JP6040863B2 - Image forming apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (Multi-Functional Peripheral) and a related technology.

  In an image forming operation of reading a document over a plurality of pages and generating a plurality of scan images, a plurality of scan images are used as preview images in parallel with a plurality of scan image generation operations (image formation operations) for the plurality of pages. There is a technique for displaying images sequentially and automatically (see Patent Document 1). Such a preview technique is also called real-time preview or automatic preview.

JP 2012-253548 A

  As described above, in such an automatic preview operation, a plurality of preview images over the plurality of pages are sequentially and automatically displayed at regular time intervals. Then, when performing an editing operation regarding the plurality of pages, it is necessary to wait for the scan image generation operation regarding the plurality of pages to end and the automatic preview operation to end.

  Therefore, for example, even when the user confirms by looking at the automatic preview that a page determined to be unnecessary (unnecessary determination page) by the MFP from among a plurality of pages is confirmed at the time of the confirmation. The user cannot delete the unnecessary determination page. In other words, the user can perform the delete operation (edit operation) of the unnecessary determination page only after the automatic preview of all pages is completed. For example, the user may store the page number during automatic preview, and perform deletion operation (editing operation) of the unnecessary determination page by performing deletion operation of the unnecessary determination page after completion of automatic preview of all pages. it can.

  However, such an editing operation is not necessarily an efficient operation because it requires waiting for the end of automatic preview for all pages.

  In the technique of Patent Document 1 (see paragraphs 0094-0101 and the like of Patent Document 1), an icon displayed in association with a specific page extracted as a specific document (blank document) is operated during automatic preview. It is possible to immediately confirm the contents of the specific page. However, an editing operation regarding a page (non-specific page) that has not been extracted as a blank original cannot be executed until the preview display of all pages is completed. As described above, the technique of Patent Document 1 is not necessarily sufficient, such as icon operations being accepted only for some of all pages, and there being restrictions on pages that can be operated by the user.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic preview technique that can perform editing processing more flexibly.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 is an image forming apparatus, which displays various types of information and receives an operation input from a user, and a plurality of pages related to an image forming operation. Operation control means for executing automatic preview for automatically and sequentially displaying a preview image on the user interface unit in parallel with the image forming operation, and the operation control means includes the user during the automatic preview. When a gesture operation on the preview image displayed on the interface unit is received, an editing process on the preview image is executed in accordance with the gesture operation.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the user interface unit accepts a flick operation on the preview image as the gesture operation, and the operation control unit is configured to correspond to the page corresponding to the preview image. A page deletion process for deleting is executed according to the flick operation.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, the user interface unit accepts a tap operation on the preview image as the gesture operation, and the operation control means is responsive to the tap operation. In addition, flag information indicating that the image is to be edited after completion of the automatic preview is set for the corresponding page of the preview image.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention, the user interface unit accepts a tap operation on the preview image, and the operation control means performs the automatic preview according to the tap operation. It is characterized by stopping.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the user interface unit accepts a pinch-out operation with respect to the preview image, and the operation control means includes the pinch The preview image in the automatic preview is enlarged and displayed in response to an out operation.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the user interface unit receives a pinch-in operation on the preview image, and the operation control unit is configured to perform the pinch-in operation. The preview image in the automatic preview is reduced and displayed according to the above.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the operation control means reduces the preview image in the automatic preview according to the pinch-in operation and displays the preview image before the preview image. At least one of the image formation target image and the image formation target image next to the preview image is also displayed as a preview.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the image forming apparatus optically sequentially reads the originals associated with the plurality of pages. The image forming operation includes a document reading operation for the plurality of pages, and the operation control unit relates to the plurality of pages in parallel with the document reading operation for the plurality of pages by the image reading unit. The plurality of preview images are automatically and sequentially displayed.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the image forming apparatus further includes a print output unit that sequentially prints the plurality of pages. The image forming operation includes a print output operation for the plurality of pages, and the operation control unit performs the plurality of previews for the plurality of pages in parallel with the print output operation for the plurality of pages by the print output unit. It is characterized by automatically and sequentially displaying images.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in a computer built in an image forming apparatus, a) a plurality of preview images of a plurality of pages related to an image forming operation are sequentially and automatically formed in parallel with the image forming operation. A step of accepting a gesture operation on a preview image displayed on the user interface unit during an automatic preview displayed on a user interface unit of the apparatus; and b) a step of executing an editing process on the preview image in response to the gesture operation. And a program for executing the above.

