JP2660818B2 - Image file transmission device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has a plurality of transmission modes including at least a time designation transmission mode for designating a transmission time, accumulates a plurality of image files, and specifies a designated transmission mode. The present invention relates to an image file transmission device that transmits an image file to a designated destination.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a large-capacity image memory has been used to transmit the same image information to a plurality of facsimile stations, or to store a plurality of image information in a destination station set corresponding to each. 2. Description of the Related Art An image file transmission device such as a sequential broadcasting device having a function of transmitting at a designated time has been put to practical use.

In such a sequential broadcasting device, a plurality of transmission files of each type are divided into an immediate transmission file which starts transmission immediately after accumulation and a time designation transmission file which is transmitted at a designated time. It is stored in memory.

[0004]

However, in the prior art, since the destination is called for each transmission file, the following inconvenience has occurred.

[0005] For example, when an immediate transmission file is being stored, the transmission specification time of the previously stored time specification transmission file has passed, and the destinations of the immediate transmission file and the time specification transmission file are different. In the same case, after the transmission of the time-specified transmission file is completed and the transmission line (for example, the telephone line) is temporarily disconnected, the transmission control procedure is again started to the same destination to immediately transmit the transmission file. The use efficiency of the transmission line and the sequential broadcasting device is poor.

Further, when a plurality of immediate transmission files are stored in the image memory and the destinations of these immediate transmission files are the same, the use efficiency of the transmission line and the sequential broadcasting device is poor for the same reason as described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and by continuously transmitting a transmission file of the same destination under certain conditions, an image file transmission that can improve the use efficiency of a transmission line and an apparatus. It is intended to provide a device. It is another object of the present invention to provide an image file transmission device capable of effectively utilizing a plurality of transmission modes.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a plurality of transmission modes including at least a time designation transmission mode for designating a transmission time, accumulates a plurality of image files, and designates a designated transmission mode. In an image file transmitting apparatus that transmits the specified image file to the designated destination, during the one communication operation, when the transmission of any image file is completed, the same destination as the communication destination is designated. Other image files are stored,
When the other image files are set to the time-specified transmission mode and the set transmission time is exceeded, the transmission control means for continuously transmitting the other image files while holding the line is provided. It is a thing.

[0009] Further, in an image file transmitting apparatus which has a plurality of transmission modes, stores a plurality of image files, and transmits a specified image file to a specified destination in a specified transmission mode. During the communication operation of, when transmission of any image file ends,
Other image files that specify the same destination as the communication destination are stored, and when selecting an image file to be transmitted among other image files, the priority set in the plurality of transmission modes is set in advance. According to the order, transmission control means for selecting the image file in which the transmission mode of the higher priority is set first and transmitting the other image files in the selected order is provided.

[0010]

Therefore, among the image files for which the time designation transmission mode has been set and which have not been transmitted for some reason, the image files for which the same destination has been set are transmitted during one communication operation. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which image files that have been stored and not transmitted remain.

Further, since the image files to be transmitted are selected in accordance with the priorities set in advance for the plurality of transmission modes, the image files in the urgent transmission mode, for example, in the immediate transmission mode, are selected. The file is selected and transmitted preferentially, so that the communication functions required for each transmission mode can be effectively utilized.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a sequential broadcasting device MF according to the present invention.
X shows an embodiment of X. In this embodiment, the broadcasting device MFX has a configuration in which a storage broadcasting unit 2 is added to a facsimile unit 1.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1e denotes a scanner which scans a transmission original in a plane and performs photoelectric conversion to form a transmission image signal;
Is a printer that prints a dot pattern, and 1c is a buffer that converts the output signal of the scanner 1a into an 8-bit parallel signal, converts the output of the code compression / expansion circuit 1d into a serial signal, and outputs the serial signal to the printer 1b. The expansion circuit 1d decodes the received data added from the buffer 1c and the management information adding circuit 1g, expands the data, and outputs the data to the buffer 1c.

Reference numeral 1f designates a network control circuit for establishing and disconnecting a transmission line by controlling a transmission line network such as a telephone line network, and 1h designates the scanner 1a, printer 1b, buffer 1c, code compression / expansion circuit 1d, modem 1e, a CPU (central processing unit) for controlling the network control circuit 1f and the management information adding circuit 1g, 1i is a ROM (Read Only Memory) storing a program to be executed by the CPU 1h, and 1j is a work area of the CPU 1h. Eggplant RAM (random
(Access memory) and 1k are external memory interface circuits for exchanging data between the facsimile unit 1 and the storage / broadcasting unit 2.

