Image forming apparatus and method for displaying operation object

Abstract

The invention provides an image forming apparatus and the like capable of improving operability of a user. The image forming apparatus includes: a display unit that displays an operation screen of the image forming apparatus; and a control unit that controls execution of the input job, the control unit determines a display form of an operation object for accepting an instruction to stop the print job when the print job is input, and displays the operation object based on the determined display form on the operation screen.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus and the like. Background Art

[0002] When a printing job such as a print job is being processed in an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction peripheral, there is a case where one wishes to stop the printing job.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that can quickly interrupt the printing process being executed by displaying a printing screen including a print interrupt button during the execution of the printing process. Prior art literature Patent Literature

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-198862 Summary of the invention Technical Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an image forming apparatus and the like that can improve user operability. Solutions for solving problems

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the image forming device involved in the present disclosure is characterized in that it includes: a display unit, which displays an operation screen of the image forming device; and a control unit, which controls the execution of an input job, and when a printing job is input, the control unit determines a display form of an operation object for accepting an abort instruction of the printing job, and displays the operation object based on the determined display form on the operation screen.

[0007] In addition, the display method of the operation object involved in the present disclosure is characterized by displaying an operation screen of an image forming device, controlling the execution of an input job, and when a printing job is input, determining the display form of the operation object for accepting an abort instruction of the printing job, and displaying the operation object based on the determined display form on the operation screen. Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus or the like that can improve user operability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 It is an external perspective view for explaining the overall structure of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 It is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing according to the first embodiment. Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing according to the first embodiment. Figure 5 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example according to the first embodiment. Figure 6 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example according to the first embodiment. Figure 7 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example according to the first embodiment. Figure 8 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example according to the first embodiment. Fig. 9 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example according to the first embodiment. Fig.10 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example according to the first embodiment. Fig.11 (a) and Fig.11 (b) is a diagram for explaining an operation example involved in the first embodiment. Fig.12 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example according to the first embodiment. Fig.13 This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing according to the second embodiment. Fig.14 (a) and Fig.14 (b) is a diagram for explaining an operation example involved in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the following embodiment is an example for describing the present disclosure, and the technical contents of the description described in the scope of the claims are not limited to the following description.

[0011] In existing image forming devices, when processing related to a printing job such as a print job is terminated in the middle of processing the printing job, there is a model that requests the user to select a printing abort button. The selection of the printing abort button accepts the selection of the printing job to be aborted and the input of an abort instruction via an operation screen such as a job management screen.

[0012] In the image forming apparatus configured in this way, many steps are required until the user's intention to cancel the print job is displayed (selection of the print job to be canceled, selection of the print cancel button), and the usability is not good for the user who wants to cancel the print job immediately.

[0013] However, many users choose to install an image forming apparatus with a screen size of about 5 inches (for example, WVGA (800×480px)) according to budget and purpose. For example, if the screen size is about 10 inches (for example, WSVGA (1024×600px)), even if there is no problem in displaying an operation object such as a print stop button (hereinafter referred to as the print stop object), in a model with a small screen size of about 5 inches, it is necessary to study the display of operation objects such as the print stop button to avoid complicating the screen structure.

[0014] In the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus and the like capable of improving user operability in inputting a stop instruction of a print job are realized through the following embodiments.

[0015] [1 First Embodiment] The first embodiment is as follows: it includes a display unit, which displays an operation screen of a multifunction machine serving as an image forming device; and a control unit, which controls the execution of an input job. When a printing job is input, the control unit determines a display format of an operation object for accepting an abort instruction of the printing job and displays it on the operation screen. [1.1 Functional Configuration] Figure 1 1 is an external perspective view illustrating the overall structure of a multifunction peripheral 10 as an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 It is a functional configuration diagram of the multifunction peripheral 10 .

[0016] The multifunction machine 10 is an example of an image forming device that can realize various types of operations such as printing, copying, faxing, and image sending in one housing. Here, in the present disclosure, a job of forming an image on recording paper or the like based on image information input such as printing and copying is referred to as a printing job. In the first embodiment, in particular, a printing job is described in which an image is formed on recording paper using image information received from an external terminal device (for example, a PC (Personal Computer) connected by wire or wirelessly, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet, or other information processing device) not shown in the figure as a printing job.

[0017] The multifunction peripheral 10 includes a control unit 11 , a display unit 13 , an operation input unit 15 , a communication unit 17 , an image forming unit 19 , an image input unit 21 , and a storage unit 23 .

