Recording device

Abstract

To appropriately encourage a user to perform an operation to display a code.SOLUTION: An image recording device 101 displaying a two-dimensional code comprises: a display 201; a two-dimensional code key 205 that receives an operation from a user; and an LED 206 that is provided separately from the display 201, and when the display 201 displays a predetermined screen, performs a predetermined notification separately from the display of the predetermined screen. When the two-dimensional code key 205 receives the operation from the user, if the display 201 displays the predetermined screen and the LED 206 performs the predetermined notification, a CPU 301 displays the two-dimensional code, and when the two-dimensional code key 205 receives the operation from the user, if the display 201 displays a screen different from the predetermined screen and the LED 206 does not perform the predetermined notification, the CPU does not display the two-dimensional code.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for controlling a notification unit in accordance with content displayed on a display. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, the displays installed in printers are small in size and often have limited expressive capabilities, so when a user has a question, they have to refer to a paper or electronic manual to resolve the question.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which, by pressing the QR key of an electronic device, a two-dimensional code showing the URL of a manual explanation page corresponding to the content of a command being displayed on the electronic device is displayed on the display of the electronic device. It also describes that, by reading this two-dimensional code with a mobile device equipped with a camera, the manual explanation page stored at the URL link destination is displayed on the browser of the mobile device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-99800 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the technology related to code display as described in Patent Document 1, the degree of necessity for displaying the code varies depending on various conditions such as the state of the device, etc. In this case, it is conceivable that the user may not notice the high necessity for displaying the code, or may perform an operation to display the code when the necessity for displaying the code is low.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique that can appropriately prompt a user to perform an operation to display a code. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A recording device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a recording device having a light-emitting means and a recording means for recording an image on paper, and when a consumable of the recording device goes from a normal state to an error state, the display means displays a first screen for identifying the consumable in the error state, the light-emitting means changes from a lit state to a flashing state, and the display means, upon receiving an instruction from a user to display a predetermined code, displays a second screen different from the first screen and including the predetermined code, and the predetermined code is a code for displaying information from the manual of the recording device on the external terminal by being photographed by a camera of an external terminal. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately prompt the user to perform an operation to display a code. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration and a schematic external configuration. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of an operation panel. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the image recording apparatus. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a generation control process of a two-dimensional code. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing details of a two-dimensional code generation process. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a two-dimensional code correspondence table. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a first operational example. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an operation example 2. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an operation example 3. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an operation example 4. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an operation example 5. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process for checking whether a link to a manual is available. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the present disclosure, and not all of the combinations of features described in the present embodiments are necessarily essential. Note that the same components are described with the same reference numerals.

[0011] <<Embodiment 1>> In this embodiment, when a manual corresponding to a screen displayed on the display unit of the image recording device exists, an example will be described in which a notification unit (e.g., an LED) is used to notify the user of the existence of the manual. In this manner, in this embodiment, the notification unit is provided separately from the display unit, and notification is performed by the notification unit separately from the display of the screen by the display unit. The user recognizes the event (e.g., the existence of a manual page) indicated by the notification by the notification unit (e.g., the lighting of an LED). Then, when the user confirms that the LED is lit, if the user wants to check the manual for the screen displayed on the display unit, he or she performs a predetermined operation on the image recording device. When the user accepts the predetermined operation, the image recording device displays a two-dimensional code indicating the location of the manual page on the display unit. The user can check the corresponding manual on the mobile terminal by reading the two-dimensional code displayed on the display unit with the camera of the mobile terminal.

[0012] <System configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration and a schematic external configuration of an information processing system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system according to the present embodiment includes an image recording device 101, a mobile terminal 105, and a manual server 106. In the present embodiment, the image recording device 101 is described as a Multi Function Printer (MFP), but may be a Single Function Printer (SFP). The image recording device 101 has an operation panel 102, a paper feed unit 103, and a paper discharge tray 104. Paper sheets set in the paper feed unit 103 are transported one by one to a printing unit (not shown in FIG. 1), printed, and discharged from the paper discharge tray 104. The operation panel 102 is a reception unit (input unit) that receives input of setting values ​​or execution commands of processes from a user, and is provided on the outer surface of the image recording device 101.

