Facsimile and static presentation processing – Facsimile – Auxiliary signal
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-28
2002-09-24
Williams, Kimberly A. (Department: 2622)
Facsimile and static presentation processing
Facsimile
Auxiliary signal
C358S406000, C358S438000, C399S009000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06456401
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus appropriately applicable to a facsimile device, or a hybrid device provided with a copy function, facsimile function and printer function, or similar devices, which can conduct a remote diagnosis by using the communication line.
Recently, with an advance of information processing technology and an improvement of information network, a case of use of a communication device provided with a plurality of communication modes, is increasing. In such types of communication devices, such a control is conducted that initially, in a certain communication mode, a communication line is connected, and then, when there is no response from a remote station for a predetermined period of time, the communication is switched to another communication mode. Further, in another communication mode, such a control is conducted that initially, the communication line is connected, and when a signal of a remote station, which shows a specific communication mode, is detected, the communication is switched to that communication mode.
Incidentally, in a facsimile device, or a hybrid device provided with a copy function, facsimile function and printer function, or similar devices, a case of use of a communication apparatus provided with a remote diagnosis mode and remote setting mode, is increased. In this type of communication apparatus, by a command from a control apparatus (hereinafter, called the center terminal) for office machines installed on a remote side, information inside the apparatus is read from the facsimile device, hybrid machine, or the like, provided on the user side, and by using a communication line, the information inside the apparatus is sent to the remote center terminal (remote diagnosis), or various kinds of data are set from the center terminal into the inside of the apparatus on the user side (remote setting).
FIG. 5
is a block diagram showing an example of a structure of this type communication apparatus
10
. The communication apparatus shown in
FIG. 5
has a communication terminal
2
connected a communication line
1
. A CML relay
8
and a control section
3
are connected to the communication terminal
2
, and when a ring signal showing the calling from the remote station is detected, the communication line
1
and the communication apparatus
10
are closed with each other by the CML relay
8
by a connection signal S
0
from the control section
3
, and the calling from the remote station is received.
A means
4
to switch a communication mode (hereinafter, called the mode switching means), for example, by software, is connected to the control section
3
, and the mode switching means is controlled to select a facsimile mode
6
or a remote diagnosis mode
7
by a register rewriting signal S
1
from the control section
3
. The mode switching means
4
is provided with, for example, a command register
14
, and normally, a control command to select a facsimile mode
6
(home position) is written therein by a register rewriting signal S
1
. A ROM
28
is connected to the mode switching means
4
, and the algorithm to conduct the facsimile mode
6
or remote diagnosis mode
7
is stored therein.
Further, an in formation processing means
9
is connected to the CML relay
8
, and information processing is conducted based on the algorithm to conduct the facsimile mode or remote diagnosis mode
7
, which is read from ROM
28
by the control section
3
and the mode switching means
4
. A timer circuit
5
is connected to the control section
3
, and when a calling signal is received, the timer starts. For example, when 35 sec has passed from the start of the facsimile mode, a timer signal S
2
showing “passage of 35 sec” is outputted to the control section
3
, and the control command in a command register
14
provided in the mode switching means
4
is rewritten by the control section
3
based on the timer signal S
2
. According to this rewriting, the mode is switched from the facsimile mode
6
to the remote diagnosis mode
7
by the mode switching means
4
.
Next, operations of the conventional type communication apparatus
10
will be described.
FIGS. 6A and 6B
are time charts showing an example of switching operations of the facsimile mode
6
/remote diagnosis mode
7
, and
FIG. 7
is a flow chart showing the example of that switching. In this communication apparatus
10
, in the case where no facsimile signal is detected from the remote station when 35 sec has passed from the starting time of the facsimile mode shown in
FIG. 6B
, then, the mode automatically shifts to the remote diagnosis mode
7
. On this presupposition, after the ring is detected in step A
1
of the flow chart in
FIG. 7
, the calling from the remote station is received in step A
2
. At this time, the facsimile mode
6
is selected by the mode switching means
4
, and the facsimile mode
6
is started.
After that, the facsimile signal from the remote station is detected in step A
3
. When the apparatus of the remote station is recognized to be a facsimile, the sequence advances to step A
4
, and the facsimile mode
6
shown in
FIG. 6A
is continued. On the other hand, when the facsimile signal from the remote station is not detected and the apparatus of the remote station is not recognized to be a facsimile, in step A
3
, the sequence advances to step A
5
, and it is judged whether 35 sec has passed from the starting time of the facsimile mode. When 35 sec has not passed from the starting time of the facsimile mode, the sequence returns to step A
3
, and it is judged again whether the existence of the facsimile signal is detected.
Accordingly, when 35 sec has passed while the facsimile signal from the remote station is not detected after the facsimile mode is started in the time chart shown in
FIG. 6B
, the sequence advances to step
6
, and after the facsimile mode is stopped, the sequence advances to step
7
and the remote diagnosis mode
7
is started. In this case, the control command in the command register
14
in the mode switching means
4
is rewritten by a register rewriting signal S
1
by the control section
3
into which the timer signal S
2
is inputted. Accordingly, by this rewriting of the control command in the register
14
, in the mode switching means
4
, the reading-out control of the ROM
28
is conducted such that the mode is switched by the software from the algorithm according to the facsimile mode
6
to the algorithm of the remote diagnosis mode
7
.
However, according to the conventional type communication apparatus
10
, when calling is received, initially the communication is started in the facsimile mode, however, when the facsimile signal of the remote station can not be detected for 35 sec from the start of the facsimile mode because the apparatus of the remote station is set to the remote diagnosis terminal, the content of the command register
14
can not be rewritten when “35 sec” has not passed, therefore, the mode can not be switched from the facsimile mode
6
to the remote diagnosis mode
7
.
Accordingly, when the remote diagnosis mode
7
(hereinafter, called also the specific information processing mode) is conducted between the user of the communication apparatus
10
and the remote diagnosis central apparatus (hereinafter, called also the specific remote station), the connecting time of the communication line
1
to recognize the communication mode of the remote station increases to a long period of time, or when the public network such as NTT, or the like, is used, useless communication fee of the users is paid, which are problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention solves the abovedescribed problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a communication apparatus by which the connection time to the communication line to recognize a communication mode of the remote station when a specific information processing mode is conducted to a specific remote station, can be reduced, and the communication fee for that communication
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
Konica Corporation
Williams Kimberly A.
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