JP2019053398A - Information processing system, information processing method, information processing device, and information processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

To dynamically set, in accordance with the time, a threshold to be a condition for determining the optimal processing timing according to characteristics of data to be processed.SOLUTION: An information processing system including an information processing device and an apparatus that executes a specific process based on an instruction from the information processing device includes: a threshold holding part for calculating and holding a threshold to be used to determine a data amount of processing target data that is data related to the specific process based on history information of processes in the apparatus; a threshold coefficient holding part for calculating and holding a correction coefficient that is a coefficient for correcting the threshold, at each time the history information is acquired; a current threshold calculation part for calculating and holding a current threshold obtained by correcting the threshold by a correction coefficient specified by the time related to the instruction; a time designation determination part for determining execution time of the specific process based on the instruction based on the data amount and the current threshold; and an execution part for executing the specific process based on the determined execution time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing program.

  There is known an information processing system configured by connecting a plurality of client PCs (Personal Computers) and a printer as an image processing apparatus via a communication network. Such a system is called a network printing system, and has been devised to improve the overall performance experience for users of the system. For example, when the amount of data of a print job to be processed is large, the timing of processing (execution) of the print job is not immediate, but the time is specified so that it is performed in a different time zone. A device for controlling the execution timing according to the amount of data is made.

  As another contrivance, if another print job with a higher priority occurs during execution of the print job, the client can select whether to hold the print job currently being executed, and the priority is high. A method for enabling priority processing of a print job is also known (see Patent Document 1).

  In the processing method disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the user of the print job to be suspended is different from the user of the priority print job, the suspended user seems to have deteriorated the processing performance of the entire system. May feel. Even when a print job is held until a time zone with few users, the night time zone is not always the optimal execution timing.

  For example, depending on the network printer usage environment and season, it may not be the optimal timing to execute the pending print jobs together, and at the end of the year, the end of the fiscal year, or the end of the month, print jobs may be concentrated more than normal. . In this case, even if the processing of print jobs held in a non-concentrated time zone (nighttime) is performed collectively, it may be possible to reduce the overall performance of the user.

  In other words, even if the execution timing of a print job is controlled using conventional techniques, it is based on uniform judgment conditions or by the user's arbitrary selection, so that the performance experience of the entire user is reduced regardless of the time. There is a problem about restraining.

  An object of the present invention is to dynamically set a threshold value that is a condition for determining an optimum processing timing according to the characteristics of data to be processed according to the time.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing system including an information processing device and a device that executes a specific process based on an instruction from the information processing apparatus, the data relating to the specific process A threshold value holding unit that calculates and holds a threshold value used for determining the data amount of the processing target data based on processing history information in the device, and a correction coefficient that is a coefficient for correcting the threshold value. A threshold coefficient holding unit that calculates and holds each time when is acquired, a current threshold calculation unit that calculates and holds the current threshold corrected by the correction coefficient specified by the timing related to the instruction, Based on the data amount and the current threshold, a time designation determination unit that determines an execution time of the specific process based on the instruction, and the specification based on the determined execution time And having a an execution unit for executing management.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to dynamically set a threshold value, which is a determination condition for the optimum processing timing according to the characteristics of data to be processed, according to the time.

1 is a system diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a network print system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a hardware block diagram of the client terminal which concerns on this embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the printer which concerns on this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the example of the driver program with which the client terminal which concerns on this embodiment is provided. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration included in a printer according to the present embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the example of a function structure of the driver program which concerns on this embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the example of the process in the network print system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows another example of the process in the network print system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows another example of the process in the network print system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows another example of the process in the network print system which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a print job history used in the network print system according to the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the information used for calculation of the time designation | designated printing threshold value used for the network printing system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the information used for calculation of the print data size upper limit used for the network printing system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the coefficient function of the month used for the network printing system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the coefficient function of the day used for the network printing system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the information used for calculation of the optimal printing time used for the network printing system which concerns on this embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of a printing process in the network print system according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the printer UI according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the screen displayed in the driver UI which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the user notification screen which concerns on this invention.

[System configuration of network print system 1]
Embodiments of an information processing system, an information processing method, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an overall configuration of a network print system 1 which is an embodiment of an information processing system. In the present embodiment, the network print system 1 is a client terminal 100 that is a general computer embodiment, and a printer 200 that is a type of device that operates as an information processing apparatus that executes specific information processing and is an image forming apparatus. And connected to the communication network 300, respectively. The network print system 1 may include a plurality of client terminals 100 and printers 200, respectively.

  When print processing for the printer 200 is requested from the client terminal 100 by a predetermined user operation on the client terminal 100, the client terminal 100 transmits a “print job” to the printer 200. The printer 200 receives the print job and executes print processing based on print data included in the print job. The client driver 100 generally includes a printer driver 111 that controls processing for transmitting a print job from the client terminal 100 to the printer 200. The printer driver 111 transmits the print job to the printer 200 together with a command for instructing the execution timing of the print job to the printer 200.

  A communication network 300 that connects the client terminal 100 and the printer 200 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network). Note that the communication network 300 is not limited in its method and the like as long as it can connect devices and communicate with each other, and a method suitable for the operation mode can be used as appropriate.

