JPH10304122A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a facsimile equipment which performs a near-end processing suitable to the use style of each of lines to be accommodated when the quantity of recording material becomes small. SOLUTION: This facsimile equipment 1 detect the rest of toner in a plotter 14 by a near-end detection part 15 to make a display requesting replenishment with toner on the display of an operation display part 9, reject a copy-mode process, and store an image information storage part 11 with image information received at a recording request from an information processor connected to PCI/F 6 when the rest of the toner decreases below the specific rest, and then performs different near-end processes by lines according to a near-end processing program stored in a near-end process storage part 12 when there are incomings from the lines L1 to L3 through line I/Fs 3 to 5, namely, records incoming rejection and receive image information as they are on the plotter 14, stores the receive image information in the image storage part 11, and performs a recording process, etc., saving toner by image reduction, etc.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus, and more particularly, to a facsimile apparatus that appropriately performs processing when the remaining amount of a recording material becomes small.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A facsimile apparatus is required to record and output a received document promptly and with good quality.

Conventionally, when the near-end detecting means first detects that the remaining amount of toner has become equal to or less than the predetermined remaining amount, the present applicant displays the number of copies that can be made thereafter on the display means, and provides the user with the information. There has been proposed a toner remaining amount warning display device for notifying (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-115484).

Further, conventionally, when the consumption remaining amount detecting means detects that the remaining amount of toner is equal to or less than a predetermined amount in a state where the mode is switched to the saving consumption mode, the developing width is reduced to lower the image density. There has been proposed a laser beam exposure type electrophotographic apparatus which avoids the occurrence of problems due to toner shortage or toner shortage (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-133075).

Further, conventionally, there is a technique in which when a toner near end is detected, a display for urging replenishment of the toner or replacement of the toner cartridge is displayed, and a recording operation is forcibly interrupted.

[0006]

However, in such a conventional technique, there is still room for improvement in the processing when the remaining amount of the recording material becomes small.

That is, recently, a facsimile apparatus capable of connecting at least two or more lines has appeared, and in such a facsimile apparatus in which a plurality of lines are connected, a use purpose is specified for each line. The use has been done. In such a facsimile apparatus accommodating a plurality of lines, the use purpose is often divided for each line. For example, when three lines are connected, the first line is dedicated to ordering. , And the second line is allocated and used exclusively for slip processing, and the third line is allocated and used for general communication. In such a facsimile machine, since the use assigned to each line is different, the image information received from each line differs in the required immediacy and print quality, and when the toner near end is detected, the conventional technology described above is used. As described above, it is not possible to perform a sufficient response simply by performing the same near-end process regardless of the line from which the image information is received.

Therefore, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that when an incoming call is received after the near-end detecting means detects that the recording material has reached a predetermined remaining amount, it is determined according to which of the plurality of line interfaces the incoming call is. By selecting one of a plurality of near-end processing modes having different processing contents and processing the received image information in the selected near-end processing mode, when the remaining amount of the recording material becomes small, a plurality of It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile machine with good usability by performing near-end processing according to each use form of a line interface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, at least as a near-end processing mode, a normal recording mode in which received image information is directly recorded by a recording unit, and the received image information is temporarily stored in an image information storage unit until a recording material is supplied. A recording material saving mode for performing recording material saving processing for saving received image information by the image processing means, and a call rejection mode for rejecting incoming calls. By selecting and processing one of a plurality of near-end processing modes in accordance therewith, a more appropriate near-end processing is performed in accordance with the usage of each of the plurality of line interfaces, thereby providing a facsimile apparatus with better operability. It is an object.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the number of recordings of the received image information by the recording means after the recording material has reached a predetermined remaining amount is counted, and each line interface is provided in accordance with the counting result of the recording number counting means. When the remaining amount of the recording material is further reduced by independently switching the near-end processing mode and processing the near-end processing mode, the near-end according to the usage form of the line interface and the remaining amount of the recording material for each line interface. It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile machine with better operability by performing processing.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a near-end processing mode to be switched in accordance with the result of counting by the number-of-recorded-sheets counting means is set by the mode setting means for each line interface, and the number of recordings for switching the near-end processing mode is switched timing setting means. When the number of recordings counted by the switching timing setting means is counted by the recording number counting means, the processing is switched to the near-end processing mode set by the mode setting means, and the facsimile is performed according to the remaining amount of the recording material. It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile machine which performs processing in a near-end processing mode set for each line interface by a user of the machine, and which is more usable.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the storage amount of the received image information in the image information storage unit after the recording material has reached the predetermined remaining amount is calculated, and according to the calculation result of the storage amount calculation unit, By performing near-end processing by independently switching the near-end processing mode for each line interface, when performing near-end processing in which the recording material reaches a predetermined remaining amount and the received image information is stored in the image information storage unit, When the remaining capacity of the image information storage unit is reduced, near-end processing is performed for each line interface in accordance with the use form of the line interface and the remaining capacity of the image information storage unit, thereby providing a facsimile apparatus with even better availability. It is intended to be.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the near-end processing mode to be switched according to the calculation result of the storage amount calculating means is set by the mode setting means for each line interface, and the image information storage of the received image information for switching the near-end processing mode. When the storage amount in the means is set by the switching timing setting means and the storage amount calculated by the switching timing setting means is calculated by the storage amount calculating means, the mode is switched to the near-end processing mode set by the mode setting means to perform near-end processing. Accordingly, the facsimile apparatus performs processing in a near-end processing mode set for each line interface according to the remaining amount of storage capacity of the image information storage means, and provides an even more usable facsimile apparatus. I have.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a facsimile apparatus having a plurality of line interfaces connected to respective lines, performing facsimile communication through a predetermined facsimile communication procedure via each line interface. A facsimile apparatus for recording and receiving received image information on recording paper using a predetermined recording material by a recording means, wherein a near-end detecting means for detecting that the recording material has reached a predetermined remaining amount; Near-end processing means for processing in a plurality of near-end processing modes having different processing contents, and when there is an incoming call after the near-end detecting means detects that the recording material has reached a predetermined remaining amount, the incoming call is the plurality of One of the plurality of near-end processing modes is selected according to which of the line interfaces By and a control means for processing the near-end processing means to the near end processing mode and the selected, have achieved the above objects.

