Image forming apparatus, image forming system, and image forming program

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and an image forming program that can prevent operation screens from being seen by another person compared with a case in which all the operation screens are displayed on the image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: A menu screen is displayed on a user interface of an image forming apparatus 12 as a main operation screen, an operation requiring input of a password is performed from the menu screen, and when a portable terminal device 14 is connected by short-range radio communication, processing is performed of hiding the user interface of the image forming apparatus 12 and displaying a password screen on the portable terminal device 14. At this time, a message such as "displayed on a sub screen" may be displayed on the user interface indicating that the password screen is displayed on the portable terminal device 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and an image forming program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 proposes an information processing device that has a short-range communication unit that performs short-range wireless communication with an external device that provides a specified function, and that has a display control means that displays a password input screen corresponding to the specified function of the external device on a display unit, and a request means that requests authentication processing from the external device, and by requesting the authentication processing, authentication information is output from the external device, and when the authentication information is input to the information processing device, the display control means displays a screen corresponding to the specified function of the external device on the display unit without displaying the password input screen on the display unit.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 proposes an information processing device that includes a display means for displaying an operation screen, a transmission means for transmitting an image of the operation screen displayed on the display means to the remote control terminal when remote operation is accepted from an external remote control terminal, and a display control means for transmitting an image of the operation screen to the remote control terminal using the transmission means when remote operation that satisfies preset conditions is executed, while controlling the display means not to display the operation screen. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6207651 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-16349 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There is a demand for preventing private information from being displayed on a shared display unit when operating an image forming apparatus. For example, if an operation screen for user authentication is displayed on the display unit of an image forming apparatus, there is a risk that it may be viewed by others.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an image forming device, an image forming system, and an image forming program that can prevent the operation screen from being viewed by others, compared to when all operation screens are displayed on the image forming device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect includes a processor that identifies the type of screen for each operation screen, and when the image forming apparatus is connected to a mobile terminal device via short-range wireless communication and a predetermined operation is performed from an operation screen displayed on a display unit of the image forming apparatus, and the type of the operation screen subsequently displayed by the operation is the predetermined type, the image forming apparatus causes the mobile terminal device to display the operation screen and performs processing to hide the display of the operation screen on the display unit.

[0008] An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the processor further performs processing to resume display on the display unit when operation of the operation screen by the mobile terminal device is completed.

[0009] An image forming apparatus according to a third aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the processor displays an operation screen on the mobile terminal device while the image forming apparatus is connected to the mobile terminal device, and displays or hides the operation screen on the display unit depending on the type of operation screen to be displayed.

[0010] An image forming apparatus according to a fourth aspect is an image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, in which the processor uses the mobile terminal device connected via short-range wireless communication as a sub-display unit, and causes the mobile terminal device to display the operation screen by transmitting the operation screen to be displayed to the mobile terminal device.

[0011] An image forming apparatus according to a fifth aspect is an image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the processor causes the mobile terminal device to display an operation screen via a web service that queries the device itself for the operation screen to be displayed.

[0012] An image forming apparatus according to a sixth aspect is an image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the processor detects people around the apparatus, and if there are no people other than the operator, displays an operation screen on the display unit even if the type is the predetermined type.

[0013] An image forming apparatus according to a seventh aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, wherein the processor displays an operation screen only on the display unit.

[0014] An image forming apparatus according to an eighth aspect is an image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the processor displays the operation screen on the display unit when the connection with the mobile terminal device via near-field wireless communication is interrupted while the operation screen is displayed on the mobile terminal device and the display unit is in the hidden state.

[0015] An image forming apparatus according to a ninth aspect is the image forming apparatus according to the eighth aspect, in which, when the connection with the mobile terminal device via near field wireless communication is interrupted while an operation screen is displayed on the mobile terminal device and the display unit is not displayed, the image forming apparatus detects the restoration of near field wireless communication until a predetermined time has elapsed, and if the restoration is not detected, displays the operation screen on the display unit.

[0016] An image forming system according to a tenth aspect includes the image forming apparatus described above, and a portable terminal device capable of short-range wireless communication with the image forming apparatus.

[0017] An image forming program according to an eleventh aspect causes a computer to identify the type of screen for each operation screen, and when the computer is connected to a mobile terminal device via short-range wireless communication and a predetermined operation is performed from an operation screen displayed on a display unit of the device, and the type of the operation screen subsequently displayed as a result of the operation is the predetermined type, causes the mobile terminal device to display the operation screen and executes a process to hide the display of the operation screen on the display unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the first aspect, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can prevent the operation screen from being viewed by others, compared to when all operation screens are displayed on the image forming apparatus.

