Display device, image forming apparatus, and display control method of additional display

Abstract

Provided is a display device or the like capable of improving visibility and readability of a display item displayed in an additional display, and improving user convenience. A display device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a display unit that displays an operation screen including a target; and a control unit that controls the display of an additional display corresponding to the target on the basis of an operation performed by a user on the target, the control unit changing the display mode of the additional display in accordance with the positional relationship between the placement position of the target on the operation screen and the operation position performed by the user on the target.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a display device, an image forming device, and a display control method for an additional display. Background Art

[0002] There is known a technique for displaying information (supplementary information) related to an object as additional display on the screen by hovering or long pressing a mouse button or icon on an operation screen of a display device.

[0003] As a related art, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-123364 is disclosed.

[0004] For example, in Patent Gazette No. 2014-123364, the following content is disclosed: when a tooltip is displayed as an additional display, if the display of the tooltip covers the object item, the display position of the object item is adjusted in a manner such that the display of the tooltip does not cover the object item, and the tooltip represents information related to the object item (target) selected by the user. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a display device or the like that can improve the visibility and readability of display items displayed in an additional display and improve user convenience.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a display device involved in one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it includes: a display unit, which displays an operation screen including a target; and a control unit, which controls the display of an additional display corresponding to the target based on the user's operation on the target, and the control unit changes the display method of the additional display according to the positional relationship between the configuration position of the target on the operation screen and the operation position of the user on the target.

[0007] In addition, an image forming device involved in one embodiment of the present disclosure is characterized in that it includes: a display unit, which displays an operation screen including a target; a control unit, which controls the display of an additional display corresponding to the target based on the user's operation on the target; and an image processing unit, which changes the display method of the additional display according to the positional relationship between the configuration position of the target on the operation screen and the user's operation position on the target.

[0008] In addition, a display control method for an additional display involved in one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it includes: displaying an operation screen including a target; controlling the display of the additional display corresponding to the target based on the user's operation on the target; and changing the display method of the additional display based on the positional relationship between the configuration position of the target on the operation screen and the user's operation position on the target.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a display device or the like that can improve the visibility and readability of display items displayed in an additional display and improve user convenience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 It is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 This is a functional configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus incorporating the display device according to the first embodiment. Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing according to the first embodiment. Figure 4 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example 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 This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing according to the second embodiment. Figure 9 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example according to the second embodiment. Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing according to the third embodiment. Figure 11 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example according to the third embodiment. Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing according to the fourth embodiment. Figure 13 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example according to the fourth embodiment. Figure 14 This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing according to the fifth embodiment. Figure 15 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example according to the fifth embodiment. Figure 16 This is a flowchart illustrating the flow of processing according to the sixth embodiment. Figure 17 It is a diagram for explaining an operation example according to the sixth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiment is an example for describing the present disclosure, and the technical contents described in the claims are not limited to the following description.

[0012] There is known a technique for displaying information (supplementary information) related to an object as an additional display when an object displayed on an operation screen of a display device is selected by a user operation (eg, long pressing of the object).

[0013] Additional displays are known as tooltips, balloons, and other display formats. The additional display can be a rectangular display or a dialog box. Alternatively, the additional display can be displayed as a pop-up window. Below, a rectangular tooltip is described as one form of the additional display.

[0014] Tooltips, as a form of additional display, display information about the target (supplementary information) in a rectangular display area. However, sometimes when the operating screen of the display device is a small screen, such as about 4 inches, and there are multiple pieces of information displayed, it is difficult to display all the information that the user wants to confirm even if tooltips are used.

[0015] In the present disclosure, the following embodiments are used to realize a display device or the like that can improve the visibility and readability of display items displayed in an additional display such as a tooltip, thereby improving user convenience.

[0016] [1. First embodiment] [1.1 Functional Structure] Figure 1 This figure illustrates the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 equipped with a display device 103 according to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, a multifunction peripheral is described as an example of an image forming apparatus 100 equipped with a display device 103. However, the image forming apparatus 100 is not particularly limited as long as it is equipped with the display device 103 according to the first embodiment. For example, it may be a printer, a copier, a FAX (fax) machine, or the like with various limited operating functions.

[0017] Figure 2 (a) is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 . The image forming apparatus 100 includes a control device 101 , a display device 103 , an image processing device 105 , and a printing device 107 . Figure 2Each device shown in (a) may be formed integrally or may be configured by combining a plurality of devices. For example, the image processing device 105 and the printing device 107 may be a single device.

[0018] Figure 2 (b) is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 100. Figure 2 For the functions shown in (b), as long as Figure 2 Each device shown in (a) may have a function as needed.

[0019] The image forming apparatus 100 includes a control unit 11 , a display unit 13 , an operation input unit 15 , a communication unit 17 , a storage unit 19 , and an image forming unit 21 as a functional configuration.

