JPH06350822A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize repeating multi-address with a device which does not have a non-standard function. CONSTITUTION:A SUB generation part 15 generates a SUB command into which a terminal station number is set, and a PWD generation part 16 generates a PWD command into which an identification number is set. The terminal station number and the identification number are inputted from a repeating multi-address indication input part 13. When the indication is inputted from a repeating multi-address start indication part 18, a communication control part 9 transmits commands generated in the SUB generation part 15 and the PWD generation part 16 to a receiver and transmits a repeating multi-address indication. When a DIS analysis part 20 judges that the discrimination faculty of the SUB command and the PWD command does not exist in the receiver, repeating multi-address is abandonned. An NSF analysis part 21 detects whether the receiver is that of its own company or not. When it is the machine of its own company, an NSS command into which the terminal station number and the identification number are set is generated in an NSS generation part 17 and it is transmitted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile machine, and more particularly to a facsimile machine having a relay broadcast function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A relay broadcast system is known as a communication system for efficiently transmitting information to a plurality of destinations. This communication method is a method in which an instruction station transmits information to a relay station designated in advance, and the relay station transfers the information to a plurality of terminal stations.

A general communication procedure at the instruction station and the relay station in the relay broadcast will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 10 and 11. First, in the procedure of the instruction station shown in FIG. 10, it is determined in step S1 whether or not there is an instruction to execute relay broadcast, and when the instruction is input, the determination in step S1 becomes affirmative and the process proceeds to step S2. move on. In step S2, the input of the terminal number (No.) is waited for. When the terminal number is input, the terminal number is stored in the memory (step S3). In step S4, the communication start instruction is awaited, and if there is an instruction, the process proceeds to step S5 to start communication, and the capability declaration of the receiver, that is, the relay station is confirmed from the information on the communication protocol. This capability declaration is confirmed in the G3 communication based on the facsimile information (FIF) of the NSF frame.

In step S6, it is judged whether or not the receiver has the relay broadcasting capability based on the data indicating the relay broadcasting capability set in the predetermined bit of the facsimile information, and it is determined that the receiver has the capability. If is confirmed, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, the terminal number is read from the memory, expanded into an NSS frame, and notified to the receiver. On the other hand, if it is determined that the receiver does not have the relay broadcast capability, the process proceeds from step S6 to step S8 to end with a communication error, and an error is displayed on the panel if necessary. Although not shown, after transmitting the terminal number, the process proceeds to a process of transmitting image information to a relay station, that is, a receiving station.

In the procedure at the relay station shown in FIG. 11, when the relay broadcast instruction is detected from the information of the received NSS frame in step S11, the process proceeds to step S12 to read the terminal station number from the NSS frame. Store in memory. After the terminal number is stored in the memory, the image information is received and stored in the image storage device in step S13.
In step S14, the terminal number is read from the memory, and in step S15, the call is made according to the terminal number. If the line is connected, the image information is transmitted to the terminal station in step S16. When the transmission of the image information is completed, the process proceeds to step S17, it is determined whether or not the image information has been transmitted to all of the instructed terminal stations, and if there is a terminal station whose transmission is not completed yet, step S14. Return to. When the transmission of the image information to all the instructed terminal stations is completed, the relay process is ended.

Note that it is possible to prevent the image information from being received when the received personal identification number and the preset personal identification number do not match. The transmission is also performed using the non-standard command (NSS).

[0007]

The above-mentioned conventional relay broadcast has the following problems. That is, in conventional devices, non-standard commands are used to notify terminal numbers and personal identification numbers, so devices that can decode these non-standard commands, that is, devices that are manufactured by the same model or the same manufacturer (hereinafter , Called its own machine) was able to perform relay broadcast communication only.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile apparatus that enables relay broadcast communication regardless of whether or not each other is an own machine.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention for solving the above problems and achieving the object is characterized by the following points. A. Means for setting relay broadcast instruction information in the information field of the sub-address command as a standard command, means for setting a secret code in the information field of the password command as a standard command, and the sub-address command in response to the relay broadcast instruction And a transmission means for transmitting the relay broadcast instruction information and the personal identification number by the password command. B. In addition to the characteristics of A above, the relay station sets the same as its own device based on the means for setting the relay broadcast instruction information and the personal identification number in the information field of the non-standard function setting signal and the model identification information of the received non-standard function signal. Means for determining whether or not the model is a model, and when the transmitting means is not the same model as the relay station, in response to a relay broadcast instruction, the relay address is broadcast by the sub-address command and the password command. It is configured so that it sends the instruction information and the personal identification number, and when the relay station is the same model as its own, it sends the relay broadcast instruction information and the personal identification number with a non-standard function setting signal. C. A point provided with means for extracting relay broadcast instruction information from the information field of the sub-address command, and communication control means for performing broadcast to the terminal station according to the extracted relay broadcast instruction information. D. A personal identification number registration means for storing the personal identification number of the own station,
A means for extracting the relay broadcast instruction information from the information field of the sub-address command, a means for extracting the personal identification number from the information field of the password command, and a means for extracting the personal identification number and the password command information field registered in the personal identification number registration means. Compare the PINs that were given,
A discriminator that outputs a coincidence signal when both coincide with each other and a non-coincidence signal when they do not coincide with each other, and receives image information from the instruction station in response to the coincidence signal, and according to the extracted relay broadcast instruction information. A point provided with communication control means for making a call to the terminal station and starting communication.

