JPH0297159A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow an operator in a transmission side to judge the condition of an opposite party by detecting a busy tone at every call operation and displaying the operation condition of an opposite facsimile equipment based on the detected result of the busy tone when the call operation is stopped. CONSTITUTION:A telephone circuit is connected and the dial signal of an opposite facsimile telephone number Yi is sent to call a transmission destination facsimile equipment. After that, a signal sent from the line is monitored by a tone detecting part 108 only during a limit time which is set in advance. After the call is originated to the transmission destination, when neither a CED signal nor the busy tone is received in the above mentioned limit time, it is judged that the opposite facsimile equipment can not be operated. Then, the line is disconnected and the number of times of call is decided. In the case of a third call operation, a reason to stop transmission processing such as 'opposite party is busy,' for example, is displayed on the display oF an operation display part 110 and after that, the transmission processing is finished.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to a facsimile device.

[Prior Art] When a normal facsimile machine makes a call, after setting the original to be sent, entering the destination phone number and pressing the start key, the facsimile machine automatically calls the destination, and when receiving a call, the facsimile machine automatically calls the destination. , has a function to automatically receive document images without operator intervention.

Incidentally, a telephone is generally connected to a facsimile machine, and during maintenance work on the facsimile machine, the telephone line is often switched and connected to the telephone.

Even if a normal facsimile machine has an automatic call receiving function, if it is not equipped with an image memory, the facsimile machine will not receive a call if the storage recording paper is jammed or out of paper. Also, when the telephone line is switched to the telephone side as described above, no calls are received.

On the other hand, when a normal facsimile machine makes a call, it calls a set destination, and if the destination does not respond, the calling operation is repeated a certain limited number of times after a certain period of time. If there is still no response, the set transmission process is canceled and the settings such as the destination telephone number are deleted.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] Therefore, when sending a document, the destination facsimile device
If you are unable to respond as described above,
The configured sending process will be canceled.

In this case, the transmission process may have been aborted because the other party's line was busy, so the operator would normally send a message to the facsimile machine.

I am trying to configure the same sending process again and start it again. However, in this case, the transmission process is also canceled.

Also, if the sending operator still cannot send after redoing the settings several times in this way, the sending operator can call the receiving operator at the other end to notify them that the facsimile machine is not responding, and then check the facsimile machine. I try to have them do it for me.

As described above, conventionally, when a transmission process is canceled, the status of the destination facsimile machine cannot be determined, and the set transmission process often fails.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile apparatus that can improve the above-mentioned problems, can determine the state of the other party at the time of transmission, and can reduce failures in transmission processing.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention detects whether or not a busy tone is sent from the line for each calling operation in order to determine the state of the other party at the time of transmission, and then calls out a certain number of times to make the call. When stopping the operation,
Based on the busy tone detection result, the operating status of the destination facsimile machine is displayed.

In addition, in order to reduce the number of failures in the sending process, when the sending side memorizes the phone numbers of the facsimile machine in advance, such as in the case of one-touch dialing, it is possible to While the phone number is memorized, it also detects whether a busy tone is sent from the line each time a call is made, and if the destination facsimile machine does not respond even if the call is made a certain number of times, and a busy tone is emitted all the times. If not detected, a call is made to the phone number for call contact stored in correspondence with the phone number of the destination facsimile machine, and a voice signal from one line is detected.
A voice message signal is sent to the line indicating that the facsimile machine does not respond.

In addition, while the receiving side memorizes the phone number for call contact, when the other party makes a call and receives a ringing signal, it determines whether there is an abnormality in the image receiving function. If a call is made to the telephone number for communication after the ringing signal has stopped, and a voice signal is detected from the line, a voice message signal will be sent to the line indicating that there is an abnormality in the image receiving function of the facsimile machine. I am trying to send out the following.

[Operation] If the receiving side does not respond even if the sending side calls a certain number of times, and no busy tone is detected, it is considered that the destination facsimile machine is not operating. in this case,
Since a message to that effect is displayed, the operator can judge the status of the other party.

