JPH05211584A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the facsimile equipment which can send information regarding its operation state by manual operation to a controller. CONSTITUTION:The information regarding even a fault not detected by the detection part 17 of a facsimile equipment 1 or a fault not automatically sent can be sent to a controller 13 by key input operation at an operation part 15. Further, when a control signal for switching a line is received by a communication control part 12 from a controller 3 after the information is sent, a control part 11 controls the communication control part 12 to forcibly connect a telephone line 2 to a telephone circuit 19. Consequently, what is called an answer call from the controller 3 can accurately be made at all times.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus for transmitting various kinds of information necessary for maintenance and management of electronic devices such as a facsimile machine and a copying machine installed in an office or the like by using a general public line. ..

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a facsimile machine which is capable of forming an image on a plain paper by using a copying process has become widespread. Due to the mechanism using such a copying process, a trouble occurs at a high rate. Due to the need for regular overhauls to maintain performance, it is desirable to enhance the service system for maintenance and management, and in particular, prompt and accurate response is strongly desired so that recovery from troubles can be performed early. ing.

As a conventional maintenance management method, generally, the facsimile apparatus itself detects its own state and displays the contents of trouble or the time when a specific part needs to be replaced on the display, or the consumable item is displayed. If it is necessary to notify the user by displaying a near-empty display (display indicating that the consumable item is almost out of stock), and the user recognizes it, and determines that a so-called service person should be called, the facsimile machine concerned It is customary to contact the maintenance service bureau, which is entrusted with the maintenance of the device, by means such as a telephone.

However, in the case of contacting by telephone or the like as described above, the following problems are brought about.

(1) The user cannot perform his or her own work to explain the content of the trouble, and is forced to lose time.

(2) The user may erroneously recognize the trouble display content and inform the maintenance service station of information different from the actual trouble content.

(3) Even if there is a trouble display on the display, the user may be left unknowingly,
In such a case, the minor trouble may progress to the serious trouble.

(4) Since the maintenance service station prepares necessary parts and the like on the basis of the content of the trouble after receiving the contact from the user and goes to the user's place,
I can't get a quick response.

Therefore, in recent years, the facsimile apparatus on the user side detects its own operation state, converts the detected content into communication information, and transmits it automatically or in response to a transmission request from the maintenance service station, and then the maintenance service. A method has been proposed in which the station receives the transmitted communication information, converts the communication information into, for example, character information, and prints it out to recognize the operating state of the facsimile apparatus on the user side and perform maintenance management ( Japanese Patent Application No. 1-302749).

When carrying out the above-mentioned maintenance management method,
First, it is necessary for the user side to install a facsimile device having the above-mentioned operation state transmission function. After that, a so-called service person goes to the office of the user who is going to make a contract and consults with the user about the contract contents of the maintenance management of the facsimile machine. When the contract is concluded,
The service person sets the opening information for activating the function to the facsimile apparatus having the function of automatically transmitting the function.

The opening information is what kind of maintenance function is selected, that is, what kind of information is transmitted to the maintenance service station, and information about the facsimile machine to be contracted, such as model name and contractor. , The contract number, and the telephone number of the maintenance service office to which the information is sent.

[0012]

In the above-mentioned facsimile machine, only the information on the operating state of the machine detected based on the function selected and set by the opening information is automatically transmitted to the maintenance service station. Therefore, if a trouble that is not automatically sent to the maintenance service station or a trouble that is not covered by the maintenance management service occurs, the operator must contact the maintenance service station by telephone or other means as in the past. Yes, the above-mentioned problems occur.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a management device,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile device capable of manually transmitting information regarding an operating state.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a facsimile communication means for transmitting and receiving image data via a public line, and a telephone for transmitting and receiving voice signals via the public line.
At least the switching means for connecting the public line to either the facsimile communication means or the telephone, the recording means for recording the image data on the recording paper, and the reading means for optically reading the original document and converting it into the image data. An operation state detecting means for detecting the operation states of the facsimile communication means, the recording means and the reading means, and an operation state for transmitting information about the detected operation state to a management device for managing the operation state via a public line. An information inputting unit for inputting information to be transmitted to a management apparatus in a facsimile apparatus that includes a transmission unit and automatically transmits information regarding the detected operation state to the management apparatus when the operation state is detected; Input information transmitting means for transmitting information input by the input means to the management device, and management by the input information transmitting means After information transmission to the location, in response to the switching signal from the management apparatus, a facsimile apparatus which comprises a control means for connecting the public line to the phone forcibly switches the switching means.

