1. A print management apparatus includes a processor,

the processor performs the following processing:

acquiring the amount of paper required in printing, namely the amount of the next sheet;

acquiring an amount of paper, which is an inventory amount, having an attribute of paper required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes, which is stored by a printing manufacturer, for each attribute of the paper;

and when the lower order amount is larger than each stock amount and the sum of at least 2 stock amounts is more than the lower order amount, displaying the printing manufacturer as the printing manufacturer capable of receiving the lower order.

2. A print management apparatus includes a processor,

the processor performs the following processing:

acquiring the amount of paper required in printing, namely the amount of the next sheet;

acquiring an amount of paper having an attribute of paper required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes, that is, an inventory amount, for each printing manufacturer of the paper;

and displaying the plurality of printing manufacturers as printing manufacturers capable of receiving the order when the order amount is larger than each stock amount and the sum of the stock amounts of the paper required for printing of the plurality of printing manufacturers is larger than the order amount.

3. The print management apparatus according to claim 2,

when the plurality of printing manufacturers are designated as the ordering party, the processor divides the ordering amount so that the ordering amount is less than or equal to the stock amount of each of the plurality of printing manufacturers, and performs ordering processing for each of the plurality of printing manufacturers.

4. The printing management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the attribute contains information about the brand of the paper or the kind of the paper,

the processor acquires the stock quantity of the paper having the attribute of the paper required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes.

5. The printing management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the processor includes a fee associated with the placing of the order for each candidate of the print vendor in the display.

6. The print management apparatus according to claim 5,

the processor includes, as a cost associated with the placing, at least 1 of a cost of the paper required in the printing, a cost of the printing manufacturer's candidate for printing the paper, and a cost of transporting the printed paper from the printing manufacturer's candidate to a placing person.

7. The printing management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

at least 1 of the kind of the paper and the brand of the paper is shared among the papers having the 2 or more kinds of the attributes.

8. The print management apparatus according to claim 1,

the processor displays the moving source of the stock quantity and the moving destination of the stock quantity when displaying the candidates of the printing manufacturer related to the addition of the stock quantity.

9. The print management apparatus according to claim 8,

the processor displays the movement source of the stock quantity and the movement destination of the stock quantity with arrows.

10. A recording medium having a print management program recorded thereon for causing a computer to execute:

acquiring the amount of paper required in printing, namely the amount of the next sheet;

acquiring a stock quantity, which is an amount of paper having an attribute of paper required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes, stored by a printing manufacturer, for each attribute of the paper,

and when the lower order amount is larger than each stock amount and the sum of at least 2 stock amounts is more than the lower order amount, displaying the printing manufacturer as the printing manufacturer capable of receiving the lower order.

11. A recording medium having a print management program recorded thereon for causing a computer to execute:

acquiring the amount of paper required in printing, namely the amount of the next sheet;

acquiring an inventory amount of paper sheets having an attribute of paper sheets required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes for each attribute of the paper sheets and each printing manufacturer;

and displaying the plurality of printing manufacturers as printing manufacturers capable of receiving the order when the order amount is larger than each stock amount and the sum of the stock amounts of the paper required for printing of the plurality of printing manufacturers is larger than the order amount.

12. A method of print management, comprising the steps of:

acquiring the amount of paper required in printing, namely the amount of the next sheet;

acquiring an amount of paper, which is an inventory amount, having an attribute of paper required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes, which is stored by a printing manufacturer, for each attribute of the paper;

and when the lower order amount is larger than each stock amount and the sum of at least 2 stock amounts is more than the lower order amount, displaying the printing manufacturer as the printing manufacturer capable of receiving the lower order.

13. A method of print management, comprising the steps of:

acquiring the amount of paper required in printing, namely the amount of the next sheet;

acquiring an inventory amount of paper sheets having an attribute of paper sheets required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes for each attribute of the paper sheets and each printing manufacturer;

and displaying the plurality of printing manufacturers as printing manufacturers capable of receiving the order when the order amount is larger than each stock amount and the sum of the stock amounts of the paper required for printing of the plurality of printing manufacturers is larger than the order amount.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses an operation management system for print flow resources, in which a server is connected to a temporary drop-side terminal and a collection-side terminal via a communication network. The print flow resource operation management system disclosed in patent document 1 includes a reception spool information storage unit for storing temporary order information and collected information, and a temporary order information storage unit for storing temporary order information. The server is provided with a temporary order placing registration unit, a collecting registration unit, a temporary order placing comparison list display unit and a temporary order placing selection unit.

The temporary ordering registration unit stores temporary ordering information acquired from the temporary ordering terminal in the temporary ordering information storage unit. The recruitment registration unit stores recruitment information acquired from the recruitment-side terminal in the reception spool information storage unit. The temporary order placement comparing means compares the temporary order placement information stored in the temporary order placement information storage unit with the recruitment information stored in the reception spool information storage unit, and stores the matched temporary order placement information in the reception spool information storage unit in association with the corresponding recruitment information. The temporary order placement comparison list display means displays temporary order placement information stored in the reception spool information storage unit in association with recruitment information in a list at the recruitment-side terminal. The temporary order placing selection unit selects corresponding temporary order placing information from a temporary order placing comparison list displayed on the collecting side terminal as order information according to the selection information acquired from the collecting side terminal.

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2002-297973

Disclosure of Invention

When an order issuing person issues printing for a sheet, if the amount of the sheet to be issued exceeds the amount of sheets stored in each of a plurality of printing factories, any printing factory cannot receive the order.

The invention provides a printing management device, a recording medium and a printing management method, which can receive orders by any printing manufacturer even when the amount of paper required in printing issued by an order issuing person exceeds the amount of paper stored by each of a plurality of printing manufacturers.

In order to solve the above problem, a print management apparatus according to claim 1 includes a processor that performs: acquiring the amount of paper required in printing, namely the amount of the next sheet; acquiring an amount of paper, which is an inventory amount, having an attribute of paper required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes, which is stored by a printing manufacturer, for each attribute of the paper; and when the lower order amount is larger than each stock amount and the sum of at least 2 stock amounts is more than the lower order amount, displaying the printing manufacturer as the printing manufacturer capable of receiving the lower order.

