Reconstruction of suspended print jobs

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9626138-B2
Application number	US-201414518080-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2014
Priority date	Oct 20, 2014
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

System and methods for reconstructing a suspended print job. In one embodiment, a print controller receives a print job, and initiates construction of a sheet based on logical pages of the print job. Print controller determines a sheet number for the sheet that identifies a page number of one or more logical pages related to the construction of the sheet, an offset for the sheet that identifies an order of the sheet with respect to other sheets that share the sheet number. Print controller also assigns a sheet identifier to the sheet that includes the sheet number and the offset, and receives the sheet identifier in response to a determination to resume the print job from a suspended state. Print controller initiates processing for resuming the print job from the sheet based on the sheet number and the offset in the sheet identifier.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system comprising:
a print controller configured to receive a print job with logical pages, and to assemble the logical pages onto sheets to be printed based on instructions associated with the print job;
the print controller configured to identify multiple logical pages which are to be assembled together onto a sheet, and to assign the multiple logical pages a same identifier, the same identifier being a page number of one of the multiple logical pages;
the print controller configured to determine from the instructions that at least one of the multiple logical pages is associated with an insert sheet having no page data, to assign the insert sheet the same identifier as the multiple logical pages, and to assign the insert sheet an offset from the same identifier that indicates a sheet positon of the insert sheet associated with the at least one of the multiple logical pages from the sheet;
the print controller configured to initiate processing for resuming the print job from a suspended state by identifying the sheet as a suspension point, assembling the multiple logical pages for the sheet according to the same identifier, and resubmitting the sheet and the insert sheet with the same identifier to a print engine in an order based on the offset.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the print controller configured to assign the same identifier a lowest page number from among the multiple pages to be assembled together onto the sheet.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the print controller configured to assign a negative integer as the offset to the insert sheet when the insert sheet is ordered before the sheet within the print job.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the print controller configured to assign a positive integer as the offset to the insert sheet when the insert sheet is ordered after the sheet within the print job.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the print controller configured to identify a banner page in the print job, and to assign the banner page a different sheet identifier unrelated to page numbers of logical pages of the print job.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:
the print controller configured to, responsive to a determination to resume the print job from the suspended state, initiate reconstruction of sheets based on logical pages with page numbers that are greater than or equal to the same identifier.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein:
the print controller configured to dispatch the reconstructed sheets to the print engine when same identifiers corresponding to the reconstructed sheets are greater than an identifier of a suspended sheet.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein:
the print controller configured to dispatch the insert sheet when the offset of the insert sheet having the same identifier as the suspended sheet is a positive integer.

9. A method comprising:
receiving a print job with logical pages;
assembling the logical pages onto sheets to be printed based on instructions associated with the print job;
identifying multiple logical pages which are to be assembled together onto a sheet;
assigning the multiple logical pages a same identifier, the same identifier being a page number of one of the multiple logical pages;
determining from the instructions that at least one of the multiple logical pages is associated with an insert sheet having no page data;
assigning the insert sheet the same identifier as the multiple logical pages;
assigning the insert sheet an offset from the same identifier that indicates a sheet positon of the insert sheet associated with the at least one of the multiple logical pages from the sheet; and
initiating processing for resuming the print job from a suspended state by identifying the sheet as a suspension point, assembling the multiple logical pages for the sheet according to the same identifier, and resubmitting the sheet and the insert sheet with the same identifier to a print engine in an order based on the offset.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
assigning the same identifier a lowest page number from among the multiple pages to be assembled together onto the sheet.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
assigning a positive integer as the offset to the insert sheet when the insert sheet is ordered after the sheet within the print job.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
identifying a banner page in the print job; and
assigning the banner page a different sheet identifier unrelated to page numbers of logical pages of the print job.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
responsive to a determination to resume the print job from the suspended state, initiating reconstruction of sheets based on logical pages with page numbers that are greater than or equal to the same identifier.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying programmed instructions which, when executed by a processor, are operable to perform a method comprising:
receiving a print job with logical pages;
assembling the logical pages onto sheets to be printed based on instructions associated with the print job;
identifying multiple logical pages which are to be assembled together onto a sheet;
assigning the multiple logical pages a same identifier, the same identifier being a page number of one of the multiple logical pages;
determining from the instructions that at least one of the multiple logical pages is associated with an insert sheet having no page data;
assigning the insert sheet the same identifier as the multiple logical pages;
assigning the insert sheet an offset from the same identifier that indicates a sheet positon of the insert sheet associated with the at least one of the multiple logical pages from the sheet; and
initiating processing for resuming the print job from a suspended state by identifying the sheet as a suspension point, assembling the multiple logical pages for the sheet according to the same identifier, and resubmitting the sheet and the insert sheet with the same identifier to a print engine in an order based on the offset.

15. The medium of claim 14 the method comprising:
assigning the same identifier a lowest page number from among the multiple pages to be assembled together onto the sheet.

16. The medium of claim 14 the method comprising:
assigning a positive integer as the offset to the insert sheet when the insert sheet is ordered after the sheet within the print job.

17. The medium of claim 14 the method comprising:
identifying a banner page in the print job; and
assigning the banner page a different sheet identifier unrelated to page numbers of logical pages of the print job.

18. The medium of claim 14 the method comprising:
responsive to a determination to resume the print job from the suspended state, initiating reconstruction of sheets based on logical pages with page numbers that are greater than or equal to the same identifier.

19. The medium of claim 18 the method comprising:
dispatching the reconstructed sheets to the print engine when same identifiers corresponding to the reconstructed sheets are greater than an identifier of a suspended sheet.

20. The medium of claim 19 the method comprising:
dispatching the insert sheet when the offset of the insert sheet having the same identifier as the suspended sheet is a positive integer.

Assignees

• Bandyopadhyay Aritra
• Ward David
• Eng Katie Ashley
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Bandyopadhyay Aritra
• Ward David
• Eng Katie Ashley

Classifications

• G06F3/1252 Primary

  for sheet based media · CPC title

• G03G15/655

  Placing job divider sheet between set of sheets · CPC title

• G06F3/1242

  Image or content composition onto a page · CPC title

• G06F3/1234

  Errors handling and recovery, e.g. reprinting (G06F3/1261 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/1293

  Printer information exchange with computer · CPC title