Image forming device and control method of the same

Abstract

To provide an image forming device that records an image on a roll sheet, in which a touch panel is mounted on an operation part and which can prevent occurrence of defect due to touch operation that is not intended by a user.SOLUTION: An image forming device, which forms an image on a continuous roll sheet, comprises an image forming part that forms an image on the roll sheet attached to an attachment part to which the roll sheet is attached, and an operation part having a touch panel, which receives operation by a user through the touch panel. A home screen, which includes a display area, where a first display that can transfer a display screen by receiving touch operation and displays residual amounts of the roll sheet attached to the attachment part and a second display that disenables touch operation to be made and displays information related to an operation situation of the image forming device is displayed, and a software key for instructing conveying or cutting of the roll sheet, is displayed on the touch panel. On the home screen, the first display is further away from the software key than the second display.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a roll sheet and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a roll sheet, an image is formed on the roll sheet while the roll sheet is being transported. In such an image forming apparatus, an operation unit for receiving instructions from a user is provided, as in the recording apparatus described in Cited Document 1. The operation unit includes a display unit for displaying each menu and operation keys as hardware keys. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-194529 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, there has been a demand for a touch panel that displays hardware keys provided on the operation unit of a conventional recording device as software keys and receives input by a user's touch operation.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for improving user operability when a touch panel is installed in an operation unit of an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a roll sheet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention has the following configuration: An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a continuous roll sheet, A mounting section for mounting the roll sheet; an image forming section that forms an image on the roll sheet that is loaded in the loading section; an operation unit having a touch panel and receiving an operation by a user via the touch panel; The image forming apparatus is provided with a control means for displaying on the touch panel a home screen including a display area that displays a first display, which can transition between display screens by accepting touch operations and displays the remaining amount of roll sheet attached to the attachment section, and a second display, which does not allow touch operations and displays information related to the operating status of the image forming apparatus, and software keys that instruct the transport or cutting of the roll sheet, and is characterized in that on the home screen, the first display is farther from the software keys than the second display. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the display area for instructing a transition to a screen by a touch operation is located away from the software keys for instructing the transport or cutting of the roll sheet, which has the effect of reducing the occurrence of problems related to the transport or cutting of the roll sheet caused by unintended touch operations by the user.

[0008] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components throughout the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a printing system including an image forming apparatus and a host computer according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a control unit that controls the main body of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of a home screen displayed on a touch panel of an operation unit of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of a printing screen displayed on a touch panel of an operation unit of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 11 is a layout diagram of a print stop screen displayed on a touch panel of an operation unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a problem in the related art. [Figure 8] 5 is a view showing an example of a remaining paper amount setting screen displayed on a touch panel of an operation unit of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen with remaining paper amount display displayed on a touch panel of an operation unit of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 6 is a flowchart for explaining display control of a home screen with remaining paper amount display by the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating a roll sheet according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen for setting a display of a remaining amount of paper according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0011] First, the terms used in this embodiment are defined as follows. ·“Formation” In this specification, "formation" does not only mean the formation of meaningful information such as characters or figures. It does not matter whether it is meaningful or insignificant, and whether it is manifested so that humans can perceive it visually or not. It also broadly means the formation of images, patterns, etc. on a recording medium, or the processing of a medium. Furthermore, formation does not matter whether it is manifested so that humans can perceive it visually or not. "Recording media" The recording medium refers not only to paper used in general image forming devices, but also to a wide range of materials that can accept ink, such as cloth, plastic film, metal plates, glass, ceramics, wood, and leather. ·"ink" The term "ink" should be interpreted broadly in the same way as the definition of "formation" above, and refers to a medium containing a recording material that can be applied to a recording medium to form an image, design, pattern, etc., or to process the recording medium, or to treat the ink. It is liquid in terms of physical properties. The ink treatment mentioned above refers to, for example, solidification or insolubilization of the coloring material in the ink applied to the recording medium. ·"nozzle" Unless otherwise specified, the term "nozzle" refers to an ejection port. Inside the nozzle, there is a communicating liquid path and an element that generates energy used to eject ink.

