Multifunction apparatus and distribution server

• US 20050108651A1
• Filed: 08/03/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Osanai, Akira, Ozaki, Minoru, Sakamoto, Masakiyo, Matsuzawa, Yukari, Kitajima, Ikuo
• Application Number:
  US10/909,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108651A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0035 User-machine interface; Control console input or output arrangements for computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00437 Intelligent menus, e.g. anticipating user selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00509 Personalising for a particular user or group of users, e.g. a workgroup or company
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00511 for a group of users, e.g. a workgroup, company, or a service provider
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID

Abstract

A multifunction apparatus transmits a menu screen obtaining request and a sort key to a distribution server located on a LAN. Upon receiving the menu screen obtaining request and the sort key from the multifunction apparatus, the distribution server sorts, according to the sort key, the order of menus displayed on the menu screen, and transmits sorted menu screen back to the multifunction apparatus. The multifunction apparatus displays the sorted menu screen, received from the distribution server, on an LCD. When a menu is selected from the displayed menu screen, the multifunction apparatus executes the menu.

Claims

1. A multifunction apparatus that displays a plurality of menus and executes a menu chosen from the menus, the apparatus comprising:

a transmitter that transmits a menu screen obtaining request and a sort key to a distribution server located on a network;

a receiver receives a menu screen displaying menus that are sorted in accordance with the sort key, the menu screen being received from the distribution server as a response to the obtaining request; and

a display that displays the received menu screen.

2. The multifunction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sort key is a counted number of previous usage of each menu.

3. The multifunction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sort key is a date of last usage for each menu.

4. The multifunction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a menu item displayed on the menu screen is a menu name of a personal menu that is registered in the distribution server by each user.

5. A distribution server that distributes a menu screen to a multifunction apparatus, the distribution server comprising:

a receiver that receives a menu screen obtaining request and a sort key from the multifunction apparatus;

a sorter that sorts menus in accordance with the sort key, the menus being displayed on the menu screen, the menu screen being requested by the obtaining request; and

a transmitter that transmits the menu screen to the multifunction apparatus, the menu screen having the sorted menus.

6. The distribution server according to claim 5, further comprising:

a personal menu management table that registers a menu name and a management item, menu name being of a personal menu, and the management item being a sort key,

wherein, the management item is updated by obtaining updated information of the management item from the multifunction apparatus.

7. An operation screen display method comprising:

transmitting a menu screen obtaining request and a sort key from a multifunction apparatus to a distribution server, the server being located on a network;

receiving a menu screen at the multifunction apparatus, the menu screen being transmitted from the distribution server, as a response to the obtaining request, and displaying menus that are sorted according to the sort key;

displaying, on a display of the multifunction apparatus, the received menu screen; and

executing a selected menu from the displayed menu screen.

8. An operation screen display method comprising:

receiving a menu screen obtaining request and a sort key at a distribution server, the obtaining request and the sort key being transmitted from a multifunction apparatus;

sorting menus in the order of the sort key, the menus being displayed on the menu screen, the menu screen being requested by the obtaining request; and

transmitting the menu screen from the distribution server to the multifunction apparatus, the menu screen having the sorted menus.