  The printer 200 is, for example, an MFP (Multi-Function Peripheral), and provides various functions according to user requests. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a print job is executed when a user operates the client terminal 100 to request “print processing”. That is, the printer 200 is a device that executes specific processing, which is specific information processing including print processing, based on an instruction from an external information processing apparatus. Hereinafter, as an explanation of the embodiment according to the present invention, a print process is used as an example of the specific process. Instead of the printer 200, a device that realizes a predetermined function in response to a user request may be used. The device includes, for example, a device that performs information processing such that the user's overall performance is affected by the characteristics (data amount, data content) of the processing target data.

  The network print system 1 connects a plurality of client terminals 100 and a printer 200, and sets the execution timing of a print job instructed from the client terminal 100 to the printer 200 to an optimum one according to the time. A determination condition (threshold value) necessary for this setting is dynamically determined, and a function for setting this is provided.

  For example, the printer 200 analyzes the past operation results of the printer 200 and sets an optimal time from the operation rate and processing time in the printer 200 based on the data size included in the print job to be processed. Judgment conditions are calculated. The client terminal 100 that passes the print job to the printer 200 acquires a determination condition (threshold value) from the printer 200 according to the time when the print job is newly instructed. Then, based on the data size of the new print job, the print job set from the result of determining the optimum execution time is transferred to the network printer. As a result, a print job with a large amount of data can be executed in a time zone in which the print job can be most efficiently processed in light of the operating state of the printer 200 that varies depending on the time.

  Note that the threshold value may be calculated by the client terminal 100 as the information processing apparatus. In this case, the client terminal 100 acquires the job history held by the printer 200 and calculates the threshold value. Further, the threshold value calculated by a certain client terminal 100 may be shared by the entire network print system 1.

  Note that the job history, which is information indicating the past operation status of the network print system 1, includes the type of PDL (Page Description Language), the print data size included in the print job, and the time required to process the job (print This is a group of information including the time required for printing, the print execution date and time (time), and the like.

[Hardware Configuration of Client Terminal 100]
Next, the hardware configuration of the client terminal 100 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the client terminal 100 according to the present embodiment includes the same configuration as a general computer. That is, the client terminal 100 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 101, a random access memory (RAM) 102, a read only memory (ROM) 103, a hard disk drive (HDD) 104, and an I / F (interface) device 105 on a bus 108. Connected through. A display device 106 and an input device 107 are connected to the I / F device 105.

  The CPU 101 is a calculation unit and controls the entire operation of the client terminal 100. The RAM 102 is a volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 101 processes information. The ROM 103 is a read-only nonvolatile storage medium and stores a program such as firmware. The HDD 104 is a non-volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information, and stores an OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, and the like.

  The I / F device 105 connects and controls the bus 108 and various hardware and networks. The display device 106 is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), for example, and is a visual user interface for the user to check the state of the client terminal 100. The input device 107 is a user interface such as a keyboard and a mouse for the user to input information to the client terminal 100.

  In the client terminal 100, in the hardware configuration as described above, a computer program is read into the ROM 103, the HDD 104, and the like, and operates according to the control of the CPU 101, thereby configuring a software control unit. A combination of the software control unit and the above hardware configuration constitutes a functional block that implements the functions of the client terminal 100 according to the present embodiment.

[Hardware Configuration of Printer 200]
Next, the hardware configuration of the printer 200 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 200 includes a controller 210 and an engine unit 220, which are connected via a PCI (Peripheral Component Interface) bus 230.

  The controller 210 has a function of controlling the entire printer 200 and controlling drawing, communication, and input from the operation display unit 240.

  The engine unit 220 is a printer engine that can be connected to the PCI bus 230, and includes a monochrome plotter, a color plotter, a scanner, a fax unit, and the like. It also has a function of performing image processing such as error diffusion and gamma conversion.

  The controller 210 includes a CPU 211, a north bridge (NB) 212, a system memory (MEM-P) 213, a south bridge (SB) 214, a local memory (MEM-C) 215, and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). 216 and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 218, and the NB 212 and the ASIC 216 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 217. The MEM-P 213 includes a ROM 213a and a RAM 213b.

  The CPU 211 controls the operation of the printer 200. Further, the CPU 211 controls connection with other devices via a chip set including the NB 212, the MEM-P 213, and the SB 214.

  The NB 212 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 211 to the MEM-P 213, the SB 214, and the AGP bus 217, and includes a memory controller that controls reading / writing of data (reading and writing of data) to the MEM-P 213, a PCI master, An AGP target.

  The MEM-P 213 is a system memory, and includes a read-only ROM 213a used as a memory for storing programs and data, and a RAM 214b that is a memory capable of writing and reading programs and data.

  The SB 214 is a bridge for connecting the NB 212 and peripheral devices, and is connected to the NB 212 via the PCI bus. A network interface (I / F) unit or the like is also connected to the PCI bus 230.

