JP2013186665A - Operation system of image forming apparatus, image forming apparatus, operation terminal, control method of image forming apparatus, control method of operation terminal, control program of image forming apparatus, and control program of operation terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation system of an image forming apparatus capable of quickly displaying information relating to the image forming apparatus even on an operation terminal on a remote side.SOLUTION: A remote terminal 401 performs display on a display panel thereof on the basis of display data transmitted from an image forming apparatus 1. When the remote terminal 401 receives text information together with image data as display data, it performs display in a predetermined area of the display by using the received image data and the text information (S107). When a predetermined update operation for updating the display is performed (S108), the remote terminal 401 updates the display by using the received text information (S109).

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation system for an image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an operation terminal, an image forming apparatus control method, an operation terminal control method, an image forming apparatus control program, and an operation terminal control program. An image forming apparatus operating system, an image forming apparatus, an operating terminal, an image forming apparatus control method, and an operating terminal control The present invention relates to a method, a control program for an image forming apparatus, and a control program for an operation terminal.

  As an image forming apparatus (scanner function, facsimile function, copying function, printer function, data communication function, and MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) having a server function, facsimile apparatus, copying machine, printer, etc.), an image forming apparatus There are some which can be remotely operated by a user using an operation terminal on which information about the information is displayed.

  Examples of such an operation system for an image forming apparatus using an operation terminal include the following. That is, the operation terminal can communicate with the image forming apparatus via a network, for example. The operation terminal has a display panel. Image data sent from the image forming apparatus is displayed on the display panel of the operation terminal. The operation terminal performs display equivalent to the operation panel of the image forming apparatus. The user confirms the display contents on the display panel and performs operation input on the operation terminal. The operation terminal transmits the input information to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus performs various functions based on operation instructions sent from the operation terminal.

  Patent Document 1 below discloses that when a document having a large amount of information is displayed on a display screen in a terminal device, the display area is scrolled in units of rows or columns by operating a scroll key. In this terminal device, the boundary between the contents of the old display area displayed immediately before by one operation of the scroll key and the contents of the new display area updated and displayed by one operation of the scroll key is visually recognized. The identification display area for display is displayed.

JP 2011-165205 A

  In a conventional image forming apparatus operation system, the operation terminal and the image forming apparatus generally operate as follows. That is, the operation terminal notifies the image forming apparatus of the content operated by the user. The image forming apparatus transmits screen data corresponding to the operation result to the operation terminal. Then, the operation terminal performs display based on the image data received from the image forming apparatus.

  FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operation performed in a conventional operation system for an image forming apparatus.

  10, the operation system includes an image forming apparatus 801 and a remote terminal (operation terminal) 841 that is an operation terminal capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus 801. In step S801, the remote terminal 841 accepts a key input made by the user. Here, the key input refers to, for example, an input operation performed to change the display screen of the remote terminal 841 from the currently displayed screen to the next screen.

  When key input is performed, the remote terminal 841 sends the input key information (key information) to the image forming apparatus 801 in step S802.

  In step S <b> 803, the image forming apparatus 801 determines whether key input can be received based on the key information transmitted from the remote terminal 841. If accepted, the image forming apparatus 801 accepts key input.

  In step S804, the image forming apparatus 801 updates the display screen according to the received key. That is, the image forming apparatus 801 generates screen data after updating the screen displayed on the remote terminal 841.

  In step S <b> 805, the image forming apparatus 801 transmits the generated screen data to the remote terminal 841.

  In step S806, the remote terminal 841 updates the screen to be displayed based on the screen data transmitted from the image forming apparatus 801.

  Such operations in steps S801 to S806 are repeated each time a key operation is performed on the remote terminal 841.

  In the image forming apparatus, information is displayed and a user's operation input is received using a display panel such as an LCD panel. A display panel cannot display more information than can be displayed at once. For this reason, for example, when a list display including a large number of items is performed, a scroll display that updates the display contents each time a scroll operation is performed is generally performed. The user can find the target item by repeating the scroll operation.

  For example, on a history display screen of a job performed by the image forming apparatus, a list including many items is displayed. On the list display screen displaying such a list, items displayed on one screen are updated as the up key (↑ key), the down key (↓ key), or the like is pressed. That is, on the list display screen, scroll display is performed as the scroll operation is performed.

  The operation at the time of the conventional scroll operation will be described by taking as an example an operation system constituted by the image forming apparatus 801 and the remote terminal 841 described above.

  FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operation performed in accordance with a scroll operation in a conventional operation system for an image forming apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in step S811, the remote terminal 841 accepts key input. Here, the key input is performed, for example, for a down key for transitioning to the next screen by scroll display (↓ key on).

  In step S812, the remote terminal 841 sends the input down key information to the image forming apparatus 801.

  In step S813, the image forming apparatus 801 determines whether or not the down key input can be accepted based on the key information sent from the remote terminal 841. If it can be accepted, the image forming apparatus 801 accepts an input of a down key.

  In step S814, the image forming apparatus 801 updates the display screen according to the key that has received the input. That is, the image forming apparatus 801 generates updated screen data in response to the down key being input. The updated screen data is screen data of a list screen in which the display contents are scrolled by one page.

  In step S815, the image forming apparatus 801 transmits the generated screen data to the remote terminal 841.

  In step S816, the remote terminal 841 updates the screen to be displayed based on the screen data transmitted from the image forming apparatus 801. As a result, the remote terminal 841 displays a list screen scrolled by one page. The list screen can be scrolled by one page by operating the down key.

  Thereafter, when the down key is operated again (S821), the same operations as in steps S811 to S816 are performed (steps S821 to S826). Such an operation is usually repeated until the user finds a desired item.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a screen display example on the operation terminal side when a scroll operation is performed in the operation system of the conventional image forming apparatus.

  In FIG. 12, a display screen 811 of the display panel (touch panel) of the remote terminal 841 is shown. For example, a list is displayed on the display screen 811. The list displayed here is assumed to include items such as “list 1”, “list 2”, “list 3”, “list 4”, and so on over a plurality of lines. A part of the display screen 811 displays a down key 815 that can be input by touching the user. One display screen 811 can display three items in the list.

  As the process as shown in FIG. 11 is performed between the image forming apparatus 801 and the remote terminal 841, the display content on the remote terminal 841 changes as shown in FIG. 12, for example. That is, the display screen 811 is displayed in an initial state when the list screen is transitioned to. Generally, in the initial state, the items are displayed in order from the first item in the list. From this state, the user repeats the operation of the down key 815 until a desired item is displayed. Every time the down key 815 is operated, screen data is transmitted from the image forming apparatus 801, and the display screen 811 is updated on the remote terminal 841.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 12, in step S851, the display screen 811 displays the first image 811a including the items “list 1”, “list 2”, and “list 3” in the list. ing.

  In step S852, the down key 815 displayed on the display screen 811 in step S851 is turned on.

