Wireless Tag Consumable Management in Image Formers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses lack an efficient method for managing and replacing consumable items, such as toner cartridges, as users struggle to find the correct replacement from a large stock and are not notified effectively when consumables are depleted.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus equipped with wireless tags on consumable items, a management application, and notification system that allows users to track stock levels, receive replacement notifications, and update inventory when consumables are replaced, using a portable terminal to read and compare tag information with stored data to determine if replacement conditions are met.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If manual management of consumable items is performed, then the manager can control inventory, but it becomes difficult to find the desired consumable item from a large stock
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides feedback to the manager by displaying information about consumable items in stock through the portable terminal. When the manager reads the wireless tag of a consumable item, the system compares it with the replacement information and provides feedback on whether it matches the needed item, enabling efficient selection from large stock.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical search and comparison methods with automated wireless communication and electronic comparison systems. The portable terminal reads wireless tags automatically and the system performs electronic comparison of item information, substituting manual operations with automated electronic processes.
2Loss of information
If no automated notification system is implemented, then the system remains simple, but the manager is not notified when consumable items need replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the image forming apparatus notifies the manager when consumable items need replacement. The portable terminal receives and displays this notification information, ensuring the manager is informed of depletion conditions without requiring continuous manual monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service functionality where the consumable items themselves carry identification information in wireless tags. The system automatically reads and processes this information, performing self-identification and self-reporting of status without requiring manual intervention for tracking.
3Productivity
If wireless tags are attached to all consumable items for tracking, then inventory management becomes automated, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The consumable items are equipped with wireless tags that contain their own identification information. This self-service approach allows the items to automatically provide their identity when read by the portable terminal, eliminating the need for manual tracking while using simple, low-cost wireless tag technology.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex manual tracking systems with simple wireless tag technology. The wireless tags store identification information that can be automatically read and processed, substituting mechanical inventory management methods with electronic wireless communication in a cost-effective manner.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables efficient management and replacement of consumable items, allowing users to easily locate and replace necessary items from a large stock, improving operational efficiency and reducing manual labor.
Implementation Method 1
a reading unit configured to read the stored information from the wireless tag
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus of an embodiment of the invention includes a first storage unit to store, based on stored information stored in wireless tags attached to a plurality of consumable items, an application to manage the stock number of the plurality of consumable items, a second storage unit to store replacement information to indicate replacement from a first consumable item installed in the image forming apparatus to a second consumable item included in the plurality of consumable items, a notification unit to notify the replacement information stored in the second storage unit, and a read unit to read, based on the replacement from the first consumable item to the second consumable item, the first stored information stored in a first wireless tag attached to the second consumable item.