JP2003345506A - Operation inputting device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation inputting device and image forming device having operation setting items in a hierarchical structure for selecting and instructing the operation setting items with high operability. <P>SOLUTION: This operation inputting device and image forming device is provided with an operating part 10 having operation setting items in a hierarchical structure for accepting the specification of the hierarchy, and for accepting an operation with respect to the operation setting item included in the specific hierarchy and an instruction inputting part 11 for accepting an operating instruction with respect to the operation setting item without making it necessary to specify the hierarchy for at least one operation setting item. In this case, a normal operation may be performed according to the hierarchical structure with respect to the desired operation setting item, and the operation setting instruction may be directly performed without specifying the hierarchical structure. Thus, it is possible to sharply improve operability. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operation input device having an operation section for performing an operation on an operation setting item having a hierarchical structure, and an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many digital copiers are provided with a touch panel as an operation unit, and display operation setting items on the touch panel, and the operator can specify the operation setting item by pressing the touch panel according to the display. And Digital copiers have various functions,
Since the number is increasing, it is difficult to display all operation setting items for realizing these functions on the touch panel at one time. Therefore, the operation setting items for operating the copying machine are arranged in a hierarchical structure, and only the items of the specified hierarchy are operably displayed on the touch panel, while the hierarchy displayed on the touch panel is sequentially switched as necessary. It makes it possible to operate many functions.

[0003] Such an operation unit will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11A shows a display screen of the touch panel in an initial state, in which a plurality of operation setting items are operably displayed. Some of the operation setting items allow the copying machine to be operated immediately, and other operation setting items display lower layers by selection. Further, a function key is separately provided for a more advanced function, and a lower hierarchy is sequentially displayed by selecting the function key. For example, when the function of Nin1 (a function of printing N pages on one page of paper) is realized, when the application function key 100 is depressed, as shown in FIG. The menu is displayed, and furthermore, when one of the grouping keys 110 is depressed, a menu of a grouping mode in a further lower hierarchy is displayed as shown in FIG. The operator selects the number of pages to be aggregated from this menu (4 in 1 key 120 in the figure).
By selecting a layout (vertical order key 121 in the figure) and selecting an OK key 122, a desired Nin
One function can be executed.

[0004]

However, in the above-described menu having a hierarchical structure, it is necessary for an operator to search for an operation button or a hierarchical menu and operate it many times, which is complicated and troublesome. Was. In addition, if the user is not familiar with the operation contents, complicated operation procedures cannot be performed smoothly, and the operability is further deteriorated. When the display is performed by changing the hierarchy in this manner, for example, it is necessary to perform normal output after temporarily canceling the previous designation of the aggregation mode Nin1 and temporarily performing the same operation as the Nin1 designation despite the normal output. It is not intuitive because it takes time and effort to press the function reset button.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an operation input device and an image input device capable of performing necessary settings by a simple operation even when operation setting items are configured in a hierarchical structure. It is an object to provide a forming device.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation input device having an operation setting item having a hierarchical structure and receiving the specification of the hierarchy. An operation unit that receives an operation for an operation setting item included in a hierarchy, and an instruction input unit that receives an operation instruction for the operation setting item for one or more of the operation setting items without requiring specification of the hierarchy. It is characterized by the following.

[0007] The operation input device according to the second aspect is the first aspect.
The invention described in the above description is characterized by comprising a list display means capable of presenting the operation setting items to be instructed to the operator as a list to the operator.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation input device.
In the invention described above, the list display means can present the instruction content to an operator in association with an operation setting item.

The operation input device according to the fourth aspect is the first aspect of the invention.
In the invention according to any one of the items (1) to (3), the instruction is a handwriting input, and the instruction input unit recognizes the input pattern by accepting the handwritten input, and specifies an operation setting item corresponding to the input pattern. Features.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the operation input device according to the fourth aspect.
In the invention described in the description, further comprising a definition pattern storage unit that stores the definition pattern in association with the operation setting item,
If it is determined that the handwritten pattern corresponds to any of the definition patterns by comparing the handwritten pattern with the definition pattern called from the pattern storage unit, an operation setting item related to the definition pattern is added to the handwritten pattern. It is characterized in that it is specified as a corresponding operation setting item.

