Image processing apparatus for controlling display of a condition when the displayed condition is obscured by a hand of a user and method and non-transitory recording medium storing computer readable program

• US 10,681,229 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2018
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: Shinosaki, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Dulaney, Benjamin O
• Application Number:
  US15/872,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20180220018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00419 Arrangements for navigating between pages or parts of the menu
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00437 Intelligent menus, e.g. anticipating user selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00474 outputting a plurality of functional options, e.g. scan, copy or print
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00506 Customising to the data to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes a touch-sensitive panel display; and a hardware processor. The hardware processor is configured to presume a hidden region when a user finishes performing a gesture on the touch-sensitive panel display, the hidden region being a part of the touch-sensitive panel display and covered at least by a hand of the user to prevent the user from seeing, and determine a condition corresponding to the gesture. The touch-sensitive panel display is configured to display the condition, and where a requirement that the hidden region and a display region in which to display the condition overlap each other is satisfied, the touch-sensitive panel display displays the condition again before processing is performed in accordance with the condition.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a touch-sensitive panel display; and

a hardware processor,

wherein the hardware processor is configured to;

identify a range of a hidden region after a user finishes performing a handwriting gesture on the touch-sensitive panel display, the handwriting gesture being a gesture in which the user performs an action of handwriting a character on the touch-sensitive panel display, and the hidden region being a part of the touch-sensitive panel display that is covered at least by a hand of the user to prevent the user from seeing the part of the touch-sensitive panel display, and

determine a condition corresponding to the handwriting gesture, from among a plurality of conditions which are displayed on the touch-sensitive panel display and which relate to settings of the image processing apparatus,

wherein, when a requirement that the range of the hidden region and a display region of the touch-sensitive panel display in which the condition is displayed overlap each other is satisfied, the touch-sensitive panel display displays the condition again before processing is performed in accordance with the condition, and

wherein a format in which the condition is displayed when the handwriting gesture is being performed differs from a format in which the condition is displayed again before the processing is performed in accordance with the condition.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the requirement is satisfied, the touch-sensitive panel display again displays the condition in response to a next gesture by the user before a lapse of a predetermined amount of time after the handwriting gesture by the user.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the touch-sensitive panel display receives, as the handwriting gesture, a handwriting gesture performed by the user by bringing a finger of the user or an object into contact with the touch-sensitive panel display, and

when the requirement is satisfied, the hardware processor displays again the condition when the user performs a next gesture, after the handwriting gesture, while retaining the finger or the object within a predetermined distance from the touch-sensitive panel display.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the hardware processor identifies the range of the hidden region every time the user finishes performing the handwriting gesture, and determines the condition corresponding to the handwriting gesture, and

the touch-sensitive panel display collectively displays again each condition with respect to which the requirement is satisfied from among the plurality of conditions.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, when two or more conditions of the plurality of conditions conflict with one another, the touch-sensitive panel display again displays the two or more conditions.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the hardware processor identifies the range of the hidden region every time the user finishes performing the handwriting gesture, and determines the condition corresponding to the handwriting gesture, and

the touch-sensitive panel collectively displays again each condition with respect to which the requirement is satisfied from among the plurality of conditions, in such a way that one of the conditions collectively displayed again takes precedence over others of the conditions collectively displayed again.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the hardware processor identifies a target position in the touch-sensitive panel display, the target position being a position at which the user looks after finishing performing the handwriting gesture, and

after the requirement is satisfied, the touch-sensitive panel display displays the condition again when an amount of time between (i) a time at which the display region and the range of the hidden region no longer overlap each other and (ii) a time at which the target position overlaps the display region is longer than a predetermined amount of time.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the hardware processor identifies a target position every time the user finishes performing the handwriting gesture, the target position being a position at which the user looks in the touch-sensitive panel display, identifies the range of the hidden region, and determines the condition corresponding to the handwriting gesture, and

the touch-sensitive panel display collectively displays again each condition with respect to which, after the requirement is satisfied, an amount of time between (i) a time at which the display region and the range of the hidden region no longer overlap each other and (ii) a time at which the target position overlaps the display region is longer than a predetermined amount of time.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the hardware processor identifies a target position every time the user finishes performing the handwriting gesture, the target position being a position at which the user looks in the touch-sensitive panel display, identifies the range of the hidden region, and determines the condition corresponding to the handwriting gesture, and

the touch-sensitive panel display collectively displays again each condition with respect to which, after the requirement is satisfied, an amount of time between (i) a time at which the display region and the range of the hidden region no longer overlap each other and (ii) a time at which the target position overlaps the display region is longer than a predetermined amount of time, in such a way that one of the conditions collectively displayed again takes precedence over others of the conditions collectively displayed again.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the condition is displayed as a part of a first screen on which the handwriting gesture is performed, and the condition is displayed again as a part of a second screen, which is different from the first screen and which is displayed instead of the first screen, before the processing is performed in accordance with the condition.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the second screen includes a first input operation area configured to receive an instruction to perform the processing in accordance with the condition, and a second input operation area configured to receive an instruction to return to the first screen.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the condition is displayed again after the requirement is satisfied in response to an instruction to perform the processing in accordance with the condition, before the processing is performed in accordance with the condition.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor identifies the range of the hidden region based on a position on the touch-sensitive panel display at which the handwriting gesture is performed and stored image data indicating a shape of a hand of a person.

14. A method for displaying conditions in an image processing apparatus including a touch-sensitive panel display, the method comprising:

causing the image processing apparatus to identify a range of a hidden region after a user finishes performing a handwriting gesture on the touch-sensitive panel display, the handwriting gesture being a gesture in which the user performs an action of handwriting a character on the touch-sensitive panel display, and the hidden region being a part of the touch-sensitive panel display that is covered at least by a hand of the user to prevent the user from seeing the part of the touch-sensitive panel display;

causing the image processing apparatus to determine a condition corresponding to the handwriting gesture, from among a plurality of conditions which are displayed on the touch-sensitive panel display and which relate to settings of the image processing apparatus; and

when a requirement that the range of the hidden region and a display region of the touch-sensitive panel display in which the condition is displayed overlap each other is satisfied, causing the image processing apparatus to display, on the touch-sensitive panel display, the condition again before processing is performed in accordance with the condition,

wherein a format in which the condition is displayed when the handwriting gesture is performed differs from a format in which the condition is displayed again before the processing is performed in accordance with the condition.

15. A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable program used in an image processing apparatus including a touch-sensitive panel display, the computer readable program causing the image processing apparatus to perform processing comprising:

processing for identifying a range of a hidden region after a user finishes performing a handwriting gesture on the touch-sensitive panel display, the handwriting gesture being a gesture in which the user performs an action of handwriting a character on the touch-sensitive panel display, and the hidden region being a part of the touch-sensitive panel display that is covered at least by a hand of the user to prevent the user from seeing the part of the touch-sensitive panel display;

processing for determining a condition corresponding to the handwriting gesture, from among a plurality of conditions which are displayed on the touch-sensitive panel display and which relate to settings of the image processing apparatus; and

when a requirement that the range of the hidden region and a display region of the touch-sensitive panel display in which the condition is displayed overlap each other is satisfied, processing for displaying, on the touch-sensitive panel display, the condition again before processing is performed in accordance with the condition,

wherein a format in which the condition is displayed when the handwriting gesture is performed differs from a format in which the condition is displayed again before the processing is performed in accordance with the condition.