[0013] 1 shows an example in which a two-dimensional code displayed on an operation panel 102 of an image recording device 101 is read by a mobile terminal 105 such as a smartphone or a tablet. In this example, the two-dimensional code indicates a URL corresponding to a specific address of a manual server 106. The browser of the mobile terminal 105 accesses the address corresponding to the read URL, and the manual page of the manual server 106 is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 105.

[0014] <Explanation of the operation panel> Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the appearance of the operation panel 102, which is an operation unit. As shown in Fig. 2, the operation panel 102 includes a display 201, up and down keys 204, an OK key 202, a back key 203, a two-dimensional code key 205, and an LED 206 (notification unit).

[0015] The up and down keys 204, the OK key 202, the back key 203, and the two-dimensional code key 205 are included in a hard key group 319 (see FIG. 3) described below. The display 201 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the display 201 in this embodiment is smaller than the display screen of the mobile terminal 105. Therefore, the amount of information that the display 201 can display is smaller than that of the mobile terminal 105. The up and down keys 204, the OK key 202, and the back key 203 are keys (buttons) used when selecting or setting a function, etc.

[0016] The two-dimensional code key 205 is a key used to receive a command to generate a two-dimensional code from a user. One example of a two-dimensional code is a QR code (registered trademark). In FIG. 2, "QR" is written on the two-dimensional code key 205 as a notation that it is a two-dimensional code. In the example of FIG. 2, when the two-dimensional code key 205 is pressed, a two-dimensional code corresponding to the display content of the display 201 at that time is generated. The generated two-dimensional code is displayed on the display 201. Note that the code in this embodiment is not limited to a two-dimensional code, and may be a barcode or the like. Also, depending on the display content of the display 201, a predetermined message may be displayed instead of a two-dimensional code. These details will be described later.

[0017] The LED 206 is a notification unit that indicates whether the two-dimensional code key 205 is valid. In this embodiment, the LED 206 is lit when the two-dimensional code key 205 is valid, and is turned off when the two-dimensional code key 205 is invalid. The fact that the two-dimensional code key 205 is valid indicates that when the two-dimensional code key 205 is pressed, the corresponding two-dimensional code can be displayed. When the two-dimensional code key 205 is pressed while the LED 206 is lit, a two-dimensional code that corresponds to the display content of the display 201 at that time is generated.

[0018] <Functional configuration of image recording device> 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the image recording device 101 according to this embodiment. The image recording device 101 has a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a printing unit 304, a scanner unit 305, an interface unit 306, and an operation panel .

[0019] The CPU 301 controls the entire image recording device 101 via a system bus. The ROM 302 stores the program code of the main body, initial value data, and various tables. The RAM 303 is an image buffer that temporarily stores image data read by the scanner unit 305 and print image data sent via the interface unit 306.

[0020] The printing unit 304 is equipped with an inkjet printing engine and prints images stored in the RAM 303 onto printing paper. The scanner unit 305 uses a contact image sensor and performs photoelectric conversion to convert an optically read image into an electrical image signal. The interface unit 306 performs wireless or wired network communication and is used to send and receive information or commands to and from external devices.

[0021] The operation panel 102 has a display 201, a group of hard keys 319, and an LED 206. The display 201 displays the status of the image recording device 101, various menu screens, main body information of the image recording device 101, and the like. The display 201 also displays two-dimensional codes. The CPU 301 controls the operation panel 102 provided on the outer surface of the image recording device 101. The CPU 301 can display desired information on the display 201 arranged on the operation panel 102, and can monitor user operations on the group of hard keys 319 on the operation panel 102.

[0022] In addition to the various data described above, the ROM 302 of this embodiment stores a "program for controlling the generation of two-dimensional codes," a "two-dimensional code correspondence table," and "product information."

[0023] The "Program for Controlling Generation of Two-Dimensional Code" is a program for causing the CPU 301 to execute the two-dimensional code generation control process (see FIG. 4) described later. The "Two-Dimensional Code Corresponding Table" (see FIG. 5) is information referred to in the process of lighting the LED 206. Also, the "Two-Dimensional Code Corresponding Table" is information referred to in the two-dimensional code generation process as well.

