Multiple print engine system with selectively distributed ripped pages

• US 6,657,741 B1
• Filed: 08/07/1995
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Electronics For Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: T R Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Rowe, Francis A., Barry, Michael W., Tompkins, E. Neal
• Primary Examiner(s): GARCIA, GABRIEL I
• Application Number:
  US08/511,641
• Time in Patent Office: 3,039 Days
• Field of Search: 395/101, 395/112, 395/114, 395/163, 358/501, 358/402, 358/403, 364/130, 364/131, 709/201, 709/203, 709/213, 709/240
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5062 by measuring the characteristics of an image on the copy material
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5087 for receiving image data
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00021 Plural substantially independent image forming units in cooperation, e.g. for duplex, colour or high-speed simplex
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/0005 without production of a specific test patch
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2206/1514 Sub-job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1211 Improving printing performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1215 achieving increased printing speed, i.e. reducing the time between printing start and printing end
• 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 3/1241 Dividing a job according to job requirements, e.g. black/white and colour pages, covers and body of books, tabs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1281 Multi engine printer devices, e.g. one entity having multiple output engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1282 High volume printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1806 Receiving job control commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1856 characterized by its workflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1857 involving parallel processing in the same printing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A multiple print engine configuration allows a plurality of workstations (10) to create individual print jobs and then transfer them to a distributing processor (14). The distributing processor (14) is operable to spool the jobs in a print spooler (20) and then perform a software RIP on the print jobs. The RIP process divides the jobs into multiple individual jobs which are stored in the page buffer (24). An image task manager (26) in conjunction with an engine manager (28) are then operable to selectively distribute the pages to multiple print engines (16). They are distributed in such a manner that they are placed in the output bins (40) in the order that the pages were received in the print jobs.

Claims

1. A multiple print engine system, comprising:

at least one work station for generating a print job having a plurality of pages associated therewith;

a RIP engine for receiving said print job from said workstation and RIPing said print job to provide a RIPed print job;

a parsing device operating in conjunction with said RIP engine for parsing the RIPed print job to defined pages, the pages associated with the print job;

a page buffer for storing the RIPed pages in association with the printjob that they were generated in;

a plurality of printers for receiving one of the RIPed pages and printing the received RIPed pages and outputting them in an associated output bin; and

a processor for selectively distributing after RIPing all or a portion of said RIPed print job by outputting select RIPed pages from said RIPed print job stored in said page buffer for printing by select ones of said printers in a predetermined order for output as sheets in the associated output bin.

2. The multiple print engine system of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of work stations provided, each for generating one or more print jobs for input to said RIP engine and a spooler disposed prior to said RIP engine for receiving said print jobs in parallel and outputting said spooled print jobs serially to said RIP engine.

3. The multiple print engine system of claim 1, wherein said predetermined order is the order of the copies in said print job, such that pages output from ones of said print engines, which print engines are arranged in a predetermined order, are in the order that they existed in the print job when the sheets are stacked from the print engine order.

4. The multiple print engine of claim 1, wherein said page buffer comprises a single page buffer for storing all of said RIPed pages.

5. The multiple print engine of claim 1, wherein the defined pages in said RIPed print job comprise a bit-mapped image of each of said pages in the original print job.

6. The multiple print engine of claim 1, wherein said RIP engine comprises a single RIP engine.

7. The multiple print engine of claim 6, wherein said RIP engine operates in a central processing unit and is a software-based RIP engine.

8. The multiple print engine of claim 1, and further comprising a plurality of communication links, each of said communication links disposed between said processor and one of said plurality of printers, such that a separate communication path is provided from said process or to each of said plurality of printers for transmitting said RIPed pages thereacross.

