Information processing system

• US 6,104,396 A
• Filed: 04/13/1993
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Communications Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Graphic Communication Systems, Inc. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Kazuma, Minami, Ichiro, Hanaoka, Hideyuki, Kuribayashi, Ryoji, Fujimoto, Munenori, Kuwahara, Takuya, Okiyama, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): LAO, LUNYI
• Application Number:
  US08/045,241
• Time in Patent Office: 2,681 Days
• Field of Search: 345/133, 345/139, 345/189, 345/168, 345/116, 345/185, 345/192, 345/201, 345/348, 345/349, 345/346, 345/508, 345/507, 345/509, 355/200, 355/204, 355/206, 355/209, 379/90, 379/100, 379/387, 379/396, 379/204, 379/376, 395/159
• US Class Current: 715/839
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2477 for selecting a function from a menu display H04M1/2474 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/14 including a card reading device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00408 Display of information to the user, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00413 using menus, i.e. presenting the user with a plurality of selectable options H04N1/00464 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00416 Multi-level menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00424 using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar
• 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 1/00965 using a plug-in memory module, e.g. memory card, memory stick
• 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 appearance change of an information processing device, which has a plurality of operation modes and whose appearance is changed in accordance with change of operation mode, is displayed on a display screen as graphic data representing the appearance. When a memory card is extracted from the information processing device, an operation of the information processing device is reset to avoid a run away phenomenon. Furthermore, in an inquiry and communication operation, only necessary pages of resultant inquiry information are printed out at a time after the communication line is disconnected.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising:

an information processing device which has a plurality of operation modes and whose appearance is changed in accordance with change of operation mode;

a memory means for memorizing divided graphic data, which are combinable and compose a combined graphic data representing an overall appearance of said information processing device in each operation mode; and

a display means for reading out a set of divided graphic data, corresponding to an operation mode of the information processing device, from said memory means and displaying the set of divided graphic data as an icon on a display screen thereof;

wherein a shape of the icon chances when the information processing device is operated in each of the operation modes so that an appearance of the icon always corresponds to the overall appearance of the information processing device.

2. An information processing system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said divided graphic data are uniformly divided into the same areas.

3. An information processing system in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of said divided graphic data, when combined, represents a changed portion of the appearance of said information processing device.

4. An information processing system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a mode change is displayed by selectively changing at least one of said divided graphic data displayed on said display screen.

5. An information processing system comprising:

an information processing device which has a plurality of operation modes and whose appearance is changed in accordance with change of operation mode;

a memory means for memorizing graphic data, said graphic data representing each operating mode as an overall appearance of said information processing device in each operation mode;

said graphic data being memorized in an external character memory region independent of a character code memory region of said memory means; and

a display means for reading out a graphic data, corresponding to an operation mode of the information processing device, from said memory means and displaying it on a display screen thereof as an icon;

wherein a shape of the icon chances when the information processing device is operated in each of the operation modes so that an appearance of the icon always corresponds to the overall appearance of the information processing device.

6. An information processing system comprising:

an information processing device which has a plurality of operation modes and whose appearance is changed in accordance with change of operation mode;

a first memory means for memorizing a part of pattern representing said appearance of said information processing device in each operation mode as a graphic data;

a second memory means for memorizing another part of said pattern representing said appearance as an external character code data; and

a display means for reading out data, corresponding to an operation mode of the information processing device, from said first and second memory means and displaying a composite graphic image on a display screen thereof.

7. An information processing system comprising:

an information processing device which has a plurality of operation modes and whose appearance is changed in accordance with change of operation mode;

a first memory means for memorizing said operation modes in the form of graphic data, so that each graphic data represents an appearance of said information processing device in each operation mode;

a second memory means including a first region storing predetermined character information as character code data and a second region storing predetermined graphic information as external characters codes;

a temporary memory means for selectively reading out the information stored in said first and second memory means and temporarily memorizing them for display;

a display means for displaying said information temporarily stored in the temporary memory means; and

a control means for composing said character information with said graphic data of said first memory means to display a composite image on said display means.

8. An information processing system in accordance with claim 7, wherein said character information includes a numerical data varying in accordance with an operation of said information processing device.

9. An information processing system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said first memory means memorizes a graphic data representing a unit displayed together with and adjacent to said numerical data.

10. A display system comprising:

a key means for selecting a specific function;

a display means for displaying a screen image;

a memory means, including a character code memory region and an external character memory region, for memorizing a graphic data relating to said specific function in said external character memory region; and

a control means for displaying said graphic data at a position adjacent to said key means.

11. A display system in accordance with claim 10, wherein said display means displays a plurality of graphic data on its display screen in such a manner that each graphic data is paired with a corresponding character code memorized in said character code memory region and positions adjacent to a corresponding key means.

12. A display system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said display means disposes said paired graphic data and character code in a vertical direction before selecting said specific function, but in a lateral direction after selecting said specific function.

13. An information processing system comprising:

an information processing device having a plurality of operation modes;

a key means for selecting a specific function of said operation modes;

a display means for displaying a screen image;

a memory means, including a character code memory region and an external character memory region, for memorizing a graphic data relating to said specific function in said external character memory region thereof; and

a control means for composing a composite image by combining a plurality of graphic data stored in said memory means to display said specific function.

14. An information processing system in accordance with claim 13, wherein a blank is provided at an end portion of a unit recording region of said memory means when a character information is memorized, and no blank is provided when a graphic information is memorized.

15. An information processing system comprising:

an information processing device having a plurality of operation modes;

a key means for selecting a specific function of said operation modes;

a display means for displaying a screen image;

a first memory means, including a character code memory region and an external character memory region, for memorizing a graphic data relating to said specific function in said external character memory region;

a second memory means for memorizing as graphic data representing a function frame corresponding to said key; and

a control means for composing a display image by combining graphic data stored in said first and second memory means and displaying a composite image on a display screen of said display means at a position adjacent to said key means.

16. An information processing system in accordance with claim 15, wherein said graphic data representing the function frame consists of solid and dotted lines.