JP2008310420A - Information processor, its control method, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem with an information processor which obtains device setting information via a bidirectional communication function and displays this information wherein it takes time to obtain the device setting information, making a user who uses it feel uneasy if the display of the setting information is delayed. <P>SOLUTION: A means is provided for displaying a screen indicating that device setting information is in the process of being obtained, if the setting information takes time to display, so as to prevent the user from feeling uneasy. Also, once the screen indicating that the information is in the process of being obtained is displayed, even if the setting information can be obtained thereafter, a screen indicating that the information is in the process of being obtained is displayed for a certain period of time long enough for the user to read the screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for setting a printer function, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus that displays acquired setting information after acquiring a printer setting value using a bidirectional communication function and a control method thereof. is there.

  In general, a computer connected to a printer is equipped with a printer driver as an information processing apparatus for controlling the printer.

  The printer driver analyzes drawing commands based on image data supplied from the application software via the OS (operating system), creates RGB multi-gradation image data on the memory, and CMYK multivalues representing each color of the printer ink Convert to information. Further, it is software for generating output data that can be analyzed by the printer and transferring it to the printer after performing processing for conversion into CMYK binary data indicating whether ink has been hit or not.

  Also, printer drivers generally control printer functions in addition to the print data generation process. As an example of controlling the function of the printer, for example, an ink drying waiting time may be set.

  In a printer using a recording head in which a plurality of nozzles are arranged, such as an ink jet printer, the recording head is scanned and moved with respect to a recording medium, for example, printing paper. At the same time, while moving the print paper in the sub-scanning direction, ink droplets ejected from the nozzles of the recording head are attached to the print paper, so that a desired image can be printed on the print paper.

  One of the problems when using the printer is that when printing an image with high ink density, there are problems such as image unevenness due to ink bleed or ink on the back of the next page of paper. It was.

  In order to solve this problem, the ink drying waiting function that calculates the time for ink droplets attached to the print paper to dry according to the set value, stops the operation of the recording head, and delays the start of printing the next page. There is a printer having

  In addition to this ink drying waiting function, various printer-specific operation settings are generally executed from a printer driver.

  When the printer driver sets the operation of the printer as described above, a function setting screen is arranged on the graphics user interface, and a setting value such as an ink drying waiting function is selected, and according to the selected setting value. Send the specified operation setting command to the printer.

  At this time, the printer driver saves the transmitted setting information on the computer, and when the function setting screen for setting the printer function next time is displayed, the saved setting information is acquired and displayed. This is a general operation.

  On the other hand, the printer analyzes the received operation setting command, stores the analyzed operation setting information in a memory installed in the printer, and performs an operation according to the stored operation setting information.

  There is also a printer having a function of returning stored operation setting information to a computer via a bidirectional communication function. When displaying the function setting screen, the information processing apparatus that controls the printer reads out and displays operation setting value information such as an ink drying waiting time stored in a memory inside the printer.

  The information processing apparatus itself that acquires and displays such device setting information has a general function as already described in [Patent Document 1] and [Patent Document 2].

If bidirectional communication is OFF, or if the printer is not connected and the printer queue is offline, the printer setting information cannot be acquired, so the previous function setting information saved on the computer May be obtained and displayed.
Patent registration No. 3017605 JP-A-10-283142

  As described above, the information processing apparatus represented by the printer driver acquires the printer setting information via the bidirectional communication function and displays it on the screen of the information processing apparatus. It has become.

  However, in an information processing apparatus that acquires printer setting information via two-way communication and displays it on the function setting screen, it takes time to acquire the printer setting information for some reason when displaying the function setting screen. There is a case. Since the function setting screen cannot be displayed for the time required for acquisition, there is an internal problem that the operation of the information processing apparatus stops.

  As a result, there has been a problem of giving anxiety to the user who operates the information processing apparatus.

  An object of the present invention is to eliminate as much as possible the anxiety given to a user when displaying a function setting screen for acquiring and displaying printer setting information via two-way communication.

