Label printing system, server, and product manufacturing method

Abstract

In the prior art, a label including content selected by a user and a label to be pasted on a product cannot be printed in a shop. The present invention is provided with a reception unit (32) that receives a first print instruction, and a content acquisition unit (332) that acquires content corresponding to a content identifier included in the first print instruction from a content management unit (313) that stores content corresponding to each of one or more content identifiers. And a server (3) that transmits a second printing instruction having the content acquired by the content acquisition unit (332) to the printing device (4) corresponding to the store terminal (2). The server (3) can print a label including the content selected by the user in the store and to be pasted on the product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a label printing system for printing labels to be affixed to goods, etc. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, there were technologies related to labeled food and beverage containers and their manufacturing methods that aimed to ensure high hygiene even when the contents of the container were eaten or drunk directly from the mouth (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-22526 Summary of the Invention

[0004] However, with existing technology, it is impossible to print labels containing user-selected content and affix them to products in stores.

[0005] The label printing system of this first invention includes one or more store terminals, a server, and one or more printing devices. Each store terminal includes: a terminal storage unit for storing a store identifier; a terminal receiving unit for receiving content identifiers; and a terminal sending unit for sending a first printing instruction having both a content identifier and a store identifier to the server. The server includes: a receiving unit for receiving the first printing instruction; a content acquisition unit for acquiring content corresponding to the content identifier in the first printing instruction from a content management unit that stores content corresponding to one or more content identifiers; and a sending unit for sending a second printing instruction having the content acquired by the content acquisition unit to the printing device corresponding to the store terminal. The printing device receives the second printing instruction and prints a label having the content included in the second printing instruction, which is then affixed to the product.

[0006] This configuration allows for the printing of labels containing user-selected content in the store, which are then affixed to the products.

[0007] Furthermore, the label printing system of this second invention is as follows: in relation to the first invention, the label printing system also includes one or more media, on which information containing one or more content identifiers is printed, and the terminal receiving unit receives the content identifiers corresponding to the media.

[0008] This configuration allows for the printing of labels containing user-selected content in the store, which are then affixed to the products.

[0009] Furthermore, the label printing system of this third invention is as follows: with respect to the first or second invention, the label printing system includes two or more store terminals, a server, and two or more printing devices. The server also includes: a correspondence management unit that manages the printing devices corresponding to the two or more store terminals; and a decision unit that refers to the correspondence management unit and decides the printing device corresponding to the store terminal. The sending unit sends a second printing instruction to the printing device decided by the decision unit.

[0010] With this configuration, based on the choices made by users in two or more stores, the printing equipment in each store can be used to print labels containing the content selected by the users, which will then be affixed to the products.

[0011] Furthermore, the label printing system of this fourth invention is as follows: with respect to any one of the first to third inventions, the server further includes an environmental information acquisition unit, which acquires environmental information corresponding to the store identifier of the first printing instruction from an environmental management unit that stores environmental information corresponding to two or more store identifiers, and the sending unit sends a second printing instruction having content and environmental information.

[0012] This design allows for the printing of labels that contain environmental information that varies from store to store.

[0013] Furthermore, the label printing system of this fifth invention is as follows, in contrast to the second invention, the medium is a card printed with a content identifier.

[0014] With this structure, using cards printed with content identifiers, it is possible to print labels containing content selected by the user in the store and affix them to the products.

[0015] Furthermore, the label printing system of this sixth invention is as follows: with respect to the second invention, the medium is a card printed with content corresponding to the content identifier.

[0016] With this structure, using cards with printed content, it is possible to print labels containing content selected by the user in the store and affix them to the products.

[0017] Furthermore, the label printing system of this seventh invention is as follows: with respect to any one of the first to sixth inventions, the content management unit stores at least two or more contents corresponding to one content identifier, the content acquisition unit selects one content from the two or more contents corresponding to one content identifier of the first printing instruction, and the sending unit sends a second printing instruction having one content to the printing device.

[0018] This structure allows users to enjoy a diversity of content they can choose from.

[0019] Furthermore, the label printing system of this eighth invention is as follows: Regarding the seventh invention, the content acquisition unit randomly selects one content from two or more contents corresponding to one content identifier of the first printing instruction, or selects one content based on one or more environmental information when the first printing instruction is received.

[0020] This structure allows users to enjoy a diversity of content they can choose from.

[0021] Furthermore, regarding either the fifth or sixth invention, this ninth invention is a card.

[0022] This configuration allows for the printing of labels containing user-selected content in the store, which are then affixed to the products.

[0023] Furthermore, the server of this tenth invention comprises: a receiving unit that receives a first printing instruction having a content identifier and a store identifier; a content acquisition unit that acquires content corresponding to the content identifier of the first printing instruction from a content management unit that stores content corresponding to one or more content identifiers; and a sending unit that sends a second printing instruction having the content acquired by the content acquisition unit to a printing device corresponding to a store terminal.

