IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SETTING METHOD USED IN IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20110199623A1
• Filed: 02/04/2011
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Okuyama, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US13/021,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20110199623A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00408 Display of information to the user, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00427 using a menu list H04N1/00421, H04N1/00424, H04N1/00429 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00432 using tabs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00477 Indicating status, e.g. of a job for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N2201/3219
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00482 outputting a plurality of job set-up options, e.g. number of copies, paper size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00514 for individual users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00517 involving favourite or frequently used settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3202 of communication or activity log or report
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3214 of a date
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3219 of a job status, e.g. successful execution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3222 of processing required or performed, e.g. forwarding, urgent or confidential handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an image processing apparatus has a storage unit, a display unit, a display control unit, a setting log saving unit, a determination unit, and an updating unit. The storage unit stores default settings. The display unit displays setting contents reflecting the default settings. The display control unit causes the setting contents which are changed in response to an instruction from a user to be displayed on the display unit. The setting log saving unit saves the setting contents of the executed process as setting log information. The determination unit determines whether or not the default settings are to be changed using a plurality of the setting log information. The updating unit, if it is determined that the default settings are to be changed, updates the default settings to default settings determined from the plurality of the setting log information.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a storage unit that stores default settings;

a display unit that displays setting contents reflecting the default settings stored in the storage unit;

a display control unit that causes the setting contents which are changed in response to an instruction from a user to be displayed on the display unit;

a setting log saving unit that, if image processing is executed using the setting contents displayed on the display unit, saves the setting contents of the executed process as setting log information;

a determination unit that determines whether or not the default settings stored in the storage unit are to be changed using a plurality of pieces of the setting log information saved in the setting log saving unit; and

an updating unit that, if it is determined that the default settings are to be changed by the determination unit, updates the default settings stored in the storage unit to default settings determined from the plurality of pieces of the setting log information saved in the setting log saving unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a memory that stores a condition representing a change reference of the default settings stored in the storage unit,

wherein the determination unit determines that the default settings are to be changed, if aggregation data that aggregates the setting log information saved in the setting log saving unit satisfies the condition representing the change reference of the default settings stored in the memory.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the memory stores a setting frequency as the change reference for a setting value of a setting item included in the default settings, and

the determination unit determines whether or not the default settings are to be changed by whether or not the setting item of which the setting frequency is equal to or higher than the frequency as the change reference of the default settings exists from among the setting items saved as the setting log information in the setting log saving unit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the updating unit changes the setting value of the setting item of which the setting frequency is determined to be equal to or higher than the frequency as the change reference by the determination unit to the setting value that is equal to or higher than the frequency as the change reference, in the default settings stored in the storage unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an authentication unit that authenticates whether or not a user is a registrant by user authentication information input by the user,

wherein the storage unit stores default settings for each user as the registrant which is an object of authentication by the authentication unit, and

the display unit displays setting contents that reflect the default settings corresponding to the user authorized as the registrant by the authentication unit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the storage unit stores the default settings for each registrant which is the object of authentication by the authentication unit and default settings for unspecified users who do not need authentication by the authentication unit, and

if the authentication unit authenticates the registrant, the display unit displays the setting contents reflecting the default settings corresponding to the user, and if the authentication by the authentication unit is not successful, the display unit displays the setting contents reflecting the default settings for the unspecified users.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a scanner that reads an image of an original document,

wherein the storage unit stores default settings for processing the image read by the scanner.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a color determination unit that determines color of the image of the original document read by the scanner,

wherein the storage unit stores the default settings including a threshold value used for the color determination by the color determination unit.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not the threshold value of the color determination is to be changed in the default settings by a frequency of color settings in the setting log information saved in the setting log saving unit.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image forming unit that forms an image on an image forming medium,

wherein the storage unit stores default settings for processing the image formed on the image forming medium.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a sensor that senses image quality of the image formed on the image forming medium by the image forming unit,

wherein the storage unit stores default settings including parameters for the image processing, and

the setting log saving unit saves the setting log information including sensing information sensed by the sensor.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not the parameters for the image processing included in the default settings are to be changed, by the sensing information from the sensor included in the setting log information saved in the setting log saving unit.

13. A setting method used in an image processing apparatus, comprising:

storing default settings in a memory;

displaying setting contents reflecting the default settings stored in the memory on a display unit;

causing the setting contents which are changed in response to an instruction from a user to be displayed on the display unit;

if image processing is executed using the setting contents displayed on the display unit, saving the setting contents of the executed process on the saving unit as setting log information;

determining whether or not the default settings stored in the memory are to be changed using a plurality of pieces of the setting log information saved; and

if it is determined that the default settings are to be changed by the determining, updating the default settings stored in the memory to default settings determined from the plurality of pieces of the setting log information.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising storing a condition representing a change reference of the default settings in the memory,

wherein, in the determining, if aggregation data that aggregates the plurality of pieces of the setting log information satisfies the condition representing the change reference of the default settings, it is determined that the default settings are to be changed.

15. The method according to claim 14,

wherein the condition representing the change reference of the default settings is a setting frequency as the change reference for a setting value in a setting item included in the default settings, and

in the determining, it is determined whether or not the default settings are to be changed by whether or not the setting item of which the setting frequency is equal to or higher than the frequency as the change reference of the default settings exists from among the setting items in the plurality of pieces of the setting log information.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, in the updating, the setting value of the setting item of which the setting frequency is determined to be equal to or higher than the frequency as the change reference by the determining is changed to the setting value that is equal to or higher than the frequency as the change reference in the default settings.

17. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

authenticating whether or not a user is a registrant by user authentication information input by the user,

wherein the default settings are set for each user as the registrant which is an object of authentication by the authenticating, and

displaying setting contents that reflect the default settings corresponding to the user authorized as the registrant by authenticating on the display unit.

18. The method according to claim 13,

wherein image processing is performed on an image read by a scanner, and

parameters of the image processing for the image read by the scanner are included in the default settings.

19. The method according to claim 13, further comprising forming an image on an image forming medium,

wherein parameters for a process of forming the image on the image forming medium are included in the default settings.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising sensing image quality of the image formed in the image forming medium by a sensor,

wherein the parameters for the process of forming the image on the image forming medium are included in the default settings,

the setting log information including sensing information sensed by the sensor is saved as the setting log information, and

in the determining, whether or not the parameters for forming the image on the image forming medium included in the default settings are to be changed, by the sensing information from the sensor in the plurality of pieces of the setting log information.