JP2013257739A - Information processor and information processor control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To properly perform help display when moving a cursor on the screen to execute processing.SOLUTION: The information processor including a control part for controlling an object corresponding to processing contents and a cursor corresponding to an operation of a pointing device so as to be displayed on a screen, and controlling processing corresponding to the object designated by the cursor so as to be executed, and a processing part for executing processing on the basis of control of the control part has a cursor automatic movement function for moving the cursor to the object corresponding to the next processing to be performed in response to the preceding operation or processing, and a display control function for controlling a display state of association information associated with the object in response to cursor movement by the cursor automatic movement function or cursor movement by the operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus capable of appropriately displaying related information accompanying the movement of the cursor when the processing is executed by moving the cursor on the screen using a pointing device. The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus control method.

  In various information processing devices, use a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, or touchpad to move the cursor displayed on the screen and specify objects such as buttons, icons, and tabs displayed on the screen. A graphical user interface that executes a process assigned to a specified object is generally used.

  Such a graphical user interface is also used in an image forming apparatus that performs production printing.

  In such a graphical user interface, various proposals have been made in the following patent documents regarding mouse display and operation.

JP 09-244863 A JP 08-152972 A Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 07-098767 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 06-348440

  In each of the above patent documents, automatic movement of a cursor used in a graphical user interface, and pop-up display of help in the vicinity of an object indicated by the cursor are proposed.

  However, even if the cursor is overlapped with an object on the screen, the operator does not necessarily need help display.

  For example, if the cursor is overlapped with an object on the screen, it is accidental and unintentional, and not only the help display is unnecessary, but also another necessary screen display is obscured by the help display Occurs.

  In particular, in an image forming apparatus used for production printing, a large number of displays are made on the screen, so that the necessary screen display is obscured, which hinders an appropriate operation.

  On the other hand, in order not to display such a help display, if the cursor must be intentionally moved to a place where no object exists, the burden on the operator increases.

  It is also possible to turn off the help display by setting. However, when the setting is turned off in this way, help display is not performed when necessary. Therefore, it becomes difficult to operate a production print image forming apparatus that has many functions and requires many settings.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and is an information processing apparatus capable of appropriately displaying related information associated with cursor movement when the cursor on the screen is moved to execute processing. And an information processing apparatus control method.

  That is, the present invention for solving the above-described problems is as follows.

  (1) a control unit that controls to display an object corresponding to the processing content and a cursor corresponding to the operation of the pointing device on the screen, and to execute processing corresponding to the object specified by the cursor; A processing unit that executes a process based on the control of the control unit, wherein the control unit applies the object corresponding to a process to be performed next according to a preceding operation or process. A cursor automatic movement function for moving the cursor, and a display control function for controlling a display state of related information related to the object according to whether the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function or the operation. .

  (2) In the information processing apparatus described above, the related information includes at least one of the function of the object, the content of the processing corresponding to the object, and a factor in the case of automatic movement to the object. Is desirable.

  (3) Moreover, in the above information processing apparatus, it is desirable that the display state is at least one of display presence / absence, display content, display color, and display size.

  (4) In the above information processing apparatus, it is preferable that the display state can be set according to whether the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function or the cursor is moved by the operation.

  (5) In the above information processing apparatus, it is desirable that the display state can be set for each user according to whether the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function or the cursor is moved by the operation. .

  (6) In the above information processing apparatus, in the case of cursor movement by the cursor automatic movement function, related information is displayed immediately after the cursor movement, and in the case of cursor movement by the operation, a certain time has elapsed from the cursor movement. It is desirable to display relevant information afterwards.

  In the information processing apparatus described above, when the cursor is moved by operating the touch panel, it is desirable to display the related information after a predetermined time has passed with the finger placed.

  Furthermore, in the case of moving the cursor by operating the touch panel, the display of related information starts after a certain period of time with the finger kept on, and the finger is released from the touch panel while the finger is stopped It is desirable to display related information.

  (7) In the information processing apparatus described above, when the display state is controlled by the display control function as no display, and the object is inactive, the display state is changed to display. It is desirable to control.

