JP6677131B2 - Image forming apparatus, method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a method, and a program for controlling display of a screen.

  In recent years, image forming apparatuses such as MFPs (Multi-Functional Peripherals) having a display unit have become widespread. With the spread of image forming apparatuses, the functions of the image forming apparatuses have been diversified. Therefore, the user has to perform the operation of switching the screen of the display unit many times before calling the target function. In recent years, technologies for improving such poor operability have been developed.

  For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-27725 (Patent Document 1) discloses an image processing apparatus for facilitating a switching operation of a plurality of setting screens. The image processing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-27725 extracts an item included in an upper window that may be selected by a user after closing a lower window, and places the lower window in the vicinity of the extracted item. Display the lower window over the upper window so that a button for closing is displayed.

JP 2012-27725 A

  However, the image processing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-27725 executes an arithmetic process for changing the arrangement of buttons in the lower window at the timing of receiving an operation for opening the lower window. For this reason, there is a problem that the time required for screen transition to the lower window becomes longer than when the arrangement of buttons in the lower window is not changed.

  The present disclosure has been made in order to solve the above problem, and has an image forming method capable of suppressing a time required for screen transition when changing a button position of a screen after transition according to a screen before transition. It is an object to provide an apparatus, a method, and a program.

  According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the image forming apparatus includes a display unit for displaying a plurality of screens, and a storage unit for storing a default position of a button included in each of the plurality of screens. Prepare. The first screen of the plurality of screens includes at least one first button for transitioning to another screen of the plurality of screens. The first button is displayed at a position different from the default position when the first screen is displayed. Further, the image forming apparatus includes: a determination unit for determining a transition destination screen when the first button is operated as the second screen; and a display position of the second button included in the second screen. And a button position changing unit for starting a change process for changing the position of the first button before the operation on the first button.

  Preferably, the button position change unit starts the change processing during a period from after the position where the first button is displayed is changed from the default position to before the operation on the first button.

  Preferably, the image forming apparatus includes: an input unit for receiving a customization instruction for customizing a position at which the first button is displayed; and, when the input unit receives the customization instruction, based on the customization instruction, A customization processing unit for changing a position at which the first button is displayed from a default position.

  Preferably, when the first screen is displayed, the image forming apparatus includes: an input unit configured to receive a scroll instruction of the first button; and, when the input unit receives the scroll instruction, based on the scroll instruction. A display control unit for changing the position where the first button is displayed from the default position.

  Preferably, the button position changing unit changes the display scheduled position of the second button so that the distance from the first button is shorter than the default position.

  Preferably, when the distance between the position where the first button is displayed and the default position is larger than a threshold value, the determination unit determines the screen to which the first button is transitioned as the second screen.

  Preferably, the first screen includes a plurality of first buttons. The deciding unit decides a screen to which each of all the first buttons is transitioned as a second screen.

  Preferably, the first screen includes a plurality of first buttons. The image forming apparatus further includes, for each of the plurality of first buttons, an operation information storage unit for storing information indicating a frequency at which the first button is operated. The deciding unit decides, as the second screen, the screen to which each of the predetermined number of the first buttons with respect to the frequency indicated by the information stored in the operation information storage unit transitions.

  Preferably, the first screen includes a plurality of first buttons. The image forming apparatus further includes, for each of the plurality of first buttons, an operation information storage unit for storing a point in time when the first button is operated. The deciding unit decides, as the second screen, the screen to which each of the predetermined number of first buttons for the newness at the time point stored in the operation information storage unit is shifted to is the second screen.

  Preferably, the first screen includes a plurality of first buttons. The image forming apparatus further includes a priority storage unit that stores, for each of the plurality of first buttons, a priority for the first button. The deciding unit decides, as the second screen, the screen to which each of the predetermined number of the first buttons for the priority stored in the priority storage unit is shifted.

  Preferably, the image forming apparatus further includes a communication unit for receiving the print data, and an image processing unit for performing a rasterizing process for converting the print data received by the communication unit into bitmap image data. . The button position changing unit avoids performing the changing process when the image processing unit is performing the rasterizing process on print data having a capacity larger than the predetermined capacity.

  Preferably, the image forming apparatus separates the image represented by the image data into a character area and a non-character area, and compresses each of the data corresponding to the character area and the data corresponding to the non-character area, thereby obtaining an image. The image processing apparatus further includes an image processing unit for generating a compressed file corresponding to the data. The button position changing unit avoids executing the changing process when the image processing unit has generated the compressed file.

  Preferably, the image forming apparatus further includes an execution unit for executing a fax job using the fax line. The button position changing unit avoids executing the changing process when the execution unit is executing the fax job.

  According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method includes a display unit for displaying a plurality of screens, and a storage unit for storing a default position of a button included in each of the plurality of screens. This is a method performed in the image forming apparatus. The first screen of the plurality of screens includes at least one first button for transitioning to another screen of the plurality of screens. The first button is displayed at a position different from the default position when the first screen is displayed. The method comprises the steps of: determining a transition destination screen when the first button is operated as the second screen; and displaying the display position of the second button included in the second screen by the first button. Starting a change process for changing the first button before the operation on the first button.

  According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a program includes a display unit for displaying a plurality of screens, and a storage unit for storing a default position of a button included in each of the plurality of screens. For causing a computer of the image forming apparatus to execute the information processing method. The first screen of the plurality of screens includes at least one first button for transitioning to another screen of the plurality of screens. The first button is displayed at a position different from the default position when the first screen is displayed. The information processing method includes a step of determining a transition destination screen when the first button is operated as the second screen, and a step of determining a display scheduled position of the second button included in the second screen by the first button. Starting a change process for changing the first button before the operation on the first button.

  According to the configuration of the present disclosure, the image forming apparatus can reduce the time required for screen transition when changing the button position of the screen after transition according to the screen before transition.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition when a copy function of the image forming apparatus is called. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a comparative example of screen transition when the operation screen is customized. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of screen transition when the operation screen is customized in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a screen transition process illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a main functional configuration of a control unit included in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a position information table stored in a position information storage unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a transition destination screen storage unit. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a customization setting screen for receiving a customization instruction for an operation screen. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a button position changing process in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is a figure showing an operation screen before and after receiving a scroll instruction. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a button position changing process in the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a main functional configuration of a control unit included in an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of priority information stored in a priority storage unit. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a button position changing process in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a main functional configuration of a control unit provided in an image forming apparatus according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation information stored in an operation information storage unit. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a button position changing process in the image forming apparatus according to the fifth embodiment. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a button position changing process in the image forming apparatus according to the sixth embodiment. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a button position changing process in the image forming apparatus according to the seventh embodiment. FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition of the image forming apparatus according to the ninth embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts and components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  In the following, as an example of an image forming apparatus, an MFP that functions as a digital multifunction peripheral having a scanner function, a copy function, and a printer function will be described. However, the image forming apparatus is not limited to the MFP. For example, the image forming apparatus may be realized as a tablet terminal, a personal computer, a digital camera, an electronic dictionary, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a game machine, another device having a display unit, or the like. The embodiments described below may be selectively combined as appropriate.

