Information processing device and program

Abstract

To make it easy for a user to understand behavior when a stop button is pressed as compared to a case in which no state change is performed when the stop button is pressed when there is no process to be stopped even in a case in which the stop button for stopping the running process is displayed on an operation screen even when there is no running process that can be stopped.SOLUTION: A display control unit 33 displays a stop button 41 for temporarily stopping processing being executed on an operation screen in an operation panel 42 even when there is no job being executed that can be stopped, and displays a list of completed jobs when there is no job to be suspended in a case in which the step button 41 is pressed. Further, in a case in which the displayed stop button 41 is pressed, when there is a job to be stopped, the display control unit 33 temporarily stops the job being executed, and displays a list of suspended running and pending jobs.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an image processing device that, when the stop key is pressed after starting a job, stops the job if the time elapsed since the job started is less than a threshold, but if it is equal to or greater than the threshold, checks the job's progress, and if the job settings can be changed at this time, extracts and displays the changeable setting items without stopping the job.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses an image forming apparatus in which, when a stop key is realized by a software button, the software stop key can be pressed with priority over other software buttons.

[0004] Patent document 3 discloses an image processing device that, when it receives a request from a logged-in user to pause a print job, pauses all jobs, displays a list of only jobs whose job execution user ID matches the user ID of the logged-in user, and cancels only jobs selected from the listed jobs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-028372 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-221068 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2019-130868 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In recent years, a stop button for stopping a process that is currently being executed has been displayed on an operation screen by software processing. If such a stop button is always displayed on the operation screen, and if there is no process that can be stopped, pressing the stop button will not result in any change in state, making it difficult for the user to know whether the stop button was pressed correctly.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a stop button for stopping a process in progress, There is a completed process, and To provide an information processing device and a program which, even when there is no running process that can be stopped and when the button is displayed on an operation screen, make the behavior when a stop button is pressed easy for a user to understand, compared with a case where no state change occurs when the stop button is pressed when there is no process to be stopped. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a processor, the processor displaying a stop button for stopping an ongoing process on an operation screen even when there is no ongoing process that can be stopped; When the displayed stop button is pressed and there is no process to be stopped, a list of processes that have been completed is displayed; When the displayed stop button is pressed and there is a process to be stopped, the process being executed is stopped and a list of the stopped processes being executed and waiting to be executed is displayed.

[0009] In a second aspect of the information processing device of the present invention, in the information processing device of the first aspect, when the displayed stop button is pressed and there is no process to be stopped, the processor notifies on the operation screen that there is no process that can be stopped.

[0010] A third aspect of the information processing device of the present invention is the information processing device of the first aspect, wherein when the displayed stop button is pressed and there is only one process to be stopped, the processor displays a screen on the operation screen which allows the settings of the process to be changed.

[0011] An information processing device of a fourth aspect of the present invention is the information processing device of the third aspect, wherein the screen on which the settings of the process to be stopped can be changed displays a stop button for stopping the execution of the process.

[0012] A fifth aspect of the information processing device of the present invention is the information processing device of the first aspect, wherein when the stop button is pressed when the stop button is not valid, the processor notifies on the operation screen that operation of the stop button is invalid.

[0013] An information processing device of a sixth aspect of the present invention is the information processing device of the fifth aspect, wherein the state in which the stop button is inactive is a state in which execution of processing is impossible due to the occurrence of a failure in the information processing device itself.

[0014] An information processing device of a seventh aspect of the present invention is the information processing device of any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the stop button is a pause button for temporarily stopping a process being executed.

[0015] A program according to an eighth aspect of the present invention includes a step of displaying a stop button for stopping a process being executed on an operation screen even when there is no process being executed that can be stopped; displaying a list of processes that have been completed when the displayed stop button is pressed and there is no process to be stopped; When the displayed stop button is pressed and there is a process to be stopped, the computer is caused to execute a step of stopping the process being executed and displaying a list of the stopped processes being executed and processes waiting to be executed. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the information processing device of the first aspect of the present invention, even when a stop button for stopping a running process is displayed on the operation screen even when there is no running process that can be stopped, the behavior when the stop button is pressed can be made easy for the user to understand, compared to a case where no state change occurs when the stop button is pressed when there is no process to be stopped.

[0017] According to the information processing device of the second aspect of the present invention, even if there is no process to be stopped by pressing the stop button, it is possible to recognize that the user has pressed the stop button.

