Print processing system, print processing method, and computer readable medium

Abstract

A print processing system includes a processor that acquires a first number of sessions indicating an upper limit number of sessions in which print jobs are simultaneously transmitted to a plurality of printing devices; acquiring a second number of sessions indicating an upper limit number of sessions for each of the plurality of printing apparatuses that simultaneously receive print jobs, and acquiring a third number of sessions indicating a number of sessions for each of the plurality of printing apparatuses that communicate with print jobs, respectively; based on the first number of sessions, the second number of sessions, and the third number of sessions, a print job is selected from among a plurality of print jobs for which transmission is ready to be completed, and the selected print job is transmitted to any one of the plurality of printing apparatuses.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing processing system, a printing processing method and a computer-readable medium. Background Art

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-033765 describes an information processing terminal that speeds up printing and reduces server load by changing the session number based on the printer's status. The information processing terminal includes a receiving unit that receives image data from a server at a first session number and an acquiring unit that acquires the printer's status. The receiving unit changes the session number from the first session number to a second session number based on the printer's status, and receives image data from the server at the second session number. The information processing terminal also includes a transmitting unit that converts the image data into print data and transmits the print data to the printer. Summary of the Invention

[0003] However, some print processing systems transmit print jobs from an information processing device to multiple printing devices and process the print jobs. In such systems, an upper limit on the number of sessions per printing device that can simultaneously receive print jobs is sometimes set for each of the multiple printing devices, and print jobs are transmitted in the order in which they are ready to be transmitted, within the upper limit on the receiving side.

[0004] However, the upper limit on the number of sessions in which an information processing device can simultaneously send print jobs to multiple printers, i.e., the upper limit on the sending side, is not considered. For example, if there are too many sending sessions, the sending or receiving of print jobs may fail due to communication load, resulting in the print job not being efficiently sent to the printer.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a print processing system and a print processing program that can efficiently send print jobs to a printing device, compared to the case where multiple print jobs are sent simultaneously only considering the upper limit number of sessions of each printing device that simultaneously receives print jobs.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a print processing system is provided, comprising a processor, wherein the processor obtains a first session number representing an upper limit number of sessions for simultaneously sending print jobs to a plurality of printing devices, obtains a second session number representing an upper limit number of sessions for each of the plurality of printing devices to respectively and simultaneously receive print jobs, obtains a third session number representing the number of sessions for each of the plurality of printing devices to respectively communicate for print jobs, selects a print job from a plurality of print jobs that are ready to be sent, and sends the selected print job to any one of the plurality of printing devices based on the first session number, the second session number, and the third session number.

[0007] According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the printing processing system of the first aspect, the processor obtains the estimated time for completion of printing of the print job to be printed, i.e., the estimated printing completion time, from each of the multiple printing devices, and preferentially sends the print job to the printing device with the shortest estimated printing completion time among the printing devices whose third session number is smaller than the second session number.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the print processing system of the second aspect, the processor updates the estimated print completion time for each of the plurality of printing apparatuses according to increase or decrease in the third session number.

[0009] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the print processing system of the third aspect, a number of sessions obtained by summing the third number of sessions of each of the plurality of printing devices is equal to or less than the first number of sessions.

[0010] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the print processing system of any one of the first to fourth aspects, the processor selects a first print job having a smallest data size.

[0011] According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the printing processing system of the fifth aspect, the multiple print jobs are respectively associated with any one of the multiple printing devices in advance, and the processor obtains the estimated time for completion of printing of the print jobs to be printed, i.e., the estimated printing completion time, from the multiple printing devices respectively, and sends the first print job with the smallest data size among the print jobs associated with the printing device with the shortest estimated printing completion time to the associated printing device.

[0012] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in the printing processing system of the sixth aspect, the processor obtains the estimated printing completion time of the printing device associated with the first print job, obtains the estimated printing completion time when the first print job is printed by the associated printing device, adds the estimated printing completion time of the first print job to the estimated printing completion time of the associated printing device, and updates the estimated printing completion time of the associated printing device.

[0013] According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, in the printing processing system of the seventh aspect, the processor obtains the estimated printing completion time for each of the multiple printing devices after the estimated printing completion time is updated, and sends the first print job with the smallest data size among the associated print jobs to the printing device with the shortest estimated printing completion time among the printing devices whose third session number is smaller than the second session number.

[0014] According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the print processing system of the eighth aspect, when there is no print job associated with the printing device with the shortest expected printing completion time, the processor sends the first print job associated with other printing devices and with the smallest data size.

[0015] According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the print processing system of any one of the first to ninth aspects, the processor detects the status of each of the plurality of printing apparatuses and excludes a printing apparatus whose status indicates an error from being sent to a print job.

[0016] According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute processing, wherein the processing obtains a first session number representing an upper limit number of sessions for simultaneously sending print jobs to multiple printing devices, obtains a second session number representing an upper limit number of sessions for each printing device for simultaneously receiving print jobs respectively, obtains a third session number representing the number of sessions for each printing device for communicating with the multiple printing devices for respectively performing print jobs, selects a print job from multiple print jobs that are ready to be sent based on the first session number, the second session number, and the third session number, and sends the selected print job to any one of the multiple printing devices.

[0017] According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, a printing processing method is provided, which obtains a first session number representing the upper limit number of sessions for simultaneously sending print jobs to multiple printing devices, obtains a second session number representing the upper limit number of sessions for each printing device for simultaneously receiving print jobs, obtains a third session number representing the number of sessions for each printing device for communicating with the multiple printing devices for respectively performing print jobs, selects a print job from multiple print jobs that are ready to be sent based on the first session number, the second session number, and the third session number, and sends the selected print job to any one of the multiple printing devices.

[0018] (Effect)

[0019] According to the first, eleventh and twelfth aspects, the following effect is achieved: compared with the case where multiple print jobs are sent simultaneously only considering the upper limit number of sessions of each print device that simultaneously receives print jobs, print jobs can be sent efficiently to the print devices.

[0020] According to the second aspect, there is an effect that a print job can be sent to a printing device with the shortest estimated printing completion time.

[0021] According to the third aspect, there is an effect that the estimated time to complete printing can be updated according to the increase or decrease in the third number of sessions.

[0022] According to the fourth aspect, there is an effect that a print job can be efficiently sent to the printing apparatus in consideration of the relationship between the third number of sessions and the first number of sessions.

