JP2013050845A - Print processing system, information processor, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a print processing system, an information processor, a method, and a program which suppress degradation of processing performance in an entire device by preventing overhead due to composition of a print job.SOLUTION: An information processor generates pieces of intermediate data which are print jobs of image data in page units, generates a composition process for composing pieces of intermediate data corresponding to a composition rule, provides pieces of intermediate data to be composed by the composition process, generates a print job for image data of a plurality of pages by composing the plurality of pieces of intermediate data by the composition process, and causes a print device to print the print job.

Description

  The present invention relates to a print control technique, and more particularly to a print processing system, an information processing apparatus, a method, and a program for combining a plurality of print jobs.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed a print control technique for performing print processing by combining a plurality of document images in a print processing system using a network printer.

  As an example of such a print control technique, Patent Document 1 discloses a print control apparatus that combines document data received from a plurality of client machines into one print job. The print control apparatus determines whether or not document data received from a plurality of client machines is an aggregation target, holds the document data determined to be the aggregation target in a data holding unit, and stores all the document data to be aggregated When these are complete, these document data are combined into one print job.

  However, since the conventional print control device disclosed in Patent Document 1 processes document data received from a plurality of client machines by a single process, when a large amount of document data is received from a plurality of client machines at the same time, The processing of these original data is an overhead, and there is a problem that the processing performance of the entire print control apparatus is deteriorated by combining print jobs.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and is a print processing system, an information processing apparatus, a method, and an information processing apparatus that prevents overhead due to print job composition and suppresses deterioration in processing performance of the entire apparatus. The purpose is to provide a program.

  The present invention generates intermediate data which is a print job of image data in units of pages, generates a synthesis process for synthesizing intermediate data matching the synthesis rule, and provides intermediate data to be synthesized by the synthesis process, An information processing apparatus is provided that combines a plurality of intermediate data to generate a print job for a plurality of pages of image data and causes a printing apparatus to print. The present invention also provides a print processing system, method, and program for synthesizing intermediate data, which is a print job for image data in units of pages, and generating and printing a print job for image data for a plurality of pages.

  The present invention employs the above-described configuration requirements to generate a composition process for composing a print job for image data in units of pages, and for each independent composition process to compose a print job for image data related to each other. It is possible to prevent overhead due to the synthesis process.

1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a print processing system of the present invention. The figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the client PC which is the information processing apparatus of this invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing functional configurations of a client PC and a print server according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating a printing process executed by the printing processing system according to the present invention. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a synthesis process generation process executed by the client PC according to the embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating intermediate data composition processing executed by the client PC according to the embodiment. The figure which shows one Embodiment of the synthetic | combination rule which the client PC of this embodiment uses. The figure which shows embodiment of the management table which the client PC of this embodiment uses. The conceptual diagram which shows the synthetic | combination process of the intermediate data which this invention employ | adopts. The figure which shows the function structure of the client PC and print server which concern on other embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, although this invention is demonstrated with embodiment, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned later. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a print processing system of the present invention. The print processing system 100 is configured to include client PCs 112, 114, and 116, a print server 120, and a printing device 130 connected via a network 140.

  The client PCs 112 to 116 are information processing apparatuses such as desktop PCs and notebook PCs, and can designate normal printing or test printing and instruct printing of various images. The client PCs 112 to 116 generate intermediate data, which is a print job in which image data to be printed is configured in a format that can be identified in units of pages, synthesize these intermediate data, and print devices via the print server 120 130 causes the printing process to be executed.

  The intermediate data can adopt a data format that includes a plurality of pages in one file, such as a PDF (Portable Document Format) format or an XPS (XML Paper Specification) format. Also, a format in which one file is composed of one page, such as an EMF (Enhanced Meta File) format and a DIB (Device Independent Bitmap) format, can also be adopted. Further, the intermediate data can be added with print setting information for instructing print settings, metadata such as the name, host name, user name, and print date and time of the application program of the print request source. Further, another file in which metadata is described may be associated with the intermediate data.

  The print server 120 generates print data in which image data to be printed is described in a page description language (PDL) from the intermediate data received from the client PCs 112 to 116, and transmits the print data to the printing apparatus 130 for printing. It is a device to be executed.

  The printing apparatus 130 is a printing apparatus that generates raster data from print data received from the print server 120 and prints the raster data on a printing medium such as printing paper. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an MFP (Multiple Function Printer) is adopted as the printing apparatus 130, but in other embodiments, a page printer such as a laser printer or an inkjet printer may be adopted.

