JP2007122279A - Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program that allow a user to select a necessary part of an operation manual of an apparatus to be handled and provide the user as a printed matter or by screen display.
[Solution]
The image processing apparatus corresponds to a display screen capable of displaying a description of an operation function of the apparatus, a first holding means for holding document data of an operation manual of the own apparatus, and a plurality of items and each item included in the operation manual. The table which matched the page in the operation manual to be held is held. Here, a list of each item included in the operation manual is displayed on the display screen, and an arbitrary item is selected from the displayed list to instruct printing. Thus, the page in the operation manual corresponding to the selected item is specified using the table, the specified page is set as the print range, and the page of the operation manual corresponding to the set print range is printed.
[Selection] FIG.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program that perform printing and screen display of an operation manual for a digital composite copying machine.

  Recent digital multi-functional copiers have abundant functions such as copying, printing, faxing, transmission, and functions for linking with the Internet. The amount of operation manual provided as a booklet for explaining these operations Has become enormous. In addition, there is a guide function for displaying explanations about the above functions on the operation screen of the digital multi-function copying machine, but due to restrictions on the amount of memory that can be used in the device, there is no choice but to display simplified explanations. The function is not fully explained.

  For this reason, when a user examines a certain function, he / she has been searching for a necessary function from a huge amount by referring to the booklet of the operation manual. In addition, if the booklet of the operation manual is a separate volume, there is no necessary booklet near the device, or there is no space to place a booklet near the device in the first place. There were times when I could not investigate. On the other hand, when the guide function is displayed on the operation screen, the displayed contents of the explanation are insufficient, and there are cases where the function cannot be fully used only by looking at the guide screen.

  In order to improve this situation, the operation manual converted into data is stored on the hard disk in the device and operated by the operation unit for browsing, or the converted operation manual is distributed from an external server for operation. It was made possible to browse by operating in the department. In this way, the user can refer to the operation manual with sufficient contents quickly and specifically in front of the apparatus without requiring the operation manual booklet itself. In recent years, the operation unit of the digital multi-functional copying machine has been enlarged, and the visibility of the operation manual displayed there has also been improved.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-316466 (Patent Document 1) discloses printing a detailed description regarding the description of a help screen.
JP 2002-316466 A

  However, browsing the operation manual displayed on the screen of the operation unit of the device in front of the device is a request to read the explanation about the function slowly or in a place other than the device. I can't respond. In addition, it may be difficult to capture the entire function from only the content displayed on the displayed guide screen, and it may be preferable to confirm the content related to the function at the same time.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide the following image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program. That is, it is possible to provide a user with a necessary part (for example, a chapter or a page that describes a certain function) of an operation manual of the apparatus to be handled and to provide the user as a printed matter or a screen display. Like that.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is an image processing apparatus including a display screen capable of displaying a description of an operation function of the own apparatus,
First holding means for holding document data of an operation manual of the own device;
Second holding means for holding a table in which a plurality of items included in the operation manual and pages in the operation manual corresponding to each item are associated;
Display means for displaying a list of each item included in the operation manual on the display screen;
Instruction means for instructing printing by selecting any item from the list displayed on the display screen;
A setting means for specifying a page in the operation manual corresponding to the selected item using the table, and setting the specified page as a print range;
Printing means for printing a page of the operation manual corresponding to the print range set by the setting means.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a display screen capable of displaying a description of an operation function of the own device, first holding means for holding document data of the operation manual of the own device, and the operation manual. An image processing method of an image processing apparatus, comprising: a second holding unit that holds a table in which a plurality of items included in the table and pages in the operation manual corresponding to each item are associated with each other;
A display step of displaying a list of each item included in the operation manual on the display screen;
An instruction step for instructing printing by selecting an arbitrary item from the list displayed on the display screen;
Specifying a page in the operation manual corresponding to the selected item using the table, and setting the specified page as a print range;
And a printing step of printing a page of the operation manual corresponding to the printing range set by the setting step.

Furthermore, in order to solve the above-described problem, a program according to the present invention provides:
A display screen capable of displaying a description of the operation function of the own device, first holding means for holding document data of the operation manual of the own device, a plurality of items included in the operation manual, and the operation corresponding to each item An image processing apparatus comprising: a second holding unit that holds a table in which pages in a manual are associated with each other.
A display procedure for displaying a list of each item included in the operation manual on the display screen;
An instruction procedure for selecting any item from the list displayed on the display screen and instructing printing;
A setting procedure for specifying a page in the operation manual corresponding to the selected item using the table, and setting the specified page as a print range;
And a printing procedure for printing a page of the operation manual corresponding to the printing range set by the setting step.

