Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Michael David Raines

Tiberiu Dumitrescu

Daniel Hufnagel

Gerald Donald Boldt

Kumar Venkata Kadiyala

Yukikazu Mori

Janeen Elizabeth Jahn

Paul M Hamilton

Ronald J LeMaster

Patrick Smyth

Steven Mark Gebert

Tisha Leggett

Methods and systems resume workflow processing of a print job at intermediate steps of a print workflow. In one embodiment, a control system initiates processing of a print job based on steps in a print workflow, where the steps identify print shop activities to perform for the print job. The control system identifies an error in executing a step of the workflow, and identifies an intermediate step in the workflow that has executed in processing the print job. The control system identifies an updated file for the print job to correct the error, and resumes the processing of the print job at the intermediate step using the update file.

Error handling for print workflows

Systems and methods are provided for regenerating workflows for print jobs at a print shop in response to changed conditions. The system identifies a first workflow of print shop activities for a print job, and directs resources of the print shop to perform the activities of the first workflow. The system also stores rules that describe activities at the print shop. Further, the system detects a triggering event and halts processing of the first workflow. The system identifies rules defined for the customer, identifies activities available at the print shop, and generates a second workflow for the print job based on the changed condition, the rules defined for the customer, the available activities, and a job ticket of the print job. The system further directs the resources of the print shop to perform the activities of the second workflow.

Workflow regeneration in a print shop environment

Systems and methods are provided for user interfaces that aid a user in rule-based workflow generation. The system accesses activities available at a print shop, displays the available activities to a user at a sequence bar that sorts the activities by their priority, receives input from the user defining a rule that relates to a print shop activity, and stores the rule in a memory. Further, the system determines that a workflow of activities to perform has been generated for a print job of the print shop based upon the rule, wherein the workflow comprises an ordered subset of the activities available at the print shop, accesses the workflow, and displays the workflow of activities to the user.

User interfaces for rule-based workflow generation in a print shop environment

A print server includes a graphical user interface (GUI) having a dialog screen to enable the user to specify a page range of a current copy and a number of additional copies of a print job to be re-printed upon occurrence of an unrecoverable error during printing of the print job.

Page level recovery graphical user interface

Systems and methods are provided for generating workflows for incoming print data. The system generates a workflow for a print job based upon rules defined for the print shop. The system receives a print job for a customer. The system also stores rules, defined for customers, that describe logical relationships of activities at a print shop. Different combinations of the rules may be used to generate different workflows of print shop activities. The system identifies rules defined for the customer, identifies activities available at the print shop, and generates a workflow for the print job based on the rules defined for the customer, the available activities, and a job ticket of the print job, wherein the workflow comprises an ordered set of activities. The system also directs the resources of the print shop to perform the activities of the workflow.

Workflow generation in a print shop environment

Methods and systems are disclosed to provide conversions from job tickets submitted by clients to normalized tickets in a ticket standard used by the print shop. In one embodiment, a system receives a plurality of print jobs submitted by clients to a print shop. For each of the print jobs, the system identifies extension elements that describe services requested from the print shop. The extension elements are extensions to a job ticket standard used by the print shop. The system maps the extension elements to corresponding standard elements defined in the job ticket standard to generate normalized job tickets for the print shop. The system then transmits the normalized job tickets to a system of the print shop for generating workflows for the print jobs based on the normalized job tickets.

Job ticket translation in a print shop architecture

Systems and methods are provided for installing workflow servers for a print shop. One embodiment is a system that installs a workflow server for a print shop. The system accesses installation templates, configured for different categories of print shop, that describe a set of print shop resources expected to exist at the category of print shop. The system also installs workflow server software on a computer system of a print shop. During the installation, the system determines a category for the print shop, selects an installation template that matches the category of the print shop, and performs a dialogue of queries with a user to determine which resources of the set of print shop resources identified by the installation template are available to the print shop, wherein the dialogue excludes queries for print shop resources that are not in the set of print shop resources described by the installation template.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Michael David Raines