Notification system, information processing device, and server system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a notification system, an information processing device, and a server system. The information processing device is controlled to perform notification processing for a first printed product obtained by printing a first content based on information indicating that the content printed by the printing device corresponds to the first content at a first timing, and the information processing device is controlled to perform notification processing for a second printed product obtained by printing a second content based on information indicating that the content printed by the printing device corresponds to a second content different from the first content at a second timing earlier than the first timing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a notification system, an information processing device and a server system. Background Art

[0002] A technology is known in which notification information is sent to an information processing device such as a smartphone and the information processing device performs notification processing. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-134628 discusses a technology in which, for example, a mobile terminal device receives a push notification from a push notification delivery server and performs notification processing to send a push notification.

[0003] As information processing devices that perform notification processing become widespread, there is a need for technology for controlling such information processing devices to appropriately perform notification processing. Summary of the invention

[0004] The techniques and mechanisms provided by the embodiments of the present invention are intended to control an information processing device to appropriately perform notification processing.

[0005] According to various embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a notification system including: a printing device; and a server system. The server system is arranged outside the printing device and outside an information processing device. The printing device includes a printing unit configured to print content, and the server system includes a control unit configured to control the information processing device to perform a notification process for a first print product obtained by printing a first content at a first timing based on information indicating that the content printed by the printing device corresponds to the first content, and to control the information processing device to perform a notification process for a second print product obtained by printing a second content at a second timing earlier than the first timing based on information indicating that the content printed by the printing device corresponds to a second content different from the first content.

[0006] Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a notification system according to one embodiment.

[0008] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an information processing apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0009] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a printing apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0010] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating a home screen for a printing application according to one embodiment.

[0011] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a content selection screen according to one embodiment.

[0012] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a content details screen according to one embodiment.

[0013] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a preview screen according to an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an editing screen according to one embodiment.

[0015] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a print setting check screen according to one embodiment.

[0016] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of each server according to one embodiment.

[0017] Fig.11 is a diagram illustrating a screen in a state where push notification is executed according to one embodiment.

[0018] Fig.12 is a flow chart illustrating the processing of push notifications according to one embodiment.

[0019] Fig.13 It is a flowchart illustrating a process for controlling whether notification of a printed material is performed by push notification or notification is performed on a screen displayed in the foreground by a print application according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following exemplary embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the exemplary embodiments are essential to the solving means of the present invention.

[0021] The following exemplary embodiments illustrate the case where a smartphone is used as an example of an information processing device. However, any type of information processing device can be applied as long as the information processing device can process the content to be printed. For example, various types of information processing devices such as mobile terminals other than smartphones, laptop personal computers (PCs), desktop PCs, tablet terminals, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras can be applied. As a printing device, any type of printer can be used, including inkjet printers and laser beam printers. A multifunction peripheral device that includes not only a printing function but also a scanning function for scanning originals, a copying function, and a fax function can also be used.

[0022] Figure 1An example of the construction of a notification system is illustrated. The notification system includes an information processing device 200 and a printing device 300. The information processing device 200 is an information processing device that communicates with the printing device 300 via a network established by an access point 100 and causes the printing device 300 to perform printing. The information processing device 200 stores programs, such as a printing application (hereinafter referred to as a printing application) to be described below. Print data created using the printing application is sent from the information processing device 200 to the printing device 300 via the network. For example, the printing application is downloaded and installed in the information processing device 200 via the network. The printing application can be installed from, for example, a recording medium connected to the information processing device 200. The access point 100 according to the first exemplary embodiment is used as a wireless local area network (LAN) router. Therefore, the information processing device 200 is connected to the Internet via a wireless LAN router. With this construction, the information processing device 200 can communicate with the content management server 101 via the Internet. Although Figure 1 Only one printing apparatus 300 is illustrated, but a plurality of printing apparatuses 300 may be connected to the access point 100 .

[0023] The content management server 101 is a server that manages content to be used by a printing application. The image data management server 102 is a server that can store image data that a user shoots using a camera. The notification management server 103 is a server that manages application notification information and performs notification processing according to the present exemplary embodiment. Each of the above-mentioned servers is a server system that can be constructed using a single server PC, or can be a server system that is constructed using a plurality of server PCs. In other words, the processing to be performed by each of the above-mentioned servers can be performed by a plurality of server PCs that cooperate with each other, rather than by a single server PC.

[0024] Figure 2 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an information processing apparatus 200 according to the present exemplary embodiment. The information processing apparatus 200 includes a main board 210 that controls the entire apparatus, a wireless LAN unit 202, a near field communication (NFC) unit 201, a wired connection unit 203, and a touch panel display 204 that displays functions and operations of the printer and information related to the printer. The NFC unit 201, the wireless LAN unit 202, and the wired connection unit 203 can communicate with each other using NFC, a wireless LAN, or a mobile phone network.

[0025] A central processing unit (CPU) 211 in the form of a microprocessor arranged in the main board 210 operates based on a control program stored in a program memory 213 and based on the contents of a data memory 214, the program memory 213 being in the form of a read-only memory (ROM) connected via an internal bus 212, and the data memory 214 being in the form of a random access memory (RAM). The program memory 213 can store programs such as an embedded operating system (OS) and a printing application according to the present exemplary embodiment. In the present exemplary embodiment, the application program stored in the program memory 213 is subjected to software execution control under the control of the OS. Specifically, the application program is implemented by the CPU 211 loading the application program stored in the program memory 213 into the data memory 214 in the form of a RAM and executing the loaded application program.

