Image forming apparatus, control method thereof, storage medium, and program product

Abstract

The invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a control method thereof, a storage medium, and a program product. The image forming apparatus configured to execute a job corresponding to an application includes: a display control unit configured to display a first screen for a user to select whether to enable a save setting when the image forming apparatus is initially started, the save setting is a setting that stores a changed setting value in a non-volatile storage unit in a case where a user changes the setting value related to the job; and a setting unit configured to automatically perform setting of a job corresponding to the application based on a setting value stored in the storage unit and corresponding to the application in a case where the save setting is selected to be enabled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a method for controlling an image forming apparatus, a storage medium, and a program product. Background Art

[0002] An image forming apparatus is known that can execute jobs corresponding to applications such as copying, scanning, and faxing. When a user instructs execution of a job, the user sets setting values for various items such as color selection and file format selection (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. JPH05-270109).

[0003] The above-described technology discloses a method of registering setting values of a job for each user who uses an image forming apparatus and calling the registered setting values.

[0004] When an image forming device is used exclusively by one person, an image forming device that automatically saves the settings from the previous use and automatically sets the saved settings the next time it is used is more useful than an image forming device that registers settings for each user, as in the aforementioned technology. Furthermore, when such an image forming device without user authentication is shared and used by multiple users, the user currently using the image forming device may be different from the user who will use the device next. Therefore, automatically setting the settings from the previous use can be inconvenient for the user. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An object of the technology disclosed herein is to improve the usability of an image forming apparatus.

[0006] The image forming apparatus of the present disclosure is an image forming apparatus configured to execute a job corresponding to an application, and includes: a display control unit configured to display a first screen for a user to select whether to enable saving settings when the image forming apparatus is initially started, the saving settings being a setting in which, when a user changes a setting value related to the job, the changed setting value is stored in a non-volatile storage unit; and a setting unit configured to automatically perform settings for the job corresponding to the application based on the setting value stored in the storage unit and corresponding to the application when the saving setting is selected to be enabled.

[0007] Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus;

[0009] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus;

[0010] Figure 3 is a flowchart for explaining the startup process;

[0011] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a save setting screen;

[0012] Figure 5 It shows Figure 5A and Figure 5B A diagram of the relationship between

[0013] Figure 5A is a flowchart for explaining setting value management;

[0014] Figure 5B is a flowchart for explaining setting value management;

[0015] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a scan function selection screen;

[0016] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a job execution screen;

[0017] Figure 8 is a flowchart for explaining the startup process;

[0018] Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a save setting screen;

[0019] Figure 10 It shows Figure 10A and Figure 10B A diagram of the relationship between

[0020] Figure 10A is a flowchart for explaining setting value management; and

[0021] Figure 10B This is a flowchart for explaining setting value management. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following describes embodiments of the technology of the present disclosure in detail by way of illustration using the accompanying drawings. The components described in the following embodiments are merely examples, and the scope of the technology of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited only to the components described in the following embodiments.

[0023] <Example 1>

[0024] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a controller unit 101 , a scanner 111 , a printer 112 , an operation display unit 107 , and a communication unit 109 .

[0025] The controller unit 101 controls the operation of the entire image forming apparatus 100. Specifically, the controller unit 101 controls the scanner 111, the printer 112, the operation display unit 107, and the communication unit 109. The controller unit 101 includes a CPU 102, a RAM 103, a ROM 104, an HDD 105, an operation display unit I / F 106, a network I / F 108, and a device I / F 110, and these units are connected to each other via a system bus 120.

[0026] The RAM 103 is a system working memory used for the operation of the CPU 102 and an image memory for temporarily storing image data. The RAM 103 also stores data or programs such as an operating system, system software, and application software. In addition, the RAM 103 stores data of scanned images obtained by having the scanner 111 read an original document and print data received by the controller unit 101 via a network.

[0027] The ROM 104 stores a system boot program. The hard disk drive (HDD) 105 is a nonvolatile storage unit that stores an operating system, system software, application software, print data, setting data, etc. The CPU 102 loads the program stored in the ROM 104 onto the RAM 103 to execute the program, thereby performing various controls for executing jobs described later.

[0028] The CPU 102 also operates as a storage control unit that stores setting values in a nonvolatile storage unit such as the HDD 105 and reads out setting values stored in the nonvolatile storage unit.

[0029] The operation display unit I / F 106 is an interface unit with the operation display unit 107. For example, the operation display unit 107 includes physical buttons, a display unit with a touch panel function (touch panel), etc. For example, the physical buttons include a home button for returning to the home screen.

[0030] Operations performed by the user on operation display unit 107 are converted into signals by operation display unit I / F 106, and these signals are received by CPU 102. For example, the position touched by the user on the touch panel of operation display unit 107 is detected, and a signal indicating information about this position is generated. CPU 102 can identify the position touched by the user on the touch panel by analyzing this signal. In addition, operation display unit I / F 106 outputs information about the screen to be displayed on the touch panel of operation display unit 107 to operation display unit 107.

[0031] The network I / F 108 is connected to the communication unit 109 and performs various communication controls with external devices (not shown). A device I / F 110 connects a printer 112 and the controller unit 101. The printer 112 has a mechanism for printing an image indicated by image data on a print medium. Furthermore, the device I / F 110 connects a scanner 111 and the controller unit 101. The scanner 111 reads a document and generates scanned image data representing the contents of the read document. The generated scanned image data is input into the controller unit 101 via the device I / F 110.

[0032] Note that the HDD 105 may be included in an external device as a device different from the image forming apparatus 100. In this case, the CPU 102 stores data in the HDD 105 of the external device via the communication unit 109 and obtains data from the HDD 105 of the external device via the communication unit 109.

