Facsimile apparatus, its control method, program and storage medium

• US 8,179,553 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Kaori
• Primary Examiner(s): Worku, Negussie
• Application Number:
  US13/052,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20110170679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 358/400, 358/1.15, 358/434, 358/468, 358/442, 358/403, 379/100.01, 379/100.14, 379/100.16, 379/93.09, 379/207.03, 370/356, 370/458, 370/352, 370/330
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32704 Establishing a communication with one of a facsimile and another telecommunication apparatus sharing a single line
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32708 Telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32717 a calling tone, e.g. CI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32721 facsimile protocol signals, e.g. DCS or TSI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32723 speech signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32765 Initiating a communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32767 in response to a user operation, e.g. actuating a switch H04N1/32769 and H04N1/32771 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32789 Details of handshaking H04N1/32793, H04N1/32795 and H04N1/32797 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0022 Selecting or switching between an image communication mode and a non-image communication mode H04N2201/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence

Abstract

When facsimile data is transmitted by performing facsimile communication, a public line is seized. Then, when the public line is seized, it is a determined which of a dial tone signal or a voice signal for phone call a signal received from the public line is, it is controlled to perform the facsimile communication in a case where the received signal is determined as the dial tone signal, and it is controlled not to perform the facsimile communication in a case where the received signal is determined as the voice signal.

Claims

1. A facsimile apparatus comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform facsimile communication;

a line seizing unit configured to seize a public line in order to transmit facsimile data by the facsimile communication;

a determining unit configured to determine, in a case where said line seizing unit has seized the public line in order to transmit the facsimile data by the facsimile communication, which of a dial tone signal or a voice signal for a phone call a signal received from the public line is; and

a control unit configured to control said communication unit to perform the facsimile communication in a case where the received signal is determined as the dial tone signal, and not to perform the facsimile communication in a case where the received signal is determined as the voice signal.

2. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first detection unit configured to detect a signal of a first frequency band including a frequency of the dial tone signal; and

a second detection unit configured to detect a signal of a second frequency band different from the first frequency band,

wherein said determining unit determines the received signal as the voice signal in a case where said first detection unit detects the signal and said second detection unit detects the signal, and determines the received signal as the dial tone signal in a case where said first detection unit detects the signal and said second detection unit does not detect the signal.

3. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voice signal is the voice signal that a terminal which generated the phone call to the facsimile apparatus transmits to the facsimile apparatus in a case where said line seizing unit seizes the public line.

4. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, in a case where said first detection unit does not detect the received signal, said control unit controls said communication unit not to perform the facsimile communication.

5. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a timer unit adapted to measure a time for which the first detection unit continuously detects the received signal, wherein, based on a result of the measurement by said timer unit, in a case where said first detection unit continuously detects the received signal at least for a predetermined time and said second detection unit does not detect the received signal, said determining unit determines the received signal as the dial tone signal.

6. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, even in the case where said first detection unit detects the received signal and said second detection unit does not detect the received signal, in a case where the received signal detected by said first detection unit does not continue for the predetermined time based on the result of the measurement by said timer unit, said determining unit determines the received signal as a no dial tone signal.

7. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a storage unit configured to store on/off patterns of the dial tone signal in advance, wherein, in a case where said first detection unit detects the received signal of a pattern conforming to a signal pattern stored in said storage unit, said determining unit determines the received signal as the dial tone signal even if said second detection unit has detected the received signal.

8. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where said determining unit determines the received signal as the voice signal, said control unit further performs control to release the public line seized by said line seizing unit and set the data to be transmitted by the facsimile communication to be in a redialing standby state.

9. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit configured to perform, in a case where said determining unit determines the received signal as the voice signal, notification to call a user.

10. A control method for a facsimile apparatus, comprising the steps of:

performing facsimile communication;

seizing a public line in order to transmit facsimile data by the facsimile communication;

determining, in a case where the public line was seized in said line seizing step in order to transmit the facsimile data by the facsimile communication, which of a dial tone signal or a voice signal for a phone call a signal received from the public line is; and

controlling said communication step to perform the facsimile communication in a case where the received signal is determined as the dial tone signal, and not to perform the facsimile communication in a case where the received signal is determined as the voice signal.

11. A control method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

firstly detecting a signal of a first frequency band including a frequency of the dial tone signal; and

secondly detecting a signal of a second frequency band different from the first frequency band,

wherein said determining step determines the received signal as the voice signal in a case where said first detection step detects the signal and said second detection step detects the signal, and determines the received signal as the dial tone signal in a case where said first detection step detects the signal and said second detection step does not detect the signal.

12. A control method according to claim 11, wherein, in a case where said first detection step does not detect the received signal, said control step controls said communication step not to perform the facsimile communication.

13. A control method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of measuring a time for which said first detection step continuously detects the received signal, wherein, based on a result of the measurement in said measuring step, in a case where said first detection step continuously detects the received signal at least for a predetermined time and said second detection step does not detect the received signal, said determining step determines the received signal as the dial tone signal.

14. A control method according to claim 13, wherein, even in the case where said first detection step detects the received signal and said second detection step does not detect the received signal, in a case where the received signal detected in said first detection step does not continue for the predetermined time based on the result of the measurement in said measuring step, the determining step determines the received signal as not a dial tone signal.

15. A control method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of storing on/off patterns of the dial tone signal in a storage medium in advance, wherein, in a case where said first detection step detects the received signal of a pattern conforming to a signal pattern stored in said storage step, said determining step determines the received signal as the dial tone signal even if said second detection step has detected the received signal.

16. A control method according to claim 10, wherein the voice signal is the voice signal that a terminal which generated the phone call to the facsimile apparatus transmits to the facsimile apparatus in a case where said line seizing step seizes the public line.

17. A control method according to claim 10, wherein, in a case where said determining step determines the received signal as the voice signal, said control step further performs control to release the public line seized in said line seizing step and set the data to be transmitted by the facsimile communication to be in a redialing standby state.

18. A control method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of performing, in a case where said determining step determines the received signal as the voice signal, notification to call a user.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores therein a program for causing a computer to perform a control method for a facsimile apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

performing facsimile communication;

seizing a public line in order to transmit facsimile data by the facsimile communication;

determining, in a case where the public line was seized in said line seizing step in order to transmit the facsimile data by the facsimile communication, which of a dial tone signal or a voice signal for a phone call a signal received from the public line is; and

controlling said communication step to perform the facsimile communication in a case where the received signal is determined as the dial tone signal, and not to perform the facsimile communication in a case where the received signal is determined as the voice signal.