  As the down key 815 is operated, a scroll operation is performed, so that the second image 811b is displayed on the display screen 811 in step S853. The second image 811b includes items of “list 4”, “list 5”, and “list 6”. That is, the list is displayed by scrolling one page from the state of the first image 811a.

  In step S854, the down key 815 displayed on the display screen 811 in step S853 is turned on.

  As the down key 815 is operated, the third image 811c is displayed on the display screen 811 in step S855. The third image 811c includes items “list 7”, “list 8”, and “list 9”. That is, the list is displayed by scrolling one page from the state of the second image 811b.

  Such an operation is repeated until a desired item is displayed on the display screen 811, and the display content of the image is changed.

  By the way, in such a conventional operation system, there is a problem that it takes time (a delay occurs) until the display screen of the operation terminal is updated after the scroll operation is performed on the operation terminal.

  That is, in the conventional operation system, image data communication is performed every time a scroll operation is performed. Since the display data has a large data size, communication takes time. The operation terminal accepts an operation by the user, updates an image drawn on the screen, and the like while communicating display data. The user needs to repeat a series of operations of performing a scroll operation, waiting for the display screen of the operation terminal to be updated, and searching for a desired item in the displayed screen. Therefore, when the scroll operation is repeatedly performed, it takes a long time corresponding to the number of operations.

  When such a delay occurs, the user cannot comfortably use the operation terminal, and the usability of the operation system is impaired.

  Such a problem becomes particularly noticeable when the number of items to be displayed is large. In other words, when the number of items is small (for example, the amount is large enough to be displayed on one page or two pages), it is assumed that a user operation (for example, so-called flick operation or scroll operation) is performed on the remote side To do. In this case, since the update time of the screen does not become so long even if it is totaled, the time until the target item is displayed becomes relatively short.

  On the other hand, when there are many items (for example, when it is an amount that cannot be displayed unless it is displayed over a large number of pages), it is assumed that the user performs an operation on the remote side. In this case, the user may have to repeat the operation many times until the target item is displayed. In other words, the total screen update time may take a long time, and the time until the target item is displayed may be relatively long.

  An effective solution for such a problem is not disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an operation system of an image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus capable of promptly displaying information related to the image forming apparatus at an operation terminal on the remote side. It is an object to provide an operation terminal, an image forming apparatus control method, an operation terminal control method, an image forming apparatus control program, and an operation terminal control program.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus having a function of forming an image on a sheet and a display that is communicable with the image forming apparatus and that is based on display data sent from the image forming apparatus. When an operation terminal receives text information together with image data as display data, the operation system of the image forming apparatus having a display terminal that performs the display uses the received image data and text information to perform a predetermined display on the display. A first display means for displaying in the area, an operation accepting means for accepting an operation made by the user for the display by the first display means, and an operation accepted by the operation accepting means displays the display by the first display means. A determination means for determining whether or not the operation is a predetermined update operation for updating, and the determination means determines that the operation is an update operation; The first update means for updating the display by the first display means using the text information and the operation received by the operation reception means when the determination means determines that the operation is not an update operation. Operation transmitting means for transmitting a signal based on the image forming apparatus to the image forming apparatus.

  Preferably, the operation terminal further includes second display means for displaying the received image data in a predetermined area of the display when only the image data is received as the display data.

  Preferably, the image forming apparatus includes area information transmitting means for transmitting information related to the text display area corresponding to the image data to the operation terminal when transmitting the text information together with the image data as display data. The display unit displays the text information based on the information transmitted by the region information transmission unit.

  Preferably, when transmitting display data to the operation terminal, the image forming apparatus determines whether to transmit text information to the operation terminal in addition to image data as display data according to the number of display items to be displayed. Switch.

  Preferably, the first display means determines whether or not the information to be displayed included in the text information can be displayed on one screen, and if the information can be displayed on one screen, the first display means displays the first image based on the received image data. The information to be displayed at the position 1 is synthesized, the synthesized image is displayed, and if it cannot be displayed on one screen, the information to be displayed is synthesized at the second position different from the first position. Then, the synthesized image is displayed.

  Preferably, the second position is a position in a second image different from the first image displayed for operating the image forming apparatus on the operation terminal. When an update operation is accepted for an image, the update is performed using the received text information.

  Preferably, the operation terminal selects a display item included in the display by the first display unit or a selection operation for a display item included in the display updated by the first update unit, and selected by the selection reception unit. And item information notifying means for notifying the image forming apparatus of information relating to the display item that has been accepted, and the image forming apparatus accepts a selection operation based on the information notified by the item information notifying means. And a selection state transmitting means for transmitting display data of a screen to be displayed on the operation terminal to the operation terminal.

  Preferably, the selection state transmitting means is configured so that the display mode for the display item accepted to be selected is different from the display mode for the other display items in the non-selected state, and after the selection operation is accepted, the operation terminal Text information about the screen to be displayed is generated, and the text information is included in the display data and transmitted to the operation terminal.

  Preferably, the selection state transmission means includes a screen that is displayed on the operation terminal after the selection operation is received, including information indicating that the selection operation has been performed on at least the display item that has been selected. The text information is generated and transmitted to the operation terminal by including the text information in the display data. The operation terminal updates the image displayed on the display based on the display data transmitted by the selection state transmitting means. 2 updating means, and the second updating means updates the display items in which the selection operation is performed and the display items in which the selection operation is not performed so that the display modes are different.

  Preferably, the display data includes information for performing a list display for displaying a plurality of display items, and the update operation is an operation for scrolling and displaying the list display displayed by the first display means. When the update operation is performed, the first update unit does not notify the image forming apparatus of the update operation information, and performs list display when scrolling using the received text information.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with an external operation terminal having a display and operating in accordance with a signal sent from the operation terminal is a display relating to a screen displayed on the display by the operation terminal. Display data transmitting means for transmitting data, and area information transmitting means for transmitting information related to the text display area corresponding to the image data to the operation terminal when the text information is transmitted together with the image data as display data by the data transmitting means. Is provided.

