Printing Apparatus Job Management During Active Operations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printing apparatuses face issues where the connection between a printing apparatus and a server is disrupted during printing operations, leading to communication failures and inability to manage print jobs effectively, especially when users attempt to log out or abort print jobs.
Innovation Solution
The printing apparatus is designed with a control unit that manages print jobs by prohibiting disconnection during active printing, deleting jobs only after completion, and verifying user authenticity for abort instructions, ensuring seamless communication and user convenience by avoiding unnecessary disconnection requests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the user presses the logout key during printing, then the authenticated state is released allowing user logout, but the server and printing apparatus are unable to perform communication causing connection disruption
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit prevents the logout operation from being executed when a print job is being processed. By detecting the print execution state before allowing logout, the system blocks the disconnection instruction in advance, preventing the communication disruption that would otherwise occur when logout is pressed during printing.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit deletes the print job from storage only after confirming that printing is complete. This preliminary check ensures that the job is removed at the appropriate time, and the disconnection is permitted only after the printing process has fully concluded, maintaining communication stability throughout the critical printing phase.
2Speed
If the print job is deleted immediately upon receiving abort instruction, then the abort operation is responsive, but the user may need to repeatedly instruct disconnection if the job is not actually aborted
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit verifies whether the abort instruction was successfully executed by checking if the print job still exists in storage. This feedback mechanism determines whether disconnection should be permitted, ensuring that the system only allows logout after confirming the abort operation took effect, thereby preventing the need for repeated disconnection instructions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the authenticated state is released during printing, then user logout is enabled, but the printing apparatus cannot receive or process further communication from the server
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit detects the print execution state before processing the logout request and blocks the authenticated state release in advance. This preliminary prevention ensures that the communication channel between server and printing apparatus remains active throughout the printing process, avoiding any disruption to ongoing or future communication.
Data Source
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AI summary
A printing apparatus includes: a job storage unit configured to store a print job; a printing unit configured to perform a printing operation based on the stored print job; a receiving unit configured to receive an instruction to disconnect connection with an external apparatus; and a control device configured to perform: an establishment process of establishing connection with the external apparatus; a storage process of storing a print job received from the external apparatus in the job storage unit; a first deletion process of deleting the print job, for which a printing-related operation has been completed, from the job storage unit; a disconnection process of disconnecting the connection in response to a disconnection instruction received by the receiving unit; and a prohibition process of prohibiting performing the disconnection process after the printing-related operation starts until all the print jobs are deleted from the job storage unit.