US 8,711,390 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for executing load distributed printing

AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsTakashi Yagita, Masamichi Ohshima, Noriyoshi Kurotsu, Hidekazu Morooka, Koichiro Wanda, Koji Kikuchi, Kei Kitagata, Kenichi Shirai, Hiroyuki Kayama

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Abstract

This invention provides a load distributed printing technique which efficiently uses a plurality of printing apparatuses by using small resources. To accomplish this, an information processing apparatus, which can transmit a print job to a plurality of printing apparatuses, is provided. The information processing apparatus comprises print queue setting means for setting one of a plurality of print queues corresponding to the plurality of printing apparatuses as a basic print queue and setting remaining print queues other than the basic print queue as backup print queues, print job registration means for registering print job information in the basic print queue, backup job registration means for generating backup job information corresponding to the print job information registered in the basic print queue and registering the backup job information in the backup print queue, and job control means for, when the print job information is registered in each of the basic print queue and the backup print queue, preferentially outputting a print job corresponding to the print job information to a corresponding printing apparatus, and when no print job information is registered, and a print job corresponding to the backup job information can be output, changing the backup job information to print job information and outputting the print job to a corresponding printing apparatus.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of print queues, including a real job queue and a virtual job queue for each of a plurality of printing apparatus;
registration means for registering print job information of a print job in a real job queue of a first printing apparatus and registering virtual job information in a virtual job queue of a second printing apparatus, wherein the virtual job information represents the same print job and contains a reference link to the print job information;
and
job control means for,
(a) when the print job information registered in the real job queue of the first printing apparatus is at the top of the queue,
(a1) deleting the virtual job information registered in the virtual job queue of the second printing apparatus, and
(a2) executing the print job on the first printing apparatus based on the print job information registered in the real job queue of the first printing apparatus, and
(b) when the virtual job information registered in the virtual job queue of the second printing apparatus is at the top of the queue,
(b1) specifying the print job information registered in the real job queue of the first printing apparatus to which the virtual job information registered in the virtual job queue of the second printing apparatus contains a reference link,
(b2) converting the virtual job information to print job information, based on the print job information to which the virtual job information contains a reference link,
(b3) re-registering the print job information converted from the virtual job information in a real job queue of the second printing apparatus, and
(b4) executing the print job on the second printing apparatus based on the print job information re-registered in the real job queue of the second printing apparatus, without executing the print job on the first printing apparatus based on the print job information registered in the real job queue of the first printing apparatus.

9 more elements

A load distributed printing method, comprising:

a setting step of setting up a plurality of print queues, including a real job queue and a virtual job queue for each of a plurality of printing apparatus;
a registration step of registering print job information of a print job in a real job queue of a first printing apparatus and registering virtual job information in a virtual job queue of a second printing apparatus, wherein the virtual job information represents the same print job and contains a reference link to the print job information;
and
a job control step of,
(a) when the print job information registered in the real job queue of the first printing apparatus is at the top of the queue,
(a1) deleting the virtual job information registered in the virtual job queue of the second printing apparatus, and
(a2) executing the print job on the first printing apparatus based on the print job information registered in the real job queue of the first printing apparatus, and
(b) when the virtual job information registered in the virtual job queue of the second printing apparatus is at the top of the queue,
(b1) specifying the print job information registered in the real job queue of the first printing apparatus to which the virtual job information registered in the virtual job queue of the second printing apparatus contains a reference link,
(b2) converting the virtual job information registered in the virtual job queue of the second printing apparatus to print job information, based on the print job information to which the virtual job information contains a reference link,
(b3) re-registering the print job information converted from the virtual job information in a real job queue of the second printing apparatus, and
(b4) executing the print job on the second printing apparatus based on the print job information re-registered in the real job queue of the second printing apparatus, without executing the print job on the first printing apparatus based on the print job information registered in the real job queue of the first printing apparatus.

9 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing, in executable form, a program implementing a load distributed printing method, the method comprising:

a setting step of setting up a plurality of print queues, including a real job queue and a virtual job queue specifically for each of a plurality of printing apparatus;
a registration step of registering print job information of a print job in a real job queue of a first printing apparatus and registering virtual job information in a virtual job queue of a second printing apparatus, wherein the virtual job information represents the same print job and contains a reference link to the print job information;
and
a job control step of,
(a) when the print job information registered in the real job queue of the first printing apparatus is at the top of the queue,
(a1) deleting the virtual job information registered in the virtual job queue of the second printing apparatus and
(a2) executing the print job on the first printing apparatus based on the print job information registered in the real job queue of the first printing apparatus, and
(b) when the virtual job information registered in the virtual job queue of the second printing apparatus is at the top of the queue,
(b1) specifying the print job information registered in the real job queue of the first printing apparatus to which the virtual job information registered in the virtual job queue of the second printing apparatus contains a reference link,
(b2) converting the virtual job information registered in the virtual job queue of the second printing apparatus to print job information, based on the print job information to which the virtual job information contains a reference link,
(b3) re-registering the print job information converted from the virtual job information in a real job queue of the second printing apparatus, and
(b4) executing the print job on the second printing apparatus based on the print job information re-registered in the real job queue of the second printing apparatus, without executing the print job on the first printing apparatus based on the print job information registered in the real job queue of the first printing apparatus.

9 more elements

A print system comprising a client computer, and a server computer which instructs the client computer to transfer a spooled print job to a predetermined printing apparatus among a plurality of printing apparatuses, wherein

the client computer comprises
print queue setting means for setting each of a plurality of print queues corresponding to the plurality of printing apparatuses as a basic print queue or a backup print queue,
print job registration means for registering print job information in a basic print queue of a first of the plurality of printing apparatus, and
backup job registration means for generating backup job information corresponding to the print job information registered in the basic print queue of the first printing apparatus and registering the backup job information in the backup print queue of a second of the plurality of printing apparatus;
wherein the server computer comprises
job control means for,
(a) when the print job information registered in the basic print queue of the first printing apparatus is at the top of the queue, instructing the client computer to preferentially
(a1) execute the print job on the first printing apparatus corresponding to the print job information in the basic print queue of the first printing apparatus, and
(b) when the backup job information registered in the backup print queue of the second printing apparatus is at the top of the queue, instructing the client computer to
(b1) specify the print job information registered in the basic print queue of the first printing apparatus to which the backup job information registered in the backup print queue of the second printing apparatus corresponds,
(b2) convert the backup job information to print job information of the print job, based on the print job information to which the back job information corresponds,
(b3) re-register the print job information converted from the virtual job information in a basic print queue of the second printing apparatus, and
(b4) execute the print job on the second printing apparatus corresponding to the print job information in the basic print queue of the second printing apparatus;
and
wherein the client computer further comprises
deleting means for, after the print job is executed on one of the plurality of printing apparatus, deleting, from any basic print queue and backup print queue that is not on the printing apparatus, print job information and backup job information corresponding to the print job information.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/999,985Filed 1 Dec 2004
Priority: JP 2003-4019531 Dec 2003
Published: US 2005/0141023 A130 Jun 2005
Granted: 29 Apr 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G06F 3/1212
Improving printing performance: achieving reduced delay between job submission and print start
G06F 3/1217
Improving printing performance: achieving reduced idle time at the output device or increased asset utilization
G06F 3/122
Reducing or saving of used resources, e.g. avoiding waste of consumables or improving usage of hardware resources: with regard to computing…
G06F 3/126
Print job management: job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device