JP4857397B1 - Schedule management system with print management function - Google Patents

Abstract

【Task】
An object is to provide a schedule management system having a print management function.
[Solution]
A schedule management unit that performs schedule management, a schedule storage unit, and a print management unit that generates a reserved print job based on the schedule and sends the print job to a printing apparatus to execute print processing according to the reserved print time of the reserved print job. The print management unit generates a reserved print job and sends it to the printing apparatus. After securing the reserved printing schedule in the printing apparatus, the print management unit receives the print data registration for reserved printing on the computer. A print management function for specifying a reserved print job for performing reserved printing based on the print job, updating the reserved print job for the reserved print specified based on the reserved print schedule, print data and print data accompanying information, and sending the print job to the printing apparatus. A schedule management system provided.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a schedule management system having a print management function.

  Companies print various documents. However, when a large amount of printing is performed, there is a problem that the printing apparatus is used for the printing for a long time, printing by another user cannot be performed, and the work is delayed.

  Therefore, conventionally, it is indicated that a specific user is in use, such as “User A is printing” on the display panel of the printing apparatus. Also, as described in Patent Document 1 below, there is a technique for calculating the required output time and output time and notifying the user.

  Further, techniques for determining the priority of printing based on a predetermined rule when a plurality of prints are accumulated in the printing apparatus are also disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 below. Furthermore, Patent Documents 4 to 6 disclose a technique for reserving printing so that printing is started at a specific date and time in order to perform printing at a predetermined timing. Further, Patent Document 7 discloses a technique for starting printing in accordance with the importance of a schedule when performing the above printing.

JP-A-11-198491 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-102044 JP 2007-185791 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-113796 JP 2007-331178 A JP 2009-298048 A JP 2010-42522 A

  In the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228867, since the required output time of a document or the like printed by the printing apparatus is calculated, the user can recognize them. However, since it is the timing at which printing is already performed, it cannot be handled when another user wants to print.

  Even in the case of the inventions described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, even if the priority order can be changed, a user who originally has a low priority order may perform printing for urgent business. I can't. Also, the priority order can be understood on the spot. Therefore, other users cannot cope in advance.

  Furthermore, in the case of the inventions described in Patent Documents 4 to 7, printing can be started at a specific timing by the printing apparatus being linked with the schedule function. However, in order to relate to the schedule, the document to be printed must already be completed. Therefore, there is a problem that it cannot be used before the document is completed.

  In view of the above problems, the inventor has invented a schedule management system having a print management function.

1st invention is a schedule management system provided with the printing management function which has a computer which performs schedule management, and a printing apparatus which performs printing processing, The above-mentioned computer is the above-mentioned user's terminal from the user terminal which a user uses A schedule management unit that performs schedule management by receiving a schedule and a schedule of reserved printing in the printing apparatus, a schedule storage unit that stores the schedule that has received the input, generates a reserved print job based on the schedule, and performs printing A print management unit that sends the print job to the printing device, and the printing device receives a reserved print job generated in the computer, stores the reserved print job in a print job management storage unit, and performs print processing based on the reserved print job A print control unit for executing The print management unit, the reservation print job by sending to the printing apparatus to generate accepts registration of print data for the later secure booking print schedule in the printing apparatus, the secure reservation printing schedule, the The reserved print job for performing the reserved printing is specified based on the reserved printing schedule, the reserved print job for the specified reserved printing is updated based on the schedule, the print data, and the print data accompanying information, and is sent to the printing apparatus. , Schedule management system with print management function.

  By configuring as in the present invention, reserved printing can be performed and notification can be made by schedule management. Therefore, even when printing in large quantities, other users take measures in advance. It becomes possible. Therefore, it does not hinder other users' printing. Further, even if print data such as a document to be printed is not completed at the time of performing reserved printing, reserved printing can be performed in the present invention. Therefore, it is possible to secure a schedule for reserved printing from an early stage.

  In the above invention, when the reserved printing is batch printing, the print management unit generates the reserved print job and sends the reserved print job to the printing apparatus, thereby securing the reserved printing schedule in the printing apparatus, The computer accepts registration of each print data for the reserved printing of the batch printing, specifies a reserved printing job for performing the reserved printing of the batch printing based on the scheduled printing schedule of the batch printing, the schedule, the print data, and The reserved print job for the reserved print of the batch printing is updated based on the print data accompanying information, and the print control unit collectively sets the print data to be batch-printed based on the updated reserved print job. Configure a schedule management system with a print management function to execute print processing It can be.

  Depending on the meeting or the like, it may be desired to print documents created by a plurality of users all together. Conventionally, in such a case, reserved printing cannot be performed unless all documents have been completed. However, the document creation speed of each user usually varies. Therefore, by using the present invention, a schedule for reserved printing is secured without waiting for completion of all users' documents, etc., and then each user's documents are registered and batch printing is reserved printing. Can be performed.

  In the above-described invention, in the scheduled printing of the batch printing, an input of a printing order of each print data to be batch printed is received from the user terminal, and the printing control unit performs the batch printing according to the printing order. It can be configured as a schedule management system having a print management function that executes print processing for all print data to be processed together.

  When batch printing is performed, the order of printing the documents is important. However, in the present invention, documents and the like are registered in the completed order. Therefore, by configuring as in the present invention, printing can be performed in accordance with a predetermined printing order even if the order in which documents are completed is different.

  In the above-described invention, the print management unit calculates an expected print time based on a scheduled print amount of the print data to be printed, and the schedule management unit calculates the reserved print time and the predicted print schedule in the reserved print schedule. When the estimated print time is longer than the reserved print time, the user terminal is notified of an extension of the reserved print time, and the estimated print time is shorter than the reserved print time. Can be configured as a schedule management system having a print management function that notifies the user terminal of a proposal for shortening the reserved printing time.

