JP3267947B2 - Communication device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication apparatus having an Internet facsimile function in addition to a G3 facsimile function or a G4 facsimile function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional facsimile apparatus uses a G3 facsimile or I3 facsimile which performs data communication using an analog network.
G4 facsimile, which performs data communication using a digital line network such as SDN, has been common. In contrast, in recent years, in addition to G3 facsimile or G4 facsimile,
2. Description of the Related Art An Internet facsimile apparatus that performs data communication using the Internet has been commercialized.

A conventional Internet facsimile apparatus performs data communication using the Internet when a communication partner has an Internet facsimile function.
When a communication partner does not have the Internet facsimile function, data communication is performed using an analog network or a digital network (hereinafter, collectively referred to as a "public network").

[0004]

However, the conventional Internet facsimile apparatus cannot automatically recognize whether the partner terminal has the Internet function or not.
If you want to use the Internet for data communication,
The operator has to check in advance that the other party communication has the Internet facsimile function. The present invention has been made in view of such a point,
An object of the present invention is to provide a communication device that can automatically recognize whether or not a partner terminal has an Internet facsimile function.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is directed to a non-standard signal of a facsimile communication procedure.
Communication for acquiring the holding capacity information of the destination communication device
Control means, and storage for storing the acquired retained capacity information
Means and a destination address with reference to the stored capacity information.
If the capacity information of the communication device exceeds the minimum set
In the case shown, the ability exceeds the minimum set.
Sends image data to the destination communication device via the Internet.
And second communication control means for performing communication via
Was .

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A communication apparatus according to the present invention comprises a line control means for controlling data communicated through a public line network and the Internet, and a content related to a partner terminal during a communication control procedure using the public line network. And communication path determination means for determining a data communication path based on the identification result of the identification means.

[0007] With this configuration, when communication is performed through the public line network, it is possible to mutually recognize the contents held by the communication terminals by using a non-standard command during the control procedure.

Further, in the communication apparatus according to the present invention, the line control means causes the information indicating that the own station has the Internet facsimile function to be included in the transmission control signal during the control procedure of the communication using the public line network. did.

In the communication device according to the present invention, the identification means identifies whether or not the other terminal has the Internet facsimile function during the control procedure of the communication using the public line network.

In the communication device according to the present invention, the identification means stores the function held by the partner terminal in a table, and the communication path determination means automatically performs communication based on the stored function held by the partner terminal. Determine the route.

With these configurations, if the partner terminal has the Internet facsimile function, the operator does not need to specify the transmission type in the next and subsequent communications.
Inexpensive Internet communication can be automatically selected.

Further, in the communication apparatus according to the present invention, the line control means puts the mail address of the own station on the transmission control signal during the control procedure of the communication using the public line network.

In the communication apparatus according to the present invention, the identification means identifies the mail address of the partner terminal during the control procedure of the communication using the public line network. According to these configurations, the mail address of the partner terminal can be recognized, and by displaying the mail address of the partner terminal in the next and subsequent communications, the operator does not need to check the mail address.

Further, in the communication device according to the present invention, the line control means causes the device holding capability of the own station to be included in the transmission control signal during the control procedure of the communication using the public line network.

Further, in the communication device according to the present invention, the identification means identifies the device holding capability of the partner terminal during the control procedure of the communication using the public line network.

[0016] With these configurations, since the device possessing capability of the partner terminal can be recognized, appropriate transmission information in accordance with the partner capability can be selected, and the transmitting side performs transmission with information exceeding the partner capability, which has been a concern. Then, since the receiving side cannot process the transmission information and ends in an error, it is possible to solve the problem that the transmission must be performed with the capability of the predetermined minimum set lowered.

Further, the communication apparatus according to the present invention, when it is determined that the other terminal has the Internet facsimile function during the control procedure of the communication using the public network,
The communication path determining means switches the communication path from a public line to the Internet.

