Information processing device and information processing program

Abstract

To acknowledge a place touched by a user, without using a detection device for detecting an operation situation by the user.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus 10 acquires from a nonvolatile memory 24 the operation history 15 of each user having operated the apparatus, identifies a contact place 19 of the apparatus touched by at least one user, by using the acquired operation history 15, and displays the identified contact place 19 with a contamination degree identified on the basis of a contact frequency on each contact place 19, on an operation panel 5 provided on the image processing apparatus 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a contact history recording system that records contact histories when each target location of a device that is subject to contact detection is touched by a person, the contact history recording system comprising a plurality of transmitters attached to each of the target locations and a receiver that communicates with the plurality of transmitters, each of which has a memory unit that pre-stores individual identification information for the target location to which the transmitter is attached, and a transmission unit that transmits the individual identification information stored in the memory unit when the target location to which the transmitter is attached is touched by a person, and the receiver has a receiving unit that receives the individual identification information transmitted from the transmitter, and a control unit that inputs the individual identification information received by the receiving unit to a recording unit that records the input individual identification information.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses an operating device that includes an operating unit operated by a user, a contamination state determination unit that compares the user's actions contained in an image acquired by an imaging unit with pre-registered image patterns to determine whether the user is in a contaminated state, a contaminated part identification unit that identifies a contaminated part of the user who has been determined to be in the contaminated state, a contaminated part approach detection unit that detects that the identified contaminated part is approaching the operating unit, a notification information creation unit that creates notification information that enables the operating unit to be operated without touching the contaminated part when it is detected that the contaminated part is approaching the operating unit, and a notification unit that notifies the user of the created notification information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-83942 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-84974 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Conventionally, a known method is to detect the location on a device that a user touches by installing a power generation element that generates electricity when pressure is applied to the device's housing or by installing a camera on the ceiling to photograph the device.

[0006] In these detection methods, in order to detect the location touched by the user, it is necessary to install a detection device that detects the user's operation status, such as a power generating element and a camera. Furthermore, when using a power generating element to detect the location touched by the user, there may be some locations on the device housing where it is impossible to attach a power generating element due to space or functionality constraints. Furthermore, when using a camera to detect the location touched by the user, there may be blind spots depending on the user's position.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device and an information processing program that can notify a user of a location that the user has touched without using a detection device that detects the user's operation status. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An information processing device according to a first aspect includes a processor, and the processor acquires an operation history of each user who has operated the device, and uses the operation history to identify contact points on the device that have been touched by at least one user, and notifies the user of the contact points.

[0009] In the information processing device of the second aspect, in the information processing device of the first aspect, the processor identifies the degree of contamination of the contact points from the number of times the contact points have been touched recorded in the operation history, and notifies the degree of contamination of each of the contact points along with the contact points.

[0010] An information processing device according to a third aspect is the information processing device according to the second aspect, wherein the processor notifies the user of the difference in the degree of contamination at each of the contact points by changing the color hue applied to a diagram representing the shape of the device.

[0011] An information processing device according to a fourth aspect is an information processing device according to the second aspect, in which the processor notifies the user of the difference in the degree of contamination at each of the contact points by varying the brightness of the color applied to a diagram representing the shape of the device.

[0012] An information processing device according to a fifth aspect is the information processing device according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, wherein the processor corrects the degree of contamination of the contact point depending on the material of the contact point.

[0013] An information processing device according to a sixth aspect is an information processing device according to the fifth aspect, wherein when the number of contacts at the contact point made of glass and the number of contacts at the contact point made of synthetic resin are the same, the processor corrects the degree of contamination at the contact point made of glass to be higher than the degree of contamination at the contact point made of synthetic resin.

[0014] An information processing device according to a seventh aspect is the information processing device according to any one of the second to sixth aspects, wherein the processor corrects the degree of contamination of the contact point depending on the difference in surface treatment at the contact point.

[0015] An information processing device according to an eighth aspect is an information processing device according to the seventh aspect, wherein when the number of contacts at the contact point that has been antibacterial treated and the contact point that has not been antibacterial treated are the same, the processor corrects the degree of contamination at the contact point that has not been antibacterial treated so that it is higher than the degree of contamination at the contact point that has been antibacterial treated.

[0016] An information processing device according to a ninth aspect is the information processing device according to any one of the second to eighth aspects, wherein the processor receives morbidity information of the user and corrects the degree of contamination of the contact point based on the morbidity information.

[0017] An information processing device according to a tenth aspect is the information processing device according to the ninth aspect, wherein when the disease information includes information that a user has contracted a predetermined disease that is transmitted by contact, the processor corrects the degree of contamination of the contact point touched by the user corresponding to the disease information so that it is higher than the degree of contamination of the contact point touched by a user who does not have the disease, if the number of times of contact is the same for the contact point touched by the user corresponding to the disease information and the contact point touched by a user who does not have the disease.

[0018] An information processing device according to an eleventh aspect is an information processing device according to the tenth aspect, wherein the processor disables the use of functions associated with the contact point touched by the user corresponding to the disease information for a specified period of time.

[0019] In an information processing device according to a twelfth aspect, in an information processing device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the processor acquires identification information of a user who is about to use the device, and uses the operation history to notify the contact points that the user represented by the identification information has touched.

[0020] An information processing device according to a thirteenth aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects, wherein the processor limits the contact points to be notified if the state of the device obtained from the operation history satisfies a predetermined condition, even if the contact points are identified from the operation history.

[0021] An information processing device according to a fourteenth aspect is the information processing device according to the thirteenth aspect, wherein the processor does not notify the contact point if a predetermined time has elapsed since the last operation on the device.

