JP5978805B2 - Print production system and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printed material production system and a program.

  For example, in an on-demand printing operation, an order including data such as print contents, print settings, and post-processing (processing such as folding processing and bookbinding performed on a printed output) is received online from various customers. The received print data is printed by the digital printing system, and when post-processing is designated, the post-processing is performed by a post-processing device included in the system. Then, the post-processed individual printed matter is sorted and packed for each delivery destination specified in the order, and the packaged matter is sent to the corresponding delivery destination.

  In an on-demand printing operation in which a small number of printed materials with a relatively small number of copies is printed, a plurality of ordered printed materials from the same delivery destination are packed together in the same packing box. Since there may be cases where sophisticated judgments are required during packaging, such as the thickness and vertical / horizontal size of the printed matter relating to individual orders may differ, packing operations are rarely performed manually in this type of work. Absent. The printing and packing operations need to be scheduled in time for the departure time of the truck service that handles the delivery.

  Conventionally, as a technique for preventing a packaging mistake, there are those disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 7.

  Patent Documents 1 to 3 disclose an apparatus for displaying in which packing box a product moving on a conveyor should be stored.

  Patent Documents 4 and 5 disclose techniques for automatically collecting products to be stored in a packaging box.

  Patent Documents 6 and 7 disclose a system in which a product to be stored is indicated by a lamp installed on a shelf.

  As a technique for improving the efficiency of packing work, a method disclosed in Patent Document 8 is known. This method is a packaging assembly planning method of a publication shipping center in which a plurality of shipping lines for picking up publications are collected to collect publications from a plurality of publishers and deliver them to a plurality of stores. Of the publications, among the route priority assignments assigned to each delivery route to each line, the packing order priority assignment assigned evenly to multiple shipment lines in the order of early shipment, or the item assignment that assigns items to each line when the number of items handled is large. Line assignment is performed by selecting or combining any of the above assignments according to the receipt / shipment status. In this method, when the arrival of a publication at the shipping center is delayed, the packing order plan is performed again, and the packing including the delayed publication is delayed.

JP-A-7-172519 JP-A-8-119418 JP 2011-102170 A JP-A-8-175632 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-231009 JP-A-8-258922 JP-A-8-268514 JP 2003-002416 A

  By the way, depending on the type of post-processing, it may be necessary to perform “curing” on the post-processing result. “Curing” means protecting the post-processed product until the processing applied to the printed material in the post-processing exhibits the desired effect. For example, printed materials that have been post-processed, such as perfect binding that is bonded with an adhesive without using a thread or wire, or upper binding that is bonded to a thick cover on the text bound with a thread, etc., until the adhesive is cured It is necessary to protect the post-processing result so as not to adversely affect the time. Conversely, for example, post-processing is not required in post-processing such as stapling or saddle stitching in which a cover is formed by binding a folded body with a thread or wire.

  In an on-demand printing operation corresponding to a small lot, there may be an order in which a production request for printed matter that requires curing and a production request for printed matter that does not require curing are mixed. On the other hand, it is necessary to simultaneously deliver the result (printed material) of the production request included in the same order. For this reason, if you follow the normal work procedure of manufacturing, packing, and shipping in order units, you will continue to produce prints that do not require curing and prints that require curing, and the former will remain in temporary storage until shipment. The latter is cured for a necessary time in a separately secured curing place, then moved to a temporary place, and placed on a delivery flight such as a truck in accordance with the shipping timing. In such a work procedure, in the temporary storage place, printed materials that do not require curing are waiting for a relatively long time to complete curing of other printed materials in the same order. On the other hand, during the waiting time for the completion of curing, printed materials corresponding to orders that do not require curing are also produced one after another and placed in a temporary storage area. There is a situation where there is a mixture of things that have to wait for the curing of printed matter. For this reason, when the person in charge of shipping places the printed matter in the temporary storage place on a truck or the like for delivery, it is necessary to check whether the printed matter is not waiting for the curing of other printed matter, which makes the work complicated. , Mistakes are likely to occur.

  The present invention is a system that accepts an order including a request for producing a printed matter that does not require curing and a request for producing a printed matter that requires curing, so that printed matter waiting for curing is not mixed as much as possible with a printed matter that is not. With the goal.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a departure time storage means for storing a departure time of a delivery flight for delivering a produced printed matter, an order receiving means for receiving an order including at least one production request for printed matter, and the order receiving means. Depending on the type of post-processing specified in the production request for each production request included in each order received, the production request is a curing requirement request that requires curing or a curing requirement request that does not require curing. A determining means for determining whether the curing is necessary, a curing end time calculating means for calculating a curing end time at which the curing of the post-processed printed matter produced according to the request is completed, and the order receiving means The production target of the start permission target that permits the start of the worker is extracted from the production request group included in the order group received by the customer, and the start target for presenting the extracted production request of the start permission target to the worker For the above-described curing-free request, when the curing-necessary request is not included in the same order, or when the curing-necessary request included in the same order is loaded on the next delivery flight, the curing-necessary request When it is determined that it is in time for the departure time of the next delivery flight obtained from the departure time storage means as seen from the curing end time calculated for the item, the unnecessary curing request is extracted as a start permission target. And a print / post-processing device for printing and post-processing the production request selected as the start target by the operator among the start permission target production requests presented by the presenting means. This is a printed material production system to be executed.