[0026] The CPU 211 controls the wireless LAN unit 202 to communicate with another device via a wireless LAN via the wireless LAN control circuit 215. The wireless LAN unit 202 can perform data (packet) communication by a communication method conforming to, for example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 series (IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, etc.).

[0027] The CPU 211 controls the NFC unit 201 via the NFC control circuit 216 to detect the connection with another NFC terminal through NFC, and to send and receive data to and from another NFC terminal. In addition, the CPU 211 controls the wired connection unit 203 via the wired control circuit 217 to connect to the mobile phone network to make a call or send and receive data. The CPU 211 may include a processor for implementing a Bluetooth communication system such as a Bluetooth A unit for low power communication methods.

[0028] The CPU 211 controls the operation unit control circuit 218 to display on the touch panel display 204 and receive operations from the user. The CPU 211 controls the camera unit 219 to capture an image and store the captured image in the image memory 220 in the data memory 214. The CPU 211 can store not only the captured image in the image memory 220 but also an image acquired from an external device via a mobile phone network, a wireless LAN, or NFC in the image memory 220, and can also send the image to the external device.

[0029] The nonvolatile memory 221 includes a memory such as a flash memory, and stores data to be saved after the power is turned off. The nonvolatile memory 221 stores, for example, phone book data, various communication connection information, information about previously connected devices, and image data to be saved. The nonvolatile memory 221 also stores application management information managed by the print application according to the present exemplary embodiment.

[0030] Figure 3 300. The printing apparatus 300 includes a main board 310 that controls the entire apparatus, a wireless LAN unit 308, an NFC unit 306, and an operation panel 305. Each of the wireless LAN unit 308 and the NFC unit 306 functions as a communication unit of the printing apparatus 300.

[0031] A CPU 311 in the form of a microprocessor arranged in the main board 310 operates according to a control program stored in a program memory 313 in the form of a ROM connected via an internal bus 312 and based on the contents of a data memory 314 in the form of a RAM.

[0032] The CPU 311 controls the scanner unit 315 to scan the original document and stores the scanned image data in the image memory 316 in the data memory 314. The CPU 311 controls the printing unit 317 to print the image stored in the image memory 316 in the data memory 314 on a recording medium. The CPU 311 can also send the scanned image data to the information processing device 200 via the wireless LAN unit 308 controlled by the wireless LAN control circuit 318. In the present exemplary embodiment, the printing unit 317 is configured to print by an inkjet method. However, the configuration of the printing unit 317 is not limited to this configuration. The printing unit 317 can print by other methods, such as an electrophotographic method and a thermal sublimation method.

[0033] The CPU 311 controls the wireless LAN unit 308 via the wireless LAN control circuit 318 to communicate with another device via the wireless LAN. The wireless LAN unit 308 can perform data (packet) communication by a communication method that complies with, for example, the IEEE 802.11 series (IEEE 802.11a, IEEE802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, etc.). The CPU 311 controls the NFC unit 306 via the NFC control circuit 319 to detect connection with another NFC terminal via NFC, and to send and receive data to and from another NFC terminal. The communication method used in the communication that can be performed by the printing device 300 is not limited to the above-mentioned method. It is also possible to perform communication such as Classic and Other communication methods with low power consumption establish communication.

[0034] The CPU 311 controls the operation unit control circuit 320 to display the status of the printing apparatus 300 and a function selection menu on the operation panel 305 and receive operations from the user.

[0035] The printing apparatus 300 according to the present exemplary embodiment can receive a print job including data in a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) file format to which a printer control command is added, and can perform printing based on the print job.

[0036] Fig.10 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of each of the content management server 101, the image data management server 102, and the notification management server 103 according to the present exemplary embodiment. Each server includes a main board 1010 that controls the entire device, a wireless LAN unit 1018, and a wired connection unit 1017. In this case, the wireless LAN unit 1018 and the wired connection unit 1017 can communicate with each other using a wireless LAN or a mobile phone network.

[0037] The CPU 1011 in the form of a microprocessor arranged in the main board 1010 operates according to the control program stored in the program memory 1012, which is in the form of a ROM connected via the internal bus 1019 and the data memory 1013 in the form of a RAM. The program memory 1012 can store programs such as an embedded OS. In the present exemplary embodiment, the application program stored in the program memory 1012 is subjected to software execution control under the control of the OS. Specifically, the application program is implemented by the CPU 1011 loading the application program stored in the program memory 1012 into the data memory 1013 in the form of a RAM and executing the loaded application program.

[0038] The CPU 1011 controls the wireless LAN unit 1018 to communicate with another device via a wireless LAN via the wireless LAN control circuit 1016. The wireless LAN unit 1018 can perform data (packet) communication by a communication method conforming to, for example, the IEEE 802.11 series (IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, etc.).

[0039] Further, the CPU 1011 controls the wired connection unit 1017 via the wired control circuit 1015 to connect to a mobile phone network to make a call or transmit and receive data.

[0040] The nonvolatile memory 1014 includes a memory such as a flash memory, and stores data to be saved after the power is turned off. For example, content is stored in the nonvolatile memory 1014 of the content management server 101, image data is stored in the nonvolatile memory 1014 of the image data management server 102, and information used for notification control described below is stored in the nonvolatile memory 1014 in the notification management server 103.

[0041] The configurations of the content management server 101, the image data management server 102, and the notification management server 103 are not necessarily identical to each other.

