Data communication apparatus with operation-stop function

An image data communicating apparatus for performing image data transmission to communication lines, image data receiving from communication lines, image data reading, image data storing and image data printing operations comprising:

• an operation controller for concurrently executing a plurality of image data operations among the image data transmission, image data receiving, image data storing, image data reading and image data printing operations of the communication apparatus, said operation controller being connected to a plurality of communication channels executing communications concurrently;
• a stop designator for instructing said operation controller to stop one of said plurality of image data operations being executed concurrently when said stop designator is actuated without manually specifying the image data operation to be stopped;
• and
• a stop controller for automatically selecting the one image data operation, the one image data operation having been started later than another of the image data operations being executed concurrently, said stop controller cooperating with said operation controller and said stop designator to stop the one image data operation.

An image communication apparatus for performing image data transmission to communication lines, image data receiving from communication lines, image data reading, image data storing and image data printing operations, comprising:

• an operation controller for executing a plurality of kinds of image data operations of said image communication apparatus, the image data operations including at least image data transmission, image data receiving, image data storing, image data reading, image data printing operations and an image data relaying operation;
• a stop designator for instructing said operation controller to stop one of the image data operations concurrently in progress when said stop designator is actuated;
• and
• prohibiting means, cooperating with said operation controller and said stop designator, for preventing the image data relaying operation from being stopped by said stop designator.

A method of controlling an image data communication device for performing image data transmission to communication lines, image data receiving from communication lines, image data reading, image data storing and image data printing operations, comprising the steps of:

• concurrently executing a plurality of image data operations among the image data transmission, image data receiving, image data storing, image data reading and image data printing operations of the image data communication device;
• instructing the communication device to stop one of the plurality of image data operations being concurrently executed when the stop instruction is given, without manually specifying which of the image data operations is to be stopped;
• and
• automatically selecting the one image data operation to be stopped when said instructing step is performed, and stopping of the one image data operation in response to performance of said instructing step,
• wherein the one image data operation is selected according to a predetermined stop priority, and
• wherein an operator presets the stop priority.

A method of controlling an image data communication device for performing image data transmission to communication channels, image data receiving from communication channels, image data reading, image data storing and image data printing operations, comprising the steps of:

• connecting the image data communication device to a plurality of communication channels;
• concurrently executing a plurality of image data operations among the image data transmission, image data receiving, image data storing, image data reading and image data printing operations of the image data communication device, a first image data operation using one communication channel and a second image data operation using another data channel;
• instructing the communication device to stop one of the plurality of image data operations being concurrently executed when the stop instruction is given, without manually specifying which of the image data operations is to be stopped;
• and
• automatically selecting the one image data operation to be stopped when said instructing step is performed, and stopping of the one image data operation in response to performance of said instructing step such that when the one image data operation has been started later than another, the one image data operation is selected to be stopped,
• wherein said selecting step is performed by an operation controller connected to the plurality of communication channels.

A method for controlling an image data communicating apparatus for performing image data transmission to communication lines, image data receiving from communication lines, image data reading, image data storing and image data printing operations, comprising the steps of:

• concurrently executing a plurality of kinds of image data operations of the image data communication apparatus, the image data operations including image data transmission, image data receiving, image data storing, image data reading, image data printing operations and an image data relay operation;
• instructing the apparatus to stop one of the image data operations concurrently in progress when the stop instruction is given;
• and
• preventing the image data relaying operation from being stopped by said instructing step.

An image data communicating apparatus for performing image data transmission to communication lines, image data receiving from communication lines, image data reading, image data storing and image data printing operations, comprising:

• an operation controller for concurrently executing a plurality of image data operations of the image data communication apparatus, the image data operations including image data transmission, image data receiving, image data storing, image data reading, image data printing, a local image data copying operation and an image data communication operation with another station;
• a stop designator for instructing said operation controller to stop one of said plurality of image data operations being concurrently executed when said stop designator is actuated without manually specifying the image data operation to be stopped;
• and
• a stop controller for automatically selecting the one image data operation to be stopped when said stop designator is actuated, said stop controller cooperating with said operation controller and said stop designator to stop the one image data operation,
• wherein when said stop designator is actuated while the local image data copying operation and the image data communication operation are concurrently executed, the local image data copying operation is stopped.

A method of controlling an image data communication device for performing image data transmission to communication lines, image data receiving from communication lines, image data reading, image data storing and image data printing operations, comprising the steps of:

• concurrently executing a plurality of image data operations of the image data communication device, the image data operations including image data transmission, image data receiving, image data storing, image data reading, image data printing, a local image data copying operation and an image data communication operation with another station;
• instructing the image data communication device to stop one of the plurality of the image data operations being concurrently executed when the stop instruction is given, without manually specifying which of the image data operations is to be stopped;
• and
• automatically selecting the one image data operation to be stopped when said instructing step is performed, and stopping the one image data operation,
• wherein the local image data copying operation is selected to be stopped when the local image data copying operation and the image data communication operation are being concurrently executed.

An image data communicating apparatus for performing image data communication comprising:

• operation controlling means for concurrently executing a plurality of image data operations of the image data communication apparatus, the image data operations including a local image data processing operation and an image data communication operation with another station;
• stop designation means for instructing said operation controlling means to stop one of the local image data processing and image data communication operations being concurrently executed when said stop designation means is actuated without manually specifying the image data operation to be stopped;
• and
• stop controlling means for automatically selecting the one image data operation to be stopped in response to actuation of said stop designation means,
• wherein when said stop designation means is actuated while the local image data processing operation and the image data communication operation are concurrently executed, the local image data processing operation is stopped.

A method of controlling an image data communication device for performing image data communication, comprising the steps of:

• concurrently executing a plurality of image data operations of the image data communication device, the image data operations including a local image data processing operation and an image data communication operation with another station;
• instructing the image data communication device to stop one of the plurality of image data operations being concurrently executed when the stop instruction is given, without manually specifying which of the image data operations is to be stopped;
• and
• automatically selecting the one image data operation to be stopped, and stopping the one image data operation,
• wherein the local image data processing operation is selected to be stopped when the local image data processing operation and the image data communication operation are being concurrently executed.