JPWO2019171541A1 - Print control method, print control program, and print control device - Google Patents

Abstract

The above problem is among a plurality of load distribution devices associated with each of a plurality of machines in which the print driver set to be installed is managed separately when the transmission of print data to a specific printer is requested. Identify the load distribution device associated with a particular printer, have the identified load distribution device perform print job assignments, and process the print jobs with the print driver installed on the machine assigned by the load distribution device. When the conversion to the print data corresponding to a specific printer is executed, the print data obtained by the conversion is transmitted to the specific printer, and the conversion load on multiple machine groups is detected to be unbalanced, a plurality of conversions are performed. This is achieved by a print control method characterized in that a computer performs a process of reorganizing a print driver set to be managed for each of the machines.

Description

The present invention relates to a print control method, a print control program, and a print control device.

In recent years, the number of systems using thin client terminals has increased. In such a system, the thin client terminal creates intermediate data from the data printed by the virtual printer driver and sends it to the print server as a print job. When the print server acquires the information of the output destination printer from the thin client terminal, it converts the print job into print data that can be interpreted by the output destination printer, and sends the converted print data to the output destination printer. With such a mechanism, the function related to printing of the thin client terminal can be minimized.

A technology that sends a print request to the spool server, converts it to print data using the printer driver supported by the output device, and prints it on the output device. Every time the basic printer driver installed by Point & Print is used, the device Techniques for updating to a unique printer driver are known.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-208886 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-101595 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-238924

In the system as described above, the printer driver cannot be freely installed from the thin client terminal, or must be installed every time it is used, and printing cannot be performed on the printer desired by the user.

In a print writer that converts a print job into print data that can be interpreted by the output destination printer and prints the print job, the conversion process from the print job to the print data is burdensome. It is conceivable to provide a plurality of print writers to distribute the load, but it is not easy for any user to add / update an arbitrary printer driver from the viewpoint of load distribution.

Therefore, one aspect is aimed at efficiently distributing the load on the print writer.

According to one aspect, a plurality of load distributors associated with each of a plurality of machines in which a set of print drivers to be installed is managed separately when requested to send print data to a specific printer. Among them, the load distribution device associated with the specific printer is specified, the specified load distribution device is made to execute the print job assignment, and the printing is performed by the print driver installed on the machine assigned by the load distribution device. A job is processed to perform conversion to print data corresponding to the specific printer, the print data obtained by the conversion is transmitted to the specific printer, and the load of the conversion in the plurality of machines is applied. When the imbalance is detected, a print control method is provided in which a computer performs a process of reorganizing a print driver set to be managed for each of the plurality of machine groups.

The load on the print writer can be efficiently distributed.

It is a figure which shows the configuration example of the system in an Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the procedure from the registration of a print job to the print process. It is a figure which shows the process sequence from the registration of a print job to the print process. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the reception process by the reception processing part. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of the printer information table. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of the driver group correspondence table. It is a figure for demonstrating the procedure of adding a printer driver. It is a figure for demonstrating the procedure for updating a printer driver. It is a figure for demonstrating the procedure of adding a print writer. It is a figure which shows the processing sequence for demonstrating the load equilibration processing. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing by the reception processing part in the load equilibration processing. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of the request log table used in the 1st creation method. It is a figure for demonstrating the acquisition method of the driver specific table in the 1st creation method. It is a figure for demonstrating the acquisition method of the group identification table in the 1st creation method. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of the usage statistical information table created in the 1st creation method. It is a figure which shows the result example by the 1st load equilibrium processing. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of the request log table used in the 2nd creation method. It is a figure for demonstrating the acquisition method of the driver specific table in the 2nd creation method. It is a figure for demonstrating the acquisition method of the group identification table in the 2nd creation method. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of the usage statistical information table created in the 2nd creation method. It is a figure which shows the result example by the 2nd load equilibration processing. It is a figure for demonstrating the creation of the printer number table used in the 2nd creation method. It is a figure for demonstrating the acquisition method of the group identification table in the 3rd creation method. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of the usage statistical information table created in the 3rd creation method. It is a figure which shows the result example by the 3rd load equilibration processing. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of a client terminal. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of a printer. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of a server device. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of a load distribution device. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of a print writer. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of the print driver master.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a system using a thin client terminal (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "client terminal") will be described. The system includes a print writer that is part of the print server's ability to convert print jobs into print data that can be interpreted by the destination printer and send the converted print data to the destination printer. There is. By installing the printer drivers of all printers that can be output destinations in the print writer, printing becomes possible regardless of which printer is specified as the output destination.

On the other hand, when printing is possible with a plurality of printers, it is conceivable to provide a plurality of print writers to distribute the printing process. That is, a load distribution device is provided to distribute the load related to the printing process to each of the plurality of print writers. In this case, the following operations are performed according to changes in the system configuration due to an increase or decrease in the number of printers, print writers, and the like.
(1) Every time a printer model that can be an output destination is added, a printer driver is added to all print writers.
(2) Every time the printer driver of a certain printer model is updated, the printer drivers of all print writers are updated.
(3) Every time a print writer is added, the printer drivers of all printers that can be output destinations are installed in the added print writer.

As described above, the operation of adding / updating the printer driver, adding the print writer, and the like requires a great deal of labor.

As a method of reducing the labor of the above (1) and (2), a method of introducing a print writer master and duplicating the print writer (converting a print job into print data) from the master can be considered. Hereinafter, the master of the print writer is referred to as a "print driver master", and a device in which one or more printer drivers are duplicated from the print driver master is referred to as a print writer.

In this case, in the above (1) and (2), the printer driver may be added / deleted only to the print driver master. However, even if this method is used, the following problems occur depending on the OS (Operating System).
(4) When a large number of printer drivers (also referred to as "printer objects") are installed in the print writer, the time required for conversion from a print job to print data is greatly increased.

