Image forming apparatus equipped with communication function, control method therefor, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11275541-B2
Application number	US-202016744361-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2020
Priority date	Feb 4, 2019
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

An image forming apparatus which is capable of reducing input errors in network settings. The image forming apparatus has a plurality of network I/Fs and connects an image formation control apparatus to one of the plurality of network I/Fs. A display control unit controls display on a screen relating to network settings on the image forming apparatus. Based on selection of a network I/F to which the image formation control apparatus is to be connected, the display control unit determines what to display on the screen relating to network settings on the image forming apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus that has a plurality of network I/Fs, to which network setting values are configured to be set by a user's input-operation, and connects an image formation control apparatus to one of the plurality of network I/Fs, the image forming apparatus comprising at least one processor and/or a circuit configured to function as:
a unit configured to perform a predetermined setting process for setting predetermined network setting values for the image formation control apparatus on one network I/F out of the plurality of network I/Fs, without setting values being entered by a user's input-operation; and
a display control unit configured to display a screen on which information on the plurality of network I/Fs are listed and displayed,
wherein the screen includes information indicating that the network setting values for the image formation control apparatus has been set as information on a network I/F for which the network setting values are set by the predetermined setting process.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where the display control unit is instructed to display a network setting screen for the one network I/F to which the image formation control apparatus is connected, the display control unit displays a network setting screen on which specific network setting values, which are assigned to the image forming apparatus on a specific network on which the image forming apparatus carries out communications via the image formation control apparatus, have been entered.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the display control unit displays setting fields, in which the specific network setting values have been entered, on the network setting screen in a predetermined form indicating that the network setting values have previously been configured.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein in the network setting screen, user's operations on the setting fields in which the specific network setting values have been entered are not accepted.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the network setting screen includes other setting fields in which other network setting values assigned to the image forming apparatus on another network other than the specific network are to be entered.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the display control unit provides notification that the specific network setting values have previously been configured.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the display control unit does not accept a predetermined operation that commands displaying of the network setting screen on which the specific network setting values have been entered.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the specific network setting values include an IP address, a subnet mask, and a gateway address assigned to the image forming apparatus on the specific network.

9. A control method for an image forming apparatus that has a plurality of network I/Fs, to which network setting values are configured to be set by a user's input-operation, and connects an image formation control apparatus to one of the plurality of network I/Fs, comprising a memory storing a program, and at least one processor executing the program to:
perform a predetermined setting process for setting predetermined network setting values for the image formation control apparatus on one network I/F out of the plurality of network I/Fs, without setting values being entered by a user's input-operation; and
display a screen on which information on the plurality of network I/Fs are listed and displayed,
wherein the screen includes information indicating that the network setting values for the image formation control apparatus has been set as information on a network I/F for which the network setting values are set by the predetermined setting process.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a control method for an image forming apparatus that has a plurality of network I/Fs, to which network setting values are configured to be set by a user's input-operation, and connects an image formation control apparatus to one of the plurality of network I/Fs, the image forming apparatus comprising a memory storing a program, and at least one processor executing the program to:
perform a predetermined setting process for setting predetermined network setting values for the image formation control apparatus on one network I/F out of the plurality of network I/Fs, without setting values being entered by a user's input-operation; and
display a screen on which information on the plurality of network I/Fs are listed and displayed,
wherein the screen includes information indicating that the network setting values for the image formation control apparatus has been set as information on a network I/F for which the network setting values are set by the predetermined setting process.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the screen includes a cancel button to be used for performing predetermined setting process again to set another network I/F different from the one network I/F.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Choho Satoshi
• Hasegawa Teppei

Classifications

• Y02D10/00

  Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management · CPC title

• H04N2201/0046

  Software interface details, e.g. interaction of operating systems · CPC title

• G06F3/1236 Primary

  Connection management · CPC title

• H04N2201/0039

  Connection via a network · CPC title

• G06F3/1204

  resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data · CPC title