Image Forming Device History Logging via External Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional printer management systems fail to store history information reliably, leading to a user's inability to recognize the usage status of the printer when issues arise during print jobs, as the information is only stored after the process is completed.
Innovation Solution
An image forming device with an information writing control unit that writes history information into an external storage device via a network before the completion of the image formation process, ensuring that usage status data is preserved even if issues occur during print jobs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If history information is stored in the print server after the print process is completed, then the print server can manage usage status, but the history information is not stored when trouble occurs during the print process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by writing history information to the external storage device before the print process is completed. The information writing control unit writes usage status information to the external storage device during the print process, not after completion. This ensures that even if the print process is interrupted or fails, the history information has already been preserved in the external storage device, preventing information loss.
2Ease of operation
If history information is stored only after print job completion, then the print server manages usage status, but users cannot recognize usage status when trouble occurs during print jobs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the action of writing history information to external storage before the print process completes. This preliminary writing ensures that usage status information is available for user recognition even if the print job is interrupted or fails, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability.
3Device complexity
If history information is stored in the print server after print completion, then the system structure is simple, but data loss occurs when issues arise during execution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an external storage device as an intermediary between the image forming device and the print server. The information writing control unit writes history information to this external storage device during the print process. This intermediary storage mechanism prevents data loss without significantly complicating the overall system architecture, as the external storage device serves as a reliable buffer that can be accessed by both the image forming device and the print server.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming device includes an image forming unit configured to execute an image formation process to form an image on a recording medium based on an image formation job, and an information writing control unit configured to write history information based on the image formation job into an external storage device connected to the image forming device via a network, wherein the information writing unit writes the information into the external storage device before completion of the image formation process based on the image formation job by the image formation unit.