JP2006155162A - Distributed printing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently use each printer in a distributed printing system for dividing printing jobs of printers capable of print job control, and performing printing processing in a plurality of printers. <P>SOLUTION: Even if no error occurs in a printer that is a distributed printing destination, not only the distributed printer set at the time of starting distributed printing is used, but it is also determined that a printer with the user registered for surrogate printing is permitted by the user to perform printing, and if it is in an unused state, while being printable during the distributed printing, printing jobs are automatically distributed to this equipment. Accordingly, the completion time of printing can be shortened, so that each printer can be used efficiently. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  This patent relates to a distributed printing system that divides a generated print job and controls print data to be printed by a plurality of printing apparatuses.

  Conventionally, in a printing system capable of distributed printing processing using this type of information processing device, when a printing device during distributed printing has failed or when transmission becomes impossible during transmission of a print job, By changing the printing destination automatically or manually to another printing apparatus designated in advance for substitution by the user, the reliability of the printing process is improved, and the printing apparatus is effectively used.

For example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 can be cited as conventional examples.
JP2003-22170 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-332642

  However, when setting the distributed printing destination at the start of distributed printing, the current printing device has an error or problem, or another user is using it and another job is being output, etc. For this reason, if distributed printing is started without being set as a distributed printing destination printing device, it is assumed that a printing device that has not been set as a distributed printing destination is ready to print during distributed printing. However, the distribution setting cannot be set again during printing, and the printing apparatus cannot be used efficiently.

  In addition, if an error occurs in the distributed printing destination printing device, the printing destination is changed to a pre-registered printing device for proxy printing. If it is significantly inferior to the device, it will take a considerable amount of time to complete the printing, while the remaining distributed printing devices will complete the distributed printing and become unused, making it impossible to achieve effective use of the printing device. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a distributed printing apparatus that is set at the start of distributed printing even if no error has occurred in the printing apparatus that is the distributed printing destination. The printing device registered by the user for proxy printing is judged to permit the user to print from the printing device, and is ready for printing during distributed printing. If it is available, the print job is automatically distributed to the device, so that the printing completion time can be advanced and the printing device can be used efficiently, and an error occurs in the printing device of the distributed printing destination. In such a case, a distributed printing system in which the printing apparatus can be effectively used is provided by reconstructing the distributed schedule including the printing apparatus registered for proxy printing and the printing apparatus that is performing distributed printing. thing A.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a distributed printing system that divides a print job of a printing apparatus capable of controlling a print job and performs print processing by the plurality of printing apparatuses. A registration unit for registering the printing apparatus, an output control unit for dividing the print job to be printed by a plurality of printing apparatuses registered by the registration unit, and distributed output to each printing apparatus; An accepting unit that accepts settings, an information obtaining unit that grasps the output status of all of the plurality of printing apparatuses registered by the registration unit, and a printing process is interrupted or a print job output performance deteriorates in the printing apparatus that should be distributed output In order to perform proxy printing in the case where it is determined, the printing apparatus previously set by the user for proxy printing is printed by the information acquisition unit. If it is determined that the ability of state, but also has a print job re-constructing means for automatically re-disperse even the print job to the alternate printing device in distributed printing.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the information acquisition unit grasps the printing status, and even if a print job can be transmitted to the printing apparatus set for the proxy printing, the information is redistributed according to the status of the remaining jobs. If the printing time is shorter when the distributed printing is performed as it is, the printing is performed according to the distributed schedule without performing the redistribution process automatically.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the printing process is interrupted or the output performance of the print job is deteriorated in the printing apparatus to be distributed output, the other printing apparatus during the distributed printing and the proxy printing And a print job restructuring unit for redistributing the print job of the suspended printing device to the printing device set for use.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the restructuring means includes detection means for detecting a print job processing error by monitoring a processing status of a print job distributed and output to each divided printing apparatus by the output control means. Is based on the detection result of the print job processing error by the detection means, and the output control means reconstructs a print job distributedly output to each divided printing apparatus as a combination of a plurality of printing apparatuses capable of normal output. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the output control means monitors the processing status of a print job distributed to each divided printing apparatus and calculates the output completion time of the distribution destination printing apparatus, thereby reducing output performance. A plurality of printing apparatuses capable of outputting a print job distributed and output to each divided printing apparatus by the output control unit based on an output completion time of each distribution destination printing apparatus; It is reconstructed as a combination of.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided display means for displaying the output status on the operation unit of the printing apparatus and the operation unit of the client computer during the distributed printing, and each divided printing is performed by the output control unit. When a combination of a plurality of printing apparatuses capable of outputting a print job distributed to the apparatus is reconstructed, the distribution destination printing apparatus information is displayed on the operation unit of the printing apparatus and the operation unit of the client computer. It is characterized by this.

