WO2018015265A1

WO2018015265A1 - Method of managing jobs in a digital workflow

Info

Publication number: WO2018015265A1
Application number: PCT/EP2017/067702
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jurgen Westerhoff; Derya ÖZÇELIK-BUSKERMOLEN; Marvin P. Brunner; Josephus A.M. VAN DUN
Original assignee: OCE Holding B.V.
Priority date: 2016-07-19
Filing date: 2017-07-13
Publication date: 2018-01-25

Abstract

A method of managing jobs in a workflow, wherein job specifications of jobs to be processed are stored on a digital management server (12), and a list (20) of jobs waiting for being processed and options for selecting a job from the list and editing or processing the job are presented to a user on a user interface (14), characterized in that the following steps are performed when a job (24) selected from the list (20) requires an editing operation that the user refuses to perform: the user designating, on the user interface (14), a second instance (18) for performing the required editing operation, which results in a message being sent from the job management server (12) to that instance (18); the job management server (12) marking the job (24) as locked, which, while the job remains in the list (20), prevents at least one processing operation from being performed on the job; - the job management server (12) providing the second instance (18) access to the job specifications of the selected job (24) for editing the same; and when it is confirmed that the editing operation has been accomplished, the job management server (12) unlocking the job (24).

Description

Method of Managing Jobs in a Digital Workflow

The invention relates to a method of managing jobs in a workflow, wherein job specifications of jobs to be processed are stored on a digital job management server, and a list of jobs waiting for being processed and options for selecting a job from the list and editing or processing the job are presented to a user on a user interface.

More particularly, the invention relates to a method of managing print jobs in a printing system.

Conventional workflow systems are typically implemented as state machines, wherein, at a given point in time, each job that is being handled by the system is in exactly one of a number of pre-defined states and the jobs are moved from one state to the other in the course of the workflow. For example, a print job may be in a state of being prepared in a pre-press instance where the print data and job specifications are compiled, or it may be in a state of waiting in a print queue, or it may eventually be in a state of being printed.

When a print job reaches the state "print queue", the job management server adds the job, or at least a placeholder identifying the job, to a list of jobs that are waiting for being printed. In this state, the job is under control of an instance which is called "user" in this description and may for example be the owner of the print job or a local operator of the printing system, or any other person who is authorized to perform editing operations on the print job, e.g. changing job settings, scaling or rotating the image to be printed, and the like. Optionally, the user may also have the power to edit the print queue, e.g. by promoting or demoting a job in the queue or else by deleting it from the queue and sending it back to an earlier instance.

In a more general workflow system or job management system, there may also be states that are analogous to a print queue in that they contain jobs that are enlisted in a list of jobs which have been prepared and are waiting for a next processing step but may still be edited by an instance (user) having the exclusive power to control the job in this state. It is an object of the invention to provide a method that permits to smoothen the workflow especially in cases where one of the jobs in the list encounters a problem that cannot easily be resolved by the user.

In order to achieve this object, in the method according to the invention, the following steps are performed when a job selected from the list requires an editing operation that the user refuses to perform:

the user designating, on the user interface, a second instance for performing the required editing operation, which results in a message being sent from the job management server to that instance;

- the job management server marking the job as locked, which, while the job remains in the list, prevents at least one processing operation from being performed on the job;

the job management server providing the second instance access to the job specifications of the selected job for editing the same; and

- when it is confirmed that the editing operation has been accomplished, the job management server unlocking the job.

It is an outstanding feature of this method that a job may be in a kind of hybrid state in which, on the one hand, the job is still in the list of jobs waiting for being processed and, on the other hand, control over this job is given to an instance other than the user for performing editing operations in order to resolve the problem.

It is an advantage of this method that, when the user decides that he cannot or does not want to resolve the problem himself, he is not obliged to remove the job from the list in order to send it back to an earlier instance, which would have the consequence that the job becomes invisible in the list so that a person at the local user interface might not be aware of the existence of this job and the job might possibly loose its priority in the queue. Instead, the user may easily, just by entering a command, ask for help by a second instance while keeping the job in the list. This also releases the second instance where the problem has been fixed from the burden of re-submitting the job for having it entered into the list once again, then probably at the end of the queue.

More specific optional features of the invention are indicated in the dependent claims. During the time in which the job is locked in the list, i.e. after the second instance has been asked for help, the user may still have the option to perform certain editing operations as long as these operations do not interfere with the operations performed by the second instance. For example, when the problem to be resolved was an oversize of an image to be printed, and the pre-press instance has been asked to fix the problem by scaling or clipping the image, the user may still perform other editing operations such as changing the print resolution, making settings concerning the color management promoting or demoting the job, or the like, even though the job has been locked.

