Information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program which can grasp which printing company handles print data for use in ordered printing.SOLUTION: An information processing system according to the present invention has a reception unit for receiving a job to request printing output of print data from an information terminal, a determination unit for one or more printing companies having printing machines which can execute the job among a plurality of printing companies based on a state of a printing machine of each printing companies and contents of the job, and a presenting unit for transmitting information of the one or more printing companies determined by the determining unit to the information terminal to display it on the information terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Among digital commercial printing equipment, large high-speed continuous feed presses that use roll paper require a lot of time for preparation for printing, such as changing paper that requires crane operation, changing the connections of peripheral equipment, pre-processing for each paper, and setting the image quality. In the printing industry, there is a demand for high-mix, low-volume production to meet various needs, and it is a challenge to shorten preparation time and improve printing productivity. In addition, printing companies need to efficiently accept orders for profitable projects, taking into account the equipment they own and the costs involved in preparation, and there are many cases where they are unable to find suitable projects and end up with idle equipment.

[0003] Under these circumstances, in order to increase equipment utilization rates and improve the profits of printing companies, a system is needed that can supply a stable number of orders without sales costs (automatic order acceptance) and without pre-print editing costs (printable as is). On the other hand, application vendors that offer services on the Internet want to increase the number of users by selling printing functions, and to increase profits from printing. Therefore, if an ecosystem that links application vendors and printing companies can be built, the problems of both parties can be solved.

[0004] One technique for providing a printing function to such application vendors is to provide the printing function using an API (Application Programming Interface) (for example, Non-Patent Document 1). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology described in Non-Patent Document 1 does not disclose which printing company is printing, and not knowing which printing company the order was placed with may cause problems, such as anxiety for the orderer or the printout not arriving by the desired delivery date.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that enable a user to know which printing company will print the print data ordered to be printed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a method for searching for free time in schedule information of printing presses held by a plurality of printing companies until a desired delivery date indicated by the job, predicting the status of the printing presses at the start time of the free time from the current status of the printing presses and the schedule information, and displaying the predicted status. To The system is characterized by having a judgment unit that judges one or more printing companies that have a printing machine capable of executing the job based on the job, and a presentation unit that transmits information about the one or more printing companies judged by the judgment unit to the information terminal to be displayed on the information terminal. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to know which printing company will print the print data for which an order has been placed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a device system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a print controller and a cloud system. [Diagram 3]FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a printing machine. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information terminal. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of the equipment system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a job information registration API. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a response to the job information registration API. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another example of a response to the job information registration API. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the determination notification API. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a response to the confirmation notification API. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of a determination notification API. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a response of another confirmation notification API. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a job status notification API. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a response to the job status notification API. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a state transition regarding a job. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data model used in the device system according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an overall processing flow of the equipment system according to the embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining a specific operation for ordering a photo book. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining a specific operation for evaluating a trader after an order is placed. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing print preparation and printing of a job using arrows. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a job execution determination process. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining prediction of the device state at the start time of the free time. [Diagram 23] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a device state prediction process. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining the operation of predicting the preparation time and the execution time. [Diagram 25] FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a neural network used in machine learning. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and the components in the following embodiment include those that a person skilled in the art can easily conceive, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the scope of what is called equivalent. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations of the components can be made without departing from the spirit of the following embodiment.

[0011] (Outline of the equipment system configuration) 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an equipment system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a schematic configuration of the equipment system 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0012] 1, the equipment system 100 includes a cloud system 50, an information terminal 40, a print controller 11 and a printing press 30 of a printing company 10a, and a print controller 11 and a printing press 30 of a printing company 10b. The cloud system 50 and the print controllers 11 and the printing press 30 of each printing company are capable of data communication with each other via a network N. For the sake of convenience, the information terminal 40 is shown in FIG. 1 as communicating directly with the cloud system 50, but it is sufficient if the information terminal 40 communicates with the cloud system 50 via the network N.

[0013] In addition, when referring to any one of the printing companies 10a and 10b or when referring to the printing companies 10 collectively, they will be referred to simply as "printing company 10." In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 1, only two printing companies 10 (printing companies 10a and 10b) are shown, but this is not limited thereto, and three or more printing companies 10 may exist.

[0014] In this embodiment, the network N is a network including the Internet since the cloud system 50 is used. Furthermore, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), etc. are used within the printing company 10. Furthermore, the network N may be a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

[0015] The printing company 10 refers to a company that has printing facilities such as a printing factory, a printing place, or a specific building. The system of each printing company 10 has a print controller 11 and a printing press 30. The print controller 11 and the printing press 30 may be capable of data communication with each other via a network within the printing company 10 system.

[0016] The print controller 11 is an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a workstation that, when job information is delivered from the cloud system 50, instructs the printing machine 30 to execute the job.

[0017] The print controller 11 may be integrated with the printing machine 30.

[0018] The above-mentioned job refers to a unit of printing processing. For example, it means printing a certain number of sheets of a certain document. In this embodiment, the execution of a job means that the printing machine 30 prints, but the specific process of the execution of a job varies depending on the type of the printing machine 30. Furthermore, the output obtained by the execution of a job may be simply displaying the result, storing the result in the cloud, sending an email, or notifying a user, etc. Alternatively, job information is information about a job, but in this embodiment, a strict distinction is not made between a job and job information. The schedule information of a job indicates the start time and end time when a job is scheduled to be executed on a certain printing machine 30.

[0019] The printing machine 30 is an image forming device such as a production printer, a color inkjet printer, or a color / monochrome MFP (Multifunction Peripheral). The printing method of the printing machine 30 is not limited to these methods and may be any method that can print. The printing machine 30 may be connected to a finisher (post-processing device) for performing post-processing (post-processing) such as folding, saddle stitching, case binding, and punching on the printed recording medium. The printing machine 30 may also have a scanner function, a fax function, a copy function, or the like.

[0020] When the printing press 30 is a commercial printing device, it is controlled by a DFE (Digital Front End). For this reason, the print controller 11, the printing press 30, or a device independent of these may have a DFE. In this embodiment, the print controller 11 is described as having a DFE. The DFE instructs the printing press 30 to execute a job. When the DFE acquires a job, it generates raster data using JDF (Job Definition Format) and PDL (Page Description Language) for the printing press 30 to form a toner image or an image using ink, and transmits the data to the printing press 30.

[0021] The cloud system 50 is an information processing system having one or more information processing devices that, when receiving job information from an external information terminal 40, detects free time from the schedule information of the printing machine 30 of each printing company 10, calculates the preparation time and execution time of the accepted job, judges whether the accepted job can be executed within the free time, and determines and distributes the printing company 10 that can execute the job. That is, the cloud system 50 provides a printing service to a user of the external information terminal 40. Here, cloud is an abbreviation of cloud computing, and refers to a usage form in which resources on a network are used without being aware of specific hardware resources. The term cloud is used in contrast to the term on-premise (within a facility managed by a user), but the cloud system 50 may be located outside or inside an in-house LAN. One or more information processing devices included in the cloud system 50 function as a server to provide various information and processing results in response to requests from clients.

[0022] In addition, when making a judgment, the cloud system 50 predicts the status of the printing press 30 at the start time of the free time, and predicts the preparation time based on the predicted status of the printing press 30 and the status of the printing press 30 that is set based on the received job information.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the cloud system 50 has a job management service 60, a device management service 70, a billing service 80, and a vendor management service 90. Each service is a function provided by the cloud system 50. In the cloud system 50, there may be four servers corresponding to the job management service 60, the device management service 70, the billing service 80, and the vendor management service 90, respectively, or one or more servers may realize the job management service 60, the device management service 70, the billing service 80, and the vendor management service 90. Applications corresponding to the job management service 60, the device management service 70, the billing service 80, and the vendor management service 90, respectively, run on the servers, and the applications can communicate with each other. Each application communicates via, for example, a Web API (Application Programming Interface). There is no strict definition of a Web API, but it is an interface between applications or systems that is called over a network using a protocol such as HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol).

[0024] The job management service 60 receives job information from the external information terminal 40, centrally manages it, and distributes the job information to an appropriate printing company 10 by referring to device information managed by the device management service 70. In order to use the printing service provided by the cloud system 50 from the external information terminal 40, the job management service 60 also publishes various Web APIs such as a job information registration API for requesting job registration, a confirmation notification API for confirming a print order to the presented printing company 10 (or its printing machine 30), and a job status notification API for checking the progress status of a job for which a print order has been placed.

[0025] The device management service 70 receives device information from each printing press 30 and provides the device information to the job management service 60 .

[0026] When a job is delivered to a printing company 10, the billing service 80 registers withdrawal information from the user (customer) of the information terminal 40 that registered the job and deposit information to the printing company 10 that received the job.

[0027] The trader management service 90 manages information about each printing trader 10 .

[0028] The outline of the operation of the above-described equipment system 100 is as follows. First, the printing press 30 notifies the equipment management service 70 of equipment information (configuration, settings, equipment status, job status, statistical information, etc.) periodically or when a system change occurs. The equipment management service 70 holds the latest equipment information of the registered printing press 30.

[0029] The information terminal 40 of a user who desires to print out a specific image file or the like registers the job in the job management service 60. The job management service 60 holds the status of the printing presses 30 owned by the registered printing companies 10 (status indicated by the above-mentioned device information) and a list of accepted jobs, so that it is possible to search for printing companies 10 that can execute a newly registered job by the desired deadline.

[0030] The job management service 60 searches for a printing press 30 of the printing company 10 that is suitable for executing the job, and distributes the job information to the printing company 10 that owns the printing press 30. Then, the printing press 30 of the printing company 10 executes the job.

[0031] Based on a job execution completion notification sent from the printing machine 30 of the printing company 10, the billing service 80 withdraws money from the account of the user (customer) of the information terminal 40 and deposits it into the account of the printing company 10 that executed the job.

[0032] With the above-described configuration, by printing using the printing press 30 that is suitable for executing the job, the operating rate of the printing press 30 can be increased, opportunity loss can be prevented, and profits can be shared among the printing companies 10 that use the equipment system 100.

[0033] (Hardware configuration of print controller and cloud system) Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the print controller and the cloud system. The hardware configuration of the print controller 11 and the cloud system 50 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Specifically, the hardware configuration of the information processing device constituting the print controller 11 and the cloud system 50 will be described.

[0034] 2, the information processing device includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 502, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 503, a HD (Hard Disk) 504, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) controller 505, a display 506, an external device connection I / F 508, a network I / F 509, a keyboard 511, a pointing device 512, a DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disk Rewritable) drive 514, and a media I / F 516. Each of these devices is connected by a bus line 510 such as an address bus and a data bus so as to enable data communication.

[0035] The CPU 501 is a computing device that controls the operation of the entire information processing device. The ROM 502 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs used to drive the CPU 501, such as an IPL (Initial Program Loader). The RAM 503 is a volatile storage device used as a work area for the CPU 501.

