JP2004094609A - Print processing system and program used therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To more evenly and efficiently operate a plurality of printers executing print jobs, and to secure security. <P>SOLUTION: In this system, a web server 22 accepts, from a user computer 12, an order for delivery of printed matter which is printed in a print center with specification of image data, and transmits the accepted order information and user's personal information to a management server 30 as electronic mail. The management server 30 calculates a load state of each the printer 41-49 of the specified print center, assigns the printer having the minimum load state as a printer executing the print job accepted from a user, and transmits the order information and the user's personal information to the assigned printer as electronic mail. The printer accepting the electronic mail downloads the image data through an image delivery system 26 of the web server 22 and prints the image data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a print processing system, a program used therefor, and a print processing method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a print processing system that executes a print job on a plurality of printing apparatuses, a program used for this system, and a print job executed on a plurality of printing apparatuses. And a print processing method.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as this type of print processing system, there is a system capable of selecting whether an image selected by a user from a plurality of images via the Internet is printed by a user's own printer or printed by a print center and delivered. Has been proposed. In this system, if the user chooses to print on his own printer, the selected image is distributed as a size compatible with the user's printer, and the user can edit the image within the scope of the permission of the copyright holder. Allow and print the edited image on the user's printer. If the user selects delivery of the print at the print center, the user is prompted for a predetermined size and edit, and the selected image is printed at the print center using the input size and edit. And deliver.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the user selects delivery of a print job at the print center, it is necessary to set which of a plurality of printers installed at the print center executes such a print job. It is difficult to allocate them evenly depending on the performance of the job and the contents of the print job. In particular, considering the reception of a print job via the Internet, it is necessary to prevent an unauthorized intruder on the Internet from entering the print center. Further, since the image selected by the user is stored in the print center, the image can be freely processed on the print center side, and illegal printing such as unauthorized duplication cannot be effectively prevented.
[0004]
An object of the print processing system and print processing method of the present invention is to operate a plurality of printing apparatuses that execute a print job more evenly and efficiently. Further, an object of the print processing system and print processing method of the present invention is to ensure higher security. Further, an object of the print processing system and the print processing method of the present invention is to suppress unauthorized printing of image data. The program used in the print processing system of the present invention allows a computer to function as a print processing system that operates a plurality of printing apparatuses that execute print jobs more evenly and efficiently, and in addition to this, print processing that ensures higher security It is an object of the present invention to function as a system or a print processing system that suppresses unauthorized printing of image data.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Their Functions and Effects]
The print processing system, the program used therein, and the print processing method according to the present invention employ the following means in order to achieve at least a part of the above-described object.
[0006]
The print processing system of the present invention includes:
A print processing system that executes a print job on a plurality of printing devices,
Load calculation means for calculating the printing load of each printing device in the plurality of printing devices,
Job receiving means for receiving a print job;
Job allocating means for allocating the received print job to a printing apparatus having a minimum printing load calculated by the load calculating means;
Job transmitting means for transmitting the received print job to the allocated printing device;
The gist is to provide
[0007]
In the print processing system according to the present invention, the received print job can be assigned to the printing device with the minimum printing load and executed. As a result, a plurality of printing apparatuses can be operated more uniformly and efficiently.
[0008]
In such a print processing system according to the present invention, the load calculation unit is configured to execute the print job in each printing device based on the execution time per unit print job set in each printing device and the print job allocated to each printing device. The means for calculating the total of the execution time as the printing load may be used. With this configuration, since the printing load can be obtained by calculation without receiving the operation status from a plurality of printing apparatuses, unnecessary communication with the printing apparatuses does not need to be performed.
[0009]
Further, in the print processing system of the present invention, the plurality of printing devices are divided into a plurality of groups, and the job receiving unit receives a group of printing devices executing the print job in response to receiving the print job. The job allocating means may be means for allocating the received print job to a printing device belonging to the received group. This makes it possible to operate the printing apparatuses belonging to each group more evenly and efficiently.
[0010]
Further, in the print processing system according to the present invention, the print processing system further includes an image storage unit that stores a plurality of image data, and the job receiving unit selects one of the plurality of image data stored in the image storage unit and prints the job. As the print job. In this way, an image to be printed can be provided.