[0024] The "Two-Dimensional Code Corresponding Table" stores a "category" indicating the URL of the link destination corresponding to the screen ID for identifying the display screen displayed on the display. Also, the two-dimensional code corresponding table stores an "error code". The "category" included in the two-dimensional code corresponding table indicates the name of the operation instruction page in the link destination manual. The "error code" included in the two-dimensional code corresponding table indicates the error number of the error handling method explanation page in the link destination manual. The details of the content of the two-dimensional code corresponding table will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0025] "Product information" is information including a "product code" and a "destination". Product information is used as a component of the URL indicating the link destination when generating a two-dimensional code. The "product code" is a number for specifying the model of the image recording apparatus 101. The "destination" is a number for specifying the region to which the product is shipped.

[0026] <Processing of Image Recording Apparatus> In the image recording apparatus 101, various processes are performed. Hereinafter, the description will be centered on the two-dimensional code generation control process. The two-dimensional code generation control process includes the control process of turning the LED 206 on and off, the process in response to the pressing of the two-dimensional code key 205, and the URL generation process.

[0027] <Processing in Response to LED On / Off Control and Pressing of Two-Dimensional Code Key> Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the generation control process of a two-dimensional code in this embodiment. Fig. 4 includes a control process for turning on and off the LED 206 and a process in response to pressing the two-dimensional code key 205. The series of processes shown in the flowchart in Fig. 4 are performed by the CPU 301 expanding the program code stored in the ROM 302 into the RAM 303 and executing it. Alternatively, some or all of the functions of the steps in Fig. 4 may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC or electronic circuit. Note that the symbol "S" in the explanation of each process indicates that it is a step in the flowchart.

[0028] In S401, the image recording device 101 is powered on and the process starts. When the image recording device 101 is powered on, the CPU 301 of the image recording device 101 repeatedly performs the processes from S402 onwards.

[0029] In S402, the CPU 301 displays a predetermined screen on the display 201 in response to a user operation via the operation panel 102. In this example, a screen is displayed on the display 201 in response to a user operation via the operation panel 102, but a screen may also be displayed on the display 201 in response to reception of a print job from an external host device (not shown), for example.

[0030] In S403, CPU 301 refers to the two-dimensional code correspondence table shown in Fig. 5 to determine whether there is a link to a manual corresponding to the screen displayed on display 201. If there is a link to a manual, the process proceeds to S404, and if not, the process proceeds to S405.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the two-dimensional code correspondence table 500. In this embodiment, each screen displayed on the display 201 is assigned a screen ID for identifying the screen. The two-dimensional code correspondence table 500 stores screen IDs, error codes, and categories in association with each other. The categories included in the two-dimensional code correspondence table 500 indicate the names of operation explanation pages in the linked manual. In FIG. 5, a screen ID (ID_1000) that does not have a corresponding category does not have a corresponding manual page (link destination). On the other hand, a screen ID that has a corresponding category has a corresponding manual page. A character string that corresponds to a manual page in the manual server 106 is written in the category.

[0032] In S403, CPU 301 refers to two-dimensional code correspondence table 500, and if there is a category corresponding to the screen ID, determines that there is a link to a manual. The categories in two-dimensional code correspondence table 500 include an "ERR" category, which indicates an error. When the category is "ERR", an "error code" is associated and stored. The "error code" is an error number that corresponds to an explanation page in the linked manual on how to deal with the error.

[0033] Returning to FIG. 4, the explanation will be continued. If there is a link to a manual, CPU 301 turns on LED 206 (also called a two-dimensional code lamp) in S404. On the other hand, if there is no link to a manual, CPU 301 turns off LED 206 in S405. Note that if LED 206 is already on when S404 is reached, CPU 301 does not need to control the turning on of LED 206 in S404. Similarly, if LED 206 is already off when S405 is reached, CPU 301 does not need to control the turning off of LED 206 in S405. When S404 ends, the process proceeds to S406. When S405 ends, the process proceeds to S409.

