Electrophotography – Machine operation – Operator interface
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-16
2001-10-23
Lee, Susan S. Y. (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Machine operation
Operator interface
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308023
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus capable of performing imaging in a plurality of modes.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
There have been high-functional and high-performance copiers developed in response to the market's demands, while there may occur the problem of such a machine being difficult for those who rarely use it to understand how to use because of the machine complexity.
There have been proposed a variety of multi-functional machines which, in addition to copy mode, have a multiple number of operation modes such as facsimile mode, printer mode, scanner mode, etc., and which allow the user to select a desired mode from the multiple modes and run the machine in the selected imaging mode. Machines of this kind should be provided as easy handling ones but they are generally hard to handle because of their high performances.
Under such circumstances, some recently commercialized copiers use a large display device in the control panel so as to provide careful and close guidance in the procedural job orders using pictorial representations with messages.
Such a configuration is able to provide understandable guidance for the user by displaying information with pictures and messages relating to the machine in the large display so as to allow the user to handle the machine without any concern. However, when a large display portion is used to provide many pieces of guidance information, the tonal representation has a limit because the display screen is monochrome, hence there is a limit to providing readily understandable guidance display of all the modes and functions.
A technology has been disclosed by the applicant hereof in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Hei 11 No.15400 wherein a largish LCD panel is provided on a control panel so that the external outline of the main apparatus with peripheral devices is displayed in the approximately center thereof with the machine related information displayed around the outline and once the machine has changed in its mode, image information with messages to be given to the user will be displayed in a successively transitional manner so as to provide guidance.
However, the more understandable the guidance display, the more detailed information needs to be prepared. Hence, the display image information becomes bulky though the machine as a product has high enough operativity. Since the levels of users may be unequal, there is a fear that some users may keep the machine itself at a distance because the information given by the monochrome display is still not enough to understand how to use.
Disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Hei 10 No.105001 is a copier having a multi-job mode which is provided with a color display device. However, this apparatus has a reservation copy function and provides only the guidance display of the contents of the reservation copy mode on the color display device by using a different color for each reservation copy mode and will not handle bulk display image information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to solve the above problem it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an imaging apparatus which is capable of providing guidance information of the operations readily understandable to the user by using a color display device as an information display means.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows:
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, an imaging apparatus for imaging in a multiple number of different functional modes, includes: a display portion having an information display portion for displaying information as to imaging in each functional mode; an imaging portion for imaging based on the information displayed in the information display portion; and a display control portion for controlling the information display portion so that the information as to imaging in each functional mode will be displayed with a hue different from that in other functional modes while the display is depicted with a color which is modified as to, at least, brightness or chroma with respect to the hue.
In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, an imaging apparatus is characterized in that the information display portion displays the information as to the imaging conditions in each functional mode so that they can be selected and the contents of the selected conditions can be confirmed.
In accordance with the third aspect of the present invention, an imaging apparatus is characterized in that when the apparatus is in a state where imaging can be effected in multiple different functional modes, the display control portion controls the information display portion so as to provide, at least, display guidances being a part of the information as to each of the multiple different functional modes with the associated color.
An imaging apparatus according to the fourth or fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the information display portion for each functional mode, at least, includes a basic information display group for displaying basic information for imaging and a special information display group for displaying special information, and the display control portion controls the information display portion so that the basic information display group is depicted with an intense color while the special information display group is depicted with a non-intense color.
An imaging apparatus according to the sixth or seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the information display portion for each functional mode is, at least, composed of a basic information display group for displaying basic information for imaging and a special information display group for displaying special information in a background color, and the display control portion controls the information display portion so that the basic information display group is depicted with a color having a large color difference from the background color while the special information display group is depicted with a color having a small color difference from the background color.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5046931 (1991-09-01), Knodt
patent: 5061958 (1991-10-01), Bunker et al.
patent: 5218406 (1993-06-01), Ebner
patent: 5880727 (1999-03-01), Barrett et al.
patent: 5907319 (1999-05-01), Hashimoto et al.
patent: 5950045 (1999-09-01), Nomura et al.
patent: 10-105001 (1998-04-01), None
Fukuda Kouki
Nomura Tatsuo
Conlin David G.
Dike Bronstein Roberts & Cushman IP Group
Lee Susan S. Y.
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
Tucker David A.
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