[0036] The HD 504 is a non-volatile auxiliary storage device that stores various data such as programs, etc. The HDD controller 505 is a controller that controls reading and writing of various data from and to the HD 504 under the control of the CPU 501.

[0037] The display 506 is a display device that displays various information such as a cursor, a menu, a window, characters, or an image. The external device connection I / F 508 is an interface for connecting various external devices. In this case, examples of the external devices include a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a printer. The network I / F 509 is an interface for data communication via a network N, and is an interface capable of communication in accordance with, for example, Ethernet (registered trademark) and TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) / IP (Internet Protocol).

[0038] The keyboard 511 is an input device equipped with a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numerical values, various instructions, etc. The pointing device 512 is an input device such as a mouse for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, etc.

[0039] The DVD-RW drive 514 is a device that controls reading and writing of various data from and to a DVD 513 such as a DVD-R (Digital Versatile Disk Recordable) or DVD-RW as an example of a removable recording medium. The media I / F 516 is an interface that controls reading and writing (storing) of data from and to a medium 515 such as a flash memory.

[0040] The cloud system 50 is often realized by a virtual machine. A virtual machine is an information processing device in which a host OS (Operating System) runs on another OS.

[0041] 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device constituting the print controller 11 and the cloud system 50, and does not need to include all the components shown in Fig. 2, or may include other components. Also, it goes without saying that the information processing devices constituting the print controller 11 and the cloud system 50 do not need to have the same hardware configuration.

[0042] (Printer hardware configuration) 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a printing press 30. The hardware configuration of the printing press 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 3, the printing machine 30 includes a controller 910, a short-range communication circuit 920, an engine control unit 930, an operation panel 940, and a network I / F 950.

[0044] The controller 910 includes a CPU 901, which is the main part of the computer, a MEM-P (system memory) 902, an NB (north bridge) 903, an SB (south bridge) 904, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 906, a MEM-C (local memory) 907, an HDD controller 908, and an HD 909. Of these, the NB 903 and the ASIC 906 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 921.

[0045] The CPU 901 is a calculation device that performs overall control of the printing machine 30. The NB 903 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 901 with the MEM-P 902, the SB 904, and the AGP bus 921, and includes a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P 902, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) master, and an AGP target.

[0046] The MEM-P902 includes a ROM902a which is a memory for storing programs and data for implementing the various functions of the controller 910, and a RAM902b which is used for developing the programs and data and as a drawing memory during memory printing, etc. The programs stored in the RAM902b may be configured to be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable), or a DVD.

[0047] The SB904 is a bridge for connecting the NB903 with a PCI device, a peripheral device, and the like. The ASIC906 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing purposes having hardware elements for image processing, and plays the role of a bridge connecting the AGP bus 921, the PCI bus 922, the HDD controller 908, and the MEM-C907. The ASIC906 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that is the core of the ASIC906, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C907, a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory Access Controllers) that rotate image data using hardware logic, and a PCI unit that transfers data between the scanner unit 931 and the printer unit 932 via the PCI bus 922. A USB interface or an IEEE1394 (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface may be connected to the ASIC906.

[0048] The MEM-C 907 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer. The HD 909 is a storage for storing image data, font data used during printing, and forms. The HDD controller 908 is a controller that controls reading and writing of data from and to the HD 909 under the control of the CPU 901.

[0049] The AGP bus 921 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card proposed to speed up graphic processing, and by directly accessing the MEM-P 902 at high throughput, the graphics accelerator card can be made faster.

[0050] The short-range communication circuit 920 is a communication circuit such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The short-range communication circuit 920 is electrically connected to the ASIC 906 via a PCI bus 922. An antenna 920a for wireless communication is connected to the short-range communication circuit 920.

[0051] The engine control unit 930 includes a scanner unit 931 and a printer unit 932. The scanner unit 931 and the printer unit 932 include image processing functions such as error diffusion or gamma conversion.

[0052] The operation panel 940 is equipped with a panel display section 940a such as a touch panel that displays the current setting values ​​or a selection screen, etc. and accepts input from the user, and hard keys 940b consisting of a numeric keypad that accepts setting values ​​for image formation conditions such as density setting conditions, and a start key that accepts a copy start instruction.

[0053] The printing machine 30 can successively switch among the document box function, copy function, printer function, and fax function by using the application switching key on the operation panel 940. When the document box function is selected, the document box mode is selected, when the copy function is selected, the copy mode is selected, when the printer function is selected, the printer mode is selected, and when the fax function is selected, the fax mode is selected.

[0054] The network I / F 950 is an interface for performing data communication via the network N, and is an interface capable of communication conforming to, for example, Ethernet, TCP / IP, etc. The network I / F 950 is electrically connected to the ASIC 906 via the PCI bus 922.

[0055] Note that the hardware configuration of the information processing device constituting the printing machine 30 shown in Figure 3 is an example, and it is not necessary to include all of the components shown in Figure 3, or it may include other components.

[0056] (Hardware configuration of information terminal) 4 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an information terminal 40. The hardware configuration of the information terminal 40 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0057] 4, the information terminal 40 includes a CPU 601, a ROM 602, a RAM 603, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) 604, a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) 606, an image sensor I / F 605, an acceleration / direction sensor 607, a media I / F 609, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit 611. These devices are connected by a bus line 610 such as an address bus and a data bus so as to enable data communication.

[0058] The CPU 601 is a computing device that controls the overall operation of the information terminal 40. The ROM 602 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs such as an IPL used to drive the CPU 601. The RAM 603 is a volatile storage device used as a work area for the CPU 601. The EEPROM 604 is a non-volatile storage device that reads or writes various data such as programs for the information terminal 40 under the control of the CPU 601.

[0059] The CMOS 606 is a built-in imaging device that captures an image of a subject and obtains image data under the control of the CPU 601. Note that an imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) may be used instead of the CMOS. The imaging element I / F 605 is a circuit that controls the driving of the CMOS 606.

[0060] The acceleration / direction sensor 607 is one of various sensors such as an electronic magnetic compass that detects geomagnetism, a gyrocompass, an acceleration sensor, etc. The media I / F 609 is an interface that controls reading or writing (storing) data from or to a medium 608 such as a flash memory.

[0061] The GPS receiving unit 611 is a circuit that receives GPS signals from GPS satellites.

[0062] 4, the information terminal 40 includes a long-distance communication circuit 612, a microphone 615, a speaker 616, an audio input / output I / F 617, a display 618, an external device I / F 619, a short-distance communication circuit 620, and a touch panel 621. These devices are connected by a bus line 610 such as an address bus and a data bus so as to enable data communication.

[0063] The long-distance communication circuit 612 is a circuit for communicating with other devices via the network N.

[0064] The microphone 615 is a built-in circuit that converts sound into an electrical signal. The speaker 616 is a built-in circuit that converts the electrical signal into physical vibrations to produce sounds such as music and voice. The audio input / output I / F 617 is a circuit that processes input and output of audio signals between the microphone 615 and the speaker 616 under the control of the CPU 601.

[0065] The display 618 is a display device such as a liquid crystal or organic EL (Electro Luminescence) that displays an image of a subject and various icons. The external device connection I / F 619 is an interface for connecting various external devices. The short-range communication circuit 620 is a communication circuit such as NFC or Bluetooth. The touch panel 621 is an input device that allows a user to operate the information terminal 40 by touching the display 618.

[0066] It should be noted that the hardware configuration of the information terminal 40 shown in FIG. 4 is merely an example, and it is not necessary for the information terminal 40 to include all of the components shown in FIG. 4, or it may include other components.

[0067] (Configuration and operation of functional blocks of equipment systems) FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the functional blocks of the equipment system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a job information registration API. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a response to the job information registration API. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of a response to the job information registration API. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a confirmation notification API. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a response to the confirmation notification API. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a confirmation notification API. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a response to the other confirmation notification API. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a job status notification API. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a response to the job status notification API. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a state transition for a job. The configuration and operation of the functional blocks of the equipment system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 15.

[0068] <Print controller> The print controller 11 of the printing company 10 includes a communication unit 14, a job execution instruction unit 18, and a job information storage unit 19, as shown in FIG.

[0069] The job execution instruction unit 18 is a functional unit that, when job information and schedule information are delivered from the job management service 60, instructs the printing machine 30 to execute the job based on the schedule information.

[0070] The communication unit 14 is a functional unit that transmits and receives various information to and from the job management service 60. The communication unit 14 receives job information and schedule information from the job management service 60. The communication unit 14 is realized, for example, by the network I / F 509 and a program executed by the CPU 501 shown in FIG.

[0071] The job information storage unit 19 is a functional unit that stores job information received by the communication unit 14. The job information storage unit 19 is realized by at least one of the RAM 503 and the HD 504 shown in Fig. 2. The job information stored in the job information storage unit 19 is similar to the job information of the job management service 60 described later.

[0072] The above-mentioned job execution instruction unit 18 is realized, for example, by a program being executed by the CPU 501 shown in Fig. 2. Note that the job execution instruction unit 18 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC, instead of a software program.

[0073] Note that the functions of each functional unit of the print controller 11 shown in Fig. 5 are conceptually shown, and are not limited to such a configuration. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the print controller 11 shown in Fig. 5 may be configured as one functional unit. On the other hand, the function of one functional unit in the print controller 11 shown in Fig. 5 may be divided into multiple functions and configured as multiple functional units.

[0074] <Printing machine> As shown in FIG. 5, the printing machine 30 of the printing company 10 includes a communication unit 31, a device information transmission unit 32, and a job execution unit 33.

[0075] The job execution unit 33 is a functional unit that executes a job in response to an instruction to execute the job from the job execution instruction unit 18. Specifically, the job execution unit 33 causes the printer unit 932 to print out the print data included in the job information onto a recording medium such as paper.

[0076] The device information transmission unit 32 is a functional unit that transmits device information related to the printing press 30 to the device management service 70 via the communication unit 31. The device information includes, for example, the configuration of the printing press 30 such as the printing speed, settings such as paper type and size, the state of the printing press 30 such as in operation or out of order, and schedule information such as how many jobs have been submitted. Furthermore, the device information includes statistical information that is statistical information related to the operation and maintenance of the printing press 30, such as the operation rate of the printing press 30, the maintenance status indicating whether inspection, cleaning, and part replacement have been performed as planned, and the efficiency of print preparation for each job (e.g., not too long compared to the printing time). The contents of the device information will be described later in the cloud system 50.

[0077] The communication unit 31 is a functional unit that transmits and receives various information to and from the device management service 70. For example, the communication unit 31 transmits device information to the device management service 70 in accordance with the control of the device information transmission unit 32. The communication unit 31 is realized, for example, by the network I / F 950 and a program executed by the CPU 901 shown in FIG.

[0078] The device information transmission unit 32 and the job execution unit 33 described above are realized, for example, by a program being executed by the CPU 901 shown in Fig. 3. Note that some or all of these functional units may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an FPGA or an ASIC, instead of a software program.

