JP7533071B2 - Card creation system, card creation device, card creation method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a card creation system, a card creation device, a card creation method, and a program, and more particularly to creating cards to send to friends on birthdays, etc.

As electronic devices with cameras such as smartphones become widespread, users are increasingly taking photos and using the images they take. In addition, social networking services (SNS) have become widespread, allowing users to exchange messages with each other and post and view images and comments they have taken.

In SNS, a user's profile information is registered on a server, and some of it is made public to other users. For example, there is a service in which if a user adds their birthday to their profile information and allows it to be made public, other users are notified of their birthday. Other users are aware of the user's birthday through the notification, and can celebrate the birthday by sending a birthday card. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a function that displays a list of friends whose birthdays are approaching on the user's terminal, and creates and sends a birthday card to a friend selected from the list. Users can select their favorite card from several designs, add a message, effects, etc., and create an original birthday card.

“Using the birthday feature”, [online], searched on September 7, 2020, Internet, <URL: https://guide.line.me/ja/services/birthday.html/>

When creating the birthday card mentioned above, adding images in addition to text can make the card more appealing. However, it can be difficult to create a card because it takes time to select the best image from the huge number of images stored on the device.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a card creation system that can easily create greeting cards with images, eliminating the need to search for a specific image among a large number of images.

The first invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a card creation system in which a user terminal and a server are communicatively connected via a network, the server comprising: a user information management means for registering profile information of each user; a card creation means for creating a card; a storage means for storing images uploaded from the user terminal; a facial image acquisition means for acquiring a facial image registered in the profile information of a designated user who is a user designated by the user terminal; an image selection means for selecting images stored in the storage means based on the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition means when a user of the user terminal creates a card for the designated user in the card creation means; and an output means for outputting the card created by the card creation means , and the server further comprising a permission request means for requesting permission from the designated user for the image selection means to use the facial image .

According to the card creation system of the first invention, when a user of a user terminal creates a card for a designated user, images uploaded from the user terminal can be selected based on the facial image of the designated user registered in the profile information. This makes it possible to support card creation by presenting a screen on the user terminal in which images of friends are selected, so that the user can easily use an image of a friend on the card without having to search for an image of the friend among many images. In addition, the server can automatically generate a card using an image of the designated user. In addition, the server can use the facial image, which is personal information, for image selection after obtaining permission to use the facial image from the designated user.

In the first invention, it is preferable that the card is a birthday card .

It is also preferable that the card creation means accepts editing of the card by the user terminal. This allows the user to create attractive cards with a variety of expressions.

The output means transmits the card created by the card creation means to the designated user. Alternatively, the output means transmits the card created by the card creation means to the user terminal in a format that can be printed out. This makes it possible to transmit the created card as data, or to print it out and give the actual card to a friend.

A second invention is a card creation device connected to a user terminal via a network, and comprising: a user information management means for registering profile information of each user; a card creation means for creating a card; a storage means for storing images uploaded from the user terminal; a facial image acquisition means for acquiring a facial image registered in the profile information of a designated user who is a user designated by the user terminal; an image selection means for selecting images stored in the storage means based on the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition means when a user of the user terminal creates a card for the designated user in the card creation means; and an output means for outputting the card created by the card creation means , wherein the card creation device further comprises a permission request means for requesting permission from the designated user for the image selection means to use the facial image .

The second invention provides a card creation device that has the functionality of a server in the card creation system of the first invention.

A third invention is a card creation method in a card creation system in which a user terminal and a server are communication-connected via a network, comprising the steps of: the server registering profile information for each user; creating a card; storing images uploaded from the user terminal in a memory unit; acquiring a facial image registered in the profile information of a designated user who is a user designated by the user terminal; and, in the card creating step, when a user of the user terminal creates a card for the designated user, selecting images stored in the memory unit based on the facial image; and outputting the created card, characterized in that the card creating method further includes a step in which the server requests permission from the designated user to use the facial image in the image selecting step .