[0024] This configuration enables the printing of labels containing user-selected content in stores, which are then affixed to the products.

[0025] Furthermore, the manufacturing method of the product of this eleventh invention includes: a terminal acceptance step of accepting a content identifier at a store terminal; a terminal sending step of sending a first printing instruction having a content identifier and a store identifier already stored to a server from the store terminal; an instruction receiving step of the server receiving the first printing instruction; a content acquisition step of the server obtaining content corresponding to the content identifier of the first printing instruction from a content management unit that stores content corresponding to one or more content identifiers; a server sending step of sending a second printing instruction having content to a printing device corresponding to the store terminal from the server; a receiving step of the printing device receiving the second printing instruction; a step of the printing device printing a label having the content included in the second printing instruction and affixing it to the product; and an affixing step of affixing the label to the product container, for completing the product to be sold in the store where the store terminal is located.

[0026] This structure allows for the printing of labels containing user-selected content in the store, which are then affixed to the products, enabling the products with these labels to be displayed in the store.

[0027] According to the label printing system of the present invention, it is possible to print labels containing content selected by the user in a store and to affix them to the products. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the label printing system A in Implementation Method 1. Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the label printing system A. Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the actions of terminal 2 in the store. Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the actions of server 3. Figure 5 This is a diagram representing the corresponding table. Figure 6 This is a diagram representing the environmental information management table. Figure 7 This is a diagram representing the content management table. Figure 8 This is a diagram representing the card holder. Figure 9 This diagram illustrates a specific example of the operation of the label printing system A. Figure 10 This diagram illustrates a specific example of the operation of the label printing system A. Detailed Implementation

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the label printing system, etc., will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, in these embodiments, components marked with the same symbols perform the same operations; therefore, repeated descriptions may sometimes be omitted.

[0030] (Implementation Method 1) In this embodiment, a label printing system having a store terminal, a server, and a printing device is described. The store terminal receives and sends a content identifier, the server receives the content identifier from the store terminal, constructs and sends label information containing content corresponding to the content identifier, and the printing device receives the label information and prints a label to be affixed to the product.

[0031] In addition, this embodiment describes a label printing system that uses a server to manage the correspondence between store terminals and printing devices, thereby enabling services to be offered in multiple stores.

[0032] In addition, this embodiment describes a label printing system that prints labels based on store management environment information and also includes environmental information corresponding to the store where the user purchased the goods.

[0033] In addition, this embodiment describes a label printing system that includes cards containing one or more of the content identifier and content.

[0034] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a label printing system in which the server selects one content from two or more content items corresponding to content identifiers already received in the server will be described.

[0035] Furthermore, in this specification, the correspondence between information X and information Y means that information Y can be obtained from information X, or information X can be obtained from information Y; the correspondence method is not limited. Information X and information Y can be linked, exist in the same buffer, or information X can be contained within information Y, or information Y can be contained within information X, etc.

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the label printing system A in this embodiment. Label printing system A includes one or more media 1, one or more shop terminals 2, a server 3, and one or more printing devices 4. Furthermore, Figure 1 In this system, for each of two or more shops, the preferred label printing system A has one or more shop terminals 2 and one or more printing devices 4. Additionally, the shops are... Figure 1 A, ..., Z in the series.

[0037] Medium 1 may have information printed on it, for example, containing one or more content identifiers. Medium 1 may have information printed on it, for example, containing one or more content elements. Preferably, medium 1 has content identifiers and content that can be identified by those content identifiers printed on it.

[0038] Preferred medium 1 is the item that a customer receives at the checkout counter when purchasing goods in a store. Preferred goods have a container. Goods may be, for example, beverages, but can also be food, etc., and are not limited to any particular type.

[0039] Furthermore, a shop is a place where goods are sold. A shop can be a convenience store, but it can also be a supermarket, a pharmacy, etc., and its type is not limited.

[0040] Medium 1 is, for example, a card printed with a content identifier. Medium 1 is, for example, a card printed with content corresponding to the content identifier.

[0041] Content identifiers are information that identifies content. Content identifiers are typically IDs, but can also be content names, etc. The content identifier presented on medium 1 can also be a graphic code embedded with the content identifier. Graphic codes are, for example, QR codes, but can also be barcodes, etc., and their types are not limited. QR codes include, for example, QR codes (registered trademarks) and color codes. Furthermore, while the content identifier presented on medium 1 is a code, the content identifier sent from store terminal 2 to server 3 can also be an ID. In other words, in label printing system A, there can be more than two types of content identifiers that identify the same content.

[0042] Furthermore, printing means presentation. The means of printing can be ink, but it can also be cutting, etc. Additionally, the material of medium 1 is paper, resin, etc., and its type is not limited. Preferably, medium 1 is card-shaped, but its shape is not limited. Card-shaped refers to a thin rectangular shape. Preferably, the size of medium 1 is portable for the user, but its size is not limited. Preferably, the size of medium 1 is small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand.