  The ASIC 216 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing including hardware elements for image processing, and functions as a bridge that connects the AGP bus 217, the HDD 206, and the MEM-C 215. Each of the ASICs 216 includes a PCI target, an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB), a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 215, a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that rotate image data using hardware logic, and the like. And a PCI unit that performs data transfer with the engine unit 220 via the PCI bus 230. An FCU (Facsimile Control Unit) 250, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 260, and an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) I / F 270 are connected to the ASIC 216 via the PCI bus 230. The operation display unit 240 is directly connected to the ASIC 216.

  The MEM-C 215 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer.

  The HDD 206 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms. The HDD 206 stores a license file for an application executed by the printer 200.

  The AGP bus 217 is a bus interface for the graphics accelerator card, and speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P 213 with high throughput.

[Print Management Program Group of Client Terminal 100]
Next, an example of a print management program group that controls execution of print processing by the client terminal 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the client terminal 100 includes a print management system 110 called a CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) as a print management program group (control program) for controlling execution of print processing in the printer 200. The print management system 110 receives a print processing instruction from the application 120 such as document creation software, receives print data that is a target of the print processing instruction, and outputs the data to the printer 200. Run.

  The print management system 110 includes at least a printer driver 111 that is an embodiment of an image processing program, a printer setting information holding file 112, a spooler 115, a filter pipeline formation information file 116, a data conversion module 117, and a back end. Module 118.

  When executing the printing process, the spooler 115 refers to the filter pipeline formation information file 116 to form a filter pipeline with a low processing cost. “Forming a filter pipeline” refers to a process of arranging data conversion modules 117 that convert the data format of print data in a predetermined order.

  The filter pipeline formation information file 116 stores input data format, output data format, and processing cost information for each data conversion module 117 as information for forming a filter pipeline.

  The data conversion module 117 executes processing for converting the data format of the print data received from the application 120. A plurality of data conversion modules 117 are prepared to support various input formats and output formats. For example, various types of data such as one that converts PDF to Postscript (registered trademark), one that converts PDF to raster data, one that converts raster data to tiff format, etc. Convert to

  The back end module 118 executes communication processing with the printer 200. Therefore, the executable file is distinguished for each communication protocol used between the client terminal 100 and the printer 200.

  The printer driver 111 includes a printer setting information rewriting module 113 and a print data generation module 114.

  The printer setting information holding file 112 is a data file for storing information about the print management system 110 and the print queue. Here, the print queue includes a print protocol used for print processing, a connection destination address based on the print protocol, and information indicating the type of printer description file (PPD: PostScript Printer Description) to be used. An information group set for each. The printer description file (PPD) is a data file that holds information existing in the configuration unique to the printer 200.

  The printer setting information rewriting module 113 is a program for rewriting the printer setting information holding file 112 in order to create a print queue. The printer setting information rewriting module 113 is generally developed and provided by a manufacturer that provides the printer 200.

  The print data generation module 114 is generally provided by the manufacturer of the printer 200. That is, the printer driver 111 includes a plurality of print data generation modules 114 corresponding to the printer 200. The print data generation module 114 converts the data after the data conversion by the data conversion module 117 into a printer vendor-specific print data format, adds a vendor-specific print command, and the like. Information for specifying the print data generation module 114 used for the print data to be processed is defined in the printer setting information holding file 112.

  The client terminal 100 in which the print management system 110 is operating functions as a so-called printer server that executes processing for sending print data to an appropriate printer 200 based on a print job from another client terminal 100.

[Functional Configuration of Printer 200]
Next, the functional configuration of the printer 200 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 200 includes a print job processing unit 21, a print job holding unit 22, a job history storage unit 23, a current threshold calculation unit 24, a threshold holding unit 25, a threshold coefficient holding unit 26, an inquiry receiving unit 27, A setting value storage unit 28 and a printer UI unit 29 are provided.

  The printer UI unit 29 provides a user interface for inputting “specified time”, “upper limit of operating rate”, and “printing time”. Here, the “specified time” is a second threshold value for determining whether or not to perform time-designated printing based on the required printing time for the print job. When the time required for printing exceeds a specified time, the print job is set to time-designated printing instead of immediate printing. “Occupancy rate” refers to the percentage of time that the printer 200 is actually executing print processing. The printing time refers to the time at which the printing process related to the held print job is started when this time has elapsed. The printing time may be proposed to the user by calculating the optimum time from the job history. The printer UI unit 29 constitutes a second threshold value input unit that inputs a second threshold value.

  The set value storage unit 28 holds “specified time”, “upper limit of operation rate”, and “print time” input from the user via the printer UI unit 29 as set values. Also, the set value storage unit 28 calculates the size (data size) of the print job that will exceed the input “specified time”, and holds this as the “specified size”.

  In response to the inquiry from the printer driver 111, the inquiry reception unit 27 returns the “current threshold” and “specified size” and “printing time” held in the setting value storage unit 28 to the printer driver 111.

  The current threshold value calculation unit 24 sets the “current time zone” corresponding to the timing at which the print job is sent from the printer driver 111 as the time related to the instruction that is the print job, based on this time. The threshold value, the coefficient of the month, and the coefficient of the day are specified. Based on the specified threshold value and coefficient, a print job size threshold value (specified size) to be applied to the print job is calculated. The threshold value calculated here is held in the current threshold value calculation unit 24.

