JP2018041258A - Schedule management device, schedule management program, and schedule management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To notify of a scheduled time when delivering of a service is completed.SOLUTION: A terminal 10 notifies a user of a printing completion scheduled time of a file that is calculated so as to get close to a scheduled office leaving time specified by a user, by the use of: a printing completion estimated time of the file that is estimated from raster data corresponding to the file; and a printer use condition 305 of a printer 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a schedule management device, a schedule management program, and a schedule management system.

  Patent Document 1 includes storage means for storing schedule data including at least a start time. In a schedule management apparatus connected to a printer, registration means for registering document information as part of the schedule data; Print control means for outputting an instruction to print the registered document to the printer according to a result of comparison between the start time of the schedule data and the current time for the schedule data in which information is registered. A featured schedule management device is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-113796

  In recent years, attention has been focused on a service form that provides a service desired by a user in accordance with a time specified in advance by the user.

  For example, when there is a document to be distributed at a meeting, a service is known in which the meeting start time and the electronic file of the document are registered in the server in advance, and the document is printed by a printer so as to be in time for the meeting start time. .

  However, if the user modifies the material until just before the meeting starts, the modified material must be registered on the server again, and the time when the material is registered on the server approaches the meeting start time. In such a case, a situation occurs in which it is impossible to grasp whether the printing of the material is in time for the meeting or not.

  The present invention provides a schedule management device, a schedule management program, and a schedule management system capable of notifying a scheduled time for completion of service provision even when a change occurs in a situation related to the service provision. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, the schedule management device according to claim 1 uses the processing time required for providing the service estimated from the contents of a file that is a service object, and the service provision plan. Notification means for notifying the service provision completion scheduled time calculated to approach the time designated by the user.

  The invention according to claim 2 further includes detection means for detecting a change place of the file at a predetermined interval until the time reaches a scheduled start time of provision of the service, and the notification means includes a change place in the file. Each time is detected, the processing time of the file that has changed due to the change of the file and the scheduled service completion time calculated using the service provision plan are notified.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the service provision completion scheduled time exceeds the designated time, the notification means notifies the excess time from the designated time to the service provision completion scheduled time.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the fee is charged according to the length of the excess time, the notification means notifies the amount corresponding to the excess time.

  The invention according to claim 5 further includes accepting means for accepting an instruction indicating whether or not to use the provision of the service, and the notifying means accepts an instruction to use the provision of the service by the accepting means. In this case, the service provision completion scheduled time is notified.

  A schedule management program according to a sixth aspect causes a computer to function as each unit of the schedule management apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects.

  The schedule management system according to claim 7, the schedule management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a file that is an object of service, and a reception unit that receives a time specified by a user, Using the processing time required for providing the service inferred from the contents of the file received by the receiving means, and the service provision plan, calculated to approach the specified time using the service provision plan; Service management comprising: a transmission unit that transmits a provision completion scheduled time to the schedule management device, and transmits a service start instruction to the service providing device when the time reaches the service provision scheduled start time And a service that starts providing the service in response to the start instruction from the service management server. Comprising a providing device.

  According to the first, sixth, and seventh aspects of the invention, there is an effect that it is possible to notify the scheduled time when the service provision is completed even when the situation related to the service provision changes. .

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to notify the scheduled time when the service provision is completed without causing the user to re-register the changed file with the service management server.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to notify the excess time when the scheduled service completion time exceeds the time specified by the user.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to notify the amount of money generated when the scheduled service completion time exceeds the time specified by the user.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the user who does not use the service provision from being notified of the service provision completion scheduled time.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of a schedule management system. It is a figure which shows the example of a functional block of a terminal. It is a figure which shows the example of a functional block of a reservation server. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of a print server. It is a figure which shows the principal part structural example of the electric system of a terminal, a reservation server, and a print server. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the schedule management process performed with a terminal. It is a figure which shows an example of a reservation table. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the schedule management process performed with a terminal. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of service management processing executed by the print server. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print management table and a printer usage status. It is a figure which shows an example of a printer use condition. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print management table and a printer usage status. It is a figure which shows an example of a printer use condition. It is a figure which shows an example of a printer use condition. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a print management table. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a print management table. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of service management processing executed by the print server. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the file monitoring process performed with a terminal. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a print management table and updating a printer usage status when the estimated print completion time is shortened. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a print management table and updating a printer usage status when the estimated print completion time is shortened. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a print management table and updating a printer usage status when the estimated print completion time is extended.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments for carrying out the technology of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is provided to the component and process which an action or a function bears the same function, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted through all the drawings.

  The disclosed technique includes at least one of document data, image data, and audio data used in a terminal such as a computer, a smartphone, and a tablet terminal in accordance with a time specified in advance by a user, and an operating system (Operating System). : OS) is applied to a system that provides various services for an electronic file (hereinafter referred to as “file”), which is an example of a data management unit. Hereinafter, the disclosed technique will be described using an example of a schedule management system that prints a file of a terminal with a printer in accordance with a time designated in advance by a user.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a schedule management system 1 according to the present embodiment. The schedule management system 1 has a configuration in which a plurality of terminals 10, a reservation server 20, a print server 30, and a printer 40 are connected via a communication line 50.

  In the schedule management system 1, the number of the reservation server 20, the print server 30, and the printer 40 is described as one, but a configuration including a plurality of each may be used. The number of terminals 10 is not limited to a plurality, and a configuration in which one terminal 10 is connected to the communication line 50 may be used. The terminal 10 may be a terminal provided in advance in the schedule management system 1 or a terminal brought in by the user.

  There is no restriction | limiting also about the communication form of the communication line 50, Any of the communication form with which wired and wireless and wired and wireless were mixed may be sufficient.

  The schedule management system 1 is used, for example, in a rental office or a conference room that provides a user with a work environment by dividing time. In the following, rental offices and conference rooms that provide work environments to users by dividing time will be collectively referred to as “offices”.

