JP7115583B2 - System, method and computer program with printer terminal device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to the field of printing, and more particularly to data collection for production printing systems.

Production printers, capable of printing hundreds of pages per minute, are typically managed by print operators, who perform many tasks to ensure that print jobs are printed correctly and efficiently. Run. Print operators, in addition to their other responsibilities, may be tasked with recording details about various states of the printers to assist in print shop production evaluation. However, in order to complete other major tasks, print operators often compile a log of what happened at the end of the day, so the information tends to be erroneous and approximate.

Embodiments described herein provide visual timelines and operator prompts to improve data collection for printing systems. A printer terminal device that communicates with multiple printers is configured to display a visual timeline of printer events for each printer. A visual timeline is enhanced to show whether each event is associated with complete information or if there is missing information. For example, the visual timeline can visually indicate to the operator that he has not yet provided any comments to explain the cause of printer idling for a period of time. Advantageously, the visual representation of the state of data entry for individual events completes the event data fresh in its own memory, rather than using logs written at the end of the day. / Prompt the print operator to update, thereby improving accuracy in collecting data about the print shop, and assisting the print operator in identifying and correcting inefficiencies in printing operations.

One embodiment is a system that includes a printer terminal device configured to communicate with a printer and receive printer status of the printer over time. Each printer status indicates one of a print state, an idle state, and an error state. The printer terminal device is configured to present a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display, the GUI including a visual timeline of the printer's printer status over the period described above. The visual timeline includes different visual representations for each of the print state, idle state, and error state. The printer terminal device determines that the printer status displayed on the visual timeline is related to the lack of user input, and provides a visual indicator for the printer status indicating the lack of user input. It is further configured to modify the visual timeline for display.

Another embodiment is a method. The method includes receiving printer statuses of the printer over a period of time, each printer status indicating one of a printing state, an idle state, and an error state. The method also includes presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display, the GUI including a visual timeline of the printer status of the printer over the period of time, the visual timeline representing the printing It contains different visual representations for each of the states, idle states, and error states. The method includes determining that the printer status displayed on the visual timeline is associated with lack of user input, and providing a visual indicator for the printer status indicating lack of user input. and modifying the visual timeline to display.

Other exemplary embodiments (eg, methods and computer-readable media related to the above-described embodiments) will be described below.

Some embodiments of the invention are described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference number represents the same element or the same type of element in all figures.

1 is a block diagram of a printing system in an exemplary embodiment; FIG.

1 illustrates a printer terminal device in an exemplary embodiment;

4 illustrates a graphical window displaying a visual timeline in an exemplary embodiment;

4 illustrates a graphical window displaying prompts for user input regarding a visual timeline in an exemplary embodiment;

4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of collecting data for a printing system in an exemplary embodiment;

8 is a flow chart showing a data collection method for a printing system according to another embodiment;

1 illustrates a processing system operable to implement a computer readable medium embodying programmed instructions to perform desired functions in an exemplary embodiment;

1 is a block diagram of a printing system in an exemplary embodiment; FIG.

1 illustrates a printer terminal device in an exemplary embodiment;

4 illustrates a GUI displaying prompts for user input related to a visual timeline in an exemplary embodiment;

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of facilitating data collection for a printing system in an exemplary embodiment;

(First embodiment)
The drawings and the following description illustrate specific exemplary embodiments. It is therefore understood that those skilled in the art will be able to embody the principles of the embodiments and devise various configurations that fall within the scope of the embodiments, although not explicitly described or illustrated herein. would be accepted. Additionally, any specific examples described in this application are intended to aid in understanding the principles of the embodiments and are to be construed without limitation to the examples and conditions so specifically described. should. As a result, the inventive concepts are not limited to the specific embodiments or examples described below, but are defined by the claims and their equivalents.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printing system 100 in an exemplary embodiment. Printing system 100 comprises any system, device, or component operable to print incoming print jobs. Printing system 100 may be managed and monitored by a user or printing operator who interacts with printer terminal device 110 which communicates with printers 120 and 130 over network 140 . Printer terminal device 110 generally includes display 118 for presenting one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to a user, and user interface 112 for receiving user input associated with the presented GUIs. (I/F) is used. For example, in some embodiments, printer terminal device 110 is a tablet or similar device in which display 118 and user I/F 112 are integrated in the form of a touch screen with which a user can directly interact. Equipped with a device. Alternatively or additionally, user I/F 112 may include a keyboard, mouse, etc. for interacting with controls presented on such a GUI.

The printer terminal device 110 can be viewed by the print operator by displaying a visual timeline of each printer's status, indicating that any particular status has incomplete information for the operator to complete. Enhancements are made to improve the accuracy of reported printer event data. For example, a visual timeline can indicate how long the printer has been idle and whether the operator has attached metadata to the idle event that includes additional details describing the idle period. have a nature. A visual timeline seamlessly prompts the print operator to enter printer status metadata through the normal course of print management operations rather than at the end of the day. This facilitates increasing the amount of printer status data reported and improving the accuracy of that data. Advantageously, print shops may use this improved data to help identify effective solutions for reducing the cost of printer idle time.

In general, printer terminal device 110 manages user interaction to facilitate handling of print jobs to be printed on printer 120/130. Network 140 conveys communications between printer terminal device 110 and printers 120 and 130 based on user interaction with the GUI presented via display 118 . Network 140 includes any combination of devices and components for routing communications between printer terminal device 110 , print job database 150 , and printers 120 and 130 . For example, network 140 may include the Internet, local intranets, and the like.

Printer terminal device 110 also communicates with print job database 150 via network 140 . Print job database 150 stores data for previous print jobs printed by printing system 100 . In particular, print job database 150 may store print job metadata 151, which is associated with print job categories 152 and may be previously identified by various combinations of shared characteristics. Print jobs can be grouped. As will be described in detail below, the printer terminal device 110 further uses the print job category 152 to improve the accuracy of the print job metadata 151 reported by the print operator, using the display 118 is enhanced to generate useful prompts to the print operator.

