JP2011129967A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of executing a word wrap without spoiling users' convenience. <P>SOLUTION: A multifunction peripheral 1 includes an operation panel part 14 for displaying a setting picture formed on the surface of a housing on a display device 21, and a controller 17 for transmitting the picture data of the setting picture to the operation panel part 14. The controller 17 transmits a word wrap program to the operation panel part 14 together with the picture data. The operation panel part 14 includes: a communication control part 31 for receiving the picture data together with the word wrap program from the controller 17; a display processing part 32 for displaying the setting picture on the display device 21 on the basis of the received picture data; and a UI word wrap processor 33 for performing a word wrap on settings on the setting picture according to the received word wrap program. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  There may be a combination of setting values that cannot be applied to a plurality of setting items (for example, resolution in image reading, file format of generated data, etc.) relating to functions provided by an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral. In consideration of user convenience, a warning message or the like is displayed immediately when such an inapplicable set value combination is selected, or such inapplicable set value combinations cannot be selected in advance. It is generally performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When such a combination of setting values that cannot be applied is detected, a corresponding process is performed in which a warning message is displayed or the setting values are changed so that the combination is applicable.

  As described above, determination of whether or not a combination of set values can be applied and a corresponding process when a combination of set values cannot be applied are referred to as prohibition processes.

JP 2007-78726 A

  In an image forming apparatus, an operation panel unit and a controller are configured by separate computer systems, screen display processing is mainly performed by the operation panel system, and internal devices such as a scanner engine and a printer engine are mainly controlled by a controller. Do.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus in which an operation panel unit and a controller are configured by separate computer systems. 14 includes a printer 111, a scanner 112, a facsimile device 113, an operation panel unit 114, an interface 115 for communicating with an external device, a storage device 116 such as a flash memory, and a controller 117. The operation panel unit 114 and the controller 117 are configured by different computer systems, and data communication is possible between the communication circuit 114a of the operation panel unit 114 and the communication circuit 117a of the controller 117. The operation unit 114 includes an input device 121 that detects a user operation, a display device 122 that displays a setting screen, and an arithmetic processing device 123 that is a so-called computer. Therefore, in the operation panel unit 114, the arithmetic processing unit 123 operates according to a predetermined program. The controller 117 also operates according to a predetermined program.

  FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram for explaining prohibition processing by the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. When a screen transition request is generated by a user operation on the operation panel unit 114 (step S101), the arithmetic processing unit 123 transmits a screen data transmission request for the next screen to the controller 117 according to a predetermined program (step S102). When the controller 117 receives the request, the controller 117 selects the screen data designated by the request (step S103) and transmits it to the operation panel unit 114 (step S104). In this screen data, default values are described as values for a plurality of setting items. When receiving the screen data, operation panel unit 114 causes display device 121 to display the next screen based on the screen data (step S105).

  After the setting screen is displayed in this way, when any value of the plurality of setting items on the setting screen is changed by a user operation, the arithmetic processing unit 123 sets the values of the plurality of setting items after the value change. The combination is transmitted to the controller 117 as setting change information. When the controller 117 receives the setting change information, the controller 117 specifies the combination of the setting values after the change by the user operation based on the setting change information, and determines whether or not the combination violates the prohibition (step S108).

  If the combination does not violate the prohibition, the controller 117 transmits the screen data with the changed set value selected to the operation panel unit 114 (step S109), and the arithmetic processing unit 123 of the operation panel unit 114 is transmitted. Updates the screen with the screen data (step S110).

  On the other hand, if the combination violates the prohibition, the controller 117 transmits a warning message for prohibition violation and notification data for notifying the setting value causing the violation to the operation panel unit 114 (step S109). The arithmetic processing unit 123 of the operation panel unit 114 displays the warning message and notification data on the screen of the display device 121 (step S110).

  Since the prohibition process requires the capability information (resolution setting range, file format that can be generated, etc.) of the device of the internal device (printer 111, scanner 112, etc.), the prohibition process is performed in this way on the controller 117 side. Usually done.