  (8) In the information processing apparatus described above, when the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function, it is desirable to display a factor when the object is automatically moved as the related information.

  (9) In the information processing apparatus described above, when the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function and the object is in an inactive state, a factor that the object is in an inactive state is used as the related information. It is desirable to display.

  (10) In the above information processing apparatus, when the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function and the object is in an inactive state, the object is recovered from the inactive state to the active state. It is desirable to display recovery information as the related information.

  (11) In the information processing apparatus described above, the recovery information includes the circumstances necessary for the object to recover from the inactive state to the active state, or the time for the object to recover from the inactive state to the active state. It is desirable to include at least one.

  (12) In the above information processing apparatus, when the cursor is moved to the inactive object by the cursor automatic movement function and then the cursor is moved to another position, the object is moved from the inactive state. If the state is changed to the active state and the operation is not performed for a certain period of time, it is preferable that the cursor is moved again to the object changed from the inactive state to the active state by the cursor automatic movement function.

  According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) Execute processing by moving the cursor on the screen to control the display state of related information related to the object according to whether the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function or by the operator's operation. In this case, it is possible to appropriately display related information accompanying the movement of the cursor.

  (2) Here, an automatic cursor movement function for moving the cursor to an object corresponding to a process to be performed next in accordance with the preceding operation or process is provided, depending on whether the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function or the cursor is moved by the operation. In order to control the display state of the related information related to the object, it is possible to appropriately display the related information accompanying the movement of the cursor when the processing is executed by moving the cursor on the screen automatically or manually. Become.

  (3) Since the related information includes at least one of the function of the object, the content of the process corresponding to the object, and the factor when the object is automatically moved, the related information can be appropriately displayed. It becomes possible.

  Further, since the display state is at least one of display presence / absence, display content, display color, and display size, the related information can be appropriately displayed.

  (4) Also, since the display state can be set according to whether the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function or the cursor is moved by an operation, related information can be appropriately displayed according to the setting. .

  (5) Since the display state can be set for each user depending on whether the cursor is moved by the automatic cursor movement function or the cursor is moved by an operation, the related information is appropriately displayed for each user. It becomes possible.

  (6) In addition, in the case of cursor movement by the cursor automatic movement function, related information is displayed immediately after the cursor movement, and in the case of cursor movement by operation, the related information is displayed after a certain time has elapsed from the cursor movement. , It can prevent unnecessary related information from being displayed when it is temporarily stopped in the case of manual movement, and display related information that accompanies cursor movement when the process is executed by moving the cursor on the screen automatically or manually. It becomes possible to do.

  In addition, in the above information processing device, when the cursor is moved by operating the touch panel, the related information is displayed after a certain period of time with the finger placed, so that it is not necessary for the operation to be paused. Information display can be prevented.

  Furthermore, in the case of moving the cursor by operating the touch panel, the display of related information starts after a certain time has passed with the finger placed, and the necessary information is displayed during the period until the finger is released. Related information can be displayed only during the period.

  (7) When the display state is controlled by the display control function as no display, and the object is inactive, it is controlled by changing the display state to display. Even so, the related information can be appropriately displayed.

  (8) In addition, in the case of cursor movement by the cursor automatic movement function, the cause of the automatic movement to the object is displayed as related information. Therefore, when automatic movement is performed, related information can be appropriately displayed. It becomes possible.

  (9) When the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function and the object is in an inactive state, a factor that the object is in an inactive state is displayed as related information. Even if it exists, it becomes possible to display relevant information appropriately.

  (10) When the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function and the object is in an inactive state, recovery information related to the recovery of the object from the inactive state to the active state is displayed as related information. Even for an inactive object, it is possible to appropriately display related information.

  (11) Also, the recovery information includes at least one of the circumstances necessary for the object to recover from the inactive state to the active state, or the time for the object to recover from the inactive state to the active state. Even for an object in an active state, related information can be appropriately displayed.

