JPH10112766A - Communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To execute reproduction relating processing of a stored voice data and image data without increasing the number of operation buttons by executing generation of an image and reproduction of voice data when the reproduction mode is designated by a reproduction mode designation entry means. SOLUTION: The processing is executed by operating a reproduction button of an operation panel 22 and at first whether or not a voice message is stored is discriminated. This is used to recognize whether or not the message data are stored in a message area 10a of a voice memory 10 and actually it is discriminated based on management information in a reproduction state management area 8a in a RAM 8. When the presence of the voice message is discriminated, the voice reproduction processing is executed. Then whether or not a facsimile message is in existence is discriminated. When the presence of the facsimile message is discriminated, print-out processing is executed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is capable of temporarily storing audio data and image data received via a communication line, reproducing the temporarily stored audio data, and using the temporarily stored image data. The present invention relates to a communication device capable of forming an image by using the communication device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, some facsimile apparatuses have a function of temporarily storing both voice messages and facsimile messages. This has the function of a normal telephone in addition to the function of facsimile transmission and reception. It is very convenient because you can leave a voice message related to the message.

The message reproduction in this case is as follows. That is, in the case of reproducing a voice message, a button dedicated to the reproduction is often prepared. This is a configuration in which a play button in a telephone with an answering machine function is applied as it is. On the other hand, in reproducing a facsimile message, a general-purpose function selection button or the like is operated to set a reproduction mode for the facsimile message, and further, an operation of selecting a printout mode is performed to print out.

[0004] However, when such a general-purpose function selection button is used, it tends to be difficult for a user who is not skilled in the operation to use it. Of course, a dedicated button for reproducing the facsimile message may be prepared, but since it is not preferable to increase the number of operation buttons, a general-purpose function selection button is used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and is capable of executing processing related to reproduction of stored audio data and image data without increasing the number of operation buttons and the like. It is an object to provide a communication device.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication apparatus for temporarily storing audio data and image data received via a communication line. Temporary storage means, audio reproduction means capable of reproducing audio based on audio data stored in the temporary storage means, and image forming means capable of forming an image based on image data stored in the temporary storage means; A communication device comprising: a reproduction mode designation input means for designating a reproduction mode in which sound can be reproduced by the sound reproduction means and an image can be formed by the image forming means; and Reproduction control means for executing reproduction of sound by the sound reproduction means and formation of an image by the image forming means when a reproduction mode is designated; The features.

According to this communication apparatus, even if both the audio data and the image data received via the communication line are stored, if the user operates the reproduction mode designation input means, the audio reproduction means Can be designated as a reproduction mode in which both the reproduction of the sound by the image reproduction unit and the formation of the image by the image formation unit can be performed. An image is formed.

Therefore, for example, even when both a voice message and a facsimile message are stored in a facsimile apparatus with an answering machine function, both can be reproduced by simply operating the reproduction mode designation input means. Since the mode can be set, usability is improved.
Particularly, voice messages can be reproduced with a single touch in the past, but for facsimile messages, a general-purpose function selection button or the like is operated to set a reproduction mode for the facsimile message, and further select a printout mode. Such operations tend to be difficult for users who are not proficient in the operations. On the other hand, in the case of the present communication device, a user who wants to reproduce those messages only has to operate the reproduction mode designation input means for the time being, which is very convenient.

There are various methods of controlling the reproduction by the reproduction control means when the reproduction mode is designated. For example, after performing one of the processing of the sound reproduction by the sound reproduction means and the formation of the image by the image forming means, the other processing may be performed subsequently. In this case, the above-described facsimile apparatus is very convenient because voice and facsimile messages can be reproduced with one touch.

It is to be noted that any of the processing of reproducing the sound by the sound reproducing means and the processing of forming the image by the image forming means may be executed first. However, there may be a case where only one of them is desired to be reproduced. For example, if the user wants to know only the contents of a voice message, it may not be preferable that the facsimile message be automatically printed out.

