JP2009070365A - Image forming apparatus, display processing apparatus, display processing method, and display processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display processing apparatus that enhances operability. <P>SOLUTION: An MFP 1 includes a selection receiving unit 103 that receives selection by a user of a desired one of higher setting items from the higher setting items displayed on an operation panel 200, and a display processing unit 101 that displays, when the selection of the higher setting item is received, intermediate setting items made to correspond to the selected higher setting item and overview information indicating overviews of lower setting items made to correspond to the intermediate setting items, while being associated with each other, on the operation panel 200. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a display processing apparatus, a display processing method, and a display processing program that display an operation screen for function setting and execution.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an image forming apparatus called MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) (hereinafter referred to as a multi-function peripheral) in which functions of apparatuses such as a printer, a copy, a facsimile, and a scanner are housed in a single housing is known. This multifunction device is provided with a display unit, a printing unit, an imaging unit, and the like in one casing, and software corresponding to each of a printer, a copy machine, and a facsimile machine is provided. It operates as a copy, scanner or facsimile machine.

  In such a conventional multi-function device, a display operation unit such as a liquid crystal touch panel is provided in order to perform settings when executing the various functions described above. Recent multifunction devices have multiple functions and a large number of items to be set, so it is required to display an easy-to-understand setting screen and reduce the burden of setting operations by the user. .

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a plurality of input formats and a transmission format by facsimile transmission or a transmission format by e-mail transmission can be selected for each of a plurality of destinations, and based on image data input in the selected input format. A technique for performing broadcast transmission to a plurality of destinations in a selected transmission format has been proposed. In the method of Patent Document 1, functions such as a printer and a copy are determined by a combination of an input format and an output format. For example, when “original reading” is selected as the input format and “print” is selected as the output format, it is determined that the copy function is designated. With such a method, an image processing apparatus such as a digital multi-function peripheral having various functions can quickly and easily respond to various requests and improve operability.

JP 2001-238020 A

  However, in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to switch the setting screen for each format in order to set the detailed contents of the selected input format or the selected output format (transmission format). For this reason, when there are many selectable formats, there is a problem that an operation for confirming the setting contents becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides an image forming apparatus, a display processing apparatus, a display processing method, and a display processing program capable of improving the operability at the time of setting items and confirming the setting contents. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is a selection receiving unit that receives a selection of a desired upper setting item by a user from the upper setting items displayed on the display unit. When the selection of the upper setting item is accepted, summary information representing an overview of the middle setting item associated with the selected upper setting item and the lower setting item associated with the intermediate setting item And display processing means for displaying on the display means in association with each other.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the selection accepting unit accepts selection of a desired job by a user from the upper setting item which is a job representing a unit of processing. When the display processing unit accepts the selection of the job, the intermediate setting item, which is function information indicating an executable function included in the selected job, and setting information for determining the operation content of the function The summary information representing the summary of the lower setting item is displayed on the display means in association with each other.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 2, wherein the selection receiving unit further receives a start request for the selected job, and is included in the job in which the start request is received. An execution processing means for executing the function is further provided.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3, wherein the execution processing means simultaneously executes a plurality of the functions when the job for which the start request is received includes the plurality of functions. It is characterized by doing.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the display processing means displays the higher setting item in the first area of the display means, and the second display area of the display means. The middle setting item associated with the selected higher setting item and the summary information are displayed in association with each other.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claim 5, wherein the display processing means displays the selected upper setting item and the second area in association with each other.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claim 6, wherein the display processing means displays the selected upper setting item and the second area having a balloon shape in association with a balloon line. It is characterized by.

  Further, the invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to claim 7, wherein the display processing unit selects the selected upper setting item and the second area from the first area that is not selected. It is characterized by being displayed in association with the balloon line that does not overlap with the upper setting item.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the display processing means stores the upper setting item in the first area in advance regardless of whether the upper setting item is selected. It is characterized by displaying at a predetermined position.

  Further, the invention according to claim 10 has a displayable coordinate input surface, a display operation unit capable of inputting an instruction by touch input to the coordinate input surface, and an upper setting item displayed on the display operation unit, Selection accepting means for accepting a selection of the desired upper setting item by the user, a middle setting item associated with the selected upper setting item when the selection of the upper setting item is accepted, and the middle Display processing means for associating and displaying summary information representing an outline of the lower setting item associated with the position setting item, and associating with the upper setting item for which the selection accepting means has accepted the selection. And image forming processing means for performing image forming processing based on the lower setting items.

  According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the selection receiving unit receives a selection of a desired upper setting item by the user from the upper setting items displayed on the display unit by the selection receiving unit, and the display processing unit When the selection of the upper setting item is accepted, the middle setting item associated with the selected upper setting item and the summary information indicating the outline of the lower setting item associated with the middle setting item And a display processing step of displaying on the display means in association with each other.

  The invention according to claim 12 is a display processing program that causes a computer to execute the display processing method according to claim 11.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the operability at the time of setting items and checking the setting contents.

  Exemplary embodiments of an image forming apparatus, a display processing apparatus, a display processing method, and a display processing program according to the present invention are explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
The display processing apparatus according to the first embodiment includes a copy function (copy application (hereinafter referred to as a copy application)) included in a job that is a unit of processing, and a mail transmission function (email transmission application (hereinafter referred to as a mail transmission application). )) And the like (transmission application (hereinafter referred to as transmission application)), storage function (storage application (hereinafter referred to as storage application)), and SDK (Software Development Kit) function (SDK application (hereinafter referred to as SDK application)) )) And the like, the outline of the setting contents for each function (application) is displayed in association with each function (application) when a job is selected.

  The application performs a series of processes in which data is input in at least one input format out of a plurality of predetermined input formats and output in at least one output format out of a plurality of predetermined output formats. Software for showing. The input format includes reading by a scanner, reading from a storage unit in the image processing apparatus, and the like. The output format includes printing on a paper document by a plotter, FAX transmission or e-mail transmission via a network, storage in a storage unit, and the like. Different applications can be realized by changing the combination of input format and output format.

  For example, the copy application represents a process of reading an original image with a scanner and printing it on a paper original with a plotter. The transmission application represents a process of reading a document image by a scanner and transmitting it by e-mail, FAX, or the like. The case of transmitting by e-mail corresponds to a mail transmission application, and the case of transmission by FAX corresponds to a FAX transmission application (hereinafter referred to as a FAX transmission application). The storage application represents a process of reading a document image with a scanner and storing it in a storage unit, for example. The SDK application represents an application that allows the user to specify an arbitrary input format and an arbitrary output format by using the SDK. For example, the user can add another image data read from the storage unit to the image data read by the scanner and perform FAX transmission, and can create an application to be stored in the storage unit as an SDK application. In this way, one application may be configured to input data in a plurality of input formats and output data in a plurality of output formats.

