STORED PROGRAM FACSIMILE CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 3,751,582 A
• Filed: 12/08/1971
• Issued: 08/07/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Albert E. Mignone, Executrix Mignone, Joseph M Van Horn, Robert E. Wernikoff
• Original Assignee: Albert E. Mignone, Executrix Mignone, Joseph M Van Horn, Robert E. Wernikoff
• Inventors: Wernikoff, Robert E., Van Horn, Joseph M., Mignone, Albert E., Mignone, executrix
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US05/206,066
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 178/6,DIG.4,DIG.22
• US Class Current: 358/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00002 Diagnosis, testing or measuring; Detecting, analysing or monitoring not otherwise provided for error detection, error correction or monitoring in digital computers or digital computer components G06F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00962 Input arrangements for operating instructions or parameters, e.g. updating internal software program loading in general G06F9/445; network-specific protocols involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32566 at the transmitter or at the receiver

Abstract

A facsimile transceiver system incorporating a stored program controller. The stored program controller provides operational control of a scanner and a printer mechanism in conjunction with a communication channel for transmitting and receiving facsimile signals and a condition indicator display for presenting transceiver condition information. The scanner and printer are made to operate with a variety of different formats of control and data signals from a remote facsimile system by associating an appropriate program with the controller. This program instructs the controller to process the control and data signals passing through it between the channel, and scanner and printer in a manner that causes the local facsimile system to operate compatibly with other facsimile equipment at the remote end of the communication channel. By readily varying controller operation with different programs, which can be simply associated with the controller, a single facsimile transceiver is operatable with a range of different remote transceivers, operator characteristics and diagnostic checkouts. Improvements in facsimile efficiency are also readily incorporated in existing equipment by providing the improvement through a new program.

Claims

1. A stored program facsimile control system operative in accord with one of a plurality of selectable program instruction sets and comprising at a facsimile station:

a document scanner system operative in response to control signals to scan a document and to produce video signals representative of document indicia along scan lines thereof;

a facsimile printer system operative in response to control signals to trace scan lines across a copy and simultaneously operative in response to video signals representative of document indicia to mark said copy with a facsimile copy of said document indicia;

a stored program control processor;

a plurality of program instruction sets for use by said proCessor;

each of said plurality of instruction sets providing different operation of said processor;

means for applying one of said plurality of selectable program instruction sets to said stored program control processor to adapt said processor to operation in accordance with characteristics of said scanner and printer;

said stored program control processor being operative in response to the applied program instruction set to provide control signals to said scanner and printer systems;

said control processor being further operative in response to said applied program instruction set for selectively receiving said video signals from said scanner system and for selectively applying video signals to said printer system for producing said document copy.

2. The stored program facsimile control system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of selectable program instruction sets further include:

a plurality of different coding instructions for processing and deprocessing said video signals for efficient data transmission thereof;

a data channel; and

one or more control program instruction sets operative to provide compatibility in the signals conveyed by said data channel between said facsimile station and different, remote scanner and printer systems.

3. The stored program facsimile control system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of selectable program instruction sets include a diagnostic program instruction set operative to cause said control processor to provide scanning of said document and printing of a corresponding document copy at said facsimile station.

4. The stored program facsimile control system of claim 1 further including:

indicating means for indicating a plurality of predetermined conditions;

one or more of said plurality of applied program instruction sets including instructions for causing said control processor to detect one or more of said plurality of conditions;

said control processor being operative in response to one such program instruction set to respond to a detected condition; and

means operative to cause an indication of said plurality of conditions responded to one at a time according to a predetermined priority.

5. A stored program facsimile control system operative in accordance with a selectively applied program instruction set and comprising:

a scanner having;

means for detecting the presence of a document to be scanned in position for commencing scanning of said document;

means for scanning elemental areas of said document in adjacent scan lines;

means for detecting indicia in scanned elemental areas and operative to provide a scan signal;

a data channel operative to transmit data to a remote unit; and

a plurality of program instruction sets, each adapted to provide different operation of said system;

a stored program control processor operative in response to a selectively applied one of said program instruction sets;

to receive an indication of the detection of the presence of a document from said scanner;

to cause said scanning means to scan one or more scan lines in response to reception of said indication;

to receive the scan signal resulting from the scanning of one or more scan lines of said document; and

to apply said scan signal to said data channel.

6. The stored program facsimile control system according to claim 5 further including:

indicator means for providing an indication of one or more conditions;

said control processor being operative to detect the existence of predetermined conditions in said scanner; and

to activate said indicator means to provide an indication of detected scanner conditions;

means associated with said data channel for conveying data from said remote unit;

said control processor being further operative to receive said data from said remote unit over said data channel and to activate said indicator means to provide an indication of the nature of predetermined messages in said received data; and

means for providing a predetermined priority in the activation of said indicator means.