[0011]
In the print processing system according to the aspect of the invention including the image storage unit, the job transmission unit is a unit that transmits a print job in a state where the image data becomes unusable after a predetermined period of time or a predetermined number of times has been printed. It can also be. By doing so, it is possible to restrict free printing of image data by the printing apparatus. That is, it is possible to effectively prevent the image data transmitted to the printing apparatus from being improperly printed. Here, the timing start timing of “the predetermined time has elapsed” may be the time when the printing of the image data is started, the time when the printing device receives the image data, or the time when the image data is opened by the printing device. May be. In the print processing system according to the aspect of the present invention, the job transmitting unit includes a program for realizing a function that becomes unavailable when the image data is printed for a predetermined time or a predetermined number of times, and is transmitted in a print job. Can also be used. With this configuration, a program for realizing a function that cannot be used when the image data is printed for a predetermined period of time or printed a predetermined number of times in the printing apparatus operates, so that it is more effective that the image data is improperly printed on the printing apparatus side. Can be deterred.
[0012]
In a print processing system according to the present invention, the print processing system further includes a reception / transmission device including the job reception unit and the job transmission unit, and an allocation device including the load calculation unit and the job allocation unit. Means for transmitting the content of the print job as a first message to the allocating device, wherein the job allocating means is means for transmitting the content of the allocation of the print job as a second message to the accepting and transmitting device. It can also be. In this case, since the receiving and transmitting device and the allocating device only exchange messages, monitoring of the message exchange can prevent the intrusion into the allocating device through the receiving and transmitting device more effectively. it can.
[0013]
In the print processing system according to the aspect of the present invention including the reception transmitting device and the allocating device, the job transmitting unit prints a corresponding print job to a printing device to which a corresponding print job is allocated based on the content of the received second message. Message transmitting means for transmitting a third message having the content of job execution; and image data included in a corresponding print job from a printing apparatus having received the third message based on the content of the third message. Image transmission means for transmitting the image data in response to a transmission request. In this case, since the exchange between the reception transmitting device and the printing device is also performed by the message, it is possible to more effectively prevent the intrusion into the printing device via the reception transmitting device.
[0014]
The first program used in the print processing system according to the present invention is a print processing system according to the present invention for executing a print job on a plurality of printing apparatuses. A load calculating unit that calculates a printing load of each printing device in the plurality of printing devices; a job receiving unit that receives a print job; and a printing device that calculates the received printing job by the load calculating unit with a minimum printing load. And a job transmitting unit that transmits the received print job to the allocated printing apparatus.
[0015]
According to the first program used in the print processing system of the present invention, the computer is caused to function as the print processing system of the present invention. The same effects as those that can be efficiently operated can be achieved.
[0016]
The second program used in the print processing system of the present invention is a print processing system of the present invention in which a computer is provided with a reception transmitting device and an allocating device, that is, basically, a print job is executed by a plurality of printing devices. A print processing system to execute, the load calculation means for calculating a printing load of each printing apparatus in the plurality of printing apparatuses, a job receiving means for receiving a print job, and calculating the received print job by the load calculation means And a job transmitting unit that transmits the received print job to the allocated printing device. The job receiving unit and the job transmitting unit include the job transmitting unit that transmits the received print job to the allocated printing device. And a allocating apparatus having the load calculating means and the job allocating means. Means for transmitting the content of the received print job as a first message to the allocating device, wherein the job allocating device transmits the content of the allocation of the print job to the accepting and transmitting device as a second message The gist of the present invention is to function as a reception and transmission device in a print processing system, which is a means for performing this. The third program used in the print processing system of the present invention has a gist that causes a computer to function as an assignment device in such a print processing system.
[0017]
According to the second program and the third program of the present invention, the computer functions as the receiving / sending device and the allocating device in the print processing system of the present invention. The effect of the print processing system of the present invention, for example, the effect of enabling a plurality of printing devices to operate more uniformly and efficiently, and the more effective prevention of intrusion into an allocation device that can be performed via a reception transmission device. The same effects as those that can be obtained can be obtained.
[0018]
The print processing method of the present invention includes:
A print processing method for executing a print job on a plurality of printing devices, comprising:
(A) calculating a printing load of each printing device in the plurality of printing devices;
(B) receiving a print job,
(C) allocating the received print job to a printing device having the minimum calculated printing load;
(D) transmitting the received print job to the assigned printing device.
That is the gist.
[0019]
According to the print processing method of the present invention, a received print job can be assigned to a printing apparatus with a minimum printing load and executed. As a result, a plurality of printing apparatuses can be operated more uniformly and efficiently.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described using examples. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a print processing system 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The print processing system 10 according to the embodiment includes a web server 22 and a management server 30 that forms a back-end system. The web server 22 and the management server 30 can communicate with each other via an internal network (intranet or LAN). It is connected. The print processing system 20 plays a role of transmitting image data requested to be printed by the user via the user computer 12 to the printing devices 41 to 49 of the plurality of print centers 40a to 40c that execute printing.