In consideration of such a point, the following is also possible. That is, the apparatus further includes a selection input unit for inputting selection of whether to execute the sound reproduction by the sound reproduction unit or the image formation by the image forming unit, and when the reproduction mode is designated by the reproduction mode designation input unit. Then, after the reproduction control means executes one of the processing of sound reproduction by the sound reproduction means and the formation of an image by the image forming means, the reproduction control means It is conceivable to execute the processing. In this case, it is preferable that after executing one of the processes, a content for inquiring whether or not to execute the other process is displayed on the display device so as to wait for a selection from the user. For example, it is conceivable to input "1" when executing, and to input "2" when not executing. For example, when the present invention is applied to a facsimile machine, numeric keys are prepared for inputting a telephone number or the like.

[0012] Similarly, the following case may be considered in consideration of the case where only one of them is to be reproduced. That is, a first processing mode in which the reproduction control means executes reproduction of sound by the sound reproduction means and formation of an image by the image forming means, and a second processing mode in which the reproduction control means executes only reproduction of sound by the sound reproduction means. Further comprising a processing mode and a processing mode selection input means for inputting a selection of one processing mode from among a third processing mode in which the reproduction control means executes only image formation by the image forming means; When the reproduction mode is designated by the input means, the reproduction control means executes a predetermined process corresponding to the processing mode input by the processing mode selection input means. Also in this case, similarly to the above, the contents of the processing mode of the selection candidate may be displayed on the display device so as to wait for the selection from the user. For example, "1" is input to execute only audio reproduction, "2" is input to only image formation, and "3" is input to execute both of them.

[0013] To further explain in connection with the reproduction process, when an image is formed by the image forming means based on the image data stored in the temporary storage means, the image data is temporarily stored. It may be configured to delete from the means. This is because, in the case of image data, since the data amount is relatively large, there is a possibility that a situation in which the next data cannot be newly stored if it is kept forever may occur. It is determined that the data may be deleted. In addition, since the amount of audio data is relatively small, such an erasing process is not performed automatically, and the audio data can be erased when the user intends to erase it. It is preferable to have a function.

As described above, it is possible to execute either of the processing of reproducing the sound and the processing of forming the image first.
If the audio data is left as it is and the image data is deleted, the reproduction of the audio is executed first, and the user selects whether or not the image is formed by the image forming means. It is considered preferable to do so. This is because even when it is not possible to determine whether the image data can be deleted, only the execution of the audio data can be performed. In particular, considering that the above-described facsimile apparatus is used in a general home, there is a situation in which a facsimile message is mainly used only by a father and a voice message is used by an entire family. In this case, only the father may determine whether the facsimile message may be printed out and the data deleted, or whether it is better not to print out and leave the data as it is. Therefore, in such a case, it is preferable that anyone in the family can listen to the voice message, and it is considered that the setting to execute the voice message first is preferable.

The image forming means is not limited as long as it can form an image based on the image data stored in the temporary storage means. Therefore, for example, a configuration in which an image is formed on a recording medium such as a recording paper as in a normal facsimile apparatus, or a configuration in which an image is formed on a display surface of a display device may be employed.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 are explanatory views of a facsimile apparatus (with a telephone function) as an embodiment to which the communication apparatus of the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel portion provided on the upper surface side of the facsimile apparatus, and FIG. 3 is an electrical configuration block diagram.

As shown in FIG. 1, a receiver 21 is attached to the side of the main body 1a of the facsimile machine 1, and an operation panel 22 is provided at the front of the upper surface. At the rear of the upper surface of the main body 1a, a cassette mounting portion and a document table for detachably mounting a recording paper cassette (not shown) are formed.

The facsimile apparatus 1 includes a network control unit (hereinafter, referred to as NCU) 2, a CPU 3 as control means, a modem 4, and a buffer 5.
ROM 6, RAM 8, image memory 9, audio memory 10, audio LSI 11, encoding unit 12, scanner 13, decoding unit 14, printer 15, operation panel 22, and amplifier 25. These are connected via a signal bus line 20.