Printers 120 and 130 physically mark print media based on the received print job. Although only two printers are illustrated, any suitable number of printers may be managed by printer terminal device 110 in further embodiments. In this embodiment, printer 120 includes I/F 124 for exchanging data over network 140 . In response to receiving print data from network 140, printer 120 participates in rasterization of the print data via rasterization image processing (RIP) unit 122, which may include multiple rasterization image processors. can do. The rasterized print data may then be used to direct the operation of a marking engine 121 (e.g., inkjet marking engine, laser print engine, etc.) to mark physical media. There is Printer 120 may also include display 123 . In some embodiments, the functionality and/or GUI described with respect to display 118 of printer terminal device 110 may alternatively or additionally be implemented using display 123 of printer 120 . Printer 130 includes elements similar to those of printer 120 , such as marking engine 131 , RIP unit 132 , display 133 and I/F 134 .

In one embodiment, the printer terminal device includes processor 114 and memory 116 . Processor 114 is operable to perform the functions of printer terminal device 110 and may be implemented as custom circuitry, a hardware processor executing programmed instructions stored in memory 116, or the like. Memory 116 may also store instructions for one or more GUIs for a user of printer terminal device 110 . Memory 116 may be implemented as solid state memory, rotating disk, etc. to store data electronically.

Printer terminal device 110 , print job database 150 , and printers 120 / 130 may include Ethernet interfaces, Wi-Fi interfaces, etc. for engaging in communication with network 140 . Although printer terminal device 110 and print job database 150 are shown and described as separate and remote components, in some embodiments printing system 100 includes printer terminal device 110 and print job database 150 . A cloud function where the processing/storage functions of 150 may be implemented at least partially in other components or remotely via other components or servers connected to network 140. may be implemented. The specific arrangements, numbers, and configurations of components described herein are examples for purposes of illustration and are not limiting.

FIG. 2 illustrates printer terminal device 110 in an exemplary embodiment. Printer terminal device 110 includes a display 118 for presenting one or more GUI(s) 210 displaying information of printing system 100 . In particular, GUI 210 includes multiple graphic windows 212 each displaying data for a printer of printing system 100 . Each graphics window 212 includes a printer status window 220 and a visual timeline 230 . Printer status window 220 includes a printer identifier 222 that identifies the printer and a current status indicator 224 that indicates the current status of the printer. A visual timeline 230 displays a history of printer status.

FIG. 3 shows graphics window 212 displaying visual timeline 230 in an exemplary embodiment. Visual timeline 230 includes a series of adjacent printer statuses 331-338 along one dimension to represent the status history of the printer over time. The width of each printer status 331-338 within visible timeline 230 and/or graphics window 212 may be proportional to the time during which that printer status is occurring.

Visual timeline 230 displays printer status 331-338 in a manner that visually distinguishes changes to the type of printer status over time. For example, types of printer status may include print status, idle status, and/or error status. Visual timeline 230 may also include different visual representations for each of the printing, idle, and error states. For example, in an embodiment where different visual representations include different colors, a green block/background during normal printing, a gray block/background during idle time, and a red block/background during error conditions. , may be included in the visual timeline 230 . Similarly, current status indicator 224 of printer status window 220 may include a color indicator of the printer's current status. For example, the background color of the printer status window 220 may be green to indicate printing, gray to indicate idle, and/or red to indicate errors.

Additionally, visual timeline 230 displays whether each printer status 331-338 is associated with complete or incomplete information. For example, printer statuses 331-338 with complete metadata may be displayed with a solid color/background, and printer statuses 331-338 with incomplete metadata may be displayed with visual indicator 350. may be In this example, printer statuses 335 and 337 are associated with missing metadata, and visual timeline 230 displays visual indicators 350 that prompt for user input.

As shown in the example of FIG. 3, visual indicator 350 may include a visual overlay on the printer status within visual timeline 230 . Additionally, the visual overlay may include hash marks, as shown in this example. For example, visual indicator 350 of printer status 335 may include markings covering a gray background indicating missing metadata during an idling event, and visual indicator 350 of printer status 337 may include: May include markings over a red background to indicate missing metadata for error events. However, visual indicators 350 may additionally or alternatively include other visual symbols and graphics such as arrows, asterisks, blank fields, pop-up windows, etc. will be understood.

In some embodiments, visual indicators 350 include control elements that respond to user selections. For example, the areas of printer status 331-338 on visual timeline 230 that include or are associated with visual indicator 350 are selectable by user touch or pointer device click. In response to user selection of visual indicator 350, additional user input prompts may be generated and displayed as described further below.

FIG. 4 shows graphics window 212 displaying prompt 400 for user input regarding visual timeline 230 in an exemplary embodiment. For this example, assume that the print operator has selected the printer status 335 visual indicator 350 with a gray background to indicate an idle period. In response, printer terminal device 110 generates/displays prompt 400 in GUI 210 . Prompt 400 may include a graphical window with potential reasons for printer status as selectable options 401-405. For example, the operator may select an area of selectable options 403 to indicate an idle period, ie, printer status 335 was due to obtaining supplies for the printer. Using patterns of this kind of information collected over time, the print shop can factor in the idle period of the printers based on the number of user responses indicating which supplies to retrieve. Informed decisions can be made to improve the efficiency of the print shop, such as deciding to relocate closer to the print area.

After the print operator selects one of the selectable options 401-405, prompt 400 is removed and visual timeline 230 can be modified to remove the display of visual indicator 350. is. For example, the printer status 335 area may turn solid gray to indicate that idle periods are associated with complete metadata. Thus, visual timeline 230 provides details of printer events in printing system 100 without interrupting each operator's work and interaction with printer terminal device 110 and GUI 210 to manage printing system 100 . Discreetly signal the print operator to fill in.