  The network 140 is a network that can be configured to include a wireless network of a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark), an optical network, and IEEE 802.11. The network 140 may include a wide area network such as the Internet constructed in a secure environment such as a VPN (Virtual Private Network) in addition to the LAN.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a client PC that is an information processing apparatus of the present invention. Hereinafter, the hardware configuration of the client PC 112 will be described with reference to FIG. The client PCs 114 and 116 have the same hardware configuration as that of the client PC 112, and thus description thereof will be omitted below. The print server 120 can also have the same hardware configuration as the client PC 112.

  The client PC 112 includes a processor 200, a ROM 202, a RAM 204, a hard disk device (HDD) 206, an external device connection interface 208, and a network interface 210.

  The processor 200 is a device that calculates processing executed by the client PC 112, and various processors such as a CPU such as PENTIUM (registered trademark) and AMD Athlon (registered trademark), and an MPU can be employed. The ROM 202 is a non-volatile memory that stores a boot program such as BIOS.

  The RAM 204 is a nonvolatile memory that provides an execution space for executing the program of the present invention. The client PC 112 is an assembler, C, C ++, Java (registered trademark) under the management of an operating system (OS) such as a WINDOWS (registered trademark) series, Mac (registered trademark) OS, UNIX (registered trademark), LINUX (registered trademark), or the like. ), And developing and executing the program of the present invention described in a program language such as JavaScript (registered trademark), PERL, RUBY, PYTHON, etc., realizes each functional means described later on the client PC 112.

  The HDD 206 is a large-capacity nonvolatile memory, and stores various data such as the program of the present invention. The program of the present invention can be stored and installed in a device-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, MO, flexible disk, EEPROM, EPROM, or the like, and can be installed via a network.

  The network interface 210 is an interface connected to an external network, and is a physical interface such as a LAN cable connector or a modular cable connector. The external device connection interface 208 is an interface for connecting an input device such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, or display device, and is a physical interface such as a USB port or a VGA port.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the client PC and the print server according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, functional configurations of the client PC 112 and the print server 120 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The client PC 112 includes application programs 300a, 300b, and 300c, an OS 302, an intermediate data storage unit 312 and a synthesis process generation unit 320.

  The application programs 300a, 300b, and 300c are programs that provide image data to be printed. For example, various application programs such as document creation software, spreadsheet software, image creation software, and presentation software can be employed. . In the present embodiment, image data is provided from the application programs 300a, 300b, and 300c. However, in other embodiments, image data to be printed is provided from a program that can issue a print instruction, such as a business application program or a web browser. May be.

  When receiving the print instruction issued by the user, the application programs 300a, 300b, and 300c transmit a print setting change instruction and a print execution instruction.

  The OS 302 is a software program that controls the entire system of the client PC 112 and includes a print control program 304. The print control program 304 is a functional unit that controls print processing, and includes a print setting change unit 306 and an intermediate data generation unit 310.

  The print setting changing unit 306 is a functional unit that changes print settings used in the printing process. Upon receiving a print setting change instruction from the application programs 300a, 300b, and 300c, the print setting changing unit 306 can acquire print setting information from a storage device (not shown) managed by the OS 302, and can specify and change the print setting. The GUI is displayed on the display device of the client PC 112.

  When the user instructs to change the print setting information using the GUI, the print setting change unit 306 stores the print setting information of the instructed content in the storage device 308 and identifies the user who uses the client PC 112. Attached information such as a user name, a host name that identifies the client PC 112, and an application name that identifies an application program that is a print request source is acquired from the OS 302 and stored in the storage device 308.

  The intermediate data generation unit 310 is a functional unit that generates a print job for each page, which is intermediate data. When the intermediate data generation unit 310 receives a print execution command from the application programs 300a, 300b, and 300c, the intermediate data generation unit 310 generates a job name that is identification information of the print job for each print job. In the present embodiment, the intermediate data generation unit 310 displays the name of the document to be printed, the directory path of the storage destination of the document, the name of the application program of the print request source, and arbitrary characters that the user specifies interactively using the GUI. Job names can be generated using, numbers and symbols.

  Then, the intermediate data generation unit 310 acquires the print setting information and the attached information from the storage device 308, and generates intermediate data using the job name, the print setting information, and the attached information as metadata. The intermediate data generation unit 310 provides the intermediate data to the intermediate data storage unit 312.

  The intermediate data storage unit 312 is a functional unit that temporarily stores a print job for each page, which is intermediate data. When the intermediate data storage unit 312 receives the intermediate data 314, 316, and 318 from the intermediate data generation unit 310, the intermediate data storage unit 312 sequentially stores them in a storage device such as an HDD. When the intermediate data storage unit 312 stores the intermediate data, it issues an event to notify that effect.

  The synthesis process generation unit 320 is a functional unit that generates a process for synthesizing a plurality of related intermediate data (hereinafter referred to as “synthesis process”).

