JPH0654083A - Terminal equipment for communication and control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the operability together with use efficiency of the terminal equipment for communication housing the different classes of plural lines. CONSTITUTION:When the other party is inputted from an input device 2, a first selection part 9 decides line class/communication mode (a,) line board/ communication mode (b) and line class/communication board (c) corresponding to this party. This decision is performed while referring to a correspondence table at every other party previously registered on the other party registration storage part 8. In the procedure of no deciding the communication board and the line board by the first selection part 9, communication mode/line class is supplied to a communication board/line board selection part 10. The communication board/line board selection part 10 selects one communication board/line board. This selection is performed by using a table registered on a communication mode/communication board grouping storage part 11 and a line class/line board grouping storage part 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication terminal device and a control system, and more particularly to a communication terminal device accommodating a plurality of lines of different types and a control system thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, one line has generally been connected to one communication terminal device such as a facsimile device. By the way, in recent years, a facsimile apparatus capable of connecting a plurality of lines to one has been developed.
In some facsimile machines of this type, the type of line that can be connected is not limited to either analog or digital, but both analog and digital lines can be connected together.

In the facsimile apparatus having the above-mentioned structure, it is necessary to determine which of an analog line and a digital line is used before communication and which communication mode among G3, G4, etc. is used. .

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-250851 discloses a communication terminal device having an analog network processing system circuit and an ISDN network processing system circuit. This device is configured to select a line type and a communication mode to be used by an operator's key operation.

[0005]

The above-mentioned conventional communication terminal device has the following problems. That is, in the conventional communication terminal device, there is a troublesome operation in which the key operation must be performed in consideration of the combination of the communication mode and the line type which the operator does not have to care about.

Further, the operation keys are set in advance so that the combination of the communication mode and the line type corresponds one-to-one. Therefore, for example, when a combination of the ISDN network and the G3 communication mode is set in the operation key and communication is performed using the operation key, there is a problem that the communication in the same combination cannot be performed. It was

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide a communication terminal device capable of simplifying operator's operation and capable of simultaneously executing a plurality of communications having the same combination of communication mode and line type, and a control method thereof.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention for solving the above problems and achieving the object is to select a communication board and a line board when the identification information indicating the transmission destination is input. Correspondingly, referring to the information registered in advance in the storage means to select the communication board and line board that can be used at present according to the predetermined selection criteria, and to connect the selected communication board and line board It is characterized by outputting a connection command to the connection switching unit.

[0009]

According to the present invention having the above characteristics, when the identification information of the transmission destination is input, the contents of the storage means are searched based on the identification information, and the result of the search results in a plurality of communication boards and line boards. One is selected from each. Furthermore, when the communication board and line board are selected, the connection switching unit is switched according to the connection command,
Communication can be performed using the selected communication board and line board.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the essential hardware configuration of a facsimile apparatus which is an example of a communication terminal apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the system controller 1 includes
An input device 2 for an operator to input instruction information,
Control data memory 3 for registering various control data
And an image information memory 4 for accumulating the transmitted image information and the received image information. Further, a communication board 5 and a line board 6 are connected to the system control device 1. The communication boards 5 and the line boards 6 are provided in the number corresponding to the number of lines accommodated in the facsimile machine. In the present embodiment, the case where six communication boards 5 and six circuit boards 6 are provided is shown.

In this embodiment, the number of communication boards 5 and the number of line boards 6 are the same, but they do not necessarily have to be the same number, and at least the number of line boards 6 and the number of accommodated lines are the same. I wish I had it.

The plurality of communication boards 5 and line boards 6 provided as described above can be connected to each other in an arbitrary combination by the connection switching device 7. The connection switching device 7
Are switched according to an instruction from the system control device 1.

In the communication board 5, the image information stored in the image information memory 4 is sent to the line according to the instruction information input from the input device 2 and the control data in the control data memory 3, and is also sent from the line. Since it is received in response to an incoming call, communication protocol control according to the communication mode is performed. Then, the line board 6 performs control relating to calling and receiving calls.

Next, an example of communication performed by using the facsimile apparatus having the above configuration will be described. Here, an example in which the operator inputs the identification information of the transmission destination, determines the communication mode and line type based on this, and selects an available one from a plurality of communication boards and line boards to start transmission Will be explained.

In the flowchart of FIG. 3, in step S1, the process waits until the identification information indicating the transmission destination (hereinafter simply referred to as the destination) is input. When a predetermined code such as # 01 is input as the identification information, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, the line type that can be used by the other party is selected. The line type that can be used by the other party is registered in advance in the other party registration table (see FIG. 4) provided in the control data memory 3, and one of them is selected according to the selection criteria described later.

