JP4636260B2 - Print processing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention has an order data storage unit that stores order data including image data for creating a photo print in units of orders, and preferentially prints orders with high priority while complying with the delivery date of each order. The present invention relates to a processable print processing system.

  In a print processing system for creating a photographic print, image data acquired from various image forming media such as a developed negative film and a recording medium of a digital camera is temporarily registered and stored in the order data storage unit in units of orders. Here, one order is a print order for one film or one recording medium, but the operator can set the concept of one order as appropriate. The stored order data is sequentially read according to the set print order, and a photographic print is created based on the image data included therein.

  The set print order is usually the order in which the order is received, and is set so that the print process is performed earlier as the order is received earlier. However, since the customer may be required to finish early, it is necessary to consider not only the order reception order but also the finishing priority when setting the print order. For example, if there are "Express finish" (high priority order) and "Normal finish" (low priority order), the high priority order is interrupted before the already registered low priority order, and high priority The print processing is performed with the order of degree being given priority over the order of low priority.

  If the print order is set so as to interrupt the high priority order as described above, the finishing time of the interrupted low priority order is delayed, and there is a case where the delivery date cannot be observed for the low priority order. Therefore, for each order, set the scheduled finish time when the photo print is scheduled to finish and the delivery time for the delivery date to deliver the finished photo print to the customer so that the planned finish time does not exceed the delivery time. It is necessary to observe the delivery date of each order.

  The scheduled finishing time is set based on the waiting time until the print processing of all orders processed before the received order is completed and the processing time required for the print processing of the received order. The processing time is appropriately calculated according to the number of prints, the print size, the processing capability of the processing device, and the like. On the other hand, the delivery time is set individually according to the circumstances of the photo shop, etc., but it is necessary to consider irregular work such as paper replacement, replenishment of processing liquid, inspection of finished photo prints, etc. For this reason, it may be difficult to set a delivery time that matches the actual situation.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a print processing system capable of easily setting a delivery time corresponding to the actual situation while properly complying with the delivery date of each order. it is.

  In order to solve the above problems, a print processing system according to the present invention includes an order data storage unit that stores order data including image data for creating a photo print in units of orders, and sets the priority of print processing for each order. A new priority order setting unit, a processing time setting unit for setting a scheduled finish time for a photo print to be finished, a delivery time for delivery of the finished photo print to the customer, and a new order When registering the order so that the order registration unit for registering and storing the order data in the order data storage unit and the high priority order can be processed in preference to the already registered low priority order, A recalculation unit that recalculates the scheduled finish time of the low priority order, and a recalculation In order to save whether the scheduled finish time exceeds the delivery time, and when the order data is stored in the order data storage unit, the recalculated finish time should not exceed the delivery time. However, a print order setting unit that sets the order of the print processing of the order based on the priority set by the priority setting unit, and an order stored in the order data storage unit according to the set print order A print processing control unit for instructing print processing for data, and the processing time setting unit can set a margin time for each priority, and the delivery time is determined by the scheduled finishing time and the priority setting unit. It is calculated based on the margin time corresponding to the set priority.

  The operation and effect of the print processing system will be described. The order data storage unit stores at least order data including image data in order units. Also, the priority of print processing can be set for each order. This priority is related to the delivery date, and examples thereof include “express finish” and “normal finish”. When a new order is registered in the order data storage unit, a print order based on the priority is set by the print order setting unit, and the high priority order is printed with priority over the low priority order. If the priorities are the same, the order received may be followed. As described above, the target of the print processing is the image data stored in the order data storage unit, and the print processing is not performed on the image data not stored in the order data storage unit. there.

  In addition, the print processing system according to the present invention includes a processing time setting unit that can set a scheduled finishing time and a delivery time for each order. In this processing time setting unit, the margin time can be set for each priority, and the delivery time is calculated based on the scheduled finish time and the margin time corresponding to the priority set by the priority setting unit. It is. As a result, the time required for irregular work such as paper replacement will be added to the delivery time as a margin, and the delivery time will be set according to the priority. You can easily set the appropriate delivery time.