  The print job processing unit 21 is an execution unit that determines whether or not a print time is specified in the print data received from the printer driver 111 and executes print processing according to the determination result. Whether or not the print time is specified is determined by determining whether or not a command for specifying the print time exists in the print data. The print job processing unit 21 measures the time taken for a series of printing.

  The print job hold unit 22 holds the print job for which the print time is set until the time. When the designated time comes, the hold state is released and processing of the print job is started.

  The job history storage unit 23 accumulates the history information (job history) of the processed print job for each time period distinguished as information for calculating the threshold.

  The threshold value holding unit 25 calculates the optimum print job threshold value for the day of the week and the time zone from the past job history, and holds the calculated value. Specifically, the “month coefficient” held in the threshold coefficient holding unit 26 and the “day coefficient” are multiplied by the threshold of each day of the week and each time zone, and the calculated value is “current As a threshold value ”.

  The threshold coefficient holding unit 26 holds “month coefficient” and “day coefficient”. The “month coefficient” is a coefficient indicating a deviation in the operation rate of each month with respect to the overall operation rate of the printer 200, and is calculated based on the past job history. The “day coefficient” is a coefficient indicating a deviation in the operating rate of each day with respect to the overall operating rate of the printer 200, and is calculated based on the past job history. “Month coefficient” and “day coefficient” are correction coefficients for correcting the threshold and calculating the “current threshold”.

[Functional configuration of printer driver 111]
Next, the functional configuration of the printer driver 111 will be described with reference to FIG. The printer driver 111 includes a driver UI unit 11, an inquiry unit 12, a print data size acquisition unit 13, a time designation determination unit 14, a user notification unit 15, and a print data processing unit 16.

  The driver UI unit 11 provides a user interface for inputting immediate printing designation. FIG. 19 is an example of an immediate print designation screen 191 presented to the user by the driver UI unit 11. As shown in FIG. 19, when the “immediate printing” check box provided in the immediate print designation screen 19 is checked, the execution of the print job is executed immediately without being suspended. In other words, the “immediate printing” check box is an interface that defines the execution time setting value. When this is checked, the execution time is fixed. In other words, when the “immediate print” check box is not checked on the immediate print designation screen 19, execution of the print job is controlled by determination using a threshold value.

  The inquiry unit 12 inquires of the printer 200 about the current threshold value, the specified size, and the printing time. Further, the inquiry unit 12 holds the above values acquired by making an inquiry to the printer 200.

  The print data size acquisition unit 13 acquires the size of the print data and holds the value.

  The time designation determination unit 14 determines whether or not to perform time designation printing from the presence / absence of immediate print setting, the size of the print data, the current threshold, and the specified size.

  The user notification unit 15 displays a message to the user in a dialog box or the like in order to convey the fact to the user when the time designation printing is performed.

  The print data processing unit 16 adds a print command such as time designation printing to the print data received from the application 120 and transmits the print data to the printer 200.

[Sequence for changing printer settings]
Next, the flow of processing executed in the network print system 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a flow of processing executed when changing a setting value for the printer 200 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, each value from the printer UI unit 29 to the set value storage unit 28 using the values of “specified time”, “upper limit of operating rate”, and “setting of print time” input by the user as arguments. Instructs to save the set value for.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting value input screen 291 that is scheduled by the user on the printer UI 29. As shown in FIG. 18, the set value input screen 291 has a text box for inputting “specified time” in seconds, a text box for inputting “upper limit of operating rate” in numbers, and “printing”. A text box with a spin for inputting “hour” and “minute” of “time”. Setting values for each value (parameter) are stored in the setting value storage unit 28 by inputting predetermined information in each input field and operating the OK button.

[Sequence in which printer 200 responds to printer driver 111]
Next, a flow of processing that is executed in the network print system 1 and in which the printer 200 responds to an inquiry from the printer driver 111 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, first, when the printer driver 111 inquires the “current threshold value” to the inquiry reception unit 27, the inquiry reception unit 27 requests the “current threshold value” from the current threshold calculation unit 24. (S801).

  The current threshold value calculation unit 24 inquires of the threshold value holding unit 25 about the “threshold value” of the day of the week and the time zone for calculating the “current threshold value” (S802). Subsequently, the current threshold calculation unit 24 inquires of the threshold coefficient holding unit 26 about the “month coefficient” (S803). The current threshold value calculation unit 24 inquires of the threshold coefficient holding unit 26 about “day coefficient” (S804). Subsequently, the current threshold value calculation unit 24 calculates the “current threshold value” by multiplying the “threshold value”, the “month coefficient”, and the “day coefficient”, and receives the calculated “current threshold value” as an inquiry. The unit 27 is notified (S805).

  Next, the inquiry reception unit 27 inquires of the “prescribed size” and “printing time” to the set value storage unit 28 (S806). Thereafter, the inquiry reception unit 27 returns “current threshold value”, “specified size”, and “printing time” to the printer driver 111 (S807).

[Sequence in which printer 200 receives print data to printer driver 111]
Next, the flow of processing after the printer 200 receives print data from the printer driver 111 in the network print system 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, first, the print job processing unit 21 interprets the print data received from the printer driver 111, and determines whether or not time-designated printing is set (S901).