  As described above, according to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, any one of the divided printing devices that is designated by dividing the spooled print job based on the registered divided print candidates. Prints that are registered for proxy printing instead of using only the distributed printing device set at the start of distributed printing, even if no error has occurred in the printing device of the distributed printing destination. The device determines that the user is allowed to print from the printing device, and automatically distributes the print job to the device if it is available for printing during distributed printing. In this way, it is possible to advance the printing completion time and use the printing device efficiently. If an error occurs in the printing device that is the distributed printing destination, the printing device and distributed printing registered by the user for proxy printing can be used. Including the printing apparatus by reconstructing the distributed schedules, making it possible to present the use of the printers efficiently.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an optimal distributed printing system according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, 1 is a client computer according to the present invention, and 11 is an application program for creating document data to be printed.

  Reference numeral 12 denotes a user interface (UI) for displaying a print job list and the status of each printer 15 or allowing a user to operate a job.

  The print service 13 is a virtual distributed printer that receives print data from an application and transmits print job data to 13 printer devices.

  The server 14 monitors the status of each printer 15 and schedules the timing at which the print service transmits print job data to the printer.

  In response to the instruction, the print service of the client transmits print job data to the printer.

  The server communicates with each printer, obtains information about print jobs and operation states, and performs operations. The obtained information is transferred to the print service on the client side.

  When the document data created by the application 11 is printed, the distributed print processing described in this embodiment can be performed by designating the print service 13 as an output destination port. The print service 13 converts the data received from the application 11 via the OS into print data in a printer language that can be interpreted by each printer using each printer driver, and prints the data to each printer according to the print permission from the server 14. It is configured to transmit data.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a software module configuration in each apparatus related to the distributed printing system of the present invention. Note that the same components as those in the above-described drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the figure, 11 is an application module (application) for creating document data to be printed, as described above. When printing the created document data, GDI (Graphic Device Interface) 21 which is a drawing means of the OS. Is output as drawing data. Reference numeral 22 denotes an EMF spooler, and reference numeral 23 denotes a printer driver that translates into a language that can be processed by the printer device.

  A RAW spooler 24 spools print data. The print service 13 requests the server 14 for print request information in order to receive print permission for outputting the print data generated by the printer driver to the printer to be output, and receives the print permission.

  A module 141 in the server 14 is an order management unit that manages the printing order based on a print request received from a host computer via a network. The print request information is divided and managed for each output destination printer. A printer management unit 142 is communicably connected to the network, monitors the status of the printer under the management of the server 14, and if there is a print request requested to the printer waiting for printing. The order management unit 141 is notified. The printer management unit 142 polls the printer every predetermined time and acquires the MIB information to grasp the printer status and the print completion page.

  In the system configured as described above, when printing is performed by the application 11, the document data is output to the GDI 21 as a GDI function having drawing data. The GDI 21 is intermediate data that can be executed by a driver called a DDI function (Device Driver Interface). The drawing command is converted into a format drawing command and spooled to the EMF spooler 22. The intermediate data spooled in the EMF spooler 22 is divided into page units, and has a data format that is very easy to handle for this distributed printing process.