[0022] In an information processing device according to a 15th aspect, in the information processing device according to the 13th aspect, when the operation history includes a cleaning history of cleaning the device itself, the processor notifies only the contact points identified from the operation history after the cleaning history was recorded.

[0023] An information processing device according to a 16th aspect is an information processing device according to any one of the first to fifteenth aspects, wherein the processor displays the contact point on the screen of an information device previously designated by the user who is attempting to operate the device.

[0024] An information processing device according to a 17th aspect is the information processing device according to the 16th aspect, wherein the information device is provided with a camera that captures video, and the processor displays on the screen of the information device an image in which the contact point is superimposed on the video of the information device captured by the camera.

[0025] An information processing program according to an eighteenth aspect is a program for causing a computer to acquire the operation history of each user who operated the device, use the operation history to identify contact points on the device that were touched by at least one user, and execute a process of notifying the contact points. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to the first and eighteenth aspects, it is possible to provide an effect that it is possible to notify the location touched by the user without using a detection device that detects the operation status of the user.

[0027] According to the second aspect, it is possible to provide an effect that it is possible to inform the user of the degree of contamination of the contact point.

[0028] According to the third aspect, compared to when the contamination level of a contact point is notified as a numerical value, it is possible to easily grasp the distribution of the contamination levels of contact points in the information processing device.

[0029] According to the fourth aspect, even if the screen displaying the contamination level of the contact point is a screen that only supports grayscale display, it is possible to inform the user of the contamination level of the contact point.

[0030] According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to provide an effect that the degree of contamination of a contact point can be notified with higher accuracy compared to a case where the degree of contamination of a contact point is determined only from the number of times the user has contacted the point.

[0031] According to the sixth aspect, even if the number of contacts is the same, the degree of contamination can be corrected according to the survival period of the virus.

[0032] According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to provide an effect that the degree of contamination of a contact point can be notified with higher accuracy compared to a case where the degree of contamination of a contact point is determined only from the number of times the user has contacted the point.

[0033] According to the eighth aspect, even if the number of contacts is the same, the degree of contamination can be corrected in accordance with the surface treatment applied to the contacted portion.

[0034] According to the ninth aspect, there is an effect that the disease state of the user can be reflected in the degree of contamination of the contact point.

[0035] According to the tenth aspect, it is possible to provide an effect of calling attention to users other than the user who has the disease so as not to spread the disease.

[0036] The eleventh aspect has an advantage that the spread of diseases transmitted through contact can be suppressed compared to when the user is notified of the degree of contamination of the contact point and warned.

[0037] According to the twelfth aspect, it is possible to provide an effect that it is possible to notify, for each user, of the parts of the information processing device that are more likely to be touched by the user than other parts.

[0038] According to the thirteenth aspect, it is possible to prevent a warning from being issued even for contact points that are harmless even if touched.

[0039] According to the fourteenth aspect, it is possible to limit the warning given to the user to a period when there is a possibility of infection by contact with a particular disease.

[0040] According to the 15th aspect, it is possible to provide an effect of being able to accurately notify the current degree of contamination of the contact point, compared to when the degree of contamination of the contact point is determined by including the number of contacts before cleaning is performed.

[0041] According to the sixteenth aspect, even if the information processing device does not have an operation panel that displays the contact point, the user can grasp the contact point on the information processing device.

[0042] According to the seventeenth aspect, there is an effect that it is possible to grasp the contact point of the information processing device while viewing an image of the actual information processing device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0043] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of an image processing device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an image processing apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation history. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation coordinate system set on an operation panel. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a main part of an electrical system of an image processing apparatus using a computer. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a notification process. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a contact determination table. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating display examples of device icons representing contact points. [Figure 9]10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a display of a contact point in an area of ​​a corresponding device icon on an operation panel. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a notification process for correcting the degree of contamination. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of a notification process for notifying a contact point according to a usage status of the image processing device by a user. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a contact point on an information device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0044] The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same components and processes are given the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0045] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of an information processing device. The information processing device according to this embodiment may be any type of information processing device as long as it is operated by a user through contact with the device and records a history of user operations, and preferably is an information processing device that is shared and used by multiple users. Therefore, hereinafter, the disclosed technology will be described using an image processing device 10, which is an example of an information processing device installed in a company, for example.

[0046] As an example, the image processing device 10 has a scanning function that reads an image recorded on a recording medium such as paper as image data, a printing function that forms an image represented by the image data on a recording medium, and a copying function that forms an image identical to the image formed on the recording medium on another recording medium. Note that the image processing device 10 does not necessarily have to have each of the copying, printing, and scanning functions, but only needs to have at least one of the functions. Furthermore, the functions provided by the image processing device 10 are not limited to copying, printing, and scanning. For example, the functions provided by the image processing device 10 may be any function that involves image processing, such as a fax function that sends and receives image data.

[0047] Next, the image processing device 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0048] An original reading unit 2, for example, is provided at the top of the image processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

[0049] The document reading unit 2 is configured to include an optical reading device (not shown) and a document transport device 8 inside the document cover 6. The document transport device 8 sequentially pulls in the documents 1 placed on the document table 6A provided in the document cover 6 and transports the documents 1 onto a document transport reading glass (also called a "platen glass") (not shown). The document reading unit 2 reads the contents of the documents 1 transported onto the document transport reading glass (not shown) as image data using an optical reading device (not shown). After that, the document transport device 8 ejects the documents 1, whose contents have been read, onto an ejection table 6B provided in the document cover 6.

[0050] On the other hand, the image forming unit 4 forms an image represented by image data on recording media stored in storage shelves 9 that are classified according to the type and size of the recording media. In the example of the image processing device 10 shown in Figure 1, three storage shelves 9 are provided, one for each type and size of the recording media, and when distinguishing between the individual storage shelves 9, they may be referred to as "Tray A," "Tray B," and "Tray C."

