Print Job Scheduling System with Predictive Success Rates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current production printing workflows are inefficient due to the lack of integration between different applications and databases, leading to difficulties in tracking job status, allocating print jobs to appropriate printers, and managing high-priority jobs, resulting in idle printers and potential delays.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for efficient job scheduling that collects data from multiple sources, estimates job processing times, and schedules jobs to minimize idle time, maximize productivity, and reassign print jobs to optimize printer usage, incorporating machine learning for predicting success rates and ensuring timely completion of urgent jobs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate applications are used for each printing step, then each application can be independently managed and maintained, but it becomes difficult to track job status across the entire printing workflow and allocate jobs efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate printing applications into a single integrated printing workflow management system. This consolidation allows the system to collect and analyze job information across all printing steps (prepress, press, postpress) within one unified platform, enabling comprehensive job status tracking and efficient job allocation while maintaining the functional independence of each printing step through modular architecture
2Ease of operation
If operators of each printing step work independently without sharing information, then each operator has autonomy over their step, but there is no opportunity to efficiently allocate print jobs to appropriate printers
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where job information flows automatically between all printing steps through centralized collection. Operators retain autonomy over their specific steps, but the system continuously gathers real-time data on printer status, job progress, and capacity, using this feedback to dynamically allocate jobs to the most appropriate printers and optimize overall workflow efficiency
3Ease of manufacture
If print jobs are assigned without considering processing time estimates, then job assignment is simple and quick, but printers may experience idle time or delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically calculating processing time estimates for each job based on historical data, job characteristics, and printer capabilities before actual job assignment. This pre-computation of time estimates enables the system to make informed allocation decisions that minimize printer idle time and optimize scheduling, while the automated nature of this process maintains ease of operation
4Device complexity
If the system does not incorporate past experience data, then the scheduling system is simpler to implement, but the accuracy of job processing time estimates decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The scheduling system implements self-service by automatically collecting, storing, and analyzing historical job data and processing times. The system uses this accumulated experience to continuously improve its estimation accuracy through automated pattern recognition and data analysis, eliminating the need for manual input of historical data while enhancing prediction precision without proportionally increasing system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A method, a non-transitory computer readable medium, and a system are disclosed for scheduling print jobs on a plurality of printers. The method includes: collecting job information on each of a plurality of print jobs; obtaining a predicted success rate for each of the plurality of print jobs with each of the plurality of printers based on the job information on the each of the plurality of print jobs, the predicted success rate being a likelihood that a print job can be successfully completed by a printer; and assigning each of the plurality of print jobs to one or more printers of the plurality of printers with the predicted success rate for each of the one or more printers of the plurality of print jobs being greater than a predicted success threshold.