Selectable options 401-405 may alternatively or additionally include other control elements or activities to facilitate collecting operator data. For example, selectable option 405 may trigger opening a camera application to capture an image of an error barcode printed by the printer in relation to the printer's status. Prompt 400 may additionally or alternatively provide options to pop up a window for typing input and/or open a file explorer for browsing/attaching files to the printer status. may contain. In response to receiving input that satisfies metadata conditions for a particular printer event status, visual timeline 230 removes display of visual indicator 350 . Further exemplary details of printer terminal device 110, GUI 210, and visual timeline 230 are described below.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a printing system data collection method in an exemplary embodiment. Although the steps of method 500 are described with reference to printing system 100 of FIG. 1, those skilled in the art will appreciate that method 500 may be performed in other systems. The steps of the flowcharts described herein are not all inclusive and may include other steps not shown and may be performed in a different order.

At step 502, printer terminal device 110 receives printer statuses of printers over time, each printer status indicating one of a printing state, an idle state, and an error state. In step 504, the printer terminal device 110 presents on the display 118 a GUI 210 containing a visual timeline 230 of the printer's printer status 331-338 over a period of time, the visual timeline 230 being: printing status, idle It contains different visual representations for each of the status and error conditions.

At step 506, printer terminal device 110 determines that the printer status displayed on visual timeline 230 (eg, printer status 335) is associated with lack of user input. For example, printer terminal device 110 may flag a printer idle state as being associated with lack of user input if the idle period lasts longer than a predetermined period of time. As another example, printer terminal device 110 may flag an error condition as being related to lack of user input if the error falls within a predetermined category of printing errors. The printer terminal device 110 may specify a print job type (e.g., single/duplex, business card, calendar, statement, etc.), print job size (e.g., length, file size, number of sheets, etc.), print job name, print job Metadata conditions for printer status can be determined based on a combination of various factors including, but not limited to, customer, printer type/identifier, and/or operator identifier.

At step 508, the printer terminal device 110 modifies the visual timeline 230 to display a visual indicator 350 for printer status indicating lack of user input. At step 510, printer terminal device 110 determines whether visual indicator 350 has been selected. If not, visual timeline 230 continues to reflect updates to the printer status history over time and method 500 returns to steps 502-510 and repeats. Otherwise, if visual indicator 350 is selected, method 500 proceeds to step 512 where printer terminal device 110 displays a prompt (eg, prompt 400) in GUI 210 for user input.

At step 514, the printer terminal device 110 determines whether the printer status metadata conditions have been met by user input. If not, the visual timeline 230 continues to reflect updates to the printer status history over time, and the method 500 loops back to steps 502-510. Otherwise, if the metadata condition regarding the printer status is satisfied by the user input, method 500 proceeds to step 516, where printer terminal device 110 displays visual time to remove display of visual indicator 350. Modify line 230 . Thus, in using method 500, the print operator is visually prompted to enter printer status metadata through the course of normal print management tasks, rather than at the end of the day.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method 600 for collecting printing system data in another exemplary embodiment. Although the steps of method 600 are described with reference to printing system 100 of FIG. 1, those skilled in the art will appreciate that method 600 may be performed in other systems. The steps of the flowcharts described herein are not all inclusive and may include other steps not shown and may be performed in a different order.

At step 602, printer terminal device 110 determines potential reasons for one or more of printer statuses 331-338 based on the metadata associated with each printer status. For example, a printer terminal device 110 in communication with a printer is configured to track/retrieve metadata of print job processing/printing with the printer. When an idle/error event occurs in a print job, printer terminal device 110 may associate attributes of the job with the event to determine the potential reason for the event. For example, the printer terminal device 110 may extract metadata from similar previous print jobs (e.g., same type of print job, similar date and time, etc.) to determine and/or rank potential reasons for printer idling. You may refer to

At step 604 , printer terminal device 110 receives user input selecting visual indicator 350 . In response, at step 606, printer terminal device 110 displays potential reasons for the printer status as selectable options in GUI 210. FIG. Thus, the printer terminal device 110 automatically generates/displays the reasons that the print operator is most/more likely to use to describe printer events, thereby reducing the manual effort of the operator typing in the input. to capture accurate operator input while simplifying

The printer terminal device 110 can display potential reasons according to their determined rank, indicating which reasons are most or more likely under the circumstances surrounding the printer event. Printer terminal device 110 may display the potential reasons (eg, the most likely reason at the top and/or leftmost of the prompt/window) in order of rank. Alternatively or additionally, the higher ranked potential reasons may be displayed in a highlighted or visually conspicuous manner for the convenience of the print operator.

At step 608, printer terminal device 110 receives user input selecting one of the potential reasons as the reason for printer status. In response, at step 610 printer terminal device 110 modifies visual timeline 230 to remove the display of visual indicator 350 . Thus, the method 600 improves the data accuracy of printer events by continuously displaying visual cues, along with additional data that can be collected over time to improve printing operations. Facilitates the tagging of specific events by print operators.

(Second embodiment)
A second embodiment described herein provides a visual timeline for printer management of a printing system. A printer terminal device manages a print shop's multiple printers and, for each printer, displays a visual timeline of the printer's status history. Multiple visual timelines are displayed on the screen of the printer terminal device. A user or print operator can interact with the visual timeline to enter additional data regarding a particular printer status. When the operator interacts with the visual timeline, a graphical user interface (GUI) displays multiple visual timelines so that the operator can see what was happening on each printer at a particular time. Display time markers (eg, lines) across the lines. Additionally, the GUI conveniently displays additional data near the marker to help the operator recall what happened on the printer around that time. This additional context assists the print operator in recalling details of what has previously occurred when entering printer status descriptions, thereby helping the print operator identify inefficiencies in printing operations. Improve the accuracy of print shop data collection to assist in remediation.

