Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
21S2286
This is a divisional application of copending
application 2,054,570, filed October 30, 1991. The present
invention relates to a facsimile terminal concentration
equipment and a remote operation control system therefore in
facsimile communication systems.
Aspects of the prior art and present invention will be
described by reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of a
feature of a remote operation control system for a facsimile
terminal concentration equipment according to an embodiment
of the present invention:
Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal
arrangement of a facsimile terminal concentration equipment
according to an embodiment of this invention;
Fig. 3 is an illustration of task arrangements of
portions in Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is an illustration of a sequence of the downline
loading of a file from a facsimile mail equipment to a
facsimile terminal concentration equipment;
Fig. 5 is an illustration of a sequence of the upline
loading of a file from the facsimile terminal concentration
equipment to the facsimile mail equipment;
Fig. 6 is an illustration of a sequence of the downline
loading of a command from the facsimile mail equipment to the
facsimile terminal concentration equipment; and
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Figs. 7 to 20 are detailed illustrations of the
aforementioned sequences; and
Fig. 21 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of a
principal portion of one example of conventional facsimile
communication systems.
Fig. 21 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of a
principal portion of such a type of facsimile communication
system. In Fig. 21, 11 to In represents facsimile terminal
units such as G3FAX (Group 3 Facsimile Apparatus for
transmitting and receiving a facsimile message (or telegram),
and 2 designates a facsimile mail equipment (FME) for the
transmission and reception of packet data of the facsimile
message which further has various user service functions.
Further, illustrated at 3 is a facsimile terminal
concentration equipment (FCE) for establishing communications
with the plurality of facsimile terminal units 11 to ln to
temporarily store in a fixed disk a facsimile message
transmitted from the operated facsimile terminal unit and to
then convert it into packet data to transmit the converted
packet data to the facsimile mail equipment 2 and further for
temporarily storing in the fixed disk packet data transmitted
from the facsimile mail equipment 2 and then converting it
into a facsimile message to transmit the converted facsimile
message to the addressed
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facsimile terminal unit. Numeral 4 is a telephone network or PBX
for establishing the communications between the facsimile terminal
units 11 to ln and the facsimile terminal concentration equipment
3, and 5 depicts a packet network for establishing the
S communications between the facsimile terminal concentration
equipment 3 and the facsimile mail equipment 2.
Secondly, a description will be made hereinbelow in terms of
the operation. The facsimile terminal concentration equipment 3
temporarily stores a facsimile message transmitted from the
10 facsimile terminal unit 11, for e~ample, in a fi~ed disk and then
converts it into packet data to transmit the packet data to facsimile
mail equipment 2. Further, the facsimile terminal concentration
equipment 3 temporarily stores pac~et data (facsimile message
packeted) transmitted from the facsimile mail equipment 2 in the
15 fi~ed disk and then converts it into a facsimile message to transmit
the converted facsimile message to the facsimile terminal unit ln,
for e~ample. Between the facsimile terminal concentration
equipment 3 and the facsimile mail equipment 2 there is always
established a virtual call (call due to the communication code)
20 which is arranged so as not to be disconnected in normal conditions.
In case of the disconnection of this virtual call, a trouble
monitoring function of the facsimile mail equipment 2 regards the
facsimile terminal concentration equipment 3 or a packet network
5 as being in a fault state.
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Here, the conventional facsimile terminal concentration
equipment 3 to be used in such a facsimile communication
system is not arranged to be remotely controllable through
the facsimile mail equipment 2. Accordingly, in the case of
change of the network data of the facsimile terminal
concentration equipment 3, change of the load module, supply
of various commands and others, it is required to supply the
various commands through a control term~nal unit (not shown)
which is directly coupled to the facsimile terminal
concentration equipment 3 and to change the load module and
others through a floppy disk driver provided in the equipment
3. Thus, there is a problem that, in the case that the
facsimile terminal concentration equipment 3 is placed
remotely from the facsimile mail equipment 2, for performing
the various operations, the operator is required to go to the
installation place of the facsimile terminal concentration
equipment 3.
The present invention provides a facsimile terminal
concentration equipment and a remote operation control system
therefor which allows the direct remote operation control of
the facsimile terminal concentration equipment from the
facsimile mail equipment and further permits notification of
the information of various troubles, which can occur in the
facsimile terminal concentration equipment, to the facsimile
mail equipment.
