JPH04315356A - Data communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the data communication equipment capable of outputting a picture via a desired output path and facilitating management and storage of a picture in the communication. CONSTITUTION:A scanner section 67 outputs a white/black binary picture and a digital color copying machine outputs a full color picture, the white/black picture is outputted as one binary picture and the full color picture is outputted as plural binary pictures. The entered picture is stored under a relevant directory of a portable storage medium via a portable recording and reproducing device 2 in response to the kind of the picture. In this case, a picture data corresponding to other directory is generated altogether and stored in a relevant directory.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data communication device, such as a facsimile device, which transmits and receives images to and from a destination via a line.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 15 shows a block diagram of a conventional facsimile machine.

In the figure, reference numeral 63 denotes a main body of the facsimile machine, which transmits and receives images or sounds to and from a destination device connected to a telephone line 64 via a telephone line interface 65. Reference numeral 66 denotes a telephone, which is connected to the telephone line 64 and transmits and receives voice. Reference numerals 67 to 72 are facsimile units for transmitting and receiving images.

[0004] When transmitting an image, first, the telephone number of the other party is dialed using the telephone set 66, and a connection is made to the other party's device via the telephone line 64. Then, the scanner unit 67 reads the image and sends it as a binary signal to the encoding circuit 68.
After performing processing such as image compression, the transmission/reception switching circuit 69
The signal is then sent to the modulation and demodulation circuit 70. The thus modulated signal is transmitted to the telephone line interface 65 and the telephone line 6.
4 to the other party's device.

[0005] Furthermore, when receiving an image, there is a call from the other party's device, and when the telephone line 64 and this device are connected, a modulated signal is sent. This signal passes through a telephone line interface 65 and is demodulated by a modulation/demodulation circuit 70. The demodulated digital signal passes through the transmission/reception switching circuit 69 and enters the decoding circuit 71, where the input compressed image is restored to its original state. The image restored in this way is sent to the printer section 72 as a binary signal, and is output as a visible image on recording paper.

[0006] In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, some devices have a fixed magnetic disk device built into the main body of the device to temporarily store a large amount of transmitted and received images.

[0007]

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above conventional example, the input image must be drawn on paper of a predetermined size, and the output image can only be output on paper of a predetermined size. There was a drawback.

[0008]Furthermore, even in the above-mentioned conventional example with a built-in magnetic fixed disk memory, images can only be stored temporarily.
The only way to keep a record of transmitted and received images was to print them out on recording paper, which had the disadvantage of taking up a lot of space to store.

The present invention has been made in view of the above prior art, and provides a data communication device that facilitates the management and storage of images in communications and is capable of outputting images via a desired output path. This is what I am trying to do.

0010

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve this problem, a data communication device of the present invention has the configuration shown below. In other words, there is a communication means for communicating image information via a line, and a first communication means for reading the original image to be communicated as a black and white image.
A data communication device comprising: a reading means; and a first printing means for printing out a received image as a black and white image on a recording medium; a removable and portable information storage medium for storing information; , a second reading means that reads the original image as a color image, a second printing means that prints out the color image on a recording medium, and a receiving operation of the first and second reading means or the communication means. image,
When printing by the first and second printing means based on a storage means that stores the image information in the information storage medium as a file with a name that specifies the image information, and an image file stored on the information storage medium. or an image file generating means for generating an image file to be transmitted by the communication means.

[0011]

[Operation] In the structure of the present invention, images received via the first and second reading means or the line are stored as files in the removable and portable information storage medium. The stored file is then output by the first and second printing means or communication means.

0012

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the block configuration of the facsimile machine in this embodiment.

In the drawing, reference numeral 1 indicates the facsimile apparatus main body of the embodiment. Reference numerals 64 to 72 have the same functions as those explained in the conventional example, and are denoted by the same reference numerals. 2 is a portable memory recorder/player to which a removable portable storage medium can be attached. Although the portable storage medium in the embodiment is a magneto-optical disk, it may also be a floppy disk, a memory card, etc. if storage capacity permits.