  When a new high-priority order is registered, the print order is set so that the print processing can be performed in preference to the already registered low-priority order. The order goes down and the finish time is delayed. Therefore, the recalculation unit recalculates the planned finish time of the low priority order, and the recalculation unit determines whether the recalculated planned finish time exceeds the delivery time, that is, whether or not the delivery date can be observed. it is determined. Based on the determination result, the print order setting unit sets the print order based on the priority as described above so that the scheduled finish time does not exceed the delivery time, thereby appropriately setting the delivery date of each order. it is possible to comply. In addition, when setting the print order, a delivery time that takes into account the allowance time corresponding to the priority of the order is taken into consideration, so the setting of the print order corresponds to the actual situation.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the processing time setting unit is configured so that the margin time is set longer as the priority is lower.

  The high priority order is preferably printed as soon as possible, and for this purpose, it is necessary to interrupt before the low priority order as much as possible. However, since the print order is set so that the scheduled finish time does not exceed the delivery time, interruption of high priority orders may be limited and may not match the actual situation. Therefore, according to the above configuration, for an order with a low priority, since a delivery time is set to be relatively long based on a relatively long margin time, interruption of a high priority order can be promoted. it can.

  For example, if a high-priority order is interrupted before a low-priority order, if the scheduled finish time for that low-priority order exceeds the hand-over time, the interruption of the high-priority order at that position will be Although it is not performed, the time for the low priority order to be interrupted is set to be relatively long, so there are fewer cases where the scheduled finish time exceeds the handing time, and it is easy to interrupt the high priority order Become. As a result, the delivery time and the print order can be set in accordance with the actual situation while observing the delivery date of each order.

  In the present invention, when the finish determination unit determines that the scheduled finish time exceeds the delivery time, the print order setting unit prints the high priority order next to the low priority order. It is preferable to set the order of print processing.

  According to the above configuration, since the high priority order can be interrupted in a manner that can comply with the delivery date of other low priority orders, the high priority order can be printed as soon as possible and registered. It is possible to prevent the finish of the order from being delayed more than necessary.

  A preferred embodiment of a print processing system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Overall system configuration>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a print processing system according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, the photo processing apparatus 100 is connected to the reception terminal 20, the recording apparatus 40, and the network reception terminal 50 via a network such as a LAN. Note that the number of installed photo processing apparatuses 100, receiving terminals 20, recording apparatuses 40, and net receiving terminals 50 is not limited to one, and a plurality of apparatuses can be installed as necessary.

  The photo processing apparatus 100 has a function of creating a photo print based on the acquired digital image data. Examples of the image data include image data of a frame image of a developed negative film acquired from a film scanner 1 (see FIG. 2) provided in the photo processing apparatus 100, image data transmitted via a network, and the like.

  The reception terminal 20 is installed at a store, for example, and can receive image data stored in a recording medium of a digital camera or other recording media. Examples of the recording medium include CompactFlash (registered trademark), SmartMedia (registered trademark), Memory Stick (registered trademark), CD-R, and DVD-R. The reception terminal 20 is mainly operated by a customer, and may insert a recording medium brought by the customer to select image data to be created as a photo print or set the number of prints. it can. The recording device 40 has a function of writing image data acquired by the photo processing device 100 to a recording medium.

  The network reception terminal 50 is constituted by a personal computer and has a function of receiving an online print order via the Internet. Such a print order is accepted via a server 60 installed on the Internet. That is, the image data related to the print order is uploaded from the customer's personal computer 70 to the server 60, downloaded to the network reception terminal 50 at an appropriate timing, and used for print processing. Such a system for accepting print orders online is well known.

<Functional block configuration of print processing system>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the photo processing apparatus 100. The film scanner 1 has a function of acquiring digital image data by scanning a frame image formed on a developed negative film. The image acquisition unit 2 mainly has a function of acquiring image data stored in a recording medium of a digital camera and image data stored in the server 60 (see FIG. 1). The communication control unit 3 controls communication via the network. It should be noted that the photographic processing apparatus 100 itself may be configured so that a recording medium can be mounted, and the image data stored in the photographic processing apparatus 100 may be directly acquired.

