JP2016119511A - Image forming apparatus and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

A means for reducing a burden on a user when performing a setting operation is provided. An image forming system 5 is configured such that at least two printers 1 and 2 and a server 3 are communicably connected to each other by a predetermined protocol via a communication line 4 such as a LAN. A display unit that displays a setting screen that accepts a setting information input operation, an image information acquisition unit that acquires an image of the setting screen displayed on the display unit as setting screen information, and the input setting information and setting screen information are associated with each other And a storage unit for storing. The storage unit stores a setting operation procedure manual file including setting screen information in association with the setting information. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming system that accept a setting information setting operation.

  When accepting a setting information setting operation by a user, a conventional image forming apparatus displays already set setting information and screen image information on the display unit, and accepts an operation for changing or editing the setting information. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-41382 A

However, in the prior art, when performing setting operations such as initial setting, changing, and editing of setting information, it may be necessary to refer to a procedure manual that describes setting information and a setting procedure. There is a problem that the user needs to prepare a manual for reference when performing the setting operation.
An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to reduce a burden on a user when performing a setting operation.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a display unit that displays a setting screen that accepts an input operation of setting information, an image information acquisition unit that acquires an image of the setting screen displayed on the display unit as setting screen information, and the input setting A storage unit that stores the information and the setting screen information in association with each other.

  The present invention thus configured can reduce the burden on the user when performing the setting operation.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment. Block diagram showing the configuration of the printer in the embodiment The block diagram which shows the structure of the control program in an Example The block diagram which shows the structure of the memory | storage device in an Example Explanatory drawing of the template in the example Illustration of the setup screen in the example Explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the screen information table in an Example. Explanatory drawing of the screen information table after setup in the embodiment Explanatory drawing of the screen information table after the screenshot storage in an Example Explanatory drawing of the screen information table after the electronic file storage in an Example Explanatory drawing of the setup screen when an electronic file exists in the embodiment Explanatory drawing of the screen notifying the location of the electronic file in the embodiment The flowchart which shows the flow of the setup process in an Example The flowchart which shows the flow of the setup screen display process in an Example

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an image forming apparatus and an image forming system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming system in the embodiment.
In FIG. 1, an image forming system 5 includes at least two printers 1 and 2 serving as image forming apparatuses and a server 3 serving as an information processing apparatus having a predetermined communication protocol (for example, TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet). Protocol)) is connected to be communicable via a communication line 4 such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

  The server 3 is a web server or the like provided with a storage unit 3a. The server 3 distributes information such as web pages stored in the storage unit 3a in response to requests from the printers 1 and 2. In this embodiment, since the printer 1 and the printer 2 have the same configuration, the configuration of the printer 1 will be described below.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the printer in the embodiment.
In FIG. 2, a printer 1 performs printing on a recording medium in accordance with setting information set by a user operation. The printer 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 11, a network interface 12, a control program 13, an input / output unit 14, a storage device 15, and an image processing unit 16. As with the server 3 shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 has a web server function, and can deliver information such as web pages stored in the storage device 15 or the like in response to a request from another device. Yes.

The control unit 10 includes control means such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and performs various arithmetic processes and control processes for controlling each unit connected to the system bus, thereby controlling the operation of the entire printer 1.
The storage unit 11 is set by a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like for storing temporary data generated by calculation or control processing of the control unit 10 or data temporarily expanded by printing, and user operations. Storage means such as a non-volatile memory for storing the set information.

The network interface 12 performs control for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external device via the communication line 3 shown in FIG.
The control program 13 is a program (software) for controlling the operation of the entire printer 1 and is stored in a storage means such as a ROM (Read Only Memory). The control program 13 is executed by the control unit 10.

  The input / output unit 14 includes a display unit such as a display that displays a setting screen (setup screen) that accepts an input operation for setting information, and an operation input unit such as an operation key or a touch panel for performing the setting information input operation. It is a thing. The input / output unit 14 is an operation panel that displays, for example, a setup screen shown in FIG. 6 and accepts an input operation for setting information.

The storage device 15 as a storage unit is a storage means for storing a platform that is basic software for executing the control program 13, data that is permanently or temporarily developed by the control program 13, and the like, for example, a hard disk Drive (HDD).
The image processing unit 16 prints print data generated by executing the control program 13 on a recording medium.

