Display input device and image forming apparatus including the same as well as method for controlling the display input device

摘要

A display input device, when it has been determined that a plurality of messages, display periods of which overlap with each other, are mutually similar, selects one of the plurality of mutually similar messages as a display message to be displayed, and displays the display message in a display mode corresponding to a highest one of respective importance levels of the plurality of mutually similar messages, while not displaying, among the plurality of mutually similar messages, a message other than the display message.

主权项

1. A display input device, comprising:
a storage portion that stores display data for displaying a message a display period of which has been set and to which any one of a plurality of importance levels has been assigned; a display portion that displays the message and changes a display mode of the message in accordance with an importance level thereof; and a determination portion that determines whether or not a plurality of the messages are similar, wherein: the storage portion stores similarity determination information for determining whether or not the plurality of messages are mutually similar, in the similarity determination information, a plurality of types of character strings are grouped by meaning, and among the grouped plurality of types of character strings, a plurality of types of character strings that belong to each common group are defined to be mutually similar, in a case where respective display periods of the plurality of messages overlap with each other, the determination portion determines, based on the similarity determination information, whether or not the plurality of messages, the display periods of which overlap with each other, are mutually similar, when the determination portion has determined that the plurality of messages, the display periods of which overlap with each other, are mutually similar, the display portion selects one of the plurality of mutually similar messages as a display message to be displayed, and displays the display message in a display mode corresponding to a highest one of respective importance levels of the plurality of mutually similar messages, while not displaying, among the plurality of mutually similar messages, a message other than the display message, and when determining whether or not a first message, which is one of the plurality of messages, is similar to a second message, which is another of the plurality of messages and is different from the first message, the determination portion identifies a plurality of groups to which a plurality of types of character strings that form the first message respectively belong and, if the second message is formed of a plurality of types of character strings that respectively belong to the plurality of groups identified for the first message, the determination portion identifies that the first and the second messages are mutually similar.