JP7549243B2 - Information processing system, control method thereof, and program - Google Patents

Description

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

In supermarkets and other retail stores, price cards (price tags) showing the regular selling price of a product are displayed in designated locations on product shelves during normal periods, and promotional POPs showing the promotional content and the product's promotional price are displayed during promotional periods such as special sales or campaigns. Promotional POPs are often placed over price cards, and then removed (peeled off) when the promotional period ends, as the product reverts to its regular selling price.

Because the promotional price is lower than the regular price, if the promotional POP is not removed after the promotional period ends, customers in the store will perceive the price as lower than the actual price, which can lead to complaints when paying at the register.

Conversely, if you are still using price cards and not putting up promotional POP during the promotion period, you will lose an opportunity because you will not be able to take advantage of the appeal of the promotion's content and selling price.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that captures an image of a sign that displays a product price or a POP advertisement, and determines whether the imaged sign is valid or invalid based on expiration date information that is set in association with the sign identification information assigned to the imaged sign, and the date and time information at the time of image capture, and notifies the user.

JP 2014-48752 A

In the system of Patent Document 1, price cards displayed during normal periods generally do not have expiration date information, and their validity cannot be determined.

Therefore, the objective of this invention is to provide a mechanism that can determine the validity of posted signs and output appropriate instruction information.

The present invention is an information processing system that manages information related to a product and information about an event related to the product, and is characterized by having an output control means that controls the output of printing data for a printed material based on information about the event related to the product , based on information obtained from a printed material related to the product and information about the event related to the product .

The present invention makes it possible to provide a mechanism for determining the validity of posted signage and outputting appropriate instruction information.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration of an information processing system 100. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a server 101. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a mobile terminal 102. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the hardware configuration of a printing apparatus 103. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an overall process in the embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a print instruction information creation process according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a product master and a project master according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of actual product information in the embodiment of the present invention. 11A to 11C are diagrams showing examples of a check result table, a project POP printing instruction table, a price card printing instruction table, and a project POP removal instruction table in an embodiment of the present invention. 3A to 3C are diagrams showing examples of special POP and price cards in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a project POP removal instruction list in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an overall checklist in the embodiment of the present invention.

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

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an information processing system 100 in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, in the present invention, a server 101, a mobile terminal 102, and a printing device 103 are connected to each other via a network 104 so that data can be communicated between them. The network 104 can be a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network), etc. In addition, the mobile terminal 102, such as a smart device with a camera function, does not need to be able to communicate with the server 101 and the printing device 103 at all times, but only needs to be able to communicate when necessary.

The configuration of the various terminals or servers connected to the network 104 in Figure 1 is just one example, and it goes without saying that there are various configuration examples depending on the application and purpose.

The server 101 manages layout information for instructing the printing device 103 to print the promotional POP and price card for each product based on the product master and the promotional master, and creates print instruction information for the printing device 103 to print the promotional POP and price card for each product based on the layout information and sends it to the printing device 103. The server 101 also determines the validity of the actual product information based on the actual product information acquired from the promotional POP and price card for each product sent from the mobile terminal 102, and controls the creation of the necessary print instruction information based on the determination result. Note that there does not need to be a single server; for example, there may be a server that performs printing management and a server that determines the validity of the actual product information separately.

The mobile terminal 102 allows employees at each store to photograph the promotional POP and price cards for each product, acquire actual product information from the captured image, accumulates the actual product information for the promotional POP and price cards being checked (for the entire store or a specific sales area) in the order in which they were acquired, and transmits the accumulated actual product information to the server 101. Note that the actual product information may not be accumulated, but may be transmitted to the server 101 each time it is acquired.

Here, the actual product information will be described. In an embodiment of the present invention, the actual product information includes at least information indicating the presence or absence and type of a promotion, information identifying the product, and information indicating the posted selling price. In this embodiment, the actual product information is specifically composed of a promotion code, a JAN code, and a selling price (actual product). In the case of the normal period, that is, the promotion code of the actual product information obtained from the price card, a specific code is assigned to the promotion code, and in this embodiment, "00" is assigned. Any other value indicates that it is the promotion code of the actual product information obtained in the case of the promotion period, that is, from the promotion POP. The promotion code can be used to determine the type of promotion, the promotion period, and the normal period, and even if the selling price is the same, the promotion code can be used to determine the type of promotion and the difference between the normal period and the promotion period. In the promotion POP and the price card, the actual product information is expressed by a two-dimensional code, and by photographing the two-dimensional code with the mobile terminal 102, the two-dimensional code can be analyzed and the actual product information can be obtained. As for the type of two-dimensional code, two-dimensional codes called color codes or full scan codes, which can acquire values by photographing multiple codes at once, are desirable in consideration of the effort required for photographing, but two-dimensional bar codes, which can acquire values by photographing each code one by one, are also acceptable.

