JP7676731B2 - Book promotion method, vending machine and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a book promotion method, a container, a container set, a vending machine, and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a method for promoting books by displaying information about the books on a screen (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233663).
Patent Document 1: JP 2008-040438 A

There is a need for more effective book promotion.

In a first aspect of the present invention, a method for promoting a book is provided, comprising the steps of: a computer receiving data including the contents of the book; a printing unit printing the contents of the book on a plurality of containers based on the data; and a providing unit providing a plurality of containers so that the contents of the book are random.

The method for promoting a book may include a step in which a computer acquires the size of the decoratable space of a plurality of containers, and a step in which the computer acquires the contents of the book according to the size of the decoratable space.

The method for promoting a book may include a step in which the step of acquiring the contents of the book according to the size of the space that can be decorated includes a step in which the computer extracts an amount of the contents of the book from the received data according to the size of the space that can be decorated.

The method for promoting a book may include a step in which a computer assigns a category to the book according to its contents, and a step in which the computer extracts an amount of the book's contents according to the size of the decoratable space using an extraction method according to the category.

The step of acquiring the contents of the book according to the size of the decoratable space may include a step in which the computer receives an amount of the contents of the book according to the size of the decoratable space.

The data may include multiple selected portions of a book.

The step of printing the book contents onto the plurality of containers may include the step of randomly printing the book contents.

The step of providing a plurality of containers may include sorting the printed containers so that the book contents are random.

The method of promoting a book may include a step in which a computer assigns an authentication code to a plurality of containers, the authentication code being linked to information related to the contents of the book.

The method for promoting a book may include a step in which a computer obtains access data to information related to the book from the authentication code, and a step in which the computer changes the content of the book to be printed on the container in response to the access data.

The method for promoting a book may include a step in which a computer acquires information on recipients of the multiple containers, and a step in which the computer changes the content of the book in accordance with the recipient information.

The multiple containers may be paper cups.

In a second aspect of the present invention, a container is provided on which a portion of the contents of a book is printed.

The book's contents may be printed in a material that changes color with temperature.

The container may be provided with an authentication code linked to information related to the book's contents.

The container may be a paper cup.

In a third aspect of the present invention, a container set is provided that includes a plurality of containers according to the second aspect of the present invention, and has book contents printed randomly on them.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a vending machine is provided that sells products in containers on which the contents of books are printed, and that provides products in such a way that the contents of the books printed on the containers are random.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, a program is provided for causing a computer to execute the book promotion method according to the first aspect of the present invention.

Note that the above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention. Also, subcombinations of these features may also be inventions.

1 shows an example of an overview of a sales promotion system 300. 1 is an example of an operational flowchart of a book promotion method. 2 shows an example of the configuration of a sales promotion system 300. An example of the configuration of a sales promotion system 300 corresponding to FIG. 2A is shown. 2B shows another example of the configuration of the sales promotion system 300 corresponding to FIG. 2A. An example of a container set 160 is shown. 2 shows an example of the configuration of a sales promotion system 300. An example of the configuration of a sales promotion system 300 corresponding to FIG. 3A is shown. 2 shows an example of the configuration of a sales promotion system 300. An example of the configuration of a sales promotion system 300 corresponding to FIG. 4A is shown. An example of a container 150 having an authentication code 152 attached thereto is shown. 1 shows an example of a providing device 100 including a print content changing unit 60. 1 is an example of a container 150. 22 illustrates an example computer 2200 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied, in whole or in part.

The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

Figure 1A shows an example of an overview of a sales promotion system 300. The sales promotion system 300 in this example includes a receiving unit 10, a printing unit 20, and a providing unit 30.

The receiving unit 10 receives data including the contents of the book. For example, the receiving unit 10 receives data including the contents of the book from a storage device such as a server. The contents of the book are the contents to be printed on the container 150, and may be text, photographs, diagrams, etc. The receiving unit 10 transmits the data for printing to the printing unit 20.

The printing unit 20 prints the contents of the book onto multiple containers 150 based on data including the contents of the book. The printing unit 20 prints the contents of the multiple books onto the containers 150. The printing device of the printing unit 20 may be a plate printing device or a plateless printing device. For example, the plateless printing device is inkjet printing or laser printing. The printing unit 20 may print the contents of the book together onto the containers 150, or may print the contents of the book randomly onto the containers 150.