  Preferably, when the display data transmitting means transmits display data to the operation terminal, whether or not to transmit text information to the operation terminal in addition to image data as display data depends on the number of display items to be displayed. To switch.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, an operation terminal that can communicate with an external image forming apparatus and has a display that performs display based on display data sent from the image forming apparatus has text information as display data together with image data. Display means for displaying in a predetermined area of the display using the received image data and text information, operation accepting means for accepting an operation performed by the user for display by the display means, and operation accepting means Determining means for determining whether or not the operation accepted in step S3 is a predetermined update operation for updating the display by the display means, and when the determination means determines that the operation is an update operation, the text information is Update means for updating the display by the display means, and the determination means determines that the operation is not an update operation. , And an operation transmitting means for transmitting a signal based on the operation received by the operation acceptance means to the image forming apparatus.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with an external operation terminal having a display and operating according to a signal sent from the operation terminal is displayed on the operation terminal. A display data transmission step for transmitting display data relating to the screen to be transmitted, and an area for transmitting information relating to the text display area corresponding to the image data to the operation terminal when the text transmission is transmitted together with the image data as display data by the data transmission step. An information transmission step.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling an operation terminal having a display capable of communicating with an external image forming apparatus and performing display based on display data sent from the image forming apparatus includes: When the text information is received together with the received image data and the text information, a display step for displaying in a predetermined area of the display, an operation reception step for receiving an operation performed by the user for the display by the display step, A determination step for determining whether the operation received in the operation reception step is a predetermined update operation for updating the display in the display step; and when the determination step determines that the operation is an update operation, An update step that updates the display in the display step using text information, and judgment When the operation by the step is determined not to update the operation, and an operation transmitting step of transmitting a signal based on the operation received by the operation receiving step to the image forming apparatus.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a control program for an image forming apparatus that can communicate with an external operation terminal having a display and operates in accordance with a signal transmitted from the operation terminal is displayed on the display on the operation terminal. A display data transmission step for transmitting display data relating to the screen to be transmitted, and an area for transmitting information relating to the text display area corresponding to the image data to the operation terminal when the text transmission is transmitted together with the image data as display data by the data transmission step. Causing the computer to execute an information transmission step.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a control program for an operation terminal capable of communicating with an external image forming apparatus and having a display that performs display based on display data sent from the image forming apparatus is provided as image data as display data. When the text information is received together with the received image data and the text information, a display step for displaying in a predetermined area of the display, an operation reception step for receiving an operation performed by the user for the display by the display step, A determination step for determining whether the operation received in the operation reception step is a predetermined update operation for updating the display in the display step; and when the determination step determines that the operation is an update operation, An update step for updating the display in the display step using text information; and When the operation by the determination step is determined not to update the operation, to perform an operation sending step of sending a signal based on the operation received by the operation receiving step to the image forming apparatus to the computer.

  According to these inventions, image data and text information are sent to the operation terminal, and when an update operation is performed on the operation terminal, the display is updated using the text information. Accordingly, an operation system for an image forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an operation terminal, a control method for the image forming apparatus, a control method for the operation terminal, an image, which can promptly display information about the image forming apparatus on the operation terminal on the remote side A control program for the forming apparatus and a control program for the operation terminal can be provided.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an operation system for an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a remote terminal. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the flow of a scroll display. It is a figure explaining an example of the scroll display performed in a remote terminal. It is a figure explaining another example of the scroll display performed in a remote terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of the state as which one of the items displayed by the list is selected. It is a figure which shows the other example of the state in which one of the items currently displayed by the list is selected. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operation performed in a conventional image forming apparatus operation system. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operation performed in accordance with a scroll operation in a conventional image forming apparatus operation system. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display by the side of an operation terminal when scroll operation is performed in the operation system of the conventional image forming apparatus.

  Hereinafter, an operation system of an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The image forming system includes an image forming apparatus and a remote terminal (operation terminal).

  The image forming apparatus is an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) having a scanner function, a copying function, a printer function, a facsimile function, a data communication function, and a server function. The scanner function is a function for reading an image of a set original and storing it in an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like. The copying function is a function of printing (printing) it on paper or the like. The function as a printer is a function for printing on a sheet based on an instruction received from an external terminal such as a PC. The facsimile function is a function for receiving facsimile data from an external facsimile machine or the like and storing it in an HDD or the like. The data communication function is a function for transmitting / receiving data to / from a connected external device. The server function is a function that allows a plurality of users to share data stored in the HDD or the like.

  The remote terminal is an information processing device (personal computer (PC), tablet terminal device, etc.) having various functions such as a data communication function and information storage, browsing, and output functions. The data communication function is a function for performing data communication with other devices via, for example, a mobile phone network or other networks. The data communication function can be performed by wireless communication, for example. Information storage, browsing, and output functions can store information sent from an external device or information input by a user, display the stored information on a display, or send it to an external device It is a function to make.

  The image forming apparatus and the remote terminal can communicate with each other using a predetermined wireless communication protocol. When the connection between the image forming apparatus and the remote terminal is established in a state in which the image forming apparatus and the remote terminal can communicate with each other so that they can recognize each other, the image forming apparatus and the remote terminal cooperate with each other so that data communication is possible. Note that the image forming apparatus and the remote terminal may be able to directly send and receive information, or may be able to send and receive information via a server device provided separately.

  In the present embodiment, the remote terminal has a display that performs display equivalent to an operation panel provided in the image forming apparatus. That is, the remote terminal can display an operation screen for operating the image forming apparatus. The operation screen is displayed based on screen data transmitted from the image forming apparatus, for example. The remote terminal transmits the input information to the image forming apparatus based on the user's operation performed on the remote terminal. The user can operate the image forming apparatus by displaying an operation screen on the remote terminal and performing a predetermined operation input on the operation screen.

  When receiving only screen data (LCD screen drawing data) from the image forming apparatus, the remote terminal draws the received screen data as it is in a predetermined area. When the remote terminal receives the text information together with the screen data, the remote terminal processes the screen data and the text information and displays them in a predetermined area. The remote terminal determines whether the operation is to update the display or other operation based on the detection of the operation in the area displaying the processed information. Based on the determination result, the remote terminal updates the display with the image data generated on the remote terminal side if it is a display update operation, and notifies the image forming apparatus of operation information otherwise.

  When transmitting the text information, the image forming apparatus transmits region information of a portion (text drawing position) to be a text display region in the screen data at the same time. Here, the area information includes, for example, start coordinates, font size, character spacing, maximum number of lines, maximum number of characters on one line, and the like. The remote terminal combines and displays the image indicated by the image data and the information to be displayed in the text information in accordance with the area information of the text display area.

  The text information is information including the number of display items and item character information, for example. The image forming apparatus determines whether to transmit text information together with screen information according to the number of display items. When transmitting text information, the number of display items and item character information are added to the screen data for transmission. On the other hand, when text information is not transmitted, only screen data is transmitted. In other words, the image forming apparatus does not transmit text information on a screen that does not require scroll display.

  The remote terminal determines whether all the received character information to be displayed can be displayed in the text display area of one screen. If it can be displayed on one screen, the information to be displayed is synthesized and displayed in the designated coordinates in the received screen data. On the other hand, if it cannot be displayed on one screen, the character information to be displayed is synthesized and displayed at a position different from the designated coordinates. At this time, the display area is a separate screen from the normal remote operation screen. When an update operation (scroll operation) is performed within this screen, the remote terminal does not notify the image forming apparatus of operation information. In this case, the remote terminal draws the scrolled screen using the received text information.

  When a specific item is selected on the screen, the remote terminal notifies the image forming apparatus of selection information indicating which item is selected. Based on the selection information, the image forming apparatus transmits screen data of a screen to be displayed after item selection to the remote terminal.