Images for transmission can be read by the scanner section 67 or, as shown in FIG. 2, can be read by a full-color image reading device such as a digital color copying machine 5 that is independent of this device. . In the former case, the image is drawn on paper of a predetermined size, similar to a normal facsimile machine. In the latter case, the paper size can be determined to some extent depending on the reading ability of the digital color copying machine 5. The read image is input to the input switching circuit 3 as a binarized image. This input switching circuit 3 switches the flow of signals, and by sending the image read from the scanner section 67 as a binary signal to the encoding circuit 68, it can be used for normal facsimile transmission and for portability. There are cases where the image reproduced by the memory recorder/player 2 is outputted to the encoding circuit 68 as a facsimile image and transmitted by facsimile. By storing the original image read by the digital color copying machine 5 in this portable storage medium (magneto-optical disk) as shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to utilize the image for facsimile transmission. It has become.

[0016] The image for reception can be outputted from the printer section 72, or after being stored in a portable storage medium via the portable memory recorder/player 2, it can be transferred to a digital color copying machine. 5 may be used for reproduction. In the former case, the received image is output on recording paper of a predetermined size, as in a normal device of this type. In the latter case, there is some flexibility in the size of the recording paper depending on the output capacity of the digital color copying machine 5. The received image is sent to the decoding circuit 7
1 and is input to the output switching circuit 4 as a binary signal. The output switching circuit 4 also switches the flow of signals, and transfers the binary signal from the decoding circuit 71 to the printer section 7.
2 and perform facsimile reception similar to a normal device of this type, and when the binary signal from the decoding circuit 71 is sent to the portable memory recorder/player 2 and it is stored there as an image file. When storing the facsimile image file (including both the image read by the digital color copier 5 and the image received by facsimile) reproduced by the portable memory recorder and the facsimile image file (including both the image read by the digital color copier 5 and the image received by facsimile), 72 may be output.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the portable memory recorder/player 2 in this embodiment.

In the figure, reference numeral 6 denotes a portable memory recorder/player 2.
7 is a CPU that controls the entire portable memory recorder/player 2, and 8 is an internal memory that stores the operation processing procedures of the CPU 7 (=programs, which will be described later in FIGS. 6 to 12). R that remembers the flowchart of
It consists of an OM and a RAM used as a work area. 9 is a magneto-optical memory recorder for recording and reproducing image files on a magneto-optical disk which is a portable memory medium; 10 is a magneto-optical memory recorder for facsimile use in the input switching circuit 3 and output switching circuit 4 in the facsimile machine of the embodiment; A circuit for outputting a binary image signal, and a circuit 11 for inputting a binary image signal for facsimile from the input switching circuit 3 and the output switching circuit 4. 12 is a command input section consisting of a numeric keypad, alphabet keys, function keys, etc., 13
14 is an image conversion circuit that mutually converts facsimile image files and full-color image files (details will be described later); 15 is a digital color copying machine; 5 is a circuit for outputting a full-color image signal, and 16 is a circuit for inputting a full-color image signal from the digital color copying machine 5.

FIG. 4 shows the types of image files input and output to the portable memory recorder/player 2 and how the image files are converted by the image conversion circuit 14.

[0020] Now, the facsimile image is A4 size (21
0mm x 297mm), and the resolution is 8 pixels/mm x 7
．． Assuming 7 scanning lines/mm, the number of pixels is approximately 1680
x2287 pixels. Since conventional facsimile machines transmit and receive binary images, the capacity of one A4 size sheet is approximately 500 Kbytes. This binary image image file will be referred to as a binary mode file.

On the other hand, images that can be read by a digital color copying machine can be freely selected from noun size to A3 size (which may vary depending on the capacity), and the read signal has, for example, 8-bit gradation for each RGB per pixel. The given digital full color image signal. In this case, the same A4 size and the same resolution of 8 pixels/
The same 1680 x 2 as mm x 7.7 scanning lines/mm
Even if the number of pixels is 287, a capacity of just under 12 Mbytes is required. This full-color image file will be referred to as a full-color image file.