[0033] When the controller unit 101 receives an instruction from the user to execute the copy function, the controller unit 101 obtains scanned image data of the original document by causing the scanner 111 to read the original document, and prints the scanned image on a sheet by controlling the printer 112. When the controller unit 101 receives an instruction from the user to execute the scan and send function, the controller unit 101 obtains scanned image data of the original document by causing the scanner 111 to read the original document. Then, the controller unit 101 converts the scanned image data into code data and sends the code data to an external device (not shown) via the communication unit 109. A series of processes based on execution instructions for various functions such as the copy function and the scan and send function is called a job. The image forming apparatus 100 executes predetermined processes according to the jobs corresponding to the various functions. The image forming apparatus 100 also serves as a job processing apparatus that executes jobs corresponding to the various functions. The functions corresponding to the jobs executed by the image forming apparatus 100 are not limited to the copy function and the scan and send function.

[0034] [Functional structure]

[0035] Figure 2 : is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

[0036] Image forming apparatus 100 includes multiple applications 220 for implementing various functions. Multiple applications 220 include a copy application 221 for executing the copy function, a scan and send application 222 for executing the scan and send function, and a fax application 223. An application selected by a user from multiple applications 220 is executed. Scan and send application 222 is an application for executing a task of transmitting scanned image data obtained by having scanner 111 scan an original document to an external device. Figure 2The illustrated application 220 is an example of an application that performs tasks related to image processing and may include other applications.

[0037] The activation control unit 210 controls the process at the time of activation of the image forming apparatus 100 .

[0038] The screen control unit 211 performs display control to display a screen provided by the currently executed application on the touch panel of the operation display unit 107. Furthermore, the screen control unit 211 recognizes the position touched by the user on the touch panel of the operation display unit 107 based on a signal from the operation display unit 107. The screen control unit 211 then instructs the currently executed application to perform processing associated with the operation button or the like corresponding to the position touched by the user.

[0039] In the case where “save settings” described later is enabled, the setting control unit 212 stores setting values related to a job and changed by the user for an application to execute the job in the HDD 105. Furthermore, in the case where an application is executed with “save settings” enabled, the setting control unit 212 automatically performs settings for a job corresponding to the application by storing the setting values stored in the HDD 105 in the RAM 103.

[0040] Unless otherwise specified, the following description assumes that a set value refers to the value of an item group set for executing a job. An "item group" is assumed to indicate a set of items set by the currently executed application to execute a job. For example, if the currently executed application is scan and transmit application 222, the item group is assumed to indicate a set of items including "Document Size," "Resolution," "Color Settings," and "Duplex / Single-Sided Printing." For example, the set values for the "Document Size" item are "A4," "A3," "B4," and so on.

[0041] When the job execution button is recognized as being pressed, the job execution unit 213 obtains the setting values stored in the RAM 103 and, based on the obtained setting values, causes the currently executed application to execute the job. For example, if the currently executed application is the scan and transmit application 222, when the job execution is instructed, the job execution unit 213 causes the scanner 111 to read the document placed on the platen glass via the device I / F 110 and generate scanned image data.

[0042] The network control unit 214 controls the communication unit 109 via the network I / F 108 and transmits image data to an external device.

[0043] Note that the construction can make Figure 2At least one of the functional units 211 to 214 in the application is included in the application. In the present embodiment, the description is given assuming that the functions of the screen control unit 211, the setting control unit 212, and the job execution unit 213 are also included in the application.

[0044] Although the CPU 102 realizes the operation by loading a predetermined program stored in the ROM 104 or the HDD 105 onto the RAM 103 and executing the program, Figure 2 The functions of each block in the embodiment of the present invention are described, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Alternatively, for example, hardware such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) may be used to increase the computing speed. Each function may be implemented through the collaboration of software and hardware (such as a dedicated IC), or some or all functions may be implemented solely through hardware.

[0045] [About saving settings]

[0046] In the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, there is a setting for saving job settings when an application executes a job (hereinafter also simply referred to as save setting), and “save setting” is set to enabled or disabled.

[0047] In the case where "save settings" is set to enabled, the user opens the job execution screen 700 (see Figure 7 ) Setting values changed for executing a job are maintained as they are (the contents remain the same) unless the user explicitly instructs to change the setting values. For example, control is performed so that the setting values changed by the user are stored in RAM 103 for use in executing the current job and are also stored in HDD 105 for use in the next execution of the application.

[0048] In the case where "save settings" is set to disabled, the user opens the job execution screen 700 (see Figure 7 ) Setting values changed for executing a job are not stored in the HDD 105. Therefore, in the case where an application is executed in a state where "save settings" is set to disabled, initial values are set as setting values.

[0049] Figure 3 1 is a flowchart for explaining the startup process of the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment. The CPU 102 performs the startup process by loading a program code for realizing the startup process and stored in the ROM 104 or the HDD 105 onto the RAM 103 and executing the program code. Figure 3 A series of processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. In addition, it can be implemented by hardware such as ASIC or electronic circuit Figure 3Note that the symbol "S" in the description represents the individual steps in the flowchart, as is the case with the following flowchart.

[0050] This flowchart starts when the power of image forming apparatus 100 is switched from OFF (power off) to ON (power on).

[0051] In S301 , the startup control unit 210 obtains the value of the “startup completion flag”.