  When the selection information is notified, the image forming apparatus changes the text information of the display item in the selected state in the screen data transmitted to the remote terminal thereafter. For example, the font information of the display item in the selected state is changed from the other items in the non-selected state. Examples of font information include color, size, character type, and the like.

  Note that when the selection information is notified, the image forming apparatus includes information indicating whether each display item is in a selected state or a non-selected state in the text information of the screen data that is transmitted to the remote terminal thereafter. You may do it. At this time, the remote terminal changes the display method of each item depending on whether or not each display item is selected.

  [Embodiment]

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an operation system for an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, the operation system 500 includes the image forming apparatus 1 and a remote terminal 401.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the remote terminal 401 includes an operation unit 411, a screen control unit 417, a control unit 420, a storage unit 427, and a communication unit 450. Details of each part will be described later. The remote terminal 401 is a laptop PC, for example.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes an operation unit 11, a screen display unit 17, a control unit 20, a nonvolatile memory (storage unit) 27, and a communication unit 50.

  The image forming apparatus 1 and the remote terminal 401 can communicate with each other by a predetermined protocol (for example, a wireless LAN (local area network)) using the communication units 50 and 450, respectively. The image forming apparatus 1 can operate based on information sent from the remote terminal 401. By using the remote terminal 401, the user can easily remotely operate the image forming apparatus 1.

  [Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 1]

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a paper feed cassette 3, a paper discharge tray 5, an operation unit 11, a control unit 20, an image forming unit 30, and an image reading unit 40. The control unit 20 includes a CPU and the like, and controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 20, the image forming unit 30, the image reading unit 40, and the like are arranged inside the housing of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The image forming apparatus 1 has three paper feed cassettes 3 (paper feed cassettes 3a, 3b, 3c). Each paper feed cassette 3 is loaded with, for example, different sizes of paper (B5 size, A4 size, A3 size, etc.). The paper feed cassette 3 is disposed in the lower part of the image forming apparatus 1 so as to be detachable from the housing of the image forming apparatus 1. The paper loaded in each paper feed cassette 3 is fed one by one from the paper feed cassette 3 and sent to the image forming unit 30 at the time of printing. Note that the number of paper feed cassettes 3 is not limited to three, and may be more or less.

  The paper discharge tray 5 is disposed above the portion of the housing of the image forming apparatus 1 where the image forming unit 30 is stored and below the portion where the image reading unit 40 is disposed. The paper on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 30 is discharged from the inside of the housing to the paper discharge tray 5.

  The operation unit 11 is disposed on the upper front side (front side in the drawing) of the image forming apparatus 1. The operation unit 11 includes a plurality of operation buttons 11a that can be pressed by the user. In addition, the operation unit 11 is provided with a display panel 13 for displaying information to the user.

  The display panel 13 is a touch panel. The display panel 13 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display panel 13 displays a guidance screen for the user or displays an operation button to accept a touch operation from the user. The display panel 13 performs display under the control of the control unit 20 and controlled by the screen control unit 17. The operation unit 11 accepts an operation input made by the user to the operation buttons 11 a and the display panel 13. When the operation button 11 a or the display panel 13 is operated by the user, the operation unit 11 transmits an operation signal or a predetermined command corresponding to the operation to the control unit 20. That is, the user can cause the image forming apparatus 1 to execute various operations by operating the operation buttons 11 a and the display panel 13.

  The image forming unit 30 roughly includes a toner image forming unit (not shown), a paper transport unit (not shown), and a fixing device (not shown). The image forming unit 30 forms an image on a sheet by, for example, electrophotography.

  The paper transport unit includes a paper feed roller, a transport solar, and a motor that drives them. The paper transport unit feeds paper from the paper feed cassette 3 and transports it inside the housing of the image forming apparatus 1. Further, the paper transport unit discharges the paper on which the image is formed from the housing of the image forming apparatus 1 to the paper discharge tray 5 or the like.

  The fixing device has a heating roller and a pressure roller. The fixing device conveys the sheet on which the toner image is formed between the heating roller and the pressure roller, and heats and presses the sheet. As a result, the fixing device melts the toner adhering to the paper and fixes it on the paper to form an image on the paper.

  The image reading unit 40 is disposed on the upper part of the housing of the image forming apparatus 1. The image reading unit 40 includes an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) 41. The image reading unit 40 performs the above-described scanner function. The image reading unit 40 scans a document placed on a transparent document table with a contact image sensor and reads it as image data. The image reading unit 40 reads a plurality of documents set on the document tray one by one by the ADF 41 and reads the document by the contact image sensor to obtain image data.

  The image read by the image reading unit 40 is converted into a finished image by the control unit 20. The control unit 20 can transmit the generated finished image to an external device or the like, and can form an image on a sheet by the image forming unit 30 based on the finished image.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 1.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a ROM 23, a RAM 25, and a nonvolatile memory 27 in addition to the above-described units.

  The nonvolatile memory 27 is, for example, a flash memory or a hard disk drive. The nonvolatile memory 27 stores print job data sent from an external device connected to the image forming apparatus 1, image data read by the image reading unit 40, and the like. The nonvolatile memory 27 stores setting information of the image forming apparatus 1 and a control program 27a for performing various operations of the image forming apparatus 1. The control unit 20 can control the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 by reading the control program 27a from the nonvolatile memory 27 and executing the control program 27a.

  The ROM 23 is, for example, a flash ROM (Flash Memory). The ROM 23 stores data used when the image forming apparatus 1 operates. Like the nonvolatile memory 27, the ROM 23 may store various control programs, function setting data of the image forming apparatus 1, and the like. The control unit 20 reads data from the ROM 23 and writes data to the ROM 23. The ROM 23 may be non-rewritable.

  The RAM 25 is a main memory of the control unit 20. The RAM 25 is used to store data necessary for the control unit 20 to execute the control program 27a.

  The control unit 20 is connected to each unit of the image forming apparatus 1 so that signals can be transmitted and received. The control unit 20 controls various operations of the image forming apparatus 1 by executing a control program 27a stored in the ROM 23, the RAM 25, the nonvolatile memory 27, or the like. When an operation signal is sent from the operation unit 11 or an operation command is transmitted from an external device connected to the image forming apparatus 1, the control unit 20 executes a predetermined control program 27 a in response thereto. Thereby, a predetermined function of the image forming apparatus 1 is executed in accordance with the operation of the operation unit 11 by the user.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 1 further includes a screen control unit 17 and a communication unit 50.

  The screen control unit 17 controls display on the display panel 13. The screen control unit 17 performs processing for acquiring an image to be displayed on the display panel 13. That is, the screen control unit 17 reads, for example, a display image prepared in advance and stored in the nonvolatile memory 27, the ROM 23, or the like and displays it on the display panel 13, or generates a display image and displays it on the display panel 13. To do.