  (12) When the cursor is moved to an inactive object by the cursor automatic movement function and then the cursor is moved to another position, the object is changed from the inactive state to the active state, and the operation is constant. If it is not in a timed state, the cursor automatically moves to the object that has changed from the inactive state to the active state by the automatic cursor movement function, so appropriate operations are performed even for objects that have changed from the inactive state to the active state. It becomes possible.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of the screen of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of the screen of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of the screen of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of the screen of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of the screen of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of the screen of embodiment of this invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of the screen of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of the screen of embodiment of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, an image forming system will be described as a specific example as an example of the information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus control method will be described as a control method of the image forming system.

<Constitution>
In the image forming system shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 is arranged on the upstream side in the paper processing order, and the paper processing apparatus 300 that performs paper processing is connected to the downstream side.

  Here, the image forming apparatus 100 that forms an image on a sheet, and various sheet processes (clear toner forming process, punching process, half-folding process, saddle stitching process, etc.) are performed on a sheet image-formed by the image forming apparatus 100. The sheet processing apparatus 300 to be applied is arranged along the sheet flow, and an image forming system for production printing is configured.

  Although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an external PC that gives various instructions may exist in a state where it can communicate with the image forming system.

  Hereinafter, the detailed configuration of each apparatus in the image forming system will be described.

  The image forming apparatus 100 controls each unit in the image forming apparatus 100 and controls the entire system as an image forming system, a communication unit 102 for communicating with other connected apparatuses, and a user An operation display unit 103 for performing an operation input by the user and a status display of the image forming apparatus 100, a storage unit 104 for storing various data, a paper feed unit 105 for feeding paper, a transport unit 110 for transporting paper, A document reading unit 120 that reads a document, a storage unit 130 that stores image data and various data used when forming an image, an image processing unit 140 that executes various image processes necessary for image formation, an image formation command, and image data An image forming unit 150 that forms an image on a sheet based on the above and a sub-tray discharge unit 180 that discharges the sheet to a sub-tray 180T serving as a sheet discharge unit. It is configured.

  The sheet processing apparatus 300 includes a control unit 301 that controls each unit in the sheet processing apparatus 300, a communication unit 302 that communicates with other connected apparatuses, an operation input by a user, and a state of the sheet processing apparatus 300. An operation display unit 303 that performs display, a storage unit 304 that stores various types of data, a paper feeding unit 305 that feeds paper, a transport unit 310 that transports paper, and a clear toner forming process and a specific specification for the paper An image forming unit 320 that performs color forming processing, a punch unit 330 that forms punch holes in the paper, a middle folding unit 340 that folds the paper in half, a saddle stitching unit 350 that binds the folded paper with staples, A sub-tray discharge unit 380 that discharges paper to a sub-tray 380T1 or 380T2 as a paper unit, and a main tray discharge that discharges paper to a main tray 390T as a paper discharge unit And it is configured to include the 390, a.

  In FIG. 2, the operation display unit 103 includes a key input device 103k, a display unit 103d that displays a screen, and a pointing device 103p that moves a cursor on the screen. As the pointing device 103p, various devices such as a mouse, a trackball, a touch pad, a touch panel configured integrally with the display unit 103d, and the like can be used.

  Further, the control unit 101 moves the cursor displayed on the screen of the operation display unit 103, specifies objects such as buttons, icons, and tabs displayed on the screen, and assigns them to the specified objects. A function of a graphical user interface for executing a given process, and a cursor automatic movement function for moving the cursor to the object corresponding to a process to be performed next in accordance with a preceding operation or process, and the cursor automatic movement function A display control function for controlling a display state of related information related to the object according to whether the cursor is moved or the cursor is moved by the operation.

  Further, in this embodiment, the related information is not limited to the conventional help display, and includes various information that appropriately supports the operation as described later.

<Operation (1)>
The operation (1) of the image forming system will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 and the screen explanatory diagrams of FIG. Here, the description will focus on the display operation of related information related to cursor movement.

  Prior to the start of job processing, the control unit 101 in the image forming apparatus 100 displays a setting screen 103A as shown in FIG. 4 on the display unit 103d of the operation display unit 103 (step S100 in FIG. 3).