[0015]

According to the present invention, when the information to be transmitted is inputted by the information input means, it is transmitted to the management device by the input information transmitting means. That is, information that is not detected by the operation state detection unit or information that is not automatically transmitted can be transmitted to the management device. When the switching signal is received from the management device after the information is transmitted to the management device, the switching means is forcibly switched by the control means and the public line is connected to the telephone. Therefore, for example, when the information input means inputs information about a failure that has occurred in a facsimile machine, a so-called answer call, which is a telephone contact from the management device side to the facsimile machine side for confirming the failure, is performed. Even in such a case, since the public line is forcibly connected to the telephone after the information is transmitted to the management device, even if the public line is connected to the facsimile communication means by the switching means, for example, the answer is normally received. The call is made.

[0016]

1 is a block diagram showing the basic construction of a facsimile apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The facsimile device 1 is connected to the telephone line 2 and transmits / receives image data to / from other facsimile devices.
Various information can be transmitted / received to / from the management device 3 described later via the telephone line 2. Facsimile device 1
Performs an electrostatic copying process of forming a charged image and recording (transferring) it on a recording sheet.

The facsimile apparatus 1 includes a control unit 11 realized by a microcomputer or the like, and the control unit 11 includes a communication control unit 12, a reading unit 13, a recording unit 14, and
The operation unit 15, the display unit 16, the detection unit 17, and the memory 1
And 8 are connected. The communication control unit 12 includes an incoming call detection circuit, a modem, etc., demodulates the received image data and gives it to the control unit 11, and modulates the image data to be sent and outputs it to the telephone line 2. The reading unit 13 is a CCD described later.
It includes a (charge-coupled device), a lens, an exposure device, and the like, and when a document is transmitted, the document is optically read, converted into an electric signal (image data), and given to the control unit 11. At the time of copying a document, the document is exposed to form a document image on the surface of the photoconductor provided in the recording unit 14 described later.

The recording unit 14 includes a photoconductor, a developing device, a charger, a fixing device, etc., and transfers an image onto a recording paper by the electrostatic copying process described above.

The operation unit 15 is provided with numerical keys, various function setting keys, etc., which will be described later. The display unit 16 is realized by a liquid crystal display device or the like, and displays the input data from the operation unit 15, the operation state of the facsimile apparatus 1, such as error information and information indicating that the consumable item is out of stock.

The detection unit 17 detects the operating state of the facsimile apparatus 1, more specifically, an abnormal state, and supplies the control unit 11 with information regarding the detected operating state. In the control unit 11,
Trouble content determination means, trouble type determination means, and communication information conversion means (not shown) are provided, and each of these means operates under the control of the detection unit 17.

The trouble content discriminating means discriminates the content of the trouble or the like that has occurred, based on the information detected by the detection unit 17. The trouble type determining means determines whether the trouble or the like determined by the trouble content determining means is of a type requiring a so-called service man call. The type of trouble that does not require a serviceman call is a trouble that the user can relatively easily deal with, such as a paper jam or a recording paper shortage. The type of trouble that requires a serviceman call is a trouble that the user cannot deal with, such as when the life of the photoconductor of the recording unit 14 is exceeded.

The memory 18 is constituted by including a ROM (read only memory) and a RAM (random access memory). The ROM stores programs for controlling various operations of the facsimile apparatus 1, and the RAM manages it. A registration area of the opening information transmitted from the device 3, a work area used for processing operation by the control unit 11, and the like are set. In addition, the memory 18 stores information transmitted to the management device 3 by the operation unit 15.