[0012] [Embodiment 1] First, a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a printing system including an image forming apparatus 100 and a host computer 104 according to the first embodiment.

[0014] The image forming apparatus 100 includes an apparatus main body 101 provided with a touch panel 102, and a feed section 103 for mounting and feeding a roll sheet wound into a roll, which is a recording medium. The image forming apparatus 100 prints image data received from a host computer 104 on a label attached to the roll sheet while conveying the roll sheet by a conveying means. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 and the host computer 104 are connected via a printer cable 105. Note that, although the first embodiment shows a configuration in which the image forming apparatus 100 and the host computer 104 are connected by the printer cable 105, they may be connected by wireless communication using Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

[0015] The operation unit 102 displays software keys on an LCD (liquid crystal) panel 102A (FIG. 3) and can accept information input by contact (touch operation) to a touch operation unit 102B (FIG. 3). That is, the operation unit 102 can input information by displaying software keys and detecting that the software keys have been touched. The panel size of the operation unit 102 according to the first embodiment is 480 pixels×272 pixels. The touch operation unit 102B may be of any of a resistive film type, a capacitive type, and an optical type such as infrared. Here, the touch panel module and the liquid crystal module are described as separate bodies, but they may be integrated as long as input by touch operation is possible. In this embodiment, the touch panel refers to one including both the touch panel module and the liquid crystal module. In this embodiment, "displaying on the touch panel" also includes displaying on the liquid crystal module in a structure in which the touch panel module and the liquid crystal module are provided as separate bodies.

[0016] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining a roll sheet M used in this embodiment. The roll sheet used in this embodiment may be a marked roll sheet on which a plurality of marks are regularly placed in the conveyance direction of a sheet that is a recording medium, a continuous roll sheet on which no marks are placed, or a label sheet on which labels are laminated on a roll sheet that serves as a mount. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 11, a roll sheet M on which labels 111 are regularly laminated on a continuous mount 110 will be taken as an example for explanation.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 includes an image forming apparatus main body 101 and a feeding section 103. The feeding section 103 includes a roll sheet holder 10A and a pair of roll sheet conveying rollers 10B. The roll sheet M mounted in the roll sheet holder 10A is placed on the pair of roll sheet conveying rollers 10B, and is supplied to the apparatus main body 101 by the rotational drive of the pair of roll sheet conveying rollers 10B. The apparatus main body 101 includes a conveying section 20 that conveys the roll sheet M, an image forming section 30 that forms an image on a label of the roll sheet, a discharge section 40 that discharges the roll sheet, and a control section 50 (see FIG. 3) that controls the image forming apparatus 100. The apparatus main body 101 also includes a sheet detection sensor 70A and a post-processing sheet detection sensor 80A.

[0018] The conveying section 20 conveys the roll sheet M fed from the feeding section 10 to the image forming section 30 and the discharge section 40 in that order. The image forming section 30 forms an image on the fed roll sheet M. The discharge section 40 cuts the roll sheet M conveyed from the image forming section 30 by the conveying section 20 and discharges it outside the machine. The control section 50 controls the operation of each section of the image forming apparatus 100, such as the feeding section 10, the conveying section 20, the image forming section 30, and the discharge section 40. The configuration of each section will be described in detail below.

[0019] The conveying section 20 has a conveying roller 20A, an endless conveying belt 20B stretched around the conveying roller 20A, and a conveying motor 20C (see FIG. 3) that drives the conveying belt 20B, and is configured to convey the rolled sheet M by the conveying belt 20B. An image forming section 30 is provided at a position facing the conveying surface of the conveying belt 20B that conveys the rolled sheet. A sheet detection sensor 70A is disposed upstream of the image forming section 30 in the sheet conveying direction. The image forming section 30 has a recording head unit 30A and an ink cartridge 30B.