<Configuration of image determination unit>
The image determination unit 4 provides a function for the operator to make a determination on the acquired image data, and this function is mainly realized by software. This is to determine whether or not a photographic print having an appropriate image quality is created before creating a photographic print based on the image data, and such work is referred to as pre-judgement. The image determination unit 4 includes a correction data setting unit 4a, a print data setting unit 4b, and a thumbnail image creation unit 4c as main functions, which will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the pre-judge is not essential, and it is possible to omit the pre-judge and perform the printing process.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a monitor screen for performing pre-judgement. On the screen, six of the frame images to be printed are displayed, and other frame images can be displayed by switching the screen page. The number of frame images to be displayed on the monitor screen is not limited to six, and can be set as appropriate, such as four, eight, and twelve. The frame image to be prejudged is surrounded by the image selection frame 30.

  In the frame number display field 31, the frame number of each frame image is displayed. The print size display field 32 displays the print size of the photo print. The number of prints is displayed in the number-of-prints setting column 33. If image data is acquired from the film scanner 1, 1 is displayed by default, but can be changed as appropriate by an operator's input operation. When image data is acquired via a network, the number of prints has already been set by the customer, and it is preferable not to allow the operator to change it.

  Color and density correction data can be input to the color correction data setting field 34 and the density correction data setting field 35. The input of such correction data is set as necessary, and the setting of other correction data is exemplified by special correction settings such as red-eye correction and backlight correction. The correction data setting unit 4a provides a function for inputting these correction data. The data indicating the print size and the number of prints is included in the print data constituting the order data and is provided by the function of the print data setting unit 4b.

  Here, one order data includes an image data group included in one order and incidental data associated therewith, and examples of the incidental data include data specifying the print data and the order. In addition to the data described above, the print data includes paper surface quality (such as a glossy surface and silk), and data regarding whether or not there is a print with a border. Examples of the data for specifying an order include data such as an order identification ID, a customer name, an address, and a member ID.

  On the monitor screen, a thumbnail image obtained based on the function of the thumbnail image creation unit 4c is displayed. When image data of a developed negative film is acquired by the film scanner 1, a thumbnail image can be created based on image data obtained by pre-scanning the negative film. When image data is acquired by the image acquisition unit 2, a thumbnail image can be created based on the acquired original image data.

  Here, the pre-scan and the main scan, which are scanning modes of the negative film, will be briefly described. The pre-scan is a process of reading a developed negative film image with a rough number of pixels, and is performed to display the above-described thumbnail image. When pre-judgement is performed, high-resolution image data is not required, and scanning is performed with a coarse number of pixels in order to shorten the reading processing time. On the other hand, the main scan is a process of reading each frame image of the negative film at a high resolution, and is performed to create a high-quality photo print. In the main scan, a frame image in which the number of prints is set to 0 is not read.

<Configuration of order control unit>
The order control unit 5 provides a function of managing image data to be printed in order units. The order control unit 5 includes an order registration unit 5a, a print processing control unit 5b, an order data deletion unit 5c, a priority setting unit 5d, a print order setting unit 5e, a manual order setting unit 5f, a processing time setting unit 5g, and a recalculation. The part 5h and the finish determination part 5i are provided as main functions.

  The order registration unit 5a has a function of registering and storing the order data for which pre-judge has been completed by the image determination unit 4 in the storage device 6 in units of orders. Conceptually, the storage device 6 includes a storage unit 6a used as a spooler (corresponding to an order data storage unit, hereinafter referred to as a spooler 6a) and another storage unit 6b. The storage device 6 can be configured by a mass storage device such as a hard disk. The spooler 6a and the storage unit 6b may be configured by separate hard disks in terms of hardware, and may divide a storage area of one hard disk, and an area that functions as the spooler 6a and an area that functions as the storage unit 6b. it may be formed.

  All order data to be printed is temporarily stored in the spooler 6a. Order management can be performed by storing the order data in the spooler 6a, and control such as interruption of the order of print processing as described later can be performed. In the case of image data acquired from a negative film, it is preferable to store not only main scan image data but also pre-scan image data as order data.

  The print processing control unit 5b gives a command to print the order data related to the order to be printed. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the order management screen, in which a list of orders waiting to be processed and a list of completed orders are displayed. In the list of pending orders, each order is basically displayed in the order in which print processing is performed. In the status display column, the processing status of the order is shown, indicating that the top order is being printed, and that other orders are waiting for print processing. When the printing process is completed, the process proceeds to a list of completed orders, and the status display is changed to completion of the printing process.