[0042] Next, we will refer to Figures 4 to 9 The display screen for the print application and the operation of the display screen according to the present exemplary embodiment are described. When the print application stored in the program memory 213 is executed by the CPU 211, Figures 4 to 9 The display screens illustrated in FIG. 1 are each displayed on the touch panel display 204. A case will be described in which a program language operating in a multi-platform such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) 5 or A user interface control program for a printing application according to the present exemplary embodiment is created. The program language to be used is not limited to these examples. Or platform-dependent languages ​​like Objective-C can be used to create user interface control programs.

[0043] The various processes to be performed in the state where the printing application displays a screen described below are implemented by the CPU 211 loading the program for the printing application stored in the program memory 213 and the like into the data memory 214 in the form of a RAM and executing the loaded program. All the processes described below do not have to be performed sequentially in a single process. For example, the OS may perform a process once, and the printing application may be called again from the OS, and then the subsequent process may be performed by the printing application.

[0044] Figure 4 The main screen of the print application according to the present exemplary embodiment is illustrated. Figure 4 On the illustrated home screen, a printer registration button 400 , a menu button 401 , a main display area 402 , a create new button 403 , a work display button 404 , a favorites display button 405 , and a notification display button 406 are displayed.

[0045] In the case where any one of the buttons 403 to 406 is tapped, content corresponding to the tapped button is displayed on the main display area 402 . Figure 4 There is illustrated a display example of the main display area 402 when the print application is activated, or when a create new button 403 for newly creating print data is tapped.

[0046] When the printer registration button 400 is tapped, a printer registration screen (not illustrated) is displayed. In the registration process to be performed using the printer registration screen, a printer to which a print job is to be sent is selected and set. When the menu button 401 is tapped, various information about the print application, such as version information and license information, is displayed.

[0047] exist Figure 4 On the main screen shown in FIG. 4 , a plurality of category selection buttons 407 are displayed on the main display area 402. The category selection buttons 407 correspond to the respective categories of works that can be printed by the print application according to the present exemplary embodiment. Figure 4 Texts such as "calendar" or "card" are displayed on each category selection button 407 on the main screen shown. In addition to such text, icons corresponding to the respective categories may be displayed. In the case where any one of the category selection buttons 407 is tapped, the display target of the touch panel display 204 changes to a screen for printing the content in the category corresponding to the tapped category selection button 407. Specifically, for example, in the case where the category selection button 407 indicating "paper crafts" is tapped, the display target changes to a screen for creating paper crafts. Similarly, in the case where the category selection button 407 indicating "calendar" is tapped, the display target changes to a screen for creating a calendar. Figure 4The illustrated home screen includes category selection buttons 407 indicating "calendar", "card", and the like. In the case where any one of the category selection buttons 407 is selected, a function of performing printing using the content corresponding to the selected category selection button 407 is performed. The content may be image data to be printed or a template for setting other image data. In the present exemplary embodiment, the content is acquired from the content management server 101, but may also be previously retained in the printing application. The content that can be used for printing and the editing function such as inserting an image or text into the content vary according to the category selection button 407 tapped by the user. In the present exemplary embodiment, the category that can be selected by tapping any one of the category selection buttons 407 includes a category that includes content that needs to be assembled after printing. In the present exemplary embodiment, the category that includes content that needs to be assembled after printing is "paper crafts". The term "assembly" used in the present exemplary embodiment refers to the process of processing a printed matter by cutting, folding, or gluing the printed matter to create a work. Therefore, in the present exemplary embodiment, the content that needs to be assembled after printing includes an auxiliary image area for assisting or guiding the user in assembling (processing). Examples of the auxiliary image area include a line indicating a cutting position, a line indicating a folding position, and an overlap width. One or more prints can be obtained by printing a single content. For example, in the case of using content for creating a work by combining a plurality of parts, prints corresponding to the plurality of parts are used so that a plurality of prints are obtained by printing a single content. In the present exemplary embodiment, control processing is performed in which a time period for producing a work is considered. It is therefore considered that as the number of parts for producing a work increases, the time period for producing the work also increases.

[0048] On tap Figure 4 In the case of the work display button 404 shown, a list of thumbnails corresponding to the works stored by the user is displayed in an icon state on the main display area 402. Each work stored by the user is image data to be printed created when the user selects any one of the category selection buttons 407. Alternatively, in the list display, the works can be distinguished for each category corresponding to the category selection button 407, and thumbnails can be displayed.

[0049] When the favorites display button 405 is tapped, a screen indicating a list of contents registered as favorites by the user is displayed on the main display area 402. When the notification display button 406 is tapped, notification information indicating a content update notification or the like is displayed on the main display area 402.

[0050] Next, a description will be given of a display example in the case where any one of the category selection buttons 407 is tapped. In the case where any one of the category selection buttons 407 is tapped, the display target transitions to a content selection screen for displaying a content list corresponding to the selected category.

[0051] Figure 5 An example of a content selection screen corresponding to "Paper crafts" is illustrated. The content selection screen includes a back button 500 and a content thumbnail display area 501. When the back button 500 is tapped, the display target of the touch panel display 204 is changed to the screen displayed before the current display is changed ( Figure 4 ). A plurality of content thumbnails 502 are displayed on the content thumbnail display area 501. Each content thumbnail 502 is an area where the content corresponding to each category is displayed as a thumbnail. In particular, the content thumbnail 502 corresponding to "paper crafts" is an area on which a craft work obtained by assembling prints obtained by printing the content corresponding to the "paper crafts" is displayed as a thumbnail. The content thumbnail 502 corresponding to content other than "paper crafts" (content that does not require assembly of prints) may be an area where the content itself is displayed as a thumbnail. When any content thumbnail 502 is tapped (selected), the display target changes to a content detail screen indicating the details of the selected content thumbnail.

