Image Forming System Memory Management via Data Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image forming devices face storage capacity issues leading to suspended image formation due to insufficient memory, as they lack effective mechanisms to manage and transfer data efficiently among devices.
Innovation Solution
An image forming system with multiple devices, each equipped with a determining unit to assess memory usage, a selecting unit to identify data for transfer, a specifying unit to choose a destination device, and a transferring unit to move data, ensuring efficient memory management by relocating data when storage thresholds are exceeded.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If image data is stored in the memory of an image forming device, then image formation can be performed, but storage capacity is consumed leading to suspension of image formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges storage resources across multiple image forming devices by establishing a networked storage system where devices can share memory capacity. When one device experiences storage saturation, image data can be transferred to other devices in the network, effectively combining the total storage capacity of all devices to prevent suspension of image formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a storage management server as an intermediary that coordinates data transfer between image forming devices. The server monitors storage usage across the network and mediates the transfer of image data from devices with high storage usage to devices with available capacity, preventing storage-related suspensions.
2Reliability
If storage capacity is increased in each image forming device, then image formation can continue without suspension, but device cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal storage management system that serves multiple image forming devices simultaneously. Instead of each device independently managing its own storage, a single storage management system handles storage allocation, monitoring, and data transfer across the entire network, reducing individual device complexity while maintaining overall reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the storage management server continuously monitors storage usage across all devices and dynamically adjusts data transfer operations. When storage usage exceeds thresholds, the system automatically initiates data transfer to balance storage loads, providing real-time feedback control that maintains reliability without requiring complex manual management.
3Quantity of substance
If data is transferred between image forming devices, then storage capacity is optimized, but network communication overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary actions by pre-identifying candidate devices for data transfer before storage saturation occurs. The storage management server proactively monitors storage usage trends and initiates data transfer operations in advance, selecting target devices beforehand. This preliminary action reduces the urgency and time-critical nature of data transfer when storage is full, optimizing storage utilization without excessive time loss.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming system includes plural image forming devices each of which forms an image corresponding to image data. Each image forming device includes a memory, a determining unit, a selecting unit, a specifying unit, and a transferring unit. The memory stores one or more pieces of image data. The determining unit determines whether or not usage of the memory is larger than a threshold. The selecting unit selects, if the determining unit determines that usage of the memory is larger than the threshold, a piece of image data to be transferred from among the pieces of image data stored in the memory. The specifying unit specifies a specific image forming device to which the selected piece of image data is to be transferred among the other image forming devices. The transferring unit transfers the selected piece of image data to the specific image forming device.