  However, in recent years, the functions provided by the image forming apparatus have been diversified and complicated. For this reason, the number of combinations of setting values has been extremely large, and whether or not the selected combination is an unapplicable combination. It may take a long time to determine whether the user's convenience is impaired.

  In particular, when additional applications are installed in addition to the default application, the additional application performs more complicated processing than the default application, so the setting screen tends to be used more frequently. Forbidden laws are often imposed. For this reason, with respect to the prohibition process related to the additional application, the above-described problem becomes more prominent, and the additional application operates on the controller, which increases the load on the controller.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to obtain an image forming apparatus that executes prohibition processing without impairing user convenience.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is configured as follows.

  An image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus including an operation panel unit that displays a setting screen on a display device, and a controller that transmits screen data of the setting screen to the operation panel unit. Then, the controller transmits a prohibition processing program describing the prohibition processing on the setting screen together with the screen data to the operation panel unit. On the other hand, the operation panel unit includes a communication control unit that receives screen data from the controller together with the prohibition processing program, a display processing unit that displays a setting screen on the display device based on the received screen data, and a setting screen according to the prohibition processing program. A prohibition processing unit for performing a prohibition process for the setting in FIG.

  Thereby, since the communication between the operation panel unit for the prohibition process and the controller is reduced and the prohibition process is performed in the operation panel unit having a relatively light load, the prohibition process can be performed in a short time. For this reason, the prohibition process can be executed without impairing the convenience of the user.

  In addition to the image forming apparatus described above, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention may be configured as follows. In this case, the image forming apparatus includes a storage device that stores template data of screen data and a prohibition processing program. Then, the communication control unit of the operation panel unit transmits a screen data request to the controller. On the other hand, the controller uses the variable data collection unit for acquiring the current setting value and / or setting range information for the setting item on the setting screen of the screen data specified by the request, and the template data of the screen data specified by the request. A transmission data generation unit that generates screen data by applying the current setting value and setting range information, and a communication control unit that transmits the generated screen data and a prohibition processing program corresponding to the screen data.

  Thereby, even if there is a change in the specification of the apparatus, the screen data can be generated using the template data as it is.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention may be configured as follows in addition to any of the image forming apparatuses described above. In this case, the prohibition processing program includes a prohibition processing program code and an entry point description for calling the code from the prohibition processing unit.

  Thereby, a plurality of program codes at different entry points can be used for prohibition processing on the same screen.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention may be configured as follows in addition to any of the image forming apparatuses described above. In this case, the prohibition process program has type designation information indicating whether the prohibition process is a binary type or an arbitration type.

  Thereby, the type of prohibition processing can be changed for each screen or for each setting item.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention may be configured as follows in addition to any of the image forming apparatuses described above. In this case, the controller executes the additionally installed additional application program, and the prohibition processing program on the setting screen used by the additional application program is installed together with the additional application program.

  As a result, the prohibition process can be similarly performed for applications additionally installed other than known applications by default.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention may be configured as follows in addition to any of the image forming apparatuses described above. In this case, each time the value of one or more setting items included in the setting screen is changed by the user, the prohibition processing unit determines whether the change of the value violates the prohibition according to the prohibition processing program, When the change of the value violates the prohibition, a message for notifying the prohibition violation is displayed on the display device.

  According to the present invention, the prohibition process can be executed in the image forming apparatus without impairing the convenience for the user.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of data and programs stored in the storage device in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the prohibition process table in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a binary-type prohibition applied to the multifunction machine in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an arbitration-type prohibition applied to the multifunction peripheral in FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration of the prohibition processing program in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the header portion in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the current data portion in FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the reference data portion in FIG. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining processing related to the setting screen of the operation panel unit in the multifunction peripheral shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating details of the setting input process in FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for operating parameters of the scanner in FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a warning message displayed when a prohibition violation is detected in the setting input process illustrated in FIG. 11. FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an image forming apparatus in which an operation panel unit and a controller are configured by separate computer systems. FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram for explaining prohibition processing by the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The multifunction machine 1 is an example of an image forming apparatus, and includes a printer 11, a scanner 12, a FAX device 13, an operation panel unit 14, an interface 15, a storage device 16, and a controller 17. The operation panel unit 14 and the controller 17 are configured by separate computer systems, and data communication is possible between the communication circuit 14 a of the operation panel unit 14 and the communication circuit 17 a of the controller 17.

