US20180327212A1

US20180327212A1 - Distributed printing system, sheet sorting method, and job management device

Info

Publication number: US20180327212A1
Application number: US15/969,879
Authority: US
Inventors: Yoshifumi WAGATSUMA
Original assignee: Konica Minolta Inc
Current assignee: Konica Minolta Inc
Priority date: 2017-05-15
Filing date: 2018-05-03
Publication date: 2018-11-15
Also published as: JP2018194965A

Abstract

A distributed printing system includes: a job management device that divides a print job to generate divided jobs; image forming devices that execute the divided jobs to form an image on a sheet; and a sorting device that sorts sheets of a sheet bundle, wherein each of the image forming devices executes the divided jobs, and discharges a sheet bundle, the job management device includes a storage that stores information regarding the sheets constituting the sheet bundles, and the sorting device includes a sheet feeder on which the sheet bundles is settable, an instructor that instructs an operator on an arrangement order of the sheet bundles to be set on the sheet feeder, and a sheet discharger that sorts the sheets of the sheet bundles on the basis of operation information, and discharges a sheet bundle and a sheet bundle including remaining sheets to different sheet discharge trays.

Description

The entire disclosure of Japanese patent Application No. 2017-096729, filed on May 15, 2017, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Technological Field

The present invention relates to a distributed printing system, a sheet sorting method, and a job management device.

Description of the Related Art

Distributed printing processing of dividing a print job into a plurality of child jobs, distributing the child jobs to a plurality of image forming devices, and causing the image forming devices to execute the distributed child jobs is known.
In relation to the processing, JP 2008-310611 A discloses a technique for creating an output map indicating which image forming device has printed each page of the print job when performing the distributed printing processing. According to the technique disclosed in JP 2008-310611 A, a user can collect printed matters from the image forming devices according to the output map and arrange the printed matters in order of pages.
By the way, when the distributed printing processing of dividing and processing a print job into child jobs is performed for a plurality of print jobs, sheet bundles in which sheets of child jobs of different print jobs are mixed are discharged from the image forming devices.
In such a case, according to the technique in JP 2008-310611 A, after collecting the sheet bundles from the plurality of image forming devices, the user can sort and rearrange the sheets of the same print jobs from the plurality of sheet bundles in which sheets of child jobs of different print jobs are mixed by reference to the output map.
However, when sorting and rearranging the sheets of the same print jobs from the plurality of sheet bundles in which sheets of child jobs of different print jobs are mixed, not only a large number of work man-hours is required but also misarrangement may occur, and thus this method is not favorable.

SUMMARY

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem. An object of the present invention is to provide a distributed printing system, a sheet sorting method, and a job management device for enabling accurate and efficient sorting and rearrangement of a plurality of sheet bundles in which sheets of child jobs of different print jobs are mixed into sheets of the same print jobs when performing distributed printing processing of dividing a print job into a plurality of child jobs and processing the child jobs.
To achieve the abovementioned object, according to an aspect of the present invention, a distributed printing system reflecting one aspect of the present invention comprises: a job management device that divides a print job to generate a plurality of divided jobs; a plurality of image forming devices that respectively executes the plurality of divided jobs to form an image on a sheet; and a sorting device that sorts sheets of a sheet bundle, wherein each of the image forming devices executes a plurality of the divided jobs respectively corresponding to a plurality of print jobs, and discharges a sheet bundle in which sheets of the plurality of divided jobs are mixed, the job management device includes a storage that stores, about a plurality of the sheet bundles respectively discharged from the plurality of image forming devices, information regarding the sheets constituting the sheet bundles, and the sorting device includes a sheet feeder on which the plurality of sheet bundles is settable, an instructor that instructs an operator on an arrangement order of the sheet bundles to be set on the sheet feeder, and a sheet discharger that sorts the sheets of the plurality of sheet bundles set on the sheet feeder on the basis of operation information obtained from the information stored in the storage, and discharges a sheet bundle including sheets of one print job and a sheet bundle including remaining sheets to different sheet discharge trays.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages and features provided by one or more embodiments of the invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the appended drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a distributed printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a central management server;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an MFP;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of distributed printing control processing;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing sheet bundles in which sheets of child jobs of different print jobs are mixed;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of sorting control processing;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sorting operation of the MFP;

