Job information communication system for a printing system

Abstract

A transmission job originating station for controlling transmission of job information, based on the processing of a print job in a printing system, is provided. The control system includes a document generating subsystem for providing at least a portion of the print job to be delivered to a print machine and a user interface for programming a set of information including one or more confirmation destinations with each confirmation destination being disposed remotely of the transmission job originating station. The transmission job originating station further includes a control subsystem which, in response to the processing of at least a portion of the print job at the printing machine, reads the set of information and determines each confirmation destination, programmed with the user interface, to which the job information is to be transmitted.

1. A method for printing a job in a printing system with a printing machine for producing a set of prints from a print job including a document with the document being delivered from a transmission job originating station to the printing machine for execution for the document, the transmission job originating station further including a troubleshooting subsystem for assisting a user to facilitate further processing of the print job in the event that one or more difficulties arise during processing of the document, comprising [the steps of]:
 (a) processing, with the printing system, at least a portion of the document;  
 (b) in response to both an event occurring during said processing and reading, with the transmission job originating station, information preprogrammed by the user at the transmission job originating station, creating a link between the troubleshooting subsystem and the user with the user being disposed at a location remote to the transmission job originating station;  
 (c) the troubleshooting subsystem performing a selected operation on the print job in response to an input from the user at the location remote to the transmission job originating station and storing the print job in a memory section for future execution of the print job; and  
 (d) delivering the document to the printing machine a selected time interval after execution of said steps (a)-(c).  
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising [the step of] editing the document during the selected time interval. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein said editing [step] includes editing the print job at a location remote of both the transmission job originating station and the printing machine. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step ( c )  includes communicating with the user, with the troubleshooting subsystem, after a time interval, designated by the user or the printing system, has elapsed.   
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step (c) includes transmitting the print job  to  a [the] second printing machine for processing thereof. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said step (c) includes [the step of] terminating all current processing of the document. 
     
     
       7. A method of processing a print job in a printing system including (   1   )  a printing machine for producing at least one document from the print job and  (   2   )  a transmission job originating station which transmits the at least one document to the printing machine for printing of the at least one document, wherein the transmission job originating station includes a troubleshooting subsystem to facilitate further processing of the print job and printing the print job, the method comprising:      processing, with the printing system, at least a portion of the print job;        creating a link between the troubleshooting subsystem and a confirmation destination located remote to the transmission job originating station, in response to an event, of one or more difficulties, occurring during the processing step; and        performing, with the troubleshooting subsystem via the link, a selected operation on the print job, in response to an input from the confirmation destination, for remedying said one or more difficulties.     
     
     
       8. The method of processing a print job of  claim 7 , wherein the performing includes (   1   )  clearing a fault and  (   2   )  remedying said one or more difficulties, thereby enabling the printing machine to print the document.   
     
     
       9. The method of processing a print job of  claim 7 , wherein the method includes confirming that at least one of said one or more difficulties has been remedied by delivering confirmation information to the confirmation destination via said link. 
     
     
       10. The method of processing a print job of  claim 7 , wherein said link is a communication link. 
     
     
       11. The method of processing a print job of  claim 8 , wherein said link is a communication link. 
     
     
       12. The method of processing a print job of  claim 7 , wherein said link is an e- mail link.   
     
     
       13. The method of processing a print job of  claim 8 , wherein said link as is an e- mail link.   
     
     
       14. The method of processing a print job of  claim 9 , wherein said link is an e- mail link.   
     
     
       15. The method of processing a print job of  claim 7 , wherein said link is a voice signal link. 
     
     
       16. The method of processing a print job of  claim 15 , including programming one or more telephone numbers into the printing system; and wherein the link is created utilizing said one or more telephone numbers. 
     
     
       17. The method of processing a print job of  claim 8 , wherein said link is a voice signal link. 
     
     
       18. The method of processing a print job of  claim 9 , wherein said link is a voice signal link. 
     
     
       19. The method of processing a print job of  claim 18 , wherein the confirmation information includes a confirmation message in terms of a machine generated audible voice message. 
     
     
       20. The method of processing a print job of  claim 19 , wherein the machine generated audible voice message is stored as a digital voice message on a disc. 
     
     
       21. The method of processing a print job of  claim 17 , wherein one or more voice message are stored in the printing system, said one or more voice messages being transmitted to the confirmation destination upon the occurrence of preselected events. 
     
     
       22. The method of processing a print job of  claim 21 , wherein said one or more voice message includes a confirmation message which is transmitted to the confirmation destination when the document is printed by the printing machine. 
     
