Method of customizing control interfaces for devices on a network

• US 5,726,883 A
• Filed: 10/10/1995
• Issued: 03/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Parsons, David M., Levine, Jonathan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Application Number:
  US08/540,435
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 395/326-358, 395/200.1, 395/967, 395/970, 395/200.3, 364/188, 345/117-120, 345/146, 345/902, 345/326-358, 345/965
• US Class Current: 700/83
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5075 Remote control machines, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00503 Customising to a particular machine or model, machine function or application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00509 Personalising for a particular user or group of users, e.g. a workgroup or company
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/97 Instrumentation and component modelling, e.g. interactive control panel

Abstract

A method of storing and retrieving a customized interface control from a user display. The user display includes an array of pathway buttons and is interconnected to plural devices on a network. The method includes displaying and activating a job programming button to display programming options including save and save as options, engaging the save option to store the customized interface control in a general saved interface control category or store the customized interface control under a user defined reference. Included are techniques for expanding the features of selected machines on the network and creating selected multi-function operations not previously available.

Claims

1. A method of customizing control interfaces for devices on a network comprising the steps of:

displaying a standard control panel for a given device with features, said control panel including a first icon to enable a first feature and a second icon to enable a second feature, the first icon being a first printer icon and the second icon being a second printer icon,

combining the first icon and the second icon into a third icon, said third icon accessing both the first and second features, and

incorporating the third icon on the control panel to provide a modified control panel whereby the first and second features are concurrently enabled by the third icon.

2. The method of claim 1 including the step of displaying a new icon representing a feature unavailable on the standard control panel and incorporating the new icon into the standard control panel to provide a modified control panel.

3. The method of claim 2 including the step of activating the new icon to provide the given device with said feature.

4. The method of claim 2 including the step of storing the modified control panel in memory.

5. The method of claim 4 including the step of accessing the modified control panel in memory.

6. A method of customizing control interfaces for devices on a network comprising the steps of:

displaying a standard control panel for a given device with features, said control panel including a first icon to enable a first feature and a second icon to enable a second feature, wherein the first icon is a printer icon and the second icon is a fax icon,

combining the first icon and the second icon into a third icon, said third icon accessing both the first and second features, and

incorporating the third icon on the control panel to provide a modified control panel whereby the first and second features are concurrently enabled by the third icon.

7. The method of claim 6 including the step of displaying a new icon representing a feature unavailable on the standard control panel and incorporating the new icon into the modified control panel.

8. The method of claim 7 including the step of activating the new icon to provide the given device with said feature.

9. The method of claim 8 including the step of storing the modified control panel in memory.

10. The method of claim 9 including the step of accessing the modified control panel in memory.