Printing Apparatus Job Correlation Control for Source Shortage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional printing apparatuses fail to effectively manage pass-over processing in cases where jobs are correlated, leading to irrelevant jobs being processed between correlated jobs, and require manual priority setting, which is cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus with a job processing section, detecting section, job control section, and judgment section that detects source shortages and judges the need for sequential processing based on job information, ensuring that correlated jobs are processed together and irrelevant jobs are skipped until the correlated job is completed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pass-over processing is carried out to process waiting jobs when a source shortage occurs, then productivity is improved by continuing print operations, but the processing order of correlated jobs is disrupted causing irrelevant jobs to be processed between correlated jobs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by storing job information in advance and judging correlations between jobs before executing pass-over processing. When a source shortage occurs, the control section refers to pre-stored job information to determine whether to skip the current job or wait, ensuring correlated jobs are processed together without disrupting their intended sequence.
2Reliability
If manual priority setting is implemented to manage job processing order, then job processing accuracy is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to cumbersome manual configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically judging job correlations and determining processing priorities without requiring manual user input. The control section autonomously analyzes job information, identifies correlated jobs, and decides whether to execute pass-over processing or wait for source availability, eliminating the need for manual priority configuration while maintaining accurate job processing order.
3Productivity
If all waiting jobs are processed when a source shortage occurs, then productivity is improved by maximizing resource utilization, but job correlation integrity is compromised causing correlated jobs to be separated
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring source availability and job correlation status. When a source shortage occurs, the control section judges whether the current job is correlated with the previous job based on stored job information, and uses this feedback to decide whether to skip the current job or wait for source availability, ensuring correlated jobs are processed together while maximizing resource utilization when possible.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing apparatus includes (a) a pass-over processing section for managing print processing order of the jobs, and for controlling the image forming section such that a shortage job is skipped and the print processing is carried out with respect to each of succeeding jobs coming after the shortage job in the print processing order, the shortage job being a job which is so judged by the device condition managing section as to cause a shortage of the source; and (b) a proximate job judgment section for judging whether or not the shortage job and a proximate job need to be consecutively print-processed, by comparing (i) job information included in the shortage job with (ii) job information of the proximate job. In cases where the proximate job judgment section judges that the shortage job and the proximate job need to be sequentially print-processed, the pass-over processing section controls the image forming section such that the shortage job, judged to be print-processed in continuity with the proximate job, is not skipped for print processing with respect to the succeeding jobs coming after the shortage job, until completion of the print processing of the shortage job.