JP3331316B2 - Facsimile machine with telephone function - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention has a telephone function,
The present invention relates to a facsimile machine capable of automatically selecting the lowest line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A facsimile apparatus and a telephone apparatus are connected to a public telephone line network provided by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), and are capable of calling and facsimile communication by calling each other. In recent years, communication lines based on the New Denden (DDI) called the New Denden (NCC), Japan Telecom (JT), and Japan High Speed Communication (Teleway) have become available.
Under certain conditions, it has become possible to reduce the communication cost as compared with the case where only the NTT public telephone network is used.

At present, a plurality of communication lines including the public telephone network of NTT are available, and services such as discounts for each communication line according to days of the week such as Saturdays and holidays and discounts according to times such as nights and late nights are provided. Features are also provided. In addition, other communication lines other than the NTT public telephone network are provided between locations with a large amount of traffic, and the cost is reduced by increasing the efficiency. Not always. As described above, the call charge depends on the call destination, the call time zone, and the call time.
It depends on whether it is advantageous to use the TT public telephone network or the communication lines of NCC companies. Therefore, telephone apparatuses that have a function of automatically selecting a route with the lowest price according to various conditions and have a function of automatically selecting a lowest-cost line called LCR (Least Cost Routing) have become widespread. When a user enters a destination telephone number on a telephone equipped with an LCR device, the telephone can automatically select a line with the lowest charge from NTT or NCC depending on the time, day of the week, and location of the destination, and make a call. . LC
Prior art for R is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-1801.
72 and the like. Such an LCR function is
It is also widely used in facsimile machines having a telephone function.

[0004]

In recent years, the use of the Internet has been advanced, and the Internet has been used for establishing low-cost communication. For example, a voice-only telephone communication service using the Internet and a facsimile-only communication service using the Internet have been put to practical use by Internet service providers. These services can be used with conventional telephone devices and facsimile devices simply by the user contracting with the provider. However, these new services are divided into telephone-only and facsimile-only due to the nature of the Internet, and facsimile transmission cannot be performed using a telephone-only service. Voice calls cannot be made using facsimile dedicated services.

[0005] Therefore, in order to reduce communication costs by using this service, when a user performs telephone or facsimile communication, the user is required to make a communication, such as NTT, depending on the communication time, the day of the week, and the location of the other party. Must be selected from existing carriers and Internet service providers, and manually specified to connect to the carrier. In addition, when the user feels that it is necessary to perform facsimile transmission with good communication quality, a problem arises because the automatic selection of only the lowest price may select a communication line that does not satisfy this requirement. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile apparatus having a telephone function capable of automatically selecting a lowest-cost line most suitable for communication when performing voice communication or facsimile transmission.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus having a telephone function capable of voice communication and / or facsimile transmission, and a communication mode determination means for determining a type of communication including voice communication and facsimile transmission; Date and time condition determination means for determining the date and time conditions including the time and day of communication, partner location determination means for determining the location of the communication partner, and a plurality of types of communication lines available for communication are stored in advance together with the charge data. Line data storage means, document storage means for storing the content of the transmission document as data, document detection means for detecting the data amount from the storage content of the document storage means, and a communication mode determined by the communication mode determination means. Communication line determined by the date / time condition determining means and the communication determined by the other party location determining means. Based on the location of the hand to retrieve the price data stored in the circuit data storage unit,
Control means for selecting and making a call to be the lowest price, and wherein the date and time condition determining means requires an emergency transmission when the communication mode determining means determines that facsimile transmission is to be performed. The date and time condition is unconditional when it is determined that there is no necessity.When the date and time condition determined by the date and time condition determination unit is unconditional, the control unit Based on the detected data amount, calculate the time required for facsimile transmission, search the charge data according to the calculated time, determine the date and time conditions when the fee required for facsimile transmission is the lowest price, A facsimile apparatus having a telephone function, characterized in that the facsimile apparatus performs control so that facsimile transmission based on the stored contents of the document storage means is performed at a determined date and time.