  A case where time-designated printing is installed in the print data will be described. In this case, the print job processing unit 21 requests the print job holding unit 22 to hold the print job (S902). Before starting the actual printing process, the print job processing unit 21 measures the time required for the printing process (S903). Thereafter, the print job processing unit 21 executes print processing (S904).

  The print job processing unit 21 that has finished the print processing, to the job history storage unit 23, “user name” that executed the printing, “date and time” that executed the printing, “PDL type” related to the print job, actual Is requested to save the print job history using “time required for printing” as an argument (S905).

  After the print processing is completed and the print job history is stored, the print job processing unit 21 instructs the job history storage unit 23 to perform job history update processing (S906). Subsequently, the job history storage unit 23 requests the threshold value holding unit 25 to update the “threshold value” (S907). The threshold value holding unit 25 inquires of the set value storage unit 28 about the upper limit of the operating rate used in the calculation process for calculating and updating the “threshold value” (S908). Subsequently, the job history storage unit 23 requests the threshold coefficient storage unit 26 to update the “month coefficient” (S909). Subsequently, the job history storage unit 23 requests the setting value storage unit 28 to update the “specified size” (S910).

[Processing Sequence of Printer Driver 111 when Printing is Performed]
Next, the flow of processing in the printer driver 111 when the network print system 1 executes print processing will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, first, a case is assumed in which an operation for executing print processing is performed on the client terminal 100. In this case, the inquiry unit 12 of the printer driver 111 makes an inquiry about “current threshold”, “specified size”, and “printing time” to the printer 200 (S1001).

After S1001, the inquiry unit 12 requests the time specification determination unit 14 to determine whether or not to specify the time using the "current threshold value", the "specified size", and the "print time" as arguments. (S1002). Subsequently, the time designation determination unit 14 requests the print data size acquisition unit 13 to acquire the size of the print data (S1003). In step S1003, the time designation determination unit 14 acquires the data size of the print data that is the target of the print process.
Subsequently, the time designation determination unit 14 inquires of the driver UI unit 11 whether or not immediate print setting is designated (S1004). In step S1004, the time designation determination unit 14 acquires information indicating whether immediate printing is set.

  Subsequently, the time designation determination unit 14 determines whether to perform the time designation printing based on the immediate printing setting acquired in S1004, the data size of the print data acquired in S1003, the “current threshold value”, and the “prescribed size”. It is determined whether or not (S1005). When performing time designation printing, the time designation determination unit 14 requests the user notification unit 15 to notify the user that time designation printing is to be performed (S1006). Based on the request in S1006, the user notification unit 15 displays a dialog screen and notifies the user that time-designated printing is to be performed (S1007). FIG. 20 is an example of the print time change notification screen 151 displayed on the display device 106 of the client terminal 100 in S1007. As shown in FIG. 20, the print time change notification screen 151 is displayed in a state in which the file name that clearly indicates the target of the print process and the designated time can be identified.

  The time designation determination unit 14 also passes the designated print time as an argument when passing the print data for which the time designation printing has been performed to the print data processing unit 16 as an argument (S1008). The print data processing unit 16 adds a time designation command having the designated time passed in S1008 as an argument to the print data (S1009). The print data processing unit 16 transmits the print data to which the time designation command is added to the printer 200 (S1010).

  As described above, the print processing in the network print system 1 can dynamically determine whether or not to perform time-designated printing based on data acquired from the printer 200 by the printer driver 111.

  Next, various data used in the network print system 1 will be described.

<< Print Job History 231 >>
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the job history storage unit included in the printer 200. As shown in FIG. 11, the print job history 231 forms one record each time the printer 200 executes a printing process. Each record constituting the print job history 231 includes a “job ID” for uniquely identifying a print job, a “user name” for uniquely identifying a user who uses the printer 200, and a timing at which the print job is executed. “Date and time” indicating “PDL” indicating the type of PDL used for the print job, “Job size” indicating the data amount of the print job, and “Time required for printing” indicating the time required for execution of the print job Is included.

<< Information Saved in Job History Saving Unit 23 >>
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the job history storage unit 23 included in the printer 200. FIG. 12 is an example of the determination data 251 extracted from the print job history 231 in order to calculate “specified size”. In FIG. 12, the determination data 251 is configured separately for each PDL type for convenience. The determination data 251 is obtained by extracting “PDL type”, “job size”, and “required printing time” from the print job history 231.

  “Prescribed size” is a threshold value for time-designated printing when the size of the print job is larger than that. The printer 200 holds a set value “specified time”. “Prescribed time” is a threshold value for time-designated printing when the required printing time exceeds the time. The specified time is a value set in the printer 200.

