Image Forming Apparatus, Remote Operation Device, Remote Control Method, Remote Operation Method, Non-Transitory Computer-Readable Recording Medium Encoded with Remote Control Program, and Non-Transitory Computer-Readable Recording Medium Encoded with Remote Operation Program

A remote operation device capable of remotely controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising:

• an operation accepting portion to accept an operation by a user;
• a setting information receiving portion to receive from the image forming apparatus setting information including a setting screen for remotely operating the image forming apparatus, screen identification information for identifying the setting screen, and a setting value;
• a setting screen display portion to, in response to the setting information being received, display the setting screen included in the received setting information;
• a position detection portion to, if the operation accepting portion accepts a user's operation of pointing on the setting screen displayed by the setting screen display portion, detect a position pointed in the setting screen;
• and
• a remote operation transmitting portion to, in response to a position in the setting screen being detected by the position detection portion, transmit to the image forming apparatus remote operation information including the screen identification information and the setting value included in the received setting information and positional information indicating the detected position in the setting screen.

A remote control method performed in an image forming apparatus remotely controlled by a remote operation device,

• the image forming apparatus comprising a storage portion including a setting value storage area for storing a setting value and a setting screen storage area for storing a setting screen,
• the method comprising:
• an operation accepting step of accepting an operation input by a user;
• and
• a remote control step of being remotely controlled by the remote operation device,
• the remote control step including
• a setting information transmitting step of transmitting to the remote operation device setting information including the setting screen stored in the screen storage area, screen identification information for identifying the setting screen, and the setting value stored in the setting value storage area,
• a remote operation information receiving step of receiving from the remote operation device remote operation information including screen identification information, a setting value, and positional information indicating a position in the setting screen identified by the screen identification information, after transmission of the setting information,
• a remote setting step of updating the setting value stored in the setting value storage area with the setting value included in the remote operation information, in response to the remote operation information being received, and
• a remote setting screen update step of generating a setting screen specified by the screen identification information included in the received remote operation information based on the setting value stored in the setting value storage area and updating the setting screen stored in the setting screen storage area with the generated setting screen, after the setting value is updated in the remote setting step,
• the operation accepting step including a remote operation specifying step of specifying an operation based on a position specified by the positional information included in the remote operation information in the setting screen updated by the remote setting screen update step.

A remote operation method performed in a remote operation device capable of remotely controlling an image forming apparatus, comprising:

• an operation accepting step of accepting an operation by a user;
• a setting information receiving step of receiving from the image forming apparatus setting information including a setting screen for remotely operating the image forming apparatus, screen identification information for identifying the setting screen, and a setting value;
• a setting screen display step of, in response to the setting information being received, displaying the setting screen included in the received setting information;
• a position detection step of, if a user's operation of pointing on the setting screen displayed in the setting screen display step is accepted in the operation accepting step, detecting a position pointed in the setting screen;
• and
• a remote operation transmitting step of, in response to a position in the setting screen being detected in the position detection step, transmitting to the image forming apparatus remote operation information including the screen identification information and the setting value included in the received setting information and positional information indicating the detected position in the setting screen.