[0022] Also, the full color image file is first converted to RG.
A file separated by B and further separated by each of the 8 bits will be called a color mode file (for example, a file for bit 0 of the R component). This color mode file is a 3 x 8 = 24 page pseudo-binary mode file rather than a 1 page full color image file, and the capacity is 24 pages and about 12M.
Part-time job is weak. Each page of the color mode file can be sent and received as a facsimile image.

In FIG. 4, when storing a received image in the portable memory recorder/player 2, the received image is
When a value mode image is sent, the image is received (process 17), sent to the portable memory recorder/player 2, and sequentially recorded on a magneto-optical disk as a binary mode file. When the reception is completed, the image conversion circuit 14 converts the image into a full-color image file 26 for a digital color copying machine. In this case, for one pixel of the original binarized image,
Three bytes of RGB are given to create a black and white image file. Note that this conversion may be performed at the end of facsimile reception, or at the time of outputting to a digital color copying machine (process 30). Further, the full-color image file created at this time may be deleted when the digital color copying machine finishes outputting.

Next, when a color mode image is sent from the other party's facsimile machine, the facsimile machine of the embodiment similarly receives the set of 24-page images (process 18), and records and plays them in the portable memory. Send to machine 2. In response to this, the portable memory recorder/player 2 stores the color mode file 22.
The data are recorded sequentially on a magneto-optical disk as follows. When the reception is completed, the image conversion circuit 14 converts the full color image file 2
6. In this case, conversely, bit-specific files are combined to generate an 8-bit file for each color component, and RGB are further combined to create the original full-color image file. This conversion may be performed at the end of facsimile reception, and the color mode file 22 may be deleted after the conversion.

Furthermore, when an image in binary mode is input from the scanner in the facsimile machine (process 19), the read binary signal is sent to the portable memory recorder,
The data are sequentially recorded on the magneto-optical disk as a binary mode file 21. After completing the series of inputs, the subsequent processing will be performed if the other party's facsimile sends an image in binary mode (
This is the same as process 17).

Next, when a full-color image is input from the digital color copying machine (process 20), in this case, the read full-color signal is sent to the portable memory recorder and reproduced as a full-color image file. They are sequentially recorded on a magneto-optical disk. At this time, the size of the image to be read can be selected freely to some extent, but enlargement, reduction, decomposition, composition, etc. are performed according to the paper size (recording size used for facsimile transmission and reception).
0x2287 pixels) is recorded as a full-color image file 23. When the series of inputs is completed, the image conversion circuit 14 converts the data into a binary mode file 24 and a color mode file 25, respectively, and records them on the magneto-optical disk. The binary mode file 24 at this time is obtained as a binary image by subjecting the full-color image file 23 to image processing. Conversion to the binary mode file 24 may be performed at the end of input, or when transmitting the binary mode as a facsimile image (processing 27), or when outputting the image to a printer in the facsimile machine (processing). 2
9), and the binary mode file may be deleted at the end of transmission or output. Similarly, the conversion to the color mode file 26 may be performed at the end of input, or may be performed at the time of transmitting the color mode as a facsimile image (process 28), and the color mode file 25 may be deleted at the end of transmission ( The dotted arrows in the figure indicate that each file can be treated equally.)

FIG. 5 shows an example of the directory structure of a magneto-optical disk in which each file is recorded. Is the magneto-optical disk initialized before shipment from the factory?
It is assumed that the portable memory recorder/player 2 also has an initialization function. At initialization, the root directory 31 and 2 below it are created.
Directory 32 for value mode transmitted images, directory 33 for color mode transmitted images, directory 34 for binary mode received images, directory 3 for color mode received images
5. A directory 36 for full-color images (full-color images may also be divided into those for sending and those for receiving) is automatically created. When inputting images, sending and receiving images, and each image file is input, 37~
A directory with a date name such as 46 is automatically created, and each file is stored under the directory with a respective file name (47 to 56). The date is realized by reading date and time information at the time of recording from a timer operated by a battery (not shown).