In step S3, the communication mode corresponding to the selected line type is determined. The communication mode is selected by searching the communication mode / line type combination table (see FIG. 5) of the control data memory 3 in which the communication mode corresponding to the line type is registered in advance. For example, if the input line type is PSTN (telephone network), G3 is selected as the communication mode from the table of FIG.

When selecting the communication mode corresponding to the line type, the communication mode may be selected from the table shown in FIG. 5, but the communication mode corresponding to the line type is added to the destination registration table shown in FIG. Is additionally registered (in FIG. 4,
It is also possible to select the communication mode corresponding to the input destination and the selected line type from among these (the portion indicated by the dotted frame).

When the communication mode and the line type corresponding thereto are determined, the process proceeds to step S4, and one communication board and one line board are selected from the plurality of communication boards and the plurality of line boards.

The communication board is selected from the communication mode / communication board grouping table (see FIG. 6a) which is grouped in advance for each communication mode and registered in the control data memory 3. Similarly, the circuit board is divided into a plurality of circuit boards for each circuit type in advance and registered in the control data memory 3 in the circuit type / circuit board grouping table (see FIG. 6b).
Select from.

If the communication board and the line board can be selected, the process proceeds to step S5 to activate the connection switching device 7,
Connect the selected communication board and line board. In step S6, the dialed number corresponding to the selected line type is read from the destination registration table, and the dialed number is used to initiate a call.

Further, in the process of step S4, there are several possible methods for selecting which of a plurality of communication boards and a plurality of line boards is used for communication.
For example, selection may be made according to a scheduled priority, selected according to a scheduled rotation, or the frequency of use may be used as a selection criterion so that each board is uniformly used. The operation for each selection method will be described later.

Next, a modified example of the procedure for selecting the communication board and the line board will be described. First, the first modification will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the figure, when the identification information indicating the destination is input, step S1
The determination of 0 is affirmative, and the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, a circuit board that can be used by the other party is selected. The line boards that can be used by the other party are registered in advance in the other party registration table (see FIG. 8) provided in the control data memory 3, and one of them is selected according to the same selection criteria as the line type selection criteria described later. .

In step S12, the partner registration table shown in FIG. 8 is searched to determine the communication mode corresponding to the selected circuit board. In step S13, the communication board corresponding to the determined communication mode is selected. This communication board is selected from the communication mode / communication board grouping table (see FIG. 6a) in which a plurality of communication boards are grouped and registered in advance for each communication mode. Steps S14 and S15
Is the same as steps S5 and S6, so description thereof will be omitted.

Next, a modified example 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the figure, when the identification information indicating the destination is input, the determination in step S20 becomes affirmative,
It proceeds to step S21. In step S21, a line type that can be used by the other party is selected. The line type that can be used by the other party is registered in advance in the other party registration table (see FIG. 10) provided in the control data memory 3, and one of them is selected according to the selection criteria described later.

In step S22, the partner registration table shown in FIG. 10 is searched to determine the communication board corresponding to the selected line type. In step S23, the line board corresponding to the selected line type is selected. This line board is selected by grouping a plurality of line boards in advance for each line type and registering the line type / line board grouping table (FIG. 6).
(See b)). Since steps S24 and S25 are the same as steps S5 and S6, the description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the line type selection in steps S2 and S21 will be described in detail. First,
A selection method based on a priority assigned in advance from a plurality of line types will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In this selection method, the priority is given in correspondence with the line type registered for each partner, and the priority is registered in the control data memory 3 as a table. FIG. 12 shows an example of a destination registration table in which priority is given to the line type.
Shown in.

After the above table is prepared, the process shown in FIG. 11 is started. In the figure, in step S60, "1" is set to the parameter n indicating the priority order. In step S61, the line type with the highest priority n is selected from the line types registered in the destination registration table of FIG. 12 based on the destination identification information input in step S1 or S20. That is, initially, the line type having the highest priority is selected.

In step S62, it is determined whether or not a selected line type, for example, a line board usable by ISDN is available. This determination can be made based on this flag by setting a flag indicating whether or not it is in use on each of the plurality of circuit boards. If there is a usable line board, the process returns to step S3 of FIG. 3 or step S22 of FIG. 9 with the line type of priority n selected.

On the other hand, if the line type, that is, the line board usable in ISDN is not available, the determination in step S62 becomes affirmative and the process proceeds to step S63. Step S
At 63, it is determined whether or not all line types have been checked. If the check is completed for all the line types, the process ends.

If there is a line type that has not been checked yet, the parameter n is incremented in step S64 and the process returns to step S61.