Figure 10(a) shows an example of a promotional POP, and Figure 10(b) shows an example of a price card.

The project POP 1010 has a two-dimensional code printed at 1012, along with the manufacturer's name, catch phrase, product name and project title 1014, project period 1015, and selling price at the time of project 1013. In addition to the two-dimensional code, a barcode 1011 indicating the JAN code is also printed.

The price card 1020 has a two-dimensional code printed at 1022, along with the manufacturer's name, catchy slogan, product name, and regular selling price 1023. In addition to the two-dimensional code, a barcode 1021 indicating the JAN code is also printed.

The printing device 103 is a printer that can print in response to a print command from the server 101. It can be either an inkjet printer or a laser printer, but it must have a resolution that allows accurate acquisition of actual product information by photographing the two-dimensional codes printed on the promotional POP and price cards with the mobile terminal 102.

Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of server 101.

The CPU 201 provides overall control over the devices and controllers connected to the system bus 204.

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

The CPU 201 loads the programs and other data required for processing into the RAM 203, and executes the programs to perform various operations.

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

The video controller (VC) 206 controls the display on a display device such as a display 210. The type of display device is assumed to be a CRT or LCD 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, etc. Alternatively, it controls access to an external memory 211 such as a card-type memory connected to a PCMCIA card slot via an adapter.

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

The CPU 201 can display the outline font on the display 210 by, for example, executing a process of expanding (rasterizing) the outline font in a display information area in the RAM 203. The CPU 201 can also allow the user to give instructions using a mouse cursor (not shown) on the display 210.

Various programs and the like used by the server 101 of the present invention to execute various processes described below are recorded in the external memory 211, and are executed by the CPU 201 by being loaded into the RAM 203 as necessary.

Furthermore, definition files and various information tables used by the programs related to the present invention are stored in the external memory 211.

Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a mobile terminal 102, such as a smart device, equipped with a camera function.

The CPU 301 provides overall control over each device and controller connected to the system bus 304.

The ROM 302 or external memory 311 (storage means) also stores the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), which is the control program for the CPU 301, an operating system program (hereinafter, OS), and the like. Also, various programs, which will be described later, that are necessary to realize the functions executed by the mobile terminal 102 are stored. The RAM 303 functions as the main memory, work area, and the like, of the CPU 301.

The CPU 301 loads the programs and other data required for executing the processes into the RAM 303, and executes the programs to realize various operations. In addition, the touch panel controller 305 controls the touch panel 313, the display controller 306 controls the display 310, and the camera controller 309 controls the camera 312.

The memory controller 307 controls access to an external memory 311 such as a hard disk (HD) or a flexible disk (FD) that stores a boot program, browser software, various applications, edited files, various data, etc. Alternatively, it controls access to an external memory 311 such as a card-type memory connected to a PCMCIA card slot via an adapter.

The communication I/F controller (communication I/FC) 308 connects and communicates with external devices via a network, and executes communication control processing on the network. For example, Internet communication using TCP/IP is possible.

The CPU 301 can display the outline font on the display 310 by, for example, executing a rasterization process on the display information area in the RAM 303.

Various programs and the like used by the mobile terminal 102 of the present invention to execute various processes described below are recorded in the external memory 311, and are executed by the CPU 301 by being loaded into the RAM 303 as necessary. Furthermore, definition files and various information tables used by the programs related to the present invention are stored in the external memory 311.

Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the printing device 103 will be described using Figure 4.

In FIG. 4, the controller unit 433 is connected to a print section 414, a card reader 415, and an operation section 418, which function as image output devices. In addition to these connections, the controller unit 433 is also connected to a local area network or a public line (WAN) such as PSTN or ISDN, to output advertisement print jobs.