The print management apparatus according to claim 2 includes a processor that performs: acquiring the amount of paper required in printing, namely the amount of the next sheet; acquiring an amount of paper having an attribute of paper required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes, that is, an inventory amount, for each printing manufacturer of the paper; and displaying the plurality of printing manufacturers as printing manufacturers capable of receiving the order when the order amount is larger than each stock amount and the sum of the stock amounts of the paper required for printing of the plurality of printing manufacturers is larger than the order amount.

A print management apparatus according to claim 3 is the print management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor divides the order placement amount so that the order placement amount is equal to or less than an inventory amount of each of the plurality of printing manufacturers, and performs the order placement process for each of the plurality of printing manufacturers, when the plurality of printing manufacturers are designated as the placement party.

The print management apparatus according to claim 4 is the print management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the attribute includes information on a brand of paper or a type of paper, and the processor acquires the stock quantity of paper having an attribute of paper required for the printing and at least 1 or more common attributes.

The print management apparatus according to claim 5 is the print management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processor includes a charge related to the order for each candidate of the printing manufacturer in the display.

A print management apparatus according to claim 6 is the print management apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processor includes at least 1 of a cost of the paper required for the printing, a cost of printing the paper by the printing manufacturer's candidate, and a cost of transporting the printed paper from the printing manufacturer's candidate to the ordering machine as the cost related to the ordering.

A print management apparatus according to claim 7 is the print management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least 1 of the type of the paper and the brand of the paper is common to the 2 or more types of paper with the attribute.

A print management apparatus according to claim 8 is the print management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor displays a source of movement of the stock quantity and a destination of movement of the stock quantity when displaying the candidates of the print manufacturer related to the addition of the stock quantity.

A print management apparatus according to claim 9 is the print management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor displays a source of movement of the stock quantity and a destination of movement of the stock quantity with arrows.

A print management program for causing a computer to execute: acquiring the amount of paper required in printing, namely the amount of the next sheet; acquiring an amount of paper, which is an inventory amount, having an attribute of paper required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes, which is stored by a printing manufacturer, for each attribute of the paper; and when the lower order amount is larger than each stock amount and the sum of at least 2 stock amounts is more than the lower order amount, displaying the printing manufacturer as the printing manufacturer capable of receiving the lower order.

A print management program for causing a computer to execute: acquiring the amount of paper required in printing, namely the amount of the next sheet; acquiring an inventory amount of paper sheets having an attribute of paper sheets required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes for each attribute of the paper sheets and each printing manufacturer; and displaying the plurality of printing manufacturers as printing manufacturers capable of receiving the order when the order amount is larger than each stock amount and the sum of stock amounts of the paper required for printing of the plurality of printing manufacturers is larger than the order amount.

The print management method according to claim 12 includes the steps of: acquiring the amount of paper required in printing, namely the amount of the next sheet; acquiring an amount of paper, which is an inventory amount, having an attribute of paper required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes, which is stored by a printing manufacturer, for each attribute of the paper; and when the lower order amount is larger than each stock amount and the sum of at least 2 stock amounts is more than the lower order amount, displaying the printing manufacturer as the printing manufacturer capable of receiving the lower order.

The print management method according to claim 13 includes the steps of: acquiring the amount of paper required in printing, namely the amount of the next sheet; acquiring an inventory amount of paper sheets having an attribute of paper sheets required for printing and at least 1 or more common attributes for each attribute of the paper sheets and each printing manufacturer; and displaying the plurality of printing manufacturers as printing manufacturers capable of receiving the order when the order amount is larger than each stock amount and the sum of the stock amounts of the paper required for printing of the plurality of printing manufacturers is larger than the order amount.

Effects of the invention

According to the print management apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the recording medium according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, or the print management method according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, even when the amount of paper required for printing by the order taker exceeds the amount of paper stored by each of the plurality of print manufacturers, any print manufacturer can receive the order.

According to the print management apparatus of claim 3, the printing manufacturer can receive the divided order placement amount within the range of the stock amount of the printing manufacturer.

According to the print management apparatus of claim 4, when the order placement amount is larger than the stock amount of the paper having the same attribute as the attribute of the paper required for printing, a printing manufacturer capable of receiving the order placement can be displayed.

According to the print management apparatus of claim 5, the order issuer can know the charge related to the order issuance.

According to the print management apparatus of claim 6, the order issuing person can know at least 1 of the cost of the paper, the cost of printing the paper, and the cost of transporting the printed paper.

According to the print management apparatus of claim 7, the addition and the division can be performed while sharing at least 1 of the type of the paper and the brand of the paper.

According to the print management apparatus of claim 8, the next person can know the source and destination of the movement of the stock amount for the addition of the stock amount.

According to the print management apparatus of the 9 th aspect, the order issuing person can know the movement source and the movement destination of the stock amount more clearly than when the arrow display is not used.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a structure of a printing management system PKS of embodiment 1;

fig. 2 shows a configuration of a print management apparatus PK according to embodiment 1;

fig. 3 shows the contents of order information HJ in embodiment 1;

fig. 4 shows the contents of the inventory database ZDB according to embodiment 1;

fig. 5 is a functional block diagram of the print management apparatus PK according to embodiment 1;

fig. 6 shows a configuration of a terminal device TMh used by the order issuing HC in embodiment 1;

fig. 7 is a functional block diagram of a terminal device TMh used by the order issuing HC in embodiment 1;

fig. 8 shows the configuration of the terminal devices TMp1 and TMp2 used by the printing factories PG1 and PG2 according to embodiment 1;

fig. 9 is a functional block diagram of terminal devices TMp1 and TMp2 used by printing factories PG1 and PG2 according to embodiment 1;

fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation of the printing management system PKS according to embodiment 1;

a list LST1 created according to addition of the stock quantity and division of the next unit amount in embodiment 1 is shown in fig. 11;

a list LST2 created according to addition of the stock quantity and division of the next unit amount in embodiment 1 is shown in fig. 12;

a list LST3 created according to addition of the stock quantity and division of the next unit amount in embodiment 1 is shown in fig. 13;

a list LST4 created according to addition of the stock quantity and division of the next unit amount in embodiment 1 is shown in fig. 14;

a list LST5 created according to addition of the stock quantity and division of the next unit amount in embodiment 1 is shown in fig. 15;

a list LST11 created according to addition of the stock quantity in embodiment 2 is shown in fig. 16;

a list LST12 created according to addition of the stock quantity in embodiment 2 is shown in fig. 17;

a list LST13 created according to addition of the stock quantity in embodiment 2 is shown in fig. 18;

a list LST14 created according to addition of the stock quantity in embodiment 2 is shown in fig. 19;

a list LST15 created according to addition of the stock quantity in embodiment 2 is shown in fig. 20.