Next, another example of the line type selection method will be shown.
In this example, with respect to a plurality of call reservations, the most efficient communication is in the call waiting state, based on the line type of the other party and the current use of the circuit board at the local station. The line type that can be used is selected.

In the flowchart of FIG. 13, in step S70, the line type with the fewest line boards currently available is selected based on the current usage status. This is determined by referring to the table showing the usage status of the circuit board for each circuit type as shown in FIG. In addition, in the case where there are a plurality of line types having the same number of currently available line boards, the priority order is set in advance for each line type.

In step S71, the other party having the line type selected in step S71 is extracted from the other parties waiting for the call. This is done by searching and extracting a call waiting status table (see FIG. 14) that stores information on the call waiting party.

In step S72, the number of line types registered corresponding to the extracted destination is checked.
In step S73, the line board corresponding to the line type selected in step S70 is assigned to the other party whose registered line type is small. In step S74, it is determined whether or not there is a call waiting. If there is a call waiting, the process proceeds to step S75, and the line type having the next fewest available line boards is selected. If the determination in step S74 is negative, the process exits this step and proceeds to step S3 or step S22.

According to this line type selection method, it is possible to consider that the line board that is available preferentially can be used from the partner who has a small number of line types, in other words, the partner who has little room to select the line type. .

Not limited to the procedure described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 13, an efficient selection criterion is set based on at least the line type of the other party and the current use of the line board in the own station. Can be taken.

In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which line types are assigned until there is no call waiting. However, when there are many call waitings, it is judged from the usage status of the line board. The flow chart of FIG. 13 may be skipped when all the circuit boards are in use.

Next, the details of the method of selecting the communication board and the line board in step S4 will be described. First, Fig. 1
The operation of selecting the communication board and the line board according to the priority will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In this selection method, priority is given in advance to each of a plurality of communication boards grouped for each communication mode and a plurality of line boards grouped for each line type, and the priorities are given to the table (FIG. 17, FIG. 18)) in the control data memory 3.

In FIG. 16, in step S30, a table in which the priority order of the communication boards is given (FIG. 17).
Select the communication board with the highest priority from. In step S31, it is determined whether or not the selected communication board is in use. If the selected communication board is in use, the process proceeds to step S32, and it is determined whether or not it has been checked whether all communication boards are in use. If all communication boards have been checked, the processing ends.

If there is a communication board that has not been checked, the communication board having the next highest priority is selected in step S33 and the process returns to step S31. If the determination in step S31 is negative, this communication board is selected.

Then, in step S34, the line board having the highest priority is selected from the table (FIG. 18) to which the priority of the line board is given. Step S35
Then, it is determined whether or not the selected circuit board is in use.
If the selected line board is in use, the process proceeds to step S36, and it is determined whether or not it has been checked whether all line boards are in use. When all the circuit boards have been checked, the process ends.

If there is a line board that has not been checked, the line board having the next priority is selected in step S37, and the process returns to step S35.
If the determination in step S35 is negative, the line board is selected and the process returns to step S5 in FIG.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
The operation when selecting the communication board and the line board according to the scheduled rotation will be described. In this selection method, a rotation number is given in advance to each of a plurality of communication boards grouped for each communication mode and a plurality of line boards grouped for each line type, and the rotation numbers are given in advance in a table (FIG. 20, FIG. 20). 21)) in the control data memory 3.

The communication boards of each communication mode group and the line boards of each line type group are provided with flags indicating whether or not they have been used for the previous communication. In this communication, this flag is set (=
1) The selection procedure is started from the communication board and the line board to which the next rotation number of the communication board and the line board is assigned.

In step S40, the communication board having the rotation number next to the communication board used last time is selected from the table in which the communication boards having the rotation numbers are registered. In step S41, it is determined whether or not the selected communication board is in use. If the selected communication board is in use, the process proceeds to step S42, and it is determined whether or not it has been checked whether all communication boards are in use. If all communication boards have been checked, the processing ends.

If there is a communication board that has not been checked yet, the communication board to which the next rotation number is assigned is selected in step S43, and step S4 is selected.
Return to 1. If the determination in step S41 is negative, this communication board is selected, the flag of the selected communication board is set to "1" (step S41a), and the flag of the communication board used last time is set to "0". Yes (step S41b).

Then, in step S44, the circuit board having the rotation number next to the previously used circuit board is selected from the table in which the circuit boards to which the rotation numbers have been added are registered. In step S45,
Determine if the selected circuit board is in use. If the selected circuit board is in use, proceed to step S46,
Determine if you have checked whether all circuit boards are in use. When all the circuit boards have been checked, the process ends.

