Print system, print server, print control method, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium encoded with print control program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016011834-A1
Application number	US-201514796369-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 10, 2015
Priority date	Jul 14, 2014
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A print system includes a print server and a plurality of image forming apparatuses. The print server externally receives a print job, extracts a print job that includes user identification information included in a download request received from any of the image forming apparatuses, transmits the print job to an image forming apparatus that transmits the download request, detects a progress status of the print job executed by a first image forming apparatus that receives the print job, detects the print job transmitted to the first image forming apparatus as a job in progress in response to reception of a download request from a second image forming apparatus, splits the job in progress into a first split job and a second split job, transmits the second split job to the second image forming apparatus, and transmits an end command to the first image forming apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A print system comprising a print server and a plurality of image forming apparatuses,
a processor of the print server executing: a server-side receiving step of externally receiving a print job including user identification information for identifying a user and image data; a server-side extracting step of, in response to reception of a download request including user identification information from any one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, extracting a print job that includes user identification information identical with the user identification information included in the received download request from among one or more print jobs received in the server-side receiving step; a print job transmitting step of transmitting the extracted print job to, among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, an image forming apparatus that has transmitted the download request; a progress status detecting step of detecting a progress status in which, among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, a first image forming apparatus that has received the print job executes the print job; a job-in-progress detecting step of, in response to reception of a download request from a second image forming apparatus different from the first image forming apparatus, detecting the print job transmitted to the first image forming apparatus as a job in progress, if the print job transmitted to the first image forming apparatus includes user identification information identical with user identification information included in the download request received from the second image forming apparatus and the progress status detected in the progress status detecting step of the print job executed in the first image forming apparatus is in progress; a splitting step of, if the job in progress is detected, splitting the job in progress into a first split job that is a preceding section and a second split job that is a following section, based on the progress status of the job in progress; a split job transmitting step of transmitting the second split job to the second image forming apparatus; and an end command transmitting step of transmitting an end command to terminate the job in progress at a location defined by the first split job to the first image forming apparatus, a processor of each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses executing: a user detecting step of detecting a user; a download request step of transmitting a download request including user identification information of the user detected in the user detecting step to the print server; and a job executing step of, if the print job is received from the print server in response to transmission of the download request, executing the print job, and if the second split job is received from the print server, executing the second split job, wherein the job executing step includes a job cancel step of terminating execution of the print job at a location defined by the end command if the end command is received from the print server while the print job is being executed.

2 . A print system comprising a print server and a plurality of image forming apparatuses,
a processor of the print server executing: a server-side receiving step of externally receiving a print job including user identification information for identifying a user and image data; a server-side extracting step of, in response to reception of a download request including user identification information from any one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, extracting a print job that includes user identification information identical with the user identification information included in the received download request from among one or more print jobs received in the server-side receiving step; a print job transmitting step of, in response to reception of the download request from a first image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, transmitting the extracted print job to the first image forming apparatus; a progress status detecting step of detecting a progress status in which, among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, a first image forming apparatus that has received the print job executes the print job; a job-in-progress detecting step of, in response to reception of a download request from a second image forming apparatus different from the first image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, detecting the print job transmitted to the first image forming apparatus as a job in progress, if the print job transmitted to the first image forming apparatus includes user identification information identical with user identification information included in the download request received from the second image forming apparatus and the progress status detected in the progress status detecting step of the print job executed in the first image forming apparatus is in progress; and a job-in-progress information transmitting step of, if the job in progress is detected, transmitting job-in-progress information including the job in progress and device identification information for identifying the first image forming apparatus to the second image forming apparatus, a processor of each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses executing: a user detecting step of detecting a user; a download request step of transmitting a download request including user identification information of the user detected in the user detecting step to the print server; and a job executing step of, if the print job is received from the print server in response to transmission of the download request, executing the print job, and if the second split job is received from the print server, executing the second split job, a processor of the second image forming apparatus executing: a progress status acquiring step of, if the job-in-progress information is received from the print server, acquiring a progress status of executing the job in progress from the first image forming apparatus specified by the device identification information included in the job-in-progress information; a splitting step of splitting the job in progress into a first split job that is a preceding section and a second split job that is a following section, based on the acquired progress status of the job in progress; a split job executing step of executing the second split job; and an end command transmitting step of transmitting an end command to terminate the job in progress at a location defined by the first split job to the first image forming apparatus, the processor of the first image forming apparatus further executing a job cancel step of terminating execution of the job in progress at a location defined by the end command if the end command is received from the second image forming apparatus.

3 . A print server comprising a processor that executes:
a server-side receiving step of externally receiving a print job including user identification information for identifying a user and image data; a server-side extracting step of, in response to reception of a download request including user identification information from any one of the plurality of image forming apparatuses, extracting a print job that includes user identification information identical with the user identification information included in the received download request from among one or more print jobs received in the server-side receiving step; a print job transmitting step of transmitting the extracted print job to, among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, an image forming apparatus that has transmitted the download request; a progress status detecting step of detecting a progress status in which, among the plurality of image forming apparatuses, a first image forming apparatus that has received the print job ex

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Hama Kenro
• Akita Katsuhiko
• Sakiyama Daisuke
• Kawaguchi Toshikazu
• Takahashi Kazusei
• Asai Yuki
• Maekawa Takeshi
• Tanaka Yuji

Classifications

• G06F3/124

  Parallel printing or parallel ripping · CPC title

• G06F3/1259

  Print job monitoring, e.g. job status · CPC title

• G06F3/1268 Primary

  Job submission, e.g. submitting print job order or request not the print data itself · CPC title

• G06F3/1285

  Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server · CPC title

• G06F3/1288

  in client-server-printer device configuration · CPC title