[0020] The control unit 11 controls the image forming apparatus 100 as a whole. The control unit 11 may be composed of one or more processing devices (e.g., a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a System on Chip (SoC)). The control unit 11 implements its functions by reading and executing various programs stored in the storage unit 19.

[0021] The display unit 13 displays various information to the user. The display unit 13 is 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 image forming apparatus 100 (for example, a home screen, a setting screen related to the execution of each job, a history information screen, etc.). The display unit 13 involved in the present disclosure has, for example, a display area of ​​about 4 inches, which is a display area with a relatively small display size compared to a display area of ​​about 10 inches. In addition, the operation screen of the display unit 13 described below has a system area described later and a selection area that displays selectable items by scrolling, and is described as a screen configuration in which the number of selectable items in the selectable area (on one screen) is 5 or less.

[0022] The operation input unit 15 accepts information input from the user and 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 also be configured as a touch panel that can be input via the display unit 13. When the operation input unit 15 is configured as a touch panel, it can detect the user's touch, click, slide operation, etc. on the target displayed via the display unit 13, and obtain coordinate information, pressure-sensitive information, etc. on the touch panel. The acquired coordinate information, pressure-sensitive information, etc. can be used to determine the user's operation position and operation time on the target. In addition, as the input method of the touch panel, for example, common methods such as a resistive film method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, and a capacitive method can be used.

[0023] The communication unit 17 includes either a wired or wireless interface, or both, for communicating with other external terminal devices (not shown) via a network NW, such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, a telephone line, or a fax line. Furthermore, the communication unit 17 may include an interface 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), or wireless USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0024] The storage unit 19 is one or more storage devices that store various programs and data required for the operation of the image forming apparatus 100. The storage unit 19 can be composed of, for example, a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), an SSD (Hard Disk Drive), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or a ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0025] In the first embodiment, the storage unit 19 stores a control program 191 , a display control program 193 , an operation position determination program 195 , and a job control program 197 , and also ensures a screen information storage area 199 .

[0026] The control program 191 is a program read by the control unit 11 when comprehensively controlling the display device 103 and the image forming apparatus 100. The control unit 11 that has read the control program 191 controls the driving of hardware such as the display unit 13, the operation input unit 15, the communication unit 17, and the image forming unit 21.

[0027] Display control program 193 is a program read by control unit 11 when controlling the output of operation screens displayed by display unit 13 and operation input unit 15, which is a touch panel. Control unit 11, having read display control program 193, controls the placement of objects on the operation screen based on screen information related to objects stored in screen information storage area 199, thereby creating operation screens such as the home screen, settings screens related to job execution, and history information screens. Furthermore, control unit 11, having read display control program 193, changes the display mode of additional displays based on the placement of objects on the operation screen and the user's operation position (the position of the user's finger) on the object determined by operation position determination program 195.

[0028] Operation position determination program 195 is a program read by control unit 11 when determining the user's operation position on an object on the operation screen. Control unit 11, having read operation position determination program 195, determines the operation position and operation duration on the object based on coordinate information and pressure-sensitive information obtained from operation input unit 15, which is configured as a touch panel, based on user operations such as touch and drag.

[0029] Job control program 197 is a program read by control unit 11 when executing print jobs such as printing and copying, or jobs related to fax or image transmission. After reading job control program 197, control unit 11 switches to the job mode (print mode, copy mode, fax mode, image transmission mode, etc.) used to execute each job and executes the job. Furthermore, when executing a job, control unit 11 can, as needed, display an operation screen for accepting user input on settings and function selections required for executing the job. Control unit 11 executes the job based on the settings and functions accepted via this operation screen.

[0030] Screen information storage area 199 is a storage area for storing screen information related to objects, layout information for configuring objects to form an operation screen, etc. In addition to screen information related to objects, screen information storage area 199 also contains screen information related to tooltips, which are additional displays for displaying information about the objects (supplementary information).

[0031] The image forming unit 21 includes a printing unit 211 and an image processing unit 213. The printing unit 211 receives paper from the paper feed unit 25, forms an image based on image data on the paper, and then discharges the paper to the paper discharge unit 27. The printing unit 211 can be configured, for example, as a laser printer using electrophotography. In this case, the printing unit 211 forms an image using toner supplied from a toner cartridge (not shown) corresponding to the toner color (e.g., cyan, magenta, yellow, or black).

[0032] The image processing unit 213 generates image data by scanning an original document. The image processing unit 213 can be configured as a scanning device that includes an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CIS (Contact Image Sensor), and includes an automatic document feeder (ADF), a platform for placing and reading the original document, and the like. The image processing unit 213 is not particularly limited in its configuration as long as it is capable of generating image data by reading a reflected light image from an original document image through an image sensor. The image processing unit 213 can also be configured as an interface that can acquire image data stored in a storage medium such as a USB memory or image data sent from an external terminal device (not shown). The image processing unit 213 can also be configured to perform shading correction or concentration correction on the image data input from the scanning device to generate image data for image transmission.

