JP7750107B2 - Printed matter sales system and printed matter sales method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a print sales system and a print sales method.

At event venues such as baseball stadiums and concert halls, photos (bromides) of the performers at the event, i.e., baseball players and artists, are sold. Recently, a service has been offered in which photos taken by professional photographers during the event are printed and sold on the day.

In such services, for example, a business operator uploads images taken by a photographer to a server as needed during an event, and then posts them on an image sales website. Users (potential buyers) access the image sales website using their own user device, such as a smartphone, select an image, and purchase it by credit card or other means. After payment, the server sends a two-dimensional code for printing to the user's device.

A printing terminal that can communicate with the server is installed at the event venue. After the event ends, the user goes to the printing terminal and holds the two-dimensional code displayed on the user's terminal over the printing terminal. The printing terminal notifies the server of the information read from the two-dimensional code. The server then delivers the data of the image purchased by the user to the printing terminal. The printing terminal prints out the image received from the server, allowing the user to obtain the printed material.

When a print terminal receives new image data from the server every time a user uses it, it takes a long time to produce the printed output, resulting in long waiting times for customers.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-164482

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional situation, and aims to provide a print sales system and print sales method that allows users to quickly receive prints that they have ordered and paid for in advance.

The print sales system of the present invention comprises a server device that stores image data of captured images received from an administrator terminal, creates an image selection screen using the image data and transmits it to a user terminal, accepts print orders for images selected from the user terminal via the image selection screen, creates a code image that encodes identification information for identifying the print order and transmits it to the user terminal, and stores the image data distributed from the server device and is capable of printing out the image data. The image printing device reads the identification information from the code image displayed on the user terminal and notifies the server device. The server device periodically distributes undistributed image data from the image data received from the administrator terminal to the image printing device and transmits to the image printing device the order details of the print order corresponding to the identification information notified by the image printing device. If the print order includes image data that has not been distributed to the image printing device, the undistributed image data is transmitted to the image printing device. The image printing device then prints out the image data based on the order details received from the server device.

The print sales method of the present invention comprises the steps of: a server device that stores image data of captured images received from an administrator terminal periodically transmitting the image data to an image printing device; the server device creating an image selection screen using the image data and transmitting it to a user terminal, accepting a print order for an image selected from the user terminal via the image selection screen, and transmitting a code image that encodes identification information that can identify the print order to the user terminal; the image printing device reading the identification information from the code image displayed on the user terminal and notifying the server device; the server device transmitting to the image printing device the order details of the print order corresponding to the identification information notified from the image printing device, and if the print order includes image data that has not yet been delivered to the image printing device, transmitting the undelivered image data to the image printing device; and the image printing device printing out the image data based on the order details received from the server device.

This invention allows users to quickly receive printed materials that they have ordered and paid for in advance.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a print product sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the server device. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image selection screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a two-dimensional code display screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of image data distribution. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of image data distribution.

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

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a print sales system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The print sales system is a system for selling prints such as photographs at event venues such as sports facilities and concert halls, and includes a server device 1 that processes the sales of images, a user terminal 4 where customers can view images for sale, select them, place orders, and make payments, and an image printing device 5 that automatically prints out prints (photographs). The user terminal 4 is, for example, a smartphone owned by the customer. One or more image printing devices 5 are installed at the event venue.

Photographs of athletes during a sports match or musicians at a concert are taken with a professional photographer's camera 2. The images taken with camera 2 are uploaded to server device 1 by administrator terminal 3 and made available for sale on the day. Server device 1 is a computer that distributes image data of images for sale to image print devices 5 and provides an image sales website.

As shown in FIG. 2, the server device 1 has a storage unit 10 including ROM, RAM, non-volatile memory, a hard disk drive, etc., and the storage unit 10 stores sales programs, etc.

As shown in Figure 2, the CPU of the server device 1 executes the sales program to realize the functions of an image registration unit 11, an image distribution unit 12, an order reception unit 13, a code creation unit 14, a code transmission unit 15, and a management unit 16.

The image registration unit 11 stores the image data received from the administrator terminal 3 in the memory unit 10 and registers it as a sales image.

The image distribution unit 12 distributes image data of sales images to the image printing device 5. The image distribution unit 12 periodically distributes undistributed image data to the image printing device 5. For example, the image distribution unit 12 distributes undistributed image data to the image printing device 5 every 30 minutes.

The memory unit 10 has a distribution status registration area that indicates whether or not each sales image has been distributed to the image printing device 5. The image distribution unit 12 updates the distribution status when image data is distributed to the image printing device 5.

