Multi-function device, control method thereof, and program

Abstract

To provide an image processing device, a control method, and a program that prevent operational errors by controlling an order of application buttons displayed on the basis of a frequency of an execution history.SOLUTION: A multifunction printer MFP 100 includes: a control panel 109 that displays, on a home screen, a plurality of application buttons for executing jobs such as copying and facsimile transmission according to setting values set in a past; an HDD 113 that stores the execution history of the jobs together with the setting values; and a CPU 101 that controls an order of the application buttons displayed on the control panel 109 on the basis of a frequency of the execution history. The setting values have a plurality of items. The CPU 101 controls not to display, on the control panel 109, application buttons including preset items of the plurality of items included in the setting values.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to Multi-function device and its control method and program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, multifunction peripherals (hereinafter referred to as "MFPs") are equipped with touch panel type display devices, and a home screen on which application buttons for starting various applications are displayed is shown on the screen of the display device. Further, there is known an MFP in which an application button holding the set value of the job to be executed is displayed, and when the button is pressed, the application is started while reflecting the held set value. Furthermore, there is an MFP in which an immediate execution button that not only holds the set value but also executes the job just by pressing the shortcut button is displayed.

[0003] In such a multifunction peripheral, for example, when a document is set on the scanner, a technique is known in which the display priority of the application button related to the scan function on the home screen is increased and the order of the buttons on the home screen is automatically updated (see Patent Document 1). Also, although not in the display on the home screen, there is known a technique in which buttons of paper sizes that are candidates for selection are arranged and displayed in descending order of the number of times of use of the paper size based on the result of reading the document width (see Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] DeIn an environment where jobs are often executed by changing only some conditions from the fault settings, only some of the changed conditions are different Ru button Ta N is shown Are shown U.

[0008] The present invention Of the eye Is to Determine whether a predetermined input has been made by the user every time the execution of a job is completed, and when it is determined that no predetermined input has been made by the user, a button in which the settings of the jobs executed in the past are registered, and a new job is executed in that setting. Do not perform control to display the button used for this purpose, and when it is determined that a predetermined input has been made by the user, perform control to display the button in which the job settings are registered without receiving the job settings from the user again Provide a mechanism

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] According to the present invention The multi-function device is a jo Execution means for executing a job, and the above-mentioned Executed in the past by the execution means Of the job A display means for displaying a button in which the settings are registered, and a button used to execute a new job in the settings And Determination means for determining whether a predetermined input has been made by the user every time the execution of a job is completed, and when it is determined by the determination means that the predetermined input has not been made by the user, the job settings are registered. Control means for not performing control to display the button on the display means, and when it is determined by the determination means that the predetermined input has been made by the user, the job settings are registered without receiving the job settings from the user again. Control to display the button on the display means It is characterized by

Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention Determine whether a predetermined input has been made by the user every time the execution of a job is completed, and when it is determined that no predetermined input has been made by the user, a button in which the settings of the jobs executed in the past are registered, and a new job is executed in that setting. Do not perform control to display the button used for this purpose, and when it is determined that a predetermined input has been made by the user, perform control to display the button in which the job settings are registered without receiving the job settings from the user again It can be

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an MFP100 (multifunction device), which is an example of an image processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The MFP100 includes a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, an operation unit controller 108, an operation panel 109, a display 111, a disk controller 112, an HDD 113, a printer 114, a scanner 115, a modem 116, and an NCU 117. These components included in the MFP100 are interconnected and communicable via a system bus 121.

[0014] The CPU 101 comprehensively controls the operations of each part of the MFP100 by expanding various programs stored (stored) in the ROM 102 or the HDD 113 into the RAM 103. The ROM 102 stores various programs such as an OS and drivers for controlling the operation of the MFP100, as well as data and the like. The RAM 103 functions as the main memory and work area of the CPU 101. The operation unit controller 108 controls various operation buttons (not shown), the operation panel 109, and the display 111 provided in the MFP100. Specifically, the operation panel 109 is a touch panel disposed to overlap the display 111. The operation panel 109 and the display 111 are combined to form a display device.