  The printer 11 is an internal device that prints a document image based on print data. The scanner 12 is an internal device that optically reads a document image from a document and generates image data of the document image. The facsimile apparatus 13 is an internal apparatus that generates and transmits a facsimile signal from document data to be transmitted, and receives the facsimile signal and converts it into document data.

  The operation panel unit 14 is arranged on the surface of the housing of the multi-function device 1 and displays a setting screen for the user, an input device 22 for detecting a user operation on the setting screen, an arithmetic processing unit 23, Have For example, a liquid crystal display is used as the display device. A key switch, a touch panel, or the like is used as the input device. The arithmetic processing unit 23 is a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., loads a program from the ROM or the like to the RAM, and executes the program on the CPU. As a result, various processing units are realized. In this embodiment, in the arithmetic processing unit 23, a communication control unit 31, a display processing unit 32, and a UI prohibition processing unit 33 are realized.

  The communication control unit 31 is a processing unit that controls the communication circuit 14 a to perform data communication with the controller 17. The communication control unit 31 receives screen data from the controller 17 together with the prohibition processing program.

  The display processing unit 32 is a processing unit that displays a setting screen on the display device 21 based on the screen data received by the communication control unit 31. Further, when a user operation is detected by the input device 22, the display processing unit 32 issues various requests according to the user operation. The request is transmitted to the controller 17 by the communication control unit 31.

  The UI prohibition processing unit 33 is a processing unit that performs prohibition processing on settings on the setting screen in accordance with the prohibition processing program received by the communication control unit 31.

  The interface 15 is a circuit that can be connected to a portable recording medium such as a USB memory or a memory card, a host device, or the like. For example, a USB interface or a memory card reader is used as the interface 15. Examples of the memory card include an SD card and a CF card.

  The storage device 16 is a device capable of storing various programs and various data. As the storage device 16, a nonvolatile storage medium such as a hard disk drive or a nonvolatile memory is used. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of data and programs stored in the storage device 16 in FIG. In the storage device 16 in FIG. 1, template data 51, a prohibition processing table 52, a prohibition processing program 53, an additional application program 54, and the like are stored. When the additional application program 54 is installed, the template data 51 and the prohibition processing program 53 for the setting screen displayed on the operation panel unit 14 according to the additional application program 54 are installed together with the additional application program 54 and the setting is made. The template data 51 and the prohibition processing program 53 are registered in the prohibition processing table 52 together with the screen data URL of the screen. The installation process of the additional application program 54 and the like is executed by the controller 17 using an installation package received via the interface 15, for example.

  The template data 51 is a screen data template. In this embodiment, the screen data is described in HTML such as XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language). For this reason, the template data 51 is also HTML data. The template data 51 is data in which the option of the setting item in the screen data (that is, the part depending on the type and setting state of the device) is blank, and the part other than the option is the same as the screen data.

  The prohibition process table 52 includes data that associates the screen data of the setting screen, the template data 51 of the screen data, and the prohibition process program 53 corresponding to the screen data. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the prohibition process table 52 in FIG. FIG. 3A shows an example of the forbidden processing table 52 when only one forbidden processing program is used for one setting screen, and FIG. 3B shows one or a plurality of forbidden for one setting screen. An example of the prohibition processing table 52 when a processing program is used is shown.

