JPH0720133B2 - Facsimile storage exchange system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention has two facsimile storage and exchange devices,
The present invention relates to an improvement of a facsimile storage / exchange system in which one relays a broadcast to a facsimile under the control of the other.

(Prior Art) In a conventional facsimile store-and-forward system, broadcast relay is managed as shown in FIG. There are two facsimile storage / exchange devices having the same function, and when one (hereinafter referred to as the center) sends an image signal for broadcasting from the facsimile device, a preset document management time A is set. To start monitoring. Further, the center transmits the image signal related to the broadcast to the other facsimile storage / exchange device (hereinafter referred to as a sub-center). At the sub-center, the relay management time B from when this image signal is received
Start monitoring (B <A). Also, in the sub-center,
The image signal sent from the center is broadcasted to the destination facsimile machine designated by the center. When the sub-center operates normally and the relay management time B elapses, the sub-center stops the broadcast relay to the facsimile device, and outputs the result information (broadcast end / unfinished etc.) of the broadcast relay at this point. Send to. The center receives this,
When the document management time A has passed, the result information of the broadcast relay sent from the sub-center is sent to the corresponding facsimile device.

As described above, in the conventional facsimile storage and exchange system, the center and the sub-center independently monitor the document management time A and the relay management time B. In this case, A> B,
Assuming that A = B + α is set, if the sub-center goes down for β (β> α) time as shown in FIG. 4, the time when the result information of the broadcast relay is transmitted from the sub-center to the center (see The broken line in FIG. 4) is after the manuscript management time A has elapsed, and it is not in time for the center to send the result information of the broadcast relay to the facsimile apparatus.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, according to the conventional facsimile storage / exchange system, since the two facsimile storage / exchange devices operate asynchronously, the broadcast relay to the source of the image signal of the original document is performed. There was a drawback that the result information of could not be sent at a regular time or could not be notified at all.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional facsimile storage and exchange system, and an object thereof is to enable the center side to obtain the result information of the broadcast relay when necessary. It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile storage / exchange apparatus capable of reliably providing the above result information to the sender of the image signal of the original.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving Problems) In the present invention, a storage memory that stores image signals, and a transmission / reception unit that transmits / receives image signals to / from a facsimile device and another facsimile storage / exchange device. And a facsimile machine having the same function as that of the first facsimile storage / exchange apparatus, and transmitting a picture signal transmitted from the first facsimile storage / exchange apparatus to a designated destination. A facsimile storage / exchange system having a second facsimile storage / exchange device for broadcast relay transmission to the first facsimile storage / exchange device receives a timer and an image signal of an original document for the broadcast relay from the facsimile device. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the output of the timer is monitored, and when the predetermined time elapses, an instruction to stop the broadcast relay is issued to the second On the other hand, the second facsimile storage / exchange apparatus is provided with a stop instruction means to be given to the facsimile storage / exchange apparatus, and means for returning result information of the broadcast relay of the image signal relating to the transmission request to the facsimile apparatus of the transmission source. After the stop instruction is given from the first facsimile storage / exchange device, a result information returning means for returning the result information of the corresponding broadcast relay is provided, and after the stop instruction, the first facsimile storage The transmission result is returned to the facsimile machine that is the sender of the exchange.

(Operation) According to such a system, after the stop instructing means of the first facsimile storage / exchange apparatus instructs the stop, the result information returning means of the second facsimile storage / exchange apparatus returns the information. The facsimile accumulating and exchanging device can obtain the returned result information. Then, the first facsimile store-and-replace device sends the result information of the broadcast relay to the source facsimile device that has requested the transmission of the broadcast relay to the own device when the image signal of the document related to the broadcast relay is input. After a predetermined time from, it can be reliably returned.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1a indicates a center (facsimile storage / exchange device), and 1b indicates a sub-center (facsimile storage / exchange device). Reference numeral 8 indicates a switching network. The center 1a and the sub-center 1b are
Communication is performed via the switching network 8. Center 1a is sub-center 1b
The and are provided with storage memories (magnetic disk devices or the like) 7a and 7b for storing image signals, CPUs 2a and 2b, and facsimile units (transmission / reception units) 3a and 3b. Also, the facsimile section 3
The a and 3b include interfaces 4a and 4b for transmitting and receiving data to and from the CPUs 2a and 2b, facsimile communication circuits 5a and 5b for performing facsimile communication, and network control circuits 6a and 6b. It is assumed that the network control circuits 6a and 6b are equipped with a dial circuit and an incoming call detection circuit. Further, at least the network control circuit 6b is provided with an MF signal detector and an MF signal to the CPU 2b.
And a decoder for the data.

Further, the CPU 2a is provided with a timer 11 by hardware or software, and a stop instruction means 12 is provided. When the stop instruction means 12 receives an image signal of a document related to the broadcast relay from the facsimile device, the timer 11 monitors the passage of the document management time A by the timer 11, and the document management time A
When the above elapses, the suspension of the broadcast relay is given to the sub-center 1b. Specifically, for example, the CPU 2a gives an instruction to the network control circuit 6a to send a predetermined MF signal to give a stop instruction. On the other hand, the CPU 2b of the sub-center 1b is provided with result information returning means 13. This result information returning means 13 collects the result information of the broadcast relay and returns the result information to the center 1a when the center 1a gives a stop instruction. Specifically, the code data of the result information is converted into a pattern (image signal) by the pattern generator, and is given to the facsimile section 3b and transmitted.

