Digital Book Spine Thickness Management for Binding Constraints

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing book printing technologies face challenges in printing single copies of digital books due to limitations in finishing devices, such as maximum spine thickness and page count, making it unattractive and infeasible to produce high-quality physical copies from digital versions.

Innovation Solution

A method to automatically split digital book versions into multiple volumes or adjust attributes like paper type, font size, and margins to accommodate the limitations of finishing devices, allowing for cost-effective printing of single copies by determining the limitations of the finishing device and modifying the digital version accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If digital book versions are printed directly without modification, then the original content and quality are maintained, but the printing becomes infeasible due to exceeding finishing device limitations

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveprintabilityVSAvoidcompatibility with finishing devices

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent automatically modifies parameters of the digital book version including paper type, font size, margins, and page layout to ensure the printed output fits within the capacity limitations of available finishing devices, making printing feasible while preserving content integrity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent divides a single digital book version into multiple volumes when the content exceeds finishing device limitations, allowing each segment to be printed and bound separately while maintaining the overall book structure and content flow

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of manufacture

If finishing device limitations are imposed, then cost-effective printing becomes possible, but the ability to print high-quality single copies is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecost-effectivenessVSAvoidprint quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary analysis of the digital book version to determine finishing device capacity requirements before printing, automatically adjusting parameters or segmenting content in advance to ensure both cost-effectiveness and print quality are achieved

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If book content is split into multiple volumes, then finishing device limitations are overcome, but the original book structure is altered

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveprintabilityVSAvoidbook structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the digital book version into multiple volumes at appropriate boundaries when necessary, automatically managing the segmentation to preserve logical book structure while adapting to finishing device limitations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent dynamically determines whether to split or adjust the book based on real-time analysis of content characteristics and finishing device capabilities, flexibly selecting the optimal approach to maintain book structure integrity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS8712916B2Creating and manufacturing documents that initially exceed equipment finishing capacity

Publication Date: 2014.04.29 RICOH CO LTD

AI summary

Techniques described herein overcome many of the issues that have previously made the printing of a single copy of a book from a digital version unattractive and infeasible. According to one embodiment of the invention, an automated mechanism such as a computer program automatically determines whether the spine thickness of a to-be-printed copy of a digital version of a book will exceed the specified maximum spine thickness that a specified binding or other finishing device can handle. In response to determining that the spine thickness will exceed the specified maximum spine thickness, the automated mechanism automatically splits the digital version of the book into two or more volumes such that, for each volume, the spine thickness of the printed version of that volume will be no greater than the specified maximum spine thickness that the specified binding or other finishing device can handle.