[0033] Furthermore, when the control device 101, display device 103, image processing device 105, and printing device 107 each implement their own functions, the functions described above may be redundant. For example, the display device 103, image processing device 105, and printing device 107 may each include a control unit 11, a storage unit 19, and the like. Alternatively, the control unit 11, the storage unit 19, and the like may be shared by each device.

[0034] [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 an example of a process of changing a display item as an additionally displayed tooltip based on the positional relationship between the arrangement position of an object on the operation screen and the position of an operation performed by the user on the object.

[0035] In addition, Figure 3 The processing described in is the processing executed by the control unit 11 by reading the display control program 193, the operation position determination program 195, etc. Figure 3In the example, it is assumed that a transmission history including a destination is displayed and described on the operation screen. The destination has a [Destination] area that displays the destination of the transmission as a caption and an [Address] area that displays the address information of the transmission destination as a caption.

[0036] The control unit 11 determines whether a user operation is detected in the [Destination] area of ​​the target displayed on the operation screen (step S100). If the control unit 11 determines that a user operation is detected in the [Destination] area, it displays a tooltip with the character string representing the [Destination] as a display item and ends the process (step S100; yes → step S110 → "End").

[0037] On the other hand, when the control unit 11 determines that no user operation in the [Destination] area is detected, it determines whether a user operation is detected in the target [Address] area (step S100; No → step S120).

[0038] When the control unit 11 determines that a user operation in the [Address] area is detected, it displays a tooltip having a character string representing the [Address] as a display item and ends the process (step S120; Yes → step S130 → "End").

[0039] Furthermore, when the control unit 11 determines that no user operation is detected in the [address] area, it determines whether a user operation is detected in the area between the target [destination] area and the [address] area (step S120; No → step S140).

[0040] When the control unit 11 determines that a user operation is detected in the area between the [Destination] area and the [Address] area, it displays a tooltip with character strings representing the [Destination] and [Address] as display items and ends the processing (step S140; yes → step S150 → "End").

[0041] On the other hand, when the control unit 11 determines that no user operation is detected in the area between the [Destination] area and the [Address] area, the control unit 11 ends the process (step S140; No→"End").

[0042] [1.3 Action Example] Before describing an operation example according to the first embodiment, an example of the display size of a tooltip and the number of lines of a character string that can be displayed on the image forming apparatus 100 (display device 103 ) according to the present disclosure will be described.

[0043] Figure 4(a) is a diagram illustrating a tooltip 20a having a display size of 600 px horizontally and 70 px vertically. The tooltip 20a is an example of a tooltip capable of displaying a character string (Japanese phonetic symbols) of "1 line" of 17 characters in full-width format.

[0044] Figure 4 (b) is a diagram illustrating a tooltip 20b having a display size of 600 px horizontally and 110 px vertically (70 px + 40 px). The tooltip 20b is an example of a tooltip capable of displaying a character string of 17 characters, "2 lines," in full-width format.

[0045] Figure 4 (c) is a diagram illustrating a tooltip 20c having a display size of 600 px horizontally and 150 px vertically (110 px + 40 px). The tooltip 20c is an example of a tooltip capable of displaying a character string of 17 characters, ie, "3 lines," in full-width format.

[0046] Figure 4 (d) is a diagram illustrating a tooltip 20d having a display size of 300 px in horizontal width and 70 px in vertical width. The tooltip 20d is an example of a tooltip capable of displaying a character string of 7 characters in full-width format, that is, "1 line".

[0047] Figure 4 (e) is a diagram illustrating a tooltip 20e having a display size of 300 px horizontally and 110 px vertically (70 px + 40 px). The tooltip 20e is an example of a tooltip capable of displaying a character string of 7 characters in full-width format, that is, "2 lines."

[0048] Figure 4 (f) is a diagram illustrating a tooltip 20f having a display size of 300 px horizontally and 150 px vertically (110 px + 40 px). The tooltip 20f is an example of a tooltip capable of displaying a character string of 7 characters, "3 lines," in full-width format.

[0049] For example, in Figure 3 In the case where a tooltip consisting of a character string indicating "destination" and "address" is displayed in step S150 of the flowchart of FIG, in order to make the character string indicating "destination" and the character string indicating "address" easier to visually recognize (read), the number of lines of character strings displayed in the tooltip 20 is changed to two, and the character string indicating "destination" and the character string indicating "address" are displayed in each line. In addition, for example, in this case, "changing the number of lines to two" means: by changing the display of the tooltip 20 from Figure 4The tooltip 20a or 20d (displayed in one line) is switched to the tooltip 20b or 20e (displayed in two lines) to change the display size of the tooltip display area. For example, if the number of lines is changed to three, the tooltip 20 can be changed from Figure 4 The tooltip 20a or 20d (displayed in one line) illustrated in the figure may be switched to the tooltip 20c or 20f (displayed in three lines).