A buffer 1c, a network control circuit 1f, a management information adding circuit 1g, a CPU 1h, a ROM 1i, a RAM
1j and the external memory interface circuit 1k are connected to the system bus line SB.

In the storage / broadcasting section 2, reference numeral 2a denotes a facsimile interface circuit connected to the external memory interface circuit 1k for exchanging data between the facsimile section 1 and the storage / broadcasting section 2, and 2b denotes an image memory 2c.
A code compression / expansion circuit for compressing image data added via the facsimile interface circuit 2a to suppress the capacity of the image data and decoding and expanding the data stored in the image memory 2c to restore the original image data;
Is a clock circuit.

A CPU 2e controls the facsimile interface circuit 2a, the code compression / expansion circuit 2b, the image memory 2c, and the clock circuit 2d, respectively.
e, a ROM storing a program to be executed, and 2g a CP
A RAM 2h, which forms a work area of U2e and stores management information (including transmission source information) and the like, is an input unit including ten keys and function keys.

The facsimile interface circuit 2a, code compression / expansion circuit 2b, image memory 2c, clock circuit 2d, CPU 2e, ROM 2f, RAM 2g and input unit 2h are connected to an internal bus line IB.

FIG. 2 shows the operation input section 2h in detail. In the figure, OP is an operation panel,
K1 is an automatic transmission key, K2 is a time designation transmission key, K3 is a polling transmission key, K4 is a copy key, K5 is an immediate transmission key, 10K is a numeric keypad for inputting a numerical value and time, etc., SK is a start key and CK. Is a stop / clear key. The contact output of these keys is
The mode is set and the like is determined based on 2e and 1h. It should be noted that other operation keys and various indicators are also provided on the operation panel OP, but since they are not directly related to the present invention, the description is omitted.

FIG. 3 shows a file management table for setting the image information file transmission mode and the like when the image data of the transmission original is stored in the image memory 2c to form the image information file. This file management table FMT is set in the RAM 2g by the number of image files stored in the image memory 2c.

The file management table FMT includes a management flag MF indicating the transmission mode of the image information file, a file number NF indicating the order in which the image information file is stored, and a code such as a destination telephone number. Destination information TN, transmission time [hour / minute] information TT representing a designated transmission time at the time of designated transmission, document number information PP representing the total number of pages of the transmitted document, and a page of the transmitted document representing the amount of transmitted information. A page counter PC expressed by a number and a call counter CT storing the number of retransmissions when the destination station is communicating.

FIG. 4 shows details of the management flag MF.

As shown in the figure, the management flag MF includes a time-designated transmission flag FTT, a batch transmission flag FBT, and an immediate The transmission flag FIT and the file management table FM
The image information file managed by T includes a transmission request flag FRT indicating that the image information file has not been transmitted yet and should be transmitted.

Therefore, when the operator sets a document to be transmitted and presses the key K2, the transmission is time-specified transmission. When forming an image information file corresponding to the document to be transmitted in the image memory 2c, the CPU 2e transmits the image information file. The time designation transmission flag FTT and the transmission request flag FRT of the management flag MF of the file management table FMT for managing files are set, the batch transmission flag FBT and the immediate transmission flag FIT are reset, and the number of transmitted documents is counted. The result is set in the document number information PP. Further, the telephone number of the destination and the designated transmission time input by the operator using the numeric keypad 10K are set in the destination information TN and the transmission time information TT, respectively.

When the operator stores the document, the key K1
Is pressed, the batch transmission flag FB of the management flag MF
When T is set and the key K5 is dropped, the immediate transmission flag FIT is set. In this case, the designated transmission time is not input. The transmission request flag FRT and the number-of-documents information PP are also set in the same manner as in the case of the above-described time-specified transmission file.

At the time of such document storage, the CPU 2e determines how many times the document storage operation corresponds to the current day, and the result is stored in the file number FN. Therefore, the file stored at an earlier time has a smaller value of the file number FN. If the file search (table search) is performed in the order of the file number FN, the transmission files can be transmitted in the storage order.

As described above, at the time of document storage, various information on each image information file is stored in the corresponding file management table FMT.

FIG. 5 shows a transmission control flow in the broadcast device MFX. This transmission control flow forms a part of a main control flow for sequentially controlling the entire broadcast device MFX. Further, since the main control flow is cyclically executed, the transmission control flow is repeatedly executed at a very short time interval.