[0015] The disk controller 112 controls the operation of the HDD 113. The HDD 113 stores various application software executed by the CPU 101, and also uses image data and the like generated by the scanner 115 as a temporary storage means. Note that the HDD 113 is an example of a storage medium, and a flash memory, an SSD, or the like may be used instead of the HDD 113. In that case, the disk controller 112 is replaced with one corresponding to the equipped storage medium.

[0016] The printer 114 forms an image on a sheet-like recording material (generally paper) by an electrophotographic method. However, the image formation is not limited to the electrophotographic method, and other methods such as an inkjet method may be used. The scanner 115 optically reads the paper surface of a document to generate image data. The scanner 115 can be optionally equipped with an automatic document feeder (ADF).

[0017] The modem 116 demodulates a modulated signal received from the outside via the switch 131, and conversely modulates a signal for transmitting from the MFP 100 to the outside and sends it to the switch 131. The NCU 117 is an interface unit between the CPU 101 and the modem 116, detects a signal from the switch 131 and transmits it to the modem 116, and also switches the connection of the communication line to the switch 131 and the telephone 132.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen 200 displayed on the display 111. On the home screen 200, an application button 201, a scroll button 202, a menu button 203, and a status check button 204 are displayed.

[0019] As described above, a touch panel as the operation panel 109 is superimposed on the display 111. A plurality of application buttons 201 are displayed on the home screen 200. One or more setting values are assigned to each application button 201, and when the application button 201 is pressed, a job is executed with the setting value associated with the pressed application button 201.

[0020] The scroll button 202 is an operating means for scrolling and displaying the application buttons 201 displayed on the home screen 200. The scrolling display of the application buttons 201 is not limited to a touch operation on the scroll button 202. For example, it may be performed by a flick operation in the left - right direction on the home screen 200 or by pressing the left - right (<,>) of the scroll button 202. Note that FIG. 2 shows that three scroll buttons 202 are arranged on one screen, indicating that there are three pages on the home screen 200.

[0021] The menu button 203 is an operating means for displaying a menu screen (not shown), and various settings of the MFP 100 can be performed through the menu screen. The status check button 204 is an operating means for opening a screen (not shown) for checking the job status and execution history.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a definition table 300 of default setting values 302 for job types 301. The job types 301 represent the types of jobs that can be executed on the MFP 100. As an example, copy, facsimile (hereinafter referred to as "FAX"), and Email (electronic mail) are shown, but it is not limited thereto. Default setting values 302 are defined for each of the job types 301. The content of the default setting values 302 shown in FIG. 3 is only an example.

[0023] The default setting values are composed of multiple items for each job type. There are many items that can be set for each job type. For example, typical items when the job type is copy include the number of printed copies, print color, single - sided / double - sided printing, automatic / manual paper selection, finishing specification, and copy magnification. In this embodiment, as the default setting values for each item, 0 copies are set for the number of printed copies, black - and - white for the print color, single - sided for single - sided / double - sided printing, automatic for automatic / manual paper selection, no finishing specification, and 100% (equal magnification) for the copy magnification.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the content stored in a database that manages the history data of jobs executed in the past and the set values used at the time of job execution. The database is constructed (stored) in the HDD 113. When a job is executed, it is assigned an item number 401 (No.), and for each item number 401, the job's issue date 402, job type 403, and set value 404 are stored as history data.

[0025] In this embodiment, for jobs executed in the past, up to 1000 pieces of history data can be registered. When the number of registered history data exceeds 1000, the old history data is overwritten and registered in order. For example, the 1001st piece of history data is registered in a form that overwrites the 1st piece of history data. This makes it possible to always register the latest 1000 pieces of history data.

[0026] The issue date 402 represents the issue date of the job (the year, month, and day when the job was executed). Although not shown, when multiple jobs are executed on the same day, the registration is performed in chronological order. The job type 403 represents various jobs such as copy, FAX, and Email that can be executed on the MFP 100. The set value 404 represents all the set values used when the job was actually executed for various items that can be set for the job from a menu screen or the like.