One embodiment is a system having a printer terminal device configured to communicate with a first printer and a second printer and receive printer status of the first printer and the second printer over time. The printer terminal device has a graphic user interface (GUI) including a first visual timeline of printer status at the first printer and a second visual timeline of printer status at the second printer. Configured for presentation on a display, the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline are displayed as separate temporally aligned timelines. A printer terminal device receives user interaction with the printer status displayed on one of the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline to enter a description for the printer status. and configured to display a line in the GUI at the location of the user interaction, the line comprising a first visual timeline and a second visual timeline to indicate a historical point in time corresponding to the location. extending across the line. A printer terminal device retrieves event data for one or more print jobs of a first printer and a second printer based on a historical point in time and visually provides context for a user entering an explanation for printer status. As shown, it is further configured to display event data in a GUI along lines.

Another embodiment is a method. The method comprises the steps of: receiving printer status of a first printer and a second printer over a period of time; a first visual timeline of printer status at the first printer and a second presenting on a display a graphic user interface (GUI) comprising a visual timeline of the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline aligned in time steps, displayed as separate timelines. The method also receives user interaction with the printer status displayed in one of the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline to enter a description for the printer status. and displaying a line in the GUI at the location of the user interaction, the line connecting a first visual timeline and a second visual timeline to indicate a historical point in time corresponding to the location. Extending across the timeline, steps. The method further includes retrieving event data for one or more print jobs of the first printer and the second printer based on the historical point in time; and displaying the event data in a GUI along the line as shown in .

The drawings and the following description illustrate specific exemplary embodiments. It is therefore understood that those skilled in the art will be able to embody the principles of the embodiments and devise various configurations that fall within the scope of the embodiments, although not explicitly described or illustrated herein. would be accepted. Additionally, any specific examples described in this application are intended to aid in understanding the principles of the embodiments and are to be construed without limitation to the examples and conditions so specifically described. should. As a result, the inventive concepts are not limited to the specific embodiments or examples described below, but are defined by the claims and their equivalents.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of printing system 100 in an exemplary embodiment. Printing system 100 comprises any system, device, or component operable to print incoming print jobs. Printing system 100 may be managed and monitored by a user or printing operator who interacts with printer terminal device 110 which communicates with printers 120 and 130 over network 140 . Printer terminal device 110 generally includes display 118 for presenting one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to a user, and user interface 112 for receiving user input associated with the presented GUIs. (I/F) is used. For example, in some embodiments, printer terminal device 110 is a tablet or similar device in which display 118 and user I/F 112 are integrated in the form of a touch screen with which a user can directly interact. Equipped with a device. Alternatively or additionally, user I/F 112 may include a keyboard, mouse, etc. for interacting with controls presented on such a GUI.

Printer terminal device 110 is enhanced to improve the accuracy of printer event data reported by print operators by displaying multiple visual timelines for multiple printers in the printing system. The display of visual timelines is further enhanced with the display of marker lines that connect multiple visual timelines in time. The position of the marker directs the display of additional contextual information to remind the printing operator of additional details, which can improve the accuracy of the data collected for the printing system 100. Advantageously, print shops may use this improved data to help identify effective solutions for reducing the cost of printer idle time.

In general, printer terminal device 110 manages user interaction to facilitate handling of print jobs to be printed on printer 120/130. Network 140 conveys communications between printer terminal device 110 and printers 120 and 130 based on user interaction with the GUI presented via display 118 . Network 140 includes any combination of devices and components for routing communications between printer terminal device 110 , print job database 150 , and printers 120 and 130 . For example, network 140 may include the Internet, local intranets, and the like.

Printer terminal device 110 also communicates with print job database 150 via network 140 . Print job database 150 stores data for previous print jobs printed by printing system 100 . In particular, print job database 150 may store print job metadata 151 that correlates with event data 152 to retrieve contextual cues for print operators. may be attached. As will be described in detail below, the printer terminal device 110 further uses the event data 152 to improve the accuracy of the print job metadata 151 reported by the print operator, via the display 118. , is enhanced to generate useful prompts to the print operator.

Printers 120 and 130 physically mark print media based on the received print job. Although only two printers are illustrated, any suitable number of printers may be managed by printer terminal device 110 in further embodiments. In this embodiment, printer 120 includes I/F 124 for exchanging data over network 140 . In response to receiving print data from network 140, printer 120 participates in rasterization of the print data via rasterization image processing (RIP) unit 122, which may include multiple rasterization image processors. can do. The rasterized print data may then be used to direct the operation of a marking engine 121 (e.g., inkjet marking engine, laser print engine, etc.) to mark physical media. There is Printer 120 may also include display 123 . In some embodiments, the functionality and/or GUI described with respect to display 118 of printer terminal device 110 may alternatively or additionally be implemented using display 123 of printer 120 . Printer 130 includes elements similar to those of printer 120 , such as marking engine 131 , RIP unit 132 , display 133 and I/F 134 .

In one embodiment, the printer terminal device includes processor 114 and memory 116 . Processor 114 is operable to perform the functions of printer terminal device 110 and may be implemented as custom circuitry, a hardware processor executing programmed instructions stored in memory 116, or the like. Memory 116 may also store instructions for one or more GUIs for a user of printer terminal device 110 . Memory 116 may be implemented as solid state memory, rotating disk, etc. to store data electronically.

Printer terminal device 110 , print job database 150 , and printers 120 / 130 may include Ethernet interfaces, Wi-Fi interfaces, etc. for engaging in communication with network 140 . Although printer terminal device 110 and print job database 150 are shown and described as separate and remote components, in some embodiments printing system 100 includes printer terminal device 110 and print job database 150 . A cloud function where the processing/storage functions of 150 may be implemented at least partially in other components or remotely via other components or servers connected to network 140. may be implemented. The specific arrangements, numbers, and configurations of components described herein are examples for purposes of illustration and are not limiting.