7. The stored program facsimile control system according to claim 6 wherein:

means are provided for conveying separate documents within said scanner along a path including said position for commencing scanning;

means are provided to detect placement of said document at a point for conveying within said scanner; and

said control processor is further operative in response to said program instruction set;

to cause activation of said conveying means in response to detection of the placement of a document at the point for conveying and operative to convey said document to said position for commencing scanning before causing scanning thereof;

to detect completion of scanning of said document;

to convey said document from said scanner in response to detection of completion of scanning;

to detect failure of said document to be conveyed from said scanner; and

to provide a signal to said indicator means to indicate the condition of failure of said document to exit from said scanner.

8. A stored program facsimile control system operative in accordance with a selectively applied program instruction set and comprising:

a printer having;

a copy station for positioning a copy sheet for reproducing a document;

means for selectively marking elemental areas on said copy sheet at said copy station;

means for advancing the position of the selectively marked elemental areas across said copy sheet in adjacent scan lines;

a data channel in communication with a remote unit;

a plurality of program instruction sets, each adapted to provide different operation of said system;

a stored program control processor operating in response to an applied one of said program instruction sets;

to receive data from said data channel;

to cause said position advancing means to scan one or more scan lines on said copy sheet in response to said received data; and

to cause selective marking of elemental areas on said copy sheet by said marking means in response to said received data.

9. The stored program facsimile control system of claim 8 wherein said stored program control processor is operative in response to said selectively applied program instruction set to decode data received from said data channel according to one of a set of data decoding instructions.

10. The stored program facsimile control system according to claim 8 wherein:

said control processor has means for temporary storing of data received from said data channel; and

said control processor is operative in response to said instruction set to detect when said position advancing means are not being caused to scan one or more adjacent scan lines of said copy sheet and when the data in said temporary storing means indicates storage of a predetermined quantity of data and in response to detection thereof to cause said selective marking means and said position advancing means to operate to produce lines of selectively marked elemental areas on said copy sheet in response to said predetermined quantity of data in said temporary storing means.

11. The stored program facsimile control system of claim 8 including condition indicating means for providing an indication of predetermined conditions within said facsimile control system according to a preset priority.

12. The stored program facsimile control system of claim 11 wherein:

said control processor is operative in response to said program instruction set to detect a malfunction condition in said data channel; and

said condition indicating means is operative to respond to the detected malfunction of said data channel and produce an indication of said malfunction condition.

13. A stored program facsimile control system comprising:

scanning means for producing a video signal representing indicia in a document along adjacent scan linEs on said document in response to control signals and including;

means for conveying a document along a scan path in said scanning means in response to said control signals;

means for detecting an operator desire to transmit document indicia;

means for detecting the exiting of a document from said scan path; and

means for detecting the presence of a document at a point of initial scanning in said scan path;

printing means for marking a copy sheet along adjacent scan lines in response to video and control signals to produce a document copy and including;

means for detecting operability of said printing means;

means for detecting positioning of a copy sheet in said printing means to commence marking of said copy sheet along adjacent scan lines in response to said printing means video and control signals;

means for conveying a copy sheet in said printing means along a path including the position for commencing marking in response to said printing means control signals; and

means for detecting exiting of said copy sheet along said path from said printing means;

condition indicating means operative in response to one or more signals of a condition signal set to provide an indication of the condition represented by the one or more signals of said condition signal set in a preset priority;

a plurality of program instruction sets, each adapted to provide a different operation of said system;

a stored program control processor operative in response to a selectively applied one of said program instruction sets, said control processor being interconnected with said scanning, printing, and condition indicating means to receive and apply respective video, control, and condition signals therefrom and thereto to control scanning of a document, printing of a copy sheet, and indication of one or more conditions; and

a data channel operating to send and receive signals representative of data to a remote unit having one set of characteristics from a plurality of sets of characteristics, said data channel including;

means for receiving data signals from said control processor for transmission over said data channel;

means for indicating to said control processor when data may be received for transmission;

means for applying signals received from said remote unit to said control processor;

means for receiving from said control processor an indication of system operativeness for transmission of data to said remote station; and

means for applying a signal providing an indication of remote unit operativeness from said data channel to said control processor;

said control processor being operative in response to said stored program instruction set;

to test for detection of said operator desire to transmit indicia and, if detected, to commence operation of said processor in accordance with a transmit instruction subset; and

to test for application from said data channel of said remote unit operativeness signal and to commence operation of said processor in accordance with a receive instruction subset in response thereto;

said control processor being operative in said transmit instruction subset to cause said scanning means to scan adjacent scan lines on said document and produce a corresponding video signal and to cause data processing of said video signal and application thereof to said data channel for transmission to said remote unit;

said control processor being operative in response to said receive instruction subset to accept signals applied thereto from said data channel and to cause said printing means to mark sequential scan lines on said copy sheet in response to the accepted signal from said data set;

said control processor being further operative in response to said program instruction set to detect the existence of one or more predetermined conditions in said facsimile control system and to provide corresponding one or more signals of said condition signal set to said conditioN indicating means.

