Group-Based Data Dissemination in Image Forming Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional technologies for image forming apparatuses require significant administrative effort and time to share information among multiple devices, especially when the number of devices increases, due to limitations in the number of concurrent sessions, leading to prolonged data dissemination times.
Innovation Solution
The system classifies image forming apparatuses into groups, allowing a first group to perform initial data transmission to second groups, which then relay the data to other apparatuses, optimizing session management and reducing the time required to distribute information across all devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If image forming apparatuses exchange information directly without a server, then administrative effort is reduced, but the time required to disseminate information increases significantly as the number of devices increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into groups with designated group managers. Each group manager handles information dissemination within its group, dividing the overall task of informing all devices across multiple smaller, parallel tasks. This segmentation allows simultaneous information distribution across multiple groups, reducing total dissemination time while maintaining serverless operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces group managers as intermediary devices within each group. These group managers act as local coordinators that receive information and distribute it to other devices in their group. This intermediary approach enables efficient local distribution without requiring every device to communicate with every other device, thus reducing overall dissemination time while keeping the system decentralized.
2Loss of time
If a server is used to manage information sharing, then information dissemination is efficient, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service mechanism where each image forming apparatus automatically determines its group membership and identifies its group manager. Devices autonomously configure themselves to receive information from their group manager without requiring manual administrative setup. This self-configuration capability reduces system complexity while enabling efficient information dissemination through the group manager architecture.
3Reliability
If the number of concurrent sessions is limited, then system stability is maintained, but the time to convey information to all devices is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the network into multiple groups with different group managers, the patent enables parallel information dissemination across groups. Each group manager manages sessions within its group, allowing multiple session sets to operate simultaneously. This parallel processing approach maintains session limits within each group while achieving faster overall information distribution across the entire network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a group management dimension to the information dissemination process. Instead of a single-level flat structure where one device communicates with all others sequentially, the system introduces a hierarchical dimension with group managers at one level and regular devices at another. This dimensional change enables parallel communication paths, effectively increasing throughput without violating session limits at any single node.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus is provided which is used in a system having a first group and one or more second groups into which a plurality of second image forming apparatuses are classified, and classified into the first group together with a third image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus includes a transmitter configured to send target data to be shared to the plurality of second image forming apparatuses, one by one, classified into the second groups, and to send the target data to the third image forming apparatus.