JP6759848B2 - Image forming device, display control method, and display control program - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to display control of an image forming apparatus, and particularly to display control of setting items hidden in a pop-up screen.

The contents of the screen are becoming more complicated as the functionality of image forming devices such as MFPs (Multi-Functional Peripheral) is improved. In order to effectively use the display area of the limited display, there is a technique for popping up a setting screen based on a predetermined calling operation. The user can effectively use the limited display area by popping up the setting screen as needed. In the following, the setting screen popped up by a predetermined calling operation is also referred to as a "pop-up screen". The setting screen superimposed by the display of the pop-up screen is also called the "lower layer setting screen".

Regarding a technique for displaying a pop-up screen, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-1997 (Patent Document 1) discloses an image forming apparatus capable of facilitating input of a numeric keypad as a pop-up screen. By displaying the numeric keypad in the margin area, the image forming apparatus prevents the pop-up numeric keypad from overlapping the buttons on the lower layer setting screen.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-79412 (Patent Document 2) discloses an information display device for preventing a pop-up screen from being superimposed on a button on a lower layer setting screen. More specifically, the information display device reduces and displays the buttons on the lower layer setting screen when the pop-up screen is displayed. As a result, the information display device prevents the pop-up screen from overlapping the buttons on the lower layer setting screen.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-1997 JP-A-2010-79412

The lower layer setting screen includes a plurality of setting items (for example, buttons), each of which accepts different settings. These setting items may be hidden by the display of the pop-up screen. In this case, the user cannot perform an operation on the hidden setting item, and the operability for the setting item is lowered. Therefore, it is desired to improve the operability for the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen.

Whether or not it is necessary to operate on the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen depends on the setting contents for the pop-up screen. As an example, assume that the pop-up screen is a numeric keypad and the numeric keypad accepts the setting of the number of copies to be printed. In this case, the setting items that need to be operated change according to the setting of the number of copies to be printed on the numeric keypad. For example, when a plurality of copies are set as the number of copies to be printed, a page sort setting or the like is required, but when a single number of copies is set as the number of print copies, such a page sort setting is not necessary. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose improving the operability of the setting screen when the pop-up screen is displayed, and do not disclose improving the operability of the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen. ..

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object in a certain aspect is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of improving operability for setting items hidden in a pop-up screen. .. The purpose in other aspects is to provide a display control method that can improve the operability of the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen. The purpose in yet another aspect is to provide a display control program that can improve the operability of the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen.

According to a certain aspect, the image forming apparatus includes a display device and a first display control unit for displaying a first setting screen for receiving settings related to the image forming apparatus on the display device. The first setting screen includes a plurality of setting items, each of which accepts different settings. The image forming apparatus further displays a second display control for superimposing and displaying a second setting screen that accepts settings related to the image forming apparatus on the first setting screen based on the acceptance of a predetermined calling operation. Based on the information that defines the settings and the setting items related to the setting contents for each setting content for the second setting screen, the current setting content for the second setting screen is the second setting screen. When the judgment unit for determining whether or not it is related to the hidden setting item by the superimposed display and the above judgment unit determine that the current setting content is related to the hidden setting item. A third display control unit for superimposing the hidden setting items on the first setting screen and arranging them on the second setting screen and displaying them on the display device is provided.

Preferably, the third display control unit displays the hidden setting item in a display area different from the display portion of the second setting screen.

Preferably, the second setting screen accepts the setting of the number of copies to be printed. The above setting contents defined in the above information include setting of a plurality of copies. A setting item for accepting print settings related to a plurality of copies is associated with the setting of the plurality of copies.

Preferably, the setting item for accepting the print setting for the plurality of copies includes the setting item for designating the print order of the plurality of copies.

Preferably, the setting item for accepting the print setting for the plurality of copies includes the setting item for confirming the print content of the plurality of copies.

Preferably, the second setting screen accepts the setting of the type of printing paper. The above information defines setting items related to each type of printing paper.

