Communication apparatus and communication system

• US 9,020,112 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Kunii, Tadahiro, Yamane, Yukinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Joseph T
• Application Number:
  US12/884,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20110129075A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.13, 379/93.01, 379/100.15
• US Class Current: 379/100.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• 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 1/32747 Controlling the connection of the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/001 Sharing resources, e.g. processing power or memory, with a connected apparatus or enhancing the capability of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0015 Control of image communication with the connected apparatus, e.g. signalling capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0093 Facsimile machine H04N2201/0094 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

A communication apparatus including: a relaying section which relays phone conversation between a sub-communication apparatus and an external communication apparatus which is in a communicable connection state by the communication controlling portion; a request section which requests, when a transmission command for transmitting transmission data has been transmitted from the sub-communication apparatus performing the phone conversation with the external communication apparatus, a data processing apparatus to transmit the transmission data while maintaining a connection state between the communication apparatus and the external communication apparatus to the communicable connection state; a receiving section which receives the transmission data transmitted from the data processing apparatus in response to the request of the request section; and a transmitting section which transmits the transmission data received by the receiving section to the external communication apparatus being in the communicable connection state.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus comprising:

a first communication portion configured to communicate with a sub-communication apparatus;

a second communication portion configured to transmit and receive data to and from a data processing apparatus;

a third communication portion configured communicate with an external communication apparatus via a telephone line;

a communication controlling portion configured to control the third communication portion to establish communication between the communication apparatus and the external communication apparatus via the telephone line when the communication apparatus has received a connecting command from the sub-communication apparatus via the first communication portion and disconnect the communication between the communication apparatus and the external communication apparatus when the communication apparatus has received a disconnecting command from the sub-communication apparatus via the first communication portion;

a destination-telephone-number receiving section configured to receive a destination telephone number of the external communication apparatus from the sub-communication apparatus via the first communication portion;

a transmitting request receiving section configured to receive a transmitting request command from the sub-communication apparatus in a state in which the communication between the communication apparatus and the external communication apparatus has been established, via the telephone line, in response to the connecting command, the transmitting request command being a command for requesting the communication apparatus to transmit the data to the external communication apparatus;

a request section configured to, in response to receipt of the transmitting request command, transmit the received destination telephone number and a request, to the data processing apparatus via the second communication portion to transmit to the communication apparatus associated data, which is associated with the received destination telephone number;

a receiving section configured to receive the associated data transmitted from the data processing apparatus via the second communication portion in response to the request from the request section; and

a transmitting section configured to transmit the associated data received by the receiving section to the external communication apparatus by the third communication portion via the telephone line in a state in which the established communication between the communication apparatus and the external communication apparatus via the telephone line is maintained,

wherein the data processing apparatus comprises;

a storage portion configured to store therein the destination telephone number and the associated data where the destination telephone number and the associated data are associated with each other; and

a judging section configured to judge whether or not the associated data stored in the storage portion is data which has been associated with the received destination telephone number transmitted by the request section.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data processing apparatus comprises a new-transmission-data producing section configured to newly produce an associated data which has been associated with the received destination telephone number transmitted by the request section, when the storage portion stores therein no data which had been associated with the received destination telephone number transmitted by the request section.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying section configured to notify the sub-communication apparatus of identification data which identifies the associated data from other associated data, the identification data being associated with the associated data,

wherein the transmitting section is configured to transmit the associated data which has been associated with identification data selected in the sub-communication apparatus.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the communication apparatus is configured to receive from the data processing apparatus, the identification data which has been associated with a plurality of pieces of the associated data having been associated with the received destination telephone number transmitted, and

wherein the notifying section is configured to notify the sub-communication apparatus of a list of the identification data which has been associated with the plurality of pieces of the associated data.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sending section configured to send a message to the external communication apparatus, between a receipt of the transmitting request command from the sub-communication apparatus, and a start of the transmission of the associated data by the transmitting section.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the sub-communication apparatus comprises a command receiving portion configured to receive the transmitting request command from a user.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the communication controlling portion is configured to maintain the established communication state between the communication apparatus and the external communication apparatus, for at least a duration of time from a start of the established communication to a completion of the transmission of the associated data to the external communication apparatus by the transmitting section.