  In the invention according to claim 2, when the curing end time calculated for the request for curing arrives, the printed matter for the curing requirement request is placed on the printed matter waiting for loading from the curing storage to the delivery flight. The printed matter production system according to claim 1, further comprising a curing end instruction presenting unit that presents a curing termination instruction to the worker to move to a temporary storage area.

The invention according to claim 3 is a free space information holding means for holding free space information of a curing storage, and starts printing and post-processing for the curing requirement request, and has been cured for the curing requirement request Free space information holding means for updating information on the free space of the curing storage area in response to completion of movement of the printed matter from the curing storage area to the temporary storage area, and the start target presentation means includes the curing requirement request In the case where the number of copies of the printed matter specified in the curing requirement request falls within the free capacity obtained from the information held by the free capacity information holding means, the start permission target is extracted. A printed matter production system according to claim 2 .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a departure time storing means for storing a departure time of a delivery flight for delivering a produced printed material, an order receiving means for receiving an order including at least one print production request, and the order receiving means. For each production request included in each order received by the company, the production request is a curing requirement that requires curing or no curing is required, depending on the type of post-processing specified in the production request. Discrimination means for discriminating whether the request is a request, a curing end time calculation means for calculating a curing end time for finishing the post-processed printed matter produced in response to the request, and the order receiving means Extract a production request subject to start permission from the production request group included in the ordered order group, and present the extracted production request subject to start permission to the worker. When the request for curing is not included in the same order, or when the request for curing included in the same order is loaded on the next delivery flight, When it is determined that it is in time for the departure time of the next delivery flight calculated from the departure time storage means as seen from the curing end time calculated for the required request, the curing unnecessary request is extracted as a start permission target. Printing and post-processing of the production request selected as the start target by the worker among the production requests of the start permission target presented by the presenting means. A program characterized by causing an apparatus to execute the program.

  According to the invention according to claim 1 or 4, in a system that accepts an order including a request for producing a printed matter that does not require curing and a request for producing a printed matter that requires curing, the printed matter waiting for completion of curing and the printed matter that is not cured are temporarily stored. It is possible to avoid mixing as much as possible.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to accurately provide information to the operator so that the printed matter placed in the curing storage area is moved to the temporary storage area after completion of the curing.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 3, a curing need request | requirement can be performed only when it can accommodate in a curing storage place.

It is a figure which shows the system configuration | structure of embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the data content of each order. It is a figure which shows an example of the data content of management data. It is a figure which shows an example of the data which a delivery flight information storage part memorize | stores. It is a figure which shows an example of the data which a curing storage capacity management part manages. It is a figure which shows an example of the data which a curing time memory | storage part memorize | stores. It is a figure which shows an example of the process sequence which produces the list | wrist of the work instruction | indication shown to a worker. It is a figure which shows the example of the flow of a process at the time of an operator expressing work start. It is a figure which shows the example of the flow of a process when an operator selects a production instruction | indication. It is a figure which shows the example of the flow of a process when an operator selects production / curing instruction | indication. It is a figure which shows an example of the data content of the management data at the time of execution of production and a curing instruction being completed. It is a figure which shows an example of the data content of the management data at the time of the curing of the printed matter of a certain job completed. It is a figure which shows the example of the flow of a process when an operator selects the instruction | indication of completion | finish of curing.

  With reference to FIG. 1, an example of the system configuration of the printed material production system of the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the system of this embodiment includes an order management device 10, a worker UI (user interface) device 20, and a printing / post-processing device 30.

  The order management apparatus 10 receives an order for a printed material and manages a production process for the printed material related to the received order. The worker UI device 20 provides a user interface with the order management device 10 to a worker who uses the printing / post-processing device 30 to produce printed matter. The printing / post-processing apparatus 30 prints the ordered printed matter and executes post-processing such as stapling, folding, various bookbinding, and the like.

  The order management apparatus 10 includes an order processing unit 11, an order DB (database) 12, an order analysis unit 14, a presentation target instruction selection unit 15, a delivery flight information storage unit 16, a curing storage capacity management unit 17, and a curing time storage unit 18. Have

  The order processing unit 11 receives an order from a customer via a network such as the Internet. The order from the customer includes one or more production requests in addition to the customer identification information. Each production request includes print data representing an image of each page of the printed material to be produced, and setting information for printing and post-processing. The print setting information includes designation of paper size, color printing or black-and-white printing, number of copies, and the like. The post-processing setting information includes designation of the type of post-processing. Here, the post-processing includes a type that does not require curing such as stapling and saddle stitching, and a type that requires curing such as perfect binding and top binding. Information on the received order is registered in the order data 12a of the order DB 12.

  The order DB 12 is a database for managing orders from customers. For example, the order DB 12 stores and manages order data 12a which is information on orders received and management data 12b for managing the execution of those orders. .

