JP6970347B2 - System, its control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a system , a control method thereof, and a program.

In retail stores such as supermarkets, it is common to post POP (Point of purchase) advertisements with catchphrases and explanations for promoting products, prices, and products on display shelves that display products. Is.

The prices and catchphrases of the products described in such POP advertisements are often limited-time campaigns and special sales, and the contents may change. Therefore, when the information of the actual product and the content described in the POP advertisement are different, the person in charge of the retail store replaces the POP advertisement.

Therefore, Patent Document 1 describes a mechanism that can determine the validity or invalidity of the posted POP advertisement so that the person in charge can know the POP advertisement to be removed.

In Patent Document 1, product information such as tag identification information or product identification information is printed on the POP advertisement. Then, at the time of determining whether or not to publish, a mechanism is disclosed that reads the product information of the POP advertisement and performs a process of determining whether the product information described in the POP advertisement is valid or invalid.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-48752

When it is determined that an invalid POP advertisement is posted by the mechanism of Patent Document 1, the POP advertisement is replaced. In this case, the person in charge needs to know the next work corresponding to the invalid state of the POP advertisement, such as whether the replacement of the POP advertisement is omitted or whether it is necessary to create new POP advertisement data.

However, if the product information is changed frequently, the POP advertisement must be replaced each time. In such a case, the person in charge has to confirm which item of the contents of the posted POP advertisement is invalid every time the replacement work is performed, which is a time-consuming work for the person in charge.

In the present embodiment, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system capable of easily outputting print data of an advertisement to be replaced in an advertisement of a product whose information is changed.

The system of the present invention is a system capable of communicating with a server device that manages variable first selling price information corresponding to a product, and the advertisement obtained by imaging an advertisement of the product with an imaging means is printed. a second retail information when it is, the first selling price information of the product to be managed by the server device, in response to is determined not to match ads, using the first selling price information It is characterized by comprising an output control means for controlling the print data of the above to be output for printing.
Further, the system of the present invention is a system capable of communicating with a server device that manages variable first selling price information corresponding to a product, and the advertisement is acquired by imaging the advertisement of the product with an imaging means. The first selling price information is used according to the determination that the second selling price information when is printed and the first selling price information of the product managed by the server device do not match. It is characterized by comprising a generation means for generating print data of the advertisement .
Further, the system control method of the present invention is a control method of a system capable of communicating with a server device that manages variable first selling price information corresponding to a product, and by imaging an advertisement of the product with an image pickup means. According to the determination that the second selling price information when the advertisement is printed and the first selling price information of the product managed by the server device do not match, the first selling price information is obtained. It is characterized by including an output control step for controlling to output print data of an advertisement using one selling price information for printing.
Further, the system control method of the present invention is a control method of a system capable of communicating with a server device that manages variable first selling price information corresponding to a product, and by imaging an advertisement of the product with an image pickup means. According to the determination that the second selling price information when the advertisement is printed and the first selling price information of the product managed by the server device do not match, the first selling price information is obtained. It is characterized by including a generation step of generating print data of an advertisement using one selling price information.
Further, the information processing device of the present invention is an information processing device provided with an image pickup means capable of communicating with a server device for managing variable first selling price information corresponding to the product, and the image pickup means is used to advertise the product. According to the determination that the second selling price information when the advertisement is printed and the first selling price information of the product managed by the server device, which are acquired by imaging, do not match. It is characterized by comprising an output control means for controlling to output print data of an advertisement using the first selling price information for printing.
Further, the program of the present invention is characterized in that the computer functions as the information processing apparatus described above.

According to the present invention, in the advertisement of a product whose information is changed, it is possible to easily output the print data of the advertisement to be replaced.

It is a figure which shows an example of the system configuration of an advertisement management system. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware composition of an information processing apparatus 100, a server apparatus 101, and a mobile terminal 102. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware composition of the printing apparatus 103. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of an information processing apparatus 100, a server apparatus 101, and a mobile terminal 102. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process at the time of printing an advertisement in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which can check whether or not the advertisement replacement is necessary in the 1st Embodiment of this invention with a mobile terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process of automatically printing an advertisement when it is necessary to replace the advertisement in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process of automatically printing an advertisement when the advertisement needs to be replaced in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is the continuation of the flowchart of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the selling price check table 900 and the check result table 910 in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the planning instruction table 1000 in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the screen example displayed on the mobile terminal 102 in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which displays the screen which shows the state of the POP advertisement in the position in the store in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the advertisement position check table 1300 in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen 1400 which shows the advertisement information which needs to be replaced in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the advertisement image 1500 in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an advertisement management system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present invention, the information processing device 100, the server device 101, and the printing device 103 are connected to each other via a network 105 so as to be capable of data communication with each other. The network 105 includes a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the like. Further, the mobile terminal 102 such as a smart device provided with a touch screen does not have to be able to communicate with the information processing device 100, the server device 101, and the printing device 103 at all times, as long as it can communicate with each other as needed.

It goes without saying that the configurations of various terminals or servers connected on the network 105 of FIG. 1 are examples, and there are various configuration examples depending on the use and purpose.

The information processing device 100 (client terminal or server device) is a terminal that can be used by an employee of a store such as a supermarket to give an instruction to create a POP advertisement including a color code, and is a terminal provided for each store. Is.

