JP2000215014A - Network printer system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a network printer system which enables a client device to select the printer capable of earliest recording output and carry out the record output, and also perform record output by using more than one printer. SOLUTION: The client device 1 sends an operation state request for inquiring printers 3 and 4 connected to a LAN 2 of their operation states and receives operation state information showing whether the printers 3 and 4 are in recording operation or not, the remaining quantities of recording information, or the times up to the recording completion. According to the received operation state information, the printer which can start recording output most early is selected for emergency output and information to be recorded is transferred. For fast record output, printers which are ready to operate are selected according to the operation state information and the information to be recorded is divided into data of, e.g. different pages, which are transferred and outputted in parallel.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a network printer system to which a plurality of printer devices and one or more client devices are connected.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, there has been used a system in which a device having a printing function (hereinafter, referred to as a printer) such as a printer or a multifunction peripheral is connected to a network such as a LAN and shared by a large number of clients (users). ing. Recently, a network printer system in which a plurality of printer devices are connected to a network such as a LAN has also been configured.

In a system in which a plurality of printers are connected to a network such as a LAN, when a client device such as a workstation or a personal computer performs recording and output with the printer device, one of the printer devices is selected by the client device. And request recording output. However, if the selected printer device is for recording and outputting a large amount of information, for example,
There is a problem that the requested recording output is not executed immediately.

As a method of avoiding such a problem, L
The printers connected to a network such as an AN are inquired about the operation status in the order of a preset priority, and a printer that is not performing a recording operation is selected and information to be recorded is transferred. It is thought that. However, when all the printers are in the recording operation, information to be recorded is transferred to a preset printer, assuming that none of the printers can immediately perform recording and output. Therefore, when the printer has a large amount of recording information, there is a problem that the recording output is not executed forever.

When selecting a printer, if the status of each printer is known, it is possible to select the printer capable of recording and outputting the data at the earliest. However, in the conventional system, the status of each printer cannot be grasped by the client. However, it has been difficult to select a printer device that can record and output data the fastest.

Conventionally, even if a plurality of printers can record data, if one printer is selected, other printers are not selected. Therefore, the only way to record and output a large amount of print information is to wait for the selected printer to print and output. For this reason, it takes a long time to finish the recording output even though there is a printer device capable of recording.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and allows a client device to select and print out a printer device capable of printing and outputting the fastest data. It is an object of the present invention to provide a network printer system capable of recording and outputting by using the network printer.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, in a network printer system in which a plurality of printer devices and one or more client devices are connected, the client device inquires each printer device for an operation state and starts recording the earliest. The recording information is transferred by selecting a possible printer device. by this,
For information that can be recorded and output by any of the printer devices connected to the network, automatically select the printer device that can start recording and output the earliest at present, and transfer the information to be recorded to that printer device. Recording and output.

In a network printer system in which a plurality of printer devices and one or more client devices are connected, the client device inquires each printer device of an operation state, selects a plurality of recordable printer devices, and sets recording information. Is transferred. As a result, recording and output can be performed using a plurality of printers, and the time required to complete recording and output can be reduced. At this time, by transferring data of mutually different pages in the recording information to the plurality of printers, for example, information of a large number of pages can be distributed and output to the plurality of printers. If the number of copies to be recorded is large, the same information to be recorded may be transferred to a plurality of printers, and one or several copies may be recorded and output. As a result, when a large amount of print output is performed, the time required for completing the print output can be reduced by using a plurality of printer devices to perform the print output.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a network printer system according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a client device, 2 is LA
N, 3 and 4 are printer devices. One or a plurality of client devices 1 and a plurality of printer devices 3 and 4 are connected to the LAN 2. Although FIG. 1 shows only one client device 1 and two printer devices 3 and 4, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of client devices and three or more printer devices may be connected. Also,
In addition to these devices, an arbitrary number of network devices such as servers and routers may be connected to the LAN 2.