[0043] Content refers to the patterns, images, strings, etc., that will be printed on the label. There are no restrictions on the data type or meaning of the content. Examples of content include anime characters, photos of idols, and landscapes.

[0044] A label is an item to be affixed to a product. Preferably, the label is affixed to the product container. The preferred label is a sticker. A more preferred label is a double-layered sticker with a peelable top layer. The label, before the printed content, is usually pre-set on the printing device 4. The preferred label is a white paper medium, but some form of printing may be performed beforehand. The preferred label is paper, but its material is not limited. In addition to the content, the preferred label also prints environmental information (described later) and the product name.

[0045] Store terminal 2 is a terminal present in the store. Store terminal 2 is typically operated by store staff, but can also be operated by users. There is no limitation on who can operate store terminal 2. Store terminal 2 can be, for example, a personal computer, tablet computer, or smartphone, but its type is not limited.

[0046] Server 3 is a device that receives printing instructions from labels, obtains the content corresponding to those instructions, and sends the printing instructions containing the content to printing device 4. Server 3 may be, for example, a cloud server or an ASP server, but is not limited to any particular type.

[0047] The printing device 4 is a device that receives instructions from the server 3 and prints out labels to be affixed to the goods. The printing device 4 is typically a printer. The type of printing device 4 is not limited. The printing method in the printing device 4 can be inkjet, laser, etc., and is not limited to any particular method.

[0048] Furthermore, the labels printed by the printing device 4 are usually affixed to the goods by the store clerk. However, the person affixing the labels to the goods can also be the user, and there is no limitation on this. It is preferable to affix the labels to the goods' container. The user is typically the person who purchases the goods.

[0049] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the label printing system A in this embodiment. Figure 2 In this system, label printing system A comprises one or more media 1, one or more shop terminals 2, a server 3, and one or more printing devices 4. Furthermore, Figure 2 In this case, label printing system A may not have a medium 1. In such a case, the user selects one item from multiple items on the screen of the store terminal 2, for example.

[0050] In addition, when the label printing system A has two or more media 1, the user selects one media 1 from the two or more media 1, thereby selecting the content.

[0051] The store terminal 2 has a terminal storage unit 21, a terminal acceptance unit 22, a terminal processing unit 23, and a terminal sending unit 24.

[0052] Server 3 includes a storage unit 31, a receiving unit 32, a processing unit 33, and a sending unit 34. Storage unit 31 includes a correspondence management unit 311, an environment management unit 312, and a content management unit 313. Processing unit 33 includes a content acquisition unit 332, an environment information acquisition unit 331, and a decision unit 333. Furthermore, the correspondence management unit 311, the environment management unit 312, and the content management unit 313 may also be implemented by an external device (not shown).

[0053] Various types of information are stored in the terminal storage unit 21 that constitutes the store terminal 2. Among these various types of information is, for example, the store identifier.

[0054] A store identifier is information that identifies the store selling the goods. In other words, a store identifier identifies the store where store terminal 2 is located. A store identifier could be, for example, the store's ID or store name. A store identifier can also be information that identifies store terminal 2. Furthermore, a store identifier could be a printing device identifier that identifies printing device 4. In such a case, the store identifier could be, for example, the IP address of store terminal 2, the ID of store terminal 2, the IP address of printing device 4, or the ID of printing device 4.

[0055] Terminal acceptance unit 22 accepts content identifiers. In addition to content identifiers, terminal acceptance unit 22 can also accept purchase information. Purchase information is information related to the product to be purchased. Purchase information includes, for example, the quantity of the product and the product identifier. The product identifier is information that identifies the product. The product identifier may be, for example, the product ID, the product name, or information used to determine the product (e.g., the product flavor). When the store sells products with multiple flavors (e.g., orange, lemon, etc.), terminal acceptance unit 22 accepts the product identifier corresponding to one of the multiple flavors.

[0056] The terminal receiving unit 22, for example, receives a content identifier corresponding to the medium 1. The content identifier corresponding to the medium 1 is usually a content identifier displayed on the medium 1, or a content identifier embedded in a code displayed on the medium 1. The terminal receiving unit 22, for example, reads the code displayed on the medium 1, i.e., the content identifier, and obtains the ID, i.e., the content identifier. Furthermore, it can also be considered that the code embedded with the ID and that ID are also content identifiers.

[0057] The term "acceptance" here typically refers to acceptance via a barcode scanner, but it can also include acceptance of information input from input devices such as keyboards, mice, and touchscreens, acceptance of information transmitted via wired or wireless communication lines, and acceptance of information read from storage media such as optical discs, disks, and semiconductor memories.

