Communication Terminal Device Application Execution Architecture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Communication terminal devices lack operability to effectively cooperate with multifunctional image forming apparatuses, and installing numerous applications on these devices is limited by their memory capacity, restricting the addition of new functions.
Innovation Solution
A communication terminal device with an application acquisition section, instruction acceptance section, processing executing section, and communication section that acquires, processes, and sends operation requests to an image forming apparatus via the Internet, enabling the apparatus to perform new functions without installing applications directly on it.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If many applications are installed on the image forming apparatus to make it more multifunctional, then the functionality of the image forming apparatus is improved, but the device complexity increases and the memory capacity is exhausted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the application execution function from the image forming apparatus and relocates it to the communication terminal device. The image forming apparatus only retains the necessary receiving section to accept operation requests, while the complex application processing is performed externally on the terminal device, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary architecture where the communication terminal device acts as a mediator between the user and the image forming apparatus. The terminal device runs applications and generates operation requests, which are then transmitted to the image forming apparatus, allowing complex functionality to be achieved without installing applications on the apparatus itself.
2Adaptability or versatility
If many applications are installed on the image forming apparatus to enable cooperation with communication terminal devices, then the adaptability is improved, but the memory capacity limitation prevents further application installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the application storage and execution burden from the image forming apparatus's limited memory and relocates it to the communication terminal device, which has sufficient memory capacity. This allows unlimited application functionality to be achieved without consuming the apparatus's limited memory resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent shifts the application execution dimension from the image forming apparatus to the communication terminal device, creating a distributed architecture where different components perform different functions. This dimensional shift allows the system to overcome the memory capacity constraint of the apparatus while maintaining full application functionality.
3Ease of operation
If applications are installed on the communication terminal device to operate the image forming apparatus, then the operability is improved, but the communication terminal device becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the universal nature of communication terminal devices (smartphones, tablets, PCs) that already possess operating systems and application execution capabilities. By utilizing these existing universal functions, the terminal device can operate the image forming apparatus without requiring additional specialized hardware or complex modifications, thereby improving operability while minimizing added complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication terminal device includes: an application acquisition section that acquires an application prepared to operate an image forming apparatus; an instruction acceptance section that accepts an operation instruction for processing indicated by the application; a processing executing section that makes the application runnable under an operating system of the communication terminal device and executes, in accordance with the application, the processing indicated by the operation instruction accepted by the instruction acceptance section; and a communication section that sends to the image forming apparatus a result of the processing executed by the processing executing section and an operation request.