  According to the first to tenth aspects of the present invention, when a gesture operation on the preview image displayed on the user interface unit is received during automatic preview, an editing process on the preview image is executed in accordance with the gesture operation. Therefore, it is possible to perform editing processing more flexibly without waiting for completion of automatic preview of all pages.

  In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to delete an arbitrary page very easily by a flick operation during automatic preview.

  In particular, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the marking operation for selecting the editing process target can be performed during the automatic preview, the flexible and efficient editing process can be performed. .

1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of an image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the functional block of an image forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows an operation panel part. It is a figure which shows an automatic preview. It is a figure which shows an automatic preview. It is a figure which shows an automatic preview. It is a figure which shows an automatic preview. It is a figure which shows a mode that a flick operation is received. It is a figure which shows a mode that pinch in operation is received. It is a figure which shows a reduced display state. It is a figure which shows a reduced display state. It is a figure which shows a reduced display state. It is a figure which shows a mode that pinch out operation is received. It is a figure which shows an enlarged display state. It is a figure which shows a mode that a tap operation is received. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement according to gesture operation. It is a figure which shows the reduced display state which concerns on a modification. It is a figure which shows the reduced display state which concerns on a modification. It is a figure which shows the reduced display state which concerns on a modification.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<1. Outline of configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the image forming apparatus 10, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of the image forming apparatus 10. Here, an MFP (Multi-Functional Peripheral) is exemplified as the image forming apparatus 10.

  The MFP 10 is a device (also referred to as a multi-function device) having a scan function, a copy function, a facsimile function, a box storage function, and the like. Specifically, as shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 2, the MFP 10 includes an image reading unit 2, a print output unit 3, a communication unit 4, a storage unit 5, an operation unit 6, a controller 9, and the like. Various functions are realized by operating each part of the above in a complex manner.

  An image reading unit (also referred to as a scan unit) 2 optically reads (that is, scans) a document (a document to be scanned) placed on a predetermined position of the MFP 10 and images the document. A processing unit that generates data (also referred to as a scanned image). The image reading unit 2 has an automatic document feeder (ADF), and can sequentially and automatically read a plurality of pages of the document. The image reading unit 2 is also expressed as an image forming unit that forms a scanned image.

  The print output unit 3 is an output unit that prints out an image on various media such as paper based on data related to a print target. The print output unit 3 is also expressed as an image forming unit that forms an image (print image) on a print medium. The print output unit 3 can also perform print output related to a plurality of pages of the electronic document file stored in the storage unit 5.

  The communication unit 4 is a processing unit capable of performing facsimile communication via a public line or the like. Further, the communication unit 4 can perform network communication via the network NW. In this network communication, for example, various protocols such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) are used. By using the network communication, the MFP 10 can exchange various data with a desired destination.

  The storage unit 5 includes a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD). The storage unit 5 stores data related to the print job. The storage unit 5 also stores various electronic document files.

  The operation unit (also referred to as a user interface unit) 6 includes an operation input unit 6a that receives an input to the MFP 10 and a display unit 6b that displays and outputs various types of information.

  The MFP 10 is provided with a substantially plate-like operation panel unit 6c (see FIG. 1). Further, the operation panel unit 6c has a touch panel 25 (see FIG. 1) on the front side thereof. The touch panel 25 is configured by embedding a piezoelectric sensor or the like in a liquid crystal display panel, and can display various kinds of information and accept an operation input from an operator. For example, on the touch panel 25, menu images (including button images and the like) are displayed. The operator can set various operation contents of the image forming apparatus 10 by pressing a button (button represented by a button image) virtually arranged in the touch panel 25. On the touch panel 25, a preview image (scanned image or printed image) to be described later is displayed. The operator can perform various types of changing operations related to the preview by performing a gesture operation on the preview image. The touch panel 25 functions as a part of the operation input unit 6a and also functions as a part of the display unit 6b.

