KR101967020B1 - User interface apparatus, image forming apparatus, method for controlling a user interface apparatus, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention seeks to improve operability when a user performs a drag and drop operation for shifting an icon from a current page to another page. The user interface device detects whether the end of the icon has touched the display frame of the page, regardless of the position of the finger or pen that manipulates the icon. If the contact state continues for a predetermined time, the user interface device transits the page. Therefore, the icons can be smoothly and intuitively shifted to the next page.

Description

USER INTERFACE APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A USER INTERFACE APPARATUS, AND STORAGE MEDIUM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001]

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that enables a user to perform an operation of dragging between icons to assign icons related to image formation among pages.

A computer with a touch panel is commonly known. Such a computer allows a user to drag and drop the content displayed on the screen by the user's finger to move the content to any page or an arbitrary position. For example, a drag and drop operation may be performed by the user of the smartphone to move the application's icon to any page. More specifically, the drag operation by the user is performed in such a manner that the application icon is selected with the finger and moved to the left end or the right end of the screen. If the finger touches the area at the left end or the right end for a predetermined amount of time, the smartphone allows the icon to transition to another page. Then, when the user separates the finger from the screen after moving the icon to the intended position of the converted page, the icon may be placed at an arbitrary position.

In addition, the electronic book discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-99315 allows the user to perform a touch operation to switch pages.

When a user moves a specific icon from a current page to an arbitrary page in a state where a plurality of application icons are arranged, as in the smart phone described above, the drag and drop operation is intuitive and easy to understand. However, when a system used in a conventional smart phone is directly applied to a device having a large screen size, a long-distance dragging operation will be required to move the icon to the left or right end portion of the screen. As a result, the operational burden on the user increases. Further, for example, if the operation timing is inappropriate, the finger can not be detected at the left or right end portion of the screen. In this case, before switching the page, the system is erroneously recognized that the finger is separated from the icon. The icon will return to its original position on the previous page. As a result, the operation of switching the pages becomes troublesome. The above problem is not limited to application icons. A similar problem will arise if the user moves the content displayed on the screen to a different page by performing a drag and drop operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the foregoing problems, the present invention seeks to provide a user interface device with superior user-friendliness in the operation of shifting intended content among different pages.

A user interface apparatus of the present invention includes a display unit configured to display a page surrounded by a display frame and including an area in which content is arranged, and a display unit configured to display a first content placed on the page on an input instruction member Based on the position of the first content in a moving state in accordance with the moving operation by the input indicating member, regardless of the position of the input indicating member A display control unit configured to convert a page to another page and a display control unit configured to display the image on the display unit in accordance with the moving operation by the input indicating member received by the input unit after the switching to the another page is completed by the display control unit And a placement unit configured to place the first content on the other page The.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 shows a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show sequential switching of display screens.
Fig. 3 shows an example of a display screen.
Figures 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F illustrate the sequential switching of the display screen.
5A and 5B are flowcharts showing the operational procedures of the image forming apparatus.
Fig. 6 shows an example of a display screen according to the second exemplary embodiment.
7 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure according to the second exemplary embodiment.
8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure according to the third exemplary embodiment.
9 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure according to the fourth exemplary embodiment.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in a case where the user interface apparatus is applied to an image forming apparatus. 1 shows a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 101 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The image forming apparatus 101 includes various functional components interconnected via a system bus 110. [ The functional components include a computer which is basically constituted by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 112 and a ROM (Read Only Memory) The CPU 111 controls various operations performed by the image forming apparatus 101 by being able to execute the control program according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, the control program causes the computer to operate as the image forming apparatus 101. The RAM 112 is a volatile rewritable storage medium and can functionally function as a work area of the CPU 111. [ The ROM 113 is a non-rewritable storage medium and stores a program for starting the CPU 111 and the like.

The system bus 110 is connected to an input unit 114, a display control unit 115, an external memory interface (I / F) 116, a printer I / F 117, a scanner I / F 118, / F controller 119 are connected. The functional components 111 to 119 connected to the system bus 110 can transmit and receive data to and from each other via the system bus 110. [

The input unit 114 can functionally function as an input unit configured to receive a dragging and moving operation by an input indicating member with respect to a content placed on a page displayed on the screen in cooperation with the CPU 111. [ The content is, for example, an image having a predetermined display size such as an icon to which a function related to image formation is allocated. The input indicating member is, for example, a user's hand or finger, or an electronic pen. When a user operation by the input indicating member is received, the input unit 114 generates a control signal in response to the received user operation, and supplies the generated control signal to the CPU 111. [

The input unit 114 includes a touch panel 120 as an input device capable of accepting a user operation. For example, the touch panel 120 includes a flat input surface and is configured to output coordinate information about a touched position on a flat input surface. The CPU 111 controls each functional unit of the image forming apparatus 101 in accordance with a control program based on the supplied control signal generated by the input unit 114 in accordance with a user operation on the input device. In this manner, the image forming apparatus 101 can operate according to user's operation.

