Communication terminal apparatus having an interrupt/restart function with time measuring control for interruption and disabling feature

• US 5,146,598 A
• Filed: 12/14/1989
• Issued: 09/08/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takezawa, Katsuhito
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson, Lawrence E.
• Application Number:
  US07/450,512
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 395/275, 395/725, 395/325, 395/550
• US Class Current: 710/260
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00915 Assigning priority to, or interrupting, a particular operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32614 related to a single-mode communication, e.g. at the transmitter or at the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3263 of reading apparatus or transmitter, e.g. original jam
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32635 of reproducing apparatus or receiver, e.g. out of paper
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32667 Restarting a communication or performing a recovery operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0457 Connection protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0471 Terminal access circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/15 Waiting
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/16 Service observation; Fault circuit; Testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/161 Blocking or cutoff of faulty apparatus, e.g. timed out
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/166 Prevention of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/179 Facsimile; Fax, e.g. still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/272 Premature release

Abstract

When a no-communication state is detected for a predetermined time of time during communication in response to an interrupt designation to or from an apparatus on the other end of the line, an operation of a time monitoring timer for terminating the communication is interrupted. The time monitoring timer is restarted in response to a restart designation. Therefore, communication can be continued without interrupting an interrupt/restart service provided by, e.g., an ISDN due to a time-out error. When a trouble which disables communication occurs during communication, an interrupt service is requested to a network. When the trouble which disables communication is recovered, a restart service can be requested to the network. In this case, communication can be normally restarted without being accidentally terminated intermediately.

Claims

1. A communication terminal apparatus connected to an integrated services digital network (ISDN) having an interrupt/restart function, comprising:

communication means for performing data communication with a communication apparatus on another end of a line via the ISDN;

time measuring means for measuring a time period during which said communication means is initially interrupted to communicate with the communicate apparatus on the other end;

communication termination means for terminating the communication of said communication means with the communication apparatus on the other end when the time period measured by said time measuring means reaches a predetermined value;

interrupt command detection means for detecting a subsequent communication interrupt command from the ISDN while the communication between said communication means and the communication apparatus on the other end is interrupted; and

control means for controlling said time measuring means to stop its time measuring operation in order to disable said communication termination means when said interrupt command detection means detects a subsequent communication interrupt command from the ISDN.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when communication is not interrupted in accordance with an operation state of said communication apparatus, said control means inhibits said time measuring means from stopping the time measuring operation.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

restart command detection means for detecting a communication restart command from the LSDN,

wherein said control means controls said time measuring means to restart the time measuring operation when said restart command detection means detects a communication restart command from the ISDN.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when communication is not restarted in accordance with an operation state of said communication apparatus, said control means inhibits said time measuring means from restarting the time measuring operation.

5. A communication terminal apparatus connected to an integrated services digital network (ISDN) having an interrupt/restart function, comprising:

communication means for performing data communication with a communication apparatus on another end of a line via the ISDN;

time measuring means for measuring a time period during which said communication means is initially interrupted to communicate with the communication apparatus on the other end;

communication termination means for terminating the communication of said communication means with the communication apparatus on the other end when the time period measured by said time measuring means reaches a predetermined value;

interrupt command detection means for detecting a subsequent communication interrupt command to be sent to the ISDN during the interruption of the communication with the communication apparatus on the other end; and

control means for controlling said time measuring means to stop its time measuring operation in order to disable said communication termination means when said interrupt command detection means detects a subsequent communication interrupt command to be sent to the ISDN.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when communication is not interrupted in accordance with an operation state of said communication apparatus, said control means inhibits said time measuring means from stopping the time measuring operation.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

restart command detection means for detecting a communication restart command to be sent to said ISDN,

wherein said control means controls said time measuring means to restart the time measuring operation when said restart command detection mean detects a communication restart command to be sent to the ISDN.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the communication is not restarted in accordance with an operation state of said communication apparatus, said control means inhibits said time measuring means from restarting the time measuring operation.