Electric apparatus, method for storing moving image data of operation screen and program

Abstract

To enable moving image data showing an operation procedure of a user relating to an error occurrence to be easily extracted.SOLUTION: A screen storage processing unit 13 of an electric apparatus 1 generates and stores moving image data of an operation screen displayed on a display 121, specifies a section of the moving image data of the operation screen including moving image data before an error of the electric apparatus 1 occurs in the moving image data, and stores moving image data obtained by deleting the moving image data other than the specified section in a moving image storage area of a storage unit 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric device, a method for storing moving image data of an operation screen, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, information on operations in a UI (User Interface) has been recorded in a log file, and when an error occurs, the operation information at that time has been obtained from the log file to verify the cause of the error.

[0003] Also, Patent Document 1 has proposed a system that enables analysis of troubles and malfunctions of a device while viewing a video by outputting the operation content on the screen as a video signal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, an operation log including a video signal is stored in a database from when the user logs in after the device is powered on until the device is powered off. Therefore, if the device is powered on for a long time, the amount of data stored in the database becomes large, and it is not easy to extract the video signal of the user's operation procedure related to the occurrence of an error.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to enable easy extraction of moving image data showing a user's operation procedure related to the occurrence of an error.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above problems, the electrical equipment of the present invention is an electrical equipment, a display unit that displays an operation screen for receiving an operation on the electrical equipment, a processing unit that generates and stores video data of the operation screen displayed on the display unit, specifies a section of the video data that includes the operation screen before the occurrence of an error in the electrical equipment, and stores the video data with the video data outside the specified section deleted in a storage unit; and includes.

[0008] In addition, the method for storing video data of the operation screen of the present invention is a step of displaying an operation screen for receiving an operation on the electrical equipment on a display unit, a step of generating and storing video data of the operation screen displayed on the display unit, a step of specifying a section of the video data that includes the operation screen before the occurrence of an error in the electrical equipment, and storing the video data with the video data outside the specified section deleted in a storage unit; and includes.

[0009] In addition, the program of the present invention is to cause a computer to have a function of displaying an operation screen for receiving an operation on the electrical equipment on a display unit, a function of generating and storing video data of the operation screen displayed on the display unit, a function of specifying a section of the video data that includes the operation screen before the occurrence of an error in the electrical equipment, and storing the video data with the video data outside the specified section deleted in a storage unit; and realizes.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily extract video data showing the operation procedure of the user related to the occurrence of an error.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

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Figure 10

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are subject to various technically preferable limitations for carrying out the present invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

[0013] In the following embodiments, an example in which the electric device of the present invention is an image forming apparatus will be described, but the electric device is not limited to the image forming apparatus.

[0014] (Configuration of Electric Device 1) First, the configuration of the electric device 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the main functional configuration of the electric device 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the electric device 1 includes a control unit 11, a UI (User Interface) 12, a screen saving processing unit 13, a storage unit 14, a transport unit 15, a head drive unit 16, a head 17, a communication unit 18, and the like.

[0015] The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 112, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 113, and the like. The CPU 111 reads out a program corresponding to the processing content from the ROM 113 and expands it in the RAM 112, and centrally controls the operations of each part of the electric device 1 shown in FIG. 1 in cooperation with the expanded program. For example, the control unit 11 executes various functions such as printing, adjustment, and maintenance according to the operation of the operation screen displayed on the display unit 121 by the user. When the execution of one function is completed, the control unit 11 notifies the screen saving processing unit 13 of the end of the function.

[0016] The UI 12 includes a display unit 121 and an operation unit 122. The UI 12 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a touch panel. The display unit 121 displays the operation screens and operation statuses of various functions according to the display control signal from the CPU 111. The operation unit 122 is configured by a touch panel or the like and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the input operation by the user to the CPU 111.

[0017] The screen saving processing unit 13 performs processing related to saving the operation screen, such as generating, saving, and displaying the video data of the operation screen displayed on the display unit 121. In the present embodiment, the screen saving processing unit 13 executes the processing related to saving the operation screen in cooperation with the program stored in the CPU 111 and ROM 113 of the control unit 11 described above. Alternatively, the screen saving processing unit 13 may include a dedicated CPU, ROM, and RAM, and execute the processing related to saving the operation screen in cooperation with the program stored in this CPU and ROM. The screen saving processing unit 13 functions as the processing unit, deletion control unit, and display control unit of the claims of the present application.