[0034] After turning on the LED 206 in S404, the CPU 301 determines in S406 whether the guide automatic display flag stored in the ROM 302 is ON. The guide automatic display flag is a flag indicating whether to automatically display a guide screen, and is initially set to ON. If the guide automatic display flag is ON, the process proceeds to S407, where the CPU 301 displays the guide screen. The guide screen is a screen that explains operation guide for the LED 206 and the two-dimensional code key 205. The guide screen is, for example, a screen (see FIG. 9) that explains that "when the LED 206 is turned on and the two-dimensional code key 205 is pressed, a two-dimensional code for manual display is displayed." Details of the guide screen will be described later. After displaying the guide screen in S407, the CPU 301 sets the guide automatic display flag to OFF in S408. Then, the process proceeds to S409. On the other hand, if it is determined in S406 that the guide automatic display flag is not ON, the process proceeds to S409.

[0035] As described above, the guide automatic display flag is initially set to ON. For example, when the LED 206 lights up for the first time after the user purchases the image recording device 101, the guide screen is displayed. This makes it possible to present the user with a functional explanation and an operating explanation of the two-dimensional code key 205 and the LED 206 when the user operates the image recording device 101 for the first time. On the other hand, displaying the guide screen every time is cumbersome, and reduces the operability for the user. By turning the guide automatic display flag OFF after displaying the guide screen for the first time, the operability for the user can be improved.

[0036] In S409, the CPU 301 determines whether the two-dimensional code key 205 has been pressed. If the two-dimensional code key 205 has been pressed, the process proceeds to S410. If not, the process proceeds to S414. In S410, the CPU 301 determines whether the LED 206 (two-dimensional code lamp) is on. If the LED 206 is on, the process proceeds to S411, and if the LED 206 is not on, the process proceeds to S413.

[0037] If LED 206 is on, CPU 301 performs a two-dimensional code generation process in S411. The generated two-dimensional code is a code representing a URL for accessing a manual page corresponding to the screen displayed on display 201. The two-dimensional code generation process will be described in detail later. Then, in S412, CPU 301 displays the generated two-dimensional code on display 201. Then, the process proceeds to S414. The user uses mobile terminal 105 to view the manual page corresponding to the URL indicated by the two-dimensional code.

[0038] On the other hand, when the two-dimensional code key 205 is pressed in S409, if the two-dimensional code lamp (LED 206) is not lit, the process proceeds to S413, where the CPU 301 displays a guide screen similar to that of S407. The user is expected to understand the functional and operational instructions of the LED 206 and the two-dimensional code key 205, but may forget them. In other words, even if the user presses the two-dimensional code key 205 when the LED 206 is not lit, the two-dimensional code is not displayed on the display 201 because there is no corresponding manual page. In order to notify the user of such operational instructions again for confirmation, a guide screen is displayed on the display 201 in S413. After that, the process proceeds to S414.

[0039] In S414, CPU 301 determines whether or not a screen transition will occur. If a screen transition will occur, the process returns to S402, and if a screen transition will not occur, the process proceeds to S414. For example, after a two-dimensional code is displayed in S412, if a user who has completed checking the manual page operates hard keys 319, the screen transitions from the screen displaying the two-dimensional code to the screen before the two-dimensional code was displayed. If a user operates hard keys 319 while a guide screen is displayed in S413, the screen transitions to the screen before the guide screen was displayed. In addition, a screen transition may occur in response to an operation of hard keys 319, or may occur when a predetermined event or the like is triggered. In S414, if the power is not turned off, CPU 301 returns to S409 and repeats the process, and if the power is turned off, the process of this flowchart ends.

[0040] This concludes the description of the two-dimensional code generation control process. In the process of S410, the CPU 301 determines whether the LED 206 is on or not. However, the CPU 301 may refer to the two-dimensional code correspondence table 500 to determine whether there is a link to a manual.

[0041] In this way, the display 201 can appropriately switch between a plurality of screens as a predetermined screen on which the manual exists. When the two-dimensional code key 205 accepts an operation from the user, the CPU 301 displays the code corresponding to the screen displayed by the display 201, out of the two-dimensional codes corresponding to each of the plurality of screens.

