JP2011138257A - Screen switching method, image forming apparatus, and screen switching control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent double pressing when carrying out transition to another screen. <P>SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus A includes an image forming part 9, a display part 7a, a detecting part 15, a communication part 11 and a display control part 13. The display part 7a displays a display frame displaying a background screen and screen information displayed thereon. The detecting part 15 detects operation instructions to the screen information in the display frame. The communication part 11 transmits the detected operation instructions to the outside, and receives following screen information regarding the display frame to be displayed next based on the operation instructions. The display control part 13 performs lock control of the input of operation instructions from the display frame as a function provided at the background screen when the following screen information is requested. The display control part 13 performs release control of the locked state when a browser detects the completion of plotting on the received following screen information, and performs display control of the display frame as the following screen on the display part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a screen switching method, an image forming apparatus, and a screen switching control system, and more particularly, to an electronic device, in particular, a copier, printer, facsimile machine equipped with a browser, or a multi-function peripheral (MFP) having these functions. The present invention relates to a screen switching method for the image forming apparatus, an improvement of the image forming apparatus, and a screen switching control system.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses such as multi-function peripherals, a function for instructing operations by displaying a large number of operation buttons as screen information on the display unit or touching the displayed operation panel unit as the number of functions increases. A configuration is provided.

  In such a multifunctional image forming apparatus, in order to display a large number of display screens, a Web (World Wide Web) browser (abbreviated as a browser) is mounted, and a server computer connected via a network is A configuration is provided in which a request message is transmitted to a server computer in accordance with the HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) protocol, a response message is received according to the request message, and the browser analyzes the response message and switches and displays the screen information on the display unit. ing.

  However, a request message to the server computer is transmitted by instructing an operation button or the like on the screen displayed on the display unit of the image forming apparatus to be transmitted. However, the touch on the operation button is often pressed twice. Therefore, it is easy to cause a malfunction, and a device for preventing the pressing twice is required.

  In order to prevent such a situation, for example, an information processing apparatus as disclosed in JP 2009-64408 A (Patent Document 1) has been proposed.

  In this patent document 1, when an input operation instructing the inside of the transmission start operation reception area is received, a transparent frame that covers the individual transmission start operation reception areas such as operation buttons and the plurality of transmission start operation reception areas is arranged on the front surface. Thus, double transmission of data is prevented without reducing the processing capacity of the server.

JP 2009-64408 A

  However, in Patent Document 1 described above, since a transparent frame is arranged in each transmission start operation reception area, transparent frames are put in all transmission start operation reception areas in order to prevent reliable double transmission. It is necessary to develop a web application program to be operated on a server computer.

  However, in Patent Document 1 described above, a configuration in which a transparent frame that covers the entire plurality of transmission start operation reception areas is also disclosed. However, which transmission start operation reception area is covered and a transparent frame is specified Development of a Web application program to be run on a server computer is also complicated.

  An image forming apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral has a browser processing speed slower than that of a general computer (personal computer), and display of operation buttons, etc. remains at the time of screen transition, and operation buttons on the next screen are displayed in a blinking manner. A state is likely to occur, and there is a concern that the user may perform a touch operation in this state, and it is necessary to prevent twice pressing at the time of screen transition to be displayed on the operation panel.

  In particular, in recent years, manufacturers have provided a web application program development creation tool (SDK: software development kit) so that a user can easily customize an application program after shipment in an image forming apparatus. There is a demand for a technique capable of developing a Web application program without being conscious of preventing twice pressing at the time of screen transition.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and can be prevented from being pressed twice when transitioning to another screen, and can be switched without being aware of the prevention of double pressing. It is an object to provide a method, an image forming apparatus, and a screen switching control system.

  In order to solve such a problem, the screen switching method according to claim 1 of the present invention provides a display unit that displays a background screen and a display frame displaying various screen information on the background screen in the device. A display step of displaying one display frame by a browser, a detection step of detecting an operation instruction to screen information in the display frame of the display unit, and a next screen related to the display frame to be displayed next based on the detected operation instruction Based on a request process for requesting information, an input lock process for locking an operation instruction input from the display frame as a function provided on the background screen when a request for the next screen information is made, and a request for the operation instruction A screen response step of responding to the next screen information corresponding to the operation instruction by a predetermined Web application program, When the drawing completion in shown frame that browser detected, to release the locked state, and comprises a screen switching process of display switching a display frame as the next screen on the display unit.

  In the screen switching method according to claim 2 of the present invention, the input lock step displays a transparent lock frame that locks input of operation instructions as a function provided on the background screen on the forefront of the display unit, The screen switching process is configured to remove the lock frame when the browser detects the completion of drawing.

