JP2012065231A - Image formation device and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve operability so that a user can perform input operation with a keyboard efficiently.SOLUTION: An image formation device enabling input operation with a hardware keyboard comprises: a display for displaying a screen; a display control part for displaying a plurality of key input screens which accept key input with the hardware keyboard and other operation screens selectively on a display; and a state determination part for determining whether or not the hardware keyboard is arranged to be operated. When the state determination part determines that the hardware keyboard is arranged to be operated, the display control part displays a switching instruction screen having at least one of a plurality of shortcut keys for operation which instructs screen switching to each of the plurality of key input screens on the display.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of performing an input operation using a hardware keyboard in which hard keys are arranged, and a computer program executed in the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a printer, a copier, and an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral).

  There is a business use information device called an MFP or a multifunction device. In addition to copying and network printing, which are functions as an image forming apparatus, the MFP has many functions such as image input (scanning), facsimile communication, e-mail transmission / reception, and document storage.

  In a device capable of various operations such as an MFP, a touch panel is employed as a man-machine interface for operation. The touch panel here is an apparatus that combines a display capable of screen display and a touch-type pointing device. In a device including a touch panel, display contents are switched according to touch input.

  A plurality of operation screens selectively displayed on the touch panel are hierarchized, and the operation keys arranged on each operation screen and the hierarchical order of each operation screen are selected so that the user can use them easily. In general, operation items are systematically classified as large, medium, and small, and operation screens for selecting and specifying large items are arranged at the top of the hierarchy, and operation screens for selecting and specifying smaller items are more useful. Arranged in the lower order. Then, the display of the operation screen is switched from the upper level to the lower level. The user can display a desired lower operation screen by appropriately operating on the upper operation screen.

  In an image forming apparatus having such a touch panel, by making an input operation using a hardware keyboard possible, it is possible to improve the operability of various continuous character inputs such as password input and address registration. When a software keyboard is displayed on the touch panel, the key size depends on the screen size. If a part of the display surface is used for the monitor display of the input content, the display area of the keyboard is reduced accordingly. By providing the hardware keyboard separately from the touch panel, the restriction on the key size is eased, and the entire display surface can be used for purposes other than the keyboard display.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-228688 describes an image forming apparatus that performs predetermined processing by detecting removal of a hardware keyboard with respect to attachment / detachment of a hardware keyboard. This image forming apparatus has an interface for enabling connection of a USB keyboard, and performs logout processing when the USB keyboard is removed when login is performed after the USB keyboard is connected.

JP 2010-21724 A

  In an image forming apparatus in which the number of items that can be set by a user exceeds several hundred in total, the number of operation screens and the number of layers are large. In addition, the relevance between operation screens that require keyboard input is complicated. For example, with respect to a facsimile, when an image read from a document is transmitted, the address of the transmission destination may be input. However, when an image stored in a storage medium called a personal box is transmitted, the transmission destination address Before entering the password, you must enter a password to access the personal box. For this reason, there are often situations where the user must instruct to switch screens many times to make the desired settings, and it may take time to display the operation screen that the user wants to input using the keyboard. Many.

  In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to improve operability so that a user can efficiently perform an input operation using a keyboard.

  An image forming apparatus that achieves the above object is an image forming apparatus capable of input operation using a hardware keyboard, and includes a display for displaying a screen and a plurality of keys that are operation screens that accept key input using the hardware keyboard. A display control unit that selectively displays an input screen and another operation screen on the display; and a state determination unit that determines whether or not the hardware keyboard is arranged to be operable. In this image forming apparatus, the display control unit is configured to perform an operation for instructing screen switching to each of the plurality of key input screens when the state determination unit determines that the hardware keyboard is arranged to be operable. A switching instruction screen having at least one of a plurality of shortcut keys is displayed on the display.