  The communication unit 50 is configured to be able to perform wireless communication with a remote terminal 401 by, for example, a predetermined method. The communication unit 50 can perform wireless communication with the communication unit 450 of the remote terminal 401 based on a short-range wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or a wireless LAN standard.

  [Configuration of Remote Terminal 401]

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the remote terminal 401.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the remote terminal 401 includes an input unit 419, a ROM 423, and a RAM 425 in addition to the above-described units.

  The operation unit 411 includes a display panel 413. The display panel 413 is a touch panel, for example. The display panel 413 is an LCD, for example. The operation position detection unit 415 detects a position where the user touches the display panel 413 and transmits it to the control unit 420. The operation unit 411 detects a position touched by the user while displaying an operation image on the display panel 413. The control unit 420 can detect the user's operation content according to the relationship between the position touched by the user and the operation image.

  The screen control unit 417 controls display on the display panel 413. For example, the screen control unit 417 displays various guide images, a menu screen of the remote terminal 401, and the like on the display panel 413.

  The input unit 419 is a keyboard or a pointing device, for example. When an input operation is performed by the user, the input unit 419 transmits a signal corresponding to the input operation to the control unit 420. Thereby, the user's input operation is accepted.

  The control unit 420 has, for example, a CPU. The control unit 420 controls the operation of the remote terminal 401 using the ROM 423, the RAM 425, and the like.

  The storage unit 427 is, for example, a solid state drive or a hard disk drive. The storage unit 427 stores a control program 427a executed by the remote terminal 401. The control unit 420 controls the operation of the remote terminal 401 and performs wireless communication with the image forming apparatus 1 using the communication unit 450 by executing the control program 427a.

  The communication unit 450 is configured to be able to perform wireless communication with the image forming apparatus 1 using a predetermined method such as a wireless LAN or short-range wireless communication.

  Here, in the operation system 500, the user can operate the image forming apparatus 1 using the remote terminal 401. In the remote terminal 401, for example, a display screen having substantially the same contents as the display screen of the display panel 13 of the image forming apparatus 1 can be displayed on the display panel 413. In this case, the user can easily operate the image forming apparatus 1 by performing the same operation as operating the display panel 13 while looking at the display panel 413.

  For example, the operation screen is displayed based on display data transmitted from the image forming apparatus 1. The display data includes screen data displayed on the remote terminal 401. When the user performs an operation on the operation screen displayed on the display panel 413, information regarding the operation is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 operates accordingly. For example, image formation or image reading is performed. Further, when the content of the display screen of the display panel 413 is changed according to the operation performed on the display panel 413, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits screen data of the display screen displayed after the change to the remote terminal 401. As a result, the remote terminal 401 causes the display panel 413 to display an image based on the screen data sent from the image forming apparatus 1.

  [Description of scroll display in remote terminal 401]

  On the display screen on the remote terminal 401 side, a list for displaying a number of display items in a row may be displayed (list display). When list display is performed, there are many items in the list, and it may not be possible to display all items at once in the display area for displaying the list. As described above, when the content to be displayed cannot be displayed in the display area of one page, scroll display is performed.

  When scroll display is started, for example, items that can be displayed are displayed in the display area. At the same time, a predetermined key input operation (key operation) for scrolling the display so that another item is displayed in the display area is accepted. The key operation is, for example, an operation by the user. Here, “key operation” includes all the various operation modes performed by the user on the remote terminal 401. That is, the “key operation” includes a user contact operation (including a so-called flick operation) on the display panel 413 and a user operation on the input unit 419.

  When scroll display is performed, when a predetermined key operation (an example of a predetermined update operation) for scrolling the display so that another item is displayed in the display area is accepted, In response, the display screen of the display area transitions to the next display screen (scroll). Thereby, items that were not displayed before the transition are displayed.

  Here, in the present embodiment, when scroll display is performed, the operation system 500 performs the following processing. In other words, for example, assume that the display screen transitions to a screen that requires scroll display as a result of an operation performed on the remote terminal 401. At this time, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits, as text data (text information), character string information to be displayed at the list display location in the display screen together with the image data of the display screen to the remote terminal 401. That is, the remote terminal 401 receives display data for performing a list display that displays a plurality of display items including the image data and text data. The remote terminal 401 generates a display screen using displayable items in the received text data according to the display capability on the remote terminal 401 side, and displays the generated display screen on the display panel 413.

  The screen data corresponds to data of a part different from the scroll display content on the display screen displayed on the display panel 413. On the other hand, the text data corresponds to the entire text data of the part to be scrolled. That is, when list display is performed and the number of items in the list is large and scroll display is performed, text data including all items of the list is transmitted to the remote terminal 401. Note that text data in which characters to be scrolled are described in various description formats (such as various markup languages) is used. That is, the text data is composed of character information to be displayed and other character information. Hereinafter, the character information to be displayed may be simply referred to as text data or character information.

  When transmitting display data to the remote terminal 401, the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether to transmit text data to the remote terminal 401 in addition to image data as display data, depending on the number of display items to be displayed. To switch. In this case, the number of display items serving as a threshold value may be set as appropriate, or may be set as a number corresponding to the number of items that can be displayed in the area where list display is performed on the remote terminal 401. That is, the image forming apparatus 1 does not include text information as display data of a screen that is not subject to scroll display. When receiving only image data as display data, the remote terminal 401 displays the received image data in a predetermined area of the display and accepts an operation from the user.

  Such processing is performed based on the control of the control unit 20 in the image forming apparatus 1, and is performed based on the control of the control unit 420 in the remote terminal 401.

  FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of scroll display.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in step S101, the user performs a key operation on the remote terminal 401 (key-on).

  In step S <b> 102, key information is sent from the remote terminal 401 to the image forming apparatus 1 in response to a key operation.

  In step S103, the image forming apparatus 1 receives key information and accepts key operations.

  In step S <b> 104, the image forming apparatus 1 draws an updated screen (first display screen) on the display screen of the display panel 413 of the remote terminal 401 in accordance with the accepted key operation. Thereby, the screen data of the first display screen is generated.

  In step S105, the image forming apparatus 1 determines whether it is necessary to perform scroll display on the first display screen. Here, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus 1 determines that it is necessary to perform scroll display. In other words, the image forming apparatus 1 determines that the first display screen is a scrollable screen and there are many items to be displayed that do not fit within the display range of one page.

  In step S <b> 106, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits information about the first display screen to the remote terminal 401. At this time, since scroll display is performed on the first display screen, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits screen data and text data as display data.

  In step S107, when receiving data, the remote terminal 401 processes the image data and text data to update the display screen. Thereby, the first display screen generated in step S104 is displayed. At this time, the remote terminal 401 draws the display screen using only the character information of the portion that can be displayed at a time on the display screen in the received text data. In the present embodiment, in step S107, data in a displayable range is displayed from the portion near the beginning of the text data.

