Interactive distributed communication method and system for bidding on, scheduling, routing and executing a document processing job

• US 6,573,910 B1
• Filed: 11/23/1999
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Duke, Charles B., Jackson, Warren B., Rai, Sudhendu
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US09/447,822
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 345/740, 345/733, 345/765, 345/771, 345/965, 345/736, 345/738, 345/866, 709/201, 709/203, 709/202, 709/208, 709/321, 709/322, 358/1.15, 358/1.14, 358/1.13
• US Class Current: 715/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1268 Job submission, e.g. submitting print job order or request not the print data itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load

Abstract

A method and system allows for interactive, distributed job processing, e.g., print job processing, using a network, e.g., the Internet, and self-aware, remote processing equipment. Self-awareness allows the equipment to provide information about its load and status to a system controller such as a system server, either directly or through location servers located near the remote processing equipment. The method and system provide the capability to perform scheduling, routing and bidding on execution of jobs as well as re-routing, re-scheduling, remote proofing and remote processing instruction modification.

Claims

1. A job processing system, comprising:

a plurality of pieces of remote processing equipment, one or more of which have knowledge of state information, the state information including status of a job as the job is processed;

a system server that is coupled to the plurality of pieces of remote processing equipment and that coordinates operation of the pieces of remote processing equipment; and

a customer interface that is coupled to the system server, the customer interface usable to input job data and informed job instructions for processing the job to the system;

wherein;

while the job is processed, the system server communicates with the plurality of pieces of remote processing equipment to receive the state information, repeatedly formulates job information relating to the job data and the state information and outputs the job information through the customer interface, receives the input informed job instructions through the customer interface and controls operation of the plurality of pieces of remote processing equipment based on the job data, informed job instructions and state information received from the plurality of remote processing equipment; and

the informed job instructions are input in response to the repeatedly output job information as the job is processed.

2. The job processing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pieces of remote processing equipment outputs state information to the system server in real-time.

3. The job processing system of claim 1, wherein the system server outputs state information to the customer interface in real-time.

4. The job processing system of claim 1, wherein the system server alters processing of a print job based on informed job instructions received during job processing.

5. The job processing system of claim 1, wherein the state information includes the specification of at least one of the states of the processing equipment, supplies, personnel and the jobs.

6. The job processing system of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of pieces of remote processing equipment are located at a plurality of remote physical locations.

7. The job processing system of claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of remote process equipment servers, each remote process equipment server being located at one of the plurality of remote processing equipment locations and coordinating with the system server to control operation of any piece of remote processing equipment that is located at that location.

8. The job processing system of claim 7, wherein the system server receives state information in real-time in conjunction with the operation of the plurality of pieces of remote processing equipment.

9. The job processing system of claim 7, wherein the system server formulates and outputs job information in real-time in conjunction with receiving state information.

10. The job processing system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of remote processing equipment communicates elements of the state information of the system to the system server to be used to formulate job information output to the customer interface.

11. The job processing system of claim 1, wherein the state information indicates at least one of a projected job completion time, job completion costs, preview data indicating estimated job attributes, optional routing schemes or optional job schedules and an optimized routing scheme or optimized job schedule.

12. The job processing system of claim 11, wherein the job information includes the optimized routing scheme or optimized job schedule and is formulated based on job data and status information from the plurality of remote processing equipment.

13. The job processing system of claim 1, wherein the system server, the plurality of pieces of remote processing equipment and the customer interface are coupled together via a communications network.

14. The job processing system of claim 13, wherein the network is the Internet.

15. The job processing system of claim 1, wherein the jobs are print jobs.

16. A job processing method, comprising:

receiving job data through a customer interface;

receiving state information indicating the states of a plurality of pieces of remote processing equipment, the state information including status of a job as the job is processed;

repeatedly formulating and outputting through the customer interface job information relating to the job data and the state information;

receiving informed job instructions for processing the job through the customer interface, wherein the informed job instructions are input in response to the repeatedly output job information as the job is processed;

coordinating operation of the pieces of remote processing equipment based on the job data, the state information and the informed job instructions.

17. The job processing method of claim 16, wherein the state information includes the specification of at least one of the states of the processing equipment, supplies, personnel and the jobs.

18. The job processing method of claim 16, wherein the state information is received from the plurality of pieces of remote processing equipment over a communication network.

19. The job processing method of claim 18, wherein the communication network is the Internet.

20. The job processing method of claim 16, wherein the job information includes at least one of an indication of a projected job completion time, an indication of job completion costs and an indication of job appearance.

21. The job processing method of claim 16, further comprising formulating at least one recommendation regarding job routing and scheduling.

22. The job processing method of claim 21, wherein the state information includes the at least one recommendation regarding job routing and scheduling.

23. The job processing method of claim 16, further comprising formulating a plurality of job routing or scheduling options that result in varying job completion costs.

24. The job processing method of claim 23, wherein the state information includes the plurality of job routing or scheduling options.

25. The job processing method of claim 16, wherein the jobs are print jobs.

26. The job processing method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of pieces of remote processing equipment outputs state information to the server in real-time.

27. The job processing method of claim 16, further comprising altering the processing of a print job based on informed job instructions received during job processing.

28. The job processing method of claim 16, further comprising altering the routing of a print job based on informed job instructions received during job processing.

29. The job processing method of claim 16, wherein the job instructions include specification of job optimization criteria.