System for maintaining a cache of printer-readable prioritized content

• US 8,395,794 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: St. Jacques, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Baker, Charlotte M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Katzwhite, Justin
• Application Number:
  US11/706,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20080198399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,217 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.16, 365/244, 709/218
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1212 achieving reduced delay between job submission and print start
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1245 by conversion to intermediate or common format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server

Abstract

A system for prioritizing a cache of print jobs associated with at least one print driver includes a workstation having a processing unit and at least one print driver having a processing unit, that interface via a network. The workstation implements a print job request for a document and determines whether a document key identifier associated with the document exists. If not, a key is created. If a printer-readable format for a document associated with the key identifier is stored in or is pre-existing in one of at least two caches, the print driver assigns a prioritization identifier to the format. The system retrieves the printer-readable format from the cache to produce a print job output. Since the cache stores the document in printer-readable format, overall printing time is reduced. The format may be moved from one cache to another depending upon priority. The corresponding method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for prioritizing a cache of print jobs associated with at least one print driver, the system comprising:

a workstation having a processing unit;

at least one print driver having a processing unit, the workstation and the at least one print driver configured for interfacing via a network, and

wherein the processing unit of the workstation has a set of programmable instructions configured for;

implementing a print job request for a document; and

determining whether a document key identifier associated with the document exists, wherein if no document key identifier exists, creating the document key identifier associated with the document;

transmitting the document key identifier to the at least one print driver; and

wherein the processing unit of the at least one print driver has a set of programmable instructions configured for;

receiving the document key identifier from the workstation;

determining whether a printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in at least one of at least two caches configured for interfacing with the workstation and with the at least one print driver via the network;

assigning a prioritization identifier to the printer-readable format if the printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in the at least one of the at least two caches;

wherein the prioritization identifier is selected from the group consisting of a timestamp, a document length or a document topic;

wherein if the prioritization identifier is the timestamp an additional timestamp is assigned for each print job request;

wherein if the prioritization identifier is the document length, one cache of the at least two caches is a document length cache and the printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in the document length cache; and

wherein if the prioritization identifier is the document topic, one cache of the at least two caches is a document importance cache and the printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in the document importance cache.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

retrieving the printer-readable format corresponding to the document associated with the document key identifier from the at least one of the at least two caches; and

producing a print job output from the printer-readable format.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

processing the print job request as a print job request for a novel printer-readable format by creating the document key identifier associated with the document; and

converting the document into the printer-readable format when the printer-readable format corresponding to the document associated with the document key identifier is not stored in the at least one of the at least two caches.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

assigning a prioritization identifier to the printer-readable format; and

storing in the at least one of the at least two caches, for the document, at least one of the document key identifier associated with the document;

the prioritization identifier assigned to the printer-readable format; and

the printer-readable format corresponding to the document and the document key identifier.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

storing in the at least one of the at least two caches, for the document, at least one of the document key identifier associated with the document;

the prioritization identifier assigned to the printer-readable format; and

the printer-readable format corresponding to the document and the document key identifier.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the at least two caches comprises a first cache and a second cache, and wherein the printer-readable format is stored in the first cache, the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

at least one of copying and moving the printer-readable format to the second cache if a priority threshold for the prioritization identifier has been met for the printer-readable format.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein the at least two caches comprises a first cache and a second cache, and wherein the printer-readable format is stored in the first cache, the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

removing the printer-readable format from the first cache if a priority threshold for the prioritization identifier has not been met for the printer-readable format.

8. The system according to claim 5, wherein the at least two caches comprises a first cache and a second cache, and wherein the printer-readable format is stored in the first cache, the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

at least one of copying and moving the printer-readable format to the second cache if a priority threshold for the prioritization identifier has been met for the printer-readable format; and

wherein the printer-readable format is stored in one of the at least two caches, the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for;

removing the printer-readable format from the one of the at least two caches if a priority threshold for the prioritization identifier has not been met for the printer-readable format.

9. The system according to claim 4, wherein the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

retrieving the printer-readable format corresponding to the document associated with the document key identifier from the at least one cache; and

producing a print job output from the printer-readable format.

10. A workstation for prioritizing a cache of print jobs associated with at least one print driver, the workstation having a processing unit,

wherein the workstation is configured for interfacing with at least one print driver via a network,

wherein the processing unit of the workstation has a set of programmable instructions configured for:

implementing a print job request for a document; and

determining whether a document key identifier associated with the document exists, wherein if no document key identifier exists, creating a document key identifier;

wherein the at least one print driver has a set of programmable instructions configured for;

assigning a prioritization identifier to the printer-readable format if the printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in the at least one of the at least two caches;

wherein the prioritization identifier is selected from the group consisting of a timestamp, a document length or a document topic;

wherein if the prioritization identifier is the timestamp an additional timestamp is assigned for each print job request;

wherein if the prioritization identifier is the document length, one cache of the at least two caches is a document length cache and the printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in the document length cache; and

wherein if the prioritization identifier is the document topic, one cache of the at least two caches is a document importance cache and the printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in the document importance cache.

11. At least one print driver for prioritizing a cache of print jobs, the at least one print driver configured for interfacing with a workstation having a processing unit;

the workstation and the at least one print driver configured for interfacing via a network,

wherein the processing unit of the workstation has a set of programmable instructions configured for;

implementing a print job request for a document; and

determining whether a document key identifier associated with the document exists, wherein if no document key identifier exists, creating a document key identifier; and

wherein the at least one print driver has a set of programmable instructions configured for;

determining whether a printer-readable format associated with the document key identifier is stored in one of at least two caches configured for interfacing with the workstation and with the at least one print driver;

assigning a prioritization identifier to the printer-readable format if the printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in the at least one of the at least two caches;

wherein the prioritization identifier is selected from the group consisting of a timestamp, a document length or a document topic;

wherein if the prioritization identifier is the timestamp an additional timestamp is assigned for each print job request;

wherein if the prioritization identifier is the document length, one cache of the at least two caches is a document length cache and the printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in the document length cache; and

wherein if the prioritization identifier is the document topic, one cache of the at least two caches is a document importance cache and the printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in the document importance cache.

