JPH01295326A - Information processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the print output in a short waiting time by inquiring automatically the unprinted quantity of a printer and informing the result of this inquiry to the users when the print is started. CONSTITUTION:Each information processor consisting of work stations 2a-2c contains a means which inquires the unprinted information quantity of a printer and informs this inquiry result to the users with a print starting operation. At the same time, a printer controller 30 contains a means to send back a reply to said inquiry of the unprinted information quality. Then a print start request operation is carried out by transcribing a document file to a printer icon. Thus the inquiry of the unprinted information quantity is given to the controller 30. While the controller 30 sends the unprinted information quantity in reply to the corresponding information processor and then informs it to a user. Thus it is possible to quickly know a print server 3a or 3b that has the smaller unprinted quantity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention enables one printer to process multiple pieces of information within a network. The present invention relates to an information processing system that is configured to be shared by multiple devices for printing.

(Prior Art) As is well known, in order to mechanize office processing, devices called workstations have become widely used as interactive information processing stations that can independently process routine and non-routine tasks. It is being done.

This workstation has advanced document processing functions, excellent man-machine interface functions such as a screen display that makes full use of icons (pictograms), etc., and connects to a local area network (LAN), allowing you to share resources such as document files with other users. Comprehensive information processing with features such as sharing! It is a place.

Incidentally, a plurality of workstations having such advanced information processing functions are often operated by being connected to a network such as a LAN. In this case, in order to realize a high-quality printing service function, a high-quality printing system such as a laser printer is connected to the network, and this printing! I
The system is configured to be shared by multiple workstations.

This high-quality printing mechanism is called a print server, and in addition to the laser printer, it also includes a magnetic disk device that stores the document file to be printed, reads the document file from the magnetic disk device, and prints it to the laser printer. It consists of a printer-based m+ device that controls information transfer, etc., and a monitor display that allows conversation necessary for inputting necessary parameters to the print server and monitoring operational status.

In this configuration where one print server is shared by multiple workstations, if you want to print a document created on one of the workstations, you can print the document by clicking the printer icon (representing the printer) on the message window of the workstation. After transcribing the image (pictograms), specify the page and paper size you wish to print on. Then, the print-to-customer document is converted into a file format that can be accepted by the print server, and is stored in the print server's magnetic disk device via a network line. Thereafter, the document in the magnetic disk drive is read by the printer controller, converted into a file format compatible with the printing format, and transferred to the laser printer. Thereby, the document is printed out by the laser printer.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Incidentally, in a system with a large amount of print output, a configuration is adopted in which a plurality of the above-mentioned print servers are installed on a network. In this case, which print server to use is determined simply by the user's designation. Therefore, when requests for use of a particular print server are concentrated, the waiting time until print output is obtained becomes long.

Therefore, if you want to get print output as quickly as possible, you just need to know which print server has a small amount of unprinted data and specify this print server.

However, conventional methods for determining the remaining amount of unprinted data include sending a command to each print server to inquire about the remaining amount of unprinted data, displaying the remaining amount of unprinted data on the monitor display within that print server, and checking the displayed content. After going through the procedure of going to see the printer, I had to go through the procedure of comparing the remaining amount of unprinted paper from each printer and determining which one had the least amount.

For this reason, there is a problem in that even if it is desired to obtain printed output as soon as possible, the preliminary procedures are laborious and time consuming.

An object of the present invention is to provide an information system that can quickly determine which print server has a small amount of unprinted prints remaining.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In the present invention, each of the eight information processing units configured as a workstation is provided with means for inquiring and notifying the user of the amount of unprinted information by a print start operation, and the printer The above object is achieved by providing the control device with a means for replying to an inquiry about the amount of unprinted information.

[Effect]

For example, when a print start request is made by transferring a document file to a printer icon, an inquiry is made to the printer control device that made the print start request regarding the amount of unprinted information. In response, the printer a device replies the amount of unprinted information to the information processing Hffi that is the inquiry destination,
Notify users.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a network circuit a1 includes a plurality of workstations 2a to 2a.
2C is connected, and two print servers 3a,
3b is connected.

Each of the workstations 2a to 2C includes a processor body 20, a display 5R121, a keyboard 22, and a mouse (pointing device) 23. Further, the print servers 3a and 3b are printer system a devices 30. It is composed of a magnetic disk device 31, a laser printer 32, and a monitor display device 33.

In this configuration, when the editing of the created sentence is finished, the desktop window 210 of the display device 21 displays the print server 3a as shown in FIG.
, 3b corresponding printer icons 211a, 211b
1. An icon 212 indicating an e-mail transmission/reception box, an icon 213 indicating an electronic file such as a report, and an icon 214 indicating a created wording are displayed. Further, the content of the created document is displayed in the document window 215.

Therefore, you should print the document you created (document icon 214
Move to the printer icon 211a.

For example, when overlapping the printer icon 211a corresponding to the print server 3a among the 211b, the processor main body 1
The unprinted information [existence] inquiry process prepared in is started.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the unprinted information amount inquiry process and the unprinted information amount reply process executed by the control devices 30 of the print servers 3a and 3b.
4 on the printer icon 211a to request the print server 3a to start printing, the processor body 20 starts the unprinted information amount inquiry process shown in FIG. The alignment command is sent to the printer control device 30 of the print server 3a (step 40). The printer control device [30] that received this inquiry command is the magnetic disk device 3.
The amount of unprinted information remaining in the file 1 is checked for each file (steps 50 and 51), and a reply is sent to the processor main body 20 as the inquiry destination (step 52). The processor body 20, which has received the amount of unprinted information in the form of the number of document files, displays the number of unprinted text files in a property window for specifying attribute information at the time of printing (steps 41 and 42).

In other words, the text icon 214 is replaced by the printer icon 21.
If you issue a print start request over 1a, the display device W
As shown in FIG. 4, the screen 121 switches to a property window 220 for specifying attribute information such as the number of pages to be printed and paper size. Therefore, if the number of unprinted document files is returned, the number of unprinted document files is displayed in 11221 of "Option display" in this property window.

As a result, the amount of unprinted information on the print server 3a becomes clear, so if the amount is considered to be large, click the "Cancel" button shown at the top of the property window 220.
command is specified, and printing is performed using another print server 3b.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, when starting printing, the printer is automatically inquired about the amount of remaining unprinted data and the user is notified. It is possible to quickly know whether the remaining amount of unprinted data in the printer is small, and as a result, print output can be obtained in a short waiting time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing display contents of a display device, Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing processing for inquiry and reply of unprinted information 0, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of the amount of unprinted information. 1... Network line, 28-2c... Work station, 3a, 3b... Print server, 20.
...Processor body, 21...Display device, 3
0...Printer system'a device, 31...Magnetic disk device, 32...Laser printer, 210...Desk top window, 211a, 211b...Printer icon, 220...Property window. Figure 2 Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] Multiple printers shared by multiple information processing devices in a network, a printer-compatible storage device that stores print information for each printer, and a printer-compatible storage device that reads the print information from this storage device and transfers it to the corresponding printer. In an information processing system comprising a printer control device, each of the information processing devices is configured to transmit an amount of unprinted information to the print control device corresponding to the printer to which the print start request is made by an operation of a print start request. A means for notifying a user of the amount of unprinted information that has been queried and replied to is provided, and the printer control device is also provided with a means for replying to the amount of unprinted information in response to an inquiry from the information processing device. An information processing system characterized by: