JP2019095685A - Information processing apparatus and information processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus that can create a group printing job for reducing the number of times of processing for replacing consumables of an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: Creation means of an information processing apparatus creates a group printing job consisting of a plurality of print jobs so as to reduce the number of times of processing for replacing consumables of an image forming apparatus according to a remaining amount of the consumables.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

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

  Patent Document 1 discloses a printer operation control system that communicably connects a plurality of network printers and a printer management terminal that manages the network printers, and controls the operation of the network printers, wherein the network printers are: One ink container filled with a plurality of colors of ink can be mounted, and the ink of each color filled in the ink container is consumed by its operation, and the remaining amount of the ink is the same as that of each color. Remaining amount detecting means for detecting each ink, status information transmitting means for transmitting status information including the remaining amount detected by the remaining amount detecting means to the printer management terminal, and first print data receiving means for receiving print data Printing based on the print data received by the first print data receiving unit The printer management terminal includes status information receiving means for receiving the status information, and operation control means for controlling the operation of the network printer based on the status information received by the status information receiving means; And second print data receiving means for receiving print data, wherein the operation control means causes at least one of the plurality of network printers to stand by as a backup printer, and the printing received by the second print data receiving means Based on the data, an ink amount for each color necessary for printing is calculated, and the plurality of networks are calculated based on the calculation result and the ink remaining amount of each color of each network printer included in the status information received by the status information receiving means. Remaining network except the spare printer in the printer Network printer which selects the print data received by the second print data receiving unit from among the printers having a large amount of ink remaining, with priority given to those from which the ink remaining amount of each color approaches uniform after printing. It is disclosed that the print data received by the second print data receiving unit is sent to the spare printer when the remaining network printer lacks the ink remaining amount necessary for printing.

  According to Patent Document 2, job allocation is performed so that consumable items are used up in an image forming apparatus where consumable replacement is imminent for maintenance time, and the number of remaining printable items of each image forming apparatus becomes as large as possible after maintenance. It is an object of the present invention to propose a printer server that performs (allocation) and a printing method, and the printer server is connected to one or more terminal devices and a plurality of image forming apparatuses via a network, and prints of the image forming apparatuses The printer control unit that controls the job calculates the expected total image forming agent usage amount from the current date and time to the target date and time, sets the target usage amount to be distributed to the image forming apparatus, and based on the set target image forming agent usage amount. It is disclosed that a job assignment unit for assigning a print job to each image forming apparatus is provided.

  According to Patent Document 3, a management unit that receives print document data from an external device and acquires status information representing the status from a plurality of connected printers, and the printer based on the status information acquired by the management unit And a print data creation unit that creates print data related to the print job, wherein the management unit determines the status The output destination printer is determined from the printer whose stop is not predicted based on the determination of the copy unit, the print data is sent to the output destination printer, and the print data creation unit receives the print original data related to the received print job It is disclosed to create a plurality of print data with different toner consumption at the time of printing.

Patent No. 4269691 JP 2004-334634 A Patent No. 5870667

In the case of an image forming apparatus, replacement of consumables occurs. For example, in the case of an image forming apparatus that performs a large amount of printing at high speed, an increase in the number of consumables replacement processes leads to an increase in the number of interruptions in print processing, which causes a loss time of the image forming apparatus. Become.
On the other hand, print processing may be performed by a group print job configured by a plurality of print jobs. Since a plurality of print jobs, a group print job is a large amount of printing and the printing time is also long. Therefore, the number of consumables replacement processes tends to increase. For example, when a group print job is generated according to the payment destination of the printed matter, the number of consumable item replacement processes may increase.
An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus and an information processing program capable of generating a group print job which suppresses the number of replacement processes of consumables of the image forming apparatus.

The subject matter of the present invention for achieving such an object resides in the inventions of the following items.
The invention according to claim 1 is a generation unit that generates a group print job including a plurality of print jobs so as to suppress the number of replacement processes of consumables according to the remaining amount of consumables of the image forming apparatus. An information processing apparatus having

  The invention according to claim 2 sets a plurality of types of toner as the consumables, and the generation unit selects a print job and generates a group print job so that replacement timings of the plurality of types of toner become the same. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus further comprises detection means for detecting the remaining amount of each type of toner, and the generation means is the toner having the largest remaining amount among the detected remaining amounts of toner. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a print job that uses is included.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the generation unit selects a print job according to a toner consumption rate of the image forming apparatus.

  According to the invention of claim 5, as the consumables, a plurality of sheets of paper are selected, and the generation unit selects a print job and generates a group print job so that replacement times of the plurality of sheets of paper become the same. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

  The invention according to claim 6 further comprises detection means for detecting the remaining amount of paper of each size from the image forming apparatus, and the generation means is the size with the largest remaining amount of the remaining amount of paper of the detected size. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the print job using the sheet of (1) is included.

  The invention according to claim 7 generates a group print job constituted by a plurality of print jobs so as to suppress the number of replacement processes of the consumable item according to the remaining amount of the consumable item of the image forming apparatus. Is an information processing program to function as a generation unit.

  According to the information processing apparatus of the first aspect, it is possible to generate a group print job which suppresses the number of replacement processes of consumables of the image forming apparatus.