[0019] According to the second aspect, after the operation of the operation screen of the predetermined type is completed, the operation screen displayed on the own device can be operated.

[0020] According to the third aspect, while the device itself and the portable terminal device are connected via short-range wireless communication, it is possible to prevent the operation screen from being viewed by others, compared to when all operation screens are displayed on the image forming device.

[0021] According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to display the operation screen of the own device on the mobile terminal device.

[0022] According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to cause the mobile terminal device to display an operation screen for operating the device itself.

[0023] According to the sixth aspect, when no one other than the operator is around the device, even if the operation screen is of a predetermined type, the operation screen can be operated from the operation screen displayed on the display unit of the device.

[0024] According to the seventh aspect, when there is no one other than the operator around the device, the operator can operate a predetermined type of operation screen from the operation screen displayed on the display unit of the device.

[0025] According to the eighth aspect, even if the connection with the mobile terminal device via short-range wireless communication is interrupted, the device itself can be operated.

[0026] According to the ninth aspect, when the connection with the mobile terminal device via short-range wireless communication is cut off, it is possible to prevent the operation screen from being seen by others, compared to when the operation screen is immediately displayed on the display unit of the device itself.

[0027] According to the tenth aspect, it is possible to provide an image forming system that can prevent the operation screen from being viewed by others, compared to when all operation screens are displayed on the image forming apparatus.

[0028] According to the eleventh aspect, it is possible to provide an image forming program that can prevent the operation screen from being viewed by others, compared to when all operation screens are displayed on the image forming apparatus. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of an electrical system of an image forming apparatus in the image forming system according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of an electrical system of a portable terminal device in the image forming system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control unit of the mobile terminal device and the image forming device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a menu screen as an operation screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a password screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a preview screen. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating examples of screens displayed on the image forming apparatus and the mobile terminal device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 9]6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of processing performed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a first modified example of the flow of processing performed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a second modified example of the flow of processing performed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing a third modified example of the flow of processing performed by the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to this embodiment.

[0031] The image forming system 10 according to this embodiment includes an image forming device 12 and a mobile terminal device 14.

[0032] The mobile terminal device 14 is capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus 12 via short-range wireless communication, and the image forming apparatus 12 can be operated from the mobile terminal device 14. For example, a tablet terminal or a smartphone is used as the mobile terminal device 14. In addition, examples of short-range wireless communication include Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Wi-Fi DIRECT (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

[0033] As an example of the image forming device 12, an image forming device having multiple functions such as a facsimile function, an image reading function, an image forming function, a copying function, a storage function for storing image information, etc., and a transmission function for transmitting image information, etc. is applied. Although one image forming device 12 is shown in FIG. 1, the number is not limited to one and may be two or more. Similarly, although one mobile terminal device 14 is shown in FIG. 1, the number is not limited to one and may be two or more, and devices owned by each user may be applied. Note that, hereinafter, the facsimile function may be referred to as fax, the image reading function as scan, the image forming function as print, and the copying function as copy.

[0034] Furthermore, although communication between the mobile terminal device 14 and the image forming device 12 is described as short-range wireless communication, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1, connection may also be possible via a wireless base station of a mobile phone network or the like or a communication line 16 of various networks (e.g., LAN, WAN, Ethernet (registered trademark), etc.).

[0035] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the electrical system of the image forming apparatus 12 in the image forming system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0036] 2, the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment includes a control unit 20 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20A as an example of a processor, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 20B, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 20C. The CPU 20A controls the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 12. The RAM 20C is used as a work area when the CPU 20A executes various programs. The ROM 20B stores various control programs, parameters, and the like in advance. In the image forming apparatus 12, the various components of the control unit 20 are electrically connected via a system bus 42.

[0037] On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment includes an HDD (hard disk drive) 26 that stores various data, application programs, etc. The image forming apparatus 12 is also connected to a user interface 22 and includes a display control unit 28 that controls the display of various operation screens, etc. on the display of the user interface 22. The image forming apparatus 12 is also connected to the user interface 22 and includes an operation input detection unit 30 that detects operation instructions input via the user interface 22. In the image forming apparatus 12, the HDD 26, the display control unit 28, and the operation input detection unit 30 are electrically connected to a system bus 42. Note that, although the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment uses the HDD 26 as a storage unit, this is not limiting and a non-volatile storage unit such as a flash memory may also be used.