  In the prohibition processing table 52 shown in FIG. 3, the file name (including path) of the template data 51 and the file name (including path) of the prohibition processing program 53 are associated with the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the screen data. . Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, when a plurality of prohibition processing programs are used for one setting screen, a flag indicating whether or not there is another prohibition processing program 53 in the URL of the screen data. The flag value “Yes” indicates that the file name of another prohibition processing program 53 is specified in the next record of the table 52. The flag value “No” indicates that there is no prohibition processing program 53 other than the prohibition processing program 53 already specified in the previous record. By referring to this table 52, the template data 51 and the prohibition processing program 53 corresponding to the URL of the screen data specified by the request from the operation panel unit 14 are specified. Here, the URL of the screen data is used for the ID of the screen data, but another ID may be used.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the prohibition processing program 53 is a program executed by the operation panel unit 14 and describing the prohibition processing on the setting screen. The forbidden processing by the forbidden processing program 53 includes a binary type and an arbitration type.

  In the binary type, for each combination of set values, a value indicating whether or not the combination is permitted is provided as a prohibition. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a binary type prohibition applied to the multi function device 1 in FIG. 1 for the setting screen shown in FIG. FIG. 4A shows an example when the color mode is full color, and FIG. 4B shows an example when the color mode is monochrome. In the case of FIG. 4, the setting item includes a color mode, a file format, and a resolution. In this case, as a combination of the color mode, the file format, and the resolution, for example, when full color, PDF, and 600 are selected, a value “TRUE” indicating that the combination is permitted is set. Combinations are allowed. On the other hand, in this case, as a combination of the color mode, the file format, and the resolution, for example, when monochrome, TIFF, and 2400 are selected, a value “FALSE” indicating that the combination is prohibited is set. Combinations are prohibited. That is, an operation for selecting such a combination is rejected.

  In the arbitration type, a value indicating an operation when a combination is not permitted is provided as a prohibition among combinations of set values. When the combination is not permitted, a value indicating any change of the set value in the combination is set to be prohibited. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an arbitration type prohibition applied to the multifunction machine 1 in FIG. 1 with respect to a setting screen illustrated in FIG. FIG. 5A shows an example when the color mode is full color, and FIG. 5B shows an example when the color mode is monochrome. In the case of FIG. 5, the setting item includes a color mode, a file format, and a resolution. In this case, for example, when full color, PDF, and 600 are selected as a combination of the color mode, file format, and resolution, the combination is permitted as it is. On the other hand, in this case, for example, when monochrome, JPEG, and 2400 are selected as a combination of the color mode, file format, and resolution, the combination is prohibited, so the setting value of the color mode is automatically changed from monochrome to full color. The operation to convert is specified.

  The program code included in each forbidden processing program 53 describes binary type forbidden processing or arbitration type forbidden processing. In the binary type prohibition process, it is determined whether or not the combination selected by the user has a violation of prohibition, and a message is displayed when the prohibition is violated. Further, in the arbitration type prohibition process, it is determined whether or not a set value conversion operation is specified for the combination selected by the user. If the conversion operation is specified, the conversion operation is executed. The

  Next, a detailed configuration of the prohibition processing program 53 will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration of the prohibition processing program 53 in FIG.

  The prohibition processing program 53 includes a header part 61, a code part 62, a unique data part 63, a current data part 64, and a reference data part 65. The unique data unit 63 may not exist. For example, the header portion 61, the unique data portion 63, the current data portion 64, and the reference data portion 65 are described in XML (Extensible Markup Language), and the code portion 62 is described in a script language such as JavaScript, PHP, or Python. The forbidden processing program 53 may be a single XML file. In addition, for example, when the header part 61, the unique data part 63, the current data part 64, and the reference data part 65 are described in XML and the code part 62 is a binary code (object code), the header part 61, the code part 62, the unique data part 63, the current data part 64, and the reference data part 65 are described as independent files, and the prohibition processing program 53 is a single package file such as a ZIP file obtained by compressing these files. It may be.

  The header portion 61 has identification information unique to the prohibition processing program 53, designation of the entry point (API) of the code portion 62, and designation of the type of prohibition processing (binary type or arbitration type). FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the header portion 61 in FIG. The identification information is specified by the “id” parameter of the “constrainHeader” tag. The entry point (API) of the code part 62 is specified by the “entrypoint” element, and the type of the prohibition process is specified by the “type” parameter of the “entrypoint” tag. When the value of the “type” parameter is “boolean”, a binary type is specified, and when the value of the “type” parameter is “arbitrate”, the type of forbidden processing is specified as an arbitration type.

