CN1176545C - Paperless image facsimile scanner - Google Patents

Abstract

The image fax scanning device without paper comprises: the image scanning unit scans the file and generates scanned image data; the fax unit is connected with the telephone line and used for transmitting the generated scanned image data out through the telephone line or receiving the fax image data from the telephone line; the data storage unit is used for connecting the portable data storage medium and storing the received fax image data in the portable data storage medium; the input interface at least comprises an operation keyboard for inputting various operation signals to the image fax scanning device; and the control unit controls the operation of the image fax scanning device, the fax unit and the data storage unit.

Description

Paperless Image Fax Scanner

technical field

The invention relates to a paperless image facsimile scanning device, in particular to a paperless image facsimile scanning device without using a computer system.

Background technique

In a modern office, a fax machine is a necessary communication device. It has a simple operation mode, allowing users to complete image transmission without learning cumbersome computer operations. In the case that the quality of the image is not high, such as transmitting images of flat prints, manuscripts, images of coupons, etc., using a fax machine to transmit images is a common communication method. Even so, due to limitations in technology and design, general facsimile machines have the following disadvantages in terms of printing quality, efficiency and cost. The following three points will be discussed.

In terms of printing quality and cost, general fax machines use thermal or non-thermal printing methods. The quality of thermal printing is poor, and the printed black is easy to fade, which is not conducive to long-term storage, but the printing cost is relatively low. Generally, low-priced fax machines use thermal printing. Non-thermal printing, such as inkjet printing, has better printing quality than thermal printing, but its speed is slower, and the price of consumables such as inkjet cartridges is more expensive. As for other non-thermal printing methods, such as laser printing methods, which are used by higher-end fax machines, they are not popular because they are more expensive.

In terms of user efficiency: After receiving a fax data, the general fax machine will print it out, and the same telephone line cannot send or receive new faxes when receiving and printing, and if the fax data is received It will take more time when an error occurs and a resend is required or the amount of data is large. In addition, when sending out a fax machine, if the receiving party's fax machine is busy and needs to redial, although most fax machines have automatic redial function, it is very likely that there are other people who urgently need to send a fax at this time. , in this case, two transmitters need to communicate and coordinate to complete. Furthermore, if there are many people who need to fax at the same time, they need to coordinate with each other or wait patiently. In such a situation where multiple people use the same facsimile machine, manpower and time will be wasted, and work efficiency will be reduced.

Although some high-end facsimile machines have functions such as timing transmission and storage reception to solve these problems, they are only independent functions limited to one facsimile machine, and cannot be combined with other computer peripheral equipment to achieve automation, high efficiency, and high efficiency. quality work environment. And for most of the documents that are processed on the computer to be faxed, these so-called high-end fax machines, the currently known fax methods, (a) or connect the fax machine with a computer to make the document directly Although this method does not need to print out the document first, it is a big problem for users who are generally not familiar with computer control; (b) otherwise, the document must be printed out and then faxed in the traditional fax method. Fax out, resulting in a waste of paper.

On the other hand, the operation mode of general image scanners is not convenient. For example, a general flatbed scanner must be controlled by a personal computer, and the user must operate the software controlling the scanner, and store the scanning results in a storage unit of the personal computer, such as a hard disk drive, for further processing. Although a scanner with a portable data storage medium has been developed, the scanned data is stored on the storage medium of the scanner. But as far as its function is concerned, it only has the image scanning function, and cannot combine the use of other computer peripheral resources to give full play to its high-quality scanning output characteristics, nor can it combine its high-quality scanning output characteristics with fax and network functions. , so the added value is low.