  In the screen switching method according to claim 3 of the present invention, the input lock process displays the background screen itself as a lock frame.

  The screen switching method according to claim 4 of the present invention is configured such that the input lock step displays a lock frame attached to the background screen.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus that forms an image from image data and a display frame that displays a background screen and various screen information related to the image data on the background screen based on a browser. A display unit for displaying the screen, a detection unit for detecting an operation instruction to the screen information in the display frame of the display unit, and a next display frame to be displayed next based on the detected operation instruction transmitted to the outside When the next screen information is requested, the communication unit that receives the screen information and the display frame thereof are controlled to control the input of operation instructions from the display frame as a function provided on the background screen. When the browser detects that the next screen information received based on the operation instruction request has finished drawing the next screen information in the display frame, Tsu and release control of the click state, and includes a display control unit for display control to switch the display frame as the next screen on the display unit.

  In the image forming apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the display control unit controls the display of a transparent lock frame that locks the input of an operation instruction as a function provided on the background screen on the forefront of the display unit. In addition, the display control unit controls the removal of the lock frame when the browser detects the completion of the drawing.

  The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 of the present invention is configured such that the display control unit performs display control of the background screen itself as a lock frame.

  In an image forming apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the display control unit controls display of a lock frame attached to the background screen.

  A screen switching control system according to a ninth aspect of the present invention comprises the image forming apparatus according to any one of the fifth to eighth aspects, and an information processing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus via a network. The processing apparatus includes a screen response control unit that responds to the display frame with the next screen information corresponding to the operation instruction by a predetermined Web application program based on the operation instruction request from the image forming apparatus.

  In such a screen switching method and image forming apparatus according to claims 1 and 5 of the present invention, a display frame displaying a background screen and various screen information on the background screen is displayed on a display unit by a browser, and this display is performed. When the next screen information related to the display frame to be displayed next is requested based on the detected operation instruction, an operation instruction to the screen information is detected from the display frame as a function provided on the background screen. When the input of the operation instruction is locked, the next screen information corresponding to the request for the operation instruction is responded, and when the browser detects the completion of drawing in the display frame of the next screen information, the locked state is released and the next screen is released. Since the display frame is switched and displayed on the display section, it is possible to prevent the pressing twice when transitioning to the next screen, and be aware of the double pressing prevention function. Creating an application program without also become possible.

  In the screen switching method and the image forming apparatus according to claims 2 and 6 of the present invention, a transparent lock frame that locks the input of an operation instruction is displayed on the forefront of the display unit as a function provided on the background screen. Since the lock frame is removed when the browser detects the completion of drawing related to the display frame of the next screen, it can be prevented from being pressed twice while ensuring a smooth display of the display screen at the time of screen transition.

  In the screen switching method and the image forming apparatus according to claims 3 and 7 of the present invention, since the background screen itself is displayed as a lock frame, it is difficult to increase the amount of data related to the background screen, and it is easy to ensure high-speed operation. is there.

  In the screen switching method and the image forming apparatus according to claims 4 and 8 of the present invention, since the lock frame attached to the background screen is displayed, it is difficult to make the data structure of the background screen itself too complicated.

1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a screen switching control system including an image forming apparatus and an information processing apparatus that implement a screen switching method according to the present invention. It is a figure explaining the outline of the Web application program used with the screen switching control system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the screen switching control system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the screen switching control system which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The screen switching method, the image forming apparatus, and the information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in the process of describing the screen switching control system.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus and an information processing apparatus according to the present invention together with a screen switching control system.

  In FIG. 1, the screen switching control system includes an image forming apparatus A and an information processing apparatus B connected to the image forming apparatus A via a network NT.

  First, the configuration of the image forming apparatus A will be described.

  In FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus A has an image reading unit 3, a storage unit 5, an operation panel unit 7, a printing unit 9, and a communication unit 11 with a main control unit 1 as a center. It is composed. The image forming apparatus A has various configurations in addition to this, but since it is not a main part of the present invention, description and illustration are omitted.

  The main control unit 1 controls the image reading unit 3, the storage unit 5, the operation panel unit 7, the printing unit 9, the communication unit 11, and others.

  The image reading unit 3 is a known scanner that optically reads an image from, for example, a printed document under the control of the main control unit 1 in the image forming apparatus A, and generates electronic image data by performing filter processing or the like. The generated image data is sequentially stored in the storage unit 5 for each page of the document.

  The storage unit 5 is a browser that is a program for displaying image data from the image reading unit 3, an operation program of the main control unit 1, an image display control program program to be described later, and an image screen based on an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) language document. For example, it is a readable / writable hard disk (HDD) that stores (for example, Microsoft Internet Explorer (trademark)).

