JP2016115013A - Program, information processing apparatus, and system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a program for completing processing of a scheduled print job, as scheduled, an information processing apparatus, and a system.SOLUTION: A program includes: determining whether consumables are to be supplied or not, during processing of a print job (S2-6); deriving an estimated time required for supplying the consumables (S2-7); determining whether the consumables can be supplied without stopping a device during the processing (S2-8); displaying information that supply of the consumables is needed for the print job, the estimated supply time, and information on the consumables, when the consumables are to be supplied (S2-10); and displaying estimated processing time of the print job with the time required for supplying the consumables when the consumables cannot be supplied without stopping the device during the processing (S2-9, S2-10).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a program, an information processing apparatus, and a system.

  The production printing industry prints for commercial use, and requires a large amount and a wide variety of printing. In order to realize this, it is often the case that a plurality of printing apparatuses are simultaneously operated to process a plurality of print jobs in parallel. A print workflow system is used as a system for managing a plurality of printing apparatuses and print jobs. This is because in the production printing industry, the printed matter is a product and the deadline is strictly followed, so it is important to manage the print schedule by workflow. For this reason, with respect to the management of print jobs including workflows, there is already known a technique for schedule management of print jobs so as to keep the deadline set at the time of submission.

  However, in conventional print job schedule management systems, the time taken to replenish consumables that occur during print job processing is not taken into account in the schedule, and therefore the estimated time for completion of print job processing may be exceeded. was there. For this reason, there is a problem that the job is not processed as scheduled, such as the deadline set for the print job is not in time or the schedule of the next print job is delayed.

  Patent Document 1 provides an image output apparatus that can acquire a print result more reliably at a date and time desired by a user according to the remaining amount of consumables and the amount of consumables used by a print job. An invention intended to do so is disclosed. That is, in Patent Document 1, the presence or absence of an influence on a scheduled print job is determined based on the amount of consumables that require a newly registered print job. An invention has been disclosed which has a function of detecting a detailed status and notifying a user who has sent a newly registered print job, and a function of accepting a new registration of a print job when the notified consumable status is resolved. Yes.

  However, since the time taken to replenish consumables that occur during processing of a print job is not considered in the schedule, the problem that the print job cannot be processed as scheduled has not been solved.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to complete the processing of a print job set in a schedule according to the schedule.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a program readable by a computer of a schedule management system for managing a print job, wherein the display unit displays a print job schedule on the computer. The procedure in which the schedule management unit receives the print job registration, the database holds the manuscript and print setting data necessary for the print job registration, the information acquisition unit has the device information of the device, the device status, and the print Procedure for acquiring job status by communication, procedure for storing and accepting and storing device specification information settings that cannot be acquired by communication, history storage unit acquiring device status and print job status by the information acquiring unit And print job registration information as history The procedure, the prediction unit, based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, the device specification setting stored by the storage unit, and the history information, the print job processing time, the print job consumables Procedure for predicting consumption and replenishment of consumables during print job processing, if the display unit predicts that the prediction unit needs replenishment of consumables during print job processing, Consumables need to be replenished, consumables information and the time required for replenishment are displayed together with the print job display, and the reflection part is for replenishing consumables during print job processing. When it is necessary to stop a device or a print job, a program for adding the estimated time required for replenishment of consumables to the predicted print job processing time performed by the prediction unit and reflecting the result on the display That is And butterflies.

  According to the present invention, processing of a print job set in a schedule can be completed as scheduled.

2 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a printing system including a client PC 1, a hub 2, a device 1 (3a), a device 2 (3b), a device 3 (3c),. It is an example of the hardware block diagram of a client PC. 1 is an example of an overall configuration diagram according to an embodiment of a device (printing apparatus) that is an information processing apparatus. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a print job schedule management system. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a flow when a print job is set in a schedule by the device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an internal flow when a print job is set in a schedule by the information processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 3. It is explanatory drawing about the flow of replenishment of consumables. It is explanatory drawing about the internal flow of replenishment of consumables. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an algorithm for predicting the processing time of a print job. It is explanatory drawing about the algorithm (paper) of the prediction of the consumption of a consumable. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an algorithm (toner) for predicting the consumption amount of consumables. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an algorithm for determining whether or not replenishment of consumables is necessary during print job processing. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an internal flow when a print job is set in a schedule when a person in charge is registered in a device. An example of the screen of the print job schedule management system, provided that it is not necessary to replenish consumables. An example of a screen of a print job schedule management system, provided that consumables need to be replenished. An example of the display of a print job icon that needs to be replenished with consumables, provided that replenishment is performed without stopping the device. An example of the display of a print job icon that needs to be replenished with consumables, provided that the device is stopped and replenished. It is explanatory drawing about the functional block diagram of a printing apparatus. It is explanatory drawing about the functional block diagram of the system in Embodiment 2. FIG. It is an example of the sequence diagram which shows the exchange of the data between apparatuses. It is an example of the flowchart showing the process of an application. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating a tray-paper replacement | exchange schedule as an application. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating a tray-paper replacement | exchange schedule as an application. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating a tray-paper replacement | exchange schedule as an application. It is explanatory drawing about job schedule display UI. It is an example of a paper information registration dialog. It is an example of a dialog for registering a storage location of paper. It is an example of a paper storage location group edit dialog.

<Overview>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described. The present invention has the following characteristics when a print job is set in a schedule in the print job schedule management system.
In short, when a print job is set on the schedule, the system will determine if the consumables need to be replenished during processing of the print job, derive an estimated time to replenish the consumables, and It is determined whether or not the consumables can be replenished without stopping.
When it is necessary to replenish consumables, it is displayed that the replenishment of consumables for the print job, the estimated time required for replenishment, and consumable information are displayed.
If it is not possible to replenish consumables without stopping the device during processing, the print job's estimated processing time will be displayed with the time it takes to replenish consumables to display the print job schedule. To reflect.
The features of the present invention described above will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
[Constitution]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a printing system including a client PC 1, a hub 2, a device 1 (3a), a device 2 (3b), a device 3 (3c), and so on.
A device 1 (3a), a device 2 (3b), a device 3 (3c),... Such as a plurality of printing apparatuses are connected to the network from the client PC 1 via the hub 2. The client PC 1 uses the print job schedule management system on the PC 1 and sends the print job to the device 1 (3a), the device 2 (3b), the device 3 (3c),. Device 1 (3a), device 2 (3b), device 3 (3c),... Process the received print job and execute printing. Instead of the PC 1, it is also possible to use a print job schedule management system on a smart device or tablet.

