JPH0114745B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a facsimile device suitable for facsimile transmission that requires a different number of received copies for each transmitted original, and in particular to effective use of a facsimile device having a relatively small capacity data storage device. To provide a facsimile device that makes it possible to reduce line usage.

In facsimile transmission, a receiving side may need to make a plurality of received copies for one transmitted original, and the number of copies varies depending on the content of the transmitted original. In this case, facsimile machines equipped with large-capacity data storage devices
Since all transmitted and received data is temporarily stored in the storage device, there is no particular problem. However, such facsimile devices are expensive, so it is necessary to take a separate method for relatively small facsimile devices.

That is, in the case of a relatively inexpensive facsimile machine equipped with a small-capacity data storage device, it is not possible to store all received data. However, it is often possible to accumulate received data that requires multiple copies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-copy facsimile device that makes it possible to effectively utilize a facsimile device equipped with such a relatively small-capacity data storage device and to reduce line usage charges. .

To this end, in the present invention, in a facsimile apparatus including a data storage device and a recording means, a multi-copy instruction signal detection means and a communication end detection means are provided, and the communication data including the multi-copy instruction signal is received. When the number of copies instructed is one, the hard copy is recorded and created, and when two or more copies are instructed, the hard copy is recorded and created, and the number of copies specified or “1” is made. ” and the image information data of the page are stored in the data storage device.

Furthermore, the image information data stored in the data storage device is read out after the end of communication, and hard copies are created for the remaining number of copies other than the hard copies recorded and created at the time of reception.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a transmission format used in the facsimile apparatus of the present invention. In the drawing, MCIS is a multiple copy instruction signal.

As shown in Fig. 1, a multi-copy instruction signal MCIS is added as a control signal to the head of the image information data corresponding to one page of the transmitted original, which instructs the number of received copies of the image information of that page. and send.

Note that the multiple copy instruction signal MCIS may be omitted when the number of copies is only one, and the signal MCIS instructing the number of copies may be added only when two or more copies are required. In this case, for items that require two or more received copies, a value is obtained by subtracting "1" in advance, for example, when instructing two received copies, a signal indicating one copy is given.
MCIS may also be sent.

In the embodiment described below, the multiple copy instruction signal MCIS is sent to the head of the image information data of all pages.
The following describes the case where the specified number of copies is added and the total number of copies required is specified.

Since the number of copies instructed by this copy instruction signal MCIS is the total number of copies required, if it is ``2'' or more, ``1'' is subtracted from the number of copies to be made. In this case,
The same result can be obtained even if the specified number of copies is memorized as is, and when the copy is made, the copy production is stopped when the remaining number reaches "1". Therefore, although any method can be used, a case will be described in which processing is performed using a value obtained by subtracting "1" from the designated number of copies in advance.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the facsimile apparatus of the present invention. In the drawing, 1
is the MCIS copy number detection unit, 2 is the communication end detection unit, 3 is the switch unit, 4 is the facsimile reception unit,
5 is a data storage device, 6 is an SR flip-flop circuit, L1 is a telephone line, and L2 is a data storage device 5.
shows the data input/output lines, S1 is a signal for the number of copies "2" or more, S2 is a communication end detection signal, S3 is
indicates a data accumulation read command signal, S4 indicates a copy start signal, and S5 indicates a data end signal.

Now, from the sending side, through the telephone line L1,
When communication data with a multiple copy instruction signal MCIS attached to each page is transmitted in the format shown in the figure, the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 2 performs the following receiving operation.

The facsimile receiving section 4 is the same as a conventional facsimile device, and performs normal receiving operations. That is, reception records, so-called hard copies, are created one by one for each page using communication data other than the multiple copy instruction signal MCIS.

The MCIS copy number detection unit 1 detects the signal MCIS from the communication data, and the number of copies is “1”.
It is determined whether the value is "2" or more. When the number of copies is "2" or more, the number of copies "2" or more signal S1 including an instruction signal of the number of copies subtracted "1" from the number of copies is output, and the data storage device 5 is activated to accumulate data. enable operation. In addition,
At the time of reception, the switch section 3 is connected to the contact a side, and the data storage device 5 is in the storage mode.

The data storage device 5 uses this signal S1 to
The communication data of that page from telephone line L1 is accumulated.

While the communication data is being transmitted, the above operations are repeated.

