DISPLAY CONTROL DEVICE AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

• US 20090037839A1
• Filed: 06/06/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kyocera MITA Corporation (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kyocera MITA Corporation (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Shigenobu, Dai
• Application Number:
  US12/134,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20090037839A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5016 User-machine interface; Display panels; Control console
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens

Abstract

In a display control device according to the embodiments of the invention a display control part displays, if a screen switch instruction to switch to an operational condition input screen is accepted by a display screen switch key when any screen from a first guidance screen B to an n-th guidance screen D is displayed in a display part, an operational condition input screen E indicated by the screen switch instruction in the display part, as well as the screen from the first guidance screen B to the n-th guidance screen D that has been displayed in the display part in a reduced size in a portion of a display area of the operational condition input screen E.

Claims

1. A display control device, comprising:

a display part that displays a plurality of display screens;

a display image data storage part that stores image data for each display screen that is displayed in the display part, the display screen including an operation guidance screen with which an operation guidance is displayed for a user and an operational condition input screen with which an input instruction for an operational condition from the user is accepted;

a screen switch instruction accepting part that accepts a screen switch instruction from the user, the screen switch instruction being an instruction to switch the display screen displayed in the display part; and

a display control part that reads the image data for each display screen that is stored in the display image data storage part and displays each display screen in the display part, wherein

when a screen switch instruction to switch to the operational condition input screen is accepted by the switch instruction accepting part when the operation guidance screen is displayed in the display part, the display control part reads the image data for the operational condition input screen indicated by the screen switch instruction from the display image data storage part, and displays the operational condition input screen in the display part, as well as the operation guidance screen that has been displayed in the display part in a reduced size in a portion of a display area of the operational condition input screen.

2. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein

the operation guidance screen includes an input guidance display area that displays for the user a guidance for an input operation of the operational condition, and

the screen switch instruction accepting part accepts only the screen switch instruction to switch to the operational condition input screen in which an input of the operational condition guided in the input guidance display area in the operation guidance screen currently displayed in the display part is allowed.

3. The display control device according to claim 2, wherein

the screen switch instruction accepting part accepts the screen switch instruction to switch to the operational condition input screen in which an input of the operational condition guided in the input guidance display area by means of a touch panel function in response to a user touch to the input guidance display area is allowed.

4. The display control device according to claim 2, wherein

the screen switch instruction accepting part accepts the screen switch instruction to switch to the operational condition input screen in which an input of the operational condition guided in the input guidance display area in response to the user'"'"'s pressing down of a press-down part provided independently from the input guidance display area is allowed.

5. The display control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operational condition storage part that stores the operational condition set in the operational condition input screen when the display control part switches the display screen of the display part from the operation guidance screen to the operational condition input screen, wherein

the screen switch instruction accepting part accepts a bidirectional screen switch instruction between the operation guidance screen and the operational condition input screen in the display part,

the display control part switches the display screen, when a screen switch instruction to switch from the operational condition input screen to the operation guidance screen is accepted by the screen switch instruction accepting part, to the operation guidance screen associated with the operational condition input screen that has been displayed in the display part, and

the operational condition storage part stores the operational condition that has been inputted in the operational condition input screen, even if the display control part switches the display screen of the display part from the operational condition input screen to the operation guidance screen.

6. The display control device according to claim 2, further comprising:

an operational condition storage part that stores the operational condition set in the operational condition input screen when the display control part switches the display screen of the display part from the operation guidance screen to the operational condition input screen, wherein

the screen switch instruction accepting part accepts a bidirectional screen switch instruction between the operation guidance screen and the operational condition input screen in the display part,

the display control part switches the display screen, when a screen switch instruction to switch from the operational condition input screen to the operation guidance screen is accepted by the screen switch instruction accepting part, to the operation guidance screen associated with the operational condition input screen that has been displayed in the display part, and

the operational condition storage part stores the operational condition that has been inputted in the operational condition input screen, even if the display control part switches the display screen of the display part from the operational condition input screen to the operation guidance screen.