  According to the present invention, when the hardware keyboard is arranged to be operable, the user of the image forming apparatus displays a switching instruction screen having a shortcut key, and the user of the image forming apparatus operates the shortcut key. By simply displaying the desired key input screen, it is possible to start key input using the hardware keyboard.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the information processing system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an MFP. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration related to a hardware keyboard of a control circuit provided in the MFP. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a form of mounting a hardware keyboard in the MFP. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the MFP. It is a figure which shows the specific example of switching of an operation screen when a hardware keyboard is arrange | positioned so that operation is possible. It is a figure which shows the example of the highest standby screen of a screen hierarchy. It is a figure which shows the example of the switch instruction | indication screen displayed when a hardware keyboard is arrange | positioned so that operation is possible when the standby screen is displayed. It is a figure which shows the example of a facsimile function screen. It is a figure which shows the example of the switching instruction | indication screen displayed when the hardware keyboard is arrange | positioned so that operation is possible when the facsimile function screen is displayed. It is a figure which shows the example of a box function screen. It is a figure which shows the example of the switching instruction | indication screen displayed when a hardware keyboard is arrange | positioned so that operation is possible when the box function screen is displayed. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen for service persons. It is a figure which shows the example of the switching instruction | indication screen displayed when the hardware keyboard is arrange | positioned so that operation is possible when the screen for service personnel is displayed.

  An MFP is given as an example of an image forming apparatus capable of performing an input operation using a hardware keyboard. An MFP 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 is connected to a network 4 such as a corporate local area network (LAN) connected to the Internet 9, and includes a plurality of personal computers 5, 6, 7, a server 8, and other external devices such as the MFP 1b. Communicatively connected. The network 4 may be any of a wired network, a wireless network, and a network in which wired and wireless are mixed. The MFP 1 operates in response to an access from an external device including the personal computers 5, 6, and 7 and an operation by the operation panel 10. The operation panel 10 of the exemplary MFP 1 is disposed on the front side of the upper portion of the housing so that the operation surface is inclined obliquely upward and slightly forward.

  The MFP 1 has various functions in addition to copying and network printing, which are functions as an image forming apparatus. The MFP 1 reads an image from a sheet-like document and transmits it to an external device, transmits saved data to a request source or a specified destination in response to a request from the external device, or prints / prints data given from the external device. Processing such as facsimile transmission and box storage can be performed. In addition, the MFP 1 receives and prints an e-mail, transfers the received e-mail to an external device, or transmits the stored data attached to the e-mail to a destination designated using the operation panel 10. can do.

  The hardware configuration of the MFP 1 is shown in FIG. The operation panel 10 includes a touch panel 10, a hardware keyboard 102, and a keyboard interface 103 that connects the hardware keyboard 102 to a control bus. A control circuit 11 that is responsible for overall control of the MFP 1 includes a ROM 112 that stores a control program, a central processing unit (CPU) 113 that executes a control program and an application, and an S-RAM (Static) that is a work area for executing the program. Random Access Memory) 115, battery-backed NV-RAM (nonvolatile memory) 116 for storing various settings, and an integrated circuit 118 for measuring system time.

  An ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 12 has a document table, and conveys a document sheet from the document table to the reading position of the image scanner 13 in copying, image input, or facsimile transmission. The image scanner 13 optically reads image information recorded on a document sheet. The printer controller 14 performs various processes for printing including bitmap development of print data received from an external device. The printer engine 15 prints a monochrome or color image on one or both sides of the paper supplied from the multi-stage paper stocker 16. The storage 17 is a mass storage device such as a hard disk drive. The storage 17 is provided with a memory area (so-called box) for storing various document files as well as a memory area for storing control data including data for displaying an operation screen. The network interface 18 connects the MFP 1 to the network 4 and enables LAN communication and facsimile communication between the MFP 1 and the outside.

  FIG. 3 shows a functional configuration related to the hardware keyboard 102 of the control circuit 11. The control circuit 11 includes a display control unit 120 and a state determination unit 130. These elements are functional elements realized by the CPU 113 executing a predetermined control program.

  The display control unit 120 selectively displays on the display of the touch panel 101 a plurality of key input screens that are operation screens that accept key inputs from the hardware keyboard 102 and other operation screens. Which operation screen is to be displayed by the display control unit 120 depends on the content of the operation by the touch panel 101 and the hardware keyboard 101 and the determination result by the state determination unit 130.

