Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To enable a user to cancel disablement of input reception on a touch panel at any timing.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus having a function of disabling input reception on a touch panel includes: a display control unit for displaying a cancel button for canceling disablement on the touch panel; a depression time measurement unit which measures a depression time during which the cancel button is pressed by a user; a depression position detection unit which detects a depression position at which the cancel button is pressed by the user; and a control unit which cancels disablement when the depression time is longer than a cancel depression time defined in advance and when the depression position is continuously located at the same position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] When cleaning a touch panel attached to a device such as an image forming device, there is known a technique for temporarily disabling input reception from the touch panel in order to prevent malfunction caused by touching the touch panel (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, input from the touch panel is disabled for a predetermined period of time, and the background color of the screen is made black, making dirt on the screen more noticeable and improving the ease of cleaning for users. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] However, with conventional technology, after disabling touch panel input acceptance, all touch panel input is disabled, which has the problem that the user cannot undo the disabling of input acceptance at any time.

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an embodiment of the present invention has an object to enable a user to cancel disabling of input acceptance of a touch panel at any timing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an information processing device having a function of disabling input reception of a touch panel, the information processing device including: a display control unit that displays a disabling release button on the touch panel; a pressing time measurement unit that measures a pressing time of the release button by a user; a pressing position detection unit that detects a pressing position where the release button is pressed by the user; and a control unit that releases the disabling when the pressing time is longer than a predetermined pressing time for releasing and the pressing position is continuously at the same position. The display control unit displays the release button in a transparent manner by setting a pixel value for displaying the release button to the same pixel value as a background screen or a pixel value close to the pixel value of the background screen for a predetermined fixed time from the time when the disabling is started. The present invention is characterized by the above. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the embodiment of the present invention, the user can cancel the disabling of the touch panel input reception at any timing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an information processing device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware functional configuration of an operation panel according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration diagram of an information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flowchart showing a process for starting disabling of input acceptance of a touch panel. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen displayed on a touch panel 941 of the image forming apparatus 10. FIG. [Figure 7] 13 shows an example of a menu screen on which a touch disable function button is displayed in the banner portion. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a setting screen of an application for disabling input acceptance. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen when input acceptance of a touch panel is disabled. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flowchart showing a process of canceling disabling of input acceptance of a touch panel. [Figure 11] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a screen transition in which a release button is made transparent for a certain period of time after being pressed. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a screen transition in a case where a release button is made transparent immediately after input acceptance is disabled. [Figure 13] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of a screen transition when the position of a release button is moved. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0009] [First embodiment] In this embodiment, when temporarily disabling the input reception of a touch panel attached to a device such as an image forming device, a button for canceling the disabling is displayed, thereby enabling a user to cancel the disabling of the input reception at any timing. Furthermore, in consideration of the convenience of cleaning the touch panel, the disabling is canceled only under limited conditions regarding the pressing position and pressing time of the release button, so that it is possible to prevent a user from accidentally canceling the disabling. Here, the pressing position is the position on the touch panel that the user's finger touches when the user presses the release button, and the pressing time is the length of time that the user's finger continues to touch the touch panel. In addition, by changing the position of the release button or making the display transparent, it is also possible to easily check for dirt at the position where the release button is displayed.

[0010] <System configuration example> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conceptual diagram of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. The information processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus having a touch panel, such as an image forming apparatus 10. Normally, a menu screen 11 for using the image forming apparatus is displayed on the touch panel. However, when cleaning the touch panel, for example, an input disable screen 12 is displayed in which input acceptance on the touch panel is disabled in order to prevent erroneous operation of the menu screen 11. In this embodiment, a release button 13 is further displayed on the input disable screen 12, which allows the user to release the disablement of input acceptance on the touch panel at any time.

[0011] The function of disabling the touch panel input reception may be provided by the information processing device 1 or the image forming device 10, or may be provided by the touch panel. The information processing device 1 may be realized by one information processing device 1, or may be realized by distributing the information processing device 1 among multiple information processing devices.