  The order data deletion unit 5c deletes the order data for which the printing process has been completed from the spooler 6a. Thereby, the storage capacity of the spooler 6a can be ensured appropriately. When deleting the data, the order data of the spooler 6a may be completely deleted. However, the order data may be moved to the storage unit 6b or other external storage device in preparation for a request for additional printing processing at a later date. preferable.

  The priority setting unit 5d provides a function for setting the priority of a new order to be registered. As priorities, for example, three stages of “express finish”, “normal finish”, and “slow finish” are provided. In such a case, “express finish” corresponds to a high priority, and “normal finish” and “slow finish” correspond to a low priority. The priority setting is not limited to three levels. For example, there are four levels including “None” that gives the lowest priority, or two levels of “Express finish” and “Normal finish”. it may be. In FIG. 4, codes A, B, and C indicating the priorities are displayed for each order, and correspond to “Express finish”, “Normal finish”, and “Slow finish”, respectively.

  A print channel can be used for setting the priority. A print channel is a register of a large amount of print information such as print size, print type (normal print and various special prints), and presence / absence of CVP. For example, when an L-size photo print with CVP is to be created by an edit print (an example of a special print), it is necessary to select a print channel suitable for that purpose. It is necessary to set the print channel in advance.

  As the print channel, when an order is received, an appropriate one is selected from preset ones. Therefore, by setting the priority for the print channel, the priority registered for the new order to be registered can be set based on the selected print channel. Note that the priority setting method is not limited to this. For example, when a new order registration button on the monitor screen is clicked, a priority selection screen pops up, and one of the priorities displayed there is selected. it may be.

  When registering the order data in the spooler 6a, the print order setting unit 5e sets the order print order based on the priority set by the priority setting unit 5d while basically setting the order print order. In the list of pending orders on the management screen shown in FIG. 4, the orders are displayed in the order in which they are printed. That is, the top order is an order that is currently being printed, and the following orders are sequentially printed. In addition, the “Priority Finishing” order, which has a high priority, is basically given priority over the low priority “Normal Finishing” and “Slow Finishing” orders. To do so, the print order is set in such a way as to interrupt the already registered low priority order. If another high-priority order is already registered, the print order is set so that a new order can be printed next to the registered order.

  The manual order setting unit 5f provides a function for changing the print order set by the print order setting unit 5e by an operator's manual operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, if an order whose order is to be changed (order No. 29 in the illustrated example) is selected, it can be moved to a desired position by a drag-and-drop operation of the mouse. The print order setting unit 5e automatically sets the print order according to the rules determined in advance as described above, but the print order can be arbitrarily changed by the manual order setting unit 5f.

  The processing time setting unit 5g has a function of setting a scheduled finishing time and a delivery time for each order. The scheduled finish time is the time when the finish of the photographic print related to the order is scheduled. The delivery time is a time relating to a delivery date for delivering a finished photo print as a product to a customer. In order to comply with the delivery date, it is necessary to manage the scheduled finish time within the delivery time. A method for calculating these processing times will be described later.

  The recalculation unit 5h provides a function of recalculating the scheduled finish time of the low priority order when the high priority order is interrupted before the registered low priority order and newly registered. Then, based on the recalculation result, the finish determination unit 5i determines whether or not the scheduled finish time of another interrupted order exceeds the delivery time. That is, although the finish time of the print processing of other low priority orders is delayed due to the interruption of the high priority order, it can be determined whether or not the delivery date can be observed at that time.

  Based on the determination result of the finish determination unit 5i, the print order setting unit 5e sets the print order based on the priority as described above while preventing the scheduled finish time from exceeding the delivery time. That is, when a high priority order interrupt is performed, if the delivery date of another low priority order can be observed, the interrupt is executed. On the other hand, if the scheduled finish time of the low priority order exceeds the delivery time and the delivery date cannot be observed, no interruption is performed at that position.

  In the present embodiment, when a high-priority order interrupt is performed, if the planned finish time of the low-priority order exceeds the delivery time, the print processing can be performed next to the low-priority order. And set the print order of the new high priority order. When there are a plurality of low-priority orders that cannot comply with the delivery date, a new high-priority order is registered at a position next to the latest order in the reception order. As a result, it is possible to comply with the delivery date of all orders to be printed, and it is possible to print the high priority order as early as possible.

