JP7251067B2 - Information processing device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, and a program.

Web technology is evolving day by day, and the latest frameworks and libraries are being developed one after another. Among them, UX (User Experience) design, which aims to improve the experience and satisfaction that users get when using products and services, is attracting attention, and UI (User Interface) parts are evolving accordingly.

Responsive web design is also possible, which dynamically optimizes the layout of a single web content according to the window size of the web browsers of personal computers (PCs), tablets, and smartphones, regardless of the device or OS. .

Since WebUI is displayed by a web browser (WebBrowser), it is possible to display it without directly depending on the OS of the device if the device is equipped with a web browser. is becoming

Some models of MFPs (Multi Function Peripherals), etc., which are multi-function digital copiers, are equipped with a web browser, and there are also applications that run on the web browser.

When creating screens with the above WebUI, it would take a lot of man-hours to replace all the screens provided by conventional MFPs. , a system is known in which a screen originally provided by an MFP and a screen created by WebUI and specialized only for functions required by the user are used together.

In the above system, the exchange of information between the application on the web browser and the MFP uses a dedicated interface, as well as a technology that uses SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) (HTTP), which is a standard function of the web browser, and WebSocket communication. is known, and by using the standard functions of these web browsers, it is possible to further reduce development man-hours. In addition, SOAP requires connection by polling instead of suppressing the occurrence of network traffic, and is a method that places a high load on the client side. WebSocket requires constant connection, but only communicates when an event such as a status change occurs. This method has a low load on the client side.

In the above system, when an application on the MFP or a web browser is started, the communication means notifies the configuration information of the MFP (for example, tray information, scanner information, post-processor information, etc.), and based on that information, web An application on the browser creates a screen and displays it on the display device. In addition, status change information (e.g., door open, paper out, toner empty, etc.) based on sensor information detected by the MFP is notified, and based on that information, an application on the web browser creates a screen and displays it on the display device. display.

On the other hand, MFPs are equipped with a plurality of functions, and also have many functions other than those required by specific users. There are error screens for these functions and specific countermeasures for the error screens, and creating all of them requires knowledge and a great deal of man-hours. For this reason, a technology has been proposed that reduces development man-hours by displaying a screen provided by a conventional MFP, particularly for an error screen (Patent Document 1).

JP 2014-241494 A

However, when an error screen provided by the MFP is displayed because an MFP error occurs while a screen created by an application on a web browser is being displayed, conventionally, the configuration information of the MFP, It is not possible to display an appropriate error screen from an application on a web browser only with state change information such as sensor information detected by the MFP. There was a problem that it may be confusing.

As a specific example, a case where items for which magnification setting is possible are different will be described. Conventionally, it is assumed that the magnification setting operation screen D11 shown in FIG. . On this operation screen, 14 setting items enclosed in a thick frame including "automatic" can be selected. In this state, for example, if an error of automatic document size detection occurs, an error screen D12 based on the application 1 as shown in FIG. 1B is displayed as an error screen corresponding to the error. In this error screen D12, 13 setting items excluding the "auto" setting can be selected. Here, selectable setting items for magnification setting are determined from configuration information of the MFP.

On the other hand, it is assumed that the operation screen D13 for setting the magnification shown in FIG. On this operation screen D13, three setting items, "automatic", "same size", and "double" surrounded by thick lines, can be selected. In this state, if an error occurs in automatic document size detection, an error screen D14 based on application 1 shown in FIG. 15B is displayed as a corresponding error screen. The error screen D14 is the same as the error screen D12 in FIG. 14(B). In the screen D13 of FIG. 15A, the setting item "automatic" is hatched to indicate that it cannot be selected due to an error.

However, in the error screen D14 of FIG. 15B, 13 setting items excluding the setting item of "Automatic" are displayed in a seemingly selectable state. A) also includes setting items other than the setting items “same size” and “double size” that can be selected on the original operation screen D13 shown in A).

Also, in the error screen D14 of FIG. 15B, when an arbitrary setting item such as "50%" is selected, the error screen is canceled and the screen based on the application 2 is displayed again. Then, there was a problem that the user did not know whether the selected value of "50%" was reflected.

In addition, the above-mentioned Patent Literature 1 cannot provide a solution to such problems.

The present invention was made to solve such a problem, and when an error occurs while an operation screen based on a second application is being displayed, an error associated with the first application is detected. An information processing device that displays a screen, and that enables continuous operation without giving the user confusion such as whether or not the setting item selected on the error screen has been reflected, and a program. for the purpose of providing