As shown in the figure, the transmission control flow is as follows.
Routine FLIM for searching and transmitting an immediate transmission file
Is executed, a routine FLBK for searching for and transmitting the batch transmission file is executed, and finally, a routine FLST for searching for and transmitting the time designation transmission file is executed. Therefore, in this case, the immediate transmission mode has the highest priority,
Next, the priorities are set for the respective transmission modes so that the priority of the batch transmission mode is higher and the priority of the time-designated transmission mode is lowest.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a routine FLIM for searching and transmitting an immediate transmission file. In this example, after transmitting the immediate transmission file, all valid transmission files having the same destination as this file are continuously transmitted.

That is, each file management table FMT
A table search is performed using the file number FN of the file as an index (process 11). If there is a transmission file (the result of determination 12 is YES), the transmission request flag FR of the management flag FM in the file management table FMT of the transmission file is determined.
It is determined whether or not there is a transmission request for this transmission file based on whether or not T is set (decision 13). Further, in the immediate transmission mode, it is determined whether or not the immediate transmission flag FIT of the management flag MF is set. It is determined whether or not there is (Step 14).

If the result of determination 14 is YES, the destination information TN of the file management table FMT is transferred to the network control device 1f to call the destination station (process 15), and after the transmission line is established, the transmission is performed. The image information corresponding to the file is transmitted to the destination station (process 16).

After the processing 16 is completed and before the transmission line is released (cut), the table search is performed again (processing 17), and it is checked whether or not there is a transmission file of the same destination (determination 18). . When there is such a transmission file, if the transmission file that has been searched is in a state of having a transmission request (the result of determination 19 is YES), it is further determined whether or not the time specification transmission mode is set (determination 20), and the time specification transmission is performed. If the mode is not the mode, it is the immediate transmission mode or the batch transmission mode, and the process returns to step 16 to transmit the transmission file.

If it is determined in the judgment 20 that the transmission mode is the time designation transmission mode, the flow returns to the process 16 to transmit the transmission file only when the transmission designation time is exceeded (the result of the judgment 21 is YES). If not, the process returns to step 17 to repeat the table search.

The above operation is performed for all the file management tables FMT, and the image information to which the same destination is set is successively transmitted.

A routine FL subsequent to the routine FLIM
In the BK and the routine FLST, the routine FL
As in the case of the IM, when the transmission file to which the same destination is set is continuously transmitted, the following is performed.

That is, the routine FLBK only needs to change "determination 14" of the routine FLIM to "determination block" for determining the transmission file in the batch transmission mode. Further, the routine FLST includes, as shown in FIG.
Instead of the judgment 14, a judgment 22 for judging a transmission file in the time designated transmission mode and a judgment 23 for judging that the transmission designated time has been exceeded are inserted between the judgment 13 and the processing 15, and the other is the same as the routine FLIM. Things are fine.

FIG. 8 shows another example of the routine FLIM, that is, the routine FLIM1. This routine FL
After transmitting the immediate transmission file, the IM1 searches for and transmits the immediate transmission file of the same destination. That is,
In the table search loop after processing 16,
After the judgment 19, a judgment 24 for judging an immediate transmission file is inserted, and the transmission file for which the result of the judgment 24 is YES is transmitted by the processing 16.

By using the above-mentioned routine FLIM1 for the search / transmission routine of the immediate transmission file, it means that the transmission file of the same destination is searched for from the ones in which the same transmission mode is set. Therefore, the routine FLBK1 and the routine FLST1 for performing the same processing in other transmission modes are respectively shown in FIG.
And FIG.

That is, the routine FLBK1 has contents in which the judgments 14 and 24 of the routine FLIM1 are changed to the judgments 25 and 26 for judging the batch transmission file, respectively.

The routine FLST1 changes the routine FLST partially shown in FIG. 7 to return to the processing 17 when the result of the judgment 20 is NO, and further, when the result of the judgment 20 is YES, A determination 27 is performed to determine a transmission file whose transmission time is within a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) from the transmission specification time of the previously transmitted transmission file, which is set as the transmission specification time, and the result of this determination 27 is YES. Only in the case of (1), the process returns to the process 16 to transmit the image information.

As a result, transmission files having the same transmission destination to be subsequently transmitted are searched from among files having the same transmission mode set.

FIG. 11 shows still another example of the routine FLIM, that is, a routine FLIM2. In this example, when an immediate transmission file is transmitted, if there is a batch transmission file with the same destination set, this batch transmission file is transmitted only when there is no immediate transmission file with another destination set. . In this way, the immediateness (urgency) of the immediate transmission file is not impeded as compared with the routine FLIM shown in FIG.

That is, if a table search is performed in the process 17 and there is a transmission file (decision 28), the transmission file is added to the transmission file in the immediate transmission mode (the result of the decision 29 is YE
S) If there is a destination that is not the same destination (judgment 3)
If the result is 0 (NO), the process is terminated.

