Icon Display Control for Image Forming Apparatus Settings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users cannot immediately confirm or easily change the setting content associated with an icon in existing icon menus, requiring multiple operations to input and modify settings.
Innovation Solution
A driver program that displays icons for setting items, detects operations on these icons, changes their values, and customizes the icon list by adding or deleting items, allowing users to visually recognize and modify settings with simple operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If an icon menu with limited-state indicator icons is used to show whether operations are limited, then users can identify the limited state, but users cannot immediately confirm the setting content associated with each icon
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes to icon images to represent different setting values. When a setting value changes, the icon image transitions between multiple predetermined display states with different colors or visual appearances, enabling users to immediately recognize the current setting without accessing additional screens or menus.
2Ease of operation
If a screen with input fields is displayed when clicking an icon to input setting content, then users can input setting content, but users need to perform multiple operations to change settings
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides self-service functionality where icons respond directly to user interactions without requiring navigation to separate input screens. Users can change settings by simply interacting with the icons themselves, which directly modify the setting values and provide immediate visual feedback through icon image switching.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple predetermined display states are prepared in advance for each icon, corresponding to different setting values. This allows the system to immediately switch between pre-defined visual states when settings change, eliminating the need for real-time screen generation or complex input processing.
3Loss of information
If icon images are switched corresponding to setting value changes, then users can visually recognize setting changes, but the system must manage multiple icon image states
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes visual parameters of the icon images to represent different setting values. Instead of using completely different icons, the system modifies display parameters such as color, brightness, or visual state of the same icon to indicate different settings, simplifying the management required compared to handling multiple distinct icon images.
Data Source
AI summary
By a computer executing a driver program, an icon display processing unit, an operation detection unit, a setting change processing unit, and a customization unit are implemented. The icon display processing unit displays on a display device an icon associated with a setting item in an icon list. When a click operation is detected by the operation detection unit, the setting change processing unit changes a value of the setting item associated with the clicked icon to another value. Then, the icon display processing unit switches an icon image corresponding to a change of the value of the setting item. The customization unit customizes the icon list by performing at least one of adding or deleting the setting item to/from the icon list.