As shown in FIG. 3, the controller unit 433 is composed of a CPU 401, a RAM 406, a ROM 402, an external storage device (hard disk drive (HDD)) 407, a network interface (Network I/F) 403, etc. The controller unit 433 is also composed of a modem (Modem) 404, an operation unit interface (Operation unit I/F) 405, an external interface (External I/F) 409, an image bus interface (IMAGE BUS I/F) 408, etc. The controller unit 433 is further composed of a raster image processor (RIP) 410, a printer interface (Printer I/F) 411, an image processing unit 413, etc.

The CPU 401 is a processor that controls the entire system.

RAM 406 is a system work memory for the operation of CPU 401, a program memory for recording programs, and an image memory for temporarily storing image data.

ROM 402 stores the system boot program and various control programs.

The external storage device (hard disk drive HDD) 407 stores various programs for controlling the system, print jobs, etc. It also stores various tables.

The operation unit interface (operation unit I/F) 405 is an interface with the operation unit (UI) 418, and outputs image data to be displayed on the operation unit 418 to the operation unit 418.

The operation unit I/F 405 also serves to transmit information (e.g., user information, etc.) input by the user of this system from the operation unit 418 to the CPU 401. The operation unit 418 is equipped with a display unit having a touch panel, and various instructions can be issued by the user pressing (touching with a finger, etc.) buttons displayed on the display unit.

The network interface (Network I/F) 403 connects to a network (LAN) and performs data input and output.

The modem 404 connects to the public line and inputs and outputs data, such as sending and receiving faxes.

The external interface (external I/F) 409 is an interface unit that accepts external inputs such as USB, IEEE 1394, printer port, and RS-242C.

The image bus interface (IMAGE BUS I/F) 408 is a bus bridge that connects the system bus 416 and an image bus 417 that transfers image data at high speed, and converts the data structure. The image bus 417 is configured with a PCI bus or IEEE 1394. The following devices are placed on the image bus 417.

The raster image processor (RIP) 410 converts vector data, such as PDL code, into a bitmap image.

The printer interface (printer I/F) 411 connects the print section 414 and the controller unit 433, and performs synchronous/asynchronous conversion of image data.

The image processing unit 413 performs printer correction, resolution conversion, and the like on the print output image data that is generated by expanding the print job. In addition, the image processing unit 413 also rotates the image data, and performs compression and expansion processing such as JPEG for multi-value image data and JBIG, MMR, and MH for binary image data.

The print unit 414 connected to the printer I/F 411 is a part that converts raster image data into an image on paper. Any method can be used, including an electrophotographic method using a photosensitive drum or belt, or an inkjet method that ejects ink from a tiny nozzle array to print an image directly on paper. The print operation is started by an instruction from the CPU 401. The print unit 414 has multiple paper feed stages so that different paper sizes or orientations can be selected, and corresponding paper cassettes are provided.

The operation unit 418 connected to the operation unit I/F 405 has a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit. A touch panel sheet is attached to the LCD, which displays the system operation screen and transmits position information to the CPU 401 via the operation unit I/F 405 when a displayed key is pressed. The operation unit 418 also has various operation keys, such as a start key, a stop key, an ID key, and a reset key.

The start key on the operation unit 418 is used when starting a printing operation, etc. In the center of the start key there is a two-color LED, green and red, which indicates whether the start key is usable or not depending on the color. The stop key on the operation unit 418 serves to stop an ongoing operation. The ID key on the operation unit 418 is used when entering a user ID. The reset key is used to initialize the settings from the operation unit 418.

Next, using the flowcharts in Figures 5 and 6, we will explain the flow of a series of processes from photographing promotional POPs and price cards in the store to printing the necessary promotional POPs, price cards, lists, etc.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall process.

In step S501, the mobile terminal 102 accepts a startup request from a user (such as a store clerk) and starts a dedicated app. The app has functions to photograph promotional POPs and price cards, to obtain actual product information from the photographed two-dimensional code, and to transmit the obtained actual product information to the server 101. The app may be installed on the mobile terminal 102 in advance, or may be provided as a web app from the server 101.

In step S502, the mobile terminal 102 repeats the following process for the promotional POPs and price cards to be checked. The promotional POPs and price cards to be checked vary depending on the method of operation of the check, such as all promotional POPs and price cards in the store or promotional POPs and price cards in a specific sales area.