[0038] The image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment also includes a reading control unit 32 that controls the optical image reading operation by the document reading unit 44 and the document feeding operation by the document transport unit, and an image forming control unit 34 that controls the image forming process by the image forming unit 24 and the transport of paper to the image forming unit 24 by the transport unit 25. The image forming apparatus 12 also includes a communication line I / F (interface) unit 36 ​​that transmits and receives communication data to and from other external devices connected to the communication line 16 of various networks and transmits and receives communication data to and from the mobile terminal device 14 via short-range wireless communication. The image forming apparatus 12 also includes a facsimile I / F (interface) unit 38 that is connected to a telephone line (not shown) and transmits and receives facsimile data to and from a facsimile device connected to the telephone line. The image forming apparatus 12 also includes a transmission / reception control unit 40 that controls the transmission and reception of facsimile data via the facsimile I / F unit 38. The image forming apparatus 12 also includes a human presence sensor 46 that detects people around the apparatus. In the image forming device 12, the transmission / reception control unit 40, the reading control unit 32, the image formation control unit 34, the communication line I / F unit 36, the facsimile I / F unit 38, and the human presence sensor 46 are electrically connected to the system bus 42. Although one human presence sensor 46 is shown in Fig. 2, multiple human presence sensors 46 may be provided. The human presence sensor 46 may be configured to detect a person by thermal changes caused by infrared rays, for example, and may be configured to detect a person other than the operator when thermal changes caused by infrared rays are detected at multiple locations.

[0039] With the above configuration, the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment uses the CPU 20A to access the RAM 20C, the ROM 20B, and the HDD 26. The image forming apparatus 12 also uses the CPU 20A to control the display of information such as an operation screen and various messages on the display of the user interface 22 via the display control unit 28. The image forming apparatus 12 also uses the CPU 20A to control the operation of the document reading unit 44 and the document transport unit via the reading control unit 32. The image forming apparatus 12 also uses the CPU 20A to control the operation of the image forming unit 24 and the transport unit 25 via the image formation control unit 34, and to control the transmission and reception of communication data via the communication line I / F unit 36. The image forming apparatus 12 also uses the CPU 20A to control the transmission and reception of facsimile data via the facsimile I / F unit 38 via the transmission and reception control unit 40. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 12 has the CPU 20A grasp the operation content in the user interface 22 based on the operation information detected by the operation input detection unit 30, and executes various controls based on the operation content.

[0040] Next, a description will be given of the main configuration of the electrical system of the mobile terminal device 14 according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of the electrical system of the mobile terminal device 14 in the image forming system 10 according to this embodiment.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile terminal device 14 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 14A, a ROM 14B, a RAM 14C, a storage 14D, an operation unit 14E, a display unit 14F, a communication line I / F (interface) unit 14G, and an image capturing unit 14H. The CPU 14A controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal device 14. The ROM 14B stores various control programs and parameters in advance. The RAM 14C is used as a work area when the CPU 14A executes various programs. The storage 14D stores various data and application programs. The operation unit 14E is used to input various information. The display unit 14F is used to display various information. The image capturing unit 14H outputs image information obtained by capturing an image. The communication line I / F unit 14G transmits and receives various data to and from other devices connected to communication lines such as various networks. The communication line I / F unit 14G also transmits and receives various data to and from the mobile terminal device 14 using wireless communication such as various well-known short-range wireless communication. The above-described components of the mobile terminal device 14 are electrically connected to one another via a system bus 141. In the mobile terminal device 14 according to this embodiment, the storage 14D is used as a memory unit, and various non-volatile memory units such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and a flash memory are used as the storage 14D, for example.

[0042] With the above configuration, the mobile terminal device 14 according to this embodiment uses the CPU 14A to access the ROM 14B, RAM 14C, and storage 14D, to obtain various data via the operation unit 14E, to take a photograph using the photographing unit 14H, and to display various information on the display unit 14F. The mobile terminal device 14 also uses the CPU 14A to control the transmission and reception of communication data via the communication line I / F unit 14G.

[0043] Next, a description will be given of the functional configuration of the control unit 20 of the mobile terminal device 14 and the image forming device 12. Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit 20 of the mobile terminal device 14 and the image forming device 12 according to this embodiment.

