Printer Authentication Automation via Automatic User-Department Association
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming apparatuses require users to manually associate department IDs with user names for authentication, making it cumbersome to limit sheet usage or track usage on a department-by-department basis, especially when both departmental and user authentication modes are enabled.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus that automatically registers and associates user identification information with department information, allowing for the generation of operation objects on the screen for print job execution and displaying a list of print jobs based on selected user identification, thereby simplifying the authentication process by integrating departmental and user authentication modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual registration of department ID with user name is required, then authentication control can be performed, but user operation becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically registering department ID and user name association in the user database when a print job is received, before the user needs to perform authentication. The registration unit automatically creates or updates the user identification information entry with department ID, eliminating the need for manual registration by users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the print job itself to trigger automatic registration of user and department information. When a user submits a print job, the obtaining unit extracts user and department information from the job attributes, and the registration unit automatically associates this information in the user database without requiring user intervention for manual registration.
2Ease of operation
If automatic registration of user and department information is implemented, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The registration unit performs multiple functions: it extracts user information and department ID from print job attributes, determines whether to register new user identification information or update existing entries, and manages the user database. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate components into a single registration unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The registration unit acts as an intermediary component between the print job receiving unit and the user database. It mediates the automatic association of user and department information by extracting data from print job attributes and formatting it for database storage, simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Reliability
If both departmental authentication and user authentication are enabled, then comprehensive authentication control is achieved, but the need to manually associate authentication modes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically creating user identification information entries that include both user name and department ID when a print job is received. This preliminary registration ensures that when users need to authenticate using either departmental authentication or user authentication, the necessary information is already associated, eliminating the need for manual association of authentication modes.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an obtaining unit configured to obtain attribute information of a print job that has been input to the image forming apparatus, a registration unit configured to register user identification information in which user information indicating a user who has input the print job and group information indicating a group where the user belongs are associated with each other, the user information and the group information being included in the obtained attribute information, a generation unit configured to generate on an operation screen an operation object for receiving an operation request for executing a print job, based on the registered user identification information, and a display control unit configured to display, in response to receiving selection of the generated operation object, a list screen with a list of print jobs input by a user identified from the user identification information corresponding to the selected operation object.