  Note that the above-described Patent Document 1 proposes an image processing apparatus that performs image processing by selecting a desired format from a plurality of input formats and a plurality of output formats. For example, in the method of Patent Document 1, document reading, main body accumulated data, and external accumulated data can be selected as input formats. In the method of Patent Document 1, printing, transmission via a telephone line, transmission via a network, data accumulation in the main body, and data accumulation outside can be selected as an output format.

  The method of Patent Document 1 is configured to independently select an input format and an output format. Further, when a plurality of input formats and a plurality of output formats are selected, image processing is executed for all the selected output formats for each input format. Thus, for example, data input in the first input format among the plurality of selected input formats is output in the first output format among the plurality of selected output formats, while the plurality of selected inputs are output. For data input in the second input format among the formats, the combination of the input format and the output format must be individually specified such that the data is output in the second output format among the plurality of selected output formats. I can't.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to specify processing to be executed in units of jobs that include at least one application defined by a combination of input format and output format. As a result, it is possible to arbitrarily specify a combination of an input format and an output format for processing to be executed.

  In this embodiment, the case where the display processing apparatus of the present invention is applied to an MFP, which is a kind of image forming apparatus, is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is applied to various apparatuses that perform display processing. be able to.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an MFP 1 that can execute the functions of the display processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the MFP 1 includes an operating system 153, a service layer 152, an application layer 151, a storage unit 104, and an operation panel 200 as components.

  As shown in the figure, the functions of the MFP 1 have a hierarchical relationship, and the service layer 152 is constructed in the upper layer of the operating system 153, and the characteristic part of this embodiment described later is included in the upper layer of the service layer 152. An application layer 151 is constructed.

  The operating system 153 manages resources of the MFP 1 including hardware resources, and provides functions using the resources to the service layer 152 and the application layer 151.

  The service layer 152 corresponds to a driver that controls hardware resources included in the MFP 1. In response to a request for output processing from the execution processing unit 105 of the application layer 151 described later, a scanner control unit 121, a plotter control unit 122, a storage control unit 123, a distribution / mail transmission / reception control unit 124, a FAX transmission / reception control unit 125, a communication Various functions are executed by controlling the hardware resources of the MFP 1 from the control unit 126 or the like.

  The storage unit 104 stores image data read from a paper document or received from mail or FAX. The storage unit 104 also relates to functions (applications) such as a copy function (copy application), a transmission function (transmission application), a storage function (storage application), and an SDK function (SDK application) set for each job. A job information table storing information and a setting information table storing setting information representing detailed setting items of each function (application) are stored.

  Note that the storage unit 104 is a storage unit that can store data such as image data, and can be configured by any commonly used storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an optical disk, or a memory card.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of data stored in the job information table. As shown in the figure, the job information table stores data in which a job ID for identifying a job, a job name, and a setting ID for identifying data in the setting information table are associated with each other. The setting ID is a function (application) for each function (application) such as a copy function (copy application), a transmission function (transmission application), a storage function (storage application), and an SDK function (SDK application) that can be set for a job. ID for identifying the setting information is set. When there is a function (application) that is not included in the job, the setting ID column corresponding to the function (application) is blank. For example, when a job execution is requested, the job information table is referred to in order to specify a function (application) to be executed in the requested job and setting information of the function (application).

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of setting information stored in the setting information table. This figure shows an example of the data structure of the setting information for the copy function (copy application). As shown in the figure, the setting information for the copy function (copy application) should be set for the setting ID in relation to the copy function (copy application) such as paper, number of copies, scaling, duplex, and punch. Detailed setting items are stored in association with each other. Note that the setting items are not limited to this, and any setting items can be stored as long as the contents should be set in relation to the copy function (copy application).

  For other functions (applications) other than the copy function (copy application), setting information including setting contents corresponding to each function (application) is stored in a separate setting information table. The setting information table is referred to when a detailed setting content of a function (application) to be executed in a requested job is specified, or when a change in setting content of each function (application) is requested.

  2 and FIG. 3 is an example, and any data structure can be used as long as the function (application) included in the job and the setting information corresponding to each function (application) can be specified. Can be applied.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the operation panel 200 is a user interface that displays an operation screen and accepts an input on the operation screen.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the operation panel 200 of the MFP 1. As shown in the figure, the operation panel 200 includes an initial setting key 201, a copy key 202, a copy server key 203, a printer key 204, a transmission key 205, a numeric key 206, a clear / stop key 207, a start key 208, a preheat. A key 209, a reset key 210, and a liquid crystal touch panel 220 are included. Then, a screen that is a feature of the present embodiment is displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 220. This screen will be described later.

  The MFP 1 includes various hardware resources such as a scanner and a plotter in addition to the storage unit 104 and the operation panel 200, but a description thereof is omitted.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the application layer 151 includes a display processing unit 101, a selection receiving unit 103, an execution processing unit 105, and a user authentication unit 106.

  User authentication unit 106 authenticates the user when using MFP 1. As a user authentication method, any authentication method may be used regardless of whether it is a technique well known to those skilled in the art. When the user authentication unit 106 successfully authenticates the user, the MFP 1 is allowed to use a predetermined function (application). Examples of permitted functions (applications) include E-mail transmission / reception. In addition, user authentication by the user authentication unit 106 is performed first, and when a function (application) described later is used, in principle, the user has already been authenticated.

  The display processing unit 101 displays an operation screen for executing various functions (applications) or setting setting items on the liquid crystal touch panel 220. In the present embodiment, when a job is selected, the display processing unit 101 displays a function (application) included in the job and summary information representing an outline of setting information of the function (application) in association with each other. .

  The selection receiving unit 103 receives a selection of an area in which a setting item is indicated from the screen displayed by the display processing unit 101. Specifically, when the user presses a setting item displayed on the liquid crystal touch panel 220 by the display processing unit 101 or when the user touches the displayed setting item, the selection receiving unit 103 sets the setting item. Accept items as selected. Note that the setting item designation method is not limited to this, and a method in which the user selects a desired setting item from a plurality of setting items displayed by a pull-down menu, code information representing the setting item, and the like are input as text data. Any method such as a method for specifying a setting item can be applied. In the following description, pressing a setting item or the like on the liquid crystal touch panel 220 includes the meaning of touching the setting item or the like. The selection receiving unit 103 receives input from various buttons such as an initial setting key 201 described later.