  When the user uses the office, for example, the terminal 10 transmits a use application specifying the desired office use time to the reservation server 20. The reservation server 20 transmits the office use scheduled start time and the office exit scheduled time set in consideration of the office use status by other users to the terminal 10 that has transmitted the use application, and reserves the office for the user. Notify that it has been accepted.

  Based on the reservation result, the user uses the office from the scheduled office use start time to the scheduled exit time. At this time, the user can use a print service for printing a file corresponding to the material created by the terminal 10 using the printer 40, for example.

  When the user uses the print service, it is desirable to finish printing by the scheduled office leaving time because the scheduled office leaving time is set for the user. The schedule management system 1 is a system that automatically manages a file printing schedule so that the printing completion time of the file is as close as possible to the scheduled office leaving time, which is an example of the time specified by the user.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of the terminal 10. The terminal 10 includes a communication unit 101, an input unit 102, a notification unit 103, and a terminal control unit 104.

  The communication unit 101 is connected to the communication line 50 and the terminal control unit 104, and transmits and receives data to and from the reservation server 20 and the print server 30 connected to the communication line 50 in accordance with instructions from the terminal control unit 104.

  The input unit 102 is connected to the terminal control unit 104 and accepts, for example, a user name of a user who uses the terminal 10, an application for office use, an instruction to edit a file, an instruction to specify whether or not to use a print service, and the like. The terminal control unit 104 is notified. The input unit 102 is an example of a receiving unit.

  The notification unit 103 is connected to the terminal control unit 104 and notifies the user of information notified from the terminal control unit 104. The notification unit 103 is an example of a notification unit.

  The terminal control unit 104 transmits an office use application to the reservation server 20 via the communication unit 101, and manages the office use start scheduled time and office exit scheduled time received from the reservation server 20.

  In addition, the terminal control unit 104 converts the file designated by the user via the input unit 102 into a data format (raster data) suitable for printing, along with the scheduled office leaving time and the user name acquired from the reservation server 20. The data is transmitted to the print server 30 via the communication unit 101. Then, the terminal control unit 104 controls the notification unit 103 so as to notify the user of the scheduled print start time and the scheduled print completion time received from the print server 30 via the communication unit 101.

  As described above, the terminal 10 that notifies the user of the print schedule is an example of a schedule management apparatus. The scheduled printing start time is an example of a service provision scheduled start time, and the scheduled printing completion time is an example of a scheduled service provision completion time.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of the reservation server 20. The reservation server 20 includes a communication unit 201, a reservation control unit 202, and a reservation management unit 203.

  The communication unit 201 is connected to the communication line 50 in the same manner as the communication unit 101 of the terminal 10 and transmits and receives data to and from the terminal 10 connected to the communication line 50 in accordance with an instruction from the reservation control unit 202.

  When the reservation control unit 202 is connected to the communication unit 201 and the reservation management unit 203 and receives an office use application from the terminal 10 via the communication unit 201, the reservation control unit 202 refers to the reservation table 204 managed by the reservation management unit 203. It is determined whether or not there is a vacancy in the office, and whether or not the office can be used is determined. When permitting the user to use the office, the reservation control unit 202 controls the communication unit 201 to transmit the assigned office use start scheduled time and office exit scheduled time to the terminal 10 that has transmitted the use application.

  Based on a request from the reservation control unit 202, the reservation management unit 203 notifies the reservation control unit 202 of the office reservation status managed by the reservation table 204. In addition, the reservation management unit 203 accepts the scheduled office use start time and the scheduled office leaving time related to the new office reservation notified from the reservation control unit 202, and records them in the reservation table 204.

  The reservation table 204 is a table that manages the reservation status of the office by associating, for example, a reservation date, a reservation user name, an estimated use start time of the office, an estimated exit time of the office, a reserved office name, and the like.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of the print server 30. The print server 30 includes a communication unit 301, a print control unit 302, and a print management unit 303.

  The communication unit 301 is connected to the communication line 50 in the same manner as the communication unit 101 of the terminal 10 and transmits / receives data to / from the terminal 10 and the printer 40 connected to the communication line 50 in accordance with an instruction from the print control unit 302. That is, the communication unit 301 is an example of a reception unit and a transmission unit in the print server 30.

  When the print control unit 302 is connected to the communication unit 301 and the print management unit 303 and receives a user name, scheduled office leaving time, print attribute, and file raster data from the terminal 10 via the communication unit 301, the received file is A processing time required for printing by the printer 40 (estimated printing completion time) is estimated. Also, the print control unit 302 refers to the printer usage status 305 managed by the print management unit 303 so that the time when the printer 40 completes printing of the file, that is, the scheduled print completion time is as close as possible to the scheduled office leaving time. Generate a print schedule.

  Then, the print control unit 302 controls the communication unit 301 to transmit the print service information including the scheduled print start time and the scheduled print completion time of the file notified from the terminal 10 to the terminal 10 that is the file transmission source. To do.

  In addition, the print control unit 302 associates the user name, the estimated print completion time of the file, the estimated print start time, the estimated print completion time, and the estimated office leaving time, and stores them in the print management table 304 in association with each other. To control.

  Further, when the time reaches the scheduled print start time of the file, the print control unit 302 transmits the raster data and print attribute of the corresponding file to the printer 40 so that the printer 40 starts printing the file. The printer 40 is controlled via the communication unit 301.

  The print management unit 303 manages the printer usage status 305 obtained from the print management table 304, and notifies the printer control status 302 of the printer usage status 305 based on a request from the print control unit 302. The printer usage status 305 is information indicating the usage status of the printer 40 indicating, for example, a time zone during which printing is performed by the printer 40 and a time zone during which printing is not performed, in units of one minute, and is a print management table. It is expressed using the scheduled print start time and the scheduled print completion time included in 304. In the time zone in which the printer 40 is already occupied by printing another file, the other file cannot be printed. That is, it can be said that the printer usage status 305 represents a period during which a new print service request can be received.

