Miniaturized operating panel for a printer

An operating panel for an apparatus, comprising:

• a single operating button;
• and
• setting means for recognizing a setting code inputted via said operating button when said operating button is operated within a predetermined inputting period of time, and for setting a functional item of the apparatus corresponding to said setting code thus recognized;
• wherein said functional item is among a plurality of functional items which may be set for the apparatus;
• wherein said setting means provides said inputting period of time repeatedly in succession so as to input a plurality of setting codes;
• and
• wherein a setting completion code for the completion of a function setting mode of the apparatus is determined in advance, and when said recognized setting code is equal to said setting completion code, said setting means terminates the function setting mode.

An operating panel for an apparatus comprising:

• a single operating button;
• and
• setting means for recognizing a setting code inputted via said operating button when said operating button is operated within a predetermined inputting period of time, and for setting a functional item of the apparatus corresponding to said setting code thus recognized;
• wherein said functional item is among a plurality of functional items which may be set for the apparatus;
• and
• wherein there are a plurality of predetermined setting codes for inputting via said control panel, and at least one of said plurality of predetermined setting codes corresponds to two or more designated functional items of the apparatus, such that only one of said designated functional items is used by the apparatus at a given time.

An operating panel for an apparatus comprising:

• a single operating button;
• and
• setting means for recognizing a setting code inputted via said operating button when said operating button is operated within a predetermined inputting period of time, and for setting a functional item of the apparatus corresponding to said setting code thus recognized;
• wherein said functional item is among a plurality of functional items which may be set for the apparatus;
• wherein said inputting period of time includes a plurality of phases;
• and
• wherein said setting means recognizes said setting code by counting the number of times of depression of said operating button during each of said phases, respectively, whereby the number of depressions counted during each phase is a numerical value corresponding to a digit of a plural-digit number.

An operating panel comprising:

• a single operating button;
• setting means which counts the number of times of depression of said operating button in each of N phases, where N is two or more, in a predetermined inputting period of time, to recognize the number of times of depression counted in each of said N phases as a numerical value of a digit of a setting code of N digits;
• one or more display lamps;
• and
• display control means for driving and controlling said one or more display lamps;
• wherein said setting means is caused to operate when said operating button is depressed while a power switch is turned on;
• wherein said setting means repeatedly provides said inputting period of time to input a plurality of setting codes;
• wherein said setting means clears a value representing the number of times of depression of said operating button in said inputting period of time, when the number of times of depression of said operating button exceeds a predetermined maximum number in any one of said N phases of said inputting period of time, where the predetermined maximum number is more than N;
• and
• wherein said display control means turns on said one or more display lamps to separately indicate said phases of said inputting period of time when said setting means is in operation, and turns on said one or more display lamps to indicate a state of an attached apparatus when the operation of said setting means has been terminated.