JP7524652B2 - Print control device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a print control device and a program.

Patent document 1 discloses a printing system that calculates the printing time required to process a new print job, and registers the print job in free time in an existing schedule based on the calculated printing time and the print deadline of that print job.

Patent document 2 discloses a printing system in which multiple print jobs that meet certain conditions are grouped on a client device and sent to a printer server.

Patent document 3 discloses a system that determines whether or not consumables need to be replenished while a scheduled print job is being processed, and if the device needs to be stopped to replenish the consumables, adds the time required for replenishing the consumables to the predicted processing time for the print job.

In this way, there are printing systems that have a print instruction management function that consolidates multiple print instructions that have at least some of the print attributes set in the print instructions in common or similar into a group print instruction.

JP 2001-306655 A JP 2008-059371 A JP 2016-115013 A

The object of the present invention is to provide a print control device and program that can improve the probability of scheduling a group print instruction such that the print processing based on all print instructions is completed by the printing deadline, compared to a configuration in which printing is scheduled using only the processing time required to print the entire group print instruction that combines multiple print instructions.

[Print control device]
The present invention according to claim 1 comprises a memory and a processor,
The processor,
A group print instruction that groups together a plurality of print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common and a time required for printing the group print instruction are acquired;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
If printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , the print control device divides the group print instruction so that printing processing based on the print instructions grouped together as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline and so that print instructions with higher priority among the multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction are grouped into the same group .

The present invention of claim 2 is a print control device as described in claim 1, in which the processor determines the priority of multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction based on one or more of the following conditions: number of pages, total printing area, reception date and time, printing deadline, and whether or not post-processing is required and type.

The present invention according to claim 3 provides a method for controlling a computer comprising:
The processor,
A group print instruction that groups together a plurality of print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common and a time required for printing the group print instruction are acquired;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
If printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , the print control device divides the group print instruction so that printing processing based on the print instructions grouped together as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline and print instructions with the shortest acquired printing times among the multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction are grouped into the same group .

The present invention according to claim 4 provides a method for controlling a computer comprising:
The processor,
A group print instruction that groups together a plurality of print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common and a time required for printing the group print instruction are acquired;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
If printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , the print control device divides the group print instruction so that printing processing based on the print instructions grouped together as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline and print instructions with long acquired printing times among the multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction are grouped into the same group .

The present invention according to claim 5 provides a method for controlling a computer comprising:
The processor,
a group print instruction is acquired that is a group of multiple print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common, and information regarding the print contents set in each print instruction is transmitted to a printing device that is to perform printing, and a time required for printing the group print instruction is acquired by receiving a prediction result returned from the printing device;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
If printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , the print control device divides the group print instruction so that printing processing based on the print instructions grouped together as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline.

[program]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for printing a print job by a printing apparatus , comprising the steps of: acquiring a group print instruction that is a collection of a plurality of print instructions that have at least a portion of a common print attribute; and acquiring a time required for printing the group print instruction;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
if printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , dividing the group print instruction so that print processing based on the print instructions compiled as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline and print instructions with high priority among the multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction are grouped into the same group ;
It is a program for causing a computer to execute the above.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for printing a print job by a printing apparatus, comprising the steps of: acquiring a group print instruction that is a collection of a plurality of print instructions that have at least a portion of a common print attribute; and acquiring a time required for printing the group print instruction;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
if printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction, dividing the group print instruction so that print processing based on the print instructions compiled as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline and print instructions having the shortest acquired printing time among the multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction are grouped into the same group;
It is a program for causing a computer to execute the above.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for printing a print job by a printing apparatus, comprising the steps of: acquiring a group print instruction that is a collection of a plurality of print instructions that have at least a portion of a common print attribute; and acquiring a time required for printing the group print instruction;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
if printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction, dividing the group print instruction and rescheduling the group print instruction so that print processing based on the print instructions compiled as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline and print instructions with long acquired printing times among the multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction are grouped into the same group;
It is a program for causing a computer to execute the above.
The present invention according to claim 9 provides a method for obtaining a group print instruction that groups together a plurality of print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common, sending information about print contents set in each print instruction to a printing device that is to perform printing, and receiving a prediction result returned from the printing device to obtain a time required to print the group print instruction;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
If printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction, dividing the group print instruction so that print processing based on the print instructions grouped as the group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline;
It is a program for causing a computer to execute the above.