  Then, the control unit 101 accepts various job settings (setting of data to be formed, setting of paper type, number of copies, etc.) by the operator via the setting screen 103A.

  Various buttons, icons, tabs, and the like displayed on the setting screen 103A are collectively referred to as objects.

  On the setting screen 103A, when the operator operates the pointing device 103p, the cursor 103a0 moves to an arbitrary position in the screen according to the operation of the operator under the control of the control unit 101. The cursor includes a mouse cursor and a keyboard cursor and is sometimes called a pointer. When the display unit 103d and the pointing device 103p are an integrated touch panel, the cursor 103a0 moves to an arbitrary position when the operator touches the display unit 103 with a finger. As a graphical user interface, the control unit 101 is configured to execute a process assigned to the object designated by the cursor 103a0.

  In the setting screen 103A, a message from the control unit 101 is displayed in the message column 103a1.

  Further, in the setting screen 103A, an “automatic movement help display” object 103a2 is provided. When selected, when the cursor is automatically moved, as the related information, the function of the object and the processing corresponding to the object are displayed. The contents, factors when automatically moving to the object, and the like are displayed near the cursor under the control of the control unit 101. In addition, in the setting screen 103A, a “manual movement help display” object 103a3 is provided, and when selected, when the cursor is moved by an operator's operation, as the related information, it corresponds to the function of the object and the object. The content of the processing to be performed is displayed near the cursor under the control of the control unit 101. In the setting screen 103A shown in FIG. 4, the “automatic movement help display” object 103a2 is selected, and the “manual movement help display” object 103a3 is not selected.

  Note that the “automatic movement help display” object 103a2 and the “manual movement help display” object 103a3 on the setting screen 103A in FIG. 4 may be settings for an apparatus or a job as an image forming system, and authentication is performed for each operator. In some image forming systems, the setting may be made for each operator. By setting for each operator, the display state can be set for each operator (user), so that related information can be appropriately displayed for each user.

  In this setting screen 103A, it is assumed that the “paper setting” object 103a4 is selected by the operator's operation of the pointing device 103p.

  When the paper setting object 103a4 is selected, it is necessary to set the paper type in the tray of the paper supply unit 105. That is, the selection of the “paper setting” object 103a4 is the occurrence of an event related to cursor movement (YES in step S101 in FIG. 3).

  The control unit 101 receives the selection of the paper setting object 103a4, displays the setting screen 103B (see FIG. 5) on the display unit 103d, and responds to the preceding operation (selection of the paper setting object 103a4). Then, the cursor 103b2 starts to move to the object 103b1 corresponding to the next process (paper type setting) (step S102 in FIG. 3).

  Here, the cursor is moved to the object corresponding to the next process by the preceding operation, but the cursor may be moved to the object corresponding to the next process by the preceding process.

  In addition, a function in which the control unit 101 automatically moves the cursor to an object corresponding to a process to be performed next in accordance with a preceding operation or process is referred to as a cursor automatic movement function.

  The process to be performed next in accordance with the preceding operation or process is the process that needs to be performed next to the preceding operation or process, or the frequency to be performed next to the preceding operation or process. A high value means a process that is clarified from the past operation history. Note that it is desirable for the control unit 101 to determine a subsequent process with high frequency from an operation history for a certain period.

  Note that the control unit 101 monitors whether or not the pointing device 103p is operated by the operator during automatic cursor movement (step S103 in FIG. 3). If there is no operation of the pointing device 103p by the operator during the automatic cursor movement (NO in step S103 in FIG. 3), the control unit 101 performs the next process according to the preceding operation or process by the automatic cursor movement function. The cursor 103b2 is automatically moved to the corresponding object (step S104 in FIG. 3).

  If the help display at the time of automatic cursor movement is selected (YES in step S105 in FIG. 3), as the related information when the cursor is automatically moved, the function of the object, the content of the process corresponding to the object, Factors for automatic movement to the object are displayed near the cursor under the control of the control unit 101 (step S107 in FIG. 3). Note that the control unit 101 preferably performs control so that the related information is displayed immediately after the cursor 103b2 moves to the object 103b1 by automatic cursor movement.

