JP2015200992A - Image forming system, image formation management device, image formation management method, and image formation management program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently recover processing result materials of a print job using a plurality of image forming apparatuses.SOLUTION: In an image forming system 1, a server SV includes a CPU 21 that manages job related information, such as position information of a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that perform distributed processing of a single print job and parallel processing of the print job and information on the print job, acquires the state of the processing of the print job from the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, and sets a recovery path in which recovery order to recover processing result material of the print job from the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn has been determined on the basis of the job related information and the state of the processing. When the CPU 21 acquires the fact that the processing of the print job is abnormally stopped as the state of the processing, corrects the recovery path to a correction recovery path in which one of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn on the recovery path that is abnormally stopped is preferentially recovered.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image formation system, an image formation management apparatus, an image formation management method, and an image formation management program. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image that efficiently collects processing results of a print job using a plurality of image formation apparatuses. The present invention relates to a forming system, an image forming management apparatus, an image forming managing method, and an image forming managing program.

  In recent years, a plurality of image forming apparatuses such as printers are connected to a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet, and print data is received from a plurality of information processing apparatuses such as computers connected to the network. Distribution printing (parallel processing) is performed in which the image is distributed to the image forming apparatus and is output in parallel by the image forming apparatus as the distribution destination.

  In addition, when a plurality of image forming apparatuses are connected on the network, a print control apparatus is arranged on the network in order to improve printing efficiency, and the print control apparatus accepts a print job from the terminal. Conventionally, a technique for dividing the print job into a plurality of pieces and allocating the print jobs to a plurality of image forming apparatuses on a network to perform distributed printing has been conventionally used.

  In a case where distributed printing and distributed printing are performed by such a plurality of image forming apparatuses, conventionally, in order to distribute one print job by a plurality of printing apparatuses, a print job dividing apparatus that divides the print job is used. A storage unit that stores position information regarding a plurality of printing device candidates and destination positions, a selection unit for selecting a plurality of printing devices to be distributed from among the plurality of printing device candidates, and the selection unit. Based on the selected plurality of printing devices and the position information of the destination, a route connecting the plurality of printing devices so as to finally go to the destination, and the print job distributed to the plurality of printing devices Has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

  That is, this conventional technique determines a route for shortening the time to go to the destination while collecting printed materials printed by a plurality of image forming apparatuses, and print jobs to the plurality of image forming apparatuses. The distribution is determined.

  However, the above prior art does not take into account the occurrence of an abnormal state that can be recovered from jamming, out of paper, or the like in the image forming apparatus. In order to shorten appropriately and efficiently, there was a need for improvement.

  That is, in the conventional technology, when an abnormal state occurs in a predetermined number of image forming apparatuses among a plurality of image forming apparatuses, the print job cannot be resumed until the abnormal state is resolved, but the preset value is set in advance. Then, the printed matter is collected through a collection path in which the print jobs are distributed. As a result, after the abnormal state has been recovered in the image forming apparatus in which the abnormal state has occurred, the printer waits for the print job to be completed, collects the printed matter when printing is completed, and collects it to the next image forming apparatus. Will be collected according to. As a result, there is a problem that the time until the processing of the entire print job is completed becomes long and the efficiency is low.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, when a print job is executed using a plurality of image forming apparatuses, even if an abnormality occurs in the execution of the print job, the overall processing time is shortened and the efficiency in collecting printed matter is reduced. It aims to improve.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming system according to claim 1 causes a plurality of image forming apparatuses to perform at least one of the same print job parallel processes as a distributed process of one print job. Job request means, job management means for managing job-related information such as position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses that process the print job, information on the print job, and processing status of the print job from the image forming apparatus And a collection path setting for setting a collection path for collecting the print job processing results from the image forming apparatuses based on the job related information and the processing situation. And when acquiring that the processing of the print job is abnormally stopped as the processing status, among the image forming apparatuses on the collection path, Is characterized in that it comprises a and a collecting path correction means for correcting the recovery path to the modified collection path recovery order to prioritize of the image forming apparatus is abnormally stopped.

  According to the present invention, when a print job is executed using a plurality of image forming apparatuses, even if an abnormality occurs in the execution of the print job, the overall processing time is reduced and the efficiency in collecting printed matter is reduced. Can be improved.

1 is a configuration diagram of an image forming system to which a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. The figure which shows an example of an apparatus information management table. The figure which shows an example of a collection | recovery order management table. The figure which shows an example of a message ID management table. 1 is a functional block configuration diagram of an image forming system. The figure which shows an example of the collection | recovery path | route when the abnormal state has not generate | occur | produced. The figure which shows an example of the collection | recovery path | route when an abnormal state generate | occur | produces. The figure which shows an example of the change state of the collection | recovery order management table by abnormal state generation | occurrence | production. The sequence diagram which shows the collection | recovery path | route correction process when there exists a message notification before collection | recovery start. The flowchart which shows collection route re-search processing. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating a collection path correction process that takes into account the remaining processing time for print job execution. The flowchart which shows the collection | recovery path | route re-search process based on remaining processing time. The sequence diagram which shows the collection | recovery path | route correction process based on the position of a portable terminal device. The flowchart which shows the collection route re-search process based on the position of a portable terminal device. The figure which shows an example of a supply storage location information management table. The figure which shows an example of the change state of the repair order management table when supply supplement is required. The flowchart which shows the collection route re-search process based on the time which error recovery requires. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a collection path re-retrieval process based on a remaining processing time in a plurality of image forming apparatuses in which an abnormality has occurred. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a collection path re-retrieval process based on an inter-device distance between a plurality of image forming apparatuses in which an abnormality has occurred and a mobile terminal device.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, since the Example described below is a suitable Example of this invention, various technically preferable restrictions are attached | subjected, However, The range of this invention is unduly limited by the following description. However, not all the configurations described in the present embodiment are essential constituent elements of the present invention.

  1 to 14 are diagrams showing a first embodiment of an image forming system, an image forming management apparatus, an image forming management method, and an image forming management program according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an image forming system according to the present invention, 1 is a configuration diagram of an image forming system 1 to which a first embodiment of an image forming management apparatus, an image forming management method, and an image forming management program is applied. FIG.

  In FIG. 1, an image forming system 1 connects a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, a server SV, and a mobile terminal device KT to a network NW such as a LAN (Local Area Network) by either wired or wireless or both. Has been.

  As the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, for example, printer apparatuses, copying apparatuses, facsimile apparatuses, composite apparatuses, etc. are used. In this embodiment, for example, a plurality of image forming apparatuses are arranged across a plurality of floors of the same building. Has been. The image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn include, for example, reading units 11a to 11n, operation display units 12a to 12n, CPUs (Central Processing Units) 13a to 13n, ROMs (Read Only Memory) 14a to 14n, and RAMs (Random Access Memory). ) 15a to 15n, printing units 16a to 16n, image memories 17a to 17n, hard disks (HDD) 18a to 18n, NIC (Network Interface Card) 19a to 19n, and the like.

  The ROMs 14a to 14n store basic programs as the respective image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn and programs of necessary parts and necessary system data in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn of the image forming management program of the present invention. Has been.

  The RAMs 15a to 15n are used as work memories for the CPUs 13a to 13n, and various data are stored under the control of the CPUs 13a to 13n.

  The CPUs 13a to 13n use the RAMs 15a to 15n as work memories based on the programs in the ROMs 14a to 14n, and control the respective units of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn to perform basic processing as the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn. Run. Further, the CPUs 13a to 13n execute processing of portions to be executed as the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in the image formation management method of the present invention based on the image formation management program.

  As the reading units 11a to 11n, for example, a scanner using a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) as a photoelectric conversion element is used. The reading units 11a to 11n scan an original, read an image of the original, and output image data to the CPUs 13a to 13n.