[0051] The image processing device 10 is provided with an operation display unit 3 that accepts operations from a user to execute various functions such as copying, printing, and scanning. Specifically, the operation display unit 3 includes a reader device 7 that acquires information about the user performing the operation, and an operation panel 5 that accepts user operations.

[0052] The reader device 7 is a device that, when an employee ID card held by a user is brought close to the reader device 7, reads, in a non-contact manner, identification information (referred to as a "user ID") that uniquely identifies the user from an IC chip embedded in the employee ID card. The image processing device 10 accepts user operations if the user represented by the user ID is a user who is authorized to use the image processing device 10. In other words, the image processing device 10 performs user authentication and provides functions of the image processing device 10 to users who have been successfully authenticated.

[0053] The operation panel 5 is a display on which a touch panel is superimposed, and operation objects such as buttons that a user operates to execute a desired function are displayed on the operation panel 5. When a user touches the operation panel 5 to operate an operation object, a process previously associated with the operation object is executed on the image processing device 10, and a response to the operation is displayed on the operation panel 5.

[0054] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the image processing device 10. The image processing device 10 includes functional units, namely, an interface unit 11, a control unit 12, a function execution unit 13, and a history management unit 14, as well as an operation history 15. The interface unit 11 is connected to an operation display unit 3 and a communication unit 16, and the function execution unit 13 is connected to a document reading unit 2 and an image forming unit 4.

[0055] The interface unit 11 receives information for the image processing device 10 from the outside, and notifies information inside the image processing device 10 to the outside of the image processing device 10. Specifically, the interface unit 11 receives user instructions from, for example, the operation display unit 3, and receives image data and the like from a communication unit 16 connected to a communication line. Furthermore, the interface unit 11 displays, for example, the processing status of image processing in the image processing device 10 and the status of the image processing device 10 on the operation panel 5 of the operation display unit 3, and transmits image data that has undergone image processing to an external device connected to the communication unit 16 via a communication line.

[0056] There are no restrictions on the connection form of the communication line, and the connection form of the communication line may be any of wired, wireless, or a combination of wired and wireless. Furthermore, there is no restriction on the number of external devices connected to the image processing device 10, and for example, no external devices may be connected to the image processing device 10.

[0057] The control unit 12 controls the interface unit 11, the function execution unit 13, and the history management unit 14 to provide functions in accordance with the user's instructions notified by the interface unit 11.

[0058] The function execution unit 13 drives at least one of the document reading unit 2 and the image forming unit 4 under the control of the control unit 12, and executes the process instructed by the control unit 12 from among copying, printing, and scanning.

[0059] The history management unit 14, under the control of the control unit 12, stores the operation history 15 in a storage medium, acquires the operation history 15 stored in the storage medium, and notifies the control unit 12 of the acquired operation history 15.

[0060] The operation history 15 is history information related to the operation of the image processing device 10, and includes the user's operation details for the image processing device 10 and the operating status of the image processing device 10 associated with the user's operation. Specifically, the operation history 15 includes the user's operation details on the operation display unit 3, the sending and receiving status of image data in the communication unit 16, and the operating status of the document reading unit 2 and the image forming unit 4.

[0061] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the operation history 15. The operation history 15 includes items such as a user, a recording date and time, a function, an operation content, a setting value / event, a coordinate value, and a number of sheets, and each item is associated along a row to form one operation history 15.

[0062] The user item of the operation history 15 indicates the user ID of the user who operated the image processing device 10. That is, the operation history 15 is stored for each user.

[0063] The recording date and time item of the operation history 15 indicates the date and time when the user's operation stored in the operation history 15 was performed.

[0064] The function items in the operation history 15 indicate the types of functions executed by the user. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the function names of copy, print, and scan are set, but if, for example, a maintenance technician for the image processing device 10 performs maintenance such as cleaning on the image processing device 10, a name such as "maintenance" is set as the function item. When performing maintenance on the image processing device 10, the maintenance technician starts maintenance on the image processing device 10 by, for example, selecting a maintenance button (not shown) displayed on the operation panel 5. When the "maintenance" button is selected, the image processing device 10 generates the operation history 15 in which the function item is set to "maintenance." Note that the maintenance technician may be a user of the image processing device 10.

[0065] The operation content items in the operation history 15 represent the content of the operation performed by the user with respect to the function represented by the function item. For example, "Reading accuracy setting" indicates that the user selected a button to set the reading accuracy of the document 1 in the document reading unit 2. Also, "Start (automatic feeding)" indicates that the user selected a button to start the execution of the function represented by the function item. Note that "(automatic feeding)" in the operation content items indicates that the document 1 placed on the document table 6A was transported by the document transport device 8 to the transported document reading glass (not shown) and read into the image processing device 10. In contrast, "(Platen)" in the operation content items indicates that the image processing device 10 reads the document 1 placed by the user on the transported document reading glass (not shown), rather than the document 1 transported by the document transport device 8.

[0066] The setting value / event item of the operation history 15 indicates a value set by the user when an operation content that sets the operating conditions of a function is set in the operation content item. For example, in the setting value / event item of the operation history 15 shown in Fig. 3, "300 dpi" indicates that the user set the reading accuracy of the document 1 to 300 dpi.

[0067] Furthermore, the setting value / event items in the operation history 15 include records of events such as failures and missing parts that occur in the image processing device 10 as a result of operations. For example, in the setting value / event items in the operation history 15 shown in Fig. 3, "out of paper (tray A)" indicates that tray A ran out of paper when forming an image on paper, and "jam (automatic transport)" indicates that the original 1 got stuck in the original transport device 8 while the original transport device 8 was transporting the original 1. In other words, the information in parentheses in the setting value / event items indicates the location where an event such as out of paper or a jam occurred.

