Printing system and methods to manage printing devices according to information for each printing device

Abstract

A printing system manages printing devices. A managing server receives device update status information and pending job information from each of the printing devices. A status change for a component within a first printing device is detected, thereby updating the device information for the first printing device. The managing server parses a print job queue for the first printing device to update the pending job information to determine the print job will cause a first potential error related to the changed status of the first printing device. When a new print job is received, the managing server determines that the new print job will not occur according to the first potential error, identifies a second printing device, determines the new print job will not result in a second potential error at the second printing device, and sends the new print job to the second printing device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for resolving errors within a printing system, the method comprising:
 compiling error information about errors from a plurality of printing devices;   compiling pending job information for pending print jobs at the plurality of printing devices;   analyzing the error information about the errors from the plurality of printing devices;   determining an error category for each of the errors based on the error information;   applying weight parameters to each of the errors according to the respective error category;   analyzing the pending job information for the pending print jobs at the plurality of printing devices to determine resources specified by each pending print job;   indicating that the resources specified by each pending print job will result in a potential error at a printing device of the plurality of printing devices;   applying the weight parameters to the potential error; and   determining a priority order to resolve the errors and the potential error based on the weight parameters and the pending job information for the pending print jobs.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising parsing the pending print jobs at the plurality of printing devices to determine the pending job information. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein indicating includes determining a queued print job of the pending print jobs at the printing device will cause the potential error. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein compiling the error information includes compiling warning information for the plurality of printing devices. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the errors include
 at least one print-halting error having a first weight parameter,   at least one potential print-halting error having a second weight parameter,   at least one potential printing halting error based on at least one pending print job having a third weight parameter, and   at least one device error having a fourth weight parameter.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the first weight parameter is greater than the second weight parameter, the third weight parameter, and the fourth weight parameter. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising compiling historical data for each of the plurality of printing devices. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising using the historical data to indicate that the resources specified by the pending print jobs will cause the potential error. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising updating the error information or the pending job information upon receipt of a notification from the printing device of the plurality of printing devices. 
     
     
         10 . A method for resolving errors at a printing device, the method comprising:
 compiling error information about a plurality of errors;   compiling pending job information for pending print jobs at a print queue;   analyzing the error information about the plurality of errors;   determining an error category for each of the errors based on the error information;   applying weight parameters to each of the errors according to the respective priority category;   analyzing the pending job information for the pending print jobs to determine resources specified by each pending print job;   indicating that the resources specified by each pending print job will result in a potential error within the printing device;   applying the weight parameters to the potential error; and   determining a priority order to resolve the errors and the potential error based on the weight parameters.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising displaying a notification on the printing device indicating a highest-priority error in the priority order to resolve. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the errors include
 at least one print-halting error having a first weight parameter,   at least one potential print-halting error having a second weight parameter,   at least one potential printing halting error based on at least one pending print job having a third weight parameter, and   at least one device error having a fourth weight parameter.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising ranking the at least one print-halting error having the first weight parameter above the at least one errors having the second weight parameter, the third weight parameter, or the fourth weight parameter. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising compiling historical data for the printing device. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising predicting the potential error within the printing device using the historical data. 
     
     
         16 . A print managing server for a printing system, the print management server comprising:
 a processor;   a memory to store instructions executable on the processor,   the instructions, when executed, configure the server to   compile error information about errors from a plurality of printing devices;   compile pending job information for pending print jobs at the plurality of printing devices;   analyze the error information about the errors from the plurality of printing devices;   determine an error category for each of the errors based on the error information;   apply weight parameters to each of the errors according to the respective priority category;   analyze the job information for the pending print jobs at the plurality of printing devices to determine resources for each pending print job;   indicate that the resources for each pending print job will result in a potential error at the respective printing device;   apply the weight parameters to the potential error; and   determine a priority order to resolve the errors and the potential error based on the weight parameters and the job information for the pending print jobs.   
     
     
         17 . The print management server of  claim 16 , wherein the instructions further configure the server to send a notification with the priority order. 
     
     
         18 . The print management server of  claim 16 , wherein the instructions further configure the server to compile data analytics for each of the plurality of printing devices. 
     
     
         19 . The print managing server of  claim 18 , wherein the instructions further configure the server to use the data analytics to indicate that the resources for the pending print jobs will cause the potential error. 
     
     
         20 . The print managing server of  claim 16 , wherein the instructions further configure the server to parse the pending print jobs at the plurality of printing devices to determine the job information.