JP6747168B2 - Print job scheduling device and print job scheduling program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a print job scheduling device and a print job scheduling program.

Patent Document 1 aims to provide a job progress monitoring system that can realize the strictness and efficiency of the monitoring operation of the entire system in real time by predicting the delay of the important job thereafter by automatically monitoring the job. Then, in the job progress monitoring system, in the setting process of the monitoring schedule, the schedule set on the same day, the same date, or the day before based on the basic information of the important job is used. There is no need to enter the monitoring schedule one by one, just enter the basic information of each important job when setting it, and the entire monitoring schedule is automatically created, and the history information of the actually executed important jobs is used. It is disclosed that the monitoring schedule is automatically updated, and the history information of the important job is also reflected in the monitoring schedule of the day.

JP, 2004-005205, A

There is a conventional technique for automatically predicting a process and time until output according to the importance of a print job and managing a job schedule. However, the print job has not been scheduled in consideration of the risk of delay in the delivery process.

The gist 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 risk job for extracting a risk job in which there is a possibility that the printed matter may not be delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on a delivery delay risk until the scheduled delivery date and time of the printed matter printed according to the print job. Extraction means, scheduling a print job such that the printed matter printed by the risk job is delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time, job scheduling means, and print job receiving means for receiving a plurality of print jobs for printing the printed matter A delivery route identifying means for identifying a delivery route from each delivery destination of the plurality of print jobs; and a delivery delay risk obtaining means for obtaining a delivery delay risk up to a scheduled delivery date and time on the delivery route, An acquisition unit that acquires weather forecast information in a plurality of delivery areas on the delivery route, and the risk job extraction unit cannot deliver the printed matter by the delivery date and time based on the delivery delay risk. When the risk scheduling job is extracted, the job scheduling means, when delivering the printed matter on the scheduled delivery date, the weather forecast information of each delivery area at the expected time when the printed matter is expected to pass through the delivery area. A job scheduling means, wherein the job scheduling means further affects the influence of the weather forecast information of at least one delivery area of the plurality of delivery areas on the transportation means of the printed matter. From the weather forecast information of other delivery areas passing before or after the delivery area to be received, it is determined whether the other delivery area is also affected, and A print job scheduling device that schedules a print job so that it passes through a plurality of delivery areas that are expected to be affected before the expected transit time .

The invention according to claim 2 is a risk job for extracting a risk job that may not be able to deliver the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on a delivery delay risk until the scheduled delivery date and time of the printed matter printed according to the print job. Extraction means, scheduling a print job such that the printed matter printed by the risk job is delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time, job scheduling means, and print job receiving means for receiving a plurality of print jobs for printing the printed matter A delivery route identifying means for identifying a delivery route from each delivery destination of the plurality of print jobs; and a delivery delay risk obtaining means for obtaining a delivery delay risk up to a scheduled delivery date and time on the delivery route, The risk job extraction means cannot deliver the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on the delivery delay risk, the acquisition means obtaining the congestion forecast information in a plurality of delivery areas on the delivery route. When the risk scheduling job is extracted, the job scheduling means, when delivering the printed matter on the scheduled delivery date, the congestion forecast information of each delivery area at the expected time when the printed matter is expected to pass through the delivery area. Based on the above, the job scheduling means further affects the influence of congestion information of at least one delivery area of the plurality of delivery areas on the transportation means of the printed matter. From the congestion forecast information of other delivery areas passing before or after the delivery area to be received, it is determined whether or not the other delivery area is also affected, and each of the plurality of delivery areas identified as being affected A print job scheduling device that schedules a print job so that it passes through a plurality of delivery areas that are expected to be affected before the expected transit time .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the computer extracts a risk job in which the printed matter may not be delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on a delivery delay risk of the printed matter printed according to the print job by the scheduled delivery date and time. A risk job extracting unit, a print job scheduled so that the printed matter printed by the risk job is delivered by a scheduled delivery date and time, a job scheduling unit, and a plurality of print jobs for printing the printed matter, Job receiving means, specifying delivery routes from respective delivery destinations of the plurality of print jobs, delivery route specifying means, obtaining delivery delay risk up to the scheduled delivery date and time on the delivery route, delivery delay risk acquisition Means for obtaining weather forecast information in a plurality of delivery areas on the delivery route, functioning as an obtaining means, and the risk job extracting means delivers the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time based on the delivery delay risk. When the risk scheduling job is extracted, the job scheduling means, when delivering the printed matter on the scheduled delivery date, the weather forecast of each delivery area at the expected time when the printed matter is expected to pass through the delivery area. Scheduling a print job based on the information, wherein the job scheduling means further applies when the weather forecast information of at least one delivery area of the plurality of delivery areas affects the transportation means of the printed matter. From the weather forecast information of other delivery areas passing before or after the affected delivery area, it is determined whether or not the other delivery area is also affected, and each of the plurality of delivery areas specified to be affected Is a print job scheduling program for scheduling a print job so as to pass through a plurality of delivery areas that are expected to be affected before the expected transit time.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the computer extracts a risk job in which the printed matter may not be delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on the delivery delay risk by the scheduled delivery date and time of the printed matter printed according to the print job. A risk job extracting unit, a print job scheduled so that the printed matter printed by the risk job is delivered by a scheduled delivery date and time, a job scheduling unit, and a plurality of print jobs for printing the printed matter, Job receiving means, specifying delivery routes from respective delivery destinations of the plurality of print jobs, delivery route specifying means, obtaining delivery delay risk up to the scheduled delivery date and time on the delivery route, delivery delay risk acquisition Means, and functioning as an acquisition means for acquiring congestion information in a plurality of delivery areas on the delivery route, the risk job extraction means delivers the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time based on the delivery delay risk. When the risk scheduling job is extracted, the job scheduling unit, when delivering the printed matter on the scheduled delivery date, predicts the congestion of each delivery area at the expected time when the printed matter is expected to pass through the delivery area. Scheduling a print job based on the information, wherein the job scheduling means further includes: when the congestion prediction information of at least one delivery area of the plurality of delivery areas affects the transportation means of the printed matter. From the congestion forecast information of other delivery areas passing before or after the affected delivery area, it is determined whether or not the other delivery area is also affected, and each of the plurality of delivery areas specified to be affected Is a print job scheduling program for scheduling a print job so as to pass through a plurality of delivery areas that are expected to be affected before the expected transit time.