[0012] <Hardware configuration> 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the image forming apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a controller 910, a short-distance communication circuit 920, an engine control unit 930, an operation panel 940, and a network I / F 950. The operation panel 940 includes a touch panel 941 for receiving input from a user, and a numeric keypad 942 for receiving input from the user. Of these, the controller 910 includes a CPU 901, which is a main part of a computer, a system memory (MEM-P) 902, a north bridge (NB) 903, a south bridge (SB) 904, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 906, a local memory (MEM-C) 907, which is a storage unit, an HDD controller 908, and an HD 909, which is a storage unit, and is configured such that the NB 903 and the ASIC 906 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 921.

[0013] Of these, the CPU 901 is a control unit that performs overall control of the MFP 9. The NB 903 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 901 with the MEM-P 902, the SB 904, and the AGP bus 921, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 902, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target.

[0014] The MEM-P 902 is composed of a ROM 902a which is a memory for storing programs and data for implementing the various functions of the controller 910, and a RAM 902b which is used for developing the programs and data, and as a drawing memory during memory printing, etc. The programs stored in the RAM 902b may be provided by being recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, or DVD in the form of an installable or executable file.

[0015] The SB904 is a bridge for connecting the NB903 to a PCI device and a peripheral device. The ASIC906 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing purposes having hardware elements for image processing, and plays the role of a bridge connecting the AGP bus 921, the PCI bus 922, the HDD 908, and the MEM-C 907. The ASIC906 is composed of a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that is the core of the ASIC906, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 907, a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that rotate image data using hardware logic, and a PCI unit that transfers data between the scanner unit 931 and the printer unit 932 via the PCI bus 922. The ASIC906 may be connected to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface or an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394 (IEEE1394) interface.

[0016] <About the function> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware functional configuration of the operation panel according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation panel 940 includes a processing unit 51, an input unit 52, an operation storage unit 53, an image forming device interface 54, a screen display unit 55, a communication unit 56, and a voice input / output unit 57. The processing unit 51 executes a program related to the operation panel. The input unit 52 accepts user inputs via a touch panel or the like. The operation storage unit 53 stores operations and the like input from the input unit 52. The image forming device interface 54 is an interface that communicates with the image forming device 10, and receives, for example, a request for notification display and a display screen from the image forming device 10 via this interface. In the case of an operation panel of a device other than the image forming device 10, this interface is not necessary, but an interface according to the device may be necessary. The screen display unit 55 displays a screen such as a menu screen on the touch panel. The communication unit 56 communicates with an external device via a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The audio input / output unit 57 inputs and outputs audio using a microphone, a speaker, etc. Note that the application for disabling the reception of input from the touch panel may be executed by the processing unit 51 of the operation panel, or may be executed by the CPU 901 of the image forming apparatus 10.

[0017] Next, a functional configuration of an information processing device 1 such as the image forming device 10 executing a process of canceling the disabled input reception of the touch panel 941 will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration diagram of the information processing device according to the first embodiment. The touch panel 941 of the information processing device 1 has a pressing time measurement unit 100, a pressing position detection unit 101, a display control unit 102, an operation reception unit 103, and a control unit 104 in order to execute a process of canceling the disabled input reception.

[0018] After the user presses the release button on the touch panel 941 to release the disablement, the press time measurement unit 100 measures the time during which the user continues to press the same position on the release button.

[0019] When a user presses the release button, the pressed position detection unit 101 detects the pressed position on the touch panel 941 and detects whether the same pressed position is continuously pressed or not. Also, if the pressed position has moved, the pressed position detection unit 101 detects the new pressed position.

[0020] The display control unit 102 controls the display of a menu screen for starting disabling input reception, a release button for releasing the disabling of input reception, a setting screen for releasing the disabling of input reception, and the like, which are displayed on the touch panel 941. In addition, in response to pressing of the release button, the display control unit 102 makes the display of the release button transparent or moves the position where the release button is displayed.

[0021] The operation reception unit 103 receives inputs via the touch panel 941, such as an operation to start disabling input reception, pressing a release button, and setting inputs related to releasing the disabling of input reception.

[0022] The control unit 104 releases the invalidation of input reception based on the time that the release button is pressed, measured by the pressing time measurement unit 100, and the pressed position of the release button, detected by the pressed position detection unit 101.

[0023] <Process to start disabling input reception> 5 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart showing a process for starting disabling of input reception on the touch panel. Hereinafter, each step of the process until disabling of input reception on the touch panel 941 of the image forming apparatus 10 will be described.

