Image Processing Device Customized Home Screen Display

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Solution Overview

Problem

In image processing systems, users often encounter buttons for unusable functions on common home screens, leading to confusion and potential misuse of non-executable features.

Innovation Solution

An image processing device determines executable functions and displays them on a customized screen, using a processor to differentiate between executable and non-executable items with distinct display formats, such as a dotted line or non-display, to reduce user interaction with unusable functions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a common home screen is displayed on multiple image forming apparatuses with different executable functions, then the home screen can be customized and displayed across the network, but unusable functions may be displayed as buttons causing user confusion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecustomized home screen displayVSAvoiduser interaction with unusable functions
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes unusable function buttons from the home screen display. The control unit identifies functions that cannot be executed on a particular apparatus and excludes their corresponding buttons from the customized home screen, ensuring only executable functions are displayed to users.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by customizing the home screen display according to the specific capabilities of each image forming apparatus. Each apparatus displays a tailored home screen with only the functions it can execute, making the display quality and suitability local to each device's actual capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If all functions are displayed on the home screen regardless of executability, then the home screen appears complete with all possible options, but users may select and attempt to execute unusable functions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefunction display completenessVSAvoidfunction execution reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit performs preliminary determination of which functions can be executed on each apparatus before generating the home screen. This preliminary action filters out unusable functions in advance, ensuring the displayed home screen only contains executable functions, preventing user confusion and failed execution attempts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If a customized home screen is generated for each apparatus based on its functions, then each apparatus displays relevant functions, but the system complexity increases due to function determination and screen generation processes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapparatus-specific function displayVSAvoidhome screen generation process
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit automatically determines executable functions and generates customized home screens without requiring manual configuration. The system self-adapts to each apparatus's capabilities, automatically filtering and displaying appropriate functions, thereby reducing operational complexity despite the customization process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3419271B1Image processing device, image processing system, and control method of image processing device
Publication Date: 2024.07.17 TOSHIBA TEC KK
  • EP3419271B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3419271B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3419271B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An image processing device includes a display unit and a processor configured to determine whether or not functions of the image processing device are executable by the image processing device, and cause the display unit to display a screen including a first item corresponding to a first function that is determined to be executable and a second item corresponding to a second function that is determined to be not executable. The first item is displayed on the screen in a first display format, and the second item is displayed on the screen in a second display format that is less conspicuous than the first display format.