  The operation display units 12a to 12n include various operation keys necessary for operation of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn such as a numeric keypad, a start key, and a function key, and a display (for example, a liquid crystal display). The operation display units 12a to 12n notify the CPUs 13a to 13n of various commands such as a copy operation, a scanner operation, and a facsimile operation input from various operation keys, and display the display information from the CPUs 13a to 13n on the display.

  As the printing units 16a to 16n, printing units of various image forming methods (printing methods) are used, for example, a thermal printing unit using a thermal element, an ink ejection printing unit, or an electrophotographic printing unit. Etc. are used. The printing units 16a to 16n form (print) images of the received image information and the image data read by the reading units 11a to 11n on a recording medium (hereinafter simply referred to as a sheet) such as a sheet or a film, thereby The formed result (printed material) is discharged onto a paper discharge tray.

  The image memories 17a to 17n store the original image data read by the reading units 11a to 11n, the received image data, the image data after image processing, and the like under the control of the CPUs 13a to 13n, and are read out.

  The hard disks 18a to 18n store programs, image data, and the like under the control of the CPUs 13a to 13n, and store authentication information relating to users who can use the image forming apparatuses Gk1 to Gkn.

  The NICs 19a to 19n are connected to a network NW cable (for example, a LAN Ethernet (registered trademark) cable). The NICs 19a to 19n control protocols such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) / POP (Point Of Production). The NICs 19a to 19n communicate with the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, the server SV, and the portable terminal device KT, and exchange print jobs, data, and the like.

  The image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn execute a print job sent from a server SV, which will be described later, and the printing units 16a to 16n print and output an image on paper based on the print data of the print job. Output to the output tray. The image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn have a self-diagnosis function. For example, the CPUs 13a to 13n perform operations other than out-of-consumable items such as out-of-paper, out-of-consumable items such as out-of-printing material (for example, toner, ink), and the like, and non-consumable items such as paper jam. To detect the presence or absence of various abnormal states such as an abnormal state that can be recovered (resolved) but cannot be executed. When detecting occurrence of an abnormal state, the CPUs 13a to 13n transmit an abnormality occurrence signal to the server SV and the mobile terminal device KT together with a code indicating the type of the abnormal state from the NICs 19a to 19n via the network NW.

  As the server SV, for example, a server or a computer having a normal hardware configuration and software configuration is used, and in particular, an image formation management program for executing the main part of the image formation management method of the present invention is installed.

  The server SV includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, an image memory 24, a hard disk (HDD) 25, a NIC 26, and the like.

  The ROM 22 stores a basic program as a server in the image forming system 1, a part of a program that needs to be executed in the server SV among the image forming management program of the present invention, and necessary system data.

  The RAM 23 is used as a work memory for the CPU 21, and various data are stored under the control of the CPU 21.

  Based on the program in the ROM 22, the CPU 21 controls each part of the server SV while using the RAM 23 as a work memory, and executes basic processing as the server SV in the image forming system 1. Further, the CPU 21 executes processing of a portion to be executed as the server SV in the image formation management method of the present invention based on the image formation management program.

  The image memory 24 stores various image data used as the server SV, for example, route map data of a collection route when collecting a printed matter to be described later.

  The hard disk 25 stores various data necessary for the server SV in the image forming system 1, particularly various data necessary for executing the image formation management method of the present invention. That is, the hard disk 25 stores a device information management table Tb1 as shown in FIG. 2, a collection order management table Tb2 as shown in FIG. 3, a message ID management table Tb3 as shown in FIG.

  In the device information management table Tb1, as shown in FIG. 2, information is registered in each item of the image forming device ID, IP address, position information, and device status, and the current state of the image forming devices Ga to Gn that are devices. 6 is a table in which device management information (job related information) for managing a job is registered. The image forming apparatus ID is an ID (Identification) for identifying each of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, and the IP address is an IP (Internet Protocol) address assigned to each of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn. The position information is composed of coordinate information and floor composed of longitude and latitude, the coordinate information is latitude and longitude where each image forming apparatus Ga to Gn is installed, and the floor is a building where each image forming apparatus is installed. This is the floor (1F, 2F, 3F, etc.). The device status is information (printing, idle, abnormal stop, etc.) indicating the current state of each of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the collection order management table Tb2 has information registered in each item of the collection order, the image forming apparatus ID, and the action, and the image forming apparatus in the collection path for collecting the printed matter that is the execution result of the print job. It is a table which shows the collection | recovery order of Ga-Gn. The collection order is information indicating the collection order among the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn on the collection path, and the image forming apparatus ID indicates the image forming apparatus ID registered in the device information management table Tb1 of FIG. Yes. The action indicates an operation to be performed in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in each collection order, and “collection” indicating the collection operation of the printed matter, “error return” indicating the recovery operation of the abnormal state, and the like are registered. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, the message ID management table Tb3 registers information in each item of message ID, error type, return availability and return work time, and manages abnormal states occurring in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn. It is a table which shows information. The message ID is registered with values such as “001”, “002”, etc., and is an ID for identifying an abnormal state that accompanies printing stop, and is transmitted from the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which the abnormal state has occurred. It is the ID that comes. The error type is information indicating the type of abnormal state (error state) corresponding to the message ID, such as “jam”, “inquiry”, “cover open”, “toner end”, “out of paper”, and the like. “Recoverability” is information indicating whether or not the error state that is an abnormal state is an error that can be recovered by an operation of the user or the like, and “true” that can be recovered and “false” that cannot be recovered are registered. . The restoration work time is information indicating a guideline for the time required for error elimination work (error restoration work) in front of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn by the user or the like, and is registered in units of seconds.

  The NIC 26 is connected to the network NW, and communicates with the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn and the mobile terminal device KT on the network NW to transfer data and various information under the control of the CPU 21.

  The server SV has the device information of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn registered in the device information management table Tb1, and can communicate with all the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn at the same time.

  As the mobile terminal device KT, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, a portable computer, or the like having a normal hardware configuration and software configuration is used, and in particular, an image formation management program for executing the main part of the image formation management method of the present invention. It is equipped with.

  The portable terminal device KT includes an operation display unit 31, a CPU 32, a ROM 33, a RAM 34, an image memory 35, a nonvolatile memory 36, a NIC 37, and the like.

  The operation display unit (display means) 31 includes various operation keys necessary for the operation of the mobile terminal device KT, and also includes a display (for example, a liquid crystal display). It may be a touch key. The operation display unit 31 notifies the CPU 32 of various commands input from various operation keys, and displays display information from the CPU 32 on the display.

  The ROM 33 stores a part of the basic program as the mobile terminal device and the image formation management program of the present invention that needs to be executed by the mobile terminal device KT and necessary system data.

  Based on the program in the ROM 33, the CPU 32 controls each part of the mobile terminal device KT while using the RAM 34 as a work memory to execute basic operations as the mobile terminal device KT, and also performs image formation management of the present invention. Execute the process.

  The image memory 35 stores data such as display data on the display of the operation display unit 31 under the control of the CPU 32.

  The non-volatile memory 36 is composed of, for example, an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or the like, and stores various data that needs to be stored even when the power of the mobile terminal device KT is OFF under the control of the CPU 32. Also read out.

  The NIC 37 is connected to the network NW and, under the control of the CPU 32, communicates with the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn and the server SV on the network NW to exchange data and various information.

  And the portable terminal device KT is provided with the position detection part 63 (refer FIG. 5) as a positional information acquisition means which acquires the present position information of portable terminal devices KT, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna. The CPU 32 transmits the acquired current position information from the NIC 37 to the server SV via the network NW.