  The code part 62 is a program code for prohibition processing. In the case of a binary type, this program code returns a value indicating whether or not the selected set value combination violates the prohibition. In the case of the arbitration type, if the combination of the selected setting values violates the prohibition, if possible, any setting value is changed according to a preset conversion rule. Therefore, in the case of the arbitration type, this program code includes, for example, a value Suceed (= 0) indicating that the selected combination is permitted, and other setting values other than the setting value changed by the user in the selected combination. The value Arbitrate (= 1) indicating that it has been changed, and the setting value changed by the user in the selected combination cannot be set (that is, even if another setting value is changed, it is not an allowed combination) Returns one of the indicated values Prohibited (-1).

  The unique data portion 63 is data that is referred to by the code portion 62 and that is inserted into the prohibition processing program 53 as necessary. If the code part 62 is a binary code (object code), the unique data part 63 is included in the code part 62.

  The current data portion 64 is data indicating the current value of the setting item that is the subject of the prohibition process by the code portion 62. This current value is data collected from the internal device by the fluctuation data collection unit 44. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the current status data section 64 in FIG. This current data portion 64 is described in XML. The current data section 64 is described as a “currentSettings” element. 8, the current setting value of the setting item “resolution” is indicated by the “resolution” element, and the current setting value of the setting item “color mode” is indicated by the “colormode” element. The current setting value of the item “file format” is indicated by a “format” element.

  The reference data part 65 is data indicating the current values of other setting items required for the prohibition process by the code part 62 (that is, the current values of setting items other than the setting items of the current data part 64). This current value is data collected from the internal device by the fluctuation data collection unit 44. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the reference data unit 65 in FIG. This reference data portion 65 is described in XML. The reference data part 65 is described as a “references” element. In the reference data section 65 shown in FIG. 9, the current setting value of the setting item “double-sided scan” is indicated by a “duplex” element.

  The current data section 64 and the reference data section 65 are referred to by the UI prohibition processing section 33 according to the program of the code section 62 during the prohibition processing. These are used, for example, to specify a setting changed by a user operation.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the additional application program 54 is installed in addition to the application program installed by default, and is a program in which processing of an additional application 47b described later is described. For example, when the controller 17 has a JAVA (registered trademark) execution environment, a JAVA application is installed as the additional application program 54.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the controller 17 is a device that controls internal devices such as the printer 11, the scanner 12, and the facsimile device 13. In addition, the controller 17 performs data communication with the operation panel unit 14 to display a setting screen on the operation panel unit 14 as a user interface, or obtain setting information input to the setting screen and Operate the internal device according to the information. Further, the controller 17 transmits a prohibition processing program describing the prohibition processing on the setting screen together with the screen data of the setting screen to the operation panel unit 14. The controller 17 is a computer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and implements various processing units by loading a program from the ROM, the storage device 16 and the like to the RAM and executing the program by the CPU. In this embodiment, in the controller 17, the communication control unit 41, the transmission data generation unit 42, the fixed data management unit 43, the fluctuation data collection unit 44, the prohibition processing program configuration unit 45, the application 47a, the additional application 47b, the main prohibition processing. The unit 48 and the controller 49 are realized.

  The communication control unit 41 is a processing unit that controls the communication circuit 17 a and performs data communication with the operation panel unit 14. The communication control unit 41 transmits the screen data and the prohibition processing program generated or selected by the transmission data generation unit 42 to the operation panel unit 14.

  The transmission data generation unit 42 applies the current setting value and setting range information on the setting item in the setting screen of the screen data to the template data 51 of the requested screen data requested from the operation panel unit 14. A processing unit that generates data. Further, the transmission data generation unit 42 selects the prohibition processing program 53 corresponding to the generated screen data from the prohibition processing program 53 in the storage device 16.

  The fixed data management unit 43 is a processing unit that manages the template data 51.