[0042] <2D code generation process> Fig. 6 is a diagram showing details of the two-dimensional code generation process in S411 in Fig. 4. In S601, CPU 301 acquires a category corresponding to the screen ID of the screen displayed on display 201 from two-dimensional code correspondence table 500 shown in Fig. 5. In S602, CPU 301 refers to product information stored in ROM 302 and acquires destination information. In S603, CPU 301 refers to product information stored in ROM 302 and acquires a product code.

[0043] In S604, CPU 301 determines whether the category acquired in S601 is ERR indicating an error. If the category indicates an error, the process proceeds to S605, where CPU 301 acquires a corresponding error code from two-dimensional code correspondence table 500. The error code is used as a parameter when manual server 106 searches for a page corresponding to the error. Then, the process proceeds to S606. Note that if the category is not ERR indicating an error in S604, the process of S605 is skipped.

[0044] In S606, CPU 301 generates a URL by linking the acquired destination information, product code, category, and error code (only if the category is ERR) to a base URL indicating manual server 106. In S607, CPU 301 generates a two-dimensional code by converting the URL generated in S606 into a two-dimensional code.

[0045] <Specific operation example 1> Next, specific operation examples will be described with reference to the drawings. Operation example 1 is an example in which a screen in which the two-dimensional code key 205 is valid is displayed on the display 201. Specifically, it is an example of a situation in which a user is about to carry out maintenance on the image recording device 101.

[0046] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation example 1. When a user presses a button of the hard key group 319 to perform maintenance of the image recording device 101, a maintenance menu screen as shown in FIG. 7(a) is displayed on the display 201. The screen ID of the screen shown in FIG. 7(a) is assumed to be "ID_1002". In the two-dimensional code correspondence table 500 in FIG. 5, the category corresponding to the screen ID "ID_1002" is "MAINTE". That is, in this example, there is a category corresponding to the screen ID of the screen displayed on the display 201. Therefore, the LED 206 lights up immediately after the screen in FIG. 7(a) is displayed on the display 201. The timing of lighting the LED 206 does not have to be immediately after the predetermined screen is displayed, and may be simultaneously with the display of the predetermined screen or immediately before switching to the predetermined screen.

[0047] The user checks whether the LED 206 is lit and presses the two-dimensional code key 205. Then, as shown in FIG. 7(b), a two-dimensional code including the URL of a maintenance function explanation page in the manual server 106 corresponding to the product code and the language of the destination is displayed on the display 201.

[0048] After the two-dimensional code shown in Fig. 7(b) is displayed on display 201, the user captures the two-dimensional code with the camera of mobile terminal 105 to read the two-dimensional code. Then, when the browser of mobile terminal 105 accesses manual server 106 indicated by the URL represented by the two-dimensional code, an explanation page of the manual is displayed on the screen of mobile terminal 105, as shown in Fig. 7(c). The explanation page shown in Fig. 7(c) corresponds to the explanation page of the maintenance function menu screen shown in Fig. 7(a).

[0049] In this way, by checking the lighting state of the LED 206, the user can determine whether the screen currently displayed on the display 201 corresponds to the two-dimensional code key 205. Then, by taking an image of the two-dimensional code displayed in response to pressing the two-dimensional code key 205 with the camera of the mobile terminal 105, the user can view the explanatory page of the manual corresponding to the displayed screen.

[0050] <Specific operation example 2> FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation example 2. In the operation example 2, the two-dimensional code key 205 is pressed when the two-dimensional code key 205 is invalid. In FIG. 8(a), a screen showing product information is displayed on the display 201. In the two-dimensional code correspondence table 500, there is no category corresponding to the screen ID of the screen shown in FIG. 8(a). Therefore, when the screen in FIG. 8(a) is displayed on the display 201, the LED 206 is not lit. When the user presses the two-dimensional code key 205 in this state, the guide screen shown in FIG. 8(b) is displayed on the display 201. Note that, for convenience of explanation, FIG. 8(b) shows the contents when the display 201 is fully scrolled. On the display 201 in FIG. 8(b), a message is displayed indicating that when the two-dimensional code key 205 is pressed while the LED 206 is lit, a two-dimensional code for manual display is displayed.