The display control unit 115 includes a display device 121 and can functionally function as a display unit configured to display a page on which a content is arranged on a screen surrounded by a display frame in cooperation with the CPU 111 . More specifically, the display control unit 115 outputs a display signal to the display device 121 to display a page on which a plurality of contents are arranged. More specifically, when the CPU 111 generates the display control signal in accordance with the control program, the display control unit 115 receives the display control signal from the CPU 111. [ The display control unit 115 generates a display signal based on the received display control signal. The display device 121 can display a GUI screen constituting a GUI (Graphical User Interface) based on the display control signal.

The touch panel 120 is integrally formed with the display device 121 and can function as a touch panel display device. For example, the touch panel 120 is configured to prevent interference with the display of the display device 121 due to the light transmittance, and is disposed on the display surface of the display device 121. In addition, the input coordinates in the touch panel 120 are associated with the display coordinates on the display device 121. Therefore, the GUI can be configured to give the user a sense of realism as if the user can directly manipulate the screen displayed on the display device 121. [

The touch panel 120 may be selected from various types of touch panels such as a resistance film type, a capacitive type, a surface acoustic wave type, an infrared type, an electromagnetic induction type, an image recognition type, and an optical sensor type.

An external memory 122 (e.g., a hard disk, a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), or a memory card) may be mounted on the external memory I / . Under the control of the CPU 111, the external memory I / F 116 performs an operation of reading data from the mounted external memory 122 and a writing operation of data into the external memory 122. The control program described above is stored in the external memory 122 and can be loaded into the RAM 112 appropriately when the CPU 111 executes the program.

A printer 123 is connected to the printer I / F 117. The CPU 111 can control the printer I / F 117 to transfer the image data to be printed by the printer 123 to the printer. The printer 123 outputs the printing result on the recording medium based on the received image data.

A scanner 124 is connected to the scanner I / F 118. The CPU 111 can control the scanner 124 to read the image of the original and generate image data. The generated image data can be stored in the RAM 112, the ROM 113, or the external memory 122 via the scanner I / F 118. [ Further, the printer 123 performs printing based on the image data generated by the scanner 124. In this way, the copy function can be realized.

The CPU 111 can control the communication I / F controller 119 to communicate with an external device via an appropriate network 102 such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, or a wired / wireless network. For example, the image data generated by the scanner 124 may be transmitted to the intended external device via the network 102. Further, the printer 123 can print the image data received from the external device via the network 102. [

In addition, the CPU 111 can detect the following operations or operational states performed on the touch panel 120. [

(i) "Touchdown": User manipulation that touches the touch panel with a finger or pen (or any other object).

(ii) "move": user manipulation to move a finger or pen while touching the touch panel with a finger or pen.

(iii) "Touch-on": A finger or pen touches the touch panel.

(iv) "Touch-up": The finger or pen is separated from the touch panel.

(v) a user operation that moves a finger or a pen out of the software button area while touching the touch panel with a finger or a pen after detecting a touchdown in a software button area displayed on the display device 121;

The touch panel 120 can detect multi-touch operations. More specifically, the touch panel 120 may detect the above-described operations and states (i.e., touchdown, touch-on, movement, and touch-up) performed simultaneously with a plurality of fingers or pens. Described operations and the coordinates of the position where the touch panel 120 is in contact with the finger or the pen can be notified to the CPU 111 via the system bus 110. [ The CPU 111 can identify the type of each operation performed on the touch panel based on the informed information. For the " move " operation, the direction of movement of the finger or pen moving on the touch panel 120 can be determined for each of the vertical component and the horizontal component on the touch panel 120, based on the change in position coordinates.

Figs. 2A, 2B, 2C, and 3 show examples of changes of a screen that can be displayed by the display device 121 of the image forming apparatus 101. Fig. The image forming apparatus 101 optically reads the paper manuscript and converts the read image into electronic data. The image forming apparatus 101 has a copy function of performing image processing on the read electronic data and printing the image on another paper medium. The image forming apparatus 101 also has a transmitting function of transmitting the read electronic data to another apparatus via the network 102. [ The image forming apparatus 101 also has a box function of saving electronic data in the external memory 122. [ The image forming apparatus 101 also has a web browser function for displaying HTML content obtained from an external server via the network 102 in a formatted form. The image forming apparatus 101 stores each of the application programs referred to as " AP " in the following description, which can realize the above-described functions, independently in the ROM 113 as different APs. The CPU 111 executes a necessary AP according to an operation instruction of the user and displays a screen on the display device 121. [

2A shows a custom menu screen that can be displayed on the display device 121 under the control of the CPU 111. Fig. The custom menu stores setting values of the AP and displays button icons (hereinafter, referred to as 'application buttons') corresponding to the AP functions as examples of contents on the screen. When the user presses the desired application button, the custom menu may functionally function as an AP calling unit configured to recall the saved settings and call the AP corresponding to the pressed application button.