[0021]
The web server 22 includes a storage device 23 for storing various image data. The web server 22 is connected to the user computer 12 of the user and the printing devices 41 to 49 of the print centers 40a to 40b that execute printing via the Internet, and prints the user computer 12 and the print centers 40a to 40b via the Internet. A request is received from the devices 41 to 49, and a response to the request is transmitted to the user computer 12 and the printing devices 41 to 49 via the Internet in an HTML format. In addition, the web server 22 operates a website for receiving high-quality printing of images stored in advance in the storage device 23 and high-quality printing of images uploaded by the user. On the basis of requests from the order receiving system 24 for receiving the order from the user computer 12, the order information passing system 25 for passing the received order information to the management server 30, and the printing devices 41 to 49 of the print centers 40a to 40b. And an image transfer system 26 for transferring image data.
[0022]
The management server 30 receives the order information and the user's personal information from the web server 22 via the internal network, and sorts out which of the printing devices 41 to 49 of the printing centers 40a to 40b to print. The order information and the user's personal information are transmitted by e-mail to the destination printing device. Further, the management server 30 manages the received order information and the user's personal information in a database and manages the data. When and which user has ordered what and how many prints of image data, the management server 30 is configured to be able to search in a timely manner. A name, an address, a telephone number, an e-mail address, and the like can be searched at appropriate times.
[0023]
The printing devices 41 to 49 of the printing centers 40a to 40b each include a computer and a business printer 3, receive order information from the management server 30 and personal information of the user by e-mail, and receive the order information. The image data corresponding to the order information is downloaded from the web server 22 via the Internet based on the Internet, and the image data is printed out as a high-quality printed matter. This printed matter is delivered to the user via a delivery company or the like.
[0024]
Each of the computers constituting the user computer 12 and the printing apparatuses 41 to 49 is a well-known general-purpose personal computer, and browses image data on a web page via the Internet with an installed web browser, and installs the installed computer. E-mail can be exchanged via the Internet by the mailer.
[0025]
Next, the operation of the print processing system 10 will be described. Here, a case where the user purchases a printed matter of the image data in the web server 22 will be described. Here, the user can browse the image data stored in the storage device 23 on the website operated by the web server 22 from the web browser 14 of the user computer 12, and the image data is stored in the storage device 23. A print request can be made by selecting from image data. Specifically, the order processing is performed by receiving an order page 50 shown in FIG. 2 transmitted by the order receiving system 24 of the web server 22, inputting necessary items to the order page 50, and This is the transmission process. The order page 50 includes an image display column 51 in which a plurality of image data are displayed as thumbnails, and a designated image into which the image name is input by dragging and dropping the image data desired to be obtained as a print out of the image data. An input field 52, a copy number input field 53 for inputting a desired number of copies of the printed matter of each designated image data input to the designated image input field 52, and a delivery method input for selecting and inputting a delivery method of the printed matter from a pull-down menu. A column 54, a personal information input column 55 for inputting personal information of the user such as a name, an address, a telephone number, an e-mail address, etc., and an order button 56 for clicking when placing an order based on the input items are provided. The user clicks the order button 56 after inputting necessary items in each of the input fields 52 to 55 of the order page 50. Then, the user computer 12 transmits the information input to the order page 50 to the web server 22.
[0026]
Now, the order information delivery system 25 of the web server 22 executes the order information delivery process at a predetermined timing. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the order information transfer process. When this process is started, as shown in FIG. 3, the web server 22 first determines whether or not the order page 50 has been received from the user computer 12 via the Internet, that is, the order reception system 24 outputs the printed matter of the image data. It is determined whether a request to obtain the information has been received (step S100), and if not, the process is terminated. On the other hand, when the order page 50 is received, one or a plurality of image data input to the designated image input field 52 of the received order page 50 is read from the storage device 23 (step S110), and the read image data is copied. A format with a time limit, that is, a format with a time limit attached to make the computer realize a function with a time limit, that is, a function that is deleted when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of printing of the image data, and an order number is assigned to the duplicate image data Then, the order information (designated image, number of copies, delivery method, etc.) and personal information (name, address, telephone number, etc.) of the current user are transmitted to the management server 30 with the order number attached (step S120). (S130), this program ends.
