Image forming device

Abstract

An image forming device according to the present invention comprises: a reading means for reading a document to generate image data; a character recognition means for generating a character string of a first language from the image data; an acquisition means for acquiring a character string of a second language obtained by translating the character string of the first language into the second language; a display means for displaying options of at least one language of the first language and the second language; a reception means for receiving selection of at least one language of the first language and the second language displayed on the display means by operation of a user; a storage means for storing reception information received by the reception means; and a recommendation means for recommending, as an option of the second language, at least one language from among the options on the display means, on the basis of the reception information stored in the storage means.

Description

Image forming device

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet.

[0002] In an image forming device equipped with a translation function, a technology is proposed in JP 2022-47014 in which a user selects the language into which a document is to be translated and the language into which it is to be translated on the display means of the image forming device, and the document is translated using character recognition processing according to the selected language.

[0003] In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-47014, when selecting a second language to translate into, the user must select the language to translate into from among multiple options. In this case, if many candidate languages ​​to translate into are displayed on the display, the user may have to search for the language to translate into on the display, which can be cumbersome.

[0004] Patent Publication No. 2022-47014

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that reduces the burden on a user when selecting a second language to translate into.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized by having a reading means for reading a document and generating image data, a character recognition means for generating a string of characters in a first language from the image data generated by the reading means, an acquisition means for acquiring a string of characters in a second language obtained by translating the string of characters in the first language generated by the character recognition means into a language different from the first language, a display means for displaying options for at least one of the first language and the second language, a reception means for accepting a selection of at least one of the first language and the second language displayed on the display means by operation of a user, a memory means for storing reception information received by the reception means, and a recommendation means for recommending at least one of the options as an option for the second language to the display means based on the reception information stored in the memory means.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, another image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized by having: a reading means for reading a document and generating image data; a character recognition means for generating a character string in a first language from the image data generated by the reading means; an acquisition means for acquiring a character string in a second language obtained by translating the character string in the first language generated by the character recognition means into a second language different from the first language; a display means for displaying options for at least one of the first language and the second language; a reception means for accepting a selection of at least one of the first language and the second language displayed on the display means by operation of a user; a memory means for storing reception information received by the reception means; and a recommendation means for recommending at least one language from the options to the display means as an option for the first language based on the reception information stored in the memory means.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that reduces the burden on the user when selecting a second language to translate into.

[0009] FIG. 1 shows an image forming apparatus. Overall configuration of the system. Block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus. Data flow diagram in Example 1. Flowchart in Example 1. Selection screen for selecting the first language in Example 1. Selection screen for selecting the second language in Example 1. Selection screen for confirming the selection results of the first and second languages ​​in Examples 1 and 3. Block diagrams in Examples 2 and 4. Data flow diagram in Example 2. Flowchart in Example 3. Data flow diagram in Example 3. Flowchart in Example 3. Selection screen for selecting the first language in Example 3. Selection screen for selecting the second language in Example 3. Stored translation information in Example 3. Data flow diagram in Example 4. Flowchart in Example 4. Data flow diagram in Example 5. Stored translation information in Example 5. Flowchart in Example 5.

[0010] [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 illustrates an image forming apparatus 101 and an operation unit 211 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the overall configuration of an image forming system including the image forming apparatus 101 according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 101 is connected to a network 100. The network 100 may be configured to be connected via a wired connection or may be configured to be connected wirelessly to an access point (not shown). The image forming apparatus 101 can communicate with a translation server 102 via the network 100. The translation server 102 publishes an API (Application Programming Interface) for translation and has a function of returning a translation result of the translation target string by passing the translation target string and source and target languages ​​to the API. The translation server 102 is an example of an external device having a translation function.