[0010]

According to the present invention having the above characteristics, the instruction station transmits the relay broadcast instruction information and the personal identification number by the sub address command and the password command. Further, the relay station extracts the relay broadcast instruction information and the personal identification number from the received sub-address command and password command, and when the personal identification number matches the personal identification number registered in the own station, according to the relay broadcast instruction information. Call the terminal,
The relay broadcast document is transmitted to the terminal station.

Further, when the relay station is the same model as the own station, the relay broadcast instruction information can be transmitted using the sub-address command and the password command, and when the relay station is a model different from the own station, the The relay broadcast instruction information and the personal identification number can be transmitted by the non-standard function setting signal without using the sub address command and the password command.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the facsimile apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, CPU1
Controls the entire facsimile apparatus according to the program stored in the system control section 8 and executes a facsimile transmission control procedure. The RAM 2 is a work area used to execute the control program. The operation display device 3 includes an operation unit including a keyboard including a numeric keypad and a liquid crystal panel (CR
The display unit has a display unit (which may be a T screen) for instructing the operation of the facsimile apparatus and displaying the instruction and the operation state. The reading device 4 reads a manuscript or a copy manuscript for transmission and converts it into an electric signal, that is, image information. The image information read by the reading device 4 and the received image information are stored in the image storage device 7.

The communication controller 9 has a function of controlling communication in a communication mode such as G3 or G4, and the modem 10 has a low speed mode (V21 interface for transmission procedure signal) and a high speed mode (V27ter, V29 for image information transmission / reception). V33, V17
Interface) and functions. The network control device 11 is for connecting a facsimile device to a network, that is, an analog line, a digital line, etc., and has an automatic call originating / receiving function. The transmission image information stored in the image storage device 7 is sent to the line via the communication control unit 9, the modem 10 and the network control device 11. on the other hand,
The received image information stored in the image storage device 7 is output to the printing device 5 and printed. The image processing device 6 includes an encoding unit and a decoding unit, and respectively encodes and decodes image information. The system bus 12 is a bus for sending and receiving data to and from each other, and data is sent and received between the respective units 1 to 9 via the system bus 12.

An example of the operation of the facsimile apparatus having the above configuration will be described. FIG. 4 shows protocol commands used in this facsimile apparatus. FIG. 4A shows the frame structure of the sub-address command (SUB).
(B) shows the frame structure of the password command (PWD). Both commands are CCITT T. 30 is recommended. In the present embodiment, as shown in the figure, a terminal number as relay broadcast instruction information is set in the facsimile information field (FIF) of the sub address command (SUB), and the facsimile information field (FIF) of the password command (PWD) is set. Decided to set a personal identification number. Sub address command (SU
B) is called SUB command, and password command (P
WD) is called a PWD command.

First, the operation of the facsimile apparatus having the above configuration as an instruction station will be described. In FIG. 5, in step S30, guidance for urging information input of the SUB command is output to the display unit. In step S31, the presence or absence of input is determined. If there is an input, the process proceeds to step S32, and the information of the SUB command input from the operation unit, that is, the terminal number is set to the facsimile information field (F
IF). In step S33, a guide prompting the user to input the PWD command information is displayed. In step S34, the presence or absence of input is determined. If there is input, step S3
5, the information of the PWD command input from the operation unit, that is, the personal identification number is set in the facsimile information field (FI
Set to F).

When the communication start instruction is detected in step S36, the destination identification information input together with the communication instruction, that is, the dial number or abbreviated number of the relay station is stored. In step S37, it is determined whether or not the data, that is, the terminal number, is set in the facsimile information of the SUB command. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S38, and normal communication other than relay broadcast is performed.