  In the present embodiment, the setting information refers to information including a setting item and a setting value corresponding to the setting item. For example, the setting information includes items such as language to be used, time, IP address as a network setting (communication setting), facsimile number, telephone book, password as security information, and accounting information (hereinafter referred to as “setting item”). It is information in which a value (hereinafter referred to as “set value”) that defines an operation is associated with each other. Setting the setting information in the printer 1 is called “setup”.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control program in the embodiment.
In FIG. 3, the control program 13 includes an information acquisition unit 130, an information analysis unit 131, a screen control unit 132, a screen information table 133, and a file creation unit 134.
The information acquisition unit 130 as an image information acquisition unit acquires an image of a screen (setting screen) displayed on the operation panel as a display unit of the input / output unit 14 shown in FIG. 2 as setting screen information.

  Here, the setting screen information refers to image data (screenshot image data) of a setting screen on which at least setting items and setting values are displayed. The acquisition of the setting screen information means that a part or all of the screen displayed as an output result on the operation panel is saved as an image in BMP (Bitmap) format or PNG (Portable Network Graphic) format as a file. This is generally called a screen shot. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the entire area of the screen displayed on the operation panel is saved as a PNG format image file (for example, Image1.png).

The information analysis unit 131 analyzes the setting information input on the operation panel, associates the screen information acquired by the information acquisition unit 130 with the setting information input on the operation panel, and stores the information in the screen information table 133. is there.
The screen control unit 132 performs control to display a screen on the operation panel of the input / output unit 14 shown in FIG.

The screen information table 133 associates and manages the screen information acquired by the information acquisition unit 130 and the input setting information. This screen information table 133 is stored in the storage unit 11 shown in FIG.
The file creation unit 134 creates, as electronic data, a manual (procedure manual) file that describes the setting information and setting screen information for setting the setting information in order to facilitate the operation of the user who sets the setting information. To do. In the present embodiment, the file creation unit 134 will be described as creating a manual file in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) format.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the storage device in the embodiment.
In FIG. 4, the storage device 15 includes a template 150, a file storage unit 151, and a temporary file storage unit 152.
The template 150 is electronic data (template file) that is the basis (model) of a manual file as a procedure manual file for setting operations. The template 150 includes the setting screen information acquired by the information acquisition unit 130 and the input / output unit 14 illustrated in FIG. This is the basic information for describing the input setting information and creating a manual file. Thus, the storage device 15 stores in advance the template file 150 that is the basis of the manual file. The manual file is generated by describing setting information and setting screen information in the template file 150.

The file storage unit 151 is an area for storing the created manual file. The manual file is stored in the file storage unit 151 as an electronic file that can be viewed from an external device such as a portable information terminal.
The temporary file storage unit 152 is an area for storing a manual file temporarily created in the process of creating a manual file.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a setup screen in the embodiment.
In FIG. 6, a setup screen displayed on the operation panel of the input / output unit 14 includes a setting information input area 140 for inputting setting information including setting items and setting values, and an input key 143 for receiving a user's input operation. And an OK button 141 for storing and registering the setting information input by the user's input operation in the storage unit 11 and an image information acquisition button 142 for acquiring the image information of the setting screen associated with the setting information. Yes.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the screen information table in the embodiment.
In FIG. 7, the screen information table 133 is configured by a PAGE 1330, an ITEM 1331, a VALUE 1332, an IMAGEGENE 1333, and a FILENAME 1334. The screen information table 133 stores ITEM 1331, VALUE 1332, IMAGEGENE 1333, and FILENAME 1334 corresponding to the PAGE 1330.

PAGE 1330 is information for identifying a setting screen. The PAGE 1330 is assigned setting screen identification information such as “1” and “2” for each setting screen such as “network setting” and “facsimile setting”.
ITEM 1331 is a setting item constituting setting information.
VALUE 1332 is a setting value constituting the setting information. In this embodiment, the setting information is composed of setting items and setting values corresponding to the setting items.
IMAGEGENE 1333 is an image file name of the setting screen.
FILENAME 1334 is the file name of the manual file.

  For example, the screen information table 133 shown in FIG. 7 has three setting items (ITEM1331 = ITEM1, ITEM2, ITEM3) in one setting screen (PAGE1330 = 1), and setting values (VALUE1332 = VALUE1, VALUE2, VALUE3) are set, the image file name of the setting screen is “IMAGE1”, and the file name of the manual file of the setting screen is “FILE1”.