  Hereinafter, among the buttons included in the screen, a button for transitioning to another operation screen is referred to as a screen transition button. Among the screen transition buttons, a button displayed at a position different from the coordinate position set by default (hereinafter referred to as a default position) is called a position change button.

<First embodiment>
[Overview]
The outline of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of an image forming apparatus 100 configured as an MFP. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 has a UI (User Interface) unit 16 including a touch panel. The image forming apparatus 100 executes various functions such as a scanner function, a copy function, and a printer function according to an operation on the UI unit 16.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition of the UI unit 16 when the user calls the copy function of the image forming apparatus 100. FIG. 2A illustrates a home screen 30 displayed on the UI unit 16 when the image forming apparatus 100 is activated. The home screen 30 includes image forming buttons 31 for calling a copy function, a button 32 for calling a facsimile function and a scan function, a button 33 for calling a function related to file management, a button 34 for starting a Web browser, and the like. A button for calling each function of the device 100 is included.

  When the button 31 is pressed by the user, the image forming apparatus 100 displays an operation screen for executing the copy function on the UI unit 16. FIG. 2B shows an example of the operation screen 40 for executing the copy function.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2B, the operation screen 40 includes buttons 41 to 46 for setting conditions for executing the copy function. In the operation screen 40 shown in FIG. 2B, the buttons 41 to 46 are arranged at coordinate positions set by default (default positions).

  Specifically, the operation screen 40 includes a button 41 for setting a color condition, a button 42 for setting a density condition, a button 43 for setting a paper condition, a button 44 for setting a magnification condition, It includes a button 45 for setting double-sided printing conditions and a button 46 for setting finishing conditions such as punching. Buttons 41 to 46 are arranged side by side at fixed intervals in the horizontal direction at the bottom of the screen.

  When any of the buttons 41 to 46 is pressed by the user, the image forming apparatus 100 displays an operation screen for setting details of the condition corresponding to the pressed button on the UI unit 16. That is, the buttons 41 to 46 are screen transition buttons for transitioning to another operation screen. FIG. 2C shows an example of an operation screen 50 for pressing the button 46 and setting details of the finishing condition.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2C, the operation screen 50 includes a button group 51 for setting details of the finishing condition, a button 52 for canceling the setting of the finishing condition, and completing the setting of the finishing condition. And a button 53 for In the operation screen 50 shown in FIG. 2C, each button is arranged at a default position.

  The user operates the button group 51 on the operation screen 50 to change the finishing condition. If the same finishing condition as the previous time is sufficient, the user presses the button 53 without operating the button group 51. The user presses the button 52 without operating the button group 51 even when the user wants to cancel the setting of the finishing condition.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 sets the default positions of the buttons 52 and 53 on the operation screen 50 near the default positions of the buttons 46 (buttons for transitioning to the operation screen 50) on the operation screen 40. You have set. The buttons 52 and 53 are buttons that are frequently operated on the operation screen 50. Thus, after pressing the button 46 on the operation screen 40, the user can press the button 52 or the button 53 on the operation screen 50 with almost no movement of the hand. Thereby, the image forming apparatus 100 can display the operation screen 50 that is easy for the user to operate.

  Next, a screen transition of the UI unit 16 when at least one of the buttons 41 to 46 on the operation screen 40 is changed from a default position will be described. The image forming apparatus 100 can change the configuration of the operation screen 40 according to a customization instruction from a user. For example, when the user does not use a specific function or condition, image forming apparatus 100 can display an operation screen that does not include a button corresponding to the specific function or condition. Thus, the user can customize the operation screen 40 so as not to display a button for setting an unnecessary condition.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a comparative example of screen transition of the UI unit 16 when the operation screen 40 is customized.

  FIG. 3A shows the same home screen 30 as FIG. 2A. When the button 31 is pressed by the user, the image forming apparatus 100 displays an operation screen 40 for executing the copy function on the UI unit 16. FIG. 3B shows an example of the operation screen 40 for executing the copy function.

  The operation screen 40 of the example shown in FIG. 3B does not include a button 45 for setting double-sided printing conditions, and is different from the operation screen 40 of the example shown in FIG. The difference is that the position where the button 46 for setting is displayed is changed. Specifically, in the operation screen 40 of FIG. 3B, the button 46 is not the position (default position) of the button 46 in the operation screen 40 of FIG. Is displayed at the position of the button 45 in. That is, the button 46 is a position change button displayed at a position different from the default position.

  In the following, a vector from the position (default position) of the button 46 on the operation screen 40 shown in FIG. 2B to the position of the button 46 on the operation screen 40 shown in FIG. . That is, the image forming apparatus 100 changes the position where the button 46 is displayed on the operation screen 40 from the default position to the position moved by the movement vector.

  Here, when the button 46 is pressed on the operation screen 40 shown in FIG. 3B, an operation screen 50 in which the button group 51, the button 52, and the button 53 are arranged at the same position as in FIG. 2C is displayed. Suppose that. FIG. 3C shows a comparative example of the operation screen 50 for setting details of the finishing condition in this case.

  In the operation screen 50 shown in FIG. 3C, the button 52 and the button 53 are arranged at a default position (the same position as in FIG. 2C). Therefore, when the user presses the button 52 or the button 53 on the operation screen 50 after pressing the button 46 on the operation screen 40 shown in FIG. However, it is necessary to move the hand extra. As a result, user operability is reduced.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment changes the position of the button on the operation screen 50 according to the customization of the operation screen 40.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition of the UI unit 16 when the operation screen 40 is customized in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4A shows the same home screen 30 as in FIGS. 2A and 3A. When the button 31 is pressed by the user, the image forming apparatus 100 displays an operation screen 40 shown in FIG.

  The operation screen 40 of FIG. 4B is the same as that of FIG. 3B. Compared to the operation screen 40 of FIG. 2B, the button 45 is deleted, and the button 46 is moved from the default position to the state shown in FIG. It has been moved to the position of the button 45 on the operation screen 40 shown in b).

  When the button 46 is pressed on the operation screen 40 of FIG. 4B, the image forming apparatus 100 displays an operation screen 50 for setting details of the finishing condition on the UI unit 16. FIG. 4C shows an example of an operation screen 50 for setting details of the finishing condition, which is displayed when the button 46 is pressed on the operation screen 40 shown in FIG. 4B. .

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 4C, the operation screen 50 includes a button group 51, a button 52, and a button 53, similarly to the operation screen 50 of FIG. 2C. However, the operation screen 50 shown in FIG. 4 (c) is different from the operation screen 50 shown in FIG. 2 (c) in the positions where the buttons 52 and 53 are displayed. Specifically, the position of the button 52 on the operation screen 50 shown in FIG. 4C is moved by the movement vector of the button 46 from the default position (the position of the button 52 on the operation screen 50 shown in FIG. 2C). ing. The position of the button 53 on the operation screen 50 shown in FIG. 4C is also shifted by the movement vector of the button 46 from the default position (the position of the button 53 on the operation screen 50 shown in FIG. 2C).

