Facsimile apparatus having a rechargeable battery

• US 5,182,655 A
• Filed: 08/13/1991
• Issued: 01/26/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Motoyanagi, Teruo
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Sr., Edward L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Jill
• Application Number:
  US07/744,106
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 358/406, 358/473, 358/400, 358/404, 358/444, 340/636
• 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 1/00007 relating to particular apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00037 Detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state H04N1/00031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0005 in service, i.e. during normal operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00063 using at least a part of the apparatus itself, e.g. self-testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00076 locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00408 Display of information to the user, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00885 Power supply means, e.g. arrangements for the control of power supply to the apparatus or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00899 Detection of supply level or supply failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00925 Inhibiting an 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 1/32657 locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32683 Preventive counter-measures, e.g. using redundant hardware, or anticipating a fault arrangements for keeping a communication line open H04N1/32795
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0096 Portable devices

Abstract

A facsimile apparatus capable of informing an operator of data such as operable time of the facsimile apparatus, the number of documents transmittable and receivable based on the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery comprises a clock for generating time data and a monitor for monitoring the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery. The monitor calculates the charging time of the battery based on the time data. The charged quantity of the battery from the time when the battery started to be charged to the current time is determined from the charging time. The operation time of the facsimile apparatus driven by the battery in each of the operation modes is calculated based on the time data. The consumed quantity of electric charges in the battery is measured from the operation time. The quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery is calculated from the charged quantity and consumed charge quantity. The operable time of the facsimile apparatus, the number of documents transmittable and receivable for each of the operation modes are displayed based on the current quantity of electric charges in the battery. A detector is provided which detects fall in the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery below a predetermined value in a normal reception mode. The operation mode of the facsimile apparatus is switched from the normal reception mode to a memory reception mode based on the output from the detector.

Claims

1. A facsimile apparatus driven by a rechargeable battery, comprising:

charged quantity measuring means for measuring a charged quantity of the battery by measuring time for which the battery is charged;

discharged quantity measuring means for measuring a discharged quantity of the battery by measuring time for which said facsimile apparatus has been operated;

calculating means for calculating the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery from the charged quantity of the battery measured by said charged quantity measuring means and the discharged quantity of the battery measured by said discharged quantity measuring means; and

means for informing a facsimile operator of an attribute data concerning an operable time of the facsimile apparatus driven by the battery in accordance with the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery calculated by said calculating means,

wherein said facsimile apparatus is operable in a plurality of operation modes and said discharged quantity measuring means measures the discharged quantity of the battery in correspondence to the operation modes of the facsimile apparatus.

2. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said informing means informs the operator of an operable time of the facsimile apparatus as the attribute data.

3. A facsimile apparatus driven by a rechargeable battery, comprising:

charged quantity measuring means for measuring a charged quantity of the battery by measuring time for which the battery is charged;

discharged quantity measuring means for measuring a discharged quantity of the battery by measuring time for which said facsimile apparatus has been operated;

calculating means for calculating the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery from the charged quantity of the battery measured by said charged quantity measuring means and the discharged quantity of the battery measured by said discharged quantity measuring means; and

means for informing a facsimile operator of an attribute data concerning an operable time of the facsimile apparatus driven by the battery in accordance with the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery calculated by said calculating means,

wherein said informing means informs the operator of the number of documents transmittable by the facsimile apparatus as the attribute data.

4. A facsimile apparatus driven by a rechargeable battery, comprising:

charged quantity measuring means for measuring a charged quantity of the battery by measuring time for which the battery is charged;

discharged quantity measuring means for measuring a discharged quantity of the battery by measuring time for which said facsimile apparatus has been operated;

calculating means for calculating the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery from the charged quantity of the battery measured by said charged quantity measuring means and the discharged quantity of the battery measured by said discharged quantity measuring means; and

means for informing a facsimile operator of an attribute data concerning an operable time of the facsimile apparatus driven by the battery in accordance with the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery calculated by said calculating means,

wherein said informing means informs the operator of the number of documents receivable by the facsimile apparatus as the attribute data.

5. A facsimile apparatus driven by a rechargeable battery, comprising:

charged quantity measuring means for measuring a charged quantity of the battery by measuring time for which the battery is charged;

discharged quantity measuring means for measuring a discharged quantity of the battery by measuring time for which said facsimile apparatus has been operated;

calculating means for calculating the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery from the charged quantity of the battery measured by said charged quantity measuring means and the discharged quantity of the battery measured by said discharged quantity measuring means; and

means for informing a facsimile operator of an attribute data concerning an operable time of the facsimile apparatus driven by the battery in accordance with the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery calculated by said calculating means,

wherein said facsimile apparatus is operated in a plurality of operation modes and said informing means informs the operator of the attribute data in correspondence to the operation modes of the facsimile apparatus.

6. A facsimile apparatus driven by a rechargeable battery, comprising:

charged quantity measuring means for measuring a charged quantity of the battery by measuring time for which the battery is charged;

discharged quantity measuring means for measuring a discharged quantity of the battery by measuring time for which said facsimile apparatus has been operated;

calculating means for calculating the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery from the charged quantity of the battery measured by said charged quantity measuring means and the discharged quantity of the battery measured by said discharged quantity measuring means; and

means for informing a facsimile operator of an attribute data concerning an operable time of the facsimile apparatus driven by the battery in accordance with the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery calculated by said calculating means,

wherein said informing means informs the operator of an operable time of the facsimile apparatus, the number of documents transmittable, and the number of documents receivable as the attribute data.

7. A facsimile apparatus driven by a rechargeable battery and operable in a plurality of operation modes, comprising:

means for generating time data;

charged quantity measuring means for calculating the charging time of the battery on the basis of the time data, and measuring a quantity of electric charges stored in the battery from the time when battery started to be charged to the current time;

consumed quantity measuring means for calculating operation time of the apparatus driven by the battery in each of the operation modes on the basis of the time data and measuring the consumed quantity of electric charges in the battery from the operation time;

calculating means for calculating current quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery from the quantity measured by said charged quantity measuring means and the quantity measured by said consumed quantity measuring means; and

means for informing a facsimile operator of attribute data concerning operable time of the facsimile apparatus in each of the operation modes on the basis of the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery calculated by said calculating means.

8. A facsimile apparatus according to claims 7, wherein said facsimile apparatus is operable in reception modes including a normal reception mode in which a first received image is directly printed and output on paper and a memory reception mode in which a second received image is temporarily stored in a memory and said facsimile apparatus further comprises:

means for detecting that the quantity of electric charges remaining in the battery falls below a predetermined value; and

means for switching the reception mode from the normal reception mode to the memory reception mode.

9. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said informing means informs the operator of an operable time of the facsimile apparatus as the attribute data.

10. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said informing means informs the operator of the number of documents transmittable by the facsimile apparatus as the attribute data.

11. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said informing means informs the operator of the number of documents receivable by the facsimile apparatus as the attribute data.

12. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said informing means informs the operator of an operable time of the facsimile apparatus, the number of documents transmittable, and the number of documents receivable as the attribute data.