  Here, when the image forming apparatus 1 transmits text data together with image data as display data, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits information regarding a text display area corresponding to the image data to the remote terminal 401. For example, the coordinates and size of the area where the list display is performed on the display screen corresponding to the image data such as a second window 520 (shown in FIG. 6, etc.) to be described later corresponds to the image data, and the text display area. Sent as information about. The remote terminal 401 can display a display screen using text data based on the transmitted information regarding the text display area.

  When the display of the first display screen is performed in step S107, it is assumed that a down key operation (an example of a predetermined update operation) is performed in step S108 (↓ key on). The remote terminal 401 determines whether or not the user's operation is such a predetermined update operation. If the user's operation is the predetermined update operation, the process proceeds to step S108.

  Here, for example, in this embodiment, the down key is a predetermined key operated to scroll the display content of the scroll display in the forward direction (display the next item in the display order). It is. For example, a down arrow key displayed on the display screen of the display panel 413 or a down arrow key provided in the input unit 419 corresponds to the down key. In addition, for example, when a flick operation or a slide operation that is set in advance as an operation for scrolling downward is performed, it is determined that the down key operation is performed. For example, an operation in which the user flicks the display panel 413 downward with a finger or moves the finger downward while touching the display panel 413 with a finger corresponds to this.

  When the down key is operated in step S108, the screen is updated on the remote terminal 401 in step S109. That is, a display screen in which the display content of the scroll display is scrolled is displayed on the display panel 413 according to the down key operation. This process is performed using the screen data and text data received in step S106. With respect to this process, the remote terminal 401 can update the screen without performing communication between the remote terminal 401 and the image forming apparatus 1. In other words, when the update operation is performed, the remote terminal 401 does not notify the image forming apparatus 1 of the update operation information and uses the already acquired text information without reacquiring information from the image forming apparatus 1. List display when scrolling.

  When the down key operation is performed again after the screen update is performed in step S108, the remote terminal 401 updates the display screen according to the operation of the down key again. That is, step S108 to step S109 can be repeated without performing communication between the remote terminal 401 and the image forming apparatus 1.

  Assume that an item selection operation is performed on the remote terminal 401 in step S110. The item selection operation refers to, for example, an operation in which the user selects a display item displayed in a list. For example, a touch operation on the item portion of the list display scrolled on the display panel 413 and an operation of selecting the item portion using the input unit 419 correspond to the item selection operation of the user.

  When the item selection operation is performed on the display item included in the display performed in step S107 or the display item included in the display updated in step S109, the remote terminal 401 accepts it.

  In step S <b> 111, the remote terminal 401 notifies the image forming apparatus 1 of information about the item that has been accepted. As information about the selected item, for example, information indicating what number item has been selected among the items displayed in the list is sent.

  In step S <b> 112, when the image forming apparatus 1 is notified of information on the selected item from the remote terminal 401, the image forming apparatus 1 internally sets the corresponding item in a selected state. Then, the image forming apparatus 1 draws the next updated display screen (second display screen) on the display screen of the display panel 413 based on the information notified from the remote terminal 401. In other words, the image forming apparatus 1 draws a screen to be displayed on the remote terminal 401 after the item selection operation is accepted, and generates display data.

  Here, the image forming apparatus 1 sets the text data in such a manner that the display mode on the second display screen for the display item accepted to be selected is different from the display mode of the other non-selected display items. Is generated. For example, for the selected item, a description to change font information such as a character type is added, and text data is generated.

  In step S <b> 113, the image forming apparatus 1 transmits screen data and text data to the remote terminal 401 for the drawn second display screen.

  At this time, if the second display screen does not perform scroll display, for example, screen data including all elements of the second display screen is transmitted, and text data is not transmitted. May be.

  In step S114, when the remote terminal 401 receives data from the image forming apparatus 1, the remote terminal 401 updates the display screen based on the data. As a result, the second display screen is displayed on the display panel 413.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of scroll display performed in the remote terminal 401.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a display screen 501 including a first window 510 (window 1) and a second window 520 (window 2) is displayed on the display panel 413 of the remote terminal 401. A first window (an example of a first image, an example of a first position) 510 is a screen that is normally displayed on the display panel 413, for example. A second window (an example of a second image, an example of a second position) 520 is a screen that displays a list and is displayed in a predetermined case.

  In the present embodiment, the second window 520 is displayed based on the control of the remote terminal 401, for example. For example, the remote terminal 401 determines whether information to be displayed in the received text data can be displayed on one screen. If it can be displayed on one screen, the information to be displayed is synthesized in the display area of the first window 510 based on the received image data. On the other hand, if it cannot be displayed on one screen, the remote terminal 401 synthesizes information to be displayed in the second window 520, which is an area different from the display area of the first window 510. The synthesized image is displayed on the display panel 413. When an update operation is received for the second window 520, the remote terminal 401 updates the display using the received text data.

  In the first window 510, a list display 511 is performed. The list display 511 is a list having “list 1”, “list 2”, and “list 3” as display items. In the list display 511, all display items are displayed in the first window 510 of one screen. In the first window 510, a down key 505 and an up key 506 are displayed. These down key 505 and up key 506 are displayed, for example, to accept an operation for selecting a display item.

  In the second window 520, a list display 521 is performed. The list display 521 is a list having “list 1”, “list 2”,... As items. The list display 521 is displayed so that these items can be scrolled up and down. In other words, the list display 521 is scroll-displayed. On the display screen 501, among these items, “list 1”, “list 2”,..., “List 8” are displayed. In the second window 520, a down key 505 and an up key 506 are displayed to scroll the list display.

  Each of the down key 505 and the up key 506 is a key for scrolling the list display 521 downward and upward. When these scroll keys 505 and 506 are operated, notification from the remote terminal 401 to the image forming apparatus 1 is not performed. In this case, as described above, the display content of the list display 521 is updated only on the remote terminal 401 side, and the display screen 501 is updated.

  Note that the display screen 501 may be displayed only on a part of the screen displayed on the display panel 413. For example, while the desktop screen by the operating system of the remote terminal 401 is displayed on the display panel 413, the display screen 501 may be displayed as one of the windows.

  Similarly, when an operation such as an up key 506 operated to scroll the display content of the scroll display in the reverse direction or an arrow key used to scroll in the other direction is performed, the remote terminal 401 is also operated. The display content of the list display 521 may be updated only on the side.

  Here, for example, the number of displays when the list is displayed in a window may be freely changed according to the size of the window. In addition, when the list display items cannot be displayed on one screen, scroll display that can be scrolled not only in the vertical direction but also in the horizontal direction, for example, may be performed.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining another example of scroll display performed in the remote terminal 401.

  The display screen 501a displayed on the display panel 413 in FIG. 7 is different from the above-described display screen 501 in the following points. In other words, the display screen 501a includes a second window 530 having a wider width than the second window 520.