The operation input device according to the sixth aspect is the fourth aspect of the invention.
Or the operation unit and the instruction input unit have a common touch panel, and monitor a locus of a pressing point on the touch panel to determine whether the operation is an operation on the operation unit or an operation on the instruction input unit. It is determined whether the instruction is an instruction, and when the determination is determined to be an operation on the operation unit, the pressing is accepted as an operation on the operation setting item. Recognize, specify an operation setting item corresponding to the input pattern, and accept an operation instruction.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation input device.
In the invention according to any one of the above-described aspects, the instruction is indicated by a barcode, and the instruction input unit reads the barcode and specifies an operation setting item corresponding to the barcode pattern.

[0013] The operation input device according to the eighth aspect is the first aspect.
The invention according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, further comprising a character string input unit as the instruction input unit.

The operation input device according to the ninth aspect is the first aspect of the invention.
In the invention according to any one of the above-described aspects, a series of operations for receiving the instruction and operating an operation setting item based on the instruction can be managed as a program or module for each instruction, and the contents can be separately updated. It is characterized by the following.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, it is possible to notify an operator when an operation setting item cannot be specified by the instruction. It is characterized by having done.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the operation input device according to the tenth aspect, the notification includes a presentation of acceptable instruction contents determined to be similar to the instruction contents by the operator. It is characterized by being performed.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the operation unit or the instruction input unit is connected to a device whose operation is to be set via a network. , So that the operation or the operation instruction can be performed through the network.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus for controlling the operation of the apparatus in accordance with the operation input device according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects and the operation setting items operated or instructed by the operation input device. And an operation control unit for controlling.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect, the image forming apparatus is a digital copying machine or a multifunction peripheral having the function.

That is, according to the present invention, in addition to the normal operation of selecting and operating a required operation setting item while changing the hierarchy, it is necessary to specify the hierarchy for each operation setting item via the instruction input unit. Since the instruction can be given directly without performing any operation, a desired operation setting can be performed without performing a complicated operation. Further, in the operation input device of the present invention, since it is not necessary to specify the hierarchy in the operation instruction, after the operation instruction is completed, the displayed operation setting item may be in a default (highest hierarchy) state, Therefore, the operation screen can be automatically changed to the default screen after the instruction is completed, so that the operator does not need to perform a reset operation or the like.

When a hierarchy is specified by the operation unit of the present invention, a default hierarchy is shown. When an operation setting item included in this hierarchy is operated, the hierarchy is specified. Shall be. Further, it is also possible to give an operation instruction to the operation setting item of the default hierarchy by the operation instruction unit. Although the operation unit is exemplified by an operation key and a touch panel, the present invention is not limited to a specific one, and the content of operation setting items, display arrangement, and the like in the operation unit can be appropriately selected. It is. The contents of the operation setting items can be appropriately determined according to the contents of the device to be set.

The instruction input unit typically includes an instruction input by handwriting. Alternatively, the instruction input unit may be an instruction input by a bar code, a character input, or the like. Is also good. The point is that any operation setting item can be directly instructed without the need to specify the hierarchy. By this instruction, the same operation as operating the operation setting item can be obtained.

When handwriting input is targeted as an instruction in the instruction input unit, a touch panel used as an operation unit can be used also as the instruction input unit. In this case, an area for handwriting input may be dedicatedly provided on the touch panel, but it is desirable that the operation area as the operation unit and the area for handwriting input are also used. Thereby, the area of the touch panel can be effectively used. The instruction to the touch panel may be given by an operator's finger, or may be an instruction using a touch pen or the like.

In the case where the touch panel area is shared by the operation unit and the instruction input unit, it is necessary to determine whether the operator's operation on the touch panel is an operation on the operation unit or a handwriting input on the instruction input unit. is there. This determination can be performed by monitoring the movement of the pressing point on the touch panel and determining whether the operation is an operation on the operation unit or an operation instruction on the instruction input unit. When it is determined that the instruction is for the instruction input unit, the trajectory of the movement of the pressed point is calculated, and the handwritten pattern is recognized from the trajectory. Further, an operation setting item corresponding to the handwritten pattern is specified. Note that the handwritten pattern is defined in advance in association with the definition pattern and the operation setting items, and these are stored in an appropriate storage unit such as an HDD or a memory. When specifying an operation setting item, a definition pattern is called from this storage means, and a reference pattern is determined by referring to the definition pattern to match or approximate the above-described handwritten pattern. It shall correspond to the definition pattern.
The degree of approximation corresponds to the definition pattern, and the degree of difference when it is determined to be a pattern difference can be determined as appropriate in consideration of erroneous recognition and the like, and can be determined according to an appropriate standard. If no similar pattern can be found based on the criterion or the like, it can be determined that there is no corresponding pattern.