FIG. 9 illustrates printer terminal device 110 in an exemplary embodiment. Printer terminal device 110 includes a display 118 for presenting one or more GUI(s) 210 displaying information of printing system 100 . In particular, GUI 210 includes visual timelines 211-213 for each of the multiple printers of printing system 100. FIG. The visual timelines 211-213 are generally displayed as separate timelines aligned in time. Each visual timeline 211-213 contains a series of adjacent printer statuses along one dimension to represent the status history of the printer over time. For example, each visual timeline 211-213 may extend horizontally with adjacent visual timelines displayed above and/or below aligned with respect to a horizontal time axis.

In this example, first visual timeline 211 includes printer statuses 221-224 for first printer 201, and second visual timeline 212 includes printer statuses 231-224 for second printer 202. 233, the third visual timeline 213 includes the printer status 241-242 of the third printer 203; Each visual timeline 211-213 displays printer status in a manner that visually distinguishes types of printer status changes over time. For example, types of printer status may include print status, idle status, and/or error status. Also, the visual timelines 211-213 may include different visual representations for each of the printing, idle, and error states. For example, in an embodiment where different visual representations include different colors, a green block/background during normal printing, a gray block/background during idle time, and a red block/background during error conditions. , may be included in the visual timeline

Additionally, the visual timelines 211-213 may include control elements that respond to user interactions/selections. For example, the printer status area on each visual timeline may be selected by user touch or pointer device click. In response to user selection of printer status, printer terminal device 110 may provide additional user prompts and/or contextual information for entering additional information regarding printer status, as further described below. can be generated.

For this example, a print operator managing printers 201-203 via printer terminal device 110 has an idle period (i.e., the printer is either able to print or has no errors preventing it from printing). Assume that you are interacting with the GUI 210 to enter additional data regarding the non-printing period regardless. Thus, the operator may select/touch the area of printer status 223 that corresponds to idle periods for first printer 201 in this example. In response, printer terminal device 110 generates/displays line 250 that extends across one or more visual timelines 211-213 (eg, perpendicular to the horizontal time dimension). A line 250 may be displayed at the location of the user interaction to indicate a historical point 252 corresponding to that location. In this example, the horizontal position of line 250 indicates a time of 11:30.

Further, printer terminal device 110 can retrieve event data for one or more print jobs based on historical point in time 252 . For example, printer terminal device 110 may retrieve event data 152 from print job database 150 that occurred for each printer during a time window near 11:30. This retrieved contextual information may be displayed alongside line 250 to assist the print operator in recognizing or recalling what happened with respect to printer status 223, thus reducing the print shop's data collection. Make it more accurate and reliable.

For example, for the first printer 201, the printer terminal device 110 may display the first print job name 261 of the print job printed before the historical time point 252 (eg, in green to indicate the duration of printing). visually associated with some previous printer status 222). It may also display a second print job name 262 for another print job that was printed after the historical point 252 (e.g., printer status 224 after which is green to indicate the duration of the print and a visual print job name 262). associated with). A first print job name 261 may be displayed on one side of line 250 and a second print job name 262 may be displayed on another side of line 250 . Accordingly, the displayed event data may include print job metadata or other information related to printer statuses adjacent to the user-selected printer status.

Alternatively or additionally, printer terminal device 110 may retrieve event data from other printers that may help provide context to the print operator. For example, for the second printer 202 , the printer terminal device 110 can retrieve/display the error description 271 in the printer status 233 that matches the selected idle printer status 223 of the first printer 201 . As another example, with respect to third printer 203 , printer terminal device 110 may retrieve/display alert messages 281 received at third printer 203 that occurred within the threshold time period of line 250 .

Printer terminal device 110 is also capable of receiving operator schedules for print operators managing printers and displaying operator timeline 290 in GUI 210 aligned in time with visual timelines 211-213. . Line 250 extends/intersects operator timeline 290, details of print status that operator 292 records for improved data collection accuracy as they visualize their activity in relation to time throughout the day. help you remember

FIG. 10 shows GUI 210 displaying prompt 300 for user input regarding visual timeline 211 in an exemplary embodiment. Continuing with the previous example, assume that the print operator has selected printer status 223 with a gray background to indicate idle periods. In addition to line 250 , printer terminal device 110 may display prompt 300 on GUI 210 . Prompt 300 may include a graphical window with potential reasons for printer status as selectable options 301-305. For example, the operator may select an area of selectable options 303 to indicate that the idle period, printer status 223, was due to obtaining supplies for the printer. Using patterns of this kind of information collected over time, the print shop can distribute supplies to print areas based on the number of user responses indicating obtaining supplies as a factor in printer idle periods. Informed decisions can be made to improve the efficiency of the print shop, such as deciding to relocate to a closer location.

After the print operator selects one of selectable options 301 - 305 , prompt 300 , line 250 and/or contextual information may be removed from display in GUI 210 . Selectable options 301-305 may alternatively or additionally include other control elements or actions to facilitate collection of operator data. For example, selectable option 305 can trigger opening a camera application to capture an image of an error barcode printed by the printer in relation to printer status. Prompt 300 may additionally or alternatively include an option to pop up a window for typing input and/or open a file explorer to view/attach files to printer status. good. Further exemplary details of printer terminal device 110, GUI 210, and visual timelines 211-213 are described below.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method 400 of facilitating data collection for a printing system in an exemplary embodiment. Although the steps of method 400 are described with reference to printing system 100, printer terminal device 110, and GUI 210 described above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that method 400 may be performed in other systems. deaf. The steps of the flowcharts described herein are not all inclusive and may include other steps not shown and may be performed in a different order.

At step 402, printer terminal device 110 receives the printer status of the first and second printers over a period of time. At step 404, printer terminal device 110 displays GUI 210 including a first visual timeline of printer status at the first printer and a second visual timeline of printer status at the second printer. Presented at 118 . As previously mentioned, the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline may be displayed as separate timelines aligned in time.