12. The at least one print driver according to claim 11 wherein the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

retrieving the printer-readable format corresponding to the document associated with the document key identifier from the at least one of the at least two caches; and

producing a print job output from the printer-readable output.

13. The at least one print driver according to claim 11, wherein the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

processing the print job request as a print job request for a novel printer-readable format by creating a document key identifier associated with the document; and

converting the document into a printer-readable format, when a printer-readable format corresponding to the document associated with the document key identifier is not stored in the at least one of the at least two caches.

14. The at least one print driver according to claim 13, wherein the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

assigning a prioritization identifier to the printer-readable format; and

storing in the at least one of the at least two caches, for the document, at least one of the document key identifier associated with the document, the prioritization identifier associated with the document, and the printer-readable format corresponding to the document and the document key identifier.

15. The at least one print driver according to claim 11, wherein the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

storing in the at least one of the at least two caches, for the document, at least one of the document key identifier associated with the document, the prioritization identifier assigned to the printer-readable format, and the printer-readable format corresponding to the document and the document key identifier.

16. The at least one print driver according to claim 14, wherein the at least two caches comprises a first cache and a second cache, and wherein the printer-readable format is stored in the first cache, the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

at least one of copying and moving the printer-readable format to the second cache if a priority threshold for the prioritization identifier has been met for the printer-readable format.

17. The at least one print driver according to claim 14, wherein the at least two caches comprises a first cache and a second cache, and wherein the printer-readable format is stored in the first cache, the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

removing the printer-readable format from the first cache if a priority threshold for the prioritization identifier has not been met for the printer-readable format.

18. The at least one print driver according to claim 15, wherein the at least two caches comprises a first cache and a second cache, and wherein the printer-readable format is stored in the first cache, the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

at least one of copying and moving the printer-readable format to the second cache if a priority threshold for the prioritization identifier has been met for the printer-readable format; and

wherein the printer-readable format is stored in one of the at least two caches, the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for;

removing the printer-readable format from the one of the at least two caches if a priority threshold for the prioritization identifier has not been met for the printer-readable format.

19. The at least one print driver according to claim 14, wherein the processing unit of the at least one print driver further comprises a set of programmable instructions configured for:

retrieving the printer-readable format corresponding to the document associated with the document key identifier from the at least one cache; and

producing a print job output from the printer-readable format.

20. A method for prioritizing a cache of print jobs associated with at least one print driver, the method comprising:

implementing a print job request for a document;

determining whether a document key identifier associated with the document exists, wherein if no document key identifier exists, creating a document key identifier;

determining whether a printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in at least one of at least two caches;

assigning a prioritization identifier to the printer-readable format if the printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in the at least one of the at least two caches;

wherein the prioritization identifier is selected from the group consisting of a timestamp, a document length or a document topic;

wherein if the prioritization identifier is the timestamp an additional timestamp is assigned for each print job request;

wherein if the prioritization identifier is the document length, one cache of the at least two caches is a document length cache and the printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in the document length cache; and

wherein if the prioritization identifier is the document topic, one cache of the at least two caches is a document importance cache and the printer-readable format for the document associated with the document key identifier is stored in the document importance cache.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

retrieving the printer-readable format corresponding to the document associated with the document key identifier from the at least one of the at least two caches; and

producing a print job output from the printer-readable format.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein if a printer-readable format corresponding to the document associated with the document key identifier is not stored in the at least one of the at least two caches, the method further comprises:

processing the print job request as a print job request for a novel printer-readable format by creating the document key identifier associated with the document; and

converting the document into a printer-readable format.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

assigning a prioritization identifier to the printer-readable format; and

storing in the at least one of the at least two caches, for the document, at least one of the document key identifier associated with the document, the prioritization identifier assigned to the printer-readable format, and the printer-readable format corresponding to the document and the document key identifier.

24. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

storing in the at least one of the at least two caches, for the document, at least one of the document key identifier associated with the document, the prioritization identifier assigned to the printer-readable format, and the printer-readable format corresponding to the document and the document key identifier.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the at least two caches comprises a first cache and a second cache, wherein if a priority threshold for the prioritization identifier has been met for the printer-readable format, and wherein the printer-readable format is stored in the first cache, the method further comprises:

at least one of copying and moving the printer-readable format to the second cache.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein the at least two caches comprises a first cache and a second cache, wherein if a priority threshold for the prioritization identifier has not been met for the printer-readable format, and wherein the printer-readable format is stored in the first cache, the method further comprises:

removing the printer-readable format from the first cache.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein the at least two caches comprises a first cache and a second cache, and wherein if a priority threshold for the prioritization identifier has been met for the printer-readable format, and wherein the printer-readable format is stored in the first cache, the method further comprises:

at least one of copying and moving the printer-readable format to the second cache; and

wherein if a priority threshold for the prioritization identifier has not been met for the printer-readable format, and wherein the printer-readable format is stored in one of the at least two caches, the method further comprises;

removing the printer-readable format from the one of the at least two caches.

28. The method according to claim 23, further comprising:

retrieving the printer-readable format corresponding to the document associated with the document key identifier from the at least one cache; and

producing a print job output from the printer-readable format.