JPH0756829A - Fascimile server - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent excess labor and cost from being spent by transmitting a link access procedure on the D-channel (LAPD)call setting message for which message data are separated from a data frame and put into a user/user information area. CONSTITUTION:When image data are transmitted and there is any desired message to be reported to the party, the message data are integrated from a terminal on a local area network (LAN) 1 into the data frame together with the image data and transmitted to a facsimile server 4. At the facsimile server 4 which receives it, the message data are separated by a frame separate assembly part, and a LAPD control part puts them into the LAPD call setting message, namely, into the user/user information area of an integrated service digital network (ISDN) 2 and transmits them.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a LAN (Local Area Network) and an ISDN (Integrated Services).
The present invention relates to a facsimile server, which is arranged between a digital network) and a protocol for a LAN terminal and a facsimile terminal so as to enable mutual communication.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration provided with a facsimile server. In FIG. 13, 1 and 3 are LANs, 2 is ISDN network, 4 and 5 are facsimile servers, 6, 7 and 9 are workstations, and 8
Is a facsimile machine. Facsimile server 4
Stores a transmission / reception image data once in the storage memory when receiving a transmission / reception request. Thereafter, the image data received from the outside of the own LAN and accumulated is sent to a terminal on the own LAN or printed out by its own recording device in response to a request. Further, the image data received from the terminal on the own LAN to the terminal outside the LAN is transmitted to the partner facsimile machine via the ISDN network 2 according to the facsimile protocol.

For example, when a document is transmitted from the workstation 6 on the LAN 1 to the facsimile device 8 in the ISDN network 2, the document is transmitted from the workstation 6 to the facsimile server 4 and the image data is accumulated in the accumulation memory. . Then, when the accumulation is completed, the facsimile server 4 sends an I
It is transmitted according to the facsimile protocol via the SDN network 2. It is also possible to send a document from the workstation 6 on the LAN 1 to the workstation 9 on the LAN 3. In that case, the data is transmitted from the workstation 6 through the facsimile server 4, the ISDN network 2, and the facsimile server 5. In this way, by arranging the facsimile server between the LAN and the ISDN network, a terminal on the LAN and a facsimile terminal on the ISDN network, or between a terminal on the LAN and a terminal on another LAN. Facsimile communication becomes possible.

By the way, when data such as a document is transmitted to a terminal on the destination LAN using the facsimile server, the data such as the document is transmitted to the other party, for example, "When the document is transmitted, it arrives. I often want to convey a message such as "I want a reply." In such a case, conventionally, a method of adding one sheet of paper on which a message is written and transmitting it, or transmitting a document and then transmitting the message by using a telephone has been adopted.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, when transmitting data such as a document, in order to convey the message to the other party, one sheet of paper on which the message is written is transmitted, or the document is transmitted. Since the method of transmitting a message using a telephone after sending was sent, there was a problem that extra labor and cost would be required. An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem.

[0006]

In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention, a facsimile server provided between a LAN and an ISDN network stores image data and message data from a terminal on the LAN. Data including
A frame separating / assembling unit for separating message data from the data frame when the frame is received; and a LAPD control unit for sending out a LAPD call setup message containing the message data in the user / user information area. I decided.

[0007]

[Operation] When sending image data such as a document and a message to be sent to the other party, the terminal on the LAN incorporates the message data together with the image data in the data frame and sends it to the facsimile server. . And the facsimile server that received it,
The frame separation assembly unit separates the message data and L
The APD control unit changes it to LAPD (Link Access Procedures).
e on the D-channel) call setup message, ie, I
It is sent in the user / user information area of the D channel protocol call setup message of SDN. for that reason,
There is no need to add a sheet of paper on which a message is written and send it, or to send a document and then use a telephone to convey the message. In addition, LA that is not subject to billing
Since the user / user information area of the PD call setup message is used, no communication cost is required.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a message notification method according to the present invention. The reference numerals correspond to those in FIG. For example, when image data is transmitted from the workstation 6 on the LAN 1 to the workstation 9 on the LAN 3, the image data is transmitted from the workstation 6 via the facsimile server 4, the ISDN network 2, and the facsimile server 5 to the workstation 9. Sent to.

When the operator completes the transmission operation at the workstation 6 and the operator starts the transmission operation, a message such as "Is there a message?" Is input on the CRT screen of the workstation 6. A prompt is displayed. At this time, the operator inputs a message to be transmitted together with the facsimile document from the keyboard. When the input of the message is completed, the workstation 6 starts transmitting the image data and the message data while executing the well-known LAN protocol (in FIG. 1,). FIG. 2 shows an example of the data frame format transmitted on the LAN 1 at that time. In this example, 5 from level 0 to level 4
It has a form adapted to the data frame format of a network system having a hierarchical structure. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 (2), the upper level frame (header and data) is inserted in the data section of FIG. 2 (1), and further, the data section of FIG. , Fig. 2
As shown in (3), the structure is such that the upper level frame is inserted. Then, in the highest level frame, message data and image data are contained in a form as shown in FIG.