[0023] According to the fifth aspect, there is an effect that a print job can be efficiently sent to a printing apparatus, compared to a case where a print job with the largest data size is selected.

[0024] According to the sixth aspect, a print job can be efficiently sent to a printing apparatus, compared to a case where a print job with the largest data size is sent to a printing apparatus with the longest estimated print completion time.

[0025] According to the seventh aspect, there is an effect that a print job can be efficiently sent to a printing apparatus, compared to a case where the estimated print completion time is set to be constant.

[0026] According to the eighth aspect, a print job can be efficiently sent to a printing device, compared to a case where a print job with the largest data size is sent to a printing device with the longest estimated print completion time after the estimated print completion time is updated.

[0027] According to the ninth aspect, there is an effect that a print job can be efficiently sent to a printing device even when there is no print job associated with the printing device having the shortest estimated print completion time.

[0028] According to the tenth aspect, there is an effect of being able to exclude a printing apparatus whose status indicates an error from being sent to. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a print processing system according to an embodiment;

[0030] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment;

[0032] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a print processing system according to a comparative example;

[0033] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment;

[0034] Figure 6 A diagram for explaining a print process performed by a print process system according to an embodiment;

[0035] Figure 7 A diagram for explaining a print process performed by a print process system according to an embodiment;

[0036] Figure 8 A diagram for explaining a print process performed by a print process system according to an embodiment;

[0037] Figure 9 A diagram for explaining a print process performed by a print process system according to an embodiment;

[0038] Figure 10 A diagram for explaining a print process performed by a print process system according to an embodiment;

[0039] Figure 11 A diagram for explaining a print process performed by a print process system according to an embodiment;

[0040] Figure 12 A diagram for explaining a print process performed by a print process system according to an embodiment;

[0041] Figure 13 A diagram for explaining a print process performed by a print process system according to an embodiment;

[0042] Figure 14 A diagram for explaining a print process performed by a print process system according to an embodiment;

[0043] Figure 15 A diagram for explaining a print process performed by a print process system according to an embodiment;

[0044] Figure 16 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of device information registration processing performed by the print processing program according to the embodiment;

[0045] Figure 17 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a print completion estimated time calculation process performed by the print processing program according to the embodiment;

[0046] Figure 18 This is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a print job transmission process performed by a print processing program according to an embodiment;

[0047] Figure 19 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a print job transmission process performed by the print processing program according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] An example of a method for implementing the technology of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, sometimes, components and processes that perform the same actions, effects, and functions are marked with the same symbols throughout the drawings, and repeated descriptions are appropriately omitted. Each drawing is merely a general representation to enable a full understanding of the technology of the present invention. Therefore, the technology of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples. In addition, in this embodiment, the description of structures that are not directly related to the technology of the present invention or well-known structures is sometimes omitted.

[0049] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the print processing system 100 according to this embodiment.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, the print processing system 100 of this embodiment includes an information processing device 10 and a plurality of printing devices 30A to 30C. Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG, three printers are shown, but the number is arbitrary. In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the multiple printers 30A to 30C, these printers 30A to 30C are collectively referred to as printers 30.

[0051] The information processing device 10 is a computer device that receives a print job from a host device (not shown) and selectively sends the received print job to any one of a plurality of printing devices 30A to 30C. The information processing device 10 is connected to each of the plurality of printing devices 30A to 30C via a network N, instructs each of the plurality of printing devices 30A to 30C to execute printing, and manages the printing status of each. The information processing device 10 can send print jobs to a plurality of printing devices 30A to 30C at the same time, and can also send multiple print jobs to a single printing device at the same time. In addition, the network N applies to the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), etc. There are no restrictions on the connection method of the network N, and it can be any of wired, wireless, or a mixture of wired and wireless.

[0052] A print job includes, for example, PDF (Portable Document Format: a registered trademark) data, which is an example of print data, and JDF (Job Definition Format: a registered trademark) data, which is an example of a job ticket. JDF is an industry-standard document format designed for comprehensive management of pre-pressing, punching, and post-pressing processes, and for sharing information between various manufacturing processes for printed materials, or a data exchange format between machine models. Printing instructions are recorded in JDF.

[0053] Each of the plurality of printing devices 30A to 30C executes a printing-related function according to a print instruction from the information processing device 10. Each of the plurality of printing devices 30A to 30C has a printing function for printing on a recording medium such as paper according to print data indicated by a print job.

[0054] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment.

[0055] like Figure 2 As shown, the information processing device 10 of this embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an input and output interface (I / O) 14, a storage unit 15, a display unit 16, an operation unit 17, and a communication unit 18.

[0056] The CPU 11 , ROM 12 , RAM 13 , and I / O 14 are connected via buses. Functional units including a storage unit 15 , a display unit 16 , an operation unit 17 , and a communication unit 18 are connected to the I / O 14 . These functional units can communicate with the CPU 11 via the I / O 14 .

[0057] The control unit is composed of CPU 11, ROM 12, RAM 13 and I / O 14. The control unit can be configured as a sub-control unit that controls a part of the operation of the information processing device 10, or it can be configured as a part of the main control unit that controls the overall operation of the information processing device 10. Part or all of the blocks of the control unit, for example, use integrated circuits such as LSI (Large Scale Integration) or IC chipsets. Separate circuits can be used in each of the above blocks, or circuits that integrate part or all of them can be used. The above blocks can be set as one piece, or some blocks can be set separately. In addition, in each of the above blocks, part of it can be set separately. The integration of the control unit is not limited to LSI, and a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor can also be used.

[0058] As the storage unit 15, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), a flash memory, or the like is used. The storage unit 15 stores a print processing program 15A for executing the print processing of this embodiment. Alternatively, the print processing program 15A may be stored in the ROM 12.

[0059] The print processing program 15A may be installed in advance in the information processing apparatus 10, for example. The print processing program 15A may also be implemented by being stored in a non-volatile storage medium, or distributed via the network N and then appropriately installed in the information processing apparatus 10. Examples of non-volatile storage media include CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), magneto-optical disks, HDDs, DVD-ROMs (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), flash memories, and memory cards.

[0060] The display unit 16 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display. The display unit 16 may also be integrated with a touch panel. The operation unit 17 may be provided with devices for operation input, such as a keyboard and a mouse. The display unit 16 and the operation unit 17 receive various instructions from the user of the information processing device 10. The display unit 16 displays various information, such as the results of processing executed in accordance with the instructions received from the user and notifications regarding the processing.

