Targeted Ink Notification for Shared Printers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printing systems fail to efficiently notify terminal devices of ink purchase information, particularly in scenarios where multiple users share a printer, as they cannot accurately determine which users have the authority to purchase ink, leading to unnecessary notifications and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus and method that obtain terminal information, remaining ink amount, purchase authority, and notification conditions to determine and deliver targeted ink purchase notifications to only authorized terminal devices, ensuring that discount information is transmitted to the appropriate users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If notification is made to all terminal devices sharing a printer, then all users are informed about ink status, but unauthorized users receive unnecessary notifications and discount information
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system applies local quality by differentiating notification delivery based on user authorization status. Authorized users receive complete notifications including discount information, while unauthorized users receive no notifications or simplified notifications without promotional content. This selective information delivery resolves the contradiction by ensuring notification accuracy for the right audience without requiring complex centralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal device performs self-service by autonomously determining whether it has authorization to receive notifications and discount information. The device checks its own authorization status and selectively processes or ignores notification data accordingly, eliminating the need for complex server-side authorization management while ensuring accurate notification delivery.
2Loss of information
If discount information is transmitted to all terminal devices, then all users can access purchase information, but unauthorized users receive promotional content they cannot utilize
Solution Approach 1:
Discount information transmission applies local quality by customizing the information payload based on the recipient's authorization status. Authorized terminal devices receive complete discount information and promotional content, while unauthorized devices receive either no discount information or simplified notifications without promotional attachments. This resolves the contradiction by ensuring information accuracy while minimizing communication resource waste through selective information delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by delivering only the necessary portion of notification information to each terminal device based on authorization. Unauthorized users receive partial information (basic status updates only), while authorized users receive complete information including discounts. This approach avoids the waste of transmitting excessive information to all users while ensuring authorized users receive complete data.
3Reliability
If purchase authority verification is implemented, then only authorized users receive notifications, but the notification processing becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal device performs self-service authorization verification by autonomously checking whether it has purchase authority before processing notifications. The device uses its own stored authorization data to determine if it should receive and act on notification content, eliminating the need for complex server-side verification logic while ensuring reliable delivery only to authorized users.
Solution Approach 2:
Authorization verification is performed as a preliminary action before notification processing. The terminal device checks its authorization status in advance and uses this pre-determined information to guide subsequent notification handling. This preliminary verification simplifies the overall processing logic by establishing authorization status upfront rather than requiring complex conditional checks during notification processing.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a technique allows for execution of convenient processing to make a notification to a terminal device. Terminal information that is information related to each of terminal devices of users sharing a consumable, remaining amount information related to a remaining amount of the consumable, purchase authority information that is information related to purchase authority of the consumable, and notification information including notification conditions and information related to purchase of the consumable that is set according to the notification conditions are obtained. Additionally, the information related to purchase of the consumable is determined based on the terminal information, the remaining amount information, the purchase authority information, and the notification information.