[0052] Figure 6 An example of a content details screen is illustrated. The content details screen includes a back button 600, content details 601, content name 602, content creation method display button 603, favorite button 604, and preview button 605. In the case of corresponding to content in which an editing operation such as inserting an image or inserting a text can be performed, the preview button 605 serves as an edit button. When the back button 600 is tapped, the display target of the touch panel display 204 changes to the screen displayed before the transition to the currently displayed screen ( Figure 5). When the content creation method display button 603 is tapped, the printing application downloads a file indicating the craft work creation method from the content management server 101 and uses the downloaded file to display a screen indicating the craft work creation method (not illustrated). The craft work creation method is a method for assembling a printed matter obtained by printing the content corresponding to the content details screen. The user can create a craft work by assembling the printed matter according to the method. The file indicating the craft work creation method can be pre-included in the printing application instead of being downloaded from an external server. In the present exemplary embodiment, the content creation method display button 603 is displayed only on the content details screen of the content that needs to be assembled. In the present exemplary embodiment, the content creation method display button 603 is displayed only on the content details screen of the content in the category corresponding to "paper crafts", and is not displayed on the content details screen of the content in the category other than "paper crafts".

[0053] In the case where the favorite button 604 is tapped, the content corresponding to the currently displayed content detail screen is registered as a favorite. When the favorite display button 405 is tapped, the content registered as a favorite is indicated on the screen to be displayed. In the case where the preview button 605 is tapped, the display target is changed to a preview screen indicating a printout (print result) obtained when the content corresponding to the content detail screen is printed. In the present exemplary embodiment, in the case where the content selected on the content selection screen corresponds to the content included in the content management server 101, the printing application downloads the content in response to the preview button 605 (or the edit button) being tapped. In addition, the printing application displays a preview screen corresponding to the content based on the downloaded content. The configuration of the printing application according to the present exemplary embodiment is not limited to this configuration. In response to selecting content on the content selection screen, the printing application can download the content before displaying the content detail screen (or during the time period when the content detail screen is displayed). In the case where the content selected on the content selection screen corresponds to the content previously retained in the printing application, the printing application displays a preview screen based on the previously retained content without performing downloading of the content from the external server.

[0054] Figure 7 An example of a preview screen is illustrated. The preview screen includes a back button 700, a print preview 701, a preview display reduction / enlargement control 702, a save button 703, and a print button 704. When the back button 700 is tapped, the display target of the touch panel display 204 is changed to the screen displayed before the current displayed screen is changed ( Figure 6701 indicates a print product (print result) obtained by printing the content selected by the user. In the case where the preview display reduction / enlargement control 702 is operated, the display area of ​​the print preview 701 is enlarged or reduced. In the case where the save button 703 is tapped, the content corresponding to the currently displayed print preview 701 is saved. The saved content is displayed on the screen displayed in response to the work display button 404 being tapped. In the case where the print button 704 is tapped, the display target is shifted to the print setting check screen.

[0055] As described above, in a case where the content corresponding to the content detail screen corresponds to content on which an editing operation such as inserting an image or inserting a text can be performed, an edit button is displayed on the content detail screen instead of the preview button 605. In a case where the edit button is tapped, the display target transitions to the edit screen on which a printout (print result) obtained by printing the content corresponding to the content detail screen is displayed and the content can be edited. Figure 8 An example of an editing screen is illustrated. The editing screen includes a back button 800, a print preview 801, a preview display reduction / enlargement control 802, a save button 803, and a print button 804. When the back button 800 is tapped, the display target of the touch panel display 204 is changed to the screen displayed before the change to the currently displayed screen ( Figure 6 801 is a screen shown in the figure). The print preview 801 indicates a print product (print result) obtained by printing the content selected by the user. In the case where the preview display reduction / enlargement control 802 is operated, the display area of ​​the print preview 801 is enlarged or reduced. In the case where the text button 805 is tapped, a text input screen (not illustrated) is displayed. The text input on the text input screen is set on the content corresponding to the editing screen. The position where the text is set can be freely set by the user or can be predetermined for each content. In the case where the image button 806 is tapped, an image selection screen (not illustrated) is displayed. On the image selection screen, for example, an image maintained in the information processing device 200 or an image maintained in the image data management server 102 can be selected. In the case of selecting an image maintained in the image data management server 102, the printing application obtains the selected image from the image data management server 102. The image selected on the image selection screen is set on the content corresponding to the editing screen. The position of the setting screen can be freely set by the user or can be predetermined for each content. In this way, the content of each content (the content of the image or text set on the content) can be edited as needed according to the type of each content. The edited content is reflected as necessary in the print preview 801. When a save button 803 is tapped, the content corresponding to the currently displayed print preview 801 is saved. When a print button 804 is tapped, the display target shifts to a print setting check screen.

[0056] Fig. 9 An example of the print setting check screen is illustrated. Fig. 9 The print setting check screen shown is in response to Figure 7 The print setting screen is displayed by tapping the print button 704 on the screen shown in FIG. The print setting screen includes a back button 900, a preview display area 901, a registered printer information area 902, a print setting display area 903, a print setting button 904, and a print button 905. When the back button 900 is tapped, the display target of the touch panel display 204 changes to the screen displayed before the current display screen is changed ( Figure 7 The screen shown or Figure 8 ). The preview display area 901 displays a print preview that includes display contents similar to those of the print preview 701 and the print preview 801 and is based on contents selected by a user and a result of editing the contents.