[0079] Note that the functional units of the printing machine 30 shown in Fig. 5 are conceptually shown, and are not limited to such a configuration. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the printing machine 30 shown in Fig. 5 may be configured as one functional unit. On the other hand, the function of one functional unit in the printing machine 30 shown in Fig. 5 may be divided into multiple functions and configured as multiple functional units.

[0080] <Information terminal> As shown in Figure 5, the information terminal 40 has a communication unit 41, a job information registration request unit 42, an execution destination determination unit 43, a job status request unit 44, a contractor evaluation registration request unit 45, a display control unit 46, and an input unit 47.

[0081] The communication unit 41 is a functional unit that transmits and receives various information to and from the job management service 60 of the cloud system 50. For example, the communication unit 41 transmits an HTTP request (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as a request) configured with various methods based on the HTTP protocol to the job management service 60 in order to execute various Web APIs published by the job management service 60. The communication unit 41 is realized, for example, by a long-distance communication circuit 612 shown in FIG. 4 and a program (application) executed by the CPU 601.

[0082] The job information registration request unit 42 is a functional unit that transmits a request for registration of job information including various information such as print data to be printed, which is inputted by operation via the input unit 47, to the job management service 60 via the communication unit 41 in order to utilize the print service provided by the cloud system 50. Specifically, the job information registration request unit 42 transmits, for example, to the job management service 60 a request for a job information registration API, which is an API for registering job information as shown in FIG.

[0083] The job information registration API shown in FIG. 6 includes, as input parameters to be transmitted to the job management service 60, for example, the following information:

[0084] ·“productTypeId”(Product Type ID): “book-hardcover”·“printQuality”:“normal” · “desiredDeliveryDate”: "2020-01-31" ·“dataSource”(print data): “https: / / www.example.com / images / xxxx-xxxx-xxxx.pdf” ·“customer” · “name”: “Ricoh Taro” · “address”: “AAA, Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture” ·“country”:“Japan” "email": "TaroRicoh@ricoh.example.com" "numberOfCopies": 1

[0085] 6 and FIGS. 9, 11, and 13 described later, the HTTP headers "X-Application-ID" and "X-Application-Key" included in each HTTP request are an identifier and an authentication key for identifying an application running on the information terminal 40 connected to the cloud system 50. Although not shown, the cloud system 50 has a login function for receiving an input (such as a user ID and password) for identifying a user who operates the information terminal 40 and authenticating the user. The information terminal 40 receives session information from the cloud system 50 as a result of the authentication, and adds the received session information to subsequent HTTP requests, for example, as a Cookie header.

[0086] As shown in Fig. 6, the print data does not need to be included directly in the request for the job information registration API, and the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) where the print data is stored may be specified. Note that the image quality request may not only specify high, medium, or low quality, but may also specify information such as paper type, color tone, content type (such as people, landscapes, text, photographs, etc.), distribution purpose of the printed matter (such as birthdays, ceremonial occasions, and advertisements), or the presence or absence of corrections and proofreading by a professional designer. Also, the input parameters included in the request for the job information registration API are not limited to the information mentioned above.

[0087] Then, in response to the job information registration API request, the job information registration request unit 42 receives a response from the job management service 60 via the communication unit 41 indicating that the printing company 10 that will execute the job information has been determined. Specifically, the job information registration request unit 42 receives a response such as that shown in Fig. 7 as a response to the job information registration API request. The response shown in Fig. 7 includes the following parameters, for example, in addition to the input parameters of the job information registration API shown in Fig. 6, "productTypeId", "printQuality", "desiredDeliveryDate", "dataSource", "customer", and "numberOfCopies".

[0088] "jobId": "xxxx-xxxx-xxxx" · “expectedDeliveryDate”: "2020-01-30" "price": 4000 ·“Currency”:“JPY” "status": "registered"

[0089] Among these, the job ID is identification information that uniquely identifies job information that is issued when new job information is registered in the job management service 60. The planned delivery date is the planned delivery date for delivering the printed matter output by the execution of the job to the address of the user (customer). The status is information that indicates the progress of the job since the job information was registered in the job management service 60, and details will be described later. The response shown in the above-mentioned FIG. 7 does not include information that indicates the printing company 10, because the one printing company 10 that will execute the job (and the printing press 30 that actually executes the job) has been determined in the job management service 60.

[0090] Note that the response to the job information registration API request is not limited to a response indicating that one printing service provider 10 and printing machine 30 have been selected as shown in Fig. 7, but may be, for example, a response indicating multiple candidate printing service providers 10 capable of executing the job as shown in Fig. 8. The response shown in Fig. 8 includes, for example, the following parameters in addition to the input parameters "productTypeId", "printQuality", "desiredDeliveryDate", "dataSource", "customer", and "numberOfCopies" of the job information registration API shown in Fig. 6.

[0091] "jobId": "xxxx-xxxx-xxxx" ·“shopCandidates” · “shopId”: “xxxx-xxxx” ·“shopName”:“XXX Printing” · “expectedDeliveryDate”: "2020-01-30" "price": 4000 ·“Currency”:“JPY” "evaluation": 80 · “shopId”: “yyyy-yyyy” ·“shopName”:“YYY Printing” · “expectedDeliveryDate”: "2020-01-31" "price": 3800 ·“Currency”:“JPY” "evaluation": 65

[0092] In the example of the response shown in FIG. 8, two candidates of the printing company 10 capable of executing the job are shown. Among them, the shop ID is identification information for identifying the printing company 10 that executes the job. The shop name is the name of the printing company 10 that executes the job. The evaluation value is a value indicating the evaluation of the user (customer) for the printing company 10 that executes the job, and will be described in detail later. Note that the information on the multiple printing companies 10 that can execute the job, included in the response shown in FIG. 8, may include not only the information listed above, but also, for example, information such as product type, product attributes, and image quality area of ​​specialty. In addition, the example of the response shown in FIG. 8 shows an example including multiple candidates of the printing company 10, but is not limited thereto, and the same printing company 10 may include information indicating different printing machines 30. In this case, in addition to the shop ID and the shop name, identification information for identifying the printing machine 30 may be included. In other words, the user can select one of the multiple printing machines 30 owned by the same printing company 10.

[0093] The destination determination unit 43 is a functional unit that, in response to a response received from the job management service 60 in response to a job information registration API request made by the job information registration request unit 42, sends a request to the job management service 60 via the communication unit 41 to notify the printing company indicated in the response that the request to execute the job has been confirmed, in accordance with the operation input to the input unit 47.

[0094] For example, when the communication unit 41 receives a response to a job information registration API as shown in Fig. 7, the execution destination determination unit 43 notifies the job management service 60 of a request for a confirmation notification API, which is an API for notifying the confirmation of a job execution request with the contents indicated in the response as shown in Fig. 9. The confirmation notification API shown in Fig. 9 includes, for example, the following information as an input parameter to be sent to the job management service 60:

[0095] "jobId": "xxxx-xxxx-xxxx" · “status”: “ordered”

[0096] Among these, the status indicates the transition to the next progress state for a job identified by the job ID (here, "ordered").

[0097] Then, in response to the confirmation notification API request shown in Fig. 9, the execution destination determination unit 43 receives a response indicating that a confirmation notification has been received from the job management service 60 via the communication unit 41, as shown in Fig. 10. The response shown in Fig. 10 includes the following parameters, for example, in addition to the "jobId", "productTypeId", "printQuality", "desiredDeliveryDate", "dataSource", "customer", "numberOfCopies", "expectedDeliveryDate", "price", and "currency" shown in Fig. 7.

[0098] · “status”: “ordered”

[0099] In this case, the status indicates that the order for execution of the job identified by the job ID has been confirmed with the contents indicated in the response shown in FIG.

[0100] Furthermore, when the communications unit 41 receives a response to the job information registration API as shown in FIG. 8 (a response indicating multiple candidate printing companies 10 that can execute the job), the destination determination unit 43 notifies the job management service 60 of a request for a confirmation notification API to notify the confirmation of a request to execute the job at the printing company 10 selected by operating the input unit 47 from among the multiple candidate printing companies 10 indicated in the response, as shown in, for example, FIG. 11.

[0101] The determination notification API shown in FIG. 11 includes, as input parameters to be sent to the job management service 60, for example, the following information:

[0102] "jobId": "xxxx-xxxx-xxxx" · “shopId”: “yyyy-yyyy”

[0103] In this case, the shop ID indicates identification information for identifying the printing service provider 10 (here, "YYY Printing") to which the execution of the job identified by the job ID is requested.

[0104] Then, in response to the request for the confirmation notification API shown in Fig. 11, the execution destination determination unit 43 receives a response indicating that a notification of confirmation has been received from the job management service 60 via the communication unit 41, as shown in Fig. 12. The response shown in Fig. 12 includes the following parameters, for example, in addition to the "jobId", "productTypeId", "printQuality", "desiredDeliveryDate", "dataSource", "customer", "numberOfCopies", "shopId", "shopName", "expectedDeliveryDate", "price", and "currency" shown in Fig. 8.

[0105] · “status”: “ordered”

[0106] In this case, the status indicates that an order for execution of the job at the printing company 10 indicated by the confirmation notification API shown in FIG. 11 has been confirmed for the job identified by the job ID.

[0107] The job status request unit 44 is a functional unit that sends a request to inquire about the progress status of the job to the job management service 60 via the communication unit 41 in accordance with an operation input to the input unit 47 after the printing company 10 that will execute the job has been determined by the execution destination determination unit 43. Specifically, the job status request unit 44 sends, for example, to the job management service 60 a request for a job status notification API, which is an API for inquiring about the progress status of a job, as shown in FIG.

[0108] In the job status notification API shown in Fig. 13, a job is identified by the job ID "xxxx-xxxx-xxxx" defined after "jobs". Note that the method of identifying a job is not limited to this, and the "jobID" may be included and explicitly indicated as an input parameter.

[0109] Then, in response to the job status notification API request, the job status request unit 44 receives a response indicating the progress status of the job from the job management service 60 via the communication unit 41. Specifically, the job status request unit 44 receives a response such as that shown in Fig. 14 as a response to the job status notification API request. The response shown in Fig. 14 includes the above-mentioned "jobId", "productTypeId", "printQuality", "desiredDeliveryDate", "dataSource", "customer", "numberOfCopies", "expectedDeliveryDate", "price", and "currency", as well as the following parameters, for example:

[0110] "status": "printing" ·“detail”: “preparing to print”

[0111] Among these, the status indicates the progress of the current job, and in the example shown in FIG. 14, it is indicated as "printing". Also, "detail" is information indicating a more detailed state of the progress of the job indicated by the status, and in the example shown in FIG. 14, it is indicated as "preparing to print". The detailed state may include, for example, "waiting for schedule", "current number of pages / copies being printed", or "post-processing in progress". Also, when the status is "in delivery", the detailed state may include, for example, "preparing to ship", the current location of the delivery vehicle, or "delivered". In this way, the job state request unit 44 makes it possible to obtain the progress of the ordered job, and the user (customer) can recognize the status of the job he or she has ordered at any time, which can eliminate anxiety caused by waiting for printing, thereby improving convenience.