The printer devices 3 and 4 are connected to the LAN 2 and record and output the recording information transferred from the client device 1 onto a recording medium such as recording paper. In addition, when the printer devices 3 and 4 receive an operation status request from the client device 1 via the LAN 2, the printer devices 3 and 4 have a function of returning operation status information to the client device 1 that has issued the request. The operation state information to be returned may be, for example, whether or not a recording operation is being performed, the amount of unrecorded information, or the time required until recording is completed. The printer devices 3 and 4 can be constituted by any device having a recording output function, such as a copier or a multifunction device, in addition to a single function device that only has a recording output.

The client device 1 can be constituted by a computer device such as a workstation or a personal computer. Here, in particular, information to be recorded can be transferred to the printers 3 and 4 via the LAN 2 to request recording and output. At the time of normal recording, the printer 3 or 4
Of the users is determined in advance, or the user selects each time. Then, information to be recorded is transferred to the selected printer, and a request for recording output is made.

In an emergency, the printers 3 and 4
, An operation status request is sent, the returned operation status information is checked, and the information to be recorded is transferred to the printer device which can start recording output the earliest, and the recording output is requested.

Further, when it is desired to print out at a high speed, an operation status request is sent to the printers 3 and 4, and the returned operation status information is checked, and a plurality of printers not performing the printing operation are identified. Select and record and output using multiple printers. At this time, for example, in a case where information of a large number of pages is to be recorded and output to each printer device, information of a different page among information to be recorded may be transferred. When the number of copies is large, information to be recorded may be transferred to all the selected printers, and one or several copies may be recorded and output in each printer.

Next, an example of the operation of the network printer system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. Normally, the client device 1 selects either the printer device 3 or the printer device 4, transfers information to be recorded via the LAN 2 to the selected printer device, and requests recording output. Alternatively, when the requested printer device is performing a printing operation, another waiting printer device may be searched according to, for example, a preset priority order. In this case as well, when all the printers are in the recording operation, the user makes a selection.

In the printer device receiving the record information,
If the recording operation is not being performed, the recording operation is immediately started, and the recording information received is recorded and output. If the recording operation is being performed when the recording information is received, the received recording information is added as a new print job at the end of the print job sequence. Then, after the current print output is completed, the print job is sequentially printed from the beginning of the print job sequence.

In such a normal recording operation, even if a large number of print jobs to be recorded and output are stored in the selected printer, if there is a free space in the memory or the like, the print job is added to the end of the print job column. I will. For this reason, it is not known when the recording is output from the requested printer. For example, if you want to output emergency records,
It is necessary to select a printer device that can reliably print out quickly. Hereinafter, an example of an operation when such an emergency recording output is performed will be described.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation at the time of emergency recording output in the embodiment of the network printer system of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram of the same. Here, description will be made with reference to FIG. When an emergency record output is performed, in S11,
The user designates information to be recorded by the client device 1 and designates that it is an emergency record output, and instructs to start recording output.

In response, the client device 1 executes S1
2, an operation status request is transmitted to each of the printers 3 and 4 connected to the LAN 2 via the LAN 2 so as to notify the operation status (FIG. 3). At this time, all the printers connected to the LAN 2 may be used as the printers that transmit the operation state request, or if a group is set in a large-scale LAN or the like, the printers in the group may be used. Only the target may be targeted. In S13, it is determined whether or not the operation status request has been transmitted to all the printer devices that need to request the operation status information. Then, the process of S12 is performed until the operation status request is transmitted to all the printer devices that need to request the operation status information. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the client device 1 transmits an operation state request to the printer device 3 and the printer device 4 via the LAN 2.

The printers 3 and 4, which have received the operation status request from the client device 1, determine the operation status of the printer itself, for example, whether or not the printing operation is being performed, the remaining recording information amount, or the time required until the recording is completed, and the like. The information is returned to the client device 1 that is the transmission source of the operation state request (FIG. 3).

The client device 1 determines whether or not information has been received from the LAN 2 in S14, and waits for reception of information. When the information is received, further in S15,
It is determined whether or not the operation status information is returned from the printer that transmitted the operation status request. If it is not the operation state information, the process for that information will be performed, but here, only the case of emergency record output will be shown,
In FIG. 2, the process returns to the reception waiting state in S14. When the operation status information is received from the printers 3 and 4,
At 16, the received operation state information is stored.
In S17, it is determined whether or not the operation status information has been returned from all the printer devices that have transmitted the operation status request. The process returns to S14 in order to receive the operation state information.