The above object is achieved by the following means.
(1) A first operation screen based on a first application, the first operation screen having one or more setting items, and a second operation screen based on a second application, display means capable of displaying a second operation screen having one or more setting items; and error detection means. When an error is detected by the detection means, an error screen having at least one setting item and associated with the first application , the error screen corresponding to the error on the first operation screen. The information processing apparatus displayed on the display means, wherein the setting items on the first error screen that is called as the error screen when an error is detected by the error detection means are selected on the second operation screen. determining means for determining whether or not a second setting item other than the first setting item is included; and if the determining means determines that the second setting item is included, the second setting item is included. and notification means for notifying a user that a setting item cannot be selected.
(2) The notification means displays the first error screen on the display means, and displays a visual or auditory indication when the second setting item is selected on the first error screen. 2. The information processing apparatus according to 1 above, which notifies the user that the second setting item cannot be selected by performing the setting.
(3) The notification means changes the first error screen to a second error screen in which the selection of the second setting item is disabled, and displays the second error screen on the display means so that the second setting item is displayed on the display means. 2. The information processing device according to the preceding item 1, which notifies the user that the item cannot be selected.
(4) The notification means maintains the display of the first error screen when the second setting item is selected on the first error screen, and when the first setting item is selected. 3. The information processing device according to the preceding item 2, which cancels the display of the first error screen.
(5) The notification means changes the first error screen to a second error screen displayed in a display mode indicating that the second setting item cannot be selected, and displays the second error screen on the display means. 3. The information processing device according to the preceding item 3.
(6) The information processing apparatus according to item 3, wherein the notification means changes the first error screen to a second error screen in which the display of the second setting item is deleted and displays the second error screen on the display means. .
(7) The notification means, when the second setting item is selected, notifies that the selection is not possible when the first error screen is returned to the second operation screen. The information processing device according to .
(8) The first application operates on a general-purpose OS, the second application operates on a web browser, and a screen based on the first application is drawn by the first drawing means. are respectively drawn by a second drawing means, synthesized in a superimposed state, and displayed on the display means by positioning the screen to be displayed in front; acquires information about the first setting item from the second application via a general-purpose interface for communicating with the 8. The information processing apparatus according to any one of the preceding items 1 to 7, which determines whether or not the setting item 2 is included.
(9) The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (8) above, wherein the number of setting items included in the second operation screen is equal to or less than the number of setting items included in the first operation screen.
(10) The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (9) above, wherein the setting items of the second operation screen include setting items other than the setting items of the first operation screen.
(11) Any one of the preceding items 3, 5, and 6, wherein the first setting items included in the second error screen are at least one or a plurality of setting items for changing operation settings of the information processing apparatus. 1. The information processing device according to claim 1.
(12) The information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus, and the setting items of the first operation screen and the second operation screen include document image quality, color mode, density, paper, magnification, document size, simplex/ 12. The information processing apparatus according to any one of the preceding items 1 to 11, including at least one of the setting items of double-sided, staple/punch, center-fold/Z-fold.
(13) A first operation screen based on a first application, the first operation screen having one or more setting items, and a second operation screen based on a second application, display means capable of displaying a second operation screen having one or more setting items, and when an error is detected while the second operation screen is displayed on the display means, at least a computer of an information processing apparatus that displays on the display means an error screen that has one setting item and is associated with the first application , the error screen corresponding to an error on the first operation screen; and the setting items on the first error screen called as the error screen when the error is detected include second setting items other than the first setting items selectable on the second operation screen. and a notification for notifying the user that the second setting item cannot be selected if it is determined by the determining step that the second setting item is included. A program for executing a step.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (1), when an error is detected in a state where the second operation screen based on the second application is displayed on the display means, at least one setting item is provided; An information processing device that displays an error screen that is associated with a first application and that corresponds to an error on the first operation screen , and that is called as an error screen when an error is detected. It is determined whether or not the setting items on the error screen include a second setting item other than the first setting items that can be selected on the second operation screen. If it is determined that the second setting item is included, the user is notified that the second setting item cannot be selected. can recognize that it is not possible to select Therefore, the user can smoothly continue the operation without being confused whether or not the setting item selected by the user on the error screen has been reflected.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (2), the first error screen is displayed on the display means, and when the second setting item is selected on the first error screen , a visual or auditory display is provided. By doing so, the user is notified that the second setting item cannot be selected, so the user can accurately recognize that the second setting item cannot be selected.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (3), the first error screen is changed to the second error screen in which the selection of the second setting item is disabled and displayed on the display means. It is possible to accurately recognize that the setting item of cannot be selected.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (4), when the second setting item is selected on the first error screen, the display of the first error screen is maintained and the first setting item is selected. Since the display of the first error screen is canceled, the user can select only the first selectable setting item.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (5), the first error screen is changed to the second error screen displayed in a display mode indicating that the second setting item cannot be selected, and the Since it is displayed, the user can accurately recognize that the second setting item cannot be selected.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (6), since the first error screen is changed to the second error screen in which the display of the second setting item is deleted and displayed on the display means, the user cannot select the second error screen. 2 setting item is not selected.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (7), the notification that the selection is not possible when the second setting item is selected is returned from the first error screen to the operation screen based on the second application. , the user can reliably select the first setting item that can be selected on the operation screen based on the second application.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (8), information about the first setting item is acquired from the second application via the general-purpose interface for communicating with the second application running on the web browser. , based on the acquired information, it is determined whether or not the setting items on the first error screen include the second setting items other than the first setting items. Acquisition of information about one setting item, determination of whether or not a second setting item is included, and the like can be performed with a simple configuration.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (9), the number of setting items included in the second operation screen is equal to or less than the number of setting items included in the first operation screen. can increase the possibility that second setting items other than the first setting items that can be selected on the second operation screen are included in the second operation screen, and the effect of (1) can be effectively exhibited.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (10), the setting items of the second operation screen include setting items other than the setting items of the first operation screen. It is possible to increase the possibility that the setting items include the second setting items other than the first setting items that can be selected on the second operation screen, so that the effect of (1) can be effectively exhibited.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (11), the first setting item included in the second error screen is at least one or a plurality of setting items for changing the operation settings of the information processing device. , the user can accurately select the setting item for changing the operation setting when an error occurs.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (12), in the image forming apparatus, setting items such as document image quality, color mode, density, paper, magnification, document size, single-sided/double-sided, staple/punch, center-fold/Z-fold. When an error occurs when setting at least one of (1) to (2), the user can be prevented from inconveniently selecting a setting item on the error screen that was originally not selectable on the second operation screen.

