Automatic load balancer for presses

• US 20130286430A1
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Indigo BV (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Indigo BV (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Morris, Steve, Mucher, Philippe, Gilon, Nir
• Granted Patent: US 9,170,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1508 Load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1217 achieving reduced idle time at the output device or increased asset utilization
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/124 Parallel printing or parallel ripping
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1263 based on job priority, e.g. re-arranging the order of jobs, e.g. the printing sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1282 High volume printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A press load balancer automatically balances the printing load over a number of presses by taking into account the load on each press and the substrates (i.e., paper types) and inks installed on the presses to improve throughput while minimizing load on the press operators.

Claims

1. A method for load balancing presses, comprising:

monitoring the presses;

monitoring post-raster image processor (RIP) queues on a network accessible storage (NAS) server;

periodically allocating print jobs in the post-RIP queues to the presses based on monitoring the presses and monitoring the post-RIP queues, the print jobs being in native format of the presses; and

moving the allocated print jobs to press loader queues on the NAS server, each press loader queue being assigned to a corresponding press.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

monitoring the post-RIP queues comprises determining a number of sheets, a priority, and a required option for each print job, the required option being selected from the group consisting of a required substrate, required inks, and required finishing equipment; and

monitoring the presses comprises determining state, print load, and installed options for each press, the installed options being selected from the group consisting of installed substrates, installed inks, and installed finishing equipment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein periodically allocating the print jobs comprises:

identifying available presses;

identifying a highest priority print job in the post-RIP queues;

determining a required option for the highest priority print job;

identifying a set of the available presses that has the required option for the highest priority print job installed;

when there is more than one press in the set;

selecting a set of preferred presses from the set of the available presses;

determining a least loaded press from the set of preferred presses; and

allocating the highest priority print job to the least loaded press from the set of preferred presses, wherein the highest print job is moved from its post-RIP queue to a press loader queue for the least loaded press from the set of preferred presses.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying the available presses comprises identifying those presses having print loads less than a high level and having a state that is at least in a standby mode.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying the highest priority print job in the post-RIP queues comprises sorting the print jobs by priority levels of their post-RIP queues and by their latest delivery times in each post-RIP queue.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein periodically allocating the print jobs further comprises:

when none of the available presses have the required option for the highest priority print job installed;

identifying an other set of the available presses specified for the required option for the highest priority print job;

identifying a least loaded press from the other set of the available presses; and

allocating the highest priority print job to the least loaded press from the other set of the available presses, wherein the highest priority print job is moved from its post-RIP queue to a press loader queue for the least loaded press from the other set of the available presses.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein periodically allocating the print jobs further comprises:

when no press is specified for the required option for the highest priority print job;

identifying an additional set of the available presses specified as defaults for unspecified options;

identifying a least loaded press from the additional set of the available presses; and

allocating the highest priority print job to the least loaded press from the additional set of the available presses, wherein the highest priority print job is moved from its post-RIP queue to a press loader queue of the least loaded press from the additional set of the available presses.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein periodically allocating the print jobs further comprises:

when the highest priority print job cannot be allocated to any of the available presses, ignoring the highest priority print job until a next run for allocating the print jobs in the post-RIP queues to the presses.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein periodically allocating the print jobs further comprises:

adding any print job allocated to a press to a list of print jobs loaded on that press; and

when the list of print jobs loaded on that press is greater than a high level, removing that press from the available presses.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein periodically allocating the print jobs further comprises:

when the highest priority print job has been allocated or ignored and there is at least one available press;

identifying a next highest priority print job in the post-RIP queues; and

allocating the next highest priority print job to any available presses.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the print jobs from product pools to RIP servers to convert the print jobs into a press format; and

sending the print jobs from the RIP servers to the post-RIP queues.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with executable instructions for execution by a processor to load balance presses, the instructions comprising

monitoring the presses;

monitoring post-raster image processor (RIP) queues on a network accessible storage (NAS) server;

periodically allocating print jobs in the post-RIP queues to the presses based on monitoring the presses and monitoring the post-RIP queues, the print jobs being in native format of the presses; and

moving the allocated print jobs to press loader queues on the NAS server, each press loader queue being assigned to a corresponding press.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the executable instructions further comprise:

monitoring the post-RIP queues comprises determining a number of sheets, a priority, and a required option for each print job, the required option being selected from the group consisting of a required substrate, required inks, and required finishing equipment; and

monitoring the presses comprises determining state, print load, and installed options for each press, the installed options being selected from the group consisting of installed substrates, installed inks, and installed finishing equipment.

14. A press system, comprising:

a digital front end, comprising;

raster image processor (RIP) servers;

a print server to send print jobs from product pools to the RIP servers to convert the print jobs to a native format of presses, the print server to direct the RIP servers to output the print jobs to post-RIP queues;

a press load balancer to allocate the print jobs in the post-RIP queues to the presses and to move the allocated print jobs from the post-RIP queues to press loader queues; and

a press loader for loading the print jobs in the loader queues to the presses.

15. The press system of claim 14, further comprising:

the presses;

the product pools, at least two product pools being different priority levels;

network accessible storage (NAS) servers, each NAS server comprising;

the post-RIP queues, at least two post-RIP queues being different priority levels; and

the press loader queues each assigned to a corresponding press controller; and

a network switch coupling the press controllers, the NAS servers, and the digital front end.

16. The press system of claim 15, wherein the digital front end further comprises a job manager to transfer a print job from one press to another.