JP2008015613A - Electronic equipment and control program therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a load on a user in changing a function in an unusable state into usable in electronic equipment which has an user interface to select and use each function from a menu screen etc. displayed on a display unit. <P>SOLUTION: In a state in which a frame is not composed with a photograph image, a frame deleting function is unusable; however when "frame delete" is selected and an OK button 19 is depressed, a message of "This item deletes the frame composed with the photograph" is displayed as a description for the "frame delete" function, and a message of "The photograph has not been composed with frame image" is displayed as a description for the reason that the "frame delete" function is unusable, and a message of "When a frame is composed with photograph, "frame delete" function is usable" is displayed as a description of necessary conditions or a necessary operation to make the "frame delete" function usable. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus including user interface means having an operation unit and a display unit.

  In a general electronic device having user interface means having an operation unit configured with push buttons and a display unit configured with a liquid crystal display, the operation unit is viewed while viewing a menu screen displayed on the display unit. Many of them have a configuration that allows a user to select and use a desired function from among the functions of the electronic device. On such a menu screen of an electronic device, items of functions that cannot be used at that time due to various conditions are grayed out, and the user can recognize that they cannot be used at that time. It is general that In addition, by making it impossible to select items of functions that cannot be used at that time due to various conditions, the user can more clearly recognize that the functions cannot be used. There are many that have become.

  However, from the viewpoint of the user, even though it is possible to easily recognize that the function cannot be used because the item of the function that cannot be used in this way cannot be selected or is grayed out, In many cases, it is not easy to grasp why a function cannot be used. Therefore, when the user wants to use the function, the user does not know what condition is necessary or what operation should be performed, and repeats trial and error while watching the instruction manual. It is thought that it is not rare that it becomes.

  As an example of the prior art that can solve such a problem, for example, when a user performs an operation of specifying a command item that cannot be executed at that time by a predetermined method in the command menu, the command cannot be executed. An information processing apparatus having a function of displaying non-display command help information describing an explanation including a reason on a display screen of a display is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this way, since the reason why the command cannot be executed at that time is displayed on the display, the user can easily grasp the reason why the command cannot be executed, and the burden on the user who intends to use the function can be reduced. Can be reduced.

JP 2000-47782 A

  However, in the above prior art, even if the reason why the function cannot be used can be grasped, depending on the content of the function, in order to be able to use the function, There may be a case where the user cannot easily understand whether the condition is necessary or what kind of operation should be performed. Therefore, in order to be able to use a function that cannot be used at that time, there may still be a situation in which it is not known what conditions are necessary or what operations should be performed. It was.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and the problem is that an electronic device having a user interface for selecting and using various functions from a menu screen or the like displayed on a display unit at that time. The object is to reduce the burden on the user when enabling a function that cannot be used.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device comprising: a user interface unit having an operation unit and a display unit; and a control device that executes user interface control based on a user operation in the user interface unit. The control device, which is a device, can select a function that cannot be used at that time among the functions on the menu screen displayed on the display unit as an unusable function on the menu screen. When the user tries to select and execute an unusable function, a condition necessary for enabling the unusable function at that time or an explanation of necessary operations is displayed on the display unit. It is an electronic device characterized by that.

  As described above, when the user tries to select and execute the unusable function, the condition necessary for enabling the unusable function at that time or the description of the necessary operation is displayed on the display unit. Therefore, the user can easily use the function by setting necessary conditions or performing necessary operations according to the explanation displayed on the display unit. In other words, when a user wants to use a function that cannot be used at that time, the user does not need to repeat trial and error while viewing the instruction manual of the electronic device, and is displayed on the display unit. The function can be easily used only by performing setting or operation according to the above description.

