IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND DISPLAY CONSOLE DISPLAYING PREVIEW IMAGE

• US 20110279363A1
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2010
• 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: Nago, Daisuke, SHOJI, Toshihiro, Okumura, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 8,610,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00411 the display also being used for user input, e.g. touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00424 using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00448 horizontally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00474 outputting a plurality of functional options, e.g. scan, copy or print
• 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 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

In order to provide a technique allowing easy confirmation of image contents even if the number of images increases, a display console includes a display device having an image displaying function and a display control unit controlling the display by dividing a display screen of the display device into an image preview area and another area. The display control unit switches, in accordance with a user instruction, between a fit-to-screen screen image in which area ratio between the preview area and another area has a first value, and a finish preview screen image, an image edition mode screen image, or a document display mode screen image, in which the size of another area is made smaller and the size of preview area is made larger than in the fit-to-screen screen image.

Claims

1. A display console, comprising:

a display device having an image displaying function; and

a dividing unit for controlling said display device to divide a display screen of said display device into an image preview area and another area;

wherein

said dividing unit includes a switching unit switching, in accordance with a user instruction, between a first display mode in which area ratio between said preview area and said another area has a first value and a second display mode in which size of said another area is made smaller and size of said preview area is made larger than in said first display mode.

2. The display console according to claim 1, wherein

both in said first display mode and said second display mode, said another area is not erased from said display screen;

and

said dividing unit further includes an arranging unit arranging, in said second display mode, said another area at such a position where the center of said another area is included in the area where it is displayed in said first display mode.

3. The display console according to claim 1, wherein said dividing unit further includes an arranging unit arranging said preview area at a position including the center of said display screen.

4. The display console according to claim 1, wherein the size of said another area is smaller than the size of said preview area in said first display mode.

5. The display console according to claim 1, wherein

said another area includes

a task trigger area in which an element instructing execution of a prescribed task on document data having its preview image displayed is arranged, and

a function selecting area in which an element for selecting a function of setting one or both of data conversion and condition for executing said task, on the document data having its preview image displayed, is arranged;

and

said dividing unit further includes a first reducing unit displaying, in accordance with a user instruction, at least said function selecting area in reduced size in said second display mode.

6. The display console according to claim 5, wherein said first reducing unit displays both said function selecting area and said task trigger area in reduced size, in said second display mode.

7. The display console according to claim 5, wherein said function selecting area and said task trigger area are displayed on opposite sides of said preview area.

8. The display console according to claim 5, wherein said dividing unit further includes a changing unit changing said function selecting area between a size in said first display mode and a size in said second display mode in accordance with a user operation for changing the size of said function selecting area, in addition to the user operation of switching said first display mode and said second display mode.

9. The display console according to claim 8, wherein said changing unit includes a unit for displaying, if a user instruction to set the size of said function selecting area to the size in said first display mode is issued in said second display mode, said function selecting area larger than the size in said second display mode with background of the area made translucent.

10. The display console according to claim 5, wherein said dividing unit further includes an icon display unit for displaying functions of said function selecting area with icons, in said second display mode.

11. The display console according to claim 5, wherein said another area further includes an action panel area displaying, while an image preview is displayed, an operation hint selected in accordance with a function selected by the user.

12. The display console according to claim 11, wherein said dividing unit further includes an enlarging/reducing unit for enlarging or reducing said action panel area in accordance with a user instruction and thereby enlarging or reducing the size of said preview area.

13. The display console according to claim 5, wherein

said second display mode is a finish preview display mode allowing confirmation of finish state of said document when said prescribed process is executed under the condition set using a function displayed on said function selecting area;

and

said first reducing unit displays only said function selecting area in reduced size in said preview display mode.

14. The display console according to claim 5, wherein

a touch-panel is provided stacked on said display screen;

said display console further comprising a controller connected to receive an output of said touch panel, for executing control of display by said dividing unit and output of an instruction to other units and devices, by comparing information displayed on said function selecting area and said task trigger area with the output of said touch-panel.

15. The display console according to claim 1, wherein

said second display mode is an image edition mode allowing an operation of editing an image displayed on said preview area;

said another area includes a task trigger area in which an element for instructing execution of a prescribed task on the document data having its preview image displayed on said preview area is arranged; and

said dividing unit further includes a second reducing unit for displaying said task trigger area in reduced size in said image edition mode.

16. An image forming apparatus having a housing, comprising:

an operation panel attached on said housing;

a storage unit provided in said housing, for storing document data; and

an image forming unit provided in said housing, for forming an image of document data stored in said storage unit on recording paper, in accordance with an instruction received through said operation panel;

wherein

said operation panel includes

a display device having an image displaying function, and

a dividing unit for controlling said display device to divide a display screen of said display device into an image preview area and another area; and

said dividing unit includes a switching unit switching, in accordance with a user instruction, between a first display mode in which area ratio between said preview area and said another area has a first value and a second display mode in which size of said another area is made smaller and size of said preview area is made larger than in said first display mode.