[0057] When the print setting button 904 is tapped, a print setting screen (not illustrated) for changing the printer to which the print job is sent and the print settings is displayed. For example, on the print setting screen, the printer to which the print job is sent, the number of prints, the type of sheet used for printing, the sheet size used for printing, etc. can be set or changed. The registered printer information area 902 displays information about the printer currently set as the printer to which the print job is sent. The print setting display area 903 displays the currently set print settings. When the printer to which the print job is sent and the print settings are changed on the print setting screen and displayed again, the print settings are displayed. Fig. 9 When the screen shown is displayed, the changed contents are displayed in the registered printer information area 902 and the print setting display area 903. The contents displayed in the registered printer information area 902 and the print setting display area 903 are stored in the program memory 213 or the nonvolatile memory 221. Therefore, in the case where the print application is completed and then restarted, the same contents are displayed again in the registered printer information area 902 and the print setting display area 903. When the print application is first installed in the information processing apparatus 200 and the print setting check screen is displayed, the default settings specified in the print application are displayed in the registered printer information area 902 and the print setting display area 903.

[0058] When the print button 905 is tapped, the user's Figures 5 to 9, a print job of the content selected and edited on the screen shown in is sent to the printing device 300. Specifically, the CPU 211 first performs rendering processing on the content selected and edited by the user, and converts the content into JPEG data. In addition, the CPU 211 generates a print job by adding a print control command including print setting information, etc. to the generated JPEG data. The print job generated as described above is sent to the printing device 300. During the time period when the print job is sent and the printing device 300 executes printing based on the print job, the display target of the touch panel display 204 is changed to the print execution screen. On the print execution screen, the printing progress based on the print job, the content of the print setting of the sent print job, the area for canceling the printing based on the print job, etc. are displayed.

[0059] In the case where printing based on the print job is completed, the CPU 211 sends information about the print job sent to the printing device 300 (in other words, information about the print product printed by the printing device 300) to the notification management server 103. Specifically, the information about the print job is, for example, information about the content to be printed based on the print job. More specifically, the information about the print job is content ID information (identification information) indicating the content to be printed based on the print job. Or, for example, the information about the print job is device ID information indicating the information processing device 200 that has sent the print job. In the present exemplary embodiment, the notification to be sent by the notification management server 103 is controlled based on this information. It is also possible to send the information about the print job to the notification management server 103, for example, at the timing of sending the print job from the information processing device 200, rather than at the timing of completing the printing based on the print job.

[0060] In the present exemplary embodiment, after a print job is sent by a print application, notification processing of a printout printed based on the print job or a work obtained by assembling the printout is performed. Specifically, for example, notification processing for prompting a user to capture an image of a printout printed based on the print job or an image of a work obtained by assembling the printout is performed. In addition, notification processing for prompting a user to upload (or post) image data obtained by image capture to a social networking service (SNS) to introduce the printout or the assembled work is performed. In the present exemplary embodiment, notification processing is performed by a push notification function included in the OS of the information processing device 200. In other words, the push notification processing to be described below is performed by the OS, but may alternatively be performed as needed via an application such as a print application.

[0061] Fig.11The screen in a state where notification is made by push notification is illustrated. In a case where the information processing device 200 receives push notification information, the OS displays a push notification area on the screen displayed by the information processing device 200. Fig.11 The state in which the push notification area 1100 is displayed on the main screen of the information processing device 200 is illustrated. The main screen is a screen on which icons corresponding to the applications installed in the information processing device 200 are displayed by the OS or the like. The applications corresponding to the selected icons are started in response to the selection of the respective icons. The push notification area 1100 may also be displayed on a screen other than the main screen. For example, in the case where a screen corresponding to any application is displayed, the push notification area 1100 may be displayed on the screen. The push notification area 1100 includes a notification message, a close button 1101, and a start button 1102. In the present exemplary embodiment, the notification message is a message for prompting the user to take an image of a printout printed based on a print job, or an image of a work obtained by assembling a printout. Alternatively, the notification message is a message for prompting the user to upload the image data obtained by the above-mentioned image capture to the SNS to introduce the printout or work to his / her friends. In the case of tapping the close button 1101, the push notification area 1100 is closed and only the screen below the push notification area 1100 is displayed. When the start button 1102 is tapped, an application (camera application) for capturing an image using the camera unit 219 is started. When a plurality of camera applications are installed in the information processing device 200, the information processing device 200 may require the user to select any one of the plurality of camera applications and start the selected camera application. Fig.11 The push notification area 1100 shown includes a button for launching the selected camera application, but may alternatively include a button for launching another application. Specifically, for example, the push notification area 1100 may include a button for launching an application for publishing the captured image data to an SNS. Information indicating the application corresponding to the push notification area 1100 (in this case, the printing application) (e.g., the name of the printing application or an icon corresponding to the printing application) may also be displayed on the push notification area 1100.