  The operation panel unit 7 functions as a display unit 7a that displays an operation state of the image forming apparatus A on an image screen, and also selects a sheet to be printed, selects a printing form, selects a number of copies, executes printing, It has a function as an instruction input unit such as a stop, and is controlled by the main control unit 1.

  The display unit 7a has a function of displaying a background screen, a display frame displaying various screen information related to image data on the background screen, and the like based on the operation of the browser under the control of the main control unit 1. Yes.

  The image display control program for controlling the browser is created in advance using, for example, a Java (trademark of Sun Microsystems) applet or a Java script, and is set in advance when the image forming apparatus A is supplied together with the browser. An example of the display frame will be described later.

  Although not shown, the printing unit 9 performs secondary feeding of a plurality of paper feeding stages on which paper is set and paper that is primarily fed from the paper feeding stage, under the control of the main control unit 1. An image forming unit that transfers a toner image formed based on image data, a fixing unit that heats and fixes the sheet on which the toner image is transferred, and the like are formed on a sheet that is secondarily fed.

  The communication unit 11 transmits a detection operation instruction to the above-described information processing apparatus B via the network NT under the control of the main control unit 1, and based on this, the next screen relating to the display frame to be displayed next It has a function to receive information.

  That is, the communication unit 11 has a function of transmitting a request message (HTTP request) according to a predetermined protocol, for example, HTTP protocol, and receiving an HTML document by a response message (HTTP response) from the information processing apparatus B.

  The main control unit 1 has a central processing unit (CPU), a working memory unit that stores a startup program for the CPU, and an input / output interface (none of which are shown), and the image reading unit 3 and the storage unit described above. 5. Controls the operation panel unit 7, the printing unit 9, the communication unit 11, and others, and has functions as the display control unit 13 and the detection unit 15 as follows.

  The display control unit 13 operates based on the browser, analyzes the HTML document in the response message (HTTP response) from the information processing apparatus B input via the communication unit 11, and draws the obtained display image on the display frame. Thus, the display unit 7a has a display control function. As will be described later, this display frame arranges various screen information on the background screen.

  As will be described later, when the next screen information is requested, the display control unit 13 controls the display of a transparent lock frame that locks the input of operation instructions as a function provided on the background screen on the forefront of the display unit 7a. Has the function of

  Based on the received response message (HTTP response), the display control unit 13 controls the removal of the lock frame and displays the above-described display frame as the next screen when the browser detects completion of drawing the display frame as the next screen. The unit 7a has a function of controlling display.

  Note that the completion of drawing the next screen information in the display frame may be performed by, for example, “onunload” in the HTML document convention.

  While displaying the display frame on the display unit 7a, the detection unit 15 detects an operation instruction such as a touch press on the screen information (display item) in the display frame, and requests the detected operation instruction as a request message (HTTP). Request) to the communication unit 11.

  That is, the display control unit 13 analyzes the next screen information corresponding to the request message (HTTP request) and controls display of the display frame.

  Next, the information processing apparatus B will be described.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus B is, for example, a server computer that includes a main control unit 17, a storage unit 19, an input operation unit 21, a display unit 23, a communication unit 25, and a screen response control unit 27. The information processing apparatus B has various configurations other than this, but since it is not a main part of the present invention, description and illustration are omitted.

  The main control unit 17 includes a CPU, a ROM (read only memory), and a RAM (random access memory) (not shown), and includes a storage unit 19, an input operation unit 21, a display unit 23, a communication unit 25, and a screen response control unit 27. It controls others.

  The storage unit 19 is, for example, a hard disk that stores an operation program of the information processing apparatus B and a Web application program program.

  The Web application program is a program for controlling the screen display of the image forming apparatus A, and has a screen information such as a display frame, which will be described later, by the creation tool (SDK) for developing the application program. It is created by a computer (not shown).

  The screen information includes the following screen parts to be displayed on the image forming apparatus A and the information processing apparatus B. For example, as shown in FIG. Panel controls F1, which are screen parts (screen information: display parts), buttons (next (NEXT)) F2, buttons (color printing) F3, buttons (single-sided printing) F4, buttons (double-sided printing) F5, etc. A toolbox BOX is displayed on the display unit 23, and by operating the operation input unit 21, the panel control F1 is dragged and dropped into the work area Work on the same screen to set the background screen, and the above-described button F2 Create a file by dragging ~ F5 and dropping it on the panel control F1 to create a single screen (display frame). It is created by.

