Job Management Server Priority Queuing for MFP Operability

The patent segments the job queue into multiple priority levels (high priority and normal priority). When a user operates the Web browser, print jobs from external devices are placed in normal priority queue, while jobs initiated from the MFP itself are placed in high priority queue. This segmentation allows the MFP to handle both Web browser operations and print jobs simultaneously by processing high priority jobs first, thus maintaining user operability while preserving print productivity.

The patent implements preliminary action by detecting whether the Web browser is currently being operated before accepting and processing print jobs. When the Web browser is detected as running, the system preemptively assigns incoming print jobs to normal priority queue, ensuring that user-initiated jobs will be processed first. This preliminary detection and classification mechanism guarantees that user jobs are not interrupted while still allowing the MFP to accept and queue external print jobs, thus maintaining both device utilization and job execution reliability.

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the processing priority based on the job source. Instead of treating all print jobs uniformly, the system assigns high priority quality to jobs initiated from the MFP's Web browser and normal priority quality to jobs from external devices. This localized quality differentiation ensures that user jobs are processed quickly (reducing waiting time) while external jobs are processed systematically (maintaining throughput), resolving the contradiction between overall productivity and individual user waiting time.