JPS5987539A - Controlling system of printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten a waiting time of a common use and to operate efficiently a printing device by converting plural printing devices to a group, and selecting and outputting an optimum printing device in accordance with an output quantity. CONSTITUTION:A user 1 and a spool device 3 for accumulating a printing output request are connected to a printing device control mechanism 2 of a control system. Also, plural printing devices 4a-4e converted to groups 5a, 5b having group names KLP, JLP are connected to the control mechanism 2. A control process part 9, a group control display part 10 and a printing device control display part 11 are provided on the inside of this control mechanism 2, and a group name 5 and a selecting order 12 are registered in the control display part 10. Also, a printing device name 13, a classification 14, a waiting output quantity 15 and a queue 16 are registered in the control display part 11, optimum printing devices 4a-4e are selected and outputted in accordance with the output quantity, a waiting time of a common use is shortened, and the printing device is operated efficiently.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a computer and a printing device are connected via a communication line or
The present invention relates to a printing device management method for managing sharing of a plurality of printing devices in a system connected via a channel.

Conventionally, the method for managing multiple printing devices has been for the user to specify a single printing device or to specify an alternative printing device at the time of system creation, and in the case of shared use, there is no waiting time. There was a high probability that it would happen.

Another drawback is that the load is concentrated on one printing device.

The present invention has been made with the aim of eliminating the drawbacks of such conventional systems.

The present invention is characterized in that a plurality of printing devices are grouped, and the optimum printing device is selected and output according to the selection order and output amount, thereby realizing efficient printing device operation.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system illustrating an example of the present invention. In this figure, 1 indicates the users in general,
2 is a printing device management mechanism operated by the user 1, and 6 is a spool device connected to the printing device management mechanism 2 and storing print output requests. 4a, 4b,
4c... are a plurality of printing devices (five in this case) connected to the printing device management mechanism 2, including the printing device 4a.
-4c form one group 5aY (group name '1KLP), and printing devices 4a and 4e form another group 5a (group name JLP). - Before using a printing device, the user 1 selects in advance one or more printing devices that he or she wants to use, and registers the group name and selection order of the printing devices in the printing device management mechanism 2.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the format of an output request made to the printing device management mechanism 2. In this figure, 6 is an identifier for identifying each print output request, 5 is a group name,
7 is a designated output amount, and 8 is output data. This output data 8 is actually stored in the spool device 6.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the internal configuration of the printing device management mechanism 2, which includes a management process section 9, a group management table section 10, and a printing device management table section 11.

The management process section 9 performs shared control of a plurality of printing devices based on data in the group management table section 10 and the printing device management table section 11.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the group management table part 1° in FIG. ing.

Based on this group management table section 10, printing devices are selected according to the selection order 12 based on the correspondence between the group name 5 specified in FIG. 2 and the group name 5 in the group management table section 1o.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the printing device management table section 11 in FIG. and a part 16 in which the information is registered.

Now, when printing devices according to the group name and selection order are selected based on the group management table section 10, the printing device management table section 11 shown in FIG. If a printing device is selected for the function,
A printout request is registered in the queue 16 of the printing device so as to be output to a printing device with a small queued output amount 15, and a designated output amount 7 (see FIG. 2) is added to the queued output amount 15.

If a printing device with a different function is selected, the printout request is registered in the queue 16 of the printing device according to the selection order 12, and the designated output amount 7 is added to the queued output i:15. If the waiting output amount is 15, the specified output amount 7 is decreased when printing is completed.

In the above description, a case where a printing device is shared has been described, but it may also be used in an output device such as a paper tape punching device, an image output device, a plotter, or the like.

As described above, the printing device management method according to the present invention groups a plurality of printing devices and selects the most suitable printing device based on selection order and output amount, thereby enabling efficient printing device operation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a system configuration showing an example of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the logical format of a printout request, Fig. 6 is an internal structure of the printing device management mechanism, and Fig. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a printing device management table section. 1... User, 2... Printing device management mechanism, 6...
Spool device, 4a to 4e...Printing device representative Shin Kuzuno -

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A printing device management mechanism operated by a user;
A management method for printing devices in a system including a spool device and a plurality of printing devices coupled to this, wherein the plurality of printing devices are grouped in the printing device management mechanism, and the printing device A group name specifying a selection order is registered, and the printing device is selected and output based on the selection order and output amount specified by the printing device management mechanism at the time of a print output request. Device management method.