  According to the present invention, a user can select a necessary part (for example, a chapter or a page that describes a certain function) of an operation manual of a device to be handled, and provide the user as a printed matter or by screen display. can do.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Configuration of Image Input / Output System 100>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an image input / output system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the image input / output system 100 includes a reader device (reader unit) 200, a control device (controller unit) 110, and a printer device (printer unit) 300.

  A reader unit (image input device) 200 optically reads a document image and converts it into image data. The reader unit 200 includes a scanner unit 210 having a function for reading a document, and a document feeding unit 250 having a function for transporting a document sheet.

  A printer unit (image output device) 300 conveys recording paper, prints image data as a visible image thereon, and discharges the recording paper out of the device. The printer unit 300 includes a paper feed unit 360 having a plurality of types of recording paper cassettes, a marking unit 310 having a function of transferring and fixing image data to the recording paper, and sorting and stapling the printed recording papers. A paper discharge unit 370 having a function of outputting to

  The control device 110 is electrically connected to the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 300, and is further connected to host computers 401 and 402 via the network 400. The control device 110 controls the reader unit 200 to read image data of a document, and controls the printer unit 300 to output the image data to a recording sheet to provide a copy function. The control device 110 provides a scanner function that converts image data read from the reader unit 200 into code data and transmits the code data to the host computer via the network 400. Furthermore, the control device 110 provides a printer function that converts code data received from the host computers 401 and 402 via the network 400 into image data and outputs the image data to the printer unit 300.

  The operation unit 180 is connected to the control device 110 and includes a liquid crystal touch panel or the like, and provides a user I / F for operating the image input / output system 100 to the user.

<Control device 110>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the function of the control device 110 of the image input / output system 100.

  The main controller 111 shown in FIG. 3 includes a CPU, a rendering unit, a memory controller, a serial communication control unit, and a serial bus control unit. The CPU controls the entire operation of the control device 110, and operates based on a program stored in a memory 121. In addition, an operation for interpreting PDL (page description language) code data received from the host computer 401 or the like and developing it into raster image data is also described in this program. Then, the interpretation of the code data is performed by the CPU, and the raster image data development is processed by the rendering unit. The rendering unit creates raster image data based on the code data created by the CPU, and transfers the raster data after development to the memory 1211 or the printer image processing unit 151. Examples of the color space of the image data created by the rendering unit include RGB and CMYK.

  Similarly, an operation for interpreting a PDF file received from the host computer 401 or the like or a PDF file stored in the hard disk 132 and developing it into raster image data is also described in this program. The interpretation of the code data is performed by the CPU, and the raster image data development is processed by the rendering unit. A PDF file can be printed by specifying a page range to be printed. The rendering unit creates raster image data based on the code data created by the CPU, and transfers the raster data after development to the memory 121 or the printer image processing unit 151.

  The serial communication control unit communicates with the CPU of the printer unit 300 by transmitting and receiving control commands via the serial bus. In the serial bus control unit, communication with the host computer 401 and the like and communication with various devices are performed via the connector 122. The serial bus is generally a USB, and is used as an I / F that receives PDL data from the host computer 401 or the like.

  A serial bus is connected to the connector 123 and is used for communication with the reader controller unit 222 and transfer of image data.

  A boot ROM (BootROM) 124 stores a program to be started by the CPU, and in some cases, font data for PDL.

  To the general-purpose high-speed bus 130, an expansion connector 135 for connecting an expansion board, an I / O control unit 136, an HD controller 131, and an audio output unit 133 are connected. A general-purpose high-speed bus is generally a PCI bus.

  The HD controller 131 is for connecting an external storage device. In the present embodiment, the hard disk drive 132 is connected via this I / F. The hard disk 132 is used for storing a program and storing image data.

  The I / O control controller 136 controls the data bus 191 and controls ports and interrupts. Further, the CPU 137 is mounted on the I / O control controller 136. Then, control of the port control unit 138, communication with the operation unit 180, communication with the modem (Modem) 146, and the like are controlled via the network controller 140 and the operation unit I / F 145.

