JPH0373667A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce operator's labor for key entry and the occurrence of misinput by reading out a facsimile(FAX) telephone number printed out on a business card or the like by means of an optical character recognizing function. CONSTITUTION:A business card set up in a setting part 31 is detected by a card detecting sensor 32 and then sent to an image sensor 26 and read image data are stored in a page memory. Simultaneously with the storage of the image data, an OCR analysis part receives character recognition processing by means of an OCR RAM (working area) and a font table and converts the image data into position information and code information. Since a FAX telephone number (FAX number) is generally written in the business card, the FAX number read out by setting up the card on the setting part 31 of a reading part 20 at the time of executing FAX transmission by means of optical character recognition(OCR) is transmitted as the FAX number of a transmitted destination.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a facsimile device.

(Prior Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention) When transmitting by facsimile, it is necessary to set the telephone number (hereinafter also referred to as FAX number) of the destination facsimile machine. The facsimile machine connects to the line of that telephone number, reads the document, and sends it.

In order to input the telephone number of the other party's facsimile machine, it is now common practice for the operator to take the other party's business card to the 7-axis machine and manually enter the telephone number of the other party printed on the business card. .

Similarly, a facsimile telephone number is usually printed on letterhead, etc., and the recipient's telephone number may be manually entered by looking at the letterhead.

However, manually entering the recipient's phone number is more troublesome than so-called one-touch sending, which is used to send to registered recipients, and there is also the possibility of entering the wrong phone number due to key operation errors. . Therefore, it is thought that input errors can be reduced if the facsimile telephone number can be automatically read directly from a business card or the like and connected to the destination.

Special Publication No. 56-35389 and Special Publication No. 59-3060
In the destination identification method for facsimiles, etc., a destination identification pattern is displayed in which a destination mark such as a bar code is written at a predetermined position on the document, the destination mark is read, and the destination facsimile corresponding to the destination mark is displayed. automatically sent to your phone number. In addition, special public service 57-410
In the No. 17 publication, a mark sheet is read using a facsimile transmitter. Therefore, it is also possible to represent the destination with a mark. In order to represent the destination with a barcode, mark sheet, etc. on a business card, etc., it is necessary to provide a space for the barcode, mark sheet, etc. on the business card, etc.

However, there are various formats for business cards, etc., and providing such a space is not necessarily preferable because it takes time and effort for printing, and it greatly affects the appearance of the business card, giving a sense of strangeness.

Furthermore, a facsimile device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 56-6560 optically reads characters on a document (such as a slip), transmits the image data to a calculation center, and uses a character recognition device at the calculation center to read the characters. Recognize and input into the calculator. For this reason, the object to be read is cut out with a mark sheet indicating the position of each character line in the document and the individual position within each character line.

However, with these conventional techniques, it has not been possible to read a facsimile telephone number printed on a business card or the like using optical character recognition technology and send a facsimile using that destination's telephone number.

Incidentally, optical character recognition (OCR) for facsimile telephone numbers on business cards only needs to be performed on print, but the accuracy of print OCR has recently improved. Furthermore, there is uniformity in that the number of characters to be recognized is small and the size of the characters is within a certain range. Therefore, it has become possible to read telephone numbers on business cards using OCR.

An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile device that can read a facsimile telephone number directly from a business card or the like and connect a line to the facsimile telephone number.

(Means for Solving the Problems) A facsimile device according to the present invention includes means for optically reading an image of a document on which a facsimile telephone number is printed;
Extract characters from the image data read by the reading means,
The present invention is characterized by comprising a number identification means for identifying a facsimile telephone number from the characters thereof, and a number setting means for connecting a line to the facsimile telephone number identified by the number identification means as a transmission destination.

(Operation) A 7-axis telephone number is generally printed on business cards, letterheads, etc. This telephone number is characterized by being printed and consisting of characters of a certain size, making it an easy target for optical character recognition. Therefore, image data of characters printed on a business card or the like is read, and a 7-axis telephone number is identified by optical character recognition.

Then, connect the line to the identified facsimile phone number and send the message.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail in the following order with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(a) Configuration of 7-axis device (b) Operation panel (C) Configuration of facsimile control system (d) Reading facsimile telephone numbers (FAX numbers) from business cards (reading and identification using optical character recognition) Selecting a facsimile telephone number (FAX number)> Selecting multiple facsimile groups><Registering the scanned facsimile telephone number (FAX number)>
) Communication control flow Main routine > Timer interrupt routine > Print check routine > Read check routine > Send check routine > Receive check routine > Business card reading check routine > Send routine ><Receiveroutine> Reading routine〉 Print routine〉〈Key processing routine〉 Business card reading routine〉 Number printing routine〉〉〈Business card number registration routine〉 (g) Flow of optical character recognition We will explain the case where a letter is identified by optical character recognition, but in the case of a letterhead or the like, similar processing can be performed by reading only that part of the letter. In the explanation below,
Parts particularly relevant to the present invention include, in addition to section (d), FIG.
FIGS. 17 and 23 and related explanations.

Margin (a) Structure of facsimile machine FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a facsimile machine according to the present invention. This facsimile machine is broadly divided into a printer section i and a reading section 20 installed above it.

The printer section 1 is a laser beam printer, and its operation will be briefly described below. First, the photoreceptor on the rotationally driven photoreceptor drum 2 is uniformly charged by the charger 3 . Next, a laser beam is irradiated by the optical system 4 according to the image data to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor. Toner from the developing device 5 adheres to this electrostatic latent image. On the other hand, cut sheets are placed in the paper feed cassette 11, and the cut sheets are fed one by one toward the photosensitive drum 2 by rollers or the like. The toner adhering to the photosensitive drum 2 is transferred onto the cut paper by the transfer charger 6 and fixed by the fixing device 12, after which the cut paper is discharged onto the tray 13. The toner that has not adhered is collected by the cleaner 8, and this completes -th printing.

Next, the operation of the reading section 20 will be explained. Reading of the transmitted original is performed in the same manner as before. That is, the originals placed on the original tray 21 are detected by the sensor 22, and are fed one by one to the position of the sensor 25 by the rollers 23 and 24, which have been lowered to the dotted line position. Next, the original is read by the contact type linear image sensor 26 by synchronizing the rotation of the roller 24 by a motor (not shown) and the reading by the contact type linear image sensor 26, and the original image is converted into digital image data. After the reading is completed, the document is discharged to the discharge section 28 by the discharge roller 27. In this embodiment, the rollers 24 and 27 are driven by the same drive system, and the original is ejected when the next original is read.

A feature of the reading unit 20 according to the present invention is that it includes a setting unit 31 for setting business cards, and the facsimile telephone number (hereinafter also referred to as FAX number) of the business card placed in the setting unit 31.
is read by optical character recognition (OCR) technology. That is, when a business card in the setting section 31 is detected by the sensor 32, the business card is sent to the contact type linear image sensor 26 by rollers 33 and 34, and is read in the same way as a document image and converted into digital image data.

Next, the business card is returned to the setting section 31 by reversing the rollers 33 and 34. The reason for carrying out the reverse conveyance is that it is difficult to share the ejection system between the transmission original and the business card due to their different paper properties.

Another feature of this facsimile device is that the same image sensor 26 is used for reading the facsimile transmission document and for reading the business card OCR.

When reading the transmission original and the business card using independent reading sections, the problem arises that the provision of separate reading sections increases space and costs. Therefore, although the conveyance system is provided separately due to the difference in the nature of the original to be sent and the business card, the reading linear image sensor 26 is used as a common surco. Further, since the processing is performed in the order of business card reading → 7 axis telephone number confirmation (OCR) → document reading, the processing time does not change much compared to the case where reading sections are provided separately.

Note that business card reading cannot be performed at the same time as document reading, so as shown in FIG. This is done by executing the business card reading sequence shown in FIGS. 23(a) and (b).

Further, the telephone set 28 is a handset connected to a telephone line. The data received by the telephone 28 is recorded by the printer section l, while the image information read by the reading section 20 is transmitted through the telephone 28 to the telephone line.

Finally, the operation panel 15 sets the operation of the facsimile machine and displays the operation status.

Note that the recording section I and the reading section 20 do not have to be integrated.

(b) Operation panel FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of keys, etc. on the operation panel 15. The operation panel 15 has a numeric keypad 40. Liquid crystal display panel 41.
One-touch key 42, send key 43, business card registration key 45
, a number print key 46, a registration key 47, a kana/kanji key 48, an rc card load key 49, and an IC card interface 51.

The numeric keypad 40 is used for setting the destination FAX number, etc.

The liquid crystal display panel 41 is used to display the operating status of the facsimile or to give instructions and warnings to the operator. For example, displays a to zl as shown in FIGS. 3(a) to 3(c) are displayed.

The one-touch keys 42 are used for storing the destination FAX number corresponding to each key in the memory or for one-touch transmission to the destination FAX number. In memory,
A destination FAX number and a destination name corresponding to each key are stored. The one-touch key 42 is also used for one-touch transmission of a FAX number stored in the IC card 52 and for registering a FAX number in a business card read by optical character recognition. In this embodiment, the contents of the one-touch key 42 are switched by inserting the IC card 52.

