Image formation device

Abstract

To obtain an image formation device that provides program function with good convenience, and a computer program.SOLUTION: A program function management part 31 automatically registers a program, of which setting has been changed after the same has been called, in association with a program as a sub-program (a), and when there is a sub-program corresponding to the program, displays a sub-program key for calling the sub-program on a display device 11a in association with a program key.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] An image forming apparatus has a program function that registers at least one function specified by a user and the setting values ​​for that function specified by the user as one program, and displays a soft key (program key) for calling up the registered programs as a list of programs (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-222298 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a registered program is called, the function and setting values ​​corresponding to that program are selected, but the user can then change the setting values, etc., before causing the image forming device to execute that function.

[0005] If the settings desired by the user have changed between the time the user registers a program and the time the user calls up and uses the program, or if there are multiple similar settings desired by the user, the user will change the settings after calling up the program, as described above.

[0006] In such a case, the user can register a program for each setting individually, but this is not practical because it takes time and effort. In addition, the number of program keys increases, and the program list becomes complicated.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to provide an image forming apparatus and a computer program that provide a program function with good convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a program function management unit that calls a program designated by a user from among programs registered by a program function, a display device that displays a program key for calling the program, and an input device that detects an operation on the program key. The program function management unit (a) automatically registers the program after the setting change as a subprogram in association with the program when a setting change occurs after the program is called, and (b) displays on the display device a subprogram key for calling the subprogram in association with the program key when there is a subprogram corresponding to the program.

[0009] The computer program of the present invention causes a computer in an image forming apparatus, which includes a display device that displays a program key for calling a program registered by a program function, and an input device that detects an operation on the program key, to function as a program function management unit that calls a program designated by a user from among the programs registered by the program function.The program function management unit (a) automatically registers the program after the setting change as a subprogram in association with the program, if a subprogram corresponding to the program exists, on the display device, in association with the program key, and for calling the subprogram. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, an image forming apparatus and a computer program are provided that provide a program function with good convenience.

[0011] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus which is an example of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the operation panel 11 in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the main menu screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the program key list screen. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of sub-program keys displayed on the program key list screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an explanation of sub-program keys displayed on the program key list screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a message notifying the user that a subprogram has been automatically registered. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] Embodiment 1

[0015] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus, which is an example of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus shown in Fig. 1 is a multifunction machine having a print function, an image reading function, and a facsimile function. This image forming apparatus includes an operation panel 11, a communication device 21, a print device 22, an image reading device 23, a facsimile device 24, a storage device 25, and a controller 26.

[0016] The operation panel 11 includes a display device 11a such as a liquid crystal display and an input device 11b such as a touch panel, and displays an operation screen to the user and detects input operations by the user. The display device 11a displays the operation screen to the user, and the input device 11b accepts user operations input by the user.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a front view showing the operation panel 11 in Fig. 1. The operation panel 11 shown in Fig. 2 has hard keys 51 to 55 and a touch panel 56 as an input device 11b. The hard key 51 is a power key, the hard key 52 is a start key, the hard key 53 is a stop / clear key, the hard key 54 is a numeric keypad, and the hard key 55 is a logout key. The touch panel 56 is disposed on the display surface of the display device 11a.

[0018] The communication device 21 is connectable to a host device (not shown) via a network or the like, and performs data communication using a predetermined communication protocol.

[0019] The printing device 22 is an internal device that prints an original image on a printing paper by, for example, an electrophotographic method. The image reading device 23 is an internal device that optically reads an original image from an original and generates image data of the original image. The facsimile device 24 is an internal device that has a receiving function of receiving a facsimile signal and converting the facsimile signal into image data, and a transmitting function of converting the image data into a facsimile signal and transmitting the facsimile signal.

[0020] Moreover, the storage device 25 is a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk drive or a flash memory, and stores data, computer programs, etc. The storage device 25 stores a computer program 41 in advance, and further stores program registration data 42, a setting change log 43, and setting data 44.

[0021] The program registration data 42 includes data indicating a program registered by a program function, and data indicating a subprogram, which will be described later. The program and the subprogram include specific functions designated for the program, among the specific functions that use the above-mentioned internal device, and setting values ​​for the specific functions. The program registration data 42 also includes data that associates the program and the subprogram with each other. The setting change log 43 is a log of setting changes made after the above-mentioned program is called.

[0022] In addition, the controller 26 has a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., which are not shown, and performs predetermined processing by loading a program stored in the ROM or the storage device 25 into the RAM and executing the program with the CPU.

[0023] The controller 26 controls the above-mentioned internal devices to execute various jobs (print jobs, copy jobs, etc.).