[0018] According to the information processing device of the third aspect of the present invention, the user can change the settings of the process whose execution has been stopped by pressing the stop button, without needing to perform any other operation.

[0019] According to the information processing device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, when a user wishes to stop the execution of a stopped process, the user can stop the execution of the process.

[0020] According to the information processing device of the fifth aspect of the present invention, even when the stop button is not enabled, it is possible to recognize that the user has pressed the stop button.

[0021] According to the information processing device of the sixth aspect of the present invention, even if a failure occurs in the own device and the stop button is not available, it is possible to recognize that the user has pressed the stop button.

[0022] According to the information processing device of the seventh aspect of the present invention, even when a pause button for temporarily stopping an ongoing process is displayed on the operation screen even when there is no ongoing process that can be paused, the behavior when the pause button is pressed can be made easier for the user to understand, compared to a case where no state change occurs when the pause button is pressed when there is no process to be paused.

[0023] According to the program of the eighth aspect of the present invention, even if a stop button for stopping a running process is displayed on the operation screen even when there is no running process that can be stopped, the behavior when the stop button is pressed can be made easier for the user to understand, compared to a case where no state change occurs when the stop button is pressed when there is no process to be stopped. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a so-called touch panel type operation panel 42 provided in an image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart for explaining an operation when a stop button 41 is pressed in the image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a message displayed on the operation panel 42 to the effect that a job operation is not possible. FIG. [Figure 7] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a list screen of completed jobs displayed on the operation panel 42. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a job setting screen displayed on the operation panel 42. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a list screen of jobs being executed / waiting to be executed displayed on the operation panel 42. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] 1, an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured with an image forming apparatus 10 and a terminal apparatus 20, which are connected to each other via a network 30. The terminal apparatus 20 generates print data and transmits the generated print data to the image forming apparatus 10 via the network 30. The image forming apparatus 10 receives the print data transmitted from the terminal apparatus 20 and outputs an image on paper according to the print data. The image forming apparatus 10 is a device known as a multifunction device having multiple functions such as a print function, a scan function, a copy function, and a facsimile function.

[0028] Next, the hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 in the image forming system of this embodiment is shown in FIG.

[0029] 2, the image forming apparatus 10 has a CPU 11, a memory 12, a storage device 13 such as a hard disk drive, a communication interface (abbreviated as IF) 14 for transmitting and receiving data to and from external devices via a network 30, a user interface (abbreviated as UI) device 15 including a touch panel or liquid crystal display and a keyboard, a scanner 16, and a print engine 17. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 18.

[0030] The print engine 17 prints an image on a recording medium such as printing paper through processes such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing.

[0031] The CPU 11 is a processor that executes a predetermined process based on a control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13 to control the operation of the image forming apparatus 10. Note that, in this embodiment, the CPU 11 is described as reading and executing the control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13, but it is also possible to provide the program to the CPU 11 by storing it on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 realized by executing the above control program.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment includes an authentication unit 31, an operation input unit 32, a display control unit 33, a display unit 34, a data transmission / reception unit 35, a job control unit 36, an image reading unit 37, a data storage unit 38, and an image output unit 39.

[0034] The authentication unit 31 executes authentication processing for a user who wishes to use the image forming apparatus 10. The operation input unit 32 inputs various operation information performed by the user. The display control unit 33 controls the display unit 34 to display various information to the user. The data transmission / reception unit 35 transmits and receives data to and from an external device such as the terminal device 20.

[0035] The job control unit 36 ​​controls operations for executing various jobs of the image forming apparatus 10, and performs control such as generating print data based on a print job received from the terminal device 20 via the data transmission / reception unit 35, and outputting the generated print data from the image output unit 39, and controlling reading of an original image by the image reading unit 37. Note that the term "job" used here refers to various processes executed by the image forming apparatus 10, such as printing, scanning, and facsimile transmission.

[0036] In addition, the job control unit 36 ​​executes various processes such as starting a job, pausing a job that is currently being executed, and canceling the execution of a paused job based on a job start instruction, a pause instruction, or an instruction to cancel a job that is currently being executed input by the user via the operation input unit 32.

[0037] Furthermore, the job control unit 36 ​​responds to inquiries from the display control unit 33 as to whether job operations are possible or not, and to requests to acquire information on jobs currently being executed, jobs waiting to be executed, and jobs that have been executed.

[0038] The image output unit 39 outputs an image onto a recording medium such as printing paper under the control of the job control unit 36. The image reading unit 37 reads an original image from a set original under the control of the job control unit 36.

