Printer Job Access Across Multiple Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
In existing shared printer systems, users with printing authority can only access and use the printer where their printing job is registered, limiting flexibility and convenience when multiple printers are involved.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus and system that includes a processor, network interface, and display device, which acquires identification information of other printers a user has authority for and displays their registered jobs, allowing printing output from any authorized printer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users can only access the printer where their printing job is registered, then printing authority and job security are maintained, but user flexibility and system versatility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables a user to access and execute printing jobs on multiple printers (first printer and second printer) rather than being restricted to a single printer. The printing authority management unit allows a user to have printing authority on multiple printers, and the job execution unit can execute the same printing job on different printers based on user selection or system configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The printing authority management unit acts as an intermediary between the user and multiple printers, managing and controlling printing authority. This intermediary component ensures that users can access multiple printers while maintaining proper authorization and control mechanisms
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple printers are available in the system, then printing options and flexibility increase, but system complexity and job management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the management of multiple printers under a unified control framework. The printing authority management unit and job execution unit work together to provide centralized management of printing jobs across multiple printers, allowing users to access and manage jobs on different printers through a consistent interface and process
Solution Approach 2:
The job execution unit is designed to execute printing jobs on multiple different printers (first image forming apparatus and second image forming apparatus). The system provides universal job execution capability across different printer types and locations, reducing the need for separate management systems for each printer
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a processor, a network interface and a display device. The network interface under processor control acquires identification information of a different image forming apparatus on which a user is determined to have use authority based on user identification information of the user. The network interface under processor control also acquires an image forming job registered with the different image forming apparatus based on the acquired identification information of the different image forming apparatus. The display device under processor control displays the image forming job acquired by the network interface.