JP2000083117A - Communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] An operation based on an operation of an operation unit of one communication device can be executed by another communication device between communication devices connected via a communication line. SOLUTION: A control unit 7 of a facsimile machine on the transmission side.
Holds key operation information of the operation panel 10 performed in advance, and transmits the key operation information to a designated destination via a communication line. On the other hand, the control unit 7 of the facsimile machine on the receiving side performs an operation operation based on the key operation information received via the communication line.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication apparatus such as a facsimile apparatus for facsimile transmitting and receiving data via a communication line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a facsimile apparatus is connected to a host computer, an operation panel of the facsimile apparatus is displayed on a display section of the host computer, and operation information from the operation section of the host computer is transmitted to the facsimile apparatus. Sends a response data to the operation information to the host computer, thereby simulating the operation of the operation panel of the facsimile apparatus on the host computer (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-1)
No. 50881).

In such a conventional apparatus, the operation specified on the operation panel of the facsimile apparatus cannot be executed in the same manner by another external facsimile apparatus.

[0004]

By the way, in recent years, as the number of functions of a facsimile apparatus has been increased, operation methods such as setting functions have become complicated, and inquiries about the function setting method have been frequently made to support centers.

[0005] In response to such an inquiry, the operator of the support center will explain the correct operation method to the customer who has made an inquiry over the telephone, based on the operation manual and the like. Because of the variety, it was difficult to explain to the inquiring customer easily.

[0006] Therefore, it is desirable that the operator of the support center can set a desired function in place of the customer who inquires, but this cannot be done by using the above-mentioned conventional apparatus.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and executes an operation based on an operation of an operation unit of one communication device between communication devices connected via a communication line in another communication device. The purpose is to be able to.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a communication apparatus for facsimile transmitting and receiving data via a communication line, in which key operation information of an operation unit which has been performed in advance is stored. There are provided means for transmitting key operation information to a designated destination via the communication line, and means for executing an operation operation based on the key operation information received via the communication line.

In a communication apparatus for facsimile transmitting and receiving data via a communication line, key operation information of an operation unit which has been performed in advance is held, and the key operation information is transmitted to a designated destination via the communication line. Means for transmitting
Preferably, there is provided means for executing an operation operation based on the key operation information received via the communication line in accordance with an instruction from the operation unit.

Further, in a communication apparatus for facsimile transmitting and receiving data via a communication line, key operation information of the operation unit and bit map information of the operation unit, which have been performed in advance, are held, and the key operation information and the bit map information are stored. It is preferable to provide means for encoding and converting the image information into image information and transmitting the image information to a designated destination via the communication line.

Furthermore, in a communication apparatus for facsimile transmitting and receiving data via a communication line, key operation information of an operation unit and bit map information of the operation unit which have been performed in advance are held, and the key operation information and the bit map information are stored. A means for printing an image based on the image may be provided.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the bitmap RAM and the display data. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a facsimile communication procedure in the facsimile apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the facsimile apparatus according to the present invention. FIG.
5 is a flowchart showing a transmission operation according to the present invention in the facsimile apparatus. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a receiving operation according to the present invention in the facsimile apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, this facsimile apparatus includes a reading section such as a scanner, a recording section 2 such as a laser printer, a receiving section 3, a communication control section 4, a modem 5, a bitmap RAM 6, a control section 7, An image information encoding / compression unit 8, a panel display unit 9, an operation panel (key input unit) 10, a key / bitmap holding RAM 11, etc.
Communication lines such as DN and PSTN are connected.

The control unit 7 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM.
It has an operation control unit and a key (Key) code conversion unit, and realizes control of the entire apparatus and various functions according to the present invention.

That is, the control unit 7 and the like hold means for facsimile transmitting and receiving data via a communication line, and key operation information of the operation unit performed in advance, and transmit the key operation information to a designated destination. The function of a means for transmitting via the communication line and a means for executing an operation operation based on the key operation information received via the communication line are achieved.

[0017] Also, it functions as a means for executing an operation operation based on the key operation information received via the communication line in accordance with an instruction from the operation unit.

Further, it holds the key operation information of the operation unit and the bit map information of the operation unit which have been previously performed, encodes the key operation information and the bit map information, converts them into image information, and designates the image information. The function of a means for transmitting to the specified destination via the communication line is performed.

Further, it also functions as a means for holding key operation information of the operation unit and bitmap information of the operation unit which have been performed in advance, and printing an image based on the key operation information and bitmap information.

As shown in FIG. 2, the panel display section 9 is configured so as to be able to perform a panel display corresponding to the bit map RAM 6 on a one-to-one basis. The bitmap RAM 6
It is arranged in the control unit 7 so that reading and writing can be freely performed by software control. When the panel display section 9 has 40 lines vertically and 240 dots horizontally, an area having a capacity of 1200 bytes (Byte) is secured in the bitmap RAM 6.

The operation panel 10 of the facsimile machine
Is provided with a menu key for providing various functions in addition to a ten-key one-touch dial for inputting a telephone number.

A key input by an operator on this operation panel 10 and key press information (key operation information, key information,
The key code) correspondence table is stored in the control unit 7. Table 1 shows only a part of the key code corresponding to the input key.

