Networked Printer Email Address Book Automation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face inconvenience in manually adding email addresses to the local address book of printing devices, which limits the efficiency of sending documents electronically to recipients.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that automatically extract the sender's email address from incoming electronic messages and add it to the local address book of a networked document output device, allowing for seamless integration of email addresses without manual input.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If users manually add email addresses to the device address book, then the address book can be updated, but the process is time-consuming and inconvenient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of adding email addressVSAvoidtime to add email address

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically extracts email addresses from incoming electronic messages and adds them to the address book without requiring user intervention. The device serves itself by monitoring incoming messages, identifying sender email addresses, and automatically populating the address book, thereby eliminating manual input operations and time consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs email address extraction and address book update actions in advance of when the user needs to send documents. By continuously monitoring incoming messages and pre-populating the address book with sender email addresses, the system ensures that email addresses are readily available when needed, eliminating the need for manual addition at the moment of use.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If the device automatically extracts and stores email addresses from incoming messages, then the address book is automatically updated, but there is a risk of storing unwanted or incorrect addresses

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveefficiency of sending documentsVSAvoidaccuracy of address book data

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates user feedback mechanisms where users can review automatically added email addresses and provide corrections or deletions. The system monitors user interactions with automatically added addresses and uses this feedback to refine its extraction criteria, improving accuracy over time while maintaining high productivity through automated population.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts its email address extraction and storage behavior based on user interactions and patterns. It learns from user corrections and modifications to automatically added addresses, adapting its criteria for what constitutes a valid address to add. This dynamic adjustment maintains reliability by filtering out unwanted addresses while preserving productivity through continued automation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS8334996B2Automated e-mail address book update system and method for document output devices

Publication Date: 2012.12.18 XEROX CORP

AI summary

A method for adding a user's e-mail address to the address book of a networked document output device includes receiving an electronic message from a user, automatically extracting the sender's electronic address, and automatically adding the electronic address to an address book used by the document output device. A networked document output device includes memory for storing document data, means for sending document to users on a network, means for receiving electronic communications from a networked user, and a controller for practicing a method that includes extracting an electronic address from a received e-mail, and adding the user's address to a local address book.