In step S503, the mobile terminal 102 sequentially photographs the promotion POPs and price cards to be checked. If the two-dimensional codes printed on the promotion POPs and price cards are of a type that can be read multiple times at once, then multiple promotion POPs and price cards are photographed at once, whereas if they are of a type that can only be read one at a time, then they are photographed one at a time.

In step S504, the mobile terminal 102 reads the two-dimensional code from the captured images of the promotion POP and price card to obtain actual product information. The actual product information includes the promotion code, JAN code, and selling price (actual product).

Figure 8 shows an example of actual product information. Actual product information 810 is temporarily stored in the RAM 303 or external memory 311 of the mobile terminal 102. Actual product information 810 is composed of a project code 811, a JAN code 812, and a selling price (actual product) 813.

In step S505, the mobile terminal 102 determines whether the above process has been repeatedly performed for the promotional POP and price card to be checked, and if so, ends the repeated process.

In step S506, the mobile terminal 102 transmits the stored actual product information 810 to the server 101. Note that in this embodiment, the actual product information obtained from the promotional POPs and price cards to be checked is transmitted all at once, but it may be transmitted one by one or in parts.

Prior to the series of processes described below, server 101 acquires the product master and project master required for the process in step S507. In this embodiment, the product master and project master are managed by a separate sales management system, so the product master and project master are received in advance from that sales management system via the network. However, if the master is managed in server 101's own database, it is sufficient to only read it.

Figure 7(a) shows an example of product master data, and Figure 7(b) shows an example of plan master data.

The product master 710 is a master that manages product information, and includes JAN code 711, manufacturer name 712, product name 713, content volume 714, selling price (normal) 715, and catchy slogan 716. The selling price managed in the product master is the normal selling price, and this selling price is used during periods when the promotion is not being implemented.

The plan master 720 is a master that manages information about plans for products, and includes a plan code 721, plan title 722, sales start date 723, sales end date 724, JAN code 725, selling price (plan) 726, and catch phrase 727. The selling price managed in the plan master is the selling price at the time of planning, and this selling price is adopted for the period during which the plan is implemented, that is, the period from sales start date 723 to sales end date 724. In this embodiment, the plan master 720 does not include the product name and content volume that can be obtained from the product master 710 using the JAN code 725 as a key, but it may be included. Also, the catch phrase 727 may be the same as the catch phrase 716 in the product master 710, or a catch phrase specific to the time of planning may be set.

Return to the explanation of Figure 5.

In step S508, the server 101 acquires the actual product information 810 transmitted from the mobile terminal 102. In this embodiment, the target actual product information is acquired all at once, but in cases where the information is transmitted one by one from the mobile terminal 102 or transmitted sequentially using a web application method, the information is received as it is transmitted. The received actual product information is temporarily stored in the RAM 203 or the external memory 211.

In step S509, the server 101 repeats the following process for each item of received actual product information 810.

In step S510, the server 101 receives the actual product information 810, the product master 710,
A print instruction information creating process is executed based on the planning master 720. The print instruction information creating process will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the print instruction information creation process.

In step S601, the server 101 obtains the project code 811, JAN code 812, and selling price (actual item) 813 of the target record from the actual item information 810.

In step S602, the server 101 searches the product master 710 using the JAN code 812 acquired in step S601 as a key, and acquires product information with a matching JAN code 711. Here, the target JAN code is always present in the product master, and the product information is acquired.

In step S603, the server 101 searches the plan master 720 using the JAN code 812 and the current date acquired in step S601 as keys, and acquires plan information for which the JAN code 725 matches and the current date falls between the sales start date 723 and the sales end date 724. Here, if the target JAN code is not the subject of a plan on the current date, no plan information exists and is not acquired.

In step S604, the server 101 determines whether the plan code 811 obtained from the actual product information 810 is "00". If the plan code 811 is "00", it can be determined that it is a normal period, that is, that the actual product information was obtained from a price card. Conversely, if the plan code 811 is not "00", that is, that the actual product information was obtained from a plan POP, the process proceeds to step S605, and if it is "00", that is, that the actual product information was obtained from a price card, the process proceeds to step S612.

In step S605, the server 101 determines whether or not planning information was obtained from the planning master 720 in step S603. If planning information was obtained, it can be determined that the planning period is in progress for the product with the target JAN code. If planning information was obtained from the planning master 720, the process proceeds to step S606; if planning information was not obtained, the process proceeds to step S610.