  In this embodiment, since the “automatic movement help display” object 103a2 is selected on the setting screen 103A in FIG. 4, the control unit 101 moves the cursor 103b2 to the paper type object 103b1 and relates to the vicinity of the cursor 103b2. Information 103b3 is displayed. In the setting screen 103B of FIG. 5, the contents of the processing corresponding to the object 103b1 are explanations such as “the printing speed is reduced for thick paper” and automatic movement factors such as “automatic movement due to high use frequency” The state displayed as the related information 103b3 is shown. Note that, as a factor of automatic movement, “the processing that needs to be performed next” is applicable in addition to “high frequency of use”.

  On the other hand, if the help display at the time of automatic cursor movement is not selected (NO in step S105 in FIG. 3, object 103a2 in FIG. 6), the control unit 101 confirms whether the object to which the cursor has automatically moved is active or inactive. (Step S106 in FIG. 3).

  Here, the object being active means a normal state in which a corresponding process can be executed by selecting the object, and a state in which an object selection operation can be performed. On the other hand, an object being inactive means a normal state in which a process corresponding to the object cannot be executed for some reason and an object selection operation cannot be performed. For example, since the paper feed tray during image formation is being used and cannot be changed, the control unit 101 displays the corresponding object in an inactive state on the setting screen. In addition, the reason why an object becomes inactive is inconsistent with other processes when other processes (initialization, job, adjustment, stabilization, authentication, etc.) are being executed and a specific process cannot be executed. When processing is applicable, various errors are detected and processing cannot be continued, processing cannot be started due to resource shortage or prohibition, processing cannot be started or continued due to jam or door open, etc. This is the case.

  Note that an inactive object is often displayed in a state in which the density and saturation are lower than normal display to indicate that the object cannot be operated. For example, in the setting screen 103D of FIG. 8, five objects of “tray 1”, “paper size”, “paper type”, “basis weight”, and “speed setting” are inactive, and the density and saturation are set. An example displayed in a lowered state is shown.

  If the help display at the time of automatic cursor movement is not selected (NO in step S105 in FIG. 3, object 103a2 in FIG. 6), and the object to which the cursor has automatically moved is active (NO in step S106 in FIG. 3). ), The process ends without displaying the related information related to the automatic cursor movement (END in FIG. 3). In this case, the cursor 103b2 'is moved to the object 103b1 on the setting screen 103B' (see FIG. 7), but related information is not displayed near the cursor 103b2 '.

  If the help display at the time of automatic cursor movement is not selected and the object to which the cursor has automatically moved is inactive (YES in step S106 in FIG. 3), the cursor has automatically moved to the inactive object. As related information, the cause of the inactive state of the object (execution of other processing (initialization, job, adjustment, stabilization, authentication, etc.), processing inconsistent with other processing, various error detection, resources Recovery information regarding the recovery of the object from the inactive state to the active state (the circumstances necessary for the object to recover from the inactive state to the active state) At least one time to recover from inactive to active Including), etc., it is displayed near the cursor under the control of the control unit 101 (step S107 in FIG. 3).

  In the example shown in the setting screen 103D of FIG. 8, the control unit 101 moves the cursor 103d2 to the paper type object 103d1 and displays related information 103d3 in the vicinity of the cursor 103b2. Here, as related information corresponding to the object 103d1 in the inactive state, recovery information such as “until the paper type button can be pressed: remaining 10 seconds” or “the paper type button can be pressed if the job is paused” The recovery information is displayed as the related information 103d3.

  Other examples of this recovery information are: “Replenish paper in the tray”, “Erase specific box to increase HDD free space”, “Move paper in paper output tray” The control unit 101 generates various messages according to the state of the apparatus.

  As a result, even when the related information display is set to OFF, useful information can be obtained regarding the fact that the automatically moved object is in an inactive state. improves.

  Further, when the control unit 101 detects an operation of the pointing device 103p by the operator during execution of automatic cursor movement (step S102 in FIG. 3) (YES in step S103 in FIG. 3), the control unit 101 The cursor automatic movement function (step S102 in FIG. 3) is canceled, and the cursor is moved according to the operation of the pointing device by the operator (step S109 in FIG. 3).