  The network controller 180 is connected to the external network 147. The network is generally Ethernet (registered trademark), and is used for PDL data reception from the host computer 401, transmission of scanner images, remote management, and the like.

  The modem 146 is connected to the public line 149 and performs FAX communication.

  The memory 139 is used as a work memory for the CPU 137, a work memory for image data displayed on the operation unit 180, and the like.

  The audio output unit 133 is for outputting an audio signal, and outputs a signal to the speaker 134 based on the data input from the general-purpose high-speed bus 130.

  The operation unit I / F 145 includes an I / F for displaying on the liquid crystal screen of the operation unit 180 and a key input I / F for inputting hard keys and touch panel keys.

  The operation unit 180 includes a liquid crystal display unit, a touch panel input device attached on the liquid crystal display unit, and a plurality of hard keys. A signal input through the touch panel or the hard key is transmitted to the CPU 137 as the hard key ID number input through the operation unit I / F 145 and the input touch panel coordinate information. The liquid crystal display unit displays the image data sent from the operation unit I / F 145. The liquid crystal display unit displays function display, image data, and the like when the image input / output system 100 is operated.

  The FAN 148 is connected to the I / O control controller 136 and is used to cool the controller unit (control device) 110.

  The SRAM 141 is backed up by a backup battery 144, and stores user mode, various setting information, file management information of the hard disk drive 132, and the like.

  The real-time clock module 143 is for updating / saving the date and time managed in the device, and is backed up by a backup battery 144.

  The printer image processing unit 151 is connected to the main controller 111 via a custom bus 125 and a high-speed bus 150. The high-speed bus 150 is connected in a ring shape by one-way communication. The printer image processing unit 151 is connected to the printer unit 300 via the connector 181, performs a predetermined image process on the image data input from the main controller 111, and outputs the image data to the main controller 111 or the printer unit 300. Have The memory 152 is used as a work area and delay buffer for the printer image processing 151.

<Reader unit 200 and printer unit 300>
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 300 in the image input / output system. As shown in FIG. 2, the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 300 are integrally formed. The reader unit 200 includes a document feeding unit 250. The document feeding unit 250 feeds documents one by one from the top to the platen glass 211 one by one, and discharges the documents from the platen glass 211 to the discharge tray each time the reading operation of each document is completed. When the document is fed onto the platen glass 211, the reader unit 200 turns on the lamp 212 and starts moving the moving unit 213. By the movement of the moving unit 213, the scanning on the document on the platen glass 211 is performed. During this scanning, the reflected light from the original is guided to a CCD image sensor (hereinafter referred to as “CCD”) 218 via each mirror 214, 215, 216 and lens 217, and the image on the original is imaged on the CCD 218. Imaged on top. The CCD 218 converts an image formed on the imaging surface into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal is input to the control device after being subjected to predetermined processing.

  The printer unit 300 includes a laser driver 321, and the laser driver 321 drives the laser emission unit 322 based on the image data input from the control device 110. As a result, laser light corresponding to the image data is emitted from the laser light emitting unit 322, and this laser light is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum 323 while being scanned. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 323 by the irradiated laser light, and the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by the toner supplied from the developing device 324. In synchronization with the irradiation timing of the laser beam, the recording paper is fed from the cassettes 311 and 312 between the photosensitive drum 323 and the transfer unit 325 via the conveyance path, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 323 is transferred. The image is transferred onto the recording paper fed by the unit 325.

  The recording paper onto which the toner image has been transferred is sent to a fixing roller pair (heating roller and pressure roller) 326 via a conveyance belt, and the fixing roller pair 326 records the toner image on the recording paper by heat-pressing the recording paper. Fix on paper. The recording paper that has passed through the fixing roller pair 326 is discharged to the paper discharge unit 370 by the paper discharge roller pair 327. The paper discharge unit 370 includes a sheet processing apparatus that can perform post-processing such as sorting and stapling.

  When the duplex recording mode is set, after the recording sheet is conveyed to the discharge roller pair 327, the rotation direction of the discharge roller pair 327 is reversed and guided to the refeed conveyance path 339 by the flapper 328. . The recording paper guided to the refeed conveyance path 339 is fed again between the photosensitive drum 323 and the transfer unit 325 at the timing described above, and the toner image is transferred to the back surface of the recording paper.

<Overview of operation unit 180>
FIG. 4 is an overview diagram showing the overall configuration of the operation unit 180. The LCD display unit 3001 has a touch panel sheet pasted on the LCD, displays a system operation screen, and transmits position information to the controller CPU when a displayed key is pressed. A start key 3002 is used when starting a document image reading operation. At the center of the start key 3002, there is a two-color LED of green and red, which indicates whether or not the start key can be used. A stop key 3003 serves to stop an operation in operation. The hard key group 3006 is provided with a numeric keypad, a clear key, a reset key, a guide key, a user mode key, and an ID key. The ID key is used when inputting the user ID of the user. The reset key is used when initializing settings from the operation unit 180.

<Operation screen>
The functions provided by the system described in this embodiment are divided into four major categories: Copy / Send / BOX / Remote scan as shown in FIG. These correspond to the four main tabs (COPY / SEND / BOX / REMOTE SCAN) 3011 to 3014 displayed at the top of the operation screen 3010. By pressing these main tabs, switching to the screen of each category is performed.

  COPY performs normal document copying using its own scanner and printer. Send is a function for transferring a document placed on the scanner of the own device to e-mail, fax, file transfer, BOX storage, and database, and a plurality of destinations can be designated. The BOX is a function for storing a document read by a scanner, receiving a FAX, and developing a PDL in a hard disk of the own apparatus, and can be printed and transmitted. Remote scan performs pull scan online.

  A unique key ID is assigned to each button and hard key group displayed on the operation screen. When a key input is accepted, processing such as screen switching and setting is performed based on each key ID information.

  Hereinafter, a method for setting these functions will be described using an example of an LCD screen display.

[COPY screen]
FIG. 5 shows an example of the COPY screen. When the start button is pressed while the COPY screen is displayed, the scanner operates, and a copy corresponding to each setting parameter displayed on the screen is output from the selected printer.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the COPY main screen 3100 includes an image quality selection display button 3105, a copy parameter display 3101, and enlargement / reduction setting buttons 3106, 3107. The COPY main screen 3100 further includes a paper selection button 3108, a sorter setting button 3110, a duplex copy setting button 3112, a density indicator and density setting button 3109, and an application mode setting button 3115.

  When the Image Quality setting button 3105 is selected, a list of Image Quality is displayed, and a desired Image Quality can be selected from the list. When the copy parameter setting button described above is selected, a sub-screen (enlargement / reduction setting, paper selection, sorter setting, duplex copy setting) for setting corresponding to each is displayed, and parameters can be set. The density can be set with the density setting button 3109. When the application mode setting button 3115 is selected, function setting buttons such as page continuous shooting and reduced layout as shown in FIG. 6 are displayed. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of the COPY screen. When these function setting buttons are selected, sub-screens corresponding to the respective function setting buttons are displayed, and parameters can be set.

[SEND screen]
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the SEND screen. When the start button is pressed when the SEND screen is displayed, the scanner operates, and processing for transmitting the read image data by the transmission method specified for the set destination is started.

  The SEND main screen 3200 includes a destination display area 3202, a destination scroll button 3204, an address book button 3208, transmission method selection buttons 3271 to 3275, an Edit button 3210, and a Delete button 3211. The SEND main screen 3200 further includes a transmission setting button 3205 and a Scan Setting button 3215. At initialization including reset, as shown in FIG. 7, an operation explanation screen is displayed without displaying one destination in the destination display area.

  A list of input destinations is displayed in the destination display area 3202. Input is appended to the end sequentially. When a delete button 3211 is selected after selecting a destination from the destination display area, the selected destination is deleted. When the transmission setting button is pressed, a subject input, message input, and file name input screen is displayed. When the address book button 3208 is selected, an address book sub-screen is displayed, and a registered transmission destination can be selected. When a transmission method selection button 3271 to 3275 corresponding to a transmission method (e-mail, fax, I-fax, file, BOX) is selected, a detailed sub-screen is displayed, and a new destination can be set. When the Scan Setting button 3215 is selected, a Scan Setting sub-screen is displayed, and a preset resolution, scan mode, and density can be displayed and selected. These values can be changed manually.

[BOX screen]
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a BOX screen. On the BOX screen, image data read from the scanner is stored in a designated BOX, and text stored in the BOX is set for printing and transmission.