In step S606, the server 101 determines whether the planning code 811 obtained from the actual product information 810 matches the planning code 721 obtained from the planning master 720. If they match, it is determined that the actual product information is consistent with the planning information, and therefore the check result is set to 0 (no problem) in step S607, registered in the check result table, and this flow ends. If they do not match, the process proceeds to step S608.

9A shows an example of a check result table. The check result table 910 includes a JAN code 911 and a check result 912. The JAN code 911 corresponds to the JAN code 812 obtained from the actual product information 810, and the check result set in step S607 of FIG. 6 is registered in the check result 912. An example of the check result 912 is shown on the right side of the figure. For example, if the check result 912 is 0 (no problem), the current state can be left as is, and if the check result 912 is 1 (change to a promotional POP), a promotional POP needs to be overlaid as a response, and promotional POP print instruction information is generated. Also, if the check result is 3 (change to a price card), a new price card is not printed as a response, but a removal instruction list for the promotional POP is needed, and promotional POP removal instruction information is generated. In this way, different responses are required for each check result.

Return to the explanation of Figure 6.

In step S608, the server 101 determines that the actual product information is not consistent with the plan information, so it sets the check result to 4 (plan change) and registers it in the check result table 910.

In step S609, the server 101 generates project POP printing instruction information for causing the printing device 103 to print the project POP for replacement, registers the information in the project POP printing instruction table, and ends this flow. The project POP printing instruction table will be described later.

In step S610, the server 101 determines that it is a normal period because there is no planning information for the product with the target JAN code, sets the check result to 3 (change to price card), and registers it in the check result table 910.

In step S611, the server 101 generates project POP removal instruction information for causing the printing device 103 to print the project POP removal instruction list, registers the information in the project POP removal instruction table, and ends this flow. The project POP removal instruction table and project POP removal instruction list will be described later.

In step S612, the server 101 determines whether or not the planning information was obtained from the planning master 720 in step S603. If the planning information was obtained, it can be determined that the planning period is in progress for the product with the target JAN code. If the planning information was obtained from the planning master 720, the process proceeds to step S613; if the planning information was not obtained, the process proceeds to step S615.

In step S613, the server 101 determines that it is a planning period because planning information exists for the product with the target JAN code, sets the check result to 1 (change to planning POP), and registers it in the check result table 910. Here, it is possible to handle cases where the selling price (actual item) on the price card is the same as the selling price (plan) in the planning information.

In step S614, the server 101 generates project POP print instruction information for causing the printing device 103 to print the project POP for overlapping, registers it in the project POP print instruction table, and ends this flow. The project POP print instruction table will be described later.

In step S615, the server 101 determines whether the selling price (actual item) 813 obtained from the actual item information 810 matches the selling price (normal item) 715 obtained from the item master 710. If they match, it is determined that the actual item information is consistent with the item information, and therefore in step S618 the check result is set to 0 (no problem), registered in the check result table, and this flow ends. If they do not match, the process proceeds to step S616.

In step S616, the server 101 determines that the actual product information is not consistent with the product information, so it sets the check result to 2 (selling price changed) and registers it in the check result table 910.

In step S617, the server 101 generates price card printing instruction information for causing the printing device 103 to print a replacement price card, registers the information in the price card printing instruction table, and ends this flow. The price card printing instruction table will be described later.

The explanation of Figure 6 ends and we return to the explanation of Figure 5.

In step S511, the server 101 determines whether the print instruction information creation process in step S510, which was described in detail in FIG. 6, has been repeatedly executed for all of the received actual item information, and if so, ends the repeated process.

In step S512, the server 101 sends a print instruction to the printing device 103 based on the check result table and various print instruction tables registered in steps S509 to S511.

Here, we will use Figure 9 to explain the project POP printing instruction table, price card printing instruction table, and POP removal instruction table.

