Image Forming Apparatus Remote Print Quality Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users remotely requesting printing jobs from image forming apparatuses face challenges in confirming the quality of printed materials, leading to potential human errors such as incorrect paper sizes, resulting in waste and delayed preparations for meetings.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with a control device that temporarily suspends production after initial printing, allowing users to confirm the quality via communication with a terminal device, and resumes printing only if the quality meets requirements, thereby minimizing waste and ensuring timely preparation of materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the image forming apparatus executes the printing job automatically without suspension, then the productivity is improved, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates due to undetected human errors in print settings
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary printing of a test page before the full printing job, allowing quality verification before committing to complete production. This preliminary action enables detection of settings errors early, preventing waste of remaining paper while maintaining overall productivity through automated suspension and resumption capabilities.
2Manufacturing precision
If the system suspends printing for quality confirmation, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the productivity deteriorates due to extended printing time
Solution Approach 1:
The printing process is segmented into three distinct phases: preliminary printing of a test page, quality confirmation phase where the user verifies output, and resumption phase for completing the job. This segmentation allows quality control without requiring suspension of the entire printing process, maintaining productivity while ensuring precision.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the user is located at a remote position, then the adaptability is improved, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inability to confirm printed material quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a physical copy (test page) of the print output that can be transported to the remote user location. This copying approach enables quality verification by the end user without requiring their physical presence at the image forming apparatus, thus maintaining both remote work adaptability and quality control precision.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an enquirer that temporarily suspends production of a printed material, after at least one set of the printed materials has been produced, upon deciding that a print request has been sent from a predetermined remote location distant from an installation site of the image forming apparatus, and enquires whether the production of the printed material may be resumed, to a user through a network I/F, a response receiver that receives a response from the user, to the enquiry made by the enquirer, and a controller that resumes the production of the printed material, upon deciding that the response receiver has received a permission to resume the production of the printed material, from the user.