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the data content of the order data 12a. In this example, identification information (“order ID”) for identifying each order received is given by, for example, the order DB 12, and the identification information of the orderer is registered in association with the order DB 12. . By performing a search using the orderer's identification information as a key, registration information such as the orderer's name / name, address, and contact information can be obtained from the customer DB (not shown). The example shown in the figure is an example in the case where the system of the present embodiment is applied to a business model in which the orderer himself / herself is the delivery destination of the product related to the order, but in the case of specifying the delivery destination separately from the orderer in the order Alternatively, the delivery destination information may be registered in the order data 12a in association with the order ID. In addition to this, other items such as delivery date may be included as order-unit information items associated with the order ID.

  In the order data 12a, information related to individual production requests included in the order is registered in association with the order ID. Each production request is handled as one job (unit of production work to be performed) in this system, and is given a job ID that is unique identification information. Corresponding to this job ID, print data representing the print content (image content of each page) of the printed material that is the object of the production request (job), and print and post-processing setting information applied to the print data Is registered in the order data 12a. In the illustrated example, the print data is a PDF (Portable Document Format) file format, but this is only an example, and other data may be described in a page description language such as PostScript (registered trademark). Good. For example, the job with the job ID “J001” included in the order with the order ID “001” is stored in the print data storage unit (not shown) in association with the identification information “abcde.pdf” (file name in this example). It includes print data and print / post-processing setting information indicating that 20 copies of saddle-stitched bookbinding are produced in A4 size and full color printing.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the management data 12b. In the management data 12b, management information for each job (production request) included in the order is registered in association with the order ID. The management information of each job includes items such as the job ID of the job, the type of work instruction obtained by disassembling the job in stages, status information indicating the execution status of each work instruction, and the curing end time. Here, the work instruction is an instruction issued to the worker for job execution. The worker causes the printing / post-processing device 30 to execute processing according to the work instruction, or the printing / post-processing device. The printed matter output from 30 is carried to a temporary storage place or a curing storage place. The items of management information illustrated in FIG. 3 are merely examples, and there may be items other than the illustrated items. Among the items of the management data 12b, the work instruction type is registered by the order analysis unit 14, and the status and curing end time are obtained from the presentation target instruction selection unit 15 and the worker UI device 20 as the production work progresses. Set or updated according to input.

  In the present embodiment, there are three types of work instructions: “production instruction”, “production / curing instruction”, and “curing end instruction”.

  The “production instruction” causes the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 to print and post-process print data according to the printing and post-processing settings, and the printed and post-processed printed matter output from the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 is temporarily stored. It is an instruction to move.

  Here, the temporary storage place is a storage place for temporarily storing printed matter until a delivery service such as a truck arrives. The temporary storage area is prepared near the printing / post-processing apparatus 30, for example. When the delivery flight arrives, the printed matter stored in the temporary storage is loaded on the delivery flight.

  The “production / curing instruction” causes the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 to print and post-process print data according to the printing and post-processing settings, and prints and post-processed printed matter output from the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 It is an instruction to move to a curing place.

  Here, the curing storage is a place for storing the printed matter resulting from the post-treatment for curing (waiting for the adhesive to harden). The curing place is, for example, a shelf in which individual printed products that have been bound can be arranged one by one, and sufficient space is secured for each copy so that the printed materials being cured do not contact each other. The printed matter output from the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 that requires curing is moved by the operator to the curing storage, and is stored in the curing storage for a required time.

  The “curing end instruction” is an instruction to move the printed matter stored in the curing place to the temporary place after the curing is completed. The worker who has received this instruction moves the printed material group corresponding to the job for handling the instruction from the curing storage to the temporary storage. When the delivery flight arrives, the printed matter in the temporary storage is loaded on the delivery flight.

  In this example, the “status” of each work instruction included in the management data 12b has two stages of “waiting for start” and “in process”. “In-process” means a state from when the work instruction can be executed (that is, when the work instruction is provided as an option to the worker) until the work corresponding to the work instruction is completed. is there. “Waiting for start” is a state from when an order is received until “in progress”. However, these two-stage statuses are merely examples. In addition to this, for example, “in-process” means “in-process (before selection)” until the worker selects the work instruction, and “in-process” after the worker selects the work instruction and starts execution. Various statuses may be set such as “in process (in progress)”.

  The item “curing end time” included in the management data 12b is an attribute of a curing end instruction, and is a scheduled time at which the curing ends. In this example, the curing end time is calculated by adding the curing time determined according to the type of post-processing applied to the printed matter to the time when printing and post-processing of the printed matter requiring curing are completed. Is done.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the order analysis unit 14 generates necessary information for executing each job from the post-processing setting information for each job of each order included in the order data 12 a. In this example, for each job, the order analysis unit 14 determines whether or not curing is required for the job depending on whether or not the post-processing specified in the post-processing setting information for the job requires curing. Determine. For example, while perfect binding and upper bookbinding use an adhesive, curing is necessary, whereas post-processing such as stapling and saddle stitching that binds only with staples and wire does not require curing. For each type of post-processing, the order analysis unit 14 holds information indicating whether curing is necessary for the type of post-processing, and based on the information, whether or not curing is necessary for each job. judge. Then, only “production instructions” are generated for jobs that do not require curing, and “production / curing instructions” and “curing end instructions” are generated for jobs that require curing.

  The presentation target instruction selecting unit 15 selects a work instruction that allows the worker to start work from the work instructions registered in the management data 12b of the order DB 12, and displays a list of the selected work instructions in the worker UI. This is presented to the operator via the instruction list presentation unit 24 of the device 20. The list also includes job ID information corresponding to each work instruction.