According to the present invention, a plurality of types of communication lines are stored in the line data storage means together with the charge data, and the control means sets the communication mode including voice communication and / or facsimile transmission determined by the communication mode determination means. The communication line having the lowest price is selected in accordance with the date and time condition including the time and day of the week to be communicated, which is determined by the date and time condition determining means, and the location of the communication partner determined by the other party location determining means. Therefore, communication for one or both of voice communication and facsimile transmission can be automatically performed by selecting a communication line having the lowest price.

[0009]

[0010]

[0011]

Further, the contents of the transmission document are stored as data in the document storage means, the document detection means detects the data amount from the storage contents of the document storage means, and the control means performs facsimile based on the detected data amount. Since the time required for transmission is calculated and the communication line with the lowest price is selected according to the calculated time, it is possible to select the communication line with the appropriate lowest price according to the fee structure of each communication line.

[0013]

According to the present invention, when it is determined that facsimile transmission is to be performed by the communication mode determination unit, the date and time condition determination unit sets the date and time condition to be unconditional if it determines that there is no need for urgent transmission. When the date and time condition determined by the date and time condition determination unit is unconditional, the control unit searches the charge data to determine a date and time condition at which the fee required for facsimile transmission is the lowest, and at the determined date and time the document storage unit The facsimile transmission is controlled based on the data stored in the facsimile, so that the low-cost facsimile transmission can be automatically performed.

In the present invention, the date and time condition determining means includes:
It is characterized in that the date and time conditions for facsimile transmission can be specified by the user.

According to the present invention, it is possible to select a communication line for facsimile transmission at the lowest price and perform facsimile transmission under the date and time conditions specified by the user.

Further, in the present invention, the control means controls to select the lowest communication line under the date and time condition specified by the user and make a call. Then, the next lowest communication line is selected and the call is re-established.

According to the present invention, when the communication line selected as the lowest price according to the date and time condition specified by the user, when the connection to the communication partner is not established, the next lowest communication line is selected and the call is automatically re-issued. can do.

[0019]

[0020]

[0021]

[0022]

[0023]

[0024]

[0025]

[0026]

[0027]

FIG. 1 shows a schematic electrical configuration of a facsimile apparatus having a telephone function according to an embodiment of the present invention. Note that a facsimile is sometimes abbreviated as “FAX”. Terminal 1 is connected to the public telephone network via a subscriber line. Line interface circuit 2
Includes a diode bridge circuit and the like, and establishes connection between the subscriber's line and the inside of the facsimile apparatus with a telephone function.
The switch circuit 3 is connected to the line interface circuit 2 according to the type of communication such as voice communication or facsimile transmission / reception.
Switch the connection destination of the communication via. The speech network circuit 4 includes a communication circuit and the like, and adjusts the volume balance between output and input to the receiver 7 including the speaker 5 and the microphone 6. The ringer detection circuit 8 detects an incoming call. The FAX modem 9 modulates or demodulates a facsimile signal when transmitting and receiving a facsimile.
The FAX signal processing circuit 10 performs signal processing for facsimile communication including control of a scanner and a printer. The facsimile data memory 11 is provided for storing the contents of the transmission original and the received facsimile image data. The printer 12 can print and output FAX data stored in the FAX data memory 11 on recording paper. The scanner 13 scans an original image drawn on a paper surface such as a transmission original, and can read recorded contents of the original as image data.

The system control circuit 14 includes a CPU and a memory, and controls the entire system as a facsimile apparatus having a telephone function according to a preset program. The DTMF circuit 15 includes a DTMF (Dual Ton
e Multiple-Frequency) signal
A signal representing the corresponding dial key 16 can be demodulated from the TMF signal. The DTMF signal is generated in response to an operation of pressing down the dial key 16. By operating the transmission key 17 for a specified time to be depressed, a function for facsimile transmission at a specified time can be designated. When the operation of depressing the memory transmission key 18 is performed, the contents of the transmission original are read and the fax data memory 11 is read.
, And a memory transmission function of reading the stored contents and performing FAX transmission can be operated. When the transmission key 19 is pressed down, facsimile transmission can be performed while the transmission document inserted at that time is read by the scanner 13.

