JPH0730707A - Data communications equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To insert image data to data prepared by a computer and to directly transmit them. CONSTITUTION:Document data prepared by a computer 1 are transmitted from a transmitting means 4. At such a time, when a page insert mode command KP is sent from the computer 1, this is detected by a page insert command detecting means 2 and corresponding to this command, the images of originals are read for the unit of a page by an image information fetching means 3 such as a scanner, for example. Then, these images are supplied to the transmitting means 4 and transmitted. Since it is not necessary to print out the documents prepared by the computer 1 on recording paper and to transmit them later, image quality is not degraded and the waste of recording paper can be prevented as well. Further, since any large capacity memory is not required, the equipment is low-priced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data communication device suitable for application to a facsimile device or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when sending document data created by a personal computer with image data created separately from the document data, the document data created by the personal computer is once printed out on a recording paper, and the image is printed on this. There is a method in which a document in which data is described is attached and transmitted by a facsimile machine. Further, it is also practiced that image data is read by a scanner and stored in a memory in a computer, the image data and document data created by the computer are edited into an electronic file, and the electronic file is transmitted by the computer.

[0003]

In the method of printing out the document data created by the computer on the recording paper as described above and transmitting it together with the image data by the facsimile apparatus, the document data is printed out. There is a problem that the recording paper is wasted as well as time-consuming. There is also a problem that the image quality is deteriorated because the document data is printed out on the recording paper.

In the method of reading image data with a scanner and storing it in a memory of a computer, and editing and transmitting this and document data, image data having a large amount of information must be stored, so that a large capacity memory is required. It is necessary and expensive.

Further, there is also a system in which a computer and a facsimile machine are connected to each other, and an image read by the facsimile machine and document data created by the computer are edited and directly transmitted by the facsimile machine. Since the image data read by the document reading unit of the apparatus is stored in the memory of the computer, a large capacity memory is required. Further, at the time of transmission, the image data accumulated in the computer side is transferred to the facsimile device side, but since the image data has a large amount of information, there is a problem that the transfer time becomes long.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to prevent waste of recording paper and deterioration of image quality, shorten the transmission processing time, and further, an inexpensive data communication apparatus. Is proposed.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the invention described in claim 1, in a data communication device capable of directly transmitting data created by a computer, the data is transmitted from the computer. It has a page insertion command detection means for detecting a page insertion command, an image information acquisition means for capturing image information, and a transmission means for transmitting data and image information created by a computer. It is characterized in that image information is inserted in page units into the data created in step 1 and transmitted.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in a data communication device capable of directly transmitting data created by a computer, an image insertion command detecting means for detecting an image insertion command sent from the computer, and an image It has image information capturing means for capturing information and transmitting means for transmitting data and image information created by a computer, and when the image insertion command is detected, the image information is inserted in the middle of the page of the data and transmitted. It is characterized by having done.

[0009]

In the data communication apparatus of FIG. 1, the document data created by the computer 1 is transmitted from the transmission means 4. At this time, when the page insertion command KP is sent from the computer 1, this is detected by the page insertion command detection means 2, and the image information acquisition means 3 such as a scanner thereby reads the image of the document page by page. Then, this image is transmitted from the transmitting means 4.

In the data communication apparatus shown in FIG. 2, when the image insertion command KG is detected by the image insertion command detecting means 5, the image information capturing means 3 sends out an image of a specified range, which is inserted in the middle of the document data. Being a transmission means 4
Sent by.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, one embodiment of the data communication apparatus according to the present invention applied to a facsimile machine will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a functional block of a data communication device according to the first aspect of the invention. In the figure, 1 is a computer, which is a document data or page insertion command K.
Create P etc. The page insert command KP means to insert the image data supplied from the other into the document data created by the computer.

Reference numeral 2 is a page insertion command detecting means,
Page insertion command KP sent from computer 1
To detect. Reference numeral 3 is an image information capturing means, and for example, a scanner for reading a document or a file memory is used.
The image information fetching means 3 is controlled by the page insertion command detecting means 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a transmitting means, which is connected to the communication line and transmits the document data supplied from the computer 1 and the image data supplied from the image information capturing means 3 to the other party.