FIG. 2 is an example of a hardware configuration diagram of the client PC.
In the client PC, a central processing unit (CPU) 4, a random access memory (RAM) 5a, a read only memory (ROM) 5b, an HDD (hard disk drive) 5c, and an I / F 6 are connected via a bus line.
An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 7 and an operation unit 8 are connected to the I / F 6.
The CPU 4 is a calculation means and controls the operation of the entire PC 1.
The RAM 5a is a volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 4 processes information.
The ROM 5a is a read-only nonvolatile storage medium and stores a program such as firmware.
The HDD 5b is a non-volatile storage medium that can read and write information, and stores an OS (Operation System), various control programs, application programs, and the like.
The I / F 6 connects and controls the bus line and various hardware and networks.
The LCD 7 is a visual user interface for the user to check the state of the PC 1.
The operation unit 8 is a user interface such as a keyboard and a mouse for the user to input information including a reference time to the PC 1.
Also, the server and the mobile terminal have the same hardware configuration as that of the client PC.

FIG. 3 is an example of an overall configuration diagram according to an embodiment of a device (printing apparatus) that is an information processing apparatus.
An MFP (Multifunction Printer) 100 as a device has a configuration in which a controller 10 and an engine unit (Engine) 60 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interface) bus.
The controller 10 is a controller that controls the entire MFP 100 and controls drawing, communication, and input from an operation unit (not shown).
The engine unit 60 is a printer engine that can be connected to a PCI bus, and examples thereof include a monochrome plotter, a 1-drum color plotter, a 4-drum color plotter, a scanner, and a fax unit.
The engine unit 60 includes an image processing unit such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to a so-called engine unit such as a plotter.
The controller 10 includes a CPU 11, a north bridge (NB) 13, a system memory (MEM-P) 12, a south bridge (SB) 14, a local memory (MEM-C) 17, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). 16 and a hard disk drive (HDD) 103.
The controller 10 has a configuration in which the north bridge (NB) 13 and the ASIC 16 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 15.
The CPU 11 performs overall control of the MFP 100, has a chip set composed of NB13, MEM-P12, and SB14, and is connected to other devices via this chipset.
The NB 13 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 11 to the MEM-P 12, SB 14, and the AGP bus line 15, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 12, and a PCI master and an AGP target.
The MEM-P 12 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a drawing memory for printers, and the like, and includes a ROM 12a and a RAM 12b.
The ROM 12a is a read-only memory that is used as a memory for storing programs and data, and the RAM 12b is a writable and readable memory that is used as a memory for developing programs and data and a drawing memory for printers.
The SB 14 is a bridge for connecting the NB 13 to a PCI device and peripheral devices. The SB 14 is connected to the NB 13 via a PCI bus line, and a network interface (I / F) unit or the like is also connected to the PCI bus line.

The ASIC 16 is an integrated circuit (IC) for image processing having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP bus 15, the PCI bus, the HDD 103, and the MEM-C17.
The ASIC16 is a PCI target and AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that is the core of the ASIC16, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C17, and multiple DMCs (Direct Memory Controllers) that rotate image data using hardware logic. ) And a PCI unit that transfers data to and from the engine unit 60 via the PCI bus.
The ASIC 16 is connected to an FCU (Facsimile Control Unit) 30, USB (Universal Serial Bus) 40, IEEE1394 (the Institute of Electrical) and (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface 50 via PCI devices.
The operation display unit 220 is directly connected to the ASIC 16.
The MEM-C 17 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer.
The HDD 103 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms.
The HDD 103 stores a license file for an application executed on the MFP 100.
AGP bus 15 is a bus interface for graphics accelerator cards that has been proposed to speed up graphics processing. It speeds up graphics accelerator cards by directly accessing MEM-P12 with high throughput. It is.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the print job schedule management system.
This is a configuration of a print job schedule management system 21 used on the PC 1.
The display unit 22 displays a print job schedule.
The schedule management unit 23 treats the input information, JDF (Job Definition Format), and PDF (Portable Document Format) input by the user as a print job and manages them on the schedule. The schedule management unit 23 transmits a print job to the device in accordance with the schedule when executing the schedule. The schedule management unit 23 also manages device operation, stop, start, hold and job stop, start, hold, and the like.
Here, the term “hold” means a temporary stop, and is a state in which an operating device or print job is temporarily stopped during the operation. “Resume” starts from the hold state. “Stopped” means not on hold but a state in which the print job or device is not operating at all.
The prediction unit 24 performs prediction regarding print processing time and replenishment of consumables based on the history, history number, device information, JDF, PDF, and device information acquired by the information acquisition unit. Further, the prediction unit 24 has a function of setting a model name in the device to increase the accuracy of prediction, and in the case of the same model, integrating the history to increase the number of history records that are the basis of prediction.
The information acquisition unit 25 acquires information such as a device status, a job status, a remaining amount of consumables, and a consumable counter from the device.
The JDF DB (Data Base) 26 is a DB that stores JDF data, which is a data format including print settings. The JDF DB 26 selects JDF data from the JDF DB when setting a print job in the schedule.
The PDF DB 27 is a DB that stores PDF data, which is a document format. The PDF DB 27 selects PDF data as a manuscript to be submitted from the PDF DB 27 when setting a print job in the schedule.
The device information DB 28 is a database that stores device information. The device information includes device information that cannot be acquired by the information acquisition unit 25, such as whether or not the device needs to be stopped in order to replenish consumables with the device, and is registered and stored in advance in the device information DB 28 by the user. To do.
The history DB 29 is a database that stores information necessary for prediction, such as jobs, devices, replacement of consumables, and the number of history records, as a history. When the status of a job or device changes, the history DB 29 stores the time and status, information that can be acquired by information acquisition, and the like as a history.
Further, the history DB 29 as the prediction unit 24 and the history storage unit has a function of checking the correctness of the prediction by comparing the prediction and the history result after completion of the processing of the print job, and correcting if there is an error. Also good.
Further, the prediction unit 24 and the history DB 29 may have a function of performing re-prediction and re-reflection of the remaining print jobs after the processing of the print jobs set in the same device is completed.