The custom menu shown in FIG. 2A includes a display area 201 that is a screen surrounded by a display frame, and a plurality of application buttons are displayed in the display area. Each application button displayed in the display area 201 associates an executable AP with an image forming setting value associated with the AP. When the user presses any one of a plurality of application buttons displayed in the display area 201, the AP screen associated with the pressed application button can be opened on the display device 121. [ Also, the settings associated with the pressed application button may be reflected. The application buttons displayed in the display area 201 may be associated with user information authenticated by user authentication. Titles and comments can be set for individual application buttons. The setting contents of each application button can be arbitrarily set by the user who registered the application button.

For example, the setting contents for the copy button 202 are a title of " copy " and a comment of " two-sided & two-part ". The content displayed for each application button includes the AP name and icon associated with the application button in addition to the title and comment associated with the settings. The copy button 202 is associated with the copy AP. Depending on the settings associated with the copy button 202, the print type is two-sided printing and the number of copies is two. When the copy button 202 is selected by the user, the display device 121 opens the screen shown in Fig. 3, which will be described in detail later.

The custom menu shown in FIG. 2A may be used to display an application button " my button 203 " for causing the display device 121 to display only the application buttons associated with the currently authenticated user in the display area 201 . 2A also allows the display device 121 to display icons only for application buttons associated with all users, i. E. To display only application buttons available to all users in display area 201 (i. E. And a common application button 204 that is a button image. In the display area 201, a page position indicating mark 205 is also displayed. The page position indication mark 205 is composed of a plurality of "? &Quot; marks each schematically representing a page. The page position indication mark 205 indicates an arrangement in which a plurality of pages are virtually arranged in the left and right directions as a whole. According to the example shown in FIG. 2A, the custom menu is composed of three pages. The currently displayed page is virtually the first page disposed at the leftmost position.

In the display area 201, page changeover buttons 206 and 207 are also displayed. The page change button 206 is an icon that allows the user to manually instruct transition (i.e., page change) to the page disposed on the right side of the page currently virtually displayed. The page change button 207 is an icon that allows the user to designate a transition to a page virtually arranged on the left side of the currently displayed page. If there is no page in the direction in which the application button is movable, the CPU 111 displays a notification message indicating the absence of pages and invalidates the movement of the application button. In this case, the display control unit 115 causes the display device 121 to display the corresponding page change button in gray. According to the example shown in Fig. 2A, there is no page on the left side of the currently displayed page. Accordingly, the application button 207 is displayed in gray, and movement to the left side is invalidated.

When the page change button 206 is pressed on the screen shown in Fig. 2A, the list of application buttons in the display area 201 scrolls toward the left side of the screen (see Fig. 2B). Thereafter, the screen transitions to the state shown in Fig. 2C. According to the state shown in Fig. 2C, the page position indicating mark 205 indicates the center of three " o " marks. In other words, the page position indication mark 205 indicates that the second page is being displayed. The rearrangement button 208 is an icon for enabling the movement of the application button. When the setting state of the rearrangement button 208 is ON, the user can perform a drag and drop operation to move the application button from the current page to another page. More specifically, the user may shift the desired application button from the current page to any location on another page. In the present exemplary embodiment, the place where the application button can be placed is any place of any one of the first to third pages. If the setting state of the rearrangement button 208 is OFF, the drag and drop operation can not be performed.

In addition, although the drag and drop operation using the rearrangement application button 208 has been described in the present exemplary embodiment, there will also be a modification. For example, if a user presses and holds an application button for a long time and the operation mode becomes a drag operation mode, the user can move and place the application button anywhere. Therefore, the present invention can also be applied to such an exemplary modified embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a copy AP setting screen that can be displayed when the copy button 202 is selected on the menu screen shown in FIG. 2A. The setting screen shown in Fig. 3 includes a double-sided button 301 indicating that double-sided printing is set. It is indicated that the set value " 2 " is set as the number of copies in the number-of-copies area 302. [

Next, an example of the drag-and-drop operation will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 4A to 4F. The display screen shown in Fig. 4A includes a drag 401 that moves the copy button 202 across the display frame 402. Fig. In the present exemplary embodiment, the image forming apparatus 101 switches the page to be displayed on the screen while maintaining the display state of the dragged copy button 202.