[0018] The storage unit 14 is constituted by, for example, an HDD (hard disk drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like. The storage unit 14 stores various data including various setting information related to the electric device 1. Further, the storage unit 14 is provided with a video storage area 141 (storage unit) for storing the video data of the operation screen.

[0019] The conveyance unit 15 conveys the paper fed from a paper feeding unit (not shown) to a position facing the ink ejection surface by the head 17 according to the control by the control unit 11.

[0020] The head driving unit 16 drives the head 17 according to the control by the control unit 11, and causes the head 17 to eject ink. The head 17 is configured to include a plurality of print heads capable of ejecting inks of various colors such as cyan (C; CYAN), magenta (M; MAGENTA), and yellow (Y; YELLOW). The head 17 sprays ink on the paper conveyed by the conveyance unit 15 to perform printing (image formation).

[0021] The communication unit 18 is constituted by a communication control card such as a LAN (Local Area Network) card. The communication unit 18 performs transmission and reception of various data with an external device (for example, a personal computer) connected to a communication network such as a LAN or a WAN (Wide Area Network).

[0022] (Saving operation of the operation screen of Electric Device 1) Next, the saving operation of the operation screen of Electric Device 1 will be described. When the power of Electric Device 1 is turned on, the control unit 11 causes the display unit 121 to display a home screen (not shown). The home screen is the operation screen that is first displayed after the power is turned on. The operation screen is a screen for receiving operations on Electric Device 1 by the user. On the operation screen, for example, various tabs, operation buttons, radio buttons, input fields for numerical values and characters, etc. are provided. The user can display an operation screen related to a desired function on the display unit 121 by operating the operation screen including the home screen and perform an input operation related to the desired function.

[0023] The operation screen displayed on the display unit 121 includes, for example, an operation screen related to at least one of the functions of "Print", "Adjustment", "Maintenance", or "Software Update". Here, the "Adjustment" function includes at least one of image adjustment (e.g., density adjustment, image quality adjustment) or mechanical adjustment (e.g., adjustment of the head 17).

[0024] In addition, the operation screen displayed on the display unit 121 includes a unit setting screen 123, a time setting screen 124, and a saving target setting screen 125. The unit setting screen 123, the time setting screen 124, and the saving target setting screen 125 are screens for setting the processing related to the saving of the operation screen displayed on the display unit 121 in the screen saving processing unit 13.

[0025] Here, when the user operates the operation screen, the operation procedure by the user is displayed on the operation screen. For example, when the user selects a radio button, the selected radio button on the operation screen is displayed as a black circle. When the user inputs a numerical value, the input numerical value is displayed on the operation screen. That is, by generating and saving the video data of the operation screen displayed on the display unit 121, when an error occurs, by reviewing the video data immediately before that, it is possible to confirm whether there was a cause of the error in the user's operation.

[0026] However, if all the video data of the operation screen displayed on the display unit 121 is saved, the amount of data to be saved will become extremely large. Therefore, it is not possible to easily extract the video data showing the user's operation procedure related to the occurrence of an error, that is, the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of an error.

[0027] Therefore, the screen saving processing unit 13 generates video data of the operation screen by dividing it in units of a predetermined time or units of functions, and stores it in the RAM 112. When an error occurs, the screen saving processing unit 13 identifies the section of the video data of the operation screen stored in the RAM 112 that is related to the occurrence of the error, and saves the video data obtained by deleting the video data other than the identified section in the video storage area 141 as a storage unit. The video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of an error is the video data of the operation screen including the time before the occurrence of the error. Whether the unit (video generation unit) for generating the video data of the operation screen is in units of time or units of functions can be set by operating the unit setting screen 123 displayed on the display unit 121.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the setting process executed by the screen saving processing unit 13 when an instruction to save the operation screen is input by the UI 12. Hereinafter, the setting process will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0029] First, the screen saving processing unit 13 causes the display unit 121 to display the unit setting screen 123, and accepts a selection of the unit (video generation unit) for generating the video data of the operation screen (step S1).