[0068] In addition, if the processing associated with the user's operation is completed normally, no particular events related to failures or missing parts occur, and there is nothing in particular to record, for example, the setting value / event item in operation history 15 is set to "-".

[0069] The coordinate value item of the operation history 15 indicates the position on the operation panel 5 operated by the user.

[0070] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an operation coordinate system set on the operation panel 5. The operation panel 5 is equipped with a so-called capacitive touch panel that detects an operation position from a change in capacitance that occurs when a user touches the operation panel 5. In an operation panel 5 equipped with such a touch panel, the change in capacitance at a point touched by a user's finger is larger than the change in capacitance at other points. Therefore, the operation panel 5 detects the point within the range of the operation panel 5 where the change in capacitance is largest as the user's operation position.

[0071] Meanwhile, in order to identify the user's operation position on the operation panel 5, an operation coordinate system is defined for the operation panel 5. The operation coordinate system is expressed as a two-dimensional coordinate system with an origin P set at any location on the operation panel 5. In the example of the operation panel 5 shown in FIG. 4, the origin P is set at one of the vertices on the outline of the rectangular operation panel 5. Furthermore, in the example of the operation panel 5 shown in FIG. 4, with respect to the origin P, an X axis is set along the horizontal direction of the operation panel 5, and a Y axis is set along the vertical direction of the operation panel 5.

[0072] The user's operation position on the operation panel 5 is represented by a coordinate value (x, y) that combines the coordinate value x of the X coordinate and the coordinate value y of the Y coordinate at coordinate point Q where the change in capacitance is greatest within the range of the operation panel 5. The coordinate value item of the operation history 15 is set with the coordinate value (x, y) of coordinate point Q where the user touched the operation panel 5.

[0073] The number of sheets item in the operation history 15 indicates the number of sheets of paper used for copying and printing. A "-" in the number of sheets item indicates that no paper was used, i.e., the number of sheets of paper used is 0.

[0074] 3. For example, in addition to or instead of the coordinate values ​​of the position of the operation panel 5 operated by the user, the name of the operation object operated by the user may be set in the operation history 15. For example, if the user operates the number of copies button to select the number of copies to make, the operation object item added to the operation history 15 may be set as "number of copies button."

[0075] Next, an example of the configuration of the main parts of the electrical system of the image processing device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The image processing device 10 is configured using a computer 20, for example.

[0076] In the computer 20, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, a non-volatile memory 24, and an input / output interface (I / O) 25 are connected to each other via a bus 26.

[0077] The CPU 21 is an example of a processor that performs processing for each functional unit of the image processing device 10 shown in Fig. 2. The ROM 22 is an example of a storage medium that stores an information processing program executed by the CPU 21. The RAM 23 is an example of a storage medium used as a temporary work area for the CPU 21.

[0078] The nonvolatile memory 24 is an example of a storage medium that maintains stored information even if the power supplied to the nonvolatile memory 24 is cut off, and may be, for example, a semiconductor memory or a hard disk. The operation history 15 according to this embodiment is stored in the nonvolatile memory 24, for example, but may also be stored in an external device. In this case, the CPU 21 stores the operation history 15 in the external device via the communication unit 16 and acquires the operation history 15 from the external device.

[0079] The nonvolatile memory 24 does not necessarily have to be built into the computer 20, but may be a storage medium that is detachable from the computer 20, such as a memory card or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory.

[0080] To the I / O 25, for example, the document reading unit 2, the operation display unit 3, the image forming unit 4, and the communication unit 16 are connected. Note that the devices connected to the I / O 25 are not limited to the various units exemplified in Fig. 5. To the I / O 25, devices required to realize the functions of the image processing device 10 are connected according to the functions the image processing device 10 has.

[0081] Next, the operation of the image processing device 10 will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of notification processing executed by the CPU 21 when a user has succeeded in user authentication. An information processing program that defines the notification processing is stored in advance in, for example, the ROM 22 of the image processing device 10. The CPU 21 of the image processing device 10 reads the information processing program stored in the ROM 22 and executes the notification processing.

[0082] For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that at least one operation history 15 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 24.

[0083] First, in step S10, the CPU 21 acquires all operation histories 15 stored in the nonvolatile memory 24 and stores them in the RAM 23.

[0084] In step S20, CPU 21 uses operation history 15 acquired in step S10 to identify all contact points 19 on the device itself that have been touched by at least one user.

[0085] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contact determination table 17 used when identifying the contact point 19 from the operation history 15. As shown in FIG.

[0086] The contact determination table 17 is a table that associates items in the operation history 15 with contact locations 19. Fig. 7(A) is an example of the contact determination table 17 that associates function items in the operation history 15 with contact locations 19, Fig. 7(B) is an example of the contact determination table 17 that associates operation content items in the operation history 15 with contact locations 19, and Fig. 7(C) is an example of the contact determination table 17 that associates setting value / event items in the operation history 15 with contact locations 19.

[0087] The CPU 21 refers to the contact determination table 17 and determines, for each of the operation histories 15 acquired in step S10, whether or not the content of the item of the operation history 15 defined in the contact determination table 17 is included in the acquired operation history 15. If the content of the item of the operation history 15 defined in the contact determination table 17 is included in the acquired operation history 15, the CPU 21 identifies the contact point 19 associated in the contact determination table 17 with the content of the item included in the acquired operation history 15 as the contact point 19 touched by each user.

[0088] For example, in the case of operation history 15 of user B shown in Fig. 3, "copy" is set as the function item, "platen" is included in the operation content item, and "out of paper (tray A)" is set as the setting value / event item. Therefore, CPU 21 refers to contact determination table 17 in Fig. 7 and identifies "discharge tray" associated with "copy," "original reading unit (handle) and edge of platen glass" associated with "platen," and "tray A" associated with "out of paper (tray A)" as contact points 19.