The transmission key 43 is a key for starting transmission.

The business card registration key 45 is a key for registering the FAX number in the read business card.

The number print key 46 is a key for printing the destination FAX number corresponding to each key of the one-touch key 42.

The registration key 47 is a key for specifying either registered mode or non-registered mode.

The kana-kanji key 48 is a key for specifying either the kana-kanji mode or the non-kana-kanji mode for the input content at the time of registration.

The IC card load key 49 is used to select which address group in the IC card 52 is to be loaded.

The IC card interface 51 is an electrical interface for inserting an IC card 52 and connecting the IC card 52 to the present facsimile apparatus, and is provided with an arc-shaped entrance to facilitate insertion.

The IC card 52 includes a memory that stores the name of the other party and the FAX number of the other party.

(c) Facsimile Control System FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control section of the facsimile apparatus of this embodiment. The control section is mainly composed of a communication control CPU 60, an operation panel section 15, and a printer control section 61, and these are connected by a communication path for transmitting mode information and a timing signal line for notifying timing. It is.

Further, an IC card interface 51 is connected to the operation panel section 15.

In addition to this, the communication control CPU 60 also uses the bus 62 to
It is connected to blocks 63 to 78 as shown in the figure. Here, the ROM63 and RAM64 are connected to the communication control CPU6.
This is memory for 0.

Kanji ROM 1.2 (65, 66) stores different kanji fonts and displays them on the liquid crystal display panel 41.
It is used for adding additional information (time, sender) to transmitted/received documents, recording the contents of the one-touch key 42, etc. The two types of Kanji ROM 1.2 (65, 66) are used corresponding to two types of recording modes when recording the contents of the one-touch key 42, which will be described later. The OCR analysis unit 67 is used to perform optical character recognition (OCR) in reading business cards, and the OCR RAM 68 is a work area for the OCR analysis unit 67.
The font table 69 stores font data used for analysis by the OCR analysis section 67. Further, the i-pickup sensor section 71, the buffer memory 72, the compression/expansion section 73, the page memory section 74, the compressed image memory 75, the HDLC analysis section upper section 77, and the NCU 78 are all blocks for the facsimile function. .

Next, these movements will be described according to the operations of the facsimile.

First, when a document is placed on the document tray 11, the presence of the document is detected by the sensor 22 of the reading sensor section 71, and the information is sent to the communication control CPU 60. Communication control CPU
60 is a FAX on the liquid crystal display panel 41 of the operation panel 15.
Display a request to input a number (Fig. 3 (a) display a),
When the FAX number is input, the motor of the reading sensor section 71 and the contact type linear image sensor 26 are synchronized, and
The image signal is read l lines at a time, and the l line data is sent to the buffer memory 72. At the same time, the image data in the buffer memory 72 is compressed by the compression/expansion section 73 and stored in the compressed image memory 75. When the reading is completed, the communication control CPU 60 uses the modem 77 and NCU 78 to call the receiving facsimile through the telephone line. When the telephone line is connected, the receiving side's capability (G
III, GIV), the compressed data stored in the compressed image memory 75 is transferred to the compression/expansion section 73.
The image data is then decompressed and restored to the original image data and stored in the page memory unit 74. Next, after undergoing automatic reduction processing according to the recording size of the receiving facsimile, it is compressed by the compression/decompression section 73 according to the encoding method of the receiving facsimile, and then stored in another area of the compressed image memory 75. Stored. These expansion and compression operations are performed alternately in units of one block consisting of several lines.

At the same time, compression is performed according to the capabilities of the receiving side, and the resulting compressed data is
After being processed according to the C standard, the modem 77, NCU 7
8 to the telephone line. When all images have been transmitted, the telephone line is disconnected according to the disconnection order, and the transmission is completed.

Next, the operation during reception will be described.

When a call is received from the sending facsimile machine through the telephone line, the line is connected according to communication procedures. When the line connection is completed, the image data sent from the sending facsimile passes through the NCU 78 and modem 77, and is transferred to the HDL.
C analysis section analysis section 6, the data is returned to simple compressed data, and then stored in the compressed image memory 75. When all image data has been received, the telephone line is disconnected according to the communication procedure. After the telephone line is disconnected, the image data is sent from the compressed image memory 75 to the compression/expansion section 73 and is sequentially expanded.
Storage as a real image begins in the page memory section 74.

At the same time, the printer control section 61 is activated by the communication control CPU 60, and furthermore, the transfer of image signals from the page memory section 74 to the lifter control section 61 begins. However, once the expansion of one page is completed, the expansion is stopped until the data transfer for one page is completed. This means that the page memory section 74 is 1
This is because since there is only an area for one page, it is necessary to prevent overwriting of decompressed data.

When printing of all compressed image data is completed in this manner, the receiving operation is completed.

Note that the OCR analysis unit 67 uses known optical character recognition technology to read the FAX on the business card as explained in section (g).
Extracts and recognizes characters such as numbers.

Further, the operation of the printer control section 61 that controls the printer section 1 is the same as that of a conventional laser beam printer, so a description thereof will be omitted.

(d) Reading the facsimile telephone number (FAX number) from the business card When the business card is inserted, OCR analysis of the business card is executed (see FIGS. 23(a) and (b)). In reading this business card, the business card set in the setting section 31 is detected by the business card detection sensor 32 and then sent to the image sensor 26. The image data read by the image sensor 26 is stored in the page memory 74 (second
(See Figure 3(a) S1001-3IO07). At the same time as the image data is stored, the OCR analysis unit 67
AM (working area) 68 and 7 ont table 69
The information is subjected to character recognition processing using the . . . , and converted into position information and code information (see 70- in FIGS. 26 to 31).

Reading and Identification Using Optical Character Recognition> Generally, a business card has a 7-axis telephone number (FAX number) written on it. In this example, optical character recognition (O
When sending a facsimile using the CR), the business card reader 2
0 set section 31 to read the FAX number (second
6 to 31), it can be sent as the recipient's FAX number.

Currently, the literacy rate of alphanumeric type OCR technology is at the stage of practical application, but when reading business cards using OCR, if the characteristics of the business card being read are taken into consideration, wasteful identification processing can be eliminated.

There are two types of business cards: horizontal and vertical writing.

FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) show general types for horizontal writing and vertical writing, respectively. As in these examples, when writing a FAX number on a business card, General 11: rFAXJ, "Fax"
, "Facsimile", "Telefax", etc. The numbers of the telephone number (Arabic numerals, Chinese numerals, etc.) are written on the right side (horizontal writing) or below (vertical writing) of the character string representing the facsimile telephone number. In addition, before the phone number, rGI
[[J, rGI[, GIVJ, and other symbols representing a group of facsimile standards based on CCITT standardization recommendations may also be included. This symbol and telephone number are always on the right side of the character string such as rFAXJ when written horizontally, and always below when written vertically. Furthermore, the sizes of these character strings, symbols, numbers, etc. are within a substantially constant range.

That is, the following points can be mentioned as characteristics of optical character recognition of a FAX number on a business card. ■It only targets printed characters; handwritten characters do not need to be recognized.

■ Only vertical and horizontal writing is possible, and the positional deviation within the character string is small. ■The telephone number exists below the character string representing 7 aximels when written vertically, and to the right when written horizontally. ■The only characters to be recognized are numbers, (,), and -. ■The size of the characters is almost constant, and there is no need to recognize larger characters. In addition, symbols representing facsimile groups (such as "G■" and "G■") are similarly located around the character string representing facsimile.
, m.

Only characters and numbers such as ■ need to be recognized.

Therefore, in this example (see FIG. 26), rFA
29th to identify the character string representing the facsimile of XJ
(see figure), examines only the bottom and right side of the character string depending on whether it is vertical or horizontal writing (see figure 27), and extracts facsimile telephone numbers and standard symbols (see figure 30)
.

Extracting a fax number from a business card using optical character recognition (OCR) technology involves identifying the printed character string representing a facsimile (rFAXJ, "Facsimile", etc.), examining only the surrounding area, and then identifying the group symbol. (rGmJ, rGI
Since it is only necessary to identify characters such as VJ, etc.) and numbers representing telephone numbers, it can be said to belong to the easy category of optical character recognition. Note that the technology for optical character recognition itself is already well known, and a description of the technique will be omitted here.

Furthermore, business cards generally have company name, affiliation, name, etc. written on them, so by reading these around the character string representing the facsimile, it becomes possible to automatically register the name of the recipient. (Figure 23(b), 26th
(see figure).

Note that it is also possible to extract a character string indicating a telephone, such as "r", "J", etc., and read a normal telephone number.

<Multiple facsimile phone numbers (FAX numbers) +1
7) Selection> There are cases where multiple fax phone numbers are listed on a business card. For example, in the case of FIG. 5(a), the same group (G
III) Two facsimile machines (one is also used as GIV) are provided. Therefore, one must choose which facsimile machine to use. This selection is difficult to perform automatically because there is no general standard. Therefore, in this embodiment, when multiple FAX numbers are recognized, the multiple FAX numbers are displayed as shown in the display p on the liquid crystal display panel 41 in FIG. We decided to display the screen and ask the operator to make a selection (Figure 22 (
b) s643). When the operator selects one-touch key 42, the FAX number corresponding to that key is selected.

