Printer Operation History Recording for Print Area Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing printing systems fail to accurately match the user's intended print area when printing from a portable terminal, often resulting in blurry or excessively large printed content due to the difference between mobile and PC display formats.

Innovation Solution

A printing system that includes a terminal with an operation history recording unit to detect and record user interactions on the screen, and a printer that uses this information to determine the intended print area based on user operation history, ensuring that the printed area aligns with the user's intentions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a page intended for a PC is obtained and printed from a portable terminal, then the print quality improves, but the printed content becomes much larger than expected by the user

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprint qualityVSAvoiduser intention accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal records user operations (scrolling, zooming, tapping) before the print instruction is given, and transmits this operation history to the printer. The printer uses this pre-recorded information to determine the intended print area, thus preparing necessary information in advance to resolve the contradiction between print quality and user intention accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system transmits operation history information from the terminal to the printer, creating a feedback loop that allows the printer to understand user intent based on observed interactions with the display content. This feedback mechanism enables the printer to adjust the print area to match user expectations while maintaining high print quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Quantity of substance

If the content of all elements is displayed uniformly on a PC page, then the complete information is provided, but the printed area becomes much larger than the mobile display area

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidprint area
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the necessary portion of the PC page content based on user operations (such as the current display area, scrolled regions, or tapped elements) and transmits only this extracted portion to the printer. This extraction principle reduces the print area to match the actual information the user intends to print, while still providing complete information within that selected scope.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of uniformly printing the entire PC page, the system applies local quality by determining different print areas based on user interactions with specific regions of the display. The printer focuses on printing only the locally relevant content that the user has interacted with or is currently viewing, rather than treating the entire page uniformly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Measurement precision

If operation history information is recorded and transmitted to determine print area, then the user intention accuracy improves, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser intention detection accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal device performs multiple functions: it not only displays content but also records user operations and transmits both the operation history and print instructions to the printer. The printer also performs multiple functions: receiving operation history, determining print area based on this history, and executing the print task. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components, thereby managing system complexity while improving user intention detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3131003B1Printing system, printer, and program
Publication Date: 2020.10.28 FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP
  • EP3131003B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3131003B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3131003B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A printing system includes a terminal and a printer communicable with the terminal. The terminal includes: an operation history recording unit that detects an operation performed by a user for changing a display area of an electronic document displayed on a screen of the terminal, and records operation history information that includes type information about the operation; and an instruction transmitting unit that transmits, to the printer, print instruction information including the operation history information recorded by the operation history recording unit and document information for identifying the electronic document. The printer includes: an instruction receiving unit that receives the print instruction information from the terminal; and a print controller that determines, in accordance with the operation history information included in the received print instruction information, a print area of the electronic document identified by using the document information, and performs control so as to print the determined print area.