JPH037447A - Communication system for facsimile store and forward exchange - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the immediacy of communication by starting a call transmission processing to a destination facsimile equipment as soon as a text reception processing is started when an immediate communication service is requested. CONSTITUTION:When a facsimile control unit FCU1 receives a service request of immediate communication of a text to a facsimile equipment F3 from a facsimile equipment F1, whether or not immediate communication is requested is discriminated by using a received facsimile control signal. In the case of the immediate communication, whether the destination terminal equipment to be sent this time is a first terminal equipment or not and whether or not the immediate communication service is requested are confirmed from its own data file. In the case of 'OK', the text data sent from the facsimile control unit FCU1 is started and the opposite facsimile control unit FCU3 is called and the received text is sent to the facsimile control unit FCU3 in real time. Thus, the immediately of the communication is improved.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a communication system for a facsimile storage and forwarding device.
In particular, the present invention relates to a communication method for a facsimile storage and forwarding device that reduces the time required to send and receive image information when receiving a service request for instant communication.

(Prior Art) Recently, with the spread of facsimile devices, facsimile storage and forwarding devices that manage a plurality of facsimile terminals and provide various services have appeared.

Such facsimile storage and forwarding devices are equipped with large-capacity storage means, and store messages sent from facsimile terminals for each destination, and when a reception request is received from a facsimile terminal for that destination, the messages are stored for each destination. Send all messages in bulk. In addition, when receiving a service request for instant communication from a sending facsimile terminal, the facsimile storage and forwarding device immediately starts calling and sending processing to the destination facsimile terminal after receiving and storing the transmitted message. I have to.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the communication method of such a conventional facsimile storage and forwarding device, when a service request for immediate transmission is received, the destination facsimile is sent after receiving and storing the message. Because the call/transmission process is started for the terminal, the time it takes for the message to arrive at the destination facsimile terminal is shorter than when messages are sent between facsimile terminals without going through the facsimile storage and forwarding device. There was a problem in that it took more than twice as long (not the transmission time but the total time for the message to reach the recipient) and was inferior to communication between facsimile machines in terms of immediacy.

In other words, in the communication method of conventional facsimile storage and forwarding devices, the transmission process to the destination starts after the reception process of the message is completed, so it is not possible to send the message being received to the destination facsimile terminal in real time. I couldn't do it.

(Object of the Invention) Accordingly, the present invention has the following advantages: When a facsimile storage and forwarding device receives a service request for instant communication, it simultaneously starts the process of calling and transmitting a message to the destination facsimile terminal at the same time it starts receiving the message. The purpose of this system is to improve the immediacy of communication by a facsimile storage and forwarding device by making it possible to transmit messages being received to a destination facsimile terminal in real time.

(Structure of the Invention) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a facsimile storage and forwarding device connected to a plurality of facsimile terminals via a line network, which receives messages from each facsimile terminal and temporarily stores them in an image memory. In a communication method of a facsimile storage and forwarding device that transmits the stored message to a predetermined destination after storing the message, when the facsimile storage and forwarding device receives a service request from each of the facsimile terminals to immediately transmit the message to a predetermined destination. The present invention is characterized in that a call is made to the destination and the transmission process of the message is started at the same time as the reception of the message starts.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically explained based on examples.

1 to 3 are diagrams showing one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, ■ is a facsimile storage and forwarding device, and the facsimile storage and forwarding device 1 includes a CPU 2, an HD
D (Hard Disc Driver) control 3, HDD 4 and facsimile control unit FCU
1 to FCU8, etc.

The CPU 2 controls each part of the facsimile storage and exchange device 1.
At the same time, the real-time communication process between the facsimile terminals of the present invention is executed. CPU
2 is equipped with a memory 5, and the memory 5 has memory areas for each of the facsimile control units FCUI to FCUB, as shown in FIG. These memory areas are used to execute image information transmission/reception processing during instant communication. H
The DD control 3 controls the HDD 4 to write and read messages and other data to and from the HDD (image memory) 4, and files are managed for each message stored in the HDD 4. facsimile control unit) FCUL
~FCU8 has a public telephone number 174 P S T N (P
public 5w1tched Te1ephon N
facsimile terminal Fl-FB via etWork-k)
is connected to the facsimile control unit FCUI.
- The FCU 8 has a built-in modem and the like and controls facsimile communication via the public telephone network.

Next, the effect will be explained.

According to the present invention, when a facsimile storage and forwarding device connected to a plurality of facsimile terminals via a line network receives a request for immediate communication service, the facsimile storage and forwarding device calls the destination at the same time it starts receiving the message, starts the transmission process, and sends the facsimile. Its feature is that it improves the immediacy of the communication method of the store-and-forward device.

