JP2008310444A - Image-forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image-forming device that can change an operation screen, and has high operability and conveniences. <P>SOLUTION: The image-forming device comprises: a means for changing an operation screen; a storage means for storing changed operation screen information; a means for reading the stored operation screen information from the storage means; and a means for displaying information on the read operation screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  Examples of the image forming apparatus include various apparatuses such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile apparatus, a scanner apparatus, and a multi-function apparatus integrating them.

  In recent years, many functions have been added to each apparatus, and the operation screen of each apparatus has become complicated due to the influence. For example, when performing a certain setting, many operations must be performed until the setting screen is displayed. In addition, buttons for functions not used by the user are also displayed on the operation screen, which impairs user operability. Therefore, there are many requests from users to change the operation screen to a user-friendly screen. There is also a demand to always operate on the same operation screen when operating different image forming apparatuses.

Patent document 1 can be mentioned as a well-known technique relevant to this invention.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-306204

  Patent Document 1 relates to a user setting sharing system and an image processing apparatus, which allows customization for each user, and uses customized setting information as a shared file in a plurality of image forming apparatuses, so that a user-friendly screen can be used. The same operation screen can be displayed when operating different image forming apparatuses.

  However, this prior art is customization for the entire system, and customization settings such as button size and character size are set on the entire screen. For this reason, when the button size is set to “large”, the button size becomes “large” regardless of what screen is displayed, which is inconvenient for the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus that can change an operation screen and has high operability and convenience.

  The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, means for changing the operation screen, storage means for storing the information of the changed operation screen, means for reading the information of the operation screen saved from the storage means, and the read operation And a means for displaying information on the screen.

  An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein a user authentication unit, a storage unit that stores operation screen information for each authenticated user, and an operation screen for each user. Means for reading information, and storing, reading and displaying information on an operation screen changed for each user.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the storage unit stores the changed operation screen information for each screen, and the operation screen information for each screen. Means for storing, reading, and displaying operation screen information changed for each user and each screen.

  An image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for transmitting the changed operation screen information to a storage device connected to the network in the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The operation screen information is backed up.

  An image forming apparatus according to claim 5 is provided with means for downloading operation screen information from a storage device connected to a network in the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and the downloaded operation It is characterized by displaying a screen.

  An image forming apparatus according to a sixth aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect, comprising means for storing a plurality of storage devices connected to a network, from the plurality of storage devices connected to the network. The operation screen information is downloaded.

  7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising means for reading information on an operation screen after being edited by another apparatus connected to the network in the image forming apparatus according to claim 5 or 6. It is characterized in that the information on the operation screen is edited and used outside the own apparatus.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the operation screen can be changed and displayed, and the operability can be improved accordingly.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to save, read, and display information on the operation screen changed for each user, and an effect that the operability can be improved correspondingly. .

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to save, read and display information of the operation screen changed for each user and for each screen, and accordingly, the convenience can be improved. can get.

  According to the invention of claim 4, by backing up the information on the created operation screen, there is an effect that the convenience can be improved correspondingly.

According to the invention which concerns on Claim 5, it becomes possible to display the downloaded operation screen, and the effect which can aim at the improvement of the part correspondingly is acquired.
, The effect of improving convenience.

  According to the invention of claim 6, operation screen information can be downloaded from a plurality of storage devices connected to the network, and an advantage that the convenience can be improved correspondingly. .

  According to the seventh aspect of the invention, it is possible to edit the information of the downloaded operation screen, and the effect that the convenience can be improved correspondingly.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, FIGS. 1 to 3 show screen images relating to operation screen changes in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the best mode for carrying out the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the lower left operation button existing in the screen before the operation screen change (customization) does not exist after the operation screen change (customization).

  In FIG. 2, the operation button “A4” present at the center of the screen before the operation screen change (customization) does not exist after the operation screen change (customization).

  In FIG. 3, the button group existing from the lower center of the screen to the right before the operation screen change (customization) does not exist after the operation screen change (customization).

  As described above, the operation screen can be changed (customized), so that operability and convenience are improved.

  4 to 5 show screen images for editing the operation screen on the PC 300 as another device (details will be described later).