  The image forming system 1 executes the image forming management method of the present invention by introducing the image forming management program of the present invention into the server SV, the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, and the portable terminal device KT. That is, the image forming system 1 includes ROM, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), EPROM, flash memory, flexible disk, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), CD-RW (Compact Disc Rewritable), DVD. An image formation management program for executing the image formation management method of the present invention recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a (Digital Versatile Disk), an SD (Secure Digital) card, or an MO (Magneto-Optical Disc) is read. And the ROM 22 of the server SV, the ROMs 14a to 14n of the image forming devices Ga to Gn, and the ROM 33 of the portable terminal device KT, so that the print job is executed using a plurality of image forming devices Ga to Gn described later. Improve the efficiency in collecting printed materials while shortening the processing time It is constructed as an image formation management system that executes the image formation management method. This image formation management program is a computer-executable program written in a legacy programming language such as assembler, C, C ++, C #, Java (registered trademark), an object-oriented programming language, or the like, and is stored in the recording medium. Can be distributed.

  In the image forming system 1, the functional blocks as shown in FIG. 5 are constructed in the server SV, the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, and the portable terminal device KT by introducing the image forming management program.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the image forming system 1 includes job control units 41a to 41n, data transmission / reception units 42a to 42n, operation units 43a to 43n, input units 44a to 44n, and output to the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn. The units 45a to 45n and the storage units 46a to 46n are constructed. Further, the route determination unit 51, the data transmission / reception unit 52, and the storage unit 53 are constructed in the server SV, and the display control unit 61, the data transmission / reception unit 62, the position detection unit 63, the storage unit 64, and the operation unit are provided in the portable terminal device KT. 65 is built.

  The job control units 41a to 41n of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn are constructed by the CPUs 13a to 13n. The job control units 41a to 41n mainly execute the print job requested from the server SV, monitor the occurrence of an abnormal state during execution of the print job, notify when the abnormal state occurs, and perform the remaining processing until the completion of the print job execution Each processing necessary for the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn of the image forming system 1 such as time calculation is performed.

  The data transmission / reception units 42a to 42n are constructed by the NICs 19a to 19n, communicate with the server SV and the mobile terminal device KT under the control of the job control units 41a to 41n, receive print jobs, notify abnormal conditions, and perform remaining processing. Notification of time etc. is performed.

  The operation units 43a to 43n are constructed by the operation display units 12a to 12n, and perform operation notification to the job control units 41a to 41n, display data display, and the like under the control of the job control units 41a to 41n.

  The input units 44a to 44n are constructed by the reading units 11a to 11n, read an image of a document, and output image data to the job control units 41a to 41n.

  The output units 45a to 45n are constructed by the printing units 16a to 16n, and print out images on paper by the above printing method based on the print data of the print job under the control of the job control units 41a to 41n.

  The storage units 46a to 46n are constructed by the image memories 17a to 17n and the hard disks 18a to 18n, and store image data and other data.

  The route determination unit 51 of the server SV is constructed by the CPU 21 and transmits a print job to the plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn via the data transmission / reception unit 52 based on the device information management table Tb1. Print in parallel. Further, the route determination unit 51 receives the progress status and message ID of the print job of each of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that transmitted the print job via the data transmission / reception unit 52. The route determination unit 51 refers to the device information management table Tb1 and the message ID management table Tb3, determines a recovery route for recovering the printed material, and passes the determined recovery route to the mobile terminal device KT via the data transmission / reception unit 52. Send. Further, when the path determination unit 51 obtains that the processing of the print job is abnormally stopped as the processing status, among the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn on the collection path, the image forming apparatus Ga that is abnormally stopped. A collection path correction process for correcting the collection path to the corrected collection path giving priority to the collection order of .about.Gn is performed.

  Specifically, the CPU 21, that is, the path determination unit 51, causes the plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn to perform at least one of the same print job parallel processes as the distributed process of one print job. It performs job request processing and functions as job request means. In addition, the CPU 21, that is, the route determination unit 51, receives device management information (job related information) such as position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that processes the print job, information on the print job, and the like in the device information management table Tb1. The job management process managed as is performed and functions as job management means. Further, the CPU 21, that is, the route determination unit 51, selects a collection route that has been assigned a collection order for collecting printed materials (processed products) of print jobs from the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn based on the job related information and the processing status. A collection path setting process to be set is performed, and functions as a collection path setting means. Further, when the CPU 21, that is, the path determination unit 51 acquires that the processing of the print job is abnormally stopped as the processing status, the CPU 21, which is abnormally stopped among the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn on the collection path. A collection path correction process for correcting the collection path is performed on the corrected collection path that prioritizes the collection order of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, and functions as a collection path correction unit.

  The data transmission / reception unit (processing status acquisition unit) 52 is constructed by the NIC 26 and communicates with the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn and the mobile terminal device KT via the network NW under the control of the route determination unit 51. The NIC 26, that is, the data transmission / reception unit 52 performs processing status acquisition processing for acquiring the processing status of the print job from the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, and functions as a processing status acquisition unit.

  The storage unit 53 is constructed by the image memory 24 and the hard disk 25, and stores the print data, the device information management table Tb1, the collection order management table Tb2, the message ID management table Tb3, and the like under the control of the path determination unit 51.

  The data transmission / reception unit 62 of the mobile terminal device KT is constructed by the NIC 37 and communicates with the server SV and the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn via the network NW under the control of the display control unit 61.

  The operation unit (display means) 65 is constructed by the operation display unit 31, and outputs operation contents to the display control unit 61 and displays display data from the display control unit 61. In particular, the operation display unit 31, that is, the operation unit 65 displays a collection route transmitted from the server SV.

  The storage unit 64 is constructed by the image memory 35, the nonvolatile memory 36, and the like, and stores data such as display data such as a collection path under the control of the display control unit 61.

  The position detection unit (position information acquisition means) 63 is constructed by the GPS antenna or the like, acquires the current position information of the mobile terminal device KT, that is, the current position information of the user carrying the mobile terminal device KT, and displays it. Output to the controller 61. The position detection unit 63 is not limited to the GPS, and can acquire the current position of the mobile terminal device KT, such as NFC (Near Field Communications), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and wi-Fi. Any appropriate one can be used.

  The display control unit 61 is constructed by the CPU 32, stores the collection route data from the server SV received by the data transmission / reception unit 62 in the storage unit 64, converts it into display data, and causes the operation unit 65 to display it. Further, the display control unit 61 transmits the current position information of the portable terminal device KT acquired by the position detection unit 63 to the server SV via the data transmission / reception unit 62.

  The data transmission / reception unit 62 is constructed by the NIC 37 and communicates with the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn and the portable terminal device KT through the network NW under the control of the display control unit 61. In this embodiment, the portable terminal device Communication with only KT may be performed.

  In the above description, the server SV and the mobile terminal device KT are described as different from each other, but the server SV and the mobile terminal device KT may be integrated into either one. Further, in this embodiment, the mobile terminal device KT is carried by a person such as a user who collects printed matter, displays the collection path, and transmits the current position to the server SV, and displays the collection path. The display unit 31 (operation unit 65) is provided. The portable terminal device KT does not need a part for displaying the collection path if the printed material is collected by a mechanical medium (hereinafter referred to as a collection robot), such as a collection robot, not by a person. In this case, the collection robot receives the information on the collection path, and collects the printed material according to the collection order based on the collection path information, and the server SV receives the information on the collection path. Is transmitted to the collection robot via the network NW. In the following description, it is assumed that the user circulates the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn and the like to perform collection of printed matter, restoration work of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, and the like. You may go.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the image forming system 1 of the present invention, when a print job is executed using a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, even if an abnormality occurs in the execution of the print job, the overall processing time is reduced. , Improve the efficiency in collecting printed matter.

  In the image forming system 1, the server SV executes a print job using a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, and collects a printed material that is a processing result of the print job. As a case where a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn execute this print job, for example, one print job is divided into a plurality of parts and is distributed and printed on the plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn. There is distributed printing that is combined as one printed matter. Further, as a case where a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn execute this print job, for example, one print job is executed in parallel on a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, and a plurality of copies are printed. There is parallel printing.

  When the server SV uses a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn to execute a print job, the image forming system 1 needs to efficiently collect the printed matter as a print result and deliver it to a target location. .