In addition, by storing the telephone number for calling the recipient's operator as the phone number for telephone calls, the sending side can notify the recipient's operator of the telephone number when the recipient's facsimile machine is thought to be not working. You will be notified. This allows the receiving operator to set the facsimile machine to a state in which it can receive the facsimile. Therefore, the next time the sender makes a call, they will be able to send an image.
Failures in transmission processing can be reduced.

In addition, the receiving party will use the telephone number for the above-mentioned call contact.
By storing the telephone number for calling the operator of the device itself, if the receiving function is abnormal when a call is received, the operator is notified of this fact. As a result, as described above, the operator on the receiving side can set the facsimile machine to a state in which it can receive data, so that the sending side can reduce the number of failures in the transmission process.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a facsimile machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a facsimile machine 1 is connected to a subscriber telephone line, and a telephone set 2 is connected to the facsimile machine 1. In the facsimile machine 1, a scanner 101 reads an original image and extracts image information, and a plotter 102 records the image information on recording paper.

The encoding/decoding unit 103 encodes image information to be transmitted and decodes received image information. The image information memory 104 temporarily stores image information to be transmitted in the case of accumulation and transmission.

During facsimile communication, the network control device 105 performs predetermined call origination and incoming call operations by acquiring a line, 9 sending out a selection signal that is the originating optical telephone number, 2 detecting an incoming call, and the like. Further, the network control device 105 is provided with a FAX-replacement switching circuit 105a in order to switch the subscriber telephone line to the telephone set 2 during maintenance work on the facsimile device 1.

The modem 106 modulates and demodulates image information and transmits it,
It transmits various procedure signals in transmission control procedures. The communication control unit 107 controls the network control device 105 and the modem 106 to execute facsimile transmission according to a predetermined transmission control procedure.

The tone detection unit 108 detects a ringback tone and a busy tone sent from the exchange equipment of the telephone office when a call is made, and also detects a human voice sent from the other party. For example, when a voice signal with a frequency component other than the dial tone, ringback tone, or busy tone sent from switching equipment during normal transmission is received at a certain level or higher, the human voice can be judged. There is a way to identify it as a voice. The voice response device 109 is
A pre-recorded voice message is sent over the line.

The operation display section 110 displays the operating status of the device, operation guidance, etc., and also performs various operations on the device.6 In this embodiment, the operation display section 110 includes a character display that displays various messages. , a numeric keypad for inputting telephone numbers and one-touch dialing, and a FAX for operating the FAX-replacement circuit 105a of the network control device 105.
-Equipped with a displacement switch.

The system memory 111 stores various types of information necessary for transmission and reception processing, and the system control section 112 is composed of a microcomputer system and controls each section mentioned above to execute predetermined operations of the facsimile machine. .

With the above configuration, the facsimile apparatus of this embodiment registers its own operator's telephone number and one-touch dialing in advance before performing facsimile communication.

The own device operator telephone number is the contact telephone number of the place where the person in charge of managing the operation of the facsimile machine and the replacement of recording paper is usually on standby. Also,
In this embodiment, one-touch dialing is performed by registering the telephone number of the destination facsimile machine for each numeric keypad, as well as the person in charge of managing the facsimile machine, replacing recording paper, etc., who is usually on standby. The contact phone number of the location where the customer is working is registered as the other party's operator phone number.

The operator registers the operator's telephone number and one-touch dialing by performing a predetermined operation on the operation display section 110. This allows system memory 1
12, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the telephone number X of the operator of the device itself is stored, and as shown in FIG. Correspondingly, the telephone numbers YO-Y9 of the destination facsimile machine and the telephone numbers zO-29 of the destination operator are stored.

Next, the operation when facsimile communication is performed between the facsimile apparatuses of this embodiment will be explained.

Normally, the FAX-replacement switching circuit 105a of the network control device 105
, switch to the facsimile machine L side.

First, on the sending side that sends the original, the operator
Switch the AX-replacement switch to the facsimile communication side, set the original to be transmitted on the scanner 101, and press the numeric keypad and start button corresponding to the destination.