[0112] The response shown in FIG. 14 may include the shop ID, the shop name, etc., of the shop to which the job execution is requested.

[0113] The trader evaluation registration request unit 45 is a functional unit that sends a request to register an evaluation value for the printing business 10 that has been requested to execute a job (print print data) in the past to the job management service 60 via the communication unit 41 in accordance with an operation input to the input unit 47. For example, the trader evaluation registration request unit 45 sends an API request to the job management service 60, requesting registration of an evaluation value for the printing business 10 that has been requested to execute a job in the past. The API may include, for example, the following information as input parameters to be sent to the job management service 60:

[0114] "jobId": "xxxx-xxxx-xxxx" "evaluation"

[0115] Among these, the evaluation value is an evaluation score entered by a user (customer) for the printing company 10 that previously executed the job identified by the job ID.

[0116] Then, in response to the API request for registering the evaluation value, the trader evaluation registration request unit 45 receives, via the communication unit 41, a response from the job management service 60 indicating that the registration of the evaluation value has been accepted.

[0117] The display control unit 46 is a functional unit that controls the display operation of the display 618. The input unit 47 is a functional unit that accepts operational input from a user. The input unit 47 is realized by a touch panel 621 shown in FIG.

[0118] The above-mentioned job information registration request unit 42, execution destination determination unit 43, job status request unit 44, vendor evaluation registration request unit 45, and display control unit 46 are realized, for example, by a program (application) being executed by the CPU 601 shown in Fig. 4. Note that some or all of these functional units may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an FPGA or an ASIC, rather than a program (application) which is software.

[0119] Note that the functions of each functional unit of the information terminal 40 shown in FIG. 5 are conceptually shown, and the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the information terminal 40 shown in FIG. 5 may be configured as one functional unit. On the other hand, the function of one functional unit in the information terminal 40 shown in FIG. 5 may be divided into multiple functions and configured as multiple functional units. Also, the information terminal 40 may be equipped with a Web browser, and the job information registration request unit 42, the execution destination determination unit 43, the job status request unit 44, the trader evaluation registration request unit 45, and the display control unit 46 may be realized by configuring them with HTML (HyperText Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), JavaScript (registered trademark), etc. obtained from the job management service 60 by the Web browser.

[0120] <Job management service> As shown in FIG. 5, the job management service 60 of the cloud system 50 has a communication unit 61 (receiving unit), a job information receiving unit 62 (receiving unit), a job execution judgment unit 63 (judgment unit), a judgment result processing unit 64 (presentation unit, confirmation unit), a schedule generation unit 65, a job information registration unit 66, a prediction parameter correction unit 67, a job information distribution unit 68 (distribution unit), a job status notification unit 69 (notification unit), a contractor evaluation calculation unit 69a (calculation unit), an equipment information receiving unit 69b (acquisition unit), a billing information notification unit 69c, a job information storage unit 69d, and a customer information storage unit 69e.

[0121] The communication unit 61 is a functional unit that transmits and receives various information to and from the print controller 11 of the printing company 10. For example, the communication unit 61 transmits (distributes) job information to the print controller 11. The communication unit 61 also receives a job execution completion notification from the print controller 11. The communication unit 61 is realized, for example, by the network I / F 509 and a program executed by the CPU 501 shown in FIG. 2.

[0122] The job information receiving unit 62 is a functional unit that receives registration of job information from the information terminal 40. Specifically, the job information receiving unit 62 receives a job information registration API request transmitted by the job information registration request unit 42 of the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61. The contents of the job information will be described later.

[0123] The job execution determination unit 63 is a functional unit that determines which printing company 10 should execute the job received by the job information reception unit 62 (the printing press 30 owned by the printing company 10 should perform the printing process). For example, the job execution determination unit 63 predicts the state of the printing press 30 at the start of the free time based on the current state of the printing press 30 of each printing company 10 and the schedule information for which the job execution is scheduled, and determines whether the newly received job can be completed by the end of the free time. The job execution determination unit 63 also determines the printing company 10 to execute the job, taking into consideration information indicating the characteristics of the printing company 10, such as the product type and product attributes of each printing company 10 (characteristic information) obtained from the company information storage unit 99 of the company management service 90. Furthermore, the job execution determination unit 63 analyzes the job execution status of the print controller 11 of each printing company 10 based on statistical information included in the device information received by the device information reception unit 69b, and determines the printing press 30 of the printing company 10 that can be scheduled for efficient use. For example, the job execution determination unit 63 calculates an evaluation value (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a system evaluation value) for each printing business 10 (and printing press 30) based on the statistical information from the viewpoints of whether the operation rate of the printing press 30 is high (idle period is short), the maintenance of the printing press 30 is performed systematically, the time required for printing preparation is short, the number of job retakes is small, and the operation rate of each printing press 30 is scheduled to be high as a whole. Then, the job execution determination unit 63 determines which printing business 10 to cause to execute a job based on the predicted state of the printing press 30 and the calculated system evaluation value. Note that the number of printing business 10 to be caused to execute a job by the job execution determination unit 63 may be multiple, or multiple printing presses 30 of the same printing business 10 may be multiple. The job execution determination unit 63 may also calculate the system evaluation value by further taking into account a user evaluation value (to be described later) of the printing business 10 stored in the business information storage unit 99 of the business management service 90.

[0124] The determination result processing unit 64 is a functional unit that transmits a response to the job information registration API request received by the job information receiving unit 62 to the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61. Specifically, the determination result processing unit 64 transmits to the information terminal 40 a response shown in the above-mentioned FIG. 7 indicating that the job information API request has been received by the job information receiving unit 62 and the job execution determining unit 63 has determined the printing company 10 (and the printing press 30) that will execute the job information included in the request. Furthermore, when the job execution determining unit 63 has determined multiple printing companies 10 or multiple printing presses 30, the determination result processing unit 64 transmits to the information terminal 40 a response indicating candidates for multiple printing companies 10 or multiple printing presses 30 that can execute the job, as shown in the above-mentioned FIG. 8.

[0125] Furthermore, when the determination result processing unit 64 receives a confirmation notification API request from the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61, it transmits a response to the request to the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61. Specifically, when the determination result processing unit 64 receives a confirmation notification API request shown in Fig. 9 or 11 above, it determines that the printing company 10 (or the printing press 30) indicated in the request is the printing company 10 (or the printing press 30) that will execute the job, and transmits the response shown in Fig. 10 or 12 above with the parameter "status" set to "ordered" (order completed) to the information terminal 40.

[0126] The schedule generation unit 65 is a functional unit that generates schedule information when the printing company 10 that will execute the job information is determined by the determination result processing unit 64. The schedule information will be described in detail later, but the schedule information is information that indicates a schedule of when a job is to be executed.

[0127] The job information registration unit 66 is a functional unit that sets information included in the job information registration API request received by the job information reception unit 62 as job information, and stores the job information in the job information storage unit 69d together with the status of "ordered" and the schedule information generated by the schedule generation unit 65. An example of job information stored in the job information storage unit 69d is shown below (Table 1).

[0128] [Table 1]

[0129] Note that the job information may include not only the information shown in Table 1 above, but also other information (for example, the above-mentioned "detail" information, etc.).

[0130] The job information distribution unit 68 is a functional unit that transmits (distributes) the job information including the schedule information via the communication unit 61 to the print controller 11 of the printing company 10 determined by the determination result processing unit 64.

[0131] The job status notification unit 69 is a functional unit that, when a job status notification API request is received from the information terminal 40 by the communication unit 61, refers to the job information storage unit 69d, extracts the status and details of the job indicated by the request, includes the status in a response to the request, and transmits the response to the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61. Specifically, the job status notification unit 69 transmits a response including "status" and "detail" to the information terminal 40, as shown in the above-mentioned FIG.

[0132] The trader evaluation calculation unit 69a is a functional unit that, when an API request for registering an evaluation point is received from the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61, refers to the trader information storage unit 99 of the trader management service 90, extracts a current evaluation value of the printing trader 10 that previously executed the job indicated by the request, and calculates a new evaluation value based on the current evaluation value and the evaluation value included in the request. The trader evaluation calculation unit 69a stores the calculated evaluation value (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a user evaluation value) in the trader information storage unit 99 as a new evaluation value of the printing trader 10 in association with the printing trader 10. Then, in response to the request received by the communication unit 61, the trader evaluation calculation unit 69a transmits a response indicating that the registration of the evaluation value has been accepted to the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61. Note that the job execution determination unit 63 may calculate a new user evaluation value by taking into account not only the evaluation value included in the request and the current user evaluation value stored in the trader information storage unit 99, but also the system evaluation value calculated from the statistical information as described above.

[0133] The device information receiving unit 69b is a functional unit that receives device information from the device management service 70. The device management service 70 may transmit new device information to the job management service 60 every time the device management service 70 receives the device information, or may transmit the device information periodically or when the load is low. Alternatively, the device information receiving unit 69b may request device information from the device management service 70 and receive the device information as a result of the request. In this case, the device information receiving unit 69b may also request the device information periodically or when the load is low.

[0134] The billing information notification unit 69c is a functional unit that, when a job is registered from the information terminal 40 (or when the job is executed), notifies the billing service 80 of withdrawal information from the user (customer) of the information terminal 40 that registered the job, and deposit information for the printing company 10 that received the job.

[0135] The prediction parameter correction unit 67 is a functional unit that receives and accumulates a job execution completion notification from the print controller 11 after a job is executed, and corrects the prediction parameters based on the past execution results. Here, the prediction parameters are parameters for predicting the preparation time and execution time of a job from the job information, device information, etc.

[0136] The job information storage unit 69d is a functional unit that stores job information such as that shown in Table 1 above. The job information storage unit 69d is realized by at least one of the RAM 503 and the HD 504 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in Table 1, the job information is information including, for example, a job ID, paper, number of sheets, image quality requirement, desired delivery date, print data, customer information, schedule information, log, and status. The job ID is identification information that identifies the job information. The paper is the grade and type of paper required in this job. The number of sheets is the number of copies to be printed in the job. The image quality requirement is the image quality (e.g., resolution, etc.) required for the printed matter. The desired delivery date is the delivery date of the printed matter desired by the customer. The print data is data to be printed, and has, for example, JDF and PDL. The customer information is information that identifies the customer who requested this job. The schedule information is information on when the printing machine 30 (K001 represents the printing machine 30) to which this job is assigned will execute the job. The log is the start time and end time when the job was actually executed, and is also included in the job execution completion notification. The status is information indicating the current progress state of the job. Note that the job information may include information other than the above information (for example, the detailed information shown in FIG. 14).