  The print management unit 303 receives information such as the user name, the estimated file print completion time, the estimated print start time, the estimated print completion time, and the estimated office leaving time notified from the print control unit 302, and the print management table. Record in 304.

  As described above, the print server 30 that manages the print service is an example of a service management server, and the printer 40 that actually executes file printing is an example of a service providing apparatus.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the principal part structure of the electric system of the terminal 10 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. The terminal 10 is configured by a computer 100, for example.

  Specifically, in the terminal 10, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 120, an HDD (Hard Disk) 130, a nonvolatile memory 140, and an input / output interface are examples of control means of the terminal 10. (Input Output: I / O) 160 is connected to each other via the bus 150, and the input device 105, the notification device 106, and the communication device 107 are connected to the I / O 160. The processing of the communication unit 101, the input unit 102, the notification unit 103, and the terminal control unit 104 of the terminal 10 is controlled by the CPU 110.

  The RAM 120 is used as a work area when the CPU 110 executes a program, and the HDD 130 stores in advance a program that defines the operation of the terminal 10. Further, the nonvolatile memory 140 prestores various parameters that the CPU 110 refers to when executing the program.

  The input device 105 may be any device as long as it converts a user instruction into an electrical signal and notifies the CPU 110, and for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a touch panel, or the like is used.

  The notification device 106 may be any device as long as it is a device that converts an electrical signal notified from the CPU 110 into information in a format captured by any of the user's five senses and notifies the user, such as a liquid crystal display. Speakers, vibration elements, etc. are used.

  The communication device 107 is a device provided with a communication protocol for communicating with other devices connected to the communication line 50.

  The reservation server 20 and the print server 30 can also be configured by the computer 100 shown in FIG. In this case, the HDD 130 of the reservation server 20 stores in advance a program that defines the operation of the reservation server 20, and the HDD 130 of the print server 30 stores in advance a program that defines the operation of the print server 30.

  Next, the operation of the terminal 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of schedule management processing by the schedule management program executed when the terminal 10 is activated. The schedule management program is installed in advance in the HDD 130, for example, and the schedule management process is executed by the CPU 110 reading and executing the schedule management program.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7, a usage application designating the office usage time from each user who uses the terminal 10 in advance is transmitted to the reservation server 20, and the user name, reservation date, office use start scheduled time, office The following description will be made assuming that the scheduled leaving time, the reservation period represented by the period from the scheduled office use start time to the scheduled office leaving time, and the reserved office name are registered. The symbol “hh” used in the scheduled office use start time and the scheduled office leaving time in FIG. 7 represents a two-digit time display, the symbol “mm” represents a two-digit minute display, and the symbol “ss”. Represents a 2-digit second display. The symbol “min” used in the reservation period indicates that the reservation period is expressed in minutes. However, the reservation period may be managed in units other than minutes, for example, in seconds. Needless to say.

  The schedule management process shown in FIG. 6 is not limited to the case where the schedule management process is executed when the terminal 10 is activated, and may be executed at a timing instructed by the user of the terminal 10, for example.

  First, in step S <b> 10, the terminal control unit 104 acquires the scheduled office leaving time from the reservation server 20 through the communication unit 101, and stores the acquired scheduled office leaving time in a predetermined area of the RAM 102, for example.

  In step S20, the terminal control unit 104 determines whether or not the user has read a file to be printed by any application, that is, whether or not the file has been opened by the application.

  If the determination process in step S20 is negative, the process in step S20 is repeated until the user opens the file, and the operation status of the file by the user is monitored. On the other hand, if the determination process in step S20 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S30.

  In step S <b> 30, the terminal control unit 104 receives permission for automatic printing from the user through the input unit 102. Here, “automatic printing” means that when the user opens a file to be printed with an application, the terminal control unit makes the printer 40 finish printing the required number of files with the printer 40 in accordance with the scheduled time of leaving the office. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a service for controlling file printing in 104.

  In step S40, the terminal control unit 104 determines whether or not an instruction (automatic print instruction) permitting execution of automatic printing is received in step S30. When an automatic printing instruction is accepted, the process proceeds to step S50.

  In step S50, the terminal control unit 104 sets, for example, an automatic print setting flag stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 120 to “true” in order to record that an automatic print instruction has been received from the user.

  In step S <b> 60, for example, the terminal control unit 104 causes the notification unit 103 to display a screen for accepting print attributes related to automatic printing from the user, and accepts print attributes related to automatic printing from the user via the input unit 102. Here, the “print attribute” refers to a setting that defines a printing operation in the printer 40. For example, setting of the number of copies, enlargement / reduction setting, presence / absence setting of color printing, image forming surface setting for duplex printing or single-sided printing, paper An allocation setting that specifies the number of pages to be printed on one page, an image mode that specifies printing accuracy, and the like are included.

  If no print attribute is received, the terminal control unit 104 uses a predetermined standard print attribute as the print attribute received from the user. The standard print attributes may be stored in advance in a predetermined area of the HDD 130 or the nonvolatile memory 140, for example.

  In step S <b> 70, the terminal control unit 104 stores the print attributes received in step S <b> 60 in, for example, a predetermined area of the RAM 102.

  On the other hand, if the determination process in step S40 is negative, that is, if an automatic print instruction has not been received from the user, the process proceeds to step S80.

  In step S80, the terminal control unit 104 sets the automatic print setting flag to “false” in order to record that the user has instructed not to execute automatic printing on the terminal 10.

  Thus, the schedule management process shown in FIG. 6 is completed.

  Next, after the schedule management process shown in FIG. 6 is executed, the schedule management process continuously executed by the terminal 10 will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of schedule management processing by the schedule management program executed by the terminal 10 when a file is opened by an application.