According to the card creation method of the third invention, when a user of a user terminal creates a card for a designated user, images uploaded from the user terminal can be selected based on the facial image of the designated user registered in the profile information. This makes it possible to support card creation by presenting a screen on the user terminal in which images of friends are selected, so that the user can easily use an image of a friend for the card without having to search for an image of the friend among many images. In addition, the server can automatically generate a card using an image of the designated user. In addition, the server can use the facial image, which is personal information, for image selection after obtaining permission to use the facial image from the designated user.

A fourth invention is a program for causing a computer connected in communication with a user terminal via a network to function as a user information management means for registering profile information of each user, a card creation means for creating a card, a storage means for storing images uploaded from the user terminal, a facial image acquisition means for acquiring a facial image registered as profile information of a designated user who is a user designated by the user terminal, an image selection means for selecting images stored in the storage means based on the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition means when a user of the user terminal creates a card for the designated user in the card creation means, and an output means for outputting the card created by the card creation means , characterized in that the program further causes the computer to function as a permission request means for requesting permission from the designated user for the image selection means to use the facial image .

The fourth invention makes it possible to cause a computer to function as a server in the card creation system of the first invention, or as the card creation device of the second invention.

The present invention makes it possible to provide a card creation system that can easily create greeting cards with images, eliminating the need to search through a large number of images to find an image that includes a friend.

A block diagram showing the system configuration of a card creation system 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the card creation system 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server 3. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal 5. FIG. 2 shows the data structure of an image database 321. FIG. 2 shows the data structure of profile information 322. FIG. 2 shows the data structure of friend registration information 323. A flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the user terminal 5 in the card creation system 1. (a) An example of a profile screen 41. (b) An example of a list of registered friends 43. Flowchart showing the flow of friend registration processing Flowchart showing the flow of birthday notification processing FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification displayed on the user terminal 5. Flowchart showing the steps of card creation processing (a) is a diagram showing a group of images stored in the album 45 (storage unit 502) of the user terminal 5A; (b) is a diagram showing an example of a selection screen 46 for selecting whether to enable or disable image selection; 5A is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen 47 displayed on the friend's terminal 5B; FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a state in which images in an album on the user terminal 5A have been selected; FIG. 4 shows an example of an editing screen 49. FIG. 6 shows an example of a confirmation screen 61.

The following describes in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 shows the system configuration of a card creation system 1 according to the present invention, and Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the card creation system 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the card creation system 1 is configured by a server 3 and multiple user terminals 5, 5, 5, ... that are communicatively connected via a network 7.

The server 3 is a server for a social networking service (SNS) and is a computer that makes comments and images posted (sent) from a user terminal 5, which is a terminal of a user of the SNS, available to other users' user terminals 5, and manages the sending and receiving of messages between users. Note that while FIG. 1 shows the server 3 as being configured as one computer, the server 3 may be configured as multiple computers. For example, the image database 321 may be configured to be provided on a server separate from the server 3.

In the present invention, the server 3 provides a service of creating cards (birthday cards, message cards, greeting cards, etc., hereinafter referred to as cards) to be sent to other users in response to a request from the user terminal 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the server 3 includes a user information management unit 30, a receiving unit 31, a memory unit 302, a card creation unit 33, a face image acquisition unit 34, an image selection unit 35, an output unit 36, etc.

The user information management unit 30 of the server 3 manages information about users of the SNS (card creation system 1). The user information management unit 30 performs, for example, a profile information registration process and a friend registration process. Each of these processes will be described later.
The receiving unit 31 receives data transmitted from the user terminal 5. For example, it receives posted data, images, profile information, a friend registration request and data required for friend registration, a card creation request and data required for card creation, and the like.

The storage unit 302 stores an image database 321, profile information 322, friend registration information 323, etc. The image database 321 is a database that stores and manages images uploaded from the user terminal 5, and the uploaded images are stored in association with the user ID of each user. The profile information 322 stores information such as each user's face image, user name, and birthday in association with the user ID. The friend registration information 323 stores the user IDs of users registered as friends of each user.

The card creation unit 33 performs processing to create a card that the user terminal 5 sends to another user terminal 5. The card creation processing will be described later.