  Thus, according to the invention described in the first aspect of the present invention, the electronic device having a user interface for selecting and using various functions from the menu screen displayed on the display unit can be used at that time. When you want to use a function that cannot be used, you can easily use that function simply by performing settings or operations according to the explanation displayed on the display unit. The effect that the burden on the user when enabling the function in the state can be reduced can be obtained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electronic device described in the first aspect described above, when the user attempts to select and execute an unusable function, the function is explained at that time. The electronic apparatus is characterized in that an explanation of a reason why it cannot be used and a description of a necessary condition or a necessary operation for enabling the unusable function at that time are displayed on the display unit.
In this way, by displaying a more detailed explanation on the function that cannot be used at that time on the display unit, the user can also know the outline and characteristics of the function, and thereby the function can be changed. Since it can be expected that the user will be able to understand and use it, there is an effect that the burden on the user can be further reduced when the function that cannot be used at that time can be used.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device control program for causing a computer to implement user interface control based on a user operation in the user interface unit in an electronic device including a user interface unit having an operation unit and a display unit. In addition, among the functions on the menu screen displayed on the display unit, a function that cannot be used at that time is displayed on the menu screen as an unusable function while being selectable by the operation of the operation unit and used by the user. Realize a function to display a description of necessary conditions or necessary operations for enabling the unusable function at that time when selecting and executing the unusable function. Is an electronic device control program characterized by
According to the electronic device control program described in the third aspect of the present invention, effects similar to those of the invention described in the first aspect described above are brought to any electronic device capable of executing the electronic device control program. be able to.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the configuration of an inkjet printer 50 as an “electronic device” according to the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an inkjet printer 50 as an “electronic device” according to the present invention.

  The inkjet printer 50 includes a rectangular box-shaped main body casing 1 as shown in the figure. The main body casing 1 closes the upper surface of the main body casing 1 when being carried, and a cover member 6 that also functions as a paper support for the feeding tray 4 when being used (FIG. 1), and an upper portion of the main body casing 1. The front panel 7 that is disposed at the bottom of the cover member 6 in the state of carrying and the front of the main body casing 1 is opened so as to be openable and closable so as to close the front opening. A discharge stacker 5 that also serves as a cover and a portal handle 8 that is connected to the left and right side surfaces of the main body casing 1 in a rotatable state.

  The top panel 7 is provided with an operation panel 10 as “user interface means” having a liquid crystal display 21 as a “display unit” and operation buttons as an “operation unit”. The liquid crystal display 21 can be switched between a horizontal posture tilted backward and a standing posture or an inclined posture caused upward. A central portion of the rear portion of the top panel 7 is cut out in a rectangular shape as shown in the drawing, and the portion feeds the recording paper P as a “recording material” to the automatic feeding unit 2. The opening 3 is used. Further, the discharge stacker 5 is provided with a pivot fulcrum at the lower left and right corners, and can be pivoted up and down over a range of about 90 ° around the pivot fulcrum. An “external storage device” is disposed above the front opening of the main casing 1 so that a “storage medium” such as a memory card storing a digital image file or the like can be inserted with the discharge stacker 5 opened. A memory card slot 9 is provided.

  When the user operates the operation panel 10 from the state in which the recording paper P is set and performs a recording execution operation on the recording paper P in the ink jet printer 50 having such a configuration, a “control device” to be described later. The recording control by is executed. First, the recording paper P is fed from the feeding opening 3 toward the paper conveyance path (not shown) in the inkjet printer 50 by the automatic feeding unit 2. The recording paper P fed to the paper transport path is guided toward the recording position, and is transported by receiving a driving force from a transport roller (not shown) in a state where the lower surface is supported by a platen (not shown). Subsequently, an operation of ejecting ink from the recording head to the recording paper P while reciprocating a recording head (not shown) arranged to reciprocate in a predetermined reciprocating direction, and a reciprocating motion of the recording head. Recording on the recording paper P is executed by alternately repeating the operation of transporting the recording paper P by a predetermined transport amount in the transport direction orthogonal to the direction (recording execution means). The recording paper P after execution of recording receives a driving force from a discharge roller (not shown), is conveyed further downstream in the conveyance direction, and is discharged to the discharge stacker 5.

  The inkjet printer 50 has a relatively simple structure that is extremely compact and easy to carry, for example, for recording paper P of 4 × 6 inches or less. Further, the ink jet printer 50 has a so-called direct print function capable of directly recording on the recording paper P without being connected to a personal computer. The ink jet printer 50 has a configuration in which the function can be expanded by attaching an expansion unit (not shown) with a built-in CD drive or the like below the main body casing 1, and a digital image captured from a memory card or the like. A file can be stored on a CD-R or the like, or a digital image file stored on a CD-R or the like can be read and recorded.