[0027] Note that in FIG. 4, for the sake of convenience, the items that can be set for each job are matched with the items shown in FIG. 3. Also, in FIG. 4, for the items for which the value has been changed from the default set value, an '*' mark is added to the value. For example, in the copy job with item number 401 being '000', the set values of the three items of the number of printed copies, print color, and finishing specification have been changed from the default set value.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing temporary data (hereinafter referred to as "temporary data 500") generated to obtain the priority (order) of the application buttons 201 displayed on the home screen 200 from the history data stored in the database 400. The temporary data 500 is composed of a part of the data extracted from the history data stored in the database 400 according to the flowchart described later with reference to FIG. 8. Therefore, the job type 501 and the set value 502 respectively conform to the job type 403 and the set value 404 in FIG. 4.

[0029] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a frequency ranking table 600 in which the occurrence times (usage times) of each job extracted in FIG. 5 as temporary data are counted and arranged in descending order of the count number. In the frequency ranking table 600, jobs for the maximum number (9 in this embodiment) of the application buttons 201 displayed on the home screen 200 are obtained and registered according to the flowchart of FIG. 8 described later. The display order 601 represents the display priority of the application buttons 201 on the home screen 200. The job type 602 and the set value 603 are the same as the job type 501 and the set value 502 in FIG. 5 respectively. The usage times 604 represent the usage times of each job in the job type 602.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an automatic display selection menu 700 for setting whether to automatically display the application button 201 of the job including the destination on the home screen 200 for each job. The destination type 701 represents the type of the job with a destination. Here, FAX, I-FAX, Email, file, and memory box (BOX) are exemplified. The automatic display setting value 702 is a setting value for selecting whether to automatically display the application button 201 including the destination on the home screen 200. 'ON' is set when automatic display is to be performed, and 'OFF' is set when automatic display is not to be performed. The 'ON / OFF' setting in the automatic display selection menu 700 can be changed by the user operating the operation panel 109.

[0031] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the automatic display process of the application button 201 on the home screen 200. Each process (step) indicated by the S number in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is realized by the CPU 101 expanding a predetermined program read from the ROM 102 or the HDD 113 into the RAM 103 and controlling the operation unit controller 108 and the display 111.

[0032] In S801, the CPU 101 executes a predetermined job according to the input from the operation panel 109. In S802, the CPU 101 terminates the job executed in S801. In S803, the CPU 101 adds (registers) the occurrence date, job type, and various setting values of the job in S801 to the history data (FIG. 4). In S804, the CPU 101 clears the temporary data (FIG. 5) for obtaining the display priority order of the application buttons to be displayed on the home screen 200. In S805, the CPU 101 sets a variable 'i' for determining the order for the history data registered in the database 400 and sets 'i = 1'.

[0033] In S806, the CPU 101 compares the history data registered in the i-th position of the database 400 with the definition table 300 and branches the process. Specifically, for the set value 404 of the i-th history data, count how many items have been changed from the default set value 302 defined for the job type 301 that matches the job type 403. If the count of the changed items is less than or equal to the specified number (in this embodiment, '1 or less'), it is determined that it is close to the default set value 302. When the CPU 101 determines that the set value 404 of the history data is close to the default set value 302 (YES in S806), the process proceeds to S813. On the other hand, when the CPU 101 determines that the set value 404 of the history data is not close to the default set value 302 (NO in S806), the process proceeds to S807.

[0034] Note that the history data determined to be close to the default setting value 302 will skip the process of S812 (storage process as temporary data 500) described later, and thus will not be used to determine the display priority order of the application buttons. Also, when it is determined to be 'YES' in each of the processes of S807 to S811 described later, the process of S812 (storage process as temporary data 500) will be skipped, and thus it will not be used to determine the display priority order of the application buttons.

