Relaying Device Unified File Selection Screen
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Solution Overview
Problem
The varying file management mechanisms employed by different electronic file storage services result in diverse display patterns for file selection screens on image processing devices, impairing user convenience.
Innovation Solution
A relaying device that communicates with image processing devices and servers via a network, generating and sending selection screen data to display folders and image data, allowing for unified display patterns across different file storage services, including the option to display folder images and image data accessing images when both are present in a selected folder.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If different file management mechanisms are employed for every electronic file storage service, then each service can maintain its own file organization structure, but the display pattern of the file selection screen becomes different for every service, impairing user convenience
Solution Approach 1:
The relaying device serves as an intermediary between the image processing device and the server. It receives folder selecting instruction information from the image processing device, communicates with the server to obtain folder identifying information and image data identifying information, generates selection screen data with unified display patterns, and sends it back to the image processing device. This mediator approach allows the system to maintain adaptability to different file management mechanisms while providing a consistent user interface.
2Ease of operation
If thumbnail images of all image data are displayed on the selection screen, then users can easily identify and select desired files, but the data communication load increases and loading becomes slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary information for display purposes rather than transmitting complete thumbnail images. The relaying device obtains image data identifying information from the server and uses this to generate selection screen data that allows users to identify and select files without loading actual image thumbnails. This extraction approach maintains file identification capability while significantly reducing data communication load and loading time.
3Productivity
If complete folder structures and all image data are loaded into the image processing device, then all files are immediately accessible, but the device memory requirement and data communication load increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The relaying device performs preliminary actions by communicating with the server to obtain folder identifying information and image data identifying information before generating the selection screen. This allows the system to prepare the necessary data structure in advance without loading complete folder contents or image data into the image processing device, thus maintaining fast file access capability while minimizing data communication volume.
Data Source
AI summary
The relaying device may receive folder selecting instruction information from the image processing device. The relaying device may receive folder identifying information and image data identifying information from the server. The relaying device may generate first selection screen data, in a case where it is determined that one or more image data and one or more subfolders are stored in the selected folder. The relaying device may send the first selection screen data to the image processing device. The relaying device may generate second selection screen data in a case where accessing image selecting instruction information is received. The relaying device may send the second selection screen data to the image processing device. The relaying device may execute a process for causing the image processing device to acquire selected image data in a case where image data selecting instruction information is received from the image processing device.