  The present invention relates to a setting means for setting the operation of a device, a setting saving means for saving setting information set by the setting means at the time of setting, and a device for acquiring device setting information using a bidirectional communication function It has setting information acquisition means. When the setting unit displays the setting information, the information processing apparatus displays the setting information acquired by the device setting information acquisition unit, and the setting information is being acquired when it takes time to acquire the device setting information. An information acquisition screen display means for displaying a screen indicating that there is present is provided.

  Further, according to the present invention, the screen displayed by the information acquisition screen display means exceeds a predetermined acquisition screen display start time after the device setting information acquisition means starts acquiring the device setting information. Displayed when information cannot be obtained. Furthermore, after displaying a screen indicating that the setting information displayed by the setting means may be different from the setting information of the device when information acquisition cannot be performed beyond a predetermined information acquisition stop time The apparatus includes a previous setting information display unit that acquires and displays the previous device setting information stored by the setting storage unit.

  Further, according to the present invention, the screen displayed by the information acquisition screen display means is automatically closed when the information is acquired. It was configured to display until the time was exceeded.

  Further, the present invention is configured such that the minimum screen display time during acquisition is determined by the number of characters in the screen displayed by the screen display means during information acquisition.

  In the present invention, the minimum display time during the acquisition screen is the time until the reading of the message in the acquisition screen ends when the message reading application software is activated. In addition, when the message reading application is not activated, a predetermined value is set.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the screen displayed by the information acquisition screen display means has a stop button for canceling information acquisition, and the information acquisition is stopped when the stop button is pressed.

  In addition, the present invention relates to the validity / invalidity of the acquisition screen display function of the acquisition screen display means, the acquisition screen display start time, the acquisition acquisition stop time, and the acquisition screen minimum display time. Has a screen setting input means during information acquisition that can be directly set, and is configured to use each predetermined time as an initial set value.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that there is an information acquisition prediction means for predicting a time required for information acquisition in the information acquisition screen display means, and the information acquisition prediction time predicted by the prediction means is the acquisition If it is larger than the middle screen display start time, the screen during acquisition is displayed without waiting for the screen display start time during acquisition, and if the estimated information acquisition time is smaller than the screen display start time during acquisition, information is displayed. Configured to display the acquisition screen when the estimated acquisition time is exceeded.

  According to the present invention, when setting the function of a device using the information processing apparatus, even if it takes time to display the device function setting screen of the information processing apparatus, setting information is acquired for the operating user. Since a screen indicating that the user is in the middle is displayed, the user's anxiety can be reduced.

  Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, the setting information acquisition screen is displayed only when it takes time to acquire the information, so that the user is freed from the trouble of viewing the unnecessary display screen.

  In addition, since the setting information acquisition screen is automatically closed when the device setting information is acquired, the user's operation procedure can be reduced.

  In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, since the setting information acquisition screen once displayed is displayed for a certain period of time that is assumed to be sufficiently recognizable by the user, the user is distrusted by the fact that the display screen cannot be read. Will be reduced.

  Moreover, according to another viewpoint of this invention, it becomes possible for a user to display the setting information acquisition screen at a desired time, and to close.

  Next, details of the present invention will be described in accordance with the description of the embodiments.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Schematic configuration of the system>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram relating to the hardware of a system constituted by the information processing apparatus and its connected devices in the first embodiment.

  For example, a printer 105 such as an inkjet printer, a monitor 104, and a keyboard 106 are connected to the computer 100. The computer 100 receives application software 101 such as a word processor, spreadsheet, and Internet browser, and various drawing commands (image drawing commands, text drawing commands, graphics drawing commands) indicating output images issued to the OS 102 by the application software. A printer driver 103 that processes and creates print data is included as software.

  The computer 100 includes a central processing unit CPU 108, a hard disk HD 107, a random access memory RAM 109, a read only memory ROM 110, etc. as various hardware capable of operating these software, and a data bus 111 for connecting the CPU, HD, RAM and ROM. Is provided.