The order receiving unit 13 provides an image sales site and receives image orders from user terminals 4 that access the image sales site. The order receiving unit 13 immediately posts images registered as sales images on the image sales site.

The order reception unit 13 transmits a sales image selection screen to the user terminal 4 that has accessed the image sales site. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the image selection screen includes an image display area, a purchase quantity specification button B1, a confirmation button B2, etc.

When a customer operates the image selection screen to specify the image and number of copies to purchase, and presses the Confirm button B2 to confirm the print order, the order acceptance unit 13 generates an order number that uniquely identifies the order, calculates the total amount, and generates and sends a payment screen to the user terminal 4. The customer operates the user terminal 4 and enters their credit card number, etc. on the payment screen.

Once payment is complete, the order reception unit 13 stores order information, including the order number and order details, in the storage unit 10. The order details include the file names or image numbers of the purchased images, the number of each image purchased, etc.

The code creation unit 14 generates a two-dimensional code indicating the order number.

The code sending unit 15 sends the two-dimensional code created by the code creation unit 14 to the user terminal 4.

After the event, the customer goes to the image printing device 5 and holds the two-dimensional code Q displayed on the display of the user terminal 4 over the image printing device 5, as shown in Figure 4.

The image printing device 5 has a communication unit that communicates with the server device 1, a printer, a two-dimensional code reader, a memory unit that stores image data distributed from the server device 1, etc. The image printing device 5 reads the two-dimensional code to obtain an order number and notifies the server device 1 of the order number.

When the management unit 16 of the server device 1 shown in Figure 2 receives the order number from the image printing device 5, it checks the order information and delivery status of this order. If all ordered images have been delivered to the image printing device 5, the management unit 16 sends the order details to the image printing device 5. The image printing device 5 performs image printing processing based on the order details.

If there are any ordered images that have not yet been delivered to the image printing device 5, the management unit 16 sends the order details to the image printing device 5 and notifies the image printing device 5 that there are any ordered images that have not yet been delivered. The management unit 16 also instructs the image delivery unit 12 to deliver the undelivered images to the image printing device 5 that sent the order number. Based on the instructions of the management unit 16, the image delivery unit 12 delivers the ordered images that have not yet been delivered to the image printing device 5 that sent the order number, separate from the regular image delivery.

The image printing device 5 references the order details and first prints the images that have already been delivered. In parallel with the printing process, the image printing device 5 downloads image data from the server device 1.

When the image distribution unit 12 distributes image data to the image print device 5, it updates the distribution status. The next time image data is distributed regularly, distribution of this image data will be omitted.

Figure 5 shows an example of image distribution. Images G1, G2, and G3 uploaded from the administrator terminal 3 to the server device 1 are registered as images for sale and posted on the image sales site (time T0).

The image distribution unit 12 of the server device 1 distributes images G1, G2, and G3 to the image print device 5 through regular distribution and updates the distribution status (time T1).

The customer operates the user terminal 4 to purchase image G1 (time T2). The server device 1 transmits a two-dimensional code indicating the order number to the user terminal 4.

Images G4, G5, and G6 uploaded from the administrator terminal 3 to the server device 1 are registered as images for sale and posted on the image sales site (time T3).

The customer goes to the image printing device 5 and has the two-dimensional code displayed on the user terminal 4 read (time T4). The image printing device 5 obtains the order number from the read two-dimensional code and notifies the server device 1. The management unit 16 of the server device 1 confirms that the purchased image G1 has been delivered based on the order information and delivery status of this order, and sends the order details to the image printing device 5. The image printing device 5 performs printing based on the order details. The customer obtains the printed matter.

The image distribution unit 12 of the server device 1 distributes images G4, G5, and G6 to the image print device 5 through regular distribution and updates the distribution status (time T5).

Figure 6 shows another example of image distribution. Images G1, G2, and G3 uploaded from the administrator terminal 3 to the server device 1 are registered as images for sale and posted on the image sales site (time T10).

The image distribution unit 12 of the server device 1 distributes images G1, G2, and G3 to the image print device 5 through regular distribution and updates the distribution status (time T11).

Images G4, G5, and G6 uploaded from the administrator terminal 3 to the server device 1 are registered as images for sale and posted on the image sales site (time T12).

The customer operates the user terminal 4 to purchase images G1 and G4 (time T13). The server device 1 sends a two-dimensional code indicating the order number to the user terminal 4.