[0137] Here, with reference to FIG. 15, the status transition of the job progress state will be described. As described above, the job progress state is reflected in the status included in the job information. "Registered" is a progress state in which the job information receiving unit 62 receives the job information and the printing machine 30 of the printing company 10 that will execute the job is determined by the job execution determining unit 63. The status may be "registered" at the time when the job information receiving unit 62 receives the job information. Then, when the printing company 10 (or the printing machine 30) that will execute the job is determined by the determination result processing unit 64, the status transitions from "registered" to "ordered". In addition, when the job information (e.g., image quality requirements) includes a parameter (manuscript proofreading option) for correction and proofreading by a professional designer, the status transitions from "ordered" to "manuscript being corrected" when the correction and proofreading work by the professional designer is started. Then, when the printing process (including preparation process) of the job actually starts on the printer 30, the status changes from "Ordered" or "Manuscript being revised" to "Printing". Then, when the printing process on the printer 30 is completed and the delivery work by the delivery company starts, the status changes from "Printing" to "In delivery".

[0138] The above-mentioned job information receiving unit 62, job execution determining unit 63, determination result processing unit 64, schedule generating unit 65, job information registering unit 66, prediction parameter correcting unit 67, job information distributing unit 68, job status notifying unit 69, trader evaluation calculating unit 69a, device information receiving unit 69b and billing information notifying unit 69c are realized, for example, by a program being executed by CPU 501 shown in Fig. 2. Note that some or all of these functional units may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an FPGA or an ASIC, rather than a software program.

[0139] Note that the functional units of the job management service 60 shown in Fig. 5 are conceptually shown, and are not limited to such a configuration. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the job management service 60 shown in Fig. 5 may be configured as one functional unit. On the other hand, the function of one functional unit in the job management service 60 shown in Fig. 5 may be divided into multiple functions and configured as multiple functional units.

[0140] <Equipment management service> As shown in FIG. 5, the device management service 70 of the cloud system 50 includes a communication unit 71, a device information registration unit 72, a device information provision unit 73, and a device information storage unit 79.

[0141] The communication unit 71 is a functional unit that transmits and receives various information to and from the printing machine 30 of the printing company 10. For example, the communication unit 71 receives device information from the printing machine 30. When starting communication, the communication unit 71 uses a bidirectional communication mechanism (for example, WebSocket or MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)). The communication unit 71 is realized, for example, by the network I / F 509 and a program executed by the CPU 501 shown in FIG. 2.

[0142] The device information registration unit 72 registers the device information received via the communication unit 71 in the device information storage unit 79. An example of the device information registered in the device information storage unit 79 is shown in Table 2 below.

[0143] [Table 2]

[0144] The device information providing unit 73 is a functional unit that provides the device information registered in the device information storage unit 79 to the job management service 60. It is preferable that the device information providing unit 73 provides the device information without delay when new device information is registered. Alternatively, the device information providing unit 73 may provide the device information in response to a request from the device information receiving unit 69b of the job management service 60, or may provide the device information periodically or at a timing when the load is small.

[0145] The device information storage unit 79 is a functional unit that stores device information such as that shown in Table 2 above. The device information storage unit 79 is realized by at least one of the RAM 503 and the HD 504 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in Table 2, the device information is information including, for example, a device ID, a configuration, settings, device status, remaining paper, ink, remaining ink, job status, and statistical information. The device ID is identification information that uniquely identifies the printing press 30. The configuration is information regarding the functions of the printing press 30, including, for example, whether color printing and black-and-white printing are possible, and the printing speed when possible. The settings are the size, type, grade, and the like of paper set in the printing press 30. The device status indicates the current state of the printing press 30, such as in operation, stopped, or broken. The remaining paper amount is the remaining amount of paper. The ink is the type of ink installed, such as color ink, transparent ink, fluorescent ink, metallic ink, and the like. The remaining ink amount is the remaining amount of ink. The job status is information about jobs input to the printing press 30, and includes, for example, schedule information. As described above, the statistical information indicates the operation rate of the printing press 30, the maintenance status indicating whether inspection, cleaning, part replacement, etc. are being performed as planned, and the efficiency of print preparation for each job (e.g., whether it is not too long compared to the printing time), etc.

[0146] The above-mentioned device information registration unit 72 and device information provision unit 73 are realized, for example, by a program being executed by the CPU 501 shown in Fig. 2. Note that some or all of these functional units may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an FPGA or an ASIC, instead of a software program.

[0147] Note that the functional units of the device management service 70 shown in Fig. 5 are conceptually shown, and are not limited to such a configuration. For example, the multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the device management service 70 shown in Fig. 5 may be configured as one functional unit. On the other hand, the function of one functional unit in the device management service 70 shown in Fig. 5 may be divided into multiple functions and configured as multiple functional units.

[0148] <Charged services> The billing service 80 of the cloud system 50 includes a billing processing unit 81 and a billing information storage unit 89 .

[0149] The billing processor 81 is a functional unit that registers in the billing information storage unit 89 information on withdrawals from users (customers) and information on deposits to each printing company 10, and based on this information, requests transfer processing to the bank systems that correspond to the bank accounts of the users (customers) and each printing company 10. The bank system executes transfer processing between the bank accounts on the settlement date.

[0150] The billing information storage unit 89 is a functional unit that stores withdrawal information and deposit information. The billing information storage unit 89 is realized by at least one of the RAM 503 and the HD 504 shown in FIG.

[0151] The above-mentioned billing processing unit 81 is realized, for example, by a program being executed by the CPU 501 shown in Fig. 2. Note that the billing processing unit 81 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an FPGA or an ASIC, instead of a software program.

[0152] Note that the functions of each functional unit of billing service 80 shown in Fig. 5 are conceptually shown, and are not limited to such a configuration. For example, multiple functional units illustrated as independent functional units in billing service 80 shown in Fig. 5 may be configured as one functional unit. On the other hand, the function of one functional unit in billing service 80 shown in Fig. 5 may be divided into multiple functions and configured as multiple functional units.

[0153] (Data Model) 16 is a diagram showing an example of a data model used in the equipment system according to the embodiment. The data model used in the equipment system 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0154] <Charged services> The billing service 80 has the following deposit / withdrawal information (withdrawal information and deposit information stored in the billing information storage unit 89):

[0155] Date of registration Deposit / Withdrawal Category Amount

[0156] The deposit / withdrawal information is generated when a job registered from the information terminal 40 is distributed (or executed) to any of the printing companies 10. The deposit / withdrawal category of the provider is withdrawal, and the deposit / withdrawal category of the recipient is deposit.

[0157] <Vendor management services> The trader management service 90 has the following information about the printing trader 10 (information stored in the trader information storage unit 99):

[0158] ·name ·address ·country ·email address Product types handled Product Attributes - Image quality area of ​​expertise · Account number (bank account)

[0159] In addition, the trader management service 90 has the following information on product prices (information stored in the trader information storage unit 99):

[0160] Product type ·Product attributes · Page Cost ·Premium rate

[0161] The trader management service 90 also has the following information on evaluations of the printing trader 10 (information stored in the trader information storage unit 99).

[0162] Product type ·Product attributes Image quality requirements Rating points (equivalent to the user rating values ​​mentioned above)

[0163] <Equipment management service> As described above, the printing machine 30 periodically updates the device information or updates the device information when the device information changes. The information is transmitted to the device management service 70. The device management service 70 has information on the following models (information stored in the device information storage unit 79).

[0164] Paper ·image quality ·speed

[0165] Furthermore, the device management service 70 has the following information about the printing press 30 (information stored in the device information storage unit 79).

[0166] ·Serial number

[0167] Furthermore, the device management service 70 has information on the following configurations (information stored in the device information storage unit 79).

[0168] Hardware Configuration Software configuration ·setting ·Updated date and time

[0169] Furthermore, the device management service 70 has information on the following states (information stored in the device information storage unit 79):

[0170] Status (waiting, preparing, printing, stopped, error, etc.) -Paper (paper type, remaining amount, etc.) Ink (ink type, remaining amount, etc.) Adjustment status (alignment, color tone, etc.) ·Updated date and time

[0171] Furthermore, the device management service 70 has the above-mentioned statistical information (information stored in the device information storage unit 79).

[0172] <Job management service> The job management service 60 has the following information on jobs (information stored in the job information storage unit 69d):

[0173] Product type ·Product attributes Number of copies Image quality requirements Print data Desired delivery date ·Desired amount ·status

[0174] The desired price may be set as a customer request by a sales representative when providing a job to another printing company 10, or may be set as a request by a customer when registering a job.

[0175] Furthermore, the job management service 60 has the following information on the schedule (information stored in the job information storage unit 69d):

[0176] Scheduled start date and time of preparation - Preparation completion date and time Scheduled printing start date and time - Estimated print completion date and time

[0177] Furthermore, the job management service 60 has the following information on the execution result (information transmitted in the job execution completion notification):

[0178] ·Running state ·Preparation start date and time Preparation end date and time Scheduled printing start date and time - Estimated print completion date and time Paper Number of sheets · Final amount

[0179] The job execution completion notice is generated when the job execution is completed.

[0180] Furthermore, the job management service 60 has the following information on customers (information stored in the customer information storage unit 69e):

[0181] ·name ·address ·country ·email address · Account number (bank account)

[0182] (Overall processing flow of the equipment system) FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the overall process flow of the equipment system according to the embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram explaining the specific operation of ordering a photo book. FIG. 19 is a diagram explaining the specific operation of evaluating a vendor after an order is placed. The overall process flow of the equipment system 100 according to the present embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 17 to FIG. 19. In FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, a "photo management app" is executed as an application executed on the information terminal 40, and the specific operation when the printing service provided by the cloud system 50 is used from the "photo management app" will be explained together with the overall process flow of the equipment system 100 shown in FIG. 17. In FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, a photo management service 150 exists in an external cloud or the like to complement the function of the "photo management app", but the existence of this photo management service 150 is not essential, and the "photo management app" may have the function of the photo management service 150. As shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, the photo management service 150 has an order history storage unit 158 ​​and a photo data storage unit 159. Order history storage unit 158 ​​stores history information of past orders in association with each user. Photo data storage unit 159 stores print data (photo data) that the user desires to print. Note that the print data stored in photo data storage unit 159 may be appropriately converted into PDF (Portable Document Format) data and stored.

[0183] <Step S11> The equipment information transmission unit 32 of the printing press 30 of each printing company 10 (e.g., printing companies 10a, 10b, etc.) transmits equipment information on the printing press 30 to the equipment management service 70 via the communication unit 31. Here, as described above, the equipment information includes statistical information indicating the operation rate of the printing press 30, the maintenance status indicating whether inspection, cleaning, part replacement, etc. have been performed as planned, and the efficiency of print preparation for each job (e.g., whether it is not too long compared to the printing time), etc.

[0184] <Step S12> The device information registration unit 72 of the device management service 70 registers the device information received via the communication unit 71 in the device information storage unit 79. As a result, the statistical information stored in the device information storage unit 79 is updated to the latest information.

[0185] <Step S13> Next, the device information providing unit 73 of the device management service provides the device information registered in the device information storage unit 79 to the job management service 60. Then, the device information receiving unit 69b of the job management service 60 receives the device information from the device management service .