  The execution processing unit 105 includes an input processing unit 111 and an output processing unit 112, and executes input / output processing using functions of the MFP 1 in accordance with the content of the job requested to be executed. Then, based on the content processed by the execution processing unit 105, each control unit provided in the service layer 152 controls hardware resources, so that processing using hardware is performed.

  The input processing unit 111 performs input processing on image data using an input function corresponding to the setting item received by the selection receiving unit 103. For example, when the selection receiving unit 103 receives a request for starting a job including a copy function (copy application), the input processing unit 111 controls a scanner (not shown) from the scanner control unit 121 to perform a paper document reading process. Do.

  The output processing unit 112 outputs the image data using the output function corresponding to the setting item received by the selection receiving unit 103. For example, when the selection receiving unit 103 receives a start request for a job including a copy function (copy application), the output processing unit 112 controls a plotter (not shown) by the plotter control unit 122, thereby performing a printing process as a paper document. Control.

  Next, display processing by the MFP 1 according to the first embodiment configured as described above will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the display processing in the first embodiment.

  First, the selection receiving unit 103 receives login information input by the user (step S501). Specifically, the selection receiving unit 103 receives a user name and password input on a login screen (not shown) as login information. The login screen is displayed, for example, when the user selects a login button displayed on an initial screen (not shown) displayed after the display processing apparatus is activated.

  Next, the user authentication unit 106 performs user authentication processing based on the login information received by the selection receiving unit 103 (step S502).

  Next, the display processing unit 101 displays the favorite screen (home screen) of the logged-in user on the liquid crystal touch panel 220 (step S503). The favorite screen is a screen that is displayed first after login, and refers to a screen in which functions (applications) that are frequently used and registered for each user are registered. Details of the favorite screen will be described later.

  Next, the selection receiving unit 103 determines whether the selection of another category has been received (step S504). Other categories include a routine job screen (job screen) that displays jobs defining routine processing, an application screen that displays individual functions of the MFP 1 (copy application, FAX transmission application, etc.), and processing history. A display item for displaying a history screen to be displayed.

  When selection of another category is accepted (step S504: YES), the display processing unit 101 displays a screen corresponding to the selected category on the liquid crystal touch panel 220 (step S505).

  If selection of another category has not been accepted (step S504: NO), the selection receiving unit 103 determines whether or not a job selection has been accepted (step S506). A job can be selected when a routine job screen or a favorite screen including jobs is displayed.

  When the job selection is accepted (step S506: YES), the display processing unit 101 displays an outline of the selected job on the liquid crystal touch panel 220 in a display field different from the display field for displaying the job ( Step S507). Details of the routine work screen that displays the job summary will be described later.

  If the job selection has not been accepted (step S506: NO), the selection accepting unit 103 further determines whether a setting request has been accepted (step S508). The setting request is a request for changing setting items when executing individual functions (applications) of the MFP 1.

  When the setting request is accepted (step S508: YES), the display processing unit 101 displays a detailed setting screen for changing the setting item on the liquid crystal touch panel 220 (step S509). Details of the detail setting screen will be described later.

  When the setting request has not been received (step S508: NO), the selection receiving unit 103 determines whether or not a logout request has been received (step S510). If the logout request is not accepted (step S510: NO), the process returns to the selection accepting process for another category and the process is repeated (step S504). If the logout request is accepted (step S510: YES), the display process is terminated.

  Thus, in this embodiment, after the user logs in, various screens are displayed according to the function (application) selected by the user or the setting request. Details of each screen and screen transition will be described below.

  In the screen transition of each screen, a screen transition process for displaying another screen according to selection of a function (application) on an arbitrary screen is executed according to the flowchart of FIG.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a favorite screen displayed in step S503. As shown in the figure, in the favorites screen, selectable categories are displayed at the top of the screen, and the currently selected category (favorites) is enlarged and displayed. Although omitted in the figure, setting items corresponding to functions (applications) selected in advance by the user, such as functions (applications) that are frequently used, may be displayed on the favorite screen. it can. By selecting this setting item, the user can easily execute a desired function (application). Further, as shown in the figure, since the selected item and the unselected item are expressed in comparison with enlargement / reduction, the selected state can be more emphasized.

  The user can select an application, job, and history that are other categories from the favorites screen, and can display an application screen, a routine work screen, and a history screen that are corresponding screens. The categories are not limited to these, and any other category can be set and selectable.

  Next, details of the application screen will be described. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an application screen.

  As shown in the figure, only the selected category (application) is enlarged and displayed on the application screen. The application screen can select individual functions (applications) such as a copy function (copy application), a transmission function (transmission application), a storage function (storage application), and a printer function (printer application) included in the MFP 1. Other than that, the configuration is the same as the favorite screen.

  Next, the details of the routine work screen displayed in step S507 will be described. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a routine work screen.

  As shown in the figure, only the selected category (job) is enlarged and displayed on the routine work screen. Further, the routine work screen has the same configuration as the favorite screen except that only jobs for which routine processing is defined can be selected.

  When there are a large number of jobs and not all jobs can be displayed in the display area 810 at the bottom of the job display screen, the jobs may be displayed in units of pages that can display a predetermined number of jobs. . For example, in the figure, a job can be displayed for each page capable of displaying 10 jobs. Further, the page to be displayed can be switched by pressing the page switching buttons 801 and 802. The job display method is not limited to this. For example, a scroll bar or the like may be provided to enable scroll display.

  This figure shows a display example when a job has not yet been selected on the routine work screen. An example of a routine work screen when a job is selected will be described below.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a routine work screen when the job key 925 corresponding to the job whose job name is “Send to John” in FIG. 8 is pressed. As shown in the figure, when any job is selected by pressing a job key, a balloon-shaped display area 910 is displayed. In this display area 910, icons 921 to 924 corresponding to each function (application) registered in the selected job and a detailed setting screen for confirming or changing the setting contents of each function (application) are displayed. Setting buttons 911 to 914 for displaying are displayed.

  The pressed job key 925 is displayed in a display mode indicating a selected state, and a balloon 901 indicates that the job key 925 is associated with the display area 910.

  Outline information 915 and 916 representing an outline of setting contents of each function (application) is simply displayed above the icon corresponding to each function (application). As a result, the setting contents for each function (application) can be confirmed. Note that the contents to be simply displayed are determined in advance for each function (application). Further, in the figure, only one setting item is displayed for each function (application). However, the number of items is not limited to this, and a plurality of setting items may be displayed for each function (application). Good. Further, in the figure, the summary information is displayed as text information together with the icon, but it is also possible to display only the text information representing the outline of the setting contents without displaying the icon. Further, the icon may be configured with a preview image representing the processing result according to the setting content, and the preview image may be displayed as summary information.