On the other hand, the transmission file searched is not in the immediate transmission mode (the result of the determination 29 is NO), the same destination is set (the result of the determination 32 is YES), and the transmission request is present (the result of the determination 33 is NO). If the result is YES, and if the batch transmission mode is set (the result of decision 34 is YES), the process 16
Then, the transmission file is transmitted.

Also in this routine FLIM2, if there is the same destination in the immediate transmission mode (result of determination 30 is YES) and the transmission request is present (determination 3).
1 is YES), the transmission file is transmitted.

When the destination station is in communication in the above-mentioned processing 15, the call is made again after a certain time. At that time, the number of recalls is stored in the call number information CT, and the value of the call number information CT is stored. Becomes a predetermined value (for example, 2 or 5), the transmission control for the image information file is interrupted, and the process shifts to the transmission control for the next image information file. This is a measure for preventing repetitive calls from being repeated indefinitely or many times, thereby preventing normal operation of the broadcast device MFX from being sequentially disturbed.

The page counter PC is incremented each time image information is transmitted for one page of the transmission document.
This makes it easy to determine from which page to resume when transmission is resumed after interruption.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 has been described. However, the present invention is similarly applied to an image file transmitting apparatus other than this configuration. be able to.

[0051]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A plurality of transmission modes including at least a time designation transmission mode for designating a transmission time are provided, and a plurality of image files are stored, and a designated image file is transmitted to a designated destination in the designated transmission mode. In the image file transmitting apparatus, when one image file is transmitted during one communication operation, another image file specifying the same destination as the communication destination is stored, and When the image file is set in the time-specified transmission mode and the set transmission time has been exceeded, transmission control means for continuously transmitting the other image files while maintaining the line is provided. So
Among the image files for which the time designation transmission mode has been set, those which have not been transmitted for some reason are transmitted during one communication operation following the other image files to which the same destination is set. In addition, the use efficiency of the communication line is greatly improved, and an effect that an image file which is stored and not transmitted remains can be avoided.

Further, the image file transmitting apparatus having a plurality of transmission modes for storing a plurality of image files and transmitting the designated image file to the designated destination in the designated transmission mode once. During the communication operation of, when transmission of any image file ends,
Other image files that specify the same destination as the communication destination are stored, and when selecting an image file to be transmitted among other image files, the priority set in the plurality of transmission modes is set in advance. According to the order, the transmission mode of the higher priority is selected first from the image files in which the transmission mode is set, and transmission control means for transmitting the other image files in the selected order is provided. An image file to be transmitted is selected according to a preset priority, and an image file in a highly urgent transmission mode, for example, an image file in an immediate transmission mode is preferentially selected and transmitted. There is an effect that the communication function required for the transmission mode can be effectively used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a sequential broadcasting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial configuration diagram showing a specific example of an input unit.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a file management table.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a management flag.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a transmission control flow.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a routine FLIM.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a part of a routine FLST.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a routine FLIM1.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a routine FLBK1.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a routine FIST1.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a routine FLIM2.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 facsimile unit 2 accumulative broadcasting unit 1h, 2e CPU (central processing unit) 1i, 2f ROM (read only memory) 1j, 2g RAM (random access memory) 2h input unit

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A plurality of transmission modes including at least a time designation transmission mode for designating a transmission time are provided, a plurality of image files are stored, and a designated image file is designated in the designated transmission mode. In an image file transmitting apparatus that transmits to one of the destinations, when one of the image files has been transmitted during one communication operation, another image file having the same destination as the communication destination is stored. If the other image files are set to the time-specified transmission mode and the set transmission time has been exceeded, the transmission for continuously transmitting the other image files while maintaining the line is performed. Image file transmission device comprising control means 2. An image information input means for inputting image information.
Transmission means for transmitting image information in a predetermined transmission mode
And destination setting to input information corresponding to the destination of image information
Means and image file that collects image information for each communication
Memory that can store multiple
Transmission mode setting means for setting the mode, and
Transmission time setting means for setting a transmission time and calling a destination
Automatic call-out means for storing image files once
Image files that are stored in memory and then sent to the specified destination
In the file transmission device, transmission of the first image file is completed during one communication operation.
At this point, another transmission setting for the same destination
Image files stored in the image memory
And the former image information transmission mode is time-specified
This latter image file is set to send mode
When the specified transmission time is specified for the former image file transmission
If the time is set within a predetermined time range from the hour,
An image file transmission device comprising transmission control means for transmitting the latter image file following the former image file while retaining the line .