Cooperation system, image forming apparatus, portable information device, remote control method, and remote operation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015256693-A1
Application number	US-201514628425-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 23, 2015
Priority date	Mar 4, 2014
Publication date	Sep 10, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

A portable information device includes a first display portion in which a parameter that defines a color for displaying an image is set, and a remote operation portion to display a remote operation screen on the first display portion and transmit a remote operation to an image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes an apparatus-side display control portion to display an operation screen on a second display portion, and a remote control portion to transmit a remote operation screen to the portable information device and execute a process in accordance with a remote operation. One of the portable information device and the image forming apparatus acquires a distance between the image forming apparatus and the portable information device and determines an update parameter based on the acquired distance. The remote operation portion updates the parameter set in the first display portion with the update parameter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A cooperation system configured with an image forming apparatus and a portable information device capable of communicating with the image forming apparatus,
the portable information device comprising: a first display portion in which a parameter that defines a color for displaying an image is set; and a remote operation portion to display a remote operation screen received from the image forming apparatus on the first display portion and transmit a remote operation input by a user in accordance with the remote operation screen to the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus comprising: a second display portion in which a parameter that defines a color for displaying an image is set; an apparatus-side display control portion to display an operation screen on the second display portion; and a remote control portion to transmit a remote operation screen related to the operation screen displayed on the second display portion to the portable information device and execute a process in accordance with a remote operation received from the portable information device in response to transmission of the remote operation screen, one of the portable information device and the image forming apparatus comprising: a distance acquisition portion to acquire a distance between the image forming apparatus and the portable information device; and a determination portion to determine an update parameter based on the acquired distance, the remote operation portion including a parameter change portion to update the parameter set in the first display portion with the update parameter determined by the determination portion.

2 . The cooperation system according to claim 1 , wherein the determination portion determines the update parameter, based on the acquired distance, a portable parameter that is set in the first display portion at a point of time when remote operation starts, and an apparatus parameter that is a parameter set in the second display portion.

3 . The cooperation system according to claim 2 , wherein the determination portion includes a proximate period determination portion to determine, as the update parameter, a value closer to the parameter set in the second display portion as a distance between the portable information device and the image forming apparatus decreases, until the parameter set in the first display portion at a point of time when the remote operation starts has a same value as the parameter set in the second display portion, in a proximate period from a point of time when remote operation starts to when the acquired distance becomes the first distance.

4 . The cooperation system according to claim 2 , wherein the determination portion includes a distant period determination portion to determine, as the update parameter, a value closer to the parameter set in the first display portion at a point of time when remote operation starts as a distance between the portable information device and the image forming apparatus increases, until the parameter set in the first display portion has a same value as the parameter set in the first display portion at a point of time when remote operation starts, in a distant period from when the acquired distance becomes the first distance to when the acquired distance becomes longer than the first distance until remote operation ends.

5 . The cooperation system according to claim 4 , wherein the determination portion further includes an in-cooperation prohibition portion to prohibit determining the update parameter in the distant period, until the acquired distance becomes equal to or greater than a second distance longer than the first distance.

6 . The cooperation system according to claim 2 , wherein the determination portion includes a cooperation period determination portion to determine the apparatus parameter as the update parameter while the acquired distance is equal to or smaller than the first distance.

7 . An image forming apparatus remotely controlled by a portable information device including a first display portion in which a parameter that defines a color for displaying an image is set, comprising:
a second display portion in which a parameter that defines a color for displaying an image is set; an apparatus-side display control portion to display an operation screen on the second display portion; a remote control portion to transmit a remote operation screen related to the operation screen displayed on the second display portion to the portable information device and execute a process in accordance with a remote operation received from the portable information device in response to transmission of the remote operation screen; and a distance acquisition portion to acquire a distance to the portable information device, the remote control portion including
a determination portion to determine an update parameter based on the acquired distance, and
a parameter change instruction portion to allow the portable information device to update the parameter set in the first display portion with the determined update parameter.

8 . A portable information device comprising:
a first display portion in which a parameter that defines a color for displaying an image is set; a receiving portion to receive, from an image forming apparatus including a second display portion in which a parameter that defines a color for displaying an image is set, a remote operation screen related to an operation screen displayed on the second display portion; a first display control portion to display the received remote operation screen on the first display portion; a remote operation transmitting portion to transmit a remote operation input by a user in accordance with the displayed remote operation screen to the image forming apparatus in order to allow the image forming apparatus to execute a process in accordance with the remote operation; a distance acquisition portion to acquire a distance to the image forming apparatus; a determination portion to determine an update parameter based on the acquired distance; and a parameter change portion to update the parameter set in the first display portion with the determined update parameter.

9 . A remote control method performed in an image forming apparatus remotely controlled by a portable information device including a first display portion in which a parameter that defines a color for displaying an image is set, the image forming apparatus including a second display portion in which a parameter that defines a color for displaying an image is set, the method comprising:
an apparatus-side display control step of displaying an operation screen on the second display portion; a step of transmitting a remote operation screen related to the operation screen displayed on the second display portion to the portable information device; a remote control step of executing a process in accordance with a remote operation received from the portable information device in response to transmission of the remote operation screen; and a distance acquisition step of acquiring a distance to the portable information device, the remote control step including
a determination step of determining an update parameter based on the acquired distance, and
a parameter change instruction step of allowing the portable information device to update the parameter set in the first display portion with the determined update parameter.

10 . A remote operation method performed in a portable information device including a first display portion in which a parameter that defines a color for displaying an image is set, the portable information device being capable of remotely controlling an image formi

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Kubo Hiroaki
• Ohshima Atsushi
• Otake Toshihiko
• Iwai Toshimichi
• Yamaguchi Takehisa
• Hashimoto Masaya
• Nakajima Tomoaki

Classifications

• H04N1/00925

  Inhibiting an operation · CPC title

• H04N1/00506 Primary

  Customising to the data to be displayed · CPC title

• H04N2201/0075

  by a user operated remote control device, e.g. receiving instructions from a user via a computer terminal or mobile telephone handset · CPC title

• H04N1/00307

  with a mobile telephone apparatus (constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00) · CPC title

• H04N1/00973 Primary

  from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal · CPC title