[0030] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the unit setting screen 123. As shown in FIG. 3, the unit setting screen 123 is provided with options for selecting units of time or units of functions as the video generation unit. When units of time or units of functions are selected and the Next button 123a is pressed, the screen saving processing unit 13 stores the selected unit as the video generation unit and stores the setting information in the storage unit 14.

[0031] Next, the screen saving processing unit 13 determines whether a time unit is selected as the video generation unit (step S2). When it is determined that a time unit is selected as the video generation unit (step S2; YES), the screen saving processing unit 13 causes the time setting screen 124 to be displayed on the display unit 121 and accepts setting of the time that becomes the video generation unit and the time regarded as the error section (step S3). Then, the screen saving processing unit 13 proceeds to the process of step S5. The time regarded as the error section is the time regarded as the section of the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error, going back from the error occurrence time. That is, the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error is the video data of the operation screen in the section including before the error occurrence time. In the present embodiment, it is the video data of the operation screen in the section from the error occurrence time to the time going back by the time regarded as the error section.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the time setting screen 124. As shown in FIG. 4, the time setting screen 124 is provided with a setting column 124a and a setting column 124b. The setting column 124a is a column for setting the time as the video generation unit. The setting column 124a is provided with an option for selecting the unit (seconds or minutes) of the time as the video generation unit and an input column for the numerical value of the time. The setting column 124b is a column for setting the time regarded as the error section. The setting column 124b is provided with an option for selecting the unit (seconds or minutes) of the time going back from the error occurrence time and an input column for the numerical value of the time. When the setting column 124a and the setting column 124b are input and the setting button 124c is pressed, the screen saving processing unit 13 stores the setting information of the time as the video generation unit and the time regarded as the error section in the storage unit 14. For example, when the setting column 124b is set as shown in FIG. 4, the section of the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error is regarded as the section from the error occurrence time to the time going back 90 seconds from that time.

[0033] On the other hand, when it is determined that a functional unit is selected as the video generation unit (step S2; NO), the screen saving processing unit 13 causes the display unit 121 to display the storage target setting screen 125 and accepts setting of the function to be the storage target of the video data on the operation screen (step S4). Then, the screen saving processing unit 13 proceeds to the process of step S5.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the storage target setting screen 125. As shown in FIG. 5, the storage target setting screen 125 is provided with options for selecting the function to be the storage target of the video data on the operation screen. Note that, on the storage target setting screen 125, a plurality of functions can be selected. When one or more functions are selected and the setting button 125a is pressed, the screen saving processing unit 13 causes the storage unit 14 to store the setting information of the function to be the storage target.

[0035] In step S5, the screen saving processing unit 13 starts recording the operation screen displayed on the display unit 121 based on the set video generation unit (step S5). Note that, in the present embodiment, recording the displayed operation screen means generating the video data of the displayed operation screen and storing it in the RAM 112.

[0036] FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the recording of an operation screen. The horizontal axis in FIG. 6 represents the time axis, indicating that time elapses as it goes to the right. t1 to t2, t2 to t3, t3 to t4, and t4 to t5 each represent an interval divided by a set time unit or function unit. Video data 1 to video data 4 each represent video data of the operation screen generated by dividing by a time unit or function unit. t1 indicates the start time of generation of video data 1. t2 indicates the end time of generation of video data 1 and the start time of generation of video data 2. t3 indicates the end time of generation of video data 2 and the start time of generation of video data 3. t4 indicates the end time of generation of video data 3 and the start time of generation of video data 4. t5 indicates the end time of generation of video data 4 and the start time of generation of video data 5. In FIG. 6, t1 to t2, t2 to t3, t3 to t4, and t4 to t5 are shown at equal intervals, but when the video generation unit is a function unit, it may not be at equal intervals. The same applies to FIG. 9 described later. When the video generation unit is a function unit, the screen saving processing unit 13 sets the time when one function ends as the start time of the next function. That is, when the video generation unit is a function unit, the screen saving processing unit 13 generates video data with the end time of the function immediately preceding the function to be the generation target of the video data as the start time of the function to be the generation target of the video data.

