Image forming apparatus, control program, and printing method

Abstract

Users can easily print news articles that interest them. [Solution] The image forming apparatus 10 includes a display control unit 112 that switches the display of the operation panel 13 between a first state which displays an operation screen on which setting buttons for accepting print settings are located, and a second state which displays a standby screen on which objects associated with URLs of information on the network are located, and a print control unit 113 that, in the second state, when an object on the standby screen is specified, obtains content information of the URL linked to the object and causes the image forming unit 14 to print print data based on the obtained content information to perform web printing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a control program, and a printing method.

Background Art

[0002] Major websites and media-related websites include news portal sites that list the latest news articles. On a terminal such as a personal computer or a smartphone, a user can use a web browser application operating on the terminal to select a headline of news topics displayed on the news portal site, thereby checking the detailed content thereof. Further, when the user wants to print the content after checking the detailed content, the user calls a printer driver or a printing application and starts printing, thereby executing printing of the web page.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an advertisement distribution system including a server and a printing apparatus. This advertisement distribution system distributes, from the server, advertisements in an advertisement field that interests a user to the printing apparatus. Then, in the printing apparatus, a summary of the advertisement stored in a storage unit is displayed on a display unit thereof, and when a print request button for requesting printing is pressed by the user, a printing operation is performed on the full text (main text and images) of the advertisement.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 is for distributing advertisements to a printing apparatus, and is not for printing news that interests a user.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an image forming apparatus that allows users to easily print news of interest. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above objectives of the present invention are achieved by the following means.

[0008] (1) An image forming unit that forms an image on paper, An operation panel having a display unit for displaying various information and an input unit for receiving input, The display control unit switches the display of the aforementioned operation panel between a first state that displays an operation screen with setting buttons for accepting print settings, and a second state that displays a standby screen with objects associated with URLs of information on the network. An image forming apparatus comprising: a print control unit that, in the second state, when the object on the standby screen is specified, obtains content information of the URL linked to the object, and causes the image forming unit to perform web printing by printing print data based on the obtained content information.

[0009] (2) The image forming apparatus according to (1) above, wherein the display control unit switches to the second state when no operation is performed on the operation screen for a predetermined period of time in the first state.

[0010] (3) The print control unit is the image forming apparatus described in (1) above, which has a browser function.

[0011] (4) The image forming apparatus is In the second state, the object on the waiting screen is specified, A first mode in which the web printing based on the content information is performed without displaying the content information, and A second mode is possible, which displays the content information at the URL linked to the object and performs web printing based on the content information. The image forming apparatus according to (1) above, which can be switched to the first mode or the second mode by the user's selection.

[0012] (5) In the web printing, the print control unit generates the print data in which the content information is laid out on a page of the paper size, or removes unnecessary information including advertising information from the content information and then generates the print data laid out on a page of the paper size, as described in (1) above.

[0013] (6) The display control unit displays a settings screen that accepts the user's settings for web printing, The image forming apparatus described in (1) above, which accepts print settings for web printing, including paper size, number of copies, single-sided / double-sided setting, and color / monochrome setting, through the setting screen.

[0014] (7) The display control unit displays a settings screen that accepts the user's settings for web printing, and the settings screen further accepts the registration of one or more keywords. The image forming apparatus according to (1) above, wherein, in the second state, if the print control unit determines that the object displayed on the standby screen contains the keyword, it automatically performs the web printing based on the content information at the URL linked to the object.

[0015] (8) The operation panel includes a touchscreen, The aforementioned control panel has touch sensors and hardware keys arranged on the touchscreen as input units. The image forming apparatus according to (1) above, wherein, while in the second state, the user presses a release area set on the touchscreen or presses a hardware key, thereby switching from the second state to the first state.

[0016] (9) A control program executed by a computer that controls an image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit for forming an image on paper, a display unit for displaying various information, and an operation panel having an input unit for receiving input, The steps include (a) switching the display of the control panel between a first state which displays an operation screen with setting buttons for accepting print settings and a second state which displays a standby screen with objects associated with URLs of information on the network, In the second state, when the object on the waiting screen is specified, the steps include (b) obtaining the content information of the URL linked to the object, A control program for causing the computer to perform a process including (c) causing the image forming unit to print print data based on the acquired content information to perform web printing.