7. The display control device according to claim 3, further comprising:

an operational condition storage part that stores the operational condition set in the operational condition input screen when the display control part switches the display screen of the display part from the operation guidance screen to the operational condition input screen, wherein

the screen switch instruction accepting part accepts a bidirectional screen switch instruction between the operation guidance screen and the operational condition input screen in the display part,

the display control part switches the display screen, when a screen switch instruction to switch from the operational condition input screen to the operation guidance screen is accepted by the screen switch instruction accepting part, to the operation guidance screen associated with the operational condition input screen that has been displayed in the display part, and

the operational condition storage part stores the operational condition that has been inputted in the operational condition input screen, even if the display control part switches the display screen of the display part from the operational condition input screen to the operation guidance screen.

8. The display control device according to claim 4, further comprising:

an operational condition storage part that stores the operational condition set in the operational condition input screen when the display control part switches the display screen of the display part from the operation guidance screen to the operational condition input screen, wherein

the screen switch instruction accepting part accepts a bidirectional screen switch instruction between the operation guidance screen and the operational condition input screen in the display part,

the display control part switches the display screen, when a screen switch instruction to switch from the operational condition input screen to the operation guidance screen is accepted by the screen switch instruction accepting part, to the operation guidance screen associated with the operational condition input screen that has been displayed in the display part, and

the operational condition storage part stores the operational condition that has been inputted in the operational condition input screen, even if the display control part switches the display screen of the display part from the operational condition input screen to the operation guidance screen.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising the display control device according to claim 1.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising the display control device according to claim 2.

11. An image forming apparatus comprising the display control device according to claim 3.

12. An image forming apparatus comprising the display control device according to claim 4.

13. An image forming apparatus comprising the display control device according to claim 5.

14. An image forming apparatus comprising the display control device according to claim 6.

15. An image forming apparatus comprising the display control device according to claim 7.

16. An image forming apparatus comprising the display control device according to claim 8.

17. A method for controlling a display control device, comprising:

selecting one of a plurality of guidance selection keys;

displaying a guidance selection screen selected by the guidance selection key;

selecting an operating function from the one of a plurality of guidance selection keys on the guidance selection screen;

displaying at least one of a plurality of guiding screens in accordance with the selected operating function;

switching to one of the plurality of guiding screens when at least one of a next page, previous page and screen switch keys is selected;

displaying the next page when the next page key is selected and returning to the switching step;

displaying the previous page when the previous page key is selected and returning to the switching step;

displaying an operational condition input screen when the switch key is activated, wherein displaying the operational input screen further comprises;

displaying a guidance screen associated with the operational condition;

storing the operational condition when the operational condition is inputted;

returning to displaying the operation condition input screen when the switch key is not selected;

displaying at least one of the plurality of guiding screens previously displayed before switching to the operational condition input screen and returning to the switching step when the switch key is selected;

returning to the switching step when at least one of a guidance key and reset key is not selected and when at least one of a next page, previous page and screen switch keys is not selected; and

displaying a previous guiding screen and then switching to a present guiding screen.

18. A processor-readable storage medium containing a software program operable to cause a display control device including a processor operating under the instructions of the software program to perform a method for controlling the display control device, comprising:

selecting one of a plurality of guidance selection keys;

displaying a guidance selection screen selected by the guidance selection key;

selecting an operating function from the one of a plurality of guidance selection keys on the guidance selection screen;

displaying at least one of a plurality of guiding screens in accordance with the selected operating function;

switching to one of the plurality of guiding screens when at least one of a next page, previous page and screen switch keys is selected;

displaying the next page when the next page key is selected and returning to the switching step;

displaying the previous page when the previous page key is selected and returning to the switching step;

displaying an operational condition input screen when the switch key is activated, wherein displaying the operational input screen further comprises;

displaying a guidance screen associated with the operational condition;

storing the operational condition when the operational condition is inputted;

returning to displaying the operation condition input screen when the switch key is not selected;

displaying at least one of the plurality of guiding screens previously displayed before switching to the operational condition input screen and returning to the switching step when the switch key is selected;

returning to the switching step when at least one of a guidance key and reset key is not selected and when at least one of a next page, previous page and screen switch keys is not selected; and

displaying a previous guiding screen and then switching to a present guiding screen.