In order to avoid erroneous recognition, it is also possible to display a definition pattern determined to match or approximate the recognized handwritten pattern and ask the operator for confirmation. In this case, it is not determined that the pattern matches or approximates. , And display other definition patterns that are relatively similar (not similar to each other), and if the judgment is wrong,
It is also possible to configure so that another similar definition pattern can be easily selected.

In the instruction input unit, when it is determined that the instruction from the operator is incorrect or different from the defined one, it is desirable to notify the operator to warn of this. The notification can be performed by a method such as displaying a warning message on a screen or emitting a sound. In addition, upon notification, it is possible to easily perform desired operation setting by presenting acceptable instruction contents similar to the instruction contents and selecting from them.

The operation input device can be used for setting the operation of various devices, and the type and use of the device to be set are not particularly limited. However, the operation is performed through a touch panel in a limited area, and the operation setting is particularly useful in a copier in which the operation setting must be performed in a hierarchical structure. Further, a multifunction peripheral (copier,
Function as a facsimile, a scanner, etc.). Further, in a copying machine, it is possible to improve the intuitive operation by giving a similarity between the output form and the handwritten symbol. For example, the aggregation function “4
This can be realized by selectively using handwritten symbols in accordance with the output layout of "in1" as shown in the following figures (Formula 1 and Formula 2).

[0028]

[Formula 1]

[0029]

[Formula 2]

It is preferable that the processing routines for the individual operation instructions be independent and managed by independent programs and modules. By enabling individual management in this way, it is possible to easily cope with changes, deletions, additions, etc. of operation functions by changing or exchanging some programs and modules. , Making maintenance easier. Changes and exchanges of programs and modules can also be performed via a network. In addition, each processing routine can be further managed by a plurality of programs and modules.

[0031]

(Embodiment 1) An operation input apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
A description will be given based on FIG. The touch panel 1 shown in FIG. 1 provided in the digital copying machine constitutes a part of an operation input device, and functions as an operation unit 10 and an instruction input unit 11 as shown in FIG. The operation unit 10 and the instruction input unit 11 are connected to a pressing detection unit 20 that detects a pressing point on the touch panel 1 together with coordinates. The pressing detection unit 20 includes a timer 21 and a coordinate recording unit 22 including a RAM and the like. Are connected, and at each interval set by the timer 21, the coordinates of the pressed point detected by the pressed detection unit 20 are output and recorded in the coordinate recording unit 22. The pressure detection unit 20 and the coordinate recording unit 22 are connected to a trajectory calculation unit 23, to which the presence / absence data of the pressure detection unit 20 and the coordinate recording data are sent. Trajectory calculation unit 2
In step 3, the locus of the pressed point is calculated based on the coordinate change, and is converted into vector data or bitmap data.
The trajectory data is output to the determination unit 24, and the determination unit determines the trajectory.

The determination unit 24 determines whether the pressing operation is an operation on the operation unit 10 or an operation instruction on the instruction input unit 11 based on the input trajectory data. The output side of the determination unit 24 is connected to an operation setting item determination unit 25.
The operation setting item is determined based on the determination result in.
The operation setting item determination unit 25 is connected to the HDD 26 as operation setting item storage means for storing operation setting items having a hierarchical structure, and is connected to the HDD 27 as definition pattern storage means for storing definition patterns in association with operation setting items. ing. It should be noted that the HDDs 26 and 27 may be common, and each data may be managed by different files. In addition, the operation setting item determination unit 25 includes:
If the locus of the pressed point is an operation instruction, a pattern recognition unit 28 that performs pattern recognition from a handwritten pattern is connected. Further, the operation setting item determination unit 25 controls the entire display of the touch panel 1 based on the operation control. The control content is output to the display control unit 29, and the details of the display control are performed by the display control unit 29.

