JPH09305063A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically display either a standard screen or a simple screen used frequently by a user as an initial screen and to improve workability by displaying either the standard screen or the simple screen having higher frequency in use, which is integrated, on a touch panel at the time of starting. SOLUTION: When copying operation is executed in a state where the standard screen 71 or the simple screen 72 is displayed on the touch panel 11, it is integrated by a frequency integrating means as the frequency in such of the screens 71 and 72. Either the standard screen 71 or the simple screen 72 having the higher frequency in use, which is integrated, is displayed on the touch panel 11 as the initial screen and a default screen by using an LCD controller by a display control means. At such a time, either the screen 71 or 72 having the higher frequency, which is integrated, is displayed as the default screen by the display control means in the case the set data of the screens 71 and 72 is automatically initialized by an automatic initialization means. In the case the data is initialized by manual operation, the screen 71 or 72 displayed till then is continued without being switched.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus used for a multifunctional copying machine or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine is multifunctional, and various operations applicable to image formation are realized. In order to implement various operations as described above, it is necessary to set various information, and thus it is necessary to provide a large number of keys on the operation panel. This complicates the appearance of the operation panel and requires many parts,
At present, touch panels have become mainstream. The touch panel is capable of inputting various information by switching display screens, and has a simple structure and a small occupation area.

An image forming apparatus using such a touch panel is described in JP-A-6-130766 and JP-A-6-35605. The image forming apparatus described in JP-A-6-130766 selectively sets functions according to a required level of a user, and displays only the corresponding functions on a touch panel when the user is recognized. The image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-35605 uses a default screen of the touch panel as a display screen for automatic setting, and also displays an operation unit for shifting to an operation screen for manual setting.

As an actual image forming apparatus, there is a product in which a standard screen and a simple screen are prepared as a display screen of a touch panel, and these are selectively switched. In this case, the simple screen is created so that only the operation units necessary for setting the basic operation of the image forming apparatus are displayed in a simple manner, and the standard screen displays various types of settings necessary for setting the applied operation of the image forming apparatus. It is designed to display the operation part.

In such an image forming apparatus, since a simple screen is usually displayed on the touch panel as a default screen, it is possible to easily set various kinds of information on the basic operation by inputting the simple screen. When executing the applied operation, it is sufficient to operate the switch to display the standard screen on the touch panel and input the standard screen.

[0006]

In the image forming apparatus as described above, various kinds of information can be input and operated by the touch panel, and in each case, the default screen is devised so as to reduce the operation load on the user.

However, in the image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-130766, it is necessary to register necessary functions for each user, and it is necessary to perform an operation for making the image forming apparatus recognize the user. Appropriate screens are not displayed to users who are not registered. In particular, when the work content of the user changes, it is necessary to change the registered content correspondingly, and this work is complicated.

Further, the image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-35605 uses the default screen of the touch panel as a display screen for automatic setting, and is not suitable for a user who always needs a manual setting operation screen. . Similarly, the image forming apparatus that uses the default screen of the touch panel as a simple screen,
It is not suitable for users who need a standard screen all the time.