  Thereby, the relative positional relationship between the button 46 of the operation screen 40 and the buttons 52 and 53 of the operation screen 50 in FIG. Is the same as the relative positional relationship. That is, the image forming apparatus 100 moves the buttons 52 and 53 that are frequently pressed on the operation screen 50 to a position near the button 46 on the operation screen 40. As a result, the user can press the button 52 or the button 53 on the operation screen 50 with almost no movement of the hand after pressing the button 46 on the operation screen 40 as in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a state transition of the image forming apparatus 100 in the screen transition of FIG.

  The image forming apparatus 100 displays the home screen 30 on the UI unit 16 and waits for a user operation (first state).

  When the button 31 is pressed on the home screen 30 (second state), the image forming apparatus 100 is a screen for executing the copy function, and the buttons 41 to 46 for setting various conditions. Is displayed on the UI unit 16 (third state). Here, image forming apparatus 100 has previously received from the user an instruction to delete button 45 for setting double-sided printing conditions, and arranged button 46 at a position moved from the default position according to the instruction. The operation screen 40 of FIG. 4B is displayed on the UI unit 16.

  After the display of the operation screen 40 is completed, the image forming apparatus 100 waits for a user operation. At this time, the image forming apparatus 100 performs an arithmetic process for changing the button position on the operation screen 50 which is the transition destination screen when the button 46 displayed at a position different from the default position is pressed (change of the button position). Processing) is started (fourth state).

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4C, the image forming apparatus 100 changes the position where the frequently operated buttons 52 and 53 are displayed by using the buttons 52 and 53 shown in FIG. Is changed to be closer to the button 46 on the operation screen 40 shown in FIG. In other words, image forming apparatus 100 changes the position where buttons 52 and 53 are displayed so that the distance from button 46 on operation screen 40 is shorter than the default position.

  When the button 46 is pressed on the operation screen 40 (fifth state), the image forming apparatus 100 displays an operation screen 50 corresponding to the button 46 for setting details of the finishing conditions on the UI unit 16. Display (sixth state).

  In the fourth state before the button 46 is pressed, the image forming apparatus 100 has started the process of changing the button position on the operation screen 50 corresponding to the button 46. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 100 can promptly display the operation screen 50 obtained by the change processing on the UI unit 16 in the sixth state. That is, as compared with the case where the process of changing the button position of the operation screen 50 is started after the button 46 is pressed, the image forming apparatus 100 takes a longer time from when the button 46 is pressed until the display of the operation screen 50 is completed. Can be shortened.

  As described above, even when the button 46 is displayed at a position different from the default position on the operation screen 40, the image forming apparatus 100 determines the position of the button 46 according to the displayed position when the button 46 is pressed. The operation screen 50 in which the positions of the button 52 and the button 53 have been changed to a position where the operation is easy can be promptly displayed on the UI unit 16.

[Hardware configuration]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a main hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 6, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a control unit 10, a data storage unit 14, an image reading unit 15, a UI unit 16, a network I / F (interface) 17, and an image processing unit 18. And an image output unit 19.

  The control unit 10 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 for controlling the entire apparatus, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12 as a memory for storing a control program, and a memory serving as a work storage area. And a random access memory (RAM) 13.

  A data storage device 14, an image reading unit 15, a UI unit 16, a network I / F 17, an image processing unit 18, and an image output unit 19 are connected to the control unit 10 via a bus. .

  The image reading unit 15 photoelectrically reads image information such as photographs, characters, and pictures from a document to acquire image data. The acquired image data is sent to the image output unit 19 and the network I / F 17, and is provided for printing and data transmission, or stored in the data storage device 14 for later use.

  The UI unit 16 includes a display 16a, a touch panel 16b, and operation keys 16c.

  The display 16a is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)) and can display a home screen and an operation screen.

  The touch panel 16b is provided on the screen of the display 16a, and detects a coordinate position pressed by a pen, a finger, or the like. The touch panel 16b functions as an input unit for receiving an instruction from a user.

  The operation keys 16c are, for example, hard keys including a numeric keypad and a start key. The numeric keypad accepts input of numbers and symbols, and the start key receives an instruction to start printing. The operation key 16c also functions as an input unit for receiving an instruction from a user.

  The network I / F 17 transmits and receives various information to and from other devices connected via a communication network (not shown). The network I / F 17 transmits / receives data to / from a server connected to the LAN, a PC, a portable terminal, or another image forming apparatus via a wired or wireless LAN. The network I / F 17 acquires data from a portable storage medium (for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory) and stores the data in the portable storage medium. The network I / F 17 transmits and receives fax data via a fax line.

  The image processing unit 18 is an integrated circuit for image processing such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The image processing unit 18 executes, for example, a rasterizing process of converting data received by the network I / F 17 into bitmap image data.

  The image output unit 19 performs a print process of printing an image represented by image data to be printed on a recording sheet such as paper or film.

  The data storage device 14 includes, for example, a storage device such as a hard disk device. The data storage device 14 stores image data obtained by the image reading unit 15 reading a document, data obtained from the outside by the network I / F 17, and the like.

[Function configuration]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a main functional configuration of the control unit 10 included in the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 10 includes a position information storage unit 10a, a transition destination screen storage unit 10b, a customization processing unit 10c, a determination unit 10d, a button position change unit 10e, and a display control unit 10f. And At least one of the position information storage unit 10a and the transition destination screen storage unit 10b is realized by, for example, the ROM 12 and / or the RAM 13. At least one of the customization processing unit 10c, the determination unit 10d, the button position changing unit 10e, and the display control unit 10f is realized by, for example, the CPU 11 executing an appropriate program.

  The position information storage unit 10a stores, for each operation screen displayed on the UI unit 16, a position information table indicating a default position of a button included in the operation screen.

  The default positions of the buttons included in each operation screen are preset by the designer of the image forming apparatus 100 so that the operation screen is easy for the user to operate. The designer of the image forming apparatus 100 may set the default positions of the buttons on each operation screen in consideration of the screen transition. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the default positions of the buttons 52 and 53 on the operation screen 50 are the buttons 46 for instructing the transition to the operation screen 50 in the operation screen 40 which is the previous screen of the operation screen 50. Is set to be near the default position of.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of a position information table stored in the position information storage unit 10a. FIG. 8A shows a position information table of the operation screen 40 (see FIG. 4) that can be customized by the user. FIG. 8B shows a position information table of the operation screen 50 (see FIG. 4) that cannot be customized by the user.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, for each customizable operation screen, the position information storage unit 10a identifies the button identification information for identifying each button included in the operation screen and the image of the button. And a position information table in which the image identification information, the size of the button, the default position of the button, and the customization information are associated with each other. The customization information includes display presence / absence information indicating presence / absence of display of each button set according to a customization instruction from the user, and a coordinate position changed from a default position according to the customization instruction from the user (hereinafter, a coordinate position after customization). And

  As shown in FIG. 8B, for each operation screen that cannot be customized by the user, the position information storage unit 10a identifies button identification information for identifying each button included in the operation screen, and identifies an image of the button. A position information table in which image identification information for performing the operation, a size of the button, a default position of the button, and change enable / disable information indicating whether the position of the button can be changed is stored.