In the operation setting item determination section 25, operation setting items are specified as necessary based on the pressing of the touch panel 1 by the operator. The output side of the operation setting item determination unit 25 is connected to the operation control unit 30, and the operation control unit 3
In the case of 0, the control content for the device control unit 2 is determined according to the operation setting item. The output side of the operation control unit 30 is connected to the device control unit 2, and the device control unit 2 performs predetermined device control based on the control contents. The operation is
One job may be processed, or a plurality of jobs may be processed in series. In this embodiment, each unit is described as being directly connected. However, each unit may be connected via a network. For example, the units may be connected to the operation setting item determination unit 25 in the output direction. Up to the operation input device, the operation input device and the operation control unit 30 may be connected via a network. Although not described in this embodiment, in the operation input device, it is also possible to select a desired device from a plurality of devices as an operation target via a network when performing an operation input.

Next, the processing procedure in the above apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the operator presses the touch panel 1 as shown in FIG. 3, for example, pressing a predetermined position or moving the pressed point to draw a locus, the locus of the pressed point is calculated. (Step a). Specifically, as shown in FIG.
The pressing is detected by the pressing detecting section 20 together with the coordinates of the pressing point (step a1), and is recorded in the coordinate recording section 22 (step a2). Then, it is confirmed whether or not the pressing is released based on the detection result from the pressing detecting unit 20 (step a3). If the pressing is not released, the above processing is repeated at the time interval set by the timer 21 (step a3). a4). On the other hand, if it is determined in step a3 that the pressing has been released, and if the pressing is performed again within the predetermined time, the above determination is repeated assuming that the pressing operation is being performed continuously. Such an operation is performed, for example, when a pattern whose trajectory is far away is input (for example, a pattern like “≡”). On the other hand, when the pressing is released for more than a predetermined time, it is considered that the pressing operation has been completed, and the coordinates recorded from the coordinate recording unit 22 are called and input to the trajectory calculating unit 23. The trajectory calculation unit 23 obtains trajectory data by converting the coordinate data into a vector or a bitmap as needed based on the change in the coordinates (step a6). Note that the locus data is obtained in the same manner even when the locus is composed of a plurality of locus. After the trajectory calculation is completed,
The trajectory data is sent to the determination unit 24, and is subjected to a determination process (step b).

In the determination process, the determination unit 24 receives the trajectory data obtained by the trajectory calculation unit 23, and determines whether the pressed point is substantially moving. When it is determined that the coordinates have not substantially moved, it is determined that the pressing is an operation on the operation unit (not a pattern input). On the other hand, when it is presumed that the pressing substantially involves movement and is caused by pattern input, pattern recognition (step g) is performed in a later step as pattern input.

First, a case will be described in which it is determined that a pattern is not input (normal input) in the above determination. The determination result and the coordinates of the pressed point are notified to the operation setting item determination unit 25. The operation setting item determination unit 25 determines whether the pressing position is appropriate based on the relationship between the coordinates of the pressing point and the arrangement position of the operation setting item displayed on the touch panel 1 according to the determination result. (Step c). If it is determined that the pressed position is not appropriate, the process returns to the start of the entire process, and the above-described series of processes is performed again. On the other hand, when it is determined that the pressed position is appropriate, if the pressed position is an operation setting item relating to the hierarchy change, a hierarchy change process (step e) is performed. In the hierarchy change process,
The lower hierarchy corresponding to the pressed position is called from the HDD 26 as the operation setting item storage means, the display controller 29 is controlled based on the called data, and the display screen of the touch panel 1 is rewritten by the lower hierarchy. Thereafter, the process returns to the start of the entire process, and the operation can be accepted. When the pressing by the operator is related to the hierarchy change again, the above processing is repeated. On the other hand, when the pressing operation does not relate to the hierarchy change, the operation setting item corresponding to the coordinates of the pressing point is specified (step f), and the operation setting of the post-processing is performed (step j and thereafter).

