Touch Panel Operation Device for Multifunction Printer Screen Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional multifunction image forming apparatuses face challenges in providing clear visibility and operation characteristics due to complex screen configurations, where users struggle to understand the status of multiple functions being executed simultaneously, and cannot switch between function screens without completing the current function.
Innovation Solution
An operation device with a touch panel and display unit that allows for the display of multiple function screens, including a retreat area for icon keys and reduced screen keys, enabling users to switch between functions seamlessly while maintaining visibility of previous screens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional display method is used to display function screens, then the display configuration is simple, but the user cannot understand the status of multiple functions being executed simultaneously and cannot switch between function screens without completing the current function
Solution Approach 1:
The display screen is segmented into multiple regions: a first display region showing the current function screen and a second display region showing a thumbnail of the previous function screen. This segmentation allows users to see both the current function details and the previous function status simultaneously, enabling screen switching without losing visibility of function status information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a temporal dimension to the display by showing a thumbnail of the previous screen state alongside the current screen. This creates a layered display structure where users can access information from different time states (previous vs. current) within the same display space, allowing screen switching while maintaining awareness of function status.
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate key switches are provided for all setting items, then each function can be controlled independently, but the operation unit configuration becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The touch panel serves multiple functions: it displays information, receives user input, and provides visual feedback for function status. By integrating these functions into a single universal interface, the patent reduces the need for separate physical controls while maintaining independent control capability for each function, thereby reducing operation unit complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary that processes touch panel inputs and manages function switching. Instead of requiring separate physical switches for each function, the control unit interprets touch panel gestures and commands to independently control various functions, simplifying the operation unit configuration while preserving functional independence.
3Ease of operation
If the display area is allocated separately to each function, then function selection is clear, but the user cannot comprehend the correlation between the function and the screen when switching occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a thumbnail copy of the previous function screen and displays it in the second display region. This copy allows users to visually compare the previous screen content with the current screen content, maintaining understanding of the screen-content correlation during function switching while preserving clear function selection through dedicated display regions.
Data Source
AI summary
The operation device according to the present invention includes a touch panel configured to enable selection of a predetermined key contained in a predetermined screen, a function screen display reception unit for displaying a screen including a screen area and a retreat area being an area that is different from the screen area, an operation unit, a screen switching reception unit for displaying an icon key corresponding to the function of the second function screen on the touch panel in a selectable configuration at a predetermined position of the retreat area, a reduced screen display reception unit that displays a first reduced screen key for reducing the first function screen on the touch panel in a selectable configuration in the retreat area, and a function screen switching unit for switching the display of the first function screen in the screen area to the display of the second function screen.