JPH05189170A - System for controlling print-out - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To inform print-out completing time of a user when requesting print- out or changing printer queue contents in a print-out waiting state. CONSTITUTION:When a print-out request is executed by the user on the side of a client 11, a server 31 calculates output completing time and stores the value as one of information concerning a print job in the case of registering any new print job on a printer queue and based on the information concerning the print job in a printer queue 31-3, the print-out completing time is calculated and informed of the user. When the time is registered on the printer queue 31-3 and the print job is changed by spooler 31-2 in a print waiting state, based on the information concerning the print job in the printer queue 31-3, the print- out completing time to be changed is informed of the user again.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print server system in a network environment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the existing products and the like, the notification of the print output in response to the print output request is only the notification of the print output completion or the notification of the registration completion of the output printer.

[0003]

In the above notification method, the print output requester cannot know the print output completion time, and therefore the print output or the print output completion notification is always paid attention to when the print output is issued. I had to wait. The present invention is intended to solve this problem.

[0004]

In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention, a means for calculating a print output completion time for a print output request designated by a print output requester, and the print output completion time A means for storing and a means for notifying the print output requester of the print output completion time based on the value are provided.

[0005]

First, when the print output requester makes a print output request, a means for calculating the print output completion time, a means for storing the print output completion time, and a print for the print output requester based on the value. The means for notifying the output completion time can notify the print output requester of the print output completion time. Further, when the print output request is changed in the print output waiting state, the means for storing the print output completion time and the means for notifying the print output requester of the print output completion time are used for the remaining print output waiting time. It is possible to re-notify the print output requester of the changed print output completion time of the print output request.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is an example of a diagram showing a system configuration on which the present invention is based. Reference numerals 11 and 12 denote transmission side systems (hereinafter referred to as clients), 20 denotes communication lines (hereinafter referred to as networks), 31 and 32 denote reception side systems (hereinafter referred to as servers), 31-2 ，
32-2 is a spooler, 31-3, 32-3 are printer queues, 41, 42 are printers, 51, 52, 53, 54.
Is an information processing device (hereinafter referred to as a workstation). Each workstation 51, 52, 5
3, 54 are connected via the network 20.
The network is a branch type in this embodiment.
Of the workstations 51, 52, 53, 54,
The workstations 51 and 52 to which the printers 41 and 42 are connected serve as servers, and the other workstations 53 and 54 serve as clients. In such a system, the application programs operating on the workstations 53 and 54 are connected to each other via the network 20.
It is possible to request print output from the printers 41 and 42 connected to the printers 1 and 52. In this embodiment, one server, one client, and one printer queue exist in the spooler of the server for simplification of description. Although it is assumed that the client and the server are on different workstations, they may actually exist on the same workstation.

This embodiment is shown in FIG. 1 based on the above assumption. 11 is a client, 11-1 is an operating system, 11-2 is a client-side network driver, 20 is a network, 31 is a server, 31-
1 is a server side network driver, 31-2 is a spooler, 31-3 is a printer queue, 31-4 is a printer driver, and 41 is a printer. When a print output requester (hereinafter referred to as a user) makes a print output request at the client 11, a new print job (hereinafter referred to as a new print job) is issued in response to the print output request, and the client 11 supports the print output. -Transfer to the printer 31 together with the print data. The server 31 registers a new print job in the printer queue 31-3 in the spooler 31-2, and when spooling the print data for the new print job, the print data is counted by a certain unit of data type. Then, based on them, the print output completion time for the new print job is calculated, and the value is stored as one of the print job information (hereinafter referred to as job data).
Next, the print output completion time for the new print job is obtained from the total print output completion time of the job data of all print jobs in the printer queue 31-3.
Notify the user. Here, print data from the client to the server, transfer of a new print job, and notification from the server to the user of the client are performed by the operating system 11-1, the network drivers 11-2, 31-.
1. The printing is performed via the network 20 and the printing is performed via the print driver 31-4.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing details of the processing contents explained in FIG. When the process starts at 100,
First, at 110, the user makes a print output request to the printer on the client side. At 120, a new print job for the print output request is issued, and at 130
Then, it is transferred from the client to the server together with the print data. After that, it is the process on the server side.
When a new print job is registered in the printer queue in the spooler of the server and the print data is spooled, the print data is counted by a certain unit of data type. At 150, the print output completion time of the new print job is calculated based on the counted value of 140, and is stored in the job data of the new print job. 1
At 60, the print output completion time of the new print job is obtained from the total print output completion time of the job data of all print jobs in the printer queue, and the user is notified. This processing ends at 170.

FIG. 4 shows an example 200 of the job data used in the processing of FIG. The following items are stored for each print job. 201 is a value indicating the name of a user who has issued a print output request for this print job, and 202 is a print output completion time value calculated for each print job. Further, 203 is an identification value of this print job, and 204
Is a value indicating the order in which this print job is registered in the printer queue.