Since the print writer manages all printer drivers (printer objects) that can be output destinations, the problem (4) described above occurs when the number of printers that can be output destinations is large.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the printers that can be output destinations are divided into several groups, and the load distribution device and the print driver master are assigned to each group to reduce the labor of adding / updating the printer driver and adding the print writer. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in the time required for conversion from a print job to print data.

Further, when frequently used printers are grouped into one group, the load of each group is not balanced, and the performance with respect to the number of print writers may be reduced. After grouping in this way, it may be necessary to balance the load of each group. Therefore, in this embodiment, we also propose a mechanism for grouping so that the load of each group is balanced based on the usage statistical information of the printer.

The printers that can be output destinations are classified into several groups, and a load distributor and a print driver master are assigned to each group. The printer driver of the printer that can be the output destination belonging to the group is installed in the print driver master assigned to each group. By duplicating one or more drivers from the print driver master, a print writer used in the print process is generated. Printing of the print writer can be executed automatically.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the system in the embodiment. The system 1000 shown in FIG. 1 includes one or more client terminals 5, a plurality of printers 6, a server device 100, one or more load distribution devices 200, a plurality of print writers 300, and one or more print driver masters 400. And can be connected to each other by a network 2 or the like. Network 2 is not limited to wireless or wired.

The client terminal 5 is a thin client terminal, a personal computer (PC), a mobile terminal such as a tablet or a smartphone, or the like. The plurality of printers 6 are printers of the same or different models that form an image of print data 7c received via the network 2 on a medium such as paper.

The client terminal 5 registers the print job 7a in the server device 100 via the network 2. The server device 100 receives the print job 7a from the client terminal 5 via the network 2. Upon receiving the request for taking back the print data 7c from the printer 6, the server device 100 is a device that identifies the load distribution device 200 that controls the processing load at the time of printing. The server device 100 has a reception processing unit 41, and the load distribution device 200 is specified by the reception processing unit 41.

The load distribution device 200 manages the processing loads of the plurality of print writers 300, and controls the allocation of print jobs to the print writers 300 so that the processing loads of the print writers 300 are balanced. Further, the load distribution device 200 transmits the print job 7a received from the server device 100 via the network 2 to the print writer 300 determined as the allocation destination via the network 2.

Each print writer 300 has the same or different printer driver, converts the print job 7a received from the load distribution device 200 into print data 7c in a format that can be printed by the printer 6 that prints out, and transmits the print data 7c to the printer 6. .. The printer 6 that has received the print data 7c executes a print process and outputs a printed matter.

In the system 1000, the print writer 300 is classified into groups, and the load distribution device 200 is provided for each group. In one group, the print driver master 400 has the printer drivers of all the printers 6 available from the group and adds the new printer driver by duplicating it to the print writer 300 selected based on the load status. In this case, a new printer driver is added to the existing print writer 300.

Further, when a new information processing device is added to the network 2 as the print writer 300, a print writer 300 that duplicates one or a plurality of printer drivers held by the print driver master 400 may be added. The print driver master 400 may function as one of the print writers 300. In the following description, it is assumed that the print driver master 400 is provided separately from the print writer 300. Although the network 2 will be omitted, the system configuration will be based on the configuration shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a procedure from registration of a print job to printing processing. In FIG. 2, an example having two groups will be described, but the procedure is the same even if there are one or three or more groups.

The client terminal 5 transmits the print job 7a to the reception processing unit 41 of the server device 100 in response to the user's operation (step S111). The user of the client terminal 5 makes a take-back request for the print job 7a in the printing printer 6 (step S112). The printer 6 requests the reception processing unit 41 to take over the print job 7a.

The reception processing unit 41 identifies the load distribution device 200 that manages the processing load of the printer driver corresponding to the printer 6 (step S113), and transmits the print job 7a to the specified load distribution device 200 (step S114). The method for specifying the load distribution device 200 will be described later.

Upon receiving the print job 7a, the load distribution device 200 selects the print writer 300 based on the processing load status of the print writer 300, the information of the printer driver, and the like, and transmits the print job 7a to the selected print writer 300. (Step S115).

The print writer 300 converts the print job 7a into the print data 7c, and transmits the print data 7c obtained by the conversion to the printer 6 that has requested the takeover of the print job 7a (step S116). When the printer 6 receives the print data 7c, the printer 6 executes a print process and outputs a printed matter.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a processing sequence from registration of a print job to printing processing. In FIG. 3, when the client terminal 5 transmits the print job 7a to the server device 100 (step S131), the print job 7a is registered by the reception processing unit 41 (step S132).

Upon receiving the take-back request for the print job 7a from the printer 6 (step S133), the reception processing unit 41 identifies the load distribution device 200 from the group to which the printer 6 that requested the take-back of the print job 7a belongs (step S134).

The reception processing unit 41 transmits the print job 7a to the specified load distribution device 200 (step S135). In response to receiving the print job 7a, the load distribution device 200 selects the print writer 300 having a small load (step S136), and transmits the print job 7a to the selected print writer 300 (step S137).

The print writer 300 converts the received print job 7a into print data 7c (step S138), and transmits the print data 7c to the printer 6 (step S139). The printer 6 executes a print process using the received print data 7c (step S140).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the reception process by the reception processing unit. In FIG. 4, the reception processing unit 41 of the server device 100 receives a print data collection request from the printer 6 (step S151).

First, the reception processing unit 41 refers to the printer information table 171 and identifies the printer driver corresponding to the printer specified in the take-back request (step S152). Next, the reception processing unit 41 identifies the load distribution device 200 corresponding to the specified printer driver with reference to the driver group correspondence table 172 (step S153).

Then, the reception processing unit 41 transmits the print job 7a to the specified load distribution device 200 (step S154).

5 and 6 show an example of data configuration of the printer information table 171 and the driver group correspondence table 172, which are referred to in the various processes described above. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of the printer information table. In FIG. 5, the printer information table 171 is a table that manages information on the printer 6 that can be used in the system 1000, and has items such as a printer name, an IP address, and a driver name.