In order to solve such a problem, there is also an image forming apparatus in which the default screen of the touch panel can be set to be freely switchable between a standard screen and a simple screen. However, even in such an image forming apparatus, when the work content of the user changes, it is necessary to change the setting of the default screen correspondingly, and this work is complicated.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
An image forming unit that forms an image on a print sheet according to various set information, a touch panel that realizes display output of various screens related to the image formation and an input operation of various information, and the touch panel corresponding to a manual operation. The screen switching means for displaying the standard screen and the simple screen in a freely switchable manner, the number accumulating means for accumulating the number of times of use of the standard screen and the simple screen, and the accumulated usage of the standard screen and the simple screen at the time of startup. And a display control means for displaying the one with the higher frequency on the touch panel. Therefore, one of the standard screen and the simple screen is displayed on the touch panel, and the simple screen and the standard screen can be switched, so that the user can select a desired screen and input various information. The image forming means forms an image on the printing paper according to the information.
While repeating such an operation, the number of times of use of the standard screen and the simple screen is integrated by the number-of-times integrating means, and one of the standard screen and the simple screen having the larger number of times of use is displayed on the touch panel at the time of startup. That is, when the user frequently uses the simple screen, the simple screen is automatically displayed as the initial screen of the touch panel, and when the user frequently uses the standard screen, the standard screen is used as the initial screen of the touch panel. It is displayed automatically.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a user recognizing means for recognizing a plurality of users in response to input of identification data,
An operation permission unit that controls whether or not various operations are possible according to the recognition result of the user, an image forming unit that forms an image on a printing sheet according to various set information, a display output of various screens related to image formation, and various types. Use of a touch panel that realizes information input operation, a screen switching means that displays a standard screen and a simple screen on the touch panel in response to manual operation, and a standard screen and a simple screen for each of a plurality of users It has a number accumulating means for accumulating the number of times and a display control means for displaying, on the touch panel, the one of the standard screen and the simple screen, which has been accumulated most, when the user recognizes. Therefore, when a plurality of users are recognized by the user recognizing means in response to the input of the identification data, the operation permitting means enables various operations. In this state, one of the standard screen and the simple screen is displayed on the touch panel, and the simple screen and the standard screen can be switched. Therefore, the user can select a desired screen and input various information. The image forming means forms an image on the printing paper according to the information. While repeating such work,
The number of times of use of the standard screen and the simple screen is totalized for each user by the number-of-times accumulating means, and when the user is identified, one of the standard screen and the simple screen having the larger total number of times of use is displayed on the touch panel. That is, when a certain user frequently uses the simple screen, the simple screen is automatically displayed on the touch panel when the user is identified, and when the certain user frequently uses the standard screen, the identification of the user is performed. Sometimes the standard screen is automatically displayed on the touch panel.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, there is provided data setting means for temporarily setting various data relating to image formation in response to an input operation,
An automatic initialization means for initializing the setting data when the pause time exceeds a predetermined time is provided, and the display control means displays the standard screen or the simple screen, whichever has the largest number of times of use, even when the setting data is initialized. Display it on the touch panel. Therefore, when the user performs a predetermined input operation, the corresponding data is mode-set by the data setting means, and when the pause time during which the user does not perform the input operation exceeds the predetermined time, the setting data is initialized by the automatic initialization means. Be converted. At the time of initializing the setting data, the standard screen or the simple screen, which has been used most frequently, is displayed on the touch panel by the display control means, so that it has been frequently used in the past unless the image forming apparatus is manually operated. The screen is displayed automatically.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the invention, a manual initialization means for initializing the setting data in response to an input operation is provided, and the display control means manually initializes the setting data. When the operation is performed, the standard screen and the simple screen are not switched. Therefore, even when various types of data are set in the mode corresponding to the user's input operation, the setting data is initialized when the user inputs the manual initialization means. When the setting data is initialized by this manual operation, the display control means does not switch the display between the standard screen and the simple screen, so that the setting data is initialized without initializing the display screen.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, as shown in FIG. 1, a digital copying machine 1 which is an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is provided as a part of a copying machine system 2 and includes separate sheet feeding units 3 and 4 and an ADF ( AutomaticDocument Feede
r) The unit 5 and the post-processing unit 6 are mounted.

Inside the digital copying machine 1, there are provided a scanner section which is an image reading means and a printer section which is an image forming means. The scanner section reads and scans an image of a read original, and the printer section is provided. Forms an image to be scanned on the printing paper. The ADF unit 5 feeds a document to be read to the scanner unit of the digital copying machine 1, and the paper feeding units 3 and 4 feed printing paper to the printer unit of the digital copying machine 1. The post-processing unit 6 has a sorter, a stapler, and a punch built therein, and executes various kinds of post-processing on printing paper on which an image is formed.