  When an event for notifying generation of intermediate data is issued, the synthesis process generation unit 320 refers to the synthesis rule stored in the storage device 321, and uses the job name specified in the synthesis rule and the intermediate data as metadata. If the added job name matches, the synthesis processes 323, 324, and 325 are generated. However, the synthesis process generation unit 320 refers to the management table 322 and does not generate a new synthesis process when a synthesis process for processing intermediate data has already been generated. The synthesis process generation unit 320 provides the synthesis rules used by the synthesis processes 323, 324, and 325 and the intermediate data to the synthesis process. The management table 322 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, a class of the synthesis process of the present invention is prepared in advance by object-oriented programming, and the synthesis process generation unit 320 instantiates the class to generate synthesis processes 323, 324, and 325 that are objects. A synthesis process class can be prepared for each synthesis rule, and the synthesis process generation unit 320 can instantiate a synthesis rule class related to intermediate data to generate a synthesis process. Alternatively, a general-purpose synthesis process class common to all synthesis rules may be prepared, and the synthesis process generation unit 320 may be configured to provide a synthesis rule related to intermediate data to the synthesis process.

  When the job name specified in the composition rule is different from the job name added to the intermediate data, the composition process generation unit 320 does not generate a composition process, and prints the intermediate data and the print setting information that is metadata thereof as a print server. It is transmitted to 120 together with the print request.

  The synthesis processes 323, 324, and 325 synthesize the intermediate data 327 provided by the synthesis process generation unit 320 based on the synthesis rule 326 to generate a print job including a plurality of pages of image data. When combining the intermediate data 327, the combining processes 323, 324, and 325 transmit a print job including the image data of the plurality of pages to the print server 120.

  The print server 120 includes an OS 330 that is a software program that controls the entire system of the print server 120. The OS 330 includes a print control program 332 that is a functional unit that controls print processing. The print control program 332 includes a print control unit 334 and a print data generation unit 336.

  The print control unit 334 is a functional unit that controls print processing. When receiving a print request from the client PC 112, 114, or 116, the print control unit 334 causes the print data generation unit 336 to generate print data, and transmits the print data to the printing apparatus 130 to execute printing.

  The print data generation unit 336 is a functional unit that generates print data described in a page description language. The print data generation unit 336 generates print data described in a page description language by using the print setting information that is the intermediate data and metadata received together with the print request.

  In the print processing system according to the present embodiment, the print server 120 employs a configuration including the print control unit 334 and the print data generation unit 336. However, in other embodiments, the print control unit 334 and the print are included in the client PCs 112, 114, and 116. A configuration including the data generation unit 336 may be employed, and printing may be executed by transmitting print data from these client PCs to the printing apparatus 130.

  FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing print processing executed by the print processing system of the present invention. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, upon receiving a print instruction issued by the user, the applications 300a, 300b, and 300c transmit the print setting change instruction to the print setting change unit 306, and the print setting change unit 306 is based on the user instruction. To change the print setting information. Then, the applications 300a, 300b, and 300c transmit a print execution command to the intermediate data generation unit 310, and the intermediate data generation unit 310 generates intermediate data using the print execution command as a trigger, and the applications 300a, 300b, and 300c Send an end notification. The intermediate data storage unit 312 stores these intermediate data.

  The synthesis process generation unit 320 generates synthesis processes 323, 324, and 325 that should process the intermediate data stored in the intermediate data storage unit 312 and provides the intermediate data. The synthesis processes 323, 324, and 325 synthesize intermediate data provided by the synthesis process generation unit 320, and transmit a print job of image data including a plurality of pages to the print server 120. The print server 120 generates print data from the print job, transmits the print data to the printing apparatus 130, and executes print processing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the synthesis processes 323, 324, and 325 synthesize intermediate data independently of each other. This makes it possible to multiplex the intermediate data combining process and prevent overhead due to the print job combining.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a synthesis process generation process executed by the client PC of this embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5, processing executed by the synthesis process generation unit 320 will be described.

  The process illustrated in FIG. 5 starts from step S500 when the synthesis process generation unit 320 detects an event. In step S501, the synthesis process generation unit 320 determines the type of event detected. If the detected event is an event indicating generation of intermediate data, the process branches to step S502.

  In step S502, the synthesis process generation unit 320 determines whether the intermediate data matches a synthesis rule. This determination method will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  If the intermediate data does not match the synthesis rule (no), the process branches to step S503. In step S503, the composition process generation unit 320 transmits a print request and intermediate data to the print server 120, and the process ends in step S509.