[0037] The screen saving processing unit 13 generates video data of a series of operation screens displayed between t1 and t2 and stores it in the RAM 112 as video data 1. Also, the screen saving processing unit 13 generates video data of a series of operation screens displayed between t2 and t3 and stores it in the RAM 112 as video data 2. Also, the screen saving processing unit 13 generates video data of a series of operation screens displayed between t3 and t4 and stores it in the RAM 112 as video data 3. Also, the screen saving processing unit 13 generates video data of a series of operation screens displayed between t4 and t5 and stores it in the RAM 112 as video data 4. Similarly for the operation screens displayed thereafter, video data of a series of operation screens is generated in the set time unit or function unit and sequentially stored in the RAM 112.

[0038] The screen saving processing unit 13 stores the video data in the RAM 112 in association with the date and time, the length (time) of the video data, and the information on the generation unit (time unit or function unit) of the video data. The date and time are, for example, the start date and time (time) and the end date and time (time) of the generation of the video data. When the generation unit of the video data is a function unit, the screen saving processing unit 13 further stores in the RAM 112 the video data in association with the information indicating which function the video data pertains to.

[0039] When an error occurs in the electrical device 1, the control unit 11 notifies the screen saving processing unit 13 of the occurrence of the error. When an error occurs, the screen saving processing unit 13 executes the saving control process shown in FIG. 7. Hereinafter, the saving control process will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0040] In the saving control process, the screen saving processing unit 13 first determines whether the video generation unit is a time unit (step S11). If it is determined that the video generation unit is a time unit (step S11; YES), the screen saving processing unit 13 proceeds to step S14.

[0041] If it is determined that the video generation unit is not a time unit (step S11; NO), the screen saving processing unit 13 determines whether the video generation unit is a function unit (step S12). If it is determined that the recording unit of the operation screen is not a function unit (step S12; NO), the screen saving processing unit 13 ends the saving control process.

[0042] If it is determined that the recording unit of the operation screen is a function unit (step S12; YES), the screen saving processing unit 13 determines whether the occurred error is an error related to the function to be saved (step S13). If it is determined that the occurred error is not an error related to the function to be saved (step S13; NO), the screen saving processing unit 13 ends the saving control process. When it is determined that the error that has occurred is an error related to the function to be saved (step S13; YES), the screen saving processing unit 13 proceeds to step S14.

[0043] In step S14, the screen saving processing unit 13 specifies the section of the video data of the operation screen stored in the RAM 112 that corresponds to the operation screen where the error has occurred (step S14).

[0044] FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of specifying a section of video data of an operation screen related to the occurrence of an error when the video generation unit is a time unit. When the video generation unit is a time unit, the screen saving processing unit 13 refers to the storage unit 14 and acquires the setting information of the time (TA1) regarded as the error section. Next, the screen saving processing unit 13 specifies, as the section of the video data related to the occurrence of the error, the video data from the time point (t23) that is TA1 time units back from the time (t34) when the error occurred to the error occurrence time. In the example of FIG. 8, the screen saving processing unit 13 specifies the section of the latter half of video data 2 (video data 2') and the former half of video data 3 (video data 3') as the video data related to the occurrence of the error.

[0045] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a method of specifying a section of video data of an operation screen related to the occurrence of an error when the video generation unit is a function unit. When the video generation unit is a function unit, the screen saving processing unit 13 specifies, as the section of the video data related to the occurrence of the error, the section from the start of the video data including the time (t34) when the error occurred to the error occurrence time. In the example of FIG. 9, the screen saving processing unit 13 specifies the section of the video data (video data 3') from the start of video data 3 to the error occurrence time t34 as the video data related to the occurrence of the error.

[0046] Next, the screen saving processing unit 13 determines whether it is necessary to combine the video data (step S15). When the video generation unit is a time unit, the section of video data specified in step S14 may span multiple video data. In this case, the screen storage processing unit 13 determines that it is necessary to combine the video data. When the specified section of video data does not span multiple video data, the screen storage processing unit 13 determines that it is not necessary to combine the video data. When the video generation unit is a functional unit, the screen storage processing unit 13 determines that it is not necessary to combine the video data. This is because when the video generation unit is a functional unit, the specified section of video data does not span multiple video data.