The IC card reader 20 reads charge data stored in an IC card and issued from a communication line setting company. The off-hook detection switch 21 detects an off-hook state in which the user picks up the receiver 7. The document detection switch 22 detects the presence or absence of a transmission document inserted by the user. The LCR control circuit 23 performs control to select a communication line having the lowest price based on the charge data from conditions such as a place, a time, and a destination. The LCR data memory 24 can store conditions and fee data for selecting the lowest-priced communication line by the LCR control circuit 23 for each communication line. Destination / set time memory 25
In the case of memory transmission for reading and transmitting data stored in the FAX data memory 11,
The X number and the designated transmission time are stored. Clock circuit 26
Performs time management required in the system of the facsimile apparatus having the telephone function according to the present embodiment. The LCR data read key 27 is depressed when the scanner 13 is used to read LCR data printed and recorded on paper. The facsimile machine with telephone function 28 including such components is not only a facsimile communication,
The present invention can be used both as a telephone device for making a voice call and as a device for making a voice call and facsimile communication.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a simplified environment such as a communication line for the facsimile machine with telephone function 28 shown in FIG. The facsimile machine with telephone function 28 is connected to one of a plurality of telephone stations 31, 32,... Via a subscriber line 30. Telephone offices 31, 32,
Are connected to each other by forming a public telephone network 40 installed by NTT. The public telephone network 40 is also connected with a plurality of gateways 41, 42,. The communication partner 50 can also call via the public telephone network 40, and depending on conditions, the gateways 41, 42,
Can be called via the communication lines 51, 52,... Formed between the public telephone line network 40. further,
It is also possible to receive services exclusively for telephone or facsimile communication via access points 61, 62,..., 71, 72,. Internet Provider 6
In voice communication and facsimile communication via 0 and 70, since voice signals and facsimile signals are converted into digital data and transmitted as high-speed packets, many communications can be performed on the same communication line, and the communication unit price can be reduced. can do.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a communication fee. The communication fee changes according to the distance, date and time, and communication time. The change due to the communication time is caused by the case where the amount is set for each unit time Δt as indicated by the solid line and the unit charge Δ as indicated by the two-dot chain line.
There are various systems including a case where a time is set for each G.

FIG. 4 shows a procedure for selecting a communication line for performing voice communication or facsimile transmission using the facsimile apparatus with telephone function 28 of FIG. In step S1, the presence / absence of a transmission original is detected by the original detection switch 22. When a transmission original is detected, step S
2, the off-hook detection switch 21 activates the receiver 7
Is picked up by the user and whether or not the user is in an off-hook state is detected. If an off-hook state is detected, the user inputs a destination telephone number using the dial key 16 in step S3. The input destination telephone number is temporarily stored in the destination / set time memory 25. In step S4, the LCR control circuit 23 acquires the other party's telephone number from the other party / set time memory 25, and the current time and day of the week from the clock circuit 26 via the system control circuit 14, and determines them. In step S5, a communication line capable of performing both facsimile transmission and voice communication, currently NTT, DDI, JT, and Teleway, is set with reference to the LCR data memory 24 storing the charge data of each communication line. From the public telephone network 40 or the communication lines 51 and 52, a communication line that can communicate at the lowest cost is selected. When the communication line is determined, in step S6, the system control circuit 14 acquires a predetermined selection number necessary for using the communication line from the LCR control circuit 23, and adds it to the destination telephone number. Etc. to form a calling number,
Notify the DTMF circuit 15. The DTMF circuit 15 generates a DTMF signal corresponding to the number received from the system control circuit 14, passes through the speech network circuit 4, the switch circuit 3, and the line interface circuit 2, and passes through the subscriber line 30 via the public telephone line network. Call 40.