  The screen configuration example in FIG. 4 will be further described. The remaining capacity is displayed on the upper right of the screen, and can be used as a guideline for registering a new order or the remaining capacity can be confirmed. In addition, “15” is displayed as the number of orders, which indicates the number of orders waiting for print processing. Further, “20 minutes” is displayed as the waiting time, and the time required to process all the print processing waiting orders is displayed. The operator can see this display to recognize the approximate time that a new order will be processed.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the monitor 7 displays a screen for performing pre-judgment (see FIG. 3), an order management screen (see FIG. 4), and the like, and provides a screen necessary for performing print processing and the like. to. The input operation unit 8 is configured by a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and performs data input and settings necessary for print processing, and various commands.

  The image processing board 9 receives image data and correction data from the spooler 6a, performs image processing on the image data based on the correction data, and generates print image data used to create a photographic print. The image processing board 9 includes a reception memory, a processing circuit unit, and a development memory, and performs image processing specified in the processing circuit unit. Specifically, color / density correction based on the correction data, data expansion / contraction processing according to the set print size, and the like.

  Next, the configuration of the print processing unit will be briefly described with reference to FIG. In the paper magazine 10, paper as a photographic photosensitive material is accommodated in a roll shape. In the present embodiment, two paper magazines 10 can be installed, and papers having different paper widths can be set in advance. The paper cutter 11 cuts the long paper drawn from the paper magazine 10 so as to have a set print size.

  The exposure engine 12 receives print image data transmitted from the development memory of the image processing board 9, and prints and exposes an image on the emulsion surface of the paper based on the print image data. The exposure engine 12 is not limited to a specific type, and for example, a laser engine, a CRT engine, a PLZT engine, or the like can be used.

  The development processing unit 13 performs development processing on the paper on which the image is printed and exposed, and the drying processing unit 14 performs drying processing on the developed paper. Finished photographic prints are discharged from the paper discharge unit 15 to the outside of the apparatus main body, and are collected in units of orders by a predetermined stacking apparatus.

  The paper sensor 16 detects the paper discharged from the paper discharge unit 15 and detects whether or not all the photo prints of a certain order have been discharged. The sensor control unit 17 controls the driving of the paper sensor 16 and receives and analyzes a signal from the paper sensor 16. The order data deleting unit 5c of the order control unit 5 deletes the order data for the order from the spooler 6a when the sensor control unit 17 detects that all the photographic prints for the order have been discharged.

<Order management setting screen>
Next, FIG. 5 shows an example of a setting screen when the order control unit 5 manages orders. In the setting column 25 of the net order mode, it is possible to set whether the net order mode is valid or invalid, and an order from the accepting terminal 20 can be accepted by selecting valid.

  In the data storage setting field 21, settings relating to the spooler 6a for storing the order data can be performed. The drive setting field 21a can designate the drive in which the spooler 6a is arranged, and can change the drive once designated. In the spooler capacity setting column 21b, the outline of the area used as the spooler 6a is set, and a capacity (for example, 3 GB) necessary for smoothly performing the printing process can be set. When the remaining capacity of the spooler 6a decreases, it can be dealt with by increasing this set value. In the spooler usage capacity display column 21c, the data amount of all the order data stored in the spooler 6a is displayed.

  In the reorder storage capacity setting field 21d, it is possible to set a storage capacity to be set for reordering (for additional printing, etc.). This storage capacity can secure a storage area in a storage unit 6b different from the spooler 6a. This has the advantage that when a print request is received at a later date, the print processing can be started immediately by reading the order data from the area reserved for reordering. Therefore, the image data reading operation by the film scanner 1 becomes unnecessary, and the work can be performed efficiently. The order data stored for reordering is deleted after a predetermined storage period has elapsed. In the completed order storage capacity display field 21e, the data amount of all order data stored for reordering is displayed.

  In the sort target data setting field 22, it is possible to set a sort order reference for displaying the order list shown in FIG. Normally, “reception date” is selected as illustrated in FIG. When the reception date / time is selected, the orders are displayed in the order of reception in the order list, and the printing process is basically performed in the order of reception. In addition, “magazine” can be selected as the sort order reference. In such a case, the magazines are sorted in the order of the magazine codes given to the magazines. However, in this embodiment, since there are two types of magazines that can be mounted on the apparatus main body, the magazines that are currently mounted are sorted in the upper rank.