  As an embodiment shown in FIG. 1, for example, an embodiment in which an OS is installed in a generally popular personal computer, an arbitrary printable application is installed, and a monitor 104, a printer 105, and a keyboard 106 are connected is implemented. Considered as a form.

<Description of inkjet printer>
FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an outline of the configuration of an ink jet printer IJRA which is a typical embodiment of the printer 105 described in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the carriage HC engaged with the spiral groove 204 of the lead screw 205 that rotates via the driving force transmission gears 209 to 211 in conjunction with the forward / reverse rotation of the drive motor 213 has a pin (not shown). Then, it is supported by the guide rail 203 and reciprocates in the directions of arrows a and b. On the carriage HC, an integrated ink jet cartridge IJC incorporating a recording head IJH and an ink tank IT is mounted.

  A paper pressing plate 202 presses the recording paper P against the platen 200 in the moving direction of the carriage HC. 207 and 208 are photo couplers, which are home position detectors for confirming the presence of the carriage lever 206 in this region and switching the rotation direction of the motor 213 and the like.

  Reference numeral 216 denotes a member that supports a cap member 222 that caps the front surface of the recording head IJH. Reference numeral 215 denotes a suction device that sucks the inside of the cap, and performs suction recovery of the recording head through the opening 223 in the cap. Reference numeral 217 denotes a cleaning blade, and reference numeral 219 denotes a member that enables the blade to move in the front-rear direction. The main body support plate 218 supports these members. Needless to say, the blade is not in this form, and a known cleaning blade can be applied to this example.

  Reference numeral 221 denotes a lever for starting suction for suction recovery, which moves with the movement of the cam 220 engaged with the carriage, and the driving force from the driving motor is controlled by a known transmission mechanism such as clutch switching. Is done.

  These capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured so that desired processing can be performed at their corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 205 when the carriage reaches the home position side region. As long as the above operation is performed, any of these can be applied to this example.

<Description of printer control configuration>
Next, a control configuration for executing the recording control of the above-described apparatus will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control circuit of the ink jet printer (105 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). In the figure showing the control circuit, 300 is an interface for inputting a recording signal, 301 is an MPU, 302 is a ROM for storing a control program executed by the MPU 301, and 303 is various data (the recording signal and recording data supplied to the head). Etc.). A gate array (GA) 304 controls the supply of print data to the printhead IJH, and also controls data transfer among the interface 300, the MPU 301, and the RAM 303. 310 is a carrier motor for transporting the recording head IJH, and 309 is a transport motor for transporting the recording paper. Reference numeral 305 denotes a head driver for driving the recording head, and reference numerals 306 and 307 denote motor drivers for driving the transport motor 309 and the carrier motor 310, respectively.

  The operation of the above control configuration will be described. When a recording signal enters the interface 300, the recording signal is converted into recording data for printing between the gate array 304 and the MPU 301. The recording data is temporarily stored in the DRAM 303 up to an amount capable of driving the recording head. The motor drivers 306 and 307 are driven, and the recording head is driven in accordance with the recording data sent to the head driver 305 to perform recording.

  As described above, the ink tank IT and the recording head IJH may be integrally formed to constitute a replaceable ink cartridge IJC. However, the ink tank IT and the recording head IJH can be separated from each other. Then, only the ink tank IT may be exchanged when the ink runs out.

  FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing the configuration of the ink cartridge IJC in which the ink tank and the head can be separated. In the ink cartridge IJC, as shown in FIG. 4, the ink tank IT and the recording head IJH can be separated at the position of the boundary line K. When the ink cartridge IJC is mounted on the carriage HC, an electrode (not shown) for receiving an electric signal supplied from the carriage HC side is provided, and by this electric signal, the recording head IJH as described above is provided. Is driven to eject ink.

  In FIG. 4, reference numeral 400 denotes an ink discharge port array. The ink tank IT is provided with a fibrous or porous ink absorber to hold ink.

