Image forming apparatus and host computer capable of sharing terminology, method of sharing terminology and terminology sharing system

• US 8,959,254 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2005
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kang, Hyung-jong
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROCHE, JOHN B
• Application Number:
  US11/218,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20060064514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,451 Days
• Field of Search: 710/14, 710/12
• US Class Current: 710/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/10 Program control for peripheral devices G06F13/14 - G06F13/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A host apparatus capable of sharing terminology information and a peripheral device, a method of sharing the terminology information, and a terminology information sharing system. The host apparatus includes a communication module to provide a communication interface between the host apparatus and the peripheral device, an information sharing unit to share terminology information related to a plurality of functions of the peripheral device, and a user interface unit to operate the plurality of functions of the peripheral device and to display the shared terminology information related to each of the plurality of functions. Accordingly, the peripheral device and the host apparatus use identical terminology information related to the functions of the peripheral device.

Claims

1. A host apparatus to share terminology information, comprising:

a communication module to provide a communication interface between the host apparatus and an image forming apparatus;

an information sharing unit to share terminology information via the communication interface with the image forming apparatus, the terminology information including terminologies defined according to each function of the image forming apparatus and explanation of the terminologies; and

a user interface unit to display terminologies labeled in accordance with the shared terminology information and to physically operate the image forming apparatus according to the functions indicated by the labeled user controls,

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming apparatus.

2. The host apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a controlling unit to request the image forming apparatus to load the terminology information from the image forming apparatus to the host apparatus, to control the communication module and the information sharing unit to share the terminology information loaded from the image forming apparatus, and to control the user interface unit to display the terminologies with the shared terminology information related to each of the plurality of functions.

3. The host apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information sharing unit stores the terminology information therein such that the image forming apparatus, upon requesting the information sharing unit to load the terminology information from the information sharing unit to the peripheral unit, stores the terminology information loaded from the information sharing unit.

4. A host apparatus that communicates with an image forming apparatus which displays an operation menu using predetermined terminology to control physical operations of the image forming apparatus, the host apparatus comprising:

an information sharing unit to load the predetermined terminology from the image forming apparatus and to store the predetermined terminology; and

an image forming apparatus driver unit to display a driver menu using the loaded terminology such that the driver menu uses identical terminology as that used in the operation menu of the image forming apparatus,

wherein the predetermined terminology has assigned thereto indexes corresponding to fields of the driver menu, and

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming apparatus.

5. The host apparatus of claim 4, wherein the image forming apparatus driver arranges the predetermined terminology in the corresponding fields of the driver menu according to the indexes.

6. A host apparatus that communicates with an image forming apparatus which displays a menu to control physical operations of the image forming apparatus, the host apparatus comprising:

a storage unit to store predetermined terminology information, the terminology information including terminologies defined according to each function of the image forming apparatus, explanation of the terminologies defined and terminology information position information;

a GUI (graphic user interface) generating unit to generate a GUI to control the physical operations of the image forming apparatus, the generated GUI having displayed thereon terminologies labeled in accordance with the terminology information at positions thereof corresponding to the terminology information position information; and

an information sharing unit to transmit the stored terminology information to the image forming apparatus such that the menu of the image forming apparatus is displayed in accordance therewith,

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming apparatus.

7. The host apparatus of claim 6, wherein the terminology information comprises both predetermined terminology items definitive of the respective operations of the image forming apparatus and the terminology position information associated with each of the predetermined terminology items, such that the GUI generating unit and the peripheral unit display the predetermined terminology items in the GUI and the menu, respectively, in an arrangement defined by the associated terminology position information.

8. An image forming device that communicates with a host apparatus which displays a graphic user interface (GUI) to control the image forming device, the image forming device comprising:

an image forming unit to form an image;

a storage unit to store predetermined terminology information descriptive of physical operations of the image forming unit that form the image, the terminology information including terminologies defined according to each function of the image forming device and explanation of the terminologies defined and terminology position information corresponding to terminologies to control the physical operations of the image forming unit;

an operating panel unit to display a menu to control the image forming unit, the menu having displayed thereon the terminologies labeled in accordance with the terminology information at positions thereof corresponding to the predetermined terminology information position information; and

an information sharing unit to transmit the predetermined terminology information to the host apparatus such that the GUI of the host apparatus is displayed with terminologies labeled with the transmitted terminology information in an arrangement defined by the terminology position information,

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming device.

