Notification escalation in printing systems

• US 20070279668A1
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Seitz, Douglas, Price, Suzanne, Czyszczewski, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,675,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1212 achieving reduced delay between job submission and print start
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a printer controller in a printing system to flexibly define conditions for notification to one or more recipients of intervention states of the printing system. The time delay for transmitting escalated intervention notification message may be dynamically determined in accordance with present operating parameters of the printing system. Other aspects provide that the recipients of such messages and the form of such messages may be dynamically determined in accordance with present operating parameters of the printing system. Policy rules may define the predicate conditions for determining the timeout values for escalation and for determining the message format and recipients.

Claims

1. A method operable within a printer controller of a printing system, the method:

comprising;

sensing an intervention state of the printing system;

transmitting an initial notification message to one or more recipients to notify of the sensed intervention state;

dynamically determining a timeout value to await removal of the intervention state wherein the timeout value is determined in accordance with one or more operating parameters associated with the printing system; and

transmitting an escalated notification message to one or more recipients in response to expiration of the timeout value

2. The method of claim 1

wherein the step of dynamically determining further comprises determining the timeout value in accordance with a load level of the printing system, and

wherein the step of transmitting an escalated notification message further comprises transmitting the escalated notification information sooner if the printing system is heavily loaded and later if the printing system is not heavily loaded.

3. The method of claim 1

wherein the step of dynamically determining further comprises determining the timeout value in accordance with the current time of day, and

wherein the step of transmitting an escalated notification message further comprises transmitting the escalated notification message sooner if the time of day is nearing the end of a predefined period of operation of the printing system.

4. The method of claim 1

wherein the step of dynamically determining further comprises determining the timeout value in accordance with an attribute of a print job in the printing system.

5. The method of claim 4

wherein the step of transmitting an escalated notification message further comprises transmitting the escalated notification message at a time determined in accordance with the identity of the computer system that submitted the print job.

6. The method of claim 4

wherein the step of transmitting an escalated notification message further comprises transmitting the escalated notification message at a time determined in accordance with the identity of the application program that submitted the print job.

7. The method of claim 4

wherein the step of transmitting an escalated notification message further comprises transmitting the escalated notification message at a time determined in accordance with the identity of the user that submitted the print job.

8. The method of claim 4

wherein the step of transmitting an escalated notification message further comprises transmitting the escalated notification message at a time determined in accordance with a priority assigned to the print job.

9. The method of claim 4

wherein the step of transmitting an escalated notification message further comprises transmitting the escalated notification message at a time determined in accordance with a deadline associated with printing the print job.

10. The method of claim 1

wherein the step of transmitting an escalated notification message further comprises transmitting the escalated notification message to at least one different recipient than received the initial notification message.

11. A printer controller associated with a printing system, the printer controller comprising:

an event sensor adapted to sense an event in the printing system; and

a notification manager coupled to the event sensor wherein the notification manager further comprises;

an initial notification transmitter to transmit an initial notification message in response to sensing the event;

a timeout determination element to dynamically determine a timeout value to await removal of the sensed event wherein the timeout value is determined in accordance with one or more operating parameters associated with the printing system; and

an escalated notification transmitter operable in response to sensing expiration of the timeout value and adapted to transmit an escalated notification message to one or more recipients.

12. The printer controller of claim 11 wherein the timeout determination element is adapted to determine the timeout value in accordance with loading of the printing system.

13. The printer controller of claim 11 wherein the timeout determination element is adapted to determine the timeout value in accordance with current time of day.

14. The printer controller of claim 11 wherein the timeout determination element is adapted to determine the timeout value in accordance with an attribute of a print job submitted to the printing system.

15. A method operable in a printer controller of a printing system for generating notification messages regarding intervention states of the printing system, the method comprising:

transmitting one or more initial notification messages regarding a sensed intervention state of the printing system;

escalating the intervention state after a dynamically determined period of time through which the intervention state remains active; and

transmitting one or more escalated notification messages in response to expiration of the dynamically determined period of time.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

determining the dynamically determined period of time based on one or more operating parameters of the printing system wherein the operating parameters comprise;

printing system load, attributes of a print job submitted to the printing system, and current time of day.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of transmitting one or more escalated notification messages further comprises:

transmitting the one or more escalated notification messages to at least one different recipient than received the initial notification messages.

18. A computer program product operable in a printer controller the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium embodying a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a printer controller causes the printer controller to perform the steps of:

transmitting one or more initial notification messages regarding a sensed intervention state of the printing system;

escalating the intervention state after a dynamically determined period of time through which the intervention state remains active; and

transmitting one or more escalated notification messages in response to expiration of the dynamically determined period of time.

19. The program product of claim 18

wherein the performed steps further comprise:

determining the dynamically determined period of time based on one or more operating parameters of the printing system wherein the operating parameters comprise;

printing system load, attributes of a print job submitted to the printing system, and current time of day.

20. The program product of claim 18

wherein the performed step of transmitting one or more escalated notification messages further comprises:

transmitting the one or more escalated notification messages to at least one different recipient than received the initial notification messages.