Method for controlling an image processing system

Abstract

A method for controlling an image processing system comprising a fax-terminal and an image scanner connected to each other involves producing image signals by the image scanner and inputting them into the fax-terminal. When the fax-terminal accesses a telephone circuit, and if an original document is set in the fax-terminal, an image of the original and then the image picked up by the image scanner are transmitted in succession by facsimile. If the fax-terminal does not access a telephone circuit, the image signals from the image scanner are supplied to the fax-terminal which makes a hard copy of the scanned image. When the scanned image has been transmitted, a hard copy of the transmitted image can be made by the fax-terminal after the access to the telephone circuit is released. The access between the telephone circuit and the fax-terminal is maintained for a predetermined time interval after one image frame has been picked up and transmitted. This access is continued if a reservation for the next image frame transmission is made within this time interval. It is therefore possible to pick up and transmit a plurality of images to a remote fax-terminal after inputting the address of that terminal once. When the fax-terminal receives a polling signal from a remote fax-terminal, the image scanner is actuated to pick up and transmit image signals to the remote fax-terminal.