  As shown in the figure, the image forming apparatus 100 is connected to the PC 300 via the network 200, and the operation screen on the image forming apparatus 100 can be edited by operating the editing screen on the PC 300 side shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the best mode for carrying out the present invention.

  In the figure, an image processing apparatus 100 is connected to a network 200 to which a server 400 and the like are connected via a network connection means 7.

  The control unit 1 includes a change unit 2, a storage unit 13 through the storage unit 3, a display unit 23 through the display unit 5, a reading unit 4, a user authentication unit 6, a network connection unit 7, a transmission unit 8, and a designated server The peripheral configuration of the storage means 9 and the like is controlled.

  An example of the operation screen change / save operation in the image forming apparatus 100 having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In the figure, the operation screen change mode of the device is entered, and the operation screen is changed using the changing means 2 (processing S101). After the change, a save operation is performed to request the control unit to save the change information (processing S102). The control unit 1 checks whether or not the instructed operation screen information can be saved (determination S103). If possible (Yes in determination S103), the storage unit 3 is used to store the changed operation screen information in the storage device of the device (processing S104. If change is not possible (No in determination S103), the change is stored. Exit without saving to device.

  An operation example of operation screen reading / display in the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

  In the figure, an operation screen display request is made to the control unit 1 (step S202). The control unit 1 checks whether there is information on the changed operation screen in the storage device (determination S202). If there is information on the changed operation screen (Yes in determination S202), the information on the operation screen is read using the reading unit 4 (processing S203). If there is no changed operation screen information (No in S202), the reading unit 4 is used to read standard operation screen information (Process S205). After step S203 or step S205, information on the operation screen read by the display unit 5 is displayed on the operation unit (step S204).

  Another example of the operation screen change / save operation in the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In this figure, the operation screen change mode of the device is entered, and the operation screen is changed using the changing means 2 (step S301). After the change, the save operation is performed, and the control unit is requested to save the change information (processing). S302).

  In response to the changed operation screen save request, it is checked whether there is information on the user authenticated by the authentication means 6 (determination S303). If there is authentication user information (Yes in determination S303), the authentication user information is added to the changed operation screen information (processing S304). If not (No in S303), no user information is added to the changed operation screen.

  Then, a storage request is made to the control unit 1 and the control unit 1 checks whether it can be stored (determination S305). If possible (Yes in determination S305), the storage unit 3 is used to store the changed operation screen information in the storage device of the device (processing S306). If the change is not possible (No in determination S305), the change is made. Exit without saving to storage.

  An example of operation screen reading / display operation in the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

  In the figure, an operation screen display request is made to the control unit (step S401). The control unit 1 uses the authentication unit 6 to check whether there is information on the authenticated user (determination S402). If there is an authenticated user (Yes in determination S402), authenticated user information is added to the reading condition (processing S403). If not (No in S402), no addition is made.

  Then, the control unit 1 checks whether there is information on the changed operation screen in the storage device (determination S404). If there is information on the changed operation screen (Yes in determination S404), the reading unit 4 is used to read the information on the operation screen (processing S405). If there is no changed operation screen information (No in S404), the standard operation screen information is read (processing S407).

  Then, the information on the operation screen read by the display means 5 is displayed on the operation unit (step S406).

  An operation example of screen information transmission in the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

  In the same figure, the operation screen change mode of the device is entered, the operation screen is changed using the changing means 2 (processing S301), and the operation screen information is stored in the server connected to the network in the control unit 1. A request is made (processing S502). The control unit 1 makes a connection request to the network connection unit 7 and the network connection unit 7 starts connection. If the connection is OK (Yes in determination S503), the control unit 1 connects to the designated server (processing S504) and operates. Screen information is transmitted (process S205). If the connection is NG (No in determination S503), the process ends.

