Facsimile machine having error correction mode

Claim 1

A facsimile machine having an error correction mode comprising: modem means coupled to a transmission path for modulating an image information which is transmitted to the transmission path and for demodulating an image information which is received from the transmission path, said image information being transmitted and received in blocks respectively having a predetermined format and including a predetermined number of frames of image information; control means coupled to said modem means for controlling communications to and from the transmission path; scanning means for scanning a document image which is to be transmitted and for outputting the image information of the scanned document image as a transmitting image information; recording means for recording an image described by a received image information onto a recording sheet; memory means for temporarily storing the received image information in blocks; and processor means for controlling operations of said control means, said scanning means and said recording means, said processor means including first and second means for carrying out a control in the error correction mode, said first means storing an image information PIXi related to an ith page in said memory means and reading out and supplying the image information PIXi to said recording means and simultaneously storing an image information PIX(i +1) related to a (i+1)th page, said second means enabling a reception and storage of an image information (PIX(i+2) related to a (i+2)th page in said memory means when an empty memory region thereof has a memory capacity greater than or equal to one block even before a read out and supply of the image information PIX(i+1) to said recording means ends, when the empty memory region is less than one block a standby state continues until the empty memory region becomes greater than or equal to one block; said processor means further including reception process control means for controlling a reception process in the error correction mode, said reception process control means including means for initially resetting a pointer PA which indicates a memory area of said memory means where a frame of the received image information is to be stored, means for successively incrementing the pointer PA until a value of the pointer PA reaches a predetermined value, and means for resetting the value of the pointer PA when the value exceeds the predetermined value; said process means further including recording process control means for controlling a recording process in the error correction mode in parallel to the reception process, said recording process control means including means for initially resetting pointers PB and PC which respectively indicate a memory area of said memory means where an image information to be demodulated is stored and a starting memory area of said memory means wherein an image information of a page of the document image which is presently being recorded is stored, means for successively incrementing the pointer PB, means for resetting the value of the pointer PB when the value exceeds a predetermined value, and means for substituting a value of the pointer PB into the pointer PC when a recording of a page of the document image ends.