<List 1 List of information that can be acquired by the system>
1. Information on Printed Documents, Print Settings, and Submissions 1-1 Print Job Print Settings, Paper Type, Paper Size, Number of Copies, Double Sided, Aggregated Number, Special Page Insertion Number, Post-Processing, Color Settings 1-2 Document (PDF) Number of pages 1-3 Submission information (deadline, user name, customer information, etc.
(Information entered by the user when setting)

2. Print job information Print job status, processing, waiting, abort, completion, and stop.

3. Device information (communication acquisition)
3-1 Device status
Processing, standby, down, shutdown, cleaning, setup 3-2 Detailed device status
Off, Starting, Processing, Insufficient resources, Out of resources, Out of paper, Out of paper
Offline, online, output tray almost full, output tray full
No paper tray, no paper output tray, paper jam, waste container
Bo full tank, waste container full, breakdown, manufacturer supply shortage, manufacturer
-Out of supply, etc. 3-3 Approximate remaining amount of consumables (paper, toner, etc.), remaining paper (sheets) per paper tray
Toner remaining amount (%) 3-4 Consumables counter

4). Device information (user input)
4-1 Model 4-2 Person in charge 4-3 Possible to replace paper during processing 4-4 Possible / impossible to replace toner during processing

5. History 5-1 Time when device status and job status change, print settings, status 5-2 Time from consumables out-of-consumer status to resumption of processing 5-3 Total print amount of system And information such as the number of errors

List 1 describes a list of information that can be acquired by the print job schedule management system.
The print job schedule management system acquires information necessary for predicting the processing time of a print job and the replenishment of consumables from user input, communication with a device, and history storage.

Hereinafter, an overview of information will be described for each item.
1. Information related to a print document, print settings, and submission Information that is selected and input by a user when a print job is set in a schedule. PDF is saved in PDF DB27 and JDF is saved in JDF DB26. The input information is managed by the schedule management unit 23.
The printed document is assumed to be PDF, but other formats such as Word (registered trademark) are also possible. The print setting assumes the JDF format, but other formats such as PS (Post Script) and PCL (Printer Command Language) are also possible.
As for information related to submission, if a deadline is input, a job can be set and managed so that the deadline can be observed by scheduling a print job.

2. Print job information Status information of the print job sent to the device. Acquired by communication with the device. When using JMF (Job Messaging Format) format, it is possible to get the statuses listed. The information acquisition unit 25 acquires the print job information.

3. Device information (communication acquisition)
Device status information, rough remaining amount of consumables, and consumable counter information. The information acquisition unit 25 acquires the information by communicating with the device. When using JDF format, it is possible to get the statuses listed.

4). Device information (user input)
This is device information that cannot be acquired by communication. The user inputs and sets each device for information on the device specifications. Stored in the device information database.
For example, there is a model of a printing apparatus that can replenish paper in a paper feed tray without stopping the process of apparatus information during the process of the apparatus. In the case of the model, “possible / impossible of paper replacement during processing” is set to “possible”. Similarly, in the case of a model capable of exchanging toner during processing, “possible / impossible of exchanging toner during processing” is set to “possible”. As other information, the model name of the apparatus and the person in charge of the device may be registered.

5. History Holds the print job status, device status change and time, and print settings as a history. Saved in the history DB29. The save timing is when the status changes. It also holds information that should be managed by the entire system, such as the overall system operation time, the number of errors, and the number of consumables consumed.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a flow when a print job is set in a schedule by the device shown in FIG.
The subject of operation is the CPU 11.
The user can set a print job in the schedule. The set print job is displayed as an icon in the schedule. If it is necessary to replenish consumables during processing of the print job at the time of setting, the replenishment information is reflected on the print job icon according to the flow of the figure.

Each flow work will be described.
S1-1:
The user selects a document to be printed (PDF format) and print settings (JDF format). In addition, information such as a deadline, a user name, and customer information is input as the submission information. When a deadline is entered for a print job, the system predicts the print processing time and assists in meeting the deadline.

S1-2:
The system creates and displays a print job icon based on the settings input in S1-1. The icon is created in a length (size) reflecting the predicted processing time, so that the time required for processing is visually shown to the user. The icon indicates the job ID, job status, deadline, and estimated processing time.

S1-3:
The user sets the displayed icon in the schedule.

S1-4:
The system determines whether or not the set print job needs to be replenished with consumables during the processing of the print job. If necessary, the information (consumable type, estimated time required for replenishment) is reflected in the print job icon. In particular, when the processing of the device has to be stopped for replenishment of consumables, it takes a long time. Therefore, the estimated replenishment time is added to the predicted processing time (icon length) of the print job, and the icon is displayed again. The user can know that the consumables need to be replenished, and that the process completion time of the print job is delayed, and can make a schedule in consideration of the time.
Also, in the case of a model that does not have to stop the device processing for replenishment, it is possible to know the replenishment timing and the time required for replenishment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an internal flow when a print job is set in a schedule by the information processing apparatus shown in FIG.
Inside the system, prediction and display regarding replenishment of consumables at the time of print job setting are performed based on information communication, prior input information, and history.
Each operation of the flow will be described in comparison with the flow (S1-1 to S1-4) in FIG.

S2-1:
The schedule management unit 23 receives the manuscript selected by the user in S1-1, print settings, and input submission information.

S2-2:
The prediction unit 24 predicts the processing time of the print job based on the manuscript, print settings, and submission information received from the user in S2-1. The prediction algorithm will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9 in the print job processing time prediction algorithm.

S2-3:
The display unit 22 creates and displays a print job icon according to the print job processing time predicted by the prediction unit 24 in S2-2. Corresponds to S1-2.
Here, “vertically long print job icon” in the figure means an icon having a vertical length proportional to the processing time of the print job.
S2-4:
When the job icon is set in the schedule by the user in S1-3, the information acquisition unit 25 communicates with the device and acquires device information. The device information that can be acquired is listed in the list of information that can be acquired by the List 1 system.

