Content processing system, output device, content processing method, and content processing program

Abstract

The system will perform proper billing processing, including in cases where there are defects in the content output. [Solution] The content processing system 1 includes an advertising server 100 and a printer 200. The control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 executes S5 to request bids for printing advertisements, S7 to receive bids in response to the bid request, S8 to determine which bids to win from the received bids, and S22 to acquire the advertisement images provided by the winning bidders of the bids determined to be winnable. The control unit 210 of the printer 200 executes S35 to print distribution images corresponding to the acquired advertisement images, and S45, S50, S60, S65 to determine whether or not there are defects in the print results of the printed distribution images. If the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 determines that there are defects in the print results, it does not charge the winning bidder, and if it determines that there are no defects in the print results, it charges the bidder in S140.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a content processing system, an output device, a content processing method, and a content processing program that perform processing related to consideration claims for content output.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, when a service provider that has received a media purchase request from a user receives an electronic copy of the media from a content provider, the service provider determines the number and size of advertisement information according to the layout of the electronic copy, and solicits bids from advertisement information providers. A technique for this is known. The service provider analyzes the bids from the advertisement information providers and selects the best bid. Selecting the best bid means determining the advertisement provider that is the winning bidder. The service provider enters the bid amount as a debit in the account of the advertisement provider that is the winning bidder, and enters a portion of the advertisement sales revenue obtained from a specific transaction as a credit in the account of the content provider.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the winning bidder is determined, a charging process is executed according to the bid amount. However, for example, when the content of the winning bidder is output, there may be a case where a defect occurs in the output result of the content. In such a case, since it may be inappropriate to charge in the same way as when there is no defect in the output result of the content, there has been room for consideration regarding the charging process.

[0005] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a content processing system, output device, content processing method, and content processing program that can perform proper billing processing, including when defects occur in the output results of the content. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this disclosure relates to the following technologies. The content processing system of this disclosure includes: a request unit that requests bids for content output; a receiving unit that receives bids in response to the request for bids; a decision unit that determines which bids to be awarded from among the bids received by the receiving unit; an acquisition unit that acquires specific content provided by a specific bidder of a bid determined to be awarded by the decision unit; an output unit that outputs a specific content image corresponding to the specific content acquired by the acquisition unit; a determination unit that determines whether or not there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image output by the output unit; and a billing unit that does not bill the specific bidder if the determination unit determines that there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image, and bills the bidder if the determination unit determines that there is no defect in the output result of the specific content image.

[0007] In this disclosure, the judgment unit determines whether or not there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image output by the output unit. If the judgment unit determines that there is no defect, the billing unit will bill the specific bidder who submitted the bid for the specific content. If the judgment unit determines that there is a defect, the billing unit will not bill the specific bidder. According to this disclosure, it is possible to reduce the instances of charging for content even when the output results are defective, thereby enabling proper billing processing.

[0008] The output device of this disclosure is an output device comprising a control unit, the control unit performs: an output process that outputs a specific content image corresponding to specific content provided by a specific bidder who is the successful bidder, determined from the content bidding results; a determination process that determines whether or not there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image output in the output process; and a success / failure transmission process that, if the determination process determines that there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image, sends a failure notification to the specific bidder so as not to charge the consideration, and if the determination process determines that there is no defect in the output result of the specific content image, sends a success notification to the specific bidder so as to charge the consideration.

[0009] The content processing method of this disclosure is a content processing method executed by a content processing system, comprising: a request step of requesting bids for content output; a receiving step of receiving bids in response to the request for bids in the request step; a decision step of determining which bid to be awarded from the bids received in the receiving step; an acquisition step of acquiring specific content provided by the specific bidder of the bid determined to be awarded in the decision step; an output step of outputting a specific content image corresponding to the specific content acquired in the acquisition step; a determination step of determining whether or not there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image output in the output step; and a billing step of not billing the specific bidder if it is determined in the determination step that there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image, and billing the bidder if it is determined in the determination step that there is no defect in the output result of the specific content image.

[0010] The content processing program of this disclosure causes a computer to perform a request process to request bids for content output; a receiving process to receive bids in response to the bid requests in the request process; a decision process to determine which bid to be awarded from the bids received in the receiving process; an acquisition process to acquire specific content provided by the specific bidder of the bid determined to be awarded in the decision process; and a billing process which, if there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image output corresponding to the specific content acquired in the acquisition process, does not charge the specific bidder, and charges the aforementioned fee if there is no defect in the output result of the specific content image. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to this disclosure, proper billing can be performed even when there are defects in the output results of the content. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the content processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This sequence diagram illustrates an example of the processing flow performed collaboratively by the ad delivery server, ad management server, and printer. [Figure 3] This sequence diagram illustrates an example of the processing flow performed collaboratively by the ad delivery server, ad management server, and printer. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating how the sensor detects the positional coordinates of both ends near the leading edge of the printed paper. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating how the sensor detects the position coordinates of both ends near the trailing edge of the printed paper. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a method for calculating the skew angle of printing paper. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a method for calculating the skew angle of printing paper. [Figure 8] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the position of the printing paper and the printing position of the advertisement image when the diagonal angle is 0. [Figure 9] It is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the position of the printing paper and the printing position of the advertisement image when the oblique angle is θ1. [Figure 10] It is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the position of the printing paper and the printing position of the advertisement image when the oblique angle is θ2 which is larger than θ1. [Figure 11] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow executed in cooperation by the advertisement providing server, the advertisement management server, and the printer in a modification example of refunding the consideration for which the settlement has been executed. [Figure 12] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow executed in cooperation by the advertisement providing server, the advertisement management server, and the printer in a modification example of refunding the consideration for which the settlement has been executed.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment relates to a content processing system that distributes content from a server to a printer for printing.