[0050] In the following description, no distinction is made between Figure 4 In the case of each tooltip (20a to 20f) illustrated in FIG, it is simply referred to as the tooltip 20 in the description.

[0051] Figure 5 This figure illustrates an example of the display configuration of an operation screen W10 related to the sending history. The operation screen W10 related to the sending history displays the sending history related to sending jobs such as fax or image sending. For example, it can be accessed from the home screen (not shown) or from an operation screen related to executing individual fax or image sending jobs.

[0052] Such an operation screen W10 includes a system area R10 and a selection area R20 that scrolls and displays selectable items. For example, the system area R10 includes operation buttons such as a home button B10 located in the title portion of the operation screen W10, which receives a screen transition to the home screen (not shown), a trash button B12 that receives an instruction to delete an object, and an OK button B14 that receives an instruction to end the display of the operation screen W10 after reflecting various settings and changes. In addition to a display area that indicates which operation screen the operation screen W10 is for (e.g., "Send History"), the system area R10 can also have a display structure shared by other operation screens (not shown).

[0053] The selection area R20 is located in the main body below the system area R10. In the first embodiment, it is configured to allow selection of five (or fewer) destinations (Destination O10 to O18) as items. For example, when one of the destinations O10 to O18 is selected and an OK button B14 is pressed, the control unit 11 switches the screen to the operation screen for the send operation that applies the [Destination] and [Address] corresponding to the selected destination. The user can then perform fax or image transmission to the [Address] specified in the selected [Destination].

[0054] Each object (e.g., object O10) includes a [Destination] area OR10 and an [Address] area OR12, both of which are operable by the user. The [Destination] area OR10 displays the destination of a transmission job such as fax or image transmission. The [Address] area OR12 displays address information (such as an email address and path information regarding the storage location of image data) specified by the destination of the transmission job such as fax or image transmission.

[0055] Here, when the [Destination] area OR10 and the [Address] area OR12 cannot display the explanatory text string due to the limitation of the display frame of the area and an omission symbol "..." indicating that part of the string is omitted is displayed, it can accept a display instruction of a tooltip to display the omitted string as supplementary information.

[0056] For example, when the [Destination] area OR101 of the object O14 is operated (indicated) by the user, the control unit 11 displays “Legal Department_Shared Folder” as the tooltip 20 as supplementary information to “Legal Department_Shared Folder…”, which supplements the omitted “…” portion.

[0057] Likewise, Figure 6 This is an example of a tooltip displayed by control unit 11 when the user operates (instructs) the [Address] area OR102 of object O12. In this case, control unit 11 displays "James.Oliver@example.com" as supplementary information to "James.Oliver@example...", which supplements the omitted "..." portion.

[0058] exist Figure 5 and Figure 6 In FIG. 1 , an example is shown in which a tooltip 20 with different display items is displayed separately when the user operates any one of the [Destination] area (e.g., [Destination] area OR101) and the [Address] area (e.g., [Address] area R102). On the other hand, for example, the display mode of the tooltip 20 may be changed from [Destination] to [Address] depending on the user's operation position. Figure 4 The tooltip 20a (20d) capable of displaying a character string in one line is changed to a tooltip 20b (20e) capable of displaying a character string in two lines, and the character string is displayed with the number of display lines in the tooltip 20 being set to two.

[0059] Figure 7This is an example of the display configuration of the tooltip 20 displayed by the control unit 11 when the user operates (points) in the intermediate area OR103 between the [Destination] and [Address] areas of the object O14. In this case, the control unit 11 displays the character string representing the [Destination] and the character string representing the [Address] in separate lines ("Legal Department_Shared Folder"￥￥server￥legal) to facilitate identification (readability) of both character strings. Furthermore, in this case, the explanatory text displayed in either the [Destination] or [Address] area only needs to omit a portion of the character string; it is not necessary to omit a portion of the character string in both the [Destination] and [Address] areas.

[0060] in addition, Figures 5 to 7 The illustrated tooltip 20 can be displayed in two different formats depending on the user's operating position. For example, if the user operates near either the [Destination] area or the [Address] area, the control unit 11 displays the tooltip 20 corresponding to the [Destination] area or the [Address] area, respectively. If the user operates near an area intermediate between the [Destination] and [Address] areas, the control unit 11 may also display the tooltip 20 corresponding to both the [Destination] and [Address] areas.