When the operation status information is returned from all the printer devices that have transmitted the operation status request, in S18, the printer devices that are considered to be able to start the recording operation earliest by referring to all the returned operation status information. Select Then, information to be recorded is transferred to the selected printer, and a request for recording output is made. 1 and 3, the printer 4 is selected, information to be recorded is transferred, and a recording output is requested (FIG. 3).

For example, if there is a printer device on standby in the operation status information returned from the printer device, the printer device may be selected. When there are a plurality of printer devices on standby, a printer device for recording and outputting may be selected according to a predetermined selection method, such as selecting a printer device having a high print speed among them.

When all the printers are in the recording operation, for example, when the remaining recording information amount is obtained as the operation state information, the printer device having the smallest remaining recording information amount should be selected. I just need. At this time, it is desirable to determine the time required for recording output in consideration of the capability of each printer device. Further, for example, when the time required for completing the recording is obtained as the operation state information, the printer device which requires the shortest time for completing the recording may be selected. Of course, if other information is obtained as the operation state information, the printer device may be selected based on such information. Further, the printer device may be selected in consideration of a plurality of pieces of information in the operation state information.

In S19, it is determined whether or not all the information to be recorded has been transferred, and the transfer process in S18 is performed until all the information has been transferred. When all the information to be recorded has been transferred, the processing at the time of outputting the emergency record in the client 1 is terminated.

The printer device (printer device 4 in this case) requested to print out from the client device 1 accumulates the received information to be recorded and adds it to the end of the print job sequence as a new print job. Then, recording output is performed sequentially from the beginning of the print job sequence. When the recording output requested by the client device 1 is completed, a recording completion notification is sent to the client device 1 that has made the request (FIG. 3).

Since the print output request from the client device 1 is made to the printer device where the print output is to be started earliest, the print output can be started earliest in this system. And can respond to emergencies.

In the normal printing operation described above, even if a plurality of printers are in a standby state, one of them is selected and printed. However, when there is a large amount of information to be recorded, or when the number of copies to be recorded is large and the number of recordings is large, one printer takes a long time to complete the recording. According to the present invention, in such a case, it is possible to reduce the time required for completing the recording by using a plurality of printer devices.
Hereinafter, an example of the operation when such high-speed recording output is performed will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation at the time of high-speed recording output in the embodiment of the network printer system of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram of the same. When performing high-speed recording output, in S21, the user specifies information to be recorded by the client device 1, and specifies that high-speed recording output is to be performed.
Instructs the start of recording output.

The client device 1 that has received the designation of high-speed recording output sends an operation status request to the printer devices 3 and 4 in steps S22 to S27 in the same manner as in the case where the designation of emergency recording output has been received. Receive information. In addition,
The processing in S22 to S27 is the same as the processing in S12 to S17 shown in FIG. 2 and will be described briefly here.

In S22, an operation status request is transmitted to each of the printers 3 and 4 connected to the LAN 2 via the LAN 2 so as to notify the operation status (FIG. 5).
). In S23, for the printer devices 3 and 4,
It is determined whether or not the operation state request has been transmitted, and the process of S22 is performed until the operation state request is transmitted to the printers 3 and 4.

The printers 3 and 4, which have received the operation status request from the client device 1, determine the operation status of the printer itself, for example, whether or not the printing operation is being performed, the remaining recording information amount, or the time required for completing the recording, and the like. The information is returned to the client device 1 that is the transmission source of the operation state request (FIG. 5).

The client device 1 determines whether or not information has been received from the LAN 2 in S24, and waits for reception of the information. When the information is received, further in S25,
It is determined whether or not the operation status information is returned from the printer devices 3 and 4. Thus, the operation state information is waited for to be received. When the operation state information is received from the printer 3 or 4, the received operation state information is stored in S26. In S27, it is determined whether or not the operation state information has been returned from both the printer apparatus 3 and the printer apparatus 4. If both operation state information has not been received, the operation state information from the printer apparatus is received. In order to return, the process returns to S24.

