Facsimile apparatus operable as a printer
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorShunichi Tachibana
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A facsimile apparatus having an external interface and having a printer mode for printing out data received through the external interface and a facsimile mode for communicating image data through a line, comprises a detection unit for detecting occurrence of factor to operate as facsimie; and a unit normally set in the printer mode, for switching the mode from the printer mode to the facsimile mode in accordance with the detection by the detection unit.
Claims5
A facsimile apparatus comprising:
- a connector arranged to connect an external device through an interface other than a telephone interface;
- a facsimile processor arranged to perform facsimile processing;
- a switch arranged to selectively connect said facsimile processor to a printer or connect the external device to the printer;
- a monitoring unit arranged to monitor a signal from the external device through the interface;
- and
- a controller arranged to control said switch so as to connect the printer to said facsimile processor regardless of the reception of facsimile data in a case where said monitoring unit has not detected a predetermined signal from the external device through the interface for a predetermined period of time after said switch connects the external device to the printer.
A method for controlling a facsimile apparatus having a connector arranged to connect an external device through an interface other than a telephone interface, said method comprising the following steps:
- performing facsimile processing;
- selectively connecting, through a switch, a facsimile processor to a printer or connecting the external device to the connector;
- monitoring a signal from the external device through the interface;
- and
- controlling the switch to connect the printer to the facsimile processor regardless of reception of facsimile data in a case where said monitoring step does not detect a predetermined signal from the external device through the interface for a predetermined period of time after the external device was connected to the printer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.