14. The stored program facsimile control system according to claim 13 wherein:

the one or more predetermined conditions of said facsimile control system detected by said control processor include, at appropriate times, detection of the exiting of said document from said scanning means and of said copy sheet from said printing means, detection of the operability of said printing means, detection of a malfunction in said data channel, detection of nonoperativeness of said remote unit, and detection of predetermined numbers of prohibited data states in said video signal; and

said detected conditions are indicated one at a time according to a predetermined priority.

15. The stored program facsimile control system according to claim 13 wherein:

said condition indicating means includes means for indicating to said control processor a request for direct operator communications between said remote unit and said facsimile control system and said control processor is operative in response thereto to apply data to said data channel representative of said request; and

said control processor is operative to detect as one of said predetermined conditions, receipt of data from said data channel indicating a request from said remote unit for direct operator communication and to apply a corresponding condition indicating signal to said condition indicating means for display by said condition indicating means.

16. The stored program facsimile control system of claim 13 wherein said control processor is operative in response to said receive program instruction subset:

to detect exiting of paper from said printing means;

to detect the lack of a signal from said data channel as applied to said control processor to indicate remote unit operativeness; and

in response to detected exiting and lack of a remote unit operativeness signal to recommence an initial instruction subset for determining whether said control processor is to enter a receive or transmit instruction subset.

17. A stored program facsimile control system comprising:

a document scanning system operative to produce a video signal representative of document indicia in a plurality of spaced, adjacent scan lines and including;

means for sensing document indicia in elemental areas;

means for causing the sensed elemental area to scan across said document; and

means for incrementally advancing the line of scanned elemental areas on said document;

a copy printing system operative in response to a video signal representative of document indicia to produce a document copy and including;

means for selectively marking elemental areas of indicia on a document copy;

means for scanning the position of marked elemental areas in scan lines across said document copy;

means for advancing said scan lines of marked elemental areas along said document;

a data channel in communication with a remote station;

a plurality of stored program instruction sets, each adapted to provide different operation of said system;

a stored program control processor having a plurality of interconnections with said data channel, said document scanning system and said facsimile printing system and operative in response to a selectively applied one of said program instruction sets wherein;

said control processor is selectively caused to provide signals to said document scanning system to produce adjacent line scanning of indicia on a document and to receive said video signal representative of sensed indicia;

said control processor is selectively caused to mark elemental areas in adjacent scan lines across a document copy in response to a video signal representative of sensed document indicia; and

said control processor is caused to send and receive signals representative of document indicia over said data channel. 18. The stored program facsimile control system of claim 17 further including;

means for detecting And indicating an alarm condition; and

means for resetting said alarm indicating means in response to signals from said data channel indicating a different placing of a call from said remote station.

19. A method of facsimile system operation according to stored program control instructions including the steps of:

selecting one of a plurality of different stored program instruction sets for selected system operation in accordance with system characteristics;

testing a document scanner by the operation of the selected stored program to determine whether said scanner is in a condition to scan said document;

testing a processor by said selected stored program operation to determine whether said processor is in condition to receive scan signals representative of scanned document indicia;

causing programmed scanning by said scanner of predetermined numbers of elemental areas on said document in adjacent scan lines in response to said scanner being found in condition to scan and said processor in condition to receive;

detecting indicia in the scanned elemental areas of said document and generating said scan signal therefrom;

causing said processor by the selected programmed instructions to receive and store said scan signal;

detecting when a data channel is available to receive data for transmission to a remote unit; and

responding to detected data channel availability by a programmed interrupt to cause said stored scan signal to be applied as data to said data channel.

20. A method of facsimile system operation according to stored program control instructions including the steps of:

selecting one of a plurality of different stored program instruction sets for selected system operation in accordance with system characteristics;

detecting indications from a data channel that data is available for receipt by a processor;

responding to a detected indication with stored program interrupt instructions in said selected set to receive and store data from said data channel;

testing a printer by stored program instructions in said selected set to determine whether said printer is in a condition to respond to scan and control signals to selectively mark elemental areas in adjacent scan lines on a copy sheet;

detecting when the stored, received data reaches a predetermined quantity of stored data; and

producing by programmed instruction in said selected set said scan and control signals from said predetermined quantity of stored data when said printer is in condition to respond to cause said selective marking of predetermined numbers of elemental areas on said copy sheet.