[0024] Step S111: The image forming apparatus 10 transmits a menu screen to the touch panel 941. The display control unit 102 displays the menu screen on the touch panel 941. The operation receiving unit 103 receives an operation input such as pressing a button via the touch panel 941 by the user.

[0025] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen displayed on the touch panel 941 of the image forming apparatus 10. On the menu screen 120, a function A 121, a function B 122, and a function C 123, which are buttons for starting applications of various functions executed in the image forming apparatus, and a touch disable function 124 for starting an application for disabling input reception on the touch panel 941 are displayed.

[0026] As another example of the menu screen, Fig. 7 shows an example of a menu screen in which a touch disable function button is displayed in the banner portion. As in Fig. 6, menu screen 130 displays function A 131, function B 132, and function C 133, which are buttons for starting applications of various functions executed in the image forming apparatus, and touch disable function 134, which starts an application for disabling input reception on touch panel 941.

[0027] When a user presses a button for each function (function A, function B, function C) to start an application, a screen of the application for each function is displayed below the banner portion of the touch panel 941. If the user wants to temporarily disable input reception on the touch panel 941 for cleaning or the like, the user presses the touch disable functions 124, 135. Here, in the menu screen 120 of FIG. 6, in order to press the touch disable function 124 after starting an application for each function, it is necessary to close the application and display the menu screen 120. On the other hand, in the menu screen 130 of FIG. 7, it is possible to press the touch disable function 134 after starting an application for each function to start an application that disables input reception without closing the application.

[0028] Returning to FIG. 5, the next step will be described.

[0029] Step S112: The image forming apparatus 10 starts an application for disabling input reception, and transmits a setting screen for setting the application to the touch panel 941. The display control unit 102 displays the setting screen on the touch panel 941. The operation reception unit 103 receives operation input related to settings by the user via the touch panel 941, etc.

[0030] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen of an application for disabling input reception. A setting screen 140 displays a method for canceling disabling 141 as one of the settings of the application for disabling input reception, and displays manual 142, automatic 143, and manual / automatic 144 as options for the setting content. When the user selects manual 142, after starting disabling of input reception, a release button for canceling the disabling of input reception is displayed on the screen of the touch panel 941, and the user can release the disabling at any timing. When the user selects automatic 143, the disabling is automatically released when a predetermined time has elapsed since starting disabling of input reception. When the user selects manual / automatic 144, the disabling is automatically released when a predetermined time has elapsed since starting disabling of input reception, but the user can release the disabling at any timing before that.

[0031] Returning to FIG. 5, the next step will be described.

[0032] Step S113: After completing the setting on the setting screen 140 of FIG. 8, the user presses the start button 145 to start disabling the input reception. If no setting is made in step S112, the initial setting or the setting from the previous execution may be used. The image forming apparatus 10 transmits a disabling screen in which the input reception is disabled to the touch panel 941. The display control unit 102 displays the disabling screen on the touch panel 941. If the manual 142 or the manual / automatic 144 is selected in step S112, the operation receiving unit 103 receives only the operation input for canceling the disabling of the input reception. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen (disabling screen) in which the input reception of the touch panel is disabled. A message 151 indicating that the touch input is being disabled (remaining time 3:00) and a cancel button 152 for canceling the disabling are displayed on the disabling screen 150. Return to the description of FIG. 5.

[0033] By the above process, it is possible to start disabling input reception on touch panel 941 of image forming apparatus 10.

[0034] <Process to cancel input reception disablement> FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a flowchart showing a process for canceling the disabling of input reception on a touch panel. In the process of this flowchart, after temporarily disabling the input reception on the touch panel, a release button for canceling the disabling is displayed on the touch panel so that the user can cancel the disabling of the input reception at any timing. Furthermore, in consideration of the convenience of cleaning the touch panel, the disabling is released only under limited conditions regarding the pressing position and pressing time of the release button, thereby preventing the user from accidentally canceling the disabling. Specifically, when the user presses the release button, if the user continues to press the release button for a length of time equal to or longer than a predetermined specified value (called the release pressing time) without moving the pressing position, the disabling of the input reception is released. Each step for realizing this process will be described below.

[0035] Step S161: After disabling of touch panel input reception is started, when the operation reception unit 103 detects pressing of the release button, it notifies the pressing time measurement unit 100 and the pressing position detection unit 101 of the pressing of the release button. Alternatively, the pressing time measurement unit 100 may detect the pressing of the release button.