[0061] In addition, the user's operating position may also be moved (for example, from Figure 7 ), the display of the tooltip 20 corresponding to the [Destination] area, the display of the tooltip 20 corresponding to the middle area between the [Destination] area and the [Address] area, and the display of the tooltip 20 corresponding to the [Address] area are switched in sequence.

[0062] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the display item of the tooltip displayed as an additional display can be changed according to the positional relationship between the configuration position of the target on the operation screen and the user's operation position on the target, thereby improving the visibility and readability of the display item displayed in the tooltip.

[0063] [2 Second embodiment] The second embodiment is a method of scrolling the character strings of the display items to display all the character strings when the display items displayed in the tooltip 20 exceed the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 .

[0064] Since the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 incorporating the display device 103 according to the second embodiment can be the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0065] [2.1 Processing Flow] The flow of processing according to the second embodiment will be described. Figure 8 This is a flowchart for explaining a process of scrolling the character strings of the display items to display all the character strings when the display items displayed in the tooltip 20 exceed the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20. Figure 8 The processing described in is the processing executed by the control unit 11 by reading the display control program 193, the operation position determination program 195, etc. Figure 8 In the process described in Figure 3 The processing described in the flowchart will be described by taking as an example the display of the arbitrary tooltip 20 having character strings representing [destination], [address], or both [destination] and [address] as display items.

[0066] The control unit 11 determines whether the display items displayed in the tooltip 20 displayed on the operation screen exceed the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 (step S200 ).

[0067] When the control unit 11 determines that the display items displayed in the tooltip exceed the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 , it scrolls the character strings of the display items to display all the character strings and ends the process (step S200 ; Yes → step S210 → “End”).

[0068] On the other hand, when the control unit 11 determines that the display item displayed in the tooltip does not exceed the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 , it displays the character string as the display item and ends the process (step S200 ; No → step S220 → “End”).

[0069] [2.2 Action Example] Figure 9 This is an example of the display configuration of tooltip 20 displayed by control unit 11 when the user operates (points to) the [Address] area OR104 of object O20. In this case, if it is determined that the display items displayed in the tooltip exceed the display size of the display area of ​​tooltip 20, control unit 11 scrolls the character string associated with "James.Oliver_test_mail..." in any direction indicated by the arrow in the figure, thereby displaying tooltip 20 that can display the entire character string "James.Oliver_test_mail@example.com."

[0070] As described above, according to the second embodiment, based on the effect of the first embodiment, when the display items displayed in the tooltip exceed the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip, the character strings serving as display items can be scrolled to display all the character strings, so that the user can also confirm the undisplayed character strings serving as display items.

[0071] [3. Third embodiment] The third embodiment is a method of changing the display position of a character string serving as a display item when a display item displayed in the tooltip 20 exceeds the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 .

[0072] Since the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 equipped with the display device 103 according to the third embodiment can be the same as that according to the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0073] [3.1 Processing Flow] The flow of processing according to the third embodiment will be described. Figure 10 This is a flowchart for explaining the process of changing the display position of the character string as the display item when the display item displayed in the tooltip 20 exceeds the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20. Figure 10 The processing described in is a processing executed by the control unit 11 by reading the display control program 193, the operation position determination program 195, and the like.

[0074] The control unit 11 determines whether a user operation is detected in the second half of the target displayed on the operation screen (step S300). Here, the second half of the target may be the second half of the area from the display start position to the display end position of the character string in the "Destination" area or the "Address" area of ​​the target, which is simply divided into two equal parts. Alternatively, the second half of the target may be set based on the number of (displayable) characters in the character string including the omitted character "...".

[0075] When the control unit 11 determines that an operation performed by the user is detected in the second half position (area) of the target, it displays the character string representing the second half of the display item [Destination] or [Address] as a tooltip and ends the processing (step S300; yes → step S310 → "End").

[0076] On the other hand, if it is determined that no user operation has been detected in the second half of the target (region), the control unit 11 determines whether a user operation has been detected in the first half of the target (region) (step S300; No → step S320). If it is determined that a user operation has been detected in the first half of the target (region), the control unit 11 displays the first half of the character string representing the display item "Destination" or "Address" as a tooltip and ends the process (step S320; Yes → step S330 → "End").

[0077] On the other hand, when the control unit 11 determines that no user operation is detected in the front half position (region) of the target, the control unit 11 ends the process (step S320; No→"End").

[0078] [3.2 Action Example] Figure 11 (a) is an example of the display configuration of tooltip 20 displayed by control unit 11 when the user operates (points) the second half (area) of the [Address] area OR104 ("James.Oliver_test_mail...") of object O20. Upon detecting the user's operation on the second half (area) of the [Address] area OR104, control unit 11 displays the second half of the display item representing the [Address] ("er_test_mail@example.com") as tooltip 20 in the direction of the arrow in the figure (leftward).