The telephone circuit 19 is configured to include the handset 20, is connected to the communication control unit 12, and is a circuit for realizing a call with the management device 3 and other telephones.

The management device 3 is a device having a so-called personal computer as a basic configuration, and transmits / receives data to / from the facsimile device 1 and other terminal devices via the telephone line 2. The management device 3 includes a control unit 31 including a CPU (central processing unit), and the control unit 31 is connected to a modem 32, a recording unit 33, a display unit 34, and an operation unit 35.

The modem 32 demodulates the received data and gives it to the control unit 31, and also modulates the data to be sent given from the control unit 31 and outputs it to the telephone line 2. Recording unit 3
3 is realized by a thermal printer or the like, and records image data received through the telephone line 2 and various kinds of received information, or information input from the operation unit 35 on a recording paper such as a thermal recording paper. The display unit 34 is a liquid crystal display device or a CRT.
It is realized by a (cathode ray tube) or the like and displays various information received through the telephone line 2 and information input from the operation unit 35. The operation unit 35 is provided with a plurality of key switches such as numeric keys and various function setting keys for designating the operating state of the management device 3.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the operation section 15 described above. The operation unit 15 includes a numeric key 15a for inputting a telephone number of the other party when making a call, a start / copy key 15b for starting transmission of image data or printing a communication result table by the recording unit 14, and an image. A stop key 15c for stopping data transmission and a mode for selecting various functions, for example, a mode for receiving image data (hereinafter, referred to as FAX
Mode) and a mode switching key 15d for selecting a mode for receiving a voice signal (hereinafter referred to as a telephone mode). In addition, in the present embodiment, among various information transmitted to the management device 3, information other than the information regarding the operating state detected by the detection unit 17, that is, the trouble other than the maintenance service based on the set opening information is related. The information can be arbitrarily transmitted by the operator, for example, by pressing the "*" key of the mode switching key 15d and the numeral keys 15a.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the structure of the facsimile apparatus 1. Facsimile apparatus 1 generally includes reading unit 1
3, a recording unit 14, and a document transport unit 19. When the document 41 is inserted into the document insertion port 42, the document 4 is detected by the document detection sensor 43 realized by a micro switch or the like.
It is detected that 1 is set. Then, when the operator operates the copy key (not shown) or the above-mentioned start / copy key 15b to start the transmission of the image data, the conveyance operation of the document 41 is started.

At the time of transmitting the original, the original 41 is placed on the roller 44.
And the pressing member 45, and the pair of conveying rollers 46 convey the transparent glass 47 to the exposure area where the transparent glass 47 is installed. In the exposure area, the original surface of the original 41 is irradiated with the light from the light source 48, and the reflected light is incident on the CCD 51 via the mirror 49 and the lens 50. The incident light is converted into an electric signal (image data) by the CCD 51 and is given to the control unit 11. The exposed original 41 is conveyed by a pair of paper ejection rollers 52 and ejected onto the original tray 53.

An exposure head 54 is arranged below the mirror 49 in FIG. 3, and at the time of copying the original 41, an electrostatic copying process is executed together with the above-described original feeding operation. The original image exposed by the exposure head 54 is transferred to the lens 55.
An image is formed on the photosensitive drum 58 via the mirrors 56 and 57.

The photosensitive drum 58 is rotated in the direction of arrow 59. The surface of the photoconductor drum 58 is uniformly charged by the corona charger 60. Next, the exposure head 54 irradiates a portion other than the original image with light to remove the charged electric charge in the exposed portion to form an electrostatic latent image in which the electric charge remains in the original image portion. In the developing unit 61, toner, which is colored fine particles charged in a polarity opposite to that of the electrostatic latent image, is supplied from the toner cartridge 62 and adhered to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image.
Then, a recording paper is superposed on the toner image, and a charge having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner is applied to the recording paper from the surface of the recording paper on the side opposite to the photosensitive drum 58, and the toner image is generated by electrostatic force. Is transferred to recording paper.