  Next, the configuration of the operation panel 10 as the “user interface unit” including the liquid crystal display 21, the function of each unit, the configuration of the recording control unit 100 as the “control device”, and the like will be described.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the operation panel 10 and shows a state in which the main menu screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21.
The operation panel 10 includes a liquid crystal display 21 as a “display unit”, a power switch 11, a display switching button 12, a menu button 13, a cancel button 14, a print (recording execution) button 15, a save button 16, and two functions. Keys 17 and 18 are provided. Further, on the lower side of the liquid crystal display 21 of the operation panel 10, an OK button 19 and an upper button U, a lower button D, a right button R, and a left button L are arranged around the OK button 19 as shown in the figure. .

  The power switch 11 is an operation switch for performing power ON / OFF operation of the inkjet printer 50. The display switching button 12 is an operation button for switching the display size (6 split display, 15 split display, full screen display, etc.) of the image displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, and the display switch button 12 is pressed. The display size can be switched cyclically. The menu button 13 is an operation button for displaying the illustrated main menu screen. The cancel button 14 is an operation button for canceling the operation on the way or interrupting the recording on the recording paper P on the way. The print (record execution) button 15 is an operation button for starting recording on the recording paper P.

  The save button 16 is an operation button for saving a digital image file in the external storage device 30 such as the CD drive. The two function keys 17 and 18 are assigned different functions for each screen. The upper button U, the lower button D, the right button R, and the left button L select a desired item from the menu screen on the display screen of the liquid crystal display 21 or select a desired digital photo image from the list of digital photo images. The OK button 19 is used to select a menu item selected by operating the up button U, the down button D, the right button R, or the left button L, a digital photo image, or the like. This is an operation button for confirming the selection contents.

The recording control unit 100 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 101 and a RAM (Random
It comprises a known microcomputer control circuit having an access memory (102), an IF (interface unit) 103, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 104, and a nonvolatile memory 105. The recording control unit 100 performs data input / output with the external storage device 30 such as a CD drive built in the memory card slot 9 or the expansion unit (not shown) in addition to the recording execution control for the recording paper P described above. Control and control of operation input from the above operation buttons and display output control to the liquid crystal display 21 are executed via the IF 103.

  The main menu screen displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 includes items of “photo selection”, “paper / layout”, “edit”, “frame”, “save to CD”, “maintenance”, and “setup” in order from the top. It consists of On this main menu screen, when the upper button U or the lower button D is operated to select “photo selection” and the OK button 19 is pressed, a list of digital photo images is displayed, and the upper button is viewed while viewing the image list display. By operating the U, down button D, right button R, or left button L to move the cursor up, down, left, or right, a digital photographic image to be recorded on the recording paper P or to be stored on the CD is selected. be able to. When “paper / layout” is selected and the OK button 19 is pressed, the layout of the digital photographic image and the size of the recording paper P when recording on the recording paper P can be set. When “Edit” is selected and the OK button 19 is pressed, image editing such as trimming or image quality adjustment of a digital photographic image when recording on the recording paper P can be performed.

  When “Frame” is selected and the OK button 19 is pressed, a frame can be combined with the digital photographic image when recording on the recording paper P is performed. When “Save to CD” is selected and the OK button 19 is pressed, the digital photo image file selected by “Select Photo” can be saved to a storage medium such as a CD via the CD drive. When “Maintenance” is selected and the OK button 19 is pressed, maintenance operations such as nozzle check and cleaning of the recording head (not shown), gap adjustment, and ink remaining amount display of an ink cartridge (not shown) are performed. be able to. When “Setup” is selected and the OK button 19 is pressed, setup operations such as date setting, adjustment of the amount of protrusion during borderless printing, and setting of a wireless communication function can be performed. In the main menu screen, the function key 17 is assigned a “return” function for returning to the previous screen, and the function key 18 is assigned a “continue” function for proceeding to the next screen. It has been.

  Next, a user interface function by the recording control unit 100 as a “control circuit” according to the present invention will be described. This user interface function is a function realized by a control program executed in the recording control unit 100 having a microcomputer control circuit.

  3 and 4 show a state in which the frame menu screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. FIG. FIG. 5 illustrates a state in which a function explanation screen for the “frame deletion” function is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21.