The operation of the above configuration will be described.
A setup process performed by the printer will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 according to a step represented by S in the flowchart showing the flow of the setup process in the embodiment of FIG.
When the printer 1 receives an operation for selecting a setup menu on the operation panel of the input / output unit 14 by a user input operation, the printer 1 starts this processing.

S1: When the input / output unit 14 receives an operation for selecting a setup menu, the control unit 10 of the printer 1 executes the control program 13, and the screen control unit 132 displays the setup screen (setting screen) shown in FIG. 14 on the operation panel.
At this time, if the manual file corresponding to the setup screen displayed on the operation panel of the input / output unit 14 has already been registered in the screen information table 133, the control unit 10 inputs to display the manual file on the setup screen. A manual button (manual button 144 shown in FIG. 11) as a means is displayed. The process of displaying the manual button on the setup screen will be described later.

S2: The control unit 10 waits until the input operation of the setting information by the user is completed on the setup screen displayed on the operation panel of the input / output unit 14 and the user's input operation of the OK button 141 shown in FIG. 6 is accepted.
For example, in the setting information input area 140 of the setup screen illustrated in FIG. 6, the control unit 10 sets “aaaa” as the setting value for the setting item “setting 1”, “bbbbb” as the setting value for the setting item “setting 2”, and the setting item “ An operation for inputting “ccccc” as a setting value is accepted in “setting 3”, and thereafter an input operation of the OK button 141 for storing the inputted setting information in the storage unit 11 is accepted.
When the control unit 10 accepts the user's input operation of the OK button 141 shown in FIG. 6, the process proceeds to S3.

S3: The control unit 10 acquires the input setting information and temporarily stores it in the RAM of the storage unit 11 as temporary data.
S4: The control unit 10 that temporarily holds the setting information in the RAM of the storage unit 11 stores the setting information in the screen information table 133 of the setup screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the setting item is stored in the ITEM 1331 corresponding to PAGE 1330a = 1 of the screen information table 133, and the setting value corresponding to the setting item is stored in VALUE 1332. The screen information table 133 stores each piece of information as binary data. In FIG. 8, the stored information is represented by a character string for convenience.

  S5: When the control unit 10 stores the setting information in the screen information table 133, the control unit 10 displays a screen informing that the setup is completed on the operation panel of the input / output unit 14. On the screen that informs you that the setup is complete, click the YES button and NO button to select whether to return to the normal standby screen from the setup screen without recording the setup screen or to record the setup screen without recording the setup screen. For example, a pop-up screen.

  When the control unit 10 accepts the selection of the YES button for completing the setup without recording the setup screen, the control unit 10 returns the screen displayed on the operation panel of the input / output unit 14 from the setup screen to the normal standby screen and performs this process. When the process ends and the selection of the NO button for recording the setup screen is accepted, the process proceeds to S6.

  S6: The control unit 10 that has received the selection operation for recording the setup screen acquires the image information acquisition button shown in FIG. 6 which is an operation button for acquiring the setup screen currently displayed by the user's operation as setting screen information. Wait for 142 to be selected. When the control unit 10 detects that the operation button for acquiring the setting screen information is selected, the control unit 10 proceeds to S7.

  S7: The control unit 10 that has detected that the operation button for acquiring the setting screen information is selected is displayed on the setup screen displayed on the operation panel of the input / output unit 14 by the information acquisition unit 130 of the control program 13. Acquire an image as setting screen information. The control unit 10 stores the acquired setting screen information in the temporary file storage unit 152 of the storage device 15 as a PNG format image file “Image1.png”.

S8: The control unit 10 having stored the setting screen information stores the setup screen in the screen information table 133 in order to store the setting information and the setting screen information in the screen information table 133 in association with each other by the information analysis unit 131 of the control program 13. It is determined whether or not setting screen information that is image information of the setup screen stored in association with the setting information is already registered, that is, whether or not there is existing setting screen information. For example, if the image file name is already stored in IMAGEGENE 1333 corresponding to PAGE 1330 = “1” in the screen information table 133 shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 10 determines that the setting screen information is already registered.
If the control unit 10 determines that the setting screen information has already been registered, the control unit 10 proceeds to S10 to update the setting screen information. If the control unit 10 determines that the setting screen information has not been registered, the control unit 10 newly registers the setting screen information. Therefore, the process proceeds to S9.