[0014] <Overall Configuration of the Content Processing System> FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of the content processing system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the content processing system 1 includes an advertising supply server (SSP: Supply Side Platform) 100, a printer 200, a terminal device 300, a user management server (DMP: Data Management Platform) 400, and an advertising management server (DSP: Demand Side Platform) 500. The plurality of servers 100, 400, 500, the printer 200, and the terminal device 300 each include a communication unit and can communicate with each other via the network NT. The network NT includes one or more of the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), and a WAN (Wide Area Network). The communication unit may be configured to include a plurality of types of communication circuits for connecting to the network NT. In this case, the device connected to the network NT may communicate with other plurality of devices using different communication circuits. In the present embodiment, the general term for the plurality of types of communication circuits is described as the communication unit.

[0015] <Advertising supply server> The advertising supply server 100 requests bids for advertisements, receives bids in response to the requests, determines a winning bidder from the received bids, and acquires an advertisement image provided by the determined winning bidder. The advertising supply server 100 distributes a distribution image in which information including the acquired advertisement image is arranged to the printer 200 to cause printing to be performed. An advertisement is an example of content, a winning bidder is an example of a specific bidder, and an advertisement image provided by the winning bidder is an example of specific content.

[0016] In detail, the advertising server 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 115, a communication unit 140, etc. A bus 105 connects the control unit 110, the storage unit 115, and the communication unit 140, etc., to enable information transmission and reception. The storage unit 115 is, for example, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, etc. The storage unit 115 stores various programs 120 and various data 130. The various programs 120 include content processing programs executed by the advertising server 100 as shown in the flows in Figures 2, 3, 11, and 12 described later. The various data 130 include the printer ID of the printer 200, user ID, advertising images, etc.

[0017] The control unit 110 is a device that performs data processing, such as a processor like a CPU. The control unit 110 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 115. The control unit 110 performs various processes, including data communication with the printer 200, terminal device 300, user management server 400, and advertising management server 500, all connected to the network NT. The communication unit 140 includes hardware such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) for connecting to Ethernet. The communication unit 140 is connected to the network NT and communicates with the printer 200, terminal device 300, user management server 400, and advertising management server 500. The control unit 110 is an example of a computer.

[0018] <Ad management server> The advertising management server 500 is a server managed and operated by, for example, an advertising company. The advertising management server 500 sends advertising images for printing on the printer 200 to the advertising provision server 100. The advertising management server 500 has a control unit, storage unit, communication unit, etc., similar to the advertising provision server 100, and receives bid requests from the advertising provision server 100 via the communication unit. Network NT connects the advertising management server 500 to terminal devices or servers of multiple advertisers (not shown). The advertising management server 500 acquires in advance advertising images, bid prices indicating the desired purchase price of advertising space, target users to whom the advertising images should be distributed, etc., from the terminal devices, etc., of multiple advertisers. The acquired information is then stored and managed in the storage unit. In response to bid requests from the advertising provision server 100, the advertising management server 500 executes an advertising auction and solicits bids. The advertising management server 500 acquires bids from advertisers who have responded to the solicitation of bids. The advertising management server 500 transmits the acquired bids to the advertising provision server 100 as the bidding result in response to the bid request. At this time, the advertising management server 500 may send bids that meet the bidding conditions included in the bidding request as bidding results. The advertising provider server 100 receives the bidding results sent from the advertising management server 500 and selects the most suitable bid from among the bids included in the bidding results. For example, the advertising provider server 100 selects the bid with the highest price. The advertising provider server 100 then retrieves the advertising image of the bidder of the selected bid, i.e., the successful bidder advertiser, from among the multiple advertising images managed by the advertising management server 500. The advertising provider server 100 sends a distribution image based on the retrieved advertising image to the printer 200. The printer 200 prints the image based on the received distribution image onto the paper.

[0019] <Printer> The printer 200 prints distribution images corresponding to advertising images obtained from the advertising server 100 onto the printing paper. The printer 200 includes a control unit 210, a storage unit 215, a display unit 240, an operation unit 250, a communication unit 260, a printing mechanism 270, etc. The bus 205 connects the control unit 210, the storage unit 215, the display unit 240, the operation unit 250, the communication unit 260, and the printing mechanism 270 so that information can be transmitted and received. The printer 200 is an example of an output unit and an example of an output device, printing is an example of output, and the distribution image is an example of a specific content image.

[0020] The storage unit 215 is, for example, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, HDD, etc. The storage unit 215 stores various programs 220 and various data 230. The various programs 220 include, for example, a program that causes the printer 200 to execute the processes shown in the flows in Figures 2, 3, 11, and 12 described later. The various data 230 include the aforementioned printer ID, advertising images received from the advertising server 100, etc. The advertising server 100 may store some or all of the above various data in the storage unit 115. Alternatively, one of the printer 200 and the advertising server 100 may store some or all of the original data of the various data, and the other of the printer 200 and the advertising server 100 may store a copy of that original data.

[0021] The control unit 210 is a data processing device, such as a processor like a CPU. The control unit 210 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 215. The display unit 240 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, a touch panel, etc., and can display various information. The operation unit 250 is, for example, a keyboard, buttons, etc., and accepts user input. The user can input various instructions to the printer 200 by operating the operation unit 250. The communication unit 260 is connected to the network NT and can communicate with servers 100, 400, 500 and terminal devices 300.

[0022] The printing mechanism 270 includes a head 270A, a carriage on which the head 270A is mounted, a motor and belt for driving the carriage, and a transport mechanism 270B. The head 270A has nozzles for ejecting ink. The transport mechanism 270B takes the printing paper on which the advertising image will be printed from the paper tray and transports it. The printing mechanism 270 forms and prints an image using an inkjet method, ejecting ink from the head 270A onto the printing paper transported by the transport mechanism 270B. Ink is an example of a liquid, and printing paper is an example of a sheet.