[0035] In S807, the CPU 101 determines whether the condition (hereinafter referred to as "condition 1") that the i-th history data includes the FAX destination and the automatic display setting value of the automatic display selection menu 700 is 'OFF' is satisfied. If the CPU 101 determines that condition 1 is satisfied (YES in S807), the process proceeds to S813. If the CPU 101 determines that condition 1 is not satisfied (NO in S807), the process proceeds to S809. If the job type 403 of the i-th history data is not FAX transmission, the determination result of S807 will inevitably be 'NO', but this process may also be skipped.

[0036] In S808, the CPU 101 determines whether the condition (hereinafter referred to as "condition 2") that the i-th history data includes the I-FAX destination and the automatic display setting value of the automatic display selection menu 700 is 'OFF' is satisfied. If the CPU 101 determines that condition 2 is satisfied (YES in S808), the process proceeds to S813. If the CPU 101 determines that condition 2 is not satisfied (NO in S808), the process proceeds to S809. If the job type 403 of the i-th history data is not I-FAX transmission, the determination result of S808 will inevitably be 'NO', but this process may also be skipped.

[0037] In S809, the CPU 101 determines whether the condition (hereinafter referred to as "Condition 3") that the i-th history data includes the email destination and the automatic display setting value of the automatic display selection menu 700 is 'OFF' is satisfied. If the CPU 101 determines that Condition 3 is satisfied (YES in S809), the process proceeds to S813. If the CPU 101 determines that Condition 3 is not satisfied (NO in S809), the process proceeds to S810. If the job type 403 of the i-th history data is not email transmission, the determination result of S809 will inevitably be 'NO', but this process may also be skipped.

[0038] In S810, the CPU 101 determines whether the condition (hereinafter referred to as "Condition 4") that the i-th history data includes the file destination and the automatic display setting value of the automatic display selection menu 700 is 'OFF' is satisfied. If the CPU 101 determines that Condition 4 is satisfied (YES in S810), the process proceeds to S813. If the CPU 101 determines that Condition 4 is not satisfied (NO in S810), the process proceeds to S811. If the job type 403 of the i-th history data is not file transmission, the determination result of S810 will inevitably be 'NO', but this process may also be skipped.

[0039] In S811, the CPU 101 determines whether the condition (hereinafter referred to as "Condition 5") that the i-th history data includes the memory box destination and the automatic display setting value of the automatic display selection menu 700 is 'OFF' is satisfied. If the CPU 101 determines that Condition 5 is satisfied (YES in S811), the process proceeds to S813. If the CPU 101 determines that Condition 5 is not satisfied (NO in S811), the process proceeds to S812. If the job type 403 of the i-th history data is not memory box transmission, the determination result of S811 will inevitably be 'NO', but this process may also be skipped.

[0040] At S812, the CPU 101 adds the data of the i-th history for which all the determinations in S806 to S811 are 'NO' to the temporary data 500. At S813, the CPU 101 determines whether the processing of S806 to S812 has been performed for all the history data stored in the database 400. If the CPU 101 determines that the processing of S806 to S812 has not been completed for all the history data (NO at S813), the processing proceeds to S814. At S814, the CPU 101 increments the value of i by 1, and then returns the processing to S806. Thereby, the processing of S806 to S812 can be performed for all the history data stored in the database 400. And, if the CPU 101 determines at S813 that the processing of S806 to S812 has been completed for all the history data (YES at S813), the processing proceeds to S815. Thus, the temporary data 500 is generated.

[0041] At S815, the CPU 101 counts how many of the same setting values 502 of the temporary data 500 created at S812 there are, and detects the top predetermined number of jobs with a large count number. The predetermined number here is the number of application buttons 201 to be displayed on the home screen 200, and in this embodiment, it is the nine described above. The previous FIG. 6 shows an example of the result of S815. At S816, the CPU 101 displays the detected top predetermined number of application buttons 201 on the home screen 200, thereby ending this processing.

[0042] As described above, according to this embodiment, the user can arbitrarily switch between prohibiting and permitting the automatic display on the home screen for each destination of the application button including the destination that may induce mistransmission. For example, by prohibiting the automatic display on the home screen of the application button for a job that is mainly transmitted externally such as FAX, the risk of mistransmission can be reduced. On the other hand, in the case of file transmission that is often transmitted to the user's own PC or a shared folder within the company, by permitting the automatic display on the home screen of the application button, it becomes possible to improve the convenience for the user.