  In the second window 530, a list display 531 is displayed. The list display 531 includes “list 1”, “list 2”,..., “List 5”,. These items are for displaying the user name (such as “user 1” to “user 5”) and date and time information in the list display 531.

  Since the second window 530 is wide, it is displayed so as to overlap the first window 510. More detailed information can be displayed by overlapping and displaying in this way.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which one of the items displayed in the list is selected.

  When a list is displayed on the display screens 501 and 501a as described above, an item is selected as follows, for example.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the display window 502 displays a second window 520a in which a list display 521 is performed. In the second window 520a, the selected item among the items displayed in the list is displayed in bold. For example, in the list display 521, when an operation for selecting the item 528a indicating “list 5” is performed, the item 528a is displayed in bold. For example, when the selection operation is performed, this highlighting is performed in the text data sent from the image forming apparatus 1 to the remote terminal 401 in response to the font information of the portion indicating the selected item 528a. This is done because it is specified to be different. The font information includes color, size, character type, and the like. That is, the size of the selected item may be made larger than others, or the character type may be changed. The color may be different from other items, for example, a conspicuous color.

  Based on the text information, the remote terminal 401 can easily identify whether an item is in a selected state when the remote terminal 401 displays the item. Information about the selected state can be added to the text information, and the display can be changed or the font such as the character color can be changed in comparison with the item in the non-selected state accordingly. By performing highlighting in this way, the user can easily recognize the selected item. Further, it is not necessary to use a special configuration for the remote terminal 401, and based on the information sent from the image forming apparatus 1, it is possible to perform highlighting that shows the selection state of such items. The selected item can be highlighted without exchanging image data or the like between the image forming apparatus 1 and the remote terminal 401 many times.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of a state in which one of the items displayed in the list is selected.

  Note that the highlighting of the selection item may be performed as follows. That is, the second window 520b in which the list display 521 is performed is displayed on the display screen 503 shown in FIG. In the second window 520b, the selected item among the items being displayed in the list is displayed with the brightness reversed. For example, when the item 528 b indicating “list 5” is selected in the list display 521, the background of the item 528 b is dark (dark color) and the character portion is light (light color). By performing highlighting in this way, the user can easily recognize the selected item in the same manner as described with reference to FIG.

  When the information about the item selection operation is notified, the image forming apparatus 1 includes the information indicating that the selection operation has been performed on the display item that has been selected, and includes the first information. Text data for two display screens may be generated. In this case, for each display item to be displayed as a list, text data may be generated with information indicating whether or not the item has been selected. In this case, the remote terminal 401 displays the items with information indicating that the selection operation has been performed based on the transmitted display data and the other items in different display modes. To do. Thereby, similarly to what was demonstrated about FIG. 8, the user can recognize the selected item easily.

  [Effects of the embodiment]

  There are cases where, for example, a destination list, a setting menu, a file menu, or the like is displayed in a list in an area where the number that can be displayed at one time is limited, and a target item is to be searched from the list display. For example, when ten destinations (items) can be displayed on one page as a transmission destination list, the following operation is performed to search for one destination.

  In other words, when the number of destination items is less than 20, for example, the scroll operation is not necessary or is performed only once even if necessary. Therefore, in this case, it does not take time to confirm all items. On the other hand, for example, when the number of destination items is 300, the scroll operation is required 30 times at the maximum. Communication is performed between the remote terminal 401 and the image forming apparatus 1 every time a scroll operation is performed, which may take a lot of time.

  As a conventional technique, in order to perform remote control with an increased response speed, there is a method of processing image data (compression, color reduction, extraction, clipping, etc.) to reduce communication data. However, when a method such as compression or subtractive color is used, the visibility of characters is deteriorated. Also, if an area is extracted or cut out, only a part of the screen can be communicated, and data of necessary items in other parts cannot be acquired. Therefore, there is a possibility of hindering the search for the target item from the list.

  On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus 1 configured as described above, when there are a large number of items in an area where the number that can be displayed, such as a destination list, is limited, screen data is transferred to the remote terminal 401. When sending to, send multiple pages of items (character string data) together. Therefore, the remote terminal 401 can browse the list information for a plurality of pages at a time, for example, 30 items at a time without performing communication with the image forming apparatus 1. Since the communication time between the remote terminal 401 and the image forming apparatus 1 for the display data can be reduced, the time required for searching for items can be reduced.

  That is, when the update operation is performed, the remote terminal 401 does not communicate with the image forming apparatus 1 and controls the list display on the remote terminal side. Can be secured. In addition, since a list display screen is created on the remote terminal 401 side, a large number of lists can be displayed at one time regardless of the size restrictions of the display panel 413. Therefore, the user can quickly find the target item.

  Further, the remote terminal 401 is configured to be able to enlarge an area for displaying a list display and to display a large number of items in the enlarged area. This is performed using the free space of the desktop displayed on the display panel 413 of the remote terminal 401. As a result, the number of items that can be displayed at one time on the remote terminal 401 increases. Therefore, the number of scroll operations can be reduced, and the communication time between the remote terminal 401 and the image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced to further reduce the time taken to search for a target item on the remote terminal 401 side. be able to.

  The image forming apparatus 1 does not transmit unnecessary text information when scroll display is not necessary. Therefore, extra communication can be prevented from being performed.

  Note that the remote terminal 401 uses the information regarding the text display area sent together with the display data from the image forming apparatus 1 to display the list in the first window 510 without using the second window 520. It may be configured. Text data is processed on the remote terminal 401 side, and an appropriate list display can be performed only by the first window 510. In this case, when the down key 505 or the like of the first window 510 is operated, the remote terminal 401 may update the list display using the received text data.

  [Others]

  The scroll display is not limited to the case where the list display is performed, and may be performed when the information to be displayed cannot be displayed by being stored in one page of a predetermined area of the display screen.

  The image forming apparatus may be a monochrome / color copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine (MFP) thereof. It is not limited to the one that forms an image by an electrophotographic method, and may be one that forms an image by a so-called inkjet method, for example. The image forming apparatus may not be provided with an operation panel or the like.

  For each of the image forming apparatus and the remote terminal, the processing in the above-described embodiment may be performed by software or by using a hardware circuit.

  For each of the image forming apparatus and the remote terminal, a program for executing the processing in the above-described embodiment can be provided, and the program can be stored in a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a memory card, etc. It may be recorded on a recording medium and provided to the user. The program may be downloaded to the apparatus via a communication line such as the Internet. The processing described in the text in the above flowchart is executed by the CPU according to the program.