If there is a circuit board that has not been checked yet, the circuit board to which the next rotation number is assigned is selected in step S47 and step S4 is performed.
Return to 5. If the determination in step S45 is negative, this line board is selected, the flag of the selected line board is set to "1" (step S45a), and the flag of the previously used line board is set to "0". Yes (step S45b).

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
The operation when selecting the communication board and the line board according to the frequency of use will be described. In this selection method, a plurality of communication boards grouped for each communication mode and a plurality of line boards grouped for each line type are registered in the control data memory 3 as a table (see FIGS. 23 and 24). Keep it. Then, each of these communication boards and line boards is provided with an area in which the number of times of use used for communication up to that time can be stored.

In step S50, the communication board that has been used the least number of times is selected from the table (FIG. 23) in which the communication boards are grouped and registered for each communication mode. In step S51, it is determined whether or not the selected communication board is in use. If the selected communication board is in use, the process proceeds to step S52, and it is determined whether or not it has been checked whether all communication boards are in use. If all communication boards have been checked, the processing ends.

If there is a communication board that has not been checked yet, the communication board with the next least number of uses is selected in step S53, and the process returns to step S51. If the determination in step S51 is negative, select this communication board,
In step S54, the use count storage value corresponding to the selected communication board is increased by "1".

Succeedingly, in a step S55, the line board which has been used least until then is selected from the table (FIG. 24) in which the line boards are grouped and registered for each line type. In step S56, it is determined whether the selected circuit board is in use. If the selected line board is in use, the process proceeds to step S57, and it is determined whether or not it has been checked whether all line boards are in use. When all the circuit boards have been checked, the process ends.

If there is a line board which has not been checked yet, the line board having the next least number of uses is selected in step S58 and the process returns to step S56. If the determination in step S56 is negative, this line board is selected and the process proceeds to step S59, where the use count storage value corresponding to the selected line board is increased by "1".

It should be noted that the above-mentioned priority order is determined based on a capability difference such as modem speed, and a higher priority order is added to a communication board having a higher modem speed.

Further, according to the selection method based on the rotation number and the frequency of use, it is possible to prevent the transmission from being concentrated on a specific one of the communication board and the line board, so that when the specific telephone number is received. It is possible to reduce the possibility that data cannot be received.

Although the procedure for selecting both the line board and the communication board is shown in a flow chart in FIGS. 16, 19, and 22, the processing for selecting only one of the line board and the communication board (steps S11, S13, S23).
Then, it goes without saying that a part of the procedure shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 16, 19, and 22 may be used.

Next, the main functions of this embodiment will be described with reference to the functional blocks of FIG. In the figure, the destination registration storage unit 8 has a table (FIG. 4) in which the line types, dialed numbers, and communication modes are associated with each other, and the line board number, dialed number, and communication for each destination. A table in which modes are associated (FIG. 8) and a table in which line types, dialed numbers, and communication boards are associated for each destination (FIG. 10) are registered. Note that only at least one of these tables may be registered. Further, instead of the table (FIG. 4) in which the line type, dialed number, and communication mode are associated with each other, a table excluding the communication mode (excluding the area inside the dotted line frame in FIG. 4) A table (see FIG. 5) combining the communication modes and the line types corresponding thereto may be registered.

When the identification information of the other party is input from the input device 2, the first selecting section 9 refers to the table stored in the other party registration storing section 8 to refer to the line type and the communication mode, or Determine either the line board and communication mode, or the line type and communication board combination.

When the processing in the first selecting section 9 is completed, the communication board / line board selecting section 10 selects at least one of the communication board and the line board in accordance with the processing result in the first selecting section 9. .

That is, when the line type and the communication mode are determined by the first selecting section 9, the communication board / line board selecting section 10 selects both the communication board and the line board, and the first selecting section If the line board and the communication mode are determined in 9, the communication board / line board selection unit 1
At 0, only the communication board is selected. Further, the first
If the selection unit 9 determines the line type and the communication board,
The communication board / line board selection unit 10 selects only the line board.

The communication mode / communication board grouping storage unit 11 is a table (FIGS. 6a and 17) in which the communication mode / communication board grouping is divided into groups and the priority order, rotation number, and number of times of use data are added as necessary. , FIG. 20, FIG. 23) are stored.

Further, the line type / line board group dividing storage unit 12 is divided into groups for each line type and, if necessary, a table in which priority order, rotation number, and number of times of use data are added (FIG. 6b, 18,
21 and 24) are stored.

In the communication board / line board selecting section 10,
The usable communication boards and line boards are selected by referring to the tables registered in the communication mode / communication board group division storage unit 11 and the line type / line board group division storage unit 12.