[0036] Step S162: The pressing time measurement unit 100 starts measuring the pressing time from the time the release button is pressed. The pressed position detection unit 101 stores the coordinates (pressed position) at which the release button is pressed.

[0037] Step S163: The pressing time measurement unit 100 detects whether the release button is still being pressed. If the detection result indicates that the release button is still being pressed (yes), the process proceeds to step S164. If the detection result indicates that the release button is not still being pressed (no), the process proceeds to step S161.

[0038] Step S164: The pressed position detection unit 101 detects whether the pressed position stored in step S162 is the same as the current pressed position. If the pressed positions are the same (yes), the process proceeds to step S165. If the pressed positions are different, the process proceeds to step S161.

[0039] Step S165: The pressing time measurement unit 100 detects whether the pressing time of the release button continues for a predetermined value or more (release pressing time). If the detection result is that the pressing time has continued (yes), the process proceeds to step S166, and if the detection result is that the pressing time has not continued (no), the process proceeds to step S163.

[0040] Step S166: The control unit 104 cancels the disablement of input reception based on the detection results in steps S163 to S165. The display control unit 102 displays a menu screen on the touch panel 941.

[0041] Through the above process, the image forming apparatus 10 can release the disabling of input acceptance at any timing intended by the user by detecting that the same position of the same release button is pressed for a specified value (release pressing time) or longer. If it detects that the button has been pressed down (finger is released from the touch panel) or that the pressed position has moved (finger moves on the touch panel) before the release pressing time has elapsed, it will not release the disabling of input acceptance.

[0042] <Processing to make the release button transparent for a certain period of time> When a release button that releases the disabling of touch panel input reception is displayed on the screen, it may be difficult to check for dirt at the release button's position. Therefore, by temporarily making the release button transparent when the release button is pressed for a time shorter than the release pressing time, it becomes easier to check for dirt at the release button's position. Making the release button transparent here means making it the same as the background of the screen. Alternatively, rather than making it completely transparent, it may be made transparent with a predetermined transparency. For example, the pixel value (Y') of the release button with a transparency of A% compared to the pixel value (X) of the background screen and the pixel value (Y) of the original release button is: Y' = {A x X + (100 - A) x Y} / 100 The transparency and the time for which the release button is made transparent (transparent time) may be set in the same manner on the setting screen 140 shown in FIG.

[0043] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen transition in which the release button becomes transparent for a certain period of time after being pressed. Screen 170 shows the time when disabling of input reception started, and release button 171 is not transparent. Screen 172 shows the state in which the release button has become transparent by pressing the release button for a period of time shorter than the release pressing time 5 seconds after the start of disabling (2:55 remaining time). Screen 174 shows the state in which the release button has returned to its original state after a certain period of time (transparent time = 10 seconds) has passed since the release button became transparent.

[0044] <Processing to make the cancel button transparent immediately after disabling input acceptance> The timing for making the release button transparent may be set so that the release button is made transparent for a certain period of time immediately after disabling of touch panel input reception is started. The release button may also be made transparent with the aforementioned transparency level, and the transparency time and transparency level may be set in the same manner on the setting screen shown in FIG.

[0045] 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen transition in which the release button is made transparent immediately after disabling input reception. Screen 180 shows the point in time when disabling of input reception has begun, with release button 181 being transparent. Screen 182 shows the state after a certain period of time (transparent time=10 seconds) has passed, with the release button not being made transparent.

[0046] <Process to move the release button position> In order to avoid making it difficult to check dirt at the release button position, it is also possible to move the position of the release button when the release button is pressed for a time shorter than the release pressing time, as a method other than making the release button transparent. The position of the release button may be, for example, moved to a position that is point-symmetrical with respect to the center point of the screen, or moved to a position that is line-symmetrical with respect to a line that divides the screen in half vertically or horizontally. Furthermore, when the release button is pressed again for a time shorter than the release pressing time after the movement, the release button may be moved to a different position or to the original position.

[0047] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen transition when the position of the release button is moved. Screen 190 shows the time when disabling of input reception started, and release button 191 is displayed in the lower right position of the screen. Screen 192 shows a state in which the position where the release button is displayed has moved to the upper left of the screen by pressing the release button for a time shorter than the release pressing time 5 seconds after the start of disabling (2:55 remaining time).