According to this configuration, the communication path can be switched from the public line network to the Internet before transmitting the message data. Therefore, the use of the public line network is only a control procedure part, and a cheaper facsimile communication can be realized. Can be.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an Internet facsimile apparatus which is a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the Internet facsimile apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “this apparatus”) 101 shown in FIG. 1, an operation panel 1 converts an instruction input from an operator into an electric signal and outputs it to the apparatus control section 2. The device control unit 2 controls each unit based on an electric signal input from the operation panel 1. The facsimile unit 3 reads a document according to an instruction from the device control unit 2, stores read data in a memory 4,
Output the data stored in the recording paper. The public line control unit 5 transmits the data stored in the memory 4 to the partner terminal 102 via the public line network 6, and stores the data transmitted from the partner terminal in the memory 4. The network control unit 7 transmits the data stored in the memory 4 to the partner terminal 102 via the Internet 8 and stores the data transmitted from the partner terminal in the memory 4. The possessed function table 9 is a storage area for retaining possessed function data of a communication partner.

The apparatus control unit 2 includes an operation type determination unit 21 for determining an operation type based on an electric signal input from the operation panel 1 and a facsimile control unit 22 for controlling the facsimile unit 3 according to an instruction from the operation type determination unit 21. A communication path determining unit 23 for determining a communication path of data based on information in the possessed function table 9; a possessed function of the partner terminal is determined from the data stored in the memory; Function identification unit 24 to be stored in
And

In this case, the communication route determination unit 23, based on the information in the possessed function table 9, if the partner terminal specified by the operation type determination unit 21 does not have the Internet facsimile function, An instruction is issued to transmit data stored in the memory 4 through the public line network 6. When the partner terminal has the Internet facsimile function, it instructs the network control unit 7 to transmit via the Internet 8.

Further, the possessed function identifying unit 24, based on the control signal transmitted from the partner terminal and stored in the memory 4, converts information (hereinafter, referred to as "IFAX function") indicating that the partner terminal has the Internet facsimile function. The contents such as presence / absence, e-mail address and device holding capacity are identified and written into the holding function table 9.

Next, the communication procedure of the Internet facsimile apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. Here, the device 10
Reference numeral 1 denotes a transmitting side of the message data, and the receiving terminal 102 on the receiving side is an Internet facsimile apparatus having the same configuration as the apparatus 101, and the apparatus 101
Assume that the function held by the partner terminal 102 has not yet been recognized. The public line control unit 5 transmits and receives data using a G3 facsimile communication procedure.

First, the processing of each unit of the apparatus 101 until a call is made to the partner terminal 102 will be described. The operator inputs the telephone number of the other terminal from the operation panel 1 and instructs transmission, and the facsimile unit 3 reads the original under the control of the facsimile control unit 22, and the data converted into an electric signal is stored in the memory 4. Will be saved.

Then, based on the information stored in the possessed function table 9, the communication path determining unit 23 executes
02 has an Internet facsimile function. In the case of this example, this device 101 is
Since the function possessed by 02 has not yet been recognized, the communication path determining unit 23 issues an instruction command to the public line control unit 5 to execute communication according to the G3 facsimile communication procedure.

When the above transmission preparation is completed, a call is made from the public line control unit 5 to the partner terminal 102 via the public line network 6, and communication according to the G3 facsimile procedure is started (F201).

An incoming call is detected by the partner terminal 102, and if the call is an automatic incoming call, a CED (Called Station Identification) is transmitted from the partner terminal 102 to the apparatus 101 (F202). The CED is an option signal and is not always transmitted.

Next, the other terminal 102 sends a non-standard Facili
ties) and a control signal (hereinafter, referred to as an “NSF signal”) including DIS (Digital Command Signal) (F)
203, F204).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a frame configuration of an NSF signal transmitted from the Internet facsimile apparatus in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the NSF signal is
Flag sequence (F) and address field (A)
, A control field (C), a facsimile control field (FCF) using NSF, a facsimile information field (FIF), a frame check sequence (FCS), and a flag sequence (F).