[0023]

[Table 1]

The operation control unit of the control unit 7 controls the display contents of the panel display unit 9 to be switched based on the key press information so that the operation is performed.

For example, FIG. 2 shows the data contents of the bitmap RAM 6 when the number "1" is input. When the operator presses the "1" key of the ten keys, the key code conversion unit starts the operation. Key press information “01” corresponding to the key “1”
H ", and notifies the operation control unit of the key press information" 01H ".

The operation control unit of the control unit 7 performs a process of changing the display by operating the bitmap RAM 6 corresponding to a predetermined display position. Also,
When the display is changed by the operation control unit, the key bitmap holding RAM is transferred from the display bitmap RAM 6.
11 is also performed.

On the other hand, as a setting item, for example, in the case of date adjustment, first, the menu. 9.2.9.
8.0.5.2.8. The setting operation is performed when the display returns to the standby screen in the menu. At this time, it is necessary to determine whether or not to execute the operation according to the present invention. 9.0.1. Determined by menu operation, menu. 9.0.0. It is also necessary to perform an operation for canceling in the menu.

That is, when considering the instruction to execute the operation according to the present invention, the change of the date, and the cancellation of the operation, the menu.
9.0.1. Menu, menu. 9.2.9.8.
0.5.2.8. Menu, menu. 9.0.0. The operation of the menu will be performed, but what is necessary for the operation according to the present invention is the menu. 9.2.8.9.8.0.
5.2.8. Since the menu is a menu, the key operation for canceling the operation is excluded from the input keys and stored in the key / bitmap holding RAM 11.

Next, the processing at the time of operating the operation panel of the facsimile machine will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, it is determined whether or not there is a key input. If there is a key input, a key code (key operation information) is stored, an operation flow transition is executed, and a panel display bitmap is changed. Judge whether to execute the function to convert to image information or print as image information.If not, judge whether to end this operation.If not, return to the first process and end. If so, the process ends.

If the function of converting to image information or printing as image information is to be executed, the key operation information is stored in the panel display bitmap, and it is determined whether or not to end this operation. If not, the process returns to the first process, and if it is completed, this process ends.

Next, communication processing according to the present invention in the facsimile apparatus will be described. As described above, when the key operation information that has been operated in advance, that is, the key operation information is stored in the key / bitmap holding RAM 11, the transmitter transmits the key operation information to the facsimile apparatus specified in advance. As shown in FIG. 3, the key operation information of the key / bitmap holding RAM 11 is transmitted in the non-standard function setting signal (NSS) transmitted to the receiver.

On the other hand, on the receiver side, when key operation information is input to the NSS received from the transmitter, the key operation information is retained, and after the communication with the transmitter is completed, the operation control of the control unit of the receiver is performed. The operation control unit executes the operation based on the key operation information.

Next, transmission processing of the facsimile machine on the transmission side will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, when the NSF is received, NSS transmission is started, and it is determined whether or not the facsimile machine on the receiving side has the function according to the present invention.
If so, it is determined whether or not all key codes (key operation information) have been transmitted. If so, NSS transmission is terminated, TCF is transmitted, CFR is received, and DCN transmission is performed. The transmission processing ends.

If the receiving-side facsimile apparatus does not have the function according to the present invention, the NSS transmission is terminated, the TCF is transmitted, the CFR is received, the DCN is transmitted, and the transmission processing is terminated. .

Next, the receiving process of the facsimile machine on the receiving side will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, when the NSF is transmitted, NSS reception is started, and it is determined whether or not the NSS has a key code (key operation information). If so, the key code is held and the TCF is received. , Sending CFR, and DC
N, and passes the received key code to the operation control unit, and terminates the reception processing. If there is no key code in the NSS, normal facsimile reception is executed.

In the transmission / reception operation in this case, since the image information is not transmitted, the DCN is not transmitted when the CFR is transmitted from the receiver.
It is also possible to use a procedure in which control is performed so that the communication time is shortened and the communication time is shortened.

Further, in the above-described processing, the control unit of the facsimile apparatus on the receiving side automatically processes the key code (key operation information) received by the communication procedure with the facsimile apparatus on the transmitting side to the operation panel. Instead of passing in order, for example, every time the operator presses the menu, the operation control unit controls to pass it by replacing it with the key code of the menu, and executes the operation operation based on the key operation information according to the instruction from the operation unit panel Then, the operation operation can be performed stepwise according to the operation of the operator.

The control unit 7 of the facsimile machine on the transmitting side can also convert the key operation information of the key / bitmap holding RAM 11 into image information and transmit the image information.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an image example of the image information. Arrows 20 and 22 show the image information of the panel display contents, and arrow 21 shows the image information of the message of pressing the numeric key "2".

Here, the key / bitmap holding RAM 1
The panel display part 1 is a bitmap holding RAM,
1 in the horizontal direction (for example, 30 bytes (for 240 dots))
Although it is transmitted as a line, even if it is transmitted at a resolution of 8 × 3.85, since it is 30 mm in length, it is transmitted three or four times.

