Abnormal Sheet Ejection Display for Stacked Paper Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming systems face difficulty in identifying and retrieving abnormal paper sheets and their succeeding sheets from a separate ejection destination, as they are stacked together, making it challenging to locate the target abnormal sheet among many.
Innovation Solution
An image forming system that includes a sheet feeder, image former, conveyor, switcher, reader, abnormal sheet detector, storage, and display, which associates sheet information, read images, and stacking order for abnormal and succeeding sheets at a second ejection destination, enabling easy retrieval by displaying this information on a user interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If abnormal paper sheets and succeeding paper sheets are ejected to a second sheet catch tray different from the regular sheet catch tray, then abnormal paper sheets can be separated from normal paper sheets, but it becomes difficult to find and retrieve the target abnormal paper sheet from among the stacked paper sheets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the paper sheets at the second sheet catch tray by marking abnormal paper sheets with distinctive markers (such as colored bands or labels) while normal paper sheets remain unmarked. This visual segmentation allows operators to quickly identify and retrieve only the abnormal paper sheets without manually sorting through the entire stack, thus resolving the contradiction between separation reliability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs color coding by attaching markers with specific colors to abnormal paper sheets. The colored markers create visual contrast against the unmarked normal paper sheets, enabling rapid visual identification and retrieval of abnormal sheets. This color-based differentiation maintains the separation of abnormal and normal sheets while significantly improving the ease of locating and removing target abnormal paper sheets.
2Loss of information
If header page information is printed on the escape sheet ejection destination, then checking of abnormality details is facilitated, but the abnormal paper sheet and succeeding paper sheets are still stacked together making retrieval difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines information provision with physical segmentation by attaching individual markers to each abnormal paper sheet while header page information is printed on the escape sheet ejection destination. This dual approach ensures that both collective information (header page) and individual identification (markers) are provided, allowing operators to easily locate and retrieve specific abnormal sheets without losing any information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces physical markers as intermediary elements between the stacked paper sheets and the operator. These markers serve as direct visual indicators that bridge the gap between the printed header page information and the physical sheets, enabling operators to quickly match information with the corresponding physical abnormal paper sheets and retrieve them efficiently.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates easy identification and removal of abnormal paper sheets by providing associated sheet information and read images on a user interface, allowing users to quickly locate the target abnormal sheet among multiple sheets.
Implementation Method 1
a reader that optically reads a paper sheet being conveyed by the conveyor
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming system includes: a sheet feeder; an image former that forms an image on a paper sheet; a conveyor that conveys a paper sheet to a sheet ejection destination; a switcher that switches sheet ejection destinations; a reader that optically reads a paper sheet, and outputs a read image; an abnormal sheet detector that detects an abnormal paper sheet by analyzing the read image; a storage; a display; and a hardware processor that performs: ejection destination switch control to control the switcher to eject an abnormal paper sheet and a succeeding paper sheet to a second ejection destination different from a regular ejection destination; storage control, for each of the abnormal paper sheet and the succeeding paper sheet, to associate sheet information, the read image, and a stacking order with one another, and store them into the storage; and display control to cause the display to display them.