# US 2016/0366306 A1 · Information processing apparatus and recording medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0366306 A1 - Document ID: US20160366306A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/161,353 - Filed: 2016-05-23 - Published: 2016-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2015-06-11 - Assignees: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Applicants: Konica Minolta, Inc. - Inventors: Toshiki TSUKANO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160366306A1 ## CPC - H04N 1/6027: {Correction or control of colour gradation or colour contrast (H04N1/6058 takes precedence)} - G06F 3/1217: {achieving reduced idle time at the output device or increased asset utilization} - G06F 3/1254: {Automatic configuration, e.g. by driver} - G06F 3/1259: {Print job monitoring, e.g. job status} - G06F 3/126: {Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device} - G06F 3/1273: {Print job history, e.g. logging, accounting, tracking} - G06F 3/1282: {High volume printer device} - G06F 3/1286: {via local network} - G06F 3/1291: {Pool of printer devices: self-managing printing devices in a network, e.g. without a server} - G06K 15/186: {taking account of feedback from an output condition, e.g. available inks, time constraints} - G06K 15/1878: {Adjusting colours (image colour correction or control for documents in general H04N1/60)} - H04N 1/00082: {Adjusting or controlling (interrupting an operation H04N1/00915; inhibiting an operation H04N1/00925)} - H04N 1/603: {controlled by characteristics of the picture signal generator or the picture reproducer} - G06F 3/1229: {Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels} - H04N 2201/0094: Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS ## Abstract An information processing apparatus of the present invention determines whether or not there is a bias in jobs distributed to a plurality of printers to be used in a distributed printing system. In addition, in a case where there is a bias in distributed jobs, the information processing apparatus decides a color correction target to be applied to a printer having a small number of distributed jobs and resulting in an unused state, applies the decided color correction target to the printer having a small number of jobs, to thereby decide a timing of performing color adjustment on the printer having a small number of jobs. The printer having a small number of jobs and resulting in an unused state is subjected to color adjustment at the decided timing. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An information processing apparatus comprising: a bias determination portion configured to determine whether or not there is a bias in numbers of output-reserved jobs to be distributed to a plurality of image forming apparatuses; a color correction target decision portion configured to decide a color correction target to be applied to an image forming apparatus having a small number of jobs, in a case where the bias determination portion has determined that there is a bias in numbers of jobs; and a color adjustment timing decision portion configured to apply the color correction target decided by the color correction target decision portion to the image forming apparatus having a small number of jobs, to thereby decide a timing of performing color adjustment on the image forming apparatus having a small number of jobs. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the image forming apparatuses includes an automatic color adjustment execution portion configured to automatically perform color adjustment at a periodic timing, and the color adjustment timing decision portion applies a color correction target to an image forming apparatus having a small number of jobs to thereby decide the timing of performing color adjustment, on the basis of reserved job information, a scheduled output time of a reserved job, and a periodic color adjustment timing by the automatic color adjustment execution portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the color adjustment timing decision portion decides the timing of applying the color correction target to the image forming apparatus having a small number of jobs and of performing color adjustment, from among the periodic color adjustment timing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the color adjustment timing decision portion decides the timing of applying the color correction target to the image forming apparatus having a small number of jobs and of performing color adjustment, at a timing other than the periodic color adjustment timing, in a case where an unused period of an image forming apparatus obtained from the decided color adjustment timing and the reserved job information reaches a predetermined time or longer. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a history management portion configured to manage job output history of the past in a case where there is no output-reserved job; a history job classification portion that classifies output jobs for each color correction target, from a history for a certain period being managed by the history management portion; a color correction target use frequency determination portion configured to determine a use frequency of a color correction target, in accordance with the number of jobs classified by the history job classification portion, and a color correction target selection portion configured to select a color correction target that is highly likely to be used thereafter, from determination by the color correction target use frequency determination portion. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, which preliminarily configures the plurality of image forming apparatuses as a group of image forming apparatuses to be managed, and distributes jobs to the plurality of image forming apparatuses. ### Claim 7 A computer-readable recording medium storing an information processing program that causes a computer to execute processing steps comprising: bias determination processing of determining, by an information processing apparatus that distributes output-reserved jobs to the plurality of image forming apparatuses, whether or not there is a bias in numbers of jobs to be distributed to the plurality of image forming apparatuses; color correction target decision processing of deciding, by the information processing apparatus, a color correction target to be applied to an image forming apparatus having a small number of jobs, in a case where the information processing apparatus has determined in the bias determination processing that there is a bias in numbers of jobs; and color adjustment timing decision processing of applying, by the information processing apparatus, the color correction target decided in the color correction target determination processing to the image forming apparatus having a small number of jobs, to thereby decide a timing of performing color adjustment on the image forming apparatus having a small number of jobs. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The recording medium according to claim 7, wherein the information processing apparatus preliminarily configures the plurality of image forming apparatuses as a group of image forming apparatuses to thereby be managed, and distributes jobs to the plurality of image forming apparatuses.