According to another aspect, the display control method of a computer including a display device includes a step of displaying a first setting screen for receiving settings related to the computer on the display device. The first setting screen includes a plurality of setting items, each of which accepts different settings. The display control method further includes a step of superimposing a second setting screen for accepting settings related to the computer on the first setting screen and displaying the second setting screen based on the reception of a predetermined calling operation. Based on the information that defines the setting items related to the setting contents for each setting content, the current setting contents for the second setting screen are hidden by the superimposed display of the second setting screen. If it is determined in the step of determining whether or not it is related to the above and the above-mentioned determination step that the above-mentioned current setting contents are related to the above-mentioned hidden setting item, the hidden setting item is described above. It includes a step of superimposing on the first setting screen and displaying it on the display device side by side on the second setting screen .

According to another aspect, the display control program of the computer including the display device causes the computer to perform a step of displaying the first setting screen for receiving the settings related to the computer on the display device. The first setting screen includes a plurality of setting items, each of which accepts different settings. The display control program further includes a step of superimposing a second setting screen for accepting settings related to the computer on the first setting screen and displaying the second setting screen based on the reception of a predetermined calling operation. Based on the information that defines the setting items related to the setting contents for each setting content, the current setting contents for the second setting screen are hidden by the superimposed display of the second setting screen. If it is determined in the step of determining whether or not it is related to the above and the above-mentioned determination step that the current setting content is related to the above-mentioned hidden setting item, the hidden setting item is described above. The step of superimposing on the first setting screen and arranging on the second setting screen and displaying on the display device is executed.

In a certain situation, it is possible to improve the operability for the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen.

The above and other objectives, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention as understood in connection with the accompanying drawings.

It is a figure which shows the appearance of the image forming apparatus according to 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display control by the image forming apparatus according to 1st Embodiment in time series. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the relevance table according to 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the main structure of the image forming apparatus according to 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a part of the processing executed by the image forming apparatus which follows 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware composition of the image forming apparatus according to 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display control by the image forming apparatus according to 2nd Embodiment in time series. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the relevance table according to the 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display control by the image forming apparatus according to 3rd Embodiment in time series. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the relevance table according to the 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a part of the processing executed by the image forming apparatus according to 3rd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts and components are designated by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are the same. Therefore, the detailed description of these will not be repeated. In addition, each embodiment and each modification described below may be selectively combined as appropriate.

<First Embodiment>
[Image forming apparatus 100]
The image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of the image forming apparatus 100.

FIG. 1 shows an image forming apparatus 100 as an MFP. An MFP is a device having a printing function, a scanning function, a fax function, and the like. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus 100 as the MFP will be described, but the image forming apparatus 100 is not limited to the MFP. For example, the image forming apparatus 100 may be a monochrome printer, a color printer, a scanner, a fax machine, or other information processing including a display device. It may be a device.

The image forming apparatus 100 includes a scanner 106, a printer 107, and an operation panel 108. The scanner 106 reads the loaded paper and generates an image representing the paper. The printer 107 prints a paper or the like read by the scanner 106 as an image by, for example, an electrophotographic method. The operation panel 108 includes a display 109 as a display device. A touch panel is superposed on the display 109, and the display 109 accepts an operation on the image forming apparatus 100 by a touch operation.

[Display control of image forming apparatus 100]
The display control by the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of display control by the image forming apparatus 100 in chronological order.

In step S1, it is assumed that the setting screen 30 (first setting screen) as the top screen is displayed on the display 109 of the image forming apparatus 100. The setting screen 30 accepts setting inputs (for example, print settings) for the image forming apparatus 100. The setting input is realized by, for example, a touch operation on the display 109.

The setting screen 30 includes setting items 31, 32A to 32G, each of which accepts different print settings. More specifically, the setting item 31 accepts the setting of the number of copies to be printed. The setting item 32A accepts an output format (for example, color setting) of printing paper. The setting item 32B accepts the density setting at the time of printing. The setting item 32C accepts the size setting of the printing paper. The setting item 32D accepts the setting of the enlargement ratio of the print data printed on the printing paper. The setting item 32E accepts the setting of the arrangement order of the printing paper. The setting item 32F accepts a setting for specifying whether or not to close the printing paper with staples (staplers). The setting item 32G accepts the setting of the number of print data to be aggregated on one sheet of paper.

In step S2, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus 100 has received the call operation of the pop-up screen 34. As a result, the pop-up screen 34 is displayed on the display 109. The pop-up screen 34 is displayed, for example, by a touch operation on the setting item 31. The pop-up screen 34 accepts print settings related to the image forming apparatus 100. As an example, the pop-up screen 34 is a numeric keypad that accepts the setting of the number of copies to be printed. The numerical value input to the pop-up screen 34 is reflected in the setting item 31 as the number of copies to be printed.