  An operation example of operation screen reading in the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

  In the figure, an operation screen display request is made to the control unit 1 by specifying a server connected to the network (step S601). The control unit 1 makes a connection request to the network connection unit 7 (processing S602). The network connection unit 7 starts the connection, but if the connection is OK (Yes in determination S603), it connects to the designated server and downloads the operation screen information (605). When the connection is NG (No in determination S603), the designated server storage unit 9 is used to check whether there is other server information (determination S607). When there is other server information (Yes in judgment S607), other server information is acquired from the storage device (processing S608), a connection request is made to the network connection means 7 and the connection is OK (Yes in judgment S603). It connects to the designated server (process S604) and downloads operation screen information (process S605). If there is no other server information (No in S607), the process ends.

  An operation example of reading / editing operation screen information on the PC in the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

  In the figure, a connection request is made to the image forming apparatus 100 from the PC 300 using a browser (IE or the like) (processing S701). The control unit 1 checks whether connection is possible (determination S702). If connection is possible (Yes in determination S702), the network connection unit 7 is used to start connection with the PC. If connection is not possible (No in determination S702), the process ends.

  When the determination is 702 or Yes, an operation screen editing request is issued from the PC 300 (processing S703). The control unit 1 checks whether or not the operation screen can be edited (determination S704). If editing is possible (Yes in determination S704), a response indicating that editing is possible is sent to the PC 300. If editing is not possible (No in determination S704), the process ends.

  When determination S704 is Yes, the operation screen to edit is designated from PC300 (process S705). The control unit 1 uses the reading unit 4 to read the designated operation screen information (step S706), and transmits the operation screen from the network connection unit 7 to the PC 300. The PC edits the operation screen on the browser (step S707). The PC 300 requests the device to save the edited operation screen information (processing S708). In response to the save request, the control unit 1 saves the operation screen information edited in the storage device using the storage unit 3 (processing S709).

  As described above, according to the best mode for carrying out the present invention, the operation screen can be changed, and operability and convenience can be dramatically improved.

  Although the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above and can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof. .

It is a figure which shows the screen image regarding the operation screen change in the image forming apparatus which concerns on the best form for implementing this invention. It is a figure which shows the screen image regarding the operation screen change in the image forming apparatus which concerns on the best form for implementing this invention. It is a figure which shows the screen image regarding the operation screen change in the image forming apparatus which concerns on the best form for implementing this invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a connection mode between an image forming apparatus according to the best mode for carrying out the present invention and a PC as another apparatus. It is a figure which shows the screen image etc. of the edit of the operation screen on PC as another apparatus. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a best mode for carrying out the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flowchart of an operation example of operation screen change / save in the best mode image forming apparatus for carrying out the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an operation example of operation screen reading / display in the best mode image forming apparatus for carrying out the present invention; FIG. 10 is a flowchart of another example of the operation screen change / save operation example in the best mode image forming apparatus for carrying out the present invention; FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an operation example of operation screen reading / display in the best mode image forming apparatus for carrying out the present invention; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flowchart of an operation example of screen information transmission in the best mode image forming apparatus for carrying out the present invention; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flowchart of an operation example of operation screen reading in the best mode image forming apparatus for carrying out the present invention; FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of an operation example of reading / editing operation screen information on a PC in the best mode image forming apparatus for carrying out the present invention;

Explanation of symbols

100 Image forming apparatus

Claims (7)

Means for changing the operation screen;
Storage means for storing information on the changed operation screen;
Means for reading operation screen information stored from the storage means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: means for displaying information of the read operation screen. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
User authentication means;
Storage means for storing operation screen information for each authenticated user;
Means for reading operation screen information for each user,
An image forming apparatus that stores, reads, and displays information on an operation screen changed for each user. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
Storage means for storing the information of the changed operation screen for each screen;
Means for reading operation screen information for each screen,
An image forming apparatus that stores, reads, and displays information of an operation screen changed for each user and for each screen. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An image forming apparatus comprising means for transmitting information on a changed operation screen to a storage device connected to a network, and backing up the information on the changed operation screen. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
An image forming apparatus comprising: means for downloading operation screen information from a storage device connected to a network, and displaying the downloaded operation screen. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5.
Means for storing a plurality of storage devices connected to the network;
An image forming apparatus that downloads operation screen information from a plurality of storage devices connected to the network. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
Means for reading information on an operation screen after being edited by another device connected to the network;
An image forming apparatus, wherein information on an operation screen is edited and used outside the apparatus.