[0023] The printing mechanism 270 has a maintenance unit 270C. The maintenance unit 270C performs maintenance to resolve nozzle ejection abnormalities of the head 270A. The maintenance unit 270C performs maintenance to resolve the ejection abnormality when the detection unit 275, described later, detects an ejection abnormality. After the ejection abnormality is resolved by the maintenance unit 270C, the printing mechanism 270 performs reprinting of the advertisement image. The maintenance unit 270C has, for example, a cap and a suction pump. The printer 200 operates the maintenance unit 270C to perform flushing or purging. Flushing is a process in which, with the carriage positioned at a predetermined flushing position before printing on the paper, ink is ejected from multiple nozzles provided by the head 270A, and the viscous ink inside the nozzles is discharged. Purging is a process in which a suction pump is connected to a capped nozzle and the suction pump is driven to suck and discharge the ink in the flow path of the head 270A from the nozzle.

[0024] The printing mechanism 270 has a sensor 270D. The sensor 270D detects the position of the edges of the printing paper being transported by the transport mechanism 270B. The sensor 270D is provided, for example, on the carriage on which the head 270A is mounted. The sensor 270D detects the position of the edges of the printing paper by moving the carriage while the transport mechanism 270B is transporting the printing paper. The sensor 270D is a non-contact sensor capable of detecting the edges of the printing paper, and is, for example, an ultrasonic sensor or an optical sensor. Based on the detection result of the sensor 270D, the control unit 210 determines that a defect has occurred in the printing of the advertising image if the lengths of both ends of the printing paper are outside a predetermined range including a reference value. Note that the ends of the printing paper may be both ends of the printing paper in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the printing paper, i.e., the right and left ends of the printing paper, or both ends of the printing paper in the transport direction of the printing paper, i.e., the front and rear ends of the printing paper.

[0025] The detection unit 275 detects an ejection abnormality of the head 270A. The detection unit 275 detects the ejection abnormality by, for example, optical detection or a piezoelectric element. Optical detection is a method of detecting non-ejection or deviation in the ejection direction by irradiating light onto the ink droplets ejected and flying from the nozzle and detecting the presence or absence and intensity of the reflected light. The inkjet method is a printing method that utilizes the inverse piezoelectric effect of a piezoelectric element, deforming the piezoelectric element by applying voltage, and ejecting ink droplets with the pressure wave generated. Detection using a piezoelectric element is a method that utilizes the reflection of the pressure wave generated for ink ejection within the pressure chamber, converts the deformation of the piezoelectric element caused by this reflected wave into a voltage signal by the piezoelectric effect, and detects ejection defects from the waveform. When the detection unit 275 detects an ejection abnormality of the nozzle, the control unit 210 determines that there is a defect in the printing result of the advertisement image. For example, the control unit 210 calculates the percentage of pins in the nozzle that have been detected as having ejection defects by the detection unit 275, and determines that there is a defect in the printed result of the advertisement image if this percentage is above a threshold. The control unit 210 may set the threshold to a fixed value or dynamically change it as needed.

[0026] The printer 200 has multiple cartridge holders 280, each holding one cartridge 285. The cartridges 285 are cartridges containing multiple ink colors, such as cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

[0027] The printing mechanism 270 performs printing while consuming the ink in cartridge 285. The cartridge holder 280 is equipped with a reader / writer 290. The reader / writer 290 reads and writes cartridge information to an IC chip provided in the cartridge 285 housed in the cartridge holder 280. For example, the reader / writer 290 detects the type of cartridge 285 housed in the cartridge holder 280 by reading the cartridge information from the IC chip. The printer 200 may also obtain the amount of ink used or remaining ink stored in the IC chip in cartridge 285 by reading the above information by the reader / writer 290.

[0028] <Terminal device> The terminal device 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone owned by the user, and in this example connects to the network NT via wireless communication. The terminal device 300 can be any suitable terminal other than the printer 200, and may be a tablet PC, notebook PC, desktop PC, etc., in addition to a smartphone. Alternatively, the terminal device 300 may be a portable terminal or a stationary terminal installed in karaoke boxes or various stores for song selection, menu selection, product browsing, etc. The terminal device 300 has a display unit, control unit, operation unit, memory unit, communication unit, etc. (not shown). The memory unit stores various programs. The control unit executes the various programs stored in the memory unit. The user can input various instructions to the terminal device 300 by operating the operation unit.

[0029] <User Management Server> The user management server 400 manages user information via the terminal device 300. The user management server 400 includes a control unit (not shown), a storage unit, a communication unit, and the like.

[0030] Furthermore, a single "server" may constitute each of the above servers 100, 400, and 500, or multiple "servers" may constitute each of the above servers 100, 400, and 500. Alternatively, a single "server" may possess two or more functions from among those servers 100, 400, and 500.

[0031] <Features of the Embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, the advertising server 100 requests bids for printing advertisements, receives bids in response to the bid request, determines which bids will be awarded, and acquires the advertisement image provided by the winning bidder. The advertising server 100 then performs a billing process for the winning bidder. However, when printing the winning advertisement image, there may be defects in the print result of the advertisement image, such as the entire advertisement image not being printed on the paper. In such cases, billing as is may be considered improper.

[0032] The key feature of this embodiment is that it determines whether or not there are defects in the printout of the advertisement image printed by the printer 200. If it determines that there are defects, it does not charge the successful bidder, and if it determines that there are no defects, it charges the successful bidder. The details of this process will be explained below.

[0033] <Content Processing System Processing> Figures 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams showing the processes performed collaboratively by the ad delivery server 100, the ad management server 500, and the printer 200. In Figures 2 and 3, the main entities executing each process are the control unit 110 of the ad delivery server 100, the control unit of the ad management server 500, and the control unit 210 of the printer 200.