A color code is a mechanism that can express information by color differences and arrangements. For example, information can be expressed by arranging cells of multiple colors such as "red", "blue", and "yellow" in a column or matrix. Can be expressed. Since such a color code can be recognized from a distance of about 50 times that of a two-dimensional bar code, it is not necessary to take close-up shots, and a plurality of color codes can be recognized at the same time. In the present embodiment, an instruction to create a POP advertisement displaying such a color code is given.

The server device 101 can manage a limited-time project such as "Spring Great Thanksgiving" and various databases such as product information and POP layout corresponding to the project. By managing the plans on the server device 101, a common plan, a common product information, and a common POP layout can be used according to the access from the information processing device 100 from each store. It is also possible to manage planning, product information, POP layout, etc. with the information processing device 100 of each store without providing the server device 101.

The mobile terminal 102 is a terminal used by employees of each store to determine whether the content of the POP advertisement has been changed or whether the posting period has passed, and is provided so that it can be easily carried. .. According to the present invention, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the description of the POP advertisement is changed only by imaging the POP advertisement posted on the product display shelf of the store with the camera 232 of the mobile terminal 102. Can be done. Further, by providing the store so that it can be determined without communicating with the server device 101 or the like, it is possible to easily determine whether the store is within the posting period even if the store has a poor communication environment.

The printing device 103 is a printer capable of printing POP advertisements provided in each store, and may be either an inkjet printer or a laser printer, but a color-compatible printer capable of printing a color code is required. be. The printing device 103 can not only print in response to a printing request from each store, but also accept and print a printing instruction from the headquarters.

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 100 and the server device 101.

The CPU 201 comprehensively controls each device and controller connected to the system bus 204.

Further, the ROM 202 or the external memory 211 (storage means) stores a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), an operating system program (hereinafter, OS), which is a control program of the CPU 201, and the like. Further, various programs and the like, which will be described later, necessary for realizing the functions executed by the information processing apparatus 100 and the server apparatus 101 are stored. The RAM 203 functions as a main memory, a work area, and the like of the CPU 201.

The CPU 201 realizes various operations by loading a program or the like necessary for executing a process into the RAM 203 and executing the program.

Further, the input controller (input C) 205 controls an input from an input device 209 such as a pointing device such as a keyboard or a mouse (not shown).

The video controller (VC) 206 controls the display on a display such as the display 210. The type of display is assumed to be a CRT or a liquid crystal display, but is not limited to this.

The memory controller (MC) 207 controls access to an external memory 211 such as a hard disk (HD) or a flexible disk (FD) that stores a boot program, browser software, various applications, font data, various data, and the like. Alternatively, it controls access to an external memory 211 such as a card-type memory connected to the PCMCIA card slot via an adapter.

The communication I / F controller (communication I / FC) 208 connects and communicates with an external device via a network, and executes communication control processing on the network. For example, Internet communication using TCP / IP is possible.

The CPU 201 enables display on the display 210 by, for example, executing an outline font expansion (rasterization) process in the display information area in the RAM 203. Further, the CPU 201 enables a user instruction with a mouse cursor or the like (not shown) on the display 210.

Various programs and the like used by the information processing apparatus 100 and the server apparatus 101 of the present invention to execute various processes described later are recorded in the external memory 211, and are executed by the CPU 201 by being loaded into the RAM 203 as needed. Is to be done.

Further, the definition file and various information tables used by the program according to the present invention are stored in the external memory 211.

FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a mobile terminal 102 such as a smart device provided with a touch screen.

The CPU 221 comprehensively controls each device and controller connected to the system bus 224.

Further, the ROM 222 or the external memory 231 (storage means) stores a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), an operating system program (hereinafter, OS), which is a control program of the CPU 221. In addition, various programs and the like, which will be described later, necessary for realizing the function executed by the mobile terminal 102 are stored. The RAM 223 functions as a main memory, a work area, and the like of the CPU 221.

The CPU 221 loads a program or the like necessary for executing a process into the RAM 223 and executes the program to realize various operations. Further, the touch panel controller 225 controls the touch panel 233, the display controller 226 controls the display 230, and the camera controller 229 controls the camera 232.

The memory controller 227 controls access to an external memory 231 such as a hard disk (HD) or a flexible disk (FD) that stores a boot program, browser software, various applications, editing files, various data, and the like. Alternatively, it controls access to an external memory 231 such as a card-type memory connected to the PCMCIA card slot via an adapter.

The communication I / F controller (communication I / FC) 228 connects and communicates with an external device via a network, and executes communication control processing on the network. For example, Internet communication using TCP / IP is possible.

The CPU 221 enables display on the display 230 by, for example, executing an outline font expansion (rasterization) process in the display information area in the RAM 223.

Various programs and the like used by the mobile terminal 102 of the present invention to execute various processes described later are recorded in the external memory 231 and are executed by the CPU 221 by being loaded into the RAM 223 as needed. .. Further, the definition file and various information tables used by the program according to the present invention are stored in the external memory 231.

Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus 103 will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 3, the controller unit 333 is connected to a print unit 314, a card reader 315, and an operation unit 318 that function as an image output device. Then, at the same time as being connected, the print job of the advertisement is output by connecting to the local area network or a public line (WAN) such as PSTN or ISDN.

As shown in FIG. 3, the controller unit 333 is composed of a CPU 301, a RAM 306, a ROM 302, an external storage device (hard disk drive (HDD)) 307, a network interface (Network I / F) 303, and the like. Further, the controller unit 333 is composed of a modem 304, an operation unit interface (operation unit I / F) 305, an external interface (external I / F) 309, an image bus interface (IMAGE BUS I / F) 308, and the like. NS. Further, the controller unit 333 is composed of a raster image processor (RIP) 310, a printer interface (printer I / F) 311 and an image processing unit 313.