8. A communication system comprising a data processing apparatus configured to process transmission data to be transmitted to an external communication apparatus, a communication apparatus and a sub-communication apparatus, the communication apparatus comprising:

a first communication portion configured to communicate with a sub-communication apparatus;

a second communication portion configured to transmit and receive data to and from the data processing apparatus;

a third communication portion configured to communicate with an external communication apparatus via a telephone line; and

a communication controlling portion configured to control the third communication portion to establish communication between the communication apparatus and the external communication apparatus via the telephone line when the communication apparatus has received a connecting command from the sub-communication apparatus via the first communication portion and disconnect the communication between the communication apparatus and the external communication apparatus when the communication apparatus has received a disconnecting command from the sub-communication apparatus via the first communication portion a destination-telephone-number receiving section configured to receive a destination telephone number of the external communication apparatus from the sub-communication apparatus via the first communication portion;

a transmitting request receiving section configured to receive a transmitting request command from the sub-communication apparatus in a state in which the communication between the communication apparatus and the external communication apparatus has been established, via the telephone line, in response to the connecting command, the transmitting request command being a command for requesting the communication apparatus to transmit the data to the external communication apparatus;

a request section configured to, in response to receipt of the transmitting request command, transmit the received destination telephone number and a request, to the data processing apparatus via the second communication portion to transmit to the communication apparatus associated data, which is associated with the received destination telephone number;

a receiving section configured to receive the associated data transmitted from the data processing apparatus via the second communication portion in response to the request from the request section; and

a transmitting section configured to transmit the associated data received by the receiving section to the external communication apparatus by the third communication portion via the telephone line in a state in which the established communication between the communication apparatus and the external communication apparatus via the telephone line is maintained,

wherein the data processing apparatus comprises;

a storage portion configured to store therein the destination telephone number and the associated data where the destination telephone number and the associated data are associated with each other; and

a judging section configured to judge whether or not the associated data stored in the storage portion is the data which has been associated with the received destination telephone number transmitted by the request section.

9. The communication system according to claim 8,

wherein the data processing apparatus comprises a new-transmission-data producing section configured to newly produce an associated data which has been associated with the received destination telephone number transmitted by the request section, when the storage portion stores therein no transmission data which had been associated with the received destination telephone number transmitted by the request section.

10. The communication system according to claim 8,

wherein the communication apparatus further comprises a notifying section configured to notify the sub-communication apparatus of identification data which identifies the associated data from other associated data, the identification data being associated with the associated data, and

wherein the transmitting section is configured to transmit the associated data which has been associated with identification data selected in the sub-communication apparatus.

11. The communication system according to claim 10,

wherein the data processing apparatus is configured to transmit, where a storage portion stores therein a plurality of pieces of the associated data which have been associated with the received destination telephone number transmitted by the request section, identification data which has been associated with the plurality of pieces of the associated data having been associated with the destination telephone number, and

wherein the notifying section is configured to notify the sub-communication apparatus of a list of the identification data which has been associated with the plurality of pieces of the associated data.

12. The communication system according to claim 8,

wherein the communication apparatus further comprises a sending section configured to send a message to the external communication apparatus, between a receipt of the transmitting request command from the sub-communication apparatus, and a start of the transmission of the associated data by the transmitting section.

13. The communication system according to claim 8,

wherein the sub-communication apparatus comprises a command receiving portion configured to receive the transmitting request command from a user.

14. The communication system according to claim 8,

wherein the communication controlling portion is configured to maintain the established communication state between the communication apparatus and the external communication apparatus, for at least a duration of time from a start of the established communication to a completion of the transmission of the associated data to the external communication apparatus by the transmitting section.