Image Forming System User Identification via Displayed Marker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming systems lack an efficient method to associate and display location information with printed documents, making it difficult to identify the user who instructed the printing and the corresponding location after the printing process.
Innovation Solution
An image forming system that includes a portable terminal device, an image forming apparatus, and a marker registration circuit, which registers markers with location information. The system uses an imaging device to acquire this information and outputs a position notification image, allowing identification of the user and location associated with the marker.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If dedicated markers are used to identify user location, then identification accuracy is improved, but device complexity and operation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the portable terminal device's imaging device to photograph and copy the marker displayed on the image forming apparatus's display device. This optical copy approach replaces the need for physical dedicated markers, maintaining identification accuracy while reducing system complexity. The marker information is transferred through image capture and processing rather than requiring separate physical marker components.
Solution Approach 2:
The display device serves multiple functions: it displays images to be printed and simultaneously displays the marker for user identification. The portable terminal device's imaging device serves both as a camera for photographing and as an information acquisition circuit for extracting marker data. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated marker components, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining identification capability.
2Measurement precision
If dedicated markers are used for identification, then user location identification is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures the marker through photographing the display device screen, eliminating the need for users to manually handle or attach physical markers. The information acquisition circuit automatically extracts marker information from the photographed image, making the operation as simple as taking a photo while maintaining accurate user identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The display device automatically displays the marker associated with the printing user, and the portable terminal device automatically captures and processes this marker information. The system performs the identification function autonomously without requiring users to manually input or attach markers, simplifying operation while maintaining identification accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If markers are printed on recording medium, then location information association is improved, but loss of substance increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of printing physical markers on recording media, the system displays the marker on the display device and captures it through photographing. This digital copy approach eliminates the need for physical marker materials while maintaining the association between location information and the printing user. The marker exists as display information rather than physical substance.
Solution Approach 2:
The marker function is extracted from the recording medium and placed on the display device. The display device becomes the carrier of marker information, separating the identification function from the printing output. This extraction eliminates the need to print markers on recording media, preventing material consumption while maintaining location information association.
4Productivity
If traditional image forming systems are used, then printing function is maintained, but user identification capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the printing function with the user identification function by displaying the marker on the same display device that shows the image to be printed. The marker is associated with the printing user and is captured together with the printing process information. This combination maintains full printing functionality while adding user identification capability without requiring separate systems.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming system includes a portable terminal device, an image forming apparatus, and a marker registration circuit. A display device in the image forming apparatus displays a marker associated with location information of a user who has instructed execution of printing on a recording medium. The portable terminal device includes an information acquisition circuit and a position notification image output circuit. The information acquisition circuit photographs the marker displayed on the display device using an imaging device, so as to acquire the location information registered in the marker registration circuit, and the location information is associated with the marker photographed by the imaging device. The position notification image output circuit outputs a position notification image that notifies an output device of a position corresponding to the location information acquired by the information acquisition circuit.