  Based on the state detection signal output from the keyboard interface 103, the state determination unit 130 determines whether or not the hardware keyboard 102 is arranged to be operable. In the present embodiment, “arranged so as to be operable” means that the hardware keyboard 102 has moved from the storage position to the use position as described later. When it is determined that “the hardware keyboard 102 is arranged to be operable”, the display control unit 120 switches the screen display so that the user can select a desired key input screen.

  FIG. 4 shows how the hardware keyboard 102 is mounted. In the exemplary MFP 1, the operation panel 10 includes a touch panel unit 10A and a keyboard unit 10B. The touch panel 101 arranged with some fixed keys on the touch panel unit 10A includes a display that displays an operation screen and a translucent touch input device that is in close contact with the display surface. The front surface of the touch panel 101 facing diagonally upward serves as both a display surface and a touch operation surface. The keyboard unit 10B is a slider integrated with the hardware keyboard 102, and the touch panel unit 10A can be manually moved between a storage position below the touch panel unit 10A and a use position outside the touch panel unit 10A. It is assembled.

  4A, the keyboard unit 10B is in the storage position, and in FIG. 4B, the keyboard unit 10B is in the use position. The hardware keyboard 102 is arranged so that it can be operated by the user pulling out the keyboard unit 10B from the storage position to the use position in front of it. Here, “operable” means a state in which all keys of the hardware keyboard 102 are exposed and the user can touch the keys, and even if the user operates the keys, the display control unit 120 can accept them. Including the invalid state. If the pulled out keyboard unit 10B is pushed back, the hardware keyboard 102 is hidden by the touch panel unit 10A.

  An overall operation flow in the MFP 1 having such a hardware keyboard 102 is shown in FIG.

  The CPU 113 responsible for controlling the MFP 1 executes an initialization process in response to power-on or reset operation (step S10). In the initialization process, the S-RAM 115 is cleared and the standard mode is set. After completing the initialization process, the CPU 113 repeatedly executes the routines of steps S11 to S18.

  In step S <b> 11, the CPU 113 operates as the state determination unit 130. The state determination unit 130 extracts the hardware keyboard 180 by comparing the output value of the keyboard interface 103 acquired and stored in the previous execution of step S11 with the output value acquired in the current execution. It is determined whether or not the change in the arrangement state is a time point between the previous execution of step S11 and the current execution.

  If the hardware keyboard 102 has not been pulled out or has been pulled out this time, the determination result in step S11 is No. In that case, the CPU 113 proceeds to step S15.

  On the other hand, when the hardware keyboard 102 is arranged to be operable (Yes in step S11), the CPU 113 operates as the display control unit 120 in steps S12, S13, and S14. The display control unit 120 confirms what kind of screen the operation screen (referred to as “original screen”) displayed on the touch panel 101 at the current time point when the hardware keyboard 102 is operably disposed (referred to as “original screen”) ( In step S12), a shortcut key to be displayed is determined for the convenience of the user (step S13). The shortcut key is an operation key for instructing the screen switching from the original screen to the key input screen for accepting key input from the hardware keyboard. The MFP 1 has a plurality of key input screens, and inevitably a plurality of shortcut keys. Among the plurality of shortcut keys, a shortcut key estimated to be necessary for the user is selected to be displayed at the stage where the original screen is displayed. Then, the display control unit 120 switches the display on the touch panel 101 from the original screen to the switching instruction screen having the shortcut key determined in step S13 (step S14). Thereafter, the CPU 113 proceeds to step S15.

  In step S <b> 15, the CPU 113 checks whether there is any request (instruction) from the user via the operation panel 10. When there is any operation on the touch panel 101 or the hardware keyboard 102 (Yes in step S15), the CPU 113 executes a process requested by the user (step S16). The processing executed here is various. For example, when the copy is requested, the operation of the operation screen corresponding to the control of the mechanism operation such as operating the image scanner 13 or the printer engine 15 and the pressing of the shortcut key or other operation keys is performed. Includes switching. When switching the operation screen, the CPU 113 operates as the display control unit 120. If there is no request from the operation panel 10 (No in step S15), the CPU 113 proceeds to step S17.

