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Facsimile apparatus which can coordinate communication with more than one external apparatus

  • US 5,146,349 A
  • Filed: 04/12/1991
  • Issued: 09/08/1992
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1990
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A facsimile apparatus for transmitting information to an external apparatus and/or receiving information therefrom via a transmission line, the information comprising first and second information, the first information comprising image data representing a predetermined image, the second information comprising control information by which said facsimile apparatus and the external apparatus are connected and/or disconnected with each other, the second information including identification information by which said facsimile apparatus and the external apparatus identify each other, the transmission line comprising a plurality of first channels through one of which the first information is transmitted, and at least one second channel through which the second information is transmitted, each of the first channels being operatively interconnectable to said facsimile apparatus and/or the external apparatus, the first information being transmitted simultaneously via no more than two of the first channels to which said facsimile apparatus is simultaneously operatively interconnectable, and the second channel being operatively interconnectable to said facsimile apparatus and/or the external apparatus, said facsimile apparatus comprising:

  • scanning means for scanning the predetermined image so as to generate the image data;

    an interface operatively interconnectable to the transmission line;

    a memory, coupled to said scanning means and interface, to store the first and/or second information therein;

    first control means, operatively interconnected to said interface and memory, for controlling transmitting and/or receiving of the first and/or second information via said interface;

    second control means, operatively interconnected to said first control means, for controlling said first control means,said second control means instructing the first control means, if first or second information is being transmitted between said first control means and a first external apparatus when said first control means receives the second information from a second external apparatus, not to connect said facsimile apparatus to the second external apparatus via one of the first channels, and to store first identification information representing the second external apparatus included in the second information from the second external apparatus in said memory, andsaid second control means instructing said first control means, after the transmission of the first information between said first control means and the first external apparatus, to transmit the second information to the second external apparatus by means of the first identification information stored in said memory in order to ask the second external apparatus to transmit the first information to said facsimile apparatus so that said first control means can receive the first information to be transmitted from the second external apparatus and the second external apparatus can be prevented from transmitting the second information more than twice to said facsimile apparatus; and

    plotter means, responsive to said first control means, for plotting the predetermined image appropriate to the image data which said first control means receives from the external apparatus.

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