JP7211054B2 - image forming system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming system, and more particularly, to a technique for reducing wasteful costs that may occur between an instruction to delete a job using a smart speaker and the job being deleted.

Multi-Function Peripherals (MFPs), which have become widespread in recent years, are equipped with functions such as printer, scanner, copy, and facsimile functions. , and receives instruction input from the user. For example, when making multiple copies of a document with a large number of pages, after placing the document on the document tray of the automatic document feeder, the number of copies may be set on the operation panel and the start of copying may be instructed.

If the user makes a mistake in panel operation, the job can be deleted by selecting the job on the operation panel. For example, when copying a double-sided document, if you forget to set the double-sided copy setting and instruct to start copying with the default setting of single-sided copy, after deleting the job, set the correct setting. can be copied again.

In this way, wasteful consumption of paper, toner, power, etc. can be suppressed compared to the case where a job with incorrect settings is executed to the end. Further, by preventing the MFP from being occupied by the execution of useless jobs, it is possible to prevent the execution of other jobs from being hindered, thereby improving the user's convenience.

However, if the installation location of the MFP is far from the location of the user, it is not always convenient for the user to go to the installation location of the MFP and operate the panel. In particular, when the frequency of use of the MFP is high, it is troublesome to have to go back and forth to the location of the MFP many times.

In such a case, if a so-called smart speaker is installed at the user's location and the multi-function device is remotely operated, the trouble of moving can be saved.

JP 2011-055268 A JP 2014-121859 A JP 2017-032844 A

However, since the smart speaker accepts operation instructions by voice, it may take more time to operate than simply selecting and specifying a job to be deleted from the job list using panel operations. If you try to delete a job using a smart speaker that can give instructions to multiple MFPs, it will take time to identify which MFP was instructed to delete the job. Jobs cannot be deleted quickly.

For example, as shown in FIG. 25, when the user instructs the smart speaker (SS) 2501 to delete the job by simply saying "Please delete the print job", the cloud server 2502 deletes the job. In order to specify a job to be executed, a corresponding job confirmation request is transmitted to subordinate multifunction peripherals MFP A, MFP B, MFP C, etc. to inquire whether a print job is being executed.

In response to the inquiry, when the MFP A, MFP B, and MFP C respond with corresponding job information indicating that the print job is being executed, the cloud server 2502 determines which MFP the print job input to is to be deleted. In order to identify the print job to be deleted, an additional information request #1 is transmitted to the smart speaker 2501 to execute voice output of "Which job do you want to delete?" to identify the print job to be deleted. Ask the user for additional information #1 for

In response to this, when the user says, "The paper size is A4," the cloud server 2502 transmits a corresponding job confirmation request for a print job with a paper size of A4 to the multifunction peripherals MFP A, MFP B, and MFP C. . In response to the corresponding job confirmation request, when the multifunction peripherals MFP A and MFP B respond with corresponding job information indicating that the corresponding job is being executed, the cloud server 2502 determines which of the multifunction peripherals received the input print job. In order to identify the job to be deleted, an additional information request #2 is further sent to the smart speaker 2501 to output a voice message "Which job do you want to delete?" Ask the user for additional information #2 to identify the job.

In response to this, when the user says "Double-sided printing", the cloud server 2502 transmits to the MFPs MFP A and MFP B a corresponding job confirmation request regarding a print job of double-sided printing with a paper size of A4. When responding to this job confirmation request with job information indicating that only the MFP A is executing the job, the cloud server 2502 determines that the job instructed to be deleted has been identified. Then, a deletion instruction is transmitted to the MFP A to delete the job.

In this way, if it takes a long time to specify a job to be deleted, the job will continue to be executed until it is deleted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the problems described above, and is an image forming system comprising a plurality of image forming apparatuses and a smart speaker. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming system capable of suppressing the

In order to achieve the above object, an image forming system according to the present invention has reception means for receiving a job deletion instruction, identification means for identifying a job for which the deletion instruction has been given, and deletion means for deleting the identified job. and an image forming system for controlling execution of jobs in a plurality of image forming apparatuses, comprising a required time estimating means for identifying the job instructed to be deleted and estimating a required time until the job is deleted; and an instruction to delete the job. is received, job information acquisition means for acquiring job information for calculating the execution cost of the job being executed from the plurality of image forming apparatuses; Cost calculation means for calculating, for each job, an execution cost that can be incurred within the required time when job information is acquired, using the job information; deceleration means for decelerating the execution speed of a job with a high

In this case, the receiving means may receive the deletion instruction by voice.

Also, one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses may be used.

Further, the cost calculation means refers to the number of image forming apparatuses from which the job information acquisition means has acquired the job information, and determines whether or not the job information has been acquired from the two or more image forming apparatuses. may

Further, the cost calculation means may calculate an execution cost that can be generated within the required time using a color mode related to the job.

Further, the cost calculation means may calculate an execution cost that can occur within the required time using the paper size of the job.

Further, the cost calculation means may calculate an execution cost that can be incurred within the required time by using the type of paper related to the job.

Further, the cost calculation unit may calculate an execution cost that can be incurred within the required time by using a stapling unit price of post-processing related to the job.

The cost calculation means calculates the number of print pages of the job within the required time by using the single-sided printing speed of the image forming apparatus executing the job. You may calculate the execution cost to obtain.