[0020] The recording head unit 30A holds recording heads 30A1, 30A2, 30A3, and 30A4 of each color, each having a plurality of nozzles (6000 in the first embodiment). The recording heads 30A1, 30A2, 30A3, and 30A4 each have a heating element (not shown) built in, and ink is heated by the heating element to eject the ink from the nozzle. The ink cartridges 30B1, 30B2, 30B3, and 30B4 are disposed below the conveyor belt 20B in the device main body 101. The ink cartridges 30B1, 30B2, 30B3, and 30B4 are connected to the recording heads 30A1, 30A2, 30A3, and 30A4 of the corresponding colors by flexible tubes (not shown) or the like, and are configured to supply ink of each color. The maintenance cartridge 30C is a portion for storing ink that is ejected in excess during printing, recovery operations, and the like.

[0021] The sheet detection sensor 70A can detect the leading edge of the rolled sheet M in the transport direction and the position of a mark affixed to the rolled sheet M. This sheet detection sensor 70A detects the leading edge of the rolled sheet M in the transport direction and the presence or absence of a label 111 on the rolled sheet M before image formation by the recording head unit 30A. For this reason, it is disposed at a position upstream of the recording head unit 30A in the transport direction. In the case of the first embodiment, the sheet detection sensor 70A is a reflective sensor having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit disposed on one side of the rolled sheet M transported by the transport belt 20B, and the light irradiated from the light emitting unit toward the transport belt 20B and reflected light is received by the light receiving unit.

[0022] The discharge section 40 also has a cutter unit 40A and a cutting motor 40B (FIG. 3) that drives the cutter unit 40A. The cutter unit 40A has a cutter 40A1 that can cut the roll sheet M and a lifting mechanism (not shown) that can raise and lower the cutter 40A1 in the vertical direction, and is disposed downstream of the recording head unit 30A in the conveying direction. The cutting motor 40B can raise and lower the cutter 40A1 in the vertical direction by driving the lifting mechanism. The cutting motor 40B is driven by the control section 50 (described later) to cause the lifting mechanism to raise and lower the cutter 40A1, so that the roll sheet M can be cut at a position set by the control section 50 or between any images designated by the user.

[0023] The post-processing sheet detection sensor 80A is disposed at a position upstream of the cutter unit 40A in the transport direction and is a reflective sensor like the sheet detection sensor 70A, and is used to detect the leading edge of the roll sheet M in the transport direction and the presence or absence of a label 111 on the roll sheet M. The control unit 50 can determine the cutting position by the cutter unit 40A based on the result of sheet detection by the post-processing sheet detection sensor 80A.

[0024] Next, the control unit 50 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a control unit 50 that controls the apparatus body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0026] The control unit 50 includes a main controller 50A, a driver controller 50B, a ROM 50C, a RAM 50D, an image buffer memory 50E, a head driving circuit 50F, a driving circuit 50G, and a sensor circuit 50H.

[0027] The main controller 50A controls the entire image forming apparatus 100 and has a function of storing data in the ROM 50C, a function of controlling data, and a function as a setting unit that changes the operation of the main body based on the setting data. The main controller 50A is connected to the host computer 104 and can exchange signals with the host computer 104. The ROM 50C is a memory that is connected to the main controller 50A and stores control programs, and the CPU 300 operates as the main controller 50A using the RAM 50D as a working memory. The main controller 50A is also connected to the touch panel 102, and the user can access the functions of the image forming apparatus 100 using the touch operation unit 102B that can recognize that a software key displayed on the liquid crystal panel 102A has been touched and input information.

[0028] The image buffer memory 50E, which serves as a storage means for recording data, includes image buffer memories 50E1, 50E2, 50E3, and 50E4 for each color, Bk (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow). The image buffer memory 50E stores image data in bitmap format for each color transmitted from the host computer 104. The head driving circuit 50F is a driving circuit for driving the heating elements (not shown) built into the recording heads 30A1, 30A2, 30A3, and 30A4 of each color. Here, the recording heads 30A1, 30A2, 30A3, and 30A4 are recording heads that eject inks of Bk (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow). The control unit 50 can form an image using the recording head unit 30A using these configurations. Specifically, a driver controller 50B connected to a main controller 50A controls the driving of the recording head unit 30A via a head driving circuit 50F based on image data stored in an image buffer memory 50E, thereby recording an image.