In order to solve the shortcomings of general facsimile machines and make full use of the characteristics of general image scanners, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a paperless image facsimile scanning device that combines the functions of facsimile machines and image scanners into one , using the image scanner part as the input device of the facsimile machine, and using the data storage unit to store the received facsimile data, and sending it to a storage medium to replace the printout, so that it can achieve paperless, high-quality output, and can Independent operation, no need to rely on personal computer to control, its simple operation characteristics can improve operation efficiency, so that users who are not familiar with computer operation can easily complete high-efficiency and high-quality fax transmission and reception. In addition, it connects with LAN devices through its built-in network interface, such as combining with the enterprise internal network (Intranet), sharing the image data output from the image fax scanning device, and can process these data through the network server, extending different functions to provide an automated and efficient working environment.

Contents of the invention

According to the purpose of the present invention, a paperless image facsimile scanning device is proposed. The image facsimile scanning device includes: an image scanning unit for scanning a scanned document to generate a scanned image data; a facsimile unit and a telephone Line connection, which can be used to transmit the scanned image data generated by the image scanning unit through the telephone line, or receive fax image data from the telephone line; a data storage unit, which can be connected to a portable data storage medium, for to store the facsimile image data received by the facsimile unit in the portable data storage medium; an input interface, which at least includes an operation keyboard for inputting various operation signals to the image facsimile scanning device; and a control The unit is used to control the operation of the image facsimile scanning device, the facsimile unit and the data storage unit.

Description of drawings

In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, a preferred embodiment is specifically cited below, and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the detailed description is as follows:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a paperless image facsimile scanning device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another paperless image facsimile scanning device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a functional schematic diagram of Example 1 of the paperless image facsimile scanning device in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a functional schematic diagram of Example 2 of the paperless image facsimile scanning device in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a functional schematic diagram of Example 3 of the paperless image facsimile scanning device in FIG. 2 .

Detailed ways

Referring to FIG. 1 , it shows a block diagram of a paperless image facsimile scanning device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the image fax scanning device 100 includes: an image scanning unit 110 , a fax unit 120 , at least one data storage unit 130 and a control unit 140 . The image scanning unit 110 , such as a platform scanner or a sheet-fed scanner, is used to scan documents and generate data of a scanned document, ie, digital image data. The fax unit 120 is used to fax the data of the scanned document or receive external fax data. The fax unit 120 is connected to a public switched telephone network (Public Switching Telephone Network, PSTN) as a transmission and receiving interface of a general fax machine, so as to Send and receive faxes. The data storage unit 130, for example, is a detachable hard disk drive interface or a floppy disk drive, such as a 1.44Mbytes disk drive, Zipdrive or LS 120 and other disk drives, which can (1) be used to quickly scan the data of this scanned file And a large amount of data is written into a data storage medium, waiting for the facsimile unit 120 to send it out, eliminating the time for users to wait in line for transmission; In the media, waiting for the real recipient of the incoming fax, take the fax data and copy it to his private computer, so as to reduce the waste of paper and increase the speed and capacity of receiving; (3) for the user to transfer the fax data The file to be faxed on the computer is placed in an appropriate storage medium, and then the storage medium is brought to the image facsimile scanning device 100 and placed in its storage unit 130 to read out the data in the data storage medium and provide Fax the data in the data storage medium to the facsimile unit 120 . The control unit 140 is used to control the operation of the image fax scanning device and process the data of the scanned document, the external fax data and the data of the data storage medium. For example, image processing is performed on these data to generate image files in image formats such as JPEG, which are stored on Zip disks through Zipdrive. Another example is to convert image files stored in the data storage medium, such as image files in image formats such as JPEG, into image data that can be faxed by the control unit, so that the fax unit can send the image data through the telephone network.

The aforementioned image facsimile scanning device 100 in FIG. 1 further includes a memory 150 for storing the data processed by the control unit 140 for use by the control unit 140 . For example, when the storage space of the data storage medium is insufficient, the memory 150 is used to store data, or the control unit 140 temporarily stores data in the memory 150, and when a certain amount is reached, it is temporarily stored in the data storage medium to save access time. In addition, the video facsimile scanning device 100 can also have a peripheral device interface (not shown in the figure) to connect other peripheral devices, such as external data storage devices, such as CD-RW, DVD-RAM, etc., as shown in Figure 4 below In Example 1 of , this functionality is described.