[0048] Similarly, it may be possible to set on the setting screen 140 shown in FIG. 8 whether or not to enable the function of making the release button shown in FIG. 11, FIG. 12, and FIG. 13 transparent or moving it.

[0049] Through the above process, the information processing device 1 of this embodiment can cancel (end) the disablement of input reception at any timing by temporarily disabling input reception and then displaying a button on the touch panel for canceling (which may be called "end") the disablement. Also, in order to prevent the user from accidentally canceling the disablement, the disablement is cancelled when it is detected that the release button has been pressed in the same position for a certain period of time or longer. Also, in consideration of the convenience of cleaning the touch panel, it is also possible to make the release button transparent for a certain period of time when the release button is pressed for a short period of time or immediately after the start of disabling input reception, or to move the position of the release button when the release button is pressed for a short period of time.

[0050] Although several forms for carrying out the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0051] For example, the configuration example of the functional block diagram in FIG. 4 is divided according to main functions to facilitate understanding of the processing by the information processing device 1. The present invention is not limited by the manner in which the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units. The processing of the information processing device 1 can be further divided into more processing units depending on the processing content. Also, it can be divided so that one processing unit includes more processes.

[0052] Each function of the above-described embodiments can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Here, the term "processing circuit" in this specification includes a processor programmed to execute each function by software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, and a device such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (digital signal processor), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), or a conventional circuit module designed to execute each function described above.

[0053] Moreover, the described devices are merely one of a number of computing environments for implementing the embodiments disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the information processing device 1 includes a number of computing devices, such as a server cluster. The computing devices are configured to communicate with each other via any type of communication link, including a network, shared memory, and the like, and perform the processes disclosed herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1. Information processing device 10 Image forming device 100 Press time measurement unit 101 Pressed position detection unit 102 Display control unit 103 Operation reception section 104 Control section 940 Operation Panel 941 Touch Panel [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0055] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4378999

Claims

1. An information processing device having a function of disabling input reception of a touch panel, a display control unit that displays a release button for the disablement on the touch panel; a depression time measurement unit that measures the time the release button is pressed by a user; a pressing position detection unit that detects a pressing position at which the release button is pressed by the user; a control unit that cancels the invalidation when the pressing time is longer than a predetermined release pressing time and the pressing position continues to be the same position; having The information processing device is characterized in that the display control unit displays the release button in a transparent manner by making the pixel value displaying the release button the same as that of the background screen or by making the pixel value closer to that of the background screen for a predetermined period of time from the point at which the disabling begins.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the release button is pressed for a time shorter than the release press time, the display control unit displays the release button in a transparent manner by changing the pixel value displaying the release button to the same pixel value as the background screen or a pixel value close to the pixel value of the background screen for a predetermined fixed period of time.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit moves a position where the release button is displayed to a different position when the release button is pressed for a time shorter than the release pressing time.

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the different position is a position that is point-symmetric with respect to a center point of the screen from the original position, or a position that is line-symmetric with respect to a line that vertically or horizontally divides the screen in half.

5. the display control unit displays a setting screen for setting the release pressing time before starting the disabling, 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation receiving section that receives an input of the release press time on the setting screen.

6. An information processing method performed by an information processing device having a function of disabling input reception of a touch panel, comprising: displaying a release button for the disablement on the touch panel; measuring a pressing time during which the release button is pressed by a user; detecting a position where the release button is pressed by the user; canceling the invalidation when the pressing time is longer than a predetermined release pressing time and the pressing position continues to be the same position; a step of making a pixel value for displaying the release button the same as that of a background screen or a pixel value close to that of the background screen for a predetermined period of time from the start of the disabling, thereby making the release button transparent; An information processing method comprising the steps of:

7. An information processing device having a function of disabling input reception from a touch panel, displaying a release button for the disablement on the touch panel; measuring the time that the release button is pressed by a user; detecting a position where the release button is pressed by the user; canceling the invalidation when the pressing time is longer than a predetermined release pressing time and the pressing position continues to be the same position; a step of making a pixel value for displaying the release button the same as that of a background screen or a pixel value close to that of the background screen for a predetermined period of time from the start of the disabling, thereby making the release button transparent; A program for executing the above.

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