  Then, the control unit 101 confirms whether or not the cursor overlaps the object on the screen by moving the cursor by the operation of the operator (step S110 in FIG. 3).

  If the cursor does not overlap the object on the screen due to the cursor movement by the operator's operation (NO in step S110 in FIG. 3), the processing is terminated without displaying the related information (end in FIG. 3). ).

  Further, even when the cursor is overlapped with the object on the screen due to the cursor movement by the operator's operation (YES in step S110 in FIG. 3), the help display at the time of the manual cursor movement is not selected (FIG. NO in step S111 in FIG. 3, and the process ends without displaying related information for the object 103a3) in FIG. 4 (END in FIG. 3).

  On the other hand, when the cursor is overlapped with the object on the screen due to the cursor movement by the operator's operation (YES in step S110 in FIG. 3), and the help display at the time of the manual cursor movement is selected (FIG. 3). In step S111, YES, in the object 103a3 in FIG. 6, the control unit 101 confirms whether or not the time when the cursor is over the object on the screen is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (step S112 in FIG. 3). .

  If the time when the cursor is over the object on the screen is less than the predetermined time (NO in step S112 in FIG. 3), the object temporarily overlaps with the object while the cursor is moved by the operation of the pointing device of the operator. Therefore, the process ends without displaying the related information (END in FIG. 3). Thereby, useless display of related information is avoided, and operability is improved.

  If the time that the cursor is over the object on the screen is longer than the predetermined time (YES in step S112 in FIG. 3), the cursor is intentionally overlaid on the object by the operation of the pointing device 103p of the operator. Therefore, as the related information when the cursor is manually moved, the function of the object, the content of the processing corresponding to the object, and the like are displayed in the vicinity of the cursor under the control of the control unit 101 (step S107 in FIG. 3, FIG. 9). ).

  In the example shown in the setting screen 103E of FIG. 9, the control unit 101 displays related information 103e3 in the vicinity of the cursor 103e2 by the operator moving the cursor 103e2 to the paper type object 103e1. Here, as related information corresponding to the object 103e1, a state in which a description such as “the printing speed decreases in the case of thick paper” is displayed as the related information 103e3 is shown.

  If the cursor is overlapped with the object by the operator's operation of the pointing device 103p (YES in step S110 in FIG. 3), whether or not the help display at the time of the manual cursor movement is selected (object 103a3 in FIG. 4). Alternatively, according to the object 103a3) in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not to display related information (step S107 in FIG. 3). Since this is an operation of the pointing device 103p intended by the operator, if help display during automatic movement is not selected, related information is not displayed even when the object is inactive. That is, even if the help display at the time of automatic movement is not selected, it is greatly different from displaying related information when the object is inactive.

  When a touch panel is used as the pointing device 103p, the control unit 101 performs the manual cursor manual movement when the operator's finger is stopped and pressed on the object for a predetermined time or longer. Handling and starting display of related information can prevent unnecessary display of related information in the case of temporary suspension of operation. In addition, after starting the display, the related information can be displayed while the touch panel is pressed with a finger, so that the related information can be displayed during a necessary period, and unnecessary display of the related information can be avoided. it can.

  In the above operation (1), when the operator operates the pointing device while the cursor is moving to a specific object by automatic cursor movement, and the automatic cursor movement to the object is canceled, the operator When the cursor is manually moved to the same object by operating the pointing device, the control unit 101 can also perform control so as not to display related information. In this case, since the cursor is manually moved while blocking the automatic cursor movement, the operator may have intentionally performed a different operation, so that it is considered unnecessary to display related information.

  In the operation (1) described above, when the control unit 101 displays related information in the vicinity of the cursor (step S107 in FIG. 3), the content of the related information (the function and processing content of the object). Change the character frame, character color, and character size according to factors such as automatic movement factor, inactive factor, and recovery information (required circumstances or recovery time). The display is controlled so as to be easily transmitted (step S108 in FIG. 3).