As mentioned above, the paperless video facsimile scanning device in FIG. 1 can complete the scanning and facsimile functions without the control of a personal computer. In order to achieve another purpose of the present invention, this paperless image facsimile scanning device is combined with a network. Referring to FIG. 2, it shows another paperless image facsimile scanning device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention block diagram. As shown in the figure, the image fax scanning device 200 includes: an image scanning unit 210 , a fax unit 220 , at least one data storage unit 230 , a control unit 240 and a network interface 250 . The difference between this paperless image facsimile scanning device 200 and the aforementioned paperless image facsimile scanning device 100 is that it has a network interface 250, such as an Ethernet network card (Ethernet network card), through the control unit 240, to The data of the scanned document, the external fax data, the data of the data storage medium and the data received from the network interface 250 are processed, and the network interface 250 is controlled to output the data processed by the control unit 240 . The paperless image facsimile scanning device 200 can be connected to the network to share the processed data, for example, the network interface 250 is used to connect to a local area network.

The aforementioned image facsimile scanning device 200 in FIG. 2 further includes a memory 260 for use by the control unit 240 . For example, when the storage space of the data storage medium is insufficient, or when the network connection is interrupted, the memory 260 can also be used to store data.

The above description proposes the paperless image facsimile scanning device of the present invention, which can complete the processing of facsimile and scanning without the control of a personal computer, and output data to a data storage medium; in addition, it can also connect other peripherals devices to networks. Three examples are given below to illustrate these functions in detail and to discuss their operation and implementation.

As shown in FIG. 3 , this is a functional schematic diagram of Example 1 of the paperless image facsimile scanning device in FIG. 1 . The paperless image facsimile scanning device 300 combines the functions of a flatbed scanner and a facsimile machine, including a scanning unit and a facsimile unit. Its fax unit is connected to PSTN through a telephone line to send and receive faxes, and the scanning unit also includes a scanning platform 311 and an automatic paper feeding mechanism 315 . The video facsimile scanning device 300 has a floppy disk drive 320 as an input/output device, and a display panel 330 and an operation keyboard 340 are used as a user interface; the implementation of the operation keyboard 340 can also use a wireless keyboard in addition to the traditional one. An example of the display panel 330 is, for example, an LCD display panel. In addition, the image facsimile scanning device 300 also has a Universal Serial Bus (Universal Serial Bus-USB) interface 371 and a printer interface 372 for connecting with other peripheral devices. These units and devices constituting the image facsimile scanning device are all controlled by the control unit for combining various facsimile and scanning functions and processing data.

When the user needs to fax a document, he can put the document on the top of the automatic paper feeding mechanism 315, and then press the operation keyboard 340, and the document will be automatically fed into the automatic paper feeding mechanism 315 for scanning; One sheet is placed on the scanning platform 311 for scanning. After the document is scanned, the display panel 330 will display a message to inform the user of the scanning result, and fax the data of the scanned document. At the same time, the user can choose to image the data or store it on a floppy disk. If the floppy disk is not put into the floppy disk drive 320 or the storage space of the floppy disk has been exhausted, the data will be stored in the memory of the paper-free video facsimile scanning device 300 for processing by the user .

In addition, the user can configure the system to choose to send the scanned image data stored in the portable data storage medium through the telephone line, such as the scanned image data in the disk in this example. Or choose to convert the image data of the data storage medium, and transmit the converted scanned image data through the telephone line. For example, the user converts the JPEG, GIF image files on the disk, or the image files generated by the computer, and then faxes them out. As mentioned above, these functions and operations are all controlled by the control unit within the system.

When receiving an external fax, the user can selectively set the system to directly store it on a floppy disk or store it in the memory for further processing.

As for the general document scanning function, the scanning unit of the video facsimile scanning device 300 completes the scanning independently to output to the data storage medium. This saves the steps of operating a computer. For users, the convenience of operation is like using a photocopier. The difference is that the data is copied to a disk in the form of a digital image file instead of output to paper.

