon receiving the processing end notification from the function setting unit 9, the main control unit 1 instructs the communication control unit 7 to transmit. The communication control unit 7 executes a transmission process according to the service function information registered in the setting function storage unit 10.

Next, the operation of the operation information input unit 11 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The facsimile apparatus of the present embodiment has four operations of “number of destinations”, “immediateness”, “confidentiality”, and “number of transmissions”.
Each of the four service functions of "broadcast transmission", "time-specified transmission", "confidential transmission", and "remote multi-copy" is configured to be automatically selected, but can be used for other operations and service functions.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an information configuration of the setting function storage unit 10.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the setting function storage unit 10 stores
It consists of two areas.

The setting function area is an area for registering a setting function to be used. The details are divided for each service function as shown in FIG. 6B, and information on whether or not each service function is used is registered. I do.

The destination number area is an area for registering a telephone number of a transmission destination, and in the case of broadcast transmission, a plurality of numbers are registered.

The transmission time area is an area for registering a transmission time, and is used for time-specified transmission.

The password area is an area for registering a password for visualizing a document on the receiving side at the time of confidential transmission.

The number of transmissions area is an area for registering the number of transmissions at the time of remote multicopy.

FIG. 7 is an example of a message stored in the operation message storage unit 12.

In FIG. 7, the message "Do you want to send to a plurality of destinations?" Is a message (number of destinations message) for allowing the user to set "number of destinations" as operation information.

The message “Do you want to send immediately?” Is a message (immediateness message) for allowing the user to set “immediateness” as operation information.

The message “A secret document?” Is a message (confidentiality message) for allowing the user to set “confidentiality” as operation information.

"Do you want to send multiple copies?"
This is a message (transmission count message) for allowing the user to select “transmission count” as the operation information.

In FIG. 4, the operation information input unit 11 which has received an instruction from the function setting unit 9 firstly receives the message of the number of destinations stored in the operation message storage unit 12 (“transmission to a plurality of destinations” in step 401). Is displayed on the operation panel 2 and the user waits for a key press.

Here, if it is confirmed that the YES key has been pressed, step 4
In 02, enter the multiple party numbers entered by the user with the numeric keypad,
While registering in the other party number area of the setting function storage unit 10,
In step 403, "broadcast" is set in the setting function area.

If it is confirmed that the NO key has been pressed, step 413
Then, the user registers one party number input by the ten keys in the party number area of the setting function storage unit 10, and resets "broadcast" to the setting function area in step 414.

Next, in step 404, the operation information input unit 11 displays the immediacy message (“Do you want to send it immediately?”) Stored in the operation message storage unit 12 on the operation panel 2, and presses the key of the user. Wait for.

If it is confirmed that the NO key has been pressed, step 40
In 5, the transmission time input by the user using the numeric keypad is registered in the transmission time area in the setting function storage unit 10, and "time designation" is set in the setting function area in step 406.

If it is confirmed that the YES key has been pressed, step 415
In the setting function area of the setting function storage unit 10, "Time designation"
Reset.

Next, in step 407, the operation information input unit 11 displays the confidentiality message (“A secret document?”) Stored in the operation message storage unit 12 on the operation panel 2,
Wait for the user to press a key.

Here, if it is confirmed that the YES key has been pressed, step 4
In step 08, the password entered by the user using the numeric keypad is registered in the password area of the setting function storage unit 10, and in step 409, "confidential" is set in the setting function area.

If it is confirmed that the NO key has been pressed, step 416
Then, “confidential” is reset in the setting function area of the setting function storage unit 10.

Next, in step 410, the operation information input unit 11 displays the transmission copy number message (“Do you want to transmit multiple copies?”) Stored in the operation message storage unit 12 on the operation panel 2, and presses the key of the user. Wait for.

Here, if it is confirmed that the YES key has been pressed, step 4
In step 11, the number of copies transmitted by the user using the numeric keypad is registered in the number of copies area of the setting function storage unit 10, and in step 412, "remote multi-copy" is stored in the setting function area.
Is set.

If it is confirmed that the NO key has been pressed, step 417
Then, “remote multi-copy” is reset in the setting function area of the setting function storage unit 10.

When completing the following processing, the operation information input unit 11 notifies the function setting unit 9 of the end of the processing.

In order to make sure that the YES key and the NO key are not mistakenly pressed, for example, "Send to a plurality of parties → YES
Each instruction may be clarified, such as "key / do not transmit to multiple parties → NO key".

As described above, in the facsimile apparatus of the present embodiment, unlike the related art, after the user first selects the service function by the function name, the user does not perform setting processing for each service function, but is displayed one after another. If only necessary operations are selected among the operations, the effective service functions are automatically set, so that the effective service functions can be used without reading the manual.