The CPU 301 is a processor that controls the entire system.

The RAM 306 is a system work memory for operating the CPU 301, a program memory for recording a program, and an image memory for temporarily storing image data.

The ROM 302 stores a system boot program and various control programs.

The external storage device (hard disk drive HDD) 307 stores various programs, print jobs, and the like for controlling the system. It also stores various tables.

The operation unit interface (operation unit I / F) 305 is an interface unit with the operation unit (UI) 318, and outputs image data to be displayed on the operation unit 318 to the operation unit 318.

Further, the operation unit I / F 305 plays a role of transmitting information (for example, user information and the like) input by the system user from the operation unit 318 to the CPU 301. The operation unit 318 is provided with a display unit having a touch panel, and various instructions can be given by the user pressing (touching with a finger or the like) a button displayed on the display unit.

The network interface (Network I / F) 303 connects to a network (LAN) and inputs / outputs data.

The modem (MODEM) 304 is connected to a public line and inputs / outputs data such as transmission / reception of FAX.

The external interface (external I / F) 309 is an interface unit that accepts external inputs such as USB, IEEE1394, a printer port, and RS-232C.

The image bus interface (IMAGE BUS I / F) 308 is a bus bridge that connects the system bus 316 and the image bus 317 that transfers image data at high speed and converts the data structure. The image bus 317 is composed of a PCI bus or IEEE 1394. The following devices are arranged on the image bus 317.

The raster image processor (RIP) 310 expands vector data such as a PDL code into a bitmap image.

The printer interface (printer I / F) 311 connects the print unit 314 and the controller unit 333, and performs synchronous / asynchronous conversion of image data.

The image processing unit 313 performs printer correction, resolution conversion, and the like on the print output image data obtained by expanding the print job. In addition to this, the image processing unit 313 performs compression / decompression processing of image data, JPEG for multi-valued image data, JBIG, MMR, MH, etc. for binary image data.

The print unit 314 connected to the printer I / F 311 is a part that converts raster image data into an image on paper. The method includes an electrophotographic method using a photoconductor drum and a photoconductor belt, an inkjet method in which ink is ejected from a minute nozzle array and an image is printed directly on paper, but any method may be used. The start of the print operation is started by the instruction from the CPU 301. The print unit 314 has a plurality of paper feed stages so that different paper sizes or different paper orientations can be selected, and has a paper cassette corresponding to the plurality of paper feed stages.

The operation unit 318 connected to the operation unit I / F 305 has a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit. A touch panel sheet is attached on the LCD, and the operation screen of the system is displayed, and when the displayed key is pressed, the position information is transmitted to the CPU 301 via the operation unit I / F305. Further, the operation unit 318 includes, for example, a start key, a stop key, an ID key, a reset key, and the like as various operation keys.

Here, the start key of the operation unit 318 is used when starting a printing operation or the like. In the center of the start key, there are two colors of LEDs, green and red, and the colors indicate whether or not the start key can be used. Further, the stop key of the operation unit 318 functions to stop the operation during operation. Further, the ID key of the operation unit 318 is used when inputting the user's ID. The reset key is used when initializing the setting from the operation unit 318.

Next, the functional configurations of the information processing device 100, the server device 101, the mobile terminal 102, and the printing device 103 will be described with reference to FIG. The functional configurations of the information processing device 100, the server device 101, the mobile terminal 102, and the printing device 103 shown in FIG. 4 are examples, and there are various configuration examples depending on the application and purpose.

The information processing apparatus 100 includes a communication control unit 401, a color code generation unit 402, and an advertisement data generation unit 403 as functional units.

The communication control unit 401 is a functional unit for controlling communication between the information processing device 100, the server device 101, and the printing device 103.

The color code generation unit 402 is a functional unit that generates a color code including information. Specifically, a color code indicating a print serial number, which is identification information for each POP advertisement, is generated. The print serial number is an identification number assigned to each POP advertisement when a print instruction for the POP advertisement is received. In the present embodiment, the print serial number is indicated by a color code, but the information indicated by the color code, such as the selling price information of the product and the posting period of the POP advertisement, may be information other than the print serial number related to the product or the POP advertisement. .. Further, the color code does not necessarily have to be generated by the information processing apparatus 100, and the information processing apparatus 100 may manage the color code generated by the server apparatus 101, the printing apparatus 103, or another apparatus.

The advertisement data generation unit 403 is a functional unit for generating advertisement data corresponding to the product. In the present embodiment, the advertisement data including the color code generated by the color code generation unit 402 together with the product information is generated.

Next, the functional unit of the server device 101 will be described. The server device 101 includes a communication control unit 404, a storage unit 405, and a print serial number acquisition unit 406.

The communication control unit 404 is a functional unit that controls communication between the information processing device 100, the mobile terminal 102, and the printing device 103.

The storage unit 405 is a functional unit for storing information on various tables and masters, which will be described later, and information constituting various screens (storage means). Add, update, and delete information as needed.

The print serial number acquisition unit 406 is a functional unit for acquiring a print serial number for each POP advertisement when the server device 101 receives a print instruction of the POP advertisement from the information processing device 100. The print serial number acquired by the print serial number acquisition unit 406 is transmitted from the server device 101 to the information processing apparatus 100, and the color code generation unit of the information processing apparatus 100 generates a color code indicating the received print serial number.