[0047] When it is determined that it is necessary to combine the video data (step S15; YES), the screen storage processing unit 13 combines the multiple video data (step S16) and proceeds to the process of step S17. The screen storage processing unit 13 combines the multiple video data including the section specified in step S14. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 8, the video data 2 including the video data 2' and the video data 3 including the video data 3' are combined.

[0048] When it is determined that it is not necessary to combine the video data (step S15; NO), the screen storage processing unit 13 proceeds to the process of step S17.

[0049] In step S17, the screen storage processing unit 13 cuts out the specified section of video data from the video data including the specified section (step S17). For example, in the case shown in FIG. 8, the portion of the video data 2 before the video data 2' is not the specified section. Also, the portion of the video data 3 after the video data 3' is not the specified section. Therefore, the screen storage processing unit 13 deletes the portion of the video data 2 before the video data 2' and deletes the portion of the video data 3 after the video data 3' to cut out the specified section of video data.

[0050] Next, the screen save processing unit 13 causes the cut-out video data to be saved in the video save area 141 of the storage unit 14 (step S18). The screen save processing unit 13 causes the video save area 141 of the storage unit 14 to save the video data to be saved while associating information such as the date and time, error content, length of the video data, and generation unit (time unit or function unit) of the video data. The date and time are the generation start date and time (time) and the generation end date and time (time) of the video data. When the generation unit of the video data is a function unit, the screen save processing unit 13 causes the storage unit 14 to save the video data while further associating information indicating which function the video data pertains to.

[0051] Next, the screen save processing unit 13 deletes the video data before the cut-out video data from the RAM 112 (step S19), and ends the save control processing.

[0052] The saved video data can be referred to or deleted by the user. For example, when the display of the reference screen 126 is instructed by an operation of the UI 12 by the user, the control unit 11 causes the display unit 121 to display the reference screen 126 by the screen save processing unit 13.

[0053] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the reference screen 126. As shown in FIG. 10, a list 126a of information regarding the video data saved in the video save area 141 of the storage unit 14 is displayed on the reference screen 126. In the list 126a, for example, the video data name, error content, video data length, generation unit, function, etc. of the saved video data are listed. The video data name is represented here by the start date and time of generation of the video data. A play button 126b and a delete button 126c are displayed on the reference screen 126. On the reference screen 126, when information of one video data is selected from the list 126a and the play button 126b is pressed, the screen saving processing unit 13 reads out the selected video data from the video storage area 141 of the storage unit 14. Then, the screen saving processing unit 13 causes the display unit 121 to display the read video data. Therefore, the user can quickly access and check the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error to be confirmed. On the reference screen 126, when information of one video data is selected from the list 126a and the delete button 126c is pressed, the screen saving processing unit 13 deletes the selected video data from the video storage area 141 of the storage unit 14.

[0054] In the conventional technology, an operation log including a video signal is stored in a database from when the user logs in after the device is powered on until the device is powered off. Therefore, it is not possible to easily extract the video signal of the user's operation procedure related to the occurrence of the error to be confirmed. On the other hand, in the electric device 1, the screen saving processing unit 13 stores the operation screen displayed on the display unit 121 as video data in the RAM 112, and at the time of error occurrence, traces back from the error occurrence time to specify the section of the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error. Then, the screen saving processing unit 13 causes the video data obtained by deleting the video data other than the specified section to be stored in the video storage area 141. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily extract the video data showing the user's operation procedure related to the occurrence of the error.

[0055] Note that when the data amount of the video data stored in the video storage area 141 becomes equal to or more than a predetermined percentage of the storage capacity of the video storage area 141, the screen saving processing unit 13 deletes the video data from the video storage area 141 in order from the oldest video data in terms of date and time. Thereby, the data amount of the video data stored in the video storage area 141 can be suppressed to a predetermined percentage of the storage capacity. Also, the screen saving processing unit 13 may delete, at a predetermined timing, the video data stored in the RAM 112 that has passed a predetermined time or more since being recorded.