Description of the symbols

PKS-print management system, HC-order, TMh-terminal, PK-print management, TMp1, TMp 2-terminal, PG1, PG 2-printer, NW-network.

Detailed Description

< embodiment 1 >

Hereinafter, embodiment 1 of a print management system including the print management apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

< Structure of embodiment 1 >

< Structure of printing management System PKS >

Fig. 1 shows a structure of a printing management system PKS according to embodiment 1. Hereinafter, the structure of the printing management system PKS according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 1, the print management system PKS according to embodiment 1 includes a print management device PK, a terminal device TMh, a terminal device TMp1, and a terminal device TMp 2. As shown in fig. 1, the print management apparatus PK, the terminal TMh, the terminal TMp1, and the terminal TMp2 are connected to each other via a network NW (e.g., the internet).

< Structure of printing management device PK >

Fig. 2 shows a configuration of the print management apparatus PK according to embodiment 1.

As shown in fig. 2, the print management apparatus PK according to embodiment 1 includes an input Unit 11, a CPU12(Central Processing Unit), an output Unit 13, a storage medium 14, and a memory 15.

The input unit 11 is constituted by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and a network unit. The CPU12 is an example of a processor, and is a well-known core of a computer that operates hardware in accordance with software. The output unit 13 is constituted by, for example, a printer, a liquid crystal display, a touch panel, and a network unit. The storage medium 14 is constituted by, for example, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), a Solid State Drive (SSD), and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The Memory 15 is, for example, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory).

As shown in fig. 2, the storage medium 14 stores a program PR, order information HJ, and an inventory database ZDB.

The program PR is a command group that defines the contents of processing to be executed by the print management apparatus PK.

Fig. 3 shows the contents of order information HJ in embodiment 1.

The order information HJ in embodiment 1 indicates the contents of an order placed by an order placing person HC (shown in fig. 1) working on the shogaku, for example, to a printing manufacturer PG1 of kawasaki and a printing manufacturer PG2 (shown in fig. 1) of kawasaki, for example, via the printing management device PK. Specifically, the order is a print for a sheet having 2 or more attributes. As shown in fig. 3, the order information HJ includes "manufacturer name of paper", "type of paper", and "order amount (sheet)". The order information HJ indicates, for example, the manufacturer name "uniform manufacturer" of the paper, the type "uniform type" of the paper, and the order amount (sheet) "300".

Here, "manufacturer name of paper" (an example of brand of paper) and "type of paper" are examples of "attribute of paper". Here, the brand of paper includes information on the product of paper, such as the product name, model number, and manufacturer of paper. The type of paper includes information on the paper quality, such as the paper size of a4, B5, or 58mm width, or coated paper or fine paper. The "attribute of paper" may include, for example, printing factories PG1 and PG2 and printing factories PG1 and PG2 (not shown). The "paper" includes, for example, cut paper and roll paper. The "sheet" of the "lower sheet amount (sheet)" is an example of a unit of paper, and may be, for example, an amount and a number.

The "unified manufacturer" name of the paper sheet means that, when there are 2 paper sheet manufacturing companies such as manufacturer X and manufacturer Y, only the paper sheet manufactured by manufacturer X is used or only the paper sheet manufactured by manufacturer Y is used.

The "uniform type" of paper means that, when there are 2 types of paper, such as paper a and paper B, for example, either the case of using only paper a or the case of using only paper B is performed.

Fig. 4 shows the contents of the inventory database ZDB according to embodiment 1. The stock database ZDB of embodiment 1 shows the contents of the paper sheets stored in the printing manufacturers PG1 and PG 2. As shown in fig. 4, the stock database ZDB includes "printing manufacturer name", "type of paper", "stock amount (sheet)", and "manufacturer name of paper". The stock database ZDB shows, for example, the type of paper "paper a" of the manufacturer name "manufacturer X" of paper having the printing manufacturer name "printing manufacturer PG 1" and the stock amount "100".

As shown in fig. 1, the contents of the inventory database ZDB are transmitted from the terminal devices TMp1 and TMp2 used by the printing manufacturers PG1 and PG2, respectively, to the printing management device PK via the network NW.

Fig. 5 is a functional block diagram of the print management apparatus PK according to embodiment 1.

As shown in fig. 2, the print management apparatus PK includes a communication unit 21, a receiving unit 22, a search unit 23, a comparison unit 24, an adding unit 25, a dividing unit 26, a display unit 27, a control unit 28, and a storage unit 29.

Regarding the relationship between the hardware configuration and the function configuration in the print management apparatus PK, the functions of each of the communication unit 21, the reception unit 22, the search unit 23, the comparison unit 24, the addition unit 25, the division unit 26, and the display unit 27 are realized by the CPU12 executing the program PR stored in the storage medium 14 (realizing a part of the functions of the storage unit 29) while using the memory 15 (realizing another part of the functions of the storage unit 29) in hardware, and controlling the operations of the input unit 11 and the output unit 13 as the control unit 28 as necessary. The functions of each part will be described later.

< Structure of terminal device TMh of next order HS >

Fig. 6 shows a configuration of a terminal device TMh used by the order issuing HC in embodiment 1.

As shown in fig. 6, the terminal TMh includes an input Unit 31, a CPU32(Central Processing Unit), an output Unit 33, a storage medium 34, and a memory 35, as in the print management apparatus PK (shown in fig. 1).

