Communication apparatus with telephone and data communication capability

• US 5,018,189 A
• Filed: 06/19/1989
• Issued: 05/21/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Terajima, Hisao, Kurosawa, Yuji, Isozaki, Shingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jin F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Application Number:
  US07/367,671
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93, 379/355, 379/88, 379/97, 379/100
• US Class Current: 379/93.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors

Abstract

A communication apparatus has a telephone set and a data communication unit integral or combined with the telephone set and is capable of sending a call through dialing means of the telephone set. The communication apparatus comprises switching means for selectively connecting a telephone line to a line of the telephone set or a line of the data communication unit and detection means connected to the telephone set for detecting a predetermined protocol signal sent back from a destination station. Control means controls the switching means such that the switching means connects the telephone line to the telephone set at the time of calling to enable dialing using the dialing means of the telephone set, and switches the telephone line to the data communication unit when the detection means detects the protocol signal, in order to start data communication.

Claims

1. A data communication apparatus in which a telephone set and a line are connectable, comprising:

data communication means for performing data communication;

switching means for selectively connecting the telephone set or said data communication means with the line;

detection means for detecting whether a signal associated with the data communication has been received by the detection means or not, when a dial signal from the telephone set is sent onto the line; and

control means for controlling said switching means to perform selective connection of the data communication means to the line, in response to a positive detection by said detection means during dialing through the telephone set, so as to start the data communication.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising data detection means for detecting whether data to be sent by said data communication means has been set or not, wherein said control means changes over the switching means on the condition that the data to be sent has been set.

3. A communication apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said data is image data.

4. A data communication apparatus in which a telephone set and a line are connectable, comprising:

data communication means for performing data communication;

switching means for selectively connecting the telephone set or said data communication means with the line;

first detection means for detecting whether a dial signal from the telephone set has been sent onto the line or not;

second detection means for detecting whether data to be sent by said data communication means has been set or not; and

control means for controlling said switching means to perform selective connection of the data communication means to the line, on the basis of positive detection by said first and second detection means using dialing through the telephone set, so as to start the data communication.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control means changes over the switching means on the condition that the data to be sent is set when the end of the dialing through the telephone set is discriminated on the basis of detection by said first detection means.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said telephone set includes one-touch key dialing means and ten-key dialing means.

7. A data communication system in which speech communication through a telephone set or data communication through data communication means selectively occupies one line, said system comprising:

switching means for selectively connecting the line to the telephone set or the data communication means;

detection means for detecting whether a signal associated with the data communication has been received by the dection means or not when a dial signal from the telephone set is sent onto the line; and

control means for controlling said switching means to perform selective connection of the data communication means to the line, in response to a positive detection by said detection means, so as to start the data communication.

8. A system according to claim 7, further comprising data detection means for detecting whether data to be sent by said data communication means has been set or not, wherein said control means changes over the switching means on the condition that the data to be sent has been set.

9. A data communication system in which speech communication through a telephone set or data communication through data communication means selectively occupies one line, said system comprising:

switching means for selectively connecting the line to the telephone set or the data communication means;

first detection means for detecting a dial signal sent from the telephone set to the line;

second detection means for detecting whether data to be sent by the communication means has been set or not; and

control means for controlling said switching means to perform selective connection of the data communication means to the line, on the basis of positive detection by said first and second detection means, so as to start the data communication.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said control means changes over the switching means on the condition that the data to be sent is set, when the end of the dialing through the telephone set is discriminated on the basis of detection by said first detection means.