  The fluctuation data collection unit 44 uses the device control unit 49, for example, to send the current setting values and setting range information about the setting items on the setting screen of the requested screen data to the internal device (printer 11, scanner) of the multifunction device 1. 12 or the like).

  The program configuration unit 45 uses the current set value and set range information obtained by the fluctuation data collection unit 44 (that is, a set of options, an upper limit value, and a lower limit value indicating a settable range) as a prohibition processing program. This is a processing unit that generates a transmission prohibition processing program 53 in a manner reflected in 53. When the prohibition processing program 53 is a ZIP file (that is, a compressed file), the current setting value and setting range information are stored in the current data section 64 and / or reference data among the files obtained by decompressing the ZIP file. After writing in the unit 65, these files may be compressed again into a ZIP file. Further, the files constituting the prohibition processing program 53 are managed in the same folder without being compressed, and after writing the current setting value and setting range information, the files are compressed into a ZIP file. Good. When the prohibition processing program 53 is an XML file (that is, a text file), the current setting value and setting range information may be immediately written in the current data portion 64 and / or the reference data portion 65.

  The communication control unit 41, the transmission data generation unit 42, the fixed data management unit 43, the fluctuation data collection unit 44, and the program configuration unit 45 constitute a panel processing unit 46 that executes processing related to the operation panel unit 14. .

  The application 47a is a processing unit formed by executing an application program by the controller 17. When the application 47a detects the occurrence of a function execution request based on a user operation on the operation panel unit 14 by the user, the application 47a performs an operation specific to the application 47a specified by the function execution request via the controller API or the like. 49 is executed. As a result, the device control unit 49 controls the printer 11, the scanner 12, and the facsimile machine 13 to execute the operation specified by the function execution request.

  The additional application 47 b is a processing unit that is formed by executing the additionally installed additional application program 54 by the controller 17. When the additional application 47b detects the occurrence of a function execution request based on a user operation on the operation panel unit 14 by the user, the additional application 47b performs an operation specific to the additional application 47b specified by the function execution request via the controller API or the like. The control part 49 is made to perform. As a result, the device control unit 49 controls the printer 11, the scanner 12, and the facsimile machine 13 to execute the operation specified by the function execution request.

  The main prohibition processing unit 48 is a processing unit that performs prohibition processing other than the prohibition processing on the screen by the operation panel unit 14 such as a setting screen. For example, the use restriction of the internal device based on various counter values is executed by the main prohibition processing unit 48.

  The device control unit 49 is a processing unit that controls the printer 11, the scanner 12, and the facsimile apparatus 13 and inputs / outputs data to / from them. In order to use the device control unit 49, a controller API (Application Program Interface) is mounted. The controller API executes the functions of the printer 11, the scanner 12, the facsimile apparatus 13, and the operation panel 14 and performs data input / output with them according to a command from the application 47a or the additional application 47b. Then, the device control unit 49 is operated.

  Next, the operation of the multifunction device 1 will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining processing related to the setting screen of the operation panel unit 14 in the multifunction machine 1 shown in FIG.

  First, when activated, the application 47a or the additional application 47b causes the panel processing unit 46 to generate predetermined screen data and causes the operation panel unit 14 to display a screen based on the screen data.

  Thereafter, in the operation panel unit 14, when the input device 22 detects a user operation and a request for transition from the current screen to the setting screen is generated (step S1), the display processing unit 32 uses the screen data of the setting screen as a controller. 17 is requested (step S2). At this time, the request and the URL of the requested screen data are transmitted to the controller 17 by the communication control unit 31. At that time, in the physical layer, the communication circuits 14a and 17a perform data communication for sending and receiving the request and URL (the same applies hereinafter).

