JP4652162B2 - ELECTRIC DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING DEVICE, AND OPERATION PROGRAM THEREOF - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical apparatus apparatus, in particular, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, and the like. Specifically, the current state of the image forming apparatus body corresponds to the growth process or state of a virtual creature on the display panel screen of an operation unit. The present invention relates to an electric apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and an operation program thereof.

  Conventionally, a display screen of an operation unit provided in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine is mainly displayed as a copy function setting screen indispensable for a copying operation. This is the same regardless of the side discharge type image forming apparatus and the in-cylinder discharge type image forming apparatus.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the operation display panel 130 of the operation unit 128 includes a function selection key 131, a paper feed stage setting display key 132, a screen enlargement / reduction ratio display key 133, an image density setting display key 134, a sort. A mode setting display key 135, a numeric keypad (not shown), a JAM display (not shown), and the like are provided.

  In the copying function setting of the image forming apparatus as described above, first, before performing the copying operation, the operator performs setting of the image density, the number of sheets, the paper feed stage, etc. in advance on the display screen provided in the operation unit. After confirming the settings, press the print switch to perform the copying operation. When the paper is jammed along the transport path, JAM is displayed on the display screen to prompt the operator for a paper processing message.

  Further, when the toner approaches empty, a toner replenishment message is displayed. When the toner becomes empty, a toner replenishment operation is prompted, or when the number of copies by the image forming apparatus exceeds a certain value, it is a maintenance period. The display is displayed on the display screen (hereinafter referred to as “the prior art”).

On the other hand, when an inconvenience (failure or the like) occurs in the image forming apparatus, a JAM removal procedure is displayed on the LCD by a machine image in which a plurality of image parts are combined. For example, when JAM occurs in a place covered with a front cover, an image display unit (stereoscopic image display of a copying machine) that displays an operation member of the JAM generation site as a stereoscopic image on the display panel, and JAM removal It has a message display section ("Open the front cover") that displays the operation and a JAM message display section ("Paper jam") that informs you that a JAM has occurred. The operation direction is indicated by an arrow so as to open (see Patent Document 1).
JP-A-5-6065 (page 8, FIG. 20)

  However, the functional display as in the former prior art is a display necessary for the copying operation. Once the display screen is set, the copying operation is completed or the maintenance / inspection is completed. Settings are not changed until reset. Therefore, for example, a toner replenishment message is displayed to prompt the toner replenishment, but the operator cannot predict quantitatively how much toner is remaining. Further, with the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to display complicated operation functions of an image forming apparatus for a person who uses a copying machine for the first time or who feels resistance to a machine (such as an image forming apparatus). You will be confused by the operation.

  On the other hand, when the machine is operating normally, the operator does not do anything during the copying operation, only stands in front of the machine (image forming apparatus), and there is no waiting time. Very boring. In particular, when copying a large number of copies, a very large amount of time is consumed.

  Therefore, the present invention displays an image on the display panel in correspondence with the image information of a predetermined character, in particular, the growth process or form of a virtual creature, and the operator instantaneously It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical apparatus device, an image forming apparatus, and an operation program thereof that can be determined.

An electrical equipment device according to an aspect of the present invention is an electrical equipment device provided with a status display panel that is installed in a visually recognizable portion of the device main body and capable of displaying image information, and is displayed on the status display panel. A display control unit that performs display control of image information, the display control unit acquires current state information of the device main body, and the state display panel displays a life form associated with the current state information of the device main body or Displaying image information including image information of the growth process or form of the virtual creature, and displaying the image information of the character's larva during the setup immediately after the device power is turned on. when a transition from the normal state after the predetermined period of time has elapsed, the display the image information after the growth of the character, further after the transition to the normal state When variations in the current state of the serial device main body has occurred, the character displayed in the state after the growth, and displays by adding additional image information associated with the change, characterized in that ( Claim 1).

In the above structure, the living body character, animal, fish, human, plant, or be composed of a combination thereof preferred (claim 2).