S2-5:
The prediction unit 24 predicts the consumption amount of consumables consumed in the print job processing. The prediction algorithm will be described in detail with reference to an algorithm for predicting consumption of consumables (paper) and an algorithm for predicting consumption of 911 consumables (toner) in FIG.

S2-6:
Based on the device information acquired in S2-4 and the consumption amount of the consumable item in S2-5, the prediction unit 24 determines whether or not the replenishment of the consumable item is necessary during the processing of the print job. The determination algorithm will be described in detail with reference to an algorithm for determining whether or not replenishment of consumables is necessary during the print job processing in FIG.

S2-7:
When it is determined in S2-6 that replenishment of consumables is necessary, the prediction unit 24 predicts the time required for replenishment of consumables. The time required for replenishment of consumables is predicted by averaging the “time required for replenishment of jobs so far” stored in the history.

S2-8:
The prediction unit 24 determines whether it is necessary to stop the device for replenishment of consumables based on the device information. This device information is information set by user input. The user registers the following information in advance for each device.
Possible to replace paper during processing Possible / impossible to replace toner during processing

S2-9:
If it is determined in S2-9 that the device needs to be stopped for replenishment of consumables, the schedule management unit 23 adds the estimated time required for replenishment of consumables to the processing time of the print job. This is because the printing process cannot be performed while the device is stopped and replenished. In the calculation of the prediction related to the replenishment of the consumables, the predicted time required for the replenishment of the consumables is calculated from the average time of “the time taken to replenish the consumables (paper)” recorded in the history. S2-9 corresponds to S1-4.

Example of operation 1) When adding replenishment time for consumables (paper)
Before the printing process starts, the user manually sets the following device information.
Set device information as “Possible / Unable to change paper during processing” → “Not possible”
(1) The schedule management unit 23 confirms the “possibility / impossibility of paper replacement during processing” information in the device information, and acquires “impossible”.
(2) The schedule management unit 23 calculates the estimated time (for example, 0.5h) required to replenish consumables from the average time of the “time spent replenishing consumables (paper)” recorded in the history. .
(3) The schedule management unit 23 adds the estimated time (for example, 0.5h) required for the replenishment of the consumables in (2) to the estimated processing time (for example, 3h) of the print job. As a result, the print job processing time is 3.5 hours in total.

Operation example 2) If you do not add the replenishment time for consumables (paper)
Before the printing process starts, the user manually sets the following device information.
In the device information, set “Possible to change paper during processing” to “Available”
(1) The schedule management unit 23 confirms the “possibility / impossibility of paper replacement during processing” information in the device information, and acquires “possible”.
(2) The schedule management unit 23 calculates the estimated time (for example, 0.5h) required to replenish consumables from the average time of the “time spent replenishing consumables (paper)” recorded in the history. .
(3) The schedule management unit 23 adds nothing to the estimated print job processing time (eg, 3h). As a result, the processing time of the print job remains 3.0h.

S2-10:
The display unit 22 recreates and displays the job icon according to the job processing time including the replenishment time obtained in S2-9. Also, information about the replenishment (consumable type, estimated time required for replenishment) is displayed on the job icon. S2-10 corresponds to S1-4.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for the flow of replenishment of consumables.
During processing of the print job, the system can know by communication that it is necessary to replenish consumables. After the notification is received, the user replenishes the consumables. The system periodically updates the device status to see if replenishment has been resolved. The system can stop a device or a print job, hold or start an operation, or resume it according to a user's request.
Each flow work will be described.

S3-1:
The system notifies the user that it is necessary to replenish consumables. As the notification means, existing means such as display and email transmission are used.
S3-2:
There are devices that can replenish consumables without stopping processing, and devices that cannot. The system can stop a device or a print job, hold or start an operation, or resume it according to a user's request.

S3-3:
The user refills the consumables.

S3-4:
The system periodically updates the device status via communication. The types of device status that can be acquired are listed in the list of information that the system can acquire.

S3-5:
After the replenishment of the consumables is completed, the system instructs the start and restart of the device operation according to the device specifications. If it is already in operation, there is no need to resume. The user or system operates the device and print job according to the device specifications.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the internal flow of replenishment of consumables.
A history is stored internally for the work of replenishing consumables. When the status change of the device or job occurs, the print settings when the status change occurs and the time taken to replenish the consumables are saved in the history. This history information is used to predict the time required for replenishment of consumables.
In contrast with the flow of FIG. 7, each flow operation will be described.

S4-1:
The information acquisition unit 25 periodically acquires device information. The device information includes a device status. The device status indicates whether or not the supply of consumables is necessary.

S4-2:
The schedule management unit 23 notifies the user when it is necessary to replenish consumables (S3-1). Simultaneously with the notification, the information about the supply of the consumables, the time, the print setting, and the elapsed time from the start of the job are stored in the history.

S4-3:
When the user instructs hold or stop of the device in S3-2, or when the system needs to specify, the schedule management unit 23 instructs the device to hold or stop the device. Do not perform this operation if the device does not need to stop automatically or refill.

S4-4:
While the user is replenishing consumables in S3-3, the information acquisition unit 25 periodically acquires the device status. Whether the replenishment of the consumables is completed can be known from the change in status.

S4-5:
When the replenishment of the consumables is completed, the schedule management unit 23 stores the replenishment information of the consumables and the time taken for the replenishment in the history.
S4-6:
When the user instructs to start or resume the device in S3-5, or when the system needs to instruct, the schedule management unit 23 instructs the device to start or resume the device.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an algorithm for predicting the processing time of a print job.
When setting a print job in a schedule, the system predicts the processing time for one print job. The prediction requires calculation of the number of print sheets and processing time per sheet. In the algorithm, the predicted processing time is x.

Each algorithm calculation will be described.
S5-1:
The number of print sheets is the number of sheets actually printed. There is a possibility that the number of pages of the manuscript may differ due to aggregation, double-sided, special page insertion, or the like.
For the calculation method of the number of print sheets, refer to the algorithm for consumable consumption prediction (paper) in FIG.

S5-2:
The printing processing time per sheet is calculated according to the following procedure.
(1) For each job history so far, calculate the print processing time per sheet using the following formula.
Processing time per sheet = print time of print job ÷ number of print sheets
(2) The average is obtained from the printing time per sheet of all jobs.