[0062] As described above, in the present exemplary embodiment, the user performs the notification processing as described above in the case of performing printing. For content that requires assembly of printed content, generally speaking, it may be desirable to take an image of the work and publish the taken image to SNS after the content assembly is completed and the work is created. Specifically, for content that requires assembly of printed content, it may be preferable to perform the notification processing after the content assembly is completed and the work is created, rather than performing the notification processing immediately after the content is printed. Therefore, in the present exemplary embodiment, the notification processing is performed at an appropriate timing based on the printed content. Fig.121 is a flowchart illustrating the push notification process executed by the notification management server 103 . Fig.12 The flowchart shown is implemented by the CPU 1011 loading a program stored in the program memory 1012 , the nonvolatile memory 1014 , etc. into the data memory 1013 and executing the loaded program.

[0063] In step S1201, the CPU 1011 determines whether information about a print job transmitted from the information processing device 200 via a network is received. In the case where the CPU 1011 determines that the information processing device ID information and the content ID information are not received ("No" in step S1201), the determination process of step S1201 is repeated until the information processing device ID information and the content ID information are received. On the other hand, in the case where the CPU 1011 determines that the information processing device ID information and the content ID information are received ("Yes" in step S1201), the process proceeds to step S1202. In step S1202, information indicating a work production time period (production time period information) taken to produce a work produced by assembling the content corresponding to the received content ID information is obtained from the content management server 101. The "work production time period" used here refers to a time period generally required to produce a work by assembling content, and varies based on the difficulty of assembling each work. This time period is set in advance by a supplier who provides each content. In the present exemplary embodiment, the production time period information is set to vary for each content. Specifically, the production time period set for content such as "dice" that requires a simple assembly process is shorter than the production time period set for content such as "castle" that requires a complex assembly process. The production time period information may be set to vary for each category rather than for each content. In the present exemplary embodiment, the production time period is set in units of days, but may alternatively be set in units of minutes, hours, or seconds.

[0064] As described below, in the present exemplary embodiment, push notification is performed based on the identified production time period information. Specifically, in the present exemplary embodiment, notification processing is performed at a timing when a short time has passed since the execution of printing for content that does not require a long time period to produce a work or for content that does not require assembly and is printed as a finished product. On the other hand, notification processing is performed at a timing when a long time period has passed since the execution of printing and when the production of the work is likely to be completed for content that requires a long time period to produce a work. Examples of content that requires a long time period to produce a work include content that includes the above-mentioned larger auxiliary image area. Examples of content that does not require a long time period to produce a work and content that does not require assembly and is printed as a finished product include content that includes less auxiliary image areas, or content that does not include auxiliary image areas. Examples of content that requires a long time to produce a work include such content, based on which more prints can be obtained by printing the content. Examples of content that does not require a long time period to produce a work and content that does not require assembly and is printed as a finished product include such content, based on which only a small amount of prints or one print is obtained by printing the content.

[0065] In step S1203, the CPU 1011 identifies the production completion time of the work produced by assembling the content corresponding to the received content ID information based on the acquired production time period information and the current time information. Afterwards, in step S1204, the CPU 1011 determines whether the current time is a time after the production completion time (or whether the current time is consistent with the production completion time). This determination corresponds to determining whether the time period corresponding to the production time period information has passed since the content corresponding to the received content ID information was printed. In the case where the CPU 1011 determines that the current time is a time that has not passed the production completion time ("No" in step S1204), the processing of step S1204 is repeated until the production completion time has passed. On the other hand, in the case where the CPU 1011 determines that the current time is a time after the production completion time ("Yes" in step S1204), the processing proceeds to step S1205. In step S1205, the CPU 1011 identifies the information processing device 200 corresponding to the received information processing device ID information, and the information processing device 200 executes a process for executing a push notification. Specifically, the process for executing a push notification is to send information about the information processing device 200 to the information processing device 200 through a push notification. Fig.11 Therefore, in the information processing device 200, the push notification information is displayed on the push notification area 1100. Fig.11 Push notification area 1100 is shown. Push notification information may be sent to the information processing device 200 via another server or the like. Thereafter, the CPU 1011 terminates the processing.

[0066] As described above, in this exemplary embodiment, the notification process for the content selected and printed by the user can be appropriately performed based on the production time period of the work produced by assembling the content. In addition, the notification process can be performed at an appropriate timing according to the type of each printed content.

[0067] In the case of sending a print job for printing a content that does not require a long period of time to produce a work or a content that does not require assembly and is printed as a finished product, a configuration in which push notification is not performed may be adopted. Specifically, for example, when sending a print job for printing a content in a category other than "paper crafts", a configuration in which push notification is not performed may be adopted. In other words, whether to perform push notification may be controlled according to the type or content of each content, or according to the type or content of each category. In the configuration in which push notification is not performed, information about the print job after the print job is sent or after printing based on the print job is completed is not sent to the notification management server 103.

[0068] In the case of sending a print job for printing content that does not require a long period of time to produce a work or content that does not require assembly and is printed as a finished product, a structure that performs notification processing different from push notifications can be adopted. Examples of notification processing different from push notifications include notification processing for notifications on a screen displayed in the foreground by a printing application. Specifically, whether notification processing for printed materials (capturing an image of the work and publishing the captured image data to an SNS) is performed by push notifications or by notifications on a screen displayed in the foreground by a printing application can be controlled according to the type or content of each content, or according to the type or content of each category. The processing performed by the information processing device 200 in this structure will be described below.