[0018] The control unit 11 controls the entire multifunction device 10 . The control unit 11 is composed of one or more processing devices (such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), SoC (System on Chip), etc.) and realizes its functions by reading and executing various programs stored in the storage unit 23 .

[0019] The display unit 13 is a display device that displays various information to the user, etc. The display unit 13 can be composed of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, etc. The display unit 13 displays an operation screen corresponding to the state of the multifunction device 10 (for example, a home screen, a login screen, a job setting screen, etc., which will be described later).

[0020] The operation input unit 15 is an input device that receives information input by a user or the like. The operation input unit 15 can be composed of various input devices such as operation keys such as hard keys and software keys, buttons, etc. In addition, the operation input unit 15 can be composed of a touch panel that can input via the display unit 13. In the case where the operation input unit 15 is configured as a touch panel, it is possible to detect a user's touch operation on a display object displayed via the display unit 13. In this case, as an input method of the touch panel, for example, a general method such as a resistive film method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, and an electrostatic capacitance method can be adopted.

[0021] The communication unit 17 includes, for example, a wired / wireless interface or both interfaces for communicating with other devices (external terminal devices not shown, etc.) via a network NW such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, a telephone line, a fax line, etc. In addition, the communication unit 17 may include interfaces related to (short-range) wireless communication technologies such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC (Near Field Communication), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), IrDA (Infrared Data Association), and wireless USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0022] The image forming unit 19 supplies recording paper from the paper feeding tray 25, forms an image based on image information on the recording paper, and then discharges the recording paper to the paper discharge unit 27. The image forming unit 19 can be composed of, for example, a laser printer using an electrophotographic method. In this case, the image forming unit 19 performs image formation using toner supplied from a toner cartridge (not shown) corresponding to the toner color (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, black, etc.).

[0023] The image input unit 21 generates image information by scanning a manuscript. The image input unit 21 includes, for example, an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CIS (Contact Image Sensor), and is configured as an automatic manuscript reading device (ADF: Auto Document Feeder), a scanning device having a flatbed for placing and reading a manuscript, etc. The image input unit 21 is not particularly limited in its configuration as long as it is a configuration that can generate image information by reading reflected light from a manuscript image through an image sensor. In addition, the image input unit 21 can also be configured as an interface that can acquire document data stored in an external storage medium such as a USB memory or a print job sent from an external terminal device.

[0024] The storage unit 23 is one or more storage devices that store various programs and various data required for the operation of the multifunction device 10. The storage unit 23 is composed of storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), and ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0025] In the first embodiment, the storage unit 23 stores a control program 231 , a work control program 232 , an apparatus state determination program 233 , a display format determination program 234 , and a display control program 235 , and secures an object storage area 236 .

[0026] The control program 231 is a program read by the control unit 11 when the multifunction device 10 is controlled in a centralized manner. The control unit 11 which has read the control program 231 controls the driving of hardware such as the display unit 13, the operation input unit 15, the communication unit 17, the image forming unit 19, and the image input unit 21.

[0027] The job control program 232 is a program read by the control unit 11 when executing a printing job related to printing and copying, and a job related to fax or image transmission, which is a specific job described later. The control unit 11 that has read the job control program 232 shifts to a job mode (printing mode, copying mode, fax mode, image transmission mode) for executing each job, and executes the job. In addition, when executing a job, the control unit 11 displays a job execution screen that accepts the setting values ​​and function selections required for the execution of the job from the user as an operation screen on the touch panel constituting the operation input unit 15 (display unit 13) as needed. The control unit 11 executes each job based on the setting values ​​and functions accepted via the job execution screen. In addition, when the control unit 11 that has read the job control program 232 accepts the selection of a print stop object that accepts the print job stop instruction displayed via an operation screen such as the job execution screen, the print job being executed is stopped. The processing related to the stop of the print job will be described later.

[0028] The device state determination program 233 is a program read by the control unit 11 when a print job is received from an external terminal device (not shown) or the like. The control unit 11 that has read the device state determination program 233 determines the state of the device when the print job is received. The control unit 11 determines whether the multifunction machine 10 is in a non-job processing state, a job processing state, or a no-operation state, wherein the non-job processing state refers to a state in which a specific job is not being processed (executed) but a home screen, a user authentication screen, etc. are displayed on the touch panel, the job processing state refers to a state in which a job execution screen of the specific job is displayed on the touch panel during processing (execution) of the specific job, and the no-operation state refers to a state in which the operation screen currently displayed on the touch panel is not operated. In this case, the control unit 11 can determine the state of the multifunction machine 10 based on the content of the operation screen currently displayed on the touch panel, the job mode being transferred, or the presence or absence of a touch operation on the touch panel. In addition, in the present disclosure, a job related to the transmission of image information such as fax or image transmission is described as a specific job.