[0056] As described above, the screen saving processing unit 13 of the electric device 1 generates the video data of the operation screen displayed on the display unit 121 and stores it in the RAM 112. The screen saving processing unit 13 identifies the section of the video data of the operation screen including the time before the occurrence of the error of the electric device 1 among the video data stored in the RAM 112. Then, the screen saving processing unit 13 stores the video data obtained by deleting the video data outside the identified section in the video storage area 141 of the storage unit 14. Therefore, only the video data showing the user's operation procedure related to the occurrence of the error is stored in the video storage area 141 of the storage unit 14. Thus, it becomes possible to easily extract the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error.

[0057] For example, the screen saving processing unit 13 generates the video data of the operation screen by dividing it into predetermined time units or function units. Therefore, when an error occurs, it is possible to easily identify the section of the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error.

[0058] In addition, the screen saving processing unit 13 of the electric device 1, as a setting unit, causes the display unit 121 to display a unit setting screen 123 or the like for the user to set whether the generation unit of the video data of the operation screen is a predetermined time unit or a function unit. Therefore, the user can set whether the generation unit of the video data of the operation screen is a predetermined time unit or a function unit.

[0059] In addition, when the generation unit of the video data of the operation screen is set to a predetermined time unit, the screen saving processing unit 13 of the electric device 1 further causes the display unit 121 to display a time setting screen 124 for setting the time regarded as the section of the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error retroactively from the time when the error occurred. Therefore, the user can set up to what time interval retroactively from the time when the error occurred to be regarded as the section of the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error.

[0060] In addition, when the time regarded as the error interval set by the time setting screen 124 is longer than the time of the generation unit of the video data, the screen saving processing unit 13 combines one or more pieces of video data generated before that with the video data including the image at the error occurrence time. Then, the screen saving processing unit 13 deletes the video data of the section before and after the section specified as the section of the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error from the combined video data and saves it in the video storage area 141. Therefore, only the video data of the section specified as the section of the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error can be saved in the video storage area 141.

[0061] In addition, when the video data of the operation screen is generated in units of functions, the screen saving processing unit 13 deletes the video data of the section after the error occurrence time from the video data including the image at the error occurrence time and saves it in the video storage area 141. Therefore, only the video data of the section specified as the section of the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error can be saved in the video storage area 141.

[0062] In addition, the functions of the electric device 1 include at least one of printing, adjustment, maintenance, and software update. Therefore, when an error occurs in at least one of these functions, the section of the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error is saved in the video storage area 141, so that the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error in that function can be easily extracted.

[0063] In addition, the screen saving processing unit 13 automatically deletes the video data stored in the video storage area 141 from the oldest generation date and time based on the storage capacity of the video storage area 141 as a deletion processing unit. Therefore, the user can save the trouble of deleting the video data.

[0064] In addition, the screen saving processing unit 13 associates information such as the date and time, error content, length of the video data, and generation unit information of the video data with the video data and stores it in the video storage area 141. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily identify the date and time when each video data stored in the video storage area 141 was generated, the error content, the length of the video data, and the generation unit information of the video data.

[0065] In addition, when the generation unit of the video data is a functional unit, the screen saving processing unit 13 further associates information indicating which function the video data pertains to with the video data and stores it in the video storage area 141. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily identify which function the video data stored in the video storage area 141 pertains to.

[0066] In addition, the screen saving processing unit 13, as a display control unit, causes the display unit 121 to display the video data of the operation screen stored in the video storage area 141 in response to a user operation. Therefore, the user can check the video data of the operation screen stored in the video storage area 141.

[0067] Note that the description content in the above embodiment is a preferred example of the present invention and is not limited thereto.

[0068] For example, in the above embodiment, it has been described that the video data of the operation screen displayed on the display unit 121 is stored in the RAM 112, and the video data obtained by deleting the video data other than the above-specified section is stored in the video storage area 141 of the storage unit 14. However, the above embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the storage location of the video data of the operation screen displayed on the display unit 121 and the storage location of the video data obtained by deleting the video data other than the specified section may be within the same storage device (HDD, SSD, etc.). Further, the files of the video data (video data A) of the operation screen displayed on the display unit 121 and the video data (video data B) obtained by deleting the video data other than the specified section may be the same file. For example, in the file of the video data A, the video data other than the specified section may be deleted and overwritten and stored as the video data B.

