JPS6170857A - Communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent an operator from using useless time by informing it to a destination stored in a storage means when the consumption of expendables reaches a prescribed amount. CONSTITUTION:When the transmission of originals is finished, a facsimile equipment transmits a procedure end signal to restore the call. When the recording paper is consumed completely or consumed to a residual amount having a prescribed margin during the reception, a detection signal is transmitted from the sensor 11 of a recording section 6 to a main control section 1, the main control section 1 informs it to an error generation transmission side accordingly so as to bring the operation into end of error or interruption.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a communication device, and particularly to a communication device having a function of calling a destination terminal using selection signal transmitting means.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, recording and output devices such as facsimile machines, computer terminal devices, and printers having a communication device f8 have been known as communication devices that utilize predetermined communication lines.

In the case of a facsimile receiving device, it has a recording device using a thermal printer or the like, and this recording device is loaded with recording paper such as roll paper, and the recording paper must be loaded one by one until the recording paper is finished. Many devices are designed to be able to perform reception operations without any interference. When the recording paper is completely consumed,
Of course, recording cannot be output, so conventional devices use display means such as the LCD or LED on the operation panel, or audio output means such as speakers to indicate the end of the recording paper.
[I am trying to display visual surface water or audio.

However, although these displays are easily recognized by an operator who is near the device, they have the disadvantage that they cannot be recognized by an operator who is relatively far away in the room or an operator in a separate room. Therefore, in the past, there was a drawback that the operator had to waste time in the vicinity of the device in order to confirm the completion and success or failure of communication.

In particular, when a large number of documents are received, there is a high possibility that the recording paper will run out, so the operator must be near the apparatus, and this requires a long time, which is very inefficient.

The problems described above are not limited to facsimile machines, but are common to other communication devices in which errors may occur due to wear and tear of one component.

[Purpose] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is possible to notify the operator in charge of the equipment who is located away from the device of the consumption of consumable parts, thereby preventing the operator from wasting time. The purpose is to provide a communication device that can improve work efficiency without any problems.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings. However, in the following, an example relating to a facsimile machine will be exemplified.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an embodiment of a facsimile machine and its surroundings adopting the present invention, and in the figure, reference numeral 11
What is shown is a telephone line (external line) connected to a private branch exchange (PBX) 10. A plurality of telephones 8a to 8c are connected to the private branch exchange 10 via lines (extension lines) 9a to 9C. Furthermore, the private branch exchange lO has line 9.
A facsimile machine is connected via d.

The facsimile machine is a telephone 41 for call setting! ! The line 9d is connected to the communication control unit 7, and the line 9d is connected to the communication control unit 7. There is. The communication control unit 7 is provided with a known selection signal transmission function that transmits a selection signal to the private branch exchange 10 via the line 9d under the control of the main control unit l to call the telephones 4'18a to 8C or an external terminal. ing.

The operation of the entire facsimile machine is controlled by a main control section 1 comprising a microcomputer, control memory, etc. in response to procedure signals or operations from the operation display section 3. CC reads the original and records the received image data.
This is performed by a reading section 5 using a D sensor or the like and a recording section 6 consisting of a thermal printer or the like.

The recording section 6 in this embodiment stores a certain amount of roll-shaped or sheet-shaped recording paper, and includes a photointerrupter,
Alternatively, it has a sensor that detects the consumption amount using a well-known detection mechanism composed of a microswitch or the like.

Normal call setting operations are performed via telephone 8d, but
In this embodiment, a memory 4 for storing a predetermined telephone number or extension number is provided, and the main control section 1 can automatically make a call by giving this number to the communication control section.

The operation display section 3 is composed of send and receive buttons, switches such as a numeric keypad, and displays such as an LCD, as in known facsimile machines. A speaker 2 is provided for displaying various sounds.

Next, the image receiving operation in the above configuration will be explained.

First, a call is set up between the facsimile machine and a facsimile machine connected to another extension line connected to the outside or the private branch exchange 10 using the telephone 8d. As a result, the exchange 10 establishes a line between the transmitter and the receiver.

After the call setup is completed, procedure signals such as predetermined identification signals are transmitted and received by the communication control section 7, and when the preparation operation is completed, the image data of the document is transmitted from the other party's facsimile machine, and the received data is stored in the recording section according to well-known procedures. Recorded at 6.

When the facsimile machine completes the document, it sends a procedure completion message and restores the call. In step 111 of this reception operation, when the recording paper is completely consumed or the remaining amount with a certain margin is consumed, a detection signal is sent from the sensor 11 of the recording section 6 to the main control section 1, and the main control section 1 receives a detection signal. In response, the control unit 1 notifies the transmission side of the occurrence of an error, and terminates or interrupts the operation due to the error.