[0011] 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 101. The image forming apparatus 101 is mainly composed of a control unit 210, an operation unit 211, a reading unit 212, a printing unit 214, and a communication unit 215. The control unit 210 has a CPU (e.g., a one-chip microcomputer incorporating ROM, RAM, etc.) and controls the operation unit 211, the reading unit 212, the storage unit 213, the printing unit 214, and the communication unit 215. The control unit 210 also has an OCR (Optical Character Recognition / Reader) that recognizes character strings from image data and converts them into character string data. The operation unit 211 is, for example, a touch panel display. The touch panel display functions as a display device that displays information to the user and as an input device that detects operations from the user. By touching keys (e.g., setting item keys corresponding to functions, selection item keys corresponding to setting values ​​of the setting items, etc.) displayed on the touch panel display, the user's finger is detected, the position is identified, and the setting conditions corresponding to the item keys are input. The control unit performs processing in response to the user's touch operation.

[0012] The reading unit 212 is, for example, an image scanner. The image scanner serves as a reading unit and acquires image data. The image data collected by the image scanner is corrected, analyzed, and converted by the control unit. The storage unit 213 permanently stores data using flash memory. Flash memory is an electrically erasable non-volatile memory, and data can be electrically written to and erased. While flash memory is assumed as the storage means in this embodiment, auxiliary storage devices such as SSDs, HDDs, and eMMCs may also be used. The printing unit 214 prints image data scanned by the image scanner and print data sent from a host computer on paper. The communication unit 215 transmits and receives various data (e.g., character strings) to and from an external device (a translation server in this embodiment). Information can be obtained from the Internet via an appropriate protocol or gateway to provide network connectivity.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a data flow diagram in this embodiment. The reading unit 212 converts original text scanned by an image scanner into image data 302 using a reading unit 301. The operation unit 211 includes a receiving unit 311 and a display unit 312. The display unit 312 displays options for translation languages ​​on a touch panel display. The receiving unit 311 detects a user's touch operation and generates reception information 310, which is the selection result of at least one of a first language and a second language. The memory unit (storage unit) 213 stores translation information 309, which is information on the translation language determined based on the reception information 310. Note that the reception information 310 may be stored directly in the memory unit 213. In this embodiment, when a first language is selected, information on the combination of the first language and the second language selected at the same time is stored. The control unit 210 includes a character recognition unit 303, a translation instruction unit 305, a reception information update unit 307, and an acquisition unit 341. The character recognition unit 303 extracts a predetermined character string, such as an ASCII code string, from the image data 302 scanned by the reading unit to generate a character string 304 in the first language. The accepted information update means 307 updates the number of times the combination information of the second language selected at the same time as the first language is selected from the accepted information 310 received from the operation unit 211, and updates the number of times stored in the storage unit 213. Furthermore, the translation instruction means 305 passes the first language character string 304 and translation language accepted information 306 to the communication means 313. The acquisition means 341 acquires the second language character string 340 that is the result of translation by the translation server. The communication unit 215 has the communication means 313, and transmits the first language character string 304 and translation language accepted information 306 received from the translation instruction means 305 to the translation server. Furthermore, the communication means 313 passes the translation result by the translation server to the acquisition means 341.

[0014] 6 is an example of a first language selection screen. In this embodiment, the first language selection screen displays a title 501 of the screen for selecting the translation source, first language options 502, a scroll bar 503 for selecting the first language, and a first language confirmation button 504. In this embodiment, multiple first language options are displayed in a list format, and one is selected from the list. The options are sorted alphabetically in descending order, and if the user wants to select a language that is not displayed, they scroll to the bottom and select the first language. Language selection does not have to be in a list format, and any format that allows one to be selected from multiple options will do.

[0015] 7 shows an example of a second language selection screen. In this embodiment, the second language selection screen displays a title 601 of the screen for selecting the translation source, and a selection option 602 that recommends languages ​​that the user frequently uses as second languages. Also displayed are a selection option 603 for normal second languages, a scroll bar 604 for selecting the normal second language, a back button 606 for returning to the first language selection screen, and a second language confirmation button 605 for confirming the second language.