FIG. 8 is a diagram following FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of the sorting operation of the MFP.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a distributed printing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The distributed printing system 1 includes a central management server 10 and a plurality of multi-function peripherals (MFPs) 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c (hereinafter collectively referred to as MFPs 20). The central management server 10 and the plurality of MFPs 20 a to 20 c are communicatively connected to one another via a network 30 such as the Internet. The MFPs 20 a to 20 c are respectively installed in different printing places. Note that the types and the numbers of devices connected to the network 30 are not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the central management server 10. The central management server 10 includes, as a job management device, a controller 11, a storage 12, a communicator 13, a display 14, and an inputter 15, and these parts are connected with one another via a bus 16 for exchanging signals.
The controller 11 is a central processing unit (CPU), and performs control of the aforementioned parts and various types of arithmetic processing according to a program.
The storage 12 includes a read only memory (ROM) that stores various programs and data in advance, a random access memory (RAM) that temporarily stores programs and data as a work area, a hard disk that stores various programs and data, and the like.
The communicator 13 is an interface for communicating with other devices.
The display 14 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays various types of information.
The inputter 15 includes a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard and is used for various inputs.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the MFP 20 a. Since the MFPs 20 a to 20 c have similar configurations to one another, the MFP 20 a will be described below as a representative.
The MFP 20 a includes, as an image forming device, a controller 21, a storage 22, a communicator 23, an operation panel 24, a sheet feeder 25, an image former 26, an image reader 27, and a sheet discharger 28, and these parts are connected with one another via a bus 29 for exchanging signals. Note that description of a part having a similar function to the above-described part of the central management server 10, among the above-described parts of the MFP 20 a, is omitted.
The operation panel 24 includes a touch panel, a numeric keypad, a start button, a stop button, and the like, and is used for display of various types of information and input of various instructions.
The sheet feeder 25 accommodates sheets to be used for printing. The sheet feeder 25 has a plurality of sheet feed trays and sends sheets stored in the sheet feed tray sheet by sheet to the image former 26.
The image former 26 forms an image based on image data on a sheet, using a known image forming process such as an electrophotographic process including steps of charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing.
The image reader 27 reads an image formed on a sheet to obtain image data. The image reader 27 applies light of a light source such as a fluorescent lamp to a sheet, photoelectrically converts reflection light of the light by an imaging device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor, and generates image data from an electrical signal of the photoelectric conversion.
The sheet discharger 28 discharges the sheet on which the image is formed by the image former 26. The sheet discharger 28 includes a plurality of sheet discharge trays, and can sort and discharge the sheets to the different sheet discharge trays.
The MFP 20 a of the present embodiment is also used as a sorting device that sorts sheets of a sheet bundle. A program for sorting the sheets of pages of the sheet bundle set in the sheet feeder 25 and discharging the sheet to a predetermined sheet discharge tray, a program for inserting a cover sheet between sheets of specific pages, and the like are stored in the storage 22 of the MFP 20 a. Further, the operation panel 24 of the MFP 20 a functions as an instructor that instructs an operator on an arrangement order of sheet bundles to be set in the sheet feeder 25, and a receiver that receives an operation for determining a configuration of the sheet bundle.
Meanwhile, the controller 11 of the central management server 10 functions as first and second generators by executing corresponding programs. The first generator generates instruction information for instructing the operator on the arrangement order of the sheet bundles to be set in the sheet feeder 25 of the MFP 20 a. The second generator generates operation information of the MFP 20 a from sheet information of the sheet bundle stored in the storage 12. Specific processing contents of the generators will be described below.
Note that the central management server 10 and the MFPs 20 a to 20 c may include constituent parts other than the above-described constituent parts, or may not include a part of the constituent parts.
In the distributed printing system 1 configured as described above, distributed printing processing in which one print job is divided into a plurality of child jobs, and the plurality of MFPs 20 a to 20 c executes the child jobs is performed. Then, when such distributed printing processing is performed for a plurality of print jobs, sheet bundles in which sheets of child jobs of the different print jobs are mixed are output from the MFPs 20 a to 20 c. In the distributed printing system 1 of the present embodiment, the operator collects the sheet bundles from the MFPs 20 a to 20 c. Then, the operator sets the plurality of collected sheet bundles in the sheet feeder 25 of one MFP 20 a, and the MFP 20 a sorts the sheets of the plurality of sheet bundles. With the sorting, the plurality of sheet bundles in which sheets of child jobs of different print jobs are mixed is rearranged into sheet bundles of the respective print job. Hereinafter, the operation of the distributed printing system 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9.
First, distributed printing processing of dividing one print job into a plurality of child jobs will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of distributed printing control processing executed by the central management server 10. Note that the algorithm illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is stored as a program in the storage 12 of the central management server 10, and is executed by the controller 11.
First, the central management server 10 receives a print job from a terminal device (not illustrated) on the network 30 (step S101).