Next, the functional unit of the mobile terminal 102 will be described. The functional unit of the mobile terminal 102 includes an image pickup unit 407 and a display control unit 408.

The image pickup unit 407 is a functional unit that controls image pickup by the camera 232 included in the mobile terminal 102. In the present embodiment, the change of the POP advertisement is displayed on the screen so as to be identifiable by capturing the color code included in the POP advertisement.

The display control unit 408 is a functional unit for controlling the display of the display 230 of the mobile terminal 102 (display control means). When the display instruction of the screen is given from the display control unit 408, the display instruction is transmitted to the display 210 via the video controller 206. Then, when the display 230 receives this instruction, the display 230 displays the screen according to the instruction.

Next, using the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6, a series of processing flows from the creation of the POP advertisement to the notification of the POP advertisement to be changed will be described. The embodiments described in the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6 are the first embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart up to the output of the POP advertisement that has received the designation from the user.

In step S501, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 accepts the user's arbitrary selection of an advertisement template from the advertisement templates stored in advance in the information processing apparatus 100. The advertisement template indicates an advertisement layout in which a product name, a selling price, and a catch phrase are set in a POP advertisement.

In step S502, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 accepts the selection of the product for which the POP advertisement is created. The CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 may accept selections for each product, or may collectively accept designations for all products that have been summarized to some extent, such as a product list corresponding to a limited-time event. good.

In step S503, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 transmits the print instruction of the advertisement corresponding to the product together with the JAN code (Japanese Article Number) of the product whose selection has been accepted in step S502 to the server device 101. In this embodiment, the JAN code is transmitted as information for identifying the product, but if the identification information can identify the product, such as the product name or the product code managed by store, information other than the JAN code is transmitted. You may.

In step S504, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 receives the JAN code of the product and the print instruction from the information processing device 100.

In step S505, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 acquires the selling price information of the product corresponding to the JAN code received in step S504 from the POS system (Point Of Sales system) linked with the server device 101 (acquisition means). The POS system manages product sales information and also manages fluctuating product sales prices. The selling price information acquired by the server device 101 from the POS system in step S505 is the selling price of the product at the time of acquiring the selling price information.

In step S506, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 acquires the print serial number by the function of the print serial number acquisition unit 406. The CPU 201 of the server device 101 acquires a number (printing serial number) for each POP advertisement that has received a print instruction. Even if the print serial number of the POP advertisement of the product having the same JAN code has been acquired in the past, when a new print instruction is received, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 newly acquires the print serial number.

In step S507, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 stores the JAN code received in step S504, the selling price information acquired in step S505, and the print serial number acquired in step S506 in association with each other in the selling price check table 900.

The selling price check table 900 in FIG. 9 is a table that manages information on POP advertisements that have received print instructions. The CPU 201 of the server device 101 also confirms the selling price check table 900 when confirming the changed content of the POP advertisement captured by the mobile terminal 102. The selling price check table 900 includes a JAN code 901, a printing serial number 902, a printing price 903, a printing flag 904, a printing time 905, and a selling price 906. The JAN code 901 is received by the server device 101 in step S504, and the print serial number 902 stores the one acquired by the server device 101 in step S506. The printing price 903 is the selling price acquired from the POS system by the server device 101 in step S505, and the JAN code 901, the printing serial number 902, and the printing price 903 are stored in association with each other. The print flag 904 manages whether or not the advertisement that has received the print instruction has been printed. The print time 905 stores the time when the POP advertisement is printed. The selling price 906 is the selling price information acquired separately from the printing price 903, and the selling price information of the product is acquired and stored from the POS system at the timing when the POP advertisement is imaged and confirmed by the mobile terminal 102 or at a predetermined period. When confirming whether or not the amount of money has changed in the posted POP advertisement, the value stored in the print price 903 and the selling price 906 are compared.

The explanation is returned to FIG. In step S508, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 transmits the print serial number corresponding to the JAN code to the information processing device 100 together with the JAN code.

In step S509, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 receives the JAN code and the print serial number from the server apparatus 101.

In step S510, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 generates a color code indicating a print serial number by the function of the color code generation unit 402. Then, the function of the advertisement data generation unit 403 generates the advertisement data including the color code.

In step S511, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 transmits an output instruction to the printing apparatus 103 by the function of the communication control unit 401 (output control means).

In step S512, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 transmits information indicating that the print instruction has been transmitted in step S511 to the server apparatus 101. In order to confirm that printing has been performed reliably, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 may transmit the print result to the server apparatus 101 after receiving the information as to whether or not the printing is completed from the printing apparatus 103. ..

In step S513, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 receives the print result from the information processing device 100.

In step S514, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 stores the print result received from the information processing device 100 by the function of the storage unit 405. More specifically, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 stores "1" in the print flag 904 of the selling price check table 900. If the POP advertisement data has been generated but has not yet been printed by the printing device 103, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 stores "0".

This is the end of the description of the process of outputting the POP advertisement that has accepted the designation. By this process, a color code indicating the print serial number assigned at the time of creating the data of the POP advertisement is generated, and the POP advertisement including the color code is created and printed.

Next, using FIG. 6, a series of processing flows will be described in which the POP advertisement printed by the processing of the flowchart of FIG. 5 is imaged by the mobile terminal and the user is notified of the changed POP advertisement.