  The controller 9 is a control device that is built in the MFP 10 and controls the MFP 10 in an integrated manner. The controller 9 is configured as a computer system including a CPU and various semiconductor memories (RAM and ROM). The controller 9 implements various processing units by executing a predetermined software program (hereinafter also simply referred to as a program) PG1 stored in a ROM (for example, EEPROM) in the CPU. The program (specifically, a program module group) PG1 may be installed in the MFP 10 via a portable recording medium such as a USB memory, or a network NW.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the controller 9 implements various processing units including an input control unit 11, a display control unit 12, and an operation control unit 15 by executing a program PG1.

  The display control unit 12 is a processing unit that controls a display operation in the display unit 6b (the touch panel 25 or the like). The display control unit 12 controls operations for displaying various types of information (including a preview image described later) on the touch panel 25.

  The input control unit 11 is a processing unit that controls an operation of receiving an operation input (such as a gesture operation) from the user with respect to the operation input unit 6a (the touch panel 25 or the like).

  The operation control unit 15 is a processing unit that controls a preview operation (such as an automatic preview operation) and a page editing operation on the touch panel 25 in cooperation with the input control unit 11 and the display control unit 12. For example, the operation control unit 15 executes “automatic preview” (described later) on the touch panel 25.

<2. Operation>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation panel unit 6c. Hereinafter, a mode in which an automatic preview is displayed on the touch panel 25 of the operation panel unit 6c and various operations are performed by a gesture operation on the preview image during the automatic preview will be described in more detail. “Automatic preview” is a preview in which a plurality of preview images of a plurality of pages related to an image forming operation (for example, a scanning operation or a print output operation) are sequentially and automatically displayed on the display unit in parallel with the image forming operation. Is the action. Since this automatic preview is performed almost immediately (almost in real time) at a time close to the execution time of the image forming operation, it is also expressed as “real time preview” or the like. Here, an automatic preview operation related to a scan image forming operation will be described. In this automatic preview operation, a plurality of preview images of a plurality of pages related to the scanning operation are displayed on the touch panel 25 sequentially and automatically in parallel with the scanning operation.

  Specifically, a document composed of a plurality of pages is placed on the automatic document feeder of the image reading unit 2, and a scanning operation is started in response to a scan start instruction (time T1) (step S11 in FIG. 16). 2), a plurality of pages constituting the document are sequentially read by the image reading unit 2, and scan images corresponding to the plurality of pages are sequentially formed. For example, a plurality of scan images are sequentially formed at the time interval ΔTa. Further, in parallel with the operation of forming the plurality of scan images, the plurality of generated scan images are sequentially displayed on the touch panel 25. For example, a plurality of scan images are sequentially displayed on the touch panel 25 at a display time interval ΔTb (about 1 second to several seconds). Since these scan images are displayed before being determined as final storage data (data to be finally stored in the storage unit 5), the display operation of the scan image is “preview”. The scanned image is also expressed as a “preview” image.

  4 to 7 are diagrams showing such an automatic preview.

  When the first page PG1 of the document is read by the image reading unit 2 or the like and the scan image SG1 is generated, the scan image SG1 is displayed on the touch panel 25. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where the scan image SG (SG1) of the first page PG1 is displayed on the touch panel 25.

  Further, after the second page PG2 of the document is read by the image reading unit 2 or the like and the scan image SG2 is generated, the scan image SG2 is displayed on the touch panel 25. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state where the scan image SG (SG2) of the second page PG2 is displayed on the touch panel 25. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the scan image SG2 of the latest page PG2 is displayed superimposed on the scan image SG1 formed before the scan image SG2. That is, the latest scanned image SG2 is displayed on the front side.

  Further, after the third page PG3 of the document is read by the image reading unit 2 or the like and the scan image SG3 is generated, the scan image SG3 is displayed on the touch panel 25. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state where the scan image SG (SG3) of the third page PG3 is displayed on the touch panel 25. As illustrated in FIG. In FIG. 6, the scan image SG3 of the latest page PG3 is displayed superimposed on the scan images SG1 and SG2 formed before the scan image SG3. That is, the latest scanned image SG3 is displayed on the front side.