Next, the central management server 10 divides the print job in units of copies or pages to generate a plurality of child jobs (step S102).
Next, the central management server 10 distributes the child job to one MFP 20 on the network 30 in association with identification information of the MFP 20 (step S103).
Next, the central management server 10 determines whether a child job not yet distributed to the MFP 20 remains (step S104). When it is determined that no child job remains (step S104: NO), the central management server 10 terminates the processing.
On the other hand, when it is determined that a child job remains (step S104: YES), the central management server 10 returns to the processing in step S103. Until no child job remains, the central management server 10 repeats the processing in steps S103 and S104.
As described above, according to the processing of the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 4, when the central management server 10 receives a print job, the print job is divided into a plurality of child jobs, and the child jobs are distributed to the plurality of MFPs 20.
Then, when the processing of the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 4 is performed for a plurality of print jobs, the MFPs 20 respectively execute child jobs of the plurality of print jobs. As a result, sheet bundles 100, 200, and 300 (see FIG. 5) in which sheets of the child jobs of the different print jobs are mixed are discharged to the sheet dischargers 28 of the MFPs 20.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing sheet bundles 100 to 300 in which sheets of child jobs of different print jobs are mixed. Note that, in FIG. 5, a case in which the central management server 10 performs the distributed printing processing for three print jobs including a print job A, a print job B, and a print job C will be described as an example.
In the case of performing the distributed printing processing, the central management server 10 divides a print job A into three child jobs including an A child job 1, an A child job 2, and an A child job 3 in order of pages, for example. Similarly, the central management server 10 divides a print job B into three child jobs including a B child job 1, a B child job 2, and a B child job 3, and divides a print job C into three child jobs including a C child job 1, a C child job 2, and a C child job 3.
Next, the central management server 10 allocates the A child job 1, the B child job 2, and the C child job 1 to the MFP 20 a, for example. Further, the central management server 10 allocates the B child job 3, the C child job 2, and the A child job 3 to the MFP 20 b, and allocates the C child job 3, the A child job 2, and the B child job 1 to the MFP 20 c.
As a result, the MFP 20 a executes the A child job 1, the B child job 2, and the C child job 1 in order, and a sheet bundle 100 in which the A child job 1, the B child job 2, and the C child job 1 are stacked in order is discharged to the sheet discharger 28 of the MFP 20 a. Similarly, the MFP 20 b executes the B child job 3, the C child job 2, and the A child job 3 in order, and a sheet bundle 200 in which the B child job 3, the C child job 2, and the A child job 3 are stacked in order is discharged to the sheet discharger 28 of the MFP 20 b. The MFP 20 c executes the C child job 3, the A child job 2, and the B child job 1 in order, and a sheet bundle 300 in which the C child job 3, the A child job 2, and the B child job 1 are stacked in order is discharged to the sheet discharger 28 of the MFP 20 c.
As described above, when the distributed printing processing of dividing and processing a print job into child jobs is performed for the plurality of print jobs, the sheet bundles 100 to 300 in which sheets of child jobs of the different print jobs are mixed are discharged to the sheet dischargers 28 of the MFPs 20.
The sheet bundles 100 to 300 discharged to the sheet dischargers 28 of the MFPs 20 a to 20 c are collected by the operator. Prior to the collection, cover sheets 110, 210, and 310 are stacked on tops of the sheet bundles 100 to 300.
In the present embodiment, when collecting the sheet bundle 100 from the MFP 20 a, for example, the operator presses a collection button displayed on the operation panel 24 of the MFP 20 a. When the collection button is pressed, the MFP 20 a requests the central management server 10 to issue a management number of the sheet bundle. When issuance of the management number is requested, the central management server 10 transmits image data of an image illustrating the management number of the sheet bundle to the MFP 20 a, assuming that the child jobs until the request is given are included in the sheet bundle. The MFP 20 a forms the image based on the image data on a sheet to creates the cover sheet 110 on which the management number is printed, and outputs the cover sheet 110 onto the sheet bundle 100. Similarly, the MFP 20 b forms an image illustrating the management number on a sheet to creates the cover sheet 210 on which the management number is printed, and outputs the cover sheet 210 onto the sheet bundle 200. The MFP 20 c forms an image illustrating the management number on a sheet to creates the cover sheet 310 on which the management number is printed, and outputs the cover sheet 310 onto the sheet bundle 300. The central management server 10 stores the management number transmitted to the MFP 20 in the storage 12 in association with the child jobs distributed to each MFP 20. As a result, in the storage 12 of the central management server 10, sheet information indicating the configuration of the sheet bundle such as which child job is included in which position in the sheet bundle is stored in association with the management number of the sheet bundle.
The operator collects the sheet bundles 100 to 300 on which the cover sheets 110 to 310 are stacked from the MFPs 20 a to 20 c, and sets the collected sheet bundles 100 to 300 on the sheet feed tray of one MFP 20 a. When the sheet bundles 100 to 300 are set, the MFP 20 a sorts the sheets according to the operation information acquired from the central management server 10, and extracts a sheet bundle of one print job from the sheet bundles 100 to 300 in which the sheets of the child jobs of the three print jobs are mixed. Hereinafter, sorting processing of extracting a sheet bundle of one print job from sheet bundles in which sheets of child jobs of different print jobs are mixed will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of sorting control processing executed by the central management server 10. Note that the algorithm illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is stored as a program in the storage 12 of the central management server 10, and is executed by the controller 11.