The face image acquisition unit 34 acquires a face image of a user (designated user) designated as the destination of the card by the user terminal 5. The face image to be acquired is a face image registered in the profile information 322.
The image selection unit 35 selects uploaded images stored in the image database 321 of the storage unit 302 based on the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit 34, and extracts images in which the designated user appears as a selection result. Any facial recognition technology and image search technology may be used for image selection. Note that the acquisition of facial images by the facial image acquisition unit 34 and the image selection by the image selection unit 35 are performed when the user of the user terminal 5 creates a card to be sent to the designated user.

The output unit 36 transmits the card created by the card creation unit 33 to the terminal of the designated user at a specified time (birthday), transmits it to the user terminal 5 as print data, and transmits various notifications to the user terminal 5.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the server 3 can be realized by a computer configured by connecting a control unit 301, a storage unit 302, and a communication unit 303 via a bus 309 or the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various configurations can be used as appropriate.

The control unit 301 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The CPU loads programs stored in the storage unit 302, the ROM, a recording medium, etc. into a work memory area on the RAM and executes them, drives and controls each device connected via the bus 309, and realizes the processing performed by the server 3.

The storage unit 302 is a hard disk drive, solid state drive, flash memory, etc., and stores the programs executed by the control unit 301 in the processes described below, data necessary for program execution, the OS, etc. These program codes and data are read out as necessary by the control unit 301 and transferred to the RAM, and are then read out by the CPU and executed as various means. The processes executed by the server 3 will be described in detail later.

The communication unit 303 has a communication control device, a communication port, etc., and is a communication interface that mediates communication between the server 3 and the network 7, and is capable of controlling communication with the user terminal 5 and other computers via the network 7. The bus 309 is a path that mediates the transmission and reception of control signals, data signals, etc. between each unit.

Returning to FIG.
The user terminal 5 is a terminal used by a user of the card creation system 1 (SNS) and is a terminal capable of communication connection to the server 3 via the network 7. For example, it is a smartphone, a notebook PC, a desktop PC, a game machine, or other electronic device. The user terminal 5 is equipped with an application program (hereinafter, an app) for executing a process related to card creation in the card creation system 1, or accesses the server 3 via a website using a browser to execute a process related to card creation. As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 5 includes a memory unit 502, an image upload unit 51, a friend registration unit 52, a transmission unit 53, a card editing processing unit 54, a reception unit 55, an input unit 505, a display unit 504, etc.

The storage unit 502 is a flash memory, a hard disk drive, or the like, and stores application programs executed by the control unit 501 during processing described below, data necessary for program execution, the OS, and the like. The storage unit 502 of the user terminal 5 also stores images and the like. In the following description, the image storage area of the user terminal 5 is referred to as the album 45.

The image upload unit 51 executes a process of uploading images stored in the album 45 (the image storage area of the storage unit 502 ) of the user terminal 5 to the server 3 .
The friend registration unit 52 executes a process of registering a user designated by the user of the user terminal 5, among the users of the card creation system 1, as a friend in the server 3. The friend registration unit 52 also executes a process of displaying a list of registered friends.

The card editing processor 54 displays a card editing screen and performs editing processes such as inserting images and text and changing the layout.
The transmitting unit 53 and the receiving unit 55 constitute a communication unit 503 that communicates with the server 3. The transmitting unit 53 transmits images, profile information, a friend registration request, data required for friend registration, a card creation request, data required for card creation, etc. The receiving unit 55 receives notifications from the server 3, receives selection results from the image selecting unit 35 of the server 3 and reflects them on the card editing screen, and receives created cards.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a smartphone, which is an example of a user terminal 5. As shown in Figure 4, the user terminal 5 can be realized by a computer configured by connecting a control unit 501, a storage unit 502, a communication unit 503, a display unit 504, an input unit 505, a camera 506, and an audio processing unit 507, etc., via a bus 509. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various configurations can be used as appropriate.

The functions of the control unit 501, the storage unit 502, and the communication unit 503 are substantially the same as those of the control unit 301, the storage unit 302, and the communication unit 303 described above. Note that the storage unit 502 of the user terminal 5 stores an application program (app) for causing the user terminal 5 to execute the processing described below.