According to the present invention relating to claim 1, a print control device can be provided that can improve the probability of being able to schedule a group print instruction such that the print processing based on all print instructions is completed by the printing deadline, compared to a configuration in which printing scheduling is performed using only the processing time required to print the entire group print instruction that combines multiple print instructions.
Furthermore, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 1, even when rescheduling is performed, it is possible to increase the possibility that print instructions with high priority will be included in the same group print instruction.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, even when rescheduling is performed, it is possible to increase the possibility that print instructions with high priority will be included in the same group print instruction.

According to the present invention relating to claim 3 , when rescheduling, flexible scheduling is possible by moving each print instruction divided from a group print instruction to a gap in the print schedule where the execution of other print instructions is not planned.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when rescheduling, it is possible to maximize the number of print instructions remaining in the original group print instruction.

According to the present invention related to claim 5 , it is possible to shorten the time until the predicted print time result is obtained, compared to when the processing content of the print instruction is analyzed to predict the print time of the print instruction.

According to the present invention relating to claim 6 , a program can be provided that can improve the probability of scheduling a group print instruction such that printing processing based on all print instructions is completed by the printing deadline, compared to a configuration in which printing scheduling is performed using only the processing time required to print the entire group print instruction that combines multiple print instructions.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, even when rescheduling is performed, it is possible to increase the possibility that print instructions with high priority will be included in the same group print instruction.
According to the present invention of claim 7, when rescheduling, flexible scheduling is possible by moving each print instruction divided from a group print instruction to a gap in the print schedule where the execution of other print instructions is not planned.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, when rescheduling, it is possible to maximize the number of print instructions remaining in the original group print instruction.
According to the present invention of claim 9, it is possible to shorten the time until the predicted print time result is obtained, compared to when the processing content of the print instruction is analyzed to predict the print time of the print instruction.

1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a schedule management server 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a schedule management server 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a specific method for generating a group print job. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing how the printing time for each of the four generated group jobs A to D is predicted on a group basis. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining how print times differ when the print speed of the printer 20 that executes a print job differs, even if the print jobs use the same paper and have the same number of pages. 10A to 10C are diagrams for explaining a specific example of a method for predicting a printing time by a printing time prediction unit 31. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the overall operation when a print schedule is generated in the schedule management server 10. 10 is a flowchart for explaining details of a process for predicting the print time of each print job by a print time prediction unit 31. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a print schedule that is set before scheduling of a group job is performed. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which the schedule generating unit 35 provisionally arranges group jobs A to D on a print schedule. 13 is a diagram showing how schedule generating unit 35 divides group job A into three groups: group job A-1, group job A-2, and group job A-3. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a result of the schedule generating unit 35 rescheduling group jobs A-1 to A-3 divided into three. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an operation performed by a schedule generating unit 35 when performing rescheduling. 13 is a diagram for explaining how the schedule generating unit 35 rearranges print jobs in a group job in descending order of priority. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining how print job A-4, which has the lowest priority among the four print jobs, is set as a candidate for degrouping. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining how print job A-1, which has the lowest priority among the remaining three print jobs, is added as a candidate for degrouping. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a state in which two print jobs A-1 and A-4 that have been determined to be candidates for degrouping are set as another group job in a vacant time period of the printer 20 of the third machine. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a final grouping result when regrouping is performed based on priority. 13 is a diagram for explaining how the schedule generating unit 35 rearranges print jobs in a group job in descending order of predicted print times. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the results of rescheduling group job A after sorting print jobs in descending order of predicted print times. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a final grouping result when print jobs are rescheduled by sorting them in descending order of predicted print times. 13 is a diagram for explaining how the schedule generating unit 35 rearranges print jobs in a group job in ascending order of predicted print times. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the results of rescheduling group job A after sorting print jobs in ascending order of predicted print times. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a final grouping result when print jobs are rescheduled by sorting them in ascending order of predicted print times.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows the system configuration of a printing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a printing system according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured such that a plurality of printers 20, which are printing devices of different models and functions, a schedule management server 10 that manages the printing schedules of print jobs, and a terminal device 50 are interconnected via a network 30.