The input unit 31 is configured by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and a network unit, as in the input unit 11 of the print management apparatus PK.

The CPU32 is an example of a processor, similar to the CPU12 of the print management apparatus PK, and is a core of a well-known computer that operates hardware in accordance with software.

The output unit 33 is configured by, for example, a printer, a liquid crystal display, a touch panel, and a network unit, as in the output unit 13 of the print management apparatus PK.

The storage medium 34 is constituted by, for example, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), a Solid State Drive (SSD), and a ROM (Read Only Memory) as in the storage medium 14 of the print management apparatus PK.

The Memory 35 is composed of, for example, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), as in the Memory 15 of the print management apparatus PK.

As shown in fig. 6, the storage medium 34 stores a program PRh.

The program PRh is a command set that defines the contents of processing to be executed by the terminal TMh.

Fig. 7 is a functional block diagram of a terminal device TMh used by the order issuing HC in embodiment 1.

As shown in fig. 7, the terminal device TMh according to embodiment 1 includes a communication unit 41, a processing unit 42, a control unit 43, and a storage unit 44.

Regarding the relationship between the hardware configuration and the function configuration in the terminal TMh, the functions of the respective units of the communication unit 41 and the processing unit 42 are realized by the CPU32 executing the program PRh stored in the storage medium 34 (realizing a part of the functions of the storage unit 44) while using the memory 35 (realizing another part of the functions of the storage unit 44) in hardware, and controlling the operations of the input unit 31 and the output unit 33 as the control unit 43 as necessary. The functions of each part will be described later.

< architecture of terminal devices TMp1, TMp2 of printing factories PG1, PG2 >

Fig. 8 shows the configurations of the terminal devices TMp1 and TMp2 used by the printing manufacturers PG1 and PG2 according to embodiment 1.

As shown in fig. 8, the terminal devices TMp1 and TMp2 include an input Unit 51, a CPU52(Central Processing Unit), an output Unit 53, a storage medium 54, and a memory 55, as in the case of the terminal device TMh (shown in fig. 6).

The input unit 51 is configured by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and a network unit, as in the input unit 31 of the terminal device TMh.

The CPU52 is an example of a processor, similar to the CPU32 of the terminal device TMh, and is a core of a well-known computer that operates hardware in accordance with software.

The output unit 53 is configured by, for example, a printer, a liquid crystal display, a touch panel, and a network unit, as in the case of the output unit 33 of the terminal device TMh.

The storage medium 54 is constituted by, for example, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), a Solid State Drive (SSD), and a ROM (Read Only Memory) as in the storage medium 34 of the terminal device TMh.

The Memory 55 is configured from, for example, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) as with the Memory 35 of the terminal device TMh.

As shown in fig. 8, the storage medium 54 stores a program PRp.

The program PRp is a command group that defines the contents of processing to be executed by the terminal devices TMp1 and TMp 2.

Fig. 9 is a functional block diagram of terminal devices TMp1 and TMp2 used by printing manufacturers PG1 and PG2 according to embodiment 1.

As shown in fig. 9, the terminal TMh according to embodiment 1 includes a communication unit 61, a processing unit 62, a control unit 63, and a storage unit 64, similar to the terminal TMh (shown in fig. 7).

Regarding the relationship between the hardware configuration and the functional configuration in the terminal devices TMp1 and TMp2, the functions of the respective units of the communication unit 61 and the processing unit 62 are realized by the CPU52 executing the program PRp stored in the storage medium 54 (realizing a part of the functions of the storage unit 64) while using the memory 55 (realizing another part of the functions of the storage unit 64) in hardware, and controlling the operations of the input unit 51 and the output unit 53 as the control unit 63. The functions of each part will be described later.

Action of embodiment 1

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the printing management system PKS according to embodiment 1. Hereinafter, the operation of the print management system PKS according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of fig. 10.

For convenience of explanation and understanding, it is assumed that the print management apparatus PK receives the content of the inventory database ZDB (illustrated in fig. 4) from the terminal apparatuses TMp1, TMp2 of the printing manufacturers PG1, PG2 in advance, and the content is stored in the storage medium 14.

Step S10: the order information HJ (shown in fig. 3) is transmitted from the order sender HC (shown in fig. 1) to the print management apparatus PK via the network NW using the terminal device TMh (shown in fig. 1). More specifically, in the terminal TMh, the CPU32 (shown in fig. 6) transmits the order information HJ as the communication unit 41 (shown in fig. 7), and in the print management apparatus PK, the CPU12 (shown in fig. 2) receives and receives the order information HJ as the communication unit 21 and the receiving unit 22 (shown in fig. 5). In the print management apparatus PK, the CPU12 stores the received order information HJ in the storage medium 14 (illustrated in fig. 2).

Step S11: upon receiving the order information HJ in step S10, in the print management apparatus PK, the CPU12 searches the inventory database ZDB stored in advance in the storage medium 14 as the search section 23 (illustrated in fig. 5) based on the received order information HJ.

More specifically, the CPU12 searches the inventory database ZDB based on the order information HJ shown in fig. 2 and indicating the manufacturer name "uniform manufacturer" of the paper sheets, the type "uniform type" of the paper sheets, and the order amount (sheet) "300". Thus, as shown in fig. 4, and as described above, with respect to the ordering information HJ, the CPU12 grasps the paper type "paper a" of the manufacturer name "manufacturer X" of the paper having the printing manufacturer name "printing manufacturer PG 1" stock quantity "of" 100 "for example. The CPU12 similarly grasps the stock quantity with respect to the manufacturer name of other paper, the type of other paper, and the name of other printing manufacturer.

When the receipt information HJ indicates, for example, a paper type "paper B" (not shown) instead of the paper type "uniform type" (shown in fig. 3), the CPU12 obtains, for example, a case where the printing manufacturer name "printing manufacturer PG 1" is about paper of "manufacturer X" having "200 sheets" and paper of "manufacturer Y" having "100 sheets" which are the same as "paper B" in the receipt information HJ, as shown in fig. 4.

