US 5,510,907 AGranted

Facsimile apparatus having urgency message transmission function

AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.

InventorHiroshi Koichi

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Abstract

A facsimile apparatus includes: a memory unit for storing subscriber number records indicating destination stations for urgency message transmission, and for storing voice and image urgency message records respectively indicating voice and image urgency messages; an operation unit for selecting one of the destination stations whose records are stored, and for selecting one of message transmit modes; a transmission starting unit for starting an urgency message transmit procedure when one of the destination stations is selected and one of the message transmit modes is selected; and a transmission unit for transmitting an urgency message to the selected destination station through a transmission line when the urgency message transmit procedure is started, the urgency message being one or both of the voice and image urgency messages in accordance with the selected message transmit mode.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A facsimile apparatus having an urgency message transmission function, comprising:

memory means for storing a plurality of subscriber number records indicating a plurality of destination stations, and for storing voice and image urgency message records which respectively indicate voice and image urgency messages;
operation means provided within said facsimile apparatus for selecting one of the plurality of destination stations whose records are stored in said memory means, and for selecting one of a plurality of message transmit modes;
transmission starting means for starting an urgency message transmit procedure when one of the destination stations is selected by said operation means and one of the plurality of message transmit modes is selected by said operation means;
and
transmission means for transmitting an urgency message to the selected destination station through a transmission line when the urgency message transmit procedure is performed in accordance with the selected message transmit mode, said urgency message being either or both of said stored voice and image urgency messages selected in accordance with the selected message transmit mode,
wherein said apparatus further comprises radio transmitter means, provided outside said facsimile apparatus, for transmitting a signal from a remote location to said facsimile apparatus through a radio wave transmission, said radio transmitter means including an operation part for selecting one of the plurality of destination stations and for selecting one of the plurality of message transmit modes,
wherein said transmission starting means starts the urgency message transmit procedure in response to said transmitted start signal from said radio transmitter means, said transmission means transmitting either or both of said stored voice and image urgency messages to the destination station selected by said operation part, said transmitted message being selected in accordance with the message transmit mode selected by said operation part.

4 more elements

A facsimile apparatus having an urgency message transmission function, comprising:

memory means for storing a plurality of subscriber number records indicating a plurality of destination stations for urgency message transmission, and for storing voice and image urgency message records which respectively indicate voice and image urgency messages;
operation means for selecting one of the plurality of destination stations whose records are stored in said memory means, and for selecting one of a plurality of message transmit modes;
transmission starting means for starting an urgency message transmit procedure when one of the destination stations is selected on said operation means and one of the plurality of message transmit modes is selected on said operation means;
transmission means for transmitting an urgency message to the selected destination station through a transmission line when the urgency message transmit procedure is started by said transmission starting means, said urgency message being one or both of said voice and image urgency messages in accordance with the selected message transmit mode;
a tone ringer;
ringing sound generate means for enabling said tone ringer to generate a ringing sound during a given ringing time when a call from an external calling station is received after the start of the urgency message transmit procedure;
response means for automatically sending a call-accept signal to the calling station via a transmission line when a reply signal from a telephone unit of the facsimile apparatus is not sent to the calling station within the given ringing time;
detection means for detecting whether the calling station is a facsimile unit or a telephone unit after a signal from the calling station is received;
voice message transmit means for transmitting the voice urgency message to the calling station when the calling station is detected to be a telephone unit;
and
disconnect means for disconnecting the facsimile apparatus from the transmission line when the calling station is detected to be a facsimile unit.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/305,338Filed 15 Sep 1994
Priority: JP 5-25367117 Sep 1993
Granted: 23 Apr 1996
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04N 1/32058
Automation of particular transmitter jobs, e.g. multi-address calling, auto-dialing: abbreviated dialing, e.g. one-touch dialing
H04M 1/27
Devices for calling a subscriber: devices whereby a plurality of signals may be stored simultaneously
H04N 1/00281
Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture…:…
H04N 1/32037
Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g.…