When it is determined in step S2 that the document is not in the off-hook state, it is determined in step S1 that there is a document to be transmitted, so that it can be determined that the user wants to perform only facsimile transmission. Step S
At 7, the user who is trying to communicate performs dialing of the facsimile number of the destination using the dial key 16 and input corresponding to the operation of the transmission key 19. The facsimile number of the destination is stored in the destination / setting time memory 2
5 is stored once. In step S8, the LCR control circuit 23 acquires the facsimile number of the destination from the destination / set time memory 25, and the current time and day of the week from the clock circuit 26 via the system control circuit 14, respectively.
Determine. In the next step S9, the LCR control circuit 23
With reference to the LCR data memory 24 storing the charge data of each communication line, the cheapest communication can be performed from the facsimile communication lines including the facsimile communication line provided by the Internet service provider. Select a communication line. When the communication line is determined, in step S10, the system control circuit 14
A predetermined selection number required to use the communication line is obtained from the CR control circuit 23, and the calling number subjected to processing such as adding it to the destination telephone number is transmitted to the DTMF circuit 15. The DTMF circuit 15 generates a DTMF signal corresponding to the calling number received from the system control circuit 14, and outputs the DTMF signal to the speech network circuit 4 and the switch circuit 3.
Then, the signal is transmitted to the subscriber line 30 via the line interface circuit 2.

If no transmission original is detected in step S1, it is determined in step S11 whether the receiver 7 is in an off-hook state. If there is no transmission original and the off-hook state of the receiver 7 is detected, it can be determined that the user desires only voice communication.
In step S12, the telephone number of the other party is input by the dial key 16 from the user who intends to perform only the voice communication. The input destination telephone number is temporarily stored in the destination / set time memory 25. Step S1
At 3, the LCR control circuit 23 acquires the telephone number of the other party from the other party / set time memory 25 and the current time and day of the week from the clock circuit 26 via the system control circuit 14, and determines them. In step S14, the LCR control circuit 23 stores the charge data of each communication line in the LC
With reference to the R data memory 24, a communication line capable of performing the cheapest communication is selected from communication lines capable of performing voice communication including a voice communication dedicated line by an Internet service provider. In step S15, a calling number is created by performing processing such as adding a predetermined selection number for using the determined line before the destination telephone number,
The information is transmitted from the system control circuit 14 to the DTMF circuit 15.
The DTMF circuit 15 generates a DT corresponding to the received calling number.
An MF signal is generated and transmitted to the subscriber line 30 via the speech network circuit 4, the switch circuit 3, and the line interface circuit 2.

If it is determined in step S11 that the user is not in the off-hook state, the user waits in step S16 because the user has not performed an operation for facsimile communication and voice communication. After a certain period of time after waiting,
It is also possible to return to step S1 and repeat the procedure from step S1. Step S6, Step S1
0 or the transmission process is performed in step S15, and the process may return to step S1 even after the communication is completed.

FIG. 5 shows a procedure for performing facsimile communication using a memory function. In step S17,
The user sets a document to be transmitted on the scanner 13. In step S18, the user operates the dial key 16 to input the facsimile number of the destination of the facsimile transmission. The input facsimile number is stored in the destination / set time memory 2 via the system control circuit 14.
5 is stored. Next, in step S19, an input for operating the memory transmission key 18 is performed by the user. In response to the input of the memory transmission key 18, in step S20,
The transmission document is read by the scanner 13, and the image data representing the content of the read document is subjected to signal processing such as predetermined compression processing in accordance with the standard of facsimile communication by the facsimile signal processing circuit 10, and the facsimile data is processed. Stored in the memory 11.

In step S21, the amount of image data stored in the facsimile data memory 11 is
It is calculated by the signal processing circuit 10. Next step S2
In 2, the LCR control circuit 23 calculates the time required for facsimile communication from the amount of data to be transmitted, and the current time and day of the week from the clock circuit 16, the other party from the other party / set time memory 25, and the system control circuit. 14 to determine each of them. LCR control circuit 23
In the next step S23, based on the charge data of each communication line stored in the LCR data memory 24, the facsimile communication including the dedicated facsimile communication line by the Internet service provider is possible for the calculated transmission time. From the most suitable communication lines, the communication line that can be transmitted at the lowest cost is selected. When the communication line is determined, the system control circuit 14 generates a calling number by performing processing such as adding a predetermined selection number necessary for using the communication line before the destination telephone number. And DT
The information is transmitted to the MF circuit 15. The DTMF circuit 15 generates a DTMF signal corresponding to the received calling number, and transmits the DTMF signal to the subscriber line 30 via the speech network circuit 4, the switch circuit 3, and the line interface circuit 2 in step S24.