[0034] The storage unit 115 of the advertising server 100 stores, for example, a predetermined minimum bid price for soliciting bids for advertisements. In Figure 2, in S5, the advertising server 100 determines the minimum bid price based on the contents of the storage unit 115 and sends a bid request including the minimum bid price to the advertising management server 500, thereby requesting bids for printing advertisements. At that time, the advertising server 100 requests advertisements that meet predetermined conditions, including having a bid price equal to or higher than the minimum bid price, in the bid request. S5 is an example of a request step and an example of a request process. Furthermore, the part of the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 that executes S5 is an example of a request unit.

[0035] The ad management server 500 responds to the bidding request sent by the ad provision server 100 by conducting an auction for the ad and soliciting bids.

[0036] In S7, the advertising server 100 receives the bidding results from the advertising management server 500 for the bids solicited in the auction in response to the bidding request sent in S5. The bidding results include bids from bidders that meet the predetermined conditions requested in the bidding request, if any bids meet those conditions. If no bids meet the predetermined conditions requested in the bidding request, the bidding results include information indicating that fact. S7 is an example of a receiving step and an example of a receiving process. The control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 that executes S7 is an example of a receiving unit.

[0037] In S8, the ad provider server 100 determines, based on the content received in S7, whether or not there was a bid that met the winning conditions, and decides that the bid that met the winning conditions will be the winning advertisement. In other words, the ad provider server 100 decides which bids to win from the bidding results received in S7. Winning conditions include, for example, having the highest bid price. In addition, the conditions for winning may include meeting predetermined conditions requested in the bidding request. S8 is an example of a decision step and an example of a decision process. Furthermore, the part of the control unit 110 of the ad provider server 100 that executes S8 is an example of a decision unit.

[0038] In S10, the ad provider server 100 sends a "hold notification" to the ad management server 500. The "hold notification" is a notification to the advertiser who has submitted a bid that meets the bidding conditions, i.e., the successful bidder, informing them that processing of their bid will be temporarily suspended until the bid is accepted and an invoice notification is sent. The ad management server 500 sends the received hold notification to the successful bidder's terminal device, etc. If there are multiple bids that meet the bidding conditions, the ad provider server 100 may send multiple hold notifications.

[0039] In S15, the ad provider server 100 sends a "defeat notification" to the ad management server 500. The "defeat notification" is a notification to advertisers who have submitted bids that do not meet the bidding conditions, i.e., non-winning bidders, informing them that their bids will not be accepted because there is another winning bidder. The ad management server 500 sends the received defeat notification to the terminal device of the non-winning bidder. If there are multiple bids that do not meet the bidding conditions, the ad provider server 100 may send multiple defeat notifications.

[0040] In S17, the ad provider server 100 sends an ad image request to the ad management server 500 requesting an ad image from the successful bidder who sent a hold notification in S10. If there are multiple successful bidders, the ad provider server 100 may send multiple ad image requests. In response to the above ad image requests, the ad management server 500 sends the ad image from the successful bidder to the ad provider server 100 in S20.

[0041] In S22, the ad provider server 100 receives the ad image provided by the successful bidder, which has been sent by the ad management server 500. The ad provider server 100 stores the acquired ad image in, for example, the storage unit 115. The ad image acquired in S22 is an example of specific content. S22 is an example of an acquisition step and an example of an acquisition process. Furthermore, the control unit 110 of the ad provider server 100 that executes S22 is an example of an acquisition unit.

[0042] In S30, the ad provider server 100 creates a distribution image in which the winning bidder's ad image is placed in the ad slot, that is, a distribution image in which the information including the ad image received from the ad management server 500 in S22 is placed in the ad slot. Alternatively, instead of the ad provider server 100 creating the distribution image, the ad management server 500 may create the distribution image and the ad provider server 100 may acquire that distribution image. In addition, instead of the ad provider server 100 creating the distribution image in S30, print data for printing the distribution image may be created in various page description languages. The ad provider server 100 distributes a print instruction including the created distribution image to the printer 200. In addition, in S30, the ad provider server 100 may distribute the distribution image to the printer 200 via another relay device. Alternatively, instead of distributing the distribution image to the printer 200, the ad provider server 100 may send the page description language for printing the distribution image and the link destination of the distribution image to the printer 200. The printer 200 receives the print command sent by the advertising server 100 in S30 and stores it in the storage unit 215. If the advertising server 100 sends a link to the distribution image in S30, the printer 200 accesses that link in S35, retrieves the distribution image, and stores it in the storage unit 215.

[0043] In S35, the printer 200 prints the distribution image included in the print instruction stored in the storage unit 215 onto a single sheet of paper S. That is, the printer 200 prints the distribution image corresponding to the advertisement image acquired by the advertisement server 100 in S22. The printer 200 uses the printing mechanism 270 to print the distribution image corresponding to the advertisement image provided by the winning bidder determined from the advertisement bidding results onto the paper. The distribution image printed in S35 is an example of a specific content image. S35 is an example of an output step and an example of an output process.

[0044] After S30, in S40, the advertising server 100 starts a waiting process to await the print success or failure notification, which will be described later.

[0045] Moving to Figure 3, in S45, the printer 200, after performing printing as described in S35, determines whether or not there is a defect in the printed result of the distributed image. Specifically, at a predetermined timing after the printing is performed, the printer 200 uses the detection unit 275 to determine whether or not there is an ejection abnormality in the nozzles of the head 270A. The printer 200 determines that there is a defect in the printed result if it determines that there is an ejection abnormality in the nozzles of the head 270A, and determines that there is no defect in the printed result if it determines that there is no ejection abnormality in the nozzles of the head 270A. If the printer 200 determines that there is an ejection abnormality in the nozzles of the head 270A, it makes a Yes decision in S50 following S45 and proceeds to S55. S45 and S50 are examples of both a decision step and an example of a decision process. Furthermore, the part of the control unit 210 of the printer 200 that performs S45 and S50 is an example of a decision unit.

