Control device, control system, method and computer readable medium for setting

• US 8,645,868 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Oguri, Hirofumi, Kato, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bycer, Eric J
• Application Number:
  US12/334,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20090157201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• Field of Search: 381/56, 381/103
• US Class Current: 715/845
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

There is provided a control device for making settings, comprising: a setting item selection unit configured to select setting items to which same setting should be set, from among a plurality of setting items regarding the control device, based on externally inputted instructions; a setting value accepting unit configured to accept setting to be set equally to the selected setting items selected by the setting item selection unit; and a setting unit configured to set the setting accepted through the setting value accepting unit to all of the selected setting items.

Claims

1. A control device for making settings, comprising:

a display configured to display a plurality of setting items regarding the control device and a plurality of setting value buttons corresponding to the plurality of setting items,

wherein each setting value button of the plurality of setting value buttons represents a setting for a corresponding one of the plurality of setting items;

a setting item selection unit configured to select a group of setting items comprising a selectable number of setting items to which a same setting is to be set simultaneously, from among the plurality of setting items displayed on the display, based on externally inputted instructions,

wherein the display is configured to display a new setting value button in response to the setting item selection unit selecting the group of setting items, the new setting value button representing settings for the setting items in the group of setting items;

a setting value accepting unit configured to accept a single setting to be set equally to the setting items in the group of setting items; and

a setting unit configured to set the single setting accepted through the setting value accepting unit to all of the setting items in the group of setting items simultaneously.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the setting item selection unit is configured to select the group of setting items comprising the selectable number of setting items from setting items having a common setting type.

3. The control device according to claim 2, further comprising

a storage unit configured to store a settable setting type for each of the plurality of setting items,

wherein the setting item selection unit is configured to refer to settable setting types stored in the storage unit to determine the setting items having the common setting type.

4. The control device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a position detection unit configured to detect a position externally designated on a screen of the display unit; and

a display controller configured to control the display to display setting items having a common settable setting type selected from the plurality of setting items,

wherein;

the externally inputted instructions are provided as detection results of the position detection unit; and

the setting item selection unit is configured to select, as the group of setting items comprising the selectable number of setting items to which same setting should be set, all or a portion of displayed setting items displayed on the display.

5. The control device according to claim 4, further comprising

a locus detection unit configured to detect a locus of contact on the display as the externally designated position detected by the position detection unit,

wherein the setting item selection unit is configured such that when the locus detected by the locus detection unit surrounds at least a portion of the displayed setting items, the setting item selection unit is configured to select, as the group of setting items comprising the selectable number of setting items to which the same setting is to be set, the at least a portion of the displayed setting items surrounded by the locus.

6. The control device according to claim 4, further comprising

a locus detection unit configured to detect a locus of contact on the display as the externally designated position detected by the position detection unit,

wherein the setting item selection unit is configured such that when the locus detected by the locus detection unit crosses at least a portion of the displayed setting items, the setting item selection unit is configured to select, as the group of setting items comprising the selectable number of setting items to which same setting is to be set, the at least a portion of the displayed setting items crossed by the locus.

7. The control device according to claim 4, wherein:

the position detection unit is configured to detect two points externally designated on the display unit; and

the setting item selection unit is configured such that when at least a portion of the displayed setting items are disposed between the two points detected by the position detection unit, the setting item selection unit is configured to select, as the group of setting items comprising the selectable number of setting items to which same setting is to be set, the at least a portion of the displayed setting items disposed between the two points.

8. The control device according to claim 4, further comprising

a locus detection unit configured to detect a locus of contact on the display as the externally designated position detected by the position detection unit,

wherein the setting item selection unit is configured such that when the locus detected by the locus detection unit indicates that at least one setting item of the displayed setting items is moved from a first position to a second position, the setting item selection unit is configured to select, as one of the setting items in the group of setting items comprising the selectable number of setting items to which same setting is to be set, the at least one setting item moved from the first position to the second position.

9. The control device according to claim 4, wherein

the display comprises a display panel;

the position detection unit comprises a touch panel provided on a display surface of the display panel, the touch panel configured to recognize a position touched by or approached by a pointing tool as the externally designated position; and

the display controller is configured to control the display such that setting items having a common settable setting type selected from the plurality of setting items are displayed on the display panel.

10. The control device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a position detection unit configured to detect a position externally designated on a screen of the display; and

a display controller configured to control the display to;

divide the screen of the display into a plurality of areas,

display setting items having a common settable setting type selected from the plurality of setting items in a first area of the divided areas on the screen; and

display all or a portion of the displayed setting items selected from the displayed setting items based on the externally designated position detected by the position detection unit, in a second area of the plurality of divided areas different from the first area,

wherein the setting item selection unit is configured to select, as the group of setting items comprising the selectable number of setting items to which same setting is to be set, the all or the portion of the displayed setting items displayed in the second area.

11. The control device according to claim 1,

wherein the new setting value button represents the settings for the setting items in the group of setting items as a single setting item for setting the single setting, and

wherein the setting value accepting unit is configured to accept the single setting in response to the single setting being set using the single setting item represented by the new setting value button, and

wherein the setting unit is configured to set the single setting accepted through the setting value accepting unit to all of the setting items in the group of setting items simultaneously in response to the single setting being set using the single setting item represented by the new setting value button.