Step S12: when the stock database ZDB is searched for and the stock quantity is grasped in step S11, the CPU12 of the print management apparatus PK compares whether the order quantity "300 sheets" in the order information HJ is larger (larger) than the stock quantity in the stock database ZDB as the comparison unit 24 (shown in fig. 5).

Here, the order amount "300 sheets" of the order information HJ is larger than any of (1) the printing manufacturer name "printing manufacturer PG 1", the paper manufacturer name "manufacturer X", the paper type "paper a", the stock amount "100 sheets", "2) the printing manufacturer name" printing manufacturer PG1 ", the paper manufacturer name" manufacturer X ", the paper type" paper B ", the stock amount" 200 sheets "," 7) the printing manufacturer name "printing manufacturer PG 2", the paper manufacturer name "manufacturer Y", the paper type "paper a", the stock amount "100 sheets", "8) the printing manufacturer name" printing manufacturer 2 ", the paper manufacturer name" manufacturer Y ", the paper type" paper B ", and the stock amount" 200 sheets "in the stock database ZDB. Therefore, the process proceeds to "yes".

In contrast to the above, when the order amount in the order information HJ is equal to or less than (equal to or less than) any stock amount in the inventory database ZDB, the process proceeds to no, and goes to step S16.

Step S13: in step S12, if it is determined that the order placement amount "300 sheets" in the order placement information HJ is larger (larger) than any of the stock amounts (1) "100 sheets", "2)" 200 sheets "," 7 "," 100 sheets ", and (8)" 200 sheets "in the stock database ZDB, the CPU12 is added to the print management apparatus PK. More specifically, the CPU12 adds 2 or more of the stock quantities (1) "100", "2", "200", "7", "100", and (8) "200" in the stock database ZDB (shown in fig. 4) so that the sum of the stock quantities becomes equal to or more than the lower order amount as the adding unit 25 (shown in fig. 5). The CPU12 creates an entire list (described later) based on addition of the stock amounts. The details of the addition of the stock quantity and the division of the next unit amount (described later) are described later in detail.

Step S14: in step S13, when 2 or more of the stock amounts (1) "100", "2", "200", "7", "100", and (8) "200" in the stock database ZDB are added, the CPU12 divides the print management apparatus PK. More specifically, the CPU12 divides the order amount "300 sheets" in the order information HJ into 2 or more pieces so as to be equal to or less than any of the stock amounts described above as the dividing section 26 (shown in fig. 5). The CPU12 creates an entire list (described later) in accordance with the division of the next unit amount in the same manner as the addition of the stock amounts described above.

< addition of inventory amount, division of lower unit amount and details of entire list >

Lists LST1 to LST5 constituting the entire list created by addition of the stock amounts and division of the next unit amount in embodiment 1 are shown in fig. 11 to 15, respectively.

As shown in fig. 11 to 15, the list LST1 to LST5 share the item numbers, "item 1" to "item 12". For example, it is meant that "option 1" in list LST1 (illustrated in fig. 11.) is the same option as "option 1" in list LST2 (illustrated in fig. 12.).

The entire list created by the CPU12 according to the addition of the stock amounts in step S13 and the division of the next amount in step S14 is constituted by a list LST1 (illustrated in fig. 11.), a list LST2 (illustrated in fig. 12.), a list LST3 (illustrated in fig. 13.), a list LST4 (illustrated in fig. 14.), and a list LST5 (illustrated in fig. 15.).

The list LST1 (illustrated in fig. 11) is information on "number of sheets of paper".

The list LST2 (illustrated in fig. 12) is information relating to "cost of paper".

The list LST3 (illustrated in fig. 13) is information relating to "cost of printing".

The list LST4 (illustrated in fig. 14) is information relating to "cost of shipping".

The list LST5 (shown in fig. 15) is information on the total (total cost) of the above "cost of paper" to "cost of transportation".

Here, "cost of paper", "cost of printing", "cost of shipping" is an example of "cost related to placing an order".

< number of sheets >

In fig. 11, a bracket "()" indicates a paper sheet movement source and a paper sheet movement destination. In fig. 11, an arrow "→" indicates a direction in which the sheet moves from the movement source to the movement destination.

In fig. 11, regarding the addition of the stock amounts in step S13, in the print management apparatus PK, the CPU12 creates, for example, "option 1" based on the attribute of the paper, that is, the manufacturer name "uniform manufacturer" of the paper of the receipt information HJ and the type "uniform type" of the paper (illustrated in fig. 3). As shown in fig. 11, in "option 1", the manufacturer name "of the paper" is unified with manufacturer X "and the type of the paper" is unified with paper a ", and" paper a "of" manufacturer X "is collected into 1" printing manufacturer PG1 ". That is, "printing manufacturer PG 1" is a candidate for placing an order to which order information HJ should be assigned.

More specifically, in "option 1", the "paper a" of "manufacturer X" of "100 sheets" stored in the printing manufacturer PG1 is directly owned by the "printing manufacturer PG 1", and the "paper a" of "manufacturer X" of "200 sheets" stored in the printing manufacturer PG2 is moved from the printing manufacturer PG2 to the printing manufacturer PG 1. Thus, "printing manufacturer PG 1" has "paper a" of "manufacturer X" with the number of sheets "300" (100 sheets +200 sheets). In summary, "option 1" allocates the order of "300" to 1 printing manufacturer, "printing manufacturer PG 1".

The CPU12 creates "option 2" to "option 8" similarly to "option 1".

On the other hand, in fig. 11, regarding the division of the order amount in step S14, the CPU12 creates, for example, "option 9" in accordance with the attribute of the sheet, and in accordance with the manufacturer name "unified manufacturer" of the sheet and the kind "unified kind" of the sheet (illustrated in fig. 3) of the order information HJ. As shown in fig. 11, in "option 9", the order amount "300 sheets" of the order information HJ is divided into 2 printing manufacturers, "printing manufacturer PG 1" and "printing manufacturer PG 2", below the manufacturer name "is unified with manufacturer X" and the paper type "is unified with paper a". That is, "printing manufacturers PG 1" and "printing manufacturer PG 2" are candidates for placing orders to which order information HJ should be assigned.

