Selecting print jobs based on detected user presence and wait time

• US 8,587,802 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Hosokawa, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): HON, MING Y
• Application Number:
  US12/140,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20090021783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,981 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/502 relating to the structure of the control menu, e.g. pop-up menus, help screens
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/5083 for scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/00109 Remote control of apparatus, e.g. by a host
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1212 achieving reduced delay between job submission and print start
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00233 details of image data reproduction, e.g. network printing or remote image display using an image reproducing device as a local output from a computer H04N1/00238; digital output from computer to printer unit G06F3/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00342 with a radio frequency tag transmitter or receiver storage of additional information in an RFID tag attached to an image bearing paper sheet H04N1/32138
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00923 Variably assigning priority H04N1/0092 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence

Abstract

There is provided a print system, comprising: a user ID obtaining unit configured to obtain a user ID from a memory device through wireless communication; a waiting time obtaining unit configured to obtain time information concerning a waiting time for which a user corresponding to the obtained user ID waits for execution of a print job, based on operations to obtain a user ID by the user ID obtaining unit; and a print control unit configured to select a print job in accordance with the obtained time information, from among a plurality of print jobs, and to execute the selected print job.

Claims

1. A print system, comprising:

a user ID obtaining unit configured to obtain a user ID from a memory device through wireless communication when the memory device is located within a predetermined range from the print system, wherein the user ID corresponds to a print job waiting to be executed by the print system;

at least one processor;

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to provide;

a waiting time obtaining unit configured to obtain time information, which corresponds to a waiting time, responsive to the user ID obtaining unit obtaining the user ID from the memory device, wherein the waiting time obtaining unit updates the waiting time responsive to each occurrence of the user ID obtaining unit obtaining the user ID from the memory device prior to the print job corresponding to the user ID being executed by the print system; and

a print control unit configured to select a print job in accordance with the obtained time information, from a plurality of print jobs, and to execute the selected print job.

2. The print system according to claim 1, wherein the print control unit is configured to select a user having a longest waiting time from a plurality of users whose user IDs have been obtained by the user ID obtaining unit and to execute a print job of the selected user.

3. The print system according to claim 1, wherein the waiting time obtaining unit obtains the time information by multiplying the waiting time by a predetermined weighting factor.

4. The print system according to claim 1, wherein:

the waiting time obtaining unit obtains the time information on a user-by-user basis; and

the print control unit selects a print job of a user having the waiting time longer than the waiting time of another user and executes the selected print job.

5. The print system according to claim 4, wherein:

the user ID obtaining unit obtains the user ID at predetermined time intervals; and

if a same user ID is obtained successively, the waiting time obtaining unit increases cumulatively, the waiting time corresponding to the successively obtained same user ID.

6. The print system according to claim 5, wherein the waiting time obtaining unit is configured such that if a certain user has a plurality of separately spread waiting time zones, the waiting time obtaining unit obtains a sum of the plurality of waiting time zones and defines the sum as the waiting time of the certain user.

7. The print system according to claim 1, wherein the waiting time obtaining unit initializes the waiting time of a print job which does not remain in a print queue.

8. The print system according to claim 1, wherein:

the waiting time obtaining unit obtains the time information on a print job by print job basis; and

the print control unit selects a print job having a longest waiting time and executes the selected print job.

9. The print system according to claim 8, wherein:

the user ID obtaining unit obtains the user ID at predetermined time intervals; and

if a same user ID is obtained successively, the waiting time obtaining unit increases cumulatively the waiting time of a print job corresponding to the successively obtained same user ID.

10. The print system according to claim 9, wherein the waiting time obtaining unit is configured such that if a certain print job has a plurality of separately spread waiting time zones, the waiting time obtaining unit obtains a sum of the plurality of waiting time zones and defines the sum as the waiting time of the certain print job.

11. The print system according to claim 1, wherein the print control unit selects a print job to be executed next each time a predetermined condition is satisfied.

12. The print system according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined condition includes completion of a preceding print job.

13. The print system according to claim 1, wherein the print control unit selects a print job from a plurality of print jobs corresponding to user IDs obtained by the user ID obtaining unit at a stage where the print control unit operates to select a print job.

14. The print system according to claim 1, further comprising an indication unit configured to indicate the waiting time obtained by the waiting time obtaining unit.

15. The print system according to claim 14, wherein the indication unit displays information concerning priority of execution of a printing operation on a print job by print job basis.

16. The print system according to claim 14, wherein the indication unit displays information concerning priority of execution of a printing operation on a user-by-user basis.

17. The print system according to claim 1, wherein the print system is an image forming device.

18. The print system of claim 17, wherein the print control unit is configured to select a user having a longest waiting time from a plurality of users whose user IDs have been obtained by the user ID obtaining unit and to execute a print job of the selected user.

19. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause at least one computing device to:

obtain a user ID from a memory device through wireless communication when the memory device is located within a predetermined range from a print system, wherein the user ID corresponds to a print job waiting to be executed;

obtain time information, which corresponds to a waiting time, responsive to obtaining the user ID from the memory device;

updating the waiting time responsive to each occurrence of obtaining the user ID from the memory device prior to the print job corresponding to the user ID being executed;

select a print job from a plurality of print jobs in accordance with the obtained time information; and

execute the selected print job.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein selecting a print job from a plurality of print jobs includes:

selecting a user having a longest waiting time from a plurality of users whose user IDs have been obtained; and

selecting a print job of the selected user.