Print Job Routing via Context Data and Security Evaluation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Printed documents left unattended at printing devices pose a security risk due to potential unauthorized access, and pull printing, while enhancing security, can impede productivity by requiring additional authentication and waiting time.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a network-based apparatus with a security evaluation engine and print engine that holds print jobs in a queue until the user is physically present at the printing device, using context data such as location and network security to authenticate and route print jobs securely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pull printing is implemented to enhance security, then security is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to additional authentication and waiting time
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the user's own portable computing device to automatically provide authentication credentials to the printing device. The user does not need to manually authenticate at the printer - their device self-services the authentication process by presenting stored credentials when in proximity, thus maintaining security while eliminating the manual authentication step that reduces productivity
Solution Approach 2:
Authentication credentials are pre-stored in the user's portable computing device before they reach the printing device. This preliminary action of pre-authentication allows the printing process to begin immediately when the user arrives, eliminating both the authentication wait time and the document generation wait time, thereby resolving the productivity issue while maintaining security
2Reliability
If print jobs are held in queue until user presence is confirmed, then security is improved, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication by detecting the user's portable computing device in proximity to the printing device. Once authenticated preliminarily, the print job is immediately released from the queue and sent to the printing device, eliminating the time delay between authentication and document generation while ensuring security through the preliminary presence confirmation
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous monitoring for user presence through the portable computing device connection. When the user arrives, the authentication and print job release happen continuously without interruption, eliminating gaps where time is lost while maintaining the security requirement of user presence confirmation
Data Source
AI summary
An example of an apparatus includes a network interface to receive print data and context data associated with a portable computing device. The apparatus includes a memory storage unit to store the print and context data, wherein the memory storage unit includes a database of printing devices. The apparatus includes a processor to monitor the context data and to select a printing device from the database based on the context data. The apparatus includes a security evaluation engine to determine whether the printing device and the portable computing device are connected via a secure network. The apparatus includes a print engine to route a print job generated from the print data automatically to the printing device when the printing device and the portable computing device are connected via the secure network and to store the print job in a queue when the printing device is outside the secure network.