Automated print shop service capability determination

• US 8,705,080 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Shepherd, Michael David, Gombert, Barry Glynn
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMAS, ASHISH
• Application Number:
  US11/853,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20090066992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,415 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A print shop management method or system is used for a print shop. The method or system uses a knowledge base containing device data elements and service data elements. Each device data element represents a device in the print shop, and each service data element represents a service that may be implemented by one or more of the devices. A workflow management system implements an automated reasoner that, when a new device is added or one or more parameters of a device in the print shop are modified, uses semantic reasoning to select a service that may be implemented by the modified device, updates the knowledge base to include a new device element for the new or modified device; and automatically associates the new device element and the selected service.

Claims

1. A method of automatically managing a configuration change in a print shop, comprising:

maintaining a knowledge base containing a plurality of product data elements, a plurality of device data elements and a plurality of service data elements, wherein each device data element represents a device that is available to process a print job in a print shop, wherein each product data element represents a product that can be produced by the print shop and wherein each service data element represents a service that may be implemented by a group of the devices available in the print shop, and wherein each service data element includes;

a process that identifies a set of actions taken by the service,

a profile that identifies one or more devices and defines inputs, outputs, and preconditions required to implement the service, and

a grounding that reduces the service to an executable format;

receiving an updated product data element, wherein the updated product element corresponds to a new or changed product to be produced in the print shop;

selecting, using an automated semantic reasoner in a workflow management system, a device and a service that may be used to produce the product by accessing the knowledge base for logic assertions relating to product data elements that are similar to the updated product data element;

inferring, using the automated semantic reasoner, a process, a profile, and a grounding for the selected service based on logic assertions device/service combinations in the knowledge base that are similar to the selected device and selected service;

updating the knowledge base to include the updated product element; and

automatically associating, in the knowledge base, the updated product element, the selected service and the selected device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving an identification of a device configuration for a product that is available in the print shop.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inferring, using the semantic reasoner, a profile for the selected service; and

automatically associating the selected service and the updated product element, either directly or indirectly via the selected service, with the inferred profile.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the workflow management system, an instruction to perform a print job, wherein the print job includes the selected service; and

implementing, by the workflow management system, the selected service on the device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating comprises automatically associating the selected service and the updated product element, either directly or indirectly via the selected service, with the selected service'"'"'s process, profile and grounding.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the selecting comprises accessing the knowledge base for assertions relating to services available for products that are of similar type as the new or changed product.

7. A print shop management system, comprising:

a print shop comprising a plurality of devices that are configured to process a plurality of print job types;

a knowledge base containing a plurality of product data elements, device data elements and service data elements, wherein each device data element represents a device in the print shop, wherein each product data element represents a product that can be produced by the print shop, and wherein each service data element represents a service that may be implemented by one or more of the devices, each service data element includes;

a process that identifies a set of actions taken by the service,

a profile that identifies one or more devices and defines inputs, outputs, and preconditions required to implement the service, and

a grounding that reduces the service to an executable format; and

a workflow management system that includes a processor and a computer-readable storage medium, the storage medium programmed with instructions to cause the processor to implement an automated reasoner that, when an updated product element is received by the print shop;

selects, using semantic reasoning, a device and service that may be used to produce the product by accessing the knowledge base for logic assertions relating to product data elements that are similar to the updated product data element;

infers, using semantic reasoning, a process, a profile, and a grounding for the selected service based on logic assertions for device/service combinations in the knowledge base that are similar to the selected device and selected service;

updates the knowledge base to include the updated product element; and

automatically associates, in the knowledge base, the updated product element, the service data element for the selected service, and the device element for the selected device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each profile further includes at least one device configuration required to implement its associated service.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the knowledge base further comprises a plurality of workflow data elements and a plurality of device configuration data elements, wherein each workflow is associated with one or more service data elements and one or more device configuration data elements.

10. A method of automatically managing a configuration change in a print shop, comprising:

maintaining a knowledge base containing a plurality of product data elements, device data elements and service data elements, each service data element includes;

a process that identifies a set of actions taken by the service,

a profile that identifies one or more devices and defines inputs, outputs, and preconditions required to implement the service, and

a grounding that reduces the service to an executable format;

receiving an updated product data element, wherein the updated product data element comprises an updated print shop device configuration;

selecting, using an automated semantic reasoner in a workflow management system, a device and a service that may be used to produce a product that corresponds to the updated product element by accessing the knowledge base for logic assertions relating to product data elements that are similar to the updated product data element;

inferring, using the automated semantic reasoner, a process, a profile, and a grounding for the selected service based on logic assertions for device/service combinations in the knowledge base that are similar to the selected device and selected service;

updating the knowledge base to include the updated product element; and

automatically associating, in the knowledge base, the updated product element, the selected service and the selected device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

automatically associating the selected service and the updated product element, either directly or indirectly via the selected service, with the inferred profile.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the workflow management system, an instruction to perform a print job, wherein the print job includes the selected service; and

implementing, by the workflow management system, the selected service on the device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the updating comprises automatically associating the selected service and the updated product element, either directly or indirectly via the selected service, with the selected service'"'"'s process, profile and grounding.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the selecting comprises accessing the knowledge base for assertions relating to services available for products that are of similar type as the new or changed product.