[0058] The terminal receiving unit 22 reads, for example, the content identifier (code, such as a barcode) printed on the medium 1, and obtains the content identifier (such as the content ID) embedded in the code. Additionally, the terminal receiving unit 22 receives, for example, the quantity of goods and the product identifier entered by the store clerk.

[0059] The terminal processing unit 23 performs various processes. These processes include, for example, using the content identifier already received by the terminal receiving unit 22 to construct a first printing instruction.

[0060] The first printed instruction is an instruction on the printed label. The first printed instruction has a content identifier. The first printed instruction usually includes a store identifier. For example, the first printed instruction may include the quantity of the goods and a product identifier.

[0061] For example, the terminal processing unit 23 obtains the store identifier from the terminal storage unit 21. Next, the terminal processing unit 23 constructs, for example, a first printing instruction having the store identifier and the content identifier that has been accepted by the terminal acceptance unit 22.

[0062] For example, the terminal processing unit 23 obtains the store identifier from the terminal storage unit 21. Next, the terminal processing unit 23 constructs, for example, a first printing instruction having the store identifier, the content identifier that the terminal acceptance unit 22 has accepted, the quantity of the product, and the product identifier.

[0063] The terminal sending unit 24 sends a first printing instruction containing a content identifier and a store identifier to the server 3. The terminal sending unit 24 typically sends the first printing instruction, which has been constructed by the terminal processing unit 23, to the server 3.

[0064] Various types of information are stored in the storage unit 31 that constitutes server 3. These various types of information include, for example, one or more corresponding information described later, environmental information described later, and one or more content items.

[0065] The correspondence management unit 311 manages the printing devices 4 corresponding to one or more store terminals 2. For example, the correspondence management unit 311 stores one or more correspondence information. The correspondence information is used to obtain the correspondence relationship between the store terminal 2 and the printing device 4. The correspondence information may include, for example, a store identifier and a printing device identifier. The correspondence information may also include, for example, links to the store identifier and links to the printing device identifier.

[0066] Information with two or more corresponding pieces of information can also be called a correspondence table. Correspondence information is typically used to manage the store terminal 2 and printing device 4 for each store. Preferably, the correspondence information manages one store terminal 2 and one printing device 4, but it can also manage two or more store terminals 2 and one printing device 4, or one store terminal 2 and two or more printing devices 4, or more than two store terminals 2 and two or more printing devices 4.

[0067] In the Environmental Management Department 312, one or more environmental information is stored in correspondence with one or more store identifiers.

[0068] Environmental information refers to information related to the sales environment of a product. Examples of environmental information include location information that identifies the store's location and weather information for the area where the store is located. Environmental information is information printed on labels. Examples of environmental information include strings and images, but there are no restrictions on its data type.

[0069] Environmental information can be categorized as either inherent environmental information or general environmental information. Inherent environmental information is specific to each store. Ideally, inherent environmental information should vary from store to store, but it can also be information common to only a subset of two or more stores and differ from the environmental information of other stores. General environmental information is information common to two or more stores. General environmental information can be, for example, time information. Time information determines the time of sale of a product or the current time. Time information can be, for example, date and time, or year, month, day, hour, and minute. However, the granularity of the time information is not limited.

[0070] In the content management section 313, content is stored corresponding to one or more content identifiers. Typically, one content identifier corresponds to one content identifier, but it can also correspond to two or more.

[0071] The preferred content is an image, but it can also be a string, or information containing both an image and a string. There are no restrictions on the data type of the content.

[0072] When there are two or more pieces of content corresponding to a single content identifier, it is preferable that the two or more pieces of content are related. Examples of related pieces of content include different photos of the same idol, different images of the same character, images of different characters from the same anime, or photos of different professional athletes from the same team.

[0073] Preferably, two or more contents are stored corresponding to at least one content identifier of the content management unit 313.

[0074] The receiving unit 32 receives the first printing instruction. The receiving unit 32 typically receives the first printing instruction sent from the store terminal 2. The receiving unit 32 can also receive the first printing instruction from a user terminal not shown. The receiving unit 32 can also receive the first printing instruction sent from the store terminal 2 via a user terminal not shown.

[0075] A user terminal is the device used by a user to purchase goods. A user terminal can be a smartphone, but it can also be a tablet computer, a personal computer, etc.

[0076] The processing unit 33 performs various processes. These processes include, for example, those performed by the environmental information acquisition unit 331, the content acquisition unit 332, and the decision unit 333.

[0077] The environmental information acquisition unit 331 acquires one or more pieces of environmental information. For example, the environmental information acquisition unit 331 acquires environmental information corresponding to the store identifier of the received first printing instruction from the environmental management unit 312. The environmental information acquisition unit 331 also acquires, for example, weather information for the region corresponding to the store identifier from a server not shown in the diagram. Such environmental information is inherent environmental information.