Further, the cost calculation means calculates the number of print pages of the job within the required time by using the double-sided printing speed of the image forming apparatus executing the job. You may calculate the execution cost to obtain.

Also, the number of pages to be printed within the required time may vary according to the color mode of the job.

Also, the number of pages to be printed within the required time may vary according to the paper size of the job.

Further, when the number of remaining pages of the job is smaller than the number of pages to be printed within the required time, the cost calculation means calculates the number of remaining pages of the job instead of the number of pages to be printed within the required time. may be used to calculate an execution cost that can occur within the required time.

Further, the required time estimating means may estimate the required time longer as the number of jobs being executed increases.

Further, the deceleration of the job execution speed by the deceleration unit may include a case of stopping the job.

Further, the cost calculation means may calculate the execution cost that can be generated within the required time by discounting as the number of remaining print copies of the job increases.

Further, the deceleration means may decelerate the execution speed of the job so that the execution cost of the job is lower than the relatively high execution cost.

Further, the cost calculation means calculates an average execution cost of the job being executed, and determines that the execution cost of the job is relatively high when the execution cost of the job is higher than the average. may

The cost calculation means arranges the execution costs of the jobs being executed in descending order of the execution costs, calculates a cost difference between adjacent execution costs after the arrangement, and calculates the cost difference between the execution costs of the jobs being executed. The execution costs are categorized into two groups so that pairs of costs belong to different groups, and it is determined that a job associated with a group having a higher execution cost among the two groups has a relatively higher execution cost. may

By doing so, it is possible to reduce wasteful costs that may occur between the time the job deletion is instructed and the time the job is deleted.

1 is a diagram showing the main system configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a job deletion procedure according to the embodiment; 2 is a diagram showing the main hardware configuration of smart speaker 100. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the main hardware configuration of cloud server 110. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main functional configuration of a cloud server 110; FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a main routine of processing executed by the cloud server 110 in relation to job deletion; 4 is a table exemplifying a job information table; It is a flow chart explaining cost calculation processing. 5 is a table exemplifying a toner unit price table; 4 is a table exemplifying a paper unit price table; It is a table|surface which illustrates a post-processing unit price table. 4 is a table exemplifying a unit price table per page; It is a table|surface which illustrates a required time table. 4 is a table exemplifying a printing speed table; 4 is a table exemplifying a cost table for each job; 7 is a flowchart for explaining job deceleration/stop processing; 6 is a table exemplifying a cost comparison table for each job; 2 is an external perspective view showing the main configuration of the multifunction machine 120. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the main hardware configuration of a multifunction machine 120; FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the main functional configuration related to job deletion of the MFP 120. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the MFP 120 in relation to job deletion; FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating job deceleration/stop processing according to a modification of the present invention; FIG. (a) is a diagram for explaining a procedure for specifying a maximum section in job deceleration/stop processing according to a modification of the present invention, and (b) is a diagram for explaining the maximum section by exemplifying the distribution of execution costs. be. 6 is a table exemplifying a cost comparison table for each job; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a job deletion procedure according to the conventional technology;

An embodiment of an image forming system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[1] Configuration and Operation of Image Forming System First, the configuration of an image forming system according to the present embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 communicates with a smart speaker (SS) 100, a cloud server 110, a plurality of MFPs (Multi-Function Peripheral) 120, etc. using a communication network 140. It is communicably connected. The communication network 140 includes the so-called Internet and LAN (Local Area Network).

When the smart speaker 100 receives a voice user instruction from the user of the image forming system 1 , the smart speaker 100 generates voice data and transmits the voice data to the cloud server 110 . When the smart speaker 100 receives audio data from the cloud server 110, the smart speaker 100 outputs the audio data.

When the cloud server 110 receives voice data instructed by the user from the smart speaker 100, the cloud server 110 converts it into text data by speech recognition processing, and analyzes the text data to execute processing according to the content of the user instruction on the multifunction device 120. Let

The MFP 120 has functions such as a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function, and receives and executes jobs from the cloud server 110, personal computer (PC) 130, and the like. The MFP 120 also has an operation panel, and executes jobs received through the operation panel.

The personal computer 130 has a function of allowing a user to create electronic data used for image formation and a function of transmitting a print job including the created electronic data to the multifunction device 120 . When sending a print job, the printer driver is activated and sends the print job to the multifunction device 120 via the communication network 140 .

Such an image forming system 1 operates as shown in FIG. 2 when the user instructs using the smart speaker 100 to delete the job being executed by the multifunction machine 120 . For example, when the user voice-inputs “Please delete the print job” to the smart speaker 100 , the smart speaker 100 transmits voice data of the deletion instruction to the cloud server 110 .

When the cloud server 110 receives the voice data of the deletion instruction from the smart speaker 100, the cloud server 110 generates text data from the voice data by voice recognition processing. Furthermore, if the cloud server 110 determines that the designation of the job to be deleted is incomplete by performing natural language processing on the text data of the deletion instruction, the cloud server 110 sends information to each MFP 120 (in FIG. 2, "MFP A” and “MFP B”) to request information about the job being executed.

It should be noted that the cloud server starts the process of identifying the job to be deleted in parallel with the transmission of the job information request. The illustration of the procedure for specifying the job to be deleted is omitted.