  The required printing time held in the determination data 251 is the one held in the print job history 231. In other words, the “required printing time” is data that cannot be determined unless the printing process is actually executed. Therefore, first, a print size that may take a predetermined time or more is obtained from the past print history held in the determination data 251. Specifically, for each PDL, the job size of the smallest print size among the print jobs that require a processing time longer than the “predetermined time” in the past print processing is specified.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 12, there are two types of PDLs, “PS3” (hereinafter sometimes referred to as PS) and “PCL XL” (hereinafter sometimes referred to as PCL). A case where the “specified time” set in the printer 200 is 120 seconds will be described. In the case of PS, the data indicated by reference numeral 2511 (job size is 19,872 KB) exceeds the prescribed time and becomes the smallest job size. This job size is set as a “specified size” in the case of PS. In the case of PCL, the data indicated by reference numeral 2512 (job size is 16,613 KB) exceeds the specified time and becomes the smallest job size. This job size is set as the “specified size” of the PCL.

≪Threshold calculation method≫
Next, a “threshold value” calculation method used in the network print system 1 will be described. The threshold is an upper limit of the data size of a print job that performs immediate printing so that the printer 200 does not exceed a certain operating rate. A print job having a data size exceeding the threshold value is time-designated printing. A method for specifying the printing time designated in the time designation printing will be described later.

  The threshold is set for each type of PDL, for each day of the week on which the printer 200 executes print processing, and for each time period. Specifically, based on the print job history 231, for each PDL, the average operating rate of the printer 200 for the day of the week and the time zone is calculated, and a value obtained by adding the average operating rates of the respective PDLs is calculated. This calculated value is used as the overall operating rate of the printer 200. When this overall operation rate is set as the upper limit, print jobs with a long print time are sequentially excluded so that the operation rate of the printer 200 is equal to or less than the overall operation rate. When the total operating rate is equal to or lower than the total operating rate, the “job size” having the smallest data size for each PDL among the excluded print jobs is set as a threshold for each PDL. Here, if there is no excluded print job, the job size threshold is not set in the PDL.

  For example, it is assumed that the average operation rate when the day of the week is “Monday” and the time zone is “10:00 to 11:00” is as shown in FIG. Then, from the print job history related to the print job executed on “Monday” from “10 o'clock to 11 o'clock”, the print job time values arranged in large numbers are shown in FIGS. 13B and 13C. As shown in FIG. An example of calculating the threshold value related to the time zone of “Monday” from “10 o'clock to 11 o'clock” will be described using the examples of FIGS. 13A and 13B. In order to simplify the calculation, the time required for printing is in minutes, but a finer unit such as milliseconds may be used.

  The average operation rate for each PDL is the total time required for printing for each PDL of the print job accepted by the printer 200 on Mondays from 10:00 to 11:00, and is the total time for recording the print job history (log) between 10:00 and 11:00 The value divided by. For a job that has been determined to be time-designated printing and has been printed at night or the like, if it is a print job accepted by the printer 200 from 10:00 to 11:00, it is included in the required print time as a print job between 10:00 and 11:00. calculate.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, when the print job log is recorded between 10 o'clock and 11 o'clock is 620 minutes (620 m) and the total print time is PS, it is 155 (155 m). The case is 186 minutes (186 m). In this case, the average operating rate for each PDL and the overall operating rate of the printer 200 are calculated as follows.

  The average operating rate related to PS3 is 25% (= 155 ÷ 620 × 100). The average operating rate related to PCL is 30% (= 186 ÷ 620 × 100). Therefore, the overall operation rate of the printer 200 is 55% (= 25% + 30%).

  Subsequently, the calculation of the overall operating rate of the printer 200 is repeated while excluding print jobs with the longest printing time in order, until the overall operating rate of the printer 200 falls below 50% defined as the upper limit of the operating rate.

  That is, the average operation rate in each PDL is recalculated by excluding the “printing required time = 10 m” indicated by reference numeral 2551 in the print jobs of FIGS. 13B and 13C. . In this case, the average operating rate related to PS is 25%, but the average operating rate related to PCL is 28.4% (= (186-10) ÷ 620 × 100). Therefore, the overall operation rate of the printer 200 is 53.4% (= 25% + 28.4%). In this case, since the overall average operating rate is not lower than the upper limit of the operating rate, a print job having the next longest required printing time is excluded.

  That is, in the print jobs of FIGS. 13B and 13C, the average operation rate is recalculated by excluding the “print required time = 9 m” indicated by reference numeral 2552. In this case, the average operating rate related to PS remains unchanged (25%), and the average operating rate related to PCL becomes 26.9% (= (186-10-9) ÷ 620 × 100). Therefore, the overall operating rate of the printer 200 is 51.9% (= 25% + 26.9%), and the overall average operating rate has not yet fallen below the upper limit of the operating rate. Therefore, a print job having the next longest print time is further excluded.

  That is, in the print jobs of FIGS. 13B and 13C, the average operation rate is recalculated by excluding the “print required time = 9 m” indicated by reference numeral 2553. In this case, the average operating rate related to PS is not changed (25%), and the average operating rate related to PCL is 25.5% (= (186-10-9-9) ÷ 620 × 100). Therefore, the overall operating rate of the printer 200 is 50.5% (= 25% + 25.5%), and the overall average operating rate is not yet below the upper limit of the operating rate. Therefore, a print job having the next longest print time is further excluded.