[0078] The environmental information acquisition unit 331 acquires time information, for example, from a server not shown in the diagram. Time information is general environmental information.

[0079] The content acquisition unit 332 acquires the content corresponding to the content identifier of the first printing instruction that has been received from the content management unit 313.

[0080] The content acquisition unit 332 selects one content from two or more content items corresponding to a content identifier of the first printing instruction, for example.

[0081] The content acquisition unit 332 may randomly select one content from two or more content items corresponding to a content identifier of the first printing instruction.

[0082] The algorithm for randomly selecting content is not limited. For example, the content acquisition unit 332 generates a random number, divides the random number by the number of contents corresponding to a content identifier, obtains the remainder, and acquires the content corresponding to the remainder.

[0083] The content acquisition unit 332 selects one or more contents from two or more contents corresponding to a content identifier of the first printing instruction, for example, based on one or more environmental information at the time the first printing instruction is received. Furthermore, the one or more environmental information are information already acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 331. The content acquisition unit 332 selects one content from two or more contents, for example, using time information.

[0084] The algorithm is not limited to selecting one piece of content based on more than one piece of environmental information. For example, the content acquisition unit 332 acquires one piece of environmental information or the sum of two or more pieces of environmental information, divides the acquired information by the number of contents corresponding to a content identifier, obtains the remainder, and acquires the content corresponding to that remainder. For example, the content acquisition unit 332 selects contents sequentially so that each piece of content corresponding to a content identifier is selected equally.

[0085] Even when there are two or more contents corresponding to a content identifier, the content acquisition unit 332 will usually select and acquire one content, but it can also acquire two or more contents.

[0086] The content acquisition unit 332, for example, constructs a second printing instruction containing one or more of the acquired content. The content acquisition unit 332, for example, constructs label information containing the acquired content and one or more acquired environmental information, and constructs a second printing instruction containing that label information.

[0087] The decision unit 333 refers to the corresponding management unit 311 and determines the printing device 4 corresponding to the store terminal 2. For example, the decision unit 333 obtains the printing device identifier that is paired with the received store identifier from the corresponding management unit 311.

[0088] The sending unit 34 sends a second printing instruction, containing content acquired by the content acquisition unit 332, to the printing device 4 corresponding to the store terminal 2. For example, the sending unit 34 sends the second printing instruction to the printing device 4 that has been determined by the decision unit 333. For example, the sending unit 34 sends the second printing instruction constructed by the content acquisition unit 332 to the printing device 4 that has been determined by the decision unit 333.

[0089] The preferred sending unit 34 sends a second printing instruction containing content and environmental information.

[0090] The printing device 4 receives a second printing instruction from the server 3 and prints a label containing the content of the second printing instruction, which is to be affixed to the product.

[0091] The printing device 4 receives a second printing instruction from the server 3, for example, and prints a label containing the content of the second printing instruction and one or more environmental information to be affixed to the product.

[0092] The preferred terminal storage unit 21, storage unit 31, corresponding management unit 311, environment management unit 312 and content management unit 313 are non-volatile storage media, but it can also be achieved with volatile storage media.

[0093] The process of storing information in the terminal storage unit 21 is not limited. For example, information can be stored in the terminal storage unit 21 by means of a storage medium, information transmitted by means of a communication line, or information input by means of an input device.

[0094] The terminal receiving unit 22 can be implemented through device drivers or menu screen control software of input devices such as barcode scanners, touch screens or keyboards.

[0095] The terminal processing unit 23, processing unit 33, content acquisition unit 332, environmental information acquisition unit 331, and decision unit 333 are typically implemented using a processor, memory, etc. The processing order of the terminal processing unit 23, etc., is usually implemented in software, which is stored in a storage medium such as ROM. However, the terminal processing unit 23, etc., can also be implemented in hardware (dedicated circuitry). Furthermore, the processor can be a CPU, MPU, GPU, etc., and its type is not limited.

[0096] While the terminal transmitter 24 and transmitter 34 are typically implemented via wireless or wired communication, they can also be implemented via broadcasting.

[0097] Normally, the receiving unit 32 is implemented through wireless or wired communication, but it can also be implemented by receiving broadcasts.

[0098] Next, we will explain the operation example of label printing system A. First, using... Figure 3 The flowchart illustrates the actions of store terminal 2.

[0099] (Step S301) The terminal receiving unit 22 determines whether the content identifier has been accepted. If the content identifier has been accepted, proceed to step S302; otherwise, return to step S301. Furthermore, the terminal receiving unit 22 can also accept information such as the quantity of goods and the product identifier.

[0100] (Step S302) The terminal processing unit 23 obtains the store identifier from the terminal storage unit 21.

[0101] (Step S303) The terminal processing unit 23 constructs a first printing instruction having the content identifier received in step S301 and the store identifier obtained in step S302. The first printing instruction may also have the quantity of goods, product identifier, etc.