  In executing the schedule management process shown in FIG. 8, it is assumed that the message display timer is activated in the terminal 10. The message display timer is a timer that sets the display timing of the scheduled printing start time and scheduled printing completion time of a file when the user desires automatic printing. In the terminal 10 according to the present embodiment, for example, the message display timer times out at a time before the estimated time required for file rasterization (for example, 30 minutes before) from the scheduled office leaving time acquired in step S10 of FIG. Set the message display timer to

  Here, the rasterization of the file refers to a process of converting character data and image data included in the file into a format that can be printed by the printer 40, for example, bitmap data. Hereinafter, data obtained after rasterization is referred to as raster data.

  Further, the time required for rasterizing a file means the maximum time considered to end within the time regardless of the file rasterization. The maximum time is set by the user, for example, the terminal 10 It is obtained by an experiment with an actual machine or a computer simulation based on the design specification of the terminal 10 and is stored in advance in a predetermined area of the HDD 130, for example.

  Note that the time required for rasterizing the file is a value that the user may change during the operation of the terminal 10.

  In step S100, the terminal control unit 104 determines whether the message display timer has timed out. If the message display timer has not timed out, the process of step S100 is repeated until the message display timer times out, and the message display timer is monitored for timeout.

  On the other hand, if the message display timer has timed out, the process proceeds to step S110.

  In step S110, the terminal control unit 104 acquires the value of the automatic print setting flag set in step S50 or S80 of FIG. 6 from the RAM 120, and determines whether or not the automatic print setting flag is “true”.

  When the automatic print setting flag is “false”, the user has instructed not to execute automatic printing on the terminal 10, so the schedule management process shown in FIG. 8 ends. On the other hand, if the automatic print setting flag is “true”, the process proceeds to step S120.

  In step S120, the terminal control unit 104 stores the contents of the file read into the application in, for example, a storage area of the RAM 120, performs rasterization of the file, and stores raster data corresponding to the file in, for example, a predetermined area of the RAM 120. Remember.

  In step S130, the terminal control unit 104 obtains the name of the user who requests the print service, the raster data of the file acquired in step S120, the estimated office leaving time acquired in step S10 in FIG. 6, and the step S70 in FIG. Print attributes are read from the RAM 120 and transmitted to the print server 30 through the communication unit 101 as print request information.

  When the print server 30 receives the print request information from the terminal 10, the print server 30 executes a service management process described later with reference to FIG. 9 and transmits the print service information to the terminal 10.

  The print service information includes, for example, the scheduled print start time of the file, the expected print completion time, and the estimated time for leaving the office. Here, the office leaving scheduled excess time is, for example, from the office leaving scheduled time when the printing completion scheduled time exceeds the office leaving scheduled time because the printer 40 is used for printing a file of another user. Indicates the excess time until the scheduled print completion time. If the scheduled printing completion time is before the scheduled office leaving time, the office leaving scheduled excess time is set to “0”, for example.

  In step S <b> 140, the terminal control unit 104 determines whether print service information has been received from the print server 30. If the print service information has not been received, the process of step S140 is repeated until the print service information is received, and the reception of the print service information is monitored. On the other hand, when the print service information is received, the process proceeds to step S150.

  In step S <b> 150, the terminal control unit 104 determines whether or not the scheduled office leaving excess time included in the print service information received in step S <b> 140 is “0”.

  If the office leaving scheduled excess time is not “0”, the process proceeds to step S160. In step S160, the terminal control unit 104 displays the office leaving scheduled excess time on, for example, a liquid crystal display as an example of the notification device 106. The notification unit 103 is controlled.

  On the other hand, if the office leaving scheduled excess time is “0”, the file printing is completed by the office leaving scheduled time, so the process proceeds to step S170 without executing the process of step S160.

  When the scheduled printing completion time exceeds the scheduled office leaving time, the usage time of the office reserved in advance is exceeded. For example, when a work environment is provided for a fee, such as a rental office, the administrator of the office will be charged an excess charge that is an example of a charge that is paid according to the excess time from the scheduled time of leaving the office. There is.

  In addition, the office administrator may not charge an excess fee for the estimated time of leaving the office due to file waiting.

  Accordingly, since the office leaving scheduled excess time is useful information for the user, the terminal control unit 104 notifies the user of the office leaving scheduled excess time when there is an office leaving scheduled excess time other than “0”. .

  In this case, the terminal control unit 104 may notify the user of an excess charge according to the scheduled office leaving excess time in addition to the scheduled office leaving excess time. Further, the terminal control unit 104 may notify the user that there is no scheduled office leaving excess time even if the office leaving scheduled excess time is “0”.

  Further, in step S170, the terminal control unit 104 notifies that the scheduled print start time and the scheduled print completion time included in the print service information received in step S140 are displayed on, for example, a liquid crystal display as an example of the notification device 106. The unit 103 is controlled.

  Through the processing in step S170, the user of the terminal 10 is notified when the open file is printed from when and when the printing is completed.

  As will be described later with reference to FIG. 17, when the time reaches the scheduled print start time, the print server 30 controls the printer 40 to start printing the open file and transmits a print execution notification to the terminal 10. .

  In step S <b> 180, the terminal control unit 104 determines whether a print execution notification has been received from the print server 30. If the determination process in step S180 is affirmative, that is, if a print execution notification is received, the schedule management process shown in FIG. 8 ends. In this case, the user only has to obtain the printed matter from the printer 40 at the scheduled print completion time and leave the office.

  On the other hand, if the determination process in step S180 is negative, that is, if a print execution notification has not been received, the process proceeds to step S190, and the file monitoring process is repeatedly executed until a print execution notification is received.