  By configuring as in the present invention, it is possible to suppress troubles to other users due to excessive or insufficient reserved printing time.

  In the above-described invention, the print management unit calculates an expected print time based on a scheduled print amount of the print data to be printed, and the schedule management unit calculates the reserved print time and the predicted print schedule in the reserved print schedule. The print time is compared, and if the expected print time is longer than the reserved print time, the reserved print status in the same time zone of another printing apparatus is extracted by referring to the schedule storage unit, and the print A management unit configured to send a reserved print job of the print data to one or more of the extracted other printing devices, thereby causing the other printing devices to execute a print process; It can be configured like a system.

  As a result of actually creating a document or the like, the amount becomes larger than expected, and it may be insufficient for printing only with a predetermined reserved printing time. In such a case, by configuring as in the present invention, it is possible to terminate the printing process in the same time zone by distributing it to a plurality of printing apparatuses and executing the printing process.

The above-described invention can also be configured as in the present invention. That is, a schedule management system having a print management function receives a schedule management unit that performs schedule management by receiving the user's schedule and a reserved printing schedule in a printing apparatus from a user terminal used by the user, and the input. A schedule storage unit that stores a schedule; and a print management unit that generates a reserved print job based on the schedule and sends the print job to a printing apparatus that performs printing according to the reserved print time of the reserved print job. The print management unit generates the reserved print job and sends the reserved print job to the printing apparatus, thereby securing a reserved printing schedule in the printing apparatus, and then registering print data with respect to the reserved reserved printing schedule. acceptance, schedule of the reservation printing Print management for specifying the reserved print job for performing the reserved print based on the print data, updating the reserved print job for the specified reserved print based on the schedule, the print data, and the print data accompanying information, and sending the print job to the printing apparatus. It can also be configured as a schedule management system having a function.

  By using the schedule management system having the print management function of the present invention, it becomes possible for other users to recognize in advance that the printing apparatus is occupied by a specific user, and it is possible to prevent other users from being delayed. In particular, in the present invention, the present invention can be used even when a document to be printed is not completed.

  Further, even if a printing instruction is sent to a printing apparatus in an occupied state, printing can be performed with another vacant printing apparatus, which does not hinder other users' work.

It is a conceptual diagram of the whole schedule management system of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of the system configuration | structure of the schedule management system of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of hardware constitutions, such as a server. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process of the schedule management system of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a schedule memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows an example of a reservation job print memory | storage part. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print data storage unit. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a printing data accompanying information storage part. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a print data temporary storage unit. FIG. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a print job management storage unit. It is a figure which shows an example of a schedule memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows an example of a confirmation screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen of a schedule. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a reserved print job. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a reserved print job storage unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a print job management storage unit. It is a figure which shows the state of a print data storage part. It is a figure which shows the state of a printing data accompanying information storage part. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a print job management storage unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state of a print data temporary storage unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a generated reserved print job. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a reserved print job storage unit. It is a figure which shows the state of a batch printing management information storage part. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a reserved print job storage unit. It is a figure which shows the state of a batch printing management information storage part. It is a figure which shows the state of a print data storage part. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a reserved print job storage unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a reserved print job storage unit. It is a figure which shows the state of a print data storage part. It is a figure which shows the state of a printing data accompanying information storage part. It is a figure which shows the state of a batch printing management information storage part. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a print job management storage unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state of a print data temporary storage unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a print job management storage unit. It is a figure which shows an example of the memory area which memorize | stored the message.

  FIG. 1 shows an overall conceptual diagram of a schedule management system 1 (hereinafter referred to as “schedule management system 1”) having a print management function of the present invention. An example of a system configuration schematically showing each function of the schedule management system 1 is shown in FIG.

  The schedule management system 1 of the present invention is realized by performing data transmission / reception between the schedule management server 2 and the printing apparatus 3. The schedule management server 2 and the printing apparatus 3 can transmit and receive data to and from the user terminal 4 that is a computer terminal used by the user.

  Each computer terminal and server includes an arithmetic device 70 such as a CPU for executing arithmetic processing of a program, a storage device 71 such as a RAM and a hard disk for storing information, a display device 72 such as a display (screen), a keyboard and a pointing device. An input device 73 such as a device (such as a mouse or a numeric keypad) and a communication device 74 that transmits and receives the processing results of the arithmetic device 70 and information stored in the storage device 71 via a network such as the Internet or a LAN. Each function (each unit) realized on the computer is executed when a unit (program, module, etc.) for executing the process is read into the arithmetic unit 70. When the information stored in the storage device 71 is used in the processing, each function reads the corresponding information from the storage device 71 and uses the read information for processing in the arithmetic device 70 as appropriate. FIG. 3 schematically shows an example of the hardware configuration of a computer terminal or server. Further, the processing in the computer terminal or server may have its functions distributed in a plurality of computer terminals or servers.

  Each means in the present invention is only logically distinguished in function, and may be physically or practically the same area. As storage means, various storage methods such as a table, a database, and a data file can be employed.

  The schedule management server 2 is a server that performs schedule management for employees in the company and print reservation management in the printing apparatus 3, and includes a schedule management unit 20, a schedule storage unit 21, a print management unit 22, and a reserved print job storage unit. 23, a print data storage unit 24, and a print data associated information storage unit 25. The schedule management server 2 may be incorporated as part of the groupware system. The groupware system is a system mainly for information sharing, and has a schedule function, an electronic mail function, an electronic bulletin board function, an electronic conference room function, a document management function, a workflow function, and the like.

