Electronic apparatus, control method therefor, and storage medium

Abstract

To enable a user to more effectively utilize a function while suppressing troublesomeness due to display for guiding the function.SOLUTION: A processing unit configured to perform a process of displaying a first screen including a predetermined item, a control unit configured to perform control such that a predetermined function is executed in response to an operation of the predetermined item on the first screen, and a control unit configured to, in a case where an event for displaying the first screen occurs, control to display the first screen without displaying a guide related to the predetermined item when a predetermined condition corresponding to a case where the predetermined item is not operated is not satisfied even if the first screen has been displayed, and a display control unit configured to perform control to display the guide if the predetermined condition is satisfied when an event for which the first screen is to be displayed occurs.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, a control method thereof, a program, and a storage medium, and more particularly to a technique for displaying a guide regarding functions. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, as electronic devices have become more multifunctional, there have been cases where users are unable to fully utilize the functions of the electronic devices because they are unaware of the existence of the functions or how to operate them. In response to this, technology has been proposed that displays a guide to inform users of the existence of functions and how to operate them. Patent Document 1 proposes a technology that takes into consideration the fact that, once users have mastered the operation, continuous display of the operation instructions can be annoying for users. Specifically, the technology discloses a technology that stores the number of times the operation to be guided has been performed, and does not display the guide thereafter if the number of times exceeds a predetermined number. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-86823 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the guide continues to be displayed until the operation to be guided is performed a predetermined number of times, which is annoying for users who are aware of the operation to be guided from the beginning, as the guide is displayed every time until it stops being displayed.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism that enables a user to utilize functions more effectively while suppressing the annoyance caused by displays that guide users through the functions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] a processing means for performing processing to display a first screen including a predetermined item; a control means for performing control so as to execute a predetermined function in response to an operation of the predetermined item on the first screen; When an event that requires the first screen to be displayed occurs, if a predetermined condition corresponding to the predetermined item not being operated even if the first screen has been displayed in the past is not satisfied, control is performed so that the first screen is displayed without displaying a guide regarding the predetermined item; a display control means for controlling the display of the guide when the predetermined condition is satisfied in the event that an event that should display the first screen occurs; An electronic device comprising: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the user can utilize functions more effectively while suppressing the annoyance caused by the display guiding the functions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a data processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an electronic device 101. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the electronic device 101. [Figure 4] 3 is a display example by the application 301. [Figure 5] 3 is a display example by the application 301. [Figure 6] 3 is a display example by the application 301. [Figure 7] 3 is a display example by the application 301. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart of the processing of an application 301. [Figure 9]10 is a flowchart of a customization process performed by an application 301. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart of a function addition process performed by an application 301. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a data processing system according to this embodiment.

[0011] The data processing system 100 includes an electronic device 101, a wireless LAN terminal 102, an image forming device 104, and a cloud server 105, and these various devices are connected via a network 103. A LAN is a local area network.

[0012] The electronic device 101 is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and runs an operating system for small terminals and a program for controlling calls and data communications. The electronic device 101 may also be a personal computer that does not have voice control, location detection control, mobile phone data communications, etc. The electronic device 101 is connected to a network 103 via a wireless LAN terminal 102 that has the functionality of a wireless LAN access point.

[0013] The wireless terminal 102 is a wireless LAN base station with a general network router function, and provides a wireless LAN via Wi-Fi (trademark) within a home, office, or the like.

[0014] The image forming device 104 (image processing device) is a digital multifunction peripheral (MFP) equipped with various job execution functions such as a printer function, a copy function, a scanner function, a fax transmission function, etc. A user can operate the electronic device 101 to instruct the image forming device 104 to execute a job such as printing, scanning, or faxing.

[0015] The cloud server 105 can be connected to the network 103 via the Internet, and performs data management used by the electronic device 101 and the image forming device 104, expansion processing of various functions, and the like.

[0016] The electronic device 101 and the image forming device 104 are capable of short-range wireless communication via wireless signals such as NFC (Near Field Communication) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) (Bluetooth is a trademark). The image forming device 104 has information (such as an IP address or MAC address) for connecting to the image forming device 104 via wireless LAN in an NFC communication unit 210 or a BLE communication unit 211 (described later), and the electronic device 101 acquires the connection information via short-range wireless communication. Then, communication between the electronic device 101 and the image forming device 104 is started based on the acquired information.

[0017] 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the electronic device 101. A controller unit 201 controls various communication units, such as an NFC communication unit 210, a BLE communication unit 211, and a wireless LAN communication unit 212, as well as various UI units, such as a microphone / speaker 213, a display 214, and a touch panel 215. The controller unit 201 also includes a CPU 202, a ROM 203, a RAM 204, a network I / F 205, an audio control unit 206, a display control unit 207, an input control unit 208, and a storage device 209, which are connected by a system bus 216.

[0018] A CPU 202 (Central Processing Unit) controls the entire system of the electronic device 101. A ROM 203 (Read Only Memory) stores an operating system (OS) of the electronic device 101 and application software (hereinafter referred to as applications) that controls calls and data communications. A RAM 204 (Random Access Memory) is a memory for the CPU 202 to execute various programs and is a work memory area in which applications execute programs.

[0019] The storage device 209 is a non-volatile storage device (storage medium) that records various operation mode settings and operation logs that need to be retained even after restarting the electronic device 101. The network I / F 205 is connected to an NFC communication unit 210, a BLE communication unit 211, and a wireless LAN communication unit 212, and controls various wireless communications with the image forming apparatus 104 and the cloud server 105.

[0020] An audio control unit 206 controls the input and output of audio data via a microphone / speaker 213. A display control unit 207 controls the output of image data to be displayed on a display 214. An input control unit 208 controls the input of information instructed by a user via hard keys such as buttons or a touch panel 215. Using these audio control unit 206, display control unit 207, and input control unit 208, various applications executed on the electronic device 101 are provided to the user.

