JPH055217B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a facsimile communication system for displaying facsimile image data from a facsimile terminal as an image on an image terminal.

[Background of the Invention] A telephone switching network already includes a facsimile center station that receives and stores facsimile image data from a sending facsimile terminal and sends it to a desired receiving facsimile terminal, and an information retrieval system (so-called captain system). (which falls under this category) and an image center station are established independently from each other, and facsimile mail services and information provision services are available for each. Subscribers of facsimile terminals with registered contracts can receive only facsimile mail services, and subscribers of image terminals with registered contracts can only receive information provision services. At that time, a service that displays facsimile image data from a facsimile terminal as an image on an image terminal may be considered, but the reality is that this has not yet been realized. The reason for this is believed to be that facsimile image data cannot be sent from the facsimile center station to the image center station within the telephone switching network.

[Object of the Invention] An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile communication system in which facsimile image data can be displayed as an image on an image terminal via a facsimile center station and an image center station.

[Summary of the Invention] For this purpose, the present invention provides that when a telephone number for connection to a facsimile center office is dialed from a facsimile terminal to a telephone switching network, the telephone number is stored in advance in the telephone switching network. If it is determined that the connection destination is an image terminal based on the subscriber type class, the facsimile image data from the facsimile terminal is connected to the facsimile center station via the telephone switching network. is temporarily stored in the facsimile center station, and then sent to the image center station together with the telephone number of the other party. The image center station calls the connected party based on the telephone number of the connected party from the facsimile center station, and with the telephone number of the connected party answered,
Temporarily stored facsimile image data,
What is necessary is to send the image to the other party via the telephone exchange network after converting it into a media so that it can be displayed as an image at the other party.

[Embodiments of the Invention] The present invention will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

First, the relay system according to the present invention will be explained. FIG. 1 shows an example of the relay system. As shown in the figure, in implementing the present invention, the telephone exchange network NW including subscriber exchanges and relay exchanges includes general telephone subscribers SUBC, facsimile terminal subscribers SUBA, image terminal subscribers SUBB, and facsimile center stations. , an image center station is housed there. Now, switchboards in general are equipped with a control device to control the switching operation.
CTL-T is a general and collective representation of these control devices. This control device CTL-T is provided with a subscriber type memory for determining the subscriber class, and by determining the subscriber classes of the calling subscriber and the called subscriber, it is possible to , the necessary switching control to connect the line between the receiving subscribers.

FIG. 2 shows the contents registered in the subscriber type memory. As shown, regular telephone subscribers
The registration contents for SUBC, facsimile terminal subscriber SUBA, and image terminal subscriber SUBB are shown, but in the figure, FAX1 and FAX0 are facsimile terminal subscribers and non-facsimile terminal subscribers, respectively. , CAP0 indicate an image terminal subscriber and a non-image terminal subscriber, respectively. Naturally, the general telephone subscriber SUBC is a non-facsimile terminal subscriber as well as a non-image terminal subscriber.

Here, the case where facsimile image data from facsimile terminal subscriber SUBA is displayed as an image on the image terminal subscriber SUBB side will be explained as follows with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

In other words, when the facsimile terminal subscriber SUBA needs to send facsimile image data to the image terminal subscriber SUBB, the facsimile terminal subscriber SUBA sends a special number (for example, 3 digits) for facsimile mail communication. , Telephone number SUBB DN of the connection destination (image terminal subscriber SUBB)
has become something to be dialed. These special numbers and telephone numbers are used for well-known exchange control by the control device CTL-T, so that facsimile terminal subscribers can
SUBA is connected to a facsimile center office via a telephone switching network NW. More specifically, in the control device CTL-T, the subscriber class for each of the facsimile terminal subscriber SUBA and the video terminal subscriber SUBB is the telephone number SUBA DN.
(This phone number is for FAX terminal subscriber SUBA)
It is determined from the SUBB DN that the subscriber class of the facsimile terminal subscriber SUBA is a facsimile terminal subscriber, and the subscriber class of the connection destination is The facsimile terminal subscriber SUBA is controlled by the control device CTL-T to be connected to the facsimile center station only if is a facsimile terminal subscriber or is a visual terminal subscriber. By the way, at that time,
If the telephone number of a regular telephone subscriber is dialed as the destination to connect to, the exchange will send a message indicating that connection is not possible, such as a busy tone, to the regular telephone subscriber. ing.