[0029] The drive circuit 50G can drive the aforementioned conveying motor 20C and cutting motor 40B, and is controlled by the main controller 50A. The sensor circuit 50H includes a sheet detection sensor 70A and a post-processing sheet detection sensor 80A, and the main controller 50A can control the image forming operation, the cutting operation of the roll sheet M, and the like, based on a signal input from the sensor circuit 50H.

[0030] Next, the layout of the display screen displayed on the touch panel of the operation unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0031] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen 400 displayed on the touch panel of the operation unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. This home screen 400 is an example of a screen displayed when the image forming apparatus 100 is waiting for an instruction for image formation to be received. In other words, the home screen 400 in Fig. 4 is a screen displayed when the image forming apparatus 100 is in a standby state in which image formation can be started after the image forming apparatus 100 is powered on.

[0032] The home screen (initial screen) 400 has a header section 401 that displays the status of the image forming apparatus 100, the connection line, and the setting status of special printing, and a shortcut key 402 that displays a screen in which shortcuts for executing functions of the image forming apparatus 100 are registered. In addition, it has an information key 403 that displays help and guidance regarding the image forming apparatus 100, and a menu key 404 that displays an overall menu for selecting each function of the image forming apparatus 100. These keys 402 to 404 are not related to the transport and cutting of the roll sheet M. In addition, it includes a back feed key 405 and a forward feed key 406 related to the transport of the roll sheet M, a cut key 407 that executes cutting of the roll sheet M, and a pause key 408 that temporarily stops the printing process by the image forming apparatus 100. In addition, the home screen 400 includes a consumables remaining amount display section 409 that displays the remaining ink amounts of the installed ink cartridges 30B1, 30B2, 30B3, and 30B4 and the maintenance cartridge 30C, and a counter display section 410 that displays the counter number related to printing.

[0033] 4, before printing is performed, the header section 401 displays "Printing possible," indicating that printing is possible, and the counter display section 410 displays the number of printed sheets as "0," and the number of jobs, which indicates the number of jobs that have been executed, as "0." When printing starts on the home screen 400, the screen transitions to the printing screen 500 in FIG.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a printing screen 500 displayed on the touch panel of the operation unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0035] In the printing screen 500, the back feed key 405, the forward feed key 406, and the cut key 407 displayed in the home screen 400 are not displayed. The header section 401, the pause key 408, the consumables remaining amount display section 409, and the job print number display section 501 are displayed. In the printing screen 500, the shortcut key 402, the information key 403, and the menu key 404 are displayed, but are grayed out or dimmed, and cannot be operated even if touched. The job print number display section 501 displays the number of printed sheets completed from the start of printing to the present time in the current job. The counter display section 410 displays the printing speed, the cumulative number of printed sheets, and the number of jobs that have been printed. When the pause key 408 is touched, printing of the image forming apparatus 100 is temporarily stopped, and the screen transitions to the print stop screen 600 (FIG. 6).

[0036] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a print stop screen 600 displayed on the touch panel of the operation unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0037] The print stop screen 600 includes a header section 401, a shortcut key 402, an information key 403, a menu key 404, a back feed key 405, a forward feed key 406, a cut key 407, and a pause key 408. The print stop screen 600 further includes a print data delete key 601 for deleting print data, and a consumables remaining amount display section 409. In the print stop screen 600, the shortcut key 402, the information key 403, and the menu key 404 are operable, and are therefore displayed in the normal form, similar to the home screen 400. When the shortcut key 402 is touched, the screen transitions to a screen that displays registered shortcuts. When the information key 403 is touched, the screen transitions to a screen that displays help and guidance regarding the image forming apparatus 100. When the menu key 404 is touched, the screen transitions to a menu screen where each function of the image forming apparatus 100 can be selected and executed. When the back feed key 405 is touched, the transport motor 20C is rotated in the opposite direction to the transport direction during printing, causing the transport belt 20B to operate to rewind the roll sheet M. When the forward feed key 406 is touched, the transport belt 20B is operated to transport the roll sheet M in the same way as when printing is in progress, even when printing is not in progress. When the cut key 407 is touched, the roll sheet M is cut at the current transport position of the roll sheet, and the cut roll sheet is discharged outside the apparatus. When the pause key 408 is touched again on the print stop screen 600, the print process by the image forming apparatus 100 is resumed.