CPU 3 as the core of facsimile machine 1
Is for controlling various parts of the device connected by the signal bus line 20 in accordance with various signals transmitted and received via the line control NCU 2 to execute facsimile operation or telephone operation, that is, data communication. This CPU 3 corresponds to “reproduction control means” in the present invention.

The modem 4 modulates / demodulates and transmits image information and transmits and receives various procedural signals for transmission control. The buffer 5 is transmitted / received to / from a facsimile machine on the other side. This temporarily stores data including encoded image information.

The ROM 6 is a memory storing a control program to be executed by the CPU 3. RAM8
Is a memory for temporarily storing various data at the time of executing the operation, and includes a reproduction state management area 8a for temporarily storing information (described later) for managing the reproduction state of a voice message or an image message.

The image memory 9 has a dynamic RAM (D
RAM) and the like, and has an image data storage area 9a for storing image data and a bit image storage area 9b for storing a bit image for recording. The voice memory 10 is composed of a DRAM or the like, and is an OGM which is a response message to be transmitted to the calling side.
Or an IC which is an incoming message sent from the calling party
It has a message area 10a for storing M and the like, a ringing area 10b for storing a plurality of ringing sounds having different ranges (output form storage means), and the like. Note that the image memory 9 and the audio memory 10 correspond to “temporary storage means” in the present invention.

The audio LSI 11 converts an analog audio signal received by the NCU 2 into a digital audio signal, and converts a digital audio signal generated inside the facsimile apparatus 1 into an analog audio signal to convert the NCU 2 into an analog audio signal.
Is output to The encoding unit 12 encodes image information to be transmitted, and the scanner 13 reads an image from a document placed on a document table. The decoding unit 14 reads and decodes the received image data stored and written in the buffer 5 or the image data storage area 9a of the image memory 9 for recording, and the printer 15 converts the received image data into paper. And corresponds to the “image forming means” in the present invention. In this embodiment, an electrostatic electrophotographic recording system is used in which a latent image is formed on a photoreceptor by laser light, developed using toner, and transferred to recording paper as a “recording medium”. Note that the image data is transmitted and received after being compression-encoded by, for example, a run-length method.

The amplifier 25 is for outputting the ringing tone and the reproduced ICM via the speaker 26. The amplifier 25 and the speaker 26 correspond to “sound reproducing means”. The operation panel 22 displays the operation state of the facsimile machine 1 on the display 39 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) and allows the operator to perform various operations. For the operation, various buttons and a display device are provided. Have. Some of the functions will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the dial button 31 is composed of numerals 0 to 9 for dial operation. In addition, it is also possible to assign kana and English characters and use them for character input. The answering machine button 33 is used to set / cancel the answering machine mode. When the answering machine mode is set, the answering machine button is turned on and the received voice data is automatically stored in the voice memory 10. Is exhibited.

The play button 35 plays a voice message temporarily stored in the message area 10 a of the voice memory 10, makes it sound outside through the amplifier 25 and the speaker 26, and temporarily plays the voice message in the image data storage area 9 a of the image memory 9. The image data is reproduced based on the stored data relating to the facsimile message and printed out via the printer 15. The playback button 35 corresponds to “playback mode designation input means” of the present invention.

It should be noted that the facsimile message is normally printed out on recording paper by the printer 15 as it is when the data is received. In this case, a predetermined amount of image data transmitted from the other communication device 18 is stored in the buffer 5 and decoded by the decoding unit 14 is stored in the bit image storage area 9b of the image memory 9 in units of one page. Develop into a bit image for recording in and write. Then, bit development is performed at a predetermined resolution, and this is sent to the printer 15 and printed in units of one page. However, if there is no recording paper, printing cannot be performed, and in that case, all the transmitted facsimile messages are temporarily stored in the bit image storage area 9b of the image memory 9. Also, even when there is recording paper, by setting a predetermined mode, the received data is not printed out as it is,
It can also be stored in the image memory 9.