[0046] In S55, the printer 200 performs maintenance such as flushing or purging by the maintenance unit 270C, and then proceeds to S80, which will be described later.

[0047] In step S45 above, if the printer 200 determines that there is no ejection abnormality in the nozzles of the head 270A, it makes a "No" determination in step S50 following S45 and proceeds to step S60.

[0048] In S60, after printing as described in S35, the printer 200 determines whether or not there are defects in the printed output of the distributed image. Specifically, at a predetermined timing after printing, the printer 200 determines whether or not there is any misalignment of the paper being transported in the transport mechanism 270B. If misalignment is detected, the printer determines that there are defects in the printed output; if no misalignment is detected, the printer determines that there are no defects in the printed output.

[0049] In step S60, the control unit 210 of the printer 200 determines that there is a transport misalignment if it estimates that part or all of the advertisement image has not been printed on the paper, based on the position of the paper detected by the sensor 270D during paper transport and the printing position of the advertisement image. This method for determining transport misalignment will be explained using Figures 4 to 10.

[0050] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the transport rollers 270Ba constituting the transport mechanism 270B transport the printing paper S in the direction of arrow AR1. The carriage 270E is equipped with a sensor 270D at its bottom and is movable along the guide rail 270F. As shown in Figure 4, the transport mechanism 270B transports the printing paper S in the transport direction by a predetermined amount, near the leading edge of the printing paper S. Subsequently, as the carriage 270E moves in the main scanning direction AR2, the sensor 270D detects the position coordinates Ef1 and Ef2 at both ends, including the left and right ends near the leading edge of the printing paper S. As shown in Figure 5, the transport mechanism 270B transports the printing paper S in the transport direction by a predetermined amount, near the trailing edge of the printing paper S. Subsequently, as the carriage 270E moves in the main scanning direction AR2, the sensor 270D detects the position coordinates Eb1 and Eb2 at both ends, including the left and right ends near the trailing edge of the printing paper S.

[0051] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the control unit 210 defines a right triangle Rt based on the position coordinates Ef1, Ef2 at both ends near the leading edge of the printing paper S and the position coordinates Eb1, Eb2 at both ends near the trailing edge. The line L1 connecting position coordinates Ef1, Ef2, the line segment L2 passing through position coordinate Eb1 and perpendicular to line L1, and the line segment L3 connecting position coordinates Eb1, Ef1 constitute the right triangle Rt. The control unit 210 acquires the length d1 in the direction of line L1 between position coordinate Ef1 and line segment L2 as the amount of change in the main scanning direction between position coordinate Ef1 and position coordinate Eb1. The control unit 210 acquires the length d2 of line segment L2 as the amount of paper transported in the sub-scanning direction by the transport roller 270Ba. The control unit 210 calculates the oblique angle θ based on the lengths d1 and d2. The oblique angle θ is the angle of inclination of the edges at both ends of the printing paper S in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, relative to the transport direction by the transport roller 270Ba.

[0052] The control unit 210 calculates the limit value of the diagonal angle θ based on the paper size, margin size, and advertisement size included in the print instruction. Figure 8 shows the positional relationship between the position of the printing paper S and the printing position PI of the advertisement image when the diagonal angle θ is 0, Figure 9 shows the position when the diagonal angle θ is θ1, and Figure 10 shows the position when the diagonal angle θ is greater than θ1 (θ2). As shown in Figure 8, when the diagonal angle θ is 0, the printing position PI is contained within the printing paper S with a gap equal to the margin size from the left edge, right edge, front edge, and rear edge of the printing paper S. As shown in Figure 9, when the diagonal angle θ is θ1, the two diagonal corners PI1 and PI2 of the printing position PI are in contact with both ends in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the printing paper S, and the printing position PI is just barely contained within the printing paper S. As shown in Figure 10, when the diagonal angle θ is θ2, the two diagonal corners PI1 and PI2 of the printing position PI extend beyond both ends in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the printing paper S, and a portion of the printing position PI is outside the range of the printing paper S. In other words, in Figure 10, the advertisement image is cut off. The control unit 210 sets the limit value of the diagonal angle θ to θ1.

[0053] The control unit 210 determines that there is no transport misalignment, i.e., no defects in the printing result, if the oblique angle θ calculated based on lengths d1 and d2 is within the limit value θ1. The control unit 210 determines that there is transport misalignment, i.e., defects in the printing result, if the oblique angle θ calculated based on lengths d1 and d2 is greater than the limit value θ1. In other words, the control unit 210 determines that there is a defect if the length D at both ends of the printing paper S is greater than the reference length D2 in the case of Figure 9, based on the detection result of the sensor 270D. Note that the reference length D2 is an example of a predetermined range that includes the reference value.

[0054] Furthermore, the threshold value for the oblique angle θ used to determine whether or not there is a transport misalignment is not limited to the limit value θ1 mentioned above. For example, even if the oblique angle θ is within the limit value θ1, if it is greater than a predetermined angle greater than 0 and less than the limit value θ1, it may be determined that there is a transport misalignment. In addition, the presence or absence of a transport misalignment may be determined by methods other than those described above. For example, the sensor 270D may detect the coordinates of both ends of the printing paper S each time the carriage 270E moves in the main scanning direction during printing. In this case, the control unit 210 can determine whether or not the advertising image is cut off without calculating the oblique angle θ by comparing the coordinates of both ends of the printing paper S in each of the multiple passes with the printing start position and printing end position of the advertising image print data.

