Image Forming Apparatus Continuous Printing Media Feed Control

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image forming apparatuses experience downtime due to incomplete consideration of print job progress, leading to unnecessary stops during continuous printing attempts, as they do not account for the remaining sheets required for a print job, resulting in potential downtime even when settings are compatible.

Innovation Solution

An image forming apparatus with a determination unit that assesses the progress of the first print job to decide if the second print job can be started before completing the first, by feeding print media to the conveyance path only when sufficient sheets remain, ensuring continuous printing without interruptions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the image forming apparatus feeds print media for the second print job before completing output for the first print job to achieve continuous printing, then productivity is improved, but downtime occurs when the determination of continuous printing capability is inaccurate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontinuous printing capabilityVSAvoiddowntime

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The determination unit performs preliminary assessment of whether continuous printing can be achieved by comparing print settings and evaluating the progress of the first print job before actually feeding media for the second print job. This advance determination prevents unnecessary downtime by ensuring continuous printing conditions are met before initiating the feed operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors the progress of the first print job and uses this feedback information to dynamically determine whether to proceed with feeding media for the second print job. The determination unit adjusts the continuous printing decision based on real-time status of the first job, ensuring accurate timing for media feeding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Device complexity

If the image forming apparatus determines continuous printing capability based only on print settings without considering print job progress, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision of continuous printing capability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetermination mechanismVSAvoidcontinuous printing determination accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The determination unit performs preliminary assessment of whether continuous printing can be achieved by comparing print settings and evaluating the progress of the first print job before actually feeding media for the second print job. This advance determination prevents unnecessary downtime by ensuring continuous printing conditions are met before initiating the feed operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors the progress of the first print job and uses this feedback information to dynamically determine whether to proceed with feeding media for the second print job. The determination unit adjusts the continuous printing decision based on real-time status of the first job, ensuring accurate timing for media feeding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS10122867B2Image forming apparatus and image forming method with continuous printing

Publication Date: 2018.11.06 CANON KK

AI summary

An image forming apparatus performs printing based on a print job and determines whether printing for a first print job and a second print job having been received after the first print job can be made continuously based on a progress of printing for the first print job. In a case where it is determined that the printing for the first print job and the second print job can be made continuously, print media to be used for printing for the second print job is fed to a conveyance path before completing outputting printouts for the first print job.