Register Mark Printing Condition Auto-Selection in Image Forming Apparatus

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional image forming apparatuses require cumbersome user operations to set register mark printing conditions correctly, leading to potential inappropriate settings due to the lack of correlation between page arranging and register mark printing functions.

Innovation Solution

An image forming apparatus with a display section, storage section, and setting control section that correlates page arranging modes with register mark printing conditions, allowing automatic selection and display of default printing conditions for register marks, disabling inappropriate settings when the page arranging mode is not established.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the user manually sets the register mark printing condition independently from the page arranging function, then the user can customize the printing condition, but the setting operations become cumbersome and error-prone

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveregister mark printing function setting operationVSAvoidcorrectness of register mark printing condition

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the page arranging function and register mark printing function into a single integrated setting operation. When the user sets the page arranging function, the system automatically determines the appropriate register mark printing condition based on the selected page arranging mode, eliminating the need for separate manual configuration and ensuring correctness through automatic correlation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs automatic determination of register mark printing conditions based on the page arranging mode selection. The control unit automatically selects the appropriate printing condition (such as printing on every sheet or every page) according to the page arranging function settings, without requiring user intervention, thereby ensuring reliable and context-appropriate configuration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Adaptability or versatility

If the system allows independent setting of register mark printing condition, then user flexibility is increased, but inappropriate settings cannot be prevented

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveregister mark printing condition selectionVSAvoidregister mark placement accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-establishes the correlation between page arranging modes and register mark printing conditions. Before the user needs to configure printing settings, the control unit has already determined the appropriate printing condition based on the page arranging function, ensuring that only context-appropriate settings are available to the user and preventing inappropriate configurations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides automatic feedback by determining the register mark printing condition based on the selected page arranging mode. The control unit monitors the page arranging function settings and automatically adjusts the register mark printing configuration to match, ensuring that the printing condition is always appropriate for the current page arranging context.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Device complexity

If separate setting operations are provided for page arranging and register mark printing functions, then functional independence is maintained, but the number of setting operations increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesetting operation structureVSAvoidtime for setting operations

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the setting operations for the page arranging function and register mark printing function into a single unified operation. When the user configures the page arranging function, the system simultaneously determines the appropriate register mark printing condition, reducing the number of separate setting operations and the time required for configuration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS8599429B2Control program and image forming apparatus

Publication Date: 2013.12.03 KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECH INC

AI summary

Disclosed is an image forming apparatus, which makes it possible to establish the register mark printing function easily and securely to print the register mark under the condition in conformity with the page arranging mode. The apparatus includes: a display section that displays a page-arranging function setting screen from which a page arranging mode is settable, and a register-mark printing function setting screen from which a kind and a printing condition of the register mark are settable; a storage section that stores a table in which the page arranging mode and the printing condition are correlated with each other; and a setting control section that specifies the printing condition of the register mark, corresponding to the current page arranging mode, while referring to the table stored in the storage section, to display the printing condition above-specified onto the register-mark printing function setting screen as a default printing condition.