IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS AND OPERATION CONTROLLING METHOD OF THE SAME

• US 20110310424A1
• Filed: 06/17/2011
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: MOTOSUGI, Toshihisa
• Granted Patent: US 8,994,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• 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 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/005 only locally

Abstract

Disclosed is an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible to improve the maneuverability and usability of the apparatus concerned. The apparatus includes: a display section to display a screen thereon; a controlling section to form a synthesized image in which position detecting symbols are synthesized with an image onto which the screen displayed on the display section is to be arranged; a storage section to store a table in which the keys and corresponding positions of the keys, arranged on the paper sheet, are correlated with each other, respectively; and a printing section to print the synthesized image onto the paper sheet. When acquiring positional information, the controlling section refers to the table so as to specify a specific key correlated with the positional information, and establishes a status of the image forming apparatus, being same as that established by designating the specific key from the screen.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a display section to display a screen thereon;

a controlling section to form an image onto which the screen displayed on the display section is to be arranged, and then, to form a synthesized image in which position detecting symbols are synthesized with the image concerned, wherein the position detecting symbols are used for specifying a position of each of keys, which are included in the image formed on a paper sheet and which are originally included in the screen;

a storage section to store a table in which the keys and corresponding positions of the keys, arranged on the paper sheet, are correlated with each other, respectively; and

a printing section to print the synthesized image onto the paper sheet;

wherein, when acquiring positional information representing a specific position on the paper sheet, specified by the position detecting symbols, the controlling section refers to the table so as to specify a specific key correlated with the positional information, and establishes a status of the image forming apparatus, being same as that established by designating the specific key from the screen.

2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1,

wherein, when determining that another screen, which belongs to a category being same as that of said screen, exists, the controlling section forms an integrated image onto which the screen and the other screen are to be integrally arranged, and then, forms another synthesized image in which the position detecting symbols are synthesized with the integrated image concerned.

3. The image forming apparatus of claim 1,

wherein, when determining that another screen, which belongs to a category being same as that of said screen, exists, the controlling section forms the image onto which the screen is to be arranged, and another image onto which the other screen is to be arranged, separately, and then, forms the synthesized image in which the position detecting symbols are synthesized with the image concerned, and another synthesized image in which the position detecting symbols are synthesized with the other image concerned, separately;

and

wherein the printing section prints the synthesized image and the other synthesized image onto the paper sheet and another paper sheet, separately.

4. The image forming apparatus of claim 1,

wherein, when a specific screen corresponding to the specific key is currently displayed on the display section, the controlling section establishes the status of the image forming apparatus.

5. The image forming apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the position detecting symbols constitute a pattern, which is recognizable for an electronic pen.

6. An operation controlling method to be employed by an image forming apparatus that is capable of communicating with an electronic pen, and includes a display section to display a screen thereon, comprising:

forming an image onto which the screen displayed on the display section is to be arranged;

forming a synthesized image in which position detecting symbols are synthesized with the image concerned, wherein the detecting symbols are used for specifying a position of each of keys, which are included in the image formed on a paper sheet and which are originally included in the screen;

storing a table in which the keys and corresponding positions of the keys, arranged on the paper sheet, are correlated with each other, respectively;

printing the synthesized image onto the paper sheet;

detecting the position detecting symbols by using the electronic pen so as to acquire positional information representing a specific position on the paper sheet, specified by the position detecting symbols;

specifying a specific key correlated with the positional information by referring to the table stored; and

establishing a status of the image forming apparatus, being same as that established by designating the specific key from the screen.

7. The operation controlling method of claim 6,

wherein, when another screen that belongs to a category being same as that of the screen exists, an integrated image, onto which the screen and the other screen are to be integrally arranged, is formed, and then, another synthesized image, in which the position detecting symbols are synthesized with the integrated image concerned, is formed.

8. The operation controlling method of claim 6,

wherein, when another screen that belongs to a category being same as that of the screen exists, the image onto which the screen is to be arranged, and another image onto which the other screen is to be arranged, are formed separately, and then, the synthesized image in which the position detecting symbols are synthesized with the image concerned, and another synthesized image in which the position detecting symbols are synthesized with the other image concerned, are formed separately;

and

wherein the synthesized image and the other synthesized image are printed onto the paper sheet and another paper sheet, separately.

9. The operation controlling method of claim 6,

wherein, when a specific screen corresponding to the specific key is currently displayed on the display section, the status of the image forming apparatus is established.