[0055] Returning to Figure 3, in S60, if the printer 200 determines that there is a misalignment in the paper transport, it makes a Yes determination in S65, which follows S60, and proceeds to S66. S60 and S65 are examples of both a determination step and a determination process. The control unit 210 of the printer 200 that executes S60 and S65 is an example of a determination unit.

[0056] In S66, the printer 200 determines whether the number of times it has executed printing in S35 since receiving the print command sent in S30 has reached a predetermined number of retries. The control unit 210 may set the number of retries to a fixed value or may dynamically change it as needed. If the printer 200 determines that the number of retries has not been reached, it makes a No decision in S66 and proceeds to S75. If the printer 200 determines that the number of retries has been reached, it makes a Yes decision in S66 and proceeds to S85.

[0057] In step S75, the printer 200 feeds new print paper S from the paper tray using the transport mechanism 270B and performs a correction operation for any misalignment of the print paper S. The correction operation may be, for example, repositioning by reversing the rotation of the transport roller 270Ba to reverse the movement of the print paper S. In addition, during the correction operation, the print paper S may be brought into contact with a predetermined step or wall when it is moved in reverse. After that, the printer 200 reprints the distributed image on the print paper S for which the correction operation in S75 was performed.

[0058] In S80, the printer 200 determines whether the number of times it has executed printing in S35 since receiving the print command sent in S30 has reached a predetermined number of retries. The control unit 210 may set the number of retries to a fixed value or may dynamically change it as needed. If the printer 200 determines that the number of retries has not been reached, it makes a No determination in S80 and returns to S35. As a result, the printer 200 feeds new paper S from the paper tray and reprints the distributed image on that paper S. If the printer 200 determines that the number of retries has been reached, it makes a Yes determination in S80 and proceeds to S85.

[0059] In S85, printer 200 sets the content of the print success / failure notification sent in S90 to "Print Failed". Subsequently, in S90, printer 200 sends the print success / failure notification stating "Print Failed" to the advertising server 100.

[0060] In addition, if the printer 200 determines in S60 that there is no misalignment in the paper transport, it will make a "No" determination in S65 following S60 and proceed to S70.

[0061] In S70, printer 200 sets the content of the print success / failure notification sent by S90 to "Print Successful". Subsequently, in S90, printer 200 sends the print success / failure notification stating "Print Successful" to the advertising server 100.

[0062] As described above, in S90, if printer 200 determines in S45, S50, S60, and S65 that there is a defect in the print result of the distributed image, it sends a failure notification to the successful bidder so as not to charge payment. Conversely, if printer 200 determines in S45, S50, S60, and S65 that there is no defect in the print result of the distributed image, it sends a success notification to the successful bidder so as to charge payment. S90 is an example of the success / failure transmission process.

[0063] In S117, the advertising server 100 determines whether the print success / failure notification sent by the printer 200 in S90 was a notification indicating "print failure". If the print success / failure notification indicates "print success", the advertising server 100 determines No and proceeds to S140.

[0064] In S140, the ad delivery server 100 sends an invoice to the ad management server 500 to request payment for the advertising print from the advertiser, who is the successful bidder and provided the advertising image included in the distributed image sent to the printer 200 in S30.

[0065] In S145, the advertising management server 500 sends a billing notice to the terminal device of the relevant successful bidder based on the billing notice received from the advertising provision server 100.

[0066] In S150, the advertising server 100 stores the distributed image sent to the printer 200 in S30 in the storage unit 115 as a success history, linking it with the printer ID of the corresponding printer 200, the user ID of the corresponding user, the current time information, and the bidding conditions when the advertising image contained in the distributed image was successfully bid on, and then terminates processing.

[0067] In addition, in S117 above, if the advertisement server 100 receives a print success / failure notification indicating "printing failed," it determines it as Yes and proceeds to S120 without executing S140.

[0068] In S120, the ad provider server 100 sends a bid cancellation notice to the ad management server 500, revoking the aforementioned successful bid determined in S8. Based on the bid cancellation notice received from the ad provider server 100, the ad management server 500 notifies the advertiser, who was the successful bidder for the relevant ad, of the cancellation of the bid.

[0069] In S130, the ad provider server 100 stores the distribution image whose bid was canceled in S120 as a failure history in the storage unit 115, linking it with historical information such as the bid conditions, failure reason information, and failure confirmation date and time when the ad image contained in the distribution image was won, and then terminates processing.

[0070] As described above, if the advertising server 100 determines that there is a defect in the print result of the delivered image based on S45, S50, S60, and S65, it does not execute S140 and therefore does not bill the successful bidder. If the advertising server 100 determines that there is no defect in the print result of the delivered image based on S45, S50, S60, and S65, it executes S140 and bills the bidder. S140 is an example of a billing step and an example of billing processing. Furthermore, the part of the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 that executes S140 is an example of the billing unit.

[0071] <Effects of the Embodiment> As described above, in this embodiment, the control unit 210 determines in S45, S50 and S60, S65 whether or not there is a defect in the print result of the distributed image printed by the printer 200. If the control unit 210 of the printer 200 determines that there is no defect in the print result, the advertising server 100 requests payment from the successful bidder for the advertising image in S140. If the control unit 210 of the printer 200 determines that there is a defect in the print result, the advertising server 100 does not request payment from the successful bidder. According to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the amount of payment requested despite defects in the print result of the advertising image, thereby enabling proper billing processing.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the detection unit 275 of the printer 200 detects an abnormality in nozzle ejection, the control unit 210 determines in S45 and S50 that there is a defect in the print result of the distributed image. According to this embodiment, if the detection unit 275 of the printer 200 detects an abnormality in nozzle ejection, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 considers that there is a defect in the print result of the advertising image and does not bill for payment, thus enabling proper billing processing.