Upon receiving such a data frame from the workstation 6, the facsimile server 4 separates the message data and the image data from the received data frame. Then, the message data obtained by separation is used by the user of the LAPD call setup message.
It is put in the user information area and sent to the facsimile server 5 via the ISDN network 2 (in FIG. 1). LAPD
When the protocol ends and B channel communication becomes possible,
The facsimile server 4 transmits the image data to the facsimile server 5 using ISDN B channel communication (in FIG. 1). When the reception of the image data is completed, the facsimile server 5 first sends the previously received and held message data to the workstation 9 (in FIG. 1), and then sends the image data. .
When the workstation 9 receives the message data, it displays the message on the CRT screen.

Next, the structure of the facsimile server will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration of the facsimile server. In FIG. 3, 1
0 and 20 are CPU (central processing unit), 11 and 21 are RO
M (Read Only Memory), 12 and 22 are RAM (Random
Access Memory), 13 and 23 are DMA (Direct Memor)
y Access) controller, 14 is a LAN controller,
Reference numeral 15 is a serial interface adapter, 16 is a LAN driver / receiver circuit, 17 is a dual port RAM, 18 and 19 are buses, 24 is a disk device, 25
Is a disk controller, 26 is an encoding / decoding circuit, 27 is a resolution conversion IC, 28 is a LAPD controller, and 29 is an ISDN driver / receiver circuit.

The CPU 10 controls input / output on the bus 18, file management, memory management, LAN protocol control and the like. The ROM 11 stores a control program executed by the CPU 10, system data, and the like. RAM
Reference numeral 12 is used as a work area for a control program, a buffer area for transmission / reception data, and the like. The LAN controller 14 is an LSI that supports up to the data link layer of the LAN protocol, and is a CRC (Cyclic
Redundancy check, cyclic redundancy check) generation, checking, LAN access method, etc. are realized. The serial interface adapter 15 performs encoding and decoding of signals on the LAN. The LAN driver / receiver circuit 16 controls the signal level on the LAN and the facsimile.
Match the signal level of the IC in the server. The dual port RAM 17 is a bidirectionally accessible memory used for communication between the CPU 10 and the CPU 20 and for passing image data and message data. The DMA controller 13 includes a LAN controller 14 and a RAM 1
Data is transferred between the two and between the dual port RAM 17 and the RAM 12.

The CPU 20 controls input / output on the bus 19, file management, memory management, FAX protocol control and the like. The ROM 21 stores control programs executed by the CPU 20, system data, and the like. RAM2
2 is used as a work area of the control program, a buffer area of transmitted / received data, and the like. The DMA controller 23 transfers data between each memory or device. The disk device 24 stores image data and system data. As shown in FIG. 4, the inside thereof includes an image data storage area for storing image data, a message / data storage area for storing message data to the destination, and destination / source address information and other systems.・ The system is divided into three areas: the system that stores data and the data storage area. The disk controller 25 is an IC that receives a command from the CPU 20 and controls the disk device 24.

The encoding / decoding circuit 26 encodes the image data to be transmitted and decodes the received encoded data. The resolution conversion IC 27 is an IC for converting the resolution of image data and the paper size. LAP
The D controller 28 is an LSI that supports the LAPD protocol. The ISDN driver / receiver circuit 29 is a circuit for matching the signal level on the ISDN network with the signal level of the IC in the facsimile server.

FIG. 5 shows a facsimile according to the present invention.
It is a block diagram which shows the outline of a functional structure of a server. In FIG. 5, 31 is a LAN interface and 32 is L
AN protocol control unit, 33 is a frame separation and assembly unit, 3
4 is a storage memory, 35 is an encoding / decoding / resolution conversion unit, 36 is a FAX protocol control unit, 37 is a LAPD control unit, 38 is an ISDN interface, 39 is a message storage unit, and 40 is a destination address management unit. .