If it is determined that the terminal station number has been set, the flow advances to step S39 to make a call according to the destination information of the relay station. In step S40, the digital identification signal (DIS) sent from the receiver is analyzed to confirm the capability declaration. In step S41, it is determined whether or not the receiver has the SUB command determination capability based on the capability declaration. If it is determined that the SUB command determination capability is not provided, the process proceeds to step S42 and ends with a communication error. The occurrence of the communication error may be displayed on the display unit.

If it is determined that the receiver has the SUB command discrimination capability, the process proceeds to step S43 and P
It is determined whether or not the WD command is input. PWD
If the command is input, the process proceeds to step S44,
Determine if the receiver has the ability to determine PWD commands. If the receiver has the determination capability of the PWD command, the process proceeds to step S45, and the SUB command and the PWD command in which the output destination classification number is set are transmitted. If the PWD command has not been input, or if the receiver does not have the PWD command determination capability, the process proceeds to step S46 and only the SUB command is transmitted. If no PWD command is input, or if the receiver does not have the PWD command determination capability, the process may end with a communication error.

In the method of setting each command described above, the input information is directly expanded in the facsimile information field of each command. However, the input terminal number or personal identification number is temporarily stored in the RAM 2 and each command is stored. It may be expanded in the facsimile information field at the time of transmission.
Also, an input key for relay broadcast instruction is provided on the operation unit,
When an instruction is input by this key, the input terminal number or personal identification number may be fetched and stored as information for the SUB command or PWD command.

Whether the transmission partner, that is, the relay station is the own machine,
Depending on the model other than that, that is, the other company's machine, a non-standard command is used for relay broadcast instruction, or SUB command and PW
It may be possible to select whether or not to perform the relay broadcast instruction by the D command. The operation of this selection will be described with reference to FIG. Here, it is assumed that the terminal number, the personal identification number, etc. have already been input and stored in the RAM 2.

First, in step S50, a calling operation is performed according to a communication instruction. In step S51, it is determined whether the NSF frame of the protocol information has been received. In step S52, the model identification information of the relay station set in the NSF frame is analyzed. In this embodiment, the company code as the model identification information is analyzed to determine whether the relay station is its own machine. In the case of own machine, step S5
Proceed to 3 to further analyze and confirm the other capability declarations of the NSF frame. In step S54, the relay broadcast instruction, the terminal number and the personal identification number are expanded in the facsimile information field of the NSS frame and transmitted.

If either of the determinations in steps S51 and S52 is negative, the process proceeds to step S55 and the DI of the relay station is
The capability declaration of the S frame is analyzed and it is confirmed whether or not it has the ability to judge the SUB command. In step S56, the terminal number is expanded in the SUB command facsimile information field, and the personal identification number is expanded in the PWD command facsimile information field and transmitted. If the relay station does not have the ability to judge SUB commands,
Similar to the process of FIG. 5, the process may be ended with a communication error.

In this way, if the means for relay broadcast instruction is selected by distinguishing between the own machine and another company's machine, in the case of communication between the own machines, the NSS frame is used to instruct more detailed capability information. You can also

Next, the operation of the relay station will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. First, in step S60 of FIG. 7, the SUB command is received and stored in the RAM 2 (hereinafter referred to as memory). In step S61, the SUB
The terminal number is extracted from the facsimile information field of the command and stored in the memory. After the terminal number is stored in the memory, the image information is received and stored in the image storage device 7 in step S62. In step S63, the terminal number is read from the memory, and in step S64, a call is made according to the terminal number and broadcasting is started. If the line is connected, the image information is transmitted to the terminal station in step S65.
When the transmission of the image information is completed, the process proceeds to step S66, it is determined whether or not the image information is transmitted to all of the instructed terminal stations, and if there is a terminal station whose transmission is not completed yet, step S63. Return to. When the transmission of the image information to all the instructed terminal stations is completed, the relay process is ended.

If a personal identification number is set as system data in the own station, that is, a relay station and the personal identification number is not detected on the protocol, or even if the personal identification number is detected, it is set as the system data. If the numbers do not match, the image information may not be received. That is, after storing the image information (step S62), it is judged whether or not the personal identification number is set in the own station, and if this judgment is affirmative, that is, if the personal identification number is set, a communication error occurs. If the personal identification number is not set, the processing from step S63 onward may be performed.

Next, the operation of the relay station when receiving the SUB command and the PWD command will be described. In FIG. 8, in step S70, the SUB command and PWD
Receives commands and stores them in memory. Step S71
Then, the terminal number is extracted from the facsimile information field of the SUB command and stored in the memory. In step S72, the personal identification number is extracted from the facsimile information field of the PWD command.