  S9: The controller 10 that has determined that the setting screen information is not registered stores the setting screen information in the screen information table 133 in association with the setting information, and the process proceeds to S11. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the control unit 10 stores the image file name (Image1.png) of the setting screen in association with the setting information of the setup screen (PAGE 1330a = 1) in the IMAGEGENE 1333a of the screen information table 133b.

  S10: On the other hand, the control unit 10 that has determined that the setting screen information is already registered updates the setting screen information stored in the screen information table 133 in association with the setting information, and the process proceeds to S11. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the control unit 10 deletes the image file name registered in association with the setting information on the setup screen (PAGE 1330a = 1), and the image file name (Image1.png) on the setting screen. ) Is stored in the IMAGEGENE 1333a of the screen information table 133b and updated.

When storing the setting screen information in the screen information table 133 in S9 and S10, the control unit 10 moves and registers the image file of the setting screen from the temporary file storage unit 152 to the file storage unit 151. Note that the path information of the image file of the setting screen registered in the file storage unit 151 is, for example, “HDD \ SETUP \ IMAGE1.PNG”.
As described above, when the control unit 10 performs the processing from S1 to S10, the screen information table 133 is displayed in the ITEM 1331a as the setting item corresponding to the setup screen (PAGE 1330a = 1) as shown in FIG. The image file name is registered in VALUE 1332a as a setting value corresponding to the setting item and IMAGEGENE 1333a as image information on the setting screen of the operation panel corresponding to the setting item.

S11: The control unit 10 copies the template 150 (see FIG. 5) of the storage device 15 to the temporary file storage unit 152 by the file creation unit 134 of the control program 13, and edits the template 150 in the temporary file storage unit 152. Generate a manual file.
For example, the control unit 10 embeds “setup”, which is the title character string of the setting screen shown in FIG. 6, in the header portion 151 of the template 150 shown in FIG. 5, and places the header portion 151 into “<HEAD> setup </ HEAD>”. Rewrite to

  Next, the control unit 10 acquires IMAGEGENE 1333a which is the image file name of the screen information table 133b shown in FIG. 9 generated in S9 or S10, and the character of the path information (for example, HDD ¥ SETUP) in the storage device 15 “HDD \ SETUP \ IMAGE1.PNG” is generated as a path character string of the image file from the combination of the columns, and is embedded in “<IMG SRC =“% s ”/>” of the image file portion 152 of the template 150, and the image file portion 152, “<IMG SRC =“ HDD \ SETUP \ IMAGE1. Rewrite to PNG "/>".

  Subsequently, the control unit 10 acquires ITEM 1331a as the setting item of the screen information table 133b illustrated in FIG. 9 generated in S9 or S10 and VALUE 1332a as the setting value as column information, and “<TD> setting 1 </ TD > <TD> aaaaaa </ TD> ”is generated and embedded in“ <TR>% s </ TR> ”of the information part 153 of the template 150, and% s of the information part 153 is set to“ <TD> setting ”. 1 </ TD> <TD> aaaaaa </ TD> ”.

Similarly, the control unit 10 rewrites the information unit 153 of the template 150 for the setting item “setting 2”, the setting value “bbbbb”, the setting item “setting 3”, and the setting value “ccccc”.
Since a sufficient number of “<TR>% s </ TR>” is prepared in the information portion 153 of the template 150 so as not to be insufficient, the control unit 10 does not need an unnecessary “<TR>”. % S </ TR>"is deleted.

  The control unit 10 stores the manual file generated by editing the template 150 in this way in the file storage unit 151, and sets the file name of the generated manual file in the setup screen (PAGE 1330a = 1) of the screen information table 133. Is stored in the FILENAME 1334 corresponding to the screen information table 133c shown in FIG.

  For example, the control unit 10 sets the file name of the generated manual file to “Setup_1.html”, and displays “Setup_1.html” in the FILENAME 1334a corresponding to the setup screen (PAGE1330a = 1) of the screen information table 133c as shown in FIG. "Is stored. Further, the control unit 10 sets the path information of the manual file stored in the file storage unit 151 to “HDD \ MANUAL \ Setup_1.html”.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the setup screen image on which the setting operation has been performed is stored so that it can be displayed as a manual file, so that when the user performs the same setting operation again or another user has performed. When the same setting operation as the setting operation is performed, the saved manual file can be referred to, and the burden of the user's setting operation can be reduced.

