Patent ID: 6717690
Filing Date: 2004-04-06
Classification: G06F,H04N

Abstract:
A method for prioritizing the use of a multifunctional printing system's basic processing resources for multiple banded images, said system employing a controller with a job contention manager (JCM), said method comprising:providing a plurality of basic resources of the printing system with each of said basic resources having a job queue; one or more job services, at a desired time, sending a signal to said JCM to transfer a band of a multiple banded image sub-job of a given job, said signal, for each of said bands, including information about the respective sub-job's priority, the band number and total band count for the image; 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; said sub-job being processed, when said sub-job is at the top of all the queues, of all the basic resources, required to perform the respective sub-job; and determining when the last band of an image has been transferred and responsive thereto merging the bands into a single image, wherein, said signal comprises a sub-job â€œProposeâ€  for one of said bands of said multiple banded image, from said job service to the JCM and wherein said JCM determines the state of said one of said bands sub-job upon receiving the â€œProposeâ€ , such that if said one of said bands sub-job is at the top of all the basic resource job queues its state is â€œActiveâ€ , and if said state is â€œActiveâ€  said JCM forwards an â€œAcceptâ€  to said job service so that said one of said bands sub-job is transferred from said job service, and then said job service generates a new â€œProposeâ€  for an additional one of said bands sub-job until the last band of said image is transferred.