First, the central management server 10 specifies one print job to be extracted from a plurality of print jobs (step S201).
Next, the central management server 10 determines a stacking order of the sheet bundles 100 to 300 to be set on one sheet feed tray of the MFP 20 a on the basis of the sheet information of the sheet bundles, and generates instruction information for instructing the operator on the stacking order (step S202).
Next, the central management server 10 generates operation information for the MFP 20 a to discharge the sheets of the print job to be extracted to a sheet discharge tray 1 and to discharge the remaining sheets to a sheet discharge tray 2 on the basis of the sheet information of the sheet bundles (step S203).
Next, when sorting the sheets on the basis of the sheet information of the sheet bundles, the central management server 10 determines whether there is a cover sheet for which a corresponding sheet bundle is gone (step S204).
When it is determined that there is a cover sheet for which a corresponding sheet bundle is gone (step
S204: YES), the central management server 10 generates operation information for the MFP 20 a to discharge the cover sheet for which a corresponding sheet bundle is gone to a sheet discharge tray 3 (step S205).
On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no cover sheet for which a corresponding sheet bundle is gone (step S204: NO), when sorting the sheets on the basis of the sheet information of the sheet bundles, the central management server 10 determines whether there is a child job that can be combined if there is no cover sheet in the sorted sheet bundle (step S206).
When it is determined that there is no child job that can be combined (step S206: NO), the central management server 10 proceeds to the processing in step S209.
On the other hand, when it is determined that there is a child job that can be combined (step S206: YES), the central management server 10 generates operation information for the MFP 20 a to discharge the cover sheet existing between the combinable child jobs to the sheet discharge tray 3 (step S207).
Next, the central management server 10 generates operation information for the MFP 20 a to form and stack a new cover sheet on a new sheet bundle (step S208).
Then, the central management server 10 transmits the generated instruction information and operation information to the MFP 20 a (step S209), and terminates the processing.
As described above, according to the processing of the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 6, first, one print job to be extracted is specified from a plurality of print jobs. Next, the stacking order of the sheet bundles 100 to 300 to be set on the sheet feed tray of the MFP 20 a is determined on the basis of the sheet information of the sheet bundles 100 to 300 stored in the storage 12, and the instruction information for instructing the operator on the stacking order is generated. Then, the operation information of the MFP 20 a for sorting the sheets of one print job from the plurality of sheet bundles 100 to 300 is generated on the basis of the sheet information of the sheet bundles 100 to 300, and the operation information is transmitted together with the instruction information to the MFP 20 a. The operation information includes operation information for discarding unnecessary cover sheets and operation information for combining child jobs.
The MFP 20 a displays the instruction information on the operation panel 24 of the MFP 20 a, and instructs the order of the sheet bundles to be stacked on the sheet feed tray of the MFP 20 a. The operator sets the plurality of sheet bundles on the sheet feed tray of the MFP 20 a while referring to the management numbers printed on the cover sheets of the sheet bundles according to the instruction information displayed on the operation panel 24 of the MFP 20 a. When the sheet bundles are set on the sheet feed tray, the MFP 20 a sorts the sheets according to the operation information. With the sorting, the sheet bundle of one print job is extracted from the sheet bundles in which the sheets of the child jobs of the different print jobs are mixed.
Next, the sorting operation of the MFP 20 a will be more specifically described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating examples of the sorting operation by the MFP 20 a.
First, the sorting operation to extract the sheet bundle of the print job A from the sheet bundles 100 to 300 illustrated in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. 7.
In the case of extracting the sheet bundle of the print job A, the three sheet bundles are stacked on the sheet feed tray of the MFP 20 a in order of the sheet bundle 100, the sheet bundle 300, and the sheet bundle 200. The MFP 20 a conveys the sheets inside the MFP 20 a in order from the sheet of the A child job 1, the sheet being located on the bottom of the sheet bundle 100, and discharges the sheet to the sheet discharge tray 1 or the sheet discharge tray 2 while switching a conveyance path on the basis of the operation information. Specifically, the MFP 20 a conveys the sheets of the sheet bundles stacked on the sheet feed tray sheet by sheet from the bottom, and discharges the sheets of the A child job 1, the A child job 2, and the A child job 3 to the sheet discharge tray 1. Meanwhile, the MFP 20 a discharges the sheets other than the sheets of the A child job 1, the A child job 2, and the A child job 3 to the sheet discharge tray 2.
As a result, a sheet bundle 400 of the print job A is discharged face down on the sheet discharge tray 1. Meanwhile, a sheet bundle 100 a, a sheet bundle 300 a, and a sheet bundle 200 a are discharged in order on the sheet discharge tray 2. The sheet bundle 100 a is a sheet bundle obtained by removing the sheet of the A child job 1 from the sheet bundle 100 before sorting, and the cover sheet 110 is stacked on the top. The sheet bundle 300 a is a sheet bundle obtained by removing the sheet of the A child job 2 from the sheet bundle 300 before sorting, and the cover sheet 310 is stacked on the top. The sheet bundle 200 a is a sheet bundle obtained by removing the sheet of the A child job 3 from the sheet bundle 200 before sorting, and the cover sheet 210 is stacked on the top. From the standpoint of discriminating the sheet bundles 100 a to 300 a, the three sheet bundles 100 a to 300 a are discharged with shifted sheet discharge positions onto the sheet discharge tray 2.
As described above, according to the sorting operation illustrated in FIG. 7, the sheet bundle 400 of the print job A is extracted from the sheet bundles 100 to 300 in which the sheets of the child jobs of the print job A, the print job B, and the print job C are mixed.
