US 6,020,981 AGranted

Facsimile apparatus which is capable of storing image information in a storage unit

AssigneeNEC Corporation

InventorTetsuya Ogiyama

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Abstract

A facsimile apparatus system in which a facsimile transmitter transmits a document and a corresponding facsimile receiver receives the document. Before the received document is put in such a state that an operator of the facsimile receiver cannot confirm the contents of the received document, an operator at the side of the facsimile transmitter can retrieve or delete the corresponding document as necessary. The facsimile receiver includes a storage unit for storing therein an image. The facsimile transmitter can inform the facsimile receiver of its own ID and a document management number of the document being stored in the storage unit of the facsimile receiver but not put in a state readable by the facsimile receiver operator to request the retrieval or deletion of the document. At this time, a communication capability discriminating unit judges whether or not the receiver side has a document deleting capability, and a document control/processing unit controls a document management unit to carry out the retrieval or deletion of the corresponding document stored in the storage unit.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A facsimile apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive, in a first mode, protocol signals corresponding to a facsimile communication protocol and to receive document information transmitted from a facsimile transmitter corresponding to the facsimile communication protocol;
a storage unit configured to store said document information and document management information for specifying said document information;
an output unit configured to output contents of said document information;
a capability identifying unit responsive to a first protocol signal in said protocol signals, and configured to identify whether or not said facsimile transmitter has a capability of transmitting a first demand signal and a second demand signal demanding the stored document information:
a mode control unit responsive to said first protocol signal, and configured to shift a control from the first mode for a facsimile communication corresponding to the facsimile communication protocol, to a second mode;
said receiving unit configured to receive said first demand signal and said second demand signal which contains said document management information transmitted from said facsimile transmitter under the control of said second mode;
a determining unit, responsive to said first demand signal, configured to determine whether or not said document information remains in said storage unit without being output by said output unit under the control of said second mode;
a transmitting unit configured to transmit a result of a determination of said determining unit to said facsimile transmitter under the control of said second mode;
a searching unit, responsive to said second demand signal, configured to search said document information from said storage unit corresponding to said document management information in said second demand signal under the control of said second mode;
and
a deleting unit configured to delete said document information which is searched by said searching unit under the control of said second mode.

8 more elements

A facsimile apparatus comprising:

a transmission unit configured to transmit protocol signals corresponding to a facsimile communication protocol and transmitting document information to a facsimile receiver corresponding to the facsimile communication protocol;
a capability identifying unit responsive to a first protocol signal in said protocol signals, and configured to identify whether or not said facsimile receiver has a function of deleting stored document information which has been received from said transmission unit;
a mode control unit responsive to said first protocol signal, and configured to shift a control from a first mode for a facsimile communication corresponding to the facsimile communication protocol, to a second mode;
a confirmation request unit configured to transmit a confirmation request under the control of said second mode for requesting a confirmation of whether or not said document information remains in said facsimile receiver without being output by an output unit in said facsimile receiver by transmitting a request to said facsimile receiver;
a result reception unit configured to receive a result of said confirmation under the control of said second mode;
a display unit configured to display said result under the control of said second mode;
and
a deletion request unit, when it is confirmed on the basis of the display unit, for issuing a request demanding a deletion of said document stored in said facsimile receiver under the control of said second mode.

5 more elements

A method of deleting a facsimile transmission, comprising:

a) receiving, by a facsimile apparatus, protocol signals corresponding to a facsimile communication protocol and document information transmitted from a facsimile transmitter corresponding to the facsimile communication protocol;
b) storing, by said facsimile apparatus, said document information received from said facsimile transmitter and document management information for specifying said document information;
c) outputting, by said facsimile apparatus, contents of said document information;
d) identifying, by said facsimile apparatus in response to a first protocol signal in said protocol signals, whether or not said facsimile transmitter has a capability of transmitting a first demand signal and a second demand signal demanding the stored document information;
e) shifting, by said facsimile apparatus in response to said first protocol signal, a control from a first mode for a facsimile communication corresponding to the facsimile communication protocol, to a second mode;
f) receiving said first demand signal and said second demand signal containing said document management information transmitted from said facsimile transmitter under the control of said second mode;
g) determining, under the control of said second mode, by said facsimile apparatus in response to said first demand signal, whether or not said document information remains stored at said facsimile apparatus and has not been outputted as yet;
h) transmitting, under the control of said second mode, by said facsimile apparatus to said facsimile transmitter, a result of the determination made in the step g);
i) determining, under the control of said second mode, by said facsimile apparatus in response to said document management information in said second demand signal, if said corresponding document information is correctly stored;
and
j) deleting, under the control of said second mode, by said facsimile apparatus, said corresponding document information if said corresponding document information is correctly stored.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/580,287Filed 28 Dec 1995
Priority: JP 6-32771128 Dec 1994
Granted: 1 Feb 2000
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H04N 1/32566
Using a programmed control device, e.g. a microprocessor: at the transmitter or at the receiver
H04N 1/32363
Using picture signal storage, e.g. at transmitter: at the transmitter or at the receiver
H04N 1/32379
At the transmitter or at the receiver: functions of a still picture terminal memory associated with reception
H04N 1/32793
Initiating, continuing or ending a single-mode communication; Handshaking therefor: controlling a receiver or transmitter non-communication…