Printing System Job Routing to Prevent Media Errors

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current printing systems experience downtime and inefficiencies due to media-related errors, as they do not effectively manage print jobs across multiple devices, leading to wasted time and resources, especially in high-production environments, as users react to errors without foresight into upcoming issues.

Innovation Solution

A method that involves managing a network of printing devices by collecting and analyzing device status, error, and job information to prioritize print jobs, redirecting them to available devices based on resource availability and historical performance data, thereby minimizing errors and optimizing resource utilization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a reaction-type error notification process is used, then users are informed of current errors, but additional downtime is created and user time is wasted due to lack of foresight into future errors

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveerror notification reliabilityVSAvoiddowntime and user reaction time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by proactively notifying users of potential future errors before they occur. The error prediction module analyzes current device status and historical data to forecast upcoming errors, allowing users to take preventive actions during scheduled maintenance windows rather than experiencing unexpected downtime during critical operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring device status and comparing predicted errors against actual error occurrences. This feedback loop refines prediction accuracy over time and provides users with validated error forecasts, improving the reliability of notifications while reducing false alarms that would waste user time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If print jobs are distributed without considering device status and error information, then job submission is simple, but errors occur and productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvejob submission simplicityVSAvoidprinting productivity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service by allowing print jobs to automatically select optimal devices based on real-time status information. The job routing module autonomously evaluates device availability, current workload, and predicted error risks to distribute jobs without requiring user intervention, maintaining operational simplicity while maximizing productivity through intelligent automation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary evaluation of device status and error predictions before job submission. By pre-assessing which devices are likely to encounter errors and proactively routing jobs to reliable alternatives, the system prevents productivity losses from unexpected errors while keeping the user experience simple and uninterrupted

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If error information is not analyzed proactively, then system complexity is low, but downtime increases due to unanticipated errors

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveerror management complexityVSAvoidunanticipated downtime

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces manual error monitoring and reaction mechanisms with automated electronic analysis. The error prediction module uses software-based algorithms to continuously analyze device status data, patterns, and historical information, substituting complex manual processes with streamlined computational analysis that adds minimal system complexity while dramatically reducing unanticipated downtime

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11586406B2Printing system and methods to manage printing devices according to information for each printing device

Publication Date: 2023.02.21 KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS INC

AI summary

A printing system manages printing devices. A managing server receives device update status information and pending job information from each of the printing devices. A status change for a component within a first printing device is detected, thereby updating the device information for the first printing device. The managing server parses a print job queue for the first printing device to update the pending job information to determine the print job will cause a first potential error related to the changed status of the first printing device. When a new print job is received, the managing server determines that the new print job will not occur according to the first potential error, identifies a second printing device, determines the new print job will not result in a second potential error at the second printing device, and sends the new print job to the second printing device.