Next, the sorting operation to extract the sheet bundle of the print job B from the sheet bundles 100 a to 300 a illustrated in FIG. 7 will be described with reference to FIG. 8.
After the sheet bundle 400 of the print job A is extracted, the operator takes out the remaining sheet bundles 100 a to 300 a from the sheet discharge tray 2 of the MFP 20 a. Then, the operator sets the sheet bundles 100 a to 300 a on the sheet feed tray of the MFP 20 a according to the instruction information displayed on the operation panel 24 of the MFP 20 a.
In the case of extracting the sheet bundle of the print job B, the three sheet bundles are stacked on the sheet feed tray of the MFP 20 a in order of the sheet bundle 300 a, the sheet bundle 100 a, and the sheet bundle 200 a. The MFP 20 a conveys the sheets inside the MFP 20 a in order from the sheet of the C child job 3, the sheet being located on the bottom of the sheet bundle 300 a, and discharges the sheet to the sheet discharge tray 1 or the sheet discharge tray 2 while switching the conveyance path on the basis of the operation information. Specifically, the MFP 20 a conveys the sheets of the sheet bundles stacked on the sheet feed tray sheet by sheet from the bottom, and discharges the sheets of the B child job 1, the B child job 2, and the B child job 3 to the sheet discharge tray 1. Meanwhile, the MFP 20 a discharges the sheets other than the sheets of the B child job 1, the B child job 2, and the B child job 3 to the sheet discharge tray 2.
As a result, a sheet bundle 500 of the print job B is discharged on the sheet discharge tray 1. Meanwhile, a sheet bundle 300 b, a sheet bundle 100 b, and a sheet bundle 200 b are discharged in order on the sheet discharge tray 2. The sheet bundle 300 b is a sheet bundle obtained by removing the sheet of the B child job 1 from the sheet bundle 300 a before sorting, and the cover sheet 310 is stacked on the top. The sheet bundle 100 b is a sheet bundle obtained by removing the sheet of the B child job 2 from the sheet bundle 100 a before sorting, and the cover sheet 110 is stacked on the top. The sheet bundle 200 b is a sheet bundle obtained by removing the sheet of the B child job 3 from the sheet bundle 200 a before sorting, and the cover sheet 210 is stacked on the top. From the standpoint of discriminating the sheet bundles 100 b to 300 b, the three sheet bundles 100 b to 300 b are discharged with shifted sheet discharge positions onto the sheet discharge tray 2.
As described above, according to the sorting operation illustrated in FIG. 8, the sheet bundle 500 of the print job B is extracted from the sheet bundles 100 a to 300 a in which the sheets of the child jobs of the print job B and the print job C are mixed. Then, when a similar sorting operation is performed for the sorted sheet bundles 100 b to 300 b, the cover sheets 110 to 310 for which the corresponding sheet bundles are gone are discarded, and the sheet bundle of the print job C is extracted. As a result, the sheet bundles of the respective print job can be obtained from the three sheet bundles 100 to 300 in which the sheets of the three print jobs are mixed.
As described above, according to the distributed printing system 1 of the present embodiment, the sheet bundles of the respective print job are acquired when the operator repeatedly sets sheet bundles in the MFP 20 a while changing the order of the sheet bundles according to the management numbers printed on the cover sheets of the sheet bundles.
According to such a configuration, the operator does not need to grasp the sheet configurations of the sheet bundles and can complete the work in a shorter time than a case where the operator manually sorts the sheets.
In addition, a mistake in rearranging the sheets does not occur, unlike the case where the operator manually sorts the sheets. That is, a plurality of sheet bundles in which child jobs of different print jobs are mixed can be accurately and efficiently sorted and rearranged into sheets of the same print jobs.
Next, an operation to combine child jobs will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of the sorting operation.
In FIG. 9, the sheet bundle 100, the sheet bundle 300, and the sheet bundle 200 are stacked in order on the sheet feed tray of the MFP 20 a. The sheet bundle 100 is configured such that the sheets of the A child job 1, the B child job 1, and the C child job 1 are stacked in order. The sheet bundle 300 is configured such that the sheets of the C child job 3, the A child job 2, and the B child job 2 are stacked in order. The sheet bundle 200 is configured such that the sheets of the B child job 3, the C child job 2, and the A child job 3 are stacked in order. The cover sheets 110 to 310 are stacked on tops of the sheet bundles 100 to 300. The MFP 20 a discharges the sheets of the print job A to the sheet discharge tray 1 and discharges the remaining sheets to the sheet discharge tray 2 according to the operation information obtained from the sheet information of the sheet bundles 100 to 300.
Here, focusing on the boundary between the sheet bundle 200 and the sheet bundle 300, the B child job 3 located on the bottom of the sheet bundle 200 and the B child job 2 located on the bottom of the sheet bundle 300 are successive child jobs of the same print job B. In this case, when sorting the sheets, the MFP 20 a discharges a sheet 320 of the B child job 2 to the sheet discharge tray 2, and then discharges and discards the cover sheet 310 to the sheet discharge tray 3. Thereafter, the MFP 20 a discharges a sheet 220 of the B child job 3 to the sheet discharge tray 2, thereby incorporating the sheet 320 of the B child job 2 into the sheet bundle 200 a. Meanwhile, as for the sheet bundle 300 a from which the sheet 320 of the B child job 2 has been removed, the MFP 20 a forms and output a new cover sheet 310 a onto the sheet bundle 300 a. A management number is printed on the new cover sheet 310 a, and the management number is registered in the central management server 10.
As described above, according to the sorting operation illustrated in FIG. 9, when the sheet bundle 400 of the print job A is extracted from the sheet bundles 100 to 300 in which the sheets of the child jobs of the three print jobs are mixed, the sheet 320 of the B child job 2 of the sheet bundle 300 a is incorporated into the sheet bundle 200 a. According to such a configuration, when extracting the sheet bundle of the print job B thereafter, for example, the sheet bundle 300 a does not need to be set on the sheet feed tray of the MFP 20 a, and the number of work man-hours is reduced.
Meanwhile, when extracting the sheet bundle of the print job C thereafter, for example, the sheet bundle corresponding to the cover sheet 310 a is gone. Therefore, in the sorting operation, the cover sheet 310 a is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 3 and discarded.
