Credential Production Job Management

1 . In a credential production system comprising a plurality of client computers, a plurality of credential manufacturing devices, and a credential production server that is remote from the client computers and the credential manufacturing devices, a method of managing credential production jobs generated by the client computers comprising:

receiving a credential production job from one of the client computers at the credential production server, wherein the credential production job defines one or more processes to be performed on a credential substrate;

selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device among the plurality of credential manufacturing devices that is capable of processing the credential production job;

sending the credential production job to the final candidate credential manufacturing device; and

processing a credential substrate using the final candidate credential manufacturing device in accordance with the credential production job.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device comprises:

comparing model names of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices to a model name identified in the credential production job; and

selecting one of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices whose model name matches the model name identified in the credential production job as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device comprises:

comparing model names of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices to a model name of the credential production job; and

identifying each of the credential manufacturing devices whose model names match the model name identified in the credential production job as candidate credential manufacturing devices;

determining which of the candidate credential manufacturing devices is not currently processing a credential production job; and

selecting one of the candidate credential manufacturing devices that is not currently processing a credential production job as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the credential production job defines an inversion process to be performed on a credential substrate; and

selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device comprises identifying one of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices comprising a substrate rotator configured to perform the inversion process, as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the credential production job defines a lamination process to be performed on a credential substrate; and

selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device comprises identifying one of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices comprising a substrate laminator configured to perform the lamination process, as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the credential production job defines a data writing process to be performed on a credential substrate; and

selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device comprises identifying one of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices comprising a data writer configured to perform the data writing process, as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the credential production job defines a printing process to be performed on a credential substrate; and

selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device comprises identifying one of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices comprising a print ribbon configured to perform the printing process, as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.

8 . A credential production system comprising:

a plurality of credential manufacturing devices;

at least one client computer; and

a credential production server that is remote from the client computer and the credential manufacturing device, the credential production server comprising instructions stored in a tangible medium and executable by a microprocessor for performing steps of:

receiving a credential production job from one of the client computers at the credential production server, wherein the credential production job defines one or more processes to be performed on a credential substrate;

selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device among the plurality of credential manufacturing devices that is capable of processing the credential production job; and

sending the credential production job to the final candidate credential manufacturing device for processing.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the instructions for selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device comprise instructions for:

comparing model names of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices to a model name identified in the credential production job; and

selecting one of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices whose model name matches the model name identified in the credential production job as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the instructions for selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device comprise instructions for:

comparing model names of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices to a model name of the credential production job; and

identifying each of the credential manufacturing devices whose model names match the model name identified in the credential production job as candidate credential manufacturing devices;

determining which of the candidate credential manufacturing devices is not currently processing a credential production job; and

selecting one of the candidate credential manufacturing devices that is not currently processing a credential production job as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein:

the credential production job defines an inversion process to be performed on a credential substrate; and

the instructions for selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device comprise identifying one of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices comprising a substrate rotator configured to perform the inversion process, as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.

12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein:

the credential production job defines a lamination process to be performed on a credential substrate; and

the instructions for selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device comprise identifying one of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices comprising a substrate laminator configured to perform the lamination process, as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.

13 . The system of claim 8 , wherein:

the credential production job defines a data writing process to be performed on a credential substrate; and

the instructions for selecting a final candidate credential manufacturing device comprise identifying one of the plurality of credential manufacturing devices comprising a data writer configured to perform the data writing process, as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.

14 . A credential production system comprising:

a plurality of identification card printers each comprising a supply of plastic card substrates, a card transport mechanism, a print ribbon and a print head configured to transfer dye from the print ribbon to a surface of individual plastic card substrates fed from the supply by the card transport mechanism;

at least one client computer;

a credential production server that is remote from the client computer and the credential manufacturing device, the credential production server comprising instructions stored in a tangible medium and executable by a microprocessor for performing steps of:

receiving a credential production job from one of the client computers at the credential production server, wherein the credential production job defines one or more processes to be performed on a plastic card substrate;

selecting a final candidate identification card printer among the plurality of identification card printers that is capable of processing the credential production job; and

sending the credential production job to the final candidate identification card printer for processing.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein:

the credential production job defines an inversion process to be performed on a plastic card substrate; and

the instructions for selecting a final identification card printer comprise identifying one of the plurality of identification card printers comprising a substrate rotator configured to perform the inversion process, as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.

16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein:

the credential production job defines a lamination process to be performed on a plastic card substrate; and

the instructions for selecting a final identification card printer comprise identifying one of the plurality of identification card printers comprising a laminator configured to perform the lamination process, as the final candidate identification card printer.

17 . The system of claim 14 , wherein:

the credential production job defines a data writing process to be performed on a plastic card substrate selected from the group consisting of writing data to a memory chip of a plastic card substrate and writing data to a magnetic stripe of a plastic card substrate; and

the instructions for selecting a final identification card printer comprise identifying one of the plurality of identification card printers comprising a data writer configured to perform the data writing process, as the final candidate identification card printer.

18 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the instructions for selecting a final identification card printer comprise identifying one of the plurality of identification card printers that is not currently processing a credential production job, as the final candidate identification card printer.

19 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the instructions for selecting a final candidate identification card printer comprise instructions for:

comparing model names of the plurality of identification card printers to a model name identified in the credential production job; and

selecting one of the plurality of identification card printers whose model name matches the model name identified in the credential production job as the final candidate identification card printer.

20 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the instructions for selecting a final candidate identification card printer comprise instructions for:

comparing model names of the plurality of identification card printers to a model name of the credential production job; and

identifying each of the identification card printers whose model names match the model name identified in the credential production job as candidate identification card printers;

determining which of the candidate identification card printers is not currently processing a credential production job; and

selecting one of the candidate identification card printers that is not currently processing a credential production job as the final candidate credential manufacturing device.