An operation panel 7 is provided in front of the upper surface of the digital copying machine 1, and the operation panel 7 has a touch panel 11 and a keyboard 12 as shown in FIG. More specifically, the keyboard 12 of the operation panel 7 has ten keys 13 for inputting numerical values as basic various keys related to a copying operation, and clear / preheat for inputting mode initialization and preheating start. Key 14, interrupt key 15 for inputting start of interrupt operation, image quality adjustment key 16 for inputting image quality adjustment, program key 17 for inputting start of mode registration and mode call, input of copy start Start key 18 operated, clear / stop key 1 operated to input data initialization or operation stop
9, a screen switching key 20 for inputting a screen switching of the touch panel 11, a dimming key 21 for adjusting the brightness of the touch panel 11, and the like.

Here, the digital copying machine 1 of the present embodiment.
The electrical block structure of is described below with reference to FIG. First, the main control unit 31 executes the CPU (Central Pro
cessing Unit) 32, ROM (Read Only Memory) 33,
RAM (Random Access Memory) 34, NVRAM (NO Vo
latilization RAM) 35, serial I / F (Interface)
36, a timer circuit 37, and the like. The main control unit 31 having such a structure includes the units 3 to 6, the operation panel 7, the double-sided unit 38, various AC loads 39, various DC loads 40, The sensors 41 and the like are connected.

The electrical block structure of the operation panel 7 will be described below with reference to FIG. First, the touch panel 11 includes a backlight (not shown) such as an EL (Electro Luminescence) and an LC of a dot matrix.
It has a structure in which a D (Liquid Crystal Display) module 51 and an analog switch plate 52 are sequentially stacked. An LCD controller 53 is connected to the LCD module 51 and the switch plate 52 together with the keyboard 12, and a ROM 54 and a RAM 55 are directly connected to the LCD controller 53. Since a part of the keys 13 to 21 of the keyboard 12 has a built-in LED (Light Emitting Diode), an LED driver 56 is connected to the keyboard 12.

An address latch 57 is connected to the LCD controller 53, and the address latch 57 and the LCD controller 53 are CP.
Connected to U58. An optical transceiver 59 is connected to the CPU 58.
Communicates various data serially with an external device (not shown) by light beams. Further, an address decoder 60 is connected to the address latch 57, and the address decoder 60 is connected to the LCD controller 53 and the LED.
While being directly connected to the driver 56 and the ROM 61, the C
It is connected to the PU 58 via a system reset 62.

The digital copying machine 1 of the present embodiment executes various operations according to various information input by the operation panel 7 to copy an image of a read original on a printing paper. In order to realize the display output and input operation of various information related to such a copying operation, a standard screen 71 or a simple screen 72 is displayed on the touch panel 11, as shown in FIG. The image data of the screens 71 and 72 is stored in the ROM 54 and selectively displayed on the touch panel 11 by the LCD controller 53. The standard screen 71 corresponds to all functions of the copying operation of the digital copying machine 1, while the simple screen 72 corresponds to only some basic functions of the digital copying machine 1.
These screens 71 and 72 are used for temporary data setting of the copying operation and are not used for constant mode setting of the digital copying machine 1.

More specifically, the standard screen 71 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), a message area 73 for displaying various messages and a number display area 7 for displaying the number of copies.
4. Density adjustment key 75 for manual operation of copy density, automatic density key 76 for mode setting of automatic adjustment of copy density, photo key 77 for mode setting of photocopy, paper selection key for manual selection of print paper 78, a paper selection key 79 for setting a mode for automatic selection of printing paper, a paper specification scaling key 80 for setting a paper specification scaling mode, a magnification display area 81 for displaying a copy magnification, and a mode for special original feeding mode The special original feed key 82, post-processing keys 83 to 86 for setting various post-processing modes, and various keys 87 to 90 for setting various application operation modes are displayed.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the simple screen 72 is basically displayed in the same manner as the standard screen 71, but various keys 75, 77, 80, 82, 8 for the applied operation are displayed.
5, 87, 88 are not displayed. The touch panel 11
In the state where the simple screen 72 is displayed, various information of the basic operation such as the magnification and the number of copies can be input and operated.
In a state where the standard screen 71 is displayed, it is possible to input various kinds of information on applied operations such as photocopying and paper designated scaling.