The LAN interface 1 is composed of the serial interface adapter 15 and the LAN driver / receiver circuit 16 shown in FIG. Further, the LAN protocol control unit 2 is the same as the CPU 1
0, ROM11, RAM12 and LAN controller 1
4 controls the exchange of the LAN protocol between the terminal on the LAN and the facsimile server through the LAN interface 31. The frame separating / assembling unit 33 includes the CPUs 10, 20, ROM 11,
21, RAM 12, 22 and dual port RAM 17
It is composed of When the data frame is received from the terminal on the LAN 1, the data frame is received from the LAN protocol control unit 32, and the address,
The message and the data are separated and sent to the destination address management unit 40, the message storage unit 39, and the storage memory 34, respectively. When an LAPD call setup message, which will be described later, is received from the ISDN network 2 side, LA
The PD control unit 37 extracts the call setup message from the user / user information area, stores the message data held in the message storage unit 39 into a LAN data frame, and sends it to the LAN protocol control unit 32.

The storage memory 34, the message storage unit 39, and the destination address management unit 40 are C in FIG.
PU20, ROM21, RAM22, disk unit 24
And a disk controller 25. Of the data storage areas of the disk device 24, the areas related to the storage memory 34 correspond to the image data storage areas of the three types of areas as shown in FIG. 4, and the areas related to the message storage unit 39. Corresponds to the message / data storage area and corresponds to the destination address management unit 4
The area associated with 0 corresponds to the system data storage area. The encoding / decoding / resolution conversion unit 35
Corresponding to the encoding / decoding circuit 26 and the resolution conversion IC 27, it encodes image data at the time of transmission, decodes the received encoded data, and the data resolution and the paper size are different between the transmitting and receiving terminals. If so, the resolution and paper size are converted. In addition, the FAX protocol control unit 36 includes the CPU 20, the ROM 21, and the RAM 22.
Etc., and controls the exchange of the facsimile protocol between the facsimile server and a terminal on the ISDN network 2 or a terminal on another LAN connected via the ISDN network 2. And again, the LAPD control unit 37
Corresponds to the LAPD controller 28, and the ISDN interface 38 corresponds to the ISDN driver / receiver circuit 29.

Here, how the message data is transmitted to the other party in the LAPD protocol will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a basic call control procedure of ISDN. In this procedure, the procedure to be performed before and after the intermediate B channel communication is the LAPD protocol, but in the present invention, the message is transmitted to the other party using the user / user information area in the call setup message. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data frame format of the LAPD call setup message. In the data frame of the LAPD call setup message, a protocol identifier indicating which rule the message conforms to,
A user / user information area having a maximum data length of 128 bytes is prepared in addition to a calling number indicating a telephone number of a transmission source, a called number indicating a telephone number of a transmission destination, and the like. This user / user information area is used for transmitting information between users. The present invention puts message data in this user / user information area and sends it.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described. When data with message data as shown in FIG. 2 is received from a terminal on the LAN via the LAN interface 31 and the LAN protocol control unit 32, the frame separation and assembly unit 33 performs the following processing. Run. Figure 8
3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a frame separation / assembly unit. Step 1 ... Read the destination address from the received data frame. Step 2 ... Issuing a destination address transfer start command to the destination address management unit 40. Step 3 ... Destination address management unit 4
Transfer to 0. Step 4 ... Issuing a destination address transfer end command to the destination address management unit 40.

Step 5: The received data frame is searched to determine whether or not there is a message data identifier. Step 6 ... If there is, a message / data transfer start command is issued to the message storage unit 39. Step 7 ... Read the message data length from the received data frame. Step 8 ... Set the read message data length in the data transfer counter. Step 9 ... Message data is stored in the message storage unit 3
Transfer to 9. Step 10 ... Decrement the value of the data transfer counter by one. Step 11 ... It is determined whether or not the value of the data transfer counter has become zero. When step 12 ... 0 is reached, a message / data transfer end command is issued to the message storage unit 39.

Step 13 ... Retrieval of the received data frame to determine whether or not there is an image data identifier. Step 14 ... If there is, an image data transfer start command is issued to the message storage unit 39. Step 15 ... Read out the image data length from the received data frame. Step 16 ... The read image data length is set in the data transfer counter. Step 17 ... Transfer the image data to the storage memory 34. Step 18 ... Decrement the value of the data transfer counter by one. Step 19 ... It is determined whether or not the value of the data transfer counter has become zero. When step 20 ... 0 is reached, an image data transfer end command is issued to the message storage unit 39.

Next, a description will be given of the processing when the transmission destination address sent from the frame separating / assembling unit 33 is received by the transmission destination address managing unit 40 in the above steps 1 to 4. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the transmission destination address management unit. Step 1 ... Receives a command from the frame separation / assembly unit 33. Step 2 ... Determine whether the received command is a destination address transfer start command. Step 3 ... If it is not the destination address transfer start command, that command is executed. Step 4 ... If the command is a destination address transfer start command in Step 2, it is determined whether or not the subsequent data is received. Step 5: When the data is received, it is determined whether or not it is a destination address transfer end command. Step 6 ... If it is not the destination address transfer end command, the destination address is stored in the system data storage area of the disk device 24.