  The BOX main screen 3300 includes BOX selection buttons 3310 to 3316, BOX scroll buttons 3302 and 3303, a system BOX button 3304, a FAX BOX button 3305, a remaining memory display area 3306, and a BOX name display area 3307. When the BOX selection buttons 3310 to 3316 are selected, a user BOX sub-screen 3320 is displayed. When the BOX scroll buttons 3302 and 3303 are selected, the displayed BOX number is scrolled. When the system BOX button 3304 is selected, a system BOX sub-screen 3320 is displayed, and a list of sentences received by the communication function is displayed. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user box sub-screen 3320.

  When the FAX BOX button 3305 is selected, a FAX BOX sub screen is displayed. The FAX received text is stored in the FAX BOX, and when the BOX selection button displayed on the FAX BOX sub-screen is selected, a stored text list is displayed. In the remaining memory display area 3306, the free space of the text storage area secured in the hard disk drive 132 is displayed. In the BOX name display area 3307, the name set for each BOX number is displayed.

  The user BOX sub-screen 3320 includes a BOX text display area 3321, display scroll buttons 3322 and 3323, a selection button 3324, an image display button 3325, a movement / duplication button 3326, and a detail display button 3327. The user box sub screen 3320 further includes an erase button 3328, a print button 3329, a document reading button 3330, a transmission button 3331, and a close button 3332.

  A list of stored sentences is displayed in the BOX sentence display area 3321. When a sentence is selected, a check mark is displayed on the left side. When the display scroll buttons 3322 and 3323 are selected, the displayed text is scrolled. The selection button 3324 fulfills the function of selecting all when no text is selected and canceling the selection when a text is selected. When the image display button 3325 is selected, the currently selected sentence is displayed on the screen. When the move / duplicate button 3326 is selected, a sub-screen is displayed, and the selected sentence can be moved / duplicated to another BOX. When a detail display button 3327 is selected, detailed settings of the currently selected sentence are displayed.

  When an erase button 3328 is selected, the selected sentence is erased from the BOX. When the print button 3329 is selected, a print subscreen is displayed, and the selected sentence can be printed. When a document reading button 3330 is selected, a document reading sub-screen is displayed, and settings for reading a document can be made. When the start key 3002 is pressed while the original reading sub screen is displayed, the original can be read from the scanner and stored in the BOX. When the transmission button 3331 is selected, a transmission sub-screen is displayed, and the selected sentence can be transmitted to the designated destination. When the close button 3332 is selected, the screen returns to the BOX main screen 3300.

[Help screen]
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a help screen. When a help key assigned to the hard key group 3006 is pressed, a transition is made to a help menu screen shown in FIG. In the help menu screen, keys for displaying help contents for each function are arranged, and keys of COPY 701, SEND 702, FAX 703, BOX 704, and manual printing 705 are arranged. FIG. 10 shows a state in which COPY 701 is selected, and help items relating to copying are sequentially displayed in the list display area 706. When a location where an item is displayed is pressed, help content related to the item is displayed.

  For example, when the “both sides” item 710 is pressed on the screen shown in FIG. 10, the screen shifts to the help content display screen shown in FIG. 11 and the help content “copy on both sides” is displayed in the help content display area 801. Is done. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that displays help contents. The data for displaying the help content is composed of bitmap data, and is held as display data in the program.

<Manual data structure>
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a storage location for each data type in the hard disk 132. As shown in FIG. 12, the hard disk 132 manages data separately in a program storage area, an image storage area, a management area, and a manual data area. In the program storage area, a program for controlling the overall operation of the control device 110 is stored, and is copied into the memory 121 when the control device 110 is started up. The image storage area is an area for temporarily storing image data to be stored by the box function or image data to be used for copying, the PDL function, or the like as a temporary file. The management area is an area for storing data and log data used for control by each function.

  The manual data area is an area for storing a manual for each function, and is stored in a directory configured for each function. A manual regarding the COPY function is stored in the directory COPY, and a manual regarding the SEND function is stored in the directory SEND. Each directory stores a management file in which data for associating a PDF file used for printing a manual with a chapter ID, a page ID of the PDF file, and a screen ID of a help screen is stored. Yes. The PDF file is also used when displaying the contents of the manual on the operation unit 180. In FIG. 12, PDF files are represented as M-COPY, M-SEND, and M-FAX, and management files are represented as P-COPY, P-SEND, and P-FAX. The manual data area stores manuals for BOX, Network, and PDL with the same configuration.