Due to the display of the pop-up screen 34, the setting items 32E and 32F of the setting screen 30 are hidden by the pop-up screen 34. The image forming apparatus 100 determines whether or not to display the setting items 32E and 32F hidden in the pop-up screen 34 based on the setting contents for the pop-up screen 34. As an example, the determination is made based on the relevance table 124 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the relevance table 124.

In the relevance table 124, setting items related to the setting contents are defined for each setting content for the pop-up screen 34. The relationship between the "setting content" and the "setting item" in the relevance table 124 may be predetermined or may be arbitrarily changed by the user. Based on the relevance table 124, the image forming apparatus 100 determines whether or not the current setting contents for the pop-up screen 34 are related to the setting items 32E and 32F hidden by the superimposed display of the pop-up screen 34.

As an example, the "setting content" defined in the relevance table 124 includes a setting of a single number of copies and a setting of a plurality of copies. In the example of FIG. 3, none of the setting items is associated with the setting of "singular number of copies" defined in the relevance table 124. The setting item 32E for accepting the print setting regarding the plurality of copies is associated with the setting of the "plurality of copies" defined in the relevance table 124. As described above, the setting item 32E accepts a setting for designating a printing order of a plurality of copies. The print order setting is specified by selection such as "group setting" for printing a plurality of sheets for each page or "sort setting" for printing a plurality of sheets for each copy.

With reference to FIG. 2 again, in step S2, it is assumed that the user sets the number of prints "1" for the pop-up screen 34. In this case, the image forming apparatus 100 searches for the setting items associated with the "singular number of copies" with reference to the "setting contents" defined in the relevance table 124. Since the setting items highly related to the "singular number of copies" are not specified in the relevance table 124, when the number of printed copies is the single number of copies (that is, "1"), the image forming apparatus 100 displays a pop-up screen. The setting items 32E and 32F hidden in 34 are not displayed.

In step S3, it is assumed that the user has set the number of prints "2" for the pop-up screen 34. In this case, the image forming apparatus 100 searches for the setting items associated with the "plural number of copies" with reference to the "setting contents" defined in the relevance table 124. As a result, the setting item 32E is hit. The image forming apparatus 100 displays the same setting item 36 as the hit setting item 32E on the display 109.

In this way, the image forming apparatus 100 pops up for each setting content for the pop-up screen 34 (second setting screen) based on the relevance table 124 (information) that defines the setting items related to the setting content. It is determined whether or not the current setting contents for the screen 34 are related to the setting items hidden by the superimposed display of the pop-up screen 34. When the image forming apparatus 100 determines that the current setting contents for the pop-up screen 34 are related to the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen 34, the image forming apparatus 100 displays the setting items on the display 109 (display device). As a result, the operability for the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen 34 is improved.

Preferably, the image forming apparatus 100 displays the setting item 32E hidden by the pop-up screen 34 in a display area different from the display portion of the pop-up screen 34. Typically, the setting item 32E hidden in the pop-up screen 34 is displayed in the vicinity of the pop-up screen 34. The neighborhood means a predetermined range outside the edge of the pop-up screen 34. By displaying the setting item 32E hidden in the pop-up screen 34 side by side with the pop-up screen 34, the user can input the setting for both the pop-up screen 34 and the setting item 32E.

[Functional configuration of image forming apparatus 100]
The function of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a main configuration of the image forming apparatus 100.

As shown in FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a control device 101 and the above-mentioned display 109 (see FIG. 1). The control device 101 includes a first display control unit 151, a second display control unit 152, a determination unit 153, and a third display control unit 154 as functional configurations.

The first display control unit 151 displays a setting screen 30 (see FIG. 2) for receiving print settings related to the image forming apparatus 100 on the display 109. The setting screen 30 is, for example, the top screen of the image forming apparatus 100. The first display control unit 151 displays the setting screen 30 on the display 109 based on the reception of the call operation on the top screen.

The second display control unit 152 superimposes and displays a pop-up screen 34 (see FIG. 2 ) that accepts print settings related to the image forming apparatus 100 on the setting screen 30 based on the reception of a predetermined calling operation. The predetermined calling operation includes, for example, a touch operation for the setting item 31 described above, a pressing of a hardware key on the operation panel 108 (see FIG. 1), and the like.