  In step S17, the CPU 113 checks whether there is any request from the external device. When any request is received by the network interface 18, the CPU 113 executes a process requested by the external device (step S18). There are various processes executed here, such as a relatively simple process such as transmission of a response to a communication request, and a relatively complicated process such as execution of a job in response to a print request. When the change of the operation setting is requested, the CPU 113 rewrites various setting information stored in the NV-RAM 116. When execution of the requested processing is completed, the CPU 113 returns to step S11.

  Next, the display control unit 120 corresponding to steps S12 to S14 and step S16 of FIG. 5 will be further described. When the display control unit 120 changes the display from the original screen to the switching instruction screen in response to the hardware keyboard 102 being operably arranged, a shortcut key to be arranged on the switching instruction screen is determined in advance. Determined according to the order of the original screen in the screen hierarchy. Specifically, the display control unit 120 causes the display of the touch panel 101 to display a switching instruction screen having only shortcut keys related to one of the original screen and the operation screens below it among the plurality of shortcut keys.

  The characteristic function of the display control unit 120 is based on inference regarding the use of the hardware keyboard 102. Usually, the hardware keyboard 102 is pulled out when the user tries to use the hardware keyboard 102. If the original screen is not at the top of the screen hierarchy, it is assumed that most of the situations are situations where the user is trying to perform key input on the original screen or a key input screen lower than the original screen.

  By automatically displaying the switching instruction screen when the hardware keyboard 102 is pulled out, the user can quickly display the desired key input screen by operating the shortcut key regardless of the order of the original screen. Key input using the wear keyboard 102 can be started. That is, even if the desired key input screen is not the original screen and the screen directly above or below the original screen, the user does not have to manually switch the screen sequentially from the original screen to display the desired key input screen. Good. In addition, since the shortcut keys related to the operation screen higher than the original screen are not displayed on the switching instruction screen, the shortcut keys to be operated among the displayed shortcut keys are compared to the case where all the shortcut keys are displayed. Easy to find.

  FIG. 6 shows a specific example of switching of the operation screen when the hardware keyboard 102 is arranged to be operable.

  When the power switch of MFP 1 is turned on and the warm-up is completed, or when user authentication by MFP 1 is completed in an operation that requires the user to log in, standby screen Q1 is displayed. The standby screen Q1 is the highest-level operation screen among many hierarchical operation screens for the user to instruct operation settings. Other operation screens are displayed after the standby screen Q1 is displayed. When the user performs an operation of selecting a desired function of the MFP 1, the display is switched to an operation screen related to the selected function. Note that the standby screen Q1 is also displayed when a reset operation is performed and when a non-operation state in which another operation screen is displayed continues for a certain period of time.

  When the hardware keyboard 102 is pulled out in a state where no key operation is performed while the standby screen Q1 is displayed, a switching instruction screen Q31 is displayed. The switching instruction screen Q31 has a number of shortcut keys corresponding to all the key input screens Q41, Q42, Q43, Q44, and Q45 prepared for the user (see FIG. 8 described later). That is, on the switching instruction screen Q31, all of the user key input screens Q41 to Q45 are options for selecting the next screen by the user.

  When the user or service person performs a predetermined key operation while the standby screen Q1 is displayed, a lower-level operation screen is displayed with respect to the standby screen Q1. Of the lower-level operation screens that are displayed through one screen switching or a plurality of screen switching operations in accordance with a series of key operations, the facsimile setting screen Q3, the box setting screen Q5, and the copy setting screen Q7 are screens related to keyboard input. And a service man screen Q9. The facsimile setting screen Q3, the box setting screen Q5, and the copy setting screen Q7 are operation screens for settings related to “facsimile communication”, “box processing”, and “copy” among the functions of the MFP 1. The serviceman screen Q9 is an operation screen for setting by the serviceman.