  Here, the file monitoring process is a process for monitoring whether or not a file opened by an application has been modified by the scheduled print start time. When the file is modified, the estimated print completion time of the file changes, so that the user is notified of the new scheduled print start time and the expected print completion time in the file monitoring process. Details of the file monitoring process will be described later.

  Next, the operation of the print server 30 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of service management processing by a service management program executed on the print server 30 after the print server 30 is started.

  The CPU 110 reads and executes the service management program to execute service management processing. That is, the processing of the print control unit 302 is executed by the CPU 110.

  In step S <b> 200, the print control unit 302 determines whether the communication unit 301 has received the print request information transmitted from the terminal 10 to the print server 30 in step S <b> 130 of FIG. 8.

  If the print request information has not been received, the process of step S200 is repeated until the print request information is received, and the reception of the print request information is monitored. On the other hand, when the print request information is received from the terminal 10, the received print request information is stored in, for example, a predetermined area of the RAM 120, and the process proceeds to step S210.

  In step S <b> 210, the print control unit 302 considers the raster data of the file included in the print request information received in step S <b> 200, the print attribute, and the print performance of the printer 40. When printing is performed, a time required from the start of printing to the completion of printing, that is, a predicted printing completion time is calculated.

  The print control unit 302 calculates the predicted print completion time in consideration of, for example, information (print time information) that associates the size of raster data with the print time and the print speed of the printer 40.

  Specifically, the print control unit 302 refers to the print time information and acquires the print time corresponding to the size of the raster data. Then, the print control unit 302 multiplies the print time corresponding to the size of the raster data by the number of print copies to calculate the print time corresponding to the number of print copies. Furthermore, the print control unit 302 corrects the print time corresponding to the number of copies in consideration of the print form represented by the print attribute.

  In the printer 40, the printing performance of the printer 40 is specified in advance for each printing mode, such as whether the image forming surface is double-sided or single-sided, whether the printing accuracy is a standard mode, or a high-definition mode for drawing in more detail than the standard mode. ing. Therefore, the print control unit 302 only has to correct the print time corresponding to the number of print copies by referring to the print performance of the printer 40 according to the received print attribute.

  Note that the printing performance of the printer 40 according to the printing time information and the printing form is obtained by an experiment with the actual printer 40 or a computer simulation based on the design specifications of the printer 40. It is remembered.

  In step S <b> 220, the print control unit 302 acquires from the print management unit 303 the printer usage status 305 created by the print management unit 303 using the print management table 304. The print control unit 302 uses the acquired printer usage status 305, the estimated office leaving time included in the print request information acquired in step S200, and the estimated print completion time calculated in step S210, and the estimated print start time and print. Set the expected completion time.

  Here, the print management table 304 and the printer usage status 305 will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the print management table 304 and the printer usage status 305.

  The print management table 304 is a table in which, for example, a user, a predicted print completion time, a scheduled print start time, a planned print completion time, a scheduled office leaving time, and a scheduled office leaving time are associated with each other. The information associated with the print management table 304 is not limited to this, and may include a file name, for example.

  In the example of the print management table 304 in FIG. 10, the estimated print completion time for the file of User 10 calculated in step S210 is 1 minute, and the estimated office leaving time acquired in step S200 is 17:45:00. Represents. Then, the print start scheduled time and the print completion scheduled time are set to 17:44:00 and 17:45, respectively, by the process described below. In this case, the estimated time for leaving the office is 0 minutes.

  As described above, the print management table 304 is a table showing a print plan for the printer 40 for each user file.

  On the other hand, the printer usage status 305 is information representing a print schedule mainly for the printer 40. For example, as in the print management table 304 of FIG. 10, when the print schedule of the file of User 10 is registered in the print management table 304, the printer usage status 305 is from 17:44:00 to 17:45:00. The printer 40 prints a file requested by the User 10 during the period indicated by the diagonal lines, and indicates that the printer 40 does not print any user's file in other time zones.

  In the following, as an example, the raster data of the file received in step S200 is a file of UserN (N is an integer), the estimated time of leaving the office is 18:00:00, and the file of UserN calculated in step S210 is The description will be made assuming that the estimated print completion time is 2 minutes.

  If no print schedule is registered in the print management table 304, the print control unit 302 schedules the print start so that the scheduled print completion time is before the scheduled office exit time and approaches the scheduled office exit time. Assign time and scheduled print completion time.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the scheduled print start time is set to 17:58:00, and the scheduled print completion time is set to 18:00:00. The reason why the scheduled printing completion time is set so that the scheduled printing completion time approaches the scheduled office leaving time is that a printed matter of a file whose contents are examined by the user can be obtained as soon as the user leaves the office.

  Even if other printing is not performed by the printer 40, if the scheduled print completion time is set, for example, in the first half of the office reservation period, the file will be printed in the middle of the user's work. There is. Therefore, setting the print completion scheduled time close to the office leaving time may save the trouble of printing the file again just before the office leaving time.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 12, a print schedule from User 1 to User 6 is registered in the print management table 304, and the printer 40 is used over a period from 17:30 to 18:00:00. Suppose you are in a situation. Even in this case, the printing control unit 302 determines the scheduled printing start time and the scheduled printing completion time so that the scheduled printing completion time is before the scheduled office leaving time and approaches the scheduled office leaving time.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the print control unit 302 sets the scheduled print start time to 17:28:00 and the scheduled print completion time to 17:30:00.

  In step S230, the print control unit 302 obtains the time (current time) at the time of processing in step S230 using, for example, a calendar function built in the CPU 110. The time acquisition method is not limited to this. For example, the time may be acquired from a time server that manages the time connected to the communication line 50.

  The print control unit 302 compares the scheduled print start time set in step S220, the current time acquired in step S230, and the scheduled office leaving time acquired in step S200. Then, it is determined whether or not the scheduled printing start time is after the current time and before the scheduled office leaving time. If the determination process in step S230 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S240.

