JPH0233261A - Picture communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the transmission time by compressing picture information with its format part eliminated therefrom, transmitting the resulting information and adding format information at the reception side to the sent information. CONSTITUTION:An original is read by a read section 12 and its output is outputted to a format data elimination section 22. The picture information whose format data is eliminated by the format data elimination section 22 is compressed by a compression expanding section 24 and the resulting information is sent to a line 10 via a MODEM section 28 and a network control section 30. The picture information received at the reception side is expanded by the compression expanding section 24 and added with a format data by a format data addition section 32 and fed to a recording section 34.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image communication device that compresses and transmits image information read from a format document such as a slip.

2. Description of the Related Art In conventional devices of this kind, when transmitting a format document such as a slip, the format portions such as ruled lines are printed in drop-out color to reduce the transmission time, thereby removing the format portions. The image information read in this way is read, and the image information thus read is compressed and transmitted.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with this configuration, there are problems in that it is difficult for the sending side to create a transmission document, and it is difficult for the receiving side to understand the contents of the received document.

The above problem arises for the following reasons.

That is, first, on formatted paper printed in dropout color, the dropout color in the formatted portion is difficult to see. Dropout colors have very poor visual contrast because they are too light to be read by a reader.

Second, the recipient receives a document that lacks formatting. Format manuscripts are created using the format as a guide, so it is difficult to understand the content of manuscripts that lack formatting.

When reading a formatted document, if there are black pixels within the pre-memorized format specification range, the reading will be performed more closely, otherwise the reading will be coarser, and the image information read in this way will be There is an image communication device that attempts to shorten the transmission time by transmitting the information (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-46358).

However, the above-mentioned device is based on an old technology that does not compress information by encoding, and in terms of reducing transmission time, it is rather difficult to reduce the transmission time by using recent technology that compresses information on the entire screen by encoding. Communication equipment is better. In other words, the above-described device only performs a type of information compression within a designated format range, and its information transmission efficiency is inferior to recent image communication devices that compress information over the entire screen. Therefore, even if the above-described device technology is applied to an image communication device using the information compression transmission method, little effect of shortening the image information transmission time can be obtained.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it significantly reduces the transmission time when compressing the information of a format document such as a slip and transmitting it without making it difficult to create a transmission document or to decipher a received document. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image communication device that can be shortened.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention deletes a pre-stored format part from the image information read from the original document, and generates the image information from which this format part has been deleted. At the same time, the information is compressed and transmitted, and identification information indicating that the transmitted image information is that of a format original is transmitted.On the receiving side, the received image information is decompressed and the received image information is processed according to the above identification information. If it is determined that the document is a format document, a predetermined format image stored in advance is added to the image of the received image information and recorded.

Effect of the Invention With the above-described configuration, the present invention allows the sending side to create a transmission document in a predetermined format using format paper that is printed in contrasting colors for easy viewing. Image information can be efficiently compressed and transmitted.
On the receiving side, a received document with a predetermined format is recorded from the received image information with the format part removed, so it is possible to create a formatted document such as a slip without making it difficult to create a transmitted document or decipher the received document. It becomes possible to significantly shorten the transmission time when compressing and transmitting information.

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, 11 is an operation unit such as a keyboard, and 12 is a control unit for controlling a document from a document. An image reading unit for reading image information, 14
1 is a system control unit that centrally controls the entire device; 16 is a changeover switch that switches read image information from the reading unit 12; 18 is a format data processing unit that recognizes the coordinate position of the format portion; A part of the format memory is stored together with the coordinate position information, n is a format data deletion part that deletes the format part from the read image information of the format document, and SAE is the part that compresses the information by encoding the transmitted image information and expands it by decoding the received image information. 26 is a part of an image signal memory that temporarily stores transmitted and received image information; 2 is a modem unit that modulates and demodulates image information; 3 is a network control unit (NCU); 32 is an image signal memory that temporarily stores transmitted and received image information; The format data adding section adds a predetermined format image to the image information image, and is a recording section that prints and records the received document with the format image added.

Here, the format data deletion unit n deletes the image information of the format portion from the read image information by replacing the image information of the format portion of the read image information with all-white image information having a high information compression effect.

The format data addition section superimposes a format image such as a ruled line on the coordinate position of the format portion replaced with the all-white image information, and causes the recording section to record the superimposed format image.

The format memory is configured using a rewritable non-volatile storage means such as a battery banked semiconductor RAM or a magnetic disk storage device, and is deleted by the format data deletion unit B,
It also stores the format added by the format data addition section 32.

The system control unit 14 is configured using a microcircuit-based general-purpose information processing device, a so-called microcomputer, and serves as a means for transmitting identification information indicating that the transmitted image information is image information of a document in a predetermined format to a transmission path. , means for determining whether or not the received image information is from a predetermined format original by receiving the identification information.