As a result, the facsimile machine 1 operates as shown in FIG. 3(a).

The calling process is executed as shown in (b). That is, the facsimile machine 1 first sets the variable N for counting the number of calls to N=O (process 301), then connects the telephone line (process 302), and registers it on the pressed numeric keypad. A dial signal of the destination facsimile telephone number Yi is sent to make a call to the destination facsimile machine (process 303).

Thereafter, the tone detection unit 108 monitors the signal sent from the line for a preset time limit (
(Proceed to process 305 from N in process 304, process 306 from N in process 305, and process 304 from N in process 306).

During this time, the other party's facsimile machine receives and responds to the call, and when the other party sends a CHD signal for a predetermined transmission control procedure (Y in process 304), the document image is transmitted by a predetermined transmission process. (Process 307).

Then, when the transmission is completed, the line is disconnected (process 30
8) End the transmission process.

On the other hand, if a call is made to the destination and a busy tone is received (Y in process 306), the destination facsimile machine is determined to be operational, and the activation flag is turned on (process 30
9), disconnect the line (process 310).

Thereafter, it is checked whether the number of calls is the third time (process 311). This is the first call, so in this case (
N in process 311), sets the variable N to N=N+LL (process 312), and waits for a certain period of time (process 313). and,
Thereafter, the call is made again in the same manner as described above (proceed to process 302).

In addition, after making a call to the destination, within the above time limit, CHD
If neither a signal nor a busy tone is received (Y in process 306), it is determined whether a ring tone has been received after sending the dial signal (process 314). Here, if a ring tone is being received (Y in process 314), it is determined that the other party's facsimile machine is inoperable, the activation flag is turned off (process 315), and the line is disconnected in the same way as above. (process 31O), and determines the number of calls (process 311).

As a result, if a call is made to the other party and the line is busy or there is no response, the call will be repeated at regular intervals.

When this calling operation is performed for the third time (Y in process 311), the operation flag is checked (process 316). If this activation flag is on (Y in process 316), the display of the operation display unit 110 will display, for example, “The other party is Hiji.

Process 317 to display the reason for canceling the sending process.
), after which the transmission process ends.

On the other hand, if the activation flag is off (processing 316
N), the contact flag is checked (processing 318).

This contact flag indicates whether a message, which will be described later, is being sent to the telephone number of the operator at the other end.

I'm not sending that message right now, so the contact flag is off. In this case (N in process 318), it is checked whether the destination operator telephone number Zi corresponding to the destination facsimile telephone number Yi currently set is registered (process 319).

Then, if the operator telephone number Zi is registered (Y in process 319), process 32 is performed to connect the line.
0), call the operator phone number Zi (process 3
21).

Thereafter, the tone detection unit 108 monitors the signal sent from the line for a preset time limit (
From N in process 322 to process 323, and from N in process 323 to process 322).

If the other party's operator responds during this time, a voice signal will be sent from the other party's operator. When this audio signal is detected (Y in process 322), the operation display section 11
By 0, for example, “This is o.

The company's facsimile machine is not responding, and the call will be sent again in 0 minutes, so please be patient. A preset voice message such as "" is sent out (process 324). Then, the communication flag is turned on (process 325) to disconnect the line (process 326), and the process waits for a certain period of time (proceed to process 313). Thereafter, the call is made again to the other party's facsimile machine in the same manner as above.

On the other hand, on the receiving side, the operator listens to the message and checks the facsimile machine. Therefore, if the destination facsimile device has been switched to the calling side and does not respond, for example, it is switched to the facsimile communication side. Further, if there is no response due to the recording paper being out of paper or jamming, predetermined measures are taken.

If the other party's facsimile machine becomes capable of receiving data as a result of this procedure, the facsimile machine will respond when the above-mentioned re-call is made and the original document can be sent.

On the other hand, if the other party's facsimile machine does not respond due to a malfunction or the like, the activation flag is turned off and the contact flag is turned on. In this case (from N in process 316 to process 318 and Y in process 318), for example, a message such as ``We have contacted the other party's operator, but the facsimile machine does not respond.'' is displayed (process 317) and the process ends. .