Based on the above-mentioned relevance table 124 (see FIG. 3), the determination unit 153 relates the setting items of the setting screen 30 in which the current setting contents for the pop-up screen 34 are hidden by the superimposed display of the pop-up screen 34. Judge whether or not. Whether or not each setting item of the setting screen 30 is hidden in the pop-up screen 34 is determined by, for example, comparing the coordinate value of the pop-up screen 34 in the display 109 with the coordinate value of each setting item of the setting screen 30 in the display 109. It is judged by doing.

When it is determined that the current setting contents for the pop-up screen 34 are related to the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen 34, the third display control unit 154 displays the hidden setting items on the display 109. To do. As a result, the setting items highly related to the current setting contents are displayed on the display 109. On the other hand, setting items that are not related to the current setting contents are not displayed on the display 109. That is, the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen 34 are displayed based on the setting contents for the pop-up screen 34.

[Control structure of image forming apparatus 100]
The control structure of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a part of the processing executed by the image forming apparatus 100. The process of FIG. 5 is realized by the control device 101 (see FIG. 4) of the image forming apparatus 100 executing the program. In other aspects, some or all of the processing may be performed by circuit elements or other hardware.

In step S110, the control device 101 determines whether or not the call operation of the pop-up screen has been accepted. When the control device 101 determines that the call operation of the pop-up screen has been accepted (YES in step S110), the control device 101 switches the control to step S112. If not (NO in step S110), the control device 101 re-executes the process of step S110.

In step S112, the control device 101 displays a pop-up screen as a numeric keypad on the display 109 (see FIG. 1) as the second display control unit 152 (see FIG. 4) described above.

In step S120, the control device 101 determines whether or not a plurality of copies have been set as the setting of the number of copies to be printed on the numeric keypad. As an example, when two or more copies are set, the control device 101 determines that a plurality of copies have been set. When the control device 101 determines that a plurality of copies have been set as the setting of the number of copies to be printed on the numeric keypad (YES in step S120), the control device 101 switches the control to step S130. If not (NO in step S120), the control device 101 re-executes the process of step S120.

In step S130, the control device 101 determines whether or not the above-mentioned determination unit 153 (see FIG. 4) includes a setting item that is highly related to the print setting of a plurality of copies among the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen. To judge. The determination is made based on the relevance table 124 (see FIG. 3) described above. When the control device 101 determines that among the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen, there is a setting item highly related to the print setting of a plurality of copies (YES in step S130), the control device 101 switches the control to step S132. If not (NO in step S130), the control device 101 ends the display control process shown in FIG.

In step S132, the control device 101 displays a setting item determined to be highly relevant to the print setting of a plurality of copies. Preferably, the setting items are displayed side by side in the vicinity of the pop-up screen.

[Hardware configuration of image forming apparatus 100]
An example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100.

As shown in FIG. 6, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a control device 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, a communication interface 104, a scanner 106, a printer 107, and the like. It includes an operation panel 108 and a storage device 120.

The control device 101 is composed of, for example, at least one integrated circuit. An integrated circuit is composed of, for example, at least one CPU (Central Processing Unit), at least one ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof.

The control device 101 controls the operation of the image forming device 100 by executing various programs such as the display control program 122 according to the present embodiment. The control device 101 reads out the display control program 122 stored in the ROM 102 based on the reception of the execution command of the display control program 122. The RAM 103 functions as a working memory and temporarily stores various data necessary for executing the display control program 122.

An antenna (not shown) or the like is connected to the communication interface 104. The image forming apparatus 100 exchanges data with an external communication device via the antenna. External communication devices include, for example, mobile communication terminals such as smartphones, servers, and the like. The image forming apparatus 100 may be configured so that the display control program 122 according to the present embodiment can be downloaded from the server via the antenna.

The scanner 106 optically reads the document set in the image forming apparatus 100 and generates image data of the document.

The printer 107 converts image data read by the scanner 106 and print data transmitted from other communication devices into data for printing by, for example, an electrophotographic method, and a document or the like based on the converted data. It is a device that prints the image of.

The operation panel 108 accepts, for example, a call operation of a setting screen such as a top screen or a pop-up screen. The operation panel 108 includes a display 109 as a display device. The display 109 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or other display device. The display 109 is superposed on the touch panel, and receives various operations (for example, printing operations) on the image forming apparatus 100 by touch operations.