  The selection of work instructions to be presented as a list is performed in consideration of curing under the precondition that prints of a plurality of jobs included in the same order are delivered by the same delivery flight. The criteria for selection is “a job that does not require curing that belongs to the same order as a job that requires curing (“ production instruction ”)” is selected at a timing that matches the delivery flight on which the printed matter of the job that requires curing is placed (its delivery) Do not select it at the timing in time for the flight before the flight). Thereby, the printed matter of the job that does not require curing is not mixed in the temporary storage with the printed matter that is placed on the delivery flight before the delivery flight that places the printed matter of the job that requires curing within the same order.

  On the other hand, if there is no job that requires curing within the same order, it is derived that a “production instruction” for a job that does not require curing may be selected immediately (without waiting for the curing of other jobs). In addition, “production / curing instructions” for jobs that require curing are selected as soon as possible in the curing storage space, considering that curing time is required after printing and post-processing.

  A specific example of the selection process performed by the presentation target instruction selection unit 15 will be described later.

  The presentation target instruction selection unit 15 refers to the delivery flight information storage unit 16 and the curing storage capacity management unit 17 for such selection.

  The delivery flight information storage unit 16 stores the scheduled departure time of the delivery flight. FIG. 4 shows an example of information stored in the delivery flight information storage unit 16. In this example, the scheduled departure time of delivery flights three times a day is registered in the delivery flight information storage unit 16. The scheduled departure time of the delivery flight does not need to be fixed, and a delivery person or the like may determine it in advance in consideration of a dynamic situation and register it in the delivery flight information storage unit 16.

  The curing storage capacity management unit 17 is means for managing the free capacity of the curing storage. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the curing storage capacity management unit 17 has a total capacity of the curing storage, that is, for example, the number of prints that can be stored (in other words, the number of spaces for each copy set in the curing storage). The upper limit and the currently used capacity are stored. The former is a fixed value, and the latter changes dynamically according to the usage of the curing storage. The remainder after subtracting the latter from the former is the free space in the curing area. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to manage the breakdown of the capacity in use, that is, how much capacity (the number of copies of the printed material) is used for the printed matter of which job in which order.

  In addition, the presentation target instruction selection unit 15 registers the curing end time in the management data 12b in response to the notification of the end of production (printing and post-processing) from the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 in response to the production / curing instruction. This process is performed with reference to the curing time storage unit 18. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the curing time storage unit 18 stores a necessary curing time for each type of post-processing that requires curing. When the printing and post-processing of the printed matter corresponding to the production / curing instruction is completed, the presentation target instruction selecting unit 15 adds the curing time corresponding to the type of the subsequent processing to the completion time, thereby completing the curing end time. And the calculated curing end time is registered in the management data 12b as the attribute of the curing termination instruction corresponding to the production / curing instruction.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1, the worker UI device 20 is an information processing device that is installed in the vicinity of the printing / post-processing device 30 or integrated with the printing / post-processing device 30. On the other hand, a display device that displays information and an input device that receives input from an operator are provided. Information presentation and input is implemented, for example, as a graphical user interface. The worker UI device 20 includes a start notification unit 22, an instruction list presentation unit 24, and a work end processing unit 26.

  The start notification unit 22 accepts a work start statement operation from the worker, and sends a work start notification to the presentation target instruction selection unit 15 according to the operation. The operator's work start statement operation is performed when the worker starts work (for example, at the start of work or when returning from a meal break). In response to the work start notification, the presentation target instruction selection unit 15 generates a list of work instructions to be presented to the worker and provides the list to the instruction list presentation unit 24.

  The instruction list presenting unit 24 displays a list of work instructions provided from the presentation target instruction selecting unit 15 on the screen of the display device, and accepts selection of work instructions to be started by the worker. The worker selects and starts one work instruction at a time, and when the work for the work instruction is completed, selects the work instruction to start next from the list. The list of work instructions provided from the presentation target instruction selection unit 15 is dynamically updated according to changes in the situation such as the progress of work and the arrival of new orders. Thus, the worker selects the work instruction to start from the work instruction list according to the latest situation when the next work instruction can be started.

  When the work instruction selected by the worker is a production instruction or a production / curing instruction, the instruction list presentation unit 24 prints / post-processes the job ID corresponding to the selected instruction to the printing / post-processing apparatus 30. It is sent to the device 30 to instruct production (printing and post-processing). The print / post-processing device 30 acquires print data and print / post-processing setting information corresponding to the job ID included in the instruction from the order DB 12, and executes printing and post-processing according to the data.

  When the work instruction selected by the worker is a curing end instruction, the worker UI device 20 causes the worker to finish the curing according to the instruction (that is, the printed matter that has been cured corresponding to the instruction in the curing storage area). The work is moved to the temporary storage area), and the completion of the work is awaited. When the worker performs a work completion assertion operation regarding the curing end instruction to the worker UI device 20, the work end processing unit 26 accesses the order DB 12, and responds to the curing end instruction from the management data 12b. Update job and order status.