[0051] In this way, the guide screen is displayed, so that the user can confirm the roles of the LED 206 and the two-dimensional code key. Note that the guide screen shown in Fig. 8(b) shows an example of a message in a configuration in which the LED 206 is arranged on the two-dimensional code key 205. If the two-dimensional code key 205 and the LED 206 are arranged at positions apart from each other, a guide screen may be displayed that shows the positional relationship between the two-dimensional code key 205 and the LED 206 and their roles.

[0052] <Specific operation example 3> FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation example 3. In the operation example 3, a guide screen is automatically displayed. A user who purchases the image recording device 101 for the first time does not know what function the LED 206 has. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9(a), when the LED 206 is turned on for the first time, the guide screen shown in FIG. 9(b) is automatically interrupted and displayed on the display 201 without the user's operation. When the user presses any key of the hard key group 319, the screen returns to the original screen. This is also included in the text of the guide display screen shown in FIG. 9(b). By automatically displaying the guide screen when the LED 206 is turned on for the first time, the user can know the functions of the two-dimensional code key 205 and the LED 206 without reading the manual.

[0053] In the above examples, the LED 206 is turned on when a page corresponding to the screen displayed on the display 201 exists, and turned off when the page does not exist. However, the reverse may be done. That is, the LED 206 may be turned off when a page corresponding to the screen displayed on the display 201 exists, and turned on when the page does not exist. The color of the light may be changed. In addition, the control is not limited to turning on and off the LED 206, and any of blinking, turning on, and turning off the LED 206 may be used. In addition, although the LED 206 has been used as an example, other members may be used as an example of an indicator. In addition, as long as it is possible to notify the user that the two-dimensional code key 205 is valid, a notification unit (indicator) other than the LED 206 may be used.

[0054] <Specific operation example 4> FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation example 4. In the operation example 4, a buzzer (alert sound output device) provided separately from the display unit is used as a notification unit instead of the LED 206 to notify the user that the two-dimensional code key 205 is valid. When a buzzer is used, the LED 206 does not have to be provided on the operation panel 102, or the LED 206 may be provided on the operation panel 102, and lighting control of the LED 206 may be performed together with control of the buzzer output sound. The buzzer sound may be output for a predetermined period of time. After the buzzer sound is output, when the user presses the two-dimensional code key 205, the two-dimensional code is displayed on the display 201.

[0055] <Specific operation example 5> FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an operation example 5. In the operation example 5, a pop-up screen is displayed on the display 201 as a notification unit instead of the LED 206. That is, in this case, the display unit and the notification unit are provided as one unit. In this example, as shown in FIG. 11(a), when the screen transitions to one in which the two-dimensional code key 205 is valid, a pop-up message 1101 is displayed as shown in FIG. 11(b) after a predetermined time (two seconds in this example) has elapsed. The pop-up message 1101 (pop-up screen) is displayed by popping up from the bottom of the screen displayed on the display 201. This pop-up message 1101 explains the function of the two-dimensional code key 205, such as "You can refer to the manual by pressing the two-dimensional code key." This allows the user to recognize that the two-dimensional code key is valid. After that, when the user presses the two-dimensional code key 205, a two-dimensional code is displayed on the display 201 as shown in FIG. 11(c). By reading the two-dimensional code with the camera of the mobile terminal 105, a predetermined manual page is displayed on the mobile terminal 105. The display 201 may be a touch panel display, and a two-dimensional code may be displayed when the pop-up message 1101 is pressed.

[0056] As described above, according to this embodiment, the user can determine whether the two-dimensional code key 205 is valid based on the notification by the notification unit (e.g., the lit state of the LED) without actually pressing the two-dimensional code key 205. Therefore, for example, when there is no corresponding explanation page in the manual, that is, when the two-dimensional code key 205 is not valid, the user can be prevented from pressing the two-dimensional code key 205. Also, even a user who operates the device for the first time or a user who is not accustomed to using the device can understand the product specifications, for example, that the two-dimensional code key 205 is valid when the LED 206 is lit. In this way, according to this embodiment, the user can be appropriately prompted to perform an operation to display the code.