In addition, in the case of FIG. 5(b), even if the fax numbers of two departments (head office and Osaka branch) are recognized, multiple fax numbers may be displayed on the LCD panel 41 in the same way as shown in FIG. 3(b).
c) display p), decided to ask the operator to make a selection (
FIG. 22(b') S 643). In addition, if there is no selection, the top or right side will be automatically selected (
5635-5641).

In addition, in cases where the head office, branch office, area code, etc. can be identified, these identification data can be displayed to encourage selection.

Selection of multiple facsimile groups> Furthermore, as in the case of FIG.
If a 7 axis device of group Gm[I, GIV) that complies with the standardization recommendation is identified from a business card, the facsimile standard of the other party must be selected in accordance with the facsimile standard of the sender. If the group is not displayed,
It may be determined that it is Gm, which is generally popular.

Conventionally, the selection of the destination facsimile machine has been left to the operator's discretion. However, with business card OCR, group Gm
, GIV must be automatically selected if it can be identified. This allows the operator's labor to be reduced.

In addition to Gm, which is currently mainly used, GIV, which is an even more advanced standard, is expected to become popular in the near future. Generally, facsimile machines with GIV functions are GIII and G
Although Gm's facsimile machine can communicate using both IV and GIV, Gm's facsimile machine cannot communicate using GIV. Since the facsimile device of this embodiment is a GIV device, it selects and transmits the same group of functions corresponding to the facsimile functions (Gnl, GIV) of the other party. Therefore, if there are two groups of facsimile machines, GnI and GIV, at the other end, select the GIV machine with the highest transmission capability and send the message (see Figure 23 (a).
)S I Ol 9).

Furthermore, if the destination is a GI[[, GIV shared device, a GIV with high transmission capability is selected and transmitted.

Note that if the own machine is a GI machine, the model of the same group Gm is selected and transmitted.

<Registering the read facsimile telephone number (FAX number)> In addition to the automatic sending function by reading the business card explained above, if you add a registration function that allows you to register the FAX number extracted from the business card, one-touch sending becomes possible. , there is no need to read the business card again in the next transmission. Therefore, in this embodiment, the registration mode is entered by pressing the registration key 47 provided on the operation panel 15 after inserting the business card (see FIG. 22(e)).

After that, when the business card reading is completed and the one-touch key 42 is pressed, the FAX number, recipient name, group, etc. are registered at the address in the main body memory corresponding to the pressed key (Fig. 25, 51).
217). In addition, when the IC card 52 is inserted, the IC card 52 specified by the one-touch key 42
It is registered at the specified address in the address group within (see 31215 in Figure 25).

(e) One-touch dial function and number printing function This facsimile machine is equipped with a one-touch dial registration function. In the main body memory or IC card 52, a destination name and a FAX number can be registered for each key of the one-touch key 42 for facsimile transmission. When transmitting or registering, the operator presses one of the one-touch keys 42 to make a selection. In this embodiment, registration in the IC card 52 is performed for each of a plurality of address groups divided by the number of keys (12) constituting the touch key 42. You must also specify the number of the address group being used.

Whether the one-touch key 42 is made to correspond to the main body memory or to the IC card 52 is selected depending on whether or not the IC card 52 is inserted into the IC card interface 51.

That is, as shown in wC, Figure 22 (c), the IC card validity flag is set and reset by inserting and removing the IC card, and as shown in Figure 22 (d), when the one-touch key is pressed, the IC card is Depending on the validity flag, a FAX number or the like is registered in the main body memory or the IC card 52 and is set as a destination number.

What kind of destination fax each one-touch key 42 actually corresponds to
If the operator does not remember whether the number corresponds to the number, the operator can only send or register after confirming the correspondence. Facsimile transmission becomes easier if the operator can immediately understand the registered contents.

Therefore, in this embodiment, there is a number print key 46 on the operation panel.
is provided, and when this key 46 is pressed, the name of the other party registered in the memory, etc. is automatically printed on paper in a size that can be pasted on the bottom of each key constituting the one-touch key 42 or on the IC card 52. (7 in Figure 24)
0-reference).

FIG. 6(a) shows, on the left, an example of a seven-dimensional print sheet to be attached to the bottom of each key of the one-touch key 42. In FIG. On the right side, one-touch key 4 on the operation panel 15
2 is shown. The size of the printed portion is determined so that it can be pasted on the bottom of each key of the one-touch key 42. Figure 6(b) shows
This is an enlarged view of the printed portion. Corresponding to the 12 keys, the recipient's name and phone number are printed above and below within the broken lines. The dashed line is large enough to be pasted under the key. Therefore, it is sufficient to cut out the broken line portion and attach it to the lower part of the one-touch key 42. Alternatively, a portion corresponding to the key may be cut out and pasted. In this embodiment, the print is made in a size that can be pasted on the bottom of each key, but the print may be made in a size suitable for attaching to a 7-axis device.

In addition, the one-touch key 42 is added to the address book in the IC card 52.
Since the content corresponding to the one-touch key 42 changes when the IC card is attached. Therefore, it is necessary to display the contents somewhere. For example, it may be displayed on the IC card, but it is troublesome for the operator to write it down. Moreover, it is troublesome to rewrite when changing the contents. Therefore, the key contents can be printed in a size suitable for pasting on the IC card 52.

FIG. 7(a) shows the print 7 format for pasting on the IC card 52 on the left, and the IC card 5 on the right.
2 is shown. The print 7 format is set to a size that can be used by pasting it on the IC card 52 (indicated by a broken line). It is preferable that the size is just right when pasted on the IC card 52. FIG. 7(b) shows an example of print content. This is a printed copy of the registered destination name along with the corresponding number. This printed portion may be cut out and pasted onto the IC card 52. Note that in this embodiment, the IC
Although printing is performed within a size that approximately matches the size of the card 52, the output size is not limited to this.

This saves the trouble of writing on the IC card, and it is also easy to respond to changes in content and is accurate.

In such printing, it is necessary to specify whether the contents of the main body memory or the contents of the IC card 52 are to be printed. However, the one-touch key 42 is connected to the main body memory and IC.
Since the corresponding card 52 has already been selected by inserting the IC card, it is better to select the print content in accordance with this selection. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
The selection is made automatically depending on the state of the C card validity flag. That is, when printing by pressing the number print key 46 (see FIG. 22Cf), the I
Corresponding to the IC card valid 7 lag indicating C card 52,
Select whether to print the contents of the IC card 52 or the contents of the main body memory (see FIG. 24, 5l105).

Correspondingly, the registered contents are expanded into a bitmap in the page memory section 56 in a size that allows pasting on the operation panel 15 or IC card 52. At this time, an appropriate 7 ont (see FIG. 9 and FIG. 1O) is used. The RAM 64 and IC card 52 store the destination name and FAX number as codes corresponding to letters and numbers. For example, the content as shown in FIG. 8(a) is stored as a code string as shown in FIG. 8(b). Therefore, when printing,
Codes are sequentially read from this code string, and font data corresponding to the code (for example, Fig. 9(a),
(b) and 7 onts of "2" in FIGS. After bitmap development is performed for all codes, printing is performed as in the case of normal printing.

Note that printing may be performed using a thermal transfer printer or a thermal printer. Furthermore, it may be printed on a sticker. Further, other registered contents of the IC card 52 (for example, transmission mode (broadcast, number of copies, etc.)) may be made printable. Furthermore, in addition to printing the contents of one-touch keys, the registered contents of speed dials and broadcast destinations may also be printed.

(f) Communication control 70- The communication control 70- will be explained below, but in the 71:l-chart, the terms "on-edge" and "off-edge" are used in the following meanings. i.e. switch,
When the state of a sensor, signal, etc. changes from an off state to an on state, this state change is defined as "on edge." In addition, when the state of a switch, sensor, signal, etc. changes from an on state to an off state, this state change is called an "off edge".
It is defined as

Main Routine> FIG. 11 is a schematic control flow of the communication control CPU 60. First, step Sl (hereinafter "step" is abbreviated)
Perform initial settings for registers, various input/output ports, various flags, etc. Next, in S3, a timer interrupt is set for periodically calling the interrupt service routine shown in FIG.

Next, a print check (S5), a read check (S7), a send check (S9), etc. are performed to run each sequence in the interrupt service routine as desired (for example, when reading is desired, reading is performed). Processes various check routines such as reception check (311) and business card reading check (S13).

When the processing up to S13 is completed, the process returns to S5 and the same check is repeated.

Details of the check routine will be explained later.

Timer Interrupt Routine> FIG. 12 shows a service routine called by the timer interrupt (S3) set in the flow of FIG. 11. This service routine includes sending (521) and receiving (S
23), reading (S25), printing (S27), key processing (S29), business card reading (S31), number printing (S33), and business card number registration (S35). will be explained later.

Next, each check routine shown at 70- in FIG. 11 will be explained in sequence.