When the communication board and the line board are selected, the information indicating the selected communication board and the line board is output to the connection switching control unit 13. Connection switching control unit 13
Outputs a switching instruction to the connection switching device 7 according to these pieces of information.

The registration data of each of the storage units 8, 11, 12 may be input from the input device 2, or each of the storage units 8, 11, 12 may be configured by a ROM storing predetermined data in advance.

As described above, in this embodiment, it is possible to select a communication board and a line board that can be used for communication simply by inputting information for identifying the other party.

In the present embodiment, PSTN and ISDN are shown as examples of line types, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be carried out in the same manner as in the present embodiment when connecting to an extension communication terminal, for example. Further, although the communication mode is G3 or G4, the communication mode is not limited to this, and may be G2 or the like.

[0070]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the inventions of claims 1 and 2, the communication board and the line board can be selected based on the information registered in advance corresponding to the other party. Therefore, only by the operator inputting identification information capable of specifying the other party, data can be transmitted using the line type and communication mode suitable for the capability of the other party. That is, the operation of the operator can be simplified.

According to the invention of claim 3, the line type can be selected from a plurality of registered line types in accordance with the priority order added in advance, so that the line type for which the calling is to be prioritized is designated. become able to.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, since the line type can be selected in consideration of the use status of the line board and the communication type that can be used by the other party, for example, when there are a plurality of outgoing calls waiting. , The line type can be selected in the most efficient procedure so as to reduce the number of idle lines as much as possible while leaving many outgoing calls.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main function of a communication terminal device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a communication terminal device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the overall operation procedure of this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a correspondence table of line types and communication modes for each destination.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of correspondence between communication modes and line types.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing communication boards and line boards grouped by communication mode and line type.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the overall operation procedure of modification 1.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a correspondence table of a line board and a communication mode for each partner.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an overall operation procedure of modification 2;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a correspondence table of line types and communication boards for each destination.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a line type selection operation procedure based on priority.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a correspondence table of line types and priorities for each destination.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a modification of the line type selection operation procedure.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a call waiting state table.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage status storage unit of a circuit board.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a selection operation based on a priority order.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example in which priorities are added to communication boards grouped for each communication mode.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example in which priority is added to the circuit boards grouped for each circuit type.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a selection operation based on scheduled rotation.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example in which a rotation number is added to a communication board grouped for each communication mode.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example in which a rotation number is added to a line board grouped for each line type.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a selection operation based on usage frequency.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example in which information indicating the number of times of use is added to a communication board grouped for each communication mode.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example in which information indicating the number of times of use is added to the circuit boards grouped for each circuit type.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... Input device, 8 ... Destination registration storage section, 9 ... First selection section, 10 ... Communication board / line board selection section, 11
... communication mode / communication board group storage unit, 12 ...
Line type / line board group divided storage unit, 13 ... Connection switching control unit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hideo Kinami 3-7-1 Fuchu, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Iwatsuki Plant

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. When the identification information indicating the transmission destination is input, the communication board and the circuit board can be selected and used at present by referring to the information registered in the storage means in advance corresponding to the transmission destination. Communication terminal device control method characterized by selecting a communication board and a line board according to a predetermined selection criterion and outputting a connection command to a line connection switching unit for connecting the selected communication board and line board . 2. In a communication terminal device accommodating a plurality of lines of different types, an input means for inputting identification information of the other party, a line type usable for each other party, and a communication mode corresponding to the line type , A second storage means for registering a plurality of communication boards respectively corresponding to a plurality of communication modes, and a third memory for registering a plurality of line boards respectively corresponding to a plurality of line types. Means, a line type selecting means for selecting a line type and a communication mode stored in the first storage means based on the identification information of the other party input from the input means, the selected communication mode and the communication mode Based on the line type, the second and third storage means are used, and one communication board and one line are respectively selected from the plurality of communication boards and line boards according to a predetermined selection criterion. A communication terminal device comprising: a selecting unit for selecting a board. 3. The registration information of the first storage means is further added with a priority order for each line type, and the line type selection means selects a line type based on the priority order. The communication terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the communication terminal device is configured as follows. 4. A fourth storage means for registering a line type that can be used by each transmission destination in communication waiting for a call, a line type, a line board number corresponding to the line type, and whether each line board is being used. A fifth storage unit for storing information on whether or not the line type selection unit is used, and the line type selection unit stores in the fifth storage unit the number of line types usable by each transmission destination registered in the fourth storage unit. 3. The communication terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the line type used in each call waiting communication is selected based on the stored use status of the line board.