According to the print job scheduling apparatus of the first aspect, it is possible to schedule printing in consideration of the risk of delay occurring in the delivery process. Further, it becomes possible to schedule printing in consideration of the weather forecast information in the delivery area of the printed matter. Then, it becomes possible to schedule printing in consideration of the weather forecast information in other delivery areas passing before or after the delivery area.

According to the print job scheduling apparatus of the second aspect, it is possible to schedule the printing in consideration of the risk of delay occurring in the delivery process. Further, it becomes possible to schedule printing in consideration of the traffic congestion prediction information in the delivery area of the printed matter. Then, it becomes possible to schedule printing in consideration of the traffic congestion prediction information in other delivery areas passing before or after the delivery area.

According to the print job scheduling program of the third aspect, it is possible to schedule the printing in consideration of the risk of delay occurring in the delivery process. Further, it becomes possible to schedule printing in consideration of the weather forecast information in the delivery area of the printed matter. Then, it becomes possible to schedule printing in consideration of the weather forecast information in other delivery areas passing before or after the delivery area.

According to the print job scheduling program of the fourth aspect, it is possible to schedule the printing in consideration of the risk of delay occurring in the delivery process. Further, it becomes possible to schedule printing in consideration of the traffic congestion prediction information in the delivery area of the printed matter. Then, it becomes possible to schedule printing in consideration of the traffic congestion prediction information in other delivery areas passing before or after the delivery area.

It is a conceptual module block diagram about the structural example of this Embodiment. It is an explanatory view showing an example of a system configuration using this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process by this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process by this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the delivery example by a delivery company. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a process by this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a process by this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a process by this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure example of a weather forecast table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure example of a traffic jam prediction table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure example of a weather delay risk authorization condition table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a data structure of a congestion delay risk recognition condition table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure example of a delay flag table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a process by this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the data structure example of a delay flag table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a process 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 with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual module block diagram of a configuration example of this embodiment.
Note that a module generally refers to a logically separable software (computer program), hardware, or other component. Therefore, the module in the present embodiment refers not only to the module in the computer program but also to the module in the hardware configuration. Therefore, the present embodiment is directed to computer programs for causing them to function as modules (a program for causing a computer to execute each procedure, a program for causing a computer to function as each means, and a computer having each function. And a system and method for realizing the above. However, for convenience of explanation, “store”, “store”, and similar words are used, but these words are stored in a storage device or stored when the embodiment is a computer program. This means that the device is controlled to be stored. Further, the modules may correspond to the functions one-to-one, but in the implementation, one module may be configured by one program, or a plurality of modules may be configured by one program, or conversely one module. May be composed of a plurality of programs. Moreover, a plurality of modules may be executed by one computer, or one module may be executed by a plurality of computers in a distributed or parallel environment. Note that one module may include another module. Further, hereinafter, “connection” is used not only in the case of physical connection but also in the case of logical connection (data transfer, instruction, reference relationship between data, etc.). The term “predetermined” means that it is determined before the target processing, not only before the processing according to the present embodiment starts but also after the processing according to the present embodiment starts. Also, if it is before the target processing, it is used with the intention of being determined according to the situation/state at that time or according to the situation/state up to that point. When there are a plurality of "predetermined values", they may be different values, or two or more values (including, of course, all values) may be the same. In addition, the description "if A, do B" is used to mean "determine whether or not it is A, and if it is A, do B". However, the case where it is not necessary to determine whether or not it is A is excluded.
Further, the system or device is configured by connecting a plurality of computers, hardware, devices, etc. by a communication means such as a network (including one-to-one correspondence communication connection), or one computer, hardware, device The case where it is realized by the above is also included. "Device" and "system" are used as synonymous terms. Of course, "system" does not include what is merely a social "mechanism" (social system) that is an artificial arrangement.
In addition, when performing a plurality of processes in each module or in each module, the target information is read from the storage device, the processing result is written to the storage device after performing the process. is there. Therefore, the description of reading from the storage device before processing and writing to the storage device after processing may be omitted. The storage device here may include a hard disk, a RAM (Random Access Memory), an external storage medium, a storage device via a communication line, a register in a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and the like.

The image processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment performs printing according to a print job, and includes a print job processing apparatus 102 and a print module 155 as shown in the example of FIG.
The print job processing apparatus 102 performs print job scheduling (including rescheduling). A print job (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a job) refers to a print instruction for printing a printed matter. The risk job is a print job in which there is a possibility that the printed matter cannot be delivered by the scheduled delivery date (desired delivery date) (hereinafter, also referred to as delivery delay risk). The scheduled delivery date and time may be designated by the date and time (year, month, day, hour, minute, etc., or a combination thereof), or the date (next day, next day, etc.) and morning or afternoon. May be a combination or the like.

The print job processing apparatus 102 includes a job reception module 105, a job scheduling module 110, a job information acquisition module 120, a job processing time estimation module 125, and an external information acquisition module 130, and is connected to the printing module 155.
The job reception module 105 is connected to the user terminal 195. There may be a plurality of connected user terminals 195. The job receiving module 105 receives a plurality of print jobs for printing a printed matter. A plurality of print jobs may be received from the user terminal 195, or print jobs may be received from a plurality of user terminals 195.

The job scheduling module 110 has a job interruption determination module 115. The job scheduling module 110 uses the job interruption determination module 115 to perform the following processing.
The job scheduling module 110 basically creates a print job output schedule by a FIFO (First In First Out) process. That is, when there is no delay risk of the print job, the job is processed by the FIFO, and when there is a delay risk, a schedule in which the print job having the delay risk is interrupted is generated.
The job scheduling module 110 determines whether the newly received print job is a risk job (print job with delay risk).
The job scheduling module 110 interrupts a risk job. That is, the risk job is inserted (scheduled) into the schedule created by the FIFO treatment. The destination of the insertion is not the original position (the end of the FIFO) but the front position. As a result, it becomes possible to output a print job that has a delivery delay risk first.