Therefore, in such a case, the facsimile message is printed out by operating the play button 35. When the facsimile message stored in the image memory 9 is printed out, the facsimile message is stored in the image data storage area 9a of the image memory 9.
Deleted from On the other hand, the voice message stored in the voice memory 10 is not deleted from the voice memory 10 even when the voice message is played by operating the play button 35. An erase button 37 is provided to erase this voice message.

When a voice message or a facsimile message is stored as described above, a reproduction lamp 36 provided near the reproduction button 35 blinks or lights up. This regeneration lamp 36
Is constituted by, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and a voice message or a facsimile message is newly stored. When the reproduction of the voice message or the facsimile message has not been performed yet, it becomes "flashing". When these messages have been reproduced, they are turned on or off. That is, it blinks when there is an unplayed message. When the facsimile message is reproduced as described above, it is erased from the image memory 9. Therefore, when the voice message is not stored in the voice memory 10, the reproduction lamp 36 is turned off. However, if the voice message is stored in the voice memory 10,
Since the voice message is not erased even if it is reproduced, such a state is indicated by turning on the reproduction lamp 36.

The display 39 is for displaying the date, time, destination, telephone number, operation status and error message. When a voice message or a facsimile message is stored, The number of messages is displayed. For example, when three voice messages are stored and two facsimile messages are stored, "Onsei: 03 fax: 02" is displayed as shown in FIG.

There are a right arrow button 41 and a left arrow button 42 as buttons related to message reproduction. These buttons are also used for other operations, but at the time of reproducing a voice message, the left arrow button 42 is operated when it is desired to reproduce the message again. When there are a plurality of voice messages, a predetermined sound is emitted between the messages. If the left arrow button 42 is operated while the sounds are sounding, the previous voice message can be reproduced. . To play the next voice message, the right arrow button 41 is operated.

As shown in FIG. 3, the facsimile apparatus 1 is connected to a telephone line 16 via an NCU 2. The telephone line 16 is connected to an exchange 17, and the exchange 17 is connected to another communication device 18 (a facsimile device, a telephone, or the like). The facsimile apparatus 1 receives a call signal from the other communication device 18 via the exchange 17 in response to a dial operation of the other communication device 18. At this time, if the owner of the facsimile machine 1 and the other communication device 18 has registered in the exchange 17 as a subscriber of the caller's telephone number receiving service, the first call signal and the next call signal are registered. In the silent section between
This is a switching system in which a caller's telephone number (Caller ID) is sent to the facsimile apparatus 1 via the switching unit 17, and has already been put to practical use in the United States in an analog switching system.

Next, processing related to reproduction control in the facsimile apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. Here, three types of reproduction control will be described. The flowchart of FIG. 5 shows the reproduction control process (part 1), and the flowchart of FIG. 8 shows the reproduction control process (part 2).
10 is a flowchart showing a reproduction control process (No. 3), and FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts showing an audio reproduction process and a printout process executed during the reproduction control process. This processing is stored in the ROM 6 as a part of the program.

Hereinafter, the three types of reproduction control will be described in order. [Reproduction Control Processing (Part 1)] This reproduction control processing is executed by operating the reproduction button 35 of the operation panel 22. When the process is started, first, in step (hereinafter simply referred to as S) 1, it is determined whether a voice message is stored. This is a process for knowing whether or not message data is stored in the message area 10a of the voice memory 10.
8 can be determined based on the management information of the reproduction state management area 8a. This point will be additionally described.

The reproduction state management area 8a has a management table as shown in FIG. 4, which is divided into a voice message and a facsimile message. For each message, a data number, data presence / absence, and its status flag are stored. The data number corresponds to the number of the message data stored in the audio memory 10 and the image memory 9, and if there is a message data of that number, "1" is determined as the data existence.
Is set, and when there is no message data, “0” is set as the data presence / absence. The status flag indicates whether or not the message data has been reproduced. If the message data has not been reproduced yet, the status flag is set to “0” indicating that the message data has not been reproduced.
Is set.

