Job Processing Apparatus Group Segmentation Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing job processing systems, such as image forming apparatuses connected to networks, face interruptions when processing multiple print jobs from different groups, leading to incomplete job notifications and management challenges for individual documents within a group.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where a client computer redirects print job creation and pull print requests through a firewall, generating unique JobIDs for each job and using GroupIDs to manage groups of jobs, ensuring each job is processed independently and notified upon completion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple print jobs are processed in the order they are accepted, then the image forming apparatus can handle various print requests from different computers, but print jobs from different groups may interrupt each other, causing incomplete job execution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments print jobs into different groups using group identification information. Each group is assigned a unique identifier, and the image forming apparatus processes groups sequentially rather than individual jobs. This segmentation ensures that jobs within the same group can be interrupted and resumed, while jobs from different groups are processed in complete sequences, preventing cross-group interruptions and ensuring reliable job execution.
2Reliability
If a group print job is created to prevent interruption, then job execution completeness is improved, but the image forming apparatus cannot issue job end notifications for each individual document within the group
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the image forming apparatus issues job end notifications for each individual job within a group, while also providing group-level completion status. When all jobs in a group are completed, the apparatus sends a group job end notification. This dual-level feedback system maintains both the reliability of group processing and provides complete information about individual job completion status to the client apparatus.
3Reliability
If print jobs are managed as a single group, then interruption prevention is achieved, but management control over individual jobs within the group is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments group management into two levels: group-level segmentation for interruption prevention and individual job-level segmentation for management control. Each job within a group maintains its unique job identification information, allowing the client apparatus to individually manage, monitor, and control specific jobs while the group structure prevents interruptions from other groups. This hierarchical segmentation enables both reliable processing and flexible individual job management.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
When a job processing apparatus receives an execution instruction of a job including group identification information used for identifying a group, the job processing apparatus continuously processes a plurality of jobs that belong to the group identified by the group identification information such that the plurality of jobs are not interrupted by a job that belongs to a different group, and further notifies a state of each of the plurality of processed jobs.