When receiving the job information request from the cloud server 110, the multifunction device 120 returns information about the job being executed. The cloud server 110 uses the job information received from each MFP 120 to calculate the execution cost that can be incurred for each job when each MFP 120 executes each job until the job instructed to be deleted by the user is deleted. is calculated as described below.

Then, according to the execution cost of each job, a deceleration instruction for instructing deceleration of the job being executed or a stop instruction for instructing stop of the job being executed is transmitted to each MFP 120 . Also, for a job with a relatively low execution cost, the execution of the job is continued without giving any instruction to the MFP 120 . Stopping a job that is being executed means stopping the execution of the job at an appropriate timing (for example, between sheets) at which the execution of the job can be resumed. Deceleration of a job refers to lowering the job execution speed. For example, the job execution speed can be reduced by lowering the system speed.

When the MFP 120 is not executing a job, the cloud server 110 returns job information to that effect to the cloud server 110, and the cloud server 110 receiving the job information does not instruct the MFP 120 to do anything.

After that, when the cloud server 110 completes specifying the job to be deleted, the cloud server 110 transmits a deletion instruction to the MFP 120 executing the job to delete the job. Further, the deceleration cancellation instruction or the stop cancellation instruction is transmitted to the other multifunction machines 120 to which the deceleration instruction or the stop instruction is transmitted, thereby canceling the deceleration or stoppage of the job.

In this way, the job to be deleted is slowed down or stopped, so that the cost generated by executing the job until the job is deleted can be reduced.
[2] Configuration of smart speaker 100 Next, the configuration of the smart speaker 100 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the smart speaker 100 includes an audio processing unit 301 and a communication control unit 302 , and a microphone 311 and a speaker 312 are connected to the audio processing unit 301 .

The audio processing unit 301 performs AD (Analog to Digital) conversion on an analog audio signal collected using a microphone 311 , generates compression-encoded audio data, and converts audio data received from the communication control unit 302 into analog data. It restores the audio signal and causes the speaker 312 to output the audio. The communication control unit 302 executes communication processing for transmitting/receiving voice data and the like to/from the cloud server 110 via the communication network 150 .

When the user utters a specific command to the smart speaker, the cloud server 110 identifies the command, transitions to the command reception mode, recognizes the user's subsequent voice operation instruction, and responds to the content of the operation instruction. Execute a pre-assigned task. In this specification, description of this specific command is omitted, but operations similar to those of general smart speakers and cloud servers are executed.

Details of the speech recognition processing and command analysis processing executed by the cloud server 110 are also omitted, but they are the same as those of a general cloud server. In addition, the cloud server 110 may also have a speaker identification function like a general cloud server.

As in the image forming system 1, the smart speaker 100 and a plurality of MFPs 120 are linked and installed in the same office, a user group is registered in the MFP 120, and a smart A job may be input to the MFP 120 using the speaker 100 .

When the job input in this way is being executed by the multifunction device 120, and it becomes necessary to delete the job in order for the user to change the content of the instruction, the image forming system without the smart speaker 100 may be used. Then, the user needs to move to the MFP 120 and use the operation panel of the MFP 120 to give an instruction to delete the job. In particular, if the user is away from the MFP 120 when the job needs to be deleted, it takes time for the user to move to the MFP 120, so the job is immediately deleted. Can not do it.

On the other hand, if the smart speaker 100 is provided as in the image forming system 1, the user can use the nearby smart speaker 100 to give an instruction to delete a job without moving to the MFP 120. , the time required to travel to the MFP 120 can be saved.
[3] Configuration and Operation of Cloud Server 110 Next, the configuration and operation of the cloud server 110 will be described.
(3-1) Configuration of Cloud Server 110 As shown in FIG. 4, the cloud server 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 400, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 401, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 402, and the like. After the reset, the CPU 400 reads out a boot program from the ROM 401 to start up, uses the RAM 402 as a working storage area, reads out an OS (Operating System) from a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 403, and executes other programs.

The RAM 402 also stores a toner unit price table 411, a paper unit price table 412, a post-processing unit price table 413, a unit time table 414, a printing speed table 415, a job information table 416, and a cost table 417, which will be described later. Of these tables, the toner unit price table 411 , the paper unit price table 412 , the post-processing unit price table 413 , the unit time table 414 and the printing speed table 415 are read from the HDD 403 and written to the RAM 402 .

A NIC (Network Interface Card) 404 performs communication processing for interconnecting the smart speaker 100 and the multi-function peripheral 120 via the communication network 140 .

The voice processing unit 405 executes voice recognition processing of voice data received from the smart speaker 100 and voice synthesis processing of voice data to be transmitted to the smart speaker 100 .

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the cloud server 110. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 , the cloud server 110 generates text data by voice recognition processing from the voice data of the deletion instruction and the additional information received from the smart speaker 100 in the voice recognition unit 501 .

The deletion job identification unit 502 refers to the text data of the deletion instruction and the additional information generated by the speech recognition unit 501 to identify the job to be deleted.

The additional information requesting unit 503 transmits voice data requesting additional information about the job to be deleted to the smart speaker 100 to make the user request the additional information.

The request/instruction unit 504 transmits to the MFP 120 a job-in-execution information request, a corresponding job confirmation request, a deceleration/stop instruction, a deletion instruction, and a deceleration/stop release instruction to the MFP 120 .

The cost calculation unit 505 calculates the execution cost of each job being executed using the job-in-execution information received from the MFP 120 .