S5-3:
The processing time for one print job is calculated by multiplying (multiplying) the number of print sheets by the processing time per sheet.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an algorithm (paper) for predicting the consumption amount of consumables.
When setting a print job in a schedule, the system predicts the number of sheets (number of printed sheets) consumed for printing. Prediction requires the current number of pages and print setting information (number of copies, number of consolidations, duplex settings, number of special pages inserted). In the algorithm, the estimated number of print sheets is x.
Each algorithm calculation will be described.

S6-1:
First, the total number of pages is obtained by multiplying the number of pages of the original document by the number of copies and is substituted for x.

S6-2:
When the duplex setting is On, two pages are printed on one sheet of paper. Therefore, divide x by 2.

S6-3:
When the aggregation setting is made, the number of aggregate pages is printed on one sheet. Therefore, x is divided by the aggregation number.

S6-4:
Some print settings have a function to insert a page other than the original called a special page into the original. When a special page is inserted, the number of print sheets increases accordingly, so the number of special pages inserted is added to x.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an algorithm (toner) for predicting the consumption amount of consumables.
When setting a print job in a schedule, the system predicts each toner consumption (%) in one print job. The amount of consumption is predicted separately for each toner. Prediction requires the number of print sheets and print setting information (color settings). In the algorithm, the predicted toner consumption is x (%).
Each algorithm calculation will be described.

S7-1:
It is determined from the color setting of the print setting whether or not the toner to be predicted is used. For example, if the color setting is monochrome, cyan or magenta toner is not used. Also, in the case of a model in which special toner (transparent toner or white toner) can be set, it can be determined from the setting of the corresponding function in the print settings.

S7-2:
Predict the number of print sheets.
Refer to the algorithm (paper) for predicting the consumption amount of consumables in FIG.

S7-3:
The toner consumption per sheet is calculated according to the following procedure.
(1) For each job history so far, calculate the print processing time per sheet using the following formula.
Toner consumption per sheet = remaining toner ÷ number of print sheets
(2) The average is obtained from the toner consumption per sheet of all jobs.

S7-4:
By multiplying (multiplying) the toner consumption amount per sheet by the number of print sheets, the toner consumption amount in one print job is calculated.

S7-5:
When the toner to be predicted is not used, the toner consumption is 0 (%).

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an algorithm for determining whether or not replenishment of consumables is necessary during print job processing.
The remaining amount of consumables before the start of the print job is compared with the amount of consumables consumed in one print job. If the remaining amount is insufficient, it is determined that the consumables need to be replenished. This determination is made separately for consumables. For example, in the case of toner, the determination is made for each type such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The paper is determined separately for the paper set for each paper feed tray.
Judgment is made for all the consumables, and if even one replenishment is required, it is necessary to replenish the consumables for the print job.
Each algorithm procedure will be described.

S8-1:
The information acquisition unit 25 acquires the remaining amount of consumables as device information by communication. Get the approximate remaining amount for both paper and toner.

S8-2:
The prediction unit 24 predicts the consumption amount of the consumable for the set print job. The prediction algorithm is described in the consumable consumption prediction algorithm (paper) in FIG. 10 and the consumable consumption prediction algorithm (toner) in FIG.

S8-3:
The remaining amount acquired in S8-1 and the consumption predicted in S8-2 are compared. If the remaining amount is greater than or equal to the consumed amount, it is determined that replenishment of consumables is not necessary during the processing of the print job.

S8-4:
The remaining amount acquired in S8-1 and the consumption predicted in S8-2 are compared. If the remaining amount is less than the consumed amount, it is determined that it is necessary to replenish consumables during the processing of the print job.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an internal flow when a print job is set in a schedule when a person in charge is registered in the device.
When the person in charge of the device is registered in the apparatus information, the schedule is adjusted so that one person in charge does not replenish consumables at the same time in addition to the internal flow when the print job of FIG. 2 is set in the schedule. .
When two devices need to be replenished with consumables at the same time, the schedule manager 23 checks whether the person in charge of the two devices is the same person or the devices are not the same model. If they are the same person, the consumables of two devices cannot be replenished at the same time, so the estimated replenishment time of the consumables for the job set later is increased by the estimated replenishment time of the previously set job. To do. By doing so, it means waiting for completion of replenishment of consumables of other devices for that time. Also, since the time for replenishment of consumables becomes longer, the print job prediction processing time also increases.
This will be explained for each flow. The green part of the figure is the flow added to FIG.

S9-1 ~ S9-9:
See S2-1 to S2-9 in FIG.

S9-10:
The schedule management unit 23 checks whether or not other devices need to be replenished with consumables at the same time. The time at which replenishment is required is calculated using the algorithm for consumable consumption prediction (paper) in FIG. 10 and the algorithm for predicting consumption of consumables (toner) in FIG.

S9-11:
If replenishment is necessary at the same time in S9-10, the schedule management unit 23 checks the person in charge of the device registered in advance in the device information. If replenishment is necessary at the same time and the person in charge of the device is the same, it is actually impossible to replenish simultaneously. Therefore, the schedule management unit 23 increases the estimated replenishment time for the consumables of the job set later by the estimated replenishment time for the previously set job. By doing so, it means waiting for completion of replenishment of consumables of other devices for that time. Also, since the time for replenishment of consumables becomes longer, the print job prediction processing time also increases.

S9-12:
See S2-10 in FIG.

FIGS. 14 to 17 are diagrams illustrating an example of a screen display of the print job schedule management system.
FIG. 14 shows an example of the screen of the print job schedule management system, except that it is not necessary to replenish consumables.
In the print job schedule management system, a print job is set for each device. The device displays status (processing, waiting, stopped, out of toner, etc.). Each print job set by the user is displayed as an icon in the device column. The icon displays the job ID, status, and estimated processing time. In addition, information such as deadlines and customer names can be displayed, but this example is omitted.

FIG. 15 shows an example of the screen of the print job schedule management system, where the consumables need to be replenished.
When the user sets a print job (JobID: 2) on device 2, the system determines that replenishment of consumables is necessary, and toner (Cyan) is used as replenishment information for consumables. Is displayed. Since the device 2 is a model that cannot be replenished without stopping the device, the time 0.5h required for replenishment is added to the job processing time, and the icon is displayed again as 3.5h.