  On the other hand, if the intermediate data matches the synthesis rule (yes), the process branches to step S504. In step S504, the synthesis process generation unit 320 refers to the management table 322, and determines whether a synthesis process corresponding to the synthesis rule determined to match in step S502 has already been generated. If the synthesis process has already been generated (yes), the process branches to step S507. On the other hand, if the synthesis process has not yet been generated (no), the process branches to step S505.

  In step S505, the synthesis process generation unit 320 generates a new synthesis process, provides the synthesis rule, and generates a synthesis process corresponding to the synthesis rule. In step S506, the synthesis process generation unit 320 registers the synthesis rule ID indicating the synthesis rule and the process ID generated by the OS 302 in the management table 322.

  In step S507, the synthesis process generation unit 320 provides the intermediate data to the synthesis process corresponding to the synthesis rule, and the process ends in step S509.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S501 that the detected event is an event indicating the end of the synthesis process, the process branches to step S508.

  In step S508, the synthesis process generation unit 320 deletes the process ID indicating the completed synthesis process and the synthesis rule ID associated therewith from the management table 322, and the process ends in step S509.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the intermediate data composition processing executed by the client PC of this embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 6, processing executed by the synthesis process 323 will be described.

  The process shown in FIG. 6 starts from step S600 when the synthesis process generation unit 320 generates the synthesis process 323 in step S505 shown in FIG. In step S <b> 601, the synthesis process 323 determines whether intermediate data has been received from the synthesis process generation unit 320. If the intermediate data has not been received (no), the process of step S601 is repeated. On the other hand, if intermediate data has been received (yes), the process branches to step S602.

  In step S602, the synthesis process 323 temporarily stores the intermediate data in a storage device such as a RAM. In step S603, the compositing process 323 refers to the compositing rule and determines whether or not the intermediate data standby end condition is satisfied. If the end condition is not satisfied (no), the process returns to step S601 to wait for subsequent intermediate data. On the other hand, if the end condition is satisfied (yes), the process branches to step S604.

  In step S604, the synthesis process 323 arranges and synthesizes the intermediate data in a predetermined printing order. In step S605, the compositing process 323 transmits the print job generated by compositing the intermediate data to the print server 120. In step S606, the processing ends, and the compositing process 323 disappears.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a composition rule used by the client PC of this embodiment. The synthesis rule defines a rule for synthesizing intermediate data, and is used when the synthesis process generation unit 320 determines whether the intermediate data is a target of synthesis processing, and also includes synthesis processes 323, 324, and 325. Is used in determining whether to wait for intermediate data. Hereinafter, the composition rule 700 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The composition rule 700 shown in FIG. 7 includes four composition rules, and includes a character string “User” that defines user-specified conditions, a character string “JobNamePattern” that defines job-specified conditions, and an intermediate data standby condition. A character string “Until” that defines the end condition and a character string “Except” that defines an exception to the end condition are included.

  In the synthesis rule 1 shown in FIG. 7, “* Same *” is specified as the user-specified condition, “A | B | C” as the job-specified condition, “PatternComplete” as the end condition, and “10 min” as the exception condition of the end condition. ing.

  The user-specified condition “* Same *” is a command for instructing synthesis of intermediate data generated by the print instruction of the same user, and means that the synthesis rule 1 is applied to the same user. The job designation condition “A | B | C” is a character string indicating a job name. The end condition “PatternComplete” is a command statement for ending the standby process of intermediate data when all print jobs having a job name specified by the job specification condition have been received. The exception condition “10 min” indicates the time to wait for intermediate data after the synthesis process is generated.

  In the embodiment employing the synthesis rule 1, as described above, the synthesis process generation unit 320 identifies a synthesis rule including a job designation condition that matches the job name of the intermediate data, and selects a synthesis process corresponding to the synthesis rule. Generate. For example, when the job name of the intermediate data is composed of the letter “A”, the synthesis process generation unit 320 determines that the intermediate data matches the synthesis rule 1, and generates a synthesis process that employs the synthesis rule 1.

  Then, when receiving the subsequent intermediate data, the synthesis process generation unit 320 determines whether or not the job name that is metadata of the intermediate data matches the job specification condition of the synthesis rule 1. If the job name matches the job specification condition of the synthesis rule 1, the synthesis process generation unit 320 further determines whether the user name that is the metadata of the intermediate data matches the user specification condition of the synthesis rule 1 or not. to decide. That is, the synthesis process generation unit 320 refers to the management table 322 and determines whether the user name associated with the synthesis process matches the user name that is metadata of the intermediate data. If these user names match, the synthesis process generation unit 320 determines that the intermediate data matches the synthesis rule 1, and provides the intermediate data to the synthesis process.