[0017] (10) The control program described in (9) above, which in step (c) generates print data in which the content information is laid out on a page of the paper size, or removes unnecessary information including advertising information from the content information and then generates print data laid out on a page of the paper size.

[0018] (11) One or more keywords set by the user are registered, In step (b), if it is determined that the object displayed on the standby screen in the second state contains the keyword, the control program according to (9) above automatically obtains the content information of the URL linked to the object, and in step (c), performs web printing based on the automatically obtained content information.

[0019] (12) A printing method performed by an image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit for forming an image on paper, a display unit for displaying various information, and an operation panel having an input unit for receiving input, (a) switching display on said operation panel between a first state in which an operation screen provided with setting buttons for receiving print settings is displayed and a second state in which a standby screen provided with objects associated with URLs of information on a network is displayed; (b), in said second state, acquiring content information of a link destination of the URL associated with the object in response to the object on said standby screen being designated; and (c) causing said image forming section to execute web printing in which the image forming section prints print data based on the acquired content information.

[0020] (13) The printing method according to (12) above, wherein in said step (c), said print data is generated by laying out said content information on a page of paper size, or said print data is generated by laying out the content information on a page of paper size after removing unnecessary information including advertisement information from said content information.

[0021] (14) One or more keywords set by a user are registered, The printing method according to (12) above, wherein in said step (b), when it is determined that said keyword is included in said object displayed on said standby screen in said second state, said content information of the link destination of the URL associated with said object is automatically acquired, and in said step (c), said web printing based on the automatically acquired content information is executed. Effects of the Invention

[0022] The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a display control unit that switches the display of the operation panel between a first state, which displays an operation screen with setting buttons for accepting print settings, and a second state, which displays a standby screen with objects associated with URLs of information on a network. Furthermore, in the second state, the image forming apparatus includes a print control unit that, when an object on the standby screen is selected, retrieves content information from the URL linked to the object and performs web printing, in which the image forming unit prints print data based on the retrieved content information. This makes it possible to provide an image forming apparatus that allows users to easily print news of interest. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0023] The advantages and features provided by one or more embodiments of the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. However, these are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the present invention. [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing a network environment in which the image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment is used. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing another network environment in which the image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment is used. [Figure 3] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 10. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram of the image forming apparatus 10. [Figure 5A] This is an example of the operation screen displayed on the control panel in the first state. [Figure 5B] This is an example of a standby screen displayed on the control panel in the second state. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing the web printing process performed by the image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of output from web printing. [Figure 8]This is an example of a web printing settings screen displayed on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing the web printing process performed in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted. Also, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for illustrative purposes and may differ from the actual ratios. In this embodiment, the recording medium includes printing paper (hereinafter simply referred to as "paper") and various films. In particular, the paper includes those manufactured using plant-derived mechanical pulp and / or chemical pulp.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a network environment in which the image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment is used. The image forming apparatus 10 communicates with a web server 50 via a network 40. The web server 50 (50-1, 50-2) provides services such as news summary sites and news portal sites. Hereinafter, news summary sites, news portal sites, etc., will be collectively referred to as news sites. The image forming apparatus 10 has a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) registered to identify news sites. In the second state described later, this URL displays content information of the news site's web page (for example, information in HTML data format) on the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing another network environment in which the image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment is used. In the example shown in Figure 2, a relay server 60 is provided. The relay server 60 is, for example, a server operated by the management company of the image forming apparatus 10. When accessed via the URL of the relay server 60 registered with the image forming apparatus 10, it obtains information on the content of a pre-configured site, such as an external news site, and relays (forwards) it to the requesting image forming apparatus 10. The relay server 60 responds to changes in the access destination when the news site goes down or the URL address changes. The relay server 60 may also be changed according to the preferences of the image forming apparatus 10 users, and access information may be aggregated and managed. In the following, the network environment shown in Figure 1 will be used as an example to explain the use of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0027] (Image forming apparatus 10) The image forming apparatus 10 will be described below with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 10. Figure 4 is a block diagram of the image forming apparatus 10. The image forming apparatus 10 forms an image on paper 90 using either an electrophotographic or inkjet method. In addition to the image forming (printing) function, the image forming apparatus 10 may also have scanner and fax functions as a multifunction device.

