Patent ID: 6651081
Filing Date: 2003-11-18
Classification: G06F,H04N

Abstract:
A method for prioritizing the use of multifunctional printing system's basic processing resources to allow a high priority job to gain substantially immediate access to a shared resource, said system employing a controller with a job contention manager (JCM), said method comprising:a) providing a plurality of basic resources of the printing system with each of said basic resources having a job queue; b) one or more job services, at a desired time, sending a first signal to said JCM to enter a sub-job of a given job in said queues, even if said basic resource is not ready to process said sub-job, said first signal, for each of said sub-jobs, including information about the respective sub-job's priority; c) responsive to said signal, said JCM adding a corresponding basic job resource sub-job to the queues of each basic resource which said sub-job will require in order to perform the sub-job; d) reassigning said basic resources according to the priority of said added sub-job in said queues; and e) if said added sub-job is the highest priority sub-job in said queues, then responsive to said reassignment of said basic resources, initiating the processing of said added sub-job.