Image Forming Apparatus User-Confirmed Log Analysis

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image forming apparatuses struggle to efficiently analyze troubles during image formation processing without requiring users to manually check operating procedures.

Innovation Solution

An image forming apparatus that acquires operational log data and displays the operating procedure to the user, allowing them to select whether the procedure was appropriate, and outputs data for trouble analysis based on the user's selection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If operational log data is output without user confirmation, then data output speed is improved, but analysis accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetrouble analysis speedVSAvoidtrouble analysis accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system displays the operating procedure extracted from operational log data to the user and requests confirmation of its appropriateness. This feedback loop ensures that the analyzed procedure actually reflects what the user did, thereby improving analysis accuracy while maintaining efficient automated data collection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically extracts and prepares the operating procedure from operational log data before presenting it to the user. This preliminary processing of data reduces the user's workload and maintains fast analysis speed while still allowing for accuracy verification

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If user must check operating procedure manually, then analysis accuracy is improved, but analysis time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetrouble analysis accuracyVSAvoidtrouble analysis time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a copy of the actual operating procedure from the operational log data and presents it to the user for confirmation. This allows the user to verify accuracy by comparing against their actual actions without having to manually re-execute or recall the procedure, thus maintaining accuracy while minimizing time loss

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Productivity

If automated trouble analysis is implemented, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential misinterpretation of user actions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetrouble analysis efficiencyVSAvoidtrouble analysis correctness

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where the user confirms or corrects the operating procedure extracted from logs. This ensures that automated analysis maintains high reliability by validating its interpretations against actual user knowledge, while still benefiting from automated data collection and processing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4333415B1Image forming apparatus, image forming program, and image forming method

Publication Date: 2025.05.07 FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP

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AI summary

An image forming apparatus includes a processor, in which the processor is configured to acquire operational log data about an operating procedure of a user who issues an instruction to perform image formation processing and display the operating procedure, in a case where a trouble occurs in the image formation processing and an instruction is issued to acquire the operational log data, cause the user to select whether or not the operating procedure is appropriate, and output data for trouble analysis according to a result of the selection of the user.