Portable ID Device for Information Equipment Access Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing information equipment management systems experience load concentration and communication delays due to frequent inquiries between information equipment and management servers, particularly when users log in and perform copy jobs, leading to inefficient management.

Innovation Solution

A portable personal identification apparatus that acquires biometric information to identify users and manages use approval/disapproval information, acting as a proxy server to reduce communication load between information equipment and management servers by storing and determining use approval/disapproval information locally.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the information equipment management server receives frequent inquiries from information equipment for authentication and function availability checks, then the management accuracy is improved, but the server experiences load concentration and communication delays

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanagement accuracyVSAvoidcommunication delay

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The personal identification apparatus performs preliminary authentication and stores use approval/disapproval information locally before the information equipment needs to inquire. This allows the information equipment to obtain immediate responses from the personal identification apparatus without contacting the management server for each operation, thereby reducing communication delays while maintaining management accuracy through pre-stored authoritative information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The personal identification apparatus acts as an intermediary between the information equipment and the information equipment management server. It receives authentication information from the server once, stores it locally, and then mediates subsequent authentication and function availability checks between the information equipment and server, reducing the server's communication load while maintaining accurate management control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the information equipment repeatedly communicates with the management server for authentication during login and copy jobs, then the use control accuracy is improved, but the communication load on the server increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuse control accuracyVSAvoidcommunication load

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary authentication when the user first logs in, obtaining and storing use approval/disapproval information in the personal identification apparatus. This preliminary action eliminates the need for repeated communication with the management server during subsequent copy jobs and operations, significantly reducing communication load while maintaining accurate use control through the pre-stored information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The personal identification apparatus provides self-service by storing authentication and use approval information locally, enabling the information equipment to verify user authorization without contacting the management server for each operation. This self-service mechanism reduces the server's communication load while maintaining use control accuracy through locally stored authoritative data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach allows for efficient management of information equipment without constant communication with management servers, dispersing the communication load and improving responsiveness by using the personal identification apparatus to control operations based on stored use approval/disapproval information.

Implementation Method 1

a personal identification apparatus which is portable and capable of acquiring biometric information of a carrying person thereof and thereby identifying the carrying person

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectBiometric information acquisition:

Data Source

PatentUS10397441B2Information equipment management system for managing use approval/disapproval information, information equipment, personal identification apparatus, and recording medium

Publication Date: 2019.08.27 KONICA MINOLTA INC

AI summary

An information equipment management system includes a personal identification apparatus which is portable and capable of acquiring biometric information of a carrying person thereof and thereby identifying the carrying person, an information equipment, and an information equipment management server for managing use approval/disapproval information which is management information on approval or disapproval of use of the information equipment. The personal identification apparatus includes an acquisition part for acquiring use approval/disapproval information of the information equipment relating to the carrying person, which is use approval/disapproval information managed by the information equipment management server, from the information equipment management server and a storage part for storing therein the use approval/disapproval information acquired from the information equipment management server. The information equipment controls an operation of the information equipment by using the use approval/disapproval information stored in the storage part of the personal identification apparatus.