[0061] For example, the communication unit 18 can be connected to a network N such as the Internet, a LAN, or a WAN, and can communicate with each of the plurality of printers 30A to 30C via the network N.

[0062] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the printing device 30 according to this embodiment.

[0063] like Figure 3 As shown, the printing device 30 of this embodiment includes a CPU 31 , a ROM 32 , a RAM 33 , an I / O 34 , a storage unit 35 , a display unit 36 ​​, an operation unit 37 , a document reading unit 38 , an image forming unit 39 , and a communication unit 40 .

[0064] The CPU 31, ROM 32, RAM 33, and I / O 34 are connected via buses. Functional units including a storage unit 35, a display unit 36, an operation unit 37, a document reading unit 38, an image forming unit 39, and a communication unit 40 are connected to the I / O 34. These functional units can communicate with the CPU 31 via the I / O 34.

[0065] The CPU 31 , ROM 32 , RAM 33 , and I / O 34 constitute a control unit. The control unit may be a sub-control unit that controls a portion of the operation of the printer 30 , or may be a part of a main control unit that controls the entire operation of the printer 30 .

[0066] As the storage unit 35 , for example, an HDD, an SSD, a flash memory, etc. A control program for controlling the printing process is stored in the storage unit 35 . Alternatively, the control program may be stored in the ROM 32 .

[0067] The display unit 36 ​​uses, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic EL display, or the like. The display unit 36 ​​may also be integrally provided with a touch panel. The operation unit 37 is provided with various operation keys, such as a numeric keypad and a start key. The display unit 36 ​​and the operation unit 37 serve as an operation panel, and receive instructions related to various image processing functions and settings from the user of the printing device 30. These various instructions include, for example, instructions to start reading an original document, instructions to start copying an original document, and instructions to print a print job stored in the printing device 30. The display unit 36 ​​displays various information, such as the results of the processing executed based on the instructions received from the user and notifications regarding the processing.

[0068] The document reading unit 38 takes in documents placed on a paper feed table of an automatic document feeder (not shown) provided above the printing device 30 one by one, optically reads the taken-in documents, and obtains image data. Alternatively, the document reading unit 38 optically reads a document placed on a document table, such as a platen glass, and obtains image data.

[0069] The image forming unit 39 forms an image on a sheet of paper as an example of a recording medium, based on image data obtained by reading by the document reading unit 38 or image data obtained by a print instruction from the information processing device 10. Hereinafter, an electrophotographic method will be described as an example of a method for forming an image, but other methods such as an inkjet method may also be used.

[0070] When the image formation method is electrophotography, the image forming unit 39 includes a photosensitive drum, a charging device, an exposure device, a developing device, a transfer device, and a fixing device. The charging device applies a voltage to the photosensitive drum to charge the surface of the photosensitive drum. The exposure device exposes the photosensitive drum, which has been charged by the charging device, with light corresponding to the image data, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. The developing device develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum using toner, thereby forming a toner image on the photosensitive drum. The transfer device transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum to paper. The fixing device fixes the toner image transferred to the paper by applying heat and pressure.

[0071] The communication unit 40 is a communication interface for connecting to a network N such as the Internet, a LAN, or a WAN, and can communicate with the information processing device 10 via the network N.

[0072] However, in this print processing system 200, as Figure 4As shown, sometimes an upper limit on the number of sessions (receiving sessions) for each printing apparatus that simultaneously receives print jobs is set for each of the multiple printing apparatuses 220A to 220C, and print jobs are sent in the order in which they are ready to be sent within the upper limit on the receiving side.

[0073] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a print processing system 200 according to a comparative example.

[0074] like Figure 4 As shown, the comparative example print processing system 200 includes an information processing device 210 and multiple printers 220A through 220C. Information processing device 210 sets the upper limit for receiving sessions to "2" and sends print jobs to each of the multiple printers 220A through 220C in the order in which they are ready to send, within this upper limit.

[0075] exist Figure 4 In the comparative example shown, print jobs A1, A2, ..., C1, and C2, to be sent, are stored in the send queue of information processing device 210 in the order in which they are ready to be sent. Printer 220A is associated with print jobs A1 through A3, printer 220B is associated with print jobs B1 through B3, and printer 220C is associated with print jobs C1 and C2.

[0076] Information processing device 210 sends print jobs A1 and A2 to printer 220A, print jobs B1 and B2 to printer 220B, and print job C1 to printer 220C. At this point, the information processing device 210 has no consideration for the upper limit on the number of sessions (sending sessions) in which it can simultaneously send print jobs to multiple printers 220A through 220C, i.e., the upper limit on the sending side. For example, if there are too many sending sessions, the sending or receiving of print jobs may fail due to factors such as communication load, and print jobs may not be effectively sent to the printers.

[0077] Therefore, the print processing system 100 of this embodiment selects a print job from among multiple print jobs ready for transmission based on the first, second, and third session numbers described below, and transmits the selected print job to any one of the multiple printers 30A to 30C. A "session" refers to a specific connection between the information processing device 10 and the printer 30 that enables communication. A single session setting processes a single print job.

[0078] Specifically, the CPU 11 of the information processing apparatus 10 of this embodiment writes the print processing program 15A stored in the storage unit 15 into the RAM 13 and executes the program. Figure 5 The components shown in the figure function. The CPU 11 is an example of a processor.

[0079] Figure 5 This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment.

[0080] like Figure 5 As shown, the CPU 11 of the information processing device 10 according to the present embodiment functions as an acquisition unit 11A, a reception unit 11B, a data analysis unit 11C, and a transmission unit 11D.

[0081] The storage unit 15 stores a print management database (print management DB) 151. The print management DB 151 stores device information related to each of the plurality of printers 30A to 30C and job information related to print jobs.

[0082] The acquisition unit 11A acquires the device status, the total number of pages in the print job to be printed, the paper size, and the PPM (Page Per Minute) value from each of the multiple printers 30A-30C as device information and registers it in the print management DB 151. The acquisition unit 11A also acquires a first session number, a second session number, and a third session number. The first session number represents the upper limit of sessions for simultaneously sending print jobs to the multiple printers 30A-30C and corresponds to the upper limit of sending sessions. The second session number represents the upper limit of sessions for each of the multiple printers 30A-30C to simultaneously receive print jobs and corresponds to the upper limit of receiving sessions. The third session number represents the number of sessions for each of the multiple printers 30A-30C to communicate for print jobs. The first and second session numbers are, for example, pre-registered in the print management DB 151. The third session number is a variable specified based on the number of sessions (i.e., the number of print jobs) used in communication with each printer.