12. A method to be implemented on a control device for making settings and comprising a display, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a plurality of setting items regarding the control device on the display;

displaying a plurality of setting value buttons corresponding to the plurality of setting items, wherein each setting value button of the plurality of setting value buttons represents a setting for a corresponding one of the plurality of setting items;

selecting a group of setting items comprising a selectable number of setting items to which a same setting is to be set simultaneously, from among the plurality of setting items displayed on the display, based on externally inputted instructions;

displaying a new setting value button in response to selecting the group of setting items, wherein the new setting value button represents settings for the setting items in the group of setting items;

accepting a single setting to be set equally to the setting items in the group of setting items; and

setting the accepted single setting to all of the setting items in the group of setting items simultaneously.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, in the step of selecting, the group of setting items comprising the selectable number of setting items is selected from setting items having a common setting type.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of selecting comprises the step of referring to settable setting types stored in the control device to determine the setting items having the common setting type.

15. The method according to claim 12,

wherein the new setting value button represents the settings for the setting items in the group of setting items as a single setting item for setting the single setting, and

wherein accepting the single setting occurs in response to the single setting being set using the single setting item represented by the new setting value button, and

wherein setting the accepted single setting to all of the setting items in the group of setting items simultaneously occurs in response to the single setting being set using the single setting item represented by the new setting value button.

16. A computer readable medium storing computer readable instruction thereon, which, when executed by a processor of a control device comprising a display, configures the processor to perform the steps of:

displaying a plurality of setting items regarding the control device on the display;

displaying a plurality of setting value buttons corresponding to the plurality of setting items, wherein each setting value button of the plurality of setting value buttons represents a setting for a corresponding one of the plurality of setting items;

selecting a group of setting items comprising a selectable number of setting items to which a same setting is to be set simultaneously, from among the plurality of setting items displayed on the display, based on externally inputted instructions;

displaying a new setting value button in response to selecting the group of setting items, wherein the new setting value button represents settings for the setting items in the group of setting items;

accepting a single setting to be set equally to the setting items in the group of setting items; and

setting the accepted single setting to all of the setting items in the group of setting items simultaneously.

17. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, wherein, in the step of selecting, the group of setting items comprising the selectable number of setting items is selected from setting items having a common setting type.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein the step of selecting comprises the step of referring to settable setting types stored in the control device to determine the setting items having the common setting type.

19. The computer readable medium according to claim 16,

wherein the new setting value button represents the settings for the setting items in the group of setting items as a single setting item for setting the single setting, and

wherein accepting the single setting occurs in response to the single setting being set using the single setting item represented by the new setting value button, and

wherein setting the accepted single setting to all of the setting items in the group of setting items simultaneously occurs in response to the single setting being set using the single setting item represented by the new setting value button.

20. A control system for making settings, comprising:

a display configured to display a plurality of setting items regarding a control device in the control system and a plurality of setting value buttons corresponding to the plurality of setting items;

a setting item selection unit configured to select a group of setting items comprising a selectable number of setting items to which a same setting should be set simultaneously, from among the plurality of setting items displayed on the display, based on externally inputted instructions,

wherein the display is configured to display a new setting value button in response to the setting item selection unit selecting the group of setting items, the new setting value button representing settings for the setting items in the group of setting items;

a setting value accepting unit configured to accept a single setting to be set equally to the setting items in the group of setting items; and

a setting unit configured to set the single setting accepted through the setting value accepting unit to all of the setting items in the group of setting items simultaneously.

21. The control system according to claim 20, wherein the setting item selection unit is configured to select the group of setting items comprising the selectable number of setting items from setting items having a common setting type.

22. The control system according to claim 21, further comprising

a storage unit configured to store a settable setting type for each of the plurality of setting items,

wherein the setting item selection unit is configured to refer to settable setting types stored in the storage unit to determine the setting items having the common setting type.

23. The control system according to claim 20,

wherein the new setting value button represents the settings for the setting items in the group of setting items as a single setting item for setting the single setting, and

wherein the setting value accepting unit is configured to accept the single setting in response to the single setting being set using the single setting item represented by the new setting value button, and

wherein the setting unit is configured to set the single setting accepted through the setting value accepting unit to all of the setting items in the group of setting items simultaneously in response to the single setting being set using the single setting item represented by the new setting value button.

24. A controller configured to:

display a plurality of setting items regarding the controller on a display;

display a plurality of setting value buttons corresponding to the plurality of setting items on the display, wherein each setting value button of the plurality of setting value buttons represents a setting for a corresponding one of the plurality of setting items;

select a group of setting items comprising a selectable number of setting items to which a same setting is to be set simultaneously, from among the plurality of setting items displayed on the display, based on externally inputted instructions;

display a new setting value button in response to selecting the group of setting items, wherein the new setting value button represents settings for the setting items in the group of setting items;

accept a single setting to be set equally to the setting items in the group of setting items; and

set the accepted single setting to all of the setting items in the group of setting items simultaneously.

25. The controller according to claim 24,

wherein the new setting value button represents the settings for the setting items in the group of setting items as a single setting item for setting the single setting, and

wherein the controller is configured to accept the single setting occurs in response to the single setting being set using the single setting item represented by the new setting value button, and

wherein the controller is configured to accept the accepted single setting to all of the setting items in the group of setting items simultaneously occurs in response to the single setting being set using the single setting item represented by the new setting value button.