Pull-Print Server Page Count Tracking for Interruption Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
In pull printing scenarios, interrupted print jobs often result in significant delays and resource wastage due to the lack of page count information being transferred between printers, causing the print process to restart from the beginning, even when the job is resumed on a different printer.
Innovation Solution
A pull-print server system that includes a receiver to receive print jobs, a transmitter to send jobs to printers, and a controller to detect interruptions and resume print jobs based on page count information, allowing seamless printing and resource conservation by terminating and reinitiating print jobs appropriately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If print jobs are resumed on a different printer without page count information, then printing flexibility is improved, but the print process must restart from the beginning causing time loss and resource wastage
Solution Approach 1:
The pull-print server acts as an intermediary between client devices and printers. It stores not only the print jobs but also tracks page count information and prints status. When a user pulls a print job, the server provides the necessary page count information to the printer, enabling the printer to resume printing from the correct page without requiring the full job data to be transferred again. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining flexibility while preventing redundant printing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the pull-print server continuously tracks the printing status and page count of jobs in progress. When a print job is interrupted or transferred to a different printer, the server provides feedback information about how many pages have been printed. This feedback allows the receiving printer to accurately resume the job from the correct page, eliminating time loss while maintaining printing flexibility.
2Device complexity
If page count information is not transferred between printers, then device complexity is reduced, but print resources are wasted due to restarting from the beginning
Solution Approach 1:
The pull-print server performs multiple functions: it receives print jobs from client devices, stores them, tracks page count information, monitors printing status, and facilitates job transfer between printers. By consolidating these multiple functions into a single server system, the patent avoids the complexity of implementing page tracking mechanisms in each individual printer while still achieving efficient resource utilization and preventing redundant printing.
3Reliability
If print jobs are terminated upon interruption, then reliability is improved by preventing incomplete printing, but the job must be reinitiated causing time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The pull-print server performs preliminary actions by continuously tracking page count information and printing status even before the actual printing completes. When an interruption occurs, the server already has the necessary information about how many pages were successfully printed. This preliminary tracking allows for rapid resumption of the print job without time-consuming reinitialization, while maintaining reliability by ensuring complete printing through proper termination and resumption handling.
Data Source
AI summary
A pull-print server may include a receiver to receive a print job from a client device. The print job includes a first page and a second page. Further, the pull-print server may include a transmitter to transmit the print job to a printer via a network in response to a reception of a first pull-print request from the printer. The pull-print server may include a controller to receive page count information from the printer upon completion of printing of the first page. The page count information indicates a number of pages printed corresponding to the print job. Further, the controller may detect an interruption of the print job prior to completion of the print job and cause the interrupted print job to resume on the printer based on the page count information and in response to a reception of a second pull-print request from the printer.