Peer-to-Peer Image Scaling by Device Display Capacity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current mobile communication systems that share images between devices often send files with higher resolutions than necessary, wasting resources and requiring costly server-based infrastructure for image sharing.

Innovation Solution

A method and system for scaling image files based on the display capacity of connected devices within a group, allowing for efficient image sharing without a centralized server, using a peer-to-peer network architecture that determines and adjusts image resolution and quality thresholds to optimize file size and quality for each device.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If images are sent with higher resolution to ensure quality, then image quality is improved, but network resource usage increases and transmission efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage qualityVSAvoidnetwork resource usage
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by sending different resolution images to different devices based on their specific display capabilities. Each device receives an image optimized for its particular screen resolution and size, rather than all devices receiving the same high-resolution image. This resolves the contradiction by delivering appropriate quality locally to each device while reducing overall network resource consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the resolution parameter of images based on device characteristics. The system determines the display capacity of each device and adjusts the image resolution parameter accordingly before transmission. This resolves the contradiction by dynamically adjusting quality parameters to match device capabilities, ensuring adequate image quality while minimizing network resource usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If a server-based system is used to facilitate image sharing, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity and infrastructure requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage sharing capabilityVSAvoidinfrastructure requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the image sharing functionality from a centralized server infrastructure and implements it directly in the mobile devices themselves. Each device performs the image processing and sharing operations locally, eliminating the need for external server hardware, infrastructure, and administration. This resolves the contradiction by simplifying the overall system while maintaining ease of operation through direct device-to-device sharing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements self-service by enabling devices to autonomously determine other devices' display capacities and automatically send appropriately scaled images without requiring server mediation. The devices themselves perform the functions previously requiring external infrastructure, resolving the contradiction by reducing device complexity and infrastructure requirements while preserving ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Loss of energy

If images are scaled down to reduce file size, then network resource usage is reduced, but image quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork resource usageVSAvoidimage quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by scaling images to match each device's specific display capacity rather than using a uniform scaling approach. Each device receives an image scaled to its particular screen dimensions, ensuring the image quality is optimized for that specific device while minimizing file size. This resolves the contradiction by delivering adequate quality locally without unnecessary scaling that would waste network resources.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic scaling where the image resolution is adjusted based on the real-time display capacity of the receiving device. The system dynamically determines appropriate image parameters before transmission, ensuring images are scaled down only as much as necessary for each specific device. This resolves the contradiction by making scaling decisions adaptive rather than static, maintaining quality where needed while reducing file size where appropriate.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2239703B1Method of sharing image based files between a group of communication devices
Publication Date: 2014.10.29 BLACKBERRY LTD
  • EP2239703B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2239703B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2239703B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Methods and associated mobile devices are disclosed for sharing an image based file between a group of communication devices. The image based file is scaled based on a display capacity of the devices within the group. The group of communication devices including a sending mobile communications device. The method includes: accessing from a memory of the sending mobile communication device a display capacity of each of the devices in the group, determining whether the resolution of the image based file exceeds an image resolution threshold based on the display capacity of the devices in the group, and if so scaling the image based file to within the image resolution threshold, and sending the image based file from the sending mobile communication device to one or more receiving communication devices in the group.