The job interruption determination module 115 is connected to the job processing time estimation module 125 and the external information acquisition module 130. The job interruption determination module 115 acquires the delivery delay risk up to the scheduled delivery date and time on the delivery route calculated by the job delivery information calculation module 135. In other words, the delay risk of the print job after delivery (from the request for delivery of the printed matter to the arrival at the customer) is determined. Specifically, the delivery delay risk is determined using the information acquired from the external information acquisition module 130.
Then, the job interruption determination module 115 extracts a risk job that may not be able to deliver the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on the delivery delay risk by the scheduled delivery date and time of the printed matter to be printed according to the print job.
Then, the job interruption determination module 115 schedules the print job such that the printed matter printed by the risk job is delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time.
Further, the job interruption determination module 115 may extract a risk job in which the printed matter may not be delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on the delivery delay risk.

Then, when delivering the printed matter on the scheduled delivery date, the job interruption determination module 115 schedules the print job based on the weather forecast information of each delivery area at the estimated time when the printed matter is expected to pass through the delivery area. You may do it.
Further, when the weather forecast information of at least one delivery area of the plurality of delivery areas affects the transportation means of the printed matter, the job interruption determination module 115 passes the delivery area before or after the affected delivery area. From the weather forecast information of the other delivery areas, identify whether the other delivery areas are also affected, and determine the impact before the expected transit time of each of the delivery areas identified as affected. The print job may be scheduled to pass through multiple delivery areas that are expected to be received.
Further, the job interruption determination module 115 may specify that the delivery area is affected when heavy rain, heavy snow, storm (may include strong wind) or typhoon is expected in the delivery area.

Further, when delivering the printed matter on the scheduled delivery date, the job interruption determination module 115 schedules the print job based on the congestion forecast information of each delivery area at the expected time when the printed matter is expected to pass through the delivery area. You may do it.
Further, when the traffic jam prediction information of at least one delivery area of the plurality of delivery areas affects the transportation means of the printed matter, the job interruption determination module 115 passes the delivery area before or after the affected delivery area. From the traffic congestion forecast information of other delivery areas, identify whether or not the other delivery areas will be affected, and check the impact before the expected transit time of each of the delivery areas identified as affected. The print job may be scheduled to pass through multiple delivery areas that are expected to be received.
Further, the job interruption determination module 115 may specify that the delivery area is affected when the congestion in the delivery area is expected to be longer than or longer than a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is, for example, 20 km.

Further, the job interruption determination module 115 further acquires the collection deadline date and time according to the delivery destination of the printed matter, and is printed by the risk job between the reception date and time of the print job for printing the printed matter and the collection deadline date and time. The print job may be scheduled so that the printed matter is delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time.

The job interruption determination module 115 determines whether or not the delay risk can be avoided by interrupting the risk job. Specifically, when an interruption occurs, it is determined whether the print job after the interruption is not shipped the next day.
Further, the job interruption determination module 115 determines, when an interruption occurs, whether a delay risk occurs in a print job after the interruption. The delay risk judgment of the print job after the interruption may be performed in the same manner as the judgment for the newly accepted print job. That is, the process for the “newly accepted print job” may be performed for the “print job after interruption”.

The job information acquisition module 120 is connected to the job processing time estimation module 125. The job information acquisition module 120 acquires, from the print job received by the job reception module 105, destination information such as an address indicating the delivery destination of the printed matter and print job amount information indicating the time required for printing. The print job amount information specifically includes the number of pages, paper size, designation of color/monochrome printing, number of photos, size of photos, size of PDF, etc., and is information for predicting the time required for printing. is there.
The job processing time estimation module 125 is connected to the job interruption determination module 115 and the job information acquisition module 120 of the job scheduling module 110. The job processing time estimation module 125 calculates the printing time (the time from the print instruction is issued until the printing is completed) in the print job received by the job receiving module 105, from the print job amount information. Specifically, it may be calculated based on the print job amount information and the print performance (processing amount per unit time) of the print module 155.

The external information acquisition module 130 includes a job delivery information calculation module 135, a weather forecast information calculation module 140, and a traffic jam prediction information calculation module 145, and is connected to the job interruption determination module 115 of the job scheduling module 110.
The job delivery information calculation module 135 is connected to the delivery destination route/area information calculation/management module 167 of the delivery management system 165. The job delivery information calculation module 135 identifies the delivery route from each delivery destination of the plurality of print jobs accepted by the job acceptance module 105. Specifically, the delivery route (including the region) is calculated, and the regional transit time on the delivery route is calculated.
The weather forecast information calculation module 140 is connected to the weather forecast calculation module 172 of the weather forecast system 170. The weather forecast information calculation module 140 acquires the weather forecast information in a plurality of delivery areas on the delivery route calculated by the job delivery information calculation module 135. For example, the weather forecast at the transit time for each area on the delivery route is acquired from the weather forecast system 170.
The traffic jam prediction information calculation module 145 is connected to the traffic jam prediction calculation module 177 of the traffic jam prediction system 175. The traffic jam prediction information calculation module 145 acquires traffic jam prediction information in a plurality of delivery areas on the delivery route calculated by the job delivery information calculation module 135. For example, the traffic congestion prediction at the transit time for each area on the delivery route is acquired from the traffic congestion prediction system 175. In addition, according to the common practice, the term "forecast" is used for weather and "forecast" is used for congestion, but it means that the future is estimated (predicted) in advance. There is no difference.
The print module 155 is connected to the print job processing apparatus 102. The print module 155 performs printing by the print job (generates a printed matter) according to the schedule generated by the print job processing apparatus 102.

The delivery unit 160 delivers the printed matter according to an instruction from the delivery management system 165. Specifically, the printed matter is delivered to the delivery company. This delivery work may be performed by a human or a robot (including an industrial robot) or the like.
The delivery management system 165 has a delivery route/area information calculation/management module 167.
The delivery route/area information calculation/management module 167 is connected to the job delivery information calculation module 135 of the external information acquisition module 130. The delivery destination route/area information calculation/management module 167 manages the delivery route and delivery time of the delivered product (printed product).
The weather forecast system 170 has a weather forecast calculation module 172.
The weather forecast calculation module 172 is connected to the weather forecast information calculation module 140 of the external information acquisition module 130. The weather forecast calculation module 172 calculates a weather forecast. For example, the weather forecast service of the Meteorological Agency (including weather alerts, warnings, designated river flood forecasts, landslide disaster alert information, tsunami forecasts, earthquake information, eruption alerts and forecasts) (http://www.jma.go.jp) /Jp/yoho/) etc.
The traffic jam prediction system 175 has a traffic jam prediction calculation module 177.
The traffic congestion prediction calculation module 177 is connected to the traffic congestion prediction information calculation module 145 of the external information acquisition module 130. The traffic jam prediction calculation module 177 calculates a traffic jam prediction. For example, there is a traffic jam prediction system (http://www.drivetraffic.jp/map.html?t=p&pmode=cal).

