Print Control Unit Analyzing Page Description Language for Monochrome Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image forming devices face inefficiencies in processing monochrome documents, leading to decreased processing speed and inaccurate determination of monochrome or color printing, often resulting in unnecessary color processing and increased costs for monochrome prints.

Innovation Solution

A control unit analyzes page description language to determine whether printing is monochrome or color and changes commands accordingly, eliminating unnecessary determination processing once color printing is confirmed, allowing for efficient processing of each page.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If color processing is conducted for all print data without determination, then processing can be performed without analysis, but processing speed decreases and unnecessary color printing occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidunnecessary color processing

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit performs preliminary determination of whether print data requires color or monochrome processing before actual printing operations. By analyzing the print data in advance and identifying monochrome regions, the system prepares appropriate processing paths ahead of time, avoiding unnecessary color processing and improving overall processing efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If determination of color or monochrome printing is performed after rasterization, then all print data can be processed uniformly, but processing burden increases and determination accuracy decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetermination accuracyVSAvoidprocessing burden

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit segments print data into color and monochrome regions through preliminary analysis before rasterization. By dividing the processing into distinct segments based on content type, the system determines the appropriate processing path for each segment independently, improving determination accuracy while reducing the overall processing burden through targeted handling

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If monochrome documents are processed as color documents, then color printing quality is maintained, but processing speed decreases and printing costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprint qualityVSAvoidprocessing speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The control unit applies different processing qualities to different regions of the print data. Monochrome regions are processed with monochrome settings while color regions receive color processing. This localized quality approach ensures that monochrome documents are processed efficiently without unnecessary color processing, improving both processing speed and cost-effectiveness while maintaining appropriate quality for each region type

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP1806681B1Print controlling device, image forming device, and print controlling method

Publication Date: 2009.12.23 KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECH INC

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AI summary

Disclosed is a print controlling device including a control unit to control printing according to an instruction which relates to the printing, wherein the control unit analyzes a page description language which relates to the printing, determines whether the printing is practically monochrome printing or color printing, and changes a first command of the page description language to a second command for monochrome printing when it is determined that the printing is monochrome printing.