[0021] 3 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the electronic device 101 according to this embodiment. The application 301 is software executed by the CPU 202 of the electronic device 101 and is stored in the ROM 203. In this embodiment, the application 301 is a print application that can issue job instructions such as printing, scanning, and faxing to the image forming apparatus 104.

[0022] A user interface (UI) control unit 302 receives job setting information input by the user via the touch panel 215, and transmits the information to a job setting management unit 305 via an input control unit 208. The UI control unit 302 also receives responses from the job setting management unit 305 and the job control unit 306, and outputs the responses to a display 214 via a display control unit 207.

[0023] The device connection unit 303 establishes near-field wireless communication using NFC or BLE between the electronic device 101 and the image forming device 104, and wireless LAN communication via the network 103. For example, in the case of NFC, the user starts near-field wireless communication by bringing the NFC communication unit 210 of the electronic device 101 and the NFC communication unit of the image forming device 104 close to each other and bringing them into contact. In the case of BLE, the user brings the BLE communication unit 211 of the electronic device 101 and the BLE communication unit of the image forming device 104 close to each other, and the device connection unit 304 determines that they are within a distance where the BLE strength is equal to or greater than a certain strength, thereby starting near-field wireless communication.

[0024] The network control unit 304 transmits job settings, job execution instruction commands, image data, etc. to the image forming apparatus 104 via the network 103. Furthermore, the network control unit 304 receives job setting information stored in the image forming apparatus 104 via the network 103.

[0025] The job setting management unit 305 stores job setting information input by the user via the UI control unit 302 and job setting information received from the image forming apparatus 104 or the cloud server 105 via the network control unit 304 in the RAM 204 or the storage device 209. At this time, the job setting management unit 305 manages this job setting information as "favorites," which are settings that the user frequently uses. The job setting management unit 305 also manages custom job settings stored in the RAM 204 or the storage device 209 when the application 301 is installed, as "presets."

[0026] The job control unit 306 generates job execution instruction information from the job settings such as "favorites" and "presets" registered in the job setting management unit 305, and transmits a job execution request to the image forming apparatus 104 via the network 103. The job control unit 306 also acquires the job execution status and the operating status of the devices such as the scanner 313 and printer 314 from the image forming apparatus 104 via the network 103, and transmits them to the UI control unit 302.

[0027] The customization information management unit 307 associates the display / hide and arrangement order of each function, such as the print function and scan function, displayed on the display 214 by the UI control unit 302 with the identifier of the image forming apparatus 104 and stores the information in the RAM 204 or the storage device 209. At this time, the customization information management unit 307 manages the display / hide and arrangement order of each function as "customization information." The customization information is obtained by the UI control unit 302 from editing content input by the user on the display 214.

[0028] 4 to 7 show examples of various screen displays that are displayed on the display 214 of the electronic device 101 by the application 301. FIG.

[0029] 4(a) is a display example of a home screen 400 that is displayed when application 301 is launched. Home screen 400 includes a printer display area 410, a function display area 420, and a tab area 430. The dashed lines shown are used to indicate each display area and are not actually displayed.

[0030] The printer display area 410 displays a printer icon 411, printer identification information 412, and status information 413. The printer icon 411 is a display item such as an image, icon, or picture that indicates the appearance of a printer (hereinafter simply referred to as the target printer) that is registered in the application 301 and set as the current job execution target (target). For example, the appearance of the image forming device 104 is displayed. The printer identification information 412 is text information that indicates the identifier of the target printer, and displays the printer's model number, series name, model name, etc. The status information 413 indicates the current status of the target printer. The example in FIG. 4(a) indicates that the target printer is online, that is, connected and capable of communicating with the electronic device 101.

[0031] The function display area 420 displays function icons 421 (one or more function icons are collectively referred to as the function icon 421) for instructing the target printer to execute each function. Depending on the customization function, zero to more function icons 421 can be displayed. In the example of FIG. 4(a), a list of four function icons, 421a to 421d, is displayed. The function icons 421a to 421d are icons (display items) that accept instructions for photo printing, scanning, copying, and smartphone copying, respectively. Photo printing is a function that sends an image to be printed from the electronic device 101 to the electronic device and prints it. Scanning is a function that saves an image scanned by the target printer and obtained in the electronic device 101. Copying is a function that prints an image scanned by the target printer and obtained in the target printer. Smartphone copying is a function that prints an image captured by a camera (photography unit) (not shown) of the electronic device 101 in the target printer. Touching (hereinafter also referred to as pressing) each function icon transitions to a lower-level screen for instructing the execution of the corresponding function. When an execution button is pressed on a lower-level screen, an instruction to execute a function (an instruction to execute a job) is accepted, and the job is sent to the target printer.

[0032] The user can arbitrarily change (customize) which function icons are displayed in the function display area 420 and in what order they are arranged. The customize button 422 is an operation icon that accepts an instruction to transition to a customization screen for customizing the function icons 421 arranged in the function display area 420. The customize button 422 is displayed in the function display area 420 after each function icon 421. This is because the main function of the application 301 is to instruct the execution of functions using each function icon 421, and the customization function is not the main function. After customizing the function icons 421 in an arbitrary arrangement once, if the user likes the arrangement, it is expected that the user will instruct the execution of functions using the various function icons 421 in that arrangement multiple times. In other words, it is expected that the customize button 422 will be used less frequently than the function icons 421. Therefore, in the function display area 420, the function icons 421 are displayed in the front row in order to be easier to operate than the customize buttons 422, and the customize buttons 422 are arranged in the rear row of the function icons 421.