According to the above arrangement, when there is an incoming call after the near-end detecting means detects that the recording material has reached the predetermined remaining amount, the processing content is determined according to which of the plurality of line interfaces the incoming call is. One of a plurality of different near-end processing modes is selected and the received image information is processed in the selected near-end processing mode. Therefore, when the remaining amount of the recording material becomes small, each of the plurality of line interfaces Near-end processing can be performed according to the use mode, and the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be improved.

In this case, for example, as set forth in claim 2, the facsimile apparatus includes an image information storage unit for temporarily storing the received image information, and at least one of an image reduction process and an edge extraction process for the received image information. Image processing means for performing a recording material saving process for reducing the recording material when recording the image information by performing one of the processes, wherein the near-end processing means sets the received image information as it is at least as the near-end processing mode. A normal recording mode for recording on the recording unit, a storage mode for temporarily storing the received image information in the image information storage unit until the recording material is replenished, and a recording material for storing the received image information by the image processing unit. A recording material saving mode that performs saving processing,
An incoming call rejection mode for rejecting the incoming call, wherein the control means selects one of the plurality of near-end processing modes according to the line interface where the incoming call is received, and causes the near-end processing means to process the selected near-end processing mode. There may be.

According to the above configuration, at least as the near-end processing mode, the normal recording mode in which the received image information is directly recorded by the recording device, and the accumulation in which the received image information is temporarily stored in the image information storage device until the recording material is supplied. Mode, a recording material saving mode for performing a recording material saving process of saving received image information by the image processing means, and a call rejection mode for rejecting an incoming call. Since one of a plurality of near-end processing modes is selected and processed, a more appropriate near-end processing can be performed according to each usage form of the plurality of line interfaces, and the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be further improved. .

For example, as described in claim 3, after the facsimile apparatus detects that the near-end detecting means detects that the recording material has reached a predetermined remaining amount,
Recording number counting means for counting the number of recordings of the received image information by the recording means, the control means,
The near-end processing mode may be switched independently for each line interface in accordance with the result of counting by the recording sheet counting means, and the near-end processing means may perform the processing.

According to the above arrangement, the number of recordings of the received image information by the recording means after the recording material has reached the predetermined remaining amount is counted, and the number is independently determined for each line interface according to the counting result of the recording number counting means. When the remaining amount of the recording material becomes further smaller, the near-end processing is performed for each line interface in accordance with the use form of the line interface and the remaining amount of the recording material. And the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be further improved.

Further, for example, as set forth in claim 4, the facsimile apparatus comprises: mode setting means for setting the near-end processing mode to be switched according to the counting result of the recording number counting means for each line interface; Switching timing setting means for setting the number of recording sheets for switching the near-end processing mode, wherein the control means, when the recording number counting means counts the number of recording sheets set by the switching timing setting means, The near-end processing mode may be switched to the near-end processing mode set by the mode setting means and processed by the near-end processing means.

According to the above arrangement, the near-end processing mode to be switched according to the counting result of the number-of-recorded-sheets counting means is set by the mode setting means for each line interface, and the number of recording sheets for switching the near-end processing mode is set by the switching timing setting means. When the number of recordings set by the switching timing setting means is counted by the recording number counting means, the processing is switched to the near-end processing mode set by the mode setting means, so that the facsimile apparatus is used in accordance with the remaining amount of the recording material. The processing can be performed in a near-end processing mode set for each line interface by a user, and the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be further improved.

Further, for example, as described in claim 5, the facsimile apparatus, after the near-end detecting means detects that the recording material has reached a predetermined remaining amount,
A storage amount calculation unit configured to calculate a storage amount of the received image information in the image information storage unit, wherein the control unit includes:
The near-end processing mode may be switched independently for each line interface in accordance with the calculation result of the storage amount calculation means, and the near-end processing means may perform the processing.