  In addition, the user may be able to specify the contents to be simply displayed. In this case, for example, a flag indicating whether or not to perform simple display for each setting item in the setting information table is stored in accordance with the designation, and an item to be simply displayed is specified by referring to the flag when selecting a job. it can. As described above, as a method for determining the content to be simply displayed, any method can be applied as long as an item representing an outline of the setting content for each function (application) can be determined.

  The display area 910 further displays a job name 917 of the selected job, status information 918 indicating the status of the device, and guidance 919 that can be arbitrarily registered by the user. If information indicating the outline of a function (application) is registered as the guidance 919, it is possible to grasp the outline of each function (application) not only by the outline information 915 and 916 but also by the guidance 919. The guidance 919 can be registered for each job.

  When the start key 208 provided on the operation panel 200 of the MFP 1 is pressed in the display state as shown in FIG. 9, the execution of each function (application) included in the selected job (send to John) is started simultaneously. be able to. That is, in order to start each function (application) such as a copy function (copy application), a transmission function (transmission application), and a storage function (storage application), it is not necessary to perform a start operation for each function (application) Execution of a plurality of functions (applications) can be started in one operation. This makes it possible to improve operability when executing a plurality of functions (applications).

  The trigger for starting execution of a plurality of functions (applications) can be arbitrarily set according to the execution status of each function (application). For example, after all processing of a certain function (application) is completed, the execution of the next unprocessed function (application) may be started. Also, for example, when each function (application) is composed of a plurality of processing steps, the configuration is such that execution of another function (application) is started when an unprocessed processing step of a certain function (application) is completed. May be. In this case, every time an unprocessed process step of a certain function (application) is completed, an unprocessed process step of another function (application) is sequentially executed, and all process steps of all functions are completed. You may comprise so that this may be repeated. Moreover, you may comprise so that some or all of each function (application) may be performed in parallel. When the functions (applications) can be executed in parallel, the functions (applications) that can be executed in parallel may be started almost simultaneously.

  Further, according to the conventional method, in order to confirm the contents of the job to be executed, the setting buttons 911 to 914 corresponding to the respective functions (applications) are pressed, and the detailed setting screens for the respective functions (applications) It was necessary to display. Here, assuming that a job is an upper setting item, a function (application) included in the job is an intermediate setting item, and a detailed setting content of each function (application) is a lower setting item, conventionally, the upper setting item and intermediate In other words, the setting item can be confirmed on the same screen, but in order to further confirm the lower setting item, it is necessary to display another screen.

  On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to display an outline of the setting contents of each function (application) on the same screen as the job and each function (application). That is, it is possible to display an overview of the lower setting items together with the upper setting item and the middle setting item on the same screen.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to easily grasp the contents of a job only by selecting a job to be executed. As a result, it is possible to improve operability when checking setting items related to a job or executing a job.

  Next, a detailed setting screen displayed in step S509 for confirming or changing setting items of each function (application) will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a detailed setting screen displayed when the setting button 911 corresponding to the copy function (copy application) in FIG. 9 is pressed. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a detailed setting screen displayed when the setting button 912 corresponding to the transmission function (transmission application) in FIG. 9 is pressed.

  As shown in each drawing, the setting items displayed on the detailed setting screen are changed according to the contents of the function (application) corresponding to the pressed setting button. For example, in FIG. 10, detailed setting items such as paper, scaling, double-sided, sorting, and punching are displayed as setting items related to the copy function (copy application) and can be changed by the user.

  The detailed setting screen includes a preview image display area 1001. In the preview image display area 1001, a preview image indicating an image processing result by the set setting item is displayed. When the setting item is changed, a preview image reflecting the changed content is displayed in the preview image display area 1001. The figure shows an example in which a preview image indicating double-sided printing is displayed in the preview image display area 1001 by illustrating how the paper is turned over because the duplex setting is changed from OFF to ON. ing.

  When the OK button at the upper right of the screen is pressed on the detailed setting screen as shown in FIG. 10, the routine work screen of FIG. 9 is restored. In this case, the summary information is updated to reflect the setting items changed in FIG. For example, when the number of copies is changed from 133 to 100 in FIG. 10, the summary information 915 in FIG. 9 is changed from 133 to 100 and displayed. Similarly, for example, when the number of addresses in FIG. 11 is changed from 45 to 40, the summary information 916 in FIG. 9 is changed from 45 to 40 and displayed. Even when the overview information is displayed as a preview image indicating the image processing result, the display of the overview information is updated with the preview image reflecting the change of the setting item.

  The display processing unit 101 specifies setting items to be displayed on the detailed setting screen as follows. That is, first, the display processing unit 101 searches the job information table using the job ID of the job selected by the user as a search key, and acquires the setting ID of each corresponding function (application) from the job information table. Next, the display processing unit 101 specifies the setting ID of the function (application) corresponding to the pressed setting button among the acquired setting IDs. Next, the display processing unit 101 searches the setting information table using the specified setting ID as a search key, and acquires the corresponding setting item and its setting content from the setting information table.

  When another job key is pressed after the job key 925 is pressed as shown in FIG. 9, the contents of the display area 910 are changed according to the pressed job key. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a routine work screen displayed when the job key 926 corresponding to the job whose job name is “Send to President” is pressed from the state of FIG. As shown in the figure, the function (application) displayed in the display area 910 is changed according to the selected job, and the summary information 915, 916 and guidance 919 of each function (application) It is changed according to the contents of each function (application) of the selected job.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily confirm the function (application) included in the selected job and the outline of the setting contents of the function (application) simply by switching the job selection. .

  Further, the pressed job key 926 is displayed in a display mode indicating the selected state, and is associated with the display area 910 by a balloon 901. Thereby, the user can easily grasp which job content is displayed in the display area 910.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a routine work screen that is displayed when the job key 927 corresponding to the job whose job name is “Create Report” is pressed from the state of FIG. As shown in the figure, among the job keys of the job displayed in two lines in the job display area 810, the job key displayed in the lower line is changed from the job key 926 displayed in the upper line. Even when the job key pressed in 927 is changed, the arrangement of the job keys in the display area 810 is not changed.

  Conventionally, for example, detailed setting contents (corresponding to functions (applications) of the present embodiment) corresponding to items (corresponding to jobs of the present embodiment) associated with the respective tabs in a tab format are displayed. In some cases, the arrangement of the selected tab may be changed. That is, for example, when there are a large number of items and tabs are displayed in a plurality of lines, the arrangement of the lines may be changed so that the selected tab is arranged in front. For this reason, it is difficult for the user to improve the efficiency of the item selection operation by storing the arrangement of the items, and the operability may be lowered.

