Method and apparatus for processing a high priority resource request in a system using a set of shared resources

A resource based method of managing the processing of a plurality of jobs in a multifunctional printing system in which at least one job is inputted for processing at one or more job services, said system including a controller with a job contention manager (JCM) for prioritizing the use of the printing system's basic processing resources to allow a high priority job to gain substantially immediate access to a shared resource, said method comprising:

• a) including in at least a first level of a database a plurality of capability resources associated with sub-jobs of said one or more job services and including in at least a second level of said database a plurality of basic resources of the printing system, with each capability resource containing a list of the basic resources it needs to carry out its capability and each basic resource containing a list of the capability resources that depend upon it;
• b) each capability resource and each basic resource including a sub-job queue;
• c) one of said job services, at a desired time, sending a first signal to said JCM to carry out a sub-job of a first job, said signal for said first sub-job including information about the respective sub-job's priority;
• d) responsive to step (c), said JCM, even if said basic resources are not ready to process said new sub-job, adding for each sub-job received from a job service a respective capability job resource containing said information, and adding each such capability job resource, based on priority, to the respective capability resource job queue;
• e) responsive to step (d) said JCM adding for each added capability job resource, component basic job resources to the queues of each basic resource which a respective capability job resource will require;
• f) reassigning said basic resources according to the priority of said added sub-job in said queues;
• and
• g) if said added sub-job is the highest priority sub-job in said queues, then responsive to said reassignment of said basic resources, initiating the processing of said added sub-job.

An apparatus for prioritizing the use of multifunctional printing system's basic processing resources to allow a high priority job to gain substantially immediate access to a shared resource, said apparatus comprising:

• a) a controller with a job contention manager (JCM);
• b) a plurality of basic resources of the printing system with each of said basic resources having a job queue;
• c) means for one or more job services, at a desired time, sending a first signal to said JCM to enter a sub-job of a given job in said queues, even if said basic resource is not ready to process said sub-job, said first signal, for each of said sub-jobs, including information about the respective sub-job's priority;
• d) means responsive to said signal, for said JCM to add a corresponding basic job resource sub-job to the queues of each basic resource which said sub-job will require in order to perform the sub-job;
• and
• e) means for reassigning said basic resources according to the priority of said added sub-job in said queues;
• and
• f) means for determining if said added sub-job is the highest priority sub-job in said queues, and means responsive to said determined priority being the highest and responsive to said reassignment of said basic resources, initiating the processing of said added sub-job.

An apparatus for managing the processing of a plurality of jobs in a multifunctional printing system in which at least one first job is inputted for processing at one or more job services, said apparatus comprising:

• a) a controller with a job contention manager (JCM) for prioritizing the use of the printing system's basic processing resources to allow a high priority job to gain substantially immediate access to a shared resource;
• b) a database including in at least a first level a plurality of capability resources associated with sub-jobs of said one or more job services and including in at least a second level a plurality of basic resources of the printing system, with each capability resource containing a list of the basic resources it needs to carry out its capability and each basic resource containing a list of the capability resources that depend upon it;
• c) each capability resource and each basic resource including a sub-job queue;
• d) means for said one of said job services, at a desired time, to send a first signal to said JCM to add a sub-job of said first job, said signal for each of said sub-jobs including information about the respective sub-job's priority;
• e) said JCM including means responsive to said signal, even if said basic resources are not ready to process said first sub-job, for creating for each sub-job received from a job service a respective capability resource containing said information, and adding each such capability resource, based on priority, to the respective capability resource job queue;
• f) said JCM including means responsive to said creation of said capability resource for adding for each capability resource, component basic resources to the job queues of each basic resource which a respective capability resource will require;
• g) said JCM including means for reassigning said basic resources according to the priority of said added sub-job in said queues;
• and
• h) said JCM including means for determining if said added sub-job is the highest priority sub-job in said queues and means responsive to said determined priority being the highest and responsive to said reassignment of said basic resources, for initiating the processing of said added sub-job.