ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Abstract

An electronic device includes an entry unit, a registering function accepting unit, and a function registering unit. The entry unit includes software keys registered with functions of the electronic device. The registering function accepting unit accepts a function selection instruction from a user. The function registering unit registers a function with the software keys. The software keys include an unregistered software key in which a function is not registered. The function registering unit registers the function accepted by the registering function accepting unit with the unregistered software key.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a digital Multi Function Peripheral (MFP) according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a configuration of a display unit and a portion of an operation unit.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process operation carried out when setting a software key.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a setting process operation of a software key on a copy standby screen.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process operation carried out when registering a function and changing a registered function with respect to a software key on the copy standby screen.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process operation carried out when deleting a software key on the copy standby screen.

FIG. 7A illustrates an example of a configuration of the copy standby screen, and FIG. 7B illustrates an example of a configuration of a copy menu screen.

FIG. 8A illustrates an example of a configuration of a device setting screen, FIG. 8B illustrates an example of a configuration of a device management screen, FIG. 8C illustrates an example of a configuration of a standby screen selection screen, and FIG. 8D illustrates an example of a configuration of a setting content selection screen.

FIG. 9A illustrates an example of a configuration of a key selection screen, and FIG. 9B illustrates an example of a configuration of a registering function selection screen.

FIG. 10A and FIG. 103 respectively illustrate an example of a configuration of a copy standby screen and a copy menu screen when a new software key registered with a desired function of a user is generated.

FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B respectively illustrate an example of a configuration of a copy standby screen and a copy menu screen when a changing process of a registered function is executed.

FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B respectively illustrate an example of a configuration of a copy standby screen and a copy menu screen when a deletion process of a software key is executed.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process operation carried out when registering a function and changing a registered function with respect to a software key on the copy standby screen.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a configuration of a display unit and a portion of an operation unit.

FIG. 15 illustrates a first example of a function for generating a new software key.

FIG. 16 illustrates a second example of a function for generating a new software key.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising: an entry unit including software keys, wherein the software keys are registered with functions of the electronic device and include an unregistered software key in which a function is not registered;a registering function accepting unit that accepts a function selection instruction from a user; anda function registering unit that registers a function with the software keys and registers the function accepted by the registering function accepting unit with the unregistered software key.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a software key generating unit that generates a new software key as an unregistered software key when function registering unit registers the function with the existing unregistered software key.

3. The electronic device according to claim 17 further comprising a function display control unit that controls to display a function registered with each of the software keys and to not display a function on the unregistered software key.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the unregistered software key is arranged at an end of an arrangement of the software keys.

5. The electronic device according to claim 11 wherein the entry unit includes a function registration execution instruction entry key for entering an instruction to register a function with the unregistered software key, and when the user operates the function registration execution instruction entry key, the function registering unit registers a function with the unregistered software key.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the function registration execution instruction entry key is the unregistered software key.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: a function list display control unit that selectably displays a list of functions of the electronic device that are not registered with the software keys;a function selection accepting unit that accepts a selection of one function from the list of the selectably displayed functions;a function activating unit that activates the function accepted by the function selection accepting unit; anda display item deleting unit that deletes a registered function from the list of the functions when the function registering unit registers the function with the unregistered software key.

8. An electronic device comprising: an entry unit including software keys registered with functions of the electronic device;a software key generating unit that generates a new software key;a registering function accepting unit that accepts a function selection instruction from a user; anda function registering unit that registers a function with respect to the software keys, wherein when the software key generating unit generates the new software key, the function registering unit registers the function accepted by the registering function accepting unit with the new software key.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the entry unit includes a software key generation instruction entry key for entering an instruction to generate the new software key, and when the user operates the software key generation instruction entry key, the software key generating unit generates the new software key.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the software key generation instruction entry key is a software key

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, further comprising a function display control unit that controls to display a function registered with each of the software keys, and to not display a function with respect to the software key generation instruction entry key.

12. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the software key generation instruction entry key is arranged at an end of an arrangement of the software keys.

13. The electronic device according to claim 8, further comprising: a function list display control unit that selectably displays a list of functions of the electronic device that are not registered with the software keys;a function selection accepting unit that accepts a selection of one function from the list of the selectably displayed functions;a function activating unit that activates the function accepted by the function selection accepting unit; anda display item deleting unit that deletes a registered function from the list of the functions when the function registering unit registers the function with the new software key.

14. A control method of an electronic device, comprising: accepting a function selection instruction from a user; andregistering a function accepted at the accepting step with an unregistered software key in which a function is not registered.

15. The control method of the electronic device according to claim 14, further comprising: when the function is registered with the existing unregistered software key at the registering step, generating a new software key as an unregistered software key.

16. The control method of the electronic device according to claim 14, further comprising: controlling to not display a function with respect to the unregistered software key and to display a function registered in a software key for software keys other than the unregistered software key.

17. The control method of the electronic device according to claim 14, further comprising: entering a function registration execution instruction by the user,wherein when the user enters the function registration execution instruction at the entering step, the registering step is executed.

18. The control method of the electronic device according to claim 14, further comprising: selectably displaying a list of functions of the electronic device that are not registered with the software keys;accepting a selection of one function from the list of the selectably displayed functions;activating the function accepted at the accepting step; andwhen the function is registered with the unregistered software key at the registering step, deleting the registered function from the list of the functions.

19. A control method of an electronic device, comprising: generating a new software key;accepting a function selection instruction from a user;registering a function with respect to software keys; wherein when the new software key is generated at the generating step, registering the function accepted at the accepting step with the new software key.

20. The control method of the electronic device according to claim 19, further comprising entering a software key generation instruction of the user, wherein when the user enters the software key generation instruction at the entering step, the generating step is executed.

21. The control method of the electronic device according to claim 20, further comprising controlling to not display a function with respect to a software key generation instruction entry key arranged to enter the software key generation instruction, and to display a function registered with a software key for each of the software keys other than the software key generation instruction entry key.

22. The control method of the electronic device according to claim 19, further comprising: selectably displaying a list of functions of the electronic device that are not registered with the software keys;accepting a selection of one function from the list of the selectably displayed functions;activating the function accepted at the accepting step; andwhen the function is registered with the new software key at the registering step, deleting the registered function from the list of the functions.