At step 406, the printer terminal device 110 displays the printer status displayed in one of the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline to enter a description of the printer status. Receive user interaction with At step 408, the printer terminal device 110 displays a line in the GUI 210 at the location of the user interaction, the line extending across the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline, The historical time point corresponding to that position is indicated.

At step 410, the printer terminal device 110 retrieves event data for one or more print jobs of the first printer and the second printer based on the historical point in time. Then, in step 412, the printer terminal device 110 displays the event data with lines in the GUI 210 to visually provide context for the user entering the printer status description. Thus, in using method 400, the print operator is visually prompted to enter printer status metadata for improved print shop data collection.

Embodiments disclosed herein may take the form of software, hardware, firmware, or various combinations thereof. In one particular embodiment, software is used to direct the processing systems of printing system 100 to perform the various operations disclosed herein. FIG. 7 illustrates a processing system 700 operable to execute computer-readable media embodying programmed instructions to perform desired functions in an exemplary embodiment. Processing system 700 is operable to perform the above operations by executing programmed instructions tangibly embodied on computer-readable storage medium 712 . In this regard, embodiments of the present invention are in the form of a computer program accessible via a computer readable medium 712 providing program code for use by a computer or any other instruction execution system. It is possible to take For purposes of this description, computer-readable storage medium 712 may be anything capable of containing or storing programs for use by a computer.

Computer readable storage medium 712 may be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor device. Examples of computer readable storage medium 712 include solid state memory, magnetic tape, removable computer diskettes, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), rigid magnetic disks, and optical disks. including. Current examples of optical discs include compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disc read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.

Processing system 700 is suitable for storing and/or executing program code and includes at least one processor 702 coupled to program and data memory 704 via system bus 750 . Program and data memory 704 can include local memory, bulk storage, and cache memory used during actual execution of program code, where cache memory stores code and/or data. provides temporary storage of at least some program code and/or data in order to reduce the number of times the program is retrieved from bulk storage during execution.

Input/output or I/O devices 706 (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. Network adapter interface 708 is also provided for allowing processing system 700 to become coupled to other data processing systems or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. , may be integrated into the system. Modems, cable modems, IBM channel attachments, SCSI, Fiber Channel, and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network or host interface adapters. A display device interface 710 may be integrated with the system for interfacing with one or more display devices, such as printing systems and screens for presentation of data generated by processor 702 .

Although specific embodiments were described herein, the scope of the invention is not limited to those specific embodiments. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims and their equivalents

The means provided by the embodiments are exemplarily listed below.
(Appendix A1)
A system comprising a printer terminal device in communication with a printer, comprising:
the printer terminal device is configured to receive printer statuses of the printer over a period of time, each printer status indicating one of a printing state, an idle state, and an error state;
The printer terminal device is configured to present a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display, the GUI including a visual timeline of the printer status of the printer over the time period; a visual timeline including different visual representations for each of the print state, the idle state, and the error state;
The printer terminal device determines that a printer status displayed on the visual timeline is associated with a lack of user input, and determines a visual for the printer status indicative of the lack of user input. system configured to modify the visual timeline to display visual indicators.
(Appendix A2)
The printer terminal device further comprises:
displaying a prompt on the GUI for entering user text for the printer status in response to receiving user input to select the visual indicator; and displaying the user text for the printer status. Clause A1. The system of Clause A1, configured to modify the visual timeline to remove display of the visual indicator in response to receiving:
(Appendix A3)
The printer terminal device further comprises:
determining potential reasons for the printer status based on the printer status metadata;
displaying the potential reasons for the printer status as selectable options in the GUI in response to receiving user input to select the visual indicator;
said visual timeline to remove display of said visual indicator in response to receiving user input selecting one of said potential reasons as a reason for said printer status; The system of Appendix A1, wherein the system is configured to modify
(Appendix A4)
The printer terminal device further comprises:
displaying a prompt on the GUI for capturing an image of an error barcode printed by the printer associated with the printer status in response to receiving user input selecting the visual indicator; ,
In response to receiving the image of the error barcode printed by the printer associated with the printer status, modifying the visual timeline to remove display of the visual indicator. The system of Appendix A1, wherein the system is configured to:
(Appendix A5)
The system of Clause A1, wherein the visual indicator includes a visual overlay for the printer status on the visual timeline.
(Appendix A6)
The system of Clause A5, wherein the visual overlay includes hash marks.
(Appendix A7)
The system of Claim A1, wherein the different visual representations for each of the print state, the idle state, and the error state include different colors.
(Appendix A8)
receiving printer statuses of a printer over a period of time, each printer status indicating one of a printing state, an idle state, and an error state;
presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display, said GUI including a visual timeline of said printer status of said printer over said time period, said visual timeline comprising said including different visual representations for each of the print state, the idle state, and the error state;
determining that the printer status displayed in the visual timeline is related to lack of user input;
and modifying the visual timeline to display a visual indicator for the printer status indicating lack of the user input.
(Appendix A9)
displaying a prompt on the GUI for entering user text for the printer status in response to receiving user input to select the visual indicator;
Clause A8. The method of Clause A8, further comprising: responsive to receiving the user text for the printer status, modifying the visual timeline to remove display of the visual indicator. .
(Appendix A10)
determining potential reasons for the printer status based on the printer status metadata;
displaying the potential reasons for the printer status as selectable options in the GUI in response to receiving user input to select the visual indicator;
said visual timeline to remove display of said visual indicator in response to receiving user input selecting one of said potential reasons as a reason for said printer status; The method of Appendix A8, further comprising the step of modifying
(Appendix A11)
The method of Clause A8, wherein the visual indicator includes a visual overlay for the printer status on the visual timeline.
(Appendix A12)
The method of Appendix A11, wherein the visual overlay includes hash marks.
(Appendix A13)
The method of Claim A8, wherein the different visual representations for each of the print state, the idle state, and the error state include different colors.
(Appendix A14)
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium embodying programmed instructions, said instructions being operable to perform a method when executed by a processor, said method comprising:
receiving printer statuses of a printer over a period of time, each printer status indicating one of a printing state, an idle state, and an error state;
presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display, said GUI including a visual timeline of said printer status of said printer over said time period, said visual timeline comprising said including different visual representations for each of the print state, the idle state, and the error state;
determining that the printer status displayed in the visual timeline is related to lack of user input;
and modifying the visual timeline to display a visual indicator for the printer status indicating lack of the user input.
(Appendix A15)
The method comprises:
displaying a prompt on the GUI for entering user text for the printer status in response to receiving user input to select the visual indicator;
4. The method of Claim A14, further comprising: responsive to receiving the user text for the printer status, modifying the visual timeline to remove display of the visual indicator. storage medium.
(Appendix A16)
The method comprises:
determining potential reasons for the printer status based on the printer status metadata;
displaying the potential reasons for the printer status as selectable options in the GUI in response to receiving user input to select the visual indicator;
said visual timeline to remove display of said visual indicator in response to receiving user input selecting one of said potential reasons as a reason for said printer status; The storage medium of Appendix A14, further comprising the step of modifying
(Appendix A17)
The method comprises:
responsive to receiving user input to select the visual indicator, displaying a prompt on the GUI for capturing an image of an error barcode printed by the printer associated with the printer status; a step;
In response to receiving the image of the error barcode printed by the printer associated with the printer status, modifying the visual timeline to remove display of the visual indicator. The storage medium of Appendix A14, further comprising:
(Appendix A18)
The storage medium of Clause A14, wherein the visual indicator includes a visual overlay for the printer status on the visual timeline.
(Appendix A19)
The storage medium of Appendix A18, wherein the visual overlay includes hash marks.
(Appendix A20)
The storage medium of Clause A14, wherein the different visual representations for each of the print state, the idle state, and the error state include different colors.