In the above configuration, the electric device apparatus includes a predetermined operation unit, and various functions related to the operation of the electric device apparatus are displayed on the operation unit with characters, symbols, or operation characters, and the displayed information comprising a selectable operation display panel any information, the status display panel, it is desirable that incorporated into the operation display panel (claim 3).

In the above configuration, the electrical equipment unit, the outer cover is provided to cover the outer peripheral portion, the status display panel, it is preferable provided on the outer cover (claim 4).

In the above configuration, the electrical equipment device, it is desirable that the image forming apparatus (claim 5).

An image forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention displays various functions related to an image forming operation with characters, symbols, or operation characters on an operation unit of the image forming apparatus main body, and arbitrary information among the displayed information. In the image forming apparatus provided with an operation display panel capable of selecting an image, the operation unit includes a selection switch, and the display content of the operation display panel displays various functions related to the image forming operation by operating the selection switch. Can be selected between a normal display and a state display for displaying the current state of the image forming apparatus main body as an image of a growth process or a state of a life form or a virtual life form character. At the time of setup immediately after the apparatus power supply of the image forming apparatus is turned on, the image information of the character's larvae is displayed. When the transition to the normal state after the lapse between periodic displays image information after the growth of the character, further, when the change in the current state of the apparatus main body after the transition to the normal state has occurred, after the growth condition The additional image information associated with the variation is added and displayed on the character displayed in ( 6 ).

An operation program for an image forming apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a status display panel capable of displaying image information installed in a visually recognizable part of the image forming apparatus main body, and the image displayed on the status display panel. A program for operating an image forming apparatus having a display control unit that performs display control of information, the step of causing the display control unit to acquire current state information of the image forming apparatus main body, and the acquired current state information Generating an image signal including image information of the growth process or form of the character of the creature or virtual creature associated with the image, and displaying the generated image signal as image information on the state display panel. The image information is stored at the time of setup immediately after the apparatus power of the image forming apparatus is turned on. Wherein an image information larval characters, at the time when the transition from the time of setup during normal state after the predetermined time period has elapsed, Ri image information der after growth of the character, further, the apparatus after the transition to the normal state When a change occurs in the current state of the main body, image information obtained by adding additional image information associated with the change is displayed on the character displayed in the post-growth state. Claim 7 ).

  According to the present invention, since the current state of the device main body of the electric device is displayed on the state display panel as image information including image information of a predetermined character associated with the current state information of the device main body. The operator can instantly determine what the current state of the electric device main body is.

  Further, a display control unit that performs display control of image information to be displayed on the state display panel associates (links) the current state of the main body of the electric device with image information including image information of a predetermined character, and performs predetermined control. Display image signals can be generated.

  In addition, by using a life form or a virtual life form character as a character to be displayed on the state display panel, the current state of the apparatus main body can be expressed by a character that is easy to be familiar to the operator, and the preference is improved. it can.

  In addition, by using animals, fish, humans, plants, or a combination thereof as creatures to be displayed on the status display panel, the operator can become more familiar and an intention to use the apparatus main body with care can be generated.

  Also, by incorporating the status display panel into the operation display panel, it is possible to display the operation information and status information on a single display panel section, avoiding an increase in the number of display panels, and the operator entering the operation information The status information can be confirmed.

  In addition, by providing the state display panel on the exterior cover that covers the outer peripheral portion of the electric device, the current state of the electric device can be easily visually recognized even from a position far away.

  In addition, since a predetermined character is displayed on the status display panel in accordance with the current state of the image forming apparatus main body, the preference of the image forming apparatus can be enhanced.

  In addition, since the current state of the image forming apparatus main body is displayed on the state display panel as an image corresponding to the growth process or state of the life form or virtual life form character, the operator can display the current state of the image forming apparatus main body. Can instantly determine what happens. Accordingly, the operator can spend the waiting time during the copying operation without being bored.

  In addition, as the current state of the image forming apparatus main body, a setup state immediately after the apparatus power is turned on, a toner empty state in which the remaining amount of toner is emptied, a sheet jammed state during the conveyance of the sheet material, and an image recorded on the sheet material The image is deteriorated, the image forming operation is suspended for a predetermined time or more, the energy saving state is stopped, the maintenance waiting state requiring periodic inspection of the apparatus main body, the remaining amount of paper, the apparatus main body, and the configuration thereof Since at least one current state selected from the group consisting of the life states of the parts is included, the current state of the image forming apparatus main body can be easily visually recognized for the operator.