[0016] In this embodiment, multiple second language options are displayed in a list format, and one can be selected from the list. The options are sorted alphabetically in descending order, and if the user wants to select a language that is not displayed, they scroll to the bottom and select the second language. Language selection does not have to be in a list format, as long as one can be selected from multiple options.

[0017] 8 shows an example of a confirmation screen for the first language and the second language in this embodiment. In this embodiment, a confirmation button 703 for confirming the selection of the selected first language 701 and the selected second language 702, and a back button 704 for returning to the selection of the second language are displayed.

[0018] <Explanation of Flowchart> Figure 5 is a flowchart of the translation process according to this embodiment. Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described in which the user selects one of the first language options displayed on the touch panel display, and a recommended second language that is expected to be selected by the user based on the first language selection result is displayed on the touch panel display. Furthermore, a flow for obtaining the translation result via a translation server connected to the image forming apparatus via a network will be described. In S401, the control unit 210 reads a document written in the first language using the reading means 301, and generates image data 302.

[0019] In S402, the control unit 210 performs character recognition on the image data 302 generated in S401 using the character recognition means 303, and generates a character string 304 in the first language. In S403, the control unit 210 displays options for the first language, which is the language from which to translate, on the display means 312. FIG. 6 is an example of a first language selection screen in this embodiment. In this embodiment, first language options and a button for confirming the selected first language are displayed. In this embodiment, multiple first languages ​​are displayed in list format, and one language is selected from the list. The list is sorted alphabetically in descending order, and if the user wants to select a language that is not displayed, they scroll to the bottom and select the first language. Language selection does not have to be in a list format, as long as it allows one to be selected from multiple options.

[0020] In S404, if the confirm button is pressed while one of the first languages ​​displayed in S403 is selected, the control unit 210 proceeds to S405. In S405, the second language recommendation unit 308 determines at least one of the second languages ​​used simultaneously with the first language selected by the user in S404 as a recommended second language option. The second language recommendation unit 308 acquires information on combinations of second languages ​​used simultaneously with the first language selected by the user in S404 from the storage unit 213 and determines the language to recommend. FIG. 9 shows an example of a list of combinations of first and second languages ​​used simultaneously in this embodiment, stored in the storage unit. This combination list stores the number of times a combination of first and second languages ​​has been used and the date and time of execution. The number of times and the date and time of execution may be stored for each user who uses the image forming device, or information for all users who use the image forming device may be stored together. In this embodiment, the top three most frequently used second languages ​​among those used simultaneously with the first language are determined as the languages ​​to recommend. Alternatively, the most recent user execution date may be displayed at the top, or languages ​​that have been used a certain number of times may be displayed at the top, or languages ​​displayed on the touch panel display may be included, or a combination of these may be used. For example, languages ​​that have been translated the most in the last three months may be displayed. Furthermore, the number of languages ​​displayed may be all languages ​​that satisfy certain conditions, or a predetermined number (e.g., three) that satisfy the conditions, or the user may set the number to be displayed.

[0021] In S406, the control unit 210 displays options for the second language, which is the language to which the translation is to be performed, on the display unit 312. FIG. 7 shows an example of a second language selection screen in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the touch panel display displays second language options, a button to confirm the selected second language, and a back button to return to the first language selection. A recommendation box displaying the recommended languages ​​selected in S405 and a regular box displaying languages ​​not included in the recommendation box are displayed separately. The recommendation box is always displayed in a location on the second language selection screen, making it easy to select. Both the recommendation box and the regular box display languages ​​in list format. Since there are many languages ​​available in the regular box, if the user wants to select a language not displayed, they scroll to the bottom and select a second language. The language selected as the first language is not displayed among the second language options. In S407, if the confirm button is pressed while one of the second languages ​​displayed in S406 is selected, the control unit 210 proceeds to S409. If the confirm button is not pressed, the control unit 210 proceeds to S408. If the back button is pressed in S408, the control unit 210 returns to S403.