[0052] The value of the startup completion flag is, for example, one of ON (completed) and OFF (not completed), and is stored in the HDD 105. For example, in the shipment of the image forming apparatus 100, OFF is stored in the HDD 105 as the value of the startup completion flag. In the case of performing the save setting described later in the initial startup of the image forming apparatus 100, the value of the startup completion flag is changed to ON and is stored in the HDD 105 as ON from then on. The startup control unit 210 obtains the value of the startup completion flag, and can determine that the current startup is the initial startup if the value indicates OFF. Therefore, at least the first startup after the shipment is determined to be the initial startup. Note that in the case of performing an initialization operation to restore the image forming apparatus 100 to the state at the time of product shipment, the value of the startup completion flag is changed to OFF. Therefore, the first startup after the initialization operation is also included in the initial startup.

[0053] In S302, the startup control unit 210 determines whether the current startup of the image forming apparatus 100 is the initial startup based on the acquired startup completion flag value. If the startup control unit 210 determines that the current startup is the initial startup (YES in S302), the startup control unit 210 advances the process to S303.

[0054] In S303 , the startup control unit 210 displays a save setting screen on the touch panel of the operation display unit 107 via the screen control unit 211 , which enables the user to select whether “save setting” is enabled or disabled.

[0055] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a save setting screen. Figure 4 The title area 411 included in the save setting screen 400 is an area in which a screen name is displayed to notify the user that the displayed popup window is the save setting screen.

[0056] The save settings screen 400 includes radio buttons 412 and 413. Radio button 412 is a radio button for selecting "Save Settings" to be enabled. Radio button 413 is a radio button for selecting "Save Settings" to be disabled. When one of radio button 412 and radio button 413 is selected, OK button 414 is controlled to receive a press.

[0057] Back to Figure 3 , in S304, the startup control unit 210 determines via the screen control unit 211 whether one of the radio button 412 and the radio button 413 in the save setting screen 400 is selected, and whether the OK button 414 is pressed. If the OK button 414 is not pressed (No in S304), the startup control unit 210 repeats S304 until the OK button 414 is pressed, and waits for the OK button 414 to be pressed.

[0058] In a case where the activation control unit 210 determines that the OK button 414 is pressed (YES in S304 ), the activation control unit 21 causes the process to proceed to S305 .

[0059] In S305, the startup control unit 210 stores the value of "Save Settings" indicating the content selected by the user on the save settings screen 400 in the RAM 103. The value of "Save Settings" is one of a value indicating enablement and a value indicating disablement. If the radio button 412 is selected and the OK button 414 is pressed, the value indicating that "Save Settings" is enabled is stored in the RAM 103. If the radio button 413 is selected and the OK button 414 is pressed, the value indicating that "Save Settings" is disabled is stored in the RAM 103.

[0060] In S306, the startup control unit 210 stores the value of "Save Settings" indicating the content selected by the user in the save settings screen 400 in the HDD 105. If a value indicating that "Save Settings" is enabled is stored in the RAM 103 in S305, a value indicating that "Save Settings" is enabled is stored in the HDD 105. If a value indicating that "Save Settings" is disabled is stored in the RAM 103 in S305, a value indicating that "Save Settings" is disabled is stored in the HDD 105.

[0061] As described above, in the case where the OK button 414 is pressed, whether "Save Settings" is enabled or disabled is fixed. In this embodiment, it is assumed that Figure 4 The explanation will be given as an example in which the “save settings” performed on the save settings screen 400 of the image forming apparatus 100 are applied to all applications included in the plurality of applications 220. Alternatively, by Figure 4The “save settings” performed on the save settings screen 400 may be applied only to certain applications, such as only to the scan and send application. In this case, the save settings of other applications may be pre-set to be enabled or disabled.

[0062] In S307, the startup control unit 210 changes the value of the startup completion flag stored in the HDD 105 to ON. Specifically, the ON value is reflected in the value of the startup completion flag stored in the HDD 105, thereby determining the next startup as the second or subsequent startup. The startup control unit 210 advances the process to S308.

[0063] Furthermore, in a case where the activation control unit 210 determines in S302 that the current activation is the second or subsequent activation (NO in S302 ), the activation control unit 211 causes the process to proceed to S308 .

[0064] In S308, the activation control unit 210 executes activation processing of the image forming apparatus 100. Then, this flowchart is terminated.

[0065] [About the management of job setting values]

[0066] Figure 5A and Figure 5B 1 is a flowchart for explaining setting value management of a job executed by an application of the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment. The CPU 102 performs the operation by loading a program code for realizing a functional unit stored in the ROM 104 or the HDD 105 onto the RAM 103 and executing the program code. Figure 5A and Figure 5B A series of processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. In addition, it can be implemented by hardware such as ASIC or electronic circuit Figure 5A and Figure 5B Functionality of some or all steps in a .

[0067] Figure 5A and Figure 5B The flow of job setting value management in the case of executing the scan and send application 222 among multiple applications is shown. The scan and send application 222 is an example of the currently executed application. In addition, in the case of executing other applications such as copy, fax, etc., the same process is also executed. Figure 5A and Figure 5B For example, when the user specifies the scan and send application 222 in the home screen not shown, the process starts. Figure 5A Flowchart of the process.

[0068] Note that the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment is assumed to be an apparatus that does not perform user authentication. Therefore, it is assumed that the user can operate the image forming apparatus 100 without logging in.

[0069] In S501 , the scan and transmit application 222 displays a scan function selection screen on the touch panel of the operation display unit 107 .

[0070] Figure 6 : is a diagram showing an example of a scan function selection screen. Figure 6 The scan function selection screen 600 includes a title area 611, buttons 612 to 615, a setting button 616, and a cancel button 617. The title area 611 is an area where the title of the application is displayed.