The display unit 504 is realized by a touch panel display or the like that also serves as the input unit 505. The display unit 504 displays various screens related to user operations and selections, and accepts user instruction inputs and the like by touching the screen.
The input unit 505 is composed of a touch panel, various buttons, etc., and inputs an input signal to the control unit 501.

Camera 506 is a camera that captures images, and is composed of an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). Images captured by camera 506 are stored in album 45 of storage unit 502.

The audio processing unit 507 includes a microphone (audio input unit), a speaker (audio output unit), etc., and inputs audio input from the microphone to the control unit 501. It also outputs audio output from the control unit 501 from the speaker.

The network 7 may be a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network) that is connected over a wider area, or a public communication line such as the Internet, a base station, etc. The network 7 may be either wired or wireless.

Next, the data stored in the storage unit 302 of the server 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 302 of the server 3 stores an image database 321, profile information 322, friend registration information 323, etc.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing the data structure of the image database 321. As shown in Figure 5, the image database 321 stores images uploaded from the user terminal 5 of each user of the card creation system 1 (hereinafter referred to as uploaded images). The uploaded images are linked to a user ID and managed for each user.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing the data structure of profile information 322. Profile information 322 is information about each user of card creation system 1. As shown in Figure 6, profile information 322 stores at least the user's facial image, user name, and birthday information linked to a user ID. It is preferable that profile information 322 can be set to be public or private to other users.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing the data structure of friend registration information 323. Friend registration information 323 stores information on friends registered by each user of card creation system 1. In card creation system 1, the system user can register other users as "friends." As shown in Figure 7, the user IDs of other users (user ID "xyzxyz99", user ID "sdfghj01", user ID "zzzzzz30", ..., etc.) are linked and registered as friends of the user with user ID "aabbcc". Similarly, user ID "abcabc53", user ID "ertyui55", user ID "zzzzzz30", ..., etc. are linked and registered as friends of the user with user ID "xyzxyz99".

Next, the processing executed by the user terminal 5 and server 3 in the card creation system 1 will be described. Note that a dedicated application program (hereinafter referred to as "app") is stored in the memory unit 502 of the user terminal 5, which causes the user terminal 5 to execute the processing described below. Similarly, a dedicated application program is stored in the memory unit 302 of the server 3, which causes the server 3 to execute the processing described below.

First, an overview of the processing executed in the card creation system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing on the user terminal 5 side. Note that FIG. 8 shows only the part of the services provided by the card creation system 1 that is related to the friend registration function and card creation function.

As shown in FIG. 8, the user launches the app on the user terminal 5 (step S101). The user terminal 5 transmits login information (user ID, authentication information, etc.) to the server 3 and performs login processing with the server 3. If the login is successful, the user terminal 5 displays an initial screen (not shown) on the display unit 504. For example, the initial screen displays the user's past posts and friends' posted data, as well as various operation buttons for executing services provided by the card creation system 1.

When an operation to register a friend is input on the user terminal 5 (step S102; Yes), the control unit 501 of the user terminal 5 cooperates with the server 3 to start the friend registration process (step S103). When an operation to start creating a card is input (step S104; Yes), the control unit 501 of the user terminal 5 cooperates with the server 3 to start the card creation process (step S105). If no operation to register a friend or start creating a card is performed (step S102; No, step S104; No) or an end operation is input (step S106; No), the operation is awaited. If an end operation is input (step S106; Yes), the app is terminated.

The friend registration process in step S103 will be described with reference to Figs. 9 and 10. Fig. 9(a) shows a profile screen 41 presented to a user of the card creation system 1, and Fig. 9(b) shows an example of a display of a list of registered friends 43. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the friend registration process.

In the app on the user terminal 5, for example, it is possible to view the profile information 322 of the user on the SNS from posted data (images, comments, etc.) or through a search. On the profile screen 41, for example, as shown in FIG. 9(a), profile information 322 such as a face image 41a, a user name 41b, and a birthday 41c is displayed. Note that the information displayed on this profile screen 41 is information that is stored as profile information 322 on the server 3 in association with the user ID.