According to the invention described in the preceding item (13), the first operation screen based on the first application, the first operation screen having one or more setting items, and the first operation screen based on the second application The second operation screen has display means capable of displaying the second operation screen having one or a plurality of setting items, and in a state in which the second operation screen is displayed on the display means, an error occurs. is detected, information for displaying an error screen having at least one setting item and associated with the first application on the display means, the error screen corresponding to the error on the first operation screen In the computer of the processing device, setting items on a first error screen called as an error screen when an error is detected include second setting items other than the first setting items selectable on the second operation screen. If it is determined that the second setting item is included, processing for notifying the user that the second setting item cannot be selected can be executed.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus as an information processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. (A) is a diagram showing an operation screen for magnification setting based on a second application, and (B) is an error screen, which are displayed on the display unit. (A) is a diagram showing an operation screen for magnification setting based on a second application, and (B) is another example of an error screen displayed on the display unit. (A) is a diagram showing an operation screen for magnification setting based on a second application, and (B) is a diagram showing still another example of an error screen displayed on the display unit. (A) is a diagram showing an operation screen for magnification setting based on a second application, and (B) is a diagram showing still another example of an error screen displayed on the display unit. (A) is a diagram showing an operation screen for magnification setting based on a second application, and (B) is a diagram showing still another example of an error screen displayed on the display unit. (A) is an error screen based on the first application, and (B) is a diagram showing an error screen displayed when a setting item that cannot be selected on the original operation screen is selected on the error screen of (A). is. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus when a setting item is selected on an error screen including setting items that cannot be selected on the original operation screen, as described with reference to FIG. 3; 8 is a flow chart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus when a setting item is selected on an error screen including setting items that cannot be selected on the original operation screen, as described with reference to FIG. 7; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram of activation processing of an operation screen based on a second application; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram of display processing of an error screen; FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram of another display process of an error screen; FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing processing subsequent to FIG. 12; (A) and (B) are screen diagrams for explaining problems of the conventional technology. (A) and (B) are similarly screen diagrams for explaining the problems of the conventional technology.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 as an information processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, an MFP, which is a multifunctional digital multi-function peripheral having a copy function, a printer function, a scan function, etc., is used as the image forming apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a control device 100, a reading unit 110, a printing unit 120, a transmitting/receiving unit 130, a post-processing unit 140, a display unit 150, an input unit 160, a first drawing unit 171, a second It includes a drawing unit 172, a display management unit 180, a display synthesis unit 190, and the like.

The control device 100 has a CPU 101 , a ROM 102 and a RAM 103 . CPU 101 centrally controls the entire MFP 1 by executing an operation program stored in ROM 102 or the like. For example, a copy function, a printer function, a scan function, a facsimile function, etc. are controlled to be executable. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the display control of the operation screen and the error screen displayed on the display unit 150 and the notification that the user cannot be selected regarding setting items that cannot be selected are performed, but the details will be described later.

ROM 102 stores programs executed by CPU 101 and other data.

The RAM 103 serves as a work area when the CPU 101 executes a program, and temporarily stores the program and data used when the program is executed.

A reading unit 110 includes a scanner or the like, and reads a document set on a latin glass or on a document placing unit to read the document and converts it into image data.

The printing unit 120 prints the image data of the document read by the reading unit 110 or the copy image generated from the print data transmitted from an external terminal device or the like on a recording medium such as paper and outputs the printed matter. is.

The transmitting/receiving unit 130 functions as communication means for transmitting/receiving data to/from an external device such as a server or a terminal device via a network.

The post-processing unit 140 performs post-processing such as punching and stapling on the paper printed by the printing unit 120 .

The display unit 150 is composed of a liquid crystal display device, for example, and displays messages, various operation screens, and the like, and a touch panel is laminated on the screen.

The input unit 160 is for inputting an instruction by a user operation. Specifically, when the user performs a touch operation on the screen displayed on the display unit 150, the touch panel detects the touch position and gives an instruction according to the touch position. is accepted and processed. The input unit 150 also includes hard keys such as a reset key, a start key, and a stop key (not shown).