In step S73, it is determined whether or not the personal identification number is set in the own station based on the system data provided in the system control section 8. If the personal identification number is set, the process proceeds to step S74, and it is determined whether the personal identification number and the personal identification number set in the PWD command match. If the personal identification numbers are the same, the process proceeds to step S75, and the image information is received and stored in the image storage device 7. When the image information is stored, the process proceeds to step S76 and the broadcast is executed. The operation of step S76 is the same as that of steps S63 to 66 (FIG. 7), and the description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, if the personal identification numbers do not match, the flow advances to step S77 to display a communication error on the display section. When the personal identification number is not set in the own station, step S74 is skipped. If the personal identification number is always set, it is not necessary to make the determination in step S73.

Indication station (calling side) in the above-mentioned relay broadcast
FIG. 9 shows an example of negotiation between the relay station (callee side). As shown in the figure, the SUB command and the PWD command are sent from the calling side to the called side in response to the digital command DCS and in response to the digital identification signal DIS from the called side.

Next, the main function of the instruction station of the facsimile apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. In the figure, the instruction information input from the relay broadcast instruction input unit 13, that is, the terminal number and the personal identification number, is stored in the relay broadcast instruction storage unit 14. The SUB creating unit 15 expands the input data into a predetermined frame and creates a SUB command. Similarly, the PWD creating unit 16 creates the PWD command by expanding the input data into a predetermined frame. The NSS creating unit 17 expands the input data into a predetermined NSS frame.

When the communication start-up instruction section 18 supplies the communication start instruction together with the destination identification information, that is, the dialed number of the relay station, the communication control section 9 carries out the calling operation. And
The received protocol command is output to the command detector 19. When the command detection unit 19 detects a DIS frame from the protocol command, the command detection unit 19 supplies the data to the DIS analysis unit 20. The DIS analysis unit 20 receives the SUB command and P of the receiver based on the capability information of the DIS frame.
If it is judged that the WD command has the judgment ability, and if it is judged that the WD command has the judgment ability, a read signal is output to the relay broadcast instruction storage unit 14. In response to the read signal, the relay broadcast instruction storage unit 14 outputs the terminal number and the personal identification number to the SUB creation unit 15 and the PWD creation unit 16, respectively. SUB command and P containing these terminal number and PIN respectively
The WD command is transmitted to the receiver, that is, the relay station via the communication control unit 9.

As indicated by a dotted line, the relay broadcast instruction input unit 13 to the SUB creating unit 15 and the PWD creating unit 16 are provided.
A terminal number and a personal identification number are directly input to create a SUB command and a PWD command, and the read signal output from the DIS analysis unit 20 is supplied to the SUB creation unit 15 and the PWD creation unit 16. May be.

Further, the processing in the DIS analysis section 20 is
It is also possible to distinguish whether the partner machine is the own machine or not, and when the partner machine is the own machine, the relay broadcast instruction may be given by the NSS frame created by the NSS creating unit 17. In this case, when the command detection unit 19 detects an NSF frame, the NSF frame is supplied to the NSF analysis unit 21, and it is determined whether the partner device is the own device or not based on the data of the NSF frame. If the partner's machine is own machine, NSS
The creating unit 17 creates an NSS frame including the relay broadcast instruction, and transmits the NSS frame via the communication control unit 9. When the partner's machine is another company's machine, an instruction signal is output to the DIS analyzer 20 to analyze the DIS, and the SUB command and PWD command transmission operation is executed according to the result.

Next, the function of the main part of the facsimile apparatus of this embodiment as a relay station will be described. In FIG. 2, the SUB
The analysis unit 22 analyzes the SUB command received by the communication control unit 9, and stores the detected terminal number in the terminal number storage unit 23. On the other hand, the PWD analysis unit 23 analyzes the PWD command received by the communication control unit 9 and supplies the detected personal identification number to the determination unit 24. The received image information is stored in the image storage device 7. The communication control unit 9 makes a call according to the terminal number stored in the terminal number storage unit 23 and transmits the stored image information to the terminal station.

When the personal identification number of the own station is stored in the personal identification number registration unit 25 and the personal identification number is detected by the PWD analyzing unit 23, the personal identification number detected from the PWD command and the personal identification number of the own station. The discriminator 24 compares the coincidence and non-coincidence with. Then, when both the personal identification numbers match, the determination unit 24 outputs a match signal to the communication control unit 9, and when they do not match, it outputs a mismatch signal. Note that, as shown in FIG. 8, when the personal identification number is not registered in the own station, the discrimination unit 24 does not determine whether the personal identification numbers match or does not match, and outputs a match signal regardless of whether or not the PWD command is received. Output. The communication control unit 9 transmits a reception preparation confirmation signal (CFR) in response to the coincidence signal, and the image storage device 7
To enable writing and wait for reception of image information. Further, when the mismatch signal is supplied, the communication control unit 9 executes a known procedure in the case of a communication error. After receiving the image information,
As described above, the terminal station is called, communication is started, and the image information is transmitted.

