JPH07147618A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To use the recording part of the facsimile equipment as the print-out means of a personal computer(PC). CONSTITUTION:A telephone number for printer function corresponding to an external input printing function for printing out information to be inputted to an interface part 10 can be registered by operating an operation part 7. When a call originating command designating a telephone number is provided by a PC 15 to a facsimile equipment 20, a control part 1 judges whether the designated telephone number is matched with the telephone number for printer function or not. When both the telephone numbers are not matched, the facsimile equipment 20 originates a call to the terminal equipment of the designated telephone number and performs the facsimile transmission of information provided by the PC 15. When the designated telephone number is matched with the telephone number for printer function, the information inputted from the PC 15 is printed out by a recording part 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile capable of performing data communication with an external information processing device such as a personal computer and transmitting a signal corresponding to information given from the information processing device by facsimile. It relates to the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A function of directly transmitting a document created by a personal computer by facsimile or receiving an image transmitted by facsimile via a telephone line is called PC-FAX. The PC-FAX function connects a fax modem having a facsimile communication function between a personal computer and a telephone line, or connects the personal computer to a facsimile machine having a data communication interface such as RS-232C. It is realized by

The procedure for creating a document with a personal computer and transmitting it by facsimile is as follows. First, a document file to be transmitted is created on the personal computer. Next, the fax modem or the facsimile machine is controlled by a control command called an AT command, and a command indicating that the facsimile transmission should be performed is given together with the telephone number of the facsimile machine of the communication destination. As a result, the fax modem or the facsimile device makes a call to the facsimile device of the communication destination and transmits the data given from the personal computer via the data communication interface by facsimile.

[0004]

Generally, a facsimile apparatus has a document reading unit for reading a document to be transmitted and a recording unit for printing out an image transmitted via a telephone line. It is equipped. PC-FA by connecting a personal computer to the facsimile machine
When the X function is realized, a printer is usually separately connected to the personal computer. As described above, it is extremely wasteful to separately connect a printer to a personal computer, even though the facsimile apparatus is provided with a recording unit having a printing function.

Therefore, it is conceivable to use the recording unit of the facsimile apparatus as a printer of a personal computer to share resources. However, in this case, a separate command for printing out the data from the personal computer is required. Since such a command is not included in the AT command system that has been widely used in the past, it is necessary to change the command system.

For these reasons, it has been difficult in the past to commonly use the recording unit of a facsimile machine as a printer of a personal computer. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above technical problems and to provide a facsimile apparatus in which a recording unit can be shared as a print output unit of an external information processing apparatus.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To achieve the above object, a facsimile apparatus of the present invention comprises an information input section to which information from an external information processing apparatus is input, and information input to the information input section. Facsimile function unit for sending out to a telephone line according to a facsimile communication procedure, a recording unit for printing an image, and an external input printing function for causing the recording unit to print out the information input to the information input unit. Number registering means for registering the telephone number for the printing function, which is a telephone number corresponding to, and when the information accompanied by the telephone number is input to the information input section, the telephone number is registered by the number registering means. Means for deciding whether or not it coincides with the telephone number for the printing function, and the printing machine registered by the telephone number input to the information input section and the number registration means. Means for causing the recording unit to print out the information input to the information input unit when the telephone numbers for use coincide with each other, and the telephone number input to the information input unit and the printing registered by the number registration unit. When the function telephone number does not match, the facsimile function unit is controlled so that the terminal device having the input telephone number is called and the information input to the information input unit is sent to the telephone line. And means.

[0008]

According to the present invention, since the information from the external information processing device is printed by the recording unit provided in the facsimile device, the telephone number for the printing function corresponding to the external input printing function can be registered. When the external information processing apparatus designates the telephone number for the printing function and inputs information to the information input section of the facsimile apparatus, the input information is printed out by the recording section. As a result, desired information can be printed out in the same procedure as when the external information processing apparatus controls the facsimile apparatus to perform facsimile communication.

When information is input from the external information processing device by designating a telephone number other than the telephone number for printing function,
The facsimile function unit makes a call to the terminal device having the telephone number. Then, the information given to the information input section is transmitted by facsimile.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The facsimile device 20 has a control unit 1 including a microcomputer and the like. The control unit 1 is supplied with image data from an image processing unit 3 which performs predetermined image processing such as halftone processing on an output signal of a reading unit 2 which optically reads a document to be transmitted. The control unit 1 includes
Further, a transmission function unit 4 for encoding image data by a predetermined encoding method or creating a control signal necessary for facsimile communication, decoding a received code into image data, and performing a predetermined reception control procedure. A reception function unit 5 for execution, a recording unit 6 for recording a received image on a recording sheet, an operation unit 7 having a keyboard, a display unit 18 including, for example, a liquid crystal display element, and a printer function telephone number described later. A memory 19 for storing is connected. The control unit 1 includes a modem 8 and a network control device (NC
U) 9 is connected to the public telephone line. In this embodiment, the control unit 1, the transmission function unit 4, the modem 8 and the like constitute a facsimile function unit. The operation of each unit of the facsimile function unit is controlled by the control unit 1.

The control unit 1 is provided with an interface unit 10 for data communication such as RS-232C. The interface unit 10 corresponds to an information input unit and can be connected to a personal computer 15 as an external information processing device via a communication cable 13. With this configuration, the personal computer 15 can control the facsimile device 20 with a so-called AT command.
You can send and receive faxes through. That is, when a call command, a telephone number and transmission information are given to the interface unit 10 via the communication cable 13, the control unit 1 calls the destination terminal device via the telephone line, and after the line connection, the interface unit The transmission information input to the unit 10 is transmitted to the telephone line. In this way, the so-called PC-FA
The X function is realized.