[0039] A so-called touch panel type operation panel is configured by the operation input unit 32 and the display unit 34. An example of such an operation panel is shown in FIG.

[0040] 4, there is shown an operation panel 42 made up of the operation input unit 32 and the display unit 34. It can be seen that within the display screen of this operation panel 42, a stop button 41, which is a pause button for temporarily stopping a job being executed, is displayed as software.

[0041] When the user presses this stop button 41, the job being executed is temporarily stopped. For example, if the user realizes that he or she has mistakenly executed a print job of a large number of pages, the user can temporarily stop the execution of the print job by pressing the stop button 41 while the print job is being executed. Also, if the user realizes after starting a facsimile transmission that the destination is incorrect, the user can stop the execution of the facsimile transmission by pressing the stop button 41.

[0042] In this embodiment, the display control unit 33 always displays the stop button 41 on the operation screen of the operation panel 42 even when there is no process that can be stopped during execution.

[0043] If such a stop button 41 is always displayed in the operation panel 42 as software, the user will not get the same reaction as with a hardware key even if he or she presses the stop button 41. Therefore, there is a problem that the user cannot get a tactile sensation when pressing the stop button 41, making it difficult to know whether or not the stop button 41 has been operated correctly.

[0044] In particular, when there is no job that can be paused by the stop button 41 or when the stop button 41 is not in a valid state, if pressing the stop button 41 does not display anything on the operation panel 42, it is difficult for the user to know whether or not the stop button 41 has been operated correctly.

[0045] Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the display control unit 33 displays the stop button 41 for temporarily pausing an ongoing process on the operation screen in the operation panel 42 even when there is no ongoing job that can be stopped, and when the displayed stop button 41 is pressed, if there is no job to be paused, a list of jobs that have been completed is displayed.

[0046] Furthermore, when the displayed stop button 41 is pressed and there is a job to be stopped, the display control unit 33 temporarily suspends the running job and displays a list of the suspended running jobs and jobs waiting to be executed.

[0047] In addition, when the stop button 41 displayed on the operation screen in the operation panel 42 is pressed and there is no job to be stopped, the display control unit 33 notifies on the operation screen in the operation panel 42 that there is no job that can be stopped.

[0048] Then, when the stop button 41 displayed on the operation screen of the operation panel 42 is pressed and there is only one job to be stopped, the display control unit 33 displays a screen on the operation screen of the operation panel 42 that allows the settings of that job to be changed.

[0049] The display control unit 33 displays a stop button for stopping the execution of a job that has been paused on a screen on which the settings of the job can be changed.

[0050] When the stop button 41 is pressed in a state in which the stop button 41 is not valid, the display control unit 33 notifies on the operation screen in the operation panel 42 that the operation of the stop button 41 is invalid.

[0051] Here, a state in which the stop button 41 is ineffective means, for example, a state in which execution of a job is impossible due to the occurrence of a failure in the own device.

[0052] In this embodiment, the stop button 41 is described as a pause button for temporarily stopping a job that is being executed, but the present invention is similarly applicable to any stop button that stops a process that is being executed.

[0053] Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0054] FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment when the stop button 41 is pressed.

[0055] First, when the stop button 41 displayed on the operation panel 42 is pressed, the display control unit 33 checks with the job control unit 36 ​​in step S101 whether or not the current state is a state in which job operations are possible.

[0056] If it is determined in step S102 that the current state is not a state in which job operations are possible, the display control unit 33 displays a message to the effect that job operations are not possible on the display unit 34 in step S103.

[0057] An example of a message display indicating that a job operation is not possible is shown in Fig. 6. Referring to Fig. 6, it can be seen that even though the user has pressed the stop button 41, the current state of the device is an error state, and so the message "That operation is not possible" is displayed on the operation panel 42.

[0058] Then, if it is determined in step S102 that the current state is a state in which job operations are possible, in step S104, the display control unit 33 checks with the job control unit 36 ​​whether or not there is a job that can be paused by the stop button 41.

[0059] Here, if it is determined in step S105 that there are no jobs that can be paused using the stop button 41, the display control unit 33 in step S106 displays on the display unit 34 a list screen of jobs that have already been processed and have been completed.

[0060] An example of the list screen of completed jobs displayed in this way is shown in Fig. 7. Referring to Fig. 7, it can be seen that a list of jobs that have been completed in the past is displayed on the operation screen of the display operation panel 42. It can also be seen that the message "There are no jobs currently being executed / waiting to be executed that can be paused" is displayed superimposed on the list of completed jobs in the operation panel 42 to notify the user who has operated the stop button 41 that there are no jobs that can be paused.