[0022] In S409, the control unit 210 displays a screen on the display means 312 to confirm the first language determined in S404 and the second language determined in S407. If the Confirm button is pressed in S410, the control unit 210 confirms the first language and the second language and proceeds to S412. If the Confirm button is not pressed in S410, the control unit 210 proceeds to S411, and if the Back button is pressed in S411, the control unit 210 returns to S407. In S412, the control unit 210 increments the number of times the confirmed first language and second language have been selected by 1 and stores the number of times of selection in the storage unit 213. In S413, the control unit 210 transmits the first language, the second language, and character string information to the communication means via communication to the translation server, and instructs the communication means to perform translation.

[0023] In S414, the acquisition unit 341 acquires the second language character string 340 that is the translation result of the translation server.

[0024] According to this embodiment, the second language can be easily selected by recommending and displaying frequently used second languages ​​as options in combination with the first language selected by the user. Also, by using a translation server, it is possible to support translations of many new languages.

[0025] [Embodiment 2] In the first embodiment, a configuration was described in which a translation language and a character string are transmitted to a translation server and a translation result is obtained. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the image forming apparatus itself has a translation function, and the translation result is obtained without communication. In the following description, the same components and controls as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0026] 9 is a block diagram of Example 2. A control unit 210 has a CPU (for example, a one-chip microcomputer incorporating a ROM, a RAM, etc.) and controls an operation unit 211, a reading unit 212, a storage unit 213, a printing unit 214, and a translation unit 220.

[0027] 10 is a data flow diagram in Example 2. The translation unit 220 has a translation means 320, which translates based on the character string 304 in the first language received from the translation instruction means 305 and the reception information 310, and generates a translation result.

[0028] 11 is a flowchart of the translation process according to this embodiment. According to this embodiment, frequently used second languages ​​are recommended and displayed as options based on combinations with the first language selected by the user, making it easier to select a second language. Furthermore, data can be translated quickly by using the translation function of the image forming apparatus.

[0029] Next, a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a second language is recommended, whereas the first embodiment recommends a first language. A description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment, such as an example of the overall configuration of the image forming system, will be omitted.

[0030] FIG. 12 is a data flow diagram in this embodiment. The reading unit 212 converts original text scanned by an image scanner using a reading means 301 into image data 302. The operation unit 211 has a receiving means 311 and a display means 312. The display means 312 displays options for languages ​​to be translated on a touch panel. The receiving means 311 detects a user's touch operation and generates reception information 310, which is the selection result of at least one of a first language and a second language. The memory unit (storage means) 213 stores translation information 309, which is information on the translation language determined based on the reception information 310. Note that the reception information 310 may be stored directly in the memory unit 213. In this embodiment, when a first language is selected, information on the combination of the first language and the second language selected at the same time is stored. Alternatively, the translation information 309 may be the number of times the first language is selected. The control unit 210 has a character recognition means 303, a translation instruction means 305, a reception information update means 307, and an acquisition means 341. A character recognition unit 303 extracts a predetermined character string such as an ASCII code string from the image data 302 read by the reading unit, and generates a character string 304 in the first language.

[0031] The accepted information update means 307 updates the number of times the combination information of the second language selected at the same time as the first language is selected from the accepted information 310 received from the operation unit 211, and updates the number of times stored in the storage unit 213. Furthermore, the translation instruction means 305 passes the first language character string 304 and the accepted information 310 to the communication means 313. The acquisition means 341 acquires the second language character string 340 that is the result of translation by the translation server. The communication unit 215 has the communication means 313, and transmits the first language character string 304 and translation language accepted information 306 received from the translation instruction means 305 to the translation server. Furthermore, the communication means 313 passes the translation result by the translation server to the acquisition means 341.