The terminal device 50 generates a print job, which is a print instruction that instructs the printer 20 to print, and sends the generated print job to the schedule management server 10. The schedule management server 10 monitors the operating status of the multiple printers 20, and creates and manages a print schedule, which is a schedule that plans which of the multiple printers 20 will execute each of the multiple print jobs received from the terminal device 50 and when.

The schedule management server 10 is a print control device that controls the printing process of multiple printers 20 based on the generated print schedule.

In the printing system of this embodiment, only one terminal device 50 is shown, but multiple terminal devices 50 may be connected to the network 30.

The multiple printers 20 are different models and have different functions, and therefore differ in the types of paper they can print on, the printing speed, whether or not they have post-processing functions that can be executed, etc. Furthermore, even if the printers 20 have the same functions and printing speeds, the printing speeds may differ depending on the type of paper that is set, the orientation of the paper that is set, etc.

Therefore, the schedule management server 10 determines which printer 20 should execute each print job, taking into consideration the print content of each of the multiple print jobs and the print speeds and functions of the multiple printers 20.

In addition, a printing deadline may be set for a print job. Here, the printing deadline includes both a printing deadline based on the delivery date set for each print job and a printing deadline that takes into account the closing time of the printing location, such as a printing factory. Therefore, for example, a different printing deadline may be set for each print job, such as one print job needing to finish printing by 14:00 today, while another print job needing to finish printing by 17:00. Also, if the closing time of the printing location is 16:00, a printing deadline may be set common to all print jobs, such that all print jobs need to finish printing by 16:00. Therefore, the schedule management server 10 generates a printing schedule in which the printing process of each print job is completed by the set printing deadline.

Next, the hardware configuration of the schedule management server 10 in the printing system of this embodiment is shown in Figure 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the schedule management server 10 has a CPU 11, memory 12, a storage device 13 such as a hard disk drive, a communication interface (abbreviated as IF) 14 that transmits and receives data to and from external devices via a network 30, and a user interface (abbreviated as UI) device 15 that includes a touch panel or liquid crystal display and a keyboard. These components are connected to each other via a control bus 16.

The CPU 11 is a processor that controls the operation of the schedule management server 10 by executing a predetermined process based on a control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13. Note that in this embodiment, the CPU 11 is described as reading and executing a control program stored in the memory 12 or the storage device 13, but it is also possible to store the program on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM and provide it to the CPU 11.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the schedule management server 10 that is realized by executing the above control program.

As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming device 10 of this embodiment includes a print time prediction unit 31, a group print job generation unit 32, a UI control unit 33, a data transmission/reception unit 34, a schedule generation unit 35, a schedule data storage unit 36, and a print control unit 37.

The UI control unit 33 controls the display unit for displaying various information to the user and the operation input unit for inputting various operation information performed by the user.

The data transmission/reception unit 34 transmits and receives data to and from external devices such as the terminal device 50 and the printer 20.

The group print job generation unit 32 generates a group print job that combines multiple print jobs that have at least some printing attributes in common.

Here, each print job has printing attributes set, such as various printing conditions, conditions regarding processing before and after printing the printed material, and handling attributes. Specific examples include printing conditions such as the type of paper to be used (paper size, whether cut paper or roll paper, paper parameters such as thickness and basis weight, paper color, preprinted paper, paper brand, etc.), conditions related to print settings (color printing or black and white printing, whether to use spot color ink or spot color toner, double-sided/single-sided printing settings, etc.), conditions related to post-processing settings (whether to fold, the conditions for folding, whether to bind, the conditions for binding, whether to cut, the conditions for cutting), the type of print object (document type such as text document/photograph/document containing photo, type of printed material such as catalog/book/flyer, etc.), conditions related to delivery of the print object (delivery area, delivery destination company/store/individual, delivery company that undertakes delivery, etc.), and various printing attributes are set. Therefore, in order to improve the operating rate of the printer 20, the schedule management server 10 groups multiple print jobs with the same or similar print attributes into a group print job, and generates a print schedule for each group print job.