  When “Frame” is selected on the main new screen (FIG. 2) and the OK button 19 is pressed, a frame menu screen as shown is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 (FIG. 3). The frame menu screen is composed of items of “frame composition”, “frame deletion”, and “frame update” in order from the top. On the frame menu screen, the function key 17 is assigned a “return” function for returning to the previous screen, and the function key 18 is assigned a “continue” function for proceeding to the next screen. It has been. On this frame menu screen, when the upper button U or the lower button D is operated to select “frame composition” and the OK button 19 is pressed, the frame composition function can be used. When “Delete frame” is selected and the OK button 19 is pressed, the function of deleting the frame image combined with the digital photo image can be used. When “update frame” is selected and the OK button 19 is pressed, the function of changing the contents of the frame image stored in the nonvolatile memory 105 can be used.

  In the inkjet printer 50 according to the present invention, among the various functions displayed on the various menu screens displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, functions that cannot be used at that time can be selected as items of the functions but are grayed out as unusable functions. Is displayed. For example, in the above frame menu screen, the item “frame deletion” is grayed out as shown in FIG. 3 when a frame image is not combined with a digital photo image (FIG. 3). At this time, the frame deletion function cannot be used, but the item “frame deletion” can be selected (FIG. 4).

  If the user selects an unusable function that cannot be used at that time, that is, a function that is grayed out and tries to execute it, the explanation of the function and the reason why the function cannot be used at that time The explanation and the explanation of necessary conditions or necessary operations for enabling the unusable function at that time are displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. More specifically, for example, the frame deletion function cannot be used in a state where no frame is combined with the photographic image, but in that state, the user selects the item “frame deletion” (FIG. 4). When the OK button 19 is pressed, a function explanation screen for the “frame deletion” function is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 (FIG. 5).

  On the function explanation screen (FIG. 5) of the “frame deletion” function, the following message is displayed as shown. First, as an explanation of the “delete frame” function, a message “This item deletes the frame combined with the photo” is displayed. In addition, as an explanation of the reason why the “frame deletion” function cannot be used at that time, a message “No frame image has been combined with this photo yet” is displayed on the same screen. In addition, the message “Can be used when compositing a frame on a photo” continues to be displayed on the same screen as an explanation of the necessary conditions or necessary operations to enable the “Delete Frame” function at that time. Is displayed. That is, the user who has seen the function explanation screen (FIG. 5) of the “frame deletion” function can first know what function the “frame deletion” function of the frame menu screen is. Further, the user can know the reason why the “delete frame” function of the frame menu screen cannot be used at that time. Further, the user can know what conditions are necessary or what operations should be performed in order to enable the “frame deletion” function of the frame menu screen at that time.

  FIG. 6 illustrates a state in which the CD storage menu screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. FIG. 7 illustrates a state in which the function explanation screen of the “select and save” function is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21.

  When “Save to CD” is selected on the main new screen (FIG. 2) and the OK button 19 is pressed, a CD save menu screen as shown is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 (FIG. 6). The CD save menu screen includes items “all images” and “select and save” in order from the top. In the CD save menu screen, the function key 17 is assigned a “return” function for returning to the previous screen, and the function key 18 has a “continue” function for proceeding to the next screen. Assigned.

  When the upper button U or the lower button D is operated on this CD save menu screen, “all images” is selected and the OK button 19 is pressed, all the images saved in the memory card inserted in the memory card slot 9 are displayed. The digital image file can be stored in a CD-RW or the like inserted in the CD drive (external storage device 30). Further, when the upper button U or the lower button D is operated on this CD save menu screen, “Select and save” is selected and the OK button 19 is pressed, a plurality of digital image files saved in the memory card slot 9 are displayed. Of these, only the digital image file of the photo image selected on the photo selection screen (not shown) can be stored in a CD-RW or the like inserted in the CD drive (external storage device 30).

  In this CD save menu screen, the “select and save” item is grayed out when no photo image to be saved is selected on the photo selection screen (not shown). At this time, the “select and save” function cannot be used, but the “select and save” item can be selected (FIG. 6). When the user selects the “Select and Save” item (FIG. 6) and presses the OK button 19 in a state in which no photographic image to be stored is selected, the function description of the “Select and Save” function. A screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 (FIG. 7).