<Description of operation of information processing apparatus>
The printer function setting operation of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

  First, the control configuration of the information processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  Reference numeral 105 denotes a printer which is connected to the computer 100 and records data sent from the computer 100. The connection between the printer 105 and the computer 100 may be a wired connection or a wireless connection. As a printer suitable for this embodiment, for example, an ink jet printer that records an image by ejecting ink from a recording head onto a recording medium is preferable. As described above, this printer analyzes the print data received from the information processing apparatus, and based on the analysis result, the recording head is moved in the main scanning direction (a and b in FIG. 2) with respect to the print paper. A desired image is printed on the printing paper by scanning and moving the printing paper at the same time in the sub-scanning direction (see FIG. 2) while adhering ink droplets ejected from the nozzles of the recording head to the printing paper. To do.

  A monitor 104 displays a user interface (UI) screen (see FIG. 5) of the printer driver 103 for controlling the printer 105. In accordance with the display on the UI screen, the user can input an operation using an input unit such as the keyboard 106 and instruct a desired operation from the printer driver 103 to the printer 105.

  Next, detailed operations when setting the printer function on the UI screen of the printer driver 103 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 1, and 3.

  Reference numeral 500 denotes one of UI screens of the printer driver, which shows a screen for setting printer functions. Various printer functions can be executed and set from this screen. In this embodiment, as an example, a method for setting the ink drying waiting time function using the ink drying waiting time setting screen 502 displayed by pressing the special setting button 501 will be described.

  When printing is performed by the printer 105, a desired image is printed on the print paper by attaching ink droplets ejected from the nozzles of the recording head to the print paper as described above.

  However, one of the problems at that time is that when printing an image with high ink drop density, image unevenness occurs due to ink bleeding, or ink adheres to the back of the paper on the next page. It may end up.

  For this reason, depending on the printer 105, in order to avoid the above-mentioned problem and to print beautifully, the time for the ink droplets attached to the print paper to dry is calculated, and the operation of the recording head is stopped during the printing. Some have a function of waiting for ink to dry, such as delaying the start of page printing.

  When setting the ink drying waiting time of the printer main body, the special setting button 501 arranged on the printer function setting screen 500 is pressed to display the ink drying waiting time setting screen 502.

  The detailed operation when displaying the printer function setting screen such as the ink drying waiting time will be described later.

  The ink drying waiting time setting screen 502 is configured in a slider format, and after the slider is moved and set to a desired drying waiting time, the transmission button 503 is pressed. When the transmission button 503 is pressed, the printer driver 103 transmits an ink drying waiting time setting command to the printer 105 according to the set value.

  Also, the printer driver 103 saves the setting information transmitted to the printer in the RAM 109 or the HD 107 on the computer 100 when the transmission button 503 is pressed.

  The printer 105 interprets the setting command received from the interface 300 by the MPU 301 and stores the set drying waiting time information in the DRAM 303. The MPU 301 performs drive control of the recording head IJH, the transport motor 309, and the carrier motor 310 according to the ink drying waiting time setting information set in the DRAM 303 at the time of the next printing and the amount of ink droplets ejected at the time of printing. The ink drying waiting function is executed by stopping each scanning for a certain period of time or stopping the feeding of the next page for a certain period of time.

  In this way, setting of the function of the printer 105 from the printer driver 103 can be realized.

  Next, the operation at the time of displaying the printer function setting information showing the first feature of the present invention will be described in detail based on the flowchart of FIG.

  When the button for displaying the function setting information of the printer shown in FIG. 5 is pressed, processing for displaying a setting screen is started.

  When the setting screen display process is started, it is first determined in step S601 whether the status can be acquired. Whether or not status acquisition is possible means whether or not the two-way communication function can be used by determining whether or not bidirectional support is enabled in the environment settings on the computer and whether or not the printer queue is offline. It is to judge whether it is. If the status cannot be acquired, the process proceeds to step S609, where setting information cannot be acquired from the printer, so that the setting information to be displayed may be different from the information actually set in the printer. After the screen shown in FIG. 8 is displayed, if it is detected that the OK button is pressed, the process proceeds to step S615. After acquiring the setting information stored on the computer in step S615, the setting screen is displayed according to the previous setting information acquired in step S616.