Container 150 is a container that holds a product such as a beverage, and is provided with the contents of the book. For example, container 150 is a paper cup, a can, a plastic bottle, a pouch, a bottle, a cardboard box, or a plastic bottle. Container 150 is not limited to these, as long as the contents of the book can be printed on it.

The supply unit 30 supplies multiple containers 150 so that the contents of the books are random. That is, the supply unit 30 may supply randomly printed containers 150, or may supply multiple printed containers 150 by rearranging them so that the contents of the books are random. The supply unit 30 may be a transport device for the containers 150, or may be a product supply unit of a vending machine.

FIG. 1B is an example of an operational flowchart of a book promotion method. In step S100, data including the book contents is received. The data including the book contents may be periodically updated. In step S200, the book contents are printed on a plurality of containers 150 based on the data received in step S100. In step S300, a plurality of containers 150 are provided such that the book contents are random.

Figure 2A shows an example of the configuration of a sales promotion system 300. The sales promotion system 300 in this example includes a provision device 100, a container manufacturer 200, a publisher 210, and a server 250.

The publisher 210 provides the contents of the book to be printed on the container 150. Note that the person providing the contents of the book is not limited to a publisher, but may be an individual.

The server 250 stores the contents of the book to be printed on the container 150. In this example, the server 250 receives and stores the contents of the book from the publisher 210. The server 250 transmits the stored data to the container manufacturer 200.

The container manufacturer 200 manufactures the containers 150. The container manufacturer 200 may or may not print the contents of the book on the containers 150. In this example, the container manufacturer 200 obtains data including the contents of the book from the server 250 and prints it on the containers 150. The container manufacturer 200 ships the containers 150 on which the contents of the book are printed. In this example, the container manufacturer 200 provides the containers 150 to the provision device 100, which is a vending machine, but may also provide the containers 150 to stores such as convenience stores.

The provision device 100 provides products by placing them in containers 150 on which the contents of the book are printed. In this example, the provision device 100 is a vending machine that sells products by placing them in containers 150 on which the contents of the book are printed. The provision device 100 provides products so that the contents of the book printed on the containers 150 are random.

The sales promotion system 300 of this example can provide the purchaser with a chance encounter with a book by selling products using the container 150. In other words, the sales promotion system 300 does not need to provide only books with content that is of interest to the purchaser based on the purchaser's profile, but may provide books with content that is less relevant to the profile in order to spark new interest in the purchaser.

As a result, the sales promotion system 300 can provide access to a wider range of books than sales promotion based on online advertisements and reviews. Also, if a product is purchased because of the container 150 with the book's contents written on it, in addition to the promotion of the book, the sales promotion of the product contained in the container 150 can also be expected.

Figure 2B shows an example of the configuration of a sales promotion system 300 corresponding to Figure 2A. The sales promotion system 300 in this example is an example in which the contents of a book are printed by a container manufacturer 200. The container manufacturer 200 in this example includes a receiving unit 10, a printing unit 20, and a providing unit 30.

The receiving unit 10 receives data including the contents of the book from the server 250. For example, the receiving unit 10 is a control unit that controls a printing device in the factory of the container manufacturer 200.

The printing unit 20 is a printing device that prints the contents of the book on the containers 150. For example, the printing unit 20 randomly prints the contents of the book on the containers 150 using a plateless printing device. The printing unit 20 may also print the contents of the same book continuously using a plate printing device. In this case, the providing unit 30 randomly rearranges the printed containers 150.

The printing unit 20 may also print the contents of the book on the container 150 by embossing. By adding Braille through embossing, it is possible to provide a place where blind people can encounter books.

The providing unit 30 provides the printed containers 150 to the providing device 100. If the printing unit 20 randomly prints the contents of the book, the providing unit 30 may provide the containers 150 without rearranging the order. The providing unit 30 may select and provide containers 150 with appropriate contents printed on them depending on the recipient.

As described above, in this example, the container manufacturer 200 can print the contents of the book on the container 150 and provide the container 150 so that the contents of the book are random.

Figure 2C shows another example of the configuration of the sales promotion system 300 corresponding to Figure 2A. The sales promotion system 300 of this example is an example in which the contents of a book are extracted by the container manufacturer 200. The container manufacturer 200 of this example includes a container information acquisition unit 40 and an extraction unit 50.