The standard screen 71 and the simple screen 7 described above are used.
2 is prepared for temporary data setting related to the copying operation, but as shown in FIG. 6, separately from these screens 71 and 72, device setting for permanent mode setting is performed. A screen 101 is also prepared. This device setting screen 101 is displayed on the clear / preheat key 14 of the keyboard 12.
After the above operation, the clear / stop key 19 is continuously operated for a certain period of time so that the scroll keys 102, 10 displayed on the touch panel 11 and set to the side thereof are displayed.
Scroll up and down with 3. This device setting screen 10
1, various modes can be permanently set in the digital copying machine 1 as a user program, and various setting keys 104 to 116 are displayed to realize this.

For example, when one of the auto clear setting keys 104 is designated, a clear setting screen 121 is displayed on the touch panel 11 as shown in FIG.
The digital copying machine 1 is in a state in which it is possible to set ON / OFF and time such as auto clear which is a constant operation mode. This clear setting screen 121 includes auto clear, auto preheat, auto shut off, user code enabled, SADF
(Semi ADF) Auto clear, etc. time and release setting keys 122 to 131 are displayed together with an enter key 132 for inputting these setting completions.

Auto clear is to initialize the temporary setting data for image copying when the pause time of the digital copying machine 1 exceeds a predetermined time, and the time and cancellation are set by the setting keys 122 and 123. To be done. in this case,
The pause time of the digital copying machine 1 is integrated as a continuous time during which no manual operation or image copying is executed according to the detection of various conditions by the CPU 32, and the setting data to be initialized is input by the user through the screens 71 and 72. Limited to temporary setting data for image copying.

The automatic preheating set by the setting keys 124 and 125 is to reduce the electric power of each part to shift the entire apparatus to the preheating state when the down time exceeds a predetermined time, and the setting keys 126 and 127 are set. The auto shut-off set by means to turn off the main body power to stop the entire apparatus when the rest time exceeds a predetermined time. The user code valid set by the setting keys 128 and 129 is that when the pause time exceeds a predetermined time, the user code input operation, which is the identification data of the user, is required to be input. As will be described later, the digital copying machine 1 functions when the user management mode is set as a constant operation mode. The SADF auto clear set by the setting keys 130 and 131 is to cancel the SADF mode setting when the pause time exceeds a predetermined time, and this SADF mode is
With the special document feed key 82 on the standard screen 71, the A
This is an operation mode of semi-automatic document feeding which is temporarily set in the DF unit 5.

When the setting key 108 is designated while the device setting screen 101 is displayed on the touch panel 11, the specification setting of the operation panel 7 is input to the touch panel 11 as shown in FIG. A panel setting screen 141 for operation is displayed. This panel setting screen 141
Is composed of two pages and is moved forward and backward by the next page key 142 and the previous page key 143. On the panel setting screen 141, a setting key 144 for limiting the number of copies, a setting key 145 for presence / absence of a buzzer sound on the operation panel 7, a setting key 146 for presence / absence of a notification sound of job processing, a presence / absence of stapling mode release Setting key 147, a setting key 148 indicating whether or not the default screen of the touch panel 11 is automatically switched, a default screen setting key 149 when the touch panel 11 is not automatically switched, and the like are displayed.

When the setting key 112 is specified while the device setting screen 101 is displayed on the touch panel 11, as shown in FIG.
Displays a user setting screen 151. On this user setting screen 151, it is possible to set a user management mode, which is a constant operation mode of the digital copying machine 1, and to set a user code required as user identification data at the time of this setting. Therefore, the user setting screen 151 displays setting keys 152 and 153 for setting / releasing the user management mode and setting keys 154 to 156 for registering / changing / erasing the user code.