  Further, based on the operation of the selection switch, the display content of the operation display panel includes a normal display for displaying various functions relating to the image forming operation, and the current state of the image forming apparatus main body as the growth process or the state of the life form or the virtual life form character. Can be selected for the state display in which the image is displayed as an image, so that it is possible to freely set the image according to the operator's selection.

  In addition, the operator can display the current state of the image forming apparatus main body on the state display panel as an operation program that displays an image including image information of a predetermined character associated with the current state information. It is possible to instantly determine what the condition is. Accordingly, the operator can spend the waiting time during the copying operation without being bored.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The present invention is intended for all electrical equipment devices that are installed in a visually recognizable part and have a state display panel capable of displaying image information. For example, home appliances such as AV equipment, washing machines, rice cookers, energy generating equipment such as water heaters and cogeneration equipment, copiers, printers, facsimile machines, or image forming apparatuses such as multifunction machines having both functions. Various representative OA devices can be exemplified. Further, the state display panel may be an aspect that is integrally assembled to these electric device main bodies or an aspect that is incorporated into a remote control device that performs remote operation. Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail by exemplifying an image forming apparatus as an example of the above-described electrical apparatus apparatus.

[Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with an operation unit 28 on the upper front side of the image forming apparatus main body 2. . As will be described in detail later, the operation unit 28 includes function selection keys 31 such as a copy, a printer, a scanner, and a fax, various input keys such as a numeric keypad 36, and an operation display panel 30 using a liquid crystal display unit. ing. The operation display panel 30 informs the operator by characters, symbols or operation characters (icons, etc.) displaying various information related to the image forming operation, and allows the operator to select and indicate arbitrary information from the displayed information. It is like that.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a printer unit 3 and a scanner unit 4 inside an image forming apparatus main body 2. An automatic document feeder 6 for automatically feeding documents one by one to the contact glass (image reading unit) 5 is attached to the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body 2 on the depth side.

  In this image forming apparatus 1, image information of a document sent to a contact glass (image reading unit) 5 by an automatic document feeder 6 is read by a scanner unit 4 and subjected to photoelectric conversion, and the digital data obtained by the photoelectric conversion is converted to a printer unit 3. Are output to the image forming unit 7.

  The printer unit 3 forms (transfers) a toner image on the sheet material P (recording material such as paper, plastic film, or OHP sheet) sent from the paper feed tray 14 by the image forming unit 7, and the toner image is transferred. The printed sheet material P is heated and pressed by the fixing unit 10 to fix the toner image on the sheet material P, and then the printed sheet material P is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 15.

  The scanner unit 4 has the scanning unit 12 fixed at the image reading position (HP) and reads the original conveyed by the automatic document feeder 6, and the scanning unit 12 starts from the image reading position (HP). 2, the image surface of the original fixed on the upper surface of the platen glass (image reading unit) 13 can be scanned. The image forming unit 7 transfers the toner image to the sheet material P based on the image data read by the scanner unit 4 and transmission data output from a copying machine, a facsimile, or a personal computer.

  The automatic document feeder 6 is rotatably attached to the upper part on the back side (the depth side in FIG. 1) of the image forming apparatus main body 2, and is rotated so as to be lifted upward from the image forming apparatus main body 2. The upper surface of the platen glass 13 fixed to the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body 2 can be opened.

  The automatic document feeder 6 includes a paper feed tray 8, a paper feed unit 17 that is covered by a front cover 27 and feeds a document on the paper feed tray 8 to a document transport path (in the direction of the broken line arrow), and a fed document. A transport unit 18 that leads to the contact glass (image reading unit) 5, a paper discharge tray 11 provided below the paper feed tray 8, a paper discharge unit 20 that discharges the read document onto the paper discharge tray 11, It has.

  As described above, the originals on the paper feed tray 8 are sent one by one to the original conveyance path by the paper supply unit 17, and the originals thus fed are conveyed to the contact glass (image reading unit) 5 by the conveyance unit 18. Then, the image information is read by the scanning unit 12, and the read original is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 11 by the paper discharge unit 20.