The reason for generating group print jobs and creating a print schedule in this way is that, for example, executing multiple print jobs using the same paper size on one printer 20 can generate an efficient print schedule that improves the operating rate of the printer 20 by eliminating the need to load paper, rather than executing multiple print jobs using different paper sizes on one printer 20.

For this reason, the group print job generation unit 32 performs a process of consolidating multiple print jobs with common print attributes into a group print job. A specific method for generating a group print job in this manner is shown in Figure 4.

Referring to Figure 4, a process is shown in which a group print job is generated by grouping multiple print jobs that use the same paper, multiple print jobs that have the same shipping destination, or multiple print jobs that have similar scheduled shipping times. Note that in the following explanation, a group print job is simply referred to as a group job. Figure 4 shows how multiple print jobs are grouped to generate four group jobs A to D.

The print time prediction unit 31 predicts the print time for each of the multiple print jobs included in the group job generated by the group print job generation unit 32, and predicts the time required to print the group job based on the total value of the predicted print times. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the print time prediction unit 31 predicts the print time for each of the four group jobs A to D generated by the group print job generation unit 32 on a group basis.

The printing time predicted by the printing time prediction unit 31 includes the printing time required to execute the actual printing process, as well as the extra time required to set paper and retrieve the printed results.

Even if the print jobs use the same paper and have the same number of pages, the print time will be different if the print speed of the printer 20 executing the print job is different. For example, as shown in Figure 6, even if print job 60 uses A4 size paper and has 1000 pages, the print time will be different between printer 20A, which has a print speed of 120 PPM (short for Pages Per Minute), and printer 20B, which has a print speed of 80 PPM. Here, PPM means the number of pages that can be printed per minute.

Specifically, when print job 60 is executed on printer 20A, the printing time is approximately 84 minutes (≈1000 pages/120 PPM), whereas when it is executed on printer 20B, the printing time is 125 minutes (=1000 pages/80 PPM).

Even if the printer 20 has the same printing speed, the printing time will vary depending on factors such as the type of paper used, the paper orientation, whether the paper is set in the paper feed tray or manual feed tray, and whether post-processing such as stapling or folding is set.

Therefore, the print time prediction unit 31 sends information about the print contents set in each print job to the printer 20 that is scheduled to print, and predicts the print time for each print job based on the prediction results returned from the printer 20.

A specific example of how the print time prediction unit 31 predicts the print time is described below with reference to FIG. 7.

In FIG. 7, a DFE (abbreviation for Digital Front End) 70 is connected to the printer 20. To perform high-speed digital printing in the printer 20, it is necessary to perform high-speed image processing on the print data. For this reason, high-speed image processing is achieved by providing an external controller, the DFE 70, capable of performing high-speed image processing, separately from the main body of the printer 20.

The schedule management server 10 then queries the DFE 70 for the printing time, including the information necessary to predict the printing time, specifically, the paper size, paper type, paper basis weight, whether or not single-sided/double-sided printing is performed, post-processing details, etc.

Then, in response to the print time inquiry sent from the schedule management server 10, the DFE 70 predicts the print time based on information such as the paper size, paper type, paper basis weight, whether single-sided/double-sided printing is performed, and post-processing details, and returns the predicted print time to the schedule management server 10.

For example, let us consider a case where the DFE 70 receives information from the schedule management server 10 that the number of pages is 10,000, the number of pages is A4 coated paper, four pages are printed on one side, and one staple is printed. Here, let us assume that the printing speed of the printer 20 to which the DFE 70 is connected is 120 PPM for A4 coated paper.

In this case, the DFE 70 estimates the printing time assuming that the printing time will be reduced to one quarter due to the printing of four sheets on one side, and that the printing time will be doubled due to the post-processing of one staple.

As a result, the DFE 70 predicts that the printing time under the above conditions will be approximately 41.7 minutes (≈10,000 pages/120 PPM/4 x 2) and returns this prediction result to the schedule management server 10.