Optionally, it may also be permitted that certain (pre-)processing operations are performed on a job even when it is locked. For example, locking the job may only have the effect that the job is prevented from being printed, but operations such as raster image processing and the like may still be permitted.

In order for the second instance to be able to fix a problem by performing editing operations, this second instance must necessarily have some control over the job, i.e. it must have access to the job specifications and data. This may be achieved in various ways.

In one embodiment, almost the entire job data are transmitted to the second instance and are deleted in the local memory of the job management server, so that what remains in the list is only a placeholder referring to the job that has been locked. In this case, it will not be possible for the user to perform any other editing operations, nor will it be possible to execute any processing steps. In another embodiment, the job data may remain in the local memory of the job management server, and only a copy of some or all of these data are sent to the second instance. Then, other editing operations and even processing steps may be possible in the locked state. When the second instance has returned the job data after editing, the corresponding data stored in the local memory will be discarded and replaced by the new data received from the second instance. Possibly, this may imply that certain processing steps such as raster image processing of a part or all of a job have to be repeated.

In yet another embodiment, the second instance may just be granted access to the data stored in the local memory of the server and to the editing options and tools available at the job management server.

Embodiment examples will now be described in conjunction with the drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a diagram of a printing system in which the method according to the invention may be performed;

Fig. 2 and 3 show screens to be displayed on a user interface of the printing system in different steps of the method according to the invention;

Fig. 4 shows a screen to be displayed on a workstation implementing another instance in the print workflow; Figs. 5 and 6 show screens to be displayed on the user interface in later steps of the method according to the invention; and

Fig. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating steps to be performed by a job management server of the printing system in accordance with the invention.

As is shown in Fig. 1 , a printing system comprises a printer 10 and a print job management server 12 that is constituted by a digital data processing system. A local user interface 14, e.g. in the form of a workstation, is connected to the server 12 via a network 16.

Connected to the network 16 is also another workstation which implements a pre-press instance 18 where print jobs may be prepared for being submitted to the print job management server 12.

The server 12 receives print jobs, i.e. job specifications and print data, from the prepress instance 18 and possibly from other instances and enters them into a list 20 which is displayed on a screen 22 of the user interface 14, as shown in Fig. 2. The list 20 may for example be considered as a print queue listing the print jobs in an order in which they are scheduled for being printed on the printer 10. The server 12 may be physically separated from the printer 10, or alternatively integrated into an embedded controller in the printer 10. Furthermore, the local user interface 14 may be the local user interface of a separate server 12, or the local user interface of the printer 10 either connected directly or through the separate server 12.

A software application in the server 12 analyses the job specifications of the print jobs entered into the list 20 to check whether they are suitable for being printed or whether there are any conflicts or problems which prevent the job from being processed further.

In the example shown in Fig. 2, a problem has been detected for a specific print job 24 ("Job 3") in the list 20, and this fact is indicated by displaying a warning signal 26 in the field that represents the job 24. Fig. 3 shows the image on the screen 22 in a state in which a user has selected the job 24, as a result of which an error message 28 identifying the kind of error that has been encountered is displayed on the screen. In the example shown, the problem is that a specific font type "Symbol 18 pt" which is needed for the print job is not embedded in the job data and is not available on the server 12 or printer 10.

Alternatively, a problem may not be detected automatically by the server 12, but may be noticed by the user. The user interface may allow the user to notify the server 12 of such a problem allowing for the resolution of such problems in a similar way. The user has the option to fix the problem himself. To that end, he may activate an "edit" button 30 on the screen 22. As is well known in the art, this will open a menu permitting the user to edit the job data, so that the user may retrieve the required font type from this local workstation or from a remote source via the network 16 and may install it on the server 12, or the user may alternatively define a font substitution.

In case that the required font type is not available or the user does not know where to find it, the system according to the invention offers the option to activate a button 32 "call for help" on the screen 22 in order to delegate the task of resolving the problem to another (second) instance. A text widget 34 permits the user to select the instance, e.g. the pre-press instance 18 or a system administrator, to which the task shall be delegated. In the example shown, the instance "pre-press" has been selected as default setting.

A field 36 permits the user to add any notes which will then be sent to the second instance together with the request to resolve the problem.

Upon activation of the button 32, the server 12 will send a message identifying the job and the type of error to be fixed to the second instance. Fig. 4 shows an example of this message as displayed on a screen 38 of the

workstation that implements the pre-press instance 18. The job 24 ("Job 3") is identified in a text widget 40 and the type of error is identified in a text widget 42. Another text widget 44 is provided for showing the notes that may have been added by the user in the field 36 in Fig. 3.