[0057] In addition, when the two-dimensional code displayed on the display 201 is read by the mobile terminal 105 and the manual page is displayed on the browser of the mobile terminal 105, the user can also print the contents of the manual page using the image recording device 101.

[0058] Also, in S411 of Fig. 4 (Fig. 6), the process of generating a two-dimensional code has been described, but this is not limiting, and image data of a two-dimensional code previously stored in ROM 302 or the like may be read out in S411. In this case, for example, the "screen ID" shown in Fig. 5 and the file path of the image of the two-dimensional code are associated with each other and stored in ROM 302 or the like. Then, the image of the two-dimensional code is read out by the file path corresponding to the screen ID of the currently displayed screen, and is displayed in S412.

[0059] <<Embodiment 2>> In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which the two-dimensional code correspondence table 500 is stored in the ROM 302 of the image recording device 101. In this case, for example, if the URL of the link destination of the manual changes after the image recording device 101 is sold, it is necessary to rewrite the two-dimensional code correspondence table 500 stored in the ROM 302 of the image recording device 101. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which a separate redirect server is provided in addition to the manual server 106. Then, an example will be described in which information on the URL of the link destination of the manual server 106 is stored in the redirect server.

[0060] <Verification process for the link URL of the manual> FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing performed in the processing of checking whether there is a link destination of the manual in S403 of FIG. 4 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the image recording device 101, the manual server 106, and the redirect server 120 are mutually connected through a network. Note that the image recording device 101 only needs to be able to communicate with the redirect server 120, and the redirect server 120 only needs to be able to communicate with the image recording device 101 and the manual server 106. In other words, the image recording device 101 does not need to be able to communicate with the manual server 106. A series of processing in this embodiment is basically the same as that in the first embodiment, and the following description will focus on the differences. The differences from the first embodiment correspond to the processing in S403 of FIG. 4. In addition, the image recording device 101 in this embodiment does not have the two-dimensional code correspondence table 500. Instead, the redirect server 120 has information equivalent to the two-dimensional code correspondence table 500 (hereinafter, referred to as a management table).

[0061] 12, in S1201, the image recording device 101 performs a screen transition in response to receiving a key operation from the user (corresponding to S402 in FIG. 4). After the screen transition, in S1202, the image recording device 101 transmits the screen ID of the screen displayed on the display 201 to the redirect server 120.

[0062] Upon receiving the screen ID, in S1203, the redirect server 120 refers to the management table it manages and searches for a URL of the link destination of the manual corresponding to the screen ID. The product code and destination information may be sent separately from the image recording device 101 to the redirect server 120, or may be sent from the image recording device 101 together with the screen ID. The redirect server 120 generates a URL of the link destination based on the product code, destination, and category information.

[0063] In S1204, the redirect server 120 accesses the link destination indicated by the generated URL and checks whether the link destination is accessible. In S1205, the redirect server 120 receives a response result from the manual server 106 and determines whether the link destination is accessible. If it is accessible, the redirect server 120 transmits the URL generated in S1206 to the image recording device 101. As a result of the processing in S403, the image recording device 101 can determine that there is a link destination to the manual, and so turns on the LED 206 (two-dimensional code lamp) in S1207 (corresponding to S404 in FIG. 4).

[0064] 4, a two-dimensional code including the URL received by the image recording device 101 in S1206 is generated. Specifically, the process in S607 in FIG. 6 is executed using the URL received in S1206.

[0065] 12 shows the process when there is a link destination. If the redirect server 120 does not receive a response when accessing the manual server 106, it transmits a message to the image recording device 101 indicating that it was unable to access the manual. In response to this, the image recording device 101 determines that there is no manual at the linked destination, proceeds to S405 in FIG. 4, and turns off the LED 206.