Note that if the entire data of the actual print job is sent from the schedule management server 10 to the DFE 70 and the DFE 70 analyzes the print job and predicts the print time, it is possible to predict the print time with high accuracy. However, analyzing the entire data of the print job takes time, and as the amount of data in the print job increases, the time required to predict the print time also becomes enormous. Furthermore, if it takes a long time to predict the print time, the generation of the print schedule becomes slow, reducing convenience.

Therefore, the schedule management server 10 sends only the information necessary for predicting the printing time to the DFE 70 to predict the printing time.

The schedule generation unit 35 generates a print schedule by scheduling to determine which printers 20 will execute each group job and the time periods during which printing will be performed.

If, as a result of scheduling, a print job occurs that cannot complete its printing process by the set printing deadline, the schedule generation unit 35 divides the group job and schedules it again so that the printing process based on the print jobs grouped as a group job is completed by the printing deadline.

The schedule data storage unit 36 stores the print schedule data generated by the schedule generation unit 35.

The print control unit 37 controls each of the multiple printers 20 to execute a print process based on a print job received from the terminal device 50 via the data transmission/reception unit 34, based on the print schedule stored in the schedule data storage unit 36.

Then, when rescheduling, the schedule generation unit 35 divides the group job so that the print jobs with higher priority among the multiple print jobs included in the group job are in the same group, and then reschedules.

Here, the schedule generation unit 35 determines the priority of multiple print jobs included in the group job based on one or more of the following conditions: number of pages, total printing area, reception date and time, printing deadline, and whether or not post-processing is required and the type of post-processing.

When rescheduling, the schedule generation unit 35 may divide the group job so that print jobs with the shortest predicted print time among the multiple print jobs included in the group job are grouped together and then rescheduled.

Alternatively, when rescheduling, the schedule generation unit 35 may divide the group job so that print jobs with long predicted print times among the multiple print jobs included in the group job are grouped together and then rescheduled.

Next, the operation of the schedule management server 10 in this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, the overall operation of generating a print schedule on the schedule management server 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 8.

First, in step S101, the group print job generation unit 32 tentatively groups multiple print jobs based on preset grouping conditions.

Then, in step S102, the print time prediction unit 31 predicts the print time of each print job. The details of the process of predicting the print time of each print job by the print time prediction unit 31 are shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9.

First, in step S201, the print time prediction unit 31 generates the necessary information for predicting the print time, such as paper size, paper type, paper basis weight, whether or not single-sided/double-sided printing is performed, and post-processing details, as parameters for predicting the print time.

Then, in step S201, the schedule management server 10 sends a print time inquiry to the printer 20 along with the generated parameters. Note that the schedule management server 10 actually sends this inquiry to the DFE 70 of the printer 20.

The DFE 70 of the printer 20 then predicts the print time based on the transmitted parameters and returns the prediction result to the schedule management server 10.

Therefore, in step S203, the schedule management server 10 receives the print time prediction result from the printer 20.

The print time prediction unit 31, having obtained the predicted print time for each print job in this manner, sums up the predicted times for each print job within each group job to predict the print time for each group job. Then, in step S103, when prediction of the print times for all group jobs has been completed, the schedule generation unit 35 generates a print schedule for each group in step S104.

Then, in step S105, the schedule generation unit 35 determines whether the print completion times of all print jobs exceed the preset print deadline.

If the print completion time of all print jobs does not exceed the preset print deadline, the schedule generation unit 35 determines in step S108 that the scheduling of all group jobs is complete, and in step S109 determines the current print schedule as the final schedule result.

If it is determined in step S105 that the print completion time of any print job exceeds the print deadline, the schedule generation unit 35 changes the combination of print jobs to be grouped in step S106.

Then, in step S107, the schedule generation unit 35 reschedules the group job. After this rescheduling, in step S105, the schedule generation unit 35 again determines whether the print completion times of all print jobs exceed the preset print deadline. Then, based on the result of this determination, the above process is repeated.

Next, the rescheduling operation by the schedule generation unit 35 will be explained using a concrete example.