In order to realize the above-mentioned configuration and operation, the operation of the facsimile apparatus of the embodiment will be explained according to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 6 to 12. Note that the following explanation deals with writing and reading information on and from a magneto-optical disk, and does not explain ordinary facsimile transmission and reception, assuming that known methods are employed.

First, in step S1, a magneto-optical disk as a portable storage medium is inserted into the portable memory recording/reproducing device 2.
equipment. Incidentally, if the capacity of a magneto-optical disk is about 600 Mbytes, it is possible to record and store about 1200 pages of binary mode images and about 50 pages of full-color images. Of course, if these are recorded simultaneously or a converted file is recorded, the number of records that can be recorded will change accordingly. Here, the explanation will be given assuming that all of the binary mode file, color mode file, and full color image file are recorded and saved, but unnecessary files may be deleted as explained with reference to FIG. Also, although we will not discuss image compression during recording here, of course, by compressing images and recording,
You can increase the number of recordable pages.

Now, once the magneto-optical disk has been loaded, the details of the operation are input in step S2. This operation content input (instruction input) can be done by providing a special input button and pressing it, or by displaying a number and the corresponding operation content on the display and inputting the number. (The same applies hereafter). Further, although the operation contents may include image input, output, copying, deletion, etc., only input and output will be explained here.

[0031] In step S3, it is determined whether the input operation content is image input or image output. If it is an input, the process proceeds to step S4; if it is an output, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S4, an input device is selected, and whether to receive and record a facsimile image, input and record an image from the scanner unit 67 in the facsimile device, or input and record an image from the scanner of the digital color copier 5. Decide what to do. The selection content is determined in step S5, and if a facsimile image is to be received, step S8 (FIG. 7)
If the image is to be input from the scanner section 67 in the facsimile machine, the process advances to step S16 (FIG. 8), and if the image is to be input from the scanner of the digital color copying machine, the process is to proceed to step S21 (FIG. 9).

On the other hand, if the process proceeds to step S6, an output device is selected. That is, it is determined whether the facsimile image is to be reproduced and transmitted to the destination facsimile machine, whether the image is to be reproduced and output by the printer section 72 of this apparatus, or whether the image is to be reproduced and output by the digital color copying machine 5. The selection is determined in step S7, and if the facsimile image is to be sent, the process proceeds to step S26 (FIG. 10), and if the image is to be output from the printer section 72 in the facsimile machine, the process proceeds to step S36 (FIG. 11), where the digital color If the image is to be output from the printer of the copying machine 5, the process advances to step S42 (FIG. 12). Note that steps S8 and S16
, S26, and S36, the portable memory recorder/player 2 needs to be connected to the facsimile machine, as shown in FIG. The portable memory recording/reproducing machine 2 must be connected to the digital color copying machine 5. Of course, it may be an integrated type built into each device.

First, the process of recording a received facsimile image on the portable memory recorder/player 2 will be explained.

This operation is canceled due to the input of an interrupt command, etc., and in step S8 it is determined whether there is an interrupt command that halts the reception operation. If there is an instruction to cancel, the process advances to step S9, where it is determined whether or not to perform another operation, and if so, the process returns to step S2. If this is not the case, the magneto-optical disk is removed and the operation is completed.

If it is determined in step S8 that there is no cancellation command, the process advances to step S10, and enters a reception waiting state.
The process continues between step S8 and step S10 until a file is received or an abort command is input. When a telephone line is connected from the other party's facsimile machine and communication begins, it is determined in step S11 whether an image will be sent in binary mode or in color mode. In the case of binary mode, the process advances to step S12, and the directory with today's date under the directory 34 for binary mode received images, for example, today is September 1990.
If it is the 9th day of the month, the received image is recorded as a binary mode file under the directory 42 "'90.9.9". Note that if a date directory does not exist, it will be automatically created by the calendar function. Furthermore, the name of the recorded file is automatically assigned by the device. For example, the reception time may be used as the file name using a clock function. When the reception is finished and the recording of the binary mode file is finished, the process advances to step S13, where a full-color image (here, a black-and-white image) file is created as explained in FIG.
90.9.9'' (code 46) with the same file name under the directory with the same date. When the recording is finished, the process returns to steps S8 and S10, and the state returns to the reception waiting state.

