Auto dialer for use with telecopiers or the like

A facsimile machine for transmitting data over a public telephone line comprising:

• means for reading a document original to be transmitted and for developing data representative of the pattern present thereon;
• line memory means for temporarily storing said data in a line by line fashion;
• data interface means for supplying said data to said public telephone line, said data interface means further receiving data provided from a remote facsimile machine on said public telephone line;
• said line memory means further temporarily storing said data received from said public telephone line in a line by line fashion;
• data recording means for printing an image recovered from said data received from said public telephone line;
• a central processing unit, operatively connected to said means for reading, said line memory means, said data interface means and said data recording means, for controlling the transfer of said data between line memory means and said data interface means and between said line memory means and said means for reading and data recording means in accordance with a control program;
• permanent memory means, operatively connected to said central processing unit for storing said control program;
• dialing means operatively connecting between said central processor unit and said public telephone line, for establishing connections with a said remote facsimile machine;
• operation panel means including a keyboard for entering commands to said facsimile machine including telephone numbers to be dialed, said operator panel means being operatively connected to said central processing unit;
• random access memory means, operatively connected to said central processing unit, for storing telephone numbers of said remote facsimile machine, said random access memory means having a plurality of memory areas, selected ones of said telephone numbers being stored in locations within an abbreviated dial conversion table in one of said memory areas of said random access memory means, said selected ones of said telephone numbers are defined by abbreviated code numbers, said code numbers and said telephone numbers being provided to said random access memory means from said operation panel means, other ones of said telephone numbers stored in a directed number area in a second one of said plurality of memory areas in said random access memory means, said random access memory means further storing a dial repeat count number and a dial repeat interval time, said selected ones of said telephone numbers being accessed by operation of abbreviation code keys in said operation panel means and said other ones of said telephone numbers being accessed by operation of a direct number key on said operation panel means;
• said dialing means, in cooperation with said central processing unit, detecting a busy signal at said remote facsimile machine and being responsive to said dial repeat count and dial repeat interval time stored in said random access memory means to automatically redial the said telephone number of said remote facsimile machine up to a maximum number of times specified by said dial repeat count number at intervals specified by said dial repeat interval time, said dialing means determining when said remote facsimile machine answers and enabling transmitting of data by said data interface means in response thereto, operation of said dialing means being initiated by one of an operation of a transmission key upon said operation panel means and an operation of said direct number key, transmission being automatically initiated once one of said telephone numbers is accessed and dialed and said remote terminal has answered.