The printer name indicates an identifier for identifying the printer 6. The IP address indicates a number unique to the printer 6 for communication in the network 2. The driver name indicates an identifier for specifying a printer driver for converting the print job 7a into print data 7c in a format that can be interpreted by the printer 6.

In the example of FIG. 5, the printer name "Prt_1" is associated with the IP address "10.11.12.13", the driver name "Drv_A", etc., and the printer name "Prt_2" is associated with the IP address "10.11.12.14". , Driver name "Drv_B", etc. are associated. A printer name, an IP address, a driver name, and the like are shown for each printer 6. With reference to the printer information table 171, the printer 6 having the printer names "Prt_1", "Prt_3", "Prt_5", and "Prt_7" can be used with the same printer driver "Drv_A". Printer 6 with printer names "Prt_2", "Prt_4", "Prt_6", and "Prt_8" can be used by different printer drivers "Drv_B", "Drv_C", "Drv_D", and "Drv_E", respectively.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of data structure of the driver group correspondence table. In FIG. 6, the driver group correspondence table 172 is a table that manages information on the printer 6 that can be used in the system 1000, and has items such as a driver name, a group name, and a load distribution device ID.

The driver name indicates any of the driver names recorded in the printer information table 171. The group name indicates an identifier that identifies the group classified by the load balancing process. The load distribution device ID indicates an identifier that determines the allocation of the print job 7a to the print writer 300 in the group and identifies the load distribution device 200 that controls the load distribution. The information related to the load distribution device 200 may be managed in a table different from the driver group correspondence table 172. In this case, the group name is associated with the driver group correspondence table 172. For the sake of brevity, the driver group correspondence table 172 shall include the load distribution device ID.

In the example of FIG. 6, the printer drivers of the printer 6 that can be used via the network 2 are classified into two groups. Printer drivers with driver names "Drv_A", "Drv_C", and "Drv_E" are placed in the group with group name "Grp_1", and printer drivers with driver names "Drv_B" and "Drv_D" are placed in the group with group name "Grp_2". Be placed.

next,
-Addition of printer driver-Update of printer driver-Addition of print writer 300 will be described.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for adding a printer driver. In FIG. 7, the reception processing unit 41 of the system 1000 selects one of the groups of the printer 6 and instructs the installation of the printer driver of the printer 6 to be added to the print driver master 400 belonging to the selected group (step S211). ..

When the print driver master 400 installs the printer driver, the print driver master 400 duplicates the printer driver installed in the print writer 300 that duplicates the printer driver from itself (step S212). A new printer driver is added to the print writer 300 by installing step S212. Each load of the print writer 300 is adjusted by the load balancing process described later.

The print driver master 400 holds the information of the printer driver that has already been installed, adds the information of the newly installed printer driver, and notifies the reception processing unit 41 of the completion of the addition.

The reception processing unit 41 adds a correspondence between the added printer driver and the load distribution device of the group selected in step S211 in response to the notification from the print driver master 400 that the addition of the printer driver is completed (step S213). .. Printer driver information (corresponding to one record) is added to the printer information table 171, and the load that identifies the printer driver name, group ID, and load distribution device 200 associated with the group ID is added to the driver group correspondence table 172. It is added in association with the distribution device ID.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for updating the printer driver. In FIG. 8, the print driver master 400 of the system 1000 updates the installed printer driver (step S231).

The print driver master 400 duplicates the printer driver from itself to the duplicated print writer (step S232).

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for adding a print writer. In FIG. 9, the reception processing unit 41 of the system 1000 selects one of the groups of the printer 6 and instructs the print driver master 400 belonging to the selected group to add the print writer 300 (step S251).

The print driver master 400 replicates the printer driver held by the print driver master 400 to a new print writer 300 (step S252).

Next, with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, a load balancing process for balancing the loads of the plurality of print writers 300 in the system 1000 will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a processing sequence for explaining the load balancing process. In FIG. 10, the grouping is updated by the load balancing process from the state where the print driver master 410 and the print writers 310a and 310b belong to the group G1 and the print driver master 420 and the print writers 320a and 320b belong to the group G2. To.

In FIG. 10, the reception processing unit 41 acquires usage statistics information from the usage statistics information table 180 (step S311), and calculates the grouping in which the loads are balanced (step S312). When the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the load in a plurality of groups is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the loads are said to be balanced or even.

The reception processing unit 41 compares the calculated grouping with the current grouping, and transmits the identifier of the printer driver moving from the group G1 to the group G2 to the print driver master 410 of the group G1 in the current grouping (step). S313). When transmitting the identifier of the printer driver, the group name of the destination may also be transmitted.

The print driver master 410 transmits the printer driver specified by the received identifier among the retained printer drivers to the print driver master 420 of the group G2 (step S314).

The print driver master 420 of the group G2 is added as a printer driver that holds the printer driver received from the group G1 (step S315). Then, the print driver master 420 duplicates the printer driver received by the print writer 320a and the print writer 320b (steps S316 and S317), and notifies the print driver master 410 of the group G1 of the completion of the duplication (step S318). When the print driver master 420 of the group G2 notifies the print driver master 410 of the completion of copying, the print driver master 410 notifies the reception processing unit 41 of the completion of copying (step S319).

In response to the notification of the completion of duplication, the reception processing unit 41 updates the correspondence between the printer driver and the group (step S320), deletes the printer driver moved from the group G1 to the group G2, and deletes the printer driver of the group G1. Ask 410 (step S321). The identifier of the printer driver to be deleted is sent to the print driver master 410.

The print driver master 410 deletes the printer driver specified by the identifier received from the retained printer driver (step S322), and also deletes the printer driver from the print writer 310a and the print writer 310b (step S323 and). S324). Then, the print driver master 410 notifies the reception processing unit 41 of the completion of deletion (step S325).

Next, the processing by the reception processing unit 41 described above will be described in detail. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the processing by the reception processing unit in the load balancing process. In FIG. 11, the reception processing unit 41 sets the current grouping as grouping A (step S330), and acquires usage statistics information from the usage statistics information table 180 (step S331). The method of generating the usage statistics information table 180 will be described later.

