Input data processing device, data processing method and computer program product excellent in graphical user interface function and versatility

• US 6,859,216 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2002
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHENG, TOM V
• Application Number:
  US10/051,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20020122074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 345/157, 345160-163, 345/167, 345/173, 345179-184, 345/530, 345/545, 345/839, 358/1.16, 358/1.17
• US Class Current: 715/839
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/005 only locally

Abstract

An input data processing device adaptable flexibly to any change of an input screen includes a display unit displaying structural drawing data showing a plurality of input regions representing a range of acceptable inputs of designation, the designation being made for controlling an image forming apparatus, and further includes a memory unit storing bit map data which corresponds to the structural drawing data and includes data corresponding to respective positions of the input regions to which different values are assigned respectively, a position detecting portion for detecting a position designated on the display unit on which the structural drawing data is displayed, and a data output portion outputting, according to the bit map data, a value corresponding to the designated position detected by the position detecting portion.

Claims

1. An input data processing device comprising:

a display unit displaying display image data showing a plurality of input regions representing a range of acceptable inputs of designation, said designation being made for controlling a predetermined apparatus;

a memory unit storing bit map data corresponding to said display image data, said bit map data including data corresponding to respective positions of said plurality of input regions to which different values are assigned respectively;

a position detecting portion for detecting a position designated on said display unit on which said display image data is displayed; and

an output portion for outputting the value corresponding to the designated position detected by said position detecting portion, according to said bit map data.

2. The input data processing device according to claim 1, wherein for one piece of said predetermined apparatus, a plurality of said bit map data are provided.

3. The input data processing device according to claim 1, wherein said bit map data includes at least a part of a first region corresponding to the position of one input region of said display image data, and, to a second region different in size from said one input region of said display image data, a value corresponding to said one input region is assigned.

4. The input data processing device according to claim 1, wherein in said bit map data, to a region matching the position of one input region of said display image data, a value corresponding to said one input region is assigned.

5. The input data processing device according to claim 1, further comprising an input unit for input of designation.

6. The input data processing device according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

7. The input data processing device according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of input regions shown by said display image data represent a plurality of paper-supply trays respectively of said image forming apparatus.

8. The input data processing device of claim 1, comprising a control portion for determining, based on the output value, the component of the predetermined apparatus corresponding to the designated input region.

9. The input data processing device of claim 1, comprising a controller to which the position detecting portion and the output portion are included, wherein the predetermined apparatus is connected to the controller and each said input region corresponds to a different component of the predetermined apparatus.

10. A data processing method comprising the steps of:

displaying on a display unit, an image showing a plurality of input regions representing a range of acceptable inputs of designation, said designation being made for controlling a predetermined apparatus;

detecting a position designated by a user on said image displayed on said display unit;

referring to the designated position having been detected and to bit map data having different values assigned respectively to positions to be designated; and

outputting the value corresponding to said designated position having been detected, according to said bit map data.

11. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein for one piece of said predetermined apparatus, a plurality of said bit map data are provided, and in said referring step, one of said plurality of bit map data is referred to.

12. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein said bit map data includes at least a part of a first region corresponding to the position of one input region of said image, and, to a second region different in size from said one input region of said image, a value corresponding to said one input region is assigned.

13. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein in said bit map data, to a region matching the position of one input region of said image, a value corresponding to said one input region is assigned.

14. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein said predetermined apparatus is an image forming apparatus, and said plurality of input regions shown by said image represent a plurality of paper-supply trays respectively of said image forming apparatus.

15. The data processing method of claim 10, comprising the step of determining, based on the output value, the component of the predetermined apparatus corresponding to a designated input region.

16. The data processing method of claim 10, wherein each said input region corresponds to a different component of the predetermined apparatus.

17. A computer program product for executing an input data process by a computer, said computer executing the process steps of:

displaying, on a display unit, an image showing a plurality of input regions representing a range of acceptable inputs of designation, said designation being made for controlling a predetermined apparatus;

detecting a position designated by a user on said image displayed on said display unit;

referring to the designated position having been detected and to bit map data having different values assigned respectively to positions to be designated; and

outputting the value corresponding to said designated position having been detected, according to said bit map data.

18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said computer program product is a computer program.

19. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said computer program product is a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, said program further causing said computer to execute the step of determining, based on the output value, the component of the predetermined apparatus corresponding to a designated input region.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein each said input region corresponds to a different component of the predetermined apparatus.