[0033] Tab area 430 displays tab icons 431 to 434 that accept instructions for each function other than instructions to execute a job to a target printer. Tab icon 431 is an operation item that accepts an instruction to transition to home screen 400. Tab icon 432 is an operation item that accepts an instruction to display a list of functions. Tab icon 433 accepts an instruction to register a new printer in application 301 or to display a screen for switching the target printer from among multiple registered printers. Tab icon 434 is an operation icon that accepts an instruction to display a settings menu screen for application 301.

[0034] When the number of function icons 421 arranged in the function display area 420 through customization is large (a predetermined number or more), not all items are displayed in the function display area 420 at once. All arranged function icons 421 can be viewed by scrolling. FIG. 4(b) is a display example before scrolling (the display state at the start of displaying the home screen 400) when nine function icons 421a to 421i are arranged. Eight of the nine function icons arranged through customization, namely, function icons 421a to 421h, are displayed in the function display area 420. Of these, function icons 421g and 421h are only partially displayed. Function icon 421i and customize button 422 are not displayed in the display example of FIG. 4(b) before scrolling.

[0035] Fig. 4(c) is a display example in which a scroll operation (an operation of moving the touch position while touching the display 214) is accepted from the state of Fig. 4(b) to scroll up and display the function items arranged at the bottom. In Fig. 4(c) after scrolling, a function icon 421i and a customize button 422 are displayed.

[0036] In this way, customize button 422 is not displayed initially (when not scrolling) when there are many function icons 421 arranged in function display area 420. Therefore, there is a possibility that the user will not notice the existence of customize button 422 and will not realize that function icons 421 displayed in function display area 420 can be customized. For this reason, if the event that home screen 400 is displayed but customize button 422 is not operated occurs several times consecutively (a predetermined number of times), a display (FIG. 7) is displayed notifying the user that customization can be performed using customize button 422. Details of this processing will be described later.

[0037] FIG. 4(d) shows a display example in which the number of function icons 421 to be arranged in the function display area 420 is reduced to zero through customization. In this way, customization is possible in which no function icons 421 are displayed (arranged) in the function display area 420 at all. In this case, customization is performed by tapping (touching and releasing, similar to pressing) the customize button 422, and a notification message 423 is displayed that prompts the user to arrange the function icons 421 in the function display area 420 of the home screen 400. The notification message 423 is a message indicating that additional function icons 421 can be arranged in the function display area 420 of the home screen 400 in response to a user operation. The notification message 423 is displayed when the number of function icons 421 to be arranged in the function display area 420 is zero, and is not displayed when there is one or more function icons 421. A customize button 422 is displayed immediately below the notification message 423.

[0038] FIG. 5(a) shows an example of the customization screen 500 that is displayed when the customize button 422 is pressed. FIG. 5(a) is an example of the customization screen 500 that is displayed when the customize button 422 is pressed from the state shown in FIG. 4(a). The guide 509 displays a message saying, "You can rearrange the icons by dragging and dropping them." This indicates that the arrangement of the function icons 521 arranged on the customization screen can be rearranged by dragging and dropping the function icons 521. When the button 510 is touched, the guide 509 is hidden, and the guide 509 is no longer displayed even if you exit the customization screen and then return to the customization screen.

[0039] Function icons 521a to 521d displayed on the customization screen in FIG. 5(a) indicate which function icon 421 is displayed in which position on the home screen, and correspond to function icons 421a to 421d in FIG. 4(a), respectively. Pressing a function icon 521 displayed on the customization screen does not transition to a screen for executing functions such as photo printing or scanning. Pressing a cancel button 507 returns the current customization information to the state before editing, and transitions to the home screen 400. Pressing a complete button 508 saves the current customization information via the customization information management unit 307, and transitions to the home screen 400, reflecting the saved customization information. An add button 506 is an operation icon for displaying an additional function selection screen for selecting a function icon 521 to be additionally arranged.

[0040] A delete icon 505 is displayed in the upper left of each function icon 521 displayed on the customization screen. When a delete icon 505 is pressed, the corresponding function icon 521 is hidden and is set not to be arranged (displayed) on the home screen 400. In the example of FIG. 5(a), when the delete icon attached to function icon 521d is pressed, function icon 521d is deleted and hidden, and the display transitions to the example of FIG. 5(b).

[0041] When any of the function icons displayed on the customization screen, for example, any of the function icons 521a to 521c displayed in FIG. 5(b), is touched and a predetermined time (approximately one second) has passed without the touched position moving, the drag state is entered. By moving the touched position in the drag state, the touched function icon can be moved to follow the touched position. When the function icon is dragged to the position of another function icon and the touch is released, it is dropped, and the dragged function icon is placed at the drop position (the position where the touch is released). The function icon originally placed at the drop position and any function icons placed after it are moved down one position in the arrangement order. In FIG. 5(b), when function icon 521c is dragged and is dragged at the position of function icon 521b in FIG. 5(b), the positions of function icons 521b and 521c are swapped, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 5(c).

[0042] Fig. 5(d) is an example of a display when all of the function icons 521 are deleted from the customization screen. When the delete icon 505 is pressed to delete all of the function icons 521, the screen changes to the state shown in Fig. 5(d).

