Display and input device

• US 4,896,223 A
• Filed: 03/18/1988
• Issued: 01/23/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Todome, Tuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard
• Application Number:
  US07/170,254
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 358/256, 358/257, 358/280, 358/286, 358/468, 358/444, 340/712
• US Class Current: 358/468
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/50 Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode copiers, microprocessor control sequencing control G03G21/14
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens

Abstract

This invention is a display and input device, which is used in combined equipment incorporating a number of equipment (for example, a copier, a facsimile machine, a printer or a scanner) having independent operational functions. This display and input device comprises a transparent touch panel having a flat display and is designed so that the picture image information is displayed step by step by the display unit. When a device which incorporates a number of types of equipment having independent operational functions is operated and the picture image information is executed, the display unit changes to display a number of display modes in a certain operating mode according to the input operation for this input unit. Since, at this time, the inputted operation information for the display mode prior to the change is displayed in the display mode after the change, such as pre-operational inputted information display in a message field, the operator of the device can execute an input operation while checking the information he has already inputted. The checking of this information is simple and the operation can be correctly executed.

Claims

1. A display and input device incorporating a plurality of equipment having independent functions, comprising:

a memory including a memory portion defining the appearance of a plurality of operation modes;

a display unit for displaying a picture image of ones of the plurality of operation modes according to said plurality of equipment having independent functions, said display unit having a plurality of display modes that vary according to input operations of said equipment and, when a display mode has been changed to a new display mode, the operation information inputted prior to the change in the display mode is simultaneously displayed by said display unit during the new display mode;

an input unit having a plane surface and superimposed over the display unit, said input unit for generating electrical signals corresponding to x- and y- coordinates of any portion of said display unit which is touched, the surface input area portions corresponding to one of said picture images of an operation mode; and

a controller for loading the control programs from an instruction listing stored in the memory, for setting said input areas of said input unit for various modes, for receiving said electrical signals of the input unit at the same time and for executing the various displays of said display unit.

2. A display and input device according to claim 1, wherein said display unit is a flat display and said input unit is a transparent touch panel.

3. A display and input device according to claim 1, wherein said device is used in a combined equipment which incorporates at least two combined functions which are selected from the group of copier, facsimile machine, printer and scanner.

4. A display and input device according to claim 1, wherein said combined equipment includes a copier having a copy mode including a copied image size changing function and a plural copies function, and wherein said operation information inputted prior to a display mode change and displayed during the new display mode is magnification information for the copied image size changing function and a number of copies information for the plural copies function.