In step S601, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 installs an application for checking the content of the POP advertisement in the mobile terminal 102 in advance, and starts the corresponding application.

In step S602, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 starts imaging of the POP advertisement by the function of the imaging unit 407.

In step S603, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 identifies the print serial number indicated by the color code included in the POP advertisement.

In step S604, the print serial number specified in step S603 is transmitted to the server device 101.

In step S605, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 receives the print serial number from the mobile terminal 102.

In step S606, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 uses the received print serial number as a key to search for the print serial number 902 of the selling price check table 900 stored by the function of the storage unit 405.

In step S607, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 identifies the print serial number searched in step S606 from the print serial number 902, and further sets the print price 903 and the selling price 906 stored in association with the print serial number 902. refer. The selling price stored in the printing price 903 is an invariant value because it is the selling price at the time when the POP advertisement is printed. On the other hand, the value stored in the selling price 906 is a variable selling price because it is acquired from the POS system at a predetermined timing. Next, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 compares the selling price stored in the printing price 903 with the selling price stored in the selling price 906, and whether or not the two selling prices are the same value (whether or not they match). Or) is determined. If the CPU 201 of the server device 101 determines that the two selling prices are the same, the process proceeds to step S608, and it is determined that there is no problem. That is, it is determined that there is no change in the content of the product information of the POP advertisement, and the process proceeds to step S612. If the CPU 201 of the server device 101 determines that the two selling prices are not the same or different selling prices, the process proceeds to step S609.

In step S609, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 determines whether or not there is the latest serial number. More specifically, the JAN code associated with the print serial number used as the search key is specified, and the JAN code 901 of the selling price check table 900 is searched using the JAN code as a key. If the same JAN code is specified and a new print serial number (latest serial number) is stored, the print data of the POP advertisement whose selling price has been updated is generated in order to correspond to the replacement of the POP advertisement. Is shown. Therefore, if the CPU 201 of the server device 101 determines that there is the latest serial number, the process proceeds to step S611, and it is determined that the advertisement data of the POP advertisement has been generated and the print instruction has been accepted, and that the POP advertisement has not been replaced. If the CPU 201 of the server device 101 determines that there is no latest serial number, the process proceeds to step S610, the content (selling price) of the POP advertisement is changed, and the POP advertisement is also determined to be unprinted.

Here, the check result table 910 of FIG. 9 will be described. The check result table 910 in the present embodiment shows an example of a table that stores the result of determining whether or not the selling price has changed based on the print serial number of the POP advertisement. The check result table 910 includes a JAN code 911, a print serial number 912, and a check result 913. The check result 913 confirms the changed content of the POP advertisement, and shows the results determined in step S608, step S610, and step S611, respectively. For example, if there is no change in the information indicated by the POP advertisement and there is no problem, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 stores "0". Although the information indicated by the POP advertisement has changed, if it is determined that the new POP advertisement has been printed because the latest serial number has been obtained, that is, it is simply an omission of replacement of the POP advertisement, the server device 101 The CPU 201 stores "1" in the check result 913. If it is determined that the POP advertisement with updated information is not printed because the information indicated by the POP advertisement has changed and the latest serial number has not been acquired, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 sets "2" in the check result 913. Store.

Returning to the flowchart of FIG. In step S612, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 transmits the result stored in the check result table 910 of FIG. 9 to the mobile terminal 102.

In step S613, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 receives the check result from the server device 101.

In step S614, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 notifies the change content of the POP advertisement based on the check result received in step S613. In the present embodiment, the function of the display control unit 408 identifies and displays the POP advertisement whose description content is changed on the display 230 of the mobile terminal 102. Further, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 also displays detailed information for each POP advertisement according to the check result received in step S613. The detailed information referred to here is information indicating the state of the POP advertisement to be notified to the person in charge of the store when the CPU 201 of the server device 101 determines that the selling price of the POP advertisement has changed. Here, as an example, the information indicating the state of the POP advertisement is the next work for the person in charge of the store, such as whether the POP advertisement in which the error occurred is not replaced or whether it is necessary to create new POP advertisement data. Contains information to indicate.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example in which the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 performs the identification display corresponding to the check result received from the server device 101 in step S614. The display 230 of the mobile terminal 102 displays the inside of the store during imaging, and displays the POP advertisement 1101 and the color code 1102 included in the POP advertisement 1101. The color code 1102 is read by the mobile terminal 102, and the state of the POP advertisement is determined. The replacement omission error display 1104 and the unprinted error display 1103 are identified and displayed by superimposing the error display of the POP advertisement corresponding to the check result on the captured image, respectively. The POP advertisement in which the replacement omission error display 1104 and the unprinted error display 1103 are superimposed is a POP advertisement in which the selling price described in the POP advertisement and the selling price of the actual product are changed. In this embodiment, it is possible not only to manage whether or not a problematic POP advertisement can be posted, but also to notify the error status of the POP advertisement to be changed, so that the confirmation work of the person in charge of the store who checks the POP advertisement and replaces it is reduced. It becomes possible to do. In this embodiment, it is sufficient to notify the POP advertisement whose posted content is changed. Therefore, the notification may be performed by another notification method such as voice, not limited to the display. Further, the POP advertisement having a change in the selling price may be displayed by superimposing the correct selling price on the captured image, not limited to the display of the error state.