  The schedule management unit 20 executes processing related to a schedule of employees in a company, etc., a reservation status of the printing apparatus 3, a reservation status of things other than the printing apparatus 3 such as a conference room and equipment.

  The schedule storage unit 21 stores schedule information. The schedule information includes, for example, information on a schedule of employees in a company or the like, a reservation status of the printing apparatus 3, a reservation status of a predetermined one other than the printing apparatus 3 such as a conference room and equipment. An example of the schedule storage unit 21 is schematically shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 5, as schedule information, a schedule ID for identifying each schedule, a start date / time of the schedule, an end date / time, information indicating the target of the schedule (user identification information for identifying the user, identification information for identifying the printing device 3) Etc.), contents of the schedule, location, reserved job ID in reserved printing corresponding to the schedule, other schedule IDs related to the schedule, and information such as the type of the schedule. The contents of the schedule include a meeting and printing. Schedule types include “normal” and “reserved printing”. “Normal” is a normal schedule by the user. For example, the content of the schedule is “meeting”, “going out”, “vacation”, “business trip”, etc. The “reserved printing” is used when the schedule is reserved printing in the printing apparatus 3.

  The print management unit 22 performs control related to printing in the schedule management server 2. Specifically, print data of a document or the like to be printed in the reserved printing schedule (any document that can be printed by the printing apparatus 3 such as a drawing, an image, etc. in addition to a document) may be used. The data is received from the terminal 4 and stored in a print data storage unit 24 to be described later, and is sent to the printing apparatus 3 that performs printing at a predetermined timing. In addition to the print data, it also receives information necessary for printing, such as from where to what page of the print data is printed and how many copies are printed, and stores it in the print data accompanying information storage unit 25 as print data accompanying information. Let Further, a reserved print job is generated based on schedule information (for example, a normal schedule by a user or a schedule for reserved printing), print data, and print data accompanying information stored in the schedule storage unit 21, and a reserved print job storage unit 23. And the reserved print job is sent to the printing apparatus 3. The reserved print job includes a reserved job ID for identifying the reserved print job, a print start time, a print end time, identification information of the user who performs printing, identification information of the printing apparatus 3 which performs printing, and data of print data to be printed There are an ID, a printing status, a type, a flag indicating whether batch printing is performed, and the like. The situation includes “reserved”, “deleted”, “finished” and the like. As types, there are “normal” and “distributed”, “normal” means that printing is performed by a single printing apparatus 3, and “distributed” is when distributed printing is performed by a plurality of printing apparatuses 3 ( Later). When batch printing (described later) is performed, a batch printing ID for identifying batch printing, for example, “1” is recorded.

  The reserved print job storage unit 23 stores the reserved print job generated by the print management unit 22. The reserved print job includes a reserved job ID, print start time, print end time, identification information of a user who performs printing, identification information of the printing apparatus 3 which performs printing, data ID of print data to be printed, print status, type In addition, a flag indicating whether or not batch printing is performed is stored. FIG. 6 shows an example of the reserved print job storage unit 23.

  The print data storage unit 24 stores print data to be printed in association with a data ID for identifying the print data. An example of the print data storage unit 24 is shown in FIG. The print data storage unit 24 may be provided in a document management server (not shown) for managing data such as documents, or may be a storage unit managed by the document management function of the groupware system. good.

  The print data accompanying information storage unit 25 stores accompanying information related to print data to be printed, such as a data ID, a print data name, a print start page, a print end page, the number of copies, a storage location (pass) of the print data, and the like. ing. An example of the print data accompanying information storage unit 25 is shown in FIG.

  The printing apparatus 3 performs printing according to the reserved printing schedule registered in the schedule management server 2. As the printing apparatus 3, various printing apparatuses 3 can be used, but it is preferable to use a printing apparatus having a display unit such as a liquid crystal or an organic EL, a multifunction peripheral (MFP), or the like.

  The printing apparatus 3 includes a print control unit 30, a print data temporary storage unit 31, and a print job management storage unit 32.

  The print control unit 30 executes print data printing processing according to the reserved print job stored in the print job management storage unit 32. Specifically, the print data received from the schedule management server 2 is stored in the print data temporary storage unit 31 that temporarily stores (at least until the printing is completed). Further, the print job management storage unit 32 stores print data accompanying information and information based on the reserved print job. When the print start time determined by the reserved print job arrives, the print data stored in the print data temporary storage unit 31 is extracted, and print processing is executed according to the reserved print job.

  The print data temporary storage unit 31 stores print data to be printed at least until printing is completed. FIG. 9 shows an example of the print data temporary storage unit 31. The print data temporary storage unit 31 stores print data and a job ID for identifying the print processing in the printing apparatus 3 in association with each other.

  The print job management storage unit 32 stores a print job indicating when and what print processing is executed. Information associated with print data and information on reserved print jobs are stored in association with job IDs. Specifically, a job ID for identifying each print job in the printing apparatus 3, a reserved job ID, a print start time, a print end time, a print data name, a start page, an end page, the number of copies, the user who performed printing, The data ID of the print data to be printed, the printing status, type, whether or not batch printing is performed, and the like are stored in association with each other. FIG. 10 shows an example of the print job management storage unit 32.

  Next, an example of the processing process of the schedule management system 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, the user accesses the schedule management server 2 by performing a predetermined operation on the user terminal 4 and inputs predetermined authentication information. Then, the schedule management server 2 receives the authentication information and authenticates whether the access is by a legitimate user by referring to an authentication table (not shown). When authentication cannot be performed because the authentication information does not exist in the authentication table, a predetermined error is notified.

