JPH0591240A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To set the facsimile equipment to the transmission start state in a short time by providing a transmission means sending a final frame after a flag sequence is being sent when the next page of an original is not loaded to the facsimile equipment so as to insert the next page of the original. CONSTITUTION:Picture data read by a scanner section 13 are compressed and coded and stored in a transmission buffer in a RAM 11, and a main program sets a final data pointer to set a flag sequence transmission request. Upon the receipt of a notice from a coding program in the main program, a 'NEXT- PAGE' is displayed on a display device 16 to start an alarm 18 thereby urging the operator for the loading of a next page. An original insertion sensor 17 monitors setting of the next page and when a 5-sec timer expires, the display and the alarm 18 are stopped to implement communication end processing. When the sensor 17 detects the insertion of the original before the expiration, the display and the alarm 18 are stopped and a final data pointer and a flag sequence transmission request are cleared and the reading of the next page and the transmission are continued.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus having no automatic document feeding mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a conventional facsimile apparatus is not provided with an automatic document feeding mechanism, the time for the operator to insert the next page of the document into the document reading mechanism after transmitting each page of the document. Is provided. That is,
If the next page of the manuscript is inserted within a predetermined period of time, the transmission operation of that page starts, and if the next page is not inserted, in order to enter the procedure to end the transmission, After transmitting the image data, a dummy image signal having a certain length of time has been transmitted.

[0003]

In such a conventional method, a dummy signal is always transmitted at the end of each page unless the next page is inserted immediately after the image data of each page is transmitted. However, there is a disadvantage that it wastes communication time because it has to wait only for the transmission time.

[0004]

In a facsimile apparatus having an error correction function (ECM function) without an automatic document feeding mechanism, a head flag sequence of a final frame in a partial page block of each page of a document to be transmitted When the next page of the manuscript is inserted, a short-time sending means for sending the last frame along with a short flag sequence is provided, and when the next page of the manuscript is not inserted, A time-delay sending means is provided for sending the final frame after continuously sending the flag sequence until the original is inserted or until a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0005]

When the head flag sequence of the last frame in the partial page block of each page of the original to be transmitted is transmitted, if the next page of the original is not inserted, the flag sequence is continued until the original is inserted. Since the last frame is sent after sending the next page, the next page of the document can be inserted for a short time before the predetermined time has elapsed to secure the time for inserting the next page. The transmission can be started during the
In the M mode, since the reading and the transmission of the document are performed asynchronously, the characteristic that the transmission of the page ends a while after the reading of a certain page ends is used in many cases. Since the time for inserting the next page is secured without extending the flag sequence, it is possible to prevent the communication time from being unnecessarily extended.

[0006]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a facsimile machine. A changeover switch 2 and a bell detection circuit 3 are connected to the telephone line 1, and a modem 5 which is further connected to the changeover switch 2 via an inductive connecting section 4.
A selector switch 7 for switching between the dial circuit 6 and the dial circuit 6 is connected. The modem 5 is connected to a central processing unit 9 (hereinafter referred to as CPU) via a bus line 8. The CPU 9 stores an R in which a processing program is stored.
OM10 and RAM11 and EER as a temporary storage device
The OM 12 is connected. Further, the CPU 9 includes a scanner unit 13, a printer unit 14, a keyboard 1
5, display 16, document insertion sensor 17, alarm 18
Functional components such as are connected to each other.

However, what is shown in FIG. 2 is a protocol of communication executed between the transmission side and the reception side, and the frame 2 (Frame 2) is the final frame. Also, FIG.
Shown in Figure 2 is the frame structure of the transmitted partial page block. Here, the final frame includes an extended flag sequence (Flag) and a control return code (RTC). Such a final frame is connected to a partial page control return (RCP) frame.

The operation of this embodiment having such a configuration will be described with reference to the flow charts shown in FIGS. First, an encoding program shown in FIG. 4 is used to encode image data read by the scanner unit 13 for data compression in order to improve transmission efficiency.
This program has a function of storing in a transmission buffer provided in the AM 11. That is, when the image data read by the scanner unit 13 is encoded, if the last scan line of a page is encoded, the fact is notified to the main program shown in FIG. Then, the final data pointer is set to make a flag sequence transmission request.