Figure 9 (b) shows an example of a project POP print instruction table. The project POP print instruction table 920 includes a print serial number 921, a project code 922, a project title 923, a sales start date 924, a sales end date 925, a JAN code 926, a manufacturer name 927, a product name 928, a content amount 929, a selling price (project) 930, and a catch phrase 931. The project code 922, the project title 923, a sales start date 924, a sales end date 925, a JAN code 926, a selling price (project) 930, and a catch phrase 931 are obtained from the items of the same name in the project master 720, and the manufacturer name 927, the product name 928, and the content amount 929 are obtained from the items of the same name in the product master 710. The project POP print instruction table 920 includes information for printing the project POP 1010 shown in Figure 10 (a). Furthermore, when project POPs are printed consecutively, the printing serial number 921 is assigned a serial number by the project POP printing instruction table 920 alone, but when project POPs or price cards are printed in the order in which the actual product information was acquired, a unique serial number is assigned between the project POP printing instruction table 920 and the price card printing instruction table 940. This embodiment uses the latter printing method and numbering method. In the data examples of Figures 9(b) and (c), project POPs are printed on the first and second sheets, and a price card is printed on the third sheet.

9C shows an example of a price card printing instruction table. The price card printing instruction table 940 includes a printing serial number 941, a project code 942, a project title 943, a sales start date 944, a sales end date 945, a JAN code 946, a manufacturer name 947, a product name 948, a content amount 949, a selling price (normal) 950, and a catch phrase 951. The project code 942 is "00" indicating a normal period, the project title 943, the sales start date 944, and the sales end date 945 are NULL values because there is no project information, and the JAN code 946, the manufacturer name 947, the product name 948, a content amount 949, a selling price (normal) 950, and a catch phrase 951 are obtained from the same-name items of the product master 710. The price card printing instruction table 940 includes information for printing the price card 1020 shown in FIG. 10B. Furthermore, when printing price cards consecutively, the printing serial number 941 is assigned a serial number by the price card printing instruction table 940 alone, but when printing either a project POP or a price card in the order in which the actual product information was acquired, a unique serial number is assigned between the project POP printing instruction table 920 and the price card printing instruction table 940. This embodiment uses the latter printing method and numbering method. In the data examples of Figures 9(b) and (c), the project POP is printed on the first and second sheets, and the price card is printed on the third sheet.

9(d) shows an example of a project POP removal instruction table. The project POP removal instruction table 960 includes a print serial number 961, a project code 962, a project title 963, a sales start date 964, a sales end date 965, a JAN code 966, a manufacturer name 967, a product name 968, a content amount 969, a selling price (project) 970, and a catchphrase 971. The project code 962, the JAN code 966, and the selling price (project) 970 are obtained from the project code 811, the JAN code 812, and the selling price (actual product) 813 of the actual product information 810, respectively, and the manufacturer name 967, the product name 968, and the content amount 969 are obtained from the items of the same name in the product master 710. The project title 963, the sales start date 964, and the sales end date 965 can be obtained if a corresponding record exists in the project master 720 on the day of the check, but if not, a NULL value is set. The project POP removal instruction table 960 includes information for printing the project POP removal instruction list 1110 shown in FIG. 11. Also, the print sequence number 961 does not need to be assigned a number because the printing subject is a list, but the line number (No.) to be printed on the list may be assigned.

Figure 11 shows an example of a project POP removal instruction list. The project POP removal instruction list 1110 basically prints items 1112 based on the project POP removal instruction table 960, and has a check box 1113 for checking whether the project POP to be removed has actually been removed. A check date 1111 is also printed.

The project POP removal instruction list 1110 may be displayed as a screen on the display 210 of the server 101 or the display 310 of the mobile terminal 102.

Figure 12 shows an example of an overall checklist. In the overall checklist 1210, items 1212 based on the check result table 910 are basically printed. If a command is given to print a project POP or price card, the print serial number is printed as single sheet print serial number 1213, and if a command is given to print a POP removal command list, the row number (No.) is printed.

The overall checklist 1210 may be displayed as a screen on the display 210 of the server 101 or the display 310 of the mobile terminal 102.

Return to the explanation of Figure 5.

In step S512, when the server 101 instructs printing of the project POP 1010 and the price card 1020, the server 101 creates a print image by overlaying the necessary data on the layout information for the managed project POP or price card in accordance with the printing serial number based on the project POP printing instruction table 920 and the price card printing instruction table 940, and transmits the print image to the printing device 103 for printing.

When issuing an instruction to print the project POP removal instruction list 1110, a print image is created by overlaying the necessary data on the layout information for the project POP removal list managed based on the project POP removal instruction table 960, and is sent to the printing device 103 for printing.

When instructing to print the overall checklist 1210, it is printed in the same manner as above based on the check result table 910.