The user terminal 195 is connected to the job reception module 105 of the print job processing apparatus 102. The user terminal 195 sends the print job to the image processing apparatus 100. The user terminal 195 requests printing according to the operation of the user who is the customer, and is, for example, a personal computer (PC), a portable information communication device, or the like. Specifically, a home page prepared by the image processing apparatus 100 is displayed using a browser, and a print request including designation of an electronic document to be printed, destination information indicating a delivery destination of the printed matter, scheduled delivery date and time, and the like is issued. To do.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a system configuration example using this embodiment.
The image processing apparatus 100, the delivery management system 165, the weather forecast system 170, the traffic jam prediction system 175, the user terminal 195A, the user terminal 195B, the user terminal 195C, and the user terminal 195D are connected via a communication line 290. The communication line 290 may be wireless, wired, or a combination thereof. For example, the communication infrastructure may be the Internet, an intranet, or the like. Further, the functions of the image processing apparatus 100, the delivery management system 165, the weather forecast system 170, and the traffic congestion prediction system 175 may be realized as a cloud service.

An overview will be given. It should be noted that this description is intended to facilitate understanding of the present embodiment.
The image processing apparatus 100 receives a print job from a plurality of user terminals 195, prints a printed matter, and gives an instruction for delivering the printed matter to each delivery destination.
The print job processing apparatus 102 in the image processing apparatus 100 schedules print jobs in consideration of the risk of delivery delay that occurs in the delivery work of the delivery company. If the risk of delay in delivery is not taken into consideration (that is, if this embodiment is not used), even if printing is performed in accordance with the delivery schedule up to shipment, if the delivery process is delayed, the customer (print job Those who give instructions) will be less satisfied.
In the image processing apparatus 100, not only the printing is completed according to the delivery date, but also the process until the printed matter reaches the customer is managed to reduce the delivery delay risk. Specifically, the image processing apparatus 100, which is a printing system,
・Calculating the delivery time from the delivery area and delivery route information,
Regarding the calculation of the delivery time, calculating the delivery time in consideration of the weather condition/congestion condition from the weather forecast system 170 and the traffic congestion prediction system 175,
I do.
Then, in consideration of the delivery time, the image processing apparatus 100
-Calculate the completion time of the print job from the job information and reflect it in the print job schedule.
-Manage print jobs that have a risk of delay in delivery completion as risk jobs (important jobs) and change the print completion time to reduce the risk.
I do.
That is, the image processing apparatus 100 predicts a delivery delay risk in advance, and based on that, schedules a print job with a delivery delay risk suppressed. As a result, the product will be delivered to the customer without delay and the satisfaction level will be improved.

3 and 4 are flowcharts showing a processing example according to the present embodiment.
In step S302, the job receiving module 105 receives a job.
In step S304, the job information acquisition module 120 acquires “destination information” and “print job amount information” of the job.
In step S306, the job processing time estimation module 125 estimates the job processing time. It is calculated from the “print job amount information” and the performance information of the print module 155.
In step S308, the job delivery information calculation module 135 calculates the delivery route/region and the delivery route/region passing time. It is calculated from "destination information".
In step S310, the job interruption determination module 115 determines the weather risk. Therefore, the weather forecast information calculation module 140 acquires the weather forecast information from the weather forecast system 170 and passes it to the job interruption determination module 115. Then, the job interruption determination module 115 acquires the weather forecast at the “passage time” in the “delivery route/area” from the weather forecast information.
In step S312, the job interruption determination module 115 determines whether or not there is “any one or more of heavy rain, heavy snowfall, storm, and typhoon” in the weather forecast at the time of passing through the delivery route/area, and if there is, step S314. Otherwise, to step S316 otherwise.
In step S314, the job interruption determination module 115 sets a "weather risk" flag (information indicating whether there is a weather risk) for the job.

In step S316, the job interruption determination module 115 determines the congestion risk. Therefore, the traffic jam prediction information calculation module 145 acquires the traffic jam prediction information from the traffic jam prediction system 175 and passes it to the job interruption determination module 115. Then, the job interruption determination module 115 acquires the traffic congestion prediction at the “passage time” in the “delivery route/area” from the traffic congestion prediction information.
In step S318, the job interruption determination module 115 determines whether or not there is a traffic congestion prediction of 20 km or more in the traffic congestion prediction at the time of passing through the delivery route/area. If yes, the process proceeds to step S320, and if not, step S322. Go to.
In step S320, the job interruption determination module 115 sets a "congestion risk" flag (information indicating whether there is a congestion risk) for the job.
In step S322, the job interruption determination module 115 determines the job insertion. Therefore, the "weather risk" flag and the "congestion risk" flag are confirmed.
In step S324, the job interruption determination module 115 determines whether or not the job has “weather risk” or “congestion risk”. If yes, the process proceeds to step S326; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S336. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the "weather risk" flag and the "congestion risk" flag are set.

In step S326, the job interruption determination module 115 determines whether or not the delay risk of the target job is eliminated by inserting the target job before the job that does not have the delay risk in the current schedule.
In step S328, the job interruption determination module 115 determines whether or not the delay risk flag of the interrupted job is not raised due to interruption, and if it is not raised (when it is determined in step S326 that the risk is eliminated), the step is performed. If not, the process proceeds to step S336.
In step S330, the job interruption determination module 115 determines whether or not the job to be shipped today that has been interrupted is not shipped the next day by interrupting. If the job is not shipped the next day, the process proceeds to step S332, and otherwise. Advances to step S336.