As shown in FIG. 10, when a user specifies a user to be registered as a friend on the user terminal 5 and requests friend registration from the server 3 (step S201), the user terminal 5 transmits the user ID of the user of the user terminal 5 and the user ID of the specified user (friend) to the server 3. In response to the request transmitted from the user terminal 5, the server 3 links the user ID of the specified user (friend) to the user ID of the user of the user terminal 5 that sent the request, and stores the user ID as friend registration information 323 (step S202; FIG. 7).

When the user terminal 5 transmits a request to display a list of friends to the server 3 (step S203), the server 3 reads out the friend registration information 323 of the requesting user terminal 5 from the storage unit 302, reads out the profile information 322 of all registered friends from the storage unit 302, and transmits it to the user terminal 5 (step S204). The user terminal 5 displays a list of all the friend profile information 322 (43a, 43b, ...) transmitted from the server 3 as shown in FIG. 9(b) (step S205).

In addition, in the card creation system 1, the control unit 301 (user information management unit 30) of the server 3 performs birthday notification processing. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the birthday notification processing. The control unit 301 of the server 3 refers to the profile information 322 of each user's friend, and when a predetermined period of time (e.g., one week before) passes before the friend's birthday (step S301; Yes), the control unit 301 of the server 3 sends a notification to the user terminal 5 (step S302). FIG. 12 shows an example of the notification display on the user terminal 5. As shown in FIG. 12, a birthday notification message 44 is displayed on the display unit 504 of the user terminal 5 (a standby screen is displayed in FIG. 12). The birthday notification message 44 includes, for example, a message such as "Printing Taro's birthday is 09.19. Let's celebrate by making a birthday card!".

Next, the card creation process in step S105 in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to FIG. 13 to FIG. 17. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the steps of the card creation process.

When a card creation operation is input on the user terminal 5, the control unit 501 of the user terminal 5 accepts uploading of images stored in the album 45 of the user terminal 5. As shown in FIG. 14(a), the user terminal 5 displays a group of images stored in the album 45 (storage unit 502) and accepts selection of images to be uploaded. The user terminal 5 uploads (transmits) the selected image or images to the server 3 (step S401). The server 3 stores the images transmitted from the user terminal 5 in the image database 321, linking them to the user ID (step S402).

Next, the user terminal 5 accepts the designation of the friend to whom the card is to be sent. The friend is designated, for example, by displaying a list of friends whose birthdays are coming up and accepting a selection from the user (step S403). Here, the user terminal 5 accepts the selection of whether to enable or disable image selection based on the face image in the friend's profile information 322 (step S404).

Figure 14 (b) shows an example of a selection screen 46 for enabling or disabling image selection based on the face image in the friend's profile information 322. As shown in Figure 14 (b), the selection screen 46 displays the specified friend's profile information 46a (face image, user name, birthday, etc.) along with a message 46b such as "Do you want to automatically select using this friend's image?". Also displayed within the selection screen 46 are a "Yes" button 47b, a "No" button 47c, etc.

When the "No" button 46d is selected on the selection screen 46 to disable image selection based on the face image in the friend's profile information 322 (step S405; No), the user terminal 5 displays the normal editing screen (step S406). The normal editing screen is a card editing screen displayed in a state where an uploaded image is not selected, and is a screen for inserting images and text, editing the layout, etc.

When the "Yes" button 46c is selected on the selection screen 46 and image selection based on the facial image in the friend's profile information 322 is enabled (step S405; Yes), the user terminal 5 sends a request to create a card to the server 3 along with the user ID of the friend specified by the user terminal 5 as the destination of the card (step S407).

When the server 3 receives the user ID of the friend designated as the destination along with the card creation request from the user terminal 5, it sends a notification to the user terminal 5 of the designated friend, requesting permission to select images based on the facial image (step S408). In the following description, the user terminal 5 of the user sending the card will be denoted as "5A", and the user terminal 5 of the user receiving the card (friend, designated user) will be denoted as "5B".