  In view of this, the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment is configured so that the server SV that issues a print job is connected to the network NW in advance, and the device management information regarding the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that can be used for executing the print job is stored in the device. Obtained from the information management table Tb1. The server SV refers to the device management information, determines the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that execute the print job, and transmits the print job.

  The image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that have received the print job start executing the received print job, obtain the remaining processing time until the print job is completed, and acquire the device status (operation state information). The remaining processing time and device status are transmitted to the server SV. The image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn transmit the remaining processing time and device status to the server SV at appropriate timings. When the execution of the print job is completed, the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn output the printed matter to the paper discharge tray.

  When the server SV transmits the print job to the image forming apparatuses Gk1 to Gkn, when the processing time and the device status are sent from each of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, the server SV registers the device status in the device information management table Tb1. . The server SV determines the most efficient collection path based on the remaining processing time in each of the image forming devices Ga to Gn and the device status and position information of each of the image forming devices Ga to Gn in the device information management table Tb1.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gc are arranged on the same floor of the building, the server SV determines the remaining processing time, the distance between the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gc, the arrangement position, and the like. From the start position, the image forming apparatus Ga, the image forming apparatus Gb, and the image forming apparatus Gc are set in the collection order, and the collection path to finally go to the goal is determined as indicated by the arrows in FIG.

  However, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, when an abnormal state in which a print job cannot be executed occurs in the image forming apparatus Gc, priority is given to restoration of the image forming apparatus Gc in which the abnormal state has occurred. Recovery efficiency can be improved while shortening the overall processing time.

  In other words, in the image forming system 1, when an abnormal state occurs, the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that execute the print job generate a message ID that specifies the content of the abnormal state and transmit the message ID to the server SV.

  When the message ID is sent, the server SV identifies the error type from the message ID management table Tb3, determines whether or not the abnormal state (error) can be restored, and if it can be restored, the restoration work time. To get. The server SV corrects and collects the collection path from the determination of whether or not the abnormal state can be restored, the restoration work time, the remaining processing time of all the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gc that execute the print job, the positional information, and the positional information of the mobile terminal KT The route is changed to the route, and the changed corrected collection route is transmitted to the mobile terminal device KT. When the corrected collection path is sent, the portable terminal device KT displays and outputs the corrected collection path.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the message ID is transmitted from the image forming apparatus Gc before the server SV starts patrol on the collection path from the start point, the image on which the abnormality occurred is displayed on the collection path. The forming apparatus Gc is prioritized, and the recovery operation of the abnormal state is registered as an action in the collection order management table Tb2 as the head order of the collection path. That is, when an abnormal state that can be restored to the image forming apparatus Gc occurs as described above, the server SV changes the collection order management table Tb2 shown in FIG. 8A to the collection order management table Tb2 shown in FIG. Correct as follows. In this case, the server SV modifies the image forming apparatus Gc in which the abnormal state has occurred to the head of the collection order, registers error return as an action, and registers the previously determined collection path as the subsequent collection path. .

  In this way, the user carrying the portable terminal device KT recovers the error of the image forming apparatus Gc in which the abnormal state has occurred, executes the print job, and then collects the printed material according to the original collection path. Will do. Then, when the user circulates the image forming apparatuses Ga and Gb in the order of the collection path and collects the printed matter, the image forming apparatus Gc in which the abnormal state has occurred is set at the end of the collection path. By the time it arrives at the device Gc, the print job is completed. Therefore, even if an abnormal state occurs in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that are executing the print job, it is possible to improve the efficiency in collecting printed materials while shortening the entire processing time.

  That is, as described above, when a print job is executed by the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gc, if an abnormal state (error) occurs before collection is started by the image forming apparatus Gc, the image forming system 1 Processing as shown in FIG. 9 is performed. First, when the user designates print data from the mobile terminal and operates the print job (S1), the mobile terminal device KT specifies the print data to the server SV when the print job is executed. A print job execution request is made (S2). When there is a print job execution request, the server SV sends the designated print job to the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gc (in the case of FIG. 9, three image forming apparatuses Ga to Gc) that execute the print job. (S3, S4).

  When a print job is sent, each of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gc accepts the print job and transmits acceptance completion to the server SV (S5, S6).

  When the reception completion notification is sent from all the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gc that have transmitted the print job, the server SV refers to the device information management table Tb1 and determines a collection path for collecting the printed matter (S7). .

  The server SV transmits the determined collection route to the mobile terminal device KT (S8), and the mobile terminal device KT displays the received collection route and presents it to the user (S9).

  The user looks at the displayed collection path and follows the collection path to circulate through the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gc and collect the printed material. However, if an abnormal state (error) occurs in the image forming apparatus Gc before the user starts collection (S10), the image forming apparatus Gc acquires the cause of the error, and a message ID corresponding to the error cause. Is sent to the server SV (S11).

  When the server SV receives a message notification from the image forming apparatus Gc, the server SV refers to the message ID management table Tb3, acquires information about the error type and whether or not the error is recoverable, and determines that the error is recoverable. Then, the retrieval route is re-searched (S12). The server SV performs a retrieval route re-search and corrects the collection route to a modified collection route as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, for example. When the server SV changes the collection path to the corrected collection path, the server SV notifies the portable terminal device KT of the corrected collection path (S13), and the portable terminal device KT displays the corrected collection path and presents it to the user (S14).

  Then, the server SV performs the recovery route re-search process as shown in FIG. That is, the server SV refers to the message ID management table Tb3 based on the transmitted message ID, acquires the error type, and determines whether the execution of the print job is stopped due to an error (step S101).

  If printing has not stopped due to an error in step S101 (NO in step S101), the server SV determines that it is not necessary to re-search the collection route, and ends the collection route re-search process as it is.

  If printing is stopped due to an error in step S101 (YES in step S101), the server SV determines that the retrieval route needs to be searched again, and determines whether the error can be recovered. (Step S102). The server SV determines whether or not this error can be restored by referring to the restoration availability information in the message ID management table Tb3 based on the message ID sent from the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn. .

  If the error can be recovered in step S102 (YES in step S102), the server SV re-searches the collection path and changes the collection path (step S103). In this re-search of the collection path, the server SV uses the recovery time of the abnormal state, the remaining processing time and position information of all the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gc that execute the print job, and the position information of the portable terminal device KT. Change the collection path to the modified collection path. Since the user has not started collection now, the current position of the mobile terminal device KT is the start position. Accordingly, the server SV performs a re-search of the collection path based on the recovery time of the abnormal state and the remaining processing time and position information of all the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gc that execute the print job, and sets the corrected collection path. decide.

  If the error cannot be recovered in step S102 (NO in step S102), the server SV connects the remaining print jobs of the image forming apparatus Gc in which the abnormal state has occurred to the network NW. Are transmitted to the image forming apparatuses Gd to Gn, which have not yet transmitted the print job, to be processed (step S104). When the server SV transmits the remaining jobs to the other image forming apparatuses Gd to Gn to perform the processing, the image forming apparatuses Ga and Gb and the remaining image forming apparatuses Gd to Gn that execute the remaining print jobs are processed as described above. Based on the processing time and the position information, the retrieval route is re-searched to determine the modified collection route (step S103).

  As described above, when an abnormality occurs in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that execute the print job, the retrieval path is searched again to change the collection path to the corrected collection path. When a print job is executed using a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, even if an abnormality occurs in the execution of the print job, the overall processing time is reduced and the efficiency in collecting printed matter is improved. be able to.

  In the above description, the server SV has not determined in detail the remaining processing time for execution of the print job in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which the abnormal state has occurred, but based on the remaining processing time, You may change to the collection | recovery path | route which gives priority to the image forming apparatuses Ga-Gn which the state generate | occur | produced.

  In this case, the server SV performs a collection path correction process as shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, the same processes as those in FIG. 9 are given the same process numbers to simplify the description.

  The server SV sends an acquisition request for the remaining processing time of the print job to the image forming apparatus Gc (S10, S11) that has sent the message notification due to the occurrence of an abnormal state (S21).