A job information receiving unit 506 receives the job information being executed and the corresponding job information from the MFP 120 .
(3-2) Operation of Cloud Server 110 Next, operation of the cloud server 110 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the cloud server 110 receives a deletion instruction from the user (S601: YES), the cloud server 110 transmits a job-in-progress information request to the MFP 120 under its control, and sends an execution job information request, which is information about the job in progress. The medium job information is requested (S602). Each time the cloud server 110 receives the job-in-progress information from the MFP 120, the cloud server 110 records the information notified by the job-in-progress information in the job information table.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the job information table includes job numbers for identifying jobs being executed for each device name of the MFP 120, output mode of the job, specification of single-sided printing or double-sided printing, and paper type. A table for recording type, number of pages, number of remaining copies, number of fractional pages, and presence/absence of stapling. Any one of color output (copy), color output (print), two-color output, monochromatic output, and monochromatic output is recorded in the output mode. In FIG. 7, each item is recorded for each job being executed by each of the six MFPs 120 from MFP A to MFP F. FIG.

The paper type records the paper size and paper type. The paper size is A3, A4, etc., and the paper type is plain paper, fine paper, or the like. The number of pages records the number of pages per copy, and the number of remaining copies records the number of copies yet to be printed. The number of fractional pages records the number of pages that have not yet been printed in the copy that is being printed for each copy. Stapling records whether stapling is to be executed as post-processing.

When the cloud server 110 receives the job-in-progress information from all the MFPs 120 (S603: YES), the cloud server 110 counts the number of the MFPs 120 that are currently executing the job. If only (S604: NO), after transmitting a deletion instruction to the MFP 120 (S610), the process proceeds to step S601 and waits for the next deletion instruction.

If there are multiple MFPs 120 executing jobs (S604: YES), identification of jobs to be deleted is started (S605). In the present embodiment, an inquiry is made to the MFPs 120 as to whether or not a job corresponding to the specified contents of the deletion instruction is being executed, and if there are multiple corresponding MFPs 120, the user is requested to provide additional information. and inquires of the MFP 120 whether or not a job corresponding to the specified content of the additional information added to the specified content of the deletion instruction is being executed. , but it will be appreciated that other methods may be used to identify jobs to be deleted.

The cloud server 110 executes cost calculation processing (S606) and job deceleration/stop processing (S607). As a result, if the execution cost of a job that has a relatively high execution cost among the jobs that are being executed is reduced, if the job that should be deleted is included in the job, it will be generated by executing the job that should be deleted. wasteful cost can be reduced.

In addition, jobs with relatively low execution costs continue to run normally without slowing down or stopping. , user convenience is not compromised.

After that, when a job to be deleted is identified (S608: YES), a deceleration/stop cancellation instruction is transmitted to the MFP 120 executing jobs other than the job to be deleted, and the deceleration or stop of these jobs is canceled. (S609), and deletes the specified job (S610). After that, the process advances to step S601 to wait for the next deletion instruction.
(3-2-1) Cost calculation process (S606)
In the cost calculation process, as shown in FIG. 8, the processes from step S801 to step S809 are executed for each job being executed.

First, the unit price per page is calculated (S802). For this reason, referring to the job information table (FIG. 7), the toner unit price table (FIG. 9), the paper unit price table (FIG. 10), and the post-processing unit price table (FIG. 11), the following formula (1) is used to calculate is calculated and recorded in the unit price table per page (FIG. 12).

Unit price per page =
Unit price of toner per page + (Unit price of paper per sheet ÷ Number of pages per sheet)
+ (unit price for post-processing per set / number of pages) (1)
Here, in the toner unit price table, as shown in FIG. 9, the toner unit price per page for each output mode is recorded for each MFP 120 . Therefore, the unit price of toner per page is obtained by first referring to the output mode of the job recorded in the job information table, and then reading out the unit price of toner corresponding to the output mode of the MFP 120 in the unit price table of toner. Decide by.

As shown in FIG. 10, the paper unit price table records the paper unit price per sheet for each combination of paper type and paper size (A4 size, A3 size). The unit price of paper is common among the multifunction machines 120 . The cloud server 110 refers to the specification of the paper type of the job recorded in the job information table, and reads out the paper unit price per sheet corresponding to the paper type in the paper unit price table.

In the case of single-sided printing, one page is printed on one sheet of paper, and in the case of two-sided printing, two pages are printed on one sheet of paper. The paper unit price per page is calculated by dividing the paper unit price per sheet by the number of print pages per sheet.

As shown in FIG. 11, the post-processing unit price table records the post-processing unit price per copy for each type of post-processing. When calculating the post-processing unit price per page, the number of pages, the number of remaining copies, the number of fractional pages, and the stapling column in the job information table are referred to. ) is used to obtain the number of pages per copy of the job, and the post-processing unit price per copy is divided by the number of pages per copy.

Number of pages per set = (number of pages - number of fractional pages) ÷ number of remaining copies (2)
After the unit price per page is calculated in this manner, the unit price per page is recorded in the corresponding job column of the multifunction machine 120 in the per-page unit price table. As shown in FIG. 12, the per-page unit price table records the device name of the multifunction machine 120, the job number for identifying the job being executed, and the unit price per page in association with each other.

The cloud server 110 then estimates the time required to delete the job that has been instructed to be deleted (S803). Therefore, the job information table is referred to specify the number of jobs being executed, and the required time table is referred to read the estimated required time corresponding to the number of jobs being executed.

