Communication apparatus and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9497352-B2
Application number	US-40423409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2009
Priority date	Mar 25, 2008
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

This invention provides a communication apparatus, which designates, when a line designated as that used for a specific application falls into a disabled state, another line as a new line used for the specific application. To accomplish this, even when at least one of a plurality of lines falls into a disabled state, and when the line in the disabled state is designated as a line used for the specific application, the communication apparatus designates a line other than the line in the disabled state among the plurality of lines as a new line used for the specific application.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication apparatus having a plurality of lines, comprising:
a setting unit configured to set, for a line based on a user instruction, whether to permit transmission of data using the line;
a selecting unit configured to select, automatically, a line from among lines which are set to permit transmission of data;
a transmission unit configured to transmit data by the line selected by the selecting unit; and
a changing unit configured to automatically change, for a line, a setting not to permit transmission of data using the line to a setting to permit transmission of data using the line,
wherein when a predetermined line enters a disabled state and settings not to permit transmission of data are set for all lines other than the predetermined line, the changing unit automatically changes, for one line of the lines other than the predetermined line, the setting not to permit transmission of data using the one line to the setting to permit transmission of data using the one line.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined line is a prior line to be selected by the selecting unit prior to other lines.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a prior line setting unit configured to set a line of the plurality of lines as a prior line.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the predetermined line enters the disabled state and settings not to permit transmission of data are set for all lines other than the predetermined line, the changing unit automatically changes, for one line which is not connected to a telephone used by a user of the communication apparatus, the setting not to permit transmission of data using the one line not connected to a telephone used by a user to the setting to permit transmission of data using the one line not connected to a telephone used by a user.

5. A method of controlling a communication apparatus having a plurality of lines, comprising:
setting, for a line based on a user instruction, whether to permit transmission of data using the line;
selecting, automatically, a line from among lines which are set to permit transmission of data;
transmitting data by the selected line; and
changing, automatically for a line, a setting not to permit transmission of data using the line to a setting to permit transmission of data using the line,
wherein, when a predetermined line enters a disabled state and settings not to permit transmission of data are set for all lines other than the predetermined line, for one line of the lines other than the predetermined line, the setting not to permit transmission of data using the one line is automatically changed to the setting to permit transmission of data using the one line.

6. A non-transitory computer-program product for use with a computer, the computer-program product comprising a computer-usable medium containing computer-executable instructions that controls a communication apparatus having a plurality of lines, the medium comprising:
computer-executable instructions that set, for a line based on a user instruction, whether to permit transmission of data using the line;
computer-executable instructions that select, automatically, a line from among lines which are set to permit transmission of data;
computer-executable instructions that transmits data by the selected line; and
computer-executable instructions that automatically change, for a line, a setting not to permit transmission of data using the line to a setting to permit transmission of data using the line,
wherein, when a predetermined line enters a disabled state and settings not to permit transmission of data are set for all lines other than the predetermined line, for one line of the lines other than the predetermined line, the setting not to permit transmission of data using the one line is automatically changed to the setting to permit transmission of data using the one line.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of lines are telephone lines.

Assignees

• Inoue Yutaka
• Inoue Katsuhiro
• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Inoue Yutaka
• Inoue Katsuhiro

Classifications

• H04N1/333 Primary

  Mode signalling or mode changing; Handshaking therefor · CPC title

• H04N1/33353

  according to the available bandwidth used for a single communication, e.g. the number of ISDN channels used · CPC title

• H04N1/33361

  according to characteristics or the state of the communication line (H04N1/33353 and H04N2201/33371 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04N1/32797

  Systems adapted to communicate over more than one channel, e.g. via ISDN (changing transmission mode according to type of channel H04N2201/33364; multichannel or multilink communication protocols H04L69/14) · CPC title