On the other hand, if no voice is detected within the time limit after calling the destination operator phone number Zi (process 32
3 Y), immediately disconnect the line 327), for example, "
There is no response from the operator at the other end.

” is displayed (process 327), and the process ends.

Furthermore, if the destination operator telephone number Zi corresponding to the destination facsimile telephone number Yi is not registered (N in process 319), for example, [The destination facsimile machine does not respond. Contact information for the operator is not registered. ” is displayed (process 317), and the process ends.

Next, the incoming call processing of the facsimile machine on the receiving side will be explained.

The facsimile machine 1 on the receiving side, as shown in FIG.
The calling signal from the line is constantly monitored (N loop of process 401). Here, even if a call is made from the transmitting side and a ringing signal is detected (Y in process 401), for example, the operator is performing various setting operations for transmitting processing, or
If the facsimile machine is already in use, such as during copying of a document (Y in process 402), the following incoming call operation is not executed (proceed to process 401).

If the printer is not in use (N in process 402), then it is determined whether there is any abnormality in the single image recording function, such as a paper cut or a jam in the recording paper (process 403).

Here, if there is no abnormality (N in process 403), if the line is connected (process 404), predetermined reception processing is executed (process 4).
05). When the receiving process is completed, the line is disconnected (process 406) and the operation ends.

On the other hand, in the above case, if there is an abnormality in the image recording function (
Process 403), it is checked whether the telephone number X of the operator of the device itself, which is the contact information for the operator, is registered (process 407).

And if this is registered (Y in process 407)
, wait for the calling signal to stop (N loop in process 408), and when the calling signal stops (Y in process 408), connect the line (process 409) and make a call to the own operator's telephone number X. (Process 410).

Thereafter, the tone detection unit 108 monitors the signal sent from the line for a preset time limit (
Process 412 from process 411 N, process 4118 from process 412 N).

If the other party's operator responds during this time, a voice signal will be sent from the other party's operator. When this audio signal is detected (Y in process 411), the nature of the abnormality in facsimile machine 1 is determined (process 413). Then, the operation display unit 110 displays, for example, ``The facsimile machine is out of recording paper and cannot receive data.'' ” and so on.
Sends a voice message notifying the abnormality (process 4)
14). Thereafter, the line is disconnected (process 406), and the process ends.

Note that if the own device operator telephone number X is not registered (N in process 407), the line is immediately disconnected (
Process 406), the process ends.

As described above, in this embodiment, when registering one-touch dialing, the telephone number of the destination facsimile machine is YO to Y9.
At the same time, register the telephone numbers 20 to 29 of the destination operator, and if you call the telephone number Yi of the destination facsimile machine a certain number of times and there is no response and no busy tone is received, the corresponding destination operator After a call is made to the operator's telephone number Zi and a voice message indicating that the facsimile machine does not respond is sent, a call is made to the facsimile machine again.

The above message allows the operator at the other end to set the facsimile machine to a predetermined reception-enabled state. Therefore, the transmitting side can successfully transmit the next call, thereby reducing the number of failures in the transmission process.

In addition, the telephone number of the operator is registered in the facsimile machine on the receiving side, so that if there is an abnormality in which images cannot be received when a call is received, a call is made to that telephone number and a message is sent to that effect. ing. As a result, 1,
Similarly to the above, since the receiving side can take necessary actions on the facsimile machine, the sending side can reduce the number of failures in the transmission process.

Furthermore, after calling the recipient's facsimile device a certain number of times, the sender will cancel the outgoing call under certain conditions, but in that case, the line is busy or the recipient's facsimile device is not operating. In particular, a message is displayed indicating the status of the destination facsimile machine at the time of canceling the calling operation, such as whether there was a response after calling the destination operator's telephone number. This allows the transmitting operator to easily determine the status of the destination facsimile machine.

In the above embodiment, the telephone numbers of the destination facsimile machine and the destination operator are stored in correspondence with one-touch dialing, but it goes without saying that the same applies to speed dialing. do not have.