21522841~
A facsimile terminal concentration equipment according to the
present invention is coupled to a plurality of facsimile terminal
units for the transmission and reception of facsimile messages
through a telephone network or private conversion means and
5 further coupled to a facsimile mail equipment which performs the
transmission and reception of packet data of facsimile messages
through a packet network and has various user service functions so
as to execute the communications with the plurality of facsimile
terminal units to temporarily store in a fixed disk the facsimile
10 message from the operated facsimile terminal unit to then convert
it into packet data and transmit the packet data to the facsimile
mail equipment, and further to temporarily store in the fixed disk
the packet data from the facsimile mail equipment to then convert
the packet data into a facsimile message to transmit it to the
15 addressed facsimile terminal unit, the facsimile terminal
concentration equipment in addition comprising downline loading
means for transferring various commands, various load modules,
various files and others from the facsimile mail equipment to the
facslmile terminal concentration equipment itself and upline
20 loading means for transferring various commands, various load
modules, various files and others to the facsimile mail equipment.
Furthermore, a remote operation control system according to
this invention is arranged to perform the remote operation control
from the facsimile mail equipment with respect to the facsimile
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terminal concentration equipment by using the aforementioned
downline loading means and upline loading means.
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An arrangement of a principal portion of a facsimile
communication system for which a remote operation control
system for a facsimile terminal concentration equipment
according to an embodiment of the present invention is
employed is similar to that of the conventional facsimile
communication system illustrated in Fig. 21. Fig. 1 shows an
arrangement of an feature of the remote operation control
system of this embodiment. In Fig. 1, the facsimile terminal
concentration equipment (which will be referred hereinafter
to as FCE) 30 is equipped with a downline loading means 31
for transferring various commands, various load modules,
various files and others to be supplied from a facsimile mail
equipment (which will be referred hereinafter to as FME) 2
and further equipped with an upline loading means 32 for
transferring various commands, various load modules, various
files and others to the FME 2. Numeral 6 represents a
virtual call established between the FME2 and the FCE 30
which is arranged so as not to be disconnected in the normal
conditions.
Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal
arrangement of the FCE 30. In the illustration, 33 depicts a
system typewriter for
3S
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7 2 1 522~6
performing the input and output of operation management
commands through keys, 34 denotes a control panel for displaying
the input and output of the aforementioned commands, 35
represents a message interface (which will be referred hereinafter
to as MIF) for managing the accumulation and storage of the
input/output facsimile messages, 36 designates a magnetic disc unit
acting as a fixed disk to accumulate and store programs, messages
and the like, 37 indicates a fle~ible disc unit for reading an initial
rising program and outputting an memory dump on occurrence of
troubles, 38a to 38n are G3FAX interfaces (which will be referred
hereinafter to as FIFs) for executing the T.30 process bet~een the
FCE 30 and, for example, G3FAX terminal units acting as the
facsimile terminal units which FIFs are coupled through a telephone
network or PBX (private conversion means) 4 to the G3FAX
terminal units. Further, 39 represents a packet interface (which
will be referred hereinafter to as PIF) for e~ecuting the X.25
process between the FCE 30 and a packet network 5, and 40 is a C
bus for the connection of the above-mentioned messages, packet
and FIFs.
Fig. 3 is an illustration of a task arrangement of a software for
the FCE 30. A description will be made hereinbelow in terms of
task processes, and will be first started from the common portion of
the respective interfaces. In the illustration, a monitor has a
switching function between the tasks, timer function and buffer
managing function. A C-bus handler performs the transmission and
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reception of data to and from the C bus 40 to establish the
communication with the respective control sections (MIF, PIF, FIF).
A KEY-COM e~ecutes the operation managing packet and manages
the status of the self-processing section. A PRC (Packet Routing
5 Control) realizes the internal conversion network to perform the
control of the X.2SCALL. In the MIF section, a PRC+ANS (Answer
Task3 e~ecutes the PRC function to instruct the other processing
section and the port in response to the arrive and depart call from
the terminal unit or packet network. A PKT (Packet DTE) executes
10 the control of the X.25DATA. A PKTIF (Packet DTE Interface)
performs the switching operation at every host task call. An IN and
OUT represent the message input tasks and message output task
having the Cont-In, Out and Body-In, Out functions, respectively.
