Voice-Controlled Printing Apparatus Template Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in operating printing apparatuses when multiple templates are stored on an external operation terminal, leading to cumbersome processes and reduced convenience.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus equipped with a conveyor, printing device, voice input device, output device, and controller that allows users to designate templates via voice input, inquire about content, and create print data through character recognition, simplifying the printing process by reducing the need for manual input operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If templates are stored on an external operation terminal, then the printing apparatus can access multiple templates, but the user operation becomes complicated and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations (keyboard input, mouse clicks, menu navigation) with voice-based acoustic input. Users speak natural language to select templates and input data, converting the mechanical interaction system into an acoustic field-based system that is more intuitive and less error-prone
Solution Approach 2:
The printing apparatus automatically performs template selection and data input processing based on voice commands. The system self-manages the complex operations of retrieving templates from external storage, parsing user intent, and formatting print data without requiring the user to manually navigate through multiple interface steps
2Ease of operation
If multiple templates are stored in the printing apparatus, then template selection is convenient, but the device size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the template storage function from the printing apparatus and places it in external operation terminals (PC, smartphone, tablet). The printing apparatus retains only the essential template retrieval and execution capabilities, significantly reducing its internal storage requirements while maintaining access to multiple templates through external connections
Solution Approach 2:
The printing apparatus is designed to work with multiple types of external operation terminals (personal computers, smartphones, tablets) through universal communication interfaces. This multi-functionality allows the system to access templates from various external sources without requiring the apparatus to store all templates internally, achieving both convenience and compactness
3Measurement precision
If manual input operations are required for template data, then data accuracy is high, but the time and effort required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes manual mechanical input operations (typing, clicking) with voice-based acoustic input. Users speak the required data naturally, and the system converts speech to text and structures it according to the template requirements. This maintains high accuracy through voice recognition while dramatically reducing the time and physical effort required for data entry
Data Source
AI summary
A printing apparatus includes: a conveyor; a printing device; a first storage storing templates, in each of which objects are arranged on a printing medium; a voice input device; an output device; and a controller. The controller is configured to: accept designation of a particular template by voice; make an inquiry about a content of at least one particular character to be assigned to each of the objects in the particular template; accept the content of the at least one particular character to be assigned to each of the objects in response to the inquiry, by voice; and create print data for each of the objects based on character data created by character recognition of the voice indicating the accepted content and control the conveyor and the printing device to perform printing on the printing medium based on the created print data.