FIG. 16 shows an example of a display of a print job icon that needs to be replenished with consumables, in the case of replenishing without stopping the device.
When the user first inputs a document, print settings, and submission information, a print job is created and an icon on the left side of the figure is displayed. Thereafter, when the user sets the icon in the schedule, the system determines whether or not the consumables need to be replenished, and if necessary, redisplays the icon on the right side of the figure.

  FIG. 16 shows a consumable item that can be replenished without stopping the device. Therefore, even when replenishment is necessary, the estimated time for the printing process does not change.

FIG. 17 shows an example of a display of a print job icon that needs to be replenished with consumables, where the device is stopped and replenished.
When the user first inputs a document, print settings, and submission information, a print job is created and an icon on the left side of the figure is displayed. After that, when the user sets the icon in the schedule, the system determines whether it is necessary to replenish consumables, and if necessary, redisplays the icon on the right side of the figure.
FIG. 17 shows the case of a consumable that cannot be replenished without stopping the device. For this reason, since the device is stopped when replenishment is necessary, the estimated time for the printing process increases by the time required for the replenishment.

[Function and effect]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the print job schedule management system capable of submitting a print job to a device such as a printing apparatus and predicting the time and completion time of the printing, the following operations are performed. There is an effect.
When a print job is set to the schedule, the system determines whether consumables need to be replenished during processing of the print job, derives the estimated time to replenish consumables, and Determine whether consumables can be replenished without stopping. In addition, when the supply of consumables is necessary, information indicating that the replenishment of the consumables for the print job, the estimated time required for the replenishment, and the consumables is displayed. If replenishment of consumables cannot be performed without stopping the device during processing, the estimated time for replenishing consumables is added to the print job's estimated processing time and displayed. Reflect to schedule. As a result, in the print job schedule management system, the processing of the print job set in the schedule can be completed as scheduled.

Further, according to the present embodiment, after the processing of other jobs is finished, the actual consumption amount of consumables may be different from the prediction, so that the error can be absorbed by re-prediction.
Further, according to the present embodiment, since the performance is the same for the same model, the prediction accuracy can be increased by integrating the history and increasing the number of cases.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the print processing time varies greatly depending on the print setting, particularly the post-processing setting. Therefore, the prediction accuracy of the processing time can be improved by using the same post-processing setting history for prediction. .
Moreover, according to this embodiment, the accuracy of prediction can be raised by matching the predictions.
Further, according to the present embodiment, there is a possibility that the consumables may be replenished after the job is set, so that erroneous display can be eliminated by re-prediction.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, since there is no history and there is a possibility that the accuracy of the prediction may decrease when the system has just begun to be used, the prediction accuracy can be improved by having the user input a guideline value. Can do.

<Embodiment 2>
[Constitution]
Since the overall configuration and the client PC are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of a functional block diagram of the printing apparatus.
The printing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 18 includes a data reception unit 34, a print data generation unit 32, a print execution unit 33, and a data transmission unit 35.
The data receiving unit 34 is a module that receives document data instructed to be printed from the client PC 1 and confidential information areas designated by the client PC 1. The print data generation unit 32 is a module that generates print data that combines document data and a QR code (registered trademark). The print execution unit 33 is a module that executes printing based on the generated print data. The data transmission unit 35 is a module that transmits confidential information data and confidential information location information to the server.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of a functional block diagram of the system according to the second embodiment.
A system 41 illustrated in FIG. 19 includes a user interface 43, a sheet replacement schedule generation unit 44, a data holding unit 45, a data transmission unit 46, and a data reception unit 47.
The user interface 43 is a module that displays a job schedule and a paper replacement schedule of each printing apparatus.
The paper exchange schedule generation unit 44 is a module that creates an optimal paper exchange schedule by using information stored in the data holding unit 45.
The data holding unit 45 holds the job information acquired from the data receiving unit 47 in the job information DB 45a, holds the device information in the device information DB 45b, and holds the paper information in the paper information DB 45c.
The data receiving unit 47 is a module that receives job information of the printing apparatus and tray information of the printing apparatus from the printing apparatus.
The data transmission unit 46 is a module that transmits a command (information acquisition command) to the printing apparatus.

  Table 1 explains the data structure of job information. For each job, the printing device scheduled to be used (including in use), the printing priority in the job of the printing device, and information on the paper used in the job are stored.

  Table 2 explains the data structure of the paper information. Save the storage location for each sheet.

  Table 3 explains the data structure of the device information. Stores what paper is in each tray held by each printing device. Here, the current remaining sheet may be held as information.

<Operation>
FIG. 20 is an example of a sequence diagram illustrating data exchange between apparatuses.
The sequence diagram shown in FIG. 20 shows data exchange between the application and the printing apparatus. Although there is one printing device 31 here, it is assumed that the same exchange is performed with a plurality of devices.
First, the application transmits a command for acquiring device information to the printing device 31 (S11).
When receiving the command, the printing apparatus 31 transmits to the application the tray that the apparatus currently has and the media name fed to the tray (S12).
Next, the application transmits a job list acquisition command to the printing apparatus 31 (S13).
The printing apparatus 31 transmits the job name of the job currently being printed and the job waiting for printing and the job status (printing, waiting, canceled, completed) to the application (S14).
The application transmits a job information acquisition command for each acquired job (S15).
The printing apparatus 31 transmits the media used and the job priority (printing order) corresponding to the designated job (S16).
The application stores the acquired information in the data holding unit 45.

FIG. 21 is an example of a flowchart showing application processing.
The flowchart shown in FIG. 21 is executed for each job acquired from the job list.
The application creates the tray usage status (Table 4) of the target job from the data (Table 3) of the device information DB 47c and the job information DB 45a (Table 1) (S21). The tray usage status of the target job is that the tray containing the paper used by the current job is being used, and the other trays are unused.

Next, a tray use schedule (Table 5) for the next job is created (S22). First, the current Tray-paper configuration is created, and if there is a tray that contains paper to be used in the next job, the use schedule of the tray is changed from unused to the use schedule.
After creating the tray usage status of the target job and the tray usage schedule of the next job, the unused statuses and usage schedules of both maps are extracted to create an unused tray list (Table 6) (S23). In addition, the next job unused tray list (Table 7) is created by extracting lines in which the tray usage status of the target job is in use and the tray usage schedule of the next job is unused (S24).