[0083] The receiving unit 11B receives a print job from a host device (not shown). This print job includes, for example, PDF data and JDF data. The receiving unit 11B obtains the number of pages and data size from the PDF data, and the number of copies, print paper size, and associated printer information (such as an identification number) from the JDF data.

[0084] Based on the first, second, and third session numbers acquired by the acquisition unit 11A, the data analysis unit 11C selects a print job from among the multiple print jobs received by the reception unit 11B and ready for transmission. Specifically, the data analysis unit 11C specifies which print job to send to which printer 30 and notifies the transmission unit 11D of the selected print job.

[0085] The sending unit 11D sends the print job selected by the data analysis unit 11C to any of the multiple printers 30A-30C. Specifically, the sending unit 11D establishes a session with the printer 30 specifically designated by the data analysis unit 11C and sends the specified print job. The sending unit 11D also manages the number of sending and receiving sessions.

[0086] Alternatively, the sending unit 11D can detect the status of each of the multiple printers 30A-30C and exclude any printers whose status indicates an error from being sent print jobs. In other words, ideally, if a printer 30 is in an error state and not ready to print immediately, it is not considered a target for the setup session.

[0087] Figure 6 This is a diagram for explaining the printing process performed by the printing process system 100 according to this embodiment.

[0088] like Figure 6 As shown, a first session number and a second session number are set in the print processing system 100, and the information processing device 10 selectively sends print jobs to the multiple printers 30A-30C within the resource limits of each other. In this embodiment, the first session number is set to "5" and the second session number is set to "2."

[0089] Specifically, the data analysis unit 11C selects, for example, the first print job with the smallest data size among the multiple print jobs. Furthermore, the data analysis unit 11C derives an estimated print completion time for each of the multiple printers 30A to 30C. The estimated print completion time is the estimated time it will take to complete printing of the print job to be printed. The estimated print completion time is calculated using the following equation (1). The estimated print completion time can be derived by the information processing device 10 or individually by the multiple printers 30A to 30C.

[0090] Estimated time to complete printing = total number of pages printed / PPM value of the printing device (1)

[0091] Total number of printed pages = number of PDF pages × number of print copies

[0092] However, when printing paper sizes smaller than A4, the printer's PPM value is set to its original value. When printing paper larger than A4, the printer's PPM value is halved. For example, the estimated time to complete printing a 200-page PDF document in A4 size, using a printer with a PPM value of "100," is calculated using the following formula (1).

[0093] 200 (pages) × 30 (copies) / 100 (PPM value) = 60 (minutes)

[0094] The sending unit 11D preferentially sends the print job (for example, the first print job) to the printing device 30 having the shortest estimated print completion time among the printing devices 30 whose third session number is smaller than the second session number.

[0095] The data analyzer 11C updates the estimated print completion time for each of the printers 30A-30C based on the increase or decrease in the third session count. However, the total session count obtained by adding the third session counts for each of the printers 30A-30C is less than the first session count.

[0096] Next, refer to Figures 7 to 15 A specific example of the print processing performed by the print processing system 100 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0097] Figures 7 to 15 This figure illustrates the print processing performed by the print processing system 100 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the first session number is set to "5" and the second session number is set to "2." The initial value of the third session number for each of the multiple printers 30A-30C is set to "0."

[0098] like Figure 7 As shown, the send queue of information processing device 10 stores print jobs A1, A2, ..., C1, and C2, which are intended for transmission, in the order in which they are ready to be sent. Printer 30A is associated with print jobs A1 to A3, printer 30B is associated with print jobs B1 to B3, and printer 30C is associated with print jobs C1 and C2. Print job A1 has a data size of 1 GB and an estimated time to complete printing of 30 minutes. Print job A2 has a data size of 1 GB and an estimated time to complete printing of 30 minutes. Print job A3 has a data size of 1 MB and an estimated time to complete printing of 5 minutes. Print job B1 has a data size of 1 GB and an estimated time to complete printing of 30 minutes. Print job B2 has a data size of 1 GB and an estimated time to complete printing of 30 minutes. Print job B3 has a data size of 1 MB and an estimated time to complete printing of 5 minutes. Print job C1 has a data size of 1 GB and an estimated time to complete printing of 30 minutes. The data size of print job C2 is “1 MB” and the estimated time to complete printing is “5 minutes.” The estimated time to complete printing of each print job is derived using the above-mentioned formula (1).

[0099] The data analysis unit 11C uses the above formula (1) to derive the estimated time to complete printing for each of the plurality of printing devices 30A to 30C. Figure 7In the example, the estimated time to complete printing for the print job stored in the print queue of printer 30A is "20 minutes." Similarly, the estimated time to complete printing for printer 30B is "10 minutes," and the estimated time to complete printing for printer 30C is "7 minutes."

[0100] In order to send print jobs more efficiently, it is ideal to send from a print job with a smaller data size. Figure 8 In (S1), the sending unit 11D sends the first print job (here, print job C2) with the smallest data size among the print jobs (here, print jobs C1 and C2) associated with the printer with the shortest estimated print completion time (here, printer 30C) to the associated printer (here, printer 30C). The sent print job C2 is then deleted from the sending queue.

[0101] The data analysis unit 11C obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30C, which is "7 minutes", and obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the print job C2 when the printer 30C prints "5 minutes". It adds the estimated time to complete printing of the print job C2, which is "5 minutes", to the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30C, which is "7 minutes", to update the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30C. Figure 8 In the example, the estimated time to complete printing for printer 30C is updated from "7 minutes" + "5 minutes" to "12 minutes." The updated estimated time to complete printing for printer 30A is "20 minutes," for printer 30B is "10 minutes," and for printer 30C is "12 minutes." Furthermore, the third session count for printer 30C is set to "1."

[0102] Next, in Figure 9 In (S2), the sending unit 11D sends the first print job (herein, print job B3) with the smallest data size among the print jobs (herein, print jobs B1, B2, and B3) associated with the printer with the shortest updated estimated print completion time (herein, printer 30B) to the associated printer (herein, printer 30B). Furthermore, the sent print job B3 is deleted from the sending queue.