[0186] <Step S14> In order to utilize the printing service provided by the cloud system 50, the job information registration request unit 42 of the information terminal 40 sends a job information registration API request to the job management service 60 via the communication unit 41 to register job information including various information such as the print data to be printed, which is inputted via the input unit 47.

[0187] 18, in order to use the printing service provided by the cloud system 50, the photo management app of the information terminal 40 sends a print request for photo data selected via the input unit 47 (touch panel 621) to the photo management service 150 via the communication unit 41 (shown in FIG. 18 (1)). In response to the print request from the information terminal 40, the photo management service 150 extracts the photo data indicated by the print request from the photo data storage unit 159, and sends a job information registration API request to the job management service 60 to register job information including various information such as the photo data (shown in FIG. 18 (2)).

[0188] <Step S15> The job information reception unit 62 of the job management service 60 receives the job information registration API request sent from the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61. Then, the job execution determination unit 63 of the job management service 60 determines which printing company 10 should execute the job received by the job information reception unit 62 (the printing press 30 owned by the printing company 10 should perform the printing process). For example, the job execution determination unit 63 predicts the state of the printing press 30 at the start of the free time based on the current state of the printing press 30 of each printing company 10 and the schedule information in which the job execution is scheduled, and determines whether the newly accepted job can be completed by the end of the free time. The job execution determination unit 63 also determines the printing company 10 to execute the job, taking into consideration characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the printing company 10, such as the product type and product attributes of each printing company 10, obtained from the company information storage unit 99 of the company management service 90. Furthermore, the job execution determination unit 63 analyzes the job execution status of the print controller 11 of each printing company 10 based on the statistical information included in the device information received by the device information receiving unit 69b, and determines the printing press 30 of the printing company 10 that can be scheduled for efficient use. For example, the job execution determination unit 63 calculates a system evaluation value for each printing company 10 (and printing press 30) based on the statistical information from the viewpoints of whether the operation rate of the printing press 30 is high (idle period is short), whether the maintenance of the printing press 30 is performed systematically, whether the time required for print preparation is short, whether job redoing is few, whether the operation rate of each printing press 30 as a whole is high, and the like. Then, the job execution determination unit 63 determines which printing company 10 should execute the job based on the predicted state of the printing press 30 and the calculated system evaluation value.

[0189] <Step S16> The determination result processing unit 64 of the job management service 60 transmits to the information terminal 40 a response shown in FIG. 7, which indicates that the job information receiving unit 62 has received a job information API request and the job execution determining unit 63 has determined the printing company 10 (and the printing machine 30) that will execute the job information included in the request. When the job execution determining unit 63 has determined a plurality of printing companies 10 or a plurality of printing machines 30, the determination result processing unit 64 transmits to the information terminal 40 a response showing candidates for the printing companies 10 or the printing machines 30 that can execute the job, as shown in FIG. 8, which is described above. Here, it is assumed that the job execution determining unit 63 has determined a plurality of printing companies 10, and the determination result processing unit 64 transmits to the information terminal 40 a response showing candidates for the printing companies 10 that can execute the job, as shown in FIG. 8, which is described above, as a search result. The display control unit 46 of the information terminal 40 causes the display 618 to display a list of candidates for the printing companies 10 that can execute the job indicated by the response received from the job management service 60. For example, the display control unit 46 displays the evaluation value of each printing business 10 included in the response in a list, allowing the user to carefully examine information (e.g., evaluation values) about the printing business 10 and the printing machine 30 and select a desired printing business 10.

[0190] In the example shown in FIG. 18, the determination result processing unit 64 sends a response indicating multiple candidate printing providers 10 capable of executing the job (printing out photo data) as shown in FIG. 8 above to the information terminal 40 as a search result via the photo management service 150 (shown in FIG. 18 (3)). The photo management application of the information terminal 40 causes the display 618 to display a list of multiple candidate printing providers 10 capable of executing the job indicated in the response received from the job management service 60 (shown in FIG. 18 (4)). In the example shown in FIG. 18, "XXX Printing" and "YYY Printing" are displayed as candidates on the display 618.

[0191] <Step S17> When the communication unit 41 receives a response to the job information registration API as shown in FIG. 8 (a response indicating multiple candidate printing companies 10 capable of executing the job), the execution destination determination unit 43 notifies the job management service 60 of a confirmation notification API request for notifying the confirmation of a request to execute the job at the printing company 10 selected by an operation on the input unit 47 from among the multiple candidate printing companies 10 indicated in the response as shown in FIG. 11. Then, when the determination result processing unit 64 of the job management service 60 receives a confirmation notification API request from the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61, it transmits a response to the request to the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61. Specifically, when the determination result processing unit 64 receives a confirmation notification API request, it determines that the printing company 10 (or the printing press 30) indicated in the request is the printing company 10 (or the printing press 30) that will execute the job, and transmits the response to the information terminal 40 with a parameter “status” set to “ordered” (order completed).

[0192] <Step S18> The schedule generation unit 65 of the information terminal 40 generates schedule information when the printing company 10 that will execute the job information is determined by the determination result processing unit 64. Then, the job information registration unit 66 of the information terminal 40 regards the information included in the job information registration API request received by the job information acceptance unit 62 as job information, and stores the job information together with the status of "ordered" and the schedule information generated by the schedule generation unit 65 in the job information storage unit 69d.

[0193] <Step S19> The job information distribution unit 68 of the job management service 60 transmits (distributes) the job information including the schedule information to the print controller 11 of the printing company 10 determined by the determination result processing unit 64 via the communication unit 61. Then, the communication unit 31 of the print controller 11 of the printing company 10 receives the job information including the schedule information.

[0194] <Step S20> Then, the job execution instruction unit 18 of the print controller 11 of the printing company 10 instructs the printing machine 30 to execute the job according to the schedule information received by the communication unit 14.

[0195] <Step S21> After a job is registered in the cloud system 50, a user of the information terminal 40 may want to check the progress of the job. In this case, after the destination determination unit 43 has determined which printing company 10 will execute the job, the job status request unit 44 of the information terminal 40 sends a job status notification API request for inquiring about the progress of the job to the job management service 60 via the communication unit 41 in accordance with an operation input to the input unit 47.

[0196] <Step S22> When a job status notification API request is received from the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61, the job status notification unit 69 of the job management service 60 refers to the job information storage unit 69d, extracts the status and details of the job indicated by the request, and confirms the current job status.

[0197] <Step S23> The job status notification unit 69 is a functional unit that includes the status and the details in a response to the request and transmits the response to the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61. Specifically, the job status notification unit 69 transmits a response including "status" and "detail" to the information terminal 40, as in the example shown in Fig. 14 above.

[0198] <Step S24> The job execution unit 33 of the printing machine 30 of the printing company 10 executes the job in response to a job execution instruction from the job execution instruction unit 18. Specifically, the job execution unit 33 causes the printer unit 932 to print out the print data included in the job information onto a recording medium such as paper.

[0199] <Steps S25 and S26> When the job execution unit 33 completes the job execution, it transmits a job execution completion notification to the print controller 11. Then, the communication unit 14 of the print controller 11 transmits the job execution completion notification received from the printing press 30 to the job management service 60. Then, the communication unit 61 of the job management service 60 receives the job execution completion notification.

[0200] <Step S27> The communication unit 61 of the job management service 60 stores the received job execution completion notification in the job information storage unit 69d, and the prediction parameter correction unit 67 corrects the prediction parameters. The prediction parameters may be corrected, for example, periodically.

[0201] <Steps S28 and S29> The billing information notification unit 69c of the job management service 60 notifies the billing service 80 of withdrawal information from the user (customer) of the information terminal 40 that registered the job, and deposit information for the printing company 10 that received the job. Then, the billing processing unit 81 of the billing service 80 registers the withdrawal information from the user (customer) and the deposit information for each printing company 10 in the billing information storage unit 89, and requests the bank system corresponding to the bank accounts of the user (customer) and each printing company 10 to transfer the money based on this information.

[0202] <Step S30> After enjoying the printing service of the cloud system 50, a user of the information terminal 40 may wish to register an evaluation of the printing provider 10 that has accepted a request for a job related to the printing service from the standpoint of the quality of the finished printed matter, compliance with the desired delivery date, cost performance, etc. In this case, the provider evaluation registration request unit 45 of the information terminal 40 sends an API request to the job management service 60 via the communication unit 41, in accordance with an operation input to the input unit 47, requesting the registration of an evaluation value for the printing provider 10 that has been previously requested to execute a job (print print data). The request includes the evaluation value ("evaluation") for the printing provider 10 input by the user as an input parameter.

[0203] In the example shown in FIG. 19, the photo management application of the information terminal 40 sends a history request to the photo management service 150 requesting past order history in accordance with an operation on the input unit 47 (touch panel 621) (shown as (11) in FIG. 19). Next, upon receiving the history request, the photo management service 150 extracts history information of past orders from the order history storage unit 158 ​​and sends it to the information terminal 40 (shown as (12) in FIG. 19). The photo management application displays a list of past orders (jobs) indicated by the received history information on the touch panel 621. Then, when the user selects the order history of the printing service 10 that he or she wishes to evaluate, the servicer evaluation registration request unit 45 of the information terminal 40 sends an API request (servicer evaluation registration API) including a job ID and an evaluation point as input parameters to the job management service 60 via the photo management service 150 (shown as (13) in FIG. 19).

[0204] <Step S31> When an API request for registering an evaluation point is received from the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61, the contractor evaluation calculation unit 69a of the job management service 60 refers to the contractor information storage unit 99 of the contractor management service 90, extracts the current evaluation value of the printing contractor 10 that previously executed the job indicated by the request, and calculates a new evaluation value (user evaluation value) based on the evaluation value and the evaluation value included in the request.

[0205] <Step S32> The trader evaluation calculation unit 69a stores (reflects) the calculated user evaluation value in the trader information storage unit 99 of the trader management service 90 in association with the printing trader 10 as a new evaluation value for the printing trader 10. Then, in response to the request received by the communication unit 61, the trader evaluation calculation unit 69a transmits a response indicating that the registration of the evaluation value has been accepted to the information terminal 40 via the communication unit 61.

[0206] (Job execution decision processing) Fig. 20 is a diagram showing job print preparation and printing with arrows. Fig. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of job execution determination processing. Details of the job execution determination processing in step S15 in Fig. 17 described above will be described with reference to Figs. 20 and 21.

[0207] In Fig. 20, print preparation and printing schedule information for two printing presses 30 (printing presses A and B) is shown. Dotted lines indicate print preparation, and solid lines indicate printing. Areas with neither dotted nor solid lines are free time. The length of the arrow indicates time.

[0208] Next, a specific flow of the job execution determination process in step S15 in FIG. 17 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0209] <Step S151> The job execution decision unit 63 searches for available times in the schedule information up to the desired delivery date for the printing presses 30 (or all of them if there are multiple printing presses) owned by the printing company 10 that is the subject of the decision on whether or not to execute the job, and then proceeds to step S152.