  In the example shown in FIG. 8B, only the buttons 52 and 53 of the operation screen 50 can be changed from the default position, but each button belonging to the button group 51 can be changed from the default position. It may be.

  The transition destination screen storage unit 10b stores, for each button for transitioning the screen (screen transition button), button identification information for identifying the button, and a screen for identifying the operation screen of the transition destination when the button is pressed. Information associated with identification information is stored.

  FIG. 9 illustrates an example of information stored in the transition destination screen storage unit 10b. As shown in FIG. 9, the transition destination screen storage unit 10b stores, for example, the button 46 and the operation screen 50 in association with each other.

  When the touch panel 16b receives a customization instruction from the user, the customization processing unit 10c changes the configuration of the operation screen according to the customization instruction.

  FIG. 10 is an example of a customization setting screen for receiving a customization instruction for the operation screen 40. The customization setting screen shown in FIG. 10 is a screen for setting the types of buttons to be displayed on the operation screen 40 and performing customization settings for arranging the buttons to be displayed in the order of the number of “function buttons”.

  In the customization setting screen shown in FIG. 10A, a button for setting a double-sided condition is arranged as a “function button 5”, and a button for setting a finishing condition is arranged as a “function button 6” (that is, a setting is made). , Each button is set to a default position).

  In the customization setting screen shown in FIG. 10B, the “function button 5” is not set, and a button for setting a finishing condition is set as the “function button 6”. In this case, the buttons set as “Function buttons 6” are arranged next to the buttons set as “Function buttons 1” to “Function buttons 4”. That is, the button set as “function button 6” is displayed as the fifth button.

  The customization processing unit 10c changes the configuration of the operation screen according to the customization instruction input to the customization setting screen as shown in FIG. For example, the customization processing unit 10c switches the presence or absence of the display of the button, and changes the position where the button is displayed from the default position.

  When the position at which the button is displayed is changed from the default position according to the customization instruction from the user, the customization processing unit 10c adds the customized information indicating the coordinate position after the customization to the position information table stored in the position information storage unit 10a. Write. Therefore, the button whose coordinate position is registered in the customization information is a position change button displayed at a position different from the default position.

  Further, when the customization processing unit 10c switches the display of the button to “no” according to the customization instruction from the user, the customization processing unit 10c writes the customization information indicating “non-display” to the position information table stored in the position information storage unit 10a. .

  Returning to FIG. 7, the determination unit 10d determines an operation screen in which the position at which the button is displayed (the planned display position of the button) to be changed from the default position, as a change target screen. When a button (screen transition button) for transitioning to another operation screen is displayed at a position different from the default position, the determination unit 10d determines a transition destination when the button (position change button) is pressed. The operation screen is determined as the change target screen.

  Specifically, when the position information table stored in the position information storage unit 10a includes the customization information indicating the coordinate position after the customization, the determination unit 10d sets the button indicated by the button identification information corresponding to the customization information. Is specified as a position change button. The determination unit 10d determines, as the change target screen, the operation screen indicated by the screen identification information corresponding to the button identification information of the specified position change button in the information stored in the transition destination screen storage unit 10b.

  The button position changing unit 10e executes an arithmetic process for changing a position where a button on the operation screen is to be displayed (scheduled display position) from the default position. The button position changing unit 10e reads, from the position information storage unit 10a, a position information table corresponding to the operation screen determined as the change target screen by the determining unit 10d. The button position changing unit 10e identifies a button whose changeability information is “OK” based on the read position information table and changes the position of the button from the default position (hereinafter, referred to as a button position change process). In some cases).

  An arithmetic expression for calculating the coordinate position after the change is predetermined for each button. The button position changing unit 10e stores in advance an arithmetic expression defined for each button, and calculates the changed coordinate position (scheduled display position) according to the arithmetic expression. The button position change unit 10e outputs, to the display control unit 10f, change information in which the button identification information for identifying the button whose position has been changed is associated with the coordinate position after the change calculated for the button.

  It is preferable that the button position changing unit 10e changes the position where the button on the change target screen is displayed so as to be closer to the screen transition button for transitioning to the change target screen than the default position of the button. That is, the button position changing unit 10e changes the position at which the button on the change target screen is displayed so that the distance from the screen transition button for transitioning to the change target screen is shorter than the default position of the button. Is preferred. Thereby, the operability of the change target screen is improved.

For example, the button position changing unit 10e stores the following arithmetic expression (a) for the button 52 on the operation screen 50.
Coordinate position after change = default position of button 52+ (coordinate position after customization of button 46−default position of button 46) (a).

  The button position changing unit 10e reads the default position of the button 52, the coordinate position after the customization of the button 46, and the default position of the button 46 from the position information table stored in the position information storage unit 10a, and calculates the above equation (a). , The coordinate position of the button 52 after the change is calculated.

  The display control unit 10f generates each operation screen based on the position information table stored in the position information storage unit 10a and the change information received from the button position change unit 10e, and displays the generated operation screen on the UI unit 16. .

  The display control unit 10f reads a position information table corresponding to the operation screen from the position information storage unit 10a for the operation screen to be displayed, and checks a record of each button of the read position information table. The display control unit 10f generates the operation screen by arranging the buttons on which the customization information is set according to the customization information and arranging the buttons without the customization information at the default position.

  When all records do not include customization information, the display control unit 10f checks whether or not change information has been received from the button position changing unit 10e. If the display control unit 10f has not received the change information from the button position changing unit 10e, the display control unit 10f generates an operation screen by arranging each button at a default position.

  When receiving the change information from the button position change unit 10e, the display control unit 10f arranges the button indicated by the button identification information included in the change information according to the coordinate position after the change corresponding to the button identification information. An operation screen is generated by arranging buttons other than the above in the default position.

[Flow of button position change processing]
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a button position changing process in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.

  First, the display control unit 10f displays the operation screen that has received the display instruction on the UI unit 16 (step S11).

  Next, the determination unit 10d determines whether the operation screen displayed on the UI unit 16 includes a button (screen transition button) for transitioning to another operation screen (step S12). If the information stored in the transition destination screen storage unit 10b includes button identification information for identifying a button included in the operation screen, the determination unit 10d determines that the button indicated by the button identification information is a screen transition button. Judge that there is.

  If the operation screen displayed on the UI unit 16 does not include a screen transition button (NO in step S12), the image forming apparatus 100 ends the button position change processing.

  When the operation screen displayed on the UI unit 16 includes at least one screen transition button (YES in step S12), the determination unit 10d arbitrarily selects one of the screen transition buttons (step S12). S13).

  The determination unit 10d determines whether the transition destination screen when the selected button is pressed is the change target screen (Step S14).

  Specifically, the deciding unit 10d reads the position information table corresponding to the operation screen displayed on the UI unit 16 from the position information storage unit 10a, and customizes the button selected in step S13 in the read position information table. It is checked whether or not the subsequent coordinate position has been set.

  When the coordinate position after the customization is set in the position information table, the determination unit 10d sets the button selected in step S13 as the position change button, and sets the transition destination screen when the position change button is pressed as the change target screen. To be determined. That is, the determination unit 10d reads the screen identification information corresponding to the button identification information for identifying the position change button from the transition destination screen storage unit 10b, and determines the operation screen indicated by the read screen identification information as the change target screen. .

