Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Ricoh Production Print Solutions LLC

Infoprintsolutions Company, LLC

Michael Glen Lotz

Marquis G Waller

Jeffrey Alan Sikkink

Linda Sue Liebelt

David Lee Stokes

Joseph Wayne Stradling

Thomas Nathan Bilan

Reinhard Heinrich Hohensee

Gerald Donald Boldt

Harry Lewis

Adam A Swartz

Joseph P Gaertner

Kyle P Manning

Thomas Margolis

Carl Michael Dennison

Craig D Brossman

Scott Thomas Ziegler

Walter R Albers

Simon P Jones

Michael E Haller

Amber Joy Watkins

James Douglas Jungbauer, Jr

Gary Alan Koets

Matthew Kellerman

Neil McKinstrie

Joe Stradling

Bryan D Keil

Susan M Saad

Scott Matthew Jones

Benjamin Beatty

Taylor Stock

Jennifer Skiendzielewski

Ryszard Ligas

System, method, and software for software deployment. In an embodiment, a software deployment supervisor receives deployment parameters from an entity regarding deployment of software, identifies resource information for resources on a plurality of computing platforms to host the software, select a host computing platform based on the deployment parameters and the resource information, and deploy the software on the host computing platform. The software deployment supervisor implements a redeployment process by iteratively performing: monitoring the resource information to identify updated resource information for one or more of the resources, identifying downtime of the software, reselecting the host computing platform from the plurality of computing platforms based on the deployment parameters and the updated resource information, and redeploying the software on the host computing platform during the downtime of the software.

Software deployment among different computing platforms

A system includes at least one physical memory device and one or more processors coupled with the at least one physical memory device, the one or more processors to receive data from a plurality of printing entities, wherein the data received from each of the plurality of printing entities comprises a different data format, process the data associated with each of the pluralities of entities to convert the data to meta-data and combine the meta-data into a functional data format.

Print data conversion mechanism

Systems and method for automated determination of granular object storage service metrics are provided. In one example, metadata regarding a subset of objects stored in one or more shared containers of an object storage service is retrieved. One or more meta properties (e.g., a storage tier with which the object is associated, a size of the object, an object type, a file type, user-defined tags, and a full path of the object, including, for example, information indicative of the application and the tenant) may be obtained for each object of the subset of objects. The subset of objects satisfy a set of one or more criteria involving the metadata and/or the meta properties. A total storage cost and/or a total size of the subset of objects is determined by aggregating a storage cost and/or a size of each object of the subset of objects.

Automation of granular object storage service cost and/or usage determination

A system to is described. The system includes at least one physical memory device to store print workflow manager and one or more processors coupled with the at least one physical memory devices to execute the print workflow manager receive a plurality of print jobs, each including a plurality of documents to be printed, receive job tickets including a description as to how pages in the plurality of documents are to be printed, store the plurality of documents in a document pool, store a document property record associated with each of the plurality of documents in the document pool, wherein a document property record provides and process the job tickets and the document property records to generate a combined print job including two or more of the plurality of the documents.

Document pooling mechanism

Systems and methods are provided for indexing in Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) systems. One embodiment is a system that includes a memory and a controller. The controller is able to load Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) print data, to identify AFP objects within the print data, to correlate the AFP objects with contextual information describing the AFP objects, and to insert the contextual information for the AFP objects into AFP Object Container Data (OCD) structures within AFP Index Elements (IELs) of an AFP index. The memory is able to store the index.

Metadata indexing for advanced function presentation systems

Systems and methods are provided for dynamically splitting print jobs to reduce the time taken to start printing those jobs, allowing those jobs to be printed on a wider range of printers more efficiently. One embodiment includes a print server with an interface that is able to receive a Portable Document Format (PDF) print job. The print server also includes a job controller that divides the PDF print job into segments. Dividing the PDF print job includes determining a segment size comprising a number of the logical pages to include in each segment, based on the memory footprint for the logical pages. Dividing the PDF print job also includes generating multiple segments, populating each of the segments with logical pages from the PDF print job based on the segment size, and populating each of the segments with a page tree. The job controller transmits the segments to a printer.

Dynamic splitting of portable document format print jobs

Systems and methods are provided for replacing preprinted forms with blank print media. One embodiment is a system that includes a memory that stores entries which include Page Description Language (PDL) instructions for marking blank print media to match different types of preprinted forms, and an interface that receives a print job comprising PDL print data. The system also includes a controller that determines that the print job includes a media callout referring to one of the types of preprinted forms, consults an entry that corresponds with the type of preprinted form, integrates PDL instructions from the entry into PDL print data for an existing page of the print job to match an appearance of the type of preprinted form at the existing page, selects a printer, and transmits the print job to the printer for printing after the PDL instructions have been integrated.

