Electrophotography – Machine operation – Operator interface
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-17
2003-08-05
Ngo, Hoang (Department: 2852)
Electrophotography
Machine operation
Operator interface
C219S216000, C399S033000, C399S044000, C399S094000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06603937
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, having a display portion for displaying the working condition thereof, and more specifically, to an image forming apparatus in which the display portion visually changes in response to the change of the working condition of the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
For various kinds of image forming apparatuses, various technical proposals have previously been made with an object of enhancing the operation efficiency of the apparatus and improving the operability and the viewability of the display panel that forms the heart of the man-machine interface with the user.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 11-275290 (1999) proposes an apparatus in which no error indicating means is required because an error indication for notifying the user of an occurrence of an error such as an image reading error is provided by changing the color of the light emitted by a reading light source of image reading means.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 6-110033 (1994) discloses a technology with an object of improving the display brightness and resolution of the liquid crystal display by successively emitting lights of the three primary colors of a back light source and realizing multicolor display with one pixel.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-323905 (1993) discloses a technology associated with a color conversion processing in which by providing a color converter that generates an I signal (white pixel signal) from an RGB signal, the characteristic of display means including an I pixel can be used with the conventional CRT signal as it is.
Many of the display panels of conventional image forming apparatuses are of formats displaying mainly characters such as characters necessary for the user to operate the apparatus and characters representative of the operation status of the apparatus. Such display panels displaying characters frequently use color liquid crystal because it is necessary to read the displayed characters.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-131727 (1993) makes a proposal with an object of, in a printer having the function of displaying the printing contents relating to a display device, improving the operability and the maintainability by providing color display without the use of an additional storage device and enabling not only the printing contents but also an error indication, a warning indication, a maintenance indication and the like to be displayed on the display device by changing the hue.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-313455 (1993) describes a display device in which color filters capable of being freely inserted into and taken out of a gap between the liquid crystal display panel and the back light are provided as abnormality notifying means for notifying the user of an occurrence of an abnormality of the apparatus, and by superimposing on one another a plurality of such color filters having different hues, indications providing a warning and attracting the user's attention can be displayed on the same screen by an operation of the color filters.
However, in the cases of JP-A 5-131727 and JP-A 5-313455, merely the process or the condition of the copier (for example, the copier is on standby or printing, or a trouble occurs) is displayed in color, and the user cannot obtain detailed information necessary for the user such that in each process, what working condition the apparatus is in and which functions are usable at present.
Particularly, networked copiers that have been increasing in recent years have a problem (inferiority in usability) such that although the apparatus is operating, since the user is uncertain when to apply an interrupt, to use a desired function, the user must wait until the apparatus stops.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of displaying information that the user wants to obtain in a visually easy-to-recognize manner.
The invention provides an image forming apparatus comprising:
a display portion for displaying a condition of the apparatus; and
a display condition control portion for changing, when the condition changes, a display condition of the display portion to a visually easy-to-recognize condition.
According to the invention, in response to the change of the condition (the change of the working condition and operation condition) of the apparatus (image forming apparatus), the display condition of the display portion, for example, the liquid crystal display condition, is changed to a visually easy-to-recognize condition (the hue, the color density, and the like are changed), so that the change of the working condition of the apparatus can be intuitively grasped easier than in the case where characters are displayed. Moreover, the structure of the display portion is simplified, which eliminates the need to secure a wider area in the display portion, thereby making the apparatus compact.
It is preferable that the invention is constructed as a complex image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus comprising at least any one of:
original reading means for reading image information from an original;
image receiving means for receiving image information from a terminal connected to a network; and
line image receiving means for receiving image information from a telephone line; and
further comprising
image forming means for printing the image information obtained from the respective means.
According to the invention, in a complex image forming apparatus connected to a network, particularly, interrupt and waiting timings can be grasped properly. This helps suppress occurrence of idle times, so that the usability improves.
In the invention, it is preferable that a visual change of the display condition corresponds to a change of back light emitted from a back light element provided in the display portion.
According to the invention, the change of the apparatus condition is indicated by the change of the back light in the liquid crystal display of the display portion. This eliminates the need for a complicated control circuit, so that the structure of the display portion is simplified, thereby achieving cost reduction.
In the invention, it is preferable that the back light element of the display portion for emitting back light is realized by a plurality of single color light emitting diodes of specific colors in combination or a color light emitting diode for emitting light of a plurality of colors, so that the display portion is capable of multiple color displays.
According to the invention, by realizing the back light element by using a plurality of single color LEDs of specific colors in combination or using a color LED, the display portion is capable of representing multiple colors. This eliminates the need for working on a new development, so that the manufacture is simplified, thereby achieving cost reduction.
In the invention, it is preferable that the back light element of the display portion for emitting back light is realized by a plurality of single color electroluminescent elements of specific colors in combination or a color electroluminescent element for emitting light of a plurality of colors, so that the display portion is capable of multiple color displays.
According to the invention, by realizing the back light element by using a plurality of single color EL elements of specific colors in combination or using a color EL element, the display portion is capable of representing multiple colors. This eliminates the need for working on a new development, so that the manufacture is simplified, thereby achieving cost reduction.
In the invention, it is preferable that characters to be displayed on the display portion are varied in accordance with information obtained by the change of the condition.
According to the invention, by using already-existing LEDs or EL elements, the disp
Arai Mariko
Eto Hiroki
Eto Kouichi
Ide Takashi
Kawakami Masaaki
Conlin David C.
Hartnell, III George W.
Ngo Hoang
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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