  When the coordinate position after the customization is not set in the position information table, the determination unit 10d determines that the transition destination screen when the button selected in step S13 is pressed is not the change target screen.

  When the transition destination screen is the change target screen (YES in step S14), the button position changing unit 10e changes the position of the button on the transition destination screen (step S15). Specifically, the button position changing unit 10e reads the position information table corresponding to the transition destination screen from the position information storage unit 10a, and in the read position information table, the change enable / disable information (see FIG. 8B) is set to “OK”. Is calculated for the button "".

  When the transition destination screen is not the change target screen (NO in step S14) or after step S15, the determination unit 10d selects an unselected screen transition button from the screen transition buttons included in the operation screen displayed on the UI unit 16. It is determined whether or not the screen transition button remains (step S16).

  When there is an unselected screen transition button (YES in step S16), steps S13 to S16 are repeated. At this time, in step S13, the determination unit 10d arbitrarily selects one of the unselected screen transition buttons. Thereby, the determination unit 10d determines, as the change target screen, the transition destination screens of all the position change buttons displayed at positions different from the default position among the screen transition buttons.

  If no unselected screen transition button remains (NO in step S16), image forming apparatus 100 ends the button position changing process.

  As described above, the determination unit 10d operates when the position change button (for example, the button 46) (first button) displayed at a position different from the default position indicated by the position information table is operated among the screen transition buttons. Is determined as the change target screen (for example, the operation screen 50).

  The button position change unit 10e starts the change processing of changing the position of at least one button (second button) of the transition destination screen determined as the change target screen from the default position before receiving an operation on the position change button. I do. That is, the button position changing unit 10e changes the button position of the operation screen 50 that can be a transition destination of the operation screen 40 at the timing when the operation screen 40 is displayed, that is, before the transition instruction to the operation screen 50 is received. Start processing. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 100 can promptly display the operation screen 50 obtained by the button position changing process on the UI unit 16 at the timing of receiving the transition instruction to the operation screen 50.

<Second embodiment>
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is a modified example of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.

  Touch panel 16b of image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can receive a scroll instruction of a button included in operation screen 40 while operation screen 40 is displayed on UI unit 16.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the operation screen 40 before and after receiving a scroll instruction. FIG. 12A shows the operation screen 40 before receiving the scroll instruction, and FIG. 12B shows the operation screen 40 after receiving the scroll instruction.

  The operation screen 40 of the example shown in FIG. 12 includes a plurality of buttons 41 to 49 for performing detailed setting of conditions that can be set when executing the copy function, and a scroll bar 40a.

  7 and 12, display control unit 10f scrolls buttons 41 to 49 according to an operation (scroll instruction) on scroll bar 40a. The display control unit 10f outputs the coordinate position of each button after scrolling to the determining unit 10d and the button position changing unit 10e.

  For example, when the scroll bar 40a is operated to the position shown in FIG. 12B, the display control unit 10f sets the coordinate position of the button 43 after scrolling as the default position of the button 41, and Outputs the coordinate position after scrolling.

  When receiving the coordinate position after scrolling of each button from the display control unit 10f, the determining unit 10d compares the default position of the button with the coordinate position after scrolling. The determination unit 10d specifies a button whose default position does not match the coordinate position after scrolling as a position change button, and determines a transition destination screen when the specified position change button is pressed as a change target screen.

  The button position changing unit 10e executes a button position changing process on the transition destination screen determined as the change target screen by the determining unit 10d. That is, each time the scroll instruction for the operation screen 40 is received, the button position change unit 10e determines the position of the button on the transition destination screen when a button included in the operation screen 40 is pressed based on the coordinate position after scrolling. The change process (the process shown in FIG. 11) is executed.

  As a result, the image forming apparatus 100 displays the transition destination screen when the button is pressed before the timing when the operation screen 40 is scrolled by the scroll instruction, that is, before the timing when the button for switching the screen is pressed. Button position change processing can be started. As a result, even if the user presses the position change button included in the operation screen 40 after inputting the scroll instruction for the operation screen 40, the user can quickly check the transition destination screen.

  The image forming apparatus 100 can receive a flick operation on the UI unit 16 as a scroll instruction in addition to or instead of the operation on the scroll bar 40a, and may scroll the buttons by the flick operation. . In this case, in response to the flick operation, the display control unit 10f may calculate the coordinate position of each button after scrolling, and output the calculated coordinate position after scrolling to the determining unit 10d and the button position changing unit 10e.

<Third embodiment>
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.

  In the first embodiment, when the operation screen 40 is displayed on the UI unit 16, the button position changing unit 10 e changes the transition destination screen (for example, the operation screen) when a button included in the operation screen 40 is pressed. A button position changing process in step 50) is performed. On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment, the button position changing unit 10e determines whether the button included in the operation screen 40 is pressed at the timing of receiving the customization instruction for the operation screen 40. The process of changing the button position on the transition destination screen (for example, the operation screen 50) is performed.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a button position changing process in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment.

  First, the customization processing unit 10c executes customization of the operation screen according to the customization instruction input on the customization setting screen shown in FIG. 10 (step S21). At this time, the customization processing unit 10c updates the customization information in the position information table according to the result of the customization.

  Next, the determination unit 10d specifies, in the position information table, the button identification information whose corresponding customization information has been updated. The determining unit 10d reads the screen identification information corresponding to the specified button identification information from the transition destination screen storage unit 10b, and determines the operation screen indicated by the read screen identification information as the change target screen (Step S22).

  Next, the button position changing unit 10e changes the button position of the operation screen determined as the change target screen by the determining unit 10d (Step S23).

  Accordingly, the button position of the change target screen is also changed at the timing of customizing the operation screen. Therefore, when the button of the customized operation screen is pressed, the image forming apparatus 100 promptly changes the operation screen of the transition destination. Can be displayed on the UI unit 16.

<Fourth embodiment>
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment in that the image forming apparatus 100 includes the following control unit 10A instead of the control unit 10. In the fourth embodiment, the determination unit 10d determines, as a change target screen, a transition destination screen of a position change button having a higher priority according to a button priority determined in advance by a designer.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a control unit 10A included in an image forming apparatus 100 according to the fourth embodiment. Control unit 10A includes, for example, CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 similarly to control unit 10 (FIG. 6). Referring to FIG. 14, control unit 10A is different from control unit 10 according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 7) in that a priority storage unit 10g is provided. The priority storage unit 10g is realized by, for example, the ROM 12 or the RAM 13.

  The priority storage unit 10g stores, for each operation screen, priority information in which button identification information for identifying a button included in the operation screen is associated with a priority. The priority corresponding to each button identification information is set in advance by the designer of the image forming apparatus 100. For example, the designer of the image forming apparatus 100 may set a priority corresponding to each button such that a button that is estimated to be pressed frequently has a higher priority.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the priority information stored in the priority storage unit 10g. In the priority information shown in FIG. 15, the priority is set so that the button 41, the button 42, and the button 46 become higher in this order.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a button position changing process in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 16, the button position change processing according to the present embodiment is different from the change processing according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 11) in that step S12 and step S14 are performed between steps S12 and S14. The difference is that step S33 and step S34 are included instead of step S13.