According to the above arrangement, the storage amount of the received image information in the image information storage means after the recording material has reached the predetermined remaining amount is calculated, and the line interface is calculated in accordance with the calculation result of the storage amount calculation means. Since the near-end processing mode is switched independently for each time and the near-end processing is performed, when the recording material reaches a predetermined remaining amount and the near-end processing for storing the received image information in the image information storage unit is performed, the image information storage is performed. When the remaining capacity of the means is reduced, near-end processing can be performed for each line interface in accordance with the use form of the line interface and the remaining capacity of the image information storage means, and the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be further improved. .

Further, for example, as set forth in claim 6, the facsimile apparatus includes a mode setting means for setting the near-end processing mode to be switched according to the calculation result of the storage amount calculating means for each of the line interfaces. Switching timing setting means for setting the storage amount for switching the near-end processing mode, wherein the control means calculates the storage amount set by the switching timing setting means by the storage amount calculation means, The near-end processing mode may be switched to the near-end processing mode set by the mode setting means and processed by the near-end processing means.

According to the above configuration, the near-end processing mode to be switched according to the calculation result of the storage amount calculating means is set by the mode setting means for each line interface, and the near-end processing mode is switched to the image information storage means of the received image information. When the storage amount is set by the switch timing setting means and the storage amount calculation means calculates the storage amount set by the switch timing setting means, the near end processing mode is switched to the near end processing mode set by the mode setting means. Processing can be performed in the near-end processing mode set by the user of the facsimile apparatus for each line interface according to the remaining storage capacity of the information storage means, and the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be further improved.

[0026]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the present invention, and therefore, various technically preferable limitations are added. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following description. The embodiments are not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise specified.

FIGS. 1 to 6 show an embodiment of a facsimile apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of a facsimile apparatus 1 to which an embodiment of the facsimile apparatus of the present invention is applied. It is.

In FIG. 1, a facsimile apparatus 1 includes a control unit 2, a line I / F3, a line I / F4, a line I / F5,
PC I / F 6, scanner control unit 7, scanner 8, operation display unit 9, user data registration unit 10, image information storage unit 1
1, near-end processing storage unit 12, printer control unit 13,
A plotter 14 and a near-end detector 15 are provided.

The control unit (control means) 2 includes a CPU (Centra
l A processing unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The ROM is required to execute a basic processing program of the facsimile machine 1, other processing programs, a basic processing program, and the like. Various data and system data are stored. While the CPU uses the RAM as a work memory based on the program in the ROM,
It controls each part of the facsimile machine 1, executes basic processing as the facsimile machine 1, and executes near-end processing based on a near-end processing program stored in a near-end processing storage unit 12 described later.

The control unit 2 includes various registers, particularly various registers used for near-end processing, such as a near-end processing setting register NRi (i = 1 to 3) shown in FIG. 2 and a near-end processing switching timing setting shown in FIG. A register NTRi (i = 1 to 3) and the like are provided. The control unit 2
Near-end processing setting register NRi as shown in FIG.
Are provided for each of the line I / F3 to the line I / F5. The near-end processing setting register NRi includes registers b1 and b0 for setting near-end processing modes from near-end detection to switching to near-end processing mode, and near-end after switching. Registers b3 and b2 for setting the processing mode are provided. As the near-end processing mode before switching, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, according to the settings of the registers b1 and b0, (0, 0) , Without near-end processing (the received image information is directly recorded by the plotter 14),
(0, 1), recording in toner saving mode, (1, 0)
Then, the image information is stored in the image information storage unit 11 and (1, 1)
Then, setting of each processing content (processing mode) such as ignoring the incoming call without entering the reception mode is performed. Further, as the near-end processing mode after the switching, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, according to the settings of the registers b3 and b2, (0, 0) is used, and the near-end processing is not performed (recorded as it is).
(0, 1), recording in toner saving mode, (1, 0)
Then, the image information is stored in the image information storage unit 11 and (1, 1)
Then, each processing content (near-end processing mode) such as ignoring the incoming call without entering the reception mode is set.

Further, a near-end switching timing setting register NTRi includes a recording number register (recording number counting means) M for setting the number of recordings after the near-end detection, and a number of image information stored in the image information storage unit 11 after the near-end detection. Number setting register (storage amount calculation means) N for setting
The number of image information recorded after the near-end detection and the number of accumulated image information are set, and when the number of image information exceeds the setting means, the near-end processing is switched to more appropriate processing contents. Used for Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the recording number setting register M is set to (0, 0) by 5 according to the setting of the registers b1 and b0.
0 sheets, (0,1), 100 sheets, (1,0), 150 sheets
For 200 sheets and (1, 1), 200 sheets are set. As shown in FIG. 3, the accumulated number setting register N is set to (0, 0) according to the setting of the registers b3 and b2.
0), 50 sheets, (0,1), 100 sheets, (1,0)
Thus, 150 sheets and (1, 1) are set for 200 sheets.