[First Embodiment of Status Display Panel]
As shown in FIG. 3, an operation unit 28 is arranged substantially horizontally on the upper front surface of the image forming apparatus main body 2, and details of the arrangement state of the operation unit 28 are shown as key operation parts on the left end side of the figure. The function selection key 31 and the numeric keypad 36 (see FIG. 1) are arranged on the right end side, and the operation display panel 30 in which the touch panel is arranged on the upper surface of the display surface of the liquid crystal display device is arranged inside these right and left directions. A state display panel 40 for displaying a growth process or a state of a life form or a virtual life form character on a liquid crystal is disposed at a substantially center in the left-right direction of the operation display panel 30.

  The operation display panel 30 displays various functions related to the image forming operation with characters, symbols, and the like, and the operator presses a touch key displayed on the panel surface of the touch panel, so that an image is displayed according to the selected function. A forming operation is performed. Specifically, the operation display panel 30 includes a paper feed stage setting display key 32, a screen enlargement / reduction magnification display key 33, an image density setting display key 34, a sort mode setting display key 35, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the current state of the image forming apparatus main body 2 displayed on the state display panel 40 includes, for example, a setup state immediately after the apparatus power is turned on, a normal state in a stable period after the setup, and image formation Energy saving state in which operation is paused and power consumption is suppressed, toner empty state in which the remaining amount of toner is exhausted and toner is waiting to be replenished, JAM state in which clogging occurs during the conveyance of the sheet material P, sheets in the sheet feed tray 14 A sheet remaining display state indicating how much the current cumulative number of copies has been after the material P is fully replenished, a state in which the apparatus main body is in trouble and awaiting repair (service man call state), and a periodical period of the apparatus main body For example, a waiting state for maintenance that requires periodic inspection, a waiting state for cleaning the photosensitive drum in which the image displayed on the sheet material P is stained, and the like.

  Further, as the current state, the life state of the image forming apparatus main body 2 and its component parts may be displayed on the state display panel 40. Examples of the life state include the wear life of mechanical parts such as a transfer roller, a fixing roller, and a cleaning blade, and the product life of the image forming apparatus main body 2 itself. In the case where a battery (battery) is built in the apparatus main body, the battery life (battery remaining amount) may be displayed as current state information.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the state display panel 40 is arranged in the substantially central portion of the operation unit 28 has been described. However, when the operation of the function selection key 31 or the operation display panel 30 is emphasized, this state is described. The display panel 40 may be disposed on the left and right ends of the operation unit 28.

  In the present embodiment, the state display panel 40 of the operation unit 28 displays an image by linking the current state of the image forming apparatus main body 2 to the growth process or form of a life character such as an animal, fish, human being, or plant. Thus, the operator can visually recognize at a glance. That is, instead of displaying the current state of the image forming apparatus main body 2 with complicated operation function displays using characters, symbols, or images as in the past, friendly creatures such as animals, fish, people, plants, etc. By displaying an image as the growth process or appearance of the character), the operator can instantaneously and easily determine what the current state of the image forming apparatus body 2 is.

  For example, if the life form character displayed on the display screen of the status display panel 40 is a person, the growth process changes from baby → kindergarten child → elementary school → junior high school student → high school student → college student → working person → old man. The baby's condition is displayed during setup immediately after the device is turned on. Then, when the stable state after setup is reached, the state of the adult can be displayed and the state at that time can be changed and displayed in time series. Further, for example, if the image becomes dirty, it is displayed that the clothes worn by the person are dirty, and complains that the photosensitive drum (not shown) of the image forming unit 7 is dirty.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, when a fish is adopted as a creature on the display screen, the appearance of the fish baby is displayed at the time of setup immediately after the apparatus power is turned on. When the stable normal state is reached after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time of setup, adult fish are displayed (FIG. 4B). When the toner remaining amount is displayed, as shown in FIG. 4C, when the toner is in an empty state, the state of the hungry fish is displayed. Further, when the image forming operation is not performed continuously for a predetermined time, as shown in FIG. 4D, the state where the fish is sleeping is displayed as the energy saving mode in order to eliminate unnecessary power consumption.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the sheet material P is jammed in the middle of the conveyance in the image forming apparatus main body 2 (at the time of JAM), the fish is injured and the red cross mark is displayed. Raise the flag and display that the medical team is urgently requested to inform the operator that the service man call is in progress (failing).