  That is, in the print jobs of FIGS. 13B and 13C, the average operation rate is recalculated by excluding the “print required time = 8 m” indicated by reference numeral 2541. In this case, the average operating rate related to PS is 23.7% (= (155-8) ÷ 620 × 100), and the average operating rate related to PCL is 25.5%. In this case, the overall operating rate of the printer 200 is 49.2% (= 23.7% + 25.5%). Here, since the overall average operating rate is lower than the upper limit of the operating rate, the smallest job size among the print jobs of each PDL excluded up to this value is set as a “threshold value”. In this case, the threshold for PS is “200 MB”, and the threshold for PCL is “290 MB”.

  As described above, the threshold value for each PDL is calculated. The “current threshold value” can be calculated by multiplying the threshold value for each PDL by the coefficient of the month and the coefficient of the day.

≪Month coefficient≫
Next, a method for calculating the coefficient of the month will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in the job history storage unit included in the printer 200. The monthly coefficient is a value calculated by dividing the monthly operating rate by the overall operating rate. For example, as shown in FIG. 14A, it is assumed that the log recording time for January is “255h” and the total required printing time is “36h”. Further, it is assumed that the entire log recording time is “600h” and the total required printing time is “100h”. In this case, the coefficient for January is “0.8 ((= 36 ÷ 225) ÷ (120 ÷ 600))”. If the total required printing time is 0 hour, the coefficient for that month is “1”. As described above, the result of calculating the coefficient for each month is held in the threshold coefficient holding unit 26 as a coefficient for each month as shown in FIG.

≪Day coefficient≫
Next, a method for calculating the day coefficient will be described. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of information stored in a job history storage unit included in the printer 200. The day coefficient is a value calculated by dividing the day operating rate by the overall operating rate. For example, as shown in FIG. 15A, the total required printing time for 31 days is “6.5 h”, the log recording time for 31 days is “25 h”, the total required printing time is “120 h”, The log recording time is “600 h”. In this case, the coefficient for the 31st is “1.3 (= (6.5 ÷ 25) ÷ (120 ÷ 600))”. If the total printing time is 0 hour, the coefficient for that day is “1”. As described above, the result of calculating the coefficient for each day is held in the threshold coefficient holding unit 26 as a coefficient for each day, as shown in FIG.

[How to calculate the optimal printing time]
Next, an example of calculating the optimum time from the print job history when setting the printing time via the printer UI unit 29 will be described.

  FIG. 16 is an example of data listing the log recording time, the total required printing time, and the average operation rate for each continuous time period based on the print job history stored in the job history storage unit 23. FIG. 16 is an example in which 3 hours is a unit of “continuous time zone”. In this case, the average operating rate in units of 3 hours is calculated every hour. That is, when the log recording time from 0 o'clock to 3 o'clock is calculated, the log recording time from 1 o'clock to 4 o'clock is calculated. As described above, the log recording time and the like related to the continuous time zone is calculated for each predetermined time, and as a result, the time with the lowest average availability is set as the optimum printing time. In this case, the optimum printing time is the start time of the time zone.

  As described above, the optimum print time is calculated after capturing the print job history in continuous time zones because it takes a certain amount of time to process print jobs with large data sizes together. is there. That is, in order to identify a time zone in which sufficient time can be secured until the processing of a print job with a large data size is completed, the print job history is captured in continuous time zones. As illustrated in FIG. 16, when there are a plurality of time zones in which the average operating rate is the lowest value, the start time of the time zone in which the minimum average operating rate is more continuous is set as the optimum printing time. . In the example of FIG. 16, the minimum value of the average operating rate is “0%”, and this value is continuous from 0:00 to 7:00. In this case, 0:00, which is the start time of the time zone, is set as the optimum printing time.

[Processing flow]
Next, the flow of print processing executed in the network print system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. This processing flow describes a process in which the time designation determination unit 14 of the printer driver 111 determines whether to perform immediate printing or time designation printing.

  First, when the print data is notified to the print management system 110 or the printer driver 111, the time designation determination unit 14 acquires the data size of the print data, and at the same time, the immediate printing is set in advance. (S1701). As described above, the user can enable the immediate printing setting via the driver UI. Therefore, when the immediate printing setting is enabled (S1701: Yes), it is determined that the process for the print job is immediate printing. Therefore, the immediate printing process is executed (S1704). Note that the immediate printing process refers to a process that immediately executes a print job without holding it. That is, when the immediate printing setting is enabled, even if the optimal execution timing derived from the analysis of the past operation status of the printer 200 is another timing, it is immediately executed.

  If the immediate printing setting is invalid in S1701 (S1701: NO), it is determined whether the data size of the print data exceeds a specified size (S1702). If the data size of the print data exceeds the prescribed size (S1702: Yes), it is determined that the process for the print job is time designated printing. Therefore, the time designation printing process is executed (S1705). Note that the time designation printing process executes a print job process at a “print time” set in advance via the printer UI unit 29. If the data size of the print data does not exceed the prescribed size (S1702: No), it is determined whether or not the print data size exceeds the current threshold value (current threshold value acquired from the printer 200) (S1703).

  If the data size of the print data exceeds the current threshold (S1703: YES), it is determined that the process for the print job is time-designated printing. Therefore, time printing processing is executed (S1705). If the data size of the print data does not exceed the current threshold (S1703: NO), it is determined that the process for the print job is immediate printing. Therefore, the immediate printing process is executed (S1704).