[0027]
The management server 30, which has received the order information and the personal information of the user to which the order number is assigned, executes a process of allocating which of the printing devices 41 to 49 of the printing centers 40a to 40b to perform printing. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the allocation process performed by the management server 30. In this allocation process, first, a process of determining whether or not a print center is specified in the order information is executed (step S200). If the print center is designated, the load status of each of the printing devices 41 to 49 of the designated print center is input (step S210). If the print center 40 is not designated, the print center closest to the delivery address is designated. The load state of each printing device is input (step S220). The load status is the total time required for each of the printing devices 41 to 49 to print the order allocated to each of the printing devices 41 to 49 on that day. Is stored at a predetermined address of the RAM. Therefore, the process of inputting the load state is a process of reading the total time of each of the printing devices 41 to 49 from a predetermined address of the RAM. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the values of the printing devices 41 to 49 stored in units of minutes are read.
[0028]
Subsequently, the printing apparatus having the minimum load state among the read load states is set as a printing apparatus (step S230), and the order information and personal information of the user assigned the order number to the set printing apparatus are sent to an e-mail. Attached and transmitted (step S240). In the example of FIG. 5, the printing device 42 with a load state of 160 minutes is the device with the minimum load state. Therefore, the printing device 42 is set as a device that executes printing, and an e-mail is transmitted to the printing device 42. become. Then, the set load state of the printing apparatus is calculated (step S250), the set load state of the printing apparatus at a predetermined address in the RAM is updated (step S260), and the distribution processing is terminated. The calculation of the load state is performed based on the required printing time for each printing size for each of the printing devices 41 to 49 as illustrated in FIG. That is, if the printing device 42 is set as a device to print and the printing in the order information is three A0 size sheets, the load status of the printing device 42 is changed to the current load status for 160 minutes (see FIG. 5). Is calculated by adding 20 × 3 = 60 minutes as 220 minutes. Therefore, in updating the load status, the load status of the printing device 42 is changed from 160 minutes to 220 minutes.
[0029]
The printing device of the print center, which has received the order information and the personal information of the user with the order number from the management server 30 in this manner, inputs the ID and the password to the website of the web server 22 and logs in, and logs in the received order number. Request download of image data.
[0030]
On the other hand, the image delivery system 26 of the web server 22 executes an image delivery process at a predetermined timing. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the image transfer process. When this process is executed, as shown in FIG. 7, the web server 22 first receives a request to download image data of the order number from any of the printing devices 41 to 49 of the print centers 40a to 40b via the Internet. It is determined whether or not the process has been performed (step S300), and if the process has not been received, the process ends. On the other hand, when the download request has been received, the copy image data to which the time-limited program corresponding to the order number is attached is transmitted to the printing apparatus that has issued the download request (step S310). Thereafter, the web server 22 determines whether the transmission has been completed (step S320). If the transmission has not been completed, the web server 22 continues the transmission, and if the transmission has been completed, ends this program.
[0031]
As an example in which the web server 22 causes the printing device to execute the time-limited program, the time-limited program is embedded in a web page as an interpreter-based JAVA applet (JAVA is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.), and is embedded in the printing device. Sending. In this way, when the printing device reads the web page, the printing device also downloads the JAVA applet at the same time, and is executed by the JAVA interpreter of the web browser of the printing device.
[0032]
The printing device that has downloaded the image data executes the image data timed processing at predetermined timings. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of the image data time limit processing. When this processing is executed, as shown in FIG. 8, the printing apparatus that has downloaded the image data firstly executes a print execution button to execute printing of one or more image data corresponding to the order number received this time. It is determined whether or not has been pressed (step S400), and if it has not been pressed, this process ends as it is. On the other hand, when the print execution button is pressed to execute the printing of the image data, time measurement is started by a built-in timer (not shown) (step S410). Then, after a predetermined time incorporated in the timed processing program elapses in advance (step S420), all the image data corresponding to the order number received this time is automatically deleted (step S430). To end.
[0033]
Here, the predetermined time is equal to or longer than the time required to print the prints of all the image data corresponding to the order number received this time by the number specified by the printing apparatus and less than the time required to print the number of copies exceeding the number of copies. The range is determined on the web server 22 side. For this reason, in the printing devices 41 to 49, after the printing operation of all the image data corresponding to the order number received this time is completed, there is no time to print these image data any more, and these image data Cannot be printed over the required number. Then, after the printing operation is completed, the workers of the printing centers 40a to 40b perform a procedure for delivering the printed matter of the image data corresponding to the order number received this time to the orderer. Note that the operators of the print centers 40a to 40b can know the delivery destination from the user personal information attached to the e-mail received from the management server 30.