[0102] (Step S304) The terminal sending unit 24 sends the first printing instruction, which was constructed in step S303, to the server 3. Return to step S301.

[0103] Furthermore, the communication information of the server used to communicate with server 3 (e.g., the IP address and URL of server 3) has been stored in the terminal storage unit 21.

[0104] Furthermore, in Figure 3 In the flowchart, the process ends by power-off or by embedding the end of the process.

[0105] Next, use Figure 4 The flowchart illustrates the actions of server 3.

[0106] (Step S401) The receiving unit 32 determines whether the first printing instruction has been received from the store terminal 2. If the first printing instruction has been received, proceed to step S402; if the first printing instruction has not been received, return to step S401.

[0107] (Step S402) Content acquisition unit 332 acquires the content identifier contained in the first printing instruction received in step S401.

[0108] (Step S403) The environmental information acquisition unit 331 acquires the store identifier contained in the first printing instruction received in step S401.

[0109] (Step S404) The environmental information acquisition unit 331 acquires one or more pieces of inherent environmental information from the environmental management unit 312 that are paired with the store identifier acquired in step S403. Furthermore, there may be cases where inherent environmental information cannot be acquired.

[0110] (Step S405) The environmental information acquisition unit 331 acquires one or more general environmental information. Furthermore, the general environmental information may be, for example, time information. Additionally, the environmental information acquisition unit 331 may choose not to acquire general environmental information.

[0111] (Step S406) The content acquisition unit 332 determines whether there are two or more contents in the content management unit 313 that are paired with the content identifiers acquired in step S402. If there are two or more, proceed to step S407; if there is only one, proceed to step S408.

[0112] (Step S407) The content acquisition unit 332 determines one content to be acquired from two or more content pairs that are already acquired in step S402.

[0113] (Step S408) The content acquisition unit 332 acquires a unique content that is paired with the content identifier acquired in step S402 from the content management unit 313, or acquires a content that has been determined in step S407.

[0114] (Step S409) The processing unit 33 constructs tag information containing the content obtained in step S408 and one or more environmental information. Furthermore, the more than one environmental information is one or more of the inherent environmental information and one or more general environmental information.

[0115] (Step S410) Processing unit 33 constructs a second printing instruction having the label information obtained in step S409. Furthermore, the second printing instruction may also include the quantity of the goods.

[0116] (Step S411) The decision unit 333 determines the printing device 4 corresponding to the store identifier obtained in step S403. For example, the decision unit 333 obtains the printing device identifier that is paired with the store identifier obtained in step S403 from the correspondence management unit 311.

[0117] (Step S412) The sending unit 34 sends the second printing instruction, which was constructed in step S410, to the printing device 4, which was determined in step S411. Return to step S401.

[0118] Furthermore, in Figure 4 In the flowchart, the process ends by power-off or by embedding the end of the process.

[0119] The printing device 4 receives a second printing instruction from the server 3 and prints labels to be affixed to the goods according to the second printing instruction. Furthermore, when the second printing instruction includes the quantity of goods, the printing device 4 prints only labels for that quantity of goods.

[0120] The following describes a specific example of the operation of the label printing system A in this embodiment.

[0121] Now, the corresponding management unit 311 of server 3 contains... Figure 5The table shown is used to determine the correspondence between store terminal 2 and printing device 4. The table manages records with two or more entries, each containing an "ID," a "store identifier," and a "printing device identifier." The "ID" is information that identifies the record. Here, the "store identifier" is the store's ID. Here, the "printing device identifier" is the IP address of printing device 4.

[0122] The Environmental Management Department has stored 312 items. Figure 6 The table shown is the Environmental Information Management Table. This table manages the inherent environmental information of each store. Inherent environmental information manages two or more records that have an "ID," a "Store Identifier," and "Inherent Environmental Information." "Inherent Environmental Information" refers to information inherent to the store; while it is currently a string, it can also be an image, etc., and the data type is not limited.

[0123] Content Management Department 313 contains Figure 7 The content management table shown manages records that have two or more entries with "content identifier" and "content". Each record contains one or more entries. Multiple entries exist corresponding to the content identifier "C003".

[0124] In this case, the following uses Figure 9 , Figure 10 A specific example of the operation of label printing system A is explained.

[0125] (specific example) Suppose that in two or more stores, there exists Figure 8 The card area shown in 801 has a card rack 801 with multiple cards. The card rack 801 contains a large number of cards. Assume a user selects card 1 from the card rack 801 and takes card 1 to the store's cashier (see reference 801). Figure 9 (a)). Additionally, suppose a user informs the cashier of the quantity and flavor of the items they wish to purchase (item identifier). Furthermore, card 1 here is printed with content identifier 802 and content 803.