According to the example shown in Fig. 4A, the copy button 202 being moved by the drag 401 is in contact with the display frame 402. Fig. The processing procedure that can be performed by the image forming apparatus 101 in this case will be described later in detail. The copy button 202 can be shifted and dropped to the next page in a state in which the copy button 202 currently being operated by the drag 401 is in contact with the display frame 402. [ The next page is assumed to appear from the right side of the screen. It is also assumed that (x1, y1) represents the coordinates of the upper left corner 403 of the copy button 202 to be moved by the drag 401 and w1 represents the width 404 of the copy button 202 . Further, (x2, y2) represents the coordinates of the upper left corner 405 of the display frame 402, and w2 represents the width 406 of the display frame 402.

In this case, if the sum of (x1 + w1) exceeds the sum of (w2 + x2), the image forming apparatus 101 determines that the copy button 202 is in contact with the display frame 402. On the other hand, it is now assumed that the user moves the copy button 202 toward the left page. In this case, if the value of x1 is smaller than the value of x2, the image forming apparatus 101 determines that the copy button 202 is in contact with the display frame 402. [

4B shows a state in which the copy button 202 has been shifted to the second page by the drag 401 from the contact state shown in Fig. 4A and moved to the blank position by the operation of the drop 407. Fig. The order in which the copy button 202 is moved by the operation of the drop 407 is associated with the order of arrangement of the application buttons when the screen of the custom menu is created.

For example, according to the examples shown in Figs. 4D and 4E, when creating a custom menu screen, the arrangement order of the application buttons is in accordance with the selection order by the user. As shown in the figures, each application button is located at locations 409-420. The display sizes that can be set for each application button are S size, M size, and L size. In this exemplary embodiment, if the selected size is M size, it is assumed that six application buttons can be arranged on one screen. No application buttons are disposed in the blank positions 415 and 418 to 420. [ When the arrangement position of the copy button 202 is changed, the arrangement of the other application buttons correspondingly is also changed. When the relocation is completed, the custom menu updates the new layout information.

According to the state shown in FIG. 4B, the position of the copy button 202 is changed from the initial position 411 to the blank position 419. Thus, the placement positions of each application button (including blanks) correspondingly change from positions 412-419 to positions 411-418.

4C shows a state in which the operation of the drop 408 is performed at the placement position 416 of the mail button after the copy button 202 has moved from the contact state shown in FIG. 4A to the second page. In this case, since the copy button 202 has been moved from the initial placement position 411 to the position 416, the placement positions of the respective application buttons (including blanks) are moved from the positions 412 to 416 (411 to 415). According to the above example, the movement of the application button causes other application buttons to change their placement in a manner that compensates for the position before movement. However, other methods can be employed.

For example, when the application button is moved, it is useful to replace the placement position of another application button that has been placed at the destination with the placement position of the application button to be moved. More specifically, when the user drags the copy button 202 from the position 411 and drops the copy button 202 at the position 416, the mail button is relocated from the initial position 416 to the position 411 do. In this case, the placement positions of the other buttons are not changed.

Further, when another application button is disposed at the destination, it is useful to rearrange the other application buttons in such a manner as to complement the positions before the movement. If the destination is a blank location, it is useful that the other application buttons are not relocated. More specifically, when the user drags the copy button 202 from the placement position 411 and drops the copy button 202 at the position 416, each application button is moved from the positions 412 to 416 (411 to 415). On the other hand, when the user drops the copy button 202 to the blank position 415, the copy button 202 is placed at the position 415 and no other application buttons are relocated. Therefore, the position 411 becomes a blank position.

Also, when the user drags the application button, it is useful to color at a dropable position so that the user can easily recognize the dropable position. Figure 4f shows an example of a colored dropable position. As described above, when the dropable positions including the blank positions 415, 418 to 420 are pre-colored, the user can easily recognize the position where the application button being dragged can be placed.

Next, an example of a content manipulation method that can be performed by the image forming apparatus 101 will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 5A and 5B. In this case, the contents to be operated are respective icons. 5A and 5B are flowcharts showing a procedure of a process that can be performed by the image forming apparatus 101 when the custom menu screen shown in Fig. 2 is displayed on the display device 121. Fig. 5A and 5B, the CPU 111 executes the loaded program from the ROM 113 or the external memory 122. The CPU 111 executes the program loaded from the ROM 113 or the external memory 122,

5A, in step S501, the CPU 111 and the display control unit 115 cooperate with each other to cause the display device 121 to display, in response to a predetermined operation of the user, Display the list. In step S502, the CPU 111 determines whether a touchdown operation has been detected on a specific icon (e.g., the first content or the first icon). If the CPU 111 determines that the touchdown operation has been detected on the first icon (YES in step S502), then in step S503, the CPU 111 determines whether the icon rearrangement flag is valid. More specifically, the CPU 111 determines whether the icon relocation flag is set. If the rearrangement flag is set, according to the drag 401 shown in Fig. 4A, the mode for moving the first icon can be activated. The icon rearrangement flag is set by the CPU 111 when the setting state of the rearrangement application button 208 is ON. On the other hand, when the setting state of the rearrangement application button 208 is OFF, the CPU 111 cancels the icon rearrangement flag. Further, when the touchdown operation detected on the first icon continues for a predetermined time, the CPU 111 can be configured in such a manner that the icon rearrangement flag is set.