[0032] FIG. 14 shows an example of a first language selection screen. In this embodiment, the first language selection screen displays a title 501 of the screen for selecting the translation source and options 502 that recommend languages ​​that the user frequently uses as first languages. Also displayed are options 503 for normal first languages, a scroll bar 503 for selecting the normal first language, and a first language confirmation button 505. In this embodiment, multiple first language options are displayed in a list format, and one language is selected from the list. The options are sorted alphabetically in descending order, and if the user wants to select a language that is not displayed, they scroll to the bottom and select the first language. Language selection does not have to be in a list format; any format that allows one to be selected from multiple options will suffice.

[0033] 15 shows an example of a second language selection screen. In this embodiment, the second language selection screen displays a title 601 of the screen for selecting the translation source and second language options 602. Also displayed are a scroll bar 604 for selecting a normal second language, a button 604 for returning to the first language selection screen, and a second language selection button 605 for deciding the second language.

[0034] In this embodiment, multiple second language options are displayed in a list format, and one can be selected from the list. The options are sorted alphabetically in descending order, and if the user wants to select a language that is not displayed, they scroll to the bottom and select the second language. Language selection does not have to be in a list format, as long as one can be selected from multiple options.

[0035] 8 shows an example of a confirmation screen for the first and second languages ​​in this embodiment. In this embodiment, a selected first language 701, a selected second language 702, a decision button 703 for confirming the selection, and a back button 704 for returning to the selection of the second language are displayed.

[0036] 16 is an image of the translation information 309 stored in the storage unit 213. The translation information includes a first language 801, which is the language of the source of translation (Translate From), a second language 802, which is the language of the destination of translation (Translate To), a date and time 803 when the last translation was performed, and a number of times 804 that translations have been performed for the combination of the first language and the second language.

[0037] <Explanation of Flowchart> FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the translation process according to this embodiment. Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to a flow in which a first language expected to be selected by the user is recommended and displayed on the touch panel, and the translation result is obtained via a translation server connected to the image forming apparatus via a network. In S401, the control unit 210 reads a document written in the first language using the reading unit 301 and generates image data 302. In S402, the control unit 210 performs character recognition on the image data 302 generated in S401 using the character recognition unit 303, and generates a character string 304 in the first language. In S403, the first language recommendation unit 308 obtains translation information 309 from the storage unit 213 and determines a recommended language based on the translation information 309. In this embodiment, the top three most frequently used languages ​​are displayed as recommended languages. Alternatively, the most recent user execution date may be displayed at the top, or languages ​​that have been used a certain number of times or more may be displayed at the top, or the languages ​​displayed on the touch panel display may be included, or a combination of these may be used. For example, the languages ​​most frequently translated in the past three months may be displayed. The number of languages ​​displayed may be all languages ​​that satisfy certain conditions, a predetermined number (e.g., three) from among those that satisfy certain conditions, or a user-set number. In S404, the display unit 312 displays options for the first language, which is the source language. In S405, if the Confirm button is pressed while one of the first languages ​​displayed in S404 is selected, the control unit 210 proceeds to S406. In S406, the control unit 210 displays options for the second language, which is the target language, on the display unit 312. In S407, if the Confirm button is pressed while one of the second languages ​​displayed in S406 is selected, the control unit 210 proceeds to S409. In S408, if the Back button is pressed, the control unit 210 returns to S403. In S409, the control unit 210 displays a screen on the display unit 312 to confirm the first language determined in S405 and the second language determined in S408. If the Confirm button is pressed in S410, the control unit 210 confirms the first language and second language and proceeds to S412. If the Confirm button is not pressed in S410, the control unit 210 proceeds to S411, and if the Return button is pressed in S411, the control unit 210 returns to the second language selection screen S407.In S412, the control unit 210 increments the number of times the confirmed first language and second language have been selected by +1 and stores the number of times of selection in the storage unit 213. As another example, a combination of the selected first language, the selected second language, and the time when the translation was performed (date and time information) may be stored.