  On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, even when a job is displayed divided into a plurality of lines, the selected job is linked to each function (application) which is a detailed setting content by a balloon 901. Therefore, it is not necessary to display the job key array in a different manner. Thereby, the user can easily memorize the position of the item, and the operability at the time of item selection can be improved.

  Also, as shown in the figure, even when the job in the lower row is selected, the balloon 901 is displayed at a position that does not overlap with the job key of another job. Thereby, the visibility with respect to the job key of each job is ensured, and the operativity at the time of item selection can be improved. The display processing unit 101 displays a balloon 901 in a predetermined position and shape so as not to overlap with the job key of another job according to the position of the selected job.

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a routine work screen displayed when the job key 928 corresponding to a job whose job name is “routine work” is pressed from the state of FIG. 13. As shown in the figure, even when the job key 928 of a job in another column displayed in the lower row is selected, the job key arrangement is not changed. A display area 910 and a job key 928 of the selected job are displayed in association with each other by a balloon 901.

  FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a routine work screen that is displayed when the display of the next page (second page) is instructed by pressing the page switching button 802 from the state of FIG. As shown in the figure, in this case, the display content of the display area 810 is changed to the job included in the second page. On the other hand, since the job selection itself is not switched, the display content of the display area 910 for displaying each function (application) of the selected job is not changed. However, since the job key corresponding to the job whose job name to be associated is “Send to John” is no longer displayed in the display area 810, the balloon 901 is not displayed.

  FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a routine work screen displayed when the job key 1501 corresponding to a job whose job name is “Send to John and Tom” is pressed from the state of FIG. As shown in the figure, the pressed job key 1501 is displayed in a display state indicating the selected state, and each function (application) included in the selected job is displayed in the display area 910. Further, the display area 910 and the job key 1501 of the selected job are displayed in association with each other by a balloon 901.

  Next, a hardware configuration of the MFP 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the MFP 1. As shown in the figure, the MFP 1 has a configuration in which a controller 10 and an engine unit (Engine) 60 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus. The controller 10 is a controller that controls the entire MFP 1 and controls drawing, communication, and input from the operation panel 200. The engine unit 60 is a printer engine that can be connected to a PCI bus, and is, for example, a monochrome plotter, a one-drum color plotter, a four-drum color plotter, a scanner, or a fax unit. The engine unit 60 includes an image processing part such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to a so-called engine part such as a plotter.

  The controller 10 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 11, a north bridge (NB) 13, a system memory (MEM-P) 12, a south bridge (SB) 14, a local memory (MEM-C) 17, and an ASIC. (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 16 and a hard disk drive (HDD) 18, and the NB 13 and the ASIC 16 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 15. The MEM-P 12 further includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12a and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12b.

  The CPU 11 performs overall control of the MFP 1, has a chip set including the NB 13, the MEM-P 12, and the SB 14, and is connected to other devices via this chip set.

  The NB 13 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 11 to the MEM-P 12, SB 14, and AGP 15, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 12, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

  The MEM-P 12 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a memory for drawing a printer, and the like, and includes a ROM 12a and a RAM 12b. The ROM 12a is a read-only memory used as a program / data storage memory, and the RAM 12b is a writable / readable memory used as a program / data development memory, a printer drawing memory, or the like.

  The SB 14 is a bridge for connecting the NB 13 to a PCI device and peripheral devices. The SB 14 is connected to the NB 13 via a PCI bus, and a network interface (I / F) unit and the like are also connected to the PCI bus.

  The ASIC 16 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing applications having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP 15, PCI bus, HDD 18 and MEM-C 17. The ASIC 16 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that is the core of the ASIC 16, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 17, and a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory) that perform rotation of image data by hardware logic. Access Controller) and a PCI unit that performs data transfer between the engine unit 60 via the PCI bus. An FCU (Fax Control Unit) 30, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 40, and an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface 50 are connected to the ASIC 16 via a PCI bus.

  The MEM-C 17 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and the HDD 18 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms.

  The AGP 15 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed for speeding up graphics processing. The AGP 15 speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P 12 with high throughput. .

  As described above, the display processing apparatus according to the first embodiment includes functions such as a copy function (copy application) and a mail transmission function (mail transmission application) included in a job (upper setting item) that is a unit of processing ( An outline of the setting contents (subordinate setting items) for each application (middle setting item) can be displayed in association with each function (application) when a job is selected. That is, a plurality of functions (applications) included in a job can be displayed at the same time, and each setting content can be displayed in a list by function (application). Thereby, the operativity at the time of the setting of an item and the confirmation of a setting content can be improved.

(Second Embodiment)
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the display processing apparatus is realized as an MFP has been described, but an apparatus that can be realized as a display processing apparatus is not limited to the MFP. Therefore, in the second embodiment, a configuration example of a display processing apparatus realized by a general-purpose PC other than the MFP will be described.

  FIG. 18 is a functional block diagram of a display processing device 1800 according to the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, the display processing apparatus 1800 has a configuration substantially similar to the inside of the application layer 151 of the MFP 1 according to the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, a display unit 1801 and an operation unit 1802 are added instead of the operation panel 200 including the liquid crystal touch panel 220, and the storage unit 104 is provided inside the application layer 151. .

  A display unit 1801 is a processing unit that displays various screens by the display processing unit 101. As the display unit 1801, for example, a liquid crystal display used in a PC can be considered.

  FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a display screen when the display processing apparatus 1800 is realized as a general-purpose PC. This figure shows an example in which a routine work screen similar to that shown in FIG. 9 of the first embodiment is displayed in the window screen displayed on the display unit 1801. Since the operation when the icon or the like in the figure is operated is the same as that in FIG. 9, the same reference numerals are given, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The operation unit 1802 is an interface provided for the user to operate the display processing apparatus 1800. The operation unit 1802 may be any mechanism as long as the user can select each function (application) or setting item.

  Further, the selection receiving unit 103 receives selection of each function (application) or setting item by an input from the operation unit 1802. That is, even when the liquid crystal panel as in the first embodiment described above is provided as the display unit 1801, input is possible by touching with a user's finger or the like as in the above-described embodiment. It means that it is not necessary to be a liquid crystal touch panel.

  As an apparatus in which the display processing apparatus 1800 of this embodiment is incorporated, an image forming apparatus, an AV apparatus capable of storing music data and outputting or reproducing it to other apparatuses, a car navigation apparatus, and the like are considered. It is done. That is, a device having an input function, an output function, and the like, and a device capable of displaying on a display unit such as a liquid crystal panel included in the device, for executing a function (application) selection or setting item selection. Any device provided with an interface having a liquid crystal touch panel or a plurality of buttons may be used.