  When there is a request for acquisition of the remaining processing time, the image forming apparatus Gc obtains the remaining processing time until completion of the remaining print job after returning, and transmits the remaining processing time to the server SV (S22).

  When the remaining processing time is sent, the server SV performs a retrieval route re-search based on the remaining processing time and determines a retrieval route correction (S23).

  When the server SV changes the recovery path to the corrected recovery path, the server SV notifies the mobile terminal device KT of the corrected recovery path (S24), and the mobile terminal device KT displays the corrected recovery path and presents it to the user (S25).

  The server SV performs this collection route re-search process as shown in FIG. 12, for example. That is, when the remaining processing time required to complete the remaining print job is sent from the image forming apparatus Gc in which the abnormal state has occurred, the server SV receives a preset threshold time (for example, In FIG. 12, it is checked whether it is 2 minutes or more (step S201).

  If the remaining processing time is equal to or greater than the threshold time in step S201 (YES in step S201), the server SV enters the correction collection path of the collection order with the highest priority given to the restoration of the abnormal state (error return). The collection route is changed (step S202).

  If the remaining processing time is less than the threshold time in step S201 (NO in step S201), the server SV determines that the print job will be completed immediately if the abnormal state is restored, and changes the collection path. The collection route re-retrieval process is terminated without performing.

  In this way, it is possible to determine the collection path by appropriately considering the remaining time of the print job, and even if an abnormality occurs in the execution of the print job, the collection time of the printed matter is reduced while reducing the overall processing time. The efficiency in can be further improved.

  In addition, the image forming system 1 is configured such that, when the user leaves the start position in order to collect the printed matter, the image forming apparatus Ga to Gn that is executing the print job receives a message indicating the occurrence of an abnormality. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the recovery route correction processing and the recovery route re-search processing are performed.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 13, when an abnormal state (error) occurs in the image forming apparatus Gc after the user starts to collect printed matter according to the collection path as shown in FIG. 13 (S31), the image forming apparatus Gc. Sends a message notification to the server SV (S32).

  When the server SV receives a message notification after the user leaves for collecting printed matter, the server SV makes a current position acquisition request to the portable terminal device KT carried by the user (S33).

  When there is a current position acquisition request, the mobile terminal device KT acquires the current position by the position detection unit 63 and notifies the server SV of the acquired current position (S34).

  When the current position is sent from the portable terminal device KT, the server SV calculates the distance between the image forming apparatus Gc and the portable terminal device KT in which the abnormal state has occurred, and based on the distance between the devices. Then, the retrieval route is searched again, and the collection route is changed to the corrected collection route (S35).

  When the server SV changes the recovery path to the corrected recovery path, the server SV notifies the mobile terminal device KT of the corrected recovery path (S36), and the mobile terminal device KT displays the corrected recovery path and presents it to the user (S37).

  The server SV performs this collection path re-retrieval process as shown in FIG. 14, for example. That is, when the server SV receives a message notification of occurrence of an abnormality from the image forming apparatus Gc in which an abnormal state has occurred, the server SV acquires the current position from the mobile terminal device KT, and the image forming apparatus Gc in the abnormal state and the mobile terminal device KT. Is calculated (step S301).

  The server SV checks whether the calculated inter-device distance is greater than or equal to a preset threshold distance (for example, 100 m) (step S302).

  If the calculated inter-device distance is less than the threshold distance in step S302 (NO in step S302), the server SV corrects the collection order with the highest priority given to recovery from the abnormal state (error return). In addition, the collection path is changed (step S303).

  If the calculated inter-device distance is greater than or equal to the threshold distance in step S302 (YES in step S302), the server SV ends the recovery route re-search process without changing the recovery route. That is, in this case, the server SV determines that it is wasted time to go to the image forming apparatus Gc where the abnormality has occurred in order to recover the abnormal state, and does not change the collection path.

  In this way, it is possible to determine whether or not going to the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which an abnormality has occurred shortens the overall processing time, and can determine the collection path, so that the entire processing time can be appropriately set. Thus, the efficiency in collecting printed matter can be further improved.

  As described above, the image forming system 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment allows a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn to perform at least one of the same print job parallel processes as the distributed process of one print job. The CPU 21 of the server SV as a request unit and the server SV as a job management unit for managing job-related information such as position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that process the print job and information on the print job. Based on the CPU 21, the NIC 26 of the server SV as processing status acquisition means for acquiring the processing status of the print job from the image forming devices Ga to Gn, the image forming devices Ga based on the job related information and the processing status. A collection path setting means for setting a collection path with a collection order for collecting the processing results of the print job from Gn When the CPU 21 of the server SV acquires that the processing of the print job is abnormally stopped as the processing status, the image that is abnormally stopped among the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn on the collection path is acquired. And a CPU 21 of the server SV as a recovery path correction unit that corrects the recovery path to the corrected recovery path that prioritizes the recovery order of the forming apparatuses Ga to Gn.

  Accordingly, it is possible to set a collection path for performing collection ranking in collection of printed materials (processed products) based on job-related information and processing statuses in a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that execute related print jobs. it can. Further, when an abnormal state occurs in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, it is possible to change to a correction collection path that takes into account the abnormal state. As a result, when a print job is executed using a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, even if an abnormality occurs in the execution of the print job, the overall processing time is reduced and the efficiency in collecting printed matter is reduced. Can be improved.

  Further, in the image forming system 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment, the position of the plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which the server SV performs at least one of the parallel processes of the same print job as the distributed process of one print job. A CPU (job management unit) 21 that manages job-related information such as information and information on the print job, and a NIC (processing status acquisition unit) 26 that acquires the processing status of the print job from the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn. A CPU (collection path setting means) that sets a collection path for performing collection ranking for collecting the processing results of the print jobs from the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn based on the job related information and the processing status. 21 and that the processing status of the print job is abnormally stopped as the processing status, each of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn on the collection path is acquired. Chi, and a CPU (recovery path correcting means) 21 for correcting the recovery path to modify the recovery path said recovered rank is preferentially of the image forming apparatus Ga~Gn that abnormally stopped, the.

  Accordingly, it is possible to set a collection path for performing collection ranking in collection of printed materials (processed products) based on job-related information and processing statuses in a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that execute related print jobs. it can. Further, when an abnormal state occurs in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, it is possible to change to a correction collection path that takes into account the abnormal state. As a result, when a print job is executed using a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, even if an abnormality occurs in the execution of the print job, the overall processing time is reduced and the efficiency in collecting printed matter is reduced. Can be improved.

  Further, the image forming system 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment has a job request process that causes a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn to execute at least one of the parallel processes of the same print job as the distributed process of one print job. A job management processing step for managing job-related information such as position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that process the print job, information on the print job, and the like from the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn. A processing status acquisition processing step for acquiring the processing status of the print job, and a collection ranking for collecting the processing results of the print job from the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn based on the job related information and the processing status. A recovery path setting processing step for setting the performed recovery path, and that the processing of the print job is abnormally stopped as the processing status. As a result, of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn on the recovery path, the recovery path is corrected to the corrected recovery path that prioritizes the recovery order of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that are abnormally stopped. An image forming management method including a path correction processing step.

  Accordingly, it is possible to set a collection path for performing collection ranking in collection of printed materials (processed products) based on job-related information and processing statuses in a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that execute related print jobs. it can. Further, when an abnormal state occurs in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, it is possible to change to a correction collection path that takes into account the abnormal state. As a result, when a print job is executed using a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, even if an abnormality occurs in the execution of the print job, the overall processing time is reduced and the efficiency in collecting printed matter is reduced. Can be improved.