Setting / setting with the setting keys 152 and 153
The user management mode to be released is a constant operation mode for managing a plurality of users of the digital copying machine 1. Under the setting, the copying operation is not permitted unless the user code is input and the executed copying is executed. Various information on the operation is recorded for each user code. The setting keys 154 to 156
The user code registered / changed / erased by is the identification data of a plurality of users under the setting of the user management mode, and is registered as a six-digit number here.

Therefore, the NVR of the main controller 31 is
The AM 35 is provided with a user code table (not shown), and various data is managed for each user in this table. Under the setting of the user management mode, FIG.
As shown in FIG.
The code input screen 161 is displayed in duplicate for two, and the screens 71 and 72 cannot be input unless a proper user code is input to the code input screen 161.

In the digital copying machine 1 of the present embodiment, an appropriate program is stored in the ROM 33 or the like, and correspondingly, the CPU 32 executes data processing to realize various functions. Therefore, the digital copying machine 1 has a mode switching unit, a screen switching unit, a data setting unit, an automatic initialization unit, a manual initialization unit, a number integration unit, a display control unit, a user recognition unit, an operation permission unit, and the like. are doing.

The mode switching means constantly sets various operation modes in response to input operations on various screens 101 of the touch panel 11. For example, when the setting key 148 is operated while the panel setting screen 141 is displayed on the touch panel 11, the presence / absence of the automatic switching mode of the default screen is switched correspondingly.
When the setting keys 122 to 131 are operated while the clear setting screen 121 is displayed, the presence or absence of various auto modes such as auto clear is correspondingly set with time. When the setting keys 152 and 153 are operated while the user setting screen 151 is displayed, the presence / absence of the user management mode is correspondingly set together with the user code.

The screen switching means is the screen switching key 2
In response to the manual operation of 0, the standard screen 71 and the simple screen 7 are displayed on the touch panel 11 by the LCD controller 53.
2 and 2 are switchably displayed. The data setting means,
With the standard screen 71 and the simple screen 72 displayed on the touch panel 11, various data related to image formation are temporarily set in response to the input operation. The automatic initialization means functions only under the setting of the auto clear mode,
When the pause time exceeds a predetermined time, the setting data by the data setting means is automatically initialized. The manual initialization means initializes the setting data by the data setting means in response to the input operation of the clear / preheat key 14 on the operation panel 7.

The operations of the number-of-times accumulating means, the display control means, the user recognizing means, and the operation permitting means will be described below. The operations of these means change depending on whether or not the user management mode is set. First, the functions of various means when the user management mode is not set will be described.

First, when the copying operation is executed in a state where the standard screen 71 or the simple screen 72 is displayed on the touch panel 11, the number-of-times accumulating means determines the number of times the screens 71 and 72 have been used by the CPU 32. Add up. The display control means causes the LCD controller 53 to display the one of the standard screen 71 and the simple screen 72, which has been used more frequently, as the initial screen and the default screen on the touch panel 11. In this case, the initial screen is the screen that is first displayed on the touch panel 11 when the power is turned on, and the default screen is the screen that is automatically displayed on the touch panel 11 after execution of auto clear or manual clear. .

At this time, when the setting data of the screens 71 and 72 are automatically initialized by the automatic initialization means, the display control means selects one of the screens 71 and 72 which has the most number of times of use. Is displayed on the touch panel 11 as a default screen, but when the setting data of the screens 71 and 72 is initialized by the manual operation of the manual initialization means, the screens 71 and 72 that have been displayed until then are continued without switching. Let

Next, functions of various means when the user management mode is set will be described. First, the user recognition means and the operation permission means function only under the setting of the user management mode. The user recognition means individually recognizes a plurality of users in response to the input of the user code, and the operation permission means controls whether or not various operations are possible according to the recognition result of the user.