[0034]
According to the print processing system 10 of the embodiment described above, when an order for print delivery of a print of designated image data is received from the user computer 12, when a print center is designated, the printing devices 41 to 41 of the designated print center are designated. 49, the printing device with the smallest load status is set as the device that executes printing, and when the printing center is not specified, the printing device with the smallest loading status among the printing devices 41 to 49 of the printing center closest to the delivery destination. Is set as an apparatus for executing printing, and printing is executed, so that the printing apparatuses 41 to 49 of the respective printing centers 40a to 40b can be operated more uniformly and efficiently. In addition, since the image data is transmitted to the printing devices 41 to 49 of the print centers 40a to 40b in a format that is erased when the required number of image data according to the order is printed, free printing of the duplicate image data in the print centers 40a to 40b is restricted. can do. That is, it is possible to effectively prevent the duplicate image data transmitted to the printing apparatuses 41 to 49 from being improperly printed in the print centers 40a to 40b. Further, the transfer of the order information and the transfer of the order information and the personal information to the printing apparatus that executes printing are performed by e-mail, so that high security can be ensured only by monitoring the e-mail.
[0035]
Further, the web server 22 receives information (user's personal information) related to the delivery of the printed matter of the designated image data from the user computer 12 and transmits the information to the management server 30. The management server 30 transmits the information related to the delivery of the printed matter. Since the print centers 40a to 40b transmit the print data to the printing devices 41 to 49, the print centers 40a to 40b can also obtain information on the delivery, and the procedure for delivering the printed matter to the user can be entrusted to the print centers 40a to 40b.
[0036]
Here, if the correspondence between the components of the embodiment and the components of the present invention is clarified, in the print processing system 20 of the embodiment, the web server 22 corresponds to the reception transmitting device, and the management server 30 corresponds to the allocation device. The management server 30 that executes steps S250 and S260 of the distribution process corresponds to the load calculation unit, and the web server 22 that functions as the order information transfer system 25 corresponds to the job reception unit. The management server 30 that performs the process of S240 corresponds to a job allocating unit, and the web server 22 that functions as the order information transfer system 25 that performs an image transferring process corresponds to a job transmitting unit.
[0037]
In the print processing system 20 of the embodiment, any one of the plurality of print centers 40a to 40b can be designated by the user. However, the print center may not be designated by the user. In this case, the execution of printing may be assigned to any of the printing devices 41 to 49 of the printing center closest to the delivery destination, and the printing devices 41 to 40 of all the printing centers 40a to 40b may be assigned regardless of the distance to the delivery destination. Of the 49 printers, the execution of printing may be assigned to the printing apparatus having the smallest load state. Further, in the print processing system 20 of the embodiment, the execution of printing is assigned to any of the printing devices 41 to 49 of the plurality of print centers 40a to 40b. It is possible to use only the print center of the present invention.
[0038]
In the print processing system 20 of the embodiment, the total sum of the required printing times of the printing devices 41 to 49 is calculated as the load state, but the scheduled printing end time may be calculated.
[0039]
In the print processing system 20 of the embodiment, the delivery of the order information and the delivery of the order information and the personal information to the printing apparatus that executes the printing are performed by e-mail, but the delivery of the information is performed by means other than the e-mail. No problem. In this case, information may be directly exchanged via the Internet.
[0040]
In the print processing system 20 of the embodiment, the time limit program attached to the duplicated image data is a program for realizing a function that is deleted after a predetermined time has elapsed. It may be a program for realizing a certain function. For example, it may be a program in which mosaic is applied to the duplicated image data after a lapse of a predetermined time. Further, the timed program is a program for realizing a function to be deleted after a predetermined time has elapsed, but is a program for realizing a function to be deleted when a required number of copies of duplicate image data are printed based on a user request. You may.
[0041]
In the print processing system 20 according to the embodiment, a time limit program for realizing a function that is deleted after a predetermined time elapses from the duplicated image data is attached, but such a time limit program may not be attached. That is, the image data transmitted to the printing devices 41 to 49 may not be erased after being printed for a predetermined time or a predetermined number of times.
[0042]
In the print processing system 20 of the embodiment, the management server 30 transmits the user information to the printing devices 41 to 49 of the print centers 40a to 40b, but the web server 22 may perform the function of the management server 30. . Alternatively, some of the functions of the web server 22 may be executed by another server.