In step S332, the job interruption determination module 115 determines whether or not a new delay risk occurs in the job after the interruption by interrupting. If not, the process proceeds to step S334, otherwise, the step proceeds to step S334. Proceed to S336.
In step S334, the job interruption determination module 115 performs job insertion scheduling, and proceeds to step S338. For example, the target job is inserted (interrupted) at the head of the schedule (that is, the head of the FIFO, the job to be performed next).
In step S336, the job interruption determination module 115 performs scheduling by the FIFO process for the job for which the No determination is made in any of steps S324, S328, S330, and S332.
In step S338, the job interruption determination module 115 prints the job according to the schedule.

The following is a description using a specific example.
Specifically, the printing service provided by the image processing apparatus 100 promises "if the Web is accepted by 14:00, the same day shipping", and the user can select the A or B flights of the delivery company. Specify either. In other words, according to this promise, designating either A or B of the delivery company will specify the scheduled delivery date and time.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of delivery by a delivery company.
The contents of the delivery service by this delivery company are as follows.
・ Pick up twice a day (around 12:00 and 17:00)
・If it is in time for the second pickup, it will be handled on the same day. ・The farther the destination is, the easier it will be for the pickup time. For example, in the case of delivery from Tokyo to Hokkaido, the same day will be delivered the afternoon of the next day. There is a possibility that it will not be in time for the user's desired delivery time, such as delivery in the afternoon and delivery in the morning on the day after the second day.
And, in the case of Flight A, if an order is received by 13:59 of the order date (the same day), it will be shipped on that day, and the scheduled delivery date will be from the 3rd day, and the order date (the same day) after 14:00 If you receive an order from, the item will be shipped the next day, and the scheduled delivery date will be the fourth and subsequent days.
For Flight B, if an order is received by 13:59 of the order date (the same day), it will be shipped on that day, and the first or second day will be the scheduled delivery date, and the order date (the same day) of 14:00. If an order is received after that, it will be shipped the next day, and the scheduled delivery date will be the second or third day. In the following explanation, "the first or second day is the scheduled delivery date" is "the first day (the next day) the scheduled delivery date in the morning", and "the second or third day is the scheduled delivery date""Day" will be described as "scheduled delivery date and time in the morning of the second day (two days after the next day)".

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing example according to the present embodiment. 6 is a time table when the delivery service shown in the example of FIG. 5 is used.
The example of FIG. 6A shows the second job acceptance deadline. Specifically, 14:00 is the "job deadline", 2 hours after that "printing and packing" work, "shipping" at 16:00, "delivery to the collection center" 1 hour after that, It indicates that it will be in time for the "collection deadline" at 17:00.
The example of FIG. 6B shows the first job acceptance deadline calculated backward based on the example of FIG. 6A. Specifically, at 9 o'clock the "job reception deadline", after 2 hours "printing and packing" work, "shipping" at 11 o'clock, then 1 hour "delivery to the collection center", It indicates that it will be in time for the "collection deadline" at 12:00.

The service example implemented in this embodiment is as follows as a model case.
If the delivery job to Shizuoka received at 10 o'clock is FIFO processed as usual, it will be shipped in the afternoon (see FIG. 6A), and the arrival schedule will be the next morning. However, tomorrow morning weather in Shizuoka is expected to be heavy rain and storm. In other words, there is a possibility that delivery will be delayed due to the effects of heavy rain and storms (there is a delay risk). On the other hand, the weather in Shizuoka this afternoon is cloudy and there is no risk of delay in delivery. In other words, if it is delivered in the morning, it can be delivered without risk of delay.
Therefore, the print job processing apparatus 102 schedules the job by interrupt printing and sending it in the morning (see FIG. 6B).

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing example according to the present embodiment.
The example shown in FIG. 7A is a combination of the time table shown in the example of FIG. 6A and the time table shown in the example of FIG. 6B.
The jobs received are classified into three cases as shown below.
Case (1)
As in the example shown in FIG. 7(b1), the jobs received by 9 o'clock are printed, packed, etc. by the time 11:00, delivered to the collection center at 11:00, and collected by 12:00. This is the case to meet (pickup 1). This will be treated as a morning shipment of the day.
Case (2)
As in the example shown in FIG. 7(b2), jobs received from 9:00 to 14:00 are printed, packed, and the like by the time of 16:00, and delivered to the collection center at 16:00. This is the case to meet the pickup (collection 2) up to. This will be treated as the same-day afternoon shipment.
Case (3)
As in the example shown in FIG. 7(b3), a job received from 14:00 to 9:00 of the next day is printed, packed, and the like by the time of 11:00 of the next day, and the collection center at 11:00 of the next day. This is a case where the product is delivered to and collected by 12 o'clock the next day. This will be treated as the next morning shipment. The case (3) may be treated as the case (1).
In the present embodiment, job scheduling is performed in consideration of the delay risk of delivery (delivery after collection) in these cases.

(1) The job processing time estimation module 125 calculates the job processing time from the received job amount. For example, the print job amount information of the job accepted by the job acceptance module 105 is 100 copies of a color 10-page booklet. In this case, it is assumed that the job processing time (including packing work) is calculated as 30 minutes.

(2) The job delivery information calculation module 135 calculates the following from the time when the job is accepted and the delivery destination information.
The pickup time is calculated from the time when the job is accepted. Then, the delivery route (including the area) and the passing time in the area are calculated from the delivery destination information.
For example, as shown in FIG. 8, assume that a job is accepted at 10:00 and the delivery destination is Shizuoka. In this case, if the scheduling is performed by the FIFO process, it takes up to 16:00 until the printing/packing work is completed, and the cargo can be collected at 17:00. Therefore, the job delivery information calculation module 135 uses, as the delivery route, Area 1 (Tokai) from 18:00 (Tokyo Concentration Center) to 21:00 (Shizuoka Concentration Center), and 10 o'clock (Shizuoka Concentration Center) from the next day to 10th. Area 2 (Tokai) is calculated until time (customer who is the destination).