Print Check Routine> FIG. 13 shows the flow of the print check (55 in FIG. 11). First, in S61, a check is made to see if there is an image to be recorded (printed) in the page memory 74. If there is a recorded image, it is not being read (reading flag - "0" at 363, 7 lag is indicated by F in the figure),
Not in line transmission (line transmission flag - “0” in S65)
, if Print is not activated (Print 7 is activated in S67)
lag "O"), start the printing unit 1 in S69 (power supply of heaters etc. is 0N) L, set print start 7 lag indicating starting of the printing unit in S71, and display d (d) on the liquid crystal display panel 41 in S73. 3(a)) to notify the operator that printing is in progress.

Note that when the reading flag is set in S63 and when the line transmission 7 lag is set in S65, the compression/expansion unit 73 cannot be used during reading, so the process returns without entering the printing operation. Furthermore, when the print flag is set in S67, since the print operation has already been performed, the process returns without doing anything.

When there are no more recorded images in S61, the printing unit 1 is stopped in S75 (heaters etc. are turned off), and in S77 a message e is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 41 (see FIG. 3(a)) to prompt the operator to finish the print operation. Please let me know and return.

Figure 14 shows the original reading check routine (70 in Figure 11).
- indicates.

First, it is checked at 5 lot whether or not there is a document on the document tray 1. If there is a document, the process proceeds to the next step, but if there is no document, the process jumps to 5111. If there is a document, then if it is not already being read (read flag - "O#" in S103), is not being printed (print flag - "O" in 5105), and is not being sent over the line (5
At 107, only when the line transmission flag is set to "0"), the process proceeds to 5IO9 and sets a reading start flag indicating the start of reading. However, if any of the 7 lags for reading, printing, or line transmission is set, the process proceeds to 5lll without doing anything.

In other words, when the read flag is set in 5103, reading is already in progress, and when the print flag or line transmission flag is set in 5105 or 5107, the compression/expansion unit 73 is used during printing or transmission, so reading cannot be performed. It's for a reason.

Next, the setting state of the reading start flag is checked at 511, and when it is set, the process advances to 5113, where a display a is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 41 to prompt the operator to input a telephone number. Next, when a telephone number is input at 3115, or when it is determined at 5l17 that the fax number of the business card has been read (determined) (business card read 7 lag "I") (see S1021 in Figure 23 (a)) Only then, the process proceeds to step 5119 and subsequent steps to perform a document reading operation.

If the reading start flag is not set in 5ill or if the business card read flag is not set in 5117, the process returns directly.

In step 5119, the first document is sent to the reading section. Next 512
At step 1, the arrival of the document at the reading section is detected by the sensor 25, and if the document has not arrived, the process returns directly, but if it has arrived, the process proceeds to step 5123.

Then, in order to start the reading operation of the image sensor 26 in 5123, a reading flag indicating that reading is in progress is set, in 5125 the business card read flag is reset to indicate that the business card has not been read, and in 5127 reading is started. After resetting the flag, at 5129, the liquid crystal display panel 41
Display f (see FIG. 3(a)) is displayed to inform the operator that the reading operation has started, and the process returns.

In this embodiment, when an original is set and a business card read 7 lag is set, transmission (original reading) is performed without pressing the send key 43 (Y in S l 17).
ES). In the case of normal document transmission, it is necessary to press the transmission key (start button) 43 to start transmission after setting the document. However, when the FAX number is read using the business card reading function, the action of pressing the send key 43 overlaps with the action of inserting the business card. Further, pressing the send key 43 also means that the input of the telephone number is completed, and in this sense too, pressing the send key 43 is unnecessary.

Therefore, the operation of pressing the send key 43 can be omitted by starting the sending operation (original reading) when the FAX number is determined by reading the FAX number.

<Transmission Check Routine> FIG. 15 shows 70- of the transmission check (FIG. 11, 39). First, in step 5131, a check is made to see if there is data to be transmitted in the compressed image memory 75. If there is no data to be transmitted, the process returns without doing anything, but if there is, the process advances to step 5133. Then, it is not being read (reading flag - "OH" in S133) and is not being printed (printing 7 in 5135).
Lagu "0", not in line reception (5137 line reception 7 lag "0"), not in line transmission (S l 3
9, the process advances to 5141 only if the line transmission flag is "O"). Then, set the line transmission flag in 5141, and
After resetting the image transmission flag in step 143 and erasing the previously transmitted compressed data in step 5145, a display g is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 41 (see FIG. 3(a)) in step 5147 to inform the operator that transmission has started. Inform and return. However, if any flag is set, it returns without doing anything. In other words, when the read flag or print flag is set in 5133 or 5135, the compression/expansion section 73 is in use, and when the line reception flag is set in 5137, the line is not used for reception operation. I can't send it because of the problem, so I returned.
Furthermore, if the line transmission flag is set in step 3139, the transmission operation has already started, so the process returns directly. Note that in this embodiment, the transmitted image data is not compressed data that was expanded during the previous transmission and compressed again.
Although the original compressed data is held in the compressed image memory 75, either data may be held.

Furthermore, the timing of erasing data may be at any time, at least after the start of the next document transmission (in this case, reading is included in transmission), for example, when it is detected that a document is set on tray ti. , when the destination number is set, when reading of a document starts, etc.

Receiving Check Routine> FIG. 16 shows the flow of the receiving check (FIG. 11, 5ll). First, at 5151, a check is made to see if there is a call through the telephone line. When there is a call,
At 5153 and 5155, the line transmission flag and line reception flag are checked to determine whether the line is in use. If it is determined that there is no call or that the line is in use, the process returns without entering the receiving operation. If it is determined that the line is not in use, then the line reception flag is set in 5157 and reception operation begins, the image reception completed flag is reset in 5159, the reception connected flag is reset in 5161, Next, in step 5163, the liquid crystal display panel 41 displays h (see FIG. 3(a)), informs the operator that reception is in progress, and returns.

Business card reading check routine> Figure 17 shows the OC for business card OCR (optical character recognition).
The flow of a business card reading check (513 in FIG. 11) for checking whether the R analysis unit 67 is activated is shown.

First, in step 5171, it is checked whether the business card is already being read, and if the business card is being read (business card reading 7 lag = "1"), the process returns without doing anything. If the business card is not being read, the process advances to 5173, where it is determined whether the sensor 32 that detects the business card insertion is on the ON edge. Only when the ON edge is ON, the process advances to 5175, and it is determined whether or not the document is being read (reading flag - "1"). This is because, in this embodiment, the image sensor 26 is shared between the original and the business card, so the business card cannot be read while the original is being read.

If the manuscript is not being read, business cards can be read, so enter 517.
Proceed to step 7, reset the multiple number input completed flag, and proceed to the next step. Next, the purpose of reading a business card is to connect a line to the read fax number and to register it as the content of the one-touch key 42. The process branches into two depending on the indicated business card registration flag.

When using for one-touch transmission, proceed to 5181 and below, and do not use the compression/expansion section 73 (line transmission flag - "O" in S l 81, print flag - "O" in 3183)
), the reading start flag is checked in step 5185. Since the document has already been set when the 7-lag preset is started (Fig. 4), 5109 in Fig. 22 (d)
725), 5t87 presets the business card reading 7 lag indicating that the business card is being read, and 5189 notifies the operator of the business card reading with display Q on the liquid crystal display panel 41 (see FIG. 3(b)). Return. When reading is started at 5185 and the 7-lag is reset, at 5191 the operator is prompted to set the document with the display m on the liquid crystal display panel 41 (see FIG. 3(b)), and the process returns without reading the business card.

In this embodiment, inserting a business card (YES at S l 73) is the start of business card reading (S l 87),
Of course, it may also be started using a key. In this case, a business card reading key may be provided, and after the business card is inserted, the ON edge of the business card reading key is detected to start reading the business card.

In addition, when using 5179 for business card registration, 51
At step 93, the key registration flag is reset, at step 5195, a business card reading flag indicating that the business card is being read is preset, and at step 5197, the business card is registered on the display W on the liquid crystal display panel 41 (see FIG. 3(c)). Inform the operator and return.

Margin below (Transmission Routine) Next, each service routine based on the timer interrupt shown in FIG. 11 will be described.

Figures 18(a), (b), and (C) show transmission (Figure 12).
21) is shown below.

The reason why this embodiment first converts compressed data into decompressed data and then returns to compressed data during transmission is because a transmission method called memory transmission is used. That is,
In this method, the image data of the entire document is stored in a memory during reading before transmission, and then a line is connected to the other party (receiving side) at the time of transmission. However, in this case, when storing data in memory, the recording capacity (recording size, etc.) and compression method of the other party are not known, so the data is encoded using a method convenient for the sending side (for example, a method with high compression efficiency). I do.

Therefore, it is necessary to decompress the data once again during communication to return it to actual image data, and then convert it to compressed data suitable for the receiving side. Therefore, the sequence shown in FIG. 18(a) for alternately repeating compression and expansion is executed.

