User interfacing display apparatus and image forming apparatus

• US 7,949,956 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2003
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Kenji, Okamoto, Yuji, Fujii, Shuhji, Imai, Takashi, Ueda, Nobuyuki, Ishikura, Kaoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECKER, SHASHI KAMALA
• Application Number:
  US10/603,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20040012635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,891 Days
• Field of Search: 345/809, 715/809, 715/808, 715/810
• US Class Current: 715/809
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5016 User-machine interface; Display panels; Control console
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens

Abstract

Provided are a user interfacing display apparatus having improved operability without confusing the user as to setting displayed on a pop-up screen, and an image forming apparatus. When a copy ratio key as a detail setting key is selected on an LCD as a display section provided in the user interfacing display apparatus mounted on an image forming apparatus, the pop-up screen is displayed. At the same time, a display state of an interruption key is changed, so as to be displayed to inform that the interruption key is unavailable. While the pop-up screen is being displayed, a user is not allowed to select the interruption key. Thus, for example, on contrary to a case where process is switched to an interruption mode while the pop-up screen is being displayed, there will be no confusion as to the detail setting displayed on the pop-up screen before switching to the interruption mode.

Claims

1. A user interfacing display apparatus for use in an electronic apparatus including (i) detail setting key for detecting what a user selects, and for performing detail setting of a job as to what a user selects, and (ii) control means, capable of performing a plurality of jobs respectively in accordance with desired detail settings, for suspending a job that is being processed or a job that is standing by and performing another job, in accordance with an interruption instruction, the user interfacing display apparatus comprising:

an interruption key for detecting the interruption instruction, and transmitting the interruption instruction to the control means, the interruption key being capable of changing a display state thereof;

a display section for displaying the desired detail settings; and

display control means for (iii) popping up, when the detail setting key that is associated with one of the detail settings of one of the plurality of jobs is selected, a detail item of that one of the detail settings on the display section, and (iv) changing the display state of the interruption key, as a result of said selecting of said detail setting key, while keeping the interruption key displayed on the display section.

2. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

on performing the popping-up on the display section, the display control means transmits to the control means an instruction to invalidate the interruption instruction detected via the interruption key.

3. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein:

on ending the popping-up after the detail setting is completed, the display control means transmits to the control means an instruction to validate the interruption instruction detected via the interruption key.

4. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the interruption key is a soft key that is displayed on the display section.

5. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

on performing the popping-up on the display section, the display control means hides part of the interruption key by performing the popping-up.

6. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the interruption key is a hard key provided in the display section.

7. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein:

on performing the popping-up on the display section, the display control means switches over a lamp indicating whether the interruption key is available or unavailable.

8. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

on performing the popping-up on the display section, the display control means changes the display state of the interruption key to an unavailability display state informing that interruption is unavailable.

9. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 8:

the changing of the display state of the interruption key to the unavailability display state is performed by lighting a color thickness of the interruption key from a predetermined color thickness in which the interruption key has been displayed.

10. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein:

the changing of the display state of the interruption key to the unavailability display state is performed by using a dotted line.

11. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

on ending the popping-up after the detail setting is completed, the display control means changes back the display state of the interruption key to a display state displayed before the popping-up is performed.

12. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

warning means for warning the user, so that the display control means warns the user by using the warning means when detecting that the interruption key is selected while the popping-up is being performed on the display section.

13. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein:

the warning is performed by using a warning message.

14. The user interfacing display apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein:

the warning is performed by using a warning sound.

15. A user interfacing display apparatus for use in an electronic apparatus including (i) detail setting key for detecting what a user selects, and for performing detail setting of a job as to what a user selects, and (ii) a control section, capable of performing a plurality of jobs respectively in accordance with desired detail settings, for suspending a job that is being processed or a job that is standing by and performing another job, in accordance with an interruption instruction, the user interfacing display apparatus comprising:

an interruption key for detecting the interruption instruction, and transmitting the interruption instruction to the control section, the interruption key being capable of changing a display state thereof;

a display section for displaying the desired detail settings; and

a display control section for (iii) popping up, when the detail setting key that is associated with one of the detail settings of one of the plurality of jobs is selected, a detail item of that one of the detail settings on the display section, and (iv) changing the display state of the interruption key, as a result of said selecting of said detail setting key, while keeping the interruption key displayed on the display section.

16. An image forming apparatus, which is an electronic apparatus, comprising (i) detail setting key for detecting what a user selects, and for performing detail setting of a job as to what a user selects, and (ii) control means, capable of performing a plurality of jobs respectively in accordance with desired detail settings, for suspending a job that is being processed or a job that is standing by and performing another job, in accordance with an interruption instruction, the image forming apparatus comprising:

a user interfacing display apparatus including;

an interruption key for detecting the interruption instruction, and transmitting the interruption instruction to the control means, the interruption key being capable of changing a display state thereof;

a display section for displaying the desired detail settings; and

display control means for (iii) popping up, when the detail setting key that is associated with one of the detail settings of one of the plurality of jobs is selected, a detail item of that one of the detail settings on the display section, and (iv) changing the display state of the interruption key as a result of said selecting of said detail setting key, while keeping the interruption key displayed on the display section.

17. The image forming apparatus as set forth in claim 16 being a digital photocopying machine.