[0029] The display form determination program 234 is a program read by the control unit 11 when determining the display form of the print stop object for accepting the instruction to stop the print job. The control unit 11 that has read the display form determination program 234 determines the display form of the print stop object for accepting the instruction to stop the print job based on the state of the multifunction machine 10 (one of the non-job processing state, the job processing state, or the no operation state) determined by reading the device state determination program 233. Specifically, when it is determined that the state of the multifunction machine 10 is the non-job processing state, the control unit 11 determines the display form of the print stop object to be a button that displays the name of the print stop object (print stop object name) such as "print stop". On the other hand, when it is determined that the state of the multifunction machine 10 is the job processing state, the control unit 11 determines the display form of the print stop object to be an icon. In addition, when it is determined that the state of the multifunction machine 10 is the no operation state, the control unit 11 determines to overlap and display the message screen containing the print stop object on the operation screen.

[0030] The display control program 235 is a program read by the control unit 11 when performing display control of the operation screen by adjusting the display position, display size, etc. of various contents displayed on the touch panel. The control unit 11 that has read the display control program 235 performs display control on input objects for receiving input of various setting values ​​by the user, selection objects for receiving selection of setting values, functions, etc., and display objects for displaying setting contents and device status. In addition, the control unit 11 performs control to display the print stop object based on the display format determined by reading the display format determination program 234 in the first display area or the second display area described later.

[0031] The object storage area 236 is a storage area that stores image information of objects related to various contents displayed on the touch panel.

[0032] [1.2 Processing Flow] Next, the flow of processing according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 3 This is a flowchart for explaining the processing from the input of a print job to the display of a print stop object. Figure 3 The processing described in is a processing executed by the control unit 11 reading the operation control program 232, the device state determination program 233, the display format determination program 234, the display control program 235, and the like.

[0033] First, the control unit 11 determines whether the input of the print job has been accepted (step S100). If it is determined that the input of the print job has been accepted, the control unit 11 determines whether the accepted print job is a print job received from an external terminal device (not shown) or a copy job accepted via the image input unit 21 (step S110). On the other hand, if it is determined that the input of the print job has not been accepted, the control unit 11 waits until the input of the print job is accepted (step S100: No).

[0034] As a result of the print job determination process, when it is determined that the received print job is a print job, the control unit 11 determines the state of the digital multifunction peripheral 10 (step S120: Yes → step S130). On the other hand, when it is determined that the received print job is not a print job but a copy job, the control unit 11 determines the display format of the print stop object that receives the instruction to stop the print job to be a button that displays the name of the print stop object such as "Print Stop" (step S120: No → step S180). Then, the control unit 11 displays the "Print Stop" button as the print stop object in the second display area described later, and ends the process (step S170).

[0035] When it is determined as a result of the device status determination that the multifunction peripheral 10 is in a state of accepting an operation via the operation screen, the control unit 11 determines whether the operation is an operation related to a specific job (step S140 : Yes→step S150 ).

[0036] When the control unit 11 determines that the operation received via the operation screen is an operation related to a fax job or an image transmission job as a specific job, that is, when the operation screen currently displayed on the touch panel is an operation screen related to a fax job or an image transmission job, and the state of the multifunction device 10 is a job processing state, the display form of the print suspension object is determined to be an icon (step S150: Yes→step S160). Then, the control unit 11 displays the icon of the print suspension object in the first display area described later, and ends the process (step S170).

[0037] On the other hand, when the control unit 11 determines that the operation accepted via the operation screen is not an operation related to the fax job or image transmission job as a specific job, that is, when it is determined that the operation screen currently displayed on the touch panel is not an operation screen related to the fax job or image transmission job, and the state of the multifunction device 10 is not a job processing state, the display form of the print stop object is determined to be a button displaying the name of the print stop object such as "Print Stop" (step S150: No→step S180). Then, the control unit 11 displays the "Print Stop" button as the print stop object in the first display area described later, and ends the processing (step S170).