When it is determined in step b that the pressing operation by the operator is a pattern input, pattern recognition based on the handwritten pattern is performed (step g).
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the definition pattern is called from the HDD 27 serving as the definition pattern storage means (step g1), the handwritten pattern is compared with the definition pattern (step g2), and the matching is determined (step g).
3). In the matching determination, the similarity (matching coefficient) between the patterns is calculated based on a predetermined reference.
The approximate handwritten pattern having a high matching coefficient is recognized as pattern recognition. On the other hand, if the matching coefficient is lower than the set coefficient, it is determined that recognition is not possible (step g4). At this time, a second setting coefficient lower than the setting coefficient may be determined, and a pattern exceeding the second setting coefficient may be determined as a similar pattern, and a pattern exceeding the first setting coefficient may be determined as an approximate pattern. If the matching coefficient is too low to be recognized, the operator is notified that recognition was not possible by displaying the fact on the touch panel 1 (step gb1). At this time, the first and second
It is also possible to determine a set coefficient, and present the equivalent to the similar pattern as a motion candidate on the touch panel 1 when notifying. The operator sees this, and if there is a similar pattern in which the intended pattern is presented, the operator can select this and determine that the pattern has been recognized.

When the recognition is made in the above judgment (step g4), the related operation setting items are instructed based on the corresponding definition pattern (step g5). At this time, it is desirable to display on the touch panel 1 the content set and instructed by the handwritten pattern as shown in FIG. The screen shows that the four-sheet integrated vertical order is designated by one pattern input. The operator sees this screen and presses the OK key 4 to make a final decision. Based on the instruction, the operation setting item data stored from the HDD 26 is called, and a desired operation setting item is specified (step h). In this operation instruction, since the display screen of the touch panel 1 has been changed in response to the input of the handwritten pattern, the display screen is reset and changed to the default display screen (step i).

After the operation setting item is specified by the above operation or operation instruction, a predetermined operation setting is made by the operation control section 30 (step j), and the operation of the apparatus is controlled via the apparatus control section 2 (step j). Step k). As described above,
In addition to being able to perform the usual operation, the operator can directly instruct the operation setting items by handwriting input as desired, greatly improving the operability.

In the above operation, if the operator desires, a list of definition patterns and operation setting items related thereto can be displayed and printed. In the above embodiment, the default display screen (FIG. 1)
, A handwriting list key 3 is provided as an operation setting item, and when the operator presses the key 3, a list of definition patterns and related operation setting items is displayed on the display screen of the touch panel 1 as shown in FIG. I do. On the display screen, each of the definition patterns can be selected, and when any one of the definition patterns is selected, the operation setting can be performed on the assumption that handwriting input has been performed using the pattern. Also, a print key 5 may be provided on the list display screen so that a pattern list can be printed on paper or the like when the print key 5 is selected.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 9 shows another embodiment, in which a touch panel 1 as an operation unit is provided, and in addition, a bar code reader 40 is provided as an instruction input unit. Reference numeral 41 denotes an instruction content list showing a bar code 41a and associated operation setting item contents 41b in association with each other. The operator reads the bar code 41a in this list 41 with the bar code reader 40. Thus, an operation instruction can be given.

The bar code 41 in the list 41 is set by the operator.
Is read by the barcode reader 40, the read data is sent to the barcode recognition unit 42. The bar code reader recognizing unit 42 retrieves information from the bar code, calls up the recorded data from the storage unit 43 that stores the defined bar code information and the operation setting items related thereto, and checks the data. To specify related operation setting items. Note that a normal operation can be performed on the touch panel 1 as in the first embodiment. Also in this embodiment, a desired operation setting item can be directly designated by a bar code for an operation setting item having a hierarchical structure.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 10 shows still another embodiment, in which a touch panel 1 as an operation section is shown.
And a keyboard (character string input device) 50 as an instruction input unit. The keyboard 50 is connected to an operation setting item specifying unit 51, and a storage unit 53 that stores a character string and operation setting items related thereto is connected to the operation setting item specifying unit 51. When a character string is input by the operator on the keyboard 50, the character string data is output to the operation setting item specifying means 51.
The operation setting item specifying means 51 retrieves the record data from the storage means 53 and checks the input character string against the stored data to specify the related operation setting item if the collation is possible. Note that a normal operation can be performed on the touch panel as in the first and second embodiments. Also in this embodiment, a desired operation setting item can be directly designated by inputting a character string to the operation setting item having a hierarchical structure.

