JPH0583439A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To efficiently use an image memory having a proper amount of capacity and to prevent this memory from being filled up by accumulating image data in the image memory with a time limit. CONSTITUTION:The equipment is constituted so that a memory managing part 5 executes a time limit management of image data accumulated in an image memory 9, and reads out the image data from the image memory 9 and outputs it from a printer 7, when an accumulation time limit expires, or executes an operation for erasing it from in the image memory 9. Also, this equipment is constituted so that an accumulation period of each image data in the image memory 9 is registered in a memory 10 through a control part 1 from an input part 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus which temporarily stores image data in a memory and then transmits or receives the image data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a facsimile apparatus that stores image data in an image memory and then performs output processing after transmission processing or reception, the image data in the image memory can be output from a printer or the like. If it is in the state, the image data stored in the image memory is read out, printed on the recording paper from the printer, and output (hard output). But,
As described above, in an apparatus that outputs all the image data in the image memory in hard mode, unnecessary image data is also output, so that the recording paper may be wasted. Therefore, a facsimile apparatus has recently been developed which outputs the image data stored in the image memory in a hard mode only when the operator issues an output instruction. However, in such a facsimile apparatus, the image data is still stored in the image memory unless the operator instructs the image data, so that the amount of the image data stored in the image memory is large. Tend to be. However, since the capacity of the image memory is limited, the image memory may be full in such a facsimile apparatus, and the memory function cannot be used thereafter. In such a case, the operator has to delete unnecessary image data in the image memory to make an empty area in the image memory, which is disadvantageous in that this operation is troublesome.

In particular, all the received image data is stored in the image memory without recently printing the image data on the recording paper, and the image data is read out from the image memory as needed. A facsimile device having a function of displaying on a display has been developed. However, when the image memory of such a facsimile device is full, the facsimile device does not operate at all, and a fatal influence occurs. was there.

[0004]

As described above, in the conventional facsimile apparatus which outputs the image data in the image memory as a hard disk only when the operator gives an instruction, a large amount of data is stored in the image memory. Image data may be accumulated,
Therefore, when the image memory is full, the operation using the memory function cannot be performed, and there is a drawback that the facsimile communication is hindered. When such a situation occurs, the operator conventionally has to delete unnecessary image data in the image memory to create an empty area, which is troublesome and time-consuming. It should be noted that if the capacity of the image memory is made very large, the above inconvenience can be avoided to a considerable extent, but this has a drawback that the cost of the apparatus becomes high.

In view of the above, the present invention eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks by storing image data in an image memory having an appropriate capacity with a time limit so that the image memory can be used efficiently. It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile device capable of preventing the memory from being full.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, in a facsimile apparatus which temporarily stores image data in a memory and then processes the image data, timer means for supplying time information and time from the timer means. Storage means for storing the date and time when the image data is stored in the memory based on the information, registration means for registering the storage period of the image data stored in the memory, and the memory based on the time information from the timer means A deadline management means for monitoring whether or not the storage period of the image data stored in the image data is registered by the registration means, and the operator when the deadline management means determines that the image data storage period has come And a notification means for notifying the user.

As a configuration added to the above configuration, there is provided a configuration including an erasing / outputting unit for erasing the image data determined by the memory management unit that the storage period in the memory has come from the memory or outputting the image data from the printer. Have.

[0008]

In the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, the timer means supplies time information. The storage means stores the date and time when the image data was stored in the memory based on the time information from the timer means. The registration means registers the storage period of the image data stored in the memory. The time limit management means monitors, based on the time information from the timer means, whether or not the storage period of the image data stored in the memory registered by the registration means has come. If the deadline management means determines that the image data accumulation period has come, the notification means notifies the operator of this.

As an operation added to the above operation, the erasing / outputting means erases the image data, which is judged by the memory managing means that the storage period in the memory has come, from the memory or outputs it from the printer.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the facsimile apparatus of the present invention. 1 is a control unit that controls transmission / reception and the entire device, 2 is a timer unit that supplies time information to the control unit 1 and the memory management unit 3, 3 is a voice control unit that controls output of voice information, and 4 is a voice signal To a loudspeaker for outputting to the outside world, 5 is a memory management unit for managing the image data in the image memory 9, 6 is a printer control unit for controlling the operation of the printer 7, and 7 is the image data. A printer for printing on recording paper and outputting, 8 is an input unit for inputting a period of image data stored in the image memory 9 or inputting telephone number information, and 9 is for storing image data. Image memory, 10
Is a memory for storing the storage date and time of the image data stored in the image memory 9 and the storage period in the image memory 9, and 11 is a communication control unit for controlling transmission / reception of incoming and outgoing calls and data.
A display unit 12 displays accumulated image data information and the like.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. When the memory is received, the image data received by the communication control unit 11 is stored in the image memory 9 by the control unit 1 via the memory management unit 5. At this time, the memory management unit 5 generates the receipt number of the stored image data, and also checks the date and time when the image data is stored in the image memory 9 based on the time information from the timer unit 2, and checks this. Memory 10
It is stored together with the receipt number of the image data. From this point in time, the memory management unit 5 monitors the time information from the timer unit 2 and starts the deadline management of the image data stored in the image memory 9. Here, it is assumed that the period in which the image data is stored in the image memory 9 is previously registered uniformly (for example, 24 hours) in the memory 10 by the initial setting from the input unit 8.