  In the controller 17, when the request and URL are received by the communication control unit 41, the application 47a or the additional application 47b is notified, and the application 47a or the additional application 47b processes the request to the panel processing unit 46 as follows. Let it run. First, the transmission data generation unit 42 refers to the prohibition process table 52 from the URL and specifies the template data 51 and the prohibition process program 53 corresponding to the requested screen data. Then, the fluctuation data collection unit 44 acquires the current values and setting range information of the setting items necessary for the template data 51 and the prohibition processing program 53 from the internal device. Then, the transmission data generation unit 42 generates screen data by reflecting the current value and setting range information in the template data 51, and the program configuration unit 45 converts the current value and setting range information into the prohibition processing program. 53 (step S4). Thereafter, the transmission data generation unit 42 transmits the screen data and the prohibition processing program 53 to the operation panel unit 14 by the communication control unit 41 (step S5).

  In the operation panel unit 14, when the communication control unit 31 receives the screen data and the prohibition processing program 53, the display processing unit 32 displays a setting screen on the display device 21 based on the screen data (step S6). Thereby, the screen transition is completed. The prohibited processing program 53 received at this time is stored together with the screen data in a storage device (not shown) in the operation panel unit 14, a RAM in the arithmetic processing device 23, or the like.

  Thereafter, while the setting screen is displayed, a setting input process is performed every time the input device 22 detects a user operation (step S7). FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the setting input process (step S7) in FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation parameter setting screen of the scanner 12. FIG. 12A shows a display example of the setting screen, and FIG. 12B shows an example of screen data of the setting screen.

  While the screen data as shown in FIG. 12 (B) is received and the setting screen as shown in FIG. 12 (A) is displayed, the display processing unit 32 uses the input device 22 to select any of the current setting values. Monitoring whether there is a user operation for changing (for example, selecting another option from the pull-down menu in FIG. 12A) or a user operation for pressing the setting (pressing the OK button in FIG. 12A) (Steps S11 and S12).

  Then, when a user operation for changing any of the current set values is detected, the display processing unit 32 causes the UI prohibition processing unit 33 to execute a prohibition process. The UI prohibition processing unit 33 specifies the prohibition processing program 53 received together with the screen data of the setting screen, and calls the program code of the code unit 62 at the entry point specified in the prohibition processing program 53 to calculate the arithmetic processing unit. 23. At that time, the UI forbidden processing unit 33 specifies the type of forbidden processing specified in the forbidden processing program 53, receives a return value in a format corresponding to the type from the program code, and performs processing according to the return value. Do. Here, it is assumed that the prohibition processing program 53 includes a binary program code.

  The arithmetic processing unit 23 executes prohibition processing according to the program code of the code unit 62, and the UI prohibition processing unit 33 changes any setting value in the combination of the current setting values from the return value of the program code. If so, it is determined whether or not a violation of prohibition occurs (step S13).

  If no prohibition violation occurs, the UI prohibition processing unit 33 approves the change of the setting value, and the display processing unit 32 causes the display device 21 to display a setting screen in which the setting value has been changed (step S14). ). On the other hand, when a prohibition violation occurs, the UI prohibition processing unit 33 displays a warning message on the display device 21 and rejects the change of the set value (step S15). FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a warning message displayed when a prohibition violation is detected in the setting input process illustrated in FIG. 11. As shown in FIG. 13, a dialog including a warning message is displayed on the setting screen and continues to be displayed until the OK button of the dialog is pressed. Thereafter, when the OK button is pressed, the dialog is deleted and the setting screen before the setting value changing operation is displayed. In the dialog shown in FIG. 13, only a warning message is displayed, but a message indicating a change in the setting value that caused the violation of the prohibition (for example, “Resolution cannot be changed from 600 to 2400 with the current setting”). ) May also be notified. Here, a dialog containing a warning message is displayed superimposed on the setting screen. Instead, a message field for displaying a warning message or the like is provided in advance in the setting screen, and the warning message is displayed in that field. May be displayed.

  In this way, in the operation panel unit 14, the set value is changed according to the user operation so as not to violate the prohibition.

  When a user operation for setting end (pressing of the OK button in FIG. 12A) is detected, the setting input processing ends, and the display processing unit 32 sets the combination of the setting values at that time as setting data. To the controller 17 (step S8).