[0043] FIG. 6A shows an example of an additional function selection screen 600 displayed in response to pressing the Add button 506 displayed on the customization screen. The additional function selection screen is displayed superimposed on the customization screen. Options 621d, 621f, and 621j are options for functions to be added. Options corresponding to function icons that were not placed immediately before the additional function selection screen 600 was displayed are displayed. Options corresponding to function icons 421 (function icons 521) that were placed immediately before the additional function selection screen 600 was displayed are not displayed. Check boxes 602 are displayed for each option. Touching any of options 621d, 621f, and 621j toggles between displaying and hiding a check mark in the check box for the selected option. Checking an option selects the option as one to be added, and touching a checked option again to uncheck it deselects the option and removes it from the list of options to be added. Pressing the Cancel button 603 transitions to the customization screen 500 without adding the function. The Add button 604 is displayed in an active state when at least one checkbox among the options for the function to be added displayed on the additional function selection screen 600 (options 621d, 621f, and 621j in the example of FIG. 6(a)) is checked. Also, when no checkboxes are checked, there are no options to add, and the Add button 604 is displayed in an inactive state. Even if the Add button 604 in an inactive state is touched, the screen does not transition to the customization screen 500. When the Add button 604 in an active state is touched, the screen transitions to the customization screen 500, and the customization screen 500 is displayed, displaying the function icon 521 corresponding to the option that was selected on the additional function selection screen 600. For example, when the Add button 506 is pressed in the state of FIG. 5(c) to display the additional function selection screen 600 of FIG. 6(a), option 621f is selected as the option to be added, and the Add button 604 is pressed, the customization screen 500 shown in FIG. 6(b) is displayed. In Fig. 6(b), a function icon 521f corresponding to the option 621f selected in Fig. 6(a) is added to Fig. 5(c). When the complete button 508 is pressed in the state of Fig. 6(c), the home screen 400 of Fig. 6(c) is displayed.A function icon 421f corresponding to the option 621f selected in FIG. 6(a) is added to the home screen 400.

[0044] If the function icons for all available functions have been placed on the customization screen 500 immediately before the additional function selection screen 600 is displayed, the additional function selection screen 600 does not display options for functions to add. In this case, the additional function selection screen 600 shown in FIG. 6(d) is displayed. In FIG. 6(d), a guide 605 is displayed that includes an explanation that all functions are displayed. In this case, the Add button 604 is inactive, and only the Cancel button 603 can be pressed.

[0045] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of the processing of application 301. This processing will be described with reference to FIG. 8. Each process in this flowchart is realized by CPU 202 expanding a program stored in ROM 203 into RAM 204 and executing it. When electronic device 101 is activated, and an operation to start application 301 is performed, such as by tapping application 301 from a list of apps installed on electronic device 101 or from the home screen, the processing in FIG. 8 starts. Note that each variable and flag recorded in storage device 209, which will be described below, is assumed to be retained even when application 301 is closed. In other words, even when application 301 is terminated and then reactivated, the previous values ​​are retained.

[0046] In S301, the CPU 202 refers to and acquires a function layout list recorded in the storage device 209. The function layout list is information indicating the layout (the icons to be arranged, their order, and their positions) of a group of function icons customized by the user through the processing on the customization screen described above in Figures 5(a) to 5(d), 6(s), 6(b), etc. The processing on the customization screen will be described later with reference to Figure 9. Also, in S801, information on the connected printer, which is the basis for the content to be displayed in the printer display area 410, is acquired.

[0047] In S302, CPU 202 displays the home screen. At this time, function icons 421 for instructing the target printer to execute each function are displayed in function display area 420 in the order (arrangement) indicated in the function layout list acquired in S301. If customization has not been performed, function icons 421 are displayed in a default layout. An example of the display at this time is shown in FIG. 5( a). Note that if no printers are registered in application 301, none of the function icons 421 are displayed in function display area 420, regardless of the function layout list. Furthermore, even if a printer is registered in application 301, if the function layout list indicates that no function icons are to be displayed (if customized in this way), none of the function icons 421 are displayed in function display area 420.

[0048] Furthermore, function layout lists are recorded in association with each target printer. That is, if two printers, printer A and printer B, are registered, function layout list A corresponding to printer A and function layout list B corresponding to printer B are stored. If the target printer is printer A, a home screen is displayed on which a group of function icons is arranged based on function layout list A corresponding to printer A. If the target printer is printer B, a home screen is displayed on which a group of function icons is arranged based on function layout list B corresponding to printer B. Function layout list A and function layout list B can be customized to show different functions and different layouts. In the customization process described below, the function layout list corresponding to the printer that is currently the target printer is customized. The target printer can be switched by sliding (moving while touching) to the right or left in printer display area 410.

[0049] In S302, the CPU 202 references the customization screen display flag stored in the storage device 209 and determines whether it is 1. The customization screen display flag is information indicating whether the customization screen 500 has been displayed by a user operation. If the customization screen 500 has been displayed, the flag is 1; if the customization screen 500 has not been displayed, the flag is 0. The initial value when the application 301 is installed in the electronic device 101 is 0. If the customization screen display flag is 1, the process proceeds to S806; if not, the process proceeds to S804.

[0050] In S804, the CPU 202 determines whether the customization guidance dialog close operation flag is 1. The customization guidance dialog close flag is a flag that indicates whether a user operation to close the customization guidance dialog that is displayed in S810, which will be described later, has been performed. If an operation to close the customization guidance dialog has been performed, the flag is 1; if an operation to close the customization guidance dialog has not been performed, the flag is 0. If the customization guidance dialog close flag is 1, the process proceeds to S806; if not (if 0), the process proceeds to S805.

[0051] In step S805, the CPU 202 adds 1 to (increments) the value of the variable C stored in the storage device 209. The variable C indicates the number of times the home screen has been displayed (the application 301 has been launched) without the customized screen being displayed (i.e., with the customized screen display flag set to 0).

[0052] In S806, the CPU 202 determines whether or not a printer is registered in the application 301. If no printer is registered, none of the function icons 421 are displayed in the function display area 420. In this case, there is no need to display a customization guidance dialog that guides the user to the customization screen 500, so if the determination in S806 is No, the process does not proceed to S810. If the printer is registered, the process proceeds to S807; if not, the process proceeds to S820.