  In step S240, the print control unit 302 compares the scheduled print completion time set in step S220 with the scheduled office exit time acquired in step S200, and determines whether the scheduled print completion time is before the scheduled office exit time. judge.

  This is because, even if the scheduled printing start time is after the current time and before the scheduled office leaving time, the scheduled printing completion time may be set after the scheduled office leaving time depending on the usage status of the printer 40. Because.

  If the determination process in step S240 is affirmative, that is, if the scheduled printing start time is after the current time and before the scheduled office leaving time, and further, if the scheduled printing completion time is before the scheduled office leaving time, The file of UserN may be printed according to the scheduled print start time and the scheduled print completion time set in step S220. Therefore, after the office leaving scheduled excess time is set to “0”, the process proceeds to step S270.

  On the other hand, if the determination process in step S230 is negative, that is, if the scheduled print start time is set before the current time, even if the file printing is started from now, the scheduled print completion time will be reached. Represents a situation where printing is not in time.

  Accordingly, the process proceeds to step S250. In step S250, the print control unit 302 discards the scheduled print start time and the scheduled print completion time set in step S220, and resets the new scheduled print start time and the scheduled print completion time. To do.

  In step S220, that the scheduled print start time is set before the current time means that the print start scheduled time is before the current time during a period in which the scheduled print completion time is before the scheduled office exit time. Indicates that it does not exist.

  If the current time is 17:30:30, the situation shown by the printer usage status 305 shown in FIG. 13 is an example in which a negative determination is made in the determination processing in step S230.

  In this case, since the print completion scheduled time of the UserN file cannot be set before the scheduled office leaving time, the print control unit 302 sets the scheduled printing completion time of the UserN file after the scheduled office leaving time of UserN, and Reset as close as possible to the scheduled time of leaving the office.

  That is, in the case of the printer usage status 305 shown in FIG. 12, the printer 40 is not used in the time zone after 18:00, so the print control unit 302 displays the scheduled print start time of the file as shown in FIG. Is reset to 18:00:00 and the scheduled print completion time is set to 18:02:00.

  When step S250 is processed and when the determination process of step S240 is negative, step S260 is executed.

  In step S260, the print control unit 302 calculates the difference between the scheduled printing completion time and the scheduled office leaving time, and sets it as the scheduled office leaving time.

  In step S270, the print control unit 302 prints the name of the user who requested printing of the file received in step S200, the estimated print completion time calculated in step S210, and the print finally assigned to file printing in step S220 or S250. The scheduled start time, the scheduled print completion time, and the estimated office leaving time set in step S240 or step S260 are associated with each other and registered in the print management table 304, and the print management table 304 is updated.

  If no print schedule is registered in the print management table 304, as described with reference to FIG. 11, for example, the scheduled print start time of the file is 17:58:00, and the expected print completion time is 18:00. Set to 00:00. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, the print control unit 302 has a print completion prediction time of 2 minutes, a print start scheduled time of 17:58:00, and a print completion scheduled time of 18 for the print request of UserN file. The registered time is registered in the print management table 304 as 0:00:00, the scheduled office leaving time is 18:00:00, and the scheduled office leaving time is 0 minutes.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, if the use reservation of the printer 40 has already been made for the period from 17:30 to 18:00, as described with reference to FIG. For example, the scheduled printing start time of the file is set to 18:00:00 and the scheduled printing completion time is set to 18:02:00. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16, in response to the print request for the file of UserN, the print control unit 302 sets the estimated print completion time to 2 minutes, the estimated print start time to 18:00:00, and the estimated print completion time to 18 It is registered in the print management table 304 as time 02:00, office exit scheduled time is 18:00:00, and office exit scheduled overtime is 2 minutes.

  Further, the print control unit 302 updates the printer usage status 305 with reference to the updated print management table 304.

  In step S280, the print control unit 302 controls the communication unit 301 to transmit the print service information to the terminal 10 that has transmitted the print request information in step S200.

  The print service information includes, for example, the user name registered in the print management table 304 in step S270, the estimated print completion time, the estimated print start time, the estimated print completion time, and the estimated time for leaving the office. Note that the information included in the print service information is not limited to such information. For example, the print service information may include the name of the printer 40 that prints the file, information indicating the installation location of the printer 40, and the like.

  Thus, the service management process shown in FIG. 9 is finished. If the terminal 10 receives the print service information by the process of step S280, the determination process of step S140 in FIG. 8 is affirmative, and the processes after step S150 are executed.

  Further, the print server 30 refers to the print management table 304 and executes a service management process in which the printer 40 prints a user file that has reached the scheduled print start time.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of service management processing by a service management program executed by the print server 30 along with the service management processing shown in FIG.

  In step S300, the print control unit 302 acquires the time (printing time) at the time of processing in step S300 by using, for example, a calendar function built in the CPU 110.

  The print control unit 302 refers to the scheduled print start time in the print management table 304 and determines whether there is a scheduled print start time that has reached the print time.

  If the determination process in step S300 is negative, the process in step S300 is repeated until there is a scheduled print start time that has reached the print time, and the scheduled print start time is monitored. On the other hand, if the determination process in step S300 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S310.

  In step S310, the print control unit 302 acquires the user name corresponding to the scheduled print start time that has reached the print time from the print management table 304, and stores the raster data of the file corresponding to the user stored in step S200 of FIG. And print attributes are read from the RAM 120.

  Then, the print control unit 302 generates a print start instruction including raster data read from the RAM 120 and print attributes, and controls the communication unit 301 to transmit the generated print start instruction to the printer 40.

  The printer 40 that has received the print start instruction starts printing raster data included in the print start instruction in accordance with the print attribute included in the print start instruction. The printing ends at the scheduled print completion time calculated by the print server 30.