[0044]

As described above, according to the operation input device of the present invention, an operation setting item having a hierarchical structure is provided, and when the hierarchy is specified, the operation for the operation setting item included in the specific hierarchy is performed. An operation unit to receive, an instruction input unit to receive an operation instruction for one or more of the operation setting items without requiring specification of a hierarchy,
Therefore, an operation setting instruction can be directly given to a desired operation setting item without specifying a hierarchical structure, and operability is greatly improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a display screen of a touch panel in an embodiment of an operation input device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an image forming apparatus including the operation input device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing pressed points on the touch panel.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation processing procedure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a part of the operation processing procedure in detail.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a part of the operation processing procedure in detail.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display screen of the touch panel after a pattern input instruction.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a touch panel on which a list of patterns is displayed.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an operation input device according to another embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation input device according to still another embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display screen of an operation unit in a conventional copier.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Touch panel 2 Device control unit 10 Operation unit 11 Instruction input unit 20 Press detector 22 Coordinate recording unit 23 locus calculation unit 24 Judgment unit 25 Operation setting item determination section 26 HDD 27 HDD 28 Pattern Recognition Unit 29 Display control unit 30 Operation control unit 40 barcode reader 41 Instruction list 41a Barcode 41b Operation setting items 42 Barcode recognition unit 43 storage means 50 keyboard 51 Operation setting item specifying means 53 storage means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06F 3/00 654 H04N 1/00 C H04N 1/00 B41J 29/00 TF term (Reference) 2C061 AP01 AP04 AP07 BB10 CQ04 CQ05 CQ14 CQ43 CQ47 2H027 GA11 GA17 GA20 GA52 GA56 ZA07 5B068 AA05 AA36 AA38 BD02 CC19 CD01 5C062 AA02 AA05 AB20 AB25 AB42 AC21 AC48 BA04 5E501 AA07 AA15 BA05 CB02 FA05 CC03 FA03

Claims (14)

[Claims] An operation unit having an operation setting item having a hierarchical structure, receiving an operation of an operation setting item included in the specific layer in response to the specification of the layer, and a hierarchical unit for at least one of the operation setting items. An instruction input unit that receives an operation instruction for the operation setting item without requiring identification of
An operation input device comprising: 2. The operation input device according to claim 1, further comprising a list display unit capable of presenting the operation setting items to be instructed to the operator as a list to the operator. 3. The operation input device according to claim 2, wherein the list display means associates the instruction content with an operation setting item and can present the instruction content to an operator. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the instruction is a handwriting input, and the instruction input unit receives the handwriting input, recognizes a handwritten pattern, and specifies an operation setting item corresponding to the handwritten pattern. 4. The operation input device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. A definition pattern storage means for storing a definition pattern in association with an operation setting item, wherein said handwritten pattern is compared with a definition pattern called from the pattern storage means, and the handwritten pattern is defined as a definition pattern. 5. The operation input device according to claim 4, wherein when it is determined to correspond to any one of the above, an operation setting item related to the definition pattern is specified as an operation setting item corresponding to the handwritten pattern. 6. The operation unit and the instruction input unit have a common touch panel, and monitor a locus of a pressing point on the touch panel to determine whether the operation is an operation on the operation unit or an operation instruction on the instruction input unit. Determine, if the determination is determined to be an operation on the operation unit, accept the press as an operation on the operation setting item, if the determination is determined to be an instruction to the instruction input unit, recognize a handwritten pattern from the trajectory, The operation input device according to claim 4, wherein an operation instruction is received by specifying an operation setting item corresponding to the handwritten pattern. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the instruction is indicated by a barcode, and the instruction input unit reads the barcode and specifies an operation setting item corresponding to the barcode pattern. Operation input device as described. 8. The operation input device according to claim 1, further comprising a character string input unit as the instruction input unit. 9. A series of operations for receiving the instruction and operating an operation setting item based on the instruction can be managed as a program or module for each instruction, and the contents can be separately updated. Item 9. The operation input device according to any one of Items 1 to 8. 10. The operation input device according to claim 1, wherein when an operation setting item cannot be specified by the instruction, a notification can be made to an operator. 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the notification includes a presentation of acceptable instruction contents determined to be similar to the instruction contents by the operator.
Operation input device as described. 12. An operation unit or an instruction input unit is connected to a device whose operation is to be set via a network,
12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation or the operation instruction is performed via the network.
The operation input device according to any one of the above. 13. The operation input device according to claim 1, further comprising: an operation control unit configured to control an operation of the device according to an operation setting item for which the operation or instruction has been performed by the operation input device. An image forming apparatus comprising: 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the image forming apparatus is a copying machine or a multifunction peripheral having the function.