[0044] The mobile terminal device 14 has the functions of a mobile operation accepting section 50, an operation content transmitting section 52, a receiving section 54, and a display processing section 56 by the CPU 14A executing a program stored in the ROM 14B.

[0045] The mobile phone operation acceptance unit 50 accepts the operation content operated by the operation unit 14E. For example, when a password is input by the operation unit 14E, the password is accepted as the operation content.

[0046] The operation content transmitting unit 52 transmits the operation content accepted by the mobile operation accepting unit 50 to the image forming apparatus 12 via short-range wireless communication.

[0047] The receiving unit 54 receives information transmitted from the image forming apparatus 12 via short-range wireless communication. For example, the receiving unit 54 receives information such as an operation screen from the image forming apparatus 12.

[0048] The display processing unit 56 performs processing to display information such as an operation screen received by the receiving unit 54 on the display unit 14F.

[0049] On the other hand, the control unit 20 has the functions of an operation receiving section 58, a display screen determining section 60, and a transmitting section 62 by the CPU 20A executing a program stored in the ROM 20B.

[0050] The operation reception unit 58 receives the operation content operated through the user interface 22. For example, the operation content operated through the user interface 22 is received on a screen such as a predetermined main operation screen. The main operation screen is a screen on which applications for executing various functions such as fax, scan, print, and copy are selected and parameters for executing the applications are set. As an example of the main operation screen, a menu screen displaying icon images representing applications corresponding to each function is used, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0051] The display screen determination unit 60 determines an operation screen to be displayed based on the operation content received by the operation reception unit 58. The display screen determination unit 60 also determines whether to display the operation screen on the user interface 22 and the mobile terminal device 14, and notifies the display control unit 28 and the transmission unit 62 of the determination result. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , a table defining a priority type for each screen ID is pre-stored in the HDD 26, and whether to display the operation screen on the user interface 22 and the mobile terminal device 14 is determined based on the priority type of the screen ID corresponding to the operation screen to be displayed. In this embodiment, if the priority type is 1 and the mobile terminal device 14 is connected via short-range wireless communication, the user interface 22 hides the operation screen and displays it only on the mobile terminal device 14. If the priority type is 2 and the mobile terminal device 14 is connected via short-range wireless communication, the operation screen is displayed on both the user interface 22 and the mobile terminal device 14. In the example of FIG. 4 , the password screen is set to priority type 1, and the preview screen is set to priority type 2. An example of the password screen is shown in FIG. 6. The password screen in Fig. 6 shows an example in which a password input field and a keyboard for entering the password are displayed, but the keyboard may be omitted. On the password input screen, for example, as shown in Fig. 6, the entered password is displayed as "*" instead of the password itself. An example of a preview screen is shown in Fig. 7. The preview screen in Fig. 7 shows an example in which scan results, etc. are displayed.

[0052] When the mobile terminal device 14 is connected via short-range wireless communication and an operation screen is to be displayed on the mobile terminal device 14, the transmitter 62 transmits operation screen information for displaying the operation screen. As a method for displaying the operation screen of the image forming apparatus 12 on the mobile terminal device 14, a method may be applied in which the mobile terminal device 14 is recognized as a second display unit by pairing via short-range wireless communication and the operation screen is transmitted to the mobile terminal device 14, thereby displaying the operation screen on the mobile terminal device 14. Alternatively, a method may be applied in which a browser application for operating the image forming apparatus 12 is launched on the mobile terminal device 14 and the operation screen is displayed on the mobile terminal device 14 by the browser application via a web service that queries the screen to be displayed on the image forming apparatus 12. While FIG. 4 shows an example in which the former is applied, either of the two methods may be selected.

[0053] With the above configuration, the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment identifies the type of screen for each operation screen, and when it is connected to the mobile terminal device 14 via short-range wireless communication and a predetermined operation is performed from the main operation screen displayed on the user interface 22 and the type of the operation screen subsequently displayed as a result of that operation is the predetermined type, it causes the mobile terminal device 14 to display the operation screen and performs processing to hide the display of the operation screen on the user interface 22.

[0054] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 8, a menu screen is displayed as a main operation screen on the user interface 22 of the image forming apparatus 12, and when an operation requiring password entry is performed from the menu screen and the mobile terminal device 14 is connected via short-range wireless communication, the user interface 22 is hidden and a password screen is displayed on the mobile terminal device 14. At this time, as shown in Fig. 8, a message indicating that the display is on the mobile terminal device 14, such as "Displaying on a sub-screen," may be displayed as a concealed display on the user interface 22. Note that the method for hiding the message may be to display a predetermined mask image over the operation screen, or to turn off the screen.