Figure 15 (a) shows an example of a notification screen 47 displayed on the friend's terminal 5B. As shown in Figure 15 (a), the notification screen 47 displays a message 47a such as "Dainippon Jiro is trying to select images using your face photo. Do you want to allow this?" along with a "Yes" button 47b, a "No" button 47c, etc. (step S409). When the "Yes" button 47b or the "No" button 47c is operated, a response corresponding to the operation ("Allow" or "Not Allow") is sent from the friend's terminal 5B to the server 3 (step S410).

If the "No" button 47c is selected on the notification screen 47 of the friend's terminal 5B and a denial response is received (step S411; No), the server 3 sends a notification to the user terminal 5A that the friend has not given permission to use the face image (step S412). In this case, the user terminal 5A displays the contents of the notification and displays the normal editing screen (step S406).

If the "Yes" button 47b is selected on the notification screen 47 of the friend's terminal 5B and a permission response is received (step S411; Yes), the server 3 acquires a facial image from the profile information 322 of the friend (the friend specified in step S403) (step S413). The server 3 then selects images uploaded from the user terminal 5A based on the facial image in the friend's profile information 322 (step S414). As a result of the selection, images that include the friend are selected. The server 3 transmits the selection result to the user terminal 5A (step S415).

The user terminal 5A selects images in the album 45 based on the selection result sent from the server 3, generates an editing screen 49 in which images of the friend are selected and extracted, and displays it on the display unit 504 (step S416). FIG. 15(b) shows the album 48 in which images have been selected based on the selection result sent from the server 3. FIG. 16 shows an example of the editing screen 49 generated by the processing of step S416. The editing screen 49 displays an image list 49a that is the image selection result based on the face image of the friend's profile information 322. The editing screen 49 also displays a card base 49b, and accepts editing operations such as inserting an image 49c into the card base 49b, inserting a material image 49d, and inputting characters 49e. Since the image list 49a displays the friend's image after selection and extraction, the user can easily place the friend's image on the card base 49b without having to search for the friend's image from among a large number of images.

When the user edits the card on the editing screen 49 on which the image has been selected or on the normal editing screen (steps S406, S416, and S417), the user terminal 5A transmits the edited content (images, text, layout information, etc.) to the server 3. The server 3 creates a card based on the edited content (step S418).

When the card is completed, the server 3 sends a confirmation screen 61 to the user terminal 5A to confirm the destination of the card (gift destination). Figure 17 shows an example of the confirmation screen 61. As shown in Figure 17, the confirmation screen 61 displays the profile information 61a (face image, user name, birthday, etc.) of the specified friend, as well as a message 61b such as "Do you want to send the birthday card you created to this friend?" and displays a "Yes" button 61c, a "No" button 61d, etc. When the "Yes" button 61c or the "No" button 61d is operated, a response according to the operation is sent to the server 3.

When the "Yes" button 61c is selected on the confirmation screen 61, the server 3 transmits the card created in step S414 to the friend's terminal 5B when the friend's (the friend designated in step S403) birthday arrives (step S419). The friend's terminal 5B can receive and display the card from the user on the friend's birthday (step S420).

If the "No" button 61d is selected on the confirmation screen 61, the card may be printed out or editing may be resumed. When printing out, the server 3 generates printing data for the card and sends it to the user terminal 5A. The user terminal 5A can use the printing data for the card sent from the server 3 to print the card using a home printer or a multimedia printer installed in a convenience store or the like (step S421). The user can give the actual printed card to a friend.

As described above, in the card creation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when creating a card, a facial image is acquired from the profile information 322 of the user (friend) designated as the recipient, and images uploaded from the user terminal 5A are selected based on the acquired facial image. Then, as a result of the selection, an editing screen 49 displaying an image in which the selected/extracted friend appears can be presented on the user terminal 5A. This allows the user to easily obtain an image in which the friend appears and use it on the card, without the need to search for an image in which the friend appears among a large number of images.

In the above description of the card creation process, an example was given in which the editing screen 49 is displayed on the user terminal 5A and a card for a friend is generated in accordance with operations from the user terminal 5A (steps S415 to S418 in FIG. 13), but this is not limiting and the server 3 may automatically generate a card for the destination (friend). In this case, the server 3 selects one or more images of the friend from the selection results of step S414 and generates a card using the selected friend images.