[0079] on the other hand, Figure 11 Figure (b) shows an example of the display configuration of tooltip 20 displayed by control unit 11 when the user operates (points to) the first half of the [Address] area OR104 ("James.Oliver_test_mail...") of object O20. Control unit 11 displays the first half of the display item representing [Address] ("James.Oliver_test_mail@example") as tooltip 20 in the direction of the arrow in the figure (rightward).

[0080] As described above, according to the third embodiment, based on the effect of the first embodiment, when the display item displayed in the tooltip exceeds the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip, by changing the display position of the character string that is the display item displayed in the tooltip according to the user's operation position, the character string displayed in the tooltip can be determined according to the display position of the target that the user wants to display, thereby further improving convenience.

[0081] [4. Fourth embodiment] The fourth embodiment is a method of changing the display start position of a character string according to the type of explanatory text displayed in an object when the display item displayed in the tooltip 20 exceeds the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip.

[0082] Since the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 incorporating the display device 103 according to the fourth embodiment can be the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0083] [4.1 Processing Flow] The flow of processing according to the fourth embodiment will be described. Figure 12 This is a flowchart for explaining the process of changing the display start position of a character string according to the type of explanatory text displayed in the target when the display item displayed in the tooltip 20 exceeds the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20. Figure 12 The processing described in is the processing executed by the control unit 11 by reading the display control program 193, the operation position determination program 195, etc. Figure 12 In the following, an example of a character string related to an e-mail address is described as a type of explanatory text displayed on an object.

[0084] The control unit 11 determines whether the type of the description text of the object displayed on the operation screen is a character string related to an e-mail address (step S400 ).

[0085] If the control unit 11 determines that the target explanatory text type is a character string related to an e-mail address, it displays the character string related to the front of the e-mail address (the front of @) as a tooltip and ends the process (step S400; yes → step S410 → "end"). Generally, since the components (character strings) following the "@" that constitute an e-mail address are often fixed, there is little need to display the character string following the "@" in the tooltip 20. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, if the target explanatory text type is a character string related to an e-mail address, the display of the components following the "@" is omitted, and the character string that constitutes the front of the e-mail address (the front of @) is displayed as the tooltip 20.

[0086] When it is determined that the target explanatory text type is not a character string related to an e-mail address, the control unit 11 changes the display method according to the operation position and ends the process (step S400; No → step S420 → "End").

[0087] [4.2 Action Example] Figure 13This is an example of the display configuration of the tooltip 20 displayed by the control unit 11 when the user operates (points) the [Address] area OR104 ("James.Oliver_test_mail...") of the object O20. When the control unit 11 determines that the type of explanatory text displayed in the [Address] area OR104 of the object O20 is a character string related to an e-mail address, the control unit 11 displays the character string ("James.Oliver_test_mail") related to the leading edge of the e-mail address (the leading edge of the @) as the tooltip 20.

[0088] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the display start position of a character string can be changed according to the type of explanatory text displayed on the object, thereby excluding the display of character strings that are not highly necessary as display items and displaying tooltips.

[0089] [5 Fifth embodiment] In the fifth embodiment, the display format of tooltip 20 is changed based on a user's operation on an object. In the fifth embodiment, if the user's operation duration on an object (the duration of designating the object) exceeds a predetermined time, the size of the display area of ​​tooltip 20 or the font size of the character string is increased or decreased.

[0090] Since the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 incorporating the display device 103 according to the fifth embodiment can be the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0091] [5.1 Processing Flow] The flow of processing in the fifth embodiment will be described. Figure 14 This is a flowchart for explaining the process of enlarging the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 or the font size of the character string when the user's operation time on the target (time of pointing the target) exceeds a predetermined time. Figure 14 The processing described in is a processing executed by the control unit 11 by reading the display control program 193, the operation position determination program 195, and the like.

[0092] The control unit 11 determines whether the user's operation time for the target (time of designating the target) continues for 3 seconds or longer (step S500 ).

[0093] If the control unit 11 determines that the user's operation time on the target (the time of indicating the target) lasts for more than 3 seconds, it gradually enlarges at least one of the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 and the font size of the character string, and ends the processing (step S500; yes → step S510 → "end"). On the other hand, if it determines that the user's operation time on the target (the time of indicating the target) is less than 3 seconds, the control unit 11 ends the processing (step S500; no → "end"). In addition, Figure 14 In the description, the user's continuous operation time is set to 3 seconds (or more), but the continuous operation time is not limited to 3 seconds, it can also be 5 seconds, 10 seconds, etc. As long as the control unit 11 can detect the number of seconds of the user's continuous operation, the operation time is not limited.

[0094] [5.2 Action Example] Figure 15 (a) is a display configuration example in which the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 is enlarged when the user continues to operate (instruct) the [address] area OR104 ("James.Oliver_test_mail ...") of the object O20. Figure 15 In (a), for easy understanding, the character string displayed in the tooltip 20 is expressed by half-width numerals.

