Print management device and print management program
When the user executes printing in a system to which plural printers are connected, the waiting time of each user is minimized, and the use of the plural printers is equalized. The print management device is connected to the terminal devices and the printers via a network, for example. The print management device saves the print jobs transmitted from each of the terminal devices. When receiving the print instruction from any one of the printers, the print management device transmits the print job corresponding thereto to the printer and makes the printer execute the printing. Also, the print management device collects and manages the print execution status of the printers. When receiving a new print instruction from the printer which is already executing the print job, the print management device calculates the waiting time of each of the printers and notifies the printer having the shortest waiting time.
1. A print management device connected to a plurality of printers and a plurality of terminal devices comprising:
a print job saving unit which receives print lobs from the plurality of terminal devices and saves the print jobs;
a print status management unit which. manages print execution status of each of the plurality of printers; and
a print control unit which obtains, when receiving a print instruction from one of the plurality of printers, the print job corresponding to the print instruction from the print job saving unit and transmits the print job to a sender printer which has transmitted the print instruction to make the sender printer execute the print job,
wherein, when the sender printer is executing other print job, the print control unit calculates a waiting time of each of the plurality of printers based on the print execution, status of each of the plurality of printers and time necessary to move between the plurality of printers, and notifies the sender printer of the printer having a shortest waiting time.
2. The print management device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the sender printer is executing the other print job, the print control unit determines a faster method from a first method of using the sender printer after waiting for a finish of the other print job and a second method of using a recommended printer having a shortest waiting time among other printers after moving to the recommended printer, and notifies the sender printer of the faster method.
3. The print management device according to claim 2 , wherein, when the print control unit determines that the second method is faster and a user instructs to use the recommended printer, the print control unit transmits the print job corresponding to the print. instruction to the recommended printer to make the recommended printer execute the print lob.
4. The print management device according to claim 2 , wherein, when the print control unit determines that the second method is faster and a user instructs to use the recommended printer, the print control unit sets the recommended printer to a reserved state and invalidates other print instructions to the recommended printer.
5. The print management device according to claim 2 , wherein, the print lob includes processing choice information specifying which one of to first processing and a second processing is to be executed when the recommended printer is used, the first processing immediately transmitting the print job corresponding to the print instruction to the recommended printer to execute the print job, the second processing setting the recommended printer to a reserved state and invalidating other print instructions to the recommended printer, and
wherein, when the print, control unit determines that the second method is faster and a user instructs to use the recommended printer, the print control unit executes one of the first processing and the second processing specified by the processing choice information.
6. The print management device according to claim 4 , wherein, when the print control unit receives the print instruction transmitted from the recommended printer and made by the user who has made the print instruction to the sender printer, the print control unit releases the reserved state of the recommended printer and makes the recommended printer execute the print job corresponding to the print instruction.
7. The print management device according to claim 4 , wherein the print control unit releases the reserved state of the recommended printer, if a predetermined time has passed after setting the recommended. printer to the reserved state but the print control unit does not receive, the print instruction transmitted from the recommended printer and made by the user who has made the print instruction to the sender printer.
8. The print management device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the print job includes an identification information of the user who has transmitted the print, job, wherein the print instruction includes the identification information of the user who has transmitted the print instruction, and
wherein the print control unit obtains the corresponding print on from the print, job saving unit based on the identification information of the user included in the received print instruction. print
9. The print management device according to claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of printers includes:
a reading unit which reads the identification information of the user from a storage medium possessed by the user; and
a transmitting unit which transmits the identification information of the used read from the storage medium in a manner included in the print instruction.
10. A print management program in a non-transient computer-readable medium, executed by a print management device connected to a plurality of printers and a plurality of terminal devices and including a computer, the program making the computer function as:
a print job saving unit which. receives print jobs from the plurality of terminal devices and saves the print jobs;
a print status management unit which manages print execution status of each of the plurality of printers; and
a print control unit which obtains, when receiving a print instruction from one of the plurality of printers, the print job corresponding to the print instruction from the print, job saving unit and transmits the print job to a. sender printer which has transmitted the print instruction to make the sender printer execute the print job,
wherein, when the sender printer is executing other print lob, the print control unit calculates a waiting time of each of the plurality of printers based on the print execution status of each of the plurality of printers and time necessary to move between the plurality of printers, and not the sender printer of the having a shortest waiting time.