[0071] Buttons 612 to 615 are buttons for the user to select a protocol for sending a scanned image obtained by having the scanner scan an original document. Button 612 is a button for selecting the scan and send protocol "Scan to PC," in which the scanned image data is sent to a PC (not shown). Button 613 is a button for selecting the scan and send protocol "Scan to Email," in which the scanned image data is attached to an email and sent. Button 614 is a button for selecting the scan and send protocol "Scan to FTP," in which the scanned image data is sent to an FTP server (not shown). Button 615 is a button for selecting the scan and send protocol "Scan to USB," in which the scanned image data is sent to a USB memory (not shown) connected to image forming apparatus 100.

[0072] The user can select only one button among the buttons 612 to 615 , and the selected button is displayed so that the user can recognize the selection of the button. Figure 6 The button 615 showing the scan transmission protocol “Scan to USB” is a button selected by the user, and as an example, the border of the selected button 615 and the characters within the selected button 615 are highlighted.

[0073] The setting button 616 is a button that the user is allowed to press only when one of the buttons 612 to 615 is selected. When the setting button 616 is pressed, a job execution screen 700 (see FIG. 7 ) of the scan and transmit protocol indicated by the selected button among the buttons 612 to 615 is displayed. Figure 7 ). In the case where the cancel button 617 is pressed, even if Figure 5A and Figure 5B Although omitted from the flowchart, the scan and transmit application 222 terminates the processing and returns to the home screen.

[0074] In S502, when the setting button 616 is pressed, the scan and transmit application 222 obtains a display instruction for the job execution screen of the scan and transmit protocol selected in the scan function selection screen 600 via the screen control unit 211. Figure 6In the example of , the button 615 for the scan-send protocol "Scan to USB" is selected. Figure 6 When the setting button 616 is pressed in the state of , a display instruction for the job execution screen of the scan transmission protocol "Scan to USB" is obtained.

[0075] In S503, the scan and transmit application 222 obtains the value of the "save settings" stored in the HDD 105. As described above, one of the values indicating enable and disable is stored as the value of the "save settings" in the HDD 105. The scan and transmit application 222 then loads the obtained value of the "save settings" onto the RAM 103 and restores the value of the "save settings".

[0076] In S504, the scan and transmit application 222 determines whether to enable "Save Settings" based on the value of "Save Settings" obtained in S503. If the scan and transmit application 222 determines that "Save Settings" is enabled ("Yes" in S504), the scan and transmit application 222 advances the process to S505.

[0077] In S505 , the scan and transmit application 222 stores the setting values of the scan and transmit application 222 stored in the HDD 105 in the RAM 103 to perform setting of the job.

[0078] As described in detail later, it is assumed that the user scans and sends the job execution screen 700 (see FIG. 1 ) of the application in a state where “save settings” is enabled. Figure 7 ) changes the setting value. In this case, the changed setting value is stored in HDD 105 as the setting value of the scan and send application. In a case where the setting value of the scan and send application is already stored in HDD 105, the user updates the setting value of the scan and send application stored in HDD 105 to the changed setting value. As described above, in the present embodiment, when "Save Settings" is enabled, the setting value set by the user is stored in HDD 105 in association with each application. Therefore, the scan and send application 222 can restore the setting value in RAM 103 to the setting value set by the user when the application was previously executed. Therefore, when the home screen is selected next time and the scan and send application 222 proceeds to S505 with "Save Settings" enabled, the setting value of the scan and send application stored in HDD 105 is stored in RAM 103. In a case where the setting value has not changed with "Save Settings" enabled, in S505, the initial value stored in HDD 105 is stored in RAM 103.

[0079] Note that it is assumed that the job execution screen 700 (see Figure 7) is not provided with a button for resetting the setting values to the initial values. It is also assumed that the operation display unit 107 is not provided with an operation unit for resetting the setting values to the initial values. Therefore, if the setting values are changed in a state where "Save Settings" is enabled, those setting values will remain unchanged until the setting values are changed next time.

[0080] If the scan and send application 222 determines that "Save Settings" is disabled ("No" in S504), the scan and send application 222 proceeds to S506. In S506, the scan and send application 222 stores a value indicating the initial state of the scan and send application (initial value) in the RAM 103 as the setting value of the scan and send application 222. For example, the initial value of each application is stored in the HDD 105. Therefore, the scan and send application 222 can restore the setting value in the RAM 103 to the initial value of the scan and send application.

[0081] In S507 , the scan and transmit application 222 displays a job execution screen reflecting the setting values stored in the RAM 103 on the touch panel of the operation display unit 107 .

[0082] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a job execution screen of a scan and transmit application. Figure 7 The job execution screen 700 includes a title area 721, pull-down menus 722 to 725, an execute scan button 726, a cancel button 727, and a save settings button 728. The title area 721 is an area where the name of the currently executed application is displayed.

[0083] Pull-down menus 722 to 725 are provided for the respective items of the above-mentioned job, and currently set setting values, that is, setting values stored in RAM 103, are displayed in the pull-down menus 722 to 725. When the pull-down menus 722 to 725 are pressed, a list for the user to specify setting values is displayed.

[0084] When "Save Settings" is disabled, as a result of the processing of S506, the initial values are stored as setting values in the RAM 103. Therefore, in the transition from S506 to S507, the job execution screen 700 is displayed in which the initial values are displayed as setting values in the pull-down menus 722 to 725 of the respective items.

[0085] When "Save Settings" is enabled, as a result of the processing of S505, the setting values at the time of the previous execution of the scan and transmit application are stored as setting values in the RAM 103. Therefore, in the transition from S505 to S507, a job execution screen is displayed in which the setting values used in the previous job corresponding to the scan and transmit application are displayed in the pull-down menus 722 to 725 of the respective items.