  In step S320, the print control unit 302 generates a print execution notification for notifying the user that printing has started, and transmits the print request information corresponding to the scheduled print start time that has reached the print time to the terminal 10 that has transmitted the print request information. The communication unit 301 is controlled to transmit a print execution notification.

  Thus, the service management process shown in FIG. 17 is finished. When the terminal 10 receives the print execution notification by the process in step S320, the determination process in step S180 in FIG. 8 is affirmative, and the schedule management process in the terminal 10 ends.

  Next, a description will be given of the file monitoring process in step S190 of FIG. 8 executed in the period from the reception of the print service information to the reception of the print execution notification in the terminal 10. FIG.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a file monitoring process performed by the schedule management program executed on the terminal 10.

  The file monitoring process shown in FIG. 18 includes a process that overlaps with the schedule management process shown in FIG. 8. The difference between the file monitoring process and the schedule management process shown in FIG. 8 is that steps S100, S110, and S120 are different. Steps S105, S115, and S125 are replaced with steps S180 and S190, respectively. Hereinafter, the file monitoring process will be described focusing on differences from the schedule management process shown in FIG.

  It is assumed that the monitoring timer described below is started before executing the file monitoring process shown in FIG.

  First, in step S105, the terminal control unit 104 determines whether or not the monitoring timer has timed out. The monitoring timer is a timer that defines the interval at which the terminal control unit 104 executes the file monitoring process, and is set to 1 minute, for example. However, the timer value of the monitoring timer is not limited to this, and other values may be used. .

  If the monitoring timer has not timed out, the process in step S105 is repeated until the monitoring timer times out, and the time-out of the monitoring timer is monitored. On the other hand, if the monitoring timer times out, the process proceeds to step S115.

  In step S115, the terminal control unit 104 compares the contents of the file read into the application with the contents of the file stored in the storage area of the RAM 120 in step S120 in FIG. Determine.

  If there is no change in the file, the file monitoring process ends because the file is printed using the print request information transmitted to the print server 30 in step S130 of FIG.

  On the other hand, if there is a change in the file, the contents of the file stored in the storage area in step S120 in FIG. 8 are overwritten with the contents of the file read into the application at the time of processing in step S115, and the process proceeds to step S125. Transition.

  As described above, the terminal control unit 104 is also an example of a detection unit that detects a changed part of a file.

  In step S125, the terminal control unit 104 rasterizes the updated file stored in the storage area in step S115, and stores raster data corresponding to the updated file in a predetermined area of the RAM 120, for example.

  Thereafter, the terminal control unit 104 executes the processes of steps S130 to S170 described above, receives the print service information rescheduled for the updated file, and schedules the print start time for the updated file. The notification unit 103 is controlled so as to display the scheduled print completion time and the scheduled office leaving time.

  For example, when the print management table 304 in the print server 30 is shown in FIG. 16, when the file of User2 is updated and the estimated print completion time is shortened from 3 minutes to 1 minute, the print management table 304 in FIG. Thus, the scheduled print start time is changed from 17:55:00 to 17:57:00. Then, print service information including the updated scheduled print start time and scheduled print completion time is transmitted from the print server 30 to the terminal 10 used by User2.

  Note that the estimated print completion time of the file of User2 has been reduced by 2 minutes, so that the printer 40 is not used from 17:55:00 to 17:57:00 as shown in the printer usage status 305 shown in FIG. Occur.

  On the other hand, the estimated print completion time of UserN is 2 minutes, and the estimated print completion time exceeds the estimated office exit time by 2 minutes. In such a case, the print server 30 updates the print schedule so that the scheduled print completion time of the file approaches the scheduled office leaving time.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 20, the print server 30 sets the scheduled print start time for the file of UserN to 17:55:00 and the scheduled print completion time to 17:57:00. By updating the printing schedule in this way, the printing completion scheduled time of each user's file is set before the office leaving scheduled time.

  When a change occurs in the contents of the print service information due to a file update by another user, the print server 30 transmits the changed print service information to the terminal 10 corresponding to the changed print service information each time. . By processing in this way, the print service information including the latest scheduled print start time and scheduled print completion time is displayed on the terminal 10.

  As another example, when the print management table 304 in the print server 30 is shown in FIG. 16, if the file of User2 is updated and the estimated print completion time is increased from 3 minutes to 5 minutes, the file of User2 is updated. The scheduled print completion time is extended from 17:58:00 to 18:00:00. Unfortunately, however, printing of User1's file is scheduled after 17:58:00. The current time is assumed to be 17:30:30.

  In this case, since the print server 30 cannot set the scheduled print completion time of the file before the scheduled time for leaving User2's office, the print server 30 is assigned 17:55:00 to 17:58:00 assigned to print the file for User2. Cancel the period.

  On the other hand, the estimated print completion time of UserN is 2 minutes, and the estimated print completion time exceeds the estimated office exit time by 2 minutes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 21, the print server 30 sets the scheduled print start time for the file of UserN to 17:55:00 and the scheduled print completion time to 17:58:00.

  By moving the scheduled printing start time and scheduled printing completion time of the file of UserN, the printer 40 is not used in a period after 18:00:00. Therefore, the print server 30 can set the scheduled printing completion time as much as possible. User 2's scheduled print completion time is set after the scheduled office exit time so that it approaches the scheduled office exit time. Specifically, the scheduled printing start time of the file of User2 is set to 18:00:00 and the scheduled printing completion time is set to 18:05:00.

  In this case, the scheduled printing completion time of the User2 file exceeds the scheduled office leaving time, but instead the scheduled printing completion time of the UserN file is set before the scheduled office leaving time.