[0095] When the [address] area OR104 of the object O20 is operated by the user for a predetermined time or longer, the control unit 11 gradually increases the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 . Figure 15 (a) is that the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 is enlarged to a display size that can display a character string of 34 characters in half-width numerals (equivalent to "3 lines") in accordance with the user's operation for a specified time or longer. Figure 4 (c) is an illustration of the display size of the tooltip 20c or 20f). In addition, Figure 15 (a) is an example of gradually enlarging the display size of the tooltip 20 display area when the user operates for a predetermined time or longer. However, the display size of the tooltip 20 display area may be gradually reduced according to the user's operation time.

[0096] Figure 15 (b) is a display configuration example in which the font size of the character string of the tooltip 20 is enlarged when the user operates (points) the [address] area OR104 ("James.Oliver_test_mail...") of the object O20 for more than 3 seconds. Figure 15 In (b), for easy understanding, the character string displayed in the tooltip 20 is expressed by half-width numerals.

[0097] When the [address] area OR104 of the object O20 is operated by the user for a predetermined time or longer, the control unit 11 gradually increases the font size of the character string of the tooltip 20 . Figure 15 (b) is an example of increasing the font size of the character string of the tooltip 20 from 12 pt to 14 pt, for example, according to the operation (time) performed by the user. Figure 15 (b) is an example of gradually increasing the font size of the character string of the tooltip 20 when the user operates for a predetermined time or longer, but the font size of the character string of the tooltip 20 may be gradually reduced according to the user's operation time. Figure 15 The display size of the display area shown in (a) and Figure 15 The font size of the character string exemplified in (b) may be increased or decreased in both the display area and the font size in response to a user operation performed for a predetermined time or longer.

[0098] As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, when the user's operation time on the target (the time of indicating the target) exceeds the specified time, at least one of the size of the display area of ​​the tooltip and the font size of the character string can be enlarged / reduced, thereby further improving the visibility and readability of the tooltip that the user wants to display.

[0099] [6 Sixth embodiment] The sixth embodiment is another embodiment in which the display format of the tooltip 20 is changed in response to a user operation on an object. In the sixth embodiment, the size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 is changed in response to a user operation on the tooltip 20.

[0100] Since the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 incorporating the display device 103 according to the sixth embodiment can be the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0101] [6.1 Processing Flow] The flow of processing in the sixth embodiment will be described. Figure 16 1 is a flowchart illustrating a process of changing the size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 according to a user operation on the tooltip 20 displayed on the operation screen. Figure 16 The processing described in is a processing executed by the control unit 11 by reading the display control program 193, the operation position determination program 195, and the like.

[0102] After displaying the tooltip 20, the control unit 11 determines whether the tooltip has not been operated by the user for, for example, one second or longer (step S600). If it is determined that the tooltip has not been operated by the user for one second or longer, the control unit 11 starts transparently displaying the tooltip 20 (step S600: Yes → step S610). If it is determined that the tooltip has not been operated by the user for less than one second, the control unit 11 ends the process (step S600: No → "End").

[0103] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether a user operation (e.g., a touch operation) on the tooltip 20 after the transparent display has been started has been detected (step S620). If the control unit 11 determines that a user operation on the tooltip 20 after the transparent display has been started has been detected, the control unit 11 ends the transparent display (step S620; yes → step S630).

[0104] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether a user operation (e.g., a drag operation) on the tooltip 20 has been detected (step S640). If it is determined that a user operation on the tooltip 20 has been detected, the control unit 11 changes the size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 based on the detected operation (drag operation range) and ends the process (step S640; yes → step S650 → "end").

[0105] If the control unit 11 determines that no user operation such as a touch operation on the tooltip 20 after the transparent display has been started has been detected, the control unit 11 ends the display of the tooltip 20 and ends the process (step S620; No → step S660 → "End"). If the control unit 11 determines that no user operation such as a drag operation on the tooltip 20 has been detected, the control unit 11 ends the process (step S640; No → "End").

[0106] [6.2 Action Example] Figure 17 (a) is an example of a display configuration in which the control unit 11 displays the tooltip 20 transparently when it is determined that no user operation has continued for more than 1 second after the tooltip 20 corresponding to the [Address] area OR104 ("James.Oliver_test_mail...") of the object O20 is displayed. Figure 17 The tooltip 20 illustrated in (a) is the tooltip 20 in the third embodiment. Figure 11 The second half of the display item indicating [address] illustrated in (a) ("er_test_mail@example.com") is displayed as a tooltip.

