Printer Utility Ink Status During Busy Interface

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Solution Overview

Problem

In existing printing systems, the printer utility cannot verify the printer's status while the printer driver is executing print processing, as the printer interface is occupied, preventing users from checking ink or battery levels during printing.

Innovation Solution

A control method executed by the printer utility that determines the status of the printer interface and obtains the printer status either by directly accessing it if not occupied or by retrieving the status stored by the printer driver if the interface is occupied.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the printer driver opens the printer interface to execute print processing, then print processing can be performed, but the interface becomes occupied and the printer utility cannot communicate with the printer

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprint processing executionVSAvoidprinter status verification

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The printer driver stores printer status information in advance during the printing process. When the print job is complete or paused, this pre-stored status information is made available to the printer utility, allowing it to display status without needing to access the occupied interface during active printing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of directly accessing the printer interface during printing, the printer utility obtains a copy of the status information that was previously retrieved and stored by the printer driver. This copy allows the utility to display status information without interfering with the active print processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Measurement precision

If the printer utility directly accesses the printer interface to obtain status, then real-time status can be obtained, but access is blocked when the printer driver is using the interface

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestatus information accuracyVSAvoidinterface accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The printer driver acts as an intermediary between the printer interface and the printer utility. It retrieves status information from the printer interface and stores it, then provides this information to the utility when requested, even when the interface is occupied by other printing operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The printer driver performs preliminary status information retrieval and storage during the printing process. This allows the utility to access this pre-retrieved information without needing to directly access the occupied interface, ensuring both accuracy and availability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8228531B2Control method by printer utility and information processing apparatus

Publication Date: 2012.07.24 CANON KK

AI summary

A printer utility 06 determines, upon receiving an instruction to display the remaining amount of ink, whether the interface with the selected printer is busy. If not busy, a status is obtained using that interface, and the remaining amount of ink, which is a part of the status, is displayed. If busy, a nearest previous status of the printer is read if stored in a printer status storage unit 05, and the remaining amount of ink is displayed. If not stored, a nearest previous status of the printer is read if stored in a printer status storage unit 07, and the remaining amount of ink is displayed.