Therefore, in the determination in S1 of FIG. 5, it is possible to determine whether or not there is any data set to "1" by referring to the voice message data presence / absence column in the management table of FIG. . If it is determined that there is a voice message (S1: YES), the flow shifts to S2 to execute a voice reproduction process. As will be described later, when it is determined that there is no voice message (S1: NO), the process proceeds to S3 without executing the voice reproduction process of S2.

In S3, it is determined whether there is a facsimile message. This is performed in the same manner as in the presence / absence determination of the voice message in S1. That is, with reference to the facsimile message data presence / absence column in the management table of FIG. 4, it is determined whether or not there is any data set to “1”.

If it is determined that there is a facsimile message (S3: YES), the flow shifts to S4 to execute a printout process. The printout process will be described later. When it is determined that there is no facsimile message (S3: NO), the main reproduction control process (No. 1) ends without executing the voice re-processing in S4.

In other words, in the present reproduction control process (1), when both a voice message and a facsimile message are present, the reproduction of the voice message and the printout of the facsimile message are automatically executed continuously. Here, the details of the audio reproduction processing in S2 and the printout processing in S4 will be described.

First, the audio reproduction process will be described with reference to FIG. First, the data number referred to in S11 is 1
Then, in S12, the reproduction state management area 8a
Of the voice message status flag in the management table (see FIG. 4) is set to “reproduced” (= 1). Then, in S13, the corresponding data number (S
The voice message “1” set in 11 becomes a data number) is read from the message area 10 a in the voice memory 10 and reproduced and output through the amplifier 25 and the speaker 26.

Thereafter, the data number is incremented in S14, and it is determined in S15 whether there is data of the data number. This is "1" with reference to the column of voice message data presence / absence in the management table of FIG.
Is determined based on whether or not is set. For example, the data number is set to 1 in S11 and 1 is set in S14.
4 is executed, the data number is 2.
It is determined whether or not the data presence / absence column corresponding to the voice message data number 2 is "1" in the management table. In the example shown in FIG. 4, since there is data (S15: YES), the process returns to S12, similarly sets the status flag to 1, and then reproduces and outputs the voice message of the data number 2 (S13). For example, in the case shown in FIG. 4, the data presence / absence column corresponding to data number 4 is “0”, so that there is no data (S15: N).
O) Then, the sound reproduction process is completed, and the flow shifts to S3 in FIG.

The display on the display 39 of the operation panel 22 at the time of executing the audio reproduction processing will be described. If a message is stored, the display 39 displays the number of stored messages. For example, FIG.
(A) shows a state in which three voice messages and two facsimile messages are stored.

When a voice message is reproduced, for example, for the first second, as shown in FIG.
The “number of the message being reproduced / total number of messages” is displayed on the display 39, and thereafter the stored time and date are displayed as shown in FIG. 9 (c).

As described above, when a voice message is reproduced, the left arrow button 42 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is operated when it is desired to reproduce the voice message again. In addition, when there are a plurality of voice messages, a predetermined sound (for example, an electronic sound such as “beep”) is generated between the messages. When the left arrow button 42 is operated while this sound is sounding, the previous sound is generated. Can be played. Further, even if one message is being reproduced, the next voice message can be reproduced by operating the right arrow button 41.

Next, the printout process will be described with reference to FIG. First, the data number to be referred to is set to 1 in S21, and in S22, the status flag column for the facsimile message in the management table (see FIG. 4) of the reproduction status management area 8a is set to "reproduced (= 1)". Then, in S23, the facsimile message of the corresponding data number (“1” set in S21 becomes the data number at first) is read out from the image data storage area 9a in the image memory 9 and printed out by the printer 15. More specifically, a predetermined amount of image data read from the image data storage area 9a is stored in the buffer 5 and decoded by the decoding unit 14 is stored in the bit image storage area 9b of the image memory 9 in units of one page. Develop and write to bit image for recording. Then, bit development is performed at a predetermined resolution, and this is sent to the printer 15 and printed in units of one page. In addition, during this printout,
As shown in FIG. 9 (f), a message “print print” appears on the display 39.