(Modification 1)
When an operator presses a collection button displayed on an operation panel 24 when collecting sheet bundles from MFPs 20, the MFP 20 may transmit sheet information of the sheet bundle discharged to a sheet discharge tray of the MFP 20 to a central management server 10. According to such a configuration, the central management server 10 can accurately recognize the sheet information of the sheet bundle discharged onto the sheet discharge tray of the MFP 20 and can generate operation information of the MFP 20.
(Modification 2)
When sorting sheets by an MFP 20 a, an image reader 27 of the MFP 20 a may read an image of a sheet. For example, the MFP 20 a reads the image of the sheet conveyed inside the MFP 20 a by the image reader 27, and in a case where the image of the sheet is different from a planned image, the MFP 20 a determines that the sheet bundle is erroneously set and stops a sorting operation. Alternatively, in a case where the image read by the image reader 27 is different from the planned image, the MFP 20 a performs processing of shifting a sheet discharge position of the sheet or inserting an insertion sheet between the sheets to enable an operator to recognize a point where arrangement has an error.
The present invention is not limited only to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified in various manners within the scope of the claims.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case of setting a plurality of sheet bundles on one sheet feed tray of the MFP 20 a in a stacked manner in sorting sheets has been described as an example. However, the plurality of sheet bundles may be set on the same number of sheet feed trays bundle by bundle. In this case, the central management server 10 generates instruction information for instructing a sheet bundle to be set on each paper feed tray, and the MFP 20 a displays the instruction information on the operation panel 24 to instruct the operator on the sheet bundle to be set to each sheet feed tray.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the management number has been printed on the sheet having the same size as the sheets that constituting the sheet bundle and has been used as the cover sheet. However, from the standpoint of making a sheet bundle more easily distinguishable, identification information such as a management number may be printed on a sheet slightly larger than the sheet of the sheet bundle or a tab sheet (index sheet) and output the sheet as a cover sheet.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the operator had pressed the collection button displayed on the operation panel 24 of the MFP 20, the MFP 20 has formed the cover sheet and the cover sheet has been output onto the sheet bundle. However, the trigger to stack the cover sheet on the sheet bundle is not limited to when the collection button is pressed. For example, the central management server 10 may transmit image data or the like of a management number to the MFP 20 so that the cover sheet is output at the point of time when the MFP 20 has completed printing of a predetermined child job.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the MFP 20 has formed the image indicating the management number on one sheet, and the sheet on which the management number is printed has been stacked on the sheet bundle as the cover sheet. However, in a case where an inserter such as a post inserter is provided in the
MFP 20, a sheet may be stacked on a sheet bundle by setting a sheet used as a cover sheet to the inserter and inserting the sheet from the inserter. In this case, identification information such as a management number is printed in advance on the sheet set in the inserter, and the identification information is registered in advance in the central management server 10.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, when combining the child jobs, the sheet of one child job is incorporated into the sheet bundle of the other child job, and the number of sheet bundles is maintained. However, when combining child jobs, a sheet bundle of sheets of combined two child jobs may be used as a new sheet bundle, and a new cover sheet may be stacked on the new sheet bundle.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the cover sheet has been stacked on the top of the sheet bundle discharged from the MFP 20. However, a cover sheet does not need to be stacked on a sheet bundle. In this case, an uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle functions as a cover sheet. Note that a management number may be displayed on the operation panel 24 of the MFP 20, and the operator may paste a tag or the like on which the management number has been copied to the sheet bundle.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the MFP 20 a as an image forming device has been used as the sorting device that sorts sheets. However, the MFP 20 a may not serve as the sorting device, and a dedicated sorting device may be separately used from the MFP 20 a. In the case of using the MFP 20 a as the sorting device, if possible, a fixer is spaced apart to prevent heating of sheets.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the central management server 10 has generated the instruction information for instructing the operator on the stacking order of the sheet bundles and the operation information of the MFP 20 a on the basis of the sheet information of the sheet bundles. However, the MFP 20 a may acquire the paper information from the central management server 10, and the controller 21 of the MFP 20 a may generate the above-described instruction information and operation information on the basis of the acquired sheet information.
The means and methods for performing the various types of processing in the distributed printing system according to the above embodiments can be realized by either a dedicated hardware circuit or a programmed computer. The above-described program may be provided with a computer-readable recording medium such as a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), or may be provided by an online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred and stored to a storage such as a hard disk. Further, the above-described program may be provided as standalone application software, or may be incorporated into software of a device of the distributed printing system as one function of the distributed printing system.
Although embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated in detail, the disclosed embodiments are made for purposes of illustration and example only and not limitation. The scope of the present invention should be interpreted by terms of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A distributed printing system comprising:

a job management device that divides a print job to generate a plurality of divided jobs; a plurality of image forming devices that respectively executes the plurality of divided jobs to form an image on a sheet; and a sorting device that sorts sheets of a sheet bundle, wherein

each of the image forming devices executes a plurality of the divided jobs respectively corresponding to a plurality of print jobs, and discharges a sheet bundle in which sheets of the plurality of divided jobs are mixed,

the job management device includes

a storage that stores, about a plurality of the sheet bundles respectively discharged from the plurality of image forming devices, information regarding the sheets constituting the sheet bundles, and

the sorting device includes

a sheet feeder on which the plurality of sheet bundles is settable,

an instructor that instructs an operator on an arrangement order of the sheet bundles to be set on the sheet feeder, and

a sheet discharger that sorts the sheets of the plurality of sheet bundles set on the sheet feeder on the basis of operation information obtained from the information stored in the storage, and discharges a sheet bundle including sheets of one print job and a sheet bundle including remaining sheets to different sheet discharge trays.

2. The distributed printing system according to claim 1, wherein

the sheet bundle including the remaining sheets includes a plurality of sheet bundles respectively obtained by removing the sheets of the one print job from the plurality of sheet bundles set on the sheet feeder, and

the sheet discharger discharges the plurality of sheet bundles including the remaining sheets in a distinguishable manner from each other.

3. The distributed printing system according to claim 1, wherein

in a case where the sheet feeder includes sheet feed trays of a number equal to or larger than the plurality of sheet bundles, the instructor instructs the operator on a sheet bundle to be set on each of the sheet feed trays, and

in a case where the sheet feeder includes sheet feed trays of a number less than the plurality of sheet bundles, the instructor instructs the operator on a sheet feed tray on which the sheet bundles are to be set and an order of the sheet bundles to be loaded on the sheet feed tray.

4. The distributed printing system according to claim 1, wherein

the image forming device further includes an image former that forms an image on a sheet, and

forms an image indicating identification information for identifying the sheet bundle on a sheet, and outputs the sheet as a cover sheet of the sheet bundle.

5. The distributed printing system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming device further includes an inserter that inserts a predetermined sheet as a cover sheet of the sheet bundle.

6. The distributed printing system according to claim 4, wherein the sorting device discards the cover sheet when a sheet bundle corresponding to the cover sheet is gone by performing sorting.