The reception processing unit 41 determines whether or not the load between the plurality of groups is in equilibrium based on the acquired usage statistical information (step S332). When the load is in equilibrium (YES in step S332), the reception processing unit 41 ends this processing.

On the other hand, when the load is not balanced (NO in step S332), the reception processing unit 41 calculates the grouping E for equalizing the load (step S333). Grouping E can be obtained by using an approximate solution method such as a metaheuristic.

The reception processing unit 41 selects two groups G1 and G2 from grouping A, and similarly selects two groups G1 and G2 from grouping E (step S334). Groups G1 and G2 may be randomly selected from the grouping A, but it is desirable to set the group with the largest load obtained from the usage statistical information in the group G1. Groups G1 and G2 may be randomly selected from grouping A.

Then, the reception processing unit 41 transmits the identifier of the printer driver to be duplicated from the group G1 to the group G2 to the print driver master 410 of the group G1 (step S335), and notifies the print driver master 410 of the group G1 of the completion of replication. Wait (step S336). The reception processing unit 41 updates the correspondence relationship between the printer driver and the group in the driver group correspondence table 172 in response to the notification of the completion of duplication (step S337).

Then, the reception processing unit 41 requests the print driver master 410 of the group G1 to delete the printer driver duplicated in the group G2 (step S338). In response to the notification of the completion of deletion of the group G1 from the print driver master 410, the reception processing unit 41 updates the grouping A with reference to the driver group correspondence table 172 (step S339), and the grouping A changes to the step S333. It is determined whether or not it is equal to the calculated grouping E (step S340).

When the grouping A is not equal to the grouping E (NO in step S340), the reception processing unit 41 returns to step S333 and repeats the same processing as described above. On the other hand, when the grouping A is equal to the grouping E (YES in step S340), the reception processing unit 41 updates the driver group correspondence table 172 and ends this processing.

An example of the load balancing process according to this embodiment will be described below with data transitions of various tables. In order to perform the load balancing process, the reception processing unit 41
-Create usage statistical information of any one of the number of print jobs 7a printed by each printer 6, the number of sheets printed by each printer 6, and the number of printers 6 corresponding to each printer driver. First, a first creation method for creating usage statistical information indicating the number of print jobs 7a printed by each printer 6, and a first load balancing process based on the usage statistical information created by the first creation method. And explain.

Each time the reception processing unit 41 receives a take-back request from the printer 6, information in which the print job 7a and the printer 6 that made the take-back request are associated with each other is stored in the request log table 511 as shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of data configuration of the request log table used in the first creation method.

In FIG. 12, the request log table 511 is a table in which the print job 7a and the printer 6 that performs the print process are recorded for each take-back request, and has items such as a print job ID and a printer name.

The print job ID indicates an identifier that identifies the print job 7a. The printer name indicates an identifier that identifies the printer 6 that performs the printing process according to the print job 7a. In this example, the print job ID "0001" is requested to be picked up from the printer 6 specified by the printer name "Prt_1", and the print job ID "0002" is requested to be picked up from the printer 6 specified by the printer name "Prt_2". It shows that there was. For other records, the printer name is shown for each print job ID.

Next, the reception processing unit 41 identifies the printer driver for each print job 7a. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a method of acquiring a driver specific table in the first creation method.

In FIG. 13, by associating the request log table 511 shown in FIG. 12 with the printer information table 171 shown in FIG. 5 using the printer name, the reception processing unit 41 assigns the print job ID of the request log table 511 to the print job ID. On the other hand, the driver identification table 512 associated with the driver name is obtained.

The driver identification table 512 has items such as a print job ID and a driver name. The print job ID indicates each print job ID included in the request log table 511, and the driver name indicates the driver name obtained from the printer information table 171 by the association using the printer name.

Then, the reception processing unit 41 identifies a group that has undergone conversion processing for converting the print job 7a into print data 7c. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a method of acquiring a group identification table in the first creation method.

In FIG. 14, by associating the driver identification table 512 shown in FIG. 13 with the driver group correspondence table 172 shown in FIG. 6 by using a printer name, the reception processing unit 41 can perform a print job of the driver identification table 512. A group identification table 513 associated with the group name is obtained for each ID.

The reception processing unit 41 uses the obtained group identification table 513 to obtain a usage statistical information table 180-1 showing the number of conversions for each group as shown in FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of the usage statistics information table created in the first creation method.

The usage statistical information table 180-1 shown in FIG. 15 is a table showing usage statistical information for each group obtained from the group identification table 513. It has items such as group name, number of conversions, and driver list.

The group name indicates an identifier of the group included in the group identification table 513 that has been converted from the print job 7a to the print data 7c. The number of conversions indicates the number of times the print job 7a performed in the group is converted into the print data 7c. The driver list shows the driver name and the number of conversions of the printer drivers belonging to the group. The number of conversion processes performed by the printer driver specified by the driver name is shown in parentheses.

In this example, the group with the group name "Grp_1" has executed the conversion process eight times, and the group with the group name "Grp_2" has executed the conversion process twice.

Using such usage statistical information, the reception processing unit 41 performs a first load balancing process for balancing the load of the group. In the first load balancing process, grouping is performed by allocating printer drivers to groups so that the loads are even, with reference to the usage statistical information table 180-1.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the result of the first load balancing process. In FIG. 16, the reception processing unit 41 performs the first load balancing process using the usage statistics information table 180-1 to obtain a grouping 518 in which the number of conversion processes performed in the group becomes equal. The grouping 518 is a table showing a group assigned to each printer driver, and has items such as a driver name, a number of conversions, and a group name.

The driver name indicates an identifier that identifies the printer driver that performed the conversion process. The number of conversions indicates the number of times the conversion process has been performed. The group name indicates an identifier that identifies the group classified by the printer driver by the first load balancing process.

