Information processing apparatus, distributed printing controlling method, storing medium and program

• US 7,999,961 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Wanda, Koichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): EBRAHIMI DEHKORDY, SAEID
• Application Number:
  US12/118,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20080218796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.14, 358/1.13, 358/1.2, 358/1.6, 358/1.1, 358/1.9, 358/452, 358/1.18, 715/201, 715/225, 715/273, 715/700, 400/61, 400/62, 400/70, 400/76, 709/224, 709/227, 709/203, 399/81, 399/16
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

Control is effected to produce a plurality of child print jobs for a plurality of printers from data to be printed, on the basis of inputted instruction for distributed print, and information regarding a parent print job is produced on the basis of information regarding the plurality of child print jobs produced under control of the distributed print, and the parent job is displayed in a distinguishable manner from the child print job.

Claims

1. A distribution printing system that controls distribution printing, comprising:

a child job controller that controls generating of a plurality of child jobs for a plurality of printers based on intermediate data generated as a parent job in accordance with application data, in response to input of an instruction for distribution printing;

an output controller that controls outputting each of the plurality of child jobs to a corresponding one of the plurality of printers; and

a display controller that causes a display unit to display a status of the parent job, wherein said display controller causes the display unit to display an output status of the parent job as the status of the parent job before any one of the plurality of child jobs is generated, and causes the display unit to change displaying of the status of the parent job based on at least one of the plurality of child jobs after the at least one child job is generated.

2. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a deletion controller that controls deletion of the parent job after deleting the plurality of child jobs, when deletion of the parent job is instructed, wherein if any one of the plurality of child jobs cannot be deleted, said deletion controller controls deletion such that the parent job is deleted even if the plurality of child jobs are not deleted.

3. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a deletion controller that controls deletion of the plurality of child jobs and the parent job, wherein when deletion of one of the plurality of child jobs is instructed via an operation instruction screen, said deletion controller deletes the one child job, without deleting the parent job, if another of the plurality of child jobs is present, and deletes the one child job and the parent job, if no other ones of the plurality of child job are present.

4. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an additional output controller that controls outputting of the plurality of child jobs to a first print queue and a second print queue from which data are to be output to a first printer and a second printer, respectively; and

a deletion controller that when deletion of the parent job is instructed, deletes the respective child jobs retained in the first and second print queues.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein if the plurality of child jobs have been output to the first and second printers via the first and second print queues, respectively, said deletion controller controls the first and second printers to delete the child jobs retained therein.

6. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a deletion controller that controls the first and second printers to delete the plurality of child jobs that have been output to the first and second printers via first and second print queues, respectively, when deletion of the parent job is instructed.

7. A method of controlling distribution printing, comprising:

a generating step of generating of a plurality of child jobs for a plurality of printers based on intermediate data generated as a parent job in accordance with application data, in response to input of an instruction for distribution printing;

an output step of outputting each of the plurality of child jobs to a corresponding one of the plurality of printers; and

a display step of causing a display unit to display a status of the parent job, wherein said display step causes the display unit to display an output status of the parent job as the status of the parent job before any one of the plurality of child jobs is generated, and causes the display unit to change displaying of the status of the parent job based on at least one of the plurality of child jobs after the at least one child job is generated.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising a deletion step of deleting the parent job after deleting the plurality of child jobs, when deletion of the parent job is instructed, wherein if any one of the plurality of child jobs cannot be deleted, the parent job is deleted even if the plurality of child jobs are not deleted.

9. A method according to claim 7, further comprising a deletion step of deleting of the plurality of child jobs and the parent job, wherein when deletion of one of the plurality of child jobs is instructed via an operation instruction screen, said deletion step deletes the one child job, without deleting the parent job, if another of the plurality of child jobs is present, and deletes the one child job and the parent job, if no other ones of the plurality of child job are present.

10. A method according to claim 7, further comprising:

an additional outputting step of outputting of the plurality of child jobs to a first print queue and a second print queue from which data are to be output to a first printer and a second printer, respectively; and

a deletion step of, when deletion of the parent job is instructed, deleting the respective child jobs retained in the first and second print queues.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein if the plurality of child jobs have been output to the first and second printers via the first and second print queues, respectively, said deletion step controls the first and second printers to delete the child jobs retained therein.

12. A method according to claim 7, further comprising a deletion step that controls the first and second printers to delete the plurality of child jobs that have been output to the first and second printers via first and second print queues, respectively, when deletion of the parent job is instructed.

13. A computer program stored in a computer-readable medium for controlling distribution printing, comprising:

generating code for generating of a plurality of child jobs for a plurality of printers based on intermediate data generated as a parent job in accordance with application data, in response to input of an instruction for distribution printing;

outputting code for outputting each of the plurality of child jobs to a corresponding one of the plurality of printers; and

display code for causing a display unit to display a status of the parent job, wherein said display code causes the display unit to display an output status of the parent job as the status of the parent job before any one of the plurality of child jobs is generated, and causes the display unit to change displaying of the status of the parent job based on at least one of the plurality of child jobs after the at least one child job is generated.

14. A computer program stored in a computer-readable medium according to claim 13, further comprising deletion code that controls deletion of the parent job after deleting the plurality of child jobs, when deletion of the parent job is instructed, wherein if any one of the plurality of child jobs cannot be deleted, said deletion controller controls deletion such that the parent job is deleted even if the plurality of child jobs are not deleted.

15. A computer program stored in a computer-readable medium according to claim 13, further comprising deletion code that controls deletion of the plurality of child jobs and the parent job, wherein when deletion of one of the plurality of child jobs is instructed via an operation instruction screen, said deletion code deletes the one child job, without deleting the parent job, if another of the plurality of child jobs is present, and deletes the one child job and the parent job, if no other ones of the plurality of child job are present.

16. A computer program stored in a computer-readable medium according to claim 13, further comprising:

additional output code for additionally outputting the plurality of child jobs to a first print queue and a second print queue from which data are to be output to a first printer and a second printer, respectively; and

deletion code for, when deletion of the parent job is instructed, deleting the respective child jobs retained in the first and second print queues.

17. A computer program stored in a computer-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein if the plurality of child jobs have been output to the first and second printers via the first and second print queues, respectively, said deletion code controls the first and second printers to delete the child jobs retained therein.

18. A computer program stored in a computer-readable medium according to claim 13, further comprising deletion code that controls the first and second printers to delete the plurality of child jobs that have been output to the first and second printers via first and second print queues, respectively, when deletion of the parent job is instructed.

19. A computer-readable medium storing a computer program for a distribution printing system that controls distribution printing, comprising:

child job code that controls generating of a plurality of child jobs for a plurality of printers based on intermediate data generated as a parent job in accordance with application data, in response to input of an instruction for distribution printing;

output code that controls outputting each of the plurality of child jobs to a corresponding one of the plurality of printers; and

display code that causes a display unit to display a status of the parent job, wherein said display code causes the display unit to display an output status of the parent job as the status of the parent job before any one of the plurality of child jobs is generated, and causes the display unit to change displaying of the status of the parent job based on at least one of the plurality of child jobs after the at least one child job is generated.