A general A4-sized fax requires about 60KB to 80KB of storage space, and a 1.44MB disk can store about 20 fax data. For high-capacity floppy disks, such as Zip or LS 120 and other floppy disks, the capacity is more than 100MB, and at least about 1460 faxes can be stored. These facsimile data can be converted into a general personal computer or an image format commonly used on the Internet, such as JPEG, etc., by the control unit of the image facsimile scanning device 300 for further processing by the user. This can greatly reduce the consumption of paper, increase the reuse of data and consumables, improve work efficiency, and reduce costs.

As shown in FIG. 4 , this is a functional schematic diagram of Example 2 of the paperless image facsimile scanning device in FIG. 1 . The paperless image facsimile scanning device 400 combines the functions of a paper-fed scanner and a facsimile machine, including a scanning unit and a facsimile unit. The scanning unit also includes a paper feeder 411 to guide the entry of documents. And floppy disk drive 420, personal computer memory card international association (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association PCMCIA) card slot 421 are as input/output device, and display panel 430, operation keyboard 440 are as user's interface. In addition, it also has a USB interface 471 and a printer interface 472 to connect with other peripheral devices. For example, a USB device 481 and a printer 482 .

The difference between Example 2 and Example 1 is that Example 2 uses a sheet-fed scanner. On the one hand, it simplifies the structure of the video facsimile scanning device 400. It is not as good as Example 1, which requires a larger volume of flatbed scanner, and also makes the manufacturing cost lower. Inexpensive; In addition, the second example also includes a PCMCIA card slot 421 to access a PCMCIA card, such as a flash memory card (Flash memory card).

The application of this example, for example, the reporter needs to fax the image taken by the digital camera to the agency: the reporter writes the captured image to a flash memory card (Flash memory card) through the built-in PCMCIA card reading and writing function of the digital camera itself , and then insert the memory card into the image fax scanning device 400, and fax these images back to the agency. Another application example is to store fax and scan data in a flash memory card, and then insert it into a notebook personal computer for further utilization or processing.

In addition, the paperless image fax scanning device 400 is also connected to a USB device 481 and a printer 482, allowing users to output fax and scan data through the printer, or use the USB device 481 for storage. Certainly, the video facsimile scanning device 400 can be designed to have other interfaces other than USB, such as a Small Computer System (Small Computer System Interface SCSI) interface, so that it can be connected to a CD-RW with a SCSI interface. , store important fax or scan data in CD-ROM. The functional expandability and ease of use provided by the paperless image facsimile scanning device 400 have higher added value than a separate facsimile machine and scanner, and can effectively combine and use existing resources.

In the description of the above-mentioned example 1 and example 2, although the automatic paper feeding mechanism 315 and the paper feeding folder 411 are respectively described as examples, the feature is to achieve the function of scanning documents, and it is not used to individually limit its application field; the same Therefore, the PCMCIA card slot 421 can also be applied in the first example, without being limited by the second example.

As shown in FIG. 5 , this is a functional schematic diagram of Example 3 of the paperless image facsimile scanning device in FIG. 2 . This paperless image facsimile scanning device 500 has a network interface 560 to output data to a network 590, such as an Ethernet (LAN with Ethernet protocol), and the network interface 560 and the network interface 560 are controlled by the control unit of the image facsimile scanning device 500 LAN 590 connection. In addition, this paperless image facsimile scanning device 500 is like the above-mentioned example 1 and example 2. It does not need a personal computer to control and can independently complete the operation of fax and scan, and output fax and scan data to a data storage medium without paper. , and has a peripheral device interface 571 to connect other peripheral devices 581 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the paperless image facsimile scanning device 500 is connected to a local area network 590 through a network interface 560, such as an Ethernet network card, and becomes one of the network nodes of the local area network 590, enabling connection with other network nodes. To provide data to other network nodes, such as sending fax data to the network server 591, the network server 591 stores and shares these data with other network workstations, such as the first workstation 592 and the second workstation 593.