The memory management unit 5 controls the time limit of the received image data stored in the image memory 9 by the timer unit 2.
When the storage period of a certain received image data comes by counting the time information from, the warning sound is generated from the voice control unit 3 via the control unit 1 and the image of which the time limit comes on the display unit. Displays the data reception number and sender information.
The operator listens to the warning sound and looks at the display unit 12 to check what the expired image data is, and then, if necessary, an instruction to cause the printer 7 to perform a hard output, and if not necessary, an image memory. An instruction to erase from 9 is issued from the input unit 8 to the control unit 1. As a result, the control unit 1 reads the corresponding image data from the image memory 9 via the memory management unit 5 and gives it to the printer control unit 6 so that the printer 7 prints on a recording paper and outputs it. The corresponding image data in the image memory 9 is erased via the unit 5. If there is no instruction from the operator even when a warning sound is output from the speaker 4 to notify that the storage period of the image data in the memory 9 has expired, after waiting for a predetermined time, the corresponding information is stored in the image memory 9. Image data is read and printed from the printer 7 on the recording paper and output, or the corresponding image data in the image memory 9 is deleted by the memory management unit 5.

The above description has been made on the management of the storage time limit of the received image data in the image memory 9, but next, the management of the image data stored in the image memory 9 during the memory transmission will be described. At the time of memory transmission, the image data of the transmission original read by the reading unit 13 is stored in the image memory 9 via the memory management unit 5. At this time, the memory management unit 5 displays the receipt number of the image data and the memory storage date and time. Memory 10
Remember. At this time, the operator inputs the telephone number information of the transmission destination, the transmission reservation time, etc. from the input unit 8 and, via the control unit 1, a period (for example, 3 hours) for storing the image data in the image memory 9. Input to the memory management unit 5. As a result, the memory management unit 5 monitors the time information from the timer unit 2 after storing the period for storing the image data in the image memory 9 and the telephone number information and the transmission reservation time in the memory 10. Then, the time limit management of the image data is started and the transmission time management is started. afterwards,
When the transmission time of the image data in the image memory 9 arrives, the memory management unit 5 sends the telephone number information in the memory 10 to the communication control unit 1.
When the line is connected to the other party, the corresponding image data is read from the image memory 9 and transmitted from the communication control section 11 to the other party via the control section 1. At this time, if the other party cannot transmit due to being busy, the transmitted image data will remain in the image memory 9. When the storage period of the transmission image data remaining in this way comes, the memory management unit 5 generates a warning sound from the speaker 4 via the voice control unit 3, and the reception number and transmission of the expired image memory. The destination and the like are displayed on the display unit 12. The subsequent processing is the same as the processing of the received image data.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the memory time limit management operation of the memory management unit 5 shown in FIG. First,
In step 201, the input of image data to the image memory 9 is awaited, and when input, the process proceeds to step 202. In step 202, the reception number and the input date and time of the image data input to the image memory 9 are checked and stored in the memory 10. After that, the process proceeds to step 203, the monitoring of the storage time limit of the image data is started, and step 204
Determines whether or not the time limit has arrived, and if the time limit has not arrived, returns to step 203, and if the time limit has expired, step 2
Go to 05. In step 205, after the warning sound is generated from the speaker 4, the process proceeds to step 206, where it is determined whether or not there is an instruction from the operator, and if there is, the process proceeds to step 207 to perform the processing according to the instruction of the operator. If there is no instruction, the process proceeds to step 208. In step 208, the image data is output from the printer 7 or erased from the image memory 9, and then the process ends. Such memory management operation is performed for each image data input to the image memory 9. In the example of FIG. 2, the deadline of the image data stored in the image memory 9 for both the transmission document and the reception document is a predetermined period registered in advance, but both the transmission and reception image data are input from the input unit 8. Even if the deadline is registered in the memory 9 for each image data, the deadline management of each image data is the same as above. or,
In the process of step 208, whether to output or delete the corresponding image data from the printer 7 can be set for each image data, and unnecessary image data is prevented from being output from the printer 7.

According to the present embodiment, since the period for storing both the transmission image data and the reception image data in the image memory 9 is limited, when the period comes, the image memory 9 is finally obtained.
Since the corresponding image data is read from and output from the printer 7 or is erased, the image memory 9 can be efficiently used and always be used without increasing the capacity of the image memory 9 so much. An empty area can be provided in the image memory 9, and it is possible to prevent the image memory 9 from becoming full and hindering the operation of the facsimile apparatus. Further, since it is possible to select, for each image data, whether to output the image data for which the storage period has expired from the printer 7 or delete it from the image memory 9, it is possible to prevent unnecessary image data from being output from the printer 7. You can

[0016]

As described above, according to the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, the image data can be used efficiently by storing the image data in the image memory having a proper capacity with a time limit. It is possible to prevent the lever memory from being full.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of memory management operation of a memory management unit shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Control unit 2 ... Timer unit 3 ... Voice control unit 4 ... Speaker 5 ... Memory management unit 6 ... Printer control unit 7 ... Printer 8 ... Input unit 9 ... Image memory 10 ... Memory 12 ... Display unit 13 ... Read unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A method for temporarily storing image data in a memory,
In a facsimile device for processing the image data, timer means for supplying time information, storage means for storing the date and time when the image data is stored in the memory based on the time information from the timer means, Registration means for registering the accumulation period of the image data accumulated in the memory,
A deadline management means for monitoring whether or not the accumulation period of the image data accumulated in the memory registered by the registration means has come based on the time information from the timer means,
A facsimile apparatus comprising: a notification unit for notifying the operator of the fact that the image data storage period has arrived when the deadline management unit determines. 2. An erasing / outputting means for erasing the image data determined by the memory management means from the memory or outputting it from the printer, the image data being determined to have reached the storage period in the memory. 1) The facsimile device described in 1).