Electronic device, recording medium and method

• US 7,969,424 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2007
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyocera MITA Corporation (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kyocera MITA Corporation (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Yokota, Ryutaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEINBERG, JEFFREY S
• Application Number:
  US11/827,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20080012836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-173, 178 1801- 2004
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00352 Input means H04N1/00411 takes precedence; input arrangements for computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00387 Multiple functions per key
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00395 Arrangements for reducing operator input input arrangements for job or mode instructions or parameters H04N1/00962; intelligent menu interfaces H04N1/00437
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

Methods, computer program products, computing and printing systems for improved screen display and touch input, where an operation/display unit comprises a screen display unit such as a LCD; a touch location detection unit, which is a touch panel that accepts a user'"'"'s touch operation; a touch decision unit that determines the touch location of the user'"'"'s touch operation to the touch panel; and a touch execution unit that executes functions according to the user'"'"'s touch location. If the user'"'"'s touch location is within the effective area(s) of the operation button(s), then the touch execution unit executes the function allocated to the operation button(s). If the touch location is outside of the effective area(s) of the operation button(s), then the region outside of the operation button(s) is displayed as grayed-out.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a screen display unit that has a screen, displays operation information on a user'"'"'s operations in at least one effective area within the screen, and distinguishes the at least one effective area from at least one ineffective area within the screen;

a touch input unit that accepts the user'"'"'s tactile touch operation upon a screen of the screen display unit;

a touch location detection unit that detects the touch location of the touch operation within the screen, upon acceptance of a touch operation through the touch input unit;

a display mode change unit that changes relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area within the screen, if the touch location detected by the touch location detection unit is determined to be corresponding to the at least one ineffective area within the screen; and

a frequency table in a memory unit,

wherein each of the user'"'"'s tactile touch operation upon the screen of the screen display unit is stored in the frequency table in the memory unit, and

wherein the display mode change unit changing relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area comprises at least one effective area and the operation information displayed in the at least one effective area corresponding to relatively frequently used operations for the user becoming subject to an accentuated display with increased priority.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a function execution unit that executes the function based on an operation information displayed in the at least one effective area, if the touch location detected by the touch location detection unit is determined to be corresponding to the at least one effective area within the screen.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the display mode change unit displays the at least one effective area more prominently than the at least one ineffective area within the screen by changing a display mode of at least either one of the at least one effective area and the at least one ineffective area.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the display mode change unit changes the display mode of the at least one ineffective area by lowering the brightness and/or saturation of the at least one ineffective area.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the display mode change unit changes the display mode of the at least one effective area by heightening the brightness and/or saturation of the at least one effective area.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, upon determining the touch location detected by the touch location detection unit is corresponding to the at least one ineffective area within the screen, the display mode change unit changes relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area during the period while the touch operation is continuing.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, upon determining the touch location detected by the touch location detection unit is corresponding to the at least one ineffective area within the screen, the display mode change unit changes relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area during the period extending for a specified interval after the touch operation has ceased.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the display mode change unit changes relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area comprises only of changing the display mode of the operation information displayed in the at least one effective area.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the display mode change unit changes relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area comprises of changing the display mode of screen elements other than the operation information displayed in the at least one effective area while maintaining unchanged the display mode of the operation information displayed in the at least one effective area.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the display mode change unit changing relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area comprises displaying more prominently a subset of the at least one effective area and the operation information displayed in the at least one effective area corresponding to at least one operation that is valid in operation context.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising an image control unit, wherein each of the user'"'"'s tactile touch operation upon the screen of the screen display unit comprises the user'"'"'s image processing and postprocessing specification values received by the image control unit for the user'"'"'s job.

10. A method of screen display and touch input, comprising:

displaying operation information on a user'"'"'s operations in at least one effective area within a screen of a screen display unit;

distinguishing the at least one effective area from at least one ineffective area within the screen;

accepting the user'"'"'s tactile touch operation upon a screen of the screen display unit;

detecting the touch location of the touch operation within the screen, upon acceptance of a touch operation through the touch input unit;

changing relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area within the screen, if the touch location detected by the touch location detection unit is determined to be corresponding to the at least one ineffective area within the screen; and

storing each of the user'"'"'s tactile touch operation upon the screen of the screen display unit in a frequency table in a memory unit, and

changing of relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area comprises at least one effective area and the operation information displayed in the at least one effective area corresponding to relatively frequently used operations for the user becoming subject to an accentuated display with increased priority.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein, upon determining the touch location detected by the touch location detection unit is corresponding to the at least one ineffective area within the screen, the display mode change unit changes relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area during the period extending for a specified interval after the touch operation has ceased.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the display mode change unit changing relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area comprises displaying more prominently a subset of the at least one effective area and the operation information displayed in the at least one effective area corresponding to at least one operation that is valid in operation context.

11. A computer program product in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for screen display and touch input, comprising machine-readable code for causing a machine to perform the method steps of:

displaying operation information on a user'"'"'s operations in at least one effective area within a screen of a screen display unit;

distinguishing the at least one effective area from at least one ineffective area within the screen;

accepting the user'"'"'s tactile touch operation upon a screen of the screen display unit;

detecting the touch location of the touch operation within the screen, upon acceptance of a touch operation through the touch input unit;

changing relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area within the screen, if the touch location detected by the touch location detection unit is determined to be corresponding to the at least one ineffective area within the screen and

storing each of the user'"'"'s tactile touch operation upon the screen of the screen display unit in a frequency, table in a memory unit, and

changing of relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area comprises at least one effective area and the operation information displayed in the at least one effective area corresponding to relatively frequently used operations for the user becoming subject to an accentuated display with increased priority.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein, upon determining the touch location detected by the touch location detection unit is corresponding to the at least one ineffective area within the screen, the display mode change unit changes relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area during the period extending for a specified interval after the touch operation has ceased.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the display mode change unit changing relative visibility of the display mode of the at least one effective area and the display mode of the at least one ineffective area comprises displaying more prominently a subset of the at least one effective area and the operation information displayed in the at least one effective area corresponding to at least one operation that is valid in operation context.