More specifically, when a standard screen 71 or a simple screen 72 is displayed on the touch panel 11 as an initial screen or a default screen, as shown in FIG. The code input screen 161 is displayed overlapping the screens 71 and 72. In this state, the copying operation is prohibited by the operation permitting means. When the user code is input by the ten-key pad 13 of the keyboard 12 in this state, it is compared with the registered user code to confirm whether or not there is a match, and when the matching user code is confirmed, the code input screen 161 is displayed. The image is erased, the screens 71 and 72 are displayed, and the image copying by the input operation of the touch panel 11 is permitted.

When the copying operation is executed while the standard screen 71 or the simple screen 72 is displayed on the touch panel 11 after the user is confirmed as described above, the number-of-times accumulating unit displays the copy operation on the screen of the current user. The number of times 71 and 72 are used is added up for each user code. When the user is recognized as described above, the display control unit corresponds to the one of the screens 71 and 72, which has a larger total number of times of use, as the initial screen for each user and the touch panel 1
1 is displayed.

With such a configuration, the digital copying machine 1 of the present embodiment executes image formation as image copying of a read original. When the image of the read document is copied in this manner, the read image is read and scanned by the scanner unit to generate image data, and this image data is formed on printing paper by the printer unit.

When performing such image copying, if desired information is set by manual operation of the touch panel 11, the copying operation is executed in a state corresponding to this. On the touch panel 11, various kinds of information related to image copying can be input and operated on a standard screen 71 and a simple screen 72, and these screens 71 and 72 can be switched by a manual operation of the screen switching key 20. Since all the information related to image copying is displayed on the standard screen 71, various applied operations can be executed for image copying, but the operation is relatively complicated. On the other hand, since only the basic information of image copying is displayed on the simple screen 72, the basic operation of image copying can be quickly executed, but the operations that can be executed are limited.

That is, since the screens 71 and 72 have contradictory characteristics, some users often use only one and not the other, but the digital copying machine 1 of the present embodiment is frequently used by the user. The screens 71 and 72 are automatically set as the initial screen and the default screen. Moreover, the digital copying machine 1 of the present embodiment can manage various operations for each user by setting the user management mode, and in this state, the initial screen is controlled for each user.

Here, the processing operation when the user management mode is not set will be described first. First, as shown in FIG. 11, when the digital copying machine 1 is started by turning on the power, initial setting is executed and an initial screen is displayed on the touch panel 11. In this case, the initial screen is one of the standard screen 71 and the simple screen 72, and the count flags of these screens 71 and 72 are stored in the NVRAM 35.
The screens 71 and 72 having a large number of times are read out and compared, and the touch screen 11 is displayed.

In this state, when the user causes the digital copying machine 1 to perform a copying operation using the desired screens 71 and 72, the screens 71 and 72 used in this copying operation are displayed.
When 72 is determined, the corresponding number of times flag is incremented. In this case, the number-of-times flag of the screens 71 and 72 to be updated is read from the NVRAM 35 by the CPU 32 and incremented, and this is incremented by the CPU 32 to NVRA.
Overwritten by M35.

As described above, when the operation of the digital copying machine 1 is stopped by the automatic shut-off or the manual-off and then started by turning on the power in the state where the number-of-times flag of the screens 71 and 72 is accumulated, as described above. The screens 71 and 72 having a large number of times flags are displayed on the touch panel 11 as initial screens.

Therefore, in the digital copying machine 1 of the present embodiment, when the user frequently uses the simple screen 72, this is displayed on the touch panel 11 as the initial screen, and the user frequently uses the standard screen 71. In this case, since this is automatically displayed on the touch panel 11 as the initial screen, the workability of the user can be improved. Moreover, since the setting of such an initial screen is automatically executed in accordance with the usage situation of the user, it is not necessary for the user to perform the operation of this setting.

Furthermore, the digital copying machine 1 of the present embodiment
, The setting data of the screens 71 and 72 are initialized by the automatic clear or the manual clear. If this is the automatic clear, the screen 7 which has been used many times as the default screen is displayed.
1, 72 are automatically displayed, and in the case of manual clearing, the screens 71, 72 that have been displayed until then are continued.

