JPH0856285A - Image communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To enable line switching to the facsimile side without the need for hooking operation when receiving a facsimile signal in the manual reception state. When the identification signal is detected within a predetermined time by operating the identification signal detecting means for a predetermined time after the telephone is changed from the off-hook state to the on-hook state or by allowing the signal from the detecting means to be accepted. , The telephone line can be switched from the telephone side to the facsimile side. [Effect] The line can be easily and surely switched to the facsimile side without requiring hooking operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image communication apparatus having a facsimile connected to the same telephone line as a telephone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, facsimile machines used in small-scale offices or stores often use a telephone and a facsimile together on the same telephone line because of the cost. In such a usage environment, the reception is mainly done by the telephone, so the facsimile machine is set to the manual reception state, the telephone line is connected to the telephone side, and when the facsimile signal is received, the telephone is off-hook. In this state, the normal operation procedure is to receive the image signal after turning on the reception key of the facsimile.

However, in offices and the like, there are cases where the telephone and the facsimile machine have to be installed apart from each other due to space restrictions, and the telephone user has to bother to operate the facsimile reception key in order to operate the facsimile reception key. There was the trouble of moving to that location and operating the receive key.

In order to solve such a drawback, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-237857, when the telephone is off-hook and the dial tone of the facsimile is confirmed from the telephone side, a hooking operation of the telephone is performed to make a telephone line. It proposes a means for switching from the telephone side to the facsimile side to start the receiving operation of the facsimile.

Also, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-177757, when a calling tone of a facsimile is confirmed from the telephone side, a hooking operation of the telephone is performed a plurality of times, and a predetermined intermittent state of the hooking operation is detected. Has proposed a means for switching the telephone line from the telephone side to the facsimile machine side to start the receiving operation of the facsimile.

[0006]

All of the above-mentioned devices are constructed so that they can be switched to the telephone side by a hooking operation. However, the hooking operation is often performed even when the line condition is poor. The operator who does not know that is the means to switch to the facsimile does not easily cause the problem that the line is mistakenly switched to the facsimile even though the operator is hooking and receiving a telephone call. Also, there is a problem in that the user is unfamiliar with the operation and the hooking operation is mistakenly cut off the line.

On the other hand, on the side operating the telephone, it is originally desirable to adopt the hooking operation as a means for switching the line in order to raise anxiety that the action itself of the hooking operation may disconnect the line. Absent.

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention provides an image communication apparatus capable of easily and surely switching the line to the facsimile side without requiring a hooking operation when receiving a facsimile signal in a manual reception state. The purpose is to provide.

[0009]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a hook state detecting means for detecting the on / off hook state of a telephone, and a CNG (calling side identification signal) or a CED (callee identification signal) from the other party. Calling side identification signal), or a means for detecting a facsimile identification signal of either or both,
Line switching means for switching the telephone line to the facsimile side based on a detection signal from the detection means, and activates the identification signal detection means for a predetermined time after the telephone changes from the off-hook state to the on-hook state, or It is characterized in that the reception of the signal from the detecting means is allowed and the telephone line can be switched from the telephone side to the facsimile side when the identification signal is detected within the predetermined time.

[0010]

According to such technical means, after the operator picks up the telephone and connects the off-hook line, after monitoring the calling side identification signal (CNG signal) of the facsimile from the telephone, the operator places the telephone (on-hook). When the identification signal is received by the detection means by using the predetermined time until the line is disconnected after the on-hook, the means for detecting the facsimile identification signal is activated by the identification signal or based on the identification signal. The detected signal is sent to the switching means, and the telephone line is switched from the telephone side to the facsimile side so that the facsimile image can be received.

Therefore, according to the present invention, since the hooking operation is not used as a means for switching the line for switching the line, there is no possibility of switching to the facsimile side or accidentally disconnecting the line by an erroneous operation.

Further, according to the present invention, since the CNG signal receiving state is automatically changed after the off-hook state is changed to the on-hook state, the switching operation to the facsimile is unnecessary, and the telephone side is after the on-hook state. There is no room for noise and the like, and therefore the switching operation can be performed reliably and smoothly without complication. The present invention is not limited to the calling side, but can be applied to the called side. That is, the original was placed in the facsimile of the own machine and the transmission operation was performed in advance. However, for example, when the other party is busy, it is troublesome to repeat the transmission operation with the facsimile of the own machine until the end of the conversation. If it is possible to perform the re-sending operation from the telephone on the office desk, it will be advantageous from the aspect of administrative rationalization.