  The panel control F1 is a background screen on which the above-described buttons F2 to F5 are arranged, and has a transparent lock frame that locks input of operation instructions as a function provided on the background screen. Note that the lock frame may be the background screen itself or another frame attached to the background screen.

  The next screen displayed in relation to the created screen is sequentially created in the same manner (see FIG. 3 described later), and is configured as a part of the Web application program.

  Although not shown, the creation tool (SDK) is downloaded from a manufacturer's website or the like and stored.

  The input operation unit 21 in FIG. 1 is, for example, a keyboard and a mouse. Under the control of the main control unit 17, the panel control F1 and the function of dragging and dropping the buttons F2 to F5 are displayed on the display unit 23. The display frame has a function of inputting an operation instruction to a display item and other input instruction functions.

  The display unit 23 is a display that displays an image screen such as an operation state of the information processing apparatus B and an operation screen of the above-described Web application program, and is display-controlled by the main control unit 17.

  The communication unit 25 is connected to the image forming apparatus A described above via the network NT under the control of the main control unit 17, receives a request message (HTTP request) from the image forming apparatus A, and receives next screen information. Is an interface having a function of transmitting a corresponding response message (HTTP response) including “” to the image forming apparatus A.

  The screen response control unit 27 receives an operation instruction from the image forming apparatus A for the display buttons F2 to F5 in the display frame displayed based on the browser in the image forming apparatus A, and based on the request for the operation instruction, the web application program It has a function of responding to the next screen information corresponding to the operation instruction. Note that the next screen information corresponding to the screen operation instruction is created by the Web application program as described above.

  The screen response control unit 27 receives an operation instruction to the display buttons F2 to F5 in the display frame switched in the image forming apparatus A from the image forming apparatus A, and responds to the operation instruction by the Web application program based on the request for the operation instruction. It also has a function of sequentially responding to the display frame with the next screen information in which the display buttons F2 to F5 are arranged on the background screen.

  Next, the operation of the screen switching control system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG.

  For convenience, a display frame (for example, a login screen (previous screen)) as shown in FIG. 3 is displayed in advance on the display unit 7a of the image forming apparatus A based on a browser by a response message (HTTP response) from the information processing apparatus B. (Display process).

  When the operation program is activated and the button of the display frame in the display unit 7a is clicked in step S1 of FIG. 4, the detection unit 15 detects an operation instruction to the display buttons F2 to F5 in the display frame (detection step). In step S2, the detection unit 15 transmits an operation instruction request message (HTTP request) to the information processing apparatus B (Web application program) side to request the next screen information (request process), and the process proceeds to step S3. .

  When the next screen information is requested in step S3, as shown in FIG. 3B, the display control unit 13 displays a transparent lock frame on the foreground on the login screen (input lock process), and proceeds to step S4. . In FIG. 3, the lock frame is indicated by a diagonal broken line.

  In this state, the operation instruction from the display frame is locked without being input, and it is possible to visually check the screen display such as the operation state even during communication with the information processing apparatus B.

  In step S4, the screen response control unit 27 responds to the display frame with the next screen information corresponding to the operation instruction by the Web application program in response to the request message (HTTP request) from the image forming apparatus A. Response (HTTP response) to the image forming apparatus A (screen response step).

  In subsequent step S5, the display control unit 13 analyzes the next screen information responded to the display frame which is the next screen information, completes drawing of the next screen information in the display frame, and performs display control in step S6. When the browser detects that the drawing of the display frame as the next screen has been completed by the unit 13, the lock frame is removed and the display frame (for example, menu screen: next screen) is switched and displayed on the display unit 7a (screen switching step). ,finish.

  In the image forming apparatus A, the background screen (panel control F1) displayed on the display unit 7a can be continuously used for the first display frame acquired from the information processing apparatus B.

  These main steps constitute the screen switching method according to the present invention.

  As described above, the screen switching control system of the present invention includes the image forming apparatus A and the information processing apparatus B connected to the image forming apparatus A via the network NT, and these have the following configurations.

  In other words, the image forming apparatus A includes a printing unit (image forming unit) 9 that forms an image from image data, and a display frame that displays various screen information related to the image data on the background screen based on the browser. A display unit 7a for displaying the image, a detection unit 15 for detecting an operation instruction to the screen information in the display frame of the display unit 7a, and a display frame for transmitting the detected operation instruction to the outside and displaying it based on this The communication unit 11 that receives the next screen information and display control of the display frame, and when a request for the next screen information is made, controls the display of the transparent lock frame as a function provided on the background screen, When the browser detects the completion of drawing the next screen information in the display frame for the next screen information received based on the operation instruction request Its frame lock is removed the control, and includes a display control unit 13 for display control to switch the display frame as the next screen on the display unit.