As shown in FIG. 3, the method of calculating the time required to transmit a document and selecting a communication line is as follows. As shown in FIG. This is effective when communication lines with different charge units are to be selected. If there is an Internet provider that charges based on the amount of data, a line can be selected in consideration of the time required for transmission and the amount of data as a condition for selecting a communication line.

FIG. 6 shows a processing procedure for changing the date and time conditions according to the urgency when performing facsimile communication. If urgent transmission is required to speed up facsimile transmission, start the transmission operation immediately after setting the original.If not urgent, use the memory function to save the original data until the time when transmission can be performed at the lowest price. And automatically starts the transmission operation at the cheapest time. First, in step S25, the user sets an original to be transmitted on the scanner 13. Subsequently, in step S26, the user inputs the facsimile number of the destination using the dial key 16. At this time, the input facsimile number of the destination is stored in the destination / set time memory 25 via the system control circuit 14. In the next step S27, the user performs an input for operating the memory transmission key 18. In the present embodiment, the user operates the transmission key 19 when the user wants to transmit the transmission original immediately, and inputs the operation to operate the memory transmission key 18 once again when the user does not need to transmit immediately and wants to give priority to the transmission cost. Assumed to be performed. In step S28, the system control circuit 14
Alternatively, it is determined which of the memory transmission keys 18 has been input.

If the transmission key 19 has been operated, it is determined that there is an urgent need for transmission, and the scanner 13 reads the transmitted document in step S29. The image data to be read is subjected to signal processing such as predetermined compression processing defined by the standard of facsimile communication by the FAX signal processing circuit 10 and stored in the FAX data memory 11. In step S30, the FAX signal processing circuit 10 calculates the data amount of the stored image data, and the calculation result is transmitted to the LC control unit 14 via the system control circuit 14.
It is sent to the R control circuit 23. In step S31, LC
The R control circuit 23 calculates the time required for facsimile communication from the amount of data to be transmitted, and stores the current time and day of the week from the clock circuit 26 into the destination / set time memory 2.
5 are obtained via the system control circuit 14 and determined. In step S32, based on the charge data of each communication line stored in the LCR data memory 24, the LCR control circuit 23 performs the facsimile communication including the facsimile communication dedicated line by the Internet service provider for the calculated transmission time. From the possible communication lines, select the communication line that can transmit the cheapest. When the communication line is determined, in step S33, the system control circuit 14
3 to obtain a predetermined selection number necessary for using the communication line, perform processing such as adding it to the destination telephone number, generate a calling number, and transmit it to the DTMF circuit 15. The DTMF circuit 15 generates a DTMF signal corresponding to the received calling number, and transmits the DTMF signal to the subscriber line 30 via the speech network circuit 4, the switch circuit 3, and the line interface circuit 2.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S28 that an input has been made by operating the memory transmission key 18, it is determined that it is requested to select and transmit a time (day of the week) with priority given to transmission cost. Operate. Step S
At 34, the transmission document is read by the scanner 13, and the read image data is sent to the FAX signal processing circuit 10.
As a result, signal processing such as predetermined compression processing required for facsimile communication is performed and stored in the FAX data memory 11. In step S35, the stored image data is
The data amount is calculated by the AX signal processing circuit 10,
The result is sent to the LCR control circuit 23 via the system control circuit 14. In step S36, the LCR control circuit 23 calculates the time required for facsimile communication from the amount of data to be transmitted, controls the current time and day of the week from the clock circuit 16, and controls the other party from the other party / set time memory 25 to perform system control. The facsimile communication including the facsimile communication dedicated line by the Internet service provider can be performed for the calculated transmission time based on the charge data of each communication line obtained through the circuit 14 and stored in the LCR data memory 24. The communication line and the time zone (day of the week) that can be transmitted at the lowest cost are determined from among the various communication lines. In step S37, the contents of the destination / set time memory 25 are periodically checked by the system control circuit 14, and whether or not there is data to be transmitted at the current time is checked based on the information of the clock circuit 26.
If the time period is not the lowest time period selected by the LCR control circuit 23, there is no data to be transmitted, the transmission is in a standby state, and the time is checked again. This repetition is repeated until the selected lowest time zone (day of the week) is reached. When the selected cheapest time zone (day of the week) is reached, the system control circuit 14 reads out the facsimile number and the set line information of the other party from the other party / set time memory 25, and is necessary for using the line. A calling number is generated by performing processing such as adding a selected number before the other party's telephone number. The calling number is transmitted to the DTMF circuit 15 and the corresponding DTMF
A signal is generated and transmitted to the subscriber line 30 via the speech network circuit 4, the switch circuit 3, and the line interface circuit 2.