First drawing unit 171 draws a display screen based on application 1 (corresponding to a first application) installed in image forming apparatus 1 , and second drawing unit 172 is installed in image forming apparatus 1 . Based on the application 2-1 or 2-2 (both of which correspond to the second application), the display screen is drawn via the web browser 300, which is software for browsing web pages. Note that the first drawing unit 171 is configured as part of the function when the application 1 is executed, and the second drawing unit 172 is configured as part of the function when the applications 2-1 and 2-2 are executed. be done. Also, a plurality of applications 1 may be installed, and either one of the applications 2-1 or 2-2 may be installed, or three or more applications may be installed.

The display management unit 180 manages screens and the like displayed on the display unit 150 according to the operating states of the application 1 and the web browser 300 , and is configured as part of the functions of the control device 100 .

The display synthesizing unit 190 combines the display screen based on the application 1 displayed by the first drawing unit 171 and the display drawn by the second drawing unit 172 based on the application 2-1 or the application 2-2 via the web browser 300. The screens are synthesized in a front-rear stacked state, and the screen located in the front among the plurality of synthesized display screens is displayed on the display unit 150 .

The control device 100 functionally includes an error detection section 104 , a system control section 105 and an event control section 106 .

The error detection unit 104 detects that an error such as an automatic document size error has occurred in the image forming apparatus 1 . A system control unit 105 controls the entire system of the image forming apparatus 1 .

The event control unit 106 performs control when an event such as an error occurs. For example, when the error detection unit 104 detects an error while the screen based on the application 2-1 or 2-2 drawn by the second drawing unit 172 is displayed on the display unit 150, the second drawing unit 172 , and perform operations such as acquiring necessary information.

An OS (Operating System) 200 is installed in the image forming apparatus 1, and the control device 100 and the application 1 operate according to the OS, that is, on the OS. On the other hand, the applications 2-1 and 2-2 operate on the web browser 300. FIG.

Next, while an operation screen created based on, for example, the application 2-1 is displayed on the display unit 150 by the web browser 300, an error occurs in the image forming apparatus 1 regarding setting items that can be selected on the operation screen. The operation of the image forming apparatus 1 in this case will be described. Whether or not an error has occurred may be determined when a setting item is selected on the operation screen. Note that the application 2-1 will be simply referred to as the application 2 in the following description.

FIG. 2A shows an operation screen (corresponding to a second operation screen) D1 for magnification setting based on the application 2 displayed on the display unit 150. FIG. In this operation screen D1, only setting items such as "auto", "same size", and "2x" can be selected as the magnification, as surrounded by a thick frame.

When the error detection unit 104 detects the occurrence of an error in automatic document size detection, which is an error related to the setting items, while the setting screen D1 is being displayed, the control device 100 displays the error screen in FIG. 1) Call D2 and display it. In the operation screen D1 of FIG. 2A, the setting item "automatic" is hatched to indicate that it cannot be selected due to an error.

The displayed error screen D2 is a screen associated with application 1 created based on application 1, and is originally an operation screen based on application 1 (corresponding to the first operation screen, shown in FIG. 14 (A ) is displayed when an error in automatic document size detection is detected.

In this error screen D2, setting items other than "automatic" that can be selected on the original operation screen D1, such as "same size (100%)" and "double size (200%)" surrounded by thick frames, are displayed. In addition, a plurality of values from 50.0% to 141.4% such as ``50.0%'', ``70.7%'', ``122.4%'', and ``141.4%'' that cannot be selected and set on the original operation screen D1 setting items are displayed.

In addition, in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the thick frames are for convenience of explanation and are not displayed on the screen. In addition, the display of "application 2" and "application 1 error screen" on the upper left of each screen is also a display for explanation, and is not actually displayed.

On the other hand, when the error detection unit 104 detects the occurrence of an error in automatic document size detection, the event control unit 106 communicates with the application 2 via the second drawing unit 172, and can be selected on the original operation screen D1. Get information about a setting item. Communication with the application 2 may be performed using a general-purpose interface such as SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) or WebSocket. By using a general-purpose interface, it is possible to easily communicate with the application 2 without requiring a dedicated interface, and to easily acquire information about setting items that can be selected on the original operation screen D1. can.

On the error screen D2, if the user selects, for example, "70.7%", which is a setting item that cannot be selected and set on the original operation screen D1, the control device 100, based on the information acquired by the event control unit 106, The control device 100 recognizes that the selected "70.7%" is a setting item that cannot be selected and set on the operation screen D1.

Therefore, the control device 100 notifies that the selection is not possible while maintaining the display of the error screen D2. In the example of FIG. 2B, notification is given by sounding a buzzer.

Notification that the selection is not possible may be performed by an auditory display such as a buzzer sound, but as shown in FIG. A visual display such as displaying the message 151 on the error screen D2 may be used. 3A shows the same operation screen D1 as in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 3B shows the same error screen D2 as in FIG. 2B except that a message 151 is added. ing.

In the error screen D2, if either of "same size (100%)" and "double size (200%)" that can be selected on the original operation screen D1 is selected, the selected setting item will be the setting value. reflected in Then, the display of the error screen D2 is canceled, and the display unit 150 is displayed when either "same size (100%)" or "double size (200%)" is selected on the original operation screen D1. A screen appears.