The required time table, as shown in FIG. 13, is a table that records the range of the number of jobs being executed in association with the required time. For example, if the number of jobs being executed is 6, the required time of 2 minutes corresponding to the range of 5 to 8 including 6 is read. Reflecting the fact that the more running jobs there are, the longer it takes to identify the jobs that have been instructed to be deleted. It is

Using this required time, the cloud server 110 estimates the number of pages to be printed by the job being executed in the required time until the specified job is deleted, as shown in the following equation (3) (S804 ).

Number of printed pages = print speed x required time (3)
The print speed is specified by referring to the print speed table. The print speed table, as shown in FIG. 14, is a table that records the print speed for each combination of print mode, paper size, and single-sided printing or double-sided printing for each MFP 120. The printing speed is recorded per minute. number of prints. The print modes supported by each MFP 120 may differ. The print mode differs depending on the output mode recorded in the job information table, and also depends on whether the system speed is normal speed or half speed. For example, if the paper is cardboard, the system speed is reduced to half speed.

Cloud server 110 compares the number of remaining pages of the job with the number of print pages per required time calculated in step S804. The number of remaining pages is calculated by the following equation (44) using the number of pages per copy, the number of remaining copies, and the number of fractional pages recorded in the job information table.

Remaining number of pages = (number of pages per copy x number of remaining copies) + number of fractional pages (4)
If the number of remaining pages is less than the number of pages to be printed per required time (S805: YES), no more pages than the number of remaining pages will be printed until the designated job is deleted. Therefore, the following equation (5) is used to calculate the execution cost for the number of remaining pages (S806).

Execution cost = unit price per page x number of remaining pages (5)
If the number of remaining pages is greater than or equal to the number of pages to be printed per required time (S805: NO), no more pages than the number of pages to be printed will be printed until the designated job is deleted. Therefore, the following equation (6) is used to calculate the execution cost for the number of print pages (S807).

Execution cost = unit price per page x number of printed pages (6)
After the processing of steps S806 and S807, the calculated execution cost is recorded in the cost table for each job (S808), and the process proceeds to step S802 to execute the processing related to the next job being executed. As shown in FIG. 15, the job-by-job cost table records the device name of the MFP 120, the job number for identifying the job being executed, the page unit price, the number of print pages, the number of remaining print pages, and the execution cost. is a table.

In FIG. 15, for the job number 101 with the device name MFP A, the remaining number of pages (100 pages) is less than the number of print pages (130 pages), so the execution cost for the remaining number of pages (100 pages) is 3779.00 yen is calculated. On the other hand, for the job number 112 with the device name MFP B, the number of remaining pages (361 pages) is greater than the number of pages to be printed (130 pages). A circle is calculated.
(3-2-2) Job deceleration/stop processing (S607)
In the job deceleration/stop processing, as shown in FIG. 16, first, the average execution cost of the jobs being executed is obtained (S1601). Therefore, by referring to the cost table for each job, the average value of the execution costs recorded in the execution cost column is obtained. In the example of FIG. 15, the average execution cost is 1714 yen.

Next, the processing from step S1602 to step S1607 is executed for each job being executed.

First, the cost table for each job is referred to, and if the execution cost of the job is equal to or less than the average execution cost (S1603: NO), the process advances to step S1607 to process the next job.

If the execution cost of the job is higher than the average execution cost (S1603: YES), it is checked whether the MFP 120 executing the job has a deceleration mode other than stop. Specifically, when the job is being executed at normal speed, the print speed table is referenced to determine whether the MFP 120 executing the job can execute the job at half speed. confirm whether or not

If the MFP 120 can execute the job at half speed, it is determined that it has a deceleration mode other than stop. On the other hand, if the MFP 120 cannot execute the job at half speed, or if the job has already been executed at half speed, it is determined that there is no deceleration mode other than stop.

If it is determined that the deceleration mode is only stop (S1604: YES), a stop instruction is transmitted to the MFP 120 executing the job (S1605). On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a deceleration mode other than stop (S1604: NO), a deceleration instruction is transmitted to the MFP 120 executing the job (S1606).

After the processing of steps S1605 and S1606, the process advances to step S1607 to execute the processing of the next job.

FIG. 17 is a table comparing execution costs for each job before and after deceleration. As shown in the job information table (FIG. 7), the job (job number 101) being executed by the multifunction peripheral MFP A is being executed at normal speed with the output mode being color printing. As shown in the print speed table (FIG. 14), multifunction peripheral MFP A supports color (normal) and color (half speed) as print modes.

Therefore, multifunction peripheral MFP A can execute the job of job number 101 by decelerating from normal speed to half speed. By decelerating in this way, as shown in FIG. 17, the execution cost of the job of job number 101, which was 3779.00 yen before deceleration, can be reduced to 2418.56 yen after deceleration. Therefore, if the job with the job number 101 is a job for which deletion has been instructed, the deceleration can reduce wasteful costs that may occur until the job is deleted.

Similarly, for the job (job number 112) being executed by MFP B, the execution cost can be reduced from 2217.80 yen to 1091.84 yen by decelerating the job. Wasteful costs can be suppressed even if the job has been instructed to be deleted.