[0038] In addition, as a result of the determination of the device status, when it is determined that the status of the multifunction peripheral 10 is a no-operation status that is not an acceptance status of operations via the operation screen, the control unit 11 superimposes and displays a message screen containing a print stop object on the operation screen and ends the processing (step S140: No → step S190).

[0039] Next, use Figure 4 The flowchart of will explain the processing from the display of the printing suspension object to the end of the display of the printing suspension object. Figure 4 The processing described in is a processing executed by the control unit 11 reading the job control program 232, the display control program 235, and the like.

[0040] exist Figure 4 In step S170, if the print stop object is displayed, the control unit 11 determines whether the user has selected the displayed print stop object (step S170 → step S200). If it is determined that the user has selected the print stop object, the control unit 11 stops the processing related to the print job (step S200: Yes → step S210). Then, the control unit 11 ends the display of the print stop object and ends the processing (step S220).

[0041] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S200 that the user has not selected a print stop target, the control unit 11 determines whether the print job has been completed (step S200: No → step S230). If it is determined that the print job has not been completed, the control unit 11 returns the process to step S170 and continues to display the print stop target (step S230: No → step S170). On the other hand, if it is determined that the print job has been completed, the control unit 11 ends the display of the print stop target and ends the process (step S230: Yes → step S220).

[0042] [1.3 Action Example] Next, an operation example according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 5This is a display configuration example of the home screen W10, which displays a "print stop" button B10 as a print stop target for accepting the stop of the print job. Figure 5 is with Figure 3 This is an operation example corresponding to the process of step S150 (No) → step S180 → step S170, and is an example when the state of the multifunction peripheral 10 is not in the job processing state.

[0043] The home screen W10 is an example of an operation screen that the control unit 11 displays on the touch panel P10 when the multifunction device 10 is in a non-job processing state. The home screen W10 is an operation screen that is displayed on the touch panel P10 and receives operation input by the user when user authentication for the multifunction device 10 is successful, for example.

[0044] The home screen W10 includes a system area R10 as a first display area and a function menu area R20 as a second display area. The system area R10 is a display area for displaying information related to the system settings of the multifunction device 10. The system area R10 includes a "cancel print" button B10 and a login user name display area R101.

[0045] The "Print Stop" button B10 is an operation object (hereinafter referred to as a print stop object) for accepting an instruction to stop the printing process related to the input print job. Figure 4 The printing job is stopped after step S200.

[0046] The login user name display area R101 is a display area for displaying the user name (in Figure 5 In the example of FIG. 10 , the display area is “Administrator”. In addition, a logout button B12 for accepting a logout instruction from the user of the multifunction peripheral 10 may also be displayed in the login user name display area R101 .

[0047] The function menu area R20 is a display area for displaying job selection buttons for accepting the user's desired job and various processing selections. For example, by selecting the copy button B14 included in the function menu area R20, the user can display a job execution screen for executing jobs related to the copy mode. In addition, by selecting the fax button B16 included in the function menu area R20, the user can display a job execution screen for executing jobs related to the fax mode. In addition, by selecting the scan button B18 included in the function menu area R20, the user can display a job execution screen for executing jobs related to the scan mode.

[0048] In addition, if Figure 5 As illustrated, the function menu region R20 may include a fixed region R201 in a part of the display region, and the fixed region R201 displays information on the remaining amount of consumables such as toner and paper, and an icon for receiving an instruction to display device information.

[0049] like Figure 5 As illustrated, the main screen W10 as the operation screen involved in the present disclosure is divided into a system area R10 as a first display area and a function menu area R20 as a second display area according to the display purpose, and the display area of ​​the second display area R20 is larger than the display area of ​​the system area R10.

[0050] Here, use Figure 6 The relationship between the size of the display area in the system area R10 and the function menu area R20 is explained. In the present disclosure, when the total display area of ​​the home screen W10 (touch panel P10) is set to 800×480px=384000px, for example, the display area of ​​the system area R10 is set to 80×800px=64000px. In this case, the ratio of the display area of ​​the system area R10 to the total display area of ​​the home screen W10 is 16.7%, which is a display area of ​​less than 20%. By setting the ratio of the system area R10 to the display area of ​​the home screen W10 to less than 20%, it is possible to ensure that the function menu area R20 has a display area of ​​more than 80%. As a result, even a touch panel with a small screen size of about 5 inches can display necessary information related to the job (mode) selection to the user without omission.