[0055] In addition, a menu screen is displayed as the main operation screen on the user interface 22 of the image forming device 12, and an operation to display a preview screen from the menu screen is performed.If the mobile terminal device 14 is connected via short-range wireless communication, a process is performed to display the preview screen on both the user interface 22 and the mobile terminal device 14.

[0056] Next, specific processing performed in the image forming system 10 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed in the image forming apparatus 12 according to this embodiment. The processing in Fig. 9 starts immediately after the image forming apparatus 12 is started, or when an instruction to display the main operation screen is given.

[0057] In step 100, the CPU 20A displays a main operation screen on the user interface 22, and then the process proceeds to step 102. For example, a menu image such as that shown in FIG.

[0058] In step 102, the CPU 20A determines whether a predetermined operation has been performed. For example, the CPU 20A determines whether an operation to transition from a menu screen to another screen has been performed. The CPU 20A waits until the determination is affirmative, and then proceeds to step 104.

[0059] In step 104, CPU 20A recognizes the screen to be displayed and proceeds to step 106. For example, the screen ID of the screen to be displayed is identified.

[0060] In step 106, the CPU 20A determines whether or not the CPU 20A is currently connected via short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal device 14. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 108, and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 110.

[0061] In step 108, the CPU 20A displays the screen on its own device and proceeds to step 120.

[0062] On the other hand, in step 110, CPU 20A determines whether the screen to be displayed is of priority type 1. This determination is made by determining whether the screen ID to be displayed is set to priority type 1 based on a table stored in HDD 26. If it is set to priority type 2, the determination is negative and the process proceeds to step 112, and if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step 114.

[0063] In step 112, CPU 20A displays a screen on its own device and portable terminal device 14, and proceeds to step 120. For example, as in the case in FIG. 8 where the screen to be displayed is a preview screen, an operation screen (preview screen in FIG. 8) is displayed on both image forming device 12 and portable terminal device 14.

[0064] On the other hand, in step 114, CPU 20A hides its own device, displays a screen on portable terminal device 14, and proceeds to step 116. For example, as in the case of Fig. 8 where the screen to be displayed is a password screen, image forming device 12 is hidden and an operation screen (password screen in Fig. 8) is displayed on portable terminal device 14.

[0065] In step 116, the CPU 20A determines whether or not the operation of the mobile terminal device 14 has been completed. For example, in the case of a password screen, the CPU 20A determines whether or not an operation indicating the completion of password input has been performed. The CPU 20A waits until the determination is affirmative, and then proceeds to step 118.

[0066] In step 118, the CPU 20A resumes the screen display of its own device and proceeds to step 120.

[0067] In step 120, CPU 20A determines whether an instruction to display another screen has been given. If an instruction to display a menu screen or the like has been given, the series of processes for which the determination is negative is terminated and the process starts from step 100. On the other hand, if the determination is positive, the process returns to step 104 and the above-described process is repeated.