[0061] Then, in step S105, if it is determined that there is a job that can be paused by the stop button 41, the display control unit 33 determines whether or not the number of jobs that can be paused is two or more. If there are not two or more jobs that can be paused, that is, if there is only one job that can be paused, in step S108, the display control unit 33 displays on the display unit 34 a setting screen that allows the setting contents of that job to be changed.

[0062] An example of a job setting screen displayed in this manner is shown in Fig. 8. Referring to Fig. 8, it can be seen that a screen on which the settings of a job that has been paused by pressing the stop button 41 can be changed is displayed as the operation screen of the operation panel 42. The user who paused this job can change the settings by operating this operation screen, and then resume execution of the job. Furthermore, the example operation screen shown in Fig. 8 also displays a stop button 43 for canceling execution of this job. By pressing this stop button 43, the user can cancel the execution of the paused job without resuming it.

[0063] Finally, if it is determined in step S107 that there are two or more jobs that can be paused, the display control unit 33 in step S109 displays on the display unit 34 a list screen showing a list of the paused jobs that are being executed and the jobs that are waiting to be executed.

[0064] An example of a list screen of jobs being executed / waiting to be executed, which is displayed in this way, is shown in Fig. 9. Referring to Fig. 9, it can be seen that a list of jobs being executed that have been temporarily stopped by pressing the stop button 41 and jobs waiting to be executed that were supposed to be executed in the future are displayed on the operation panel. Note that for jobs that have been interrupted by pressing the stop button 41, a circular display that changes in density in a rotating manner, for example, is added so that it is clear that the processing being executed has been interrupted midway.

[0065] When the user selects a job on the list screen of jobs currently being executed / waiting to be executed shown in FIG. 9, a setting screen for that job as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed, allowing the user to change the settings for that job or cancel processing.

[0066] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, including general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0067] In addition, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by one processor, but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0068] [Variations] In the above embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to an image forming device that forms an image on a recording medium, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be similarly applied to any information processing device, such as a personal computer or mobile terminal device, that stores processing execution information for executing a preset process and executes the process using the stored processing execution information. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10 Image forming device 11 CPU 12. Memory 13 Storage device 14 Communication Interface 15 User Interface Device 16 Scanner 17 Print Engine 18 Control Bus 20 Terminal Equipment 30 Network 31 Authentication Section 32 Operation input section 33 Display control section 34 Display section 35 Data transmission and reception unit 36 Job Control Section 37 Image reading unit 38 Data Storage Unit 39 Image output section 41 Stop button 42 Operation Panel 43 Stop button

Claims

1. A processor is provided. The processor, A stop button for stopping a process being executed is displayed on the operation screen even when a process that has been completed exists and a process that can be stopped does not exist; When the displayed stop button is pressed, if there is a process that has been completed and there is no process to be stopped, a list of the processes that have been completed is displayed; When the displayed stop button is pressed, if there is a process that has been completed and there is a process to be stopped, the process being executed is stopped and a list of the stopped processes being executed and processes waiting to be executed is displayed. Information processing device.

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein, when the displayed stop button is pressed and there is a process that has been completed and there is no process to be stopped, the processor notifies the user on the operation screen that there is no process that can be stopped by overlaying this on a list of processes that have been completed.

3. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein when the displayed stop button is pressed, if there is a process that has been completed and there is only one process to be stopped, the processor stops the process being executed and displays on the operation screen a screen on which the settings of the process can be changed.

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the screen on which the setting contents of the process to be stopped can be changed displays a stop button for stopping the execution of the process.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when the stop button is pressed in a state in which the stop button is not valid, the processor notifies on the operation screen that the operation of the stop button is invalid.

6. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the state in which the stop button is ineffective is a state in which execution of processing is impossible due to the occurrence of a failure in the apparatus itself.

7. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stop button is a pause button for temporarily stopping a process being executed.

8. displaying a stop button for stopping the process being executed on the operation screen even when a process that has been completed exists and a process that can be stopped being executed does not exist; displaying a list of processes that have been completed when the displayed stop button is pressed and there is no process to be stopped; a step of stopping the running process and displaying a list of the stopped running processes and waiting processes when the displayed stop button is pressed and there is a process that has been completed and there is a process that is to be stopped; A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

Images