JPH0495461A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the setting of a calling time based upon autodialing and to make it possible to set up accurate calling time even when a called station is in a foreign country by setting up the calling time based upon auto-dialing by the local time system of the called station. CONSTITUTION:When the telephone number of a called station is inputted from an operation display part 3, whether the number is an international telephone number or not is decided, and at the time of deciding the international telephone number, a time difference between the current time and the local time of an area in which the called station is installed found out from an already inputted country number is found out and then the local time of the area including the called station is calculated. The local time is displayed on a display part 3 and auto-dialing calling time based upon the local time is inputted from the display part 3, the set time is converted into the calling time in the current time system, the converted calling time is registered in a RAM 11, the current time is compared with the set autodialing calling time, and when both the time values coincide with each other, auto-dialing calling processing is executed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a facsimile machine having an auto-dial function, and more particularly to a method of setting a transmission time during overseas communication.

(Prior art) The auto-dial function conventionally provided in this type of facsimile machine is a function that automatically sends the dial number of a specified destination onto the line at a set time and connects the line. After that, the document set in advance is read, and the obtained image data is transmitted to the other party, or is polled and received from the other party. Moreover, recently, the destination of the auto-dial call is often located overseas, and this trend is likely to become more prevalent in the future.

By the way, even when specifying the call origination time by autodial to a called station located overseas, a method is adopted in which the setting is based on the current time in the area where the calling party's facsimile machine is located. ing. However, the current time refers to the time obtained from the clock after setting the clock in the facsimile machine to the standard time of the installation location when the facsimile machine is installed.

Therefore, when setting the time for an autodial call using such a conventional facsimile device, if the called station is located overseas, the autodial time can be set fairly accurately to the local time of the called station. You may need to set them together.

For example, if you want to send a manuscript to the overseas department,
The time must be such that the called station is in business hours and an operator must be present, or in the case of polling reception, it must be after the time when the operator of the called station overseas sets the polling document. Alternatively, the time at which the data in the post office box or information box of the called station located overseas is updated is specified.

In such a case, the operator uses a time difference table to find the time difference between the current time displayed by the facsimile machine and the local time where the called station is located, and then uses this time difference and the current time to specify the local time. After converting the time of incoming call to the current time system of the device, this converted time must be set in the device as the time of call origination by autodial. For this reason, setting the call origination time is complicated, and the time difference may be determined by relying on memory, so that the call origination time may be set incorrectly.

Therefore, if an autodial call is made at an unintended time due to the incorrect settings described above, there may be no operator at the called station, or the polling document may not be ready to be set. Even if a line was connected, the purpose was not achieved and the line was wasted, or the line was put on hold for an unnecessarily long time, resulting in high line charges.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, when using a conventional facsimile machine to set a call origination time by auto-dial to a called station located overseas, the current time displayed by the facsimile machine (or
After determining the time difference between the local time (standard time in the area where this device is located) and the local time of the called station using a time difference table, calculate the specified call arrival time in local time from this time difference and the current time. After converting to the current time system, this converted time must be set in the device as the call origination time by autodial, which makes setting the call origination time complicated and requires relying on memory to determine the time difference. In some cases, the calling time may be set incorrectly.

If an autodial call is made at an unintended time due to such incorrect settings, there may be no operator at the called station, or the polling document may not be ready to be set. As a result, even if a line is connected, the purpose may not be achieved, or the line may be left on hold for a long time, resulting in increased line charges.

Therefore, the present invention eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks. Since the calling time can be set by autodial in the local time system of the called station, the setting can be simplified, and the called station can be overseas. It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile machine that can accurately set a call origination time even if there is a problem.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a facsimile device having an auto-dial call function that sends a dial signal corresponding to a telephone number of a called station given in advance onto a line when a set time comes. and a time difference detection means for determining the time difference between the area where the called station is located and the area where the facsimile machine is located from the telephone number of the called station, and the time difference detected by the time difference detection means. a calculation means for calculating the local time in the area where one of the calling stations is located; a display means for displaying the local time calculated by the calculation means; and a time difference detection means for determining the time inputted in the local time by the time difference detection means. The facsimile apparatus is configured to include a conversion means for converting the time to the standard time of the area where the facsimile apparatus is located based on the time difference, and a setting means for setting the time converted by the conversion means as the auto-dial call origination time.

(Operation) In the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, the time difference detection means determines the time difference between the area where the called station is located and the area where the facsimile apparatus is located from the telephone number of the called station. The calculation means calculates the local time in the area where the called station is located from the time difference determined by the time difference detection means.

The display means displays the local time calculated by the calculation means. The conversion means converts the input local time into the standard time of the area where the facsimile apparatus is located based on the time difference determined by the time difference detection means. The setting means sets the time converted by the conversion means as the autodial call origination time.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a facsimile apparatus of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 has a reading unit that reads a document and obtains image data, 2 has a recording unit that records image data, etc. on paper and outputs it, and 3 has an input unit that inputs a telephone number and various setting data, as well as time information, etc. 4 is a dial signal generation circuit that sends a dial signal corresponding to a given telephone number onto the line 10 via NCU 7; 5 is a signal processor that encodes/decodes data; 6 is a modem that modulates and demodulates data; 7 is an NCU that acquires and releases lines; 8 is a ROM that stores programs, etc.; 9 is a RAM that is a working memory of the control unit 10; 10 is a communication control unit; A control unit that controls auto-dial calls and controls the entire device; 11 is a RAM with power backup in which various data are registered; 12 is an R
Backup power supply to back up the power supply of AMII,
Reference numeral 13 represents a clock unit that generates current time information, and reference numeral 14 represents a subscriber line.