(3) The weather forecast information calculation module 140 and the traffic jam forecast information calculation module 145 acquire the weather forecast and traffic jam information at that time from the area passing time.
The weather forecast information calculation module 140 acquires, for example, the weather forecast table 900 from the weather forecast system 170. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data structure of the weather forecast table 900. The weather forecast table 900 has a region column 910, a date/time column 920, and a weather forecast column 930. The region column 910 stores regions (delivery areas). The date and time column 920 stores the date and time. The weather forecast column 930 stores the weather forecast for the region at that date and time. For example, "In the Tokai-Higashi region, it is cloudy on the afternoon of the day and heavy rain and storm forecast on the morning of the next day" is acquired.
The traffic jam prediction information calculation module 145 acquires, for example, the traffic jam prediction table 1000 from the traffic jam prediction system 175. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data structure of the traffic jam prediction table 1000. The traffic jam prediction table 1000 has a road field 1010, a date/time field 1020, and a traffic jam prediction field 1030. The road column 1010 stores roads (delivery routes). The date and time column 1020 stores the date and time. The traffic jam prediction column 1030 stores the traffic jam prediction of the road at that date and time. For example, “No traffic congestion forecast on the Shuto Expressway from the afternoon of the day to tomorrow morning. No traffic congestion forecast on the Chuo Expressway from the afternoon of the day to tomorrow morning” is acquired.

(4) The job interruption determination module 115 calculates the "delay risk" from the weather forecast information and the traffic congestion prediction information and sets a flag.
For example, referring to the weather delay risk qualification condition table 1100, it is determined whether or not there is a delay risk. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data structure of the weather delay risk recognition condition table 1100. The weather delay risk authorization condition table 1100 has a condition ID column 1110 and a weather delay risk target column 1120, and stores a predetermined delay risk occurrence condition in weather. The condition ID column 1110 stores information (condition ID: IDentification) for uniquely identifying the condition in the present embodiment. The weather delay risk target field 1120 stores the weather delay risk target. For example, if there is a heavy snow forecast, a heavy rain forecast, a storm forecast, a typhoon forecast, etc., it is determined that there is a "delay risk" and the "weather risk" flag is set.

Further, for example, with reference to the congestion delay risk qualification condition table 1200, it is determined whether or not there is a delay risk. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data structure of the congestion delay risk qualification condition table 1200. The congestion delay risk recognition condition table 1200 has a condition ID column 1210 and a congestion risk target column 1220, and stores a predetermined delay risk occurrence condition in congestion. The condition ID column 1210 stores the condition ID. The congestion risk target column 1220 stores the congestion risk target. For example, in the case where “congestion of 20 km or more is expected on the delivery route” and the like, there is a “delay risk” and a “congestion risk” flag is set.
Then, if any one of the "delay risk"("weatherrisk" flag, "congestion risk" flag) is set, the procedure proceeds to (5). If these flags are not set, scheduling is performed by the FIFO process as usual.

In the above-mentioned case, the flag state is as in the delay flag table 1300 shown in the example of FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a data structure example of the delay flag table 1300. The delay flag table 1300 has a heavy snow forecast column 1310, a heavy rain forecast column 1320, a storm forecast column 1330, a typhoon forecast column 1340, and a traffic jam forecast column 1350 for each area calculated in (2). The heavy snow forecast column 1310 stores a flag indicating whether or not a heavy snow forecast has been issued. The heavy rain forecast column 1320 stores a flag indicating whether or not a heavy rain forecast has been issued. The storm forecast column 1330 stores a flag indicating whether or not a storm forecast has been issued. The typhoon forecast column 1340 stores a flag indicating whether or not a typhoon forecast has been issued. The traffic jam prediction field 1350 stores a flag indicating whether or not a traffic jam prediction is issued.
Since the flag is set in the delay flag table 1300, in the above-mentioned example, the process proceeds to the next (5).

(5) Job interruption judgment is performed.
(5.1) The determination process (A) is performed.
The job interruption determination module 115 determines whether or not the delay risk can be avoided by executing the interruption.
(5.1.1) The job delivery information calculation module 135 recalculates the transit time of the area on the delivery route on the assumption of an interruption.
For example, as shown in FIG. 14, it is assumed that the job is accepted at 10:00 and the delivery destination is Shizuoka. In this case, the scheduling is such that the target job is interrupted, and the work of printing/packing is completed before 11 o'clock and in time for the pickup at 12 o'clock. Therefore, the job delivery information calculation module 135 uses the delivery route as Area 1 (Tokai) from 13:00 (Tokyo Aggregation Center) to 16:00 (Shizuoka Aggregation Center) and from 17:00 (Shizuoka Aggregation Center) to 19:00 (at the delivery destination). It is calculated that it is Area 2 (Tokai) up to a certain customer.

(5.1.2) The weather forecast information calculation module 140 and the traffic jam forecast information calculation module 145 acquire the weather forecast and traffic jam information at that time from the area passing time.
The weather forecast information calculation module 140 acquires, for example, “Tokai region, cloudy on the afternoon of the day”.
The traffic jam prediction information calculation module 145 acquires, for example, "No traffic jam forecast on the Shuto Expressway on the afternoon of the day. No traffic jam forecast on the Chuo Expressway on the afternoon of the day."

(5.1.3) The job interruption determination module 115 calculates a "delay risk" from the weather forecast information and the traffic congestion prediction information, and sets a flag.
For example, the weather delay risk qualification condition table 1100 and the congestion delay risk qualification condition table 1200 are referenced to determine whether or not there is a delay risk.
In this case, a flag state like the delay flag table 1500 shown in the example of FIG. 15 is set. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the data structure of the delay flag table 1500. The delay flag table 1500 has the same data structure as the delay flag table 1300.
The flag is not set in the delay flag table 1500.

(5.1.4) If all the "delay risk" flags are eliminated by executing the interrupt, the following (5.2) determination processing is executed.
When there is a "delay risk" (when a flag is set in the delay flag table 1500), scheduling is performed by normal FIFO processing. That is, the scheduling is performed in the state before the interrupt is executed. Even if the interruption is performed, the printed matter of the target job cannot be delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time, so that it does not affect other jobs.

