Facsimile machine with diverse communication facilities

Details Facsimile machine with diverse communication facilities Facsimile machine with diverse communication facilities

1993-08-05

1996-11-12

Coles, Sr., Edward L.

Facsimile and static presentation processing

Facsimile

358468, 358434, 358442, 379100, H04N 100, H04N 140

Patent

active

055745717

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a facsimile machine comprising a processor, means for connection to a telephone line, means for connection to at least one main telephone station, a ring detector, a module for recognizing the nature of incoming calls, and a printer.
Facsimile machines are today a part of conventional office equipment without which it is difficult to operate. Their use has furthermore already expanded into private homes. In parallel with these facsimile machines users have other equipment such as videotex terminals, and telephone answering and message recording machines, to say nothing of the numerous telephones which are almost indispensable.
Conventional facsimile machines of the above type have means for recognizing the nature of incoming calls, enabling them, in combination with other means, to distinguish facsimile transmissions from telephone calls and to switch the telephone line either to the facsimile machine or to the telephone. These facsimile machines are also provided with a printer which, among other functions, permits them, in local mode, to serve as a photocopier.
These two characteristics of facsimile machines have given the applicant the idea of combining with them the above-mentioned equipment as terminals in order that they can enjoy some of the facilities of these facsimile machines.
The present invention relates to a facsimile machine of the type defined above which is characterized by the fact that it has means for direct connection to at least one terminal and means for connecting the terminal to the telephone line, and that, in case of connection between the terminal and the telephone line, it is adapted to note events on the line and therefore to recognize their nature and switch the line to the facsimile machine or the terminal as a function of the nature of the events.
By events there are understood frequency signal or data transmissions, for instance.
The terminal may be a videotext terminal sharing the telephone line with the facsimile machine and the telephone, and as the printer of the facsimile machine can serve for the videotext terminal, the latter need not have a printer of its own.
In such case, as the videotext terminal has a peripheral data connector, the facsimile machine can be connected directly to the terminal by said connector. When an extension telephone is connected in parallel on the telephone line upstream of the facsimile machine, the facsimile machine considers it also to be a terminal, within the meaning of the invention, in the sense that the facsimile machine is adapted, in case of an incoming call and the picking up of the receiver of the parallel extension phone, to enter into parallel intrusion, listen to the signals of the parallel phone and recognize their nature.
The facsimile machine may also be adapted to reverse the reception and transmission speeds of a videotext terminal, that is to say to control the terminal in "opposed" mode.
The terminal may be an answering and recording machine.
In such case, the facsimile machine may be so set up that in case of an incoming call, it connects with the telephone line only after a number of rings greater than that at the end of which the answering and recording machine connects its recording and playback means to the telephone line.
The facsimile machine advantageously has means for direct connection to several terminals.
The facsimile machine may be adapted to be disconnected from the telephone line and to disconnect the telephone line from an answering and recording machine.
The facsimile machine may also be adapted, in association with a telephone and a videotext terminal, and an answering-recording machine being connected to the telephone line, to switch the telephone line to the telephone and disconnect the answering/recording machine.
The invention will be better understood by means of the following description of the preferred embodiment of the facsimile machine of the invention, read with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which
FIG. 1 is a structural schematic of the facsimil

REFERENCES:
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patent: 4850008 (1989-07-01), Berg et al.
patent: 4916732 (1990-04-01), Kotani et al.
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patent: 5027385 (1991-06-01), Nakagawa et al.
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patent: 5151972 (1992-09-01), Lorenz et al.
patent: 5193110 (1993-03-01), Jones et al.
patent: 5228128 (1993-07-01), Kim
patent: 5255312 (1993-10-01), Koshiishi
patent: 5471317 (1995-11-01), Charbonnier

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