[0028] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the image forming apparatus 10 comprises a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an operation panel 13, an image forming unit 14, a paper feeding and transport unit 15, and a communication unit 16.

[0029] (Control Unit 11) The control unit 11 is composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and executes various processes by running programs stored in the ROM and the memory unit 12, and controls each part of the device and performs various calculations according to the program.

[0030] The control unit 11 functions as a job data generation unit 111, a display control unit 112, a print control unit 113, a web browser 114, and an image processing unit 115.

[0031] The job data generation unit 111 generates a print job for printing (hereinafter referred to as web printing) based on the web page content information (HTML data) acquired by the print control unit 113. The job data generation unit 111 first formats the acquired HTML data into a reader page format, then converts it to a PDL (Page Description Language) such as PS, PCL, or PDF to generate print data. In addition, print settings related to web printing, such as paper size, number of copies, single-sided / double-sided setting, and color / monochrome (hereinafter referred to as web print settings), are stored in the storage unit 12. A job ticket is generated based on the stored web print settings. A print job consists of this print data and a job ticket that describes the print settings.

[0032] The display control unit 112 switches the display on the display surface of the operation panel 13 between a first state and a second state. Figure 5A shows an example of the operation screen 1311 displayed on the operation panel 13 under the control of the display control unit 112 in the first state. The operation screen 1311 is arranged with setting buttons for setting or executing device functions such as the printing function of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0033] Figure 5B shows an example of the standby screen 1312 displayed on the display surface of the operation panel 13 under the control of the display control unit 112 in the second state. In the standby screen 1312, as a screen other than the device functions, objects associated with URLs are placed on the display surface. These URLs are registered in advance in the storage unit 12 and are URLs of information on a network. As illustrated in Figure 1, these URLs are URLs of news sites. In the standby screen 1312, a list of news topics is displayed as an object.

[0034] The print control unit 113 works in cooperation with the web browser 114 to perform web printing. As will be described in detail later, in web printing, in the second state in which a standby screen is displayed, the print control unit 113 obtains content information of the URL linked to an object specified by the user on the standby screen. The image forming unit 14 then prints the obtained content information.

[0035] The web browser 114 retrieves the HTML data of a webpage such as a news site associated with a URL, parses it, and displays it on the display surface of the control panel 13.

[0036] The image processing unit 115 generates image data in bitmap format (raster format). The image processing unit 115 rasterizes (RIP) the print data (PDL) included in the print job to generate image data in bitmap format (also called RIP image). The print data is generated by the job data generation unit 111 or by a printer driver application running on a PC (personal computer). To summarize, the print control unit 113 acquires content information (HTML data) in response to a user request, the job data generation unit 11 generates a print job from this content information, the image processing unit 115 generates printable image data (RIP image) from the print data of the print job, and the image forming unit 14 prints this.

[0037] (Storage unit 12) The storage unit 12 consists of an auxiliary storage unit such as a hard disk that stores various programs and data. The storage unit 12 stores various settings related to the device's functions. In addition, the storage unit 12 stores a registered URL list, a registered keyword list, and web printing settings.

[0038] The "Registered URL List" is a list of URLs displayed on the second-state waiting screen. By default, the registered URLs are those of news sites. These URLs can be changed or added by the user via the operation panel 13, etc. If multiple URLs are registered, they are prioritized, and the webpage of the highest-ranking URL is displayed on the second-state waiting screen. In this case, if the highest-ranking URL subsequently becomes invalid, the webpage of the next-ranking URL will be displayed. In the example in Figure 1, one of the news site URLs is registered at the top, but in the example shown in Figure 2, the URL of the relay server 60 is registered at the top.

[0039] The registered keyword list consists of one or more words registered by the user. These registered words are used for content searching, as described later (see Figures 8 and 9).

[0040] The web print settings store the selected print mode and print settings used for web printing. These web print settings can be changed by the user. Further details about web print settings will be provided later.