  Further, the image forming system 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment causes the control processor such as the CPU 21 to have at least one of the parallel processing of the same print job as the distributed processing of one print job for the plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn. Job request processing for performing processing, job management processing for managing job-related information such as position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn for processing the print job, information on the print job, and the image forming apparatus Based on the processing status acquisition processing for acquiring the processing status of the print job from Ga to Gn and the job related information and the processing status, the processing result of the print job is collected from each of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn. The collection path setting process for setting the collection path for which the collection ranking has been performed and the processing of the print job as an abnormal stop as the processing status Upon acquisition, of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn on the recovery path, the recovery path is corrected to the corrected recovery path that prioritizes the recovery order of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that are abnormally stopped. An image formation management program for executing the route correction processing is installed.

  Accordingly, it is possible to set a collection path for performing collection ranking in collection of printed materials (processed products) based on job-related information and processing statuses in a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that execute related print jobs. it can. Further, when an abnormal state occurs in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, it is possible to change to a correction collection path that takes into account the abnormal state. As a result, when a print job is executed using a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, even if an abnormality occurs in the execution of the print job, the overall processing time is reduced and the efficiency in collecting printed matter is reduced. Can be improved.

  Further, in the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, the CPU 21 of the server SV as the collection path correcting unit includes the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that process the print job based on the job related information and the processing status. The remaining processing time until the end of processing of the print job is obtained, and based on the remaining processing time, the recovery path is corrected to the corrected recovery path for which the recovery order has been determined.

  Therefore, according to the remaining processing time until the processing week of the print job, it can be corrected to the corrected collection path in which the collection order is determined, and the overall processing time is further shortened, and the efficiency in collecting printed matter is further increased. Can be improved.

  Further, the image forming system 1 of the present embodiment includes a collection medium such as a user and a collection robot that collects the processing result, a position detection unit (position information acquisition unit) 63 that acquires position information of the collection medium, And the CPU 21 of the server SV as the recovery path correcting means corrects the recovery path to the corrected recovery path that has determined the recovery order based on the position information of the recovery medium.

  Therefore, it is possible to make corrections to the corrected collection path in which the collection order is determined based on the current position of the user or collection robot that collects the printed matter, and further improves the efficiency in collecting printed matter while further reducing the overall processing time. This can be further improved.

  15 to 17 are diagrams showing a second embodiment of the image forming system, the image forming management apparatus, the image forming management method, and the image forming management program according to the present invention.

  The present embodiment is applied to an image forming system similar to the image forming system 1 of the first embodiment. In the description of the present embodiment, the description will be made using the reference numerals used in the first embodiment as they are. .

  In the image forming system 1 of the present embodiment, when the abnormal state occurring in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn is replenishment / replacement of consumables (supplements), the recovery path is the path to the storage location of the consumables, Also, the route is changed to a correction collection path that takes into account the time required for the return operation from the abnormal state.

  Therefore, in the image forming system 1 of this embodiment, the server SV stores the supply storage location information management table Tb4 as shown in FIG. 15 in the hard disk 25, that is, the storage unit 53. The supply storage location information management table Tb4 includes storage location information of consumables used in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn and supply information (consumables storage information) indicating what consumables are stored. It is a table registered for each. As shown in FIG. 15, the supply storage location information management table Tb4 includes items of supply storage location ID, position information, and supply information. The supply storage location ID is registered with an ID that identifies the supply storage location. The position information includes coordinate information and floor items. The coordinate information stores the position information of the supply storage location, and the floor stores the floor information in the building of the supply storage location. In the supply information, information on whether or not each supply (consumable) is stored in each supply storage location is registered. For example, when the supply information is plain paper, the storage information of plain paper such as A3, A4,..., B4, etc. is registered and stored. “X” is registered. If the processing status is an abnormal stop that requires supply / replacement of consumables, the CPU 21 sets the storage location of the consumables necessary for resolving the abnormal stop based on the supply storage location information management table Tb4. The collection path is corrected to the corrected collection path that is the previous path order in the collection path from the stopped image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, and functions as a collection path correction unit.

  In the image forming system 1 of the present embodiment, when a print job is executed by the three image forming apparatuses Ga to Gc, for example, there is an abnormal state that requires replenishment and replacement of consumables from the image forming apparatus Gb. Suppose that it occurred. In this case, the image forming apparatus Gb transmits a message notification indicating the occurrence of an abnormal state and the content of the abnormality to the server SV.

  When the message notification is sent from the image forming apparatus Gb, the server SV collects the image forming apparatus ID and “collection” as the action in the collection order management table Tb2 as shown in FIG. In contrast, the image forming apparatus Gb is given the highest priority, and a correction collection path for “error recovery” is obtained as an action, and is registered as shown in FIG. Further, when the message notification is a message indicating that the message notification is an abnormal content that requires replenishment of the supply, the server SV is a supply storage location for storing the supply, and image formation is performed from the position of the mobile terminal device KT. The supply storage location information of the supply storage location closest to the route to the device Gb is acquired from the supply storage location information management table Tb4. When the server SV acquires the supply storage location information, the re-correction recovery path in which the supply storage location is set in a higher order than the order of the image forming apparatus Gb is shown in FIG. Register in table Tb2. In this case, the server SV sets the action at the supply storage location to “supply replenishment” in the collection order management table Tb2 in which the re-correction collection path is registered. FIG. 16C shows the case where the supply storage location is registered as “suppli001”.

  Then, when the server SV registers the collection path in the collection order management table Tb2, the server SV transmits the collection path to the mobile terminal device KT. In this case, the collection route may be generated as map data and transmitted to the mobile terminal device KT.

  The mobile terminal device KT displays the recorrection collection route sent from the server SV and presents it to the user.

  As described above, when the abnormal state that has occurred in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn is replenishment / replacement of consumables (supplements), the collection path is corrected in consideration of the path to the storage location of the consumables. In this case, the efficiency in collecting printed matter can be further improved while appropriately shortening the entire processing time.

  The image forming system 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment is required for error recovery as illustrated in FIG. 17 when an abnormal state that can be recovered by a user operation occurs in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that execute a print job. A correction collection path is determined based on the work time.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 17, when the server SV receives a message notification of occurrence of an abnormality from the image forming apparatus Gc in which an abnormal state has occurred, the server SV searches the message ID management table Tb3 based on the message ID of the message notification, Get the return work time. When acquiring the return work time, the server SV checks whether the return work time (work time required for error recovery) is equal to or greater than a preset threshold work time (for example, 3 minutes) (step S401).

  If the return work time is less than the threshold work time in step S401 (NO in step S401), the server SV corrects the collection order with the highest priority given to the return work of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in the abnormal state. The collection path is changed to the collection path (step S402).

  In step S401, if the return work time is equal to or greater than the threshold work time (YES in step S401), the server SV ends the recovery route re-search process without changing the recovery route. That is, in this case, the server SV determines that it is wasteful to perform a long-time operation to restore the abnormal state, and does not change the collection path.

  In this way, it is possible to determine whether the return operation of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which the abnormality has occurred reduces the overall processing time, and the recovery path can be determined. The efficiency in collecting printed matter can be further improved while appropriately shortening the processing time.

  As described above, the image forming system 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment manages consumables for managing consumables storage information (supply storage location information management table Tb4) related to storage locations for consumables used in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn. A CPU 21 of the server SV as means, and the CPU 21 as the collection path correction means is based on the consumable storage information when the processing status is an abnormal stop that requires replenishment / exchange of the consumable. Then, the storage location of the consumables necessary for the resolution of the abnormal stop is set in the corrected recovery path having the path order before the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that are abnormally stopped in the recovery path. Correct the route.

  Therefore, in the path to the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that require replacement of consumables, it is possible to efficiently secure the consumables and eliminate the abnormal stop, and appropriately reduce the overall processing time. However, the efficiency in collecting printed matter can be further improved.

  Further, in the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, the CPU 21 of the server SV as the collection path correcting unit has a recovery work time (abnormality) required for eliminating the abnormal stop of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that have stopped abnormally. When the return work time is longer than a predetermined threshold work time (threshold time), the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that are abnormally stopped are given priority to the collection order. The recovery route is corrected to the corrected recovery route excluded from Gn.

  Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the return operation of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which the abnormality has occurred reduces the overall processing time, and the recovery path can be determined. The efficiency in collecting printed matter can be further improved while appropriately shortening.

  18 and 19 are diagrams illustrating a third embodiment of the image forming system, the image forming management apparatus, the image forming management method, and the image forming management program according to the present invention.

  The present embodiment is applied to an image forming system similar to the image forming system 1 of the first embodiment. In the description of the present embodiment, the description will be made using the reference numerals used in the first embodiment as they are. .

  The image forming system 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment considers the remaining processing time and the distance between each image forming apparatus Ga to Gn and the mobile terminal device KT when an abnormal state occurs in the plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn. Then, the corrected collection route is determined.

  That is, in the image forming system 1 of the present embodiment, when the print job is sent, the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn execute the print job, but an abnormality that cannot be executed occurs. , A message notification to that effect is transmitted to the server SV.

  Then, when the server SV transmits the print job to the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, the server SV determines a collection path that can collect the printed matter most efficiently and registers it in the collection order management table Tb2. The server SV transmits the determined collection route to the portable terminal device KT, and the portable terminal device KT displays and outputs the collected collection route. The user carries the portable terminal device KT and sequentially moves to the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn while looking at the collection path and collects the printed matter.

  When the server SV receives the message notification of the occurrence of an abnormality from the plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn after determining the collection path, the server SV performs correction by performing one or both of the collection path re-search processing shown in FIGS. Determine the recovery route. FIG. 18 illustrates a recovery path re-retrieval process for determining a corrected recovery path based on the remaining time required for completion of the print job in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which an abnormality has occurred. FIG. 19 shows a recovery route re-retrieval process for determining a corrected recovery route based on the inter-device distance between the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which an abnormality has occurred and the mobile terminal device KT.

  That is, when the server SV receives a message ID, which is a message notification indicating that an abnormality has occurred, from the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn requesting the print job, as shown in FIG. The recovery route re-search process based on the remaining processing time in Gn is started.

  When the server SV starts the collection path re-retrieval process, first, the variable n for identifying the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in the collection order of the collection path is cleared to “0” (step S501), and then only “1”. Increment (step S502).

  The server SV refers to the collection order management table Tb2 and checks whether the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn with the collection order n are present (step S503).

  In step S503, if there is an nth image forming apparatus Ga to Gn in the collection order (YES in step S503), it is checked whether the action of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in the collection order is “error return”. (Step S504).

  If the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which an abnormality has occurred are the first one, there is no image forming apparatus Ga to Gn whose action is “error recovery”, and therefore NO is determined in step S504.

  In step S504, if the action of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn with the collection order n is not “error recovery” (NO in step S504), the server SV causes the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which a new error has occurred. Is the nth error return. Then, the server SV increments the collection order of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn whose collection order is originally set after the nth by “+1”, that is, the collection order is incremented by “1”, and the collection path is reset. The search process is terminated (step S508).

  In step S504, if the action of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn with the collection order n is “error return” (YES in step S504), the server SV is the second or later in which an error has occurred. Judge that there is. That is, a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which an error has occurred, that is, one or more image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which an error has occurred already exist, and the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn have the highest priority. If it is set to “error return”, YES is determined in step S504.

  Then, the server SV obtains the remaining processing time Ta of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which a new error has occurred (referred to as image forming apparatus A now) (step S505).

  Next, the server SV obtains the remaining processing time Tb of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn (now assumed to be the image forming apparatus B) that are already in “error recovery” (step S506). The server SV, when there are two or more image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that are already in “error recovery”, is the collection order (collection order) closest to the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which the error has occurred this time. The remaining processing time Tb of the upper image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn is obtained.

  The server SV determines whether the obtained remaining processing time Ta is longer than the remaining time Tb (Ta> Tb) (step S507).

  In step S507, when the remaining processing time Ta is longer than the remaining processing time Tb (Ta> Tb) (YES in step S507), the server SV causes the image forming apparatus Ga that has a new processing error with a long processing time. The error recovery of .about.Gn is nth. That is, priority is given to the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which a new error has occurred. Then, the server SV increments the collection order of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn whose collection order is originally set after the nth by “+1”, that is, the collection order is incremented by “1”, and the collection path is reset. The search process is terminated (step S508).

  In step S507, if the remaining processing time Ta is equal to or less than the remaining processing time Tb (Ta ≦ Tb) (NO in step S507), the server SV returns to step S502 and increments the variable n by “1”. Then, the same processing as described above is performed (steps S502 to S508). That is, in this case, the server SV determines that it is more efficient to prioritize the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which an error has occurred before the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which an error has newly occurred.

  The server SV sequentially performs the above processing, and all the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn other than the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which an error has newly occurred are in the “error recovery” state, and in step S507, When the remaining processing time Ta is equal to or less than the remaining processing time Tb and processing is performed up to the last image forming apparatus Ga to Gn in the collection order, in step S503, the nth image forming apparatus Ga to collection order in the collection order management table Tb2. Gn no longer exists and becomes NO. At this time, the server SV sets the error recovery of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn newly having an error as the nth. Then, the server SV increments the collection order of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn whose collection order is originally set after the nth by “+1”, that is, the collection order is incremented by “1”, and the collection path is reset. The search process is terminated (step S508).

  Further, when there is a message notification indicating that an abnormality has occurred from the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn requesting a print job, the server SV, as shown in FIG. 19, a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn and portable terminals The retrieval route re-retrieval process based on the inter-device distance with the device KT is started.

  When the server SV starts the collection path re-retrieval process, first, the variable n that identifies the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in the collection order of the collection path is cleared to “0” (step S601), and then only “1”. Increment (step S602).

  The server SV refers to the collection order management table Tb2 and checks whether there are n-th image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in the collection order (step S603).

  In step S603, if there is an nth image forming apparatus Ga to Gn in the collection order (YES in step S603), it is checked whether the action of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in the collection order is “error return”. (Step S604).

  As in the case of FIG. 18, if the first image forming apparatus Ga to Gn is abnormal, there is no image forming apparatus Ga to Gn whose action is “error recovery”. And it becomes NO.

  In step S604, if the action of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn with the collection order n is not “error recovery” (NO in step S504), the server SV causes the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which a new error has occurred. Is the nth error return. Then, the server SV increments the collection order of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn whose collection order is originally set after the nth by “+1”, that is, the collection order is incremented by “1”, and the collection path is reset. The search process is terminated (step S608).

  In step S604, when the action of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn with the collection order n is “error return” (YES in step S604), the server SV generates an error as in FIG. It is determined that it is the second or later unit.

  Then, the server SV obtains an inter-device distance Da between the image forming apparatus A, which is an image forming apparatus Ga to Gn in which a new error has occurred (hereinafter temporarily referred to as the image forming apparatus A), and the mobile terminal device KT. (Step S605).

  Next, the server SV is an apparatus between the image forming apparatus B and the portable terminal apparatus KT, which are image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn (now assumed to be the image forming apparatus B) that are already in “error recovery”. The distance Db is obtained (step S606). The server SV, when there are two or more image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that are already in “error recovery”, form an image in the upper order of the collection order closest to the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which the error has occurred this time. The inter-device distance Db between the devices Ga to Gn and the mobile terminal device KT is obtained.

  The server SV determines whether the obtained inter-device distance Da is longer than the inter-device distance Db (Da> Db) (step S607).

  In step S607, when the inter-device distance Da is longer than the inter-device distance Db (Da> Db) (YES in step S607), the server SV newly causes an error in the long inter-device distance. The error recovery from Ga to Gn is nth. That is, priority is given to the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which a new error has occurred. Then, the server SV increments the collection order of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn whose collection order is originally set after the nth by “+1”, that is, the collection order is incremented by “1”, and the collection path is reset. The search process is terminated (step S608).