Although a birthday card has been given as an example of a card, cards may also be created for other anniversaries (Mother's Day, Respect for the Aged Day, etc.) or specific days. Furthermore, the facial image registered as profile information 322 does not necessarily need to be made public; a public profile image (for example, a character other than the person himself/herself) may be registered separately from the person's facial image and made public.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the server 3 and the user terminal 5 transmit and receive data to each other and perform various processes using a dedicated app installed in the user terminal 5, but it is also possible to have the user terminal 5 access the server 3 from a website and perform the processes shown in the flowcharts of Figures 8, 10, 13, etc. without using an app.

Preferred embodiments of the card creation system and the like according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art could come up with various modified or revised examples within the scope of the technical ideas disclosed in this application, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

1: Card creation system 3: Server 5: User terminal 5A: User terminal (user terminal of the person sending the card)
5B: Friend's device (the device receiving the card)
7: Network 30: User information management section 31: Receiving section 33: Card creation section 34: Face image acquisition section 35: Image selection section 36: Output section 41: Profile screen 43: Friend list 44: Birthday notification message 45: Album 46: Selection screen 47: Notification screen 48: Album (after image selection)
49: Editing screen 51: Image upload section 52: Friend registration section 53: Transmission section 54: Card editing processing section 55: Reception section 61: Confirmation screen 321: Image database 322: Profile information 323: Friend registration information

Claims (8)

A card creation system in which a user terminal and a server are communicatively connected via a network,
The server,
A user information management means for registering profile information of each user;
A card creation means for creating a card;
a storage means for storing images uploaded from the user terminal;
a face image acquiring means for acquiring a face image registered in profile information of a designated user who is a user designated by the user terminal;
an image selection means for selecting an image stored in the storage means based on a face image acquired by the face image acquisition means when a user of the user terminal creates a card for the designated user in the card creation means;
an output means for outputting the card created by the card creation means;
Equipped with
The server further includes a permission request unit for requesting permission from the designated user for the image selection unit to use a facial image.
A card creation system comprising: 2. The card creating system according to claim 1, wherein the card is a birthday card. 3. The card creation system according to claim 1 , wherein the card creation means accepts editing of the card by the user terminal. 4. The card making system according to claim 1, wherein the output means transmits the card made by the card making means to the designated user. 4. The card making system according to claim 1, wherein the output means transmits the card made by the card making means to the user terminal in a printable format. A card creation device that is communicatively connected to a user terminal via a network,
A user information management means for registering profile information of each user;
A card creation means for creating a card;
a storage means for storing images uploaded from the user terminal;
a face image acquiring means for acquiring a face image registered in profile information of a designated user who is a user designated by the user terminal;
an image selection means for selecting an image stored in the storage means based on a face image acquired by the face image acquisition means when a user of the user terminal creates a card for the designated user in the card creation means;
an output means for outputting the card created by the card creation means;
Equipped with
The card creation device further includes a permission request means for requesting permission from the designated user for the image selection means to use a facial image.
A card creation device. A card production method in a card production system in which a user terminal and a server are communicatively connected via a network, comprising:
The server,
registering profile information for each user;
Creating a card;
storing the image uploaded from the user terminal in a storage unit;
acquiring a face image registered in profile information of a designated user who is a user designated by the user terminal;
a step of selecting an image stored in the storage unit based on the face image when a user of the user terminal creates a card for the designated user in the step of creating the card;
outputting the created card;
Including,
The server further includes the step of requesting permission from the designated user to use a facial image in the step of selecting the image.
A method for producing a card. A computer that is communicatively connected to a user terminal via a network,
A user information management means for registering profile information of each user;
A card creation means for creating a card;
a storage means for storing images uploaded from the user terminal;
a face image acquiring means for acquiring a face image registered as profile information of a designated user who is a user designated by the user terminal;
an image selection means for selecting an image stored in the storage means based on a face image acquired by the face image acquisition means when a user of the user terminal creates a card for the designated user in the card creation means;
an output means for outputting the card created by the card creation means;
A program for causing the device to function as a
The computer further functions as a permission requesting unit that requests permission for the image selecting unit to use a face image from the designated user.
A program characterized by :

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