In this example, it is shown that the two printer drivers specified by the driver names "Drv_A" and "Drv_B" are classified into the group specified by the group name "Grp_1". Further, it is shown that the three printer drivers specified by the driver names "Drv_C", "Drv_D", and "Drv_E" are classified into the group specified by the group name "Grp_2".

Then, the load equilibration result 519 shows the state of the load equilibration obtained from the grouping 518 by the first load equilibration process. The number of conversions of the group specified by the group name "Grp_1" is "5", and the number of conversions of the group specified by the group name "Grp_2" is "5", and the result of evenly distributing the load is obtained.

Next, a second creation method for creating usage statistics information indicating the number of sheets printed by each printer 6 and a second load balancing process based on the usage statistics information created by the second creation method will be described. To do. Each time the reception processing unit 41 receives a take-back request from the printer 6, the request log table 611 as shown in FIG. 17 stores information in which the print job 7a, the printer 6 that made the take-back request, and the number of sheets are associated with each other. To do.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of the request log table used in the second creation method. In FIG. 17, the request log table 611 is a table that records a print job 7a, a printer 6 that performs printing processing, and the number of sheets to be printed for each take-back request, and includes items such as a print job ID, a printer name, and the number of sheets. Has.

The print job ID indicates an identifier that identifies the print job 7a. The printer name indicates an identifier that identifies the printer 6 that performs the printing process according to the print job 7a. The number of sheets indicates the number of sheets to be printed.

In this example, the print job ID "0001" is requested to be picked up from the printer 6 specified by the printer name "Prt_1", the number of sheets to be printed is "1", and the print job ID "0002" is the printer name "0002". It is shown that there was a pick-up request from the printer 6 specified by "Prt_2", and the number of sheets to be printed was "13". For other records, the printer name, the number of sheets, and the like are shown for each print job ID.

Next, the reception processing unit 41 identifies the printer driver for each print job 7a. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining a method of acquiring a driver specific table in the second creation method.

In FIG. 18, by associating the request log table 611 shown in FIG. 17 with the printer information table 171 shown in FIG. 5 using the printer name, the reception processing unit 41 assigns the print job ID of the request log table 611 to the print job ID. On the other hand, the driver identification table 612 associated with the driver name is obtained.

The driver identification table 612 has items such as a print job ID, a driver name, and the number of sheets. The print job ID and the number of sheets indicate the print job ID and the number of sheets in the request log table 611. The driver name indicates the driver name obtained from the printer information table 171 by the association using the printer name.

Then, the reception processing unit 41 identifies a group that has undergone conversion processing for converting the print job 7a into print data 7c. FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining a method of acquiring a group identification table in the second creation method.

In FIG. 19, by associating the driver identification table 612 shown in FIG. 18 with the driver group correspondence table 172 shown in FIG. 6 using a printer name, the reception processing unit 41 can perform a print job of the driver identification table 612. A group identification table 613 in which the group name and the number of sheets are associated with each ID is obtained.

The reception processing unit 41 uses the obtained group identification table 613 to obtain a usage statistical information table 180-2 showing the number of sheets for each group as shown in FIG. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of the usage statistics information table created in the second creation method.

The usage statistical information table 180-2 shown in FIG. 20 is a table showing usage statistical information for each group obtained from the group identification table 613. It has items such as group name, number of sheets, and driver list.

The group name indicates an identifier of the group included in the group identification table 613 that has undergone the conversion process from the print job 7a to the print data 7c. The number of sheets indicates the number of sheets printed in a group (number of printed sheets). The driver list shows the driver name and the number of printer drivers belonging to the group. The number of prints executed by the printer driver specified by the driver name is shown in parentheses.

In this example, the group with the group name "Grp_1" printed 17 sheets, and the group with the group name "Grp_2" printed 29 sheets.

Using such usage statistical information, the reception processing unit 41 performs a second load balancing process for balancing the load of the group. In the second load balancing process, grouping is performed by allocating printer drivers to groups so that the loads are even, with reference to the usage statistics information table 180-2.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the result of the second load balancing process. In FIG. 21, the reception processing unit 41 performs a second load balancing process using the usage statistics information table 180-2 to obtain a grouping 618 in which the number of conversion processes performed in the group is equalized. The grouping 618 is a table showing a group assigned to each printer driver, and has items such as a driver name, a number of sheets, and a group name.

The driver name indicates an identifier that identifies the printer driver that performed the conversion process. The number of sheets indicates the number of printed sheets. The group name indicates an identifier that identifies the group that the printer driver has classified by the second load balancing process.

In this example, it is shown that the three printer drivers specified by the driver names "Drv_A", "Drv_C", and "Drv_D" are classified into the group specified by the group name "Grp_1". Further, it is shown that the two printer drivers specified by the driver names "Drv_B" and "Drv_E" are classified into the group specified by the group name "Grp_2".

Then, the load equilibration result 619 shows the state of the load equilibrium obtained from the grouping 618 by the second load equilibration process. The number of sheets printed in the group specified by the group name "Grp_1" is "23", and the number of sheets printed in the group specified by the group name "Grp_2" is "23", which is the result of evenly distributing the load. To get.

Next, a third creation method for creating usage statistical information indicating the number of printers 6 corresponding to each printer driver, and a third load balancing process based on the usage statistical information created by the third creation method. Will be explained. The reception processing unit 41 creates a printer number table 711 showing the number of printers for each printer driver as shown in FIG. 22 with reference to the printer information table 171.

FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the creation of the printer number table used in the second creation method. In FIG. 22, the reception processing unit 41 refers to the printer information table 171 and counts the records showing the same driver name to acquire the number of printers 6 that can be supported for each printer driver, and the printer number table 711. To create.

The number of printers table 711 is a table showing the number of printers for each printer driver, and has items such as a driver name, the number of printers, and a list of printers. Although the items in the printer list can be omitted, they are supplementarily shown to facilitate understanding of the third creation method. The following description also shows a list of printers in the same manner, but can be omitted.