[0089] 3, "copy" is set as the function item, "automatic transport" is included as the operation content item, and "jam (automatic transport)" is set as the setting value / event item. Therefore, the CPU 21 refers to the contact determination table 17 in FIG. 7 and identifies the "discharge tray" associated with "copy," the "original tray / discharge tray" associated with "automatic transport," and the "original reading unit" associated with "jam (automatic transport)" as the contact points 19.

[0090] The contact determination table 17 is stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 24, and the correspondence between the items in the operation history 15 and the contact locations 19 is set by the user. Therefore, the correspondence between the items in the operation history 15 and the contact locations 19 can be changed by the user.

[0091] Furthermore, if coordinate values ​​are set in the operation history 15, the CPU 21 identifies the contact point 19 of each user on the operation panel 5 from the coordinate values ​​in the operation history 15. For example, the CPU 21 identifies the inside of a circle with a predetermined radius centered on a coordinate point Q represented by the coordinate values ​​(x, y) included in the operation history 15 as the contact point 19 of the user on the operation panel 5. The radius of the circle representing the contact point 19 may be stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 24, for example.

[0092] The shape of the range of contact point 19 based on coordinate point Q is not limited to a circle, and may be set to suit the size of the user's finger and the operation situation, such as a rectangle including coordinate point Q. For example, when the user flicks operation panel 5, CPU 21 sets the coordinate values ​​corresponding to the start position of the flick as the coordinate values ​​in operation history 15, and also stores the direction of the flick in operation history 15. In this case, CPU 21 can set the range of contact point 19 from the start position of the flick in the direction of the flick by referring to operation history 15.

[0093] 6, the CPU 21 identifies the contamination level for each contact point 19 identified in step S20. The contamination level represents the degree of dirt on the contact point 19 that has adhered due to contact by each user. The higher the contamination level, the dirtier the contact point 19 is. Note that the dirt includes not only visible dirt but also invisible dirt such as viruses.

[0094] Since the degree of contamination of the contact points 19 is considered to increase in proportion to the number of times each user has contacted them, the CPU 21 determines that the more times a contact point 19 has been contacted, the higher the degree of contamination, thereby identifying the degree of contamination of each contact point 19 identified in step S20.

[0095] The number of times a contact point 19 has been touched is represented by the number of times it has been identified as the contact point 19. For example, if the discharge tray 6B has been identified as the contact point 19 10 times based on each operation history 15 acquired in step S10, the CPU 21 determines that the number of times each user has touched the discharge tray 6B is 10. In this way, the CPU 21 identifies the degree of contamination for each contact point 19 identified in step S20.

[0096] In step S40, CPU 21 notifies the user of each contact point 19 identified in step S20. In this case, CPU 21 preferably notifies the user of the degree of contamination at each contact point 19 identified in step S30, in addition to notifying the user of the contact points 19.

[0097] The user is notified of the contact point 19 and the degree of contamination by displaying the information on the operation panel 5, for example.

[0098] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a display example of the contact point 19. The CPU 21 displays a device icon 18 that roughly represents the shape of its own device, i.e., the image processing device 10, on the operation panel 5, and displays the part of the device icon 18 that corresponds to the contact point 19 in a form that can be distinguished from parts that are not the contact point 19. In the example of the device icon 18 shown in Fig. 8, the shaded parts represent the contact point 19, and the unshaded parts represent parts that are not the contact point 19.

[0099] The display form of the contact point 19 on the device icon 18 may not only be the presence or absence of shading, but may also be, for example, the presence or absence of a pattern, or an illustration using a line enclosure or an arrow, etc. If the operation panel 5 supports color display, the contact point 19 may be displayed by changing the color.

[0100] When the CPU 21 displays the operation panel 5 as the contact point 19, it does not display the entire operation panel 5 as the contact point 19, but rather displays only the range of the contact point 19 represented by the coordinate point Q already described within the area 27 of the device icon 18 corresponding to the operation panel 5 as the contact point 19.

[0101] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a contact point 19 in an area 27 of a device icon 18 corresponding to the operation panel 5. As shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 21 displays, in the area 27, a predetermined range including a position corresponding to a coordinate point Q indicating the user's operation position on the operation panel 5 (referred to as a "point corresponding to the coordinate point Q") as the contact point 19.

[0102] On the other hand, the CPU 21 indicates the degree of contamination at the contact point 19 by changing the display format of the contact point 19 displayed on the device icon 18. For example, the CPU 21 displays the degree of contamination by changing the brightness of the color, such as by displaying it darker as the degree of contamination increases, or by changing the hue, such as by displaying it in a reddish color as the degree of contamination increases and in a bluish color as the degree of contamination decreases.

[0103] Naturally, the CPU 21 may display the degree of contamination by changing the pattern such as shading applied to the contact point 19, or may convert the degree of contamination into a numerical value and display it in text on the contact point 19.

[0104] <Correction of contamination level> The above describes an example in which the more frequently a contact point 19 is touched, the higher the degree of contamination is determined to be. However, the CPU 21 may correct the degree of contamination determined based on the number of times of contact using at least one of the characteristics of the housing of the image processing device 10 and information about the user operating the image processing device 10.

[0105] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a notification process for correcting the contamination level. The notification process shown in Fig. 10 differs from the notification process shown in Fig. 6 in that step S35 has been added. Therefore, the following description will focus on the process of step S35.

[0106] In step S30 of FIG. 10, once the contamination level of each contact point 19 is determined, the process proceeds to step S35.