Next, paper-tray allocation data (Table 8) for the next job is created.
Check the tray allocation status and status for each sheet of the next job. For the status, “ready” is input when the paper is already fed to the tray, and “unexecuted” is input when the paper does not exist in all trays. This data is updated when the tray assignment is not assigned. The operation is determined by comparing the number of unallocated sheets and the number of unused trays in Table 6 (S25).

(If unallocated paper is less than unused trays)
Unassigned paper is assigned to the unused tray (S26), and the paper assignment status is changed to “paper replaceable” (S27).

(If there are more unallocated paper than unused trays)
Unassigned paper is assigned to the unused tray and the next job unused tray (S29). At this time, the status of the paper assigned to the unused tray is changed to “paper replaceable”, and the status of the paper assigned to the unused tray of the next job is changed to “waiting for current job completion” (S30).
When the update is completed, the next job sheet-tray assignment is completed, and the information is updated to the tray schedule (FIG. 22) (S28).
Table 8 is a table showing the relationship between the next job sheet before update and Tray allocation, Table 9 is a table showing the relationship between the next job sheet after update and Tray allocation, and Table 10 is 10 is a table showing the relationship between other updated next job paper and tray assignment.

22 to 24 are explanatory diagrams for explaining a tray-paper replacement schedule as an application.
The columns displayed in FIG. 22 are “device”, “job”, “paper”, “allocation tray”, “location”, “status”, and “expected start time of job”.
“Device” displays the name of the device to which the job is input. “Job” is a list of jobs to be printed by the apparatus. Since “Job” acquires the printing order in the Device, jobs of the same device are sorted in the printing order. “Paper” displays the paper name used in the job. When there are multiple sheets in one job, they are displayed in multiple lines. The “assignment tray” is a tray to which the paper is assigned. There are cases where it is currently in the tray and will be put in the tray in the future. “Location” displays the location of the shelf where the paper is stored. The operator confirms the location of the shelf at the time of paper replacement, and the operator displays it for the purpose of smooth paper replacement. “Status” represents the current status of the paper. There are five main statuses.

In operation: Currently assigned to the tray and used in the job being printed Ready: Ready to be assigned to the current tray but not used in the job being printed Replaceable paper: Assigned to the current tray Not. Paper can be replaced because the assigned tray is not used in the job being printed. Waiting for current job completion: The paper cannot be changed because it is not currently assigned to the tray and the assigned tray is being used by the job being printed. Status Preparing: The status “Job Expected Start Time” in which no tray is allocated is displayed only for the job that is waiting, and the estimated time that the job will start is displayed. Sorted in order of start time and used for efficient paper replacement.

  The shelves, devices, jobs, papers, and statuses can be rearranged in filters and in ascending and descending order in each column, and the display matrix can be rearranged and displayed as appropriate according to the purpose of the operator.

  Further, when a job is operated, if there is a sheet that can be replaced or is waiting for completion of the current job, a warning is displayed to the operator that printing cannot be started.

  Location information can be sorted by storage location group. An example in which the paper storage locations are sorted is shown in FIG. By sorting the paper storage locations for each group and displaying only the statuses in which the paper can be exchanged, the paper exchanger can make an optimal paper exchange schedule. FIG. 24 shows a result of sorting papers that can be exchanged for each place. If you want to replenish paper that is in need, you can sort by the estimated job start time, so that you can sort in the order that you need to replenish.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram of the job schedule display UI.
The job schedule is visually displayed by acquiring the job printing order of each apparatus shown in FIG. With the detailed display of each job, the paper to be used and the current tray information can be viewed.
When the tray schedule display button is pressed, a tray schedule display UI shown in FIG. 24 is displayed.
Also, when manually registering paper and job information, press the job / paper information registration button to register.

The paper information registration screen will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 26 shows an example of a paper information registration dialog. Information on the shelf in which the paper name (paper ID) and paper are stored is registered as paper information. Any character string can be registered as the paper name. The storage location is registered by selecting from the registered storage locations. The storage location is registered by opening the storage location registration dialog with the storage location registration button.

  FIG. 27 shows an example of a dialog for registering the storage location of paper. Here, the location where the paper is stored is registered. An arbitrary character string can be registered as the storage location name. In addition, a storage location group is selected and registered. A storage location group is a group of storage locations in the same area, like a storage area. A storage location group can be registered in the storage location group edit dialog.

FIG. 28 is an example of a paper storage location group edit dialog.
The storage location group edit dialog can be registered so that the storage locations can be grouped for each storage area. When rearranged according to the location of the tray schedule in FIGS. 22 to 24, it can be rearranged for each storage location group.

<Effect>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the operator is instructed by the paper exchange schedule, the location information indicating where the necessary paper is stored is simultaneously provided in addition to the instruction in the existing paper exchange schedule. As a result, by clearly indicating the storage location of the sheet when replacing the sheet, it is possible to reduce the labor of the operator looking for the sheet when replacing the sheet tray.

<Program>
The information processing apparatus according to the present invention described above is realized by a program that causes a computer to execute processing. Examples of the computer include general-purpose computers such as personal computers and workstations, but the present invention is not limited to this. Therefore, as an example, a case where the functions of the present invention are realized by an installed program will be described below.

For example,
In a computer-readable program for a schedule management system for managing print jobs,
On the computer,
The display unit displays the print job schedule,
Procedure for the schedule manager to receive print job registration,
A procedure for the database to hold the manuscript and print setting data necessary for registering the print job,
A procedure for the information acquisition unit to acquire device information of the device, device status, and print job status by communication;
A procedure in which the storage unit accepts and stores the specification information of the device that cannot be acquired by communication,
The history storage unit stores the device status, print job status, and print job registration information acquired by the information acquisition unit as a history,
Based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit by the prediction unit, the device specification settings stored by the storage unit, and the history information, the processing time of the print job, the consumption of consumables for the print job, and the printing A procedure to predict if consumables need to be replenished during job processing,
If the display unit predicts that the consumables need to be replenished during the print job process, the display will print out the information that consumables need to be replenished, consumables information, and the time required for replenishment. The procedure to display with the job display,
When the reflection unit needs to stop a device or print job to replenish consumables during the processing of a print job, the estimated time required for replenishing consumables to predict the print job processing time performed by the prediction unit To add to the display,
A program for executing

  Such a program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

<Storage medium>
Here, examples of the storage medium include computer-readable storage media such as CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), and CD-R, semiconductor memories such as flash memory, RAM, ROM, and FeRAM, and HDD.

