INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM ENCODED WITH REMOTE OPERATION PROGRAM, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM ENCODED WITH REMOTE CONTROL PROGRAM

• US 20140355058A1
• Filed: 05/28/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: MATSUHARA, Kenji, HASE, Junichi, TAKAHASHI, Kazusei, ANEZAKI, Kazuya, KUBOTA, Hirokazu
• Granted Patent: US 9,876,920 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00381 Input by recognition or interpretation of visible user gestures manual input means, e.g. digitisers, writing tablets H04N1/00392; gesture input to computers G06F3/017; recognition algorithms G06V40/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00896 using a low-power mode, e.g. standby
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

An information processing apparatus remotely controls an image forming apparatus having an operating state changeable. The information processing apparatus includes a remote operation accepting portion to accept a user operation, and a remote control portion to remotely control the image forming apparatus on the basis of a remote operation accepted by the remote operation accepting portion. The remote control portion includes a motion detecting portion to detect a motion of the user, and a state maintaining portion to control the image forming apparatus not to change the operating state while a remote-operation motion for inputting a remote operation is detected by the motion detecting portion after a communication with the image forming apparatus has been established.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus remotely controlling an image forming apparatus having an operating state changeable, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a remote operation accepting portion to accept an operation by a user; and

a remote control portion to remotely control said image forming apparatus on the basis of a remote operation accepted by said remote operation accepting portion, the remote control portion including

a motion detecting portion to detect a motion of the user, and

a state maintaining portion to control said image forming apparatus not to change the operating state while a remote-operation motion for inputting a remote operation is detected by said motion detecting portion after a communication with said image forming apparatus has been established.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an application executing portion to execute an application program, wherein

said motion detecting portion includes an application detecting portion to detect an application program being executed by said application executing portion after the communication with said image forming apparatus has been established, and

said motion detecting portion detects said remote-operation motion in the case where the application program detected by said application detecting portion is a predetermined related program.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said motion detecting portion includes a moving-motion detecting portion to detect a moving motion of the user, and

said motion detecting portion detects said remote-operation motion on the condition that no moving motion is detected by said moving-motion detecting portion.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display portion to display an image; and

an image pick-up portion to pick up an image of a subject, wherein

said motion detecting portion includes a line-of-sight detecting portion to detect a line of sight of the user on the basis of the image picked up by said image pick-up portion, and

said motion detecting portion detects said remote-operation motion as long as the user'"'"'s line of sight detected by said line-of-sight detecting portion in the state where an image is displayed by said display portion is in the direction of said display portion, irrespective of the time elapsed from when a remote operation was lastly accepted by said remote operation accepting portion.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said image forming apparatus includes a mode switching portion operable, in the state where an operating mode has been switched to a normal mode, in response to a lapse of a predetermined first idle time without being remotely controlled by said information processing apparatus, to switch the operating mode to a power saving mode in which less power is consumed than in said normal mode, and

said state maintaining portion includes a mode switching restricting portion to remotely operate said image forming apparatus before said first idle time passes from when a remote operation was lastly accepted by said remote operation accepting portion.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said image forming apparatus includes

a process executing portion configured to execute a process, and

a setting portion operable, in response to being remotely controlled by said information processing apparatus, to set an operating condition for said process executing portion to execute a process, the setting portion including

an initial condition setting portion operable, in response to a lapse of a predetermined second idle time without being remotely controlled by said information processing apparatus, to set said operating condition to a predetermined initial condition, and

said state maintaining portion includes an initialization restricting portion to remotely operate said image forming apparatus before said second idle time passes from when a remote operation was lastly accepted by said remote operation accepting portion.

7. An image forming apparatus remotely controlled by an information processing apparatus, the image forming apparatus comprising:

a motion information acquiring portion to acquire, from said information processing apparatus, motion information indicating a motion of a user who is operating said information processing apparatus;

a remote-operation motion determining portion to determine whether the motion of the user is a remote-operation motion, on the basis of the motion information acquired by said motion information acquiring portion; and

a remotely-controlled-state maintaining portion to maintain a state of being remotely controlled by said information processing apparatus in the case where said remote-operation motion determining portion determines that the motion of the user after a communication with said information processing apparatus has been established is the remote-operation motion.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

in the case where an application program is being executed in said information processing apparatus, said motion information includes application identification information for identifying the application program, and

said remote-operation motion determining portion determines that the motion of the user is the remote-operation motion in the case where the application program specified by the application identification information included in said motion information is a predetermined related program.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

in the case where the user is moving, said motion information includes moving-motion information indicating that the user is moving, and

said remote-operation motion determining portion determines that the motion of the user is the remote-operation motion on the condition that said motion information includes no such moving-motion information.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

in the case where a line of sight of the user is in the direction of a display portion included in said information processing apparatus, said motion information includes viewing information indicating that the user is viewing the display portion, and

said remote-operation motion determining portion determines that the motion of the user is the remote-operation motion on the condition that said motion information includes said viewing information, even if said motion information includes said moving-motion information.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a mode switching portion operable, in the state where an operating mode has been switched to a normal mode, in response to a lapse of a predetermined first idle time without being remotely controlled by said information processing apparatus, to switch the operating mode to a power saving mode in which less power is consumed than in said normal mode, wherein

said remotely-controlled-state maintaining portion includes a mode switching prohibiting portion to prohibit the switching of the operating mode to the power saving mode by said mode switching portion.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a process executing portion configured to execute a process; and

a setting portion operable, in response to being remotely controlled by said information processing apparatus, to set an operating condition for said process executing portion to execute a process, the setting portion including

an initial condition setting portion to set said operating condition to a predetermined initial condition in the case where a predetermined second idle time has passed without being remotely controlled by said information processing apparatus, wherein

said remotely-controlled-state maintaining portion includes an initialization prohibiting portion to prohibit the setting of the operating condition to the initial condition by said initial condition setting portion.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium encoded with a remote operation program performed by a computer controlling an information processing apparatus, the information processing apparatus remotely controlling an image forming apparatus having an operating state changeable, the program causing said computer to perform:

a remote operation accepting step of accepting an operation of a user; and

a remote control step of remotely controlling said image forming apparatus on the basis of a remote operation accepted in said remote operation accepting step, the remote control step including

a motion detecting step of detecting a motion of the user, and

a state maintaining step of causing said image forming apparatus not to change the operating state while a remote-operation motion for inputting a remote operation is detected in said motion detecting step after a communication with said image forming apparatus has been established.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium encoded with a remote control program performed by a computer controlling an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus being remotely controlled by an information processing apparatus, the program causing said computer to perform:

a motion information acquiring step of acquiring, from said information processing apparatus, motion information indicating a motion of a user who is operating said information processing apparatus;

a remote-operation motion determining step of determining whether the motion of the user is a remote-operation motion, on the basis of the motion information acquired in said motion information acquiring step; and

a remotely-controlled-state maintaining step of maintaining a state of being remotely controlled by said information processing apparatus in the case where the motion of the user after a communication with said information processing apparatus has been established is determined to be the remote-operation motion in said remote-operation motion determining step.