This instant communication process will be explained below based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

Now, suppose that the facsimile control unit FCUI receives a service request for instant communication of a message from the facsimile terminal Fl to the facsimile terminal F3 (step P).
Based on the received facsimile control signal, it is determined whether the communication is immediate or not (step Pz). If the communication is not instantaneous, the process moves to normal processing of storing and communicating messages (step P).
, ), in the case of instant communication, it is checked by its own data file whether this is the first time the destination terminal is being sent and whether it is okay to perform instant communication service (step P4).
). Next, the result confirmed with Ste Nobu P4 is “OK”
If it is not "OK", the line is disconnected (step P&) and communication with the facsimile control unit FCUI is terminated. “OK
”, the facsimile control unit FCU l starts receiving the message data (step P
) at the same time as the destination facsimile control unit FCU3.
(Step Pg) and transmits the message being received to the facsimile control unit FCU3 in real time (Step P9). Furthermore, the message data being transmitted is stored in the memory 5. Next, check whether the message being sent is finished for each sending unit (step P1゜), and if it is not finished, continue in step P1 until the message reception is completed.
~Pr.

The process of receiving and sending messages is performed in real time by repeating the above process. Note that during the message reception/transmission process, the calling process in step P8 is skipped. At the same time as the transmission ends, the telegram data stored in the memory 5 is transferred to the HDI 4 via the HDD control 3 and stored therein.

The flow of control signals and data during the above instant communication processing will be specifically explained with reference to FIG. 1.2.

(2) The CPU 2 determines immediate communication in response to the service request received by the facsimile control unit FCUI from the facsimile terminal F1, and in the case of immediate communication, instructs the facsimile control unit FCUI to perform immediate communication.

■In the case of instant communication, once the service content is determined, the CPU 2 starts receiving the image information and simultaneously starts the facsimile control unit)
An instruction for transmission processing is output to the FCU 3. The facsimile control unit FUC3 makes a call to the facsimile terminal F3.

(2) The facsimile control unit FCUI sends the received image information to the facsimile control unit FCU3 in real time according to instructions from the CPU2. The facsimile control unit (FCU3) sends image information to the facsimile terminal F3.

■The facsimile control unit FCUI sends image information to the facsimile control unit (FCU3) and at the same time
The image information is sent to the memory 5 of No. 2. At this time, memory 5
stores the image information sent from the facsimile control unit FCUI in the memory area for the facsimile control unit FCUI as shown by the arrow in FIG.
The image information is transferred to a memory area for facsimile control units FCUs and the image information is copied. This copying is performed in real time for each certain unit (minimum one word). The storage processing of image information in the memory 5 is carried out by the facsimile control unit (FCU).
This is done in real time until the transmission of I is completed, and the transmitted messages are stored.

(2) The CPU 2 sends a write instruction for writing the image information stored in the memory 5 to the HDD 4 to the HDD control 3, and also sends the stored image information to the HDD control 3.

(2) The HDD control 3 writes the image information sent to the HDD 4 according to instructions from the CPU 2.

By writing the message to the HDD 4, it can be used for retransmission after an abnormality occurs, and if the other party's terminal is busy, it will only receive and retransmit at a later time.

Therefore, the instant communication processing described above makes it possible to send the message being received to the facsimile terminal of the other party in real time even if it is via the storage and forwarding device 1, and immediately without impairing the serviceability of the facsimile storage and forwarding device. can improve sex. As a result, it is possible to provide the facsimile storage and forwarding device with immediacy equivalent to sending image information directly to a facsimile terminal, and when communicating immediately to the user, the facsimile storage and forwarding device
You don't have to be conscious of it.

(Effects) According to the present invention, when the facsimile storage and forwarding device receives a service request for instant communication, it starts the call/transmission process to the destination facsimile terminal at the same time as the start of the message reception process. The message contained therein can be transmitted to the destination facsimile terminal in real time, and the immediacy of communication by the facsimile storage and forwarding device can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the communication method of the facsimile storage and forwarding device of the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the facsimile storage and forwarding device used in the communication method of the facsimile storage and forwarding device. 2 is a block diagram of the memory of the facsimile storage and forwarding device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a program for instant communication processing. 1...Facsimile storage and exchange device, 2...
...CPU. 3...HDD control, 4...HDD. 5...Memory, FCUI to FCU8...Facsimile control unit, F1 to F8...Facsimile terminal.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A facsimile system in which a facsimile storage and forwarding device connected to multiple facsimile terminals via a line network receives messages from each facsimile terminal, temporarily stores them in an image memory, and then sends the accumulated messages to a predetermined destination. In the communication method of the storage and forwarding device, when the facsimile storage and forwarding device receives a service request from each of the facsimile terminals to immediately transmit a message to a predetermined destination, it immediately calls the destination and sends the message. A communication method for a facsimile storage and forwarding device, characterized in that a transmission process is started for a facsimile storage and forwarding device.