METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ROUTING AND SCHEDULING PRINT JOBS

摘要

A method and a system are provided for routing a plurality of print jobs and generating a schedule to process the plurality of print jobs. A routing server routes the plurality of print jobs to a plurality of print shops to process the plurality of print jobs within a pre-defined period. The routing server receives a first capacity from each of the plurality of print shops. The routing server routes a first set of print jobs from the plurality of print jobs to the plurality of print shops based on the request and the received first capacity. In an embodiment, a first cost of routing the first set of print jobs is less than a pre-defined first threshold. An application server generates the schedule for processing the first set of print jobs based on one or more second constraints. The first set of jobs are submitted based on the schedule.

主权项

1. A method for generating a schedule to process a first set of print jobs at a print shop, the method comprising:
transmitting, by one or more processors, a first capacity associated with the print shop to a routing server, wherein the first capacity is deterministic of a number of print jobs that the print shop can process within a pre-defined period; receiving, by the one or more processors, the first set of print jobs to be processed within the pre-defined period based on the transmitted first capacity; determining, by the one or more processors, one or more second constraints associated with the print shop, wherein the one or more second constraints comprises: a processing time, associated with processing the first set of print jobs, being less than an expected time to process the first set of print jobs, a print job from the first set of print jobs is processed after completion of the processing of another print job in the print shop, wherein the processing of the another print job precedes the processing of the print job, and a number of print jobs, being processed by each of one or more printers in the print shop at a time instance, is at most one; transmitting, by the one or more processors, a feedback to the routing server, wherein the routing server, based on an updated first capacity determined using the received feedback, identifies another print shop for re-routing a subset of the first set of print lobs that are unprocessed by the one or more printers in the print shop, wherein the feedback is indicative of whether the print shop can process the first set of print jobs within the pre-defined period; generating, by the one or more processors, the schedule to process the first set of print jobs, based on the one or more second constraints and the transmitted feedback, wherein the one or more second constraints minimize the expected time to process the first set of print jobs; and submitting, by the one or more processors, the subset of unprocessed print jobs to one or more printers in the other print shop and remaining of the first set of print jobs to each of the one or more printers in the print shop at one or more pre-defined time instants, wherein the one or more pre-defined time instants are determined based on the generated schedule.