  According to the information processing apparatus of the second aspect, it is possible to select a print job and generate a group print job so that replacement timings of a plurality of types of toners become the same.

  According to the information processing apparatus of the third aspect, it is possible to include a print job using the toner with the largest remaining amount in the group print job.

  According to the information processing apparatus of the fourth aspect, the print job can be selected according to the toner consumption rate of the image forming apparatus.

  According to the information processing apparatus of the fifth aspect, the print job can be selected and the group print job can be generated so that the replacement times of the sheets of a plurality of sizes become the same.

  According to the information processing apparatus of the sixth aspect, it is possible to include in the group print job a print job using a sheet of a size with the largest remaining amount.

  According to the information processing program of the seventh aspect, it is possible to generate a group print job that suppresses the number of replacement processes of consumables of the image forming apparatus.

It is a conceptual module block diagram about the example of composition of this embodiment. It is an explanatory view showing an example of system configuration using this embodiment. It is an explanatory view showing the example of use of this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of the screen by this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process example by this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process example by this Embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an example of the data structure of a print job table. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an example of the data structure of a group print job table. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an example of the data structure of a printing apparatus table. It is an explanatory view showing an example of data structure of a consumption table. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an example of the data structure of a usage pattern table for each printing apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the process example by this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process example by this Embodiment. It is a block diagram showing an example of hardware constitutions of a computer which realizes this embodiment.

Hereinafter, an example of a preferred embodiment for realizing the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a conceptual module block diagram of a configuration example of the present embodiment.
A module generally refers to components such as software (computer program) and hardware that can be logically separated. Therefore, the modules in the present embodiment refer not only to modules in the computer program but also to modules in the hardware configuration. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a computer program for functioning as those modules (a program for causing a computer to execute each procedure, a program for causing a computer to function as each means, a function for each computer) Also serves as a description of a program, system and method for realizing However, for convenience of explanation, "store", "store", and equivalent terms are used, but in the case where the embodiment is a computer program, these terms are stored in a storage device or stored. It means to control to be stored in the device. Also, modules may correspond to functions one to one, but in mounting, one module may be configured by one program, or a plurality of modules may be configured by one program, and conversely one module May be composed of a plurality of programs. Also, multiple modules may be executed by one computer, or one module may be executed by multiple computers in a distributed or parallel environment. Note that one module may include another module. Also, in the following, “connection” is used not only for physical connection but also for logical connection (transfer of data, instruction, reference relationship between data, login, etc.). The "predetermined" means that it is determined before the target processing, and of course after the processing according to the present embodiment has started, before the processing according to the present embodiment starts. Also, before the target processing, it is used according to the current situation and condition, or including the meaning of being determined according to the current situation and condition. When there are a plurality of "predetermined values", they may be different values, or two or more values (of course, all the values are also included) may be the same. In addition, the description “to perform B if A” is used in the meaning of “determining whether or not A and performing B when it is determined to be A”. However, the case where determination of whether it is A or not is unnecessary is excluded. Moreover, when things are listed like "A, B, C" etc., it is an illustration list unless there is a notice, and the case where only one of them is selected (for example, only A) is included.
In addition, a system or apparatus is configured by connecting a plurality of computers, hardware, apparatuses and the like by communication means such as a network (including a one-to-one communication connection), and one computer, hardware, and apparatus The case of being realized by etc. is included. The terms "device" and "system" are used interchangeably. Of course, the "system" does not include what is merely a social "system" (social system) that is an artificial arrangement.
In addition, the target information is read from the storage device for each processing by each module or when performing multiple processing in the module, and the processing result is written to the storage device after the processing is performed. is there. Therefore, the description may be omitted for reading from the storage device before processing and writing to the storage device after processing. Here, the storage device may include a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), an external storage medium, a storage device via a communication line, a register in a central processing unit (CPU), and the like.

The information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment generates a group print job, and as shown in the example of FIG. 1, the print job receiving module 105, the group print job generation module 110, and the image forming apparatus status detection. A module 115, an image forming apparatus selection module 120, and an image forming apparatus communication module 125 are included.
In the present embodiment, in particular, the group print job is generated so as to suppress the number of consumable item replacement processes of the image forming apparatus 150 (hereinafter, also referred to as a printing apparatus).

The group print job is composed of a plurality of print jobs. A group print job, which is a group of print jobs, is created according to the method of managing print jobs by the user. This group print job enables, for example, the following operation.
(1) It is possible to treat print jobs related to an order ordered by a customer as one package.
(2) Print jobs accumulated in the information processing apparatus 100 having a function as a spooler can be handled collectively as a unit capable of efficiently performing work as follows according to the convenience of the printing process worker.
(A) Organize each output sheet.
(B) The required post-processing puts together the same thing.
(C) Organize for each worker in charge.
(D) Organize according to work day and work time.

The image forming apparatus 150 is, for example, a production printer. The production printer performs light printing for a company's internal printing department, a print shop, and the like. Generally, it is responsible for a large amount of printing. The present invention is not limited to production printers, and may be applied to general printers (business printers, home printers, etc.).
In particular, in the case of a production printer, it is possible to reduce the production printer's loss time (time when printing can not be performed) by responding to the group print job. For example, the time for consumable replacement processing is lost time.
Therefore, when generating a group print job, the information processing apparatus 100 suppresses the number of consumable item replacement processes of the image forming apparatus 150 in the printing process by the group print job.