  As shown in the figure, the following message is displayed on the function explanation screen (FIG. 7) of the “select and save” function. First, as an explanation of the “select and save” function, a message “the selected photo can be saved on a CD” is displayed. In addition, as an explanation of the reason why the “select and save” function cannot be used at that time, a message “No photo to be saved on the CD has been selected yet” is displayed on the same screen. In addition, the message “Please select a photo to be saved on the CD and execute it” continues as an explanation of the conditions or operations required to enable the “Select and Save” function at that time. Displayed on the same screen. That is, the user who has seen the function explanation screen (FIG. 7) of the “select and save” function can first know what function the “select and save” function of the CD save menu screen is. Also, the user can know the reason why the “select and save” function of the CD save menu screen cannot be used at that time. Further, the user can know what conditions are necessary or what operations should be performed in order to enable the “select and save” function of the CD save menu screen at that time.

  In this way, when the user tries to select and execute an unusable function that is grayed out or the like, the “unnecessary function or necessary operation to make the unusable function available” at that time Since the description is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, the user can easily use the function by setting a necessary condition or performing a necessary operation in accordance with the description displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. Therefore, when the user wants to use a function that cannot be used at that time, it is not necessary to repeat trial and error while viewing the instruction manual of the inkjet printer 50 and the like. That is, the user can easily use the function only by performing setting or operation in accordance with the description displayed on the liquid crystal display 21, so that the function that cannot be used at that time can be used. The burden on the user when doing this can be reduced.

  Further, regarding the functions that cannot be used at that time, the description of the functions and the reason why the functions cannot be used are also displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 to display a more detailed description for the user. The user can also know the outline and characteristics of the function. As a result, it can be expected that the user can understand and use the function, so that it is possible to further reduce the burden on the user when enabling the function that cannot be used at that time.

  As another embodiment, for example, when a memory card is inserted in the memory card slot 9 and data is being read from or written to the memory card, operation of a setting change function such as changing parameters or returning to initial settings is prohibited. An ink jet printer 50 having a configuration that cannot be used as a result. In such an ink jet printer 50, when the user tries to use the setting change function while reading / writing data from / to the memory card, in addition to the description of the setting change function, the reason why the function cannot be used is as follows. For example, a description such as “cannot be used while reading / writing data from / to the memory card” is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. In addition, as an explanation of necessary conditions or necessary operations for enabling the setting change function, for example, “Please wait until reading / writing to the memory card is completed. Displayed on the liquid crystal display 21.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an ink jet printer according to the present invention. It is a front view of the operation panel in the state where the main menu screen is displayed. The state in which the frame menu screen is displayed is illustrated. The state in which the frame menu screen is displayed is illustrated. FIG. 10 illustrates a function explanation screen of a “frame deletion” function. The state where the CD save menu screen is displayed is shown. The function explanation screen of the “select and save” function is illustrated.

Explanation of symbols

9 memory card slot, 10 operation panel, 11 power switch, 12 display switch button, 13 menu button, 14 cancel button, 15 print (record execution) button, 16 save button, 17, 18 function key, 19 OK button, 21 liquid crystal Display, 50 Inkjet printer, 100 Recording control unit, 101 ROM, 102 RAM, 103 IF, 104 CPU, 105 Non-volatile memory, P recording paper

Claims (3)

An electronic apparatus comprising: a user interface unit having an operation unit and a display unit; and a control device that executes user interface control based on a user operation in the user interface unit,
The control device displays a function that cannot be used at that time among the functions on the menu screen displayed on the display unit as an unusable function on the menu screen while being selectable by the operation of the operation unit. When an attempt is made to select and execute an unusable function, a condition necessary for enabling the unusable function at that time or an explanation of necessary operations is displayed on the display unit. Electronic equipment.   In the electronic device according to claim 1, when a user selects and executes an unusable function, an explanation of the function, an explanation of why the function cannot be used at that time, and the unusable function at that time An electronic apparatus characterized in that a description of necessary conditions or necessary operations for enabling a function is displayed on the display unit. An electronic device control program for causing a computer to implement user interface control based on a user operation in the user interface means in an electronic device including user interface means having an operation unit and a display unit,
Among the functions on the menu screen displayed on the display unit, a function that cannot be used at that time is displayed on the menu screen as an unusable function while being selectable by the operation of the operation unit. When selecting and executing it, it is possible to realize a function of displaying a description of necessary conditions or necessary operations for enabling the unusable function at that time on the display unit. Electronic device control program.

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