[0073] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the detection unit 275 of the printer 200 detects an ejection abnormality in the nozzle, the maintenance unit 270C performs maintenance to resolve the ejection abnormality. After the maintenance unit 270C resolves the ejection abnormality, the printer 200 performs reprinting in S35, thereby reducing defects in the print results of the distributed image.

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if there is a misalignment in the transport mechanism 270B of the printer 200, the control unit 210 determines in S60 and S65 that there is a defect in the printed result of the distributed image. According to this embodiment, if a misalignment in the transport of the printed paper occurs, the control unit 110 of the advertising server 100 considers that there is a defect in the printed result of the advertising image and does not charge a fee, thus enabling proper billing processing.

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 210 of the printer 200 determines that a transport misalignment has occurred because the sensor 270D has detected that the length of both ends of the print paper is outside a predetermined range. As a result, the control unit 210 can determine in S60 and S65 that there is a defect in the print result of the distributed image.

[0076] Furthermore, in this embodiment in particular, the control unit 210 of the printer 200 estimates the printing status of the advertisement image according to the position of the printing paper corresponding to the detection result of the sensor 270D and the printing position of the advertisement image on the printing paper. If the control unit 210 estimates that part or all of the advertisement image has not been printed, it considers that a transport misalignment has occurred, and the control unit 210 can determine in S60 and S65 that there is a defect in the printing result of the delivered image.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the control unit 210 of the printer 200 detects a misalignment in the transport mechanism 270B, the transport mechanism 270B performs a correction operation to eliminate the misalignment. By having the printer 200 reprint the paper in S35 after the correction operation has been performed, defects in the print result of the advertisement image can be reduced. <Variation>

[0078] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from its spirit and technical concept. Such modifications will be described in order below. Parts equivalent to those in the embodiments described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0079] (1) When refunding the payment for which a payment has been made. In the above embodiment, if it is determined that there is a defect in the print result of the advertisement on the printer 200, no payment is requested from the successful bidder. However, there are cases where payment is requested before the start of advertisement printing or at approximately the same time as the start of advertisement printing. In such cases, if the control unit 210 of the printer 200 determines that there is a defect in the print result, the requested payment may be refunded if the external server has already processed the settlement for the requested payment.

[0080] Figures 11 and 12 are sequence diagrams showing the processes that the advertising server 100, advertising management server 500, and printer 200 perform in cooperation in this modified example. In Figures 11 and 12, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those described in Figures 2 and 3, and explanations are omitted as appropriate.

[0081] In Figure 11, steps S5 to S35 are the same as in Figure 2, so their explanation is omitted. After S30, the advertising server 100 proceeds to S140. In S140, the advertising server 100 sends a billing notification to the advertising management server 500 to bill the advertiser, who is the successful bidder and provided the advertising image included in the distribution image sent to the printer 200 in S30, for the payment of compensation corresponding to the printing of the advertisement. In S145, the advertising management server 500 sends a billing notification to the terminal device of the relevant successful bidder based on the billing notification received from the advertising server 100. After S140, in S40, the advertising server 100 starts a waiting process to await the print success / failure notification described later.

[0082] Moving on to Figure 12, steps S45 to S117 are the same as in Figure 3, so the explanation is omitted. In S117, the advertising server 100 determines whether the print success / failure notification sent by the printer 200 was a notification indicating "print failure". If it was a print success / failure notification indicating "print success", it determines No and proceeds to S150. In S150, the advertising server 100 stores the distribution image sent to the printer 200 in S30 as a success history in the storage unit 115, linking it with the printer ID of the corresponding printer 200, the user ID of the corresponding user, the current time information, and the bidding conditions when the advertising image contained in the distribution image was successfully bid on, and then terminates processing.

[0083] In step S117 above, if the advertisement server 100 receives a print success / failure notification indicating "printing failed," it determines it to Yes and proceeds to step S160.

[0084] In S160, the ad provider server 100 sends a refund notification to the ad management server 500 to the advertiser who was the successful bidder and to whom the billing notification was sent in S140, in order to refund the payment received. In S165, the ad management server 500 sends a refund notification to the terminal device, etc., of the relevant successful bidder based on the refund notification received from the ad provider server 100.

[0085] In S130, the ad provider server 100 stores the delivered image for which a refund was issued in S160 in the storage unit 115 as a failure history, linking it with historical information such as the bidding conditions, failure reason information, and failure confirmation date and time when the ad image contained in the delivered image was successfully bid on, and then terminates the process.

[0086] According to this modified version, even when billing is made before the start of advertising printing or at approximately the same time as the start of advertising printing, proper billing can be performed.

[0087] (2) When detecting the position coordinates of both ends in the transport direction of the printed paper In the above embodiment, the sensor 270D detected the position coordinates of both ends in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the printing paper S. However, for example, the position coordinates of both ends in the transport direction of the printing paper S may also be detected. In this case, for example, by moving the carriage 270E toward one end in the width direction of the printing paper S and moving the printing paper S from the front to the rear end in the transport direction using the transport roller 270Ba, the sensor 270D can detect the position coordinates of both ends in the transport direction at one end in the width direction of the printing paper S. Alternatively, for example, by moving the carriage 270E toward the other end in the width direction of the printing paper S and moving the printing paper S from the front to the rear end in the transport direction using the transport roller 270Ba, the sensor 270D can detect the position coordinates of both ends in the transport direction at the other end in the width direction of the printing paper S. Subsequently, the control unit 210 calculates the oblique angle θ in the same manner as in Figures 6 to 10 described above. If the calculated oblique angle θ is within the limit value θ1, it is determined that there is no transport misalignment. If the calculated oblique angle θ is greater than the limit value θ1, it is determined that there is a transport misalignment.

[0088] (3) Others In the above examples, printing was given as an example of output, but it is not limited to printing; display is also acceptable. Also, while printing paper was given as an example of a sheet, any sheet-like printing medium such as cloth will work.