[0107] In step S35, the CPU 21 corrects the contamination level of each contact point 19 identified in step S30. Specifically, the CPU 21 corrects the contamination level of each contact point 19 depending on the material of the contact point 19.

[0108] For example, it is known that the survival period of a virus varies depending on the material to which the virus is attached, and experiments have shown that the survival period of a virus after attaching to a material varies for each material.

[0109] Therefore, the CPU 21 corrects the degree of contamination of a contact point 19 made of a material that has a longer virus survival period than other materials among the materials used in the housing of the image processing device 10 so that the degree of contamination is higher than that of a contact point 19 made of other materials, even if the number of times the user has touched the contact point 19 is the same as that of a contact point 19 made of other materials.

[0110] For example, if viruses attached to glass, which has a smoother surface, survive longer after adhering to a material than to synthetic resin, even if the number of contacts at contact points 19 made of either glass or synthetic resin is the same, CPU 21 will set the contamination level of contact points 19 made of glass to be higher than the contamination level of contact points 19 made of synthetic resin. Synthetic resin refers to resins manufactured using chemical synthesis, such as polyethylene and polypropylene. In image processing device 10, glass is used as a glass for reading transported documents.

[0111] Information regarding the survival period of viruses in each material and the usage status of the material in the image processing device 10 may be stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 24, for example.

[0112] In step S40, the CPU 21 associates the corrected contamination degree with each of the identified contact points 19, and notifies the user of the contact points 19 and the contamination degree at the contact points 19.

[0113] The above-described method for correcting the contamination level is merely an example, and there are various variations of the method for correcting the contamination level. For example, the CPU 21 may correct the contamination level of the contact point 19 depending on the difference in the surface finish of the contact point 19.

[0114] For example, when there are antibacterial treated areas on the surface of the housing of the image processing device 10, even if the number of contacts at the antibacterial treated contact area 19 and the non-antibacterial treated contact area 19 are the same, the CPU 21 makes the contamination level of the non-antibacterial treated contact area 19 higher than the contamination level of the antibacterial treated contact area 19.

[0115] There are several methods for antibacterial processing, including using materials that are more effective at suppressing the growth of certain viruses than other materials, applying an antibacterial film, spraying and coating with a chemical that has proven to have antibacterial properties, and creating an uneven surface on the material to make it less likely for viruses to adhere to the user's hands.

[0116] Furthermore, CPU 21 may receive disease information of the user from an external device via communication unit 16, and correct the degree of contamination of contact point 19 based on the received disease information. Disease information is information indicating that the user has contracted a disease, and includes, for example, the user ID of the user who has contracted the disease, the name of the disease, and the date and time when the user was diagnosed with the disease.

[0117] When a user is diagnosed with a disease, the user voluntarily registers the name of the disease and the date and time of diagnosis in an external device using an information device 28 such as a smartphone (see FIG. 12). When the disease information is registered in the external device, the external device transmits the disease information registered by the user to the image processing device 10 via a communication line.

[0118] The CPU 21 stores the morbidity information acquired from the external device in, for example, the nonvolatile memory 24, and refers to the morbidity information stored in the nonvolatile memory 24.

[0119] It is preferable that the user registers morbidity information in the external device when diagnosed with a predetermined disease accompanied by contact infection, rather than registering morbidity information in the external device regardless of the type of disease the user has. Furthermore, it is preferable that the external device extracts only morbidity information related to the predetermined disease accompanied by contact infection from the morbidity information registered by the user and transmits it to the image processing device 10. Alternatively, the external device may transmit all morbidity information registered by the user to the image processing device 10, and the image processing device 10 may extract only morbidity information related to the predetermined disease accompanied by contact infection from the received morbidity information and store it in the non-volatile memory 24.

[0120] When the disease information includes information that a user has contracted a predetermined disease that involves contact infection, even if the number of times a contact point 19 touched by a user represented by a user ID included in the disease information (referred to as an "affected user") is the same as the number of times a contact point 19 touched by a user whose user ID is not included in the disease information (referred to as a "healthy user") is the same, the CPU 21 will make the degree of contamination of the contact point 19 touched by the affected user higher than the degree of contamination of the contact point 19 touched by the healthy user.

[0121] In particular, for a specific disease that is more susceptible to contact infection than other diseases, CPU 21 may prohibit functions that cannot be executed unless the affected user touches contact point 19 that has been touched by the affected user, i.e., functions related to the contact point of the affected user, for a specified period from the diagnosis date and time. Specifically, CPU 21 may make it impossible to operate or display operation objects related to the functions that have been set to be prohibited on operation panel 5.

[0122] The CPU 21 sets the period during which the use of the function is prohibited from the disease name by referring to the correspondence between the disease name and the specified period during which the use of the function is prohibited, which is stored in advance in, for example, the nonvolatile memory 24. Note that when recovery information indicating that the affected user has been diagnosed with recovery from the disease is registered in the external device, the CPU 21 may cancel the prohibition on the use of the function related to the contact point of the affected user upon receiving the recovery information from the external device.

[0123] <Notification of contact points tailored to the user> 6 and 10, if the operation history 15 stored in the image processing device 10 is the same, the contact point 19 notified to each user will be the same. Here, an image processing device 10 will be described that notifies each user of the contact point 19 according to the usage status of the image processing device 10 for each user who uses the image processing device 10.

[0124] Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a notification process for notifying a contact point 19 according to a usage status of the image processing device 10 by a user. The notification process shown in Fig. 11 differs from the notification process shown in Fig. 6 in that step S15 is added and step S20 is replaced with step S20A. Therefore, the following description will mainly focus on the processes of steps S15 and S20A.

[0125] When the operation history 15 is acquired in step S10 of FIG. 11, the process proceeds to step S15.