Next, in steps 6 to 12 in FIG.
The message sent from the frame separation assembly unit 33
A process of receiving data in the message storage unit 39 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the message storage unit. Step 1 ... Receives a command from the frame separation / assembly unit 33. Step 2 ... Determine whether the received command is a message data transfer start command. Step 3 ... If the command is not a message / data transfer start command, that command is executed. Step 4 ... If the message / data transfer start command is received in Step 2, it is determined whether or not the subsequent data is received. Step 5 ... When you receive the data, it is the message ...
It is determined whether the command is a data transfer end command. Step 6 ... If the command is not the message / data transfer end command, the message is stored in the system / data storage area of the disk device 24.

Next, steps 14 to 20 in FIG.
Now, a process of receiving the image data sent from the frame separating / assembling unit 33 in the storage memory 34 will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when image data is stored in the storage memory. Step 1 ... Receives a command from the frame separation / assembly unit 33. Step 2 ... It is determined whether the received command is an image data transfer start command. Step 3 ... If it is not the image data transfer start command, that command is executed. Step 4 ... If the command is the image data transfer start command in Step 2, it is determined whether or not the subsequent data is received. Step 5: When the data is received, it is determined whether or not it is an image data transfer end command. Step 6: If the command is not the image data transfer end command,
Image data is stored in the image data storage area of the disk device 24.

Next, the message transmission process in the LAPD control unit 37 will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a message transmission procedure in the LAPD control unit. This process is started after the reception of the data frame from the terminal on the LAN is completed. Step 1 ... Read the destination address from the system data storage area of the disk device 24. Step 2 ... The destination address is incorporated in the called number area (see FIG. 7) of the call setup message. Step 3 ... Read message data to the message data storage area of the disk device 24. Step 4 ... It is determined whether or not a message to be sent is stored in the message / data storage area. Step 5 ... If stored, the message data is read and added to the user / user information area of the call setup message. Step 6 ... Send a call setup message. Step 7 ... Execute the LAPD protocol thereafter.

On the other hand, in the facsimile server which has received the LAPD call setup message including the message data in the user / user information area, the message data is taken out from the facsimile server and the frame demultiplexing / assembling unit 33 performs L
It is embedded in the AN data frame and sent to the terminal on the LAN.

[0027]

As described above, according to the facsimile server of the present invention, it is troublesome to add a sheet of paper on which a message is written and send it, or to send a message using a telephone after sending a document. Is not necessary. Further, since the user / user information area of the D channel / protocol call setup message of the ISDN network which is not the charging object is used, the communication cost is not required.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a message notification method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of a data frame on a LAN.

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

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a method of managing data files stored in a disk device.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an outline of a functional configuration of a facsimile server to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a basic call control procedure of ISDN.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a data frame format of a LAPD call setup message.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a frame separation / assembly unit.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a destination address management unit.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the message storage unit.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when image data is stored in a storage memory.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a message transmission procedure in the LAPD control unit.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration provided with a facsimile server.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 3 ... LAN, 2 ... ISDN network, 4, 5 ... Facsimile server, 6, 7, 9 ... Workstation, 8 ... Facsimile device, 10, 20 ... CPU, 11, 21 ... R
OM, 12, 22 ... RAM, 13, 23 ... DMA controller, 14 ... LAN controller, 15 ... Serial
Interface adapter, 16 ... LAN driver /
Receiver circuit, 17 ... Dual port RAM, 18, 1
9 ... Bus, 24 ... Disk device, 25 ... Disk controller, 26 ... Encoding / decoding circuit, 27 ... Resolution conversion IC, 28 ... LAPD controller, 29 ... ISDN
Driver / receiver circuit, 31 ... LAN interface, 32 ... LAN protocol control unit, 33 ... Frame separation / assembly unit, 34 ... Storage memory, 35 ... Encoding / decoding /
Resolution conversion unit, 36 ... FAX protocol control unit, 37 ...
LAPD control unit, 38 ... ISDN interface, 3
9 ... Message storage unit, 40 ... Destination address management unit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Akio Arai 3-7-1, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture Fuji Zerox Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideyuki Hirose 3-7-1, Iwatsuki City, Saitama Prefecture Fuji Inside Xerox Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile server provided between a LAN and an ISDN network, when a data frame including image data and message data is received from a terminal on the LAN, a message is sent from the data frame. A frame separating / assembling unit for separating data, and an L containing the message data in the user / user information area
A facsimile server comprising an LAPD control unit for sending an APD call setting message.