  On the other hand, if the authentication is successful, the user makes a request for registration of a schedule that is normally registered in the schedule management server 2 such as a meeting schedule from the user terminal 4 (S100). Upon receiving this registration request, the schedule management unit 20 stores the user's schedule in the schedule storage unit 21. For example, the user terminal schedules a meeting with a start date and time “April 11, 2011 13:00”, an end date and time “April 11, 2011 15:00”, “conference”, and a place “101 rooms”. When the input is performed from 4, the input information is received by the schedule management unit 20 and stored in the schedule storage unit 21. An example of the schedule storage unit 21 in this state is shown in FIG.

  When the schedule management unit 20 receives a schedule registration request, the schedule management unit 20 causes the user terminal 4 to display a confirmation screen regarding the presence or absence of reserved printing related to the schedule. An example of the confirmation screen is shown in FIG. From the confirmation screen, the user selects “Yes” when there is reserved printing, and “No” when there is no reserved printing, so that the user terminal 4 notifies the schedule management server 2 of the presence or absence of reserved printing. In FIG. 12, a confirmation screen for the presence or absence of reserved printing is displayed. On the registration screen used in the schedule registration request, a check box for performing reserved printing is provided, and a reservation is made by specifying the check box. The presence or absence of printing may be notified.

  If there is no reserved printing (S110), the schedule registration process is terminated. On the other hand, when there is reserved printing (S110), after pressing “Yes” on the confirmation screen of FIG. 12 described above, the date and time for which reserved printing is desired is specified, and a reservation request for reserved printing is scheduled from the user terminal 4 Send to part 20. For example, in the schedule displayed on the user terminal 4, by specifying the start date and time and the end date and time of reserved printing (for example, 12:10 on April 11, 2011 to 12:40 on April 11, 2011), A reservation request for reserved printing is sent from the user terminal 4 to the schedule management unit 20.

  Upon receiving this reservation printing registration request, the schedule management unit 20 extracts the schedule (reservation status) of the printing apparatus 3 from the schedule in the schedule storage unit 21 (S120), and the reservation specified by the reservation printing registration request. If the print start date and time and the end date and time are available, the schedule storage unit 21 stores the print device 3 as a schedule (S130). The reserved printing schedule is stored in association with the normal schedule (conference schedule) registered in S100 (FIG. 5). In FIG. 5, as the association, reserved printing is registered in the schedule ID “2” as the user's own schedule, and at the same time, the schedule of the printing apparatus 3 a used for the reserved printing is registered in the schedule ID “3”. Registered. Further, the schedules “2” and “3” are associated with the schedule ID “1”, the schedule “1” is associated with the schedule ID “2”, and “2” is associated with the schedule ID “3”. Schedules are associated with each other. When performing reserved printing, reserved job IDs are assigned and stored in association with each other.

  In companies and the like, a plurality of printing apparatuses 3 (for example, the printing apparatus 3a, the printing apparatus 3b, and the printing apparatus 3c) may be used. In this case, the schedule management unit 20 extracts all the printing apparatuses 3 that can be used by the user, that is, the schedules of the printing apparatuses 3a to 3c from the schedule management unit 20, and can make a reservation that can be reserved at the date and time specified by the user. Reserved printing may be performed on the apparatus 3, or the printing apparatus 3 to be used may be designated by the user, and reserved printing may be performed on the printing apparatus 3.

  If the printing apparatus 3 has no date and time for which reserved printing is possible, the schedule management unit 20 does not store the reserved printing in the schedule storage unit 21 and displays a screen indicating that the reserved printing cannot be performed on the user terminal 4. To display.

  As described above, the reservation printing registration process for the printing apparatus 3 can be performed. An example of the schedule screen in this state is shown in FIG.

  After reserved printing, a document or the like to be printed (“document etc.” includes all data that can be printed by the printing apparatus 3 such as a document, drawing, and image) is not completed (S140) The print management unit 22 of the schedule management server 2 generates a reserved print job in the printing apparatus 3a that performs printing based on the schedule storage unit 21 in FIG. 5 (S150). That is, a reserved print job as shown in FIG. 14 is generated based on the start date and time, end date and time, and user information in the schedule information storage unit, and is stored in the reserved print job storage unit 23. At this time, a reserved job ID for identifying the reserved print job is assigned. An example of the reserved print job storage unit 23 in this state is shown in FIG.

  The reserved print job generated in this way is sent from the print management unit 22 to the printing apparatus 3a. The print control unit 30 of the printing apparatus 3a that has received the reserved print job stores it in the print job management storage unit 32. Note that a job ID for identifying the reserved print job in the printing apparatus 3a is assigned to the reserved print job, and is stored in association with the reserved print job. FIG. 16 shows the print job management storage unit 32 in this state.

  As a result, the printing apparatus 3a can secure a schedule from the printing start date to the end date. However, printing cannot be performed because there is no print data. Therefore, the printing apparatus 3 waits until the print data is received (S160).

  On the other hand, the user needs to create print data such as a document to be printed before reserved printing. When the user completes print data, for example, “meeting material.docx”, the user terminal 4 performs a predetermined operation to send the print data from the user terminal 4 to the schedule management server 2.