At the time of transmission, since a line buffer memory is prepared in the image information encoding / compressing unit 8, it is preferable to perform encoding after enlarging here. Similarly, transmission is also performed in the vertical direction, but the same line buffer memory may be encoded three or four times before transmission.

It is necessary for the control unit 7 to convert the key code itself into a transmission image (image information).
In advance, bitmap data corresponding to all key codes is prepared in advance, and when the key code input from the key holding RAM of the key / bitmap holding RAM 11 is extracted, the image information encoding / compressing unit 8 It is preferable to develop the bitmap in the line buffer and sequentially encode it.

Therefore, the control unit 7 stores the key operation information of the operation unit and the bitmap information of the operation unit in advance in the key holding RAM, and encodes the key operation information and the bitmap information into image information. The image data is encoded by the compression unit 8 and converted into image information, and the image information is transmitted to a designated destination via a communication line.

Further, the control unit 7 outputs the image information to the recording unit 2 when the image information is prepared in the line buffer of the image information encoding / compressing unit 8. An image based on the key operation information and the bitmap information on the operation panel 10 can be printed on recording paper.

If the recording paper is sent to the other party by mail, the operation method can be reliably transmitted.

If the image printed on the recording paper is read by the reading unit 1 and transmitted to the facsimile of the other party via the communication line, the image is received based on the image information received by the facsimile apparatus of the other party. The operation can be performed by

In this way, the operation based on the operation of the operation unit of one facsimile apparatus can be executed by the other facsimile apparatus between the facsimile apparatuses connected via the communication line.

Therefore, since various settings can be made on the receiving facsimile machine in the same manner as the operation method on the transmitting facsimile machine, the setting work of various functions on the receiving side can be performed automatically, and There is no need to bother the operator of the side.

For example, a setting operation for which an inquiry was made to the support center is performed by the facsimile device on the support center side, and operation input key information of the setting operation is transmitted to the facsimile device for which the inquiry was made, so that the facsimile device is supported. Various setting operations can be performed from the center side.

Further, since the operation screen can be checked on the receiving facsimile machine in the same manner as the operation on the transmitting facsimile machine, an operation for the receiving side operator to perform another setting can be performed in advance. You can learn.

For example, the setting of the inquiry is simulatedly operated by the facsimile apparatus of the support sensor, and the operation input key information is transmitted to the facsimile apparatus of the inquiry source.
The inquiring user can actually confirm the operation on the operation panel of his / her facsimile machine, the user can know the setting operation concretely, and use it as a reference operation when changing in the future. Can be.

Further, since it does not depend on the function of the receiving facsimile apparatus, even if the facsimile apparatus is set to prohibit facsimile reception, it can be received by another facsimile apparatus. Can be.

For example, when the facsimile apparatus of the support center is operated by simulating the setting of the inquiry and the operation screen and the operation input key information are transmitted to the facsimile apparatus of the inquiry source, the operation input key information is transmitted as the image information. Therefore, transmission can be performed using normal facsimile communication, and when applied to a general facsimile apparatus, it can be introduced without a significant additional function.

Furthermore, even when another facsimile machine cannot be used, the fax can be sent to the destination by mail or the like, so that the operation method can be reliably transmitted to the destination.

For example, a general facsimile machine of a support center can be operated to set an inquiry, the operation screen and the operation input key information are printed on a recording sheet, and the printed manuscript is mailed to the inquiry source. When applied to a facsimile machine, it can be introduced without a significant additional function.

[0056]

As described above, according to the communication apparatus of the present invention, the operation based on the operation of the operation unit of one communication apparatus is performed between the communication apparatuses connected via the communication line. It can be performed on the device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a bit map RAM shown in FIG. 1 and display data.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a facsimile communication procedure in the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation according to the present invention in the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a transmission operation according to the present invention in the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a receiving operation according to the present invention in the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an image example of image information transmitted by the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: reading section 2: recording section 3: receiving section 4: communication control section 5: modem 6: bitmap RAM 7: control section 8: image information encoding / compression section 9: panel display section 10: operation panel (key input Part 11) Key / bitmap holding RAM

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A communication apparatus for facsimile transmitting and receiving data via a communication line, wherein key operation information of an operation unit performed in advance is held, and the key operation information is transmitted to a designated destination via the communication line. And a means for executing an operation operation based on the key operation information received via the communication line. 2. A communication apparatus for facsimile transmitting and receiving data via a communication line, wherein key operation information of an operation unit previously performed is retained, and the key operation information is transmitted to a designated destination via the communication line. And a means for executing an operation operation based on the key operation information received via the communication line in accordance with an instruction from the operation unit. 3. A communication apparatus for facsimile transmitting and receiving data via a communication line, wherein key operation information of an operation unit and bitmap information of an operation unit which have been performed in advance are held, and the key operation information and bitmap information are stored in the communication unit. A communication device comprising means for encoding and converting the image information into image information and transmitting the image information to a designated destination via the communication line. 4. A communication apparatus for facsimile transmitting and receiving data via a communication line, wherein key operation information of an operation unit and bit map information of an operation unit which have been performed in advance are held, and the key operation information and bit map information A communication device comprising means for printing an image based on the communication information.