The container information acquisition unit 40 acquires the size of the decoratable space S of multiple containers 150. In this example, the decoratable space S refers to the area in which the book contents can be printed by the printing unit 20. For example, the container information acquisition unit 40 acquires information regarding the size of the decoratable space S from a database of designs for printing. The container information acquisition unit 40 may also acquire the size of the decoratable space S by photographing the decoratable space S from containers 150 flowing on the production line.

The extraction unit 50 acquires the contents of the book according to the size of the decoratable space S acquired by the container information acquisition unit 40. In this example, the extraction unit 50 extracts the amount of book contents according to the size of the decoratable space S from the data received from the server 250. The extraction unit 50 may also change the amount to be extracted according to the size of the container 150 used (e.g., S, M, L, etc.).

The extraction unit 50 may also assign a category according to the content of the book and extract the amount of the book's content according to the size of the decoratable space S using an extraction method according to the category. In this example, the extraction unit 50 assigns categories such as novels, business books, collections of short stories, haiku, quizzes, cookbooks, photo books, etc. according to the content of the book. For example, when the category is novels, the extraction unit 50 extracts the beginning or climax. When the category is business books, the extraction unit 50 may extract summaries of the books.

The sales promotion system 300 may print the design of the container 150 and the contents of the book separately. For example, the container manufacturer 200 prints the frame using a plate printing device and prints the contents of the book using a plateless printing device.

Figure 2D shows an example of a container set 160. The container set 160 includes multiple containers 150 on which the contents of different books are printed. In this example, the container set 160 is a stack of n paper cups, containers 150(1) to 150(n). The contents of different books may be printed on each of the multiple containers 150, or the contents of some books may be printed in duplicate. Note that the contents of the same book may be printed consecutively and offered randomly when offering products through the sales promotion system 300.

Figure 3A shows an example of the configuration of a sales promotion system 300. The sales promotion system 300 in this example differs from the case in Figure 2C in that the publisher 210 extracts the contents of the book.

In this example, the publisher 210 receives information regarding the size of the decoratable space S from the container manufacturer 200. The publisher 210 then receives from the server 250 the content of the book in an amount that corresponds to the size of the decoratable space S. The publisher 210 transmits the data to the container manufacturer 200.

The data may include multiple selected parts from a book. That is, the extraction unit 50 may extract multiple parts from a book. For example, the extraction unit 50 may extract text and photos from a book. The extraction unit 50 may extract quiz questions and answers from a book, or may extract a book summary and an author profile.

Figure 3B shows an example of the configuration of a sales promotion system 300 corresponding to Figure 3A. The sales promotion system 300 of this example is an example of a case where the publisher 210 extracts the contents of a book. The container manufacturer 200 of this example includes a receiving unit 10, a printing unit 20, a providing unit 30, and a container information acquisition unit 40. The publisher 210 of this example includes an extraction unit 50.

The extraction unit 50 acquires information regarding the size of the decoratable space S from the container manufacturer 200, and extracts the contents of the book according to the size of the decoratable space S from the server 250. That is, the extraction unit 50 in this example receives the extracted book contents from the server 250. The extraction unit 50 transmits data including the book contents to the provision device 100.

In this example of the sales promotion system 300, the publisher 210 extracts the contents of the book, so the publisher 210 can freely select the contents of the book according to the decoratable space S. In this way, each component of the sales promotion system 300 only needs to be provided by the provision device 100, the container manufacturer 200, or the publisher 210.

Figure 4A shows an example of the configuration of the sales promotion system 300. In this example, the sales promotion system 300 prints the contents of the book using the provision device 100.

The providing device 100 receives a container 150 on which the contents of the book are not printed. The providing device 100 prints the contents of the book on the container 150. In this example, the container manufacturer 200 first prints the frame portion in which the contents of the book are to be added, and the providing device 100 prints the contents of the book. The providing device 100 in this example has a plateless printing device.

Figure 4B shows an example of the configuration of a sales promotion system 300 corresponding to Figure 4A. The provision device 100 in this example includes a receiving unit 10, a printing unit 20, and a provision unit 30.

The providing device 100 in this example receives a container 150 with no printing on the decoratable space S from the container manufacturer 200, and prints the contents of the book in the decoratable space S. The providing device 100 may print the contents of the book on the container 150 before the product is purchased. The providing device 100 may also print the contents of the book after the product is purchased and provide the product by putting it in the container 150. For example, the providing device 100 acquires information about the purchaser of the product using a camera, and prints the contents of the book according to the purchaser. The providing device 100 may also print and provide the contents of the book according to the purchase date and time.