  In this way, after the nth page PGn of the document is read by the image reading unit 2 or the like and the scan image SGn is generated, the scan image SGn is displayed on the touch panel 25. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state where the scan image SG (SGn) of the nth page PGn is displayed on the touch panel 25. In FIG. 7, the scan image SGn of the latest page PGn is displayed superimposed on the scan images SG1,..., SG (n-1) formed before the scan image SGn. Yes. That is, the latest scan image SGn is displayed on the front side.

  The scan image formation time interval ΔTa and the scan image display time interval ΔTb may be the same as each other or may be different from each other. In other words, the scan image formation timing and the scan image display timing may be independent. Specifically, the scan image display time interval ΔTb (for example, 2 seconds) may be larger than the scan image formation time interval ΔTa (for example, 1 second). By setting the display time interval ΔTb to a relatively large value, the operator can surely view the scanned image. Further, the time intervals ΔTa and ΔTb do not necessarily have to be constant time intervals.

  In this embodiment, during such an automatic preview, various operations are performed in accordance with a gesture operation from the operator. Specifically, during the automatic preview, when the operator performs a gesture operation on the preview image displayed on the touch panel 25 and the gesture operation is received by the touch panel 25 or the like, the operation content (gesture operation content). ) (Editing process related to the preview image, etc.) is executed. Hereinafter, a case where four types of operations (flick operation, pinch-in operation, pinch-out operation, and tap operation (here, single tap operation)) can be accepted as gesture operations will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Specifically, after the start of automatic preview in step S11 (FIG. 16), standby loop processing in steps S12 and S13 is performed.

  First, if it is determined in step S12 that the automatic preview has not been completed, the process proceeds to step S13. If it is determined in step S13 that the gesture operation has not been accepted, the process returns to step S12. If it is determined in step S12 that automatic preview for all pages has been completed, the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 16 ends.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the gesture operation has been accepted, the process proceeds to step S21. In steps S21, S23, S25, and S27, determination processing of operation contents (types) of four types of gesture operations is performed.

  If it is determined in step S21 that a flick operation has been accepted as a gesture operation, the operation control unit 15 performs a deletion process for deleting the scan image that is the target of the flick operation in response to the flick operation. (Step S22). This deletion process is also expressed as a page deletion process for deleting the corresponding page of the target image (preview image) of the flick operation.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the flick operation is performed on the scan image SG3 of the third page PG3, the scan image SG3 related to the third page PG is excluded (deleted) from the image group to be stored. ) That is, the page deletion process regarding the third page PG is performed.

  Thereafter, the automatic preview operation from the fourth page PG4 is continued. However, in this case, as the third page PG3 is deleted, the next fourth page PG4 is superimposed on the scan image SG2 of the second page PG2 (not the scan image SG3 of the third page PG3). Is displayed. As a result of the subsequent operation, when only the flick operation is performed on the scanned image SG3 of the third page GPG3 among the originals composed of the first page PG1 to the tenth page PG10, the third page Scan images SG1, SG2, SG4, SG5,..., SG10 of a plurality of pages PG1, PG2, PG4, PG5,.

  If it is determined in step S23 that a pinch-in operation has been accepted as a gesture operation, the motion control unit 15 selects a target scan image (preview image) for the pinch-in operation according to the pinch-in operation. A reduction process or the like for reduction display is executed (step S24). In addition, the operation control unit 15 uses the empty space increased with the reduction process to preview the scan image of another page (for example, the page before the preview image) in a reduced state (reduced display). )

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when a pinch-in operation is performed on the scan image SG3 of the third page PG3, the operation control unit 15 reduces the scan image SG3. Then, a scan image SG2 (also referred to as an image formation target image before the scan image SG3) of the page PG2 before (immediately before) the scan image SG3 is also displayed in a reduced space (preview) in the empty space increased by the reduction process. Display) (see FIG. 10). In FIG. 10, the scan image SG3 is displayed at the center of the touch panel 25, and the scan image SG2 is displayed on the left side of the scan image SG3.