9. An image forming device that communicates with a host apparatus which displays a driver menu to physically control the image forming device, the driver menu having terminologies labeled with respective predetermined terminology items corresponding to settings of the image forming device at positions thereon corresponding to terminology position information, the image forming device comprising:

an image forming unit to form an image;

an information sharing unit to load the predetermined terminology from the host apparatus and to store the loaded terminology; and

an operating panel unit to generate and display an operation menu to physically control the image forming device, the displayed operation menu having terminologies labeled with the loaded predetermined terminology at positions thereof corresponding to the terminology position information such that the operation menu is labeled with identical terminology as the driver menu of the host apparatus,

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming device.

10. The image forming device of claim 9, wherein the information sharing unit loads the terminology position information corresponding to the loaded predetermined terminology from the host apparatus such that the operating panel unit labels the operation menu with the loaded predetermined terminology in an arrangement defined by the loaded terminology position information.

11. A method of sharing terminology information between a host apparatus and an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

defining terminology information items indicative of respective functions of the image forming apparatus;

assigning terminology information indexes to respective terminology information items;

storing the defined terminology information items and the respectively assigned terminology information so as to be retrievable by both the host apparatus and the image forming apparatus;

generating a user interface of the host apparatus having regions identified by respective user interface indexes;

displaying upon request terminologies on the user interface, the terminologies labeled with the terminology information items at the regions in the user interface where the user interface indexes thereof match the terminology information indexes;

selecting one of the functions by selecting one of the terminologies labeled with a corresponding one of the terminology information items displayed in the user interface; and

requesting the image forming apparatus to perform the selected function,

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming apparatus.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein in the storing of the terminology information comprises:

requesting at the host apparatus for the image forming apparatus to load the terminology information from the image forming apparatus to the host apparatus; and

storing the terminology information loaded from the image forming apparatus.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

loading stored terminology information to the image forming apparatus to share the stored terminology information in response to a request from the image forming apparatus to load the stored terminology information.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the image forming apparatus comprises one of a fax, a copier, a multifunctional device, and an image forming apparatus.

15. A method of controlling an image forming apparatus in a system including a host apparatus communicating with the image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

storing in one of the image forming apparatus and the host apparatus terminology information definitive of physical operations of the image forming apparatus, the terminology information including terminology information indexes associated with respective terminology information items;

transmitting the terminology information stored in the one of the image forming apparatus and the host apparatus to the other one thereof;

displaying first and second menus in the image forming apparatus and the host apparatus, respectively, each of the menus being labeled with the identical terminology information items at respective locations thereon where the terminology information indexes match the menu location information items; and

controlling the physical operations of the image forming apparatus using one of the displayed first and second menus,

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming apparatus.

16. A terminology information sharing system, comprising:

an image forming apparatus having an operating panel unit to display terminology information related to physical functions of the image forming apparatus to operate the physical functions;

a host computer to provide a graphic user interface having an arrangement of controls identical to that of the operating panel unit and labeled with the terminology information related to the physical functions of the image forming apparatus as displayed at the operating panel unit to physically control the image forming apparatus; and

a terminology information server coupled to both the image forming apparatus and the host computer such that the terminology information may be loaded to a requesting one of the image forming apparatus and the host computer,

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming apparatus.

17. The terminology information sharing system of claim 16, wherein the requesting one of the image forming apparatus and the host computer store the terminology information loaded from the terminology information server as a file, the image forming apparatus displays the stored terminology information according to corresponding functions at the operating panel unit after the terminology information is stored, and the host computer generates the graphic user interface to display the terminology information identically to the operating panel unit.

18. The terminology information sharing system of claim 16, wherein the image forming apparatus and the host computer request the terminology information server to load terminology information expressed in a language native to a country in which the image forming apparatus is being used.