FIG. 7 shows a procedure of an operation for performing facsimile transmission at a time designated by the user. In step S39,
The user sets a document to be transmitted on the scanner 13. Next, in step S40, the facsimile number of the destination is input by operating the dial key 16. In the next step S41, an operation of performing facsimile transmission at the specified time by operating the specified time transmission key 17 is specified. In the next step S42, the designated time is input by operating the dial key 16. For example, when designating 8:30 pm, the dial keys 16 are operated in the order of 2: 30 → 3 → 0 indicating 20:30. The input facsimile number and the designated time are stored in the destination / set time memory 25 via the system control circuit 14. Step S
At 43, the transmission original is read by the scanner 13, the read image data is subjected to signal processing such as predetermined compression processing required for facsimile communication by the FAX signal processing circuit 10, and stored in the FAX data memory 11. Is done.

In the next step S44, the FAX signal processing circuit 10 calculates the data amount based on the image data stored in the FAX data memory 11. The calculation result is also sent to the LCR control circuit 23 via the system control circuit 14. The LCR control circuit 23 calculates the time required for facsimile communication from the amount of data to be transmitted, acquires the destination and the designated transmission time from the destination / set time memory 25 via the system control circuit 25, and determines them. In step S45, the LCR control circuit 23 determines whether the calculated transmission time, the destination and the designated time are based on the charge data of each communication line stored in the LCR data memory 24. A communication line that can transmit at the lowest cost is selected from communication lines capable of facsimile communication including the line. The communication line calculated in this way is stored in the other party / set time memory 25. The system control circuit 14 periodically checks the contents of the other party / set time memory 25 and reads information from the clock circuit 26,
Check whether there is data to be transmitted at the current time. In step S46, if there is no facsimile data designated for transmission at the current time, the apparatus enters a transmission standby state and repeats the operation of checking the time again until the designated time. If the designated time has come, in step S47, the system control circuit 14 reads out the facsimile number of the destination and the information of the selected communication line from the destination / set time memory 25, and reads the information of the communication line from the LCR control circuit 23. To obtain a predetermined selection number necessary to use the call number, perform processing such as adding it to the other party's telephone number, and generate a calling number.
The information is transmitted to the MF circuit 15. The DTMF circuit 15 generates a DTMF signal corresponding to the received calling number, and transmits the DTMF signal to the subscriber line 30 via the speech network circuit 4, the switch circuit 3, and the line interface circuit 2.

FIG. 8 shows a procedure for attempting to perform facsimile transmission at a designated time in step S47 of FIG. 7 if transmission is not possible on another communication line. This operation is performed when communication is concentrated on a certain communication line company and the communication line capacity of the communication company cannot handle it. It is effective for

In step S48, the transmission operation is performed by designating the lowest-priced communication line automatically selected at the specified time in the memory transmission at the specified time. In step S49, it is confirmed whether or not the line is connected. Step S if the line is connected
The facsimile data is transmitted as it is at 50, and after the transmission is completed, the stored contents of the facsimile data memory 11 and the destination / set time memory 25 relating to the facsimile data are deleted at step S51, and the operation is terminated at step S52.

If it is determined in step S49 that the line is not connected, it is determined in step S53 whether calling has been attempted on all the communication lines of a communication line contracted to enable transmission of facsimile data. Check whether or not. If it is confirmed that the connection is not established through all the communication lines, a standby state for a predetermined time is entered in step S54.
At 55, the lowest-priced communication line is selected again, and a call is attempted again at step S48. The conditions for selection may have changed during standby. If it is determined in step S53 that calling has not been attempted on all communication lines, the process proceeds to step S53.
At 56, the LCR control circuit 23 selects the next candidate communication line having the lowest price among the communication lines that have not attempted to transmit, and
At step S48, transmission is attempted again. As a result, if a connection is established with the destination, transmission is performed in step S50. If connection is not established, the next lowest-priced communication line is selected in steps S53 to S56. Such an operation is performed on all contracted communication lines.