Here, the control section 10 and RAMII constitute time difference detection means, and the control section 10 constitutes calculation means, conversion means, and setting means.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. First, RAMI
I shall store in advance a time difference table that lists the area where the called station is located, the country code, and the time difference between this area and the current time of this facsimile machine, as shown in Figure 2. .

Next, if the operator wishes to make an auto-dial call, the operator places the document to be auto-dialed on the reading section 1, then presses a predetermined key on the operation display section 3 to cause the control section 10 to make an auto-dial call. After entering the setting mode, input the telephone number of the called station from the operation display section 3. In this operation, for example, a telephone number such as 001-44-12345 is directly input, or a speed dial button or the like is pressed to input an abbreviated number.

After the control unit 10 temporarily stores the telephone number thus input in the RAM 9, if it determines that the telephone number includes an international dialing number 001, it determines that the called station is located overseas. The country code (44 in the above example) that follows this international dial number is determined. Therefore,
The control unit 10 refers to a time difference table as shown in FIG. 2 in the RAM II, and identifies the region and time difference where the called station is located from the country code. In this example, it is known that the called station is in England, and that the time difference between England and the current time of the facsimile machine is 19 hours.

Next, the control unit 10 calculates the local time in the area where the called station is installed from the time difference obtained from the time difference table and the current time supplied from the clock unit 3. For example, when the current time is 16:00 on April 25th, the local time in England is 7:00 on April 25th. The control unit 10 displays the local time calculated in this way on the operation display unit 3.

The operator looks at the local time displayed on the operation display section 3 and sets the local time displayed on the operation display section 3 so that this device will make an autodial call at 12:00 on April 25th local time. Based on this, the auto-dial call origination time is input from the operation display section 3 according to the local time system. in this way,
The autodial call time is entered in local time, so
From that time, it can be easily determined whether it is daytime or nighttime in the local area, or whether it is within various time limits on the local called station side.

In this manner, when the auto-dial call origination time based on the local time is input from the operation display unit 3, the control unit 10 determines the auto-dial call origination time based on the current time from the local time and the time difference. For example, in the above example, 12:00 on April 25th local time corresponds to 21:00 on April 25th at the current time, so this time is set in RAMII as the autodial call origination time. be done. Furthermore, if the telephone number of the called station input from the operation display section 3 does not include an international telephone number, the control section 10 directly inputs the auto-dial call origination time input from the operation display section 3 directly into the RAM II. Set to .

The control unit 10 compares the current time supplied from the clock unit 13 with the autodial call origination time set in the RAMII in a predetermined cycle, and when the current time reaches the set time, the control unit 10 dials the dial number registered in the RAMII. The telephone number of the calling station is read out and given to the dial signal generation circuit 4. As a result, the dial signal generating circuit i44 generates a dial signal corresponding to the given telephone number, and performs an auto-dial calling operation in which the dial signal is sent onto the line 14 via the NCU 7. As a result, when the line is closed to the other station, the controller 1
After performing predetermined protocol communication, the image data of the document obtained by activating the reading section 1 is encoded by the signal processing section 5, modulated by the modem 6, and then sent to the subscriber line 14 via the NCU 7. Send upward.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the automatic dialing operation of the control section 10. As shown in FIG. First, when the telephone number of the called station is input from the operation display section 3 in step 301, it is determined in step 302 whether or not it is an international telephone number. If it is not an international telephone number, the process advances to step 308 and the current After performing autodial call time setting processing based on time, the process advances to step 307.

If it is determined in step 302 that it is an international phone number, the process proceeds to step 303, where the time difference between the current time and the local time in the area where the called station is located is calculated from the country code that has already been input. After that, in step 304, the local time in the area where the called station is located is calculated. The local time calculated in this way is displayed on the operation display section 3 in step 305, and the autodial call origination time based on the local time is input from the operation display section 3, and the set time in this local time is displayed in step 306. After converting it to the calling time in the current time system and registering it in RAMII, the process advances to step 307. In step 307, the current time and the set auto-dial call origination time are compared, and if they match, auto-dial origination processing is performed.

According to this embodiment, the calling time for making an autodial call to a called station overseas can be set in the local time of the called station. You can intuitively know the position of the station, eliminate mistakes in setting time, always make auto-dial calls at the intended time, and auto-dial calls to overseas called stations. Setting the calling time can be made significantly easier. As a result, it is possible to ensure that the auto-dial call origination time is within the time limit for incoming calls on the called station side, and to avoid wasteful call origination operations and unnecessary line hold, resulting in efficient communication. be able to.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which an auto-dial call is made and a document is sent to a called station, but the same applies to a case in which polling reception is performed, and the same effect can be obtained.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the facsimile device of the present invention,
Since the call origination time can be set by auto-dial based on the local time system of the called station, the above setting can be simplified, and accurate call origination time can be set even if the called station is located overseas. I can do it.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a facsimile apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a time difference table not shown in FIG. 1 and stored in the RAM, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an odd dial operation of the control section 10 shown in the figure. 1... Reading unit 3... Operation display unit 4... Dial signal generation circuit 5... Signal processing unit 6... Modem 7... NCU 10... Control unit 11... RAM 13 ...Clock Department Agent Patent Attorney Book 1) Takashi Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] When the set time arrives, a facsimile machine that has an auto-dial calling function sends a dial signal corresponding to the phone number of the called station given in advance onto the line. time difference detection means for determining the time difference between the area where the station is located and the area where the facsimile machine is located, and the local time in the area where the called station is located from the time difference determined by the time difference detection means. The facsimile apparatus is arranged based on a calculation means for calculating, a display means for displaying the local time calculated by the calculation means, and a time difference obtained by the time difference detection means from the time input in the local time. A facsimile device comprising: a conversion means for converting to a local standard time; and a setting means for setting the time converted by the conversion means as an autodial call origination time.