In addition, as shown in the printing speed table (FIG. 14), multifunction peripheral MFP E does not have a deceleration mode, so the job (job number 145) being executed by multifunction peripheral MFP E is stopped. According to this stop, the execution cost of the job can be reduced from 1820.00 yen to 0.00 yen, so even when the job is to be deleted, unnecessary costs can be suppressed. .

On the other hand, the jobs (job numbers 123, 134, and 156) being executed by the MFPs MFP C, MFP D, and MFP F do not decelerate because their execution costs are below the average value. , the useless cost does not become too large even if the execution cost is not suppressed. In addition, since these jobs are executed as usual, the user's convenience is not reduced.

For the MFP 120 that has a plurality of deceleration modes other than stop, if the fastest print speed among the selectable print speeds is selected, the decrease in user convenience that may occur due to deceleration of the job can be minimized. can be limited.

For example, in the case of a print instruction mistake that causes the number of print pages to be significantly larger than expected due to a mistake in specifying the print range on the web screen or an error in the Excel print setting range, use the smart speaker 100 to specify the job and delete it. Then, although the deletion command is received quickly, it takes time to identify the job to be deleted if there are many multifunction peripherals 120 executing the job.

Then, depending on the type of job such as color/monochrome, the type of paper, and the printing speed of the MFP that is executing the job, there is a risk that unnecessary costs that cannot be predicted by the user will occur before the job is deleted.

In order to solve such a problem, as in the conventional technology, if all jobs in execution are temporarily stopped immediately upon receipt of a deletion instruction, wasteful costs will not be incurred, but jobs other than the job for which the deletion instruction has been instructed will be uniformly completed. As a result, the user who has submitted another job will be kept waiting, which may result in wasted labor costs.

In order to address such a problem, conventional techniques (for example, See Patent Document 1.) has been proposed.

However, the related art does not take into account the time required to delete the job for which deletion has been instructed, and therefore cannot accurately estimate the disadvantage that the user may suffer. For example, if the time required to delete a job is long, some jobs will incur execution costs throughout the required time, but they will be completed in the middle of the required time, and no execution costs will be incurred after the completion of the job. Since there are also jobs, the execution cost for each job cannot be accurately estimated unless the required time is considered.

On the other hand, considering the time required to delete a job that has been instructed to be deleted as described above, the execution cost of each job can be accurately estimated. It impairs user convenience by slowing down or stopping the job, and even if the unit price per page is low, the number of pages is large, so jobs that cannot be completed immediately are executed as they are, resulting in large wasteful costs. You can avoid the problem of falling apart.
[4] Configuration and Operation of MFP 120 Next, the configuration and operation of the MFP 120 will be described.
(4-1) Configuration of MFP 120 As shown in FIG. I have. The automatic document feeder 1801 feeds out the documents one by one from the document stack and supplies them to the image reading unit 1802 . An image reading unit 1802 optically reads a document to generate image data. An image forming unit 1803 forms a color image or a monochrome image on a recording sheet supplied by the paper feeding unit 1804 based on image data generated by the image reading unit 1802 or image data received from another apparatus, and prints the image on a paper output tray. Eject onto 1805 .

Note that the multi-function device 120 may include a post-processing unit, and in the case where the post-processing unit is provided, after the toner image is thermally fixed on the recording sheet, the recording sheet or the recording sheet is stacked. Post-processing such as stapling and punching is performed on the bundle of recording sheets.

Furthermore, the multi-function device 120 may be able to change the number of recording sheets on which images are formed per unit time. For example, if the recording sheet is thick paper, the thick paper has a larger heat capacity than plain paper, and it is necessary to lengthen the paper feeding time when thermally fixing the toner image. There is also a multifunction machine 120 that secures fixing image quality by slowing the system speed). Therefore, the multi-function device 120 that forms images on recording sheets of different paper types, such as plain paper and thick paper, can switch the printing speed.

The MFP 120 further includes an operation panel 1806 . The operation panel 1806 has a touch panel and hard keys, and the touch panel has a touch pad and a liquid crystal display. An operation panel 1806 presents information to the user using a liquid crystal display, and accepts instruction input by having the user operate a touch pad or hard keys. The operation panel 1806 is attached with the operation surface of the touch panel inclined, for example, so that the user can easily operate it while standing in front of the MFP 120 .

Furthermore, the multi-function device 120 receives a voice instruction given to the smart speaker 100 by the user via the communication network 140, and executes processing according to the voice instruction. This voice instruction includes a job stop instruction.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration for controlling the operation of the multifunction machine 120. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 19, the MFP 120 includes a CPU 1900, a ROM 1901, a RAM 1902, and the like. When the CPU 1900 is reset by power-on or the like, it reads a boot program from the ROM 1901 and starts up. , the OS, control programs, setting data, and the like are read from the HDD 1903 and executed. The HDD 1903 also stores screen data and the like to be displayed on the operation panel 1806 .

As a result, the entire MFP 100 is controlled for various jobs such as scan jobs, copy jobs, mail transmission jobs, and print jobs.

When executing a scan job, the CPU 1900 scans the document using the image reading unit 1802 while conveying the document using the automatic document conveying unit 1801 to generate image data. An input image processing unit 1906 executes image processing for converting the data format of image data such as image data generated by the image reading unit 1802 and stores the data in the HDD 1903 .

When executing the mail transmission job, the image data stored in the HDD 1903 is attached to an e-mail and sent to the destination specified by the user. When executing a copy job, image formation is executed using the generated image data while generating image data in the same manner as in the scan job. An output image processing unit 1907 executes rasterization processing to convert image data into a raster format.

