Electronic device and method for controlling its menu display

• US 8,122,375 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Business Innovation Corp. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ito, Sakae
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson, Grant D
• Application Number:
  US11/041,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20060064651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,583 Days
• Field of Search: 715/853, 715/854, 715/713, 715/855, 715/810, 715/811, 715/812, 715/814, 715/825, 715/827, 707/102
• US Class Current: 715/811
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

An electronic device which displays a function setting menu for managing plural items by a hierarchical structure on a display and sets setting contents of various functions based on the function setting menu displayed on the display, comprising: a display control unit which displays each item in the function setting menu having the hierarchical structure on the display based on the hierarchical structure in accordance with an operation by a user; a function selection unit which selects and displays on the display the content of a desired function based on the items of the function setting menu displayed by the display control unit; and a hierarchical structure changing unit which changes the hierarchical structure of the function setting menu so to have the item, which is selected by the function selection unit and displayed on the display, positioned at the top of the hierarchical structure.

Claims

1. An electronic device which sets setting contents of various functions based on a function setting menu for managing plural items by a hierarchical structure, comprising:

a hierarchical structure managing unit which stores and manages the function setting menu having the hierarchical structure of the plural items;

a display controller which displays each item in the function setting menu having the hierarchical structure managed by the hierarchical structure managing unit on a display based on the hierarchical structure, a single item at a time, in accordance with an operation by a user;

a function selection unit which displays on the display through an operation by a user a desired item of items belonging to a same level in the function setting menu displayed by the display control unit;

a setting unit which selects and sets a setting content of a desired function corresponding to the item in the function setting menu displayed on the display by the function selection unit through an operation by the user;

a hierarchical structure changing unit which changes the hierarchical structure of the function setting menu managed by the hierarchical structure managing unit so as to have the desired item in the function setting menu displayed on the display, positioned at the top in the same level of the hierarchical structure immediately following the setting content of the desired function being set by the setting unit; and

a notification displaying controller which displays that the hierarchical structure of the function setting menu is being changed prior to displaying the hierarchical structure that has been changed by the hierarchical structure changing unit, wherein the hierarchical structure changing unit changes the hierarchical structure of the function setting menu so as to have the desired item positioned at the top in the same level of the hierarchical structure when the number of operations by the user that is required to access and display on the display the desired item of the desired function by the setting unit exceeds a predetermined number of operations, or when the total time that it takes the user to access and display on the display the desired item of the desired function by the setting unit exceeds a predetermined amount of time.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the hierarchical structure changing unit changes the hierarchical structure of the function setting menu so as to have the desired item positioned at the top in the same level of the hierarchical structure if it is set by the function setting menu to allow a change of the hierarchical structure.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical structure is configured by allotting a pointer from a lower hierarchy to an upper hierarchy, and allotting an identifier for identifying the menu.

5. The method of claim 4, comprising configuring the hierarchical structure by allotting a pointer from a lower hierarchy to an upper hierarchy, and allotting an identifier for identifying the menu.

3. A method for controlling a menu display of an electronic device which displays a function setting menu for managing plural items by a hierarchical structure on a display and sets setting contents of various functions based on the function setting menu displayed on the display, the method comprising:

storing and managing the function setting menu having the hierarchical structure of the plural items;

displaying each item of the managed function setting menu of the hierarchical structure, a single item at a time, on the display according to the hierarchical structure in accordance with an operation by a user;

displaying on the display through an operation by a user a desired item of items belonging to a same level in the displayed function setting menu;

selecting and setting a setting content of a desired function corresponding to the item in the function setting menu displayed on the display through an operation by a user;

changing the hierarchical structure of the function setting menu so as to have the items of the displayed function setting menu, positioned at the top in the same level of the hierarchical structure immediately following the setting contents of the desired function being set; and

displaying that the hierarchical structure of the function setting menu is being changed prior to displaying the hierarchical structure that has been changed by said changing the hierarchical structure, wherein the hierarchical structure of the function setting menu is changed so as to have the desired item positioned at the top in the same level of the hierarchical structure when the number of operations by the user that is required to access and display on the display the desired item of the desired function by the setting unit exceeds a predetermined number of operations, or when the total time that it takes the user to access and display on the display the desired item of the desired function by the setting unit exceeds a predetermined amount of time.