Image forming system, image forming method and information processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9832339-B1
Application number	US-201615250702-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 29, 2016
Priority date	Aug 10, 2016
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

An image forming system includes a plurality of image forming apparatuses, a print request receiving portion, a dividing portion, and a print job transmitting portion. The print request receiving portion receives a print request for a print object. The dividing portion, when a total number of pages to be printed is equal to or greater than a preset smallest number of pages, divides the print object into a plurality of page groups. The print job transmitting portion generates a plurality of divided print jobs that respectively correspond to the plurality of page groups divided by the dividing portion, and transmits the plurality of divided print jobs to the plurality of image forming apparatuses, respectively.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image forming system comprising:
a plurality of image forming apparatuses;
a print request receiving portion, executed on a processor, configured to receive a print request for a print object;
a dividing portion, executed on the processor and configured to, when a total number of pages to be printed is equal to or greater than a preset smallest number of pages, divide the print object into a plurality of page groups;
a print job transmitting portion, executed on the processor, configured to generate a plurality of divided print jobs that respectively correspond to the plurality of page groups divided by the dividing portion, and transmit the plurality of divided print jobs to the plurality of image forming apparatuses, respectively;
an allocation order setting portion, executed on the processor and configured to perform, in response to a user operation, an initial setting of an allocation order in which the plurality of image forming apparatuses are allocated; and
a controller configured to display an output result screen on a display based on output result notification signals from the image forming apparatuses, the output result screen indicating which image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses has printed each page of the print object, wherein
the dividing portion divides the print object into a plurality of page groups that are each composed of one or more pages with sequential page numbers,
the print job transmitting portion allocates the plurality of page groups, from an initial page group to a last page group, to the plurality of image forming apparatuses in the allocation order,
the print job transmitting portion attaches an instruction for printing allocation information to only a divided print job that is to be transmitted to an image forming apparatus that is the first in the allocation order and corresponds to the initial page group, the allocation information indicating page groups allocated to the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and
when an error occurs during an execution of a divided print job, the print job transmitting portion transmits the divided print job to an image forming apparatus that precedes, by one in the allocation order, an image forming apparatus in which the error has occurred and to which a page group that immediately precedes a page group corresponding to the divided print job has been allocated.

2. The image forming system according to claim 1 further comprising:
a smallest-number-of-pages setting portion, executed on the processor, configured to perform an initial setting of the smallest number of pages in response to a user operation.

3. The image forming system according to claim 1 further comprising:
a division type selecting portion, executed on the processor, configured to perform an initial setting of whether the dividing portion should divide the print object in units of copies or in units of pages, in response to a user operation.

4. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein
the dividing portion divides the print object into the plurality of page groups based on a result of dividing the number of copies to be printed, or the number of pages of a copy, by the number of the plurality of image forming apparatuses.

5. The image forming system according to claim 1 further comprising:
an apparatus-to-be-used selecting portion, executed on the processor and configured to perform, in response to a user operation, an initial setting of the plurality of image forming apparatuses to which the divided print jobs are to be transmitted by the print job transmitting portion.

6. The image forming system according to claim 5 , wherein
when the apparatus-to-be-used selecting portion performs the initial setting of the plurality of image forming apparatuses in response to a user operation, the apparatus-to-be-used selecting portion presents, to the user, location information of each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses.

7. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses includes a plurality of discharge trays, and
the image forming system further comprises:
a discharge tray selecting portion, executed on a processor and configured to perform, in response to a user operation, an initial setting of a discharge tray selected from the plurality of discharge trays for use in a divided print job corresponding to each of the plurality of image forming apparatuses.

8. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein
the print job transmitting portion attaches an instruction for printing allocation information to at least one of the plurality of divided print jobs, the allocation information indicating page groups allocated to the plurality of image forming apparatuses.

9. The image forming system according to claim 1 , wherein when the error occurs during the execution of the divided print job, in a case where there is no image forming apparatus that precedes, by one in the allocation order, the image forming apparatus in which the error has occurred, the print job transmitting portion transmits the divided print job to another image forming apparatus which succeeds, by one in the allocation order, the image forming apparatus in which the error has occurred.

10. An image forming method comprising:
a print request receiving step of receiving a print request for a print object;
a dividing step of, when a total number of pages to be printed is equal to or greater than a preset smallest number of pages, dividing the print object into a plurality of page groups;
a print job transmitting step of generating a plurality of divided print jobs that respectively correspond to the plurality of page groups divided in the dividing step, and transmit the plurality of divided print jobs to the plurality of image forming apparatuses, respectively;
a step of performing, in response to a user operation, an initial setting of an allocation order in which the plurality of image forming apparatuses are allocated; and
a step of displaying an output result screen on a display based on output result notification signals from the image forming apparatuses, the output result screen indicating which image forming apparatus among the plurality of image forming apparatuses has printed each page of the print object, wherein
the dividing step divides the print object into a plurality of page groups that are each composed of one or more pages with sequential page numbers,
the print job transmitting step allocates the plurality of page groups, from an initial page group to a last page group, to the plurality of image forming apparatuses in the allocation order,
the print job transmitting step attaches an instruction for printing allocation information to only a divided print job that is to be transmitted to an image forming apparatus that is the first in the allocation order and corresponds to the initial page group, the allocation information indicating page groups allocated to the plurality of image forming apparatuses, and
when an error occurs during an execution of a divided print job, the print job transmitting step transmits the divided print job to an image forming apparatus that precedes, by one in the allocation order, an image forming apparatus in which the error has occurred and to which a page group that immediately precedes a page group corresponding to the divided print job has been allocated.

11. The image forming method according to claim 10 , wherein when the error occurs during the execution of the divided print job, in a case where there is no image forming apparatus that precedes, by one in the allocati

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Yee Mark Jefferson
• Tan Ted Steven
• Arnejo Mary Antonette

Classifications

• H04N2201/0039

  Connection via a network · CPC title

• H04N1/32523

  a plurality of output devices · CPC title

• H04N1/00233

  details of image data reproduction, e.g. network printing or remote image display (using an image reproducing device as a local output from a computer H04N1/00238; digital output from computer to printer unit G06F3/12) · CPC title

• H04N2201/0094

  Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception · CPC title

• H04N1/32545 Primary

  Distributing a job or task among a plurality of input devices or a plurality of output devices · CPC title