Dynamic Input Button Display for Multifunction Peripherals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional display input devices for image forming apparatuses, such as multifunction peripherals, face challenges in efficiently utilizing screen space and providing intuitive user feedback, especially when input assist functions are not available, leading to confusion and wasted screen area due to the display of disabled buttons.
Innovation Solution
The display input device only displays input buttons, such as re-addressing, conversion, or history buttons, within the input result area or adjacent to it when these functions are available, eliminating the display of buttons when they are not usable, thus optimizing screen space and providing clear user feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the display unit displays all input buttons (including disabled ones) to provide complete information, then the user can see all available functions, but the screen area is wasted and the display becomes cluttered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts disabled buttons from the display by not rendering them at all. The control unit determines button enablement status and only commands the display unit to show enabled buttons, completely removing disabled buttons from the visual interface rather than showing them in a disabled state.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic button display where the set of visible buttons changes based on the current operational state. As the device transitions between states (e.g., during fax transmission, copy operations), different buttons are enabled or disabled, and the display dynamically updates to show only the currently relevant buttons.
2Loss of information
If the display unit shows disabled buttons to indicate unavailable functions, then users understand which functions are unavailable, but it creates confusion about which buttons to press and wastes screen space
Solution Approach 1:
Disabled buttons are completely extracted from the display interface. Instead of showing grayed-out or dimmed buttons that confuse users, the system removes them entirely, presenting only the subset of buttons that are currently functional and relevant to the user's current task.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of the conventional approach of showing all buttons and disabling some visually, the patent inverts the logic by showing only enabled buttons. This reversal eliminates the confusion of disabled button states while maintaining clear communication of function availability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the display unit maintains fixed screen layout with buttons in fixed positions, then the interface is consistent and predictable, but the screen area cannot be optimized for different operational states
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic screen layout where button positions and visibility are adjusted based on the current operational state. The control unit reconfigures the display layout to show only relevant buttons in appropriate positions, optimizing screen space utilization while maintaining a consistent and predictable interface paradigm.
Solution Approach 2:
The display interface is segmented into multiple operational contexts, with each segment showing only the buttons relevant to that specific operation. This segmentation allows the screen to be optimized for different states (fax mode, copy mode, etc.) while maintaining overall interface consistency through standardized layout patterns.
Data Source
AI summary
A display input device includes an input unit which receives an operation input, and a display unit which displays a screen for operation input and includes an input result display area for displaying at least a number and a character. When there is an available function for inputting the number and the character, an input button for using the available function is displayed in the input result display area or in an adjacent area of the input result display area, while when there is no available function, the button is not displayed in the input result display area or in the adjacent area of the input result display area.