[0041] (Control panel 13) The operation panel 13 consists of a display unit 131 and an input unit 132. The display unit 131 displays various information on its display surface, such as a liquid crystal display. The input unit 132 includes a touch sensor 132a and hardware keys 132b arranged around the display surface. The hardware keys 132b include a numeric keypad, start button, stop button, etc. The operation panel 13 includes a touchscreen in which the touch sensor 132a is superimposed on the display surface of a liquid crystal display. The operation panel 13 detects whether or not the user's finger or other object touches the touch sensor 132a located on the display surface, and the position of that contact. Based on this contact information, the control unit 11 executes an operation corresponding to the display content (icon, object, etc.) on the display surface selected by the user.

[0042] (Image forming unit 14) The image forming unit 14 forms an image, for example, by an electrophotographic or inkjet method. The image forming unit 14 is positioned on the transport path 152 and forms an image on the transported paper 90. If the image forming unit 14 employs an electrophotographic method, an example configuration is as follows: The image forming unit 14 includes four writing units (not shown) corresponding to each of the basic colors (Y, M, C, K), four image-forming units, and four primary transfer units. The image forming unit 14 also includes an intermediate transfer belt, a secondary transfer unit, and a fuser, to which the toner images formed by each image-forming unit are transferred and layered. The image-forming units include a photoreceptor drum, a developer, a charger, a cleaning unit (none of which are shown), etc. Except for the difference in the color of the toner inside the developer, the image-forming units for each color have the same configuration. The fuser includes a fuser roller, a heater, a temperature sensor, etc., and heats and pressurizes the toner image on the paper 90 to fix the toner to the paper 90. The fixing roller is heated to a predetermined temperature (called the fixing control temperature) by a heater.

[0043] (Paper feeding and transport section 15) The paper feed transport unit 15 includes one or more paper feed trays 151, transport paths 152, 153, etc. The transport paths 152 and 153 include a plurality of transport roller pairs provided along these transport paths, and a drive motor (not shown) that drives these transport roller pairs. The paper feed transport unit 15 includes a feed roller that feeds out the uppermost sheet of paper from a plurality of sheets of paper 90 loaded and placed in the paper feed tray 151, and feeds the sheets of paper 90 in the paper feed tray one by one to the downstream transport path.

[0044] The paper feed and transport unit 15 feeds and transports paper 90 from the paper feed tray 151 or the like. After the paper 90 is transported along the transport path 152, an image is formed on it in the image forming unit 14 and then it is discharged onto the output tray 154. When performing double-sided printing, which involves forming an image on both sides of the paper 90, the paper feed and transport unit 15 transports the paper 90 with an image formed on one side to a transport path 153 for double-sided image formation located at the bottom of the main body of the device. After the paper 90 is transported to this transport path 153, it is flipped over via a switchback path, then rejoins the single-sided transport path 152, and an image is formed on the other side of the paper 90 again in the image forming unit 14.

[0045] (Communications Section 16) The communication unit 16 is an interface that connects to various devices connected to the network 40. The communication unit 16 also communicates with a PC connected to the local network. This PC (not shown) sends print jobs to the image forming apparatus 10 via a printer driver application or the like.

[0046] (Web printing process in the first embodiment) Next, the web printing process will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the web printing process performed by the image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0047] (Step S201) Here, the display control unit 112 switches to the first state and displays the operation screen for the device functions on the display surface of the operation panel 13. For example, the operation screen 1311 shown in Figure 5A is displayed on the display unit 131.

[0048] (Step S202) If the user performs any operation on the control panel 13 (YES), the process proceeds to step S203. If there is no operation (NO), the process proceeds to step S204.

[0049] (Step S203) Here, the control unit 11 performs actions corresponding to user operations. For example, depending on the selected icon, the control unit 11 may transition to a lower-level operation screen for more detailed settings or execute a print operation. Depending on the operation, the display content of the operation screen is updated, and the process of step S201 is repeated. Also, at the time of the last operation or when the display content of the operation screen is updated, the internal timer counter is reset and starts counting up again.

[0050] (Step S204) If the inactivity period (internal timer) exceeds a predetermined time t1 (YES), the control unit 11 proceeds to step S205. If the inactivity period is less than or equal to the predetermined time t1 (NO), the control unit 11 returns to step S201. This determination can be made based on whether the internal timer has exceeded a predetermined time t1. The predetermined time t1 is a few minutes to a little over ten minutes (for example, anytime between 3 and 15 minutes). This predetermined time t1 may be set by the user.