First, when the user sets various data on the screens 71 and 72 of the touch panel 11 to execute image copying as described above, the set data is automatically initialized by auto-clearing after a predetermined time has elapsed. To be done. In that case, as shown in FIG. 12, there is no input operation, no abnormality occurs, the user is not detected,
As a necessary condition, the CPU 32 integrates the time, and when the integrated time reaches a predetermined time, the auto clear is executed. When this auto clear is executed, the CPU 32 is NV
The number-of-times flag of the screens 71 and 72 is read from the RAM 35 and compared, and the screens 71 and 72 having the most counts are touch panel 1
1 is displayed as a default screen.

On the other hand, when the user manually operates the clear / preheat key 14 before the automatic clear is executed, the setting data on the screens 71 and 72 are initialized corresponding to the manual operation. In this way, when the setting data of the screens 71 and 72 is initialized by the manual operation, the screens 71 and 72 that have been displayed until then are continued.

Therefore, in the digital copying machine 1 of the present embodiment, even if a user executes image copying using the screens 71 and 72, the setting data is automatically initialized after a predetermined time has elapsed. When this automatic initialization is executed, the frequently used screens 71 and 72 are automatically displayed on the touch panel 11 as default screens, so that the workability of the user can be improved. However, since the screens 71 and 72 are not switched when the initialization of the setting data is performed manually, for example, the screens 71 and 72 may be switched each time the setting data of the erroneous input is initialized. In addition, the workability of the user is not hindered.

Next, the processing operation when the user management mode is set will be briefly described with reference to FIG.
First, in order to execute image copying under the setting of the user management mode, the user must first enter his user code to enable the digital copying machine 1 to operate. When the desired screens 71 and 72 are selected and image copying is executed after the user code is input in this manner, the number of times flags on the screens 71 and 72 for each user are correspondingly incremented. When the user inputs a user code to the digital copying machine 1 to execute image copying in the state where the count flags of the screens 71 and 72 are accumulated for each user, the screen 71 is displayed for each user correspondingly. , 72 with a larger number of times flag is displayed on the touch panel 11.

Therefore, in the digital copying machine 1 of the present embodiment, even if the user is shared by many users, if the user code is input to execute the image copying, the screen frequently used by the user is displayed. Since 71 and 72 are automatically displayed, the workability of each of a plurality of users can be improved. Moreover, since the setting of the initial screen for each user is automatically performed in accordance with the usage situation of the user, the user does not need to perform the setting operation.

Even if the user management mode is set as described above, when the setting data of the screens 71 and 72 is initialized by manual clearing, the screen 7 that has been displayed until then is displayed.
Since 1 and 72 are continued, the workability of the user is not hindered.

The present invention is not limited to the above method, and allows various modifications. For example, here, the screens 71 and 72 having a large number of count flags are set as the initial screen and the default screen, but
It is also possible to maintain the current setting until the difference of the number of times flag reaches a predetermined number. In addition, screen 7
Regarding the integration of the number of times of use of 1,72, it can be assumed that, for example, only the number of times of a recent fixed period is used or initialization is performed by a predetermined operation.

[0055]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there are provided an image forming means for forming an image on a printing sheet according to various set information, a display output of various screens related to the image formation, and an input operation of various information. A touch panel to be realized, a screen switching means for displaying a standard screen and a simple screen on the touch panel in a freely switchable manner in response to a manual operation, a number accumulating means for accumulating the number of times of use of the standard screen and the simple screen, and at the time of startup. By having the display control means for displaying on the touch panel, the standard screen or the simple screen, whichever is used more frequently, one of the standard screen and the simple screen that is frequently used by the user is automatically set as the initial screen. Since it is displayed, the workability of the user can be improved, and the user does not need to perform the operation of this setting.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a user recognizing means for recognizing a plurality of users in response to input of identification data,
An operation permission unit that controls whether or not various operations are possible according to the recognition result of the user, an image forming unit that forms an image on a printing sheet according to various set information, a display output of various screens related to image formation, and various types. A touch panel that realizes information input operation, a screen switching means that displays a standard screen and a simple screen on the touch panel in response to manual operation, and the number of times the standard screen and the simple screen are used for multiple users. A plurality of users, and a display control means for displaying, on the touch panel, one of the standard screen and the simple screen that has been used most frequently when the user recognizes the image forming apparatus. Even when sharing the same, if the user inputs the identification data prior to image formation, the screen frequently used by the user is automatically displayed. Each of workability can be improved, and there is no need to operate the execution user of this setting.