[0038] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen 900 with remaining paper amount display displayed on the touch panel of the operation unit 102 of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 9, the same components as those in Fig. 4 described above are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the conventional problem.

[0039] 9, counter display section 410, which displays the counter number related to printing, displays information related to the operating status of image forming apparatus 100. Specifically, remaining paper key 410A, which indicates the remaining amount of paper currently set, total number of printed sheets 410B, which indicates the pages printed at the present time, and number of jobs 410C, which indicates the number of print jobs currently received, are displayed. To indicate that remaining paper key 410A is touchable, touchable area 410D is displayed in a color different from the background color of home screen 700. When remaining paper key 410A is touched, the screen transitions to remaining paper setting screen 800 of FIG. 8.

[0040] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a remaining paper amount setting screen 800 displayed on the touch panel of the operation unit 102 of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0041] This remaining paper amount setting screen 800 can be set to display a warning about the remaining amount of paper or when the remaining amount of paper reaches a specified value (warning setting). The remaining amount of paper 801 indicates the remaining amount of paper currently set. In this case, the remaining amount of paper indicates the remaining number of labels 111 on the backing paper 110. The warning setting 803 is set to issue a warning when the remaining amount of paper reaches this value. When the reset key 802 is pressed, the warning setting 803 is reset to "0".

[0042] This makes it possible to prevent a user from accidentally touching a software key related to the operation of the roll sheet, such as the nearby backfeed key 405, when attempting to touch remaining paper key 410A. This makes it possible to prevent unintended transport operations such as backfeeding or feeding the roll sheet, and cutting operations of the roll sheet, from being performed.

[0043] Next, the effect of this embodiment will be described with reference to a comparative example in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, unlike this embodiment, the remaining paper key 710A is displayed in a position closest to the software keys related to the roll sheet operation (transport operation and cutting operation) including the backfeed key 405 in the display area of ​​the counter display unit 710. The total number of printed sheets 710B, the number of jobs 710C, and the touchable area 710D of the remaining paper key 710A shown in FIG. 7 correspond to 410B, 410C, and 410D in FIG. 9. In the example of FIG. 7, since the remaining paper key 710A is located closest to the software keys, the user may accidentally touch a software key for receiving instructions related to the roll sheet operation when trying to touch the remaining paper key 710A. In this case, the roll sheet is transported or cut as an operation unintended by the user. In particular, in FIG. 7, the remaining paper key 710A is provided in a position close to the backfeed key 405 and the feed key 406. Therefore, when the user tries to touch the remaining paper amount key 710A on the display screen of FIG. 7, there is a risk that the user's finger will touch the backfeed key 405 or the feed key 406 adjacent to the remaining paper amount key 710A. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the remaining paper amount key 410A is located away from the software keys related to the operation of the roll sheet. More specifically, the remaining paper amount key 410A is located at the farthest position from the software keys related to the operation of the roll sheet on the counter display unit 410. This makes it possible to prevent the user from accidentally touching other software keys, particularly software keys related to the operation of the roll sheet, when touching the remaining paper amount key 410A.

[0044] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen for performing display settings for the remaining paper amount display according to the embodiment.