Additionally, when a facsimile machine receives a call and there is an error in the image receiving function, a voice message is sent to the operator. may be sent.

Further, although the status of the destination facsimile machine is displayed on the display by a message, it may be displayed by other display methods such as a lamp display. Additionally, when a call is made to the line to send a voice message, it is determined whether the operator has answered based on the presence or absence of a voice signal from the other party, but other methods such as reversing the polarity of the line voltage are used to determine whether the operator has answered or not. You may also do so.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, a busy tone is detected for each calling operation, and when stopping the calling operation, the operating state of the destination facsimile device is determined based on the busy tone detection result. is displayed so that the transmitting operator can judge the status of the other party. In addition, if you memorize the telephone number to call the destination operator in advance as a telephone number for call contact, and if the destination facsimile machine does not respond even after calling a certain number of times and does not detect a busy tone, Since a call is made to the telephone number for telephone calls and a voice message signal indicating that the facsimile machine is not responding is sent, the receiving operator can set the receiving facsimile machine to a state where it can receive data. , the sending side can successfully perform subsequent transmissions, and can reduce the number of failures in the transmission process. In addition, on the receiving side, the telephone number to call the operator of the own device is stored as the telephone number for call contact, and when the other party makes a call and receives the calling signal, if there is an abnormality in the image receiving function, We made a call to the phone number used to contact the phone and sent a voice message signal indicating that the image receiving function of the facsimile machine was abnormal. can reduce failures in transmission processing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a facsimile machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2(a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams of various telephone numbers stored in the system memory, and FIG. 3(a)
, (b) is an operational flowchart of outgoing call processing, and FIG. 4 is an operational flowchart of incoming call processing. 1...Facsimile device, 2...Telephone, 101.
...Scanner, 102...Plotter, 103...Encoder/decoder, 104...Image information memory, 105...
- Network control device, 106...Modem, 107...Communication control unit, 108...Tone detection unit, 109...Voice response device, 110...Operation display unit, 111...System memory, 112...System control unit. Figure 1 Figure 2 (a) (b)

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) When a call is made to a destination facsimile device and the destination facsimile device does not respond, the facsimile device re-calls a certain number of times at a certain time interval, and detects a busy tone from the line for each of the above calling operations. The present invention is characterized by comprising a busy tone detection means, and a display means for displaying the operating state of the destination facsimile device based on the result of detecting the busy tone when the calling operation is stopped after the fixed number of calls have been made. facsimile machine. (2) By selecting one of the phone numbers of the destination facsimile machines registered in advance, a call is made to the corresponding destination facsimile machine, and if the destination facsimile machine does not respond, a certain number of calls are made at regular intervals. In the facsimile machine for re-calling, telephone number storage means stores a telephone number for communication in correspondence with each of the telephone numbers of the facsimile machine, and a busy tone detects a busy tone from the line for each call operation. and a detecting means, if the destination facsimile machine does not respond and the busy tone is not detected when the calling operation is executed a certain number of times, the detection means stores the phone number corresponding to the phone number of the destination facsimile device. a call originating means for making a call to the above-mentioned telephone number for telephone communication, a voice detection means for detecting a voice signal from the line after the call is made, and a facsimile device responding to the line when the voice signal is detected. A facsimile apparatus comprising voice message sending means for sending a voice message signal indicating that the facsimile is not to be sent. (3) In a facsimile machine equipped with an automatic call making/receiving function, whether or not there is an abnormality in the telephone number storage means for storing a telephone number for telephone calls and the image receiving function when a call is made from the other party and a paging signal is received. a receiving function determining means for determining the above-mentioned image receiving function; a calling means for calling the above-mentioned phone number for communication after the above-mentioned calling signal has stopped; The facsimile apparatus is characterized by comprising a voice detecting means for detecting a signal, and a voice message transmitting means for transmitting a voice message signal to the line indicating that the image receiving function of the facsimile device is abnormal when the voice signal is detected. facsimile machine.