  On the other hand, the compositing process adopting the composing rule 1 waits for the intermediate data until all the intermediate data indicated by the job name including the characters “A”, “B”, or “C” is received. When all of the intermediate data is received, the synthesis process synthesizes the intermediate data in the job name description order defined in the synthesis rule, that is, in the order of job names “A”, “B”, and “C”. . However, since an exceptional condition is defined in the synthesis rule 1, the synthesis process is intermediate when 10 minutes have elapsed since the synthesis process was generated even before all of the intermediate data is received. Stops waiting for data and synthesizes intermediate data received so far.

  In this embodiment, the synthesis process can measure time from the generation time of the synthesis process using a timer such as a software timer provided by the OS 302, the synthesis process generation unit 320, and the like. Waiting for intermediate data can be stopped when the exception condition is met.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when a single print job is divided into a plurality of print jobs having job names composed of specific characters according to the specification of an application program such as a business application, an interactive operation by the user is required. And can be integrated into one print job.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, only print jobs of the same user are combined, so that when a plurality of users issue print requests, the print jobs can be combined without mixing print jobs of different users. .

  In the composition rule 2 shown in FIG. 7, “*” is set as the user specified condition, and “XXX [^-] +-\ ([: num:] + \) / \ [: num:] + \) where is specified as the job specified condition. \ 1> 0 and \ 1 <= \ 2 and immutable (\ 2) order \ 1 "," PatternComplete "is defined as the termination condition, and" 1h "is defined as the exception condition of the termination condition.

  The user specified condition “*” is a command statement used when the user name is not limited, and means that the synthesis rule 2 is applied to all users. When providing intermediate data to a synthesis process that employs the synthesis rule 2, the synthesis process generation unit 320 sets the job name, which is metadata of the intermediate data stored in the intermediate data storage unit 312, as the job specification condition of the synthesis rule 2. By determining whether or not they match, it is determined whether or not the intermediate data matches the synthesis rule 2.

  The job specification condition of composition rule 2 is described in regular expressions, and is based on the combination of the first number and the second number indicated by the arbitrary character string “XXX” and “\ [: num:] + \”. Specify a job name consisting of For example, “meeting material 20101229-1 / 3”, “meeting material 20101229-2 / 3”, and “meeting material 20101229-3 / 3” correspond to the job specification condition. In this case, “Meeting Material 20101229” corresponds to the character string “XXX”, numbers “1” to “3” positioned between “−” and “/” correspond to the first number, and “/” The number “3” that follows is a second number.

  The job specification condition of composition rule 2 has an incidental condition. The incidental condition “where \ 1> 0 and \ 1 <= \ 2” has a first number greater than 0 and the first number is the second. Indicates that the number is less than or equal to. The instruction sentence “immutable” is an instruction sentence that specifies that the number does not change. In the synthesis rule 2, it means that the second number does not change.

  Furthermore, the command statement “order” is a command statement that defines the synthesis order of the intermediate data, and the synthesis process that employs the synthesis rule 2 synthesizes the intermediate data in ascending order of the first number. For example, if the job name is “Meeting Material 20101229-1 / 3”, “Meeting Material 20101229-2 / 3”, or “Meeting Material 20101229-3 / 3”, the composition process is “Meeting Material 20101229-1 / 3”. Are combined in order from the print job indicated by “

  In the embodiment employing the composition rule 2, since the image data of the first page are combined in order, a plurality of image data can be printed in the page order regardless of the job arrival order.

  In the synthesis rule 3 shown in FIG. 7, “foobar” is specified as a user-specified condition, “*” as a job-specified condition, “TestPrint” as an end condition, and “10 min” as an exception condition of the end condition.

  The user-specified condition “foobar” means that the composition rule 3 is applied to a print job having the user name “foobar” as metadata. The job designation condition “*” is a command statement used when the job name is not limited, and means that the job name is not limited. The end condition “TestPrint” is a command statement that waits for intermediate data until a test print request issued by the application program 300a, 300b, or 300c is received.

  In the embodiment employing the synthesis rule 3, the synthesis process generation unit 320 determines whether the user name, which is the metadata of the intermediate data, matches “foobar” defined in the user-specified condition, and these match. If so, it is determined that the intermediate data matches the synthesis rule 3, and a synthesis process that employs the synthesis rule 3 is generated. When the subsequent intermediate data is accumulated in the intermediate data accumulation unit 312, the synthesis process generation unit 320 sequentially provides the intermediate data having the user name “foobar” to the synthesis process.

  On the other hand, when the synthesis process adopting the synthesis rule 3 receives the intermediate data from the synthesis process generation unit 320, it determines whether the type of the print request for the intermediate data is a normal print request or a test print request. When the type of print request for the intermediate data is a test print request, the synthesis process stops the intermediate data standby process and synthesizes the intermediate data received so far.