  In the management data, for each function manual, the number of pages that indicate the chapter and the number of pages on which the chapter is described, and the number of pages in which the items and items in the chapter are described. The number of pages is displayed. Also, the help menu items described in FIGS. 10 and 11 are assigned IDs, and the help contents correspond to each help screen ID, which chapter of the PDF manual starts with what item. It has been.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically showing the data structure in the management data. In FIG. 13, the first chapter for the COPY function is from page 1, the first chapter 2 (1-2) is from page 5, and the second for the SEND function is from page 17 in the second chapter (2-2). Indicates that it is described.

  Also, the “double-sided” 710 of the help item in FIG. 10 has a help screen ID C0008, and the PDF file corresponding to this help item is COPY Chapter 2 3 (2-3). Indicates that it is described. Similarly, for the “cover” of the help item, the help screen ID is C0010, and the PDF file corresponding to this help item is 1 (3-1) in Chapter 3 of COPY. Indicates that it is described.

  For the SEND function, BOX function, Network function, PDL function, and settings, management data files are described in the same structure.

  The number of pages for the corresponding chapter or item is required as information when printing, but it may be determined from the number of pages in the next chapter or the number of pages in the next item. It may be described in the management data file.

  The management file is associated with the PDF file, and an externally created file is stored in the hard disk 137. However, the relationship between chapters and pages is embedded in the PDF file in advance, and when the PDF file is used or when the power is turned on, the data corresponding to the data described in the management file is stored in the information embedded in the PDF file. It may be configured to extract.

<Manual printing>
When the manual print key 705 on the screen shown in FIG. 10 is pressed, the screen shifts to a screen displaying a manual list shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that displays a manual list. In FIG. 14, manual titles about the COPY, SEND, FAX, BOX, Network, and PDL functions are displayed in the list area 706 from the top.

  Then, in FIG. 14, when a location where an item is displayed is pressed, a screen is displayed that displays a manual chapter of a function related to the item. For example, in FIG. 14, when the “COPY” item 901 is pressed, the screen shifts to a screen displaying the chapter of the COPY function manual in FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for displaying chapters of the COPY function manual. In FIG. 14, a print all key 1002 is used to issue an instruction to print all pages of the COPY function manual. The chapter print key 1003 is used to give an instruction to print the selected chapter. For example, when an area of “Chapter 2 Basic Copy” 1001 in FIG. 15 is selected and the print key 1003 is pressed, an instruction to print only Chapter 2 of the copy function manual is issued. It is also possible to select multiple chapters.

  A detail key 1004 is used to display the details of the selected item in more detail. For example, when the area of “Chapter 2 Basic Copy” 1001 in FIG. 15 is selected and the detail key 1004 is pressed, a screen for displaying more detailed items related to Chapter 2 shown in FIG. 16 is displayed. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen that displays more detailed items related to the second chapter. An item print key 1103 in FIG. 16 is a key for issuing an instruction to print an item selected in the item list display area 1101. For example, in FIG. 16, when “2-3 Copy on both sides” 1103 is selected and the item print key 1102 is pressed, an instruction to print only the pages related to 2-3 in Chapter 2 of the copy manual is issued.

  A display key 1104 is a key for displaying the item selected in the item list display area 1101 in more detail. When the display key 1104 is pressed, a manual file corresponding to the selected function is designated, and a PDF file viewer is launched to display a portion describing the selected item. For example, consider the case where “2-3 Copy on both sides” 1103 in FIG. 16 is selected and the display key 1104 is pressed. In this case, the management file P-COPY related to the copy described with reference to FIG. 13 is referred to. Since the copy chapter 2-3 is described from the 12th page, the PDF file is displayed so that the 12th page of the manual file M-COPY corresponding to the copy is displayed.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example in which a manual is displayed by the PDF file viewer 1201. In FIG. 17, the contents of the manual are displayed in a manual display area 1201. A print key 1203 is a key for issuing a print instruction for the contents of the displayed page. The enlargement key 1204 is a key for instructing enlargement display for the displayed page. A reduction key 1205 is a key for instructing reduction display for the displayed page. When the return key 1206 is pressed, the PDF file viewer is terminated and the previous screen is restored.