Lines L1 to L3 are connected to the line I / F3 to the line I / F (line interface) 5, respectively. The lines L to L3 are, for example, general public lines and ISDN (Integrated Services). Digital Ne
twork: integrated service digital network). The line I / F3 to the line I / F5 perform communication negotiation using the lines L1 to L3, and also perform call setting processing and the like.

The control unit 2 controls each line I / F3 to line I / F
A facsimile control signal is exchanged with the other party's facsimile machine through the facsimile communication device 5 to execute a facsimile communication procedure, and a facsimile transmission process and a facsimile reception process are performed.

In the facsimile machine 1, the line I
/ F3 to line L1 to line L3 connected to line I / F5
Are set as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the use of the line L1 connected to the line I / F3 is set for exclusive use of receiving the order form, the line L2 is used only for receiving the slip, and the line L3 is used for general communication. The immediacy of the received image information received from each of the lines L1 to L3 and the degree of importance of the print quality differ depending on the use. That is, the line I / F3 is connected to the line L1 set to the telephone number prepared for receiving the order form, and stores an order form in which information necessary for the order such as the order quantity, the order number, and the delivery date is described. Immediateness and print quality are very important for receiving. Since the line I / F 4 is connected to the line L2 set to the telephone number prepared for receiving the slip and receives sales slips from each store or fulcrum, it is necessary information at the end of the month and the end of the term. Immediateness is less important, but print quality is. The line I / F 5 is a line L set to a telephone number released for other general communication.
3 and information that requires immediacy and information that does not require immediacy are mixed, and the print quality can be said to be at a level that can be decoded as a document.

The PC I / F 6 is connected to an information processing device such as a personal computer (not shown), and the facsimile device 1 exchanges commands via the PC I / F unit 6 to exchange various commands with the information processing device. Of data (information), in particular, image information. The control unit 2 includes a PC I / F
Recording request (print request) from the information processing apparatus via the communication device 6
At the same time, the received image information is recorded and output by the plotter 14.

The scanner 8 is, for example, a CCD (Charge C).
An image scanner using an Oupled Device is used to scan a document, read an image of the document at a predetermined resolution, and output the read image information to the scanner control unit 7.

The scanner control section 7 operates under the control of the control section 2 to control the driving of the scanner 8 to cause the scanner 8 to read the image of the original and to perform various operations necessary for the image information read by the scanner 8. And passes it to the control unit 2.

The operation display section (mode setting means, switching timing setting means) 9 includes various operation keys such as a numeric keypad and a start key, and also includes a display (for example, a liquid crystal display).
Various instruction devices such as a copy operation are performed, and the display prompts the operator to input a command content from the operation keys and various information to be notified from the facsimile device 1 to the operator. Is displayed. Further, the key operation of the operation display unit 9 changes the registration of the contents of the near-end processing described later, sets the number of recordings in the recording number setting register M that defines the number of recordings after the near-end detection in the near-end processing, and sets the number of recordings after the near-end detection The setting of the number of stored images in the stored number setting register N for setting the number of stored image information in the image information storage unit 11 is performed.

The user data registration unit 10 registers various user data in the facsimile machine 1 and usually has an SRAM (St.
aticRAM) is used.

The image information storage unit (image information storage means) 11
For example, it is composed of a large-capacity hard disk device or RAM, and mainly stores image information. Image information storage unit 11
, Image information for transmission and received image information are accumulated, read out at a predetermined time, and subjected to transmission processing, recording processing by the plotter 14, and the like.

The near-end processing storage unit 12 is constituted by a ROM or the like, and is a near-end processing of the near-end processing which is performed when the remaining amount of the toner as a recording material, which will be described later, falls below a predetermined remaining amount. A program and various data necessary for executing the near-end processing program are stored. The near-end processing program and data need not be stored in the near-end processing storage unit 12, but may be stored in a ROM in the control unit 2 together with the basic processing program and the like. The control unit 2 performs near-end processing described later based on a near-end processing program stored in the near-end processing storage unit 12.

The plotter 14 uses, for example, an electrophotographic recording apparatus, and records an image on recording paper based on image information using a toner as a recording material. A near-end detecting unit 15 is attached to the plotter 14, and the near-end detecting unit 15 (near-end detecting unit)
For example, when a magnetic sensor is used to detect the amount of toner based on a change in magnetic permeability and the toner becomes equal to or less than a predetermined remaining amount, that is, when toner near-end is detected, a near-end signal is output. Is output to the control unit 2.

The plotter control section 13 operates under the control of the control section 2 to perform various image processing, for example, pixel thinning processing and extraction of only image edges, as required, from image information passed from the control section 2. In addition to performing a toner saving process for reducing the amount of toner consumption by performing an edge extraction process, the plotter 14 is controlled so that an image corresponding to image information is recorded on a recording sheet by the plotter 14. Therefore, the control unit 2, the near-end processing storage unit 12, and the plotter control unit 1
3 functions as a near-end processing means as a whole.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. When the facsimile apparatus 1 detects the toner near end, the image information to be recorded is transmitted from the line I / F3 to the line I / F5.
And immediacy required from the nature of the image information and different contents depending on the print quality depending on whether the image information is transmitted via the PC I / F 6 or the image information read by the scanner 8. The characteristic is that the near-end processing is performed.

