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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to apparatus for communication and in
particular to a facsimile communication apparatus capable of transmitting
and receiving image information to and from another facsimile
communication apparatus at a remote place. More specifically, the present
invention relates to a facsimile communication apparatus of the type which
once stores information to be transmitted before transmitting it to a
destination terminal or a plurality of destination terminals one after
another.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art facsimile communication apparatuses of the type which once stores
information of an original to be transmitted and transmits the same
information to a plurality of destination terminals one after another are
not provided with the function of adding additional information to the
stored information of an original to be transmitted before transmission.
Accordingly, if additional information, such as a date, time, an origin or
source of transmission, etc., which is not contained in the information of
an original to be transmitted, is desired to be added to the information
of an original to be transmitted, it must first be converted into the form
of image data before storing the information of an original into an image
information memory. The thus converted image data of the desired
additional information is then added to the original, and a combination of
the additional image data and the original is stored in the image
information memory. These conventional apparatuses are disadvantageous
partly because of their complexity in operation.
In particular, if the original to be transmitted consists of a plurality of
pages and if it is desired to allocate the page number to each of the
pages, it is required for an operator to first count the total number of
pages and then to key-in the thus counted number, which is cumbersome.
Alternatively, if it is desired to record the transmitted information on a
plurality of sheets of recording paper with the page number also recorded
consecutively, a receiver will increment the count by 1 each time it
receives a new page and the count may be converted into the form of image
data suitable for recording. In this case, however, once the transmission
is interrupted, for example, due to failure of transmission line or the
like, the count becomes cleared. Thus, when the transmission is resumed
after the interruption, the page number becomes disorderly, which is quite
inconvenient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-described disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the
present invention, and an improved facsimile communication apparatus is
provided.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a facsimile
communication apparatus comprising storing means for storing image
information; first counting means for counting the total number of pages
while storing image information in said storing means; second counting
means for counting the number of pages of said image information which
have so far been transmitted; means for adding the information of said
count in said first and second counting means to said image information
before transmission; and control means for controlling the transmission of
said image information with the additional information in accordance with
the count of said second counting means such that said image information
is transmitted from the portion corresponding to the count of said second
counting means when transmission is resumed after interruption.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an
improved facsimile communication apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile
communication apparatus capable of keeping track of the number of pages of
image information which is being transmitted and of transmitting the image
information from that portion of the image information which corresponds
to the page number where transmission has been interrupted.
A further object of the present invention is to improve a facsimile
communication apparatus of the type which is provided with a storing
device for storing image information to be transmitted to a remote
receiver after scanning an original.
A still further object of the present invention is to improve a facsimile
communication apparatus of the type which once stores image information to
be transmitted and which transmits the image information thus stored to
one or more of remotely located receivers in accordance with a
predetermined time sequence automatically.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile
communication apparatus having the function of adding desired information
to image information obtained by scanning an original before transmission
to a remote receiver.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will
become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention
when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall structure of a facsimile
communication apparatus embodying the present invention; and
FIGS. 2a and 2b are schematic illustrations showing counters defined in RAM
33 shown in FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a facsimile communication apparatus
constructed in accordance with the present invention, which includes a
facsimile transmission/reception unit 10 and an auxiliary storing unit 30.
The facsimile transmission/reception unit 10 includes a scanner 11 for
scanning an original thereby converting the visual image information of
the original into electrical image information. The scanner 11 is
connected to a buffer 12, which, in turn, is connected to a code
compression/expansion circuit 13. Provided as connected to the code
compression/expansion circuit 13 is a MODEM 14 which is also connected to
a net control circuit 15.
The facsimile transmission/reception unit 10 further includes a central
processing unit or simply CPU 16 which controls the overall operation of
the unit 10 and also carries out information processing, a read only
memory or simply ROM 17 for storing a predetermined program to be used in
the CPU 16 and a random access memory or simply RAM 18 for temporarily
storing data to be used by the CPU 16. Also provided as connected between
the code compression/expansion circuit 13 and a bus 22 is a source
information adding circuit 19 which adds desired information, such as
origin or source of transmission, time of transmission, page number, etc.,
to the image information of the original to be transmitted. The reference
numeral "20" indicates a plotter which is to be used for recording image
information on a recording medium when the unit 10 is functioning as a
receiver, and the reference numeral "21" indicates an external memory
interface which interfaces the facsimile transmission/reception unit 10
with the auxiliary storing unit 30.