[0089] Furthermore, although the advertising server 100 was configured as a single device in the above description, multiple devices may work together to perform the function of the advertising server 100.

[0090] Furthermore, step S45 in the above embodiment may be executed at a predetermined timing during printing, rather than after printing. Subsequently, if it is determined in S50 that there is an ejection abnormality in the nozzle of the head 270A, printing may be interrupted in S55 and maintenance such as flushing or purging may be performed by the maintenance unit 270C. Furthermore, after determining in S50 of the above embodiment that there is an ejection abnormality at the nozzle of the head 270A, it may be determined in S60 and S65 whether or not there is a transport misalignment. If there is an ejection abnormality at the nozzle and there is a transport misalignment, maintenance and correction of the transport misalignment of the printing paper S should be performed, and then reprinting should be performed.

[0091] Furthermore, the sequence diagrams shown in Figures 2, 3, 11, and 12 are not intended to limit this disclosure to the procedures shown in the above flow chart. Procedures may be added, deleted, or their order changed, as long as they do not deviate from the intent and technical concept of the disclosure.

[0092] In addition to what has already been described above, the methods described in the above embodiments and their variations may be used in appropriate combinations.

[0093] In addition, although not to be exemplified hereby, this disclosure may be implemented with various modifications, provided that it does not deviate from its intended purpose. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0094] 1. Content Processing System 100 Ad Provider Servers 110 Control Unit (Example of a Computer) 200 Printer (Example of output unit, output device) 210 Control Unit 270A head 270B Conveyor mechanism 270C Maintenance Department 270D Sensor 275 Detection unit 500 Ad Management Server

Claims

1. A request section that requests bids related to the output of content, A receiving unit that receives bids in response to the aforementioned bidding request, A decision unit determines which bid will be awarded from the bids received by the receiving unit, The acquisition unit acquires specific content provided by the specific bidder of the bid that has been determined to be the winning bidder by the aforementioned determination unit, An output unit that outputs a specific content image corresponding to the specific content acquired by the acquisition unit, A determination unit that determines whether or not there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image output by the output unit, If the determination unit determines that there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image, the billing unit will not charge the specific bidder, and if the determination unit determines that there is no defect in the output result of the specific content image, the billing unit will charge the fee. A content processing system having the following features.

2. The output unit includes a printing mechanism for printing an image onto a sheet. The content processing system according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not there is a defect in the print result of the specific content image printed by the printing mechanism.

3. The printing mechanism includes a head having a nozzle for dispensing liquid, The aforementioned content processing system is The nozzle further comprises a detection unit for detecting discharge abnormalities. The unit that makes the determination said, The content processing system according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit detects an abnormality in the nozzle discharge and determines that there is a defect.

4. The aforementioned content processing system is The unit further includes a maintenance unit that performs maintenance to resolve the nozzle discharge abnormality, The maintenance unit, when the detection unit detects the discharge abnormality, performs the maintenance to resolve the discharge abnormality. The content processing system according to claim 3, wherein the printing mechanism performs reprinting of the specific content image after the ejection abnormality is resolved by the maintenance unit.

5. The output unit includes a transport mechanism for transporting a sheet on which an image is printed. The unit that makes the determination said, The content processing system according to claim 2, wherein a defect is determined to exist when a misalignment of the sheet during transport is detected in the transport mechanism.

6. The aforementioned content processing system is The transport mechanism includes a sensor for detecting the position of the end of the sheet being transported, The unit that makes the determination said, The content processing system according to claim 5, which determines that there is a defect when the lengths of both ends of the sheet, based on the detection results of the sensor, fall outside a predetermined range including a reference value.

7. The unit that makes the determination said, The content processing system according to claim 6, which determines that there is a defect if it is estimated that part or all of the specific content image is not printed on the sheet, based on the position of the sheet during transport based on the detection result of the sensor and the printing position of the specific content image.

8. If the aforementioned transport misalignment is detected, the transport mechanism will perform a corrective operation for the transport misalignment. The content processing system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the printing mechanism reprints the specific content image on the sheet on which the correction operation has been performed.

9. An output device equipped with a control unit, The control unit, An output process that outputs a specific content image corresponding to the specific content provided by the specific bidder who is the successful bidder, as determined from the content bidding results, A determination process to determine whether or not there are defects in the output result of the specific content image output in the output process, If the judgment process determines that there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image, a failure notification is sent to the specific bidder so as not to charge the fee; if the judgment process determines that there is no defect in the output result of the specific content image, a success notification is sent to the specific bidder so as to charge the fee; An output device that performs the execution.

10. A content processing method performed by a content processing system, A request step to request bids related to content output, A receiving step that receives bids in response to the bid request in the request step, The decision step involves determining which bid to award from the bids received in the aforementioned receiving step, The acquisition step involves acquiring specific content provided by the specific bidder whose bid was determined to be the winning bidder in the aforementioned decision step, An output step which outputs a specific content image corresponding to the specific content acquired in the acquisition step, A determination step to determine whether or not there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image output in the output step, If the judgment step determines that there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image, the payment is not charged to the specific bidder; if the judgment step determines that there is no defect in the output result of the specific content image, the payment is charged in the billing step. A content processing method having the following characteristics.

11. For computers, A request process that requests bids related to the output of content, The receiving process for receiving bids in response to the bid request in the aforementioned request processing, The above-mentioned receiving process involves a decision process to determine which bid will be awarded, The acquisition process involves obtaining specific content provided by the specific bidder whose bid was determined to be the winning bidder in the aforementioned decision process, If there is a defect in the output result of the specific content image corresponding to the specific content acquired in the acquisition process, the specific bidder will not be charged for the payment, and if there is no defect in the output result of the specific content image, the payment will be charged for the payment. A content processing program to execute [the specified action].

Images