Touch dialogue user interface for reproduction machines

• US 5,079,723 A
• Filed: 03/04/1988
• Issued: 01/07/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Perey, Alan J., Williamson, Nancy B., Williams, James B. Jr., Herceg, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harkcom, Gary V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K.
• Application Number:
  US07/164,365
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 364/519, 364/521, 364/712, 364/518, 178/18, 355/14 R, 355/14 C, 340/747, 340/750, 340/789, 340/790, 340/717, 340/706
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens
• 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

Abstract

Touch dialogue User Interface (U.I.) for programming a reproduction machine using a touch control CRT screen with display providing a message area, U.I. state selections, and plural tabbed file folders, each file folder when opened in turn displaying a smaller card file of tabbed cards with adjacent work area, each card in the card file when opened providing a display of icons representing first level machine programming selections for touch selection, each icon when touched displaying further icons representing second level programming selections in the work area for touch selection.

Claims

1. In a reproduction machine having plural interactive sub-systems cooperable to produce copies from document originals, the combination of:

a) a screen providing a display of programming selections for programming said machine;

b) touch responsive means to enable programming selections touched to be identified;

c) said display simulating a card file having plural primary file cards, each of said primary file cards when opened displaying a relatively smaller second card file with plural secondary file cards and adjacent work area, each of said secondary file cards when opened displaying discrete first level program touch selections for programming different machine features;

d) each of said primary and secondary file cards having a projecting touch tab for opening said file cards, said touch tabs having data to identify the file card subject matter,

whereby touching said touch tabs opens the primary and secondary file cards associated with the tabs touched to display first level program touch selections associated with the primary and secondary file cards opened, touching one of said first level program selections displaying second level touch program selections in said work area for use in programming said machine;

e) memory means for retaining said programming selections for use in operating said machine; and

f) control means for operating said machine in response to the program stored in said memory means.

2. The reproduction machine according to claim 1 in which touching of any tab opens the file card associated therewith while automatically closing the file card currently opened.

3. The reproduction machine according to claim 1 including plural soft control buttons for selecting different primary file card combinations.

4. The reproduction machine according to claim 1 in which said file card tabs are offset from one another to enable said tab data to be continuously displayed.

5. In a reproduction machine having plural interactive sub-systems cooperable to produce copies from document originals, the combination of:

a) a screen providing a display of programming selections for programming said machine;

b) touch responsive means to enable programming selections touched to be identified;

c) said display picturing a primary card file composed of plural file cards, each of said primary file cards when opened picturing a secondary card file composed of additional secondary file cards and an adjoining work area for use in making touch programming selections using the additional secondary file card opened,

each of said primary and secondary file cards having an identifying tab which when touched opens said card files, whereby touching the identifying tab of one of said primary film cards in said primary card file opens the primary file card associated with the tab touched to display the secondary card file associated therewith for use in programming said machine.

6. Apparatus allowing a user to interactively control a copying/printing machine while concurrently displaying visual images indicating those copying/printing machine programming choices selected, program choices available for selection, and current operating conditions of the copying/printing machine, comprising:

a) a computer with a video screen;

b) computer programming means coupled to the computer for providing a picture on the computer video screen;

c) touchscreen interaction means coupled to the computer for allowing said user to interact with the computer programming means by touching the picture displayed by the video screen at selected points,

d) said picture emulating a plurality of file folders, each of said file folders when opened displaying a card file with plural file cards and an adjacent work area on said video screen, each of said file folders being arranged one behind the other starting with a first file folder whereby the contents of said first file folder are displayed to the exclusion of other ones of said file folders, each of said file cards being arranged one behind the other starting with a first file card whereby the contents of said first file card are displayed to the exclusion of other ones of said file cards;

e) each of said file folders and file cards having an identifying touch tab for displaying the contents of said file folders and file cards and allowing touch actuation thereof, said tabs being offset from one another to assure that said tabs are continuously displayed,

f) each of said file cards when selected displaying plural first touch selections, actuation of said first touch selections displaying predetermined additional second touch selections associated therewith in said work area.

7. A process for providing program inputs to a reproduction machine in which there is simulated on a touch sensitive CRT screen a first card file with plural file folders, each file folder when opened displaying for touch access a second relatively smaller card file with plural file cards together with an adjacent work area,

each of said file folders and file cards having an identifying touch tab;

each of said file cards when opened displaying a plurality of first programming icons which when opened display in said work area a job programming file with plural second programming icons, comprising the steps of;

a) touching a selected file folder tab to open the file folder associated with said file folder tab and display the card file associated with said file folder on said screen;

b) touching a selected file card tab displayed on said screen to open the file card associated with said file card tab and display the first programming icons and work area associated with said card file;

c) touching a selected first programming icon to display in said work area the second programming icons associated with said selected first programming icon;

d) touching selected ones of the second programming icons displayed in said work area to provide program input to said machine;

e) closing said selected first programming icon and storing said program input by touching another one of said first programming icons or another one of said file card tabs or another one of said file folder tabs to enable further program inputs to said machine;

f) where another of said first programming icons is touched, repeating steps d and e to provide further program input to said machine;

g) where another of said file card tabs is touched, repeating steps c-e to provide further program input to said machine; and

h) where another of said file folder tabs is touched, repeating steps b-c to provide further program input to said machine.

8. A process for programming a reproduction machine in which there is simulated on a touch sensitive CRT screen a first card file with plural file folders, each file folder when opened displaying for touch access a second relatively smaller card file with plural file cards together with an adjacent work area,

each of said file folders and file cards having an identifying touch tab;

each of said file cards when opened displaying a plurality of first level program touch selections which when opened display in said work area a job programming file with plural second level program touch selections for programming said machine, comprising the steps of;

a) touching a selected file folder tab to open the file folder associated with said selected file folder tab and display the file card associated with said file folder on said screen;

b) touching a selected file card tab displayed on said screen to open the file card associated with said selected file card tab and display the first level program touch selections and work area associated with said selected file card;

c) touching a selected first level program touch selection of said selected file card to display in said work area the second level program touch selections associated with said selected first level program touch selection; and

d) touching selected ones of the second level program touch selections in said work area to provide program input for said machine.

9. The process according to claim 8 including the step of:

closing said selected first level program touch selection and the second level program touch selections associated therewith by touching a different first level program touch selection,

touching said different first level program touch selection displaying the second level program touch selections associated with said different first level program touch selection touched in said work area for use in providing additional program inputs to said machine.

10. The process according to claim 8 including the step of:

closing said selected file card together with the first level program touch selection associated with said selected card file including the second level program touch selections displayed in said work area by touching a different file card tab,

touching said different file card tab displaying the first level touch selections and work area associated with said different file card for use in providing additional program inputs to said machine.