This is the end of the explanation of the flow of a series of processes for notifying the user (the person in charge of the store) of the changed POP advertisement. By this process, the person in charge of the store can recognize at a glance the POP advertisement to be replaced. Further, in the present embodiment, is it necessary to create print data of the POP advertisement whose selling price has been changed for the POP advertisement whose selling price has been changed? You can also see detailed information such as whether it is. Therefore, the person in charge of the store can grasp the next work when the POP advertisement that needs to be replaced is found only by capturing the POP advertisement with the mobile terminal 102.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8. In the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not there is a change in the content described in the POP advertisement, and the changed POP advertisement is identified and displayed and notified. In the second embodiment, if there is a POP advertisement that is imaged by the mobile terminal 102 and the posted content is changed, the POP advertisement is extracted and the changed content is updated to be automatically printed. Describe.

Since the processes from step S701 to step S707 in FIG. 7 are the same as steps S601 to S607 in FIG. 6, the description thereof will be omitted. The process from step S701 to step S707 is a process of comparing the selling price of the specified product with the server device 101 based on the print serial number captured by the mobile terminal 102 and read from the color code.

In step S708, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 compares the selling price stored in the printing price 903 with the selling price stored in the selling price 906 in step S707, and determines that the two selling prices are not the same value. This is the processing of the case. The CPU 201 of the server device 101 identifies the JAN code corresponding to the print serial number of the POP advertisement whose selling price has changed.

In step S709, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 identifies the current date information.

In step S710, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 acquires the planning information stored by the function of the storage unit 405. Planning information is a limited-time special sale sale held at a store, and is an advertisement generation that summarizes information such as the layout, catch phrase, and selling price of POP advertisements prepared for each project. The data for is shown. The planning information may be stored in the server device 101, or information stored in another storage device may be acquired as appropriate.

The planning instruction table 1000 of FIG. 10 shows an example of a table that summarizes planning information that can generate advertising data for planning. The planning instruction table 1000 includes classification 1001, title 1002, pattern 1003, sale start date 1004, sale end date 1005, JAN code 1006, manufacturer name 1007, product name 1008, selling price 1009, and catch copy 1010. The classification 1001 indicates the classification of the data for the planning (for sale) advertisement or the data for the normal advertisement, and the title 1002 indicates the title of the project. The pattern 1003 shows the layout pattern of the POP advertisement, and the sale start date 1004 and the sale end date 1005 indicate the sale start date and the sale end date of the corresponding product, respectively. That is, the posting period of the POP advertisement is also shown. Further, the JAN code 1006, the manufacturer name 1007, the product name 1008, the selling price 1009, and the catch phrase 1010 are information for each product and indicate data printed on the POP advertisement for planning. In step S710 of FIG. 7, the planning instruction table 1000 is acquired as planning information.

Returning to the flowchart of FIG. In step S711, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 determines whether or not the corresponding product is included in the planning information based on the current date specified in step S709 and the JAN code specified in step S708. That is, it is determined whether or not the JAN code specified in step S708 is included in the product to be planned that is currently being held. When the CPU 201 of the server device 101 determines that the JAN code of the corresponding product is included in the planning information, the process proceeds to step S712. If the CPU 201 of the server device 101 determines that the JAN code of the corresponding product is not included in the planning information, the process proceeds to step S713.

In step S712, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 acquires the selling price for planning from the selling price 1009 of the planning instruction table 1000.

In step S713, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 acquires the current latest selling price from the POS system by the function of the communication control unit 404.

In step S714, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 acquires the print serial number by the function of the print serial number acquisition unit 406.

In step S715, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 associates the JAN code specified in step S708, the selling price information acquired in step S713 or step S714, and the print serial number acquired in step S714. Then, the associated one is stored in the selling price check table 900.

The CPU 201 of the server device 101 repeats the processes of steps S706 to S715 for the number of print serial numbers received from the mobile terminal 102.

In step S716, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 extracts the data of the POP advertisement newly acquired the print serial number. That is, in step S707, it is determined that the two selling prices are not the same, and the data for which a new print serial number has been newly acquired is extracted.

Next, in step S717 of FIG. 8, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 transmits the data extracted in step S716 to the information processing device 100.

In step S718, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 receives the data extracted in step S716 from the server apparatus 101.

In step S719, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 newly generates print data of the POP advertisement having a difference between the two selling prices received in step S718. Here, based on the determination in step S711, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 generates print data for planning using the planning information if the advertising data indicating the target product during the planning is included. Further, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 generates print data of a normal POP advertisement if the advertisement data indicating the target product during the planning is not included.

In step S720, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 transmits an output instruction of the POP advertisement to the printing apparatus 103.

In step S721, the CPU 201 of the information processing apparatus 100 identifies the printing time for printing the POP advertisement and transmits it to the server apparatus 101.

In step S722, the CPU 201 of the server device 101 stores the print time received from the information processing device 100 in the print time 905 of the selling price check table 900, and ends a series of processes.

This completes the description of the mechanism for printing the POP advertisement in which the information is changed, which is read and extracted by the mobile terminal 102 in the second embodiment. In the present embodiment, the change of the selling price information is used as the change standard of the POP advertisement, but the change of other information such as the change of the posting period of the POP advertisement and the change of the catch phrase may be used as the change standard of the POP advertisement.

By the processing of the second embodiment, the person in charge of the store not only discovers a new POP advertisement to be printed due to a change in information by simply imaging the POP advertisement with the mobile terminal 102, but also needs to print the POP advertisement. Can be easily printed. Furthermore, since the changed POP advertisement is automatically created, the POP advertisement to be changed is notified by the creation of the POP advertisement, and there is also a problem that the POP advertisement to be replaced is forgotten to be created or printed. It has a deterrent effect.