[0038] In S413, the control unit 210 instructs the communication unit 313 to translate the first language, second language, and character string information by transmitting the information to the translation server via communication. In S414, the acquisition unit 341 acquires the second language character string 340, which is the translation result of the translation server.

[0039] According to this embodiment, the first language can be easily selected by recommending languages ​​that the user is likely to use as first language options. Also, by using a translation server, it is possible to support translations of many new languages.

[0040] [Embodiment 4] In the third embodiment, a configuration was described in which a recommended first language is determined based on translation information 309 stored in the storage unit 213, and the user selects the first language, and the translation language and character string are transmitted to the translation server to obtain the translation result. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that translation is performed by the translation means 320 included in the image forming apparatus, without going through the translation server. In the following description, the same components and controls as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0041] 17 is a block diagram of Example 4. A control unit 210 has a CPU (for example, a one-chip microcomputer incorporating a ROM, a RAM, etc.) and controls an operation unit 211, a reading unit 212, a storage unit 213, a printing unit 214, and a translation unit 220.

[0042] 18 is a data flow diagram according to Example 4. The translation unit 220 has a translation means 320, which translates based on the first language character string 304 received from the translation instruction means 305 and the reception information 310, and generates the second language character string 340 as the translation result. An acquisition means 341 acquires the second language character string 340 as the translation result of the translation unit 220.

[0043] According to this embodiment, when translating characters written in a first language on a document into a second language, the language that the user frequently uses as a first language is recommended, making it easier to select the original language, and by translating using the translation function of the image forming device, the translation result can be obtained without going through a server.

[0044] [Embodiment 5] Embodiment 5 differs from Embodiments 3 and 4 in that the language type of image data 302 read by reading means 301 is recognized by language recognition means 330, and languages ​​in a language group different from the recognized language are not recommended. In the following description, the same components and controls as those in Embodiments 3 and 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0045] 19 is a data flow diagram according to the fifth embodiment. The control unit 210 has a language recognition means 330. The language recognition means 330 determines the type of language written in the image data 302 and generates a language recognition result 331. The language recognition means 330 in this embodiment recognizes either a specific language or a language group. The first language recommendation means 308 excludes any language other than the language determined in the language recognition result 331 from the information on the first language stored in the translation information 309.

[0046] For example, if the language recognition result 331 is West Europe, Chinese (Asia) or Hindi (Middle Asia) will not be recommended as the first language. The first language recommendation means 308 will recommend the most frequently used language from the remaining data. This will be determined as the first language. The number of languages ​​is at least one, and in this embodiment, three are displayed.

[0047] 20 is an example of translation information 309 stored in the storage unit 213 in Example 5. The translation information includes a first language, which is the language of the source of translation (Translate From), a language group of the first language, a second language, which is the language of the destination of translation (Translate To), the date and time of the last translation, and the number of translations performed for the combination of the first language and the second language. Language groups are classified into, for example, Asian languages ​​(Japanese, Chinese, Korean), Western European languages ​​(English, French, etc.), Central European languages ​​(Croatian, Czech, etc.), Baltic languages ​​(Estonian, Latvian, etc.), and Central Asian languages ​​(Hindi, etc.). Chinese may be further classified into simplified characters and traditional characters.

[0048] 21 is a flowchart of this embodiment. Starting at S430, the language recognition means 330 determines the type of language written in the image data 302 and generates a language recognition result 331. Starting at S431, the first language recommendation means 308 excludes languages ​​that do not match the language recognition result 331 from the languages ​​to be recommended. The first language recommendation means 308 determines the most frequently selected language from the language group that matches the language recognition result 331 as the recommended language. For example, when data such as that shown in FIG. 20 is stored as the translation information 309, if the language recognition result 331 is determined to be Asian, Japanese or Chinese, which have been selected most frequently, are determined to be the first languages ​​to be recommended.