[0069] Fig.13 This is a flowchart for controlling whether notification processing is performed on a print product by push notification or by notification on a screen displayed in the foreground by a print application. Fig.13 The illustrated flowchart is implemented by the CPU 211 loading a print application stored in the program memory 213, the nonvolatile memory 221, or the like into the data memory 214 in the form of a RAM and executing the loaded program. Fig.13 All the processes shown are not necessarily performed sequentially in a single process. For example, the OS may perform a process once, and the print application may be called again from the OS, and then the subsequent process may be performed by the print application. The process is started after the screen is changed and the content is selected and edited as described above.

[0070] In step S1301, the CPU 211 determines whether printing based on the print job sent to the printing device 300 is completed. The CPU 211 acquires information about the progress of printing from the printing device 300 as needed, and performs determination processing based on the information. In the case where the CPU 211 determines that printing is not completed ("No" in step S1301), the processing of step S1301 is repeated until printing is completed. In the case where the CPU 211 determines that printing is completed ("Yes" in step S1301), the processing proceeds to step S1302.

[0071] In step S1302, the CPU 211 determines whether to perform notification processing for prompting the user to take an image of a work and publish the taken image data to the SNS by push notification or by notification on a screen displayed by the printing application in the foreground. As described above, in the present exemplary embodiment, in the case of printing a content that requires a long period of time to produce the work, the notification processing is performed by push notification, and in the case of printing a content that does not require a long period of time to produce the work or a content that does not require assembly and is printed as a finished product, the notification processing is performed by notification on a screen displayed by the printing application. Therefore, in this determination processing, the CPU 211 determines whether the printing completed by the printing device 300 corresponds to the printing of the content that requires a long period of time to produce the work. In this process, the printing application can manage information about the production time period of each content and perform determination based on the information. In a configuration in which the notification method is controlled based on each category, the CPU 211 performs determination of the printing completed by the printing device 300 to determine which category of content has been printed. In this case, for example, in the case where the printing completed by the printing device 300 corresponds to the printing of the content in the "paper craft" category, the CPU 211 determines to perform notification processing by push notification. In the case where the printing completed by the printing device 300 corresponds to the printing of the content in the category other than "paper crafts", the CPU 211 determines that the notification process is performed by the notification on the screen displayed in the foreground by the printing application. In the case where the CPU 211 determines that the notification process is performed by the push notification ("Yes" in step S1302), the process proceeds to step S1303. In the case where the CPU 211 determines that the notification process is performed by the notification on the screen displayed in the foreground by the printing application ("No" in step S1303), the process proceeds to step S1304.

[0072] In step S1303, the CPU 211 transmits information about the print job to the notification management server 103. Thus, the notification management server 103 executes the following operations: Fig.12 The notification control process shown in the figure: After the work creation time period has passed, push notification is executed.

[0073] On the other hand, in step S1304, the CPU 211 performs notification processing on the printout printed based on the print job or the work obtained by assembling the printout through a notification on a screen displayed in the foreground by the printing application. Specifically, the CPU 211 does not perform notification processing on a notification area similar to the push notification area 1100 through a push notification, but performs notification processing on a screen displayed in the foreground by the printing application. More specifically, in this configuration, a notification is made on the printing application immediately after the printing is completed about the content that does not require a long period of time to produce the work or the content that does not require assembly and is printed as a finished product. In step S1304, a configuration may also be adopted in which both notification processing by push notification at a timing based on the work production time period and notification processing by notification on a screen displayed in the foreground by the printing application immediately after the printing is completed are performed.

[0074] With this configuration, notification processing can be appropriately performed according to the type or content of each content, or according to the type or content of each category.

[0075] Although the above exemplary embodiment illustrates a configuration in which notification corresponding to the content production time period is performed by push notification, the present exemplary embodiment is not limited to this configuration. Notification based on the content production time period may be performed on a screen displayed by a printing application. In this case, the information processing apparatus 200 may use the printing application to perform a function for managing the content production time period. Fig.12 In the case where the process for managing notification can be executed only when the print application is running in the foreground, the notification process is executed at a timing when the current time is a time after the production completion time and the print application is running in the foreground.

[0076] The present invention can also be implemented by the following process, wherein a recording medium storing a software program code for implementing the functions according to the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment is provided to a system or device, and the program code stored in the recording medium is executed by a computer of the system or device. In this case, the functions according to the above-mentioned exemplary embodiment are implemented by the program code read out from the storage medium, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

[0077] As storage media for providing program codes, for example, floppy disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, compact disk (CD)-ROMs, recordable CD(R), magnetic tapes, nonvolatile memory cards, ROMs, and digital versatile disks (DVDs) can be used.

[0078] According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to control an information processing apparatus to appropriately perform notification processing.

[0079] The embodiments of the present invention may also be implemented by a computer of a system or device, which reads and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be more completely referred to as a "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium") to perform one or more functions in the above-mentioned embodiments and / or includes one or more circuits (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) for performing one or more functions in the above-mentioned embodiments, and a method executed by a computer of the system or device, for example, reading and executing computer executable instructions from a storage medium to perform one or more functions in the above-mentioned embodiments and / or controlling one or more circuits to perform one or more functions in the above-mentioned embodiments. The computer may include one or more processors (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU)), and may include a network of independent computers or independent processors to read and execute computer executable instructions. For example, computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer from a network or storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a memory of a distributed computing system, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), or a Blu-ray disc (BD)) TM ), flash memory devices, memory cards, etc. Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be given the broadest interpretation so as to cover all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

[0080] This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-127363, filed on Jul. 28, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Claims

1. A notification system, comprising: Printing device; as well as a server system, the server system being arranged outside the printing device and outside the information processing device, The printing device includes a printing unit configured to print content, and wherein the server system includes a control unit configured to control the information processing device to perform notification processing for a first printed product obtained by printing the first content at a first timing based on information indicating that the content printed by the printing device corresponds to the first content, and to control the information processing device to perform notification processing for a second printed product obtained by printing the second content at a second timing earlier than the first timing based on information indicating that the content printed by the printing device corresponds to a second content different from the first content, wherein, in a case where the content printed by the printing device corresponds to first content, the information processing device is controlled to perform notification processing based on information indicating that a first time period corresponding to the first content has elapsed since printing the first content, and Here, when the content printed by the printing device corresponds to the second content, the information processing device is controlled to perform notification processing based on information indicating that a second time period corresponding to the second content has passed since the second content was printed, and the second time period is shorter than the first time period.