The driver name indicates an identifier that identifies the printer driver included in the printer information table 171. The number of printers indicates the number of printers 6 that can be supported by the same printer driver. The printer list shows the printer name of the printer 6 that can be supported by the same printer driver.

In this example, it is shown that the number of printers that can be supported by the printer driver with the driver name "Drv_A" is "4", and that the printers are "Prt_1", "Prt_3", "Prt_5", and "Prt_7". Has been done. The number of printers that can be supported by the printer driver with the driver name "Drv_B" is "1", and it is shown that the printer is "Prt_2". For printer drivers with driver names "Drv_C", "Drv_D", and "Drv_E", the number of printers "1" is shown, and the corresponding printers 6 are "Prt_4", "Prt_6", and "Prt_8", respectively. is there.

Next, the reception processing unit 41 specifies a group for each printer driver. FIG. 23 is a diagram for explaining a method of acquiring a group identification table in the third creation method.

In FIG. 23, by associating the printer number table 711 shown in FIG. 22 with the driver group correspondence table 172 shown in FIG. 6 by using the printer name, the reception processing unit 41 causes the driver name of the printer number table 711. The group identification table 713 in which the driver name is associated with the printer is obtained.

The group identification table 713 has items such as a driver name, the number of printers, and a group name. The driver name and the number of printers indicate the driver name and the number of printers in the printer number table 711. The group name indicates the driver name obtained from the printer information table 171 by the association using the driver name.

Then, the reception processing unit 41 uses the obtained group identification table 713 to obtain a usage statistical information table 180-3 showing the number of printers for each group as shown in FIG. 24. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a data configuration example of the usage statistics information table created in the third creation method.

The usage statistical information table 180-3 shown in FIG. 24 is a table showing usage statistical information for each group obtained from the group identification table 713. It has items such as group name, number of printers, and driver list.

The group name indicates a group name included in the group identification table 713. The number of printers indicates the number of printers 6 that can be used in the group. The driver list shows the driver names of the printer drivers belonging to the group.

In this example, in the group with the group name "Grp_1", it is shown that the printer drivers of "Drv_A", "Drv_C", and "Drv_E" are available for the six printers 6. In the group with the group name "Grp_2", it is shown that the printer drivers of "Drv_B" and "Drv_D" are available for the two printers 6.

Using such usage statistical information, the reception processing unit 41 performs a third load balancing process for balancing the load of the group. In the third load balancing process, grouping is performed by allocating printer drivers to groups so that the loads are even, with reference to the usage statistics information table 180-3.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of the result of the third load balancing process. In FIG. 25, the reception processing unit 41 performs a third load balancing process using the usage statistics information table 180-3 to obtain a grouping 718 in which the number of printers for each group becomes equal. The grouping 718 is a table showing the number of compatible printers 6 and the classified groups for each printer driver, and has items such as a driver name, a number of printers, and a group name.

The driver name indicates the driver name included in the printer information table 171. The number of printers indicates the number of printers 6 that the printer driver can support. The group name indicates an identifier that identifies the group classified by the printer driver by the third load balancing process.

In this example, it is shown that the printer driver with the driver name "Drv_A" is available for the four printers 6 and is classified into the group with the group name "Grp_1". In addition, the printer drivers with the driver names "Drv_B", "Drv_C", "Drv_D", and "Drv_E" can be used for one printer 6, and are classified into the group with the group name "Grp_2". Show that.

Then, the load equilibration result 719 shows the state of the load equilibrium obtained from the grouping 718 by the third load equilibration process. In the group specified by the group name "Grp_1", printing processing for four printers 6 is possible. Further, even in the group specified by the group name "Grp_2", it is possible to perform printing processing on four printers 6. Therefore, the result of equalizing the load of the printing process is obtained.

Each of the above-mentioned usage statistics information tables 180-1, 180-2, and 180-3 corresponds to the usage statistics information table 180. The usage statistics information table 180 may be created by the reception processing unit 41 at predetermined time intervals, or may be created by the reception processing unit 41 in step S311 of FIG. 10 or step S331 of FIG. May be good.

Each of the above-mentioned groupings 518, 618, and 718 corresponds to grouping E in the flowchart shown in FIG. After moving the printer driver between groups so that it is equal to the resulting grouping 518, 618, or 718, the driver group correspondence table 172 is updated. When the group name is changed in the driver group correspondence table 172, the load distribution device ID is also changed corresponding to the group name.

The hardware configuration in the system 1000 described above will be described. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a client terminal. In FIG. 26, the client terminal 5 is a computer-controlled information processing terminal such as a tablet type or mobile phone, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a main storage device 12, and a user I / F (interface). It has 16, a communication I / F 17, and a drive device 18, and is connected to the bus B5.

The CPU 11 corresponds to a processor that controls the client terminal 5 according to a program stored in the main storage device 12b. A RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or the like is used in the main storage device 12, and is obtained by a program executed by the CPU 11, data required for processing by the CPU 11, and processing by the CPU 11. Store or temporarily store the collected data. Various processes are realized by executing the program stored in the main storage device 12 in the CPU 11.

The user I / F 16 is a touch panel or the like that displays various information required under the control of the CPU 11 and enables the user to input operations. Communication by communication I / F17 is not limited to wireless or wired.

The program that realizes the processing performed by the client terminal 5 is downloaded from the external device via the network 2. Alternatively, it may be stored in advance in the main storage device 12 or the storage medium 19 of the client terminal 5. The main storage device 12 and / or the storage medium 19 corresponds to the storage unit 13.

The drive device 18 interfaces the storage medium 19 (for example, SD (Secure Digital) memory card or the like) set in the drive device 18 with the client terminal 5. The storage medium 19 may be one or more non-transitory, tangible media having a structure that can be read by a computer.

The client terminal 5 may be a desktop type, notebook type, laptop type, or other information processing terminal, and its hardware configuration is the same as that of the server device 100 or the like described later. The description is omitted. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a printer. In FIG. 27, the printer 6 has a printing function controlled by a computer, and includes a CPU 61, a main storage device 62, an image forming unit 65, a user I / F66, a communication I / F67, and a drive device 68. Is connected to the bus B6.

