System for and method of managing jobs

• US 6,571,147 B1
• Filed: 09/16/1998
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kashihara, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Masinick, Michael D.
• Application Number:
  US09/154,081
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 700/100, 700/99, 700/103, 700/104
• US Class Current: 700/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202

Abstract

An input agent system and a plurality of job-handling agent systems are connected using a network. One external apparatus is connected to each of the job-handling agent systems. Pieces of job information indicative of the processing contents of the external apparatuses are inputted to the input agent system, and each of the job-handling agent systems captures and evaluates a piece of job information from the input agent system, and then registers the piece of job information if the piece of job information is judged as being suitable for an associated external apparatus. This eliminates the need for the input agent system to judge which external apparatus is to process the inputted pieces of job information, reducing the burdens on the input agent system. Consequently, pieces of job information may be efficiently handled in the plurality of external apparatuses connected respectively to the plurality of job-handling agent systems.

Claims

1. A system for managing pieces of job information, comprising:

a first sub-system comprising an input management part for inputting and storing a first group of pieces of job information; and

a second sub-system coupled to said first sub-system through a network connection and comprising a job-handling management part for handling a second group of pieces of job information, wherein

said job-handling management part comprises;

select means for selecting said second group of pieces of job information among said first group of pieces of job information; and

an application controller for controlling execution of application processing, to thereby process digital data in accordance with said second group of pieces of job information, and

said input management part comprises;

means for inputting original pieces of job information;

a first memory for storing said original pieces of job information;

choosing means for choosing objective pieces of job information suitable for said application processing among said original pieces of job information; and

a second memory for storing said objective pieces of job information to thereby obtain said first group of pieces of job information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein

said second sub-system comprises a plurality of job-handling management parts.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein

said first sub-system comprises a plurality of input management parts.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein

said select means comprises:

capturing means for capturing an objective piece of job information representing an objective job which has not been handled among said first group of pieces of job information; and

evaluation means for checking whether said application processing can be executed in accordance with said objective piece of job information or not.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein

said job-handling management part further comprises:

scheduling table memory means on which a schedule of said application processing is stored in the form of a scheduling table; and

registering means for registering said objective piece of job information on said scheduling table if said application processing can be executed in accordance with said objective piece of job information, to thereby obtain said second group of pieces of job information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein

said evaluation means comprises

ability database means for storing ability conditions required to execute said application processing,

wherein said evaluation means compares said objective piece of job information with said ability conditions to determine whether said objective job satisfies said ability conditions or not.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein

said evaluation means comprises

profit database means for storing profit data representing profits, each of which is expected to be generated when application processing is executed,

wherein said evaluation means refers to said profit data to estimate a profit which is expected to be generated when said application processing is executed, whereby an estimated profit is obtained, and compares said estimated profit with profit information included in said objective piece of job information.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein

said evaluation means checks whether said application processing can be completed in accordance with said objective piece of job information within free time found on said scheduling table.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein

said job-handling management part further comprises

reporting means for reporting completion of said application processing to said input management part.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein

said job-handling management part further comprises

a controller for controlling an external apparatus using digital data processed by said application processing in accordance with said second group of pieces of job information, said external apparatus being provided out of said second sub-system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein

said select means comprises:

capturing means for capturing an objective piece of job information representing an objective job which has not been handled among said first group of pieces of job information; and

evaluation means for checking whether or not said application processing is executed and said external apparatus is operable in accordance with said objective piece of job information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein

said job-handling management part further comprises:

first scheduling table memory means on which a schedule of said application processing is stored in the form of a first scheduling table;

second scheduling table memory means on which an operation schedule of said external apparatus is stored in the form of a second scheduling table; and

registering means for registering said objective piece of job information on said first and second scheduling tables when it is concluded that said application processing can be executed and said external apparatus is operable in accordance with said objective piece of job information, to thereby obtain said second group of pieces of job information.

13. A system for managing pieces of job information, comprising:

means for inputting original pieces of job information;

a first memory for storing said original pieces of job information;

choosing means for choosing objective pieces of job information suitable for application processing among said original pieces of job information;

a second memory for storing said objective pieces of job information;

scheduling table memory means for storing a scheduling table defining a schedule for handling pieces of job information;

capturing means for capturing an objective piece of job information among said objective pieces of job information in the second memory;

evaluation means for evaluating whether or not said captured objective piece of job information can be handled by available job-handling resources; and

registering means for registering said captured objective piece of job information on said scheduling table when it is concluded that said captured objective piece of job information can be handled by said available job-handling resources.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising

an application controller for controlling said application processing to process digital data in accordance with said captured objective piece of job information, wherein

said evaluation means evaluates whether said application processing can be executed in accordance with said captured objective piece of job information or not.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising

a controller for controlling an external apparatus using digital data processed by said application processing, said external apparatus being provided out of said system, wherein

said evaluation means checks whether said external apparatus is operable in accordance with said captured objective piece of job information or not.