In this embodiment, in addition to the existing facsimile function, an IFAX function, a mail address, and a device holding capability are provided in the FIF. The device holding capacity is a plate size, a line density, a coding method, and the like necessary for facsimile communication.

The NSF signal transmitted from the partner terminal 102 is stored in the memory 4 through the public line network 6 via the public line control unit 5 of the apparatus 101. Then, the possessed function identifying unit 24 identifies the presence / absence of the Internet facsimile function of the partner terminal 102, the mail address, and the device possessing capability from the data stored in the memory 4,
The identified contents are written in the possession function table 9.

Thus, when the partner terminal 102 has the Internet facsimile function, the device 101
Can automatically select Internet communication without requiring the operator to specify the type of transmission in subsequent communication.

Further, since the present apparatus 101 can recognize the mail address of the partner terminal 102, if the mail address of the partner terminal 102 is displayed on a display unit (not shown) in the subsequent communication, the operator can recognize the mail address of the partner terminal 102. No need to look up addresses.

Further, since the present apparatus 101 can recognize the device holding capacity of the partner terminal prior to data transmission, it can transmit data suitable for the receiving apparatus holding capacity. Conventionally, if the transmitting side transmits data that exceeds the capacity of the receiving device, that is, if the receiving device transmits data that cannot be received normally, the receiving side cannot process the transmission information and terminates with an error. In addition, transmission by a so-called minimum set has been performed uniformly. However, according to the present invention, depending on the device possession capability of the receiving side, data suitable for the device is transmitted, or transmission by the minimum set is performed, so that the capability of the predetermined minimum set is determined. It can solve the conventional problem of having to send down the data. Note that the minimum set is a minimum communication function defined in the facsimile data communication via the Internet because there is no capability exchange procedure such as the G3 procedure. Specifically, it is defined that the CPU is Intel, the paper size is A4 width, the start bit is LSB, and the compression method is MH.

If an error occurs during communication after F204, the message data can be retransmitted by Internet facsimile communication.

Returning to FIG. 2, after receiving the NSF signal, the apparatus 101 sends an NSS (Non-Standard Set-up) which is a transmission command for the NSF signal to the partner terminal 102.
Is transmitted (hereinafter, referred to as “NSS signal”) (F205). The frame structure of the NSS signal is N
Similar to the SF signal, the IFAX function of the own station, the mail address of the own station, and the possessing capability of the own station are placed in the FIF.

When the NSS signal is normally received by the partner terminal 102, the reception preparation confirmation signal C
FR (Confirmation to Receive) is returned (F2
06).

When CFR is received by the apparatus 101,
The disconnection command DCN (Disconnect) is transmitted from the public line control unit 5, and the line is temporarily disconnected (F207).

Then, the communication mode is switched to Internet facsimile communication, transmission of message data from the network control unit 7 through the Internet 8 is started, and communication is completed when all the message data is transmitted (F208).

As a result, the operation time of the communication procedure of the G3 facsimile having a high communication fee can be reduced to only the procedure before the capability exchange, and the communication fee can be reduced.

It should be noted that the present apparatus 101 can be set so that message data is transmitted by G3 facsimile communication without switching the communication mode and Internet facsimile communication is performed from the next communication.

Further, the present apparatus 101 can display the IFAX function, the mail address and the apparatus possessing capability of the partner terminal on the display unit (not shown) after the communication is completed, or output the journal to the printer of the facsimile unit 3. Thus, the operator can recognize that the partner terminal has the Internet facsimile function, and can use the Internet facsimile function in the next and subsequent communications.

In the above-described embodiment, in accordance with the current regulations, the IFAX of the own station is used by the NSF signal and the NSS signal.
Although the transmission is performed with the function, the mail address of the own station and the possession capability of the own station, if the rules are changed in the future, it is also possible to transmit the signal on another signal.