[0053] In S807, the CPU 202 determines whether the variable C stored in the storage device 209 is equal to or greater than a threshold value N. The threshold value N is a predetermined constant, for example, 3. If the variable C is equal to or greater than the threshold value N, the process proceeds to S808; otherwise, the process proceeds to S820.

[0054] In S809, the CPU 202 determines whether the customization prompt dialog close flag is 1. This determination is the same as in S804. If the customization prompt dialog close flag is 1, the process proceeds to S820, and if not (if it is 0), the process proceeds to S810.

[0055] In S810, the CPU 202 displays a customization guidance dialog on the display 214. The customization guidance dialog will be described as being displayed so as to be superimposed on the top layer of the home screen displayed in S802, but the customization guidance dialog may be displayed by switching from the home screen.

[0056] FIG. 7 shows an example of a customization guidance dialog display. The customization guidance dialog 701 is displayed superimposed on the home screen 400. To distinguish that the customization guidance dialog 701 is active and the home screen 400 is inactive, the portions other than the customization guidance dialog 701 (the portion of the home screen 400) are displayed grayed out. The customization guidance dialog is guidance that notifies the user that the function icons to be arranged on the home screen 400 can be customized by pressing the customize button 422. More specifically, the guidance notifies the user that items to be arranged on the home screen can be added and that the positions of the added items can be changed. The customization guidance dialog 701 displays a message that reads, "By pressing the [Customize] button at the bottom of the home screen, you can display your preferred functions on the home screen." The customization guidance dialog 701 also displays a visual representation of the customize button 422 being positioned after the arrangement of the function icons 421. In other words, the customization guidance dialog 701 includes content indicating the position of the customize button 422. That is, the customization guidance dialog 701 indicates that customization for adding items to the home screen is possible (description of the customization function), and also indicates how to operate the customization. Specifically, the customization method indicates how to display the customization screen 500 by pressing the customize button 422 arranged after the array of function icons 421 (below the home screen). The above content of the guide displayed in the customization guidance dialog 701 is one example, and has been described as including multiple contents, but is not limited to including all of the contents, and may include one or more of the contents described above. In addition, the customization guidance dialog 701 displays a close button 702 for closing the customization guidance dialog 701.

[0057] In S811, the CPU 202 determines whether or not the close button 702 has been pressed. If the close button 702 has been pressed, the process proceeds to S813, and if not, the process proceeds to S812.

[0058] In S812, the CPU 202 determines whether the application 301 has been closed. If the application 301 has been closed by an operation to close the application 301 or an operation to turn off the power of the electronic device 101, the processing of FIG. 8 ends; if not, the processing proceeds to S813. Note that if the application 301 is restarted after being closed, the close button 702 has not been operated, so the same determination as that described above in FIG. 8 is made, and the customization prompting dialog 701 is displayed again. Also, even if the application 301 is transitioned to the background and then to the foreground while the customization prompting dialog 701 is displayed, this does not constitute an operation to close the customization prompting dialog 701.

[0059] In S813, the CPU 202 sets the value of the customization guidance dialog stored in the storage device 209 to 1. That is, the CPU 202 stores the fact that an operation to close the customization guidance dialog has been performed.

[0060] In S814, the CPU 202 closes the customization prompting dialog 701. That is, the customization prompting dialog 701 is hidden, and the home screen 400 is displayed in an active state with the grayed-out screen removed.

[0061] In S820 to S828, processing is performed according to operations on various operation items (display items) displayed on the home screen 400. Note that with respect to function icons 421 that are not displayed due to customization, it is determined in the following operation determination step that they have not been operated.

[0062] In S820, the CPU 202 determines whether the photo printing function icon 421a has been touched (pressed). If it is determined that the function icon 421a has been touched, the process proceeds to S821; if not, the process proceeds to S822. In S821, control is performed to execute the photo printing process in accordance with the operation. Specifically, an image selection screen is displayed as a list of candidate images to be printed, and when the selection of one of the images is accepted, a print setting screen is displayed. Thereafter, the print setting screen accepts setting operations from the user for print settings (print paper, number of copies to be printed, color or monochrome settings). Then, when the print icon displayed on the screen is pressed, a print job for printing the selected image with the set print settings is sent to the target printer. The target printer (e.g., image forming device 104) that receives the print job executes printing in accordance with the received print job.

[0063] In S822, the CPU 202 determines whether the scan function icon 421b has been touched (pressed). If it is determined that the function icon 421b has been touched, the process proceeds to S823; if not, the process proceeds to S824. In S823, control is performed to execute scan processing in accordance with the operation. Specifically, a scan setting screen is displayed and the user's operation for setting scan settings (paper to be scanned, color or monochrome setting, resolution, save destination, etc.) is accepted. Then, when the scan execution icon displayed on the screen is pressed, a scan job for scanning using the set scan settings is sent to the target printer. The target printer (e.g., image forming device 104) that receives the scan job performs the current scan (scanning a document using a reading unit) in accordance with the received scan job, and generates, saves, and transfers the scanned image.

[0064] In S824, the CPU 202 determines whether an operation to register a printer in the application 301 has been performed in the tab area 430. If an operation to register a printer has been performed, the process proceeds to S825; if not, the process proceeds to S826. In S825, the CPU 202 executes registration processing to register the printer in the application 301 in accordance with the operation. If a new printer has been registered, the CPU 202 also generates a function layout list corresponding to the new printer (information indicating the layout is the default initial value) and records it in the storage device 209.

[0065] In S826, the CPU 202 determines whether or not the customize button 422 has been pressed. If the customize button 422 has been pressed (if an operation to start customization has been accepted), the process proceeds to S827; otherwise, the process proceeds to S828. In S827, the CPU 202 performs customization processing, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 9.

[0066] In S828, the CPU 202 determines whether or not another operation has been performed on the application 301. If another operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S829; if not, the process proceeds to S830. In S829, another process is performed in response to the other operation. For example, a copy process is performed in response to pressing of the copy function icon 421c.