Next, referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the process of displaying the manual button performed by the printer in S <b> 1 of FIG. 13 is described according to the step represented by S in the flowchart showing the flow of the manual button display process in the embodiment of FIG. 14. explain.
When the operation for selecting the setup menu is accepted by the input / output unit 14 of the printer 1 in S1 of FIG. Is displayed on the operation panel of the input / output unit 14.

  S101: The control unit 10 determines whether or not the file name is registered in the FILENAME 1334 corresponding to the setup screen (for example, PAGE 1330a = 1) in the screen information table 133 and the manual file exists in the file storage unit 151. judge. When the control unit 10 determines that the file name is stored (registered) in the FILENAME 1334 of the screen information table 133 and the manual file exists in the file storage unit 151, the control unit 10 performs processing for displaying a manual button on the setup screen S102. If it is determined that the file name is not stored (registered) in FILENAME 1334 of the screen information table 133 or that the manual file does not exist in the file storage unit 151, a new manual button is not displayed on the setup screen. In order to create a manual file, this process is terminated, and the processes after S2 in FIG. 13 are performed.

  S102: When the control unit 10 determines that the file name is registered in FILENAME 1334 of the screen information table 133 and the manual file exists in the file storage unit 151, the file stored in FILENAME 1334 of the screen information table 133 Generate path string of manual file from name and path information.

  For example, when “Setup_1.html” is stored in FILENAME 1334a corresponding to the setup screen (PAGE 1330a = 1) in the screen information table 133 as a file name as shown in FIG. 10, the path character string of the manual file is “HDD” \ MANUAL \ Setup_1.html ".

  S103: The control unit 10 generates a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) character string from the path character string of the generated manual file. For example, the control unit 10 determines the URL from the information of “HDD \ MANUAL \ Setup_1.html” which is a path character string of the manual file and the IP address of the printer 1 (for example, “192.168.0.1”). A character string “HTTP://192.168.0.1/HDD\MANUAL\Setup_1.html” is generated as a character string.

  S104: When generating the URL character string, the control unit 10 displays a link button for displaying the URL character string on the setup screen, and ends this process. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 10 displays a manual button 144 as a link button on the setup screen 14a.

  In this embodiment, when the manual button 144 shown in FIG. 11 is pressed, the control unit 10 displays a URL notification screen 14b for notifying the location of the manual file shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the URL notification screen 14b is a URL character string 146 ("HTTP: /192.168.0.1/HDD \ MANUAL \ Setup_1.html") as a link indicating the location of the manual file. ) And an OK button 145 for closing the URL notification screen 14b.

  The user refers to the URL character string 146 (“HTTP://192.168.0.1/HDD\MANUAL\Setup_1.html”) displayed on the URL notification screen 14b, and an information terminal such as a personal computer or the like A URL character string is input in a portable information terminal such as a cellular phone, and a manual file including an image file of a setting screen (for example, a setup screen shown in FIG. 6) is displayed on a display unit of the portable information terminal or the like. Perform the setup operation.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the control unit 10 displays the setting screen on the operation panel of the input / output unit 14, the setting screen is associated with the setting information already input on the setting screen as the setting screen information. When a manual file including the image file (for example, the setup screen shown in FIG. 6) is stored in the storage unit 11, a link button as an input means for displaying the storage location of the manual file is displayed on the setting screen. Moreover, the control part 10 delivers the manual file stored in the memory | storage part 11 as a storage place to the portable information terminal according to the request | requirement from the portable information terminal as an external device.

  In this embodiment, the link to the manual file is displayed as a URL character string. However, a two-dimensional code or the like may be displayed in consideration of display area restrictions and user convenience. . In this case, the user reads the displayed two-dimensional code with a portable information terminal or the like to display a manual file.

  In this embodiment, the generated screen information table 133 and the image file and manual file of the setup screen are stored in the storage unit and storage device of the printer where the setting operation has been performed. However, communication with the printer is possible. You may make it store in the memory | storage part 3a (memory | storage device) of the server 3 shown in FIG. 1 connected.