In addition to the PC-FAX function as described above, the facsimile apparatus 20 of this embodiment has an external input printing function for printing out information provided from the personal computer 15 using the recording unit 6. There is. That is, the recording unit 6 can be shared as a printer of the personal computer 15. In this sharing, a specific telephone number input to the interface unit 10 is discriminated as a telephone number for the print function, and when a calling request accompanied by the telephone number is made, the recording unit 6 substitutes for the calling operation. It is realized by performing the recording operation of.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the facsimile device 20 in more detail. When the user shares the recording unit 6 of the facsimile device 20 as a printer of the personal computer 15, the user registers a printer function telephone number (step S).
1). That is, when the printer function telephone number is input by operating the operation unit 7, the input telephone number is registered in the memory 19 as the printer function telephone number. In this way, the operation unit 7 and the memory 19 constitute a number registration means.

When a call command is received via the interface unit 10 (step S2), the control unit 1 matches the telephone number specified in the call command with the printer function telephone number registered in the memory 19. It is determined whether or not to do it (step S3). If the two telephone numbers do not match, facsimile transmission is executed according to the facsimile communication procedure. That is, a call is made to the terminal device having the telephone number specified in the call command. Then, after the information input to the interface unit 10 is subjected to appropriate encoding processing and modulation processing, a signal representing the information is transmitted to the terminal device of the communication destination via the telephone line (step S4).

On the other hand, when the telephone number specified in the call command and the printer function telephone number match, the control unit 1 controls the recording unit 6 instead of performing the call operation. That is, print data corresponding to the information input from the interface unit 10 is given to the recording unit 6. As a result, in the recording unit 6, the interface unit 1
The information input from 0 will be printed. (Step S5).

The AT command includes an ATD command of the form "ATD ***", and this ATD command is a calling command for giving a calling request to the facsimile machine. For example, "ATD764-335.
When the command "1" is given to the facsimile machine, the facsimile machine makes a call operation to "7643-3351".

In the facsimile apparatus 20 of this embodiment, for example, the telephone number for the printer function is "123-456".
If you register a phone number like "7"
By inputting the ATD command "3-4567" to the interface section 10, the output information of the personal computer 15 can be printed out in the recording section 6.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing changes in the display contents of the display unit 18 when the printer function telephone number is registered. When the function key for dial registration is operated in the state where the initial screen P0 for prompting the setting of the transmission document is displayed, the screen changes to the screen P1. In dial registration, it is possible to select a menu for registering a desired telephone number for the one-touch key or the abbreviated key or a menu for registering the above-mentioned printer function telephone number (screen P).
2).

When the input key is operated in the state of the screen P2 in which the menu corresponding to the registration of the printer function telephone number is displayed, the screen changes to the screen P3 for prompting the input of the printer function telephone number. From this state, if the telephone number used for the printer function is input, the screen changes to the screen P4. And
When the input key is operated, a message indicating that the registration of the printer function telephone number has been completed is displayed (screen P5),
The registration operation ends.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the personal computer 15 performs an operation for making a call to the facsimile device, so that the facsimile device 20 realizing the PC-FAX function together with the personal computer 15 is executed. The recording operation can be performed in. Therefore, it is not necessary to give a special command from the personal computer 15 to the facsimile device 20, and the telephone number for the printer function registered in the facsimile 20 may simply be designated as the telephone number of the destination terminal device. Therefore, the recording unit 6 of the facsimile device 20 can be shared as a printer of the personal computer 15 without changing the command system of the AT command conventionally used for the PC-FAX function.

Further, since it is no different from the case of a normal PC-FAX when viewed from the personal computer 15, the above-mentioned external input printing function can be used from the application software for PC-FAX.
For example, in the application software that enables the facsimile transmission by the PC-FAX in a format for selecting a desired telephone number from among the telephone numbers registered in advance, the operation for selecting the telephone number for the printer function is performed. Then, the external input printing function of the facsimile device 20 can be used.

Further, since the change in the configuration of the facsimile apparatus is merely a change in software, the cost does not increase. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, when information is input to the information input section by designating the telephone number for the printing function registered in advance, the input information is printed out by the recording section. It As a result, desired information can be printed out in the same procedure as when the external information processing apparatus controls the facsimile apparatus to perform facsimile communication. As a result, the recording unit of the facsimile apparatus can be shared as the print output unit of the external information processing apparatus without the need to change the command system.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration when a personal computer is connected to a facsimile apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the facsimile apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a change in a display mode of a display unit at the time of registering a printer function telephone number.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Control Section 4 Transmission Function Section 6 Recording Section 7 Operation Section 8 Modem 10 Interface Section 13 Communication Cable 15 Personal Computer 18 Display Section 19 Memory 20 Facsimile Device

Front Page Continuation (72) Inventor Toshihiro Mori 1-22 Tamatsukuri Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Mita Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An information input unit for inputting information from an external information processing device, a facsimile function unit for sending information input to the information input unit to a telephone line in accordance with a facsimile communication procedure, and an image A recording unit for printing and a number registration for registering a telephone number for a printing function, which is a telephone number corresponding to an external input printing function for printing out the information input to the information input unit in the recording unit. Means for determining whether or not the telephone number for the printing function registered by the number registration means matches when the information with the telephone number is input to the information input section, When the telephone number entered in the information input section and the telephone number for printing function registered by the number registration means match, the information entered in the information input section is updated. When the recording unit prints out and the telephone number input to the information input unit does not match the telephone number for the print function registered by the number registration unit, the facsimile function unit is controlled and the input is performed. And a means for making a call to a terminal device having the specified telephone number and transmitting the information input to the information input section to a telephone line.