First, we will assume that a printing schedule such as that shown in FIG. 10 has been set before scheduling of a group job. In the printing schedule shown in FIG. 10, we will explain a case where printing plans are set for four printers 20, printers 1 to 4. In this printing schedule, printing plans have already been set, and time periods during which the printers 20 cannot be operated due to device maintenance, and time periods during which none of the printers 20 can be operated due to workers' lunch breaks, etc. are also set.

In addition, we will assume here that a deadline has been set, which means that printing processing for all print jobs must be completed by 16:00.

In this state, FIG. 11 shows an example in which the schedule generation unit 35 provisionally places group jobs A to D, as shown in FIG. 5, on the print schedule.

Referring to the printing schedule in Figure 11, it can be seen that if group job A is assigned to printer No. 2 20, the printing process for group job A will not be completed by the deadline of 16:00.

Therefore, the schedule generation unit 35 divides this group job A into three, group jobs A-1, A-2, and A-3, as shown in FIG. 12, for example.

The schedule generation unit 35 then reschedules these three divided group jobs A-1 to A-3. An example of the results of such rescheduling is shown in FIG. 13. In the example of the scheduling result shown in FIG. 13, it can be seen that the three divided group jobs A-1 to A-3 are assigned to printers 20 No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4, respectively, so that the printing processing of all print jobs is set to be completed by the due date.

The method described above simply splits group job A into three and reschedules it.

Next, we will explain in detail the operation when dividing and rescheduling a group job so that the print jobs with higher priority among those included in group job A, whose printing process is not completed before the printing deadline, are in the same group.

The operation when performing such rescheduling will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 14.

The flowchart in FIG. 14 explains the process equivalent to step S106 in the flowchart in FIG. 8.

First, in step S301, the schedule generation unit 35 rearranges the print jobs in the group job in descending order of priority.

Figure 15 shows how print jobs are rearranged in this way. Figure 15 shows how the four print jobs A-1 to A-4 that make up group job A are rearranged in order of priority.

Here, the priority can be set based on various conditions such as the number of pages, total print area, reception date and time, printing deadline, whether or not post-processing is required and the type of post-processing, etc. By selecting the conditions for which you want to group together print jobs that meet those conditions, there is a high possibility that they will be printed as the same group job on the same printer 20 at the same time.

In the example shown in Figure 15, the print jobs A-3, A-2, A-1, and A-4 have the highest priority.

Next, in step S302, the schedule generation unit 35 compares whether the predicted printing time of the last print job is longer than the time by which the printing completion time exceeds the due date.

If the step generation unit 305 determines in step S303 that the predicted print time of the last print job is longer than the time by which the print completion time exceeds the deadline, then in step S304, the step generation unit 305 removes the last print job from the group job and terminates the process as a separate group job.

In other words, if the printing completion time of the original group job is earlier than the due date by making the last print job a separate group job, the schedule generation unit 35 removes the last print job from the original group job and ends the process.

If it is determined in step S303 that the predicted print time of the last print job is not longer than the time by which the print completion time exceeds the due date, the schedule generation unit 35 adds the last print job to the candidates for degrouping in step S305.

Furthermore, the schedule generation unit 35 adds the print job with the lowest order among the print jobs that have not been added as candidates for degrouping to the list of candidates for degrouping.

If it is determined in step S307 that all print jobs in the group have been added as candidates for degrouping, the schedule generation unit 35 notifies the user in step S311 that the printing process for this group job cannot be completed before the due date, and ends the process.

If it is determined in step S307 that all print jobs in the group have not been added to the list of candidates for degrouping, the schedule generation unit 35 in step S308 compares whether the total predicted print time of all print jobs in the list of candidates for degrouping is longer than the time by which the print completion time exceeds the deadline.

Then, in step S309, if it is determined that the total predicted printing time of all print jobs that are candidates for degrouping is longer than the time by which the print completion time exceeds the due date, the schedule generation unit 35, in step S310, removes all print jobs that are candidates for degrouping from the original group job and treats them as a separate group job, terminating the process.

If it is determined in step S309 that the total predicted printing time of all print jobs that are candidates for degrouping is not longer than the time by which the print completion time exceeds the due date, the schedule generation unit 35 repeats the processing of steps S306 to S308.

