Function-Aware Defect Notification for Shared Information Processing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users renting information processing apparatuses, such as multifunction peripherals, are burdened by notifications of defects that do not affect their utilized functions, causing unnecessary worry and response requirements.

Innovation Solution

An information processing apparatus that acquires information on user functions and, upon detecting a defect, determines if it affects the user and only notifies the manager or suppresses notifications to the user if the defect does not impact the utilized functions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If all defect notifications are provided to users, then complete information about apparatus status is transmitted, but users are burdened by unnecessary notifications affecting their quality of life

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedefect information transmissionVSAvoiduser burden and worry

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The notification system applies local quality by differentiating notification behavior based on the specific defect type and its impact on user functions. Different parts of the information (defect notifications) are treated differently: critical defects affecting user functions trigger notifications, while non-critical defects do not, thereby reducing unnecessary user burden while maintaining essential information flow.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system inverts the traditional approach by not notifying users of all defects, but rather selectively notifying only when necessary. Instead of assuming all defects require user awareness, the system determines that only defects impacting user functions warrant notification, flipping the notification logic from comprehensive to selective based on impact assessment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If defect notifications are suppressed for non-utilized functions, then user burden is reduced, but managers may miss important maintenance information

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser burdenVSAvoidmaintenance information for managers

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The notification system is segmented into different recipient groups (users and managers) with different notification criteria. Users receive notifications only for defects affecting their utilized functions, while managers receive comprehensive notifications for all defects. This segmentation allows the system to reduce user burden while ensuring managers maintain complete awareness for maintenance purposes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary assessment mechanism that evaluates defect impact on user functions before determining notification necessity. This intermediary layer acts as a filter between defect detection and user notification, preventing unnecessary user alerts while maintaining a separate communication channel for manager awareness, thus resolving the information loss concern.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If the system evaluates each defect against user functions, then notification accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenotification accuracyVSAvoidevaluation system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-establishing the relationship between apparatus functions and user utilized functions before defect detection occurs. This pre-configured mapping allows the evaluation process to simply check whether a detected defect corresponds to a pre-recorded user function, significantly simplifying the real-time evaluation complexity while maintaining high notification accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements self-service by automatically evaluating defect impact against stored user function information without requiring manual intervention or complex external analysis. The apparatus itself performs the evaluation using its own stored data about user utilization patterns, reducing the need for complex external evaluation systems while achieving precise notification accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12526372B2Information processing apparatus, non-transitory computer readable medium storing program, and information processing method

Publication Date: 2026.01.13 FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP

AI summary

An information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire information related to a function utilized by a user, and refer to the acquired information and, in a case where a defect occurs in the information processing apparatus and the defect is a defect not affecting the function utilized by the user, do not provide a notification of the defect to the user or provide a notification indicating that the defect does not affect the function utilized by the user to the user.