The CPU 61 corresponds to a processor that controls the printer 6 according to a program stored in the main storage device 62. A RAM, ROM, or the like is used in the main storage device 62, and stores or temporarily stores a program executed by the CPU 61, data necessary for processing by the CPU 61, data obtained by processing by the CPU 61, and the like. By executing the program stored in the main storage device 62 in the CPU 61, various processes including the print process are realized.

The user I / F 66 is a touch panel or the like that displays various information required under the control of the CPU 61 and enables the user to input operations. Communication by communication I / F67 is not limited to wireless or wired.

The program that realizes the processing performed by the printer 6 may be stored in advance in the main storage device 62 or the storage medium 69 of the printer 6. The main storage device 62 and / or the storage medium 69 corresponds to the storage unit 63.

The drive device 68 interfaces the storage medium 69 (for example, SD (Secure Digital) memory card or the like) set in the drive device 68 with the printer 6. The storage medium 69 may be one or more non-transitory, tangible media having a structure that can be read by a computer. FIG. 28 shows the server device. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration. In FIG. 28, the server device 100 is an information processing device controlled by a computer, and is a CPU 111, a main storage device 112, an auxiliary storage device 113, an input device 114, a display device 115, and a communication I / F 117. And a drive device 118, which are connected to the bus B1.

The CPU 111 corresponds to a processor that controls the server device 100 according to a program stored in the main storage device 112. A RAM, ROM, or the like is used in the main storage device 112, and stores or temporarily stores a program executed by the CPU 111, data required for processing by the CPU 111, data obtained by processing by the CPU 111, and the like.

An HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like is used in the auxiliary storage device 113, and data such as a program for executing various processes is stored in the auxiliary storage device 113. A part of the program stored in the auxiliary storage device 113 is loaded into the main storage device 112 and executed by the CPU 111 to realize various processes. The main storage device 112 and / or the auxiliary storage device 113 corresponds to the storage unit 130.

The input device 114 has a mouse, a keyboard, and the like, and is used by a user such as an administrator to input various information necessary for processing by the server device 100. The display device 115 displays various information required under the control of the CPU 111. The input device 114 and the display device 115 may be a user interface using an integrated touch panel or the like. The communication I / F 117 communicates through a network such as wired or wireless. Communication by communication I / F 117 is not limited to wireless or wired.

The drive device 118 interfaces the storage medium 119 (for example, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) or the like) set in the drive device 118 with the server device 100.

A program that realizes the processing performed by the server device 100 is provided to the server device 100 by, for example, a storage medium 119 such as a CD-ROM. A program for realizing various processes according to the present embodiment described later is stored in the storage medium 119, and the program stored in the storage medium 119 is installed in the server device 100 via the drive device 118. The installed program can be executed by the server device 100.

The storage medium 119 for storing the program is not limited to the CD-ROM, and is one or more non-transitory, tangible media having a structure that can be read by a computer. It should be. The computer-readable storage medium may be a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) disk, a portable recording medium such as a USB memory, or a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, in addition to the CD-ROM.

As shown in FIG. 1, the server device 100 has a reception processing unit 41, and the reception processing unit 41 is realized by a process of causing the CPU 111 of the server device 100 to execute a program installed in the server device 100. Further, the storage unit 130 stores the printer information table 171 shown in FIG. 5, the driver group correspondence table 172 shown in FIG. 6, and the like.

Further, when the CPU 111 (that is, the reception processing unit 41) performs the first load balancing process based on the usage statistical information created by the first creation method, the storage unit 130 is stored in FIGS. 13 to 16. Various tables and the like described in the above are stored. At least, the request log table 511, the driver identification table 512, the group identification table 513, the usage statistical information table 180-1, the grouping 518, the load balancing result 519, and the like are stored in the storage unit 130.

When the CPU 111 (that is, the reception processing unit 41) performs the second load balancing process based on the usage statistical information created by the second creation method, the storage unit 130 is described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 21. Various tables and the like are stored. At least, the request log table 611, the driver identification table 612, the group identification table 613, the usage statistical information table 180-2, the grouping 618, the load balancing result 619, and the like are stored in the storage unit 130.

When the CPU 111 (that is, the reception processing unit 41) performs the third load balancing process based on the usage statistical information created by the third creation method, the storage unit 130 is described with reference to FIGS. 22 to 25. Various tables and the like are stored. At least, the number of printers table 711, the group identification table 713, the usage statistics information table 180-3, the grouping 718, the load balancing result 719, and the like are stored in the storage unit 130.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the load distribution device. In FIG. 29, the load distribution device 200 is an information processing device controlled by a computer, and is a CPU 211, a main storage device 212, an auxiliary storage device 213, an input device 214, a display device 215, and a communication I /. It has an F217 and a drive device 218, and is connected to the bus B2.

The functions of the CPU 211, the main storage device 212, the auxiliary storage device 213, the input device 214, the display device 215, the communication I / F 217, and the drive device 218 are the CPU 211 of the load distribution device 200 and the main memory. Since it is the same as the device 212, the auxiliary storage device 213, the input device 214, the display device 215, the communication I / F 217, and the drive device 218, detailed description thereof will be omitted. The main storage device 212 and / or the auxiliary storage device 213 corresponds to the storage unit 230.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a print writer. In FIG. 30, the print writer 300 is an information processing device controlled by a computer, and is a CPU 311, a main storage device 312, an auxiliary storage device 313, an input device 314, a display device 315, and a communication I / F 317. And a drive device 318, and are connected to the bus B3.