On the other hand, in the case of color mode, step S1
4, which is the directory with today's date under the color mode reception directory 35, "90.9.9"
”, the received image is recorded as a color mode file, and a file name is automatically assigned in the same way. When the reception is finished and the recording of the color mode file is finished, step S1
Proceed to step 5, create a full-color image file as explained in FIG. recorded. When the recording is completed, the process returns to steps S8 and S10, and the process returns to the reception waiting state.

Next, the scanner section 6 in the facsimile machine
The operation when inputting an image from 7 will be explained with reference to FIG.

First, in step S16, the name of the sender and the name of the recipient are input. The information entered here is used not only as the file name but also as a source record attached to the edge of the facsimile image. Of course, it is possible to change it when making a call. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating this sender record.

The figure shows a part of the facsimile image, and the text below "Transmission Information" is the main text, and the text 57 to 61 written above it is the sender's record. 57 is the date and time, which are automatically set by the calendar function and clock function. 58 is the telephone number of the caller, and is assigned the number set in the facsimile machine. 59 is the sender's name (or abbreviation), 60 is the recipient's name (or abbreviation), and the names input in step S16 are given to them (if changed later, the changed name will be used).
. 61 indicates the total number of pages in the file and what page this image is on. The image shown in the figure indicates that the image to be sent is 3 pages, of which the first page is being sent. ing.

Returning to FIG. 8, when the input of the sender's name and the recipient's name is completed in step S16, the process advances to step S17, where a series of original images are read by the scanner section 67 in the facsimile machine, and the binary images on the magneto-optical disk are read. Directory with today’s date under the mode transmission image directory 32 “
90.9.9" (see reference numeral 38 in FIG. 5) as one binary mode file.The file name at this time is made up of the sender's name and the recipient's name, for example, "N
O. 1 ABC Co., Ltd. to XYZ Co., Ltd." (here, "NO. 1" is the serial number of the file).

[0041] When the recording is completed, the process advances to step S18, and the process shown in FIG.
As explained above, create a full-color image (also a black-and-white image) file, and save it to the directory with today's date "'90.9." under the full-color image directory 36.
9" (46) with the same file name. When the recording is completed, the process advances to step S19, and it is determined whether or not to input images of other files. If so, the process returns to step S16 and is not performed. If so, the process advances to step S20. In step S20, it is determined whether or not to perform another operation. If it is to be performed, the process returns to step S2; if not, the magneto-optical disk is taken out and the operation is completed.

The operation when an image is input from the scanner of a digital color copying machine will be explained with reference to FIG.

First, in step S21, the sender's name and recipient's name are input. This is similar to what was explained in step S16.

Next, in step S22, a series of original images are read by the digital color copying machine, and the directory "'90.9.9" with today's date under the full-color image directory 36 of the magneto-optical disk (see FIG. (see reference numeral 46) and is recorded as one full-color image file. As mentioned above, the file name at this time is created using the sender's name and the recipient's name (for example, "NO. 2 AB
C Co., Ltd. to XYZ Co., Ltd.”, etc.).

[0045] When the recording is completed, the process advances to step S23, and the process shown in FIG.
Create a binary mode file and a color mode file as explained in , and save the binary mode file to the directory with today's date "'90.9.9" (code 38) under the directory 23 for binary mode transmission images. are recorded under the same file name. Further, the color mode file is recorded with the same file name under the directory "'90.9.9" (symbol 40) of today's date under the color mode transmission image directory 33. When recording is finished, step S
24, it is determined whether or not to input an image of another file. If so, the process returns to step S21; if not, the process advances to step S25. In step S25, it is determined whether or not to perform another operation, and if so, the process returns to step S2. If not, remove the magneto-optical disk and complete the operation.