[0049] As described above, by not recommending languages ​​in a group different from the language recognized from the image data by the language recognition means, the accuracy of recommendation can be improved and the selection of a first language can be made easier.

[0050] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program that realizes one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that realizes one or more of the functions.

[0051] [Additional Notes] The disclosure of the present embodiment also includes the following configuration examples and method examples.

[0052] (Item 1) An image forming apparatus comprising: a reading means for reading a document and generating image data; a character recognition means for generating a character string in a first language from the image data generated by the reading means; an acquisition means for acquiring a character string in a second language obtained by translating the character string in the first language generated by the character recognition means into a language different from the first language; a display means for displaying options for at least one of the first language and the second language; a reception means for receiving a selection of at least one of the first language and the second language displayed on the display means through a user's operation; a storage means for storing reception information received by the reception means; and a recommendation means for recommending at least one of the options to the display means as an option for the second language based on the reception information stored in the storage means.

[0053] (Item 2) The image forming apparatus according to item 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires, from an external device, the character string in the second language that has been translated by the external device.

[0054] (Item 3) The image forming apparatus according to items 1 and 2, further comprising a translation unit that translates the first language into the second language, and the acquisition unit acquires the character string in the second language translated by the translation unit.

[0055] (Item 4) In the image forming device according to items 1 to 3, the reception information stored in the storage means includes at least one of the number of times the first language selected from the options was selected, the number of times the second language selected from the options was selected, or the number of times a selected combination of the first language and the second language was selected.

[0056] (Item 5) In the image forming apparatus according to items 1 to 4, the reception information stored in the storage means includes at least one of date and time information when the first language was selected from the options, or date and time information when the second language was selected from the options.

[0057] (Item 6) In the image forming device according to items 1 to 5, the recommendation unit determines the second language to recommend based on at least one of the number of times the first language is selected, the number of times the second language is selected, and the number of times a selected combination of the first language and the second language is selected.

[0058] (Item 7) In the image forming apparatus according to items 1 to 6, the recommendation unit determines the second language to recommend based on at least one of date and time information when the first language was selected and date and time information when the second language was selected.

[0059] (Item 8) In the image forming apparatus according to items 1 to 7, the recommendation unit determines the second language to be recommended based on the first language selected from the options.

[0060] (Item 9) The image forming device according to items 1 to 8, wherein the display means has a recommendation frame that displays languages ​​determined by the recommendation means at the top, and a normal frame that displays languages ​​that are not included in the recommendation frame.

[0061] (Item 10) An image forming apparatus comprising: a reading means for reading a document and generating image data; a character recognition means for generating a character string in a first language from the image data generated by the reading means; an acquisition means for acquiring a character string in a second language obtained by translating the character string in the first language generated by the character recognition means into a second language different from the first language; a display means for displaying options for at least one of the first language and the second language; a reception means for receiving a selection of at least one of the first language and the second language displayed on the display means by a user's operation; a storage means for storing reception information received by the reception means; and a recommendation means for recommending at least one language from the options to the display means as an option for the first language based on the reception information stored in the storage means.

[0062] (Item 11) The image forming apparatus according to item 10, wherein the acquiring unit acquires, from the external device, the character string in the second language that has been translated by the external device.

[0063] (Item 12) The image forming apparatus according to items 10 to 11, further comprising a translation unit that translates the first language into the second language, and the acquisition unit acquires the character string in the second language translated by the translation unit.

[0064] (Item 13) In the image forming apparatus according to items 10 to 12, the reception information stored in the storage means includes the number of times the first language selected from the options was selected.

[0065] (Item 14) In the image forming apparatus according to items 10 to 13, the reception information stored in the storage means includes date and time information when the first language was selected from the options.

[0066] (Item 15) The image forming apparatus according to items 10 to 14, wherein the recommendation unit determines the first language to be recommended based on the number of selections.