The main program is a program that plays a role of displaying and alarming, and managing the coding program and a communication program described later. When this main program receives a notification from the above-mentioned encoding program, it displays "NEXT PAGE" on the display 16 and activates the alarm 18, so that the operator inserts the next page of the document into the scanner unit 13. And a timer for 5 seconds is started. Then, the document insertion sensor 17 monitors whether or not the document is set and whether or not the 5-second timer expires.

If the 5-second timer times out, the "NEXT PAGE" display is erased and the alarm 18 is stopped. Then, the final data pointer and the flag sequence transmission request are cleared and the communication end processing is performed.

If the document insertion sensor 17 detects that a document has been inserted into the scanner section 13 before the 5-second timer expires, a "NEXT PAG" is issued.
The "E" display is erased and the alarm 18 is stopped. Then, the final data pointer and the flag sequence transmission request are cleared to continue reading and transmitting the next page.

Next, FIG. 6 shows a communication program. This communication program calls the coded data stored in the transmission buffer by the coding program into the high level transmission control procedure (HDLC) frame and calls through the modem 5. It is a program that has a role of sending to the line 1.
That is, when the operation of transmitting the packet by reading the transmission buffer into the high-level transmission control procedure (HDLC) frame is repeated, if the final data pointer is found, it is confirmed whether or not there is a flag sequence transmission request, and the flag sequence transmission request is issued. Will continue to be sent as long as the flag sequence continues. Therefore, after the 5 second timer is started in the main program, until the document is inserted, or
Since the flag sequence transmission request continues until the 5-second timer times out, this portion serves as a time delay transmission means. Also, in the above-mentioned main program, when a document is inserted or the timer for 5 seconds expires, the request to send the flag sequence is cleared. It sends a frame followed by a partial page control return (RCP) frame. Therefore, this part serves as a short-time sending means.

Therefore, the amount of image data transmitted is
It depends greatly on the complexity of the image. When the image is simple, it is transmitted almost at the same time when the image is read, but when the image is complicated, the amount of data to be transmitted is large, so the transmission ends after a while after the reading ends. Therefore,
In the case of a simple image, it is necessary to secure the time to insert the next page by extending the time of the first flag sequence of the last frame. Since the next page can be inserted in, the operator can be prompted to insert the next page without extending unnecessary communication time.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the facsimile apparatus having no error correction function (ECM function) without the automatic document supply mechanism, the final frame in the partial page block of each page of the document to be transmitted. When the next page of the original is inserted when sending the first flag sequence of, the short page sending means for sending the last frame in accordance with the short flag sequence is provided, and the next page of the original is inserted. If there is no original, the time delay sending means for sending the final frame after sending the flag sequence until the original is inserted or until a predetermined time has elapsed is provided. If the next page of the original is not inserted when sending the start flag sequence of the last frame in the partial page block of each page The flag sequence is sent continuously until the manuscript is inserted, and then the final frame is sent, so the next page of the manuscript will be sent if a predetermined time has not elapsed to secure the time for inserting the next page. It is possible to set the transmission start state in a short time by inserting the. In particular, in the ECM mode, since the reading and the transmission of the document are performed asynchronously, it is possible that the reading of a certain page is completed for a while. Utilizing the property that the transmission of the page ends after the time, in most cases, the time to insert the next page is secured without extending the flag sequence, and thus the communication time is unnecessarily extended. This has the effect that it can be prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a communication protocol.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a frame structure of a partial page block to be transmitted.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an encoding program.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a main program.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a communication program.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. When sending a head flag sequence of the last frame in a partial page block of each page of a document to be transmitted in a facsimile apparatus having an error correction function (ECM function) without an automatic document supply mechanism. To
When the next page of the original is inserted, a short-time sending means is provided for sending the final frame along with the short flag sequence, and when the next page of the original is not inserted, until the original is inserted. Alternatively, the facsimile apparatus is provided with a time delay transmission means for continuously transmitting the flag sequence until the predetermined frame has elapsed and then transmitting the final frame.