  The above embodiment should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 20 Control part 27a Control program 401 Remote terminal (operation terminal)
411 Operation unit 413 Display panel (example of display)
419 Input unit 420 Control unit 427a Control program 500 Operation system 501, 501a, 502, 503 Display screen 506 Up key 507 Down key 521 List display

Claims (17)

An image forming apparatus having a function of forming an image on paper;
An operation system for an image forming apparatus having an operation terminal having a display capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus and performing display based on display data sent from the image forming apparatus,
The operation terminal is
First text display means for displaying in a predetermined area of the display using the received image data and the text information when the text information is received together with the image data as the display data;
Operation accepting means for accepting an operation performed by a user for display by the first display means;
Determining means for determining whether or not the operation received by the operation receiving means is a predetermined update operation for updating the display by the first display means;
First update means for updating the display by the first display means using the text information when the determination means determines that the operation is the update operation;
An operation of the image forming apparatus, comprising: an operation transmitting unit configured to transmit a signal based on the operation received by the operation receiving unit to the image forming apparatus when the determining unit determines that the operation is not the update operation. system.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second display unit configured to display the received image data in a predetermined area of the display when the operation terminal receives only the image data as the display data. Operation system. The image forming apparatus includes a region information transmitting unit that transmits information regarding a text display region corresponding to the image data to the operation terminal when transmitting the text information together with the image data as the display data.
3. The operation system for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first display unit of the operation terminal displays the text information based on the information transmitted by the area information transmission unit.   When transmitting the display data to the operation terminal, the image forming apparatus determines whether to transmit text information to the operation terminal in addition to the image data as the display data. The operation system for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation system is switched according to the number. The first display means includes
Determining whether the information to be displayed included in the text information can be displayed on one screen;
If it can be displayed on one screen, the information to be displayed is synthesized at the first position of the image based on the received image data, and the synthesized image is displayed.
The information according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the information cannot be displayed on one screen, the information to be displayed is synthesized at a second position different from the first position, and the synthesized image is displayed. An operation system of the image forming apparatus described. The second position is a position in a second image different from the first image displayed for operating the image forming apparatus on the operation terminal;
The operation system for an image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the update operation is received for the second image, the first update unit performs the update using received text information. The operation terminal is
Selection accepting means for accepting a selection operation for a display item included in the display by the first display means or a display item included in the display updated by the first updating means;
Item information notifying means for notifying the image forming apparatus of information related to the display item that has been selected by the selection receiving means,
The image forming apparatus includes:
The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection state transmission unit that transmits display data of a screen displayed on the operation terminal to the operation terminal after the selection operation is received based on information notified by the item information notification unit. 6. An operation system for an image forming apparatus according to claim 6.   The selection state transmitting means is configured so that the display mode for the display item accepted to be selected is different from the display mode of the other non-selected display items, and the selection operation is received after the selection operation is received. 8. The operation system for an image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein text information about a screen displayed on the operation terminal is generated, and the text information is included in the display data and transmitted to the operation terminal. The selection state transmission means includes at least information indicating that the selection operation has been performed on the display item that has been selected, and the operation terminal receives the selection operation after receiving the selection operation. Generate text information for the screen to be displayed, include the text information in the display data, and send it to the operation terminal.
The operation terminal further includes second update means for updating an image displayed on the display based on the display data transmitted by the selection state transmission means,
The image according to claim 7, wherein the second update unit performs the update in such a manner that a display mode is different between a display item on which the selection operation is performed and a display item on which the selection operation is not performed. Operation system for forming equipment. The display data includes information for performing a list display for displaying a plurality of display items,
The update operation is an operation for scrolling and displaying the list display displayed by the first display means,
When the update operation is performed, the first update unit does not notify the image forming apparatus of the update operation information, and displays a list when scrolling using the received text information. An operation system for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1. An image forming apparatus capable of communicating with an external operation terminal having a display and operating in response to a signal sent from the operation terminal,
Display data transmission means for transmitting display data relating to a screen to be displayed on the display to the operation terminal;
An image forming apparatus comprising: area information transmitting means for transmitting information relating to a text display area corresponding to the image data to the operation terminal when text information is transmitted together with image data as the display data by the data transmitting means. .   The display data transmitting means, when transmitting the display data to the operation terminal, displays whether or not to transmit text information to the operation terminal in addition to the image data as the display data. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the image forming apparatus is switched according to the number of the image forming apparatuses. An operation terminal capable of communicating with an external image forming apparatus and having a display for performing display based on display data sent from the image forming apparatus,
When text information is received together with image data as the display data, using the received image data and the text information, display means for displaying in a predetermined area of the display;
Operation accepting means for accepting an operation performed by a user for display by the display means;
Determining means for determining whether or not the operation received by the operation receiving means is a predetermined update operation for updating the display by the display means;
An update unit that updates the display by the display unit using the text information when the determination unit determines that the operation is the update operation;
An operation terminal comprising: an operation transmission unit configured to transmit a signal based on the operation received by the operation reception unit to the image forming apparatus when the determination unit determines that the operation is not the update operation. An image forming apparatus control method capable of communicating with an external operation terminal having a display and operating in accordance with a signal sent from the operation terminal,
A display data transmission step of transmitting display data relating to a screen to be displayed on the display to the operation terminal;
An image forming apparatus comprising: an area information transmitting step of transmitting information on a text display area corresponding to the image data to the operation terminal when text information is transmitted together with image data as the display data by the data transmitting step. Control method. An operation terminal control method comprising a display capable of communicating with an external image forming apparatus and performing display based on display data sent from the image forming apparatus,
When text information is received together with image data as the display data, using the received image data and the text information, a display step for displaying in a predetermined area of the display;
An operation accepting step for accepting an operation performed by the user for display by the display step;
A determination step of determining whether the operation received in the operation reception step is a predetermined update operation for updating the display in the display step;
An update step of updating the display by the display step using the text information when the determination step determines that the operation is the update operation;
An operation terminal control method comprising: an operation transmission step of transmitting, to the image forming apparatus, a signal based on the operation received in the operation reception step when the determination step determines that the operation is not the update operation. . A control program for an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with an external operation terminal having a display and operating in accordance with a signal sent from the operation terminal,
A display data transmission step of transmitting display data relating to a screen to be displayed on the display to the operation terminal;
When text information is transmitted together with image data as the display data by the data transmission step, the computer is caused to execute an area information transmission step of transmitting information on a text display area corresponding to the image data to the operation terminal. A control program for an image forming apparatus. A control program for an operation terminal capable of communicating with an external image forming apparatus and having a display for performing display based on display data sent from the image forming apparatus,
When text information is received together with image data as the display data, using the received image data and the text information, a display step for displaying in a predetermined area of the display;
An operation accepting step for accepting an operation performed by the user for display by the display step;
A determination step of determining whether the operation received in the operation reception step is a predetermined update operation for updating the display in the display step;
An update step of updating the display by the display step using the text information when the determination step determines that the operation is the update operation;
An operation terminal that, when the determination step determines that the operation is not the update operation, causes the computer to execute an operation transmission step of transmitting a signal based on the operation received in the operation reception step to the image forming apparatus. Control program.

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