Further, a CPAD (Character Packet Assembly and Disassembly)
15 performs the data control function to a M-cont seat, a P-VC (Pilot
VC) executes the data control function to the FME 2 and the
managing function of the FME 2, and a FXD handler performs the
reading and writing of data in the magnetic disc unit 36. The
operation management includes the software loading to the
20 respective communication control processing sections, status
management and device management. Still further, A FDD handler
performs the reading and writing of data of a FDD (floppy disk), a
PNL (Control Panel) executes the data control function to function
keys and ten-keys, and a STW handler represents the data control
25 function to a character terminal unit to be connected in the RS-
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232C. In the FIF section, a PKT (Packet DTE) performs the control ofthe X.25DATA. A FAX performs the conversion from the T.30
procedure to the X.25 packet and the reverse conversion, a T.30
handler e~ecutes the T.30 procedure to the G3FAX terminal units, a
5 Ll.FAX driver performs the transmission and reception of data to
the telephone network. In the PIF section, a LCC (Logical Channel
Converter) is the gateway function between the internal conversion
network and the packet conversion network. A LAPB handler
e~ecutes the HDLC LAPB procedure to the packet conversion
10 network, and a LAPB driver performs the transmission and
reception of data to packet conversion network.
Fig. 4 is an illustration of the sequence of the downline
loading of a file from the FME 2 to the FCE 30, Fig. 5 is an
illustration of the sequence of the upline loading of a file from the
15 FCE 30 to the FME 2, Fig. 6 is an illustration of the sequence of the
downline loading of a command from the FME 2 to the FCE 30, Figs.
7 to 9 are sequence illustrations for in detail describing the
sequences shown in Figs. 4 to 6, and Figs. 10 to 20 are sequence
illustrations for further detailed description of the sequences shown
Z0 in Figs. 7 to 9.
Secondly, a description will be made hereinbelow with
reference to Figs. 1 to 20 in terms of the operation of this
embodiment. In the case of performing the downline loading of
various commands, various load modules, various files and others
25 from the FME 2 to the FCE 30, and in the case of effecting the upline
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loading of the aforementioned items from the FCE 30 to the FME 2,
the data transfer is made by using the virtual call 6 established
between the FME 2 and the FCE 30 so as to not to be disconnected
in the normal conditions. When performing the downline loading of
a file from the FME 2 to the FCE 30 (see Figs. 4 and 7), the FME 2
first obtains the allowance of the access with respect to the FCE 30
(LOGB-PDU, LOGB-ACK), before opening the file (OPEN-PDU, OPEN-
ACK) to then perform the downline loading (WRITE-PDU, WRITE-
ACK) of the file data so as to be stored in a fi~ed disk. After the
completion of the downline loading of the file data, the file is closed
(CLOSE-PDU, CLOSE-ACK) and the FME 2 then abandons the access
right with respect to the FCE 30 (LOGE-PDU, LOGE-ACK).
In the case of carrying out the upline loading of a file from
the FCE 30 to the FME 2 (see Figs. S and 8), the FME 2 first obtains
the allowance of the access with respect to the FCE 30 (LOGB-PDU,
LOGB-ACK), before opening the file (OPEN-PDU, OPEN-ACK) to then
do the upline loading of the file data so that the data stored in the
fi~ed disk is outputted. In response to the completion of the upline
loadlng of the file data, the file is closed (CLOSE-PDU, CLOSE-ACK)
and the FME 2 then abandons the access right with respect to the
FCE 30 (LOGE-PDU, LOGE-ACK). In the case of carrying out the
downline loading of a command from the FCE 30 to the FME 2 (see
Figs. 6 and 9, logon/logoff process), the FME 2 first obtains the
allowance of the access with respect to the FCE 30 (LOGB-PDU,
LOGE-ACK). Thereafter, when the FCE 30 enters into the command-
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receivable state ~prompt), the command is supplied from the FME 2
to the FCE 30 and the response and report for the command is
supplied from the FCE 30 to the FME 2. When the FME 2 completes
the control according to the command from the FCE 30, the FME 2
5 abandons the access right to the FCE 30 (LOGE-PDU, LOGE-ACK).
With the above-described process, the FME 2 can perform the
remote operation control with respect to the FCE 30. Here, the
sequence operations represented by the numbers in < > in Figs. 7 to
9 respectively correspond to the detailed sequence operations
10 shown in Figs. 10 to 20 where the same numerals are illustrated in
< > at the header portions.
As described above, according to the present invention, the
facsimile terminal concentration equipment is provided with the
downline loading means and the upline loading means. This
15 provision allows the change of the load module of the facsimile
terminal concentration equipment, the downline loading of a file
from the facsimile mail equipment and the upline loading of a file
to the facsimile mail equipment, whereby the facsimile mail -
equipment can perform the remote operation control of the
20 facsimile terminal concentration equipment and, in addition,
receives information relating to troubles which can occur in the
facsimile terminal concentration equipment. Thus, it is possible to
improve the maintenance and operational effectiveness in a
facsimile communication system.