It should be noted that a plurality of areas of the setting function storage unit 10 shown in FIG. 6 are prepared, and the identifier is made to correspond to the service function once set, and thereafter, only by inputting this identifier, the corresponding setting processing is performed. Can be performed.

Next, the operation of the conflict determination unit 13 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 shows an example of information stored in the competitive condition storage unit 14 regarding the combination possibility of each service function.

In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a combination of “remote multi-copy” and “broadcast transmission” and a combination of “remote multi-copy” and “confidential transmission” are impossible.

In FIG. 8, a service function of “0” (for example,
“Broadcast transmission” and “time designation”) indicate that a combination is possible.

In addition, service functions with numbers other than “0” (for example,
"Broadcast" and "remote multi-copy") indicate that the combination is not possible,
The number represents the number of the conflict message indicating this. The hatched portion indicates an unnecessary portion, but “0” may be stored.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a contention message stored in the contention message storage unit 15.
It corresponds to the number of the conflict message number stored in 14.

That is, "broadcast transmission" and "remote multi-copy"
The conflicting message for indicating that there is a conflict between the two is "the number of copies cannot be transmitted to a plurality of partners." In addition, "confidential transmission"
The conflict message for indicating that there is a conflict between the remote message and the "remote multi-copy" is "A plurality of copies cannot be transmitted secretly" whose conflict message number is "2".

In FIG. 5, the conflict determining unit 13 receiving the instruction from the function setting unit 9 first stores the value of the setting function area of the setting function storage unit 10 in a variable A in step 501, and in step 502, A variable i representing the element number in the vertical direction of the competition condition storage unit 14 shown in FIG. 8 is initialized to 0.

Next, in step 503, the conflict determination unit 13 shifts the variable A to the right, and in step 504, determines whether the service function extracted by the shift is set.

If the service function is not set, step 50
5 to skip step 509 and proceed to step 510.

If the service function has been set, step 505
Then, after initializing the variable j representing the element number in the horizontal direction of the competitive condition storage unit 14 shown in FIG. 8 to 0, the service function corresponding to the variable j is registered in the setting function storage unit 10 in step 506. If the number in the table of the race condition storage unit 14 derived from the variable i and the variable j is other than “0”, it is determined that there is a race and the process proceeds to step 507, and the service function corresponding to the variable j Is not registered in the setting function storage unit 10 or the number in the table of the competition condition storage unit 14 derived from the variables i and j is “0”, the step 507 is skipped.

In step 507, a conflict message corresponding to the numeral is retrieved from the conflict message storage unit 15 and displayed on the operation panel 2.

Next, in step 508, the conflict determination unit 13 assigns 1 to the variable j.
In step 509, it is determined whether or not the variable j is equal to the number of functions ("4" in this embodiment).

If the variable j is not equal to the number of functions, the process returns to step 506 to determine a conflict with the next service function in the horizontal direction. If the variable j is equal to the number of functions, the process proceeds to step 510.

In step 510, the conflict determination unit 13 adds 1 to the variable i, and in step 511, determines whether the variable i is equal to the number of functions.

If the variable i is not equal to the number of functions, the process returns to step 503 to process the next setting service function. Also,
If the variable i is equal to the number of functions, the function setting unit 9 is notified of whether or not the functions conflict.

As described above, the facsimile apparatus of the present embodiment notifies the user of the conflicting service function and prompts the user to reset the function, so that the facsimile apparatus is easy to use.

 Next, the operation of the setting function display section 16 will be described.

FIG. 10 shows the operation panel 2 generated by the setting function display section 16.
2 shows an example of a message displayed in FIG.

The setting function display section 16 refers to the setting function storage section 10,
Generate the message in FIG.

That is, if “time designation” is set in the setting function area, the setting function display unit 16 displays the time stored in the transmission time area with the time portion 17 in the message.
Set to. If the “time designation” has been reset, the phrase “immediately” is set in the time portion 17.

If "broadcast transmission" is set in the setting function area, the destination telephone number stored in the destination number area is counted and set to the destination number 18 in the message. If "broadcast" is reset,
The phrase “1” is set as the number of destinations.

If “remote multi-copy” is set in the setting function area, the number of copies stored in the transmission copy area is set to 19 in the message. If "Remote Multi Copy" is reset,
The phrase “1” is set to 19 copies.

Also, if "confidential transmission" is set in the setting function area, "Please inform the other party of the password."
Message 20 is not set if "confidential transmission" is reset.

Finally, the setting function display section 16 displays the generated message on the operation panel 2 and notifies the function setting section 9 of the end of the process.

