Method for controlling image forming system and wireless operation unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11818308-B2
Application number	US-202217571669-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2022
Priority date	Jan 20, 2021
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

A method for controlling an image forming system including a wireless operation unit having a third wireless communication unit, an acquiring unit that acquires status information of the image forming apparatuses, and a display that displays the status information of the image forming apparatuses includes a connection process in which the third wireless communication unit connects individually to each of a first wireless communication unit of a first image forming apparatus and a second wireless communication unit of a second image forming apparatus via wireless communication without a wireless LAN router, an acquisition process in which the acquiring unit acquires the status information of the first image forming apparatus and the status information of the second image forming apparatus individually, and a display process in which the display displays the status information of the first image forming apparatus and the status information of the second image forming apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling an image forming system including
a first image forming apparatus that has a first wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication and that is configured to form an image on a sheet based on image data,
a second image forming apparatus that has a second wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication and that is configured to form an image on a sheet based on image data, and
a wireless operation unit having a third wireless communication unit capable of wirelessly communicating with the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit, an acquiring unit configured to acquire, via wireless communication, status information, which is information on a status of the first image forming apparatus and a status of the second image forming apparatus, and a display configured to display the status information acquired by the acquiring unit, the method comprising:
a connection process in which the third wireless communication unit connects individually to each of the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit via wireless communication without a wireless LAN router;
a first acquisition process in which the acquiring unit acquires the status information of the first image forming apparatus in a state in which the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit are connected to each other via wireless communication;
a second acquisition process in which the acquiring unit acquires the status information of the second image forming apparatus in a state in which the third wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit are connected to each other via wireless communication; and
a display process in which the display displays (i) a first screen including (i.a) information indicating that the first image forming apparatus is an intended recipient of an instruction to be issued by the wireless operation unit and (i.b) a plurality of selectable objects respectively corresponding to a plurality of functions performable by the first image forming apparatus and displays (ii), side by side on a second screen and in response to an instruction received while the first screen is displayed, the status information of the first image forming apparatus acquired in the first acquisition process and the status information of the second image forming apparatus acquired in the second acquisition process.

2. The method for controlling the image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein
the display can accept a touch operation by a user, and
the connection process is started in response to a touch on an acquisition icon displayed on the display.

3. The method for controlling the image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein
the status information of the first image forming apparatus displayed on the second screen of the display in the display process is displayed as a selectable item, and
in the display process, when the selectable item is selected, additional status information of the first image forming apparatus is displayed.

4. The method for controlling the image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein
the connection process includes
a first connection process in which the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit connect to each other via wireless communication,
a second connection process in which the third wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit connect to each other via wireless communication, and
in a state in which the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit are connected to each other via wireless communication in the first connection process, the first acquisition process is performed, and then the wireless communication connection between the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit is disconnected before the second connection process is started.

5. The method for controlling the image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication between the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit in the connection process and the wireless communication between the third wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit in the connection process are Wi-Fi direct communication.

6. The method for controlling the image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the status information of the first image forming apparatus is information indicating whether or not the first image forming apparatus is performing image formation based on an input job, and the status information of the second image forming apparatus is information indicating whether or not the second image forming apparatus is performing image formation based on an input job.

7. The method for controlling the image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the status information of the first image forming apparatus is information indicating the number of jobs accepted by the first image forming apparatus, and the status information of the second image forming apparatus is information indicating the number of jobs accepted by the second image forming apparatus.

8. The method for controlling the image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the status information of the first image forming apparatus is information regarding an optional device connected to the first image forming apparatus, and the status information of the second image forming apparatus is information regarding an optional device connected to the second image forming apparatus.

9. The method for controlling the image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein the first image forming apparatus and the second image forming apparatus form an image based on image data transmitted via a wireless LAN router.

10. A wireless operation unit that is used to operate a plurality of image forming apparatuses including a first image forming apparatus that has a first wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication and that is configured to form an image on a sheet based on image data, and a second image forming apparatus that has a second wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication and that is configured to form an image based on image data, the wireless operation unit comprising:
a third wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate individually with each of the first wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit without a wireless LAN router;
an acquiring unit configured to acquire first status information on a status of the first image forming apparatus in a state in which the third wireless communication unit and the first wireless communication unit are connected to each other via wireless communication, and acquire second status information on a status of the second image forming apparatus in a state in which the third wireless communication unit and the second wireless communication unit are connected to each other via wireless communication;
a display configured to display (i) a first screen including (i.a) information indicating that the first image forming apparatus is an intended recipient of an instruction to be issued by the third wireless communication unit and (i.b) a plurality of selectable objects respectively corresponding to a plurality of functions performable by the first image forming apparatus and (ii) a second screen including the first status information acquired by the acquiring unit and the second status information acquired by the acquiring unit displayed side by

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Suga Daisuke

Classifications

• H04N1/00477 Primary

  Indicating status, e.g. of a job (for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N2201/3219) · CPC title

• G06F3/1204

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

• G06F3/1267

  Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing · CPC title

• G06F3/1292

  Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing · CPC title

• H04N1/00244

  with a server, e.g. an internet server (fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324) · CPC title