[0043] In addition, it is possible to prevent the home screen from being filled up with application buttons for copy jobs that differ only in the number of copies from the default setting values, application buttons for fax jobs that differ only in the destination from the default setting values, etc. That is, by not displaying application buttons equivalent to simple application shortcut buttons on the home screen, it becomes possible to display application buttons that hold setting values changed to some extent from the default setting values. As a result, even when the user further changes the setting values of the jobs to be executed from now on, it becomes possible to make the setting changes quickly. That is, it becomes possible to provide high operability regardless of the usage environment of the MFP.

[0044] As described above, the present invention has been described in detail based on its preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention. Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments merely shows one embodiment of the present invention, and it is also possible to appropriately combine the embodiments.

[0045] For example, in the above embodiment, every time the database 400 is updated, the temporary data 500 is updated to detect the usage count 604, and the display of the application buttons is automatically updated. However, it is not limited to this, and a method of detecting the usage count 604 using the difference in the history data stored in the database 400 may be adopted, whereby it becomes possible to reduce the processing load on the CPU 101.

[0046] In addition, in the above embodiment, the display of the application buttons on the home screen is automatically updated according to the execution count of jobs with predetermined setting values based on the determination results of S806 to S811. The determination method of S806 to S811 is not limited to this, and can also be applied to functions such as timeline display that display a certain number of application buttons on the home screen in order from the executed jobs.

[0047] The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and causing one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus to read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

Explanation of Signs

[0048] 101 CPU 109 Operation panel 111 Display 114 Printer 115 Scanner 200 Home screen 201 Application button 301 Job type 302 Default setting value 601 Display order 602 Job type 603 Setting value 604 Number of uses

Claims

1. A multifunction peripheral, An execution means for executing a job; a display means for displaying a button in which settings of a job previously executed by said execution means are registered, said button being used to execute a new job using said settings; a determination unit for determining whether a predetermined input has been made by a user each time execution of a job is completed; a control means for, when the determination means determines that the user has not made the specified input, not performing control to cause the display means to display a button on which the job settings are registered, and, when the determination means determines that the user has made the specified input, performing control to cause the display means to display a button on which the job settings are registered without accepting the job settings from the user again.

2. Further comprising an operating unit, 2. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined input is an input via the operation unit.

3. The multifunction device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the display means is capable of displaying a screen in which only three buttons are displayed simultaneously, the buttons being registered with settings for jobs previously executed by the execution means and used to execute a new job with the settings.

4. The multifunction device according to claim 1, characterized in that the button includes information indicating that the button is a button for a copy job.

5. The multifunction device according to claim 4, characterized in that the button includes information indicating at least a portion of the settings of the copy job.

6. The multifunction device described in Claim 4, characterized in that the display means is a button on which settings of a transmission job executed in the past are registered, and is further capable of displaying other buttons used to execute a new transmission job with the settings.

7. The multifunction device according to claim 6, characterized in that the other button includes information indicating that the other button is a button for a transmission job.

8. The multifunction device described in Claim 7, characterized in that the button includes information indicating that the button is a button for a copy job, which is different from information indicating that the other button is a button for a sending job.

9. A multifunction device as described in any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the button includes a first icon, and the other button includes a second icon different from the first icon.

10. A multifunction peripheral as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it has a scanner for reading a document and a printer for printing on a sheet.

11. A control method for a multifunction peripheral, comprising: an execution step that executes the job; a display step of displaying a button in which settings of a job previously executed by the execution step are registered, the button being used to execute a new job with the settings; a determination step of determining whether or not a predetermined input has been made by a user each time execution of a job is completed; a control step of not controlling the display step to display the button on which the job settings are registered when it is determined in the determination step that the user has not made the specified input, and a control step of controlling the display step to display the button on which the job settings are registered without accepting the job settings from the user again when it is determined in the determination step that the user has made the specified input.

12. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method for a multifunction device described in claim 11.

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