[0051] Figure 7 This is a display configuration example in which a "print stop" button B10 is displayed as a print stop target for accepting the stop of the print job on the user authentication screen W20. Figure 7 is with Figure 3 This is an operation example corresponding to the process of step S150 (No) → step S180 → step S170, and is another example when the state of the multifunction peripheral 10 is not in the job processing state.

[0052] The user authentication screen W20 is an example of an operation screen displayed on the touch panel P10 by the control unit 11 when the multifunction device 10 is in a non-job processing state. The user authentication screen W20 is an operation screen displayed on the touch panel P10 when the power is turned on, when the device is in standby mode, or when the device is restored from a sleep state, and receives operation inputs from the user. Figure 5 The same configurations as those described in the above description are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0053] The system area R10 related to the user authentication screen W20 includes a “cancel print” button B10 and an OK (confirm) button B20 .

[0054] The OK button B20 is a button for accepting an instruction to confirm the input content in the function menu region R20.

[0055] The function menu area R20 includes a login name input box Bx10, a password input box Bx12, an authentication destination selection button B22, a reset button B24, and a select from list button B26.

[0056] The login name input box Bx10 is an input box for accepting input of a login user name of a user who attempts to log in to the multifunction peripheral 10 .

[0057] The password input box Bx12 is an input box for accepting input of a login password associated with a login user name.

[0058] The control unit 11 receives the input of information related to user authentication such as a login user name and a login password from the user and performs user authentication. In this case, the control unit 11 can perform user authentication by comparing the combination of the login user name and login password input by the user with the combination of the login user name and login password pre-registered in the machine.

[0059] The authentication destination selection button B22 is a button for accepting the selection of the authentication destination for user authentication. As described above, user authentication can be performed using a combination of a login user name and a login password registered in the machine, or, for example, can be performed via an authentication server separately provided externally. The user can select whether to set the user authentication destination to the machine or to an external authentication server via the authentication destination selection button B22.

[0060] The reset button B24 is a button for accepting an instruction to reset input information of the login name input box Bx10, the password input box Bx12, etc. When accepting a selection instruction of the reset button B24 from the user, the control unit 11 resets the input information of the login name input box Bx10, etc.

[0061] The select from list button B26 is a button for accepting selection of a login user via an address book, for example, when the multifunction peripheral 10 manages login user names via the address book. When accepting a selection instruction of the select from list button B26 from the user, the control unit 11 can display the login user names in a list format and accept selection of any login user name from one or more login user names displayed in the list.

[0062] In addition, Figure 5 and Figure 7In the example, as a print stop object for accepting the stop of a print job, a "print stop" button B10 showing the name of the print stop object (print stop) is shown. Figure 8 As illustrated, the icon in which the print stop object is omitted as described in the following figure may be added to the print stop object name for display. By adding the icon to the print stop object name for display, the user can more clearly imagine the intended instruction content of the icon.

[0063] Fig. 9 This is a display configuration example in which an icon of a print stop target for receiving a stop instruction of a print job is displayed on a job execution screen W30 related to an image transmission job as a specific job. Fig. 9 is with Figure 3 This is an operation example corresponding to the process of step S150 (Yes) → step S160 → step S170, and is an example when the state of the multifunction peripheral 10 is the job processing state.

[0064] The job execution screen W30 is an example of an operation screen that the control unit 11 causes the touch panel P10 to display when the multifunction device 10 is in a job processing state related to an image transmission job. Figure 5 When the scan button B18 of the home screen W10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is selected, an operation screen is displayed on the touch panel P10 and receives an operation input by the user.

[0065] The job executing screen W30 includes a system area R30 as a first display area and a function menu area R40 as a second display area.

[0066] The system region R30 includes a destination display region R301 and a "print stop" icon I10. The address display region R301 is a display region that receives a selection of the address book button B28, the send history button B30, or the global address book search button B32 included in the function menu region R40 during an image sending job and displays the selected email address (e.g., user01@example.com) as the sending destination of the image information.

[0067] The "print stop" icon I10 is a print stop object for receiving a stop instruction for printing processing related to an input print job. The "print stop" icon I10 is abbreviated and displayed. Figure 5 When the user selects the "stop printing" icon, the control unit 11 executes Figure 4 The printing job is stopped after step S200.

[0068] Function menu area R40 includes an address book button B28 for accepting a user's selection of a transmission destination related to image transmission, a transmission history button B30, a global address book search button B32, a monochrome start button B34 and a color start button B36 for accepting an instruction to execute image transmission.

