Reward Management in Printing Systems for Budget Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current printing systems lack an efficient mechanism to manage and control the usage of rewards, such as coupons, in a way that allows users to select print settings within a specified upper limit amount, leading to limitations in service promotion and user experience.
Innovation Solution
A printing system comprising a reward information memory for storing identification and upper limit amounts, a set charge memory for usage charges, and a controller that specifies selectable print settings based on input reward information, enabling controlled execution of printing within the upper limit amount.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a reward system is introduced to promote printing service usage, then service promotion and user engagement are improved, but control over reward usage and budget management become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a reward management server as an intermediary component that mediates between the printing device and the reward system. This server stores reward information, manages upper limit amounts, and communicates with the printing device to control reward usage. By placing the intermediary at the server level rather than embedding complex management logic in the printing device, the system achieves versatile reward promotion capabilities while keeping the printing device relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the reward management functionality into distinct components: reward information storage (separate database tables for reward IDs, upper limit amounts, and usage records), reward specification unit (separate logic for determining available print settings based on reward balance), and printing control unit (separate control for executing printing with reward constraints). This segmentation allows each component to handle specific tasks independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining promotional versatility.
2Ease of operation
If users are allowed to select print settings freely with rewards, then user experience is improved, but budget control and upper limit management become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and storing the upper limit amounts for each reward ID in the reward management server. Before printing occurs, the specification unit queries the current reward balance and pre-determines which print settings are within the allowable budget. This preliminary calculation ensures that budget control is established before the user makes selections, maintaining reliability while allowing flexible user choices within the predetermined budget constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the specification unit continuously monitors the reward balance and provides feedback to the printing control unit about which print settings are selectable based on the remaining upper limit amount. After each printing operation, the system updates the reward usage records and recalculates the remaining balance, providing ongoing feedback that ensures budget control is maintained while allowing users to make informed selections that enhance their experience.
3Measurement precision
If reward information is stored with detailed upper limit amounts, then budget management precision is improved, but data storage and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by storing different types of numerical data with appropriate precision levels in different database tables. The reward information table stores upper limit amounts with sufficient precision for budget management, while the reward usage table stores usage amounts with matching precision. This localized precision approach ensures accurate budget tracking where needed without unnecessarily high precision elsewhere, maintaining data management simplicity while achieving the required measurement precision for financial control.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a printing system. A reward information memory stores reward identification information and an upper limit amount in association with each other. A set charge memory stores a usage charge for each print setting. A specification unit obtains an upper limit amount in association with the input reward identification information from the reward information memory, and specifies selectable print settings within a range of the upper limit amount from the information stored in the set charge memory. A controller controls the execution of printing so as to be executed with the print settings specified by the specification unit.