An application in the workstation constituting the pre-press server 18 is configured to receive the messages from the server 12 and to display them on the screen 38. In this example, said application is also capable of parsing the problem description in the text widget 42 and to suggest a software tool that would be useable for resolving the problem. Thus, the screen 38 shows a button 46 "open font manager" and activation of this button will open software that permits the operator of the pre-press instance to install the required fonts on the server 12. As an alternative, the operator of the prepress instance may choose another software application by activating a button 48. Meanwhile, the image displayed on the screen 22 of the user interface changes to what has been shown in Fig. 5. The job 24 is still contained in the list 20 but has been marked by a lock symbol 50 indicating that this job has been locked, which means that the job 24 is precluded from being printed. A message 52 "waiting for fix" indicates the status of the job 24 and also confirms that a request for problem resolution has been sent to the second instance. The "edit" button 30 is still present on the screen, permitting the user to perform some editing operations on the locked job 24.

When the operator of the pre-press instance 18 has accomplished his task of installing the required fonts, he sends a confirmation message to the server 12, or the fact that the problem has been resolved is automatically detected in the server 12. Then, the image on the screen 22 changes to what is shown in Fig. 6, where the warning sign 26 and the lock symbol 50 have been removed, which shows that the job 24 is no longer locked and may now be printed. A message 54 "fixed" confirms that the problem has been resolved.

In the example shown, a first job "Job 1 " in the list 20 has been printed in the time when the job 24 was locked, and accordingly, "Job 1 " has been removed from the list 20 in Fig. 6 and all other jobs, including the job 24, have moved upwards in the list. Thus, the job 24 has not only remained in the list but has also retained its priority rank in the print queue and will therefore now be the second job to be printed.

In one example, while job 24 is locked, the printer 10 will proceed processing jobs. Once the jobs preceding job 24 have all been processed, the printer 10 will either suspend processing until job 24 becomes unlocked, honoring the job ordering, or alternatively skip job 24, optionally leaving it at the top of the queue, and continue with subsequent jobs until the job 24 becomes unlocked.

The essential steps of the method according to the invention, as far as they are executed by the software in the server 12, have been summarized in a flow diagram in Fig. 7.

In step S1 , a print job from the list 20 is analyzed, and it is decided in step S2 whether or not the job is ready for being printed or whether any intervention is required. If no intervention is needed (N), the program proceeds to the next job in step S3. Otherwise (Y), the user is alerted in step S4 by displaying the warning signal 26 on the screen 22.

In step S5, it is checked whether the user has activated the button 32. If this is not the case (N), it is checked in step S6 whether the user has edited the job himself in order to fix the problem. If this is the case (Y), the program proceeds to the next job in step S7. Otherwise (N) the steps S5 and S6 are looped-through until there is any action from the user.

When it is found in step S5 that the user has opted for help from the second instance, a corresponding request is sent to the designated second instance in step S8. Further, the job is locked in the list 20 in step S9, and control over the job is given to the designated second instance, which, however, does not necessarily mean that the user looses his control over the job completely.

In step S10, it is checked whether the problem has been resolved by the second instance, and if this is not the case (N), the step S10 is repeated in a loop until the problem has been resolved. Then (Y), the job is unlocked in step S1 1 , so that the job may now be printed.

Claims

1. A method of managing jobs in a workflow, wherein job specifications of jobs to be processed are stored on a digital management server (12), and a list (20) of jobs waiting for being processed and options for selecting a job from the list and editing or processing the job are presented to a user on a user interface (14), characterized in that the following steps are performed when a job (24) selected from the list (20) requires an editing operation that the user refuses to perform:

the user designating, on the user interface (14), a second instance (18) for performing the required editing operation, which results in a message being sent from the job management server (12) to that instance (18);

the job management server (12) marking the job (24) as locked, which, while the job remains in the list (20), prevents at least one processing operation from being performed on the job;

- the job management server (12) providing the second instance (18) access to the job specifications of the selected job (24) for editing the same; and

when it is confirmed that the editing operation has been accomplished, the job management server (12) unlocking the job (24).

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the jobs in the list (20) are print jobs.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the jobs in the list (20) are arranged in a queue, and a job (24) which is being locked retains its position in the queue with respect to other jobs in the queue.

4. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the user is allowed to perform at least some editing operations on a job (24) while this job is locked.

5. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the user is offered an option to include a note in the message that is being sent from the job management server (12) to the second instance (18).

6. A printing system comprising a printer (10) and a print job management server (12), wherein the print job management server (12) is configured for performing the steps of the method according to any of the claims 1 to 5.

7. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising program code which, when executed on a processor of a job management server (12), causes the job management server to perform the steps of the method according to any of the claims 1 to 5.