  For example, when the user selects “reserved printing” on the schedule screen displayed on the user terminal 4 as shown in FIG. 13, the print management unit 22 displays a print data registration screen (not shown). Print data (for example, “meeting material.docx”) such as a document to be displayed and displayed on the terminal 4 is sent from the user terminal 4 to the schedule management server 2. The print management unit 22 of the schedule management server 2 that has received the sent print data stores the print data “meeting material.docx” in the print data storage unit 24. FIG. 17 shows the print data storage unit 24 in this state. The print data storage unit 24 is assigned a data ID for identifying the print data, and stores the print data “meeting material.docx” in association with the data ID “1”.

  Note that registration of the print data only needs to be performed before the start of printing, and may be performed at an arbitrary timing.

  When registering print data, the user terminal 4 also accepts input of print data accompanying information, which is attribute information of the print data, such as the number of pages to be printed, the planned print amount of the number of copies, and the storage location (pass) of the print data. The print management unit 22 stores the data in the print data accompanying information storage unit 25. The print data accompanying information storage unit 25 in this state is shown in FIG. The pass may be stored in the print data storage unit 24 automatically when the print data is registered.

  When the print data and the print data accompanying information are received by the schedule management server 2 as described above, the print management unit 22 identifies the corresponding reserved print job from the reserved print job storage unit 23. This specification can be specified on the basis of the reserved printing schedule based on the schedule time zone when the user registers the print data. Here, since the reserved job ID “1” can be specified, the missing information of the reserved print job with the reserved job ID “1” is supplemented based on the print data and the print data accompanying information, and the reserved print job is Update. Then, the print management unit 22 sends the updated reserved print job (reserved print job with reserved job ID “1”), print data, and print data accompanying information to the printing apparatus 3a that performs printing.

  Then, the print control unit 30 of the printing apparatus 3 a updates the print job management storage unit 32 based on the updated reserved print job and the print data accompanying information sent from the schedule management server 2. An example of the print job management storage unit 32 in this state is shown in FIG. The print data is stored in the print data temporary storage unit 31. An example of the print data temporary storage unit 31 in this state is shown in FIG.

  As described above, the printing apparatus 3a can acquire the reserved print job and the print data, and therefore waits until the printing start time designated by the reserved print job.

  In S140, after the reserved printing, the document or the like to be printed (“document etc.” includes all data that can be printed by the printing apparatus 3 such as a document, a drawing, and an image). If it has been performed (S140), the user registers print data such as a document to be printed by performing a predetermined operation on the user terminal 4 (S180).

  For example, when the user selects “reserved printing” on the schedule screen displayed on the user terminal 4 as shown in FIG. 13, the print management unit 22 displays a print data registration screen (not shown). Print data (for example, “meeting material.docx”) to be displayed on the terminal 4 and to be printed is sent from the user terminal 4 to the schedule management server 2. Then, the schedule management server 2 that has received the sent print data The print management unit 22 stores the print data “meeting material.docx” in the print data storage unit 24. The print data storage unit 24 in this state is shown in FIG. A data ID is assigned for identification, and print data “meeting material.docx” is stored in association with the data ID “1”.

  When registering print data, the user terminal 4 also inputs print data accompanying information, which is print data attribute information, such as the number of pages to be printed, the expected print amount of the number of copies, and the storage location (pass) of the print data. The print management unit 22 stores the data in the print data accompanying information storage unit 25. The print data accompanying information storage unit 25 in this state is shown in FIG.

  When the print data and the print data associated information are received by the schedule management server 2 as described above, the print management unit 22 performs printing based on the schedule storage unit 21, the print data, and the print data associated information in FIG. A reserved print job in 3a is generated. FIG. 21 shows a reserved print job generated in this way. Then, the print management unit 22 sends the reserved print job, the print data, and the print data accompanying information to the printing apparatus 3a that performs printing.

  The print control unit 30 of the printing apparatus 3 a stores the print job management storage unit 32 based on the reserved print job and the print data accompanying information sent from the schedule management server 2. An example of the print job management storage unit 32 in this state is shown in FIG. The print data is stored in the print data temporary storage unit 31. An example of the print data temporary storage unit 31 in this state is shown in FIG.

  As described above, the printing apparatus 3a can acquire the reserved print job and the print data, and therefore waits until the printing start time designated by the reserved print job.

  When the reserved printing date and time stored in the print job management storage unit 32 arrives, the printing apparatus 3 a stores the print data temporarily in the print data storage unit 31 based on the reserved print job stored in the print job management storage unit 32. Print processing of the stored print data is executed (S190).

  The print control unit 30 of the printing apparatus 3a stores the reserved print job sent from the schedule management server 2 in the print job management storage unit 32, and accepts other reserved prints during the printing time of the reserved print job. Control so that there is no.

  After the reserved printing in the printing apparatus 3 a is completed, information on the completion of printing is sent to the schedule management server 2 and the user terminal 4. Then, the schedule management server 2 sets the status of the reserved print schedule in the schedule storage unit 21 and the reserved print job storage unit 23 to “complete” based on the print completion information from the printing apparatus 3. An example of the reserved print job storage unit 23 in this state is shown in FIG. It should be noted that the part of the reserved printing schedule of the printing apparatus 3 in the schedule storage unit 21 of the schedule management server 2 after the completion of printing may be deleted, or other users may be able to register.

  By performing the processing as described above, it is possible to perform reserved printing first, and then register print data in accordance with completion of a document to be printed.

  In the case of the print data described above, the case where one file is reserved and printed has been described. However, depending on the meeting, the monthly report of the user a, the monthly report of the user b, etc. It may be used as a document. That is, it may be necessary to arrange a plurality of documents and the like in a specific order. In this case, since the material creation speed of each user varies, the materials are not necessarily prepared in order. Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the print data is sent individually, the schedule management system 1 arranges all the planned print data by arranging them in the order of predetermined rules, for example, user numbers (employee numbers, etc.). It may be configured to generate a batch of reserved print jobs at the time of saving and send them to the printing apparatus 3. In this case, the user who has not transmitted the print data may be notified of a reminder at an arbitrary timing using an e-mail address or the like stored in a predetermined storage area.