[0066] If the redirect server 120 cannot get a response from the manual server 106, it is assumed that the URL of the link destination has been changed. Therefore, if the redirect server 120 cannot get a response from the manual server 106, a system administrator or the like can separately update the management table managed by the redirect server 120 to the appropriate URL.

[0067] As described above, according to this embodiment, even if the URL of the explanatory page of the manual is changed, there is no need to rewrite the ROM 302 of the image recording device 101. Therefore, even if a manual is added after the image recording device 101 is sold, the lighting of the LED 206 can be appropriately controlled.

[0068] <<Other embodiments>> In each of the above-described embodiments, the two-dimensional code is used to access a link destination on the manual server 106, but the present invention is not limited to this. If content corresponding to the screen displayed on the display 201 exists on an external server, a two-dimensional code representing a URL for accessing the content may be used.

[0069] In each of the above-described embodiments, an example has been described in which a two-dimensional code is displayed on the display 201 by the user pressing the two-dimensional code key 205, but the trigger for displaying the two-dimensional code is not limited to this example. For example, the image recording device 101 may have a voice input device, and when the LED 206 is lit, the user may input a predetermined voice operation into the voice input device, thereby causing the two-dimensional code to be displayed on the display 201. Any other accepting unit may be used as long as it is capable of accepting input of a predetermined user operation.

[0070] In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, the image recording device 101 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. A control device having a display unit, the size of which is small or the display capacity of which is limited, may be used.

[0071] The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 101 Image recording device 201 Display 205 2D Code Key 206 LED 301 CPU

Claims

1. A display means; A light emitting means; A recording device having a recording means for recording an image on a sheet, when a consumable of the recording device goes from a normal state to an error state, the display means displays a first screen for identifying the consumable in the error state, and the light emitting means changes from a lit state to a blinking state; the display means displays a second screen, which is different from the first screen and includes the predetermined code, based on receiving an instruction from a user to display the predetermined code; The recording device according to the present invention, wherein the predetermined code is a code for displaying information in a manual for the recording device on an external terminal by photographing the recording device with a camera of the external terminal.

2. A display means; A light emitting means; A recording device having a recording means for recording an image on a sheet, when a consumable of the recording device goes from a normal state to an error state, the display means displays a first screen for identifying the consumable in the error state, and the light emitting means changes from a lit state to a blinking state; the display means displays a second screen, which is different from the first screen and includes the predetermined code, based on receiving an instruction from a user to display the predetermined code; The recording device, wherein the predetermined code is a code for displaying information explaining a maintenance function of the recording device on the external terminal by photographing the external terminal with a camera of the external terminal.

3. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said light emitting means is in said blinking state, and said display means displays said second screen.

4. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instruction from the user is given via a receiving unit provided integrally with the light emitting unit.

5. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the consumables are in a normal state, the display means displays a third screen different from the first and second screens.

6. 5. The recording device according to claim 4, wherein when the light-emitting means is in the lit state, the display means displays a fourth screen different from the first, second and third screens based on an instruction received from a user.

7. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the fourth screen is a screen for informing a user to give an instruction when the light emitting means is in the blinking state.

8. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the error state occurs when the consumable item runs out.

9. 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the consumable item is paper.

10. 10. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting means is an LED.

11. 11. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the left and right ends of the light emitting means is longer than the distance between the top and bottom ends.

12. 12. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording means records an image on the paper by an inkjet method.

13. 13. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display means is a liquid crystal display.

14. 13. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display means is an organic electroluminescence display.

15. 15. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined code is a QR code or a bar code.

16. 2. The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the manual is stored in an external server.

17. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined code includes information on a URL to which the manual is linked.

18. 18. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting means is provided on a predetermined surface of the recording apparatus.

19. 20. The recording apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the predetermined surface is a surface onto which a sheet of paper on which recording has been performed by the recording means is discharged.

20. 20. The recording apparatus according to claim 18, wherein an upper edge of the display means is located above an upper edge of the light emitting means on the predetermined surface.

21. 21. The recording apparatus according to claim 18, wherein a lower edge of the display means is located lower than a lower edge of the light emitting means on the predetermined surface.

Images