On the other hand, the control unit of the paperless video facsimile scanning device 500 may also include sorting and filtering functions to filter faxes from unknown sources, such as advertisements or private faxes, to reduce the burden of network transmission. The possibility of printing from a network printer can be reduced, thereby reducing the consumption of consumables such as paper.

The paperless image fax scanning device 500 is combined with the company's internal network to allow other network workstations to share the output from the fax machine and image scanner, and can process these data through the network server to extend different functions. To provide an automated and efficient working environment.

The paperless video facsimile scanning device disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention combines the functions of a scanner and a facsimile machine, and uses a data storage medium to replace the printout device that is necessary for a traditional facsimile machine, which can greatly reduce the consumption of paper in the office. And it can increase the reuse of data and consumables, as well as the efficiency of work, so as to reduce the cost. Compared with a separate fax machine or scanner, it has higher added value in terms of functional expansion and ease of use. It can also effectively combine existing resources and can be connected to the internal network of the enterprise. , allowing the network server to process fax and scan data, extending different functions to provide an automated and efficient working environment.

In summary, although the present invention has been disclosed above with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Changes and modifications, so the protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the claims.

Claims (19)

1. image facsimile scanning device that does not have paper comprises:

One image scan unit in order to scan a scanned document, produces the one scan image data;

One facsimile unit is connected with a telephone line, can send out by this telephone line in order to the scan-image data that this image scan unit is produced, or reception is from the fax image data of this telephone line;

One data storage cell can connect thereon for a Portable data storage medium, in order to the fax image data that this facsimile unit received is stored in the above-mentioned Portable data storage medium;

One inputting interface wherein includes an operation keyboard at least, in order to this image facsimile scanning device is imported various operation signals; And

One control unit is in order to control the running of this image facsimile scanning device, this facsimile unit and this data storage cell.

2. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 1 wherein also comprises a socket, in order to by this socket this image facsimile scanning device is connected to a local area network (LAN).

3. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 2, wherein this local area network (LAN) is an Ethernet.

4. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 1 wherein also comprises a printerfacing, in order to this image facsimile scanning device is connected to a printer, so that the fax image data that facsimile unit is received comes out by this printer prints.

5. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 1 wherein also comprises a display floater, in order to the operating data of demonstration user input and the state of this image facsimile scanning device.

6. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 1 wherein also comprises a peripheral equipment interface, in order to connect peripheral equipment.

7. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 6, wherein this peripheral equipment interface is a minicomputer system interface.

8. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 6, wherein this peripheral equipment interface is a general serial bus interface.

9. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein this control unit also optionally is sent to this data storage cell to be stored in this Portable data storage medium with the scan-image data of this image scan unit generation.

10. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 9, wherein this control unit scan-image data that this facsimile unit will be stored in this Portable data storage medium send out by this telephone line.

11. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 10, wherein also optionally to change the image data in this Portable data storage medium be the scan-image data to this control unit, and the scan-image data that this facsimile unit will be somebody's turn to do get via conversion send out by this telephone line.

12. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein this image scan unit is a plat form type scanning apparatus.

13. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 11, wherein this plat form type scanning apparatus also has the corresponding use with this plat form type scanning apparatus of an automatic carriage.

14. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein this data storage cell is a floppy disk driver.

15. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein this data storage cell is a drawing out type hard drive.

16. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein this data storage cell is a PCMCIA (personal computer memory card international association) card slot.

17. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein this data storage cell is a read-write formula CD player.

18. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein whether this control unit facsimile data that also can receive in order to screening keeps this facsimile data with decision.

19. image facsimile scanning device as claimed in claim 1, wherein this inputting interface is to adopt wireless mode the operation signal of user's input to be sent to the other parts of this image facsimile scanning device.

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