  Thereafter, the automatic preview operation proceeds, and the scan image SG4 of the fourth page PG4 is displayed after the elapse of a predetermined time ΔTb from the display start time of the scan image SG3 (the time when the scan image SG3 is first displayed on the touch panel 25). It is automatically displayed by the operation control unit 15 (see FIG. 11). The scan image SG3 of the third page PG3 and the previous scan image SG2 are displayed by sliding to the left. As a result, a plurality of scan images SG2, SG3, SG4 are arranged and displayed in the horizontal direction. At this time, each image is displayed on the touch panel 25 in a continuously reduced state (more specifically, at the same reduction magnification as that of the reduced scan image SG3). The display start of the scan image SG4 may be performed after a predetermined time ΔTb has elapsed from the time when the reduced display start of the scan image SG3 (the time when the reduced display is started in response to the pinch-in operation).

  Thereafter, the automatic preview operation proceeds, and the scan image SG5 of the fifth page PG5 is automatically displayed by the operation control unit 15 after a predetermined time ΔTb has elapsed from the display start time of the scan image SG4 (see FIG. 12). ). The scan image SG5 is displayed on the rightmost side, and the scan image SG4 on the fourth page PG4 and the previous scan image SG3 are slid and displayed on the left side. As a result, the plurality of scan images SG3, SG4, SG5 are arranged in the horizontal direction and displayed in a reduced state. In this way, the plurality of reduced pages are sequentially slid in the horizontal direction, and the display screen is updated.

  If it is determined in step S25 that the pinch-out operation has been accepted as the gesture operation, the motion control unit 15 responds to the pinch-out operation with the scan image (preview) that is the target of the pinch-out operation. An enlargement process for enlarging and displaying (image) is executed (step S26).

  For example, when a pinch-out operation is performed on the scan image SG3 on the third page PG3 as shown in FIG. 13, the operation control unit 15 enlarges and displays the scan image SG3 (see FIG. 14). Thereafter, the images after the scan image SG4 on the fourth page PG4 are displayed in an enlarged state (more specifically, at the same magnification).

  When a pinch out operation with a relatively small movement width is performed in the reduced display state (see FIG. 10), an operation for returning to the standard display state (see FIG. 6) is performed, and the reduced display state (see FIG. 10). When a pinch-out operation with a relatively large movement width is performed in (), an operation for instantaneously shifting to the enlarged display state (see FIG. 14) may be performed.

  Conversely, when a pinch-in operation with a relatively small movement width is performed in the enlarged display state (see FIG. 14), an operation for returning to the standard display state (see FIG. 6) is performed, and the enlarged display state (FIG. 14). When a pinch-out operation with a relatively large movement width is performed in (see FIG. 10), an operation for instantaneously shifting to the reduced display state (see FIG. 10) may be performed (step S24).

  If it is determined in step S27 that the tap operation has been accepted as a gesture operation, the operation control unit 15 responds to the tap operation with a scan image (preview image) that is the target of the tap operation. In the displayed state, processing for switching between automatic preview stop and restart is executed (steps S28, S29, S30).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 15, when a tap operation is performed on the scan image SG3 of the third page PG3, the operation control unit 15 temporarily stops the automatic preview in the display state of the scan image SG3 (Step S1). S28, S29). That is, even when the predetermined time ΔTb has elapsed since the display start time of the scan image SG3, the next scan image SG4 is not displayed and the scan image SG3 remains displayed. In other words, the latest preview image is not updated.

  Thereafter, when the tap operation is performed again on the scan image SG3, the operation control unit 15 resumes the subsequent automatic preview of the scan image SG3 (steps S28 and S30). Specifically, each scan image after the next scan image SG4 is sequentially and automatically displayed on the touch panel 25 at a predetermined time interval ΔTb.

  Moreover, the above four types of gesture operations and the like can be executed in combination. For example, a page deletion operation (step S22) by a flick operation may be performed after a pause operation (step S29) by a tap operation. Further, a page deletion operation (step S22) by a flick operation can be performed after an enlarged display by a pinch-out operation (step S26). Further, a page deletion operation (step S22) by a flick operation may be performed after a reduced display by a pinch-in operation (step S24).