[0126] In step S15, the CPU 21 acquires the user ID entered during user authentication, that is, the user ID of the user who is attempting to use the image processing device 10 (for convenience of explanation, referred to as the "authenticated user").

[0127] In step S20A, CPU 21 refers to operation history 15 acquired in step S10 that includes the user ID acquired in step S15 in the user field, and identifies contact points 19 that have been touched by the user represented by the user ID acquired in step S15, i.e., the authenticated user.

[0128] As a result, the process from step S30 onwards will notify the authenticated user of only the contamination levels of the contact points 19 that the authenticated user has touched up to now.

[0129] In step S20A, CPU 21 may specify only contact points 19 that have been touched by the authenticated user a predetermined threshold or more in number of times as contact points 19 that the authenticated user is particularly likely to touch.

[0130] <Contact point notification restriction based on the device's status> As in the above example in which only the contact points 19 of the authenticated user are notified among all the contact points 19, the CPU 21 may limit the contact points 19 to be notified even when the contact points 19 are identified from the operation history 15. Here, "limiting the contact points 19 to be notified" means narrowing down the contact points 19 to be notified.

[0131] The notification of the contact points 19 may be limited when the state of the image processing device 10 satisfies a predetermined condition. The state of the image processing device 10 may include, for example, the time when the user performed an operation on the image processing device 10.

[0132] It is known that even if a user touches the image processing device 10 and a virus adheres to the image processing device 10, the virus will become inactive over time. In other words, if the last operation on the image processing device 10 occurred before the virus's survival period, the possibility of the user being infected with the virus is lower regardless of which contact point 19 the user touches, compared to touching the contact point 19 during the virus's survival period. Therefore, the CPU 21 refers to the recording date and time field in the operation history 15 to identify the last operation history 15 on the image processing device 10, and if a time equivalent to the virus's survival period has passed since the last operation on the image processing device 10, the CPU 21 does not notify all contact points 19 even if contact points 19 exist. The virus's survival period is an example of the "predetermined time" according to this embodiment.

[0133] As already explained, the survival period of a virus varies depending on the material of the location where the virus is attached. Therefore, it is preferable that CPU 21 not notify all contact points 19 if a time equivalent to the longest survival period of viruses for each material has elapsed since the last operation on the device. Furthermore, even for the same material, the survival period of a virus varies depending on the type of virus. Therefore, for example, information regarding the survival period of a virus for each material and for each virus may be stored in nonvolatile memory 24 of image processing device 10, and CPU 21 may identify the type of virus from the infection information and set the survival period of the virus.

[0134] In addition, the state of the own device includes the cleaning state of the image processing device 10 by the user.

[0135] Even if a user touches the image processing device 10, viruses and dirt adhering to the surface of the housing of the image processing device 10 can be removed by a maintenance technician wiping or disinfecting the surface of the housing of the image processing device 10. As already described, when a maintenance technician performs maintenance such as cleaning, a name such as "maintenance" is set as a function item in the operation history 15. Therefore, when each operation history 15 includes an operation history 15 in which the content of the function item is set to "maintenance," the CPU 21 may notify only the touch points 19 that were touched after the recording date and time of the operation history 15 in which the function item was set to "maintenance" out of all the touch points 19 identified from each operation history 15. The operation history 15 in which the function item is set to "maintenance" is an example of a "cleaning history in which cleaning of the image processing device itself was performed" according to this embodiment.

[0136] Note that whether or not a maintenance technician has performed maintenance may be determined not only by selecting the maintenance button displayed on the operation panel 5, but also by, for example, deleting an image captured by a camera or the operation history 15. Deletion of the operation history 15 means that a maintenance technician has performed maintenance, and in this case, only the operation history 15 after the maintenance has been performed is stored, so that inevitably only the contact points 19 identified from the operation history 15 stored after the maintenance has been performed are notified.

[0137] 6, 10, and 11, an example has been described in which the contact points 19 and the contamination levels at each contact point 19 are displayed on the operation panel 5. However, the CPU 21 may display the contact points 19 and the contamination levels at each contact point 19 not on the operation panel 5 but on the screen of an information device 28 designated in advance by the user who is about to operate the device itself.

[0138] If the information device 28 designated in advance by the user is equipped with a camera for capturing images, such as a smartphone, the CPU 21 may work in cooperation with the information device 28 to display the contact points 19 of the image processing device 10 and the degree of contamination at each contact point 19 on the screen of the information device 28.

[0139] Specifically, the CPU 21 transmits information indicating the contact points 19 of the image processing device 10 and the degree of contamination at each contact point 19 to an information device 28 connected to the communication line via the communication unit 16. Then, the CPU 21 displays, on the screen of the information device 28, an image of the image processing device 10 captured by a camera of the information device 28, on which the transmitted contact points 19 of the image processing device 10 and the degree of contamination at each contact point 19 have been superimposed. That is, the CPU 21 cooperates with the information device 28 and uses an AR (Augmented Reality) function to display the contact points 19 of the image processing device 10 and the degree of contamination at each contact point 19 on the image of the image processing device 10. The camera is an example of an "imaging device" according to this embodiment, and the information device 28 is an example of an "external device."

[0140] 12 is a diagram showing a display example of the contact point 19 of the image processing device 10 on the information device 28. The display of the contact point 19 of the image processing device 10 on the information device 28 is performed, for example, by the presence or absence of shading, the presence or absence of a pattern, and by drawing a box with a line or an arrow, similar to the display example of the device icon 18 on the operation panel 5 shown in FIG. 8. The display of the degree of contamination at the contact point 19 of the image processing device 10 on the information device 28 is also performed by differences in hue, brightness, etc., similar to the display example of the device icon 18 on the operation panel 5 shown in FIG.