  For example, when the display processing device 1800 is realized as a car navigation device, the setting buttons 911 to 914 in FIG. 19 can be configured to be buttons for setting different destinations 1 to 4, respectively. The summary information 915 and 916 can be configured to display, for example, the required time to the set destination. For example, the setting buttons 911 to 913 may be configured as buttons for setting different relay points 1 to 3 and the setting button 914 may be configured as a button for setting a destination.

  Further, the display processing apparatus 1800 according to the present embodiment includes a display unit and an interface that are necessary and sufficient to display a plurality of functions (applications) or setting items, and is also incorporated in a device that is used in a portable manner. be able to. For example, a portable terminal equipped with a liquid crystal touch panel such as a PDA or a portable game terminal can be considered.

  Even in such a portable device having a display unit and an interface that are insufficient, by applying the method of the present embodiment, it becomes easy to grasp the setting contents of the selected setting item, and the operability is improved.

  Further, as in the first embodiment, a touch panel or the like may be used for the operation unit of the display processing device. For example, in a device including a touch panel, a plurality of functions (applications) or setting items are displayed on the display unit, and selection of functions (applications) displayed when the user presses the touch panel can be accepted. In this way, even if the input interface is restricted, it is possible to display the middle setting item corresponding to the selected upper setting item and the overview of the lower setting item in association with each other. Becomes easier and the operability is improved.

  Note that the display processing program executed by the display processing apparatus shown in the above-described embodiment is provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The display processing program executed by the display processing apparatus described in the above embodiment is a file in an installable format or an executable format, and is a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, DVD ( The recording medium may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a digital versatile disk).

  Furthermore, the display processing program executed by the display processing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment may be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network. . The display processing program executed by the display processing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  The display processing program executed by the display processing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units (display processing unit, selection receiving unit, execution processing unit, and user authentication unit). As the hardware, a CPU (processor) reads the display processing program from the ROM and executes it, so that the respective units are loaded on the main storage device, and the respective units are generated on the main storage device. .

  Next, the appearance of the MFP 1 in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 20 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the MFP 1 including the operation panel. FIG. 21 is a front view illustrating an example of the MFP 1 including the operation panel. FIG. 22 is a rear view illustrating an example of the MFP 1 including the operation panel. FIG. 23 is a right side view illustrating an example of the MFP 1 including the operation panel. FIG. 24 is a left side view illustrating an example of the MFP 1 including the operation panel. FIG. 25 is a plan view illustrating an example of the MFP 1 including the operation panel. FIG. 26 is a bottom view illustrating an example of the MFP 1 including the operation panel.

(Modification)
Below, the modification of 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. In this modified example, summary information representing an outline of setting contents for each application is displayed in a list in association with each application by a user interface different from that of the first embodiment. Since the functional block diagram of this modification is the same as that of FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. In the following, details of an interface different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating an example of a favorite screen in the modification. As shown in the figure, the selected category (favorite) is enlarged and displayed on the favorites screen. In addition, on the favorite screen, applications or the like having a high user frequency for each user are displayed.

  FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating an example of an application screen in the modification. As shown in the figure, the selected category (application) is enlarged and displayed on the application screen. Each function (application) included in the MFP 1 is displayed on the application screen so as to be selectable.

  Note that the falsification detection function (falsification detection app) in the figure reads a document in which image information of the document is embedded, compares the image information of the document with the embedded image information, and determines whether the document has been falsified. This is a function to detect

  The output person information detection function (output person information detection application) refers to a function of reading a paper original in which marking information is embedded and printing an original document in the HDD indicated by the marking information. Thereby, even when a handwritten memo or the like is written on the read paper document, an original document without the handwritten memo or the like can be obtained.

  The barcode reading / detection function (barcode reading / detection application) reads a document in which a marking image in which information (XML format data, etc.) associated with the original document is converted into a barcode or the like is embedded, and the marking image This is a function to detect information and restore information.

  The reception setting function (reception setting application) refers to a function for outputting a received document to an appropriate output destination. A composite function (composite application) refers to a function that enables multiple input / multiple output (including single input / output) of a document with a single start operation (for example, pressing a start key).

  FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an example of a routine work screen in the modified example. As shown in the figure, the selected category (standard work) is enlarged and displayed on the routine work screen. In addition, on the routine work screen, a job designated as a routine process is displayed so as to be selectable.

  FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating an example of a history screen in the modified example. As shown in the figure, the selected category (history) is enlarged and displayed on the history screen. The history screen displays a list of recently executed applications and job execution dates and times, for example.

  FIG. 31 is a diagram showing an example of a routine work screen when the job key 3101 corresponding to the “report meeting material” job in FIG. 29 is pressed. As shown in FIG. 31, in this modification, a comment 3102 given to a designated job and a general menu key 3131 for displaying a predetermined menu are displayed in a balloon-shaped display area 3110. Further, in this modification, text-format summary information 3121 to 3123 that represents an overview of the setting contents of each function (application) such as copy displays a detailed setting screen for changing the setting of each function (application). The setting buttons 3111 to 3113 are displayed in association with each other.

  As described above, according to this modification, an outline of the setting contents of each function (application) associated with a job can be easily confirmed with text information expressed in a list format, and the start key Execution of each function can be started collectively by pressing.

  FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of a detailed setting screen displayed when the setting button 3111 corresponding to the copy function (copy application) in FIG. 31 is pressed. As shown in FIG. 32, setting items corresponding to the corresponding function (application) are displayed on the detailed setting screen. Further, the detailed setting screen includes a preview image display area 3201 for displaying a preview image 3211 indicating an image processing result according to the set setting item.

  FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of a detailed setting screen displayed when the color selection which is one of the setting items displayed in FIG. 32 is changed from “full color” to “black and white”. As shown in FIG. 33, when the setting content is changed, a preview image 3311 indicating an image processing result based on the changed setting content is displayed in the preview image display area 3201.

  FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of a routine work screen displayed when the OK button is pressed in FIG. As shown in FIG. 34, when the setting item is changed, the display content of the display area 3110 is updated with the outline information 3421 representing the outline of the changed setting item. Specifically, “full color” in the summary information is updated to “black and white” in accordance with the change in color selection.

  FIG. 35 is a diagram showing an example of a detailed setting screen displayed when the setting button 3112 corresponding to the fax / scanner function (fax / scanner application) in FIG. 31 is pressed. Note that the fax / scanner function corresponds to the transmission function of the first embodiment. FIG. 35 shows an example in which only user B is designated as the transmission destination.

  FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detailed setting screen displayed when a user as a destination is added. FIG. 36 shows an example in which user C and user D are further added as transmission destinations.