  According to the operation as described above, when a gesture operation (flick operation or the like) is performed on a scan image (preview image) displayed in preview during automatic preview, the scan image is edited according to the gesture operation. The More specifically, when the user confirms by looking at the automatic preview that a page determined to be unnecessary by the MFP (unnecessary determination page) from among a plurality of pages is checked according to the flick operation. The unnecessary determination page (scanned image) is deleted. That is, the page deletion operation is performed without waiting for the end of the automatic preview of all pages. In particular, an arbitrary page (not limited to a blank page) determined as unnecessary by a user among a plurality of pages can be deleted in response to a flick operation, so that editing processing (page deletion processing) can be performed very flexibly. Is possible. In this way, it is possible to perform editing processing (page deletion operation) efficiently and flexibly. In particular, the page can be deleted by a simple operation such as a flick operation on a desired page (delete target page).

  In addition, during the automatic preview, a temporary stop process of the automatic preview and a subsequent editing process can be performed. For example, the operation of automatically proceeding sequentially to the preview image of the next page according to the user's tap operation is temporarily stopped (steps S27, S28, S29), and the page of the preview image is deleted according to the subsequent flick operation. (Steps S21 and S22). According to this, the user can determine whether or not to delete the page (specifically, the scan image of the page in detail) by carefully watching the preview image of a certain page.

  Furthermore, since the scaling factor (display magnification) of each preview image during automatic preview can be changed as appropriate by the user's gesture operation (pinch-in operation and / or pinch-out operation), the user refers to each preview image at a desired size. However, it is possible to determine whether or not each page should be deleted.

  Further, it is possible to change the scaling factor of each preview image even while the automatic preview is temporarily stopped. Specifically, after the automatic preview is temporarily stopped by a tap operation, the display magnification of the preview image can be changed by a pinch-out operation and / or a pinch-in operation. Therefore, it is also possible to determine whether or not to delete the preview image page, in particular, by displaying the gaze target preview image with an appropriate size.

<3. Modified example>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents described above.

  For example, in the above embodiment, during the pinch-in operation, the screen as shown in FIG. 10 is immediately displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the screen as shown in FIG. It may be. In FIG. 17, three scan images SG1, SG2, and SG3 are arranged and displayed sequentially from the left side. Thus, the latest scan image SG3 may be displayed on the rightmost side, and the previous scan images SG1 and SG2 may be displayed on the relatively left side.

  Alternatively, only a single scan image may be displayed (reduced display) during the pinch-in operation. More specifically, only a single scan image SG3 may be reduced and displayed on the touch panel 25 according to a pinch-in operation on the scan image SG3 (the scan images SG2 and SG4 before and after that are not displayed). .

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the aspect that an automatic preview is once stopped according to tap operation is illustrated, it is not limited to this. For example, in response to a tap operation, editing target data (flag information (marking data) indicating that it is an editing process target) may be given (set) to the target page (corresponding page) of the tap operation. . According to this, the marking data adding process (marking process) is performed without having to wait for the completion of the automatic preview of all pages. This marking process is also expressed as the first stage of the editing process. Then, after the display operation of the scanned images of all pages (that is, the preview operation of all pages) is finished, the second stage editing processing (image processing (brightness adjustment processing, etc.) or page deletion is performed on the editing target page. Processing, etc.) may be executed. According to such an operation, a marking operation for selecting an image to be edited can be performed during automatic preview, so that flexible and efficient editing processing can be performed. In particular, when the same kind of editing processing is performed on a plurality of preview images to which marking data is assigned, it is possible to perform very efficient editing processing on the plurality of marked preview images. It is.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although single tap operation was illustrated as tap operation, double tap operation etc. may be sufficient as tap operation. For example, the marking operation as described above may be performed in response to the double tap operation on the preview image, or the temporary stop operation (and resumption operation) as in the above embodiment may be performed in response to the double tap operation on the preview image. It may be done.

  Different operations may be executed according to the single tap operation and the double tap operation. For example, a stop operation (and a restart operation) may be performed in response to a single tap operation, and a marking operation may be performed in response to a double tap operation. Alternatively, conversely, the stop operation may be temporarily performed according to the double tap operation, and the marking operation may be performed according to the single tap operation.

