Workflow Job Addability via Output Data Type Display

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing workflow generation systems fail to ensure that jobs with essential input data of specific types can be correctly added to a workflow, leading to potential execution failures due to missing data types.

Innovation Solution

A workflow generating apparatus and method that acquires input data for selected jobs, specifies output data usable as input for subsequent jobs, and displays this data in a distinguishable manner to facilitate user determination of job addability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If connection restriction information is displayed to guide job selection, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates because execution may still fail due to missing data types

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of job selectionVSAvoidworkflow execution reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary analysis of data type compatibility between jobs before workflow execution. It determines whether output data types from upstream jobs match the input data type requirements of downstream jobs, and displays this compatibility information in advance on the workflow generation screen, allowing users to identify potential execution failures before they occur

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides feedback to users about data type compatibility between selected jobs. By displaying whether the output data type of a preceding job matches the input data type requirement of the next job, users can adjust their job selections to ensure proper data flow compatibility, thereby preventing execution failures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If comprehensive job compatibility checking is performed, then workflow execution reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveworkflow execution reliabilityVSAvoidworkflow generation system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential data type information from each job's input and output specifications. Instead of performing comprehensive analysis of all job parameters, it focuses specifically on determining and displaying whether output data types match input data type requirements, simplifying the complexity while maintaining reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS10635440B2Workflow generating apparatus displaying output data of job to be added to workflow, and computer readable storage medium storing program instructions for causing workflow generating apparatus to display the output data

Publication Date: 2020.04.28 BROTHER KOGYO KK

AI summary

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores a set of program instructions for a workflow generating apparatus including a processor and a display. The workflow generating apparatus is capable of generating a workflow by combining a plurality of jobs. The set of program instructions, when executed by the processor, causes the workflow generating apparatus to perform: receiving a selection of one job to be added to the workflow from among a plurality of selectable jobs; acquiring input data to be inputted to the one job; specifying, on the basis of the acquired input data, output data to be outputted by execution of the one job, the output data being usable as input data for a job to be executed after execution of the one job in the workflow; and displaying, on the display, the specified output data in a distinguishable manner.