9. A multiple print engine system, comprising:

at least a single work station for generating a print job having a plurality of pages associated therewith and designated for a single print engine;

a RIP engine for receiving said print job from said workstation and RIPing said print job to provide a RIPed print job;

a parsing device operating in conjunction with said RIP engine for parsing the RIPed print job to define pages, the pages associated with the print job;

a page buffer for storing RIPed pages for the received print job;

a plurality of printers for receiving one of the RIPed pages and printing the received RIPed pages and outputting them in an associated output bin; and

a distributor for selectively distributing after RIPing to a select one or ones of said printers all or a portion of said RIPed print job by outputting select RIPed pages from said RIPed print job stored in said page buffer in an order determined by internal criteria to said distributor and in accordance with aspects of said printers and independent of the designated printer information generated by said at least one work station.

10. The multiple print engine of claim 9, wherein the defined pages in said RIPed print job comprise a bit-mapped image of each of said pages in the original print job.

11. The multiple print engine of claim 9, and further comprising a plurality of communication links, each of said communication links disposed between said processor and one of said plurality of printers, such that a separate communication path is provided from said process or to each of said plurality of printers for transmitting said RIPed pages thereacross.

12. The multiple print engine of claim 9, wherein said RIP engine comprises a single RIP engine.

13. The multiple print engine of claim 12, wherein said RIP engine operates in a central processing unit and is a software-based RIP engine.

14. The multiple print engine of claim 9, wherein said page buffer comprises a single page buffer for storing all of said RIPed pages.

15. A method for printing to multiple print engines, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one work station for generating a print job having a plurality of pages associated therewith;

receiving the print job from the workstation and RiPing the printjob with a RIP engine to provide a RIPed print job;

in conjunction with the RIPing operation, parsing the RIPed print job to defined pages, the pages associated with the print job;

storing in a page buffer the RIPed pages in association with the print job that they were generated in;

selectively distributing after RIPing all or a portion of the RIPed print job by outputting select RIPed pages from said RIPed print job stored in said page buffer for printing by select ones of the printers in a predetermined order for output as sheets in the associated output bin; and

receiving one of the RIPed pages at the select one of the printers and printing the received RIPed pages and outputting them in an associated output bin.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein there are a plurality of work stations provided, each for generating one or more print jobs for input to the RIP engine and further comprising the step of providing a spooler disposed prior to the RIP engine for receiving the print jobs in parallel and outputting the spooled print jobs serially to the RIP engine.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined order is the order of the copies in the print job, such that pages output from ones of the print engines, which print engines arc arranged in a predetermined order, are in the order that they existed in the print job when the sheets are stacked from the print engine order.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the page buffer comprises a single page buffer for storing all of the RIPed pages.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the defined pages in each of the RIPed print job comprise a bit-mapped image of each of the pages in the original print job.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the RIP engine comprises a single RIP engine.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the RIP engine operates in a central processing unit and is a software-based RIP engine.

22. A method for printing to multiple print engines, comprising the steps of:

providing at least a single work station for generating a print job having a plurality of pages associated therewith and designated for a select one of the print engines;

receiving the printjob from the workstation and RiPing the print job with a RIP engine to provide a RIPed print job in conjunction with the RIPing operation, parsing the RIPed print job to define pages, the pages associated with the print job;

storing in a page buffer the RIPed pages for the received print job;

receiving at the select one or ones of the printers the distributed RIPed pages and printing the received RIPed pages and outputting them in an associated output bin;

selectively distributing after RiPing to a select one or ones of the printers all or a portion of the RIPed print job by outputting select RIPed pages from the RIPed print job stored in the page buffer in an order determined by criteria associated with the step of distributing and in accordance with aspects of the printers and independent of the designated printer information generated by the at least one work station; and

receiving at the select one or ones of the printers the distributed RIPed pages and printing the received RIPed pages and outputting them in an associated output bin.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the defined pages in the RIPed print job comprise a bit-mapped image of each of the pages in the original print job.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the RIP engine comprises a single RIP engine.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the RIP engine operates in a central processing unit and is a software-based RIP engine.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the page buffer comprises a single page buffer for storing all of the RIPed pages.