At step 3201, the decompression flag that is set during decompression is checked. If it is being expanded (Y in S201)
ES), the expanded data is stored in the page memory 74 in 5203, automatic reduction is performed in 5205 (reduction and enlargement of the image data according to the recording size on the receiving side), and image processing (sender printing) is performed in 5207. Then, in step 5209, the decompression flag is reset and the process proceeds to step 5221.

If it is not being decompressed (No in S201), it is checked in 5211 whether decompression of all data has been completed;
At the end of the process, the process proceeds to S221 without resetting the process. If not completed,
After presetting the expansion flag in 5213, 52
In step 15, the expansion operation is set, and the process proceeds to step 5221.

At 5221, a compression flag indicating that compression is in progress is checked. If compression is in progress, the compressed data is stored in the compressed image memory 75 in 5223, the compression flag is reset in 5225, and the process proceeds to 5241. If compression is not in progress, it is checked in 5227 whether compression of all data has been completed, and when it has been completed, the process proceeds directly to 5241, but if it has not been completed, the pressure 1M7 lag is set in 5229, and 5227 is reached.
231, the compression operation is set.

Next, proceeding to FIG. 18(b), first at 5241, check the set state of the line transmission flag that is set at the time of line transmission,
When resetting, return without doing anything. 5241
When setting, proceed to 5243, and when the line connection with the other party (receiving side) is completed, proceed to 5289 (Fig. 18 (C)
)) Check the status of the transmission connected flag set in ). If the line has been connected, send the image data as follows. First, in step 5245, the image transmission flow flag, which is set upon completion of image data transmission, is checked.
At the time of completion (Image transmission flow flag), the process proceeds to 5261. In S261, it is checked whether the transmission disconnection process has been completed by the transmission disconnected flag, and if it has been completed, the process returns and the transmission process is resumed. Complete.

If the image transmission is not completed at 5245, the process advances to 3247G, sets the transmitter such as the modem 77, and transmits the image data to the telephone line. Then, in 5249, it is checked whether transmission of one page has been completed, and in 5251, it is checked whether transmission of all pages has been completed. If the transmission of page l has not been completed, the process advances to 5259, sends the transmission image data to the transmission section, and returns. At the end of one page, and if all pages have not been completed, one page is updated at 5257 and the process returns. When all pages have been sent, 5
The process advances to step 253 to set the image sent 7 lag, reset the transmission disconnected flag in step 5255, and then returns.

5263 to 5271 in FIG. 18(c) indicate transmission disconnection operations. This means that the image transmission ends at 5245, and
This process is executed when it is determined in H.261 that the transmission disconnection process has not been completed. First, at 8263, line disconnection processing is performed, and at 5265, the termination is checked. 526 when finished
At step 7, the line disconnected flag is set, at step 5269, the line transmission flag is reset, and at step 5271, the display i shown in FIG. 3(a) is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 41 to notify the operator of the end of transmission. , return. If the process is not completed in 5265, the process returns directly.

If it is determined in step 5243 that the transmission connection has not been completed, line connection processing for transmission is performed. That is, operations such as connecting a telephone line to the other party that is managed as a pair with the transmitted image data are performed. First, in step 5281, line connection processing is performed. Next 5
At step 283, it is checked whether the line connection process has been completed, and if the line connection has not been completed, the process returns directly. On the other hand, when finished, proceed to 5285, set the decompression flag, and proceed to 5285.
After resetting the compression 7 lag at 287, initializing both 7 lags, and setting the transmission connected flag at 5289,
Return.

Reception Routine> FIG. 19 shows the flow of the reception sequence (523 in FIG. 12).

First, in 5301, the state of the line reception flag set during line reception is checked, and if the line is not being received, the process proceeds to 5331 without doing anything. When receiving line (5157 in Figure 16)
), and then in step 3303 the state of the reception connected flag, which is set when the connection at the time of reception ends, is checked.

If the reception connection has been completed (see S325), then the state of the image reception completion flag that is set when image reception is completed in S305 is checked (see S343).

If it is determined in 5305 that the image reception completed flag is set, the process advances to 5307 and line disconnection processing is performed. Then, the completion is checked in 5309, and when it is finished, the line reception flag is reset in 5311, and then in 5313, the display j is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 41 (see Fig. 3 (b)), and the operator is informed that the reception has ended. to complete the reception operation. However, if the line disconnection is not completed in step 5309, the process returns and continues the disconnection process.

When it is determined in 5303 that the reception connection process has not been completed, S3
The process proceeds to step 21, where the line connection process is first performed, and then the completion of the process is checked in step 5323. If it is determined in 5323 that the process is not completed, the process returns as is, but if it is determined that the process is finished in 5323, the reception connection completed flag is set in 5325, and the image reception start flag is set in 5327, and then
Return.

If it is determined in 5301 that line reception is in progress, or if it is determined in 5305 that image reception is not completed, the process advances to 5331 and the image reception start flag is checked. When set, the receiving section is initialized in 5333, the image reception start flag is reset in 5335, and the process returns. If it is determined in 5331 that image reception has not started, the process advances to 5337 and the received image data is stored.

Next, in 5339, the end of storage for one page is indicated in 5341.
Check that all pages have been stored. If the storage for l pages is not completed at 5339, return as is and return to 53
If all pages have not been completed in step 41, the stored page is updated in step 5345, and if all pages have been completed, the image reception completed flag is set in step 5343, and each return is made.

Reading routine> Figures 20 (a) and (b) show the image sensor 2 during reading.
6 and reading for controlling the document transport motor (Fig. 12 3)
25) 70- is shown. First, in step 5401, the state of the read flag (see 5123 in FIG. 14) set during reading is checked. If reading is not in progress, do nothing and proceed to 5451. On the other hand, when the reading flag is set, the image sensor 26 and the document conveyance pulse motor are being controlled, and the process then proceeds to 5403. In 5403 and 5405, respectively,
A check is made to see if one page has been read and if one gold page has been read.

When reading of one page is not completed (No in S403)
Next, in 5431, the document is sent, in 5433, the image data read by the image sensor 26 is stored, and in 5435, settings for the next reading are made, and the process proceeds to 5451.

When one page has been read (YES in S403)
Next, in step 5405, it is checked whether all pages have been read. If all pages have not been read (No in S405),
At 5419, the next document is sent to the image sensor 26.

Then proceed to 5451 when all pages of V0 are completed (YES in S405)
S) discharges the original in S40'7 and checks for completion in 5409. If not completed (No in S 409), proceed directly to 5451, but if completed (YES in S 409)
S) resets the reading 7 lag in 5411 to indicate that reading is not in progress, registers the read image in 5413 as a sent image, and in 5415 sends the last registered phone number to the recipient's fax number as a bearer with the sent image. Manage, 541
At step 7, the liquid crystal display panel 41 indicates to the operator that reading has ended (see FIG. 3(b)), and then the process proceeds to step 5451.

Next, the sequence of the compression unit during reading will be explained.

First, it is checked in 5451 whether compression for one page has been completed, and if it has not been completed (No), the compressed data is stored in the compressed image memory 56 in 5459, and the process returns.

When the compression for one page is finished, the next step is 5453 to check whether all pages have been compressed.If it is not finished, the check is made to 5455, and the process waits for the next document to arrive at the reading unit, and then starts compression in 5457. Performs control to start and returns.

<Print Routine> FIG. 21 shows the flow of printing (527 in FIG. 12) for controlling the printer section l. First, in step 5501, the state of the print start flag indicating that the printer unit 1 has been activated is checked, and if it is reset, the process directly proceeds to step 5509. When the print start flag is set to “1” (first
(See S71 in Figure 3), presetting the print flag at 5503 or below (S503), starting printing (S505),
Then, the print start 7 lag is reset (S507), and the process advances to 5509. When the print flag is reset in 5509 (when all pages have been printed), it returns without doing anything, but when it is set to in and 1m, it returns to 5.
Proceed to 511 and below.

In step 5511, it is determined whether or not the expansion for page (1) has been completed. If it has not been completed, in step 5513, expansion processing (decompression settings, storage of expanded data in page memory, etc.) is performed. Next, in step 3515, it is checked whether printing of one page has started, and only when printing of the leading edge of the image has started, in step 5517, the transfer of image data for h pages stored in the page memory section 74 is activated.

Thereafter, it is checked in 5519 whether printing of all pages has been completed, and if not, the print operation is controlled in 5527, but if it has been completed, the print flag is reset in 5521, and the printer is printed in 5523. Stop section 1.

Key Processing Routine> FIGS. 22(a) to 22(f) show key processing (S29) 70- of the operation panel 15. Processing for reading the IC card 52 is also included.

First, in S601, the state of the registration flag set in the registration mode is checked. If it is not the registration mode, the process advances to step 5603, and the contents of the keystrokes made using the numeric keypad 40 are sequentially stored in the numeric keypad cover 7a. Next 5605
Check the ON edge of the send key 43 with 5607, and if it is an ON edge, send the contents of the input buffer to the destination FAX.
Register as a number.

If it is in the registration mode at 5601, the process advances to 5609 and checks whether it is in the kana-kanji mode.