7. The distributed printing system according to claim 1, wherein

the sheet bundle including the remaining sheets includes a plurality of sheet bundles respectively obtained by removing the sheets of the one print job from the plurality of sheet bundles set on the sheet feeder, and the plurality of sheet bundles including the remaining sheets is stacked and discharged onto one sheet discharge tray, and

in a case where sheets adjacent between the sheet bundles discharge on the sheet discharge tray are sheets of successive divided jobs of a same print job, the sheet discharger includes the sheet of one divided job of the successive divided jobs to the sheet bundle of the sheet of the other divided job and discharges the sheet bundle, or discharges the sheets of the successive divided jobs as a new sheet bundle.

8. The distributed printing system according to claim 7, wherein, in a case where a cover sheet is stacked on the plurality of sheet bundles, the sorting device discards a cover sheet existing between the successive divided jobs, and stacks a new cover sheet on a sheet bundle to be newly formed.

9. The distributed printing system according to claim 8, wherein

the sorting device is the image forming device, and

forms an image indicating identification information for identifying the sheet bundle on a sheet, and outputs the sheet as the new cover sheet.

10. The distributed printing system according to claim 8, wherein the sorting device further includes an inserter that inserts a predetermined sheet as the new cover sheet.

11. The distributed printing system according to claim 5, wherein an image indicating identification information for identifying the sheet bundle is formed on the predetermined sheet, and the identification information is registered in the job management device.

12. The distributed printing system according to claim 1, wherein the image forming device further includes a communicator that transmits information regarding the sheets constituting the sheet bundle discharged on the sheet discharge tray of the image forming device to the job management device.

13. The distributed printing system according to claim 12, wherein

the image forming device further includes a receiver that receives an operation to determine a configuration of a sheet bundle, and

when the operation is received, the communicator transmits the information regarding the sheets constituting the sheet bundle to the job management device.

14. The distributed printing system according to claim 13, wherein, when the operation is received, the image forming device forms an image indicating identification information for identifying the sheet bundle on a sheet, and outputs the sheet as a cover sheet of the sheet bundle.

15. The distributed printing system according to claim 4, wherein the image forming device forms the image on a sheet having a different size from the sheet of the sheet bundle or a tab sheet, and outputs the sheet or the tab sheet as the cover sheet.

16. The distributed printing system according to claim 1, wherein the sorting device further includes

an image reader that reads an image formed on the sheet, and

a hardware processor that stops a sorting operation when a sheet bundle set on the sheet feeder has been recognized not to be correct from a read result by the image reader.

17. The distributed printing system according to claim 16, wherein

the sorting device continues the sorting operation even when the sheet bundle set on the sheet feeder has been recognized not to be correct, and

performs processing of changing a sheet discharge position of the sheet to be discharged on the sheet discharge tray or processing of inserting a predetermined sheet to make a place where arrangement of sheets of a sheet bundle discharged on the sheet discharge tray has an error recognizable.

18. A sheet sorting method executed in a distributed printing system including a job management device that divides a print job to generate a plurality of divided jobs, a plurality of image forming devices that respectively executes the plurality of divided jobs to form an image on a sheet, and a sorting device that sorts sheets of a sheet bundle, the sheet sorting method comprising:

(a) executing a plurality of the divided jobs respectively corresponding to a plurality of print jobs, and discharging a sheet bundle in which sheets of the plurality of divided jobs are mixed, by each of the image forming devices;

(b) storing, about a plurality of the sheet bundles respectively discharged from the plurality of image forming devices, information regarding the sheets constituting the sheet bundles in a storage, by the job management device;

(c) instructing an operator on an arrangement order of the sheet bundles to be set on the sheet feeder, by the sorting device; and

(d) sorting the sheets of the plurality of sheet bundles set on the sheet feeder on the basis of operation information obtained from the information stored in the storage, and discharging a sheet bundle including sheets of one print job and a sheet bundle including remaining sheets to different sheet discharge trays, by the sorting device.

19. A job management device used in a distributed printing system including the job management device that divides a print job to generate a plurality of divided jobs, a plurality of image forming devices that respectively executes the plurality of divided jobs to form an image on a sheet, and a sorting device that sorts sheets of a sheet bundle, wherein

the job management device includes

a storage that stores, about a plurality of the sheet bundles respectively discharged from the plurality of image forming devices, information regarding the sheets constituting the sheet bundles,

a hardware processor that:

generates instruction information for instructing an operator on an arrangement order of the sheet bundles to be set on a sheet feeder of the sorting device; and

generates operation information of the sorting device from the information stored in the storage so that the sorting device sorts the sheets of the plurality of sheet bundles set on the sheet feeder, and discharges a sheet bundle including sheets of one print job and a sheet bundle including remaining sheets to different sheet discharge trays, and

a communicator that transmits the instruction information and the operation information to the sorting device.