The storage device 120 is a storage medium such as a hard disk or an external storage device. The storage device 120 stores the display control program 122 and the above-mentioned relevance table 124 (see FIG. 3) for realizing the processing according to the present embodiment. The storage location of the display control program 122 and the relevance table 124 is not limited to the storage device 120. For example, the display control program 122 and the association table 124 may be stored in a storage area (for example, a cache area) of the control device 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, a server, or the like.

The display control program 122 may be provided as a part of an arbitrary program, not as a single program. In this case, the process according to the present embodiment is realized in cooperation with an arbitrary program. Even a program that does not include such a part of modules does not deviate from the purpose of the display control program 122 according to the present embodiment. Further, some or all of the functions provided by the display control program 122 may be realized by dedicated hardware. Further, the image forming apparatus 100 may be configured in the form of a so-called cloud service in which at least one server executes a part of the processing of the display control program 122.

[Brief Summary]
As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not to display the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen based on the setting contents for the pop-up screen. The image forming apparatus 100 displays the setting item when the current setting content of the pop-up screen is highly related to the setting item hidden in the pop-up screen. This improves the operability for the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen. Further, since the image forming apparatus 100 does not display the setting items having a low relevance to the setting contents for the pop-up screen, the display area can be effectively used.

<Second Embodiment>
[Overview]
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment displays a pop-up screen on the setting screen as the top screen. On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment further displays a pop-up screen on the setting screen as the pop-up screen. The image forming apparatus 100 determines whether or not to display the setting items of the lower layer pop-up screen hidden by the upper layer pop-up screen based on the setting contents for the upper layer pop-up screen.

Other points such as the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will not be repeated below.

[Display control of image forming apparatus 100]
The display control by the image forming apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of display control by the image forming apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment in time series.

In step S5, it is assumed that the user has performed the call operation of the pop-up screen 41. As a result, the image forming apparatus 100 displays the pop-up screen 41 on the setting screen 30 which is the top screen. The pop-up screen 41 includes setting items 42A and 42B. The setting item 42A accepts the setting of the direction of the paper set in the image forming apparatus 100. Setting item 42B accepts the setting of the print preview confirmation method.

In step S6, it is assumed that the user has performed a call operation on the pop-up screen 34. As a result, the image forming apparatus 100 displays the pop-up screen 34 on the pop-up screen 41. The pop-up screen 34 is, for example, a numeric keypad for setting the number of copies to be printed. When the pop-up screen 34 is displayed in the vicinity of the setting item 31 for displaying the number of copies to be printed, the setting item 42B of the lower pop-up screen 41 is hidden by the upper pop-up screen 34. The image forming apparatus 100 determines whether or not to display the setting item 42B hidden in the pop-up screen 34 based on the setting contents for the pop-up screen 34. As an example, the determination is made based on the relevance table 124A shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the relevance table 124A.

In the relevance table 124A, the setting items related to the setting contents are defined for each setting content for the pop-up screen 34. The relationship between the "setting content" and the "setting item" in the relevance table 124A may be predetermined or may be arbitrarily changed by the user. Based on the relevance table 124A, the image forming apparatus 100 determines whether or not the current setting contents for the pop-up screen 34 are related to the setting items 42A and 42B hidden by the superimposed display of the pop-up screen 34.

As an example, the "setting content" defined in the relevance table 124A includes a setting of a single number of copies and a setting of a plurality of copies. In the example of FIG. 8, none of the setting items is associated with the setting of "singular number of copies" defined in the relevance table 124A. The setting item 42B for accepting the print setting for the plurality of copies is associated with the setting of the "plurality of copies" defined in the relevance table 124A. The setting item 42B is a setting item for accepting a setting for confirming the print contents of a plurality of copies.

With reference to FIG. 7 again, it is assumed that in step S6, the user sets the number of prints "2" for the pop-up screen 34. In this case, the image forming apparatus 100 searches for the setting items associated with the "plural number of copies" with reference to the "setting contents" defined in the relevance table 124A. As a result, the setting item 42B is hit. The image forming apparatus 100 displays the same setting item 45 as the hit setting item 42B in the vicinity of the pop-up screen 34.