Dynamic revision of page description language print jobs that use preprinted forms

Combining multiple pages of an AFP print job into a single AFP output page that can be more efficiently printed is described. A print job is received, where pages in the print job begin with a first electronic marker indicative of a beginning of the page and ends with a second electronic marker indicative of an end of the page. A first page and a second page in the print job are identified to combine together into an output page, and an amount of offset for page contents of the second page is determined. The page contents of the second page are shifted by the amount of the offset. The first electronic marker is removed from the first page, the second electronic marker is removed from the second page, and page contents of the first page and shifted page contents of the second page are combined together into the output page. The output page is transmitted to a printer for printing.

Modification of advanced function presentation (AFP) print jobs

A system to generate perform document optimizations is described. The system includes at least one physical memory device and one or more processors coupled with the at least one physical memory device, the one or more processors to receive a print file including one or more print jobs to be processed, determine a number of processing steps to be implemented to process the print file, generate a microservice corresponding to each of the step components and process each of the step components via a corresponding microservice.

Microservice architecture workflow management mechanism

Systems and methods are provided for generating a print job archive optimized for searching by a specific server. The system includes a memory and an indexing controller. The indexing controller generates an archive for print jobs, by determining a number of Central Processing Unit (CPU) cores that access the archive, and generating table files in the archive equal to the number of CPU cores. The indexing controller also populates the archive by detecting print jobs, generating records that describe the print jobs, and distributing the records such that each table file includes a different set of records. Further, the indexing controller searches the archive by triggering multiple processing threads that each utilize a different CPU core to review a different table file of the archive based on the search request, and reporting a set of records in the archive that match the request.

Print job archives that are optimized for server hardware

Systems and methods for synchronizing metadata with alterations to a PDF print job. One embodiment includes a system that includes a print server with an interface and memory. The interface receives a Portable Document Format (PDF) print job associated with a metadata file that defines contextual information for the PDF print job, and the memory stores an action list that defines a sequence of steps for modifying the PDF print job. The print server also includes a job controller that, for the sequence, iteratively detects a step that performs a change to printable content in the PDF print job, identifies a parameter field in the metadata file that relates to the printable content, and modifies the parameter field in the metadata file based on the change to the printable content in the PDF print job.

Synchronizing metadata with alterations to a portable document format print job

Systems and methods are provided for merging print data and metadata for a print job processed in a print workflow. One system is a print server that monitors an input device that receives print files and metadata files, groups at least one print file and at least one metadata file into a batch based on a predetermined pattern defined for the input device, and initiates processing of the batch as a print job in a print workflow in response to a determination that the batch meets a threshold condition. A step of the print workflow is configured to merge document properties from the at least one print file and the at least one metadata file into a single document properties file. Subsequent steps in the print workflow process the print job according to the single document properties file.

Merging print data and metadata for a print job processed in a print workflow

Systems and methods are provided for a document audit trail for print jobs in a workflow. One system includes a controller that directs a device of a print shop in accordance with a workflow. The controller detects a deletion event of a document of the print job while the document is in the workflow, advances the document to a store step defined in the workflow, identifies document properties to record for the document based on configurable parameters of the store step, and to record values of the document properties in a history file.

Document audit trail for print jobs in a workflow

Systems and methods are provided for managing individual documents of a print job based on recipient preferences. One system is a workflow server that includes an interface able to receive print data defining a print job that includes documents that each indicate an intended recipient for delivery. The workflow server also includes a controller able to direct devices of a print shop in accordance with a workflow that comprises an ordered set of activities to perform upon the documents. The controller is further able to acquire preferences for the intended recipients, to correlate documents in the print job with the acquired preferences, and to alter processing of the correlated documents in the workflow, based on the preferences of the intended recipients.

Dynamic workflow control based on recipient preferences for documents

Systems and methods are provided for generating document-specific histories for multi-document print jobs. One system is a workflow server with an interface and a controller. The interface receives a print job that defines multiple documents, and the controller directs devices of a print shop in accordance with a print workflow. The controller identifies properties of each of the documents to track while the print job is being processed in the workflow, receives progress information from the devices, and analyzes the progress information to detect a triggering event indicating that a document in the workflow has transitioned to a new state at an activity. When recording criteria direct the controller to update the history, the controller adds an entry to a history file while the document is in the workflow. The entry indicates values of the properties of the document, as well as a current workflow activity for the document.

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Longmont, CO, United States of America

Michael Glen Lotz