Virtual Data Source for Multi-Mode TWAIN Image Acquisition
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing remote desktop (RD) services struggle to fully support the TWAIN protocol, which is widely used for image acquisition from image capturing devices (ICDs), especially when using different transfer modes such as native, disk file, and buffered memory.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an RD computer system that includes a client computer and a remote virtual machine (VM) with RD software configured to communicate with the client computer and ICDs. This system uses a virtual data source or an image capture core to manage image acquisition and transmission according to user-selected TWAIN protocol transfer modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If remote desktop services use traditional image acquisition methods, then the system structure remains simple, but the ability to support multiple TWAIN protocol transfer modes is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual data source as an intermediary component between the remote application and the actual image capturing device. This virtual data source acts as a mediator that receives image requests from the remote application, acquires images through the TWAIN protocol on the client side, and delivers them to the remote application according to the selected transfer mode (native, disk file, or buffered memory), thereby enabling multi-mode support without complicating the core remote desktop architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual data source is designed with universal functionality to handle multiple transfer modes through a single unified interface. It can operate in native transfer mode (direct data return), disk file transfer mode (file storage and loading), and buffered memory transfer mode (memory buffering and portion loading), allowing the remote desktop system to adapt to different application requirements without requiring separate specialized components for each mode
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system implements full TWAIN protocol support with multiple transfer modes, then image acquisition flexibility improves, but the complexity of coordinating between client and remote VM increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image acquisition process into distinct functional components: the virtual data source on the remote VM handles application-level coordination and transfer mode management, while the client-side data source manages the actual TWAIN protocol communication with the image capturing device. This segmentation divides the coordination complexity into manageable portions, with each component focusing on specific tasks and reducing the overall coordination burden between client and remote VM
3Reliability
If a virtual data source is introduced to enable multiple transfer modes, then protocol compatibility improves, but the overhead of image transmission and processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual data source dynamically adjusts processing parameters based on the selected transfer mode and system conditions. For example, in buffered memory transfer mode, it divides the image into portions and buffers them in memory, while in disk file mode, it optimizes for file I/O operations. This dynamic parameter adjustment allows the system to minimize processing overhead by selecting the most efficient handling method for each specific scenario while maintaining full TWAIN protocol compatibility
Data Source
AI summary
A scanner redirection method for a remote desktop computer system that includes a client computer and a remote virtual machine (VM), includes the steps of: setting a virtual data source of the remote VM to use one of a plurality of transfer modes selected by a user of an application executing on the remote VM, wherein each of the transfer modes specifies how images are to be provided to the application; transmitting a request to the client computer to acquire an image, wherein the client computer acquires the image from an image capturing device connected to the client computer and then transmits the image to the remote VM; and upon receiving the image from the client computer, providing, by the virtual data source to the application, the image according to the selected transfer mode setting of the virtual data source.