Next, the operation when transmitting a facsimile image will be explained with reference to FIG.

When this operation is selected, the directory name under the binary mode transmission image directory 32 of the magneto-optical disk is read out and displayed on the display section 13. Here, the date is attached to the directory name, so “'9
0.9.8" (code 37), "'90.9.9" (code 38), etc. are read and displayed. Step S2
In step 6, select the directory containing the image file you wish to send.

When one directory is selected, the file names under it are read out and displayed on the display section 13. Here, the file name is based on the sender's name and the recipient's name, so "No. 1 ABC Co., Ltd.
"to The reduced image is displayed on the display unit 13. Note that the next page may be displayed when a specific key is pressed.

[0049] In step S28, it is determined whether or not an instruction has been given to confirm whether the designated transmission image is correct. If it is not correct, the process returns to step S26 and the above-described process is executed again. If the instruction is correct, that is, it has been confirmed, the process advances to step S29.

[0050] In step S29, the recipient's telephone number is input. At this time, the sender's name and recipient's name, which are recorded as the sender, may be changed. These input contents are displayed on the display unit 13, and after being confirmed, a telephone number is called and connection processing with the other party's facsimile machine via the telephone line is performed.

[0051] When the line is connected, in step S30, the receiving mode of the other party's facsimile machine is checked, and it is determined whether color mode transmission is possible. If color mode transmission is possible, the process advances to step S31, and searches for the same file name under the selected same directory name under the color mode transmission image directory 33.
If there is, the process advances to step S32, where that color mode file is played back and transmitted. If there is no color mode file, or if color mode transmission is impossible, the process advances to step S33, where a binary mode file is reproduced and transmitted.

[0052] When the transmission is completed, the process advances to step S34, and it is determined whether another file is to be transmitted. If transmitting, the process returns to step S26. If not send, step S
The process advances to step 29 and it is determined whether or not to perform another operation. If other operations are to be performed, the process returns to step S2. If not, remove the magneto-optical disk and end the operation.

Next, the printer section 7 in the facsimile machine
The operation when outputting an image from step 2 will be explained with reference to FIG.

When this operation is selected, the directory name under the binary mode received image directory 34 on the magneto-optical disk is read out and displayed on the display section 13. When a directory is selected in step S36, the file name under it is read out and displayed on the display section 13. When a file name to be printed is selected in step S37, a portion or a reduced image of the first page of the file is displayed on the display section 13 in the same manner as described above. In step S38, it is determined whether the image to be printed is correct. If it is not correct, return to step S36 and try again. If it is correct, the process advances to step S39, the binary mode file is reproduced, and the image is output from the printer section 73. When the output is finished, the process advances to step S40, where it is determined whether or not to output images of other files, and if so, the process proceeds to step S40.
The process returns to step S36, and if the process is not performed, the process proceeds to step S41.

[0055] In step S41, it is determined whether or not to perform another operation, and if so, the process returns to step S2. If not, remove the magneto-optical disk and complete the operation. Here, it has been explained that files in the directory 34 for binary mode received images are printed, but of course files in the directory 32 for binary mode transmitted images can also be printed.

Next, the operation of outputting a full-color image from the printer of the digital color copying machine 5 will be explained. When this operation is selected, the directory name under the full-color image directory 36 on the magneto-optical disk is read out and displayed on the display unit 13.

When a directory is selected in step S42, the file name under it is read out and displayed on the display section 13.

When a file name to be printed is selected in step S43, the first page of the file is converted to a binary mode image, and a portion thereof or a reduced image is displayed on the display section 13. At this time, the converted image may be temporarily stored on a magneto-optical disk and used as a buffer.