More specifically, in "option 9", 100 sheets "out of the next sheet amount" 300 sheets "are assigned to" printing manufacturer PG1 "in correspondence with" manufacturer X "and" stock amount of paper sheets a "100 sheets" which "printing manufacturer PG 1" has. Further, "200" sheets out of the next sheet amount "300" are assigned to "printing manufacturer PG 2" in accordance with "manufacturer X" and "stock amount of paper sheets a" 200 "stored in" printing manufacturer PG2 ".

The CPU12 creates "option 10" to "option 12" similarly to "option 9".

< cost of paper >

In fig. 12, as illustrated, regarding the cost of paper, it is assumed that "paper a" is "5 yen/sheet" and "paper B" is "3 yen/sheet".

Regarding the addition of the stock amounts in step S13, for example, for "option 1", the CPU12 calculates the fee for "300 sheets" of "paper a" used in "option 1" as "1500 yen" (5 yen/300 sheets).

The CPU12 calculates the cost of paper for "option 2" to "option 8" similarly to "option 1".

In the next division in step S14, for example, in the same manner as in "option 1" for "option 9", the CPU12 calculates that the cost of "paper a" of "printing manufacturer PG 1" of "100 sheets" is "500 yen" (5 yen/sheet × 100 sheets), "the cost of" paper a "of" printing manufacturer PG2 "of" 200 sheets "is" 1000 yen "(5 yen/sheet × 200 sheets), and the total paper cost of" paper a "is" 1500 yen "(500 yen +1000 yen).

The CPU12 calculates the cost of paper for "option 10" to "option 12" similarly to "option 9".

< cost of printing >

In fig. 13, as illustrated, regarding the cost of printing, it is assumed that the printing for "paper a" by the "printing manufacturer PG 1" is "20 yen/sheet". Assume that the printing for "paper B" by "printing manufacturer PG 1" is "21 yen/sheet". Assume that the printing for "paper a" by "printing manufacturer PG 2" is "23 yen/sheet". Assume that the printing for "paper B" by "printing manufacturer PG 2" is "22 yen/sheet".

Regarding the addition of the stock amounts in step S13, for example, for "option 1", the CPU12 calculates that the total of the print fees of "300 sheets" of "paper a" used in "option 1" is "6000 yen" (20 yen/300 sheets).

The CPU12 calculates the printing cost for "option 2" to "option 8" similarly to "option 1".

In the next division in step S14, for example, in the same manner as in "option 1" for "option 9", the CPU12 calculates that the printing cost of "paper a" of "printing manufacturer PG 1" of "100 sheets" is "2000 yen" (20 yen/sheet × 100 sheets), "the printing cost of" paper a "of" printing manufacturer PG2 "of" 200 sheets "is" 4600 yen "(23 yen/sheet × 200 sheets), and the total of the printing costs of" paper a "is" 6600 yen "(2000 yen +4600 yen).

The CPU12 calculates the printing cost for "option 10" to "option 12" similarly to "option 9".

< cost of delivery >

In fig. 14, as shown, the cost of transportation from "printing manufacturer PG 1" to "next order HC" is assumed to be "10 yen/sheet" regardless of the cost of transportation of "sheet a" or "sheet B". In addition, in any of the "paper a" and the "paper B", the cost for shipping from the "printing manufacturer PG 2" to the "order placement HC" is assumed to be "8 yen/sheet".

In the addition of the stock amounts in step S13, for example, for "option 1", the CPU12 calculates the shipping charge of "300 sheets" of "paper a" of "printing manufacturer PG 1" used in "option 1" to be "3000 yen" (10 yen/300 sheets).

The CPU12 calculates the cost of delivery for "option 2" to "option 8" similarly to "option 1".

In the next division in step S14, for example, in the case of "option 9", the CPU12 calculates that the cost of transporting "paper a" of "printing manufacturer PG 1" of "100 sheets" is "1000 yen" (10 yen/sheet × 100 sheets), "the cost of transporting" paper a "of" printing manufacturer PG2 "of" 200 sheets "is" 1600 yen "(8 yen/sheet × 200 sheets), and the total of the transportation costs of" paper a "is" 2600 yen "(1000 yen +1600 yen).

The CPU12 calculates the cost of delivery for "option 10" to "option 12" similarly to "option 9".

< Overall cost >

In fig. 15, as illustrated, regarding the addition of the stock amounts in step S13, the CPU12 calculates, for example, the total charge (total) of "option 1" to be "10500 yen" (-1500 yen +6000 yen +3000 yen).

The CPU12 calculates the total cost for "option 2" to "option 8" similarly to "option 1".

Regarding the division of the next amount in step S14, for example, for "option 9", the CPU12 calculates the total charge (total) of "option 9" to be "10700 yen" (1500 yen +6600 yen +2600 yen), for example, as in the case of "option 1".

The CPU12 calculates the cost of delivery for "option 10" to "option 12" similarly to "option 9".

In the print management apparatus PK, the CPU12 inquires of the communication unit 61 and the processing unit 62 of the terminal devices TMp1 and TMp2 about the "deliverable time" of "option 1" to "option 12" as the communication unit 21 and the receiving unit 22. Thus, for example, it is preferable that the CPU12 receives a reply regarding the "deliverable time" of "option 1" to "option 12", and displays the "deliverable time" at a position adjacent to the "total" column of the list LST5 (shown in fig. 15), for example.

Returning to fig. 10, the operation of the print management system PKS according to embodiment 1 will be described.

Step S15: in step S14, when the single item is divided into "300" pieces, the CPU12 displays the entire list (shown in fig. 11 to 15) on the output unit 13, in other words, displays the list as the display unit 27 (shown in fig. 5)

The "list display" is an example of the "list representation".

Step S16: in step S12, when the order placement amount is not larger (larger) than any of the stock amounts, in other words, when any of the stock amounts is larger (larger) than the order placement amount, the CPU12 displays the name (not shown) of the printing manufacturer having the stock amount (for example, 400 sheets) larger than the order placement amount (for example, 300 sheets) on the output unit 13 as a candidate of the printing manufacturer to which the order placement information HJ is to be assigned, as the display unit 27.