The operation of the facsimile storage / exchange system configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, when an image signal relating to a document is transmitted from the facsimile machine of the transmission source to the center 1a (“broadcast input” in FIG. 3), the CPU 2a receives it via the facsimile section 3a and stores it together with the destination information. Store in memory 7a (10
1). Next, the CPU 2a sets the document management time A and the relay management time B (102), and sends the image signal in the storage memory 2a to the sub-center 1b together with the destination information (103). By this broadcast relay (“Broadcast relay” in FIG. 3), in the sub-center 1b,
After receiving the image signal and the destination information and storing them in the storage memory 7b, the broadcast relay to the facsimile device corresponding to the destination information is started (201), and the image signal is transmitted to the destination facsimile device (202). .

On the other hand, in the CPU 2a of the center 1a, an image signal is transmitted to the destination (another sub-center or a facsimile machine) assigned to this center 1a (104), and the stop instruction means 1
2 is the relay management time B set based on the output of timer 11.
To monitor the arrival of (105). When the relay management time B arrives, the cancel instruction means 12 controls the network control circuit 6a to send a broadcast cancel instruction to the sub-center 1b by an MF signal (10
6). The MF signal of the stop instruction (“broadcast stop” in FIG. 3) is detected by the MF signal detector in the network control circuit 6b of the sub-center 1b, and the CPU 2b is notified of the stop instruction of the broadcast. By this notification, the CPU 2b stops the broadcast relay (203) and creates result information of the broadcast relay at this stage. Specifically, the information such as the destination of the facsimile apparatus to which the transmission has been completed and the destination of the facsimile apparatus to which the transmission has not been completed (how many times the call may be made) may be created. The information that forms the basis of this result information is created by the CPU 2b for each transmission. Next, the result information returning means 13 patterns the result information of the code and gives it to the facsimile section 3b. As a result, the facsimile unit 3b transmits the result information by the pattern (image signal) to the center 1a (204). This transmission is performed by a communication different from the communication in which the center 1a instructs the sub-center 1b to cancel "broadcast". (Fig. 3, "Broadcast result I").

As described above, when the result information returning means 13 returns the result information (108), the CPU 2a stores the result information in the storage memory 7a, and the timer 11 monitors the arrival of the manuscript management time A (109). ). The reason why the center 1a performs the broadcast transmission to the destination (107) is that there is time from "broadcast stop" to "broadcast result I".

When the CPU 2a detects the arrival of the document management time A, the result information in the storage memory 7a is transmitted to the corresponding facsimile machine of the transmission source via the facsimile section 3a (110). In this way, the result information is surely given to the sender facsimile machine (FIG. 3, "broadcast result II").

As described above, in this embodiment, the center 1a manages both the broadcast relay time B and the document management time A, and
Since the result information of the broadcast relay is requested to 1b and the obtained result information is transmitted to the transmission source, the result information can be surely given.

In this embodiment, the instruction to stop the broadcast relay is given by the MF signal, but the transmission control signal (for example, NSF) of the facsimile communication is used.
Etc.). Further, the result information may also be sent from the sub-center 1b side by an MF signal or a transmission control signal, and may be patterned (image signal) at the center 1a. Further, it is also possible to return the result information by communication for giving a stop instruction. In this case, it is efficient that the CPU 2b always prepares the result information up to the present time.

Further, since the broadcast relay stop time B and the manuscript management time A need only be managed on the side of the center 1a, the program creation at this point is unified and simplified, and the maintainability thereof is also improved.

[Effect of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, giving a broadcast relay stop instruction from the first facsimile storage / exchange apparatus side results in a request to return broadcast relay result information, and this result information Will be returned, so that it becomes possible for the first facsimile storage / exchange apparatus side to obtain the result information when necessary. Therefore, even if the second facsimile storage / exchange apparatus is down for a certain period of time, the result information can be surely obtained after the restoration and the result information can be surely given to the sender of the image signal of the document. . In other words, when the first facsimile storage / exchange device requests the source facsimile device that has requested the transmission of the broadcast relay to itself, the result information of the broadcast relay is input when the image signal of the original document related to the broadcast relay is input. Since a method of giving a stop instruction to the second facsimile storage / exchange apparatus to transmit after a predetermined time has been adopted, regardless of how long the second facsimile storage / exchange apparatus has made a transmission attempt. The result information can be reliably collected within a predetermined time from the input of the image signal of the original document related to the broadcast relay, and the collected information can be returned to the sender facsimile machine that requested the broadcast relay. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an information transmission / reception procedure for explaining one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a procedure for transmitting / receiving information by the conventional facsimile storage / exchange system. 1a ... Center, 1b ... Subcenter 2a, 2b ... CPU, 3a, 3b ... Facsimile section 7a, 7b ... Storage memory, 11 ... Timer 12 ... Stop instruction means, 13 ... Result information return means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A first facsimile storage / exchange apparatus comprising: a storage memory for storing image signals; and a transmission / reception unit for transmitting / receiving image signals to / from a facsimile apparatus and another facsimile storage / exchange apparatus. It has the same function as the facsimile storage and exchange device of No. 1,
A facsimile storage and exchange system having a second facsimile storage and exchange device for broadcasting and transmitting an image signal transmitted from the first facsimile storage and exchange device to a designated destination facsimile device, wherein the first facsimile The storage / exchange device monitors the timer and the output of the timer for the lapse of a predetermined time after the image signal of the original document relating to the broadcast relay arrives from the facsimile device, and when the predetermined time elapses, the broadcast relay is performed. And a means for returning the result information of the broadcast relay of the image signal relating to the transmission request to the facsimile apparatus of the transmission source. No. 2 facsimile storage / exchange device, after the stop instruction is given from the first facsimile storage / exchange device, Result information returning means for returning the result information of the broadcast relay is provided, and after the stop instruction, the result information of the broadcast relay is returned from the first facsimile storage / exchange device to the sender facsimile device. Facsimile store-and-forward system characterized by the above.