The manner in which the divided group job A is rescheduled as a result of this processing will be explained with reference to Figures 16 to 19.

First, as shown in FIG. 16, the schedule generation unit 35 removes print job A-4, which has the lowest priority among the four print jobs, from the original group job A and sets it as a candidate for degrouping.

However, in Figure 16, simply removing print job A-4 from group job A does not cause the print completion time of group job A to be earlier than the due date of 16:00.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 17, the schedule generation unit 35 removes print job A-1, which has the lowest priority among the three remaining print jobs, from the original group job A and adds it to the list of candidates for degrouping. In other words, at this stage, the two print jobs A-1 and A-4 are candidates for degrouping.

In Figure 17, by removing print jobs A-1 and A-4 from group job A, the print completion time of group job A is before the due date of 16:00.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 18, the schedule generation unit 35 sets the remaining two print jobs A-3 and A-2 as group job A, and the two print jobs A-1 and A-4 that were candidates for degrouping as another group job, during the free time period of printer 20 No. 3. As a result, a print schedule is generated in which the printing process of all print jobs is completed before the due date, which is the printing deadline.

In other words, what originally consisted of one group job A consisting of four print jobs will ultimately be changed to a group job consisting of print jobs A-3 and A-2, and a group job consisting of print jobs A-1 and A-4, as shown in Figure 19.

Next, we will explain, with reference to Figures 20 to 25, how to change the combination of print jobs to be grouped depending on the estimated print time of each print job that makes up the group job.

First, Figures 20 to 22 show a case in which a group job is divided and rescheduled so that print jobs with long predicted print times among the multiple print jobs included in the group job are grouped together.

The operation in this case is realized by replacing the process of step S301 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 14 with a process of sorting the print jobs in the group job in order of the longest predicted print time.

In other words, as shown in FIG. 20, the schedule generation unit 35 rearranges the four print jobs A-1 to A-4 in group job A in order of the longest predicted print times. In the example shown in FIG. 20, the predicted print times are longest in the order of print jobs A-1, A-3, A-2, and A-4.

The results of rescheduling group job A after sorting the print jobs in this way in descending order of predicted print time are shown in Figure 21.

Referring to Figure 21, we can see that print job A-1, which has the longest predicted printing time, remains in the original group job A, while the other print jobs A-3 and A-2 become separate group jobs, and print job A-4 also becomes a separate group job.

In other words, by rearranging the print jobs in order of longest predicted print time and rescheduling, the final combination of group jobs will be changed to print job A-1, a group job made up of print jobs A-3 and A-2, and print job A-4, as shown in Figure 22.

In this way, by prioritizing print jobs with long predicted print times and removing print jobs with short predicted print times from the group job first, it becomes more likely that the print jobs removed from the group job can be assigned to free time periods in the print schedule, making it possible to flexibly perform rescheduling.

In other words, print jobs with short predicted print times may be able to be assigned to free time slots that cannot be assigned to print jobs with long predicted print times, and rescheduling increases the likelihood that printing for all print jobs can be completed before the printing deadline.

Next, Figures 23 to 25 show a case where a group job is divided and rescheduled so that print jobs with short predicted print times among the multiple print jobs included in the group job are grouped together.

The operation in this case is realized by replacing the process of step S301 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 14 with a process of sorting the print jobs in the group job in order of shortest predicted print time.

In other words, the schedule generation unit 35 rearranges the four print jobs A-1 to A-4 in group job A in order of shortest predicted print times, as shown in FIG. 23. In the example shown in FIG. 23, the predicted print times are shortest in the order of print jobs A-4, A-2, A-3, and A-1.

The results of rescheduling group job A after sorting the print jobs in this way in order of shortest predicted print time are shown in Figure 24.

Referring to Figure 24, we can see that print job A-1, which has the longest predicted printing time, has been removed from the original group job A and has become a separate group job, while the other print jobs A-4, A-2, and A-3 remain in the original group job A.