  The example of the system configuration of the present embodiment has been described above. Although FIG. 1 shows one printing / post-processing apparatus 30 one by one, a plurality of printing / post-processing apparatuses 30 may be provided under the management of the order management apparatus 10. The worker UI device 20 may be installed in a one-to-one correspondence with the printing / post-processing device 30, or one worker UI device 20 may be arranged for a plurality of printing / post-processing devices 30.

  Next, an example of a procedure for creating a list of work instructions to be presented to the worker will be described with reference to FIG. This process is executed by the order DB 12 in response to a request from the presentation target instruction selection unit 15.

  This procedure is executed, for example, when a work start notification is received from the start notification unit 22 and at each subsequent processing timing. The processing timing may be, for example, a timing that periodically arrives, or a timing at which the status of each work instruction registered in the management data 12b in the order DB 12 is changed.

  In this procedure, the order DB 12 that has received a search request from the presentation target instruction selection unit 15 first extracts an order group to be processed at this time based on the delivery date among the orders registered in the order DB 12 (S100). ). For example, a predetermined number of orders may be extracted in order from the earliest delivery date. From the work instruction group of each job included in the extracted order group, the one to be presented to the worker is selected. The order DB 12 selects one of the work instructions as a notice instruction (S102), and performs the following determination on the notice instruction.

  First, it is determined whether or not the attention instruction is a production / curing instruction (S104). When the determination result is affirmative (Yes), it is determined whether or not the free space in the curing storage area is sufficient for the production / curing instruction (S106). In this determination, the number of copies of the printed material to be produced according to the instruction is obtained from the printing / post-processing setting information corresponding to the job ID of the production / curing instruction, and the curing storage capacity management unit 17 manages the number of copies. Compare with the current free space in the curing area. If the number of copies is equal to or less than the free capacity, the determination result in S106 is Yes, otherwise No. If the determination result in S106 is Yes, the attention instruction is added to the list of work instructions to be presented (S108). If the determination result in S106 is No, the attention instruction is not added to the list of work instructions to be presented (S110). After S108 and S110, the process returns to S102.

  If it is determined in S104 that the attention instruction is not a production / curing instruction, it is determined whether or not the attention instruction is a curing end instruction (S112). When the result of this determination is Yes, the curing end time, which is the attribute of the curing termination instruction, is further obtained from the management data 12b, and it is determined whether or not the current time has reached the curing termination time (S114). If the current time is before the curing end time, or if the curing end time is not set in response to the curing end instruction, the determination result in S114 is No. In this case, the attention instruction is not added to the list of work instructions to be presented (S110). On the other hand, if the current time is after the curing end time, the determination result in S114 is Yes, and in this case, the attention instruction is added to the list of work instructions to be presented (S108).

  When it is determined in S112 that the attention instruction is not a curing end instruction, the attention instruction is a production instruction. In this case, with reference to the management data 12b, it is determined whether there is a job that requires curing in the order to which the attention instruction belongs (that is, whether there is a production / curing instruction or a curing termination instruction) (S116).

  When the determination result of S116 is No (that is, when a job requiring curing is not included in the same order as the attention instruction), the attention instruction is added to the list of work instructions to be presented (S108).

  If the determination result in S116 is Yes, that is, if a job requiring curing is included in the same order as the attention instruction, the curing termination time is set in all the curing termination instructions for the jobs requiring curing in the same order. It is determined whether or not (S118). If there is a curing end instruction for which no curing end time is set in the same order as the attention instruction, the determination result in S118 is No. In this case, the attention instruction is not added to the list of work instructions to be presented (S110). This is based on the following concept. That is, when the curing end time is not set for the curing termination instruction, it cannot be determined whether the termination of the curing of the printed matter corresponding to the curing termination instruction is in time for the next delivery flight. For this reason, the attention instruction (in this case, the production instruction) that should deliver the printed matter in the same flight as the printed matter related to the curing termination instruction is not included in the subject to be presented to the worker so that it is not executed at this time. is there.

  If the determination result in S118 is Yes, it is further determined whether or not all the curing end times of the jobs that require curing within the same order as the attention instruction are in time for the next delivery flight (S120). Here, the “next delivery flight” is a delivery flight with the earliest scheduled departure time among delivery flights whose scheduled departure time is later than the current time. "The curing end time is in time for the next delivery flight" means that after completing the curing at the curing end time, the transfer to temporary storage, packing, and loading on the delivery flight will be the scheduled departure time for the next delivery flight. It means to complete before. In the determination of S120, for example, as a time required for moving to a temporary storage place, packing, and loading on a delivery flight, a fixed value determined based on an experiment or a value determined according to the number of copies of the printed material is used, and this value is set. If it is added to the curing end time, and the time of the addition result is before the scheduled departure time of the next delivery flight, it is determined as “in time”, and after it is determined as “not in time”. If there is at least one of the instructions for ending the curing within the same order, the determination result in S120 is No, and if not, the determination result in S120 is Yes.

  If the determination result in S120 is Yes, the attention instruction is added to the list of work instructions to be presented (S108). In this case, since all the printed materials of the job requiring curing within the same order can be loaded on the next delivery flight, the attention is to be put on the next delivery flight of the printed material of the production instruction (no curing required) at this time. Instructions are added to the subject of presentation.