In response to the entire list (shown in fig. 11 to 15) displayed on the output unit 13 of the print management apparatus PK, the next person HC selects "option 1" from the input unit 11 of the print management apparatus PK, for example. In other words, the CPU12 of the print management apparatus PK receives the selection of "option 1" as the receiving unit 22. In this case, the CPU12 notifies the terminal device TMp1 of the printing manufacturer PG1 of "paper a" of "manufacturer X" that should receive "200 sheets" from "printing manufacturer PG 2" and "300 sheets" of "order information HJ that can be received by" paper a "of" manufacturer X "of" 100 sheets "owned by" printing manufacturer PG1 "and" paper a "of" manufacturer X "of" 200 sheets "received from" printing manufacturer PG2 "as the communication unit 21. At the same time, the CPU12 notifies the terminal device TMp2 of the printing manufacturer PG2 that "paper a" of "manufacturer X" of "200 sheets" of "printing manufacturer PG 2" should be handed over to "printing manufacturer PG 1".

< addition of inventory and Selective execution of lower Individual quantity >

Instead of performing both the addition of the stock amounts in step S13 and the division of the next unit amount in step S14, only either case may be selectively performed.

< embodiment 2 >

Hereinafter, embodiment 2 of a print management system including the print management apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

< Structure of embodiment 2 >

< Structure of printing management System PKS >

The printing management system PKS of embodiment 2 basically has the same structure as that of the printing management system PKS of embodiment 1 (illustrated in fig. 1).

However, unlike embodiment 1, embodiment 2 does not include the printing manufacturer PG2 and the terminal device TMp 2. In other words, in embodiment 2, only the printing manufacturer PG1 and the terminal device TMp1 exist as the terminal devices used by the printing manufacturer and the printing manufacturer.

< architecture of printing management device PK, terminal device TMh, and terminal device TMp1 >

The print management device PK, the terminal device TMh, and the terminal device TMp1 according to embodiment 2 have the same configurations and functions as the print management device PK, the terminal device TMh, and the terminal device TMp1 (shown in fig. 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) according to embodiment 1.

In the print management system PKS according to embodiment 2, unlike the print management device PK according to embodiment 1, the print management device PK according to embodiment 2 creates an entire list of LSTs 11 to LST15 (shown in fig. 16 to 20) instead of the entire list of lists LST1 to LST5 (shown in fig. 11 to 15).

Action of embodiment 2

The operation of the print management system PKS according to embodiment 2 is basically the same as that of the print management system PKS according to embodiment 1. Hereinafter, the operation of the print management system PKS according to embodiment 2 will be described with reference to a flowchart (shown in fig. 10) of embodiment 1.

Step S11: in step S10, upon receiving the order information HJ, the CPU12 (shown in fig. 2) of the print management apparatus PK searches the inventory database ZDB stored in the storage medium 14 in advance based on the order information HJ as the search unit 23 (shown in fig. 5) similarly to embodiment 1.

More specifically, regarding the order placing information HJ, the CPU12 grasps the type of paper "paper a" of the printing manufacturer name "printing manufacturer PG 1", for example, the manufacturer name "manufacturer X" of paper having the stock amount "100". As described above, the CPU12 specifies the name of the printing manufacturer "PG 1", and the stock quantities of the manufacturer names of the other sheets and the types of the other sheets.

Here, unlike embodiment 1, since the printing company PG2 and the terminal device TMp2 do not exist, the information on the "manufacturer name of paper" and the "type of paper" of the "printing company PG 2" is not included in the inventory database ZDB. Therefore, the CPU12 does not grasp the stock quantity with respect to the printing manufacturer "printing manufacturer PG 2".

Step S12: when the stock database ZDB is searched and the stock quantity of the "printing manufacturer PG 1" is grasped in step S11, the CPU12 of the print management device PK compares whether or not the order quantity "300 sheets" in the order information HJ is larger (or not larger) than the stock quantity of the "printing manufacturer PG 1" in the stock database ZDB as the comparison section 24 (shown in fig. 5).

Here, the order amount "300 sheets" of the order information HJ is larger (larger) than any of (1) the printing manufacturer name "printing manufacturer PG 1", the paper manufacturer name "manufacturer X", the paper type "paper a", the stock quantity "100 sheets", "2) the printing manufacturer name" printing manufacturer PG1 ", the paper manufacturer name" manufacturer X ", the paper type" paper B ", the stock quantity" 200 sheets "," 4) the printing manufacturer name "printing manufacturer PG 1", the paper manufacturer name "manufacturer Y", the paper type "paper a", the stock quantity "200 sheets", "8) the printing manufacturer name" printing manufacturer PG1 ", the paper manufacturer name" manufacturer Y ", the paper type" paper B ", and the stock quantity" 100 sheets "in the stock database ZDB. Therefore, the process proceeds to "yes".

In contrast to the above, when the order amount in the order information HJ is equal to or less than (equal to or less than) any stock amount in the inventory database ZDB, the process proceeds to no, and goes to step S16.

Step S13: in step S12, when it is determined that the order placement amount "300 sheets" in the order placement information HJ is larger (larger) than any of the 4 stock amounts of the "printing manufacturer PG 1" in the stock database ZDB, the CPU12 adds 2 or more of the 4 stock amounts of the printing manufacturer "printing manufacturer PG 1" in the stock database ZDB (shown in fig. 4.) as the adding unit 25 (shown in fig. 5) in the print management device PK.

< addition of inventory amounts and details of the entire List >

Lists LST11 to LST15 constituting the entire list created by addition of the stock amounts in embodiment 2 are shown in fig. 16 to 20, respectively.

As shown in fig. 16 to 20, the numbers of options, i.e., "option 1" to "option 4", are commonly used in the lists LST11 to LST15, as in embodiment 1. For example, it means that "option 1" in list LST11 (illustrated in fig. 16.) is the same option as "option 1" in list LST12 (illustrated in fig. 17.).