[0086] When pull-down menu 722 is pressed, a list of size setting values for when scanner 111 reads a document is displayed in pull-down menu 722. The size selected by the user from the list is set as the changed size setting value. When pull-down menu 723 is pressed, a list of scanned image resolutions is displayed in pull-down menu 723, and the resolution selected by the user from the list is set as the changed resolution setting value. When pull-down menu 724 is pressed, a list including at least multi-color and monochrome is displayed in pull-down menu 724, and the setting value selected by the user from the list is set as the changed color setting setting value. When pull-down menu 725 is pressed, a list including single-sided printing and double-sided printing is displayed in pull-down menu 725, and the setting value selected by the user from the list is set as the setting value for double-sided / single-sided printing when scanning a document.

[0087] The execute scan button 726 is a button for executing a job. When the execute scan button 726 is pressed, the job is executed according to the setting values stored in the RAM 103, which are the setting values displayed in the pull-down menus 722 to 725.

[0088] In the case where the cancel button 727 is pressed, even if Figure 5A and Figure 5B The scan and send application 222 terminates the process and returns to the home screen. The save settings button 728 is used to display Figure 4 button of the save setting screen 400.

[0089] In S508, the scan and transmit application 222 waits for a user operation on the operation display unit 107. If the user performs an operation on the operation display unit 107, the scan and transmit application 222 obtains the details of the operation. If the user presses any operation button on the job execution screen 700 displayed on the touch panel of the operation display unit 107, the scan and transmit application 222 obtains information about the pressed operation button via the screen control unit 211. Furthermore, if the user presses a home button (not shown) included in the operation display unit 107 for returning to the home screen, the scan and transmit application 222 obtains information about the pressing of the home button.

[0090] In S509 , the scan and transmit application 222 switches processing according to the user's operation on the operation display unit 107 .

[0091] In the case where the scan and transmit application 222 determines in S509 that the type of the acquired user operation is "job setting", the scan and transmit application 222 executes the processes of S510 to S513. "Job setting" is an operation in which the user presses Figure 7 The user selects one of the pull-down menus 722 to 725 on the job execution screen 700 of the scan-and-send application and changes setting values related to the job of the scan-and-send application (such as original size, resolution, color setting, etc.).

[0092] In S510, the scan and transmit application 222 obtains the setting value changed by the operation obtained in S508. The scan and transmit application 222 then updates the setting value stored in RAM 103, setting the setting value to the setting value changed by the user. For example, if the setting value of "Document Size" is changed from "A4" to "B4" on the job execution screen 700, "B4" is obtained as the changed setting value of "Document Size." The setting value of "Document Size" stored in the scan and transmit application in RAM 103 is then updated to "B4," the changed setting value. The scan and transmit application 222 then returns processing to S508.

[0093] In S511 , the scan and transmit application 222 obtains the value of “Save Setting” currently stored in the RAM 103 .

[0094] In S512 , the scan and transmit application 222 determines whether “Save Settings” is enabled based on the value of “Save Settings” obtained in S511 .

[0095] If the scan and transmit application 222 determines that "save settings" is enabled (YES in S512), the scan and transmit application 222 advances the process to S513. In S513, the scan and transmit application 222 stores the setting values changed by the operation obtained in S508 in the HDD 105.

[0096] Meanwhile, in the case where the scan and transmit application 222 determines that “save settings” is disabled (NO in S512 ), the scan and transmit application 222 skips S513 and returns the process to S508 .

[0097] As described above, when "Save Settings" is enabled, the setting values set by the user for executing the current job are stored in HDD 105. If the setting values are already stored in HDD 105, the setting values are updated to the setting values changed by the user for executing the current job. Meanwhile, when "Save Settings" is disabled, control is performed so that the setting values changed by the user's operation are not stored in HDD 105.

[0098] For example, suppose the setting value is changed to Figure 7 The job is executed according to the setting values shown in the job execution screen 700 of the image forming apparatus 100, and the scan and send application is terminated. Figure 7The setting values of "Original Size", "Resolution", "Color Setting" and "Duplex / Single-Sided Printing" shown in the job execution screen 700 are stored in the HDD 105. Specifically, "A4" is stored as the setting value of "Original Size", "300dpi" is stored as the setting value of "Resolution", "Multicolor" is stored as the setting value of "Color Setting", and "Single-Sided Printing" is stored as the setting value of "Duplex / Single-Sided Printing" in the HDD 105. Therefore, when the scan and send application is executed next time with "Save Settings" enabled, the setting values are automatically set to Figure 7 The status of the job execution screen 700 in .

[0099] Next, if the scan and transmit application 222 determines in S509 that the acquired user operation type is save settings, the scan and transmit application 222 executes the processing of S514 to S519. The type of user operation as "save settings" is the user's operation of pressing the save settings button 728 of the job execution screen 700.

[0100] In S514, the scan and transmit application 222 displays the Figure 4 The save settings screen 400 is displayed as a pop-up window. If the value of "save settings" stored in RAM 103 indicates enable, the scan and transmit application 222 displays the save settings screen 400 with radio button 412 selected for enabling. If the value of "save settings" stored in RAM 103 indicates disable, the scan and transmit application 222 displays the save settings screen 400 with radio button 413 selected for disabling.

[0101] In S515, the scan and transmit application 222 switches processing based on the user's operation on the save settings screen 400 displayed in S514. If radio button 413 is selected while radio button 412 is selected and OK button 414 is pressed, the scan and transmit application 222 determines that the operation to change "save settings" from enabled to disabled was performed in S515. In this case, the scan and transmit application 222 advances processing to S516.

[0102] In S516 , the scan and transmit application 222 updates the setting values of the scan and transmit application stored in the RAM 103 to the initial values.

[0103] In S517 , the scan and transmit application 222 updates the setting values of the scan and transmit application stored in the HDD 105 to the initial values.