As mentioned above, the project POP removal instruction list 1110 and the overall checklist 1210 may be output as print data, or may be displayed on the display 210 of the server 101 or the display 310 of the mobile terminal 102.

In step S513, the printing device 103 executes printing based on the print image sent from the server 101.

This concludes the explanation of Figure 5.

As described above, the present invention has the effect of determining the validity of a displayed sign and outputting appropriate instruction information.

The present invention can be embodied, for example, as a system, device, method, program, or storage medium, and specifically, can be applied to a system made up of multiple devices, or to a device made up of a single device.

The present invention also includes the direct or remote supply of a software program that realizes the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments to a system or device. The present invention also includes cases where the information processing device of the system or device reads and executes the supplied program code to achieve the functions.

Therefore, the program code itself that is installed (can be mounted) on an information processing device to realize the functional processing of the present invention also realizes the present invention. In other words, 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 the functionality of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, etc.

Recording media for supplying programs include, for example, flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, MO, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs. Other examples include magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, ROMs, and DVDs (DVD-ROMs, DVD-Rs).

Another method of supplying the program is to connect to an Internet homepage using the browser of the client computer. Then, the computer program of the present invention itself, or a compressed file including an automatic installation function, can be downloaded from the homepage to a recording medium such as a hard disk.

It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into multiple files and downloading each file from a different homepage. In other words, the present invention also includes a WWW server that allows multiple users to download program files for implementing the functional processing of the present invention on an information processing device.

The program of the present invention can also be encrypted and stored on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM and distributed to users, and users who meet certain conditions can download key information for decrypting the encryption from a website via the Internet. The encrypted program can then be executed using the downloaded key information and installed on an information processing device, thereby achieving the present invention.

The functions of the above-mentioned embodiments are realized by the information processing device executing the read program. In addition, the OS running on the information processing device may perform some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program, and the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments may also be realized by this processing.

The program read from the recording medium is then written to memory on a function expansion board inserted into the information processing device or on a function expansion unit connected to the information processing device. Then, based on the instructions of the program, a CPU on the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs some or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-mentioned embodiment are also realized through this processing.

The above-described embodiments are merely examples of the implementation of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted in a limiting manner. In other words, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its technical concept or main features.

100 Information processing system 101 Server 102 Mobile terminal 103 Printing device

Claims (6)

An acquisition means for acquiring event identification information for identifying an event from the printed matter;
A storage means for storing event information including a period of an event related to a product;
an output control means for controlling, when an event identified by the event identification information acquired by said acquisition means is different from an event related to the product during a current event period stored in said storage means, to output print data for a printed matter related to the event during said event period;
Equipped with
the acquiring means acquires information on the price of the product from the printed matter, and the event information stored in the storage means includes information on the price of the product outside the event period;
The information processing system is characterized in that the output control means controls the output of print data relating to information relating to the price outside the event period when the acquired event identification information indicates that the product is not subject to an event, there are no events related to the product during the current event period, and the price information acquired from the printed material differs from the stored information relating to the price outside the event period. The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the event identification information includes information indicating that the event is not a target event. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the output control means controls to output an instruction to remove the printed material from which the event identification information was obtained when the event identified by the event identification information is an event that is not currently in an event period. An information processing system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when event identification information relating to a plurality of products is acquired by the acquisition means, the output control means controls to output printing data for printed matter relating to an event during the event period or printing data relating to information relating to prices outside the event period in the order of the products for which the event identification information was acquired. An information processing method in an information processing system including a storage means for storing event information including a period of an event related to a product, comprising:
an acquisition step in which an acquisition means of the information processing system acquires event identification information for identifying an event from a printed matter;
an output control step of controlling an output control means of the information processing system to output print data of a printed matter related to an event during a current event period when the event identified by the event identification information acquired by the acquisition step is different from an event related to the product stored in the storage means during the current event period;
Equipped with
the acquiring step acquires information on the price of the product from a printed matter, and the event information stored in the storage means includes information on the price of the product outside an event period;
The output control step is an information processing method characterized in that, when the acquired event identification information is information indicating that the product is not an event target, there are no events related to the product during the current event period, and the price information acquired from the printed material differs from the stored information related to the price outside the event period, the output control step controls printing data related to the price information outside the event period. A program for causing a computer to function as each of the means according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .

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