  That is, the schedule management server 2 further includes a batch print management information storage unit. The batch print management information storage unit stores a batch print ID for identifying batch printing, an output order of each print data, the number of print copies, and a data ID of each print data in association with each other. An example of the batch print management information storage unit is schematically shown in FIG.

  For example, when a plurality of users register a document as print data in a meeting or the like, the user who first registers the meeting and reserved printing (or the meeting organizer or the person in charge of the office) executes the above-described processing. To do. At that time, an input indicating that it is a target of batch printing is also performed, and the print management unit 22 that has received the input assigns a unique batch printing ID, and print order of print data to be batch printed (for example, user ID) In ascending order) and the number of copies (for example, 50 copies) is received and stored in the reserved print job storage unit 23. Note that the input of these pieces of information may be accepted as part of the print data accompanying information. For example, it is assumed that “1” is assigned as the batch print ID. An example of the reserved print job storage unit 23 in this state is shown in FIG. An example of the batch print management information storage unit in this state is shown in FIG. An example of the print data storage unit 24 in this state is shown in FIG. At this point, since print data has not yet been registered in the batch printing, the data IDs of the reserved print job storage unit 23 and the batch print management information storage unit are blank.

  The reserved print job generated in this way is sent from the print management unit 22 to the printing apparatus 3b. The print control unit 30 of the printing apparatus 3b that has received the reserved print job stores it in the print job management storage unit 32. Note that a job ID for identifying the reserved print job in the printing apparatus 3b is assigned to the reserved print job, and is stored in association with the reserved print job. FIG. 34 shows the print job management storage unit 32 in this state.

  As a result, the printing apparatus 3b secures a schedule between the print start date and time and the end date and time, and waits until the print data is received.

  When performing batch printing in reserved printing, each user who registers print data performs “reserved printing” on the schedule screen displayed on the user terminal 4 as shown in FIG. When the user makes a selection, the print management unit 22 displays a print data registration screen (not shown) on the user terminal 4 and print data such as a document to be printed (for example, “A district monthly business report”). .docx ") is sent from the user terminal 4 to the schedule management server 2. The print management unit 22 of the schedule management server 2 that has received the sent print data stores the print data “A district monthly business report.docx” in the print data storage unit 24. FIG. 7 shows the print data storage unit 24 in this state. The print data storage unit 24 is assigned a data ID for identifying the print data, and stores the print data “A district monthly business report.docx” in association with the data ID “2”.

  Then, the print management unit 22 identifies the corresponding reserved print job from the reserved print job storage unit 23. That is, since the reserved job ID corresponding to this reserved printing schedule is “2”, “2” is added as the data ID of the reserved print job with the reserved job ID “2” and updated. An example of the reserved print job storage unit 23 in this state is shown in FIG. The print data accompanying information may be processed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. The batch print management information storage unit is updated in the same manner.

  Note that the reserved print job for batch printing may be sequentially sent to the printing apparatus 3 for update after the data ID is input, or at a certain time (for example, an arbitrary time before the print start time or the print start time). May be sent to the printing apparatus 3.

  For the same reserved printing, other users also register print data in the same manner as described above. FIG. 28 shows an example of the reserved print job storage unit 23 in this state, FIG. 29 shows an example of the print data storage unit 24, FIG. 30 shows an example of the print data accompanying information storage unit 25, and FIG. 31 shows an example of the batch print management information storage unit. Shown in

  The print management unit 22 prints the reserved print job (reserved print job with reserved job ID “2”), print data, print data associated information, and the like updated as described above at a predetermined timing. (In the case of the figure, it is sent to the printing apparatus 3b).

  The print control unit 30 of the printing apparatus 3b updates the print job management storage unit 32 based on the reserved print job and the print data accompanying information sent from the schedule management server 2. An example of the print job management storage unit 32 in this state is shown in FIG. When storing the print control unit 30 as a job in the print job management storage unit 32, it is preferable to store the print control unit 30 after sorting the printing order according to the rules defined by the batch print management information storage unit. The print data is stored in the print data temporary storage unit 31. An example of the print data temporary storage unit 31 in this state is shown in FIG. Printing according to this rule is specified based on the identification information of the creator of the print data (which can be specified when registering the print data by the user) based on the print data name of each print data. If rules for sorting user identification information in the order of presentation at a conference are set in advance, it is possible to sort in order of presentation based on the identification information of the creator of the print data. In this way, rules can be defined in any way.

  Then, the print control unit 30 of the printing apparatus 3b extracts the print data “2”, “7” “13” “19” corresponding to the data ID in the order of the data ID determined by the reserved print job “2”. And print processing of the print data is executed. When the batch printing flag includes information indicating “batch printing”, the print control unit 30 prints each piece of print data to be batch printed one by one and repeats the printing for the number of copies. It is good.

  By executing the processing as described above, it is possible to perform batch printing in which a plurality of print data is collected.

  Further, the print management unit 22 calculates the expected print time based on the information on the scheduled print amount that has been accepted, and the schedule management unit 20 compares the calculated expected print time with the reserved print time, If the printing time is longer than the reserved printing time, a proposal dialog for extending the reserved printing time may be displayed on the user terminal 4. If the expected printing time is shorter than the reserved printing time, a proposal dialog for reducing the reserved printing time is displayed on the user terminal 4. When the user operates the user terminal 4 according to the proposal dialog, the length of the reserved printing time registered in S130 can be adjusted. Note that the expected printing time is calculated by a predetermined value (for example, the printing apparatus 3a is A4 monochrome, one page per second). Further, instead of prompting the user for the length of the reserved printing time as described above, the reserved printing time may be automatically adjusted.