  As described above, in this embodiment, a manual file including an image of a setup screen on which a user has performed a setting operation is generated and stored in the storage unit 11 so that it can be referred to by a portable information terminal or the like. When the setting operation performed with the other printer (for example, the printer 1) is performed with another printer (for example, the printer 2), it becomes unnecessary to refer to the manual attached to the printer or the setup instruction or the like again. It is possible to perform the setting operation while confirming the above, and to reduce the burden of the user's setting operation.

  In this embodiment, the manual file is displayed on the display unit of the portable information terminal or the like. However, the manual file may be displayed on the operation panel of the printer that performs the setting operation. For example, when the manual button 144 shown in FIG. 11 is pressed, the control unit 10 displays a manual file as a pop-up screen on a part of the operation panel.

  In this case, when the control unit 10 displays the setting screen on the operation panel of the input / output unit 14, the control unit 10 associates with the setting information already input on the setting screen, and the setting screen image file (for example, When a manual file including the setup screen shown in FIG. 6 is stored in the storage unit 11, a display button as an input means for displaying the manual file is displayed on the setting screen. When the display button is pressed and selected, the control unit 10 displays the manual file as a pop-up screen on a part of the operation panel.

  As described above, in this embodiment, a manual file including an image of a setup screen on which a setting operation has been performed is stored in the storage unit so that the user can perform the same setting operation again. When performing the same setting operations as those performed by other users, it is possible to refer to the saved manual file, which can reduce the burden of the user's setting operations. It is done.

  In addition, since manual files can be referenced on a portable information terminal, etc., when setting operations performed on one printer are performed on other printers, it is possible to refer to manuals attached to the printer, setup instructions, etc. This eliminates the need for the setting operation while confirming the screen at hand, thereby reducing the burden of the user's setting operation.

In addition, the latest manual file can always be referred to, and it is possible to obtain an effect that management of a procedure manual or the like explaining the setting operation becomes unnecessary.
In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus is described as a printer. However, the image forming apparatus is not limited thereto, and may be a copier, a facsimile machine, a scanner, a multifunction peripheral (MFP), or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 Printer 10 Control part 11 Memory 12 Network interface 13 Control program 14 Input / output part 15 Storage device 16 Image processing part 130 Information acquisition part 131 Information analysis part 132 Screen control part 133 Screen information table 134 File creation part 150 Template 151 file Storage unit 152 Temporary file storage unit

Claims (11)

A display for displaying a setting screen for accepting input of setting information;
An image information acquisition unit that acquires an image of the setting screen displayed on the display unit as setting screen information;
A storage unit that stores the input setting information and the setting screen information in association with each other;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
When the setting screen is displayed on the display unit, if the setting screen information is stored in the storage unit in association with the setting information already input on the setting screen, the setting screen information is stored in the setting screen. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that displays an input unit that displays a destination. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
The image forming apparatus, wherein the control unit distributes the setting screen information stored in the storage destination to the external apparatus in response to a request from the external apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The setting information includes a setting item and a setting value corresponding to the setting item,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the setting screen information is screen shot image data of a screen on which at least the setting item and the setting value are displayed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.
The image forming apparatus, wherein the setting item includes one of a language to be used, a time, and a communication setting. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The image forming apparatus, wherein the storage unit stores a setting operation procedure manual file including the setting screen information in association with the setting information. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6.
The storage unit stores a template file that is a basis of the procedure manual file,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the procedure manual file is generated by describing the setting information and the setting screen information in the template file. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein:
The image forming apparatus, wherein the procedure manual file is an electronic file that can be browsed from an external device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
When displaying the setting screen on the display unit, when the setting screen information is stored in the storage unit in association with the setting information already input on the setting screen, the setting screen information is displayed on the setting screen. An image forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that displays an input unit to be operated. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9.
The control unit displays the setting screen information on the display unit when the input unit is selected. In an image forming system in which an image forming apparatus and an information processing apparatus are communicably connected,
The image forming apparatus includes:
A display for displaying a setting screen for accepting input of setting information;
An image information acquisition unit that acquires an image of the setting screen displayed on the display unit as setting screen information;
Have
The information processing apparatus includes:
An image forming system comprising a storage unit that stores the input setting information received from the image forming apparatus and the setting screen information in association with each other.

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