[0067] (Item 16) The image forming apparatus according to items 10 to 15, wherein the recommendation unit determines the first language to be recommended based on the date and time information.

[0068] (Item 17) The image forming apparatus according to items 10 to 16, wherein the recommendation unit determines the first language to be recommended based on the first language recognized by the character recognition unit.

[0069] (Item 18) The image forming apparatus according to items 10 to 17, wherein the display means has a recommendation frame that displays languages ​​determined by the recommendation means at the top, and a normal frame that displays languages ​​not included in the recommendation frame.

[0070] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, to apprise the public of the scope of the present invention, the following claims are appended.

[0071] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-103875, filed on June 27, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0072] 100 Network 101 Image forming device 102 Translation server 210 Control unit 211 Operation unit 212 Reading unit 213 Storage unit 214 Printing unit 215 Communication unit 501 First language selection screen 503 Scroll bar 504 Button to proceed to next screen 602 Recommended second language options 603 Normal second language options 604 Scroll bar 605 Proceed to next screen, forward button 605 Proceed to next screen, forward button

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus comprising: a reading means for reading a document and generating image data; a character recognition means for generating a character string in a first language from the image data generated by said reading means; an acquisition means for acquiring a character string in a second language obtained by translating the character string in the first language generated by said character recognition means into a language different from the first language; a display means for displaying options for at least one of said first language and said second language; a reception means for receiving a selection of at least one of said first language and said second language displayed on said display means through a user's operation; a storage means for storing reception information received by said reception means; and a recommendation means for recommending at least one language from said options as an option for the second language to said display means based on the reception information stored in said storage means.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said acquiring means acquires from said external device the character string in the second language that has been translated by said external device.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a translation means for translating the first language into the second language, wherein the acquisition means acquires the character string in the second language translated by the translation means.

4. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the reception information stored in the storage means includes at least one of the number of times the first language selected from the options was selected, the number of times the second language selected from the options was selected, or the number of times a selected combination of the first language and the second language was selected.

5. The image forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that the reception information stored in the storage means includes at least one of the date and time information when the first language was selected from the options, or the date and time information when the second language was selected from the options.

6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the recommendation means determines the second language to be recommended based on at least one of the number of times the first language is selected, the number of times the second language is selected, and the number of times a selected combination of the first language and the second language is selected.

7. An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the recommendation means determines the second language to be recommended based on at least one of date and time information when the first language was selected and date and time information when the second language was selected.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recommendation means determines said second language to be recommended based on said first language selected from said options.

9. The image forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that the display means has a recommendation frame that displays languages ​​determined by the recommendation means at the top, and a normal frame that displays languages ​​not included in the recommendation frame.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising: a reading means for reading a document and generating image data; a character recognition means for generating a character string in a first language from the image data generated by the reading means; an acquisition means for acquiring a character string in a second language obtained by translating the character string in the first language generated by the character recognition means into a second language different from the first language; a display means for displaying options for at least one of the first language and the second language; a reception means for receiving a selection of at least one of the first language and the second language displayed on the display means through a user's operation; a storage means for storing reception information received by the reception means; and a recommendation means for recommending at least one language from the options to the display means as an option for the first language based on the reception information stored in the storage means.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said acquiring means acquires from said external device the character string in the second language that has been translated by said external device.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a translation means for translating the first language into the second language, wherein the acquisition means acquires the character string in the second language translated by the translation means.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the reception information stored in the storage means includes the number of times the first language selected from the options was selected.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the reception information stored in the storage means includes date and time information when the first language was selected from the options.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said recommendation means determines the first language to be recommended based on the number of times of selection.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said recommendation means determines the first language to be recommended based on the date and time information.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said recommendation means determines the first language to be recommended based on the first language recognized by said character recognition means.

18. An image forming device as described in any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that the display means has a recommendation frame that displays languages ​​determined by the recommendation means at the top, and a normal frame that displays languages ​​not included in the recommendation frame.

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