  During normal printing, the printer driver 22 designated as the output destination port receives the intermediate data format, that is, the DDI function, and the printer language (page description language) that can be interpreted by the print request information and the printer 15 of the print output destination Print data is generated. The generated print data is spooled in the RAW spooler 23, and transmission control is performed by the print service 13.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the software module configuration in the case of distributed printing. Note that the same components as those in the above-described drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The print request information is transmitted from the print service 13 to the server 14 via the network. In the case of distributed printing, the print service 13 receives data in the intermediate data format from the EMF spooler, and corresponds to the distributed setting set in advance by the user. The intermediate data format data is passed to each printer driver.

  The printer driver that has received the data in the intermediate data format generates print request information and print data as in normal printing, and spools the print request information and print data in the RAW spooler 24. At the time of distributed printing, the printer monitoring unit 142 of the server 14 waits for all the printers used for distributed printing to be in a print waiting state, and when all the printers are in a print waiting state, the order management unit 141 Print permission is issued to the print service 13 of the host computer.

  In this way, during distributed printing, printing is not performed in order from all available printers, but printing is instructed after all printers are in the Ready state. It becomes very easy to do.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a place where the server 14 performs scheduling control of print jobs of two client computers written on the left and right. Note that the same components as those in the above-described drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the figure, the server 14 does not bundle the printer job data itself, but gives only a print job instruction (arrow 48) to the two client computers 41 and 42 written on the left and right. In response to the instruction, the client computer transmits print job data to the printers A, B, and C (43, 44, 45). (Arrow 46)
Since the server 14 periodically monitors the status of the printers A, B, and C (arrow 47) and determines the timing for giving a print job instruction to the client computer, the print data from the client is concentrated on one printer. Can be avoided.

  Note that the intermediate data and the print data spooled in the EMF spooler 22 and the RAW spooler 24 are stored until the printing is completed even after the print request for the processing at the time of error.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface screen displayed on the display unit when setting a distributed printer.

  In FIG. 5, reference numeral 51 denotes a window that displays the name and status of a printer set as a distributed printer.

  Reference numeral 52 denotes a “printer registration button”, which can be added as a destination printer by pressing this button with a pointing device such as a mouse. Reference numeral 53 denotes a “printer erasure button”, which is used when an already registered printer is deleted. Reference numeral 54 denotes a “detailed information display button” for displaying detailed information of a registered printer. In this way, registration / update is performed, a printer as a distributed printing destination is set, and distributed printing is executed based on the user's distributed policy.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface screen displayed on the display unit when the proxy printing printer is set.

  In FIG. 6, reference numeral 61 denotes a window that displays the name and status of a printer that has already been set as a distributed printer.

  Reference numeral 62 denotes a “substitute printer registration button”, which is registered as a substitute printing destination printer by pressing this button with a pointing device such as a mouse. Reference numeral 63 denotes a “deletion button for proxy printing printer”, which is used when deleting an already registered proxy printing printer. Reference numeral 64 denotes a “detailed information display button” for displaying detailed information of a registered printer.

  In the example of FIG. 6, the printer A is registered as a printer for proxy printing.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface screen that displays the printing status on the operation unit of the printing apparatus and the operation unit of the client computer during distributed printing.

  In FIG. 7, reference numeral 71 denotes a window that displays the printer name and print status of a printer that has already been set as a distributed printer, and the printer status. In 711, the print output status of each printer is displayed with a scroll bar.

  Reference numeral 712 denotes which printer is registered for proxy printing. In this figure, printer A is registered as a printer for proxy printing.

  Also, by pressing the 72 detailed information button, it is possible to display detailed information of a printer registered for distributed printing.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a data processing procedure in the client computer 1 and the server 14 constituting the distributed printing system according to the present invention, and corresponds to the distributed printing processing procedure. S801 to S813 indicate each step.

  First, in step S801 and at the client computer, when the user sets a distribution policy, a print job is input from the application 11 to the print service 13, and the client computer transmits the created print request information to the server 14.