  In the above embodiment, the automatic preview operation related to the scan image forming operation has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the above concept may be applied to an automatic preview operation related to a print output operation (print output image forming operation). Specifically, the operation control unit 15 performs a plurality of pages related to the plurality of pages in parallel with the print output operation related to the plurality of pages (a plurality of pages of the electronic document stored in the storage unit 5) by the print output unit 3. The same idea as described above may be applied to an automatic preview that automatically and sequentially displays preview images. In this case, the print output target image may be changed by the gesture operation instead of changing the storage target image.

  When a pinch-in operation is accepted on a screen as shown in FIG. 18 (screen similar to FIG. 6) during the print preview operation (automatic preview), in addition to the preview image RG3 being displayed, the next The preview image RG4 and the next preview image RG5 may be reduced and displayed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 19, a preview image RG4 next to the preview image RG3 (also referred to as an image formation target image next to the preview image RG3) is reduced and displayed on the right side of the preview image RG3, and the preview image RG4 is displayed. The next preview image RG5 may be reduced and displayed on the right side of the preview image RG4.

  Alternatively, the preview images RG2 and RG4 before and after the preview image RG3 being displayed may be reduced and displayed. Specifically, preview image RG3 is reduced and displayed at the center of touch panel 25, preview image RG4 next to preview image RG3 is reduced and displayed on the right side of preview image RG3, and preview image RG2 before preview image RG3 is previewed. It may be reduced and displayed on the left side of the image RG3.

2 Image reading unit 3 Print output unit 6c Operation panel unit 9 Controller 10 MFP (image forming apparatus)
25 Touch panel PG1 to PG5 Page SG1 to SG5 Scanned image (preview image)

Claims (10)

A user interface unit that displays various types of information and receives operation inputs from the user;
An operation control means for executing an automatic preview that sequentially and automatically displays a plurality of preview images of a plurality of pages related to the image forming operation on the user interface unit in parallel with the image forming operation;
With
The operation control means, when a gesture operation on a preview image displayed on the user interface unit is received during the automatic preview, executes an editing process on the preview image according to the gesture operation. Image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The user interface unit accepts a flick operation on the preview image as the gesture operation,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation control unit executes a page deletion process for deleting a corresponding page of the preview image in response to the flick operation. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The user interface unit accepts a tap operation on the preview image as the gesture operation,
The operation control means sets, in response to the tap operation, flag information indicating an edit processing target after completion of the automatic preview for a corresponding page of the preview image. . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
The user interface unit accepts a tap operation on the preview image,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the operation control unit stops the automatic preview according to the tap operation. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:
The user interface unit accepts a pinch-out operation on the preview image;
The image forming apparatus, wherein the operation control means enlarges and displays the preview image in the automatic preview according to the pinch-out operation. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:
The user interface unit accepts a pinch-in operation on the preview image;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation control unit reduces and displays the preview image in the automatic preview according to the pinch-in operation. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6.
The operation control means reduces the preview image in the automatic preview according to the pinch-in operation, and also includes an image formation target image before the preview image and an image formation target image next to the preview image. An image forming apparatus characterized in that at least one of them is preview-displayed. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The image forming apparatus includes:
Image reading means for optically sequentially reading the documents relating to the plurality of pages;
Further comprising
The image forming operation includes a document reading operation of the plurality of pages,
The operation control unit automatically and sequentially displays the plurality of preview images regarding the plurality of pages in parallel with the document reading operation regarding the plurality of pages by the image reading unit. . The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The image forming apparatus includes:
Print output means for sequentially printing out the plurality of pages;
Further comprising
The image forming operation includes a print output operation of the plurality of pages,
The operation control means automatically and sequentially displays the plurality of preview images for the plurality of pages in parallel with the print output operation for the plurality of pages by the print output means. . In the computer built in the image forming device,
a) The user interface unit during automatic preview in which a plurality of preview images of a plurality of pages related to an image forming operation are displayed on the user interface unit of the image forming apparatus sequentially and automatically in parallel with the image forming operation. Receiving a gesture operation on the preview image displayed in
b) executing an editing process on the preview image in response to the gesture operation;
A program for running

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