[0051] (Steps S205, S206) Here, the display control unit 112 switches from the first state to the second state and displays a standby screen on the display surface of the operation panel 13, in which objects associated with URLs of information on the network are placed. This URL is the one that is recorded as a registered URL in the storage unit 12, as described above. This URL is the URL of a news site, and the standby screen 1312 displays a list of topics from the news site, as shown in Figure 5B.

[0052] (Step S207) If the user specifies an object (YES), the print control unit 113 proceeds to step S209. On the other hand, if no object is specified (NO), the process proceeds to step S208.

[0053] (Step S208) The display control unit 112 returns to step S201 if the user operates the release key or if an interrupt occurs. An operation of the release key refers to the user pressing the release key a10 corresponding to a preset release area on the display surface of the standby screen 1312, or the user pressing the hardware key 132b. An interrupt occurs, for example, when a print job is received from a PC connected to the local network, or when the user accesses the mechanical components of the device, such as opening and closing the paper tray 151 or opening and closing the document tray (platen) located on top of the device.

[0054] (Step S209) The print control unit 113 retrieves content information associated with the URL of the object specified by the user in step S207. For example, in Figure 5B, the object retrieved by the registered URL displays multiple news headlines, and each of the headline objects b1 to b6, etc., has a URL associated with it. For example, if object b3 is specified by the user as shown in Figure 5B (indicated by the fingertip illustration), the web browser 114 retrieves the content information of the link destination of the URL of object b3.

[0055] (Step S210) The print control unit 113 determines whether the content information acquired in step S209 is compatible with the reader page format. If it is compatible (YES), the process proceeds to step S211; otherwise, step S211 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S212.

[0056] (Step S211) The print control unit 113 removes unnecessary elements such as advertisements and sidebars from the content information and appropriately arranges the original text and images of the content (news content) within the page area.

[0057] (Step S212) The print control unit 113 works in cooperation with the job data generation unit 111 to generate print data laid out on a page (page area) of the paper size, based on the content information acquired in step S209, or the content information rearranged into a reader page format. The print control unit 113 also generates a job ticket based on the web print settings.

[0058] (Step S213) The image forming unit 14 performs web printing. In web printing, the image processing unit 115 generates a RIP image from print data derived from the content information of the URL linked in step S212. Then, the image forming unit 14 forms an image on the paper 90 based on the generated RIP image (end).

[0059] Figure 7 shows an example of web printing output on paper. In the output example in Figure 7, content information associated with object b3, which was specified by the user in the waiting screen 1312 of Figure 5B, is printed on the paper.

[0060] As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment includes an image forming unit that forms an image on paper, a display unit that displays various information, an operation panel having an input unit that accepts input, and a display control unit that switches the display of the operation panel between a first state that displays an operation screen with setting buttons for accepting print settings, and a second state that displays a standby screen on which objects linked to URLs of information on a network are placed. Furthermore, in the second state, the image forming apparatus includes a print control unit that, when an object on the standby screen is specified, obtains content information from the URL linked to the object, and causes the image forming unit to perform web printing by printing print data based on the obtained content information. With this configuration, users can easily print news from URL links that interest them simply by specifying an object on the standby screen.

[0061] (Second embodiment) Next, with reference to Figures 8 and 9, the image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment will be described. As will be described in detail later, in the second embodiment, the apparatus switches between a first mode in which only web printing of content information is performed, and a second mode in which content information is displayed along with this web printing. The first mode corresponds to the first embodiment described in Figure 6. In addition, in the second embodiment, web printing is performed automatically when registered keywords are searched.

[0062] Figure 8 shows an example of a web printing settings screen 1313 displayed on the operation panel 13 in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the web printing process performed in the image forming apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment.