The recording paper is stored in a recording paper cassette 64, conveyed to a conveyance path by a paper feed roller (not shown), and supplied by a paper feed roller 65 to a transfer area where the transfer device 63 is arranged.

The toner image transferred onto the recording paper is fixed on the recording paper by applying heat or pressure by the fixing device 66. On the other hand, the latent image charges on the photosensitive drum 58 after the transfer are removed by the charge remover 70. In addition, the residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 58 without being transferred is
It is removed by a cleaner (not shown). By repeating the series of processes from the charging to the cleaning, the original image is continuously copied onto the recording paper.

The recording paper on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed by the paper discharge roller 67 and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 68.

In the vicinity of the exposure head 54, the exposure head 5
A cooling fan 69 for cooling the heat of No. 4 is arranged.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the facsimile apparatus 1 when transmitting information. When the detection unit 17 detects an operating state (abnormal state) in step a1, the control unit 11 determines in step a2 whether or not the detected abnormal state needs to be automatically transmitted. If the detected abnormal state is not included in the maintenance service based on the set opening information in step a2, in step a3,
It is determined whether or not a key input operation for transmitting information on the operation unit 15 is performed. When a key input operation for information transmission is performed, a call operation is performed to the management device 3 in step a4, and information such as a signal indicating the trouble is transmitted in step a5. In step a3,
If no key input operation is performed, the operation ends.

In step a2, for example, the maintenance service is based on the opening information in which the detected abnormal state is set,
For example, in the case of a trouble such as the end of life of the photoconductor drum 58, in step a8, the management device 3 is called and the abnormal state detected in step a9, that is, the photoconductor drum 58 needs to be replaced. The information indicating that is sent and the like are transmitted, and the operation ends.

At step a6, it is determined whether the recording unit 14 is usable. If it can be used, in step a7, the information transmitted in step a5 is printed on the recording paper to end the operation. If it cannot be used, for example, the abnormal state detected in step a1 is recorded in the recording unit 1.
When it is related to No. 4, the information transmitted in step a10 is stored in the memory 18. Step a11
Then, the stored information is displayed and output on the display unit 16, and the operation is ended.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the operation after transmitting the above-mentioned information. The management device 3
The information transmitted to is not limited to the information transmitted by the above-mentioned key input operation, but also includes information on the operation state detected by the detection unit 17.

When the transmission of information from the facsimile apparatus 1 to the management apparatus 3 is completed in step b1, the control unit 11 controls the various functions of the facsimile apparatus 1 other than the control unit 11 and the communication control unit 12 in step b2. , The facsimile function is stopped. Thereby, for example, the key input operation from the operation unit 15 by the operator is disabled. Even after the outage, line 2
Control signals such as an image data signal, a voice signal from another telephone (not shown), and a release signal described later from the management device 3 are received by the communication control unit 12, of which signals other than the image data signal are received. The operation is performed based on the signal.

When a signal is received in step b3, it is determined in step b4 whether the signal is a signal transmitted from the management device 3. If the signal is transmitted from the management device 3, it is further determined in step b5 whether or not the signal is a voice signal for requesting a call.
If it is not a voice signal, in step b6, the control unit 11 determines that the received signal is a release signal which is a control signal for releasing the function stop, and releases the stop function in step b2. In step b7, information indicating that the release signal has been received is stored in the memory 18 as data.
In step b8, the recording unit 14 prints out a so-called release result table based on the stored data.

If the received signal is not from the management device 3 in step b4, the process proceeds to step b9 to determine whether it is a voice signal. If it is not a voice signal, the process returns to step b2. If it is a voice signal, it is determined in step b10 whether the telephone function is valid. In the present embodiment, the function to be stopped in step b2 is related to the facsimile function. For example, since the function to be stopped can be selected by the mode switch 15d, it is judged whether the telephone function is effective. Is performed in step b2.

When the telephone function is effective in step b10, a ringing tone is transmitted in step b11, a call is made in step b12, and after the call, the process returns to step b2 again.