[0045] The paper remaining amount display setting menu screen 1200 is one of the menu hierarchies to which the screen transitions when the menu key 404 is touched on the home screen 900 in FIG. 9, for example, and is arranged under a screen display setting menu (not shown). The header section includes a home key 1201 that allows the user to move from the menu screen to the home screen, and a back key 1202 that moves from the paper remaining amount display setting menu screen 1200 to the previous hierarchical level. The state in FIG. 12 shows a state in which the remaining amount of paper is set not to be displayed. Items other than the paper remaining amount display enable setting 1203 are grayed out and cannot be set. By setting the paper remaining amount display enable setting 1203 to "display" to enable the display, the grayed-out items are released, and the remaining amount of paper can be displayed, for example, as shown in FIG. 9. The contents set in the paper remaining amount display enable setting 1203 are stored in the RAM 50D, and are referenced in the processing described later.

[0046] 10 is a flowchart for explaining display control of the home screen 900 with remaining paper amount display by the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment 1. Note that the processing shown in this flowchart is realized by the CPU 300 of the main controller 50A executing a program stored in the ROM 50D.

[0047] First, in S1001, the CPU 300 judges whether the display of the remaining paper key 410A is valid or not based on the contents of the remaining paper display validity setting 1203 stored in the RAM 50D, and ends this process if it is judged to be invalid. On the other hand, if it is judged to be valid, the process proceeds to S1002, where the CPU 300 displays a home screen in which the remaining paper key 410A is placed below the total number of printed sheets 410B and the number of jobs 410C, as shown in FIG. 9, for example. Then, the process proceeds to S1003, where the CPU 300 judges whether the touchable area 410D of the remaining paper key 410A has been touched, and if it is judged to have been touched, the process proceeds to S1004, where the CPU 300 displays the remaining paper setting screen 800 as shown in FIG. 8, and ends this process. Also, if the touchable area 410D has not been touched in S1003, the process proceeds to S1005, where the CPU 300 judges whether a software key has been touched on the home screen. If it is determined that a software key has been touched, the process proceeds to S1006, where the process corresponding to the touched key is executed, or if no key has been touched in S1005, the process proceeds to S1003.

[0048] In this way, on the home screen that displays the remaining paper amount key 410A, the touchable remaining paper amount key 410A is displayed at a position away from the backfeed key 405 and the forward feed key 406. In the example of FIG. 9, the remaining paper amount key 410A is displayed at a position away from the backfeed key 405 and the forward feed key 406 than the other display areas 410B and 410C. This prevents the user from accidentally touching the nearby backfeed key 405 or the forward feed key 406 when trying to touch the remaining paper amount key 410A, which causes the roll sheet to move unintentionally. This prevents the user from accidentally touching a software key related to the control of the roll sheet when trying to touch the remaining paper amount key 410A, which causes the roll sheet to move unintentionally.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the counter display unit 410 is configured with multiple rows, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the counter display unit 410 may be configured with multiple columns. In such a case, the remaining paper key 410A is displayed in the column farthest from the software keys related to the operation of the roll sheet.

[0050] Furthermore, when only the remaining paper amount key 410A is displayed on the counter display section 410 capable of displaying a plurality of rows or columns, the remaining paper amount key 410A may be displayed in the center row or column.

[0051] In the embodiment, the remaining paper key 410A is an example of a button that displays information and instructs a transition to a screen related to the information when the button is touched, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the total number of printed sheets 410B may be a button, and when the button is pressed, a transition to a screen that displays the number of printed sheets until maintenance is required may be made. In this case, if the setting is such that the total number of printed sheets key 410B is displayed, the display position of the total number of printed sheets key 410B is displayed at a position away from other software keys, similar to the remaining paper key 410A.

[0052] (Other embodiments) 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.

[0053] This specification and drawings disclose the following image forming apparatus and a control method thereof.

[0054] [Item 1] An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a continuous roll sheet, A mounting section for mounting the roll sheet; an image forming section that forms an image on the roll sheet that is loaded in the loading section; an operation unit having a touch panel and receiving an operation by a user via the touch panel; a control means for displaying on the touch panel a home screen including a display area that displays a first display capable of transitioning between display screens by accepting touch operations and that displays a remaining amount of the roll sheet loaded in the loading section, and a second display that does not allow touch operations and that displays information related to the operating status of the image forming apparatus, and software keys for issuing instructions to feed or cut the roll sheet, 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, on the home screen, the first display is located farther from the software keys than the second display.

