Purging of print jobs from a print data path

A method of purging print jobs from a print data path in a print controller of a production printing system, wherein the print controller includes a job storage system that receives and stores print jobs from at least one host system, and includes the print data path from the job storage system to at least one print engine of the production printing system, wherein the print data path includes at least one component operable to process print jobs for imaging on the at least one print engine, the method comprising:

• receiving registrations from the components in the print data path for at least one of flush job messages or flush path messages;
• receiving a request to purge the print data path;
• identifying the print jobs being processed in the print data path;
• transmitting flush job messages to the components registering for the flush job messages for each of the identified print jobs in the print data path, wherein the flush job messages instruct the components to purge data for the identified print jobs;
• transmitting a flush path message to the components registering for the flush path messages instructing the components to purge data for each of the print jobs being handled;
• transmitting a flush token over the print data path;
• and
• waiting for a flush complete message from a component at the end of the print data path indicating that the purging of the print data path is complete.

A non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly embodying programmed

• instructions which, when executed by a computer system, are operable to execute a method of purging print jobs from a print data path in a print controller of a production printing system, wherein the print controller includes a job storage system that receives and stores print jobs from at least one host system, and includes the print data path from the job storage system to at least one print engine of the production printing system, wherein the print data path includes at least one component operable to process print jobs for imaging on the at least one print engine, the method comprising:
• receiving registrations from the components in the print data path for at least one of flush job messages or flush path messages;
• receiving a request to purge the print data path;
• identifying the print jobs being processed in the print data path;
• transmitting flush job messages to the components registering for the flush job messages for each of the identified print jobs in the print data path, wherein the flush job messages instruct the components to purge data for the identified print jobs;
• transmitting a flush path message to the components registering for the flush path messages instructing the components to purge data for each of the print jobs being handled;
• transmitting a flush token over the print data path;
• and
• waiting for a flush complete message from a component at the end of the print data path indicating that the purging of the print data path is complete.

A print controller for a production printing system, the print controller comprising:

• a job storage system operable to receive print jobs from at least one host system, and to store the print jobs;
• a print data path from the job storage system to at least one print engine of the production printing system, the print data path comprising at least the following components:
• a raw data preprocessing system operable to receive raw data for a print job from the job storage system, to segment the raw data of the print job into segmented pages, and to define raw sheetsides based on the segmented pages;
• an interpreter system operable to receive the raw sheetsides from the raw data preprocessing system, and to render the raw sheetsides to generate sheetside bitmaps;
• and a bitmap processing system operable to receive the sheetside bitmaps from the interpreter system, and to forward the sheetside bitmaps to the at least one print engine;
• and a control system operable to receive registrations from the components in the print data path for at least one of flush job messages or flush path messages, to receive a request to purge the print data path, to identify the print jobs being processed in the print data path, to transmit flush job messages to the components registering for the flush job messages for each of the identified print jobs in the print data path, wherein the flush job messages instruct the components to purge data for the identified print jobs, and to transmit a flush path message to the components registering for the flush path messages instructing the components to purge data for each of the print jobs being handled;
• wherein the control system is further operable to:
• transmit a flush token over the print data path;
• and
• wait for a flush complete message from a component at the end of the print data path indicating that the purging of the print data path is complete.