  In step S607, when the inter-device distance Da is equal to or less than the inter-device distance Db (Da ≦ Db) (NO in step S607), the server SV returns to step S602 and increments the variable n by “1”. Then, the same processing as described above is performed (steps S602 to S608). That is, in this case, the server SV determines that it is more efficient to prioritize the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which an error has occurred before the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which an error has newly occurred.

  The server SV sequentially performs the above processing, and all the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn other than the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which the error has newly occurred are in the “error recovery” state, and in step S607, When the inter-apparatus distance Da is equal to or less than the inter-apparatus distance Db and processing is performed up to the last image forming apparatus Ga to Gn in the collection order, in step S603, the nth image forming apparatus Ga to collection order in the collection order management table Tb2. Gn no longer exists and becomes NO. At this time, the server SV sets the error recovery of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn newly having an error as the nth. Then, the server SV increments the collection order of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn whose collection order is originally set after the nth by “+1”, that is, the collection order is incremented by “1”, and the collection path is reset. The search process is terminated (step S608).

  As described above, in the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, when there are a plurality of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn in which the CPU 21 of the server SV as the collection path correcting unit abnormally stops, a plurality of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Among the Gn, the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn having the longer remaining processing time modify the collection path to the corrected collection path that has a higher priority in the collection order.

  Accordingly, even when an abnormal state occurs in the plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, the correction collection path can be determined based on the remaining processing time, and the entire processing time can be appropriately shortened, The efficiency in recovery can be further improved. That is, the collection path and the collection order can be determined by estimating the printing completion time in the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, and the collection efficiency can be improved.

  Further, in the image forming system 1 of the present embodiment, when there are a plurality of the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn that are abnormally stopped by the CPU 21 of the server SV as the collection path correcting unit, the image forming apparatus Ga that is abnormally stopped is present. The collection path is corrected to the corrected collection path that has a higher priority in the collection order as the image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn have a shorter distance between Gn and the portable terminal device KT carried by the user as the collection medium.

  Therefore, even when an abnormal state occurs in a plurality of image forming apparatuses Ga to Gn, the correction collection path can be determined based on the distance between the extra devices, and the entire processing time is appropriately shortened. However, the efficiency in collecting printed materials can be further improved.

  The invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to that described in the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It goes without saying that it is possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system NW network Ga-Gn Image forming apparatus SV server KT Portable terminal device 11a-11n Reading part 12a-12n Operation display part 13a-13n CPU
14a-14n ROM
15a-15n RAM
16a to 16n Printing unit 17a to 17n Image memory 18a to 18n Hard disk 19a to 19n NIC
21 CPU
22 ROM
23 RAM
24 Image memory 25 Hard disk 26 NIC
31 Operation display section 32 CPU
33 ROM
34 RAM
35 Image memory 36 Non-volatile memory 37 NIC
41a to 41n Job control unit 42a to 42n Data transmission / reception unit 43a to 43n Operation unit 44a to 44n Input unit 45a to 45n Output unit 46a to 46n Storage unit 51 Path determination unit 52 Data transmission / reception unit 53 Storage unit 61 Display control unit 62 Data transmission / reception Unit 63 Position detection unit 64 Storage unit 65 Operation unit Tb1 Device information management table Tb2 Collection order management table Tb3 Message ID management table

JP 2013-235446 A

Claims (11)

Job requesting means for causing a plurality of image forming apparatuses to perform at least one of parallel processing of the same print job as distributed processing of one print job;
Job management means for managing job-related information such as position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses that process the print job, and information on the print job;
Processing status acquisition means for acquiring the processing status of the print job from the image forming apparatus;
A collection path setting means for setting a collection path with a collection order for collecting the processing results of the print jobs from the image forming apparatuses based on the job related information and the processing status;
Upon acquiring that the processing of the print job is abnormally stopped as the processing status, priority is given to the collection order of the image forming apparatuses that are abnormally stopped among the image forming apparatuses on the collection path. A collection path correction means for correcting the collection path to the corrected collection path;
An image forming system comprising: The collection path correction means includes
The remaining processing time until the end of processing of the print job in each image forming apparatus that processes the print job is obtained from the job related information and the processing status, and the collection order is determined based on the remaining processing time. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the collection path is corrected to the corrected collection path. The image forming system includes:
A collection medium for collecting the processing result,
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the collection medium;
With
The collection path correction means includes
3. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the collection path is corrected to the corrected collection path for which the collection order is determined based on the position information of the collection medium. The image forming system includes:
Consumables management means for managing consumables storage information relating to storage locations of consumables used in each of the image forming apparatuses,
In addition,
The collection path correction means includes
If the processing status is an abnormal stop that requires replenishment or replacement of the consumables, the storage location of the consumables necessary for resolving the abnormal stop is abnormally stopped based on the consumable storage information. 4. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the collection path is corrected to the corrected collection path having a path order preceding the collection path with respect to the image forming apparatus. . The collection path correction means includes
If there are a plurality of the abnormally stopped image forming apparatuses, among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, the image forming apparatus having a longer remaining processing time has the collection path set as the corrected collection path that has a higher priority in the collection order. The image forming system according to claim 2, wherein the image forming system is modified. The collection path correction means includes
When there are a plurality of the abnormally stopped image forming apparatuses, the shorter the distance between the abnormally stopped image forming apparatus and the recovery medium, the higher the priority in the recovery order, the higher the priority in the recovery order. 5. The image forming system according to claim 3, wherein the collection path is corrected. The collection path correction means includes
An abnormality elimination time required to eliminate the abnormal stop of the image forming apparatus that has stopped abnormally is obtained, and if the abnormality elimination time is longer than a predetermined threshold time, the image forming apparatus that has stopped abnormally is recovered. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the collection path is corrected to the corrected collection path that is excluded from the image forming apparatus that prioritizes the order. The image forming system includes:
A portable terminal device comprising display means for displaying the collection route,
The image forming system according to claim 1, further comprising: Job management means for managing job-related information such as position information of a plurality of image forming apparatuses that perform at least one of parallel processing of the same print job as distributed processing of one print job, information on the print job,
Processing status acquisition means for acquiring the processing status of the print job from the image forming apparatus;
A collection path setting means for setting a collection path for performing collection ranking for collecting the processing results of the print jobs from the image forming apparatuses based on the job related information and the processing status;
Upon acquiring that the processing of the print job is abnormally stopped as the processing status, priority is given to the collection order of the image forming apparatuses that are abnormally stopped among the image forming apparatuses on the collection path. A collection path correction means for correcting the collection path to the corrected collection path;
An image forming management apparatus comprising: A job request processing step for causing a plurality of image forming apparatuses to perform at least one of parallel processing of the same print job as distributed processing of one print job;
Job management processing step for managing job-related information such as position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses that process the print job, and information on the print job;
A processing status acquisition processing step of acquiring the processing status of the print job from the image forming apparatus;
A collection path setting processing step for setting a collection path for performing collection ranking for collecting the processing results of the print jobs from the image forming apparatuses based on the job related information and the processing status;
Upon acquiring that the processing of the print job is abnormally stopped as the processing status, priority is given to the collection order of the image forming apparatuses that are abnormally stopped among the image forming apparatuses on the collection path. A recovery route correction processing step of correcting the recovery route to a corrected recovery route;
An image formation management method characterized by comprising: To the control processor,
A job request process that causes at least one of the parallel processing of the same print job as the distributed process of one print job to a plurality of image forming apparatuses;
Job management processing for managing job-related information such as position information of the plurality of image forming apparatuses that process the print job and information on the print job;
A processing status acquisition process for acquiring the processing status of the print job from the image forming apparatus;
A collection path setting process for setting a collection path for performing a collection ranking for collecting the processing results of the print jobs from the image forming apparatuses based on the job related information and the processing status;
Upon acquiring that the processing of the print job is abnormally stopped as the processing status, priority is given to the collection order of the image forming apparatuses that are abnormally stopped among the image forming apparatuses on the collection path. A collection path correction process for correcting the collection path to a corrected collection path;
An image formation management program characterized in that

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