FIG. 5A shows an example of a container 150 to which an authentication code 152 has been applied. In this example, the authentication code 152 is a two-dimensional code, but is not limited to this. The authentication code 152 may be invisible.

The authentication code 152 is linked to information related to the contents of the book. The authentication code 152 is linked to a sales page, audio, video, etc., and can provide information to the purchaser by reading it with a digital device such as a smartphone. For example, if the authentication code 152 is a link to a purchase page for a printed book, the purchase history of the book through the authentication code 152 is stored.

The location where the authentication code 152 is attached is not particularly limited. In this example, the authentication code 152 is provided on the side of the container 150. The authentication code 152 may be attached to the inside or outside of the container 150. The authentication code 152 may be attached to the inside of the container 150, at the bottom of the container 150. In this way, the authentication code 152 appears only after the product has been consumed, allowing access.

Figure 5B shows an example of a provision device 100 equipped with a print content change unit 60. The print content change unit 60 may be used in combination with a sales promotion system 300 of another embodiment.

The print content change unit 60 changes the content of the book to be printed. The print content change unit 60 receives feedback information from the server 250. In this example, the print content change unit 60 changes the content of the book to be printed on the container 150 in response to the feedback information.

Feedback information is information used to determine the content of the book. The feedback information may be stored on server 250. For example, the feedback information includes destination information or access data.

The recipient information is information about the location where the vending machine is installed or the seller of the product. The vending machine may be installed on a road, a hospital, a school, a station, an airport, etc. In one example, if the recipient is an elementary school, the print content change unit 60 changes the book content to be suitable for an elementary school. The recipient information may include the weather, season, or events of the recipient. The recipient information may also include the sales record of the partner's product.

The access data is information regarding the access made by the purchaser through the authentication code 152. For example, the access data may relate to the time of purchase, the purchaser, the contents of the product (e.g., hot or cold), etc. The access data may be stored in the server 250 from the access destination.

The provision device 100 in this example can print the contents of the book according to the feedback information and provide it to the purchaser of the product. This allows a book with appropriate content to be provided to the purchaser of the product depending on the location and date and time of provision, etc.

The providing device 100 may be equipped with a camera that photographs the purchaser, and may manage the access data of the provided product in association with the purchaser's profile. The print content changing unit 60 may cause the printing unit 20 to print the content of the book appropriate to the purchaser, based on the relationship between the purchaser and the access data.

Figure 6 is an example of a container 150. In this example, the container 150 has the contents of the book printed on it using a material that changes color depending on the temperature. That is, the color can change when the temperature of the drink changes over time, or after the hot drink is drunk. For example, the first half of the book's contents can be printed using normal material, and the second half of the book's contents can be printed using a material that changes color depending on the temperature. This makes it possible to read the rest of the book's contents after finishing the drink. Also, the authentication code 152 can be printed using a material that changes color depending on the temperature.

7 shows an example of a computer 2200 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied in whole or in part. A program installed on the computer 2200 may cause the computer 2200 to function as or perform operations associated with an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention or one or more sections of the apparatus, and/or to perform a process or steps of a process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 2212 to cause the computer 2200 to perform certain operations associated with some or all of the blocks of the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

The computer 2200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 2212, a RAM 2214, a graphics controller 2216, and a display device 2218, which are interconnected by a host controller 2210. The computer 2200 also includes input/output units such as a communication interface 2222, a hard disk drive 2224, a DVD-ROM drive 2226, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 2210 via an input/output controller 2220. The computer also includes legacy input/output units such as a ROM 2230 and a keyboard 2242, which are connected to the input/output controller 2220 via an input/output chip 2240.

The CPU 2212 operates according to the programs stored in the ROM 2230 and the RAM 2214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 2216 retrieves image data generated by the CPU 2212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 2214 or into itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 2218.

The communication interface 2222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The hard disk drive 2224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 2212 in the computer 2200. The DVD-ROM drive 2226 reads programs or data from the DVD-ROM 2201 and provides the programs or data to the hard disk drive 2224 via the RAM 2214. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and/or writes programs and data to an IC card.