  In the embodiment adopting the composition rule 3, only a specific user can compose a print job. Therefore, even when a plurality of users give the same job name at the same time, the intermediate data of different users are mixed. Intermediate data can be synthesized. In this embodiment, when a test print request is executed, the intermediate data is stopped and the synthesis process is performed. Therefore, the user intentionally accumulates a plurality of intermediate data, and at the timing when the user wants to actually print out. A test print request can be issued and printed out.

  In the synthesis rule 4 shown in FIG. 7, “*” is specified as the user specification condition, “XXX. *” Is specified as the job specification condition, and “10 min” is specified as the end condition. The job designation condition “XXX. *” Designates a job name composed of arbitrary characters, numbers, symbols, and combinations thereof for the character string “XXX”.

  In the embodiment employing the synthesis rule 4, when the job name that is the metadata of the intermediate data is configured to include the character string “XXX”, the synthesis process generation unit 320 includes the intermediate data Is determined to match the synthesis rule 4, and a synthesis process that employs the synthesis rule 4 is generated. When the subsequent intermediate data is accumulated in the intermediate data accumulation unit 312, the synthesis process generation unit 320 sequentially provides the intermediate data including the character string “XXX” in the job name to the synthesis process. .

  On the other hand, the synthesis process that employs the synthesis rule 4 waits for intermediate data until 10 minutes specified by the end condition have elapsed since the synthesis process was generated. Then, when 10 minutes have elapsed, the synthesis process stops the standby process for intermediate data and synthesizes the intermediate data received so far.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a management table used by the client PC of this embodiment. The management tables 800 and 810 used by the synthesis process generation unit 320 will be described below with reference to FIG.

  The management table 800 is a management table used in an embodiment that employs a synthesis rule that does not limit users according to user-specified conditions, and a process ID 802 and a synthesis rule ID 804 are registered in association with each other.

  The process ID 802 is identification information of the synthesis process generated by the OS 302 when the synthesis process generation unit 320 generates a synthesis process. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, an integer value such as “1”, “2”, “3”, etc. is adopted as the process ID, but in other embodiments, any number, symbol, Characters or combinations thereof can be employed.

  The composition rule ID 804 is identification information of a composition rule indicating a composition rule adopted by the composition process specified by the process ID. The composition rule ID 804 may be defined in advance in the composition rule, or may be dynamically generated when the composition process generation unit 320 registers the composition rule ID in the management table 800. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a combination of characters, numbers, and symbols such as “rule_1”, “rule_2”, and “rule_3” is adopted as the composition rule ID, but in other embodiments, the composition rule can be uniquely identified. As long as any letters, numbers, symbols, or combinations thereof can be employed.

  When the synthesis process generation unit 320 generates the synthesis process, the process ID and the synthesis rule ID indicating the synthesis rule adopted by the synthesis process are associated and registered in the management table 800. Further, the synthesis process generation unit 320 refers to the management table 800, and if the process ID is registered in association with the synthesis rule ID indicating the synthesis rule that matches the job name added to the intermediate data, the intermediate process generates the intermediate data. It can be determined that the synthesis process to be processed has already been generated, and the intermediate data is provided to the synthesis process. Further, when the synthesis process disappears, the synthesis process generation unit 320 deletes the process ID and the synthesis rule ID associated therewith from the management table 800.

  The management table 810 is a management table used in an embodiment that employs a synthesis rule that restricts users according to user-specified conditions. A process ID 812, a synthesis rule ID 814, and a user name 816 are registered in association with each other.

  The user name 816 is information that identifies the user who issued the print request, and is identification information that indicates the user who has generated the synthesis process by the print request. When the user is limited by the user-specified conditions of the synthesis rule, when the synthesis process generation unit 320 generates the synthesis process, the user name of the user who has generated the synthesis process indicated by the process ID together with the process ID and the synthesis rule ID Associate and register. Further, when the synthesis process disappears, the synthesis process generation unit 320 deletes the process ID, the synthesis rule ID associated with the process ID, and the user name from the management table 810.

  FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing intermediate data composition processing employed by the present invention. The intermediate data 900, 904, and 908 are print jobs before combining, and the print job 912 is a print job generated by combining these intermediate data.

  The intermediate data 900, 904, 908 includes print requests 901, 905, 909, metadata 902, 906, 910, and image data 903, 907, 911 in units of pages. The image data 903 corresponds to the first page of the image data to be printed, and the image data 907 and the image data 911 correspond to the second page or the third page of the image data to be printed, respectively.

  When the intermediate data 900, 904, and 908 are combined, a print job 912 including image data 915 including the first page, the second page, and the third page of the image data to be printed is generated. In the present embodiment, the image data is printed in the ascending order of the pages. Therefore, the image data is synthesized in the order of the first page, the second page, and the third page of the image data.