Thereafter, in S24, the printed data is erased from the image data storage area 9a. This is because the data amount of the facsimile message is relatively large, and if the data is left forever, there is a possibility that the next data cannot be newly stored in the image memory 9, and thus the data is deleted. This is because, as the timing, the data may be temporarily deleted by printing out on the recording paper.

In the subsequent S25, the data number is incremented, and in S26, it is determined whether there is data of the data number. This is determined based on whether or not “1” is set with reference to the facsimile message data presence / absence column in the management table of FIG. If there is data (S26: YES), the process returns to S22, similarly sets the status flag to 1, and prints out a facsimile message of the data number (S23). In this way, the data is reproduced and output in order. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 4, since the data presence / absence column corresponding to the data number 3 is "0", there is no data (S
26: NO), this ends the printout process, and ends the playback control process (1) in FIG.

As described above, according to the facsimile apparatus 1, even when both the voice message and the facsimile message are stored, the user can press the play button 35.
By operating, it is possible to designate a reproduction mode in which both reproduction of a voice message and printout of a facsimile message can be performed. In the case of the main reproduction control processing (part 1), both of them are automatically and sequentially executed. , The usability is improved. Particularly, voice messages can be reproduced with a single touch in the past, but for facsimile messages, a general-purpose function selection button or the like is operated to set a reproduction mode for the facsimile message, and further select a printout mode. Such an operation is required, so that users who are not skilled in the operation tend to find it difficult to use. On the other hand, in the case of the facsimile apparatus 1, a user who wants to reproduce those messages only has to operate the reproduction button 35 for the time being, which is very convenient.

In the reproduction control process (part 1), the voice message is reproduced and then the facsimile message is printed out. However, the order may be reversed. However, there may be a case where only one of them is desired to be reproduced. For example, if the user wants to know only the contents of a voice message, it may not be preferable that the facsimile message be automatically printed out. The reproduction control processing (part 2) and the reproduction control processing (part 3) take such points into consideration.
These will be described in order.

[Reproduction Control Processing (Part 2)] In the case of this reproduction control processing (Part 2), when the reproduction button 35 of the operation panel 22 is operated to start the processing, in S51 and S52, the above-described reproduction is performed. S1, S2 of control processing (1)
It is determined whether or not there is a voice message in the same manner as described above.

In subsequent S53, it is determined whether or not there is a facsimile message as in S3 of the above-described reproduction control processing (1). If there is a message, the printout processing is immediately performed. Instead, as shown in S54, the selection display of the processing mode is displayed on the display 39 of the operation panel 22 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). This is specifically illustrated in FIGS. 9D and 9E.
Is displayed on the display 39 cyclically. In other words, after displaying “Fax printout” in (d) for a predetermined time, “1.
2. The display of "Sinai" is repeated for a predetermined time.

Then, in S55, it is determined whether or not printout is selected. Specifically, S54
When the user sees the selection display on the dial button 31 and wants to print out the facsimile message,
(See FIGS. 1 and 2) By operating "1" of the dial button 31 and "2" of the dial button 31 if no printout is to be made, the dial button 31 is operated.
If "1" is operated (S55: YES), the process proceeds to S56 to execute the printout process, and if "2" is operated (S55: NO), the main reproduction control process (No. 2) is performed. finish. The printout process in S56 is the same as the content described in FIG.