  At this time, the control unit 101 may perform control so as to change the character color and the character size according to the importance and urgency of the related information. In addition, the control unit 101 may perform control such that the character size is displayed larger because the operator is not familiar with the occurrence frequency of the related information, for example, if it is the first occurrence.

  Further, at this time, the control unit 101 may erase the display so as to fade out after displaying for a certain period of time because the cause of the automatic movement of the cursor, etc., can be understood once. At this time, in the case of the related information related to the inactive state, the control unit 101 turns off the display after the object changes to the active state, or displays the change to the active state as the related information. Good.

  Therefore, in an information processing apparatus such as a production print image forming apparatus that has many functions and requires many settings, when the process is performed by moving the cursor on the screen, It becomes possible to display information appropriately.

<Operation (2)>
The operation (2) of the image forming system will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, the description will be focused on the operation when the cursor is manually moved to the inactive object and then the cursor is manually moved by the operator's pointing device operation.

  First, in accordance with the procedure already described in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the cursor is automatically displayed on the inactive object, and related information is displayed near the cursor on the setting screen (step S201 in FIG. 10). In this case, as related information, in addition to the function of the object, the contents of the process, the factor that moved automatically, the factor that is inactive, the recovery information (the circumstances necessary for recovery, or the recovery time) are also displayed. Is done.

  Here, the control unit 101 starts counting the time during which the pointing device 103p is not operated (no operation time) (step S202 in FIG. 10), and confirms the operation occurrence of the pointing device 103p (step S203 in FIG. 10). )I do.

  When it is detected that the operator has operated the pointing device 103p in this state (YES in step S203 in FIG. 10), the control unit 101 resets the no-operation time during counting (step S204 in FIG. 10). Then, the related information at the time of automatic cursor movement is deleted from the setting screen (step S205 in FIG. 10), and the cursor is moved according to the operation of the operator (step S206 in FIG. 10). If the help display at the time of manual cursor movement is selected, the control unit 101 displays related information on the setting screen.

  In addition, when the cursor is manually moved (step S206 in FIG. 10), the related information at the time of automatic cursor movement is deleted from the setting screen (step S205 in FIG. 10). Only the related information regarding the circumstances necessary for recovery or the recovery time) may be left and display of the remaining time may be continued. Further, when the manual movement of the cursor by the pointing device 103p continues and the object automatically moved in step S201 is changed from the inactive state to the active state, the control unit 101 includes, as related information related to the recovery information, You may continue to display “Changed to active”.

  FIG. 11 shows that as the related information at the time of automatic movement of the cursor for the object 103f1 in the inactive state, only the related information 103f3 related to the recovery time is left, and the cursor 103f4 by the manual movement of the cursor is moved to another object 103f4 in the active state. The moving state is shown.

  Then, the control unit 101 returns to the count of the no-operation time of the pointing device 103p (step S202 in FIG. 10), and confirms the occurrence of manual operation (step S203 in FIG. 10).

  If no manual operation has occurred (NO in step S203 in FIG. 10), the control unit 101 confirms whether the inactive object has changed to the active state (step S207 in FIG. 10). ).

  If the inactive object has not changed to the active state (NO in step S207 in FIG. 10), the control unit 101 counts the non-operation time of the pointing device 103p (step S202 in FIG. 10) and manual operation. The process returns to the confirmation of occurrence (step S203 in FIG. 10).

  If the object in the inactive state has changed to the active state (YES in step S207 in FIG. 10), the control unit 101 determines that the no-operation time during counting is a predetermined time (the operator is operating). It is confirmed whether or not a period of time expected to be in a non-existing state has elapsed (step S208 in FIG. 10).

  If the no-operation time being counted is less than a predetermined time (NO in step S208 in FIG. 10), the control unit 101 counts the no-operation time of the pointing device 103p (step S202 in FIG. 10). Return to the confirmation of the occurrence of manual operation (step S203 in FIG. 10).

