OPERATION CONSOLE PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF OPERATION METHODS FOR ONE COMMAND, ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS PROVIDED WITH THE OPERATION CONSOLE, AND METHOD OF OPERATION

• US 20110199639A1
• Filed: 02/09/2011
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sensu, Minami, Tani, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,610,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

In an image forming apparatus including a touch-panel display allowing a touch operation and a gesture operation, in order to enable easy customization of print setting screen image, a CPU of the image forming apparatus executes a program including: the step of displaying the print setting screen image in the custom-set display mode; upon detection by a user input, analyzing an input trajectory; if a request for changing preview display is made by a gesture, storing an icon mode with larger preview area as a custom-setting; and changing the preview on the print setting screen image displayed in the icon mode.

Claims

1. An operation console provided on an apparatus as an object of control, comprising:

a touch-panel display;

a display control unit controlling said touch-panel display so that information to be notified to a user is displayed; and

an input control unit, controlling said touch-panel display such that in response to a user touching said touch-panel display, either a request to said apparatus as the object of control or a request for changing manner of display on said touch-panel display is detected;

wherein

said input control unit includes

a first detecting unit detecting said request based on a position where the user touched the touch-panel display, and

a second detecting unit detecting said request based on a trajectory of the user touched the touch-panel display;

said second detecting unit is capable of detecting the same request as that detected by said first detecting unit; and

said display control unit includes

a first display unit displaying a first information item corresponding to said first detecting unit,

a second display unit displaying a second information item corresponding to said second detecting unit, and

a changing unit for changing, if a user request is detected by said second detecting unit, manner of displaying said second information item.

2. The operation console according to claim 1, wherein said changing unit includes a priority unit changing the manner of display such that said second information item is displayed with priority.

3. The operation console according to claim 1, wherein said changing unit includes an area enlarging unit changing the manner of display such that display area of said second information item is enlarged.

4. The operation console according to claim 1, wherein

said second information item is a preview item displaying, before execution, expected result when a process is executed by said apparatus as the object of control;

and

said changing unit includes an item enlarging unit changing the manner of display such that said preview item is displayed in enlargement when the display area of said second information item is enlarged.

5. The operation console according to claim 1, wherein

said second information item is a plurality of preview items displaying, before execution, expected result when a process is executed by said apparatus as the object of control;

and

said changing unit includes an increasing unit changing the manner of display such that larger number of said preview items are displayed when the display area of said second information item is enlarged.

6. The operation console according to claim 1, wherein

said first information item is either an icon button or a software button displayed in a larger size than said icon button, corresponding to a request to said apparatus as the object of control;

and

said changing unit includes a button changing unit for changing said software button to said icon button, thereby to enlarge the display area of said second information item.

7. The operation console according to claim 1, further comprising a returning unit controlling said touch-panel display such that said second information item is displayed with the changed manner of display restored.

8. The operation console according to claim 1, wherein said changing unit includes a manner changing unit changing manner of display of said second information item based on history of detection of a user'"'"'s request by said first detecting unit and history of detection of a user'"'"'s request by said second detecting unit.

9. The operation console according to claim 8, wherein said history reflects operation preference of the user.

10. The operation console according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit storing setting of manner of display of information items displayed on said touch-panel display based on history of detection of a user'"'"'s request by said first detecting unit and history of detection of a user'"'"'s request by said second detecting unit.

11. The operation console according to claim 10, wherein said history reflects operation preference of the user.

12. An electronic device provided with the operation console according to claim 1.

13. An image processing apparatus provided with the operation console according to claim 1.

14. A method of operating an operation console provided on an apparatus as an object of control, wherein

said operation console includes a touch-panel display and an operation unit;

said method comprising;

display control step of controlling said touch-panel display such that information to be notified to a user is displayed, using said operation unit; and

input control step of controlling said touch-panel display such that in response to a user touching said touch-panel display, either a request to said apparatus as the object of control or a request for changing manner of display on said touch-panel display is detected, using said operation unit;

wherein

said input control step includes

a first detecting step of detecting said request based on a position where the user touched the touch-panel display, and

a second detecting step of detecting said request based on a trajectory of the user touched the touch-panel display;

at said second detecting step, the same request as that detected at said first detecting step can be detected; and

said display control step includes

a first display step of displaying a first information item corresponding to said first detecting step,

a second display step of displaying a second information item corresponding to said second detecting step, and

a changing step of changing, if a user'"'"'s request is detected by said second detecting step, manner of display of said second information item.