On the other hand, the auxiliary storing unit 30 includes a CPU 31 which
controls the overall operation of the unit 30 and carries out information
processing, a ROM 32 for storing a predetermined program to be used by the
CPU 31 and a RAM 33 for temporarily storing data to be used by the CPU 31.
The auxiliary storing unit 30 also includes a keyboard 34 having at least
numeric keys, a code compression/expansion circuit 35, an image
information memory 36 for storing image information temporarily, a clock
37 and a FAX interface 38 which is connected to the external memory
interface 21 of the facsimile transmission/reception unit 10 through a bus
23. All of the elements 31 through 38 provided in the auxiliary storing
unit 30 are interconnected by a bus 39. It is to be noted that the bus 23
interconnecting the units 10 and 30 is preferably comprised of a bus which
may be commonly used in various facsimile machines such as an
international standard bus IEEE 488. Facsimile information is transmitted
to or received from another facsimile machine at a remote place through a
telephone line 50.
FIGS. 2a and 2b schematically show representative counters which are
defined in the RAM 33 and which are controlled by the CPU 31 and the
program stored in the ROM 32. It is to be noted that a desired number of
such counters may be provided in the RAM 33, and each counter can store
the telephone number of a particular destination terminal. Thus, the
facsimile communication apparatus of FIG. 1 can transmit the identical
facsimile information temporarily stored in the memory 36 to a plurality
of destination terminals in sequence according to facsimile telephone
numbers stored in the counters of RAM 33.
As shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, each of the counters, identical in structure,
includes a first section 41A, 41B for storing telephone number of a
destination terminal, a second section 42A, 42B for storing time of
transmission, a third section 43A, 43B for counting the number of pages of
facsimile information so far transmitted and a fourth section 44A, 44B for
counting the total number of pages of a batch of facsimile information to
be transmitted.
In operation, a documentary or pictorial original (not shown) is first
scanned by the scanner 11 so that the visual image information of the
original is converted into electrical image information which is then
supplied to the buffer 12 where the thus supplied image information is
converted into 8-bit parallel data. Then the 8-bit parallel data is
transferred to the external memory interface 21 through the bus 22, from
where the data is further supplied to the code compression/expansion
circuit 35 via the bus 23, FAX interface 38 and bus 39, where the data is
subjected to code compression operation. Thereafter the thus compressed
data is stored into the image information memory 36 again via the bus 39.
Each time when the image data or information of the amount corresponding to
a single page of a particular size has been stored into the memory 36, the
count in the total page counter section 44A, 44B of each of the counters
defined in the RAM 33 is incremented by 1 thereby allowing the count in
this section of the counter to indicate the total number of pages for a
batch of image information stored in the memory 36. Thus, upon completion
of this data storage mode, the count indicating the total number of pages
is maintained in this section 44A, 44B of each of the counters defined in
the RAM 33. On the other hand, the facsimile telephone number of a
particular destination terminal and time of transmission are manually
written into the telephone number section 41A, 41B and the transmission
time section 42A, 42B, respectively, through the keyboard 34 by an
operator.
Then follows the mode of transmission; however, in the present embodiment,
it is assumed that the image information stored in the memory 36 is first
transmitted to a destination terminal A whose telephone number is stored
in the counter of FIG. 2a and then to a destination terminal B whose
telephone number is stored in the counter of FIG. 2b.
The CPU 31 constantly compares the transmission time stored in section 42A
of the counter of FIG. 2a with the time of clock 37. When the transmission
time in the section 42A is reached, the telephone number stored in the
section 41A is supplied to the FAX interface 38 through the bus 39. From
the FAX interface 38, the telephone number is then transferred through the
external memory interface 21 and the bus 22 to the net control circuit 15
where automatic calling of the thus transferred telephone number is
carried out. As a result, when the connection of the telephone line 50 to
the destination terminal A is established, the counts in the transmission
page counter section 43A and the total page counter section 44A are
transferred to the source information adding circuit 19 through the bus
39, FAX interface 38, bus 23, external memory interface 21 and bus 22.
Thus, at the source information adding circuit 19, together with source
information such as an origin and time of transmission, the total page
number or count stored in the form of a code in the section 44A is
converted into the corresponding character of 5.times.7 dot matrix, which
is then supplied to the code compression/expansion circuit 13.