<Third embodiment>
[Overview]
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment displays the numeric keypad as a pop-up screen. On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment displays a setting screen for setting the type of printing paper as a pop-up screen. The image forming apparatus 100 determines whether or not to display the setting items of the lower layer setting screen hidden by the pop-up screen based on the setting contents regarding the type of printing paper.

Other points such as the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment are the same as those of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will not be repeated below.

[Display control of image forming apparatus 100]
The display control by the image forming apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of display control by the image forming apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment in time series.

In step S11, it is assumed that the setting screen 30 as the top screen is displayed on the display 109 of the image forming apparatus 100. The setting screen 30 accepts setting inputs (for example, print settings) for the image forming apparatus 100. The setting input is realized by, for example, a touch operation on the display 109.

The setting screen 30 includes setting items 31, 32A to 32D, 32F, 32H, each of which accepts different print settings. More specifically, the setting item 31 accepts the setting of the number of copies to be printed. The setting item 32A accepts an output format (for example, color setting) of printing paper. The setting item 32B accepts the density setting at the time of printing. The setting item 32C accepts the size setting of the printing paper. The setting item 32D accepts the setting of the enlargement ratio of the print data printed on the printing paper. The setting item 32F accepts a setting for specifying whether or not to close the printing paper with staples (staplers). The setting item 32H accepts the setting of the combination of the reading surface (single-sided or double-sided) of the paper to be read and the printing surface (single-sided or double-sided) of the print data.

In step S12, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus 100 has received the call operation of the pop-up screen 54. As a result, the pop-up screen 54 is displayed on the display 109. The pop-up screen 54 accepts, for example, setting of the type of printing paper. Due to the display of the pop-up screen 54, each setting item of the setting screen 30 is hidden by the pop-up screen 54. The image forming apparatus 100 determines whether or not to display each setting item hidden in the pop-up screen 54 based on the setting contents for the pop-up screen 54. As an example, the determination is made based on the relevance table 124B shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the relevance table 124B.

In the relevance table 124B, setting items related to the setting contents are defined for each setting content for the pop-up screen 54. The relationship between the "setting content" and the "setting item" in the relevance table 124B may be predetermined or may be arbitrarily changed by the user. As an example, the relevance table 124B associates each type of printing paper with setting items related to the type.

In the example of FIG. 10, "setting item 32F" and "setting item 32H" are associated with the printing paper "plain paper". None of the setting items are associated with the printing papers "thick papers 1 to 4". Normally, staple settings and double-sided printing settings are prohibited for thick paper. Therefore, the thick paper is not associated with the setting items that accept these settings. On the other hand, for plain paper, staple settings and double-sided printing settings are permitted. Therefore, the plain paper is associated with the setting items 32F and 32H that accept these settings.

With reference to FIG. 9 again, it is assumed that in step S12, the user selects “thick paper 4” on the pop-up screen 54. In this case, the image forming apparatus 100 searches for the setting items associated with the "thick paper 4" with reference to the "setting contents" defined in the relevance table 124B. Since the setting items highly related to "thick paper 4" are not specified in the relevance table 124B, when "thick paper 4" is selected, the image forming apparatus 100 is hidden by the pop-up screen 54. Do not display items.

In step S13, it is assumed that the user selects "plain paper" on the pop-up screen 54. In this case, the image forming apparatus 100 searches for the setting items associated with the "plain paper" with reference to the "setting contents" defined in the relevance table 124B. As a result, the setting items 32F and 32H are hit. The image forming apparatus 100 displays the same setting items 55 as the hit setting items 32F and 32H in the vicinity of the pop-up screen 54.

[Control structure of image forming apparatus 100]
The control structure of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a part of the processing executed by the image forming apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment. The process of FIG. 11 is realized by the control device 101 (see FIG. 4) of the image forming apparatus 100 executing the program. In other aspects, some or all of the processing may be performed by circuit elements or other hardware. Since steps S110 and S112 are as described in FIG. 5, the description thereof will not be repeated.

In step S120A, the control device 101 determines whether or not the setting contents for the pop-up screen have been changed. As an example, when the print setting on the pop-up screen is changed to "plain paper", the control device 101 determines that the setting content for the pop-up screen has been changed. When the control device 101 determines that the setting contents for the pop-up screen have been changed (YES in step S120A), the control device 101 switches the control to step S130A. If not (NO in step S120A), the controller 101 re-executes the process of step S120A.