In step S503, when the CPU 111 determines that the icon rearrangement flag is set for the first icon (YES in step S503), in step S504, the CPU 111 displays the dragged first icon as a user operation .

If no touchdown is detected on the first icon (NO in step S502), and if the icon rearrangement flag is not set (NO in step S503), the CPU 111 ends the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5A.

Subsequently, in step S505, the CPU 111 determines whether the first icon is in contact with the display frame. More specifically, x1 represents the x-coordinate of the left end of the first icon, w1 represents the width of the first icon, x2 represents the x-coordinate of the left end of the display frame, and w2 represents the width of the display frame , The CPU 111 determines that the first icon is in contact with the display frame if the aforementioned condition "x1 + w1? W2 + x2 or x1? X2" can be satisfied. When the CPU 111 determines that the first icon is in contact with the display frame (YES in step S505), in step S506, the CPU 111 determines whether the contact state continues for a predetermined time (i.e., Time threshold value). The time threshold is, for example, 0.1 to several seconds. If the CPU 111 determines that the contact time is less than the threshold value (NO in step S506), the operation returns to step S505. If the CPU 111 determines that the contact time is equal to or greater than the threshold value (YES in step S506), in step S507, the CPU 111 transitions the page. Subsequently, in step S508, the CPU 111 performs icon drop processing, and then ends the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 5A.

If the CPU 111 determines in step S505 that the first icon does not touch the display frame (NO in step S505), the CPU 111 immediately performs icon drop processing in step S508, The processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.

Fig. 5B shows a detailed procedure of icon drop processing to be performed in step S508 shown in Fig. 5A. Referring to Fig. 5B, in step S509, the CPU 111 determines whether there is a touch-up operation performed by the finger being dragged. If the CPU 111 determines that there is no touch-up operation performed by the finger being dragged (NO in step S509), the operation returns to step S505. If the CPU 111 determines that there is a touch-up operation performed by the finger being dragged (YES in step S509), in step S510, the CPU 111 determines whether the first icon corresponds to another icon For example, the second content or the second icon). If the CPU 111 determines that the first icon overlaps with another icon already displayed (YES in step S510), the CPU 111 refers to the degree of overlapping of the icons to move the second content to another position Shift, or whether to place the first content in the blank position. In the present exemplary embodiment, in step S511, the CPU 111 shifts the second icon and places the first icon. Thereafter, the CPU 111 ends the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 5B. When determining whether the first icon and the second icon overlap, the CPU 111 confirms the degree of overlap between the area of the first icon and the area of the second icon. If the degree of overlapping is not less than the predetermined threshold value, the CPU 111 determines that the first icon and the second icon overlap. In the present exemplary embodiment and the following description, the execution value of the above-described overlapping threshold value is 60%.

If the CPU 111 determines in step S510 that the first icon does not overlap the second icon (NO in step S510), in step S512, the CPU 111 places the first icon in the blank position. Thereafter, the CPU 111 ends the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 5B.

As described above, when the user shifts the icon to the next page, the image forming apparatus 101 according to the first exemplary embodiment determines whether the end of the icon is in contact with the display frame regardless of the position of the user's finger . Therefore, compared with the conventional image forming apparatus, it is not necessary to provide the UI operation area in the moving direction of the icon. It is also possible to prevent the user's finger from being mistaken for being separated from the icon even when the user is dragging the finger. Therefore, this exemplary embodiment can provide an intuitive operation environment, and can provide an apparatus with excellent user convenience.

In addition, the first exemplary embodiment has been described with reference to the drag and drop operation performed on the list of icons included in the screen of the custom menu. However, the moving target of the present invention is not limited to the icons listed above. The present invention is also applicable to a moving operation of various contents that can be displayed on the screen.

Next, an exemplary second embodiment will be described in detail below. The image processing apparatus 101 according to the second exemplary embodiment has a configuration similar to the configuration described in the first exemplary embodiment. Hereinafter, components similar to those described in the first exemplary embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the first exemplary embodiment, as a simple example, when the user moves the icon to the next page, the image forming apparatus determines whether the icon is in contact with the display frame.