19. A terminology information sharing system, comprising:

an image forming apparatus that performs one or more predetermined physical functions described by terminology information stored thereat and that includes an operating panel unit to display an operational menu to control the physical functions via terminologies labeled with the stored terminology information; and

a host apparatus communicating with the image forming apparatus to load the terminology information from the image forming apparatus and to display a driver menu to control the physical functions of the image forming apparatus via terminologies labeled with the loaded terminology information, the driver menu is displayed with identical terminology information as that of the operational menu of the image forming apparatus,

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming apparatus.

20. The terminology information sharing system of claim 19, wherein the terminology information comprises:

specified language corresponding to the predetermined functions to be displayed in the operational menu and the driver menu; and

indexes assigned to the specified language and corresponding to regions of the operational menu and the driver menu at which to display the specified language.

21. A terminology information sharing system, comprising:

an image forming apparatus having an operating panel unit to display a menu to control physical operations of the image forming apparatus using first terminologies labeled with terminology information describing the physical operations of the image forming apparatus;

a host apparatus communicating with the image forming apparatus to display a graphic user interface (GUI) to control the physical operations of the image forming apparatus using second terminologies labeled with the terminology information; and

an information sharing unit communicating with the host apparatus and the image forming apparatus to store shared terminology information therein and to transmit the shared terminology information to the image forming apparatus and the host apparatus to be used as the terminology information labeling the first and second terminologies of the menu and the GUI, respectively,

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming apparatus.

22. The terminology information sharing system of claim 21, wherein the information sharing unit is provided in the image forming apparatus and the terminology information labels the first terminologies.

23. The terminology information sharing system of claim 21, wherein the information sharing unit is provided in the host apparatus and the terminology information labels the second terminologies.

24. The terminology information sharing system of claim 21, wherein the information sharing unit comprises:

an external server to transmit the shared terminology information to the image forming apparatus and the host apparatus.

25. A computer readable non-transitory recording medium containing code that, when executed, performs a method of sharing terminology information, comprising:

sharing between a host apparatus and an image forming apparatus having an operating panel unit terminology information items descriptive of respective physical functions of the image forming apparatus;

assigning terminology information indexes to the respective terminology information items;

generating a user interface having regions identified by respective user interface indexes;

displaying upon request terminologies on the user interface labeled with the shared terminology information items at the regions of the user interface where the user interface indexes thereof match the terminology information indexes;

selecting one of the physical functions of the image forming apparatus by selecting one of the terminologies labeled with a corresponding one of the terminology information items displayed in the user interface; and

requesting the image forming apparatus to perform the selected physical function in response to the selected terminologies displayed on the user interface,

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming apparatus.

26. A computer readable non-transitory recording medium containing code that, when executed, performs a method of controlling an image forming apparatus in a system including a host apparatus communicating with the image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

storing in one of the image forming apparatus and the host apparatus terminology information including terminology information items descriptive of physical operations of the image forming apparatus and terminology information indexes respectively associated with the terminology information items;

transmitting the terminology information stored in the one of the image forming apparatus and the host apparatus to the other one thereof;

displaying first and second menus in the image forming apparatus and the host apparatus, respectively, using the transmitted terminology information at positions thereof where the terminology information indexes match menu location information of the respective first and second menus; and

controlling the physical operations of the image forming apparatus using one of the displayed first and second menus,

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming apparatus.

27. A method of controlling an image forming apparatus having an operating panel unit, the method comprising:

sharing stored terminology information having terminology information indexes, between a host apparatus and the image forming apparatus; and

displaying terminologies labeled with the terminology information to control a physical function of the image forming apparatus via an interface of one of the host apparatus and the image forming apparatus which is in substantially the same arrangement as that of an interface on the other of the host apparatus and the image forming apparatus, the arrangement of both interfaces defined by indexes of locations on the corresponding interface and the terminology information indexes,

wherein the terminologies displayed at the user interface unit are the same as terminologies displayed at a display of the image forming apparatus.