[Embodiment 3]
Here, the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 15. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the state of the POP advertisement was recognized by using the mobile terminal 102. In the third embodiment, the location information in the store and the information on the shelves on which the products are displayed (shelf information) are acquired together with the selling price information of the POP advertisement, and the position in the store and the state of the POP advertisement are determined. The process for displaying the screen to be shown is shown.

In the third embodiment, the mobile terminal 102 will be mainly described, but not only the mobile terminal 102 but also a movable information processing device or terminal such as a self-propelled robot may be used. When the main body that captures the POP advertisement is a robot or the like, the travel route in the store is stored in advance, and while moving along the stored travel route, the POP advertisement is imaged and the selling price included in the POP advertisement is included. Get the information.

First, the flow of FIG. 12 will be described. In step S1201 of FIG. 12, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 starts imaging of the POP advertisement by the function of the imaging unit 407. As described above, the image pickup is not limited to the mobile terminal 102, and a self-propelled information processing device such as a robot may activate the application and start the image pickup.

In step S1202, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 acquires the position information when the image is taken (position information acquisition means). The location information may be acquired by GPS (Global Positioning System), shelf information of products in the store, etc. may be acquired, and any information can be used as long as the location of the captured POP advertisement can be known. good.

Here, the advertisement position check table 1300 of FIG. 13 will be described. The advertisement position check table 1300 shows an example of a data table that stores information including the position of the POP advertisement captured by the mobile terminal 102. The advertisement position check table 1300 includes shelf information 1301, JAN code 1302, product name 1303, and POP information 1304. The shelf information 1301 indicates the position of the shelf in which the POP advertisement is imaged and the location of the shelf. The JAN code 1302 and the product name 1303 indicate the JAN code printed on the captured POP advertisement and the product name printed on the POP advertisement, respectively. The POP information 1304 indicates information such as the print state of the captured POP advertisement.

In step S1203, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 captures and acquires the POP advertisement, and transmits the print serial number of the specified POP advertisement to the server device 101. Since the processing of the server device 101 that has received the print serial number from the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 is the same as the processing of steps S605 to S612 in FIG. 6, the description thereof will be omitted. That is, the server device 101 that has received the print serial number compares the selling price information of the POP advertisement with the print serial number as a key, and determines whether or not there is a difference in the selling price information of the POP advertisement. Then, if there is a difference in the selling price information, it is determined whether the POP advertisement has been printed and there is a replacement omission, or it has not been printed, and the check result is transmitted to the mobile terminal 102.

In step S1204, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 receives the check result from the server device 101.

In step S1205, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 associates the check result received in step S1204 with the position information acquired in step S1202, stores it in the advertisement position check table 1300, and stores it. For example, the received check result is stored in the POP information 1304 of the advertisement position check table 1300, and the position information is stored in the shelf information 1301. In the present embodiment, the advertisement position check table 1300 is stored in the mobile terminal 102, but may be stored in the server device 101.

In step S1206, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 generates an advertisement information display screen. More specifically, based on the information in the advertisement position check table 1300, a screen for displaying the information of the POP advertisement to be notified to the user who is determined to have a difference in the printed information is generated. In the present embodiment, the mobile terminal 102 performs the advertisement information display screen generation process, but the server device 101 performs the advertisement information display screen generation process, and the mobile terminal 102 generates the information generated by the server device 101. It may be acquired as appropriate.

In step S1207, the CPU 221 of the mobile terminal 102 displays the advertisement information display screen generated in step S1206 on the display 230 of the mobile terminal 102.

Here, FIG. 14 will be described. FIG. 14 is a screen 1400 showing advertisement information that needs to be replaced, and shows an example of the screen displayed in step S1207. The screen 1400 showing the advertisement information that needs to be replaced includes the advertisement information display 1401 and the in-store drawing 1402. The location of the POP advertisement to be notified is shown in FIG. 1402 in the store, and the state of the POP advertisement is identified and displayed by a color, a mark, a symbol, or the like on the advertisement information display 1401. With this display, when the administrator later confirms the state of the POP advertisement, it becomes possible to confirm at a glance which position of the POP advertisement needs to be replaced in what state. Further, since the state of the POP advertisement is represented by symbols and figures, it is possible to notify the user of the state of the POP advertisement in a form that is easy for the user to see even if the display 230 is a small terminal, for example. In the present embodiment, the information of the POP advertisement to be notified is displayed by using a figure, but it may be displayed in a list format. In addition, even though the notification about the non-printing or replacement of the POP advertisement has been given once, the same notification may be given again when the POP advertisement has not been replaced. In that case, a flag is set in the information of the POP advertisement, and the fact that the notification has been sent once but the replacement is not supported is displayed on the screen with a display such as "previously checked" in the advertisement information display 1401. You may.

Further, in addition to the POP advertisement used for the explanation in the present embodiment, information regarding the replacement of leaflets and posters may be displayed on the display 230 of the mobile terminal 102 as in the advertisement image 1500 of FIG. Further, the code including the information of the advertisement to be imaged may be not only a color code but also any information as long as it is identification information such as a two-dimensional bar code that can read the advertisement information. In FIG. 15, for example, a code including publication period information is printed on a poster or a leaflet, and the code is captured by the mobile terminal 102 to determine whether or not the advertisement is within the publication period and whether or not the target advertisement is unprinted or not replaced. The information about the poster or leaflet is displayed.