  In step S33, the button position changing unit 10e determines whether a button position changing process has been performed on a predetermined number (for example, five) of operation screens.

  If the button position change processing has not been performed for a predetermined number of operation screens (NO in step S33), the determination unit 10d performs the operation displayed in step S11 based on the priority information stored in the priority storage unit 10g. The button with the highest priority is selected from the screen transition buttons included in the screen (step S34).

  After step S34, steps S14 to S16 are executed as in the first embodiment. If there is an unselected screen transition button in step S16 (YES), the process returns to step S33. In step S34 after step S16, the determination unit 10d selects the button with the highest priority among the unselected screen transition buttons.

  If the button position change processing has been executed for a predetermined number of operation screens (YES in step S33), image forming apparatus 100 ends the button position change processing.

  According to the present embodiment, in step S34 and step S14, the determination unit 10d corresponds to a predetermined number of buttons with a higher priority level among a plurality of position change buttons displayed at positions different from the default position. Determine the transition destination screen as the change target screen. The button position changing unit 10e executes the button position changing process only on the transition destination screen corresponding to the predetermined number of upper buttons. As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing of the button position changing unit 10e from taking too long.

  In addition, since the button position changing process is performed for a predetermined number of operation screens with higher priority levels, the image forming apparatus 100 can display a transition destination screen that is estimated to be frequently displayed, for example, with excellent operability. The screen can be changed, and the transition destination screen can be promptly displayed when an instruction for transition to the transition destination screen is received.

<Fifth embodiment>
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment in that an image forming apparatus 100 includes the following control unit 10B instead of the control unit 10. In the fifth embodiment, the determination unit 10d determines, as the change target screen, the transition destination screen of the position change button that is frequently operated according to the button operation results.

  FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a control unit 10B included in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the fifth embodiment. Referring to FIG. 17, control unit 10B is different from control unit 10 (see FIG. 7) according to the first embodiment in that it has an operation information storage unit 10h and an operation information update unit 10i. I do. Control unit 10B includes, for example, CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 as in control unit 10 (FIG. 6). The operation information storage unit 10h is realized by, for example, the ROM 12 or the RAM 13. The operation information updating unit 10i is realized, for example, by the CPU 11 executing an appropriate program.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of operation information stored in the operation information storage unit 10h. As shown in FIG. 17, the operation information storage unit 10h stores, for each screen transition button, operation date and time information indicating the date and time when the button was pressed, and an operation indicating the number (frequency) of operations performed in the past month. Information is stored.

  The operation information updating unit 10i updates the operation information stored in the operation information storage unit 10h. Specifically, every time the screen transition button is pressed, the operation information updating unit 10i stores the operation date and time information indicating the pressed date and time in the operation information storage unit 10h in association with the pressed button.

  At a predetermined timing (for example, every day at 10:00), the operation information updating unit 10i indicates, for each screen transition button, an operation date and time included in a period from the timing to a point in time that is a predetermined period (for example, one month). Count the number of operation date and time information. The operation information update unit 10i updates the information stored in the operation information storage unit 10h, using the counted number as the number of times of operation in the past month.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a button position changing process in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the fifth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the button position change processing according to the present embodiment includes step S44 instead of step S34, as compared with the change processing according to the fourth embodiment (see FIG. 16). Different.

  In the first step S44, the determination unit 10d has been operated in the past month among the screen transition buttons included in the operation screen displayed in step S11 based on the operation information stored in the operation information storage unit 10h. Select the button with the highest number of times (frequency).

  Further, in the second and subsequent steps S44 (step S44 after step S16), the determination unit 10d selects a button having the highest number of operations (frequency) in the past month among unselected screen transition buttons. I do.

  According to the present embodiment, in step S44 and step S14, the determination unit 10d ranks, among the plurality of screen transition buttons (position change buttons) displayed at a position different from the default position, in the order of the operation frequency. A transition destination screen corresponding to a predetermined number of position change buttons is determined as a change target screen. The button position changing unit 10e executes a button position changing process only for a predetermined number of transition destination screens in the upper order. As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing of the button position changing unit 10e from taking too long.

  In addition, since the button position change process is executed for a predetermined number of operation screens that are higher in the frequency of operation, the image forming apparatus 100 changes the frequently displayed transition destination screen to a screen with excellent operability. In addition to being able to change, the transition destination screen can be promptly displayed when an instruction to transition to the transition destination screen is received.

  The operation information storage unit 10h may store only the operation date and time information indicating the date and time when the button was pressed as the information indicating the frequency. In this case, the determination unit 10d may calculate the frequency based on the operation date and time information and determine the change target screen according to the calculated frequency.

<Sixth Embodiment>
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention is a modification of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the fifth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, the determination unit 10d determines the transition destination screen of the position change button whose operation time is new according to the operation result of the button as the change target screen.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a button position changing process in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the sixth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 20, the processing for changing the button position according to the present embodiment includes a step S54 instead of the step S44 as compared with the change processing (see FIG. 19) according to the fifth embodiment. Different.

  In the first step S54, the determination unit 10d determines, based on the operation information stored in the operation information storage unit 10h, among the screen transition buttons included in the operation screen displayed in step S11, the button with the latest operation date and time. select.

  Further, in the second and subsequent steps S54 (step S54 after step S16), the determination unit 10d selects the button with the latest operation date and time among the unselected screen transition buttons.

  According to the present embodiment, in step S54 and step S14, the determination unit 10d determines, from among the plurality of position change buttons displayed at a position different from the default position, the upper predetermined number of the newness at the time of being operated. The transition destination screen corresponding to the position change button is determined as the change target screen. The button position changing unit 10e executes a button position changing process only for a predetermined number of transition destination screens in the upper order. As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing of the button position changing unit 10e from taking too long.

  In addition, since the button position change process is performed for a predetermined number of operation screens with respect to the newness of the operation date and time, the image forming apparatus 100 can change the recently displayed transition destination screen to a screen with excellent operability. When a transition instruction to the transition destination screen is received, the transition destination screen can be promptly displayed.

<Seventh embodiment>
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention is a modified example of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. In the seventh embodiment, during execution of a predetermined job, the button position changing unit 10e avoids execution of a button position changing process.

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a button position changing process in the image forming apparatus 100 according to the seventh embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the button position change processing in the present embodiment is different from the change processing in the first embodiment (see FIG. 11) in that step S60 is performed between step S11 and step S12. In that it contains

  In step S60, the control unit 10 determines whether or not a specific job is being executed. If a specific job is being executed (YES in step S60), image forming apparatus 100 ends the button position changing process. If the specific job is not being executed (NO in step S60), the process of changing the button position is moved to step S12.