(5.2) The determination process (B) is performed.
By executing the interruption, it is determined whether the job to be shipped on the same day will not be shipped the next day.
As shown in the example of FIG. 16A, it is assumed that there is a schedule by the FIFO process. When the job 7 is accepted at 10:00, the schedule after 10:00 is job 3, job 4, job 5, job 6, and job 7 in this order. The processing time for each job is 30 minutes. Here, the job 7 is to be shipped in the afternoon of the day. It is assumed that jobs 3 to 6 have no risk of delay.
Then, since the job 7 has a risk of delay, the job 7 is interrupted at the head of the schedule as shown in the example of FIG. 16B. Therefore, the schedule after 10:00 is the order of job 7, job 3, job 4, job 5, and job 6. Job 7 has no risk of delay. Since 17:00 is the same-day shipping limit (deadline), even for job 6, it is determined that the job will not be shipped the next day because the limit will not be exceeded when job 6 ends.
If the job scheduled to be shipped on the same day is not to be shipped the next day in the determination of (5.2), the determination processing of the next (5.3) is performed.
If the job scheduled to be shipped on the same day is to be shipped the next day (when the end time of the job exceeds the limit of 17:00), normal FIFO processing is used for scheduling. That is, the scheduling is performed in the state before the interrupt is executed. This is to prevent the job received first from being disadvantaged by the job received later.

(5.3) The determination process (C) is performed.
By executing the interruption, it is determined whether or not a new delay risk is generated in the job after the interruption.
In the example of FIG. 6B, by interrupting the job 7, the job 6 is shipped in the afternoon. With respect to the job 6, the delay risk in the case of interruption is re-determined. Note that this re-determination performs the same processing as (5.1.1) to (5.1.3). However, the target job is job 6.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6C, it is determined that the job 6 does not have a new risk of delay.
In this way, in the determination processing of (5.3), if a new delay risk does not occur for the job in the schedule after interruption, the interruption printing is scheduled. This schedule is in the order of job 7, job 3, job 4, job 5, and job 6.
When a new delay risk occurs, the scheduling is performed by the normal FIFO process. That is, the scheduling is performed in the state before the interrupt is executed. This is to prevent the job received first from being disadvantaged by the job received later.

With reference to FIG. 17, a hardware configuration example of the image processing apparatus 100, the delivery management system 165, the weather forecast system 170, and the traffic congestion prediction system 175 of the present embodiment will be described. The configuration shown in FIG. 17 is configured by, for example, a PC or the like, and shows an example of a hardware configuration including a data reading unit 1717 such as a scanner and a data output unit 1718 such as a printer.

The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1701 is the various modules described in the above embodiments, that is, the job reception module 105, the job scheduling module 110, the job interruption determination module 115, the job information acquisition module 120, and the job processing time estimation module. 125, external information acquisition module 130, job delivery information calculation module 135, weather forecast information calculation module 140, traffic congestion forecast information calculation module 145, printing module 155, delivery route/area information calculation/management module 167, weather forecast calculation module 172. , A traffic congestion prediction calculation module 177, etc. is a control unit that executes processing according to a computer program that describes an execution sequence of each module.

A ROM (Read Only Memory) 1702 stores programs used by the CPU 1701 and calculation parameters. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 1703 stores programs used in the execution of the CPU 1701 and parameters that change appropriately during the execution. These are connected to each other by a host bus 1704 including a CPU bus and the like.

The host bus 1704 is connected to an external bus 1706 such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect/Interface) bus via a bridge 1705.

A pointing device 1709 such as a keyboard 1708 and a mouse is a device operated by an operator. The display 1710 is a liquid crystal display device, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), or the like, and displays various information as text or image information. Further, a touch screen or the like having both functions of the pointing device 1709 and the display 1710 may be used.

An HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 1711 has a built-in hard disk (which may be a flash memory or the like), drives the hard disk, and records or reproduces a program or information executed by the CPU 1701. The hard disk stores print jobs, print information, schedules, processing results by each module, and the like. Further, other various data, various computer programs, etc. are stored.

The drive 1712 reads out the data or program recorded in the removable recording medium 1713 such as a mounted magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, and outputs the data or program to the interface 1707 or the external bus 1706. , A bridge 1705, and a RAM 1703 connected via a host bus 1704. The removable recording medium 1713 can also be used as a data recording area.

The connection port 1714 is a port for connecting the externally connected device 1715, and has a connection unit such as USB or IEEE1394. The connection port 1714 is connected to the CPU 1701 and the like via the interface 1707, the external bus 1706, the bridge 1705, the host bus 1704, and the like. The communication unit 1716 is connected to the communication line and executes data communication processing with the outside. The data reading unit 1717 is, for example, a scanner and executes a document reading process. The data output unit 1718 is, for example, a printer, and executes document data output processing.

Note that the hardware configurations of the image processing apparatus 100, the delivery management system 165, the weather forecast system 170, and the traffic congestion prediction system 175 shown in FIG. 17 show one configuration example, and this embodiment is shown in FIG. The configuration is not limited to the one shown, and may be any configuration that can execute the modules described in the present embodiment. For example, some of the modules may be configured by dedicated hardware (for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), and some of the modules are in an external system and are connected by a communication line. Alternatively, a plurality of systems shown in FIG. 17 may be connected to each other through communication lines so that they cooperate with each other. In addition to personal computers, portable information communication devices (including mobile phones, smartphones, mobile devices, wearable computers, etc.), information appliances, robots, copiers, fax machines, scanners, printers, multifunction machines (scanners, printers, etc.). It may be incorporated in an image processing apparatus having two or more functions such as a copying machine and a fax machine.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which both the weather forecast information and the traffic congestion prediction information are used is shown, but either the weather forecast information or the traffic congestion prediction information may be used.

The program described may be stored in a recording medium and provided, or the program may be provided by communication means. In that case, for example, the program described above may be regarded as an invention of “a computer-readable recording medium in which the program is recorded”.
The "computer-readable recording medium recording the program" means a computer-readable recording medium in which the program is recorded, which is used for installing, executing, distributing the program, and the like.
The recording medium is, for example, a digital versatile disk (DVD), which is a standard defined by the DVD Forum, such as “DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, etc.” or DVD+RW. Blu-ray discs (DVD+R, DVD+RW, etc.), compact discs (CD), read-only memory (CD-ROM), CD recordable (CD-R), CD rewritable (CD-RW), etc. 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, and the like.
Then, all or part of the program may be recorded in 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, or the like, or wireless communication. It may be transmitted using a transmission medium such as a network or a combination thereof, or may be carried on a carrier wave.
Further, the above program may be a part or all of another program, or may be recorded in a recording medium together with a separate program. Further, the data may be recorded separately on a plurality of recording media. Further, it may be recorded in any form as long as it can be restored, such as compression or encryption.