[0103] The data analysis unit 11C obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30B, which is "10 minutes", and obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the print job B3 by the printer 30B, which is "5 minutes". It adds the estimated time to complete printing of the print job B3, which is "5 minutes", to the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30B, which is "10 minutes", to update the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30B. Figure 9In the example, the estimated time to complete printing for printer 30B is updated from "10 minutes" + "5 minutes" to "15 minutes." The updated estimated time to complete printing for printer 30A is "20 minutes," for printer 30B is "15 minutes," and for printer 30C is "12 minutes." Furthermore, the third session count for printer 30B is set to "1."

[0104] Next, in Figure 10 In (S3), the sending unit 11D sends the first print job (herein, print job C1) with the smallest data size among the print jobs (herein, print job C1) associated with the printer (herein, printer 30C) with the shortest updated estimated print completion time to the associated printer (herein, printer 30C). The already sent print job C1 is deleted from the sending queue.

[0105] The data analysis unit 11C obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30C, which is "12 minutes", and obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the print job C1 when the printer 30C prints, which is "30 minutes". It adds the estimated time to complete printing of the print job C1, which is "30 minutes", to the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30C, which is "12 minutes". This updates the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30C. Figure 10 In the example, the estimated print completion time for printer 30C is updated from "12 minutes" + "30 minutes" to "42 minutes." The updated estimated print completion times for printer 30A are "20 minutes," for printer 30B, "15 minutes," and for printer 30C, "42 minutes." Furthermore, the third session number for printer 30C becomes "2." This means that the number of receive sessions for printer 30C has reached the second session number (the upper limit), and therefore printer 30C can no longer receive print jobs.

[0106] Next, in Figure 11 In (S4), the sending unit 11D sends the first print job (herein, print job B1) with the smallest data size among the print jobs (herein, print jobs B1 and B2) associated with the printer with the shortest updated estimated print completion time (herein, printer 30B) to the associated printer (herein, printer 30B). The sent print job B1 is deleted from the send queue. Since print jobs B1 and B2 have the same data size, print job B2 could also be selected. However, in this case, the selection is made in the order in which the send preparations are complete.

[0107] The data analysis unit 11C obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30B, which is "15 minutes", and obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the print job B1 when the printer 30B prints "30 minutes". It adds the estimated time to complete printing of the print job B1, which is "30 minutes", to the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30B, which is "15 minutes". This updates the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30B. Figure 11 In the example, the estimated print completion time for printer 30B is updated from "15 minutes" + "30 minutes" to "45 minutes." The updated estimated print completion times for printer 30A are "20 minutes," for printer 30B "45 minutes," and for printer 30C "42 minutes." Furthermore, the third session number for printer 30B becomes "2." That is, because the number of receive sessions for printer 30B has reached the second session number (the upper limit), printer 30B can no longer receive print jobs.

[0108] Next, in Figure 12 In (S5), the sending unit 11D sends the first print job (herein, print job A3) with the smallest data size among the print jobs (herein, print jobs A1, A2, and A3) associated with the printer with the shortest updated estimated print completion time (herein, printer 30A) to the associated printer (herein, printer 30A). Furthermore, the already sent print job A3 is deleted from the sending queue.

[0109] The data analysis unit 11C obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30A, which is "20 minutes", and obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the print job A3 of the printer 30A, which is "5 minutes". It adds the estimated time to complete printing of the print job A3, which is "5 minutes", to the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30A, which is "20 minutes", to update the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30A. Figure 12 In the example, the estimated print completion time for printer 30A is updated from "20 minutes" + "5 minutes" to "25 minutes." The updated estimated print completion times are "25 minutes" for printer 30A, "45 minutes" for printer 30B, and "42 minutes" for printer 30C. Furthermore, the third session number for printer 30A becomes "1." Since the number of send sessions for printers 30A-30C has reached "5," the first session number (the upper limit), no further send sessions can be set from the information processing device 10. In this case, the system enters standby mode until the first send session, that of print job C2, completes.

[0110] Next, in Figure 13In (S6), the sending session for print job C2 ends, and the number of sending sessions becomes "4." The sending unit 11D sends the first print job (herein, print job A1) with the smallest data size among the print jobs (herein, print jobs A1 and A2) associated with the printer with the shortest updated estimated print completion time (herein, printer 30A) to the associated printer (herein, printer 30A). Furthermore, the sent print job A1 is deleted from the sending queue. Since print jobs A1 and A2 have the same data size, print job A2 could also be selected, but here, the selection is made in the order in which the sending preparations are completed.

[0111] The data analysis unit 11C obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30A, which is "25 minutes", and obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the print job A1 when the printer 30A prints, which is "30 minutes". It adds the estimated time to complete printing of the print job A1, which is "30 minutes", to the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30A, which is "25 minutes". This updates the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30A. Figure 13 In the example, the estimated print completion time for printer 30A is updated from "25 minutes" + "30 minutes" to "55 minutes." The updated estimated print completion times are "55 minutes" for printer 30A, "45 minutes" for printer 30B, and "42 minutes" for printer 30C. Furthermore, the third session number for printer 30A becomes "2." That is, because the number of receive sessions for printer 30A has reached the second session number (the upper limit), printer 30A can no longer receive print jobs. Furthermore, because the number of send sessions for printers 30A to 30C has reached "5," the first session number (the upper limit), no send sessions can be set from information processing device 10. In this case, the system enters standby mode until the second send session, that is, the send session for print job B3, is completed.

[0112] Here, if there is no print job associated with the printing device 30 with the shortest estimated print completion time, the first print job associated with another printing device 30 and having the smallest data size may be sent. Figure 14In (S7), the sending session for print job B3 ends, and the sending session count becomes "4." The sending unit 11D sends the first print job (here, print job A2) with the smallest data size among the target print jobs (here, print jobs A2 and B2) to the printer with the shortest updated estimated print completion time (here, printer 30C). However, printer 30C has the same performance as printer 30A or printer 30B and can handle print processing for either print job A2 or print job B2. Furthermore, because print job A2 is associated with printer 30A, print job A2 can also be sent to printer 30A until the third session count for printer 30A reaches "1." The sent print job A2 is deleted from the sending queue. Since print jobs A2 and B2 have the same data size, print job B2 can also be selected. However, in this case, selection is performed in the order in which the sending preparations are completed. If print job B2 is selected, it can also be sent to printer 30B.