     
       23. The method of processing a print job of  claim 7 , wherein the link is a tone link. 
     
     
       24. The method of processing a print job of  claim 8 , wherein the link is a tone link. 
     
     
       25. The method of processing a print job of  claim 9 , wherein the link is a tone link. 
     
     
       26. The method of processing a print job of  claim 23 , wherein one or more tones are conveyed by the tone link, and the printing system is programmed such that said printing system conducts certain activities in response to said one or more tasks. 
     
     
       27. The method of processing a print job of  claim 23 , wherein said confirmation destination sends said one or more tones to said printing system for remedying said one or more difficulties. 
     
     
       28. The method of processing a print job of  claim 27 , wherein the printing system:
   clears a fault in response to a first tone input from the confirmation destination to the transmission job originating station; and        remedies one or more of the difficulties that occurred during document processing in response to a second tone input from the confirmation destination to the transmission job originating station.     
     
     
       29. A method of printing a set of prints from a print job, including a document, using a printing machine, with the document being delivered from a remote transmission job originating station to the printing machine for reproduction of the document, wherein the transmission job originating station includes a troubleshooting subsystem to facilitate control of the print job and the printing of the print job, wherein the method comprises:
   processing, with the printing machine and the transmission job originating station, at least a portion of the print job;        creating a link between the troubleshooting subsystem and a location remote of the transmission job originating station, the remote location being preprogrammed into the transmission job originating station, the link being created by the transmission job originating station in response to one or more difficulties occurring during the processing step; and        controlling, with the troubleshooting subsystem via the link, a selected operation in response to an input from the location remote to the transmission job originating station, the selected operation remedying said one or more the difficulties.     
     
     
       30. A method for printing a job at a printing machine from a remotely located transmission job originating station, the transmission job originating station having a user interface for inputting job control instructions for a print job, the job control instructions including programmable information identifying one or more confirmation destinations with each said confirmation destination being located remotely of the transmission job originating station, comprising:
   programming the one or more confirmation destinations into the transmission job originating station;        processing at least a portion of the print job at the printing machine; and        in response to said processing, transmitting, with the transmission job originating station, the job status information to said one or more confirmation destinations.     
     
     
       31. A method of processing a print job in a printing system including (   1   )  a printing machine for producing at least one document from the print job and  (   2   )  a transmission job originating station which transmits the at least one document to the printing machine for printing of the at least one document, wherein the printing system includes a trouble - shooting subsystem to facilitate further processing of the print job and for printing the print job, the method comprising:      processing, with the printing system, at least a portion of the print job;        creating a link between the troubleshooting subsystem and a confirmation destination located remote to the transmission job originating station, in response to an event, of one or more difficulties, occurring during the processing step; and        performing, with the troubleshooting subsystem via the link, a selected operation on the print job, in response to an input from the confirmation destination, for remedying said one or more difficulties and for printing the print job.     
     
     
       32. The method of processing a print job of  claim 31 , wherein the performing includes (   1   )  clearing a fault and  (   2   )  remedying said one or more difficulties, thereby enabling the printing machine to print the document.   
     
     
       33. The method of processing a print job of  claim 31 , wherein the method includes confirming that at least one of said one or more difficulties has been remedied by delivering confirmation information to the confirmation destination via said link. 
     
     
       34. A method of printing a set of prints from a print job, including a document, using a printing system including ( a )  a printing machine and  ( b )  a remote transmission job originating station, with the document being delivered from the remote transmission job originating station to the printing machine for reproduction of the document, wherein the printing system includes a troubleshooting subsystem to facilitate control of the print job and the printing of the print job, wherein the method comprises:      processing, with the printing system, at least a portion of the print job;        creating a link between the troubleshooting subsystem and a location remote of the transmission job originating station, the remote location being preprogrammed into the printing system, the link being created by the printing system in response to one or more difficulties occurring during the processing step; and        controlling, with the troubleshooting subsystem via the link, a selected operation in response to an input from the location remote to the transmission job originating station, the selected operation remedying said one or more the difficulties.     
     
     
       35. A method for printing a print job using a printing system including ( a )  a printing machine and  ( b )  a remotely located transmission job originating station, the print job originating at the transmission job originating station and being transmitted to the printing machine for the printing of at least one document, the transmission job originating station having a user interface for inputting job control instructions for the print job, the job control instructions including programmable information identifying one or more confirmation destinations with each said confirmation destination being located remotely of the transmission job origination station, comprising:      programming the one or more confirmation destinations into the printing system;        processing at least a portion of the print job; and        in response to said processing, transmitting, with the printing system, the job status information to said one or more confirmation destinations.