  The print job reception module 105 is connected to the group print job generation module 110. The print job receiving module 105 receives a print job, and passes the print job to the group print job generation module 110.

The group print job generation module 110 is connected to the print job reception module 105, the image forming apparatus status detection module 115, and the image forming apparatus selection module 120. The group print job generation module 110 generates a group print job configured by a plurality of print jobs so as to suppress the number of replacement processes of the consumable item according to the remaining amount of the consumable item of the image forming apparatus 150. . The remaining amount of consumables of the image forming apparatus 150 is received from the image forming apparatus status detection module 115. Further, one or more image forming apparatuses 150 may be targeted. A group print job including a plurality of print jobs is generated according to the remaining amount of consumables of the plurality of image forming apparatuses 150 so as to suppress the number of replacement processes of the consumables. For that purpose, print jobs are selected and group print jobs are generated so that replacement timings of consumables in the plurality of image forming apparatuses 150 become the same.
Here, a plurality of types of toner may be used as consumables. In this case, the group print job generation module 110 may select a print job and generate a group print job so that replacement times of a plurality of types of toners become the same.
Note that if the replacement times of multiple types of toners are the same, the number of replacements of the consumables does not change, but the number of replacement processes (number of interruptions of the printing process by the image forming apparatus 150) which is the operator's operation is It will be possible to suppress. For example, when yellow toner and cyan toner are at different replacement times, two replacement processes are required. On the other hand, if the yellow toner and the cyan toner are replaced at the same time, two replacement processes can be performed in one replacement process, and the number of replacement processes can be reduced.
It is not necessary for the replacement times to be exactly the same as "for the same replacement time" (not to exclude the case of the perfect match, of course). By providing a width at the replacement time, it is possible to broaden the situation in which the replacement time is the same.
Further, it is not limited to the image forming apparatus 150 at a certain position that the replacement time of a plurality of types of toners is the same, for example, a plurality of image formations installed close enough to be operable in one replacement operation. The replacement timing may be the same between the devices 150.

In addition, the group print job generation module 110 may include a print job using the toner with the largest remaining amount among the remaining amount of toner detected by the image forming apparatus condition detection module 115.
The group print job generation module 110 may select a print job according to the toner consumption rate of the image forming apparatus 150.

In addition, as consumables, a plurality of sheets of paper may be used. In this case, the group print job generation module 110 may select a print job and generate a group print job so that replacement times of sheets of a plurality of sizes become the same. The same sheet exchange timing is not limited to one image forming apparatus 150. For example, a plurality of image forming apparatuses 150 installed close enough to be operable by one exchange operation The exchange time may be the same between the two.
In addition, the group print job generation module 110 may include a print job using a sheet with the largest remaining size among the remaining sizes of sheets detected by the image forming apparatus status detection module 115. Good.

  The image forming apparatus status detection module 115 is connected to the group print job generation module 110 and the image forming apparatus communication module 125. The image forming apparatus status detection module 115 detects the remaining amount of each type of toner from the image forming apparatus 150 via the image forming apparatus communication module 125. In addition, the image forming apparatus status detection module 115 detects the remaining amount of paper of each size from the image forming apparatus 150 via the image forming apparatus communication module 125.

  The image forming apparatus selection module 120 is connected to the group print job generation module 110 and the image forming apparatus communication module 125. The image forming apparatus selection module 120 may select a predetermined image forming apparatus 150, or may select the image forming apparatus 150 according to the group print job generated by the group print job generation module 110. It is also good.

The image forming apparatus communication module 125 is connected to the image forming apparatus status detection module 115, the image forming apparatus selection module 120, the image forming apparatus 150A, the image forming apparatus 150B, and the image forming apparatus 150C. The image forming apparatus communication module 125 delivers the group print job to the image forming apparatus 150. Then, according to the control of the image forming apparatus status detection module 115, the image forming apparatus 150 is inquired about the remaining amount of consumables in the image forming apparatus 150, and the remaining amount of consumables in the image forming apparatus 150 is returned as a reply. It is received and passed to the image forming apparatus status detection module 115.
In addition, the image forming apparatus communication module 125 sends FIFOs (First In, First Out) to the image forming apparatus 150 in the order in which the print jobs in the group print job are designated. Then, control is performed so that another print job is not mixed in during print job transmission in the group print job, and FIFO transmission is performed.