[0113] The data analysis unit 11C obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30C, which is "42 minutes", and obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the print job A2, which is "30 minutes". It adds the estimated time to complete printing of the print job A2, which is "30 minutes", to the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30C, which is "42 minutes", to update the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30A. Figure 14 In the example, the estimated print completion time for printer 30A is updated from "42 minutes" + "30 minutes" to "72 minutes." The updated estimated print completion times are "55 minutes" for printer 30A, "45 minutes" for printer 30B, and "72 minutes" for printer 30C. Furthermore, the third session number for printer 30C becomes "2." That is, because the number of receive sessions for printer 30C has reached the second session number (the upper limit), printer 30C can no longer receive print jobs. Furthermore, because the number of send sessions for printers 30A to 30C has reached "5," the first session number (the upper limit), no further send sessions can be set from information processing device 10. In this case, the system enters standby mode until the third send session, that is, the send session for print job C1, is completed.

[0114] Next, in Figure 15 In (S8), the sending session for print job C1 ends, and the sending session count becomes "4." The sending unit 11D then sends the target print job (here, print job B2) to the printer with the shortest updated estimated print completion time (here, printer 30B). The sent print job B2 is then deleted from the sending queue.

[0115] The data analysis unit 11C obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30B, which is "45 minutes", and obtains the estimated time to complete printing of the print job B2, which is "30 minutes". It adds the estimated time to complete printing of the print job B2, which is "30 minutes", to the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30B, which is "45 minutes". This updates the estimated time to complete printing of the printer 30B. Figure 15 In the example, the estimated time to complete printing for printer 30B is updated to "75 minutes" by adding "45 minutes" to "30 minutes." The updated estimated time to complete printing for printer 30A is "55 minutes," for printer 30B is "75 minutes," and for printer 30C is "72 minutes."

[0116] Next, refer to Figures 16 to 19 The operation of the print processing system 100 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0117] Figure 16 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the device information registration process performed by the print processing program 15A according to this embodiment.

[0118] First, the print processing program 15A is started by the CPU 11 of the information processing apparatus 10 , and the following steps are executed.

[0119] exist Figure 16 In step S101, the CPU 11 acquires device information from the printing device 30. As described above, the device information is information including, for example, its own status, the total number of pages of a print job to be printed, the paper size, and the PPM value.

[0120] In step S102 , the CPU 11 registers the device information acquired in step S101 in the print management DB 151 .

[0121] In step S103, the CPU 11 determines whether the device information of all printers 30 is registered in the print management DB 151. If it is determined that they are not registered (negative determination), the process returns to step S101 and repeats the process. If it is determined that they are registered (positive determination), the series of device information registration processes ends.

[0122] Figure 17 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the estimated printing completion time calculation process performed by the print processing program 15A according to this embodiment.

[0123] First, the CPU 11 of the information processing apparatus 10 starts up the print processing program 15A and executes the following steps.

[0124] exist Figure 17In step S111 , the CPU 11 receives a print job from a host device (not shown), and stores the received print job in a transmission queue.

[0125] In step S112, the CPU 11 obtains print job information from the print job stored in the send queue. This print job includes, for example, PDF data and JDF data. The number of pages and data size are obtained from the PDF data, while the number of copies, print paper size, and associated printing device information (such as an identification number) are obtained from the JDF data.

[0126] In step S113 , the CPU 11 acquires device information about the printing device 30 from the print management DB 151 .

[0127] In step S114 , the CPU 11 calculates the estimated time to complete printing of the print job stored in the transmission queue using the above-mentioned equation (1) as an example.

[0128] In step S115 , as an example, the CPU 11 calculates the estimated time to complete printing of the pending print job using the above-described equation (1) for each of the plurality of printing apparatuses 30A to 30C.

[0129] In step S116 , the CPU 11 registers the estimated printing completion time calculated in steps S114 and S115 in the print management DB 151 , and ends a series of estimated printing completion time calculation processes.

[0130] Figure 18 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of print job transmission processing performed by the print processing program 15A according to this embodiment.

[0131] First, the CPU 11 of the information processing apparatus 10 starts up the print processing program 15A and executes the following steps.

[0132] exist Figure 18 In step S121, the CPU 11 obtains a first session number from the print management DB 151. The first session number indicates the upper limit of sessions for simultaneously sending print jobs to the plurality of printers 30A to 30C, and corresponds to the upper limit of sending sessions.

[0133] In step S122, the CPU 11 obtains the second session number from the print management DB 151. The second session number represents the upper limit of sessions for each of the plurality of printers 30A to 30C to simultaneously receive print jobs, and corresponds to the upper limit of reception sessions.

[0134] In step S123, the CPU 11 obtains a third session number. The third session number indicates the number of sessions for each of the multiple printing devices 30A-30C to communicate for print jobs. The third session number is a variable specified based on the number of sessions (i.e., the number of print jobs) for each printing device.

[0135] In step S124, the CPU 11 selects a print job from a plurality of print jobs that have been received and sent from a host device (not shown) based on the first session number, the second session number, and the third session number acquired in steps S121 to S123. Figures 7 to 15 As shown, the CPU 11 specifies which print job is to be sent to which printing device 30 .

[0136] In step S125, the CPU 11 sends the print job selected in step S124 to any one of the plurality of printing devices 30A to 30C. Figures 7 to 15 As shown, the CPU 11 establishes a session with the specific printing device 30 , transmits the specific print job, and ends a series of print job transmission processes.

[0137] Figure 19 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of print job transmission processing performed by the print processing program 15A according to this embodiment. Figure 19 Yes Figure 18 A flowchart for a more specific explanation of the flowchart.

[0138] First, the CPU 11 of the information processing apparatus 10 starts up the print processing program 15A and executes the following steps.

[0139] exist Figure 19 In step S131, as an example, as described above Figure 7 As shown, the CPU 11 sets the number of print jobs to be sent (m=M, M−1, . . . , 0) stored in the sending queue to the maximum number “M.” The first session number and the second session number are registered in the print management DB 151 .

[0140] In step S132, the CPU 11 determines whether the number of transmission sessions is the upper limit (= the first number of sessions). If the number of transmission sessions is not the upper limit (negative determination), the process proceeds to step S133. If the number of transmission sessions is the upper limit (positive determination), the process proceeds to step S143.