ROM 2230 stores therein a boot program or the like executed by computer 2200 upon activation, and/or a program that depends on the hardware of computer 2200. I/O chip 2240 may also connect various I/O units to I/O controller 2220 via a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

The programs are provided by a computer-readable medium such as a DVD-ROM 2201 or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable medium, installed in the hard disk drive 2224, RAM 2214, or ROM 2230, which are also examples of computer-readable media, and executed by the CPU 2212. The information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 2200, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be constructed by realizing the manipulation or processing of information according to the use of the computer 2200.

For example, when communication is performed between computer 2200 and an external device, CPU 2212 may execute a communication program loaded into RAM 2214 and instruct communication interface 2222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of CPU 2212, communication interface 2222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer processing area provided in RAM 2214, hard disk drive 2224, DVD-ROM 2201, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer processing area or the like provided on the recording medium.

The CPU 2212 may also cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored on an external recording medium such as the hard disk drive 2224, the DVD-ROM drive 2226 (DVD-ROM 2201), an IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 2214, and perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 2214. The CPU 2212 then writes back the processed data to the external recording medium.

Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored in the recording medium and may undergo information processing. CPU 2212 may perform various types of processing on data read from RAM 2214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search/replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequence of the program, and write back the results to RAM 2214. CPU 2212 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. in the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, CPU 2212 may search for an entry that matches a condition specified by the attribute value of the first attribute from among the multiple entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

The above-described programs or software modules may be stored on a computer-readable medium on the computer 2200 or in the vicinity of the computer 2200. In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 2200 via the network.

The present invention has been described above using an embodiment, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiment. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiment. It is clear from the claims that forms with such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before" or "prior to," and it should be noted that the processes may be performed in any order, unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is explained using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is necessary to perform the processes in this order.

10: Receiving unit, 20: Printing unit, 30: Providing unit, 40: Container information acquisition unit, 50: Extraction unit, 60: Printing content change unit, 150: Container, 152: Authentication code, 160: Container set, 100: Providing device, 200: Container manufacturer, 210: Publisher, 250: Server, 300: Sales promotion system, 2200: Computer, 2201: ROM, 2210: Host controller, 2212: CPU, 2214: RAM, 2216: Graphic controller, 2218: Display device, 2220: Output controller, 2222: Communication interface, 2224: Hard disk drive, 2226: ROM drive, 2230: ROM, 2240: Output chip, 2242: Keyboard

Claims (13)

receiving data including content of a book by a computer;
a computer transmitting said data to a printing unit;
a step of the printing unit randomly printing the contents of the book on a plurality of containers based on the data;
a providing section providing the plurality of containers on which the contents of the books are randomly printed. receiving data including content of a book by a computer;
a computer transmitting said data to a printing unit;
a step of printing the same book content on a plurality of containers in succession by the printing unit based on the data;
and a step of the provider rearranging the order of the plurality of containers on which the contents of the same book are printed consecutively so that the contents of the books are random. A step in which a computer acquires the size of the decoratable space of the plurality of containers;
The method for promoting a book according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a step of: a computer acquiring contents of the book according to a size of the decoratable space. The book promotion method of claim 3, wherein the step of acquiring the contents of the book according to the size of the decoratable space includes a step of a computer extracting from the received data an amount of the contents of the book according to the size of the decoratable space. A step in which a computer assigns a category according to the content of the book;
The book promotion method according to claim 4 , further comprising: a step of: extracting, by a computer, the contents of the book in an amount corresponding to the size of the decoratable space, using an extraction method corresponding to the category. The book promotion method according to claim 3 , wherein the step of acquiring the contents of the book according to the size of the decoratable space includes a step of a computer receiving an amount of the contents of the book according to the size of the decoratable space. 7. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the data includes selected portions of a book. 8. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising the step of: a computer providing said plurality of containers with authentication codes linked to information relating to the content of said books. obtaining, by a computer, access data relating to access to information related to said book through said authentication code;
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: a computer changing the content of the book printed on the container in response to the access data. A step of acquiring information on destinations of the plurality of containers by a computer;
The method for promoting a book according to claim 1 , further comprising: a step of: changing the content of the book in response to the information on the recipient by a computer. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the containers are paper cups. A vending machine that sells products in containers on which the contents of books are printed,
By providing a plurality of containers on which the contents of the book are randomly printed, or by rearranging the order of the plurality of containers on which the contents of the same book are printed consecutively so that the contents of the books are random,
A vending machine that dispenses products such that the contents of the books printed on the containers are random. A program for causing a computer to execute the book promotion method described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

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