  The print request and metadata of the intermediate data 900, 904, and 908 are inherited by the print job 912. In the present embodiment, the metadata 914 of the combined print job 912 includes print setting information included in the intermediate data 900, 904, and 908.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a client PC and a print server according to another embodiment of the present invention. The functional configurations of the client PC 112 and the print server 120 that employ Windows (registered trademark) as the OS will be described below with reference to FIG. 10, focusing on differences from the embodiment shown in FIG.

  The client PC 112 includes application programs 1000a, 1000b, and 1000c, a spooler subsystem 1002, a spooler 1012, and a print processor 1020.

  The spooler subsystem 1002 is a print control module provided by the OS of the client PC 112, and includes a print control program 1004 and an EMF output unit 1010.

  The EMF output unit 1010 is a functional unit that generates EMF data that is intermediate data. When receiving the print execution command from the application programs 1000a, 1000b, and 1000c, the EMF output unit 1010 generates EMF data that is intermediate data in units of pages.

  The spooler 1012 is a functional unit that temporarily stores EMF data that is intermediate data. When the spooler 1012 receives the EMF data 1014, 1016, and 1018 from the EMF output unit 1010, the spooler 1012 sequentially stores the data in a storage device such as an HDD and issues an event to notify that effect.

  The print processor 1020 is a module that combines the EMF data acquired from the spooler 1012 and transmits it to the print server 120. The print processor 1020 includes a dispatcher generation unit 1023 that combines a plurality of related EMF data and generates a process for distributing print output destinations (hereinafter referred to as “dispatcher”).

  When the EMF data is stored in the spooler 1012, the dispatcher generation unit 1023 acquires the EMF data, refers to the synthesis rule stored in the storage device 1021, and refers to the job name and user name that are metadata of the EMF data. Is used to determine whether or not the composition rule is satisfied. If there is a matching synthesis rule, the dispatcher generation unit 1023 determines whether a dispatcher corresponding to the synthesis rule has already been generated. If the dispatcher has not been generated, a new dispatcher is generated.

  Further, the dispatcher generation unit 1023 refers to the distribution rule stored in the storage device 1022, uses the metadata of the EMF data to determine a printing device on which the printing process is to be performed, and identifies the printing device. Provides output destination information, which is information, to the dispatcher.

  In the distribution rule, EMF data distribution conditions and output destination information are registered in association with each other. For example, the user who issued the print request and the identification information of the printing apparatus assigned to the user can be registered in association with each other. The host name indicating the client PC that issued the print request and the identification information of the printing apparatus assigned to the client PC can be registered in association with each other. Furthermore, information specifying color printing included in the print setting information can be registered in association with identification information of a printing apparatus that allows or recommends color printing. Furthermore, information specifying monochrome printing included in the print setting information can be registered in association with identification information of a printing apparatus that allows or recommends monochrome printing. The dispatcher generation unit 1023 can determine to which printing apparatus the EMF data should be distributed using the user name, print setting information, and the like, which are metadata of the EMF data.

  The dispatchers 1025, 1026, and 1027 are configured to include a synthesis unit 1028 that synthesizes EMF data. The combining unit 1028 refers to the combining rule provided by the dispatcher generating unit 1023 and waits for EMF data until the end condition to be applied is satisfied. When the end condition is satisfied, the combining unit 1028 combines the EMF data received so far and generates a print job including a plurality of EMF data. The dispatchers 1025, 1026, and 1027 add print setting information and output destination information to the print job and transmit the print job to the print server 120.

  The print server 120 includes a spooler subsystem 1030 that is a print control module provided by the OS of the print server 120, and the spooler subsystem 1030 includes a print control program 1032.

  When the print server 120 receives a print job from the client PC 112, the print control unit 1034 of the print control program 1032 causes the print data generation unit 1036 to generate print data described in the page description language from the print job. The print control unit 1034 transmits the print data to the printing apparatus specified by the output destination information added to the print job and executes printing.

  In the print processing system according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10, the print server 120 employs a configuration including the print control unit 1034 and the print data generation unit 1036, but in other embodiments, the print control unit is included in the client PCs 112, 114, and 116. 1034 and the print data generation unit 1036 may be adopted, and print data may be transmitted from these client PCs to the printing apparatus 130 to execute printing.