[0104] In S518, the scan and transmit application 222 updates the value of "Save Settings" stored in the RAM 103 to a value indicating the contents changed by the user via the save settings screen 400. Specifically, if the radio button 412 is selected and the OK button 414 is pressed, the value of "Save Settings" stored in the RAM 103 is updated to a value indicating enabled. If the radio button 413 is selected and the OK button 414 is pressed, the value of "Save Settings" stored in the RAM 103 is updated to a value indicating disabled.

[0105] In S519, the scan and transmit application 222 updates the value of "Save Settings" stored in HDD 105 to a value indicating the content selected by the user in save settings screen 400. Specifically, if radio button 412 is selected and OK button 414 is pressed, the value of "Save Settings" stored in HDD 105 is updated to a value indicating enabled. If radio button 413 is selected and OK button 414 is pressed, the value of "Save Settings" stored in HDD 105 is updated to a value indicating disabled. If S519 is completed, the process returns to S508.

[0106] Meanwhile, when radio button 412 is selected while radio button 413 is selected and the OK button is pressed, the scan and transmit application 222 determines that the operation of changing the save setting from disable to enable is performed in S515. In this case, S516 and S517 are skipped, and the processing of S518 and S519 is executed.

[0107] Furthermore, if the selection of the radio button 413 or 412 is not changed and the OK button 414 is pressed, the scan and transmit application 222 determines in S515 that no operation of changing “save settings” is performed. In this case, S516 to S519 are skipped, and the process returns to S508.

[0108] Next, if the scan and transmit application 222 determines in S509 that the type of user operation is "job execution", the scan and transmit application 222 executes the processing of S520 to S521. The type of user operation of "job execution" is an operation of executing a job and is an operation corresponding to pressing the execute scan button 726.

[0109] In S520, the scan and transmit application 222 causes the scanner 111 to scan the document according to the setting values stored in the RAM 103, thereby generating scanned image data of the document. During job execution, the scan and transmit application 222 displays a dialog box (not shown) in front of the job execution screen 700 to notify the user that scanning is being performed.

[0110] In step S521, the scan and transmit application 222 transmits the scanned image data to a device corresponding to the transmission protocol stored in the RAM 103. If the scan and transmit protocol "Scan to USB" is selected, the scanned image is transmitted to the USB memory. The scan and transmit application 222 displays a dialog box (not shown) in front of the job execution screen 700 to notify the user that the transmission process is being executed until the transmission of the scanned image data is completed.

[0111] Furthermore, in the case where the scan and send application 222 determines in S509 that the type of user operation obtained is "return to the home screen", the scan and send application 222 terminates this flowchart. The type of user operation of "return to the home screen" is an operation of pressing the home button (not shown) in the operation display unit 107. In the case where the operation display unit 107 returns to the home screen and the scan and send application 222 is selected, the process is restarted. Figure 5A and Figure 5B Flowchart of the process.

[0112] For example, when the image forming apparatus is used by a single user, it may be preferable in some cases to automatically set the setting values for a job to the setting values used in the previous job. Meanwhile, when the image forming apparatus is used by multiple users, it may be preferable in some cases to set the setting values for a job to the initial values. According to this embodiment, during the initial startup of the image forming apparatus, the user can select either an operation to set the setting values to the initial values or an operation to store the setting values so that the setting values for the current job are automatically set to the previous setting values. Therefore, in this embodiment, the usability of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

[0113] <Example 2>

[0114] In Example 1, it is assumed that Figure 4 The description is given below with the save settings made on the save settings screen 400 applied to all applications in the image forming apparatus 100. However, in some cases, it is more preferable that the user can set the save settings so that the values of the "save settings" of each application are different from each other, such as the case where the "save settings" of the scan and send application are enabled and the "retain settings" of the copy application are disabled. Therefore, in this embodiment, a description is given of a method in which the values of the "save settings" of each application can be set to be different from each other. In this embodiment, the differences from Example 1 are mainly described. Parts not explicitly described are the same as the structure and processing in Example 1.

[0115] [About saving settings]

[0116] Figure 8 1 is a flowchart for explaining the startup process of the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment. Figure 8In the flowchart, Figure 3 The same steps in the flowchart are Figure 8 The same reference numerals are also used in FIG. Figure 8 The flowchart description is Figure 3 The steps in the flowchart are different. Figure 8 In the flowchart, instead of Figure 3 In addition, S805 to S806 are executed instead of S305 to S306.

[0117] In S803 , the startup control unit 210 displays a save setting screen as a popup window on the touch panel of the operation display unit 107 via the screen control unit 211 , which allows the user to select enable or disable “save setting” for each application.

[0118] Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the save setting screen in this embodiment displayed in S803 . Figure 9 The save setting screen 900 includes check boxes 912 to 914 corresponding to the plurality of applications 220 included in the image forming apparatus 100, respectively. Assume that the applications included in the image forming apparatus 100 are as follows. Figure 2 The copy application, fax application, and scan-and-send application shown are provided with check boxes 912 to 914 corresponding to these three applications, respectively.

[0119] When at least one of the check boxes 912 to 914 is checked and the OK button 915 is pressed, "Save Settings" is set to enable only the application corresponding to the checked check box. Specifically, "Save Settings" of the application corresponding to the unchecked check box is set to be disabled.

[0120] For example, in Figure 9 In the , only the check box 914 corresponding to the Scan and Send application is checked. Figure 9 If OK button 915 is pressed in the "OK" state, "Save Settings" for the Scan and Send application is enabled. Since check boxes 912 and 913 corresponding to the Copy application and Fax application are not checked, "Save Settings" for the Copy application and Fax application are disabled. If Cancel button 916 is pressed, the settings are canceled.