When in kana-kanji mode (kana-kanji flag - “1”),
In step 5611, the input contents of the numeric keypad 40 are converted into kana-kanji codes and subjected to appropriate conversion, and in step 5613, they are registered in the kana-kanji input buffer. If it is determined in 5609 that the mode is not in kana-kanji mode, the process proceeds to 3615, and the input contents of the numeric keypad 40 are stored as they are in the numeric keypad cover 7a.

Next, processing is performed when there is a plurality of fax numbers or more at the time of reading the business card in 5621 and below. First, in step 5621, a multiple number flag, which is set when a plurality of FAX numbers with the same transmission capability are read, is checked. If it has not been read, the process advances to S651.

If it is determined in 5621 that multiple FAX numbers have been read, the process advances to 5623 and checks whether a selection has been made using the numeric keypad 40 or not. If you still don't have a choice,
Proceed to step 5633 and check whether more than one minute has passed after multiple fax numbers were detected (after turning on the multiple number flag -1'').If one minute has not passed in step 5633, check the LCD panel in step 5643. The operator is asked which fax number to select using the display p at 41 (see FIG. 3(b)), and the process proceeds to 5651.If there is a selection at 5623, the multiple number flag is reset at 5625;
At 627, a multiple number input completed flag is set, at 5629, a business card reading groove flag is preset, and at 5631, the selected number is registered. Then proceed to 5651. 5
If more than one minute has passed without any selection at 633, the process advances to 5635 to automatically select one of the options. 5635 branches depending on whether the business card is written horizontally or not (vertical writing). If the card is written horizontally, 5637 selects the phone number on the upper side of the phone number coordinates, and if it is written vertically, 5639 selects the phone number on the right side of the phone number coordinates. A telephone number is automatically selected, and then the telephone number selected in 5641 is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel (Fig. 3 (C)
(see) to the operator.

Then, proceed to 5625.

After 5651 in FIG. 22(c), processing for reading the address book stored in the IC card 52 is performed. First 56
In step 51, it is determined whether or not it is an ON edge for IC card insertion. If it is not an ON edge, the IC card 52 is not inserted, and the process immediately proceeds to S671. 5651 rc
When it is determined that the signal indicating card insertion is ON edge 5
Proceeding to 653, it is checked whether the IC card 52 has passed the verification. If you have not passed, it will be 5667,
The operator is informed of this by the display r on the liquid crystal display panel 41 (see FIG. 3(C)), the IC card validity flag is reset in 5669, and the process proceeds to 5671.

If the verification passes, initial settings are performed. In this embodiment, the address book stored in the IC card 52 is divided into address groups for each number of keys (12) of the one-touch key 42, and first, in 5655, the number of the address group is set to 0. . Next, in step 8657, it is checked whether or not there is a number registered in that address group, and if there is, in step 5659, the number of the address group is displayed and the one-touch key is displayed on the display q of the liquid crystal display panel 41 (see FIG. 3(b)). 42 is displayed, an IC card validity flag is set in 5661, and the process proceeds to 5671. On the other hand, if there is no number registered, the display S on the liquid crystal display panel 41 (see FIG. 3(b)) indicates in 5663 that there is no number registered in the IC card 52, and in that case, the content of the one-touch key 42 is Inform the operator that the IC card is to be left as is, reset the IC card validity flag in 5665, and proceed to 5671.

Next, 5671 checks the ON edge of the signal indicating that the IC card 52 has been removed, and if the IC card 52 has been removed, 5673
Reset the IC card valid 7 lag and proceed to 5675. 5675 and the following process the IC card load key 49 for use in selecting the address group described above. First 5
At 675, it is determined whether or not there is a manual ON edge of the IC card load key 49. If it is not ON Edge, it will not be registered, so do nothing and proceed to 5701. If it is an ON edge, the process advances to 5677 to set the number of the next address group, and it is determined whether it is the final address group. If it is not the final address group, the address group number is incremented at 5681, and if it is the final address group, it becomes "0" at 5679.
Return to Next, 5683 checks whether a number has been registered in the address group set above, and 5657 to 5
The same operations as 665 are performed in steps 5683 to 5691, and only when the number is registered, the IC card validity flag is set, and the process proceeds to step 5701.

Next, key processing of the one-touch key 42 is performed in steps 8701 and below in FIG. 22(d). First, in step 5701, it is determined whether or not the key of the one-touch key 42 is a manually operated ON edge, and if it is not an ON edge, the process proceeds to 5741 without doing anything.

In this embodiment, the one-touch key 42 is used to set the recipient's fax number at the time of transmission and to use the business card reading function in response to setting the business card registration flag (51219 in FIG. 25) and setting (S749 in FIG. 22(e)). It is used to register the read FAX number in the main body memory or IC card 52, and to register it in the one-touch key 42 that does not use the business card reading function.

Therefore, depending on the states of various flags, it is determined and processed. Only when the one-touch key 42 is pressed 57
Proceed to step 03, check the state of the registration flag that is set when in registration mode, and if it is in registration mode, 570
Proceed to step 5 and check the state of the kana-kanji flag set in the kana-kanji mode. If it is in Kana-Kanji mode, the contents of the Kana-Kanji input buffer are registered as the destination name in 5707, and if it is not in Kana-Kanji mode, the contents of the numeric keypad buffer are used as the destination FAX number in 5709, which corresponds to the one-touch key 42 pressed. Register to address.

Next, proceed to 5741. Note that the registration mode and kana-kanji mode are controlled by pressing the registration key 47 as explained in FIG. 22(f).
can be set using the kana-kanji key 48.

If it is not the registration mode at 5703 (if it is not a registration mode that does not use the business card reading function), the process advances to 5711 and checks the business card registration 7 lag indicating that the business card registration mode is selected.

If the business card registration flag indicating that the business card registration mode is set in step 5711 (FIG. 22(e) S74
9) proceeds to step 5731, where it is determined whether the business card reading flow flag is set (whether the FAX number has been determined from the business card). If it is set, the key registration flag is set in 5733 and the process proceeds to 5741, but if it is not set, the process proceeds to 5741 without doing anything and the key manual operation is disabled. The key registration flag is used in business card number registration (FIG. 25).

If the business card registration flag has been reset in 5711, proceed to 5713 and later, and contact the other party's F without using the business card reading function.
Set the AX number. At 5713, the IC card validity flag is checked, and if it is "1", the contents of the memory of the IC card 52 are read at 3715, but when it is "0", the registration number in the main body memory is read at 5717. Next 5
719 to check if there is a registration number, and if there is, 57
21, the address corresponding to the pressed one-touch key 42 is registered as the destination FAX number. Next, 5723
Check to see if the original is set, and if it is, press 5.
At 725, the reading start flag is set to "1" to start the reading operation, but if no original is set, the process advances to 5727, where the display m (third
(see figure (c)) prompts the operator to set the document. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number is not registered in 5719,
At 5729, the display t(ta) on the liquid crystal display panel 41 is shown in Figure 3 (
c) prompts the operator to input using the numeric keypad 40. Then proceed to 5741. If it is determined in 5719 that there is no registration number, the process advances to 5729 and the LCD panel 4
This fact is displayed on the display L of 1 (see FIG. 3(c)), prompts the operator to input using the numeric keypad 40, and the process proceeds to 5741.

In steps 5741 and below in FIG. 22 (8), processing of the business card registration key 45 is performed. At 5741, it is determined whether or not the business card registration key 45 is turned on manually.

If it is not an ON edge, do nothing and proceed to 5761. O
If it is an N edge, the process advances to 5743 to check whether a business card has been inserted. When inserted, use 5745 to display LCD panel 4.
The display W of 1 (see Figure 3 (e)) informs the operator that the FAX number of the business card is to be registered.
At step 747, the operator is asked to set business cards using the display X on the liquid crystal display panel 41 (see FIG. 3(c)). Thereafter, the business card registration flag is set to "l" in step 5749, and the process proceeds to the next step.

At 5761 in FIG. 22 ([), the number print key 46 is processed. First, in step 5761, it is determined whether or not the number print key 46 is turned on manually, and if not, the process proceeds to step S771 without doing anything. When the ON edge is detected, only if it is determined in 5763 that the received data is not being printed, the process advances to 5765 to set the number print 7 lag and proceed to the next step.

For 5771 and below, registration key 478 and kana-kanji key 48
This is a processing sequence related to Registration key 4 with 5771
It is determined whether or not the key 7 is turned on manually, and if not, the process proceeds to S781 without doing anything.

When the ON edge is detected, the registration flag indicating the registration mode is checked in 5773, and if it is the registration mode (registration flag - "l"), the registration flag is set to "O" (non-registration mode) in 5775. ), if it is not the registration mode (registration flag - "O"), the registration flag is set to "l" in 5777 and the mode is reversed.

Next, similar processing is performed for the kana-kanji key 48. First, in step 3781, it is determined whether or not the key of the kana-kanji key 48 is turned ON manually, and if not, the process proceeds to step 5791 without doing anything. When the ON edge is detected, the kana-kanji flag indicating that the mode is in kana-kanji mode is checked in 5783, and if it is in kana-kanji mode, (kana-kanji 7 tag) S78
5 sets the kana-kanji flag to “0” (non-kana-kanji mode),
If it is not Kana-Kanji mode (Kana-Kanji flag - “O”)
, 5787, the kana-kanji flag is set to "1°", and the mode is inverted.Finally, in 3791, other key processing is performed, and the key processing on the operation panel 15 is ended.