  When the hardware keyboard 102 is pulled out while the facsimile setting screen Q3 is displayed, a switching instruction screen Q32 is displayed. The switching instruction screen Q32 has three shortcut keys related to either the facsimile setting screen Q3 or an operation screen (not shown) below it (see FIG. 10 described later). When the hardware keyboard 102 is pulled out while the box setting screen Q5 is displayed, a switching instruction screen Q33 is displayed. The switching instruction screen Q33 has two shortcut keys related to either the box setting screen Q5 or an operation screen (not shown) below it (see FIG. 12 described later).

  When the hardware keyboard 102 is pulled out while the copy setting screen Q7 is displayed, the key input screen Q45 is displayed instead of the switching instruction screen. That is, since the key input screen related to the copy setting screen Q7 is only the key input screen Q45 for header / footer input, the display of the shortcut key is omitted, and the copy setting screen Q7 directly displays the key input screen Q45. The screen is switched.

  When the hardware keyboard 102 is pulled out while the serviceman screen Q9 is displayed, a key input screen Q51 for the serviceman is displayed. The key input screen Q51 has a monitor area for displaying a long character string input by the key (see FIG. 14 described later).

  The display forms of the switching instruction screens Q31, Q32, Q33 and the key input screens Q45, Q51 may be a display change of the entire display surface displayed instead of the original screen, or partially overlap the original screen. Pop-up display may be used.

  Hereinafter, specific examples of screen configurations of a plurality of operation screens will be given.

  In FIG. 7, a standby screen Q1 covering almost the entire display surface of the touch panel 101 includes an area 61 for displaying a message and an apparatus state, an area 65 for displaying a read document image, and an area 66 for displaying a preview of image output. Have. Further, the standby screen Q1 has seven selection keys for selecting basic setting items related to “copy”, which is a frequently used function in the MFP. Specifically, an original image quality key 71, a color mode key 72, a density key 73, a paper size key 74, a zoom magnification key 75, a duplex / page aggregation key 76, and a finishing key 77 are arranged in a row at the lower end portion of the copy setting screen Q1. They are arranged side by side. When the user touches any of these seven selection keys, a screen for setting items corresponding to the touched selection key (one of copy setting screens Q7) is displayed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the switching instruction screen Q31 displayed after switching from the standby screen Q1 has five shortcut keys 91, 92, 93, 94, and 95. The shortcut key 91 corresponds to a key input screen Q41 for facsimile communication destinations and e-mail text input. The shortcut key 92 corresponds to the key input screen Q42 for accessing the personal box of the user who has logged in to the MFP 1. The shortcut key 93 corresponds to the key input screen Q45 described above for header / footer input. The shortcut key 94 corresponds to a key input screen Q43 related to LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) destination search. The shortcut key 95 corresponds to the key input screen Q44 for accessing a confidential box with a high security level.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the facsimile setting screen Q3 has an area 67 in which keys for selecting one-touch destinations registered by the user or the administrator are arranged. Each key is given a destination name. As destinations, not only facsimile telephone numbers but also e-mail addresses, data communication addresses using various protocols such as SMB (Server Message Block) and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) can be registered. The facsimile setting screen Q3 has six selection keys 72, 81, 82, 83, 84, and 85 for selecting setting items related to transmission and reception.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the switching instruction screen Q32 displayed after switching from the facsimile setting screen Q3, two of the five shortcut keys 91 to 95 are omitted, and only the shortcut keys 91, 83, and 94 are displayed. The

  When the user touches the shortcut key 93 to display the key input screen Q45, for example, the header of the e-mail can be rewritten by the hardware keyboard 102. The e-mail is to send the scanned image as an attached file, to send a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) that is the storage location of the scanned image as the body of the mail, or to the content of the trouble that has occurred in the MFP To notify the manufacturer. A user who is familiar with e-mail can input a character string to be written in the header without performing complicated touch panel operations.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the box setting screen Q5 has an area 68 for displaying a list of files in each box for each box type such as shared or individual.