[0107] Figure 17 (b) is from Figure 17This is an example of a display configuration of the tooltip 20 displayed by the control unit 11 when an operation such as a drag operation by the user is detected in the transparent display state (a). Figure 17 (b) is to enlarge the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 to a display size that can display a string of 34 characters in half-width numerals with the number of lines being "3 lines" (equivalent to Figure 4 An example of the display size of the tooltip 20c in (c).

[0108] As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, the size of the display area of ​​the tooltip can be changed according to the user's operation on the tooltip 20 displayed on the operation screen. Therefore, as with the fifth embodiment, the visibility and readability of the tooltip that the user wants to display can be further improved.

[0109] [7 Seventh embodiment] The seventh embodiment is a method of applying at least one of a change in the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 and a change in the font size of a character string as a default setting based on the user authenticated by the user authentication.

[0110] For example, for a user who wants to increase the font size of the character string in the tooltip 20 to improve the readability of the character string, the process of enlarging the font size of the character string described in the fifth embodiment is enabled in the default setting.

[0111] On the other hand, for users who do not want to enlarge the font size of the character string of the tooltip 20 but want to display the entire display area of ​​the tooltip 20, the scrolling display of the character string involved in the second embodiment and the enlargement of the display size of the display area of ​​the tooltip 20 involved in the sixth embodiment are set to be valid in the default settings.

[0112] As described above, according to the seventh embodiment, at least one of the change in the display size of the tooltip display area and the change in the font size of the character string can be applied as a default setting according to the user authenticated by user authentication, thereby achieving highly convenient operation for each user.

[0113] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described 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.

[0114] In addition, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the above-mentioned embodiments have parts described separately, but it goes without saying that they can also be combined and executed within the scope of technical feasibility.

[0115] In the embodiments, the programs running in each device are programs that control the CPU and other devices (programs that enable the computer to function) to implement the functions of the embodiments described above. Furthermore, information processed by these devices is temporarily stored in a temporary storage device (e.g., RAM) while being processed. It is then stored in various ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD, and SSD storage devices and read, modified, or written to by the CPU as needed.

[0116] 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 non-volatile memory card, etc.), an optical recording medium / magneto-optical recording medium (e.g., a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an MO (Magneto 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 reading the program recorded on the recording medium by the computer of the information processing device and executing it by the computer, not only the functions of the above-mentioned embodiment are realized, but also processing is performed together with an operating system or other application programs based on the instructions of the program, thereby realizing the functions of the present disclosure.

[0117] Furthermore, when distributing the program to the market, the program can be stored in a portable recording medium and distributed, or transferred to a server computer connected via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the storage device of the server computer is naturally also included in the present invention.

[0118] In addition, the various functional modules or features of the device used in the above-mentioned embodiments can be installed and executed by a circuit, such as an integrated circuit or multiple integrated circuits. Circuits designed in a manner to implement the functions described in this specification may include: a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an integrated circuit (ASIC) for a specific purpose, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components or a combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or it may be an existing type of processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. The above-mentioned circuit may be composed of digital circuits or analog circuits. In addition, with the advancement of semiconductor technology, when integrated circuit technology that replaces current integrated circuits has emerged, one or more of the methods disclosed in the present invention may also use new integrated circuits based on this technology.

Claims

1. A display device, characterized in that: include: a display unit that displays an operation screen including a target; as well as a control unit that controls display of an additional display corresponding to the target based on a user's operation on the target, The control unit changes a display mode of the additional display according to a positional relationship between a layout position of the object on the operation screen and an operation position of the object by the user.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The control unit changes, as the display form, display items displayed in the additional display.

3. The display device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that As the display method, the control unit changes a display size of a display area of ​​the additional display.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The control unit changes the display format of the character strings constituting a display item that exceeds the display size of the display area for the additional display.

5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein: The control unit scrolls and displays the character string.

6. The display device according to claim 4, wherein: The control unit changes a display position of the character string.

7. The display device according to claim 4, wherein: The control unit changes a display start position of the character string according to a type of explanatory text displayed on the object.

8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The control unit changes at least one of a display area of ​​the additional display and a display size of a character string constituting a display item in response to continuation of the operation performed by the user.

9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The additional display includes a tooltip.

10. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The operation screen includes a system area and a selection area for scrolling and displaying selectable items, and the number of selectable items is 5 or less.

11. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that: include: a display unit that displays an operation screen including a target; a control unit that controls display of an additional display corresponding to the target based on a user's operation on the target; as well as Image Processing Department, The control unit changes a display mode of the additional display according to a positional relationship between a layout position of the object on the operation screen and an operation position of the object by the user.

12. A display control method for additional display, characterized in that: include: Displaying an operation screen including a target; controlling display of an additional display corresponding to the target based on a user's operation on the target; as well as The display mode of the additional display is changed according to the positional relationship between the arrangement position of the object on the operation screen and the operation position of the object by the user.

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