  If the no-operation time during counting exceeds a predetermined time (YES in step S208 in FIG. 10), the control unit 101 causes the object 103g1 moved in step S101 to automate the cursor 103g2 again (FIG. 10). Step S209 in FIG. 10, see FIG. Further, the control unit 101 displays related information near the cursor on the setting screen. In this case, the control unit 101 includes, as related information, in addition to the function and processing contents of the object, the cause of the automatic movement (the previous automatic movement of the cursor, the change from the inactive state to the active state). ) Or the like is desirably displayed as the related information 103g3 (see FIG. 12).

  By performing the operation (2) as described above, the state in which the operation is not performed for a certain time even when the operator manually performs another operation because the object to which the cursor has automatically moved is in an inactive state. If so, the cursor is moved again from the inactive state to the active state by the automatic cursor movement function, so it is possible to perform appropriate operations even for objects that have changed from the inactive state to the active state. Become.

  Therefore, in an information processing apparatus such as a production print image forming apparatus that has many functions and requires many settings, when the process is performed by moving the cursor on the screen, It becomes possible to display information appropriately.

<Other embodiments>
In the above embodiment, the image forming system including the image forming apparatus 100 and the sheet processing apparatus 300 is a specific example of the information processing apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image forming apparatus 101 Control part 102 Communication part 103 Operation display part 105 Paper feed part 130 Storage part 140 Image processing part 150 Image formation part 180 Subtray discharge part 200 Middle processing apparatus 300 Paper processing apparatus 301 Control part 302 Communication part 303 Operation display Section 305 sheet feeding section 310 transport section 320 image forming section 330 punch section 340 center folding section 350 saddle stitch section 380 sub-tray ejection section 390 main tray ejection section

Claims (13)

A control unit for controlling the object corresponding to the processing content and a cursor corresponding to the operation of the pointing device to be displayed on the screen, and controlling to execute the processing corresponding to the object specified by the cursor;
A processing unit that executes processing based on the control of the control unit,
The controller is
A cursor automatic movement function for moving the cursor to the object corresponding to a process to be performed next in accordance with a preceding operation or process;
A display control function for controlling a display state of related information related to the object according to whether the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function or the cursor movement by the operation;
An information processing apparatus. The related information includes at least one of the function of the object, the content of the processing corresponding to the object, and a factor in the case of automatic movement to the object.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The display state is at least one of display presence / absence, display content, display color, and display size.
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-2. The display state can be set according to whether the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function or the cursor movement by the operation.
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3. For each user, the display state can be set depending on whether the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function or the cursor is moved by the operation.
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4. In the case of cursor movement by the cursor automatic movement function, related information is displayed immediately after the cursor movement,
In the case of the cursor movement by the above operation, the related information is displayed after a predetermined time from the cursor movement.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. In the case where the display state is controlled as no display by the display control function, and the object is inactive, the display state is changed to display and controlled.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. In the case of cursor movement by the cursor automatic movement function, a factor when automatically moving to the object is displayed as the related information.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. When the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function and the object is in an inactive state, a factor that the object is in an inactive state is displayed as the related information.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. When the cursor is moved by the cursor automatic movement function and the object is in an inactive state, recovery information regarding the recovery of the object from the inactive state to the active state is displayed as the related information.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. The recovery information is
Including at least one of the circumstances necessary for the object to recover from the inactive state to the active state, or the time for the object to recover from the inactive state to the active state,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 10. When the cursor is moved to the inactive object by the cursor automatic movement function and then the cursor moves to another position, the object changes from the inactive state to the active state, and the operation is performed for a certain time. If it is not made, the cursor is moved again by the cursor automatic movement function to the object changed from the inactive state to the active state.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is an information processing apparatus. A control unit that controls to display an object corresponding to the processing content and a cursor corresponding to the operation of the pointing device on the screen, and to execute processing corresponding to the object specified by the cursor, and the control An information processing apparatus control method in an information processing apparatus comprising: a processing unit that executes processing based on control of the unit;
Depending on whether the cursor is automatically moved to the object corresponding to the process to be performed next in accordance with the preceding operation or process, or the cursor is moved in accordance with the operation. An information processing apparatus control method for controlling a display state of related information related to the.