The list LST11 (illustrated in fig. 16) is information on "number of sheets of paper".

The list LST12 (illustrated in fig. 17) is information relating to "cost of paper".

The list LST13 (illustrated in fig. 18) is information relating to "cost of printing".

The list LST14 (illustrated in fig. 19) is information relating to "cost of delivery".

The list LST15 (shown in fig. 20) is information on the total (total cost) of the above "cost of paper" to "cost of transportation".

< number of sheets >

In fig. 16, regarding the addition of the stock amounts in step S13, in the print management apparatus PK, the CPU12 creates, for example, "option 1" so as to make "attribute" the same according to the attribute of the paper, that is, the kind "unified kind" (illustrated in fig. 3) of the paper in the receipt information HJ. As shown in fig. 16, in "option 1", the "paper a" of "manufacturer X" and the "200" of "paper a" of "manufacturer Y" of "100" in "printing manufacturer PG 1" are added to the lower side of "paper a is unified" of the paper type. Thus, the "printing manufacturer PG 1" can receive the order placement amount "300 sheets" of the order placement information HJ by the added "300 sheets" of "paper a". In other words, "printing manufacturer PG 1" becomes a candidate for placing an order to which order information HJ should be assigned.

The CPU12 creates "option 2" to "option 4" similarly to "option 1".

< cost of paper >

In fig. 17, as illustrated, it is assumed that "paper a" is "5 yen/sheet" and "paper B" is "3 yen/sheet" as to the cost of paper, as in embodiment 1.

Regarding the addition of the stock amounts in step S13, for example, for "option 1", the CPU12 calculates the charge of "paper a" of "300 sheets" used in "option 1" as "1500 yen" (5 yen/300 sheets).

The CPU12 calculates the cost of paper for "option 2" to "option 4" similarly to "option 1".

< cost of printing >

As illustrated in fig. 18, regarding the cost of printing, it is assumed that the printing for "paper a" by the "printing manufacturer PG 1" is "20 yen/sheet" and the printing for "paper B" by the "printing manufacturer PG 1" is "21 yen/sheet" as in embodiment 1.

Regarding the addition of the stock amounts in step S13, for example, for "option 1", the CPU12 calculates that the total of the print fees of "paper a" of "300 sheets" used in "option 1" is "6000 yen" (20 yen/300 sheets).

The CPU12 calculates the printing cost for "option 2" to "option 4" similarly to "option 1".

< cost of delivery >

As shown in the drawing, as for the cost of transportation, in the same manner as in embodiment 1, the cost of transportation from "printing manufacturer PG 1" to "next order HC" is assumed to be "10 yen/sheet" regardless of the type of "paper a" or "paper B".

In the addition of the stock amounts in step S13, for example, for "option 1", the CPU12 calculates that the cost of shipping "paper a" of "printing manufacturer PG 1" of "300 sheets" used in "option 1" is "3000 yen" (10 yen/sheet × 300 sheets).

The CPU12 calculates the cost of delivery for "option 2" to "option 4" similarly to "option 1".

< Overall cost >

As shown in fig. 20, as for the total cost, the CPU12 calculates the total cost (total) of "option 1" to be "10500 yen" (1500 yen +6000 yen +3000 yen), for example, in the same manner as in embodiment 1.

The CPU12 calculates the total cost for "option 2" to "option 4" similarly to "option 1".

Further, as in embodiment 1, the CPU12 preferably displays "deliverable time" at a position adjacent to the "total" column of the list LST15 (shown in fig. 20), for example.

Step S15: when step S15 is reached without executing the next division in step S14, the CPU12 displays the entire list (shown in fig. 16 to 20) on the output unit 13, in other words, displays the list as the display unit 27 (shown in fig. 5).

Step S16: in step S12, when the order placement amount is not larger (larger) than any of the 4 stock amounts of the printing company PG1, in other words, when any of the 4 stock amounts of the printing company PG1 is larger (larger) than the order placement amount, the CPU12 displays the printing company PG1 having the stock amount (for example, 400) larger than the order placement amount (for example, 300 sheets) on the output unit 13 as a candidate for a printing company to which the order placement information HJ is to be assigned, as the display unit 27.

The "addition of stock quantity" in embodiment 2 can be said to be the same as the definition of "division of the order" such as "paper a" of "manufacturer X" and "paper a" of "manufacturer Y" that divide the order quantity "300 sheets" of the order information HJ into "100 sheets", for example, from the viewpoint of the order quantity.

Further, as in embodiment 1, the next person HC selects "option 1" from the input unit 11 of the print management device PK, for example, in response to the entire list (shown in fig. 16 to 20) displayed on the output unit 13 of the print management device PK. In other words, the CPU12 of the print management apparatus PK receives the selection of "option 1" as the receiving unit 22. In this case, in contrast to embodiment 1, the CPU12 notifies the terminal device TMp1 of the printing manufacturer PG1 that "300 sheets" of the order information HJ can be received by "sheet a" of "manufacturer X" of "100 sheets" of "printing manufacturer PG 1" and "sheet a" of "manufacturer Y" of "200 sheets" of "printing manufacturer PG 1" as the communication unit 21.

< supplementary explanation of processor, program >

In the above embodiments, the processor refers to a processor in a broad sense. In addition to general-purpose processors (e.g., a CPU), special-purpose processors (e.g., a GPU, a Graphics Processing Unit, an ASIC, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit, an FPGA, a Field Programmable Gate Array, a Programmable logic device, etc.) are also included.

In the above embodiment, the actions of the processor may be implemented by 1 processor, and may also be implemented by cooperation of a plurality of processors. The order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order in the above embodiment, and may be changed as appropriate.

In the above-described embodiment, the programs PR, PRh, and PRp may be recorded in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) Memory instead of being stored (installed) in advance in the storage media 14, 34, and 54, or may be provided by being downloaded from an external device via a network.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The embodiments of the present invention do not fully encompass the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. It is obvious that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its applications. Thus, other skilled in the art can understand the present invention by various modifications assumed to be optimal for the specific use of various embodiments. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims and their equivalents.