  In addition, when a fish is used as a life form character displayed on the status display panel 40, as shown in FIG. 6, the fish generally grows from an egg state to a young fish and then grows into a larger fish. Various states can be displayed using the process. For example, in the case of so-called “development fish”, change the state from small (baby, egg) to large (adult), such as sego → fukko → suzuki or tubas → hamachi → white-eye → yellowtail. Can be displayed.

  Specifically, for example, the current state of the cumulative number of copies can be displayed. In this case, the growth process of the creature character imitating the fish is linked to the cumulative number of copies so that the growth process of the fish is changed as the cumulative number of copies increases, and the picture on the display becomes an old fish. At that time, it is recommended to prompt the maintenance time and return to the baby after the maintenance.

  Alternatively, the current state of the remaining amount of paper in the paper feed tray 14 (the remaining amount of paper in the paper feed cassette) can be displayed. In this case, immediately after the sheet material P is linked to the remaining amount of the paper feed tray 14 and a new sheet material P is set in the paper feed tray 14, the number of copies is zero. Display a picture. Next, when the number of copies reaches about 20-30% of the whole, a picture of a fry is displayed, and when the number of copies increases to about 70-80% of the total, a picture of an adult fish is displayed. By performing such a display, the operator can immediately recognize how much the copy has been made or how much the remaining amount of the sheet material P is.

  In addition, in this Embodiment demonstrated above, although the case where fish was assumed as a life-form character was demonstrated, not only fish but plants, such as an animal, a person, a flower, for example, these fish, animals, It may be a combination of people, plants, and the like.

  Furthermore, a virtual creature character that does not actually exist in the world may be used. For example, an image associated with the current state of the main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 2 with the growth process and appearance of an imaginary android, animals and plants, so-called aliens and futures, unique robots, or characters appearing in animation. Information may be displayed on the status display panel 40.

[Second Embodiment of Status Display Panel]
FIG. 7 shows an embodiment in which a state display panel 40 is provided on the front cover 22 of the exterior cover of the image forming apparatus main body 2.

  That is, when the status display panel 40 is provided on the upper front side of the image forming apparatus main body 2 as in the first embodiment, the status display panel 40 is arranged in a substantially horizontal state, and therefore the display content is Only an operator in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus main body 2 can view it. However, if the state display panel 40 is provided on the front cover 22, the state display panel 40 is arranged in a substantially vertical state, so that the display content can be easily displayed even to a person who is far from the image forming apparatus main body 2. It can be visually recognized.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by providing the state display panel 40 on the front cover 22, the image forming apparatus can be used by an operator who is far away from the image forming apparatus main body 2 or other people. The current state of the main body 2 can be easily visually confirmed.

  In this embodiment, the case where the state display panel 40 is provided on the front cover 22 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the state display panel 40 may be provided on the side cover. It may be provided on both side covers.

[Control block diagram of operation unit]
FIG. 8 shows a control block diagram of the operation unit 28. In the figure, the display system includes an apparatus control unit 42, a state display control unit 43 (display control unit), and an operation unit 28 controlled by the state display control unit 43.

  The apparatus control unit 42 controls various operations of the image forming apparatus main body 2 in accordance with a press input given from the touch switch 48 of the operation display panel 30 based on a predetermined program stored in advance.

  The state display control unit 43 performs display control of image information displayed on the state display panel 40, and includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) control unit 45 and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 46. The CPU 46 acquires information on the current state of the image forming apparatus main body 2 from each unit (device control unit 42), and gives a display control command signal to the LCD control unit 45. The LCD control unit 45 generates an image signal that causes the state display panel 40 to display image information including image information of a predetermined character associated with the acquired current state information based on the display control command signal given from the CPU 46. .

