Patent ID: 8593653

Claim:
A method for managing print jobs, implemented in a print job management apparatus communicating with a plurality of printers, the method comprising: receiving print jobs to be assigned to and processed by one or more of the printers communicating with the print job management apparatus; and providing a user with user selectable first and second display screens, the first display screen visually presenting to the user a plurality of panels classifying the print jobs according to processing phase of the print jobs, the processing phase of the print jobs including a waiting phase in which a print job never assigned to any of the printers is waiting for a first-time assignment to one or more of the printers communicating with the print job management apparatus so that the user can identify the print jobs that need printer assignment, the second display screen visually presenting to the user a single panel that lists both assigned and unassigned print jobs in such a manner as to facilitate the user to locate a print job and identify the processing phase thereof, wherein the first display screen includes a first panel, a second panel, and a third panel, the first panel listing print jobs that are awaiting assignment of printers thereto for processing the print jobs, the second panel listing print jobs that have been assigned to printers and that have not been completed by the assigned printers, the third panel listing print jobs that have been completed or cancelled.