[0069] The address book button B28 is a button for accepting selection of a transmission destination from an address book managed by the multifunction peripheral 10. When a selection instruction of the address book button B28 is accepted, the control unit 11 displays the address book managed by the multifunction peripheral 10 and accepts selection of a transmission destination from the user.

[0070] The transmission history button B30 is a button for accepting selection of a transmission destination from the transmission history of jobs executed as image transmission jobs. When a selection instruction of the transmission history button B30 is accepted, the control unit 11 displays the transmission history and accepts selection of a transmission destination from the user.

[0071] The global address book search button B32 is a button for accepting selection of a destination from an address book managed by an external network or the like outside the multifunction device 10. When a selection instruction of the global address book search button B32 is accepted, the control unit 11 displays the address book managed by the external network or the like and accepts selection of a destination from the user.

[0072] The black and white start button B34 is a button for accepting an execution instruction of image transmission based on a black and white image. The color start button B36 is a button for accepting an execution instruction of image transmission based on a color image. When the selection instruction of the black and white start button B34 or the color start button B36 is accepted, the control unit 11 executes a task related to image transmission.

[0073] Fig.10 This is a display configuration example in which an icon of a print stop target for receiving a stop instruction of a print job is displayed on a job execution screen W40 related to a fax job as a specific job. Fig.10 is with Figure 3 This is an operation example corresponding to the process of step S150 (Yes) → step S160 → step S170, and is another example when the state of the multifunction peripheral 10 is the job processing state.

[0074] The job execution screen W40 is an example of an operation screen displayed on the touch panel P10 by the control unit 11 when the multifunction peripheral 10 is in a job processing state related to a fax job. Figure 5 When the fax button B16 of the home screen W10 illustrated in FIG. 1 is selected, an operation screen is displayed on the touch panel P10 and receives an operation input by the user. Fig. 9The same configurations as those described in the above description are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0075] The job execution screen W40 includes a system area R30 as a first display area and a function menu area R40 as a second display area.

[0076] The system region R30 includes a destination display region R302 and a "print stop" icon I10. The destination display region R302 is a display region that displays a fax number (e.g., 0123456789) of the transmission destination of the image information selected by selecting the address book button B28, the transmission history button B30, or the direct input button B38 included in the function menu region R40 in the fax job.

[0077] The function menu region R40 includes an address book button B28 for accepting a user's selection of a transmission destination related to facsimile transmission, a transmission history button B30 , a direct input button B38 , and a start button B40 .

[0078] The direct input button B38 accepts direct input of a fax number as a transmission destination. When the selection instruction of the direct input button B38 is accepted, the control unit 11 displays a software keyboard (not shown) and accepts the fax number as a transmission destination from the user. The start button B40 is a button for accepting an execution instruction of fax transmission. When the selection instruction of the start button B40 is accepted, the control unit 11 executes the operation related to fax transmission.

[0079] exist Fig. 9 The job execution screen W30 related to the image sending job illustrated in Fig.10 In the job execution screen W40 related to the fax job illustrated in FIG, a "print stop" icon I10 as a print stop target is displayed in the system area R30 as the first display area. In the job processing state of executing a specific job such as an image transmission job or a fax job, since the destination display area R301 or R302 for displaying the transmission destination of these jobs is provided in the system area R30, the display area for displaying the print stop target is limited.

[0080] However, in the first embodiment, even in the job processing state of executing such a specific job, control is performed to display the print stop object as the "print stop" icon I10, so that the input of the print job stop instruction can be suppressed without affecting the content displayed in the function menu area R40.

[0081] Fig.11 ( Fig.11 (a) and Fig.11(b)) is a diagram for explaining that, when it is determined that the accepted print job is a copy job, the control unit 11 displays a "print stop" button B48 as a target for printing stop. Fig.11 ( Fig.11 (a) and Fig.11 (b)) is related to Figure 3 An action example corresponding to the processing of step S120 (No) → step S180.

[0082] Fig.11 (a) is a display configuration example of a job execution screen W50 related to a copy job. The job execution screen W50 related to a copy job includes a system area R10 as a first display area and a function menu area R20 as a second display area.