When the operation status information is returned from the printer devices 3 and 4, in S28, referring to all the returned operation status information, a printable printer device which does not perform the recording operation is checked. Then, a plurality of recordable printer devices are selected. For example, if both the printers 3 and 4 can record, both of them are selected. Of course, if a large number of printers can record, some of them may be selected or all may be selected. Then, the information to be recorded is transferred to the selected plurality of printers 3 and 4, and a request for recording output is made (FIG. 5).

At this time, the information to be transferred to each of the printers 3 and 4 can be, for example, data of different pages among the information to be recorded. Thus, for example, when printing and outputting a large number of pages of information, the information can be distributed and output to a plurality of printers. Each printer can print and output in parallel, and the number of pages to be printed and output by one printer decreases, so that the time required for printing and output can be shortened as a whole.

If the number of copies to be recorded is large, the same information to be recorded may be transferred to a plurality of printers, and one or several copies may be recorded and output. In this case, each printer device records and outputs information to be recorded in parallel, and the number of copies to be recorded and output in each printer device is reduced, so that the time required for recording and output can be shortened as a whole.

The amount of information to be recorded to be transferred to each printer need not be uniform. For example, the amount of information may be set according to the recording capacity of each printer, and information to be recorded may be divided and transferred to each printer, or the number of copies to be recorded may be adjusted.

Although a plurality of printers not performing a printing operation are selected here as printers to be selected, for example, a printer currently performing a printing operation may be selected. For example, if the remaining recording information amount and the time required for completing the recording are obtained as the operation state information, the time until the start of recording in the printer device can be known. By using this, for example, in a case where another printer device becomes capable of recording while performing a recording operation in a standby printer device, the other printer device may also be selectable, and the amount of information to be transferred may be adjusted. . Of course, even when all the printers are in the recording operation, the information to be recorded is distributed and transferred in this way by referring to the operation state information, or the number of copies to be recorded is adjusted, and the number of copies to be recorded is adjusted. May be controlled to request recording output.

In S29, it is determined whether or not all the information to be recorded has been transferred, and the transfer process in S28 is performed until all the information has been transferred. When all the information to be recorded has been transferred, the processing at the time of high-speed recording output in the client 1 ends.

The printers 3 and 4 requested to print out from the client device 1 accumulate the received information to be printed and immediately start the printing operation if the printing operation is possible. If a print operation is being performed, the print job is added as a new print job to the end of the print job row, and printing is performed in order from the start of the print job row.
When the recording output requested by the client device 1 is completed, a recording completion notification is sent to the client device 1 that has made the request (FIG. 5).

In this way, when a large amount of recording output is performed, recording and output can be performed using a plurality of printers. As a result, the time required for completing the recording output can be reduced.

In the system configuration shown in FIG. 1, the printers 3 and 4 are directly connected to the LAN 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, various system configurations can be adopted, such as a configuration in which a printer is connected to the LAN 2 via a front computer, a configuration in which a LAN to which a client is connected and a LAN to which the printer is connected are connected by a gateway. .

[0043]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the printer device which can start recording and outputting at the earliest from all the printer devices connected to the network such as the LAN or all of the printers in the group. Can be used to perform recording output. Thereby, for example, it is possible to cope with a case where an emergency recording output is performed.

Further, since the recording output can be performed by using a plurality of printers, the recording output can be performed at a high speed even when a large amount of information or a large number of copies are required. This has the effect of shortening the time it takes to complete.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a network printer system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation at the time of emergency recording output in the embodiment of the network printer system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation at the time of emergency recording output in the embodiment of the network printer system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation at the time of high-speed recording output in the embodiment of the network printer system of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation at the time of high-speed recording output in the embodiment of the network printer system of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 client device, 2 LAN, 3, 4 printer device.

Claims (3)

[Claims] In a network printer system in which a plurality of printer devices and one or more client devices are connected, the client device queries each of the printer devices for an operation state and selects a printer device that can start printing the earliest. A network printer system for transferring recording information by using a network printer. 2. In a network printer system in which a plurality of printer devices and one or more client devices are connected, the client device queries each of the printer devices for an operation state and selects a plurality of recordable printer devices. A network printer system for transferring recording information. 3. The network printer system according to claim 2, wherein the client device transfers different page data of the recording information to a plurality of selected printer devices.