<Business card reading routine> Figures 23 (a) and (b) show business card reading (Figure 12 531).
) shows the flow. First, in step 51001, it is determined whether or not a business card reading flag indicating an instruction to read a business card is set, and if it is not set, the process returns without doing anything.

When the business card reading 7 lug is set (Fig. 17, 5
187.5195), then check whether the business card is being read in 51003, and if reading is in progress, store the read data in memory in sequence in 51005, set the reading of the next line in 5IO07, and return. do.

When business card reading is completed at 51003, proceed to 51009 and O
A check is made to see if the analysis by the CR analysis section 67 has been completed. When the analysis is not completed, the process advances to 51051 in FIG. 23(b) and the analysis is performed. When the analysis is completed, the process proceeds to 51011 and below, and first checks whether there are multiple FAX numbers. In the case of multiple numbers, if it is determined in 51013 that the selection has not been made by the operator yet (multiple numbers entered 7 Ragoo O),
Proceeding to step 51015, the transmission level is compared with that of the own device, and it is determined whether the transmission capabilities are the same (whether or not they are of the same standard). For example, as shown in Figure 5(a), Gm and G■ have different transmission capabilities.
(Gg [, GIV shared machines can be treated as GIV) If there is a device in the 2 ellipses, proceed to 51019 and select a method that is capable of transmission and has high efficiency. In other words, if the own aircraft is a Gn[, GTV shared aircraft as in this embodiment, the GIV aircraft is selected because it is more efficient to communicate using G■. After that, the business card reading flag is set in 51021 to indicate that the FAX number has been determined, and the liquid crystal display panel 41 is set in 51023.
Display the determined FAX number in Display 2 (see FIG. 3(c)), register the destination name and FAX number in 31025, and proceed to 51041. In this example, the company name was used as the registered name of the other party, but it may of course be used as the registered name of the department, etc.
A means for selecting a registered name may be provided.

Generally, it is better to select the method with the highest transmission efficiency among destination facsimile machines with a plurality of different functions. Therefore, if the other party has a GII[, GIV shared machine, the GIV
Since the transmission efficiency is higher, the G
) can be handled using the following flow.

For example, in 51015, the transmission capability of the Gm/GIV shared machine is determined to be GIV. Also, the other party has GII [
, even when only the GIV shared machine is identified (51031)
All you have to do is select GIV and perform the subsequent processing.

Note that if your aircraft is a GI[[ aircraft, GIV aircraft generally also have G11l functions, so GIII aircraft also have G11l functions.
■Can also be transmitted to machines using GII. Therefore, GIII, G
The IV shared machine can be treated as a Gm machine.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 23(a), if it is determined in 51015 that the transmission capabilities are the same, a multiple number flag is set in 5IO17 to indicate that multiple FAX numbers with the same transmission capability have been read. Then, the selection is made on the operation panel 15. For example, as shown in FIG. 7(b), there is a case where two departments are listed. After selection, proceed to 51041.

If 5IOII determines that there is not more than one fax number, check 51031 to see if there is a fax number, and then
If there is No. 1, the condition is 51035 to allow transmission, and 5
Proceed to 1021. If transmission is not possible, display n (see FIG. 3(b)) on the liquid crystal display panel 41 is displayed in step 51037, informing the operator that it is not possible to connect to the other party, and the process directly proceeds to step 51041. If there is no fax number in 51031, the display y (3rd
(see figure (c))), the operator is notified of this, and S1
Proceed to 041.

For 51041 and below, business card ejection processing is performed after the analysis is completed. When it is determined that the business card ejection is completed in 51041, 51
At 043, the business card reading flag is reset to indicate that the business card reading is not in progress, but if it is not yet completed, the business card is reversely conveyed at 51045.

and return.

In addition, if the analysis is not completed at 31009, 5 in Figure 23 (b)
Proceeding to step 1051, the OCR analysis unit issues commands such as reading the facsimile telephone number on the business card and monitors the completion. "In other words, 51051 is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 41 (see FIG. 3(b)) to notify the operator that OCR analysis is in progress. Next, 510
If the FAX number analysis command is sent to the OCR analysis section 7 in 53 and it is determined that the issue has not been issued, the process proceeds to 51055 and the FAX number analysis command is sent to the OCR analysis section 7.
, start analyzing the FAX number, and return.

If the FAX number analysis command has been issued, 5105
Proceed to step 7 and check whether the FAX number analysis end command has been received by the OCR analysis section.

If you have not received it, simply return it.

When the FAX number analysis is completed, the process advances to 51059 and checks whether the mode is business card registration mode (whether the business card registration key 45 has been pressed). If not, the process advances to 31067 and the OCR analysis ends. When in business card registration mode (business card registration flag -
1) proceeds to 51061 to analyze the company name. 510
At step 61, a company name analysis command is sent to the OCR analyzer to check whether it has been issued. If it has not been issued, it is issued at step 51063 to start company name analysis and return. If the company name analysis command has been issued, 510
Proceed to step 65 and check whether the company name analysis has been completed.
If it is not finished, it will return as is, but if it is finished, it will return 5106.
Proceed to step 7 and return as the end of OCR analysis.

Number Print Routine> FIG. 24 shows the flow of number printing (833 in FIG. 12) for printing out the destination name and number registered in the IC card 52 and one-touch key 42.

First, in 5tioi, is the number print flag indicating that the number print mode is set (Fig. 22 (r) s
765) is determined, and if it is not standing, returns immediately. If it is, then check 51103 to determine whether bitmap expansion has finished, and if it has been completed, check 5112.
Go to 1.

If bitmap expansion is not completed in 51103, 51105
The process branches according to the contents of the IC card valid 7 lag. In other words, if the target to print is the RAM of the main body, 5110
In 7, select the first kanji ROMl65 and set it to 5110.
At step 9, the font data (see FIG. 9(b)) is read out, and the contents of the one-touch keys are developed into a bitmap as shown in FIG. 9(a). Also, if the target is the IC card 52, select the second kanji ROM 266 with 5ll11,
At step 51113, the font data (see FIG. 10(b)) is read out and a bit map is developed for the set address group 1 of the IC card 52 as shown in FIG. 10(a). In other words, the font is changed depending on the size of the characters to be printed. Then proceed to 31121.

When bitmap development is completed, the end of recording is determined in step 51121. If the print operation has not been completed, the print operation is performed at 5l125 and the process returns. 511 if recording has ended
Proceed to step 23, reset the number print flag, and return.

Business Card Number Registration Routine> FIG. 25 shows how the FAX number read from the business card is stored in the memory (main body RAM) corresponding to the one-touch key 42.

70- of business card number registration (FIG. 12, 535) for storage in an IC card) is shown.

First, the condition is that the business card read flag indicating that the FAX number has been read from the business card in 51201 and 51203 and the business card registration flag indicating that the business card registration key has been pressed are both set to "l", Proceed to 51205.

In other cases, return. At 51205, the IC card validity flag is checked, and if it is II II, then at 51207 the display U on the liquid crystal display panel 41 (Fig. 3 (C
) to select the IC card 52. If it is 0'', the display V (3rd page) on the 51209 LCD panel 41
(See Figure (C)) indicates to the operator that the main body RAM is to be selected.

Next, in step 31211, it is determined whether or not the one-touch key 42 to be registered is pressed (key registration 7 lag "l"), and if there is no key force, the process returns. If you have key personnel (see Figure 22(d) S 733), then use 31213 to
Branches depending on the contents of the card validity flag, and 51215 and 51217 respectively correspond to the area corresponding to the one-touch key 42 in the address group selected by the IC card load key 48 and the one-touch key 42 in the main body RAM. The destination and FAX number are stored in the area. Now that you have registered the fax number read from the business card,
Next, after storing, the business card registration flag and the business card read 7 lag are set to υ at 51219 and 51221, respectively, and the process returns.

In this embodiment, the IC card validity flag (Fig. 22(C)
), the contents of the one-touch key 42 can be switched by
, OFF may be used to select one of the contents, and furthermore, a display means may be provided.

(g) OCR analysis The OCR analysis unit 67 performs business card reading processing (Fig. 23(a)
), (b)), the communication control CPU 60
When an AX number analysis start command or a company name analysis start command is received, OCR analysis is performed as explained below, each analysis is performed, and when the communication control CPU
Information analyzed in 60 (presence of fax number, fax number,
(function, coordinates, etc.) and sends an analysis end command to notify the communication control CPU 60 of the end. Note that character extraction, recognition, etc. are performed using a well-known OCR technique, so explanations thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 26 shows a main CPU 70- that controls the OCR analysis section 67. First, 52001 is the communication control CPU 60
It is determined whether or not a FAX number analysis start command has been received. If it has not been received, the process advances to 52013. If received, perform OCR analysis of the FAX number. That is,
In step S 2003, it is determined whether the writing is vertical or horizontal (see Figure 27), and then in step 52005, character segmentation and recognition are performed (
(See Figure 28), then use 52007 to specify the character string representing the facsimile (rFAXJ, etc.) (See Figure 29)
, then specify the facsimile number with 52009.
52011, the code of the recognized FAX number and the FAX number analysis end command are sent to the communication control CPU 6.
0 and proceeds to S2013.