  According to the present embodiment described above, a fixed threshold is set for the size of print data, and print processing for a print job having a data size larger than the threshold can be collectively printed at night. Here, based on the operating status of the printer 200, the threshold value performs an arithmetic process for calculating an optimum value for “month”, “day”, “day of the week”, and “time zone”. As a result of this arithmetic processing, the situation in which other jobs cannot be processed during the processing of a print job with a large amount of data can be reduced under the optimum conditions in the operating state of the printer 200, and the performance experience of other users can be further improved. Can be improved.

  The embodiments described above do not limit the scope of the present invention. For example, the client terminal 100 may have functions corresponding to the print job processing unit 21, the print job holding unit 22, the current threshold calculation unit 24, the threshold holding unit 25, the threshold coefficient holding unit 26, and the setting value storage unit 28. . In addition, each of the plurality of client terminals 100 configuring the network print system 1 may have the same function, or some functions may be distributed and emphasized to operate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Network print system 11 Driver UI part 12 Inquiry part 13 Print data size acquisition part 14 Time designation determination part 15 User notification part 16 Print data processing part 19 Immediate print designation screen 21 Print job processing part 22 Print job reservation part 23 Job history preservation | save Unit 24 current threshold calculation unit 25 threshold holding unit 26 threshold coefficient holding unit 27 inquiry reception unit 28 setting value storage unit 29 printer UI unit 100 client terminal 110 print management system 111 printer driver 112 printer setting information holding file 113 printer setting information rewriting module 114 Print Data Generation Module 115 Spooler 116 Filter Pipeline Formation Information File 117 Data Conversion Module 118 Back End Module 120 Application 2 0 printer

JP-A-9-282121

Claims (9)

An information processing system including an information processing device and a device that executes specific processing based on an instruction from the information processing device,
A threshold holding unit that calculates and holds a threshold used for determining a data amount of processing target data that is data related to the specific processing based on processing history information in the device;
A threshold coefficient holding unit that calculates and holds a correction coefficient, which is a coefficient for correcting the threshold, for each period when the history information is acquired;
A current threshold value calculation unit for calculating and holding a current threshold value corrected by the correction coefficient specified by the timing related to the instruction;
A time designation determination unit that determines an execution timing of the specific process based on the instruction based on the data amount and the current threshold;
An execution unit that executes the specific process based on the determined execution time;
Having
An information processing system characterized by this. The time designation determination unit determines whether the execution time of the specific process is immediate or deferred to be designated,
The execution unit executes the specific processing that is suspended when the specified time has elapsed.
The information processing system according to claim 1. The threshold coefficient holding unit calculates the correction coefficient so as to correct the monthly and day bias of the operation rate of the device;
The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2. A second threshold value input unit for inputting a second threshold value for specifying the execution of the specific process in the time designation determination unit when the processing time required to complete the specific process exceeds a required time;
The time designation determination unit determines the execution time based on the data amount, the current threshold, and the second threshold.
The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An input unit that receives and holds an input of an execution time setting value that immediately fixes the execution time;
The time designation determination unit determines the execution time based on the execution time setting value.
The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A user notification unit that notifies the user of the device of the execution time determined by the time designation determination unit;
The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. An information processing method in an information processing apparatus and a device that executes specific processing based on an instruction from the information processing apparatus,
A threshold used for determining the data amount of the processing target data related to the specific process is calculated based on the history information of the process in the device, and retained.
A correction coefficient for correcting the threshold value is calculated and retained for each period by distinguishing the history information in time series,
Calculate and hold a current threshold based on the correction coefficient and the threshold related to the timing of the instruction,
Based on the data amount and the current threshold, determine the execution time of the specific process according to the instruction,
Executing the specific process based on the determined execution time;
An information processing method characterized by the above. An information processing apparatus that executes specific processing including print processing based on an instruction from the outside,
A threshold value holding unit for calculating and holding a threshold value used for determining the data amount of the processing target data related to the specific process based on history information of the past specific process;
A correction coefficient for correcting the threshold, a threshold coefficient holding unit that calculates and holds the history information in time series while distinguishing the history information in time series;
A current threshold value calculation unit that calculates and holds a current threshold value based on the correction coefficient and the threshold value related to the timing of the instruction;
Based on the data amount and the current threshold, a time designation determination unit that determines an execution timing of the specific process according to the instruction;
An execution unit that executes the specific process based on the determined execution time;
Having
An information processing apparatus characterized by that. In an information processing device that executes specific processing including print processing based on an instruction from the outside,
A threshold value holding step for calculating and holding a threshold value used for determination of the data amount of the processing target data related to the specific process based on history information of the past specific process;
A threshold coefficient holding step for calculating and holding a correction coefficient for correcting the threshold value for each period by distinguishing the history information in time series;
A current threshold value calculating step for calculating and holding a current threshold value based on the correction coefficient and the threshold value related to the timing of the instruction;
A time designation determination step of determining an execution timing of the specific process according to the instruction based on the data amount and the current threshold;
An execution step of executing the specific process based on the determined execution time;
To execute,
An information processing program characterized by that.