According to the third aspect of the invention, data setting means for temporarily setting various data relating to image formation in response to an input operation is provided, and the setting data is initialized when the pause time exceeds a predetermined time. An automatic initialization means is provided, and the display control means causes the touch panel to display whichever of the standard screen and the simple screen, which has been used the most, during the initialization of the setting data. Then, the setting data is automatically initialized, and in response to this, one of the standard screen and the simple screen that the user substitutes is automatically displayed as the default screen, which can improve the workability of the user. Yes, and the user does not need to perform the operation of this setting.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the manual initialization means for initializing the setting data corresponding to the input operation is provided, and the display control means displays the standard screen when the setting data is initialized by the manual operation. By not switching the display between the simple screen and the screen, the screen will switch if the setting data is initialized automatically, but the screen will not switch if the user manually initializes the setting data. The screen does not switch when the erroneous operation is corrected, and the workability of the user is not hindered.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a digital copying machine which is an embodiment of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an operation panel.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a digital copying machine.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a main part of a digital copying machine.

5A is a plan view showing a state where a standard screen is displayed on a touch panel, and FIG. 5B is a plan view showing a state where a simple screen is displayed.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state where a device setting screen is displayed on the touch panel.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state in which a clear setting screen is displayed on the touch panel.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a state in which a panel setting screen is displayed on the touch panel.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state in which a user setting screen is displayed on the touch panel.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a state in which a code input screen is displayed on the touch panel.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing operation of displaying a standard screen and a simple screen as initial screens.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing operation of displaying a standard screen and a simple screen as default screens.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing operation of displaying a standard screen and a simple screen under the setting of the user management mode.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 image forming apparatus 11 touch panel 71 standard screen 72 simple screen

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An image forming means for forming an image on a printing sheet according to various set information, a touch panel for displaying and outputting various screens related to the image formation, and an input operation for various information, and a manual operation. Correspondingly, a screen switching means for displaying a standard screen and a simple screen on the touch panel in a freely switchable manner, a number accumulating means for accumulating the number of times of use of the standard screen and the simple screen, and a standard screen and a simple screen at the time of start-up. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a display control unit that displays on the touch panel the one that has been used most frequently. 2. A user recognizing means for recognizing a plurality of users in response to input of identification data, an operation permitting means for controlling permission / prohibition of various operations according to a recognition result of the users, and various set information in accordance with the set information. An image forming unit that forms an image on a printing sheet, a touch panel that realizes display output of various screens related to image formation and an input operation of various information, and a standard screen and a simple screen on the touch panel corresponding to manual operation. Screen switching means for switching freely, number-of-times accumulating means for accumulating the number of times the standard screen and the simple screen are used for each of a plurality of users, and the accumulated usage of the standard screen and the simple screen at the time of user recognition. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a display control unit that displays the one having a higher frequency on the touch panel. 3. A data setting means for temporarily setting various data relating to image formation in response to an input operation,
An automatic initialization means for initializing the setting data when the pause time exceeds a predetermined time is provided, and the display control means displays the standard screen or the simple screen, whichever has the largest number of times of use, even when the setting data is initialized. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image is displayed on a touch panel. 4. A manual initialization means for initializing setting data corresponding to an input operation is provided, and the display control means displays a standard screen and a simple screen when the setting data is initialized by a manual operation. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming apparatus is not switched.