When executing a print job, an image is formed using image data stored in the HDD 1903 or image data received from another device such as the PC 130 via the communication network 140 .

The NIC 1904 performs processing for communicating with other devices such as the cloud server 110 and the PC 130 via the communication network 140 . A facsimile interface 1905 performs processing for transmitting and receiving facsimile data to and from another facsimile machine via a facsimile line.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a main functional configuration related to deceleration processing when deleting a job of the multifunction machine 120. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 20, the MFP 120 includes a request/instruction reception unit 2001, a job control unit 2002, a job information acquisition unit 2003, and a job information transmission unit 2004. FIG.

The request/instruction receiving unit 2001 receives from the cloud server 110 a request for information on a job being executed, a request for confirming the job, a deceleration/stop instruction, a delete instruction, and a deceleration/stop cancellation instruction.

When the request/instruction reception unit 2001 receives a deceleration/stop instruction from the cloud server 110, the job control unit 2002 reduces the printing speed of the job being executed or stops execution of the job in accordance with the instruction. do. When the deletion instruction is accepted, the job is deleted. Further, when the deceleration/stop cancellation instruction is received, the normal execution of the job related to the instruction is resumed.

When the request/instruction accepting unit 2001 accepts the corresponding job confirmation request, the job information acquiring unit 2003 confirms whether or not a job matching the conditions specified in the request has been submitted, and whether or not the execution of the job has been completed. It confirms whether or not the job has been executed, and generates corresponding job information for notifying whether or not the job has been submitted and whether or not execution of the job has been completed.

In addition, when the information about the job being executed is accepted, the information about the job being executed includes the device name of the multifunction machine 120, the job number for identifying the job, the output mode, and the specification of single-sided printing or double-sided printing. , sheets, the number of pages, the number of remaining copies, the number of fractional pages, and the presence/absence of stapling are collected to generate job-in-progress information.

The job information transmission unit 2004 transmits the relevant job information and the job information being executed to the cloud server 110 .
(4-2) Operations of MFP 120 Next, operations of the MFP 120 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 21, when the instruction/request reception unit 2001 receives the request for job-in-execution information (S2101: YES), the job-information acquisition unit 2003 of the MFP 120 generates job-in-execution information (S2111). ), the job information transmitting unit 2004 transmits the job information in execution to the cloud server 110 (S2112).

If a deceleration instruction has been received (S2102: YES), the job control unit 2002 decelerates the printing speed of the job being executed (S2121).

If a stop instruction has been received (S2103: YES), the job control unit 2002 stops executing the job being executed (S2131).

If the deletion instruction is received (S2104: YES), the job being executed is deleted by the job control unit 2002 (S2141).

If the deceleration cancellation instruction is received (S2105: YES), the job control unit 2002 restores the print speed of the job being decelerated to the speed before deceleration (S2151).

If the stop release instruction is received (S2106: YES), the job control unit 2002 restarts execution of the stopped job (S2161).

Also, when the corresponding job confirmation request is received (S2107: YES), the job information acquisition unit 2003 determines whether a job that meets the conditions specified in the request has been submitted, and whether the execution of the job has been completed. (S2171), and the job information transmitting unit 2004 transmits the corresponding job information to the cloud server 110 (S2172).
[5] Modifications Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is of course not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following modifications can be implemented. .
(5-1) In the above embodiment, the case where the job to be decelerated/stopped is determined based on the average execution cost of the jobs being executed has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Needless to say, the following may alternatively be used.

For example, as shown in FIG. 22, in the job deceleration/stop processing (S607), the maximum cost difference of all execution costs is identified (S2201). Specifically, as exemplified in FIG. 23, after arranging the execution costs of all the jobs being executed in descending order, the difference in execution cost between adjacent jobs after arranging is calculated, and the difference in execution cost is calculated. Identify maximum value. In the example of FIG. 23, the execution cost (3779.00 yen) of the job (job number 101) being executed in the MFP A and the execution cost (2217 Yen) of the job (job number 112) being executed in the MFP B are The maximum cost difference is the difference (1561.20 yen) from .80 yen).

Next, the median value of the interval in which the difference in execution cost takes the maximum value is calculated and set as the threshold value (S2202). In the example of FIG. 23, the section in which the execution cost difference takes the maximum value (1561.20 yen) is the section between MFP A and MFP B. In FIG. The execution cost (3779.00 yen) of the job (job number 101) being executed on the MFP A and the execution cost (2217.80 yen) of the job (job number 112) being executed by the MFP B The median value is
(3779.00 yen + 2217.80 yen) ÷ 2 = 2998.40 yen (7)
is.

Next, the process from step S2203 to step S2208 is executed for each job being executed.

First, the cost table for each job is referred to, and if the execution cost of the job is equal to or less than the threshold (S2204: NO), the process advances to step S1607 to process the next job.

If the execution cost of the job is higher than the threshold (S2204: YES), it is determined whether the MFP 120 executing the job has a deceleration mode other than stop. If it is determined that the deceleration mode is only stop (S2205: YES), a stop instruction is transmitted to the MFP 120 executing the job (S2206).

On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a deceleration mode other than stop (S2205: NO), a deceleration instruction is transmitted to the MFP 120 executing the job (S2207). After the processing of steps S2206 and S2207, the process advances to step S2208 to execute the processing of the next job.