  In the scheduled finishing time setting area 23, data necessary for calculating the scheduled finishing time can be set and input. This area 23 is used to set a scheduled time for photo print output in order to calculate the processing time required for the print processing, and can be set according to the circumstances of each photo shop.

  In the area 23a, a time required to print 24 frames with the standard print size (L size in the example) is set. In the area 23b, a time required to print 12 frames with a large size (six cuts in the example) larger than the standard print size is set. In the area 23c, a time required to print 8 frames in an extra large size (long size) is set. In the area 23d, a time for writing image data on one CD-R using the recording device 40 is set. In the area 23e, a spare time to be taken into account for calculating the scheduled finish time, such as the time for the operator to pack the photo print into the DP bag, is set.

  In the margin time setting area 24, a margin time for each priority is set. In the present embodiment, there are three priority levels of “express finish”, “normal finish”, and “slow finish”, but the number of steps may be further increased. Such priority is set for each order based on a request from a customer. The allowance time is set in consideration of the time required for irregular work such as replacement of the paper magazine 10, replenishment of processing liquid, inspection of finished photo prints, time required for dealing with unexpected troubles, and the like. In each of the areas 24a to 24c, a margin time for an order in which each priority is designated can be set.

  In each of the areas 24a to 24c, the margin time is set longer as the priority is lower, that is, the margin time for “Express Finishing” is the shortest and the margin time for “Slow Finishing” is the longest. there. In order to ensure the relationship between these margin times, a numerical value smaller than the area 24a cannot be input to the area 24b, and a numerical value smaller than the area 24b cannot be input to the area 24c. Alternatively, when a numerical value smaller than the area 24a is input to the area 24b, a warning may be issued to the operator.

  Here, a specific example of a method for calculating the scheduled finishing time and the delivery time will be described. The scheduled finish time is calculated based on the formula “scheduled finish time = waiting time + processing time”. Here, the waiting time is the total processing time of all orders whose print order is earlier than the order of interest. The processing time is calculated based on the data set in the scheduled finishing time setting area 23. On the other hand, the delivery time is calculated based on the expression “delivery time = scheduled finish time + room time”. The margin time is set in the areas 24a to 24c in the margin time setting area 24 and is a margin time corresponding to the priority set by the priority setting unit 5d.

  The calculated finish time and delivery time are displayed in the list of pending orders on the order management screen (see FIG. 4). In the present embodiment, the scheduled finish time is displayed as the finish time, but may be displayed as the time required from the order reception time to the order finish time. The order reception time point can be appropriately defined, for example, when the recording medium is mounted on the reception terminal 20 and the reception process is completed, when the pre-judgment work is started, or when a new order is registered in the spooler 6a. Further, the finishing time of an order can be defined as appropriate, such as the time when all the photographic prints for one order are discharged to the outside of the apparatus or the time when they are accumulated in the accumulating apparatus. Such a definition can be defined for each photo shop.

<Order registration procedure>
Next, the procedure for registering a new order in the spooler 6a will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, priority is set when registering a new order (A) (# 1). At this time, setting the priority registered in the print channel selected in the reception process as the priority of the order (A) makes it easy to set the priority. If the priority is a low priority, a new order is registered according to the normal reception order (# 2, # 6). On the other hand, if the priority is high priority, the scheduled finishing time of another low priority order is recalculated (# 3). As a result of the recalculation, it is determined whether or not there is an order (B) that cannot comply with the delivery date (# 4). If there is no delay in delivery date, a new order is interrupted and registered (# 7). If there is an order (B) that cannot comply with the delivery date, the print order is set and registered so that the order (A) is printed after the order (B) (# 5).

  Next, setting of the print order when registering a new order will be described by giving a specific example. FIG. 7A shows a list of registered orders. All of the priorities are B “normal finish”. Here, it is assumed that an order of priority A “express finish” is registered next to the order currently being printed. In this case, the result of recalculating the scheduled finishing time by the recalculation unit 5h is displayed in FIG. In FIG. Although the scheduled finishing time of orders after 2 will be delayed, both are within the delivery time, and the high priority order can be registered in such a print order.

