Remote operation system, image forming apparatus, remote operation apparatus, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9558434-B2
Application number	US-201313752778-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2013
Priority date	Feb 9, 2012
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

A remote operation system comprises an image forming apparatus and a remote operation apparatus. The image forming apparatus has an operation input part including a touch panel and a hardware key and a transmission part for transmitting synthesizable area information indicating a synthesizable area in a candidate screen (first screen) of the remote operation screen to the remote operation apparatus. The first screen is a screen including a touch panel area and a hardware key area, and the synthesizable area is defined in the synthesizable area information as an area not including a hardware key image. The remote operation apparatus generates a second screen by synthesizing an additional image to be added to the first screen into the synthesizable area of the first screen on the basis of the synthesizable area information and displays the second screen on the display part as the remote operation screen.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A remote operation system, comprising:
an image forming apparatus; and
a remote operation apparatus for remotely operating said image forming apparatus by using a remote operation screen,
wherein said image forming apparatus has:
an operation input part including a touch panel and a hardware key; and
a first processor configured to:
transmit first screen information indicating a first screen including a touch panel area used for displaying a touch panel image representing said touch panel and a hardware key area used for displaying a hardware key image representing said hardware key and synthesizable area information indicating a synthesizable area not including said hardware key image to said remote operation apparatus, and
said remote operation apparatus has:
a display for displaying said remote operation screen;
a storage part for storing an information which associates an additional image with said first screen; and
a second processor configured to:
receive said first screen information and said synthesizable area information from said image forming apparatus;
generate a second screen by retrieving said additional image to be added to said first screen using said information stored in said storage part and synthesizing said additional image to be added to said first screen into said synthesizable area of said first screen so that said additional image is positioned on said first screen without hiding the hardware key area, on the basis of said synthesizable area information and said information stored in said storage part; and
display said second screen on said display as said remote operation screen.

2. The remote operation system according to claim 1 , wherein
said synthesizable area is an area which is defined in accordance with a type of said additional image.

3. The remote operation system according to claim 2 , wherein
said touch panel area in said first screen includes an arrangement area in which software buttons to be used for remote operation are already arranged,
said synthesizable area is an area which is defined for a particular type of additional image and is an area other than said arrangement area, and
said display control part generates said second screen by arranging said particular type of additional image in said synthesizable area.

4. The remote operation system according to claim 2 , wherein
said hardware key area in said first screen includes an arrangement area in which said hardware key image is arranged and a non-arrangement area in which said hardware key image is not arranged,
said synthesizable area is an area which is set for a particular type of additional image and is said non-arrangement area in said hardware key area, and
said display control part generates said second screen by arranging said particular type of additional image in said synthesizable area.

5. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
an operation input part including a touch panel and a hardware key; and
a processor configured to:
transmit first screen information indicating a first screen including a touch panel area used for displaying a touch panel image representing said touch panel and a hardware key area used for displaying a hardware key image representing said hardware key and synthesizable area information indicating a synthesizable area not including said hardware key image to a remote operation apparatus remotely operating said image forming apparatus by using a remote operation screen;
wherein the synthesizable area is an area where an additional image managed by a managing information which associates said additional image with said first screen, said managing information being stored in the remote operation apparatus and used by the remote operation apparatus to retrieve said additional image, is synthesizable thereon so as to be positioned on the first screen without hiding the hardware key area.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for recording therein a computer program to be executed by a computer incorporated in an image forming apparatus to cause said computer to perform the steps of:
a) generating first screen information indicating a first screen including a touch panel area used for displaying a touch panel image representing a touch panel and a hardware key area used for displaying a hardware key image representing a hardware key and synthesizable area information indicating a synthesizable area not including said hardware key image; and
b) transmitting said first screen information to a remote operation apparatus remotely operating said image forming apparatus by using a remote operation screen;
wherein the synthesizable area is an area where an additional image managed by a managing information which associates said additional image with said first screen, said managing information being stored in the remote operation apparatus and used by the remote operation apparatus to retrieve said additional image, is synthesizable thereon so as to be positioned on the first screen without hiding the hardware key area.

7. A remote operation apparatus for remotely operating an image forming apparatus by using a remote operation screen, comprising:
a display for displaying said remote operation screen;
a storage part for storing an information which associates an additional image with a first screen; and
a processor configured to:
receive first screen information indicating said first screen including a touch panel area used for displaying a touch panel image representing a touch panel and a hardware key area used for displaying a hardware key image representing a hardware key and synthesizable area information indicating a synthesizable area not including said hardware key image from said image forming apparatus;
generate a second screen by retrieving said additional image to be added to said first screen using said information stored in said storage part and synthesizing said additional image to be added to said first screen into said synthesizable area of said first screen so that said additional image is positioned on said first screen without hiding the hardware key area, on the basis of said synthesizable area information and said information stored in said storage part; and
display said second screen on said display part as said remote operation screen.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for recording therein a computer program to be executed by a computer to cause said computer to perform the steps of:
a) receiving first screen information indicating a first screen including a touch panel area used for displaying a touch panel image representing a touch panel and a hardware key area used for displaying a hardware key image representing a hardware key and synthesizable area information indicating a synthesizable area not including said hardware key image from an image forming apparatus;
b) generating a second screen by retrieving said additional image to be added to said first screen using information which associates said additional image with said first screen and is stored in a storage part of a remote operation apparatus and synthesizing an additional image to be added to said first screen into said synthesizable area of said first screen so that said additional image is positioned on said first screen without hiding the hardware key area, on the basis of said synthesizable area information and said information; and
c) displaying said second screen as a remote operation screen.

9. The remote operation system according to claim 1 , wherein said additional image is at least one of an image corresponding to an error notification and an image corresponding to internal memory of the remote operation apparatus.

Assignees

• Hase Junichi
• Furukawa Manabu
• Mishima Nobuhiro
• Hashimoto Masaya
• Torigoshi Akihiro
• Konica Minolta Business Tech

Inventors

• Hase Junichi
• Furukawa Manabu
• Mishima Nobuhiro
• Hashimoto Masaya
• Torigoshi Akihiro

Classifications

• G03G15/502

  relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens · CPC title

• G06K15/002 Primary

  Interacting with the operator · CPC title

• G03G15/5075

  Remote control machines, e.g. by a host · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• G06K15/40 Primary

  Details not directly involved in printing, e.g. machine management, management of the arrangement as a whole or of its constitutive parts (computer driven print job management G06F3/1237) · CPC title