  In the controller 17, when the setting data is received by the communication processing unit 41, the setting data is supplied to the application 47a or the additional application 47b that displays the setting screen on the operation panel unit 14, and the application 47a or the additional application 47b. Sets the value of the setting data in the internal device using the device control unit 49.

  As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, the multifunction device 1 includes the operation panel unit 14 that displays the setting screen on the display device 21 and the controller 17 that transmits the screen data of the setting screen to the operation panel unit 14. Prepare. Then, the controller 17 transmits the prohibition processing program 53 together with the screen data to the operation panel unit 14. On the other hand, the operation panel unit 14 includes a communication control unit 31 that receives screen data from the controller 17 together with the prohibition processing program 53, a display processing unit 32 that displays a setting screen on the display device 21 based on the received screen data, And a UI prohibition processing unit 33 that performs prohibition processing for the setting on the setting screen according to the received prohibition processing program 53.

  Thereby, since the communication between the operation panel unit 14 and the controller 17 for the prohibition process when the set value is changed by the user operation is reduced, the prohibition process is performed on the operation panel unit 14 having a relatively light load. The prohibition process can be performed in a short time. For this reason, the prohibition process can be executed without impairing the convenience of the user. Further, the load balance between the operation panel unit 14 and the controller 17 approaches an optimum value.

  In addition, by separating the screen data and prohibition processing program in this way, when designing a screen, the designer first designs the screen without being aware of the prohibition processing, and then designs the prohibition processing after the screen design is completed. Therefore, the screen data design and the prohibition processing program design can be separated, and the design work can be simplified.

  The above-described embodiments are preferred examples of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. is there.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the prohibition processing program 53 installed by default may be used for the prohibition processing for the additional application 47b. Alternatively, the general prohibition processing program 53 may be installed in advance, and the application 47a and the additional application 47b may use the general prohibition processing program 53. The code part 62 of the prohibition processing program 53 may be provided as a library plug-in or the like.

  The present invention is applicable to, for example, a scanner machine, a copier, a printer, a multifunction machine, and the like.

1 MFP (an example of an image forming apparatus)
14 Operation Panel Unit 16 Storage Device 17 Controller 21 Display Device 31, 41 Communication Control Unit 32 Display Processing Unit 33 UI Prohibited Processing Unit (an example of a prohibited processing unit)
42 Transmission Data Generation Unit 44 Fluctuation Data Collection Unit 51 Template Data 53 Prohibition Processing Program

Claims (6)

An image forming apparatus comprising: an operation panel unit that displays a setting screen on a display device; and a controller that transmits screen data of the setting screen to the operation panel unit.
The controller transmits a prohibition processing program describing the prohibition processing on the setting screen together with the screen data to the operation panel unit,
The operation panel unit is
A communication control unit for receiving the screen data together with the prohibition processing program from the controller;
A display processing unit for displaying the setting screen on the display device based on the received screen data;
A forbidden processing unit for performing forbidden processing for the setting on the setting screen according to the forbidden processing program;
An image forming apparatus comprising: A storage device storing the template data of the screen data and the prohibition processing program;
The communication control unit of the operation panel unit transmits a request for the screen data to the controller,
The controller includes a fluctuation data collection unit that acquires a current setting value and / or setting range information for a setting item on the setting screen of the screen data specified by the request; and the screen data specified by the request Transmitting the screen data by applying the current setting value and the setting range information to the template data, and generating the screen data and the prohibition processing program corresponding to the screen data. A communication control unit to perform,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the prohibition processing program includes a program code of the prohibition processing and a description of an entry point for calling the code from the prohibition processing unit.   The image formation according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the prohibition processing program includes type designation information indicating whether the prohibition processing is a binary type or an arbitration type. apparatus. The controller executes an additionally installed additional application program,
The prohibition processing program on the setting screen used in the additional application program is installed together with the additional application program,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The prohibition processing unit determines whether or not the change of the value violates the prohibition each time the value of one or more setting items included in the setting screen is changed by the user according to the prohibition processing program, 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the change of the value violates the prohibition, a message for notifying the prohibition violation is displayed on the display device. .

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