  Furthermore, in the schedule management system 1 of the present invention, the estimated time until the completion of printing may be calculated when the print management unit 22 of the schedule management server 2 receives the print data, and may be compared with the reserved print schedule.

  In other words, when the estimated print time is longer than the time of the reserved print schedule, a plurality of reserved print jobs are created and sent to each printing apparatus 3 so that printing can be performed by another available printing apparatus 3. May be. For example, when 50 copies must be printed in a reserved print job, and it can be determined that only 30 copies can be completed in the original reserved print schedule, the schedule management unit 20 uses another printing device. 3 is extracted by referring to the schedule storage unit 21, and the number of copies that are not printed on the printing apparatus 3 that has a reserved status, that is, 20 copies in the above-described reservation status, is available. It is preferable that the printing completion is automatically performed by using a plurality of printing apparatuses 3 by generating a reserved printing job in the apparatus 3 and sending the reserved printing job to the printing apparatus 3. As described above, when automatically performing distributed printing on a plurality of printing apparatuses 3, the user who performed the reserved printing is notified to the printing apparatuses 3 that the plurality of printing apparatuses 3 performed distributed printing, and which printing apparatus 3 has performed printing. It is good to notify by e-mail. In the reserved print job, print data having a “distributed” flag in the type is a target for distributed printing.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, print data such as a document created by the user terminal 4 is reserved for printing. However, even if a predetermined business server is provided and print data such as a document in the business server can be reserved for printing, good. Even in this case, the print data sent from the user terminal 4 to the schedule management server 2 is sent from the business system to the schedule management server 2.

  A business system is a computer system composed of business software necessary for business execution of a company and the like and hardware that executes the software. For example, a sales management system, purchase management system, financial management system, personnel management system, salary There are a management system, a production management system, a customer management (CRM (Customer Relationship Management)) system, a sales support system (SFA (Sales Force Automation)), and the like. Further, a mode in which each of these systems cooperates in real time as a module to collectively manage data may be employed. Although not shown in the business system, a normal business management system such as a master file that is a data file used in processing in the system, a transmission / reception unit that transmits and receives data, and various functions that execute various processes on the master file are used. It has the processing functions to be used and performs normal processing.

  The schedule management system 1 of the present invention can also be configured as follows.

  In the schedule screen shown in FIG. 13, the normal schedule and the reserved printing schedule may be displayed differently. For example, changing the color between the normal schedule and the reserved printing schedule, changing the thickness of the character, font, etc., making it a solid line or a broken line.

  For each user terminal 4, the schedule management unit 20 displays a gadget (a program that is activated on the computer desktop) that extracts and displays only schedules other than the normal schedule, for example, reserved print schedules. It may be.

  In addition, when the user registers reserved printing, a reserve time for the reserved printing time may be reserved. This includes adding a predetermined range (for example, 10 minutes) from the print end date and time to the reserved print time and including it in the reserved print time. This is a process for preventing other users from being inconvenienced even if the printing time is extended. This preliminary time may be deleted after printing is completed.

  Further, registration of the reserved printing schedule using the present invention may be limited to nighttime or holidays. In that case, the monitoring unit may calculate the amount of paper, the amount of toner, and the like necessary for the printing apparatus 3 and notify the user who performs printing. For example, when registering print data at the time of reservation, the amount of paper and the amount of toner existing in the printing apparatus 3 are acquired and compared with the required amount of paper and toner calculated from the amount of print (number of pages and number of copies). If it is insufficient, a warning is displayed to the user.

  When the monitoring unit of the printing apparatus 3 determines that the amount of paper or toner is insufficient, the notification is sent from the printing apparatus 3 to the schedule management server 2, and the schedule management unit 20 displays the notification on the schedule screen. A display for alerting may be provided in the vicinity of the reservation print display. For example, a message such as “please replenish used paper to perform reserved printing on holidays (night)” is displayed.

  In addition, when the printing apparatus 3 is executing print processing based on a reserved print job, or when another reserved print job is received during the same period during reserved printing, the print control unit 30 sets the schedule. With reference to the schedule storage unit 21 of the management system 1, a vacant printing device 3 may be specified in the same time zone, and a confirmation screen for transferring a print job to the vacant printing device 3 may be displayed. In this case, when the user directly operates the printing device 3, the display is performed on the display device of the printing device 3, and the user performs printing or reserved printing from the printing device 3 via the user terminal 4. May be displayed on the user terminal 4.

  Further, the print control unit 30 of the printing apparatus 3 may permit interrupt printing under specific conditions. For example, it recognizes an IC card, an external memory, etc., and performs personal authentication at any of the user terminal 4, the schedule management server 2, and the printing device 3 to determine whether the user has been given an interrupt authority in advance. In the case of a given user, interruption may be permitted.

  Alternatively, an input of the number of pages to be printed and the number of copies to be printed may be accepted, and interruption may be permitted for a small amount (for example, within one page, within one copy, etc.) In addition, the user may be permitted only when the user has an interruption authority and the amount is small.

  Furthermore, when a dedicated sheet is set in the printing apparatus 3, the print control unit 30 may not allow interruption. In addition, interrupt printing and copying may be controlled by the print control unit 30 so that they are discharged to a discharge tray different from the discharge tray on which reserved printing is performed.