  FIG. 37 is a diagram showing an example of a routine work screen displayed when the OK button is pressed in FIG. As shown in FIG. 37, when the setting item is changed, the display content of the display area 3110 is updated with the outline information 3422 representing the outline of the changed setting item. Specifically, “destination: 1” in the summary information is updated to “destination: 3” corresponding to the addition of the destination.

  FIG. 38 is a diagram showing an example of a detailed setting screen displayed when the setting button 3113 corresponding to the storage function (storage application) in FIG. 31 is pressed. As shown in FIG. 38, in the storage function (storage application), setting items for designating a medium as a document storage destination are displayed on the detailed setting screen.

  FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detailed setting screen displayed when the storage destination is changed. FIG. 39 shows an example in which the storage destination is changed from “hard disk” to “SD card”.

  FIG. 40 is a diagram showing an example of a routine work screen displayed when the OK button is pressed in FIG. As shown in FIG. 40, when the setting item is changed, the display content of the display area 3110 is updated with the outline information 3423 representing the outline of the changed setting item. Specifically, “Hard Disk Monthly Report Meeting” in the summary information is updated to “SD Card Presentation Material” in response to the change in storage location.

  Note that the user can set the name / icon of the job to be registered on the routine work screen and the like, the function (application) used by the job, etc. In addition, after the job registration, the user can change the job name / icon or the like.

  FIG. 41 is a diagram showing an example of a routine work screen displayed when the general-purpose menu key 3131 is pressed on the routine work screen of FIG. As shown in FIG. 41, in response to pressing of the general-purpose menu key 3131, a menu 4101 for executing registration or change of a routine job is displayed on the upper right of the routine job screen. Note that when “display shortcuts as favorites” included in the menu 4101 is selected, a shortcut icon for directly transitioning to the currently displayed screen is added to the favorites screen. Details of the shortcut icon will be described later.

  FIG. 42 is a diagram showing an example of a routine job registration screen displayed when “change name / icon etc.” is selected in the menu 4101. As shown in the figure, on the routine job registration screen, an icon to be assigned to a job, a job name, a comment to be assigned, etc. can be designated.

  43 to 45 are diagrams showing an example of an icon selection screen displayed when the icon selection button is pressed in FIG. As shown in FIG. 43, a job can be assigned a block-shaped icon having a different color or a folder-shaped icon to which a number is assigned. As shown in FIGS. 44 and 45, an icon for recalling the setting contents (hereinafter referred to as a setting value icon) can be assigned to the job.

  In FIG. 44, setting value icons corresponding to black and white copy, black and white duplex, black and white staple, black and white double staple, and color copy are displayed at the top of the screen from left to right. In addition, setting value icons corresponding to color duplex, color staple, color duplex staple, reduction, and enlargement are displayed in the center of the screen from left to right. Further, setting value icons corresponding to Scan to Folder, Group transmission, Scan to Email, PDF transmission, and JPEG transmission are displayed at the bottom of the screen from left to right. In FIG. 45, setting value icons corresponding to TIFF transmission and fax transmission are displayed at the top of the screen from left to right.

  It should be noted that instead of the user selecting an icon from the icon selection screen as shown in FIGS. 43 to 45, the MFP 1 may be configured to select an icon corresponding to the setting content.

  46 to 48 are diagrams showing examples of routine work screens including jobs to which various icons are assigned. FIG. 46 shows an example of a routine work screen including block-shaped icons and shortcut icons. As shown in the figure, the shortcut icon 4601 has a shape with a rectangle that can be distinguished from other icons.

  FIG. 47 shows an example of a routine work screen including a folder-shaped icon to which numbers are assigned. FIG. 48 shows an example of a routine work screen including only setting value icons.

  49 to 52 are diagrams showing examples of favorite screens including jobs to which various icons are assigned. As shown in FIGS. 49 to 52, the favorite screen can also include jobs to which various icons designated by the user are assigned and icons representing applications.

  FIG. 53 is a diagram showing another example of the routine work screen. This figure is a diagram showing an example of a routine work screen when the job key 5301 corresponding to the job of “routine work” is pressed. In place of the text format summary information 3121 to 3123 as shown in FIG. 31, icon format summary information 5321 to 5323 representing the summary of the setting contents of each function (application) is displayed in FIG. 53.

  FIG. 54 is a diagram showing another example of the favorite screen. This figure shows an example in which an icon 5401 for activating a browser that displays a link destination designated in advance is displayed. As described above, the display processing unit 101 may display an icon for starting the browser, and start and display the browser when the icon is designated.

  FIG. 55 is a diagram showing an example of a browser screen displayed when the icon 5401 is pressed in FIG. FIG. 55 shows an example of a browser screen displaying the “example company” home page represented by “http://www.example.co.jp” which is a link destination designated in advance by the user.

  As described above, in the display processing apparatus according to the present modification, as in the first embodiment, an overview of the setting contents for each function (application) included in the job is displayed in association with each function (application). can do. Thereby, the contents of a plurality of image processes set in advance can be easily confirmed on one screen. When the user who has confirmed the outline of each application designates the application by pressing the start key or the like, the execution of the designated applications is started collectively. When the setting contents of the application are changed, the summary information is updated and displayed with the changed setting contents. Thereby, it is possible to improve the operability when executing a plurality of image processes in which the combination of the input format and the output format is different.

  Another first aspect of the present invention is a receiving means for accepting designation of a plurality of applications in which the combination method of the input format of the image data and the output format of the image data is different, and execution of the designated plurality of applications And an execution processing means for collectively starting the image processing apparatus.

  According to another second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the reception unit executes a plurality of applications that output image data input in at least one input format in at least one output format. It is characterized by accepting designation of the application.

  According to another third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the execution processing means starts execution of the first application included in a plurality of designated applications, and then executes the execution state of the first application. In response to this, the execution of the second application included in the plurality of designated applications is started.

  According to another fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the execution processing unit starts executing the second application while the first application is being executed.

  Another fifth invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the third invention, the execution processing means starts execution of the second application after execution of the first application is completed.

  Another sixth invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the execution processing means simultaneously starts execution of a plurality of designated applications.

  According to another seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect described above, the information processing device further includes display processing means for displaying summary information representing an outline of the setting contents of the application for each application, and the receiving means further includes the application The setting request for changing the setting content is received, and the display processing unit further updates and displays the summary information of the application that has received the setting request with the setting content changed according to the setting request. It is characterized by doing.

  According to another eighth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh aspect, the display processing unit further changes a setting content of an application that has received the setting request when the setting request is received. A setting screen including a preview image showing a processing result according to the setting content is displayed.

