MFP Setting Value Retention During User Log-Out
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Solution Overview
Problem
Information processing apparatuses, such as MFPs, face issues with setting values being erased or unnecessarily stored when users log out and log back in, leading to loss of customized settings and inefficient user experience.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes a log-out detector that associates setting values with users for storage and a recoverer that reinstates these values upon re-authentication, preventing deletion of stored settings when a different user logs in.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the MFP executes a log-out process when the user moves away, then security is improved, but the setting value is erased and the user must restart settings
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by storing the setting value in association with the user identification information before the user logs out. This allows the setting to be automatically restored when the user logs back in, eliminating the need to restart settings and resolving the time loss issue while maintaining security through proper log-out processing
2Productivity
If the MFP keeps the setting value stored after the user completes the process and logs out, then future operations are faster, but the default setting value is not displayed on next log-in
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies dynamics by making the setting value management adaptive based on operation completion status. When the user completes the process, the setting value is not stored, allowing default settings to be displayed on next log-in. When the operation is interrupted by log-out, the setting value is stored to enable faster future operations. This dynamic approach balances productivity and ease of operation
3Reliability
If the MFP erases the setting value when another user logs in, then system security is improved, but the first user's settings are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the setting value storage by associating it with user identification information, creating separate storage spaces for different users. When another user logs in, only that user's settings are affected while the first user's settings remain preserved in their dedicated storage space. This segmentation resolves both security concerns and information loss issues
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing apparatus includes an authenticator that authenticates a user, an operation acceptor that, during a period in which an operating user is logged in, accepts an operation by the operating user, a setter that sets a setting value, a log-out detector that detects log-out of the operating user, a setting value maintainer that, in the case where the log-out is detected, associates a setting value, which is set at a time point at which the log-out is detected, with the operating user, and a recoverer that, in the case where the operating user associated with the setting value stored is authenticated, sets a setting value to the setting value stored in the setting value maintainer, wherein the setting value maintainer, in the case where a user different from the operating user associated with the setting value stored is authenticated, does not delete the stored setting value.