[0126] Furthermore, card 1 is an example of medium 1. A content identifier is printed on card 1. This content identifier is, for example, a code (barcode) embedding the content's ID. The content ID is an example of a content identifier. Additionally, card 1 contains all or part of the content identifiable by the content identifier. This is to facilitate card selection for the user.

[0127] Next, the clerk examines card 1, which the customer received at the checkout counter, and points out the area corresponding to card 1 on the store terminal 2 (in this case, a tablet computer). Additionally, the clerk inputs the quantity and flavor of the goods (product identifiers) provided by the customer into the store terminal 2 (see [reference]). Figure 9 (b)).

[0128] Next, assuming that the terminal receiving unit 22 of store terminal 2 has received the input "<content identifier>C003<quantity>1<flavor>orange" including a content identifier, the terminal processing unit 23 of store terminal 2 then retrieves the store identifier "S001" from the terminal storage unit 21. Next, using the input received by the terminal receiving unit 22 and the store identifier, the processing of constructing a first printing instruction is performed. The first printing instruction includes "<store identifier>S001<content identifier>C003<quantity>1<flavor>orange". Next, the terminal sending unit 24 sends this first printing instruction to the server 3.

[0129] Additionally, at the cashier, users make payments and complete the checkout process (see...). Figure 9 (c)).

[0130] Next, the receiving unit 32 of server 3 receives the first printing instruction from store terminal 2. Next, the content acquisition unit 332 acquires the content identifier "C003" contained in the received first printing instruction.

[0131] Next, the environmental information acquisition unit 331 obtains the store identifier "S001" contained in the received first printing instruction. Next, the environmental information acquisition unit 331 retrieves the information from the environmental management form (…). Figure 6 Obtain one or more intrinsic environmental information “AAAA THEATER in EZO…” that is paired with the store identifier “S001”.

[0132] Next, the environmental information acquisition unit 331 acquires one or more general environmental information. Furthermore, the environmental information acquisition unit 331 acquires the time information "day, hour, minute, second" from a clock not shown in the figure.

[0133] Next, the Content Acquisition Department 332 refers to the Content Management Table ( Figure 7 It is determined that there are multiple contents in the content management department 313 that are paired with the obtained content identifier "C003".

[0134] Next, the content acquisition unit 332 selects one content to acquire from two or more content pairs that are paired with the content identifier "C003" by drawing lots.

[0135] Next, Content Acquisition Department 332 will retrieve the content from the content management table ( Figure 7To obtain a content that has already been decided.

[0136] Next, the processing unit 33 constructs label information that includes the acquired content, one or more inherent environmental information, and one or more general environmental information. Next, the processing unit 33 constructs a second printing instruction that includes the label information and the quantity "1" of the product.

[0137] Next, decision 333 will refer to the corresponding table ( Figure 5 Obtain the printing device identifier "IP address 101" corresponding to the already obtained store identifier "S001".

[0138] Next, the sending unit 34 uses the printing device identifier "IP address 101" to send the constructed second printing instruction to the determined printing device 4.

[0139] Furthermore, the processing unit 33 can accumulate all or part of the "<store identifier>S001<content identifier>C003<quantity>1<flavor>orange" in the first printing instruction. Afterwards, the processing unit 33 can perform statistical processing on two or more accumulated first printing instructions and obtain statistical information. Additionally, it is preferable to send the statistical information to an external device based on the receipt of the instruction.

[0140] The preferred statistical information is content-related information. Processing unit 33, for example, obtains information indicating the number of content identifiers selected for each store, and the relationship between the selected content and the product identifier (here, "flavor"). Information indicating such relationships may be, for example, the proportion of each content for each product, or the proportion of each product for each content.

[0141] Next, the printing device 4 receives a second printing instruction. Then, using the label information contained in the second printing instruction, the printing device 4 prints a label containing the label information (see reference). Figure 10 (a)).

[0142] Next, the store clerk will affix the printed labels to the product container (in this case, a jar) of the flavor specified by the customer (see reference). Figure 10 (b)). At this point, the salesperson affixes a label along the L-shaped guide marker 1001 on the container. This completes the process of providing the product to the customer (see...). Figure 10 (c) Afterwards, the store clerk will provide the completed product to the customer.

[0143] According to this embodiment, it is possible to print labels containing content selected by the user in the store and affix them to the products.

[0144] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, based on the user's selection received in two or more stores, the printing device 4 in the store is used to print a label containing the content selected by the user, which is then affixed to the product.

[0145] In addition, according to this embodiment, labels containing environmental information that varies from store to store are printed.

[0146] In addition, according to this embodiment, cards with printed content identifiers are used to print labels containing content selected by the user in the store and to affix them to the products.

[0147] In addition, according to this embodiment, cards with printed content are used to print labels containing content selected by the user in the store, which are then affixed to the products.

[0148] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, users can enjoy a variety of content that they can choose from.