That is, the facsimile machine 1 has three modes: a facsimile mode, a copy mode, and a printer mode. In the facsimile mode, the lines L1 to L1 are connected via one of the lines I / F3 to I / F5.
If there is a facsimile reception from the line L3, a facsimile reception procedure is executed to receive the transmitted image information,
The control unit 2 receives the received image information from the line I / F 3 to the line I / F 5, and usually, the control unit 2 decodes the encoded image information, and then the plotter 14 Record output on recording paper. Further, in the copy mode, the facsimile apparatus 1 reads the original set on the scanner 8 by the scanner 8, performs necessary image processing by the scanner controller 7, passes the image processing to the controller 2, and passes the image processing to the controller 2. The received image information is recorded and output on recording paper by the plotter 14 via the plotter control unit 13. further,
In the printer mode, the facsimile machine 1 transmits the image information sent from the information processing device together with the print request to the P
The received image information is passed to the control unit 2 through the C I / F 6, and the received image information is subjected to necessary image processing by the plotter control unit 13. Print out on recording paper.

When the facsimile apparatus 1 receives image information and the plotter 14 is recording another image information, the facsimile apparatus 1 temporarily stores the received image information under the control of the control unit 2. And wait for the plotter 14 to be free,
After reading and decoding the image information from the image information storage unit 11, the plotter control unit 13 performs necessary image processing, and the plotter 14 records and outputs it on recording paper.

Then, the facsimile machine 1 detects the remaining amount of toner in the plotter 14 by the near-end detecting section 15,
When the remaining amount of toner becomes equal to or less than a predetermined remaining amount, the near-end detection unit 15 outputs a near-end signal to the control unit 2 via the plotter control unit 13.

When the near-end signal is input from the near-end detection unit 15, the control unit 2 displays on the display of the operation display unit 9 a request for toner replenishment, and performs copy mode processing, that is, the scanner 8 Refuse the recording request to read the image and record it on the plotter 14,
In response to a recording request from an information processing apparatus connected to the PC I / F 6, a recording request is accepted, but all received image information is stored in the image information storage unit 11 and toner replenishment is performed. The recording process is performed by the plotter 14. And
After detecting the near end, the control unit 2 sets the line I / F 3 to
When there is an incoming call from the lines L1 to L3 via the line I / F5, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, near-end processing having different contents is performed for each of the lines I / F3 to I / F5.

That is, when a near-end signal is input from the near-end detecting unit 15, the control unit 2 enters a near-end processing mode, and checks whether there is a new incoming call as shown in FIG. 5 (step S1). When there is a new incoming call, the line number of the incoming call, that is, the line I / F3 ~
It is determined which of the line I / Fs 5 has received an incoming call, and the line I / F 3 to line I / F 5 that have received the incoming calls are connected to the line I / F 5.
It is set in the line number register i as Fi (step S2).

The control unit 2 then sends a near-end processing setting register NRi (FIG. 2) corresponding to the line number register i.
) Is read (step S3), and it is checked whether or not the register b1 set in the read near-end processing setting register NRi is “0” (b1 = 0) (step S4).

At step S4, when b1 = 0, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 2 sets the near-end processing setting register NRi so as not to execute the near-end processing as the near-end processing from the near-end detection to the switching timing. It is determined that the near-end processing mode for recording is set, and the near-end recording number counter P for counting the number of pieces of image information recorded after the near end is read (step S5). The value P is set in the recording number setting register M
(Step S)
6).

In step S6, count value P> set value M
If not, the control unit 2 determines that it is not the switching timing of the near-end processing mode after the near-end, that is, that the number P of the image information recorded after the near-end detection has not reached the number of the set value M, and the register b1 Is set to the register a and the value of the register b0 is set to the register b (step S7), and whether the set values of the registers a and b are both “1” [(a, b) = (1, 1)] Check (step S8).

In step S8, when the values of the registers a and b are both "1", the control unit 2 determines that the near-end processing mode is set to a mode in which no reception is performed, as shown in FIG. , Without performing the receiving process, ignoring the incoming call and terminating the process.

In step S8, when both the values of the registers a and b are not "1", that is, either of the values is "1".
When any of them is “0”, the control unit 2 determines that the near-end processing mode is not the mode for ignoring the incoming call, and performs the receiving process via the line I / F3 to the line I / F5 where the incoming call is received. Is started (step S9).

In step S6, the count value P
When the setting value M is set, the control unit 2 determines that it is the switching timing of the near end processing mode after the near end, that is, determines that the number P of image information recorded after the near end detection has reached the number of the setting value M. Then, the value of the register b3 is set to the register a, the value of the register b2 is set to the register b, and the near-end processing mode is switched (step S10). "1" [(a, b) = (1, 1)]
It is checked whether it is (step S8).