  If the determination result in S120 is No, the attention instruction is not added to the list of work instructions to be presented (S110). In this case, since the printed matter of the job requiring the curing within the same order as the attention instruction is not in time for the next flight, the attention instruction is not printed at this time. Note that the attention instruction is not presented to the worker at this time, but the time of lapse of time (for example, the scheduled departure time of the next delivery flight has passed) and the curing end time of the job that requires curing within the same order is When the time comes after the “next delivery flight” at the end of the time, the presentation target is selected.

  After S108 and S110, the process returns to S102, and one undecided work instruction is taken out as a new attention instruction, and the same determination is performed.

  According to the above procedure, (1) production / curing instructions (however, only when there is enough free space in the curing place), (2) curing completion instruction reaching the curing end time, (3) within the same order (4) Instructions for creating jobs that do not require curing, and (4) Instructions for creating jobs that do not require curing, in which the completion of curing for all jobs that require curing within the same order is in time for the next delivery flight. Will be selected for presentation.

  Next, the work flow in the system of this embodiment will be described. First, with reference to FIG. 8, a processing flow when the worker performs a work start asserting operation (S <b> 10) on the worker UI device 20 will be described. In this case, according to the operation, the start notification unit 22 in the worker UI device 20 requests the presentation target instruction selection unit 15 to select a presentation target (S12). In response to this request, the presentation target instruction selection unit 15 issues a search request to the order DB 12 (S14). In response to this search request, the order DB 12 executes the processing procedure of FIG. 7 to select a work instruction to be presented (S16). Further, the order DB 12 updates the status of each work instruction selected as the presentation target from “waiting for start” to “in process”.

  The example of the management data 12b illustrated in FIG. 3 is at this time point. That is, in this example, according to the worker's work start statement, the three orders shown in FIG. 2 are extracted in S100 of the procedure of FIG. 7, and among the work instructions that have broken down these three orders, FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the production instructions for the two jobs “J001” and “J002” that do not require curing for the order “001”, the production and curing instructions for the job “J003” for the order “002”, and the job for the order “003” The production / curing instruction of “J003” is selected as an object to allow the worker to start at that time, and is set to the “in-process” status. At this time, since no work instruction is executed, no printed matter of a job that needs curing is produced, and therefore the curing end time of the job is “undecided”.

  Then, the order DB 12 returns a list of selected work instructions to be presented (including job IDs of jobs corresponding to the work instructions) to the presentation object instruction selection unit 15 (S18). The presentation target instruction selection unit 15 passes the list data to the instruction list presentation unit 24 of the worker UI device 20 for display (S19). The worker selects a work instruction to be executed next from the list.

  FIG. 9 shows a process flow when the operator selects a production instruction as an execution target from the list presented in the instruction list presentation unit 24 (S20). In this case, the instruction list presentation unit 24 that has accepted the selection may highlight the selected production instruction on the displayed list screen (S22) and execute the production instruction to the operator. Ask for confirmation. When the operator performs an operation to instruct execution of the confirmation request (S24), the instruction list presenting unit 24 sends a production instruction as a target of the operation to the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 together with the job ID (S26). ). Receiving the production instruction and job ID, the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 requests the order DB 12 for print data and printing / post-processing setting information corresponding to the job ID (S28), and from the order DB 12 in response to the request. Received print data and setting information are received (S30), the print data is printed according to the setting information (S32), the print result is post-processed according to the setting information (S34), and the result of post-processing. The product (printed material) is output (S36). When all the printing and post-processing shown in the setting information are completed, the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 sends a production end notification to the instruction list presentation unit 24 (S38). In response to this notification, the instruction list presentation unit 24 requests the order DB 12 to delete the production instruction (S40), and the order DB 12 deletes the production instruction from the management data 12b in response to the request (S42). By deleting the production instruction, the job corresponding to the production instruction is also deleted from the management data 12b. If there is an order in which there are no remaining jobs as a result of the deletion of the job, the order is deleted from the management data 12b.

  Further, the instruction list presentation unit 24 notifies the worker that the production is completed in response to the production completion notification from the printing / post-processing device 30 (S44). In this notification, for example, on the display device of the worker UI device 20, the production performed by the printing / post-processing device 30 is completed, and the output destination of the produced product (printed material) is a temporary storage place. This may be done by displaying a message indicating that. In response to this notification, the worker moves the product in the output unit of the printing / post-processing device 30 to the temporary storage place (S46). At this time, the worker performs packing such as boxing on the product, and performs work such as pasting a destination slip indicating the delivery destination on the packing result.

  FIG. 10 shows the flow of processing when the worker selects a production / curing instruction as an execution target from the list presented in the instruction list presentation unit 24 (S50). In this case, the instruction list presentation unit 24 that has received the selection highlights the selected production / curing instruction on the displayed list screen (S52), and gives the production / curing instruction to the operator. Ask for confirmation of execution. When the operator performs an operation instructing execution in response to the confirmation request (S54), the instruction list presenting unit 24 sends the production / curing instruction, which is the object of the operation, to the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 together with the job ID. (S56). The printing / post-processing device 30 that has received the production / curing instruction and the job ID requests the order DB 12 for print data and printing / post-processing setting information corresponding to the job ID (S58). In response to the request, the order DB 12 returns print data and print / post-processing setting information corresponding to the job ID (S60). At this time, the number of copies shown in the setting information is sent to the curing storage capacity management unit 17 to instruct to reduce the free capacity of the curing storage (or increase the used capacity) by the number of copies.