The functions of the CPU 311, the main storage device 312, the auxiliary storage device 313, the input device 314, the display device 315, the communication I / F 317, and the drive device 318 are the CPU 311 of the print writer 300 and the main storage device. Since it is the same as 312, the auxiliary storage device 313, the input device 314, the display device 315, the communication I / F 317, and the drive device 318, detailed description thereof will be omitted. The main storage device 312 and / or the auxiliary storage device 313 corresponds to the storage unit 330.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the print driver master. In FIG. 31, the print driver master 400 is an information processing device controlled by a computer, and includes a CPU 411, a main storage device 412, an auxiliary storage device 413, an input device 414, a display device 415, and communication I /. It has F417 and a drive device 418, and is connected to bus B4.

The functions of the CPU 411, the main storage device 412, the auxiliary storage device 413, the input device 414, the display device 415, the communication I / F 417, and the drive device 418 are the CPU 411 of the print driver master 400 and the main memory. Since it is the same as the device 412, the auxiliary storage device 413, the input device 414, the display device 415, the communication I / F 417, and the drive device 418, detailed description thereof will be omitted. The main storage device 412 and / or the auxiliary storage device 413 corresponds to the storage unit 430.

From the above, according to the present embodiment, the load distribution device 200 selects the print writer 300 for each group so that the load of the conversion process from the print job 7a to the print data 7c is equalized. Therefore, in the entire system 1000, the processing load related to printing between groups can be made equal.

Further, by providing the print driver master 400 in addition to the load distribution device 200 in each group, it is possible to efficiently add and update the printer driver to each print writer 300 in the group. Further, when adding the print writer 300, the print writer 300 can be efficiently added only by duplicating the printer driver from the print driver master 400. With such a configuration, the printer driver can be adjusted without stopping the printing process in each group.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the case where the printer 6 requests the server device 100 to take back the print data 7c has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example. This embodiment can also be applied when the output destination printer 6 is specified in the print job 7a transmitted by the client terminal 5 to the server device 100. In this case, the reception processing unit 41 of the server device 100 may perform the above-described processing in response to the reception of the print request including the print job 7a.

In FIGS. 10 and 11, the process of step S152 corresponds to the specific unit, the process of step S135 corresponds to the execution unit, the process of step S136 corresponds to the conversion unit, and the process of step S139 corresponds to the transmission unit. .. The process of step S154 includes a process by the execution unit, the conversion unit, and the transmission unit. The processing of steps S332 to S340 corresponds to the reorganization unit.

In this embodiment, the print writer 300 corresponds to a machine, and a plurality of printer drivers replicated to the print writer 300 in the group correspond to a print driver set.

The present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed examples, and major modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of claims.

2 Network 5 Client terminal 6 Printer 7a Print job 7c Print data 41 Reception processing unit 100 Server device 171 Printer information table 172 Driver group correspondence table 180, 180-1, 180-2, 180-3 Usage statistics information table 200 Load distribution Equipment 300, 310a, 310b, 320a, 320b Print Writer 400, 410, 420 Print Driver Master 1000 System

Claims (10)

The specific printer among the multiple load distribution devices associated with each of the plurality of machines in which the print driver set to be installed is managed separately when the transmission of print data to a specific printer is requested. Identify the load distributor associated with
Have the specified load distribution device execute the print job allocation,
The print driver installed on the machine assigned by the load balancer processes the print job to perform conversion to print data corresponding to the particular printer.
The print data obtained by the conversion is transmitted to the specific printer.
When it is detected that the conversion load in the plurality of machines is imbalanced, the print driver set to be managed in each of the plurality of machines is reorganized.
A print control method characterized in that processing is performed by a computer. Have the print driver master duplicate the same print driver set for each machine group
The group of machines having the same print driver set is managed by the load distribution device as the same group.
The arrangement of the print drivers included in the print driver set is specified for each group.
The print control method according to claim 1, wherein the processing is performed by the computer. The load of each print driver included in the print driver set is calculated based on the history of the print process using the print driver set included in each of the plurality of machine groups.
Based on the calculated load of each print driver, the print driver set to be arranged in each of the plurality of machine groups is determined.
The print control method according to claim 2, wherein the processing is performed by the computer. Based on the number of printers that can be supported by the print driver set included in the machine group for each group, the print driver set for each group is set so that the number of printers that can be supported by each of the plurality of groups is equal. decide,
The print control method according to claim 2, wherein the processing is performed by the computer. The print control method according to claim 4, wherein the print driver set is determined so that the processing in each of the groups is not stopped. A new print driver is installed in the print driver master, and the new print driver is duplicated from the print driver master to each of the machines belonging to the same group.
The print control method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the processing is performed by the computer. The print driver master is made to update the installed print driver, and the updated print driver is duplicated from the print driver master to each of the machines belonging to the same group.
The print control method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the processing is performed by the computer. Have the print driver master duplicate the print driver set on a new machine.
The print control method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the processing is performed by the computer. The specific printer among the multiple load distribution devices associated with each of the plurality of machines in which the print driver set to be installed is managed separately when the transmission of print data to a specific printer is requested. Identify the load distributor associated with
Have the specified load distribution device execute the print job allocation,
The print driver installed on the machine assigned by the load balancer processes the print job to perform conversion to print data corresponding to the particular printer.
The print data obtained by the conversion is transmitted to the specific printer.
When it is detected that the conversion load in the plurality of machines is imbalanced, the print driver set to be managed in each of the plurality of machines is reorganized.
A print control program characterized by having a computer perform processing. The specific printer among the multiple load distribution devices associated with each of the plurality of machines in which the print driver set to be installed is managed separately when the transmission of print data to a specific printer is requested. A specific part that identifies the load distribution device associated with
An execution unit that causes the specified load distribution device to execute print job allocation, and
A conversion unit that processes the print job by the print driver installed on the machine assigned by the load distribution device and executes conversion to print data corresponding to the specific printer.
A transmitter that transmits the print data obtained by conversion to the specific printer, and
When it is detected that the conversion load in the plurality of machine groups is unbalanced, a reorganization unit that reorganizes the print driver set to be managed in each of the plurality of machine groups, and a reorganization unit.
A print control device characterized by having a computer perform processing.

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