[0141] In step S133, the CPU 11 sets n (n=1, 2, ..., N: N≤number of registered printers) indicating the order of the shortest estimated time to complete printing for the plurality of printers 30 to "1". Figure 7 As shown, the estimated time to complete printing is derived for each of the plurality of printers 30A to 30C and registered in the print management DB 151 .

[0142] In step S134, the CPU 11 specifies the printer 30 having the nth (n=1) shortest estimated time to complete printing. For example, the above-mentioned Figure 8 The printing device 30C is shown.

[0143] In step S135, the CPU 11 determines whether a print job has been sent to the printer 30 specified in step S134. If it is determined that no print job has been sent (negative determination), the process proceeds to step S136. If it is determined that a print job has been sent (positive determination), the process proceeds to step S137.

[0144] In step S136 , the CPU 11 increments n by 1, returns to step S133 , and repeats the process.

[0145] On the other hand, in step S137, the CPU 11 selects the print job with the smallest data size among the print jobs associated with the printing device 30 specified in step S134. As an example, the above-mentioned Figure 8 Print job C2 is shown.

[0146] In step S138, the CPU 11 determines whether the number of received sessions is the upper limit (= the second number of sessions). If the number of received sessions is not the upper limit (negative determination), the process proceeds to step S139. If the number of received sessions is the upper limit (positive determination), the process proceeds to step S136.

[0147] In step S139, the CPU 11 sets up a session with the printer 30 specified in step S134. Figure 8 The printing device 30C shown sets up a session.

[0148] In step S140, the CPU 11 sends the print job to the printer 30 for which the session was established in step S139. For example, the above-mentioned Figure 8 Print job C2 is shown.

[0149] In step S141, the CPU 11 updates the status of the print job sent in step S140, excludes it from the send target, that is, deletes it from the send queue, and returns to step S131 to repeat the process. In step S131, the number of print jobs to be sent (m=M, M-1, ..., 0) is set to "M-1", and the process is repeated.

[0150] In step S142 , the CPU 11 repeats the processing of steps S131 to S141 until the number of print jobs to be sent (m=M, M−1, . . . , 0) becomes “0”. When the number of print jobs to be sent becomes “0”, the process proceeds to step S143 .

[0151] In step S143 , the CPU 11 waits for a job transmission time interval, which is an interval of time during which the print job is transmitted, and returns to step S131 to repeat the process.

[0152] As described above, according to this embodiment, in addition to the upper limit of the number of receiving sessions, the upper limit of the number of sending sessions is also taken into consideration, thereby enabling print jobs to be efficiently sent to the printing apparatus.

[0153] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the processor refers to a processor in a broad sense, including a general-purpose processor (for example, CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.), a dedicated processor (for example, GPU: Graphics processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0154] Furthermore, the operations of the processors in the above-described embodiments may be performed not only by a single processor but also by a plurality of processors located in physically separate locations. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processors is not limited to the order described in the above-described embodiments and may be changed as appropriate.

[0155] The above describes the print processing system as an example of an embodiment. The embodiment may also be implemented as a program for causing a computer to execute the functions of each unit of the print processing system. The embodiment may also be implemented as a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing these programs.

[0156] Furthermore, the configuration of the print processing system described in the above embodiment is merely an example and may be modified according to circumstances without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0157] Furthermore, the flow of program processing described in the above embodiment is merely an example, and unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the processing order may be switched without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0158] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the processing of the embodiments is implemented by executing a program on a computer and using a software structure, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The embodiments may also be implemented by hardware structure or a combination of hardware structure and software structure.

[0159] Regarding the above-mentioned embodiment, the following supplementary notes are further disclosed.

[0160] (Note) (((1)))

[0162] A printing processing system includes a processor,

[0163] The processor

[0164] Acquire a first session number indicating an upper limit on the number of sessions for simultaneously sending print jobs to a plurality of printing devices,

[0165] acquiring a second session number indicating an upper limit of the number of sessions for each of the plurality of printing apparatuses that can simultaneously receive print jobs;

[0166] acquiring a third session number indicating the number of sessions of each printing apparatus for performing communication for print jobs,

[0167] selecting a print job from a plurality of print jobs ready to be sent based on the first session number, the second session number, and the third session number;

[0168] The selected print job is sent to any one of the plurality of printing devices. (((2)))

[0170] The print processing system according to (((1))), wherein

[0171] The processor obtains an estimated time for completing printing of the print job to be printed, that is, an estimated printing completion time, from each of the plurality of printing devices.

[0172] The print job is preferentially sent to the printing device having the shortest estimated time to complete printing among the printing devices whose third session number is smaller than the second session number. (((3)))

[0174] The print processing system according to (((2))), wherein

[0175] The processor updates the estimated time to complete printing for each of the plurality of printing devices according to an increase or decrease in the third number of sessions. (((4)))

[0177] The print processing system according to (((3))), wherein

[0178] A number of sessions obtained by summing the third number of sessions of each of the plurality of printing devices is equal to or less than the first number of sessions. (((5)))

[0180] The print processing system according to any one of (((1))) to (((4))), wherein

[0181] The processor selects a job having the smallest data size, namely, a first print job. (((6)))

[0183] The print processing system according to (((5))), wherein

[0184] The plurality of print jobs are respectively associated with any one of the plurality of printing devices in advance,

[0185] The processor obtains an estimated time for completing printing of the print job to be printed, that is, an estimated printing completion time, from each of the plurality of printing devices.

[0186] The first print job having the smallest data size among the print jobs associated with the printing device having the shortest estimated print completion time is sent to the associated printing device. (((7)))

[0188] The print processing system according to (((6))), wherein

[0189] The processor obtains the estimated printing completion time of the printing device associated with the first print job,

[0190] obtaining an estimated time for completion of printing of the first print job by the associated printing device;

[0191] The estimated time for completing printing of the associated printing device is added to the estimated time for completing printing of the first print job, thereby updating the estimated time for completing printing of the associated printing device. (((8)))

[0193] The print processing system according to (((7))), wherein

[0194] The processor obtains the estimated printing completion time from each of the plurality of printing devices after the estimated printing completion time is updated.