  FIG. 8 shows another example, where a high priority order is currently being processed. No. 1 is interrupted, No. 1 as shown in FIG. There is a delay in delivery of the 4th order. Therefore, as shown in FIG. The order is registered so as to interrupt after the order of 4. Thereby, there is no delay in delivery for each order, and the high priority order can be printed as soon as possible. When a plurality of orders that cause delivery delays occur, the print order is set so as to interrupt next to the order with the last acceptance order.

  As in the example of FIG. 8C, in order to comply with the delivery date of other low priority orders, interruption of high priority orders may be limited. However, the high priority order is an order for which early print processing is expected, and is required to be interrupted before the low priority order as much as possible. Therefore, by setting the margin time for each priority as described above and setting the margin time for the low priority order relatively long, the delivery time for the low priority order becomes relatively long, and the high priority Since interruption of orders is promoted, scheduling suitable for the actual situation becomes possible.

<Another embodiment>
In the present embodiment, an order for performing print processing from a negative film and an order for performing print processing from a recording medium that has received an order at the receiving terminal 20 can be mixed and processed, but this is performed separately. You can also That is, as the print processing mode in the photo processing apparatus 100, the normal mode and the net mode are switched. In the normal mode, only the print processing from the negative film received by the photo processing apparatus 100 itself is performed. 20 or the network receiving terminal 50 may be configured to perform only the print processing of the order received. In this case, the configuration of the present invention can be applied in each mode. Moreover, you may provide the spooler 6a separately for each mode.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the print order of the registered orders can be arbitrarily changed by the manual order setting unit 5f. Even if it is changed manually, the scheduled finish time will be recalculated, but if the scheduled finish time obtained by the recalculation exceeds the delivery time, that is, if a delivery delay occurs. The changed print order is prioritized. In such a case, it is preferable to provide means for displaying a warning that a delay in delivery date will occur.

Conceptual diagram showing the configuration of the print processing system Block diagram showing functions of photo processing device Figure showing the configuration example of the pre-judge screen Diagram showing the configuration example of the order management screen The figure which shows the example of composition of the setting screen of order management Flow chart showing the procedure for order registration It shows the setting of a print order It shows the setting of a print order

Explanation of symbols

4 Image determination unit 5 Order control unit 5a Order registration unit 5b Print processing control unit 5c Order data deletion unit 5d Priority setting unit 5e Print order setting unit 5f Manual order setting unit 5g Processing time setting unit 5h Recalculation unit 5i Finishing determination unit 6 storage device 6a spooler 6b storage unit 20 reception terminal 40 recording device 100 photo processing device

Claims (3)

An order data storage unit for storing order data including image data for creating a photo print in units of orders;
Set the priority setting section that can set the priority of print processing for each order, the scheduled finish time when the photo prints related to the order will be finished, and the delivery time for the delivery date to deliver the finished photo prints to the customer A processing time setting unit to
An order registration unit for registering / saving order data related to a new order in the order data storage unit;
A recalculation unit that recalculates the scheduled finish time of the low priority order when registering the order so that the high priority order can be printed in preference to the already registered low priority order;
A finish determination unit that determines whether the recalculated estimated finish time exceeds the handing time;
When storing the order data in the order data storage unit, the recalculated scheduled finish time does not exceed the delivery time, and the order print processing is performed based on the priority set by the priority setting unit. A print order setting section for setting the order;
A print processing control unit for instructing print processing for the order data stored in the order data storage unit according to a set print order,
The processing time setting unit can set a margin time for each priority, and the delivery time is calculated based on the scheduled finish time and the margin time corresponding to the priority set by the priority setting unit. ,
The scheduled finishing time is calculated based on the waiting time and the processing time, the processing time is calculated based on the processing time required for the preset printing, and the waiting time is the sum of the processing times of the orders to be printed first. A print processing system.   The print processing system according to claim 1, wherein the processing time setting unit is configured so that the margin time is set longer as the priority is lower.   When the finish determination unit determines that the scheduled finish time exceeds the delivery time, the print order setting unit performs a print processing so that a high priority order is printed next to the low priority order. The print processing system according to claim 1, wherein the order is set.

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