As described above, the facsimile apparatus of the present embodiment allows the user to reconfirm the set operation.

Further, the generated message can be used as a transmission report.

In this embodiment, the guidance message shown in FIG. 7 is displayed to allow the user to select an operation. From the beginning, the number of destinations, the transmission time, the password, the number of transmissions, and the like are displayed. A parameter value may be input, and a valid service function may be automatically selected from the input value.

In this embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the service function at the time of transmission has been described.

Further, in the present embodiment, as in step 302 of FIG. 3, after all of the operation information is input, the service function conflict determination is performed collectively, but before and after the operation message shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. If it is determined (before and after steps 401, 404, 407, and 410 in FIG. 4) that the service function to be set conflicts with the service function that has already been set, the processing of the conflict determination unit 13 shown in FIG. 5 can be further simplified.

Further, in this embodiment, when inputting operation information for resetting in step 303 or step 305 in FIG. 3, even parameters that do not need to be changed must be input again (steps 402, 405, 408, and 411 in FIG. 4). ). Therefore, to solve this inconvenience, only when the parameters have already been set, a message "Do you want to change?" When the input is performed and the press of the NO key is confirmed, a process for skipping the parameter input process may be added before steps 402, 405, 408, and 411 in FIG. Alternatively, steps 402, 405,
In the parameter input process of steps 408 and 411, the set parameters may be displayed, and only the parameters desired by the user may be changed.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, an effective service function is automatically set by a user selecting only a necessary operation from operations displayed one after another. There is an effect that the service function can be used without reading the manual, and the work efficiency can be improved for the user.

Further, the service function setting process of the present invention is not a setting process unique to each service function, but an operation information input section common to each service function sets a service function. Therefore, there is an effect that the scale of software to be processed can be reduced.

Further, the present invention can notify the user of the conflicting service function and prompt the user to reset the service function.

Further, according to the present invention, since the set operation can be reconfirmed by the user, there is an effect that the reliability can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing service function setting processing of a conventional facsimile apparatus, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of an operation information input unit, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of a conflict determination unit, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an information configuration of a setting function storage unit,
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a message in an operation message storage unit, FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a competitive condition in a competitive condition storage unit, FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a message in a competitive message storage unit, FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a message generated and displayed by the setting function display unit. 1 ... Main control unit, 2 ... Operation panel, 10 ... Setting function storage unit, 11 ... Operation information input unit, 12 ... Operation message storage unit, 13 ... Competition determination unit, 14 ... Competition condition storage Department, 15…
... Conflict message storage unit, 16 ... Setting function display unit.

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 1/32-1/34 H04N 1/00-1/00 108

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] A setting function storage unit for storing a service function to be used and parameters necessary for the service function; an instruction as to whether or not to use the service function for each service function; An operation message storage unit for storing a message for prompting input of various parameters, a message stored in the operation message storage unit being sequentially displayed, and an instruction to use a service function corresponding to the displayed message is issued; When parameters required for the function are input, the service function and an operation information input unit for registering the parameters required for the service function in the setting function storage unit, and information on the possibility of combination of the service functions are stored. Stores a race condition storage unit and a message indicating that the combination of service functions is not possible. A competing message function among the service functions instructed to be used based on the competing message storage unit to be stored, the service function registered in the setting function storing unit, and the information stored in the competing condition storing unit. A facsimile apparatus comprising: a contention determination unit that determines whether or not there is a conflict, and if there is a conflict, displays a message stored in the conflict message storage unit. 2. A setting function display unit for generating and displaying a message indicating a service function instructed to be used based on a service function registered in the setting function storage unit and parameters required for the service function. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The setting function display section includes means for storing a service function to be used and parameters necessary for the service function, a parameter section as a variable section, and a fixed message for explaining the operation of the service function. 3. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: means for storing; means for fitting a stored parameter into the variable section; and means for displaying a fixed message in which the parameter is fitted to the variable section. 4. A message for prompting an instruction as to whether or not to use the service function among the messages stored in the operation message storage unit is a text explaining the operation of the service function, and performs the operation. The facsimile apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein the message is a message expressing whether or not the message is in a question format. 5. For each service function, an instruction as to whether or not to use the service function and an input of a parameter required for the service function are accepted, and the service function to be used and parameters required for the service function are received. Based on the first stage to be stored and information on the predetermined combination possibility of each service function, it is determined whether or not there is a conflict among the service functions to be used. For example, a method for controlling operation of a facsimile apparatus, comprising: a second step of notifying the fact; and a third step of notifying a service function to be used and parameters necessary for the service function.