Print Job Filtering via Exclusion Filter for Variance Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Printing companies face difficulties in assessing suitable print jobs to offer, often producing unprofitable products or missing economic opportunities due to limitations in machinery, consumables, and staff skills, leading to inefficient job processing.
Innovation Solution
A method using a computer with an exclusion filter to compare print shop preferences with order forecasts, creating preference classes for suitable print jobs, and filtering out unsuitable requests, ensuring only economically and technically feasible jobs are processed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If printing companies accept all print job requests, then revenue opportunities increase, but processing capability and profitability deteriorate due to overwhelming variance in job types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the continuous stream of print job requests into discrete preference classes based on multiple criteria (product type, substrate, ink, press type, finish). This segmentation allows the printing company to handle jobs in organized groups rather than as individual unique requests, improving processing efficiency while maintaining the ability to accept diverse jobs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of job acceptance from individual job-level decisions to class-level decisions. By evaluating and accepting entire preference classes rather than individual jobs, the system transforms the decision-making parameter, enabling more efficient resource allocation and processing while maintaining profitability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If printing companies expand their service offerings to capture more market opportunities, then revenue potential increases, but technical and economic feasibility decreases due to resource limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining preference classes that represent economically and technically feasible combinations of printing parameters. Before actual job requests arrive, the system establishes which classes are viable based on the company's resources, capabilities, and cost structure. This preliminary classification ensures that only feasible services are offered, maintaining reliability while enabling diverse service offerings.
Solution Approach 2:
The preference classes serve as universal categories that can accommodate multiple specific job types within each class. A single preference class definition can handle various jobs with similar characteristics, allowing the printing company to offer diverse services through a standardized framework that ensures economic and technical feasibility for all jobs within accepted classes.
3Measurement precision
If printing companies manually evaluate each print job request, then job suitability assessment improves, but time consumption and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates preference classes as templates or copies that represent ideal job characteristics for each economically viable category. Instead of manually evaluating each job against all criteria, the system compares jobs against pre-established class templates, dramatically reducing evaluation time while maintaining assessment accuracy through the structured comparison framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The preference classes act as intermediaries between raw job requests and production scheduling. Rather than directly evaluating each job request against complex company constraints, the system uses preference classes as mediating categories that simplify the assessment process while preserving the ability to make accurate suitability decisions.
4Adaptability or versatility
If printing companies accept jobs outside their preferred categories, then market share increases, but processing efficiency and profitability decrease due to mismatched resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamics by allowing the set of accepted preference classes to be adjusted over time based on market conditions, resource availability, and company strategy. The system can dynamically add or remove preference classes from the accepted portfolio, enabling the company to adapt its service range while maintaining processing efficiency by only accepting jobs that match current capabilities and economic conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing printed products from print job requests (AA) using at least one computer (1) and at least one production machine (2), wherein order forecasts (AP) of print jobs are supplied to the computer (1) via at least one interface, and wherein preferences (P) of a printing company are supplied to the computer (1) via one or another interface.The invention is characterized in that the computer (1) uses an exclusion filter (F1) to sort out unsuitable print orders by comparing the printing company's preferences (P) with the order forecasts (AP) and creates preference classes (PK) for print orders based on the print orders that are not excluded, that data from print order requests (AA) are supplied to the computer (1) via at least one interface, that the computer (1) compares the data of the print order requests (AA) with the calculated preference classes (PK) of the print orders and sorts out unsuitable print order requests (AA), and that the computer (1) forwards only the remaining, suitable print order requests (AA) to the at least one production machine (2) of the printing company, which accepts the print order requests (AA) as print orders (A) and processes and produces them on the production machine (2).