Image Processing Service Management with Selective Function Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing service management systems fail to ensure continuous service functionality during renewal procedures, leading to potential loss of data or events, such as document sorting, when services are stopped temporarily and then resumed after renewal.
Innovation Solution
A service management system that includes a processor to manage service usage terms and stop specific functions when the term expires, with optional grace periods and user-specific locking to allow controlled service continuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the service is stopped temporarily after the usage term expires until the renewal procedure is performed, then the renewal procedure can be completed, but the service cannot continue to operate during the renewal period causing data loss or interruption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments service functions into two categories: functions to be stopped when usage term expires, and functions to be continued even after expiration. This segmentation allows selective service continuation, ensuring critical functions operate during renewal periods while non-critical functions are stopped, thereby preventing data loss and maintaining service reliability without requiring complete service interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-defining which functions should be stopped and which should continue when usage term expires. The system automatically executes this pre-planned function separation when the usage term ends, ensuring smooth transition during renewal without unexpected service interruptions or data loss.
2Reliability
If all service functions are stopped when the usage term expires, then the renewal procedure can be enforced, but essential functions that need to continue are also stopped causing operational disruption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides service functions into stopable and non-stopable categories based on their operational importance. Critical functions that need to continue during renewal are separated from functions that can be stopped, allowing the system to maintain essential operations while enforcing renewal requirements, thus preserving both reliability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of individual functions based on their specific characteristics and requirements. Instead of uniformly stopping all functions, the system applies selective stopping only to functions that do not require continuous operation, while maintaining continuity for functions where service disruption would cause data loss or operational issues.
Data Source
AI summary
A service management system includes at least one processor configured to: acquire a usage term of a service related to an image processing apparatus; acquire stopped function information defined for each service, the stopped function information indicating which function, from among functions related to the service, is to be stopped when the usage term expires; and stop, when the usage term of the service expires, usage of the function included in the stopped function information defined for the service with the expired usage term.