The LCR data for selecting the lowest-priced communication line is acquired as data transmitted by a DTMF signal from a carrier having a communication line, such as Super LCR or α LCR, which is currently performed. be able to. At the time of new contract or revision of communication line fee,
LCR data transmitted as a DTMF signal from a business operator having a communication line is transmitted to a line interface circuit 2, a switch circuit 3, and a speech network circuit 4.
Through the DTMF circuit 15. DTMF circuit 1
5 converts the DTMF signal into digital data that can be used in the system. Converted to digital data, LC
R data is stored in the system control circuit 14, the LCR control circuit 23
Is sent to the LCR data memory 24 via the memory and stored.
The LCR data transmitted through the communication line in this manner is used even when a representative contracted line carrier transmits all data of the line contracted by the user, such as the current Super LCR or α LCR. Alternatively, if the line carrier does not respond to it, it may be transmitted individually from each line carrier. When transmitted individually, the LCR control circuit 23 performs data reduction. As a method of acquiring LCR data, data reading by the scanner 13 is also possible. The paper on which the LCR data distributed from the line carrier to the user is printed is read by the scanner 13. At this time, the user performs an operation of depressing the LCR data read key 27 in order to specify the LCR data read operation instead of the facsimile transmission. The LCR data has been subjected to a predetermined encoding, and is decoded by the FAX signal processing circuit 10 having a decoding function, and the system control circuit 14 and the LCR control circuit 2
3 and stored in the LCR data memory 24.

As still another method of acquiring LCR data, there is a method of reading LCR data stored in an IC card distributed to a user from a line carrier. When the user inserts the IC card distributed from the line carrier into the IC card reader 20, the IC card reader 20 reads the LCR data stored in the IC card, and through the system control circuit 14 and the LCR control circuit 23, The LCR data is stored in the LCR data memory 24. The LCR data can be similarly recorded on a recording medium of another form and read in addition to a paper surface or an IC card. It is also possible to use a recording medium and transmission via a communication line together.

Further, depending on the communication line used, there are many errors, and there is a possibility that the quality of the facsimile image to be transmitted cannot be guaranteed. In such a case, a non-automatic selection key that inhibits the automatic selection function is provided, and after performing an operation of depressing the non-automatic selection key, key input using the dial key 16 in FIG. , And a call can be made according to the user's key input. A specific telephone number such as a speed dial function is stored, and when performing facsimile communication with the other party of the specific telephone number, the automatic selection function of the communication line is used depending on whether or not the non-automatic selection key is operated. Switching to use or not use can also be performed. In addition to storing the phone number, specify whether or not to use the automatic selection function for the communication destination, and automatically determine whether to use the automatic selection function or non-automatic transmission according to the specification. It is also possible. Further, data for specifying a line with good line quality can be stored together with the telephone number.

In the above-described embodiment, the facsimile apparatus having the telephone function realizes the LCR function according to the present invention. The present invention can be similarly applied to a case where image data electronically created as described above is transmitted as a facsimile signal.

[0051]

As described above, according to the present invention, when making a voice call and / or facsimile transmission, the lowest communication line can be automatically selected according to the communication mode.

[0052]

The contents of the transmission original are stored as data, the time required for transmission is calculated from the stored data amount, and the communication line having the lowest price is selected based on the calculated time. The communication line with the lowest price can be selected in consideration of the line fee system.

When it is determined that there is no need to urgently perform facsimile transmission, the communication line having the lowest price including the date and time conditions is selected, and the stored contents of the transmission original are transmitted to reduce the cost. Can perform facsimile transmission.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to select the communication line having the lowest price and perform facsimile transmission under the date and time conditions specified by the user.