  Here, the specific job is, for example, a rasterization process of converting print data having a predetermined capacity or more by the image processing unit 18 into image data in a bitmap format. The rasterizing process by the image processing unit 18 has a large load. Therefore, when the rasterizing process is being performed on print data having a predetermined capacity or more, the execution of the button position changing process can be avoided, thereby preventing a reduction in the rasterizing process speed.

  Further, the specific job may be a process of generating a high compression file by the image processing unit 18. One example of a high compression file is a compact PDF (Portable Document Format) file. The process of generating a high-compression file is to separate an image represented by image data into a character area and a non-character area (for example, a photograph area or a graphic area), Is a process of generating a compressed file (for example, a PDF file) by compressing each of.

  The process of generating a high compression file by the image processing unit 18 includes a region separation process, so that the load is large. Therefore, when the process of generating a high-compression file is being executed, the processing for changing the button position is not performed, thereby preventing a reduction in the processing speed of generating the high-compression file.

  Further, the specific job may be a job to be executed immediately (for example, a fax job). The fax job includes a process of generating image data for transmission from a document, a process of transmitting and receiving image data using a fax line, and a process of printing image data received via a fax line on paper. Therefore, the image reading unit 15, the network I / F 17, the image processing unit 18, and the image output unit 19 can be an execution unit that executes a fax job.

  When the fax job is being executed, the button position change processing is not performed, so that the delay of the fax job due to the parallel processing with the button position change processing can be prevented.

  The configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment may be applied to the above-described second to sixth embodiments.

<Eighth Embodiment>
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention is a modified example of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first to seventh embodiments.

  In the above-described first to seventh embodiments, the determination unit 10d presses a position change button that is different from the default position and the coordinate position after customization corresponding to the button in the position information table among the screen transition buttons. Transition destination screen at the time of the change is determined as the change target screen. On the other hand, in the eighth embodiment, when the distance between the coordinate position after customization corresponding to the position change button and the default position indicated by the position information table is equal to or greater than the threshold, the determination unit 10d changes the position change. The transition destination screen when the button is operated is determined as the change target screen.

  Accordingly, when the distance between the position where a certain position change button is displayed and the default position is smaller than the threshold value, the button position change unit 10e performs the button position change processing for the transition destination screen when the button is pressed. Avoid running Therefore, the load on the button position changing unit 10e can be reduced.

  If the distance between the coordinate position after the customization of the position change button and the default position is small, even if the buttons on the transition destination screen when the button is pressed are arranged at the default position, the operability is significantly reduced. Do not mean.

<Ninth embodiment>
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention is a modified example of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first to eighth embodiments.

  In the image forming apparatus 100 according to the ninth embodiment, the button position changing unit 10e does not operate at the timing when the operation screen immediately before the operation screen to be changed is displayed on the UI unit 16 but at two or more times before. At the timing when the operation screen is displayed on the UI unit 16, the process of changing the button position on the operation screen to be changed is started.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen transition of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. When a button 33 for calling a file management function is pressed on the home screen 30 shown in FIG. 22A, the image forming apparatus 100 displays an operation screen for prompting the user to select a folder on the UI unit 16. FIG. 22B shows an example of the operation screen 60 for prompting the user to select a folder.

  In the example shown in FIG. 22B, the operation screen 60 includes a button 61 for selecting a folder “AAA”, a button 62 for selecting a folder “BBB”, and a button 62 for selecting a folder “CCC”. Button 63. That is, the image forming apparatus 100 displays on the UI unit 16 an operation screen 60 including buttons 61 to 63 for selecting one of the three folders stored in the data storage device 14.

  When the button 61 is pressed on the operation screen 60 shown in FIG. 22B, the image forming apparatus 100 displays an operation screen for prompting the user to select one of the files included in the folder corresponding to the pressed button 61 by the UI unit. 16 is displayed. FIG. 22C shows an example of the operation screen 70 for prompting the user to select a file.

  In the example shown in FIG. 22C, the operation screen 70 includes a button 71 for selecting a file “File a” and a button 72 for selecting a file “File b”. That is, the image forming apparatus 100 displays an operation screen 70 including buttons 71 and 72 for selecting any one of the two files included in the folder “AAA” on the UI unit 16.

  When the button 71 or the button 72 is pressed on the operation screen 70 shown in FIG. 22C, the image forming apparatus 100 displays on the UI unit 16 an operation screen for prompting the user to select the operation content for the file. FIGS. 22D and 22F show an example of the operation screen 80 for prompting the user to select the operation content for the file. FIG. 22D shows the operation screen 80 when the button 71 is pressed, and FIG. 22F shows the operation screen 80 when the button 72 is pressed, all of which are the same screen.

  In the examples shown in FIGS. 22D and 22F, the operation screen 80 includes a button 81 for changing a file name, a button 82 for editing a file, and an image indicated by the file. And a button 83 for registering as an overlay image to be superimposed on another image.

  The operation screen 80 shown in FIGS. 22D and 22F has been customized by the customization processing unit 10c in advance, and the button 82 is displayed at a position different from the default position. Therefore, the determination unit 10d determines the transition destination screen when the button 82 is pressed as the change target screen.

  When the button 82 is pressed on the operation screen 80 shown in FIG. 22D, the image forming apparatus 100 displays on the UI unit 16 an operation screen for prompting selection of any of the pages included in the file “File a”. . FIG. 22E shows an example of the operation screen 90 for prompting selection of a page included in the file “File a”.

  In the example shown in FIG. 22E, the operation screen 90 includes a button 91 for selecting the first page and a button 92 for selecting the second page. That is, the image forming apparatus 100 displays an operation screen 90 including buttons 91 and 92 for selecting one of the two pages included in the file “File a” on the UI unit 16. Buttons 91 and 92 include thumbnail images of the corresponding pages.

  Similarly, when the button 82 is pressed on the operation screen 80 shown in FIG. 22F, the image forming apparatus 100 displays the operation screen for prompting the user to select any of the pages included in the file “File b” by the UI unit 16. To be displayed. FIG. 22G shows an example of the operation screen 90 for prompting the user to select a page included in the file “File b”.

  In the example shown in FIG. 22G, the operation screen 90 includes a button 91 for selecting the first page, a button 92 for selecting the second page, and a button 93 for selecting the third page. And That is, the image forming apparatus 100 displays on the UI unit 16 an operation screen 90 including buttons 91 to 93 for selecting any one of the three pages included in the file “File b”. Buttons 91 to 93 include thumbnail images of the corresponding pages.

  As described above, the configuration of the operation screen 90 differs depending on the number of pages of the file selected on the operation screen 70.

  The button position changing unit 10e performs the process of changing the button position on the operation screen 90 before the timing of inputting the transition instruction to the operation screen 90 (here, the timing of pressing the button 82 on the operation screen 80). Start.

  Specifically, the button position changing unit 10e displays the operation screen 70 on the UI unit 16 instead of the timing when the operation screen 80 is displayed on the UI unit 16 (see FIGS. 22D and 22F). At the performed timing (see FIG. 22C), the process of changing the button position on the operation screen 90 is started.

  In order to start the button position changing process on the operation screen 90, the button position changing unit 10e needs to know the number of pages of the file that can be selected on the operation screen 70 and generate a thumbnail image of each page. . Therefore, the control unit 10 reads each file from the data storage device 14 at the timing when the operation screen 70 is displayed on the UI unit 16.