[0121] In S805, the startup control unit 210 stores the value of the “save setting” of each application in the RAM 103. In S806, the startup control unit 210 stores the value of the “save setting” of each application in the HDD 105.

[0122] [Management of Job Setting Values]

[0123] Figure 10A and Figure 10B 1 is a flowchart for explaining the processing of job setting value management executed by the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment. The CPU 102 performs the processing by loading the program code stored in the ROM 104 or the HDD 105 onto the RAM 103 and executing the program code. Figure 10A and Figure 10B The series of processing shown in the flowchart. In addition, it can be implemented by hardware of ASIC or electronic circuit Figure 10A and Figure 10B Functionality of some or all steps in a .

[0124] Figure 10A and Figure 10B The flow chart is shown in Figure 5A and Figure 5B The flow of job setting value management when the scan and transmit application 222 is selected from a plurality of applications as in the flowchart of FIG. Figure 10A and Figure 10B In the flowchart, Figure 5A and Figure 5B The same steps in the flowchart are Figure 10A and Figure 10B The same reference numerals are also used in the description. Figure 10A and Figure 10B When the flowchart is Figure 5A and Figure 5B Flowchart of different steps.

[0125] exist Figure 10A and Figure 10B In the flowchart, instead of Figure 5A and Figure 5B The processing of S503 to S504 in the above steps is replaced by the processing of S1003 to S1004.

[0126] In S1003, the scan transmission application 222 loads the "save settings" value of the currently executed application, among the "save settings" values of the respective applications saved in the HDD 105, onto the RAM 103. Figure 10A and Figure 10B Therefore, in S1003, the value of "save setting" of the scan and send application is obtained from the values of "save setting" of each application saved in HDD 105, and the obtained value is stored in RAM 103.

[0127] In S1004, the scan and send application 222 determines whether "Save Settings" is enabled for the scan and send application currently being executed, based on the value of "Save Settings" stored in RAM 103 in S1003. If the scan and send application 222 determines that "Save Settings" is enabled for the scan and send application ("YES" in S1004), the process proceeds to S505. In S505, the scan and send application 222 stores the setting values of the scan and send application 222 in RAM 103, among the setting values of the various applications stored in HDD 105.

[0128] Meanwhile, if the scan and send application 222 determines in step S1004 that "save settings" of the scan and send application is disabled ("No" in step S1004), the scan and send application 222 proceeds with the process to step S506. In step S506, the scan and send application 222 stores the initial values of the scan and send application in the RAM 103 as the setting values of the scan and send application of the currently executed application.

[0129] Next, the scan and send application 222 Figure 10A and Figure 10B In the case where it is determined in S509 that the type of the user operation obtained is "job setting", Figure 10A and Figure 10B In place of Figure 5A and Figure 5B The processing of S510, S511, S512 and S513 in the above steps is performed instead. The processing of S510, S1011, S1012 and S513 is performed instead.

[0130] In S510, the scan and transmit application 222 stores the setting value changed this time by the user in the RAM 103. Then, the process advances to S1011.

[0131] In S1011, the scan and transmit application 222 obtains the value of the "save setting" of the scan and transmit application from the RAM 103. The process then advances to S1012.

[0132] In S1012 , the scan and transmit application 222 determines whether “Save Settings” of the scan and transmit application is enabled based on the value of “Save Settings” of the scan and transmit application obtained in S1011 .

[0133] If the scan and send application 222 determines that "Save Settings" of the scan and send application is enabled ("YES" in S1012), the scan and send application 222 proceeds with the process to S513. In S513, the scan and send application 222 stores the currently changed setting value in HDD 105. Meanwhile, if the scan and send application 222 determines that "Save Settings" of the scan and send application is disabled ("NO" in S1012), S513 is skipped and the process returns to S508.

[0134] Next, the scan and send application 222 Figure 10A and Figure 10B In the case where it is determined in S509 that the type of user operation obtained is "save settings", Figure 10A 、 10B Chinese alternative Figure 5A and Figure 5B The processing of S514 to S519 in the above is performed while the processing of S1014, S1015, S516, S517, S1018 and S1019 is performed.

[0135] In S1014, the scan and transmit application 222 displays the display on the touch panel of the operation display unit 107 via the screen control unit 211. Figure 9 The save setting screen 900 of the present embodiment is displayed as a popup window. Then, the process proceeds to S1015.

[0136] As described above, the save setting screen 900 is a save setting screen in which whether to enable or disable "save settings" can be set for each application. However, it is assumed that the save setting screen 900 displayed in S1014 does not receive changes to the save settings of applications other than the currently executed application. Specifically, since Figure 10A and Figure 10B In the case of the flowchart, the currently executed application is the scan and send application, so the save setting screen 900 is displayed so that only the check box 914 of the scan and send application can be changed between a selected state and an unchecked state. In order to indicate that the check boxes 912 and 913 are unchangeable, these check boxes are displayed while being grayed out, for example.

[0137] In S1015, the scan and send application 222 switches processing based on the user's operation on the save settings screen 900. If the check box 914 is unchecked and the OK button 915 is pressed, the scan and send application 222 determines in S1015 that an operation has been performed to change the "save settings" of the currently executed scan and send application from enabled to disabled. In this case, the scan and send application 222 proceeds to S516.

[0138] In S516, the scan and transmit application 222 updates the setting values of the scan and transmit application 222 stored in the RAM 103 to the initial values. The process then advances to S517.

[0139] In S517, the scan and transmit application 222 updates the setting values of the scan and transmit application 222 stored in the HDD 105 to the initial values. The process then advances to S1018.