FIG. 2 shows a functional block of the data communication device according to the second aspect of the invention. In the figure, the computer 1, the image information capturing means 3, and the transmitting means 4 are the same as those in FIG. Reference numeral 5 denotes an image insertion command detection means, which detects the image insertion command KG sent from the computer 1 and controls the image information acquisition means 3. The image insert command KG means to insert image data in an arbitrary range in the middle of a page of document data created by the computer 1.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of a facsimile apparatus to which the data communication apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 is applied. Reference numeral 11 is a CPU that manages transmission / reception control, 12 is a ROM that stores various control programs such as transmission / reception programs, and 13 is a RAM that stores image information to be transmitted. Reference numeral 14 is a document reading unit, and the image information read here is stored in the RAM 1
3 or directly to the modem and network control circuit (NCU) 15 which functions as a transmitting / receiving means.

The image information input from the communication line is stored in the RAM 13 via the modem and the NCU 15, or is directly supplied to the recording unit 16 functioning as a printer to record the content. The telephone number and the like of the transmission destination are displayed by being supplied to the display unit 17.

The operation unit 18 has a plurality of keys (not shown).
Is provided, and when these keys are operated, the contents thereof are taken into the CPU 11. Then, each unit is controlled by the instruction of the CPU 11. Further, the facsimile machine includes a personal computer 19 that functions as the computer 1 described above.
Are connected, and a page insertion command detection means 2 and an image insertion command detection means 5 are provided.

In this facsimile apparatus 10, as described below, the image read by the document reading unit 14 or the image stored in the file memory of the RAM 13 is inserted into the document data created by the personal computer 19 and the data is directly transmitted. It becomes possible to do.

FIG. 4 shows data processing in the case of inserting, for example, an image read by the document reading unit 14 into the document data created by the personal computer 19 and transmitting the page. In this example, first, the document created by the personal computer 19 is transmitted for three pages. Next, the page insertion command KP is sent from the personal computer 19. The page insertion command KP specifies the document reading unit 14 as the insertion source and 2 pages as the number of inserted images. As a result, the document reading unit 14 reads the document for two pages and transmits it. Next, the document data created on the personal computer 19 is 2
The page is sent.

FIG. 5 shows the procedure of the transmission process 30 in the image insertion in page units shown in FIG. In this transmission processing 30, first, it is determined whether or not the page insertion command KP is detected (step 31). If this is detected, then it is determined whether or not the document reading unit 14 is designated as the insertion source. (Step 32). When the document reading unit 14 is designated, the number of inserted sheets is detected next (step 33), and the designated number of inserted sheets is read by the document reading unit 14 and transmitted (step 34).

Next, it is judged whether or not the transmission of the document data of all pages is completed (step 35), and if this is completed, the transmission processing 30 is completed. If it is determined in step 35 that only some of the pages have been transmitted, it is then determined in step 31 whether the page insert command KP has been detected, and the same processing as described above is performed.

If it is determined in step 31 that the page insertion command KP is not detected, then only one page of the document created by the personal computer 19 is transmitted (step 36), and then in step 35, all pages are transmitted. It is determined whether or not the transmission has been completed. If it is determined in step 32 that the document reading unit 14 has not been designated, the name of the next designated file memory 20 is detected (step 37), and subsequently the number of inserted images is detected (step 38). ).

Next, the designated number of images are read from the file memory 20 and transmitted (step 3).
9) Next, in step 35, it is determined whether or not the transmission of all pages has been completed, and the same processing as described above is performed.

FIG. 6 shows data processing when an image is inserted in the middle of a page of a document created by the personal computer 19 and transmitted. In this case, the personal computer 19 creates document data for two pages. Next, the image insert command KG is transmitted. The image insert command KG specifies the file memory 20 as an insert source and inserts a header and a signature at the upper end and the lower end of the document data, respectively. For example, the company name and department name can be entered as the header.

Next, the header is read from the file memory 20 and transmitted, and then the first page of the document data is transmitted. Next, the signature is read from the file memory 20 and transmitted. Next, the document data of the second page, the header and the signature are transmitted in the same manner as the first page. As a result, the two pieces of document data with the header and the signature are transmitted to the other party.

