Print control method and apparatus and print system

• US 20020042797A1
• Filed: 10/04/2001
• Published: 04/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kimura, Mitsuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,315,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/500
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/121 Facilitating exception or error detection and recovery, e.g. fault, media or consumables depleted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1234 Errors handling and recovery, e.g. reprinting G06F3/1261 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1262 by grouping or ganging jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

When a group print job is to be processed, a print application issues a grouping start instruction to a print system client first. The respective print jobs are then transmitted to a spooler. The print system client extracts the print jobs and sends them to a printer in accordance with scheduling by a print system server. In this case, if a transmission retry, transmission error, error after transmission, or the like occurs in a member print job belonging to the group job, the corresponding status is set as the status of the group job. The subsequent processing is performed as if the error had occurred in the overall group job.

Claims

1. A print control apparatus for executing a group job including a plurality of print jobs as member print jobs, comprising:

means for continuously executing the member print jobs included in the group job in a designated order; and

means for, when a status of any member print job changes, changing a status of the group job, to which the member print job belongs, in accordance with the status of the member print job.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the status of the member print job changes to “

sending”

indicating that the job is being transmitted to a printer, said changing means changes the status of the group job to which the member print job belongs to “

sending”

.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the status of the member print job changes to “

sent”

indicating that the job has been sent to a printer, said changing means changes the status of the group job to which the member print job belongs to “

sent”

if statuses of all member print jobs of the group job are “

sent”

, and changes the status of the group job to “

sent error”

indicating the occurrence of an error after transmission to the printer if the status of any member print job is “

sent error”

.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the status of the member print job changes to “

interrupt”

indicating that transmission can be resumed, said changing means changes the status of the group job to which the member print job belongs to “

interrupt”

.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the status of the member print job changes to “

stop”

indicating that transmission cannot be resumed, said changing means changes the status of the group job to which the member print job belongs to “

stop”

.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the status of the member print job changes to “

sent error”

, said changing means changes the status of the group job to which the member print job belongs to “

sent error”

if statuses of all member print jobs of the group job are “

sent”

or “

sent error”

.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display control means for making a display unit display a status of a print job under processing including the status of the group job.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the status of the member print job changes to “

stop”

, processing of other member print jobs is stopped regardless of the statuses of the jobs.

25. A print system characterized by being formed by connecting said print control apparatus defined in claim 1 which serves as a print client, a print server for scheduling print jobs issued from said print client, and a printer for executing the print jobs in accordance with scheduling by said print server.

9. A print control method of executing a group job including a plurality of print jobs as member print jobs, comprising:

the step of continuously executing the member print jobs included in the group job in a designated order; and

the step of, when a status of any member print job changes, changing a status of the group job, to which the member print job belongs, in accordance with the status of the member print job.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, in the changing step, when the status of the member print job changes to “

sending”

indicating that the job is being transmitted to a printer, the status of the group job is changed to which the member print job belongs to “

sending”

.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein, in the changing step, when the status of the member print job changes to “

sent”

indicating that the job has been sent to a printer, the status of the group job is changed to which the member print job belongs to “

sent”

if statuses of all member print jobs of the group job are “

sent”

, and the status of the group job is changed to “

sent error”

indicating the occurrence of an error after transmission to the printer if the status of any member print job is “

sent error”

.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein, in the changing step, when the status of the member print job changes to “

interrupt”

indicating that transmission can be resumed, the status of the group job is changed to which the member print job belongs to “

interrupt”

.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein, in the changing step, when the status of the member print job changes to “

stop”

indicating that transmission cannot be resumed, the status of the group job to which the member print job belongs is changed to “

stop”

.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein, in the changing step, when the status of the member print job changes to “

sent error”

, the status of the group job to which the member print job belongs is changed to “

sent error”

if statuses of all member print jobs of the group job are “

sent”

or “

sent error”

.

15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the display control step of making a display unit display a status of a print job under processing including the status of the group job.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein, when the status of the member print job changes to “

stop”

, processing of other member print jobs is stopped regardless of the statuses of the jobs.

18. The program according to claim 17, wherein, when the status of the member print job changes to “

sending”

indicating that the job is being transmitted to a printer, the program code for the changing step changes the status of the group job to which the member print job belongs to “

sending”

.

19. The program according to claim 17, wherein, when the status of the member print job changes to “

sent”

indicating that the job has been sent to a printer, the program code for the changing step changes the status of the group job to which the member print job belongs to “

sent”

if statuses of all member print jobs of the group job are “

sent”

, and changes the status of the group job to “

sent error”

indicating the occurrence of an error after transmission to the printer if the status of any member print job is “

sent error”

.

20. The program according to claim 17, wherein, when the status of the member print job changes to “

interrupt”

indicating that transmission can be resumed, the program code for the changing step changes the status of the group job to which the member print job belongs to “

interrupt”

.

21. The program according to claim 17, wherein, when the status of the member print job changes to “

stop”

indicating that transmission cannot be resumed, the program code for the changing step changes the status of the group job to which the member print job belongs to “

stop”

.

22. The program according to claim 17, wherein, when the status of the member print job changes to “

sent error”

, the program code for the changing step changes the status of the group job to which the member print job belongs to “

sent error”

if statuses of all member print jobs of the group job are “

sent”

or “

sent error”

.

23. The program according to claim 17, further comprising a program code for the display control step of making a display unit display a status of a print job under processing including the status of the group job.

24. The program according to claim 21, wherein, when the status of the member print job changes to “

stop”

, processing of other member print jobs is stopped regardless of the statuses of the jobs.

17. A computer program for controlling a group job including a plurality of print jobs as member print jobs, comprising:

a program code for the step of continuously executing the member print jobs included in the group job in a designated order; and

a program code for the step of, when a status of any member print job changes, changing a status of the group job, to which the member print job belongs, in accordance with the status of the member print job.

26. A computer-readable storage medium for storing the computer program defined in claim 17.