Image forming apparatus

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• a display that displays an operation screen;
• a controller that detects a user operation on the operation screen;
• a timer that measures a period during which the controller does not detect an operation;
• a storage that, when no user operations are continuously detected, stores a timeout period which is an upper limit time until a timeout process of displaying a home screen is performed;
• and
• a network communicator that receives provision of a service from an external apparatus via a communication network;
• wherein
• the controller determines whether or not the timeout period has elapsed, by using the timer;
• the controller causes the display to perform the timeout process, when the controller determines that the timeout period has elapsed;
• and
• when the controller detects a user selecting a predetermined service, the storage changes the timeout period in accordance with the selected predetermined service or the external apparatus providing the selected predetermined service;
• the network communicator receives time data and operation-screen data to generate an operation screen that makes the service provided by the external apparatus available to the user,
• the storage stores the received time data as the timeout period, and
• when the display displays the operation screen on the basis of the received operation-screen data, the controller uses the timeout period which is the received time data, so as to determine whether or not the timeout period has elapsed.

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• display means for displaying an operation screen;
• detection means for detecting a user operation on the operation screen;
• time measurement means for measuring a period during which the detection means does not detect an operation;
• storage means for, when no user operations are continuously detected, storing a timeout period which is an upper limit time until a timeout process of displaying a home screen that includes a key is performed;
• determining means for determining whether or not the timeout period has elapsed, by using the time measurement means;
• control means for causing the display means to perform the timeout process, when the determining means determines that the timeout period has elapsed;
• and
• communication means for receiving provision of a service from an external apparatus via a communication network,
• wherein, when the detection means detects a user selecting a predetermined service, the storage means changes the timeout period in accordance with the selected predetermined service or the external apparatus providing the selected predetermined service.