  The print / post-processing device 30 receives the print data and setting information sent from the order DB 12 (S60), prints the print data according to the setting information (S62), and post-processes the print result according to the setting information. Then, a product (printed material) as a result of post-processing is output (S66). When the printing and post-processing of all the numbers indicated in the setting information are completed, the printing / post-processing device 30 sends a production end notification to the instruction list presentation unit 24 (S68).

  In response to this notification, the instruction list presenting unit 24 adds the curing time corresponding to the type of post-processing of the job corresponding to the production / curing instruction to the time when the notification is given, and completes the current production. The curing end time for the completed job is obtained, and the order DB 12 is requested to set this time (S70). Upon receiving this request, the order DB 12 sets the curing end time as an attribute of the curing termination instruction of the job to which the production / curing instruction belongs in the management data 12b (S72).

  The instruction list presentation unit 24 responds to the production completion notification from the printing / post-processing device 30, for example, on the display device of the worker UI device 20, the production performed by the printing / post-processing device 30 is completed. And a message indicating that the output destination of the output product (printed material) is the curing place (S76). In response to this notification, the worker moves the product in the output unit of the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 to the curing place (S78). When all the products have been moved to the curing place, an operation is performed to indicate to the instruction list presentation unit 24 that the movement has been completed (S80). In response to this operation, the instruction list presentation unit 24 requests the order DB 12 to delete the production / curing instruction (S84). In response to this request, the order DB 12 deletes the production / curing instruction from the management data 12b (S84).

  From the state of the management data 12b illustrated in FIG. 3, the worker first selects the production / curing instruction for the job “J003” and causes the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 to perform the production, and then the production / curing of the job “J005”. Assume that an instruction is selected and the printing / post-processing apparatus 30 executes production. Also, at the time of completion of the production according to the production / curing instruction of the job “J003” (for example, 9:30 am), the curing end time of the job “J003” is calculated as 10:30 am, and then the job “J005” It is assumed that the curing end time of the job “J005” is calculated as 11:10 am at the time when the production according to the production / curing instruction is completed (for example, 9:40 am). The state of the management data 12b at this time (9:40 am) is as shown in FIG. At this time, the production / curing instructions for jobs “J003” and “J005” that have already been completed are deleted, and the calculated curing end times are set for the curing termination instructions corresponding to both of these instructions. Yes. At that time, since none of the curing end times has been reached, the status of the termination instruction for the jobs “J003” and “J005” remains “waiting for start”. The curing end time (10:30 am) of the curing end instruction for job “J003” is the scheduled departure time (11 am) for the “next delivery flight” at that time (9:40 am). Since it is in time, the production instruction for the job “J004” that does not require curing included in the same order “002” as the job “J003” has been changed to the “in-process” status and can be selected by the operator. On the other hand, the curing end time (11:10 am) of the curing end instruction of job “J005” is not in time for the scheduled departure time (11 am) of “next delivery flight”, and is the same as job “J005” The production instruction of the job “J006” that does not require curing included in the order “003” remains in the “waiting for start” status and is not selected by the operator.

  When the time further passes and reaches 10:30 am, the time necessary for curing the product of the job “J003” has elapsed. As illustrated in FIG. The status is changed to “in process” and can be selected by the operator. At the time of the example of FIG. 12, execution of the production instructions for jobs “J001” and “J002” for order “001” and the job “J004” for order “002” is also completed. For the order “001”, since all jobs belonging to the order are completed, the order itself is deleted from the management data 12b. At this point (10:30 am), the production of job “J005” has not been cured yet, so the production instruction for job “J006” belonging to the same order remains “waiting for start”. .

  Next, with reference to FIG. 13, the flow of processing when the worker selects a curing end instruction as an execution target from the list presented in the instruction list presentation unit 24 (S90) will be described. In this case, the instruction list presentation unit 24 that has accepted the selection highlights the selected curing end instruction on the displayed list screen (S91). In response to this, the worker moves the product (printed material) of the job corresponding to the instruction to end the curing in the curing storage area to the temporary storage area, packs it, and affixes an address slip. When the movement / packing of all the products of the job is completed, the operator performs an operation for expressing that the curing is finished (S92). Upon receiving this operation, the instruction list presentation unit 24 sends a notification to the work end processing unit 26 that the curing has been completed for the job ID that is the target of the operation (S93). In response to this, the work end processing unit 26 sends a request to the order DB 12 to delete the curing end instruction corresponding to the job ID (S94). In response to the request, the order DB 12 deletes the curing end instruction corresponding to the job ID from the management data 12b (S95). Also, since this deletion eliminates the work instruction corresponding to the job ID, the job ID situation is also deleted from the management data 12b. If all jobs in the order to which the job belongs disappears due to the deletion of the job, the order is also deleted from the management data 12b. When the deletion is completed, the order DB 12 sends a deletion completion notification to the work end processing unit 26 (S96), and the work end processing unit 26 that has received this sends a deletion completion notification to the instruction list presentation unit 24 (S97). The instruction list presentation unit 24 displays that the curing has ended (S98). The order DB 12 sends information on the number of copies included in the print / post-processing setting information of the job corresponding to the deleted curing end instruction to the curing storage capacity management unit 17, and increases the free capacity of the curing storage by that number (or Reduce the used capacity).