The image forming apparatus 150 (image forming apparatus 150 A, image forming apparatus 150 B, and image forming apparatus 150 C) is connected to the image forming apparatus communication module 125 of the information processing apparatus 100. The image forming apparatus 150 receives the group print job transmitted from the information processing apparatus 100, and performs print processing according to the print job included in the group print job.
Although three image forming apparatuses 150 are connected in the example of FIG. 1, one or more image forming apparatuses 150 may be connected.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an example of a system configuration using the present embodiment.
Note that the information processing apparatus 100 may be provided in an external controller of the image forming apparatus 150.
In the example illustrated in FIG. 2A, the information processing apparatus 100A includes the user terminal 210 (user terminal 210A, user terminal 210B, user terminal 210C, user terminal 210D), the image forming apparatus 150 (image forming apparatus 150A, image forming apparatus The image forming apparatus 150C is connected to the image forming apparatus 150C.
The information processing apparatus 100A receives a print job or a group print job from the user terminal 210, and generates a group print job from the print job. Then, the print job or group print job is delivered to the image forming apparatus 150 suitable for the print job or group print job. The image forming apparatus 150 performs print processing in accordance with the received print job or group print job.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 2B, the information processing apparatus 100A, the information processing apparatus 100B, the user terminal 210A, the user terminal 210B, the user terminal 210C, and the user terminal 210D are connected via the communication line 290, respectively. The communication line 290 may be wireless, wired, or a combination of these, and may be, for example, the Internet as a communication infrastructure, an intranet, or the like. Also, the function of the information processing apparatus 100 may be realized as a cloud service.
The information processing apparatus 100A is connected to the image forming apparatus 150A, the image forming apparatus 150B, and the image forming apparatus 150C.
The information processing apparatus 100B is connected to an image forming apparatus 150D, an image forming apparatus 150E, an image forming apparatus 150F, and an image forming apparatus 150G.
The information processing apparatus 100 receives a print job or a group print job from the user terminal 210 via the communication line 290, and generates a group print job from the print job. Then, the print job or group print job is delivered to the image forming apparatus 150 suitable for the print job or group print job. The image forming apparatus 150 performs print processing in accordance with the received print job or group print job.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a usage example of the present embodiment. The group print job will be described in more detail.
The group print job is composed of a plurality of print jobs. That is, it is a unit in which several print jobs are put together, and it is like a box for storing a plurality of print jobs. Therefore, the group print job itself does not have print data or print settings, and the print job as a component individually has print data or print settings.
For example, in order to suppress the number of consumables replacement processes, several print jobs are grouped, and batch operation of the print jobs is realized with respect to a group print job which is grouped into one. That is, a group print job in which several different print jobs are grouped is treated as if it were one print job.
Further, tallying information (for example, the number of printed sheets, etc.) of print jobs included in the group print job is used as one of the determination materials when the print jobs are divided into the plurality of image forming apparatuses 150.

The print job group 300 includes a print job 302, a print job 304, a print job 306, a print job 308, a print job 310, a print job 312, a print job 314, a print job 316, a print job 318, a print job 320, and the like. Among these, print jobs can be organized as described above. For example, group print job A 330 including print job 304, print job 310, and print job 314 can be created. In addition, group print job B 340 including print job 306, print job 312, and print job 318 can be created.
The information processing apparatus 100 can cause the respective image forming apparatuses 150 to perform processing such as transmission of a print job, temporary stop, trial printing, printing restart, cancellation, and the like by the operation of the user 390.
In the group print job A330, when the sheet A as a print sheet is set, the image forming apparatus 150A in which the sheet A is already set (also referred to as "stock A set") is selected, and group printing is performed. The job A 330 is sent to the image forming apparatus 150A.
Further, in the group print job B340, when the total number of printed sheets is 3000, the output of the 3000 sheets is performed without any work on the way (without the sheet replenishment operation or in the middle of printing from the paper receiving unit The image forming apparatus 150B capable of printing without removing the sheet is selected, and the group print job B340 is transmitted to the image forming apparatus 150B. In this case, the sheet remaining amount of the image forming apparatus 150B is 3000 sheets or more, or the discharge receiving unit of the image forming apparatus 150B can receive 3000 sheets or more.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a display example of the screen 400 according to the present embodiment. 10 shows an example display of group print jobs and print jobs in the information processing apparatus 100.
In FIG. 4A, the screen 400 displays a print job display area 410. The print job display area 410 has a check column 412, an ID column 414, a print job name column 416, a status column 418, a number of copies column 420, a transmission destination column 422, and a detail column 424. The check box 412 has a check box that can be processed. An ID column 414 displays identification information (ID: IDentification) of a print job or a group print job. The print job name column 416 displays the print job name of the print job or group print job. The status column 418 displays the current status (status) of the print job or group print job. The number of copies column 420 displays the number of copies in the print job or group print job. The transmission destination column 422 displays the transmission destination (image forming apparatus 150) of the print job or group print job. The details column 424 has a button for displaying the details of the print job or group print job.

The following operation method of the group print job is the same as that for a single print job (conventional print job).
-Print job operations excluding [Edit] (send, copy, delete, hold / cancel, etc.)
-Print job operation (Print / Resume, Proof print, Pause, Cancel etc.)
In addition, the operation availability or behavior in each operation changes according to the status of the print job included in the group print job.

In the print job display area 410 shown in the example of FIG. 4A, the first line shows ID: 10, print job name: job 10, status: transmission waiting, number of copies: 1, transmission destination: undetermined In the second line, ID: 9, print job name: group job A (4 jobs), status: transmission waiting, number of copies: undecided, transmission destination: undecided, third line: ID: 8 , Print job name: group job B (3 jobs), status: transmission waiting, number of copies: undecided, transmission destination: undecided, 4th line ID: 1, print job name: job 1, status : Waiting for transmission, Number of copies: 5, Destination: Indicates that it is undecided.
A group print job mark 432 and a group print job mark 434 are attached to the print job name column 416 in the second and third lines, which indicates that this is a group print job. That is, at the top of the print job name column 416, an icon (black triangle mark in FIG. 4) indicating the open / closed state of the group print job is displayed. By the user's selection operation (click operation) on the group print job mark 432 and the group print job mark 434, the open / close display of the target group print job is switched. At the time of initial display, all are displayed in a closed state. "Open" means to display the print job constituting the group print job (see FIG. 4 (b)), and "closed" means only the group print job (as if Display as if it were one print job.