[0210] <Step S152> The job execution judgment unit 63 predicts the state of the printing press 30 at the start time of the free time from the current device state and the schedule information up to the free time of interest for the printing press 30 to be judged. The state of the printing press 30 is, for example, the set paper type, remaining paper amount, ink, remaining ink amount, or adjustment state, and the prediction method will be described later. The reason for predicting the state of the printing press 30 at the start time of the free time in this way is that the tasks required before starting printing include setting paper, changing roll paper, refilling ink, head cleaning, adjustment (alignment, color tone, etc.), and test printing, and commercial printing requires a long time for preparation. Then, the process proceeds to step S153.

[0211] <Step S153> The job execution determination unit 63 determines the necessity of paper replacement, ink refill, or adjustment in preparation for job execution based on the predicted state of the printing press 30 and the new job information. The new job information also determines the paper type to be set, the number of required sheets of paper, the ink (type), the amount of ink, etc. If these predicted states differ from the state of the printing press 30 set for the execution of the new job information, the job execution determination unit 63 determines that replacement, adjustment, or refill is necessary. It is desirable to also determine the necessity of head cleaning. The job execution determination unit 63 also refers to the past history to determine the predicted state of the printing press 30 and the necessity of head cleaning. If paper replacement, ink refill, or adjustment is necessary (step S153: Yes), the process proceeds to step S154, and if not necessary (step S153: No), the process proceeds to step S155.

[0212] <Step S154> If paper replacement, ink refill, or adjustment is required, the job execution judgment unit 63 predicts the job preparation time and execution time taking into account paper replacement, ink refill, or adjustment. The time required for paper replacement, ink refill, or adjustment is estimated in advance for each type of paper and each adjustment. Then, the process proceeds to step S156.

[0213] <Step S155> If paper replacement, ink refill, or adjustment is not required, the job execution determination unit 63 predicts the job preparation time without considering paper replacement, ink refill, or adjustment. In this case, the job execution determination unit 63 sets the job preparation time to, for example, a certain fixed time (the minimum time required to start operating the printing press 30). Then, the process proceeds to step S156.

[0214] <Step S156> Next, the job execution judgment unit 63 judges whether or not the job can be executed in the free time. That is, when "free time>preparation time+execution time", the job execution judgment unit 63 judges that the job can be executed in the free time. However, when the predicted execution end time exceeds the desired deadline, the job execution judgment unit 63 judges that the job cannot be executed in this free time. Also, when the predicted execution end time does not exceed the desired deadline but the next schedule information is registered after the free time, the job execution judgment unit 63 corrects the prediction of the preparation time of the job information set after the end of the new job. The prediction method is the same as in step S152. Also, when the preparation time has changed and the preparation start time of the next job information has been brought forward to meet the desired deadline, but the predicted execution end time of the new job exceeds the brought forward preparation start time of the next job information, the job execution judgment unit 63 judges that the job cannot be executed in this free time. If the job cannot be executed during the free time (step S156: No), the process proceeds to step S157, and if the job can be executed (step S156: Yes), the process proceeds to step S158.

[0215] <Step S157> If the job cannot be executed during the free time, the job execution decision unit 63 decides that the job cannot be executed during this free time.

[0216] <Step S158> If the job can be executed during the free time, the job execution determining unit 63 sets the schedule information in the free time of the printing press 30.

[0217] As described above, whether or not a job can be executed is determined for each free time by the job execution decision unit 63. When there are a plurality of free times in which a job can be executed, the job execution decision unit 63 selects a free time in which a job is executed, for example, as follows.

[0218] Choose a time slot that will give you less time to prepare your next schedule information. If the gap between the next schedule information is less than the threshold, the one with the shorter gap will be selected. Oink. If the gap between the next schedule information is greater than or equal to the threshold, the longer gap will be selected. Oink. Among the printing presses 30 of the printing company 10 that have available free time, the available time of the printing press 30 with the highest system evaluation value calculated based on statistical information is selected.

[0219] These selection methods improve overall productivity by reducing preparation time such as paper replacement, improve overall productivity by reducing idle time when no jobs can be assigned, and improve overall productivity by making it possible to assign other jobs to the idle time.

[0220] (Equipment status prediction process) Fig. 22 is a diagram for explaining prediction of an equipment state at a start time of a free time. Fig. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an equipment state prediction process. With reference to Fig. 22 and Fig. 23, the details of the equipment state prediction process in step S152 in Fig. 21 described above will be explained.

[0221] FIG. 22 shows an example in which jobs (1) to (3) are set in the printing press A, and jobs (1) and (2) are set in the printing press B. The thick double-headed arrow 301 between the jobs indicates job information to be added to the free time in the printing press A. The double-headed arrow 302 indicates job information to be added to the free time in the printing press B. If it is determined that a job can be executed in the free time, the new job is set in the free time. In the following, with reference to FIG. 23, a procedure for determining whether a new job can be set in the free time between jobs (2) and (3) scheduled to be executed by the printing press A will be described. As described above in step S152 of FIG. 21, the job execution determination unit 16 needs to predict the state of the printing press 30 at the start time t of the free time at which the job (2) immediately preceding the free time ends.

[0222] <Step S1521> First, the job execution determining unit 63 determines whether the paper type of the new job is the same as that of job (2). If they are different (step S1521: No), the process proceeds to step S1522. If they are the same (step S1521: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1523.

[0223] <Step S1522> If the paper type of the new job is different from that of job (2), the job execution determining unit 63 determines that the paper needs to be replaced, and the process proceeds to step S1523.

[0224] <Step S1523> Next, the job execution determination unit 63 determines whether there is enough paper remaining to execute the job. When the paper types of job (1), job (2), and the new job are the same, the job execution determination unit 63 subtracts the usage amount of job (1) and job (2) from the current remaining amount of paper in the device information. When the paper types of job (1) and job (2) are different and the new job is the same as job 2, the job execution determination unit 63 subtracts the usage amount of job (2) from the remaining amount (not necessarily new paper) of the paper type used by job (2). When it is predicted that paper will run out and be replaced during the execution of job (1) and job (2), or during the execution of job (2), the job execution determination unit 63 subtracts the usage amount thereafter from the amount of paper after replacement. When the paper types of job 2 and the new job are different, the job execution determination unit 63 acquires the remaining amount (not necessarily new paper) of the paper type used by the new job since paper replacement will be necessary.

[0225] If there are multiple stocks of the same paper, a roll with a larger amount of paper remaining than the new job may be selected to reduce the need to replace paper while the new job is in progress. Also, a roll with a smaller amount of paper remaining than the new job may be selected to use up all the paper so that paper is not wasted. Also, the replacement policy may be changed in the administrator settings.

[0226] If a comparison is made between the amount of paper remaining when job (2) is completed or the amount of paper remaining of the replaced paper type and the number of sheets required for the new job, and it is predicted that paper will run out during the job and will need to be replaced (step S1523: No), the process proceeds to step S1524; if not (step S1523: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1525.

[0227] <Step S1524> If it is predicted that the paper will run out during the execution of the job and will need to be replaced as a result of comparing the remaining amount of paper at the completion of execution of job (2) or the remaining amount of paper of the replaced paper type with the number of sheets required for the new job, job execution determination unit 63 determines that replacement with new paper is necessary. Then, the process proceeds to step S1525.

[0228] <Step S1525> Next, job execution determination unit 63 determines whether the ink types are the same and whether there is enough ink remaining to execute the job. The concept is the same as for paper type and remaining paper amount, but the time required to replace and replenish ink is shorter than for paper. If the ink types are different, or the ink types are the same but there is not enough ink remaining to execute the job (step S1525: No), the process proceeds to step S1526, and if the ink types are the same and there is enough ink remaining to execute the job (step S1525: Yes), the process proceeds to step S1527.

[0229] <Step S1526> If the ink types are different, or if the ink types are the same but there is not enough ink remaining to execute the job, the job execution determination unit 63 determines that ink replenishment is necessary so that replenishment does not occur during job execution, and then proceeds to step S1527.

[0230] <Step S1527> Next, the job execution determination unit 63 determines whether the adjustment state is the same as that of job (2). The adjustment state refers to the image formation position and color state relative to the paper. At the end of job (2), the adjustment state is in accordance with the paper and image quality requirements of job (2). Therefore, whether the adjustment state is the same as that of the new job depends on the paper and image quality requirements of the new job, so the job execution determination unit 63 determines whether the two are the same. If the two are not the same (step S1527: No), the process proceeds to step S1528, and if the two are the same (step S1527: Yes), the device state prediction process ends.

[0231] <Step S1528> If the two are not the same, the job execution determining unit 63 determines that adjustment of the position and color is necessary, and then ends the device state prediction process.

[0232] As described above, the status of the printing press 30 at the start time of the free time can be predicted, and the preparation time can be calculated based on the predicted status of the printing press 30 and the status of the printing press 30 that is set based on the received job information.

[0233] (Preparation and execution time) 24 is a diagram for explaining the operation of predicting the preparation time and the execution time. The preparation time and the execution time will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0234] The preparation time is the time required for preparation, and the execution time is the time required for execution of the job. As shown in FIG. 24, the preparation time is expressed as “T PC +T if +T hc +T ac +T tp " Preparation time is the total of the time required for paper change, ink refill, head cleaning, adjustment, and test printing. In this way, the preparation time is the total of the time required for paper change, ink refill, or adjustment required to obtain the state of the printing press 30 based on the job information accepted by the job information accepting unit 62.

[0235] Here, T PC is the time required to change the paper. If the paper type is the same for the previous job and the new job and there is a sufficient amount of paper remaining, there is no need to change the paper and the time is 0. if is the time required to replenish ink. If the ink type is the same as that of the new job and there is a sufficient amount of ink remaining, replenishment is not required and the time is 0. hc is the time required for head cleaning, and is 0 if it is determined from the past execution history that head cleaning is not necessary. T ac is the time required for adjustments (registration, color tone, etc.), and is 0 if the paper and image quality requirements of the previous job and the job to be executed are the same, and if it can be determined from the past execution history that no adjustment is necessary. tp is the time required for test printing.

[0236] The execution time is also expressed as "T PC +T if +T hc +T ac +T pp " is the sum of the time required for paper replacement during job execution, the time required for ink refilling, the time required for head cleaning, the time required for adjustment, and the printing time. However, T PC , T if , T hc and T ac is the time when the replacement occurs during the execution of the job. Also, in the execution time, the test printing time T tp Instead, the printing time T pp Predict the printing time T pp is calculated by multiplying the number of pages per copy by the number of pages in the job information / printing speed.

[0237] (Job execution completion notification) When the execution of a job in the printing press 30 is completed, the print controller 11 sends a job execution completion notification to the job management service 60. The job execution completion notification includes a log of the executed job (preparation time and execution time), the amount, and the status of the printing press 30 before and after the execution of the job.