16. A method of managing pieces of job information in an industrial job-operation system comprising first and second sub-systems connected to each other through a network connection, said method comprising the steps of:

a) inputting and storing a first group of pieces of job information in an input management part provided in said first sub-system, the step a) comprising the steps of

a-1) inputting original pieces of job information,

a-2) storing said original pieces of job information into a first memory,

a-3) choosing objective pieces of job information suitable for application processing among said original pieces of job information, and

a-4) storing said objective pieces of job information into a second memory to thereby obtain said first group of pieces of job information; and

b) handling a second group of pieces of job information, said second group of pieces of job information being handled by a job-handling management part provided in said second sub-system, the step b) comprising the step of

b-1) selecting at least part of said first group of pieces of job information to obtain said second group of pieces of job information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein

the step b) further comprises the step of

b-2) executing said application processing to process digital data in accordance with said second group of pieces of job information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein

the step b-1) comprises the steps of:

capturing an objective piece of job information representing an objective job which has not been handled among said first group of pieces of job information in said second memory; and

checking whether said application processing can be executed in accordance with said objective piece of job information or not.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein

the step of b-1) further comprises the step of

registering said objective piece of job information on a scheduling table when it is concluded that said application processing can be executed in accordance with said objective piece of job information, to thereby obtain said second group of pieces of job information on said schedule table.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein

the step b) further comprises the step of

b-3) controlling an external apparatus in accordance with said second group of pieces of job information, said external apparatus being provided out of said second sub-system.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein

the step b-1) comprises the steps of:

capturing an objective piece of job information representing an objective job which has not been handled among said first group of pieces of job information in said second memory; and

checking whether or not said application processing can be executed and said external apparatus is operable in accordance with said objective piece of job information.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein

the step of b-1) further comprises the step of

registering said objective piece of job information on first and second scheduling tables when it is concluded that said application processing can be executed and said external apparatus is operable in accordance with said objective piece of job information, to thereby obtain said second group of pieces of job information.

23. A method of managing pieces of job information in an industrial job-operation system, said method comprising the steps of:

a) inputting original pieces of job information;

b) storing said original pieces of job information into a first memory;

c) choosing objective pieces of job information suitable for application processing among said original pieces of job information;

d) storing said objective pieces of job information into a second memory;

e) capturing an objective piece of job information among a plurality of objective pieces of job information in the second memory;

f) evaluating whether or not said captured objective piece of job information can be handled by available job-handling resources; and

g) registering said captured objective piece of job information on a scheduling table when it is concluded that said captured objective piece of job information can be handled by said available job-handling resources.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of

h) controlling said application processing to process digital data in accordance with a piece of job information, wherein

the step f) comprises the step of

checking whether said application processing can be executed in accordance with said captured objective piece of job information or not.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of

i) controlling an external apparatus using digital data processed by said application processing, said external apparatus being provided out of said system, wherein

the step f) further comprising the step of

checking whether said external apparatus is operable in accordance with said captured objective piece of job information or not.

26. Computer readable media carrying programs for managing pieces of job information, wherein execution of said programs by first and second computer systems connected to each other through a network connection, causes said first and second computer systems to perform a process comprising the steps of:

a) storing first group of pieces of job information in an input management part provided in said first computer system, the storing step comprising the steps of

a-1) inputting original pieces of job information,

a-2) storing said original pieces of job information into a first memory,

a-3) choosing objective pieces of job information suitable for application processing among said original pieces of job information, and

a-4) storing said objective pieces of job information into a second memory to thereby obtain said first group of pieces of job information; and

b) handling a second group of pieces of job information, comprising the step of

b-1) selecting at least part of said first group of pieces of job information to obtain said second group of pieces of job information in a job-handling management part provided in said second computer system.

27. The computer readable media of claim 26, wherein

the step b) further comprises the step of

b-2) controlling said application processing to process digital data in accordance with said second group of pieces of job information.

28. The computer readable media of claim 27, wherein

the step b-1) comprises the steps of:

capturing an objective piece of job information representing an objective job which has not been handled among said first group of pieces of job information in said second memory; and

checking whether said application processing can be executed in accordance with said objective piece of job information or not.

29. The computer readable media of claim 28, wherein

the step of b-1) further comprises the step of

registering said objective piece of job information on a scheduling table when it is concluded that said application processing can be executed in accordance with said objective piece of job information, to thereby obtain said second group of pieces of job information.

30. The computer readable media of claim 27, wherein

the step b) further comprises the step of

b-3) controlling an external apparatus in accordance with said second group of pieces of job information, said external apparatus being provided out of said second computer system.

31. The computer readable media of claim 30, wherein

the step b-1) further comprises the steps of:

capturing an objective piece of job information representing an objective job which has not been handled among said first group of pieces of job information in said second memory; and

checking whether or not said application processing can be executed and said external apparatus is operable in accordance with said objective piece of job information.

32. The computer readable media of claim 31, wherein

the step of b-1) further comprises the step of

registering said objective piece of job information on first and second scheduling tables when it is concluded that said application processing can be executed and said external apparatus is operable in accordance with said objective piece of job information, to thereby obtain said second group of piece of job information.

33. Computer readable media carrying programs for managing pieces of job information, wherein execution of said programs by a computer system causes said computer system to perform a process comprising the steps of:

a) inputting original pieces of job information;

b) storing said original pieces of job information into a first memory;

c) choosing objective pieces of job information suitable for application processing among said original pieces of job information;

d) storing said objective pieces of job information into a second memory;

e) capturing an objective piece of job information among a plurality of objective pieces of job information in the second memory;

f) evaluating whether or not said captured objective piece of job information can be handled by available job-handling resources; and

g) registering said captured objective piece of job information on a scheduling table when it is concluded that said captured objective piece of job information can be handled by said available job-handling resources.

34. The computer readable media of claim 33, wherein

the process further comprises the step of

h) controlling said application processing to process digital data in accordance with a piece of job information, and

the step f) comprises the step of

checking whether said application processing can be executed in accordance with said captured objective piece of job information or not.

35. The computer readable media of claim 34, wherein

the process further comprises the step of

i) controlling an external apparatus using digital data processed by said application processing, said external apparatus being provided out of said computer system, and

the step f) comprises the step of

checking whether said external apparatus is operable in accordance with said captured objective piece of job information or not.