(Appendix B1)
A system comprising a printer terminal device in communication with a first printer and a second printer and configured to receive printer status of said first printer and said second printer over a period of time, comprising:
said printer terminal device comprising a graphic user interface including a first visual timeline of printer status at said first printer and a second visual timeline of printer status at said second printer; GUI) on a display, wherein the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline are displayed as separate timelines aligned in time;
The printer terminal device provides a user interface with the printer status displayed on one of the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline for entering a description for the printer status. - configured to receive an interaction and to display a line in a GUI at the location of said user interaction, said line representing a historical point in time corresponding to said location; extending across the second visual timeline;
The printer terminal device retrieves event data for one or more print jobs of the first printer and the second printer based on the historical point in time for a user to enter an explanation for the printer status. A system configured to display the event data along the line in the GUI to visually indicate context.
(Appendix B2)
The printer terminal device further comprises:
The system of Clause B1, wherein the system is configured to remove display of the event data and the line in response to receiving user input of the description of the printer status.
(Appendix B3)
the printer status includes an idle status;
10. The method of Claim B1, wherein the event data includes a first name for a first print job printed before the historical point in time and a second name for a second print job printed after the historical point in time. system.
(Appendix B4)
The system of Clause B1, wherein the first name of the first print job is displayed on one side of the line and the second name of the second print job is displayed on another side of the line.
(Appendix B5)
The system of Clause B1, wherein each printer status indicates one of a print state, an idle state, and an error state.
(Appendix B6)
the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline extend horizontally;
The system of Clause B1, wherein the line extends vertically across the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline.
(Appendix B7)
The printer terminal device further comprises:
receiving operator schedules for print operators of the first printer and the second printer;
The system of Clause B1, wherein the system is configured to display in a GUI an operator timeline aligned in time with the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline.
(Appendix B8)
receiving printer status of a first printer and a second printer over a period of time;
A display presents a graphic user interface (GUI) including a first visual timeline of printer statuses at the first printer and a second visual timeline of printer statuses at the second printer. wherein the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline are displayed as separate timelines aligned in time;
receiving user interaction with a printer status displayed in one of the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline to enter a description for the printer status; When,
displaying a line in a GUI at the location of the user interaction, the line connecting the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline to indicate a historical point in time corresponding to the location; a step extending across the timeline, and
retrieving event data for one or more print jobs of the first printer and the second printer based on the historical point in time;
and displaying the event data along the lines in the GUI to visually indicate context for a user entering a description for the printer status.
(Appendix B9)
The method of Claim B8, further comprising: responsive to receiving user input of said description of said printer status, removing display of said event data and said line.
(Appendix B10)
the printer status includes an idle status;
10. The method of Claim B8, wherein the event data includes a first name for a first print job printed before the historical point in time and a second name for a second print job printed after the historical point in time. Method.
(Appendix B11)
The method of Clause B8, wherein the first name of the first print job is displayed on one side of the line and the second name of the second print job is displayed on another side of the line.
(Appendix B12)
The method of Appendix B8, wherein each printer status indicates one of a print state, an idle state, and an error state.
(Appendix B13)
the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline extend horizontally;
The method of Appendix B8, wherein the line extends vertically across the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline.
(Appendix B14)
A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying program instructions that cause a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:
receiving printer status of a first printer and a second printer over a period of time;
A display presents a graphic user interface (GUI) including a first visual timeline of printer statuses at the first printer and a second visual timeline of printer statuses at the second printer. wherein the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline are displayed as separate timelines aligned in time;
receiving user interaction with a printer status displayed in one of the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline to enter a description for the printer status; When,
displaying a line in a GUI at the location of said user interaction, said line connecting said first visual timeline and said second visual timeline to indicate a historical point in time corresponding to said location; a step extending across the timeline, and
retrieving event data for one or more print jobs of the first printer and the second printer based on the historical point in time;
and displaying the event data along the lines in the GUI to visually indicate context for a user entering a description for the printer status.
(Appendix B15)
The method further comprises:
The medium of Clause B14, comprising removing display of the event data and the line in response to receiving user input of the description of the printer status.
(Appendix B16)
the printer status includes an idle status;
14. The method of Claim B14, wherein the event data includes a first name for a first print job printed before the historical point in time and a second name for a second print job printed after the historical point in time. Method.
(Appendix B17)
The method of Clause B16, wherein the first name of the first print job is displayed on one side of the line and the second name of the second print job is displayed on another side of the line.
(Appendix B18)
The method of Appendix B14, wherein each printer status indicates one of a print state, an idle state, and an error state.
(Appendix B19)
the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline extend horizontally;
The method of Appendix B14, wherein the line extends vertically across the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline.
(Appendix B20)
The method further comprises:
receiving operator schedules for print operators of the first printer and the second printer;
The method of Clause B14, comprising: displaying in a GUI an operator timeline aligned in time with the first visual timeline and the second visual timeline.