[0067] In S830, the CPU 202 determines whether or not an operation has been performed to close (terminate) the application 301. If an operation to close the application 301 has been performed, the process in Fig. 8 ends, and if not, the process returns to S820 and is repeated.

[0068] Fig. 9 shows a flowchart of customization processing by the application 301. This processing is a detailed example of the processing of S827 in Fig. 8. Each step in this flowchart is realized by the CPU 202 loading a program stored in the ROM 203 into the RAM 204 and executing it.

[0069] In step S901, the CPU 202 refers to the function layout list stored in the storage device 209 and corresponding to the current target printer.

[0070] In S902, the CPU 202 displays a customization screen on which a plurality of function icons 521 are arranged in accordance with the function layout list referenced in S901. Fig. 5(a) shows an example of the display of the customization screen 500. The display contents of the customization screen 500 in Fig. 5(a) are as described above.

[0071] In S903, the CPU 202 sets the customization screen display completion flag stored in the storage device 209 to 1 and records it. In this way, once the customization screen is displayed, it is recorded that the customization screen has already been displayed, and therefore the customization prompt dialog will not be displayed the next time the application 301 is launched. This prevents the user from having to go through the trouble of displaying the customization prompt dialog to a user who has seen the customization screen and is aware that customization is possible.

[0072] In S904, the CPU 202 determines whether the display process (drawing process) of the customization screen 500 is complete. If it is determined that the drawing of the customization screen 500 is complete, the process proceeds to S905. If not, the process waits for the drawing of the customization screen 500 to be completed. In addition, the process may proceed to S905 after a predetermined time (approximately one second) has elapsed since the drawing of the customization screen 500 was completed. If it is determined in S905 (described later) that the layout function is zero, the display state of the customization screen 500 with zero layout functions shown in FIG. 5(d) automatically transitions to the additional function selection screen 600. "Automatic transition" means that the customization screen 500 is displayed and then transitions without accepting any operation from the user. In this case, the process waits for the customization screen 500 to be completely drawn (completely displayed) before automatically transitioning from S905 "Yes" to S907 and subsequent processes. This is to prevent user confusion regarding the automatic screen transition. That is, the user is made aware of the normal screen transition in which the customization screen is displayed once, and is also made aware that the reason for the automatic transition is that the layout function was zero.

[0073] In S905, the CPU 202 determines whether the function layout list referenced in S901 indicates that there are zero function icons to be laid out on the home screen (the state of FIG. 4(d) and FIG. 5(d)). If there are zero laid out functions, the process proceeds to S907, where function addition processing is performed. This automatically transitions from the display state of the customization screen 500, which shows zero laid out functions as shown in FIG. 5(d), to the additional function selection screen 600. If there are not zero laid out functions (one or more), the process proceeds to S906.

[0074] In S906, it is determined whether or not a function addition operation (pressing the Add button 506) has been performed on the customization screen 500. If a function addition operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S907; if not, the process proceeds to S908. In S907, the CPU 202 performs function addition processing. Details of this processing will be described later using FIG. 10.

[0075] In S908, the CPU 202 determines whether a function deletion operation (item deletion operation) has been performed. The function deletion operation is an operation of pressing the delete icon 505 attached to one of the above-described function icons 521. If a function deletion operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S909; otherwise, the process proceeds to S910. In S909, the CPU 202 deletes the function icon 521 corresponding to the pressed delete icon 505. More specifically, the CPU 202 hides the deleted function icon 521 from the customization screen 500, and moves the function icons 521 that were previously arranged in the order following the function icon corresponding to the pressed delete icon 505 up in the order of their placement. The CPU 202 also records in the RAM 204 a function placement list updated to reflect the content of the function deletion operation from the function placement list stored in the storage device 209. That is, the CPU 204 deletes the function icon 521 corresponding to the pressed delete icon 505 from the list, and moves the function icons 521 that were previously arranged in the order following the pressed delete icon 505 up in the order of their placement. In order to be able to handle a cancel operation, the function layout list (function layout list before update) that was recorded in the storage device 209 when the display of the customization screen 500 was started is also held.

[0076] In S910, the CPU 202 determines whether a function rearrangement operation has been performed. The function rearrangement operation is a drag-and-drop operation of the function icons 521, as described above with reference to FIGS. 5(b) and 5(c). If a function rearrangement operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S911; if not, the process proceeds to S912. In S912, the CPU 202 changes the arrangement of the function icons 521 displayed on the customization screen 500 to the order rearranged by the function rearrangement operation. The CPU 202 also updates the function layout list recorded in the storage device 209 to reflect the contents of the function rearrangement operation and to indicate the order rearranged by the function rearrangement operation, and records the updated function layout list in the RAM 204. Note that, to accommodate a cancel operation, the function layout list recorded in the storage device 209 when display of the customization screen 500 was started (the function layout list before the update) is also retained.

[0077] In S912, the CPU 202 determines whether a cancel operation (pressing the cancel button 507) has been performed. If a cancel operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S914; if not, the process proceeds to S914. In S913, the cancel process is performed, the process of FIG. 9 is terminated, and the process returns to displaying the home screen. Specifically, the updated function layout list stored in the RAM 204 is discarded. That is, the content updated by performing the processes of S906 to S911 after the display of the customization screen 500 began is discarded. As a result, the content of the function layout list before the update, before the processes of S906 to S911, when the display of the customization screen 500 began, is stored in the storage device 209. Furthermore, the home screen 400 is displayed in which the function icons 421 are arranged according to the content of the function layout list before the update, and the process returns to the process of FIG. 8.