The customer goes to the image printing device 5 and has the two-dimensional code displayed on the user terminal 4 read (time T14). The image printing device 5 obtains the order number from the read two-dimensional code and notifies the server device 1. Based on the order information and delivery status of this order, the management unit 16 of the server device 1 confirms that of the purchased images G1 and G4, image G4 has not yet been delivered, and instructs the image delivery unit 12 to deliver image G4. The management unit 16 sends the order details to the image printing device 5. The image delivery unit 12 also sends image G4 to the image printing device 5 and updates the delivery status.

The image printing device 5 performs printing processing based on the order details. For example, the image printing device 5 downloads image G4 from the server device 1 while printing image G1. After printing image G1, the image printing device 5 performs printing processing for image G4 once the download is complete.

The image distribution unit 12 of the server device 1 checks the distribution status and distributes images periodically. In this example, image G4 has already been distributed, so the image distribution unit 12 distributes images G5 and G6 to the image print device 5 and updates the distribution status (time T15).

As described above, image data of sales images registered from the administrator terminal 3 to the server device 1 is periodically distributed to the image printing device 5. Therefore, when a customer who has placed a print order holds a two-dimensional code over the image printing device 5, printing can be promptly started for images that have already been distributed to the image printing device 5.

In addition, the image printing device 5 downloads only those images ordered by the customer that have not yet been delivered from the server device 1. This reduces the amount of data downloaded compared to downloading all images ordered by the customer each time, thereby shortening the customer's wait time for printing.

In this way, according to this embodiment, customers can quickly receive the prints they have ordered and paid for in advance.

In the above embodiment, if multiple image printing devices 5 are installed, the distribution status is managed on a device-by-device basis. For example, in the example of Figure 6, at time T11, images G1, G2, and G3 are distributed to image printing devices 5A, 5B, and 5C by regular distribution, and the distribution status is updated.

At time T14, when the customer causes the image print device 5A to read the two-dimensional code, the image delivery unit 12 transmits the image G4 to the image print device 5A and updates the delivery status. The updated delivery status is as follows:
Image printing device 5A: image G4: transmitted, images G5, G6: not yet delivered. Image printing device 5B: images G4, G5, G6: not yet delivered. Image printing device 5C: images G4, G5, G6: not yet delivered.

At time T15, images G5 and G6 are distributed to image printing device 5A by regular distribution, and images G4, G5, and G6 are distributed to image printing devices 5B and 5C.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the order number was converted into a two-dimensional code and sent to the user terminal 4, but the information converted into the two-dimensional code may also be other identification information capable of identifying the print order, such as a member ID or an encrypted string of characters that can be decrypted on the server side.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and in the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be created by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all of the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

1 Server device 2 Camera 3 Administrator terminal 4 User terminal 5 Image printing device

Claims (3)

a server device that stores image data of photographed images received from an administrator terminal, creates an image selection screen using the image data and transmits it to a user terminal, accepts print orders for images selected from the user terminal via the image selection screen, and creates a code image by encoding identification information that can identify the print order and transmits it to the user terminal;
an image printing device that stores the image data distributed from the server device and is capable of printing out the image data;
Equipped with
the image printing device reads the identification information from the code image displayed on the user terminal and notifies the server device of the identification information;
the server device periodically delivers undelivered image data from among the image data received from the administrator terminal to the image printing device, transmits to the image printing device the order details of the print order corresponding to the identification information notified from the image printing device, and if the print order includes image data that has not been delivered to the image printing device, transmits the undelivered image data to the image printing device;
The image printing device prints out image data based on the order details received from the server device. The print sales system described in claim 1, wherein, if the print order includes image data that has not yet been delivered to the image printing device, upon receiving the order details from the server device, the image printing device begins printing processing from the image data that has already been delivered from the server device, and receives the image data that has not yet been delivered from the server device in parallel with this printing processing. a step in which a server device that stores image data of the photographed images received from the administrator terminal periodically distributes the image data to the image printing device;
a step in which the server device creates an image selection screen using the image data and transmits it to a user terminal, accepts a print order for an image selected via the image selection screen from the user terminal, and transmits a code image in which identification information capable of identifying the print order is coded to the user terminal;
a step in which the image printing device reads the identification information from the code image displayed on the user terminal and notifies the server device of the reading;
a step in which the server device transmits to the image printing device the order details of the print order corresponding to the identification information notified from the image printing device, and if the print order includes image data that has not yet been delivered to the image printing device, transmits the image data that has not yet been delivered to the image printing device;
a step in which the image printing device prints out the image data based on the order content received from the server device;
A print sales method comprising: