JPS6341462B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a facsimile broadcasting device, and in particular, when transmitting documents simultaneously using a subscriber telephone line or a private telephone line, the line capacity of each route set in advance is Accordingly, the present invention relates to a facsimile broadcasting device that performs broadcast transmission.

Facsimile broadcasting equipment, which stores facsimile signals once and broadcasts them to multiple destination facsimile terminals, can freely retransmit even if a problem occurs with the other party's line or receiving terminal, and can also send facsimile signals at a pre-specified time. It has the advantage of being able to send original documents, and is often used within companies for broadcast transmission operations, etc., where the same information is transmitted from the head office to branch offices.

Address accommodating facsimile broadcasting devices that are currently in common use, that is, block division when performing simultaneous broadcast communication (hereinafter referred to as broadcast transmission) (multiple destination facsimile terminals are divided into broadcast communication units) (dividing into multiple groups) and correspondence between used lines and destinations, in order to eliminate factors that disrupt traffic by preventing terminals from the same side from concentrating on destinations within the same block for simultaneous broadcasting. This also serves as a means of mitigating busy-busy disturbances. In addition, regarding private lines, if you do not take account of destination accommodation by limiting calls to the same side when broadcasting simultaneously due to the capacity of the installed lines, the number of existing lines may be reduced. There may also be cases where the number of outgoing calls is exceeded, resulting in the phenomenon of frequent call failures.

In other words, when constructing a facsimile communication network in a subscriber network or a private network, the accommodation of destination facsimile terminals generally depends on the geographical location where the terminal is installed and the line capacity of the line leading there. In general, consideration must be given to accommodating destinations so that the number of destination facsimile terminals that are simultaneously connected on the same side is limited to a few terminals, but conventional facsimile broadcasting devices have the drawback of not being able to handle this problem.

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate such drawbacks of the conventional system and to introduce the idea of line capacity for each line route, thereby reducing busy disturbances during broadcast transmission, and achieving smoother broadcast transmission. An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile broadcasting device capable of carrying out transmission operations.

The present invention provides a facsimile broadcasting device connected to a plurality of facsimile terminals via a switching network.
Keys for entering input data such as the telephone number corresponding to each facsimile terminal, the line route number given to the line route to which the terminal is connected, the maximum simultaneous connection line capacity that can be connected to the line route, and the number of re-dialings. a memory unit that stores the input data in advance, a network control unit that can activate one or more exchange lines, a display unit that visually displays the input data, and a facsimile image that is to be broadcast to the terminal. an image signal accumulation section that accumulates signals; a modem section that performs signal conversion when accumulating the image signals in the image signal accumulation section; and a modem section that receives procedure signals from the terminal and transmits the image signals to the terminal. It includes a signal transmitting/receiving section that transmits signals, and a control section that controls each of the sections.

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail using the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of the facsimile broadcasting apparatus of the present invention. Further, FIG. 2 shows an example of the arrangement of facsimile terminals in the case where this facsimile broadcasting device is installed in a private telephone network to provide a broadcast communication service.

In the following explanation, for convenience, it is assumed that the number of line routes connected to the other party's facsimile terminal to which broadcast communication service is provided is four routes, and the line capacity of each route is defined as two lines.

In FIG. 1, N private telephone lines L-1, L-2, . . . , L(N-1), and L-N are connected to this broadcasting device 100. It is connected to each route of route M. It is also assumed that broadcast communication service is provided to each of the three facsimile terminals via the switching network for each route.

The document to be broadcast is sent from the center aximille 10 to the facsimile broadcasting device 1 via the connection line 12.
It is sent to 00. Facsimile broadcast device 10
0 is a network control unit 1, a signal transmitting/receiving unit 2, a control unit 3,
Key section 4, print display section 5, memory section 6, facsimile control section 7, modem section 8, image signal storage memory 9
Contains.

The network control unit 1 has a function of interfacing with telephone lines, and has interfaces 1-1, 1-2, . . . for each telephone line.
...1-(N-1), 1-N, when making a call,
After checking the line capacity for each line route number of the facsimile terminal specified by the operator from the memory unit 6 according to the command from the control unit 3, the telephone number of each facsimile terminal is received, and a dial pulse signal or push button is sent. Sends a button dial signal. Further, when there is an incoming call, the ringing tone is detected and the controller 3 is notified of the incoming call.

The signal transmitting/receiving unit 2 establishes a line connection by transmitting signals necessary for transmission procedure control to the facsimile terminal or receiving them from the facsimile terminal before starting image signal communication with the facsimile terminal. Corresponding to 2-1, 2-2, ...2-
(N-1) and 2-N.

The key unit 4 is used to input the destination telephone number, line route number, line capacity, number of re-calls, etc. of the facsimile terminal to be serviced from the keyboard and register them initially in the memory unit 6, or to send a manuscript for broadcast communication. The destination of the destination facsimile terminal is input and input into the memory section 6. Further, various operation keys necessary for operating the facsimile broadcasting device 100 are provided, and the operator operates the key unit 4 using these keys.

The print display section 5 is equipped with a display and a printer, and displays instructions and results necessary for operations, as well as input data and output data, and prints them out using a printer as necessary.

The memory unit 6 includes a registration area 6-1 that stores the destination telephone number, line route number, line capacity, maximum number of re-transmissions, etc. of the facsimile terminal initially registered by the key unit 4, and a registration area 6-1 that stores the destination telephone number of the facsimile terminal, line route number, line capacity, maximum number of re-transmissions, etc., which are initially registered by the key unit 4. When the facsimile terminal inputs information from the key section 4, the line route number, line capacity, telephone number, and maximum number of retransmissions corresponding to those destinations are rearranged by referenced line route number from the registration area 6-1. Storage area 6 for each line route
2.

The facsimile control unit 7 transmits the center facsimile 10 via the control unit 3 by operating the key unit 4.
The communication terminal 1 starts transmission and reception and sends and receives transmission procedure signals, and establishes a connection between the facsimile broadcasting device 100 and the center facsimile 10.

The modem section 8 converts the facsimile signal transmitted from the centafacsimile 10 via the facsimile control section 7 and stores it in the image signal storage section 9. Furthermore, the image signal stored in the image signal storage section 9 is reconverted and transmitted to the destination facsimile terminal via the signal transmission/reception section 2 and a telephone line.

The image signal storage section 9 stores image signals sent from the center axis 10, and its memory area is prepared for a plurality of original sheets.

The control section 3 plays the role of a sequencer in the facsimile broadcasting device, controls each section according to the stored program, and displays instructions necessary for operator operation on the print display section 5.

The functional outline of each part of the facsimile broadcasting device according to the present invention has been described above, and the operation will be explained next. In this device, the destination telephone number, line route number, line capacity, maximum number of re-calls, etc. of the facsimile terminal that provides the broadcast communication service are entered in advance from the key section, and the information is entered in the registration area 6 of the memory section 6.
-1 is initially registered. This update, that is, change of existing registration and new registration, can be performed from the key unit 4 each time. The input from the key section 4 can be confirmed on the display of the print display section 5, and can also be recorded as a record using a printer. When a request to broadcast a manuscript occurs, the operator first sets the manuscript to be transmitted in the center axis 10, and then uses the key section 4 to select the transmission destination to be broadcast, including the line route number, line capacity, etc. for the destination. By inputting data without consideration, data such as the destination telephone number, line route number, line capacity, maximum number of re-calls, etc. for each designated terminal is stored from the registration area 6-1 to the line route specific storage area 6-. 2
After being transferred to , they are reorganized by line route. After waiting for the destination input to be completed and sending an instruction to start document storage to the control section 3, the control section 3 operates the facsimile control section 7 to connect the connection line between the facsimile broadcasting device 100 and the center facsimile 10. 12 is established, and then the facsimile image signal is transmitted from the center facsimile 10, and the image signal is stored in the image signal storage section 9 via the modem section 8. The completion of image signal accumulation is displayed on the print display section 5 and can also be recorded as a record by the printer. At this time, the destination information for providing the broadcast communication service is registered in the storage area 6-2 for each line route. , In parallel, referring to the already registered data in the registration area 6-1, the storage area 6-2 for each line route is stored.
The destination telephone number, line route number, line capacity, maximum number of re-calls, etc. are organized and stored for each line route. This situation is confirmed on the display of the print display section 5. The preparation for broadcast communication is now complete.

As specified at the beginning, for convenience of explanation, the various data regarding the terminal that should provide the broadcast communication service in this case are as follows, that is, the line route number is P,
There are 5 routes, Q, R, S, and T, and the line capacity for each of the 5 routes is 2 lines, and the number of telephone lines is N = 10, and each route has 3 terminals, for a total of 15 terminals, as shown in Figure 2 A. This will be explained as the destination being specified.

After the original document to be broadcasted is stored in the image signal storage section 9, the control section 3 controls each section as follows according to the storage program and plays a role in the sequence.

When the storage of image signals is completed, the control unit 3 stores the line route number, P, Q,
Pick up 10 terminals in total, 2 terminals from each group with each line capacity, 2 lines, in the order of R, S, and T, and store the telephone numbers in the network control unit 1 (1-1) from the line route storage area 6-2. ,...1-
N), calls the destination facsimile terminal, and further establishes a line connection by exchanging signals of a unique transmission procedure between the signal transmitting/receiving section 2 (2-1, ..., 2-N) and the destination facsimile terminal. conduct. Here, P
The line capacity of the 5 routes of ~T is 2 lines each,
Also, three terminals are designated as destinations for each route, and one terminal remains for each route. Therefore, in this case, the relationship between the destination-specified terminal, the terminal for which a line connection has been established, and the destination-specified terminal for which no processing has been performed is as shown in Figure 2B. .

Among the 10 terminals that are attempting to perform broadcast communication, there are some that are in use as facsimile terminals, and some that are causing problems and cannot establish a line connection, but these are excluded. When all the remaining connections are completed, the control unit 3 detects this and sends the desired image signal stored in the image signal storage unit 9 to the modem unit 8, converts the image signal, and further converts the signal. The signal is sent to the signal transmitting/receiving unit 2 (2-1,..., 2-N) and sent to the destination terminal, that is, the line in this case, via the network control unit 1 (1-1,..., 1-N) and the telephone line. Send to a total of 10 terminals each with route numbers P, Q, R, S, and T. When the destination terminal has good reception, a normal reception completion signal is returned from each destination facsimile terminal and the facsimile communication is completed. However, the connection of each telephone line is released, and the completion of the communication is displayed on the display of the print display section 5 and also stored in the corresponding destination in the line route specific storage area 6-2. For destination facsimile terminals to which a reception completion signal is not sent due to poor transmission, the telephone line is immediately opened in preparation for re-calling.

Next, for facsimile terminals that sent the above facsimile image signal but could not receive it properly, those that were in use, or were unable to establish a line connection due to a failure,
The re-call is executed according to the line route number and line capacity of the destination facsimile terminal to which transmission could not be made normally up to the maximum number of re-calls registered in advance for each destination facsimile terminal, and this confirmation is stored in the memory area for each line route. This is done by decrementing the maximum re-call line registered in 6-2 by 1 for each re-call. When the broadcast communication cannot be completed, the communication is stopped and the names of these destination facsimile terminals and the reason why the broadcast communication cannot be completed are recorded by a printer.

As mentioned above, line route numbers P, Q, R,
When communication with two terminals each on the S and T5 routes, totaling 10 terminals, is completed, broadcast communication is performed in the same manner as above for the remaining 5 terminals on the remaining 5 routes.

As described above, reception has been completed for all 15 terminals (3 terminals for each of the 5 routes with line route numbers P, Q, R, S, and T) for which broadcast communication service should be provided, or , the reception is not completed even after making the maximum number of retransmissions registered for each destination facsimile terminal in the storage area 6-2 for each line route, or the reception is not completed when one of the following occurs, the broadcast communication service to each terminal is activated. This indicates the completion of the line route storage area 6-2 to the control unit 3.
A signal is sent to 〓Broadcast complete〓.

In this way, the number of terminals that simultaneously communicate with the facsimile terminals defined as the same line route for the facsimile terminals specified by the operator is limited to the number of terminals specified as the line capacity. You can also perform facsimile broadcast communications.

In the above description, a private telephone line has been taken as an example, but it is clear that the present invention is not limited to this.

In addition, line route numbers are not limited to 5 routes as in the example shown above, and can be added according to user requests, and line capacity can be increased based on the existing telephone network. It is wise to make a decision taking into account the number of installed lines and the amount of traffic, but if you set the total for each line route number to be equal to the number of drawn lines N, it will be possible to make a decision based on one broadcast communication. As a result, it is possible to perform broadcast communication over all routes with a capacity equal to the line capacity of each route, which would be an idea to improve line utilization efficiency when constructing a broadcast communication system.

Further, it goes without saying that the effects of the present invention can be applied regardless of whether it is a storage type facsimile broadcasting device or a non-storage type facsimile broadcasting device.

As described above, according to the present invention, even when the transmission destinations of the destination facsimile terminal are concentrated in the same direction, line usage is controlled according to the predetermined line capacity for each route, and the transmission is sent to the destination facsimile terminal. By doing so, it is possible to avoid concentration of line usage on the same side, reduce busy failures related to line use, and increase flexibility in constructing a facsimile broadcast communication network.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a partial block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2A is a destination designation diagram showing an example of destination designation for each line route, and FIG. 2B is a line route FIG. 7 is a destination designation diagram showing an example of transmission to another destination. 1...Network control unit (1-1,...1-N), 2...
...Signal transmitting and receiving unit (2-1,...,2-N), 3...
...Control section, 4...Key section, 5...Print display section, 6
...Memory unit (registration area 6-1, storage area for each line route 6-2), 7...Facsimile control unit,
8...Modem section, 9...Picture signal storage section, 10...
Center axis, L-1,..., L-N...
Telephone line, 12... connection line, 100... facsimile broadcasting device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a facsimile broadcasting device connected to multiple facsimile terminals via a switching network, the telephone number corresponding to each facsimile terminal, the line route number assigned to the line route to which the terminal is connected, and the line A key part for inputting input data such as the maximum simultaneous connection line capacity connectable to the route and the number of retransmissions, a memory part for storing the input data in advance, and a network control part for starting one or more exchange lines. , a display section that visually displays the input data;
an image signal storage section that stores facsimile image signals to be broadcasted to the terminal; a modem section that performs signal conversion when storing the image signals in the image signal storage section; and a modem section that converts the procedure signal from the terminal. A facsimile broadcasting device comprising: a signal transmitting/receiving section that receives and transmits the image signal to the terminal; and a control section that controls each section.