In step S130A, as the above-mentioned determination unit 153 (see FIG. 4), the control device 101 determines whether there is a setting item hidden in the pop-up screen that is highly related to the current setting content for the pop-up screen. Judge whether or not. The determination is made based on the relevance table 124B (see FIG. 10) described above. When the control device 101 determines that among the setting items hidden in the pop-up screen, there is a setting item highly related to the current setting contents for the pop-up screen (YES in step S130A), the control device 101 switches the control to step S132. If not (NO in step S130A), the control device 101 ends the display control process shown in FIG.

In step S132A, the control device 101 displays the setting items determined to be highly relevant to the current setting contents for the pop-up screen side by side on the pop-up screen. As an example, when the current setting content for the pop-up screen is "plain paper", the staple setting items and the double-sided printing setting items hidden in the pop-up screen are displayed.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description but by the scope of claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

30 Setting screen, 31, 32A to 32H, 36, 42A, 42B, 45, 55 Setting items, 34, 41, 54 Pop-up screen, 100 Image forming device, 101 Control device, 102 ROM, 103 RAM, 104 Communication interface, 106 Scanner, 107 printer, 108 operation panel, 109 display, 120 storage device, 122 display control program, 124, 124A, 124B relevance table, 151 1st display control unit, 152 2nd display control unit, 153 judgment unit, 154th 3 Display control unit.

Claims (8)

It is an image forming device
Display device and
The first setting screen is provided with a first display control unit for displaying a first setting screen for receiving settings related to the image forming apparatus on the display device, and the first setting screen includes a plurality of setting items each accepting different settings. further,
A second display control unit for superimposing and displaying a second setting screen that accepts settings related to the image forming apparatus on the first setting screen based on the acceptance of a predetermined calling operation.
For each setting content for the second setting screen, the current setting content for the second setting screen is displayed by superimposing the second setting screen based on the information defining the setting item related to the setting content. A judgment unit for judging whether or not it is related to a hidden setting item,
When the determination unit determines that the current setting content is related to the hidden setting item, the hidden setting item is superimposed on the first setting screen and arranged on the second setting screen. An image forming apparatus including a third display control unit for displaying on the display device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third display control unit displays the hidden setting items in a display area different from the display portion of the second setting screen. The second setting screen accepts the setting of the number of copies to be printed.
The setting contents specified in the information include a setting of a plurality of copies.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a setting item for accepting a print setting relating to the plurality of copies is associated with the setting of the plurality of copies. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the setting item for accepting the print setting for the plurality of copies includes a setting item for designating the print order of the plurality of copies. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the setting item for accepting the print setting for the plurality of copies includes a setting item for confirming the print content of the plurality of copies. The second setting screen accepts the setting of the type of printing paper and accepts the setting.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information defines setting items related to the type of printing paper for each type. A display control method for a computer equipped with a display device.
The first setting screen includes a step of displaying a first setting screen for receiving settings related to the computer on the display device, and the first setting screen includes a plurality of setting items each accepting different settings, and further.
A step of superimposing and displaying a second setting screen that accepts settings related to the computer on the first setting screen based on the acceptance of a predetermined calling operation.
For each setting content for the second setting screen, the current setting content for the second setting screen is displayed by superimposing the second setting screen based on the information defining the setting content related to the setting content. Steps to determine if it is related to a hidden setting item,
When it is determined in the determination step that the current setting content is related to the hidden setting item, the hidden setting item is superimposed on the first setting screen and displayed on the second setting screen. A display control method including a step of displaying on the display device side by side . A display control program for a computer equipped with a display device.
The display control program is applied to the computer.
The step of displaying the first setting screen for accepting the settings related to the computer on the display device is executed, and the first setting screen includes a plurality of setting items each accepting different settings, and further.
A step of superimposing and displaying a second setting screen that accepts settings related to the computer on the first setting screen based on the acceptance of a predetermined calling operation.
For each setting content for the second setting screen, the current setting content for the second setting screen is displayed by superimposing the second setting screen based on the information defining the setting content related to the setting content. Steps to determine if it is related to a hidden setting item,
When it is determined in the determination step that the current setting content is related to the hidden setting item, the hidden setting item is superimposed on the first setting screen and displayed on the second setting screen. A display control program that executes a step of displaying on the display device side by side .