The state in which the group print job is opened is shown in the example of FIG.
In the print job display area 410 shown in the example of FIG. 4B, the first line shows ID: 10, print job name: job 10, status: transmission waiting, number of copies: 1, transmission destination: undetermined. In the second line, ID: 9, print job name: group job A (4 jobs), status: transmission waiting, number of copies: undecided, transmission destination: undecided, third line: ID: 6 , Print job name: job 6, status: transmission waiting, number of copies: 5, transmission destination: undecided, line 4 ID: 5, print job name: job 5, status: transmission waiting, number of copies : 5, Destination: indicates that it is undecided, line 5 shows ID: 4, print job name: job 4, status: waiting for transmission, number of copies: 5, destination: undecided , 6th line ID: 3, print job name: job 3 Status: Waiting for transmission, Number of copies: 5; Destination: Indicates that it is undecided, line 7 ID: 8, Print job name: Group job B (3 jobs), Status: Waiting for transmission, Number of copies: Not determined, Destination: Indicates that it is undecided, line 8: ID, 7, print job name: job 7, status: waiting for transmission, number of copies: 5, destination: undecided, line 9 ID: 11, print job name: group job C (2 jobs), status: transmission waiting, number of copies: undecided, sent to: undecided, line 10: ID: 1, print job name : Job 1, Status: Waiting for transmission, Number of copies: 5, Destination: Indicates that it is undecided. The third to sixth lines indicate the print job group making up the group print job A, and the eighth and ninth lines indicate the print job group making up the group print job B. ing. The group print job may be further included in the group print job. The group print job B includes a group print job C. Note that group print jobs may be formed up to a predetermined number of layers (for example, up to three layers).

  When the ID column 414 is sorted in the state of FIG. 4B, the sort target is the root print job (a print job not positioned under a group print job, that is, a single print job and a group print job). ). This is because it is not preferable that print jobs making up a group print job be sorted out of the group print job.

  Further, when the detail column 424 is selected by the user's selection operation, the attribute of the print job of the selected line is presented on the property screen (pop-up screen or the like). That is, the integration result of the attributes of the print job included in the group print job is presented. For example, logical sum or total of each attribute is performed. Specifically, the attributes of each print job are extracted, and the necessary post-processing functions (for example, stapler, bookbinding, punching, etc. are also called finishers) are extracted, and the number of sheets is totaled for each sheet type, etc. There is.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. The process shown in the example of FIG. 5 is the case where a printing apparatus has already been selected (or when there is only one printing apparatus).
In step S502, the print job receiving module 105 receives a plurality of print jobs. The accepted print job is managed by the print job table 700, for example. The print job table 700 will be described later using the example of FIG.
In step S504, the group print job generation module 110 calculates the usage amount of each consumable item in each print job. As consumables, there are toner used for printing and paper to be printed.
In step S506, the image forming apparatus status detection module 115 detects the remaining amount of each consumable in the printing apparatus.
In step S508, the group print job generation module 110 generates a combination of print jobs such that the remaining amounts of the plurality of consumables become uniform. That is, a group print job is generated. The detailed process of step S508 will be described later using the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. In step S508, for example, the group print job table 800 is generated. The group print job table 800 will be described later using the example of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process example (process example of step S508) according to the present embodiment.
In step S602, a print job that uses the most consumable item with the largest remaining amount is extracted. For example, the printing apparatus table 900 is used to extract toner types, sheets, and the like that can be installed in the printing apparatus.
In the process of step S602, for example, when the remaining amount of yellow toner is the largest among a plurality of types of toners provided in the printing apparatus, the print job that uses the yellow toner most is extracted from the accepted print jobs. . The various toner amounts used by the print job are estimated from the document to be printed (specifically, the document designated in the print document column 745 of the print job table 700). Note that a conventional technique may be used as the estimation method. For example, the document to be printed may be analyzed to detect the color used in the document and the area of the color, and the amount of toner of each toner for expressing the color may be calculated.
Further, as the process of step S602, for example, when the remaining amount of A4 paper is the largest in the plurality of types of paper feeding means (paper feeding means for each paper size) provided in the printing apparatus, the received print job To extract the print job that uses A4 paper most. The type of paper used by the print job is extracted from the paper type column 740 of the print job table 700, and the number of sheets is calculated from the number of pages column 725 and number of copies column 730 of the print job table 700 (specifically, The value in the page number column 725 may be multiplied by the value in the number of copies column 730.

  Further, various toner amounts used by the print job may be calculated using a consumption amount table 1000 prepared in advance. The consumption amount table 1000 will be described later using the example of FIG.