  Further, the information processing apparatus B receives an operation instruction for a display item in a display frame displayed as a display frame displayed based on a browser in the image forming apparatus A from the image forming apparatus A, and based on the request for the operation instruction. The screen response control unit 27 responds to the display frame with the next screen information corresponding to the operation instruction by the Web application program.

  Therefore, in the display unit 7a of the image forming apparatus A that displays the screen information from the information processing apparatus B, the input of the operation instruction is locked when changing to another screen, so that it is possible to prevent the pressing twice.

  In addition, since a transparent lock frame is displayed and controlled as a function provided on the background screen, it is possible to create a Web application program without being aware of the double pressing.

  Then, a transparent lock frame is displayed on the forefront of the display unit 7a, and when the browser detects the completion of drawing related to the display frame of the next screen, the lock frame is removed. It is possible to prevent pressing twice in the secured state.

  In addition, in the configuration in which the background screen itself is displayed as a lock frame, it is difficult to increase the amount of data related to the background screen so much, and it is easy to ensure high-speed operation.In the configuration in which the lock frame attached to the background screen is displayed, the background screen It is difficult to make the data structure of the situation so complicated.

  In addition, it is easy to ensure a smooth image switching display, and it is possible to automatically form a locked state of these device operation instructions and screen operation instructions, and the operation is simplified.

  In the above-described embodiment of the present invention, when the next screen information is requested, a transparent lock frame that locks the input of the operation instruction is displayed on the forefront of the display unit 7a as a function provided on the background screen. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the object of the present invention can be achieved as long as the function locks the input of operation instructions from the display frame.

  The lock frame may be a transparent frame that locks the input, and may be transparent or translucent.

  In the screen switching method, the image forming apparatus A, and the information processing apparatus B of the present invention, the same effects as those of the screen switching control system described above can be obtained.

  The information processing apparatus B of the present invention is not limited to image display control of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having these functions, and can be applied to various electronic devices. It is.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 17 Main control part 3 Image reading part 5, 19 Storage part 7 Operation panel part 7a, 23 Display part 9 Printing part (image formation part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11, 25 Communication part 13 Display control part 15 Detection part 21 Input operation part 27 Screen response control part A Image forming apparatus B Information processing apparatus (server computer)
NT network

Claims (9)

In the device, for the display unit that displays the background screen and the display frame displaying various screen information on the background screen, the display step of displaying the one display frame by a browser;
A detection step of detecting an operation instruction to the screen information in the display frame of the display unit;
A requesting step for requesting next screen information related to a display frame to be displayed next based on the detected operation instruction;
When the next screen information is requested, an input lock step for locking the input of the operation instruction from the display frame as a function provided on the background screen;
A screen response step of responding to the next screen information corresponding to the operation instruction by a predetermined Web application program based on the operation instruction request;
A screen switching step of releasing the lock state and switching the display frame as the next screen to the display unit when the browser detects drawing completion of the returned next screen information in the display frame;
A screen switching method characterized by comprising:   The input lock step displays a transparent lock frame that locks the input of the operation instruction as the function provided on the background screen on the forefront of the display unit, and the screen switching step displays the completion of drawing in the browser The screen switching method according to claim 1, wherein the lock frame is removed when detected.   The screen switching method according to claim 2, wherein the input lock step displays the background screen itself as the lock frame.   The screen switching method according to claim 2, wherein the input lock step displays the lock frame attached to the background screen. An image forming unit that forms an image from image data;
Based on a browser, a display unit that displays a background frame and a display frame that displays various screen information related to the image data on the background screen;
A detection unit for detecting an operation instruction to the screen information in the display frame of the display unit;
A communication unit that transmits the detected operation instruction to the outside and receives next screen information relating to a display frame to be displayed next based on the operation instruction;
Controlling the display of the display frame and controlling the input of the operation instruction from the display frame as a function provided on the background screen when the next screen information is requested, based on the request for the operation instruction For the received next screen information, when the browser detects the drawing completion of the next screen information in the display frame, the lock state is controlled to be released, and the display frame as the next screen is switched and displayed on the display unit. A display control unit to control;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   The display control unit controls the display of a transparent lock frame that locks the input of the operation instruction as the function provided on the background screen on the forefront of the display unit, and the display control unit completes the drawing The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the lock frame is removed when the browser detects.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit displays the background screen itself as the lock frame.   The screen forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display control unit controls display of the lock frame attached to the background screen. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8, and an information processing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus via a network,
The information processing apparatus includes a screen response control unit that responds to the display frame with next screen information corresponding to the operation instruction by a predetermined Web application program based on the operation instruction request from the image forming apparatus. A screen switching control system.

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