  In this case, not the ink drying waiting time setting information set in the printer but the setting value of the ink drying waiting time set in the previous printer driver is displayed.

  If it is determined in step S601 that the status can be acquired, the process proceeds to step S602. In step S602, an attempt is made to acquire ink drying waiting time setting information from the printer using the bidirectional communication function.

  If the status acquisition is successful in step S603, the process advances to step S610 to analyze the acquired status and obtain printer setting information.

  If the status cannot be acquired in step S603, the process proceeds to step S604, and it is determined whether or not a predetermined time A has passed since the status acquisition process was started. This fixed time A is a value determined in advance, and is set by predicting a time that the user does not feel uneasy even if the printer driver does not display anything.

  If the predetermined time A has not passed since the start of the status acquisition, the process returns to step S603 for determining again whether the status acquisition was successful.

  If the predetermined time A has passed since the start of status acquisition, the process proceeds to step S605.

  In step S605, it is determined whether a screen (FIG. 7) for indicating status acquisition processing is already displayed. If not, the process proceeds to step S606, and the user is processing the printer driver. After displaying the screen (FIG. 7) indicating that the status acquisition process can be easily confirmed, the process proceeds to step S607.

  If the screen indicating that the status acquisition process is in progress (FIG. 7) has already been displayed, step S606 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S607.

  In step S607, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time B has passed since the status acquisition process was started. This fixed time B is a value determined in advance, and means the time until the status acquisition is stopped, assuming that the status cannot be acquired for some reason.

  If the predetermined time B has not passed since the start of the status acquisition, the process returns to step S603 for determining again whether the status acquisition was successful.

  If the predetermined time B has elapsed since the start of the status acquisition, the status acquisition is abandoned and the process proceeds to the above-described step S609.

  If the status acquisition is successful in step S603, the process proceeds to step S610.

  In step S610, the acquired status information is analyzed, the ink drying waiting time set in the printer is acquired, and the process proceeds to step S611.

  In step S611, the acquired ink drying waiting time setting value of the printer setting is stored as printer setting information in the computer, and the process proceeds to step S612.

  In step S612, it is determined whether the screen (FIG. 7) for indicating the status acquisition process is already displayed. If not, the process proceeds to step S615 and step S616, and is stored in the computer in step S611. Display printer setting information on the setting screen.

  If it is determined in step S612 that the screen for indicating status acquisition processing (FIG. 7) has already been displayed, the process proceeds to step S613 to start displaying the status acquisition processing in progress for a certain period of time. Determine if C has passed. The certain time C is a value determined in advance, and is a time predicted by the user to confirm the screen display for indicating that the status acquisition process is in progress.

  If the predetermined time C has not passed, the process returns to step S613 again, and the screen for indicating that the status acquisition process is in progress is continued until the predetermined time C has passed.

  If the predetermined time C has passed, the process proceeds to step S614, the screen for indicating the status acquisition process is closed, and then the process proceeds to step S615 and step S616, where the printer setting information stored in the computer in step S611 is displayed on the setting screen. To do.

  In the present embodiment, the ink drying waiting time setting method has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the ink drying waiting time setting method, and is a function for setting the operation of the printer, and a function for returning setting value information stored in the printer. If there are other functions, the present invention can be applied.

  The screen displayed in step S606 shown in FIG. 6 shown in the first embodiment is provided with a cancel button together with a screen that allows the user to easily confirm that the printer driver is processing as shown in FIG. When the cancel button is pressed, the dialog can be closed and the process can proceed to step S609 or step S615 depending on the operation status at that time.