[0055] [Item 2] The image forming device described in item 1, characterized in that the first display is an area that instructs a transition to a screen related to information displayed on the first display by a touch operation on the first display.

[0056] [Item 3] The image forming device described in item 1 or 2, characterized in that the display area includes a plurality of rows, and the control means controls the first display to be displayed in the row among the plurality of rows that is the farthest from the software key.

[0057] [Item 4] The image forming device according to any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that the display area includes a plurality of columns, and the control means controls the first display to be displayed in the column among the plurality of columns that is the farthest from the software key.

[0058] [Item 5] 5. The image forming apparatus according to item 3 or 4, characterized in that when the display area includes only the first display, the control means controls the first display to be displayed in a row or column approximately in the center of the display area.

[0059] [Item 6] The image forming apparatus described in any one of items 1 to 5, characterized in that the home screen further displays a first software key unrelated to transporting or cutting the roll sheet, and the control means controls the first display to be displayed in a position within the display area closer to the first software key than the software key.

[0060] [Item 7] 7. The image forming apparatus according to item 6, wherein the first software key is a key relating to settings of the image forming apparatus.

[0061] [Item 8] 7. The image forming apparatus according to item 6, wherein the first software key includes at least one of a shortcut key, an information key, and a menu key.

[0062] [Item 9] 7. The image forming apparatus according to item 6, wherein when the display area includes only the first display, the control means controls the first display to be displayed in a position closest to the first software key.

[0063] [Item 10] The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the control means, upon receiving a touch operation on the first display, transitions the touch panel from the home screen to a setting screen for the roll sheet loaded in the loading section.

[0064] [Item 11] 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display area is capable of displaying information relating to a total number of prints or a number of jobs executed in the image forming apparatus.

[0065] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 100...image forming apparatus, 102...operation section, 102A...touch panel, 102B...touch operation section, 103...feed section, 50...control section, 50A...main controller, 50C...ROM, 50D...RAM, 400...home screen, 405...back feed key, 406...forward feed key, 407...cut key, 408...pause key, 409...consumable remaining amount display section, 410...counter display section, 410A...paper remaining amount key, 410B...total number of printed sheets, 410C...number of jobs, 410D...touchable area of ​​paper remaining amount key 410A

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a continuous roll sheet, A mounting section for mounting the roll sheet; an image forming section that forms an image on the roll sheet that is loaded in the loading section; an operation unit having a touch panel and receiving an operation by a user via the touch panel; a control means for displaying on the touch panel a home screen including a display area for displaying a first display capable of transitioning between display screens by accepting touch operations and displaying a remaining amount of the roll sheet mounted in the mounting section, and a second display for disabling touch operations and displaying information related to the operating status of the image forming apparatus, and software keys for issuing instructions to transport or cut the roll sheet, The image forming apparatus, wherein, on the home screen, the first display is located farther from the software keys than the second display.

2. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first display is an area that instructs a transition to a screen related to information displayed on the first display by a touch operation on the first display.

3. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display area includes a plurality of rows, and the control means controls the display of the first display to be in the row among the plurality of rows that is the farthest from the software key.

4. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display area includes a plurality of columns, and the control means controls the display of the first display in the column among the plurality of columns which is the farthest from the software key.

5. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the display area includes only the first display, the control means controls the first display to be displayed in a row or column substantially in the center of the display area.

6. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that the home screen further displays a first software key unrelated to transporting or cutting the roll sheet, and the control means controls the first display to be displayed in a position within the display area closer to the first software key than the software key.

7. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first software key is a key related to settings of the image forming apparatus.

8. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first software key includes at least one of a shortcut key, an information key, and a menu key.

9. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, when the display area includes only the first display, the control means controls the first display to be displayed in a position closest to the first software key.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit, upon receiving a touch operation on the first display, transitions the touch panel from the home screen to a setting screen for the roll sheet loaded in the loading unit.

11. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display area is capable of displaying information relating to a total number of printed sheets or a number of jobs executed in the image forming apparatus.

Images