JPH01311753A - Picture communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the convenience by combining a voice message from routine voice information retrieved by key information included in control information received after the end of reception of picture information and sound ing it from a speaker. CONSTITUTION:The operator enters a number (2) commanding (accounting department, from plural destinations displayed as a menu from an operation section 40. Then key information (B) from a facsimile information field(FiF) sent prior to picture information is stored in a control section 38 at the recep tion side. When the reception of picture information is finished normally, the routine voice information stored in the 4th storage section 32 at the reception side is retrieved by the key information (B) and the key information (E) representing a routine phrase (a facsimile call comes to) representing the end of the reception. Then the voice message of (a facsimile call comes to the accounting department) is combined and it is sounded from a speaker 36.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image communication device having a message function using voice synthesis.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional devices of this type have the following features: (1) Prior to communicating image information, a voice message is transmitted by directly transmitting the voice signal itself synthesized by a voice synthesis means (for example, (Refer to Publication No. 62-53065) (2) On the transmitting side, the character code string that describes the message sentence is imaged, and this imaged character information is transmitted as image information, and on the receiving side,
Character information is discriminated from the received image information by image pattern recognition, and the discriminated character information is converted into the original character code string.
Synthesize speech character by character (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-1602
(Refer to Publication No. 61), there were some that had the above functions.

By having the above-mentioned functions, it is possible to, for example, provide operational guidance and notification of communication status to the other party by voice.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with this configuration, there is a problem in that it is difficult to obtain convenience when a plurality of users jointly use the device.

The above problem arises for the following reasons.

In other words, in Item 2 (1), in order to directly transmit the audio signal of the audio message, the communication time just for transmitting the audio message is significantly longer than the communication time required for transmitting the original image information. Problems arise such as it takes time and increases the cost of using communication lines.

Furthermore, since the voice message is transmitted before the image information is transmitted, there is also the inconvenience that the user cannot know the end of the communication depending on the voice message.

The above method (2) requires image pattern recognition for distinguishing character information from received image information, so there is a problem in that the configuration is complicated and results in a large loss.

Also, when sending a standard voice message that only specifies joint users within a certain range, such as "Fax to Calib," each time you send image information,
There was also the trouble of having to create all the character data representing the standard voice message from scratch.

As described above, the conventional image communication device described above may be effective in transmitting voice messages with unspecified content, but
It was not configured to increase convenience when multiple users use it together.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides an image communication device that can improve convenience when used jointly by multiple users without complicating the configuration and causing major damage. The purpose is to

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention stores a plurality of standard voice information announcing destination names so as to be searchable using predetermined key information, and on the transmitting side, operation information from the operation unit is stored. Send arbitrarily selected key information along with image information based on
On the receiving side, the key information sent along with the image information is received, and when the reception of the image information is finished, it assembles a voice message from the standard voice information searched by the key information received along with the image information and amplifies the sound. It is equipped with a structure that allows the device to make a high-pitched announcement.

Effects of the present invention With the above-described configuration, the transmitting side can simply select and transmit predetermined key information without having to create and transmit the entire message every time image information is communicated. , you can specify any user from among the joint users on the receiving side to send the image, and the receiving side will automatically notify the user specified by the sending side by voice that the image information has been received. Since the system can be notified in a timely manner, it is possible to improve the convenience when a plurality of users jointly use the system without complicating the configuration and causing major damage.

Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an image communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which 10 is a communication line such as a telephone line or a facsimile line, 12 is a reading unit that reads an image from a document, etc., and 14 is a communication line such as a telephone line or a facsimile line. 16 is a compression unit that compresses the image information by encoding it; 18 is an expansion unit that decodes the compressed image information into the original image information; A first storage unit that stores information on the road side, n is a modem, 24 is a line control unit, 26 is a calling unit, and road is a calling unit 2.
30 is a second storage section that stores dial information sent from 6; 30 is a third storage section that stores destination names, sender names, etc. in correspondence with predetermined key information; 32 is a destination name and sender name; a fourth storage unit that stores a plurality of pieces of standardized voice information for informing people, etc. in a manner that can be searched by the key information; and 34 is a voice synthesis unit that synthesizes a voice message using the standardized voice information stored in the fourth storage unit 32. 36 is a loudspeaker that broadcasts the synthesized voice message in a high-pitched voice, a helmet is a control unit that centrally controls the operation of each of the above-mentioned parts, and 40 is a keyboard that provides various operational information between the control units. The operation section 42 is a display section for monitoring and displaying the status of each section via the control sections.

With the above-mentioned components, the facsimile+) transmitting device 1
00 and a facsimile receiving device 200 is configured.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the storage contents of the third storage unit 30 that stores key information. Each piece of key information is stored in correspondence with the destination name, sender name, predetermined phrase, etc. indicated by the key information. The key information is composed of, for example, one character code representing alpha vent.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the storage contents of the fourth storage unit 32 that stores fixed voice information. The standardized voice information is stored so as to be searchable using the above key information.

The operation of the image communication apparatus configured as described above will be described below.

In the following description, it is assumed that both the transmitting side and the receiving side use an image communication apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 1.