In the example of FIG. 23, the job (job number 101) being executed by the multifunction peripheral MFP A is decelerated because the execution cost is higher than the threshold. On the other hand, the jobs (job numbers 112, 123, 134, 145 and 156) being executed by the multifunction peripherals MFP B, MFP C, MFP D, MFP E, and MFP F have print speeds with execution costs lower than the threshold. Continue execution without slowing down.

As a result, as shown in the job-by-job cost comparison table of FIG. 24, the execution cost of the job (job number 101) being executed by the multifunction peripheral MFP A is reduced from 3779.00 yen to 2418.56 yen. . Therefore, if the job is to be deleted, it is possible to reduce unnecessary costs that may occur until the job is deleted.

On the other hand, the other job has a lower execution cost than the job (job number 101) executed by the multifunction peripheral MFP A and continues to be executed at the original print speed, thereby maintaining user convenience. can.

In this way, even if the criteria for selecting jobs with relatively high execution costs among running jobs are different, jobs with relatively high execution costs are slowed down or stopped, and jobs with relatively low execution costs are selected. By maintaining the original print speed, it is possible to reduce unnecessary costs that may be incurred by executing jobs until deletion is performed while suppressing deterioration in user convenience. can.
(5-2) Although not explicitly stated in the above embodiment, the image forming system 1 may include a plurality of smart speakers 100, and even when a plurality of smart speakers 100 are used, Similar effects can be obtained by using the same form.
(5-3) In the above embodiment, the case where the MFP 120 includes the automatic document feeder 1801, the image reading unit 1802, the image forming unit 1803, and the paper feeding unit 1804 has been described as an example. is not limited to this, and a multi-function device 120 having a different configuration may be used. Further, instead of or in addition to the MFP 120, a single-function machine such as a printer, a copier, or a facsimile machine may be used, and when deleting a job being executed by a single-function machine, A similar effect can be obtained by applying the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The image forming system according to the present invention is useful as a system capable of reducing wasteful costs that may occur between an instruction to delete a job using a smart speaker and the job being deleted.

Reference Signs List 1 Image forming system 100 Smart speaker 110 Cloud server 120 MFP

Claims (19)

An image forming apparatus comprising: an accepting unit for accepting a job deletion instruction; a specifying unit for specifying a job for which the deletion is instructed; and a deleting unit for deleting the specified job, and controlling job execution in a plurality of image forming apparatuses. a system,
a required time estimating means for estimating the time required to identify and delete the job instructed to be deleted;
job information acquisition means for acquiring job information for calculating an execution cost of a job being executed from the plurality of image forming apparatuses when a job deletion instruction is received;
Cost calculation means for calculating, for each job, an execution cost that can be incurred within the required time when the job information is acquired from two or more image forming apparatuses among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, using the job information. When,
and deceleration means for decelerating an execution speed of a job having a relatively high execution cost among jobs whose execution costs have been calculated. 2. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein said reception means receives said deletion instruction by voice. 3. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming system also serves as one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses. The cost calculation means refers to the number of image forming apparatuses from which the job information acquisition means has acquired the job information, and determines whether or not the job information has been acquired from the two or more image forming apparatuses. 4. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein said cost calculation means calculates an execution cost that can be generated within said required time using a color mode related to said job. 6. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cost calculation means calculates an execution cost that can be generated within the required time using the paper size of the job. 7. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said cost calculation means calculates an execution cost that can be incurred within said required time by using the type of paper relating to said job. 8. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cost calculation unit calculates an execution cost that can be incurred within the required time by using a stapling unit price of post-processing related to the job. . The cost calculation unit calculates the number of print pages of the job within the required time using the single-sided printing speed of the image forming apparatus executing the job, thereby 9. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the cost is calculated. The cost calculation means calculates the number of print pages of the job within the required time using the duplex printing speed of the image forming apparatus that is executing the job. 9. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the cost is calculated. 11. The image forming system according to claim 9, wherein the number of pages to be printed within the required time differs depending on the color mode of the job. 11. The image forming system according to claim 9, wherein the number of pages to be printed within the required time differs according to the paper size of the job. When the number of remaining pages of the job is smaller than the number of pages to be printed within the required time, the cost calculation means uses the number of remaining pages of the job instead of the number of pages to be printed within the required time. 13. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein an execution cost that can occur within said required time is calculated. 14. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the required time estimating means estimates the required time longer as the number of jobs being executed increases. 15. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the deceleration of the job execution speed by the deceleration means includes a case of stopping the job. 16. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the cost calculation unit discounts the execution cost that can be generated within the required time as the number of remaining print copies of the job increases. . 17. The deceleration unit according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the deceleration means decelerates the execution speed of the job so that the execution cost of the job becomes lower than the relatively high execution cost. imaging system. The cost calculation means is
Calculate the average execution cost of running jobs,
18. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein when the job execution cost is higher than the average value, it is determined that the job execution cost is relatively high. The cost calculation means is
Arrange the execution costs of the jobs being executed in descending order of execution cost,
Calculate the cost difference between adjacent execution costs after the alignment,
classifying the execution costs into two groups such that the pair of execution costs with the largest cost difference belongs to different groups;
19. The image forming system according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein it is determined that a job associated with one of the two groups having a higher execution cost has a relatively higher execution cost.

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