In this way, when an error is detected while the operation screen D1 based on the application 2 is displayed on the display unit 150, the error screen D2 associated with the application 1 and having at least one setting item is displayed. When the screen D2 is called and the setting items of the called error screen D2 include setting items other than the setting items selectable on the operation screen D1, the error screen D2 is displayed on the display unit 150. In addition, when a setting item other than the selectable setting items is selected on the operation screen D1, it is notified that the setting item is not selectable, so the user can recognize that the selected setting item is not selectable. Therefore, the user can continue the operation smoothly without being confused whether or not the setting item selected on the error screen D2 has been reflected.

Moreover, the fact that the item cannot be selected is notified visually by displaying a message or the like or audibly by a buzzer sound, so that the user can accurately recognize that the setting item cannot be selected.

Further, when a setting item that cannot be selected on the original operation screen D1 is selected on the error screen D2, the display of the error screen D2 is maintained, and when a setting item that can be selected on the original operation screen D1 is selected, Since the display of the error screen D2 is canceled, the user can select only selectable setting items.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, instead of the error screen D2 shown in FIG. 2, another error screen obtained by modifying the error screen D2 is displayed as the error screen.

FIG. 4A shows an operation screen D1 based on the application 2, which is the same operation screen as in FIGS. 2A and 3A. When the error detection unit 104 detects the occurrence of an error in automatic document size detection, an error screen is displayed.

In this embodiment, instead of displaying the error screen D2 associated with the application 1 as it is as shown in FIGS. 2B and 3B, an error screen D2 is displayed as shown in FIG. An error screen (corresponding to a second error screen) D3, which is a modified version of D2, is displayed.

In the example of FIG. 4B, an error screen D3 is displayed in which an image indicating that the item cannot be selected is superimposed on the setting item that cannot be selected on the original operation screen D1. Setting items that cannot be selected on the original operation screen D1 are specified based on information on setting items that can be selected on the original operation screen D1, which is acquired by the event control unit 106 communicating with the application 2. FIG. In the example of FIG. 4B, an x mark is used as the image for notifying that the selection is not possible. may

In this manner, the error screen D2 is changed to the error screen D3 in which the setting items are displayed in a display mode in which the setting items cannot be selected, and is displayed on the display unit 150, so that the user can accurately recognize the setting items that cannot be selected.

FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining another display example of the error screen. In this example, as shown in FIG. 5B, setting items that cannot be selected on the original operation screen D1 are displayed in an inactive display form, such as grayout, so that an error screen notifying that the setting items cannot be selected is displayed. D4 is displayed on the display unit 150 . In addition, in the error screen D4 of FIG. 5B, the hatched portion is in an inactive display mode.

FIG. 5A shows an operation screen D1 based on the application 2, like FIGS. 2A and 3A. When the error detection unit 104 detects the occurrence of an error in automatic document size detection, the error screen D2 linked to the application 1 is called as in FIGS. 2B and 3B. Instead, as shown in FIG. 5B, an error screen D4 in which setting items that cannot be selected on the original operation screen D1 are deactivated is displayed. Setting items that cannot be selected on the original operation screen D1 are specified based on information on setting items that can be selected on the original operation screen D1, which is acquired by the event control unit 106 communicating with the application 2. FIG.

Thus, the error screen D2 is changed to the error screen D4 in which the unselectable setting items are displayed in an inactive display mode and displayed on the display part 150, so that the user can accurately recognize the unselectable setting items.

FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining still another display example of the error screen. In this example, as shown in FIG. 6B, an error screen notifying that the setting item cannot be selected is displayed by erasing (hiding) the display of the setting item that cannot be selected on the original operation screen D1. D5 is displayed on the display unit 150 .

FIG. 6A shows an operation screen D1 based on the application 2, like FIGS. 2A and 3A. When the error detection unit 104 detects the occurrence of an error in automatic document size detection, the error screen D2 linked to the application 1 is called as in FIGS. 2B and 3B. Instead of displaying it, as shown in FIG. 6B, an error screen D6 in which setting items that cannot be selected on the original operation screen D1 are hidden is displayed. Setting items that cannot be selected on the original operation screen D1 are specified based on information on setting items that can be selected on the original operation screen D1, which is acquired by the event control unit 106 communicating with the application 2. FIG.

In this manner, the error screen D2 is changed to the error screen D5 in which the display of the setting items that cannot be selected is deleted and displayed on the display unit 150. Therefore, the setting items that the user cannot select on the original operation screen D1 are displayed on the error screen. There is no need to make a selection in D5, and the user is not confused as to whether or not the setting item selected on the error screen has been reflected, and the user can continue the operation smoothly.

FIG. 7 shows another operation of the image forming apparatus 1 when an error occurs in the image forming apparatus 1 while the operation screen D1 created based on the application 2 by the web browser 300 is displayed on the display unit 150. It is a drawing for explaining.