  Further, when performing reserved printing, the display unit of the printing apparatus 3 may be configured to display a message for other users (message receiving unit). For example, when a message is input from the user terminal 4 during registration of reserved printing, the message is received by the schedule management server 2 and the message and its reserved job ID are used as message objects at a predetermined timing in the printing apparatus 3. Send (message transmission unit). The printing device 3 stores the received message object in a predetermined storage area of the printing device 3 and displays the message on the display device of the printing device 3. FIG. 35 schematically shows an example of a storage area that stores messages. Based on the reserved print job ID, information in the reserved print job storage unit 23 of the schedule management server 2 is extracted to obtain the time from the start to the end of printing. If the message is being printed, it is displayed from the start of printing to the end of printing. If the message is a reserved printing message, it is displayed from the time the message is received until the time printing starts. When the portion “XX minutes” in FIG. 35 is displayed on the display unit of the printing apparatus 3, the current time and the time until the print end date or time or the current time and the print start date and time are displayed by a countdown control unit (not shown). It is preferable that the difference from the previous time is calculated and the display is changed in real time. As described above, even a user who has not confirmed the schedule can recognize the end time when the printing schedule is present or printing is being executed, and the user's business can be prevented from being delayed.

  In addition to this message, the print control unit 30 may display on the display device of the printing apparatus 3 during printing, notification of specific requirements (paper supply, toner supply, etc.), and the like.

  By using the schedule management system 1 having the above-described print management function, it becomes possible for other users to recognize in advance that the printing apparatus 3 is occupied by a specific user, and the work of other users can be prevented from being delayed. . In particular, in the present invention, the present invention can be used even when a document to be printed is not completed.

1: Schedule management system with print management function 2: Schedule management server 3: Printing device 4: User terminal 20: Schedule management unit 21: Schedule storage unit 22: Print management unit 23: Reserved print job storage unit 24: Print data Storage unit 25: Print data accompanying information storage unit 30: Print control unit 31: Print data temporary storage unit 32: Print job management storage unit 70: Computing device 71: Storage device 72: Display device 73: Input device 74: Communication device

Claims (6)

A schedule management system having a print management function having a computer for performing schedule management and a printing apparatus for executing print processing,
The computer
A schedule management unit that performs schedule management by accepting a schedule of the user and a reserved printing in the printing apparatus from a user terminal used by the user;
A schedule storage unit for storing a schedule that has received the input;
A print management unit that generates a reserved print job based on the schedule and sends the print job to a printing apparatus that performs printing, and
The printing apparatus includes:
A print control unit that receives a reserved print job generated in the computer, stores the reserved print job in a print job management storage unit, and executes print processing based on the reserved print job,
The print management unit
By generating the reserved print job and sending it to the printing apparatus, after securing a reserved printing schedule in the printing apparatus, accepting registration of print data for the reserved reserved printing schedule, and based on the reserved printing schedule To specify a reserved print job for performing the reserved printing,
Updating the reserved print job for the specified reserved print based on the schedule, the print data and the print data accompanying information, and sending it to the printing apparatus;
A schedule management system having a print management function. The print management unit
When the reserved printing is batch printing, the reserved printing job is generated and sent to the printing apparatus, and after securing the reserved printing schedule in the printing apparatus, each of the batch printing reserved printing is performed by the computer. Accept registration of print data,
Specifying a reserved print job for performing the reserved printing of the batch printing based on the reserved printing schedule of the batch printing;
Updating the scheduled print job for the scheduled print of the batch printing based on the schedule, the print data and the print data accompanying information;
The print control unit
Based on the updated reserved print job, the print processing is executed for all the print data to be batch-printed.
The schedule management system having a print management function according to claim 1. In the reserved printing of the batch printing, the input of the print order of each print data to be the batch printing is received from the user terminal,
The print control unit
In accordance with the printing order, the print data to be batch-printed are collectively printed,
A schedule management system having a print management function according to claim 2. The print management unit
Calculate the expected print time based on the planned print amount of the print data to be printed,
The schedule management unit
Comparing the reserved printing time in the reserved printing schedule with the expected printing time;
If the expected printing time is longer than the reserved printing time, the user terminal is notified of a proposal for extending the reserved printing time,
If the expected printing time is shorter than the reserved printing time, a proposal notification for reducing the reserved printing time is sent to the user terminal.
A schedule management system having a print management function according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The print management unit
Calculate the expected print time based on the planned print amount of the print data to be printed,
The schedule management unit
Comparing the reserved printing time in the reserved printing schedule with the expected printing time;
If the expected printing time is longer than the reserved printing time, extract the status of reserved printing in the same time zone of another printing device by referring to the schedule storage unit,
The print management unit
Sending the reserved print job of the print data to one or more of the extracted other printing devices to cause the other printing devices to execute the printing process;
5. A schedule management system having a print management function according to claim 1. Schedule management system with print management function
A schedule management unit that performs schedule management by accepting a schedule of the user and a reserved printing in the printing apparatus from a user terminal used by the user;
A schedule storage unit for storing a schedule that has received the input;
A print management unit that generates a reserved print job based on the schedule and sends the print job to a printing apparatus that performs printing according to the reserved print time of the reserved print job;
The print management unit
By generating the reserved print job and sending it to the printing apparatus, after securing a reserved printing schedule in the printing apparatus, accepting registration of print data for the reserved reserved printing schedule, and based on the reserved printing schedule To specify a reserved print job for performing the reserved printing,
Updating the reserved print job for the specified reserved print based on the schedule, the print data and the print data accompanying information, and sending it to the printing apparatus;
A schedule management system having a print management function.

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