Waste Sheet Cause Display via Color Coding in Image Forming Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face difficulties in facilitating reprinting due to the inability to effectively identify the cause of waste sheets, making it challenging for users to determine the necessary actions for reprinting.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that obtains waste-sheet information to identify the cause of waste sheets and displays this information in a chronological order, using color changes and correspondence relationships to distinguish between causes, allowing users to prioritize and easily execute reprinting instructions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If only the position of waste sheets is displayed without cause information, then the display is simple, but users cannot identify the cause of waste sheets making reprinting difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes to display different causes of waste sheets. Each cause (e.g., paper jam, misfeed, double feed) is represented by a specific color in the waste sheet position display. This allows users to quickly identify the cause without complex text or icons, resolving the contradiction by adding informative content while maintaining display simplicity through intuitive color coding.
2Ease of operation
If detailed waste sheet information is provided, then users can identify causes better, but the interface becomes complex making operation harder
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the waste sheet information display into distinct functional areas: position indication, cause identification through color coding, and reprinting control. This segmentation allows each element to be simple and intuitive, avoiding the need for a complex unified interface. Users can easily locate and interact with the relevant portion without being overwhelmed by the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides immediate visual feedback by displaying the cause of waste sheets in different colors, allowing users to quickly understand the problem without complex analysis. This feedback mechanism simplifies the operation by reducing the cognitive load required to interpret the display and make reprinting decisions.
3Reliability
If waste sheet causes are not distinguished, then the display is straightforward, but users cannot determine appropriate reprinting actions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color changes to represent different waste sheet causes, enabling reliable identification of the specific problem. Each color corresponds to a particular cause (e.g., red for paper jam, yellow for misfeed), providing the information needed to determine appropriate reprinting actions while maintaining a simple visual display format.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus 10 includes a control unit 20 that, when images are successively formed on a plurality of recording media by an image forming unit 22, obtains waste-sheet information indicating whether each of the plurality of recording media is a waste sheet and, for a waste sheet, indicating a cause of the waste sheet; identifies whether each of the recording media is a waste sheet in accordance with the obtained waste-sheet information; and, in a case of a waste sheet, performs control to arrange and display, on a touch panel display 35, a waste-sheet state display image 54 that makes a cause of the waste sheet distinguishable in chronological order of formation of the images.