  As described above, the terminal 10 of the schedule management system 1 according to the present embodiment transmits print request information including raster data of a file read into the application to the print server 30. The print server 30 that has received the print request information calculates the estimated print completion time of the raster data, and the estimated print completion time of the file is based on the estimated print completion time, the print attribute, and the usage status of the printer 40. A print start scheduled time and a print completion scheduled time are set so as to approach the scheduled exit time, and are transmitted to the terminal 10 as print service information. The terminal 10 that has received the print service information notifies the user of information related to printing of the file including the scheduled print start time and the scheduled print completion time.

  Further, when an update location is detected in the file read into the application, the terminal 10 transmits print request information including raster data of the updated file to the print server 30, and the print start reset by the print server 30 is started. The user is notified of the contents of the print service information including the scheduled time and the scheduled print completion time.

  Therefore, the schedule management system 1 can notify the scheduled time when the service provision is completed even when the situation related to the service provision changes.

  In the present embodiment, the printer usage status 305 is managed in units of one minute, but may be managed in units of time longer than one minute or units of time shorter than one minute, for example, one second. When the printer usage status 305 is managed in units of time shorter than 1 minute, a larger number of print schedules are set within a predetermined period (for example, 1 hour) than when the printer usage status 305 is managed in units of 1 minute. ) May be set.

  In this embodiment, the service management process is executed by the print server 30, but may be executed by the terminal 10. In this case, each of the plurality of terminals 10 shares the print request information with each other, thereby generating a print management table 304 having the same contents in each terminal 10.

  In the present embodiment, the schedule management system 1 has been described by taking file printing as an example. However, the schedule management system 1 performs some processing based on the file transmitted from the terminal 10 and is provided by the processing. This can be applied to a service form in which the scheduled completion time of a service is notified to the user who sent the file.

  For example, in a translation service in which a document file written in Japanese is transmitted from the terminal 10 to a server and the Japanese document is translated into English on the server side, the present invention is applied to a service configuration in which a user is notified of a scheduled translation completion date and time. May be.

  In this case, the translation schedule is managed by the server according to the desired translation completion date and time, the amount of documents to be translated, the combination of the translation source and translation destination languages, and the translator's operating status. If the scheduled translation completion date and time is later than the desired translation completion date and time, the translation fee may be discounted according to the delay time, so the terminal 10 notifies the user of the translation fee that is discounted together with the translation delay time. You may do it.

  In addition, the conversion is scheduled to be completed in a data conversion service in which an image file expressed in, for example, a bitmap format is transmitted from the terminal 10 to the server, and the server side converts the image file to another data format such as Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). You may apply to the service form which notifies a user of time.

  Further, a file including a term or document to be searched from the terminal 10 is transmitted to the server, and a search completion time is notified to the user in a search service for searching a Web site or material including the term or document transmitted on the server side. You may apply to a service form.

  Although the disclosed technology has been described above using the embodiment, the disclosed technology is not limited to the scope described in the embodiment. Various changes or improvements can be added to the embodiments without departing from the gist of the disclosed technology, and the embodiments added with the changes or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the disclosed technology.

  Further, in the embodiment, although an example has been described in which the processing in the terminal control unit 104 and the reservation control unit 202 is realized by software, for example, as shown in FIGS. 6, 8, 9, 17, and 18. The same processing as in the flowchart may be processed by hardware. In this case, the processing speed can be increased as compared with the case where the processing in the terminal control unit 104 and the reservation control unit 202 is realized by software.

  In the embodiment, the schedule management program and the service management program are installed in the HDD 130. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The schedule management program and the service management program according to the disclosed technology can be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. For example, the schedule management program and the service management program according to the disclosed technology are recorded in a portable recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) -ROM, a DVD (Digital Versatile) -ROM, or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. Can also be provided. Further, the schedule management program and the service management program according to the disclosed technique can be provided in a form recorded in a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Schedule management system, 10 ... Terminal, 20 ... Reservation server, 30 ... Print server, 40 ... Printer, 50 ... Communication line, 100 ... Computer, 101 ... Communication unit (of terminal), 102 ... input unit, 103 ... notification unit, 104 ... terminal control unit, 105 ... input device, 106 ... notification device, 107 ... communication device 110 ... CPU, 120 ... RAM, 130 ... HDD, 140 ... nonvolatile memory, 150 ... bus, 201 ... communication unit (of reservation server), 202 ... reservation Control unit, 203... Reservation management unit, 204... Reservation table, 301... (Print server) communication unit, 302... Print control unit, 303. Print management table , 305 ... printer usage

Claims (7)

Using the processing time required to provide the service inferred from the contents of the file that is the object of the service, and the service provision plan, the service provision completion schedule calculated to approach the time specified by the user A schedule management device comprising notification means for notifying time. Until the time reaches the scheduled start time of provision of the service, further comprising detection means for detecting the change location of the file at a predetermined interval;
The notification means includes the processing time of the file that has changed due to the change of the file each time a change is detected in the file, and the scheduled completion time of the service calculated using the service provision plan. The schedule management apparatus according to claim 1. The said notification means notifies the excess time from the specified time to the scheduled completion time of the service when the scheduled service completion time exceeds the specified time. Schedule management device. The schedule management apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the fee is charged according to the length of the excess time, the notification unit notifies the amount corresponding to the excess time. A receiving unit that receives an instruction indicating whether to use the provision of the service;
The schedule according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, when the notification unit receives an instruction to use the provision of the service, the notification unit notifies the scheduled completion time of provision of the service. Management device.   The schedule management program for functioning a computer as each means of the schedule management apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-5. The schedule management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Using a reception unit that receives a file that is a target of a service and a time specified by a user, a processing time required to provide the service inferred from the contents of the file received by the reception unit, and a service provision plan When the service provision scheduled start time and the provision completion scheduled time calculated so as to approach the designated time are transmitted to the schedule management device, and when the time reaches the service provision scheduled start time, A service management server comprising: transmission means for transmitting a service start instruction to the service providing device;
A service providing apparatus that starts providing the service according to the start instruction from the service management server;
Schedule management system with

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