[0141] The CPU 21 may control the information device 28 so that, when the user taps the contact point 19 on the screen of the information device 28, the information device 28 notifies the user of the degree of contamination of the tapped contact point 19 by voice or numerical value.

[0142] While one aspect of the image processing device 10 has been described above using the embodiment, the disclosed embodiment of the image processing device 10 is merely an example, and the embodiment of the image processing device 10 is not limited to the scope described in the embodiment. Various modifications or improvements can be made to the embodiment without departing from the gist of the present disclosure, and such modifications or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the disclosure. For example, the order of the notification processes shown in Figures 6, 10, and 11 may be changed without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0143] In the above embodiment, the notification process is implemented by software. However, the same processes as those shown in Figures 6, 10, and 11 may be implemented by hardware. In this case, the processing speed can be increased compared to when the notification process is implemented by software.

[0144] In the above embodiment, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU 21) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0145] 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.

[0146] In the above embodiment, an example in which the information processing program is stored in ROM 22 has been described, but the storage destination of the information processing program is not limited to ROM 22. The information processing program of the present disclosure can also be provided in a form recorded on a storage medium readable by computer 20. For example, the information processing program may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) or a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory). Furthermore, the information processing program may be provided in a form recorded on a portable semiconductor memory such as a USB memory or a memory card.

[0147] ROM 22, non-volatile memory 24, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, USB, and memory cards are examples of non-transitory storage media.

[0148] Furthermore, the image processing device 10 may download an information processing program from an external device connected to the communication unit 16 via a communication line and store the downloaded information processing program in a non-transitory storage medium. In this case, the CPU 21 of the image processing device 10 reads the information processing program downloaded from the external device from the non-transitory storage medium and executes notification processing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0149] 1 Manuscript 2 Document scanning unit 3 Operation display unit 4 Image forming unit 5 Operation panel 6 manuscript cover 6A manuscript table 6B Discharge stand 7. Reader Device 8 Document transport device 9 Storage Shelves 10 Image processing device 11 Interface section 12 Control Unit 13 Function execution unit 14 History Management Department 15 Operation History 16 Communication Unit 17 Collision detection table 18 Device Icons 19 Contact points 20 Computer 21 CPU 22 ROM 23 RAM 24 Non-volatile memory 25 I / O 26 Bus 27 areas 28 Information equipment P origin Q coordinate point

Claims

1. a processor; The processor: Acquires the operation history of each user who operated the device; Using the operation history, an operation panel of the own device touched by at least one user and a contact point on the own device other than the operation panel are identified; Notify the contact point Information processing device.

2. The processor identifies a degree of contamination of the contact point from the number of times the contact point has been touched, which is recorded in the operation history; Notifying the contact points and the degree of contamination at each of the contact points The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The processor notifies the user of the difference in the degree of contamination at each of the contact points by changing the color of the diagram representing the shape of the device. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. The processor notifies the user of the difference in the degree of contamination at each of the contact points by changing the brightness of the color applied to the diagram representing the shape of the device. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. The processor corrects the degree of contamination of the contact point depending on the material of the contact point.

5. The information processing device according to claim 2.

6. The processor corrects the contamination level of the contact point made of glass so that it is higher than the contamination level of the contact point made of synthetic resin when the number of contacts at the contact point made of glass and the number of contacts at the contact point made of synthetic resin are the same. The information processing device according to claim 5 .

7. The processor corrects the degree of contamination at the contact point depending on the difference in surface finish at the contact point.

7. The information processing device according to claim 2.

8. The processor corrects the contamination level of the contact point that has not been subjected to antibacterial treatment so that it is higher than the contamination level of the contact point that has been subjected to antibacterial treatment when the number of contacts at the contact point that has been subjected to antibacterial treatment and the number of contacts at the contact point that has not been subjected to antibacterial treatment are the same. The information processing device according to claim 7 .

9. The processor accepts disease information of a user; Correcting the degree of contamination of the contact point based on the disease information 9. The information processing device according to claim 2.

10. If the disease information includes information that the user has contracted a predetermined disease involving contact infection, The processor determines whether the degree of contamination of the contact point touched by the user corresponding to the disease information is greater than the degree of contamination of the contact point touched by the user not suffering from the disease, if the number of times of contact is the same for the contact point touched by the user corresponding to the disease information and the contact point touched by the user not suffering from the disease. The degree of contamination of the contact point touched by the user who has not touched the contact point is corrected to be higher than the degree of contamination of the contact point touched by the user who has not touched the contact point. The information processing device according to claim 9 .

11. The processor disables the use of a function associated with the contact point touched by the user corresponding to the disease information for a specified period of time. The information processing device according to claim 10.

12. The processor acquires identification information of a user who is attempting to use the device; Using the operation history, notify the user of the contact points that have been touched by the user represented by the identification information. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. Even if the contact point is identified from the operation history, the processor limits the contact point to be notified if the state of the device obtained from the operation history satisfies a predetermined condition. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The processor is configured not to notify the contact point if a predetermined time has passed since the last operation on the device. The information processing device according to claim 13.

15. When the operation history includes a cleaning history of cleaning the device itself, the processor notifies only the contact points identified from the operation history after the cleaning history was recorded. The information processing device according to claim 13.

16. The processor displays the contact point on a screen of an information device designated in advance by a user who is about to operate the device. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. the information device includes a photographing device for photographing an image, The processor displays an image on a screen of the information device, in which the contact point is superimposed on an image of the information device captured by the image capturing device. The information processing device according to claim 16.

18. On the computer, Acquires the operation history of each user who operated the device; Using the operation history, an operation panel of the own device touched by at least one user and a contact point on the own device other than the operation panel are identified; for executing the process of notifying the contact point Information processing program.

Images