  Next, printing is started in step S802, and the status of the physical printer is acquired by the printer monitoring unit 142 in the server 14 in step S803. Note that the status information of each printer registered as the configuration content of the distributed printer is acquired individually.

  In step S804, if distributed printing has already been executed, the end of the print job is confirmed.

  Next, in the proxy printing printer setting screen described with reference to FIG. 6, if there is a printer set as the proxy printing printer by the user, the status of the proxy printing printer acquired in step S803 is in the standby state (that is, distributed printing). If the status is not included in the scheduling of distributed printing at the start and the status has changed to a standby state in which printing can be performed during the execution of distributed printing, the process proceeds to step S806.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S805 that the proxy printing printer is not in the standby state, the process advances to step S808.

  Next, when it is determined in step S805 that the proxy printing printer is in the standby state, in step S806, the estimated print completion time of the currently executed distributed printing is a certain threshold value (printing when rescheduling of distributed printing is performed). If it is greater than the estimated completion time), that is, if it is determined that the new distributed printing scheduling can shorten the printing time, the process proceeds to step S807, and when the distributed printing is rescheduled, the process proceeds to step S805. The server 14 is notified so as to perform scheduling including the substitute printer determined to be in the standby state. Then, 1 is set in the proxy printing printer FLAG for internal determination, and the process advances to step S808.

  On the other hand, when the completion time of the currently executed distributed printing is smaller than a certain threshold value (printing completion predicted time when rescheduling of distributed printing is performed), the process proceeds to step S808.

  In step S808, the printer monitoring unit 142 determines whether all output performance of the distributed printer is normal. If it is determined that the output performance is normal, the process proceeds to step S809.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S808 that the performance has deteriorated, the process advances to step S810 to notify the client computer 1 of that fact.

  On the other hand, if no abnormality is detected in the printer during distributed printing in step S808, the process returns to S803.

  Next, in step S809, if the server 14 detects an abnormality such as the occurrence of a jam or an error in the printer during distributed printing, or if the FLAG set in step S807 is 1, the process proceeds to step S810.

  On the other hand, if no abnormality is detected in the distribution destination printer and FLAG is not set to 1 in step S807, the process returns to step S803.

  Next, in step S810, if the server 14 determines that all the distributed printers are not abnormal, that is, if it is determined that there is at least one normal printer, the client computer 1 is notified accordingly, The process proceeds to step S811.

  In step S811, the client computer reconstructs the printer group, and performs distributed printing again with the reconstructed printer. If FLAG is set to 1, rescheduling is performed in the printer group including the substitute printer determined to be in the standby state in step S805.

  In step S812, the print job is divided. As a dividing method here, a method of specifying a start page and an end page of a generally known PJL code without physically dividing a file, or a method of dividing a job by physically dividing an EMF can be considered. Intermediate data spooled in the EMF spooler is transferred to the printer driver corresponding to the output destination printer for the distributed print job, and print data is generated by each printer driver.

  In step S813, the job created in step S812 is transmitted from the print service 13 to each printer.

  In step S803, the printer monitoring unit 142 acquires the status of the physical printer.

  Next, it is determined in step S804 that printing has ended. If distributed printing continues, the process proceeds again to step S805.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a threshold value setting method used as a criterion for determination in step S806 of FIG. 8 by the server 14 constituting the distributed printing system according to the present invention.

  The server 14 sets the total number of pages to be divided as the remaining page number, and predicts the printing time of the remaining page number from the printing performance for each distribution candidate printer (FIG. 9 (1)).

  Next, the printing time is estimated when distributed printing is performed including all the distribution candidate printers that are printable printers but are not currently distributed distributed (FIG. 9 (2)).

  At this time, the server 14 takes into account the warm-up time at the time of first printing and the switching time of the print format at the time of switching, and performs prediction calculation for divided printing.