In the above manner, the facsimile terminal subscriber
When SUBA is connected to a facsimile center station, the control device CTL-T sends to the facsimile center station the phone number SUBB DN of the connection destination, its subscriber class CAP1, and the phone number SUBA of the facsimile terminal subscriber SUBA. The DN is sent, but the facsimile center station takes necessary control based on the telephone number SUBB DN of the destination party and its subscriber class CAP1. That is, if the subscriber class is non-image terminal subscriber CAP0, normal facsimile mail service is provided to the connected party, but
If the subscriber class is image terminal subscriber CAP0, facsimile image data is provided as an image to the connected party. After the facsimile terminal subscriber SUBA connects with the facsimile center station, the facsimile image data is sent to the facsimile center station and is temporarily stored. The temporarily stored facsimile image data is the phone number of the connection destination.
This is sent to the image center station along with the SUBB DN. At the image center station, when facsimile image data is sent from the facsimile center station, it starts the control device CTL-T and then
By sending the telephone number SUBB DN to the telephone exchange network, the image terminal subscriber SUBB as the connection destination is called. When the imaging terminal subscriber SUBB responds to this call and the line is connected between the imaging terminal subscriber SUBB and the imaging center station, the temporarily stored facsimile image data is displayed as an image from the imaging center station. The facsimile image data can be displayed as an image on the image terminal by sending the facsimile image data to the image terminal subscriber SUBB in a preferably media-converted state.

FIG. 3 also shows the internal configuration of an example of the facsimile center station and image center station shown in FIG. In this case, at the facsimile center station, the facsimile terminal subscriber
The facsimile image data as an analog signal from SUBA is received by the receiving signal circuit RSG, and after being A/D converted, it is encoded and compressed by the encoding circuit COD. Thereafter, the encoded facsimile image data is temporarily stored in the information storage memory FM via the reception buffer memory RBM, but the information storage memory FM also contains a control device.
Telephone number SUBB of the connection destination from CTL-T
The DN, its subscriber class, etc. are received via the control device CTL-F and then stored. If the subscriber class is CAP1, then
The encoded facsimile image data is read out from the information storage memory FM along with the telephone number SUBB DN of the connected party, and the information transfer circuit (facsimile center station side) ITE, information transfer circuit (image center station side) ITE The information is sent to the information storage memory FM via the FM.

On the other hand, at the image center station, if the encoded facsimile image data is sent from the facsimile center station along with the telephone number SUBB DN of the destination, it is transmitted to the control device via the control device CTL-C.
CTL-T contains the phone number of the connection destination SUBB DN
Connection requests are now issued based on After the imaging terminal subscriber SUBB is connected to the imaging center station by this connection request, the control device
Under the control of the CTL-C, encoded facsimile image data is read out from the information storage memory FM. After this encoded facsimile image data is decoded by the decoding circuit DEC via the transmission buffer memory SBM, it is sent to the transmission signal circuit. With SSG performing media conversion to images and further D/A conversion,
This is what is being sent to the image terminal subscriber SSB.

[Effect of the invention] As explained above, according to the present invention,
Facsimile image data can be displayed as an image on an image terminal via a facsimile center station and an image center station.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a relay system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing registered contents of a subscriber type memory, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the facsimile center station and images shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of an example of a center station. SUBA……Facsimile terminal subscriber, SUBB…
...Image terminal subscribers, SUBC...General telephone subscribers,
NW...Telephone switching network, CTL-T...Telephone switching network control device, RSG...Receiving signal circuit, COD...
Code circuit, RBM...Receive buffer memory, FM
...Information storage memory, CTL-F...Control device,
ITE...information transfer circuit, SSG...transmission signal circuit,
DEC...decoding circuit, SBM...transmission buffer memory, CTL-C...control device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In the case where a facsimile center station and an image center station are installed as mutually independent and existing systems in a telephone exchange network, facsimile image data from a facsimile terminal is transferred to the facsimile center station, and the image This is a facsimile communication method that allows images to be displayed on an image terminal via a center station, and when a telephone number for connection to a facsimile center station is dialed from a facsimile terminal to a telephone exchange network, the telephone exchange Only when the network determines that the connection destination corresponds to either an image terminal or a facsimile terminal based on the subscriber type class stored in advance within the network, the facsimile terminal is connected to the facsimile center station via the telephone switching network. In the connected state, the facsimile image data from the facsimile terminal is temporarily stored in the facsimile center station, and the telephone number of the connected party and the subscription of the connected party are sent from the telephone switching network to the facsimile center station. At the facsimile center station, if the subscriber type class of the connected party from the telephone exchange network corresponds to a facsimile terminal, the facsimile center station selects the connected party based on the telephone number of the connected party. In the state where the call is made and answered, the temporarily stored facsimile image data is sent to the connected party via the telephone switching network, and if the subscriber type class corresponds to an image terminal, the facsimile image data is sent from the facsimile center station to the connected party via the telephone switching network. The temporarily stored facsimile image data and the telephone number of the destination party are sent to the image center station, and the image center station selects the destination party based on the telephone number of the destination party from the facsimile center station. The temporarily stored facsimile image data from the facsimile center station is sent to the connected party via the telephone switching network after being converted into a medium so that it can be displayed as an image at the connected party. A facsimile communication method in which data is sent sequentially first.