[0238] The status of the printing press 30 before and after job execution includes the paper type of the previous job, the paper type of the new job, the remaining paper for the previous job, the number of sheets of paper consumed by the new job, the ink type of the previous job, the ink type of the new job, the remaining ink for the previous job, the remaining ink for the new job, the adjustment status of the previous job, and the adjustment status of the new job.

[0239] The job management service 60 can improve the accuracy of predictions of preparation time and execution time by accumulating the status of the printing press 30 before and after job execution in association with job execution completion notifications and performing statistical processing or machine learning.

[0240] Machine learning is a technology that allows computers to acquire human-like learning capabilities, in which the computer autonomously generates algorithms necessary for judgments such as data identification from learning data that is previously loaded, and applies these to new data to make predictions. The learning method for machine learning may be any of supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, reinforcement learning, and deep learning, or a combination of these learning methods. Any learning method for machine learning is acceptable.

[0241] Fig. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a neural network used in machine learning. A neural network with a deep hierarchy is called a DNN (deep neural network). A layer between an input layer 401 and an output layer 403 is called an intermediate layer 402. The number of layers and the number of nodes 405 in Fig. 25 are merely examples.

[0242] The input layer 401 receives, for example, the state of the printing press 30 before and after job execution, and job information. For non-numeric information such as the paper type and ink type of the job, numerical values ​​corresponding to the paper type and ink type of the job are prepared and input. Alternatively, the paper type and ink type may be represented by a one-hot vector. The output layer 403 has two nodes, corresponding to the preparation time and execution time.

[0243] Input data input to the input layer 401 is forward propagated through the nodes 405 and transmitted to the output layer 403. The nodes are connected by weights (parameters), and an activation function is set for each node 405. In this embodiment, the output of the nodes in the output layer 403 is made to approach the actual preparation time and execution time, so that the problem becomes a regression problem of predicting quantitative data. Therefore, the activation function of the nodes in the output layer 403 may be an identity mapping that does not convert anything. A loss function that evaluates the difference between the output of each node in the output layer 403 and the teacher data (preparation time and execution time) is known, and in the case of a regression model, a squared error is often used as the loss function. The loss evaluated by the loss function is propagated backward through the neural network 200 from the output layer 403 to the input layer 401, and the parameters of the neural network 200 (weights connecting nodes) are updated. Such a learning method is called an error backpropagation method.

[0244] In Fig. 25, the preparation time and execution time are predicted, but if the training data in the output layer 403 is the state change of the printer 30, it is also possible to predict the state change of the printer 30. In this case, the output layer 403 is provided with a number of nodes corresponding to the state of the printer 30, and each node is made to correspond to the state of the printer 30. In this case, the state of the printer 30 is, for example, the paper type, ink, or adjustment state, and the neural network 200 learns the parameters by setting "1" when there is a state change and "0" when there is no state change.

[0245] Note that, in FIG. 25, the neural network 200 has been described, but machine learning techniques include perceptron, deep learning, support vector machine, logistic regression, naive Bayes, decision tree, random forest, etc., and are not limited to the technique described in this embodiment.

[0246] As described above, in the equipment system 100 according to this embodiment, the job information receiving unit 62 receives job information requesting printing of print data from the information terminal 40, the job execution determining unit 63 determines, among the multiple printing companies 10, one or more printing companies 10 that have printing presses 30 capable of executing the job information based on the status of the printing presses 30 owned by each printing company 10 and the contents of the job information, and the determination result processing unit 64 transmits information on the one or more printing companies 10 determined by the job execution determining unit 63 to the information terminal 40 to be displayed on the information terminal 40. This allows the user to select the desired printing company 10 from a list of information on the printing companies 10, and thus allows the user to know which printing company 10 will print the print data he or she has ordered.

[0247] Furthermore, the device information receiving unit 69b acquires statistical information relating to the operation and maintenance of each printing press 30 from each printing press 30 owned by each of the multiple printing providers 10, and the job execution determining unit 63 further determines, from among the multiple printing providers 10, one or more printing providers 10 that own printing presses 30 capable of executing a job based on the statistical information. This increases the likelihood that a printing provider 10 with good performance in terms of the operation and maintenance of the printing presses 30 will be selected as the entity that will execute the job, providing an incentive for each printing provider 10 to improve print quality, and the improved print quality of each printing provider 10 allows users to receive high-quality printing services.

[0248] In the above-mentioned embodiment, when at least one of the functional units of the information terminal 40, the cloud system 50, and the print controller 11 is realized by executing a program, the program is provided by being pre-installed in a ROM or the like. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the program executed by the information terminal 40, the cloud system 50, and the print controller 11 may be provided by being recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R (Compact Disk-Recordable), or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) in an installable or executable format. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the program executed by the information terminal 40, the cloud system 50, and the print controller 11 may be provided by being stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the program executed by the information terminal 40, the cloud system 50, and the print controller 11 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the programs executed by the information terminal 40, the cloud system 50, and the print controller 11 are modular in configuration, including at least any of the above-described functional units, and in terms of actual hardware, the CPU 501 (CPU 601) reads out and executes the programs from the above-described storage devices (e.g., ROM 502 or HD 504, or ROM 602 or EEPROM 604, etc.), thereby loading and generating each of the above-described functional units onto the main storage device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0249] 10, 10a, 10b Printing company 11 Print Controller 14 Communications Department 18 Job execution instruction section 19 Job information storage unit 30 printing press 31 Communications Department 32 Device information transmission unit 33 Job Execution Unit 40 Information terminal 41 Communications Department 42 Job information registration request section 43 Execution destination determination unit 44 Job status request section 45 Contractor Evaluation and Registration Request Section 46 Display control section 47 Input section 50 Cloud System 60 Job Management Services 61 Communications Department 62 Job Information Reception Department 63 Job execution decision unit 64 Judgment result processing section 65 Schedule Generation Unit 66 Job Information Registration Section 67 Forecast Parameter Correction Unit 68 Job Information Distribution Department 69 Job Status Notification Section 69a Contractor Evaluation Calculation Department 69b Device information receiving section 69c Billing information notification section 69d Job information storage unit 69e Customer information storage unit 70 Equipment Management Services 71 Communications Department 72 Device Information Registration Section 73 Device information provision department 79 Device information storage section 80 Billing Services 81 Billing Processing Unit 89 Billing information storage unit 90 Vendor Management Services 99 Vendor information storage section 100 Equipment Systems 150 Photo management service 158 Order history memory unit 159 Photo data storage unit 200 Neural Networks 301, 302 double arrow 401 Input Layer 402 Middle Class 403 Output Layer 405 Node 501 CPU 502 ROM 503 RAM 504 HD 505 HDD Controller 506 Display 508 External device connection interface 509 Network Interface 510 Bus Line 511 Keyboard 512 Pointing Device 513 DVD 514 DVD-RW drive 515 Media 516 Media Interface 601 CPU 602 ROM 603 RAM 604 EEPROM 605 Image sensor I / F 606 CMOS 607 Acceleration and Orientation Sensor 608 Media 609 Media Interface 610 Bus Line 611 GPS receiver 612 Telecommunications circuit 612a Antenna 615 Mike 616 Speaker 617 Sound input / output I / F 618 Display 619 External device I / F 620 Near field communication circuit 620a Antenna 621 Touch Panel 901 CPU 902 MEM-P 902a ROM 902b RAM 903 NB 904SB 906 ASIC 907 MEM-C 908 HDD Controller 909 HD 910 Controller 920 Near field communication circuit 920a Antenna 921 AGP Bus 922 PCI bus 930 Engine control unit 931 Scanner section 932 Printer section 940 Operation Panel 940a Panel display 940b Hard Key 950 Network Interface N Network [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0250] [Non-Patent Document 1] https: / / www.peecho.com / platform-and-app-integration /

Claims

1. a reception unit that receives a job requesting printing of print data from an information terminal; a determination unit that searches for available time in schedule information of a printing press owned by each of a plurality of printing companies until the desired delivery date indicated by the job, predicts the status of the printing press at the start time of the available time from the current status of the printing press and the schedule information, and determines one or more printing companies that have a printing press capable of executing the job based on the predicted status; a presentation unit that transmits information about the one or more printing companies determined by the determination unit to the information terminal for display on the information terminal; An information processing system comprising:

2. a determination unit that determines a printing company selected by the information terminal from among the one or more printing companies determined by the determination unit as a printing company that will execute the job; a distribution unit that distributes the job to a print controller of the printing company determined by the determination unit; The information processing system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. and an acquisition unit that acquires statistical information relating to operation and maintenance of each printing press from each printing press owned by each of the plurality of printing companies, The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the determination unit further determines, based on the statistical information acquired by the acquisition unit, one or more printing companies among the plurality of printing companies that have a printing machine capable of executing the job.

4. The information processing system of claim 3, wherein the statistical information includes any one of the following: an operating rate of the printing presses owned by each of the multiple printing companies; a maintenance status indicating whether maintenance has been performed on the printing presses owned by each of the multiple printing companies; and a preparation efficiency indicating the length of preparation time relative to the printing time of a job executed on the printing presses owned by each of the multiple printing companies.

5. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the judgment unit further judges one or more printing companies among the plurality of printing companies that own a printing machine capable of executing the job based on characteristic information indicating the characteristics of the plurality of printing companies.

6. An information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the information terminal of information indicating a progress status of the job accepted by the acceptance unit in response to a request from the information terminal.

7. the reception unit receives the job from the information terminal using an API (Application Programming Interface); 7. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the presentation unit transmits information on the one or more printing companies determined by the determination unit to the information terminal as a response to the API.

8. a receiving unit that receives, from the information terminal, an evaluation value for a printing company to which the printing company has been requested to execute a job in the past; a calculation unit that calculates a new evaluation value based on the evaluation value received by the receiving unit and a current evaluation value of the printing company that requested the printing, and stores the new evaluation value in a storage unit in association with the printing company that requested the printing; The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:

9. The information processing system according to claim 8 , wherein the presenting unit transmits to the information terminal information on the one or more printing companies determined by the determining unit, the evaluation values ​​corresponding to the one or more printing companies.

10. a receiving step of receiving a job requesting printing of print data from an information terminal; a determination step of searching for available time in schedule information of a printing press owned by each of a plurality of printing companies until the desired delivery date indicated by the job, predicting the status of the printing press at the start time of the available time from the current status of the printing press and the schedule information, and determining one or more printing companies that own a printing press capable of executing the job based on the predicted status; a presentation step of transmitting information of the one or more determined printing companies to the information terminal for displaying the information on the information terminal; An information processing method comprising the steps of:

11. On the computer, a receiving step of receiving a job requesting printing of print data from an information terminal; a determination step of searching for available time in schedule information of a printing press owned by each of a plurality of printing companies until the desired delivery date indicated by the job, predicting the status of the printing press at the start time of the available time from the current status of the printing press and the schedule information, and determining one or more printing companies that own a printing press capable of executing the job based on the predicted status; a presentation step of transmitting information of the one or more determined printing companies to the information terminal for displaying the information on the information terminal; A program for executing the above.

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