  According to another ninth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth aspect, when the setting content is changed, the display processing unit updates the preview image with a processing result based on the changed setting content. Display.

  According to another tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing method executed by an image processing apparatus, wherein the accepting unit includes a plurality of different combinations of image data input formats and image data output formats. The receiving step for accepting the designation of the application and the execution processing means include an execution processing step for collectively starting the execution of the plurality of designated applications.

  Another eleventh aspect of the present invention is an image processing program that causes a computer to execute the image processing method according to the tenth aspect.

  As described above, the image forming apparatus, the display processing apparatus, the display processing method, and the display processing program according to the present invention display a plurality of setting items having a plurality of setting contents, and the user selects each setting item. Suitable for devices with operation screens.

2 is a functional block diagram of an MFP that can execute the function of the display processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the data stored in the job information table. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the setting information stored in the setting information table. It is the figure which showed an example of the operation panel. It is a flowchart which shows the whole flow of the display process in 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a favorite screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of an application screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a routine work screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a routine work screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a detailed setting screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a detailed setting screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a routine work screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a routine work screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a routine work screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a routine work screen. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a routine work screen. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the MFP according to the first embodiment. FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the display processing apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the display screen concerning 2nd Embodiment. 1 is a perspective view of an MFP according to a first embodiment. 1 is a front view of an MFP according to a first embodiment. 2 is a rear view of the MFP according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the MFP according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the MFP according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an MFP according to a first embodiment. 2 is a bottom view of the MFP according to the first embodiment. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the favorite screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the application screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the routine work screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the log | history screen in a modification. FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating an example of a routine work screen when a job key is pressed in FIG. 29. It is a figure which shows an example of the detailed setting screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the detailed setting screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the routine work screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the detailed setting screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the detailed setting screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the routine work screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the detailed setting screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the detailed setting screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the routine work screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the routine work screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the routine work registration screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of an icon selection screen. It is a figure which shows an example of an icon selection screen. It is a figure which shows an example of an icon selection screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the routine work screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the routine work screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows an example of the routine work screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows the example of the favorite screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows the example of the favorite screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows the example of the favorite screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows the example of the favorite screen in a modification. It is a figure which shows another example of a routine work screen. It is a figure which shows another example of a favorite screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a browser screen.

Explanation of symbols

10 Controller 11 CPU
12 System memory (MEM-P)
12a ROM
12b RAM
13 North Bridge (NB)
14 South Bridge (SB)
15 AGP bus 16 ASIC
17 Local memory (MEM-C)
18 Hard disk drive (HDD)
30 FCU
40 USB
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 IEEE1394 interface 60 Engine part 101 Display processing part 103 Selection reception part 104 Storage part 105 Execution processing part 106 User authentication part 111 Input processing part 112 Output processing part 121 Scanner control part 122 Plotter control part 123 Accumulation control part 124 Mail transmission / reception control Unit 125 FAX transmission / reception control unit 126 Communication control unit 151 Application layer 152 Service layer 153 Operating system 200 Operation panel 201 Initial setting key 202 Copy key 203 Copy server key 204 Printer key 205 Transmission key 206 Ten key 207 Stop key 208 Start key 209 Preheating key 210 Reset key 220 Liquid crystal touch panel 801, 802 Page switching button 810 Display area 901 Speech balloon 910 Display area 911 to 914 Setting buttons 915 and 916 Outline information 917 Job name 918 Status information 919 Guidance 921 to 924 Icon 925 to 928 and 1501 Job key 1800 Display processing device 1801 Display section 1802 Operation section 3101 Job key 3102 Comment 3110 Display area 3111 to 3113 Setting buttons 3121 to 3123 Summary information 3131 General-purpose menu key 3201 Preview image display area 3211 Preview image 3311 Preview image 3421 to 3423 Summary information 4101 Menu 4601 Shortcut icon 5301 Job key 5321 to 5323 Summary information 5401 Icon

Claims (12)

Selection accepting means for accepting selection of a desired upper setting item by the user from the upper setting items displayed on the display means;
When the selection of the upper setting item is accepted, the intermediate setting item associated with the selected upper setting item, and summary information representing an outline of the lower setting item associated with the intermediate setting item; Display processing means for associating and displaying on the display means,
A display processing apparatus comprising: The selection accepting unit accepts selection of a desired job by a user from the upper setting item which is a job representing a unit of processing,
When the display processing unit accepts the selection of the job, the intermediate setting item, which is function information indicating an executable function included in the selected job, and setting information for determining the operation content of the function Displaying the summary information in association with the summary information representing the summary of the lower setting item,
The display processing apparatus according to claim 1. The selection receiving unit further receives a request to start the selected job,
Further comprising execution processing means for executing the function included in the job for which the start request has been accepted,
The display processing device according to claim 2. The execution processing means executes a plurality of the functions at the same time when the job for which the start request is accepted includes the plurality of the functions.
The display processing device according to claim 3. The display processing means displays the upper setting item in the first area of the display means, and displays the intermediate setting item associated with the selected upper setting item in the second display area of the display means. Displaying the summary information in association with each other;
The display processing apparatus according to claim 1. The display processing means displays the selected upper setting item in association with the second area;
The display processing apparatus according to claim 5. The display processing means displays the selected upper setting item and the second area of the balloon shape in association with a balloon line;
The display processing apparatus according to claim 6. The display processing means displays the selected upper setting item and the second area in association with the callout line that does not overlap the unselected upper setting item in the first area;
The display processing apparatus according to claim 7. The display processing means displays the upper setting item at a predetermined position in the first region regardless of whether the upper setting item is selected;
The display processing apparatus according to claim 1. Display operation means having a displayable coordinate input surface, capable of inputting instructions by touch input to the coordinate input surface;
Selection accepting means for accepting selection of the desired upper setting item by the user from the upper setting items displayed on the display operation means;
When the selection of the upper setting item is accepted, the intermediate setting item associated with the selected upper setting item, and summary information representing an outline of the lower setting item associated with the intermediate setting item; Display processing means for associating and displaying on the display operation means,
Image forming processing means for performing image forming processing based on the lower setting item associated with the upper setting item received by the selection receiving means;
An image forming apparatus comprising: A selection receiving step of receiving a selection of the desired upper setting item by the user from the upper setting items displayed on the display means by the selection receiving means;
Overview of the middle setting item associated with the selected upper setting item and the lower setting item associated with the middle setting item when the selection of the upper setting item is accepted by the display processing means Display processing step for displaying the summary information in association with the display means;
A display processing method characterized by comprising:   A display processing program for causing a computer to execute the display processing method according to claim 11.

Images