As described above, in this embodiment, the instruction station uses the standard commands, that is, the SUB command and the PWD.
A relay broadcast can be instructed by a command, and the relay station can call the terminal station according to the SUB command and the PWD command to broadcast.

[0037]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the instruction station can transmit the terminal number and the personal identification number as the relay broadcast instruction information by the SUB command and the PWD command. The relay station receives the SUB
The terminal number and the personal identification number are extracted from the command and the PWD command, and when the personal identification number coincides with the personal identification number of the own station, the terminal station can be called according to the terminal number and the document can be transmitted.

As described above, since the relay broadcast instruction can be given by the standard SUB command and the PWD command, whether or not the instruction station and the relay station are of the same model, for example, whether they are their own machines or other companies' machines. It is possible to carry out relay broadcast regardless of the existence.

Further, when the instruction station and the relay station are of the same model, the non-standard function setting signal can be used to issue the relay broadcast instruction without using the SUB command and the PWD command. SUB if the model is different
Commands and PWD commands can be used for relay broadcast. As a result, in the case of the same model, the non-standard function setting signal can be used to perform the conventional communication function and perform the relay broadcast.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main function of an instruction station of a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main function of a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention as a relay station.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a facsimile device.

FIG. 4 is a frame configuration diagram of a SUB command and a PWD command.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a relay broadcast instruction showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a relay broadcast instruction including determination of a receiver type.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a relay operation showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing another example of the relay operation.

FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of negotiation according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a conventional relay broadcast instruction operation.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a relay operation by a conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

13 ... Relay broadcast instruction input unit, 14 ... Relay broadcast instruction storage unit, 15 ... SUB creation unit, 16 ... PWD creation unit,
17 ... NSS creation unit, 18 ... Relay broadcast start instruction unit, 1
9 ... Command detection unit, 20 ... DIS analysis unit, 21 ...
NSF analysis unit, 22 ... SUB analysis unit, 23 ... PWD analysis unit, 24 ... Discrimination unit, 25 ... PIN code registration unit

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A means for setting relay broadcast instruction information in an information field of a sub-address command as a standard command, a means for setting a secret code in an information field of a password command as a standard command, and a response to a relay broadcast instruction. And a transmitting means for transmitting the relay broadcast instruction information and the personal identification number by the sub-address command and the password command. 2. A means for setting relay broadcast instruction information and a personal identification number in the information field of the non-standard function setting signal, and whether the relay station is the same model as itself based on the model identification information of the received non-standard function signal. Further comprising an analyzing unit for determining whether or not the transmitting unit determines that the relay station is not the same model as the own station by the analyzing unit, in response to the relay broadcast instruction, the sub-address command and Send the relay broadcast instruction information and PIN with the password command, and send the relay broadcast instruction information and PIN with the non-standard function setting signal when it is judged that the receiver is the same model as the receiver. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the facsimile apparatus is configured as described above. 3. A facsimile device having means for transferring received image information to an instructed terminal station, means for extracting relay broadcast instruction information from an information field of a received sub-address command, and extracted relay broadcast information. A facsimile apparatus comprising: a communication control unit that broadcasts to a terminal station according to report instruction information. 4. A facsimile apparatus having means for transferring the received image information to a designated terminal station, and a secret code registration means for storing the secret code of the own station and a relay code from the information field of the received sub address command. The means for extracting the information indicating the information, the means for extracting the personal identification number from the information field of the received password command, and the means for extracting the personal identification number registered in the personal identification number registration means and the personal identification number extracted from the information field of the password command are compared. If the two match, a match signal is output if the two match, and a mismatch signal is output if the two do not match, and image information is received from the instruction station in response to the match signal, and the extracted relay broadcast instruction is received. A facsimile apparatus, comprising: a communication control means for calling a terminal station according to information to start communication. 5. The discriminating means is configured to output a non-coincidence signal when the password command is not received even though the personal identification number is registered in the personal identification number registering means. 5. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the means is configured to shift to a communication error procedure in response to the mismatch signal. 6. The discriminating means is configured to output a coincidence signal regardless of whether or not a password command is received when the personal identification number is not registered in the personal identification number registration means. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 4.