In step S604, the consumption of each consumable when printing by the extracted print job is calculated, and the remaining amount of each consumable is calculated.
The amount of consumed toner may differ depending on the printing apparatus (or the type of printing apparatus). For example, the fixing rate of the toner may be different, the property (such as particle size) of the toner to be used may be different, or the individual difference of the printing apparatus (for example, when performing different color adjustment for each printing apparatus) In order to
Therefore, the use amount of toner in each printing apparatus is adjusted using the printing apparatus specific usage tendency table 1100. The usage pattern table for each printing apparatus 1100 will be described later using the example in FIG.

  In step S606, it is determined whether it is time to replace a plurality of consumables. If it is time to replace a plurality of consumables, the process proceeds to step S608. Otherwise, the process returns to step S602.

In step S608, a group print job is generated by combining the plurality of extracted print jobs.
Also, combinations of print jobs may be generated by methods other than this flowchart. For example, since it is positioned as an example of a combinatorial optimization problem, branch and bound method, dynamic programming method, etc. may be used.

  The information processing apparatus 100 receives the printing apparatus table 900 and the printing apparatus specific usage tendency table 1100 from the image forming apparatus 150, and performs the process of step S508.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing an example of the data structure of the print job table 700. As shown in FIG. The print job table 700 includes a print job ID column 705, a group flag column 710, a print job name column 715, an owner column 720, a page number column 725, a number of copies column 730, a sheet size column 735, a sheet type column 740, and a print document column. A color / black and white column 750, a designated date and time column 755, and a post-processing column 760 are provided. A print job ID column 705 stores a print job ID. A group flag column 710 stores information (group flag) indicating whether it is a group print job. The print job name column 715 stores print job names. The owner column 720 stores the owner of the print job (the owner of the print which is the final processing result, the end user). The page number column 725 stores the number of pages of the print document in the print job. The number of copies column 730 stores the number of copies of the print job. The paper size column 735 stores the paper size in the print job. The paper type column 740 stores the paper type. The print document field 745 stores a print document in the print job. The print document itself may be stored, or the print document may be stored (for example, document ID, document name, URL: Uniform Resource Locator, etc.). The color / black and white field 750 stores information as to whether the print job is color printing or black and white printing. In the color / black and white column 750, not only color and black and white but also special colors (gold, silver, fluorescent color, etc.) may be specified. The designated date and time column 755 stores designated date and time. The post-processing field 760 stores post-processing (for example, stapler processing, punching processing, bookbinding processing, and the like) in the print job.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing an example of the data structure of the group print job table 800. As shown in FIG. The group print job table 800 has a print job ID column 805, a group flag column 810, a group print job name column 815, a print job number column 820, a print job ID column 825, and a top priority print job ID column 830. The print job ID column 805 stores information (print job ID: IDentification) for uniquely identifying a print job or a group print job in the present embodiment. A group flag column 810 stores information (group flag) indicating whether it is a group print job. The group print job name column 815 stores the name of the group print job. The print job number column 820 stores the number of print jobs included in the group print job. The print job ID column 825 stores the print job ID included in the group print job. In the print job ID column 825, a plurality of print job IDs are stored. The highest priority print job ID column 830 stores a print job ID to be printed with the highest priority in the group print job.
For example, FIG. 8 shows that print job ID: 9 is a group flag: 1 (flag indicating that it is a group print job), group print job name: group job A, and the number of print jobs: 5 There is a print job ID of 1, 10, 15, 16, 20, which indicates that the highest priority print job ID is 15.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing an example of the data structure of the printing apparatus table 900. As shown in FIG. The information on the printing apparatus uses, for example, a printing apparatus table 900. The printing apparatus table 900 includes a printing apparatus ID section 905, a printing apparatus name section 910, a printing speed section 915, an installable toner type section 920, an installable sheet section 925, a duplex printing section 930, and a maximum feed capacity section 935, There are a discharge destination number column 940, a post-processing function column 945, and a printing cost column 950. The printing apparatus ID column 905 stores information (printing apparatus ID) for uniquely identifying the printing apparatus in the present embodiment. The printing device name column 910 stores the name of the printing device. The print speed field 915 stores the print speed of the printing apparatus. In the printing speed column 915, the printing speed may be provided for each type of paper (A4 size, A3 size, etc.). The installable toner type field 920 stores the types of toner that can be installed in the printing apparatus. For example, the type of color toner (black toner, cyan toner, magenta toner, yellow toner, special color toner, etc.). The installable sheet column 925 stores sheets that can be installed in the printing apparatus. The double-sided printing field 930 stores information as to whether the printing apparatus is capable of double-sided printing. The maximum paper feed capacity column 935 stores the maximum paper feed capacity of the printing apparatus. The number of discharge destinations column 940 stores the number of discharge destinations that the printing apparatus has. Further, the capacity of the discharge destination (the number of sheets that can be received by the discharge receiving unit) may be stored. The post-processing function field 945 stores the post-processing function that the printing apparatus has. The printing cost column 950 stores the printing cost of the printing apparatus.
If there are a plurality of printing apparatuses capable of printing a group print job, one having a short printing time (a printing speed is fast) or one having a low printing cost may be selected.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing an example of the data structure of the consumption amount table 1000. As shown in FIG. The consumption table 1000 includes a paper size column 1005, an image / character column 1010, a color / black and white column 1015, an area ratio column 1020, and a consumption column 1025. The consumption column 1025 includes a Y column 1030 and an M column. 1035, C column 1040 and K column 1045 are provided. A paper size column 1005 stores the size of paper used in the print job. An image / character column 1010 stores information as to whether the print target is an image or a character. The color / black and white column 1015 stores information as to whether the print target is color or black and white. The area ratio column 1020 stores the area ratio of the print target occupied on the sheet. The consumption amount column 1025 stores consumption amounts of various toners. A Y column 1030 stores the consumed amount of Y (yellow) toner. The M column 1035 stores the consumption amount of M (magenta) toner. Column C 1040 stores the consumption amount of C (cyan) toner. The K column 1045 stores the consumption amount of K (black) toner. That is, the amount of each toner used by the print job is determined by the sheet size of the print job, whether the print target is text or image, color or black and white, and the area ratio of the print target It is shown that.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing an example of the data structure of the printing apparatus-based use tendency table 1100. The printing apparatus use tendency table 1100 has a printing apparatus ID column 1105 and a coefficient column 1110. The coefficient column 1110 has a Y column 1115, an M column 1120, a C column 1125, and a K column 1130. The printing apparatus ID column 1105 stores the printing apparatus ID. The coefficient column 1110 stores coefficients. The Y column 1115 stores the coefficient of Y (yellow). The M column 1120 stores the coefficient of M (magenta). Column C 1125 stores coefficients of C (cyan). Column K 1130 stores the coefficient of K (black). The coefficient here is a value by which the consumption (standard amount) in the consumption column 1025 of the consumption table 1000 is multiplied. That is, it is a coefficient for accurately calculating the consumption amount in each printing apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of processing according to the present embodiment. The process illustrated in the example of FIG. 12 selects a printing device suitable for a group print job from a plurality of printing devices.
In step S1202, the print job receiving module 105 receives a plurality of print jobs.
In step S1204, the group print job generation module 110 calculates the usage amount of each consumable item of each printing apparatus in each print job.
In step S1206, the image forming apparatus status detection module 115 detects the remaining amount of each consumable in each printing apparatus.
In step S1208, the group print job generation module 110 generates a combination of print jobs such that the remaining amounts of the plurality of consumables become uniform. The detailed process of step S1208 has been described above using the flowchart shown in the example of FIG.
In step S1210, the printing apparatus with the smallest consumable replacement task is selected.