According to the present invention, if the communication line having the lowest price under the date and time condition specified by the user is not connected to the communication partner, the next lowest communication line is selected and facsimile transmission is performed. Thus, facsimile transmission can be reliably performed at a designated date and time.

[0057]

[0058]

[0059]

[0060]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration of a facsimile apparatus with a telephone function 28 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a communication environment to which the facsimile machine with telephone function 28 of FIG. 1 is connected.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of a fee structure of a communication line.

4 is a flowchart showing a schematic procedure for selecting a communication line when the facsimile apparatus with voice function 28 of FIG. 1 performs voice communication or facsimile transmission.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a schematic procedure when the facsimile machine with telephone function 28 in FIG. 1 stores a transmission original and transmits the original to a memory.

FIG. 6 is a schematic procedure for switching between a case where an emergency transmission is required and a case where automatic transmission is performed during a time when transmission cost is the lowest in the facsimile machine with telephone function 28 of the embodiment of FIG. 1; It is a flowchart which shows.

7 is a flowchart showing a schematic procedure for performing facsimile transmission at a time designated by a user using the function of memory transmission in the facsimile apparatus with telephone function 28 of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

8 is a flowchart showing a procedure for attempting transmission on another line when a line is not connected even if facsimile communication is performed at the time designated in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 3 switch circuit 4 speech network circuit 7 handset 9 FAX modem 10 FAX signal processing circuit 11 FAX data memory 12 printer 13 scanner 14 system control circuit 15 DTMF circuit 16 dial key 17 designated time transmission key 18 memory transmission key 19 transmission key 20 IC card Reader 21 Off-hook detection switch 22 Document detection switch 23 LCR control circuit 24 LCR data memory 25 Destination / set time memory 26 Clock circuit 27 LCR data reading key 28 Facsimile device with telephone function 30 Subscriber line 31, 32,... Telephone office 40 Public telephone network 41, 42, ... Gateway 60, 70 Internet provider

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-6-6567 (JP, A) JP-A-1-290360 (JP, A) JP-A-8-204941 (JP, A) JP-A-2-207644 (JP) JP-A-64-77279 (JP, A) JP-A-1-2966752 (JP, A) JP-A-2-310756 (JP, A) JP-A-8-84197 (JP, A) 2-214252 (JP, A) JP-A-63-139461 (JP, A) JP-A-7-183963 (JP, A) JP-A-6-7060 (JP, A) JP-A-6-326808 (JP, A A) JP-A-6-253059 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04M 15/16 H04M 11/00 303 H04N 1/00 106 H04N 1/21 H04N 1 / 32

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A facsimile apparatus having a telephone function capable of performing voice communication and / or facsimile transmission, comprising: a communication mode determination unit configured to determine a communication mode including voice communication and facsimile transmission; Date and time condition determining means for determining the date and time condition; partner location determining means for determining the location of the communication partner; line data storage means in which a plurality of types of communication lines available for communication are stored in advance together with charge data; Document storage means for storing the contents of the document as data, document detection means for detecting the amount of data from the stored contents of the document storage means, and a communication line suitable for the communication mode determined by the communication mode determination means, Means and the location of the communication partner determined by the partner location determining means. Control means for retrieving the charge data stored in the line data storage means, selecting the lowest price and making a call, and wherein the date and time condition determination means includes the communication mode determination. When it is determined that facsimile transmission is performed by the means, the necessity of emergency transmission is determined, and when it is determined that there is no need, the date and time condition is unconditional. When the determined date and time condition is unconditional, the time required for facsimile transmission is calculated based on the amount of data detected by the document detecting means, and the charge data is searched according to the calculated time. And a date and time condition at which the fee required for facsimile transmission is the lowest, and control is performed such that facsimile transmission is performed at the determined date and time based on the contents stored in the document storage means. Facsimile apparatus comprising a telephone function characterized by and. 2. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the date and time condition determination means can specify a date and time condition for facsimile transmission by a user. 3. The control means controls to select the lowest-priced communication line under the date and time condition specified by the user and make a call. 3. A facsimile apparatus which employs a telephone function according to the above-mentioned item 2, wherein a communication line having a low price is selected and controlled so as to be called again.