  In the third embodiment, information acquisition screen setting input means as shown in FIG. 10 is provided somewhere on the UI of the information processing apparatus as shown in FIG. The input means has an option that allows the user to select whether or not to display the information acquisition screen. In addition, it has a function of setting a screen display start time during acquisition (a time corresponding to the fixed time A shown in step S604 of FIG. 6 shown in the first embodiment). Further, it has a function of setting an information acquisition stop time (a time corresponding to the fixed time B shown in step S607 of FIG. 6 shown in the first embodiment). Further, it has a function of setting a minimum display time during acquisition (a time corresponding to the fixed time C shown in step S613 of FIG. 6 shown in the first embodiment).

  When the information acquisition screen setting input unit is displayed for the first time, or when the default button arranged in the input unit is pressed, the preset setting times are displayed.

  The operation shown in FIG. 6 according to the first embodiment is performed according to the setting value set by the information acquisition screen setting input unit.

  The information acquisition prediction means for predicting the time required for status acquisition is arranged between step S601 and step S602 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 shown in the first embodiment, and the information acquisition prediction time predicted by the prediction means in step S604. And a certain time A (screen display start time during acquisition) is compared. If the predicted information acquisition time is longer than the predetermined time A, the process proceeds to S606 without waiting for the predetermined time A after starting the status processing acquisition, and the acquiring screen is displayed. If the information acquisition prediction time is shorter than the predetermined time A, the process proceeds to S606 and the acquisition screen is displayed when the information acquisition prediction time is exceeded without waiting for the predetermined time A.

  In step S613 of FIG. 6 shown in the first embodiment, it is confirmed whether or not application software that reads a message in the display dialog is activated on the computer. The process proceeds to step S614 after the message reading on the application software acquisition screen (FIG. 7) is completed. If the reading-out application software is not running, a processing dialog will be displayed for a set time of a certain time C.

  It should be noted that the present invention shown in the plurality of embodiments described above can be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices (for example, a computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, and the like). For example, the present invention may be applied to a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and the like.

  In addition, a recording medium in which program codes of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments are recorded is supplied to a system or apparatus, and a computer (CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus is stored in the recording medium. Read and execute the code. It goes without saying that the object of the present invention can also be achieved by this.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the recording medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  As a recording medium for supplying the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

  In addition, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also the following cases are included.

  That is, based on the instruction of the program code, an OS (operating system) running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing. .

  Further, the program code read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer.

  After that, based on the instruction of the program code, the CPU of the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing. Needless to say.

Block diagram showing one example of system configuration Appearance perspective view showing outline of configuration of inkjet printer IJRA Block diagram showing configuration of control circuit of inkjet printer External perspective view showing a configuration of an ink cartridge IJC in which an ink tank and a head can be separated Example of device function setting user interface A flowchart showing processing at the time of displaying a device function setting screen according to the first embodiment. Example of information acquisition screen An example of a screen indicating that there is a possibility that it may differ from the device setting information Modified information acquisition screen An example of screen setting input means during information acquisition

Explanation of symbols

100 Computer 101 Application Software 102 Operating System (OS)
103 Printer Driver 104 Monitor 105 Printer 106 Keyboard 107 Hard Disk (HD)
108 CPU
109 RAM
110 ROM
111 System bus

Claims (18)