First, when an operator who is one of the joint users on the sending side sets a transmission document on the reading section 12, the transmission document is placed on the reading section 12.
The read image information is read by the compression unit 14
The data is compressed and stored in the first storage hole.

At the same time, as shown in FIG. 4, a menu for selecting a sender name is displayed on the display section 42. This menu display is performed based on the contents stored in the third storage section I.

For example, if the operator inputs the number ``1'' from the operation unit 40 that specifies ``Nomp'' from among the multiple sender names displayed in the menu, the key information ``A'' corresponding to this ``Nomp'' will be set to the 3rd key information. The information is read out from the storage unit 30 and held in the control area.

Next, when the operator inputs the speed dial number from the operation section 40, a menu for selecting a destination name is displayed on the display section 42, as shown in FIG. This menu display is performed based on the contents stored in the third storage hole, as in the case of the above menu display for selecting the sender name.

For example, the operator enters the number "2" to designate "Cailib" from among the multiple destination names displayed in the menu on the operating unit.
When inputting from 0, the key information rBJ corresponding to this "key lib" is read out from the third storage unit 30 and held in the control unit.

After this, when the transmission switch of the operation unit 40 is suppressed,
Communication operation of image information according to a predetermined communication procedure is started.

At this time, the key information "rB" for the destination name "Cailib" held in the control unit is inserted into the FiF (facsimile information field) that is transmitted prior to the image information, which is the actual information, and is transmitted.

When the transmission of the image information stored in the first storage hole is successfully completed and the communication is completed after the prescribed procedure, the key information "A" of the sender name "Someb" held in the control section
and the standard phrase "no fax" that announces the end of the sending operation.
By the key information of "Shuriyou Shimashita",
The standard voice information stored in the storage unit 32 of is searched. Then, based on this searched standard voice information, "
How to send a fax
A voice message is assembled and announced in high voice from the loudspeaker 36.

Thereby, the operator on the transmitting side can know that his/her own transmission has been completed by the voice message that is loudly announced, even if he/she is not present at the device until the end.

On the other hand, on the receiving side, the Fi
The key information rBJ from F is held in the control unit 38. When the reception of the image information is completed normally, the key information rBJ held in the control unit 38 and the key information rEJ of the fixed phrase "Ni fax death" indicating the end of the receiving operation are used to store the image information in the fourth storage unit on the receiving side. The standard voice information stored in 32 is searched. Then, a voice message of "Calib ni fax death" is assembled based on the retrieved standard voice information and is announced in a high voice from the loudspeaker 36.

Thereby, the operator on the receiving side can be informed by the voice message that an image addressed to him/herself has been transmitted and that the reception has been completed.

As described above, the sending side can easily select and transmit the entire message without having to create and transmit the entire message each time image information is communicated. You can specify any user from among the joint users to send the image, and the receiving side automatically notifies the user specified by the sending side by voice that the image information has been received. be able to. As a result, the convenience when a plurality of users jointly use the system can be improved without complicating the configuration and causing major damage.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be modified in various ways other than the embodiment described above. for example,
The key information may be a signal other than a character code.

Furthermore, the FiF into which the key information is inserted may be an FiF other than the FiF that is transmitted prior to transmitting the image information.

Furthermore, by sending a set of destination name key information and sender name key information, it becomes possible to have both the destination and sender announced by voice at the destination. , it is also possible to perform relay communication based on the above key information.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, the present invention stores a plurality of standard voice information announcing destination names in a manner that can be searched using predetermined key information, and on the transmitting side, based on operation information from an operation unit. The key information that is arbitrarily selected is sent together with the image information, and the receiving side receives the key information sent with the image information, and when the reception of the image information is finished, the key information that was received with the image information is sent. By assembling a voice message from the standard voice information retrieved by the information and broadcasting it in a loud voice on a loudspeaker, it is possible to create and transmit a message in its entirety each time image information is communicated. By simply selecting and transmitting information, the sending side can specify any user from among the joint users on the receiving side, and the receiving side can send it to the user specified by the sending side. It is possible to automatically notify by voice that the reception of image information has been completed, thereby increasing convenience when multiple users use it jointly without complicating the configuration and causing major damage. This has the effect that it is possible to

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image communication device showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a storage content menu of a third storage section. 10... Communication line, 12... Image reading unit, 14...
・Recording section, 16... Compression section, 18... Expansion section, addition/
. . . first storage unit storing image information, n . . . modem,
24... Line control unit, 26... Calling unit, 4... Second storage unit that stores dial information, I... Third storage unit that stores key information, 32... A fourth storage unit that stores a plurality of fixed voice information, a voice synthesis unit that synthesizes voice messages, 36, a loudspeaker that announces the voice message in a high voice, ah, a control unit, 40.・・Operation unit,
42...Display section. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person N2
Figure 3, ? 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] a storage means for storing a plurality of fixed voice information announcing destination names in a manner that can be searched from predetermined key information; a transmitting means for transmitting key information selected based on operation information from an operation unit together with control information; a receiving means for receiving key information sent together with the control information; and when the reception of the image information is completed, assembling a voice message from the fixed voice information searched by the key information included in the received control information. an image communication device comprising: a voice synthesis means for causing a loudspeaker to make a high-pitched announcement;