  CD-ROM is an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read Only Memory. Flexible disk means Flexible Disk (FD). CD-R is an abbreviation for CD Recordable. FeRAM is an abbreviation for Ferroelectric RAM and means a ferroelectric memory.

  This form does not limit the scope of the present invention. The server may have a function of storing a list of applications, a function of creating a list based on apparatus information, and an image processing apparatus may store a list of applications. And a function for creating a list based on device information. Further, a plurality of servers may be included in the system, and any server may be provided with the function.

1 Client PC
2 Hubs 3a, 3b, 3c, ... Device 2, Device 3, Device 4, ...
4, 11 CPU
5a RAM
5b ROM
5c, 103 HDD
6 I / F
7 LCD
8 Operation unit 10 Controller 12 System memory (MEM-P)
13 North Bridge (NB)
14 South Bridge (SB)
15 AGP bus line 16 ASIC
17 Local memory 21 Schedule management system 22 Display unit 23 Schedule management unit 24 Prediction unit 25 Information acquisition unit 26 JDF DB
27 PDF DB
28 Device information DB
29 History DB
100 MFP

JP 2008-018567 A

Claims (10)

In a computer-readable program for a schedule management system for managing print jobs,
In the computer,
The display unit displays the print job schedule,
Procedure for the schedule manager to receive print job registration,
A procedure for the database to hold the manuscript and print setting data necessary for registering the print job,
A procedure for the information acquisition unit to acquire device information of the device, device status, and print job status by communication;
A procedure in which the storage unit accepts and stores the specification information of the device that cannot be acquired by communication,
A procedure in which the history storage unit stores the device status, print job status, and print job registration information acquired by the information acquisition unit as a history;
Based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, the device specification settings stored in the storage unit, and the history information, the prediction unit calculates the print job processing time, the consumption amount of consumables for the print job, Procedures for predicting whether consumables need to be replenished during a print job,
If the display unit predicts that the consumable supplies need to be replenished during the processing of the print job, the display section indicates that the consumable supplies need to be replenished, consumable information, and the time required for replenishment. , The procedure for displaying it together with the display of the print job,
When it is necessary for the reflection unit to stop the device or print job for replenishment of consumables during the processing of the print job, the prediction for the replenishment of consumables is predicted for the processing time of the print job performed by the prediction unit. Procedure to add time and reflect on the display,
A program for running   The program according to claim 1, wherein the prediction unit includes a procedure of accepting an input of a reference time from a user when a history as a basis of prediction is insufficient.   In order to increase the accuracy of prediction in setting the specification information of the device, the method includes a step of setting a model name for the device and integrating the history in the case of the same model to increase the number of history records as a basis of prediction. 1. The program according to 1.   The program according to claim 1, wherein the prediction unit includes a procedure of using only history information of a print job having a similar print setting from the history for prediction in order to improve prediction accuracy.   The program according to claim 1, wherein the prediction unit and the history storage unit include a procedure for checking the correctness of the prediction by comparing the prediction and the history of the history after the completion of the processing of the print job, and correcting if the error is incorrect. .   The prediction unit and the reflection unit include a procedure for performing re-prediction when a consumable item is replenished after the display reflects that the replenishment of the consumable item is necessary during processing of the print job. Item 1. The program according to item 1.   The program according to claim 1, wherein the prediction unit and the reflection unit include a procedure for performing re-prediction and re-reflection of the remaining print jobs after the processing of the print jobs set in the same device is completed. On the computer,
The display unit displays the print job schedule,
Procedure for the schedule manager to receive print job registration,
A procedure for the database to hold the manuscript and print setting data necessary for registering the print job,
A procedure for the information acquisition unit to acquire device information of the device, device status, and print job status by communication;
A procedure in which the storage unit accepts and stores the specification information of the device that cannot be acquired by communication,
A procedure in which the history storage unit stores the device status, print job status, and print job registration information acquired by the information acquisition unit as a history;
Based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, the device specification settings stored in the storage unit, and the history information, the prediction unit calculates the print job processing time, the consumption amount of consumables for the print job, Procedures for predicting whether consumables need to be replenished during a print job,
If the display unit predicts that the consumable supplies need to be replenished during the processing of the print job, the display section indicates that the consumable supplies need to be replenished, consumable information, and the time required for replenishment. , The procedure for displaying it together with the display of the print job,
When it is necessary for the reflection unit to stop the device or print job for replenishment of consumables during the processing of the print job, the prediction for the replenishment of consumables is predicted for the processing time of the print job performed by the prediction unit. Procedure to add time and reflect on the display,
An information processing apparatus in which a program for executing is installed. Means for displaying a print job schedule;
Means for receiving a print job registration;
Means for holding a manuscript and print setting data necessary for registering a print job;
Means for acquiring device information, device status, and print job status by communication;
Means for accepting and storing device specification information settings that cannot be obtained by communication;
Means for storing device status, print job status, and print job registration information acquired by the information acquisition unit as a history;
Based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, the device specification settings stored by the storage unit, and the history information, the processing time of the print job, the consumption amount of the consumables for the print job, and the processing of the print job A means of predicting whether consumables need to be refilled,
If the forecasting unit predicts that replenishment of consumables is required during the print job processing, the replenishment of consumables, consumable information, and the time required for replenishment are displayed in the print job display. Means for displaying together,
If it is necessary to stop a device or print job to replenish consumables during the processing of a print job, add the estimated time required to replenish consumables to the print job processing time prediction performed by the prediction unit. Means to reflect on the display;
A system characterized by comprising: A paper information storage means for storing the location information where the paper is stored;
A paper replacement schedule creation means for creating a paper replacement schedule from the stored information;
A display means for displaying a paper replacement schedule and a paper storage location;
10. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

Images