In other words, as a result of rearranging and rescheduling the print jobs in order of shortest predicted print time, the final combination of group jobs will be changed to group job A, which is made up of print jobs A-4, A-2, and A-3, and print job A-1, as shown in Figure 25.

In this way, by prioritizing print jobs with shorter predicted print times and removing print jobs with longer predicted print times from the group job first, the number of print jobs to be removed from the original group job during rescheduling can be reduced, and as many print jobs as possible will remain in the original group job, reducing the amount of work required for paper changes and other processes.

In addition, by reducing the number of print jobs that are removed from the original group job when rescheduling, the processing load during rescheduling is also reduced.

In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, including general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

In addition, the processor operations in each of the above embodiments may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of each processor operation is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments, and may be changed as appropriate.

10 Schedule management server 11 CPU
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 12 Memory 13 Storage device 14 Communication interface 15 User interface device 16 Control bus 20, 20A, 20B Printer 30 Network 31 Print time prediction unit 32 Group print job generation unit 33 UI control unit 34 Data transmission/reception unit 35 Schedule generation unit 36 Schedule data storage unit 37 Print control unit 50 Terminal device 60 Print job 70 DFE

Claims (9)

It has memory and a processor.
The processor,
A group print instruction that groups together a plurality of print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common and a time required for printing the group print instruction are acquired;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
If printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , the group print instruction is divided so that print processing based on the print instructions compiled as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline and print instructions with high priority among the multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction are grouped into the same group .
Print control device. 2. A printing control device as described in claim 1, wherein the processor determines the priority of multiple printing instructions included in the group printing instruction based on one or more of the following conditions: number of pages, total printing area, date and time of receipt, printing deadline, and whether or not post-processing is required and type. It has memory and a processor,
The processor,
A group print instruction that groups together a plurality of print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common and a time required for printing the group print instruction are acquired;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
If printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , the group print instruction is divided so that print processing based on the print instructions compiled as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline and print instructions having the shortest acquired printing time among the multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction are grouped into the same group .
Print control device. It has memory and a processor,
The processor,
A group print instruction that groups together a plurality of print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common and a time required for printing the group print instruction are acquired;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
If printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , the group print instruction is divided so that print processing based on the print instructions compiled as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline and print instructions having long acquired printing times among the multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction are grouped into the same group .
Print control device. It has memory and a processor,
The processor,
a group print instruction is acquired that is a group of multiple print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common, and information regarding the print contents set in each print instruction is transmitted to a printing device that is to perform printing, and a time required for printing the group print instruction is acquired by receiving a prediction result returned from the printing device;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
If printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , the group print instruction is divided so that printing processing based on the print instructions grouped as the group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline .
Print control device. acquiring a group print instruction that groups together a plurality of print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common , and a time required for printing the group print instruction;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
if printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , dividing the group print instruction so that print processing based on the print instructions compiled as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline and print instructions with high priority among the multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction are grouped into the same group ;
A program for causing a computer to execute the following. acquiring a group print instruction that groups together a plurality of print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common , and a time required for printing the group print instruction;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
if printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , dividing the group print instruction so that print processing based on the print instructions compiled as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline and print instructions having the shortest acquired printing time among the multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction are grouped into the same group ;
A program for causing a computer to execute the following. acquiring a group print instruction that groups together a plurality of print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common , and a time required for printing the group print instruction;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
if printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , dividing the group print instruction and rescheduling the group print instruction so that print processing based on the print instructions compiled as a group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline and print instructions with long acquired printing times among the multiple print instructions included in the group print instruction are grouped into the same group ;
A program for causing a computer to execute the following. a step of acquiring a group print instruction that is a collection of multiple print instructions that have at least some print attributes in common, transmitting information about the print contents set in each print instruction to a printing device that is to perform printing, and acquiring a time required to print the group print instruction by receiving a predicted result returned from the printing device ;
acquiring a printing device capable of executing printing based on the group printing instruction and a time period during which printing can be executed;
If printing cannot be completed within the acquired time period by the printing deadline set in the print instruction , dividing the group print instruction so that print processing based on the print instructions grouped as the group print instruction is completed by the printing deadline;
A program for causing a computer to execute the following.

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