  Specifically, when the CPU 46 grasps the current state of the image forming apparatus main body 2 by the control signal from the apparatus control unit 42, the CPU 46 determines the current state at this time as the growth process of the life form or the virtual life form. The LCD control unit 45 forms a predetermined image signal corresponding to the current state of the image forming apparatus main body 2. Then, this image signal is output from the LCD control unit 45 to the LCD driver 47 of the status display panel 40 to drive the LCD 44 composed of a large number of pixels arranged in a matrix.

  As a result, the current state of the image forming apparatus main body 2 is displayed on the state display panel 40 in a state corresponding to the growth process or form of a life form character such as an animal, fish, person, or plant. In the operation display panel 30, the LCD 50 is driven in response to a pressing operation of the touch switch 48 by the operator, whereby various functions relating to the image forming operation are displayed by characters, symbols, and the like.

  The operation of the state display control unit 43 configured as described above will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. First, the CPU 46 acquires the current state information of the image forming apparatus main body 2 (step S1). For example, when the device control unit 42 detects that the toner remaining amount is empty by a sensor (not shown), the detection signal is output from the device control unit 42 to the CPU 46. The CPU 46 acquires the detection signal as information indicating the current state of the image forming apparatus main body 2.

  Subsequently, it is confirmed whether or not the acquired current state information is a target for state display on the state display panel 40 (step S2). Here, a flag for determining whether or not the current state information as the state display target item is acquired by comparing the state display target item stored in advance with the acquired current state information. If current state information that is not a state display target item is acquired (NO in step S2), the process returns to step S1 and the process is repeated.

  When the current state information that is the state display target item is acquired (YES in step S2), a character display pattern corresponding to the acquired current state information is selected (step S3). For example, when the display as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4D is executed, a fish display pattern stored in a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like of the image forming apparatus main body 2 is stored in advance. A toner remaining amount display pattern using the character is read out.

  Then, the LCD control unit 45 generates an image signal corresponding to the acquired current state information (step S4). For example, an image signal of a fish that is hungry as shown in FIG. 4C is formed. This image signal is output to the LCD driver 47, the LCD 44 is driven, and an image corresponding to the image signal is displayed on the status display panel 40 (step S5). Subsequently, it is confirmed whether or not the image forming apparatus main body 2 is in an operation OFF (or sleep mode) state. If the operation ON state is maintained (NO in step S6), the process returns to step S1 and the process is performed. Repeated.

[Description of Modified Embodiment]
In the present embodiment, the case where the state display panel 40 is separately arranged adjacent to the operation display panel 30 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the operation display panel 30 and the state display panel 40 are common. One display panel (a display panel in which the status display panel 40 is incorporated in the operation display panel 30) may be provided. In this case, when a selection switch (not shown) is operated on a common display panel, a normal display (corresponding to the operation display panel 30) for displaying various functions related to the image forming operation and the current state of the image forming apparatus main body 2 are displayed as creatures. It is also possible to select a state display (corresponding to the state display panel 40) that displays the growth process or form of the image as an image.

  Similarly to the above, for example, a common display panel is provided as the operation display panel 30 and the status display panel 40, and when the apparatus power is turned on, the current state of the image forming apparatus main body 2 is automatically set to life. The state is displayed during the growth process of the body or virtual creature character (corresponding to the state display panel 40), and when the operator touches the touch switch 48 of the operation display panel 30, a normal display (operation) is displayed. The screen may be changed to correspond to the display panel 30).

  Further, in the present embodiment, the state of the image forming apparatus main body 2 has been described as displaying an image by linking to the growth process or form of a living thing. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may make it display combining an image display and the audio | voice display which alert | reports the state by an audio | voice.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the state of the image forming apparatus main body 2 has been described as displaying an image by linking to the growth process or form of a living thing. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a part of the state display panel 40 is displayed. Alternatively, it is possible to display a manufacturer's advertisement image, message, or the like using all of them.

  In addition, as a form of providing the product according to the present invention, it is possible to provide not as the above-described electric apparatus or image forming apparatus but as an operation program for executing processing performed by these apparatuses. Such a program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, a ROM, a RAM, and a memory card attached to the computer and provided as a program product. Alternatively, the program can be provided by being recorded on a recording medium provided in the electric apparatus or the image forming apparatus. A program can also be provided by downloading via a network.