  When a print instruction is issued by pressing the print all key 1002 key, chapter print key 1003 in FIG. 15, item print key 1103 in FIG. 16, and item print key 1203 in FIG. 17, a screen for specifying detailed print settings shown in FIG. 18. Transition to. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for designating detailed print settings. On this screen, it is possible to make settings related to printing such as paper setting, double-sided, front cover, finishing, number of copies, and layout (N in 1) designation. When a print start key 1302 is pressed, printing is performed with the specified settings.

  Next, a manual printing procedure will be described. FIG. 19 is a flowchart for explaining the manual printing procedure.

  First, a manual print instruction is issued when either the print all key 1002 or the chapter print key 1003 is pressed on the screen for displaying and selecting a manual chapter shown in FIG. The manual print instruction is issued when the item print key 1103 is pressed on the screen for displaying and selecting detailed items related to the chapter shown in FIG. 16, or on the screen for displaying the manual shown in FIG. It is also performed when is pressed.

  When a manual print instruction is issued, it is determined for which function the manual print instruction is issued in COPY, SEND, FAX, BOX, Network, and PDL, and the file name of the PDF file corresponding to the determined function is obtained. (Step S1901). Next, the print type is determined, and it is determined which of all print, chapter print, and item print is designated (step S1902). Next, the print page range is determined, and if it is determined in step S1902 that all printing is designated, it is determined that all pages are included (step S1903). When it is designated in step S1902 other than all printing, that is, whether chapter printing or item printing is designated, a print page range is obtained with reference to the management data file described in FIG. 12 corresponding to the function determined in step S1901. Next, based on the items set on the print details screen described with reference to FIG. 18, a mode for printing is set from various print modes (step S1904). Next, printing is started based on the settings of the file name, print page range, and print mode (step S1905).

<Other embodiments>
In the above-described embodiment, the manual print file is stored in advance in the hard disk 132 in the apparatus, but other configurations may be employed. For example, a print file is stored in a server on the LAN 400 and downloaded to the control device 110 and stored in the hard disk 132 as necessary (for example, when the manual print key 705 is pressed). It doesn't matter. In this case, data may be stored in the manual data area in the hard disk 132 so as to have the structure described in the above embodiment.

  In the above-described embodiment, COPY, SEND, FAX, BOX, PDL, and Network have manual data. However, it goes without saying that other functions can be similarly applied.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the manual printing instruction can be performed only from the screen that is transitioned after the manual printing key is pressed, but is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, a manual print instruction can be issued from the help display screen (manual print key 2001), and a print file associated with the displayed help content can be printed. It is. That is, FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for giving a manual print instruction from the help display screen (operation function explanation screen).

  In the management data file illustrated in FIG. 13 described in the above-described embodiment, the help screen ID of the screen displayed on the help display screen, the chapter of the print file, and the number of pages are managed in association with each other. Therefore, when a print instruction is issued from the help display screen, the print page of the print file is obtained from the management data file using the help screen ID, and the corresponding print file is printed.

  Similarly, it is possible to determine the chapter displayed on the print file for the items displayed on the help screen using the management data file, and the items displayed on the help screen are described. It is possible to print by specifying the chapter of the print file. In this case, after the manual print key 2001 is pressed, it is possible to select whether to print only items or to print related chapters, and the above processing may be performed according to the selection result.

  According to the above-described embodiment, the user can select a necessary manual in front of the apparatus and obtain the manual as a printed matter. In addition, the user selects a necessary part from the necessary manual, for example, a chapter explaining a certain function or a page explaining a function, and prints the manual as printed matter. Be able to get. As described above, the user can select a printing range of the manual and obtain a printed matter as necessary, so that convenience is improved.

  In addition, just by giving a print instruction on the help display screen, it is possible to obtain a printed part of the manual section for printing corresponding to the help content displayed on the help screen and the printed chapter of the chapter in which it is described. It becomes possible. That is, it is possible to print the related manual from the help display screen without searching for the necessary items on the print file, and the operability is improved.

  Although the embodiment has been described in detail above, the present invention can take an embodiment as a system, apparatus, method, program, storage medium (recording medium), or the like. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device.

  In the present invention, a software program (in the embodiment, a program corresponding to the flowchart shown in the drawing) that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is directly or remotely supplied to a system or apparatus. In addition, this includes a case where the system or the computer of the apparatus is also achieved by reading and executing the supplied program code.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, or the like.

  Examples of the recording medium for supplying the program include the following. Floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD-R) .