  As shown in FIG. 12, on the switching instruction screen Q33 displayed after switching from the box setting screen Q5, three of the five shortcut keys 91 to 95 are omitted, and only the shortcut keys 92 and 95 are displayed.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the serviceman screen Q7, selection keys for selecting a large number of setting items are arranged in the left half, and the detailed items of the items selected in the left half are selected in the right half. A selection key is placed. In the figure, the item “system setting 1” is selected in the left half, and the selection key of this item is emphasized by black and white reversal.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the key input screen Q51 displayed by switching from the service person screen Q73 has a monitor window W5 that displays a character string input by the hardware keyboard 102. In the key input screen Q51, the service person can quickly perform an intended operation including setting of a large number of items by inputting a terminal command without switching the screen by pressing a selection key.

  In the above embodiment, an example has been given in which shortcut keys related to operation screens higher than the original screen are not displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Regardless of the order in the screen hierarchy of the original screen, shortcut keys corresponding to all key input screens related to the original screen may be arranged on the switching instruction screen displayed by switching from the original screen. When there are a large number of shortcut keys related to the original screen, a key deeply related to the original screen may be preferentially selected and displayed.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the original screen is a screen that displays a trouble occurrence, a key input screen for inputting a message sent to the manufacturer can be displayed. Further, instead of the key input screen, a switching instruction screen having a shortcut key for selecting a key input screen or a screen for displaying manufacturer information may be displayed.

  When the original screen is a screen for displaying details of a print job, a key input screen for editing a character string of a command described in PJL (Printer Job Language) or another page description language can be displayed. A user who is familiar with the page description language can quickly rewrite the contents of a print job without performing complicated touch panel operations.

  In the above-described embodiment, the hardware keyboard 102 may be a standard device in which the user cannot select whether to install the MFP 1 when purchasing the MFP 1, or may be an optional device for the user to select whether to install. Also good.

  Instead of assembling the hardware keyboard 102 to the operation panel 10, the present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which a user appropriately attaches and detaches as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

1 MFP (image forming device)
101 Touch panel (display)
102 Hardware keyboard Q41, Q42, Q43, Q44, Q45 Key input screen (operation screen)
Key input screen for Q51 service person (operation screen)
Q1 Standby screen (operation screen)
Q3 Facsimile setting screen (operation screen)
Q5 Box setting screen (operation screen)
Q7 Copy setting screen (operation screen)
Q9 Serviceman screen (operation screen)
Q31, Q32, Q33 Switching instruction screen (operation screen)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 120 Display control part 130 State determination part 91,92,93,94,95 Shortcut key 113 CPU (computer)

Claims (5)

An image forming apparatus capable of input operation using a hardware keyboard,
A display for displaying the screen;
A display controller that selectively displays a plurality of key input screens and other operation screens, which are operation screens that accept key inputs from the hardware keyboard, on the display;
A state determination unit that determines whether or not the hardware keyboard is arranged to be operable,
The display control unit includes a plurality of shortcuts for an operation for instructing screen switching to each of the plurality of key input screens when the state determination unit determines that the hardware keyboard is operably arranged. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that a switching instruction screen having at least one of keys is displayed on the display. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware keyboard can be operated by being pulled forward from a storage position below the display. The image formation according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit switches the shortcut key to be displayed on the switching instruction screen in accordance with an operation screen displayed when the hardware keyboard is arranged to be operable. apparatus. The display control unit includes the operation screen of a plurality of shortcut keys and the operation screen according to a predetermined order of the screen hierarchy of the operation screen displayed when the hardware keyboard is arranged to be operable. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein only the shortcut keys related to any of the lower operation screens are displayed. A computer program to be executed in an image forming apparatus capable of input operation using a hardware keyboard,
When executed by a computer included in the image forming apparatus,
A state determination unit that determines whether or not the hardware keyboard is arranged to be operable;
A plurality of key input screens that are operation screens for receiving key inputs from the hardware keyboard and other operation screens are selectively displayed on a display provided in the image forming apparatus, and the hardware keyboard is arranged to be operable. A switching instruction screen having at least one of a plurality of shortcut keys for an operation for instructing a screen switching to each of the plurality of key input screens is displayed on the display when determined by the state determination unit. A computer program for causing a computer to realize a display control unit.

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