  Setting means for setting the operation of the device, setting saving means for saving the setting information set by the setting means at the time of setting, and device setting information acquiring means for acquiring the setting information of the device using the bidirectional communication function When the setting unit displays the setting information, the information processing apparatus that displays the setting information acquired by the device setting information acquisition unit acquires setting information when it takes time to acquire the device setting information. An information processing apparatus comprising an information acquisition screen display means for displaying a screen indicating that the information is being displayed.   The screen displayed by the information acquisition screen display means has not been able to acquire information beyond the predetermined acquisition screen display start time since the device setting information acquisition means started acquiring the device setting information. If the information cannot be acquired beyond the predetermined information acquisition stop time, it indicates that the setting information displayed by the setting means may be different from the device setting information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a previous setting information display unit configured to acquire and display the previous device setting information stored by the setting storage unit after displaying the screen.   The screen displayed by the information acquisition screen display means is automatically closed when information is acquired, and once the acquisition screen is displayed, the screen is displayed until a predetermined minimum display time of the acquisition screen is exceeded. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein   The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the acquisition minimum screen display time is determined by the number of characters in the screen displayed by the information acquisition screen display unit.   When the message reading application software is running, the minimum screen display time during acquisition is a time until reading of the message in the acquiring screen ends, and when the message reading application is not running, it is determined in advance. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the value is a predetermined value.   4. The information according to claim 3, wherein the screen displayed by the information acquisition screen display means has a cancel button for canceling information acquisition, and the information acquisition is stopped when the cancel button is pressed. Processing equipment.   Information acquisition that allows the user to directly set the validity of the screen display function during acquisition of the screen display means during information acquisition, the screen display start time during acquisition, the information acquisition stop time, and the minimum display time during acquisition The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a middle screen setting input unit, wherein each predetermined time is used as an initial setting value.   The information acquisition screen display means has an information acquisition prediction means for predicting the time required for information acquisition, and the information acquisition prediction time predicted by the prediction means is determined from the acquisition screen display start time. Is larger, the screen during acquisition is displayed without waiting for the screen acquisition start time during acquisition, and the information acquisition prediction time is exceeded when the information acquisition predicted time is smaller than the screen acquisition start time during acquisition. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a screen during acquisition is sometimes displayed.   A setting step for setting the operation of the device, a setting saving step for saving the setting information set by the setting means at the time of setting, and a device setting information acquisition step for acquiring the setting information of the device using the bidirectional communication function In the information processing method for displaying the setting information acquired by the device setting information acquisition step when the setting step displays the setting information, the setting information acquisition is performed when it takes time to acquire the device setting information. An information processing method, comprising: an information acquisition screen display step for displaying a screen indicating that the information is being displayed.   The screen displayed by the information acquisition screen display process could not acquire information beyond the predetermined acquisition screen display start time after the device setting information acquisition process started acquiring the device setting information. If the information acquisition cannot be performed after a predetermined information acquisition stop time, the setting information displayed by the setting process may be different from the device setting information. The information processing method according to claim 9, further comprising a previous setting information display step of acquiring and displaying the previous device setting information stored by the setting storage step after displaying the screen.   The screen displayed by the information acquisition screen display process is automatically closed when information is acquired, and once the acquisition screen is displayed, it is displayed until a predetermined minimum screen acquisition time is reached. The information processing method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the information processing method is performed in advance.   The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein the acquisition minimum screen display time is determined by the number of characters in the screen displayed by the information acquisition screen display step.   When the message reading application software is running, the minimum screen display time during acquisition is a time until reading of the message in the acquiring screen ends, and when the message reading application is not running, it is determined in advance. The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein the value is a predetermined value.   12. The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein the screen displayed in the information acquisition screen display step has a cancel button for canceling information acquisition, and the information acquisition is stopped when the cancel button is pressed.   Information acquisition screen setting in which the user can directly set valid / invalid of the screen display function during acquisition in the information acquisition screen display step, the screen display start time during acquisition, the information acquisition stop time, or the minimum display time during acquisition. 12. The information processing method according to claim 11, further comprising an input step, wherein each predetermined time is used as an initial set value.   The information acquisition screen display step includes an information acquisition prediction step for predicting the time required for information acquisition, and the information acquisition prediction time predicted in the prediction step is greater than the screen acquisition start time during acquisition. Is larger, the screen during acquisition is displayed without waiting for the screen acquisition start time during acquisition, and the information acquisition prediction time is exceeded when the information acquisition predicted time is smaller than the screen acquisition start time during acquisition. The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein a screen during acquisition is sometimes displayed.   A program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.   The computer-readable recording medium which recorded the program of Claim 17.

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