  As another program supply method, the program can be supplied by downloading it from a homepage on the Internet to a recording medium such as a hard disk using a browser of a client computer. That is, it connects to a homepage and downloads the computer program itself of the present invention or a compressed file including an automatic installation function from the homepage. It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

  Further, the program of the present invention is encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, and distributed to users. Then, the user who has cleared the predetermined condition is allowed to download key information for decryption from the homepage via the Internet. It is also possible to execute the encrypted program by using the key information and install the program on a computer.

  Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the computer executing the read program. In addition, the function of the above-described embodiment can be realized by an OS running on the computer based on an instruction of the program and performing part or all of the actual processing.

  Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized even after the program read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. That is, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by performing a part or all of the actual processing by the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit based on the instructions of the program.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image input / output system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating configurations of a reader unit 200 and a printer unit 300 in the image input / output system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining functions of a control device 110 of the image input / output system 100. FIG. 3 is an overview diagram showing an overall configuration of an operation unit 180. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a COPY screen. It is a figure which shows another example of a COPY screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a SEND screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a BOX screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the user BOX subscreen 3320. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a help screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen which displays a help content. 3 is a schematic diagram showing storage locations for each data type in the hard disk 132. FIG. It is the figure which represented typically the data structure in the data for management. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen which displays a manual list. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen which displays the chapter of a COPY function manual. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen which displays the further detailed item regarding Chapter 2. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which a manual is displayed by a PDF file viewer 1201. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for specifying print detail settings. This It is a flowchart for demonstrating a manual printing procedure. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen for performing a manual printing instruction | indication from a help display screen.

Claims (8)

An image processing apparatus having a display screen capable of displaying a description of an operation function of the own apparatus,
First holding means for holding document data of an operation manual of the own device;
Second holding means for holding a table in which a plurality of items included in the operation manual and pages in the operation manual corresponding to each item are associated;
Display means for displaying a list of each item included in the operation manual on the display screen;
Instruction means for instructing printing by selecting any item from the list displayed on the display screen;
A setting means for specifying a page in the operation manual corresponding to the selected item using the table, and setting the specified page as a print range;
An image processing apparatus comprising: a printing unit configured to print a page of the operation manual corresponding to a printing range set by the setting unit.   The second holding means is divided into categories for each of a plurality of operation functions provided in the image processing apparatus, and associates a plurality of items for each category with pages in the operation manual corresponding to each item. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a table.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays document data of the operation manual on the display screen.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first holding unit holds document data of the operation manual as a PDF file. It further comprises mode setting means for setting an arbitrary print mode from among a plurality of print modes,
5. The image processing according to claim 1, wherein when there is the print instruction, the printing unit prints the page based on the set print mode. 6. apparatus. In the table held by the second holding means, the identification number for specifying the description of the operation function of the device itself displayed on the display screen and the operation describing the operation function are described. Are associated with pages in the manual,
The instructing unit instructs printing of a page of the part of the operation manual related to the operation function being displayed on the display screen on which the description of the operation function is displayed,
The setting means specifies the page in the operation manual corresponding to the identification number for specifying the description of the operation function being displayed on the display screen by using the table, and specifies the specified page. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus is set as a print range. A display screen capable of displaying a description of the operation function of the own device, first holding means for holding document data of the operation manual of the own device, a plurality of items included in the operation manual, and the operation corresponding to each item An image processing method of an image processing apparatus comprising: a second holding unit that holds a table in which pages in a manual are associated with each other.
A display step of displaying a list of each item included in the operation manual on the display screen;
An instruction step for instructing printing by selecting an arbitrary item from the list displayed on the display screen;
Specifying a page in the operation manual corresponding to the selected item using the table, and setting the specified page as a print range;
And a printing step of printing a page of the operation manual corresponding to the printing range set by the setting step. A display screen capable of displaying a description of the operation function of the own device, first holding means for holding document data of the operation manual of the own device, a plurality of items included in the operation manual, and the operation corresponding to each item An image processing apparatus comprising: a second holding unit that holds a table in which pages in a manual are associated with each other.
A display procedure for displaying a list of each item included in the operation manual on the display screen;
An instruction procedure for selecting any item from the list displayed on the display screen and instructing printing;
A setting procedure for specifying a page in the operation manual corresponding to the selected item using the table, and setting the specified page as a print range;
A printing procedure for printing a page of the operation manual corresponding to the printing range set in the setting step.

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