In step S8, when the values of the registers a and b are both "1", the control unit 2 determines that the near-end processing mode is set to the non-receiving mode as described above, and executes the receiving process. Without performing the processing, the processing is terminated by ignoring the incoming call.

If the values of the registers a and b are not both "1" at step S8, the control unit 2 determines that the near-end processing mode is not the mode of ignoring the incoming call as described above, and The receiving process is started via the existing line I / F3 to line I / F5 (step S).
9).

Further, when b1 is not 0 in step S4, the control unit 2 sets the register b0 to "1" (b
0 = 1) (step S11), and b0
When = 1, as shown in FIG. 2, it is determined that the near-end processing mode does not enter the reception mode, that is, it is determined that the near-end processing mode is set to the non-reception mode. Then, the process ends.

In step S11, when b0 = 1 is not satisfied, b1 = 1 and b0 = 0.
As shown in (1), it is determined that the near-end processing mode is the processing mode in which the image information is stored in the image information storage unit 11, and the number of image information stored in the image information storage unit 11 after the near end is counted. The post-near-end storage number counter Q is read (step S12), and the count value Q of the post-near-end storage number counter Q is compared with a set value N preset in a storage number setting register N in the controller 2. Count value Q of the accumulated number counter Q after the near end
Is larger than the set value N of the accumulation number setting register N (step S13).

If the count value Q is not greater than the set value N in step S13, the control unit 2 determines that it is not the timing to switch the near-end processing mode, and stores the value of the register b1 in the register a and the value of the register b0 in the register a. b (step S7), and checks whether both the set values of the registers a and b are "1" (step S8).

In step S8, when the values of the registers a and b are both "1", the control unit 2 determines that the near-end processing mode is set to the non-reception mode as described above, and executes the reception processing. Without performing the processing, the processing is terminated by ignoring the incoming call.

If the values of the registers a and b are not "1" at step S8, the control unit 2 determines that the near-end processing mode is not the mode of ignoring the incoming call, and The receiving process is started via / F3 to line I / F5 (step S9).

In step S13, when the count value Q> the set value N, the control unit 2 determines that it is time to switch the near-end processing mode, and stores the value of the register b3 in the register a, The value of b2 is set in the register b to switch the near-end processing mode (step S10), and it is checked whether both the set values of the registers a and b are "1" (step S8).

When the values of the registers a and b are both "1" at step S8, the control unit 2 ignores the incoming call without performing the receiving process and terminates the process. In S8, if the values of the registers a and b are not both "1", the line I / F in which the call arrived is received.
The receiving process is started through the line 3 to the line I / F 5 (step S9).

Then, when the control section 2 starts (starts) the reception, as shown in FIG. 6, both the register a and the register b are "0" [(a, b) = (0, 0)]. (Step S14), if both the registers a and b are "0", it is determined that the near-end processing mode is the mode for recording the received image information as it is as shown in FIG. The image information is transferred to the plotter control unit 13, and the plotter 14 records and outputs the image information on recording paper under the control of the plotter control unit 13 (step S15).
When one page has been recorded, the control unit 2 checks whether the reception has been completed (step S16). If the reception has not been completed, the control unit 2 returns to step S15, and stores the image information of the next page received. Similarly, recording and output are performed by the plotter 14 (step S15).

When the reception is completed in step S16, the control section 2 adds the received number to the count value P of the post-near-end recording number counter P, and ends the processing (step S17).

In step S14, when the registers a and b are not both "0", the control unit 2 sets the register a to "0" and the register b to "1" [(a, b) =
(0, 1)] (step S18),
When the register a is “0” and the register b is “1”, it is determined that the near-end processing mode is the toner saving mode and the image information is transferred to the plotter control unit 13 as shown in FIG. Then, the plotter control unit 13 performs a thinning process or an image reduction process to perform a toner saving process of reducing toner (step S19). Control unit 2
Transfers the image information on which the toner saving process has been performed by the plotter control unit 13 to the plotter 14 and records the image information on the plotter 14 (step S20), and checks whether the reception is completed (step S21).

If the reception has not been completed in step S21, the control unit 2 returns to step S19, and after the next received image information is subjected to the toner saving process by the plotter control unit 13 as described above. (Step S19), the image is recorded by the plotter 14 (Step S20), and Step S21 is performed.
When the reception is completed, a value obtained by multiplying the number of pieces of received image information by a preset coefficient α (0 <α <1) is added to the count value P of the post-near-end recording number counter P, and the process ends. (Step S22). The coefficient α is calculated when the image information is recorded by performing a toner saving process such as reduction or edge extraction when the image information is recorded without performing a toner saving process such as image reduction or edge extraction. Is set based on the toner consumption amount, for example, the image reduction ratio or the like.

In step S18, the register a
Is "0" and the register b is not "1", the control unit 2, as shown in FIG.
Since it is not (1, 1), it is determined that the near-end processing mode is the accumulation mode in which the image information is accumulated in the image information accumulation unit 11, and the received image information is transferred to the image information accumulation unit 11, and the image information is acquired. The received image information is stored in the storage unit 11 in an encoded state (step S23), and it is checked whether the reception is completed (step S24).