As is well known in the art, the code compression/expansion circuit 13 is
so structured to carry out the compression or expansion operation in
commensurate in function with a facsimile communication apparatus to or
from which facsimile data is to be transmitted. In the present case, the
facsimile data to be transmitted to the facsimile terminal A (not shown)
through the telephone line 50 is compressed to appropriate codes in
commensurate with the function of the facsimile terminal A, and then the
thus compressed codes are modulated by the MODEM 14 and supplied to the
telephone line 50 via the net control circuit 15.
Upon completion of transmission of source information as described above,
the first page portion of the compressed facsimile data of an original
stored in the image information memory 36 is expanded by the code
compression/expansion circuit 35 to provide the original uncompressed
facsimile data. On the other hand, since the count of the transmission
page counter section 43A is incremented by 1 each time when a single page
worth facsimile data has been read out of the image information memory 36,
upon completion of read out of the first page portion from the memory 36,
the count in the transmission page counter section 43A becomes "1". Then
the count of the transmission page counter section 43A, which is presently
"1" and indicates the current page of transmission, together with the
count of the total page counter section 44A, indicating the total number
of pages of the current batch of facsimile data, is read out of the RAM
33.
These facsimile and page data thus read out are then transferred to the
buffer 12 via the bus 39, FAX interface 38, bus 23, external memory
interface 21 and bus 22 and stored therein temporarily. Such a structure
of having the data temporarily stored in the buffer 12 after read out
allows to operate the units 10 and 30 independently from each other or
asynchronously. The data thus temporarily stored in the buffer 12 is then
supplied to the code compression/expansion circuit 13 to be converted into
compressed codes in commensurate with the function of the other facsimile
communication apparatus now in connection, and the compressed data are
output to the telephone line 50 via the MODEM 14 and net control circuit
15.
Having completed the transmission of the first page facsimile data, the
count of the transmission page counter section 43A is incremented by 1 to
become "2", and, at the same time, the second page facsimile data is read
out of the image information memory 36. Thereafter, similarly with the
above-described operation for the first page, the second page facsimile
data thus read from the memory 36 is added by the total page and current
transmission page data read from the RAM 33 and then output to the
telephone line 50 for transmission. The similar operation is carried out
repetitively until the count of the transmission page counter section 43A
becomes equal to the count of the total page counter section 44A, thereby
allowing to transmit all pages of facsimile information to the other
facsimile apparatus A in communication.
Upon completion of transmission of a batch of facsimile information to the
facsimile terminal A, the CPU 31 constantly compares the transmission time
stored in the section 42B of the counter (FIG. 2b) having the telephone
number of another facsimile terminal B (not shown) in the section 41B with
the time of the clock 37. When the predetermined transmission time stored
in the section 42B has been reached, the telephone number stored in the
section 41B is dialed automatically so that the connection to the terminal
B through the telephone line 50 is established. Accordingly, similarly
with the previous case of transmission to the facsimile terminal A, total
and current transmission page added facsimile data may be transmitted to
the facsimile terminal B one page after another.
On the other hand, when the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1 operates as
a receiving station, the compressed facsimile data having the additional
information of source of transmission and page data transmitted through
the telephone line 50 is received by the net control circuit 15 and
demodulated by the MODEM 14. The data is then expanded by the code
compression/expansion circuit 13 and the thus uncompressed data is
supplied to the plotter 20 through the buffer 12 so that the image
information of an original together with source and page information may
be plotted on recording paper. Alternatively, after expansion by the code
compression/expansion circuit 13, the uncompressed data may be stored in
the image information memory 36. In this alternative case, the data thus
stored in the memory 36 may be fed to the plotter 20 at any desired time.
In carrying out compression or expansion of image data in the
above-described embodiment, the code compression/expansion circuit 13
employs the two dimensional compression method and the code
compression/expansion circuit 35 employs the one dimensional compression
method. It should be noted however that both of the circuits 13 and 35
carry out compression or expansion of image data in the same method.
In the case of transmission interruption due to telephone line failure,
request by an operator, etc., the total page counter sections 44A, 44B and
the current transmission page counter sections 43A, 43B hold the counts.
Accordingly, when transmission is resumed after interruption, transmission
is resumed from that portion of the facsimile data which corresponds to
the current count held in the transmission page counter section 43A, 43B.
Accordingly, the occurrence of interruption in transmission does not
affect the order of facsimile data as well as the sequence of page number
in any manner in accordance with the present invention.
While several embodiments of this invention have been described above,
other embodiments of this invention will be obvious in view of the above
description to those skilled in the art. The above description is
therefore intended to be illustrative only and not limiting the scope of
this invention, which is to be determined by the appended claims.
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