Reference numeral 100... Image processing device 102... Print job processing device 105... Job reception module 110... Job scheduling module 115... Job interruption determination module 120... Job information acquisition module 125... Job processing time estimation module 130... External information acquisition module 135... Job delivery Information calculation module 140... Weather forecast information calculation module 145... Congestion forecast information calculation module 155... Printing module 160... Delivery department 165... Delivery management system 167... Delivery destination route/area information calculation/management module 170... Weather forecast system 172... Weather Forecast calculation module 175... Congestion prediction system 177... Congestion prediction calculation module 195... User terminal 290... Communication line

Claims (4)

Risk job extraction means for extracting a risk job that may not be able to deliver the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on a delivery delay risk by the scheduled delivery date and time of the printed matter to be printed according to the print job,
Job scheduling means for scheduling the print job such that the printed matter printed by the risk job is delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time;
Print job receiving means for receiving a plurality of print jobs for printing printed matter;
Delivery route identifying means for identifying a delivery route from each delivery destination of the plurality of print jobs;
Delivery delay risk acquisition means for acquiring delivery delay risk up to the scheduled delivery date and time on the delivery route,
Acquisition means for acquiring weather forecast information in a plurality of delivery areas on the delivery route,
Have
The risk job extracting means extracts a risk job that may not deliver the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on the delivery delay risk,
The job scheduling means schedules a print job based on the weather forecast information of each delivery area at the estimated time when the printed matter is expected to pass through the delivery area when the printed matter is delivered on the scheduled delivery date. Yes,
When the weather forecast information of at least one delivery area of the plurality of delivery areas affects the transportation means of the printed matter, the job scheduling means may further pass before or after the affected delivery area. Whether or not the other delivery areas are affected by the weather forecast information of the delivery areas is specified, and the affected areas are affected before the expected transit time of each of the delivery areas specified to be affected. Scheduling print jobs to go through multiple expected delivery areas,
Print job scheduling device. Risk job extraction means for extracting a risk job that may not be able to deliver the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on a delivery delay risk by the scheduled delivery date and time of the printed matter to be printed according to the print job,
Job scheduling means for scheduling the print job such that the printed matter printed by the risk job is delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time;
Print job receiving means for receiving a plurality of print jobs for printing printed matter;
Delivery route identifying means for identifying a delivery route from each delivery destination of the plurality of print jobs;
Delivery delay risk acquisition means for acquiring delivery delay risk up to the scheduled delivery date and time on the delivery route,
Acquiring means for acquiring traffic congestion prediction information in a plurality of delivery areas on the delivery route,
Have
The risk job extracting means extracts a risk job that may not deliver the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on the delivery delay risk,
The job scheduling means, when delivering the printed matter on a scheduled delivery date, schedules a print job based on traffic congestion prediction information of each delivery area at an estimated time when the printed matter is expected to pass through the delivery area. Yes,
The job scheduling means may further perform, when the congestion prediction information of at least one delivery area of the plurality of delivery areas affects the transportation means of the printed matter, pass the delivery area before or after the affected delivery area. It is determined from the congestion information of the delivery area whether or not the other delivery areas are also affected, and the impact is received before the expected transit time of each of the delivery areas identified as being affected. Scheduling print jobs to go through multiple expected delivery areas,
Print job scheduling device. Computer,
Risk job extraction means for extracting a risk job that may not be able to deliver the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on a delivery delay risk by the scheduled delivery date and time of the printed matter to be printed according to the print job,
Job scheduling means for scheduling the print job such that the printed matter printed by the risk job is delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time;
Print job receiving means for receiving a plurality of print jobs for printing printed matter;
Delivery route identifying means for identifying a delivery route from each delivery destination of the plurality of print jobs;
Delivery delay risk acquisition means for acquiring delivery delay risk up to the scheduled delivery date and time on the delivery route,
Acquisition means for acquiring weather forecast information in a plurality of delivery areas on the delivery route
Function as
The risk job extracting means extracts a risk job that may not deliver the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on the delivery delay risk,
The job scheduling means schedules a print job based on the weather forecast information of each delivery area at the estimated time when the printed matter is expected to pass through the delivery area when the printed matter is delivered on the scheduled delivery date. Yes,
When the weather forecast information of at least one delivery area of the plurality of delivery areas affects the transportation means of the printed matter, the job scheduling means may further pass before or after the affected delivery area. Whether or not the other delivery areas are affected by the weather forecast information of the delivery areas is specified, and the affected areas are affected before the expected transit time of each of the delivery areas specified to be affected. Scheduling print jobs to go through multiple expected delivery areas,
Print job scheduling program. Computer,
Risk job extraction means for extracting a risk job that may not be able to deliver the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on a delivery delay risk by the scheduled delivery date and time of the printed matter to be printed according to the print job,
Job scheduling means for scheduling the print job such that the printed matter printed by the risk job is delivered by the scheduled delivery date and time;
Print job receiving means for receiving a plurality of print jobs for printing printed matter;
Delivery route identifying means for identifying a delivery route from each delivery destination of the plurality of print jobs;
Delivery delay risk acquisition means for acquiring delivery delay risk up to the scheduled delivery date and time on the delivery route,
Acquisition means for acquiring traffic congestion prediction information in a plurality of delivery areas on the delivery route
Function as
The risk job extracting means extracts a risk job that may not deliver the printed matter by the scheduled delivery date and time, based on the delivery delay risk,
The job scheduling means, when delivering the printed matter on a scheduled delivery date, schedules a print job based on traffic congestion prediction information of each delivery area at an estimated time when the printed matter is expected to pass through the delivery area. Yes,
The job scheduling means may further perform, when the congestion prediction information of at least one delivery area of the plurality of delivery areas affects the transportation means of the printed matter, pass the delivery area before or after the affected delivery area. It is determined from the congestion information of the delivery area whether or not the other delivery areas are also affected, and the impact is received before the expected transit time of each of the delivery areas identified as being affected. Scheduling print jobs to go through multiple expected delivery areas,
Print job scheduling program.

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