Prior to the communication operation, or during the communication operation, the operator determines whether to send a message at the end of the communication using a specified switch on the operation display section or an input means such as a numeric keypad, and if so, send the message. Specify the destination. For example, if the operator's seat is located far away, such as in a separate room,
If this seat has a telephone 8a, enter the extension number of the telephone a8a. By this operation, the input telephone number is stored in a predetermined area in the memory 4 as destination designation information. The destination information stored in the memory 4 is saved in the memory until the next designated input is made. Therefore, it is preferable that the memory 4 is configured so that its contents are retained by a backup power source even when the power is cut off. However,
This destination specification is not only for reporting paper errors, but also for
It may be configured to perform this for other error notifications, and in that case, a configuration may be considered in which the message destination is specified each time a communication operation is performed.

FIG. 2 shows the operating procedure of the main controller 1 when the remaining amount of recording paper is detected from the sensor 11. Incidentally, this operating procedure is executed according to a program stored in advance in the control memory ROM of the main control section l.

If the receiving operation (or original copying operation, etc.) is terminated or interrupted due to an error due to the recording paper running out in steps SL and S2, and the message destination is specified by the operation in step S3, the main control unit 1 executes the operation in step S4. The communication control unit 7 is controlled according to the destination designation information stored in the memory 4, and a selection signal is transmitted via the line 9d in step S5. Private branch exchange 10 thereby transmits a paging signal to the terminal indicated by the selection signal.

In the above example, telephone 8a is called.

When the operator who has returned to his/her seat picks up the receiver of the telephone 8a and answers the telephone in step S7, the main control unit 1 transmits to the line a predetermined signal tone indicating an error termination or interruption of communication due to running out of recording paper in step S9. After informing the operator in the separate room of the end of communication and its success or failure, the line is disconnected in step SIO.

If the operator does not respond to the call, step S
After making a call for a predetermined time while checking the timer started in Step 6 in Step S8, the line is disconnected.
If the message destination is not specified in step S3, a voice message corresponding to normal or error termination is outputted using the conventional speaker 2 in step S11.

As described above, the operator can perform other tasks near the terminal to which the message is to be sent, and the efficiency of the tasks can be greatly improved since time is no longer wasted. Further, when the end of the recording paper is notified, the recording paper can be quickly replaced.

The above example shows an example in which a chart end message is sent to an extension telephone, but of course it is also possible to send a chart end message to an outside telephone using a public line. Further, the content of the error to be notified is not limited to the occurrence of running out of recording paper, and an apparatus using an inkjet printer or the like can be configured to notify of various errors such as running out of ink.

In addition, a message indicating that the communication has ended may also be sent at the end of the communication, regardless of any errors.This is convenient because the usage status of the device can be known.

Messages are not limited to signal tones, but can also be voice messages such as ``Terminate communication'' or ``An error has occurred'' from voice storage devices such as voice synthesizers, tape recorders, and ROMs. If configured to send messages, it becomes possible to transmit messages in a more friendly and easy-to-understand manner. Of course, the message receiving terminal is not limited to a telephone, but may be another facsimile device, and in this case, the message is transmitted as image data.

Although the embodiments related to facsimile machines have been shown above,
The data transmitted and received in the present invention is not limited to image data, and the present invention can of course be implemented in communication devices of other types.

[Effects] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, means for detecting the consumption amount of predetermined consumable parts, means for transmitting a selection signal, and storage means for storing predetermined destination designation information are provided. and when the detection means detects that the consumable parts have been consumed to a predetermined amount, the selection signal transmission means sends a selection signal to the destination terminal corresponding to the destination designation information stored in the storage means. Since the system uses a configuration that sends a call and notifies the operator of the consumption of consumable parts, it is possible to notify the operator who is located far from the device of the consumption of consumable parts and prompt him or her to replace the recording paper. This has the excellent effect of improving work efficiency without wasting operator time. The present invention has the advantage that it can be implemented very simply and at low cost since the configuration of a known communication device is not significantly changed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a facsimile machine as an embodiment of a communication device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control procedure in the event of an abnormality. l...Main control section 2...Speaker 3...Operation display section 4...Memory 5...Read! fB
6...Recording section 7...Communication control section 8a~
8d...Telephones 9a to 9d, lL...
Line 10...Private branch exchange patent applicant Canon Corporation! -・72・、1Bi Agent Patent Attorney Taku Kato Figure 1c 8a Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] The device has means for detecting the consumption amount of a predetermined consumable part, a selection signal transmitting means, and a storage means for storing predetermined destination designation information, and the detecting means detects that the consumable part has been consumed up to a predetermined amount. is detected, the selection signal transmitting means transmits a selection signal to the destination terminal corresponding to the destination designation information stored in the storage means to make a call, thereby notifying the consumption of consumable parts. Characteristic communication device.