FIG. 7 shows the procedure of the transmission process 40 in the image insertion in the middle of the page shown in FIG. In this transmission processing 40, first, it is judged whether or not the image insertion command KG is detected (step 41). If this is detected, then the designated area for inserting an image is detected (step 42). Next, it is detected whether the insertion method is insertion or overwriting (step 43).

Next, the document reading section 14 is used as an insertion source.
Is designated (step 44), and if it is designated, the document reading section 14 then reads only the designated range from the image of the document (step 45).
Next, it is determined whether or not the insertion method detected in step 43 is insertion (step 46).
Next, after the read image is transmitted, it is determined whether or not one page of document data is transmitted (step 47-).
48).

When one page of document data is transmitted, one page of transmission end processing is performed (step 4
9) Then, it is determined whether or not all pages have been transmitted (step 50). If it is determined that the transmission processing of all pages is completed, the transmission processing 40 is ended. If it is determined in step 48 or step 50 that the transmission has not ended, then in step 41 the image insertion command K
It is determined whether or not G is detected, and the same processing as described above is performed thereafter.

If it is determined in step 46 that the document data is not inserted, then the document data and the image data are mixed and transmitted (step 51), and then, in step 48, one page of document data is transmitted. Is judged,
Thereafter, the same processing as described above is performed. If it is determined in step 44 that the document reading unit 14 is not designated, then the image data is read from the file memory 20 (step 52), and then it is determined in step 46 whether or not the document is to be inserted. Then, the same processing as described above is performed. If it is determined in step 41 that the image insertion command KG has not been detected, then one line of the document data created by the personal computer 19 is transmitted (step 53), and then in step 48, the transmission processing for one page is completed. Whether or not it is determined, and the processing is performed in the same manner as described above.

In this case, it is also possible to store a background image as shown in FIG. 8 in the file memory in the same manner as the header and the signature, and send this together with the document data. On the contrary, it is also possible to store the header, the signature, and the background image in the memory of the personal computer and transmit them simultaneously with the data in the document reading unit 14 or the file memory.

By doing so, the document data and the background image are superimposed and printed on the receiving side. Further, when inserting an image in the middle of a page, it is possible to specify whether to overwrite or insert the image into the document data by designating with the image insertion command KG.

[0032]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an image read by a scanner or an image stored in a file memory is inserted into a document created by a computer in page units and transmitted directly. According to the second aspect of the invention, an image is inserted in the middle of a page of a document so that the document can be directly transmitted.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the document data and the image created by the personal computer can be transmitted as they are, so that the recording paper is not wasted. Further, since the document data is not printed out, the image quality does not deteriorate. Furthermore, since a large capacity memory is not required, there is an effect that the cost is reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a data communication device according to the invention of claim 1.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a data communication device according to a second aspect of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a data flow when inserting an image in page units.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a transmission procedure when inserting an image in page units.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data flow when an image is inserted in the middle of a page.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a transmission procedure when an image is inserted in the middle of a page.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a method of inserting a background image.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Computer 2 Page Insert Command Detecting Means 3 Image Information Importing Means 4 Sending Means 5 Image Inserting Command Detecting Means 10 Facsimile Machines 11 CPU 12 ROM 13 RAM 14 Original Reading Section 15 Modem and NCU 16 Recording Section 17 Display Section 18 Operating Section 19 Personal Computer 20 file memory

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A data communication device capable of directly transmitting data created by a computer, a page insertion command detecting means for detecting a page insertion command sent from the computer, and an image information capturing means for capturing image information. And a transmission means for transmitting the data created by the computer and the image information, and when the page insertion command is detected, the image information is inserted into the data created by the computer page by page and transmitted. A data communication device characterized by the above. 2. A data communication apparatus capable of directly transmitting data created by a computer, an image insertion command detecting means for detecting an image insertion command sent from the computer, and an image information capturing means for capturing image information. And a transmission means for transmitting the data created by the computer and the image information, and when the image insertion command is detected, the image information is inserted in the middle of the page of the data and transmitted. A data communication device. 3. The data communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the page insertion command or the image insertion command can specify the image information fetching means and the number of inserted image information. 4. The data communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image insertion command can specify whether to overwrite or insert the image information into the data.