[0068] In step 114 of FIG. 9 , if the short-range wireless communication connection is interrupted while the device itself is hidden and the operation screen is displayed on the mobile terminal device 14, the display of the user interface 22 of the device itself may be resumed. That is, as shown in FIG. 10 , step 115 is added to the processing of FIG. 9 , and after step 114, the processing proceeds to step 115, where the CPU 20A determines whether the short-range wireless communication has been interrupted. If the determination is negative, the processing proceeds to step 116 described above. If the determination is affirmative, the processing proceeds to step 118, where the screen display of the device itself is resumed. In addition, if the short-range wireless communication is reconnected after the restart, the processing may proceed again to step 114, where the device itself is hidden and the operation screen is displayed on the mobile terminal device 14. In addition, FIG. 10 shows an example in which the processing proceeds to step 118 immediately after the short-range wireless communication is interrupted in step 115. However, step 115 may be configured to proceed to step 118 if the attributable-distance wireless communication is interrupted and the short-range wireless communication is not restored even after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0069] 9 and 10, even if the screen to be displayed is determined to be priority type 1, if there is no one other than the operator around the image forming apparatus 12, the operation screen may also be displayed on the user interface 22 of the image forming apparatus 12 itself. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, step 113 is added to the process of FIG. 10. If it is determined in step 110 that the screen to be displayed is priority type 1, the process proceeds to step 113, where the CPU 20A determines whether there is anyone other than the operator based on the detection result of the human presence sensor 46. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 112 described above. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step 114 described above. Note that while FIG. 11 illustrates a case in which step 113 is added to FIG. 10, step 113 may also be added to FIG. 9. In addition, although the present invention has been described as detecting the presence or absence of a person in the vicinity using the human presence sensor 46, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a camera may be further provided in the image forming apparatus 12, or a camera may be installed near the image forming apparatus 12 and connected to the image forming apparatus 12, and the presence or absence of people other than the operator may be detected from the captured image. Also, in FIG. 11 , if no people other than the operator are present near the image forming apparatus 12 in step 113, the process proceeds to step 112, where the operation screen is displayed on both the image forming apparatus 12 itself and the mobile terminal device 14. However, this is not limiting. For example, as shown in FIG. 12 , if the determination in step 113 is affirmative, the process may proceed to step 117, where the operation screen is displayed only on the image forming apparatus 12 itself. Alternatively, if the determination in step 113 indicates that no people other than the operator are present, the operation screen may be displayed on at least one of the image forming apparatus 12 itself and the mobile terminal device 14 in response to a user instruction from the image forming apparatus 12 or the mobile terminal device 14. Alternatively, the display destination when no people are present may be configured to be configurable, and the operation screen may be displayed on at least one of the image forming apparatus 12 itself and the mobile terminal device according to the setting.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the menu screen as the main operation screen is displayed only on the image forming device 12, but this is not limited to this. If a short-range wireless communication connection is in progress, the menu screen may also be displayed on the mobile terminal device 14 to accept operations.

[0071] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a CPU has been described as an example of a processor, but the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0072] Furthermore, the operations of the processors in the above embodiments may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processors is not limited to the order described in the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0073] The processing performed by the image forming system 10 according to the above embodiment may be software-based, hardware-based, or a combination of both. The processing performed by the image forming system 10 may be stored as a program on a storage medium and distributed.

[0074] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10. Image forming system 12 Image forming device 14 Mobile terminal devices 14F display section 20 Control Unit 20A CPU 22 User Interface 28 Display control unit 46 Human Sensor 50 Mobile phone operation reception area 52 Operation content transmission section 54 Receiving unit 56 Display processing section 58 Operation reception section 60 Display screen determination section 62 Transmitter

Claims

1. a processor, the processor comprising: Identify the type of screen for each operation screen, An image forming apparatus that is connected to a mobile terminal device via short-range wireless communication, and when a predetermined operation is performed from an operation screen displayed on a display unit of the image forming apparatus and the type of operation screen subsequently displayed as a result of the operation is a predetermined type, causes the mobile terminal device to display an operation screen and performs processing to hide the display of the operation screen on the display unit.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor further performs a process of restarting the display on the display unit when operation on the operation screen by the mobile terminal device is completed.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the processor displays an operation screen on the mobile terminal device while the apparatus is connected to the mobile terminal device, and displays or hides the operation screen on the display unit depending on the type of operation screen to be displayed.

4. The processor displays the mobile terminal device connected by short-range wireless communication on a sub-display unit.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an operation screen to be displayed is transmitted to the mobile terminal device, thereby causing the mobile terminal device to display the operation screen.

5. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor causes the mobile terminal device to display the operation screen via a web service that queries the image forming apparatus itself about the operation screen to be displayed.

6. An image forming device described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processor detects people around the device, and if there are no people other than the operator, displays an operation screen on the display unit even if the type is the predetermined type.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the processor displays an operation screen only on the display unit.

8. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the processor displays an operation screen on the display unit when a connection via near-field wireless communication with the mobile terminal device is interrupted while the mobile terminal device is displaying an operation screen and the display unit is in the hidden state.

9. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when the connection with the mobile terminal device via near-field wireless communication is interrupted while the operation screen is displayed on the mobile terminal device and the display unit is hidden, the processor detects the restoration of near-field wireless communication until a predetermined time has elapsed, and if the restoration is not detected, displays the operation screen on the display unit.

10. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, a portable terminal device capable of short-range wireless communication with the image forming apparatus; An image forming system comprising:

11. On the computer, Identify the type of screen for each operation screen, An image forming program that is connected to a mobile terminal device via short-range wireless communication, and that, when a predetermined operation is performed from an operation screen displayed on the display unit of the device and the type of operation screen subsequently displayed as a result of the operation is a predetermined type, causes the mobile terminal device to display an operation screen and executes a process to hide the display of the operation screen on the display unit.

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