5 and 6 show two examples of the method of calculating the print output completion time of each print job performed in the process of FIG. In FIG. 5, the time conversion table 300 showing the output time for each fixed data unit is
The print data 310, which is set according to the type and performance of the printer, has been requested to be printed and transmitted.
However, the counter 320 on the server is used when spooling is performed by the spooler, and after counting the number of data units of a certain unit set in 300 in the order in which they are transmitted, the time conversion table 300 and the counter 320 The print output completion time 330 is calculated using the value.
Specifically, the print data 310 is counted by the counter 320 as A12 (A1 to A12) and B8 (B1 to B8), and according to the time conversion table 300, A is T1 time and B is T2 time. Therefore, the print output completion time 330 is T1 × 12 + T2 × 8. On the other hand, in FIG. 6, virtual print data 350 is transmitted to a printer that can be used when the system is started up for each data type of a certain unit, the print output completion time is measured, and the time conversion table is based on them. 36
Create 0. Using the time conversion table 360 and the value of the counter 320, the print output completion time 380 is calculated for the print data 370 of the print output request in the same manner as in FIG. Specifically, the print data 370 is displayed by the counter 320 by C16 (C1
From C16) to D8 (D1 to D8), and the time conversion table 360 indicates that C is T3 hours,
Since D is T4 hours, the print output completion time is 3
80 is T3 × 16 + T4 × 8. As described above, the print output completion time is calculated.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a process when the contents of the printer queue are changed such that the print job in the printer queue is deleted while the print job is spooled and is in the print output waiting state. ..
A change occurs at 400 and the process begins. At 410, it is determined based on the job data whether the print output completion time needs to be changed for the rearrangement of the print job accompanying the change of the printer queue content. When the change is not necessary, the process proceeds to 430 and the process is ended. When the change is necessary, the user is notified of the changed print output completion time at 420. At 430, this processing ends. This process continues until all spooled print jobs start printing.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the processing of FIG. The status in the printer queue is 510 print job 1, 520 print job 2, as seen in FIG.
530 print jobs 3 and 540 print jobs 4 are in a print waiting state, and the job data relating to each print job is 210, 220, 230, 2 in each print job in the format of 200 in FIG.
The value described as 40 shall be applicable. If 520 print job 2 is deleted in this state,
Whether all print jobs in the printer queue require rearrangement is determined according to the order in which the print jobs are registered in the printer queue. As a result, 530
Print job 3 540 print job 4 520
The print job 2 is rearranged because it is the number 3, 4 which is larger than the order 2 registered in the printer queue. Therefore, the print output completion time is changed, that is, 53.
0 print job 3, 540 print job 4 is 520
The print output completion time 5 of the print job 2 is re-notified to the users 1 and 3 of the output times 6 and 13, respectively.

[0014]

According to the present invention, since the user can recognize the print output completion time, the user does not have to pay attention to the print output until the print output, and the user can concentrate on other work, thereby improving the work efficiency. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram.

FIG. 3 is a detailed diagram of processing contents.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of job data.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a print output completion time calculation method 1.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a print output completion time calculation method 2;

FIG. 7 is a detailed view of processing contents when changing a print job while waiting for printing.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of print job change processing during print waiting.

[Explanation of symbols]

11, 12 ... Client, 11-1 ... Operating system, 11-2 ... Client side network driver, 20 ... Network, 31, 32 ... Server, 3
1-1 ... server side network driver, 31-2, 3
2-2 ... spooler, 31-3, 32-3 ... printer queue, 31-4 ... printer driver, 41, 42 ... printer, 51, 52, 53, 54 ... workstation, 1
00 ... Start processing, 110 ... Print output request, 120 ...
Issuance of new print job, 130 ... Transfer of print data and new print job, 140 ... Registration of new print job in printer queue and data type count of print data, 150 ... Calculation of print output completion time of new print job and job Data storage, 160 ... Notification to user of print output completion time of new print job, 1
70 ... End of processing, 200 ... Job data, 201 ... User name, 202 ... Print output completion time, 203 ... Print job ID, 204 ... Print job registration number in printer queue, 210 ... Job data 1, 220 ... Job data 2, 230 ... Job data 3, 240 ... Job data 4, 300 ... Time conversion table, 310 ... Print data, 320 ... Counter, 330 ... Print output completion time, 350 ... Virtual print data, 360 ... Time conversion table, 370 ... Print data, 380 ... Print output completion time, 400 ... Change process start time, 410 ... Change of print output completion time, 420 ... Re-notification of changed print output completion time, 430 ... Change process end, 510
... print jobs 1, 520 ... print jobs 2, 53
0 ... Print job 3, 540 ... Print job 4.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Toshihiro Ono 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi Hitachi Ltd. Microelectronics Device Development Laboratory

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A system in which a printer is connected to some or all of two or more information processing devices and the information processing devices, and the information processing devices are connected to each other by a communication line or the like. When a print output request is issued from the information processing device to the printer, the print output completion time for the print output request is calculated, and the print output completion time is notified to the print output requester. method. 2. When one of the print output requests is changed in the print output waiting state and affects the print output completion time of another print output request, those changes are made and the changed time is printed. A print output control method characterized in that the print output requester corresponding to the output request is notified again.