  The order management apparatus 10 and the worker UI apparatus 20 exemplified above are realized, for example, by causing a general-purpose computer to execute a program representing the processing of each functional module described above. Here, the computer includes, as hardware, a microprocessor such as a CPU, a memory (primary storage) such as a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM), an HDD controller that controls an HDD (hard disk drive), Various I / O (input / output) interfaces, network interfaces that perform control for connection to a network such as a local area network, and the like have a circuit configuration connected via a bus, for example. Also, portable non-volatile recording of various standards such as a disk drive and a flash memory for reading and / or writing to a portable disk recording medium such as a CD or a DVD via the I / O interface, for example. A memory reader / writer for reading from and / or writing to a medium may be connected. A program in which the processing contents of each functional module exemplified above are described is stored in a fixed storage device such as a hard disk drive via a recording medium such as a CD or DVD, or via a communication means such as a network, and stored in a computer. Installed. The program stored in the fixed storage device is read into the RAM and executed by a microprocessor such as a CPU, thereby realizing the functional module group exemplified above. In addition, for each of the order management device 10 and the worker UI device 20 exemplified above, the component group is distributed and implemented in a plurality of computers that can communicate with each other via a network, and the distributed configuration The functions of the order management device 10 and the worker UI device 20 described above may be realized by the element groups communicating with each other via a network.

  In the above example, the order management device 10 and the worker UI device 20 have been described as separate devices.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Order management apparatus, 12 Order DB (database), 12a Order data, 12b Management data, 14 Order analysis part, 15 Presentation object instruction | indication selection part, 16 Delivery flight information storage part, 17 Curing place capacity management part, 18 Curing time memory Part, 20 worker UI device, 22 start notification part, 24 instruction list presentation part, 26 work end processing part, 30 printing / post-processing apparatus.

Claims (4)

A departure time storage means for storing a departure time of a delivery flight for delivering the produced printed matter;
An order receiving means for receiving an order including at least one print production request;
For each production request included in each order received by the order receiving means, according to the type of post-processing specified in the production request, the production request does not require a curing requirement or curing that requires curing. A discriminating means for discriminating whether the request is not required for curing,
About the curing necessity request, a curing end time calculating means for calculating a curing end time at which the curing for the post-processed printed matter produced according to the request is completed,
A start target presentation for extracting the start permission target production request permitting the worker to start from the production request group included in the order group received by the order receiving means, and presenting the extracted start permission target production request to the worker As for the above-mentioned curing-free request, when the curing-necessary request is not included in the same order, or when the curing-necessary request included in the same order is loaded on the next delivery flight, When it is determined that it is in time for the departure time of the next delivery flight calculated from the departure time storage means as seen from the calculated curing end time, the curing unnecessary request is extracted as a start permission target. A starting target presentation means to perform,
Have
A printed matter production system that causes a printing / post-processing apparatus to execute printing and post-processing of a production request selected as an initiation target by the operator among the production permission targets to be presented presented by the presenting means. When the curing end time calculated for the curing requirement request arrives, the cured printed matter for the curing requirement request is moved from the curing storage location to the temporary storage location where the printed materials waiting to be loaded on the delivery flight are arranged. Curing end instruction presenting means for presenting a curing end instruction to the worker,
The printed material production system according to claim 1, further comprising: Free space information holding means for holding information on the free space of the curing place, starting the execution of printing and post-processing for the curing requirement request, and from the curing place of the cured printed matter for the curing requirement request In accordance with the completion of the movement to the temporary storage site, it further comprises free space information holding means for updating the information on the free space of the curing storage site,
The start target presenting means permits the start permission for the curing requirement request when the number of copies of the printed matter specified in the curing requirement request falls within the free capacity determined from the information held by the free capacity information holding means. Extract as target,
The printed matter production system according to claim 2 , wherein: Computer
Departure time storage means for storing the departure time of a delivery flight for delivering the produced printed matter,
An order receiving means for receiving an order including at least one print production request,
For each production request included in each order received by the order receiving means, according to the type of post-processing specified in the production request, the production request does not require a curing requirement or curing that requires curing. A discriminating means for discriminating whether a request is not required for curing.
Curing end time calculating means for calculating a curing end time for finishing the curing of the post-processed printed matter produced in response to the request,
A start target presentation for extracting the start permission target production request permitting the worker to start from the production request group included in the order group received by the order receiving means, and presenting the extracted start permission target production request to the worker As for the above-mentioned curing-free request, when the curing-necessary request is not included in the same order, or when the curing-necessary request included in the same order is loaded on the next delivery flight, When it is determined that it is in time for the departure time of the next delivery flight calculated from the departure time storage means as seen from the calculated curing end time, the curing unnecessary request is extracted as a start permission target. Means for presenting the target to start,
And the printing / post-processing device executes printing and post-processing of the production request selected by the operator as the start target among the start-permission target production requests presented by the presenting means. Program to do.

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