  Although the present embodiment has been described so far, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the constituent elements of the present embodiment are changed or deleted, or the constituent elements of the present embodiment are changed to other configurations. It can be changed within a range that can be conceived by those skilled in the art, such as adding an element, and any aspect is included in the scope of the present invention as long as the effects of the present invention are exhibited.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Print processing system, 112, 114, 116 ... Client PC, 120 ... Print server, 130 ... Printing apparatus, 140 ... Network

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-16343

Claims (10)

An information processing apparatus that causes a printing apparatus to execute printing, and the information processing apparatus includes:
Intermediate data generating means for generating intermediate data that is a print job of image data in units of pages;
A synthesis process generating means for generating a synthesis process for synthesizing the intermediate data matching the synthesis rule with reference to a synthesis rule defining a rule for synthesizing the intermediate data;
The synthesis process generation means includes
Generate multiple synthesis processes and provide intermediate data to be synthesized by each synthesis process,
Each of the plurality of synthesis processes is
An information processing apparatus that combines intermediate data to generate a print job for image data of a plurality of pages and causes the printing apparatus to print the print job.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synthesis process waits for intermediate data until an end condition for waiting for intermediate data defined in the synthesis rule is satisfied.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the synthesis process synthesizes intermediate data in a synthesis order defined by the synthesis rule. A print processing system including a printing apparatus, an information processing apparatus that causes the printing apparatus to perform printing, and a print server,
The information processing apparatus includes:
Intermediate data generating means for generating intermediate data that is a print job of image data in units of pages;
A synthesis process generating means for generating a synthesis process for synthesizing the intermediate data matching the synthesis rule with reference to a synthesis rule defining a rule for synthesizing the intermediate data;
The synthesis process generation means includes
Generate multiple synthesis processes and provide intermediate data to be synthesized by each synthesis process,
Each of the plurality of synthesis processes is
The intermediate data is combined to generate a print job for a plurality of pages of image data and sent to the print server,
The print server
Print data generation means for generating print data described in a page description language from a print job of the image data of the plurality of pages;
And a print control unit that transmits the print data to the printing apparatus to print the print data. A print processing system including a printing apparatus and a print server that causes the printing apparatus to execute printing,
The print server
Print data generation means for generating print data described in a page description language from a print job of image data of a plurality of pages generated by combining intermediate data that is a print job of image data in units of pages;
And a print control unit that transmits the print data to the printing apparatus to print the print data. A method executed by an information processing apparatus that causes a printing apparatus to execute printing, the method including:
Generating intermediate data that is a print job of image data in units of pages;
Generating a synthesis process for synthesizing intermediate data that matches the synthesis rule with reference to a synthesis rule that defines a rule for synthesizing the intermediate data; and
Generating the synthesis process comprises:
Generating a plurality of synthesis processes, each synthesis process providing intermediate data to be synthesized,
Each of the plurality of synthesis processes is
Combining the intermediate data to generate a print job of a plurality of pages of image data and causing the printing apparatus to print the method.   A computer-executable program for causing an information processing apparatus to execute the steps according to claim 6. An information processing apparatus that causes a printing apparatus to execute printing, and the information processing apparatus includes:
Intermediate data generating means for generating intermediate data that is a print job of image data in units of pages;
A process generating means for generating a process for processing the intermediate data matching the synthesis rule with reference to a synthesis rule defining a rule for synthesizing the intermediate data;
Including
The process generation means includes
Generate a plurality of processes, provide intermediate data to be combined by each process, and determine a printing apparatus on which printing processing is to be performed with reference to a distribution rule that defines a printing apparatus on which printing is to be performed. Provide that identification information to each process,
Each of the plurality of processes is
An information processing apparatus that synthesizes intermediate data to generate a print job of a plurality of pages of image data, and causes the printing apparatus indicated by the identification information to print. A print processing system including a plurality of printing apparatuses, an information processing apparatus that causes the printing apparatus to perform printing, and a print server,
The information processing apparatus includes:
Intermediate data generating means for generating intermediate data that is a print job of image data in units of pages;
A process generating means for generating a process for processing the intermediate data matching the synthesis rule with reference to a synthesis rule defining a rule for synthesizing the intermediate data;
Including
The process generation means includes
Generate a plurality of processes, provide intermediate data to be combined by each process, and refer to a sorting rule that defines a printing device to perform printing, determine a printing device to perform printing processing, Providing that identification information to each process,
Each of the plurality of processes is
The intermediate data is combined to generate a print job of a plurality of pages of image data, and sent to the print server together with the identification information,
The print server
Print data generation means for generating print data described in a page description language from a print job of the image data of the plurality of pages;
And a print control unit that transmits the print data to a printing apparatus indicated by the identification information and prints the print data. A print processing system including a plurality of printing apparatuses and a print server that causes the printing apparatus to execute printing,
The print server
Print data generation means for generating print data described in a page description language from a print job of image data of a plurality of pages generated by combining intermediate data that is a print job of image data in units of pages;
And a print control unit that transmits the print data to a designated printing apparatus to print the print data.