[0024] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a main menu screen. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a program key list screen. In this image forming apparatus 1, after a user logs in using the login screen shown in FIG. 2, first, controller 26 displays a main menu screen as shown in FIG. 3. On the main menu screen, icons 101 to 107 of various functions such as copy function and transmission function, and a program icon 108 for displaying a program list screen are displayed. When this program icon 108 is pressed, a list of program keys indicating registered programs is displayed as shown in FIG. 4, for example, and the logged-in user can call up the programs registered for that user by operating program keys 201, 202, and 203.

[0025] In addition, the controller 26 executes a computer program 41 to function as a program function manager 31 .

[0026] The program function management unit 31 calls a program designated by the user from among the programs registered by the program function. When a program is called, the functions and setting values ​​registered in that program are selected, and then the function (job) is executed based on the user's operation.

[0027] Specifically, the program function management unit 31 displays a program key for calling up a program on the display device 11a, detects operation on that program key with the input device 11b, and calls up the program corresponding to the program key whose operation was detected.

[0028] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of sub-program keys displayed on the program key list screen, and Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of explanations of sub-program keys displayed on the program key list screen.

[0029] Furthermore, program function management unit 31 (a) automatically registers the changed program as a subprogram in association with the program if the user manually changes the settings of the program after the program is called, and (b) automatically registers the changed program as a subprogram in association with program key 202 for calling the subprogram on display device 11a, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, if there is a subprogram corresponding to the program.

[0030] Here, this setting change is a change in the set value of a setting item in the program, and the setting items are associated with function types such as the print function, copy function, send function, etc., such as paper type, color / monochrome setting, double-sided / single-sided setting, combined (Nin1) setting, image quality, etc. In particular, setting items for the send function include stamps, electronic signatures, security settings, etc.

[0031] When an operation on the sub-program key 211, 212 is detected by the input device 11b, the program function management unit 31 calls the sub-program corresponding to the sub-program key 211, 212 for which the operation was detected. As with a program, when a sub-program is called, the function and setting values ​​registered in the sub-program are selected, and then the function (job) is executed based on the user's operation.

[0032] 6, program function management unit 31 may also display an explanatory message 221 for sub-program key 211. This explanatory message 221 indicates the difference between the sub-program corresponding to sub-program key 211 and the program corresponding to that sub-program. In this case, when an operation on that sub-program key is further detected by input device 11b, program function management unit 31 calls the sub-program corresponding to the sub-program key on which the operation was detected.

[0033] In this embodiment, when the frequency of the same setting change exceeds a predetermined threshold, the program function management unit 31 automatically registers a subprogram for that setting change in association with the original program. For example, at the end of a predetermined period, the program function management unit 31 identifies the frequency of each setting change made by the user based on the setting change log 43 for the predetermined period, identifies setting changes whose frequency exceeds the threshold, and registers a subprogram for the identified setting change. Note that this frequency is, for example, the number of times a job was executed after the setting change.

[0034] Furthermore, the setting data 44 indicates the correspondence between one or more extraction themes and the setting items corresponding to the extraction themes, and the program function management unit 31 (a) identifies the setting items corresponding to an extraction theme selected by a specific user (such as an administrator) from the one or more extraction themes, and (b) when the value obtained by multiplying the frequency of setting changes for the identified setting item by a predetermined coefficient (>1) exceeds the above-mentioned threshold value, the subprogram may be automatically registered in association with the program.

[0035] Here, for example, the extracted themes are consumable reduction, emphasis on output quality, security, etc. Setting items that correspond to reducing consumables include Nin1 layout printing (setting value: N) and eco printing (setting value: on / off), setting items that correspond to prioritizing output quality include file format (setting value: png, JPEG, etc.) and resolution (setting value: 600 dpi, 1200 dpi, etc.), and setting items that correspond to security include stamp function (setting value: on / off) and confidential document notification (setting value: on / off), etc.

[0036] Specifically, it is determined whether the value obtained by multiplying the frequency of setting changes in which the setting value after the setting change has become a specific value by a predetermined coefficient (>1) exceeds the above-mentioned threshold, and if the value exceeds the above-mentioned threshold, the subprogram is automatically registered in association with the program. For example, if the extraction theme is reducing consumables, it is determined whether the value obtained by multiplying the frequency of setting changes in which the setting value of the setting item "Eco Print" has been turned on has exceeded the above-mentioned threshold (frequency value) by multiplying the frequency of setting changes in which the setting value of the setting item "Eco Print" has been turned off.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, program function management unit 31 does not display sub-program keys 211, 212 before program key 202 is operated, and displays sub-program keys 211, 212 after program key 202 is operated. In other words, a first operation causes sub-program keys 211, 212 to be displayed for program key 202 that is being displayed, and a subsequent operation calls up a program or sub-program corresponding to a key selected from program key 202 and sub-program keys 211, 212.