[0083] The function menu region R20 includes setting buttons for accepting input of various settings (values) related to execution of a copy job. Fig.11 (a) is an example of a setting button, in which a paper selection button B42, a double-sided copy button B44, and a magnification button B46 are displayed in the function menu area R20. In addition, the setting buttons displayed in the function menu area R20 are not limited to the paper selection button B42, the double-sided copy button B44, and the magnification button B46. For example, a reading setting related to reading of an original image and a setting button related to finishing settings such as binding or not may be configured, and the user can appropriately change the settings.

[0084] Then, if the input print job is a copy job, Fig.11 As shown in (b) of FIG. 1 , the control unit 11 displays the "Print Stop" button B48 as a printing stop object on the display. Fig.11 In this case, it is preferable to display the black and white start button B34 and the color start button B36 in the display position shown in (a) of FIG. 1 . At this time, it is preferable to display the area other than the area R50 including the "Print Cancel" button B48 in gray, and restrict the user's input through the system area R10 and the function menu area R20. In this way, when the received print job is a copy job, by displaying the "Print Cancel" button B48 in a manner that can be identified and selected in the job execution screen W50, it is possible to prevent the user from making an erroneous input (erroneous setting) before selecting the "Print Cancel" button B48.

[0085] Fig.12 This is an example in which a message screen M10 including a "stop printing" button B50 is displayed superimposed on the home screen W10. Fig.12 is with Figure 3 This is an operation example corresponding to the process of step S140 (No) → step S190, and is an example when the state of the multifunction peripheral 10 is the non-operation state.

[0086] When the state of the multifunction machine 10 is in the non-operation state, for example, it can be inferred that there is no user operating the operation screen such as the home screen W10. In this case, even if the message screen M10 including the "cancel print" button B50 is displayed in an overlapping manner to cover the entire home screen W10, the operation through the operation screen will not be stopped. On the contrary, by displaying the message screen M10 including the "cancel print" button B50 on the entire operation screen, the user who sent the print job to the multifunction machine 10, the user who is near the multifunction machine 10, etc. can be notified.

[0087] As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the accepted printing job is a print job, the display form of the operation object for accepting the abort instruction of the printing job can be determined according to the device state of the multifunction machine. For example, according to the multifunction machine involved in the first embodiment, when the device state is a job processing state in which a specific job is being executed, the display form of the print abort object can be determined as an icon and displayed in the system area as the first display area. On the other hand, when the device state is a non-job processing state in which a specific job is not being executed, the display form of the print abort object can be determined as a button displaying the name of the print abort object such as "print abort" and displayed in the system area as the first display area.

[0088] Thus, according to the first embodiment, even if the display area of ​​the operation screen for a specific job is limited, the print stop object can be displayed in an appropriate display format without reducing the operability of the operation screen for the user. As a result, since the user can input the print job stop instruction without delay, the operability related to the input of the print job stop instruction can be improved.

[0089] [2 Second Embodiment] The second embodiment is a method of limiting the display of the print suspended object after determining the display format of the print suspended object in the first embodiment, and displaying the print suspended object when a user operation on the operation screen is detected.

[0090] The functional configuration of the multifunction peripheral according to the second embodiment can be the same as the functional configuration of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the functional configuration of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the second embodiment will be omitted.

[0091] [2.1 Processing Flow] The flow of the process related to determining the display format of the print pause object can be set to the same as that in the first embodiment. Figure 3The processing described in the flowchart of is the same. In addition, the processing related to the display control of the print stop object can be set to use Fig.13 Flowchart replacement Figure 4 In addition, due to Fig.13 The processing after step S170 is the same as Figure 4 The processing in the flowchart is the same as that in FIG. 1 , so the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

[0092] When the display format of the print suspended objects is determined, the control unit 11 limits the display of the print suspended objects based on the determined display format (step S300 ).

[0093] Then, the control unit 11 determines whether the user's operation on the operation screen is detected (step S310). If it is determined that the user's operation on the operation screen is detected, the control unit 11 displays the print stop object (step S310: Yes→step S170). On the other hand, if it is determined that the user's operation on the operation screen is not detected, the control unit 11 continues to restrict the display of the print stop object (step S310: No→step S300).

[0094] [2.2 Action Example] Fig.14 (a) and Fig.14 (b) shows an operation example involved in the second embodiment. Fig.14 (a) is to explain Fig.13 FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of an operation corresponding to the processing of step S300, Fig.14 (b) is to explain Fig.13 FIG. 2 is a diagram of an operation example corresponding to the processing of step S310 (yes) → step S170.