If the reception has not been completed in step S24, the process returns to step S23, where the next received image information is transferred to and stored in the image information storage unit 11 (step S23). Is checked (step S24).

When all the received image information is stored in the image information storage unit 11 and the reception is terminated in step S24, the control unit 2 sets the count value Q
Is added to the received number (accumulated number), and the process ends (step S25).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when there is an incoming call after the near-end detecting section 15 detects that the toner has reached a predetermined remaining amount (toner near-end), the incoming call is sent to a plurality of lines I One of a plurality of near-end processing modes having different processing contents is selected and the received image information is processed in the selected near-end processing mode, depending on which of the / F3 to the line I / F5 the toner image is. When the remaining amount becomes low, a plurality of line I / F3 to line I / F3
Near-end processing according to each use mode of F5 can be performed, and usability of the facsimile machine 1 can be improved.

Further, at least as a near-end processing mode, a normal recording mode in which received image information is recorded as it is, a storage mode in which received image information is temporarily stored in the image information storage unit 11 until toner is supplied, There are provided a toner saving mode for performing a toner saving process for saving toner, and an incoming call rejecting mode for rejecting an incoming call. The plurality of near-end processing modes are provided in accordance with the line I / F3 to the line I / F5 that received the incoming call. Since one is selected and processed, a more appropriate near-end process can be performed depending on the use form of each of the plurality of line I / Fs 3 to 5, and the usability of the facsimile apparatus 1 is further improved. Can be.

Further, the number of recordings of the received image information by the plotter 14 after the toner has reached a predetermined remaining amount is counted, and the near end is independently performed for each of the line I / F3 to the line I / F5 according to the recording number. Since the processing is performed by switching the processing mode, when the remaining amount of toner is further reduced, the line I
/ F3 to line I / F5, the line I / F3 to line I / F
Near-end processing can be performed in accordance with the use form of F5 and the remaining amount of the toner, and the usability of the facsimile apparatus 1 can be further improved.

The storage amount of the received image information in the image information storage unit 11 is calculated, and the line I / F is set according to the storage amount of the image information.
Since the processing is performed by independently switching the near-end processing mode for each of the third to line I / Fs 5, the near-end processing for storing the received image information in the image information storage unit 11 when the toner reaches a predetermined remaining amount is performed. At this time, when the remaining capacity of the image information storage unit 11 is reduced, the use form of the line I / F3 to line I / F5 and the image information storage unit 1 are set for each of the line I / F3 to line I / F5.
1 can perform near-end processing according to the remaining capacity,
The usability of the facsimile machine 1 can be further improved.

Further, since the near-end processing mode for processing by each of the lines L1 to L3 can be selected and set by the operation display unit 9, the usability of the facsimile apparatus 1 can be further improved.

Further, since the set value M after the near-end detection and the accumulation number setting register N can be appropriately set by the operation display unit 9, the near-end processing can be performed in a state more suitable for the use condition, and the facsimile machine 1 Can be further improved.

Although the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the preferred embodiments, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. It goes without saying that it is possible.

For example, the above embodiment is applied to the case where the plotter 14 using toner as a recording material is provided. However, the plotter 14 is limited to a recording system using toner. Instead, for example, an ink jet type using ink can be similarly applied.

[0080]

According to the facsimile apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, when there is an incoming call after the near-end detecting means detects that the recording material has reached a predetermined remaining amount, the incoming call is transmitted to a plurality of line interfaces. When one of the plurality of near-end processing modes having different processing contents is selected and the received image information is processed in the selected near-end processing mode depending on which one of the processing methods is used, when the remaining amount of the recording material becomes small, In addition, near-end processing can be performed in accordance with the usage of each of the plurality of line interfaces, and the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be improved.

According to the facsimile apparatus of the second aspect of the present invention, at least as a near-end processing mode, a normal recording mode in which the received image information is directly recorded by the recording means, and the received image information until the recording material is supplied. A storage mode for temporarily storing the received image information in the storage unit, a recording material saving mode for performing a recording material saving process for saving the recording material by the image processing unit, and an incoming call rejection mode for rejecting the incoming call. Since one of a plurality of near-end processing modes is selected and processed in accordance with the existing line interface, more appropriate near-end processing can be performed according to the usage of each of the plurality of line interfaces, and the availability of the facsimile machine is improved. It can be further improved.

According to the facsimile apparatus of the third aspect of the invention, the number of recordings of the received image information by the recording means after the recording material has reached the predetermined remaining amount is counted, and according to the counting result of the recording number counting means. In addition, since the near-end processing mode is independently switched for each line interface and the processing is performed, when the remaining amount of the recording material is further reduced, the use form of the line interface and the remaining amount of the recording material for each line interface are reduced. Near-end processing can be performed, and the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be further improved.