The flowchart illustrated in the example of FIG. 13 illustrates an example of processing in the case of accepting a print job and adding the print job to a print job that has already been generated.
In step S1302, a print job is accepted.
In step S1304, the consumables usage estimation (standard value) is calculated from the print job received this time.
In step S1306, a group print job as a first candidate and a printing apparatus are determined.

In step S1308, with respect to the printing apparatus that is the output destination this time, the consumable usage amount estimate (correction value) for the print job is calculated with reference to the printing apparatus specific usage trend table 1100.
In step S1310, the consumable use amount (estimate) used by the group print job is calculated for the current printing apparatus.

In step S1312, from the remaining amount of toner and the amount of paper stock set in the printing apparatus, consumables for which expendable consumption is prioritized and usable consumables are calculated toward completion of creation of a group print job.
In step S 1314, it is determined whether or not to determine a candidate group print job. If determined, the process proceeds to step S 1316. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S 1320.
In step S1316, it is added to the corresponding group print job.

In step S1318, the process waits at a predetermined polling interval, and returns to step S1302.
In step S 1320, it is determined whether there is an unexamined group print job. If there is, the process proceeds to step S 1322. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S 1324.
In step S1322, the consumable use amount estimate (correction value) for the print job is calculated with reference to the use tendency table for each printing device 1100 for the group print job that has newly become a candidate and the printing device, and the process returns to step S1310.

  In step S1324, if there is a case where none of the cases apply, the process returns to step S1318 according to the settings of (a) generating a new group print job, and (b) causing the user to select as a hold. Note that the flowchart shown in the example of FIG. 5 or 12 may be used as “(a) Create a new group print job” in step S1324.

  If the group print job is sent to the printing apparatus according to the print schedule while waiting in step S1318, the group print job is excluded from candidate targets in the flowchart.

  An exemplary hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The configuration shown in FIG. 14 is configured of, for example, a personal computer (PC) or the like, and shows a hardware configuration example including a data reading unit 1417 such as a scanner and a data output unit 1418 such as a printer.

  A central processing unit (CPU) 1401 includes various modules described in the above embodiments, that is, a print job receiving module 105, a group print job generating module 110, an image forming apparatus status detecting module 115, and an image forming apparatus selecting module 120. And a control unit that executes processing in accordance with a computer program in which an execution sequence of each module such as the image forming apparatus communication module 125 is described.

  A ROM (Read Only Memory) 1402 stores a program used by the CPU 1401, operation parameters, and the like. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 1403 stores a program used in the execution of the CPU 1401, parameters and the like appropriately changed in the execution. These are mutually connected by a host bus 1404 configured of a CPU bus or the like.

  The host bus 1404 is connected to an external bus 1406 such as a peripheral component interconnect / interface (PCI) bus via a bridge 1405.

