User-Interactive Delayed Printing in Image Forming Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern image forming devices experience significant energy consumption and time wastage due to frequent transitions from inactive to active modes, leading to increased operational costs and inefficiencies, particularly when user-requested operations are initiated while the device is in a power saving mode.
Innovation Solution
A user-interactive scheme that allows users to delay printing operations until the image forming device exits power saving mode, providing options such as waiting for a specified time, accumulation of pending tasks, or user-defined conditions, thereby reducing unnecessary transitions and optimizing power usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the image forming device operates in power saving mode during periods of inactivity, then energy consumption is reduced, but the device requires time-consuming warm-up steps and transitions when activated
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by maintaining the device in a standby mode with partial power supply, keeping essential components (such as the charging unit and control circuitry) active while reducing power to other components. This preliminary state allows the device to transition to full operation more quickly while still achieving significant energy savings compared to full active mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic power management by adjusting the power supply state based on operational needs. The device can dynamically transition between active mode, standby mode, and sleep mode, with the ability to perform quick warm-up operations when needed. The charging unit can be activated on-demand to bring the device from standby to full operational capacity, optimizing the balance between energy consumption and response time.
2Productivity
If the device transitions frequently from inactive to active mode to handle user requests, then operational responsiveness is improved, but energy consumption and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains a queue of pending print jobs and keeps the device in a preliminary standby state when jobs are waiting. This allows the device to remain responsive to new job submissions while avoiding frequent full activations. The charging unit can perform partial warm-up operations to prepare the device for upcoming jobs without requiring complete activation, thus maintaining productivity while reducing energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuity of useful action by maintaining the device in a continuous standby state rather than allowing complete shutdown and repeated full activations. The control system continuously monitors for incoming jobs and maintains essential functions active, ensuring that the device can immediately begin processing new print jobs without full warm-up delays, thereby maintaining productivity while optimizing energy usage.
3Speed
If the device remains in active mode to ensure immediate response to user requests, then operational speed is improved, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic power adjustment where the device operates in active mode only when absolutely necessary, transitions to standby mode during periods with pending jobs, and enters sleep mode when idle. The charging unit dynamically adjusts power levels based on the state of the device and the queue of pending jobs, ensuring optimal operational speed when needed while minimizing energy consumption during lower-demand periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic monitoring and state transitions, checking for new print jobs at regular intervals while in standby or sleep mode. This periodic action allows the device to maintain energy efficiency by remaining in low-power states while still providing timely responses to user requests, as the periodic checks ensure the device activates only when necessary, thus balancing operational speed with energy conservation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are provided for implementing more efficient printing in image forming devices by providing a user-interactive scheme for delaying printing of individual user-requested print operations when an individual image forming device to which a specific user-requested printing operation is directed is determined to be in a power saving mode. The disclosed system and method may determine whether a requested image forming device is in a power saving mode at the time that a user requests an image forming operation and automatically present to the user a formatted user interface page on a display at the user workstation. The formatted user interface may provide the user with an option to direct the image forming device to delay (hold) executing the requested image forming operation until some additional condition is met.