Autonomous decision-making in print job redirection
First Claim
1. A method for redirecting a print job comprising:
- providing a network comprising a plurality of printers, each printer being associated with a negotiator, the negotiators each being configured for utilizing constraint services which ensure that constraints associated with an outsource request are met, each of the constraint services applying a different set of constraints, the constraint services comprising;
a split service which ensures that if the print job is split into sub-jobs, the print job is an exact composition of the sub-jobs, an include service which enables an offer to be made by another negotiator for a portion of the print job, and an equal service which ensures that a print job is outsourced as a whole;
conducting at least one negotiation for the redirection of at least a portion of the print job between a first negotiator associated with a first printer of the plurality of printers and at least another negotiator associated with another of the plurality of printers, including;
utilizing at least one of the constraint services to formulate an outsourcing request for execution of at least a portion of the print job for the first negotiator, the outsource request including parameters of the print job expressed in a negotiation protocol;
communicating the outsource request from the first negotiator to the other negotiator;
where the print job meets insourcing conditions, communicating a print job insource offer for execution of at least a portion of the print job to the first negotiator from the other negotiator, expressed in the negotiation protocol, whereby an agreement is formed between the first negotiator and the other negotiator;
optionally, where the communicated insource offer is for only a portion of the print job, formulating a modified outsourcing request which takes into account the insource offer for the portion of the print job;
redirecting the print job to at least one other printer of the plurality of printers with which an agreement has been made through negotiation between its negotiator and the first negotiator.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A printing system includes printers capable of redirecting print jobs to one another. A negotiator associated with each printer negotiates print job redirections. If a printer is unable to execute a print job, the negotiator seeks to outsource the print job by communicating an outsource request to other negotiators. In formulating an outsource request, the negotiator utilizes one or more constraint services. A negotiator which receives the outsource request includes an insource mechanism which determines whether to make an offer in which the associated printer is to execute at least a portion of the print job to be outsourced. If negotiator determines to make the offer, the insource offer is communicated to the first negotiator. The negotiators may each contemporaneously conduct a plurality of negotiations for a particular print job to be outsourced and/or contemporaneously conduct a plurality of negotiations for different print jobs to be insourced.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method for redirecting a print job comprising:
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providing a network comprising a plurality of printers, each printer being associated with a negotiator, the negotiators each being configured for utilizing constraint services which ensure that constraints associated with an outsource request are met, each of the constraint services applying a different set of constraints, the constraint services comprising;
a split service which ensures that if the print job is split into sub-jobs, the print job is an exact composition of the sub-jobs, an include service which enables an offer to be made by another negotiator for a portion of the print job, and an equal service which ensures that a print job is outsourced as a whole;
conducting at least one negotiation for the redirection of at least a portion of the print job between a first negotiator associated with a first printer of the plurality of printers and at least another negotiator associated with another of the plurality of printers, including;
utilizing at least one of the constraint services to formulate an outsourcing request for execution of at least a portion of the print job for the first negotiator, the outsource request including parameters of the print job expressed in a negotiation protocol;
communicating the outsource request from the first negotiator to the other negotiator;
where the print job meets insourcing conditions, communicating a print job insource offer for execution of at least a portion of the print job to the first negotiator from the other negotiator, expressed in the negotiation protocol, whereby an agreement is formed between the first negotiator and the other negotiator;
optionally, where the communicated insource offer is for only a portion of the print job, formulating a modified outsourcing request which takes into account the insource offer for the portion of the print job;
redirecting the print job to at least one other printer of the plurality of printers with which an agreement has been made through negotiation between its negotiator and the first negotiator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 27)
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20. A negotiation apparatus comprising:
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a negotiator associated with a printer, which communicates with other negotiators, each associated with a respective printer, each of the printers being capable of executing print jobs, the negotiator comprising;
memory for storing information on a plurality of ongoing negotiations, each of the ongoing negotiations comprising an outsource request and at least one insource offer from another of the negotiators, which is at least partially responsive to the outsource request;
a processor, in communication with the memory, which executes processing instructions for carrying out a negotiation in which the negotiator seeks to outsource a print job, the processor in executing the processing instructions;
(a) generating an outsource request for a print job to be outsourced, expressed in the negotiation protocol, the outsource request including parameters of the print job;
(b) communicating the outsource request to at least one other of the negotiators;
(c) receiving an insource offer from another negotiator, expressed in the negotiation protocol, the insource offer being at least partially responsive to an outsource request; and
(d) identifying at least one of an insource offer and a combination of insource offers which satisfies the outsource request. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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28. A printing system comprising:
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a plurality of printers which execute print jobs, the printers being capable of redirecting print jobs to other printers of the plurality of printers;
a negotiator associated with each of the printers capable of negotiating a redirection of a print job from its associated printer to another of the printers, wherein, when a first of the printers receives a print job with parameters which the first printer cannot execute, its negotiator seeks to outsource the print job, by communicating an outsource request which includes parameters of the print job to at least a second of the negotiators of the other printers, the parameters of the print job being expressed in a negotiation protocol, the at least a second negotiator which receives the outsource request including an insource mechanism which determines whether to make an offer in which the associated printer is to execute at least a portion of the print job to be outsourced and where the second negotiator determines to make the offer, the second negotiator communicating an insource offer for the at least a portion of the print job to the first negotiator, expressed in the negotiation protocol, the negotiators each being configured for entering a plurality of negotiations for a particular print job to be outsourced and for entering a plurality of negotiations for different print jobs to be insourced.
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29. An article of manufacture to be communicatively linked with a printer, the article comprising:
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a negotiation processor comprising processing instructions for performing a negotiation with negotiation processors associated with other printers, the processing instructions comprising;
instructions for outsourcing print jobs including;
instructions for generating an outsource request for a print job to be outsourced, the outsource request including parameters of the print job, instructions for communicating the outsource request to other negotiation processors, instructions for forming an agreement with a second processor which communicates an insourcing request which is at least partially responsive to the outsource request, instructions for generating a modified outsource request when the second negotiation processor which communicates an insource offer communicates an insource offer which is only partially responsive to an outsource request, and instructions for redirecting the print job to at least one other printer, for which an agreement has been formed with the associated negotiation processor;
instructions for insourcing print jobs including;
instructions for generating an insource offer for a print job to be insourced, the insource offer being at least partially responsive to an outsource request from another processor, and instructions for communicating the insource offer to the processor communicating the outsource request.
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Specification