Image Forming Apparatus Server Address Book Fallback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in transmitting image data from an image forming apparatus when access to the address book managed by a server is unavailable, requiring manual input of identifiers like facsimile numbers or email addresses, which is cumbersome and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
The image forming apparatus includes a reception unit for receiving identifiers from a server, a display unit to select alternative transmission methods or devices, and a transmission unit to send data to a selected identifier or server, allowing users to easily transmit data even if the primary address book access is unavailable by displaying alternative options such as email addresses, facsimile numbers, or storage locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the address book is managed by the server and the image forming apparatus accesses the server to refer to the address book, then storage media such as a hard disk of the image forming apparatus can be reduced, but any malfunction may cause a case where the image forming apparatus cannot access the address book
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by maintaining different storage capacities in different locations: the server holds the complete address book while the image forming apparatus maintains only recently used or frequently accessed address entries in its local storage. This allows the apparatus to have reduced storage media while still ensuring reliable access by keeping critical address information locally available even when server access fails.
2Reliability
If the image forming apparatus cannot access the address book due to server malfunction, then manual input of identifiers is required, but this makes data transmission cumbersome and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing frequently used address book entries in the image forming apparatus's local storage before server access is needed. When the server becomes unavailable, the apparatus can immediately use these pre-loaded addresses without requiring manual input, thus maintaining both reliable data transmission and ease of operation during server malfunctions.
3Reliability
If the address book is managed by the image forming apparatus, then a larger storage area is needed, but this increases the storage capacity requirement of the image forming apparatus
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by creating a hierarchical storage structure where the server maintains the complete address book database while the image forming apparatus stores only a subset of recently or frequently accessed addresses locally. This differential storage approach ensures reliable access to critical addresses through local storage while minimizing the storage area requirement compared to storing the entire address book locally.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes: a reception unit configured to receive identifiers for communication of respective destinations from a first server; a display unit configured to display a screen to make an user select any one of the identifiers as an address of image data; and a transmission unit configured to transmit the image data to the selected identifier when any one of the identifiers has been selected and to transmit the image data to a transmission device for storing the identifier or a second server from which the transmission device downloads the data when the identifier is not received.