In the second embodiment, the image forming apparatus 101 detects the display size of the first icon (or acquires the display size of the first icon in advance) And changes the threshold value to be used when judging whether or not it is in contact with the frame. The threshold according to the exemplary embodiment is not a time threshold. The threshold used in the exemplary embodiment is a size threshold to be referred to when determining whether to transition the page, which may be obtained by considering how far the first icon comes out of the display frame. The method of setting and changing the threshold includes preparing a map of thresholds in advance with respect to predetermined display sizes (e.g., S, M, L display sizes) for the AP. Thereby, when the touchdown of the first icon is detected, the image processing apparatus 101 can refer to a threshold value that is variable according to the display size to determine whether or not the first icon is touching the display frame.

Subsequently, while the user is dragging the first icon, the image forming apparatus 101 refers to the threshold value determined according to the display size of the first icon, and determines whether the first icon is in contact with the display frame. For example, when the user desires to move the application button to the page existing on the right side of the display frame, the image forming apparatus 101 determines whether or not the value of " x1 + w1-M1 " If the value exceeds the value of " w2 + x2 ", it is determined that the application button touches the display frame 402. [ On the other hand, when the user desires to move the application button to the page existing on the left side of the display frame, the image forming apparatus 101 determines that the application button touches the display frame 402 . In the present exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that as the display size of the icon increases, the set value of the threshold also increases. Thus, under the control according to the second exemplary embodiment, in the case of a small icon, page transition occurs even if there is little overlap between the icon and the display frame. On the other hand, in the case of a large icon, if the icon and the display frame are slightly overlapped, the page transition does not occur. Hereinafter, the features of the exemplary second embodiment different from the exemplary first embodiment are mainly described.

6 shows a display screen according to the second exemplary embodiment. Elements similar to those shown in Fig. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The display size of the copy button 202 shown in Fig. 2A is M size, but the display size of the copy button 601 shown in Fig. 6 is S size.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure that can be performed by the image forming apparatus 101 according to the second exemplary embodiment, and corresponds to Figs. 5A and 5B described in the first exemplary embodiment. The same processing steps as those shown in Figs. 5A and 5B are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, the features not described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B will be mainly described.

7A and 7B, the CPU 111 controls the CPU 111 to read the loaded program from the ROM 113 of the image forming apparatus 101 or the external memory 122, .

The processing to be performed in steps S501 to S503 including displaying a custom menu, and determining whether the first icon is selected and the icon rearrangement flag is set, is the same as that described in the first exemplary embodiment (see FIG. 5A) And so on. In the second exemplary embodiment, when the CPU 111 determines that the icon rearrangement flag is set for the first icon (YES in step S503), in step S701, the CPU 111 sets the display size of the first icon (Acquired). Then, in step S702, the CPU 111 sets a threshold value to be referred to when determining that the first icon is in contact with the display frame. Subsequently, in step S504, the CPU 111 moves the first icon.

In step S703, the CPU 111 determines whether the moving first icon is in contact with the display frame based on the set threshold value. If the CPU 111 determines that the first icon is in contact with the display frame (YES in step S703), in step S704, the CPU 111 refers to the threshold value to determine whether the contact state continues for a predetermined time. If the CPU 111 determines that the continuation time of the contact state is equal to or larger than the threshold value (YES in step S704), the operation proceeds to step S507, and the subsequent processing has already been described. If the CPU 111 determines that the continuation time of the contact state is less than the threshold value (NO in step S704), the operation returns to step S703 described above.

According to the second exemplary embodiment, when the display size of the icon is changed, the threshold value to be referred to when determining whether the icon is in contact with the display frame is also correspondingly changed. This makes it possible to eliminate erroneous operations that may occur due to page transition when the user does not recognize the contact between the icon and the display frame. Therefore, the user can intuitively perform the operation.

Next, an exemplary third embodiment will be described in detail below. The image processing apparatus 101 according to the third exemplary embodiment has a configuration similar to the configuration described in the first exemplary embodiment. Hereinafter, components similar to those described in the first exemplary embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the third exemplary embodiment, when the icon is in contact with the display frame, and the icon is stopped (i.e., the icon is in a stopped state) and the contact state continues for a predetermined time, the image forming apparatus 101 Allow pages to transit. Hereinafter, the features of the exemplary third embodiment different from the exemplary first embodiment will be mainly described.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure that can be performed by the image forming apparatus 101 according to the third embodiment, and corresponds to Figs. 5A and 5B described in the first exemplary embodiment. The same processing steps as those shown in Figs. 5A and 5B are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, the features not described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B will be mainly described. 8A and 8B, the CPU 111 reads the program loaded from the ROM 113 or the external memory 122 of the image forming apparatus 101 in order to realize each processing step of the flowcharts shown in Fig. .