In the above-described embodiment, G3 facsimile communication has been described as an example. However, similar effects can be obtained when facsimile communication is performed by another protocol such as G4 facsimile communication.

[0046]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, facsimile data can be transmitted in accordance with the acquired mail address and the capacity of the apparatus.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing transmission and reception of signals of the Internet facsimile apparatus in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a frame configuration diagram showing a configuration of a control signal including an NSF of the Internet facsimile apparatus in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 operation panel unit 2 device control unit 3 facsimile unit 4 memory 5 public line control unit 6 public line network 7 network control unit 8 Internet 9 possessed function table

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-11-261628 (JP, A) JP-A-11-252300 (JP, A) JP-A-11-205378 (JP, A) JP-A-11-205 215286 (JP, A) JP-A-11-225259 (JP, A) JP-A-11-243469 (JP, A) JP-A-11-252301 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 1/00-1/00 108 H04N 1/32-1/36 H04N 1/42-1/44

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] A first communication control unit for acquiring possessed capability information of a destination communication apparatus by a non-standard signal of a facsimile communication procedure; and a storage unit for storing the acquired possessed capability information. , Referring to the stored holding capacity information ,
If the capacity information of the communication device exceeds the minimum set
And a second communication control means for transmitting the image data to the destination communication device via the Internet with a capability exceeding the minimum set . 2. A facsimile communication procedure using a non-standard signal.
Communication for acquiring the holding capacity information of the destination communication device
Control means, and storage for storing the acquired retained capacity information
Means and a destination address with reference to the stored capacity information.
If the capacity information of the communication device exceeds the minimum set
If not shown, send with the minimum set ability
Transmission of image data to the destination communication device via the Internet
And second communication control means for performing the communication via
Communication apparatus according to symptoms. 3. The communication control device according to claim 1, wherein the first communication control means is a destination communication device.
Claim information received directly from the client.
The communication device according to claim 1 . 4. A non-standard signal for facsimile communication procedures.
Preparation process for acquiring the holding capacity information of the destination communication device
And a storage step of storing the acquired holding capacity information;
Referring to the stored holding capacity information,
The ability information indicates that the ability exceeds the minimum set.
The destination address with an ability that exceeds the minimum set.
Transmission of image data to communication devices via the Internet
A communication step, comprising:
Law . 5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein said non-standard signal is used in a facsimile communication procedure.
Preparation process for acquiring the holding capacity information of the destination communication device
And a storage step of storing the acquired holding capacity information;
Referring to the stored holding capacity information,
The ability information indicates that the ability exceeds the minimum set.
If not, use the minimum set capability to
Transmission of image data to the
And a transmitting step . 6. The holding capacity information includes a plate size, a line density, and a mark.
Related to facsimile communication of the destination communication device
4 or claim information which is capability information
5. The communication method according to 5 . 7. A non-standard signal in a facsimile communication procedure.
E-mail address and capacity information of the destination communication device
First communication control means for acquiring
A storage device for storing an e-mail address and the retained capacity information
And a destination communication with reference to the stored capacity information.
The device possession information indicates the ability to exceed the minimum set.
If it does, send it with an ability that exceeds the minimum set.
Transmission of image data to the destination communication device
And a second communication control means for performing the communication to the destination address.
A communication device characterized by the above-mentioned . 8. The storage means according to claim 1 , wherein
Associating information with the e-mail address of the destination communication device
The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the information is stored . 9. A non-standard signal for a facsimile communication procedure.
E-mail address and capacity information of the destination communication device
And the e-mail address obtained.
And a storage step of storing the information and the holding capacity information,
Holding the destination communication device by referring to the held capacity information
If the ability information indicates an ability that exceeds the minimum set
In this case, the destination communication device has a capacity exceeding the minimum set.
Send the image data to the e-mail address
And a transmission step of performing transmission to the destination.
How .