[0038] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a message notifying the user that a subprogram has been automatically registered. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a subprogram has been automatically registered, program function management unit 31 may display message 231, which notifies the user that the subprogram has been automatically registered, in association with the program key before the program key is operated, as shown in Fig. 7. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the message 231 displays the setting item (setting value) whose setting has been changed.

[0039] Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus will be described.

[0040] (a) Display the program key list

[0041] When a predetermined user operation (such as pressing a program icon 108) is detected, program function management unit 31 displays a list of program keys 201 to 203 indicating registered programs on display device 11a, as shown in FIG.

[0042] When a program key in the list of program keys is pressed, the program function management unit 31 refers to the program registration data 42 to determine whether or not a sub-program is registered in the program of that program key, and if a sub-program is registered in the program of that program key, it displays the sub-program key of that sub-program adjacent to the program key, for example as shown in Figure 5 (for example, in an accordion menu).

[0043] When the subprogram key is pressed, program function manager 31 calls the subprogram of that subprogram key.

[0044] If no subprogram is registered to the pressed program key, program function manager 31 calls the program of that program key.

[0045] (b) Adding a subprogram

[0046] After a program or subprogram is called as described above, if the user changes the settings (changes the setting values) on controller 26 and then the controller 26 executes a function (job) specified by that program or subprogram, program function management unit 31 records the setting changes (the content of the setting changes, the date and time of occurrence, etc.) in setting change log 43 as a setting change for that program.

[0047] Then, the program function management unit 31 identifies the frequency of the same setting change, and if the frequency exceeds a predetermined threshold, stores the program after the setting change as a subprogram, associates it with the program, and stores it in the program registration data 42.

[0048] As described above, according to the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the program function management unit 31 (a) automatically registers the program after the setting change as a sub-program in association with the program when the setting is changed after the program is called, and (b) displays on the display device 11a a sub-program key for calling the sub-program in association with the program key in the event that there is a sub-program corresponding to the program.

[0049] This allows subprograms that reflect setting changes that users frequently make to be automatically registered and displayed together with the original program, so that instead of having to change the settings (changing one or more setting values), the user only has to press the subprogram key, providing a highly convenient program function.

[0050] Embodiment 2

[0051] In the second embodiment, when the above-mentioned setting change is detected at a frequency equal to or greater than a predetermined frequency, the program function management unit 31 notifies the user of a message urging the user to manually change the original program to the changed program. Specifically, this message is displayed on the display device 11a. For example, this message is displayed on a program key list screen. When a program is changed, any subprogram that matches the changed program is automatically deleted.

[0052] Other configurations and operations of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment, so the description thereof will be omitted.

[0053] It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the above-described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages. In other words, such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0054] The present invention is applicable to, for example, an image forming apparatus having a program function. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1. Image forming device 11a Display device 11b Input Devices 31 Program Function Management Department 41 Computer Programs

Claims

1. a program function management section for calling a program designated by a user from among programs registered by a program function; a display device that displays a program key for calling the program; an input device for detecting an operation on the program key, said program function management unit (a) when a setting is changed after said program is called, automatically registers said program after the setting change as a sub-program in association with said program, and (b) when there is a sub-program corresponding to said program, displays on said display device a sub-program key for calling said sub-program in association with said program key; An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program function management section automatically registers the subprogram in association with the program when the frequency of the same setting change exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

3. a storage device that stores setting data indicating a correspondence relationship between one or more extraction themes and setting items corresponding to the extraction themes; the program function management unit (a) identifies the setting item corresponding to an extracted theme selected by a specific user from the one or more extracted themes, and (b) when a value obtained by multiplying the frequency of setting changes for the identified setting item by a predetermined coefficient exceeds the predetermined threshold, automatically registers the subprogram in association with the program; 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the program function management unit (a) does not display the sub-program key before the program key is operated, and displays the sub-program key after the program key is operated, and (b) when the sub-program is automatically registered, displays a message in association with the program key before the program key is operated, informing the user that the sub-program has been automatically registered.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the program function management unit notifies a user of a message urging the user to manually change the original program to the program after the setting change when the setting change is detected more frequently than a predetermined frequency.

6. A computer in an image forming apparatus including a display device that displays a program key for calling up a program registered by a program function, and an input device that detects an operation on the program key, The program function manager functions as a program function manager that calls a program designated by a user from among the programs registered by the program function; said program function management unit (a) when a setting is changed after said program is called, automatically registers said program after the setting change as a sub-program in association with said program, and (b) when there is a sub-program corresponding to said program, displays on said display device a sub-program key for calling said sub-program in association with said program key; A computer program characterized by:

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