According to the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, the near-end processing mode to be switched according to the counting result of the number-of-recorded-sheets counting means is set by the mode setting means for each line interface, and the number of recording sheets for switching the near-end processing mode is set. Is set by the switching timing setting means, and when the number of recordings counted by the switching timing setting means is counted, the processing is switched to the near-end processing mode set by the mode setting means. Accordingly, processing can be performed in the near-end processing mode set by the user of the facsimile apparatus for each line interface, and the usability of the facsimile apparatus can be further improved.

According to the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, the storage amount of the received image information in the image information storage unit after the recording material has reached the predetermined remaining amount is calculated, and the storage amount calculation unit calculates According to the result, the near-end processing mode is independently switched for each line interface to perform the near-end processing, so that the near-end processing for storing the received image information in the image information storage unit when the recording material reaches a predetermined remaining amount is performed. When the remaining capacity of the image information storage means is reduced, near-end processing can be performed for each line interface in accordance with the usage form of the line interface and the remaining capacity of the image information storage means, thereby reducing the usability of the facsimile apparatus. It can be further improved.

According to the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, the near-end processing mode to be switched according to the calculation result of the storage amount calculating means is set by the mode setting means for each line interface, and the reception image for switching the near-end processing mode is set. When the amount of information stored in the image information storage means is set by the switching timing setting means, and the storage amount calculated by the switching timing setting means is calculated by the storage amount calculation means, the mode is switched to the near-end processing mode set by the mode setting means. Near-end processing, so that the user of the facsimile machine can perform processing in the near-end processing mode set for each line interface according to the remaining storage capacity of the image information storage means, further improving the usability of the facsimile machine. Can be done.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of a facsimile apparatus to which an embodiment of the facsimile apparatus of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a near-end processing setting register in a control unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a near-end switching timing setting register in the control unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the use of each line and the importance of immediacy and print quality.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating near-end processing by the facsimile machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing subsequent to the near-end processing in FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Facsimile apparatus 2 Control part 3, 4, 5 Line I / F 6 PC I / F 7 Scanner control part 8 Scanner 9 Operation display part 10 User data registration part 11 Image information storage part 12 Near-end processing storage part 13 Printer control part 14 Plotter 15 near-end detector

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04N 1/393 H04N 1/393 1/409 1/40 101D

Claims (6)

[Claims] A facsimile communication is performed according to a predetermined facsimile communication procedure through each line interface, and received image information is recorded on a predetermined recording material by a recording means. A near-end detecting means for detecting that the recording material has reached a predetermined remaining amount, and a near-end process for processing the received image information in a plurality of near-end processing modes having different processing contents. Means, and when there is an incoming call after the near-end detecting means detects that the recording material has reached a predetermined remaining amount, the plurality of near-end processing is performed according to which of the plurality of line interfaces the incoming call is. One of the modes is selected and the near-end processing mode is selected in the selected near-end processing mode. Facsimile apparatus characterized by and a control means for processing the unit. 2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the facsimile apparatus temporarily stores the received image information, and performs at least one of an image reduction process and an edge extraction process on the received image information to record the image information. Image processing means for performing a recording material saving process for reducing material, wherein the near-end processing means, at least as the near-end processing mode, a normal recording mode for directly recording the received image information in the recording means, A storage mode for temporarily storing received image information in the image information storage unit until the recording material is replenished, a recording material saving mode for performing the recording material saving process by the image processing unit for the received image information, And a rejection mode for rejecting incoming calls.
2. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects one of the plurality of near-end processing modes according to the line interface on which the call has been received, and causes the near-end processing unit to perform processing. 3. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the near-end detecting means detects that the recording material has reached a predetermined remaining amount, and thereafter, counts the number of recordings of the received image information by the recording means. Wherein the control means switches the near-end processing mode independently for each line interface in accordance with the count result of the recording number counting means, and causes the near-end processing means to perform processing. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The facsimile apparatus further comprises: mode setting means for setting the near-end processing mode for switching according to the counting result of the recording number counting means for each line interface; and setting the number of recordings for switching the near-end processing mode. Switching timing setting means for performing the near-end processing mode set by the mode setting means when the recording number counting means counts the number of recordings set by the switching timing setting means. 4. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said facsimile apparatus is switched to said near-end processing means. 5. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said near-end detecting means detects that said recording material has reached a predetermined remaining amount, and thereafter calculates a storage amount of said received image information in said image information storing means. An amount calculation unit, wherein the control unit switches the near-end processing mode independently for each line interface according to a calculation result of the storage amount calculation unit, and causes the near-end processing unit to perform processing. 5. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein 6. A facsimile apparatus comprising: a mode setting means for setting the near-end processing mode to be switched according to a calculation result of the storage capacity calculating means for each line interface; and a storage capacity for switching the near-end processing mode. Switching timing setting means for setting, wherein the control means, when the storage amount calculation means calculates the storage amount set by the switching timing setting means, the near-end processing set by the mode setting means 6. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the mode is switched to a mode and the near-end processing unit is caused to process the data.