In the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, when a setting item other than the setting items selectable on the original operation screen D1 is selected on the error screen D2 displayed in the event of an error, Although the user is notified by displaying a buzzer or a message, in the example of FIG. The notification is performed in a state where the screen based on the application 2 is returned.

That is, when the error detection unit 104 detects an error in the automatic document size detection while the operation screen D1 based on the application 2 is being displayed, it is associated with the application 1 as shown in FIG. The error screen D<b>2 is called and displayed on the display unit 150 .

When a setting item other than the setting items that can be selected on the original operation screen D1 is selected on this error screen D2, for example, when "122.4%" is selected, as shown in FIG. , the display screen of the display unit 150 is the screen immediately before the error screen D2 is displayed, and displays a screen D6 with a message 152 indicating that the selected setting item cannot be set (cannot be selected), Notify the user that they cannot select. The notification may be made by voice. With this notification, the user can recognize that the setting item of "122.4%" cannot be selected. can continue smoothly.

Also, in this embodiment, the message 152 is added to the screen based on the application 2 immediately before the error screen D2 is displayed, so that the user can see the setting items "same size" and "double size" displayed on that screen. It can be easily recognized that only

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 when a setting item is selected on the error screen D2 including setting items that cannot be selected on the original operation screen D1, as explained in FIG. be. The operations shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 8 and 9 are executed by the CPU 101 of the control device 100 operating according to an operation program including the OS 200, web browser 300, etc. stored in a recording medium.

In step S01, it is checked whether the operation screen D1 based on the application 2 is being displayed, and if not being displayed (NO in step S01), the process remains in step S01. If it is being displayed (YES in step S01), it is checked in step S02 if an error has occurred. If not (NO in step S02), the process returns to step S01.

When an error occurs (YES in step S02), an error screen D2 associated with application 1 is displayed in step S03. Next, in step S04, it is determined whether or not a setting item that cannot be selected on the operation screen D1 of the application 2 has been input (selected) on the error screen D2. If input is made (YES in step S04), in step S05 the error screen D2 is updated (changed) to display with a message indicating that selection is not possible, and then the process returns to step S04. The unselectable message may be deleted after a predetermined period of time, or may be deleted when the user presses a delete button. In step S04, when a setting item that can be selected on the operation screen D1 of the application 2 is input (selected) in the error screen D2 (NO in step S04), in step S06, the operation screen D1 based on the application 2 can be selected. The display unit 150 displays the same screen as the screen to which the setting item is selected.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 when a setting item is selected on the error screen D2 including setting items that cannot be selected on the original operation screen D1, as explained in FIG. be.

In step S11, it is checked whether the operation screen D1 based on the application 2 is being displayed, and if not being displayed (NO in step S11), the process remains in step S11. If it is being displayed (YES in step S11), it is checked in step S12 if an error has occurred. If not (NO in step S12), the process returns to step S11.

When an error occurs (YES in step S12), an error screen D2 associated with application 1 is displayed in step S13. Next, in step S14, it is determined whether or not a setting item that cannot be selected on the operation screen D1 of the application 2 has been input (selected) on the error screen D2. If input is made (YES in step S14), in step S15, the error screen D2 is updated to the screen of the application 2 that was displayed immediately before and a message added that the selection is not possible, and then the process proceeds to step S16. move on. The unselectable message may be deleted after a predetermined period of time, or may be deleted when the user presses a delete button.

In step S14, when a setting item that can be selected on the operation screen D1 of the application 2 is input (selected) on the error screen D2 (NO in step S14), the process proceeds to step S16. In step S<b>16 , a screen based on application 2 is displayed on display unit 150 .

FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram of activation processing of the operation screen based on the application 2. As shown in FIG.

When the user operates the input unit 160 to display the operation screen of the application 2 on the display unit 150 (step S21), the event control unit 106 of the control device 100 receives the user operation event (step S22 ), the web browser 300 is requested to activate the application 2 (step S23). When the web browser 300 receives this request and issues an activation request to the application 2 (step S24), the application 2 is activated (step S25).

The application 2 makes an application screen drawing request to the second drawing unit 172 (step S26), and according to this request, the second drawing unit 172 draws the operation screen of the application 2 (step S27). Further, the application 2 makes an application screen display switching request to the web browser 300 (step S28), and the web browser 300 receiving this request makes a screen display switching request to the display management unit 180 (step S29). Accordingly, the display management unit 180 sets the switching of the display screen (step S30), and returns this as a screen display switching response to the web browser 300 (step S31).

The web browser 300 that has received this screen display switching response requests the second drawing unit 172 to display the application screen (step S32), and the second drawing unit 172 transmits the application screen display request to the display synthesizing unit 190. (Step S33). The display synthesizing unit 190 updates the display screen to the operation screen of the application 2 based on the application screen display request from the second drawing unit 172 (step S34). The update is performed by arranging the operation screen of the application 2 so as to be located in the front among the plurality of superimposed screens. Then, the display synthesizing unit 190 requests the display unit 150 to display the updated operation screen of the application 2 (step S35), and the display unit 150 displays the operation screen of the application 2 (for example, the operation screen D1) (step S36). ).

