Printer Readout Control Section for Partial Data Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses lack the ability to efficiently perform print processing on specific user-defined portions of data stored in external memories, such as USB devices, without reading and processing the entire dataset.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with a display section, operation acceptance section, printing section, external terminal, display control section, readout control section, interpreter section, and control section that reads an execution program and metadata from an external memory, allowing users to specify print target areas and perform print processing only on the desired data portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the image forming apparatus reads and processes the entire dataset from external memory, then complete print processing can be performed, but data handling time and storage requirements increase unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and processes only the necessary portion of data from the external memory based on user specifications. The system reads only the selected pages or segments into the image memory, leaving the rest of the data untouched in the external memory, thereby reducing data handling time and storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the document data into separate pages or segments, allowing the user to select and process only specific portions. The image forming apparatus handles each selected segment independently, enabling efficient partial print processing without requiring the entire dataset to be loaded into memory.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the image forming apparatus provides full print processing capability, then all data can be printed, but the system complexity and operation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the user to independently select which portions of the data to print through a simple interface. The system provides self-service functionality where the user can specify print targets (full document, specific pages, or segments) without requiring complex configuration or technical knowledge, maintaining ease of operation while preserving full print processing capability.
3Reliability
If the image forming apparatus stores and processes large datasets, then complete documents can be printed, but storage requirements and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary data portions from the external memory into the image memory for processing. By reading only the selected pages or segments rather than the entire dataset, the system maintains print processing completeness for the selected content while significantly reducing the quantity of data that needs to be stored and processed in the apparatus's memory.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes a display section, an operation acceptance section, a printing section, an external terminal, a display control section, a readout control section, an interpreter section, and a control section. The readout control section reads metadata on a print job from a USB memory connected to the external terminal. The display control section uses a result of analysis of the metadata in the interpreter section to allow the display section to display a display prompting a user to specify a print target area in document data generated as the print job. The readout control section uses the result of analysis to read from the USB memory a portion of data corresponding to the specified print target area. The control section allows the printing section to perform print processing based on the read portion of data corresponding to the print target area.