Next, 32013 sends the company name analysis start command to the communication control CP.
It is determined whether or not it has been received from U6Q.

If not, the process returns to 52001. If received, 520
At step 15, it is determined whether it is vertical or horizontal writing, then at l:52017 the character is cut out, and then at step 32019 it is converted into a character string.

Next, in step 52021, the ratio of character parts (black parts) in the character strings is compared among all character strings, and the one with the highest ratio is extracted as the thickest character. Next, the character string is recognized in 32023, and the code of the recognized character is sent to the communication control CPU 60 as the company name.
At step 25, a company name analysis end command is sent to the communication control CPU 60.

FIG. 27 shows the flow of vertical/horizontal determination (J26 diagram 52003). First, in step 52301, it is checked whether or not the determination of all areas has not been completed. If not completed, then 1 at 32303
A character is cut out, and then in step 52305 it is determined whether the character has a size within a predetermined suitable range for a FAX number.

If not, the process returns to 52301 and the next character is cut out. For a single character with a compatible size, then 523
At step 07, it is determined whether the character matches a vertical alphanumeric character, and if not, then at 52309, it is determined whether it matches a horizontal alphanumeric character. If it is a vertical character, the determination result that the character is vertical is issued to the communication control CPU 60 in step 52313, and the process returns. If it is a horizontal character, the determination result that the character is horizontal is issued to the communication control CPU 60 in S2311, and the process returns. If it is neither, return to 52301. Also, 323
If 01 is the end for all areas, an alphanumeric character of an appropriate size was not found, so an unidentifiable command is issued to the communication control CPU 60 at 52315, and the process returns.

Figure 28 shows character extraction and recognition (Figure 26 52005
) shows the flow. In step 52101, it is determined whether character extraction and recognition have not been completed in all areas. If it is not completed, one character is cut out at 52103, and it is determined at 52105 whether the character is of a size suitable for a FAX number. If not, return to 52101. For compatible characters, it branches depending on whether it is horizontal at 52107, and if it is horizontal, it is checked at 52109 whether it matches an alphanumeric horizontal character or not using OCR 7 Nantes Table 6.
If it matches the font in 9 and matches, store the character code and the coordinates indicating its position in 52111, and change to 52101.
Return to In the case of vertical direction, use the font in the OCR font table 69 to check whether it matches the alphanumeric vertical character in 52113, and if it matches, store the character code and the coordinates of its position in 52115, Return to 52101. If 52113 does not match, the process returns to 52101. If it is determined in step 52101 that processing for all areas is complete, the process returns.

FIG. 29 shows the flow of processing (S2007) for extracting a character string indicating facsimile. In this example,
For simplicity, the character string rFAXJ or "Facsimile" is extracted. Although other similar character strings can be extracted in the same way, the explanation will be omitted.

First, the character string rFAXJ is processed. First 522
At 01, a search is made to see if the character "F" is present among the characters stored at 52111 and 52115 in FIG. If it exists, search for the next character in 52203 and enter 5220.
5, it is determined whether it is "A" or not. If “A”,
Search for the next character in 52207, 52209
It is determined whether it is "x" or not. If "x", then "
There is a character string "FAx", so 522
In step 11, the coordinates indicating the position are specified. 52201.5
If 2205 or 52209 is negative, the process advances to 52213 and processes the character string "facsimile".

First, in step 52213, it is checked whether the character "F" is included among the stored characters. If so, 52215~
32233, search for the following characters and search for "a", "ri", "
It is determined whether the characters are "shi", "mi", or "su".

If there is a character string "Facsimile", 52235
Determine the coordinates that indicate the position of a string in .

Then, in step 52237, it is determined whether the identification of all characters has been completed, and if it has not been completed, the process returns to step 52201 to continue character string extraction.

When the specific processing is completed for all characters, S? The process proceeds to 239, and it is determined whether or not the identification was successful. If the identification was not possible, the display y (Fig. 13 (C)) is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 41 at 52241, and the operator is informed that there is no FAX number. , return.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart for specifying a facsimile telephone number (32009 in FIG. 26).

First, in step 52401, it is checked whether there is a character string representing the facsimile specified in the flow of FIG. 29, and if there is not, the process returns directly.

If there is a character string, then in step 52403 it is checked whether the character string is in the horizontal direction. For horizontal writing, 52405
In step S2415, a search is made to the right from the coordinates of the character string, and in the case of vertical writing, a search is made to the bottom from the coordinates of the character string in step S2415. In both horizontal and vertical writing cases, if it is determined that there is a FAX number at 52407° and 52417, respectively, it is identified as a FAX number at 524Q9.2419, and then the function (G11l, GIV indicating the standard) is determined. If it is determined that there is a character string, the function character string and FAX number are identified and stored in pairs at 52413 and 52423.

If there are multiple FAX numbers, all are extracted. Also,
The above-mentioned rightward and downward directions are actually searches within a range with a certain angle. Then, in S2425, it is determined whether the search around the character string has been completed, and if not, 52
Return to 403 and continue searching.

524 when it is determined that the search around the string has ended at 52425.
In step 27, it is determined whether the search has been completed for all character strings representing facsimile. If no, 5
Returning to 2401, similar processing is performed for other character strings. When the search for all character strings is completed, next 3242
9, it is checked whether the FAX number has been specified. F
If there is no AX number, enter 32431 to indicate no fax number.

Figure 31 shows 1 in the FAX number analysis processing sequence.
The flow of character search processing is shown. First, it branches at 52501 depending on whether it is horizontal or not. For horizontal writing, add the coordinates of one character in the horizontal direction to the current coordinates with 52503, and for vertical writing, add 52503 to the current coordinates.
At step 2505, one character's mark is added in the current vertical direction. Next, in step 32507, the presence or absence of characters around the coordinates is checked, using these as the current coordinates. If there are characters, 52509
to set that character code as the current character, and if it does not exist, set it to 52.
At 511, it is determined that there are no characters and returns.

Below are the margins (effects of the invention) Since the facsimile telephone number printed on business cards and the like is read using an optical character recognition function, the operator's key manual labor is reduced and input errors can be reduced.

Compared to conventional barcodes, there is no need to print barcodes on business cards, etc., and they do not have to look strange.

”Oshita! p: color

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a facsimile machine. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the operation panel. FIGS. 3(a), 3(b), and 3(c) are diagrams showing examples of display on a liquid crystal display panel. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the 7 axis control system. FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are diagrams showing business cards each having a facsimile telephone number written thereon. FIG. 6(a) is a diagram showing a seven-dimensional number print for one-touch keys, and FIG. 6(b) is an enlarged view of the printed portion. FIG. 7(a) is a diagram showing a number print format for an IC card, and FIG. 7(b) is an enlarged view of the printed portion. FIG. 8 <a> is an example of the contents registered in the memory, and FIG. 8(b) is a diagram of an example of encoded stored data. FIG. 9(a) is a diagram of an example of a font, and FIG.
b) is a diagram of font data in the first kanji ROM. FIG. 1O(a) is a diagram of another example of 7 onts, and the first
Figure O (b) is a diagram of font data in the second kanji ROM. FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart of control by the communication control CPU. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of timer interrupt. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of print check. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the read check. FIG. 15 is a 70-chart of the transmission check. FIG. 16 is a 70-chart of reception check. FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the business card reading check. FIGS. 18(a), (b), and (c) are flowcharts of transmission. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of reception. FIGS. 20(a) and 20(b) are flowcharts of reading. FIG. 21 is a flowchart of print control. Figure 22 (a), (b), (c), (d)
, (e), (f) are 70-charts of key processing. FIGS. 23(a) and 23(b) are flowcharts of business card reading. FIG. 24 is a flowchart of number printing. FIG. 25 is a flowchart of business card number registration. FIG. 26 is a flowchart of OCR analysis by the OCR analysis section. FIG. 27 is a flowchart of the vertical/horizontal determination. FIG. 28 is a 70-chart for character segmentation and recognition. FIG. 29 is a flowchart for specifying a character string representing a facsimile. FIG. 30 is a flowchart for specifying a facsimile telephone number. FIG. 31 is a 70-chart for a single character search. 1... Printer section, 15... Operation panel, 2
0...Reading unit, 26...Linear image sensor, 3
1...Set part, 41...Liquid crystal display panel, 4
2...One-touch key, 43...Send key 45...
・Business card registration key 46...Number print key, 47...Registration key 48
...Kana-Kanji key 52...IC card, 60.
...Communication control (1: PU, 67...OCR analysis section. Figure 3 (a)

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A reading means for optically reading an image of a document on which a facsimile telephone number is printed; extracting characters from the image data read by the reading means;
A facsimile device comprising: number identification means for identifying a facsimile telephone number from the characters; and number setting means for connecting a line to the facsimile telephone number identified by the number identification means as a destination.