In this way, since whether or not to execute the printout is selected by the dial button 31, the dial button 31 corresponds to "selection input means" in the third aspect. As described above, according to the present reproduction control process (No. 2), the voice message is automatically reproduced when the reproduction button 35 is operated, but the user himself / herself selects whether or not to print out the facsimile message. can do. Therefore, for example, it is possible to cope with a case where the user wants to know only the content of a voice message and does not need to print out a facsimile message. Of course, on the contrary, the user wants to know only the facsimile message, and it may be unnecessary to reproduce the voice message. Therefore, in order to cope with such a situation, the S51 and S52 are converted to the facsimile message. It is also possible to adopt a control process in which the processing is changed to the corresponding processing and S53 to S56 are changed to the processing for the voice message.

However, in the present embodiment, when the facsimile message is printed out, the data is deleted from the image data storage area 9a. Therefore, it is better to execute the processing for reproducing the voice message first. preferable. The reason will be described. In other words, if such an automatic deletion function is provided, it may not be possible to determine whether the data for the facsimile message may be deleted. If it is a method to select whether to print out the facsimile message,
This is because only the execution of the voice message can be surely performed.
In particular, considering that the facsimile apparatus 1 is used in a general household, there is a situation in which a facsimile message is mainly used only by a father and a voice message is used by the whole family. In this case, only the father may be able to determine whether the facsimile message may be printed out to delete the data, or whether it is better to leave the data as it is without printing out.
Therefore, in such a case, it is preferable that anyone in the family can listen to the voice message, and it is considered that the setting to execute the voice message first is preferable.

[Reproduction Control Process (3)] Next, the reproduction control process (3) will be described. In the above-described reproduction control processing (part 2), if there is a voice message, only the reproduction processing of the voice message is executed, and thereafter, the user is made to select whether or not to print out the facsimile message. However, in the present reproduction control process (part 3), as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10, in the first step S71, execution of only voice message reproduction, execution of only facsimile message printout, reproduction of voice message and facsimile The message printout (+) is executed together, and either of them is selected first. In this case as well, the selection is made by operating the dial button 31. For example, the execution of only the voice reproduction is "1", the execution of only the printout is "2", and the execution of both is "3". You just need to enter it.

In the following S72, the selection result is determined, and if it is, the flow proceeds to S73, and if it is, the flow proceeds to S75.
If so, proceed to S77. If the process has proceeded to S73, it is determined whether or not there is a voice message. If there is any voice message (S73: YES), a voice reproduction process is executed in S74. Since these judgment processing or sound reproduction processing is the same as that described in the reproduction control processing (1), detailed description is omitted here. However, when there is no voice message (S73: NO), the main reproduction control processing (No. 3) is ended as it is. That is, only the reproduction of the voice message is executed, and the processing ends.

If the flow has proceeded to S75, it is determined whether or not there is a facsimile message, and if there is any (S75: YES), a printout process is executed in S76. Since these determination processing or printout processing is the same as that described in the reproduction control processing (part 1), detailed description is omitted here. However, when there is no facsimile message (S75: NO), the main reproduction control processing (No. 3) is terminated. In other words, only the reproduction of the facsimile message is executed and the processing ends.

When the process proceeds to S77, if there is a voice message (S77: YES), the voice reproducing process in S78 is executed, and if there is no voice message (S7).
7: NO) and when the sound reproduction processing in S78 has been completed, the flow proceeds to S79. Then, if there is a facsimile message (S79: YES), the printout processing in S80 is executed, and if there is no facsimile message (S79: NO) and if the printout processing in S80 is completed, the main reproduction is performed. The control process (part 3) ends. The processing of S77 to S80 is the same as the above-described reproduction control processing (1).

As described above, according to the main reproduction control processing (part 3), if the user selects the desired reproduction processing mode after operating the reproduction button 35, only the voice message can be reproduced or the facsimile message can be reproduced. You can print out only or execute both. It should be noted that the correspondence with the items described in the claims will be described. Execution of only the reproduction of the voice message selected as a candidate to be selected in S71 corresponds to the “second processing mode” in claim 4, Executing only the printout of the facsimile message corresponds to the “third processing mode”. The reproduction of the voice message and the printout of the facsimile message correspond to the “first processing mode”. Also, in this case, the processing mode is selected by operating the dial button 31, so that the dial button 31 corresponds to the "processing mode selection input means".

