JPH01311670A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily perform the management of a password and information by providing an automatic answering registration and reproduction means and a password managing means capable of performing an arithmetic operation, and providing a service set in advance when the password shows a registered password. CONSTITUTION:A facsimile equipment 20 is provided with the password managing means 12 capable of performing the arithmetic operation other than a recording and reproducing means 11 for automatic answering registration, and one password is supplied to each of plural friends other than the owner of the facsimile equipment 20. Meanwhile, the owner of the facsimile equipment 20 can freely select the management of the password such as to register or delete the passwords supplied to the friends. In such a way, since the password corresponds to the friend in one to one, it is possible to specify the friend by the input of the password, and to easily recognize to whom the service is provided and what kind of service is provided afterwards by recording a received password.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a facsimile machine having an answering machine function, and particularly to a facsimile machine with easy password management.

[Background of the Invention] Recently, many facsimile machines have been added with an answering machine function similar to that provided in telephones.

This facsimile machine with answering machine function is
A device that is capable of recording the message of the other party when the calling party is the speaker.

In a facsimile machine having such an answering machine function, it is usually necessary to enter a password manually when inquiring about the contents of an answering machine recording from outside the home. The password is manually used to prevent the recorded contents from being leaked to others.

Separately, if you want someone else to listen to part of the recorded content, you need to tell that person a specific password. In this case, in order to increase confidentiality, prepare two types of passwords: one that only you (the owner of the facsimile machine) know, and one that can be used commonly by others. Restrictions are placed on the service range so that only recordings can be played back.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, in the conventional facsimile machine having an answering machine function, there are two types of passwords: a private password for oneself, and a common password commonly used by ordinary friends. Only existed.

However, when attempting to use the answering machine function using these two types of passwords, the following problems arise.

First, when two types of passwords are used in this way, when changing the common password, if there are multiple friends, it is necessary to notify all of the friends of the new common password.

Second, when there are multiple friends, it is impossible to determine which of the multiple friends called by using a common password unless the recorded content is actually played back.

Third, when the recording tape or recording memory becomes full and recording becomes impossible, there is no way to find out who is calling, even if the telephone is empty.

Fourth, it has the disadvantage that it is not possible to specify the destination of a message so that friends can be divided into groups and the message can be played back to a specific group.

Therefore, the present invention solves these conventional problems, and provides a facsimile machine with an answering machine function that makes it easy to manage passwords and also makes it easy to manage information using passwords. This is a proposal.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention includes an answering machine recording and reproducing means and a password management means that can be added or subtracted, and determines whether a received password is registered or not. , when the password is registered, a preset service is provided to the recipient.

[Function] This facsimile apparatus has a password management means that can be added or subtracted in addition to a recording and reproducing means for recording an answering machine.

In addition to the owner of the facsimile machine, the password is
One password is individually given to each of the multiple friends.

On the other hand, the owner of the facsimile machine is allowed to freely select password management, such as whether to register or delete the password given to a friend.

As a result, since there is a one-to-one correspondence between passwords and friends,
A friend can be identified by entering a password, and by recording the received password, it is possible to easily know after the fact, for example, what kind of service was offered to whom.

[Embodiment] Next, an example of a facsimile apparatus having an answering machine function according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 and subsequent figures.

Figure 1 shows communication control means 1 built into a facsimile machine.
FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing an example of 0.

This communication control means 10 has a CPU 1, and reading of originals, control of communication lines, recording of incoming originals, mode control of the answering machine function, etc. are all managed by this CPU 1.

In the figure, a document is read into a document reading means 2 via an interface 3 to a CPUI, and after being subjected to appropriate image processing, is connected to a modem 4, a network control circuit (NCU) 5, and a communication line (telephone line or dedicated line). 6 and then transmitted to the other party's station.

After the incoming image information is subjected to appropriate signal processing by the CPUI, it is supplied to the recording means 8 via the interface 7, and the incoming image information is recorded on thermal recording paper or the like.

9 indicates a ROM in which various control programs are stored;
Processing programs such as an answering machine control function and password management according to the present invention are also stored in the ROM 9.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a voice memory, which is used when the answering machine function is activated. That is, it has a function of storing incoming voice signals and transferring the memorized voice signals to the other party via the line 6.

A management memory 12 manages information associated with passwords.

That is, records of incoming passwords, manual codes, incoming times, etc. are stored in this management memory 12. Therefore, by reading necessary information from the management memory 12, the owner can easily and reliably know who received the service, when, and with which manual code. Moreover, this information can also be printed out as an answering machine journal.

13 is a DTMF decoder, which has a function of detecting a push button signal from the other party via line 6 and converting it into an input code.