This completes the description of the process for displaying the screen showing the state of the POP advertisement at which position in the store in the third embodiment.

As described above, according to the present invention, in the advertisement of a product whose information is changed, the effect of easily recognizing the state of the advertisement to be replaced is obtained.

The present invention can be, for example, an embodiment as a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, a storage medium, or the like, and specifically, may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or 1 It may be applied to a device consisting of two devices.

The present invention includes a software program that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, which is directly or remotely supplied to a system or an apparatus. The present invention also includes a case where the information processing apparatus of the system or the apparatus is also achieved by reading and executing the supplied program code.

Therefore, in order to realize the functional processing of the present invention in the information processing device, the program code itself installed (installable) in the information processing device also realizes the present invention. That is, the present invention also includes the computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

In that case, as long as it has a program function, it may be in the form of an object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, or the like.

Examples of the recording medium for supplying the program include a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, MO, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, and the like. There are also magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, ROMs, DVDs (DVD-ROM, DVD-R) and the like.

In addition, as a method of supplying the program, the browser of the client computer is used to connect to the homepage of the Internet. Then, it can also be supplied by downloading the computer program of the present invention itself or a compressed file including an automatic installation function to a recording medium such as a hard disk from the homepage.

It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from different homepages. That is, the present invention also includes a WWW server that causes a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention in the information processing apparatus.

In addition, the program of the present invention is encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, and distributed to users, and the key information for decrypting the encryption is downloaded from the homepage to the user who clears the predetermined conditions. Let me. Then, by using the downloaded key information, it is also possible to execute an encrypted program and install it in the information processing device.

Further, the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the information processing apparatus executing the read program. In addition, based on the instruction of the program, the OS or the like running on the information processing apparatus performs a part or all of the actual processing, and the function of the above-described embodiment can be realized by the processing.

Further, the program read from the recording medium is written to the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the information processing device and the function expansion unit connected to the information processing device. After that, based on the instruction of the program, the function expansion board, the CPU provided in the function expansion unit, or the like performs a part or all of the actual processing, and the function of the above-described embodiment is also realized by the processing.

It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of embodiment of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner by these. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the technical idea or its main features.

100 Information processing device 101 Server device 102 Mobile terminal 103 Printing device 201 CPU
230 Display 211 External memory 221 CPU
231 external memory 232 camera

Claims (12)

It is a system that can communicate with the server device that manages the variable first selling price information corresponding to the product.
Is obtained by imaging the advertising items in the image pickup device, not a second selling price information when the advertisement is printed, a first selling price information of the product to be managed by the server device, match An output control means for controlling the print data of the advertisement using the first selling price information to be printed according to the determination.
A system characterized by being equipped with. The system is capable of communicating with an information processing apparatus provided with an image pickup means, and is capable of communicating with the information processing apparatus.
The system according to claim 1, wherein the information processing device includes a mobile terminal or a self-propelled robot. The system further comprises a generation means for generating the print data using the first selling price information.
The advertisement management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the output control means controls to output the print data generated by the generation means. The system controls to display detailed information for the advertisement imaged by the imaging means in an identifiable manner by using the information as to whether or not the first selling price information and the second selling price information match. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising display control means. The system further comprises a storage means for storing the print data of the advertisement.
In the display control means, print data in which the first selling price information and the second selling price information match is stored in the storage means, and the first selling price information and the second selling price information match. The system according to claim 4 , wherein if not, the display indicating that the advertisement is not replaced is controlled. The storage means stores planning information, which is information on advertisements for sale for a fixed period.
The system according to claim 5 , wherein the output control means controls to output the print data based on the plan information when the plan information is stored in the storage means. The system further includes a position information acquisition unit that acquires information indicating the position of the advertisement imaged by the image pickup unit.
The system according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the display control means controls to display information indicating the position of the advertisement together with the detailed information of the advertisement. It is a system that can communicate with the server device that manages the variable first selling price information corresponding to the product.
Is obtained by imaging the advertising items in the image pickup device, not a second selling price information when the advertisement is printed, a first selling price information of the product to be managed by the server device, match A generation means for generating print data of an advertisement using the first selling price information according to the determination of
A system characterized by being equipped with. It is a control method of a system that can communicate with a server device that manages variable first selling price information corresponding to a product.
Is obtained by imaging the product advertising at the imaging means, and those the advertisement second selling price information when printed is the first selling price information of the product to be managed by the server device, match An output control step that controls to output the print data of the advertisement using the first selling price information to be printed according to the determination that the product is not used.
A method of controlling a system , characterized by including. It is a control method of a system that can communicate with a server device that manages variable first selling price information corresponding to a product.
The second selling price information when the advertisement is printed, which is acquired by imaging the advertisement of the product by the imaging means, and the first selling price information of the product managed by the server device do not match. A generation step of generating print data of an advertisement using the first selling price information according to the determination of
A method of controlling a system, characterized by including. An information processing device equipped with an image pickup means capable of communicating with a server device that manages a variable first selling price information corresponding to a product.
Is obtained by imaging the product advertising at the imaging means, a second retail information when the advertisement is printed, a first selling price information of the product to be managed by the server device, match An output control means for controlling to output the print data of the advertisement using the first selling price information to be printed according to the determination that the product is not used.
An information processing device characterized by being equipped with. A program for causing a computer to function as the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and 11.

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