[0063] In the settings screen 1313 of Figure 8, the user can select either the first or second mode by selecting a radio button in area a11. In the first mode, only web printing of content information is performed. The print mode selected by the user is registered in the storage unit 12. In the second mode, content information is displayed along with the web printing. In area a12, the user can make various settings related to web printing. In the example shown in the settings screen 1313, the user can set the paper size (page size), single-sided / double-sided selection, color / monochrome print type, print orientation, and number of copies as web printing settings. In the example of the settings screen 1313, the paper size is A4, double-sided printing, grayscale, portrait orientation, and the number of copies is set to 2. The set web printing settings are stored in the storage unit 12.

[0064] In area a13, pressing the "Register New Keyword" button transitions to a text input screen, where keywords can be entered using a software keyboard that allows input of alphabets and other characters. For example, keywords such as "Konica Minolta" can be registered, and then registered keywords can be deleted. One or more registered keywords are stored in the registered keyword list of the memory unit 12.

[0065] (Web printing process in the second embodiment) The web printing process will now be explained with reference to Figure 9. In Figure 9, processes assigned the same process number (for example, S201 to S213) are the same processes as those in the first embodiment shown in Figure 6, and their explanation will be omitted.

[0066] (Steps S201~S206) Steps S201 to S206 here are the same as the process in Figure 6, so we will omit the explanation.

[0067] (Steps S301, S209) Here, in the second state, the print control unit 113 searches the text information of the object displayed on the standby screen against the registered keyword as the search key. If any of the keywords are found (YES), the process proceeds to step S209. In this case, in step S209, the content information associated with the URL associated with the object containing the search key is automatically retrieved. On the other hand, if no search key is found (NO), the process proceeds to step S207. The explanation of the processes in steps S207 and S208 is omitted.

[0068] (Steps S210, S211, S302) The explanation of the processes in steps S210 and S211 will be omitted.

[0069] In step S302, the control unit 11 proceeds to step S212 if the registered print mode is the first mode, and proceeds to step S303 if it is the second mode.

[0070] (Step S303) Here, the display control unit 112 works in cooperation with the web browser 114 to display the content information acquired in step S209, i.e., the news details page, on the operation panel 13.

[0071] (Steps S212, S213) The print control unit 113 works in cooperation with the job data generation unit and the image processing unit 115 to generate print data based on content information, generate RIP data based on this, and then have the image forming unit 14 execute web printing (end).

[0072] Thus, the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, and further includes the following configuration. When an object is specified on the standby screen in the second state, it is possible to execute a first mode in which web printing based on content information is performed without displaying content information, and a second mode in which content information at the destination of the URL linked to the object is displayed, and web printing based on content information is performed. The user can then switch between the first mode and the second mode at their discretion. In this way, the user can not only print but also check the details of the content information according to their intentions.

[0073] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment, a settings screen is displayed to accept user settings for web printing, and the settings screen also accepts registration of one or more keywords. Then, in the second state, if the print control unit determines that an object displayed on the standby screen contains a keyword, it automatically performs web printing based on the content information of the URL linked to the object. With this configuration, users can print all the necessary content information without fail.

[0074] Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment, print settings, including paper size, number of copies, single-sided / double-sided printing, and color / monochrome printing, are accepted via a settings screen. This allows web printing to be performed with print settings that match the user's intentions.

[0075] The configuration of the image forming apparatus described above is intended to illustrate the main features of the above embodiment, and is not limited to the above configuration; various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, it does not exclude configurations that are generally found in image forming apparatuses. For example, in the second embodiment, the search using registered keywords targeted objects (news topics (summaries)) displayed on the standby screen, but instead, the search target could be the detailed content of the news, that is, the detailed content of the news obtained from the URL link of the object.

[0076] Furthermore, each embodiment may be applied in combination with others. For example, the first and second embodiments may be applied in combination with others.

[0077] Furthermore, the means and methods for performing various processing in the image forming apparatus according to the above embodiment can be implemented by either a dedicated hardware circuit or a programmed computer. The program may be provided, for example, on a computer-readable recording medium such as a USB memory stick or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, or it may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred to and stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk. The program may also be provided as a standalone application software, or it may be incorporated into the software of the apparatus as a function of the apparatus.

