Shortcut Management for Multifunction Printers with Card Association Limits
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current image processing apparatuses, such as printers and multifunction peripherals, face limitations in usability and operability due to the one-to-one association between card information and shortcut settings, restricting users' ability to manage multiple card information associations with function combinations and setting values.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus with a management unit to associate multiple pieces of card information with function combinations and setting values, and a control unit for display control, allowing either card information to apply the corresponding setting values, even if only one is read, thus enhancing usability and operability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If one-to-one association between card information and shortcut settings is implemented, then system simplicity is maintained, but user flexibility and operability are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables one shortcut setting to be universally associated with multiple card information pieces, allowing a single shortcut to serve multiple users or card holders. This multi-functionality approach resolves the contradiction by improving user flexibility without proportionally increasing system complexity, as the shortcut itself becomes a shared resource rather than requiring separate shortcut instances for each card.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple card information associations into a single shortcut setting, combining what would traditionally require separate one-to-one mappings. By merging the association relationship, the system allows multiple cards to access the same shortcut, thereby improving ease of operation while actually reducing the total number of management entities compared to maintaining separate shortcuts for each card.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple card information associations are allowed with the same shortcut, then user convenience is improved, but management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shortcut setting is designed to accommodate multiple card information associations, making it a universal access point for different users. This versatility improvement does not significantly increase management complexity because the system manages associations at the data structure level rather than requiring complex procedural management of multiple independent shortcuts.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically manages the association between card information and shortcuts through automated registration and recognition processes. When a card is read, the system self-service identifies and applies the corresponding shortcut settings without requiring manual intervention, thereby improving adaptability while keeping management complexity low through automation.
3Extent of automation
If card information is read to apply shortcut settings, then automatic setting application is achieved, but user authentication requirements are eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic setting application through self-service mechanisms where the card information itself triggers the shortcut activation. The card acts as a self-service key that automatically retrieves and applies the associated shortcut settings without requiring user authentication, thereby achieving high automation while maintaining reliability through the inherent uniqueness of card information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the card reading process provides immediate feedback about which shortcut should be applied. The system reads the card information, automatically identifies the corresponding shortcut association, and applies the settings in a closed-loop feedback process, ensuring both automation and accuracy in setting application.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing apparatus includes a management unit configured to manage a shortcut in association with one or more pieces of card information and a control unit configured to execute display control on a display, wherein, when first card information and second card information are managed in association with a first shortcut, the control unit executes control on a screen for the function corresponding to the first shortcut to display in a state where the corresponding group of setting values is applied to the function even if either one of the first card information and the second card information is read. Further, the number of pieces of card information that can be associated with the shortcut has an upper limit.