Patent ID: 9557949
Date: 2017-01-31
CPC Classifications: G06F

Claim:
1. A print scheduling method, comprising: receiving, by a print scheduling apparatus, a print task from a user, and determining a cluster of print processing apparatuses satisfying the print task of the user, wherein the cluster comprises at least one print processing apparatus; and receiving, by the print scheduling apparatus, a print request sent from an idle print processing apparatus, wherein the print request indicates that the idle print processing apparatus is currently in an idle status and able to perform print processing; determining, by the print scheduling apparatus, whether the idle print processing apparatus, which sends the print request, is included in the cluster satisfying the print task of the user, and if so, notifying the idle print processing apparatus of the print task of the user, so that the idle print processing apparatus determines a virtual print parameter template corresponding to a corresponding virtual print parameter template ID from the received print task, determines a physical print parameter template corresponding to the virtual print parameter template according to a pre-created correspondence relationship between the virtual print parameter template and the physical print parameter template; and determines the physical print parameters included in the physical print parameter template; wherein the physical print parameter template includes an ID of the template, a length in bytes of a name of a printer to which the template belongs, the name of the printer to which the template belongs, a length in bytes of print parameters and contents of the print parameters; wherein the print task comprises a virtual print parameter template, then determining the cluster of print processing apparatuses satisfying the print task of the user comprises: receiving the virtual print parameter template selected by the user through a print client, wherein each virtual print parameter template corresponds to a cluster of print processing apparatuses, each virtual print parameter template includes virtual print parameters representing print characteristics, and the virtual print parameters in each virtual print parameter template represent print characteristics common to printers corresponding to all the print processing apparatuses in the cluster corresponding to the virtual print parameter template; and taking a cluster of print processing apparatuses corresponding to the determined virtual print parameter template as the cluster of print processing apparatuses satisfying the print task of the user.