[0078] While embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated in detail, the disclosed embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting. The scope of the present invention should be interpreted in accordance with the language of the appended claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0079] 10 Image forming apparatus 11 Control Unit 111 Job Data Generation Unit 112 Display Control Unit 113 Printing Control Unit 114 Web browsers 115 Image Processing Unit 12 Storage section 13. Control Panel 131 Display section 132 Input section 132a Touch Sensor 132b Hardware Key 14 Image forming unit 15 Paper feeding and transport section 16 Communications Department 40 Networks 50 web servers 60 relay servers

Claims

1. An image forming unit that forms an image on paper, An operation panel having a display unit for displaying various information and an input unit for receiving input, A display control unit switches the display of the aforementioned operation panel between a first state that displays an operation screen with setting buttons for accepting print settings, and a second state that displays a standby screen with objects linked to URLs of information on the network. An image forming apparatus comprising: a print control unit that, in the second state, when the object on the standby screen is specified, obtains content information of the URL linked to the object, and causes the image forming unit to perform web printing by printing print data based on the obtained content information.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit switches to the second state when no operation is performed on the operation screen for a predetermined period of time in the first state.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print control unit has a browser function.

4. The image forming apparatus is In the second state, the object on the waiting screen is specified, A first mode in which the web printing based on the content information is performed without displaying the content information, and A second mode is possible, which displays the content information at the URL linked to the object, and performs web printing based on the content information. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, which can be switched to the first mode or the second mode at the user's discretion.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the web printing, the print control unit generates the print data in which the content information is laid out on a page of the paper size, or, after removing unnecessary information including advertising information from the content information, generates the print data laid out on a page of the paper size.

6. The display control unit displays a settings screen that accepts the user's settings for web printing. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, which accepts print settings for web printing, including paper size, number of copies, single-sided / double-sided setting, and color / monochrome setting, through the setting screen.

7. The display control unit displays a settings screen that accepts the user's settings for web printing, and the settings screen further accepts the registration of one or more keywords. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the second state, if the print control unit determines that the object displayed on the standby screen contains the keyword, it automatically performs web printing based on the content information at the URL linked to the object.

8. The aforementioned control panel includes a touchscreen, The control panel has touch sensors and hardware keys arranged on the touchscreen as input units. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, while in the second state, the user presses a release area set on the touchscreen or presses a hardware key, thereby switching from the second state to the first state.

9. A control program executed by a computer that controls an image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit for forming an image on paper, a display unit for displaying various information, and an operation panel having an input unit for receiving input, Step (a) of switching the display of the control panel between a first state which displays an operation screen with setting buttons for accepting print settings and a second state which displays a standby screen with objects linked to URLs of information on the network, In the second state, when the object on the waiting screen is specified, the step (b) is to obtain the content information of the URL linked to the object, A control program for causing the computer to perform a process including (c) causing the image forming unit to print print data based on the acquired content information to perform web printing.

10. The control program according to claim 9, wherein in step (c), it generates print data in which the content information is laid out on a page of the paper size, or it removes unnecessary information including advertising information from the content information and then generates print data laid out on a page of the paper size.

11. One or more keywords set by the user are registered. The control program according to claim 9, wherein in step (b), if it is determined that the object displayed on the standby screen in the second state contains the keyword, it automatically obtains the content information of the URL linked to the object, and in step (c), it performs web printing based on the automatically obtained content information.

12. A printing method performed by an image forming apparatus comprising an image forming unit for forming an image on paper, a display unit for displaying various information, and an operation panel having an input unit for receiving input, Step (a) of switching the display of the control panel between a first state which displays an operation screen with setting buttons for accepting print settings and a second state which displays a standby screen with objects linked to URLs of information on the network, In the second state, when the object on the waiting screen is specified, the step (b) is to obtain the content information of the URL linked to the object, A printing method comprising the step (c) causing the image forming unit to perform web printing, which prints print data based on the acquired content information.

13. The printing method according to claim 12, wherein in step (c), the printing data is generated in which the content information is laid out on a page of the paper size, or the printing data is generated in which unnecessary information, including advertising information, is removed from the content information and then laid out on a page of the paper size.

14. One or more keywords set by the user are registered. The printing method according to claim 12, wherein in step (b), if it is determined that the object displayed on the waiting screen in the second state contains the keyword, the method automatically obtains the content information of the URL linked to the object, and in step (c), the method automatically performs web printing based on the content information obtained.

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