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram of error screen display processing. This processing includes error screens such as the error screen D3 in FIG. 4B and the error screen D4 in FIG. As shown in the error screen D5 of FIG. 6, this is a process for displaying an error screen in which display of setting items is deleted.

When the error detection unit 104 of the control device 100 detects an error (step S41), it notifies the system control unit 105 of the error (step S42) and also notifies the event control unit 106 of the error (step S43).

Also, the system control unit 105 notifies the application 1 of the error (step S44). The application 1 that has received this notification creates an error screen corresponding to the error (step S45). On the other hand, when event control unit 106 notifies web browser 300 of the error (step S46), web browser 300 requests application 2 for information on setting items (step S47). When the application 2 responds to the request with information about the setting item (step S48), the web browser 300 notifies the event control unit 106 of the information about the setting item (step S49). Communication between the event control unit 106 and the web browser 300 is performed using a general-purpose interface as described above.

When the event control unit 106 notifies the system control unit 105 of information about the notified setting item (step S50), the system control unit 105 requests the application 1 to change the display mode of the setting item (step S50). S51). In accordance with this request, the application 1 updates the error screen with the changed display form of the setting items (step S52). In the updated error screen, setting items that cannot be selected on the original operation screen based on the application 2 are displayed as unselectable, such as the error screen D3 in FIG. 4B and the error screen D4 in FIG. 5B. This is an error screen or an error screen in which display of setting items is deleted as shown in the error screen D5 of FIG.

The application 1 requests the first drawing unit 171 to draw the updated screen (step S53), and the first drawing unit 171 draws the screen (step S54). Further, when the application 1 requests the display management unit 180 to switch the display of the application screen (step S55), the display management unit 180 sets the switching of the display screen according to this request (step S56), and displays that effect on the screen. A switching response is returned to the application 1 (step S57).

The application 1 that has received this screen display switching response makes an application screen display request to the first drawing unit 171 (step S58), and the first drawing unit 171 transmits the application screen display request to the display synthesizing unit 190 (step S58). step S59). The display synthesizing unit 190 updates the display screen to the error screen of the application 1 based on the application screen display request from the first drawing unit 171 (step S60). Then, the display synthesizing unit 190 requests the display unit 150 to display the updated error screen of the application 1 (step S61), and the display unit 150 displays the updated error screen of the application 1 (step S62).

FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram of another error screen display process, and FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing the process continued from FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, when the user selects a setting item that cannot be selected on the original operation screen of application 2 on the error screen of application 1 shown in FIG. This is the processing when returning to the screen D6 of the application 2 and displaying an error as shown in (B).

In FIG. 12, when the error detection unit 104 of the control device 100 detects an error (step S71), it notifies the system control unit 105 of the error (step S72), and the system control unit 105 notifies the application 1 of the error (step S72). S73). The application 1 receiving this notification creates an error screen corresponding to the error (step S74).

The application 1 requests the first drawing unit 171 to draw the created error screen (step S75), and the first drawing unit 171 draws the error screen (step S76). Further, when the application 1 requests the display management unit 180 to switch the display of the application screen (step S77), the display management unit 180 sets the switching of the display screen according to this request (step S78), and displays a screen to that effect. A switching response is returned to the application 1 (step S79).

The application 1 that has received this screen display switching response makes an application screen display request to the first drawing unit 171 (step S80), and the first drawing unit 171 transmits the application screen display request to the display synthesizing unit 190 (step S80). step S81). The display synthesizing unit 190 updates the display screen to the error screen of the application 1 based on the application screen display request from the first drawing unit 171 (step S82). Then, the display synthesizing unit 190 requests the display unit 150 to display the updated error screen of the application 1 (step S83), and the display unit 150 displays the error screen D2 of the application 1 (step S84).

Proceeding to FIG. 13, when the user selects a setting item on the error screen D2 via the input unit 160 (step S90), the system control unit 105 of the control device 100 receives a user operation event (step S91 ), and notifies the content of the user operation to the application 1 (step S92).

Upon receiving this notification, application 1 discards the error screen (step S93), requests the first drawing unit 171 to draw the screen of application 1 (step S94), and the first drawing unit 171 draws the screen (step S94). S95). On the other hand, when the application 1 notifies the system control unit 105 of the information about the setting item selected by the user (step S96), the system control unit 105 notifies the event control unit 106 of the information (step S97) to control the event. The unit 106 notifies the information to the web browser 300 (step S98), and the web browser 300 notifies the information to the application 2 (step S99).

Application 2 updates the screen based on the notified information (step S100). For example, if the notified setting item is a setting item that cannot be selected on the operation screen D1 of the application 2, the screen is updated to have a message 152 indicating that the selection is not possible, as shown in FIG. 7B.

Next, the application 2 makes an application screen drawing request to the second drawing unit 172 (step S101), and according to this request, the second drawing unit 172 draws the screen of the application 2 (step S102). Further, the application 2 makes an application screen display switching request to the web browser 300 (step S103), and the web browser 300 receiving this request makes a screen display switching request to the display management unit 180 (step S104). Accordingly, the display management unit 180 sets the switching of the display screen (step S105), and returns this as a screen display switching response to the web browser 300 (step S106).