  At the timing when the operation screen 60 is displayed on the UI unit 16 (see FIG. 22B), the control unit 10 may read the files included in each folder from the data storage device 14. In this case, at the timing when the operation screen 60 is displayed on the UI unit 16, the button position change unit 10 e changes the page of the file corresponding to the operation screen 90 with respect to the operation screen 90 determined as the change target screen by the determination unit 10 d. The process of changing the button position may be started based on the number.

  In this manner, the button position changing unit 10e determines that the operation screen 80 immediately before the operation screen 90 is not displayed at the UI unit 16 but at least two operation screens before (the operation screen 70 or the operation screen 60). At the timing when is displayed on the UI unit 16, the process of changing the button position on the operation screen 90 is started. As a result, the image forming apparatus 100 can promptly display the operation screen 90 when a transition instruction to the operation screen 90 is input.

  In the first to ninth embodiments, a program for causing the CPU 11 of the MFP 1 to execute the above-described operation (including the steps illustrated in FIGS. 11, 13, 15, and 18 to 20) is provided. Is also good. Such a program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), a ROM, a RAM, and a memory card attached to the computer of the MFP 1, and is stored as a program product. Can also be provided. Alternatively, the program may be provided by being recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk incorporated in the computer. Also, the program can be provided by downloading via a network.

  In addition, the program may be a program that calls a necessary module in a predetermined arrangement at a predetermined timing from among the program modules provided as a part of the OS (Operating System) of the computer and executes the processing. In that case, the program itself does not include the above module, and the process is executed in cooperation with the OS.

  Further, the programs according to the first to ninth embodiments may be provided by being incorporated in a part of another program. Also in that case, the program itself does not include the modules included in the other program, and the processing is executed in cooperation with the other program. Programs incorporated in such other programs can also be included in the programs according to the first to ninth embodiments.

  The provided program product is installed and executed in a program storage unit such as a hard disk. Note that the program product includes the program itself and a recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  The embodiment disclosed this time is an exemplification, and is not limited to the above contents. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  10, 10A, 10B control unit, 10a position information storage unit, 10b transition destination screen storage unit, 10c customization processing unit, 10d determination unit, 10e button position change unit, 10f display control unit, 10g priority storage unit, 10h operation information Storage unit, 10i operation information update unit, 16 UI unit, 16a display, 16b touch panel, 16c operation key, 18 image processing unit, 19 image output unit, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 52, 53, 82 , 91, 92, 93 buttons, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 operation screen, 40a scroll bar, 100 image forming apparatus.

Claims (15)

A display unit for displaying a plurality of screens,
For each of the plurality of screens, a storage unit for storing a default position of a button included in the screen,
A first screen of the plurality of screens includes at least one first button for transitioning to another screen of the plurality of screens,
The first button is displayed at a position different from a default position when the first screen is displayed, and further,
A determination unit for determining a transition destination screen when the first button is operated as a second screen;
A change processing for changing a display scheduled position of a second button included in the second screen in accordance with a position where the first button is displayed, before starting an operation on the first button; An image forming apparatus comprising: a button position changing unit.   2. The button position changing unit according to claim 1, wherein the button position changing unit starts the change processing during a period after the position where the first button is displayed is changed from a default position and before an operation on the first button is performed. The image forming apparatus as described in the above. An input unit for receiving a customization instruction for customizing a position where the first button is displayed;
The method according to claim 2, further comprising: a customization processing unit configured to, when the input unit receives the customization instruction, change a position where the first button is displayed from a default position based on the customization instruction. The image forming apparatus as described in the above. An input unit for receiving a scroll instruction of the first button when the first screen is displayed;
The display device according to claim 2, further comprising: a display control unit configured to change a position where the first button is displayed from a default position based on the scroll instruction when the input unit receives the scroll instruction. The image forming apparatus as described in the above.   The said button position change part changes the scheduled display position of the said 2nd button so that the distance from the said 1st button may become shorter than a default position. The image forming apparatus as described in the above.   The said determination part determines the screen of the transition destination of the said 1st button as said 2nd screen, when the distance of the position where the said 1st button is displayed and a default position is larger than a threshold value. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The first screen includes a plurality of the first buttons,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a transition destination screen of each of the first buttons as the second screen. The first screen includes a plurality of the first buttons,
The image forming apparatus further includes, for each of the plurality of first buttons, an operation information storage unit for storing information indicating a frequency at which the first button is operated,
The said determination part determines the screen of the transition destination of each of the predetermined number of said 1st buttons of the frequency shown by the information memorize | stored in the said operation information storage part as the said 2nd screen. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The first screen includes a plurality of the first buttons,
The image forming apparatus further includes, for each of the plurality of first buttons, an operation information storage unit for storing a time point at which the first button is operated,
The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines, as the second screen, a screen to which each of a predetermined number of the first buttons, which is a new number at the time of being stored in the operation information storage unit, transitions. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6. The first screen includes a plurality of the first buttons,
The image forming apparatus further includes, for each of the plurality of first buttons, a priority storage unit for storing a priority for the first button,
The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines, as the second screen, a transition destination screen of each of a predetermined number of the first buttons with respect to the priority stored in the priority storage unit. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6. A communication unit for receiving print data;
An image processing unit for performing a rasterization process of converting the print data received by the communication unit into bitmap image data, further comprising:
11. The button position changing unit according to claim 1, wherein the button position changing unit avoids performing the changing process when the image processing unit performs the rasterizing process on the print data having a capacity larger than a predetermined capacity. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. By separating an image represented by image data into a character area and a non-character area, and compressing each of the data corresponding to the character area and the data corresponding to the non-character area, the compression corresponding to the image data is performed. Further comprising an image processing unit for generating a file,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the button position changing unit avoids performing the changing process when the image processing unit is generating the compressed file. Further comprising an execution unit for executing a fax job using a fax line,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the button position changing unit avoids performing the changing process when the execution unit is executing a fax job. A display unit for displaying a plurality of screens,
For each of the plurality of screens, a storage unit for storing a default position of a button included in the screen, a method implemented in the image forming apparatus,
A first screen of the plurality of screens includes at least one first button for transitioning to another screen of the plurality of screens,
The first button is displayed at a position different from a default position when the first screen is displayed,
Determining a transition destination screen as the second screen when the first button is operated;
Starting a change process for changing a display position of a second button included in the second screen in accordance with a position at which the first button is displayed, before an operation on the first button; A method comprising: A display unit for displaying a plurality of screens,
A program for causing a computer of an image forming apparatus including a storage unit for storing a default position of a button included in each of the plurality of screens to execute an information processing method,
A first screen of the plurality of screens includes at least one first button for transitioning to another screen of the plurality of screens,
The first button is displayed at a position different from a default position when the first screen is displayed,
The information processing method includes:
Determining a transition destination screen as the second screen when the first button is operated;
Starting a change process for changing a display scheduled position of a second button included in the second screen in accordance with a position where the first button is displayed, before an operation on the first button; A program comprising:

Images