[0149] Furthermore, the processing described in this embodiment can be implemented using software. The software can also be distributed via software downloads, etc. Alternatively, it can be stored on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM and then distributed. This also applies to other embodiments described in this specification. The software implementing server 3 in this embodiment is a program that enables a computer capable of accessing content management units containing content corresponding to one or more content identifiers to function as a receiving unit, a content acquisition unit, and a sending unit. The receiving unit receives a first printing instruction having a content identifier and a store identifier; the content acquisition unit acquires content from the content management unit corresponding to the content identifier in the first printing instruction; and the sending unit sends a second printing instruction containing the content acquired by the content acquisition unit to a printing device corresponding to the store terminal.

[0150] Furthermore, the above procedure does not include hardware-based processing in the steps of sending or receiving information, such as processing via a modem or interface card in the sending step (processing that can only be performed via hardware).

[0151] Furthermore, the computers executing the above programs can be a single computer or multiple computers. That is, they can perform centralized processing or distributed processing.

[0152] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, it goes without saying that two or more communication methods existing in a device can be physically realized through a single medium.

[0153] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, each process can be implemented by a single device through centralized processing, or by multiple devices through decentralized processing.

[0154] This invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but various modifications can be made, which are also included within the scope of this invention. Industrial availability

[0155] As described above, the label printing system of the present invention has the effect of printing labels containing content selected by the user in a store and affixing them to the products, and is useful as a label printing system, etc.

Claims

1. A label printing system comprising one or more shop terminals, a server, and one or more printing devices, characterized in that, The store terminal includes: a terminal storage unit for storing store identifiers; Terminal acceptance department, acceptance content identifier; The terminal sending unit sends a first printing instruction containing the content identifier and the store identifier to the server. The server includes: a receiving unit for receiving the first printing instruction; The content acquisition unit retrieves the content corresponding to the content identifier of the first printing instruction from the content management unit, which stores content corresponding to one or more of the content identifiers; The sending unit sends a second printing instruction, containing the content already acquired by the content acquisition unit, to the printing device corresponding to the store terminal. The printing device receives the second printing instruction and prints a label having the content contained in the second printing instruction, which is to be affixed to the product.

2. The label printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The label printing system also has one or more media. The medium is printed with information containing one or more of the content identifiers. The terminal receiving unit accepts the content identifier that has been printed on the medium.

3. The label printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The label printing system comprises two or more of the aforementioned store terminals, the aforementioned server, and two or more of the aforementioned printing devices. The server also includes: a corresponding management department that manages printing devices corresponding to two or more of the store terminals; The decision-making department, referring to the corresponding management department, determines the printing device corresponding to the store terminal. The sending unit sends the second printing instruction to the printing device, which has been determined by the decision unit.

4. The label printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The server also includes an environmental information acquisition unit, which acquires the environmental information corresponding to the store identifier in the first printing instruction from an environmental management unit that stores environmental information corresponding to two or more store identifiers. The sending unit sends a second printing instruction containing the content and the environmental information.

5. The label printing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The medium is a card printed with the content identifier.

6. The label printing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The medium is a card printed with the content corresponding to the content identifier.

7. The label printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The content management department stores at least two or more contents corresponding to at least one of the content identifiers. The content acquisition unit selects one of the contents from two or more contents corresponding to one of the contents identifiers of the first printing instruction. The sending unit sends a second printing instruction having the aforementioned content to the printing device.

8. The label printing system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The content acquisition unit randomly selects one of the contents from two or more contents corresponding to one of the contents identifiers of the first printing instruction. Alternatively, one of the contents may be selected based on one or more environmental information at the time the first printing instruction is received.

9. A server, characterized in that, Equipped with: a receiving unit that receives a first printing instruction having a content identifier and a store identifier; The content acquisition unit retrieves the content corresponding to the content identifier of the first printing instruction from the content management unit, which stores content corresponding to one or more of the content identifiers; The sending unit sends a second printing instruction, which includes the content already acquired by the content acquisition unit, to the printing device corresponding to the store terminal.

10. A method for manufacturing a commodity, characterized in that, It includes: a terminal acceptance procedure with a store terminal acceptance content identifier; The terminal sending step involves the store terminal sending a first printing instruction containing the content identifier and the stored store identifier to the server. The server receives the instruction receiving step of the first printing instruction; The server retrieves the content from the content management department that stores content corresponding to one or more of the content identifiers, and obtains the content retrieval step of the content corresponding to the content identifier of the first printing instruction; The server sends a second printing instruction containing the content to the printing device corresponding to the store terminal; The printing apparatus receives the second printing instruction in the receiving step; The step of the printing apparatus printing a label having the content included in the second printing instruction and affixing the label to the product; and the step of affixing the label to the product container. Used to complete the sale of the goods in the store where the store terminal is located.

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