As described above, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment at all, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the dial button 31 is used to select whether to print out a facsimile message in the reproduction control processing (part 2) or to select a processing mode in the reproduction control processing (part 3). However, a configuration using other buttons may be used. However, the dial button 31 is originally prepared for inputting a telephone number or the like, and using this dial button is advantageous because it is not necessary to provide a new button.

The communication apparatus of the present invention is not limited to a facsimile apparatus, but temporarily stores voice data and image data transmitted via a communication line, and reproduces the data by operating a control by a user. The present invention is similarly applicable as long as it has a mechanism capable of forming an image.
Therefore, in the above-described embodiment, the facsimile apparatus 1 is described, and an image is formed on a recording sheet as a “recording medium”. However, an image may be formed on a display surface of a display device. Good.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an operation panel portion provided on the upper surface side of the facsimile apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the facsimile apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a management table in a reproduction state management area.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a reproduction control process (part 1) executed by the facsimile apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a voice reproduction process executed by the facsimile apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a printout process executed by the facsimile apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a reproduction control process (part 2) executed by the facsimile apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of display contents on a display during reproduction control.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a reproduction control process (3) performed by the facsimile apparatus of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Facsimile apparatus 1a ... Main body 5 ... Buffer 8 ... RAM 8a ... Reproduction state management area 9 ... Image memory 9a ... Image data storage area 9b ... Bit image storage area 10 ... Audio memory 10a ... Message area 10b ... Ring area 11 ... Voice LSI 14 ... Decoding unit 15 ... Printer 16 ... Phone line 22 ... Operation panel 25 ... Amplifier 26 ... Speaker 31 ... Dial button 33 ... Answer button 35 ... Play button 36 ... Play lamp 37 ... Erase button 39 ... Display 41 ... Right Arrow button 42… Left arrow button

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. Temporary storage means for temporarily storing audio data and image data received via a communication line, and audio reproduction means capable of reproducing audio based on the audio data stored in the temporary storage means. A communication device comprising: an image forming unit capable of forming an image based on image data stored in the temporary storage unit; wherein a sound can be reproduced by the sound reproducing unit and an image can be formed by the image forming unit. Reproduction mode designation input means for designating an appropriate reproduction mode; and when the reproduction mode is designated by the reproduction mode designation input means, reproduction of sound by the sound reproduction means and formation of an image by the image forming means. A communication device, comprising: playback control means to be executed. 2. The reproduction control means, when the reproduction mode is designated by the reproduction mode designation input means, performs one of a sound reproduction by the sound reproduction means and an image formation by the image forming means. 2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other processing is executed after the execution of the processing. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection input unit for inputting a selection as to whether or not to execute the reproduction of the sound by the sound reproduction unit or the formation of the image by the image forming unit. When the reproduction mode is designated, after the reproduction control means executes either one of the reproduction of the sound by the sound reproduction means and the formation of the image by the image forming means, the input by the selection input means is performed. 2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reproduction control means executes the other processing based on a result. 4. A first processing mode for causing said reproduction control means to execute reproduction of sound by said sound reproduction means and formation of an image by said image forming means; A processing mode for inputting a selection of one of a second processing mode for executing only reproduction and a third processing mode for causing the reproduction control means to execute only image formation by the image forming means. The apparatus further comprises selection input means, and when the reproduction mode is designated by the reproduction mode designation input means, the reproduction control means executes a predetermined process according to the processing mode inputted by the processing mode selection input means. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein 5. An image processing apparatus comprising: an erasing unit erasing the image data from the temporary storage unit when an image is formed by the image forming unit based on the image data stored in the temporary storage unit. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming unit forms an image on a recording medium based on image data stored in the temporary storage unit. Communication device. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming unit forms an image on a display surface of a display device based on the image data stored in the temporary storage unit.
The communication device according to any one of the above.