The web browser 300 that has received this screen display switching response requests the second drawing unit 172 to display the application screen (step S107), and the second drawing unit 172 transmits the application screen display request to the display synthesizing unit 190. (Step S108). The display synthesizing unit 190 updates the display screen to the screen of the application 2 based on the application screen display request from the second drawing unit 172 (step S109). Then, the display synthesizing unit 190 requests the display unit 150 to display the updated screen of the application 2 (step S110), and the display unit 150 displays the screen of the application 2 (screen D6 in FIG. 7B) ( step S111).

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, although the setting items included in the operation screen D11 based on the application 1 and the operation screen D2 based on the application 2 are related to magnification setting, other setting items such as document image quality and color At least one of the setting items of mode, density, paper, document size, single-sided/double-sided, staple/punch, center-fold/Z-fold may be included.

In addition, although all the setting items included in the operation screen D2 based on the application 2 are included in the setting items of the operation screen D11 based on the application 1, the operation screen D1 based on the application 2 has The setting items may include setting items other than the setting items that the operation screen D11 based on the application 1 has. In this case, the setting items on the error screen D2 are more likely to include setting items other than the setting items selectable on the operation screen D1 based on the application 2 .

Also, although the case where the information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus has been described, it may be an image processing apparatus other than the image forming apparatus, or may be a personal computer or the like.

1 image forming apparatus 100 control device 101 CPU
102 ROMs
103 RAM
104 error detection unit 105 system control unit 106 event control unit 150 display unit 160 input unit 171 first drawing unit 172 second drawing unit 180 display management unit 190 display synthesis unit 200 OS
300 Web browser D1 Second operation screen D2 First error screen D3 to D5 Second error screen

Claims (13)

A first operation screen based on a first application, the first operation screen having one or more setting items; and a second operation screen based on a second application, wherein one or display means capable of displaying a second operation screen having a plurality of setting items;
error detection means;
with
When an error is detected by the error detection means while the second operation screen is displayed on the display means, an error screen having at least one setting item and associated with the first application is displayed . An information processing apparatus for displaying an error screen corresponding to an error on the first operation screen on the display means,
The setting items on the first error screen called as the error screen when an error is detected by the error detection means include second setting items other than the first setting items selectable on the second operation screen. a determining means for determining whether the
notification means for notifying a user that the second setting item cannot be selected when the determination means determines that the second setting item is included;
An information processing device comprising: The notification means displays the first error screen on the display means and, when the second setting item is selected on the first error screen, displays visually or audibly 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user is notified that the second setting item cannot be selected. The notification means changes the first error screen to a second error screen in which the selection of the second setting item is disabled and displays the second error screen on the display means so that the second setting item can be selected. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user is notified of the impossibility. The notification means maintains the display of the first error screen when the second setting item is selected on the first error screen, and displays the first error screen when the first setting item is selected. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display of the error screen No. 1 is canceled. 4. The notification means changes the first error screen to a second error screen displayed in a display mode indicating that the second setting item cannot be selected, and displays the second error screen on the display means. The information processing device according to . 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the notification means changes the first error screen to a second error screen in which the display of the second setting item is deleted and displays the second error screen on the display means. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said notification means notifies that said second setting item is unselectable when said second setting item is selected in a state in which said first error screen is returned to said second operation screen. information processing equipment. the first application runs on a general-purpose OS;
the second application runs on a web browser;
The screen based on the first application is drawn by a first drawing means, and the screen based on the second application is drawn by a second drawing means, respectively, and synthesized in a superimposed state so that the screen to be displayed is brought to the front. displayed on the display means by positioning,
The determination means acquires information about the first setting item from the second application via a general-purpose interface for communicating with the second application, and based on the acquired information, 8. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein it is determined whether or not the second setting item is included in the setting items on the first error screen. 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of setting items included in said second operation screen is less than or equal to the number of setting items included in said first operation screen. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the setting items included in the second operation screen include setting items other than the setting items included in the first operation screen. 7. Any one of claims 3, 5, and 6, wherein said first setting items included in said second error screen are at least one or more setting items for changing operation settings of the information processing apparatus. The information processing device described. The information processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus, and the setting items of the first operation screen and the second operation screen include document image quality, color mode, density, paper, magnification, document size, single-sided/double-sided, and staple. 12. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein at least one of setting items of /punch and center folding/Z folding is included. A first operation screen based on a first application, the first operation screen having one or more setting items; and a second operation screen based on a second application, wherein one or display means capable of displaying a second operation screen having a plurality of setting items, and when an error is detected in a state in which the second operation screen is displayed on the display means, at least one on the computer of the information processing apparatus displaying on the display means an error screen having setting items and associated with the first application, the error screen corresponding to an error on the first operation screen ;
The setting items on the first error screen called as the error screen when the error is detected include second setting items other than the first setting items selectable on the second operation screen. a determination step of determining whether there is
a notifying step of notifying the user that the second setting item cannot be selected when the determining step determines that the second setting item is included;
program to run the

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