The processing to be performed in steps S501 to S505 including displaying a custom menu and determining whether the first icon is in contact with the display frame is the same as that described in the first exemplary embodiment.

In the third exemplary embodiment, when the CPU 111 determines that the first icon is in contact with the display frame (YES in step S505), in step S801, the CPU 111 determines whether the first icon is stopped . More specifically, when pixel motion corresponding to a predetermined number of pixels is not detected within a predetermined time to be referred to when determining the stopped state, the CPU 111 determines that the first icon is stopped. If the CPU 111 determines that the first icon is stopped (YES in step S801), the operation proceeds to step S506, which has already been described. If the CPU 111 determines that the first icon is not stopped (NO in step S801), the operation returns to step S505.

As described above, according to the third exemplary embodiment, page transition is permitted only when the first icon is stopped. More specifically, the page transition does not occur until the user confirms the transition of the icon between the pages. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a page transition from occurring due to erroneous operation during dragging or unintended operation. The convenience of the user can be improved.

Next, an exemplary fourth embodiment will be described in detail below. The image processing apparatus 101 according to the fourth exemplary embodiment has a configuration similar to the configuration described in the first exemplary embodiment. Hereinafter, components similar to those described in the first exemplary embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the fourth exemplary embodiment, when the movement of the icon directed toward the other page is detected after the contact state of the icon continues for the predetermined time, the image forming apparatus 101 transitions the page. Hereinafter, the features of the exemplary fourth embodiment different from the exemplary first embodiment will be mainly described.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure that can be performed by the image forming apparatus 101 according to the fourth embodiment, and corresponds to Figs. 5A and 5B described in the first exemplary embodiment. The same processing steps as those shown in Figs. 5A and 5B are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, the features not described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B will be mainly described. 9, the CPU 111 reads the program loaded from the ROM 113 of the image forming apparatus 101 or the external memory 122, .

The processing to be performed in steps S501 to S506 including displaying a custom menu, determining whether the first icon is in contact with the display frame, and determining whether or not the contact time is longer than a predetermined time is similar to the processing in the first exemplary embodiment Lt; / RTI >

In the fourth exemplary embodiment, when the CPU 111 determines that the first icon and the display frame are continuously in contact with each other for a predetermined period of time (YES in step S506), in step S901, Is detected. If the CPU 111 determines that a motion has been detected (YES in step S901), the operation proceeds to step S507, which has already been described. If the CPU 111 determines that no motion has been detected (NO in step S901), the operation returns to step S506.

According to the fourth exemplary embodiment, a user's drag movement operation is always necessary to transition a page. Thus, the user can move the page in the intended direction. The convenience of the user can be improved.

Other Exemplary Embodiments [

While the present invention has been described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but may be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, the above-described exemplary embodiments may be suitably combined at least in part.

Also, the content on which the scroll display and the drag & drop operation can be performed on the display device 121 is not limited to the information on the application button included in the screen of the custom menu. The present invention can be applied to display of any other data capable of scroll display and drag & drop operations.

Further, the present invention can be applied to any content other than the application button, if the processing associated with the display item can be performed when the display item is pressed. Further, the present invention is not limited to the content scrolled in the left and right direction. The present invention can also be applied to contents scrolled up or down or in an oblique direction, and contents scrolled in any other direction.

Although the above-described exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to the image forming apparatus 101 having various functions (including copy and scanner functions), the present invention can also be applied to an image processing apparatus including some of the above- . Further, the present invention can be applied to a personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular phone, a facsimile machine, a camera, a video camera, an image viewer, and other image forming apparatuses.

According to the present invention, when the user moves the content, the switching of the pages is performed when the end of the content is in contact with the display frame regardless of the position of the input indicating member. The user can intuitively move the content to another page. In this regard, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is superior in user convenience when a user shifts content between pages.

The embodiment (s) of the present invention may also be embodied in any computer-readable medium, such as a computer readable medium, as recorded in a storage medium (which may be more fully referred to as a " non-transitory computer readable storage medium ") for performing one or more of the above- One or more circuits for reading, executing, and / or executing computer-executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) or performing one or more of the above-described embodiments (e.g., (E.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), and for reading, for example, computer-executable instructions from a storage medium to perform one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiment (ies) And / or by controlling one or more circuits to perform one or more of the above-described embodiments (s) Or it may be implemented by a method performed by a computer system. A computer may include one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU)), and a separate Computers or separate networks of processors. The computer-executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or storage medium. The storage medium may be, for example, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk such as a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD) Blu-ray Disc (BD) ™, etc.), flash memory devices, memory cards, and the like.

The present invention can be realized by supplying a program or a program for realizing one or more functions of the above embodiments to a system or an apparatus via a network or a storage medium, .

 It may also be implemented by a circuit (for example, an ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all modifications, equivalent structures and functions.