In step S44, it is determined whether the image to be printed is correct. If it is not correct, return to step S42 and try again. If correct, step S45
, the full-color image file is played back, and a full-color image is output from the printer of the digital color copier. When the output is finished, the process advances to step S46, and it is determined whether or not to output images of other files. If so, the process returns to step S42; otherwise, the process returns to step S47.
Proceed to.

[0060] In step S47, it is determined whether or not to perform another operation, and if so, the process returns to step S2. If not, take out the magneto-optical device and finish the operation.

As explained above, a facsimile machine is provided with a portable memory medium, and there is a means for recording an image read by a scanner in the facsimile machine as a facsimile image file on the memory medium, and a means for storing a received facsimile image in the memory. means for recording the facsimile image file on a medium as a facsimile image file; a means for reproducing the facsimile image file recorded on the memory medium and outputting it as an image to a printer in the facsimile device; and a facsimile image recorded on the memory medium. By providing means for reproducing the file and transmitting it as a facsimile image, it is possible to leave a record of the transmitted and received images on a portable memory medium, which has the effect of saving space.

[0062] Furthermore, the facsimile apparatus includes means for recording a full-color image file read by a scanner external to the facsimile apparatus, which is capable of reading full-color images, on the memory medium, and a means for storing the full-color image file as an image for facsimile. means for converting the facsimile image file into a file and transmitting it as a facsimile image; means for converting the facsimile image file into a file and recording it as a full-color image file on a memory medium; By providing a means for outputting full-color images from a printer capable of outputting images,
This has the advantage that facsimile images can be input and output without being concerned about paper size. It also has the advantage of being able to send and receive color images.

The facsimile machine of the embodiment described above is equipped with a scanner section 67 and a printer section 72 similar to the conventional facsimile machine as shown in FIG. It's good as well.

In the figure, 62 is a facsimile machine. According to this configuration, a scanner section and a printer section are not provided, and all image input and output is performed by the digital color copying machine via a portable memory medium.

In addition, in the embodiment, the portable memory recorder 2
Although it has been described as being connected to both the facsimile machine and the digital color copying machine, it may be provided in both the facsimile machine and the digital color copying machine.

Furthermore, although the system has been described as consisting of these different devices, it is also possible to combine these functions into one device.

Furthermore, although it has been explained that the processing related to the flowcharts in FIGS. 6 to 12 is controlled by the CPU of the portable memory recorder/player, it is of course possible to perform the processing by the CPU (not shown) of the main body of the facsimile machine. It is.

[0068]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily manage and store images in communication, and to output images via a desired output path.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a facsimile machine according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example in which the portable memory recording/reproducing machine of the embodiment is connected to a digital color copying machine.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a portable memory recorder/player according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the contents of file conversion in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a directory structure of a portable storage medium in an embodiment.

[Figure 6] ~

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation details of the facsimile machine in the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a sender record in the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a block configuration diagram of a facsimile apparatus in another embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a conventional facsimile device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Facsimile machine 2 Portable memory recorder/player 3 Input switching circuit 4 Output switching circuit 7 CPU 8 Internal memory 9 Magneto-optical memory recorder 10 Image output circuit for facsimile 11 Image input circuit for facsimile 12 Command input section 13 Display section 14 Image conversion circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim 1: A communication means for communicating image information via a line, a first reading means for reading a document image to be communicated as a black and white image, and a first reading means for printing out the received image on a recording medium as a black and white image. A data communication device comprising a removable and portable information storage medium for storing information, a second reading means for reading a document image as a color image, and a color image recording medium. a second printing means for printing out the image, and an image obtained by the receiving operation of the first and second reading means or the communication means, as a file with a name specifying the image information on the information storage medium; and the image file stored in the information storage medium.
, and image file generation means for generating an image file to be printed by the second printing means or an image file to be transmitted by the communication means. 2. The portable storage medium has a plurality of directories for managing image files, and the storage means stores the input image under a directory corresponding to the input destination of the image input. , wherein the image file generating means processes the image file in order to store the image file in each of directories other than the first directory in which the image file stored by the storage means exists. 1. The data communication device according to 1.