Image forming apparatus and screen transition control method

Abstract

An image forming apparatus that performs a plurality of functions includes: a display which displays a menu screen or a function instruction screen, the menu screen being used for selecting one of the plurality of functions, and the function instruction screen corresponding to each of the functions and being used for executing the corresponding function; an operating section which accepts an operation relating the selected function from a user; a detecting section which detects that an operation relating to the selected function has not been performed for a predetermined amount of time; and a controller which controls a screen transition to change the screen of the display to an initial screen of the function instruction screen corresponding to the selected function, when the detecting section detects that the operation has not been performed for the predetermined amount of time.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An image forming apparatus that performs a plurality of functions, the image forming apparatus comprising:
 a display which displays a menu screen being used for selecting one of the plurality of functions, and which displays, upon a user's selection, a function instruction screen corresponding to a selected function;   an operating section which accepts, from the user, an operation relating to the selected function through the function instruction screen;   a detecting section which detects that an operation relating to a lastly selected function has not been performed for a predetermined amount of time; and   a controller which controls to change a screen of the display to an initial screen of the function instruction screen corresponding to the lastly selected function, when the detecting section detects that the operation has not been performed for the predetermined amount of time.   
     
     
       2. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined amount of time used in the detecting section is an amount of time for waiting to transit an operation mode of the image forming apparatus to an automatic reset mode in which a power saving control is not performed. 
     
     
       3. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller executes a process in a job memory in addition to the screen transition control, the process in the job memory preliminarily being set for the function corresponding to the changed screen. 
     
     
       4. An image forming apparatus that performs a plurality of processing functions, the image forming apparatus comprising:
 a display which displays a menu screen being used for selecting one of the plurality of functions, and which displays, upon a user's selection, a function instruction screen corresponding to a selected function; 
 an operating section which accepts, from the user, an operation relating to the selected function through the function instruction screen; 
 a detecting section which detects that an operation relating to a lastly selected function has not been performed for a predetermined amount of time; 
 a switching section which switches between a setting that the screen of the display is changed to the menu screen when the detecting section detects that the operation has not been performed for the predetermined amount of time and a setting that the screen of the display is changed to an initial screen of the function instruction screen corresponding to the lastly selected function when the detecting section detects that the operation has not been performed for the predetermined amount of time; and 
 a controller which controls a screen transition based on any of the settings to which the switching section switches. 
 
     
     
       5. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the predetermined amount of time used in the detecting section is an amount of time for waiting to transit an operation mode of the image forming apparatus to an automatic reset mode in which a power saving control is not performed. 
 
     
     
       6. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the switching section further determines the screen to be displayed when the image forming apparatus is powered on or when an operation mode of the image forming apparatus returns from a power-saving mode to a normal mode, and
 the controller controls the screen transition based on the switching made by the switching section when the detecting section detects that the operation has not been performed for the predetermined amount of time, and when the image forming apparatus is powered on or when the operation mode returns from the power-saving mode to the normal mode. 
 
     
     
       7. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the screen to be displayed when the operation mode returns from the power-saving mode to the normal mode is the menu screen or the initial screen of the function instruction screen corresponding to the function being selected immediately before a transition of the operation mode to the power-saving mode. 
     
     
       8. A screen transition control method used in an image forming apparatus that performs a plurality of functions, the screen transition control method comprising:
 displaying a menu screen on a display;   selecting one of the plurality of functions from the menu screen;   displaying a function instruction screen corresponding to the selected function;   accepting an operation relating to the selected function through the function instruction screen;   detecting that an operation relating to a lastly selected function has not been performed for a predetermined amount of time; and   controlling to change a screen of the display to an initial screen of the function instruction screen corresponding to the lastly selected function when detecting that the operation has not been performed for the predetermined amount of time.   
     
     
       9. An image forming apparatus that performs a plurality of functions, the image forming apparatus comprising:
 a display that displays a function instruction screen used for executing the functions;   a receiving unit that receives, from outside the image forming apparatus, a selection of the initial screen or the menu screen to be displayed on the display when a state of the image forming apparatus transitions from a power-saving mode to a return-mode;   a storage unit that stores information indicating the initial screen or the menu screen; and   a transition unit that allows a state of the display to transition to a state displaying the screen indicated by the information stored in the storage unit when the state of the image forming apparatus transitions from the power-saving mode to the return-mode, wherein the screen indicated by the information stored in the storage unit is (1) an initial screen corresponding to a given function instruction screen displayed on the display when the state of the image forming apparatus transitions to the power-saving mode or (2) a menu screen to select one of the functions.   
     
     
       10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the receiving unit receives the selection indicating that the screen indicated by the information stored in the storage unit is set as an initial screen of one of the functions. 
     
     
       11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the receiving unit receives the selection indicating that the screen indicated by the information stored in the storage unit is set as a menu screen to select one of the functions or an initial screen of one of the functions. 
     
     
       12. An image forming apparatus that performs a plurality of functions, the image forming apparatus comprising:
 a display that displays a function instruction screen used for executing the functions;   a receiving unit that receives, from outside the image forming apparatus, a selection of a menu screen to select one of the functions to be displayed on the display when a state of the image forming apparatus transitions from a power-saving mode to a return-mode;   a storage unit that stores information indicating the menu screen; and   a transition unit that allows a state of the display to transition to a state displaying the screen indicated by the information stored in the storage unit when the state of the image forming apparatus transitions from the power-saving mode to the return-mode, wherein the screen indicated by the information stored in the storage unit is the menu screen.