Therefore, in the present invention, in the case of re-sending, after connecting the line of the other party by the dial operation from the own telephone, the called side identification signal (CED signal) of the facsimile of the other party is monitored by the telephone. After that, by placing the telephone (on-hook), the telephone line is switched from the telephone side to the facsimile side by the same operation as described above, and the facsimile image transmission can be performed. Therefore, the "means for detecting a facsimile identification signal from the other party" according to claim 1 of the present invention includes both a means for detecting either a CNG signal or a CED signal, or a means for detecting both. Including.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an image communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a telephone line based on a signal from the line switching control circuit.
From the facsimile communication unit 5 side or from the facsimile communication unit 5 side to the telephone 4 side
An L relay 2 is a hook state detection circuit of the telephone 4, which detects an on-hook state or an off-hook state of a receiver of the telephone 4, and sends the detection signal to the line switching control circuit 6 side. A line holding circuit 7 holds the line after on-hook.

An identification signal detection circuit 3 detects a CNG signal and a CED signal, which are facsimile identification signals from the other party, and a line switching control circuit when the detection signal from the hook state detection circuit 2 changes from off-hook to on-hook. The 6 side receives the signal from the detection circuit 3 or turns on the detection circuit 3 itself. The detection circuit 3 may be independent or the same as the facsimile communication unit 5.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described with reference to the time chart shown in FIG. 2 and the operation flowchart shown in FIG.

The CML relay 1 is constructed so that it can be switched to the telephone 4 or the facsimile communication section 5.
Normally, since the telephone 4 is used, it is connected to the telephone 4 side. When a facsimile transmission operation is performed by the other party in this state, the incoming signal first reaches the telephone set 4 and a ringing tone sounds.

When the operator of the telephone 4 picks up the receiver,
The hook state detection circuit 2 detects the off-hook state of the telephone 4, and the detection signal switches from the LOW state to the HI state. On the other hand, when the CNG signal for facsimile identification is monitored on the handset side, when the operator of the telephone 4 returns the handset as it is, the hook state detection circuit 2 detects the on-hook and switches from the HI state to the LOW state again. .

On the line switching control circuit 6 side, the switching of the detection signal from HI to LOW is detected, and the identification signal detection circuit 3 is turned on for a predetermined time, specifically for a predetermined time within a range in which the line is not cut, Within a period of time, the identification signal detection circuit 3 sends a C for facsimile identification from the destination.
When the NG signal is detected, the line switching control circuit 6
The CML relay 1 is switched from the telephone 4 side to the facsimile communication section 5 side so that the facsimile communication section 5 can receive an image.

The same applies to the case where the facsimile communication unit 5 is retransmitted from the self-device side to the other party, that is, when the original document is previously attached to the facsimile communication unit 5 of the self-device and the resending or other transmission operation is performed. Then, after the other party's line is connected by dialing from the own telephone 4, the telephone 4
After monitoring the called party identification signal (CED signal) of the other party's facsimile, place the telephone 4 (on-hook)
As a result, the identification signal detection circuit 3 is turned on similarly to the above, and the contact of the CML relay 1 is switched by detecting the CED signal by the detection circuit 3, whereby image communication of the facsimile communication unit 5 can be performed. . still,
The CML relay 1 is configured to automatically return to the telephone 4 side after completion of image communication based on a control signal from the line switching control circuit 6.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, when a facsimile signal is received in the manual reception state, it is possible to easily and surely switch the line to the facsimile side without requiring a hooking operation. Even when transmitting an image, it can be performed from the telephone side, which is extremely practical.

It has various remarkable effects such as

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an operation timing chart of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 CML relay 2 Hook detection circuit 3 Identification signal detection circuit 4 Telephone 5 Facsimile communication unit 6 Line switching control circuit 7 Line holding circuit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image communication apparatus having a facsimile connected to the same telephone line as a telephone, a hook detecting means for detecting a hook state of the telephone, a means for detecting a facsimile identification signal from the other party, and a telephone. A means for holding the line and a line switching means for switching the telephone line to the facsimile side based on the detection signal from the facsimile identification signal detecting means are provided, and the identification is made within a predetermined time after the telephone is switched from off-hook to on-hook. An image communication apparatus, characterized in that the telephone line can be switched from the telephone side to the facsimile side when the signal detecting means detects the identification signal.