[0043]
In the print processing system 20 of the embodiment, the printing devices 41 to 49 of the print centers 40a to 40b only print out the required number of sheets based on the user's request. Or the like can be selected, and the printing apparatus may be configured to be able to print out a printed material that meets the user's request.
[0044]
In the print processing system 20 of the embodiment, the user request is received from the user computer 12 via the Internet, but the user may order a print of desired image data from the operator by telephone or the like. In this case, the operator inputs personal information and order information of the user to the web server 22.
[0045]
In the embodiment, the print job received as an embodiment of the present invention is described as applied to the print processing system 20 that executes the print job in any of a plurality of printing apparatuses. Or the form of the management server 30, or the form of the print processing method described as the print processing system 20 of the embodiment. Further, the present invention may be in the form of a program that causes a computer to function as the print processing system 20 of the embodiment, or may be in the form of a program that causes a computer to function as the web server 22 or the management server 30 in the print processing system 20 of the embodiment. In the case of a program form, each step of each process such as the order delivery process illustrated in FIG. 3, the sorting process illustrated in FIG. 4, and the image delivery process illustrated in FIG. 7 may be programmed in an appropriate program language. .
[0046]
As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described using the examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples, and may be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. Obviously you can get it.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing a print processing system 20.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an order page 50.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of order information transfer processing.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a distribution process.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a load state.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a required printing time of each of the printing apparatuses 41 to 49.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an image transfer process.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of image data timed processing.
[Explanation of symbols]
12 user computer, 14 Web browser, 20 print processing system, 22 web server, 23 storage device, 24 order receiving system, 25 order information passing system, 26 image passing system, 30 management server, 32 order information sorting process, 40a- 40b printing center, 41-49 printing device.

Claims (12)

A print processing system that executes a print job on a plurality of printing devices,
Load calculation means for calculating the printing load of each printing device in the plurality of printing devices,
Job receiving means for receiving a print job;
Job allocating means for allocating the received print job to a printing apparatus having a minimum printing load calculated by the load calculating means;
Job transmitting means for transmitting the received print job to the allocated printing device;
A print processing system comprising: The load calculation unit calculates a total of execution times of the print jobs in each printing device based on the execution time per unit print job set in each printing device and the print job allocated to each printing device as the printing load. The print processing system according to claim 1, wherein the print processing system is a means for calculating. The print processing system according to claim 1 or 2,
The plurality of printing devices are divided into a plurality of groups,
The job receiving unit is a unit that receives a group of printing apparatuses that execute the print job in response to the reception of the print job,
The print processing system, wherein the job allocating unit is a unit that allocates the received print job to a printing device belonging to the received group. The print processing system according to claim 1, wherein:
Comprising image storage means for storing a plurality of image data,
The print processing system, wherein the job receiving unit is a unit that receives, as the print job, a job for selecting and printing any one of the plurality of image data stored in the image storage unit. The print processing system according to claim 4, wherein the job transmission unit is a unit that transmits the print job in a state where the image data becomes unusable after a predetermined time has elapsed or when the image data has been printed a predetermined number of times. The print processing system according to claim 5, wherein the job transmission unit is a unit that transmits a program for realizing a function that becomes unavailable when the image data has been printed for a predetermined time or a predetermined number of times, in a print job. The print processing system according to claim 1, wherein:
A reception transmission device having the job reception unit and the job transmission unit,
An allocation device having the load calculation unit and the job allocation unit;
With
The job receiving unit is a unit that transmits the content of the received print job to the allocation device as a first message,
The print processing system, wherein the job allocating unit is a unit that transmits the content of the allocation of the print job to the reception and transmission device as a second message. A message transmitting unit configured to transmit a third message having a content of execution of a print job to a printing device to which a corresponding print job is allocated based on the content of the received second message; An image transmitting means for transmitting image data based on a request for transmitting image data included in a corresponding print job from a printing apparatus that has received the third message based on the content of the third message. 7. The print processing system according to 7. A program for causing a computer to function as the print processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A program for causing a computer to function as a reception and transmission device in the print processing system according to claim 7. A program for causing a computer to function as an assignment device in the print processing system according to claim 7. A print processing method for executing a print job on a plurality of printing devices, comprising:
(A) calculating a printing load of each printing device in the plurality of printing devices;
(B) receiving a print job,
(C) allocating the received print job to a printing device having the minimum calculated printing load;
(D) a print processing method for transmitting the received print job to the assigned printing device.

Images