2. The notification system according to claim 1, wherein: The first content includes an auxiliary image area for assisting processing of a printed product.

3. The notification system according to claim 2, wherein: The second content does not include the auxiliary image area.

4. The notification system according to claim 2, wherein: The second content includes an auxiliary image area that is smaller than an auxiliary image area in the first content.

5. The notification system according to claim 2, wherein: The auxiliary image area includes at least one of a line indicating a cutting position, a line indicating a folding position, and an overlap width.

6. The notification system according to claim 1, wherein: In a case where the content printed by the printing apparatus corresponds to third content different from the first content and the second content, notification processing for a third print product obtained by printing the third content is not performed.

7. The notification system according to claim 1, in, The first content includes an auxiliary image area for assisting processing of a printed product, wherein, in a case where the content printed by the printing device corresponds to a third content different from the first content and the second content, notification processing for a third print product obtained by printing the third content is not performed, and The third content includes an auxiliary image area that is smaller than the auxiliary image areas in the first content and the second content, or does not include an auxiliary image area.

8. The notification system according to claim 1, wherein: The control for causing the information processing apparatus to execute notification processing for the first printed product is control for sending notification information for causing a server system to execute notification processing for the first printed product to an information processing system, the server system being arranged outside the printing apparatus and outside the information processing apparatus.

9. The notification system according to claim 8, wherein: The notification process for the first print product is controlled to be executed based on the notification information received from the server system, and the notification process for the second print product is controlled to be executed without receiving the notification information from the server system provided outside the printing apparatus and outside the information processing apparatus.

10. The notification system according to claim 8, wherein: The notification process for the first print product is controlled to be executed by a push notification function of the information processing apparatus, and the notification process for the second print product is controlled to be executed on a screen displayed in the foreground by a predetermined application for causing the printing apparatus to execute printing.

11. The notification system according to claim 1, wherein: The control for causing the information processing apparatus to execute the notification process for the first printed product is a control for causing a predetermined application in the information processing apparatus to execute the notification process for the first printed product.

12. The notification system according to claim 1, further comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire content information about content printed by the printing device, Here, the timing of executing the notification process by the information processing device is controlled based on the content information.

13. The notification system according to claim 1, wherein: The information processing apparatus configured to execute notification processing for the first print product is an apparatus that transmits a print job for printing the first content to a printing apparatus.

14. The notification system according to claim 1, wherein: The notification process for the first printed product is a notification process for prompting the user to at least one of capture an image of the first printed product and upload image data obtained by capturing an image of the first printed product to a social network service.

15. The notification system according to claim 1, wherein: The notification process for the first printed product is a process for displaying a notification area of ​​the first printed product.

16. The notification system according to claim 1, in, The notification process for the first printed product is a notification process for prompting a user to capture an image of the first printed product and uploading image data obtained by capturing an image of the first printed product to a social networking service, and for displaying a notification area for the first printed product, and The notification area of ​​the first printed product includes an area for launching at least one of an application for capturing an image of the first printed product and an application for uploading image data obtained by capturing an image of the first printed product to a social networking service.

17. An information processing device, comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about content printed by the printing device; as well as a control unit configured to control the information processing device to perform notification processing for a first printed product obtained by printing the first content based on information indicating that the content printed by the printing device corresponds to the first content at a first timing, and to control the information processing device to perform notification processing for a second printed product obtained by printing the second content based on information indicating that the content printed by the printing device corresponds to a second content different from the first content at a second timing earlier than the first timing, wherein, in a case where the content printed by the printing device corresponds to first content, the information processing device is controlled to perform notification processing based on information indicating that a first time period corresponding to the first content has elapsed since printing the first content, and Here, when the content printed by the printing device corresponds to the second content, the information processing device is controlled to perform notification processing based on information indicating that a second time period corresponding to the second content has passed since the second content was printed, and the second time period is shorter than the first time period.

18. A server system, the server system being arranged outside a printing device and outside an information processing device, the server system comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about content printed by the printing device; as well as a control unit configured to control the information processing device to perform notification processing for a first printed product obtained by printing the first content based on information indicating that the content printed by the printing device corresponds to the first content at a first timing, and to control the information processing device to perform notification processing for a second printed product obtained by printing the second content based on information indicating that the content printed by the printing device corresponds to a second content different from the first content at a second timing earlier than the first timing, wherein, in a case where the content printed by the printing device corresponds to first content, the information processing device is controlled to perform notification processing based on information indicating that a first time period corresponding to the first content has elapsed since printing the first content, and Here, when the content printed by the printing device corresponds to the second content, the information processing device is controlled to perform notification processing based on information indicating that a second time period corresponding to the second content has passed since the second content was printed, and the second time period is shorter than the first time period.

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