100 printing system 110 printer terminal device 112 user I/F
114 Processor 116 Memory 118 Display 120 Printer 121 Marking Engine 122 RIP Unit 123 Display 124 I/F
130 Printer 131 Marking Engine 132 RIP Unit 133 Display 134 I/F
140 network 150 print job database 151 print job metadata 152 print job category/event data

Claims (20)

A system comprising a printer terminal device in communication with a printer, comprising:
the printer terminal device is configured to receive printer statuses of the printer over a period of time, each printer status indicating one of a printing state, an idle state, and an error state;
The printer terminal device is configured to present a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display, the GUI including a visual timeline of the printer status of the printer over the time period; a visual timeline including different visual representations for each of the print state, the idle state, and the error state;
The printer terminal device determines that a printer status displayed on the visual timeline is associated with a lack of user input, and determines a visual for the printer status indicative of the lack of user input. configured to modify the visual timeline to display a visual indicator;
The printer terminal device prompts for capturing an image of an error barcode printed by the printer associated with the printer status in response to receiving user input selecting the visual indicator. in the GUI . The printer terminal device further comprises:
displaying a prompt on the GUI for entering user text for the printer status in response to receiving user input to select the visual indicator; and displaying the user text for the printer status. 2. The system of claim 1, configured to: modify the visual timeline to remove display of the visual indicator in response to receiving a. The printer terminal device further comprises:
determining potential reasons for the printer status based on the printer status metadata;
displaying the potential reasons for the printer status as selectable options in the GUI in response to receiving user input to select the visual indicator;
said visual timeline to remove display of said visual indicator in response to receiving user input selecting one of said potential reasons as a reason for said printer status; 2. The system of claim 1, configured to modify The printer terminal device further comprises:
In response to receiving the image of the error barcode printed by the printer associated with the printer status, modifying the visual timeline to remove display of the visual indicator. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to: 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the visual indicator includes a visual overlay for the printer status on the visual timeline. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the visual overlay includes hash marks. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the different visual representations for each of the print state, the idle state, and the error state include different colors. receiving printer statuses of a printer over a period of time, each printer status indicating one of a printing state, an idle state, and an error state;
presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display, said GUI including a visual timeline of said printer status of said printer over said time period, said visual timeline comprising said including different visual representations for each of the print state, the idle state, and the error state;
determining that the printer status displayed in the visual timeline is related to lack of user input;
modifying the visual timeline to display a visual indicator for the printer status indicating lack of the user input ;
responsive to receiving user input to select the visual indicator, displaying a prompt on the GUI for capturing an image of an error barcode printed by the printer associated with the printer status; step and
method including. displaying a prompt on the GUI for entering user text for the printer status in response to receiving user input to select the visual indicator;
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: responsive to receiving the user text for the printer status, modifying the visual timeline to remove display of the visual indicator. Method. determining potential reasons for the printer status based on the printer status metadata;
displaying the potential reasons for the printer status as selectable options in the GUI in response to receiving user input to select the visual indicator;
said visual timeline to remove display of said visual indicator in response to receiving user input selecting one of said potential reasons as a reason for said printer status; 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of modifying . 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the visual indicator includes a visual overlay for the printer status on the visual timeline. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the visual overlay includes hash marks. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the different visual representations for each of the print state, the idle state, and the error state include different colors. A computer program that causes a processor of a computer to perform a method , the method comprising:
receiving printer statuses of a printer over a period of time, each printer status indicating one of a printing state, an idle state, and an error state;
presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display, said GUI including a visual timeline of said printer status of said printer over said time period, said visual timeline comprising said including different visual representations for each of the print state, the idle state, and the error state;
determining that the printer status displayed in the visual timeline is related to lack of user input;
modifying the visual timeline to display a visual indicator for the printer status indicating lack of the user input ;
responsive to receiving user input to select the visual indicator, displaying a prompt on the GUI for capturing an image of an error barcode printed by the printer associated with the printer status; step and
A computer program , including The method comprises:
displaying a prompt on the GUI for entering user text for the printer status in response to receiving user input to select the visual indicator;
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: responsive to receiving the user text for the printer status, modifying the visual timeline to remove display of the visual indicator. computer program . The method comprises:
determining potential reasons for the printer status based on the printer status metadata;
displaying the potential reasons for the printer status as selectable options in the GUI in response to receiving user input to select the visual indicator;
said visual timeline to remove display of said visual indicator in response to receiving user input selecting one of said potential reasons as a reason for said printer status; 15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising the steps of modifying . The method comprises:
In response to receiving the image of the error barcode printed by the printer associated with the printer status, modifying the visual timeline to remove display of the visual indicator. 15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising the steps of: 15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the visual indicator includes a visual overlay for the printer status on the visual timeline. 19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the visual overlay includes hash marks. 15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the different visual representations for each of the print state, the idle state and the error state comprise different colors.

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