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

First, as a preparatory operation, an instruction to store a format is given from the operation unit 11. In response to this instruction, the system control unit 14 sets the changeover switch 16 to the b side. and,
For example, the image reading unit 12 is made to read a format (for example, as shown in FIG. 2).

This reading is done using a blank formatted sheet. The read format 36 is subjected to a process of recognizing the coordinate position of the format portion in the format data processing section 18, and is then stored in a part of the format memory together with the coordinate position information recognized by this process. This preparatory operation is performed between a plurality of image communication apparatuses that exchange documents of the same format with each other, using the same format paper. As described above, the preparatory operation for storing a predetermined format is performed.

Next, if you want to send a formatted manuscript, use the operation section 11.
Indicate that it is a format manuscript. In response to this instruction, the system control unit 14 sets the changeover switch 16 to the a side. Then, for example, the image reading section 12 is made to read between the format documents as shown in (Bl) in FIG. The format data deletion unit n performs a process of replacing only the format part with all white image information based on the coordinate position information stored in the format memory part. Through this process, the format part is deleted. Transmission image information is created.The transmission image information created in this way is encoded and compressed using the compression/expansion tone, and then sent to the modem along with identification information indicating that the transmission image information is a manuscript in a predetermined format. The image information is sent to the line 10 via the device and the network control section (9).As described above, on the sending side, image information with a reduced amount of information in the format portion is sent.

On the other hand, on the receiving side, the image information received from the line 10 via the network control section I and the modem section is decoded and expanded by the information compression/expansion section 2. At the same time, it is determined whether the received image information is image information from a format original based on the identification information. When it is determined that the received image information is from a format original, the format data addition unit 32 overlays the format stored in the format memory part 32 at a predetermined format coordinate position of the expanded received image information. Added to match. Then, the received image information to which this format is added is printed and recorded by the recording unit 34.

As described above, on the receiving side, a received document having the same format as the original document is printed and recorded from received image information lacking information on the format portion.

This allows the sending side to create a transmission document in a predetermined format using format paper that is printed in contrasting colors for easy viewing.
Image information with a small amount of information excluding the format portion can be efficiently compressed and transmitted, and on the receiving side, a received document having a predetermined format is recorded from the received image information with the format portion removed. As a result, it is possible to significantly shorten the transmission time when compressing the information of a formatted document such as a slip and transmitting it without making it difficult to create a transmitted document or to read a received document.

Note that the number of formats to be stored in the format memory is not limited to one type, but a plurality of types of formats may be stored and arbitrarily selected based on instructions from the operation unit 11.

In this case, format type information is included in the identification information indicating that the document is a format document.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, the present invention is such that on the sending side, a pre-stored format part is deleted from the image information read from the original, and the image information from which this format part has been deleted is compressed. and send it,
If identification information indicating that the transmitted image information is that of a format original is transmitted, and the receiving side decompresses the received image information and determines that the received image information is a format original based on the identification information, By adding and recording a pre-stored predetermined format image to the image of the received image information, the sending side can print the transmitted original in the predetermined format using format paper printed in contrasting colors for easy viewing. In addition, image information with a small amount of information excluding the format part can be efficiently compressed and transmitted, and on the receiving side, the received image information with the format part removed can be converted into a predetermined format. Since the received documents with the same information are recorded, it is possible to significantly shorten the transmission time when compressing the information and transmitting formatted documents such as slips without making it difficult to create the transmitted documents and decipher the received documents. This has the effect of

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a format and a format document transmitted by the device. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Communication line, 11... Operation unit, 12... Reading unit, 14... System control unit, 16... Changeover switch, 18... Format data processing unit, processing unit...
Format memory n...format data deletion section, 24...compression/expansion section,...part of image signal memory for storing image information, path...modem section, I...network control section, 32 ...Format data addition part, key...recording part, 36...format, security...format manuscript such as slip. Figure 2

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A reading means for reading image information of a format document, a format data deletion means for deleting image information of a predetermined format portion from the read image information, and a compression means for compressing image information from which the format portion has been deleted. , means for transmitting compressed image information to a transmission path; means for transmitting identification information indicating that the transmitted image information is image information of a format original to the transmission path; and received image information input from the transmission path. and format data for adding and recording a predetermined format image to the image of the expanded received image information when the received image information is determined to be from a format original based on the identification information. An image communication device comprising an adding means and a format storage means for storing a format deleted by the format data deletion means and added by the format data addition means. (2) By replacing the image information in the format part of the read image information with all-white image information, which has a high information compression effect,
2. The image communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a format data deletion means for deleting image information of a format portion from said read image information.