Image Forming Apparatus Human Detection Print Job Notification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users of information processing apparatuses need to physically visit the image forming apparatus to collect their prints, resulting in increased labor and time expenditure.

Innovation Solution

An image forming apparatus equipped with a human detecting portion, job identifying portion, and notification processing portion that detects the presence of a human and identifies corresponding print jobs, allowing for notification of second print jobs from grouped information processing apparatuses, enabling users to wait for and collect prints more efficiently.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If users physically visit the image forming apparatus to collect prints, then they can retrieve their prints, but labor and time expenditure increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprint collection convenienceVSAvoidtime for collecting prints

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides feedback to users about the status of print jobs through notifications. When a print job is detected or its status changes, the system notifies the user via the notification processing portion, allowing users to monitor print status remotely without needing to physically visit the apparatus.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The notification processing portion acts as an intermediary between the image forming apparatus and users. It detects print job statuses and transmits this information to users through notification messages, eliminating the need for users to directly interact with the apparatus for status checking.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If users individually visit the image forming apparatus to collect prints, then they can retrieve their specific prints, but labor requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprint retrieval processVSAvoidprint collection efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-service by automatically detecting print jobs and notifying users without requiring user intervention. The human detecting portion and job detecting portion automatically monitor for print jobs and the notification processing portion automatically communicates status to users, reducing the need for users to actively manage print collection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If the system detects and notifies second print jobs from grouped information processing apparatuses, then users can wait for and collect all prints efficiently, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprint collection efficiencyVSAvoidsystem structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The notification processing portion performs multiple functions: it detects print jobs from various information processing apparatuses, identifies their statuses, and notifies users. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems into a single integrated component, managing complexity while achieving universal print monitoring capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system merges the detection of multiple print jobs from different sources into a unified notification process. The job detecting portion aggregates information about first and second print jobs, and the notification processing portion handles all notifications through a single mechanism, combining multiple functions into integrated processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS10317833B2Image forming apparatus, image forming method capable of notifying related print job

Publication Date: 2019.06.11 KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC

AI summary

An image forming apparatus includes: a print processing portion that executes print jobs transmitted from a plurality of information processing apparatuses, according to a predetermined execution order; a human detecting portion that detects a presence of a human within a predetermined specific range from the image forming apparatus; a job identifying portion that identifies, from the print jobs, a first print job that corresponds to the human detected by the human detecting portion; a job detecting portion that detects, from the print jobs, a presence of a second print job that was transmitted from any of one or more second information processing apparatuses that have been grouped into the same group as a first information processing apparatus that is a transmission source of the first print job identified by the job identifying portion; and a notification processing portion that notifies the presence of the detected second print job.