Claims (12)

A display unit configured to display a plurality of pages enclosed by the display frame and including an area in which the contents are arranged;
To accept a drag operation for moving the first content out of the plurality of pages arranged on the first page by an input instruction member to a previous page of the first page or a second page that is a next page A configured input unit,
When the coordinates of the right end of the first content dragged by the drag operation by the input indicating member is greater than or equal to the coordinates of the right end of the display frame, And when the coordinates of the left end of the first content to be dragged is smaller than or equal to the coordinates of the left end of the display frame, the display unit displays the displayed first page as the previous page of the first page A display control unit configured to switch to a second page, and
After the switching to the second page is completed by the display control unit, the first content is arranged on the second page in accordance with the drag operation by the input instruction member received by the input unit Comprising a configured deployment unit,
Wherein each display area of the content is larger than a contact area of the input indicating member that contacts one of the contents, and the contents have areas of different sizes. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the display control unit is configured to switch the displayed page to the second page when an edge of the first content is moved to a position where the edge of the first content contacts the display frame. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the display control unit is further configured to switch the displayed page to the second page when a state in which the first content is in contact with the display frame continues for a predetermined time. 3. The method of claim 2,
The display control unit switches the displayed page to the second page in a case where the first content is stopped and stopped while the first content is in contact with the display frame for a predetermined period of time The display device further comprising: 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the display control unit determines that the first content is stopped when the movement distance of the first content does not reach the predetermined distance for the predetermined time. 3. The method of claim 2,
When the state in which the first content is in contact with the display frame continues for a predetermined time and thereafter the movement of the first content is detected, the display control unit displays the page being displayed in the detected movement direction To the page existing in the page. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the display control unit is configured to switch the displayed page to the second page while maintaining the display state in which the first content is dragged. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a setting unit configured to set whether or not to enable movement of the content,
And the input unit accepts the drag operation by the input instructing member when the movement of the content is enabled by the setting unit. A display device configured to display a plurality of icons each having an image forming related function assigned to a screen surrounded by the display frame;
A touch panel configured to accept a dragging operation by an input indicating member for moving a first icon selected from the plurality of icons being displayed,
The coordinate of the right end of the first icon dragged by the dragging operation by the input indicating member is stopped in a state where it is greater than or equal to the coordinate of the right end of the display frame and the stopped state is continued for a predetermined time The control unit switches the page displayed on the screen to the next page of the page and stops when the coordinate of the left end of the first icon to be dragged is smaller than or equal to the coordinate of the left end of the display frame, The control unit configured to switch the page displayed on the screen to a previous page of the page when the status is continued for a predetermined period of time and to drop the first icon on the page displayed after the switching,
Wherein each display area of the icon is larger than a contact area of the input indicating member that contacts one of the icons, and the icon has areas of different sizes. A displaying unit configured to display a plurality of pages enclosed by the display frame and including an area in which the contents are arranged; and a displaying unit configured to display the first contents among the contents arranged on the first page of the plurality of pages, And an input unit configured to receive a drag operation for moving the page to a previous page of the first page or a second page that is the next page,
Moving the first content according to the drag operation by the input indicating member received by the input unit,
When the coordinates of the right end of the first content dragged by the drag operation by the input indicating member is greater than or equal to the coordinates of the right end of the display frame, And when the coordinates of the left end of the first content to be dragged is smaller than or equal to the coordinates of the left end of the display frame, the display unit displays the displayed first page as the previous page of the first page Switching to a second page, and
And arranging the first content on the second page in accordance with a drag operation by the input instruction member that has been received after the switching to the second page is completed,
Wherein each display area of the content is larger than a contact area of the input indicating member that is in contact with one of the contents, and the contents have areas of different sizes. A displaying unit configured to display a plurality of pages enclosed by the display frame and including an area in which the contents are arranged; and a displaying unit configured to display the first contents among the contents arranged on the first page of the plurality of pages, A control unit for controlling the display unit so as to cause the computer to execute a control method of the display unit including an input unit configured to accept a drag operation for moving the display unit to a previous page of the first page or a second page that is the next page,
In the control method,
Moving the first content according to the drag operation by the input indicating member received by the input unit,
When the coordinates of the right end of the first content dragged by the drag operation by the input indicating member is greater than or equal to the coordinates of the right end of the display frame, And when the coordinates of the left end of the first content to be dragged is smaller than or equal to the coordinates of the left end of the display frame, the display unit displays the displayed first page as the previous page of the first page Switching to a second page, and
And arranging the first content on the second page in accordance with a drag operation by the input instruction member that has been received after the switching to the second page is completed,
Each display area of the content being larger than a contact area of the input indicating member in contact with one of the content, the content having a different size area. delete

Images