Then, when the input of communication data is completed and the communication end detection unit 2 detects that the communication has ended,
A communication end detection signal S2 is generated to set the SR flip-flop circuit 6.

When the flip-flop circuit 6 is set, its output Q becomes "1" and a data storage readout instruction signal S3 is generated, switching the switch section 3 to the contact b side and at the same time starting the data storage device 5 into the playback mode. do.

Therefore, the data storage device 5 is switched from the previous storage mode to the playback mode, and after outputting a copy start signal S4 to the facsimile receiving section 4 to start copying, , send out the stored data.

When the stored data runs out, the data storage device 5
generates a data end signal S5 to reset the flip-flop circuit 6.

The output Q of the flip-flop circuit 6 becomes "0", and the switch section 3 is switched to the contact a side, and the data storage device 5 is switched to the storage mode to return to the initial state.

As described above, the facsimile device of the present invention creates a recorded copy of communication data while receiving it, as in the case of a normal facsimile machine, and also simultaneously copies the communication data for a page for which multiple copies are instructed. is stored in the data storage device, and after the end of communication, the remaining number of copies of the instructed pages are created.

Therefore, it is not necessary to send communication data that requires multiple copies for the number of copies, and the remaining copy operations are performed after the communication is completed, so the line hold time is shorter than that of a normal facsimile machine. This is the same as in the previous case, and it is possible to reduce line usage charges.

FIG. 3 shows an example of copy number encoding in the MCIS transmission method in order to provide compatibility with a normal facsimile machine that uses a one-dimensional compression encoded MH code. In the drawings, M is the number of bits per line, for example 1728 for A4 size, and N is the number of copies of a plurality of sheets.

In the MH code, an EOL code indicating the start of a page is used at the beginning of the page. Therefore, as shown in Figure 3, after this EOL code, write white (O).
The combination of black (O) and black (O) gives the meaning of control information, and the number of bits (white) next to it indicates that the number of copies is N.

Then, in order to match the number M of bits per line of normal image information, black (O) is then encoded, and the remaining number of bits of one line (M−N) is encoded as white (M−N), and the decoding 1 If the total number of bits of the line length is set to M, it is convenient to provide compatibility with ordinary facsimile devices.

As explained in detail above, in the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, a control signal instructing multiple copying is added to the head of the image information data corresponding to one page of the transmitted original, and the receiving side sends this signal. When a multiple-copy instruction signal is detected, and the detection result indicates that a page requires multiple received copies, the image information data and the remaining number of copies are stored in the data storage device, and all pages are copied at the time of reception. In addition to creating hard copies, the image information data is read out from the data storage device after communication is completed, and hard copies for the instructed number of copies are created.

In this way, according to the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, simply by adding a multiple copy instruction signal,
It is now possible to record and create received copies of each page in the same communication time as conventional facsimile machines, and for pages that require multiple received copies, the remaining number of received copies can be made after the communication ends. can be created. By appropriately selecting the encoding of the multiple copy instruction signal as shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to make the multi-copy instruction signal compatible with facsimile apparatuses that use conventional MH codes or the like.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively utilize a facsimile device having a data storage device with a relatively small capacity, and it is also possible to reduce line usage charges. Furthermore, since the structure added for this purpose is relatively simple, many excellent effects including cost advantages can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an example of a transmission format used in the facsimile device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the facsimile device of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a one-dimensional compression encoded MH code. An example of encoding the number of copies in a multi-copy instruction transmission method in order to provide compatibility with a normal facsimile machine that uses a facsimile machine. In the drawing, 1 is the MCIS copy number detection unit,
2 is a communication end detection unit, 3 is a switch unit, 4 is a facsimile reception unit, 5 is a data storage device, and 6 is an SR
A flip-flop circuit is shown.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile apparatus comprising a data storage device and a recording means, comprising a multi-copy instruction signal detection means and a communication end detection means, receiving communication data including a multi-copy instruction signal, and detecting the multi-copy instruction signal. When the number of copies detected by the detection means is "1", the recording means is controlled to continue the hard copy recording operation, and when the number of copies detected is "2".
In the above case, together with the hard copy recording operation by the recording means, the instructed number of copies or a value obtained by subtracting "1" from the number of copies, and the image information data of the page are stored in the data storage device,
After the communication end detection means detects the end of communication, the image information data stored in the data storage device is read out, and the recording means performs a hard copy recording operation for the remaining number of copies of the instructed number of copies. A facsimile device characterized in that it is controlled as follows.