Facsimile and static presentation processing – Facsimile – Auxiliary signal
Reexamination Certificate
1996-11-12
2001-01-30
Grant, II, Jerome (Department: 2724)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Facsimile
Auxiliary signal
C358S404000, C358S444000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06181440
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile machine, and in particular to a device which can be connected to an information processing apparatus, such as a personal computer or workstation, and which, in addition to performing the traditional functions of a facsimile machine, can also function at least as a printer for such information processing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of facsimile machines which are connected to information processing apparatuses such as personal computers or workstations. In addition to the traditional facsimile functions of the transmission and reception of image data, these facsimile machines are also provided with a variety of functions which enable them to be used as printers for such information processing devices, as scanners, as modems and as copiers. It is also common for such facsimile machines to be equipped with their own memory to allow the reception of image data even when the device has run out of paper.
When a multi-function facsimile machine is used in an office which handles confidential documents, it can be desirable from a security point of view for the device to be set to not print out documents received when no-one is at the office, such as during the night. With such a setting, the reception images are stored in the facsimile memory and printer function of the facsimile machine is disabled. This disabling of the printer function can be achieved, for example, by intentionally removing the supply paper.
There is, however, a disadvantage with the construction described above. When the printer function is disabled to improve the security of data reception, this has the additional effect of disabling other functions, such the ability to serve as a printer for an information processing device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a facsimile machine which can function normally, with the exceptions of the fundamental functions of the transmission and reception of image data, while maintaining the confidentiality of reception images.
This object can be achieved by a facsimile apparatus comprising: a printer for printing image data; a memory for storing image data; a reception unit for receiving image data from a sender facsimile machine; a setting unit for setting memory storage mode whereby reception image data from the sender facsimile machine is stored in the memory and is prohibited from being printed by the printer; an image data write unit for writing reception image data received during a setting of memory storage mode into the memory; a control unit for controlling a first operation and a second operation, wherein the first operation is performed with one of reception image data stored in the memory and reception image data which is being written into the memory, and wherein the second operation is performed with other image data, the other image data being different from the reception image data stored in the memory and the reception image data which is being written into the memory; and a prohibiting unit for prohibiting the first operation when the memory storage mode is set.
By means of the stated construction, although a first operation, which uses image data which is already stored in the memory or which is being written into the memory, is prohibited when memory storage mode is set, second operations are not prohibited, so that confidentiality can be maintained and the facsimile apparatus can be used as normal, with the exceptions of the fundamental functions of the transmission and reception of image data.
Here, the control unit may further control a polling reception operation, wherein the polling reception operation is an operation which has image data stored by a sender facsimile machine transmitted to the present facsimile apparatus according to an operation by the present facsimile apparatus and which has the present facsimile apparatus receive the image data, wherein the prohibiting unit prohibits a polling reception operation when memory storage mode is set.
Since polling reception operations are also prohibited by the above construction, the confidentiality of images can be maintained.
Here, the facsimile apparatus may further include an interface which can be connected to an external device and which is used for data transfer with the external device; a transferring unit for transferring image data received from the sender facsimile machine to the external device via the interface, when the interface is connected to the external device; and a transfer prohibiting unit for prohibiting any transfer of the reception image data by the transferring unit during memory storage mode.
Here, even when a transfer unit is provided in the facsimile apparatus for transferring reception image data to the external device, such transfers of image data are prohibited during memory storage mode by the transfer prohibiting unit. As a result, the confidentiality of reception images can be properly maintained.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4994926 (1991-02-01), Gordon
patent: 5017965 (1991-05-01), Hashimoto et al.
patent: 5386303 (1995-01-01), Kihara
patent: 5581367 (1996-12-01), Oogiri et al.
patent: 5644405 (1997-07-01), Sato
patent: 5684607 (1997-11-01), Matsumoto
patent: 5801846 (1998-09-01), Nobuta
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Grant II Jerome
Minolta Co. , Ltd.
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