[0078] In S914, the CPU 202 determines whether a completion operation (pressing the completion button 508) has been performed. If a completion operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S915; if not, the process proceeds to S906 and waits for an operation from the user. In S915, the CPU 202 performs completion processing and ends the processing of FIG. 9. Specifically, the updated function layout list stored in the RAM 204 is recorded in the storage device 209. That is, after starting to display the customization screen 500, the processing of S906 to S911 is performed to update the function layout list stored in the storage device 209 with the updated content. The home screen 400 is also displayed, on which the function icons 421 are arranged according to the content of the updated function layout list, and the process returns to the processing of FIG. 8.

[0079] 10 shows a flowchart of the function addition process by the application 301. This process is a detailed example of the process of S907 in Fig. 9. Each process in this flowchart is realized by the CPU 202 loading a program stored in the ROM 203 into the RAM 204 and executing it.

[0080] In S1001, CPU 202 refers to the function layout list and identifies unplaced functions. If the processes of S906 to S911 described above have been performed, the function layout list referred to here is the function layout list stored in RAM 204 that has been updated in response to the processes. If the processes of S906 to S911 have not yet been performed, the function layout list is the function layout list recorded in storage device 209. Unplaced functions are functions that, of all functions that can be placed on the home screen 400, exclude functions that are indicated to be placed on the home screen 400 in the referenced function layout list.

[0081] In S1002, the CPU 202 determines whether all functions have been deployed (i.e., there are zero undeployed functions identified in S1001). If all functions have been deployed, the process proceeds to S1003; if not, the process proceeds to S1010. In S1003, the CPU 202 displays a message indicating that addition is not possible, as there are no more functions that can be added. An example of the display in S1003 is the example display shown in FIG. 6(d), and the displayed content is as described above. In S1004, the CPU 202 determines whether the cancel button 603 has been pressed. If the cancel button has not been pressed, the process waits for the cancel button to be pressed, and if the cancel button has been pressed, the process proceeds to S1005, where a customization screen based on the function deployment list is displayed, and the process proceeds to S9006 in FIG. 9.

[0082] In S1010, the CPU 202 displays the additional function selection screen 600, and displays a list of the unallocated functions identified in S1001 as options. An example of the display at this time is shown in Figure 6(a) above. In the initial state, since no unallocated functions are selected, none of the check boxes 602 are checked and the Add button 604 is inactive.

[0083] In S1011, the CPU 202 determines whether or not there are zero checked options (i.e., none selected) among the options (unassigned functions) displayed on the additional function selection screen 600. If there are zero checked options, the process proceeds to S1012; otherwise, the process proceeds to S1013. In S1012, the CPU 202 displays the Add button 604 in an inactive state. If an operation to uncheck an option (an operation to deselect the option) is performed after the option has been checked, the Add button 604 changes from an active display form to an inactive display form in S1012.

[0084] In S1013, the CPU 202 determines whether or not a check operation has been performed to select (press) any of the options (unconfigured functions) displayed on the additional function selection screen 600. If a check operation has been performed, the process proceeds to S1014; if not, the process proceeds to S1015. In S1014, the CPU 202 changes the check state of the check box 602 for the option that has been checked. That is, if a check operation is performed while the option is checked, the check is removed and the display state is changed to an unselected state (the check mark is hidden). If a check operation is performed while the option is unchecked, the display state is changed to a selected state (the check mark is displayed). Note that if the number of checked options changes from 0 to 1 as a result of this operation, the display state of the add button 604 is changed from an inactive state (for example, gray text display) to an active state (for example, black text display).

[0085] In S1015, the CPU 202 determines whether the Add button 604 has been pressed. If the Add button 604 has been pressed, the process proceeds to S1016; if not, the process proceeds to S1017. In S1016, the CPU 202 adds the functions whose checkboxes are checked to the function layout list. Thereafter, in S1005, the CPU 202 displays the customization screen on which the function icon 521 has been placed based on the function layout list to which the function has been added in S1016, and proceeds to the processing of S906 in FIG. 9. In this way, the function icon 421 corresponding to the function added in S1016 is added to the home screen.

[0086] In S1017, the CPU 202 determines whether the cancel button 603 has been pressed. If the cancel button 603 has been pressed, the process proceeds to S1018; if all have been pressed, the process proceeds to S1011 and waits for a user operation. In S1018, the CPU 202 does not add functions whose checkboxes are checked to the function layout list. Then, in S1005, the CPU 202 displays a customization screen in which function icons 521 have been laid out based on the function layout list before the additional function selection screen 600 was displayed, and proceeds to the processing of S906 in FIG. 9.

[0087] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the customize button 422 is pressed, the customization screen 500 is displayed and the customization function is executed. However, assuming that some users may not realize that operating the customize button 422 executes the customization function, the home screen is displayed as usual when an event that should display the home screen occurs and a predetermined condition is not met. An example of an event that should display the home screen is the launch of the application 301. However, when an event that should display the home screen 400 occurs and a predetermined condition is met, the customization prompting dialog 701 is displayed. The predetermined condition is that the event in which the home screen 400 is displayed but the customize button 422 is not operated occurs several times (a predetermined number of times). This prevents the user from continuing to use the application 301 without realizing the existence of the home screen customization function and thereby being unable to fully utilize the application 301. On the other hand, the customization prompting dialog 701 is not displayed when the predetermined condition is not met, but is displayed when a predetermined condition is met that suggests the user may not be aware of the existence of the customization function. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the annoyance and complication of operations, such as forcing a user who is aware of the existence of the customization function to check unnecessary displays and perform unnecessary operations. Furthermore, because the customization prompting dialog 701 is displayed superimposed on the home screen 400, when the customization prompting dialog 701 is displayed, the function icons 421 displayed on the home screen are hidden and cannot be operated. In contrast, according to this embodiment, the customization prompting dialog 701 is not displayed unless a predetermined condition is met, so it is possible to reduce situations in which the operability is reduced, such as when the function icons 421 are hidden and cannot be operated (the functions of the function icons 421 cannot be executed). In other words, while suppressing the annoyance caused by the display guiding the functions, it is also possible to suppress the user from noticing the existence of the functions, allowing the user to more effectively utilize the functions.In this embodiment, an example of a guide regarding a customization function has been described, but the present invention is not limited to the customization function and can be similarly applied to guides regarding other functions provided in the electronic device 101.