[0069] Also, for example, in the above description, an example in which an HDD, an SSD, etc. are used as the computer-readable medium of the program according to the present invention has been disclosed, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As other computer-readable media, portable recording media such as CD-ROMs can be applied. Further, a carrier wave is also applied as a medium for providing the data of the program according to the present invention via a communication line.

[0070] In addition, regarding the detailed configuration and detailed operation of each device constituting the electric device, it can be appropriately changed within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0071] 1 Electric device 11 Control unit 111 CPU 112 RAM 113 ROM 12 UI 121 Display unit 122 Operation unit 13 Screen saving processing unit 14 Storage unit 141 Video storage area 15 Conveyor section 16 Head drive section 17 Head 18 Communication section

Claims

1. An electrical device, comprising: a display unit that displays an operation screen for receiving an operation on the electrical device; a processing unit that generates and stores video data of the operation screen displayed on the display unit, identifies a section of the video data of the operation screen including before the occurrence time of an error of the electrical device among the video data, and stores the video data obtained by deleting the video data other than the identified section in a storage unit; The electrical device comprising the above.

2. The processing unit: generates the video data of the operation screen by dividing it in units of a predetermined time or units of functions; The electrical device according to Claim 1.

3. The electrical device according to Claim 2, further comprising a setting unit for a user to set whether the generation unit of the video data of the operation screen is in units of a predetermined time or units of functions.

4. The setting unit: when the generation unit of the video data of the operation screen is set in units of a predetermined time, can further set a time regarded as a section of the video data of the operation screen related to the occurrence of the error retroactively from the time when the error occurred; The electrical device according to Claim 3.

5. The processing unit: when the time set by the setting unit is longer than the time of the generation unit, combines one or more pieces of video data generated before that with the video data including the image at the time when the error occurred, and deletes the video data of the section before the identified section and the video data of the section after the time when the error occurred from the combined video data and stores it in the storage unit; The electrical device according to Claim 4.

6. The processing unit: when the video data of the operation screen is generated in units of functions, deletes the video data of the section after the time when the error occurred from the video data including the image at the time when the error occurred and stores it in the storage unit; The electrical device according to Claim 2.

7. The processing unit: when the generation unit of the video data is in units of functions, generates the video data with the end time of one function before the function to be the generation target as the start time of the function to be the generation target; The electrical device according to Claim 2.

8. The electrical device is an image forming apparatus, and the functions include at least one of printing, adjustment, maintenance, and software update. The electrical device according to Claim 2.

9. A deletion control unit that automatically deletes video data stored in the storage unit from the oldest generation date and time based on the storage capacity of the storage unit. The electrical device according to claim 1.

10. The processing unit For the video data, associate information on the date and time, error content, length of the video data, and generation unit of the video data, and store it in the storage unit. The electrical device according to claim 1.

11. The processing unit When the generation unit of the video data is a functional unit, for the video data, further associate information indicating which function the video data relates to and store it in the storage unit. The electrical device according to claim 10.

12. A display control unit that causes the display unit to display the video data of the operation screen stored in the storage unit in response to a user operation. The electrical device according to claim 1.

13. A step of displaying an operation screen for receiving an operation on the electrical device on the display unit; A step of generating and storing video data of the operation screen displayed on the display unit; A step of specifying a section of the video data of the operation screen including before the occurrence time of an error of the electrical device among the video data, and storing the video data obtained by deleting the video data outside the specified section in the storage unit; A method for storing video data of an operation screen including

14. On a computer A function of causing a display unit to display an operation screen for receiving an operation on an electrical device; A function of generating and storing video data of the operation screen displayed on the display unit; A function of specifying a section of the video data of the operation screen including before the occurrence time of an error of the electrical device among the video data, and storing the video data obtained by deleting the video data outside the specified section in the storage unit; A program for realizing

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