Job Scheduler Identifying Common Operating Parameters
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Solution Overview
Problem
In print shops, manual scheduling of jobs based on subjective decisions by operators leads to inefficiencies, as they may not recognize commonalities among jobs that could optimize execution order, such as shared operating parameters like paper stock or finisher configurations.
Innovation Solution
A job scheduler with a queue and schedule processor identifies common operating parameters across jobs and schedules them for execution based on these parameters, ensuring jobs with similar requirements are processed sequentially, thereby optimizing the workflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual scheduling by operators is used, then flexibility in job selection is maintained, but scheduling efficiency and productivity deteriorate due to inability to recognize job commonalities
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically analyzing job parameters and determining optimal execution sequences without requiring operator intervention. The scheduler independently identifies commonalities among jobs and autonomously optimizes the execution order, freeing operators from manual scheduling tasks while maintaining system flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual scheduling process with an automated computational system. Instead of operators manually reviewing and ordering jobs, a software-based scheduler analyzes job parameters, identifies patterns, and determines optimal sequences algorithmically, substituting human cognitive processes with automated information processing.
2Productivity
If automated scheduling based on job parameters is implemented, then productivity and efficiency improve, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The scheduling system is designed to be universal by handling multiple job types and parameters through a single automated platform. It can analyze various job characteristics (media type, finisher actions, paper stock) and apply appropriate scheduling logic across different scenarios, consolidating multiple scheduling functions into one system rather than requiring separate mechanisms for each job type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system manages complexity by focusing on key parameters that define job requirements (media type, finisher actions, paper stock). By identifying and optimizing based on these critical parameters, the scheduler reduces the dimensionality of the scheduling problem while still achieving efficient job sequencing, rather than attempting to manage all possible job attributes simultaneously.
3Device complexity
If jobs are scheduled without analyzing commonalities, then scheduling simplicity is maintained, but time loss occurs due to suboptimal execution order
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of job parameters before execution to identify commonalities and optimize the sequence. By pre-processing job information and determining optimal ordering in advance, the system avoids time-wasting reconfigurations during actual job execution, such as unnecessary media changes or finisher setup adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The scheduler maintains continuity of useful action by grouping jobs with common parameters together in the execution sequence. This ensures that once a device is configured for a particular media type or finisher action, it can process multiple jobs continuously without interruption or reconfiguration, maximizing the utilization of each setup state and eliminating idle time between jobs with different requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Job schedulers and associated methods of scheduling jobs are disclosed. A job scheduler in one embodiment includes a job queue and a schedule processor. The job queue receives and stores a plurality of jobs to be executed on the devices, such as in a print shop. Each of the jobs defines one or more process to be performed for the job. Each of the processes in a job defines one or more operating parameters for the devices. To schedule the jobs that are stored in the job queue, the schedule processor identifies the processes from the jobs that define one or more common (i.e., the same or equivalent) operating parameters for a device. The schedule processor then schedules the jobs for execution based on the processes that define common operating parameters.