[0088] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a user can customize (add or delete) items to be arranged on a home screen (first screen) on which multiple items (function icons 421) can be arranged. When a specific operation (pressing the customize button 422) is performed while a home screen on which deletable items are arranged is displayed, a second screen (customization screen 500) capable of accepting an instruction to delete an item is displayed, and the deletion instruction is accepted. On the other hand, when a specific operation is performed while a home screen on which no deletable items are arranged is displayed, the process proceeds from Yes in S905 to S907, and a third screen (additional function selection screen 600) for selecting an item to be additionally arranged on the home screen is displayed. Even if the customization screen is displayed in response to a specific operation while a home screen on which no deletable items are arranged is displayed, deletion or rearrangement operations cannot be performed. In other words, there is no customization available other than adding items. Therefore, the user must press the add button 506 to display the additional function selection screen 600. In contrast, in this embodiment, if a specific operation is performed while a home screen on which no deletable items are arranged is displayed, the process proceeds from Yes in S905 to S907, and the additional function selection screen 600 is automatically displayed. This reduces the number of steps the user has to take to press the Add button 506. In this way, different screen transitions are adaptively performed depending on whether or not items have already been arranged on the customizable screen, making it possible to perform customization operations more efficiently with fewer steps, thereby improving user operability.

[0089] The various controls described above as being performed by CPU 202 may be performed by a single piece of hardware, or the entire device may be controlled by multiple pieces of hardware (e.g., multiple processors or circuits) sharing the processing.

[0090] Furthermore, although the present invention has been described in detail based on preferred embodiments thereof, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope of the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments merely represents one embodiment of the present invention, and each embodiment can be combined as appropriate.

[0091] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to electronic device 101, but this is not limited to this example and can be applied to any electronic device that allows customization of displayed items (addition and deletion by user operation). That is, the present invention can be applied to personal computers, tablet terminals, mobile phone terminals, portable image viewers, printer devices with displays, digital photo frames, music players, game consoles, e-book readers, home appliances, and the like.

[0092] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the present invention has been described as being applied to a printing application for instructing a printer to execute a job (i.e., for controlling a printer that is an external device), but it is not limited to printing applications. In other words, it can be applied to other applications as well. For example, it can be applied to an external device control application, such as an air conditioner control application that runs on a smartphone or the like, for sending various operational instructions to an air conditioner that is an external device to control it. It is not limited to air conditioners, but it can be applied to applications that control home appliances as external devices, such as televisions, vacuum cleaners, and lighting fixtures. It is also not limited to home appliances, but it can be applied to applications that control IoT devices such as smart speakers.

[0093] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by executing the following process. That is, software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-described embodiments are supplied to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads and executes the program code. In this case, the program and the storage media storing the program constitute the present invention.

Claims

1. a processing means for performing processing to display a first screen including a predetermined item; a control means for controlling the device to execute a predetermined function in response to an operation of the predetermined item on the first screen; When an event that requires the first screen to be displayed occurs, if a predetermined condition corresponding to the predetermined item not being operated even if the first screen has been displayed in the past is not satisfied, the first screen is controlled to be displayed without displaying a guide regarding the predetermined item; a display control means for controlling the display of the guide when the predetermined condition is satisfied in the event that an event requiring the display of the first screen occurs; An electronic device comprising:

2. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition includes a condition that an event in which the first screen is displayed but the predetermined item is not operated occurs a predetermined number of times.

3. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined condition includes a condition that a predetermined operation for closing the display of the guide has not been performed.

4. 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined operations do not include an operation to terminate the application software that displays the first screen and an operation to put the application software into the background.

5. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first screen is a screen capable of displaying a plurality of items different from the predetermined item and corresponding to different functions.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein the predetermined item is arranged after the arrangement of the plurality of items on the first screen.

7. 7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined item is not displayed when the first screen is first displayed, but is displayed by scrolling the first screen.

8. 6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined function is a customization function of the first screen that performs at least one of adding, deleting, and rearranging the plurality of items arranged on the first screen in response to a user operation.

9. 6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of items is an item for issuing an instruction to an external device to perform an operation.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the external device is a printer, and the plurality of items include at least one of printing, scanning, and copying.

11. The display control means When an operation on the predetermined item is accepted while the first screen on which the plurality of items are arranged is being displayed, control is performed so that a second screen capable of accepting an instruction to delete an item so that the item arranged on the first screen is not displayed on the first screen is displayed; When an operation on the predetermined item is accepted while the first screen on which the plurality of items are not arranged is displayed, control is performed so that a third screen capable of accepting an instruction to select an item to be additionally arranged on the first screen is displayed.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5,

12. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide indicates at least one of the content of the predetermined function, an operation method for executing the predetermined function, and a location of the predetermined item.

13. a processing step of performing processing to display a first screen including a predetermined item; a control step of performing control so as to execute a predetermined function in response to the predetermined item on the first screen being operated; When an event that requires the first screen to be displayed occurs, if a predetermined condition corresponding to the predetermined item not being operated even if the first screen has been displayed in the past is not satisfied, the first screen is controlled to be displayed without displaying a guide regarding the predetermined item; a display control step of controlling the display of the guide when the predetermined condition is satisfied in the event that an event requiring the display of the first screen occurs; An electronic device comprising:

14. A program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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