[0140] In S1018, the scan and send application 222 updates the value of the "Save Settings" of the scan and send application stored in RAM 103 to a value indicating the changes made by the user via the save settings screen 900. Specifically, if the check box 914 is selected and the OK button 915 is pressed, the value of the "Save Settings" of the scan and send application stored in RAM 103 is updated to a value indicating enabled. If the check box 914 is not selected and the OK button 915 is pressed, the value of the "Save Settings" of the scan and send application stored in RAM 103 is updated to a value indicating disabled. The process then proceeds to S1019.

[0141] In S1019, the scan and send application 222 updates the value of the "Save Settings" of the scan and send application stored in HDD 105 to a value indicating the content selected by the user in the save settings screen 900. Specifically, if the check box 914 is selected and the OK button 915 is pressed, the value of the "Save Settings" of the scan and send application stored in HDD 105 is updated to a value indicating enabled. If the check box 914 is not selected and the OK button 915 is pressed, the value of the "Save Settings" of the scan and send application stored in HDD 105 is updated to a value indicating disabled. Upon completion of S1019, the process returns to S508.

[0142] Meanwhile, if the check box 914 on the save settings screen 900 is changed from unchecked to checked and the OK button 915 is pressed, the scan and transmit application 222 determines in step S1015 that the "save settings" function of the currently executed application is to be changed from disabled to enabled. In this case, steps S516 and S517 are skipped, and steps S1018 and S1019 are executed.

[0143] Furthermore, in the case where the check box 914 is not pressed but the OK button 915 is pressed, the scan and transmit application 222 determines in S515 that an operation of changing “save settings” is not performed. In this case, the process returns to S508.

[0144] According to this embodiment, as described above, it is possible to register for each application whether to set the setting value to the initial value or to store the setting value of the current job so that the setting value is automatically set in the next job. Therefore, in this embodiment, the usability of the image forming apparatus can be further improved.

[0145] Other embodiments

[0146] The embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by reading and executing computer-executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (also more fully referred to as a "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium") to perform one or more functions of the above-described embodiments, and / or a computer of a system or device including one or more cables (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) for performing one or more functions of the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented using a method in which the computer of the system or device, for example, reads and executes the computer-executable instructions from the storage medium to perform one or more functions of the above-described embodiments, and / or controls the one or more cables to perform one or more functions of the above-described embodiments. The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor unit (MPU)), and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read and execute the computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a memory of a distributed computing system, an optical disc (such as a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), or a Blu-ray disc (BD) TM ), one or more of a flash memory device and a memory card, etc.

[0147] While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus configured to execute a job corresponding to an application, the image forming apparatus comprising: a display control unit configured to display, when the image forming apparatus is initially started, a first screen for a user to select whether to enable a save setting, wherein when a user changes a setting value related to the job, the changed setting value is stored in a nonvolatile storage unit; as well as A setting section is configured to automatically perform settings for a job corresponding to the application based on the setting values stored in the storage unit and corresponding to the application when the save setting is selected to be enabled.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein When the user selects the application and selects to enable the save setting, the setting unit automatically performs the setting of the job.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: A storage control section is configured to, when the save setting is selected to be enabled and a user changes a setting value related to a job corresponding to the application while executing the job, store the changed setting value in the storage unit in association with the application.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein When the saving setting is disabled, the setting section automatically performs the setting of the job based on an initial value.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a second display control unit configured to display a second screen that allows a user to change a setting value of a job corresponding to the application to instruct execution of the job; The changed setting value is the setting value changed by the user through the second screen.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein When the user selects the application, the second screen is displayed based on the setting value set by the setting section.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: The second screen includes a button for switching to the first screen.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus configured to execute a job corresponding to an application selected from among a plurality of applications, and The first screen is a screen for the user to select whether to enable the save setting for each application among the plurality of applications.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: A storage control section is configured to, when the save setting of the selected application is enabled and the user changes the setting value of the job corresponding to the selected application, store the changed setting value in the storage unit in association with the selected application.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein When an application is selected from the multiple applications, the setting unit determines whether to enable the saved settings of the selected application, and when the setting unit determines to enable the saved settings, automatically performs settings for a job corresponding to the selected application based on the setting values associated with the selected application among the setting values stored in the storage unit.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a determination unit configured to determine, when the value of the flag is the first value, that the startup is an initial startup during the startup operation; Wherein, when the determination unit determines that the startup is the initial startup, the display control unit displays the first screen, and The value of the flag is a first value at the time of shipment or after an initialization operation, and is changed to a second value when the content of the save setting selected by the user through the first screen is stored.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: Scanner, Here, the application is an application configured to execute a job of transmitting scanned image data obtained by causing a scanner to scan an original document.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein Receives changes to setting values of a job by the user without requiring authentication of the user.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The initial startup of the image forming apparatus is the first startup after shipment.

15. A method for controlling an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus being configured to execute a job corresponding to an application, the method comprising: displaying a first screen for a user to select whether to enable a save setting when the image forming apparatus is initially started, the save setting being a setting in which, when a user changes a setting value associated with the job, the changed setting value is stored in a nonvolatile storage unit; as well as When the save setting is selected to be enabled, the setting of the job corresponding to the application is automatically performed based on the setting value stored in the storage unit and corresponding to the application.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform a method for controlling an image forming apparatus configured to execute a job corresponding to an application, the method comprising: displaying a first screen for a user to select whether to enable a save setting when the image forming apparatus is initially started, the save setting being a setting in which, when a user changes a setting value associated with the job, the changed setting value is stored in a nonvolatile storage unit; as well as When the save setting is selected to be enabled, the setting of the job corresponding to the application is automatically performed based on the setting value stored in the storage unit and corresponding to the application. 17 . A program product that causes a computer to execute the method for controlling the image forming apparatus according to claim 15 .

Images