The facsimile apparatus configured as described above will be explained with reference to FIG. 2, focusing on passwords.

In FIG. 2, each of a plurality of callers is given a unique password. For example, three callers aa, b
For b and cc, each has a unique password AAAA,
BBBB and cccc are increased by 4.

The specific caller information is transmitted via the telephone network to the facsimile machine 20 having an answering machine function, and a comparison with the password registered in the management memory 12 is executed.

The owner can freely select whether to register or delete passwords to be stored in the management memory 12, and can freely add or delete necessary passwords.

If the password is the same as the password registered in the management memory 12, execution of the service corresponding to the next manual code is started. Therefore, in some cases, it becomes possible to write information into the voice memory 11, or to reproduce information written in a certain specific area and transmit it to the caller.

Next, an example of communication control including such password management will be explained with reference to FIG.

When this password management software operates, it first searches to see if a password exists in the received information, and when a password is input, it is compared with a registered password (steps 31 to 33).

As a result of password verification, if the same password as the entered password is not registered, a message will be sent to the caller.
A rejection sound (service denial amount) is sent out, and after this is repeated a predetermined number of times, a termination sound is emitted and the line is disconnected (steps 34 to 36).

On the other hand, if the password matches the registered password, a reception sound is sent to the caller and the password is recorded (step 41). After that, the system waits for a manual code and waits for a predetermined period of time. If no input code is received, the line is disconnected after transmitting a termination tone as described above (steps 42.43.36).

On the other hand, if an input code is received in conjunction with the password, a group capability check is performed with reference to the input code, and the input code is recorded (step 44).

Then, it is checked whether there is a service that can be executed with the group ability of the human password (step 45).
), if the service cannot be executed by the manual code, a bounce tone is transmitted to the caller, and when this is repeated a predetermined number of times, the line is disconnected (steps 46 and 47).

If the service can be executed using the group ability of the human password, a reception tone is sent to the caller and the service process is executed (step 48).

Service processing refers to, for example, specific service processing such as reproducing message information recorded in a specific area and transmitting it to the caller side.

Then, it is checked whether or not this particular service process has been completed, and when it has been completed, the line will be cut off (step 49.36).

By giving a dedicated password to each individual in this way, memory management using passwords as shown in FIG. 4 becomes possible.

In other words, it is possible to subdivide the attributes of a specific password. For example, if the password is AAAA, the group can be set to α, the name of the caller at that time can be classified into attributes, such as aa.

In the example in Figure 4, the passwords BBBB, CCCC, 45
Names bb, cc, and xx are assigned to 67, respectively, and these are registered as groups β, γ, and α.

When such password-based memory management is performed, by searching the recorded password, it is possible to easily determine which group, to whom, and what kind of service was provided.

In this case, it would be more convenient if the record list (answering journal) could be printed out.

FIG. 5 is an example of a record list, which includes the date of incoming call, a record of a specific password, that is, a record of a specific caller, the group to which the password belongs, the contents of the input request input code, and the facsimile device corresponding to this request input code. Various information such as the response status of 20 is stored in memory. By doing so, it becomes possible to easily manage all information related to the received information.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, in the present invention, by providing a dedicated password, the password can be freely managed in the memory management means of the facsimile machine.

Adding, deleting, and adding passwords to password management means
By registering the grouping, presence or absence of service provision, type, etc. according to the input code, it is possible to provide the service desired by the caller by identifying the received password and input code.

This will firstly make password management easier,
1 by the owner of a facsimile machine with an answering machine
You can freely add or delete a friend's password without having to contact other friends.

Second, since friends can be limited by a password, it becomes extremely easy to manage information about who called at the time of the call.

Third, since information can be managed even when the recording tape or recording memory is full, it is easy to know who is calling. Also, since it is possible to know what kind of code was input at that time, the amount of information can be expanded.

Fourth, since friends can be grouped based on the password, it is very easy to close audio information within the group. As a result, it is possible to improve the confidentiality of information by dividing friends into groups.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an example of communication control means in a facsimile machine having an answering machine function according to the present invention, and FIG.
Figure 3 shows the usage status of passwords including this facsimile machine, Figure 3 is a flowchart for password management, Figure 4 shows an example of password memory management, and Figure 5 shows an example of the answering machine record list. FIG. 11.CPU 2...Image reading means 4φ...Modem 5...NCU 6...Line 8...Image recording means ll-...Audio memory 12...Management memory 13...DTMF decoder patent Applicant Konica Co., Ltd. Figure 3 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) It has an answering machine recording and reproducing means and a password management means that can be added or removed, and determines whether a received password is registered or not, and if the password is registered, provides a preset service to the recipient. A facsimile machine having an answering machine function.