[0195] To the printing device with the shortest estimated printing completion time among the printing devices whose third session number is smaller than the second session number, the first print job with the smallest data size among the associated print jobs is sent. (((9)))

[0197] The print processing system according to (((8))), wherein

[0198] If there is no print job associated with the printing device having the shortest estimated print completion time, the processor sends the first print job associated with another printing device and having the smallest data size. (((10)))

[0200] The print processing system according to any one of (((1))) to (((9))), wherein

[0201] The processor detects the status of each of the plurality of printing apparatuses and excludes a printing apparatus whose status indicates an error from a destination for sending a print job. (((11)))

[0203] A print processing program that causes a computer to perform the following processes:

[0204] Acquire a first session number indicating an upper limit on the number of sessions for simultaneously sending print jobs to a plurality of printing devices,

[0205] acquiring a second session number indicating an upper limit of the number of sessions for each of the plurality of printing apparatuses that can simultaneously receive print jobs;

[0206] acquiring a third session number indicating the number of sessions of each printing apparatus for performing communication for print jobs,

[0207] selecting a print job from a plurality of print jobs ready to be sent based on the first session number, the second session number, and the third session number;

[0208] The selected print job is sent to any one of the plurality of printing devices.

[0209] According to (((1))) and (((11))), the following effect is achieved: compared with the case where multiple print jobs are sent simultaneously only considering the upper limit number of sessions of each print device in which multiple print devices respectively receive print jobs simultaneously, print jobs can be sent efficiently to the print devices.

[0210] According to (((2))), there is an effect of being able to send a print job to a printing device with the shortest estimated printing completion time.

[0211] According to (((3))), there is an effect that the estimated time to complete printing can be updated according to the increase or decrease in the third number of sessions.

[0212] According to (((4))), there is an effect that a print job can be efficiently sent to the printing device in consideration of the relationship between the third number of sessions and the first number of sessions.

[0213] According to (((5))), there is an effect that a print job can be efficiently sent to a printing apparatus compared to a case where a print job with the largest data size is selected.

[0214] According to (((6))), there is an effect that a print job can be efficiently sent to a printing device, compared to a case where a print job with the largest data size is sent to a printing device with the longest estimated print completion time.

[0215] According to (((7))), there is an effect that a print job can be efficiently sent to a printing apparatus compared to a case where the estimated print completion time is set to be constant.

[0216] According to (((8))), the print job can be efficiently sent to the printing device, compared to the case where the print job with the largest data size is sent to the printing device with the longest estimated print completion time after the estimated print completion time is updated.

[0217] According to (((9))), there is an effect that a print job can be efficiently sent to a printing device even when there is no print job associated with the printing device having the shortest estimated print completion time.

[0218] According to (((10))), it is possible to exclude a printing device whose status indicates an error from the target of transmission.

Claims

1. A printing processing system, characterized in that: With processor, The processor acquiring a first session number indicating an upper limit of the number of sessions for simultaneously sending print jobs to a plurality of printing devices, acquiring a second session number indicating an upper limit number of sessions of each printing device for simultaneously receiving print jobs respectively by the plurality of printing devices, acquiring a third session number indicating the number of sessions of each printing device for communication in which the plurality of printing devices respectively perform print jobs, selecting a print job from a plurality of print jobs ready to be sent based on the first session number, the second session number, and the third session number, The selected print job is sent to any one of the plurality of printing devices.

2. The print processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The processor The estimated time for the printing of the print jobs to be printed, that is, the estimated time for the printing to be completed, is obtained for each of the plurality of printing devices. The print job is preferentially sent to the printing device having the shortest estimated time to complete printing among the printing devices whose third session number is smaller than the second session number.

3. The print processing system according to claim 2, wherein: The processor updates the estimated time of completion of printing for each of the plurality of printing devices according to an increase or decrease in the third number of sessions.

4. The print processing system according to claim 3, wherein: A number of sessions obtained by summing up the third number of sessions of each of the plurality of printing devices is less than or equal to the first number of sessions.

5. The print processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The processor selects a job having a smallest data size, namely, a first print job.

6. The print processing system according to claim 5, wherein: The plurality of print jobs are respectively associated with any one of the plurality of print devices in advance, The processor The estimated time for the printing of the print jobs to be printed, that is, the estimated time for the printing to be completed, is obtained for each of the plurality of printing devices. The first print job having the smallest data size among the print jobs associated with the printing device having the shortest estimated printing completion time is sent to the associated printing device.

7. The print processing system according to claim 6, wherein: The processor acquiring the estimated time of completion of printing of the printing device associated with the first print job, obtaining an estimated time for completion of printing when the first print job is printed by the associated printing device, The estimated time for completion of printing of the associated printing device is added to the estimated time for completion of printing of the first print job, thereby updating the estimated time for completion of printing of the associated printing device.

8. The print processing system according to claim 7, wherein: The processor After the estimated printing completion time is updated, the estimated printing completion time is obtained from each of the plurality of printing devices. To the printing device with the shortest estimated time to complete printing among the printing devices whose third session number is smaller than the second session number, the first printing job with the smallest data size among the associated printing jobs is sent.

9. The print processing system according to claim 8, wherein: In a case where there is no print job associated with the printing device having the shortest estimated printing completion time, the processor sends the first print job associated with another printing device and having the smallest data size.

10. The print processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The processor detecting the status of each of the plurality of printing devices, The printing device whose status indicates an error is excluded from the destination of the print job.

11. A computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a process, characterized in that: The processing is: acquiring a first session number indicating an upper limit of the number of sessions for simultaneously sending print jobs to a plurality of printing devices, acquiring a second session number indicating an upper limit number of sessions of each printing device for simultaneously receiving print jobs respectively by the plurality of printing devices, acquiring a third session number indicating the number of sessions of each printing device for communication in which the plurality of printing devices respectively perform print jobs, selecting a print job from a plurality of print jobs ready to be sent based on the first session number, the second session number, and the third session number, The selected print job is sent to any one of the plurality of printing devices.

12. A printing processing method, characterized in that: acquiring a first session number indicating an upper limit of the number of sessions for simultaneously sending print jobs to a plurality of printing devices, acquiring a second session number indicating an upper limit number of sessions of each printing device for simultaneously receiving print jobs respectively by the plurality of printing devices, acquiring a third session number indicating the number of sessions of each printing device for communication in which the plurality of printing devices respectively perform print jobs, selecting a print job from a plurality of print jobs ready to be sent based on the first session number, the second session number, and the third session number, The selected print job is sent to any one of the plurality of printing devices.

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