[0095] Fig.14 (a) is a display configuration example of the home screen W60 in which the display of the print suspended objects is restricted. In the second embodiment, after the display format of the print suspended objects for the input print job is determined, the display of the print suspended objects is restricted based on the determined display format.

[0096] Fig.14 (b) shows that when a touch operation or the like (eg, selection of the copy button B14 or the like) on the home screen W60 by the user is detected, the control unit 11 displays a “Print Stop” button B10 as a target for printing to be stopped in the system region R10 .

[0097] In the second embodiment, when the user operation on the operation screen is not detected, the control unit 11 restricts the display of the print stop object such as the "print stop" button and the "print stop" icon. Then, when the user operation on the operation screen is detected, the control unit 11 displays the print stop object on the operation screen. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, it is also possible to prevent the user who does not want to stop printing from uselessly selecting the "print stop" button and the "print stop" icon as the print stop object.

[0098] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications are possible. That is, embodiments obtained by combining appropriately modified technical means within the scope of the present disclosure are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0099] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiments, some parts are described separately for the sake of convenience of explanation, but they can of course be combined and executed within the scope of technical possibility.

[0100] In addition, the program that operates in each device in the embodiment is a program that controls the CPU and the like in a manner that realizes the functions of the above-mentioned embodiment (a program that enables the computer to function). Moreover, the information processed by these devices is temporarily stored in a temporary storage device (for example, RAM) during processing, and then stored in various ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD and other storage devices, and is read by the CPU as needed and modified / written.

[0101] Here, the computer-readable non-temporary recording medium on which the program in the information processing device is recorded may be any one of a semiconductor medium (e.g., a ROM, a nonvolatile memory card, etc.), an optical recording medium, an optical-magnetic recording medium (e.g., a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an MO (Magnet Optical Disc), an MD (Mini Disc), a CD (Compact Disc), a BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc), etc.), a magnetic recording medium (e.g., a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, etc.). In this case, by having the computer of the information processing device read the program recorded in the recording medium and executing it, not only the functions of the above-mentioned embodiment can be realized, but also the functions of the present disclosure can be realized by processing together with an operating system or other application programs based on the instructions of the program.

[0102] In addition, when the program is distributed in the market, it can be stored in a portable recording medium and distributed, or transmitted to a connected server computer via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the storage device of the server computer is of course also included in the present disclosure.

[0103] In addition, each functional module or each feature of the device used in the above-mentioned embodiment can also be installed and executed by a circuit, such as an integrated circuit or multiple integrated circuits. The circuit designed to implement the functions described in this specification may include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or a combination thereof. The above-mentioned circuit can be composed of a digital circuit or an analog circuit. In addition, in the case where an integrated circuit technology that replaces the current integrated circuit has emerged due to the advancement of semiconductor technology, one or more embodiments of the present invention may also use a new integrated circuit based on the technology. Description of Reference Numerals

[0104] 10Compound machine 11. Control Unit 13 Display unit 15 Operation input unit 17 Ministry of Communications 19 Image forming unit 21 Image input unit 23 Storage 231 Control Program 232 Job Control Program 233 Device Status Determination Program 234 Display format determination program 235 Display Control Program 236 object storage areas.

Claims

1. An image forming device, characterized in that: include: a display unit that displays an operation screen of the image forming apparatus; as well as a control unit that controls the execution of the inputted job, The control unit determines a display format of an operation object for accepting an instruction to stop the print job when a print job is input, and displays the operation object based on the determined display format on the operation screen.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The operation screen includes a first display area and a second display area having a display area larger than the first display area. The control unit displays the operation object based on the determined display format in the first display area.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit determines, as a display format of the operation object, any one of an operation object name, an icon, or a combination of the operation object name and the icon.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The control unit determines the display format of the operation object to be the icon when the image forming apparatus is in a state of executing a specific job, The control unit determines the display format of the operation object to be the operation object name when the image forming apparatus is in a state where a specific job is not being executed.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The specific job is a job related to transmission of image information.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The control unit displays a message screen including the operation target in an overlapping manner on the operation screen when no operation is performed via the operation screen.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The first display region has a display area that is 20% or less of a total display area of ​​the operation screen.

8. A method for displaying an operation object, characterized in that: Displaying an operation screen of the image forming apparatus, Controls the execution of the input jobs, When a print job is input, a display format of an operation object for accepting an instruction to stop the print job is determined, and the operation object based on the determined display format is displayed on the operation screen.

Images