Print Queue Calendar View With Dynamic Job Magnification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing print jobs in a calendar view on a printing device is challenging due to the wide range of estimated print times, from 0.4 seconds to 5+ hours, which makes it difficult to display jobs contiguously and at a manageable height, leading to issues with visibility and user interface management.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that dynamically adjusts the level of detail in the calendar view based on job durations, using magnification levels and non-contiguous display to ensure active jobs are visible without requiring manual operator intervention, and automatically zooms in or out to maintain visibility of jobs at a minimum required height.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If print jobs are displayed in a calendar view with a fixed minimum height, then all jobs can be shown in the interface, but jobs with short estimated times (0.4 seconds) become invisible or indistinguishable from the timeline grid
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamic magnification levels that automatically adjust based on the estimated processing time of each print job. Instead of using a fixed minimum height, the system calculates a magnification level for each job and applies it dynamically, allowing short jobs to be displayed at appropriate sizes while maintaining visibility of all jobs in the calendar view.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the display parameter (magnification level) based on the estimated processing time parameter. By calculating a magnification level related to the estimated processing time and applying it to each job's display, the system adapts the visual representation to match the actual job duration, resolving the contradiction between showing all jobs and maintaining accurate duration representation.
2Device complexity
If the calendar view uses a uniform time scale for all jobs, then the interface is simple to implement, but jobs with vastly different durations (0.4 seconds to 5+ hours) cannot be displayed contiguously at manageable heights
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static calendar view into a dynamic system where magnification levels automatically adjust based on job characteristics. The system maintains a uniform time scale framework but applies dynamic magnification to each job's display, allowing the interface to adapt to varying job durations without requiring manual intervention or complex user interactions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-adjustment by automatically calculating and applying magnification levels based on estimated processing times. This eliminates the need for manual operator intervention to adjust the calendar view, allowing the system to manage itself and maintain ease of operation while handling the wide range of job durations.
3Quantity of substance
If the system displays all print jobs at once in the calendar view, then the complete job list is visible, but scrolling becomes excessive and user navigation becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic magnification that automatically adjusts the display scale based on the estimated processing times of jobs. This dynamic adjustment reduces the amount of scrolling required by optimizing the visible time window, allowing users to see more relevant information at once while maintaining the ability to access the complete job list.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the estimated processing time calculations to automatically adjust the magnification level and visible time window. This feedback mechanism optimizes the display to show the most relevant jobs and time periods, reducing unnecessary scrolling and improving user navigation efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing system includes a printing device that receives print jobs. The print jobs are placed in a job queue within the digital front end (DFE) of the printing device. The printing device also includes a user interface to display information related to processing the print jobs. Methods executed at the DFE include defining a time period to process the print jobs at the printing device. A production time is estimated for each print job within the job queue related to parameters of the respective print jobs. A magnification level for each print job is generated based on the respective production time. The magnification level determines a visual display within the user interface. As a current job indicator moves over the slots related to the print jobs, the visual display is adjusted according to the magnification level.