Method and system for workload balancing

A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for balancing a workload between a plurality of printer devices which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the steps of:

• providing a plurality of printer devices coupled together, wherein each printer device includes a printer controller adapted to interactively communicate with other printer devices;
• receiving a request for printing a job at a printer device in the plurality of printer devices;
• and
• determining with the printer controller in the printer device where the request is received whether the job can be shared based upon a confidential nature of the job, wherein the determining further comprises:
• printing the job with the printer device where the request is received when the job cannot be shared,
• identifying which one of the plurality of printer devices satisfies at least one criteria when the job can be shared, and
• routing the job to another printer device which satisfies the criteria,
• wherein the identifying which one of the plurality of printer devices satisfies at least one criteria further comprises:
• determining if one or more job sharing rules has been satisfied, wherein the job sharing rules comprise:
• determining if the job would exceed a maximum for a work queue at the another printer device which received the job;
• determining if the job would take longer to complete than a first period of time;
• determining if the another printer device which received the job is non-functional;
• and
• printing the job at the another printer device when the another printer device is functional.

A workload balancing system comprising:

• a plurality of printer devices coupled together, wherein each printer device includes a printer controller adapted to interactively communicate with other printer devices, wherein a printer device in the plurality of printer devices is configured to receive a request for printing a job at the printer device, the printer controller in the printer device where the request is received is configured to determine whether the job can be shared based upon a confidential nature of the job and print the job with the printer device where the request is received when the job cannot be shared;
• a job processing system in at least one of the plurality of printer devices that identifies which one of a plurality of printer devices satisfies at least one criteria when the job can be shared;
• a routing system in the at least one of a plurality of printer devices that routes the job to another printer device which satisfies the criteria;
• and
• a rules system that determines if one or more job sharing rules has been satisfied by the another printer, wherein the job sharing rules comprise:
• determining if the job would exceed a maximum for a work queue at the another printer device which received the job;
• determining if the job would take longer to complete than a first period of time;
• determining if the another printer device which received the job is non-functional;
• and
• printing the job at the another printer device when the another printer device is functional.