When the telephone function is stopped in step b10, the line is disconnected in step b13 and the process returns to step b2. If it is not a voice signal in step b5, it is determined in step b14 whether the telephone function is valid. If the telephone function is valid, the process proceeds to step b15, and even if the telephone function is stopped, by receiving a switching signal for recovering the telephone function from the management device 3 described later, the step is performed. The telephone function is restored in b17, and step b1
Proceed to step 5 to send out a ringing tone and make a call. in this way,
When the incoming signal is a voice signal from the management device 3, regardless of whether the telephone function is valid or invalid, the control signal from the management device 3 is forcibly put into a callable state. .

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the management device 3. Note that FIG. 6 shows an operation performed in the management device 3 for recovering the telephone function in step b17 of FIG. 5 described above.

When the reception of information from the facsimile machine 1 is completed in step c1, a call is made to make a reply (answer call) to the facsimile machine 1 in step c2. In step c3, it is determined whether or not the facsimile apparatus 1 is selected in the FAX mode by the mode changeover switch 15d. In the FAX mode, a mode switching signal is sent in step c4,
The control unit 11 forcibly selects the telephone mode, and a call is made with the facsimile apparatus 1. Step c3
When the FAX mode is not set, that is, when the telephone mode is set, the call is made without performing the process of step c4.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, for example, even when the reading unit 13 has a failure and the failure is other than the operating state detected by the detection unit 17, the operation unit 15 is provided with information regarding the failure. It is possible to transmit to the management device 3 by a key input operation by. At this time, since the facsimile function is stopped by the control unit 11 after transmitting the information, it is possible to prevent a new trouble from occurring. In addition, when the facsimile device 1 is disabled due to the above-described failure, the device becomes ready again by the release signal received from the management device 3. Therefore, maintenance management such as so-called remote diagnosis and repair from the management device 3 can be efficiently performed.

Further, the control unit 11 stores information indicating that the release signal has been received from the management device 3 in the memory 18, so that the progress can be confirmed by, for example, printing out the information by the recording unit 14. It can be done easily.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when the communication control unit 12 receives the control signal for switching the line from the management device 3 after transmitting the information, the control unit 11 forcibly connects the telephone line 2 to the telephone circuit. Since it is connected to 19, even if the FAX mode has been previously selected by the mode changeover switch 15d, the answer call can always be performed appropriately.

[0049]

As described above, according to the present invention, even if the operating state is not detected by the operating state detecting means,
Information about the operating state can be sent to the management device. As a result, for example, in the case of a facsimile machine, even if a trouble that is not covered by the maintenance management service occurs, the information regarding the trouble can be transmitted to the management apparatus. This eliminates the hassle of contacting the maintenance service station. Even when the public line is connected to the facsimile communication means, that is, even when the facsimile device is set to the image data receiving mode, the so-called answer call, which is a telephone contact from the management device, is normally performed. be able to. Therefore, for example, even when a failure occurs in the facsimile machine, the answer prediction from the management apparatus can always accurately predict and confirm the failure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a facsimile apparatus 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an operation unit 15.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a facsimile device 1.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of the facsimile device 1 at the time of transmitting information.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of the facsimile apparatus 1 after transmitting information.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the management device 3.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Facsimile device 2 Telephone line 3 Management device 11 Control part 12 Communication control part 13 Reading part 14 Recording part 17 Detection part 18 Memory

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile communication means for transmitting and receiving image data via a public line, a telephone for transmitting and receiving voice signals via the public line, and a public line connected to either one of the facsimile communication means and the telephone. Switching means, recording means for recording image data on recording paper, reading means for optically reading a document and converting it into image data, and detecting at least the operating states of the facsimile communication means, recording means and reading means. Equipped with operating state detection means and operating state transmission means for transmitting information about the detected operating state to the management device for managing the operating state via the public line, and automatically when the operating state is detected. In the facsimile device that sends information about the detected operating status to the management device, enter the information to be sent to the management device Report input means, input information transmission means for transmitting the information input by the information input means to the management device, and after the information transmission by the input information transmission means to the management device, in response to a switching signal from the management device. And a control means for forcibly switching the switching means to connect a public line to a telephone.