Image forming apparatus and terminal device each having touch panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9733793-B2
Application number	US-201213369888-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2012
Priority date	Feb 10, 2011
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

Continuously after two contacts are made on a touch panel, when a gesture of moving the two contacts in a direction that a spacing therebetween is decreased and then releasing the two contacts after being moved is detected, an image forming apparatus identifies a program presented by an icon displayed in an area defined by the two contacts at least either of before and after being moved, as a program subjected to the gesture, and stores information that identifies the program subjected to the gesture. The image forming apparatus reads the information that identifies the program subjected to the gesture in accordance with a command related to the program subjected to the gesture to execute an operation related to the program, and transmits information depending on the operation to another device indicated by the command.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a touch panel;
a memory;
a communication device that communicates with a terminal device; and
a hardware processor that:
detects a first gesture that is a pinch-in gesture by a user on the touch panel of the image forming apparatus,
identifies a program represented by an icon displayed in an area subjected to the first gesture,
causes the memory to store first information that identifies the program,
reads the first information from the memory in accordance with a command,
wherein the command is determined based on the program and an object on a touch panel of the terminal device subjected to a second gesture that is a pinch-out gesture by a user, and
wherein the object is displayed in the terminal device when the second gesture has been detected,

executes an operation, wherein the executed operation corresponds to the program subjected to the first gesture, and
transmits second information that includes data obtained by the operation to the terminal device indicated by the command.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein,
the hardware processor receives, from the terminal device, a report that the second gesture has been detected as well as third information that identifies the object, and
the hardware processor determines the operation to be executed by the image forming apparatus based on the program and the object.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the hardware processor previously stores the operation to be executed by the image forming apparatus in association with a combination of programs, and reads an operation associated with the program subjected to the first gesture and the object subjected to the second gesture, thereby determining the operation to be executed by the image forming apparatus.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the hardware processor further executes a login process of performing user authentication using user information,
the first information includes the user information,
the third information includes information that identifies a login user when the object has been displayed in the terminal device, and
the hardware processor determines the operation when the user information included in the program indicates the login user when the object has been displayed.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when the hardware processor detects the first gesture, the hardware processor transmits a report of the detected first gesture and the first information to a server using the communication device, and
the command is transmitted from the server.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
when the hardware processor detects the second gesture, the hardware processor identifies the object being displayed when the second gesture has been detected; and
when the hardware processor detects the second gesture, the hardware processor transmits a report of the detected second gesture and the third information that identifies the object to the server using the communication device.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the hardware processor further executes a login process of performing user authentication using user information,
the first information includes the user information, and
the hardware processor causes the memory to store the first information including the user information by overwriting the first information.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor transmits a command for causing information in accordance with the operation to be processed, to the terminal device.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a touch panel;
a communication device that communicates with a terminal device; and
a hardware processor that:
detects a first gesture that is a pinch-out gesture by a user on the touch panel of the image forming apparatus,
identifies an object being displayed when the first gesture has been detected,
when the hardware processor detects the first gesture, the hardware processor transmits a report that the first gesture has been detected and first information that identifies the object to a server using the communication device, wherein the server determines a command based on the object and a program subjected to a second gesture that is a pinch-in gesture by a user on a touch panel of the terminal device, wherein the program is represented by an icon displayed in an area subjected to the second gesture, and
the hardware processor processes information related to an operation received from the terminal device having executed the operation in accordance with the command from the server by displaying the object, wherein the executed operation corresponds to the program subjected to the second gesture.

10. A terminal device comprising:
a touch panel;
a memory;
a communication device that communicates with an image forming apparatus; and
a hardware processor that:
detects a first gesture that is a pinch-in gesture by a user on the touch panel of the terminal device,
identifies a program represented by an icon displayed in an area subjected to the first gesture,
causes the memory to store first information that identifies the program,
reads the first information from the memory in accordance with a command,
wherein the command is determined based on the program and an object on a touch panel of an image forming apparatus subjected to a second gesture that is a pinch-out gesture by a user, and
wherein the object is displayed in the image forming apparatus when the second gesture has been detected,

executes an operation, wherein the executed operation corresponds to the program subjected to the first gesture, and
transmits second information that includes data obtained by the operation to the image forming apparatus indicated by the command.

11. The terminal device according to claim 10 , wherein,
the hardware processor receives, from the image forming apparatus, a report that the second gesture has been detected and third information that identifies the object, and
the hardware processor determines the operation to be executed by the terminal device based on the program and the object.

12. A terminal device comprising:
a touch panel;
a communication device that communicates with an image forming apparatus; and
a hardware processor that:
detects a first gesture that is a pinch-out gesture by a user on the touch panel of the terminal device,
identifies an object being executed when the gesture has been detected,
when the hardware processor detects the first gesture the hardware processor transmits a report that the first gesture has been detected and first information that identifies the object to a server using the communication device, wherein the server determines a command based on the object and a program subjected to a second gesture that is a pinch-in gesture by a user on a touch panel of an image forming apparatus, wherein the program is represented by an icon displayed in an area subjected to the second gesture, and
the hardware processor processes information related to an operation received from the image forming apparatus having executed the operation in accordance with the command from the server by displaying the object, wherein the executed operation corresponds to the program subject to the second gesture.

13. An image forming system comprising:
an image forming apparatus;
a terminal device;
a server,
the image forming apparatus and the terminal device each including a touch panel,

Assignees

• Tsuboi Tomo
• Iwai Toshimichi
• Yamaguchi Takehisa
• Sawayanagi Kazumi
• Torigoshi Akihiro
• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Tsuboi Tomo
• Iwai Toshimichi
• Yamaguchi Takehisa
• Sawayanagi Kazumi
• Torigoshi Akihiro

Classifications

• H04N1/00424

  using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar · CPC title

• G06F3/0482 Primary

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G06F3/04883

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title

• H04N1/00307

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

• G06F2203/04808

  Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen · CPC title