1 is an overall perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side sectional view of an image forming apparatus. 3 is a plan view of an operation unit of the image forming apparatus. FIG. It is an example of the status display by a character, Comprising: (a)-(d) is a figure which shows the specific example of the fish displayed on the status display panel. (A) is a specific example of JAM display, and (b) is a diagram showing a specific example in the case of a serviceman call. It is a figure which shows the state which fish grows from an egg to an adult fish. It is a figure which shows embodiment which has arrange | positioned the status display panel in the front cover of the image forming apparatus main body. It is a control block diagram of an image display system. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of a display control part. It is a top view of the operation part of the conventional image forming apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Image forming apparatus main body, 22 ... Front cover, 28 ... Operation part, 30 ... Operation display panel, 31 ... Function selection key, 36 ... Numeric keypad, 40 ... State Display panel 42... Device controller 43. State display controller 44. LCD 45. LCD controller 46. CPU 47 47 LCD driver 48 touch switch

Claims (7)

An electrical equipment device provided with a status display panel that is installed in a visible part of the device body and capable of displaying image information,
A display control unit that performs display control of the image information displayed on the status display panel;
The display control unit obtains current state information of the device main body, and image information of a growth process or a state of a life form or virtual life form character associated with the current state information of the device body is displayed on the state display panel. Image information including
During setup immediately after the device power is turned on, the image information of the character's larvae is displayed,
When transitioning to the normal state after a predetermined period from the setup time, the image information after the character's growth is displayed , and
When a change occurs in the current state of the apparatus main body after transition in the normal state, the character displayed in the post-growth state is additionally displayed with additional image information associated with the change.
An electrical apparatus device characterized by that. The electrical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the life character is an animal, a fish, a person, a plant, or a combination thereof. The electric device apparatus is provided with a predetermined operation unit,
The operation unit is provided with an operation display panel that displays various functions related to the operation of the electrical apparatus device by using characters, symbols, or operation characters, and can select arbitrary information from the displayed information.
The electrical apparatus apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the status display panel is incorporated in the operation display panel. The electrical equipment device is provided with an exterior cover that covers the outer periphery thereof,
The electric apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the status display panel is provided on the exterior cover. The electrical apparatus apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical apparatus apparatus is an image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus provided with an operation display panel capable of displaying various functions related to an image forming operation with characters, symbols, or operation characters on an operation unit of the image forming apparatus main body and selecting arbitrary information from the displayed information In
The operation unit has a selection switch. When the selection switch is operated, the display content of the operation display panel displays a normal display for displaying various functions related to an image forming operation and the current state of the image forming apparatus main body. It is possible to select either a state display to be displayed as an image of the growth process or form of the body or virtual creature character,
As the status display,
At the time of setup immediately after the apparatus power of the image forming apparatus is turned on, image information of the character's larval period is displayed,
When transitioning to the normal state after the lapse of a predetermined period from the setup time, the image information after the character's growth is displayed ,
When a change occurs in the current state of the apparatus main body after transition in the normal state, the character displayed in the post-growth state is additionally displayed with additional image information associated with the change.
An image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus having a state display panel capable of displaying image information installed in a visible part of the image forming apparatus main body and a display control unit for controlling display of the image information displayed on the state display panel is operated. A program for causing the display control unit to
Obtaining current state information of the image forming apparatus main body;
Generating an image signal including image information of a growth process or a figure of a life form or virtual life form character associated with the acquired current state information;
Displaying the generated image signal on the status display panel as image information,
The image information is
At the time of setup immediately after the apparatus power of the image forming apparatus is turned on, it is image information of the character's larval period ,
At the time when the transition from the time of setup during normal state after the predetermined time period has elapsed, Ri image information der after growth of the character, further,
When a change occurs in the current state of the apparatus main body after the transition in the normal state, image information obtained by adding additional image information associated with the change is displayed on the character displayed in the post-growth state. Let
An operation program for an image forming apparatus.

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