  A keyboard 1408 and a pointing device 1409 such as a mouse are devices operated by the operator. The display 1410 includes a liquid crystal display device or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), and displays various information as text and image information. Alternatively, a touch screen or the like provided with the functions of both the pointing device 1409 and the display 1410 may be used. In that case, for realization of the function of the keyboard, the keyboard (so-called software keyboard, screen keyboard, etc.) is drawn with software on a screen (touch screen) without physically connecting like the keyboard 1408, The function of the keyboard may be realized.

  An HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 1411 incorporates a hard disk (which may be a flash memory or the like), drives the hard disk, and records or reproduces programs and information executed by the CPU 1401. The hard disk stores a print job table 700, a group print job table 800, a printing device table 900, a consumption amount table 1000, and a usage trend table 1100 for each printing device. Furthermore, various other data, various computer programs, and the like are stored.

  The drive 1412 reads data or a program recorded in a removable recording medium 1413 such as a mounted magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, and reads the data or the program into an interface 1407, an external bus 1406. , The bridge 1405, and the RAM 1403 connected via the host bus 1404. The removable recording medium 1413 can also be used as a data recording area.

  The connection port 1414 is a port for connecting the external connection device 1415, and has a connection unit such as USB or IEEE 1394. The connection port 1414 is connected to the CPU 1401 and the like through the interface 1407, the external bus 1406, the bridge 1405, the host bus 1404, and the like. A communication unit 1416 is connected to the communication line and executes data communication processing with the outside. The data reading unit 1417 is, for example, a scanner, and executes a document reading process. The data output unit 1418 is, for example, a printer, and executes document data output processing.

  Note that the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 14 shows one configuration example, and the present embodiment is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 14 and the modules described in the present embodiment may be used. It may be any configuration that can be implemented. For example, some modules may be configured by dedicated hardware (for example, Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)), and some modules are in an external system and connected by communication lines. Alternatively, a plurality of systems shown in FIG. 14 may be connected by communication lines to cooperate with each other. Also, in particular, in addition to personal computers, portable information communication devices (including mobile phones, smart phones, mobile devices, wearable computers, etc.), information home appliances, robots, copiers, fax machines, fax machines, scanners, printers, multifunction machines (scanners, printers, The present invention may be incorporated in an image processing apparatus having any two or more functions, such as a copying machine and a facsimile.

The program described above may be stored in a recording medium and provided, or the program may be provided by communication means. In that case, for example, the above-described program may be regarded as an invention of “a computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon”.
The “computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded therein” refers to a computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, which is used for program installation, execution, program distribution, and the like.
The recording medium is, for example, a digital versatile disc (DVD), which is a standard formulated by the DVD Forum, and formulated by “DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, etc.”, DVD + RW. Standard “DVD + R, DVD + RW, etc.”, compact disc (CD), read only memory (CD-ROM), CD recordable (CD-R), CD rewritable (CD-RW), etc., Blu-ray disc (CD-RW) Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc, magneto-optical disk (MO), flexible disk (FD), magnetic tape, hard disk, read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable and rewritable read only memory (EEPROM (registered trademark) ), Flash memory, random access memory (RAM) , SD (Secure Digital) memory card etc. are included.
Then, the whole or a part of the program may be recorded on the recording medium and stored or distributed. In addition, by communication, for example, a wired network used for a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, etc., or wireless communication Transmission may be performed using a transmission medium such as a network or a combination of these, or may be carried on a carrier wave.
Furthermore, the program may be part or all of another program, or may be recorded on a recording medium together with a separate program. Also, the program may be divided and recorded on a plurality of recording media. In addition, it may be recorded in any form such as compression or encryption as long as it can be restored.

100 ... information processing apparatus 105 ... print job reception module 110 ... group print job generation module 115 ... image forming apparatus status detection module 120 ... image forming apparatus selection module 125 ... image forming apparatus communication module 150 ... image forming apparatus 210 ... user terminal 290 ... communication line

Claims (7)

An information processing apparatus, comprising: generation means for generating a group print job configured by a plurality of print jobs so as to suppress the number of replacement processes of the consumable item according to the remaining amount of the consumable item of the image forming apparatus. As the consumables, a plurality of types of toner,
The generation unit selects a print job and generates a group print job so that replacement times of a plurality of types of toners become the same.
An information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The image forming apparatus further comprises detection means for detecting the remaining amount of each type of toner.
The generation means includes a print job using the toner with the largest remaining amount among the detected remaining amounts of toner.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The generation unit selects a print job according to the toner consumption rate of the image forming apparatus.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. A plurality of sizes of paper are used as the consumables,
The generation unit selects a print job and generates a group print job such that replacement times of sheets of a plurality of sizes are the same.
An information processing apparatus according to claim 1. The image forming apparatus further comprises detection means for detecting the remaining amount of paper of each size from the image forming apparatus.
The generation unit is configured to include a print job that uses a sheet with the largest remaining size among the detected remaining sizes of sheets.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 5. Computer,
An information processing unit configured to function as a generation unit configured to generate a group print job configured by a plurality of print jobs so as to suppress the number of replacement processes of the consumable item according to the remaining amount of the consumable item of the image forming apparatus; program.

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