Printer Notification Delivery via User Identity Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image-outputting systems for printers struggle to deliver notifications to specific users when multiple users share a printer, leading to notifications being missed by the intended administrator.
Innovation Solution
An image-outputting apparatus with a network interface, output unit, user interface, and controller that determines user login status and permissions, allowing authorized users to receive notifications at suitable times and storing data for later output when not logged in.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the server sends notifications to the printer for printing, then notifications can be delivered to users, but when multiple users share a printer, the notification may be taken by the wrong user and the intended administrator may not receive it
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary verification mechanism where the printer checks the login user's identity against the notification's target user before outputting the notification. This intermediary step (user identity verification) ensures that notifications are only delivered to the intended recipient, preventing the problem where wrong users take notifications and intended recipients miss them.
2Speed
If the printer outputs notifications immediately upon receipt, then notification delivery is fast, but the notification may be output at an inappropriate time when the authorized user is not present
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic notification output timing by continuously monitoring the login status of authorized users. Instead of immediate or fixed-time output, the system adapts the notification output timing based on real-time user presence detection. When an authorized user logs in, the system dynamically triggers the notification output, ensuring both speed (immediate output upon user arrival) and appropriateness (user is actually present to receive it).
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the user interface about login status to control notification output timing. The printer receives feedback information about which user is logged in and uses this feedback to determine the appropriate moment to output notifications, creating a closed-loop control system that balances speed and timing appropriateness.
3Reliability
If the system checks user login status before each notification output, then notifications are delivered to the correct user, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by having the user interface automatically provide login status information to the control unit without requiring external verification systems. The system uses the existing login mechanism of the printer to self-determine user identity, leveraging already-available information rather than introducing complex external verification infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A server including a network interface, a storage and a controller. The network interface communicates with an image-outputting apparatus. The storage is capable of storing the notification data for transmission to the image-outputting apparatus. The controller receives the query information via the network interface, determines whether or not the notification data is stored in the storage in response to receiving the query information and receives the device information via the network interface in response to determining that the notification data is stored in the storage. The controller determines whether or not the login information included in the device information indicates a specific account. The controller transmits an output instruction to the image-outputting apparatus in response to determining that the login information indicates the specific account, the output instruction being for controlling the image-outputting apparatus to output a notification image represented by the notification data.