  If the estimated time at this time becomes a threshold value that is a criterion for determination in step S806, and if the time for the job currently being distributed printing to end is longer than the estimated time, rescheduling of distributed printing including the printer for proxy printing is performed. Done.

  Note that the estimated print completion time after rescheduling is the time when the print job is divided so that all the distribution candidate printers can complete printing simultaneously.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an optimum distributed printing system of the present invention. The figure explaining the software module structure in each apparatus regarding the distributed printing system of this invention. The figure explaining the software module structure used in this invention in the case of distributed printing. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating print job scheduling control used in the present invention. The figure which shows an example of the user interface screen displayed on a display part when setting the distributed printer used in this invention. The figure which shows an example of the user interface screen displayed on a display part when setting the printer for proxy printing used in this invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface screen that displays a print status on an operation unit of a printing apparatus used in the present invention during distributed printing and on an operation unit of a client computer. The flowchart which shows an example of the data processing procedure quoted in order to show operation | movement of this invention embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a threshold value setting method used in the present invention, which is a reference for determining rescheduling in a distributed printing system.

Explanation of symbols

1 Client Computer 11 Application Program 12 User Interface 13 Print Service 14 Server 15 Printer 21 GDI
22 EMF spooler 23 Printer driver 24 RAW spooler

Claims (6)

  In a distributed printing system that divides a print job of a printing apparatus capable of print job control and performs printing processing by a plurality of printing apparatuses, a registration unit that registers a plurality of printing apparatuses for dividing and outputting the print job; An output control unit that divides the print job and distributes and outputs the print job to each printing device in order to print on a plurality of printing devices registered by the registration unit; a receiving unit that accepts user distributed printing settings; and the registration unit Information acquisition means for grasping the output statuses of all of the plurality of printing apparatuses registered in the above, and proxy printing when it is determined that the printing process is interrupted or the output performance of the print job is deteriorated in the printing apparatuses to be distributed output In addition, when the information acquisition unit determines that the printing apparatus set in advance for proxy printing by the user is in a printable state Distributed printing system characterized by having a automatically redistributed to the print job re-constructing means also the print job even in distributed printing to said alternate printing apparatus.   Even if the print status can be grasped by the information acquisition means and a print job can be transmitted to the printing apparatus set for the proxy printing, it is better to perform distributed printing as it is without redistribution depending on the status of the remaining jobs. 2. The distributed printing system according to claim 1, wherein when time is short, printing is performed according to a distribution schedule as it is without performing redistribution processing automatically.   When it is determined that the printing process is interrupted or the output performance of the print job is deteriorated in the printing apparatus to be distributed output, the interruption is performed to the other printing apparatus during the distributed printing and the printing apparatus set for the proxy printing. The distributed printing system according to claim 1, further comprising: a print job reconstruction unit configured to redistribute a print job of the middle printing apparatus. Detecting means for detecting a print job processing error by monitoring a processing status of a print job distributed and output to each divided printing apparatus by the output control means;
The reconstructing unit reconstructs a print job distributed and output to each divided printing device by the output control unit as a combination of a plurality of printing devices that can normally output based on the detection result of the print job processing error by the detecting unit. The distributed printing system according to claim 1, wherein:   The output control unit includes a detecting unit that monitors a processing status of a print job that is distributed and output to each divided printing apparatus and detects an output performance degradation by calculating an output completion time of the distribution destination printing apparatus. The construction means reconstructs a combination of a plurality of printing apparatuses capable of outputting a print job distributedly output to each divided printing apparatus by the output control means based on the output completion time of each distribution destination printing apparatus. The distributed printing system according to claim 1.   A display unit that displays the output status on the operation unit of the printing apparatus during the distributed printing and the operation unit of the client computer, and outputs a print job that is distributed and output to each divided printing apparatus by the output control unit The distribution destination printing device information is displayed on the operation unit of the printing device and the operation unit of the client computer when a combination of a plurality of possible printing devices is reconstructed. Distributed printing system.

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